Somewhere in the last year I've become a hippy traveler. Last time out - paisley roller board, matching toiletry bag, black computer bag. Your typical corporate road warrior, skewed a little geeky and independent.
This morning - cargo yoga pants, a backpack, minimal toiletries in plastic bags. I check a toolkit, but carrying on everything else.
Summer conceit? Or is this a shift in my attitude and energy, as I evolve away from a more formal, eager to please consultant and towards a laid back engineering guru who can take or leave these sorts of on site consulting gigs.
June 28, 2011
June 14, 2011
Do-It-Yourself Basement Pron
Documenting my little "never want to empty that dehumudifier bucket again" project.
(A) Bought a small drain hose ($7, Loew's) which screws onto the dehumidifier drain, directing extracted water into
(B) The reservoir of the sump pump (Little Giant model VCMA-20ULT, $45 online including shipping and handling). When reservoir is sufficiently full, the pump turns on, sending water through a check-valve into
(C) 3/8" plastic tube, which I've run up the wall, into the ceiling, and down to the
(D) washing machine drain, where it empties. The pump turns off when its reservoir is empty, and the check valve keeps the water from flowing back into the pump reservoir.
The only improvements I might make are:
(1) Place a shallow plastic tray or container under the dehumidifier and sump pump in case of some sort of failure or loose fitting. Just an extra level of safety....
(2) Run the drain into a large container with a tap or faucet (like a water cooler) which I could then recycle for houseplants / grey water. Although I'd have to be sure that did not overflow.....
The pump is very quiet, I almost never catch it working, especially compared to the relatively loud dehumidifier. FWIW, I also have purchased a high current receptacle timer, designed especially for motor drive appliances, to cycle the dehumidifier (on at night, off during the day) if the cycling starts to bug me.
The Model VCMA-20ULT is perhaps a bit overkill (20' Head, 1.3 Gals/min) for my application, but there was not much difference in price between this and the next size down, so I thought it best to be conservative.
(A) Bought a small drain hose ($7, Loew's) which screws onto the dehumidifier drain, directing extracted water into
(B) The reservoir of the sump pump (Little Giant model VCMA-20ULT, $45 online including shipping and handling). When reservoir is sufficiently full, the pump turns on, sending water through a check-valve into
(C) 3/8" plastic tube, which I've run up the wall, into the ceiling, and down to the
(D) washing machine drain, where it empties. The pump turns off when its reservoir is empty, and the check valve keeps the water from flowing back into the pump reservoir. The only improvements I might make are:
(1) Place a shallow plastic tray or container under the dehumidifier and sump pump in case of some sort of failure or loose fitting. Just an extra level of safety....
(2) Run the drain into a large container with a tap or faucet (like a water cooler) which I could then recycle for houseplants / grey water. Although I'd have to be sure that did not overflow.....
The pump is very quiet, I almost never catch it working, especially compared to the relatively loud dehumidifier. FWIW, I also have purchased a high current receptacle timer, designed especially for motor drive appliances, to cycle the dehumidifier (on at night, off during the day) if the cycling starts to bug me.
The Model VCMA-20ULT is perhaps a bit overkill (20' Head, 1.3 Gals/min) for my application, but there was not much difference in price between this and the next size down, so I thought it best to be conservative.
June 07, 2011
Burning the Candle at Both Ends
I've been running pretty hard lately. That's nothing new; I tend to thrive on a busy schedule, multitasking, and a bit of chaos, but it's gotten out of hand. I guess it did not strike me how busy I have been until this afternoon, as I was sending out an update to a client.
In the first seven calendar days in June, I've done over 20 hours of billable work for my main client. This client typically averages ~30 hours a month; June is on track to hit 80 hours (I doubt the pace will continue, but still....). Now as a consultant, I set my fees so that I'm happy with 20 billable hours a week; this past week, this one client alone has paid my salary. This comes on the heels of a pretty typical May (30 hours) and I am sitting on 8 hours of pending work right now.
That would keep me humming right along, work wise, but on top of that, I spent 25 hours in the yoga studio this past weekend, assisting the teacher training. Amazing work that I would not trade for anything, but it's time away from home and other work. I've also taught 5 yoga classes in those seven days. The ticket launch at my second largest client continues (thankfully slowing down, as they settle in to the system and the bugs are slowly found and corrected), but they did drop a few hours of website updates on me.
And things are slipping through the cracks. I have not gotten my June 1 invoices out yet (tomorrow, for sure). My house is a wreck (although I've been doing pretty well with making the outside summery). My fridge is some combination of expired and empty.
Bottom line: It's hitting me how much pressure I am under, time wise. I'm actually doing pretty well with it all - the dog gets walked regularly, I'm caught up on laundry, I'm getting fairly decent sleep, I'm getting in some decent yoga practice. But I do need some down time - a walk in the woods, a few hours with a book, a movie, or a night out with friends.
This week is not going to help much - working at the studio Wed night and Sat morning; Kirtan on Friday night, and a bunch of classes to teach and appointments. But I can already feel a bit of easing; I spent the entire day at my desk catching up on work reports - a few hours tonight and I'll be officially on track. And the calendar for next week looks fairly empty.
With all the folks struggling financially, out of work, underemployed, I should count myself as lucky. I have an incredible palate of income producing opportunities - well paying engineering work, engaging website stuff, and spiritually nourishing work at the studio and teaching.
But balance....there's the rub.
In the first seven calendar days in June, I've done over 20 hours of billable work for my main client. This client typically averages ~30 hours a month; June is on track to hit 80 hours (I doubt the pace will continue, but still....). Now as a consultant, I set my fees so that I'm happy with 20 billable hours a week; this past week, this one client alone has paid my salary. This comes on the heels of a pretty typical May (30 hours) and I am sitting on 8 hours of pending work right now.
That would keep me humming right along, work wise, but on top of that, I spent 25 hours in the yoga studio this past weekend, assisting the teacher training. Amazing work that I would not trade for anything, but it's time away from home and other work. I've also taught 5 yoga classes in those seven days. The ticket launch at my second largest client continues (thankfully slowing down, as they settle in to the system and the bugs are slowly found and corrected), but they did drop a few hours of website updates on me.
And things are slipping through the cracks. I have not gotten my June 1 invoices out yet (tomorrow, for sure). My house is a wreck (although I've been doing pretty well with making the outside summery). My fridge is some combination of expired and empty.
Bottom line: It's hitting me how much pressure I am under, time wise. I'm actually doing pretty well with it all - the dog gets walked regularly, I'm caught up on laundry, I'm getting fairly decent sleep, I'm getting in some decent yoga practice. But I do need some down time - a walk in the woods, a few hours with a book, a movie, or a night out with friends.
This week is not going to help much - working at the studio Wed night and Sat morning; Kirtan on Friday night, and a bunch of classes to teach and appointments. But I can already feel a bit of easing; I spent the entire day at my desk catching up on work reports - a few hours tonight and I'll be officially on track. And the calendar for next week looks fairly empty.
