Books, update

Posted by in books, recommendations, reviews on Oct 20, 2011 | 0 comments

I can’t remember if I posted about Ape House or The Night Circus. I definitely haven’t posted about If You Were Here and The Hangman’s Daughter.

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern – This is one of those books I that I read/heard about a thousand great reviews about and finally just caved and picked it up. In fact, I paid more than my $9.99 limit and it was worth every penny. I kind of loved it. It’s told by an omniscient narrator which provides a bit of distance from the characters but the story was so compelling that I think it would have lost something or gotten muddled in first person. The descriptions of the circus are captivating, as is the premise itself. The two magicians in battle are incredibly different and yet drawn together. If you’re looking for a modern fairy tale, you could do a LOT worse than this.

The Hangman’s Daughter, Oliver Pötzsch. I think I picked this up as a Kindle Daily Deal and I’m very glad I did. A seamless historical mystery with rich characters and a troubled town, I just kept turning pages. Engaging and satisfying.

Ape House, Sarah Gruen. I listened to this on audiobook and JESUS there were parts I wished I could fast forward. Alas it was actually on CD so I just had to gut through it. Don’t get me wrong, the story premise is great – a lab housing Bonobo apes which have learned and are utilizing ASL is bombed. Mystery ensues. Unfortunately she decided to try and tell THREE stories – the story of the apes, the story of the lead scientist and the story of the lead reporter. Sadly the reporter, the least compelling of all, gets the lion’s share of the book and the book feels a bit scattershot and loses some momentum as a result.

If You Were Here, Jen Lancaster. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Lancaster’s books but haven’t picked up any before. This was also an audiobook and it had a great performance but fell a bit flat for me. First, I like HGTV. I really do. I watch a sad amount of DIY house remodel TV, including the oft-referenced Holmes on Homes. This book was like a love letter to HGTV and I was tempted to fast-forward through the bits about fixturing and cabinet hardware and I’m sure I would have skimmed those parts if I’d been reading the book. It  was funny and yes, a wake-up call if (like me) you’re contemplating a kitchen remodel. I liked enough of it to talk about but I think it’s niche enough to not link it.

As to the Book goals this year, I’ve read 49 of the 55 books I’m hoping to reach before the end of the year. I’m about 73% of the way through Juliet, Naked and just downloaded TC Boyle’s When The Killing’s Done. Now that I’m using library books on the Kindle and my phone, I’m pretty stoked about getting a few more new releases. Also, I’m hearing raves about Alice Hoffman’s latest so in all likelihood I’m going to just buy it because I love Alice Hoffman. Before that, however, I’ve got to get through Lit (library book) and Infidel by Kameron Hurley.

Because I love you (NSFW language)

Posted by in entertainment, miscellany on Oct 20, 2011 | 0 comments

This chick cracks my shit up.

Jenna Marbles- Lessons form Disney

 

 

Yoga, Bitch

Posted by in books, teaching, yoga on Oct 16, 2011 | 0 comments

This weekend I plowed through Suzanne Morrison’s Yoga Bitch and I’m stuck in a mixed response. First, the back cover logline: “What happens when a coffee-drinking, cigarette-smoking, steak-eating twenty-five-year-old atheist decides it is time to get in touch with her spiritual side? Not what you’d expect…”

Anyone who knows me is not going to be surprised that I picked this up. That said, I can’t put my finger on exactly what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. Don’t get me wrong, I think she nailed some of the yoga “pesonalities” but on the whole it just rang a bit false with me. How can it be false when it’s a memoir, you ask? I think that given enough time and space it’s pretty easy to armchair quarterback any of our decisions- especially those made when we’re young, hopeful and more than a little naive. The novel was a bit of that and while it seems to have been written as a response to Eat, Pray, Love it still has a fair amount of that thing where, hey, wouldn’t it be great if EVERYONE could spend two months in Indonesia doing yoga?

I suppose a chunk of my response is also prompted by the vast difference of my yoga experience to Morrison’s. While I got to yoga at around the same time, I came from an utterly different point of view which makes me think I should maybe write about THAT experience. While there’s plenty about yoga to prompt cynicism (you can ask @melissarocks, I’m not immune) there’s also a side that prompts no expectations and therefore no disappointment.

Looking at that paragraph makes me think I could write an entire SERIES of yoga posts about this.

Cheese dip for your sandwich

Posted by in cooking, food on Oct 10, 2011 | 0 comments

A couple weeks ago I made some amazing Paula Deen chipotle cheese dip. This week I found a way to make it amazing on sandwiches.

