Golf was hot. And slow.

Seriously? THREE HOURS for 9 holes. I wanted to shoot myself. I am a hot sweaty mess.

On the other hand, I had the best round of golf I’ve played all summer. BY TEN STROKES. For those of you who don’t golf, that’s a vast improvement. Even though you don’t care. ;) Turns out that Wii Golf is good for something! It’s possible that today’s round is keeping Spouse’s LPGA dream for me alive. He would someday like to be a kept man and is mostly convinced the LPGA is the way to do it.

We golfed with some really nice guys, so despite the horrendous backup on the course we at least had good company. Not so much beer though.

Someone had the fantastic idea of ruining Lemon-Lime Gatorade by putting STRAWBERRY in it. Except instead of coloring it pink – as you would expect a strawberry beverage to look – it still looks like Lemon-Lime. I did not discover this terrible desecration of my favorite beverage until TOO LATE.

Lemon-Lime Gatorade is the only Gatorade I will drink, so why? Why ruin a perfectly good thing?

Today is the last day of WoYoPracMo. I’m pretty happy that I managed to post every day (and totally made enough posts to count for every day). Alas, the majority of my posts were not-so-yoga-related. I’m totally shocked that I’ve gotten more than a thousand hits this month. I found a lot of blogs I like reading (links to the left) and watched too much reality TV. I managed a couple new playlists for classes and also got them loaded on imeem (which was more of a challenge than I expected). I’m doing quite well in Anatomy and Physiology as well, so I guess my time management and Procrastinatory Posting haven’t been as awful as they could have.

Thanks to everyone who’s stopped by to read!

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

I shouldn’t have joined a golf league.

I did it because Spouse enjoys golf, doesn’t really have any other hobbies he spends much time on, and it’s something we can do together.

I should have chosen something we can do together in the SPRINGTIME.

On my top 20 list of Fun Things To Do, you will never ever find Spend 2.5-3 hours Hitting a Tiny Ball Around a Very Long Course in 85 degree heat with 50% humidity. Now I wake up every Thursday and think, “CRAP. I have to GOLF today.”

I like golf, I’m just a seriously fair weather golfer. As in, the weather must be sunny to overcast with temperatures between 67-75 degrees.

Last night during (and after) yoga, I got to talk about body mechanics in detail with a couple of students. That doesn’t happen incredibly often, mostly because I think there are few students who are as much A&P geek as I am. The body is an awesome machine and I love learning (and teaching) about how it works. One student was a dancer for many years and is used to ‘turning out’ in standing positions. She also has the same problem that I do with my elbows- extra flexibility. One of the most interesting things (for me) about yoga is that the more flexibility you have, the more difficult practice becomes. In many ways you have to retrain your body to use different (or better) muscle groups to accomplish the same work or find an appropriate stretch.

I’ve got lots of lecture and lab today and then (joy!) golf.

Read Full Post »

What the Bravo just happened?!

I’m calling BS on BOTH judgments tonight (Project Runway and Shear Genius). Capital B, capital S.

On Runway, there is NO WAY Kenley’s dress was better than Leanne’s. No chance. Leanne’s dress was meticulous and any of the judges (including Michael Kors) would have worn it in a heartbeat. No patio chair print, mandarin collar, and puffy sleeve conglomeration there.

And on Shear Genius! I can’t BELIEVE they sent the wrong person home. Note to judges: the person you SHOULD send home is the one you KEEP PUTTING IN THE BOTTOM. Nekisa’s constantly making excuses and her Farrah was AWFUL. It looked like dreadlocks but without the actual dreadlocks.

It was all crazy talk.

One good thing: I’m totally making Tim Gunn saying “Holler at your boy?” as my ringtone. HILARIOUS.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

Naked family

I don’t work out “cute.”

All of the blood in my body runs to my face. I sweat like a center for the Detroit Lions. My clothes get soaked. It’s not attractive. This picture is a full 10 minutes AFTER my last sprint interval AND a 5 minute ride home WITH ALL THE WINDOWS DOWN. I was not markedly cooler. By the way, this is where I totally endorse Coppertone’s Sport Breathable Sunscreen (SPF 50, ultra sweatproof) because it really DOESN’T run in your eyes. It’s not just marketing! This is especially important to me because 1) sweat and 2) I wear contact lenses. Sunscreen in your eyes with contact lenses is like a week in the 7th circle of hell.

Back to sweaty… how gross and sweaty I was made me think, “It would be so nice to just go home, take a shower, and hang around the house naked all day.” (With towels on the couches, of course.) But we’ve got a roommate/boarder so that’s not really an option much to – I’m sure – everyone’s relief.

And that started me thinking about general nonsexual nakedness and a conversation I had with my friend Sarah the other day. I always thought I was a freak from a totally weird family because I’ve seen everyone in my immediate family naked.  Bodies weren’t a big deal in my house and it was nothing to have Mom and/or Dad walking around in various stages of undress. I mean, not in front of COMPANY or anything but growing up there were the four of us (three women) and ONE BATHROOM. You have NO PRIVACY. Not to mention that my sister’s idea of cooling off after a hot day at work was to come home, take off her shirt and bra, and flop down on the couch. LEAVING HER JEANS AND COMBAT BOOTS ON.

