YTT Redecisioning

Back thinking about YTT. With the Gemini party in the past, I sat down with the WHY training information today and went over it a bit more carefully. Now I am having second thoughts. The struggle comes along a couple of lines:

1) WHY training turns out to be significantly more expensive - starting out at $2K, and then adding two national trainings and an anatomy workshop adds another $1000-$1500. That's significant to me; the $2K alone is going to be a challenge.

2) WHY training is a lot more compressed - running from Jan - June (5 session). But then there is a need to get to two national teacher workshops. So lots of wiggle room. Samadhi is spread out over 10 months (Sept - June), and seems to be a lot more concrete (one weekend per month) plus a few extra days for workshops. Less uncertainty, more of a rhythm.

3) I'm fretting about the number of yoga hours - I kind of want more basics / fundamentals / classroom, and I fear that the time spent (food / cooking / eating, national workshops) will be less time spent on yoga. Samadhi has lots of different energy too but I think it might be more resonant with my journey - literature, spirituality, music, etc.

4) I need to assess "why I want to take YTT" - and really, I want this background / credential to be able to bring yoga to my tribe. I'm less interested in a personal growth experience (though I am sure that will be there). I do think WHY would push me in a lot of ways and be better for me from a personal growth perspective, but I am not sure I want YTT to be the place where I want to explore my edges in that way. I will continue my personal practice (at WHY) even as I take training at Samadhi.

I'm gonna hit a power class over at Samadhi on Tuesday morning, to get a better feel for things. Take some time to talk to folks at WHY, and folks at Samadhi. And a fellow yogi from WHY who has taken the YTT over at Samadhi might be a good person to speak to. Perhaps make some sort of decision in the next few weeks.....and cross my fingers. If the Samadhi training overlaps with kirtan next year (as it did this year) then I may be off the grid in terms of kirtan for next year. My pound of flesh, perhaps.

Argh. No easy answers.

Hot Air

A quickie flight from Spring Street, Southington to a backyard in Meriden. Photos here.


Inflating the balloon; view from the top, through the crown opening.


Balloons in flight; Berkshire Balloons (distant) and Castle View Balloons (close)


Packing up - lots of help on Gale Avenue in Meriden!

Pre-Gemini Party

Dogs fed and watered. Pot of veggie chili is in the crock pot.

On the schedule: Pick up ice. Set up beverages. Clean and set up the back porch. Set up the three seasons porch. Clean the bathroom.

Looks like a nice day out there! Yay!

Compact Fluorescents

We've run through the house and swapped out most of the incandescents over the past few years - the holdouts have been:

(a) Bedside lamp (shade needs a bulb)
(b) Living room lamp (Three way bulb)
(c) Living Room three lamp stand (exposed bulbs)
(d) Bathroom fixture (globes)
(e) Dining room chandelier (mini-bulbs)

Got a mailing from CL&P with some affordable CF bulbs in less common styles: three-way bulbs (living room), encapsulated CF's (like a bulb, good for bedroom and reading lamps), and globes (for the bathroom).

Still on the prowl for mini lamps, and some viable outdoor bulbs (front and back porch lamps, backyard spotlight)

Visit the site here - replace some bulbs, save some watts!

The First Rule of Net Abuse

Don't target lawyers (or lawyers to be)

Part of my own "keep my head low" philosophy about certain parts of my life is fear of this sort of thing.... (the net abuse, not the lawsuit)

Why So Quiet?

Been a busy few days. We're holding our annual Gemini Party on Saturday - a tradition started by Zippy (who is a Gemini) as a sort of "I want all my friends and family to come by to celebrate but I do not want presents" thing - and since we are surrounded by Geminids, we thought, let's celebrate 'em all. The major birthdayish part is a Carvel ice-cream cake with all the Gemini's names; the rest is strictly hang out and schmooze.....

So we're in a flurry of pre-party preperations - cleaning, shopping, preparing. We're usually fairly lax in the housekeeping department. I am downright messy, and Zippy likes things neat on the surface but lets the dust accumulate. Zippy is content to just straighten up, but I go into hyper Martha mode - vacuuming shades, cleaning woodwork and cabinets, etc. whilst decluttering my sundry piles. Quite the project.

I'm making my traditional pot of vegan chili, Zippy is doing cajun green beans (and hopefully a mess of less fiery ones) - plus we'll have hamburgs, hot dogs, garden burgers, and brats for the grill, and people bring stuff.

It's an odd one for me this year - I never got off my duff to invite a lot of friends, so the guest list will be skewed towards Zippy's friends and coworkers. Zipster's artist brother Adam flew into town (we picked him up at BDL last night). Our musician friend Victoria will be down from the Albany area, with her guitar in tow. My mom, sister, and brother will be coming down, which is nice - being an alternative coupling without a marriage, its rare for our families to meet and mix, so its nice to have this sort of event. And after years of being somewhat circumspect about my life with my family, its nice to share my life with 'em. And oddly, my yoga/kirtan peeps (where I spend so much time and energy these days) have not really made the jump to "drop by the house to visit" friend status. Plus, Zippy has a chip on hir shoulder about that part of my life) so that slice of my life remains partitioned right now.

Our house is *not* designed for this sort of a party - even with the cleaned out back porch - so nice weather is a requirement for a successful party, and I think we are OK there: Yahoo sez Partly to mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. In years past I have put up a tarp as a rain / sun shield over the back porch and I might do so again......

Anyway, if you need me, I'll have my hands in a bucket of soapy water.....

Finish Line

This evening I drank my last glass of cleansing magic (mixed with organic apple juice) - a not-unpleasant quaff, albeit a bit gritty and tart. But 5 a day for 5 days (not counting 3 nights of prep) and I am more than happy to be done. Tomorrow I break my fast - with an organic apple in the morning, a light lunch and dinner. N down at the studio promised me a glass of her patented fast breaking veggie juice after hot yoga.

All in all - not bad. I think I had a light headache on the second night. Never really felt weak or light-headed. In fact, I did yoga Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. And I was really never tempted to eat - I was never really hungry. I might have lost some weight (not a lot) but I feel very different - my hands (in particular) feel thinner and different, and my stomache feels less cramped. Lots of junk has been eliminated from my system, I suspect. And I have a new and different appreciation of food and eating. So, the process was the enlightening and interesting.

Be nice if I can translate this knowledge and experience into permanent changes in my relationship to food and eating.....we shall see....

If a Nightingale, Could Sing Like You....

Two Youtube snippets of a classic Marx Brother's bit.

The movie version, from Monkey Business, here.

And a progenitor, albeit filmed around the same time, from the show "I'll Say She Is" here.

Kickball!

Yanno, just when you thought the world was winding down and there was no hope for anything good anymore, kickball comes to Hartford.

Getting Their Kicks: Kickball League Lets Adults Socialize While Revisiting Days On Playground

World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) website here.

Creature Comforts

We caught, unexpectedly, an episode of Creature Comforts last night on CBS. I'm a Nick Park / Aardman Animation fan from way back; so the style and format was familiar, but I had not realized there was a television series out. Apparently, there was a BBC series produced in 2003 (rerun on Comedy Central) and now CBS has commissioned an American version. More info here.

It's an unusually engaging bit of art. The interviews (of real people) bring to mind This American Life or perhaps Story Corps or Paul Auster's National Story Project (moment of small shock here, I recall the National Story Project as something recent, I popped over to the NPR site to realize that it ran back in 2000-2001. Damn, time flies)

Anyway, Monday nights at 8 on CBS. I think they are running a double session on Wednesday, June 13th, at 8.

Cleansing Fast - Day Three

Well, three days down, two to go. I'm coming around the back turn.

So far - no serious hunger, light-headedness, or discomfort (headaches, etc.). I've had some mouth hunger and cravings, watching television does not help, with its non-stop food advertisements. The apple-juice / toxin absorber cocktail is getting tiresome.

I've been able to maintain my yoga practice at a somewhat tempered level - a power II class on Saturday (first day) was a killer but I had just started my fast. But an all levels class on Sunday was about the right amount, and this morning, I am going to hit a new Hot Class with a familiar teacher I trust not to be too strenuous.

Have not lost any weight (amazing, since my caloric intake is significantly reduced) and I've had reasonable output (although this morning I am feeling somewhat bloated and blocked). It's pretty amazing what has been in my digestive track that this process is shaking loose.....and I think I'll reap benefits from that in the weeks to come.

Answer: 4835.4 Miles

Question: How far does George W. Bush need to travel to feel the love?

Bush receives hero's welcome in Albania

Distance calculated courtesy of Infoplease

Yale's Other Class

An interesting front page story in today's Courant, by Kim Martineau, about class (and a little race) at Yale, told from the perspective of a middle class kid, learning about class from below...

Interesting, and a story I relate to. I tend to be a bit of a chameleon - I move through and interect with upper classes, despite having a middle class background (and balance sheet). My parents were solidly middle class - not doctors or lawyers - an IT manager and a nurse. All of my sibs got bachelors degrees but advanced degrees were not on any of our plates.

Amusingly, Zippy, with advanced degrees, a college professor father and a mother with means, is significantly higher class than I (despite her rather dour financial situation). I do think I elarned a lot of my social behavior from my lower class status - I behave, I watch and learn the conventions, I mind my manners and yield to my betters (who are mostly everyone).

