tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21171417684145762982023-11-16T01:19:28.312-05:00Swimming at SeaSwimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-70887624091979389672018-03-31T16:24:00.001-04:002018-03-31T16:27:16.073-04:00Swimming Lessons (on productivity, excellence, and achieving your best)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9-4xHVc7uk">Robin Schulz (feat. James Blunt)- Ok</a><br />
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GREETINGS after all this time! Happy New Year (sort of)! Happy Winter/Spring! Happy Passover/Easter!<br />
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Let me preface this post by saying the lessons below are all from the<a href="https://hbr.org/"> Harvard Business Review </a>(mainly from <a href="https://hbr.org/search?search_type=search-all&term=Tony%20Schwartz">Tony Schwartz</a>). I will try to link all the articles that each quote comes from (but there are a lot so this might take time). They are actually more quotes, mottos, credos rather than lessons.<br />
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I have missed my maritime adventures! I wish I had been able to write as frequently as a used to, but this blog is far from dead. I have been constantly reinventing myself and I have realized that my life is going to require my ability to reinvent myself over and over again. Thus, I hope to post all of that here and then some with the hopes that the little things I read and experience can help others or at least amuse my readers.<br />
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Also, since it has been some time since I have written, I just wanted to note that for most of my entries I have been posting a link to a song at the top. Most of the time it has been thematic, sometimes it was just random. The idea behind this originated from me writing my entries to the song and hoping that my readers can experience what I am experiencing while they read my posts. (Obviously, this is optional.)<br />
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Here goes:<br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/04/stress-is-not-your-enemy">Absorbed focus lies at the heart of great performance.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/03/three-keys-to-much-better-deci">The simple act of making decisions progressively depletes our ability to make them well.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2011/05/whatever-you-feel-compelled-to">Whatever you feel compelled to do: Don't.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/03/three-keys-to-much-better-deci">If you respond out of compulsion, you have not made an intentional choice.</a></li>
<li>Live, operate, function with intent.</li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/03/three-keys-to-much-better-deci">Do what makes you feel good about yourself, not what makes you feel good right now.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/03/three-keys-to-much-better-deci">Be consistent with the person you want to be. </a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/03/three-keys-to-much-better-deci">The challenge in life is upping our game.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2011/05/whatever-you-feel-compelled-to">Compulsions rarely lead to positive outcomes.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2010/11/redefining-greatness-its-compl"><b>Never stop trying to get better. </b></a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2016/06/resilience-is-about-how-you-recharge-not-how-you-endure">Resilience is trying really hard, stopping, recovering, and trying again.</a></li>
<li>Find a way to discover equilibrium quickly.</li>
<li>Catch yourself when you default to whatever makes you feel good in the moment.</li>
<li><a href="http://ten%20principles%20to%20live%20by%20in%20fiercely%20complex%20times/">Ask yourself "How would I behave here at my best?" </a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/07/how-hard-are-you-willing-to-pu">Push yourself beyond your current limits day-in, day-out despite the discomfort it creates.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/07/how-hard-are-you-willing-to-pu">The willingness to endure discomfort and sacrifice instant gratification is the only way to get better at anything and to achieve true excellence.</a></li>
<li>Welcome Discomfort. </li>
<li>Live in discomfort. </li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2012/07/how-hard-are-you-willing-to-pu">Temptation will always defeat you if you expose yourself to it too long. </a></li>
<li>Do specific behaviors at precise times.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.willpowered.co/learn/relentless-perseverance">Pride yourself on relentless perseverance in the face of obstacles.</a> (<a href="https://hbr.org/2018/02/how-to-cultivate-gratitude-compassion-and-pride-on-your-team">also here</a>)</li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2007/07/the-making-of-an-expert">You cannot consistently improve your ability to make decisions (or your intuition) without considerable practice, reflection, and analysis.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2018/02/how-to-cultivate-gratitude-compassion-and-pride-on-your-team">Have grit and grace. </a></li>
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I have actually handwritten all of these while I was reading the articles (some of them are my own lessons). Enjoy! </div>
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Also, just for fun, I have taken an interest in Goldendoodles and Angora Rabbits. Hopefully, I can own one someday (but that would require me collecting their dander, taking it to my allergist, creating an allergy shot to tolerate the creature). Until then, I just look at the pictures because they make me happy (this is from insta). Happy New Year! 2018 will be great. </div>
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-61150821959526763442017-06-12T17:30:00.000-04:002017-06-12T17:30:00.364-04:00Why the kidney is a metaphor for life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These past 10-11 months have been a whirlwind. School has been amazing, but difficult at times. My program has challenged me academically and sometimes, even more so, emotionally. I've been forced to make sure that I run my day and not the other way around. I've been tested to control my own, longstanding vice of time-management. I've been impelled to transorm into someone who used to meagerly accept the status quo into someone who realizes that as a woman I am wildly disenfranchised and when I feel, hear, or see injustice I am motivated to speak up and not accept it. I challenge it as much as it challenges me. Most importantly, I've endured professors that span the spectrum of gifted and, well, not so gifted. I've met some great people along the way.<br />
