happy

Where Did Spring Go?

Sulking

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? This is not cute or funny. At all. I miss those super warm days. The days when everyone was CONFIDENT that they could put away their sweaters because there was no way the weather hadn’t broken yet. I mean, the trees were flowering and budding!

Trees Are Flowering Early This Year

They wouldn’t do that unless they knew something we didn’t right?

Bwah! I know Chicago weather. It likes to hold on to the cold as long as it possibly can. The weather never truly breaks here until mid-June. Until then, we can expect temperatures to dip into the 30s just as easily as they can climb to the 80s. Not that we’ll be seeing any 80s temps anytime soon. That one week was a lucky break!

And I’m so HAPPY when it’s warm out. See?

IMG_3637a

So is Helena. She gets to sit in the window and smell the smells and people watch and dog watch.

Helena Enjoying the Warmth

Oh, those were the days.

Oh well. I had a good week anyway. Saturday, I got to go see a great s00j (and other talented musicians) concert:

Singing

s00j Betsy On That Cello

I got tons of hugs. I love hugs. LOVE them. And I made new friends! Three of them! I love making new friends. I wish I’d taken more photos of them. Just so I could have some proof. Hee hee. They all live far away, though. 🙁 Thank goodness for s00j shows to bring us all together.

Sunday, got to attend a wonderful Music & Magick workshop, and Monday, we spent the day with s00j and Ryan, just hanging out, eating delicious brunch at Bleeding Heart again (oh yeah!), and heading to a smoke shop where Adam and Ryan purchased pipe tobacco and assorted pipe accessories. s00j posed for a picture in the decommissioned phone box while everyone else made their purchases.

Cute Sooj

I absolutely LOVE it when they come stay with us. They bring a wonderful energy and magick to the place, and they’re so much fun. Monday night, even though there was no Internet, there was still Fruit Ninja, Twitter on our iPhones (where we went insane), sausage and cactus pizza, and music. We had a great time.

Sooj Singing

SO yea, this Internet stuff. s00j had an 8pm Skype visit, and I was on call for a client. Our Internet went down at exactly 7:55pm and stayed down until about 5 or 6 the next morning. Adam (bless his heart) drove my laptop to a Starbucks parking lot and downloaded all the files for me so I could work on them. I was up ’til 3am working (and guess who had yoga teacher training the next day!). The next morning, the net was back up, so I was able to upload the files to the client in time. s00j was able to do Skype through the app on her iPhone. But I mean, Comcast has been inconsistent like this for a few months now. It’s getting frustrating, especially when YOUR INCOME KIND OF DEPENDS ON RELIABLE INTERNET ACCESS. Sure, there are coffee shops, but what’s the point of paying for it at home if it’s not going to work all the time? Comcast needs to get it together, especially for how much they charge.

Anyway.

I had a great yoga teacher training class on Tuesday. I’d had so little sleep, but it didn’t feel like it. The day went so fast and everything was so interesting! We talked a lot about the Gunas and studied Warrior I and Chair in-depth. Chair is going to be SO MUCH BETTER for me from now on! 🙂 I’m learning SO MUCH and my teacher said for me to start practice teaching on people. So, locals! Free yoga lessons from me, if you have enough patience to deal with me as I practice and get better. 🙂

AND I got an A+ on my Sun Salutation A quiz. Can I get a whut whut! 😀

I’m going to take it easy today. For one thing, it’s cold outside. It’s supposed to get a bit warmer (if you call 56F warm at the end of March–and seriously, how it is the end of March??), but I don’t have anywhere to go except yoga this afternoon. Also, I went out to dinner with my friend Jen last night, and she wasn’t feeling well. She made every precaution to protect me from germs, but you just never know. So today = resting, studying, basics yoga class, and reading. This girl has no time to get sick. Allergies, however, have moved in and set up house.

Next week, I have a lot to look forward to. Two days at VSA, a visit from Adam’s family, yoga teacher training, and Aidan!!! YAY!!! So much to be thankful for. 🙂

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Moments

Wicker Park

This past week was sooo awesome. I can’t pinpoint any one thing that made it so good. Just many, many lovely moments that added up to an incredible and fabulous time.

laughter · hugs · conversation · food · friends
love · love · love · love · love

Arm Pit Length Arm Pit Length

Things like noticing my hair is now armpit length.
For someone whose hair wouldn’t go past the nape of her neck for many years,
this is a big deal.

Two Cute Girls

Spending the week with my dear friend s00j (aka SJ Tucker, aka Pure Awesomeness on a Stick).

BRUNCHING HARD. One amazing culinary experience after the other. I had a donut that was so good that I wanted to dance and speak in tongues. I got it at Bleeding Heart. (I’ve talked about this place before). The donut was called Punk Rock Princess. It was a donut with lemon and hibiscus filling and strawberry glaze.

