Concept 2 Holiday Challenge

I've recently gotten into indoor rowing. It is hard but so much fun!

In addition to my awesome work out schedule I am also going to do the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge. The challenge consists of rowing 100,000 or 200,000 meters between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Not only does this keep off the "holiday weight" but, according to the Concept 2 website, "For every person who rows ... at least 100K during the challenge, Concept 2 will donate $.02 for every kilometer (1000 meters) you accumulate" to a charity. I think that's pretty sweet.

I've calculated it out and I can row (on average) 5,700 meters in 30 minutes. So it'll take me about 9 hours to row 100,000 meters and 18 hours to row 200,000 meters.

18 hours of rowing in 30 days.

Challenge accepted!

Deal Breakers

I wrote this as my facebook status on 10.17.2010:

"Having 'deal breakers' is just another way of telling people you are judgmental"

I immediately got some productive feedback from a few of my friends:

Shaina: "The only deal which is broken for me is someone who chain-smokes... hard not to be judgmental when I'm gasping for air. Otherwise, totes."

Tom: "I love that game" [He is referring to the fact that we used to play "the deal breaker game" while out on digs to help pass the time.]

Syanna: "Amen, there are just a few really important things, like being able to breathe that really matter."

Malorie: "I'm with Tom. That game saved our sanity in Sand Hollow" [Sand Hollow is a dig we were all on together]

Cheryl: "Of course, unless you are talking about abuse. Like abuse-y abuse."

Ok I guess my original facebook status post wasn't 100 percent correct. To some people, I would say most, chain smoking is a deal breaker. To most, not all, abuse is a deal breaker. There are others. Like I could never be with a guy that believed that Hitler's "racial purity" idea was a noble and great thing or that the Holocaust didn't happen.

There is a difference between big deal things (being a Nazi) and small, stupid things (not being outdoorsy [see below]).

I was hanging out with some of my SLC friends and the deal breaker conversation came up. One guy actually had a list. I full blown list! "Deal Breaker One: If I pick up a girl for a date and she's not wearing high heels. Deal Breaker Two: If I'm on a date with a girl and she brings a water bottle in her purse [apparently he thinks that if a girl brings a water bottle it's not because she is thirsty, it's because she thinks that he is too cheap to buy her a water bottle]. Deal Breaker Three: If the girl has ever had sex [keep in mind this guy was religious and believed that sex should be saved for marriage]. Deal Breaker Four: If the girl doesn't like the Utah Jazz. Deal Breaker Five: If the girl isn't outdoorsy. Deal Breaker Six: If the girl..."

The list went on and on and on! The only thing that kept going through my mind was "Whoa you arrogant jerk! Who do you think you are?!" [Ok I used other adjectives but I won't repeat them here]

A few of these really got to me. One was Deal Breaker Three. I understand that people believe that sex is sacred and should be saved for marriage (I believe that too); however, there is no way that you should ever judge someone for not being a virgin. What if she had been married before? She still saved herself for marriage BUT the marriage didn't work out. What if she wasn't religious until she was older and she had sex before she was converted? Are you still judging? What if she just "messed up"? What if she wanted to wait for marriage but fell to temptation. What if she believes that sex is sacred but it's okay out of marriage if you are in love? Who are you to judge her? You can't tell me that YOU'VE never made a mistake.

What about Deal Breaker Five? Say the girl is not outdoorsy and the guy is. Maybe this is something that she could learn to love. Take her on a small hike to a pretty waterfall. Bring her into it slowly. Don't throw her into an ultramarathon or a hike up Mt Everest! And, in the end, if she doesn't enjoy it then maybe outdoors can be "your thing"... you know, go on a hike or campout with the boys. You know couples don't have to do EVERYTHING together. Do they?

Now there are real deal breakers that people need to look out for. My cousin, Cheryl, pointed out a perfect example: abuse. That should be a deal breaker to EVERYONE. Abuse is sick and so sad and no one should have to go through that. But that's not what I'm talking about.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is... don't judge people based on a set of rules. You may end up missing out on someone awesome.

BUT I guess I wouldn't want to be with someone who would judge me with their deal breakers anyways. As my dear cousin, Tiersha, put it, "Well, who want's a d&%$#@ like him anyways."

Humm... so judge away, use your stupid deal breakers if you must.

I guess this conversation was just rendered moot.

Hard Work Pays Off

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated" - William James

I am a good archaeologist. I know my stuff. I work hard, fast, and efficiently.

Sometimes I don't feel appreciated. Sometimes I feel like my hard work is over looked.

I got a call today from my boss at "corporate" (which is always a nerve-racking thing). He made small talk and then told me the real reason why he called. It was to tell me that he appreciates me. He appreciates all the hard work I do and he hopes that I will stay with the company for a long time.

I've been feeling down lately so I really needed that.

I LOVE the Dentist... the Ortho? Not so much!

"I always look for something to criticize about people... But with you I can't! You have a perfect mouth!"

This is a direct quote from my Dentist.

