February 8, 2010

The Stupor Bowl

Okay, right off the bat, I don’t watch football.  It’s not that I hate football or anything, I just can’t sit down and watch a whole game of it.  But in this house, Boomer is addicted to football, which is why we got her in the first place.  When we were looking for a breed of dog, we got a book called Choosing a Dog For Life by Andrew de Prisco and James B. Johnson.  And here is the line about Welsh Corgis that decided us: “They love swimming, hiking, and any sport and television too (especially during football season.)”

So every Sunday I’ll wander in while the dog sits glued to the football game, ask her who’s winning, and then go play online, or do a wash, or take a bath.

But everybody watches the Super Bowl, including me.  The Super Bowl is an American Tradition, right up there with fireworks on the Fourth of July and Groundhog Day.  I didn’t have a dog in this particular football fight; I didn’t care who won.  I did watch part of a pre-game show that featured Drew Brees and decided on the basis of that, that I would root for the Saints.  That, and the Saints wear a Fleur de Lis on their helmets, which is so much classier than a horseshoe, or godforbid those stupid Tony the Tiger hats the Bengals wear, blech. Because I totally and completely judge a football team on their uniforms.  I love those Vikings simply because that royal purple makes me swoon.

But like most people who don’t really care about the football, I do care about the ads, and sometimes the halftime show, just because of the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction.

But this year the ads were horrific.  Everybody in them seemed to think they were hilarious, while I just sat there stupified at the innanity.  The Betty White one was good, and I saw somebody I know in real life in the Punxatawny crowd scene (Hi Suzanne!), but even my E-Trade babies disappointed.

And The WHO?  OMG.  No.  That was pathetic. I kept looking for the EMTs off-stage who would come in with the defibrillators and rescue them from the heart attacks that were sure to ensue.  Old guys still trying to do what they did when they were young guys is painful to watch.  All the arm windmilling?  Oh god.  No. I sat there peeking through my fingers.

But my dip rocked!

So onto the food.  Super Bowl food is deliberately awful.  Chicken wings. Pizza. Chile. Chips. Beer. Beer. Beer. And did I mention beer?

But I am only a week off the cleanse and didn’t want to go there, so I made a dip recipe from my UltraMetabolism Cookbook called “Super Bowl Sunday Dip.  It was gluten-free, dairy-free, quick and vegetarian.  And delicious!  It had 7 layers!

I drank one Stella, too, just to be American.  And had a small slice of the Vegan Chocolate Cake that G made the other day.

The Saints won, and the game was crazy and more interesting than I remember Super Bowls usually being.  Most of the time they are one sided massacres and I don’t make it much past half-time.  But I watched the whole thing this year. Yay team me!

But Boomer fell asleep.

1 Comment

Filed under inspiring activities

Tags: ,

February 5, 2010

Wine

There is a glass of wine sitting here on the coffee table, waiting for me to finish this post.  It’s Jargon Pinot Noir, if you must know. It’s Friday night and I just had a super Happy Hour Yoga class with all my right people.  I just love it when my right people show up.

(And just to clarify: “My right people” are people who have made yoga a ritual practice in their life.  YOU could be “my right people” !!  Maybe you already are and we just haven’t met yet!  And maybe I am one of YOUR “right people” too!  In which case, I would like to know, and officially become a member of your tribe.)

So to get back to tonight, all my right people showed up, including Michelle, who has just been through hell and back dealing with a medical issue and will continue to deal with said issue in the coming months, but at least she is now back with her yoga tribe and we all feel like, “Yeah, the tribe is back again!”and “Let the healing games begin!” (Welcome back, Michelle!)

So I led the Meditative Posture Flow which is a lot of hard, with a little easy inserted in at key moments.  It’s like throwing a big rock into the pond of your body, then allowing some time to watch the ripples flow out to the edges, then disappear, over and over again for an hour.  Rock, ripples, rock, ripples, rock, etc. It’s intense, but in a cool intense way.

And after this was over, and many good convos too, I headed home to Friday night!

This is the first Friday night in a month that I am officially off my cleanse, so I came home and had a bowl of butternut squash soup (so very yummy, not to mention beautiful in color and consistency. It is the color of cantaloupe and the consistency of paint.) And then, afterwards, I had a tiny piece of the Groundhog Day Carrot Cake (vegan), and now there is a fire going and the Jargon Pinot is glowing jewel-like in the firelight.

And I will drink the Pinot now in little sips until it’s all gone.  And I might have a tiny piece of dark chocolate too.  And I will watch the movie “9″ by Tim Burton that Emily recommended, and be so grateful for my life, once again.

