life

Whatever

14 May 2012 / life, pictures

I *should* be studying. Daren (my teacher) emailed a bunch of handouts and mentioned that there will be a pop quiz in class. That’s tomorrow, yo! I just cannot focus, though. In addition, it’s a gorgeous 77F outside, and I am aching from a yoga-filled shoulder-opening weekend. I just want to read more of Between The Sea and Sky, then lie down and sleep for a while. MAYBE I WILL and then when I wake up I will be able to focus on studying.

Tonight is the series finale of Make It Or Break It. I guess I’d better get my tissues ready. I don’t want to say good-bye to Payson and Kaylie and Lauren. Well, maybe Lauren. But not Payson and Kaylie! Oh well. All good things must come to an end, I suppose. And any reason for me to watch less TV is a good reason, right?

As it is, I don’t watch much TV anyway. I mean, some nights I do go on a House Hunters binge, and if I catch an America’s Next Top Model marathon (from any cycle except the current one), then I will indulge. But for the most part, I don’t watch a lot. Or the seasons are staggered, so I’m usually not into more than one show at a time. The only shows I really go nuts over are Downton Abbey and Doctor Who.

Digressing…

I will be at Lululemon Buckdown this coming Sunday, assisting with the free community yoga class. If you’re local and free from 10-11am, you should come! 🙂 Did I mention that it’s FREE?

My planner looks deceptively empty but I will be working in an office two days this week (and one day next week), and that takes up a lot of time! Gotta make that $, though, and this office is a nice one to work in. Commute should be nice too. I mean, it won’t be, it’ll be crowded on the bus which I will hate, but it will be warm outside. Maybe I’ll wear a dress or a skirt! Ooooooo!

OK. There’s really no point to this entry. Except to put off the studying. I should get on that, huh?

‘Til next time….

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:)

10 May 2012 / happy, life, pictures, yoga

OK WOW, how has it been almost a week since I last posted? That’s crazy. Time is going so fast. Before long, AIDAN WILL BE HERE FOR THE SUMMER!

His dad said he is bringing him either May 31 or June 1. AWESOME. I told Chris I’d teach him some yoga while he’s here. That should be interesting.

I did teach a full yoga class to my friend Jen over the weekend. She said she LOVED it. 😀 She said for me to never drop my “Ronni-isms.” I guess that means my authentic voice is shining through, just like Tasha Danner (former Mouseketeer and now yoga instructor/physical therapist) advised. 🙂

Did I tell you that every time I walk past a lilac bush I stop and take a huge whiff? Because I do. Lilacs smell so good. The petals are starting to fall off the bushes now. That makes me a bit sad. Once they’re gone, I’ll have to wait another year to smell them again.

Still, life is amazing and full and beautiful. Sunday, I got to hear Maya Tiwari speak. She is a World Peace Leader and spiritual teacher, and often speaks about Ahimsa, which is living without violence. Talk about a beautiful, radiant person. She was engaging, funny, and warm. I feel very blessed that I got the chance to meet her and hear her speak (and also hug her)!

For SOME reason, I thought it’d be a good idea to do yoga on the beach. In Chicago. In May. It sounds great on paper. But when the temperature was probably about 45F, well, not so nice. I got through a few minutes of the practice before jumping up to help with adjustments and such. It was so cold, you guys. But it was free, put on by the Michigan Ave lululemon athletica, and there was free food there, too. Speaking of lululemon, looks like I might be at one of the locations on May 20 helping out at a free community yoga class. I will confirm location and details soon.

LOADS of people in my classes swear by lululemon. I don’t have any of their things–that place is too expensive for me. Even their sale stuff costs a lot! Most of my yoga clothing was purchased either on sale or at stores like TJ Maxx. However, I am in need of new yoga pants (all those pairs I got from Aeropostale years ago are getting too big for me!), and I really like the cropped leggings Green Apple makes. I found a pair at TJ Maxx a couple months ago and I LOVE them. So guess who needs to hit TJ Maxx and hope for another lucky break!

