The sunrise this morning, viewed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and then running back towards the Capitol along the Mall, was beautiful! I will never be a person who carries a phone/camera while running, so the picture in my head plus this one from the interwebs will have to do. Let it suffice to say that there were clouds and pink and blue and purple sky and geese on the reflecting pool and the sun peeking above the Hill. Sometimes no amount of scenery can make a run nice (i.e. yesterday’s workout of death), but sometimes it can.
Speaking of running, I’m on track to run 45 miles this week, plus one day off, one day rock climbing, and one hour in the pool. I realize that 45 miles isn’t much for a marathoner…but I like to think of myself as a marathoner lite and it’s A LOT for me! (Last week was 47.5 total, plus 2 hours in the pool, i.e. tired face.)
And speaking of scenery on the Mall, my most popular post this week was Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting – who’s excited for spring and cherry blossoms?
Now for some Best of the Week!
I am currently listening to/loving this Pandora station. Also this song.
I read this headline: “What Do You Do When The One You Love Doesn’t Love Food?” and immediately thought you break up with them well duh. Too harsh? I have my standards…
This made me giggle:
- When NATO enforced UN Security Council Resolution 1973 by establishing a no-fly zone to halt Moammar Gadhafi’s regime from attacking the city of Benghazi, many critics voiced opposition. Their logic seemed to be that since the international community could not intervene everywhere that mass atrocities were looming, it should not bother trying at all.
- Responding to this criticism, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times argued, “But just because we allowed Rwandans or Darfuris to be massacred, does it really follow that to be consistent we should allow Libyans to be massacred as well? Isn’t it better to inconsistently save some lives than to consistently save none?”
- R2P, which actually stands for the “responsibility to protect,” is a political commitment made by all 192 governments seated at the UN in 2005...
- The commission introduced the R2P doctrine, which advanced the idea that national sovereignty entails responsibility, and that if a state is unwilling or unable to protect vulnerable populations from the above-mentioned crimes [genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing], the international community has a duty to respond. Led by Canada, R2P was endorsed by all member states seated at the UN in 2005.
- A new ad campaign from charitable organization Water is Life features Haitian children and adults reading the everyday gripes and minor irritations first world citizens post on Twitter with the popular #FirstWorldProblems hashtag. "I hate it when I tell them no pickles and they still give me pickles."
I want this book: “Type Delight.”
- A Recipe book with illustrative handmade food typography that follows the story of Marcelle, a Patisserie Chef who falls in love with typography.
This article is not as fluffy as it sounds: “I Can’t Stop Looking at These South Korean Women Who’ve Had Plastic Surgery.”
- South Korea has “the highest per capita rate of plastic surgery in the world.”
- "When you are applying for university or appling for a job here, you put a picture of yourself on your resume or application," Lurie says in a recent segment on This American Life (you can listen to here). "It is sort of taken for granted that how you look will often go into the decision."
- If you have a limited ability to see beauty in someone who is not big-eyed and small-faced and straight-nosed, do you also have a limited ability to understand, empathize, sympathize and relate to that person, as well? Do you become intolerant of those who don't meet your lookist standards?
- What have I learned? Forget Everest. It takes too much time and too much money. Ditto the other 8,000-meter peaks. These monsters only make sense if you’re a serious high-altitude mountaineer. Even 7,000-meter peaks require permits, porters, and plenty of time for acclimatization. The sweet spot is all those peaks under 6,000 meters. And there are a lot of them. The Himalayas sweep like a toothy, 2,000-mile smile across the face of Asia, and there are thousands of seldom-climbed and hundreds of unclimbed summits in the 16,000- to 19,000-foot range. These are pygmy peaks by Himalayan standards—though they’d be giants almost anywhere else—and few climbers even know about them, much less care. These are the peaks waiting for people who want authentic adventure. People who welcome backcountry surprises, and who want to experience a foreign culture without being led around by an overpriced guide. If you can backpack for three weeks on the PCT, hold your own on Fourteeners, or crampon up Mt. Hood, you can climb these mountains.
- Wildlife producer John Downer demonstrates how he and his team went about making a documentary about penguins.
- In order to get close to them he deployed 50 special cameras disguised as rocks, eggs and penguins.
I 100% agree with this (the boot part):
- Anywho, on a weekend in the mountains when I am not tending bar or to a fire, I usually am snowboarding. Snowboarding/skiing is great and all but let’s talk about the absolute best part of a ski day. It is not getting chili cheese fries and a Bud heavy at lunch, although that is epic. No, the best part of a ski day is the moment when you get to take your boots off. Dear lord baby jesus, it is incredible. Whitney jokes that at the end of a long day, taking her bra off is like winning the super bowl. If that is the case then taking you boots off after a ski day must be like winning the super bowl, Heisman trophy, and Olympic gold all in the same day. It honestly is the best.
- His [Galen Rupp's] coach attributes a lot of his current success to the uninterrupted, injury free training he’s had for years. Noted. If I stop getting stress fractures, I’ll be able to run like Galen. WORKING ON IT.
- Alternate theory, he’s so fast because he’s such a good hugger:
A heat map of apartment prices in DC. "The Rent Is Too Damn High."
Think you’ve dealt with injuries? Well now get inspired: “Inspiring Athletes: Dani Grabol and the Race Across America.”
- But while on a training ride in November 2006, she was struck by a drunk driver. Her injuries were severe, including a crushed tibia and fibula, which required a titanium rod and several screws in her leg. Doctors didn’t know if she’d ever be able to run or bike competitively again….but they didn’t know Dani.
- It was six months before she could walk on that leg again. And yet, within a year of the accident, a determined Dani ran her first half marathon. Since then, she’s completed two Ironman races (a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run) and even a double Ironman (that’s right–a 4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, and a 52.4 mile run).
“White Russia – Moscow in the snow.” Can we get some of this in DC???? And while we're asking for things, put me down for another Snowpocolypse please?
Mmmmk that is all. Have a great long weekend!
