1) Modify the departure times for ticket sales for a few days (javascript) and put tickets on sale for my website client
2) Make a dent in the queue of reports pending (7 or 8, right now) for another client
3) Start chipping away at Part II of the big spreadsheet revision
4) Implement a latest news / press page using some new software for website client, add a press release, and import the archives
5) Send out a couple of April 1 invoices.
6) Touch base with a client on a couple of large invoices that remain unpaid
7) Prep for and teach two yoga classes
Not even gonna look at my taxes today - I've decided that I'm gonna spend much of the weekend at the office, cranking them out.
April 10, 2009
April 09, 2009
Yoga Toys
I've invested in another batch of yoga toys - a dozen blocks or bricks, and ten 8' straps. I've been teaching a series in Bristol (Adult Ed) to a fairly large group (15-20), and my supply of bricks and straps does not cover the entire class. Which takes the props down a notch - from tools to use in my teaching to assists for physically tight ot limited students. I would love to say "everybody grab a block and a strap", and guide them through some ab work, some hip work, etc. - so I picked up enough to cover the class.
Not too pricey - I got them from YogaDirect.com - the small low cost blocks were $3.60 each in bulk, and the 8' straps were under $3 each.
And pretty amazing shipping - I placed the order around 6:00 pm on Tuesday the 7th, and they showed up this morning (4/9). And that was using the lowest cost shipping (Priority Mail). SO kudos to you, YogaDirect!
Now I just need to come up with some way to store and transport these.....I have one of those little plastic office cubes, but it's not big enough, kind of bulky, and falling apart. Thinking of one of those larger carts used for groceries or laundry.....
Not too pricey - I got them from YogaDirect.com - the small low cost blocks were $3.60 each in bulk, and the 8' straps were under $3 each.
And pretty amazing shipping - I placed the order around 6:00 pm on Tuesday the 7th, and they showed up this morning (4/9). And that was using the lowest cost shipping (Priority Mail). SO kudos to you, YogaDirect!
Now I just need to come up with some way to store and transport these.....I have one of those little plastic office cubes, but it's not big enough, kind of bulky, and falling apart. Thinking of one of those larger carts used for groceries or laundry.....
April 08, 2009
Longevity and Focus
I've been knee deep in Excel macros and VBScript for a day or so. A big spreadsheet project for a client, loaded with automation and scripting. I put this together originally back in 2004, and made some big changes in 2006 or so. Now it's time for another go around.
It's kind of interesting to be digging up the past like this. First off, I've been procrastinating on this, mainly because I'm resurrecting 3-5 year old programming skills that I honestly need to retrain myself on. Second, I've never been a particularly careful programmer (it's not my core competency, just something I am naturally pretty good at) so I have not done a good job of documentation and organization - it's kind of like a rambling estate that started off as a two room shack. And lastly, this particular project was not really intended to become a permanent tool - just something I cobbled together for my own purposes (I was assisting them in testing and evaluating the original device, back in the day) that grew into a customer tool / feature. I always envisioned a more permanent, hard coded application (not Excel based) being developed from this, but the product has hovered in an odd limbo - not successful enough to warrant a full rework, but successful enough to be maintained and continued.
It's a spreadsheet for importing, viewing and using (exporting charts and waveforms to other applications) the data from an embedded power monitor. It started off simply in 2004 - a log of sampled RMS voltages, and captured waveforms for specific voltage events. In 2006 or so, they added some features - Min / Max measurements for the voltage monitoring. And now, a more extensive product improvement - adding three channels of current monitoring (RMS measurements and waveforms), adding environmental monitoring (temperature and humidity), and adding calculated KVA (from the RMS voltage and current measurements). So the spreadsheet revision is quite extensive.
I spent a bunch of hours yesterday just going through the old code - cataloging all the macros and code to reteach myself as well as to create a reference document (for the client's use as well as my own use). I can already see at least one redundancy that I think I can streamline. It's also a bit complicated in that the spreadsheet, if left to its own devices, balloons to over 25 Meg (the data sets are very large, and Excel is a bit of a memory hog)- so there is an entire set of code dedicated to emptying the spreadsheet and deleting 1000's of rows of data upon closure, and repopulating things upon opening, to get it down to a more reasonable 5-6 Meg.
I tend to get a little fixated when I am working on a project like this - I'll sit for hours, losing track of time, creature comforts, etc. I work through meals, and late into the evening - I email myself the latest version and put in some hours at home, I show up at the office early to get a few hours in before yoga. There is a bliss in that level of single-minded concentration and focus. Now that I am so deeply into yoga and meditation, into my enlightenment experiences, I can recognize a certain preciousness in being so engaged in an activity as to lose myself .
So, if I have a glazed stare the next few days, I am writing code in my head. I'll return to the and of the living anon.
It's kind of interesting to be digging up the past like this. First off, I've been procrastinating on this, mainly because I'm resurrecting 3-5 year old programming skills that I honestly need to retrain myself on. Second, I've never been a particularly careful programmer (it's not my core competency, just something I am naturally pretty good at) so I have not done a good job of documentation and organization - it's kind of like a rambling estate that started off as a two room shack. And lastly, this particular project was not really intended to become a permanent tool - just something I cobbled together for my own purposes (I was assisting them in testing and evaluating the original device, back in the day) that grew into a customer tool / feature. I always envisioned a more permanent, hard coded application (not Excel based) being developed from this, but the product has hovered in an odd limbo - not successful enough to warrant a full rework, but successful enough to be maintained and continued.
It's a spreadsheet for importing, viewing and using (exporting charts and waveforms to other applications) the data from an embedded power monitor. It started off simply in 2004 - a log of sampled RMS voltages, and captured waveforms for specific voltage events. In 2006 or so, they added some features - Min / Max measurements for the voltage monitoring. And now, a more extensive product improvement - adding three channels of current monitoring (RMS measurements and waveforms), adding environmental monitoring (temperature and humidity), and adding calculated KVA (from the RMS voltage and current measurements). So the spreadsheet revision is quite extensive.
I spent a bunch of hours yesterday just going through the old code - cataloging all the macros and code to reteach myself as well as to create a reference document (for the client's use as well as my own use). I can already see at least one redundancy that I think I can streamline. It's also a bit complicated in that the spreadsheet, if left to its own devices, balloons to over 25 Meg (the data sets are very large, and Excel is a bit of a memory hog)- so there is an entire set of code dedicated to emptying the spreadsheet and deleting 1000's of rows of data upon closure, and repopulating things upon opening, to get it down to a more reasonable 5-6 Meg.
I tend to get a little fixated when I am working on a project like this - I'll sit for hours, losing track of time, creature comforts, etc. I work through meals, and late into the evening - I email myself the latest version and put in some hours at home, I show up at the office early to get a few hours in before yoga. There is a bliss in that level of single-minded concentration and focus. Now that I am so deeply into yoga and meditation, into my enlightenment experiences, I can recognize a certain preciousness in being so engaged in an activity as to lose myself .
So, if I have a glazed stare the next few days, I am writing code in my head. I'll return to the and of the living anon.
April 07, 2009
Not in Our Town
Apparently, in West Hartford, the police enforce overnight parking bans. But in Hartford, not so much.
I live in the southwest corner, mere feet from the WH town line, and the West Hartford residents, seeking to avoid a ticket for overnight parking, simply park on a nearby Hartford street, where parking enforcement is not taken quite so seriously as the next town over.
This morning, a blue Mitsubishi, "garaged" in West Hartford, but parked overnight within a few feet of a stop sign on Bristol Street on the Hartford side of the line. (an infraction on its own, and a safety issue when attempting to turn onto Hollywood, the street which sits on the town line). On garbage and street sweeping day, no less. Because, well, because they can.
Generally does not bug me too much, but it drives Zippy wild. It was an issue all winter on snow days, and now it will affect the garbage collection and street sweeping. So for the Zipster, a quality of life blog post....
I live in the southwest corner, mere feet from the WH town line, and the West Hartford residents, seeking to avoid a ticket for overnight parking, simply park on a nearby Hartford street, where parking enforcement is not taken quite so seriously as the next town over.
This morning, a blue Mitsubishi, "garaged" in West Hartford, but parked overnight within a few feet of a stop sign on Bristol Street on the Hartford side of the line. (an infraction on its own, and a safety issue when attempting to turn onto Hollywood, the street which sits on the town line). On garbage and street sweeping day, no less. Because, well, because they can.
Generally does not bug me too much, but it drives Zippy wild. It was an issue all winter on snow days, and now it will affect the garbage collection and street sweeping. So for the Zipster, a quality of life blog post....
April 06, 2009
Get a Blog.....
I get a bunch of email updates from various spaces I have visited - yoga studios, arts spaces, shops, restaurants. One such contact routinely sends lengthy (the last one was 850 words, 7 paragraphs) essays on various topics, right at the top of the email.
Needless to say, I rarely scroll down to see what is actually being communicated regarding the business in question. So if there were something of interest going on that I might, you know, actually visit the business and spend some money on, that sales opportunity is lost. In addition, if I were to (for example) grow weary of these updates (perhaps due to length or tone), I might simply unsubscribe rather than have them show up in my In Box each week.
This illustrates, I think, the danger of mixing marketing and editorializing. One is spending the time and money to get your business message out - so focus on that. If you really want to ponder the meaning of life, do so at the bottom of your email. Or better yet, set up a blog, and put your musings there, and then perhaps tease the blog and link to it in your email.
Needless to say, I rarely scroll down to see what is actually being communicated regarding the business in question. So if there were something of interest going on that I might, you know, actually visit the business and spend some money on, that sales opportunity is lost. In addition, if I were to (for example) grow weary of these updates (perhaps due to length or tone), I might simply unsubscribe rather than have them show up in my In Box each week.
This illustrates, I think, the danger of mixing marketing and editorializing. One is spending the time and money to get your business message out - so focus on that. If you really want to ponder the meaning of life, do so at the bottom of your email. Or better yet, set up a blog, and put your musings there, and then perhaps tease the blog and link to it in your email.
Awe, Respect, and Love
I spent a bunch of hours this weekend with the 2009 teacher trainees down at the yoga studio. Friday night, I practiced with them - a 2.5 hour journey into the hips that left me limp as a rag doll. Saturday night they did their first practice teaching, and I worked with them on assisting. Another long practice; they had already practiced that afternoon and then keyed up for their teaching and assisting. And finally, yesterday I was invited to assist during their noon time practice. Another long one, with an hour or so of yin yoga and then stepping up into inversion.
What an incredible honor to be invited in to witness their process, their training. After Friday's practice, I came home thinking "Did we really do that?" Three killer practices, each weekend? Of course we did. I refer back to this very blog a year ago, and I can sense my fatique, my detoxing, my sense of "Will I ever get there?" - tempered by excitement, by adventure, by hope. And looking around the room this weekend, I saw a lot of that same stuff, in process. Bodies and spirits melting, becoming annealed with Barb's particular mixture of practice, training, and love to become something harder, more durable, more lustrous.
It was so sweet to watch them teach their class - to see them move through the room and perhaps for the first time touch a student, make an adjustment, feel OK about piercing that invisible curtain of propriety and personal space that surrounds each of us. We're yoga teachers - this is what we do. Communicate. Be present. Make contact.
Sunday afternoon, to assist in their practice, to lay my hands on exhausted bodies, to witness and encourage the breath, to feel tissue softening beneath my hands - so very powerful and sacred. To share a smile with a yogi too tired to think straight, to try to pass along through my eyes and my hands "this too shall pass, you'll get through this"
It has been truly a blessing to get to know these folks - even before the training started I began to connect with individuals asking questions, feeling me out about the process they were about to submit to. And after this weekend, I am all the more blessed; I look forward to seeing these folks down at the studio, in classes, in the coming weeks, and to watch them continue this incredible process.
What an incredible honor to be invited in to witness their process, their training. After Friday's practice, I came home thinking "Did we really do that?" Three killer practices, each weekend? Of course we did. I refer back to this very blog a year ago, and I can sense my fatique, my detoxing, my sense of "Will I ever get there?" - tempered by excitement, by adventure, by hope. And looking around the room this weekend, I saw a lot of that same stuff, in process. Bodies and spirits melting, becoming annealed with Barb's particular mixture of practice, training, and love to become something harder, more durable, more lustrous.
It was so sweet to watch them teach their class - to see them move through the room and perhaps for the first time touch a student, make an adjustment, feel OK about piercing that invisible curtain of propriety and personal space that surrounds each of us. We're yoga teachers - this is what we do. Communicate. Be present. Make contact.
Sunday afternoon, to assist in their practice, to lay my hands on exhausted bodies, to witness and encourage the breath, to feel tissue softening beneath my hands - so very powerful and sacred. To share a smile with a yogi too tired to think straight, to try to pass along through my eyes and my hands "this too shall pass, you'll get through this"
It has been truly a blessing to get to know these folks - even before the training started I began to connect with individuals asking questions, feeling me out about the process they were about to submit to. And after this weekend, I am all the more blessed; I look forward to seeing these folks down at the studio, in classes, in the coming weeks, and to watch them continue this incredible process.
April 05, 2009
Hard Work
Teaching yoga that is. And assisting. I'm partway through a 4 day marathon in the studio. Friday I taught two classes, Friday night I practiced with the 2009 teacher trainees. Saturday evening, I assisted as the teacher trainees taught their first class. Sunday, I taught a class, and assisted during the teacher trainee class. And today, two more classes to teach.
Teaching and assisting like this is a lot of work. A lot of time being present - attentive to students, attentive to the sequence. A lot of body stress - moving through the room, kneeling, sitting, crouching, bending, demonstrating postures that I am not fully warmed up for. And a lot of mental stress - just being "on" for an hour or two in a way that is even more taxing than a strong practice.
I need a good hot shower (a bath would be nice too, but maybe later) and I'll be on my way. I lie awake this morning for a bit, planning my 10:45 power class. The 12:15 gentle class will come as it does, depending upon the students and the energy in the room. Already, I am pondering the wisdom of a nap this afternoon, just to recover from the long weekend. And tonight, I may grab some time on the mat with Barb myself (if she is teaching) - to bring my body and my spirit back to center, and reconnect.
Teaching and assisting like this is a lot of work. A lot of time being present - attentive to students, attentive to the sequence. A lot of body stress - moving through the room, kneeling, sitting, crouching, bending, demonstrating postures that I am not fully warmed up for. And a lot of mental stress - just being "on" for an hour or two in a way that is even more taxing than a strong practice.
I need a good hot shower (a bath would be nice too, but maybe later) and I'll be on my way. I lie awake this morning for a bit, planning my 10:45 power class. The 12:15 gentle class will come as it does, depending upon the students and the energy in the room. Already, I am pondering the wisdom of a nap this afternoon, just to recover from the long weekend. And tonight, I may grab some time on the mat with Barb myself (if she is teaching) - to bring my body and my spirit back to center, and reconnect.
My Kind of Radio Host
Dr. Joy Browne that is. According to her bio, Dr. Browne "....keeps herself inspired by dancing and practicing yoga and pilates (when she is not hot air ballooning, that is)."
Gotta love it. When I have caught her show I've always been impressed.
Gotta love it. When I have caught her show I've always been impressed.
April 03, 2009
Yoga Marathon- Spring Edition
I'm in the middle of a string of yoga busyness.
Thursday night, yoga with an old/new teacher, an interesting exercise. He gets into deep places very subtley, and I am finding a lot of freshness and energy in my practice there that I think, will nicely season my own teaching. So far so good.
