Oh, the Holidays. My poor stomach was the collateral damage of the overindulgence of the office Holiday Party last night. Fried rice balls, pizzetta, rack of lamb, chocolate cake, the mysteries of the always full wine glass took their toll on my digestive system. Tis the season, I guess. This was a scaled down version of the GMA Holiday Party; previous years have included smoke machine fueled dance parties and off-kilter Rockband sing-a-longs. Although somewhat quiet for GMA, it was still nice to celebrate the end of the year, although this year has taken a toll on our office. Those of us remaining are still on a 4-day work week, and although there is some hope on the horizon, some projects are finishing up. There were still the moments of hilarity, like when I discovered that my tattoo was visible over the top edge of the back of my dress when one of the partners and one of the associates noticed the ink and had all sorts of questions about it. A bit embarrassing, but funny nonetheless.
As I'm sitting here recovering from the night out, I've been thinking of reasons to be cheerful at the end of this year. Here's a sampling.
1. I still have a job. My office has suffered a lot of cuts this year; we're down to 15 architects, about half of what we were about 18 months ago. It's possible there may be more, but at this point I'm pretty confident that I'll survive.
2. I got a bonus this year. Totally and completely unexpected. It was smaller than previous years, but with the way things have gone this year, I was shocked to see it in my bank account when I checked my direct deposit on Tuesday morning. I found out today from one of the partners that they only gave bonuses to three people this year. This is what made me more confident about item #1.
3. Sailing. Being out in the harbor is one of the greatest places in New York in the summer. This season especially as I worked on my Mate checklist. I felt a lot of support from the Mates and Captains as I worked my way through all the different skills.
4. My friends. I know, that's a cliche, but really, I've got the greatest friends in the world. From accompanying me on my trip to the doctor for my biopsy, to introducing me to the guy I'm currently dating, to comforting me when the previous guy pulled a disappearing act, my friends are awesome in every sense of that word.
5. Skype. It's great to be able to see my sister out in California while talking to her.
Have a great holiday!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
to sleep, perhaps to dream
Unfortunately, that's not happening tonight. It's 1:54AM according to the cable box. I woke up about an hour ago, and cannot get back to sleep. After lying in bed for about 45 minutes, I decided to get up and peruse the internet. If this doesn't work, the tv is going on and I'm going to lay down on the couch. That's a surefire way to fall asleep.
I'm going to get some milk.
As I'm checking out www.gofugyourself.com, I come across this photo:
My first thought is, "Oh, please. What's with the lack of pants wearing today? Lace stockings are not pants." The girl is 16. I tried to get out of the house in some things my mother didn't approve of when I was that age (but that was because they were black or ripped or she didn't like me wearing my dad's old dress Army jacket) but it would have never occurred to me to skip a basic piece of clothing.
Second thought is, "When did little J get so freaking tall?" Maybe it's just the angle, but she looks freakishly tall. This leads to a google search. This is not a help, the internet does not agree with itself - one site says 5'-4 1/2" one site says 5'-10" yet another says 5'-8". There are way too many chat rooms discussing the height of the Gossip Girl stars, and who's taller than who. One even has a comparison photo between Blake Lively and Maria Sharapova, Tennis Star (I guess because Maria's height is a known factor?).
The strangest fact is that the girl above is the same person as the girl in the photo below:
I think I like her hair better as Cindy Lou Who.
Another 30 minutes have gone by. I think it's time to try the somnolent effects of late night tv. I'm just thankful that insomnia is a rare occurence for me.
I'm going to get some milk.
As I'm checking out www.gofugyourself.com, I come across this photo:
My first thought is, "Oh, please. What's with the lack of pants wearing today? Lace stockings are not pants." The girl is 16. I tried to get out of the house in some things my mother didn't approve of when I was that age (but that was because they were black or ripped or she didn't like me wearing my dad's old dress Army jacket) but it would have never occurred to me to skip a basic piece of clothing.
