Anywhere Is…

I started taking yoga classes at Moksha Yoga in April of this year.

It has changed my life.

If I don’t go to at least one class a week, I feel off. Adam even says that I’m in a much more cheerful mood after class. I usually do feel what I called “yoga drunk.” I move slowly and I often, after class, just have to sit and be loopy for a while before heading home. It’s a yummy feeling.

Moksha is a great studio because it makes me feel safe. I remember the first day I went. The class before me was a level 2-3 class (I only take Intro/Basics or level 1-2 classes for now), and everyone came out looking dazed and really sweaty. I got nervous, thinking “Oh my God, what have I gotten myself into?” Then I went to that first class, a Tantric Vinyasa 1-2, and even though I had some fumbles (Mmm yeah, Half Moon Pose? Was not happening for me that day!), I kept at it. The teacher and a teacher trainee remarked that I did NOT look like a beginner, which made me feel good. My silly little ego blew up at that, though, which is one of the first and hardest things to get rid of in yoga. But I am working on it.

Yoga is teaching me these things:

1. It’s OK if I am not an expert at every single pose. I am just a beginner, after all, and someday, even after I’ve been doing yoga for ten or twenty years, I’ll still be a beginner in many respects. It’s perfectly OK to not be perfect. In the United States, people tend to be competitive, and perfectionists. I live in Chicago, and let me tell you, it is darned competitive here. When I first started yoga classes, I used to push myself to be as good as and/or better than everyone in my class. I’d forget that I was a beginner, and I’d get frustrated if I couldn’t stop wobbling during Tree Pose, or if I couldn’t lean all the way back for Reclining Hero Pose. I’d beat up on myself, forgetting that was NOT the point of yoga at all. Now I am learning that if I can’t get to the final pose, or to that next level, it was OK to be where I am at that time. After constantly pushing myself for anything and getting upset with myself for falling short, this was/is a hard yet welcome lesson for me to learn.

2. How to have compassion for myself. This is a hard one. Getting easier, but still hard. If I set a goal and failed to make it, I beat myself up for being a loser and a failure. Now, if I am in class, I realize that sometimes my body just does not want to go into a certain pose, even though I was doing it with ease the day before. This carries into my every day life. Sometimes, my brain just needs to go in a different direction.

3. How to eat better. Yoga is big on non-violence on many levels. This is non-violence in thoughts regarding yourself (see #2), non-violence in the way we behave toward others, non-violence in what we eat, and non-violence in our beliefs. I’m not going to lie. I still love me some Italian beef and fries, or McDonalds, and junk food? Yes please. But I am making an effort to eat better. To put happy animals in my body so that *I* can be happy. Yeah, it may sound a bit woo-woo, but I can tell you right now that when Adam and I pay more and eat the meat or eggs that’s grass-fed, free range, organic, blahdittyblahblah, we both feel better, emotionally and physically. Many yoginis are vegetarians. I am not ready to go that far. But I can eat better meat, so that’s what I’m doing.

4. A new level of spirituality. It started in class, when we were finishing up with an Om. It was a really pretty sounding one–there were some men in class so there was some baritone action. I told my teacher that I loved the way it sounded, and she suggested that I attend a kirtan. I was intrigued because other instructors have us chanting at the beginning of class sometimes, and I like that. She said it was like a massage for our insides. Adam and I went to the next kirtan. It was weird for me at first. Everyone gathered around, call and response chanting in a language I did not understand. What? And how was this “doing yoga”, I’d wondered, having believed that the asanas (poses) were the main focus. But it stuck with me. The chants and the tunes and the music. And I started looking for them. (Fortunately I have an emusic.com account–lots of kirtan-type stuff on there!) Then I started to worry. Those of you who have been following me for years know about how I was super Christian. Although I have definitely broken away from the church and the Christian culture, that’s still the foundation of my beliefs–that relationship with Christ. I had some trouble reconciling the two. Chanting to Hindi gods? Is this OK? Then I checked the commandments: My God doesn’t want any gods to be thought of as more important as He is. He didn’t say anything about gods in addition to Him. I smiled and relaxed. If anything, kirtan has helped me get more in touch with God.

“Kirtan is non-denominational, the Universal language of Spirit, the song of the Soul.” – New World Kirtan

It’s celebration. It’s love. How is that not God?

5. I can do things I never thought I’d be able to do. How many times have I flipped through a yoga book or browsed a yoga website, looked at a pose, shook my head and went “not even close”? And then end up doing that exact pose the next day in class? I only go to class once or twice a week, but already I have better balance, better strength, and crazy flexibility. Many times I have to get past whatever mind blocks I have and just do it. I surprise myself every time I go to class. Who knows what’ll be next?

6. Yoga can be fun! It’s not all spiritual and serious. Two of my teachers–Cassandra and Mia–have no problems acting silly and letting us laugh at them and ourselves. Cassandra often tells us to “smile” during a pose–we’re all wearing such serious and probably frowny faces, especially during some of those standing poses! Laughing really helps me relax with my class, with the teacher, and with myself.

7. It’s OK to move slow sometimes. Do I even need to elaborate on this? Life doesn’t have to be all about rush, rush, rush. Time goes quickly enough. Just slow down, drink lots of water, and enjoy life.

Other things I am learning: to be more assertive and to stand up for myself (this is going to be a lifelong struggle), unwavering gratitude for my many blessings (I still complain too much, though), and letting my defenses down so love can come in.

