#19) Build a Stand-Up Desk: Because Sitting is the New Smoking

It’s been said that “sitting is the new smoking”—yes, even for runners.  Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day has been linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and just plain bad posture.  The basic argument is that our bodies are made to move and that sitting in one position slows down body functions.  Makes sense. 

I’ve been sitting on a stability ball for about four years.  I honestly can’t remember why I started sitting on a ball.  Prior to my own conversion, my impression of stability-ball sitters was that they were weirdos.   But once I started I never went back.  At first I would do a crunch or two after lunch, but that fell by the wayside pretty quickly.  I do notice that the stability ball forces me to sit up straight, but mainly I’ve stuck with it because it is just more comfortable for me than sitting in a desk chair.   

But I’m pretty sure that sitting on a ball still counts as sitting. 

There is a guy in our office who built a stand-up desk out of an Ikea Lack side table and a Viktor Shelf.  I borrowed it for a few days while he was on vacation, but it didn’t really do the trick.  The first problem was that my co-worker is about a foot taller than me, which made me have to hunch my shoulders up to reach the keyboard.  The second problem was that the Ikea standing desk didn’t accommodate both of my monitors.  I put up with it for a couple days but gladly handed it back over when he returned. 

My plan for #29 was to build a similar standing desk with two Lacks and a lower shelf.  This would require a trip to Ikea and a power drill, but I put it on the list figuring I had twelve months to make it happen. 

And then, while searching for a new three-ring binder in the supply room at work, I found something even better. 

You might wonder whether I mean that what I found was better than an Ikea side table or better than a three-ring binder.  Either.  Both!   And I don’t even know what this thing is. 

It sort of looks like an old piece of a desk.  It has slots for floppy discs.  It’s kind of a gray color.  I figured nobody was using it because, well, it has slots for floppy discs. 

I forgot about the three-ring binder and rushed back to my desk to try it out.  I propped my monitors on top, popped my keyboard on a shorter riser in front, and put my mouse pad on an overturned bamboo box.   

Somehow the ergonomics were perfect. 

The best part is that I can quickly move the keyboard riser out of the way if I get tired and need to sit on the ball for an hour or so.   Not to pat myself on the back too hard, but people pay over $800 for this kind of flexibility and I upcycled mine out of a floppy disc tower.  I think that makes me some kind of engineer. 

Or a weirdo. 

 

-K.

Days 19-25: Keep Your Chat Roulette To Yourself

#6) Study Yoga:  The Cincinnati Yoga School was closed this week because their pipes froze during PV2 (“Polar Vortex 2”—I can’t take credit for this acronym but I’m going to use it like I did). 

Every night this week I did a different video from Do Yoga With Me Now.  If you haven’t been to this site, I can’t recommend it enough.  On Wednesday I got Donnie to do the “Yoga for Athletes” video with me, which was nice until he tried to make out during Savasana. 

This move got him officially banned from my at-home yoga practice. Now he knows that if he comes home and hears a gong or wind chimes coming from my yoga room he is to stay on the first floor. 

I don’t have to worry about this crap at the Cincinnati Yoga School.   

#7) Update My Style:  Speaking of Donnie, this is his least favorite item on my list.  Anytime I put on an article of clothing he doesn’t remember he’ll say to me, “Where’d you get that?” as if I’ve been shopping on the sly.  He likes to keep a mental calculator tape of my clothing receipts lest I spend money he feels would have been better spent on his professional wardrobe.    

Which he can wear while he stands behind me adding up the $14 I spent on this shirt and the $40 I spent on these boots in 2008. 

#11) Join Toastmasters:  Let the spreadsheet reflect that on January 19^th I sent an inquiry to the “Contact Us” page on the website of a local Toastmasters group. 

#12) Buy in Bulk:  There was a fire sale on coffee this week at Remke.  This stuff isn’t cheap so when it’s $3.00 off a bag, you stock up. Even if you really prefer Italian Roast to French Roast but all of the Italian Roasts were bought out by savvy shoppers prepping for PV2.