We really didn’t just wander around the house naked all the time. We were clothed more often than we weren’t, but if someone wasn’t wearing a shirt or pants (or occasionally underwear) it was pretty normal to us. I didn’t realize that MOST families aren’t like that until I went to college. Imagine my shock.

So every once in a while someone makes a comment, or I see a movie like Home for the Holidays, where some nonchalant parental nakedness happens and the kids aren’t scandalized and I figure there must be OTHER Naked Families out there. Probably like the Spanking Families, they’re just not talking about it.

By the way, if my mother ever discovers the internet I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life.

And there you go. That’s a little snapshot of how my brain works.

These are my running shoes:

They’re called Five Fingers from Vibram and have a hard formed sole to protect the bottoms of your feet. Though I’ll tell you brother that if you’re running on hot pavement, those suckers heat up in a few miles.

They are surprisingly comfortable and provide the best calf/foot/ankle workout I have EVER HAD. They’re super light and force me to run up on the ball of my foot, hence all the work. I tend to be a heel-toe girl (not quite sure how I ever managed to be a sprinter in high school with that running style) and heavy footed. These shoes FORCE me to lighten up.

They’re also great shoes for outdoor yoga or yoga on the road. All you need are some weight lifting gloves (or fancier ‘yoga’ gloves) and you’re all set – no mat required.

P.S. You can compare the ALARMING PALENESS of my legs to my EXTREMELY RED face above in order to compare the ridiculous blood flow. At least I know my arteries and capillaries work, right?

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

I have Asian cheekbones?

I suspect my Swedish grandfather would disagree – that is, if we ever talked to him. I think he lives in Georgia and his wife is my mother’s age. Ironic because my mother is his oldest daughter, which makes his wife younger than my two uncles. You can just tell there are more stories there, right?

On the other side, my Native American great grandfather (Big Pa) wouldn’t say a word. He’d just laugh.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

Let that be a lesson to you, miss!

Right. So that’ll teach me to take a “sedative or hypnotic” and then… sit on the couch. I’m now REwatching Eureka (because I don’t remember any of it) and drinking a smoothie.

Today’s smoothie:

13 baby carrots, spoonful of flax seed, spoonful of wheat bran, large spoonful of plain low-fat yogurt, handful of almonds, handful of dried cranberries, 1/2 cup (?) of mixed melon that was in the fridge, 1 cup + of the smoothie frozen fruit mix (pineapple, strawberry, mango), 8oz orange juice (no pulp!), and maybe 1/4 c of skim milk, 1/8 of a block of tofu. It turned out superdelicious.

Also today – run the dog, review the new Yoga Journal, study anat and phys, vacuum/sweep AGAIN, and teach yoga tonight. I’ve also got to print some advertising and look for additional places to teach.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

Effective pharmaceuticals

So I just woke up, on my couch, laptop in hand and couldn’ t figure out where the hell I was or how I got here or why I’d be watching basketball on TV. Trying to reorient myself, I glanced (groggily) around the room. Piper immediately started slapping her tail on the sofa. Carly came down (“Why are you still awake? Me: “I’m awake?”) and said the power’s been going on and off. (Me: Buh?)

I’m taking Team Ambien upstairs to sleep for real, yo.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

Insomniacs love TV

I will say that the dvr comes in handy when it’s 1:30 in the morning and there’s no sleep in sight. Summer session has kicked my brain into overdrive so it’s harder than ever to get to sleep or – once asleep – stay there. That’s right, I can’t just have ONE kind of insomnia – I’ve got to have BOTH. What can I say, I’m an overachiever. Thusly I occasionally resort to a half-dose of Ambien and watch TV while I wait for it to kick in. If you try reading books, sometimes you read the same 10 pages fifteen times because you can’t QUITE remember what happened but when you read it it’s vaguely familiar.

Tonight’s Wipeout was a pretty big change of obstacle course! The first elimination round seemed oddly easier, they took out the third elimination, and then there was foam EVERYWHERE for the final. I wouldn’t have thought foam would make such a difference but it was clearly difficult to swim in. No spills like the guy who did the splits last week or the guy who managed to fall INSIDE the big ball, but plenty of laughs regardless.

Flipping Out. First of all, I cannot BELIEVE the season finale is next week. I can’t believe ANYONE would take a job for Jeff thinking it was an entry to interior/home design and real estate marketing. No one starts out in real estate by PICKING UP DOG SHIT AND GUACAMOLE. That’s ridiculous. Although speaking of guacamole, they never quite resolved that. I know enough about myself to understand I could not possibly be a personal assistant to someone with OCD and a god complex. I hope Jenni and Zoila get paid a lot for being on TV. I want a Zoila t-shirt that looks like that hideous painting.

