I’ve been on a Bob Dylan kick lately. Two weeks ago, I took a meditation teacher training down the shore and on the hour-long ride, I was listening to some old rock/folk music when “Positively 4th Street” came on. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with Dylan’s snark. Talk about salty! Continue reading Differences: Hope and Community
A Series of Firsts
Earlier this week, Gustavo came to visit for the holidays this year. I’ve never much liked the winter holidays. I’m not one for “Christmas cheer” and I hate New Jersey winters with a passion. Continue reading A Series of Firsts
Crossfit Olympic Weightlifting Level 1
When you start at Crossfit, there are a few movements that are super challenging to wrap your head around. When it comes to the bar and weights, none compare to the snatch.
For me, in Crossfit, I always found the Olympic Weightlifting movements a lot easier to understand and improve than any others.
Finally, when I joined Koutí and had classes with Rodrigo on the subject, I saw how much I had to learn to understand the why’s and how’s of the clean & jerk and snatch.
Our First Trip to Europe Together
The first time I visited Europe, I was 16 and desperate to see Paris. I’d been studying French for years and I was beyond thrilled to be able to use it in the wild. Plus, I was enamored with so many French artists and writers – I wanted to see this romantic city that seemed to have inspired all of them. Continue reading Our First Trip to Europe Together
To Make-Up or Not to Make-Up
Make-up has always seemed like a functional endeavor to me. I was never very interested in raising my own make-up skills to that of an artistic level. It always did a nice job of making me look more awake – and my skin less greasy – on a daily basis. Besides that, I couldn’t much be bothered. Continue reading To Make-Up or Not to Make-Up
Crossfit Gymnastics Level 1
When I initially joined my first Crossfit class, it included a few Pull-ups and of course there were a few members doing what I at the time felt like was a very unsafe variation of the movement, in my head I felt like I would never try those because it seemed super risky for your shoulders and spine.
Jersey Strong: Training at Home
My face lit up as I read my coach’s message on WhatsApp. “Your progress is impressing me a lot. Imagine you in January!” Continue reading Jersey Strong: Training at Home
Why I Learned Portuguese
It’s not uncommon for Gustavo and I to have the following conversation when I speak Portuguese in the wild.
“Okay, I definitely said that right. Why did s/he talk to you after I obviously indicated that I understand Portuguese? We even had a full conversation in Portuguese before I said I was American!”
After a heavy sigh from Gustavo, he usually explains something along the lines of, “I know, but people just aren’t used to foreigners speaking Portuguese.”
Continue reading Why I Learned Portuguese
Huehuehue: Weird Brazilian Slang
When I first met Gustavo, it was via Skype. My coworker and I were talking with him, confirming some plans for our upcoming trip to Brazil. Invariably, at some point, he typed something I’d never seen before:
We Have to Talk About Pizza
Sometimes I joke with Gustavo that our favorite hobby is collecting passports. Between the two of us, we have three, in addition to a vast collection of visas and passport stamps. Continue reading We Have to Talk About Pizza