Dinner Dialogue

Principessa: "I got a 32 out of 32 on my history test."

Dad: "That's great"

(Dad gives girl a high five)

The Boy: "Did I tell you what I got on my math test?"

Dad: "No, what?"

The Boy: "53 out of 50."

Dad; "Good thing it didn't cover addition."

(scene fades out with The Wife's chuckles in the background)

The Science of Bikram

Well, it seems that ashtanga has jumped the shark and the stampede of practitioners to other punishing, daily yoga practices has begun. (Well, by stampede I mean me and VoC, with whom I share an odd parallel existence*, except he's funnier than me.)

Anyway, here's the

Data (in lbs):

Pre-class nude: 167.5
Post-class nude: 165
Pre-class dressed with mat & towel: 173.5
Post-class dressed + mat & towel: 173.5

Imbibed water between weighings: 42 oz.

Observations:

Fully-laded pre-class and post-class weight were identical, but compared with nude weights we see 2.5 lbs of sweat carried in the cloth. (At .0652 lbs per oz of water, this equals thirty-eight ounces.)

But of course, anyone who has walked on the carpet at the studio after class, or felt the humidity, knows that not all sweat is transferred from body to towel. Thus, we must add the 42 oz. (or 2.86 lbs) of water ingested during the study period to the test results, totalling 5.36 lbs -- or 80 oz. of sweat.

Which also equals 2.5 quarts of liquid.

Conclusion:

Man, it's hot in there.

Up next: heart rate testing and analysis.

*I also eat meat and have pending litigation about which I cannot write.

Geriatric Tech Support

I have a new business idea. After spending the last week helping my mother-in-law get her computer fixed. (The Mac "genius" initially thought hard drive failure, which I considered doubtful since it wouldn't boot from any other drive/usb; turned out to be the power cable to the disk drive; whew).

Then lunch break today was setting up my parents new TV.

SO: I am now "Your Grandma's CIO".

Reasonable rates.

Convenient scheduling.

Warm cookies accepted.

Keep an eye out for billboards near you.

*****
No practice today. WoYoPracMo became WoYoPracWe(ek). Long day at work, and then all the CIO duties . . . when I got home I just wanted a glass of wine and the BCS.

CSI: Crystal Mountain

DSCN0422
Originally uploaded by timjimena

We went skiing after Christmas, and it was raining the first day so we ended up watching a few episodes of CSI (which I'd not watched before).

The next night, as we walked over to the restaurant, we encountered our own mystery.

We are still waiting for the lab results.

*****
Nice ashtanga practice Sunday with a few friends over at Janice's. The usual routine.

Back to Bikram tonight, and made it just in the nick of time. Again, it was a bit hard to find a space. It was challenging, but great.

HELP! Vacation Ideas Needed

We're having a hard time deciding on a place to go in February. We want someplace warm, that feels vacationy, and (for me) good yoga nearby. We've been to Tulum a few times, but the family wants to try someplace new (i.e., not Mexico).

Our parameters: US or Caribbean; something adventurous maybe?; warm/beach; yoga hopefully; fun for the kids.

If you have any suggestions, let me know.

I feel like a kid in a candy store that just can't decide what to get. Too many choices . . . .

*****
Just got back from a great bikram class. After the hours of sun salutations yesterday, I felt quite strong and steady. (This might have been different if Bikram had arm strength postures.) I usually get a boost of energy from the 108 SS practice, which carries over for a few days.

108 Sun Salutations for the New Year

I went to a2yoga today (my first time at their new location) and spent about three hours doing 108 sun salutations. I had forgotten about WoYoPracMo even, but almost got the minimum required monthly practice in in one day. ;)

PLUS - it also took my mind off of the fact that Michigan did not make a bowl game for the first time in 238 years. Watching Penn State right now makes that seem like not such a bad thing.

I hit Bikram the past couple of days (Tues & Wed).

Applying ashtanga principles:

I'm interpreting "pull in the stomach" as "remember the bandhas"

"breath through the nose" as "ujayi breathing"

and "pulling is the object of stretching" as "Do they even think about what they are saying?"

