F Is For Fun

Zumba won by default today. The yoga class that I considered going to was full. Thought about pressing my nose to the window to see if someone would let me in but, at some point, I had to resume a more active lifestyle so I hit the gym and since I have not been since last year, I forgot about the resolution peeps. The parking lot was packed.

Alisha reminded us that it was our class and that we should modify as necessary and that's what I did and that's what the woman with the knee brace did.

So far so good with the ankle. I did wear my foot brace so the ankle should have been pretty stable...

Last night, watched Trainwreck with the 'Fugee. At some point, Amy says that her father is one of her favorite folks and it reminded me of my father and how he liked to joke around and have a good time.

I also like to joke around but when I thought of my father, it inspired me to have more fun. Effective immediatley, I'm going to take a look and see how I can up the happiness and fun by at least 10%.

Soothed

Linda to Alison: I didn't see you in Joanie's class.

Alison: Where was I at? Oh, I was bicycling with Andrea on Grant's Trail.

Linda: Isn't that kind of flat and boring?

 Alison: It's just the kind of terrain that I like...

Right before savasana and about 45 minutes after Linda and Alison's exchange, Gloria asked us to pull our knees into our chests and to rock side to side So that you feel calm and soothed.

It has been a calm and soothing weekend and I've ticked just about everything off of my Weekend Bucket List.

Grant's Trail

Post-Yoga Herbivore Omelet with Sweet Potatoes, Not On The List

Pink and White Carpet

The 'Fugee and I watched August: Osage County. Didn't really know anything about the plot line. Knew that there had been nominations but didn't know that it was a dark comedy. While I watched, I thought What a meaty movie...It was a star-studded film but I was still taken with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts' performances. I had to hit the rewind button during the fish scene which was funny and devastating.

The song that's been rolling through my head? I Can See Clearly Now. Only, I didn't remember the name. I thought it was It's Going To Be A Bright...Sun-Shiny Day.

Sun, Glorious Sun

Just Lovely

So nice to wake up to sunshine and not blaring sirens that remind you how the area earned its Tornado Alley nickname.

All of that glorious sunshine and no wind or rain called for a walk.

Listened to Pharrell's Happy about five times then was disappointed to find out that an On Being podcast hadn't downloaded so I listened to Mistaken Identity from the Story Worthy podcast and part of a This American Life podcast, Bad Baby -- scary.

Went to see The 'Fugee last night and I believe that she said something like she's going to kiss the ground when her cast is removed and she's able to put pressure on her foot again.

The 'Fugee and I watched Boy, a really quirky but sweet film. It's a good thing that the movie is visual because there was plenty of dialogue that I couldn't decipher. Boy's director, Taika Waititi, is also the director of the equally quirky Eagle vs. Shark which I also liked.

Any movie or podcast recommendations? I've been watching Hoarders: Buried Alive and finishing up the Long Way Round. Patti just recommended Life, which is on Netflix. Come to think of it, I need a new book to read too. I started reading Dreaming in Hindi but haven't seen it in days.

Went to yoga as well and I keep forgetting how much I like earth salutations. As Cindy would say, earth salutations make you feel so grounded.

There's A Balance Goddess!

My family pretty much thinks that I lost my mind long time ago. And rock climbing? Icing on the crazy cake.

However, my mother just told me, matter-of-factly, about a boulderer on Rock Center and I think it's pretty cool that she knows that bouldering is different from top rope climbing. Check out this 11-year-old who climbs with joy...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I was on Twitter yesterday having a conversation about Cirque du Soleil when the Balance Goddess chimed in. What, there's a Balance Goddess? I told her (Lara Jacobs Rigolo) that yogis love Balance Goddesses and Lara said that she loves yogis.



Speaking of balance, I had to find a film in the opposite corner of In the Land of Blood and Honey so I watched Ready? Ok!, a sweet little movie with a sweet little message.



Salud to Friday!

