Liesl Hammer

Hike to the Hollywood Sign

This last week Austin and I took a trip to California. On our last day, I wanted to hike up to the Hollywood sign. And so we drove up to the trailhead and started walking. It was slightly confusing because there were other trails, but eventually we found a sign that told us where to go.

The trail out-and-back is 4.2ish miles, maybe a little more. It wasn’t too challenging, and had a good amount of flat mixed with the hills.

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The best part was how green the hills were. I love southern California in the late winter/early spring.

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Notice the backwards “Hollywood” sign – these are the perils of using the front-facing camera!

I loved the sun and warmth, and I can’t wait for summer to come again.

Procrastination – a possible leeway into creativity

Look at this video:

What do you think about the person who made it? Do you think they had too much time on their hands?

Or what if it was the opposite?

What if this person was putting off some other things they were supposed to be doing: homework, housework, bills, groceries (ahem, I need to do that), or working out?

I think that I’m more creative when I’m putting off something. I typically start reading articles and write about what’s interesting about that article to me.

There’s research that apparently backs up my claim, as illustrated by the Zeigarnik Effect. It argues that unfinished tasks challenge your memory more than finished tasks do. Here’s a good quote from Adam Grants, the author of Originals:

“When you procrastinate, you’re more likely to let your mind wander. That gives you a better chance of stumbling onto the unusual and spotting unexpected patterns.”

It kind of reminds me of how in Brooklyn Nine Nine, detective Jake Peralta is (always) doing something completely unrelated to work when he has an ~epiphany~ and SOLVES THE CASE.

But there’s also a great article on Psychology Today that isn’t so sure. It argues more that purposeful delay – not the same thing as procrastination – is what really makes you creative. If you’re working too closely to a deadline, if you’re too frantic – then that’s where procrastination is just as unproductive.

So in some ways, it’s still not entirely conclusive. But I like to reassure myself that when I should really be cleaning the house, I’m just basking in my own ~creative juices~ instead.

The best thing I do for writer’s block

Writer’s block sucks. This is what I do when I struggle with writer’s block:

Write to myself.

There’s a lot of writer’s block advice out there, and I understand why: it’s everywhere. You’re trying to write something, anything. You’re writing a book. You’re writing a personal essay. You’re finishing some homework assignment. You want to get into college, grad school, get this grant. You need this job.

So, I write to myself.

Literally.

I’ll pull up a draft in my gmail, put the subject as “writing #118” and then just type about whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t matter what’s on my mind, whether I’m annoyed with someone or I’m trying to come up with ideas for a blog post. I just write. I’ll often include links to articles I like, that I later link to on my “Sunday Stuffs.”

(It depends on what makes the cut – I have links to a lot of different workouts that I try once and then never again.)

Then I send it to myself, click on the email, and move it to a writing folder I have in my email.

Sometimes I’ll go back and use those ideas, but most of the time I don’t. Honestly, it’s just there to get the juices flowing. I’ll come up with new ideas from those ideas – and then I start writing rough drafts of articles or essays, and depending on the publishing medium, move into Google Docs or put it on this blog.

And it works.

Good luck to you in whatever you write. Keep writing – even when it’s total, utter crap. I know that I always feel amazing after I create something.

Sincerely, me

P.S. The second-best piece of advice I’ve heard comes from the dude who reviews all the submissions to the New York Times’ Modern Love column:

That attitude, for me, is the definition of writer’s block: being too impatient to waste time writing badly. You have to write badly to write well. And you have to sit with the bad writing and write more of it and then sit with that until eventually you start writing well. As my old friend Ron Carlson says, “Whatever you do, stay in the room.”

Writer’s block isn’t a lack of something to say. It’s a lack of patience with figuring out how to say it. So stay in the room. Write badly. It is productive. You just might not know it yet.

Getting back into running without dying

I’ve been out of sync lately when it comes to working out. It seems to be a thing whenever I finish a goal I had, and so I have to keep setting goals so I can keep working out consistently.

Observe the following:

After my first marathon, I felt so elated/burned out from my success from completion that I stopped running completely
I would do a ton of hiking on weekends but I typically went to the gym on/off most weeks
I didn’t run enough so then my second marathon was my worst time ever
I did a 12-week workout program after that and did it until my back started hurting, took some brief time off, and then finished it

And now…nothing. I haven’t done anything since I went snowboarding over the weekend and my body needs me to work out because

And I’ve been feeling antsy to start running now that the weather’s warming up again. I think the best way for me to start running again is to sign up for some races. Austin wants to do an ultra-marathon, and I think I could do it. We’ll see what happens!

Winter camping was not miserable

I was lying in 20 degrees. I’d been in colder weather, but this time, I intended to sleep in it.

And I was warm.