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Today is the last day of my first year and last Thursday was my last lecture of the year. During our last lecture, my renal professor/course director presented arguably the most salient information of my entire first year. Below is a picture. I am lucky to have had her to look up to in both academic interest and poise as a woman in clearly what is still a man's field. She knows her field and knows it well. She displayed an enthusiasm for the field and owned her personal responsibility to bequeath that enthusiasm and knowledge upon us in the most honest and humbling way. ("I think the kidney is beautiful and if you don't think so too then I am not doing my job right.") I have never met a professor that has tried to learn as much from our questions as we do from her teaching.<br />
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I want to point out that I have only had a few female professors/faculty that we work with closely in my first year. It might be my own gender bias, but these women resonate with me not only by words but also by action. They have shown what it's like to maintain a career while giving birth. They have shown to hold their own when the men around them egregiously (and probably subconsciously) push them aside. They've done it with poise, grace, and intellect. I've learned from them. I've learned that it's not enough for me to know the craft to the fullest extent because I will be challenged by colleagues and superiors that assert that they *may* know more. I have to be able to articulate things at the right time and place. It makes little difference if these are afterthoughts because at the end of the day I will be responsible for someone's life and a misstep or lack of appropriate and prompt action can have a result that I won't be able to take back or redo.<br />
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I am grateful for my opportunities this year. I will embark on summer break after our exams next week hopefully a smidge wiser and vigilant and motivated to excel to the next level. I want to leave this post with some last words from my renal professor: "My whole life I have tried to set the bar as high as I can because I realized that if I even accomplished 50% of that then I am still better off than someone who set the bar low."<br />
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-23137397505165718002017-01-11T20:52:00.001-05:002017-01-11T20:55:55.218-05:00Swimming Comes back!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Greetings fair viewer,<br />
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I have been at sea for quite some time, but I am alive and well and fully intend to update this blog on my life's happenings. Below is a post that I created some time ago. In the past year, I've experienced numerous maritime adventures (aquariums, boat rides, whale watching etc...) I shall post those piece by piece. I would like to say I'm going to bring back my segments: Etiquette Wednesdays, 21st century feminist, climate series, and I would like to try out a Medical Mondays post.<br />
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2017 is going to be great! (that is if I still have my health insurance....)<br />
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-Love,<br />
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Swimming </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-49521461107825466202016-11-15T20:00:00.000-05:002017-01-11T20:53:50.852-05:00The Comeback: Swimming's Four Step Program for eliminating insecurity!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>STEP I:</b> Recognize the general problem. Swimming's first step requires identifying whether or not you are insecure/not confident in general or in a particular instance. We all have insecurities in certain aspects of our lives. Some people are social butterflies, but completely shy in school or at work. Others are the exact opposite and have no issue vocalizing their thoughts in an academic or professional setting but struggle establishing social connections with others in a non-business forum. The first step to eliminating insecurity is to identify when and where it occurs. If you're struggling with identifying it then check out if any of the characteristics of low self-esteem creep into your life/conversation and then back-track to specifying when/where.<br />
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<b>STEP II:</b> Identify the characteristics of insecurity. There are some tell-tale signs of insecurity.<br />
-Body language: do you shuffle your steps and hold your head down and look down when you walk? Do you try to cross your arms and legs and make yourself smaller in certain situations?<br />
-Language/conversation: what kind of language do you use to describe yourself? what language do you use to voice your opinions? Is it surrounded by positive language? Or does your language begin with apologies or uncertainty? Do you easily get defensive or yield to/conform with others opinions?<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#Low_self-esteem">Here are some classic characteristics of low self-esteem</a>:<br />
<i>Heavy self-criticism </i><br />
<i>Hypersensitivity to criticism</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-15"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Chronic indecision</i> <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-16"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Excessive will to please</i> and unwillingness to displease any petitioner.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-17"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Perfectionism</i>, which can lead to frustration when perfection is not achieved.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-18"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Neurotic guilt</i>, dwelling on and/or exaggerating the magnitude of past mistakes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-19"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Floating hostility</i> and general defensiveness and irritability without any proximate cause.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-20"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Pessimism</i> and a general negative outlook.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Bonet_15-21"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_self-esteem#cite_note-Bonet-15"></a></sup><i> </i><br />
<i>Envy</i>, invidiousness, or general resentment<br />
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<b>STEP III:</b> Create an action plan. First practice, then create the habit, then transform into second nature!<br />