#15) Join a Book Club:  The first meeting of “Booze and Books” is scheduled for February 27^th.  I’m so excited about this, although I’m going to have to do some serious Googling to learn how a book club is supposed to work. 

Whoops, I just realized that I typed “Booze and Books” although the title of the club is actually “Books and Booze.”  Trying to get my priorities straight. 

#16) Go Antiquing:  I found this lady at Legacies in Hyde Park Plaza for $10!  She helps to tie together the warm neutrals in the living room with the cool gray of the dining room.  And she reminds me not to touch my face.  Or put my boobs on the table.   

 

#17) Entertain:  Our International Dinner Club met at Emanu last night and then came back to our place for dessert.  Emanu was delicious.  Look at this!  The spices were perfect. 

For dessert I made my new favorite--Apricot Oat Bars from the “Weeknights with Giada” cookbook my grandma gave me.  For some reason, I didn’t take a picture of the final product, but here are a couple of the dough and prep work. 

 

 

I did get a picture of Donnie and Tony wearing the same outfit:

Tony is the one who coined PV2, btw.

One of the highlights of the night involved creating a Chat Roulette account and conversing with a beat boxer from Brazil and an 18-year old model from Iraq.  This seemed like an appropriate activity for the International Dinner Club.  Until we were subjected to some indecent exposure by a guy from Trenton, New Jersey.

This is probably not how Martha Stewart would entertain, but I never claimed to be an expert.

 

-K.

#15) Join a Book Club

Since I upgraded from a clunky old Blackberry to a legitimate smart phone last January, I’ve read fewer books than I have in any year since I started reading.  I blame Twitter. 

Lately, 90% of my reading is accomplished through clicking the links on my Twitter feed.  This has been a jackpot of short and spontaneous reads that I wouldn’t have stumbled upon otherwise.  10 Strength Training Exercises for Runners?  25 Tips to Make Your Neighborhood More Livable?  Why is Pitbull and Ke$ha’s “Timber”  No. 1?  Done, done, and done. 

But my attention span is seriously suffering. 

I even struggle to read the books that I take the time to reserve on my library list.   I might read 75 pages, renew it once or twice, and find that I have to take it back or pay the late fee.  There is really no excuse for not being able to finish a book in nine weeks. 

This is why I’m looking for a book club.  I need something more compelling than a 10 cent late fine to motivate me to see a book through to the last page.

Here is what I’m looking for in a book club:

1)      Wine.  I realize this may sound pathetic, but if you can rehash Little Bee without a glass of Tempranillo, more power to you.  Beer would be okay, too. 

2)      Popularity.  While I can appreciate the allure of an obscure title, I think it would be best to use some lists to narrow our selections.  Like the annual New York Times Best Books List, or Goodread’s Book Club list, or even Buzz Feed’s 26 Books that Will Change the Way You See the World.  It’s not that I don’t trust peoples’ recommendations, but working from lists ensures third-party vetting.  It also ensures that people outside of the book club will have read the selection, which will allow for more literary discussions in the workplace and at cocktail parties.   

3)    Regularity.  The third Wednesday, the fourth Tuesday, it doesn’t matter.  Just a schedule to hold everyone accountable.  If people can’t make it every month or even every other month, no big deal.  Come and go as you please!

That’s it.  Anyone know of a book club that meets these criteria?  If not, anyone interested in starting one? 

-K.  

#20: Watch Grey Gardens (a review)

So last night I was supposed to have a few people over for wine and snacks, but snow started falling around 4:00 PM and my guests called soon after they left their house to say that the roads were impassable.  Since #22 (Entertain) wasn’t in the cards, I decided to take advantage of a free evening by ticking #20 (Watch Grey Gardens) off the list. 