Because what could be better than my right people, rock and ripple yoga, good conversations, soup the color of cantaloupe, a fire,  pinot and chocolate?

Nothing.

3 Comments

Filed under Food, Gratitude, Inspiring people, inspiring activities, yoga

Tags:

February 4, 2010

Americano (with room for cream) or Latte?

In between all the other stuff I have going, I’ve been flipping through this book, Marathoning for Mortals, the book that Tim picked for us as a guide to marathon-prep.  I had no intention of running anything (except maybe a hot bath) when I walked into that meeting last night, but after flipping through this book, and reading that I can:

A: Run a Marathon, or

B: Walk a Marathon, or

C: Run a Half-Marathon or,

D: Walk a Half-Marathon, or

E: Alternate Running and Walking or

F: Alternate Walking and Running either a full or a half-marathon

And that there are training plans for all of those options, I am now going back and forth between alternating running and walking a half marathon, or walking and running a half marathon.

I know it sounds like basically the same thing, but it’s not. Not really.  Mostly run with a little walking thrown in?  Or mostly walk with a little running thrown in?

It’s like the difference between an Americano with room for cream, or a latte.

So what does a girl whose currently on Caffix and green juice do?  (Besides go out and buy running shoes and a pile of sports bras?)

2 Comments

Filed under Running

Tags:

February 3, 2010

Marathoning For Mortals

I don’t like to run.  I used to run, back in the 70s when it was all the rage.

I started in graduate school. I ran to blow off steam.  I lived on  Codfish Falls Rd in Storrs, CT and ran in between bouts of reading The Life of Johnson.  I think I was in such pain reading The Life of Johnson that the pain of running felt like a soothing balm.

I continued running when I returned to PA after grad school mainly because I was living in Tioga and was depressed about living in Tioga, and running felt easier than living in Tioga, PA.

I continued running when we built a house in Mansfield.  I continued to run and I trained every year for the L’eggs Mini Marathon in Central Park (a 10K) up until…I don’t remember when I stopped, but when I stopped, I stopped cold.  I think I just got bored with it.

Tonight I went to a meeting at my studio, led by Gym Tim, and I committed to run/walking a half-marathon in May.

I think it will be fun.  Either that, or it will be painful.  Either that, or it will give me something to write about here, now that my Cleanse is over.

Yeah, mainly that.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Running

Tags:

February 2, 2010

A Groundhog Day Meditation

(this was first published in Mountain Home Magazine)

Every year when I flip the calendar from January to February and see “Groundhog Day” written in that little box under February 2nd, I crack up.  I wonder what a space alien, coming upon our calendar, might think about this Groundhog Day holiday.  What is commemorated on Groundhog Day?  Are groundhogs honored?  Will there be a parade, a ceremony, some observance?  Will there be pictures of groundhogs displayed on public buildings?  What exactly happens on Groundhog Day?

Of course, everyone knows what happens on Groundhog Day.  And everyone knows what doesn’t happen.  And it is what doesn’t happen that thrills me the most about Groundhog Day.

I don’t have to shop for it, for one thing, which is a blessed relief.  I don’t have to find the perfect Groundhog Day gift for everyone on my list because there is no list.

I don’t have to wonder what to make for Groundhog Day dinner and I don’t have to worry about who might be eating alone on Groundhog Day and should I invite them.

I don’t have to get a tree or hang lights all over my house (though the thought of brown icicle lights hanging from roof eaves is kinda funny—but no.)  Don’t start, people.  Really.  Don’t.

I don’t have to send cards or buy my daughter an airline ticket home so she can spend Groundhog Day with the family.

I don’t have to listen to endless Groundhog Day songs piped through the sound systems of every store in town.

I don’t have to get aggravated with retailers who “push” the holiday.  I don’t have to walk through the store grumbling, “They no sooner pack up all the Christmas stuff than the Groundhog Day stuff is all over the place!.”

The liquor store is open on Groundhog Day.  So are the post office and the bank.  All the schools are in session.  There is no parade, no special prayers to say, or candles to light, or cemeteries to visit.

What does happen on Groundhog Day is this:  When I wake up in the morning and realize it is indeed Groundhog Day, I rush to the TV.  If I’ve made it in time, I get to see two men in top hats lifting up a fat, shiny, impeccably groomed groundhog by the scruff of its neck.  They plant a big kiss on its lips and declare (96% of the time) that the groundhog has seen his shadow and therefore there will be six more weeks of winter.