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<b>Phase 1:</b> Get creative on reminding yourself to be confident. I made cheat sheets to post around my apartment and posted positive words ("Fearless" and "Powerful" are two but there are many more)<i> </i>to constantly remember the mission. I also employed reminders on my phone throughout the day and worked with a few different affirmation apps for iphone along with power posing daily and being aware of when I'd slouch or cross my legs. Whatever mechanism you choose make sure you are constantly reminding yourself of what you want to be throughout the day and set that intention first thing in the morning. <b>Fake it till you make it. </b><br />
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<b>Phase 2: </b>Hand-in-hand with #2, be constantly aware of language that wreaks of insecurity. These are things that allude to guilt, self-deprecation/pessimism, perfection, appeasing others/yielding to others, indecision, overtly defensive. Create new vocabulary to speak positively about your position, yourself, and others. This is where the real legwork comes in. It's difficult to catch insecure language but it is imperative to change since anything you vocalize is physical energy that is getting sent out to the world and will eventually manifest itself in some way back into your life. I first started with reviewing the conversations I had with people each day, then listing everyday for one month all the things that fit the low self-esteem profile from #2 and then spent the following months attacking each to make peace and finding positive language to displace the insecurity.<br />
-Be certain about what you want. It's infinitely more difficult to vocalize your opinions or thoughts if you are internally unsure of what you want. Be sure to establish real goals and sort out what you want for a certain endeavor and make sure that those things are measurable to some extent so that it can be quantified. (SMART goals!) This will help with indecisiveness.<br />
-Be positive about others. I cannot emphasize this enough and this was something that came easy to me since I love giving kindness to others. In general, be kind, be interested in others, be positive about others. There are many ways to get ahead in life, but I believe that when all is said and done the kindness you share others is everlasting since it also inspires others to pay it forward. Make gratitude and compliments to others a habit to eliminate pessimism. I know many pessimists who masquerade as just being realistic. Truth be-told they may be buzz-kills but to cope with this I do the follow:<br />
-If you find yourself getting defensive, the best strategy is to calmly ask questions and truly understand where the other person is coming from. The ability to empathize with others is important in life (but don't give up your own position on a matter.)<br />
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<b>STEP IV: </b>Employ action plan and hop to it!<br />
A major aspect of this is being ok with constantly not being in your comfort zone. Where you are uncomfortable is where real growth is so embrace it. </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-31043459750323487802015-12-09T13:31:00.000-05:002015-12-10T18:40:01.404-05:00Best Day Ever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
12/09/2015: Best. Day. Ever.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE">Coldplay: Viva La Vida</a> </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-3049106375885512472015-10-22T17:05:00.001-04:002015-10-22T17:12:04.741-04:00Buongiorno!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello fair readers! I know it's been some times once I've posted-Swimming has been busy at sea whale watching, volunteering, working, and sorting out a tumultuous lodging situation.<br />
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I will post my maritime adventures later. For now, I would like to share a wonderful poem entitled 'Life Changes'. While volunteering at Healthcare for the Homeless, one very special lady gave me a copy of her poem after she told me about her battle with ovarian cancer and how she wrote this one night. She encouraged me to stay strong in all of my endeavors, to love greatly, and to laugh and be silly (she has been married 20 years and still plays pranks on her husband). She also gave me some wonderful words of wisdom to stand up for myself, be very discerning, and learn some Krav Maga to defend myself. I look forward to hanging out with her more. For now, enjoy her wonderful words:</div>
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-38596324749864104422015-07-08T21:52:00.000-04:002015-07-09T11:03:14.189-04:00Deep thoughts by MB<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had a lovely conversation with one of my best friends today. Her eloquence reminds me of how lucky I am to have people like her in my life.<br />
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-59110387179711105662015-05-31T20:54:00.004-04:002015-05-31T20:54:46.727-04:00 Criminal Pig Leaves a Smelly Surprise for Police After He's Apprehended in Michigan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This has to be the best thing I've read all day. This little piggy went all the way home<br />
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http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20927280,00.html</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-58792060549264955582015-05-17T12:14:00.001-04:002015-05-17T12:16:10.851-04:00Swimming moves again!I am getting prepped for my move back to Boston. Today I graduate grad school (thank you Case for the wonderful opportunity!!) and would like to post some good quotes:<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qw1cPMPje8YHSpyN8E1DAk3VgbJ0Z9hio0eDExvglqlO78TCMlmGwxFu3y8n3N50zSKKm4Yl66lWbMhyAePn9HhVfy4aV1BBYCT7VsY3th2QhsPJVMvlTS1LDerpP_xbqtgKmv8cMlk/s640/blogger-image-734864414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qw1cPMPje8YHSpyN8E1DAk3VgbJ0Z9hio0eDExvglqlO78TCMlmGwxFu3y8n3N50zSKKm4Yl66lWbMhyAePn9HhVfy4aV1BBYCT7VsY3th2QhsPJVMvlTS1LDerpP_xbqtgKmv8cMlk/s640/blogger-image-734864414.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrJM1Ur7rgXCuggIWSzJ48pl3ZQyCsI1EOrpSBNvdPaEQ6B5kRkzBIbjUTx8T938SjGSWzcQZyulQp52NI2adHp_CVW3KvsxlatTDRnNiE5fUQVGjuJW_61hhWw6qwHcxPABjqvCao0Y/s640/blogger-image-814185868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrJM1Ur7rgXCuggIWSzJ48pl3ZQyCsI1EOrpSBNvdPaEQ6B5kRkzBIbjUTx8T938SjGSWzcQZyulQp52NI2adHp_CVW3KvsxlatTDRnNiE5fUQVGjuJW_61hhWw6qwHcxPABjqvCao0Y/s640/blogger-image-814185868.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-40060006516849605582015-03-25T15:35:00.002-04:002015-03-25T15:37:28.021-04:00Who is the real champion?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Listen to this while reading: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmCFgbIJ_bI">Wiz Khalifa-Work Hard, Play Hard</a> <br />