Anyway, good read for a Sunday morning.....

Cleansing Fast - Day One

Well, I survived five rounds of Blessed Herbs "Toxin Absorbant" (mixed with apple juice). Not really all that bad - the gunk helps keep me full. I treated myself to veggie broth at meal time, and for dessert tonight, some peach passion herbal tea. Mostly, a bit of "mouth hunger" (falling back to my mindfulness eating stuff) but no real hunger. According to the program guide, Day One is the hardest - and I made it.

Kind of low key day, all in all. I did a Power II yoga class today - pretty fierce. The yogi only teaches on Saturday - so I do not get to work with her often (Saturday is usually my off day) so it was a treat. After that, Zippy and I stormed the retail world - with trips to Stop and Shop (Zippy banking), Home Depot (misc junk), Marshalls (birthday underwear for the Zipster and a bunch of stuff for me, yoga pants and top, and two incredibly cute pair of shoes (Sketchers), and then Target (party supplies, TP, and a door mat)

We shall see how Days Two thru Five fare.

Tomorrow - maybe balloon chasing. Maybe yoga (gentle, until this cleansing fast is over). And then up to NoHo for a support space for the Zipster.

Just sad.....

...to have shuffled off this mortal coil in, oh 1999 or so, and to not have anyone notice that you are gone until 2007.

Woman's Skeleton Found In Her House

How can someone be so disconnected from the world? Her estranged husband cut the grass back in 2005. A neighbor noticed a smell coming from the place 5 years ago and called police - but it was not investigated. And finally, the woman's son was worried about her and prompted the finding of her remains.

There has to be a story here: mental illness, addiction, some malaise of the spirit. How very sad.

Cleansing

On the TMI front, today is Day #1 of a 5 day colon cleanse. I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while - I see the mildly offensive Blessed Herbs ads in the new age paper. I just hold so much in my belly, and it is so difficult breaking cycles and behaviors around food - I felt like maybe this would be a shock to the system, and I might emerge energized, with a shaken up metabolism and commitment. I know what I ought to do - been through so many cycles of weight watchers, mindfulness based food workshops, yoga workshops around food and weight.

Sort of an Enlightenment Intensive for the digestive track.

Kirtan Wrap-up

Last night was the final kirtan for the season (until September). A hot steamy night, and the music got hot. Nice energy. Technically - some snafu's, mostly related to a flaky guitar cable. I hope to work on both the technical end as well as my bass playing, during the off season.....but I integrated the bass into a number of chants and it went well, I think. Hard to know how it is received by the folks in the audience....

Amazing that it was just a year ago, probably following this last kirtan, that I shyly approached Shankara with the offer that "if they ever needed someone to sub in for guitar......" The rest, they say, is history. My life has changed so much in the past 12 months. Maybe not outwardly - same home, same work, same relationship - but in terms of life work, energy, music, and relationship to the divine. Wow.

K was there last night. I am almost shy with her - I feel as if she is a rock of support and grounding for many people (she seemed always deep in conversation with someone) and well, I wanted to thank her. Her energy drew me to yoga, to WHY, and made it a safe space for me - and although I quickly found the practice, teachers, and energy to devote myself to, she was the worm that I nibbled so that the divine could set his hook.

Hopefully, I will keep my music alive this summer - falcon ridge, the gemini party, perhaps an informal kirtan. We'll see....and I will be back in September, for sure!

A Gentle Reminder

Affix Your Oxygen Mask Before Attempting to Help Others.

Thank-you.

Blues Clues

Well, the Blues Fest was fun. We got there towards the end of the first band, got to hear two more acts pretty much all through, but left before the headliners. Sharrie Williams & the Wise Guys was good (Zippy commented it seemed like Hendrix electric blues at times), and the Ray Schinnery Band was outstanding and played a really long set. Saw my friend Rich from Northern Lights (I run into him maybe once a year at a production gig, and once a year at some outdoor concert or fest) - and we also ran into some friends on the way out.

Was a beautiful night, and I commented to the Zipster "...this is why we live in Hartford...." because it was a treat to be able to zip downtown, hear some great music, and not have it be a production.

Got the Blues

Zippy and I are heading over to Bushnell Park later for the Annual Blackeyed & Blues Festival:

6/7/07 @ 5:30 PM: Annual Blackeyed & Blues Festival
The 7th Annual Blackeyed & Blues Festival at Bushnell Park. Featuring: Ryan Hartt & the Blue Hearts, Sharrie Williams & the Wise Guys, Ray Schinnery Band, and Kal David & the Real Deal. Food provided by Blackeyed Sallys of course, with Brews from Redhook Brewery & Budweiser

Centering

Took an hour tonight to meditate down at the studio. Was very nice; a friend led the meditation and it was good to see her (twice in one week!) Zippy and I took a walk in the neighborhood after dinner. And I am starting three days of preparation for a 5 day cleansing fast.

Catching up at work today - I got a big report out and another smaller one that has been pending (plus a longish meeting and lunch); tomorrow and Friday I have three more reports, an expense report, and reviewing an installation guide.

Down at the studio, one of my favorite teachers has gotten an 8 am hot class on Tues and Fri which might be a good alternative. And I was enchanted by the graphics work on the new sumemr schedule and am gonna find out about the graphic wizard - see if she freelances. Maybe I can snag her for a makeover for one of my web clients....

Techung

Yersterday's music from Tibet was courtesy of Techung (aka Tashi Dhondup Sharzur). It was quite a nice concert, although I was a little tired (long days, early mornings, and a draining hot yoga practice yesterday). It reminded me a bit of Tuvan music, without the throat singing.

Interviews with Techung here and here

On a musical note, one of my favorite local groups Mad Agnes is doing a house concert in Glastonbury (one of Zippy's throat singing connections) so we're gonna try to be there - they will be awesome in a small, intimate space.....

Sundresses

I got to an annual folk festival; and more often than not walk away with some form of sundress - tie-dye, batik, patchwork. I take 'em to the folk fest, I wear 'em to perhaps 1-2 social events in the summer - and that's it.

But its hot, its humid, I'm out of my soggy yoga duds but not quite ready to shower and dress for the day. Seems like a perfect excuse for a sundress....

How dumb am I to be neglecting this part of my wardrobe? A sundress fits my lifestyle at least a couple of times a week; and here there are idly hanging in the basement.

Acoustic Bass

Blog readers will recall that I purchased a low cost electric bass a while back. Well, that decision has not sat well with me - and this past week, I invested in a replacement - a Michael Kelly acoustic bass.

No particular reason - Kirtan is coming up, and I want to continue to expland my bass playing, and I like the sound and concept of an acoustic bass for kirtan much better. I'm trying to schlep my electric abass on craigslist (alternately, ebay or Daddy's Junky Music, in trade for an amp)

So I have (between all the other stuff this weekend) been practicing guitar and bass - Ferron's Phantom Center has some great bass tracks that I have been playing along with to get my chops back. I've ID'd a couple of chants that I think work well for bass (instead of guitar) so hopefully I will be playing a bit more bass this time around....

Barking Dogs

Sunday morning, 6 a.m. here, and there has been (up until a moment ago) a dog incessantly barking outside. Being the mommy to three dogs, I had to check to be sure it was not one of ours, somehow escaped (no, all are fed and watered and asleep)

Been an up tempo weekend without being too harried. Friday, the Zipster and I had counseling (a good session, despite a pretty cold fight Thursday evening into Friday morning; we made up before work on Friday). Then off to the CT Gay and Lesbian Film Fest for opening night. Met a few friends there, and saw a lot of the community stalwarts (the folks we see at fund-raisers, conferences, pride, the film fest). Good movies. I'll probably go once this week with MYA; and maybe one more time with the Zipster.

Saturday, was balloon chasing, BB "Shot the Res" (the Merimere Reservoir, abutting Percival Park in Meriden), this time from the south to the north. (He did north to south last weekend). Nice flight, from Cheshire to private yard off Orchard Road, east of the Chamberlin Highway. Once again, my GPS was helpful in the solo chase.

As part of out "catching up on the classics" Netflix program, we watched "Streetcar Named Desire" last night - odd since all these iconic scenes and lines of dialogue were familiar even as neither of us had seen the film or the play. Brando was quite the stud in his day; hard to imagine for those who only knew him in later years. We enjoyed the movie.

Today: yoga in the morning (Nykki) and then some house stuff (maybe cut the lawn). We're off to Torrington at 4:00 pm to see a Tibetan singer (I know nothing, no venue, no name, so no links) that Zipster found. And at 8:30, practive for Kirtan.

Close to Home

Word from my mother, who just called.

My second cousin (son of one of my cousins) has been in Iraq. He's become one of the casualties. Not sure of all the details; but apparently it was an IED, and he has lost part of his left leg, and his right leg is seriously wounded. He is a handsome kid, a smart kid - a Princeton grad, his mom did not have a lot of money so I am sure he went to college via ROTC. I've known him since he was a little kid, although in my large extended family, the first cousins get lost, and I have a hard time keeping track of the next generation.

God I hate this senseless war. God I hate those who have waged it. God I hate those who voted for these assholes.

