All things human. Reflections and research on everything that contributes to our well-being and human experience beyond the yoga mat.
Travelling to NYC this weekend, I had some strategies for staying sugar free while in transit. Airplane snacks are a no go for the most part: airlines sugar and roast their nuts, add sugar to the hummus (yuck!), add sugar to all dressings, and almost everything comes with gluten crackers and wheat. However, here are some options that […]
The FDA has just approved a “belly balloon” that will let people feel full so they won’t eat. Reminiscent of gastric bypass surgery (by the way, there is currently there is a longitudinal study being evaluated to assess the effectiveness of surgery), it’s another example of people taking radical steps to help them manage their […]
So, how do I feel after 30 days on a sugar-free diet? Summary: Good. Not life changing, but solid. Lost weight, gained diversity. Here’s a run down of the changes. I’ve lost weight. While that wasn’t the intention going into this, it’s pretty remarkable to see how the pounds have shifted. And interestingly, I’ve been […]
With social learning on the rise, group learning and collaboration is becoming increasingly common in the classroom. Students can use google docs, wikis, and powerpoints to create their group projects, and connect across distance to produce their work. Researchers are watching the trend, wondering if this “collective intelligence” will result in increased “creativity, innovation, and invention” (Gray […]
People, my mind has gone full jumping monkey. As I’ve plunged more fully into social media (with a vengeance, tally ho!) during my Web 2.0 course, my mind has become hyperactive, jumpy, and just a wee bit obsessive. The instantaneous and fractal nature of working online is seductive; I’ve followed so many rabbits down so many holes that […]
Okay okay, so it’s been awhile since I’ve checked out Google Maps. The last time I did anything resembling this kind of exploration was a few years ago when I did a cursory check of Google Earth and visited the usual hangouts. You know, like typing in “Titanic,” getting zoomed around, flying into the ocean, and seeing a […]
So I decided to do a Pinterest board to celebrate and share the love of being sugar-free this month. To add to my board, I do a search for “sugarfree”, and lo and behold, my search returns…. …desserts. They’re sugar-free, grant you. But they’re all desserts. So I add “paleo” to the description. After all, I’m being paleo inspired this month […]
Alright, alright. So I have seen “Second Life” in a bunch of academic, peer-reviewed articles in reference to supporting learning activities. As in, “the post graduate course used a range of social media technologies including Facebook, Delicious, blogs, wikis, and Second Life (a virtual world) to support a variety of learning activities” (Dabbagh, 2012). So I figure, […]
I tried Periscope this week. It’s a Twitter creation that streams live video to whoever happens to tune into the feed at the time. “Let’s just try it,” I say to my boyfriend, while we’re eating breakfast at local restaurant. “Periscope?” He raises an eyebrow. “It does live video. Like a mini-broadcast, I suppose.” I […]
Baby’s first Twitter chat! 132 tweets, 12 participants. I think we can safely say that it wasn’t a rousing affair (especially as it began with 20 minutes of meditation and breathing), but it was geographically remarkable in that the chat influencers were from Idaho and California. Mostly the chat consisted of the hosts posting inspirational quotes and everyone […]
I usually like a breakfast of coffee, more coffee, and cream. The burners in my kitchen are pristine from lack of use. In the olden times I’d scarf down a protein vega bar around 10 AM and be ravenous by about 11:30. But during this sugarfast, I’ve been a positive breakfast dynamo. Three egg omelettes include with fish, […]
There’s a problem with data. No, not Data from Star Trek, with his emotion chip. But data. User data. Your data. My data. The trail we leave behind us as we fritter along our merry away on the web, facebooking, linking, posting, lurking, and tweeting. Have you ever noticed how those ads that crop up […]
I am a transparent blogger. I use my real name, reveal personal details, and don’t separate my personal and professional identity. In my posts, I have discussed everything from flatulence to love to education, and readers who visit my blog will likely gain multi-dimensional view of who I am. Art and reality “Never let them catch […]
Oh my god. Who knew that squash would be so delicious?? But I get ahead of myself. So I was asked by a friend, “Rachel, what exactly are you eating? Can you write out some of your menus?” Why yes, I can. So here’s what a typical day has looked like for me over the […]
This week I dove in and drowned. I got too excited about incorporating the tools from last week immediately and entirely into my life. As a result, Twitter, Feed.ly, Facebook, and the blog took up a lot of my time, and I didn’t spend enough time exploring the new tools on the agenda. Diigo Diigo […]
What a relief. “Start where you are.” The advice came at the perfect time. “You can feel overwhelmed.” Ain’t that the truth. This week I dove headlong into Twitter, which led me into rabbit holes of web content, unfollowers, hashtags, links, and lists. Enthusiastic plans exploded in my brain. “I will build a learning empire,” some […]
The teacher trainers are clustered in a corner. “I’m thinking,” says Ashley (yin teacher, vibrant, killer hair, nerdy in the best way), “that we should hold a potluck, a dinner, to bring everyone together. You know, talk about these issues that are coming up in their teaching as a group. Collaborate and share experiences. I’m […]
One week down. “Be safe,” my girlfriend continues to caution. She knows I’m going sugar free this month. What does sugar-free mean, anyway? Is it really that big of a deal? Is it dangerous? “Sugar-free” can mean different things. We can’t be truly sugar-free, of course, nor should we be. Our bodies convert the foods […]
I LOVE my hot chocolate. Love it. Well, generally, I just love chocolate. But if I’m going sugar-free, I don’t want to dive into a chocolate bar, no matter how dark. So here’s my absolute favourite treat. It’s oh so good. And it’s dairy free, sugar free, gluten free and even kinda healthy. Unsweetened almond milk – 1-2 cups in […]
My roommate shuns Facebook. “Ugh, I’m never on that,” she sighs, “Sure, I have a profile, but I never post. Facebook is all about ego. All that posturing. Bleh.” She makes a face. She is definitive. And she’s not alone. A 2013 study implies Facebook use may increase unhappiness. I’m a yoga teacher. I often have thought like her and […]
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