This one isn't a resolution like the ones listed in the last post; this one is a goal. I have no idea what the functional difference between a resolution and a goal is, but I'm calling this one a goal anyway.
My goal is to be able to do this again:
Back in the fall when I was working out after soccer games, I saw some volleyball girls doing box jumps at the gym. I was totally jealous of how high they could jump. One day when they weren't there, I gave it a go. I was very, very surprised and very, very happy to find out that I could jump just as high as those girls! (Even in soccer cleats!) Woo hoo! I was so excited that I made Julie videotape me.
It was kind of scary so the highest I dared to do was 36". I wanted to jump higher so I decided that I was going to work on box jumps every time I was at the gym! This video was taken on Thursday, November 8th. The next time I was at the Castle was Sunday, November 11. I fully intended to work on my jumps after my soccer games.
but then...
Gr! In my second game I sprained my ankle really, really bad. I was carried off the field and was on crutches for the next few days. So much for working on box jumps. :( So much for doing ANYTHING, for that matter. :( Boo.
So the goal now is to get my ankle strong enough to be able to jump 36" again. Or higher!
Showing posts with label things I like. Show all posts
Showing posts with label things I like. Show all posts
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Extemely Fun!
Remember when I said that trapeze is the most fun thing I've ever done ever? Well, I've found something that is equally as fun! Woo hoo! This new something is the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course.
Seriously, how often do you get to do this?
Any day of the week when you're in Flagstaff!
I was lucky enough to get to do this on the first weekend they were open back in April. The first thing we did when we arrived was to get fitted with a harness. Safety first, you know. Woot! Woot! Harnesses are sexy!
The staff then walks you through a training course where they teach you all the rules and safety procedures. After safety first comes safety second! One of the things they teach you is to sit in your harness so you get used to trusting it. This is my friend, Ian.
There are four courses for adults. Your admission fee allows you to do all four courses but you don't have to do them all. They get progressively higher and harder as you go and you can quit whenever you'd like.
This was one of my favorite challenges:
You swing on a rope from the platform on the right over to that cargo net where I am. You have to let go of the rope to grab the cargo net! The crazy thing is that this obstacle is on the second easiest course! Don't let that scare you though; this one is optional. There is an alternate/easier choice to get to the next landing if you choose not to fly face first into a cargo net.
In case you were wondering if I was enjoying myself:
Yep! I sure was! What a fun, fun, fun day!!
We took a short potty break between the second and third courses. To start the third course you have to climb a ladder up a tree. This takes forever because you have to keep clipping and unclipping your carabiners every other step. The tree ladders were the only part of the course I didn't like. But once you're back up on the course, it's back to having fun!!
A big ladder traverse:
The other guy in these pictures is our new friend, Greg. He was doing the course by himself and he hooked up with us as we passed some slower folks. He told us about halfway through that he was scared of heights! He said he couldn't believe how safe he felt with the harness and the safety lines. He did all four courses!
This rope crossing was the hardest obstacle, in my opinion. I kept getting my feet caught up in my harness wires. No one else seemed to be having this problem, but I'm pretty talented in the uncoordination department. In addition to being uncoordinated, it also took a lot of strength to pull yourself across like that. But I made it across finally!
If you do have any problems on the course or you can't finish an obstacle, the staff will come get you and bring you down. However, if they have to bring you down, you don't get to finish the course so don't go crying wolf!
A cargo net traverse at the end of the fourth course:
Greg, Ian and I finished all four courses with no staff assistance required!
Behind us is a tree ladder that you need to climb down to get off the course. My only critique of the whole shebang is this tree ladder. After a few hours of rocking obstacles and doing crazy-fun things, it's a bit of a let down to have to climb very, very slowly down this stupid ladder. I want to end with a WOW and a WHEE! How about a fireman pole or a free fall of some sort or even a slide?
There were a whole bunch more awesome obstacles that I didn't show here. I don't want to give away all the fun and surprises for you! Now, get yourself to Flagstaff and do this! It's only $42 to do all four courses. This seems really low to me since you pay $80+ to do ziplining courses elsewhere. This is ziplining plus a whole lot more stuff that is a lot more fun than ziplining! $42 is totally worth it!
Ok, did this whole post sound like a commercial? :) Honestly, I am not being paid to promote Flagstaff Extreme, nor am I in their employ in any way! I just love this place that much!! And you will too, so GO! www.flagstaffextreme.com
Seriously, how often do you get to do this?
Any day of the week when you're in Flagstaff!
I was lucky enough to get to do this on the first weekend they were open back in April. The first thing we did when we arrived was to get fitted with a harness. Safety first, you know. Woot! Woot! Harnesses are sexy!
The staff then walks you through a training course where they teach you all the rules and safety procedures. After safety first comes safety second! One of the things they teach you is to sit in your harness so you get used to trusting it. This is my friend, Ian.
