Reflections on my Bike Ride to Work #2

Today on my ride through tha SOMA ah hit pretty much every single light. This has nevah happened - ah know in theory if ah gae 25 mph hour ahm supposed ta time it rite, but ah don't actually know how fast ahm gaein. Ahm nawt a particularly fast er aggressive rider - often ah find myself bein passed by people on less snazzy rides then mine. Ah pay a fair amount of attention to tha traffic signs n lights - more so in tha SOMA then tha mission, but ahll run thru thangs if tha coast is clear.

But today once ah passed undah tha highway, it was perfect. My pace was steady, solid, n everytime ah gawt close to a red light, it went green fer me.

Ridin steady is a different feelin then most city ridin - thars a lawt of start n stop. Ah need ta start werkin my endurance more so ah ken start tacklin some longah stretches of ridin. Haven't even been ovah tha Golden Gate Bridge yet!

Reflections on my Bike Ride to Work #1

Passing under the highway from the Mission into the SOMA is always such an uplifting feeling. While the Mission is generally sunnier and more climate then most areas in the city in the morning, some days it takes a while for the fog to clear. However, the SOMA, being slightly further East is always a few degrees warmer and a touch sunnier pretty much every morning. It's almost exactly halfway between my house and my office, and it feels a little like a reward for biking to work. Often I'll remove my gloves at this point and unzip my jacket now that ahve worked up a lil internal heat.

Also - this is my 200th blogpost. Holy shit, 200 posts. That is includin tha 11 from 2006, but that means 189 of them are since ah moved ta CA. Craziness. Thanks fer readin thru all tha slang folks!

At tha theater? Seriously?

Sunday night I found myself at the Berkeley Rep, watching the last showing of a damn good, and especially gory, play "The Lieutenant of Inishmore". The drunk guy in his late 30s/early 40s behind me however did not think the play was quite as good as it could be, and apparently felt it necessary to add his own (stupid) comments fairly regularly (example of said stupid comments, when someones foot was cut off, he loudly exclaimed "Das Boot". a Real Winner). Both the person I was with as well as the person sitting next to him told him more then once to be quiet, and eventually I turned around and told him sternly (like I talk to children who are misbehaving) "I am the third person telling you to be quiet".

Shortly after that, I could have sworn he started calling me a "Dork" although I was focusing more on the gruesome finale of the play in front of me so I couldn't be sure. However, as we started to trickle out of the theater, I was sure I heard him address me as "Guy in the Colombia Jacket", followed by "You're a dork."

A dork? Really? Is that really the best he had? I pretty much figured he would fuck off sooner rather then later, as his heart really wasn't in the confrontation (I can't believe I made him so mad I immobolized him to the point where "Dork" was the only insult he could come up with). However, he followed us through the lobby, and down the hall to the bathrooms. Eventually he had my attention.

"Yes?"

"You're a dork"

"And you're a drunk asshole and you should piss off."

We walked a little further as the mental giant struggled with this extra form of verbal assault.

"What did you say?"

I turned around and looked him in the eye and repeated, louder, "I said you are a drunk asshole and you should PISS OFF."

We turned around again, going further down the hallway to the bathroom. You could hear the gears turning in his head, and then he asked:

"I don't suppose you want to take this outside?"

This kind of cracked me up. In reality, this guy was at least 6" and 40 pounds heavier then me, but hey, I'm a pretty thin guy. In a real fight, he would likely beat the shit out of me. But I just couldn't believe this was happening - in Berkeley of all places. I sort of wonder what kind of response this would've gotten from the theater-attending crowd. But instead I just said:

"No, I don't want to fight you. But I think you should go outside."

We stared at him for a little bit, and then I bent over to take a drink of water from the fountain. My friend continued to give him the death stare, and he walked off. I remarked that I hoped he wasn't waiting outside, as I just didn't want to deal w. this bullshit any longer. My friend told me "well then, he'll have to deal with me if he is".

In retrospect, that could've been pretty funny (my friend is even smaller then me, and female - but man does she hate an asshole talking through a play).

Sunday is full of win

Hey Severe, how's tha backyard comin?

