Loyal readers and commenters have spurred me into a few more words about this film.....
What I thought was really sad about the film was that the dream that Kate Winslet's character had was really for / about her husband (or their lost youthful relationship), not really even about herself. Her dream might have been "to pursue acting" or even something wholly different. But she seemed to be living completely through him. Which is, I think, something of that era, and jarring as a result.
There is a TV show out there that I have caught a few times, Life on Mars, where a detective goes back in time to the 70s. The women characters on that show are so frustrating, because, looking at them with modern eyes, I want them to break out of their shackles and be as strong, smart, powerful as they really are. And in some ways, Winslets character in Rev Road is similarly locked up.
Another thing that kind of bothered me about the film - where were the kids? Even in late 50's / early 60s suburbia - are kids so easy to get rid of (for a few hours, for the night) or to placate into invisibility when they are around the house (even with Howdy Doody). I dunno, we were hellions in the mid to late 60s in suburban Pennsylvania - hiding or sabotaging mom's smokes, leaving messes wherever we went. Kate and Leo just had a lot of time alone in the film, which seemed odd. Just a few scenes with the kids, and no real detritus of a home with two kids in it - not enough to make me feel like the kids actually lived in that house.....perhaps seeing a bit more of a family there instead of a couple might have pulled me in a bit more....
Then again, maybe that's what family was back in the day, in a certain social and economic strata. Maybe my lower middle class family was a bit more chaotic and less restricted. Come to think of it, my parents lived on Long Island when I wsa born - Dad surely took the train into the city. But they moved to more rural PA when I was young, perhaps that life did not suit them.....
Finally, I guess my "anti-angst" attitude speaks to the buzz I heard before seeing the film - the "oh no, another film that portrays Connecticut as this soul-less bedroom community of NYC, you will be really down on living here if you see it" - because that is not my experience or belief. So it's hard for me to buy into the disheartened feeling about the state .....
January 20, 2009
Theres no-one as Irish as Barack OBama
Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys (now The Corrigan Brothers) bring this little gem, which I dedicate to Shane and Pat and all my friends from the Emerald Isle. Happy Inauguration Day!
January 19, 2009
We'll always have Paris
Saw Revolutionary Road yesterday with a posse of literary women (who had no interest in NFL championship games). The theater had a definite female bias....though perhaps the choice of entertainment had something to do with that.
Count me among those not walking out of Rev Road with a feeling of darkness, of doom. Perhaps that is because, in my life, I have taken the cruise to Paris. I am not safely ensconced in the suburbs, I choose (through my self employment, my pursuit of a life dream, my eclectic hobbies, my second and third careers, my refusal to be pigeonholed) to walk outside of the suburban angst, the grey flannel suits, the black / white binary of the world.
So yeah, a dark, sad, film. Not my favorite sort of thing to see. But my soul is pretty safe from whatever shadow this film is casting on suburban, upper middle class Connecticut.....
Count me among those not walking out of Rev Road with a feeling of darkness, of doom. Perhaps that is because, in my life, I have taken the cruise to Paris. I am not safely ensconced in the suburbs, I choose (through my self employment, my pursuit of a life dream, my eclectic hobbies, my second and third careers, my refusal to be pigeonholed) to walk outside of the suburban angst, the grey flannel suits, the black / white binary of the world.
So yeah, a dark, sad, film. Not my favorite sort of thing to see. But my soul is pretty safe from whatever shadow this film is casting on suburban, upper middle class Connecticut.....
January 18, 2009
Facebook Friends
Inspired by Colin McEnroe's latest column in the Hartford Courant: I Haven't Got A Posse, But I've Got An e-Posse - I've been a little blog lax so pardon the cut-and-pasting of my comments there, here.
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I think part of being in a posse is a certain responsibility to show up for things. So even if one wants to go watch a movie alone, or seek solace in a solo hike, or go hang out at Barnes and Noble, there is always the posse, sucking one into a social whirlwind. There is an obligation to show up for this one's opening or that one's birthday party. Some people are just not cut out for the life of the social butterfly. Or gang membership.
As for Facebook, I have a reasonably strict (and somewhat penurious) policy of not friending anyone who I do not know personally, who I have not had at least one meaningful conversation with. I have one friend request at the moment who I am not sure I have ever met. We have two friends in common (a certain Colin McEnroe and the radio show Where We Live). He seems resonant spiritually, politically, geographically. And if his friend request carried a little disclaimer "Hey, we chatted over at the Creative Cocktail Hour!" or "My friend Colin says I ought to get to know you" then I might accept. And I even do some due diligence on Friend Requests. Check references and all that.
