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February 28, 2007
Fingers Crossed
This is Cinnamon. I've been emailing back and forth with Cinnamon's owner since yesterday. Cinnamon is a near 2 year old Cockapoo who has been living life with a family of 4 (an 8 year old and a 6 year old boy and girl) plus an older dog here in Southern California. She's housebroken, doesn't use a crate (sleeps with 8 year old boy), knows some commands and lets the neighborhood girls dress her up.
This is way earlier than I expected to even be thinking about a new dog... but I stumbled upon Cinnamon in a freak way, she sounds absolutely perfect for our family and she's gosh darned cute too.
The family is giving her up for adoption "free to good home." Cockapoos are designer dogs and usually quite expensive so, as you can guess, they are getting a lot of traffic regarding Cinnamon. I was the first somewhat local person to contact the family and I am supposed to be able to check her out Friday while I'm up in Orange County for meetings.
Please cross your fingers for us.... I am a bit nervous about the timing but if she's as amazing as she seems there is now way we can pass up the perfect dog for our family.
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Practice yesterday... nice, strong, good breath... Landed Bakasana on the third attempt... my teacher wasn't watching. When he looked at me with his "well?" expression I said "I did it, I did it." Pointed to the guy next to me and said "HE saw it!" Teacher says "So, you are the witness, are you?" Guy smiles and indicates that I did do it. Teacher says, across room "It's Tuesday." I say back "good good... don't want next pose! Don't want it!" I just wanted to be excited that I actually landed Bakasana after 5 something years. I don't even want to THINK about Bakasana B. A few moments later, as I'm trying it again, the guy filming Mysore was beside me, my teacher helping the girl next to me... as I'm setting up he says "So, do you think you get to pick and choose?" Bewildered look on my face... followed up with "Your butt looks bigger on film...." Gee thanks.
Backbending was delicious but I got pulled up on the last assisted dropback with a wierd "belly pull" that I had never felt before. It was a nice slow ascent that I really enjoyed.
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Got up for practice this morning but it is pouring outside. Here's the deal... I tried to convince myself to just go but the studio is a half hour away... on the way back it is a good hour away with traffic and rain put together. If I was really lucky, 45 minutes. I have a meeting so there is just no way I can drive up there. Sucks.
I've been thining about how awesome Jenna is... home practice, dedicated to it. I think I need to find more wherewithall for the days I can't drive up to the studio. I just don't have a peaceful place here and I get too easily distracted.
I am the Queen Of Whine.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 10:50 AM | Comments (12)
February 26, 2007
No, No, NO
Today has been a downright crappy ass day (sorry Andrew, I will try not to whine but I have nothing overtly positive to mention today either). It started with a crappy ass practice. My knee hurt like hell this morning. I've got to figure out this Motrin thing because when it works, it works great but I think it takes, at a minimum 1.5 hours to work and 2 is better yet. I took it at about 6:05 this morning and my knee was just uber painful this morning. I couldn't even bend over in Ardha Baddha (standing). Tim watched me do the Bakasana transition after Utkatasana today... I didn't land it. He shook his head. I shrugged my shoulders and figured that one was not really in the series anyway ;) (good excuse, eh). Tim tried to adjust me into Dwi Pada... but he got my legs back there and I popped out. The knee hurt too bad. He said I "bailed" on him. I said "Yep." No holds barred for me today... just a crappy practice. I did all of first, a few backbends, nearly cried with Kiran brought up Max, rolled up my mat and let with an attempt to get back to Carmel Valley by 8:30 ... but I'd left too late and I missed the birthday party fun in the classroom.
When I got home the rescue mom called from the rescue organization. She wanted me to call the facility we boarded Max with and find out what trauma had transpired while he was there. She was convinced something happened to him. I told her that, all in all, the signs were there. We've had numerous behaviour issues with him... heck, her very own trainer told me he was aggressive and the trainer's daughter told me he tried to bite her and that was in the first week we had him. I dismissed all his issues as puppy behaviour or comfort... sure that he would grow into being this amazing little guy. When I was done listing all the things that had happened since we got Max, she said that he would be coming back to her house so she could evalute his behaviour.