Second thought is, "When did little J get so freaking tall?" Maybe it's just the angle, but she looks freakishly tall. This leads to a google search. This is not a help, the internet does not agree with itself - one site says 5'-4 1/2" one site says 5'-10" yet another says 5'-8". There are way too many chat rooms discussing the height of the Gossip Girl stars, and who's taller than who. One even has a comparison photo between Blake Lively and Maria Sharapova, Tennis Star (I guess because Maria's height is a known factor?).
The strangest fact is that the girl above is the same person as the girl in the photo below:
I think I like her hair better as Cindy Lou Who.
Another 30 minutes have gone by. I think it's time to try the somnolent effects of late night tv. I'm just thankful that insomnia is a rare occurence for me.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
What a difference a year makes
On the train headed up to the Compound for Thanksgiving, it hit me that it's been a year since I forced the itinerant sailor to break up with me. He was feeding Salem for the weekend while I was away, and we were going to get something to eat before I left for the Holiday. He had been either ignoring me or making excuses not to see me for a couple of weeks, and in general, I was miserable.
That's right, I did say forced. Why didn't I just break up with him if I was so unhappy? I think I just wanted him to stop being such a weasel, man up, and tell me he didn't want to be with me anymore. He couldn't look me in the eye as he was telling me he had a lot of stuff going on in his life, he really needed to be alone, and at the end of his explanations and excuses, it was just a relief to know where I stood.
Silly me thinking it was a simple break up. Over the next couple of weeks, lies were discovered, there were threats (not by me, but by a very protective friend), the vagrant sailor was reprimanded by the Museum Director (although that was ridiculous - why anyone got her involved is still beyond me, but I think someone was trying to cover his ass), and there was a 3AM argument at Fresh Salt right before Christmas where Jesse told us to stop yelling at each other. I had never had such a drama fueled post breakup, and I was still miserable and my self esteem was pretty low.
For it being a short relationship, a number of things were life-changing:
Date number 12 seemed the most promising, but after two rounds of dating him with a five month lag between rounds, I saw him for what he was. I'm still not quite sure what that was, but I know that it wasn't anything that I needed in my life. Too many questions and that all too familiar sinking feeling surrounded the last date and the following week of unclear texts - too tired, too busy, too unable to plan.
He disappeared for a second time, and I won't go looking for him again. It was also a relief that the last evidence of the bet was gone - how to explain to someone why they were referred to as number 12? How would they react to the bet? It would either be "I was one of 15!" or "I was one of 15?"
Around mid-October, between only being contacted by men in their 20's and men in the 50's, I had had it with OK Cupid. I was giving up on dating until at least the new year. This time it wasn't so much why don't they want me, but that I was just so tired of what was available to me in this limited fashion. There had to be something better, but I was ready to just be by myself for a while.
In my new free state, I went to meet Heidi B at the New Museum one evening. Her friend Eric had sent her an invite for a book signing of one of his former professors at SCI-ARC, and I tagged along. He wasn't someone I'd typically be interested in (somewhere along the way I had decided that guys in the profession were off-limits, they were so self-absorbed usually), so we chatted a lot about working in New York, about grad school, the economy, and then the question: So, are you dating anyone? Since I was so adamantly not looking for someone, I immediately took it as he was just being friendly, just making conversation. A couple of us went to dinner, we ended up sitting next to each other, the conversation kept on, and I figured that something was happening that was more organic than catching a glimpse of someone's thumbnail photo on a website.
A couple of days later, he casually emailed asking if I wanted to meet for a drink. Sure, I've been wanting to check out the Standard. We met for drinks and then dinner that night, and then drinks two nights later, and then a movie at his apartment two nights after that. I feel like I've been caught off guard, but in a really good way. Being male, he could always disappear like the rest of them, but we'll see.
That's right, I did say forced. Why didn't I just break up with him if I was so unhappy? I think I just wanted him to stop being such a weasel, man up, and tell me he didn't want to be with me anymore. He couldn't look me in the eye as he was telling me he had a lot of stuff going on in his life, he really needed to be alone, and at the end of his explanations and excuses, it was just a relief to know where I stood.