Today, I taught two classes. A power I class to a smallish group, wherein we went into the hips. I'm not a big hip teacher normally (they challenge me so much) but I took the class down - knee down lunge, pigeon, lizard, and culminating with a sweet little sequence (thanks JD) - a pigeon quad stretch, janu sirsasana, twist, knee pile, and then reverese. All about the hips! And my gentle class, filled with yoga rookies, was a little quieter and a little less strong. Not a bad thing - a rainy day and good to just simmer in the body.
Tonight, a long (2.5 hours maybe?) practice with the master, the yoga goddess Barbara who laughed as she told me tonight was all about hips (seems like every time I step into the studio with her of late we are going into the hips). An awesome practice, just wiping me out. I forget how freaking hard the teacher training practices were, and how much I miss 'em.
Tomorrow, an off day (although you know me, I may figure out some way to sneak in a quiet practice) and then the teacher training practice class at 6 - I was planning to go and practice but I've been asked to come to assist and work with the trainees. Honored, to be sure. And a little nervous - my assisting is pretty intuitive and on the fly - so to have 5 trainees tagging along, looking to learn and role model - going to be interesting.
Sunday, teaching a 9:00 am gentle class (subbing for the studio's queen of gentle, Sharon) and then coming back at noon to assist the teacher training practice. At least this time I won't be collapsing on the mat like tonight.....
Monday, I'm teaching two classes - my new Power I class at 10:45, and then subbing for Sharon again at 12:15. Working at the studio in the afternoon, and with any luck, practicing Monday night.
So if you want me, I'm on the mat.....
Thursday night, yoga with an old/new teacher, an interesting exercise. He gets into deep places very subtley, and I am finding a lot of freshness and energy in my practice there that I think, will nicely season my own teaching. So far so good.
Today, I taught two classes. A power I class to a smallish group, wherein we went into the hips. I'm not a big hip teacher normally (they challenge me so much) but I took the class down - knee down lunge, pigeon, lizard, and culminating with a sweet little sequence (thanks JD) - a pigeon quad stretch, janu sirsasana, twist, knee pile, and then reverese. All about the hips! And my gentle class, filled with yoga rookies, was a little quieter and a little less strong. Not a bad thing - a rainy day and good to just simmer in the body.
Tonight, a long (2.5 hours maybe?) practice with the master, the yoga goddess Barbara who laughed as she told me tonight was all about hips (seems like every time I step into the studio with her of late we are going into the hips). An awesome practice, just wiping me out. I forget how freaking hard the teacher training practices were, and how much I miss 'em.
Tomorrow, an off day (although you know me, I may figure out some way to sneak in a quiet practice) and then the teacher training practice class at 6 - I was planning to go and practice but I've been asked to come to assist and work with the trainees. Honored, to be sure. And a little nervous - my assisting is pretty intuitive and on the fly - so to have 5 trainees tagging along, looking to learn and role model - going to be interesting.
Sunday, teaching a 9:00 am gentle class (subbing for the studio's queen of gentle, Sharon) and then coming back at noon to assist the teacher training practice. At least this time I won't be collapsing on the mat like tonight.....
Monday, I'm teaching two classes - my new Power I class at 10:45, and then subbing for Sharon again at 12:15. Working at the studio in the afternoon, and with any luck, practicing Monday night.
So if you want me, I'm on the mat.....
April 02, 2009
Thanks for Nothing
So my iPod Touch has arrived. Finally. Note to self, cough up the extra bucks for two day shipping in the future. Truthfully, I am happy and excited to have it - I've already accessed the WiFi at my office, my home, my yoga studio (there is WiFi at the yoga studio? Indeed there is....) and I'm slowly starting to insert my life into the box.... Already, I see that Apple is not infallible, my $80 Palm and it's associated software can handle "2nd sunday of every month" sorts of recurring events but the apple software can not.
That being said, if I wanted a few days of emptiness to play with my new toy, shop for apps, etc. - well, maybe in May.
* It's the beginning of the month, and I have my March invoicing to crank out.
* It's the beginning of April, and my taxes need to get done. I've got a pretty decent system worked up after 15 years or self employment, so I can crank 'em out in maybe a day and a half, but I need to sort through a few piles, enter all my expenses and receipts into a spreadsheet, and get it all done.
* My website client dropped a "we'd like to totally redesign the site" note on me two weeks ago, and it's been a roller coaster ride since then. Slowing down now but still waiting for lots of content, cleaning up loose ends, and ramping up for their opening day, May 2. And there is one bit of PHP programming that I stll need to finish, a minor pain in the butt.
* Another client has ratcheted up long overdue revisions and updates to a spreadsheet project. Just gotta get back into the vbscripting....after many months away from it. My procrastination has been multiply rooted - stuck on a particular technical aspect (I think I've figured out a solution), needing a hunk of time to devote to it, and the pain of opening up a big, convoluted programming project that I have not dug into for a while.
* I'm teaching yoga - 5 and possibly 6 classes between Friday and Monday. Plus assisting at the teacher training on Sunday. Going to the teacher practice session on Saturday. Perhaps practicing with them on Friday.
* A friend's master recital on Saturday. The Real Art Ways Odd Ball on Saturday night.
So the little iPod Touch is not going to get much of a workout the next few weeks....
That being said, if I wanted a few days of emptiness to play with my new toy, shop for apps, etc. - well, maybe in May.
* It's the beginning of the month, and I have my March invoicing to crank out.
* It's the beginning of April, and my taxes need to get done. I've got a pretty decent system worked up after 15 years or self employment, so I can crank 'em out in maybe a day and a half, but I need to sort through a few piles, enter all my expenses and receipts into a spreadsheet, and get it all done.
* My website client dropped a "we'd like to totally redesign the site" note on me two weeks ago, and it's been a roller coaster ride since then. Slowing down now but still waiting for lots of content, cleaning up loose ends, and ramping up for their opening day, May 2. And there is one bit of PHP programming that I stll need to finish, a minor pain in the butt.
* Another client has ratcheted up long overdue revisions and updates to a spreadsheet project. Just gotta get back into the vbscripting....after many months away from it. My procrastination has been multiply rooted - stuck on a particular technical aspect (I think I've figured out a solution), needing a hunk of time to devote to it, and the pain of opening up a big, convoluted programming project that I have not dug into for a while.
* I'm teaching yoga - 5 and possibly 6 classes between Friday and Monday. Plus assisting at the teacher training on Sunday. Going to the teacher practice session on Saturday. Perhaps practicing with them on Friday.
* A friend's master recital on Saturday. The Real Art Ways Odd Ball on Saturday night.
So the little iPod Touch is not going to get much of a workout the next few weeks....
April 01, 2009
What Do You Do, Anyway?
For those who might be interested, a press release from one of my clients.
FlightSafety's Hawker 900XP Simulator Receives FAA Level D Qualification
I've been assisting in the design, rating, and prototype evaluation of the the power and grounding for this simulator.
FlightSafety's Hawker 900XP Simulator Receives FAA Level D Qualification
"SimPWR is a key component of our new simulators. It provides power conditioning, voltage conversion and distribution, impedance control, high-energy filtering, surge suppression, ethernet control and monitoring, and TEALwatch remote power monitoring."
I've been assisting in the design, rating, and prototype evaluation of the the power and grounding for this simulator.
March 30, 2009
Tell Me How This Makes Sense
Date Time Location Event Details
March 30, 2009 01:03:00 PM NEWINGTON CT Arrival Scan
March 20, 2009 08:29:00 PM HEBRON KY Arrival Scan
March 23, 2009 01:36:00 PM HARTFORD CT Shipment received by carrier
March 23, 2009 11:28:00 AM HARTFORD CT Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
So my iPod Touch traveled from Hartford to Newington, by way of Kentucky....
March 30, 2009 01:03:00 PM NEWINGTON CT Arrival Scan
March 20, 2009 08:29:00 PM HEBRON KY Arrival Scan
March 23, 2009 01:36:00 PM HARTFORD CT Shipment received by carrier
March 23, 2009 11:28:00 AM HARTFORD CT Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
So my iPod Touch traveled from Hartford to Newington, by way of Kentucky....
Weekend Warrior
It was one of those sorts of weekends that one needs a weekend to recover from, a Monday morning that makes one reach for the Advil. I'm not a pain med person - I think the last time I took a pill for body ache was back in teacher training; a year ago, and I tend to want to feel my blody (aches and pains and all) rather than doping it into silence. A frame of reference for my state of being this morning.
Thursday night was yoga with JD; not a killer practice by any means but he is someone I have not practice with in eons and he works on minute little places buried in the body, so I felt it on Friday. Friday I taught my 12:15 gentle class (not all that strenuous, but I do get a workut when teaching), and Friday night was the HSO Connections concert. Not physically demanding but a bit of walking, some vino, and a later than usual evening.
Saturday, morning practice with Nykki (always a good workout) and then a walk round the reservoir with my friend Kimi. Been a while since I laced up sneaks (note to self, get a decent pair of running shoes, Saucony maybe) and so the walk put a little ache in my body.
Sunday morning, gentle yoga instead of Shankara (wise move, but not enough) to loosen things up, and then Shake Your Soul with Daniel Leven. My soul has been shaken, but I tend to forget that it's connected to the musculo-skeletal system. So even though my spirit may be that of a 20 year old wood nymph, it's connected to a 48 year old body with a fair number of limitations, injuries, and weight issues. So now that it's Monday morning - ow ow ow ow ow!
And of course, I teach today; I'm starting my Monday / Friday mid-morning power classes. And the suck part is that both studios will be full prior to class, so no chance to lay out a mat and loosen up a bit before class. Oh well.....
Thursday night was yoga with JD; not a killer practice by any means but he is someone I have not practice with in eons and he works on minute little places buried in the body, so I felt it on Friday. Friday I taught my 12:15 gentle class (not all that strenuous, but I do get a workut when teaching), and Friday night was the HSO Connections concert. Not physically demanding but a bit of walking, some vino, and a later than usual evening.
Saturday, morning practice with Nykki (always a good workout) and then a walk round the reservoir with my friend Kimi. Been a while since I laced up sneaks (note to self, get a decent pair of running shoes, Saucony maybe) and so the walk put a little ache in my body.
Sunday morning, gentle yoga instead of Shankara (wise move, but not enough) to loosen things up, and then Shake Your Soul with Daniel Leven. My soul has been shaken, but I tend to forget that it's connected to the musculo-skeletal system. So even though my spirit may be that of a 20 year old wood nymph, it's connected to a 48 year old body with a fair number of limitations, injuries, and weight issues. So now that it's Monday morning - ow ow ow ow ow!
And of course, I teach today; I'm starting my Monday / Friday mid-morning power classes. And the suck part is that both studios will be full prior to class, so no chance to lay out a mat and loosen up a bit before class. Oh well.....
March 28, 2009
CRRA Electronics Recycling
In Hartford, next Saturday (April 4th, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.) at the CRRA Trash Museum at 211 Murphy Road. Info here
Home electronics, including: computers, monitors, cell phones, TVs, VCRs, copiers, fax machines, printers, radios, stereos. (Electronics from businesses and institutions are not acceptable.)
Keep some heavy metals and various other toxic industrial byproducts out of the landfills or the incinerators.....
New Yoga Classes
Starting next week, I pick up two more yoga classes. I will be teaching WHY POWER I classes on Monday and Friday - 10:45 a.m. (although starting at 10:30 a.m. this week before getting pushed back)
I'm kind of excited (it's a full price class, not a $5 class, and it's power, and it's my class) but also a little nervous (these are newish class times, have not been going gangbusters, and are at an odd time)
We'll see how things go. Drop in to these, or my Friday gentle class at 12:15, at West Hartford Yoga.....
I'm kind of excited (it's a full price class, not a $5 class, and it's power, and it's my class) but also a little nervous (these are newish class times, have not been going gangbusters, and are at an odd time)
We'll see how things go. Drop in to these, or my Friday gentle class at 12:15, at West Hartford Yoga.....
Reprieve
My new iPod Touch, with 16Gig of memory and a touch screen and WiFi access, and all the bells and whistles, did not show up on Friday. Off because the USPS tracking shows it leaving the Hartford CT facility on 3/23 (uhm, that was Monday) - they (the USPS) must be deliberately sitting on it. Can't let the surface shippers get Priority service lest they come to expect it or not buy the higher cost shipping options....
Probably all to the good, because I got a lot of work done this week, and once I get this puppy I am sure I am gonna be running around to all the various WiFi hot spots in my life to test it out - home, office, yoga studio, coffee shop. I am not sure I will use it (much) as an actual iPod, maybe a few tried-and-true "put me to sleep on the airplane" sets of music. (16 Gig is not that much memory) - I think its mostly a replacement for my PDA, a way to access all the cool apps, and a way to web surf and check email on the go.
In any case, I get a weekend reprieve from techno-crack. So I can enjoy the weekend.
This morning - yoga with Nykki. I ought to be fresh, took yesterday off (just taught a class). This afternoon, a quarterly visit to the local support space. And perhaps a walk round the reservoir afterwards.
Tomorrow, Shake Your Soul workshop with Daniel Leven at the yoga studio. And probaby squeeze some more web-coding in there as well....
Probably all to the good, because I got a lot of work done this week, and once I get this puppy I am sure I am gonna be running around to all the various WiFi hot spots in my life to test it out - home, office, yoga studio, coffee shop. I am not sure I will use it (much) as an actual iPod, maybe a few tried-and-true "put me to sleep on the airplane" sets of music. (16 Gig is not that much memory) - I think its mostly a replacement for my PDA, a way to access all the cool apps, and a way to web surf and check email on the go.
In any case, I get a weekend reprieve from techno-crack. So I can enjoy the weekend.
This morning - yoga with Nykki. I ought to be fresh, took yesterday off (just taught a class). This afternoon, a quarterly visit to the local support space. And perhaps a walk round the reservoir afterwards.
Tomorrow, Shake Your Soul workshop with Daniel Leven at the yoga studio. And probaby squeeze some more web-coding in there as well....
Leonard Bernstein at HSO Connections
Wandered over to The Bushnell last night for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra "Connections" series with Colin McEnroe. I was able to get a single seat last minute (I am the procrastinator to whom Colin speaks), right up front (3rd row) and it was pretty amazing being that close to the orchestra. Although being that close, I could not see past the string section. So I kind of watched the violins, violas, cellos, and basses all night.
The spotlight composer was Leonard Bernstein - and there was a selection of his work over the years. West Side Story, of course, with a wonderful ensemble of Hartt School of Music theater majors. Pretty fabulous (especially to be so close to the stage). They also performed Bernstein's Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion, which is reputedly a tough piece for a soloist (and in fact, an orchestra) to play - Leonid Sigal was pretty amazing on violin, shredding horsehairs as his fingers flew.
I really liked the format (Colin would come out and rap with conductor Edward Cummings about the music, Bernstein, etc.) The funniest bits were:
a) That West Side Story started out as a bit about the East Side of Manhattan, and the Jets and Sharks were to have been Irish Catholics and Jews. Colin noted "America would have been a klezmer song". He insisted this was true (though I was not convinced), but wikipedia confirms it. Heh.
b) He also sang a few chorus of "I want to be on Medicare...." (as opposed to America) which was funny (get a new knee on Medicare!) and also kind of ironic in the blue haired theater crowd.
And the orchestra introduced the 2nd half with the horns in the mezzanine, playing the mambo prelude from West Side Story. Awesome to be surrounded by music that way.
Lots of fun - I am a closeted classical music fan (I minored in music in college, not so impressive at an engineering school, but still) and musical theater geek (I never met a Sondhein score I did not love). Ran into a mini posse there - a foursone from the Real Art Ways / OPM crowd. Friends Kim and Kapil. And I wandered over to the Bushnell with friends Alison and John; Alsion lives nearby so it was nice to actually walk somewhere in Hartford on a mild spring evening.