The Son's parent-teacher conference was today. UGH. We have a constant battle with him over homework. He's really smart, he's just not motivated.
As soon as I got home the trainer who has Max called. In a nutshell she told me that in her professional opinion and she's been doing this a long time... that Max is genetically imperfect and that, to use her quote, "he doesn't have all his oars in the water." After talking to me for awhile she told me if she was making an honest recommendation, she would have to recommend he be put down... for his sake... that his little mind just is haywire and he has no peace in the world. I nearly lost it when she told me this. She followed it up with the reminder that the rescue mom won't let that happen... that she'll keep him and so he'll probably go live in a household with just a couple and two older bichons.
I told the kids this afternoon. The Daughter got really upset about it and cried. It's a sad day all around. So, in a month or so, we'll start looking for a new dog. I don't even know where to start to be honest. Do I do another rescue? How do you find a good breeder? Do I stick with a Bichon or look at a Maltese, can poodles ever look not like a poodle? Are there other hypoallergenic or non-sheeding dogs I'm not aware of. What dogs are best with kids... I'm clueless and clearly need some research :)
Posted by ashtangagirl at 9:09 PM | Comments (9)
February 25, 2007
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I couldn't even come up with a title today. This morning when I went to leave for practice, my neighbors were out and asked about Max. I cried. Then I went to practice... it was a wierd steamy feeling in the room... not like normal. I think I've mentioned before that I find Sundays wierd because the Mysore regulars mostly go to second series and the people in First Series are usually different every week and not people who come regularly to Mysore. I will forever be amazed at how people's energy mixes and matches.
I cried when Tim asked me about Max. I cried during Shavasana. I had a really hard time with focus today and around Mari A I had this overwhelming desire to be squished. This is odd because I've never ever had that feeling of need for an adjustment before. I just felt like if I could get a really good squish, it would all come out and be gone. If we were in Mysore, I would just ask for the adjustment but in a first series class, I rarely get adjustments and couldn't find anyone to ask.
Today was The Daughter's 6th birthday. I was reading my On This Day archives about her birth. My life was so different then. Frankly, it was 50,000 times better. My only care was my children... doing all of that right. I was wrapped up and completely immersed in parenting and parenting only... I really miss that.
I got an email from the trainer who has Max. She "doesn't like what she sees" but said that he could be rehabilitated with a lot of time and training. Frankly, I have no time for a high needs or special needs dog and so it probably won't be with me. She also suggested that he would do better in a home without children, with a single owner. She mentioned a few things about the breed and her recent findings with them especially rescue ones. We still haven't officially told the kids that he isn't coming back. I'm still finding it very hard to think of him not being here. It's amazing how large a part of me wants to just go get the poor little guy and make him feel safe. It royally sucks. I'm sure with time it will be better... and we'll think about another dog. I don't have any idea how we'd approach that. Rescue, puppy, adult, relinquished, shelter...
Posted by ashtangagirl at 11:50 PM | Comments (3)
February 24, 2007
Thin Flick of Grey
If you haven't read my previous post "He's gone" you should probably do that now.
All night I have vascillated between crying, then feeling stupid for crying, and thinking that somewhere in my gut, I just knew. I'd seen questionable behaviour before but I chalked it up to my own fear... the reality is that no dog bite, big, small, provoked or unprovoked is acceptable. Today some people have argued with me that the bite wasn't "big enough" to hurt The Daughter so maybe I'm overreacting.
Yet every single professional basically agrees that a dog bite, unprovoked, non-territorial, non-posessive, who knows why bite is basically grounds for removal if not something more catastrophic.
This royally sucks. I find myself wanting to find the imperfections and animalistic behaviour from .... well, my animal, .... just so that I don't have to feel so bad anymore.
Who knew one little fuzzy, curly, perfect little ball of imperfect whiteness could hold such a huge piece of my heart.
I think I've, gasp, become a dog person.
(I even tried Gus' passion, veggie booty, with Max once :>)
Posted by ashtangagirl at 11:27 PM | Comments (6)
He's Gone
Max bit The Daughter today. I'm really really upset about the whole thing. I'm upset that he'd bite my baby... and I'm upset that my dog is gone. I loved that little guy, underbite, potty accidents and all.