Silly me thinking it was a simple break up. Over the next couple of weeks, lies were discovered, there were threats (not by me, but by a very protective friend), the vagrant sailor was reprimanded by the Museum Director (although that was ridiculous - why anyone got her involved is still beyond me, but I think someone was trying to cover his ass), and there was a 3AM argument at Fresh Salt right before Christmas where Jesse told us to stop yelling at each other. I had never had such a drama fueled post breakup, and I was still miserable and my self esteem was pretty low.
For it being a short relationship, a number of things were life-changing:
- Hanging out with him was the final straw for a friendship between another volunteer and I that was already very strained.
- The state of my self esteem after the breakup finally made me go to therapy to deal with why I had such issues with relationships. There was a dichotomy between how I felt inside and what I projected to the public. It was a puzzle to me how people had an impression of a really confident self-assured woman when I felt so small and insignificant and invisible.
- A friend challenged me to a bet - 15 dates in 10 weeks. If you're not familiar with that story, you can read it here.
Date number 12 seemed the most promising, but after two rounds of dating him with a five month lag between rounds, I saw him for what he was. I'm still not quite sure what that was, but I know that it wasn't anything that I needed in my life. Too many questions and that all too familiar sinking feeling surrounded the last date and the following week of unclear texts - too tired, too busy, too unable to plan.
He disappeared for a second time, and I won't go looking for him again. It was also a relief that the last evidence of the bet was gone - how to explain to someone why they were referred to as number 12? How would they react to the bet? It would either be "I was one of 15!" or "I was one of 15?"
Around mid-October, between only being contacted by men in their 20's and men in the 50's, I had had it with OK Cupid. I was giving up on dating until at least the new year. This time it wasn't so much why don't they want me, but that I was just so tired of what was available to me in this limited fashion. There had to be something better, but I was ready to just be by myself for a while.
In my new free state, I went to meet Heidi B at the New Museum one evening. Her friend Eric had sent her an invite for a book signing of one of his former professors at SCI-ARC, and I tagged along. He wasn't someone I'd typically be interested in (somewhere along the way I had decided that guys in the profession were off-limits, they were so self-absorbed usually), so we chatted a lot about working in New York, about grad school, the economy, and then the question: So, are you dating anyone? Since I was so adamantly not looking for someone, I immediately took it as he was just being friendly, just making conversation. A couple of us went to dinner, we ended up sitting next to each other, the conversation kept on, and I figured that something was happening that was more organic than catching a glimpse of someone's thumbnail photo on a website.
A couple of days later, he casually emailed asking if I wanted to meet for a drink. Sure, I've been wanting to check out the Standard. We met for drinks and then dinner that night, and then drinks two nights later, and then a movie at his apartment two nights after that. I feel like I've been caught off guard, but in a really good way. Being male, he could always disappear like the rest of them, but we'll see.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
On with my life
After waiting a week, I got my test results: Benign (not cancer). It strikes me as funny that they have to include the parenthetical addition, and this is in the written lab results and when the nurse told me the results over the phone. But, I guess its good to be clear. Now, on to worrying about other things, such as paying for the tests...I love that having insurance still means that I have to pay at least $1000. Those are the bills I've gotten so far - according to the email my insurance company sent me, there's another $500 bill coming. We don't need health care reform now, do we?
I just can't believe that I'm paying more out of pocket than my dad did when he had triple bypass surgery with a 7-day hospital stay.
Once I recovered from the procedure, I finished the yoga challenge. Didn't end up practicing yoga everyday, but with everything that was going on in October, I feel I did pretty well. Om Yoga does this challenge twice a year, so there is always March.
After things being relatively stable at work, the situation started to become uneasy again at the beginning of October. Back in July, the partners had called an office meeting to tell us that starting July 15th, we'd all be taking a 20% paycut for three months. The supposed end of this paycut was quickly approaching and we did not have any new projects to allow us all to go back to full time. Would be continue the pay and time cut? Would some people go back to full time and other people recieve their pink slip? No one knew, and no one was talking. Finally on the 13th, one of the partners walked around and told everyone that the paycut would continue. At least people weren't going to be laid off, I thought. Well, that was optimistic.