The crowd in Punxatawney goes wild.  I go wild.  It’s a great day.  A great moment.  A deeply atavistic, primal moment when I remember that I too, am a creature of the earth.  That I too, have been hibernating for some time (albeit maybe only in the deep, dark recesses of my own day-to-day drama) and that now, maybe, it’s time to wake up and peek out.  Maybe it’s time to start noticing the day, and how there is a new quality of light slanting through the window.  Maybe now it’s time to look up and actively, consciously, notice the sky.

Groundhog Day signals the halfway point between the first day of winter and the first day of spring, so maybe it’s also time to start looking at the ground again.  Not for groundhogs, but maybe for a snowdrop, or a crocus.  Maybe it’s time, finally, to wake up out of my solipsistic daydream and notice the first robin, or that long rosary of geese making its way north again after the long dream of winter.  Maybe it’s time to sit outside in my parka, my back to the late winter sun, and contemplate my own shadow.

2 Comments

Filed under inspiring ideas

Tags:

February 1, 2010

The End Of The Cleanse

It’s officially over.  The Cleanse, that is.  And I made it all the way through.  21 whole days.  Here’s how it ended.

On Saturday night, after a liquid (Serious Green Juice) breakfast, and a liquid (Cream of Cauliflower soup) lunch, G and I decided to eat a (chewy) dinner out, and maybe have (gasp!) a glass of WINE! to celebrate.

Because this eating regimen was a pretty big deal for both of us.  No caffeine, which I completely did without for 3 whole weeks.  No sugar.  No wheat, not a single piece of bread, not even a cracker.  No dairy, not even soy milk, because guess what?  No soy!

No eggs. No bananas. No tomatoes. No pasta.

No alcohol.  This wasn’t a huge deal during the week, but on Friday night it was really sad.  Weekend evenings felt flat.  I hated them. But I sipped my tea, and made the best of it.

But in the end, it was all so very worth it.

We went to the Wren’s Nest.  I had a cream of crab soup, a dinner salad, the stuffed flounder.  No wine. No dessert.

And you know what?  It wasn’t all that great.  It wasn’t all nom, nom, nom this is yummy!  And I went home with a little bellyache from the cream in the soup, I think.  (Good discovery, though.  Dairy doesn’t agree with me.)

So the take-away from all this?

I’m not done. Not by a long shot.

I woke up on Sunday and had my juice, my Caffix, my lemon water. I am going on with it, with some variety from time to time, but I have decided that this is the way I will eat from now on because I feel flipping AMAZING! My energy is strong.  My insides feel light. My skin is pink and clear.  My eyes bright.  I would totally recommend this Clean program to anyone.  I think it’s a great way to raise one’s consciousness about food.  All your addictions show up.  All your cravings rear their ugly heads, then are vanquished by the food you are allowed to eat.

So here’s the plan from here on out:

Juice breakfast, big lunch, light dinner.  Wine on the weekend. No caffeine. Dessert rarely, only as a treat.

And hopefully, no more posts about this or FOOD!

(Thanks for bearing with me.)

2 Comments

Filed under Detox

Tags:

January 29, 2010

5 Things I Am Grateful For Today

Here are 5 things I am grateful for today.

1. My warm, cozy house, and especially my warm bedroom with it’s soft mattress and heated mattress pad, and my Space Chair.

2. Tranquility Bubble Bath from Aura Cacia.

3. Gym Tim for making my weight workout so much fun and so inspiring.

4. My incredible yoga students who blow me away with their dedication, their discipline and their unending cheerfulness, even in this frigid weather.

5. Green juice.  And the Vita Mix. And the Champion Juicer. And dulse flakes. And chia seeds.  My 21 Day cleanse ends tomorrow, and I feel incredible.

Amen.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Gratitude

January 28, 2010

Windowsill Goddesses

So today was a really low energy day.  I think the Cleanse is getting to me.  I got up and did Ashtanga with Christine and Cheryl at 6:30, came home and drank my Serious Green Juice and then fell asleep during Holosync (holo-snoozed it today).

I really wanted coffee.

I did 2 loads of wash, cleaned out and refilled the birdfeeders, , made kasha, and did a lot of dishes.  I rather like doing dishes.  I didn’t grow up with a dishwasher, so even though I have one now, I very rarely use it.  I fill the sink up with hot soapy water, put on a podcast (Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me.  This American Life. The Moth. Radio Lab. Speaking of Faith. Buddhist Geeks. The Accidental Creative are some of my favorites), and I wash the dishes by hand. And stare out the window. And think.