The spotlight composer was Leonard Bernstein - and there was a selection of his work over the years. West Side Story, of course, with a wonderful ensemble of Hartt School of Music theater majors. Pretty fabulous (especially to be so close to the stage). They also performed Bernstein's Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion, which is reputedly a tough piece for a soloist (and in fact, an orchestra) to play - Leonid Sigal was pretty amazing on violin, shredding horsehairs as his fingers flew.
I really liked the format (Colin would come out and rap with conductor Edward Cummings about the music, Bernstein, etc.) The funniest bits were:
a) That West Side Story started out as a bit about the East Side of Manhattan, and the Jets and Sharks were to have been Irish Catholics and Jews. Colin noted "America would have been a klezmer song". He insisted this was true (though I was not convinced), but wikipedia confirms it. Heh.
b) He also sang a few chorus of "I want to be on Medicare...." (as opposed to America) which was funny (get a new knee on Medicare!) and also kind of ironic in the blue haired theater crowd.
And the orchestra introduced the 2nd half with the horns in the mezzanine, playing the mambo prelude from West Side Story. Awesome to be surrounded by music that way.
Lots of fun - I am a closeted classical music fan (I minored in music in college, not so impressive at an engineering school, but still) and musical theater geek (I never met a Sondhein score I did not love). Ran into a mini posse there - a foursone from the Real Art Ways / OPM crowd. Friends Kim and Kapil. And I wandered over to the Bushnell with friends Alison and John; Alsion lives nearby so it was nice to actually walk somewhere in Hartford on a mild spring evening.
March 25, 2009
%$*(&$# HTML and Javascript
I picked up a javascript HTML menu a few weeks ago, to implement on a client's site. Just cheaper to buy a bit of code than to write something.
Unfortunately, the code was being flaky on IE; not launching reliably, so last night I started digging into it. The script itself was inaccessible, and after a 1/2 hour or so of tearing apart the HTML, looking for some issue, I punted. Went and hunted up a different script.
Then spent an hour or so merging the new script with the old menu, and reformatting the menu (colors, fonts, etc.)
Finally, took a look at it in Firefox (I usually use IE on the laptop at home, Firefox at the office) and the page barfed. So another hour of troubleshooting. Turned out I had left rogue "/li" commands at the end of each menu item (the old script made submenu choices a separate list item, the new one did not).
So, problem resolved, pages up and happy, all is right with the world. And I killed 3 hours on a Tuesday night wrestling with this stuff, did not get to bed until close to midnight. Yech.
Unfortunately, the code was being flaky on IE; not launching reliably, so last night I started digging into it. The script itself was inaccessible, and after a 1/2 hour or so of tearing apart the HTML, looking for some issue, I punted. Went and hunted up a different script.
Then spent an hour or so merging the new script with the old menu, and reformatting the menu (colors, fonts, etc.)
Finally, took a look at it in Firefox (I usually use IE on the laptop at home, Firefox at the office) and the page barfed. So another hour of troubleshooting. Turned out I had left rogue "/li" commands at the end of each menu item (the old script made submenu choices a separate list item, the new one did not).
So, problem resolved, pages up and happy, all is right with the world. And I killed 3 hours on a Tuesday night wrestling with this stuff, did not get to bed until close to midnight. Yech.
Gigger
I rent space at an office condo.....a former corporate headquarters that was purchased as an investment, and is rented out piecemeal to smaller companies. Some suites are larger, others (like my office) are a good sized executive office (with windows, curtains, and glass facing the hallways), and still others are small internal rooms fit for a desk, a chair, and a phone. Kind of interesting mix of clients - self-employed folks, local offices for the trades, lawyers, therapists, body workers, a few tech companies.
The office next door was vacant for a while, and a guy recently rented it. He came by to borrow some push pins, and we got to talking about what we each did. "I'm a gigger" he said. I had heard he was in demolition, so I assumed "gigger" was the term for someone who set the explosives or something.
But no, he went into some detail - a gigger was someone who did whatever one could to make money - which in his case involves demolition, stripping and recycling materials from abandoned buildings, etc.
Amusing - I guess I've been a "gigger" for 15 years or so. People ask "What do you do?" and I reply "What have you got?" - I've done graphics, coding, powerpoint, writing, and all sorts of engineering.
Kind of funny, this guy was all puffed up and proud of his tough economic times hustle, as if he invented the concept of working freelance, and I've been living in that space for 15 years.
Gigger, huh? I've googled the term; it's certainly not in common usage or urban slang. But...whatever.
The office next door was vacant for a while, and a guy recently rented it. He came by to borrow some push pins, and we got to talking about what we each did. "I'm a gigger" he said. I had heard he was in demolition, so I assumed "gigger" was the term for someone who set the explosives or something.
But no, he went into some detail - a gigger was someone who did whatever one could to make money - which in his case involves demolition, stripping and recycling materials from abandoned buildings, etc.
Amusing - I guess I've been a "gigger" for 15 years or so. People ask "What do you do?" and I reply "What have you got?" - I've done graphics, coding, powerpoint, writing, and all sorts of engineering.
Kind of funny, this guy was all puffed up and proud of his tough economic times hustle, as if he invented the concept of working freelance, and I've been living in that space for 15 years.
Gigger, huh? I've googled the term; it's certainly not in common usage or urban slang. But...whatever.
March 24, 2009
Recycling
The good part about living in Hartford is that most things we put out to the curb to be collected as bulk waste gets picked up before the sanitation trucks come around. Last night after 11, I heard a truck out front, and a dude hefted the fridge (sans doors) into his pickup, along with the wire racks, and the freezer door. Oddly, he left the fridge section door (maybe there was a space issue, and not that much metal to recycle. The fridge door and a few plastic bits look somewht forlorn out there; on the way out the door I plan to toss the plastic bits into the garbage bin.
A week or so back, the dehumidifier met a suitable fate; although it took a few days - placed it on the curb on Saturday, and it was gone by Monday morning. And many months back I hefted an old water heater (which may have been lined with copper, for all I know) out and that too was scrounged.
I'm assuming the scroungers are seeking the metals to recycle - copper, aluminum. Even though prices have fallen since they peaked out a few years back, they are still worth something. I would not know how or where to start on finding a place to for that stuff - do they take appliances in total, or must one strip the good bits out? I just hope the unrecyclable bits end up in a landfill or waste recycling, and not in the river or stream somewhere.
In any case, I'm happy to provide something for the scavengers to earn a few bucks and keep some metals out of the landfill. It makes me feel kind of interconnected, like an industrial food chain where materials and technology flow downstream, to be reused and re-enter the commercial stream.
A week or so back, the dehumidifier met a suitable fate; although it took a few days - placed it on the curb on Saturday, and it was gone by Monday morning. And many months back I hefted an old water heater (which may have been lined with copper, for all I know) out and that too was scrounged.
I'm assuming the scroungers are seeking the metals to recycle - copper, aluminum. Even though prices have fallen since they peaked out a few years back, they are still worth something. I would not know how or where to start on finding a place to for that stuff - do they take appliances in total, or must one strip the good bits out? I just hope the unrecyclable bits end up in a landfill or waste recycling, and not in the river or stream somewhere.
In any case, I'm happy to provide something for the scavengers to earn a few bucks and keep some metals out of the landfill. It makes me feel kind of interconnected, like an industrial food chain where materials and technology flow downstream, to be reused and re-enter the commercial stream.
March 23, 2009
New Fridge
Unusually flush, I suggested to Zippy that we invest in a new refrigerator. Our fridge is probably 20 years old, and a bit worse for wear - veggie bins busted, gasket worn, a little louder. Although we looked at some new models over at Home Depot, Zippy thought a used model would do fine. (And cost perhaps 1/2 the price of a new model)
So a net gain for the environment (no doubt a more efficient model, and reusing an appliance rather than purchasing a new one) and a mixed blessing for the economy. We're moving some money around but not sending it as far as the manufacturer. We did buy a new dehumidifier recently, so we're doing our part to get the economy moving.
The new box is a little larger, with nice glass shelves (the old one had wire racks), in very good condition. And I took advantage of the upgrade to swap the door around (an interesting and not so difficult project, although the star drivers might have stymied someone with fewere tools). The old one opened away from the counters, sink, and cabinets, so maybe a little more ergonomic as well.
A completely mundane blog post, I know. But it's the little things.
So a net gain for the environment (no doubt a more efficient model, and reusing an appliance rather than purchasing a new one) and a mixed blessing for the economy. We're moving some money around but not sending it as far as the manufacturer. We did buy a new dehumidifier recently, so we're doing our part to get the economy moving.
The new box is a little larger, with nice glass shelves (the old one had wire racks), in very good condition. And I took advantage of the upgrade to swap the door around (an interesting and not so difficult project, although the star drivers might have stymied someone with fewere tools). The old one opened away from the counters, sink, and cabinets, so maybe a little more ergonomic as well.
A completely mundane blog post, I know. But it's the little things.
Long Term Investment
In these disposable times, I have been thinking about some things I have kept around for a long time.
Revereware
I have a set of copper bottom cookware that was a wedding present (circa 1987). And although the marriage was short-lived, the cookware is still going strong 22 years later. Every so often I clean the bottoms up, nice and shiny.
My Guitar
I picked up my acoustic guitar, an Ibanez V320, in 1979, as a Freshman in college. I've played it at countless folk masses, vacations, trekked out to folk festivals, college band gigs, and most recently, kirtans, although I've recently picked up a new guitar (also an Ibanez) and so the old guitar is on the bench for the most part. Still, it's been with me 28 years.
Television
I worked for Philips Medical Systems from 1989 - 1995; right around 1991 I picked up a Magnavox television from the company store. Maybe a 22" or 24" (I forget), not top of the line or anything (maybe it was $250 back then). But here we are, 18 years later, and it still works great. Don't really watch all that much television, but still I got my money's worth.
Cross Country Skis
As my marriage was falling apart, I bought two pair of cross-country skis, boots, and poles for what was to be the last xmas. A romantic gesture perhaps. I still have the skis, still in good shape, 17 years later. Granted, I do not get out much (not at all this past year) but still....
I'll add more long-lived things as I come across them.....
Revereware
I have a set of copper bottom cookware that was a wedding present (circa 1987). And although the marriage was short-lived, the cookware is still going strong 22 years later. Every so often I clean the bottoms up, nice and shiny.
My Guitar
I picked up my acoustic guitar, an Ibanez V320, in 1979, as a Freshman in college. I've played it at countless folk masses, vacations, trekked out to folk festivals, college band gigs, and most recently, kirtans, although I've recently picked up a new guitar (also an Ibanez) and so the old guitar is on the bench for the most part. Still, it's been with me 28 years.
Television
I worked for Philips Medical Systems from 1989 - 1995; right around 1991 I picked up a Magnavox television from the company store. Maybe a 22" or 24" (I forget), not top of the line or anything (maybe it was $250 back then). But here we are, 18 years later, and it still works great. Don't really watch all that much television, but still I got my money's worth.
Cross Country Skis
As my marriage was falling apart, I bought two pair of cross-country skis, boots, and poles for what was to be the last xmas. A romantic gesture perhaps. I still have the skis, still in good shape, 17 years later. Granted, I do not get out much (not at all this past year) but still....
I'll add more long-lived things as I come across them.....
March 22, 2009
My Fair Lady
Drove up to Massachusetts yesterday, to see a production of the play "My Fair Lady" at Nashoba Regional High School. My niece Sara, a sophomore, had a minor role. Have not been to a high school musical in a while - I think the last was Rave at the local performing arts magnet school, which was wonderful but a far cry from Lerner and Loewe. So it was fun to go see what Sara is up to.
First off, Nashoba serves a fairly affluent group of western MA towns - and that affluence shows in the production. I counted 5 or 6 costume changes for my niece (in a fairly minor, non-speaking role) and the cast must have numbered 30 or so. The set pieces too were top notch. Professor Higgins' study was a multi-level affair, a London street set had a faux church, a beautifully painted scrim (rented, I am told), and plenty of little electrics (a glowing fire in a barrel, lighted street lamps, etc.) A far cry from the little productions of my high school years (catholic school) even though the student population is about the same.
The leads were phenomenal - well past high school and into a community or regional theater level of performance. Kudos especially to Jackie Murtha (Eliza), Michael Sestito (Higgins), Kyle Mendes (Alfred Doolittle), and Nicholas Sestito (Colonel Hugh Pickering) - all were top notch, wonderful voices, wonderful emoting, great movement.
Lots of parental involvement as well - my sister was house manager, my brother-in-law was photographer. Both my nephews went to see their sister (although the oldest reportedly fell asleep, the performance clocked in at 3:15 including an intermission)
I love to see the various theater cliques - the upperclass stars (much beloved with cheers and screams coming from the audience during curtain calls). The younger students a little out of their league but trying hard. The techies, dressed in black, with amusing tee shirts (Techies do it in the dark!) and a little whiff of outsider. The band members. I do so wish I were living in my body and not so darned self conscious during high school. I was in the pit band (for Godspell) and even trod the boards a bit (variety / talent show) but I missed a lot of opportunity.
And then, to see Sara, who has passed any adolescent awkwardness and is becoming a beautiful young woman, in the chorus, singing, moving, dancing. My heart filled up with hope and with love for her energy, her passion, her connection to her friends and to the art. Seeing my sister (a theater geek herself) passing the torch to her child. Seeing all that young energy, bursting off the stage, getting ready for life.
Great show, kids. You all rock!
First off, Nashoba serves a fairly affluent group of western MA towns - and that affluence shows in the production. I counted 5 or 6 costume changes for my niece (in a fairly minor, non-speaking role) and the cast must have numbered 30 or so. The set pieces too were top notch. Professor Higgins' study was a multi-level affair, a London street set had a faux church, a beautifully painted scrim (rented, I am told), and plenty of little electrics (a glowing fire in a barrel, lighted street lamps, etc.) A far cry from the little productions of my high school years (catholic school) even though the student population is about the same.
The leads were phenomenal - well past high school and into a community or regional theater level of performance. Kudos especially to Jackie Murtha (Eliza), Michael Sestito (Higgins), Kyle Mendes (Alfred Doolittle), and Nicholas Sestito (Colonel Hugh Pickering) - all were top notch, wonderful voices, wonderful emoting, great movement.
Lots of parental involvement as well - my sister was house manager, my brother-in-law was photographer. Both my nephews went to see their sister (although the oldest reportedly fell asleep, the performance clocked in at 3:15 including an intermission)
I love to see the various theater cliques - the upperclass stars (much beloved with cheers and screams coming from the audience during curtain calls). The younger students a little out of their league but trying hard. The techies, dressed in black, with amusing tee shirts (Techies do it in the dark!) and a little whiff of outsider. The band members. I do so wish I were living in my body and not so darned self conscious during high school. I was in the pit band (for Godspell) and even trod the boards a bit (variety / talent show) but I missed a lot of opportunity.
And then, to see Sara, who has passed any adolescent awkwardness and is becoming a beautiful young woman, in the chorus, singing, moving, dancing. My heart filled up with hope and with love for her energy, her passion, her connection to her friends and to the art. Seeing my sister (a theater geek herself) passing the torch to her child. Seeing all that young energy, bursting off the stage, getting ready for life.
Great show, kids. You all rock!
Geeks on the Mat
Heading into class yesterday, a young woman was wearing a WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) sweatshirt, with the school mascot goat's head. I stopped to chat, WPI is my alma mater. Industrial Engineer, class of 2007, working at Pratt & Whitney. Her yoga buddy was also an engineer at P&W, from Northeastern (I think).