Pretty good actually, thanks fer askin. Ahve cleared out tha majority of my intended garden space (well, except fer tha dirt n concrete n stones, but thar all at least organized), have some lettuce sprouts, n continue ta find large pots fer fun thangs like tomaters. Unfortunately, my basil has started lookin pretty yeller as well as burnt since movin it outside - ah guess it's been gittin too much sun. Ah have made tha waterin process easier (tha hose wasn't big enuff before ta reach out to tha plants area) howevah n am startin ta plan some next steps (otha then buy potting soil). Here's that area ah linked ta before.


N here's tha backyard from tha same angle as about a month n a half ago (second picture).


Tha weatha yestahday was fawkin unbelievable (so nice tha San Franciscans were callin it "too hot"). Everyone n thar mutha was down at Dolores Park, which is just a few blocks away from me, so ah joined tha party briefly. While ah did nawt partake in tha homemade slip n side, ah did sit in half-lotus fer about a half hour (longest ahve done that pose evah ah think) while enjoyin my favorite low-grade medication (gawta save tha good stuff, its expensive!), drinkin an Anchor Steam (gawdam, what a great local beer), listenin ta Pink Floyd's "Animals" album. BTW, this is my favorite place ta shop fer medication - an award winnah (n one ah was tha first ta review on Yelp!). Yes, it really is as nice as tha pics.

Sunday had everythang smilin down at me - first off, ah gawt outta my least favorite part of yoga-studio cleanin b/c thar was an extra private lesson happenin at 2 pm - sweet! Then, ah went ta tha local hardware store ta exchange some "heavy duty" gardening gloves that ah put a hole in aftah just two days - n nawt only did they exchange me fer some new ones, they also REFUNDED ME. at - wait fer it - $3 more then ah actually paid!. Thank you karma!

Finally, ah went to a local thrift store to score some clothes fer tha Wee the Band photo shoot happenin this weekend n ah totally lucked out. My tie is awesome! You can't wait ta see it, trust me

Sunny Days in San Francisco

The weatha has been freakin unbelievable tha last few days - we had some rain early on last week, which prompted me ta FINALLY BUY A FAWKIN BUMPER FER MY BIKE. What ah really should've done is just gawt tha rack installed like ahve needed ta ferevah so ah ken start transportin shit on my ride, but, ah didn't. Sue me.

This weekend was relatively quiet actually - ah mean, yes, ah did gae to a party on Friday, n then Saturday nite ah supported my UU friend n Neighbor Melanie as she Went to the Other Side, followed up by drinks n UU-typed convo. N of kerse ah werked in my backyard n ah have lettuce comin up n basil in a pot.

But what really happened is Tha Wee the Band debut album "Have Another" is finished! It will still be a few weeks before we have any final product, but tha final mix was made (not-perfect, but close), tha artwork is apparently all done, n we are just about ready ta gae ta print w. this shit. YES! We've also gawt a band photo scheduled for next weekend, thangs are fallin intae place.

Melanie's friend Aaron tipped me off to The Sixty One, a pretty cool website that allows you to upload yer own tunes, vote on others, and track your favorite groups progress. Ah uploaded a few tunes, and highly encourage everyone ta check out tha site (n give Wee the Band some frickin love!)

So - if you would like a free copy of tha CD, please make sure ah have yer mailin address. Ah will gladly send out copies to anyone who wants it - n if you want ta help offset tha cost of shipping on my end, feel free to paypal it to me. However, if you want to buy the album and support tha whole band, ah will refer you all to our itunes site when it is set up.

We already have a bunch of gigs set up this summer, ah fricken LOVE how audible my bass is, and we have been hard at werk writin some very cool stuff that will BLOW YER MIND. This disc is pretty conservative - n ahm glad we've recorded a lawt of these songs cuz it means we git ta move on from them.

Wee the Band - Have Another is COMING SOON!!!!

Rainy/Sunny days in SF....

Tha title of this post is taken from a Wee the Band song - available soon on CD, and thru itunes! Woot! (even tho ah hate itunes).

Let's see, what have ah been up ta....