We spent the whole day with him... we took him to the Pannikin for lunch, we hung out... then this afternoon I went to take a nap. I was laying on the bed, Max was on the bed too, laying down, on his side, comfortable. The Daughter came in and laid down on the other side of the bed. I began to close my eyes. Suddenly I noticed, or, rather, felt, a flurry and, from the corner of my eye saw that Max had lunged at her. Completely without warning... he got her chin. Two welts raised, two small puncture marks but no blood... but it was enough.
I called the rescue organization and told the lady. She had me call their trainer who met me in a parking lot, looked at The Daughter's chin and told me if it was any other dog, even a slightly bigger dog, the dog would be on the way to the vet for his last breath :( :( I am so upset. She took him with her. I don't know what will happen to him now. The rescue lady told me they would have her evaluate him for a couple of days and then call me to tell me what they thought... but the trainer told me in the parking lot that he wouldn't be coming up (not in those words, The Daughter was there)... she also left me a message asking for pictures of the bite "for the organization" which I think she meant animal control.
I am just devastated... I just don't even know what to do and I can't believe how I balled like a baby handing him over. I know I shouldn't have. The Daughter was there... I don't know what to do now.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 9:00 PM | Comments (2)
February 22, 2007
America's Funniest Home Videos
Ode To The $1 Millon Dollar Winner:
Oh those knees go behind the shoulders
then you clasp your hands....
you take a little baby step forward (right leg first)
....
you trip and fall over someone's konasana
:) :) :)
No, that didn't happen to me... I am not currently checking in on Tittibasana but it was worth the price of admission.
Tomorrow is one of those days where I have so much work stuff to do that I have to accept I can't practice. There's no way to have it all. I really hate those days.
I am worried those days are becoming more the norm.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)
Non-Success
I don't want to say I was successful... I wouldn't call it successfull but I did manage to exit Bakasana for what one could call "the correct method" today... this was after doing the pose at least 5 times in front of my teacher, having the guy across from me tell my teacher that I was leaning too far back, doing it 5 times more, my teacher leaving the vicinity, successfully getting both legs back with only Kiran watching... finally giving it one more go to what everyone around me (probably now sick of the drama, exclamations and repetitive nature of the pose) called success.
Now to do it for real next time.... whenever next time is. Who has a shower that lives close to the studio? I have to be on client site in Irvine at 10am. I do not have enough time to come home but must have a shower...or maybe I can fake it... actually maybe I should just try that... everyone else does it, I might as well try it.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 4:52 PM | Comments (2)
Sales Girl Extraordinaire
And paid like a tech.
Home. 7 Hours later. This trip was all about The Son. It wasn't intended to be that way. He took a snowboard lesson, an all day lesson, on his own the first day there. He took a snowboard lesson a couple years ago, with me... and it was just really difficult. The Son is much more cerebal than physical and I worried that he would give up quickly, hate it but endure it because he had to. When I picked him up, he said he liked it. I told him if he was excited we could call and find Daddy to come get him for a run. He jumped all over that offer. That's when you know The Son is excited. So The Husband boarded from the top of the mountain to the bottom in record time and they went up. I grabbed the camera, took the picture from below... and then waited for them to board by. It took forever but I got some pictures... watched them go for another run.
The Daughter and I waited in the hotel for them to come back. When they did, The Son had tears in his eyes... he exclaimed that his father didn't help him and he was never, ever snowboarding again. For the record, I felt that way after my first run with The Husband.
We all got up in the morning and The Son was jazzed to go back out with his dad. Forgotten were the tears of tiredness from a very long day of physical activity. They were out all day. They were both so psyched... it was so very, very beautiful.
On the last day, we generally play together as a family, sled, get some lunch and drive the drive home. The Son wanted more boarding and I told The Husband that they should go. Get him hooked, go. So they did. I think we have finally found a sport that The Son really loves and just picked up really fast. It was very cool.
A Parenting Moment.