With all the folks struggling financially, out of work, underemployed, I should count myself as lucky. I have an incredible palate of income producing opportunities - well paying engineering work, engaging website stuff, and spiritually nourishing work at the studio and teaching.
But balance....there's the rub.
Rube Goldberg
My efforts pale in comparison to the technological marvels envisioned by cartoonist Rube Goldberg. However, I spent a few minutes and a few dollars creating my own contraption.
My condo has a basement that is about 50% below grade. I have an office down there: carpeted floor, lots of printed material and supplies, a few computers, printers, and network devices. So a recipe for high humidity.
I bought a dehumidifier when I moved in, but emptying the thing has become a chore, especially this time of year. In other homes, I was able to drain the dehumidifier into a basement drain, or elevate the dehumidifier so that I could use a washer drain, sink, etc. But not here. So last week I purchased a small sump pump with a reservoir, a check valve, and a roll of 3/8" plastic tubing. Voila - self-draining dehumidifier that pumps water up and overhead, into the washer drain.
I picked up a Little Giant pump, model VCMA-20ULT. When the reservoir fills, the quiet pump switches on and pumps the water over to the washer drain; when the reservoir is empty, the pump stops. $35 at Amazon.....
I'm going to get a small plastic tray or tupperware container to set the pump in (just in case, as much as I love technology, I know it also fails occasionally) but as of right now - I'm happy to not be schlepping the dehumidifier reservoir up the stairs a few times a week.
My condo has a basement that is about 50% below grade. I have an office down there: carpeted floor, lots of printed material and supplies, a few computers, printers, and network devices. So a recipe for high humidity.
I bought a dehumidifier when I moved in, but emptying the thing has become a chore, especially this time of year. In other homes, I was able to drain the dehumidifier into a basement drain, or elevate the dehumidifier so that I could use a washer drain, sink, etc. But not here. So last week I purchased a small sump pump with a reservoir, a check valve, and a roll of 3/8" plastic tubing. Voila - self-draining dehumidifier that pumps water up and overhead, into the washer drain.
I picked up a Little Giant pump, model VCMA-20ULT. When the reservoir fills, the quiet pump switches on and pumps the water over to the washer drain; when the reservoir is empty, the pump stops. $35 at Amazon.....
I'm going to get a small plastic tray or tupperware container to set the pump in (just in case, as much as I love technology, I know it also fails occasionally) but as of right now - I'm happy to not be schlepping the dehumidifier reservoir up the stairs a few times a week.
May 31, 2011
Up a Ladder
I live in a small condo complex - four units. More of an expanded duplex, really. So each of the four owners is an officer of the condo association, and we tend to handle some of the upkeep and maintenance ourselves. My condo fees are quite low - less than 1/2 the norm for these parts.
Since I've moved in, we've had no parking lot lights. There were two spotlights on the front of the building - one empty, the other with a floodlight bulb and apparent photoelectric sensor that was not working. The folks in the front units could put their porch lamps on (mines on a timer) but choose not to, so the parking lot is generally dark.
This past winter, the one front spotlight decided to turn on - and it stayed on for several months, 24 hours a day. It was kind of nice to have the light on, but it did add a bit to the condo electric bill. And then, a month or so ago, it stopped working again.
Last week, my neighbor Carol, an older retired woman, stopped by and noted how dark it was, lobbying (I think) to get someone in to look at the lights. I went out with her, and decided that was a nice project for me. So this weekend, I purchased and installed two motion lights in front of the building.
I've been the "go-to" girl for electrical projects for years. When I owned a home in Waterbury, I installed three sets of motion lights after we were burgled; those I had to actually run the wire, pipe it in, everything. I also replaced the old small fuse box with a 100 Amp breaker panel, and ran 240 VAC to the upstairs for heat. I've installed ceiling fans, track lighting, power for hot tubs, etc. and replaced countless receptacles, dimmers and switches. But it's been a while since I've tackled a big electrical project.
So I spent a few hours this weekend 16' up a ladder. The electrical install was not too hard - I needed to put in one box, take out the old fixtures, hook up a few wires, and adjust the motion detectors. My legs are kind of cranky from that ladder death grip required when one has both hands into a project, and I got a bit too much sun on my shoulders - but otherwise I'm good....
I was a little surprised / disappointed by the code violations I found in the fixtures. The box with the photocell sensor had both the hot and neutral junctions just twisted - with no sign of electrical tape, a screw cap, or anything. No wonder the light was intermittent. I have no idea how anyone walks away from a box light that.
The second light had no box whatsoever - the outdoor romex simply stubbed out of the wall / siding and an electrical cover was screwed to the side of the building. At least there were caps on the junctions. Needless to say I left everything a lot better than I found it, with screw caps, taped up, and a new box for the second fixture.
It was reassuring to come in last night and have both light come on as I pulled into the parking lot, and see them switch off 5 minutes later. We've never had problems with car vandalism or break-ins, but this will make us all feel a little safer. I might want to get up the ladder again and readjust the lamps (they might be pointed a bit high, flooding the house across the street as well as our lot)
Mostly though, it's nice to know that as I round the bend at 50, I still got it!
Since I've moved in, we've had no parking lot lights. There were two spotlights on the front of the building - one empty, the other with a floodlight bulb and apparent photoelectric sensor that was not working. The folks in the front units could put their porch lamps on (mines on a timer) but choose not to, so the parking lot is generally dark.
This past winter, the one front spotlight decided to turn on - and it stayed on for several months, 24 hours a day. It was kind of nice to have the light on, but it did add a bit to the condo electric bill. And then, a month or so ago, it stopped working again.
Last week, my neighbor Carol, an older retired woman, stopped by and noted how dark it was, lobbying (I think) to get someone in to look at the lights. I went out with her, and decided that was a nice project for me. So this weekend, I purchased and installed two motion lights in front of the building.
I've been the "go-to" girl for electrical projects for years. When I owned a home in Waterbury, I installed three sets of motion lights after we were burgled; those I had to actually run the wire, pipe it in, everything. I also replaced the old small fuse box with a 100 Amp breaker panel, and ran 240 VAC to the upstairs for heat. I've installed ceiling fans, track lighting, power for hot tubs, etc. and replaced countless receptacles, dimmers and switches. But it's been a while since I've tackled a big electrical project.
So I spent a few hours this weekend 16' up a ladder. The electrical install was not too hard - I needed to put in one box, take out the old fixtures, hook up a few wires, and adjust the motion detectors. My legs are kind of cranky from that ladder death grip required when one has both hands into a project, and I got a bit too much sun on my shoulders - but otherwise I'm good....
I was a little surprised / disappointed by the code violations I found in the fixtures. The box with the photocell sensor had both the hot and neutral junctions just twisted - with no sign of electrical tape, a screw cap, or anything. No wonder the light was intermittent. I have no idea how anyone walks away from a box light that.
The second light had no box whatsoever - the outdoor romex simply stubbed out of the wall / siding and an electrical cover was screwed to the side of the building. At least there were caps on the junctions. Needless to say I left everything a lot better than I found it, with screw caps, taped up, and a new box for the second fixture.