Last Wednesday ah went to a bday party for the guitarist in the pop/rock band ahm playin in. We currently don't have a name, so ah refer to us as tha Junk Bumpers. It's a long story how my friend n ah came up w. that, n while ah think its actually a decent name, it doesn't fit our musick. Anyway, tha bday party was at a Karaoke Bar in Fisherman's Wharf. Fisherman's Wharf is a touristy obnoxious part of tha city that you see if you visit (ah don't really know why, except that tha cable car gaes thar), n then ignore completely when you move here cuz it's fawkin lame. Generally, ah dont gae out like that (party started at 11) on weeknights, but when ah told Lavi that, he made such a sad face ah reconsidered. It was a pretty good time, ah sang a Pink song (ah let tha cat outta tha bag about my crush on her), n we took tha first pics of us togetha. Of kerse, ah ruined it by wearin my glasses, so it's nawt very indicative of me. But check out my beard (n tha fact that ahm smilin! Ahm tryin ta git bettah at that in photos):


Howevah, this next picture is much more what yer used ta:


Saturday aftahnoon ah took a Bikram Yoga MASTER CLASS w. head Teacher Trainer Craig Villani and it kicked my ass. Ah balanced on my tip toes in awkward pose until ah fell outta it - twice. N awkwards my GOOD pose!

Then think13 played a set - what tha? Yes, thar was a VAGABOOM! fundraiser featurin us, a performance troupe, a contortionist, some dude on a guitar, a synthesizer jam-band, a dj, and BURLESQUE. And what burlesque - ah was swoonin durin thar brief set (which featured big band versions of "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Baby Got Back"). On a total whim (meanin, ah saw them n made sure our drummer shared) ah snagged a bit of some "truffles" in chocolate form. Ah sorta fergawt about them, n was startin ta git concerned w. how funny everythang was when ah was reminded what ahd ingested, n thangs gawt really nice n relaxin aftah that. Ah spent tha nite laughin w. friends, talkin shit, n bein loud. Finish it off w. a nice bike ride home - aww yeah.

Sunday ah wen ta see Anvil: The Story of Anvil and it was really awesome. Thars a reason this movie has been gittin rave reviews from everywhar - it's fantastic. It's one of those movies you certainly don't need ta enjoy tha metal genre (er even be aware of) ta appreciate, n ta those of us in tha know, its amazin. It's so good, ahma include tha trailer here:


Now, tha rest of my week hasn't been THAT excitin, but yestahday ah bought some organic black beans n bulk n they are currently makin my kitchen smell really really good. Ta self-sufficiency!

Weeeeeeekeeeeeennnnnnd!

My last few weekends have been truly awesome - not to jinx the ones in my future.

Anyway, Friday night Wee the Band had a half hour slot at the Red Vic hostel/cafe in the Upper Haight. Our percussionist was away on business so it wasn't a full gig, but it still went pretty well. Tha audience that was thar ta watch us (some of whom we know, many were walk-ins) was very attentive and appreciative. Aftahwerds we had some drinks nearby at a friends place. If only tha cd was ready, we prolly wouldve sold a few....

Saturday ah woke up n realized ah was an idiot n my computah was nawt broken - huzzah! Then ah hit tha backyard. While ah did dae a bit of diggin n movin around, what ah really spent time on was plantin some seeds. Ah don't know if they'll take, but ah planted a row of wildflowers on each side of our pathway on tha top level. Previously there had been a bunch of clover growing thar that looked kinda neat, except that half of it had been pulled up. We'll see if anythang grows:


Then ah planted a lettuce mix in some bins ah found in tha backyard - ah was a lil haphazard about all this though, so ah wont be hurt if it doesn't werk out this time:


Ahm hopin ta jumpstart tha growin by usin some worm castings, which ah used tha last time ah had a garden (ah dont know if they actually helped er nawt, but its organic fertilizer - makes sense ta me). Ah bought these direct from this organic gardening site, which I think is a pretty good deal.

Tha tree next door decided it liked what ah was daein w. tha place n gave me a gift from it's branches:


Saturday night my yoga studio hosted "Eat Drink and Be Mary", and annual clothing swap/potluck/talent show that was a total blast. Ah sadly dae nawt have any pictures of tha ridiculous costumes ah was wearin, but ah did spend a large portion of tha nite w. a cape on. Thar was a jam session latah on n ah met a bunch of jazz/jaco folks who want ta dae some woodsheddin, which ahm down fer. Ah made pumpkin bread as well:


This is my moms recipe that I am working on adapting - currently it comes out a little too sweet so ahma keep that in mind tha next time ah make it. When it's finalized ahll post it fer you fine folks.