In the last couple of weeks, the office is feeling like a bad reality TV show. People are being eliminated one at a time, and the layoffs are happening in the middle of the pay period. Out of the four people laid off in the last three weeks, three of them were the newest hires (although one of them had been there two years). There seemed to be a reason to the madness, and then this week someone who didn't seem to be in that line of fire, and who had an active project, was laid off. That was unsettling. At this point, it seems like any of us could be next.
We finally had an office meeting today to discuss the current situation. The partners told us that although we've been able to get a couple of small projects, they're not the size that we need to sustain the office, and there will be more layoffs if something big doesn't come in.
Although I am anxious about the situation, I feel there are people that will go before me, and I'll survive as long as the firm survives. Hopefully, things will turn around before then.
I just can't believe that I'm paying more out of pocket than my dad did when he had triple bypass surgery with a 7-day hospital stay.
Once I recovered from the procedure, I finished the yoga challenge. Didn't end up practicing yoga everyday, but with everything that was going on in October, I feel I did pretty well. Om Yoga does this challenge twice a year, so there is always March.
After things being relatively stable at work, the situation started to become uneasy again at the beginning of October. Back in July, the partners had called an office meeting to tell us that starting July 15th, we'd all be taking a 20% paycut for three months. The supposed end of this paycut was quickly approaching and we did not have any new projects to allow us all to go back to full time. Would be continue the pay and time cut? Would some people go back to full time and other people recieve their pink slip? No one knew, and no one was talking. Finally on the 13th, one of the partners walked around and told everyone that the paycut would continue. At least people weren't going to be laid off, I thought. Well, that was optimistic.
In the last couple of weeks, the office is feeling like a bad reality TV show. People are being eliminated one at a time, and the layoffs are happening in the middle of the pay period. Out of the four people laid off in the last three weeks, three of them were the newest hires (although one of them had been there two years). There seemed to be a reason to the madness, and then this week someone who didn't seem to be in that line of fire, and who had an active project, was laid off. That was unsettling. At this point, it seems like any of us could be next.
We finally had an office meeting today to discuss the current situation. The partners told us that although we've been able to get a couple of small projects, they're not the size that we need to sustain the office, and there will be more layoffs if something big doesn't come in.
Although I am anxious about the situation, I feel there are people that will go before me, and I'll survive as long as the firm survives. Hopefully, things will turn around before then.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Highs and Lows
First the good news - I was able to get into a headstand without assistance this week! Yay! The not so good news - some stuff of a questionable nature showed up in my tests this week, and I have to have more on Friday.
DAY 17
The sails for the day had been canceled, so I was pretty free for whatever class I wanted to take. Joe was teaching an Open class at 12:30, so I headed over to the studio. Great class, as always. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with multiple other things: one, the transit for Pioneer was scheduled in the morning, I needed to be there at 0600, and the weather looked absolutely uncooperative; two, Christoper (number 12) had been acting like he had last spring, basically he was too busy to fit me into his life, and had blown off my attempts to see him this week. It's frustrating to realize that his job nine months ago or so was not the problem. It's him.
I ended up crying on a friend's shoulder (literally) that evening as I released all of the tension from dealing with yet another failed potential relationship. I'm back on OKC.
DAY 18
Transit day. I get down to the boat at 0600, and its pouring rain and cold. Weather forecast is for cold temperatures and high winds. We attempt to leave for Haverstraw, but after about 45 minutes of motoring against the wind to get around the Battery, we return to the dock. Captain Dorfman decides to try again at 1700, but the wind conditions do not change, so the trip is postponed until the morning when the weather is expected to improve dramatically.
I thought maybe I could make it to a class in the intervening hours, but ended up switching between napping on the couch and watching a Twin Peaks marathon for most of the day. I was able to leave the house for the 5:30 Restorative Class. Ah, relaxation.
Turn to was at 0500 the next morning, so I turned in early.
DAY 19
Transit day, take 2. By the time I got down to Pier 16, I could see that stars were out and that it was going to be a clear day. It was still cold, but at least it wasn't raining. Most of the way up we had NW winds, and were able to raise the fore and staysail for about 30 minutes. We made the 35 mile trip in 6.5 hours.
