Happy New Year!

Since there are only a few hours left in 2011, and in some part of the world it is already 2012, I want to give some thought to new years resolutions. January 1st is the day of manmade renewal, when we can close the door on the past and look forward to the future. We have the whole year ahead, after all, to improve or even to completely reinvent ourselves. All beginnings start with hope, and it is through the first few weeks of January, when we retain enough enthusiasm and hope about the future of the new year, that we can implement a realistic plan to accomplish our resolutions.
A reoccurring goal for me every year is to become more fit. 2011 was an unusually adventurous and ambitious year in terms of exercise goals. Although I immersed myself in several challenges I did not reach my goals, and when I do not accomplish all I set out to do, it is very easy for me to get discouraged and forget all the progress achieved along the way. It is important not to abandon what you learned in the past 365 days but instead carry that knowledge into the new year.
I will not recap my entire year of fitness ups and downs, but I would like to reference the last exercise filled days of 2011.  Last night I went to a barre class taught by owner and kickass instructor Jane Brodsky at Red Bow Studio on Capitol Hill. http://www.redbowdc.com/index.php
I often have aggrandized ideas about my own physical abilities based solely on the fact that I consider myself a runner (Dare I mention that I've been on one run in the past seven weeks?). It is with these delusions, and an overinflated ego, that I entered what I though would be a studio full of impostor ballerinas and where Jane Brodsky promptly shattered these notions. I left my first barre class knowing how difficult it would be to get out of bed the next day, and like a true masochist, planning my return.
This morning, I hobbled as fast as I could to Meridian Yoga for an intermediate Hatha yoga course taught by the inspirational ray of sunshine that is Joseph Roberson. http://www.meridianyogadc.com/
I almost didn't go, but my sore muscles were in need of the kind of relief that only an hour of stretching can provide. This was an enormous misconception of yoga on my part. Joseph had already sore muscles near collapse and my body and clothes drenched in sweat. Not only did I leave Meridian Yoga feeling rejuvenated after an amazing workout, but I also left with some food for thought.
Joseph started his class asking what contributed to the success or failure of a new years resolution. A lot of answers like determination and consistency were thrown out.  He confessed that he wanted to make his 2012 a year of yeses instead of nos. What stood out especially from his discussion was the definition of the word guru. He described a guru as someone who leads us to light. Before we got up he asked us to close our eyes and look for a resolution that wasn't so obvious. He encouraged us to find something we could resolve to do that lay outside of the influence of the everyday world.
Do you have your resolution yet? I think I have mine.
I hope that you successfully achieve your goals next year and if you find yourself in need of help, that a chance encounter with a guru, big or small, will steer you in the right direction.
Have a happy and healthy 2012!

Are YOU Ready for the Holidays?

I am!! Well sort of. Although the next few days inevitably hold a trip to the mall in store for me, I am procrastinating at all costs. So much so, that I even took to baking (not drinking) tonight. After convincing myself that I HAD to bake some cookies in order to find the holiday spirit in me, I found this scrumptious and simple recipe from Williams-Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/thumbprint-cookies.html
Since I do not have the best record in the kitchen, I was definitely tempting fate and playing with fire (both figuratively and literally) but I remained hopeful that I could redeem myself.
After gathering the ingredients and getting my Christmas playlist together I began to concoct the batter:

My playlist consisted of some classic holiday favorites along with Taylor Swift's rendition of Last Christmas, U2's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and I Believe in Father Christmas and DMB's Christmas Song. 

Many Hershey Kisses later both in my stomach and on the cookies.....

 ....and I was ready to place the final product in the oven.

I held my breath for approximately eighteen minutes and cleaned the kitchen too. I hit a rough patch  keeping the electric mixer under control early in the baking process so there were bits of batter in odd places, but it all paid off in the end!!!

On my way to becoming chef extraordinaire and owning my own bakery!!

I received raving reviews from my roommate who had not one, but two cookies! And after trying one myself, I think I have to agree with her.
Even though I failed to get any shopping done, I do believe I won a tiny victory tonight.

It's Christmas Time



National Christmas Tree in front of The White House.

 Tonight,  I went for my first run since late October. I've been anxious to run in the past six weeks, (especially on those beautiful fall weekends), but in an effort to prevent further injuries I have been faithful to Dr.'s orders.
Running felt really good, but my body was a little creaky and stiff with disuse and I was hyperaware of every move, monitoring for any pain that would indicate that I am not fully healed yet. My goal is to take it really easy right now and recover so that I can be strong enough to run some spring races. Therefore, I allowed myself sightseeing stops along my route tonight, to capture the images on the left.