One thing that Facebook has done is draw me more solidly into connection with remote friends. I go to a folk fest every year (for the past two decades almost) and I see the same people every year. Yet we do not stay in touch, we just reconnect each July. Now with many of them connected via Facebook, I'm getting to know them a bit deeper and more permanently. That's nice...
I've only got 70 Facebook friends (which seems like a lot compared to how often I spend weekend nights alone) but I like to think that my Friends are people who I really might consider friends, as opposed to acquaintances.....I run a tight fiscal policy on Facebook Friends - doling out my Friendship carefully so as not to devalue the currency and spiral into social inflation.....
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I think part of being in a posse is a certain responsibility to show up for things. So even if one wants to go watch a movie alone, or seek solace in a solo hike, or go hang out at Barnes and Noble, there is always the posse, sucking one into a social whirlwind. There is an obligation to show up for this one's opening or that one's birthday party. Some people are just not cut out for the life of the social butterfly. Or gang membership.
As for Facebook, I have a reasonably strict (and somewhat penurious) policy of not friending anyone who I do not know personally, who I have not had at least one meaningful conversation with. I have one friend request at the moment who I am not sure I have ever met. We have two friends in common (a certain Colin McEnroe and the radio show Where We Live). He seems resonant spiritually, politically, geographically. And if his friend request carried a little disclaimer "Hey, we chatted over at the Creative Cocktail Hour!" or "My friend Colin says I ought to get to know you" then I might accept. And I even do some due diligence on Friend Requests. Check references and all that.
One thing that Facebook has done is draw me more solidly into connection with remote friends. I go to a folk fest every year (for the past two decades almost) and I see the same people every year. Yet we do not stay in touch, we just reconnect each July. Now with many of them connected via Facebook, I'm getting to know them a bit deeper and more permanently. That's nice...
I've only got 70 Facebook friends (which seems like a lot compared to how often I spend weekend nights alone) but I like to think that my Friends are people who I really might consider friends, as opposed to acquaintances.....I run a tight fiscal policy on Facebook Friends - doling out my Friendship carefully so as not to devalue the currency and spiral into social inflation.....
January 17, 2009
Home Again
No, not the Marx Brothers' vaudeville act....
A few days up in MA, with mixed feelings. First the positive. I had a kicking yoga practice on Thursday night, with Caroline at Back Bay Yoga. Ostensibly a Forrest practice, it was a lot deeper and slower than the more energetic practices I have done with Ana and others - although no less strong. Really enjoyed it! At one point we did a knee down lunge, reaching back with one hand for the opposite foot - and in the ensuing back stretch, I felt 1/2 dozen vertebrae pop. Like a self induced chiropractic adjustment. Awesome.
The studio is funky and urban (3rd floor, kind of chaotic and crowded) which was fine - a different energy from WHY but I liked.
Afterwards, my yoga teacher training buddy GG and her SO and I went out for yummy Pho at Pho Republique. So a nice evening all around.
Friday and Saturday morning, I taught yoga at a conference in Peabody. Not particularly successful - just 1 student on Friday and 2 on Saturday. A crowd more intent on late night partying, getting dolled up, and tire kicking with medical professionals is not really, I fear, into the quiet energy and stripping down of artifice that yoga brings. I'd blame the time (9 am after late nights) except that there were plenty of folks hanging out waiting for something to happen, sitting in the restaurant, or heading to the workout room. Oh well - I tried.
Similarly, sitting 5 years away from the big life change thing that most of the folks were in the midst of, I felt like a fish out of water, or a space alien. A different creature, to be sure. I've always felt a little divorced from it all, but the past year or so, as I dive deeper into yoga and personal growth, the further I get from all this stuff.
Oh well, at least nobody helpfully pointed me to the cosmetic surgery or breast augmentation docs, or offered unsolicited advice on makeup or corsetry (all of these have happened in the past).
In other news, I slept at my mom's place in Framingham. It was nice to spend time with Mom, we had a nice meal on Friday night and a bit of hanging out together. This cold weather is kind of tough on her (keeps her somewhat homebound) so I am glad to have had the time to visit. I wish I could get up that way more often....