I like what yoga is teaching me. I will continue on this journey.

Yes, indeed, we had corn. Got a lot of it from one of those roadside stands in Iowa. Nothing like sweet, Iowa corn. Well, except the corn we had at a potluck. 18 cups of bi-color corn, baked in a pound of butter and a pint of half-and-half, frozen, and then slow cooked for hours. Yeah, probably enough cholesterol to last me until Christmas, but DANG was it good.

Iowa was busy, overwhelming, and fun. Aidan had a blast, and meeting little Lola was amazing (and did nothing to alleviate this ever growing ticking of my biological clock that has restarted for some reason). Lola is a total adorable squishy little sweetheart. I love her.

Precious little Lola

Here we are, with little Lola

Aidan was so good with Lola. He loved holding her, and every time she’d cry, he’d hold her cheek and rub her ear and calm her down. I forgot how magical babies are to kids, and I don’t know HOW I forgot, because babies are magical to me, too.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting a century farm. That means it’s been around at least 100 years, original farm house and everything. Interesting that I was able to get a decent cell phone signal at a century farm, but there you go. While we were there, we got up close with some turkeys, saw some peacocks and chickens, and Aidan gathered some eggs that we had for breakfast the next morning. Just so you know? I will never eat a “regular” egg again if I can help it. Organic, cage-free, grain fed eggs from now on. They are SO much better for you and they taste way better. And I always buy brown ones because they’re cool.

The ones we ate from the farm came from Easter Egg Hens (Araucanas), and the eggs were different colors, like light blue or light green or yellow. Very neat and pretty, too.

Anyway, here are some photos from the farm, including one of the eggs from the Easter Egg Hens:

We visited with lots of family and took lots of pictures. I’ll try to refrain from posting too many here, but I must post some, of course!!

…and the obligatory Selzer silly photo:

When we got back from Iowa we immediately jumped into finishing our summer with Aidan.

Aidan is definitely a city kid!

We tried to make the most of Aidan’s last week here. Monday, we went out to dinner with Adam’s agent and some other cool writing folks at the Atwood Cafe. It was very yummy. I had the pork duo which included pork belly. It was my first time having pork belly. IT WILL NOT BE MY LAST, FOLKS. Wow, it was good. I had pineapple upside down cake for dessert, also good.

Crookshanks got really, really sick. Adam was afraid that it was the end for Crookshanks. Fortunately, we put two and two together and realized that the poor cat was just constipated. The vet prescribed him some Metamucil, and Crookshanks has been MORE than fine. He’s jumping and wailing in the morning for attention and chasing Helena and climbing to the high shelf like normal. (Oh wait, he puked today, but that’s because he ate some carrot leaves. Silly cat.)

We took a trip to this huge shopping center Oak Brook, where the sales tax was only 7% or so, and I got 15% off of my American Eagle purchase (a pretty yellow shirt and some earrings) just for checking in on Foursquare. Aidan loved all the fountains out there.

I loved that it was like Easton, but WAY bigger. I was overwhelmed! (I am looking forward to Christmas shopping out there!) Aidan was pretty patient, considering, so he earned himself a Build-A-Bear that he named David.

David, hanging out at Molly’s Cupcakes

We ate dinner at Home Run Inn Pizzeria, and that pizza really was delicious. Something about the sauce… and the cheese. It reminded me of this pizza place I used to go to when I was little called Scotto’s Pizza. Anyone who shopped at Randall Park Mall in Cleveland in the early 80s would know what I’m talking about. Mmm. We definitely want to go back. After dinner, we all shopped some more. I *finally* used my Michael’s giftcard that I’d gotten for my 30th birthday back in 2004! It was still good! I was tickled pink. I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten that card before or after they passed all those laws preventing stores from screwing over gift card holders. At any rate, I picked up some scrapbooking stuff because guess what? I plan to do some serious scrapbooking this fall and winter. I am very, very, very behind on my scrapbooking. I want to make an Aidan book, a Ronni + Adam wedding book/honeymoon book, a Disney World 2009 book, and a family book. Seeing as I am not all that ambitious with the fancy embellishments and stuff, it’s gonna be a lot of paper and stickers. I am going to post some of my old layouts on Facebook. If we’re not friends there yet, why not?

Oh, and I went to Whole Foods for the first time. But not any Whole Foods. Folks, this was the most epic Whole Foods ever. Oh my God. This place is HUGE. It has all these food bars, free WiFi, a cheese counter, a fish counter, fruit forever, breads, tarts, cupcakes, cookies, salad bars, soup bars. Holy cow. I can’t even. And samples everywhere. Oh yes. I even tried an anchovy (and it wasn’t bad). Aidan was pretty bored (he wanted to get home to play with a toy or something), but I was fascinated. I hope I didn’t act like an idiot. We prefer going to Trader Joe’s (it’s way cheaper) but Whole Foods is fun, too! Nice people work at both. Nice people behind counters can be a rare thing to find in Chicago.

Summer is now winding down. I didn’t care much for the steamy nearly 100 degree days, but I’d rather have that than dead of winter any day! Now, it’s cooling down and I like where the weather’s been lately–low 80s or high 70s. Aidan went back to Ohio yesterday. He got to walk onto the plane with the Captain again, which thrills him to pieces. In the meantime, I was trying to hold back tears. I wasn’t fooling anyone, though, and a sympathetic mom hugged me. Adam and I went and drowned our sorrows in a trip to Burlington Coat Factory, which really didn’t help much. I got a cheap yoga tank and a cute short-sleeved hoodie (orange!), but there were some people in there who I wanted to shake!

