Amber & River Visitors

A highlight of River Time is the arrival of visitors.  It's a long-standing tradition to share the beauty of the River with friends.

Sometimes, those friends come riding on bicycles just in time for group yoga practice.

Sometimes, those friends land on your hand in the middle of your work and remind you to stop and take in your wondrous natural surroundings.

Amber & Things I Meant to Blog

About a week ago, Diana and I went to my favorite Restorative Yoga followed by beverages and thrice-fried french fries at the Restorative Breslin.  Proper Diet is one of the five central points of the yogi lifestyle.  And, french fries served with cumin mayo are certainly about the most proper potatoes you could ever meet.

While we were there, Diana became inspired by the beautifully renovated space and its animal-theme.  She created art of her own.

I had her take photos of her art just for the very purpose of blogging them.  But then, I don't know what happened but certainly something did.  And I didn't blog.  I am doing it now, but I can't quite recapture the original spirit.  But maybe there is a new spirit?  Like, a backward-looking nostalgic spirit for the days before Diana went to the River House?

My original post concept had me somehow tying in this song.



I don't remember how I was going to do it.  I'm sure it was smoother than this.  But maybe that's how looking back is?  Bumpy?

Amber & Auto-Tune

I had no idea what auto-tune was until Nick showed me this where science meets yoga.

And then this incredibly important story broke.



It doesn't seem like a wholly bad thing to me.  Although Pickles is now hiding under the bed.

Amber & Monism

Thanks to Emma for sharing this and giving me the gift of happy mid-day.



Namaste, Ohio students and employees. I recognize and bow to the dance spirit in you with the highest dance spirit in me.

Amber & Seeking, Finding, and the Uncanny

Yesterday after yoga and over a plate of green and creamy huevos rancheros, Diana described the experience of finding a hat that she hadn't realized she had lost in a train station.  She turned and lo!  There was something that she loved and nearly lost forever, returning to her.  The experience was, as Diana described it, wholly unheimliche, like seeing a part of you separated from yourself.

(photo by James)

Diana found the hand of fate in the story, that fate was punishing her for having been careless and making bad decisions by giving her this near-loss experience.  I don't think that's how it works really, but I'm glad fate was lenient and only issued a warning rather than a full time out.  And, I was glad Diana happened to look the right way, or else her head would have been cold.

On the long, long (long, long) A ride home, I was thinking about finding things you didn't know you had lost and the importance of being alert to whatever crosses your path when my new bestie, Joe Pug, described a different encounter: of having faith in finding what is missing and the relief of recognizing when you do find it. "Before we met, I knew we'd meet," Joe sang.

And, I was glad for everything that has happened to me up to that moment.  I was glad for working at MTI to meet Hillary who introduced me to Jeff who gave me the gifts of CRD and Amy Bee, and I was glad for liking the Pixies so that I would have something to talk about with Kevin so that down the road I could meet Diana, and  I was glad for Jimmy's lousy roommate in 3rd Avenue North so that he moved into the Brittany and years and years later we could take a bus to a mall in Madisonwisconsin where I would live and meet Nick.

(photo by James)

I certainly didn't know I was going to meet any of the people who are so special to me, but I certainly hoped it on some level.  People are like a box of pieces from an infinite number of different puzzles.  We never fit together quite perfectly, but some fit together really well and the patterns we form are abstract and complicated and beautiful and something quite different from what we were on our own.

And that made me think of this song.



And somewhere in the middle lies the truth.  You might not even know that you want to find what you're missing, but sometimes you get exactly what you need if you're looking in the right direction.

Or something like that.

Amber & Public Speaking

As CRD pointed out yesterday over at Internals Plural, I had two speaking engagements at James and Alisa's beautiful wedding.

For the first I gave a personalized version of the first of the the Nissuin blessings on the topic of holiness. Those readers who remember the story of my epiphany while doing yoga in Madisonwisconsin will be able to guess right where I went: The Grapes of Wrath.


