It has been 7 years since I have not competed indoors. This was certainly a hard decision since I truly enjoy the indoor season of Track & Field (athletics). One of the reasons I enjoy the indoor season is because of the thousands of spectators who clamour to watch only women’s high jump. You will be missed!
It is no secret that Moravian High Jump Tour and the Cottbus Springer meetings are among my favourites. I am always inspired and amazed to see a stadium packed with energy to see us jumpers do our thing. You can not help but produce great performances in such an environment.
However, given that the 2010 season was a long one for me (ending in October with the Commonwealth Games) and World Championships are this year, I believe foregoing indoors is best. Moreover, the 2012 Olympic Games in London are close at hand. Indeed, I am excited for this outdoor season, which is a penultimate to the grand stage of the Olympic Games.
Thank you for your continued support. I will continue to update my blog with my training progressions as it unfolds.
The California State Capitol with the full moon above
Well....a bright shiney New Year is upon us! I hope it is promising to be a good one for all of you.
I wanted to take a moment to recap a few little things from the end of my own 2010. I don't know if any of you had a chance to catch the Lunar Eclipse we had right before Christmas, but it was spectacular. It had rained all day here in Sacramento, and I had given up hope of seeing the darkest night we were going to have for over 300 years. It was the longest night of the year and an eclipse at the same time? Well...there was a knock on my bedroom door at 11:00 p.m. and my daughter said there was a break in the storm and the moon was as clear as a bell. We rousted everyone in the house to go out to the back yard. My daughters had already gotten out blankets for us all, so we settled in for the show. It was peaceful and beautiful, and we were all bundled up together. It was perhaps our most perfect moment of the holiday season. The moon was a full and bright disc. And then the eclipse was complete! I had no idea what to expect....I thought perhaps it would be just a dark grey. But just when I thought the moon would blink out, it became even more clear and more real. It looked just like a red balloon floating maybe 50 feet up in the air....so much more 3 dimensional than when it is fully ablaze. I felt like I could touch it.
Lunar Eclipse
This is the best my little point and shoot could do, but do you see what I mean? Sometimes a new perspective can bring even more clarity.
There were other holiday delights as well....like when the doggies got their new bed...
.... Which Nullah claimed for her own...as well as all of the toys...
There was my daughter's first visit home from college...she treated us all to her brilliant baking skills...
Pear Gingerbread Upside Down Cake
She is back at school now....I miss her so....
And then some of the gifts that I spent hours looking through on Christmas Day....
Well...the Holidays had me all tuckered out for a couple of days.... but now I am raring to go with thoughts of red balloons and and a brand new clarity to start off this New Year.
Often songs (especially on the Top 40) might catch our attention because it's got a good beat or rhythm to it. The lyrics go unnoticed as you bop your head to the rhythm. But, if you listen closely there are some songs that might strike a reverent cord to you and move your body beyond the tempo of the song.
Firework by Katy Perry is a song, that I fear some people may miss the lyrics. I love this song because it conveys a strong message that really we all empower such brillance. And though there may be times where you may feel challenged or even insignificant if you can stop and realize how you can turn things around, you will astound yourself. As one of my favourite sayings states: "It's never too late to become what you wanted to be." As we embark on 2011 we are engulfed with hopes of possibilities of a brand new day... Remember this feeling all year long and that you are a firework!
I know I will! Watch out 2011!!! I'm coming for you!
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep? Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing Do you know that there's still a chance for you 'Cause there's a spark in you?
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down
You don't have to feel like a waste of space You're original, cannot be replaced If you only knew what the future holds After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon It's always been inside of you, you, you And now it's time to let it through
'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth Make 'em go, oh As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework Come on, let your colors burst Make 'em go, oh You're gonna leave 'em falling down
Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon Boom, boom, boom Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
What does one do when one needs a tablecloth and has a particular thing in mind.... no time and no funds? One idea.....make it oneself!
I have a different table in the Dining Room this year than last....the old one was a rectangle, and now it is round. This new (old) table may not be permanent since I think it is too small, but it is doing for now. I had a table cloth in mind....one with bold dark grey stripes. But I certainly did not have time to find it or have one made for the Holidays!
What to do in a pinch? Take out a trusty paint drop cloth....they are huge and very inexpensive....
Buy some paint and a 9" roller from Home Depot. The 9" size was just about the right size for my stripes.....
Spread out the drop cloth on top of another drop cloth....don't forget! The paint does seep through....
If you would like things to be perfect, use painter's tape for making the lines straight. I chose to go a more casual route that ended up being a bit modern looking and "imperfect"...much less stressful!
And in one afternoon....I had the effect I was going for....I draped the table and tucked the extra edges underneath....