Now it’s quiet in the apartment. So very quiet. At dinner, Adam said “Focus on eating,” because it didn’t feel like a meal without him needing to say it at least once. But there was no Aidan to say “I am.” It’s weird without him here.

But there is a lot to keep me busy in the meantime. I’m picking up more proofreading gigs (most of them are from home, which is great), I’ve been listening to kirtan like crazy, we’re gearing up for a trip to visit my family (especially AIDAN) and friends in Ohio, we’re going out on the lake in a boat next week, MOCKINGJAY comes out Tuesday, I’m going to meet Suzanne Collins in October (I’m #221 in line!), OVFF and Windy Con will be happening in a few months, a new America’s Next Top Model starts soon, Doctor Who Series 5 will be out on DVD, Beauty and the Beast will be out on Blu-ray™, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 will be in theatres, and I’m trying to talk Adam into a Disney World trip in January, when it’s cheap enough with the free dining that we’d get to stay in a moderate resort rather than Pop Century (although I LOVE me some Pop Century).

For now, I’ll continue my yoga, enjoy listening to kirtan, work on my writing, reading, and just enjoying life as much as I can. ‘Til next time.

This’ll just be a short one, I think. Epic update with pix from our trip to Iowa coming soon, I PROMISE! It’s only fitting, because reflecting on my trip to Iowa is kind of what’s spawning this post. That, and the fact that Aidan’s going back to Columbus on Saturday. He starts school on the 24th. While he’s meeting his new teacher, I plan to be curled up reading MOCKINGJAY until my eyeballs fall out!

When I was in Iowa, I learned that there really isn’t a rush hour. Seriously. There is no rush hour. We’re driving downtown at 515pm and THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC. None. Cars moving freely as if it was 4am and everyone was still asleep. No bumper to bumper. No constant braking. None of that foolishness. And then…all the green. All the nature! Green grass. Lots of trees. Water. Hills. The slower pace. The fact that you can go through the entire city and suburbs in about 20-30 minutes. Corn!

Then we get back here and as soon as we hit the city limits, my stress level started rising. Being honked at and tailgated even though Adam was speeding (I know, right? Hard to believe about my husband who drives like a grandpa, but it’s true. I saw it.) Fortunately, not much traffic until we got downtown–but seriously, it was 10pm. On a TUESDAY. Why the hell is there bumper to bumper traffic at 10pm on a Tuesday? But that’s how it is in Chicago. Not to mention the stupid traffic light patterns. No green except a few trees and some parks. Panhandlers every-freaking-where. Or some solicitors begging for donations or signatures. People walking with their cigarettes stuck out, so you have to be careful while strolling down State Street lest you get burneddddd. This apartment that’s falling apart because TMG Management sucks poop, but we stay here because no where else will there be a place this size for the price we’re paying. 10.25% sales tax. Tax on groceries. Bottled-water tax. Prepared foods tax. City Stickers (that $75 piece of cellophane all Chicago car owners HAVE to have on their windshields lest they get ticketed and ticketed and ticketed). Ridiculous parking costs (if parking can be found!). And the gas that was almost $1 more a gallon than it was in Des Moines.

I don’t want to live in Des Moines. It’s pretty, seems like a great place to raise kids, but it just isn’t diverse enough for me. And I need/crave diversity.

So, I hopped on Craigslist and started looking for places in Columbus. A nice rental house in Grandview, perhaps. Or maybe something cute in German Village. The reasons for moving (back for me) to Columbus make good sense. I mean, AIDAN’S there, and I’d get to be way more involved in his life again. I need that. And our money would stretch WAY farther in Columbus. I could listen to The Morning Zoo again. Eat at Morrone’s Italian Villa. Waste afternoons at Goodale Park. Take pictures at The Park of Roses. Visit the Columbus Metropolitan Library–Whetstone Branch. Dawes Arboretum. Lake Hope. I never thought I’d say this, but I even miss Black Hand Gorge a little bit.

But then I think of all the stuff I’d miss from here. All the new friends I am making. Moksha. Anderson’s Bookshop. Kirtans. Being able to take one-day gigs at ad agencies to make a little extra cash. Molly’s Cupcakes. The Art Institute. Nordstrom Rack. Macy’s shop windows at Christmas time. Cloud Gate. All the chances I’ve had to meet authors, former Mousketeers, actors, rappers. The Grove. Horizon Cafe. Being able to make a lot more money doing what I do here than in Columbus, and doing it from home. Knowing that employers trust me enough to work from home and pay me well for it! A bustling and gorgeous downtown. The skyline. A beach (even though I hardly ever go). A FREE zoo with giraffes! Living walking distance from just about anything I need. Target and Kohls’ stores with two floors.

Did I mention all the great people I’m meeting?

Because I didn’t leave behind a lot of close friends in Columbus. I daresay that most of the people I used to hang out with so much couldn’t care less whether I come back or not. I fear I’d get really lonely there. Again. Aidan really would be the main reason I’m going back. And that IS a big enough reason. But honestly? I’d rather he come here and stay with me for all time. I’m not OK with having him just for summers/some weekends/some school breaks anymore. He’s my kid. I want him with me all the time.