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I have decided I really do hate the business world. There's only so deep I can go into it before something happens that makes me think "Okay, no, far enough thank you, where's the emergency exit?" I'm not sure if I've actually thought that yet but it sounds like a vaguely familiar tune.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:12 AM | Comments (2)
February 20, 2007
Sledding Hanuman
Drove up to Mammoth Mountain on Saturday. For you non-California dwellers, Mammoth is mountain ski area about 6-7 hours from San Diego. Big Bear is closer but usually is mostly man-made snow and overcrowded. I drive up and we stop one time and one time only. We stop for gas, a potty break, stretch the legs then pile back in. This year the drive up was insane. They've changed the two lane highway into a predominately no-passing zone. Half the trip is now mindless and frustrating when you get behind a big truck... where it used to be a mental exercise to determine how to safely pass all the way down the 4 hour span of highway. Usually the weather is inclement and somewhat scary but this year it was 70 degrees all the way up. We even had to run the air conditioner at one point. We arrived to sunny skies and a mountain of snow. It was so nice and the lifts had just closed that the kids and I threw on our clothes and went to the base of the lift for some sledding.
Sunday it snowed all day. Since the kids and I were having an inside day, only The Husband was affected by the white out.... and it made Monday a wonderful day of snow. The Son took a snowboard lesson, The Daughter, a ski lesson with her little friend (she'll be a snowboarder but her friend was taking a ski lesson).
The instructor told me "She's so coordinated, so athletic!" Yes, she is our little wonder. He told me she blew through lessons 1 and 2... something that apparently takes two lessons and not just one. I felt bad telling him she'll likely switch to snowboarding next year.
The Son did great on his lesson... and seemed to like it so much that he went up with The Husband right after he was done. The Husband has been waiting 9 years for this moment:
I found time to practice on Sunday. The hotel has a very small workout room. The only yoga studio in town has apparently discontinued all but one ashtanga class (they used to have a great intro to second class and a primary series class too). It was cold in there so I wore a bazillion layers, hooked my iPod up to one of the layers, moved the equipment out of the way in a corner and practiced. I was worried I'd be stiff having not practiced in so long... but, instead, I was amazingly open and warm. I even broke a sweat regardless of the fact that the lifts had closed and people, mostly kids, were trekking back and forth through the door next to me to get to the pool. This let all the cold air in. Kids came and went, stopped and stared, came back, yelled...then an entire two families decided that they would bring all the kids and adults into the workout room to dry off from the pool... each kid lined up and watched me (I was about at Mari B at this point). I was so open that I just couldn't/wouldn't stop... and kept going... and then I got to backbends.... and dropbacks... 3 teenage boys were "working out" in the room. On my second backbend I popped up... just popped up... so I started dropping back... and it was oh so nice. I could hang out halfway for what seemed as long as I wanted before dropped down nice and soft and quiet and popping back up. It was lovely....
I did about 20 of them....
my quads have burned ever since.
This morning the kids and I got up to see the Huskies:
There were 12 of them:
The brown one is a mix of chocolate lab and husky... the rest all huskies with one malamute mix. They are born and bred to be sledding dogs and they love kids. They have never walked on a leash, know the words easy, ha (means left) and whatever the right word is... and they get really excited and jump up and down when they are nearing the time to pull the sled. They pee while pulling and running (but they do stop for "nuggets").
The kids had a great time and begged to do it again. Maybe next year....
Posted by ashtangagirl at 3:50 PM | Comments (5)
February 17, 2007
Expertise
No yoga. Planned. I'm in a funk. I know what it is but I don't have the ovaries to a) publically admit it and b) do anything to change it.
It will come.
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Everything seems to be going by too fast. A factor of age? A factor of working? A factor of life? My son turns 9 this weekend. We'll be in Mammoth like usual. I'm just stunned that he's a 9 year old boy. He even looks like a 9 year old boy. The Daughter turns 6 next weekend. No long a baby... It's a wierd wild ride.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:22 AM | Comments (4)
February 16, 2007
43 Minutes
That's what I gave my practice this morning. I'm so crazy busy that I couldn't see how I could possibly fit in a whole practice and, at the same time, I knew that I was bordering the edge of 7 days without a real practice. I keep forgetting that a real practice is whatever happens in any practice that day.
