365 Fresh Starts

A Blog About Life

We've been conditioned to expect things to be all or nothing. We make dramatic resolutions on December 31st that we break by January 2, and then feel terrible about ourselves. We think that we can't change at all because our annual, dramatic attempts at change just don't work.

We get 365 fresh starts each year.

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Cracking Crochet Code

Written on February 24, 2017 by Alisa.

Betty Knew Code Did you know that there’s a crochet code? It’s been hiding in plain view. The more time I spend in the world of crochet, the more I realize that crochet patterns have many similarities to code. As with any programming language, you first need to know the terminology. What’s a sc? How […] Read More

Let’s Talk Crochet

Written on February 22, 2017 by Alisa.

Yarn Has Overtaken My Life I’ve abandoned you for crochet. I feel bad about it — really, I do — but the problem is that I have a hook and yarn in my hands during all of my free time, so I haven’t even made the effort to tell you about it. Crochet is magic. You […] Read More

Nothing Fits

Written on November 29, 2016 by Alisa.

Nothing Fits When You’re Taller Than Average There are many good things about my current workout plan of Muay Thai and Pilates. There are also drawbacks. Namely that nothing fits me anymore. Houston, we have a problem. See, I’m taller than average. And not just taller than the average woman. At 6’1″ (185 cm), I’m also […] Read More

Blackberry Port Jam

Written on September 7, 2016 by Alisa.

Market Berries I feel like all I need to do here is post the photo of the jam. Say it with me: blackberry port jam. Mmm. I went to the market today, and instead of buying my usual three-pack of berries (raspberry/strawberry/blackberry), I decided that I would just buy a single pack of raspberries. But […] Read More

Even More Muay Thai

Written on September 4, 2016 by Alisa.

I Did It Well, guys: I did it. I signed up for a monthly membership to continue doing the Muay Thai/MMA classes. Last week, my hair stylist said that this seemed like the first thing in a long time (fitness-wise) that’s really inspired me. I’m not sure that “inspired” is the right word. “Terrified” is […] Read More

Jello Arms

Written on August 28, 2016 by Alisa.

Sweat and Hard Work I missed the Monday session at the gym because I wasn’t feeling well, but came back on Wednesday with enough oomph to give myself Jello arms. This time, I was paired with someone extremely skilled, who also happened to be a good teacher. If I wasn’t getting the rhythm face-to-face, she’d […] Read More

The Fitness Budget

Written on August 23, 2016 by Alisa.

Making the Numbers Work I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about my fitness budget, both in terms of time and money. There are lots of things that I want to do, but there are only so many hours in the week or dollars I’m willing to spend. And with new options appearing on […] Read More

Muay Thai Comedy

Written on August 19, 2016 by Alisa.

Yes, I’m Having Fun I’m now four sessions into my month of Muay Thai — I’ll be going to #5 today — and here are a few things I’ve learned. I have a surprisingly hard time reconciling “this is a good, full-body workout” with “oh, this is actual fighting.” There’s a poster in the locker room […] Read More

An Introduction to Muay Thai

Written on August 14, 2016 by Alisa.

UFC, Here I Come (hahahaha, no.) So I’ve started Muay Thai training. What? What’s Muay Thai? Honestly, I had no idea either. And this is far, far outside my comfort zone. Let’s take a step back. For the past year, The Assistant has been taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes at Crispim BJJ. He loves it, and […] Read More

So I’ve Abandoned Facebook

Written on August 3, 2016 by Alisa.

Enjoying My Unplanned Absence I’ve been on Facebook since the early days, and I’ve always sort of sneered at people who make the big proclamation that they’ve abandoned Facebook, only to see them return a few weeks later. I’ve read the articles about how it puts unrealistic expectations on people to show only their perfect […] Read More