My Expanding Universe:
Goals and Growth in all areas of life
Physical Fitness and Nutrition
The core values I strive to live by include integrity, discipline, tenacity, and competence. This does not stop when I leave the office, and pushing myself to improve incrementally every single day is an essential part of living out these values. I kickbox regularly, strength train, and spend weekends biking and hiking while getting accustomed to training for long-distance runs at altitude. Eventually, I hope to join a local adult club tennis team as well. Below are the challenges I currently have in the works, though many more are to come!
Challenges in progress
| Event | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Half-marathon | 13.1 mile race starting at 1am in Zion National Park | 6/7 |
| 75 Hard | First segment of a year-long mental toughness and fitness program | 5/22-8/5 |
| Marathon | Training to run 26.2 miles from Fort Collins to Loveland, CO | 10/4 |
| Half-marathon | Normally in May; Colfax race postponed to fall or 2021 | TBD |
Basics of 75 Hard: Everyday, complete 2 workouts (both >45 minutes; one outside), take a progress picture, read 10 pages of non-fiction (no audiobooks), drink one gallon of plain water, no alcohol, and follow a diet. Simple in theory, difficult in practice. You have from when you wake up to when you sleep to finish it, and if you don't do everything you start again on Day 1. I have chosen to follow a paleo-ish fuel plan that is more flexible than straight paleo, but that eliminates sweets, bread, pasta, cheese (on its own), chips, crackers, popcorn, and baked goods for 75 days. For someone with a sweet tooth like mine, this is quite the mental challenge, but I am excited to get stronger than ever in the process!
Completed events
Running
- 2017 Rock n' Roll Washington D.C.(13.1)
- 2017 New Haven Road Race (13.1)
- 2017 Marine Corps Marathon (26.2)
- 2018 New Haven Road Race (13.1)
- 2018 Marine Corps Marathon (26.2)
Cooking
I am by no means a chef, but I do enjoy cooking to fuel all my activities and work to be healthier. I wanted to include a spot to share some of my favorite meals that I make on repeat. Click here to find a PDF of the recipes and pictures. This will certainly grow in the future as I get more confident in the kitchen!
Sharpening My Mental Saw
No matter how much I plan, I will never be able to predict the future. So in addition to learning useful skills for my current job, I consistently test myself and keep learning about coding, technical writing, policy, and security issues.
Programming Bucket List
| Language | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| C++ | Working through textbook and Codecademy course | Beginner |
| Python | Honing statistical analysis skills | Intermediate/Experienced |
| Java | Codecademy course | Not started (yet!) |
| SQL | Codecademy course | Not started (yet!) |
| Github | Seeking more formalized understanding of git processes | Beginner/Intermediate |
| Raspberry Pi | Working on setting it up! | Beginner |
Space Policy and Security
In an effort to stay current on space industry issues, I have a goal of writing at least 500 words per week about the space industry, whether it be a summary of major news from the week or commentary on a specific issue. All opinions are my own -- not my employer's (current or future) -- and as I learn more, they are subject to change.
Weekly writing
- Check back here soon!
Creativity
2020 Reads
Fiction
- Along Came a Spider (James Patterson)
- The Woman in the Window (A.J. Finn)
- The Word is Murder (Anthony Horowitz)
- The Sentence is Death (Anthony Horowitz)
- Magpie Murders (Anthony Horowitz)
Non-Fiction
- The Marshmallow Test (Walter Mischel)
- A Higher Loyalty (James Comey)
- The First Conspiracy (Brad Meltzer, Josh Mensch)
- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)
- Born a Crime (Trevor Noah)
- The Rise of the Ultra Runners (Adharanand Finn)
- Freakonomics (Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner)
- Code Girls (Liza Mundy)
Sewing
I have quite the patch collection showing the places I've been, the space missions I admire, and the things that mean the most to me. I have been working on sewing each patch on by hand, and when the jacket is done I will post pictures!
Guitar
After going through a major alt/indie/folk pop phase in music, I decided to buy a guitar. I am working through the lessons on Yousician (slowly) and other random youtube videos. So far I know Smelly Cat (classic) and The Scientist by Coldplay. Stay ~tuned~ for updates.