Fantasy Football.....

As we move in to 2012, it is important to reflect on 2011 and what you learned. Every year you should find something to challenge yourself. Some might try to learn a new language, others may try to learn to cook, do a triathlon, or workout to look good in pajama jeans. For 2011, I challenged myself by playing fantasy football.

You might say “Gaya playing fantasy football…are you crazy?” I have probably never watched a full football game in my life. A few of my girlfriends in Atlanta had a league going, and I decided to challenge myself.  I had no idea what a Tight End was, I am still confused if football is in halves or quarters….and I still don’t! ahahha.

I picked my players at first based on how they looked, but I found I had a bunch of quarterbacks and no other positions. Later, I learned the error in my ways, and started picking players based on their averages. There were 6 girls in the league, and guess what – I think I got 2^nd place! I am not completely sure though, because the ESPN website is confusing sometimes (or most times!).

Lessons for next time:

• If you want to be good, you should care (about winning and about the sport).
• You should put a little money in the pot (we played without any cash on the table….so it is easy to stop caring).
• You should set a reminder on your calendar to switch out players each week
• Don’t emotionally attach yourself to a player or how good the player was supposed to be….if they start doing poorly, give them the boot.
• Don’t pick players just upon their looks.
• I won’t be trying to be a professional football player anytime soon, there are sooo many injuries, torn this, pulled that…no thanks!

What challenging stuff are you doing for 2012?

Meet my friend/ Lessons learned from a month in Atlanta’s coffeshops

So, sorry that I have been bad about blogging.  But - don't worry - I have a ton good blog topics coming up. So, I have a special treat for you today - a guest blogger. So, meet Missy.  Missy is a person, she has brown curly hair, she was a dancer for a big chunck of her life, and she is in med school in Isreal.  She came down to Atlanta to spend time with her sister and to study.  Here are here lessons learned from a month in Atlanta’s coffeshops

"I spent a little over a month living with my sister in Atlanta and studying for Step 1 of the US Medical Licensing Exam; most of my studying was done at various cafes throughout the city.  What I first thought was reverse culture shock since I go to medical school abroad, became a working list of lessons learned through encounters observed.

1.      Apart from the occasional patio, cafes are indoor spaces, which means indoor voices.  Apart from the occasional voyeur, people in cafes are usually there for their own reasons and don’t need to be party to the conversations around them.

2.      Nobody likes bananas poked, poked in their faces.

3.      When productivity is drawing to a lull, there are two options for continuing in a café: the blended coffee beverage or, if already shaky from caffeine, the 2 for 1 cookie special.

4.      Running lines for a production in a cafe is only acceptable when done in a language other than English.

5.      HR confrontations should probably occur in confidential locations—a cafe is not one of those.

6.      When it is over 85 degrees outside, wearing a wool scarf as a fashion statement might be met with: ‘oh, hell to the no!’

7.      If things are going wrong in life, it is probably a direct result of ignoring God’s very clear message to go do development work in South Africa.

8.      The decision to take a 2 hour work call on a cell phone at a cafe should be followed by treating tablemates with to a delicious beverage.  While teleworking is an important alternative to being in an office, there are more stringent rules of decorum; it is highly inappropriate to assume that it is socially acceptable to subject other patrons to business meetings.  Although, in all fairness, who ever really wants to listen to any one-sided cell phone conversations.

9.      Internet variability within a cafe offering free wi-fi is unacceptable, but the staff still has a moral obligation to report that to the clientele.

10.  White male privilege can be described as many things, but ‘oh, you know’ is not one of them.

"

My two favorite were the HR confrontations and the wool scarf!  My other friend here in Atlanta has a rule that for each hour or so you are there, you should buy 1 item. What coffee shop rules do you have?

Also - I want to start a blog feature called "what is in your purse/ wallet/ bag" - you know what I am talking about they are always asking famous people to look in their bag and see their fancy beauty products etc.  So I asked Missy - what is in your purse?

"I don't carry a purse, but I'm happy to tell you what's currently in the bag I carry most days:

Nalgene
Peruvian small shopping bag holding the tupperware from my lunch
Bills that I need to pay
White coat
Stethescope
Packet for history and physical in Hebrew
"Rapid Interpretation of EKGs"
Small notebook for writing down all of the things I have no clue about in the day

White cardigan
Mint mojito gum from the States
iPod
Hand sanitizer from Trader Joe's
Pens
A shell from my mom (probably from Cape Cod)
My wallet
A giant bobby pin

That's probably more than you needed/wanted to know.  And it sort of looks like I'm more studious and medical than I really am."

My favorites of these were the giant bobby pin and a random shell!!

Better be careful, I might pick on your next - what is in your bag?

Melanie and Eric's commitment ceremony

So this past weekend I attended my very first Lotus Certified Green commitment ceremony http://livegreenlivesmart.org/default.aspx.  Commitment ceremonies are held by couples who are not legally free to marry and by couples who want to celebrate their devotion without marrying. Melanie and Eric reached a point in their lives where they wanted to make a public statement of their commitment to each other in front of their community of friends and family to show them and future children [I am assuming that includes their super obese cat Dora] that they are committed to each other as a family. The ceremony was held in Chapel Hill in a barn (only about a mile from the barn where I got married!)

{This is Melanie and Eric}

Melanie and I lived together in Mexico and Singapore.  I don’t get to see her often enough, but I consider her a great friend as was so excited to celebrate with them.

Some highlights:
1)      The vows they wrote, were truly lovely, very personal – definitely showed their true voice
2)      Pie!!!! Tons of flavors of pie
3)      Popsicles – my favorite was Mexican chocolate (a spicy cinnamon flavor)
4)      The Awesome Indian food
5)      The Awesome lavender lemonade
6)      The wish lanterns (more to come on this shortly)
7)      Dancing with Melanie’s mom - an unforgettable moment - she kicks my (beep) on the dance floor
8)      Elliot being awesome at corn hole
9)      The party favors – handmade cookie mix in a canning container (see pic)
10)    It was a great opportunity to attempt to use my new camera

Cool aspects from the ceremony/reception:
1)      Vimala’s Curryblossom Café – did catering – great story – go google if you want to learn more
2)      Flowers from Blue Bird Meadows Farm – sustainable methods without fertilizers or pesticides
3)      Clothing from Chrissy Wai-Ching and Rawganique – sweatshop free baby
4)      The pies - Scratch Baking – a local bakery in Durham that uses local ingredients
5)      Beer and Wine from local NC breweries
6)      Local Pops – nuff said – Popsicles made locally.
7)      All sorts of other people involved that Melanie has known throughout the years. I particularly enjoyed sending the the wish lanterns into the night.  Little did Melanie and Eric know I was an expert on wish lanterns...drum roll - because I watch the bachelorette and 2 episodes ago, when they were in Taiwan they went to this festival where you had wish lanterns, and you made a wish, and sent it into the night like a mini hot air balloon.  Now neither Melanie nor Eric watch the show (their loss), but I guess great minds think a like (the producers, the Taiwanese, and Melanie and Eric!!)

{Melanie and Eric}

I love you guys - happy commitment ceremony!!

Here are some other fabulous pics from the commitment ceremony and the reception

{My squirrel}

{The Barn}

 {The favors....don't even ask me how many we took!! - Thanks Mrs. Singer}

{Me and Mel}