Exercizication

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Soy Ciclista

April 11, 2011 in Adventures, Exercizication | 1 comment

Thousands of Angelenos cycled through miles of closed streets in Los Angeles on Sunday as part of CicLAvia, an event to encourage alternative transportation.

I am a bicyclist. I was joined by thousands of people who identified as the same. We rode around miles of closed streets in bustling Los Angeles on Sunday. It was part of an event called CicLAvia, closing streets down to cars. Allowed: bikes, pedestrians, skateboarders, rollerbladers and more, to just enjoy the city. I think it was a great way to showcase alternative transportation and was a great introduction for me to my new home.

Biking through Los Angeles for the first time!

My friend, Andy, came along for the ride on his yellow bike. He let me borrow an extra red bike.We drove to LA Union Station to park and hopped over a few blocks to the Japanese American National Museum. Lance Armstrong gave the opening speech to the event. I couldn’t really see him. There were mobs of cameras all around. Damn, if I had been working, maybe I could have been in on it. I figure that in LA, there will be more opportunities to be “starstruck,” so we moved along. I think I said “wow” at least fifty times. I was giggling with happiness. It was the first time I went siteseeing in a city with absolutely zero stress. Usually I’m dodging cars or hurrying to figure out where I’m going. I don’t take the time to just enjoy the scenery. I got to on this bike ride. I saw the Los Angeles Times, the LAPD, LA City Hall, MacArthur Park. I guess the park is considered dodgy? I didn’t feel like that when I was there. Andy and I stopped in the park for a picnic among ducks, pigeons and egrets. There were a few families

Andy, my CicLAvia road buddy, taking a break from the route at MacArthur Park.

running around with their kids and some old guys speaking Spanish. It reminded me that I really want to speak Spanish better (I just bought audio books for my car – well on my way).

There were a few hills among the ride, but for the most part is was smooth sailing. I took lots of pictures en route. A church along the route handed out water bottles (holy water?) to bikers passing by. After a pit stop for some boba tea in Korea Town, we started making our way back along the track. It was so bizarre to see thousands of people riding bikes amongst skyscrapers. Everyone was smiling. There were some crazy getups too. It made me wish I had worn a prom dress, a tutu or at least a tiara! Many people hauled dogs in baskets or bags. Some had boom boxes attached to the back of their bikes. One minute you’d hear old timey jazz, the next — hard core metal.

I saw young people, old people, runners, joggers – even a little girl on a big wheel trike. It was an amazing day. I think we rode about 12 miles.

Zuma Beach, Malibu

We ended the day at Zuma Beach in Malibu. It was the first time I had been to the beach since I moved to the Greater LA area about three weeks ago. White sand beaches, sunny skies. There weren’t a lot of people either. It reminded me of Spain. It made me realize I don’t have to travel thousands of miles away to be in paradise. :)

 

 

The sun came out. I “step”ped up my good mood

November 28, 2010 in Exercizication, Kids, Teaching | 2 comments

I’ve been kind of gloomy the past couple days. The weather reflected my mood – unsettled. It would brighten as the clouds opened up and I would skip around town with a down coat, a beanie and my iPod – bopping to Arcade Fire and Lily Allen. A lot of folks were out of town for Thanksgiving and I was kind of lonely in Arcata. Town was just dead. I woke up this morning feeling sluglish and decided to try something I hadn’t done in five years – Step class! It’s an aerobics routine workout that became popular in the 80′s.  Basically all you do is dance around and on-top -of a platform.

Judging by the people who attended the class, I’d say the same steady followers from the 80′s still make up most of who attend the class. I was the youngest person there. Oh boy, Sunday morning workouts aren’t big amongst 20-somethings, but I didn’t let it stop me from getting my groove on. Anyway, long story short – I got my ass kicked. It was mildly humiliating. I could barely do the side crunches. Yikes. One “L” step after another, a shuffle-ball-change, mambo, tango, reverse rotation, ham lift! Ahhh! I was spinning. It felt good though. I had been invited to go to a co-worker’s bootcamp class recently, but after this morning, I can see I’m not ready to be doing push-ups with beefcakes at the gym. Maybe next week?

Now, I’m back at my cozy home at the Compound. Drinking coffee and prepping to teach my 12-year-old students about newspaper. I’ve been copyediting their work for the last couple hours and what can I say – it makes me so happy! I love seeing their progress. I love their energy and it gives me more positive energy. I really think I am meant to be some sort of teacher. It just is the most fulfilling work I have done in my life so far.

This Saturday, I am going to take it another step farther to see if teaching is really what I’d like to do. I’m taking an all-day workshop in literacy tutoring for adults through the Humboldt Literacy Project. I’m going to start volunteering one-on-one with a local adult in the community that has difficulty reading – whether it be those who are learning english as a second language, or english speakers that just need a helping hand.

Should be exciting, fulfilling, challenging and a learning opportunity. All things I welcome and strive for. Hopefully it will get me back into reading, too? I’ve been lagging…

Song to listen to: Modern Man by Arcade Fire