I have a love/hate relationship with Chicago. There are days where I am smiling and wondering how I could even consider moving somewhere else. But then something will happen that will piss me off, and I just want to pack up and run. Unfortunately, the type of place I want to live? I don’t think it exists. And then I look at old pictures of myself at the Arboretum or Lake Hope and miss it so much. I miss the good times I had, too; the friends I had…but those are gone. Never to be had again. I really need to fully let go of that. Yoga teachers say it all the time. “Let it go.”

Going. I go back and forth all day, every day, and I don’t know if I’ll ever find a place that feels like home to me. That’s a sad way to feel, my friends.

Hmph. I guess this is a lot longer than I thought. Oh well. Back to work with me.

‘Til next time.

I have decided that when Adam and I are super rich, we’re having a Japanese garden. Look at these pictures from the Osaka Garden yesterday:

It’s beautiful there. A little slice of heaven in Chicago.

A few weeks ago, I hooked my computer up to the scanner/printer/copier/fax machine/coffee maker/deep fryer/hot tub to scan some pictures. It’s one of those new(ish) Kodak ones that you put the really cheap ink in. Adam’s not happy with the printer, but who really is happy with their printer? I am VERY happy with the scanner, though. The easiest scanning I’ve ever done. No need to install bulky software. Just plop the picture in, push the button, and voila! So easy!

So, I went on a scanning spree. It’s time for me to thoroughly embarrass myself. Funny colors, creases, thumbs, and all. You will get the full enchilada of what happens when one digs out the big guns. Enjoy!

Little Cleveland Browns fan me. February 1977. I was two here. Had been for a couple months.

I was two here, and it was Easter. Obvi. 1977.

I was three here, and it was another Easter! Those curls were done with the magic of sponge rollers. You know you’re jealous. 1978.

I had just turned nine here. December 1983. Merry Christmas!

Me and my sister rocking out at my Aunt Lue’s house.

This was the first of many Baby Skates dolls I got. The legs kept snapping off for some reason.

Check out the retro Rainbow Brite doll my cousin Terri is holding behind me. I had just turned 10 here. Yeah, I was still playing with dolls. I STILL play with dolls. What?

Sixth grade graduation. June 1987. Mr. Trask, on the left, was the most awesome principal EVER. In my book, ONLY YOURS, I made him one of the teachers. Since OY didn’t sell, I plan to recycle him. It’s my way of remembering the best principal ever. First of all, he liked Mickey Mouse and wore Mickey Mouse ties (he’s wearing one in this picture!) and a Mickey Mouse watch. And he’d arrange for us to get out of class to eat popcorn, drink pop, and watch Mary Poppins. Or Laurel & Hardy. Do schools still do that sort of thing? Anyway, Mrs. Arnold, the assistant principal, is the one handing me something. She was the strict one, but she wasn’t mean. Her daughter, Jennifer, played violin and was SUPER talented at it. I am telling you all of this because, well, I need to somehow distract you all from the crazy dress I’m wearing.

Here I am in ninth grade honors biology, working on my science project. I still remember my hypothesis: If a fruit juice is fermenting, then it is giving off heat. I won third place. I also remember breaking a mercury thermometer. Go me. Like my double watches? I was STYLIN’.

Sweet sixteen and never been kissed. I was too obsessed with Joey McIntyre to worry much about real boys. My earrings are Lifesavers, though. Rock on.

Remember how I was too obsessed with celebrity boys to care much about real boys? Yeah, this is another example. Hmm, Homecoming or Mario Lopez? The choice was easy. I brought him a Homecoming flower that I’d spritzed with my Love’s Baby Soft Rain Scent perfume. He said it smelled good. October 1992.

My senior picture.

YAY! Graduation from John Adams High School. Class of 1993!

I lived in the Stadium Scholarship Dorm, but it would have been more accurately named the Stadium Work-Study Dorm. For a reduced cost (and a GPA of 2.8 or higher), the residents took up a lot of the work that would have normally gone to pay staff. For example, students worked cafeteria shifts, janitorial shifts, planned social events, and so on. After one or two cafeteria shifts, I was lucky enough to get clued in regarding an office shift. Here I am, on duty!

This was during college. Not sure if this was freshman or sophomore year–I started on an off-quarter, so the years kind of overlapped for a while there. Still, the point of this picture is to show you how into Mickey Mouse I was. There’s Mickey Mouse all over that room! I wish I still had that vest. It’s pretty sweet.

YEA! I am out of the dorms and living in Harrison House Apartments (which is completely something else these days). This is autumn 1995.

This was right after I was baptized and confirmed as a Catholic through RCIA. April 1996. I was a devout Catholic for about six months before backsliding. Oops. I no longer practice, but I think some aspects of the faith are beautiful.

Another desk job at my place of residence. I picked up some shifts at the Harrison House front desk. It was… interesting. Strangely enough, the graveyard shift was the most interesting. I was still very Catholic then. See the Eucharist necklace I’m wearing?

July 4, 1996. I’m really into the spirit! Ha!

Me on the balcony at Crystal’s Castle hotel in Pompano Beach, Florida, December 1996. Going to Southern Florida the week before Christmas was surreal. To be outside in the warm, sunny weather, playing on the beach and whatnot. Then going inside a mall and seeing Santa and candy canes and Christmas trees. People decorated their palm trees with strings of lights. It was very cool.

Oh, how I miss that flat tummy. And those pants were probably a size 0 or 2. *sigh* June 1998.

Virginia Beach, September 1999.