It was reassuring to come in last night and have both light come on as I pulled into the parking lot, and see them switch off 5 minutes later. We've never had problems with car vandalism or break-ins, but this will make us all feel a little safer. I might want to get up the ladder again and readjust the lamps (they might be pointed a bit high, flooding the house across the street as well as our lot)
Mostly though, it's nice to know that as I round the bend at 50, I still got it!
May 29, 2011
Ticket to Ride
I do not often bring my work life over to my blog, but thought I'd blow my own horn this morning.
One of my clients is the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat. I've been web-wenching for them since 2001; I'm not really a graphics person so their in house person comes up with the "look" and I write the code. They recently had someone in trying to upsell them on social media and webwork, and were told "your website looks and works great, no need to do anything different" which is nice to hear.
Anyway, this year, we've been implementing a new web based ticketing system. They found a shopping cart kind of company that they wanted to work with, messed around with it for a year, and finally turned it over to me. It's up and running now, and two weekends into the season, is working great.
It's been a big, complicated project. It's not simply selling tickets - each ride consists of several segments, each of which needs to be inventory controlled. So an 11:00 am Steam Train ride consists of a northbound ride on the train, and a southbound ride on the same train. But an 11:00 am Steam Train & Riverboat ride consists of the 11:00 am Northbound, a Riverboat ride, and a southbound trip on the next (12:30 pm) train. Each of those segments has a fixed number of seats, and if any one segment sells out, the top level ticket cannot be sold.
In addition, there are seat upgrades - a First Class car, an Open car, a Caboose - each with limited seating. There is a special package including a hike to Gillette Castle (limited by the number of passengers who can disembark at a small platform). It's all quite complex.
I've put together this ticketing system from square one - from setting up useful and meaningful product ID codes and names, creating the linked segments to force top level tickets to sell out when individual segements are gone, setting up a menu of categories to help find tickets, and implementing some novel workarounds to make a standard shopping cart system work for ticketing. For instance:
a) Set up a fake "warehouse" system so that each day of the year has a spearate "warehouse" - this makes sorting tickets (for customer use as well as client use) easier.
b) Forcing products to become hidden at the end of each operating day, as well as when the ticket becomes sold out.
c) Creating special option trees to manage passenger types (child / adult / infant / senior, each with a different price) and also to permit double senior discounts on Mondays.
It's been a fun project, with a liberal use of advanced spreadsheets (filters, text functions, macros) to automatically propogate data - it would be impossible to build and maintain a 10,000+ item inventory control system by hand. Now that the seaon is underway and ticketing is going smoothly, I'm working on spreadsheets and processes to export data (daily ordering information, dinner train passenger manifests, etc.).
I'm not really a programmer or IT person; I'm mostly just an advanced user. But I guess I've got those genes (Dad worked in IT back in the data processing / Univac / punch card days)
One of my clients is the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat. I've been web-wenching for them since 2001; I'm not really a graphics person so their in house person comes up with the "look" and I write the code. They recently had someone in trying to upsell them on social media and webwork, and were told "your website looks and works great, no need to do anything different" which is nice to hear.
Anyway, this year, we've been implementing a new web based ticketing system. They found a shopping cart kind of company that they wanted to work with, messed around with it for a year, and finally turned it over to me. It's up and running now, and two weekends into the season, is working great.
It's been a big, complicated project. It's not simply selling tickets - each ride consists of several segments, each of which needs to be inventory controlled. So an 11:00 am Steam Train ride consists of a northbound ride on the train, and a southbound ride on the same train. But an 11:00 am Steam Train & Riverboat ride consists of the 11:00 am Northbound, a Riverboat ride, and a southbound trip on the next (12:30 pm) train. Each of those segments has a fixed number of seats, and if any one segment sells out, the top level ticket cannot be sold.
In addition, there are seat upgrades - a First Class car, an Open car, a Caboose - each with limited seating. There is a special package including a hike to Gillette Castle (limited by the number of passengers who can disembark at a small platform). It's all quite complex.
I've put together this ticketing system from square one - from setting up useful and meaningful product ID codes and names, creating the linked segments to force top level tickets to sell out when individual segements are gone, setting up a menu of categories to help find tickets, and implementing some novel workarounds to make a standard shopping cart system work for ticketing. For instance:
a) Set up a fake "warehouse" system so that each day of the year has a spearate "warehouse" - this makes sorting tickets (for customer use as well as client use) easier.
b) Forcing products to become hidden at the end of each operating day, as well as when the ticket becomes sold out.
c) Creating special option trees to manage passenger types (child / adult / infant / senior, each with a different price) and also to permit double senior discounts on Mondays.
It's been a fun project, with a liberal use of advanced spreadsheets (filters, text functions, macros) to automatically propogate data - it would be impossible to build and maintain a 10,000+ item inventory control system by hand. Now that the seaon is underway and ticketing is going smoothly, I'm working on spreadsheets and processes to export data (daily ordering information, dinner train passenger manifests, etc.).
I'm not really a programmer or IT person; I'm mostly just an advanced user. But I guess I've got those genes (Dad worked in IT back in the data processing / Univac / punch card days)
Dirty Birds
I've been feeding the birds all winter. Have had one of those little suet feeders on a hook installed on my porch railing, and I've been entertained by black-capped chickadees, several woodpecker species, cardinals, etc.
A week or so ago, my local Ocean State Job Lot was out of suet cakes; I thought perhaps they were a seasonal (winter) thing. So I decided to step it up a bit - purchasing an inexpensive feeder and a bag of bird food.
Unfortunately, the bird feeder became highly popular quickly, and the birds made a big mess, spraying seed husks across the deck. So after the bag was gone, I found a new source for suet cakes (Loew's) and went back to the old reliable.
A week or so ago, my local Ocean State Job Lot was out of suet cakes; I thought perhaps they were a seasonal (winter) thing. So I decided to step it up a bit - purchasing an inexpensive feeder and a bag of bird food.
Unfortunately, the bird feeder became highly popular quickly, and the birds made a big mess, spraying seed husks across the deck. So after the bag was gone, I found a new source for suet cakes (Loew's) and went back to the old reliable.
May 23, 2011
Rapture Redux
My favorite post-rapture quip: "Oh, the rapture happened. It's just that nobody qualified."
But seriously folks, last night's horrific tornado in Joplin, MO, piled atop the Mississippi River flooding and the spate of tornadoes in Alabama and across the south last month have an end-times feel to them, no? But alas, no divine explanation needed. Fairly well predicted side-effects of global warming.
But seriously folks, last night's horrific tornado in Joplin, MO, piled atop the Mississippi River flooding and the spate of tornadoes in Alabama and across the south last month have an end-times feel to them, no? But alas, no divine explanation needed. Fairly well predicted side-effects of global warming.
May 22, 2011
The Big Uneasy
Went to see The Big Uneasy last night at Real Art Ways. It's a documentary by Harry Shearer, about the post-Katrina flooding of New Orleans and the impact of levee / flood control design by the Army Corps of Engineers on that. It's a story of whistle-blowers, Don Quixote-like professors, and "are they really dumb enough to let themselves be on camera spouting this stuff?" representatives of the Army Corps.