Interesting to meet two women engineers, at yoga of all places. I suddenly felt old with my 1983 degree, realizing that this young woman had not been born as I stepped up to receive my diploma. And it kind of struck me like a bolt from the blue when she asked "Are you still in engineering?" Because I guess it's uncommon for engineers to keep plugging away in a technical field for their entire careers. Skills get old, familiarity with tools and technology slip away, engineers move into management, into other careers, into backwaters.
I remember reading about a corporate culture where senior engineers graduated into a sort of emiritus status, idea men and women, given the freedom to wander around poking their nose into things, napping on their desks, etc. Might have been Peters and Waterman's book "In Search of Excellence", but maybe not. That's rare though, mostly senior engineers get pastured out to doing product support for aging technologies, shuffled into paper pushing jobs, or driven upward into management (where their technical and people skills are often not great fits)
So, yeah, kind of interesting that, 26 years later, I am still doing engineering work. Part of that is an active choice - at my last corporate gig, the annual review would be an exercise in my manager trying to drag me into the management ranks and me resisting with all my might. I left in part because I had for the most part resolved the technical problems that my position was created to address, and I did not seek to become a corporate manager. So if I am still engineering all these years later, I do so out of choice.
So hello, sister engineering yogis. May your careers be long and interesting, filled with projects, travel, adventure, satisfaction. And may you, 25 years hence, look back on your career choices and path happily and with a heart and spirit still curious, supple, and learning.
Interesting to meet two women engineers, at yoga of all places. I suddenly felt old with my 1983 degree, realizing that this young woman had not been born as I stepped up to receive my diploma. And it kind of struck me like a bolt from the blue when she asked "Are you still in engineering?" Because I guess it's uncommon for engineers to keep plugging away in a technical field for their entire careers. Skills get old, familiarity with tools and technology slip away, engineers move into management, into other careers, into backwaters.
I remember reading about a corporate culture where senior engineers graduated into a sort of emiritus status, idea men and women, given the freedom to wander around poking their nose into things, napping on their desks, etc. Might have been Peters and Waterman's book "In Search of Excellence", but maybe not. That's rare though, mostly senior engineers get pastured out to doing product support for aging technologies, shuffled into paper pushing jobs, or driven upward into management (where their technical and people skills are often not great fits)
So, yeah, kind of interesting that, 26 years later, I am still doing engineering work. Part of that is an active choice - at my last corporate gig, the annual review would be an exercise in my manager trying to drag me into the management ranks and me resisting with all my might. I left in part because I had for the most part resolved the technical problems that my position was created to address, and I did not seek to become a corporate manager. So if I am still engineering all these years later, I do so out of choice.
So hello, sister engineering yogis. May your careers be long and interesting, filled with projects, travel, adventure, satisfaction. And may you, 25 years hence, look back on your career choices and path happily and with a heart and spirit still curious, supple, and learning.
March 21, 2009
Not a Bad Problem to Have
A mess of work, that is. Especially in These Economic Times(tm).
My largest client has entered into a period of unusual volume; I've had perhaps 6 months of record breaking work with them, and if things stopped dead right this second March would already be considered a very good month. But we've got about 7 workdays left and a small backlog flowing into next week, so I suspect March will be a record breaker.
Another client that has been pretty quiet for the past year has recently reconnected - but from a completely different place (engineering vs. service). Seems like some work in the offing. Nice.
I have a quote out to do some rare onsite work locally, at a gas station / convenience store. Interesting. No idea if it will come through but its a nice change of pace.
My oldest client has a long (and patiently) awaited update for a spreadsheet based data reader in the queue, waiting mostly for me to get a block of time to focus on it (VBscript / Excel macros just take a lot of time and grinding away).
My biggest website client is getting a late start on the 2009 season. Tickets go on sale April 1st, and yesterday they dropped a complete website redesign on me. I'm hoping to get something put together over the weekend (I'm self employed, so weekends are fair game) but there hours of work in the next week or so. Also, we're implementing a new ticketing program (so that they can control sell outs) which involves your faithful correspondant honing her PHP and MySQL chops.
Finally, another website client (albeit a pro bono one) has been nudging me to get some long delayed updates done. Hopefully I'll sneak into the office this weekend.
Oh yeah. My office is a mess. And my taxes are coming due. And the yoga studio has been keeping me busy with press releases, marketing, some filling in for the studio manager, and helping out with teacher training and national workshops. And teaching a few classes every week.
On a positive note, this is a down week for teaching - my Monday night intro class is over, my Wed night Adult Ed class has a break, and my Mon / Fri power classes do not start until next week.
My largest client has entered into a period of unusual volume; I've had perhaps 6 months of record breaking work with them, and if things stopped dead right this second March would already be considered a very good month. But we've got about 7 workdays left and a small backlog flowing into next week, so I suspect March will be a record breaker.
Another client that has been pretty quiet for the past year has recently reconnected - but from a completely different place (engineering vs. service). Seems like some work in the offing. Nice.
I have a quote out to do some rare onsite work locally, at a gas station / convenience store. Interesting. No idea if it will come through but its a nice change of pace.
My oldest client has a long (and patiently) awaited update for a spreadsheet based data reader in the queue, waiting mostly for me to get a block of time to focus on it (VBscript / Excel macros just take a lot of time and grinding away).
My biggest website client is getting a late start on the 2009 season. Tickets go on sale April 1st, and yesterday they dropped a complete website redesign on me. I'm hoping to get something put together over the weekend (I'm self employed, so weekends are fair game) but there hours of work in the next week or so. Also, we're implementing a new ticketing program (so that they can control sell outs) which involves your faithful correspondant honing her PHP and MySQL chops.
Finally, another website client (albeit a pro bono one) has been nudging me to get some long delayed updates done. Hopefully I'll sneak into the office this weekend.
Oh yeah. My office is a mess. And my taxes are coming due. And the yoga studio has been keeping me busy with press releases, marketing, some filling in for the studio manager, and helping out with teacher training and national workshops. And teaching a few classes every week.
On a positive note, this is a down week for teaching - my Monday night intro class is over, my Wed night Adult Ed class has a break, and my Mon / Fri power classes do not start until next week.
March 20, 2009
Welcome Spring!
The daffodils are pushing up in front of my office building. Bird calls fill the air. Life, in all its diversity, dogged determination and glory, is making a comeback against the forces of entropy, darkness, and cold. My money is on the living......
10:40 am - BONUS! Sun is out!
March 19, 2009
Yoga sightings . . .and sitings for that matter
Three new islands of yogishness on the local scene.
#1) Jeff Zweig is teaching some classes over at Billings Forge Community Works (565 Broad Street, Hartford). Free classes the week of 3/23. Nice to have another yoga option downtown.
I've always enjoyed Jeff's classes, and his gentle, funny energy - I wish him well.
#2) Carissa Field is opening a studio - Body Bliss LLC - in Manchester, behind the Center for Progressive Therapies. Carissa is one of my favorite teachers at WHY (aw, heck, they are all my favorite teachers, bit Carissa was one of my first teachers) and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that she does well with her new space. She is continuing to teach at West Hartford Yoga, but this gives east of the river folks another yoga option.
#3) John Dorsey is presently beta-testing (his words) a small studio space (~12 students or so) in Newington. Contact John for info and perhaps an invite to one of his classes - jhd.yoga@yahoo.com
#1) Jeff Zweig is teaching some classes over at Billings Forge Community Works (565 Broad Street, Hartford). Free classes the week of 3/23. Nice to have another yoga option downtown.
I've always enjoyed Jeff's classes, and his gentle, funny energy - I wish him well.
#2) Carissa Field is opening a studio - Body Bliss LLC - in Manchester, behind the Center for Progressive Therapies. Carissa is one of my favorite teachers at WHY (aw, heck, they are all my favorite teachers, bit Carissa was one of my first teachers) and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that she does well with her new space. She is continuing to teach at West Hartford Yoga, but this gives east of the river folks another yoga option.
#3) John Dorsey is presently beta-testing (his words) a small studio space (~12 students or so) in Newington. Contact John for info and perhaps an invite to one of his classes - jhd.yoga@yahoo.com
Craigslist - Missed Connections
One of my guilty pleasures is reading the Craigslist Missed Connections pages. Submitted for your amusement, this week's cream of the crop:
Theme #1 - The Family That Shoots Together....
In Line for Gun Permit (Middletown, CT)
You were the beautiful woman in line waiting to get your new gun permit, I was behind you waiting to renew mine. The line was really long, 12 people deep and I had to get to Manchester for an appointment. I thought there might be a connection there
I know there was on my part:) If you see this then perhaps it is fate...
Gun Permit - f4m - 32 (Middletown)
I was there a couple months ago. The man (mid 20s maybe?) with the dark hair and amazing blue eyes is still stuck in my head. Im pretty sure he noticed me too......I asked the finger print girl about him.....I'll be back when my temp comes in.
Your Lab Results Are Back
Hospital fitness center - m4m (Hartford)
Really enjoyed playing in private T-room. Would like to make it a regular thing (couple times a week). AM is usually good for me. Will bring the condoms next time.
Jude Comments: Now I know why my physical therapist was so late
Probably a Cheap Date
Saw you at Marshall's Sunday - m4m - 42 (Avon)
Saw you at Marshall's in Avon on Sunday. You were with the fam, I was alone. You - silver hair, glasses. Thought we had a few glances that might be more. Hit me back if you see this and are interested.
Jude Comments: The whole "you were with the fam" thing is a little awkward. Can we say "on the down low" maybe?
Mrs. Robinson, Are You Trying to Seduce Me?
same condo - m4w - 27 (Vernon)
Hello...you and I live in the same condo complex, and always smile at each other and say hi everytime we see each other. You are an older woman but I find you very sexy and attractive. Me and my buddy came over one time and had some drinks with you and a couple of your friends before. If you happen to see this and are somewhat interested send me a message back.
Make that a Grande
Starbucks Drive-Thru - m4m - 36 (Glastonbury)
You were in a blue pickup at the Starbucks on Hebron around 1:15 this afternoon. We made eye contact through your side mirror. I'd love to buy you a latte ;)
Blonde at glastonbury starbucks - m4m
enjoy talking with you, love your smile and wonderful energy.
Jude Comments: Glastonbury Starbucks a cruising zone. Who knew?
Meeting at Marshall's Suddenly Seems Like a Step Up
Southington Dollar Store - m4m (Southington)
Ironically, your name is kind of opposite where you work! I think you might be new there as I have not seen you there before. You are a cutie... would love to chat you up and find out more about you. If you have a clue who this might be you will know what I bought. To let me know it is you, let me know name and where you wear your name badge.
Jude Comments: Now we all want to know where he wears his name badge
Hey, That's My Vet
VETS OFFICE TODAY - m4m - 34 (WETHERSFIELD)
We were both at the vets office, you were picking up something you left behind for your dog, i was there with cat in blue plastic carry box. We chatted about our "kids" and how long weve each had ours. Would love to chat more.
Jude Comments: It'll never work out dude, he's a cat person.
Odd Couple
Hartford Wal Mart, March 16 - m4w - 40 (Flatbush Avenue)
Hot looking thin black girl in jeans and white high heel boots. You were with an older white guy with glasses, one dark lens and one clear lens around 1:00 PM. Would love to meet you. Please contact me. Thanks.
Jude Comments: The "one dark lens and one clear lens" thing is freaking me out.
Theme #1 - The Family That Shoots Together....
In Line for Gun Permit (Middletown, CT)
You were the beautiful woman in line waiting to get your new gun permit, I was behind you waiting to renew mine. The line was really long, 12 people deep and I had to get to Manchester for an appointment. I thought there might be a connection there
I know there was on my part:) If you see this then perhaps it is fate...
Gun Permit - f4m - 32 (Middletown)
I was there a couple months ago. The man (mid 20s maybe?) with the dark hair and amazing blue eyes is still stuck in my head. Im pretty sure he noticed me too......I asked the finger print girl about him.....I'll be back when my temp comes in.
Your Lab Results Are Back
Hospital fitness center - m4m (Hartford)
Really enjoyed playing in private T-room. Would like to make it a regular thing (couple times a week). AM is usually good for me. Will bring the condoms next time.
Jude Comments: Now I know why my physical therapist was so late
Probably a Cheap Date
Saw you at Marshall's Sunday - m4m - 42 (Avon)
Saw you at Marshall's in Avon on Sunday. You were with the fam, I was alone. You - silver hair, glasses. Thought we had a few glances that might be more. Hit me back if you see this and are interested.
Jude Comments: The whole "you were with the fam" thing is a little awkward. Can we say "on the down low" maybe?
Mrs. Robinson, Are You Trying to Seduce Me?
same condo - m4w - 27 (Vernon)
Hello...you and I live in the same condo complex, and always smile at each other and say hi everytime we see each other. You are an older woman but I find you very sexy and attractive. Me and my buddy came over one time and had some drinks with you and a couple of your friends before. If you happen to see this and are somewhat interested send me a message back.
Make that a Grande
Starbucks Drive-Thru - m4m - 36 (Glastonbury)
You were in a blue pickup at the Starbucks on Hebron around 1:15 this afternoon. We made eye contact through your side mirror. I'd love to buy you a latte ;)
Blonde at glastonbury starbucks - m4m
enjoy talking with you, love your smile and wonderful energy.
Jude Comments: Glastonbury Starbucks a cruising zone. Who knew?
Meeting at Marshall's Suddenly Seems Like a Step Up
Southington Dollar Store - m4m (Southington)
Ironically, your name is kind of opposite where you work! I think you might be new there as I have not seen you there before. You are a cutie... would love to chat you up and find out more about you. If you have a clue who this might be you will know what I bought. To let me know it is you, let me know name and where you wear your name badge.
Jude Comments: Now we all want to know where he wears his name badge
Hey, That's My Vet
VETS OFFICE TODAY - m4m - 34 (WETHERSFIELD)
We were both at the vets office, you were picking up something you left behind for your dog, i was there with cat in blue plastic carry box. We chatted about our "kids" and how long weve each had ours. Would love to chat more.
Jude Comments: It'll never work out dude, he's a cat person.
Odd Couple
Hartford Wal Mart, March 16 - m4w - 40 (Flatbush Avenue)
Hot looking thin black girl in jeans and white high heel boots. You were with an older white guy with glasses, one dark lens and one clear lens around 1:00 PM. Would love to meet you. Please contact me. Thanks.
Jude Comments: The "one dark lens and one clear lens" thing is freaking me out.
March 18, 2009
Jill Miller at WHY
Awesome workshop this afternoon at West Hartford Yoga - Yoga Tune Up®: Hip Helpers for Classic Poses led by Jill Miller - from the Los Angeles area.
A sneaky workshop. Three hours, so we spent a lot of time doing little postures and exercises aimed at the muscle groups around the hips. Some extensive work with the ball - we do that a lot for shoulders, back, and glutes, but not so much on the side or front of hips. Then lots of different things to get into the hips - flexion and extension, abducting and adducting, rotation inward and outward.
Some really interesting lessons - working the feet and toes as a prep for the hips, seeing how movement and alignment in the feet and ankles affect the hips. A really cool hip pening exercise against the wall. And not so much classic yoga postures until we got to the climax posture - reverse triangle.
During and after the workshop, I felt all loose and wiggly - not unusual. But the real indications of just how opened up my hips were came later, as I was teaching my adult ed class in Bristol. I was demoing wide leg forward fold, and much to my surprise, set my head gentle down on the mat. That's never happened before - I've come close, but tonight I was right down there. Awesome.
