Oh my! Thank you, Dr. Beth :)

A moose stress ball :)
A moose stress ball 🙂

Earlier this week, I opened up my mailbox to find a package. It was from my good friend Dr. Beth! Beth is my shorter, whiter, female twin from Vancouver. She’s also an evaluator extraordinaire, PhD genius, soon-to-be MBA, and the internet’s leading authority on radicalized geese. True story. Well, in this package was a surprise. A “Happy New Year” present! Actually, it was meant as a Christmas gift, but apparently the US Postal Service messed up. But no worries- it arrived! Thanks Dr. Beth!

And what was the present? First, a moose stress ball from her MBA Core Program company, D2NA. So cute and squishy. And second… a smiling normal distribution Christmas ornament, complete with +/- 1 and 2 standard deviations. Absolutely amazing and filled with so much nerdery!

I love the end of Beth’s note as well: “All the best in 2013! Here’s to a year of exciting adventures and just generally being our awesome selves!”

I don’t disagree with you, Dr. Beth. Not one bit.

It’s a normal distribution Christmas ornament! So. Cool.
It’s a normal distribution Christmas ornament! So. Cool.

The November Fitness Challenge

SlothRickSo a while back, I was e-mailing with friends Beth and Dan about our current fitness levels. In general, we’re pretty active people, but sometimes life gets in the way. In my case, a few injuries have set me back, and while I’ve relished in some much needed relaxation time, I’ve definitely been feeling like it’s time to get back into the swing of things. As a visual, I’ve stolen these awesome images created by Beth for her blog entry about the challenge. The sloth-like nature of these photos describes our activity levels quite well. But not for long! From the depths of the pity party, the November Three-way Challenge of Awesomeness was born.

SlothBeth

The basic premise of the challenge is this: Do some sort of honest physical activity each day, whether that’s running, stretching, yoga, cardio or strength training. Just do something! I think I’m going to try to stick to the Insanity schedule interspersed with Bikram yoga and snowshoeing. That’s the goal, anyway. The good thing about making a commitment like this with others is that I know Dan and Beth will keep me accountable, and probably throw insults at me in the event that I fail to stick with the schedule. Or instead of insults, maybe they’ll send a bit of encouragement to keep me going. It’s the least they could do, really.

But wait?! How will they know that I’ve actually completed my daily activity? Well, as expected with three crazy nerds like us, there was a shared tracking spreadsheet created by the end of our e-mail discussion. Let the November fitness challenge begin!

SlothDan

Good luck Beth!

BethHockey

My awesome friend Beth is about to embark on 10 days of playing hockey! I know, crazy right? I don’t know much about the sport, but I do know that hockey for 10 days is a long time. I’m sure it’ll be tons-o’-fun and it’s for a great cause!

She is going to be playing in the Longest Game of Ice Hockey in the World for Cystic Fibrosis. You can read all about it on her blog and DONATE by clicking on THIS LINK. In summary, the Longest Game of Hockey for CF is a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis Canada. It will raise awareness about CF. It’s a tribute to the legacy of Eva Markvoort. AND it’s a Guiness World Record attempt by 40 women to play the longest ever game of hockey in the world… 10 days (over 242 hours!) of non-stop hockey! Wow. Continue reading “Good luck Beth!”