Harry Shearer is mining the same sort of ground that Michael Moore has carved out with his documentaries. But Shearer is calmly earnest, and brings none of the bombast, hyperbole, or cinematic stunts to bear that Moore's later works have come to rely on. I'm recalling that scene in Bowling for Columbine where Moore confronts an aging Charleston Heston, kind of left me feeling a bit dirty. There is none of that here. Perhaps Moore's first big work, Roger & Me, brought the same level of personal involvement that Shearer brings as he documents the issues with his hometown.
I really liked the graphic overview (via map) of how the levee failures flooded New Orleans; was the first time I understood both the geography of the city as well as the pernicious nature of the failures (my mainstream media advised understanding was that there was one or two levee failures. And I've never really understood how the Mississippi River - Gulf Outlet canal, or MR-GO, contributed to both the flooding of the city or to the loss of wetlands / habitat.
The "Ask a New Orleanian" segments, hosted by John Goodman, were good, although I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth / diversity (it seems to have been filmed at a single sit-down with five fairly well-off residents, would have liked a few roving crew interview bits)
Mostly, I was left shaking my head, and a little pissed. I've had my own brushes with the Army Corps (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away) and I'd have to agree with one of the comments in the film that the Army Corps have stopped engineering in favor of project management. There does not seem to be a big picture design concept at work here. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The interview segments with the three protaganists: Ivor van Heerden, director of a hurricane research center at LSU, Robert Bea, a civil engineer at U. Cal Berkeley, and Maria Garzino, an engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers - were the most powerful. All three have paid a heavy toll for simply wanting to get at the truth and butting heads with the federal juggernaut that seems equal parts stupid, bull-headed, and evil.
The Army Corps representatives were conversely pretty frustrating - sprouting the company line, looking at the narrow scope of their particular project or issue, and not really wanting, able, or permitted to step back to see the larger picture.
Great documentary - go see it!
P.S. - Also, the film website's Resources page has some incredible reports and documents supporting the film. Engineering Pron.
Harry Shearer is mining the same sort of ground that Michael Moore has carved out with his documentaries. But Shearer is calmly earnest, and brings none of the bombast, hyperbole, or cinematic stunts to bear that Moore's later works have come to rely on. I'm recalling that scene in Bowling for Columbine where Moore confronts an aging Charleston Heston, kind of left me feeling a bit dirty. There is none of that here. Perhaps Moore's first big work, Roger & Me, brought the same level of personal involvement that Shearer brings as he documents the issues with his hometown.
I really liked the graphic overview (via map) of how the levee failures flooded New Orleans; was the first time I understood both the geography of the city as well as the pernicious nature of the failures (my mainstream media advised understanding was that there was one or two levee failures. And I've never really understood how the Mississippi River - Gulf Outlet canal, or MR-GO, contributed to both the flooding of the city or to the loss of wetlands / habitat.
The "Ask a New Orleanian" segments, hosted by John Goodman, were good, although I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth / diversity (it seems to have been filmed at a single sit-down with five fairly well-off residents, would have liked a few roving crew interview bits)
Mostly, I was left shaking my head, and a little pissed. I've had my own brushes with the Army Corps (a long time ago in a galaxy far far away) and I'd have to agree with one of the comments in the film that the Army Corps have stopped engineering in favor of project management. There does not seem to be a big picture design concept at work here. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The interview segments with the three protaganists: Ivor van Heerden, director of a hurricane research center at LSU, Robert Bea, a civil engineer at U. Cal Berkeley, and Maria Garzino, an engineer from the Army Corps of Engineers - were the most powerful. All three have paid a heavy toll for simply wanting to get at the truth and butting heads with the federal juggernaut that seems equal parts stupid, bull-headed, and evil.
The Army Corps representatives were conversely pretty frustrating - sprouting the company line, looking at the narrow scope of their particular project or issue, and not really wanting, able, or permitted to step back to see the larger picture.
Great documentary - go see it!
P.S. - Also, the film website's Resources page has some incredible reports and documents supporting the film. Engineering Pron.
May 03, 2011
Therapeutic Yoga
Today is day 5 of Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training, with Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal, down at the studio. It's been really good training, but I am wiped out, and looking forward to getting my life back!
In some ways, the training is a bit of a refresher. As a teacher, I tend to pick things up as they have been taught to me, as I internalize them in my body. I've practiced with Cheri several times here in Connecticut, spent a week with her in Montana, and several of the studio teachers have done this training. I also picked up a bolster and her Therapeutic Yoga Kit (book / flashcards / CD) last time she was in town and have done some work with it. So in a lot of ways, this is not a lot of new information, but rather clarification, deepening, technical tweaks, and background. It certainly is good to get the information directly.
One of my friends and regular students is in the training; yesterday we sat near each other, and as Cheri introduced a posture or gentle yoga stretch, she'd mouth "Jude Yoga". Because I've incorporated a lot of this stuff into my teaching over the years, mostly unconsciously. Interesting to note how much of my teaching is rooted in Cheri's practice.
I came into the training without a lot of expectations - my own teaching seems (to me) to be more rooted in my own body; I demonstrate postures, I move through the room, I shut my eyes and feel the posture and then speak from that place. I am not so much teaching yoga as I am coaxing yoga out of my student's bodies. So Therapeutic Yoga, with more of a therapist / client positioning, and a need to be more attentive, and less opportunity to resonate with the client's posture and body, feels challenging and less natural to me. So if I had to guess I'd say "I won't be doing much of this, going forward". But I also walked into teacher training with no expectation of teaching - and look what happened.
Cheri and Arturo make a great teaching pair - a good balance of energies and information. Arturo in particular brings a lot of really useful visualizations about breath, connective tissue, muscles, etc. - it's rare that a teacher delights me and makes me smile in the way that he does as he uses three students to simulate a human rib cage and demonstrates twists and spinal bends.
And it's been a little odd with Cheri - having spent a week with her and Heather Tiddens in Montana, I feel a certain closeness and intimacy. But we're in a different mode here - she's available for 25 or so students, she has her own needs in terms of food, rest, alone time, and I'm a bit shy to intrude. It's part of who I am that I sit back and listen, pick up what I can, and try not to intrude or take up too much space. It's a weird combination of shyness, of respect, of confidence in my own ability to do this without needing a lot of attention, of being "in between" on several levels.
So, last day in, a relatively short one. I have to leave a little early today (to teach my 5:30 class in Bristol). It's been a long week, and I'm pretty wiped out. Been running back at lunch break to give Elo some love and air, so I've been a bit negligent in terms of my own relaxation and healthy eating. And I've let go of my yang practice this week. So it will be good to get back to a more stable schedule and a regular practice.
In some ways, the training is a bit of a refresher. As a teacher, I tend to pick things up as they have been taught to me, as I internalize them in my body. I've practiced with Cheri several times here in Connecticut, spent a week with her in Montana, and several of the studio teachers have done this training. I also picked up a bolster and her Therapeutic Yoga Kit (book / flashcards / CD) last time she was in town and have done some work with it. So in a lot of ways, this is not a lot of new information, but rather clarification, deepening, technical tweaks, and background. It certainly is good to get the information directly.
