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Yael’s Variety Hour: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

March 9, 2011 By Yael Grauer 1 Comment

Welcome to the weekly variety hour, where I share my favorite links from the past week. This week we’ve got a large handful of warnings, maple syrup and a small smattering of warm fuzzies. But first…

Shameless Self-Promotion

  • I have an article on gentle detox methods in the March issue of Taste For Life. Find  the magazine for free in select co-ops and health food stores.
  • If you live in Chippewa County, I have an article on plastic bags in Second Opinion.
  • We have a product in the works! Details soon, I promise.

Watch Out!

  • Hit By Car, Pedestrians Are Ticketed In Hospital Talk about adding insult to injury! Grist.org has the scoop (and video).
  • Documents Reveal TSA Plan to Body Scan Pedestrians, Train Passengers It’s the apocalypse! (From Forbes.com)
  • Study: Most Plastics Leach Hormone-Like Chemicals NPR has the scoop. Stainless steel and glass it is!

No plastic, no jaywalking, no walking and no taking the train. Yikes! Here’s a few more things to watch out for. (For freelance writers and/or small business owners.)

  • Avoid bad contracts. 5 Contract Clauses To Watch For–and Change If You Can, from the amazing Kelly James-Enger.
  • Bad grammar can ruin your love life. Your Vs. You’re Confusion Too Difficult For Relationship to Overcome Don’t let this happen to you!
  • 19 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business. I wish I knew these, too! From Redhead Writing

Humor

  • Crisis in Dairyland–For Richer and Poorer–Teachers Vs. Wall Street Jon Stewart nails it, again.
  • Diary of a Self Help Drop-out: Flirting With the Four-Hour Work Week This article is hilarious. I dig.

Food For Thought

  • How AOL’s Patch Can Win And Prove Us Wrong When We Say It’s A Horrible, Doomed Idea. It won’t be easy. From Business Insider.
  • Bad Weather = Good For Maple Syrup. The silver lining! By Daniel Klein of the Perennial Plate.
  • 20 Awesome Self-Development Questions. This will keep you busy for hours if you’re the reflective type.
  • Why Your Boss Is Wrong About You I knew it!
  • Go Easy on Yourself, A New Wave of Research Urges. You mean self-compassion is healthier than guilt, discipline and neglect? Well, if the New York Times says so…

Filed Under: variety hour Tagged With: commentluv, mma, paleo, question, star, variety hour, work

How To Lose Weight While Sitting On Your Ass and Eating Ice Cream (Or: Dallas Was Right)

March 7, 2011 By Yael Grauer 3 Comments

I have tiger blood. Okay, no, not really.

Most diet and fitness experiments are planned and measured. Faithful readers recall my 30-day Paleo experiment or my recap of Gluten-Free January. Of course, there are dozens of other people doing experiments all over the place (like Johnny B. Truant, who’s documenting his experience on the slow-carb diet and biphasic sleep. And you, dear reader, probably have some experiments of your own brewing in the lab.

I didn’t plan on running a sleep experiment, but when we published an article by Dallas Hartwig of Whole9 in the Performance Menu on the value of sleep, I felt like I should put my money where my mouth is and take a look at my sleep schedule.

I’ve been getting adequate sleep for quite a while, as the negative effects of sleep deprivation have already been beaten into my head by none other than Robb Wolf. But ever since I gave up teaching for freelance writing and editing, which coincided with a move from the Sonoran desert to the Midwest in the winter, I’ve been going to bed in the wee morning hours and getting up in the very late morning–sometimes even afternoon. It’s hard not to. I’m a bit of a workaholic and like staying up and working when my phone isn’t ringing and I can safely ignore e-mails. Plus the godawful Midwestern weather makes it hard to get up early.

my poor knee (or back of leg, to be specific)

However, Dallas’ case was convincing enough that I decided to get to bed early for the month of February. Something about cortisol and the adrenal system and how you should get to bed around 10. Lights Out goes into lots of detail on the science of it if you want to geek out on it. That book recommends 9pm, which I think is insane. Even 10pm was very difficult for me (since I’d been used to, say, 3AM) so I moved to 11pm–still way better than 2:30, right? After a few weeks of this with no visible results, I hurt my knee pretty badly. I hyperextended it, irritating the meniscus and bursa sack, and likely strained both my hamstring and vastus medialis.