The first course is fairly low and pretty easy. Pat choose not to participate because he's not very comfortable with heights, but after watching and taking pictures the whole day, he says that even he could do this course with no problem. Here are some of the fun obstacles in the first course. Tunnels: 
Ladder bridge with cargo nets:
As you move on to the next course, they spice it up a little bit. Yes, this is a skateboard. In the air. 
In addition to all the awesome obstacles to traverse, each course has one or two ziplines. This zipline is so long that you can barely see me flying toward you. Whee!
This was one of my favorite challenges:
You swing on a rope from the platform on the right over to that cargo net where I am. You have to let go of the rope to grab the cargo net! The crazy thing is that this obstacle is on the second easiest course! Don't let that scare you though; this one is optional. There is an alternate/easier choice to get to the next landing if you choose not to fly face first into a cargo net.
In case you were wondering if I was enjoying myself:
Yep! I sure was! What a fun, fun, fun day!!
We took a short potty break between the second and third courses. To start the third course you have to climb a ladder up a tree. This takes forever because you have to keep clipping and unclipping your carabiners every other step. The tree ladders were the only part of the course I didn't like. But once you're back up on the course, it's back to having fun!!
A big ladder traverse:
The other guy in these pictures is our new friend, Greg. He was doing the course by himself and he hooked up with us as we passed some slower folks. He told us about halfway through that he was scared of heights! He said he couldn't believe how safe he felt with the harness and the safety lines. He did all four courses!
This rope crossing was the hardest obstacle, in my opinion. I kept getting my feet caught up in my harness wires. No one else seemed to be having this problem, but I'm pretty talented in the uncoordination department. In addition to being uncoordinated, it also took a lot of strength to pull yourself across like that. But I made it across finally!
If you do have any problems on the course or you can't finish an obstacle, the staff will come get you and bring you down. However, if they have to bring you down, you don't get to finish the course so don't go crying wolf!A cargo net traverse at the end of the fourth course:
Greg, Ian and I finished all four courses with no staff assistance required!
There were a whole bunch more awesome obstacles that I didn't show here. I don't want to give away all the fun and surprises for you! Now, get yourself to Flagstaff and do this! It's only $42 to do all four courses. This seems really low to me since you pay $80+ to do ziplining courses elsewhere. This is ziplining plus a whole lot more stuff that is a lot more fun than ziplining! $42 is totally worth it!
Ok, did this whole post sound like a commercial? :) Honestly, I am not being paid to promote Flagstaff Extreme, nor am I in their employ in any way! I just love this place that much!! And you will too, so GO! www.flagstaffextreme.com
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Conquering the World in One Day
Can the world be conquered in a day? Why, yes, it can! Can I prove to my blog-readers that I am every bit as nerdy as they suspect? Why, yes, I can do that too!
You may have noticed that I have a lot of traditions. One of my favorites is the New Year's Day Day of Strategery. Every New Year's Day a group of us gets together for a day-long game of strategy in an attempt to be that year's Conqueror of the World.
For the past few years we have played
Civilization, which is an empire-building game of land use, supply discovery and management and not surprisingly, civilization building. As the civilizations progress, you move through eras. We've played for up to 9 hours in one sitting and have never made it to the modern era. New Year's Day 2008, with the help of the supply-trade-genius, my NFBF, I was the Conqueror of the World - a title I held for a full year.
You may have noticed that I have a lot of traditions. One of my favorites is the New Year's Day Day of Strategery. Every New Year's Day a group of us gets together for a day-long game of strategy in an attempt to be that year's Conqueror of the World.
For the past few years we have played
Civilization, which is an empire-building game of land use, supply discovery and management and not surprisingly, civilization building. As the civilizations progress, you move through eras. We've played for up to 9 hours in one sitting and have never made it to the modern era. New Year's Day 2008, with the help of the supply-trade-genius, my NFBF, I was the Conqueror of the World - a title I held for a full year. This year we played Diplomacy, a game of negotiation and pure strategy.
Some reviews of the Diplomacy include:
"You will hate this game if you hate lying. If you stink at poker, avoid this like the plague. If you can lie through your teeth, and enjoy having people do your work for you just to kill them, then this game is for you!"
"The best game that no one ever plays because they want to keep their friends so they still can play other games."
And my favorite: "If you can play the game hard and walk away smiling, you have a group with players you should cherish."
In Diplomacy battles are not won or lost based on the roll of a die like in Risk or Civilization. Battles are won based on strength of arms and the strength of your allies. Be forewarned if you ever play this game, however, that the battle of learning the rules can be the bloodiest battle of all. For us, it took three hours and almost came to blows. (Seriously.)
But we persevered through the somewhat bumpy learning process and played a full-out diplomatically, strategically, mind-bending game. I did not conquer the world this year but I DID backstab both of my allies and shake things up quite a bit. This was quite fun since I'm usually the tried and true, honest-to-the-core partner that everyone can trust. And we did play the game hard and walked away smiling, so I know I have a group of players I should cherish. And I am devilishly, smirkingly awaiting next year's rematch against these cherished players! New Years Day 2010 is the day I will regain the Conqueror of the World title!