One of my friends and regular students is in the training; yesterday we sat near each other, and as Cheri introduced a posture or gentle yoga stretch, she'd mouth "Jude Yoga". Because I've incorporated a lot of this stuff into my teaching over the years, mostly unconsciously. Interesting to note how much of my teaching is rooted in Cheri's practice.
I came into the training without a lot of expectations - my own teaching seems (to me) to be more rooted in my own body; I demonstrate postures, I move through the room, I shut my eyes and feel the posture and then speak from that place. I am not so much teaching yoga as I am coaxing yoga out of my student's bodies. So Therapeutic Yoga, with more of a therapist / client positioning, and a need to be more attentive, and less opportunity to resonate with the client's posture and body, feels challenging and less natural to me. So if I had to guess I'd say "I won't be doing much of this, going forward". But I also walked into teacher training with no expectation of teaching - and look what happened.
Cheri and Arturo make a great teaching pair - a good balance of energies and information. Arturo in particular brings a lot of really useful visualizations about breath, connective tissue, muscles, etc. - it's rare that a teacher delights me and makes me smile in the way that he does as he uses three students to simulate a human rib cage and demonstrates twists and spinal bends.
And it's been a little odd with Cheri - having spent a week with her and Heather Tiddens in Montana, I feel a certain closeness and intimacy. But we're in a different mode here - she's available for 25 or so students, she has her own needs in terms of food, rest, alone time, and I'm a bit shy to intrude. It's part of who I am that I sit back and listen, pick up what I can, and try not to intrude or take up too much space. It's a weird combination of shyness, of respect, of confidence in my own ability to do this without needing a lot of attention, of being "in between" on several levels.
So, last day in, a relatively short one. I have to leave a little early today (to teach my 5:30 class in Bristol). It's been a long week, and I'm pretty wiped out. Been running back at lunch break to give Elo some love and air, so I've been a bit negligent in terms of my own relaxation and healthy eating. And I've let go of my yang practice this week. So it will be good to get back to a more stable schedule and a regular practice.
April 29, 2011
WNPR Signal Outage
WNPR has been off the air since yesterday around noon-time, apparently there was storm related damage at or near the transmitter on Meriden Mountain.
In the meantime, I've kind of been enjoying radio silence. I am an admitted NPR addict and I often have WNPR going on multiple radios (office / bedroom / living room) not to mention my car and an occasional podcast. So it's sort of nice to try a more contemplative, silent morning. I suppose I could catch the stream (shades of Colin McEnroe on WTIC during Red Sox games) but my computer speakers are not great and I'm slinging around large files for work this morning. Don't worry, WNPR. I will be back to my old ways as soon as you are back on the air.
In the meantime, just passing this along....
In the meantime, I've kind of been enjoying radio silence. I am an admitted NPR addict and I often have WNPR going on multiple radios (office / bedroom / living room) not to mention my car and an occasional podcast. So it's sort of nice to try a more contemplative, silent morning. I suppose I could catch the stream (shades of Colin McEnroe on WTIC during Red Sox games) but my computer speakers are not great and I'm slinging around large files for work this morning. Don't worry, WNPR. I will be back to my old ways as soon as you are back on the air.
In the meantime, just passing this along....
I’ve just received word from WNPR’s engineering department this evening that the power lines to the Meriden transmitter sustained heavy damage this afternoon during the violent storm that passed through the area.
CL & P crews, local tree removal services and tower maintenance personnel are working in concert to restore power – and our signal – as quickly as possible.
As I write, we anticipate the earliest time to get WNPR’s 90.5 signal back on line is late Friday afternoon.
Member support not only delivers the best news and information available, it also ensures that we can restore delivery of WNPR’s service as quickly as possible during times like these.
Thank you for your understanding and your financial support. Tonight in particular, your generosity will be at work throughout the night.
Jack
Jack Callahan
Vice President, Individual Giving
Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network
CPTV | WNPR CPTV4U | cpbn.org
1049 Asylum Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
jcallahan@cpbn.org
Phone: (860)275-7320
www.cpbn.org
Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training
I'm headed in for 5 days of teacher training with Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal. Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training that is - 30 hours worth of it. So excuse me if I am a bit zoned out for the next week.....
Not really sure why I signed up. I spent a week with Cheri (and Heather Tiddens) in Montana last summer and I'd surely love to catch a bit more of that particular brand of lightning in a bottle. Cheri is one of those persons you just like to stand in the light of now and then; a wonderful swirl of goodness and strength.
Therapeutic Yoga is not something I've really though much of. I love a good Restorative Class now and then; but it remains a minor part of my own practice. And watching myself teach on videotape the other night (as uncomfortable as that was, we were doing the 2011 teacher Training video review and I had gotten tapped to teach one segment for a missing student) made me aware of how much of my teaching is intuitive and body directed, a connection between feeling in my body and voice. I do not so much teach as I pull my students along in my own experienced practice. My classes are a swirling miasma of give and take; my friend Nykki asked "Do you get tired when you teach?" because I am so physically involved in the practice.
So it's hard for me to imagine teaching Therapeutic Yoga - which appears (at least from this vantage) to be much more of a one-way street. The teacher is ministering to her students, there seems to be more thought and less feeling, more of a care-giver or healer role. I am not sure how or if that might work for my teaching style.
At the video review the other night, I was (rightly) called to task for my habit of closing my eyes as I teach. "Sweetie" my teacher said "You've figured out a new way to hide!" Yes, she really said "Sweetie". And yes, I do hide behind those blissfully closed eyes, even as I am tapping into my own body for inspiration and direction. Although, I am proud to say, I've never stepped on a student....
So maybe opening my eyes is the next step. Maybe Therapeutic Yoga is a step outside the box. Three years ago, in the midst of my own yoga teacher training, who could have guessed that I would end up teaching regularly. And yet here we are. So off I go into the unknown, into the future, into possibility.
Not really sure why I signed up. I spent a week with Cheri (and Heather Tiddens) in Montana last summer and I'd surely love to catch a bit more of that particular brand of lightning in a bottle. Cheri is one of those persons you just like to stand in the light of now and then; a wonderful swirl of goodness and strength.
Therapeutic Yoga is not something I've really though much of. I love a good Restorative Class now and then; but it remains a minor part of my own practice. And watching myself teach on videotape the other night (as uncomfortable as that was, we were doing the 2011 teacher Training video review and I had gotten tapped to teach one segment for a missing student) made me aware of how much of my teaching is intuitive and body directed, a connection between feeling in my body and voice. I do not so much teach as I pull my students along in my own experienced practice. My classes are a swirling miasma of give and take; my friend Nykki asked "Do you get tired when you teach?" because I am so physically involved in the practice.
So it's hard for me to imagine teaching Therapeutic Yoga - which appears (at least from this vantage) to be much more of a one-way street. The teacher is ministering to her students, there seems to be more thought and less feeling, more of a care-giver or healer role. I am not sure how or if that might work for my teaching style.
