Meeting of Two Cultures day

Yesterday was the last day of training. And even though it was hard to be nonstop for five weeks I am sad that the training is over. We had a graduation ceremony complete with quiz questions as we received our certificates: philosophy, anatomy or do a chant. Totally in fun of course. My question was: What is the difference between knitting, crochet and needlepoint ;)
**
In true form whenever there is a break in school routine like a day off I am fighting a cold (bleh). I went to practice this morning with a new teacher and interestingly enough during the inversion of choice segment she talked about having attended a class led by the Yoga Trainer I had just trained with (I was wondering why her sequencing seemed familiar).
***
I started Anne's House of Dreams today and ordered Dragonhaven as well as Mississippi Jack. Funny momene occurred as the book seller was checking her warehouse for the latter book she asked, "How do you spell that?" "Mississi- " "Oh, that Mississippi" ***CV

sadhana pada

I didn't find the books I was looking for so I will most likely order them from a local shop whenever I have time to do so. I am very much looking forward to next Monday:the meeting of two cultures day (ooo how PC) So far this week there are two scheduled night meetings. This is not to say that there might not be a surpise meeting sometime.

One of my team mates said that last year she felt like she was reacting all year long. This year she feels more on top of things. So there is hope. Also it appears that the upper El guide may not be here until May. (......)
**
Final week of teacher training coming up. While it has been a challenge to be training and teaching nonstop I will miss going in and being with my fellow trainees. Yesterday was pretty intensive with actual teaching, we rotated groups and sequences and I got called on to teach half the class. At first I thought the instructor was joking (he has a certain sense of humor) so when he said "CV is going to teach now." I said. "I am?" Oh you mean really teach. Okay.

We also talked about the possibility of unconditional love, the sutras of Patanjali and bhandas. Last week was all about the Gita***CV

the Beatles Understood

I am so tired. I don't think I have had one day this week that has been less then 18 hours. Tomorrow I am to catch a 5:59 am bus. Wish the alarm clock good luck in the morning.
**
On a cheerier note, during the lunch break from my training, I stopped by Borderlands which is a bookstore in the Mission district and what to my wondering eyes should appear but: Little Grrl Lost and Promises to Keep. Two new Charles deLint books. Yay!
***
Oddly enough as I was walking to the space where the training is taking place this morning I had a spatial deja vu from a rather intense dream I had about three years ago. All the buildings both in size and that angles at which they intersected were precisely what I had dreamed of.

Then, during the introductions, someone flung themselves at me and gave me the biggest hug. Turns out that the person who is letting us use her art studio is the mom of one of my primary children from yeeeaaars ago. So exciting. I get to see this child (who is a beautiful elementary person now judging by her photograph) tomorrow :)
****
Here is a poem from the opening line I submitted to the Short Story group tonight

Mendel's Serenade

And yellow penguins began to carve the ice

Summer burns on, and my insanity grows.

I can not decide; I cannot suffer choice;

Hang your head over, hear the wind blow

Yellow penguins. I can dig it. Kind of Bradburyesque: Golden Penguins of the Sun. ***CV

love

Today was the last public class I will be able to take with the person who is leading the teacher training. It is not that I cannot take his public classes only the studio where he had been holding them is no longer aailable and he is relocating to a place that is (for me) financially unamanageable.

He's an interesting person and this training will prove challenging on many levels. One is that in current society (though this may be true for other societal times as well) it is very hard to accept genuine caring and consideration. People who approach life with goodness always seem a little suspect (or is that just me?) It's not that I don't want to believe and to also view others and interact with others in such a nonromantic loving manner only there is always that fear of being hurt, either emotionally, physically or socially.

This particular instructor is not perfect. Yet he genuinely is open and caring and interested in everyone (and not in that RY* way).
**
I saw the golden pair again today. I think that those of you who thought that they were goldfiches were right. The pictures I have seen of warblers are too round for this slim pair. While reading in the garden today (Myth and Meaning, Claude Levi-Strauss) a humming bird decided to hover in front of me for a while. Literally. Before zooming off to join his mate.

I started Anne of the Island tonight. And Jerry Spinelli has a sequal to Stargirl out called Love***CV

fin semana

I finally got around to visiting the bookshop across the street. I thought it was a local division of a specific publisher. But as I was on my way to grocery shop I decided to just pop in and at least see the place before I left. Imagine my surpise to find it to be a new and used (primarily used) collectors book shop. It's somewhat hidden behind a local bakery and in fact is filled with the yeasty scent of freshbaked bread. The shop itself is called Daedalus Books, named I presume, after the greek guy who tried to fly to the sun when his wings were only attached by wax. Now there's someone who needed a lesson on the three states of matter.