A few days up in MA, with mixed feelings. First the positive. I had a kicking yoga practice on Thursday night, with Caroline at Back Bay Yoga. Ostensibly a Forrest practice, it was a lot deeper and slower than the more energetic practices I have done with Ana and others - although no less strong. Really enjoyed it! At one point we did a knee down lunge, reaching back with one hand for the opposite foot - and in the ensuing back stretch, I felt 1/2 dozen vertebrae pop. Like a self induced chiropractic adjustment. Awesome.
The studio is funky and urban (3rd floor, kind of chaotic and crowded) which was fine - a different energy from WHY but I liked.
Afterwards, my yoga teacher training buddy GG and her SO and I went out for yummy Pho at Pho Republique. So a nice evening all around.
Friday and Saturday morning, I taught yoga at a conference in Peabody. Not particularly successful - just 1 student on Friday and 2 on Saturday. A crowd more intent on late night partying, getting dolled up, and tire kicking with medical professionals is not really, I fear, into the quiet energy and stripping down of artifice that yoga brings. I'd blame the time (9 am after late nights) except that there were plenty of folks hanging out waiting for something to happen, sitting in the restaurant, or heading to the workout room. Oh well - I tried.
Similarly, sitting 5 years away from the big life change thing that most of the folks were in the midst of, I felt like a fish out of water, or a space alien. A different creature, to be sure. I've always felt a little divorced from it all, but the past year or so, as I dive deeper into yoga and personal growth, the further I get from all this stuff.
Oh well, at least nobody helpfully pointed me to the cosmetic surgery or breast augmentation docs, or offered unsolicited advice on makeup or corsetry (all of these have happened in the past).
In other news, I slept at my mom's place in Framingham. It was nice to spend time with Mom, we had a nice meal on Friday night and a bit of hanging out together. This cold weather is kind of tough on her (keeps her somewhat homebound) so I am glad to have had the time to visit. I wish I could get up that way more often....
January 14, 2009
Heading North
I'm off to Massachusetts tomorrow, with the following plan in mind:
* Leading yoga practices on Friday and Saturday morning at the First Event conference (9 a.m. - YAWN!) in Peabody
* Practicing yoga (tentatively at Spirit Bear Power Yoga in Natick) -hopefully Thursday night
* Hanging with mom, a little, in Framingham (where I will be crashing)
* Maybe dinner with mom and some of my sibs on Friday night.
* Leading yoga practices on Friday and Saturday morning at the First Event conference (9 a.m. - YAWN!) in Peabody
* Practicing yoga (tentatively at Spirit Bear Power Yoga in Natick) -hopefully Thursday night
* Hanging with mom, a little, in Framingham (where I will be crashing)
* Maybe dinner with mom and some of my sibs on Friday night.
John Dorsey in Action
"NFL Live's" Mark Schlereth (left) and Trey Wingo (right) demonstrate yoga techniques in ESPN's Health and Fitness center under the watchful eye of yoga instructor John Dorsey.
ESPN Video here
ESPN Video here
January 12, 2009
Wilby Wonderful
Caught this charming (albeit somewhat dark) little film tonight courtesy of Netflex / Roku. A 2004 Canadian film, a little slice of life a la Northern Exposure(filmed in Shelburne, Nova Scotia) combined with Brokeback Mountain (except with the promose of a happy ending).
Wikipedia here, IMDB here
Notable cast member - Sandra Oh (Dr. Yang from Grey's Anatomy). Paul Gross, who plays her police officer husband (and the good man doing the right thing in the film) is quite the hottie. Just saying.
Loving this Netflix / Roku thing. Indeed I am.
Wikipedia here, IMDB here
Notable cast member - Sandra Oh (Dr. Yang from Grey's Anatomy). Paul Gross, who plays her police officer husband (and the good man doing the right thing in the film) is quite the hottie. Just saying.
Loving this Netflix / Roku thing. Indeed I am.