Needless to say after a day out in the cold and wind, I was exhausted when I got back home. I had plans for dinner with Filipa to talk about our man troubles. I thought I could make it to a class, but after losing 2 1/2 hours to a nap, I just didn't quite make it to class.
DAY 20
7:30PM Open Class with Joe. He is quickly becoming my favorite instructor at Om. It was a vigorous class, I ended up sweating bullets, and towards the end of the class when we were doing inversions, I was able to get up into a headstand. I was able to really differentiate what muscle groups I needed to push to stay in the pose, and to keep pressure off my neck. I really enjoy moments where I really feel like I'm making progress.
DAY 21
In the morning I packed up my yoga stuff so I could go to class after work to continue on with the challenge. Before all that though, I had to deal with my 8:30 mammogram. Some milestones really suck.
I got to the doctor's office a couple of minutes early to fill out paperwork. I'm waiting....and waiting....A little after 9:00, a nurse comes out apologizing for the delay, and says its going to be another 30 minutes. I have a meeting at 11:00 that I need to go to since my boss is sick. I contact Jen in the office to see if she can get the drawings up to the gallery since I won't have time to go to the office and make it up to midtown for the meeting.
9:30, nurse comes out again. She again apologizes for the delay. One woman goes ballistic. I on the other hand decide that I need to reschedule. The nurse calls my name a minute later. I figure that I've got 90 minutes, and I'll be ok for my meeting. At this point, I'm much more concerned about being late than getting these routine scans done.
I change into the completely unfashionable hospital gown that just looks great with my boots, and sit in a second waiting room for about 15 minutes. They call me in, I get pushed and pulled and prodded, and then sent out to the waiting room again while a doctor checks my films.
For those of you who have never had this procedure done - it's miserable. While I was waiting, I was listening to these two older women who between then have probably had this procedure 20 or 30 times at least. One of them was complaining about one of the technicians, and how if she got stuck with that woman she was going to politely ask for someone else. When you think about how the breasts are one of the most sexualized and fetishized female body parts, this flesh is basically treated like play-doh when it comes to making sure it's healthy.
The nurse calls me in to the room for some additional films. I figure that I must have moved ever so minutely, and the image wasn't clear. I once again go out to the waiting room. 10 minutes later, they call me in for a third set of films. Now I'm worried.
A little while later as I'm sitting in the examination room, the doctor comes in and tells me that I have 'bright spots' on my films, and that although she thinks they are most likely not a problem, I have to have a biopsy to make sure that they are not malignant. I wish she had said that they have to do the procedure to confirm that they're benign. Semantics, I know.
Luckily, they have an opening on Friday morning. I'm going to continue thinking that it's probably nothing.
So no yoga tonight. I also can't do anything strenuous for three days after the procedure, so no yoga for the rest of the weekend. Well, maybe a restorative class on Sunday.
DAY 17
The sails for the day had been canceled, so I was pretty free for whatever class I wanted to take. Joe was teaching an Open class at 12:30, so I headed over to the studio. Great class, as always. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with multiple other things: one, the transit for Pioneer was scheduled in the morning, I needed to be there at 0600, and the weather looked absolutely uncooperative; two, Christoper (number 12) had been acting like he had last spring, basically he was too busy to fit me into his life, and had blown off my attempts to see him this week. It's frustrating to realize that his job nine months ago or so was not the problem. It's him.
I ended up crying on a friend's shoulder (literally) that evening as I released all of the tension from dealing with yet another failed potential relationship. I'm back on OKC.
DAY 18
Transit day. I get down to the boat at 0600, and its pouring rain and cold. Weather forecast is for cold temperatures and high winds. We attempt to leave for Haverstraw, but after about 45 minutes of motoring against the wind to get around the Battery, we return to the dock. Captain Dorfman decides to try again at 1700, but the wind conditions do not change, so the trip is postponed until the morning when the weather is expected to improve dramatically.
I thought maybe I could make it to a class in the intervening hours, but ended up switching between napping on the couch and watching a Twin Peaks marathon for most of the day. I was able to leave the house for the 5:30 Restorative Class. Ah, relaxation.
Turn to was at 0500 the next morning, so I turned in early.
