Archive for the 'learning' Category

our farm adventure

I have been working the past two weekends to get all the little design elements complete for our new blog, and I can finally say that it’s pretty much done!

Check it out: http://ourfarmadventure.com

We’ve been planning this site for months and now it’s coming to fruition, at last. This is where you’ll find a detailed account of our plans and progress on building the house and starting the farm in Georgia. We’ve only just begun the actual process but we’re learning a TON. Not only is the site an account of how the project is going, but also a central area for all the resources and information (it will grow over time) that we’re utilizing. Our goal is to inspire and teach people about what we’re doing, and also keeping our parents up to date. ;)

I may not write in here as much as I normally do, so check out the new site if you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing.

Yay!

Published
by
frekur
on November 3, 2008
in design, green living, learning, work and writing
. 0 Comments

busy bee

I just realized that over the next few days this is what I have going on:

  • Newly loved yoga practice
  • Four new freelance projects (three new clients!)
  • Two current freelance projects
  • Must install and learn CMS system for one of the clients
  • Yoga
  • Obama cookout tonight
  • Rollergirls tomorrow
  • Yoga
  • Party tomorrow night
  • Gym and more yoga
  • French class Monday nights
  • White dog cafe lady speaking at the History Museum next Tuesday
  • Yoga
  • NCBC meeting next Thursday

All THIS before I leave to visit friends and family in PA next Friday for a week. HOLY HELL. Remember like six weeks ago when I was miserable and bored with life in Raleigh… WELL I WENT AND NIPPED THAT IN THE ASS DIDN’T I?

I talked to my friend Kris from Portland while the BG and I visited and she was telling me how her yoga practice had taken off… she was practicing and going to class like 8 times per week. Insane! I was kind of jealous when she was telling me because she loved her classes and her instructor and she could think about nothing else besides yoga. At the time I hadn’t been doing ANY exercising because I suck, but after our trip the BG and I made more of an effort to work out. Now I think we’ve got it (finally). And my new friend Julianne who incidentally also practices yoga at my YMCA has started motivating me to go to intermediate level classes, where I’m doing surprisingly well I think. (At least I did last night.)

Anyway, it’s all I can think about now. And I’ve been practicing at home more too. While I’m in PA I’m going to bum a class or two off m’s YMCA because we rock like that.

Thank god I have coffee fueling my brain today. CAN’T YOU TELL.

Published
by
frekur
on September 12, 2008
in french, goals, happiness, learning, the_move, veg*nism, work and yoga
. 1 Comment

at the moment

I got my hair cut a week ago and I swear it was one of the best moves I’ve made in months. My hair looks great, even after I go camping and not shower for two days. SWEET. Plus, since then, I’ve been feeling super cute, super confident, and SUPER HAPPY.

Hello Short Hair

The BG and I went camping in western NC with the THOG group I joined on meetup.com. It was apparently the largest overnight trip the group has ever organized, with 40+ people in attendance. Everyone I’ve met through the group (which has over 2,000 members) has been real nice, very knowledgeable about local/regional outdoor activities and it’s been providing me with a much better perspective on NC. I’ve gone to a few other events and each time I meet different people. I keep pulling the new friends I make to Tuesday night trivia at Napper Tandy’s*, hehe. :)

This weekend we’re headed out to Greensboro to visit some dude who’s really into permaculture. I don’t know anything about it so that’s why I sound dumb but I’m excited to learn. We’ll be heading out with a few students from BG’s permaculture class and hopefully the new knowledge will serve us well when we build our house. After this and some poking around in Greensboro for some good vegetarian food we’re headed west again for a show and a wedding in Asheville on Sunday. Hopefully someone on Couchsurfing will put us up in spite of our last minute attempts at planning on a busy holiday weekend.

I redesigned frekur.com because of a little incident with a client my company works with. The incident was a tad embarrassing, but I think everything is fine now and it kicked me in the ass to revamp the site. I’m also learning more on SEO/google indexing so that’s good, right?

I’ve made a few new improvements to my bicycle, inspired by the recent upgrades the BG did to his new ride. I’m so set now it’s not even funny. Like, set for long-term riding which is really what I wanted in the first place. I’m hoping when the weather cools off a bit the BG and I can get down to business on some longer trips with the bikes. I know he’s itching to get out more, too.

Bike Upgrades

We’ve also been giving the whole exercise thing another go, AND the vegan thing. So far we’re doing awesome and I think the key is… not think about it too much. (Also? Having some Purely Decadent Coconut Milk vegan ice cream around doesn’t hurt either. It’s no Luna and Larry’s, but it’s a pretty delicious alternative to Ben and Jerry’s and the other sugary/gritty vegan alternatives.) I’ve been hauling my ass out of bed earlier in the mornings (like 7am) and getting a TON more done with my day. I’ve been riding about 20 miles a week on my bike and doing the gym about 3-4 times. Granted we’ve only been on it for the past two weeks but I think this time it’s going to stick. I’m motivated, he’s motivated… it’s all good.

With biking, exercising and meeting new people in mind, I’m planning on starting to ride with the North Carolina Bicycle Club. They have several groups that ride, I’d be in the “Slow Pokes” (beginner, non-competitive group). Hehe! They also need a new website and I’ve volunteered to assist them with whatever they need. We’ll see what happens!

:)

*Read: $3-pints-of-Strongbow night.

