I gotta tell you guys, my consecutive day streak almost ended today! I woke up this morning and realized i din’t have any legs. Oh my gosh, are my muscles sore and aching! I could barely move, i thought about staying home and resting but i figured that stretching would prolly be the best medicine for me anyway. What a bike ride, but i made it. I was so wobbly during class, there was no way i was gonna stay for a second, even though i had everything i needed to do it. My leg muscles feel like they need to grow, i can’t believe how sore they are. I asked my friend “what kind of foods help build muscle?” “Meat.” Oh, the one thing i don’t eat any of, usually. Alright friends, i’m getting the evil eye from bear, it’s time to feed him again! ~m

Have i ever told you how much i hate the media in general? what got up my ass today? the new “controversy” over newsweek’s palin cover. They din’t photoshop her and make her look glamourous, the goddamn liberal media! The headline reads “she’s just like one of us”—why would they give her the playboy treatment? i was a media studies major at university, is it any wonder why i did nothing with my degree? i hate the media! school is good like that, i studied media, realized i hated it and got into rock and roll instead. Since i vaguely mentioned politics, there oughta be a subsistance package for all the lifers like me who din’t make it in rock and roll. Kinda like a rock and roll welfare program. But, to quote mssr. strummer, “i suppose you don’t wanna hear me going on about what’s up my ass,” so i’ll give it to you straight, “sitting here in limbo” after an awesome morning class. Only one today, but i plan on going back for seconds later. ~m

Have i ever told you how much i hate yahoo? They ruined the olympics and now they’re not helping the election any. I went to their home page last night and saw the headline in the news that read “Obama awarded government grants to relative’s service group.” Stop the presses! I din’t think politicians did that kind of thing, oh no! I’m sorry. How much money did VP cheney make when they rebuilt iraq a few years back? big deal. if you’re gonna report it, let me click a few times before i have to read it. i don’t know why that irked me so much, but it really did. Oh boy, i have to stop writing now, my little bear just attacked the food package my mom sent me! he knows there’s food in that box and he wants it, it’s so cute! ~m

Awwwww, these days, the mornings have that crisp, summer’s over feel to them. The days are heating up just fine, it’s the mornings that are getting brisk! By the time i get to yoga, i’m ready for the heat, believe you me. Today’s class was a warm one too! It felt so nice walking into that room after my chilly bike ride. Of course, practising bikram yoga in there for 90 minutes was a different story. Our teacher must have felt the heat too—she gave us an extra water break during the standing series! I still waited til the floor series for my water, just to stay disciplined. Plus, i was planning on doing the noon, right after, so I din’t want any “it’s too hot, i need water” thoughts in my head and i din’t want to contribute to them by indulging in water outside of the normal water break. Not that i din’t want the water, i just din’t want to think about it at all, you know what i mean? how does mike d say it, i came here to party, not drink bacardi? yeah, something like that. uh oh, that’s another rap, too! geez, too many songs in my head to be writing to you today! Anyway, even though it was a rough class, i stayed for a second and it wasn’t even as hot as the first class. Or, maybe i just forgot to worry about the heat. Yeah right, it wasn’t as hot because there weren’t as many people there! it was still an awesome class though and the best part is that i get to do it all over again tomorrow! ~m

Mellow class this morning! The woman behind me wore metal bracelets on her right hand the entire time. Any time she moved her arm, there was jingling. It was kinda funny. I don’t know how you could wear jewelry while practising. My teacher said the lost and found box of jewelry is huge, so i can see why you wouldn’t want to take anything off, you might forget it. People forget lots of things after yoga. The lost and found at our studio has at least 20 yoga mats. Those poor abandoned yoga mats, all rolled up, but without a home. I always forget stuff after yoga, but not material stuff. i forget stuff like buying a pepper and lemon for my beans. okee dokee artichokees, that’s enough of me for today, until tomorrow ~m