Why Grey Gardens?  A few reasons.  First, PBS lists it as number one in its list of “100 Greatest Documentaries.”  I hold this ranking in high esteem, mostly because it’s PBS, and PBS brought us Mr. Rogers and the Dust Bowl.  Can’t argue with that. 

Second, documentaries are the only movies that I have the patience to watch.  During fictional movies I’m constantly checking my watch or just plain falling asleep.  Until a few weeks ago I was on a 19-month streak of not having been to a movie theater.  I only broke this streak because Donnie lied to me and said Inside Llewyn Davis was a documentary.  False!  

Finally, I am intrigued by people that live in dirty houses.  To me, there is something seriously interesting about people who can just not give a damn about filth.  What allows for that?  I want to know more! 

So I poured a glass of wine and settled in.  Donnie called this a bowl of wine, but whatever:

Actually, he called it my third bowl of wine.  But who’s counting?  

Apparently he was.

For the record, this third bowl ended up being too much to finish, so I poured it back in the bottle.  Maybe this is why we don’t have guests more often.

Anyway, Grey Gardens is a peek into the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale (Big Edie) and her daughter of the same name (Little Edie) who were the aunt and first cousin Jacquelyn Kennedy Onassis.  The mother and daughter live together in a crumbling mansion in the Hamptons with a hundred cats and no running water.  When the filmmakers arrived in 1975, the twenty-eight room house had just been spared from condemnation.

The documentary captures the former socialites-turned-recluses eating butter pecan ice cream straight from the carton and feeding Wonder Bread to the raccoons living in the attic.  They sing, dance, fight, and look at old photographs of themselves.  But they also say some really profound things, such as:

“It’s difficult to keep the line between the past and the present.”

“You can’t get any freedom when you’re being supported.”

“It’s very hard to live nowadays.”

“Everyone thinks and feels differently as the years go by.”

And my personal favorite: “I did have my cake.  I loved it, masticated it, chewed it and had everything I wanted.”

I think I found a new motto. 

About halfway through, Donnie and I paused the movie to have a little ice cream break ourselves and we had the following exchange:

Me:  Hey, what percentage of me do you think is bat shit crazy like those ladies?

Donnie:  15%?

(No response from me)

Donnie:  Too low?

What a guy. 

By nine o’clock the movie was over and I ceremoniously crossed out #20 on my “This is the Year” Excel sheet.  Of course there is an Excel sheet.  As Big Edie would say, "Listen, Kid! I'm extremely organized."


-K.  





 

Days 8-12

#1) Run a half marathon: Although I took a few days off this week because of the polar vortex, I upped my mileage this weekend.  Sometimes when I run I think to myself, “Man, I love running.”  True story.

#2) Learn to bake bread:  I told Beth who teaches the Whole Foods cooking class that we should have a bread making class one of these days.  She was into it.  I am also planning to attend a Whole Foods gluten free cooking class in a couple weeks.  Because my life is all about contradictions.

#6) Study yoga: I gad a great class at the Cincinnati Yoga School on Saturday morning.  The instructor was really good--he talked us through every step and demonstrated the more difficult poses before asking us to attempt them.  My favorite part was when he put a block under my butt so that I could get into swan pose with my foot hooked into my elbow.   I also learned how pressing down on your knees with your elbows while in lotus can help open up the fascia in your inner thighs.  Not much of a party trick, but still good to know.

#16) Go antiquing: After thinking about the good stuff I passed up at the Riverside Antique Mall last week, I went back yesterday to collect it.  Although I kept worrying that someone may have read my blog and gone in and snagged all my stuff, it turned out that nobody reads this and everything I wanted was still there.  The corner by my front door is almost done, and all for less than $200:

• Desk: $5 at St. Vincent de Paul + $20 for paint and sandpaper.  I left the shelf the natural color for a little interest. 
• Cubist painting: $22 at Riverside Antique Mall
• Vase: $12 at Riverside
• Ottoman for a chair: $120 at Pier 1

I wasn’t planning on buying anything else, but also got this silver bowl for 50% off $38.  It was handcrafted in Paris which makes it officially a good find. 