YogaDay USA @ West Hartford Yoga
When: Saturday, January 24, 2009 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
What: Free Yoga and Meditation
January 11, 2009
Unyogic
Even though it has set up an internal struggle (with the yogic Ahimsa, or prinicipal of non-harm and non-killing), I caught two mice last night. We've gone the humane route in the past (with various levels of success) but the last few times we tried that did not pan out. They seem to sneak in about this time of year (and between my allergies and our dogs, we're not a cat house)
Zippy has been kvetching about the mouse for a while, and though I dug the traps out of the basement, they did not get set up (typical Zippy, he was sure that peanut butter and cheese would not work, they seem to go for cereal and grain, so he just seemed to be dismissive of the whole mousetrap project)
How it came to be my role to be killer of rodents, I dunno. So I am excited by my success, cognizant of the fact that I am gonna need to go buy more traps (two mice might just be the tip of the iceberg, and I'll kill the mice but I will not clean their bodies out of the traps), and fairly repulsed by my unyogic murderous streak.
Zippy has been kvetching about the mouse for a while, and though I dug the traps out of the basement, they did not get set up (typical Zippy, he was sure that peanut butter and cheese would not work, they seem to go for cereal and grain, so he just seemed to be dismissive of the whole mousetrap project)
How it came to be my role to be killer of rodents, I dunno. So I am excited by my success, cognizant of the fact that I am gonna need to go buy more traps (two mice might just be the tip of the iceberg, and I'll kill the mice but I will not clean their bodies out of the traps), and fairly repulsed by my unyogic murderous streak.
January 10, 2009
Frost / Nixon
Finally got to see Frost/Nixon. Enjoyed it a lot. Nixon was the first president I remember getting elected, the first candidate I remember talking about in school where we lined up behind political candidates like non-football fans picking a team based on mascots or team colors.
Langella was pretty incredible as Nixon (a difficult role since those of us of a certain age remember Nixon so well, and he became such a caricature). I thought the playwright and filmmakers did a nice job of adding some depth and texture to the story And though the critics have had issues with the film's accuracy, I thought it was a good story, well told. A welcome flashback to the 70's.
My film buddy (Kimi, to those who follow the blogs) and I discussed the way Frost was presented - was he a gadfly, a lightweight who toughened up at the end? Was he a cagey interviewer who laid back for the first part of the interviews and then sprung a trap? Or was he over his head throughout and really let Nixon off the hook?
There is a political meme out there "Only Nixon could go to China". And maybe only someone perceived as a lightweight, someone holding out a pile of cash, could have brought Nixon to the interview.
Also, whoever cast this thing must have something against Diane Sawyer - while her involvement in the Nixon administration is a matter of record that perhaps Ms. Sawyer would be happy to have not brought back into the spotlight, Kate Jennings Grant is made up to be a most unattractive, nerdish version of the celebrity journalist.
Maybe we all looked kind of awkward in the 70s....I know I did.
Langella was pretty incredible as Nixon (a difficult role since those of us of a certain age remember Nixon so well, and he became such a caricature). I thought the playwright and filmmakers did a nice job of adding some depth and texture to the story And though the critics have had issues with the film's accuracy, I thought it was a good story, well told. A welcome flashback to the 70's.
My film buddy (Kimi, to those who follow the blogs) and I discussed the way Frost was presented - was he a gadfly, a lightweight who toughened up at the end? Was he a cagey interviewer who laid back for the first part of the interviews and then sprung a trap? Or was he over his head throughout and really let Nixon off the hook?
There is a political meme out there "Only Nixon could go to China". And maybe only someone perceived as a lightweight, someone holding out a pile of cash, could have brought Nixon to the interview.
Also, whoever cast this thing must have something against Diane Sawyer - while her involvement in the Nixon administration is a matter of record that perhaps Ms. Sawyer would be happy to have not brought back into the spotlight, Kate Jennings Grant is made up to be a most unattractive, nerdish version of the celebrity journalist.
Maybe we all looked kind of awkward in the 70s....I know I did.
Social Saturday
No yoga today. Instead, a fairly mad social schedule.
9:30 am - Meeting at the Avon Old Farms Hotel, where we are planning our balloon club's annual winter dinner (I'm on the planning committee, by dint of bitching about the unimaginative venues the past few years).
11:00 am - A late breakfast up at the Harvest Cafe and Bakery in Simsbury. A great place, the food was yummy, although when something says "shredded zucchini, asparagus, and leeks" I expected a layer or two of veggies. It was more like a thick quiche. Good, but I was in the mood for a little more fiber and green.