DAY 19
Transit day, take 2. By the time I got down to Pier 16, I could see that stars were out and that it was going to be a clear day. It was still cold, but at least it wasn't raining. Most of the way up we had NW winds, and were able to raise the fore and staysail for about 30 minutes. We made the 35 mile trip in 6.5 hours.
Needless to say after a day out in the cold and wind, I was exhausted when I got back home. I had plans for dinner with Filipa to talk about our man troubles. I thought I could make it to a class, but after losing 2 1/2 hours to a nap, I just didn't quite make it to class.
DAY 20
7:30PM Open Class with Joe. He is quickly becoming my favorite instructor at Om. It was a vigorous class, I ended up sweating bullets, and towards the end of the class when we were doing inversions, I was able to get up into a headstand. I was able to really differentiate what muscle groups I needed to push to stay in the pose, and to keep pressure off my neck. I really enjoy moments where I really feel like I'm making progress.
DAY 21
In the morning I packed up my yoga stuff so I could go to class after work to continue on with the challenge. Before all that though, I had to deal with my 8:30 mammogram. Some milestones really suck.
I got to the doctor's office a couple of minutes early to fill out paperwork. I'm waiting....and waiting....A little after 9:00, a nurse comes out apologizing for the delay, and says its going to be another 30 minutes. I have a meeting at 11:00 that I need to go to since my boss is sick. I contact Jen in the office to see if she can get the drawings up to the gallery since I won't have time to go to the office and make it up to midtown for the meeting.
9:30, nurse comes out again. She again apologizes for the delay. One woman goes ballistic. I on the other hand decide that I need to reschedule. The nurse calls my name a minute later. I figure that I've got 90 minutes, and I'll be ok for my meeting. At this point, I'm much more concerned about being late than getting these routine scans done.
I change into the completely unfashionable hospital gown that just looks great with my boots, and sit in a second waiting room for about 15 minutes. They call me in, I get pushed and pulled and prodded, and then sent out to the waiting room again while a doctor checks my films.
For those of you who have never had this procedure done - it's miserable. While I was waiting, I was listening to these two older women who between then have probably had this procedure 20 or 30 times at least. One of them was complaining about one of the technicians, and how if she got stuck with that woman she was going to politely ask for someone else. When you think about how the breasts are one of the most sexualized and fetishized female body parts, this flesh is basically treated like play-doh when it comes to making sure it's healthy.
The nurse calls me in to the room for some additional films. I figure that I must have moved ever so minutely, and the image wasn't clear. I once again go out to the waiting room. 10 minutes later, they call me in for a third set of films. Now I'm worried.
A little while later as I'm sitting in the examination room, the doctor comes in and tells me that I have 'bright spots' on my films, and that although she thinks they are most likely not a problem, I have to have a biopsy to make sure that they are not malignant. I wish she had said that they have to do the procedure to confirm that they're benign. Semantics, I know.
Luckily, they have an opening on Friday morning. I'm going to continue thinking that it's probably nothing.
So no yoga tonight. I also can't do anything strenuous for three days after the procedure, so no yoga for the rest of the weekend. Well, maybe a restorative class on Sunday.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The blatant crash of Autumn
So Fall is here. It's made its presence known with unseasonably cold temperatures, rainy weather, and gray skies. I was hoping Indian Summer would appear this weekend for the last sailing of the summer, but due to the forecast, the season has basically been scratched other than a couple of more education sails and the trip up to Haverstraw on Sunday through Tuesday. I'm doing the transit and the programs on Monday. It's going to be cold and rainy, and most likely miserable. It's the last chance for sailing this season though, so I'll take it. Hopefully Monday will be sunny, or at least dry. Highs are only forecast for the mid 50's though.
Turn to is 0600 on Sunday, so practicing yoga on that day is shot. Monday, I'll do it once I get home - I doubt I'll be able to get to the studio in time for even the last class at 8PM.
Here's the wrap up of the rest of the week though.
DAY 15
Officially half way there! There is a meeting for all challenge participants on Monday at 6:30, but unfortunately I won't be able to make it. Thursday was the first of the cold raw days. I planned to go to the 7:45PM Stretch/Restorative class. Once I got home after work, it took all I could muster to leave the house again. I grabbed my rain gear and headed out before I could change my mind.