The weekend classes are always a little more humid than most people, including myself, are used to. The more you think about it, the more it’s gonna affect you. The water drinking and skipping sets started pretty early for some people and you would have been surprised to hear how loud the mouthbreathing was! The collective breathing was louder than the teacher! When the rest of us turned to the side for the seperate leg part of our standing series, my buddy din’t turn, he just kept facing straight. I was trying to not pay attention to him, but he started wobbling like the space needle! Oh my gosh, i started to get a little worried, i thought he was gonna drop. I was almost gonna step off my mat, so to speak, and whisper to him that he should lay down but he did it on his own and under his own power, thankfully. There’s a fine line between pushing hard and pushing too hard (gotta love the seeds). Knowing where the line is, that’s the tricky part. Okay friends, time to enjoy your day! ~m

Wow, you wanna hear something weird? Thanks to modern technology, my teacher was able to tell me how many classes i’ve taken at the yoga studio. He was even able to tell me who my first two classes were taught by. I knew that already, but i din’t know how many classes i’ve taken. Are you ready? Since i joined the yoga studio on november 9, i’ve taken 334 classes! That’s a lot of yoga! But i still feel like such a beginner to this wonderful practise. I guess that’s because i’m trying to undo 37 or so years of ungoodness. But if i can talk about a lil goodness, can i tell you my sista hooked up da nilla and his bear phat last night! Oh man, she brought us all manner of good things. Bear got chicken and tuna and i got cookies and juice! so rad. i’m gonna be able to feed bear all kinds of good things now! i wish i had done this with his brother, god bless his soul. Back then i was a dumbass and not into anything natural. i remember trying to feed him this awful looking doctor prescribed food and wondering why he din’t like it. Fuck! What was i thinking? How much was that a can and who was making the money? They call it doctor prescribed for a reason, cause the doctor makes the money. Fuck! I hate the medical system and i hate that i wasn’t aware enough to realize that a cat needs real food when he is dying. well, i’m not gonna make that mistake with this one. So, lemme just say, i got lucky last night when my sister brought over that sooprize package! word to all the sisters out there, lates ~the m to the c to the k

hey heartbreakers, it’s another day that i’m grateful for, I got my ass kicked twice today! Um, oh, i mean, i had 2 really good classes today. what a treat! Actually, after the first class, i was thinking of bailing, but i did that last week. I had a tough class and then went home because the noon teacher would have been another hard class. i din’t wanna do that again—it shouldn’t matter who’s teaching or if in my head i think the class is gonna be harder. I mean seriously, they’re all tough classes, right? if i have the time, i might as well take advantage of it, which is exactly what i did. i’ll take water a little more during my second class, just because it makes me feel better. or rather, safer, i mean, seriously, sometimes it feels like my brain is shrinking. That’s how i started to feel during the first class today! So, believe me, i allow myself a little more water during the second class. Today, it wasn’t the heat that started to get to me, it was a total lack of energy. i hit my hunger wall and all of a sudden i felt like my starving bear. we had some nice facedown savasanas and my teacher stood on my feet during one of them—oh my golly, did that feel good, miss molly! Seriously, after that i felt like i coulda done a third class, i was so rejuvenated, energized! That was a nice way to kick start me into the rest of class. or at least a good way to get my legs up higher when we’re doing that second set of poorna-salabhasana! hasta tomorrow heartbreakers ~m

happy october fiends! I din’t want to get out of bed today. It was early, the morning was overcast-cool and quiet. As i was lying in bed, convincing myself to go back to sleep and go to the 10 am class, i remembered who was teaching the 8 and that made me get out of bed! I don’t know what it is about this teacher but i always find myself going a little further than i usually go in my poses. Or i’ll hear instuctions i hadn’t heard before and my form gets better. She said something really great today, “it’s not about how far you go, but instead how much you let go.” That was worth the cost of admission alone! okily-dokily kids, enjoy your day! ~m