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"The real champion practices alone--bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when NO ONE else is watching"<br />
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BE LIMITLESS<br />
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Below is a re-post that I absolutely love:<br />
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Excruciating effort feels amazing. I found this quote a while back from the abstract of the book <i>Aquarium</i> by Victor Suvorov about Soviet military intelligence. I feel it really captures my current attitude on life:<br />
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<i>Man is capable of performing miracles. A man can swim<br />the English Channel three times, drink a hundred mugs of<br />beer, walk barefoot on burning coals; he can learn thirty<br />languages, become an Olympic champion at boxing, invent<br />the television or the bicycle, become a general in the GRU<br />or make himself a millionaire. It's all in our own hands. </i></div>
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<i>If you want it you can get it...</i></div>
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<i>Success comes only when the training, of<br />whatever kind (memory, muscles, mind, willpower,<br />stamina), takes a man to the limit of his capacity. When<br />the end of the training becomes torture. When a man cries<br />out from pain and exhaustion. Training is effective only<br />when it takes a man to the very limit of his capacity and<br />he knows exactly where the limit is...</i></div>
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<i>That's the road to glory. That's the path to<br />success. To work only at the very limit of your capacity.<br />To work at the brink of collapse. You can become a<br />champion only if you are the sort of person who, knowing<br />that the bar is about to fall and crush him, nevertheless<br />heaves it upwards. The only ones who have conquered<br />themselves, who have defeated their own fear, their own<br />laziness and their own lack of confidence</i></div>
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-20570395937231695942015-03-23T04:12:00.000-04:002015-03-23T13:24:44.306-04:00Swimming has returned (for some life things)!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Swimming has returned!! Just wanted to share this Will Smith video and my thoughts on the highlights since my head is spinning and I can't sleep: <a href="http://youtu.be/pfWGoLj1JCM" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">http://youtu.be/pfWGoLj1JCM</a></div>
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(1) "I know who I am and what I believe and that's all I need to know."</div>
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-I will soon be leaving my 20s behind (~1 year from now) but not with a better sense of who I am necessarily. This is, in part, due to the fact that I am realizing that certain beliefs I've held are not my beliefs at all, but rather a byproduct of societal conditioning. I am now working to reframe those beliefs. This is immensely difficult; part of what I have spent my 20s struggling with is discovering that the ideology behind our current counterculture generation is actually not progressive and may in fact be detrimental. Our society may appear more progressive, but this progress has not necessarily begat any increase in happiness. (<a href="http://ftp.iza.org/dp3624.pdf">http://ftp.iza.org/dp3624.pdf</a>). Many of our societal beliefs are actually completely unfounded: what we think is good for us is actually not good at all. (There are a plethora of examples here, but some major ones are our food culture among other social conventions. These are riddled with misconceptions). We blindly follow the norms without question to what it is doing to our health let alone our happiness. We are in such a hurry to keep up with the herd, that we rarely stop to investigate the truth for ourselves. </div>
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To cut this short--I am lucky to have awoken from this blissful ignorance. (<a href="http://one-thing-today.blogspot.com/">PK has significantly helped with this process and THANK YOU!!</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">). I now attempt to seek the truth on my own and unveil the fallacy in certain beliefs. I do this by reading voraciously and constantly from numerous resources, but I also seek the truth by attempting to understand the human condition of others. Upon some introspective reflection on this information, I ultimately to reframe my beliefs. What I have realized is that going against the grain is never easy, but I am trying to develop the backbone to stand up for what I believe in anyway. The hard part is when you go against the grain in multiple aspects of your life. I still do not know how to deal with this. The outcome is to either give in (which for me would entail significant ramifications to my health and wellness) or to stick to my beliefs (all-the-while being malleable when new information should compel me to reconsider things). The latter has left me and some of my closest friends somewhat alienated from our age cohort. I guess stay-tuned to see how we ultimately reconcile this.</span></div>
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(2) "the separation of talent and skill is one of the greatest misunderstood concepts...skill is only developed after hours and hours of beating on your craft"</div>
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"Your talent is going to fail you if you are not skilled"</div>
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-I have ranted about this before I'm sure, but I refuse to buy into the myth of natural talent. I LOVE this article that debunks this societal fallacy: <a href="http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/">http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/</a></div>