1:30 pm - Criterion Cinemas at Blue Back Square, to see Frost/Nixon. First time at the Blue Back cinemas, and I was less than blown away. The decor felt kind of dated, I actually commented to my movie bud that "it reminds me of the old Elm" (just a vibe) and I would have thought they would have gone with stadium seating (maybe some of the screens are) since the facility seems to be more build up rather than spread out. I'd just as soon go to Cinema City (atmosphere / history) or Bowtie on New Park (modern cinemas).
4:30 pm - Lucy, where I scored a bunch of yoga clothes at their 50% off (previous markdown prices). Three yoga tops, a tank top, and a long sleeved shirt for $56.
Got home around 5:00 pm as the roads started to get tricky from the snow. Relaxing night - some TV, some dinner, some laundry. Bound to be some shoveling tomorrow....
9:30 am - Meeting at the Avon Old Farms Hotel, where we are planning our balloon club's annual winter dinner (I'm on the planning committee, by dint of bitching about the unimaginative venues the past few years).
11:00 am - A late breakfast up at the Harvest Cafe and Bakery in Simsbury. A great place, the food was yummy, although when something says "shredded zucchini, asparagus, and leeks" I expected a layer or two of veggies. It was more like a thick quiche. Good, but I was in the mood for a little more fiber and green.
1:30 pm - Criterion Cinemas at Blue Back Square, to see Frost/Nixon. First time at the Blue Back cinemas, and I was less than blown away. The decor felt kind of dated, I actually commented to my movie bud that "it reminds me of the old Elm" (just a vibe) and I would have thought they would have gone with stadium seating (maybe some of the screens are) since the facility seems to be more build up rather than spread out. I'd just as soon go to Cinema City (atmosphere / history) or Bowtie on New Park (modern cinemas).
4:30 pm - Lucy, where I scored a bunch of yoga clothes at their 50% off (previous markdown prices). Three yoga tops, a tank top, and a long sleeved shirt for $56.
Got home around 5:00 pm as the roads started to get tricky from the snow. Relaxing night - some TV, some dinner, some laundry. Bound to be some shoveling tomorrow....
One out of Twenty-Four
24 bodies (with resident spirits) in my gentle yoga class yesterday. Not my biggest class ever, but a good sized crowd. However, one of those spirits belonged to the studio director, who NEVER goes to her teacher's classes. One of the other senior teachers was beside himself with surprise (and maybe a bit of envy?) when he realized she was in there. As some of my schoolteacher friends said later "It's like when the superindendent audits a class"
But really, it was not so bad. A few moments of nervousness, and a little bit of self-consciousness as I planned my sequencing on the fly (I rarely do more than plan out a general direction), moved through the room, mentally double checked my languaging. But she was one of my students, and I frankly spent more time thinking about the rest of the class.
Afterwards, positive feedback. No major issues noted (this is a woman who pulls no punches and is incredibly astute and intuitive when it comes to seeing into the soul). And a request for a copy of my music (I ordered her a disc of the one artist she is unlikely to have)....which made me feel pretty good.
I feel like I've passed a test or something.....pretty good.
But really, it was not so bad. A few moments of nervousness, and a little bit of self-consciousness as I planned my sequencing on the fly (I rarely do more than plan out a general direction), moved through the room, mentally double checked my languaging. But she was one of my students, and I frankly spent more time thinking about the rest of the class.
Afterwards, positive feedback. No major issues noted (this is a woman who pulls no punches and is incredibly astute and intuitive when it comes to seeing into the soul). And a request for a copy of my music (I ordered her a disc of the one artist she is unlikely to have)....which made me feel pretty good.
I feel like I've passed a test or something.....pretty good.
January 09, 2009
Bad Web Design
An open letter to whoever is designing the Alchemy website.
If you want me to call in a to-go order (which I am attempting to do right now) having your phone number SOMEWHERE on the website might be a good start.....
If you want me to call in a to-go order (which I am attempting to do right now) having your phone number SOMEWHERE on the website might be a good start.....
January 07, 2009
Roku Netflix Player
Our Roku player for Netflix arrived yesterday. Took maybe 10 minutes to install - power cord, a couple of video cables, and wireless internet. Did not take long to get it talking to the wireless (manually inputting the security password) and then to register the deice with netflix (a code input from the computer). And we were ready to go.
The biggest issue is inputs - we presently have an ancient Magnavox television with only a CATV input, so we have DVD -> VCR (Line In) -> TV inputs. For now, I swapped the Roku in for the DVD but I suspect I am gonna go find a low cost video switcher to hook it all up permanently. At least until the TV dies on us.