I encouraged the couple to learn the lesson of Preacher Casey and come to recognize the holy in the everyday, in the world around them and in each other. I quoted the part where Casey says...

"I'm gonna work in the fiel's, in the green fiel's, an' I'm gonna be near to folks. I ain't gonna try to teach 'em nothin'. I'm gonna try to learn. Gonna learn why the folks walks in the grass, gonna hear 'em talk, gonna hear 'em sing. Gonna listen to kids eatin' mush.... Gonna eat with 'em an' learn. ... All that's holy, all that's what I didn' understan'. All them things is the good things."

Astute Wrath fans will notice that the part about Casey lying with ladies in the fields and husband and wife thumping mattress were edited out to be respectful of elder attendees of the wedding.

Then, I gave a toast. In that, I was humorous, made references to doing my interpretive dance later and told the story of how James and I almost met twice before we stuck on our third encounter when I was in my flannel nightgown. My point was that when something is meant to be, when two people are right for each other either as friends or as husband and wife, it happens. I said that James, after their first date had very cautiously told me that "there might be something there," and that we all could see exactly what that something was in Alisa and what the something between them was as well. And I thanked them both for being wonderful.

I'm not sure what that face is in this photodocument by CRD. I think maybe it's the part where I am mentioning that James is very good at helping move furntiture in a dorm room?

I think both went pretty well, although there was a bit of weepy at some points. And special thanks to Town Shop for helping me hold it all together.

Amber & Kitty Yoga

This morning, the kitties seem all very laid back and harmonious. For example, Woody is doing his morning yoga by the window.

I think he's doing cobra pose with modifications for his surgeried knee. It doesn't bend quite the same since the ligament was reconstructed, and Woody knows to choose the modifications that meet his needs. I'm not sure turning your head to sniff the breeze is so good for your practice, but kitty yoga could be very different.

Or maybe it's just the same.

Amber & Drug-Induced Esophagitis

Sometimes, the ridiculousness of my health astounds me. On Saturday, I hurt my hip while doing my Anada yoga. Energy and joy flooded my body cells, and joy sure as heck descended to me. I woke up yesterday and could barely walk for the shocking pain, but over the course of the day it got much better thanks to All Day Strong Aleve.

Then, last night, I had an Old Devil Moon tribute meal with Kevin and Diana (chicken-fried tofu, collards and sweet potatoes), and then a night cap with K&D and Art-o at the Ironically-Named Bar.

When I got home, I was a little sore again in the hip and decided to take another Aleve since the first dose had been so successful. I got a glass of water, took my usual host of nightime drugs, drinking most of the water to wash it down, and then popped the Aleve and finished off the water. I then immediately went to bed.

I woke up at 3 am in excruciating pain. Apparently, there hadn't been enough water left to wash down the Aleve and they had dissolved in my esophagus, causing a large ulceration in the lining of my "food tube." Owwwwwwwwwwwwch. There is apparently nothing to be done for this except eating orange vegetables, avoiding dairy, alcohol and cold or acidic foods.

I wonder what Anada affirmation stimulates healing of your stupid bone?

Amber & Too Much of a Good Thing

Moderation. It's a tough concept living as we do in a more, more, more, Supersize, buy in bulk America. I have trouble with Moderation in some key areas: namely coffee (it tastes so good, and they make it in Venti!), programs (is it wrong to watch the whole season 2 of Hart to Hart when it's right there on Hulu?), and food (salad is so good for me, if I just have thirds won't I be all that much more healthy?).

But excess leads to sleeplessness, an unvacuumed living room, and not fitting in pants. And those things lead to woe. The path to excess is paved with pairs of pants that don't fit right in piles in a messy living room that annoy you when you're up at 3 a.m.

Sometimes, excess is accidental. Like when your doctor accidentally gives you a higher mg dose of your allergy* meds than you usually get and so you keep taking one-and-a-half pills until you realize you've actually doubled your dose and that might be why your hands are shaking and you're getting nosebleeds.

I really, really need to do more yoga. Yoga is the panacea for what ails me.