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Basically,<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> (1) </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">our society </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">loves to praise for natural talent. If you are good at something we automatically assume you should pursue that endeavor and not venture into something that will be difficult for you (2) </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">our society</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> believes that pursuing said natural talent will ensure success. Why? Because you won't have to expend effort. "Expending effort is stigmatized...it means you can't cut it on your natural gifts"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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Anyone who has achieved excellence in any field knows that the above is nonsense. There are a few things I am certain of: (1) nothing worth having comes easy (2) I can achieve what I want by trying my best especially after any failure (3) what I want to achieve I am willing to put in whatever effort is necessary or die trying. </div>
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(3) "you don't set out to build a wall, you say I'm going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every day and soon you will have a wall"</div>
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-enough said</div>
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(4) "I want the world to be better because I was here."</div>
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(5) "if you are not making someone else's life better then you are wasting your time"</div>
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(6) "Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity."</div>
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(7) "you can't be scared to die for the truth. The is the only thing that is going to be constant"</div>
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-58959245445464867122015-02-20T15:45:00.001-05:002015-02-20T15:48:08.462-05:00Inspiring video of tiny, 3yo martial artist <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.people.com/article/tiny-martial-artist">This video needs no explanation, just watch and enjoy</a><br />
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Super cute!</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-60637188897501915972015-02-12T21:10:00.000-05:002015-02-12T21:10:06.890-05:00Don't forget to sign up for health insurance!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.people.com/article/president-obama-selfie-stick-video-healthcare-buzzfeed">Deadline is coming up--Don't forget to sign up!</a><br />
<br />
*Obama is so cool!<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_447775495"><br /></a>
<a href="http://healthcare.gov/">healthcare.gov</a></div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-50320902583144646922015-02-03T21:27:00.001-05:002015-02-18T17:27:19.684-05:00Musings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy belated groundhogs day to all!<br />
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Phil saw his shadow yesterday so there will be 6 more weeks of winter. </div>
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Here are some happenings from my life:</div>
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(1) I had a splendid time at the orchestra. The concert was Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony-a piece with many dramatic and lyrical components with the overall theme of fate. Here's a photo of gorgeous Severance Hall!</div>
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(2) Oh my ears and whiskers! We have finally got some snow. Here's a pretty photo of some fractals (a tree outside my apartment):</div>
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(3) I would be remiss if I didn't post a picture of the gorgeous holiday lights up in Michigan. </div>
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(4) Super old picture, but I love NY! </div>
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(5) gorgeous Chicago from plane!</div>
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-30272148402112621882015-01-19T19:52:00.000-05:002015-01-19T19:52:25.136-05:00New Year Musings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh me, oh my has it really been this long?!?! Here's some musings to start off the year. I hope everyone has been well-fed and well-rested from the holiday and post-holiday lull. More fun things to come throughout the year from Maritime adventures. In the mean time, here's a few musings:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/opinion/sunday/playing-dumb-on-climate-change.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article">Climate Change is Worse than we think it is</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/opinion/sunday/healthy-body-unhealthy-mind.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article">This year, the aim is for healthy body AND healthy mind!</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/business/if-you-want-to-meet-that-deadline-play-a-trick-on-your-mind.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article">A new way to devise New Years resolution deadlines</a><br />
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-46661489102249694862014-12-03T18:19:00.000-05:002014-12-03T18:21:01.538-05:0010 Quotes From Warren Buffett That Will Teach You How To Be A Successful Person<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDglMK9sgIQ">Avicii-The Days</a><br />
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Taken from <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-quotes-from-warren-buffett-that-will-teach-you-how-successful-person.html?mid=20141203&ref=mail&uid=6379&feq=daily">Lifehack</a><br />
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(1) Know your stuff<br />
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(2) Think things through<br />
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(3) Tread Carefully in all matters<br />
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(4) If things are bad, don't make them worse<br />
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(5) Associate with the right people<br />
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(6) Don't be too trusting<br />
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(7) Appreciate what came before<br />
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(8) Know when to jump ship<br />
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(9) Habits are hard to break<br />
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Now, the most important one....<br />
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<b>(10) Be certain of your success even when no one else is</b></div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-37055079475719879882014-11-28T20:49:00.003-05:002014-11-28T20:49:37.976-05:00Who doesn't love manatees?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Manatees are gorgeous, magnificent creatures. Take a look <a href="http://www.people.com/people/package/gallery/0,,20315920_20871031,00.html?stitched">here</a>!<br />