20180310_065948_HDR — Pretty sweet view to wake up to

This weekend, Austin and I went winter camping – a goal I had for my 2018 bucket list. Here’s how we stayed warm:

Layered ourselves up, the way we usually do for snowboarding
I swapped out my thin top shell for a thick coat I got from my job
Ate tons of pizza

Okay, maybe the pizza wasn’t a direct contributor – although it helped a lot. Here’s what we did with the tent:

Laid out a tarp on the snow
Put the tent on top of the tarp
Placed sleeping pads in the tent
Put two blankets over the sleeping pads
Used -25 degree sleeping bags (a Christmas gift from my very generous sister-in-law)
Had some more layers on top of us
Slept in our layers, although I removed my thick coat and slept just fine

For my feet, I actually just slept in wool socks – one layer. I’d slept in freezing temperatures before (although it was in Yellowstone and still the fall, so I never called it winter camping) and I wore so many socks that it restricted blood flow and my feet were freezing. So this time I just had one layer, and it was very warm.

We camped up by Sundance ski resort in an area called Aspen Grove. We came up just after getting off work and set up the tent after sunset, so things were dark and cooling down significantly.

After setting up the tent, we went for a hike in the snow. We turned off our flashlights and let the whiteness of the snow, the overcast sky, and the distant ski resort lights be our light instead.

Occasionally Austin and I would stop and just breathe – looking at the mountains, seeing the dark silhouettes of the trees, listening to the silence. We would slightly jump at random sounds – was that a large animal waiting to kill us? Was that a serial killer? But we also knew we’d be okay, and we kept on walking, enjoying the night.

When we returned to our tent, I took off my boots and snow pants and climbed into my new, toasty sleeping bag. It was so cozy. I loved the slight softness of the packed snow beneath us and slowly fell asleep.

The mountains were beautiful and the evening silent. I was warm, and it was amazing.

3 great shows for outdoor lovers

If you’re an outdoor purist, maybe you don’t watch TV. But if you have those days (or weeks, or months) where being indoors is the preferable option, here are the top three shows you should watch to get your outdoorsy fix.

1. Stranger Things

I know, I know – everyone has watched this show. And for good reason! Who else rode their bike with their friend(s) as a kid, hoping to stumble on crazy adventures and marvelous monsters? Who else created wacky stories with their games and toys? I know that my Barbies tried all sorts of things – bungee jumping, riding on tops of vans, flying into space, underage drinking – you know, the works.

Anyway – that’s besides the point. Stranger Things gives you small-town charm and supernatural interest, all with the crisp air of fall, bike rides, and Halloween. I love the plot and the characters are compelling. Maybe the nostalgia’s overdone – maybe it’s Stranger Things.

2. Parks and Recreation

I love this show. I love that it’s not cynical and instead presents a cast of characters who are doing things they love for people they care about. They are occasionally selfish, but they mean well and they’re just trying to make the world a better place.

This show takes outdoorsyness to a much more local level. I’m all about exploring mountains and camping, and while there’s camping in this show, it’s more about making a difference in your own backyard and doing good in the world even when nobody appreciates it.

3. Gravity Falls

This show takes all the weirdness of Oregon and shoves it into a charming show about love, family, friendship, and summer. It’s only 2 seasons long – the creators intended it that way – but it’s got an interesting plot.

I initially thought the show was going to be like Phineas and Ferb, but it has a lot of continuity and a progressive plot with an eventual end. There are still some “throwaway” episodes that keep things light and have some good character development.

Honestly, I loved this show. It had such an interesting premise and a satisfying ending that left me wanting more. I strongly recommend it.

Surviving icy runs

Last week I went on my first black diamond and killed it (relatively speaking). This week I went snowboarding and encountered an entirely new beast:

Icy runs.

Now, if someone from the East Coast were to see what I was snowboarding on today, they’d say “that ain’t ice lol” and they’d make a good point. Apparently the Midwest and East Coast both have nasty icy runs most of the time. My runs were more like really hard packed snow that was super slick and hard to maintain control on – and to me, that’s ice.

Here’s how I survived those runs:

I didn’t.

I fell down a lot. My knee has a big, shiny bruise on it. I got tired easily and would simply sit on the mountain watching other people, young and old, zoom by.

(Side note: child skiers and snowboarders are absolutely the cutest thing ever.)

After two lousy runs, I texted Austin to let him know I was hanging out in the resort lodge. He was having a rough time himself and came and joined me where we did two more runs.

As the day warmed up, it got better. Plus, I enjoy snowboarding with Austin. He’d help me learn how to link my turns more and we’d hit some black diamonds where the snow had softened and I’d try to improve my time going down.

But it was still a rough time and I got exhausted really fast, ran into someone, and cried a lot. Physical exhaustion does that to a person.