Jill was a real delight - funny, wise, kept thing moving. I'll work with her again in a minute, would love to do a bit more extensive work - a multi day workshop or teacher training.
A sneaky workshop. Three hours, so we spent a lot of time doing little postures and exercises aimed at the muscle groups around the hips. Some extensive work with the ball - we do that a lot for shoulders, back, and glutes, but not so much on the side or front of hips. Then lots of different things to get into the hips - flexion and extension, abducting and adducting, rotation inward and outward.
Some really interesting lessons - working the feet and toes as a prep for the hips, seeing how movement and alignment in the feet and ankles affect the hips. A really cool hip pening exercise against the wall. And not so much classic yoga postures until we got to the climax posture - reverse triangle.
During and after the workshop, I felt all loose and wiggly - not unusual. But the real indications of just how opened up my hips were came later, as I was teaching my adult ed class in Bristol. I was demoing wide leg forward fold, and much to my surprise, set my head gentle down on the mat. That's never happened before - I've come close, but tonight I was right down there. Awesome.
Jill was a real delight - funny, wise, kept thing moving. I'll work with her again in a minute, would love to do a bit more extensive work - a multi day workshop or teacher training.
March 15, 2009
Neighborhood Walk
Zippy and I took the dogs for a long walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, taking advantage of the warm weather and longer sunrise. Some observations:
* People need to clean up! Lots of cans, bottles, wrappers on front lawns and curbside. Hopefully as the weather warms up people will be outside a bit more.
* Not so many homes for sale, no visible foreclosures. And checking Yahoo real estate and Zillow this evening, not so many properties for sale and the ones listed do not seem to be listed all that low.
* The foreclosed upon home behind us, that I was sort of interested in over the winter, is now occupied. The new neighbors seem nice (at least as far as a "hello" across the fence can determine) - they did more pruning, raking and cleaning today than the previous residents did in two years. And they put up a clothesline - points for environmentalism!
* The sidewalk along Newington Avenue, replaced over the winter as that road was dog up, widened, and repaved, is lovely for walking.
* Lots of kidlets out and about, playing hoops mostly.
I know the really warm weather is still a ways off but it was nice to be out and about. First time I put sneaks on in months!
* People need to clean up! Lots of cans, bottles, wrappers on front lawns and curbside. Hopefully as the weather warms up people will be outside a bit more.
* Not so many homes for sale, no visible foreclosures. And checking Yahoo real estate and Zillow this evening, not so many properties for sale and the ones listed do not seem to be listed all that low.
* The foreclosed upon home behind us, that I was sort of interested in over the winter, is now occupied. The new neighbors seem nice (at least as far as a "hello" across the fence can determine) - they did more pruning, raking and cleaning today than the previous residents did in two years. And they put up a clothesline - points for environmentalism!
* The sidewalk along Newington Avenue, replaced over the winter as that road was dog up, widened, and repaved, is lovely for walking.
* Lots of kidlets out and about, playing hoops mostly.
I know the really warm weather is still a ways off but it was nice to be out and about. First time I put sneaks on in months!
Krishna Das at Kripalu
Trekked up to Kripalu last night with two friends / fellow yogis to see Krishna Das. Quite a lovely evening of Bhakti Yoga, a yoga of devotion to the divine through music, movement, and chanting.
We got a little bit of a late start, but my driving was sufficiently fast (what is it with yogis and driving, KD himself said something about a speeding ticket) to get us there in time for a quick Kripalu dinner (healthy and yummy) and then to the concert. We started out in the back on chairs but soon migrated to the follor near the front.
Really wonderful to see KD after all these years of listening to him at yoga and playing at kirtan. In some ways similar to how teaching yoga has taken away from my practice, playing at kirtan is different than participating in kirtan, so it was nice to just be there, chanting, letting the music carry me. He and his ensemble were quite wonderful, especially the violinist. As Shankara noted to me "we have to manifest a violin for our kirtan ensemble" and well, I think we manifested a flautist. Actually, I think she manifested us. Either way....a very wonderful addition.
Bit of a long drive, and my body is cranky from the driving as well as the sitting on the floor, bouncing around, and jyfully chanting. But worth it - a night of devotion and song, some time spent with two wonderful people, and a chance to see a performer whose music has become an important part of my life.
We got a little bit of a late start, but my driving was sufficiently fast (what is it with yogis and driving, KD himself said something about a speeding ticket) to get us there in time for a quick Kripalu dinner (healthy and yummy) and then to the concert. We started out in the back on chairs but soon migrated to the follor near the front.
Really wonderful to see KD after all these years of listening to him at yoga and playing at kirtan. In some ways similar to how teaching yoga has taken away from my practice, playing at kirtan is different than participating in kirtan, so it was nice to just be there, chanting, letting the music carry me. He and his ensemble were quite wonderful, especially the violinist. As Shankara noted to me "we have to manifest a violin for our kirtan ensemble" and well, I think we manifested a flautist. Actually, I think she manifested us. Either way....a very wonderful addition.
Bit of a long drive, and my body is cranky from the driving as well as the sitting on the floor, bouncing around, and jyfully chanting. But worth it - a night of devotion and song, some time spent with two wonderful people, and a chance to see a performer whose music has become an important part of my life.
March 11, 2009
One of Those Days
Worked late last night on a website, so got moving a little slowly Wed morning. Worked for a bit, then headed over to the studio for a 9:30 practice. As I walked in at 9:15 I could sense the panic in the work study person's eyes - the 9:00 am All Levels teacher had not shown up and could not be reached via phone. So of course, I got to teach a clas instead of practicing.....
Grab some lunch, then back to work for a bit, and then back to the studio for a noon gentle class. Very relaxing and killer savasana, anything to be in my body for a bit. Then back to work all afternoon before heading out to Bristol for my Adult Ed class. Grab some dinner en route home, stop in to check email and visit with Zippy, and then back to the studio for meditation. Lot of runnign around and a lot of yogaish stuff.
Tomorrow, guerilla yoga with NP. And then a day of work. I'm getting dug out slowly, but the more I finish up and send out, the more work comes in the door. In these economic times, I am not complaining.
off the bed. Too tired for my own good!
Grab some lunch, then back to work for a bit, and then back to the studio for a noon gentle class. Very relaxing and killer savasana, anything to be in my body for a bit. Then back to work all afternoon before heading out to Bristol for my Adult Ed class. Grab some dinner en route home, stop in to check email and visit with Zippy, and then back to the studio for meditation. Lot of runnign around and a lot of yogaish stuff.
Tomorrow, guerilla yoga with NP. And then a day of work. I'm getting dug out slowly, but the more I finish up and send out, the more work comes in the door. In these economic times, I am not complaining.
off the bed. Too tired for my own good!
Voices of the Faithful
The recent (and completely out of left field) bubbling up of the State of Connecticut vs. the Roman Catholic Church has caught my eye and ear.
As a former Catholic, I am interested. And perhaps surprising to some, I am on the side of the church hierarchy here - the state ought to keep out of the business of religion.
Of course, I hold this opinion for all the wrong (and nefarious) reasons. This proposal comes from internal church reformers (not from some legislative agenda to embarass the church), fearing the mismanagement and "old boys club" of the existing priest based financial management of parish assets and resources. Watching chuches close, watching diocesan and parish resources sucked dry by legal judgements or simple pilfering related to priest malfeasance. Who can blame them for wanting to try to save their church, their parish that they and their parents have invested in all these years?
But if one is happy to see the church buckle and fall under the weight of its own corruption, its timbers eaten away by corruption, scandal, and secrecy - well - keep on doing what you are doing, I say.
Voice of the Faithful - break away. Join the Episcopals, the Congregationalists, the Unitarian Universalists. Each person who walks away, who refuses to play by the existing rules, hastens the fall of the existing structure and perhaps the day of true reform.
I am perhaps a little harsh here. VOTF seems to have their hearts and minds in the right place. I am simply a bit more cynical, and have little hope that a popular uprising withing the church will make much of a dent in how things are run. Abosulte power corrupts, absolutely....at all levels of the church hierarchy.
As a former Catholic, I am interested. And perhaps surprising to some, I am on the side of the church hierarchy here - the state ought to keep out of the business of religion.
Of course, I hold this opinion for all the wrong (and nefarious) reasons. This proposal comes from internal church reformers (not from some legislative agenda to embarass the church), fearing the mismanagement and "old boys club" of the existing priest based financial management of parish assets and resources. Watching chuches close, watching diocesan and parish resources sucked dry by legal judgements or simple pilfering related to priest malfeasance. Who can blame them for wanting to try to save their church, their parish that they and their parents have invested in all these years?
But if one is happy to see the church buckle and fall under the weight of its own corruption, its timbers eaten away by corruption, scandal, and secrecy - well - keep on doing what you are doing, I say.
Voice of the Faithful - break away. Join the Episcopals, the Congregationalists, the Unitarian Universalists. Each person who walks away, who refuses to play by the existing rules, hastens the fall of the existing structure and perhaps the day of true reform.
I am perhaps a little harsh here. VOTF seems to have their hearts and minds in the right place. I am simply a bit more cynical, and have little hope that a popular uprising withing the church will make much of a dent in how things are run. Abosulte power corrupts, absolutely....at all levels of the church hierarchy.
March 10, 2009
Birthday Wishes
Kind of a quiet birthday.
I have been surrounded and overwhelmed with birthday wishes from friends. Thank Facebook for that one....funny because a week or so ago I considered removing my birthday from Facebook....go under the radar so to speak. That's been more typical of my style. But apparently I am visible this year. I wonder who I can blame for that? So I am basking in scores of birthday wishes: text messages, facebook messages, emails, calls, and in person.
Guerilla yoga this morning with my pal Nykki - notable because she and Amy got me a rather unique gift (a bag of Cheez Doodles, it's a long story). Also, one of the studio trees fell over, out of nowhere.
Some work before and after. Then lunch with my sister and mom who drove down from Massachusetts. We visited the studio, hit Elements for lunch (yum), and then drove over to Blue Back and WH Center for a little shopping and sightseeing. I picked up some things on the clearance rack at Lucy - sis and mom wanted to get me a little birthday something.
I have been surrounded and overwhelmed with birthday wishes from friends. Thank Facebook for that one....funny because a week or so ago I considered removing my birthday from Facebook....go under the radar so to speak. That's been more typical of my style. But apparently I am visible this year. I wonder who I can blame for that? So I am basking in scores of birthday wishes: text messages, facebook messages, emails, calls, and in person.
Guerilla yoga this morning with my pal Nykki - notable because she and Amy got me a rather unique gift (a bag of Cheez Doodles, it's a long story). Also, one of the studio trees fell over, out of nowhere.
Some work before and after. Then lunch with my sister and mom who drove down from Massachusetts. We visited the studio, hit Elements for lunch (yum), and then drove over to Blue Back and WH Center for a little shopping and sightseeing. I picked up some things on the clearance rack at Lucy - sis and mom wanted to get me a little birthday something.
March 09, 2009
Eight Weeks Later
Tonight was the final class of my first Intro Series. Ten students in the room; most of the class stuck it out until the end. And after seven weeks of working on individual parts - legs, hips, core, twists, shoulders, inversions, vinyasa - I took them through a more or less regular practice tonight. It was wonderful to see them moving through postures, catching the flow, letting go. So happy for them, and proud. As they moved into a well deserved savasana, it was rewarding and inspiring to watch them.
Probably not my last intro series. But there is something special about the first time one does anything, and this is no exception. I'm off to bed, happy and warm, feeling as if I've touched some lives, perhaps lit a fire or two.
This yoga thing has infected me, and I am more than happy to pass it along!
Probably not my last intro series. But there is something special about the first time one does anything, and this is no exception. I'm off to bed, happy and warm, feeling as if I've touched some lives, perhaps lit a fire or two.
This yoga thing has infected me, and I am more than happy to pass it along!
March 08, 2009
Raising the Bar
I'm subbing at the yoga studio this morning. Shankara's 10:15 All Levels class. Subbing a weekend class is the big time, a full room of folks expecting a good class, and I'm preparing a little more than usual. Most times, I get into the studio a little early, get into my body, and mentally assemble a class. I identify a theme for the class (hips maybe, shoulders, or vinyasa, or something) and then block out the time (seated meditation, some seated postures, work on particular body parts, slotting in abs, back stretches, vinyasa, standing poses, back to the floor). I'll mentally bookmark a couple of postures I want to get in, and also some prep postures. But mostly, I wing it. Student's seem to like my sequences, my postures, my energy, and my language - so I guess I am doing soemthing right.
Not today though, I'm subbing for Shankara. People expect a good class, the room will be full, so I am formally prepping!
Subbing for Shankara is a glass half full / glass half empty kind of thing. I'm honored and flattered to be asked. And I do recognize that people have favorably compared my style in front of the room and my classes to his, so it makes sense. But I'm also vaguely suspicious that nobody else wants to fill in for Shankara, he is most beloved and respected, and his regular students are often visibly disappointed when he is not there. It takes a certain personality to watch students turn tail and walk out when he is not teaching, and not take it personally. Maybe my self-effacing "I am not worthy" attitude provides some space for that sort of rejection. Maybe because I know that it's about him (positively) and not about me (negatively).
Anyway, 10:15 this morning, All Levels at West Hartford Yoga. Be there....I've got a nice class planned!
Not today though, I'm subbing for Shankara. People expect a good class, the room will be full, so I am formally prepping!
Subbing for Shankara is a glass half full / glass half empty kind of thing. I'm honored and flattered to be asked. And I do recognize that people have favorably compared my style in front of the room and my classes to his, so it makes sense. But I'm also vaguely suspicious that nobody else wants to fill in for Shankara, he is most beloved and respected, and his regular students are often visibly disappointed when he is not there. It takes a certain personality to watch students turn tail and walk out when he is not teaching, and not take it personally. Maybe my self-effacing "I am not worthy" attitude provides some space for that sort of rejection. Maybe because I know that it's about him (positively) and not about me (negatively).
Anyway, 10:15 this morning, All Levels at West Hartford Yoga. Be there....I've got a nice class planned!
It's the Economy Stupid....or Maybe Not
There is a catchphrase out there - "...in this economy". Not a day goes by when I do not hear it or say it. How's work? someone will ask me. Busy, I reply. That's something in this economy, they will say. And yes it is.
I am a bit dubious of the economic downturn, if the local restaurants are any judge. Last Tuesday, I went out to dinner with my studio owner (I figured I was about get fired or something, bu she just wanted to touch base). Since she is a fairly restricted food person (clean food, whole food, vegetarian leaning), and I am a gastronomic goat (I will eat pretty much anything), I let her pick a venue. Max's Oyster Bar. A Tuesday night around 6:30 - how bad could it be?
An hour wait; that's how bad. We crossed the street for Arugala, not quite so crowded but still relatively busy on a Tuesday night.
Last night, my friend Audrey was in town for a movie and wanted to go out to dinner. I let her choose - and she chose Plan B over on New Park. I was dubious (Saturday night and all) but it was early, 5:30, so I drove over there. We never got out of the car - the queue to get in was spilling out onto the sidewalk. Not unexpected (Plan B is a smallish place and popular) so I suggested Element's Bistro over on New Britain in Elmwood. Things looked good - the parking lot was pretty empty (I've seen it full), no visible line - but when we got in there, a 50 minute wait.
We ended up over at Bombay Olive. Which was also doing a nice business, with a number of tables marked Reserved, although there was room for us.