Sunday ah gawt ta sleep in instead of gaein ta tha yoga studio at 11, which was amazin. Ah did a lil more cookin, went on a very nice first date at a great local dive (and ah mean a REAL dive, nawt a hipster trendy dive. These folks mean business when it comes ta drinkin), n ah hung out w. my roommates when ah gawt home. We made mac n cheese w. this extra special expensive olive oil that lives in our house and it was DELICIOUS. Holy hell, that was some great Mac n Cheese.

Much Love!

Ah just wanted to take a second n say THANK YOU!!! to tha folks who read this blog n leave comments. It really does make my day ta pull up this ol' thang n see that people are reading it. Ahve been enjoyin chronicling my adventures out here quite a lot, n would prolly keep it up anyway, but it makes it so much more fulfilling ta dae when ah know my friends across tha country are tunin in every once in a while.

If ah wasn't at werk ahd attach a picture of me smilin at ya - perhaps latah this weekend (that is, if ah ken git my computah ta behave....stupid mothafawka....grumble grumble).

Ah know, ah only post about weekends these days....

First off, HAPPY 4/20!

Anyway, thar were more shenanigans this weekend in tha best city evah. On Saturday I spent some more time in my backyard moving shit around and trying to figure out what kind of gardening is tha best. Here's that spot that until 3 weeks ago was 5 ft tall weeds:



Tha weirdest thang was before ah was out thar werkin, ah saw some smoke. Ah figured it was just a neighbor smokin a cigarette next door, n then my door bell rang. When ah answered it (which ah usually dont dae unless ahm expectin somoene) my neighbors told me they saw smoke comin from my backyard. Ah went out back n found that our stairs had spontaneously caught on fire! Ah don't know what tha fawk caused it, ah couldn't anythang that indicated flame. We eventually smothered it out, but it is a mystery....



My old Mysterious Odors bandmate, Andrews (also a richmond native) was in town with his band Beatnik Jr as well as their friends Mahi Gato which featured Willie (Also of tha odors, n tha guy in tha previous post who was here last weekend) on bass at the Fat City. Drews came by in tha afternoon n we shot tha shite, n then ah met up w. them latah n gave them some California Cookies that came out excellent. Both bands rawked pretty damn hard n then thar was some hangin out....


These guys are all on drugs.


I wanted to be a rockstar w. sunglasses too!

I stayed out until 4 in tha morning in tha tenderloin (NEVAH a good idea), gawt back, had a catnap, n then it was off ta my yoga werk trade. Tha nite of boozin n tha afternoon of shovellin made me HORRENDOUSLY sore. If ah wasn't such a bikram rawkstar, I wouldve probably died in class. Or something.

Then, despite tha fact that it was unbelievable gorgeous outside, ah had WTB practice, which was fun, but nawt as much fun as outside. Aftahwerds, it was intae the Inner Mission fer pitchers of margaritas and local beer w. tha remainin Beatnik Jr/Mahi Gato folks.


Drew's rock star face is almost identical to his non-rock star face.

Before we parted ways, we talked about me comin ta visit LA fer a reunion show. Ah think it's gawna happen. Oh sweet sweet stank....

Anyway, Monday has kicked my ass and it continues to be gorgeous out. Ah am tired as fuck n my stomach is PISSED fer all tha booze. Ah promise ta be nicer ta you fer tha rest of tha month stomach.

I love you weekend....

This wasn't supposed to be that busy of a weekend, but a lot happened...

The pop/rock band I've been playing with had a gig in Fairfax, California. I got really excited when I saw a big theatre marquee w. "FAIRFAX" in large red letters (I'm from Fairfax, Virginia). The bar, Peri's, was actually a pretty nice scene - it got a lot of foot traffic, drinks were on the house, and everyone was super friendly. Funny enough, we had been concerned about nawt havin enuff songs, so our singer did two on his own. Because of this, we had to skip one of them, hah!

Then Saturday my house tackled more of our backyard - and we even had one willing pair of hands stop by and dig some shit up, awesome! Here we are before:


And this is after:


If this doesn't look like much, it's because you can't see the stretch behind the shed, which was completely overgrown with all sorts of stuff, adn has been laid mostly to waste by now. I was hoping that was pure dirt, but it's concrete as well so the plans to put in a veggie garden there have to be modified. Likely I'll still put some veggies and herbs there, but will have to put them in containers.