OK, so that’s a bunch of pictures of me from the 20th century. I also plan to do a major Aidan Blast From the Past, because I found some really adorable photos of him that I’d love to share. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my post. I’d love to see some of YOUR blasts from the past!!

I can’t believe it’s already been nearly a month since I’ve last updated! Like seriously, where did June go? And Independence Day has already passed. Slow down a bit, summer! I am not in a hurry for you to go away!

When I last left off, Eli and Melissa were still in town. I snapped this last picture of us before they took off:

There was much hanging out and playing….

Then the next weekend was DucKon! Aidan had a great time. He fit right in, talking Star Wars and watching the Tesla Coils. His favorite thing, though, was the balloon art.

During DucKon, we stayed at the hotel so Adam could stay as late as he wanted at the Filk. Aidan and I were up pretty late, and thank goodness because the fire alarm went off at around 2am! Aidan was amazingly efficient. He grabbed both of our stuffed toys, his balloon animal and his shoes. I grabbed my purse, the hotel key, and my hoodie. We went outside. Never found out the cause of that alarm. The one that went off at 8am was more scary, because this time we actually saw smoke. (Someone had burnt their breakfast.) Again, Aidan woke up and gathered everything very efficiently and we waited outside for the all-clear.

The days are speeding by in a blur of video games, sunshine, yoga, trips to the library (Aidan read 25 books and earned a tee-shirt), grilled foods, friends, and trips to the playground. On the day of the iPhone 4 release, we three stood in line for six hours to get the new phone. Apple provided us with Smart Water, lemonade, burgers, fries, and frosty desserts. Other companies passed out carrier bags and Red Bull. The people working in the store, though they must have been exhausted, were friendly and good-natured. Aidan was so good that I bought him a toy from The Disney Store. He also got to meet Mr. Reese’s (and get free candy!):

Another time, I decided I was having a good hair day and wanted to document it:

Helena was looking extra pretty another day:

July 4th consisted of food, friends, fireworks, and red, white, and blue Jell-O cake made by Yours Truly. Sure do wish I’d gotten a picture of that cake before we tore into it!

Chris and Aidan, and Amy and Me

Some new dollies made their way into my home and my heart:

I got to meet and hang out with the beautiful Mylin, who is an independent artist based in Los Angeles. She came to Chicago for a visit and spent the afternoon with me yesterday. I’d admired her since she was a teenager, dancing and singing on the All-New Mickey Mouse Club:

We also stopped at the Oak Street Beach. Why do I live here and never go to the beach? It’s so pretty!

Adam’s still working for the Census. I’m proofreading for Loyola, hanging out with Aidan, and still playing too many games, although I have cut back a lot of the Facebook games. Now I play more word games which actually do help me think a lot about my writing. Aidan plays a lot of games. He also does a really good impression of the 11th Doctor on Doctor Who. We watch The Eleventh Hour constantly. I think it’s one of my favorite episodes of new Who. (I haven’t watched very much old Who.)

The iPhone 4 is pretty cool. Not sure it if was worth waiting SIX hours for, but I’m glad I have it because my other one was making me mad. Crashing all the time, turning itself on and off whenever it wanted. Blah. Adam restored/unlocked it and sold it for nearly the cost of my new phone, so I essentially upgraded for $40.

I think that’s all for now. Life’s good. I am very grateful. ‘Til next time!

Aidan’s finally here!!!

Thank goodness. It seemed to take forever for June 8 to get here! Even he said, when he got off the plane “I can finally see you!” I really hate living so far away from him. I know it’s not even that far, but that doesn’t make it suck any less.

I am trying to figure out how to readjust my schedule to keep fitting yoga and writing in, plus taking care of him, and getting enough rest. Not to mention staying on top of eating reasonably well. It’s been a challenge this week because Adam’s brother and sister-in-law are visiting, and we’ve been spending time with them. I kinda put all that life stuff on hold because how often do I get to see Eli & Melissa, you know? So I’ve been eating not as well as normal, and I haven’t been to yoga since last Thursday. Let’s not even talk about writing, shall we?

I need to just QUIT those games on Facebook. Or at least limit myself to a few. It’s out of hand again, how much time I spend playing. I know it’s an avoidance technique. If I’m playing, I don’t have to think about the “sagging middle” in my WIP. And maybe, just maybe a breakthrough will happen while I am virtually farming!

Right, even I don’t believe that anymore.

Anyway, even though I haven’t been doing yoga and writing, I have been doing other cool things. Tuesday, I got Aidan from the airport, and I learned that if someone is mean to a member of my family, the claws come out! No one was mean to Aidan, but someone was to Adam and I reacted in a way that I never expected. It was weird and a little bit unsettling. But nice to know that I won’t take any crap from people when it comes to members of my family.

Wednesday, Eli & Melissa arrived and we had dinner with them. Thursday, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago. I’d never been to an art museum ever. Well, the National Vietnam Vets Museum may count, but that’s such a specialized part of art that I can only think of it as the NVVM. AIC was completely different and amazing and overwhelming. You know how you see prints of paintings? Most of them never did much for me. We have a bunch of them in the apartment and to me, they’re just pretty or neat pictures hanging around. But seeing a painting in real life is so much better! There was some Van Gogh and a lot of Monet, but the one that blew me away was Saint Francis by Peter Paul Rubens. The way he painted it… the flesh tones looked so real and lifelike and vibrant, like Saint Francis was going to just walk off the panel and come stand next to me. In addition to that, the Thorne Miniature Rooms were incredible, as was all the South Asian art, which I didn’t feel I got to spend nearly enough time looking at. We even checked out the Matisse exhibit, and got to see some pretty famous paintings, like American Gothic. I can’t wait to go back to the Art Institute of Chicago. There is so much I am eager to explore there. The cool thing is that we can take out museum passes from the library (that are good for a week!), and the museum is open free Thursday nights. I get the feeling I’ll be there a lot.

