OK Again

A few notes about becoming a Feldenkrais Practitioner:
I was enrolled in a Feldenkrais Training Program;
but following some professional differences,
have resigned from one program
and am looking into other programs of study.
Feldenkrais Training Programs
are held all over the world;
but I am limiting my search to areas
where I am fluent in the language
can afford the tuition
can afford lodging or have friends nearby
and am greatly impressed with the instructors.

Although Milan, Italy sounded like fun,
and I've always wanted to travel to Australia.

California
here I come.

NOW I can think about wearing those socks...
M

OK

Still sad
bummed
gray-day
partly cloudy
down-at-the-mouth
dull
down.

But getting better:
Had been enrolled in a 4-year program
and following
differences
have resigned after 2 years.

Now
looking
searching
hoping
talking
checking
sending-out-feelers
getting a gut feeling
composing letters of introduction
and
looking
at California...

I haven't been
since 1966.
Wonder if things have changed much?

I hear it is sunny
too.

I'll let you know.

Sad

Sad
at odd hours and when doing everyday things.
Just sad.
Sadness washes over me,
crashes down around my ears
and I feel like I can't
breathe
think
smile.
Tears fill my eyes;
shopping for groceries
taking a shower
driving down the road
petting the cat
talking with friends
sleeping (!)

I've lost an opportunity
walked away from an education
-have left the building...
for my own sanity.

Sanity is good.
But I'm still
sad.

So when you see me
and see sadness
know...
I'm healing as I cry.

Happy Toes

Thanks Krista - good choice.
M

Cheryl's Lament

My sister in-law
is sad about winter and hoping for an early Spring.
Cheryl - in your honor:


First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus -
Crocus.

~Lilja Rogers


http://www.quotegarden.com/spring.html

B Day

Ten Thousand Waves (a.k.a. "10,000 Steps")
Japanese-style spa and baths in Santa Fe.









Plaza Cafe in the center of town for lunch.



Emile's Basque Chicken


And Tina and Krista's creation...







I'm calling it:
"Pandora's Surprise"

Immersion

Immersion language courses excite me.
I remember back to high school and college;
"traditional" Spanish and French classes,
and my sorry attempts to learn another language.

This week, my current instructor cut through the crap
of what could be a boring first class.

Reminding us:
Many visitors attempt to memorize 400 "new" nouns in the language-of-choice;
to "speak fluently" in a foreign country,
but are forced to use (a whole lot of) sign language to communicate.

But properly armed with correct verbs, (maybe 50-100),
correct use of verbs,
and not only one verb per sentence - but many;
strung into beautiful, specific, jewel-like necklaces of structure and form
joined with only 50-100 nouns...
Opens the clearest path to be understood, to understand others,
and work with the correct tools and material,
toward the proper respect of people and languages in the countries we visit.

I am on a journey in Santa Fe
- for more beautiful Spanish.
My best friend begins her journey this weekend in the Midwest
- for the passion of Italian.

Dive in and do your best.
The shiniest rocks are in the deepest pools;
and are worth the most work.

Haggis-Hype

Welcome: The haggis.




David and Eliza; our gracious hosts for the merry-making evening.



The haggis reading.



Scottish accents: Always a crowd-pleaser!




Poems to food.





Dorthy's amazing salad; like a wonderful still-life.





Reading and singing Burns' works with Scotch Broth and Rumbledethumps.





Scotch Broth with veggies and lamb, and the magical golden sauce for the bread pudding.





Hmm... A bit out of focus at this point in the evening.

Happy Birthday Robert Burns.

Snow Day

Snow day today
Approximately 6" of wet stuff greeted us this morning
it had blown in toward the northwest
(as evident from my antennae topper...)





Chivalry was alive and well.



Two more storms due before the weekend.




No blue sky until later this afternoon.



And somewhere under those clouds ahead - are the mountains.

Winter Sustinance

Roasted poblano soup with cotijo cheese
Green chile-chicken enchiladas
Margaritas
Laughter and conversation
Dinner with old friends and re-newed friends
And the start of a new Ryder Studio School session.

Welcome back.
M

Guts and Trials

New Year's Guts

A few ideas for Challenge 2010:
"Something New" once a month;
A class-never-before-tried
A book-never-before-EVER-considered
Cooking AND eating something non-habitual
Lessons in a musical instrument to the point of playing an entire song
Some-sort-of-aerobic-activity-once-a-week...

Upcoming winter challenges that have been reserved and paid-for:

January/February: Spanish Immersion classes - 2x/week for 5 weeks
February: Aikido - 1x/week for 6 weeks
March: ?
( A Hint? Let's just say I received a book
that I would NEVER had purchased for myself...
- I should read it and give a truthful book report, eh?)

Upcoming spring challenges:

April: Cooking class
May: Music lessons?

Ongoing challenges:
Did I mention that I have a fitness center membership?
And I tend to only use it to work as a therapist
in their therapy pool
with 2-3 patients
once a week.
Perhaps the rowing machine
once or twice a week?
I know how to
row,
row,
row.




Get your guts right here.
M

Guts

We spend January 1
walking through our lives,
room by room,
drawing up a list of work to be done,
cracks to be patched.
Maybe this year,
to balance the list,
we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...
not looking for flaws,
but for potential.
~Ellen Goodman




New Year's Day:
Now is the accepted time
to make your regular
annual good resolutions.
Next week
you can begin
paving hell with them as usual.
~Mark Twain

I checked my thesaurus
for "resolution"
and found the term "guts".

Shorter
simpler
more to-the-point.

My plan for my
New Year's Guts?

Find a challenge:
Hourly?
Daily?
Weekly?
Or a little less regular?

Decide
on a specific number
of challenges
to be completed
before the end of 2010,
and write like the wind
to describe them.

Gotta find some guts.
M

Waiting...