Yoga’s been great lately. I am definitely stronger and my endurance is better. Imagine how excited I was yesterday when I FLOATED UP INTO A HEADSTAND. OK, it was against the wall, but still. You guys. I’ve been building up my strength so I could do a headstand for more than two years, and against the wall is no small potatoes. One of these days, I’ll be doing it in the middle of the floor. WHAT!

Next time, I’ll make sure to get a photo captured so you can see. 🙂

This teacher training journey has been AMAZING so far. I can’t even describe it. I’m meeting amazing people, doing amazing things, learning so much. I have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going, so I’m just going with the flow and watching as things fall into place. What an incredible ride!

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Full Life, Full Heart

4 May 2012 / authors, life, living in chicago, pictures

The weather has finally warmed up in Chicago. But I’m not being fooled again. I’m still keeping sweaters and hoodies at the ready, because I know that in two weeks it could be the 30s again.

It always confuses me when people on TV or in movies are like “What, we’re going to talk about the weather now?” Like it’s a bad thing. I mean, weather is a big part of our lives, especially for people like myself, who is so sensitive to temperatures. So, I’m OK with talking about the weather, until someone in a movie or a TV show starts scoffing at that particular topic of conversation. Then I start to doubt myself.

Well then. That was a tangent.

Wednesday, I got to see one of my favorite authors, Laurie Halse Anderson, again. This is one reason I love living in Chicago. So many authors come through and I get the chance to meet them! Laurie is an inspiration beyond inspiration. This woman loves writing, she works damn hard on it, and she’s damn good at it. She gives everything to her books and to her readers, and that makes her amazing. She’s just an awesome person. I adore her!

Here we are:

So far this week, I’ve learned some serious shoulder strengthening yoga vinyasas, attended a marketing meeting and dinner at Moksha’s owner’s home, cried over Make It or Break It, visited Naperville, and got my Skull Shores Frankie Stein doll (now I have them all).

I ate lunch at an amazing place called Prasino, and enjoyed a very delicious but expensive juice. I got a pedicure, a really cool new bag from Katmandu Imports (I didn’t even notice it had an Om on it until yesterday!), read two books, and cuddled with the kitty cats.

It might be Friday, but I have a full weekend scheduled. Teaching, volunteering, apprenticing. I’m going to see Maya Tiwari speak Sunday morning. Lots of yoga-related stuff to keep me busy. Not to mention that I have homework and library books to read. On top of all this, there are some exciting things happening in the Mickey Mouse Club world and I’m so eager to see what happens next! So many Mousketeers are talking again and sharing their memories of the show with us fans and it’s SO FREAKING COOL. Love it!

Tonight, I’m going to take it easy and prepare for the busy weekend. Adam’s watching Ironman, which is way more violent than I like, so I’ll be watching something sweet and/or funny to counteract it when he heads out to work. Or maybe a few episodes of Downton Abbey, that first season. We’ll see.

So yeah, I’m busy, but it’s a wonderful busy. I’m making new friends, meeting new people, and learning so much. Summer is coming! Farmer’s markets are starting up. Flowers are growing everywhere. AND Aidan will be here before long!

I am happy. 🙂

May the 4th be with you!

[via]

‘Til next time! 🙂

6 Comments

Cray Cray

28 April 2012 / life, pictures, yoga, yoga teacher training

You guys, I’ve been so busy. Somehow, I still found time to play FarmVille though…BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.

Ahem.

Seriously, when I filled out my planner, I swear it didn’t LOOK like *that* much was going on. But I guess looks are deceiving. Because now it looks a LOT more full. Maybe I had a veiling mechanism in place to keep me from freaking out.

What do you think?

All I know is that the life planner is a life saver. Seriously. I don’t know how I lived without it. And I swear, no one is paying me to say these things. It really is that awesome.