In times of great stress, like today, it’s nice to be able to practise twice! Even better was getting a “beautiful, mckinley” in my first class and a “nice, mckinley” in my second class while i was in dhanurasana. I know i shouldn’t let things like that affect me, but it was a nice stroke of the ego on a day when i could use it. After class, my ego got confused when someone told me i looked like barack obama! Huh? That was a first. In my life, i've been told i look like Mick Jones, Elvis, Gilbert Gottfried and Jerry Seinfeld—two jews, a hillbilly and a limey. Now, as i continue to break down barriers, i can add a black man to that list. Keep in mind that i'm a skinny mexican with the body of a 17 year old boy—that’s what makes it even funnier. I wonder if Barack Obama practises yoga. More importantly, where does he stand on real issues like atlantis?

Atlantis, Diamonds, Gold and Oil or How I Learned to Loathe Global Warming.
Last night, bear and i saw a documentary on the lost civilization of Atlantis. It debunked the myth that people left a dying Atlantis to start new civilizations but it din’t do anything to debunk the myth of Atlantis itself. Do you think Atlantis existed? I do. In their doomsday prophecies, the Hopi indians refer to this time as the fourth world and when the world as we know it ends, a 5th world will begin. Was Atlantis the Hopi’s third world?

Every doomsday prophecy includes big storms, floods, your basic biblical disaster. Is that what happened to Atlantis? They say if global warming happens now, the earth could shift its axis, reversing the magnetic poles or something like that. Even a small difference in the earth’s rotation would be amazingly devestating—the entire earth mass would shift— mountains and oceans would move, not a little but a lot. American psychic Edgar Cayce predicted that Japan will disappear instantly. 10,000 years from now, will people think Japan is a mythical, lost civilization? Will global warming hide Japan forever? If the earth shifted its axis and japan disappeared under the water, would it ever be found again? If mountains and oceans moved, japan could end up at the bottom of the deepest sea. Believe it or not, global warming would have that kind of impact on the earth. Global warming prolly destroyed the dinosaurs. Was the time of the dinosaurs the Hopi’s first world?

Did global warming destroy atlantis? Was atlantis a thriving society like ours? Maybe global warming caused the earth to shift its mass, losing Atlantis to the ages. In that shifting of mass, the treasures of Atlantis would be lost and destroyed. In that time of destruction, the earth might be a huge melting pot of ores that would spill out over itself, leaving deposits of diamonds in africa, gold in california and oil in the deserts.

30 years before it happened, Edgar Cayce predicted that “the first signs of Atlantis rising would occur in the Bahamas, near the island of Bimini.” In 1968, a strange rock formation in this area was discovered. Skeptics say these rocks are part of a natural formation. If you look at the drawing below of the rocks from overhead, they don’t look random. Look at the rocks themselves, they are rectangle or square, like they’ve been shaped. Honestly, they remind me of the rocks used to build the pyramids. Eerily enough, tests have shown that the rocks are made of the same material as the rocks that make up the pyramids in Egypt.

The maya calendar stops at 2012. Is that because the Hopi’s fourth world ends then? St. Malachi’s list of popes stops at the next one and his prediction for what happens next is doomsday. Will the next pope be the last? does global warming destroy the earth again? i don’t know. every prophet or psychic believes that the future can be changed. If that’s so, global warming doesn’t have to happen. It’s going to take a lot more than driving a pious to change what happens, but aren’t the sacrifices worth the reward? Think globally, act locally. damn, sayings are sayings for a reason, i guess. Okay that’s enough from me, get back to work! ~m