 

Now, this next purchase was acquired through an activity better described as “junk collecting" than antiquing.  The truth is I got these porch chairs at a place that is basically a pawn shop.  They were $10 apiece (I talked them down from $15) and just need some new cushions.  Ignore the chipping paint on my table, I'll take care of it later.  Maybe.

 

#30) Give up Diet Coke: By Friday, the ratio of sparkling water cans to Diet Coke cans in my recycling bin at work was 6:5.  Not my best week, but there are a lot of weeks left in the year. 

#31) Give up cable:  When Donnie picked me up from work on Friday he announced that he had purchased a new fiber optic package from Cincinnati Bell so that we could cancel Time Warner.  All it took was some guy ringing the doorbell asking if he was interested.  So by next week, I’ll no longer have DVR service and our package will just be “basic cable.”  Today I've been binge watching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo to clear out my DVR before it's gone.  This is a step in the right direction, but I could not get past the fact that Donnie made a purchase from a door-to-door salesman.  Although since this was the same week that I made a purchase from a pawn shop, I think he deserves a pass. 

 

-K.

Day #7

It’s been so cold that when I see people going on with their daily lives I’m sort of surprised.  And I have to carry on with my daily life plus do 31 new things?  Um, brrrr.
 

#8) Go to the dentist every six months: This morning I found myself using three impromptu hours of vacation time to blow a frozen pipe with a hairdryer.  Since this was exactly how I always dreamed of spending my precious vacation hours, I thought I might as well make it a truly awesome vacation by scheduling a dentist appointment. 

Confession:  I haven’t been to the dentist in two years.  First, I had my wisdom teeth removed which racked up enough dental karma to skip my next appointment.  Then I changed jobs and my old dentist wasn’t in my new network.  Excuses.

Today I spent exactly three minutes between blow drying shifts researching dentists in Pleasant Ridge, calling one of them, and scheduling an appointment for February 4^th.  They offered to get me in today to fill in one of the cancelations, but February 4^th will be just fine, thank you. 

 

#19) Attend my Community Council Meetings:  Done.  Heard a great presentation on Form Based Code and saw the inside of the Pleasant Ridge Recreation Center.  I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself to the group because attendance was so high and time was so tight, but the president promised newcomers could do that next time. 

I just realized that the next meeting will be the same day as my dentist appointment!  For the record, I’ll be looking forward to the council meeting much more than dentist.  

-K.

Day #5: Kay Kay Goes Antiquing

#16)  Go Antiquing

Okay, people.  I need some help with this one.  I went to Walgreens this afternoon to pick up some face moisturizer and cat food and thought to myself, “Hey, while I’m out I might as well go antiquing.”  What I should have realized is that going antiquing is not like running into the drugstore for Cetaphil and Indoor Formula cat food.  You have to be in the mood to browse.  And make decisions.  

First, I popped into the Riverside Center Antique Mall near Lunken Airport.  When I walked in, right away I was blown away by a perfect mid-century teak dining set for less than $500.  This baby was front and center in the lobby and I don’t know how it hasn’t sold.  Alas, I have a one year-old dining set that from Ikea that includes six plastic chairs and am therefore I am not in the market for a new one. 

Next, I saw this print called “The Gypsies” which I thought Donnie might like.  Or hate.  I kept going. 

I hadn't noticed the black and white coffee mug in the center of the photo above, but LOVE.

I am in the market for a new armchair to go in the living room.  As much as I liked this rocker, I am trying hard to avoid plastic furniture.  You know, now that I’m 30 and 1965 has officially come and gone. 

Next, I saw this gold ram which I could imagine next to our fireplace.  I liked it, but not “$65 liked it” if you know what I mean. 

Again.  I don’t know what it is that attracts me to plastic furniture.  I loved this set of four white chairs, which were $25 apiece and I thought would be a nice upgrade to our $12 Ikea chairs. But are they enough of an upgrade?  Probably not. 