Y’ALL.
THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE
HOW GOOD THIS DONUT WAS.

So many people have come in and out of my life over the years. Some of them have a light so bright, and they have energy so clear and good, that they energize you when they’re around. That’s how s00j and Ryan are. And the four of us together? Watch out now!

Lord Wigton & the Clan
Adam, Ryan, me, s00j

The Start of the Snow

· Actually enjoying the first very snowy and cold snap of this winter.

· Spending two days in a row with Jen!

· Losing count of the number of hugs I got and gave.

· Meeting Ryan and feeling like I’ve reunited with a dear old friend.

· Discovering a new TV show. Dear Downton Abbey, why did I wait so long to start watching you? And why are you so brilliant?

· Laughing so hard I was CRYING at some points. Oh, YouTube. Why must you be filled with the awesomeness that is Dr. Tran?

· Finding (and buying) some really yummy new incense.

· Getting my copy of LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR.

· Kick ass yoga class with Amber Cook.

I confess.
I was nervous for 2012 to start.
VERY nervous.
Now that it’s here, it’s been amazing,
and I am so excited for what’s next!

Life is so very good. 🙂


Linking up with:

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The ABCs of Thanks

Finding Joy | The ABC's of Thanks
…a simple act of gratitude.

Write a list using the alphabet and then list one item that you are grateful for that starts with the given letter. Don’t forget to link up at Finding Joy when you’re done.

Here’s mine.

AAidan and Adam. Need I say more?

High Five!

BBooks. Because reading is AWESOME. Beaches, because they smell like sand and sun and sunscreen. Babies, because they are a nice way to start people. Bananas. They’re funny.

cCats, even when they are bratty, or stinky, or naughty. Cupcakes from Molly’s Cupcakes. Chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmm. Christmas. My favorite holiday.

DDisney World! And for being blessed enough to visit six times so far!

It's Us!

EEmail. It’s my choice way of keeping in touch with people!

FFamily. ‘Cause I love them. Friends, too.
In the Animal Kingdom

Silly!!

Three Generations

GGreen, for the color of grass and leaves in the summertime.

Bridge

HHugs. They never fail to make me feel yummy inside.

IInternet. I’ve made so many friends and learned so much thanks to the Internet being around. It’s integral in my life. Also, I am grateful for incense. It makes the place smell so good and it makes me *feel* good.

JJuice. Especially 100% cherry juice. Delicious.

KKirtan. Beautiful call and response chanting. It’s non-denominational, and the music of my soul.

LLibraries. A free way to feed my reading addiction.

MMoney. It helps me get the things I need and sometimes even extra things I just want. Also, Moksha Yoga. The community there is the best. I’m honored to be a part of it.

NNice people. They make the world so much better.

OOpportunity. To work from home, to make friends from all over the world, to live in a cool city (even when it does get on my nerves/cost too much), to do yoga, to meet my favorite authors, to meet celebrities, to eat good food, to have a warm home, to wear skinny jeans, to improve my life every day, to be creative. To love. To live.

PPandernoodle. My favorite teddy bear ever.

Q – My favorite letter to sneak and push on people’s keyboards while they are frantically typing. Qs just make everything quirky. 🙂

RRonica. My name.

SSushi. It’s delicious and good for me. Sun, because it’s beautiful and warm. Skinny jeans, which I vowed I’d never wear. Until I started wearing them and loving them with boots.

TTrees. I am a real life tree hugger. I don’t hug trees in the city because dogs pee and poop on them. But let me loose in an arboretum? Good times.

UUnconditional love. There is a lot of it in my life.

VVacations. Especially to Disney World.

WWater. I love water. I love to drink it, I love to shower in it. I can’t swim in it, though, and I don’t like it when it’s falling the sky in the form of any sort of rain. But I do like water because it’s what keeps me alive. And it tastes so good! No calories or fat! Perfect.

XXP points in those stupid games I play on Facebook. I should quit all of them. Maybe I will one day.

YYoga. It has changed my life. For real.

Wheel/Upward Facing Bow Pose: Urdhva Dhanurasana

ZZoos that have giraffes.

Awesome!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

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Two Good Days (Pictures)

Golden Last week, I had two really good days. It all started Friday morning. I had to get up super, duper early, which normally would not be a good thing for me. I am not a morning person at all! I’m a night owl all the way and often wonder if I’d do better if I lived on the other side of the world. But knowing me, I’d still end up a night owl somehow.