Finally, Willie T, singer of The Mysterious Odors was in town w. his friend's Beatnik Jr (who actually feature Odors drummer Andrews) promoting their show next week. Willie and I had a lot of catching up to do - since the Odors broke up he has traveled the world as tech guy with bands like NIN, Alanis Morisette, Incubus, and more. Fuck that guy. Here we are in the SOMA:


The next item on my agenda for the day is one I'm not especially looking forward to, but it's best to just get it ovah w. Catch ya latah interwebs!

Ah wore a tux!

Ahm pretty sure this is tha first time evah....n it will prolly be quite a while until tha next. So enjoy!

Ch-ch-ch-Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Just a few general updates:

1)Ahve found myself playing in a pop/rock band (What's w. all tha pop these days Severe?) and it's not too bad of a time. Thars a long complicated history behind this band that ah won't gae intae now), but ah was originally asked to fill in on a festival gig they landed, which ahm pretty sure isn't happenin now (tha festival that is). Tha main singah/songwriter is a cat ah know from Berklee, n tha otha two dudes are really good players, so it's holdin my interest fer now. We apparently need ta have 8 songs togetha by next Friday fer a show out in Fairfax. We have 4 that are decent, 2 we've heard, n thars supposed ta be two more. Tah only time ahm practicin w. them between now n then is Monday nite. Ahll let ya know how it gaes....

2)Ahm fazin out my beard - tha plan is every week er so ta slightly cut away at it, gaein thru various stages of different facial hair. Tha only one ahll definitely be avoidin is tha "ironic moustache" as thars too many fawkin hipstahs sportin that in this city. Here's a pic of step 1:


3)Ahm gittin tha gawdamm motivation ta werk my backyard intae somethang passable! Ah spent 3 very VERY productive hours back thar fixin up some of tha worse spots. Tha thang that bothas me is how similar it looks to tha pic of it 10 months ago when ah moved in. Ah fergawt ta git a "before" photo, but rest assured thar was a TON of growth since last June that gawt chopped down!


It's time fer a fawkin showah now!

Tech Support Quote of the Week:

*drumroll*
"That seems to be one of my biggest problems with computers - there's too many choices."

- A good natured volunteer in Alabama.

Happy Friday - Wee the Band gits it's acoustic on in Oakland tonight!

Last weekend....

Ah trekked across tha continental 48 in an aeroplane to attend tha weddin of one of my best n oldest friends, Crazy Paul. It was a momentus occasion - who tha hell thought Paul would evah snag a lady? Lets just say he owes tha internet BIG TIME fer putting Erin in his life.

Ah was the "best man" fer tha event, meanin my job duties were very specific: 1)Stopping everyone from freaking Paul out; 2)Stopping Paul's mom from freaking his bride out; 3)Organizing a night on tha town in Charleston; 4)Making a toast; and 5)Bringing "California Brownies" to tha event (please see a future post for how to make said "California Brownies" as ahm startin ta git tha hang of it finally).

All in all, thangs went pretty well actually. They gawt married in a swamp (a NICE swamp - Cypress Gardens), thar was good food, good people, brownies, alligators, hilariously un-paul-and-erin-like musick (with a couple awesome exceptions), and dramadramadrama. But they gawt married n nae one gawt hurt. Altho we all had a WTF-moment....


Oh yeah, ah had ta wear a tux too. Friday was my birthday n they brought out a cake at tha rehearsal dinnah fer me, which was sweet. Ahll also let you know this was tha first time ahd evah gawten a professional beard trim, n it was pretty decent!

Aftah all tha to-doin, ah spent Sunday on Daniel Island w. a bunch of family ah rarely see. These are tha folks who don't live in Buffalo so ah was especially glad ta catch up w. them, n meet a few additions ta our family. My cousin Dennis (formerly known as Little Den) is a plastic surgeon in South Carolina and recently bought a humungous house fer him, his wife, n his four (four!) kids. My cousins Ron, Kathy, and their daughter Erica, drove up from Florida so we could all be exhausted by tha chitlins. Here we are - almost 3 complete families (just a portion of my Buffalo based relatives)

Let me try to go through all of em, left to right:
Dennis, Ron, My dad, Lori, Emma, Isaac, Abbey, Julianna, me, Kathy (behind me), My mom, Erica (behind my mom), Uncle Norman.