This is the piece that I was closest to buying.  This cubist print in a blonde frame was 20% off $22.  I thought it would go nicely above the little desk I painted to go next to our front door.  I might come back for this one.

I also am regretting not getting this blue vase for $12.  I don’t know what I’d do with it, but it’s cute, right?

And then this.  I stared at this for a long time trying to figure out what it was.  The tag informed me that it is a “telephone table and chair.” 

Precious.  I don’t need a whole chair for my Samsung and it doesn’t go with our stuff at all, but this is pretty much the epitome of an antique and it made me feel like I was getting close to accomplishing #16. 

Except that I left empty-handed. 

Next, I drove about a block to the Peddler’s Market down the street.  Here I saw lots of VHS tapes, including an old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie and a first edition copy of Free Willy (Were there multiple editions?  I don’t know).  But nothing that would work in our living room. 

I have two takeaways from this trip.  First, I need more time and patience to really make #16 happen.  This is not something you can do on a whim after running into Walgreens.  Second, I need some company to help me decide what I should snag and what is cute only in comparison to all the stuff that’s not so cute.  I also should probably bring Donnie since he’s going to have to live with whatever I drag home. 

(In retrospect, this last point would have probably prevented us from ever having had three cats at once.  Hindsight is 20-20.)

So, who’s up for some antiquing?

-K.

Day #4

1)  Run a Half Marathon:  I ran about 3 miles this morning at 7:30 with the Pleasant Ridge Runners and then another 3 miles with Donnie.  I’m loving this running group—really nice people and it gets me up and out the door on a Saturday, which will be a nice routine now that Run 52 has ended.  I didn’t run yesterday because of the ice and my legs felt great after a day off.

#6) Study Yoga: Today was my first class at the Cincinnati Yoga School.  I signed up for Beginners Power Yoga, which is an hour and fifteen minutes with lots of vinyasas. The studio is in an old church and is just lovely.  There is blue carpet surrounding a pool-like hardwood floor and the ceiling has a black tray with twinkly gold lights. 

Without Zola interrupting me, I was able to focus on my body and let my mind go every now and then, but never to the extent that I can while running.  During Savasana I felt the sunshine coming through the window and the floor supporting me and for a few moments I felt like I was lying on the beach.  The only problem was I didn’t get much of a workout—at least not like at Move Your Hyde, where I usually leave dripping in sweat. 

Then I came home and made these two-ingredient cookies.  Technically, I shouldn’t even mention these on this blog because they aren't on the list, but I will make an exception because I had to bake them (#2) and I got the recipe on Pinterest (#25), so here you go:

I added walnuts, vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate chips.  They turned out just okay—really soft and banana-y.  I wouldn’t make them again unless I was trying to avoid tossing out old bananas.  How’s that for a review?

 

-K.

Day #3

#6) Study Yoga:  Because I got home from work too late to go to Happy Hour Yoga at the Cincinnati Yoga School, I did this Power Yoga for Balance video that I found on a site that has free full-length yoga videos.  Finding the site was a breakthrough (adios, Denise Austin), and the video was pretty good. 

 

As part of this challenge I’m trying to learn the “what” and “why” of yoga instead of just mindlessly moving through the poses.  For example, since I read that twisting and inversion poses help to detoxify the body I have been able to focus on detoxification while I twist.  This has been especially helpful since I consumed 1 ½ bottles of red wine and half a pound of chocolate covered espresso beans on New Year’s Eve.  Still detoxifying.

Question:  is the “sits” bone a technical term or is it just this instructor’s cutesy way of describing his rear?  I thought I paid really good attention in my anatomy class but I don’t remember this.  

Also, poor Zola Budd.  It has been too icy to walk very far the past couple of days so she has been all worked up.  She was in my face every time I did a forward bend, which would have been sweet except that I could tell by smelling her that she had recently had a snack in the kitty litter box.