The instructor wanted us to concentrate on being instead of doing. Nothing should be a strain, everything should be with minimum effort. In that way, I succeeded.
DAY 16
I got up in the morning and made a list of things to do on my day off:
Tennis was a bit optimistic. It had rained the day before, but the streets were starting to dry. I texted Elena to tell her I was heading to the courts. Once I got there and looked at the courts. They were still soaked and covered in leaves. No tennis.
Yoga's a bit easier to predict. I went to the 12:30 open class. This week I've gone to mostly stretch or restorative classes, so it was good to get to a more vigorous class. The class (like most vinyasa classes) concentrated on variations for sun salutations, but then we moved on to inversions. Those are a challenge. The order the instructor wanted us to do them in: headstand, handstand, forearm stand.
I start out with the headstand. I've been working on the preparation of each of these poses. No matter how much
upper body strength you think you have, this is really tested when you need to rely on these muscle groups to hold your body up. For all these poses, its best to start by doing them against a wall so that there is something to stop the momentum of your legs. It also helps with balance. I was able set up for the headstand on the floor (see diagram), and was abl
e to kick one leg up to the wall. I'm not able to stay in the pose yet.
The handstand was next. One of the preparation methods is to do the pose in an "L" position, with your hands on the mat, and your legs perpendicular to the wall. This is harder than it looks. The instructor helped me into this pose by standing behind me with her knees pressing into my shoulders to help me stay up. This pose is also hard due to the muscles in the backs of my legs being really tight also. But I was able to stay up for about 20 seconds. It's a start.
I was also able to get into the crow pose for the first time. That feels like a real accomplishment.
After yoga, I headed over to Diagnostic Radiology Associates to pick up some films in preparation for a mamogram next week. My first one was two years ago, so my doctor figured it was time for another one, especially since I turned 40 this year. October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, seems like a good time for one. They are strange ghost-like images, similar to sonograms and catscans. I don't understand them, but I glad some people are trained to.
Turn to is 0600 on Sunday, so practicing yoga on that day is shot. Monday, I'll do it once I get home - I doubt I'll be able to get to the studio in time for even the last class at 8PM.
Here's the wrap up of the rest of the week though.
DAY 15
Officially half way there! There is a meeting for all challenge participants on Monday at 6:30, but unfortunately I won't be able to make it. Thursday was the first of the cold raw days. I planned to go to the 7:45PM Stretch/Restorative class. Once I got home after work, it took all I could muster to leave the house again. I grabbed my rain gear and headed out before I could change my mind.
The instructor wanted us to concentrate on being instead of doing. Nothing should be a strain, everything should be with minimum effort. In that way, I succeeded.
DAY 16
I got up in the morning and made a list of things to do on my day off:
- Tennis
- Yoga
- Drugstore
- Pick up food for Salem
- Pick up medical films
- Clean my desk (way overdue)
- Hang second window shade (again, way overdue. Hung the first one back in August).
Tennis was a bit optimistic. It had rained the day before, but the streets were starting to dry. I texted Elena to tell her I was heading to the courts. Once I got there and looked at the courts. They were still soaked and covered in leaves. No tennis.
Yoga's a bit easier to predict. I went to the 12:30 open class. This week I've gone to mostly stretch or restorative classes, so it was good to get to a more vigorous class. The class (like most vinyasa classes) concentrated on variations for sun salutations, but then we moved on to inversions. Those are a challenge. The order the instructor wanted us to do them in: headstand, handstand, forearm stand.
I start out with the headstand. I've been working on the preparation of each of these poses. No matter how much
upper body strength you think you have, this is really tested when you need to rely on these muscle groups to hold your body up. For all these poses, its best to start by doing them against a wall so that there is something to stop the momentum of your legs. It also helps with balance. I was able set up for the headstand on the floor (see diagram), and was abl
e to kick one leg up to the wall. I'm not able to stay in the pose yet.The handstand was next. One of the preparation methods is to do the pose in an "L" position, with your hands on the mat, and your legs perpendicular to the wall. This is harder than it looks. The instructor helped me into this pose by standing behind me with her knees pressing into my shoulders to help me stay up. This pose is also hard due to the muscles in the backs of my legs being really tight also. But I was able to stay up for about 20 seconds. It's a start.