Monday, Adam and I ran errands. We went out to the mall to get more glassware (I’d developed an aversion to our plastic cups because they tasted like dishwasher soap–ew) and a few necessities. We also hit Stanley’s to get fruit and other yummy goodness. Tuesday was a whole day of yoga teacher training, where we worked on Balancing Poses pt. 2. We also worked on some advanced poses. YES LORD, they were advanced! Poses like Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (Extended Hand to Big Toe) and Natarajasana (Lord of the Dance). (The main reason I constantly use the Sanskrit names for the poses is that I have to know them! I’m considering making or purchasing flash cards, seriously.) Anyway, Natarajasana just about did me in! Even though I was against the wall, it was still REALLY HARD. Whew.

Wednesday was yoga, practice teaching, and a lecture. Oh, and I got my first apprenticeship sorted. I’m going to be apprenticing with Amber Cook. I am SO excited, you guys. Amber is amazing. She’s beautiful (inside and out), strong, smart, and one hell of a teacher. I’m going to learn so much from her! My apprenticeship starts in June. 🙂

Thursday was more yoga, meeting with a friend, and hitting the library. Friday, I stayed the heck home and caught up on some homework (assignment is due this upcoming Monday) and talked to my mommy. YAY. Imagine my surprise when I called her and Aidan answered the phone! Aidan’s dad surprised her by bringing Aidan to see her for the weekend, which I know made her month.

Life is wonderful, you guys. Pleasantly busy and full of good stuff. I’m crazy about my yoga teacher training classmates. I look forward to seeing them when I go to class and when I’m hanging around Moksha. I’ve been running into yoga friends I haven’t seen in months or years lately and it’s been so cool seeing their faces. Seriously, the community at Moksha is amazing, and I am so blessed to be a part of it. Weather is still stinking cold, but it’s supposed to warm up next week. I doubt it’ll actually stay warm, but one or two days is better than none, and definitely better than this 30s-50s crap we’ve been having lately.

Saturday (today), I have homework, homework, homework. The sutras questions are kicking my bootie. They’re so hard! But the Anatomy Coloring Book is fun. 🙂 Then I have the Urban Priestess Workshop with Ashley Turner which I hear is going to be um, AMAZING. And then Sunday will be super busy again. Master Teacher Roundtable (I’ve never been to one of these, so I’m interested in what it’s going to be like. I have to attend a bunch for my certification.), lectures, yoga class. Moksha River West is indeed my second home. And then the madness starts all over next week! But I’m not complaining. No way. 🙂 This life is a blessing.

But now I’m going to go and read. I’m jumping between three books now: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, There is no Dog, and Akata Witch. Plus my text books for training. Multitasking much?

Oh, and that first picture? Yeah. There is a stuffed Beast now. It EXISTS, you guys. IT IS A THING. It must be mine. But maybe once it stops being $29.50. If it doesn’t sell out before I can scratch up the cash for such a frivolous purchase. He’s so cuttteeee. I wannnnttt itttt!

OK then. Bye for now!

11 Comments

Random McRandomness

22 April 2012 / cats, dork, life, pictures, shopping, weekend, yoga

there are lilacs!!!!

I had a good weekend. I spent Friday relaxing and reading. It looks so pretty outside, but it’s still so cold. I don’t know about you, but 50F in January feels a lot warmer than 50F in April, and the temps have barely been making it out of the 50s these days. I know this is typical here, and I know I whine about this every year, but the fact is that I am so ready for it to be warm that it’s not even funny. Oh well. At any rate, I didn’t go anywhere Friday because I just wanted to stay inside where it was warm and dry and full of cuddly cats.

It’s not fair that it looks like this outside:

…but feels like this:

(At least the lilacs are out, right? They smell so good, you guys! I love lilacs!)

Anyway.

Speaking of cats. Helena is back to peeing in bad places again.

