Gettin' things done

This a good day to get things done. I took the day off, so today I voted, bought a guitar tuner, went grocery shopping, bought a yoga DVD I've been thinking about, and finally took pics of our new vegetable garden.

Voting wasn't bad. Our precinct isn't too big, so I think I only waited for about 2 or 3 minutes. On the way out running my errands, hundreds of Obama signs seem to have sprouted overnight. It was kinda cool to see that display in my mostly republican neighborhood.

I found my way to a local music store and bought a guitar tuner. Someone at work told me about them. I never knew such a thing existed. I'm gonna go try it out today. While there, I saw a flyer about classes starting in January. $89 for eight weeks! Sounds like a bargain to me. I'm seriously thinking about checking that out.

I picked up the "A.M. Yoga" DVD too. It has five twenty-minute sessions. Monday night I go to a class, and it's something I look forward to all week. So I may try to do this a couple mornings a week too. Still not great at it, but I think I hit a milestone this week. A lot of the poses that I struggled with seemed to have clicked this week. Love it.

About three weeks ago, we built a small raised bed for vegetables on the south side of our house. We planted grape and cherry tomatoes, zuchini, summer squash, basil, radishes, mixed lettus greens, jalepenos, and yellow and red bell peppers. Next we're going to build a trellis and plant some beans and/or maybe snowpeas. The tomatoes are doing really well - lots of little blooms already.

We've also been talking about extending the fence on the north side of the house closer to the street. That will give us a place to put a couple rain barrels and a compost pile. We haven't had a place for a compost pile in a few years. And with all the yard debris we produce, it's just a good idea. BTW - did you hear that the recycling company in Pinellas county is going to stop accepting glass for recycling for the next year?! Bad timing - since St. Pete is JUST starting their curbside recycling program. Apparently there is a real glut in recycled glass. Yet recycled glass items are still exhorbitantly expensive. Go figure.

Yoga Update...

Back in April, I mentioned that I finally got the nerve to try the yoga class at the gym. Since then, I've switched gyms, and tried a couple others. I still enjoy it, although I still feel really awkward. My description of trying to bend a potato in half still fits. But It's getting a little better.

The instructors at my new gym aren't as good, I don't think. The instructor of the first class I tried wasn't very personable. I got the sense that she drew the short straw. The class I go to now is a little better. She said she also teaches at another yoga studio and is also a massage therapist. She seems a little more into it, and is good about walking around the room and giving feedback and helping out.

There's another class I haven't tried that they call "Yoga-Ball" a combination of yoga and pilates (I've also heard it referred to as "yogalates"). But I have horrible visions of me falling off the ball and onto a neighbor. I'll continue to go to this one, because I do enjoy it. And honestly, it's a good change of pace from the circuit training and the cardio stuff. As I get better, maybe eventually I'll seek out another class elsewhere.

Yoga me this, Batman!

Well, I actually went back. This was my second attempt. I went to a different class on Tuesday, with a different instructor. I think it was easier, yet harder.

The instructor was a little difficult to understand. She was nice, but she spoke as though everything was one long run on sentence and she had to get it out all in one breath. Between trying to hear her, and understand what she was saying, and then decipher it in my head, while trying to balance myself in some contorted way that my body wasn't used to - well, I'm sure I looked like a fool. "Bendyourbodytodownwardfacingdogthenneestouchingyourtoesmovingforwardintoaforwardlungebackuptosunsoluteand
backdowntouchingyourlowerbackwithyourelbowdownintopoopingwarthog."

WTF? Did I hear that correctly?

At the end of the class, I think I detected an accent (possibly Australian?), which would have added to my difficulty following along.

But I was persistent. The group felt very welcoming, which was a big plus. Especially since I look like a walrus trying to do some funky ballet. I'm sure I'll continue to go to her class on Tuesdays. Got another I want to check out on Thursdays. Need to give this a good run before I decide to embrace it or give it up for something else.

ciao for now.

Tryin' sumthin' new

Maybe it's desperation. Maybe it's bravery. Maybe it's because it's my four-oh year (shit). I thought I'd jump in and try something I've thought about for a long time. I finally went to a yoga class.

It was pretty much what I expected. It started with a little chant (om), which was a little weird for me. But whatever. Not a deal breaker. While I certainly didn't expect it to be EASY by any means, but it was definitely a challenge. Within about ten minutes, I was sweatin' like a whore in church, as the saying goes. And I couldn't do but a few of the moves/poses. But I gave it a good try. Towards the end, I faded out pretty quickly. I just laid there sweating. I may have cried a little. I can't remember. But no one asked me to leave. Maybe they thought I was having a spiritual breakthrough. I felt a little strange at the end. I'm not sure how to explain it other than I just felt "toxic." I'm not even sure that I know what that means. But I felt like I needed more than a shower.

I left not sure if I liked it or not. But I felt like I got some good exercise, which was the goal. I decided that I'm going to have to go a few times to decide if it's for me.

Today I felt pretty good. I definitely slept better. I feel like I worked out yesterday. So it's a good thing. I did have to go buy a mat. But then Alicia made me realize that I think I bought a PVC mat. So much for eco-responsibility.