I was thinking of him on Memorial Day, as I cried a little for all the lives lost and bodies wounded. Wondering how he was, how he was faring. He was at his grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary a few years back - looking so stiff and sober in his uniform. I knew he was overseas but was not sure where. I would not be surprised to hear he had been part of the ill-advised "surge". Such a horrible sacrifice to have to make at such a young age. He has a large immediate family - his brother, cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and will I am sure not lack for healing and love as he recuperates.

My prayers for his healing. My prayers for all healing. And for this stupid military adventure to end.

Edit: Story from the Daily Freeman here

Blue Moon

Today, apparently, is a Blue Moon. At least in my part of the world.

This may help to explain the rash of weirdness and chaos and unsettledness in my life and the life of those around me. Maybe just the full moon part. I dunno.

Yoga Angst Redux

I am back to fretting about yoga teacher training.

Specifically, vague feelings that all is not settled in WHY-land. No official information about the teacher training yet. It supposedly does not start until January. Wondering how one crams 200 hours into a many fewer months (Samadhi starts in September). Wondering if I am getting 110 hours and a less certain certification, with perhaps the requirement to do some additional teacher trainings (at additional cost) to get certified.

Samadhi just seems like more of a sure thing right now, even with its potential conflicts with kirtan and its "not getting to work with Barbara" limitations. It's a fixed price, its a fixed schedule, and I know I walk out the door in June with certification.

::sigh:: Hot yoga with Nykki this morning. Perhaps I can chat with her, with Shakara, or with Alison about this - get some reassurance. I need some stability in my life right now and the teacher training being up in the air is messing with me, big time.

I have often referenced the ACOA learning "When there are family secrets, children fill in the blanks out of their own fears and imaginations, and the imagined reality is often far worse than the real one". And that's what the WHY teacher training feels like right now. I'm not getting information, and I am filling in the blanks with my own fears, insecurities, and doubts.

Presciently Disappeared

MYA has disappeared. Or rather, been subsumed into the bowels of the legal system. Per her mother a group of police officers stormed the house yesterday and collected her, in hello kitty jammies, around 12:00 noon.

No idea where she is - we've called the police and found it was a probation thing - calls to the adult probation number have bene unreturned. No idea what precipitated it, although an argument with a boyfriend may be at the root. I got the news around 1:00 pm via voice mail, and by the time I got through to mom (3:00 pm or so) it was later in the day and we were not able to track her down.

::sigh:: Nothing to do but wait and continue to call, hopefully she will resurface, and not be too badly damaged. But she could have three months ahead of her; most likely in a male facility.

Sadly, her mom called me last week to talk - in her eyes, MYA was heading for trouble with this BF, and she was worried. Mom's generally have a sixth sense about this kind of stuff. Not sure we could have done anything. We're adults - we worry too much, we know nothing

And I'll be honest too, I'm a lot disappointed and discouraged. This kid has people who care, people who worry, and seemed just about ready to pull herself out of her downward spiral with a new job. She picked up her first paycheck last weekend. And now this.

I'm at the point of being kind of glad she got bagged - sounds like she has been pushing the limits for a while (per her mom) and perhaps being less than up front with me. Maybe I need to set some limits and offer her something than unconditional support. Conditional support.... I dunno how that works. But something.

MRI and You Tube

Fans of the Judester will know she works with MRI now and then. So here - some You Tube bits and pieces related to MRI machines.


A pretty cool bit of MRI Magic....


I wanna know whose bright idea it was getting the chair stuck in there in the first place....


Not sure is covered under warranty...


Honey, I blew up the MRI....

Kirtan - June 8th: 8 pm to 10 pm

KIRTAN WITH SHANKARA & FRIENDS
6.8 - Friday Evenings 8:00 - 10:00 pm

Join us for an evening of devotional singing, chanting, and personal expression. Kirtan is part of an ancient form of yoga known as Bhakti, or the Yoga of Devotion. The meditative quality of the music promotes a joyousness of spirit. Shankara leads our group in chants and songs in Sanskrit and English, from ancient Vedic text to traditional American music. Kirtan is for everyone, the experience itself offers possibilities of personal discovery or simply, the joy of raising one's voice in song. Allow yourself the gift of making a joyous noise. It's all about the spirit and the feeling. Bring yours to share! Expect surprises and unannounced musical guests!
$5 suggested donation. No registration required.

Per usual, I'll be there in my official role as one of the "friends"

No Corporate Ice Cream!

After our river walk yesterday, Zippy and I were looking for a little something sweet. We found it (and more) at Bob's Fruit Stand (1825 Berlin Tpke, Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 529-2152)

While we got our ice cream (they have lots of flavors, both soft-serve and traditional, and lots of other summery treats) - we also spent some time browsing the plants, and walked away with a flat of annuals as well as our tomatoes (we have about 40 square feet of sunny space that can support veggies and is inaccessible to the dogs)

If you are looking for a summery treat and do not feel like corporate ice cream (DQ, Carvel, or the like) then give Bob's Fruit Stand a try!

It's at the top of the Berlin turnpike, just before the Maple Avenue / I-15 split.

Eastern Cottonwoods

Cottonwood seeds have made the air magical all day; I noticed these in the air today from the office. Tonight, Zippy and I walked Great River Park on the East Hartford side of the Connecticut River. Cottonwood city....


Cottonwood seeds fill the air....


Cottonwood seeds cover the ground, like an unseasonal snowfall.....


Cottonwood seeds ready for launch.....

It was kind of cool to see some crew teams, probably part of the community rowing program, on the river:

Arm Balances

Studies in frustration, today, and Nykki led us down into the humbling and frustrating world of arm balances. Definitely a "haves" and "have-nots" delineation - with some in the class able to access the postures, and others not.

Today's challenges:
* Eka Pada Koundinyasana - Scissors
* Astavakrasana
* Eka Pada Bakasana A - One legged crow or crane

I actually got up (for brief seconds, and with my nose inches from the mat) into Eka Pada Bakasana A. But usually arm balances like this are outside my zone. A good place of learning to be humble.....

That being said, there was a time when basic crow pose / bakasana was off my menu, but now its a pretty regular part of my practice - so hope springs eternal. Although I REALLY need to lose some weight lest I destroy my wrists....

Out of the Office

18,000+ people on a mailing list I manage are getting the word about Day Out with Thomas 2007. So I am watching the OUT OF THE OFFICE auto-relies come dribbling in this afternoon.

I on the other hand, am IN THE OFFICE. Although not getting a lot done - listening to Colin McEnroe, cleaning up small things, and getting prepped to do (3) reports and then dive into one large and overdue trip report.

Recovering

It was a weekend of social discourse, food, and schmooze. Zippy and I had three picnics / parties this weekend. Saturday was my family in Framingham, MA, my brother opened his pool. Sunday was friends in New Britain (officially, a grill-warming party). And Monday was friends in Springfield, MA. On top of that, I crewed for BB on Sunday morning.

Completely enjoyable, all. Highlights were swimming in Framingham, some lawn games lite in New Britain, and meeting new friends in Springfield. Food was great all in all, if a bit much and heavy. I am gonna need this week to recover. We're just too old and creaky for all this fun!

Catch up week at work - its the end of the month Friday so there will be lots of invoicing to do, plus I have a trip report overdue from last week, and some other things to get done before then. I also have a conference call tomorrow.

But of course, having missed yoga since Friday morning, priorities are clear. I'm picking up A from SFO this morning at his mom's for a visit to the studio (for a power class with Nykki, probably) - and then we can get our work week on.....

Crown Line Cam

Ballooning this morning - I chased a flight from Berlin to Cheshire, in a rare wind to the south and west. Intrepid pilot BB (Balloon Boy) wisely had us meet at the commuter lot on Rte. 10 - we drove to Sage Park in Berlin for the launch, and landed at a driving range back on Rte. 10 in Cheshire. Nice flight, nice track which took the balloons right down the Shuttle Meadow reservoir. (good photos were taken, I am told)

My photos - from the crew perspective. A more conventional landing shot above. Below, the more innovative "crown line camera" perspective, as I pulled the balloon over with my right hand and snapped some pictures with my left. The Crown Line is the long rope that runs from the top of the balloon (i.e. - the crown) to the ground - its used during inflation to keep the balloon steady and pull it open, and at deflation to drop the balloon in a specific place, and to start to squeeze the air out.

Most passengers and onlookers do not get to see this perspective - usually clustering around the basket. It's a view I know well. In the winter, the warm air escaping from the balloon is a bit of a treat, in the middle of July, it't like opening a 105,000 cubic foot oven.

I think I have torn my rotator cuff over the years, tugging down large balloons via the crown line. I am sure this morning's antics - one armed crown line wrangling while I snapped photos with the other arm) did not help. But it was not a windy day - so not too much risk.....

Calm Before the (Social) Storm

Friday night here. We've been having a remarkably social stretch. Today, a friend from SFO was in town - I treated him to a yoga class (which he adored) and then we hooked up with the Zipster for lunch at East West Grille. Had a really great appetizer platter - satay chicken, dumplings, spring rolls, summer rolls, edamaumie, and then some salads. You can not go wrong with Lao-Thai food on New Park....

