1. I love living in DC, more than any other place I've lived so far. Every morning I walk to work and look at the architecture and the sky and think about how lucky I am to be living here.
2. Yes, I walk to work every morning. 1.7 miles. 3900 steps. Rain or shine.
3. And back again, too.
4. I'm also that annoying person who packs her lunch every day.
5. I'm very happy being a vegetarian but I don't believe that my choice is any more "moral" than being a non-vegetarian. There are too many factors involved and there are as many abused, suffering migrant workers as there are factory farm animals.
6. The Sunday farmers' market is my church. The first time I went there, I was overwhelmed with the sense of being in a holy place. I know that sounds ridiculous, but there's something very awesome (in the original sense of the word) by being surrounded by locally-grown vegetables.
7. The last time I was at the farmers' market I was looking at a basket of parsnips and I had the sudden thought that life was too short for me to learn to cook every single vegetable in the world. That was sad.
8. New topic: I have a secret crush on Ira Glass. I listen to an episode of This American Life nearly every day. I was devastated when I found out he was married.
9. I just don't think the British version of The Office is funny. I've tried to watch it several times.
10. I still play Super Famicom games.
11. I really like comics, probably more than I should. At one time I was part of a For Better Or For Worse online forum. We spent most of our time talking about how awful Anthony was. Right now the two comic strips I follow most closely are Questionable Content and 9 Chickweed Lane.
13. I want to eat at The Grill from Ipanema mostly because it has great lighting.
14. Celebrities who have recently appeared in my dreams: Salman Rushdie, Hugh Laurie, Amitabh Bachchan, Steve Lawrence. (Unfortunately NOT Ira Glass.)
15. The two most important things in my life are my job and my Ashtanga practice.
16. The above is probably the most honest statement on this list. I mean, everything on the list is true, but... 15's the bare-naked one.
17. Sometimes I worry with Ashtanga that my diligence outweighs my natural ability. Then I consider that nobody got anywhere without practicing.
18. I am SO GRATEFUL that my parents taught me how to practice. It is a skill that has paid off a billion-fold.
19. I'm so jealous that there was no YouTube around when I was a kid, because I taught myself how to play all kinds of video game theme music on the piano. At one point I could play the entire 15-minute "Final Fantasy VI End Sequence."
20. I carry a copy of The English Patient around with me when I travel. I've read and reread that book nearly 20 times and I always find something new in it.
21. In fact, I have a good copy, which I keep at home, and a travel copy, which travels.
22. I make to-do lists for everything. I have a to-do list for today. This is on the list.
23. When I was a starving graduate student, a few people gave me unexpected gifts which really helped me out. I sent thanks at the time, but now want to repay them and don't know how to do it without seeming tit-for-tat. Probably that means I need to pay it forward.
24. I spent way too much time writing this list. It actually went through three separate drafts. And, as a result, I'm late to the game. Meh.
25. I've really loved reading everything everyone else has written, and actually have been going on to Facebook in the hopes of reading more of these. (This from a person who, otherwise, barely looks at Facebook anymore.) So if you haven't done one, SUFFER THROUGH IT!
Showing posts with label memes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memes. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Daily Routines (Maybe It's A Meme?)
So I'm sure most of you out there trolling the blogosphere and twittersphere and Facebookectangle have already been alerted to the existence of Daily Routines, a blog which collects and posts the daily routines of famous people.
Today, for example, we learned that President Obama (it is so awesome to type that) "shows up at the Oval Office shortly before 9 in the morning, roughly two hours later than his early-to-bed, early-to-rise predecessor. Mr. Obama likes to have his workout — weights and cardio — first thing in the morning, at 6:45." (Full story is here. He eats breakfast with his family every morning. Obama is so friggin' cool.)
What's interesting is that nearly everyone profiled is a morning person, in that they do something substantive and meaningful (usually exercise, writing, or exercise then writing) first thing in the morning. In fact, when one calculates the aggregate, it becomes clear that most of the profiled individuals do their most important personal item as soon as they wake up.
I'm terming it a "most important personal item" because, for example, President Obama's exercise is probably categorically less important than most of the other stuff he does all day; but it is probably top-of-his-list in the category of "things he needs to do to take care of his person; things that no one else can do but him."
Exercise and writing.
(I exercise every morning. I don't write. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I did write, but I haven't made time for both and so I choose exercise.)