Aidan LOVED the museum. As he’s very artistic, Adam and I thought he’d get a lot out of it–well, as much as a seven-year-old can get, I suppose. He loved seeing the Van Gogh, and he was totally fascinated by the Picture of Dorian Gray, but he really enjoyed giggling at all the naked baby Jesus paintings and sculptures. He did love the Thorne Miniature Rooms, though.

After that fun, we ate some lunch and then headed over to Millennium Park. Aidan enjoyed playing at Cloud Gate, as usual:

On Monday, before Aidan got here, I hung out with Shannon, a former co-worker, and her family. They took me to the top of Sears Willis Tower, and I went out on the glass ledge. Oh yes. Check me out:

In between all this, I am reading a book called THE BLUE GIRL by Charles de Lint, and I adore the main character. She’s just such a cool girl. This is the first Charles de Lint book I’ve ever read, but apparently, he’s written a lot set in the particular world of this book. I love when authors do that. When they have a world they work in for all of their books. Cause when you read the new ones, you see old characters and friends. Sarah Dessen does it, and so does Deb Caletti, and even Adam does. I tend to write in the same worlds too, or I try to, anyway.

Anyway, it’s already almost 2am. I don’t have to be up very early tomorrow (but someone little with curly hair might wake me up early. If not him, then the neighbor’s hot water heater [which bangs every time he takes a shower and happens to be located right above our bed--another thing the landlord won't fix] will). We’re hitting Navy Pier, which should be fun on a Saturday in June. :O All I know is this: I AM GETTING A CHURRO. Oh yes.

So, with that, I am off. ‘Til next time!

I love summer!

It has been a few weeks of friends old and new, family, pampering, love, delicious anticipation, and spiritual fulfillment. Let’s see. My last update was May 23rd. Since then, Adam and I have decorated the back porch. He stained the wood, we got some flowers and hanging plants, and new chairs.

Butterflies like my new flowers, too.

It’s such a nice place to sit and read when it’s warm out. Helps that we got some new neighbors who are cool and friendly. The yippy dog from next door moved to California, so it’s been pretty quiet around these parts. That will change Tuesday, when AIDAN gets here!!!

He gets into town Tuesday morning. Tomorrow will be a busy day of trying to meet up with (more) old friends, a doctor’s appointment, and the finishing touches on Aidan’s room. It should go fast. Then, Wednesday, Eli & Melissa get into town, so we’ll all get to spend time together. I’m excited to see them! I haven’t seen them since January 2009, and they’ve never met Aidan. I’d better get my cameras all charged up!

My friend Claudia Gray flew off to Rome for the summer last week, but the Friday before she left, she came over for dinner. Adam grilled steaks and veggies, made homemade mashed potatoes (honestly, are there any other kind?), and corn on the cob. For dessert, we had shortcake cups, fresh blueberries and strawberries, French vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. We ate VERY WELL. We also talked muchly about yoga, and watched Doctor Who. While she was here, apparently Critical Mass took a turn to my neighborhood. I have never seen so many people riding bikes before in my life. They just kept coming and coming and coming, and yelling “HAPPY FRIDAY.” Some had on weird hats. Some rode funny-looking bikes. It was mind-blowing. You can see the video here. You’ll hear me yelling and see Claudia’s lavender nails make a few cameos.

It was a great evening!

Earlier that day, Adam and I went downtown to meet Angelo, one of my best friends, who was in town for the weekend. We had lunch at Chipotle, the first time I’d eaten there in years:

Angelo & Me

Saturday the 29th, I went to the Moksha Yoga in Logan Square to support my friend/teacher trainee Cassandra who was doing a video review. It was a free class and an easy train ride, so why not, right? It was great. Then after that, Adam and I went to Margie’s Candies where I had my favorite Swiss Miss sundae. This sundae is so good. I’m sure you remember me going on about it in the past, right? You two scoops of ice cream, whatever flavors you want (I always get chocolate and vanilla), whipped cream, nuts (which I pass on), a wafer cookie, and a cherry, and warm chocolate-marshmallow sauce. HEAVEN! The first picture is my ice cream pre-sauced. The second…well, you know. Yum.

Last week was a spectacularly good week, with the exception of me forgetting about my emusic.com downloads and losing $6.50 for the month. I was annoyed at first, but chalked it up to a lesson learned. DON’T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD MY 12 SONGS FOR THE MONTH. Actually, last month it was 22 because I’d gotten the 10 free ones, but I think I’d gotten a few at least. Still. Oh well. Let it go. Om.

Besides THAT little hiccup, I had a good week. Wednesday, I got a pedicure and a massage, went to meet some other creative folks, and had a fun evening. Thursday was a yoga class with Cassandra that was the perfect length. Just as I was starting to get very tired, it was time for Savasana–Corpse Pose. There are some poses I am not a fan of (ahem, most standing poses except Wide Leg Stretch–Prasarita Padottanasana and Intense Forward Stretch–Uttananasa), but I do them because I am getting stronger physically and mentally. My favorites are sitting or lying down poses that twist and stretch me (I like to kick, stretch, and KICK!). Backbends, and Shoulderstand–Sarvangasana, make me all kinds of happy, too. I guess I could say yoga makes me happy, even when I am in the middle of a Triangle-Side Angle-Warrior II sequence and my arms are SCREAMING at me. I plan to take a class with master teacher Seane Corn this summer. How amazing will that be?