The weekend is similarly social - a pool party at my brothers in Framingham MA tomorrow, a grill-warming party with friends in New Britain on Sunday, and perhaps a party Monday night up in Springfield. Add in balloon chasing on Sunday morning. And probably some yoga somewhere along the line, although coming off a 3 day stretch, my bod needs some time off.....

I *should* drag my ass into the office this weekend and catch up on stuff. I have a trip report pending, T&E to go with, analysis of (2) reports, a teleconference on Wednesday to prep for, and a big ol' report template overdue that I need to finish up by the end of the month so I can bill for it. Friday is the EOM and that will mean invoicing. So a busy workweek ahead. But for now - time to relax.

Reunion Hill

Richard Shindell, courtesy of Susan Forbes Hansen's Mixed Grille show on WWUH, 91.3.

Shivers on the eve of this Memorial Day weekend. And tears, for the souls lost in the sands and quagmire of Iraq. For the destroyed limbs, the damaged brains, the wives and mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. Edit: And later on, John Gorka's "Let Them In" - more tears.

Fuck you Neocons, agents of death, servants of the evil one.

Bless you, troops.

Yoga Run Amok

I am getting an "A" in yoga and a "C" in work of late.

Wednesday I had a hot class in the morning with M, long time since I have worked with her and she is doing some new Shiva Rae inspired stuff. Yummy practice, I miss working with her. The curse of too many wonderful yoga teachers! Last night, I snuck over to Samadhi for an All Levels class, followed up with a Yoga Teacher Training Q&A. And this morning, a friend from SFO is in town and I am treating him to a hot class at WHY.

The teacher training Q&A was a little tough. I am starting to realize, I guess, that Samadhi is not gonna be the right space for me, for a bunch of reasons.

* It conflicts with kirtan at WHY. So I'd have to give that up for the coming year, and that's been prettty important to me.
* The drive out and back is a little more of a hassle than a road warrior like me wants to admit. Not bad on occasion, but multiply by 30 or 40 round trips, and its time and fuel burned, on a car that does not really need the miles, and probably yoga stoned to boot. Just an incremental hassle, time spent away from the rest of life, etc.
* The yoga itself seems slightly less resonant. I suspect Anne and Matt might be pretty great, but neither of them teaches often so it will be a few weeks before I can catch a class with one of them to confirm that.
* Samadhi has a 20 person limit, and I suspect they will be filling up the class sooner rather than later. I do not think I can make a decision quickly.

I left the Q&A somewhat down, and rather quickly, did not hang out afterwards to schmooze. Because it does look like a wonderful training program, a good space, and I felt the stirrings of a community coming together even among the group of interested folks, and the "left out" feeling was a good sign that it was not my space. It's funny, because I do think that might be something Samadhi has over training at WHY - I doubt there will be as much of a family feel to it. But that's OK - WHY is home in a lot of ways for me and I have less of a need for a "community" in terms of teacher training.

And it was kind of sad - because dammit if WHY was not doing training I would have wrote the deposit check last night and been excited as all heck over taking yoga training there. It seems like a wonderful program, and I mourn the loss of it. File this one under "too many blessings"

I did buy a class card at Samadhi and will visit there now and then to practice - just for something different. There are a few nice class options (times) that might work out, and there is a better selection of mid level classes (WHY tends to be gentle or hot / power, with less in between, and so when I need to ratchet it back a little but not all the way back to gentle, Samadhi makes sense.

Not Deciding

Regarding Yoga Teacher Training, that is. I had been beating myself up to make a decision between two training options by June 1st. The impetus behind that pressure was an early registration deadline at one of the studios. For background, I am choosing between a new teacher training program at my beloved studio WHY and an established (and well respected) training program at a nearby studio, Samadhi.

So, I decided I did not need to decide right now - if I opt for that program, I can register at full price - its only a few hundred bucks more. A small price to pay for not going crazy or making a rash decision.

I've officially asked the universe for some guidance here (and in my experience, once I've asked, I will get my answer. I spoke to a fellow yogi who practices at WHY and has been taking the Samadhi teacher training this year; she was helpful. I intend to take some classes at Samadhi to get a feel for the place (starting tonight, a power class preceding a teacher training Q&A). I will continue to collect information, talk to people, make lists and charts, look at the training dates. I am pretty confident that something clear will fall out from all this.

Regarding WHY: I love the teacher, who has touched my soul specifically (through practices with her) and generally (through the studio that she runs and the community that surrounds her). My heart leaps in my chest at the thought of working with her. I feel I will be more challenged by the practice and the training (and I have a history of avoiding challenges, taking the easier path, I was a slacker long before Gen-X and Gen-Y codified the identity). I am a bit concerned because this is the inaugural training for the studio. I feel perfectly comfortable with the yoga and the studio (I practically live there now) but feel a bit intimidated by the technical proficiency there. These are serious yogis and I dare not come to the training halfway.

Regarding Samadhi: Seems like a comfortable, one big family kind of place. I fear less in the way of fear or nervousness about training there. I am little concerned that the style of yoga will be less to my liking (the WHY practice has spoiled me in some ways because there is a particular energy or style there). Traveling to Manchester will be a little less convenient. I am concerned about teacher training weekends conflicting with kirtan (I suspect the WHY teacher training and kirtan will not overlap since the share the space)

But in general - I have two really good teacher training options, and I suspect if either dried up tomorrow, I would embrace the other option with no regret. Such a blessing to have such choices.

Sign of the End Times

No escape as mobile phone reaches Everest's summit

Meanwhile....

The call is one of several high altitude stunts being carried out in the current Everest climbing season.

Last week a Briton pulled off the season's first big stunt by making the first flight over the summit using a powered paraglider.

A Nepali mountaineer has also broken his own world record by scaling the peak for a breathtaking seventeenth time.

Other daredevils on the mountain include Wim "Iceman" Hof, a Dutchman attempting to scale the peak wearing just shorts, boots, gloves and a cap.

On second thought, let's not go climb Everest.

Coyote Grace

Just heard them on WAMC's Performance Place - they sounded pretty great. Friends of the family, too :) More info here. They will be playing in Haddam at Church House Concerts on May 26th; not sure if we can make it (family picnic in MA that day) but I'm gonna pencil it in, just in case.....

Yoga vs. Depression

Yoga May Elevate Brain GABA Levels, Suggesting Possible Treatment For Depression

"Our findings clearly demonstrate that in experienced yoga practitioners, brain GABA levels increase after a session of yoga,"

I've always felt (on some intuitive level) that my exercising (Jazzercise originally, Yoga these days) is my way of dealing with depression. Interesting to see this sort of thing being studied and corroborated scientifically.

Rainy Weekend

Not a huge problem for me. Sunshine would have meant balloon chasing; fun and frolic and hanging out wiht friends, but also an inordinate amount of food and champagne consumption for a Sunday morning. Rain means I eat healthier and get to hit the mat this morning. I win either way.

Hopefully next weekend will not be rainy; we have an uncharacteristically social holiday weekend planned, with a family thing up in MA on Saturday and a local picnic with friends on Sunday. Nothing on Monday (so far) although I suspect we will need a day of rest.

Decisions II

This morning's decision was easy - I hopped back in bed after blogging, and fell into a sound sleep until nearly 9. Caught up on my travel related fatique, and it made the yoga decision easy - so I visited Samadhi Yoga in Manchester fo an All Levels class taught by student instructors. I met some of the teachers and the owners, all seemed nice. A friend from WHY, who I knew goes there, showed up, which was nice.

It was a good practice - I missed a little bit of the WHY poetry and flow in terms of moving through postures, but I suspect that's a student thing vs a studio thing. Good learning (for me) in terms of understanding what makes a practice work (for me, and presumably, for others). I guess its something I might not notice unless its not there. But bottom line: a positive vibe, good people, a practice that was in tune with my own.

After class, my WHY friend gave me some thoughts to chew on with regard to the differences between teacher training at WHY and teacher training at Samadhi. I respect his opinion a lot (he has spent time on the mat at both studios, and knows me a bit). So I have some deciding to do. Good thing I'm the decider!

I'm going to tire kick a bit more - speak to the folks at WHY about teacher training there, go to a few classes at Samadhi in the next week. There is a teacher-training Q&A this coming Thursday, and a power class preceding it that I want to go to. I would love to see Matthew and/or Anne in action (teaching) but not sure that will happen before I need to make a choice.

Decisions, Decisions

Yoga today.

Do I hit WHY for Power II with Peg, or do I venture out to Manchester for a 10:30 All Levels class that has teacher trainees working with us? It would be a good chance to find the studio in Manchester, meet some of the people, and get a vibe. I am seriously considering yoga teacher training starting in the fall and that is one of two options (the other is my beloved WHY, which is starting up teacher training this year).

WHY: My last class was Tuesday (not counting my practice in Seattle which was pretty mild) and I am a bit fragile between traveling, eating poorly, sleeping poorly, etc. A Power II class might be a bit much. OTOH, I need / want to reconnect at WHY, I feel kind of adrift.

