Bicycling = a "man" thing? A marketing criticism.

Today I received the bill for a magazine I recently subscribed to. Apparently, I am not a member of the target audience for this magazine, because I also received the following advertisement:

As a woman, reading things like "Rocket your muscles to MASSIVE SIZE and EXPLOSIVE POWER!" and "HUGE in a HURRY" (apparently all-caps and extra exclamation points in ads appeal to men?) only makes me laugh. It's interesting to see how men are marketed to, and what magazines expect their highest priorities to be.

But I would also like to know where the right magazine is for female cycling enthusiasts. The bill I received today is for a bicycling magazine, but apparently their primary audience is men. In women's magazines, even fitness or health magazines, bicycling is rarely mentioned, compared to running, elliptical training, yoga, etc... 

Is there a magazine out there for female cyclists that I'm just not aware of? I would love to know if anyone out there can point me to one. Or maybe I should start one of my own? Is there enough of an audience that such a publication could be sustained? Just as a point of reference, there are 21,000+ people that "Like" Trek Women on Facebook, versus 29,000+ that "Like" Bicycling Magazine. 

Maybe I'm more worked up because I really want it to be spring so I can go mountain biking again. But I think my "wonderings" are valid... what do you think?

Media 2: Simen Johan

Today I created my first post for my Media 2 class, commenting on this photograph by Simen Johan:

To read it, click here.

Vulnerability.

After watching this, I've got tears welling up in my eyes. Reflecting on my New Year's resolution after this video and a chat with a friend/mentor, I know I can't actually "fear less"... fear is natural and happens whether I want it to or not. I can only recognize my fear and then choose whether or not fear will drive my actions. But if I choose to face fears and allow myself to be vulnerable when there is uncertainty, I will be choosing to truly grow, live and love fully.

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability | Video on TED.com

Gah, I'm inspired. I'm going to go do a happy dance now...

Fear less.

New year. New semester. New internship. New beginnings all around.

The hope and anticipation that comes with beginnings is something I often let myself get lost in. I love to make plans, to organize the next phase of something... and make resolutions that will make the next phase fresh and amazing.

This year I resolve to fear less. Occasionally over the past several weeks I have reflected on how fear has impacted my life, what it has kept me from doing but also what it has driven me to do. I have thought about how fear will impact me as a project manager, a student, a friend, etc. I was flipping through a magazine a few days ago, and turned to a page that agreed: "Be fearless... Imagine the person you want to be and the life you want to live, and simply commit to them... don't be afraid to make a splash." 

I want to be present to the people I'm with and the things I am doing, rather than worrying or even fantasizing too much about what the next week/month/year will hold. I should not be afraid to be human, to not have every word I say or thing I do completely figured out. 

Be bold. Fear less. Be here now.

Enough mushy words. I promise I will post some work soon, once I've dug into this semester's projects!

P.S.- The project manager in me wants to add how I will assess my level of fearlessness as the year goes on. I plan to write (in my journal, and here when appropriate) at least weekly about the fearless things I do, and document such things in photos when possible.

Fun little things.

I made some greeting cards tonight!

I bought "A Little Book on Love" at Barnes & Noble yesterday. It features Lela Lee's Angry Little Girls, and it was too funny to pass up. It's tough to pick out favorite spreads, but here's a few to just give you an idea of what the book is about (and how small it is!):

I explored more of the Angry Little Girls website, and really enjoyed these ecards: "Love is friendship set on fire" and "It's dancing time!"

Vacation.

First of all, a pair of photos I find amusing.
This is my apartment during finals week...

...and this is my apartment approximately four hours after my last final.

This reveals a few things.

1. Finals week was intense.

2. Cleaning is therapeutic (helped me de-stress at the end of the week).

3. I like to photograph oddly ordinary things. 

I am so happy to be on vacation, and even happier that my sleepless nights and full days in school paid off (I received my grades today!). After taking a semester off, I was very determined to do well, but slightly afraid of what that would require of me. 

So what have I been doing with my new free time? 

+ Baking "Peasant Bread"

+ Checking out Native American art at the MIA

+ Walking through snowstorms

+ Packing many Christmas gifts

+ Playing "Dance Central" 

+ Reading 

+ Drinking fine wine 

+ Gearing up to start doing work for my internship

I love it. Trying to treasure every ordinary moment because before I know it, I'll be starting classes again.

I will leave you with this, another lovely tea bag tag from Yogi Tea.

Seventeen and a half

That's how many hours of class I have left until my Fall 2010 semester is over! As usual there is much to be done. My body is begging for mercy... well, sort of. As much I enjoy all that coffee and chocolate, the fatigue (and lack of energy-boosting exercise) is wearing on me. And that is why I've decided to keep Friday night low-key: snuggling up with a cup of tea, reading a book, maybe painting my nails. 

But before I settle in for the night, I wanted to share a few things...

First, the poster I designed for my Data Visualization class. For over two months this semester I recorded the number of times Facebook showed up in my browser history each day. This poster shows the patterns I found...

 

 
I compared the number of Facebook page views to the number of hours I worked and spent in class each day. I also compared Facebook page views on each day of the week, and on weekdays versus weekends. Last, but not least, I calculated how much money I could potentially earn by working for the same amount of time that I spend on Facebook. 

It was fun coming up with different ways to compare data, to calculate and make predictions. I also learned many many new things about using Adobe Illustrator (making graphs for a poster is so easy!).

Second, I've secured a project management internship for the spring semester, yay! Details to come later.

Third, it's snowing tonight here. I love it. It's fluffy and romantic and magical and makes it so much easier to endure the cold. And for some reason, every time it snows (especially at night) I want to go out and bike in it. Hmm, I'll have to try that sometime before Christmas.

All right, time to wrap up. 

My apartment is a mess--papers everywhere, dishes waiting to be done, etc. I have slept for maybe an hour in the last 36 hours. My abs need some serious attention. And next week may nearly mirror this one. 

But I am happy.