8 oz lt cream cheese
2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
Juice of one lime
1/2 c low fat mayo

Blend in food processor

Without the mayo it’s got a thicker texture which is great for crackers. With the mayo, it’s spreadable and AMAZING with lunchmeat. I had it with roast beast yesterday and turkey today.It may be my new favorite thing ever.

Sunday update

Posted by in cooking, food, movies, reviews, television, tv on Oct 2, 2011 | 0 comments

Watching SNL’s weekend update and the Tyler Perry portion is reminding me of conversations with my friend Fatima. Funny.

I’m making chili today because it’s a perfect day for chili, football and beer. One of our friends is going to join us so I’m making an effort to get some homework done. We attended a beer tasting last night and let me say there are worse things to do on your weekend. In fact I may have to make a run to pick up some 1554.

We took a slight roadtrip to get lunch yesterday and I stumbled into an excellent hair cut. A lovely woman named Beverly gave me a spectacular cut for the rock-bottom price of $15. I may have found a new favorite place. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have an excuse to visit BV once a month for lunch with some friends. Accidental awesome is some of the best kind. She was also tickled to find out someone had left her a nice review on the internet so I made sure to leave her another on both Yelp and Google Places.

In TV news, I saw the Haven finale and HOLY SHIT that show impressed me ALL SEASON. It doesn’t hurt to have smoking hot leads but the writing has been tight and is continuing to make the overarcing mystery interesting rather than tired or played out. It’s one of my summer surprise favorites. If you want info on where to catch the episodes online, leave me a comment.

Sons of Anarchy is also kicking a lot of ass, as expected. It’s making me even more eager for the return of Justified and what I can only hope will be a season 2 marathon (as I haven’t seen it) before the Season 3 premier.

I’m stoked, by the way, that my Defying Gravity love posts inspired my friend mesoterica to check it out and that she loves it too. I may have to rewatch them AGAIN this week. Never have I been so tempted to write fanfic.

Books: The Night Circus is great so far and while I’ve stalled a bit on Wildwood, I have been enjoying it.

In movie news, watched Hanna and fucking loved it. Loved it.  Eric Bana is incredible and the whole movie is far better than the trailer.

Week end!

Posted by in asana, books, classes, music, philosophy, teaching, yoga on Sep 30, 2011 | 0 comments

TGIF, motherfuckers!

Coming back to work after a yoga conference has been simultaneously great and awful. Great because I think I’ve got a better lens on things and my role in things and, frankly, the amount of energy I find worth expending on work things. Awful because it’s the same old place and by this point chock full of people who are not only unhappy but thoroughly unable to pretend otherwise or see the bright side of anything. That said, I’ve had a pretty good week.

I’ve been a bit uninspired by my reading material of late – that’s not to say I’m short on options as I’ve got a bunch of stuff on the kindle – but nothing I’m just scrambling to read. After hearing the bajillionth amazing review of The Night Circus, I’m going to start it this weekend. Yes, it breaks my $9.99 rule but the reviews have been SO GOOD that I’m making an exception.

Due to the yoga conference, I missed my guitar class last week and DAMN was that a bad idea. Tonight in class we had to write a song. WRITE A SONG. IN CLASS. And then PLAY it. Holy shit is all I”m saying.

In vaguely related news, I’m kicking around the idea of starting a non-profit organization to provide free yoga classes in my community. I’ve thought about it for a couple of years but a confluence of events (including the yoga conference) have me seriously pursuing it for the first time. Details as they are available.

 

YJCO 2011 – The End!

Posted by in asana, classes, philosophy, teaching, travel, yoga on Sep 26, 2011 | 0 comments

I was disappointed for the end of the conference, as the weekend was really fantastic. The weather was gorgeous and everyone was incredibly friendly. Melissa and I sat with different folks at every meal and had great conversation about where everyone was from and which sessions they were there for, as well as their opinions on what they’d done. It actually made me think that, given the right sessions, I’d consider the weeklong conference provided I could put together the scratch (or get a slot volunteering).

Sunday morning began with breakfast and a keynote from the founder of the Africa Yoga Project (which I’ll link to after their promo movie becomes public). It was a great speech and one of the Project teachers led some rapid-fire vinyasa that got my butt (my actual butt) in pics on the YJ recap on the yjevents site. The short film they made about the project was moving and impressive and it’s a fantastic program which is encouraging me to work on an idea of my own.