SAMADHI: An all levels class might be right up my alley today. And I do want to give them a chance. (Even though the opportunity to work with and learn from Barbara is incredibly

Actually, looking at schedules and stuff, I might end up with a Solomonic decision. WHY has an All Levels class at 7:30 which has proven to be pretty gentle for me. (generally leaves me wanting more) I could hit that class, come home for a bit, then truck on over to Manchester for their All Levels class at 10:30. That way, I get my WHY fix, I get a nice mellow practice to get me back onto the mad, I get to see Samadhi and practice there all warmed up.....

Surgery Sister

This one gets filed under the that which shall not be named category.

I've been a fairly lax friend and correspondant - people from my past tend to either fall into "periodic update" mode (1-2 times per year) or drop off the scene completely. So it has been with K, my surgery sister. We were roomies at MSRH back in 2003; I had my surgery a day before hers, and we spent a week co-recovering. She nicknamed me "dropsie" (remotes, phones, CD players, books all hit the floor with some regularity on my side of the room). We bonded in a way, despites differences in age and culture and experience.

Anyway, she has (over the years) dropped emails here and there, and I have (on occasion) stayed in contact, but not really. This past week, I got a few invites to her "Friendster" site - so I emailed her back, saying hi, telling her I did not really want to sign up for any social network sites but it was nice to hear from her, giving her an update, and inquiring about her life. Last I knew she was married, working as a hair stylist, and living in Palm Springs. But things have changed:

im so glad to hear from you, and that you are doing great, about me here, something happened to me, i am living here back in the phillippines now and not really doing well, i have no job here and cant find one, and i have so much indebt right now, i was asking my friends to help me but i think they wanted to but not now, due to financial problems too, i have no one to ask and sorry that i have to share this with you, but i am desperate and dont know who i can ran to, judith i really need help here to put my life back, i even live in like a squatter area, i even thought of just ending my life, but im scared, jude i really need your help please help me, and my regards to your parrtner ales and say hi for me to dr. bowers. i miss being in the states, but i think god put me back here for a reason, and that i dont know what. i am really sorry to share this with you but i just want to let you know my life here now, and maybe perhaps you can visit me here, i would love that and see you, till nest email, miss you girl and god bless

Not easy, eh? Another tale from down the line that dispels the myth of "happily ever after"

I wired her some money - less than she needs, more than I can really justify, but its something. I hope it helps. She is a sweet girl. Life has been good to be in the years since our time together in Trinidad, and I need to be thankful for that and give something back.

As an interesting sideline, its damn amazing what Western Union (how I wired her some cash) knows about me. To verify my identity (I set up the transfer over the net) they pulled some info from public records for me to corroborate. They came up with a client's website, my mom's hometown, my old address in Waterbury (I had to rack my brain for that one!) Apparently, I am who I say I am, and so the transfer went through.

Like I said, I hope it helps. Happily ever after indeed.

SEATAC Blog

Inexplicably, I have internet access here via Boingo. Not sure if this is costing me anything (I did not put in a credit card number) but maybe it remembers me and bills automatically. No matter. SEATAC terminal A also gets points for having a nice standing counter where I ate my breakfast and from where I am blogging....

I was able to hop on an earlier flight - so I get in at 5:30 or so instead of 10:00 pm tonight. Which means I could conceptually make the Gaia Roots concert tonight (depending upon my energy, the Zipster, and various sundry variables and intangibles. I do not have a seat assigned yet, so I am imagining a center seat all the way back to CT - but whatever. Just happy not to have to hang around the airport all morning.

Yesterday, the work got done early afternoon, so I was able to sneak out to a bit of yoga. I found a Viniyoga class at Yoga Barn in Issaquah. Was not my favorite practice - no vinyasa, never actually got up into Warrior, no sun salutations, I barely broke a sweat. Yet challenging in ways. Something different, worth exploring.

Bout it from Seattle. Back to CT anon!

A Small Luxury

Inexplicably, I opted in for the Economy Plus upgrade for the trip out to Seattle. Mostly because I had back of the bus middle seats - so for $63 I get front of the plane aisle and/or window seats. Yeah for me.

I am also traveling a lot better that last trip (so far) - cell phone remembered. Digital camera too. All my power supplies and chargers. All my customer contact info.

Flights boarding - I am off!

May Madness

Someone turned the switch on, and all of a sudden I have work coming from all directions. I am headed to Seattle tomorrow, of course, and yes, I have reread my Off My Stride posting to try not to repeat the sins of the past. I am gonna pack my bag tonight; I have my tools already in the car, and tomorrow I just need to stop by the office and get my travel papers (maps, reservations, etc) together.

I also have an email from the same client (who, by the way, I have not heard from in over a year) to go to a site on Long Island (not sure if they will still need me next week, the earliest I can get there). And I've had another project going with some power conditioning equipment (another contact that's been dormant over a year). And some new energy with old clients. Just a lot going on.

Gotta pay for all that yoga, I guess. Although, its been tough sneaking in classes around all this work! I did get to a power class yesterday (sublime) and a hot class today (surprisingly energetic and sweaty, with a teacher I usually rely on for a slightly gentler practice). So I have my yoga mojo fulfilled - I'll take some duds and a mat out to Seattle to either practice in the hotel or maybe find a local studio. But I do miss my morning yoga practice and teachers.

Zippy and I did dinner tonight (Lemon Grass, West Hartford, which has been dropped down to third favorite Thai place, behind East-West and Hot Basil) - we dined with a friend from upstate NY - who seemed to connect with Zippy (always a pleasant outcome) Zippy is like tea kettle on low heat - takes hir a while to warm up to people but once the pot is boiling, there is a lot of energy and noise!

I am sure I will be blogging from the road tomorrow - so talk at you then!

Freelance-onomics 101: Bosses are for suckers

An audio essay from James Braly, that I heard on NPR's Marketplace today.

"But in my case," I continue, "as a freelancer, I have many clients who represent three levels of demand: A, B, or C." Demand being one of those words, like widget, that tells a businessperson, 'I speak your language.'

Then I pass out a chart that presents this argument as a kind of Food Pyramid: a foundation of many C Clients, fruits and vegetables; a solid middle section of B Clients, the meat and potatoes; and up at the top, a few choice A Clients, the nuts and sweets.

Of the A Clients, I say, "I never let one control more than 10 percent of my income," neglecting to add that they never give me more than 10 percent of my income. "At each level, if one relationship sours, I replace it with another from the level below. It's like a balanced portfolio of occupational risk. Really, I can't imagine being in a position where one person could end my career."

That's pretty much my life. I've been self-employed since the start of 1996 - and I am not sure I could work for a corporation again.

Catching Up

Just been busy. Long work day today (including a 3 hour web conference that I pretty much led). A power class tonight. More web conference tomorrow, some reports to crank out, and heading off to Seattle Wed-Fri.

I'll probably catch up on the blog on Wed, as I travel....

Shoulda Done This Long Ago

Post this one under "maybe the free market health care advocates are right"

I've been going to CVS forever - its right down the street, its a national chain. But since I signed up for an HSA health care account, suddenly I pay full price for prescriptions (out of my HSA account). In addition, the last few visits to CVS to pick up my scripts have been exercises in patience: long lines, slow service. So I decided to shop around.

Estradiol 2mG: CVS was $12.00 or thereabouts. Target is $4.00 (one of their $4 meds)
Simvastatin 40 mG: CVS was $70.00. Amusingly, the 20 mG (my dose) was also $70. So I have been getting the 40 mG pills and spliting them. Target's price for the 40 mG? $23.00!

Incredibly, the Target prices without insurance are lower than the CVS copays *with* insurance. And, bonus - Target offers different color pill caps so the Zipster and I can keep our meds from getting mixed up.

The Organizational (Wo)man

Spending tonight loading up a spreadsheet with folk musicians product. As part of my newfound responsibility as folk fest merchandise geek, I am hewing to the "more time spent up front prepping, more time available for hanging out and schmoozing" philosophy.

So far, 52 artists loaded with all the discography data I could find online. I'm on the fence about putting in contact info. I am sure there will be changes at the fest, but this is a start. I also will have 24 Showcase performer pages to load.....

But damn, can I throw a spreadhseet together!

Just Like That

Has been kind of a quiet month. Then all-of-a-sudden:

* A Webex training program that I am leading, for two four hour sessions, next Monday and Tuesday. Of course, lots of prep work (revising presentations, getting checked out on Webex, scripting my course to work remotely)

* A trip to Kent WA for an old client (who pops up now and then) that will take me out of town next Wed - Fri

Connecticut Sun Lose to Seattle Storm

Took advantage of a spare season's ticket to go to the game last night. Good seats, front row, upper level, mid-court.

First off, most of the stars were missing. For the Sun - no Nykesha, no Lindsay, no Ashja, no Margo. For the Storm - no Sue Bird. So it really was not a stellar game.

A few of the Sun newbies were note-worthy. #22, Kiera Hardy (9 points), played with confidence and drilled a few shots but she missed a lot too. (3-7 from the floor) A little bit of a hot-dog, that properly channeled, might turn into spark-plug. #30, Brooke Smith, was a bit disppointing - we noted her boucing pony tail but she seemed lost on the floor, and threw up some bricks (1-5). She seemed awfully young. Journey(wo)man Kristen Rasmussen (#52) was nice to see in lieu of Margo, Nykesha, and Ashja - she had 11 points. Quite the traveling career - with 6 teams in 7 years. Jamie Carey played pretty well, not a lot of impact on the Box Score but when she has the ball she was seemed in control and settled things down.