It’s been about three weeks since then, and I’ll reluctantly admit that I haven’t been doing so well on the regimen front. As this article title indicated, I’ve been sitting on my ass and eating ice cream. It’s true. I *have* been eating very good Paleo meals (thanks in no small part to my kick-ass boyfriend), but they’ve been supplemented by more than my fair share of Julie’s Organic ice cream bars (and coconut ice cream). I’ve been slacking on fish oil and supplements. I haven’t done any upper body work (even though I can). I’ve mostly just been throwing a pity party.

Instead of lifting weights and going to jits, I’ve been sitting on my computer, working round the clock. My gym time (where I’d be working on guard escapes and submission set-ups) and home gym time (where I’d be working squats and presses) has been replaced by 1 set of 15 reps of three different rehab exercises, every other day.

So I was surprised when I found myself getting buffer. It was quite befuddling since I’ve been doing virtually no exercise and not eating as well as I could be. I didn’t think I’d lost any poundage (I hadn’t since I’d checked) but I just stepped on the scale and noticed I’ve lost ~3-4 lbs., and that’s at night (not the morning fasted state).

I was very confused about this new development, until I remembered I’d been going to bed earlier for the past 3 weeks or so. (Damn it, Dallas was right!) Unfortunately, this means my late night work sessions will have to be a thing of the past. The good news is that I can if I go to bed early *and* work out as much as I was pre-injury, I might be unstoppable! Other good news is that I’m now even more psyched to attend the Whole9 seminar in a couple weeks. I may even share a few tidbits, so make sure to check back!

And if you see me posting at 2AM, make sure to call me out! I can’t lose these gains I worked so hard for slept so hard for!

Filed Under: food Tagged With: food, ice cream, mma, paleo, sleep, weight loss, work

Yael’s Variety Hour: Nature and Reflection Edition

March 2, 2011 By Yael Grauer Leave a Comment

Welcome to the weekly variety hour, where I pull up the most interesting (and funniest) posts I’ve read in the past 7 days. This week’s selection seems to encourage self-reflection and time outdoors. (Hopefully, it’ll warm up enough to do that soon!)

Outdoors

  • Man’s Best Friend Might Have Been A Fox describe’s man’s early attempt to keep pets–16,000 years ago.
  • Attainable Sustainable is a beautiful, brand new site on “reviving the lost art of self-sufficiency.” Brilliant.
  • Scientists Say Homeopathy Is Undiluted Hogwash–But It CAN Work, And That’s All That Matters. My sentiments exactly. I know I won’t win any scientist friends by posting this, but there it is.
  • Did You Ever Want To Just Walk Away? Pam Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, posted a half-hour long audio interview with Margaret Roach, author of And I Shall Have Some Peace There: Trading the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road. Roach left a high-paying high-power job at Martha Steward Living Omnimedia to spend time absorbed in gardening and self-reflection in her farmhouse in rural New York.

The Times, They Are A Changin’

  • Ever find a series of typos in a brand new book from a major publisher? The Lost Art of Editing asks the question: has stringent copyediting and proofreading of books disappeared amidst increased emphasis on marketing and sales?
  • It’s the Inequality, Stupid is a series of charts on Mother Jones describing the growing inequality between rich and poor.

Now That I’ve Depressed You–Some Links To Make You Laugh

  • If Google Search Results Had A Sense of Humor is Cracked.com’s winner and runner-ups in a brilliant battle of wit.
  • This listing wouldn’t be complete without a requisite link from the Onion. Open-Minded Man Grimly Realizes How Much Life He’s Wasted Listening to Bullshit, the article headline screams. ‘Nuff said.

Shameless Self-Promotion

  • The March issue of the Performance Menu is now out, and available for $5. It includes my article on Studio B, a sports massage practice now incorporating manual therapy, movement re-education and corrective exercise. (Not an affiliate link).
  • I’m wrapping up a few projects this week, but will have time next week to add a few clients needing copyediting or proofreading to my roster. If you have an e-book, e-course, manuscript or website that you think could use another set of eyes, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Filed Under: variety hour Tagged With: facebook, fox nature, mma, question, road, variety hour, work

February Recap

March 1, 2011 By Yael Grauer 4 Comments

Today I’m typing from my office, where I’ve been spending most of my days (and nights) ever since I messed up my knee. Hours I’d normally spend training jiu jitsu (or cooking) have turned into sitting in front of my computer, either working or messing around online. And eating ice cream.

A month ago, I started making it a practice to spend each month getting things in order-everything from financial records and invoicing to looking at my list of annual goals and seeing how I did.

I’d also like to use this space to sum up the good and hard each month. Please do feel free to leave yours in the comments!! I’d love to hear how your February was.