But it does feel great.

On Tuesday, I ran into the kids' pediatrician, Dr. M, in class. I knew she did Bikram, but I hadn't run into her there before. I was thinking I need to ask her what she thinks about all of the "health benefits" talk during the practice. There are definitely health benefits, but I'm just not quite sure they get them right. She is also someone in whom you would put complete trust about your kids' health, and she has a real gift when it comes to interacting with kids of all different ages, which we are seeing as the focus of her conversations with them change over the years. It is good to find doctors like that.

Happy new year everybody!

The Fry Wars

When I was a kid and my parents would go out for the evening, we usually got McDonalds for dinner.  They would shower etc. to get ready, and I remember my dad being in his robe, mixing a drink and waiting for my mom to get ready, and I remember the smell of his cologne which he would always wear on those evenings.  

Another thing I remember:  he would take some of our fries. 

For you youngsters, you should know that this was before the age of supersizing.  All you could get were small or big fries (and we always got small), and at that time the small fries were about 4 oz.   Which is not a lot of fries, when you get down to it.

So when dad would reach over and help himself to a few of those precious fried potatoes, I remember getting so annoyed.  Why did he always have to eat my fries?  Why couldn't they just order an extra bag of fries for him to eat?  Grrrrrr.

Well, I'm now on the other side of that great divide.  We're up skiing with some friends, and last night we went out to dinner at a nice place and the kids all ordered dessert.  The Boy got some flaming banana thing that came with ice cream, and after a while I asked for a bite of the ice cream.  (Me no like banana desserts.)  The Boy said no.

The anger in me rose up immediately.  I didn't react, other than visibly stiffen, but was thinking "what a little brat; he's got so much ice cream (there really was a decent amount) and all I wanted was a little bite" etc etc etc.  "If that kid thinks he's going to get another dessert during this trip . . . ."  etc etc etc.  "I just spent $$$ on his lift tickets and ski rentals and he can't give me a crappy spoonful of ice cream ." etc etc etc.

And it made me think about The Fry Wars with my dad.  I want The Boy to share, but at the same time remember the feeling of wanting the ENTIRE serving of whatever I had.  A coke; a bowl of chips; a candy bar; etc.  "Why do I always have to share."  I think I've learned how to be a pretty good sharer these days, but when you are an adult and can order whatever you want, and have a lot of control over that kind of stuff, I think it is easier.  As a kid, when you have to rely upon largesse for whatever you get, it can be a lot harder.  I need to remember that.

*****

Skiing yesterday was a bust.  It was over fifty degrees and after a couple of runs began raining.  Then heavier rain.  

Actually, I'm snowboarding, having taken it up at the end of last year.  It makes these small midwestern hills a bit more challenging, and evens out my pace more with The Wife and Principessa, who are still relatively beginning skiers.  Like surfing on snow.

The wind is blowing outside now, and the cars have a couple of inches of snow on them, so hopefully today we'll have better luck.

(that's The Boy on the left)

Sweaty Again

Well, I have a love-hate relationship with Bikram, and after a long haitus I went to my fourth class in nine days.  The room was just over a hundred degrees;  an ideal temperature imho.  35 people today.  I think I've said this before, but if anyone is looking to open a yoga studio, locate it in the same plaza as a Whole Foods market.  Good marketing.

There are a few poses in Bikram which I think are just great, but that during my ashtanga focus I basically forgot about.  Ustrasana/Camel - a staple of my old Boston yoga practice, but it just doesn't come up in ashtanga.  (At least the bit that I get to.)  Also, full virasana and supta virasana.  Great poses.

Yet another un-yogic even in class today, though.  A woman arrived about 20 minutes into the class.  We had freezing rain today, and she said that it took her an hour to get there.  

The teacher would not let her practice, and just told her she had to leave.  I know the theory behind this, but that just didn't feel right.