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Here are some fun manatee <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-manatees-180950308/?no-ist">facts</a>:<br />
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(1) These amazing sea bears are herbivores and can eat up to 1200 pounds of seaweed per day!<br />
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(2) There are 3 different manatee species: West Indian Manatee, West African Manatee, and Amazonian Manatee. How exotic!<br />
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(3) They have extremely low metabolic rates and the West Indian and West African require warm water (of at least 60 degrees).<br />
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(4) Elephants are the closest living relatives of manatees and their cousins (known as Dugongs).<br />
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(5) Manatees can continuously replace their teeth throughout their lives. <br />
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(6) Manatees can learn basic tasks, are extremely sensitive to touch, and can distinguish colors.<br />
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(7) Manatees, along with tree sloths, are the only vertebrates that do not have 7 vertebrae. Manatees have 6.<br />
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(8) Manatees have no natural predators. <br />
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Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-2123303877046829532014-11-27T13:27:00.000-05:002014-11-27T13:27:20.171-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy Thanksgiving to all!<br />
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Today is a wonderful day. I'm enjoying myself today organizing my life, making dark chocolate brownies, and watching Wendy Williams. What more could a gal ask for? Well, on WW she has this thing where you pick a celebrity thanksgiving. Well, here's my list! Who would you have on yours?<br />
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(1) Barack and Michelle Obama + Bo Obama. (not so much celebrity as they are political leaders but I would love them over.)<br />
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(2) James Franco (I loves me some intellectuals!)<br />
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(3) Regis Philbin--I feel like he has the best personality and is so energetic and entertaining. It's impossible to not have a good time when Regis is around.<br />
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(4) Jake Gyllenhal--I think he could be friends with Franco, plus he's super hot and entertaining.<br />
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(5) Lisa Kudrow--she is ridiculously Hilarious<br />
<br />
(6) Julia Louis-Dreyfus--she could be great friends with Lisa Kudrow and I just love her. She is so darn funny.<br />
<br />
Have a wonderful Holiday!</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-5874181048780163332014-11-16T21:14:00.000-05:002015-04-08T23:55:48.941-04:00Lessons Learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lxp7WVXiXU">Lee Moses-Bad Girl</a><br />
<br />
(1) “If you still believe the same thing you believed 15 years ago, then you're a joke.” -Malcolm Gladwell<br />
(2) Reinvention is so tremendously excruciating and so tremendously rewarding at the same time. <br />
(3) Ennui is the worst.<br />
(4) "Don't worry before you have to worry. Just wait and see."<br />
(5) One day this will all make sense.<br />
(6) I might just be an 80-year old soul in a very small package.<br />
(7) I am tired, but gotta keep on movin'!<br />
(8) I am also so grateful to have someone in my life that understands all the nuance.<br />
(9) Sugar Cookie flavored Tea +Dark Chocolate brownies=scrumptious! </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-60090841460476272342014-11-11T15:32:00.000-05:002014-11-12T20:41:14.210-05:00Happy Veteran's Day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Thank you to all who serve to protect us: HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-33257071194917894752014-10-21T20:28:00.002-04:002014-10-21T20:31:03.269-04:00Lessons learned<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp7NtW_hKJI">Coldplay--Sky Full of Stars </a><br />
<br />
(1) Ignore the chatter of the turtles (especially when you're a giraffe standing tall--lowering yourself to listen to it will only harm you).<br />
(2) Some people are just toxic and, from time to time, it is necessary to detox.<br />
(3) When people show you who they are believe it.<br />
(4) <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/inspirational-quote-its-unfair-yourself-keep-trying-justify-why-youre-holding-toxicity.html?mid=20140922&ref=mail&uid=6379">It's unfair to yourself to keep trying to justify why you're holding on to toxicity. There are lessons in letting go and moving on. </a><br />
(5) There is normalcy somewhere and I'm glad I found it. Now it's about learning how to let go of dysfunction.<br />
(7) I<3 NY in the Fall!<br />
(8) The way things are need to become the way things were.<br />
(9) I LOVE my exercise ball!<br />
(10) Emancipation needs to happen ASAP.<br />
<br /></div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-7234956939358307602014-10-03T21:50:00.000-04:002014-10-05T10:48:14.850-04:00Open Letter to USDA: Please do not kill Mr. Beaver!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Dear United States Department of Agriculture,<br />
<br />
I am alarmed to see that a busy beaver in Washington State (featured <a href="http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20858370,00.html">here</a>) is wanted by the USDA in order to trap and euthanize. I understand the concerns of citizens of Kitsap County; the animal is causing complications in the man-made portions of the area and I sympathize that it must be an inconvenience to those citizens; however, I firmly believe that there is a better solution than to euthanize this beaver.<br />
<br />
Beavers are magnificent creatures. According to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drKhx4RfwSQ">this</a> documentary, beavers are an integral part of the ecosystem. The dams they build allow water to collect into a pond that serves as a home for insects, fish, and ducks in the warmer seasons. They also create an environment that allows marshland vegetation to grow that allow for larger land mammals such as moose, elk, and even bears to eat. As you can see, beavers are at the center of the ecosystems they built and removing them can cause a butterfly effect of reactions that can be detrimental to the entire environment. <br />
<br />