* Some people are allergic to anxiety.

Amber & Goals

I have set five small, quality-of-life-related goals for the week.

They are as follows.

1. Take my daily vitamin.

I tend to use my daily vitamin as more of a weekly vitamin. This week, I am going to take one every morning with my oatmeal. So that I don't forget, I have put the vitamin bottle inside the oatmeal canister.

2. Do yoga twice a day.

I had been really good about this, but then I got tired. I have been skipping the morning yoga in favor of sleeping in or deep conditioning my hair. That, as we know, is really just robbing Petermeyer to pay Paulbeason.

3. Knit daily.

Knitting is relaxing and something I can do while watching programs or spending time with Woody. My current project is a scarf for my mom for Mother's Day. Originally, it was for Christmas, but, luckily, with global warming, she can wear it year-round.

4. Eat well.

I've been thinking about what I eat and it sucks. I just mailed my check to join my local CSA (which uses the same farm as Kevin & Diana's) but I am really going to make a point of eating better this week. I am going to start with a nicoise salad for dinner tonight.

5. Blog.

It's good for me, and for you!

Amber & Kitty PJs

Today is a sad day in the world of pants. The kitty pajama bottoms that have been my loyal bedtime companions have gone to the rag bag in the sky. Taya gave them to me many, many years ago at my bowling birthday party. I bundled their receipt. Taya said she was concerned that I might not like my gift, and I said, "As long as it's not something cat-themed!" And lo! Kitty pajama bottoms which turned out to be a wonderful gift.

(photo from yoga on deck at River House by James)

I've loved them. I loved their cottony softness, their ability to mask kitty fur, and the fact that it says meow on the back pocket. But this morning, I went to pull them up and with my brute strength tore the waist band right off the pants. They already had several holes where my restless leg syndrome had worn them thread-bare, so there's no hope of mending.

God bless, kitty pajamas.

Amber & Connected Breaths

If you're reading this post, it is because I succeeded in waking up at 6:00 AM in order to get up, dress, kitty care, and walk to a 6:45 AM Vinyasa Yoga class at my gym. The challenges of this task are multifold (not to be confused with multibaby). They are: getting up before dawn, not having such bad bedhead that I can't go out, getting out the door in fifteen minutes, making kitties feel loved before departing, wanting to go to the gym at all. I'm even going to shower and dress for work there to make it in on time, and I've packed my work clothes and toiletries already. CRD motivated me to go by telling me to just jump in. So, here goes. You can join in, too.

Amber & Home Safe and Resolved

I am Home Safe. I had a quiet night cleaning up after kitty mayhem and unpacking and then snuggled down with my kitty winter compresses on either side of me. The trick to making kitties snuggly in the winter is turning down the heat so they have to huddle for warmth.

(Photo by James)

This morning, I began the first Official Day of 2008. My motto for the new year is "Don't tempt fate, in 2008," which is about not relying on luck and being more mindful when taking action and weighing all factors. My resolution is to be perfect from now on.

The first step in accomplishing that goal is to do stuff I mean to do but don't do because of laziness. So, this morning I woke up on time, did yoga with my friend Shiva Rea, and then ate a nice bowl of congee I threw together in the crock pot before bed last night. I came in to work, finished my end-of-moth reports, submitted my budget, and am now working on December accruals. Productive!

Other goals will be more challenging. Like: going to the gym every other day (starting tomorrow morning), remembering to bring lunch to work so I don't end up eating junk (starting Monday), blogging earlier in the day (tomorrow), and drinking more water (I totally have some now).

I have a feeling 2008 is going to be much, much better than 2007.

Amber & Sun Salutations

I haven't done yoga in months. I wouldn't do it because I was so stressed and in such a rush to get to work, but, of course, that was the moment when my yoga need was the greatest. So, this morning, Shiva Rea and I did a short series of sun salutations. My calves are incredibly stiff, but it feels good to be back on the yoga wagon.

This is the segment I may do tonight. And all day, I will remember to stay connected to my flame.