The vinyasa was just enough to work out some residual soreness from the weekend – a good thing as I had two hour meditation session afterward. “Meditation for the Love of It” with Sally Kempton was a very nice session. We alternated in discussion/lecture and meditation so that we sat for 4 meditations of about 15 minutes each. The bad thing was that Kempton’s voice is great for relaxation and I’ve gotten so used to tuning out voice during savasana that I literally heard nothing she said during the meditation sessions. I think it was supposed to be techniques/pointers but I suppose not hearing her was less relevant than the fact that each meditation session wasn’t as hard as I’d expected it to be.

After session we had lunch, took some photos with the mountains in the background and made our way back home. It’s left a residual… glow. Even the downside of things like the conference were mitigated by a lot of great learning and general good vibes.

Today was sightseeing in Breck and then a mini-tour of the fall “colors.” Colors gets quotations because what passes for color in Colorado (and is lovely, don’t get me wrong) can’t touch Michigan at all. With or without colors, though, the views are pretty spectacular.

YJCO 2011 – Day 2

Posted by in asana, classes, philosophy, teaching, travel, yoga on Sep 24, 2011 | 0 comments

Let me say that the butt class yesterday was fantastic and I ended the day solidly with Gary Kraftsow’s neck and shoulders session, but I did not plan my Saturday well.

1. Post butt class, it’s maybe not the brightest thing to sign up for Baptiste heated power yoga with Baptiste himself first thing the next morning. That session KICKED MY ASS.

2. Second session with Tias Little was great and a kind of restorative class, but when it hurt to roll over onto my side out of savasana it was VERY clear that I hadn’t worked out all my butt-soreness issues. I HAD, however, compounded them with renewed shoulder soreness from the previous morning’s inversions multiplied by Baptiste vinyasa.

3. Apparently several months ago when I registered for the conference, I was feeling invincible because I had requested ANOTHER Baptiste session as my third of the day. No way, no how. My butt was better but not BAPTISTE better.

4. Before lunch I changed my last session to one on stretching physiology which was pretty great.

Tomorrow we’ve got a closing session at 8:30 that will include some Baptiste vinyasa and then my final session of the weekend is Meditation for the Love of It. It’s a two hour session and I am a bad meditator, so this is the ‘scary’ thing I signed up for in the conference.

It’s really been a great experience overall. I’ve been joking about how yoga conferences are like The Craft but with less dead sharks and more hugging, but it’s not too terribly off the mark. Everyone comes in looking to be hopeful, which is then self-fulfilling, so you’ve got a bunch of happy, hopeful people who want to feel better and help other people feel better. And there are invocations where people call the corners. Still, there are worse places to be.

Yoga Journal Conference – Estes Park 2011

Posted by in asana, classes, health, philosophy, teaching, travel, yoga on Sep 23, 2011 | 1 comment

This is the view from our room at one of the YMCA lodges. Go look. It’s worth it.

Melissa and I got to Estes Park later on Thursday than hoped – we’d planned to be here by 6 but a wrong turn, dinner and loss of cell signal delayed us a bit. We missed the keynote speech but had plenty of time to settle in and prepare for Friday’s classes. As luck had it, we were in two of three sessions together (first and last) and it was a nice way to re-acclimate (me) and intro (Melissa) to the yoga conference culture.

There is definite verbiage associated with a  yoga conference. Things like “the Divine,” loops, spirals, grounding, “hugging in”, melting and “bringing it in” are referenced ALL THE TIME. If you are not down for a little yoga woo-woo, a conference is probably not for you.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m not a woo-woo fan, but I love this opportunity to study with teachers I’d otherwise never see and experiment with styles otherwise unavailable to me in person. Also, a little woo-woo does a body good.

This morning I started with an Anusara inversion class. As is typically my experience, I enjoyed the class and I actually like their little opening mantra. My only frustration with Anusara is their default to woo-woo words in a lot of places where anatomical direction would be a lot clearer but they’re not egregious about it. There IS however a tendency (not just Anusara) to talk about how inversions allow blood to pool in the now upside down extremities/reverse/move from the feet and other variations of that ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT which makes me insane. You are talking about anatomical parts and you have missed that the heart is a PUMP. Unless your pump is NOT WORKING, you continue to have blood EVERYWHERE IN YOUR BODY – EVEN WHEN UPSIDE DOWN.

End rant. Sorry about that. It’s shit like that that convinces people yoga is nonsense because it’s just a stupid thing to say.  It’s that sort of thing that makes people who’d benefit from it dismiss it out of hand. All in all I enjoyed the inversion class, which I followed up with “Toning Your Butt Can Be Spiritual.” It’s safe to say I wasn’t there for the spirituality, of which there wasn’t REALLY all that much because when it comes to butts, it turns out no one cares about spirituality and everyone cares about toning. It was a fun (and funny) class.