Anyway. The point of this is that, about a year ago when I was all career-search-angsty, I tried to do an exercise in which I wrote out my ideal daily routine (in the hopes that it would illuminate the types of jobs I should pursue). I was going to poke fun at that post, since--before I re-read it--I could only remember that my then-ideal daily routine consisted of starting every day with eggs for breakfast. (I was a starving grad student at the time. Eggs were a novelty.)
But when I went back to check, I had actually written that I would start every day with yoga, then eat eggs, then bike/Xootr to work.
And here's my current daily routine:
6:00 a.m. Wake up. (I used to wake up at 5:45, then realized that it actually took me longer to get ready with less sleep.)
6:02. Drink large glass of water. I learned this one from French Women Don't Get Fat. It changed my mornings.
6:15-7:30. Yoga, either at yoga class or in my apartment.
7:30-7:50. Check Twitter, email, Google Reader. Tweet.
7:50-8:30. Shower, etc.
8:30-9:00. Walk 1.7 miles to work. 3,900 steps from apartment to office.
Breakfast isn't eggs, but has become a ritual of Kashi GoLean! Crunch with homemade yogurt. In the evenings I walk the 3,900 steps back to my apartment, and I don't have a true evening "routine," though there's usually cooking involved and I'm experimenting with trying to read something substantial before bed (instead of reading internets).
So there you go.
But now I'm curious: what are your daily routines? Can we meme this thing out? Do you also get up and do something vital first thing, or is yours more of an XKCD morning?
Today, for example, we learned that President Obama (it is so awesome to type that) "shows up at the Oval Office shortly before 9 in the morning, roughly two hours later than his early-to-bed, early-to-rise predecessor. Mr. Obama likes to have his workout — weights and cardio — first thing in the morning, at 6:45." (Full story is here. He eats breakfast with his family every morning. Obama is so friggin' cool.)
What's interesting is that nearly everyone profiled is a morning person, in that they do something substantive and meaningful (usually exercise, writing, or exercise then writing) first thing in the morning. In fact, when one calculates the aggregate, it becomes clear that most of the profiled individuals do their most important personal item as soon as they wake up.
I'm terming it a "most important personal item" because, for example, President Obama's exercise is probably categorically less important than most of the other stuff he does all day; but it is probably top-of-his-list in the category of "things he needs to do to take care of his person; things that no one else can do but him."
Exercise and writing.
(I exercise every morning. I don't write. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I did write, but I haven't made time for both and so I choose exercise.)
Anyway. The point of this is that, about a year ago when I was all career-search-angsty, I tried to do an exercise in which I wrote out my ideal daily routine (in the hopes that it would illuminate the types of jobs I should pursue). I was going to poke fun at that post, since--before I re-read it--I could only remember that my then-ideal daily routine consisted of starting every day with eggs for breakfast. (I was a starving grad student at the time. Eggs were a novelty.)
But when I went back to check, I had actually written that I would start every day with yoga, then eat eggs, then bike/Xootr to work.
And here's my current daily routine:
6:00 a.m. Wake up. (I used to wake up at 5:45, then realized that it actually took me longer to get ready with less sleep.)
6:02. Drink large glass of water. I learned this one from French Women Don't Get Fat. It changed my mornings.
6:15-7:30. Yoga, either at yoga class or in my apartment.
7:30-7:50. Check Twitter, email, Google Reader. Tweet.
7:50-8:30. Shower, etc.
8:30-9:00. Walk 1.7 miles to work. 3,900 steps from apartment to office.
Breakfast isn't eggs, but has become a ritual of Kashi GoLean! Crunch with homemade yogurt. In the evenings I walk the 3,900 steps back to my apartment, and I don't have a true evening "routine," though there's usually cooking involved and I'm experimenting with trying to read something substantial before bed (instead of reading internets).
So there you go.
But now I'm curious: what are your daily routines? Can we meme this thing out? Do you also get up and do something vital first thing, or is yours more of an XKCD morning?
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Finally Neha's Meme!
I think I've done this meme before, too... but now that I finally have a book close by again (all my books are -- or were -- boxed away for the time being), I can totally rock this.
Tag came from Neha at Within/Without.
Rules?
Powerful Proofreading Skills: Tips, Techniques, and Tactics. I picked it up today to re-teach myself all those proofreaders' marks I learned in high school. (The slash-loop thing means delete, the triple line is capitalize, two vertical lines plus a P means indent, um...) It's totes full of quizzes an' tests an' stuff.