*****

We're going skiing/snow boarding for the weekend up north - although after our cold spell it is supposed to be in the 50s.  Conditions will probably be crap; I think it is even supposed to rain some.  Oh well, at least we'll be there with our favorite Sarajevans :)

Holy Jumpin' Holidays Batman; Bikram Redux

The kids spent the day at my parents yesterday (who live near my office); when I went to pick them up I immediately sensed some strange ill mood.  Sis & b-i-l had just picked up bro from the airport; usually this would be happy-time.

As it happens, my niece had just totaled her car driving home from college.  No injuries, but she was sitting in the hospital five hours north near the Mackinaw Bridge.  The snow was coming down, heavy.  Ugh.  Sis started crying; mom started crying.  Ugh.

So, what was to have been xmas eve at our house was switched to xmas dinner, and instead of making the Roast Beast today I've spent all afternoon making homemade ravioli and baking some cookies from Cooks Illustrated.

Back to yesterday.  Once sis & b-i-l left to drive north (they ended up being thwarted by the weather and went up today), bro made an announcement:  he's engaged!  Great news; we met his girlfriend for the first time over Thanksgiving.   Like me, he's going Latina this time, so it was fun when she and The Wife and the Mother-in-Law and I chatted a bit in Spanish at Thanksgiving.  My brother is old than me, and has been living on his own in Houston for a few years.  This is very good news indeed.

******

I ended up with extra time and went to Bikram this morning.  The placed was PACKED.  40+ people.  I got there right before class started, and spotted the person who had more room around her than others and went to set up.  I asked her to move over a little, and she freaked out.  "All they want is money here.  I want to stretch.  How am I going to stretch if our mats are so close together?"

I stood there in stunned amusement for a moment, and others intervened while exchanging glances among ourselves.  Very odd.  I've been closer to people in ashtanga, where the possibilities of collision are much higher.

One hopes that the woman now has a better understanding of the placement concept of "staggering."

And another thing:  just what is "pulling is the object of stretching" supposed to mean?  One of the silliest things I've heard in yoga class (although not as bad as someone who speculated that maybe Patanjali, Jesus, and Buddha were the same person; grrrr.).

SO, MERRY CHRISTMAS - OR MERRY PATMAS - OR MERRY BUDMAS - OR WHATEVER

How I Get Myself Into Trouble

There was a camera commercial as we switched off the TV last night, and I commented that I'm not a big fan of Ashton K.

I heard The Wife say something about marrying a cougar, and I said,

"No I didn't; I married a young woman who turned into a cougar."

TW:  "I wasn't talking about you."

We laughed for quite a while about that.

******

Last night didn't turn out exactly as planned.  The Boy doesn't yet like being home alone, and scheduling got complicated so I missed the movie.  The Wife said it was excellent.

Wait a tick; I am the man

How's everybody doing?  I haven't checked in from the a2 world in a while.  What's the haps?

Following a retirement at work, I now find myself an official boss/manager type.  I guess I was before, but it seems different being in charge of only legal stuff & related responsibilities versus a broader, more traditional business function (HR & Benefits).  This is a first for me, and in my analytical style I'm trying to sort things out and navigate the new landscape.  I also need to acknowledge my natural tendencies - sit in my office and read and write a lot - and throw myself more into the mix of things.  That's not been so hard to do lately; the time I spend in meetings has about doubled, I think.  I found an interesting podcast that has some GTD-like tips for the managing people in an organization, so that given me some food for though as I figure out this whole job thing.  That's been taking up quite a bit of time, as you can imagine.

The Wife just got home from her book club - a bunch of exec. directors of various non-profits in town.  Bosses everywhere you look.  We're going to a benefit tomorrow night for her organization, the Ann Arbor premiere of "Milk".  Should be fun.

I want to start a book club - with parents of teens or tweens re-reading the books we read at that age.  Catcher on the Rye.  A Separate Peace.  etc. etc.  Doesn't that sound interesting?  Looking at the same material from across the great divide.  Can somebody put that on a task list for me? 

*****

btw, I know the US auto companies are an easy political target, but if you want a depression then letting the Big 3 go down in the coming weeks will be one of the best things you can do to get one.

******

I spend most of my life within 1 1/2 miles of a Bikram studio.  There's one about 1/2 mile from our house, and another just down the road from work.