In between classes today, my teacher offered me some sea salt for my water. For a brief second, i was hesitant—my perception of salted water is tainted by gargling. There’s a difference between regular salt and sea salt, not just in taste but in minerals. Sea salt has minerals that table salt doesn’t have, there’s no comparison. She said she poured a little too much, but it wasn’t bad! It might become something else i start doing, i’ll have to try it again before i decide. Speaking of decisions, i’ve been wrestling with when to say bye to bear. Geez, i don’t like talking about it, but i read something reassuring that Dr. Pitcairn wrote about how people are sometimes too quick to say goodbye because their friend may have had a rough day. it’s been rough around here friends, but now i don’t feel so guilty about it. Speaking of guilty, i am again! I have to admit, i really like watching movies online! Last night, bear and i watched Iron Man! Wow, what an exciting movie! It comes out tomorrow on dvd for only 14 dollars! That’s still a lot of money to charge considering how many are going to be sold but who am i to talk? have you seen what i charge for a tank top? Ha ha, seriously, heartbreakers, i’m a good cause! hasta tomorrow ~m

i almost made it through the entire class without my stomach growling! The rumble in the jungle din’t start until the stretching at the end. i wasn’t too hungry because i was was up at 3 this morning eating an egg taco with my bear. thank god for the internet, i passed the morning away watching alfred hitchcock presents and for dessert i had a nice plate of strawberries. i figure i might as well enjoy cooking for bear, even if it is in the middle of the night. it’s better than not being able to cook for him, which is coming up soon. sigh. and the packers are 2-2. sigh. and i’ve been having lower back pain like i shouldn’t be having. it’s only because my body is shifting as my chest opens more. i guess that means it’s a good pain. kinda like how it feels in my heart when i’m enjoying my time with bear. alright friends, see ya tomorrow ~m

I’m really not liking yahoo right now, even less than i did during the olympics. They’re overkill advertising that show dexter. What a lame premise for a television show. I’m sorry, two wrongs don’t make a right. It disgusts me to see anything about that show and now i gotta see that actor’s face everytime i check my e-mail. L. A. M. E. While i’m on the subject of lame, does anyone else find issue with the movie Lakeview Terrace? i don’t know too much about it, but from what i’ve taken from the commercials, the movie looks like it’s reinforcing certain racial stereotypes. Ironic that hollywood chose to release this movie at the same time obama is running for president. The employees may be as liberal as they wanna be, but the people who write the checks aren’t. Why else would they choose circa now to release a movie based on the premise that black people shouldn’t be trusted, no matter what they do for a living or how clean they look on the surface. Alright, that’s enough of my grandstanding, how was your yoga class? With so many pretty faces in the room, it was bound to get hot and sweaty in mine. Afterwards, one of my friends said she savasana’d out a lot of the class because she din’t want to kill herself. I immediately thought of the bikram CD, which opens with “good morning everyone, welcome to bikram’s beginning yoga class to kill yourself for the next 90 minutes!” I din’t say anything, but that’s what was going through my head! To be honest, i din’t wanna kill myself either, just between me and you, my water was almost entirely gone by the time class was over! See you tomorrow ~m

Only one class for me today. Oh my gosh, it was a toasty, humid one too. Even after having done doubles three days in a row, i still wasn’t prepared for today’s class. i can’t believe i have friends practising in San Jose today because it’s hotter at that studio! Yikeroonies! Everyday is different though. Your body is different everyday, plus whatever you have going on in your life comes into your practise as well. I’m not making excuses for why i felt like i’d just been smacked by a truck. Actually i still feel that way right now, i am depleted! My teacher today said that you totally forget your first class and i think that’s only true because no matter how often you practise, you still, sometimes, have classes that make you feel like it’s your first time. hasta tomorrow amigos, ~m

i went to the 7:45 pm class last night. it’s an interesting class with a good mix of experience levels. people kinda spread out a little more than in earlier classes because there aren’t that many people there. when we started, in the mirror, i could see a girl on my right and a guy on my left, not together, but both wearing track pants and baggy t-shirts. i felt so underdressed in my skintight bike shorts! for a second, i saw myself in the mirror and i got so modest, i was embarrassed for poor pitiful me. just between you, me and these 4 walls, i don’t have the manliest of bodies, so seeing myself in the mirror next to people who were dressed, well, i felt like a naked skeleton. it was a good thing class started when it did, otherwise i would have prolly put on a t-shirt or i would have started to bum on my reflection in the mirror. thankfully it was a hard class, i din’t have time to think about what i looked like. even if it hadn’t been my second in a day, it would have still been hard. How does bikram start off the CD of his class, “kill yourself for the next 90 minutes?” it felt like that’s what i was doing last night. it was a class that could break you. trust me, i felt broke and i wasn’t even thinking about cash! okay friends, think positive thoughts for all the dads out there. ~m

