I think I have a baking problem. Seriously, it’s way too
fun and such productive procrastination:).
My latest creation is a cinnamon bun explosion! The buns
were so bursting with deliciousness that they literally exploded out of the
pan. Pretty crazy.
I’ve also been experimenting a lot with making my own
granola. Cereal is just too expensive. It’s also healthier to make your
own. You then control how much sugar goes into it. It’s surprisingly easy to
make your own granola. Just mix whatever you want... oats, sunflower seeds,
flax seeds, coconut, dried nuts… then add some oil, vanilla, brown sugar or
maple syrup... bake for 45 minutes (mix every once in awhile) at 300°F. Voila,
granola! You can mix in any dried fruit at the end (don’t add before baking,
it will burn, not that I know by experience…).
Yes, the most proper way to serve cinnamon buns is on a pig platter
My favourite creation so far has been gingerbread granola. Just add gingerbread spices (ginger, cloves, nutmeg), cut up fresh ginger and use
molasses and brown sugar as the sweetener. Really good combo, especially during
the colder months.
Now I’m just trying to figure how to get it to create big
clumps like in the cereal boxes, any tips?
As some of you might have read, Colavita will not continue
as a team next season. Very sad news:(. A full article explaining some of the more in depth
reasons is available here.
Regardless of all the politics behind cycling teams, I
just want to use this post to reflect upon my experiences and celebrate the
success we achieved as a team this season! I could not have asked for a better
introduction to professional racing. I'm so grateful for all the amazing sponsors that made the team possible this year!
By the end of the season, the team was ranked #1 in the US. We held the top 3 individuals in the NRC rankings, had 41 victories and over 100 podiums. Pretty
impressive eh? It was the absolute best season the team had ever had.
One thing that constantly came up in our team meetings was
how our excellent team dynamics kept leading to success. Everyone truly cared
and believed in each other, and we were all 100% committed to any race plan. I
think one of the coolest things was that we were not always working for the
same people on the team, those podiums and wins were distributed across all members
of the team. Everyone had a chance to demonstrate and use their strengths to
their full potential.
I’m back at University and currently taking a social psych
class. The other day, we had a guest speaker come to talk about her experiences
as a group facilitator, and she also spoke of some of the current theories in
group dynamics. A simple one that I think can apply to the team is the Tuckman
theory. It basically indicates groups will go through certain stages before
working optimally together. These stages are Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing,
Mourning/Adjourning.
Basically you start at the forming stage, everyone is
getting to know each other, basic introductions, impressions.. It then moves onto storming
when the group knows each other well enough to voice any frustrations. (We never really had
much of this, thank goodness). Norming is when you’re starting to trust each
other. Everyone starts to understand their roles and responsibilities in the group. Performing is "characterized by a state of interdependence and flexibility. Everyone knows each
other well enough to be able to work together, and trusts each other enough to
allow independent activity. Roles and responsibilities change according to
need in an almost seamless way. Group identity, loyalty and morale are all
high, and everyone is equally task-orientated and people-orientated. This
high degree of comfort means that all the energy of the group can be directed
towards the task(s) in hand"(chimeraconsulting.com).I think this is just a perfect description of the team.
Mourning/Adjourning occurs when a group has reached the end of their time together, but don't want to stop working together. There is happiness in what was accomplished, but still a sense of loss. I think everyone on the team felt this way at the end of the season. Kinda cool when I can relate things learned in school to real life
experiences!
Despite not being able to continue that same group dynamic with the team ending, I’m sure it’s possible to reach that level again. I do have plans
set up for next season and will announce them in the next few weeks! Next
season will be a time for new beginnings.