My running has faded with the daylight here in the wintering North, and I'm barely keeping up with a couple of days average ashtanga a week, so I thought I'd give the ole McYoga another try.

Good lord its hot in there.  I took it easy, but toward the end had a very hard time resisting the urge to just get out of there.  So . . . damn . . . hot . . .  Don't know if I'll go back anytime soon.  Is once a year torture enough?

Redemption

From Blogger Pictures

The Deal & The Doublecross

The Wife and I had a meeting with a contractor tonight, so before leaving I asked the kids if they wanted a treat from the store on the way home.

After breaking the news to them that I was NOT going to stop & wait to get them milkshakes at Ben & Jerry's, they negotiated over what flavor I could get at the quick mart.  Back & forth, ultimately agreeing on The Boy's suggestion of Phish Food first &, if that was unavailable, Principessa's Cookies & Cream as the backup.  (Principessa is so conciliatory.)

At 9, on the way home, I called to check in.  Principessa reported she was doing homework, The Boy playing video games downstairs.

Then, in a whispered voice, "Dad, dad; just get Cookies & Cream."

Diabolical.

At the store, they had Phish Food.  So I got it.

But she'd been studying all night.  So she got her C&C too.

You haven't lived until

you've listened to Henry Kissenger talk in SURROUND SOUND about how the U.S. should negotiate with enemy government without precondition.

(OK, so it probably doesn't matter what he was talking about.)

We were watching the CNN coverage of the debate, & fact-checking Obama's statement, and they replayed the clip from the former Sec. of State roundtable.

Normal, normal, normal, then . . . the clip of H.K.

The low rumble filled the room.

The ground vibrated.

The groundhogs and chipmunks in the back pricked up their ears . . .

Wow.

Whatever you think of his politics, the guy has a VOICE.

I'm suspending my lunch

until the government in Washington comes together with a package to address the current crisis.

*****
For any (democractic) lawyers out there, you should consider volunteering as a poll watcher on election day. I did it in 2004. I was assigned precincts in Detroit and had a fascinating & fulfilling (if not ultimately successful from a partisan perspective) day. The campaign is looking for attorneys to help ensure compliance with election laws and protection of the right to vote. No prior experience is necessary, and they will provide the training.

If anyone wants information or a link to the campaign to help out, just email me.

*****
Has anyone been reminded lately of Admiral Stockwell? I had nightmares last night of Putin's head rising like the Great and Powerful Oz over our Western shores . . . .

*****
Richard Freeman workshop here in the area in a couple of weeks. I gotta get my check in.

Another Note on Running & Yoga

Here's another quote I liked from the book (see last post), which made me think of the "yoga proselytizing honeymoon" that so many [self included] have found themselves on, as well as the "only the lazy man can't do yoga" idea.  [Ed. note:  I can't believe he spelled proselytizing correctly even before spellcheck.]

I think I've been able to run for more than twenty years for a simple reason:  It suits me.  Or at least because I don't find it all that painful.  Human beings naturally continue doing things they like, and they don't continue what they don't like. . . 

That's why I've never recommended running to others.  I've tried my best to never say something like, Running is great.  Everybody should try it.  If some people have an interest in long-distance running, just leave them be, and they'll start running on their own.  If they're not interested, no amount of persuasion will make any difference. . . .

Still, some might read this book and say, "Hey, I'm going to give running a try," and then discover they enjoy it.  And of course that would be a beautiful thing.  As the author of this book I'd be very pleased if that happened.  But people have their own likes and dislikes.  Some people are more suited for marathon running, some for golf, some for gambling.

So let me say it now.  "Hey, I gave running [more of] a try" and discovered I enjoyed it."  Cool.  So per my training program, I did 6 miles tonight, including 4 1/2 mile and 4 1/4 mile tempo runs.

*****

We're moving into the design development phase of our renovation plan.  Updated drawings should come through this week.