I demo'd it for Zippy (who I suspect, will not be able to work it without me, but we shall see) and watched an episode of All Creatures Great & Small - the video quality was fine, as good if not better than coming off CPTV / Comcast. We're not an HDTV or flat-screen house (and it will probably be a long time until we are) so the video quality is fine.....
Pretty excited - with an $8.99 / Month Netflix account we get unlimited downloads - and they have 12,000+ titles available. Not everything, but lots of old BBC television (Dibley, Appearances, Creatures, Ballykisssangel), lots of foreign films, lots of independents, and a smattering of recent hits and television series (I'm presently plowing through 30Rock)
Pretty amazing little bit of technology - integrating streaming video and the internet with existing television. I'm sold.
January 06, 2009
Bristol Adult Ed - Six Week Series
I will be leading two (2) six-week yoga series at the Stafford School, in Bristol, CT - through Bristol Adult Education. Information and registration here.
The classes are Wednesday, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, and run from Feb 4 - Mar 18, and again from Apr 1 - May 13. $38 - a good deal!
The classes are Wednesday, from 5:30 - 6:30 pm, and run from Feb 4 - Mar 18, and again from Apr 1 - May 13. $38 - a good deal!
Intro to Yoga - Mondays from 7:15 pm - 8:30 pm
This new year, I will be teaching two Intro to Yoga series, at West Hartford Yoga. WHY offers a number of intro series - Monday through Thursday. I'm teaching a class on Monday from 7:15 - 8:30 pm. Info here. Classes start Jan 19th, and again in the spring (March 16).
So if you have been thinking about yoga, or know someone who would like to try yoga, it's a good time to take an intro series with someone you (kinda) know.
So if you have been thinking about yoga, or know someone who would like to try yoga, it's a good time to take an intro series with someone you (kinda) know.
January 04, 2009
Coda
Colin McEnroe says goodbye to his radio friends in his column this week. A lovely summing up.
I was one who listened from the beginning, when he had a morning solo show. I was just geting my consulting practice started - so I was around the house all day in the days before WNPR went to an all-talk format and there was a vast wasteland of classical music (not that there is anything wrng with that) between Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Colin kept me company.
And in these later years, as I tuned to the local Where We Live, and the national feeds of Day to Day or Talk of the Town, it would comfort me that Colin would be listening too - so often he wove stories and themes from these shows into his own afternoon broadcast.
There is this public radio thing called a "driveway moment" - when one is listening to an engaging story in the car, pulls into the driveway, but sits in the car listening until the end of a story - unable to pull away. It's one of those moments when one recommits to an annual donation. Colin had a different sort of memorable radio moment - he'd say something so funny that I would laugh out loud - in my office, the car, wherever.
Too bad there was no pledge drive for that.....
I was one who listened from the beginning, when he had a morning solo show. I was just geting my consulting practice started - so I was around the house all day in the days before WNPR went to an all-talk format and there was a vast wasteland of classical music (not that there is anything wrng with that) between Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Colin kept me company.
And in these later years, as I tuned to the local Where We Live, and the national feeds of Day to Day or Talk of the Town, it would comfort me that Colin would be listening too - so often he wove stories and themes from these shows into his own afternoon broadcast.
There is this public radio thing called a "driveway moment" - when one is listening to an engaging story in the car, pulls into the driveway, but sits in the car listening until the end of a story - unable to pull away. It's one of those moments when one recommits to an annual donation. Colin had a different sort of memorable radio moment - he'd say something so funny that I would laugh out loud - in my office, the car, wherever.
Too bad there was no pledge drive for that.....
Speaker of the House
Connecticut has a new speaker of the House, Representative Chris Donovan from Meriden. Story in today's Hartford Courant, here.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Donovan (and his wife) at an annual halloween party that Zippy and I have gone to over the years. If anything, Donovan's liberal bent (grass roots organizing, unions) was trumped by the crowd at the party (Unitarians and Librarians) - but he seems like the real deal - authentic, smart, heart in the right places. I'm a fan! (and not just of boomers playing in rock bands)
And his wife Elaine works in the health care field, so you can bet he has some insights and passion in the area of health care. Another big plus.
My political post for 2009. I return you now to your regularly scheduled blogging.....