The title this year belongs to my NFBF, the Master of Strategy (and king of the blurred out face):
Monday, October 6, 2008
Rock Climbing in Rio
We got back from Brazil on Sunday afternoon. The trip was wonderful! We all had a blast! I haven't had time yet to upload my photos to Picasa or to create a full post detailing the trip - I will get started on it tonight.
In the meantime, here is a photo from our last day in Rio de Janeiro. We went rock climbing on Sugar Loaf. If you look closely through the clouds you can see the cable car lines that take tourists up to the top of the far peak. A cable car also takes you up to the top of the peak I am climbing, but we got there the old-fashioned way - hiking for an hour, straight uphill, through a very hot and humid jungle.
In the meantime, here is a photo from our last day in Rio de Janeiro. We went rock climbing on Sugar Loaf. If you look closely through the clouds you can see the cable car lines that take tourists up to the top of the far peak. A cable car also takes you up to the top of the peak I am climbing, but we got there the old-fashioned way - hiking for an hour, straight uphill, through a very hot and humid jungle.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
A Teaser from Rio...
I was on a cliff on top of a mountain and the dude said to run off the edge. No stopping and no jumping...just keep running. So I did.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Anniversary Pictures
It is our anniversary tradition to return to Heritage Square where we got married and take pictures. My favorite pet boy, Jamie, joined us about halfway through to take over tripod duties. These are some of my favorites of this year's session.
This is when Jamie joined us. Pat broke his pose to give Jamie a big wave.
As part of the tradition, we try to wear something that represents our previous year together. Last year we brought our wakeboards, the year I made the Coyotes Pack we wore Coyotes jerseys, etc. This year we celebrated the little things that drive us nuts about each other. I'm driven nuts by the fact that Pat bought cowboy boots. And likes them. And wears them. Ugh. Pat is driven nuts by my incessant soccer schedule. He thinks seven games a week is excessive when I could be spending more time with him. I say that he can come play soccer if he wants to see me more often. 
This is the Rosson House. We weren't actually married in the house since that would have cut down our attendance from 150 to 15, but it sure is cute!
After the photo session we went to see a movie with Pet Boy Jamie and our friends, Steven (Pat's best man) and Elaine. I don't see many movies at the theaters so this was extra fun. We saw Burn After Reading. Loved it.
And this is our anniversary present (and Christmas present and birthday present) to each other:
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I CAN Keep a Secret!
This is Kevin.
He is the boyfriend of my sister, Anne. This is Anne.
In June when I was back home for the family reunion, Kevin told me a secret. I'm sure you all know that there is only one secret that a sibling's boyfriend would be willing to share. That's right - he was gearin' up to propose! He said, "Pretend this is a picture of Rachel," (his daughter) and he showed me a picture of the ring on his phone - with Anne and my parents right there. I said "Oh, Kevin! She is SOOO pretty! You are very lucky to have such a special little girl." And then I kept it to myself. Not a peep to my parents, my other siblings, not even Pat. Yep, that's right - I kept a secret!
Three months later, Kevin has popped the question, Anne has answered in the affirmative and soon Rachel will be another grandchild to add to the family, which will hopefully be enough to keep my mother off my back for a little while longer about my decision not to breed. Oh, and there will be a WEDDING! I love weddings!
Welcome to the Little Diamond family, Kevin! Congratulations to you both!
He is the boyfriend of my sister, Anne. This is Anne.
In June when I was back home for the family reunion, Kevin told me a secret. I'm sure you all know that there is only one secret that a sibling's boyfriend would be willing to share. That's right - he was gearin' up to propose! He said, "Pretend this is a picture of Rachel," (his daughter) and he showed me a picture of the ring on his phone - with Anne and my parents right there. I said "Oh, Kevin! She is SOOO pretty! You are very lucky to have such a special little girl." And then I kept it to myself. Not a peep to my parents, my other siblings, not even Pat. Yep, that's right - I kept a secret!
Three months later, Kevin has popped the question, Anne has answered in the affirmative and soon Rachel will be another grandchild to add to the family, which will hopefully be enough to keep my mother off my back for a little while longer about my decision not to breed. Oh, and there will be a WEDDING! I love weddings!
Welcome to the Little Diamond family, Kevin! Congratulations to you both!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Nine Years
Nine years ago today, I married this guy:
Isn't he cute? He's also fun, understanding, inquisitive, eager, open, honest, goofy, willing, easy-going, helpful, tolerant, trusting and trustworthy. And he loves me. It's been a good nine years.
Isn't he cute? He's also fun, understanding, inquisitive, eager, open, honest, goofy, willing, easy-going, helpful, tolerant, trusting and trustworthy. And he loves me. It's been a good nine years.Monday, August 18, 2008
Seriously, The Most Fun I've Ever Had EVER!
Tonight was my birthday party/trapeze class. I LOVED IT! I know I could do this professionally. It's a shame that I am probably too old. Do you think Cirque de Soleil will believe me if I tell them I'm 22?