At the video review the other night, I was (rightly) called to task for my habit of closing my eyes as I teach. "Sweetie" my teacher said "You've figured out a new way to hide!" Yes, she really said "Sweetie". And yes, I do hide behind those blissfully closed eyes, even as I am tapping into my own body for inspiration and direction. Although, I am proud to say, I've never stepped on a student....
So maybe opening my eyes is the next step. Maybe Therapeutic Yoga is a step outside the box. Three years ago, in the midst of my own yoga teacher training, who could have guessed that I would end up teaching regularly. And yet here we are. So off I go into the unknown, into the future, into possibility.
April 27, 2011
Melancholy Odyssey Through Limbo
Maureen Dowd in yesterday's New York Times - Between Torment and Happiness
In it she recounts the rather horrific story of Chrissy Lee Polis's attack in a Maryland McDonald's by two young women, presumably for being read as trans. And folds in some observations about Renee Richards.
Why Dowd but A & B together is something of a mystery, perhaps best explained by this "In the mid-1970s, when I covered tennis..."
Renee Richards is perhaps her best, most direct, or only cultural reference to transgenderism, and part of being that sort of columnist is to reach across the years and ones experience and create deep, meaningful linkages. Or not, in this case. Does not work from an informed trans perspective but perhaps it plays in Peoria.
Also, Chrissy Lee Polis' mom is named Renee. So perhaps she just glommed onto these two stories bubbling up in the media (Richards' book, Polis' attack) and tried to make something out of them. Fail, IMHO.
This kind of reinforces one of my long held opinions - that the folks who truly transition happily, healthily, and well (assuming they are out there) are not the ones who are going to write the autobiographies for fear of damaging the good life that they have found or find their own journeys somewhat pedestrian and ordinary. Instead its the folks who are still in pain, or who crave the spotlight, who write such books. Giving Maureen Dowd (and society in general) the fodder to recount such loving phrases as:
"...at a place in between torment and happiness...."
"...melancholy odyssey through limbo..."
"...something that’s crazy and freakish and not real..."
Just want to report from a bunch of years down the track that this is not everyone's experience.
And.....invisibility cloak back on. Continue as you were. Nothing to see here ;)
In it she recounts the rather horrific story of Chrissy Lee Polis's attack in a Maryland McDonald's by two young women, presumably for being read as trans. And folds in some observations about Renee Richards.
Why Dowd but A & B together is something of a mystery, perhaps best explained by this "In the mid-1970s, when I covered tennis..."
Renee Richards is perhaps her best, most direct, or only cultural reference to transgenderism, and part of being that sort of columnist is to reach across the years and ones experience and create deep, meaningful linkages. Or not, in this case. Does not work from an informed trans perspective but perhaps it plays in Peoria.
Also, Chrissy Lee Polis' mom is named Renee. So perhaps she just glommed onto these two stories bubbling up in the media (Richards' book, Polis' attack) and tried to make something out of them. Fail, IMHO.
This kind of reinforces one of my long held opinions - that the folks who truly transition happily, healthily, and well (assuming they are out there) are not the ones who are going to write the autobiographies for fear of damaging the good life that they have found or find their own journeys somewhat pedestrian and ordinary. Instead its the folks who are still in pain, or who crave the spotlight, who write such books. Giving Maureen Dowd (and society in general) the fodder to recount such loving phrases as:
"...at a place in between torment and happiness...."
"...melancholy odyssey through limbo..."
"...something that’s crazy and freakish and not real..."
Just want to report from a bunch of years down the track that this is not everyone's experience.
And.....invisibility cloak back on. Continue as you were. Nothing to see here ;)
Why Taking Responsibility Will Set You Free
Why Taking Responsibility Will Set You Free
A post from Amy Ippoliti, an Anusara teacher, active in the blogosphere and twitter (my kind of yogi, on all counts!)
So much of what she says (wrapped in yogic philosophy and sanskrit terms that I have internalized far more than I have learned in a scholarly way) resonates with my own journey and philosophy.
We live in this society, in this culture, on this planet, and in this universe as it is. We can work for change at the boundaries, we can gently push our spheres of influence in a direction towards peace and justice. But if we plant our feet, resist the world in anger, and embrace our dis-ease and victimhood, it is a recipe for unhappiness.
A post from Amy Ippoliti, an Anusara teacher, active in the blogosphere and twitter (my kind of yogi, on all counts!)
So much of what she says (wrapped in yogic philosophy and sanskrit terms that I have internalized far more than I have learned in a scholarly way) resonates with my own journey and philosophy.
We live in this society, in this culture, on this planet, and in this universe as it is. We can work for change at the boundaries, we can gently push our spheres of influence in a direction towards peace and justice. But if we plant our feet, resist the world in anger, and embrace our dis-ease and victimhood, it is a recipe for unhappiness.
April 13, 2011
Sad Story with Resonances
Mother Drives Herself, 4 Children Into Hudson River, Killing All Except For 10-Year-Old Boy
Weird Sidelight: Mother was identified as 25-year-old Lashandra Armstrong, childrem were identified as 5-year-old Landen Pierce, 2-year-old Lance Pierre, and 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre. The surviving child was 10-year-old Lashaun. Think she liked "L" names? I wonder how common this sort of alliterative naming is?
What 25 year old has the life skills to deal with 4 kids alone? At 25, she had her 10 year old at the age of 14 or 15. In light of this sort of tragedy, congresses effort to defund Planned Parenthood seems particularly tragic. 14 year olds are too young to be having kids, IMHO.
My heart goes out to 10-year-old Lashaun. He had a different father than his siblings; I wonder if his dad is still in the picture? Abandonment, loss of his mom and siblings, and hid mom tried to kill him....poor little guy.
Weird Sidelight: Mother was identified as 25-year-old Lashandra Armstrong, childrem were identified as 5-year-old Landen Pierce, 2-year-old Lance Pierre, and 11-month-old Lainaina Pierre. The surviving child was 10-year-old Lashaun. Think she liked "L" names? I wonder how common this sort of alliterative naming is?
What 25 year old has the life skills to deal with 4 kids alone? At 25, she had her 10 year old at the age of 14 or 15. In light of this sort of tragedy, congresses effort to defund Planned Parenthood seems particularly tragic. 14 year olds are too young to be having kids, IMHO.
My heart goes out to 10-year-old Lashaun. He had a different father than his siblings; I wonder if his dad is still in the picture? Abandonment, loss of his mom and siblings, and hid mom tried to kill him....poor little guy.
April 11, 2011
Teaching Yoga
I've been teaching yoga for coming up on three years now - since I was (unexpectedly and inexplicably) tapped on the shoulder at the end of my teacher training and asked if I'd like a class. I've had my ups and downs, but I've settled into a nice rhythm of teaching 2.5 classes at the studio, one adult ed class, and filling in when I can. I'm sort of the studio "utility infielder" - not quite in the starting lineup for a lot of classes, but able to step in to a power class, a hot class, a gentle class, even a yin class now and then.