Farmers market today, friends, so i woke up for the 8 am class. There was hardly anybody there this morning! Since it was such a small class, someone suggested a silent practise, that way our teacher could practise with us. I’ve only been practising for a year, so this was my first silent practise. All i can say is, “wow, what a great class!” it’s hard to describe, but the the energy of the group was strong and focused, it was rad! i found myself being more aware of my body and knowing when to move from one stage to another. Honestly though, I still had what i could remember of the instructions running through my head, so it wasn’t a completely silent practise. Plus, i remembered a lot of the corrections to my poses that teachers will tell me. At the end, our teacher said we should salute the inner teacher in all of us that guided us through our practise. That was a cool way to end class because, i guess, we were kinda like our own teacher today. see you tomorrow! ~m

Oh boy, it’s two for tuesday! The sun came out for the second class so it got a little sticky sweaty! Despite that, my second class still flew by, like it was a short extension of the first class. When i do them back to back, it does not feel like another 90 minute session. During the second class, i need to remember to stay with the instructions. More than once, i found myself a little ahead, or wanting to move on. It’s hard to have the discipline to wait for the class because i feel so alive! I just want to get into my pose, you know what i mean? i’m having a good time, it may not look like it, but i am. okay, i had my fun, but it still takes a lot out of me, see you tomorrow! ~m

I practised next to this woman today, after every pose she seemed defeated. I just wanted to turn to her and say, “it’s okay, stay positive,” but i din’t. She was moaning through every pose like it was the hardest class ever, but i think that’s the way she practises. The moaning gym bunnies can be really distracting if you let them. It’s hard to stay focused when you have someone grunting in your ear like that. instead of letting it get to me, i saw it as a nice chance to practise being aware but not conscious of what was going on. It worked too! My breathing stayed steady, i listened to my amazing teacher and i had a great class! staying focused on the instructions really helped me today, i think if more people did that, they’d have easier classes. then i came home and got an earful from my whining bear, who is so hungry, the poor boy. well, he had his egg, so now he’s a happy bear sitting next to me! enjoy your day, heartbreakers! ~m

The cemetary down the street has some great tombstones. Some of them are super old, from the 1800s, and two of them are even made of wood. One of my favorite tombstones is this one for a couple born in the depression-era. The husband is still kicking, but the wife, Joyce Hyden, passed in ’97. She wrote a beautiful tombstone poem i thought i’d share with you.

Waiting
In sweet anticipation I waited for our first kiss.
With war on the horizon we waited for wedded bliss.
You came home and found me waiting, under the shade of an apple tree.
So we pitched our tent in silence and waited, what will be will be.
With a rush of baby boomers we welcomed our first son,
and we waited for the housing we knew someday would come.
We watched our sunrise, now we're waiting for our sunset.
Knowing while we wait, we know we've had the best two people can get.
Now when I get to where I'm going the first thing I will do
Is pitch my tent under an apple tree and sit and wait for you.


See you tomorrow friends! ~m

Oh boy, i think i ate too much pie, cake and cheese last night! I went to a party last night and there was all kinds of free food! i tried to control myself, but at the same time i wanted to splurge a little. I don’t get invited to parties very often, so i told myself to live a little wild. Hey, if i’m not going to drink alcohol, i might as well eat too much. It’s not like i’m gonna gain weight anytime soon. i kept myself in check though, as much as i wanted to rip into that bag of lay’s i was a good boy. i din’t want to be a total pig in front of all my yoga friends. Not like anyone was watching me eat, but i’m still self-conscious about being a glutton when it comes to free food. no matter what it is, i can really pack it in, so i’m the last person you want to tell “help yourself!” alright, now that i’m fully recovered from this morning’s class, it’s time to cook some food for a bear. did you know patience is a virtue that bears do not have? it’s true! see you tomorrow! ~m

