Well, anyway, at least for me it's true - I have skydived. We (me and my husband) did it when we were 19. That was back in Russia. Our first child was 3 months old then (yes, we were teenage parents). We left him with my in laws - and mother-in-law was not happy - she was claiming us irresponsible parents asking who would care for our son if we break our legs (not to mention necks!) But she couldn't stop us. As apparently - at least for me - it was in my blood (genes). And you cannot argue with that.
We were kind of irresponsible I have to agree - but we have chosen the safest (and the cheapest, and I'm afraid that - not safety - was the main decision-making factor) type of skydiving - 800 meters jump, pretty robust, simple and predictable parachute - the prototypes for those were used in WWII and even scared first-time jumpers in the middle of the war scene were usually able to use it correctly. For example the probability for it to not open is pretty low as the main parachute's cover is attached to the plane by the hook - so when you jump out it's pulled out from backpack automatically. The only thing you need not to forget is to pull the ring - but this ring doesn't open the main parachute (as I thought) - it doesn't let the safety parachute to open. If you forget to pull the ring you just descend dangling between two parachutes in an awkward position and cannot land gracefully. We had a serious training for a whole day. They did prepare us for a lot of situations - strong winds, electrical wires, lake landing etc. The day was perfect - there was practically no wind so the jumps went smoothly anyway. I was really curious if I would be able to step into the sky by myself - but the trainer didn't give me the possibility to check - when I was in the door frame I found out why everybody was jumping out without hesitation - he was pushing everybody :D
About 1 minute in flight and only several seconds of free fall - that was it, but it was a beautiful experience! And I would like to do it again - with a more sophisticated parachute this time. Moreover - the thing that attracts me a lot is a wing suit. If you don't know what it is - go to YouTube. Looks so much fun! But I am a bit responsible after all and I will wait until both my kids are grown enough before (and if) I try this one :D

And the problem with Hashimoto's is that it's not really being treated, you just take the pill of synthetic hormone each day, but nobody tries to cure it. This pill makes your blood tests kind of normal but you often still feel not ideal, and actually sometimes even crappy. There is also a constant problem maintaining optimal weight even if you eat well and exercise. Being not only an artist but also a biologist I am constantly screening the internet for possible solutions, checking ideas in scientific publications and after some reading and consideration I found that despite my skepticism gluten-free diet could be useful for me (of all people!). I did come up with a plan. As a scientist I realize that I don't have a control (second version of me), and I also decided to mix two experiments in one - I am not only avoiding gluten but also trying intermittent fasting (skipping breakfast and lunch two days a week). I do feel much better and I did loose some weight. The weight loss is reeeeally slow and the lost number is not that big yet but people did say that it seems to them that I am loosing weight. And my clothes look better on me which is a good sign. Well - the goal is to be that "hipster" for two more months and see what happens! Sorry for a kind of medical post - I actually feel not like a hipster but a bit like an old lady sharing exciting stories about her health :D But I thought - maybe it will be useful for somebody?

Last Monday I was not sure that the spring is actually here, but I was diligently performing my magic (see the previous post) and it worked!
On Thursday night we've heard them - the spring peepers. They are tiny frogs who spend winter under old leaves and sticks and as soon as the night temperature becomes bearable they go to the nearest swamp and start a concert! They are tiny but really loud, and their music is wonderful :) If you hear them - that's it! The winter is over!

Today it was snowing in the morning. But don't worry! Spring peepers are pretty hardy animals and it's going to be just fine :)