I think about the podcasts I am listening to as I wash the dishes.  I stand in awe at their creativity. I marvel at how much research and work it must have taken to make something so wonderful, so inspiring, so interesting, –all while up to my elbows in hot soapy water.

And I have a very definite system for doing dishes.  This system was taught to me by my stepfather when I was about 11.  One night he watched me do 2 stacks of dinner dishes, including pots and pans, and after I was finished he made me wash them all over again, only this time, THE RIGHT WAY.

Here is the system:

All dishes are queued up and washed in this order:

Anything that directly touches the lips gets washed first, when the water is at its hottest and soapiest.  This would include: silverware and glasses and cups.

Next come plates and bowls.

And lastly, pots and pans and spatulas and ladles, etc.

Knives and forks are placed heads down in the drainer (so as not to poke or pierce a wayward arm or finger).  Spoons can be drained heads up.

“Doing the dishes” includes wiping down all surfaces,  including the range, and cleaning out the sink, and drying and putting away everything.

I hated him the night he made me re-wash all those dishes, but his system has given me both solace and a place to start whenever I was faced with a messy kitchen.  And in college, this was every single day. Unlike my roommates, I always knew where to begin.  I began with the silverware and glasses.

Because of my system, when I do dishes I can just go on “auto” and stare out the window at the birds at the January feeder.  Or I can contemplate my Windowsill Goddesses.  Here they are:

Ganesha, Lakshmi, Neytiri

Ganesha isn’t a goddess, he’s a god of course, but I elevated him to goddess status, just because of the questionable sexuality of his  elephant part.  Who knows if it’s a male or female elephant, right?

So from left to right we have: Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles; Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity; and Neytiri, Queen of Pandora (my latest action figure from the movie Avatar).

It’s a nice little scene in my kitchen.  Me, laughing at Wait, Wait, the smell of pear-scented soap, the flitter of birds at the feeder, and the watchful eyes of the goddesses, making sure everything is done THE RIGHT WAY.

2 Comments

Filed under inspiring activities

Tags: ,

January 27, 2010

Puzzle 2010

The annual jigsaw puzzle of 2010 has been completed.  Now January can end.  Here is the recap.  Thanks for the memories Country Dog Gentleman, you were a winner.

puzzle 2010

2 Days

Puzzle Day 4

Puzzle Day 7

Puzzle day 12

Puzzle complete

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tags:

January 26, 2010

Cleanse: Day 17

So, it’s day 17 of my cleanse.

Here is a list of what is going to stay:

“Serious” green juice for breakfast.  It may not be the “only” thing I eat for breakfast the way it is now, but it’s going to be a major player.

The big mid-day meal. This is so working for me.  Love this.  I usually  get home from the studio between 7:30 and 8 PM and then eat dinner.  Bed time is around 10.  See the problem?  No time to digest.  So just a very light snack for dinner so there can be a “fast” before “break-fast.”

Coffee as a treat.  I roll so much more serenely through life without that coffee buzz (though today I was incredibly tired and I really wanted a boost.)  Yerba Mate is allowed on the Elimination Diet, and that is naturally caffeinated, so I will try that when I need a lift.

Severely limit sugar. I already know what sugar does to my system, and it’s not good.  This won’t be hard.

Limit dairy.  I already do, and although I’ll miss cheese, this won’t be much of a hardship either.

Sprouted grain bread. I am not gluten intolerant, but bread just feels like a gastro burden that I don’t need.

What’s coming back:

Wine! But only on Friday night.  Oh wine, I have missed you. Friday nights have been soooo depressing.  Not only is there no good food to eat, there is no glass of Pinot to signal that I am entering a new time zone: the Weekend Zone.

More variety of food.  I really miss bananas (especially in smoothies) and tomatoes and eggs.  I miss strawberries and peanut butter and fake meat. I miss oatmeal.  It will be great to have my vegetarian chili again, and an omelette on Sunday morning.

What has been good is that I am feeling light inside, and I have a lot of energy.  According to the scale at the gym I have lost 5 lbs in the past 2 and half weeks.  And while that is good, I don’t put a lot of stock in the scale. Scales are all different,  so I depend on the tape measure, and how my clothes fit to tell me how I’m doing. Much to my dismay, there hasn’t been any big changes there–yet!  I am hoping by continuing with the Elimination Diet after the Cleanse, to become more lean.

All it takes is patience and persistence over time, and thankfully, I am good at that.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Detox

Tags:

Older Entries