Feel This Tribe Around You: A Look at 30 Days, I Am and Y: Yoga Movie

Found my way back to Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days which I abandoned with only three episodes remaining. The last episode is 30 Days on An Indian Reservation and it was really moving. I loved it when Spurlock participated in the daily ritual of running toward the sun then greeting it then saying a prayer for his family. He also realized the importance of being present and has a transforming sweat lodge experience.

I felt full of hope after watching I Am, a documentary written and filmed by the man, Tom Shadyac, who brought you Ace Ventura Pet Detective. Shadyac has a bicycle accident that leaves him with injuries and depression. He decides to seek out the likes of bishops and psychologists to get their take on happiness et al.

One person that Shadyac interviews say:

When Darwin wrote the Descent of Man, he mentioned survival of the fittest twice and he mentioned love 95 times.

I know that I've frequently referenced survival of the fittest as well...I also like the person who said:

The basis of nature is cooperation and democracy.

Obviously, it's been said before but when you see example after example of cooperation  in nature, it can be a goose bump-inducing moment. Loved the ending. Thanks to Cindy for bringing this documentary to my attention.

At first, I didn't think that I was going to like Y: Yoga Movie. The narrator's voice seemed a bit creepy and shots of the sky seemed a bit kitschy but I got on board loved it. Diamond Dallas, featured in Enlighten Up!, is back telling the store of how wrestling took a toll on his body. He's told that he'll never wrestle again but, after doing yoga for three months, he's back in the ring. I also like when Dallas said that yoga will give you mental flexibility, a gift that I've gotten from yoga.

I love it when Seane Corn talks about how her life was, theoretically, falling apart and how her life was complicated but that she got the sense that things were unfolding as they should and she also had a sense of joy. When she thought about the source, she pinned it down to the yoga class she had been to earlier.(21:21)

There are several celebrity yoga practitioners interviewed -- probably more than I recognize but the person who stole the show for me is Andre, a teenager who struggled with bad Andre and good Andre; he's quite a character and you can see how yoga has transformed him.

At the end of the film, I loved it when he says:

To the people who fucked with me, I say thank you because, through them, I learned how to forgive... (1:14:00)

Hala Khouri, a yoga teacher and Andre's mentor, discovered yoga after a cancer diagnosis. I like what she said at the end of one of her classes:

As you drop into your breath, as you drop into your being, feel this tribe around you. We all came here today as a collective... (1:13:40)

There's A Rack Out There for That

You only need a mat, towel and water for hot yoga but when I pulled into the parking lot, I discovered that I had left my mat at home. I actually had a new mat in the car but didn’t want to use it for hot yoga so I rented one. Problem solved.


Jeremy was our captain and he was on a mission but, first, he went over the rules of engagement.

Check your ego at the door; there’s a rack out there for that. 

It was taskmaster Jeremy and funny Jeremy at the helm. Still, I was in utter disbelief as Jeremy went into a soliloquy of sorts while we were in chair pose. Hold a pose for five breaths? Try fifteen or more. After triangle pose, Jeremy wanted us to keep our knee bent. Feel those quads on fire? Yes, Jeremy, I did feel that and I’m going to feature my quadriceps in a new DVD called Quads Afire.

I did have a sufficient supply of stamina this morning so I guess that it was all good. One needs to be challenged, right? Also learned that my biceps should be in the vicinity of my ears during the standing backbend.

On another note, I watched In the Land of Blood and Honey which I have been avoiding. It’s just one of those films, like Hotel Rwanda, that you know that you should watch but...In the end, though, if people had to endure atrocities, the least I can do is watch the story.


I thought Angelina Jolie did a really good job of telling a complicated story, in two hours, about the ethnic cleansing of Bosnian Muslims in the former Yugoslavia. It is interesting that Jolie decided to go with the actors speaking in English; it worked though. The rating on this trailer speaks volumes. There are over 14,000 dislikes and only 2,000 likes and the comments turned nasty early in the game.

Nothing To Watch

The day that I usually chillax to watch a flick has finally arrived.