Murakami on Training

This is one of the sections I like from "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running":

The total amount of running I'm doing might be going down, but at least I'm following one of my basic rules for training:  I never take two days off in a row.  Muscles are like work animals that are quick on the uptake.  If you carefully increase the load, step by step, they learn to take it.  As long as you explain your expectations to them by actually showing them examples of the amount of work they have to endure, your muscles will comply and gradually get stronger.  It doesn't happen overnight, of course.  . . .  Our muscles are very conscientious.  As long as we observe the correct procedure, they won't complain.

A slightly longer version of "practice and all is coming."  

I like the hopefulness of the paragraph.  "Build it and they will come."  But it is a hopefulness based on experience, twenty years plus running marathons.

My first yoga teacher said yoga was a science.  She didn't ask her students to believe it worked.  She said try the experiment of practice, and see what happens.  She was confident in the consistent results that could be obtained.

"Just do it."

Based on my experience, I believe this.  (or, in NPR speak, "This I believe.")

*****

Good practice this morning.  The jury is still out on the increased stiffness - from running, or just not practicing.  We'll see.

The Boy f/k/a Master Tubby Bear turns twelve tomorrow.

Nosy neighbor

Lately, I have been running mostly in the mornings.  But unfortunately I was up until about 1 am last night watching cable election news (blah, blah, blah), so getting up early this morning was a no go.

I ran the scheduled five miles after work.  September in Michigan is so pleasant.

Also, Tuesday in our neighborhood is trash night.  And recycle night.

So as I was running I began to realize how interesting peoples' bottle bins are.

There are some things you just can't learn on the mat.

Perhaps I don't drink that much after all . . . .

But I will definitely be in bed early tonight; I've got a 5:50 date with primary.

FaceBook Etiquette

How about this exchange:

Hey Tim - thought I went to college with you and added you as a friend. Seeing your profile I realize that's not the case. Do I know you from Ashtanga classes in A2? Remind me- cause your face is familiar and I'm trying to place you!
Thanks- Haley

Haley - I think you were in my email from a2shtanga coop, and I accidentally sent friend requests to all of my email contacts. (Lesson: be very careful operating FaceBook from an iPhone.) Sorry. We can unfriend (de-friend; perform a friendectomy?), and refriend if we ever do meet.

*****
I was still playing with FaceBook and deciding how to use it; my initial thinking was that I would apply the same rule as Principessa has (people you actually know), but adding an exception for some people I know through the blogworld but haven't actually met.

[Cody & I did come awfully close to meeting in person a few weeks ago; I was waiting all afternoon outside of his office in Boston with a warm chacarero in my hand - the ideal bait - he must have been working pretty hard and didn't come out.]

Then on Saturday, all of a sudden realized that in trying to send out one friend request to a particular email the wrong checkbox was clicked and they went out to about fifty people. It looks like the only people I don't know are a few who sent emails about the coop.

I was actually surprised at how many people from my email list are on the FB . . . .

*****
2 mile run this morning; on schedule. Next planned yoga: Wednesday 5:50 am.

Back on the mat

Two practices in a row for the first time in a LONG time. (I mean, like July, people.)

Considering this, I'd say I did OK. Forward bending is a bit more stiff from all of the running - but since I added some mini-practices after running this past week (and I mean hyper-mini), they were improved. Outward rotation of the hips also felt stiffer, but manageable, but otherwise things felt pretty good. I needed help on Mari D, & of course the kurma's were the usual disaster, but all in all pretty good.

I have to say that the running thing is what has my imagination now. I got a pedometer to plug into my ipod (nike+), and used their website to set up a training program for the next couple of months. Pretty cool, especially for $30 bucks. Saturday's are the longest days, so I plugged seven miles yesterday. The first time I've run that long since high school I think.

Much of this is due to reading Murakami's memoir, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running." In many ways, it is like this blog. Murakami uses letters to form words, which are arranged in sentences and paragraphs using punctuation and positioning. In other ways, it is not like this blog at all. It is interesting and well written, for example.

I don't think it is for everybody, but if you're a Murakami fan, or have an interesting in running and writing, you might like it. For me, it only made me like his books more and want to run more. It is also full of helpful tips, and he is charmingly unprepossessing.

There was one particular paragraph I wanted to quote, but I can't find it now. Oh well; later then.