Saturday, January 29, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Travel advice?
Wow. So I'm going to Savannah for a conference. Anything I really need to see while there?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
off to china in a packing crate...
So, judging by the overwhelming response to my resolutions post, I'm sure you're wondering how I'm doing so far!
Well, I'll tell you.
I've eased into my resolutions, keeping them in mind and looking for opportunities. I walked Penny to the mailbox a few times (which is a 2 mile round trip because this housing development is...well, evil), and this is only made more interesting by my dog's crippling fear of storm drains.
I've looked into the rock gyms, but it's really expensive ($15 per visit plus $10 for equipment OR a $60/month membership plus equipment...eep), and the one on campus MIGHT be a good option, but just for bouldering. I really don't trust the safety regulations they have for belay climbing (belayers aren't anchored to the floor, no safety stops on the ropes, and while the floors are padded, they're hardly the two feet of shredded tires I'm used to), however my lack of climbing partner makes bouldering (climbing below an eight foot level without a rope and with mats beneath to focus on flexibility and holds) perfect for me (plus I'm kind of good at it...or I was when I climbed regularly).
I was beginning to despair when on a whim I decided to record a few shows from FitTV. Let me say now and forever more: I. LOVE. Namaste Yoga. It's a show. And it's awesome. I've only taken one session of yoga before and the room was hot, filled with old people (who were BETTER at it than me), and the instructor's breathing instructions made me lightheaded. This made so much sense, was only 30 minutes long (and had commercial breaks!), and was pretty fun to do! Plus, it was an added challenge trying to do yoga with this little lady getting in my face:
Well, I'll tell you.
I've eased into my resolutions, keeping them in mind and looking for opportunities. I walked Penny to the mailbox a few times (which is a 2 mile round trip because this housing development is...well, evil), and this is only made more interesting by my dog's crippling fear of storm drains.
I've looked into the rock gyms, but it's really expensive ($15 per visit plus $10 for equipment OR a $60/month membership plus equipment...eep), and the one on campus MIGHT be a good option, but just for bouldering. I really don't trust the safety regulations they have for belay climbing (belayers aren't anchored to the floor, no safety stops on the ropes, and while the floors are padded, they're hardly the two feet of shredded tires I'm used to), however my lack of climbing partner makes bouldering (climbing below an eight foot level without a rope and with mats beneath to focus on flexibility and holds) perfect for me (plus I'm kind of good at it...or I was when I climbed regularly).
I was beginning to despair when on a whim I decided to record a few shows from FitTV. Let me say now and forever more: I. LOVE. Namaste Yoga. It's a show. And it's awesome. I've only taken one session of yoga before and the room was hot, filled with old people (who were BETTER at it than me), and the instructor's breathing instructions made me lightheaded. This made so much sense, was only 30 minutes long (and had commercial breaks!), and was pretty fun to do! Plus, it was an added challenge trying to do yoga with this little lady getting in my face:
(Yes, old picture. But I likes it!)
Yoga. Yes. I love it. I used to be very very limber and I'm thinking it will come back quickly if I make an effort to work out with that program regularly. I also recorded a Zumba and Bollywood show. Let's see if I can get room mates in on it!
Speaking of the lovely puppy, Penny and I celebrated our one year anniversary about four days ago. Yes, I have had this girl for a whole year, and she has changed so much! I plan on doing a little video about her story once we get our Canine Good Citizen certificate. To go from a crazy dog on her way to death (that people refused to believe could be a good dog), who would growl and snap if you got near her, to a snugglepuppy who lets me hug her, puts her head on top of my legs when we sleep, and LISTENS to me (most of the time) when I give her a command is an awesome thing. I am beyond proud of her and beyond grateful to the folks at Petsmart for their amazing training system. Seriously, I will point anyone and everyone there.
As far as creativity goes, I've done the first exercise in my book: draw 30 cats while lying in bed. Since my scanner is old and has no driver software compatible with Windows 7 and I DON'T feel like trying to take a picture of a drawing again (project 365: you were awwwfuulllll), you'll have to trust that I did it. I actually really liked a few of them! The object was to just let yourself go and focus on expressive lines.
This week's exercise: blind contour drawings of giraffes. Yup. Isn't this fun??? Don't you want to go get one and do one along with me??
And then the reading: I've been working on Sailing Around the Room by Billy Collins (poet extraordinaire) and also Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. I know, I know, Nesbit=children's author, but look her up sometime. She lead a scandalous life and even adopted and raised both of her husband's children with his mistress while letting the mistress live in the house as their maid. Crazy crazy crazy. If my husband was a philanderer and had children with some floozy I would send her off to china in a packing crate (on a cargo barge if I was feeling REALLY charitable) and then I'd get him a house arrest anklet. Maybe not. What's even worse, Nesbit was really good friends with this mistress. She also at one point, in order to seek revenge, had a brief affair with George Bernard Shaw (philanderer as well...he wrote well but he was not exactly a boy scout). She was a feminist before it was popular (the FIRST time) and she used her pen to support her WHOLE family because her husband was almost perpetually out of work. Plus, her prose is full of little jabs at society that would go over the little one's heads.
Anyway, that's what's been going on. How are you guys going?
Speaking of the lovely puppy, Penny and I celebrated our one year anniversary about four days ago. Yes, I have had this girl for a whole year, and she has changed so much! I plan on doing a little video about her story once we get our Canine Good Citizen certificate. To go from a crazy dog on her way to death (that people refused to believe could be a good dog), who would growl and snap if you got near her, to a snugglepuppy who lets me hug her, puts her head on top of my legs when we sleep, and LISTENS to me (most of the time) when I give her a command is an awesome thing. I am beyond proud of her and beyond grateful to the folks at Petsmart for their amazing training system. Seriously, I will point anyone and everyone there.
As far as creativity goes, I've done the first exercise in my book: draw 30 cats while lying in bed. Since my scanner is old and has no driver software compatible with Windows 7 and I DON'T feel like trying to take a picture of a drawing again (project 365: you were awwwfuulllll), you'll have to trust that I did it. I actually really liked a few of them! The object was to just let yourself go and focus on expressive lines.
This week's exercise: blind contour drawings of giraffes. Yup. Isn't this fun??? Don't you want to go get one and do one along with me??
And then the reading: I've been working on Sailing Around the Room by Billy Collins (poet extraordinaire) and also Five Children and It by E. Nesbit. I know, I know, Nesbit=children's author, but look her up sometime. She lead a scandalous life and even adopted and raised both of her husband's children with his mistress while letting the mistress live in the house as their maid. Crazy crazy crazy. If my husband was a philanderer and had children with some floozy I would send her off to china in a packing crate (on a cargo barge if I was feeling REALLY charitable) and then I'd get him a house arrest anklet. Maybe not. What's even worse, Nesbit was really good friends with this mistress. She also at one point, in order to seek revenge, had a brief affair with George Bernard Shaw (philanderer as well...he wrote well but he was not exactly a boy scout). She was a feminist before it was popular (the FIRST time) and she used her pen to support her WHOLE family because her husband was almost perpetually out of work. Plus, her prose is full of little jabs at society that would go over the little one's heads.
Anyway, that's what's been going on. How are you guys going?
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