My work finally got dental insurance so I went to the dentist this week. It has been over 3 1/2 years since I've had a cleaning (this is a LONG time when you are used to going every 6 months for the last 20 years) and I was excited to go.

I got there, filled out my paper work, met my dental hygienist, took some x-rays, and then started the cleaning process. About half-way through my cleaning the hygienist asked me how long it had been since my last cleaning. "Um... over 3 1/2 years probably". She paused, looked at me and said, "No way! It looks like you JUST had them cleaned! What ever you're doing keep it up!"

After my cleaning, the Dentist came in to have a look. Not only did he compliment my clean teeth but he raved about how great my mouth looked. My mouth better look great! I had braces 3 times for a total of 5 years [damn orthodontist]!

So what do I do? What is my secret? I know you are dying to know. So here it is:

Every night before I go to bed I brush my teeth for 2 minutes with my Oral B electronic toothbrush (it has a self timer)

Next I floss

And finally I rinse my mouth with Listerine

The trick is to use the Listerine RIGHT after you floss, you have to hold it in as long as you can (feel the burn), and then after you spit it out DON'T rinse your mouth out and don't drink anything, just go to bed. This way the Listerine continues to work as you are sleeping.

I know some people hate the burning feeling that comes with Listerine but there are other types that don't burn as much.

I'm not a Dentist and I know very little about teeth but this is what I do and I've NEVER had a cavity and my Dentist thinks I have a perfect mouth.

KEEP SMILING!

And a special thanks to my parents for making me go to the dentist as a kid!

I lost some readers

I had a few people tell me recently that they don't read my blog any more because it makes them "feel sad" or my post are "too depressing".

I'm sorry. I'm sorry that READING about my depressing life is making you sad.

I apologize that I write about my feelings and that it makes YOU feel blue. Because obviously I am so happy with my life right now. I'm sorry it's been so hard on you.

"You gotta mix it up!"

6:00 am - Wake up and do an abs work out video

6:40 am - Watch Sports Center and eat a bowl of Special K cereal

7:30 am - Go to work where I am either sitting at my desk all day or hiking through the wilderness

12:00 pm - Eat lunch (usually a salad or chicken and brown rice or a PB sandwich)

4:30 - 5:30 pm (depending on the day) - Leave work and head to the gym

5:30 - 8:00 pm - Gym time

8:15 pm - Get home, eat dinner, read, watch TV

10:30 -11:30 pm - Bed

This is me on an average day. Notice something? I spend anywhere from 2-4 hours working out on a day when I am in the office and even more when I am out in the field.

I eat healthy and I am addicted to working out. What's wrong with me?

I asked this question to a personal trainer at my gym. She responded with 5 simple words: "You gotta mix it up!"

"Alright! What do I do?"

She grabbed a gym class schedule and listed out the 4 classes I should go to:

Uni Flex: Dumbbell class to music

Cyclo-Cross: Cycling class with intermittent strength/fitness routines

Free Flex: Barbell class to music

Rowing: Indoor rowing class

"I'm there! Let's do this!"

And I did! Here is my weekly gym schedule:

Monday: Uni Flex (1 hour) and Rowing (30 minutes)

Tuesday: Zumba (50 minutes) and Cyclo-Cross (1 hour)

Wednesday: Free Flex (1 hour) and Yoga/Pilates (50 minutes)

Thursday: Powerball (1 hour) and Zumba (50 minutes)

Friday: Rowing (1 hour)

Saturday: Rowing (1 hour)

I can hike all day through rough terrain without breaking a sweat. I can run for miles with no problem. But 7 minutes into my Free Flex class I was dripping in sweat... literally! I needed a towel! It was amazing! I couldn't stop smiling!

It's Friday night, I'm sore, and I've gained 5 pounds this week (muscle maybe? Yea, let's just say muscle), BUT I'm loving my new work out schedule! I'm still working out a lot but I've gotten away from my regular routine and my body is reacting.

How to build a pipeline:

First you clear

Next you trench

Then you lay

Rain or snow

Sun or fog

We work!

What do I do exactly?

My job is to walk along the trench and check for cultural materials all while wearing my safety goggles, orange vest, steel toed boots, and hard hat (I tend to blend in with the construction workers). Easy enough right? Don't worry, I steer clear of the backhoes.

The Great Pumpkin... I Want to Believe!

I heard a great idea once (I think it was from my drama teach in middle school) about how to avoid eating so much candy during Halloween:

She said that her and her husband taught her kids about the Great Pumpkin (kinda like Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny) and how every year he would come and leave the kids presents in exchange for their Halloween candy. So every year her kids would dress up, go trick-or-treating, come home, pick out five pieces of candy (to keep), and then put the rest of their candy into their newly carved jack-o-lanters for the Great Pumpkin.

That night the Great Pumpkin would come, take the candy, and leave a present.

The next morning the kids would wake up to find their present (maybe PJs, toy cars, or new shoes... something small) which was left by the Great Pumpkin.

What about the candy? They (the parents) would throw it away! The kids don't need it and neither did they!

I think it's a brilliant idea!