It is well after midnight right now and I have to be up at 6:00 am tomorrow to take the slightly sketchy shepherd named Sable for a walk before work. However, I'm so keyed up and excited after tonight's super fun adventure that I know I won't be able to sleep. And I really wanted to get the video uploaded so that I can watch it a million times over the next few days! See how cheesy-happy I am here?! This is pretty much how I looked all night!
I was nervous that the class would suck - $65 and a trip to Gilbert is really asking a lot of my friends. I thought maybe we'd only get to fly back and forth a few times and I was worried that it wouldn't be much more than what you can do at the playground. Let me tell you -- my worries were completely unfounded. Watch below and see for yourself. The first clip was the first thing they taught us. The second clip was the second thing they taught us. No baby steps here. It was amazing!!! If the video keeps stopping, you might want to try it directly on youtube - click here.
Was it scary? No, I didn't think so, though a few people were mildly jittery after their first run. Was it dangerous? Well, maybe. Of the six friends that joined me at Trapeze U, three of them went home injured. Jamie pulled a hamstring/groin/or something after 3 runs. Kiri lost her grip on the second run and went flying and scraped up both her knees sliding on the safety net. Angela tore up her hands pretty good - blisters everywhere. But the waiver we signed says that participants "often break their wrists or ankles" so it could have been a lot worse!
For those of you who came out to play with me - I will get you the full set of your videos and photos as soon as I can - I promise! In the meantime, here is one of each of you:
David:
Angela:
And a group shot with our crazy-good instructors and Patrick, our fabulous videographer:
It is well after midnight right now and I have to be up at 6:00 am tomorrow to take the slightly sketchy shepherd named Sable for a walk before work. However, I'm so keyed up and excited after tonight's super fun adventure that I know I won't be able to sleep. And I really wanted to get the video uploaded so that I can watch it a million times over the next few days! See how cheesy-happy I am here?! This is pretty much how I looked all night!
I was nervous that the class would suck - $65 and a trip to Gilbert is really asking a lot of my friends. I thought maybe we'd only get to fly back and forth a few times and I was worried that it wouldn't be much more than what you can do at the playground. Let me tell you -- my worries were completely unfounded. Watch below and see for yourself. The first clip was the first thing they taught us. The second clip was the second thing they taught us. No baby steps here. It was amazing!!! If the video keeps stopping, you might want to try it directly on youtube - click here.
Was it scary? No, I didn't think so, though a few people were mildly jittery after their first run. Was it dangerous? Well, maybe. Of the six friends that joined me at Trapeze U, three of them went home injured. Jamie pulled a hamstring/groin/or something after 3 runs. Kiri lost her grip on the second run and went flying and scraped up both her knees sliding on the safety net. Angela tore up her hands pretty good - blisters everywhere. But the waiver we signed says that participants "often break their wrists or ankles" so it could have been a lot worse!
For those of you who came out to play with me - I will get you the full set of your videos and photos as soon as I can - I promise! In the meantime, here is one of each of you:
Jamie:
Christy:
David:
Kiri:
Robyn:
Angela:
And a group shot with our crazy-good instructors and Patrick, our fabulous videographer:
Friday, August 15, 2008
Woo-Hoo! It's My Birthday!
OK, today is not really my birthday. But as you know from the last post, I didn't have much woo-hoo in me on my actual birthday. And besides - all the fun celebrations ar
e happening this weekend so as far as I'm concerned, it is still my birthday! Woo-Hoo!
Maybe I'
m feeling so much better because I got all these yummy treats for my birthday. There's so much sugar in my system that it's physically impossible to feel down.
A friend of mine pointed out that 37 is a prime number and I'm still in my prime. Since "still in your prime" sounds like something you'd say to your grandma or great-grandma on her birthday, I was a little offended by the implication, but I'm going to run with it anyway.
Most people think their prime is in their early 20's, but I'm thinking my friend is right - my prime is now. My early 20's were pretty much a joke - I didn't do much of anything. I'm almost bitter about all the opportunities I wasted. The only two things I accomplished in my 20's worth mentioning are 1) getting my first dog, thus starting me on my lifelong path as a dog-person and 2) meeting my NFBFs - we've been friends for 16 years now! Yeah, I graduated from college, too, but that's neither here nor there. However, since then I am proud to say I have become a joiner of the highest degree. If there is something going on - I want to be a part of it. If being in your prime means living life to the fullest, then I am still in my prime.
In the past 10 years I have tried the following activities to varying degrees of success:
1. Swing dancing - this was my obsession for many years and through swing I met my husband, most of my Phoenix friends and Ashley Judd. We belonged to a "professional" troupe, we performed a lot, we competed, we traveled.
2. Hockey - it started with roller hockey on the tennis courts, then progressed to roller hockey leagues and then to ice hockey leagues. I never got good, but I played a lot!
3. Soccer - how is it possible that I never played soccer before I was 30? Not even in gym??!! When I was little, my best friend played but it never occurred to me to ask my parents if I could play, too. Now, I play on 7 teams a week.