It had been years since she’s done that (although I’m just suspecting that maybe she’s been doing it all along and I’ve been mistakenly blaming Crookshanks, who is more apt to poop in a naughty place rather than pee, but he has a history of that as well), but it started again when I bought a bath mat for the tub. You see, our tub has gotten slippery over the years and I didn’t like feeling like I was going to slip when I went for a shower. So I got a bath mat from TJ Maxx which was probably my first mistake because it had a nasty skunky rubbery scent to it. But it was comfy and kept me from slipping! Then, Helena started peeing on it. We got rid of the mat and she just kept peeing in the tub. Now, as far as a cat peeing somewhere naughty, the tub isn’t the worst place, right? I even joked that it was time to start toilet training her. She had the room right, you know?

But then it got worse. Adam got a new couch, identical to the one we had before. (Don’t ask what happened to the other one. It’s a long sordid story best left in the past.) Not the most comfortable couch ever, but it does the job. Except I started noticing a pee smell from the slipcover. Adam would wash it, and then it would appear again, this time in a different spot. We removed the slipcover, and Adam put a table cloth over the couch. The table cloth looks and feels like fabric, but it does not absorb liquid. If a cat pees on it, the pee gets on his/her foot, thus theoretically discouraging further elimination on the couch. HAH. HA HA HA HA!! See, I wasn’t completely convinced it wasn’t Crookshanks because as I said, he has a pretty checkered history, that one. THEN Adam actually CAUGHT Helena in the act.

Seriously? Seriously? WTF Helena. She’d been so good all these years! (Or maybe not, now that I think of it.) We have THREE litter boxes for those brats. I’m tired of cleaning up after cats who can’t/won’t eliminate in the proper places. Hmph. Maybe I’ll just start peeing anywhere *I* feel like it. How would you like that, huh?

Cats are the gifts that keep on giving. IN THE ANNOYANCE DEPARTMENT. Why does this happen whenever I practice yoga at home??

every damn time!

Hmph. Well I’ll just keep lowering from chatarunga (which is hard enough as it is!) on to him every day and see if that changes his tune.

They’re lucky they’re cute and cuddly and so darn loveable.

Yesterday, I went to bookstore because although I have a couple of eBook copies of The Secret Garden, I really wanted a hard copy. I found a paperback that wasn’t too expensive, and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita that was also very nicely priced. 🙂 Yesterday evening, I watched Juno and Mean Girls, played some games, and read The Secret Garden–the hard copy. I PARTY HARD, Y’ALL.

So, randomly. I LOVE getting packages. And sometimes that means I go shopping online just so I can have packages arrive for me. Today, I finally used some of the $35 I had in Amazon credits to get a copy of The Secret Garden/A Little Princess DVD combo pack, a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s baby mild soap, and the black and white Skull Shores Frankie Stein Monster High doll. So excited! I used to collect all the Monster High dolls, but now it’s just out of control. There are too many. I decided to focus only on Frankie Stein because she’s just awesome.

This pic is outdated. I’ve gotten at least one new one since.
I wish I was more creative with posing them. Some people are great at it.

Once I get this particular doll, my collection will be complete, at least until they come out with a new Frankie Stein. Then my sights will be set on the Katniss Barbie. WHO IS AWESOME.

Today I read and read and read. Then I headed out for a hatha yoga class. The class was fantastic, even though we had to do that blasted utthita parsvakonasana which I hate! (There are some poses which make me all verklempt when I have to do them, this is one of them. I should make a post about that someday.) Anyway, I was rewarded with a lot of wonderful forward folds and deep twists, and you guys know how I feel about forward folds, right? The teacher would say something like: “When you’re ready, come out of the pose” and I’d be thinking “But I’m not ready to come out of this fold!” But I’d come out because well, I didn’t want to be stuck behind everyone else in the class, right?

So, Sunday is winding down and another week begins. Here’s what’s on my plate:

· yoga classes
· yoga teacher training
· yoga teacher training lecture
· yoga teaching practice
· library
· urban priestess workshop
· master teacher roundtable
· reading
· homework
· farmville (shut up, it’s fun and relaxing)
· life

What about you?

4 Comments