The Box Score tells the tale - the Sun had 26 fouls and the Storm were 20-26 from the foul line (vs. 8-11 for the Sun). On the othe rhand, the Sun drilled some 3's (7-27, but I guess that means they missed a lot) vs. 1-7 for the Storm.

Ah well, good to see a game from the arena (vs. the control room). I text messaged Bruce (who runs the arena game) at the start to say hello, thing were rough (I did not see a lot of the screen features, and a few either did not run right or had no sound or whatever) but I suspect they will manage without me this year.

Oh yeah, Blaze came and sat next to me. I got all excited, and touched his ear. He was hanging out during the "Kiss Cam" and I was hoping for a kiss. Sadly, he was all over the far cuter blond woman to his left. ::pout::

That Kind of Girl

It says something about me that, when Elo the dog reached onto the coffeetable and started lapping at my cup of decaf, I yelled at him, gave him a wack in butt, and then picked up the coffee and took a sip. No dog germophobia here.

Back to Mohegun Sun

Friends with seasons tickets called - there is an extra seat to tonight's WNBA pre-season game (Connecticut Sun vs. Seattle Storm) so I'll be back in the arena, this time as a fan.

Will be good to actually see a game from the fans perspective. (I've watched almost every game for the past two seasons from the control room). And will be interesting to see how the video production looks in the arena with a new crew - supposedly the director is still there, but the EVS operator is home-grown as is the Premiere operator (for ads and commercials). I imagine it will be rough (being the home opener).....

Please Come To Boston

MYA and I traipsed up to Boston for a quick visit today - blessed with light traffic, an on-street parking space in front of the building, and an uncharacteristically quick appointment. All good - I picked her up at 12:30 and I was back in the house about 6:30. Amusingly, she heard some song on the radio (tuned to one of her stations) about coming to Boston (I neither recognized the song nor discerned the Boston lyrics) - all I could think of was that Dave Loggins song. Which has been stuck in my head all night.

MYA has developed an addiction for Lemonade Coolattas from Dunkin Donuts. So that (and a need for a bio break) took us to the Dunkin Donuts at the truck stop in Willington, which is always a journey into the twilight zone. MYA sez "I'm not sure what the hell goes down there, and I don't really want to know, but I'm pretty sure something does."

This evening, the Zipster and I bopped over to Ocean State Job Lot to see what we could not live without - we found some curtains and a rod for the back porch slider (it gets warm back there in the summer with the morning sun). I also picked up some hair color, some light socks, and some dog toys. Zipster got some nasty ass pickles (from Poland).

The folk fest spreadsheet is coming along and is probably serviceable right now, but, being a perfectionist (as well as a geek) I am sure I am going to (a) try to preload the names of CD's for most of the artists and (b) implement a push button menu to jump to specific artist pages as well as jump back to the main menu page. Also, I may enable protection to mere mortals to work with it without crapping out the formulae and functionality.

Falcon Ridge Preview Tour

We attended the kick-off of the Falcon Ridge Folk Fest preview tour this afternoon, featuring the three "audience favorites" from last year's Showcase. So you have a field of about 500 submittals, whittled down to 24 by a panel of judges, and from there, the 3 fan faves. In other words - a pretty awesome afternoon of music.

Quick thoughts on the music. First up was Ellis who got cuteness points from the get-go. She's been around a bit (5 or 6 disks worth) despite her apparent youthfulness. Loved her voice, guitar chops I could embrace, and a winning style with the crowd. Her songs (shortish set) ranged from relationships to world issues - and were accessible on a lot of levels. She's a bit sneaky, you find yourself liking her music more than you think. And if she were from the east or west coast she would be (deservedly) stuck up and full of herself, but being from Texas she is sweet, friendly, dare we say a little goofy in a good way. I'd go for a full set any day!

Pat Wictor with Cheryl Prashker was up next, and his music was really resonant - gentle, spirit filled, beautiful. He plays (mostly) and open tuned guitar on his lap with a slide - a highly talented right hand and a judicious but effective application of slide licks makes it seem like there is another guitarist in the wings. I mentioned to him at the break another folkie - Kate McDonnell - whose "backwards and upside down" style has me awestruck because it is so different and interesting (from a technical perspective). Pat was like that, musically - I would have been happy just watching and listening to him play guitar! His songs and voice were happily on a par and we were bopping along, and at times cuddling for the gentle love and beauty of them. He also has the most beautiful red hair on the planet. Just saying.

Finally, Red Molly, who will I am sure be all over the festival stages this year. Multi-talented, think a distaff version of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou", with some Dixie Chicks tossed in. Guitars, banjo, resonator slide, and bass intertwined with three ethereal voices mixed the old fashioned way into one pretty amazing microphone. Funny banter, solid connection to the crowd. The music will have me dancing on the festival hillside, no doubt. Love 'em!

We had a good time - sunny, perhaps a bit cooler than one would like, but food, music, people, venue - all good. Most amusingly, seeing fellow FRFFers in civilian clothes, vs. festival fashion (sandals, shorts, tee shirts, sundresses, dust, mud, sunscreen, cold shower and port-a-pottie limited, and overtired from trying to squeeze a bit too much peace, love, and music out of the weekend)

July 26-29th in Hillsdale NY - be there!

Folk Spreadsheets

It's 3:00 a.m. and my monkey mind is roiling with logistics and spreadsheets and processes. At a crew chief meeting for my annual folk fest last night, and I walked away with a project - involving process and spreadsheets to track performer CD sales: logging in CDs and other merchandise, logging out leftovers, calculating payouts.

Not exactly rocket science, but its engaging in a geeky problem-solving way, and I awoke at 2:00 a.m. and have not been able to get back to sleep. Hopefully some herbal tea and a bit of computer time will calm my thoughts.

Suddenly Saturday

The past two days have zoomed by.

Thursday night, we went to see I Am My Own Wife at Hartford Stage. It was not my favorite show - engaging enough, and the actor James Licensi was talented. But the premise (one character researching, interviewing, and writing about another) did not sweep me along like I would have wished, and the confusion surrounding Charlotte's motivation and actions was not really gut wrenching. You kind of get the feeling that the playwright was completely enthralled with her to start, and then got confused and alienated over time, but it did not come across (to me) quite so strongly. Might have played better at a smaller space with a simpler production - Theaterworks or something. Still, a good piece.

I miss seeing the bard at Hartford Stage.

We started off the evening at Hot Basil (loved by all) - AC had been wanting to go for eons and was tickled to go there, MYA also liked it (the waitress was also raving about her makeup - very professional)

Yesterday, some work, then counseling (more crying by the blogger), then off to an art opening in Southington. I actually bought a piece (very reasonably priced) that reminded me of electrical cables (my work, don't cha know) for my office, if I ever get the side table cleaned off. Good motivation for that, perhaps. The artist, Linda Glass, works in Raku - her pieces have evolved from a somewhat commercial motif (looking like overgrown, stylized chess pieces that might house gnomes) to an industrial style that Zippy liked - "...reminds me of the sewage treatment plant..." along with some interesting pieces that combine, compare, and contrast the raku to more conventially fired stoneware.

You can see her work this week at J. Whitney Gallery in Southington.

After the gallery, home for dinner and a long walk. Then we started to watch East of Eden before we crashed.

Today, NoHo Pride - I am ferrying MYA and another mentee up so I am carpooling. I just invested $600 in my shitbox Saturn (brakes all around) so I guess I am committing to keeping it on the road through the summer.....

Stand Up for Health Care - May 5th

I'm overcommitted (as usual) so will not be there, but if you care about the state of health care in this country (and you should) - go to the Stand Up for Health Care rally, sponsored by the Universal Health Care Foundation of CT

What is it with restaurants?

Many moons past I blogged about a local Thai place, and it became my #1 search term for a long while. Last week, a new Asian place in Plainville - and again, search madness ensues.

Online marketers and enterpreneurs, take note.

Farewell Jazzercise

A bit overdue. My participation has been on life support for a while. I got busy in the fall, and let my class card expire - then took some time off. Come the new year I bought a class card but I did not even go often enough to make it worthwhile (vs. buying individual classes). A few weeks back I popped in on a Saturday for a class - which was fine, but I collected my mat and weights. Probably will not be back regularly.

Jazzercise has been an incredible space for me for a bunch of years - I started going back in 2001 (guessing) when I moved to Hartford, starting at the Elmwood Community Center, following my instructor to Tikvah Chadosah, and then moving to Rocky Hill. In addition, classes in West Hartford, and all across the country as I traveled for work.

Lately, I think its been catching up to my 46 year old body. Knees are pounded, quads and hamstrings get pulled. My elbows become sore from even 5 or 6 pound weights. My shoulder, injured from too many years on the balloon crown line, also complains at times.

But really, Yoga has stolen my heart. I spend hours on the mat each week in classes and I practice on my own. I am thinking of taking teacher training. I am hooked. And I already spend much time on myself and my body - need to balance other parts of my life.

Jazzercise, there will always be a place in my heart for you. Such a fun workout, the first physical practice that I ever enjoyed enough to get addicted to. You have been one of the common threads in what has been an incredibly life changing 6 years. Thank-you!