4. The Pack (nee Puck Patrol) - the Pack is the spirit team for the Phoenix Coyotes. It's sort of like a cheer squad, without the cheering. We ran the intermission games, we shot t-shirt cannons, we hosted all the in-crowd contests and we got to wear cute little outfits. This is one of the things that I am too old to do now. Hell, I was too old when I did it at 31!
5. Rock Climbing - I've only gone a few times but I loved it! Unfortunately, I'm not ready to invest the time and expense it requires.
6. Agility - ah, dog sports! I did take one class more than 10 years ago, but my dogs didn't like it very much and then I spent many years with old dogs. Now that I have Frankie, things are good.
7. Wakeboarding - as you know, I LOVE to wakeboard. This is one of those things I wish I would have tried when I was young - maybe I could have been good.
8. Travel - This isn't to say I didn't travel before but it's been taken to a new level since the invention of Travel Troupe. We go abroad with our friends once a year. We've hit Europe and Central America so far. South America will be added in October. Woo hoo!
9. Book Club - I think I've expounded enough about this here on my website.
10. Fostering Dogs - I put a lot of heart and soul into these homeless pups. It's fun, it's challenging, it's time-consuming, it's tiring and it's so very rewarding! And I always get to have a new dog.
11. Adventure Racing - Again, I've covered this pretty extensively on here, but you should know I'm actively training for the next one. By actively training, I mean I took my bike out on the mountain for 20 minutes on Monday and I didn't die. By mountain, I mean the trail leading up to the base of the mountain.
Things I've tried that didn't really work out:
1. Rowing - despite my high hopes, this was short lived. Getting up at 5 in the morning to drive across town to show a boatful of people how uncoordinated I am really wasn't fun.
2. Roller Derby - I thought this was going to be the greatest thing ever for me. However, before you can compete, you have to practice. And let me tell you, skating in a left-handed circle repeatedly for an hour is so very boring! That was the end of that.
3. Tennis - I was playing every week for a while but my partner moved to California and now I just don't have any free time. Too bad though, because I do have a couple really cute tennis outfits.
4. Sign Language - I took a class. I sucked. I guess I won't be leaving my job to work part-time as an interpreter. Bummer.
And just when I was starting to think that I've done everything out there, I've got plans for two new activities this weekend.
1. Rally Obedience - I had thought this was only for purebred dogs competing in AKC, but an agility friend of mine told me about a venue that lets mixed breeds compete and they are having a seminar tonight. Frankie and I have a lot of work to do on obedience, but I think I'll sign up to compete in the trial in October.
2. Trapeze Class - Yep, that's right! Sunday night is my birthday party and some of my super-cool, non-height-fearing, lots-of-spare-cash friends are joining me for a trapeze lesson. I thought I'd get one or two people who were interested and instead SIX people signed up to play with me!! Check back next week for a recap!
e happening this weekend so as far as I'm concerned, it is still my birthday! Woo-Hoo!Maybe I'
m feeling so much better because I got all these yummy treats for my birthday. There's so much sugar in my system that it's physically impossible to feel down.A friend of mine pointed out that 37 is a prime number and I'm still in my prime. Since "still in your prime" sounds like something you'd say to your grandma or great-grandma on her birthday, I was a little offended by the implication, but I'm going to run with it anyway.
Most people think their prime is in their early 20's, but I'm thinking my friend is right - my prime is now. My early 20's were pretty much a joke - I didn't do much of anything. I'm almost bitter about all the opportunities I wasted. The only two things I accomplished in my 20's worth mentioning are 1) getting my first dog, thus starting me on my lifelong path as a dog-person and 2) meeting my NFBFs - we've been friends for 16 years now! Yeah, I graduated from college, too, but that's neither here nor there. However, since then I am proud to say I have become a joiner of the highest degree. If there is something going on - I want to be a part of it. If being in your prime means living life to the fullest, then I am still in my prime.
In the past 10 years I have tried the following activities to varying degrees of success:
1. Swing dancing - this was my obsession for many years and through swing I met my husband, most of my Phoenix friends and Ashley Judd. We belonged to a "professional" troupe, we performed a lot, we competed, we traveled.
2. Hockey - it started with roller hockey on the tennis courts, then progressed to roller hockey leagues and then to ice hockey leagues. I never got good, but I played a lot!
3. Soccer - how is it possible that I never played soccer before I was 30? Not even in gym??!! When I was little, my best friend played but it never occurred to me to ask my parents if I could play, too. Now, I play on 7 teams a week.
4. The Pack (nee Puck Patrol) - the Pack is the spirit team for the Phoenix Coyotes. It's sort of like a cheer squad, without the cheering. We ran the intermission games, we shot t-shirt cannons, we hosted all the in-crowd contests and we got to wear cute little outfits. This is one of the things that I am too old to do now. Hell, I was too old when I did it at 31!
5. Rock Climbing - I've only gone a few times but I loved it! Unfortunately, I'm not ready to invest the time and expense it requires.