I was also able to get into the crow pose for the first time. That feels like a real accomplishment.
After yoga, I headed over to Diagnostic Radiology Associates to pick up some films in preparation for a mamogram next week. My first one was two years ago, so my doctor figured it was time for another one, especially since I turned 40 this year. October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, seems like a good time for one. They are strange ghost-like images, similar to sonograms and catscans. I don't understand them, but I glad some people are trained to.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day 14 - nearly half way there
I've reviewed my progress so far, and I've practiced yoga 10 out of the last 14 days. I'm pretty pleased that currently I'm meeting with 71% of the challenge. I could do better though, and the rest of the week looks like it'll be easier to fit a class in.
DAY 14
Days have been dragging at the office since Thursday. The first week of October we had learned that our paycut was going to be extended indefinitely. That was bad enough. The worse news came last week when two more people were let go. I once again made the cut, and one of my co-workers told me that she thought that I'd be one of the last ones standing. I hope she's right. I took over a project from one of the people who left, a renovation of the Picasso Museum that we finished a couple of years ago. The Museum is looking to convert some of the areas close to the entry into a 'free-zone', mostly retail/cafe spaces to generate more revenue from the public who may not necessarily buy a ticket to the Museum. I'm hoping this turns into a trip for me.
I spent most of the day familiarizing myself with the existing building and investigating what we needed to renovate. I was also looking forward to checking out the Core class at Om.
The description of the class states that "A juicy, creative, flowing class integrating asanas, pranayama and pilates, focusing on strengthening your core throughout the entire practice. You'll see all the familiar elements of an OM yoga class intertwined with pilates based exercises. This awareness will deliver stability and freedom to your poses, relieve back pain, tone your tummy and awaken your core power!" I focused on the word "pilates" and thought the class was going to be different than it was. It ended up being an open class focusing on balancing poses - hence using the core muscles.
During the class, the instructor came over while I was in downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and told me to try to straighten out my legs more. Right! I was obviously attempting to with no success, so he tells me to engage my quads. I tried that, and was able to straighten them, oh, probably another millimeter. Over the last two weeks, I do feel some give in them, but its going to be a while before I can straighten them in that pose and get my heels on the floor. My first goal is to be able to touch the floor when I bend over. Baby steps.
DAY 14
Days have been dragging at the office since Thursday. The first week of October we had learned that our paycut was going to be extended indefinitely. That was bad enough. The worse news came last week when two more people were let go. I once again made the cut, and one of my co-workers told me that she thought that I'd be one of the last ones standing. I hope she's right. I took over a project from one of the people who left, a renovation of the Picasso Museum that we finished a couple of years ago. The Museum is looking to convert some of the areas close to the entry into a 'free-zone', mostly retail/cafe spaces to generate more revenue from the public who may not necessarily buy a ticket to the Museum. I'm hoping this turns into a trip for me.
I spent most of the day familiarizing myself with the existing building and investigating what we needed to renovate. I was also looking forward to checking out the Core class at Om.
The description of the class states that "A juicy, creative, flowing class integrating asanas, pranayama and pilates, focusing on strengthening your core throughout the entire practice. You'll see all the familiar elements of an OM yoga class intertwined with pilates based exercises. This awareness will deliver stability and freedom to your poses, relieve back pain, tone your tummy and awaken your core power!" I focused on the word "pilates" and thought the class was going to be different than it was. It ended up being an open class focusing on balancing poses - hence using the core muscles.
During the class, the instructor came over while I was in downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) and told me to try to straighten out my legs more. Right! I was obviously attempting to with no success, so he tells me to engage my quads. I tried that, and was able to straighten them, oh, probably another millimeter. Over the last two weeks, I do feel some give in them, but its going to be a while before I can straighten them in that pose and get my heels on the floor. My first goal is to be able to touch the floor when I bend over. Baby steps.
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