Cedar Rapids, Exporting Raymond and Ping Pong Playa are a couple of goofy movies that have made me laugh of late.

One of my favorite scenes in Ping Pong Playa:

Bowling Kid (Shalin Patel): I read my book about the top spin you have to put on the ball in order for it have a higher probability...

Christopher 'C-Dub' Wang: Stop. Before you start talking about top spin, you have to actually hit the ball. (48:00)

That's so me. I have to read "the book" at some point in the program.



Favorite line from Exporting Raymond:

He needs to relax more. (30:30)

Someone in the documentary said that about Philip Rosenthal, the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond while Everybody Loves Kostya was being developed. You might have to see the unrelaxed look on Rosenthal's face to appreciate that one...



Seen any good movies lately? I'm sometimes stumped when I realize that my disc will arrive at the Netflix warehouse and number one will be bumped up and what's next in my queue is not necessarily the movie that I really want to watch. How is it possible to have over 100 items in one's queue and still have nothing to watch?

From Saucy to Non-Saucy in Four Days

I really did myself in on Monday or maybe fatigue has been accumulating for a while but when the opening credits rolled for Barney's Version, I was out like a light about five minutes into the flick and didn't move for another two hours plus. Nice Friday, hunh?

I'm told, by Hazira, that Barney's... is a good movie but sad.

In all honesty, I think it was the Healing Touch that made me sleepy. Hazira was kind enough to work on my calf which has been tender to the touch.

Healing Touch and self-massage seems to have taken care of the tweak but not the fatigue.




This morning, I raised my head long enough to let Jessica know that I would not being joining her and the 'rents for a 20 mile bike ride. I later emerged from the bed around 11:00 a.m. and only because I made myself get up.

I finally decided to tackle my brake light thanks to the internet because my car manual was not very helpful at all. Some nice person left perfect instructions for disassembling the light situation. At one point, half of my body was in the trunk to get at the final and trickiest lug nut but I finally got the precious little bulb out.



While I got the replacement bulb, I also got windshield wipers because inspection time is near. I felt so accomplished for someone who rolled out of bed at 11. Hope your Saturday has been relaxing or whatever you needed it to be...

The Ahhh Days

I wondered out loud to Hazira if business was slow for our acupuncturist since he's having a special this month.

She thought it was just a routine business decision but did elaborate and say that people generally feel better around this time since the birds are singing, the sun is shining and they feel, overall, less "jadna," a Bosnian word that implies physiological poorness.

Good point, Hazira. I just realized that I'm also feeling less in need of bodywork.

And speaking of the sun, OMG, it's not raining in St. Louis and the tornadic weather has quieted down. Really, I saw raindrops on my windshield a few days ago and I was thinking not again.



***

Hazira and I watched a weird French flick Happily Ever After. I'm about to move to Hazira's side of the fence where she prefers Hollywood flicks. A lot of foreign films drop you unceremoniously so I should not have been surprised with the way that Happily Ever After ended.

After the movie, I got on the computer for a spell and someone popped up on instant chat. It was Hazira's niece (Bela) and it was cool to chat with her because I don't see her as often as I used to. Bela sent me a link for a very cool video showcasing two Zagreb cellists.



***

I got my mom a card that says wow is mom upside down. Happy Mother's Day to all of the WOW moms -- the rest of you know who you are...

And, as my friend Lori said when she gifted me with Shea butter, bath salts etc., make every day a SPAhhh day.

The Clearest Recipe

I watched Ashtanga, NY and Enlighten Up! back-to-back. I stayed with Ashtanga, NY until the end but it didn't really capture my attention the way Enlighten Up! did. There was a part of me that felt like Ashtanga just looks too difficult but it was interesting watching the documentaries back-to-back because a few people were in both films including Guruji.

Karen Churchill, Enlighten Up! director, has been making documentaries for nine years and practicing yoga for seven. She feels that yoga can transform people spiritually and physically and says that the most peaceful and purest moments of happiness that she has experienced have been on her yoga mat. She polls others about why they do yoga. Rodney Yee said yoga:

Engages totality of who I am as a human being.