6. Agility - ah, dog sports! I did take one class more than 10 years ago, but my dogs didn't like it very much and then I spent many years with old dogs. Now that I have Frankie, things are good.
7. Wakeboarding - as you know, I LOVE to wakeboard. This is one of those things I wish I would have tried when I was young - maybe I could have been good.
8. Travel - This isn't to say I didn't travel before but it's been taken to a new level since the invention of Travel Troupe. We go abroad with our friends once a year. We've hit Europe and Central America so far. South America will be added in October. Woo hoo!
9. Book Club - I think I've expounded enough about this here on my website.
10. Fostering Dogs - I put a lot of heart and soul into these homeless pups. It's fun, it's challenging, it's time-consuming, it's tiring and it's so very rewarding! And I always get to have a new dog.
11. Adventure Racing - Again, I've covered this pretty extensively on here, but you should know I'm actively training for the next one. By actively training, I mean I took my bike out on the mountain for 20 minutes on Monday and I didn't die. By mountain, I mean the trail leading up to the base of the mountain.
Things I've tried that didn't really work out:
1. Rowing - despite my high hopes, this was short lived. Getting up at 5 in the morning to drive across town to show a boatful of people how uncoordinated I am really wasn't fun.
2. Roller Derby - I thought this was going to be the greatest thing ever for me. However, before you can compete, you have to practice. And let me tell you, skating in a left-handed circle repeatedly for an hour is so very boring! That was the end of that.
3. Tennis - I was playing every week for a while but my partner moved to California and now I just don't have any free time. Too bad though, because I do have a couple really cute tennis outfits.
4. Sign Language - I took a class. I sucked. I guess I won't be leaving my job to work part-time as an interpreter. Bummer.
And just when I was starting to think that I've done everything out there, I've got plans for two new activities this weekend.
1. Rally Obedience - I had thought this was only for purebred dogs competing in AKC, but an agility friend of mine told me about a venue that lets mixed breeds compete and they are having a seminar tonight. Frankie and I have a lot of work to do on obedience, but I think I'll sign up to compete in the trial in October.
2. Trapeze Class - Yep, that's right! Sunday night is my birthday party and some of my super-cool, non-height-fearing, lots-of-spare-cash friends are joining me for a trapeze lesson. I thought I'd get one or two people who were interested and instead SIX people signed up to play with me!! Check back next week for a recap!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Subbing Is Fun. Agility is Fun. Monsoons are Fun.
I played hockey on Thursday. I'm not officially on the team anymore, b
ut I am on the sub list. My friend David is out of town so I took his spot on the roster. It was so different from my last hockey experience during last season's playoff game where I was responsible for 5 goals against. Ergh. This time I didn't shoot any pucks on our goalie and I even managed to block a few shots and interrupt a couple plays. I made half-way decent passes to my teammates. I still am the weakest player on the team, but for this game I wouldn't consider myself a liability. And most importantly I had fun! If all my hockey games were like that, I wouldn't have quit.
It might have helped that I was in a really good mood going into the game. Right after work I took Frankie to drop-in agility practice. And though he didn't do very well - he was very distracted by the wind, the smells, the everything - we had a good time hanging out with the agility folks and enjoying the weather. It was the first big monsoon storm of the season. When we started running it was probably about 98-100 degrees. An hour later it had dropped significantly. We got three runs in before the rain came, and it came hard! We stayed for a while to see if it would taper off and allow us to run some more, but it never stopped. Finally, we made a dash for the car and headed home.
It was raining so hard, it was like bad special effects from a low budget film: The shower is on full pressure for a good rain. Then the props guy adds in the sprinkler, shaking it around so the rain is going every direction. Then another props guy starts throwing buckets of water, for the solid wall of water effect. Much of the drive home, I couldn't see anything at all. The roads were 6-12" deep with water on the flat surfaces, much deeper in the intersections. It rained this way for almost two hours but stopped by the time we left for hockey. I do love a good monsoon.
If you are doing the math - leave work, then go to agility, then rain for two hours and then hockey - you will realize that it was a late night! Our hockey game was scheduled for 10:30, but didn't start until 10:50 because the storm had knocked the power out at the rink for a little bit, delaying the game times. I didn't get home until 12:40 am. It was a late night, but a fun night!
ut I am on the sub list. My friend David is out of town so I took his spot on the roster. It was so different from my last hockey experience during last season's playoff game where I was responsible for 5 goals against. Ergh. This time I didn't shoot any pucks on our goalie and I even managed to block a few shots and interrupt a couple plays. I made half-way decent passes to my teammates. I still am the weakest player on the team, but for this game I wouldn't consider myself a liability. And most importantly I had fun! If all my hockey games were like that, I wouldn't have quit.It might have helped that I was in a really good mood going into the game. Right after work I took Frankie to drop-in agility practice. And though he didn't do very well - he was very distracted by the wind, the smells, the everything - we had a good time hanging out with the agility folks and enjoying the weather. It was the first big monsoon storm of the season. When we started running it was probably about 98-100 degrees. An hour later it had dropped significantly. We got three runs in before the rain came, and it came hard! We stayed for a while to see if it would taper off and allow us to run some more, but it never stopped. Finally, we made a dash for the car and headed home.