Published
by
frekur
on August 28, 2008
in bicycling, design, green living, happiness, learning, relationships, veg*nism and volunteer
. 0 Comments

way outside

We’re not in Kansas anymore.

This weekend I blew through the rest of Beyond Civilization and as much as I’d love to write about how I feel and what I’ve learned, I’m currently much more consumed by further acceptance of the situation we’re in. For now I’m just sitting back and observing with a new (more refined) perspective.

And forget about the crap I was saying in my last post. I’m way beyond programs now.

Just before I picked up BC I started the 500+ page A Short History of the World. I received good grades in school while growing up, but fuck if I ever *really* paid attention. Here is my attempt at re-educating myself… a bit of background is required for me to fully grasp all the hundreds of references Quinn continually mentions in *all* of his books.

Published
by
frekur
on December 16, 2007
in learning
. 1 Comment

what’s been up

So a lot has happened in the past few weeks, I’ve just been kinda bored of blogging.

The weekend prior to Thanksgiving the BG and I went camping at South Mountains State Park, in the western part of the state. We made it there late and hiked up a seriously big hill which proved just how stiff and out of shape I am. It was pretty chilly the night we were there, but we unzipped the windows in the roof of the tent and snuggled up to watch the moon set. It was awesome. As we hiked out the next day we saw a pretty waterfall. (Pictures coming soon.)

Thanksgiving was really nice. We drove down to Georgia and saw the many family members I’ve had the joy of meeting this year. I absolutely *love* his family… They are all so sweet and so caring, and it’s amazing how everyone has pulled together over concern for his mom (who is still in the hospital).

After returning from Georgia I went to pick up my new bike and rode it home. I had the guys at All-Star Bike Shop put on a rack and lights and am using the BG’s panniers. It rides quite differently than my mountain bike. Obviously I can feel more of what’s going on in the road because there is no suspension, but I also feel that when I pedal I’m moving faster than with the same amount of pedaling on the mountain bike. It just feels more efficient. The gears are really nice too, much better than the grip shifts. I am very happy with it. Last weekend we rode nearly 20 miles on one of the many local greenways and had a fantastic day in the sun at Umstead State park. (Pictures coming soon, I swear.)

On the job front, I interviewed at one more place and the meeting went quite well. It seems as though my experience working (and being comfortable with) adult products actually paid off a bit because they told me it was one reason they wanted to offer me the position. (A small percentage of the work will be adult-oriented.) I received the offer on my birthday, which rocked, and after some negotiations I accepted a few days later. I am taking a pay cut, but it is a telecommuting web design position, which allows me to work remotely and have my internet costs reimbursed, not to mention work on my Mac. They focus on standards compliant site architecture and there’s a possibility for me to be involved in the future development of templates and framework that will allow for more efficient workflows.

All that, *and* I get to share lunchtime with the BG. :)

As far as new friends are concerned, I’ve been spending some of my Wednesday nights with Brandon. He seriously cracks me up. We go to a bar in downtown Raleigh and watch reality TV shows with a bunch of his friends. I find the whole thing hilarious.

I also see Morgan about once a week which is great. I really like this girl, she’s smart, witty and a little bitter (it’s funny). And each time I hang out with her I like her more. She’s got a really interesting history and is a fantastic artist. I saw her house last night and it is sweet. There are huge old-growth trees in her back yard and a hammock! I am not sure she realizes just how often I’ll be subtly making plans to be at her place to settle my ass in that thing. ;)

Over the past few days I have managed to re-center myself. I had been feeling emotionally up and down since I arrived in Raleigh, which is kind of annoying. I assume that not having a job is really the source of the tension I’ve felt, but it’d manifested itself into a lethargic, shiftless state that has gotten me nowhere except feeling crazy. I’ve overanalyzed everything lately and was becoming quite sick of myself. But when the BG left for Uruguay I figured this was a great opportunity to spend some time doing my own thing and getting my head straight. That is exactly what I’ve been doing and I feel much better. :)

I am excited to start my new job, for which I have a staff meeting this Thursday at a coffee shop in RTP. And I’ve signed up for some classes at Wake Tech (Spanish!) in the spring to get me back on track. I also have myself scheduled to volunteer at the ReStore this week (but if I’m not feeling better I might not go). Finally, this coming weekend I am headed up to DC to visit friends (including Jess!).

I am relieved that it’s all beginning to come together. :)

Published
by
frekur
on December 9, 2007
in bicycling, design, happiness, learning, relationships, self-awareness, spanish, the_other_move, volunteer and work
. 1 Comment

spanish

I went to my first Spanish class last night, and I *LOVE* my instructor. He is from Chile and says to excuse his English because it is “not very good”. (I disagree.)

The first thing he asked us is, “Why do people quit after signing up for this class? Why do people quit when learning a language?”

He took several answers from different students and then explained that the speaking, writing, understanding and pronunciation of words in a new language is hard (he referenced his own experiences learning English), takes a lot of time and effort, and that we should be patient. Over and over he said it.

It takes *time*.

:)

We learned the letters, how to pronounce them, the differences between English and Spanish in regards to the sounds, and read phrases out loud. I’m using this today to practice on my lunch break.

I am doing pretty good so far! (’Cept I can’t roll my damn “R”’s… He did say it can take years to learn, and I’ll still be understood if I can’t do it, so I’m not too worried.)

Published
by
frekur
on September 25, 2007
in learning and spanish
. 4 Comments