While my family is weird w. tha whole aunts/uncles actually bein cousins thang, Uncle Norman is EVERYONE's uncle norman.

Then ah gawt stuck in layovah-hell, made only bearable by my "California Brownies". N now it's back ta stupid work. BOO!

Thanks fer all tha b-day wishes!

It happened again....

I turned another year older. Past the "age of wisdom", and into my definite late-20s, ahm now 28 fricken years old!


BINGO!

How am ah celebratin? Ahm in South Carolina fer Crazy Paul's weddin. Ahm tha best man - shows you tha types of scum CP hangs out with, eh? My rents n Uncle will be thar as well, n then ahm meetin up w. some cousins on Sunday who ah haven't seen in years. N then - lucky me, ah git ta fly back ta tha West Coast n have a busy week of yoga, band practice, n a gig. SCORE!

quittin....

Ah didn't gae ta yoga today. Ah really haven't been enjoyin tha last week er so of gaein everyday, n it's started ta feel like an obligation instead of somethang ah dae fer myself. In ordah ta dae tha 30 class challenge, ahd need ta gae nawt only every day through next Wednesday but also gae twice on both Saturday and Sunday (tha only days ah could afford it schedule wise). This also meant on Thursday ahd hafta gae ta 8 am, take tha bus (w. my bass and gig stuffs) to work, work until 6 pm, and then head over to the gig (10 minute walk from work), and be there until relatively late. Then work as normal on Friday - it just isn't all feasible. The only external kind of incentive was if ah could dae tha studio's 30 days (instead of just my personal 28) is ahd be entered in a raffle ta win prizes. N ah refuse ta kill myself just fer some prizes - yoga is about me.

Actually gaein n takin class wasn't all that hard necessarily. But, ah realized ah was startin ta dislike gaein ta class, n that ah was intentionally takin it easy so ah could save my energy (instead of take tha yoga as deep as ah could ta really push myself) because ah wasn't enjoyin class. N it wasn't about gaein fer me - it was about gaein fer some amount of time ta see what it was like, n ta see if ah could dae it. Ah think ah could dae it - maybe ahll try again. But ah didn't want ta - ah didn't like it, it was makin life harder, n ah missed lookin FORWARD ta yoga class.

Tha hardest part fer me was actually quittin. Ah don't quit thangs very often - ah quit tha cello in 4th grade n ah still wish ah hadn't. Ah quit algebra in 8th grade. Ah dropped a few courses at Berklee n ah quit my job at Great Bay. Ah know thars some otha stuff in thar as well, but in general, ah don't quit just cuz shit is hard - er even cuz ah don't like it. Ah've tolerated wrestling in high school, years of shitty waitin jobs, livin at home fer way too long, n a bunch of otha thangs ah didn't like w.o quittin. Ah like finishin thangs, sometimes just fer tha sake of finishin thangs. But last nite tryin ta pass out at 1 am (aftah a day of work, yoga class, n 3 hours of jammin w. some new folks - more ta come on that if it manifests) ah realized ah just didn't want ta gae ta yoga anymore - fer me. N while ah took my clothes ta werk today, ah have forced myself ta quit tha concept of 30 classes - n that ah dont really care if ah dae 28 in a row eitha. Life's just too busy, especially w. Crazy Paul's weddin next week, a WTB gig on Thursday, n practicin w. some new folks.

So ah quit. Doesn't feel good, but ah ken also live w. myself fer daein as much. Ahm still gaein ta gae as many times as ah ken - which will be 25 classes in 28, a numbah ahm pretty happy with. N if latah on down tha line ahm still really dissappointed w. myself, ahll try it again. Which ah wish ah could say about tha cello....

Bikram Challenge continues....

So this morning I did something really weird (for me): Ah woke up early fer yoga! Yes, ah forced myself outta bed at 7:30 am so ah could gae git hawt n sweaty.

This means of kerse, that ahm on pretty good track ta hit my goal - altho in ordah ta git credit at tha studio, ah need ta dae 30 classes in 28 days. This mornin was #15 - halfway thar. Ah don't know if its gawna git easier er hardah from here on out, altho my schedule is gittin busier n busier. BUT, ahm also committed ta daein this cuz ah said ah would - doesn't sound like me at all does it?