It was raining so hard, it was like bad special effects from a low budget film: The shower is on full pressure for a good rain. Then the props guy adds in the sprinkler, shaking it around so the rain is going every direction. Then another props guy starts throwing buckets of water, for the solid wall of water effect. Much of the drive home, I couldn't see anything at all. The roads were 6-12" deep with water on the flat surfaces, much deeper in the intersections. It rained this way for almost two hours but stopped by the time we left for hockey. I do love a good monsoon.
If you are doing the math - leave work, then go to agility, then rain for two hours and then hockey - you will realize that it was a late night! Our hockey game was scheduled for 10:30, but didn't start until 10:50 because the storm had knocked the power out at the rink for a little bit, delaying the game times. I didn't get home until 12:40 am. It was a late night, but a fun night!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Best Pizza in Phoenix
I love Spinato's. LOVE IT! Pepperoni is my usual topping of choice, but at Spinato's it's sausage every time. The sausage is slightly spicy, the sauce is slightly sweet, and together it is heaven. Doesn't this look yummy?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
I Love Wakeboarding!
And before I can think about towers and new boats, the first thing I really need to do is get over my fear of getting hurt and try some new things. My goal is to learn to switch my feet. I normally ride with my right foot forward. Towards the end of last season I tried to switch to left foot forward, but I wasn't paying attention to keeping the top of my board out of the water when switching, so the tip went under and I smacked face first into the water so hard that I was convinced I'd have two black eyes and a concussion. Luckily, I was not injured but I did end up with a severe aversion to trying it again.
I did manage to pull off a new trick today. I don't know what it's called (I really need to start hanging out with wakeboarding people who can teach me these things), but I balanced my board on top of the wake for a few seconds before crossing over. It was way easier than I thought it would be. The wake kind of scares me (Are you seeing a theme here?), so this was a major accomplishment.
I think part of what I like about wakeboarding is the fact that it scares me out of my wits. And even though it scares me, I'm still out there doing it. Every second I'm still standing is a huge thrill for me. Most of the time I'm out there, I'm screaming or holding my breath convinced I'm going to die. I love it!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thank You Craig (and your little list, too)
I hosted book club at my house tonight. Our book club meetings are always a highlight of my month. I am constantly amazed by the awesome group of girls that form this club. I am awed by the intelligence, the sense of humor, the vivaciousness and the openness of these women. I am so privileged to be a part of this. I LOVE BOOK CLUB!
The book club started three years ago with a posting on Craigslist. The girl that started the group only stayed with it for three or four months. I think she might have been intimidated by the ease in which the rest of us fell so quickly into a comfort level of friendship that surpassed the boundaries she had set for herself and her club. After her departure, the rest of us kept meeting and something truly wonderful was created. Random people answering a random posting brought us all together. Since then, these girls have become true friends to me and to each other. When a couple of our lovely ladies moved away, another Craigslist posting brought us some new members and thus, new friends. I love Craig and his list, for without him and his list, I would never have met this spectacular group.
I am feeling bittersweet right now since two more of the core, original group are moving away from us. We are going to miss Lili and Grace with all the power of our book-reading souls. Texas and California will be much better places very soon.
To keep up my spirits, I will now list all the other good things that Craig and his list have given to me:
1) Georgie - I was looking for a doggie friend for Frankie and she was "free to good home"
2) Income - my roommates and my rental house tenants always come from Craigslist
3) Friendships - a few of my roommates (Punit and Laura - I'm looking at you here) have become great and lasting friends
4) A hockey goalie - he posted on Craigslist, we needed a goalie, we were lucky to get him.
5) Furniture - both bought and sold
6) A paying gig as Curious George - a very fun opportunity that proved I WOULD make a great mascot!
Time for a confession here:
7) A second book club (this is a test to see which of my original book club girls read my blog. I meant to confess about my infidelity at tonight's book club meeting, but the conversation never went in that direction). Since Craig and his list brought together such a wonderful group of ladies, I tried to replicate the magic with a co-ed book club. There certainly was some magic as this book club brought us a guy actually named Craig - though I'm pretty sure he is not the namesake of Craigslist. This co-ed group is also wonderful, though it lacks the history that brings me to the pinnacle of adoration I feel for my original book club.
So, thank you Craig (and your little list, too)! You are kind of like Santa Claus. May you continue to bring joy to all!
The book club started three years ago with a posting on Craigslist. The girl that started the group only stayed with it for three or four months. I think she might have been intimidated by the ease in which the rest of us fell so quickly into a comfort level of friendship that surpassed the boundaries she had set for herself and her club. After her departure, the rest of us kept meeting and something truly wonderful was created. Random people answering a random posting brought us all together. Since then, these girls have become true friends to me and to each other. When a couple of our lovely ladies moved away, another Craigslist posting brought us some new members and thus, new friends. I love Craig and his list, for without him and his list, I would never have met this spectacular group.