Ho ho ho, you guys, it feels like christmas today! Or better yet, my birthday! Why am i so stoked? Well, i walked out of class today and my friend brought me a homemade apple pie! She wasn’t even at the studio to take class or teach—she was there specifically to bring me a pie! oh man. it was a rough morning too. bear was sick and i was running late as a result. not only was i scattered, but i was bumming a little too. so i had the perfect pick-me-up after class—a smiling face and a homemade pie! sigh. back to real life, see you tomorrow. ~m

Having the fastest metabolism in the west has been more of a curse than a blessing. I’ve been trying to gain 15 pounds for over 20 years now! I’ve never had to worry about what i eat because my body processes it so fast. I’ve always been a "live to eat" person, enjoying the most decadent meals i could afford! Since i started practising bikram yoga, the way i think about eating is only one of the many ways i’ve changed. Now i’m an “eat to live” person and i love it! Almost everything i eat is chosen solely for its nutrients. When i first started practising, i was eating a lot of chicken fried rice, one of my favorite meals. Sadly, it’s really not that great for you. I mean, there’s nutrients in all the vegetables and chicken, but seriously, there’s not enough to practise bikram yoga daily. Now i have a salad everyday made up of romaine lettuce, chard and tomatoes, topped with some cooked beans (black or pinto). Not the most savory meal, but if i told you all the nutrients in chard, you would understand why i’m on a daily. Meals are important to me now because i realize the food we eat is our daily life source. Once you accept that, it’s easier to change the way you eat. Whatever you put in your body is going to affect you positively or negatively. Since we eat daily, it’s never too late to change your eating habits! Alright, that’s enough about food for one day, i’ve gotta go cook now! I did two classes yesterday and i had a sweaty one this morning—do i need to eat? bet! see ya tomorrow! ~m

Found on the Ground Part I
The other day i found this piece of paper on the ground. It was folded in half, written in pencil, it said “to: Mr. Dettle. From: a person”. Immediately intrigued, i picked it up and found a sad commentary on the state of the rental situation in hippiedippieville. An anonymous letter written by “a person” whose family was could no longer afford to live in their apartment. The letter reads “Dear Mr. Dettle, You shouldn’t have been a cheato 1800. I know if you bring down the rent, people will pay you easier every month. at least 1000. dude, you’re rich! I hate you. Nadine” it’s so sad, but the last two lines are so great and then she signs her name! Nadine may be poor, but she’s got style! love ya, m

“Why do birds suddenly appear, everytime i go outside?” Is that how the song goes? You wanna know what greeted me when i got home today? Not a bird, but a huge deer! Oh man, with points and everything. Is that what comes out of their heads? I dunno, but i din’t want it charging me, that’s fer shure. I surprised it too, which was a little scary. I was at the top of our driveway and heard a rustling in the bushes. When i turn around, oh my gosh, it’s a deer! actually, my exact words were “oh, fuck” then i hid behind my bike. The deer must have been resting in the shade, because when it got up it got tall! Yikes! It started running, but not towards me, so i made it home safely. I’ve told you before, i’m a city kitty—deer, chicken and plants that give you food are foreign to me. And as i’m typing, i look out my window to see a beautiful hawk circling overhead so low.