I dunno, it seems to me that if times are really all that dire, these reasonably upscale restaurants would be struggling a little bit. I know that lots of people are losing jobs, companies are downsizing, times are fraught with fear and paralysis. But so much of this economic panic seems to be based on emotion, on expecting the worst, on waiting for the bottom and the hoped for uptick. When I look around and see these restaurants still full, still a hot ticket, well, it's hard to not be just a little hopeful.
As a coda, you know I teach and practice yoga. Friday at noon, I had 25 people in my class. Granted, it was a low cost, $5 class, but it's nice to teach to a room full of people. And yesterday, I took a class with Nykki that was filled up with 60 bodies. People are still spending time and money. So I'll choose hope over fear, and maybe my economic optimism will float another boat or two.
I am a bit dubious of the economic downturn, if the local restaurants are any judge. Last Tuesday, I went out to dinner with my studio owner (I figured I was about get fired or something, bu she just wanted to touch base). Since she is a fairly restricted food person (clean food, whole food, vegetarian leaning), and I am a gastronomic goat (I will eat pretty much anything), I let her pick a venue. Max's Oyster Bar. A Tuesday night around 6:30 - how bad could it be?
An hour wait; that's how bad. We crossed the street for Arugala, not quite so crowded but still relatively busy on a Tuesday night.
Last night, my friend Audrey was in town for a movie and wanted to go out to dinner. I let her choose - and she chose Plan B over on New Park. I was dubious (Saturday night and all) but it was early, 5:30, so I drove over there. We never got out of the car - the queue to get in was spilling out onto the sidewalk. Not unexpected (Plan B is a smallish place and popular) so I suggested Element's Bistro over on New Britain in Elmwood. Things looked good - the parking lot was pretty empty (I've seen it full), no visible line - but when we got in there, a 50 minute wait.
We ended up over at Bombay Olive. Which was also doing a nice business, with a number of tables marked Reserved, although there was room for us.
I dunno, it seems to me that if times are really all that dire, these reasonably upscale restaurants would be struggling a little bit. I know that lots of people are losing jobs, companies are downsizing, times are fraught with fear and paralysis. But so much of this economic panic seems to be based on emotion, on expecting the worst, on waiting for the bottom and the hoped for uptick. When I look around and see these restaurants still full, still a hot ticket, well, it's hard to not be just a little hopeful.
As a coda, you know I teach and practice yoga. Friday at noon, I had 25 people in my class. Granted, it was a low cost, $5 class, but it's nice to teach to a room full of people. And yesterday, I took a class with Nykki that was filled up with 60 bodies. People are still spending time and money. So I'll choose hope over fear, and maybe my economic optimism will float another boat or two.
March 06, 2009
And Now for Something Completely Different
Trekked over to Samadhi Yoga in Manchester yesterday for a 6:00 pm class with Matt. I was supposed to meet up with my buddy Alison and take a class together, but we miscommunicated (or rather, I did, I thought I had posted a note to her via Facebook but I did not, stupid since I do have her email and cell phone information!). I've heard wonderful things about Matt's class (met him briefly back when I was thinking about teacher training over there, but have never practiced with him). So it was a good chance to practice with someone new.
In any case, an interesting, All Levels class. Very pranayama focused - there is a little tendency (on my part) to see pranayama as a waste of good asana time. So a little bit of patience and letting the pranayama do its thing. I picked up a few interesting postures or ways of working, which add to my repetoire. However, I walked away with a tweaky lower back - Matt does a lot of "side to side" stuff that does not sit well with my body:
* Seated side bend and seated twist, back and forth with the breath and not sitting and breathing into one side
* A standing twist sequence that was similarly "jerky" - inhale up, exhale twist, inhale, exhale forward fold, inhale up, repeat other side. Not a lot of room or time to sink in to the twist or let it stew, and not a ton of prep work for what becomes a pretty deep posture.
* A sun salutation sequence - Surya Namaskar A but adding a twisted triangle on each side coming up. Again, just a quick "in and out" of the twist and a fairly rapid left right sequencing. My body just likes to get in there a little slower and soak into a particular side. The "left/right and back/forth" thing was not so good for me, I think my body needs to work into a particular side before getting into the deep twists, and to warm up with posture more (pranayama is fine for getting the body warm but not particular muscles groups)
Some forward fold pranayama at the end (kapalabati, uddiyana) - and more lower back stuff. Marcia's classes do the same thing to me, a lot of forward folding and right at the start of class, so I really have to warm up my lower back before class, and be conscious of it during.
Overall, I got very deep in the practice (a nice seated meditation just prior to savasana was a particularly nice touch), I really liked Matt's languaging and style, and I picked up a couple of interesting postures. But the sequencing and postures were just not all that good for this particular body. So, a good practice from a "know thyself" perspective, and I really do like to broaden my horizons with different styles and teachers, to keep from getting stale.
Hopefully, I'll get my rear end over there again some time - the rush hour drive through Hartford kind of bites, and it's hard to actually pay for yoga (I practice free down at WHY). But I do want to get together with Alison at some point....
In any case, an interesting, All Levels class. Very pranayama focused - there is a little tendency (on my part) to see pranayama as a waste of good asana time. So a little bit of patience and letting the pranayama do its thing. I picked up a few interesting postures or ways of working, which add to my repetoire. However, I walked away with a tweaky lower back - Matt does a lot of "side to side" stuff that does not sit well with my body:
* Seated side bend and seated twist, back and forth with the breath and not sitting and breathing into one side
* A standing twist sequence that was similarly "jerky" - inhale up, exhale twist, inhale, exhale forward fold, inhale up, repeat other side. Not a lot of room or time to sink in to the twist or let it stew, and not a ton of prep work for what becomes a pretty deep posture.
* A sun salutation sequence - Surya Namaskar A but adding a twisted triangle on each side coming up. Again, just a quick "in and out" of the twist and a fairly rapid left right sequencing. My body just likes to get in there a little slower and soak into a particular side. The "left/right and back/forth" thing was not so good for me, I think my body needs to work into a particular side before getting into the deep twists, and to warm up with posture more (pranayama is fine for getting the body warm but not particular muscles groups)
Some forward fold pranayama at the end (kapalabati, uddiyana) - and more lower back stuff. Marcia's classes do the same thing to me, a lot of forward folding and right at the start of class, so I really have to warm up my lower back before class, and be conscious of it during.
Overall, I got very deep in the practice (a nice seated meditation just prior to savasana was a particularly nice touch), I really liked Matt's languaging and style, and I picked up a couple of interesting postures. But the sequencing and postures were just not all that good for this particular body. So, a good practice from a "know thyself" perspective, and I really do like to broaden my horizons with different styles and teachers, to keep from getting stale.
Hopefully, I'll get my rear end over there again some time - the rush hour drive through Hartford kind of bites, and it's hard to actually pay for yoga (I practice free down at WHY). But I do want to get together with Alison at some point....
Busy Friday
In case you are wondering why I have been off the grid the last week or so, life has just gotten busy. Today:
* Work this morning, I have quite queue of pending reports (some marked URGENT or ASAP) to crank out. Hope to put a big dent in that list today.
* Yoga at 12:15 - teaching my normal gentle class
* Set up for kirtan - between my armada of guitars, my wireless mic, and the group sound system, it's quite the production
* Wake for Maria and Mike Bollea - 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Sheehan-Hilborn-Breen Funeral
Home on New Britain Avenue (a blessing that it is right down the street)
* Dinner possibly with balloon friends, hopefully nearby
* Kirtan at 8:15 pm
Needless to say, Saturday will be a day of rest, recovery, and catch-up!
* Work this morning, I have quite queue of pending reports (some marked URGENT or ASAP) to crank out. Hope to put a big dent in that list today.
* Yoga at 12:15 - teaching my normal gentle class
* Set up for kirtan - between my armada of guitars, my wireless mic, and the group sound system, it's quite the production
* Wake for Maria and Mike Bollea - 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Sheehan-Hilborn-Breen Funeral
Home on New Britain Avenue (a blessing that it is right down the street)
* Dinner possibly with balloon friends, hopefully nearby
* Kirtan at 8:15 pm
Needless to say, Saturday will be a day of rest, recovery, and catch-up!
March 04, 2009
Amazon.com On Demand Rental now available for Roku....
Dear Judith,
You don't have to fetch your car keys or grab your wallet to watch Hollywood's hottest new releases.
Your Roku digital video player now offers more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes available to rent or buy instantly from Amazon Video On Demand—many on the very same day they’re available on DVD. Prices start at 99 cents and no subscription fee is required.
Choose from newly released movies such as The Dark Knight, Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, or catch up on the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows such as House and Battlestar Galactica.
The new software update to access Amazon Video On Demand will be automatically delivered to you, free of charge, within the next five days. From there, just link your Roku player to your Amazon account to buy or rent right from your TV. No PC required.
New releases are just a fraction of the more than 40,000 choices available instantly from Amazon Video On Demand. See for yourself! Select the "Amazon Video On Demand" button from your Roku player's Home screen and start exploring. Amazon Video On Demand is an addition to your Roku player. Your Netflix service remains unchanged. Check out the Amazon Video On Demand Special Deals section, where you'll find popular titles like Speed Racer and Journey to the Center of the Earth for as low as 99 cents! And for a limited time, the 2009 SI Swimsuit Show will be also be offered for free.
This is just the first of many exciting new additions coming to your Roku digital video player in 2009.
Keep watching and enjoy.
Tim Twerdahl
Vice President, Roku
More information here
You don't have to fetch your car keys or grab your wallet to watch Hollywood's hottest new releases.
Your Roku digital video player now offers more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes available to rent or buy instantly from Amazon Video On Demand—many on the very same day they’re available on DVD. Prices start at 99 cents and no subscription fee is required.
Choose from newly released movies such as The Dark Knight, Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express, or catch up on the latest episodes of your favorite TV shows such as House and Battlestar Galactica.
The new software update to access Amazon Video On Demand will be automatically delivered to you, free of charge, within the next five days. From there, just link your Roku player to your Amazon account to buy or rent right from your TV. No PC required.
New releases are just a fraction of the more than 40,000 choices available instantly from Amazon Video On Demand. See for yourself! Select the "Amazon Video On Demand" button from your Roku player's Home screen and start exploring. Amazon Video On Demand is an addition to your Roku player. Your Netflix service remains unchanged. Check out the Amazon Video On Demand Special Deals section, where you'll find popular titles like Speed Racer and Journey to the Center of the Earth for as low as 99 cents! And for a limited time, the 2009 SI Swimsuit Show will be also be offered for free.
This is just the first of many exciting new additions coming to your Roku digital video player in 2009.
Keep watching and enjoy.
Tim Twerdahl
Vice President, Roku
More information here
March 01, 2009
Just Like That
A very sad story in today's news. Two Dead of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. I was channel surfing the evening, keeping an eye on the weather, and I happened to catch this story on the local news.
Turns out I know the victims - Mike Bollea, a local balloonist, and his mother, Maria. The media is finally releasing the names, Hartford Courant story here.
I just saw Mike last night - he was at our balloon club safety seminar. He procures and funds a custom sheet cake with balloon decor (and often a frosting photo) made for these events - 2 or 3 times a year. As I chomped on the cake (yummy, with way too much sweet frosting), I chatted with him, teasing a little - what it would take to get a cake for our annual Gemini party? My buddy Robert chimed in "be careful what you wish for". M was likely to bring a few albums full of photos of his last flights, and would happily supply great detail you about each photo. He was quite the talker, and quite the character! Later yesterday, as he detailed how he had photoshopped his balloon and one other into the cover photo for our annual calendar, I teased him again. "Be honest, were there actually any balloons in that photo to start with?"
Yesterday he was detailing his annual expenditures - thousands of dollars in printer ink, photo paper, albums, sheet protectors. He was the de facto photographer of record of the CT Lighter than Air Society - if you wanted a photo of the balloon you were flying back in 1994, he could go back in the archives and pull it out. Last year, for the banquet, I put together a slide show for cocktail hour, and M sent several hundred pictures. This year, mostly aimed at him lest he overwhelm my In Box, I limited it to 30 photos per person. He sent his photos - and made sure I know he had plenty more if I needed them....
Mike never married - he lived with his mother, retired a while back from Wiremold in West Hartford. He was a kindly soul, would never hurt a flea and was always willing to step up for someone else. He was one of those balloonists who was often on the field without his balloon - helping out a friend by driving the chase van, flying for fun, or happy to take some pictures of a new balloon - he just loved the sport and the people. It's heartbreaking to know that he was just here - and is gone so quickly and unexpectedly. But as my friend Robert noted, it was also odd in a way. He and his mom were inseperable, and if she had passed away he would surely have been a lost soul, as would she if he had gone first. So doubly sad that they died together, but also a very small blessing at the heart of this great loss.
I'm quite sure he had a good day yesterday, surrounded by friends, talking about balloons, doing what he always did - take photos of the event, show off pictures of his most recent flight, talk about ballooning and plan the upcoming balloon season. I got an email from him a few days back - he flew on Wed 2/25. As usual there were 30-40 photos - documenting the entire flight - inflation, scenery, people, breakfast afterwards. I'll share a couple of photos from that email:
Right: Mike (left, with knit cap) in his balloon
Right: Mike's beloved balloon Checked-mate
Rest in Peace, Mike. Balloonists throughout the region will miss your friendly face, your passion for photography and ballooning, and I am sure as 2009 comes through, not a balloon weekend or event will roll by without something going undone, and we realize "Ah....Mike used to take care of that....". There will be an empty space on the field, and an empty chair at every post-flight breakfast, from here on.
Time for a little cry....
Turns out I know the victims - Mike Bollea, a local balloonist, and his mother, Maria. The media is finally releasing the names, Hartford Courant story here.
I just saw Mike last night - he was at our balloon club safety seminar. He procures and funds a custom sheet cake with balloon decor (and often a frosting photo) made for these events - 2 or 3 times a year. As I chomped on the cake (yummy, with way too much sweet frosting), I chatted with him, teasing a little - what it would take to get a cake for our annual Gemini party? My buddy Robert chimed in "be careful what you wish for". M was likely to bring a few albums full of photos of his last flights, and would happily supply great detail you about each photo. He was quite the talker, and quite the character! Later yesterday, as he detailed how he had photoshopped his balloon and one other into the cover photo for our annual calendar, I teased him again. "Be honest, were there actually any balloons in that photo to start with?"
Yesterday he was detailing his annual expenditures - thousands of dollars in printer ink, photo paper, albums, sheet protectors. He was the de facto photographer of record of the CT Lighter than Air Society - if you wanted a photo of the balloon you were flying back in 1994, he could go back in the archives and pull it out. Last year, for the banquet, I put together a slide show for cocktail hour, and M sent several hundred pictures. This year, mostly aimed at him lest he overwhelm my In Box, I limited it to 30 photos per person. He sent his photos - and made sure I know he had plenty more if I needed them....
Mike never married - he lived with his mother, retired a while back from Wiremold in West Hartford. He was a kindly soul, would never hurt a flea and was always willing to step up for someone else. He was one of those balloonists who was often on the field without his balloon - helping out a friend by driving the chase van, flying for fun, or happy to take some pictures of a new balloon - he just loved the sport and the people. It's heartbreaking to know that he was just here - and is gone so quickly and unexpectedly. But as my friend Robert noted, it was also odd in a way. He and his mom were inseperable, and if she had passed away he would surely have been a lost soul, as would she if he had gone first. So doubly sad that they died together, but also a very small blessing at the heart of this great loss.