On the mat... utter pain... knee, stamina, arms... I convinced myself that there wasn't time for second series today. That led me to the question of whether I could even finish first... which led me to the complete ball of lead my entire body felt like and I basically decided ending after standing might be too embarrassing... so I did a few poses of first, 4 backbends, finishing and left.
I don't even remember the last time that I was so filled with everyday living crap that I couldn't practice. That's okay... at least I saw the front of my (very dirt) mat.
At work today I went to a large figure sales call. These are always interesting to me because it is such foreign territory. It is the part of this business that I am least familiar with and where I have the skills to learn. Yet, I walked out with the committment to come back and do a business planning, scope/requirements engagement.
It still freaks me out to think people are handing me hundreds of thousands of dollars to "turn their business around." At times I want to put a big sign on my head that reads "Are you freakin' crazy? All I want to do is go to yoga, feel some sunshine and hang out at home... I'm so not the person to make these business decisions for you." It's like a role to play, a game to solve, a strategy to decipher.
Ego: May be slightly more inflated than after yesterday's beating.
This whole day has reminded me of bakasana.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:40 AM | Comments (2)
February 15, 2007
C R A Z Y
My flight to Seattle sucked.
My time in Seattle was illuminating and, from an intellectual point of view, exceedingly stimulating and fun... but the schedule permitted no yoga with David G and one lousy chaotic practice at the health club in the hotel (where every chatarunga left me face to face with the afterslime of a kids Valentine's Day party). I got home early this morning and then knew I couldn't go to bed until I had fulfilled my duties as a parent. The same parent who, two years ago, promised The Daughter that forever and ever, when she woke up on Valentine's Day morning, she'd have a present from me. She still remembers that conversation and she still reminds me of it every year with the wistful smile and gleam of childhood magic in her eyes.
This is the same look that every parent bends over backwards for. And for good reason.
So begins the next month of chaos, hotels and airplanes.
- Mammoth
- Palo Alto (anyone know how early the doors open at Yoga Is Youth? I find a lot of traditional studios have the published start time but an earlier true start time)
- Home for a day (might as well add that as a trip)
- Napa Valley (for my first time ever and to celebrate our 12th anniversary or is it 13)
- Redmond
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I have to mention one more train of thought. I was up in Seattle for a developer event. An event like this is a small group of people who specialize in one fragment of the technology available to engineer business process today. Last year for this same event, I was the only female with the exception of two internal marketing individuals from the mothership. I was really happy to see that this year there were 3 of us in the technical audience.
This afternoon, however, I had my professional ego handed to me on a plate. It has sorta tripped me up ever since.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:00 AM | Comments (4)
February 9, 2007
The Tiny Tadpoles
Today was the first time in a few weeks I got to teach yoga for kids. We had a good time. I have this little girl who, like The Daughter, is really naturally flexible. I had them try Bhekasana today and she totally just went heels down, chest up. It was very pretty and it reminds you to remember asana the way it was when you didn't have some preconceived notion of what your edge was in any position.
Shiva.. Shiva... Shiva.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:01 AM | Comments (3)
February 7, 2007
Hanging Out For Awhile
I set my alarm for 5:30. Of course, I was then awake from about 3am on worried that if the alarm really did go off, The Dog would wake up which would then wake everyone else up... so I kept waking up, looking at the clock, drifting off, waking up... repeat, rinse, cycle again. The reason I set the alarm clock so early was to try and take the Motrin 1.5 hours prior to practice rather than right as I'm leaving. So in the dark, under the covers (so as not to wake up The Dog or at least let him know I was awake), I managed to open the Motrin, find 4 pills and down them before then drifting back off to sleep, forgetting to set the alarm to a more reasonable 6:15. Fortunately, I managed to wake up again around 6:20 and fled out the door. Practice started out stiff... icky... and I started early in the still cold room since I had a conference call at 8:40. YogaChickie, the last two days, for your benefit, I've timed my practice (since both days I had no time to dilly dally around) to Supta Kurmasana... 45 minutes easy BUT I only usually do 3 and 3 of Surya A & B and I have been skipping Somakonasana and Hanumanasana which you guys don't do anyway but we normally do at our studio.