I have progressed – I’m a lot better now than I was at the beginning of the season – but it’s days like today that I’m pretty bummed that I’m not as good as I’d like to be. Here’s to hoping for more snow!

Hot take: I don’t like cookie dough

I LOVE cookies. Chocolate chip is my favorite – nothing wrong with going classic. It’s especially perfect when the cookie is still warm.

But raw, unbaked dough? Not my thing.

It’s not really the raw eggs or the possibility of salmonella. I just dislike the texture and I much prefer melty chocolate chips over the solid ones.

I’ve rarely met a person who agrees with me. It seems almost gospel for people to love raw cookie dough. All my coworkers were discussing it over some delicious chocolate chip (plus walnut!) cookies today.

I’ll stick with my baked goods, thanks.

My first black diamond

Okay – so Utah has had a positively DISMAL winter (some may disagree with me), with warmer temperatures and minimal snow. However, it snowed a lot in the last couple of weeks and Austin and I went snowboarding again.

If you remember my last couple of posts regarding snowboarding, I am very much an amateur. I’ve wiped out, hurt my back, gotten exhausted easily, and have cried more than Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

(No judgement, Cho. You were going through a hard time.)

But this time? This time it was different.

This time I…

1. Took advantage of my energy

After going on the green for a quick warm-up, I decided to go on a blue. I didn’t think I was good enough, but I figured that I might as well try.

I actually made it down the blue runs several different times without dying! I can’t say without falling because I think I’ll just always fall. I think falling is just a part of the game. But the blues were a lot less crowded than the green, and the snow was softer so the falls were very easy to recover from.

2. Took breaks to extend my energy

Around my third run, I started falling more and couldn’t figure out why. And falling a lot is EXHAUSTING. There’s the impact and getting UP and trying to build momentum but also maintain control…it’s tiring.

I finally realized that I was tired. And so when I finished my third run, I went into the lodge and hung out on my phone until I felt good enough to go out for a fourth run. Then after that, I met up with Austin, who was delightedly going to the backcountry parts of the resort.

We ate lunch, got some caffeine, and went back out – where I tried my first black diamond.

3. Tried more difficult terrain without going so hard

Look at this picture of Austin chillin’ by a black diamond:

Can’t see anything? Yeah, I didn’t realize that the VERY STEEP HILLS were actual RUNS.

To the seasoned skier and snowboarder, not going straight down a hill is very much a “no duh” moment. But for me, I thought that was my only option, which is why I avoided black diamonds.

But Austin pointed out that I could 1) go at an angle and do switchbacks through the powder, and 2) I didn’t even have to go on my toe edge (which is a lot harder to commit to), I could just go on my heel edge.

And that’s exactly what I did. Imagine a falling leaf, swaying gently back and forth in the breeze. Now imagine that leaf tumbling through snow. That’s basically me.

The point is this: I made it down that mountain. I stayed on my heel edge, went side to side, occasionally wiped out (and REALLY worked my core trying to get up), and exhausted myself.

But I made it down the mountain.

What’s more, I did it again. I did two more black diamond runs, and was thoroughly exhausted by the time I was finished, due to all the falling and getting up.

But I was unhurt – and I made it down the mountain.

That’s definitely a win for me. I can’t wait to go again.

How to put off that exercise thing you’ve been meaning to do

Finally, a snow day. You can go snowboarding.

Or, you could stay in bed. I mean, have you SEEN the weather out there? It’s ridiculous.

But hey, the climbing gym is just a mile away! You just got some new shoes and you’ve been dying to try them out.

But nobody can go with you because you didn’t make plans and everyone’s into that whole “advance notice” thing nowadays. Also, climbing alone is scary. What if you hurt yourself, or worse, what if you just look stupid and people judge you?

And again, that snow, man. A mile isn’t even worth the risk.

But luckily you have a gym in your apartment complex. It came with all the trimmings, and you know you need to implement more strength training into your workout anyway.

Okay, after these two episodes of Brooklyn 99.

It’s time to go. But you need to get changed, and you’re kinda cozy in these leggings. Besides, you just ate lunch like 2 hours ago and you KNOW that crap needs to digest before you do anything.

Also, what if there are people there?

Fine. Just stay at home. Work out in your apartment. You JUST got a book that has literally 619 exercises you can do. Pick 5. Do some reps and sets. Rest. Do them again for like 30 minutes. Bam, you’re done.

No, you’re not. Because you haven’t done anything yet…because…okay, you’re out of excuses.

Exercise is so good for you. It makes you feel better physically and emotionally. You love the way you look when you exercise regularly. It’s okay if you aren’t the most physically capable person in the gym.

Okay. Just do 20 push ups. Okay, 15. 10. 5?

Just do 5 push ups. And maybe then you’ll actually get going.