Insomnia and Catching Up

Zippy is out of town, and I can't sleep!

Actually, I slept fine from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am, when Melina clomped upstairs, and Elo woke me up (growling at Melina / licking me). All the dogs went out, and had cookies, and are back to snoozing. I could not get back to sleep. So, time for a cup of herbal tea (Peach Passion, could not find anything chamomille or sleepytime) and some web surfing. And then back to bed.

I'm in a yoga spurt - last weeks back crankiness is healing up, and so this week it was hot yoga on Sunday morning, power yoga Tuesday and this morning, and gentle last night. I'm taking it easy and slow - but its nice to be back.

Also heading into a bit of a social upswing. AC got 4 tix to I Am My Own Wife at Hartford Stage for this evening, so we (she, I, Zippy, and MYA) will be doing that. We're having dinner at Hot Basil (AC's choice, she has never been) although it was in my head too. We needed someplace close to the house (in case Zippy gets back from a doctors appointment late) as opposed to something downtown near the theater.

Then on Friday, we have an opening for an arts friend in Southington. Saturday is NoHo Pride. I also got a call last night from my Falcon Ridge Folk Fest crew chief - there is apparently a crew chief meeting this weekend (and I am invited since I am being elevated in the ranks of the recently merged and restructured tee-shirts and CD sales) - as well as a house concert featuring Red Molly, Pat Wictor with Cheryl Prashker, and Ellis on Sunday. Apparently this is the kick-off date for the Falcon Ridge Preview Tour. Festival will be upon us soon!

Monday, MYA and I have a date in Boston. Hopefully the weather will be nice.

Of course yoga - today and Sunday - not sure if I can sneak it in Friday and Saturday. Of course, with the warmer weather and a more or less cleaned up porch, I have a mat down out there so I can work through some postures there if I want.

Fax Line

Is a fax line an anachronism?

I've had two business lines for my company since I embraced self employment in 1995. Originally (working out of the house), I had a home line and added a fax line. We did a lot via fax back then - I'd regularly get 10 and 20 and 30 page faxes from clients. Back then, there was no broadband, so the fax line doubled as an internet dial-up connection - which at the time was a "dial in, download email, hang up" process. I'd occasionally get calls from clients trying to send me a fax and getting a busy signal (I was an early acquirer in terms of hanging out online).

Eventually, I got DSL. I kept the fax line, though - still lots of faxes came in, the dial-up was a nice backup for the often flaky DSL. And it was nice having a 2nd line option - with a two line phone one could conference call on the cheap.

Flash forward to 2007. I get almost nothing in the way of faxes. I could easily use the conference center's main fax line for my 1-2 faxes a month. The second phone line is nice (mostly, I make outgoing calls on the fax line if I am expecting a call on the voice line). I've had part-timers working for me and its nice to give them their own voice line. And broadband cable has been so reliable - I have not dialed into the internet in years - not even sure I have my office computer conencted to a phone line at this point.

Is the fax line obsolete? Probably. But at $25 a month, its not all that expensive - and adds a bit of footprint in terms of professionalism and reputation - compared to the home office, fax machine picks up thing.

But goodness, has the world changed in the past 12 years.....

Melting Steel

Yesterday's Freeway Melt and Collapse in Oakland certainly is amazing on a bunch of levels.

* The "steel does not melt from a simple fuel and paper fire" conspiracy theorists (related to the 9/11 attacks) must be thinking long and hard, looking at the melted bridge / road photos.

* Who needs terrorists? We're pretty good at destroying infrastructure and disrupting major transportation conduits all on our own.

To Save One Soul

I bopped over to Real Art Ways this evening to catch The Cats of Mirikitani, a film by Linda Hattendorf.

What a stunning, sad, and beautiful film. A film about a great wrong. A film about our present condition. A film about a great Mitzvah. A film about salvation.

Filmmaker Linda Hattendorf befriends homeless artist (or "great master artist", as he proclaims) Jimmy Mirikitani on the streets of New York in early 2001. After the 9/11 attacks, as the streets of their neighborhood become toxic, she brings him into her home. There is a stunning piece of film, as the 4th wall falls, and she brings herself into the documentary with a reflected shot of herself filming herself using a storefront window.

In the next year, Linda Hattendorf gains a roommate. As she slowly resurrects Jimmy from 20+ years of living on the streets, she begins to draw out his story - born in Sacramento, lived in Japan (Hiroshima) prior to WWII, returned to the US rather than serve in the Japanese navy, interned for 3.5 years at Tule Lake.

It is a film about art - Jimmy's art which has sustained his spirit all these years, Linda's art in film, drawing her into this story far more than she could have imagined, and into this man's life. It is a film about how this country sinned grievously during WWII, and, watching the gung-ho patriotism and drumbeat to war in the days following the 9/11 attacks through Jimmy's eyes, we see clearly how obviously the sins were being repeated. But above all this - it is a film about salvation. Jimmy is a homeless street artist, one bad winter storm or physical attack away from death and obscurity, when we meet him in 2001. At the film's end, he is a very different person.

I want you to see this film. I sat entranced, I sat with tears welling up in my eyes - for the beauty of the art, the shame at the crimes of my country, the love and generosity of this filmmaker for a stranger. Mostly, to witness one person can change the world. Your spirit will be opened and lightened. The world will become a slightly better place.

At Real Art Ways through May 3rd. Or, via the PBS series Independent Lens, starting May 8th. Better on the big screen to better appreciate Mr. Mirikitani's art - but see it however you can.

Southington is the new West Hartford

Is it my imagination, or is Southington the new West Hartford? MYA spent an evening at Agave Grill and Tequila Bar. The location (which has evolved from a a HoJo's to a Bickford's. and even spent some time as GoldRoc II (speaking of West Hartford) is now an upscale mexican eatery.

Down the road, in a former TGIF's, Southington sports a Wood-n-Tap Bar and Grill(now a full-fledged chain with locations in Hartford, Farmington, Rocky Hill, and Southington) - and being old, I recall when it was a newcomer supplanting the venerable Keg on Capitol Avenue.

Southington has been a bit of a suburban nightmare for many years - a good place to raise your kids (especially if one of them was adept at firing a baseball or softball towards the plate) - but Rte. 10 / Queen Street seemed more like a mall (Chili's, Outback, Ruby Tuesdays) than a place for entertainment and fun. Perhaps the kids are growing older, and between parents with some disposable income, and the former kids becoming young adults with income and taste, there is a demand for something better than national franchises.

Downtown Southington has had a makeover the past few years and has a couple of nice restaurants - it certainly had West Hartford Center potential. And there are a couple of decent coffeehouses in town (Cafe Del Mondo closer to downtown, and Jitters up on the Plainville line). Heck - I think we even have an art opening penciled in for May 4th at J. Whitney Gallery on Queen Street.

What's next? Real Art Ways II? It will be interesting to see what else sprouts along Queen Street!

My Diary

A blog reader who I cross paths with in real life now and then commented the other day that my blog is "like a diary".

Ick. It's true though, and not really what I intend or aspire to with this little bit of cyber scribbling. So I'm gonna try a little to spread my wings a bit more - writing about the world, politics, culture, the arts.

Of course, the fact that its Sunday morning and my back is still a bit shaky, and I am on the fence about yoga this morning, is still gonna sneak in here from time to time. So are hot air balloon adventures (we almost flew this morning). And other ephemera from my mundane little life.

Susu Asian Bistro - Plainville, CT

MYA and I are connoisseurs of the Asian buffet. She's a somewhat picky eater, and has spent a lot of meals in front of unpalatable and culturally unfamiliar plates of food, so a buffet (with lots of options) holds particular charms. Yesterday, in between shopping and support, we recalled a buffet on Rte. 372 in Plainville - but when we got there, it had been converted into a regular restaurant. No problem - we're game for anything, so we had lunch. Plainville now has a top-notch Asian restaurant.

Before the food - the decor. Beautiful wooden tables, comfortable and stylish leather chairs. Stylish glass and wood dividers and walls. We sat in what was, upon close inspection, a sun room, but with a stylish window treatment, and comfortable climate control, the fast food roots were barely discernible. In short, the place is as classy and well appointed as any restaurant I have been in. The ladies room was practically a separate experience - with under vanity lighting into a translucent counter top, and a bowl sink filled with translucent round pebbles.

Not simply a decorator's dream, the food was also incredible. We noshed from the lunch specials - MYA had miso soup and sesame chicken, I had wonton soup and mango chicken. Not simply a ploughman's special - the presentation was wonderful, the fried rice was delicate, fresh, and uniquely flavored (MYA thinks it was cilantro). We loved it all. They also have some affordable sushi / sashimi lunch specials. My mango chicken came packed with fresh and sweet mango, delicate chicken, and snap peas - colorful, crunchy, and yummy.

Not the cheapest place on the planet (although lunch was definitely affordable), but if you are looking for the sort of top-notch dining experience you are used to finding in West Hartford, Avon, or Simsbury - well, think Plainville. Really. I'll be back - my balloon chasing adventures take me to that part of the world quite a bit and I have nearby friends.