The hard:

  • My knee. Although I am in great hands and do not have to get surgery, being out of the gym and dealing with various levels of immobilization has not been all that fun. And I guess it’s for the best, but attempting to reschedule an appointment due to not wanting to walk didn’t go over very well.
  • My blender motor dying while I was attempting to make pâté. Yes, we’ve since replaced the blender, but the attempted pâté bits are still taking up space in my fridge.
  • Weather. As soon as it got sunny and the snow started melting, it had to snow again, forcing me to miss the U of M vs. Iowa wrestling meet and other planned events. And then there was the fog, which made me over a half hour late to meeting a fellow freelance writer for the very first time (partially because I decided to get gas so I wouldn’t run out on the highway and get run into by some unsuspecting driver who couldn’t see jack… oh, and then I couldn’t find the gas station due to lack of visibility). Sunshine and rainbows, please?
  • Unwanted and unsolicited e-mail from a very unpleasant former boss. Luckily, this appears to have been a one-time occurrence.
  • Borders closing 40% of its stores. Although there are reasons this happened, and there are many independent alternatives, it still makes me fear for the fate of the written book.

The good:

  • Meeting friends for lunch. (I have some!) Going to a party, even. All things I took for granted before my year of forced isolation in Eau Claire.
  • Some really promising business developments. Joining professional groups and getting a bit of mentoring. My article on Ultimate Women Challenge making waves. (If you haven’t read it yet and click on that, keep in mind that lots of comments were randomly deleted in case the ones still up don’t make sense.)
  • Doing fun things with my partner in crime, including a basketball game, two local fights, ComedySportz, Irish food and the best Valentine’s Day ever.
  • Getting real furniture–a couch and a love seat. There’s still some I need to get (and the timing is always bad), but it really rounds out our living room nicely and makes me feel all adult-like.
  • My mail box. It gifts me with books, checks, postcards from Mexico and Antarctica, thank-you cards, homeopathic remedies, Onepass miles and copies of Wired and Outdoors and other great magazines.

Going forward:

For March? I’m just hoping for nice weather, quick healing, steady business and hopefully a tax refund. Celebrating my birthday this month (turning 32! eek!) and looking forward to the Whole9 seminar in Minneapolis on the 19th.

How was your February?

Filed Under: musings Tagged With: ice cream, mma, musings, ultimate women challenge, work

Moving Past Crazy Bosses; Finding Work You Love

February 24, 2011 By Yael Grauer 2 Comments

I got an unsolicited and unwanted e-mail from a former boss this week.

A boss who would consistently call me out for following the same practices she’d compliment many of my colleagues for.

A boss who would barely allow me to talk, and would discount all of my thoughts, ideas and suggestions.

A boss who would randomly lash out on employees she did not like.

A boss who posted my position without ever letting me know there was a problem–and then lied about it when I confronted her.

A boss who I suspect got a secret thrill from leaving people completely disoriented and disempowered.

A boss who was amazing when she was in a good mood but an absolute monster once the flip switched.

She got along well with people who would blame themselves for her erratic behavior.

She has always reminded me of what writer Julia Cameron called a crazymaker in her book, the Artist’s Way.

“Crazymakers are those personalities that create storm centers.  They are often charismatic, frequently charming, highly inventive, and powerfully persuasive.  And, for the creative person in their vicinity, they are enormously destructive.  You know the type:  charismatic but out of control, long on problems and short on solutions. Crazymakers are the kind of people who can take over your whole life.  To fixer-uppers, they are irresistible:  so much to change, so many distractions….”

Cameron then goes on to list techniques crazymakers use to get by in there lives… break deals, destroy schedules, expect special treatment, discount your reality, triangulate those they deal with, act as expert blamers, hate schedules (except their own), hate order, and, of course,  deny that they are crazymakers.

She also pointed out that blocked creatives are attracted to crazymakers.“Very often, we fear that if we let ourselves be creative, we will become crazymakers ourselves and abuse those around us.  Using this fear as an excuse we  continue to allow others to abuse us,” she explains.

Losing my job and getting caught up in a smokescreen of lies was devastating at the time, but ultimately a huge relief. Although I don’t want to be buddies with my former boss (and simply asked her to remove me from her list in response to her seemingly well-meaning message), it reminded me of how much happier I am now. I love my job. I leave you with some words by Kahlil Gibran:

“And what is it to work with love? It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. It is to build a house with affection even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house. It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit. It is to charge all things you fashion with the breath of your own spirit…”

Today, I send you the best wishes for finding this kind of magic, if you don’t already have it.

And with love.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: seeds, work

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