Last session was with Gary Kraftsow who kind of changed my life (and definitely changed my teaching) when I saw him first at a yoga conference in Toronto pretty early in my teaching career. Today’s class was a focus on therapeutics for neck and shoulders and it was just as incredible and helpful as I remember that first session being. When I eventually take on more training, it will likely be with him.

Tomorrow I’ll hate my life a little because at 8 am I’ve got a 2 hour Baptiste session (thanks to a great Baptiste instructor I had in Michigan) and I’m going to be HELLA sore from today’s adventures.

Thus far it’s been the experience I was hoping for when I signed up and it makes me think I should be looking ahead to additional conferences or retreats. Work did not cross my mind for a single second today. There has been good food, beautiful weather, great views, excellent instruction and good company so the conference is a win no matter what.

2 Broke Girls

Posted by in tv on Sep 20, 2011 | 0 comments

I had no intention of watching this show but the opening scene was a GRABBER and I laughed out LOUD. I kept watching because it was so outrageous I couldn’t figure out what they’d do to top it. Other than the kind of odd laugh track, it was a pretty funny show. I’ll probably even keep watching to see how it shakes out. Go Kat Denning!

Rants and (Potential) Raves – Fall TV

Posted by in entertainment, recommendations, reviews, television, tv on Sep 19, 2011 | 0 comments

This is apropos of my setting up the DVR last night. Given my disappointment with some returning favorites this summer, it should probably not come as a surprise that I’m less than thrilled with the new fall TV lineup. This is good because I DO NOT NEED TO WATCH MORE TV.

Returning shows I won’t be watching:

Gray’s Anatomy. Really I’m not sure how I managed to gut it out this long but the honest to goodness dealbreaker was this chucked in at the end of the season plotline with Christina getting pregnant on accident AGAIN and the impending relationship fallout, with a side of Meredith’s general incompetence and her husband’s douchebaggery. I just… I can’t even.

I’m also pretty sure I’m done with Supernatural. They should have ended with their fifth season, as was the original plan. Don’t get me wrong, I think the fifth season was the weakest of the series but THAT’S why they should have ended it. A  last minute tacking on of another season can only mean DISASTER. I’m not sure I’ve got the patience for it.

House. I’m totally over the cranky doctor porn.

Keepers:

Castle. I’ve loved this show since it started and it hasn’t lost a thing. Clever, funny and great chemistry.

Criminal Minds. So. Good.

Modern Family. Hilarious. One of the funniest shows on TV.

NBC’s Thursday lineup (except Whitney) Got to get your laughs somewhere!

Justified. Yeah it’s not likely to start until the new year but DAMN this is a great show. I devoured season 1 on DVD and will be impatiently awaiting season 2. So fucking good it makes my head hurt.

The Mentalist – Straight up fun to watch. Patrick Jane is helping the police so that he can gleefully torture/murder the guy who killed his family and has admitted it to his boss. You have got to love a show that embraces a funny and clever guy who’s doing good so he can kill someone – and still make it FUN to watch.

On the fence:

NCIS. Here’s the thing. I LOVE so many of the actors on this show but last season just fell flat. It’s also reaching Law and Order saturation level with reruns.

Glee. I did not love most of last season. I LIKED it but I’m not sure that’s enough when there is truly great entertainment out there.

Chuck. I sort of wished they would have ended this with last season, though having heard Zachary Levi talk about it means it’ll probably get a 3 episode grace period.

New blood:

Unforgettable – I kind of dig Poppy Montgomery and I’m a sucker for crime procedurals

Ringer – Sarah Michelle Gellar, lots of actors I love with a caveat of CW. This could be brilliant or fucking terrible and will no likely languish in the middleground.

Revenge - The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book, therefore this should require no explanation

Prime Suspect – I am awaiting with equal parts excitement and trepidation. The original BBC production is amazing. I love Maria Bello. On the other hand, this is an American remake which could mean utter shit.

Once Upon a Time – Doesn’t premiere until October but I am REALLY hoping it doesn’t suck.

The Vampire Diaries – Not technically new as I’ve been watching it online but I’m adding it to my DVR. Pure pulpy horror goodness.

 

End result: I am still watching WAY too much TV. In my defense- I’m also working full time, going to school and reading books for fun so fuck it.

 

Week ending (books, tv, food)

Posted by in books, cooking, food, recommendations, reviews, tv on Sep 17, 2011 | 0 comments

This morning we started the day by watching the Food Network, which is never a good idea. Why? Because instead of relaxing at home, practicing guitar, doing homework or washing the dishes, you’re suddenly at the grocery store to buy ingredients for whatever was just on Paula Deen’s Best Dishes.