Kiran was next to me today and at some point, after watching her do Bakasana, the light bulb went off for me that part of the reason I am mentally incapacitated with this pose is that I'm afraid of the landing. I am still working through chatarungas... I can only occasionally do them correctly without bearing some weight on my arms from my sides and I definitely would be afraid to land that and be in the correct position... so I leaned over to tell this alarming news to Kiran who then told me that I should move from Bakasana into plank instead of chatarunga... and she nicely gave me a demonstration... after which we looked up to the face of our teacher with one of those looks that you aren't sure resembles your dad when you are 15 and caught smoking a joint out of a soda can in the back of school (no no, not like that ever happened to me or anything) or an indulgent smile you might give your five year old chatterbox. Shortly thereafter Kiran leaned over and said "He's gonna give you that pose today." To which I replied "No no, I don't want it."
Kapotasana wasn't as readily available for me today... and I didn't have time to do it a bunch of times like I like to.... and then Supta Vajrasana... after which I was met with "Okay, Julie, today... Bakasana... since you had the lesson from Kiran." He then informed me that my exit had to be correct. Great. After my first attempt my teacher said "Looks like we'll be staying here for awhile." Gee, ya think? :)
I did Bakasana about 7 times. The first few times I can kick one foot out (the left one) but the right one just doesn't go. Finally I managed to get the right one to kick out but not at the same as the left one.... then finally I got them both out and back at the same time but I landed on my belly (and my teacher didn't see this attempt)... my last two attempts were poor imitations of attempts.... but I suppose now I have something to chew on since I really am the only person on the planet that can't jump out of Bakasana.
Bakasana... there probably isn't a pose I dread more than Bakasana and that includes Kapotasana. But there you have it... Bakasana on my plate... Bakasana... Bakasana... Bakasana.
End Whine & Dine.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 1:36 PM | Comments (6)
Look At Me, Look At Me
To follow Kathy's lead:
In completely informational, boring news:: Crazy morning. Not only did I have to get myself ready for yoga, to take a shower at Tiff's house after practice, for a meeting right after that but I had to get The Dog all packed up for his adventure with Tiff.... I'm actually surprised I made it out the door on time.
In completely self-indulgent practice related news: Today's practice was much much better. I don't know if it is a combination of having eaten some food with the Motrin this morning, the couple hour later start time (though that didn't help on Sunday) or that I took the Motrin 1.5 hours before practice instead of just 45 minutes ('cause I just don't get up that early for 7am classes). I felt strong and happy today for practice... I did Kapotasana on my own the first time... got to mid-foot on my own... did Kapotasana again... only got my feet this time... with an adjustment I actually felt my heels, the whole heels... not on top of the heels but I was definitely fingers on heels. I was so excited when I came up that I said, to my teacher looking at me with one of his unexplainable smiles, "I felt my heels!" as if that didn't happen to people everyday.... I followed up with "really exciting for me!" Dropbacks were fun again... hang out... drop down..come up... no drama and excitement to try it again. I even managed to come up straight legged into a headstand again... but couldn't manage to time it so my teacher would see my progress ;) I could just put a sign on my back that says "Look at me!" (kidding..really).
In equally boring but blog worthy news: I am dealing with a doomed project at work. Hate those. On the other hand, there are some really exciting things underway that really drive towards all the things I've ever wanted in my career. I don't know whether I actually get to do it/them or not but it is exciting to think about. I was nominated for a particular position (not with regard to my actual day to day job) that will be pretty cool. If it pulls through I'm not even sure I can announce it on my public blog since it will be completely NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) but it will be cool for me anyway. The wierd thing is that when I do 9am Mysore, I usually bring my phone because I technically should be working so I check once during practice to see if anything is hitting the proverbial fan. So today when I did my check I got a strange email, that I read.... and this email informed me that I would be nominated for this particular position (for lack of a better word). I was really sorta moved by it. It is quite an honor (in my small brain)... So the wierd thing is that I didn't really process it until about Savasana... and then I felt like I might break down. I am pretty sure if I didn't feel pressured to get out of the room, to Tiff's to shower and make sure my dog wasn't freaking I might have had a cry fest... unfortunately for me, I had minutes for Savasana today....