Note its size and lumpiness.

This years tree is much smaller than its been in years past.

(Any indication of the state of the national economy?)



Capitol Christmas Tree.

From Arab Spring to Russian Winter—A Year of Revolution Around the World

The uprisings in the Middle East started in the winter of 2010-2011 seguing into the Arab Spring. During this time period, citizens of this region of the world led public demonstrations against corrupt and backwards governments. These citizens of the 21st century were protesting militant and oppressive leaders that had been outmoded by democracy. The highly publicized images of protesters gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square define the spirit of the movement for me. The fiery revolution in Egypt, which ignited seemingly overnight, blazed for eighteen days. Then, just as suddenly, on February 11^th, 2011, after a twenty-nine year reign, the “President” of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, was toppled.[1]

Now, less than a year later, the citizens of Russia have taken to the streets to protest the parliamentary elections which took place on Sunday, December 4^th. [2]  The elections were predicted to produce a watershed victory for United Russia, the political party headed by former president and current prime minister and on-again presidential hopeful Vladimir Putin. Although United Russia did win the majority of the votes, it was a close victory, bringing into question that authenticity and fairness of the electoral process.

In a country where each election is so decisive in determining whether a young and unstable democracy will disintegrate or flourish, debatable outcomes and policies can prove fatal. Vladimir Putin has manipulated the political system in his country and is setting himself up to be the Hosni Mubarak of Russia, serving a never ending presidential term.  Putin’s reluctance to relinquish power and let the democratic forces take effect will ruin any chance of democracy succeeding in Russia.

A protester yesterday was quoted saying “We don’t want a revolution. We want fair elections.”[3] Unfortunately, with Putin gearing up for a third presidential term, it appears the only way Russians will have fair elections is through public protests like the ones seen during the Arab Spring. The brave Egyptians, and their comrades in arms across the Middle East, should serve as an example to the Russian protestors that the will of the people can prevail.

Judging from the demonstrations that took place yesterday, and those planned for the upcoming weeks, there is still hope for democracy in Russia. The Russian people are already exercising one of the seminal democratic principles: freedom of speech.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/12/10/world/europe/20111211-RUSSIA.html

[1] Slackman, Michael. "Hosni Mubarak News - The New York Times." Times Topics - The New York Times. 11 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/hosni_mubarak/index.html>.

[2] Van Dyk, Peter. "Russians Protest Amid Alleged Election Fraud." NPR. 10 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/2011/12/10/143509340/russians-protest-amid-alleged-election-fraud>.

[3] Kramer, Andrew E., and David M. Herszenhorn. "Boosted by Putin, Russia's Middle Class Turns on Him." New York Times. 11 Dec. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/world/europe/huge-moscow-rally-suggests-a-shift-in-public-mood.html>.

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WOW

Today I learned of a human being who is a source of amazement and whose work is a source of inspiration. His name is Ronan Farrow. Ronan is the biological son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, but it is not his parentage that he is famous for. Unlike many celebrity children, he has not made headlines for wild partying or his out of control behavior. His controversial relationships have not been the features of tabloids. He has not starred in a reality show.

However, Ronan has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Boston Herald and the Los Angeles Times…as a contributing author. As a self-proclaimed, “writer, human rights lawyer and diplomat”, Ronan is currently working for Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in the capacity of Special Adviser for Global Youth Issues. Throughout the course of his relatively short but wildly accomplished career, he has appeared before the UN and has met with countless world leaders and officials on the behalf of the US.

Why do I think that Ronan Farrow’s accomplishments are especially impressive? Depending on your point of view, it might or might not be important to note that Ronan is twenty-three years old. He graduated from Bard College at fifteen and was accepted into Yale’s Law School at sixteen. He just became the recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship that will allow him to pursue a PhD at Oxford University in 2012.

In comparison to Ronan, I received my B.A. at the tender age of twenty-two. Furthermore, I have no idea when or where I will pursue further education or what will be the focus of my studies. Unless the criteria for the award changes, I know I will never be a Rhodes Scholar and most likely will never attend Oxford University. I do hope, that like Ronan Farrow, I will be able to make a positive impact on the world through my ideals and work.

If you are looking to be inspired and motivated check out the following for an overview of Ronan’s life and work:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Farrow

http://twitter.com/RonanFarrow