Susu Asian Bistro - 132 New Britain Avenue, Plainville, CT 06062 860-793-0013

Daffodil Festival

In Meriden, this weekend. Looks fun. Saturday looks busy but we might wander down on Sunday....

Weekend

Not posting much. I've been distracted.

Thursday evening trip to NYC was a success. Long drive, but not miserable in terms of traffic or delays, and the GPS worked. Met lots of people from cyberspace. Saw some old friends. No issues with car there or back. All good.

My back is still cranky, I went to restorative yoga yesterday (which pretty much involved long gentle postures with a bolster) which was good - not my usual yoga practice but my back felt better. Small dollops of separation anxiety from the hot class next door. I wanna be back there!

Work is bubbling up a bit - a trip to Atlanta is stirring, as is a couple of projects for a client who has bene kind of quiet. Been catching up with another client on some long term projects.

Yesterday, Zippy and I had a first session with a couples counselor. We've been talking about it for a while. It was hard - I walked out of there feeling pretty unloved, unlovable, and as if the relationship has little in the way of potential positives to make the work worthwhile. I know these things are not true, but emotionally, I was a wreck. So I was pretty weepy all night. Still kind of have a crying hangover to add to my tweaky back.

Today - we are taking some piles of electronic junk to the recycling event that CRRA sponsors - I have a pile of old computers at the storage space that I need to cull, and Zippy has some pieces here as well. Not everything (I always keep spares) but there are some things that have gone into storage 4-5 years ago that need to be gone.

Later, MYA and I are going shopping (spring clothes, she has a gift card) and then to a support space (have not been in ages)

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day to get back to some form of yoga, even if its gentle.....

Continued Tweaks

I'm off the mat for a while. The back continues to pain. Better today but not good - I took a hot shower which helped, and I am moving more and better today. But it will be a while before I am back on the mat for a strenuous class. Gentle or Restorative Yoga, here I come!

On other fronts, I am heading down to NYC this evening for a book release party for Helen Boyd's new one "She's Not the Man I Married". It's at Marion's Continental in the city - have not decided if I am gonna drive in, or take the train from Bridgeport.

Tweaky Back

All ready for yoga today, but no dice. My back is howling. Not 100% sure why (we weren't doing much in the way of backbends yesterday) but whatever. A well earned day off and a lot of work to catch up on anyways.

Also, listening to Where We Live on WNPR - I was pushed forward as a possible guest but begged off - I am not versed at all on the legislative initiatives and agenda that seems to be a focus of the show (based on conversations with the producer and the teaser I just heard)- so I suggested the contact the local activist group that is knee deep in that stuff. Be interesting to hear who they got and what get said.

Yoga Teacher Training

It's a long process - one weekend a month for 10 months. I'd be looking at June 2008 to finish up. I cannot really explain the "why" and it's not like I have a master plan, but I have come to trust my process, trust what bubbles to the surface, even a small piece at a time. And this has been bubbling up for a few weeks.

Keep breathing.....and let go of your head!

Lost and Found II

A loyal blog reader passed this along. From Kula Yoga in Avon:

We are pleased to announce that John Dorsey will be teaching a Power Yoga class on Friday evenings, 6-7:30, beginning April 27th.

I'm not much of a Friday night yogi, and Avon is a bit of a haul (especially Friday evening) so I doubt I will visit. But nice to know John is still out there.

RIP David Halberstam

Just a sad and sudden death. I was fortuante enough to hear him speak last year about this time at the National Writer's Workshop.

Zippy and I were talking yesterday about stuff - we're thinking of relocating (perhaps upstate NY) where life is a little quieter and gentler (I can work anywhere). We're gonna start sniffing around but do not envision a move in the short term (maybe 12 months). Zippy was fretting - jobs, friends, family. But hir mom and dad are in their 90's, and neither of us is a spring chicken either. Stuff happens. The world could be a very different place 12 months hence.

Mr. Halberstam's sudden and untimely death is just a reminder.....

Blog Search Ads? Blog Spam?

In a recent post regarding a lost and found piece of yoga gear, I got a comment. I get few comments, so I get to think about the ones I get a lot. This one seemed somewhat cryptic, but on the whole legitimate - clearly driven by a couple of items in my post, and clearly written by a real live person.

Good you Found your Mat are you sure you wrote in big enough letters lol I had to do the same thing

At the end of the comment, a link to some place to buy mat material. Apparently you can get a big roll of the stuff and cut your own mats, which is kind of amusing. I can envision some good sight and innuendo based gags related to long yoga mats.

I let the comment go through (it seemed cryptic but perhaps something one of my local yoga friends might have penned) and only once it was posted did I notice the advertising link.

Now I am wondering about the person who actually generated the comment. I mean - it all seems pretty straightforward. You have a site you wish to advertise / link to. You do some blog searches for related terms. You post appropriate comments with the embedded link. But I do some legitimate web advertising (with Google and Yahoo Search Word) and dammit, there is not all that much money there. I maybe spend $100 a month at the top of the season, for 100's of clicks and 10's of thousands of eyeballs.

Who has the time to do this? As I said, its not a bot, its a real person, the post references both the lost article (that could be a bot) but also the fact that I wrote my name on the article once it was reclaimed. How much could this person be making? Maybe a few cents per post? And how many posts can one do in an hour?

On the whole, working the counter at McD's might be a more lucrative career.....

Nice overview of Blog Comment Spam here.

Shopping cart book wins wacky 'title'

Apparently, Julian Montague's book "The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification" was named the winner Friday of the Bookseller/Diagram Prize for oddest book title.

Faithful blog reader's will note that you read about this fine title here, first.

Lost and Found

Last night after Nia, my yoga mat was nowhere to be found (I had unrolled it, found it not needed, and folded it in the back of the room). Yogi's had come through and straightened up behind us as we worked. I checked the mat pile, and did not find it, so assumed that it had walked away with someone in the class by accident. I was feeling kind of punk - I had bought the mat at the studio (so it was not cheap) and it was a thicker material than most - good for creaky 40-something knee's and elbows. I was, on some level, thinking about where to go to replace it (I own a few mats and cloth covers, that I use in various combinations)

This morning, I realized that it might have gotten moved into the small studio. And so it was, nicely folded up on top of the pile. So I have my mat back. Tonight, I took a sharpie to all my mats - now clearly marked JUDE.

MYA and I went out shopping this evening - she was in search of some $4 asian slippers from some fashion place in New Britain (which was closed, I think permanently) so we drove around looking for places (unsuccessfully). We visited the Imperial Buffet in Plainville, where she was offered a beer, complimented on being skinny and beautiful, and asked where her Mommy (er....that would be me) was. We're regulars there, don't cha know. Hell of a big laugh.

Anyway, after that we dropped by Kohls where I treated her to some nice slipperish shoes, I got some suitably butch Mudd Adventures (somewhere between sandals and sneakers) which she sneerily offered that brown was the least offensive color). I also found some decent stretch capri's in white and olive that flesh out my summer pants wear.

Now, home safely. I have a bed full of summer clothes to try on, sort through, and switch-over the cords and forest tones of fall / winter for something lighter and brighter! Who wears these clothes?

Soaking My Feet

Pre-yoga this morning, a bucket full of hot water and Johnson's Foot Soap. The pads of my feet are still kind of tender from Nia, and this might help. Feels kind of luxurious, actually. A mini spa treatment.

After yoga today, we'll probably end up doing some more spring cleaning. Zippy wants to take some pictures for the Egmini Party Invite, then zie is doing a movie this afternoon with a friend, I am getting together with MYA, probably gonna do some shopping and hanging out.

Nia

Snuck out tonight to a freebie Nia class at WHY (Open Studio Day). Interesting - kind of like a new age / light version of Jazzercise, but barefoot, and a bit more expressive

I enjoyed it, and worked up a bit of a sweat. Fun too! Although not so kind to my feet - I feel a blister coming on.

Not sure if I will be back - its a Sat night thing and I usually end up at hot yoga Sunday morning - but its not every week. So maybe....it's nice to have an outlet for dance, and something a bit more aerobic than yoga - even the most energetic hot and power classes leave something out in terms of a cardio-vascular workout.

Spring Cleaning

Today's agenda (for the florious weather we are finally getting) has been:

* A load of alundry (drying in the sun)
* Grocery Shopping
* Cleaning Out the three seasons porch (my fair weather yoga studio) which has accumulated crap all winter
* Moving the grill off the deck
* Sweeping the deck
* Putting the chairs out and cleaning off the table
* Various and sundry organizing
* Lunch at "The Spot Eatery"
* Bike down to the post office and to WHY to get a discount class card
* Rack the dead grass out of the front lawn
* Relax!

I might try to sneak over to Nia! Barefoot Boogie this evening at the studio. Tomorrow, hot yoga in the morning, and perhaps more spring cleaning and organizing!

The Caldor Rainbow

Damned if I know how I stumbled across it, but Nicholas DiMaio's blog The Caldor Rainbow: Tracking The Retail Rainbows of Everyday Discount Stores is fascinating reading.

I've been in CT since 1983 (uhm, this would be before Mr. Demaio was born, I think) and have lived in Bristol, Southington, Danbury, Waterbury, and Hartford. So I have seen a lot of the retail establishments that he writes about when they were alive - and have seen them come and go.

Fascinating read!