I'm quite sure he had a good day yesterday, surrounded by friends, talking about balloons, doing what he always did - take photos of the event, show off pictures of his most recent flight, talk about ballooning and plan the upcoming balloon season. I got an email from him a few days back - he flew on Wed 2/25. As usual there were 30-40 photos - documenting the entire flight - inflation, scenery, people, breakfast afterwards. I'll share a couple of photos from that email:
Right: Mike (left, with knit cap) in his balloon
Right: Mike's beloved balloon Checked-mate
Rest in Peace, Mike. Balloonists throughout the region will miss your friendly face, your passion for photography and ballooning, and I am sure as 2009 comes through, not a balloon weekend or event will roll by without something going undone, and we realize "Ah....Mike used to take care of that....". There will be an empty space on the field, and an empty chair at every post-flight breakfast, from here on.
Time for a little cry....
February 28, 2009
Instant Netflix: State and Main
From 2000. David Mamet's quirky film. Philip Seymour Hoffman. William H. Macy. Sarah Jessica Parker. Alec Baldwin. Charles Durning. Patti Lupone. What could go wrong?
CLAS Safety Seminar
Today, at the New England Air Museum. Mostly, a day of hanging out and listening to talks about ballooning and safety. Not a lot of new ground, but a nice refresher. My first such seminar; not sure if I will make it a regular thing, but its a nice chance to catch up with the balloon peeps during the off season.
The keynote / special guest was Don Piccard, who has a bunch of pet projects and associated websites. He is purportedly "The father of modern sport hot-air ballooning." and his biography certainly supports that. His history goes back as far as Lakehurst NJ (remember the Hindenburg?) and although he was a wee bit young for that particular event, he worked there, knew people who witnessed that, and has his theories about the event. So very interesting to listen to him.
He has two pet projects going. The XAP (eXtreme Altitude Project) is a proposed hybrid hot-air / gas balloon intended to fly to 150,000 feet (yes, that's nearly 30 miles up) into the mesosphere. Really interesting stuff (the concept, the technical challenges) although I have yet to really understand the switch-over from the gas bags (which can / will be cut away upon descent) and the hot-air system. Never did quite understand that.....but it sounds like a critical piece.
And finally, he is working on an affordable gas balloon (using Hydrogen or Methane gas) called the Piccard Pleiades - he's quite the salesman for the sport of gas ballooning (far less pedestrian than regular old hot air ballooning).
Hope I'm that spry and have so much passion and drive at 83. It was neat to meet him.
There were other presentations - a piece on crew safety (by local friends), a bit on pilot decision making by Bill Huighes of the Liberty Balloon School, and a nice overview of reading the weather by Mark Schilling, who put together a weather website for CLAS members. And the requisite number of scare stories about various accidents (real and imagined) to keep the pilots and crew honest.
I've been crewing for hot air balloons for almost 25 years, and have never witnessed a serious incident. But things do happen. So best to be prepared.....
The keynote / special guest was Don Piccard, who has a bunch of pet projects and associated websites. He is purportedly "The father of modern sport hot-air ballooning." and his biography certainly supports that. His history goes back as far as Lakehurst NJ (remember the Hindenburg?) and although he was a wee bit young for that particular event, he worked there, knew people who witnessed that, and has his theories about the event. So very interesting to listen to him.
He has two pet projects going. The XAP (eXtreme Altitude Project) is a proposed hybrid hot-air / gas balloon intended to fly to 150,000 feet (yes, that's nearly 30 miles up) into the mesosphere. Really interesting stuff (the concept, the technical challenges) although I have yet to really understand the switch-over from the gas bags (which can / will be cut away upon descent) and the hot-air system. Never did quite understand that.....but it sounds like a critical piece.
And finally, he is working on an affordable gas balloon (using Hydrogen or Methane gas) called the Piccard Pleiades - he's quite the salesman for the sport of gas ballooning (far less pedestrian than regular old hot air ballooning).
Hope I'm that spry and have so much passion and drive at 83. It was neat to meet him.
There were other presentations - a piece on crew safety (by local friends), a bit on pilot decision making by Bill Huighes of the Liberty Balloon School, and a nice overview of reading the weather by Mark Schilling, who put together a weather website for CLAS members. And the requisite number of scare stories about various accidents (real and imagined) to keep the pilots and crew honest.
I've been crewing for hot air balloons for almost 25 years, and have never witnessed a serious incident. But things do happen. So best to be prepared.....
Bummer
Ambassador of India (one of my fave Indian restaurants) has gone out of business - with all four restaurants closing. Kimi sent a heads up; a simple note on their website confirms this.
And who is covering this "sign of the economic times" story? The New Haven Independent, of course. Props to them.....
And who is covering this "sign of the economic times" story? The New Haven Independent, of course. Props to them.....
February 27, 2009
No Relation, I Swear
Family Behind Bars In Plainville
A family of four ended up spending part of Thursday night in the town lockup after a mom and 13-year-old daughter were charged with shoplifting and the father and teen son charged with probation violation when they came in to bond out the women, police said.
Elizabeth Russell, 45, of Cromwell and the juvenile were arrested at 7:30 p.m. after store security at Kohl's Department Store alerted police that a woman and child were stealing clothing and jewelry, Mullins said.
Daryll Russell, 47, came into the police station to free the two and was arrested on a warrant alleging he violated conditions of probation for burglary and larceny case in Cheshire.
Jonathan Russell, 19, came in next to free the three and was charged when police checked his name and found he was wanted for violating probation in a Southington larceny and motor vehicle case.
Not relatives, I swear!
A family of four ended up spending part of Thursday night in the town lockup after a mom and 13-year-old daughter were charged with shoplifting and the father and teen son charged with probation violation when they came in to bond out the women, police said.
Elizabeth Russell, 45, of Cromwell and the juvenile were arrested at 7:30 p.m. after store security at Kohl's Department Store alerted police that a woman and child were stealing clothing and jewelry, Mullins said.
Daryll Russell, 47, came into the police station to free the two and was arrested on a warrant alleging he violated conditions of probation for burglary and larceny case in Cheshire.
Jonathan Russell, 19, came in next to free the three and was charged when police checked his name and found he was wanted for violating probation in a Southington larceny and motor vehicle case.
Not relatives, I swear!
Yoga Sunday
I'm subing for Sharon on Sunday morning - 9:00 am gentle yoga down at the studio. At noon, I'm assisting at the Teacher Training practice (inversions, they need someone with a bit of height I think). And Sunday afternoon, I'm leading the Community Yoga class at 3:00 pm
So if you're free, come on down. I do not get in front of the room on weekends too often, so this is a nice change of pace!
So if you're free, come on down. I do not get in front of the room on weekends too often, so this is a nice change of pace!
CT Lighter Than Air Society (CLAS) - Safety Seminar
I have been chasing hot air balloons pretty much all of my adult life. I started in 1984 (yes, 25 years ago) when I took a room in a duplex apartment with two women, one of whom was dating Robert, my pilot buddy. After getting off to a slow start (I assumed the propane tanks strapped to the back of his truck were related to welding) - we discovered some mutual interests, chief among them the music of a certain New Jersey rocker. And so began my life as a balloon chaser.
I've always been a bit of an outsider, hovering on the outside of social circles - and the balloon world was no different. For a while I was Alison's roommate, showing up with her. Then I was a last minute crew person when the regulars were unavailable. I got married which took me away from the sport, moved to Danbury, moved to Waterbury. When I got separated in the early 90's, I started to get called more often. When I became self employed in 1996, I became a regular crew person (nice to have someone available on weekend mornings)
Now, in all this time, I have never formally been trained. There is a certain amount of common sense involved (i.e. - do not smoke near the propane) and there is a lot of "checklist" style repetition. And finally, do something long enough, you pick up the tricks. So it's not hard to become a proficient and professional crew person. I'm the one who knows the back roads from Point A to Point B (my GPS helps, I confess). I'm the one who likes to be at the landing site before my pilot even tells me where it will be. And when new chasers come on board, I provide helpful hints, such as "Park the chase vehicle downwind of a light pole because its the one place your pilot will not be landing...."
I've come through a long time in ballooning - in the early days (pre-cell phones, even pre-radio) we'd arrange to call the Southington police if we lost the balloon (hard to believe, but it happens). Robert would keep street maps of the area under the driver's seat, and we'd be digging out the map for Middletown or Durham if the flight seemed like it might go that way. We'd chase for milk runs (north-south flights along Rte. 10) or venture "over the (Metacomet) ridge". We'd tease pilots who never ventured out of their zip codes.
Then we got small two-way radios, and now everyone has a cell phone and GPS are rampant. We had a passenger updaing facebook using a blackberry while in the air last summer. So it's a dIfferent world!
The balloon community is a loose confederation of pilots and crew members, who mostly meet on wet fields in the spring, summer, and fall. We set up, we fly, we land, we toast, we hit the diner for breakfast after. In between - chit-chat on the field, banter on the radio, teasing about a particularly amusing landing or chase incident (much todo about backing up trailers). A few times a year, the community gathers en masse - the annual Plainville Balloon Fest, a winter dinner, and finally, a Safety Seminar.
I've been a late-comer to all the "community" stuff - although the last few years I've been on the winter dinner organizing committee. This year, I'm actually going to the safety seminar (if I feel OK). It's up at the New England Air Museum (never been there before, can you imagine?). Don Piccard, the founder of recreational ballooning in the US, is speaking.
I've always been a bit of an outsider, hovering on the outside of social circles - and the balloon world was no different. For a while I was Alison's roommate, showing up with her. Then I was a last minute crew person when the regulars were unavailable. I got married which took me away from the sport, moved to Danbury, moved to Waterbury. When I got separated in the early 90's, I started to get called more often. When I became self employed in 1996, I became a regular crew person (nice to have someone available on weekend mornings)
Now, in all this time, I have never formally been trained. There is a certain amount of common sense involved (i.e. - do not smoke near the propane) and there is a lot of "checklist" style repetition. And finally, do something long enough, you pick up the tricks. So it's not hard to become a proficient and professional crew person. I'm the one who knows the back roads from Point A to Point B (my GPS helps, I confess). I'm the one who likes to be at the landing site before my pilot even tells me where it will be. And when new chasers come on board, I provide helpful hints, such as "Park the chase vehicle downwind of a light pole because its the one place your pilot will not be landing...."
I've come through a long time in ballooning - in the early days (pre-cell phones, even pre-radio) we'd arrange to call the Southington police if we lost the balloon (hard to believe, but it happens). Robert would keep street maps of the area under the driver's seat, and we'd be digging out the map for Middletown or Durham if the flight seemed like it might go that way. We'd chase for milk runs (north-south flights along Rte. 10) or venture "over the (Metacomet) ridge". We'd tease pilots who never ventured out of their zip codes.
Then we got small two-way radios, and now everyone has a cell phone and GPS are rampant. We had a passenger updaing facebook using a blackberry while in the air last summer. So it's a dIfferent world!
The balloon community is a loose confederation of pilots and crew members, who mostly meet on wet fields in the spring, summer, and fall. We set up, we fly, we land, we toast, we hit the diner for breakfast after. In between - chit-chat on the field, banter on the radio, teasing about a particularly amusing landing or chase incident (much todo about backing up trailers). A few times a year, the community gathers en masse - the annual Plainville Balloon Fest, a winter dinner, and finally, a Safety Seminar.
I've been a late-comer to all the "community" stuff - although the last few years I've been on the winter dinner organizing committee. This year, I'm actually going to the safety seminar (if I feel OK). It's up at the New England Air Museum (never been there before, can you imagine?). Don Piccard, the founder of recreational ballooning in the US, is speaking.
February 26, 2009
And for Roku / Netflix Fans......
Instantwatcher.com - Netflix for Impatient People
They seem to have done a pretty awesome job of categorizing Netflix's "watch instantly' catalog. Nice!
They seem to have done a pretty awesome job of categorizing Netflix's "watch instantly' catalog. Nice!
February 25, 2009
La Morte du Courant
An expansion on a comment to Colin McEnroe's facebook post, regarding the Mardi Gras Massacre, linked to Dennis Horgan's blog piece naming today's layoffs at the Hartford Courant.
I've been thinking about this myself; I feel bad for not supporting the Courant. I have not had time to read it front to back in years, and feel environmentally bad seeing the pile of unread issues heading out to the recycling bin which, with the variable price for recycled material, might well be heading to the landfill. For year's I'd subscribe to the Suanday paper at a minimum; if I did not get to the paper on Sunday I'd digest it through the week, and save Northeast magazine (and the beloved crossword puzzle) for airplane reading.
And I've certainly migrated - to craigs list, to the online version, to national news feeds, to blogs. I click through to the Courant pretty much every day to check out the local news, but I might read one or two pieces of interest, unless there is something big brewing.
So for someone like me - who would just as soon not have a piece of paper in my hand (for lots of reasons) but would like to support the local news source - what are the options?
I'd be happy to donate the buck or two a week or whatever the Courant is charging for a paper subscription (and having a website "donate" button would be a start, kind of a public radio model) - but I kind of think that's not enough; the real revenue is not the subscription fees but the ad revenue, and they are not getting enough of that for my eyeballs or clicks as it is.
It is sad, like watching a car crash is slow motion. Lot of good people getting hung out to dry in this one. And we're losing a vital cog in our information machinery.
I've been thinking about this myself; I feel bad for not supporting the Courant. I have not had time to read it front to back in years, and feel environmentally bad seeing the pile of unread issues heading out to the recycling bin which, with the variable price for recycled material, might well be heading to the landfill. For year's I'd subscribe to the Suanday paper at a minimum; if I did not get to the paper on Sunday I'd digest it through the week, and save Northeast magazine (and the beloved crossword puzzle) for airplane reading.
And I've certainly migrated - to craigs list, to the online version, to national news feeds, to blogs. I click through to the Courant pretty much every day to check out the local news, but I might read one or two pieces of interest, unless there is something big brewing.
So for someone like me - who would just as soon not have a piece of paper in my hand (for lots of reasons) but would like to support the local news source - what are the options?
I'd be happy to donate the buck or two a week or whatever the Courant is charging for a paper subscription (and having a website "donate" button would be a start, kind of a public radio model) - but I kind of think that's not enough; the real revenue is not the subscription fees but the ad revenue, and they are not getting enough of that for my eyeballs or clicks as it is.
It is sad, like watching a car crash is slow motion. Lot of good people getting hung out to dry in this one. And we're losing a vital cog in our information machinery.
February 23, 2009
Oscar Night - Hartford
A gala evening was had by all! A benefit for CT Aids Resource Coalition (CARC) - a most worthy cause.
First, I have a posse! I have several, really. I have my yoga posse, teacher, fellow trainees, staff and students down at the yoga center. I have my bloggie posse (you know who you are!). And I have a "beautiful people of Hartford" posse (who knew?). I was surprised to find myself cliqued in to a small group of peeps at Oscar Night hartford - who kind of clustered on a few different axes - art, writing, yoga, celbrity stalking. It was fun! So Kim and Sara and John and Anne and Audrey and Rosalie and Colin and Alison and Steve and Christine.....thanks!
So props to Colin (for starting this particular event) and Gwen (who chaired the event and by all appearances kicked ass and took names), Dishes Bar & Grill, all those who donated goods and services, all the volunteers. It was a tad more affordable this year ($45 / head) and quite the social event, not sure it sold out but the restaurant could not have held too many more people.
Some highlights:
* The silent auction seemed to be a hit - I made a few not unsubstantial bids on some things and was outbid significantly. Looks like the art, gift certificates, jewelry, etc. all went pretty high. A really nice assortment of items up for bid - looks like someone really hustled to get donations.
* The food was yummy, plentiful, and nominee inspired. Including shrimp and jambalaya (Benjamin Button) and Indian (Slumdog)
* Anne Cubberly secreted a postcard in my bag, for the opening of her Bone Stories exhibit at La Motta Fine Art in New Haven - March 6th. Lovely art. Anne is most charming and fun!