We had the Turkey Black Bean Burgers with Corn Salsa for lunch, accompanied by Lemony Slaw and with Chocolate Milkshakes for dessert. It was all delicious and all DIRECTLY from the tv show.

I finished The Very Thought of You the other day and I’ve been wrestling with how to talk about it. The cover is what first caught my attention and I was heartened by the description on Amazon (though I will admit to not reading the reviews) and I believe that I heard something about it on Books on the Nightstand. Then when the price dropped to $9.99, I bought it. I loved the book, even if I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as my typical fare. It’s a contemplative read, which doesn’t mean boring so much as nuanced, and an amazing story about love and complicated relationships in difficult times. It doesn’t have a barnburning pace but I found I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to know where it went (which was, incidentally, thoroughly satisfying). My mission is now to find other people who have read it.

Speaking of love: I spent yesterday and today re-watching Defying Gravity which was a purchase with birthday money. It’s maybe the best series to never get a full first season in television and seeing it again just made me sad that shit like the Charlie’s Angels reboot is going to air and probably be wildly successful. I’m hoping that Ringer is going to satisfy my interesting/smart tv niche for the fall but it’s on the CW so my hope is limited. Defying Gravity was great because it was smart and touching and challenging about topics that make me unsurprised that it didn’t get picked up but is just so goddamn good that I bought the DVDs. It’s the kind of fiction I love.

State of Wonder and Supergods are both topping my wishlist currently but my $10 ceiling prohibits them. I’m going to settle for digging into Wildwood. If you want to see what else I’m interested in, the list is here. It’s not entirely up to date as I’ve taken to sending samples of the books I’m interested to my Kindle and using that as a list of sorts.

Today’s mistake

Posted by in entertainment, internet, media, television, tv on Sep 15, 2011 | 0 comments

I’ve got several hours between work and my guitar class and, for the second week in a row, I have planned badly.

I should have brought my netbook (which shall evermore be known as ‘nanook’ thanks to my Droid’s autocorrect) but it would have meant a second trip back to the bedroom and I was running late. Instead I have lurked around town, listening to podcasts and reading a bit. This is important only because I especially appreciate how This American Life covered 9/11 and the reasons they have for doing so. It was exactly what I had hoped to see on television and hadn’t.

In tangentially related news, I called both of my favorite tech podcasts yesterday and got my voicemails played on both. I’m the neediest person you’ve never heard of.

In TV news, I watched Ringer. I kind of love all the actors and the general premise, but the execution is going to be key. I’m willing to wait and see.

Today

Posted by in miscellany on Sep 11, 2011 | 0 comments

I did virtually nothing I had planned.

What I DID do:

Go out for breakfast with my awesome husband

Catch up on some Dr. Who episodes (I’m in season 3)

Have drinks and conversation with a good friend who’s becoming a great friend

 

All in all it feels like a well-spent day, plans bedamned.

Yoga travel

Posted by in miscellany, travel, yoga on Sep 9, 2011 | 0 comments

I’m currently loading a metric asston of my favorite music onto my phone with its shiny new microSD card, so I figured I’d answer a question from Melissa about traveling with a yoga mat.

There are a lot of ways you can go with this, all of which will depend on what kind of yoga and how much of it you’re going to do while traveling.

For example, when we went to India we had a limited amount of luggage and I wasn’t sure how much room I’d have to spread out – not to mention the space a yoga mat would fill could hold a lot of souvenirs. I went with some yoga paws, which are gloves and almost-footies that have contact points made of the same material as an inexpensive ($10-15) yoga mat. They take up almost no space and are good for yoga on the move, but not for a lot of seated or kneeling poses.

There are also travel mats, designed to be folded, which I haven’t personally used.

What I’ve done for almost all my travel is carry my mat on with me. I’ve got a nice little bag which is mat-shaped with an extra pocked on the inside and outside. It provides great protection for the mat (rain or shine) and has just enough space for keys/i.d./towel/small stuff that would be useful in a studio. I use that as one of my personal items and then usually carry a regular carry-on bag rather than checking luggage. Et voila – two bags, no baggage claim.

The reason I carry on my mat is because I’ve got a Jade Harmony mat worth every bit of the $50ish I paid for it. It’s a natural rubber and no matter how much I sweat (I’m looking at you Forrest Hip Hop Yoga class in Boston and Urban Yoga Spa in Seattle) I do. not. slip. Since I sweat like a center for the Detroit Lions, it’s a huge bonus to have my own mat with me unless the circumstances require otherwise (see: 14 hour flight, foreign country).

 

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