I guess I've gotten a reputation as the gentle teacher who makes you work. Once in a while I'll teach a gentle class where we never leave the floor, but mostly I get the class up for some standing postures. My friend Kristen teased me the other day - she was all zoned out and suddenly realized "Hey. We're doing dancing warrior! How did that happen?" I occasionally get a gentle class into Warrior III without them knowing it. There is a sort of panic / joy thing that happens when they realize it. It's kind of like riding a wave - just need to slowly increase the swells and students go along for the ride.
In my all levels class, I'm kind of the "stickler to form" kind of teacher. I spend so much time in the back of crowded hot and power classes, trying not to watch the students ahead of me who jumped right into these classes. Their postures are all over the map, and the teachers (responsible for 40 or 50 students) are not going to be able to do more than triage in terms of adjustments. So every hunched shoulder, askew knee, bent arm, or lifted heel reinforces my teacher mind - my All Levels students, if and when they make the jump to hot or power classes, will have my voice reminding them of the basics. And it's not so much the cues and harping, but breaking down the postures - setting the feet in Vira I. Then squaring the hips. Then lifting the arms. Then softening the shoulders. Each posture built up from the floor to the sky.
I'm the prop teacher. My own body just does not do every posture easily - I still use a towel to bind in Extended Warrior! So when I see a student's arms loosely approximating a wrap or a bind, I'm quick to offer a strap. I'm a big fan of blankets and blocks. The first few times I went through the Ashtanga series, I was crying at how inaccessible so many of the binds and twists were for my body. But I had some amazing teachers who worked with me to use my props - and now I just automatically put the pieces in place to get into the pose. So I teach with props in mind, always.
I'm also the mischief teacher. There is something ecstatic about crazy yoga poses - Balancing Half Moon, Down Dog on the wall, Warrior III, Dancer, Side Plank. All these graceful, strong, flying poses. I love working with new students, and using the walls, using props, building up in stages, have them walk away with a new posture. I remember my own early days of practice - I'd add a posture to my practice and then get so excited when it came up in a class. So I like to toss in a crazy asana now and then, break it down, build it up, let students play with it a little. Nothing wrong with walking out of yoga class with a bit of ecstatic joy!
I guess I've gotten a reputation as the gentle teacher who makes you work. Once in a while I'll teach a gentle class where we never leave the floor, but mostly I get the class up for some standing postures. My friend Kristen teased me the other day - she was all zoned out and suddenly realized "Hey. We're doing dancing warrior! How did that happen?" I occasionally get a gentle class into Warrior III without them knowing it. There is a sort of panic / joy thing that happens when they realize it. It's kind of like riding a wave - just need to slowly increase the swells and students go along for the ride.
In my all levels class, I'm kind of the "stickler to form" kind of teacher. I spend so much time in the back of crowded hot and power classes, trying not to watch the students ahead of me who jumped right into these classes. Their postures are all over the map, and the teachers (responsible for 40 or 50 students) are not going to be able to do more than triage in terms of adjustments. So every hunched shoulder, askew knee, bent arm, or lifted heel reinforces my teacher mind - my All Levels students, if and when they make the jump to hot or power classes, will have my voice reminding them of the basics. And it's not so much the cues and harping, but breaking down the postures - setting the feet in Vira I. Then squaring the hips. Then lifting the arms. Then softening the shoulders. Each posture built up from the floor to the sky.
I'm the prop teacher. My own body just does not do every posture easily - I still use a towel to bind in Extended Warrior! So when I see a student's arms loosely approximating a wrap or a bind, I'm quick to offer a strap. I'm a big fan of blankets and blocks. The first few times I went through the Ashtanga series, I was crying at how inaccessible so many of the binds and twists were for my body. But I had some amazing teachers who worked with me to use my props - and now I just automatically put the pieces in place to get into the pose. So I teach with props in mind, always.
I'm also the mischief teacher. There is something ecstatic about crazy yoga poses - Balancing Half Moon, Down Dog on the wall, Warrior III, Dancer, Side Plank. All these graceful, strong, flying poses. I love working with new students, and using the walls, using props, building up in stages, have them walk away with a new posture. I remember my own early days of practice - I'd add a posture to my practice and then get so excited when it came up in a class. So I like to toss in a crazy asana now and then, break it down, build it up, let students play with it a little. Nothing wrong with walking out of yoga class with a bit of ecstatic joy!
April 06, 2011
Leash Your Dog II
A) Newington has a leash law. More specifically, the community gardens at Deming Young Farm also has a leash law. Your dog was not on a leash.
B) "He's not friendly" means keep your (unleashed) dog away, please.
C) If you call your dog and he does not come, he is not under control. No how, no way.
D) If my (leashed) dog snaps at your (unleashed) dog who is not paying attention to you, it's not my fault, it's your fault.
E) Deming-Young Farm is *not* a dog park. People walk their dogs there. Dogs (presumably dogs under control) are occasionally unleashed. But it's not a free for all; if your dog does not come when called, you really need to leash him/her. So stick the "He should not be at the park" up your stupid ass. He's FINE at the park if other dogs are properly leashed.
B) "He's not friendly" means keep your (unleashed) dog away, please.
C) If you call your dog and he does not come, he is not under control. No how, no way.
D) If my (leashed) dog snaps at your (unleashed) dog who is not paying attention to you, it's not my fault, it's your fault.
E) Deming-Young Farm is *not* a dog park. People walk their dogs there. Dogs (presumably dogs under control) are occasionally unleashed. But it's not a free for all; if your dog does not come when called, you really need to leash him/her. So stick the "He should not be at the park" up your stupid ass. He's FINE at the park if other dogs are properly leashed.
April 05, 2011
What's on My Bookshelf...
A quick survey of things I've been reading (or have on my reading list) - in lieu of actual blog posts...
Last time I was up at Kripalu, I picked up two books by folks I worked with up there.
Recovering My Voice: A Memoir of Chaos, Spirituality, and Hope by Aruni Nan Futuronsky. Aruni facilitated a week-long workshop, really liked her energy, and the book blurb sounded interesting.
Zen Life by Daniel Levin. I've done YogaDance with Dan both up at Kripalu and at West Hartford Yoga, and am in love with his energy. The kind of book one might leave in a bathroom, on a coffee table, or by one's mat and digest in little bites.
Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth. Every third person I come across in the yoga / healing world seems to mention this book. Bout time I read it.
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation by Sharon Salzberg. A copy came along with my fee when I saw Sharon speak recently at West Hartford Yoga. A really nice primer on mindfulness and meditation techniques - and comes with a CD with some led meditation sessions.
Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia. I normally do not pick up this sort of thing (spoken word artists are often less endearing in print) but it was clearance at Border's so what the heck. Birbiglia charms me when I come across him on This American Life and The Moth.
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving. Since Updike passed on, Irving and Tracy Kidder are my two remaining "must read" authors. I'll be seeing him at the CT Forum next month, so better get this read between now and then. At 554 pages, it's not light reading!
Teaching Yoga by Mark Stephens. I don't really need it but Amazon tossed it in front of me when I needed one more thing to get free shipping. If I ever sit down to read through it, I am sure I'll pick something up.