Additionally, beavers are very cute. We cannot deny this fact and they tirelessly work around the clock to build their dams, larders, and lodges. Here are some facts that might allow you to reconsider euthanization:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Did you know that beavers have both claws and webbed feet to allow them to walk, swim and grab branches?</li>
<li>Did you know that beaver husband and wife <a href="http://terrific-top10.com/2013/02/11/top-10-animals-that-mate-for-life/">are monogamous</a>? Here is a darling beaver couple from that site:</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJJ31K8X5Nk4xD5xGX7WYqpH9XjRIoSEQp_0SNW7BN7Fim4pXipNGkO63WmvGFA9bh5fmuJl9mSipTBql26SDoXRjOwbt9TWEcmPVRLfeXaLPFPeo6jX9ypFDXNUQIsyCA9v729a2Hj4/s1600/beavers+couple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJJ31K8X5Nk4xD5xGX7WYqpH9XjRIoSEQp_0SNW7BN7Fim4pXipNGkO63WmvGFA9bh5fmuJl9mSipTBql26SDoXRjOwbt9TWEcmPVRLfeXaLPFPeo6jX9ypFDXNUQIsyCA9v729a2Hj4/s1600/beavers+couple.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Did you know that beavers live as a family unit in these lodges and young beavers learn how to create dams by helping their parents? <a href="http://www.petvillage.org/other/valentine-forever/">Here is beaver with baby beaver</a>:</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOtXC1c9KufmUOvxDoQFl5z9XKkFBtoqc0ROqianR99k9baY5J0hEZe7BnqAH3sxfA-X0Vy4BqDhTr-TNJTvHhLrqfNQRIMEizM4P4qK8jSUDlIrMLkcfRcA1U1MSvrfxra3A7e2FS_A/s1600/beavers-e1392330604559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOtXC1c9KufmUOvxDoQFl5z9XKkFBtoqc0ROqianR99k9baY5J0hEZe7BnqAH3sxfA-X0Vy4BqDhTr-TNJTvHhLrqfNQRIMEizM4P4qK8jSUDlIrMLkcfRcA1U1MSvrfxra3A7e2FS_A/s1600/beavers-e1392330604559.jpg" height="150" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Did you know that beaver husband and wife work together as a team to build these dams?</li>
<li>Did you know that beavers contain an oil secreting gland that they groom and rub over their fur in order to remain water repellant and impervious to the cold winter water?</li>
<li>Did you know that beavers build their dams with sticks, stones to weigh down the sticks, and mud as an insulator to patch holes?</li>
<li>Did you know that beaver houses contain a ventilation system, several rooms including a kitchen, nursery, and bedroom/living room? Here is a <a href="http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/beaver-natures-little-engineer.html">photo</a>:</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkNTGCmv8_fEgg4CE924rt1cAldzueZomC1DGuQ5lOVWlYErR1SeVNbHvxh5xJV_WbTEsZlPQ_NiAmzJUGpEgpZ0IJAJBZN6Pf-uNRd_aKtaSPB7KBk55ZtplnmBZb-20NgLKO4PevD8/s1600/beaver-lodge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkNTGCmv8_fEgg4CE924rt1cAldzueZomC1DGuQ5lOVWlYErR1SeVNbHvxh5xJV_WbTEsZlPQ_NiAmzJUGpEgpZ0IJAJBZN6Pf-uNRd_aKtaSPB7KBk55ZtplnmBZb-20NgLKO4PevD8/s1600/beaver-lodge.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Did you know that other animals like deer mice, muskrats etc also lodge in different rooms of the beaver homes to help survive the winter?</li>
<li>Did you know beavers eat or use almost every part of the tree? They store the leafy parts underwater by jabbing them into the mud. During the winter they will eat the branches and give the babies the leaves. They also like bark and tree pulp. Nothing goes to waste. Here is a cute beaver on Kelly and Michael:</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WYBZfJWsXYrOMxKKQv1MdfaqKRjMSkH_-60FFE-kj2gZLNZjyjxJguA8XexvrvVubh2i6TzoBX4UwntvJJ_4nopVePpkIRgaAJQUeXP1oQxE_JtZq_ob5_cNfsK2Br4x3n_EU-LG7To/s1600/Beaver.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WYBZfJWsXYrOMxKKQv1MdfaqKRjMSkH_-60FFE-kj2gZLNZjyjxJguA8XexvrvVubh2i6TzoBX4UwntvJJ_4nopVePpkIRgaAJQUeXP1oQxE_JtZq_ob5_cNfsK2Br4x3n_EU-LG7To/s1600/Beaver.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
</ul>
Knowing all this, how can euthanization be the answer? Euthanizing this beaver not only affects the ecosystem, but also disrupts other species and an entire family. Let's wax empathetic a little here.How would you like it if someone thought your home was annoying and trapped you and took you away? <br />
<br />
Lastly, let's not forget the past. There once was 60 million beavers and now the populations have dwindled to only 6-10 million. Why? The Hudson Bay fur trade. Let's not forget the important lesson that the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/opinion/sunday/saving-our-birds.html?_r=0">passenger pigeons</a> taught us 100 years ago. This land is just as much ours as it is the other beautiful creatures that inhabit it and keep the environment in balance. Please, USDA, I urge you to reconsider euthanization of this beaver and consider relocation, zoo, or sanctuary.<br />
<br />
-Swimming </div>
</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-9388524306290428412014-10-02T23:44:00.001-04:002014-10-02T23:44:51.277-04:00Beaver building dam!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20858370,00.html">http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20858370,00.html</a><br />
<br />
This has me a bit outraged as I am a firm believer that everything in nature has an order and its place and trapping and killing this poor creature is inhumane. Please don't kill this cute beaver! They have families and an entire ecosystem that depends on them. </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-11192957027585587162014-09-30T16:03:00.002-04:002014-10-01T18:24:42.146-04:00Panda Goes to Dentist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20852667,00.html">This is the San Diego zoo's panda at the dentist. Reminds me it's my time too!</a><br />
<br />
Also, thank you to all my readers! I have reached the 10,000 viewership milestone. Here's to 10,000 more! </div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117141768414576298.post-38233715986412546472014-09-21T13:29:00.003-04:002014-10-05T16:16:48.335-04:00Musings: On Empathy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not going to dive into the definition since I believe most people have an understanding of what the word itself means; however, I want to discuss some aspects of empathy and how I've tried to cultivate it.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/20/the-baby-in-the-well">New Yorker</a> explores empathy from its many standpoints, but what struck me the most was that "empathy is what makes us human." What an interesting ontological phenomenon; we <i>need</i> to empathize in order to be human. The <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/19/column-change-life-empathy-oliver-burkeman">Guardian</a> published a piece on Friday noting a difference between empathy and compassion. <br />
<br />
