Saturday, February 27, 2016

Recommended Reading

This week, Matt and I drove up to Sarasota for a couple hours to sneak in some time with his cousin Stef, her husband Greg, and their new baby Sparrow. Stef's a good friend of mine - she was one of my bridesmaids, and I was her maid-of-honor - and she and Matt were like siblings growing up.
Stef and me at her wedding.
She and Greg live in Pittsburgh so we rarely see them, and they were in town for a short visit. We were really glad we were able to make the trip to meet Sparrow! The next time we see her, it will be Thanksgiving and she'll be walking!
Look at those tiny toes!
While we were hanging out, I must have started roughly 100 sentences with, "I read an article that said..." This is pretty usual for me, and probably really annoying for people I hang out with. But it means I have a lot of stuff to talk about, and I always know the most random news and trivia. Here are a few articles that interested me this week.

If you could use a laugh, do yourself a favor and skim this article on running-clothing styles through the years.
The crop top, the color, the chunky sneakers...None of these compare to the flowing locks on this guy!
I've been doing Meb's recommended warmups before my long runs and races since I finished reading his book, and this week I read an article reviewing his skipping drills.

I've also done some reading this week on strength exercises for runners that don't take too long.
Can we talk about how deep this squat is?!
Not all my reading revolves around running. Actually, I think most of what I read is random trivia or news. I read a lot about politics, and when my blood pressure starts to climb I switch over to sites like Mental Floss for a little brain break.

This week, I read about the names for every color in the rainbow. (There are WAY more than ROY G. BIV!)
What came first, the food name or the color name?
I also read about Kanye West's ridiculous rules for his models. Spoiler: most of them are completely contradictory and make no earthly sense.
Also, his spelling is atrocious.
To finish on a particularly high note, this week I read an article about Hitler's penile issues.
How can you NOT read an article when this is the title?
It's so interesting to me that people are still trying to find a way to explain his particular brand of diabolical evil; I personally believe there's never going to be a clear answer as to why he was so filled with hate, but I guess having a micropenis or genital anomaly could've made him feel impotent and contributed to his issues.

I've always been a curious person, and I love that the internet has made it easy for me to learn new things and satisfy that curiosity. I just love learning! We used to have an encyclopedia set at home and I'd randomly read entries when I was bored. (Oh, the good old days.)

I try to pass this natural curiosity and love of learning to my students...and everyone around me. I don't see how some people avoid reading and learning new things at all costs. Sometimes, it's the most relaxing and enjoyable part of my day.

What kinds of articles do you like to read?
Are you a naturally curious person?
Click on that Mental Floss article...what's your favorite color?

ABK

10 comments:

  1. I do love learning new stuff -- on my own! If I had to go back to school, now, though, it would probably make me very nervous.

    My husband seems to know all.the.stuff. I'm constantly coming up with questions and it seems like he always has the answers! Well, not with running, though.

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    1. A few of my friends and my BIL call me the walking encyclopedia of useless knowledge, and I take it as a compliment! I actually wish I could be a student forever. I just love learning. Maybe that's why I went into teaching!

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  2. I read about Hitler's micropenis this week too! Girl, we have the same curiosity! :)

    Thanks for sharing that running clothes article. Omg the hairy chests peaking out of the men's VERY low cut tanks- gross!!! I love when a guy is man-scaped. I am so not into body hair.

    Hey those crazy tights are coming back in style! But that dude running with his dog- I laughed so hard!

    I wonder what people will think of our running clothes years from now??

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    1. HAHA! I didn't even really notice the chest hair! I am weird about men's grooming...I don't mind a trim but I won't want him to be TOO hairless!

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  3. I have worn my beautiful crazy tights several times this cold winter while I golf. I get comments from guys and girlz, all positive (to my face, anyway). I don't care either way--they are so nice and warm when the sun is out!

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    1. I think crazy tights are definitely back IN!

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  4. Ah! I love to read things like this but am so bad about searching them out. Thanks for including them in a list here! Some of the running clothes pics were hilarious, but I was surprised how some of them are back in style now (like the crazy patterned tights). Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It is pretty hilarious how things we swore we'd never wear again eventually come back. High-waisted pants, anyone?!

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  5. Haha! I read about Hitler's potential micropenis too. I honestly never thought I'd read a sentence like that... ever. Haha!

    I thought that dude you posted with the flowing locks was a woman. I kinda like a lot of those retro clothes, but I am not really known for my great fashion sense. ;-)

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    1. Ah, bless the internet and research for bringing us stories about Hitler's genitals haha.

      I do love the retro workout clothes...well, I love the colors! Some of the outfits just don't look comfortable!

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