Resolutions, End of February Update

1.     Leave the country by myself 

Last month I went on a cruise, probably the easiest way of leaving the country by myself. After finding Princess Cruises Representative at the airport, I basically wasn’t responsible for getting myself anywhere for the next 7 days.

There were three ports of call: Cozumel, Roatan, Belize City. I only left the port in Belize, so that is my official check-off-the-resolution country, but even then I was with an excursion that took care of timing and transportation. I’m not sure it took as much bravery as I expected, and I certainly don’t feel any more confident in my traveling skills after this, but I enjoyed myself. Also, I will have a few blog posts about some new experiences…but I took almost zero pictures.

2.     Go to Canada- No plans yet.

3.     Workout three times a week.

I am on track to complete this. I had too few workouts for January, but balanced it out with more in February. My favorite workouts are yoga and pilates videos from YouTube (especially these videos), which is totally different to the Zumba and Wii Fit plan I made at the beginning of the year.

4.     Apply for jobs in South Korea. – I’ve researched and collected documents, but I have no real progress yet.

5. Travel where I live

 I went to the North American International Auto Show, and I have the Detroit Institute of Art on my radar for this month. Even though I could be more intentional about finding ways to explore metro-Detroit, I also know that this will get easier as the weather warms up.

How to Drive in Snow

This winter I’ve driven to work on a sheet of ice, and both during and after the fastest accumulation of snow metro-Detroit has seen in decades. Here in Michigan, we don’t call snow days easily. If it snows 6 inches, you still drive to work on Monday morning. And if it snows 12 inches? You might get away with showing up late.

Between many of my Brazilian students’ impressions of driving and this post about an Icelandic road trip, I’m starting to realize that not everyone views snow the same way I do. If you think snow is beautiful, here is some advice* for taking it on in a motor vehicle.

Be Careful

Drive slowly. If the speed limit is 50, but you can only control your car at 25 miles per hour…. the speed limit is 25. Leave space between vehicles, and leave time between commitments. You want as much time to stop as possible, and you do not want to be stressed on the road. These things are common sense, so make sure to do them.

You use more gas in stop and go traffic, moving slowly, and braking often. Running on fumes is not a choice you can make; especially on a road trip, walking to the nearest gas station could be life-threatening. Top your tank off before you are at one quarter full.

Think about the worst case scenario. Who will you call? Put those numbers on your fully charged cell phone. What if you are stranded? Know if you can safely walk to shelter, pack food in case you can’t, and pack all the warm clothes and flashlights you will need. Keep your winter boots in the car: you will need them no matter what the emergency situation.

Know How to Move

Losing control of your vehicle is normal, especially without four wheel drive. Slipping out is like when your body falls on the ice and your legs “slip out” from the rest of you, except this body is a ton of metal. When you feel it for the first time, you will know and you will probably panic. Don’t Panic. Find a deserted parking lot that hasn’t been plowed and practice.

Start out trying to stop. Figure out how long it takes to stop, and get familiar with the grinding feeling under your foot as you brake without enough traction. Assuming your car has an anti-lock brake system (ABS); the car will release and reapply the brake as long as you keep your foot down. If you don’t already know how, don’t drive in snow without ABS.

Now try to start on snowy and icy ground. If nothing happens,** gently and slowly push the gas and release the gas until you have traction and start moving. You will do this often at intersections. If you hold the gas down, you’ll move too quickly when your car finds traction and go shooting off too fast.

Know Where to Steer

Next, drive doughnuts in the parking lot. Make little circles or figure eight patterns until you slip out. When most people give you advice, they’re all using different words to tell you how to handle this situation. Try all of it: turn the direction you’re slipping, keep the wheel pointed where you’re going, turn towards where the rear of your car is going. Slip out until you panic less, and until you can regain control.

On the road you have basically three choices for where to steer: your lane, oncoming traffic, off of the road. Pay attention; know if there is a brick wall or an empty field off of the road. If you lose control moving too fast, especially if you’re driving on what you consider the “wrong” side of the road, make sure you Do Not steer into oncoming traffic.

Good Luck. 

Have you ever driven in snow? Is my advice helpful? What other advice have you heard?

*Advice. Not a guarantee. You are an adult (or responsible young adult) who makes your own choices. Make your own driving decisions at your own risk, et cetera.

**Some cars have a little light to tell you that there’s no traction. It will appear on the dashboard and look like a car with little squiggle lines coming off of the wheels. Try to feel for the moment anyway.

Survivor: State of the Union

President Obama made many notable statements during the State of the Union Address, and Boehner’s facial expressions (or lack of facial expressions) were notable too. Unfortunately, I was distracted from both by the idea of the Designated Survivor.