Empathy is a prime component of the medical profession. Without acknowledging <i>how</i> a patient's symptoms affect their quality of life or <i>why </i>a patient is struggling adds an extra layer of complexity to diagnosing and treating a patient. In my Lifestyles of Medicine course, I am learning that part of being a physician is being mindful <i>before</i> you even enter a patient's exam room: reminding yourself again and again that you are here for them; it's your job to connect and understand the complexities of both the disease and the symptoms that brought the patient into your clinic on this day. I found t<a href="http://www.believermag.com/issues/201402/?read=article_jamison">his interesting blog</a> from a medical actor (an actor that plays a patient for med students to examine and get scored on). She digs into how, at different periods during the interaction between a patient and their physician, empathy plays a pivotal role in helping the patient both clinically and personally.<br />
<br />
I've always been hyper-aware of the feelings of other people. When I was 8 my fourth grade teacher was recently widowed and I scolded a classmate for obliviously asking her about her husband. As a kid, my parents worked so I grew up outside of the house mostly in school (I was put in school very very young). Thus, I had to use my ability to relate to others in order to compile a social circle for myself and make sure I didn't purposely alienate someone. This taught me many things, but I think the greatest gift it has bequeathed upon me is my ability to recognize potential suffering.<br />
<br />
One time in high school, during lunch I noticed that a middle school girl (our girls middle school shared a cafeteria with half of the upper school) with bright red hair was sitting on a makeshift table by herself because her friends did not make room for her at the table. I told my friend Rachel that I wanted to invite this girl to sit at our table. Her name was Leisel (I remember it still because the only other time I had heard that name was from the Sound of Music) and I told her that who cares that her friends won't make room for her and that there's always room at our cool high schooler table for her any time.<br />
<br />
So why is it that some can muster empathy quite naturally whereas for others it's an emotional mountain to climb? I think as adults it becomes a choice to exercise empathy or ignore it and it's a case-by-case situation. We all have our empathetic moments and some where we wished we had been more present to someone else's feelings. One can definitely cultivate empathy, but our society is not conducive to empathizing with others as easily it used to be. I do not participate in Facebook. I had one of the first accounts in college when only a select number of universities were granted accounts, but I've since realized that I'm better off without it. Primarily because I realize that having friends requires care, time, and effort and I'm glad to invest that in others. I have also noticed that this philosophy has positively impacted my friends as well. To be my friend you have to interact with me. There's no way around that. Phone or in-person communication allows each of us to realize when boundaries are being crossed and when to back off. The act of expressing words is not only therapeutic, but also adds the element of human-ness that is so lacking through technological communication. Talking allows us to release energy and read someone else's energy. You listen to inflection, tone, feeling of another person and that is how you relate to them. (I learned in class that the term is called 'affective listening' and an attribute that physicians should incorporate into their practice as well.)<br />
<br />
So concrete ideas and practices of mine:<br />
(1) I don't have facebook--like I stated before, if you want to be my friend and know things about me you have to interact with me. Sorry to be old-fashioned, but there's no way around that. I also would like to note that facebook has its place in society--my cousins in India use it and if I were on it I would perhaps get to follow up with them more than our frequent emails. I think things like social media becomes an issue when it's the prime medium through which we connect with others. In my opinion: in person>phone>email/text>social media relates to happiest>happier>happy>not so happy. There's actual studies about this (refer to <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-facebook-makes-us-unhappy">'How facebook makes us unhappy' from the New Yorker</a>).<br />
(2) I write emails, letters, <b>and</b> have phone calls with my friends followed up with in person-contact.<br />
(3) I don't use my phone when I'm having a conversation with someone in front of me.<br />
(4) I never talk or text while driving. Aside from being dangerous, I want whoever is talking to me to get my full attention. <br />
(5) I try to stay off Gchat: Thanks to <a href="http://rescuetime.com/">rescuetime.com</a> I've noticed that it's a giant time soak. It does allow me to keep in touch with my friends from different states, but it's tough because even after a long conversation I somehow walk away unfulfilled; we don't react expressively in the same as we do in actual physical good company.<br />
(6) I meditate!<br />
(7) I always question my approach. I think science dictates that we must question our beliefs in order to progress.<br />
(8) Do something. I like to write, but I also like to play piano and tennis and do yoga. It's quite difficult to be on the phone when you're actually doing a real activity; but, what I have also found is that these activities allow me to express myself in many other ways. In tennis, I have to understand and predict my opponent's next move. With piano, I try to go beyond the notes on a page and really see how I can make a piece emotive by the way I play it. This allows me to play a piece of music that can perhaps resonate with someone else that has the same feelings. Writing is pretty therapeutic and important because the ability to express oneself through the written word allows us to engrave on to paper an experience that is engrained in our hearts. <br />
(9) When working, I try to keep my phone on 'do not disturb' mode. This allows me to control my phone, not the other way around. Thus, when I want to call or text someone or respond it is a deliberate act instead of an impulsive reaction. <br />
(10) <a href="http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/teaching-children-empathy/">Here are some things from the Times on teaching children empathy</a><br />
*I have more tactics. This is just a start!<br />
<br />
I'll conclude this post with a clip that basically summarizes my sentiments on this front from comedian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c">Louis CK</a>. "You need to build an ability to just be with yourself."</div>
Swimming At Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872590095820160629noreply@blogger.com0