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
February 6, 2007
Like M&Ms
I finally took a bath at 9pm tonight. I seriously considered just going to back and taking a shower pre-practice tomorrow but then I thought what message that might send to The Husband and decided I should, at the very least, go to bed clean.
I didn't forget the Motrin this morning. The knee was still somewhat troublesome. I'm sad to say it. I am starting to get worried that this wasn't just some cyst and it will all be gone away in another week. I'm about ready just to ask for the MRI and be done with it. Kapotasana didn't feel so good again today but I didn't get an adjustment either which I believe is the first time. Maybe it's time to just sit and stew with it on my own. I was able to hold my feet in Supta Vajrasana today for the first time since my last surgery. It's a really pleasant feeling when I "get something back" -- I'm not sure why yet it just is. So I go with it.
Like a 3 year old, I was really hoping my teacher would notice that I managed to do headstand with straight legs today for the first time in a regular class since my first surgery. Today -- a celebration of firsts or, actually, second firsts.
I spent the entire afternoon playing graphic designer... making a css and master page layout for client (we can now safely assume all of my clients are "big huge" enterprise, name brand kind of clients). I suck as a graphic designer so it was a long day of figuring out pixels and HEX and whatchamacalit. On the other hand, I got a congratulatory email today about a project I worked on for multi-national company. And I forgot I am going to Seattle on Sunday so perhaps I'll be able to practice with David Garrigues while up there. I better remember to rent a car tomorrow with GPS. The last few times I went there I got lost.
Tiff is going to take Max for me for half the day tomorrow... actually I guess most of the day. She's going to take him from yoga and then keep him while I go to a meeting. I'm actually nervous. What if he misbehaves! Scary... sorta just like having a kid scary. I'm going to make her txt msg me every so often to tell me he's okay. What if he thinks I'm not coming back :( :)
Is it scary that I got totally into the latest MSDN developer's journal? I think it is a bit scary.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 12:31 AM | Comments (3)
February 4, 2007
New Pajamas
I hate to say it... I had been on such a high... but first series sucked today. The Knee was really, really hurting :( It was wierd because while it hadn't been feeling 100%, it wasn't something that kept my attention for my entire practice either. Today it reminded me that it exists. We were at Urdhva Padmasana when I realized that I hadn't taken 800mg of Motrin this morning. I'm so not in the habit of taking pills that I forgot (which I do regularly with my thyroid medication I readily admit)... I asked my teacher about it later and made the comment that even my back hurt today and I've been so in love with backbending lately. He then told me that Motrin also makes backbending easier ;) I suppose you'd lose a liver to live on that stuff wouldn't you?
I found out yesterday that I am really 37. For the past year I think I've said I was 36 but I have lied. I'm 37. My sister turned 40 this week so, yes, I must be 37. My mom had to tell me.
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Today was one of those perfect Southern California days. 70 degrees... sunny... blissfully, sit in the backyard and eat lunch, let the kids play in the trampoline, dog eating his gross and disgusting bully stick kinda days. This is why we pay so much to live here (and we do... I cannot believe our taxes this year).
The Husband told me today, in response to my bright idea to open a family yoga center... like have a kid's room on one side and a parents room on the other and offer something for both... babysitting for yoga and yoga for kids... with the kids room painted all whimsical and lovely... "but you are so good at what you do." He's so proud of what I'm doing and that's really cool. He's not threatened by it or anything... in fact, if I was willing I could make up his salary and he could stay home (but I'm not willing). I think that's really great.
I got new pajamas... all the yoga tops I can't wear anymore. The really lightly supportive ones like BePresent or my stash of yoga studio tshirt whore practice tops. I can't wear them for practice anymore and they provide the perfect level of post surgical support for my current recovery period (dare I hope there isn't always some recovery period I'm going through?). It's kinda nice actually... new pjs.
Posted by ashtangagirl at 11:34 PM | Comments (17)
February 2, 2007
Decent Society
One of those days today... where the rush of being a real live adult human being with really big responsibilities to my family, myself and my *gasp* clients. I'm not used to having to add in another layer of self-awareness... the interaction of decent society. I debated blogging about it almost entirely... in the end I had to go ask The Husband if a major part of my intended blog subject was morally offensive and, should I go ahead and blog about my thoughts, I may no longer be welcome amongst normal people as a functioning version of a human being.