I picked up a copy of Fielding's Shamela and Joseph Andrews as well as a Penguin edition of Menicus.
**
Before going there though I attended a workshop given by Paul Grilley, the main instructor of Yin yoga. I was fortunate to attend a mini-workshop of his years ago so this time I only attended the part about meridians and chakras. (The other parts are excellant. Only I had already participated and did not feel like spending critical moving funds on a repeat performance.)
***
Meanwhile I have a pair of socks promised to a friend (a promise I made last year) so I cast on for those last Friday and have 4 more inhes to do before I reach the heel. And I saw the new Knitty and the unmentionables are so cute I want to knit a pair in black for my date night. Hmmmm. ***CV

modern times

Practice has been very challenging this week. Not so much the postures as the actual movement -I've felt off center, which in a balance is not such a happy situation. Probably pretty amusung if you're watching though ;)
**
Seutonius has been my commute reading. Goodness me. Julius was apparently quite the ladies' and gentlemen's man. Also, even though he liked power he had a bit of difficulty getting it. Everytime it seemed it was a ripe time to go in and take control he'd have to high tail it out of Rome. I have such the image of Rome at Night and this toga'd individual creeping in ala a Warner Bros. sneak and then, after peering around a corner, doing a Tex Avery bug eye and skeedaddle: over and over again.

Of course then he got to be Caesar (which is not to say he was King) so it worked out for him. So the difference between King and Caeser? Apparently dictator was more likely to win tpublic acceptance and approval where as calling oneself King was not OK: go figure.

A republican despot? A democratic dictator? Fine.*
A king ruling subjects? Face our mighty wrath!*

I'm now reading about Augustus.

Those wacky Romans and their disagreements. I bet if the air commision had been around back then there would have been far less stabbing of senators with stylus' and the odd dagger or two. Of course I really think that if you're concerned about someone recording your speech that there must be a better way to resolve the issue then having the recorder's throat slit. I really think the latter behaviour draws attention more to the issue then it avoids it.

Hey, but that's only my opinion. Put the stylus away please.
***
Being on a budget makes one so very appreciative of this institution known as the Public Library. Today I brought home from said lovely invention:

Undine, Penni Russon

I am Morgan le Fay, Nancy Springer

Troy, Adele Geras

****CV

*So this analogy of US with Rome gains more and more credence as time goes by. Does this mean Lost, American Idol and Survivor are our Circuses?

Swan

Today I went to a workshop on Breath practices. It was very soothing. We spent two hours just practicing different breaths for meditaion and talking about the way different techniques can be interpreted. As a tool we were each gifted with a ten breath mala (a bracelet of beads that are divided into groups of ten with a larger bead as the marker).
**
Last night I went to various sites seeing what opportunities are available. I saw about five that appealed to me so I will be contacting them this week.
***
There is a class in stranded work next week and later this year there will be a workshop of Nordic Knitting, in Seattle. I'm going to take the stranded class in preparation for it.
****
Tomorrow is to be devoted to Plato and Archimedes. Must make sure the bathtub doesn't leak****CV

Shalabasana

How to do a backbend on one's chin: do a full wheel only grab hold of your ankles and rest your chin between your feet is one way. Viparita shalabasana is another way. The latter is what we were working on in class. I posted a pic of it a while ago. I'll see if I can find it again.

Aha! Success.

If anyone is interested in asana postures - just to have a breakdown with photos, I highly recommend BKS Iyengar's, Light on Yoga. I bought my copy used in SF and if I had to have only one yoga book that would be it. Another good one is his daughter Geeta's book, Yoga, A Gem for Women, but her Dad is amazing. He still practices and is almost ninety.

This, btw, is not Mr. Iyengar.
**

In knitting news I refuse to believe that Noro Silky and Rowan Felted Tweed are the same weight. They don't even look the same thickness. So how come they're both considered DK?
***
Oh, and the cutest Nick looking boy rescued one of my DPN's for me on the bus today. Who says commuting can't be fun? ****CV

Blithe Alice

I am now the proud owner of a miniature Blythe Doll. She's so cute. It's an Alice in Wonderland, with turqouise hair and her own tiny white rabbit. I also won a Big Eyes doll with pink hair and four colour eyes (depending upon which way she's looking they are either pink, blue, amber or, I believe, green).
**
More crazy backbends in class today. Somehow I will get all my weight on my chin - just not today thanks.
***
I finished a pair of cabled glovelets in a red tweed. Go me! Now to try and make them in the yarn that was recommended. Oh and that latest Piecework has a sampler knitting collection of miniature sweaters, socks etc. Think it might be good to try with the class?****CV