But anyway, this time it was OK to be getting up at 7am because I was going to get pampered! Late last year, I purchased a Groupon voucher for The Spa on Oak for a one-hour chocolate massage and one-half hour cinnamon sugar scrub. I was ready to redeem it (I’m always afraid I’m going to forget to redeem those vouchers and they’ll expire!), so I made the appointment and grabbed the first available slot. Hence the early morning wake up time. Anyway, when I was checking in, the lady behind the counter asked if I wanted to upgrade, for free, my sugar scrub to a facial! Of course I said “yes.” I’d never had a facial before and I’d been breaking out like a fifteen year old.

So, I got to spend the morning getting pampered. The massage was a combination of Swedish and deep tissue. I am no stranger to getting massages–I try to get one every couple of months if I can–but it had been a while and it was really nice. Then the facial. That was nice as well, even with the extractions, which really felt like I was being pinched. By the time it got too uncomfortable, it was over. My chin hasn’t felt this smooth since before I can remember.

After my morning of pampering, I headed down Oak Street, which is a chi-chi street in the city. Lots of high-end boutiques. I wandered into Juicy Couture and made my way upstairs, where all the running suits and sale items were. I ended up getting a cute tee-shirt. Then I made my way to the beach. I hadn’t been to the beach since the day I hung out with Mylin, and it was so beautiful out, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I sat right in the sand and read, enjoying the warm sun and soft breezes.

Just Chillin'

Oak Street Beach Oak Street Beach

After that, I did a little shopping on Michigan Avenue. That wasn’t as much fun because for some reason, there are a LOT of tourists downtown still, even though tourist season is over, and THEY WALK SLOW. They like to walk five abreast and just saunter down the street. It’s hard to get around them! But I managed it, and I found some really cute socks in TopShop, and some great deals on tops at Gap. I’m talking shirts and tanks for just a few dollars, and long sleeve tee-shirts for 9.99. I love long sleeve tee-shirts. They’re great for winter and fall weather, and nice to wear under sweaters or hoodies. I even got colors that aren’t grey or black, if you can believe that! Wait, I may have gotten one grey shirt or tank. I guess there is no denying what I like, but really should wear brighter colors this winter. Maybe that’ll help keep me from being so depressed come February. I am in the market for sweaters, but finding a normal sweater is always a challenge for me. They’re all shaped weird. The ones I DID love, from TopShop, were out of my budget. So, I didn’t come home with any new sweaters. I guess that’ll wait ’til the next check comes in.

After my excursions, I was finally tired and made my way home. Spent the rest of the evening relaxing and reading and playing on the computer. I started to feel nauseated and a migraine was settling in, so I took it easy.

Saturday, I went to the library and checked out six books, then I had brunch with a former co-worker, now friend. We ate at this place called Angel’s. Just happened to find it by looking on Yelp. Four and a half star review? Yes, please.

This is what I had:

Brunch at Angel's

You know you’re jealous. I’m jealous right now and I got to enjoy it already! I had bacon, pancakes with strawberries, and scrambled eggs. Orange juice for my drink. It was really good and the price was pretty good, too. Our waiter was interesting. My friend and I hung out so long that he brought me a free margarita! OK, any place that doesn’t mind if I sit and chat for three hours AND gives me a free drink to boot? WIN!!!

So, those were my two really good days. I caught a cold Saturday night and my migraine started up again–BIG TIME–so the days weren’t perfect. But I can’t complain. I just can’t believe it’s already going to be Friday again. Seems like this week went by in a flash. And it may have, seeing as I spent three days of it lying in bed trying to get over a migraine and a cold (which is gone now YAY).

Is it just me, or does every cold get worse? I really don’t remember them laying me up for three days when I was little, or not even a year ago. Being sick is the pits, and today is the first day I feel 100% again. So YAY for that. I should probably get back to yoga practice tomorrow, huh?

That’s all for now. ‘Til next time! 🙂

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Well, Hello There September (Multimedia)

And August is out the door. I think I’m still kind of in denial about that; I know I haven’t changed all the calendars yet. I don’t know. It’s so weird, how quickly summer goes by. It’ll be time to seriously think about the holidays before long. I’ve already started my holiday shopping. A little bit, anyway.

So, check this. You all know how much I love yoga, right? So, a few weeks ago, I was talking to one of the managers at Moksha. We got to talking about my editing skills and I mentioned that if they needed anyone, I’d certainly be interested working with their promo materials. She gave me the name of the marketing manager. I contacted her, she contacted me back. We met, hit it off, and well, yesterday was my first day as a work study student at Moksha. Basically, I do six hours of editing a week for them in exchange for unlimited yoga. You guys, I get to do what I love for an organization I love, and in exchange, I get unlimited amounts of WHAT I LOVE. How amazing is that?