In the end, I have no confidence that divulging the inner workings of all that facing inward for today wouldn't make the entire blog world gasp and giggle around the water bottle stand (well, in our studio, we don't have a stand... in fact, I'm not even sure we have water bottles since I've never ever used one and really have no idea HOW water is helpful to that pose... it makes me feel more sticky). So I won't.
I had a couple of things wierd happen to me today though. I love when I have the presence of mind to think about what my day was like, how I behaved, how confident am I that I behaved as myself and that I'm being true to what my professed beliefs are. If I'm not, either the belief has to change or I do (this thin tightrope game we all play!). My fuel for the day was 4 hours of restless sleep and a grande mocha with no whip cream.
I had a client meeting. It was wierd. I can't even put my finger on the number of ways it was wierd. After the client meeting I was going through the emails on my phone when I got a notification of a new user at Ashtangi.NET. I don't usually read the names or keep track of who is a member or who isn't but this name jumped out at me. In a wierd twist, it was a parent I used to know from my very early years online and involved with "people" through this machine. It's a wierd thing to do but there are a few people I met and have spent time with "in real life" that are really amazing people. I remember this particular person because her nature is so serene and calm and she's very passionate. She's also the first person who told me that dark chocolate is really vegan. Sorta a small world when you think about it.
I'll skip over the morally questionable bits....
This afternoon when all the work was done, I took the kids to the comic store. We've never been to the comic store before but The Son is totally into these Stikfas and there is apparently one store here in San Diego with them... a comic store. They had a great time and it was nice to spend time with them.
I also ate a dark chocolate candy bar... the Roseberry one. Yum!!!
Posted by ashtangagirl at 11:15 PM | Comments (5)
The 70s Bus
Who knew that posting pictures of possible haircuts could generate so many comments ;) As I mentioned in response, I showed the pictures to The Daughter who nearly burst into tears and insisted that I could not, absolutely could not, cut my hair off... she insisted that I would look like a boy and that it would be positively "not okay" with her. She did, however, tell me that it was okay to cut it to my shoulders. Not that I listen to a near-6 year old or anything. I have yet to make an appointment because my life is too crazy... and I'm still thinking it over to be honest.
I didn't get to practice on Wednesday. It was never in the plans as I had to be in Irvine for a client meeting all day. The Husband and I carpooled which was interesting and sort of intimate. The client meeting was horrendous and a cess pool of potential failure. Truthfully, I really like what I do but, man, these situations can be really frustrating since I have little control over it and all the responsibility. Fortunately, my ladies holiday also showed up and so I could release the guilt of not practicing :)
Just as fortunate since I had to be on a literal school bus this morning at 8am. The Son begged me (and I mean that literally) to go on his field trip to the science center with him today. I didn't want to do it. I have too much work to do, a huge demo to 6 E-level executives at 8am tomorrow that I'm not even halfway prepared for (and yes, it is 10:22pm as I type and, yes, I am not halfway done yet)... but I couldn't say no. I teach yoga for The Daughter weekly but do very little in terms of volunteering for third grade and so I went. The third graders were awfully excited to ride the school bus. We have no bus program here in our school district so all kids, all grades (elementary through high school) are driven, carpooled or walk to school. The idea of being on a school bus is so novel and, apparently, the most exciting thing to happen to most of them, including The Son, all year. I can't say I was as excited. I seem to remember those old green rubber seats ripped up, with the sticky balls of goo the seats are made out of becoming fuel for some sort of "bus seat goo" fight... but perhaps I just don't remember being 9. I was surprised that my son was the only one with a parent chaperoning who also wanted me to sit next to him on the bus. We saw the Mars IMAX movie which was pretty good, saw some science exhibits and played in the park before taking the bus back again.
I had to skip dog training tonight... there was just no way... my demo is at 8am and I'm not done with it... haven't rehearsed it (I hope I am as good as I think at doing things on-the-fly) and I'm getting sick and have a scratchy throat.
Ah, life... it's good, isn't it?
Posted by ashtangagirl at 1:20 AM | Comments (4)