Churchill's novice yogi is Nick Rosen, a 29-year-old journalist.

Like most yoga students, my starting point is the physical. In a lot of ways, physical fitness has been the clearest recipe for happiness that I've found in life.

Ninety days into the yoga project, Nick goes to visit Norman Allen, an Ashtanga yoga master who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii. At one point, Allen tells Nick: you don't do nothing for the small self. (0:32:08) And Nick replies:

That's a tall order, Norman. Pretty much everything I do is for my small self. I'm hungry. I'm horny. I'm jealous. Whatever...

When Nick travels to India, another guru tells him almost the opposite:

You should feel the importance of yourself. You are the most important person. (108:09)

Frankly, I think both sentiments are true: you should be altruistic but you also need to make sure that you take good care of yourself.

Also, I've always loved that Shakespeare quote: to thine own self be true. While Churchill is seeking spirituality through yoga, Nick is not and because of this reality, Churchill sometimes gets frustrated with Nick. Churchill doesn't realize that old truth that you cannot change anyone else or, in this case, have someone else get out of yoga what you expect to get out of yoga.

It's also true that while Nick says he's not seeking spirituality, he decides not to stay in India for longer because he suddenly starts yearning to spend time with his family.

Toward the end of Nick's journey he has many realizations:

I think it (yoga) makes you inherently more compassionate, more patient, more understanding...(1:14:20)

I agree. I also really like what Rosen said about physical fitness and happiness and to answer Churchill's question: Who do you do yoga?

I do yoga for flexibility and to calm my mind. What about you?

Body Clutter And Such

I watched No Impact Man and it stuck with me for days on end.

The wife (Michelle Conlin), who loves clothes, was reluctant on many occasions to give up creature comforts and as she's talking to the camera, she says something like the title is No Impact Man -- not woman.

There are times in the documentary that you can see the strain on Conlin's face and I definitely felt her discomfort when her husband, Colin Beavan, mentions the possibility of giving up toilet paper in addition to all of the other things that she's had to give up, including makeup. The family's experiment garnered a lot of attention but Beavan was disappointed in the New York Times' article that went with this title: The Year Without Toilet Paper.

Beavan is like:

What if we called it the year I lost 20 pounds without going to the gym once or the year that we didn't watch tv and became much better parents as a result or if we called it the year we ate locally or seasonally and it ended up reversing my wife's prediabetic condition. There are actual benefits to living environmentally.

The couple has a ton of, no pun intended, light bulb moments. Conlin notes:

We have no tv, no lights, no electricity, no air conditioning. These were the things that kept us inside. We are kind of forced out of the apartment all the time now. The days feel like they just last forever. (106:00)

It's very cute when the couple's daughter, Isabella, is having the time of her life in a garden watching lightning bugs.

Conlin was a non-cooker until the no impact experiment:

I ate all of my food at restaurants or in takeout containers. I never cooked it. I never prepared it. I never thought about it. I never composted it. I never thought about the waste. Now that I go to the farmer's market, I know all of the people who grow our food. (111:40)

After Conlin's cooking lesson, she makes a meal on her own:

It might not work out but you have to learn and grow.

The couple becomes huge fans of bicycling and adds a tricycle to their arsenal as well. Before their experiment, Conlin would not have dreamed of putting her daughter on a bicycle and was frequently annoyed by bicycle messengers. It's cool when they ride to Fort Tilden in New York and proclaim that it's better than The Hamptons.

It's even cooler when Conlin realizes the effects of consumption:

The rapacious consumption for consumption's sake and the coma that induces... I'm just rethinking everything in terms of what's important. (118:00)

Conlin's consumption observation hits home on several levels, including my ongoing uncluttering project of possessions and my ongoing project of body uncluttering.

Do you think that you could live for a year without a tv in your house, or not go to a restaurant or only buy food that traveled no more than 250 miles to get to your area?

Watched any good documentaries lately?