Ta recap:
1st class = awesome!
Next 3 classes = sucktastic!
Next 5 classes = awesome!
Next 4 classes = less then awesome!
Yesterday = pretty good
Today = damn ahm sore!

Updates abound

Don't know what it is, but February has me writin a lawt of blog entries thus far. Don't git used ta it necessarily...

Yoga - Day 5 was AWESOME. Strongest class probably evah - felt like a champ pretty much tha whole time through, breathin was steady n intentional, n went pretty fawkin deep on some poses (rawked triangle too, hell yeah!). Ah think part of this had ta dae w. more then 24 hours between classes in addition ta otha circumstances (this time ah went ta tha noon n then tha 4:30). Howevah, ahm concerned once ah throw my 8 hours of werk back on top (as well as tha bike ride ta n from werk) tomorrow n tha rest of tha week will come back n hurt.

Pillow Fight - Laughing Squid (a blog I read pretty regularly about fun stuff, specially in SF) compiled pretty much anythang werth lookin at regardin tha pillow fight on Sunday -> It's all right here. Also, San Francisco is so weird.

Finally, ahve recently listened ta both this and this via myspace recently n have enjoyed both artist a lawt - hip hop typed stuff w. guest stars. Altho ah realize tha first one has a lame deal gaein on w. Target.

Yoga Update - 4 out of 28....

Ah don't know if thars a point in time when thangs are supposed ta even out, but my last 3 classes have really kicked my ass. Friday tha heat was higher then its been in weeks - ah actually really love tha hawt classes, but ahve been gittin used ta 102-104 degree temperatures, and Friday was more like 105 - 109 (my favorite spot is up near tha instructor podium, whar tha heat indicator is). Saturday was even hawter - gawt up ta 111 fer tha second half but tha humidifier wasn't on (n fancy this - ah didn't remind tha teacha ta turn it on this time!). Also, Friday ah took 6:30 and then Saturday ah took tha noon - ahve only done two classes in less then 24 hours once before. Today was tha opposite of my usual problem - usually my flesh is willin but tha mind is weak, but today ah was daein really well w. maintainin my composure but damn every pose hurt n ah even left a few of them early (Ah hate when ah dae that). But, ahm still determined - altho ah hafta admit thar were moments today when ah started wonderin if ah actually hated bikram yoga, n had just convinced myself ah enjoy it. I also biked about 17 miles yestahday w. errands n shit, did a class n went to tha pillow fight, which was freakin AWESOME, but surprisingly tiring on my arms.

Here's a pretty blurry pic of my own (my camera is low on batteries so the night setting is kind of whack), I'll try to link to some better ones as they become available on the web:


I was pretty exhausted by the end of the day, but it still beat the livin crap out of last year's V-Day.

In other news, I've been listening to a lot of Murder By Death recently and am very much looking forward to their show next Saturday. Check em out - Americana/indie rock w. cello - that doesn't suck (most americana/indie ah could take er leave, but these folks dae it rite).

Yoga OverDose

Think ah mentioned this a few posts back, but ahve decided ta see what gaein ta yoga EVERY DAY fer 4 weeks feels like. My studio is daein a 30 day challenge startin tha 15th but ahve started early as ahll be out of town fer a few days in tha middle of March fer Crazy Paul's weddin. Also, ah miscalculated, so startin today will give me at most 28 days. While daein more then one class a day is allowed, ahll prolly be makin up at least one day a week once WTB starts practicin again, so it's doubtful ahll be able ta pick up tha slack. Ah also will nawt beat myself up if ah dont dae all 28 - if ah hit 20 ahll be pretty fricken happy!

Fer tha record, it's suggested that you gae at least 3 x a week in ordah ta really heal yer body, but ahll admit aftah my first couple months ah sorta petered out ta twice, MAYBE three times each week. Howevah, tha wintah break gave me free time so ah tried ta step it up - n ahll be damned, ah felt much healthier when ah started gaein 3-4 as opposed ta 2-3. So we'll give this a shot.

Wish me luck everyone - today was day numbah 1 n my class was pretty awesome actually!

In addition to this, ahve also decided ta completely cut out any weeknite drinkin until tha weddin as well - this is sorta a health thang - but really a money deal.