* Bob Wilson from WTNH-8 was there to do a stand-up; I popped over to say hello, recalling the time he did a Roadside Stories segment with Robert and hot air balloons (I crewed that day, back in Sept 2007). Amusingly, after just stopping by to say hello, Bob chased me down to pass along a message to Robert....kind of fun to be chased across a crowded room a celebrity!
So, a lovely evening. I faded around 10:30 or so, and made it back home in time to watch best actress, best actor, and best film awards snuggled in bed with my best dog. Slumdog swept (no surprise to me).
I am officially withdrawing from the social scene for a while - I need to catch up on work, yoga, health, life. But it's been fun!
First, I have a posse! I have several, really. I have my yoga posse, teacher, fellow trainees, staff and students down at the yoga center. I have my bloggie posse (you know who you are!). And I have a "beautiful people of Hartford" posse (who knew?). I was surprised to find myself cliqued in to a small group of peeps at Oscar Night hartford - who kind of clustered on a few different axes - art, writing, yoga, celbrity stalking. It was fun! So Kim and Sara and John and Anne and Audrey and Rosalie and Colin and Alison and Steve and Christine.....thanks!
So props to Colin (for starting this particular event) and Gwen (who chaired the event and by all appearances kicked ass and took names), Dishes Bar & Grill, all those who donated goods and services, all the volunteers. It was a tad more affordable this year ($45 / head) and quite the social event, not sure it sold out but the restaurant could not have held too many more people.
Some highlights:
* The silent auction seemed to be a hit - I made a few not unsubstantial bids on some things and was outbid significantly. Looks like the art, gift certificates, jewelry, etc. all went pretty high. A really nice assortment of items up for bid - looks like someone really hustled to get donations.
* The food was yummy, plentiful, and nominee inspired. Including shrimp and jambalaya (Benjamin Button) and Indian (Slumdog)
* Anne Cubberly secreted a postcard in my bag, for the opening of her Bone Stories exhibit at La Motta Fine Art in New Haven - March 6th. Lovely art. Anne is most charming and fun!
* Bob Wilson from WTNH-8 was there to do a stand-up; I popped over to say hello, recalling the time he did a Roadside Stories segment with Robert and hot air balloons (I crewed that day, back in Sept 2007). Amusingly, after just stopping by to say hello, Bob chased me down to pass along a message to Robert....kind of fun to be chased across a crowded room a celebrity!
So, a lovely evening. I faded around 10:30 or so, and made it back home in time to watch best actress, best actor, and best film awards snuggled in bed with my best dog. Slumdog swept (no surprise to me).
I am officially withdrawing from the social scene for a while - I need to catch up on work, yoga, health, life. But it's been fun!
February 22, 2009
Busy Weekend
It has been a remarkably social stretch for your blogger....
Started Wednesday; I snuck out of work to go see Slumdog Millionaire (which seems to be sweeping the Oscars as I type this) with a friend. Highly recommended - movie and soundtrack! Later that night, yoga with one of my fave teachers, taking advantage of a school vacation break from my Wed night yoga class.
Thursday was the Creative Cocktail hour, in which I met a new friend (hi Sara!) and saw old ones, and also two unexpected yogi pals dropped in. So I was there relatively late for me (9 pm)
Friday, I taught two yoga classes (a subbing gig at 9:15, my own 12:15 class) and then worked. Stayed in that night, just vegged. Saturday morning, I ended up on the mat with Nykki.
Saturday was "Yogis eating non-organic food IV" where-in 15 of my yoga teacher training pals went out for dinner (Ichiro, in West Hartford). Food was noshed (raw and hibachi'd), drinks were imbibed, a good time was had by all. Some not so embarassing photos have already found their way to Facebook.....
Sunday morning, I ended up on the mat with Christine, then subbed a class for Shankara. Busy morning. And tonight was the annual CARC Oscar Night - saw several friends, some I see often, others I see once a year or so. It was at Dishes Bar & Grill, and it was a gala time. I silent auction bid on a few things (a bowl, some art, and a tattoo gift certificate) and won none of these. But had a lovely time.
Now in bed. Blogging, watching the end of the Oscars. Gently heading towards sleep.....
Started Wednesday; I snuck out of work to go see Slumdog Millionaire (which seems to be sweeping the Oscars as I type this) with a friend. Highly recommended - movie and soundtrack! Later that night, yoga with one of my fave teachers, taking advantage of a school vacation break from my Wed night yoga class.
Thursday was the Creative Cocktail hour, in which I met a new friend (hi Sara!) and saw old ones, and also two unexpected yogi pals dropped in. So I was there relatively late for me (9 pm)
Friday, I taught two yoga classes (a subbing gig at 9:15, my own 12:15 class) and then worked. Stayed in that night, just vegged. Saturday morning, I ended up on the mat with Nykki.
Saturday was "Yogis eating non-organic food IV" where-in 15 of my yoga teacher training pals went out for dinner (Ichiro, in West Hartford). Food was noshed (raw and hibachi'd), drinks were imbibed, a good time was had by all. Some not so embarassing photos have already found their way to Facebook.....
Sunday morning, I ended up on the mat with Christine, then subbed a class for Shankara. Busy morning. And tonight was the annual CARC Oscar Night - saw several friends, some I see often, others I see once a year or so. It was at Dishes Bar & Grill, and it was a gala time. I silent auction bid on a few things (a bowl, some art, and a tattoo gift certificate) and won none of these. But had a lovely time.
Now in bed. Blogging, watching the end of the Oscars. Gently heading towards sleep.....
February 21, 2009
Hartford Party Starters Union
Was handed a flyer with this wounded Hartford icon Thursday at Real Art Ways CCH. The gentlemen in question were also hawking I Love Hartford tee shirts. And flirting incorrigibly (not with me mind you, but I have hottie friends)
The text on the back is amusing, and ends with "We're On The Internet!". Generally this is a good cue for listing a url or something, but not these dudes. They prefer to be mysterious!
Not 100% sure what this is about. But hey, it's something. So might as well blog it! The dudes in questions were not so interested in my story of hearing Chuck Kaiton while visiting clients in Cary, NC - just weird to hear the "voice of the Whalers" after so many years. I was kind of surprised to hear the Hurricane's score a goal and NOT hear Brass Bonanza
Did I ever tell you about the time we got kicked out of the Hartford Civic Center? Right after I moved to CT (circa 1984), a bunch of college friends (from Massachusetts, and die hard Bruin's fans) came down for a Bruins-Whalers games. Even though my friends are mostly professionals these days, there was a bit of a culture class between the somewhat delicate (to our sensibilities) Whalers fans and my posse of rough and tumble Boston fans (used to fisticuffs at the old Boston Garden, among other things). So Tim Gillis was wadding up $5 beer cups and tossing them at some loud and a little fey Whalers fan from the top of the civic center. And he got kicked out (so we all left). As the Civic Center guard came up to evict him, Tim looked dumb-founded, accustomed to Boston Garden "rules of engagement" - where drawing blood would be the minimum level of offense. "You're kicking me out? You're sh*tting me!"
Back to the Hartford Party Starters Union - I did find them on Facebook (where else). I suspect I'm about 20 years too old to really engage with the partiers, but I can live vicariously.
Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth.
February 17, 2009
Physician Heal Thyself
NEW YORK (Feb. 16) -- The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife, authorities said. Muzzammil Hassan has been charged with murder in the death of his wife, Aasiya Hassan.
Story here. One would think that beheading is a Muslim stereotype one might wish to counter....
Hulu - An Evil Plot to Destroy the World
I have to admit that when I saw the Superbowl Ad, I just assumed it was a joke or spoof or something.
But Hulu.com actually exists. If having 30Rock, an NBC sitcom about a fake NBC comedy show with a mobius strip of cameos, inside jokes, etc. was not enough, now Alec Baldwin, who is not a real slimy corporate exec but plays one on 30Rock is now shilling for Hulu as a slimy corporate exec who is really a space alien seeking to "turn your brains to mush"
Whatever level of self-referential, snarkiness they are aiming for, pretty sure they are hitting it!
Love the concept, will probably stream an occasional sitcom that I missed or something. But they need to tie in with Roku so I can stream content to my television....cause although I occasionally use my computer to watch streaming video, I really want such content on my television, and the Roku box lets that happen pretty well.
But Hulu.com actually exists. If having 30Rock, an NBC sitcom about a fake NBC comedy show with a mobius strip of cameos, inside jokes, etc. was not enough, now Alec Baldwin, who is not a real slimy corporate exec but plays one on 30Rock is now shilling for Hulu as a slimy corporate exec who is really a space alien seeking to "turn your brains to mush"
Whatever level of self-referential, snarkiness they are aiming for, pretty sure they are hitting it!
Love the concept, will probably stream an occasional sitcom that I missed or something. But they need to tie in with Roku so I can stream content to my television....cause although I occasionally use my computer to watch streaming video, I really want such content on my television, and the Roku box lets that happen pretty well.
It's Quiet......Too Quiet
Apologies for the silent running of late....
I've been a little under the weather, so not a lot of energy for blogging. And I am working to get caught up on life, with my engineering work continuing to be slightly overbusy, a big website update in the offing, my yoga teaching continuing, and a raft of home / office / life projects needing attention. (i.e. - I need to get my sorry life organized!)
On the arts and entertainment front, I'll be attending a couple of upcoming events:
* Oscar Night Hartford 2009 - a fundraiser for CT AIDS Resource Coalition (CARC) - February 22nd / 7:00 pm / Dish Bar & Grill. Always a fun evening, a chance to dress up and schmooze. And I've seen a lot of the nominated films this year (for a change)
* Creative Cocktail Hour - at Real Art Ways - Thursday 2/19 from 6 - 10 pm. I'm hitting about every 3rd CCH this year, between work travel, yoga, and life. So it's good to have a plan to be there this week.... although if history is indicative I'll get there early and head out by 8 or 8:30, it gets a little loud, young and raucous after that.
I've been a little under the weather, so not a lot of energy for blogging. And I am working to get caught up on life, with my engineering work continuing to be slightly overbusy, a big website update in the offing, my yoga teaching continuing, and a raft of home / office / life projects needing attention. (i.e. - I need to get my sorry life organized!)
On the arts and entertainment front, I'll be attending a couple of upcoming events:
* Oscar Night Hartford 2009 - a fundraiser for CT AIDS Resource Coalition (CARC) - February 22nd / 7:00 pm / Dish Bar & Grill. Always a fun evening, a chance to dress up and schmooze. And I've seen a lot of the nominated films this year (for a change)
* Creative Cocktail Hour - at Real Art Ways - Thursday 2/19 from 6 - 10 pm. I'm hitting about every 3rd CCH this year, between work travel, yoga, and life. So it's good to have a plan to be there this week.... although if history is indicative I'll get there early and head out by 8 or 8:30, it gets a little loud, young and raucous after that.
February 10, 2009
Our Town at Little Theater of Manchester
Popped over to Cheney Hall this evening for a read-through performance of Thorton Wilder's "Our Town". I am not sure that I have ever seen the play; if I have I've quite forgotten it, especially Act III. Coming off my enlightenment intensive experiences, this particular act, the "living humans have no idea what it is all about" aspect of it. I cried a bit.
For an amateur cast and a read-through performance, it was quite wonderful. Colin McEnroe added some celebrity firepower (and some impressive performance chops) as the Stage Manager, but the entire cast was up to the challenge.
Afterwards, dinner with friends at Corey's Catsup & Mustard in Manchester. The fries are supposed to be stellar (we resisted) but the sandwiches were quite wonderful (I had a turkey burger in a wrap) - each accompanied by a wonderful half-sour pickle and some fresh and crisp cole slaw. Delicious! The band was a little loud for us oldsters (on a Tuesday night even) but definitely a good place for a quick meal east of the river.
And now, since I've actually exchanged words with Dave M, I can heed Facebook's suggestion that I "friend him"
In honor of a lovely evening, Iris Dement and Emmylou Harris, singing "Our Town"
For an amateur cast and a read-through performance, it was quite wonderful. Colin McEnroe added some celebrity firepower (and some impressive performance chops) as the Stage Manager, but the entire cast was up to the challenge.
Afterwards, dinner with friends at Corey's Catsup & Mustard in Manchester. The fries are supposed to be stellar (we resisted) but the sandwiches were quite wonderful (I had a turkey burger in a wrap) - each accompanied by a wonderful half-sour pickle and some fresh and crisp cole slaw. Delicious! The band was a little loud for us oldsters (on a Tuesday night even) but definitely a good place for a quick meal east of the river.
And now, since I've actually exchanged words with Dave M, I can heed Facebook's suggestion that I "friend him"
In honor of a lovely evening, Iris Dement and Emmylou Harris, singing "Our Town"
Poor Choice of Words
Spotted on Yahoo's front page this morning. Can you spot the moderately offensive choice of language?
Besides, the "lame" characters seem to be the most interesting, on that show.
February 09, 2009
February 04, 2009
February 01, 2009
Hey WHY Teacher Trainees
Tough Weekend, huh? You made it though.....congrats. See you around the studio this week!
I took a few minutes to look over my blog posts for the first weekend of last year's training. See if they resonate:
* First Day of School - Thursday, January 17th
* And so, I am off.... - Friday, January 18th
* YTT - Day One - Saturday Morning, January 19th
* It's By Far the Hardest Thing I've Ever Done - Sunday Morning, January 20th
* Well, I Survived - Sunday Evening, January 20th
* Finding My Voice - Wednesday, January 20th
Interesting to see where I was back then. Yep, those teacher training practices still kick my butt!
I took a few minutes to look over my blog posts for the first weekend of last year's training. See if they resonate:
* First Day of School - Thursday, January 17th
* And so, I am off.... - Friday, January 18th
* YTT - Day One - Saturday Morning, January 19th
* It's By Far the Hardest Thing I've Ever Done - Sunday Morning, January 20th
* Well, I Survived - Sunday Evening, January 20th
* Finding My Voice - Wednesday, January 20th
Interesting to see where I was back then. Yep, those teacher training practices still kick my butt!
Reading the Tea Leaves
Listening to WNPR this afternoon, between BBC World News and All Things Considered. I hear a new sponsor: Dr. Jerry Rosenfeld, the Dentist Who Caters to Cowards.
Dr. Jerry was a longtime advertiser on WTIC - for Colin McEnroe's show in particular. And he was one of the first to pull out when Colin was let go at the end of 2008.
So, what does it mean that a big Colin McEnroe fan is now sponsoring WNPR? Factor in that Colin will be a guest on Where We Live tomorrow? And that Colin "....had my big outplacement meeting at WTIC...." on Friday, wherein presumably the i's were dotted, the t's were crossed, and Colin might now be officially free to persue other projects.
As John Dankosky writes: "It will be the most important event of the winter in Connecticut, no question. Plus, he'll probably make fun of me." I most certainly will be listening, although that is pretty independent of who they have on!
Dr. Jerry was a longtime advertiser on WTIC - for Colin McEnroe's show in particular. And he was one of the first to pull out when Colin was let go at the end of 2008.
So, what does it mean that a big Colin McEnroe fan is now sponsoring WNPR? Factor in that Colin will be a guest on Where We Live tomorrow? And that Colin "....had my big outplacement meeting at WTIC...." on Friday, wherein presumably the i's were dotted, the t's were crossed, and Colin might now be officially free to persue other projects.
As John Dankosky writes: "It will be the most important event of the winter in Connecticut, no question. Plus, he'll probably make fun of me." I most certainly will be listening, although that is pretty independent of who they have on!
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