Challenges

I generally wake up very early on weekdays to exercise, either with running and calisthenics (I love that word) or bikram yoga. Naturally, the 6:30 a.m. yoga class tends to be populated by a certain cohort of people, plus or minus a few sporadic attendees, who are insane enough to drag themselves into a heated room that early. So lately, when I noticed that one of the instructors had begun coming to the early class and had been a few days consecutively, I asked if he was doing a 30-day challenge, which is exactly what it sounds like: 30 consecutive days of bikram. If a day is skipped, you do a double session the next day (I love the practice, but that sounds hellish). It's sort of an insane time commitment, and I'm sure it gets physically draining, and I'll probably never do one because med school. In any case, the instructor replied that he was doing a 10-day challenge, which he called "intense yoga for people who have trips to go on and birthday parties to attend." And exams to take, I thought to myself. And then I thought, Hey, Hannah. Come on. Ten days. You can hack ten days, right? Ten days is basically a week... a morbidly obese week. So for those of you who call me nuts, please feel free to redouble your admonishments and look so askance at me your eyeballs nearly pop out of their sockets*, because this is happening. I did not practice on Monday, but I did on Tuesday and every day since, which means that I've committed myself to going every day until Thursday. I'm not planning to deliberately avoid class on Friday (last day of class!), so it might be an 11- or 12-day challenge. We'll see.

Speaking of challenges, tonight's dinner was a julienned carrot and zucchini salad (again with the mandoline!) with raisins, walnuts, and a lemon-caraway aioli.

I know that aioli is traditionally considered difficult to make, but (newsflash) all that's required is adherence to two simple tips: use room-temperature egg yolks and add the oil so slowly you can feel your beard growing as the aioli whips up into perfectly emulsified deliciousness.

*Sorry. Graphic happens.