Yoga Body (Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana) by Judith Lasater. I worked with Dr. Lasater last year when she visited West Hartford Yoga, liked how she approached practice and anatomy, and found this book at Border's closing sale. It's full of great anatomical drawings and linkages between asana and anatomy. Probably a good backup reference text, and worth a refresher read through next time I'm bored. Joins my Anatomy workbook / notes (Ellen Heed) and Leslie Kaminoff's Yoga Anatomy in what is becoming a pretty solid yoga library.
I've also downloaded the Kindle App for my iPad - have not purchase anything significant yet - but I suspect the day will come. Maybe Tina Fey's new book "Bossypants" - seems like a perfect test!
Last time I was up at Kripalu, I picked up two books by folks I worked with up there.
Recovering My Voice: A Memoir of Chaos, Spirituality, and Hope by Aruni Nan Futuronsky. Aruni facilitated a week-long workshop, really liked her energy, and the book blurb sounded interesting.
Zen Life by Daniel Levin. I've done YogaDance with Dan both up at Kripalu and at West Hartford Yoga, and am in love with his energy. The kind of book one might leave in a bathroom, on a coffee table, or by one's mat and digest in little bites.
Women, Food, and God by Geneen Roth. Every third person I come across in the yoga / healing world seems to mention this book. Bout time I read it.
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation by Sharon Salzberg. A copy came along with my fee when I saw Sharon speak recently at West Hartford Yoga. A really nice primer on mindfulness and meditation techniques - and comes with a CD with some led meditation sessions.
Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia. I normally do not pick up this sort of thing (spoken word artists are often less endearing in print) but it was clearance at Border's so what the heck. Birbiglia charms me when I come across him on This American Life and The Moth.
Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving. Since Updike passed on, Irving and Tracy Kidder are my two remaining "must read" authors. I'll be seeing him at the CT Forum next month, so better get this read between now and then. At 554 pages, it's not light reading!
Teaching Yoga by Mark Stephens. I don't really need it but Amazon tossed it in front of me when I needed one more thing to get free shipping. If I ever sit down to read through it, I am sure I'll pick something up.
Yoga Body (Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana) by Judith Lasater. I worked with Dr. Lasater last year when she visited West Hartford Yoga, liked how she approached practice and anatomy, and found this book at Border's closing sale. It's full of great anatomical drawings and linkages between asana and anatomy. Probably a good backup reference text, and worth a refresher read through next time I'm bored. Joins my Anatomy workbook / notes (Ellen Heed) and Leslie Kaminoff's Yoga Anatomy in what is becoming a pretty solid yoga library.
I've also downloaded the Kindle App for my iPad - have not purchase anything significant yet - but I suspect the day will come. Maybe Tina Fey's new book "Bossypants" - seems like a perfect test!
Cutting the Cable - Or Not
I called up my cable / phone / internet provider yesterday to "cut the cable", at least as far as television was concerned.
I've never been much of a television watcher - when I lived with Zippy we had basic cable only, the only reason I bit for the digital cable was the bundle deal when I moved in. I need pretty robust internet for work (I upload and download large files regularly, up to 1GB) and I have two phone lines (one of these days I will relinquish the dedicated fax line, but today is not that day).
So Monday, I open up a cable bill for $172 bucks - the new customer special had run out a few months back, and rates just went up. And for whatever reason, it hit some internal threshold. The fact that my cable provider can not seem to resist sending me weekly marketing letters soliciting new business and dangling introductory offers in front of me has not helped my mood...
I've been thinking of killing off cable for a while anyway - I have a Netflix subscription and watch stuff there; I could get a digital antenna / converter, I have the ABC app on my iPAD, I could sign up for Hulu+ - lot of watching options. So I was perfectly willing to kill off my video cable subscription. The base rate would have dropped to $110. Not great, but needed for work.
However, the nice customer service agent dug up a "good customer" deal (also known as the "please do not shut off your cable like everyone else seems to be doing this day" which involved no change in my service and costs $40 less per month. Sold.
So I have not unplugged my cable television yet. But definitely moving in that direction....
I've never been much of a television watcher - when I lived with Zippy we had basic cable only, the only reason I bit for the digital cable was the bundle deal when I moved in. I need pretty robust internet for work (I upload and download large files regularly, up to 1GB) and I have two phone lines (one of these days I will relinquish the dedicated fax line, but today is not that day).
So Monday, I open up a cable bill for $172 bucks - the new customer special had run out a few months back, and rates just went up. And for whatever reason, it hit some internal threshold. The fact that my cable provider can not seem to resist sending me weekly marketing letters soliciting new business and dangling introductory offers in front of me has not helped my mood...
I've been thinking of killing off cable for a while anyway - I have a Netflix subscription and watch stuff there; I could get a digital antenna / converter, I have the ABC app on my iPAD, I could sign up for Hulu+ - lot of watching options. So I was perfectly willing to kill off my video cable subscription. The base rate would have dropped to $110. Not great, but needed for work.
However, the nice customer service agent dug up a "good customer" deal (also known as the "please do not shut off your cable like everyone else seems to be doing this day" which involved no change in my service and costs $40 less per month. Sold.
So I have not unplugged my cable television yet. But definitely moving in that direction....
April 02, 2011
iPad Addict
As befits my tendency to purchase technology once it's mature, I put my family's birthday gift towards a first gen iPad. All they had left was the 64M version, so I copped to lots of memory. I've been messing with it for a few weeks now. And I'm mighty pleased with my purchase. I mentioned my "attachment" to the technology - my friend Peter noted that "it's very sticky". Yes it is.
Mostly, I'm using it to stream movies / documentaries / tv shows (thanks Netflix) and although I'm not quite ready to kill my cable subscription, I am getting close. Netflix + Hulu might be all I really need....
I'm also amazed as usual with Apple's user-friendliness - when I synced up the device all my iPhone apps got installed - at least until I went hunting for the iPad versions of most things. No muss, no fuss.
The one app that I am really enjoying is Flipboard - it's a news reader - but it seems to glom onto just about anything (Twitter / Facebook / RSS / websites) and converts these things into a slick magazine. I've never been much of a twitter user - being put off by the links and such. But Flipboard has converted my twitter community into an amazing resource for news, articles, etc.
I am sure there are plenty of other useful apps out there to be discovered. But right now, the iPad is all that and a bag of chips.
Mostly, I'm using it to stream movies / documentaries / tv shows (thanks Netflix) and although I'm not quite ready to kill my cable subscription, I am getting close. Netflix + Hulu might be all I really need....
I'm also amazed as usual with Apple's user-friendliness - when I synced up the device all my iPhone apps got installed - at least until I went hunting for the iPad versions of most things. No muss, no fuss.
The one app that I am really enjoying is Flipboard - it's a news reader - but it seems to glom onto just about anything (Twitter / Facebook / RSS / websites) and converts these things into a slick magazine. I've never been much of a twitter user - being put off by the links and such. But Flipboard has converted my twitter community into an amazing resource for news, articles, etc.
I am sure there are plenty of other useful apps out there to be discovered. But right now, the iPad is all that and a bag of chips.
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