Since the book is only 94 pages long, I'll pick the text on page 23 (reproduced in its entirety):
Embarrassing I understand, but trapping? Like, in a corner?
Anyway, am not going to pass this meme along (sorry, team), but anyone who wants to pick it up is more than welcome!
Tag came from Neha at Within/Without.
Rules?
The book?
Pick up the nearest book.
Open to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people, and acknowledge the person who tagged you.
Powerful Proofreading Skills: Tips, Techniques, and Tactics. I picked it up today to re-teach myself all those proofreaders' marks I learned in high school. (The slash-loop thing means delete, the triple line is capitalize, two vertical lines plus a P means indent, um...) It's totes full of quizzes an' tests an' stuff.
Since the book is only 94 pages long, I'll pick the text on page 23 (reproduced in its entirety):
Giving Feedback to Your Boss
And what if it's your boss to whom you need to give feedback about errors? Keep these suggestions in mind.
* Clarify your authority. Are you to edit or proofread the copy?
* Keep a style sheet on each person who gives you correspondence to review. Write down each person's preferences.
* Avoid trapping or embarrassing the person.
Embarrassing I understand, but trapping? Like, in a corner?
Anyway, am not going to pass this meme along (sorry, team), but anyone who wants to pick it up is more than welcome!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Six Things Meme Version 2.0!
Earlier (on my old blog), I got tagged for the "Six Things" meme.
I guess I'm super-popular, because I just got tagged again. This time by Maya at PocoBrat!
Strangely, like a game of Telephone, the rules have changed slightly. This time, instead of listing "six non-important things" about myself, I get to list "six unspectactular quirks."
The rules (this time) are as follows:
1. I've stopped wearing foundation in lieu of store-brand "beauty fluid" with SPF 15. I think it makes my skin look all dewy. Also it protects me from the sun.
2. I'll never be a hipster because my favorite t-shirt reads "Property of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital XXL" and I wear it non-ironically.
3. I sing while I use the blowdryer. Mostly showtunes. I also sing while I do the dishes, vacuum, drive, clean my room, etc. Everywhere except the shower.
4. I love to paint my toenails, and when I look at them, I wonder why God didn't go ahead and make toenails that color because they're so much prettier that way.
5. I really, really, really want to read The Post-American World, based solely on the fact that Obama's reading it.
6. I call my cat nicknames like "Butt" and "Booger." I also sing cat-themed lyrics to my cat; things like "Many a cute cat will yawn before they mew" and "And they'll know we are kittens by our fluff, by our fluff..." and "It's you I like, it's not the way you purr; it's not the way you wear your fur, but it's you I like."
I'm going to tag the last people who left comments (and who haven't already been tagged):
D. Jain
Ctrlalteredmind
GoriGirl
Vivek Khandelwal
Chhavi (do you have a blog?)
and Neha Vish!
I guess I'm super-popular, because I just got tagged again. This time by Maya at PocoBrat!
Strangely, like a game of Telephone, the rules have changed slightly. This time, instead of listing "six non-important things" about myself, I get to list "six unspectactular quirks."
The rules (this time) are as follows:
-Link the person who tagged you.
-Mention the rules in your blog.
-Tell us about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
-Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
-Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
1. I've stopped wearing foundation in lieu of store-brand "beauty fluid" with SPF 15. I think it makes my skin look all dewy. Also it protects me from the sun.
2. I'll never be a hipster because my favorite t-shirt reads "Property of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital XXL" and I wear it non-ironically.
3. I sing while I use the blowdryer. Mostly showtunes. I also sing while I do the dishes, vacuum, drive, clean my room, etc. Everywhere except the shower.
4. I love to paint my toenails, and when I look at them, I wonder why God didn't go ahead and make toenails that color because they're so much prettier that way.
5. I really, really, really want to read The Post-American World, based solely on the fact that Obama's reading it.
6. I call my cat nicknames like "Butt" and "Booger." I also sing cat-themed lyrics to my cat; things like "Many a cute cat will yawn before they mew" and "And they'll know we are kittens by our fluff, by our fluff..." and "It's you I like, it's not the way you purr; it's not the way you wear your fur, but it's you I like."
I'm going to tag the last people who left comments (and who haven't already been tagged):
D. Jain
Ctrlalteredmind
GoriGirl
Vivek Khandelwal
Chhavi (do you have a blog?)
and Neha Vish!
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