 

 

-K.

 

Day #2

I doubt I’ll write an update every day, but since is the first day post-list, I thought I should check in to demonstrate my commitment.  Donnie was a bit incredulous when after dinner I told him I was going to write a post about my progress.  He said, “It seemed like a normal day!”  Yes, but with a few tiny tweaks:

#1) Run a half marathon: I ran my normal 5 mile route this morning in the snow and added on ½ mile because, you know, half marathon.  Donnie says that I need to get my morning runs up to 7 miles to meet this goal.  This is the year, but today was not the day.  Baby steps.

#2) Learn to Bake Bread: I signed up for a Whole Foods cooking class next Thursday, which I have done lots of times before.  Although the topic is “Love Veggies” they usually ask for suggestions for upcoming classes, upon which time I will propose, “Yeast Feast.” Or “Bread Fed.” I haven’t decided. 

#6) Study Yoga:  This is where I rack up some major points!  I bought a Metabody Yoga & Fitness pass on Groupon ($350 value for $20) which includes up to 5 classes at the Cincinnati Yoga School on Ridge Avenue, just a stone’s throw from our house.  I’m so excited about this one.  Donnie is too.  We share a Groupon account and he texted me this afternoon to say "some Yogi hacked into our group on." 

Also, I came home from work and did the same Denise Austin yoga DVD that I’ve been doing for the past eight years but turned it off thirteen minutes early and free-styled the last part.  I did pigeon so long I could barely stand up afterwards.  All in all, some serious initiative here, no? 

#30) Give up Diet Coke:  I still have 363 days.

#31) … And cable:  I learned from Tia Mowry’s Facebook feed (shut up) that “Tia & Tamera” will not be returning for a fourth season.  This means I’m basically paying $100 a month to watch “Dance Moms” and “Sister Wives”.  And the occasional “Ancient Aliens.”  This one is looking a lot easier.

-K.

Yup, This is the Year

This is the year to:

1.     Run a half marathon

2.       Learn to bake bread

3.       Check out Krohn Conservatory

4.       Loosen up

5.       Plant my own herbs

6.       Study yoga

7.       Update my style

8.       Go to the dentist every six months

9.       Visit the Contemporary Arts Center and the Taft Museum of Art

10.   Get a week’s worth of groceries at Findlay Market

11.   Join Toastmasters

12.   Buy in bulk

13.   Take an official “Cincinnati Tour”

14.   Sharpen my knives

15.   Join a book club

16.   Go antiquing

17.   See live jazz at Schwartz Point

18.   Take Donnie to Kings Island

19.   Attend our Community Council meetings

20.   Watch “Grey Gardens”

21.   Eat at Boca

22.   Entertain

23.   Spring clean

24.   Start doing regular breast exams

25.   Make a craft from Pinterest

26.   Go to Devou Park

27.   Ride the Metro

28.   Finish “A People’s History of the United States”

29.   Build a stand-up desk

30.   Give up Diet Coke

31.   … And cable

This project begins with a confession:  I like to say “no”. 

Most often, “no” is often an attempt to simplify my schedule and give myself an hour or two of downtime:  No, I’ll pass on brunch, I need a day with nothing on the calendar.    

Sometimes “no” is a philosophical response to a world with too much unnecessary stuff:  No, I don’t need a new pair of boots, the old ones are fine. 

But too often, “no” is nothing but laziness and procrastination:  No, I’ll wipe down the baseboards next weekend.

Most of the items on this list are not things that will change my life or make me a better person.  They aren’t radical and most of them aren’t even very ambitious.  These are probably not things that will be mentioned in my obituary (In 2014, she sharpened her knives.).  This is not a bucket list.

In a way, this project is simply about saying “yes” to a bunch of things that I have been putting off.   More importantly, is about making sure that I live the life of the person I want to be at this stage in my life.  Writing about it will hold me accountable and force me to pause and reflect. 

Here we go! 

 

#thisistheyear