Anyway, Thursday night, had a delicious dinner of hickory-smoked tilapia and creamy parmesan risotto. My mouth is STILL watering thinking about it. So OK, the really good risotto might be $3 a box, but it’s still cheaper than eating out, and it’s good for us, right? (But now, I’m obsessed with grain. I got some couscous and other grains at the store today. Can’t wait to NOM!)

Friday, Adam and I went to the library. I love the library. I’ve already read some of my books. :O Speaking of that, I finished reading my 100th new book of 2010 today!! *golf claps* I wonder if I can get to 200 before the year is out? That would be a personal best. Friday evening, I went to the Life Force Arts Center to see my friend, my favorite gypsy, the amazingly talented musician and performer S.J. Tucker (aka s00j). She was so awesome! She is so tiny but her presence is so big, and her voice. It’s like angels. I could listen to her sing all day. It’s just so flawless and beautiful. To top it all off, I got to bask in many, many, many s00j hugs. They *should* hold me over until November, because I am definitely going to see her perform with her band Tricky Pixie at Windy Con. It just has to be done. The decision’s been made, there’s nothing I can do. If you heard their album Mythcreants (which, OMG you can hear in its entirety on that nifty little link there… and holy bananas and chicken, there are several FREE downloads there. I recommend Daughter of the Glade.), you’d understand why I am so adamant about attending to see them live. Adam and I had to miss OVFF last year which we are still sad about (because everyone we love was there: Tony & Vixy, Seanan McQuire, and s00j!). But we’ll get to see Talis Kimberly at DucKon in a few weeks, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

Here are a couple of photos of s00j:

And here’s me, basking in some s00j love:

Saturday was… wow, I can’t remember. Just relaxing inside, I think. Oh, and I managed to eat an entire pint of organic strawberries in one day. How awesome is that? I mean, they’re good for me, right? *innocent look* Speaking of being good to my body, I haven’t had McDonald’s since May 8th, and I haven’t had pop since April 4th. The McDonald’s fast MIGHT get broken on Tuesday, though. Every time I go to the airport to get Aidan, I crave the stuff. We’ll see if I can resist!

OK. This entry has gone on long enough. ‘Til next time!

P.S. Just found out they played a Deathly Hallows trailer on MTV tonight. Seeing as we don’t have cable, I had no clue. But I saw it on YouTube. Very excited about this movie! OK, good night/morning.

· Doctor Who was pretty darn sweet this week. Excited about next week’s episode! These two-parters are fun, but they’re also not. I’m so impatient. I’m also eager for the series five soundtrack to be available. I’ve been loving the music.

· Only 16 days til Aidan is here! I have a lot of prep to do. I can’t wait to have him here!!!

· I had a pretty good week, despite some bouts of random crankiness. I had a photo shoot, I got to hang out with Jen H., I went to a tequila dinner, and a kirtan. Yoga classes were great, and I got many, many hugs.

· Hugs are awesome. The other day, I asked Adam if he’d be able to believe that growing up, my family was not touchy-feeley. He was pretty surprised, because my mommy is huggy now. I don’t remember being hugged a lot. My mom kissed me before bed every night, but the only time I remember hugging anyone was when my mother forced me to hug my sister if we were fighting (kiss and make up!). I didn’t start getting hugged a BUNCH until I got much older, and really didn’t happen until I started going to college and going to church. Church people hug a lot. But they aren’t the only ones. Yogis and yoginis hug a lot, too. And I’m thinking that Chicagoans like to hug in general. Authors, too.

· Helena has been super affectionate. She’s not a lap kitty, but she sat on my lap for two hours the other night. Mostly, she’ll lie on my legs and purr, purr, purr. When I come out of the bedroom in the morning, she runs up to me to greet me! And I read in an email from Catster that when cats give you long blinks, it’s like they’re blowing kisses. Guess who gets loads of long blinks from Helena? Oh, and she says “what’s up” to me a lot, too. I could go on.

· I’m helping a friend plan a Disney World trip. I can’t go this year, but I can live vicariously through her. She knows who she is.

· Hair Rules. Love this stuff. I’m finding a lot of products that work wonderfully with my hair. My curls are pretty tight (my hair is actually longer than it’s been in a while), but they’re defined. This product helps define the curls even more.

· Adam made a simple dinner the other night of spaghetti noodles, parmesan cheese, and snow peas. OMG SO YUMMY. There are a few vegetables I cannot stand, broccoli and cauliflower being among them. But y’all. I will eat the crap out of some snow peas, spinach, and bean sprouts. Can’t get enough of them.

· Adam and I had been getting turkey in the packages for a long time. The other day, we actually went to the deli. I’D FORGOTTEN HOW GOOD TURKEY FROM THE DELI IS. So much better than the pre-packaged stuff! If you thought I couldn’t get enough of turkey sandwiches before, it’s even worse now. Not as bad as my spaghetti thing, but it’s the one thing I crave when I am in triangle pose in yoga class.

· I got to spend time with lots of people this week.

· Weather is warm! Yay!

