Puddle Jumping in DC

Going to Digital Days

Just After Dawn
Originally uploaded by Studiojmm.

Neat.

A photo I took in China, Just After Dawn, won me a spot in a photo workshop run by Popular Photography.

We'd been looking for an excuse to go to NYC.

Thanks Ben.

Seeking Balance in 2007

 

 

 

    . . . and maybe a little tranquility

First, a recap of my 2006 goals:
Find a new physical event goal.
Nope, I never did.  I kept considering all sorts of races and then deciding against them.  Each threatened to skew my workouts entirely toward one activity.  I've been running, biking, swimming, and doing yoga.  It took me all year to come a good balance of those activities.  It took a full eleven months to come to terms with running only twice a week.  I'd been running three days a week for years, which is a recommended minimum for building to longer distances.  However, if my longest run is 6 miles, twice is sufficient.  Twice, doesn't support running 10 milers and half marathons.  I think that's ok for now.

Do more yoga.
Yep. I spent 4 months early in '06 attending Bikram classes before changing jobs/graduating/going to China.  Since returning I've been much more regular at yoga than I have in years. 

Loose 12.5 more pounds.
Lost 2.5 pounds and 1 more pant size.

Bake more.
When I mentioned in my last resolution post about wanting to really enjoy my allotted 3 starches per day, I was reacting against both the quality of mass produced baked goods and our detachment from their creation.  In the last year, I have found cooking and baking from scratch to be incredibly satisfying.  I'm confident about the quality, can control the nutritional content, and am connected to the creation. I even made the foray into yeast breads.

We have recently acquired a soy milk maker which rapidly makes a quart and a half of hot soy milk from soaked beans but also results in a couple of cups of nutritious, high fiber soy pulp.  Luckily, the pulp, called okara, can be baked into almost anything for a nice nutritional punch and a little extra leavening action.  I predict more bread in 2007 . . . and many okara veggie burgers.

On Balance, a heck of a lot happened to us in 2006. Doubtless, 2007 will bring more changes, challenges, triumphs, defeats, joys . . . .

My 2007 goal is (to strive for) Balance.

• Physical balance.
• Nutritional balance.
• Work-Personal balance.
• Creative balance.
• Spiritual and emotional balance.

Here's wishing you a balanced, tranquil, and joyous new year.

One and a Half Bears

Greetings from the Mueller-Shute Christmas 2006 Workshop. December has been so very busy around here that the many Christmas projects have spent the month in the idea/pile-of-supplies stage.

Some projects were delayed by a sewing machine crisis. An emergency trip to the suburbs  to purchase a new sewing machine resulted in the discovery that what we really had was a crappy thread crisis . . . and another trip to the store to return the new machine (It had so many lovely bells and whistles . . . sigh.).

On Sunday, a small crew descended on Chez Mueller-Shute for graham cracker house assembly, some of which turned out to be rather unorthodox.

As of Tuesday night, we had two and a half bears. Eek!

Sometimes Dirt Makes Me Happy

When it's outside . . .
When it's nice and dark and full of organic matter promising vegetables and flowers for future springs . . .

Image from Wikipedia.

Today, I moved dirt . . . and enjoyed it.

I had been planning to paint the so-called green room yet another shade of green.  However, Mac was on the ladder grumbling about the wiring and cutting a hole in the ceiling (read: installing bathroom fan and repairing ceiling).  There was nothing I could do to help him and he had the ladder which made it hard to spackle the ceiling in the green room.  So, I worked outside.  That was probably better all around.