I am feeling bittersweet right now since two more of the core, original group are moving away from us. We are going to miss Lili and Grace with all the power of our book-reading souls. Texas and California will be much better places very soon.
To keep up my spirits, I will now list all the other good things that Craig and his list have given to me:
1) Georgie - I was looking for a doggie friend for Frankie and she was "free to good home"
2) Income - my roommates and my rental house tenants always come from Craigslist
3) Friendships - a few of my roommates (Punit and Laura - I'm looking at you here) have become great and lasting friends
4) A hockey goalie - he posted on Craigslist, we needed a goalie, we were lucky to get him.
5) Furniture - both bought and sold
6) A paying gig as Curious George - a very fun opportunity that proved I WOULD make a great mascot!
Time for a confession here:
7) A second book club (this is a test to see which of my original book club girls read my blog. I meant to confess about my infidelity at tonight's book club meeting, but the conversation never went in that direction). Since Craig and his list brought together such a wonderful group of ladies, I tried to replicate the magic with a co-ed book club. There certainly was some magic as this book club brought us a guy actually named Craig - though I'm pretty sure he is not the namesake of Craigslist. This co-ed group is also wonderful, though it lacks the history that brings me to the pinnacle of adoration I feel for my original book club.
So, thank you Craig (and your little list, too)! You are kind of like Santa Claus. May you continue to bring joy to all!
More Puppies
As promised, here is a picture of my friend Sarah's little border terrier, Buckley. He may be coming with her to my house tonight for book club. Isn't he sweet?
On Sunday night I went to the dog park with my friend, Jamie. He brought Gia, his roommate's 4 month old pit bull puppy. These pictures don't do justice to her coloring - she is the same beautiful silver-blue as a weimeraner and her eyes are a color that I don't know the name of - kind of a translucent green. She made sure to say hi to every person at the dog park and was voted Miss Congeniality. Her best dog-bud of the evening was Spike, a 5 month old Great Dane (who, incidentally, drinks by sticking his entire head into the water bucket). Gia is very energetic and playful, so my only hope of getting a picture of her face was when she stopped to itch:
Wrestling with Spike:
On Friday night my friend Nicole brought over Spinato's - my FAVORITE pizza. Almost as exciting as Spinato's - she brought Violet. Violet and Scarlet wrestled for hours. They were only interrupted by the multiple occasions of Violet falling into the pool. Most dogs panic and flail around when they fall in the pool, but not Violet. The first time she went in head-first while getting a drink of water. She was so much the opposite of a panicked dog that instead of flailing, she very calmly sank, heading head-first to the very bottom of the pool. The humans started to panic but before we could act, little Violet righted herself and calmly swam back up to the surface where we directed her to the steps and she got out on her own. The instinctual love of water is definitely present in this Lab! I'm pretty sure the other 10 times she ended up in the pool that evening weren't really accidents, only designed to look that way.
Here is a picture of Violet and Scarlet wrestling. Please notice Georgie in the background. She is guarding that tennis ball. She is trying a decoy effect, hoping that by creating some distance and then looking non-interested, she can again lure Violet into her trap: Violet approaches the ball, Georgie attacks. Fun for everyone! Well, except Violet.
I believe Scarlet has chewed off Violet's head:
On Sunday night I went to the dog park with my friend, Jamie. He brought Gia, his roommate's 4 month old pit bull puppy. These pictures don't do justice to her coloring - she is the same beautiful silver-blue as a weimeraner and her eyes are a color that I don't know the name of - kind of a translucent green. She made sure to say hi to every person at the dog park and was voted Miss Congeniality. Her best dog-bud of the evening was Spike, a 5 month old Great Dane (who, incidentally, drinks by sticking his entire head into the water bucket). Gia is very energetic and playful, so my only hope of getting a picture of her face was when she stopped to itch:
Wrestling with Spike:On Friday night my friend Nicole brought over Spinato's - my FAVORITE pizza. Almost as exciting as Spinato's - she brought Violet. Violet and Scarlet wrestled for hours. They were only interrupted by the multiple occasions of Violet falling into the pool. Most dogs panic and flail around when they fall in the pool, but not Violet. The first time she went in head-first while getting a drink of water. She was so much the opposite of a panicked dog that instead of flailing, she very calmly sank, heading head-first to the very bottom of the pool. The humans started to panic but before we could act, little Violet righted herself and calmly swam back up to the surface where we directed her to the steps and she got out on her own. The instinctual love of water is definitely present in this Lab! I'm pretty sure the other 10 times she ended up in the pool that evening weren't really accidents, only designed to look that way.
Here is a picture of Violet and Scarlet wrestling. Please notice Georgie in the background. She is guarding that tennis ball. She is trying a decoy effect, hoping that by creating some distance and then looking non-interested, she can again lure Violet into her trap: Violet approaches the ball, Georgie attacks. Fun for everyone! Well, except Violet.I believe Scarlet has chewed off Violet's head:
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