Then the real fun of setting the table began! I have a pair of hand blown glass candelabras from Mexico...I used one for the center. I added gold chargers and my vintage Tiffany gold edged plates....I kind of liked the simplicity and was thinking to just stop here....but I kept on going.
I added some Chinese green glazed plates and my new La Rochere Jacques Coeur wine and water glasses, white hotel napkins and silver....
I made a boxwood "ball" using boxwood from the yard to put on the candelabra and some little mercury glass votive holders held more boxwood....
A few brass horns and pine cones from my Holiday stash....
Some votive candles, and Mother of Pearl salt dishes.....
This is a GREAT song... The lyrics are so simple and real. TODAY is the greatest day... It's so easy to get caught up in the tomorrows and the someday outlook of life. And that's not living... That's not experiencing the greatness that exists each and everyday including TODAY... As we enter 2011, I hope you will take the time to remember each day, that "Today is the greatest day you've ever known...and that you can't live for tomorrow." Happy New Year!!
Today is the greatest Day I've ever known Can't live for tomorrow, Tomorrow's much too long I'll burn my eyes out Before I get out
I wanted more Than life could ever grant me Bored by the chore Of saving face
Today is the greatest Day I've never known Can't wait for tomorrow I might not have that long I'll tear my heart out Before I get out
Pink ribbon scars That never forget I tried so hard To cleanse these regrets My angel wings Were bruised and restrained My belly stings
Today is Today is Today is The greatest day
I want to turn you on I want to turn you on I want to turn you on I want to turn you
Today is the greatest Today is the greatest day Today is the greatest day That I have ever really known
As I've said before, Christmas is certainly my most favourite time of the year. Yes, because of my own personal faith... but also because it is the season of giving; a time for family to come together and a time to share love. As we are on the brink of a new year and the eve of the true spirit of giving, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and for your interest in my idle thoughts. :)
But, mostly I want to wish you a truly amazing and wonderful CHRISTMAS!!! May you be enshrouded by love, family and goodness!
I am in love… I am in love with the idea of self-actualizing…. I am in love with the idea of achieving your highest self, given your abilities, resources, opportunity and resiliency. In any endeavor one chooses to truly pursue you will be tried, rebuffed and refined. As the saying goes “if it was easy, everyone would do it.” And it is for this reason I LOVE the sport of Track & Field (properly known as Athletics). To me it synonymously and ubiquitously defines the pursuit of self-actualizing.
It is a sport that forces an individual to constantly push their upper limit... literally. Not to take away from any other sport (as I am certainly a sports fan and believe every sport offers their own beauty), Track & Field is the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, and Stronger.” Literally, every time an athlete steps out on the track to compete it’s an exploration of one’s body to see how fast, how far or how high it physically can go. WOW!!!! Maximal force and maximal velocity can lead to supreme performances or extreme injuries. In a single jump, I’ve managed to tear my patellar off the bone, shred the ligaments in my ankle and tear my hamstring muscle from its insertion… And I KNOW I’m not unique to this experience. Injury and peak performance walk a close line… The taste of victory is sweetened by the ability to get back up every time you’ve been knocked down. This is life on the track…. But it is also mirroring REAL life.
Track & Field is the oldest sport in the world! EVERY other sport uses some element of track & field in their training. Indeed it is a fundamental sport. And although it is only the 2nd most popular sport in the world (behind soccer), it is the MOST participated sport in the world!!! If you ask me, that’s pretty impressive. Because of this depth of competition, arguably, it could be said to be the most competitive sport in the world. Thus, if you manage to be a World Champion in Track and Field, you are LITERALLY a WORLD CHAMPION! Incredible…
Additionally, it is a sport that constantly redefines what is possible. A simple, surprising performance can make an athlete go from obscurity to a legend - rewriting history and the definition of the human body’s ability. Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile barrier and doing what was said to be “humanly impossible,” or Bob Beamon said to have leaped over the moon with a world record performance that lasted 23 years are examples of this.
As I enter the last 2 years of my athletic career, I have nothing but gratitude for this sport AND continued curiosity of my own maximal ability. Track & field teaches me the power of resiliency and dares me to explore new depths of myself – an invaluable experience. This sport I came by chance on that fateful day I was discovered working at McDonald’s, has forever changed my life - on and off the track. I am in love! I am in love with achieving self-actualization in everything I do.
It has been 7 years since I have not competed indoors. This was certainly a hard decision since I truly enjoy the indoor season of Track & Field (athletics). One of the reasons I enjoy the indoor season is because of the thousands of spectators who clamour to watch only women’s high jump. You will be missed!