· No one believes it when I tell them I’m 35. They all think I’m in college or in my early 20s. This RULES, people.

· I’ve been finding specially-made yoga clothing on the cheap. My studio has a $20 rack and the merch changes on it quite a bit. I take advantage, because those tops with the built in bras? And the moisture wicking stuff? A GODSEND for me. The stuff made by Zobha is so comfortable. I love it. But it’s typically very expensive. $58 for a tank, for example. Let the record show that I have never paid $58 for any piece of yoga clothing. I get it all on the cheap. Yoga pants at aeropostale have been on clearance for $12.99 for a while, and I’ve been stocking up.

· I’ve been finding great music! And and and… I won a $50 gift card to iTunes! Plus, emusic.com gave me ten free songs this month just because. That site is where I find some obscure and cool stuff. It’s great for new age and meditation stuff. Electronica, too. World fusion. Oh yes. Music.

· Lilacs are growing like crazy all over the neighborhood!! They smell so good. I love lilacs.

· More Pictures!

Me with my friends Meiya and Shika at the Tequila Dinner. Good drinks, better food. Lots of laughs and fun. It was a good night.

Photo Shoot!

There is a lot to be happy about, even when I just feel like being cranky. Heehee. Night!

O hai! I’m on my way to Schaumburg! Look how excited I am!!!

With the exception of a headache, I feel pretty good today. I went to a new yoga class today, Mindful Vinyasa, and it was really amazing. It’s getting to the point where my body craves yoga practice, and if I skip one for any reason, I feel all knotted. AND, apparently, I have bad dreams! Last night/this morning, I dreamed that I went to class and went to unroll my mat and it was all ripped apart! Eeek?!

Fortunately, the are 57 classes that I can always make up if I have to miss.

I’ve been practicing yoga in this classroom/studio setting for more than a month now, and already, I’m stronger in some ways. Weak in others, but that’s the beauty of yoga. We’re all different. Everyone has their own practice, and it’s OK not to be perfect all the time. Such a refreshing view to have (and a hard one to learn in this competitive society). So, I plan to continue practicing and learning and growing. Plus, I meet the most incredible people there. Even if we only touch lives for a brief moment, it’s a gorgeous moment.

I went to the library today. Got out a bunch of awesome ones, but before I read those, I’m going to finish Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti. I had the pleasure of meeting her Wednesday evening at Anderson’s Bookshop in Downer’s Grove. (I just have to say, that if I ever move from the Chicago area, I will miss Anderson’s a great deal.)

Anyway, getting to Downer’s Grove SUCKED. I swear, it’s rush hour ALL the time in Chicago. Still, once we got there, I got to spend hours in a bookstore and eat yummy pizza in a cool-looking pizza place, so that was cool. And meeting Susane was such a treat! She’s hilarious and so much fun! I love how candid she is. Here are some pix from that night:

Me and Susane. Isn’t she so pretty?? Pictures don’t do this woman justice, just sayin’.

Susane loves her some cupcakes, so when someone brought her some, she was totally thrilled:

AND then Susane shared them with us!!!

They were red velvet and totally yummy!

This week was busy. Not that I can remember WHY, but it was. Yesterday, we headed out to Schaumburg so Adam could do an Author Event. It was interesting. The Schaumburg Township District Library, though? OMG. Amazing and awesome. Five star. I didn’t know libraries had a rating system but apparently they do (and Columbus Metropolitan is a five-star library too, but I’m not surprised by that at ALL). This library. People. It’s crazy. Bright and welcoming. Board games and computers and books and books and books. NEW books! And the best part is that they let Chicago library card holders borrow books as visitors. It’s like Heaven on Earth for me. I wish it was next door to me. I took out books last week when we were there for a different Author Event type deal that Adam was filling in for, and returned them yesterday. Today, we went to one of the Chicago branch libraries, which is five million times more pleasant than going downtown to Harold Washington, where I rarely feel welcome at all.

So… how awesome was Betty White on SNL last weekend? I hadn’t watched SNL in years, but I made an exception for this. She was hilarious! I was also very excited to see the return of some of my favorite SNL Ladies, Molly Shannon and Maya Rudolph especially.

Flowers are blooming like crazy all over the neighborhood:

And this is on the ground on the way to the yoga studio. I don’t know.

Hmm, what else?

· Adam and I have been trying to eat better, thanks to watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. This result of this is that there are snow peas in the house almost all the time. And BEAN SPROUTS! And clementines! I try to eat something raw every day, even if it’s just a little bit. Less processed, more real please!

· In 25 days, Aidan will be here for the summer! Woohoo!

· Still enjoying the new Doctor, even though some of the episodes are a great big cup of wtf.

· I am sooo behind on emails, game requests, etc. I’ll get to them. Eventually.

· I’ve been going through and editing the categories/tags on my old entries. Unfortunately, I thought (wrongly) that the updated entries would simply update on LJ. Oh no, the cross-poster cross posted the entries AGAIN. So I have doubles of a lot of my LJ entries from before 2010. It’s a PITA to go and individually delete thousands of LJ entries, so they are just going to be some doubles in the archives.

· Adam and I can’t take Aidan to Disney World this year, so of course I’m getting all kinds of emails from Disney Destinations with all these fantastic deals! They’re driving me crazy. If only I could get a huge, crazy windfall….

· Excited about … well never mind. Adam interrupted me to tell me something and I forgot. :O

That’s all for now. About to watch some Molly Shannon and chill out. ‘Til next time!