And as always, the question of yoga teacher training came up. See, it’s been in the back of my mind since last summer. I daydream about teaching classes, and I wish I had some official training so I could teach classes, or even teach Aidan. But I thought I needed to be way more experienced. Turns out that I don’t have to be at all. All the things I thought I needed to know as a prerequisite? Nope. They teach me everything I need to know. The fall session starts next week, so I don’t think I’ll be ready for that. But I am looking into the spring session that starts in March. Everyone who’s gone through it says it’s one of the best things they’ve done in their life. And more than one person has come up to me and asked if I was in training, and seemed surprised that I wasn’t. And then they told me that I should do the training.

So. It’s a possibility. Not sure if I could teach yoga full time, but it would be an awesome part time/side gig. And who knows where it might take me?

In the meantime, I’ve been taking much better care of myself and let me tell ya. It feels good. I’ve been doing yoga and I’ve been on the bike again. For a while, it felt like my legs weren’t stretching out enough on the bike, so I adjusted the seat just a bit. Now it feels great. I guess it was just a little bit too short before. I did have it at the lowest level. I’ve been halfway considering doing a “Couch to 5K” program, but I’m not very comfortable with the idea of running outside. Also, I need really good shoes and I know the investment for that won’t be tiny. Still, it’s worth considering. Running a 5K would be super neat. I just really want to vary my workouts. Not that I consider yoga to be just a workout, but that’s another post.

Now, if I could just get my diet in check. I know what I need. I need Kanani, the 2011 American Girl doll of the year, but seriously, I need more fruit that I manage to actually eat. Peaches. I’m craving peaches. Sweet, juicy peaches. Maybe I’ll go to Stanley’s tomorrow and get some. Mmm, peaches. WAIT, I have some fruit cup peaches. Those can tide me over til I get fresh ones. YAY!

I’ve managed to read more than 50 books this year. It was hard. I’m usually nearing 100 by now, if I haven’t passed that already. But I was way too busy for a while there. Things are much better now.

Other random things:
– I have eight unopened Monster High dolls, an unopened Professor Snape action figure, and I still haven’t opened my She Ra toys yet. I really need to get on that.
– But before I can play, I have a lot of projects going on and many deadlines to meet before I can take a breather. They’re projects I enjoy, though, which makes doing them seem less like work and more like fun.
– I need to seriously QUIT the Facebook games (again) and focus more on my work. The games are so demanding with their quests and begging that one could easily spend hours and hours “playing” them. That’s not good for me or my eyes or my brain, so it’s time to step away. I only play three of them regularly, but even that’s too much.
– I have more self-control with The Sims, which I am so happy I can play again. When my Mac’s OS was updated to Lion, something wonky happened with the video cards and the game, rendering the game unplayable. A patch was just released the other day making the game playable again. But I can only play The Sims for a few hours before it starts lagging and they need to sleep too darn much so I get bored. That’s a good thing. Else, I’d play it for 10+ hours straight. No bueno.
– Adam and I’ve been going through Arrested Development again. That show never gets old.
Tumblr is my newest addition. Holy awesome. Another time suck I have to be aware of.
– Aidan’s in third grade now. He has his own phone, so he sends me random texts and he also showed me how to attach audio files to text messages. I miss him. Look at this picture of him and Fi:

Aidan & Fi

Poor Fi has conjuctivitis. It’s not contagious or anything, but his right eye was red and swollen and teary when he first came to live with us. Now, his eye isn’t red and swollen anymore, although he is very teary. I’m pretty sure he has allergies. He sneezes all the time. Still, he’s my baby.

Fi

When I lived with him in Columbus, he stopped being very cuddly when he turned about… three or four, I’d say. But now, he’s always near me or next to me. He and Helena’s relationship is still pretty tumultuous. Just last night, they bumped noses while they were waiting for me to pass out the treats. (Come to think about it, they get along fine when there is food involved.) Today, he was next to me, she was right across from me. She leaned over, maybe to bump his nose again, and he swatted at her and hissed. She made this face like “But but but…” I mean, she looked so devastated. I chastised Fi gently and pet Helena, but she seemed mad at ME. 🙁 Oh dear. I wonder if they’ll ever LIKE each other or even tolerate each other. I don’t know. Fi’s kinda old and set in his ways. We’ll see. He’s sleeping right beside me right now. Let me tell you. A warm summer evening. Friday. Kitty beside me who I can pet constantly. Glass of juice behind me and lots of pillows. Pizza burgers and tater tots for dinner. All of that after a day of being productive. That’s a good day.

Ooh, ooh, ooh!!

I made a video demonstrating how to make a simple hair fall! 🙂 Wanna see? Fi’s in it, too! Please watch it. I had too much fighting with iMovie to do for this to go unappreciated.

I have a headache and need to get to bed. But first, maybe some chocolate. Or peaches.

Byeeee!

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