Psych did an all 80s movie reference episode! The part about the panties was one of my favorites, but in general I just thought it was hilarious. There was also awesome Gus n Shawn love with the ‘best friend’ speech. And a Breakfast Club letter. Excellent. It would be so fun to be a writer on that show.

Eureka opened with music which freaked me out! I was half-afraid there was going to be an entire musical episode but instead it was a regular episode with a self-guided drone named Martha. I adore funny sci-fi.

The Closer is still amazing and the guest-Baldwin did a good job. I like that they’re still as heavy on the cast relationships/interaction as much as they are on cases.

There’s more, I’m sure, but this medication is kicking up and I think typing is going to go downhill (as evidenced by it taking 4 tries to locate the ‘y’ in typing) so I might as well hit the rack.

Tomorrow a proper yoga post. Probably. And maybe a new music mix.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

A day, with bullet points

• I did not have a smoothie today because I had to teach yoga this morning. Breakfast was a Nature Valley Oats n Honey granola bar and Gatorade. Breakfast of Champions!
• I SUCK at Wii Fit Slalom. So much so that I had to immediately do it again twice. There was improvement, but it is still embarrassing.
• I ROCK at Wii Sports Boxing. Also, Wii Sports boxing is BAD ASS.
• I also took my anatomy and physiology exam. I am optimistic.
• I did well on my lab practical.
• I did not cut open a cow heart because it was already cut open. And ENORMOUS. Like as big as my head.
• That was to make you think my life is not all about Wii Sports.
• I’ve gotten the best bowling and golf scores of my life on Wii. I am going to HATE the golf course on Thursday.
• I swiffered up almost an ENTIRE DOG of Piper hair. I didn’t even think that was possible. I need to shave this dog or something.
• WIPE OUT is on TONIGHT!
• So is Flipping Out! And Eureka!
• Holy crap, I need to get a life that does not revolve around video games and television.
• My friend Shane gave me a book about why the ultra conservative Christian Right is the best thing for the Republican party. He said something like, “I know it might make your head explode but I think you should read it.”
• I’m not sure why he thinks I have time for this book because HELLO anatomy and physiology, plus teaching yoga, plus TELEVISION. WTF? Where am I supposed to find free time? ;)
• I think we’re having dinner out. And then coming home to watch TV. Because we are ALL LAME.
• It makes me feel better that I’m not the only lame one.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »

Why am I posting instead of studying?

Because I am a WORLD CLASS PROCRASTINATOR. If I got extra credit points for the amount of time spent procrastinating, I’d ace every class. Alas, that is not how the education system works (thankfully).

Hello to anyone stopping by via dooce! There were a LOT of you yesterday but maybe not so many today. ;)

I think the WordPress comment system is weird. It’s probably because I’m used to Livejournal, where everything threads together and you can tell when someone has commented on something in particular, but it took me a SILLY amount of time to figure out that in WordPress I have to go to the dashboard and look at “my comments.” It’s not an incredibly practical way to foster blog communication but I suppose it is what it is. Doesn’t seem to stop people from posting (or commenting) on WordPress blogs (thankfully).

My 80s mix went BRILLIANTLY last night. As predicted, just about everyone in the room cracked a huge smile when Final Countdown came on. LOVE IT.

In another fit of procrastination yesterday, I broke out the Wii and Wii Fit. I have to tell you, they are AWESOME. Wii golf is so much better than regular golf! Plus there’s bowling and tennis. My favorite Wii Sport is clearly the boxing. I totally worked up a sweat in no time. Of course I can break a sweat BREATHING, so I’m not sure that says much.

Wii Yoga is a little weird. First of all, when you start you only get access to like 4 exercises. That doesn’t make a LOT of sense to me, especially because not all of the yoga asanas are what I’d call ‘advanced.’ The difference between being on a yoga mat and the balance board is most obvious (for me) in tree pose. On your mat, there’s no one charting your center of gravity – you’re just worried about standing up (let ALONE standing still). I discovered that as soon as my gravity center was where I wanted to be, I started to wobble. Not really WOBBLE so much as the weight distribution on my foot went all wonky.

My BEEF with Wii Yoga at this point is Warrior II (Virbadrasana II). The Wii trainer has you put your knee in PRECISELY the position it SHOULD NOT BE IN. I can’t really come up with a good reason they’ve done this but it really puts extra stress on the knee joint that you shouldn’t have. They also emphasize the ‘heels should line up’ alignment idea of which I’m not a huge fan. Everyone’s hip girdle is slightly different. Some have a deeper acetabulum, the ligaments have limited flexibility (and not everyone’s ligaments are the same length), not to mention that everyone’s muscle and tendon structure is slightly different and the particular position they espouse can put pressure on the lower back as a result.

Um. Yeah. Otherwise it’s great. :D

*coughs* *removes yoga rantypants*

I really love it. It’s going to be fantastic for Spouse, who doesn’t really want me to ‘train’ him and doesn’t like going to classes. It is clear that we are all going to have a blast with it, especially once the beer gets involved.

Now I REALLY have to study before I teach at 9.

: : : : : : : : : : :

Read Full Post »