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Donovan (and his wife) at an annual halloween party that Zippy and I have gone to over the years. If anything, Donovan's liberal bent (grass roots organizing, unions) was trumped by the crowd at the party (Unitarians and Librarians) - but he seems like the real deal - authentic, smart, heart in the right places. I'm a fan! (and not just of boomers playing in rock bands)
And his wife Elaine works in the health care field, so you can bet he has some insights and passion in the area of health care. Another big plus.
My political post for 2009. I return you now to your regularly scheduled blogging.....
January 01, 2009
2008 Wrap-up
One of the bennies of having a blog is that it provides a handy way to look back in time. So as 2009 clicks over, I'm looking back on what 2008 meant for me, personally. I usually get to this a bit earlier, but it's been a busy year....
Without doubt, 2008 was the year of yoga. I started out a "type A" yogi - with a strong and regular practice. In the first half of 2008, I survived 6 long weekends of yoga teacher training, and in the 2nd half of the year, I became a yoga teacher. Funny how that happened. I did *not* set out to teach yoga; I merely became aware that the bowl that is my self had been filling up with yoga the past few years, had begun to overflow, and yoga was spilling out of myself whether I willed it or not.
So I signed up for teacher training (expecting to deepen my practice, and perhaps have some teaching chops for the when the moments arrive, but NOT expecting to teach). But the first few times I stood in front of a class of students, well, it just kind of flowed. So here I am, teaching yoga. Pretty amazed and ecstatic about that. I've also become a bit more embedded down at the studio, between part time work and teaching.
Hard to really quantify much else about the past year. My engineering work continues - my biggest clients are still chugging along, I've picked up some new clients and industries, I have as much work as I need or want.
My IRA dropped about 40% this past year, but since it's not something I plan on using anytime soon, and it's not all that much at this point - that's OK. A paper loss that will hopefully be restored. In the meantime, I am trying to stuff it for 2008 / 2009 right now, taking advantage of bargain basement stock prices. With a new president and a new administration coming in - I am optimistic. The last time a Dem was in office the world and the economy went through a prosperous period, and while I do not expect any quick changes after 8 years of mismanagement, neglect, and criminal world policies under Bush, well - it can't get worse.
I signed up for Facebook and picked up (between Facebook and teacher training) a newish social circle.
And I explored moving out - finding my own apartment which woul dbe a huge life change (involving moving my personal life as well as my office into the new place) but that is, for the moment, on hold.
And so I head into 2009 pretty much on course. Continuing my yoga practice, my yoga teaching. Continuing my engineering. Working on my living arrangement.
The years spin by...faster and faster.
Without doubt, 2008 was the year of yoga. I started out a "type A" yogi - with a strong and regular practice. In the first half of 2008, I survived 6 long weekends of yoga teacher training, and in the 2nd half of the year, I became a yoga teacher. Funny how that happened. I did *not* set out to teach yoga; I merely became aware that the bowl that is my self had been filling up with yoga the past few years, had begun to overflow, and yoga was spilling out of myself whether I willed it or not.
So I signed up for teacher training (expecting to deepen my practice, and perhaps have some teaching chops for the when the moments arrive, but NOT expecting to teach). But the first few times I stood in front of a class of students, well, it just kind of flowed. So here I am, teaching yoga. Pretty amazed and ecstatic about that. I've also become a bit more embedded down at the studio, between part time work and teaching.
Hard to really quantify much else about the past year. My engineering work continues - my biggest clients are still chugging along, I've picked up some new clients and industries, I have as much work as I need or want.
My IRA dropped about 40% this past year, but since it's not something I plan on using anytime soon, and it's not all that much at this point - that's OK. A paper loss that will hopefully be restored. In the meantime, I am trying to stuff it for 2008 / 2009 right now, taking advantage of bargain basement stock prices. With a new president and a new administration coming in - I am optimistic. The last time a Dem was in office the world and the economy went through a prosperous period, and while I do not expect any quick changes after 8 years of mismanagement, neglect, and criminal world policies under Bush, well - it can't get worse.
I signed up for Facebook and picked up (between Facebook and teacher training) a newish social circle.
And I explored moving out - finding my own apartment which woul dbe a huge life change (involving moving my personal life as well as my office into the new place) but that is, for the moment, on hold.
And so I head into 2009 pretty much on course. Continuing my yoga practice, my yoga teaching. Continuing my engineering. Working on my living arrangement.
The years spin by...faster and faster.
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