The State of the Union Address is pretty much an assassin’s dream; he could take out dozens of officials with one weapon. So the Secret Service picks a person in the line of succession, usually the Secretary of Something-whose-department-won’t-make-headlines, to survive any possible attack. The only requirements are that they are eligible: they must be a natural born citizen and over 35 years old. For one night, this person receives presidential level security in an undisclosed location and, despite being maybe a dozen deaths away from the role, mentally prepares to become the next POTUS.

Like most things of the Cold War Era, I’m skeptical about the logic behind this plan. It seems like having an Apocalypse Plan: compelling to think about but not likely to be needed. Even if it is needed, I’m not convinced that the 15^th next person in line to the Oval Office is ready to maintain a cohesive control of the government. Designated Survivors aren't even given special briefings or instructions. Still, the “what if” possibilities are fascinating.

If the worst had happened during the State of the Union Address in 1984, we would have had our first black president, Samuel Pierce. Black men have been designated three times since. There have also been one Lebanese, two Japanese, one Chinese, and three Hispanic Designated Survivors.

During the Presidential Inauguration in 1985, a mass assassination would have led to our first female president, Margaret Heckler. There have been two other female Designated Survivors, one of whom was designated twice. The only Designated Survivor who would have rocked the boat in both race and gender is Lebanese female Donna Shalala.

What do you think? Is this over preparedness, or completely necessary? Would the US have accepted a female president or a president of color 30 years ago?

Official New Year's Resolutions

Once upon a time, I started this blog with the best of intentions. Pretend this post is dated January first.

My official new year's resolutions are:

1. Leave the country by myself before August, at least one time. Canada is only 1 hour from my house, it does not count for this experience. 
2. Go to Canada. I've never been as an adult, and it is the least scary border to get myself across. Also, Audrey and Sam make it look like fun. 
3. Workout three times a week. I want to be stronger, and I need to do something to make this happen. 
4. Apply for jobs in South Korea. I've been interested in Korea for awhile, and interested in living abroad even longer. 
5. Travel where I live. Detroit has some awesome museums, and there are so many things to do within one day's drive. Especially with gas prices the way they are, there is no excuse for me not to check some of them out. 

New Year's Resolution Preparations

This year I’m making New Year’s Resolutions. Not the typical “get in shape, eat better, over by January fourth” resolutions, but real ones.

Traveling has always been a goal, but it’s always vague and faraway, so I have decided that 2015 is the year. I might take a small trip, a long trip, or move abroad… but I’m going. There’s some planning and budgeting that I should make a part of my resolution, but so far “GO” is the only goal I have.

Making healthy habits is also very vague, but as much as I hate routine I want some patterns in place when I travel. I want to know what I’m doing when I pack a jump rope or resistance band, and I think a little muscle would make me feel more confident and less anxious about luggage and walking tours.  An exercise routine and some clear meal plans will help me out here.

What resolutions have you made? 

Which resolutions have you kept?

Banjoleles, Taylor Swift, and Iconic Works

Is the influence that the banjolele had on the popularity of the ukulele in 1920s Vaudeville interesting? Maybe, but it was not a thing that my dad needed to spend time explaining to me. Today, however, he explained something that does interest me. We were talking about Taylor Swift*.

My dad pointed out that 1989 is the first album that my sister and I have both bought. We both decided that having the CD now, instead of waiting for the other to share, was worth going out and exchanging money. (If you don’t agree that the packaging is worth owning, you clearly have not bought a copy. Yet.) This means that 1989 is the only music compilation in the past 10 years that (A) we both want to listen to and (B) neither of us can wait even a few days to borrow.

There are now exactly three things that we have ever felt this way about; Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and 1989. And so, if anybody asks me about life defining artists, they only need to hear about J.K. Rowling and T. Swift.  

*If you’re reading this in the far future, please remember that this is November 2014, everybody is talking about Taylor Swift; tumblr, news stations, even 55 year old men. It is wonderful.

How can I be scared of a month?

I think I’m scared of NaNoWriMo. I tried it once, and things didn’t work out. This year I had an idea for a novel in October, and that just seemed too obvious. So this year I am trying NaNoWriMo again.

Unfortunately, I don’t write. 

Okay, obviously I write. Somehow I earned a degree in humanities, and somehow my thoughts are written on this blog. I just mean that I don’t write much… in the face of 50,000 words, it seems like I don’t write at all.

Since I have only opened my novel twice during the first week, I will need to write 2300 words per day in order to reach word count. I'm scared that I want make it, and that makes me less excited to write daily. Wish me luck!

P.S. My novel is called Dumblecrantz and Grindelstern… I feel disproportionately existential and clever whenever I say it.