Five Faves 2-15-19 — Five things I’ve been consuming or enjoying this week.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

In January I posted 2018 recaps and 2019 goals, but I have failed to share any five faves in 2019 so far. One of my goals is to blog more consistently, a goal on which I am so far failing. However, a competing (and more important) goal is to publish papers and finish my dissertation, which I am happy to say I’ve been making progress on!

Concept 2D

PQ got hooked on the idea of getting a rowing machine over Christmas break. In January, we bought a 1-day used rowing machine from the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and it’s been an awesome addition to the gym. It’s a full body workout and can kick your butt in a few different ways (speed, strength, endurance). The Concept 2 website is a great resource as well. I have been learning about form and drag factor, and they post daily workouts for rowers of all levels.

The Boys in the Boat

This book is such a fun read as a resident of Seattle, an attendee of UW, and the owner of a new rowing machine (it was sheer coincidence that I was given this audio book within a week of getting a new rowing machine!). I have been listening to this book during my rowing workouts which has been both inspiring and helpful. For example, learning about stroke rates made my workouts better and also gave me a greater appreciation for the boys’ achievements.

59 Illustrated National Parks Coloring Book

I received this coloring book as a Christmas gift and I have really enjoyed it. I don’t have any cross stitch projects going.

On a related note, I’ve been wanting to share a blog post of each National Park PQ and I have visited. Finally, I am going to try and post these over the next few months!

Is Sunscreen the New Margarine?

The author discusses how our current understanding of sun protection might be wrong. For example, research suggests Vitamin D supplements aren’t a sufficient alternative to being outside. That is, humans get something else beneficial from being in the sun that isn’t subsumed in Vitamin D. Generally speaking, this article makes the case that people need to get outside more!

Homo sapiens have been around for 200,000 years. Until the industrial revolution, we lived outside. How did we get through the Neolithic Era without sunscreen? Actually, perfectly well. What’s counterintuitive is that dermatologists run around saying, ‘Don’t go outside, you might die.’” 

Rowan Jacobsen

Canon in D

Canon in D is my favorite piano song, so I decided it was time to learn how to play it. In the video below, I have the first ~45 seconds practiced, so I have a long way to go!

Happy February!