Two for tuesday, i was struggling a little during my second class. I need to learn to pace myself during the second one, but i really only know how to give it my all. i’ll admit, i din’t even feel like waking up for the 10 am class, that’s how tired i was this morning! poor mister purr, i was cleaning up after him in the wee hours again. i have to remind myself that i’m lucky to clean up after him, because it really sucks when you don’t need to do it anymore. alright, i’m gonna go enjoy some more time with the old bear. love ya, mck

What’s up, rockers? Did you get out of bed today? I’m proud of you, if you did. How did Exene say it, “the world’s a mess, it’s in my kiss”? Let’s see, trainwreck in california, mother nature in Texas and wall street tumbles. It almost makes me feel bad that i get so much enjoyment out of football. i can’t wait to find out if mcnabb has another 300 yard game tonight. I hope not, but we’ll see. It’s only week 2 and one more (big) game to go, but i think we’re seeing a lot about which teams are going to be contenders, pretenders or playing for the draft pick. I’m still holding my breath on the packers. I like the way rodgers has played so far, but let’s face it, he’s played the vikings and the lions, two teams that i think are pretenders. I’m anxious to see him next week when we host the cowboys on sunday night football! oh yeah baby! Lambeau Field is gonna be full of rowdy friends, wish i could be there! oh man, i’m already excited about the game, can you tell? i don’t even have enough time to tell you about my class today! aww, you’ve all been there, done that, so i’ll just tell you my eyes were stinging something fierce today! okee dokes, artichokes, see you tomorrow! ~m

I think my favorite Lou Reed solo song is “Perfect Day”—such a perfect day.... God blessed me today, i had a foggy notion of a bike ride to my early morning yoga class. Not only that, but it’s always nice to practise around so many smiling faces. You know how i like my routine, but the different faces around me were a nice change-up. Once i got home, it was all football, except for a little break to feed the chickens and harvest a corn. Yum! Fresh corn on the cob makes for a great second game snack. But the best part of the day was listening to my little bear do what he does best and that’s purr! see you tomorrow ~m

What an awesome class today! Great energy, great teacher! i don’t know how she manages to be so funny while still paying attention to everyone—she’s awesome! i’m lucky to have her as one of my teachers. And i’m not saying that because she’s making me an apple pie either! After practise, i spent the afternoon helping my sister move. Well, her and her boyfriend really did most of the work. in fact, when i showed up, it was time to take a break and eat. i think that’s why i got invited, since eating is what i do best. seriously, there wasn’t that much to do and now i’m back in the birdhouse with my slowly dying bear. i know i shouldn’t give up hope, but i went through this with his brother, god bless his soul. i’ve got one in my heart, one on the bed and a bear by my leg. he’s purring so loud right now, makes it hard to get up. i’m happy to sit here though, especially since my ebay auction is ending today. i’m doing okay guys, i’m doing okay. ~m

Yesterday, after i wrote to ya’ll, there was some pretty big excitement here. There was a fire in an area of the mountains, kinda close, not too close, but close enough to see a lot of airplane action. There were two planes circling overhead, but not by very much—these planes were low! Each of them dropped red stuff over the fire, it was pretty amazing to watch. There was also a helicopter with a huge bucket that was going to the ocean and bringing water back to drop on the blaze. That was pretty neat too. No matter how old you get, you are never too old to be in awe of firefighters. Just like you’re never too old to practise yoga. This morning i was talking with some of my practise mates and i was the youngest between the three of us at 38! The coolest thing was that everyone looked about 10 years younger than they really were. The 63 year old looked 50, the 44 year old looked my age and i look like i just got out of college. Speaking of college, i’m selling one of the only books i bought when i was in college. Yes, it has come to this, i’m selling my copy of Madonna Sex. If you’ve got $200 this will make the perfect gift for the madonna fan in your life! Well, hopefully it sells for more than that, but you never know on ebay. Well, friends, Bear is bugging about his egg, i gotta run! ~m

I heard one person describe today’s class as intense. I was completely spent by the middle of it, that’s for sure! Ohmygosh, i felt so unprepared today! i must not have drank enough water last night, because i was really struggling today! Wow. i feel great now, but geez louise, i felt like the scrawny weakling i see in the mirror, it was awful! But you wanna know what was worse? Coming out of class into a cloud of right gaurd. So gross. This guy put on deodorant in the shower room and it was like walking into a cloud of mace. lovely way to end class, thanks bud! Well, the best news, so far, is that tomorrow is a new beginning. i’m already off to a good start, too! when i came home, i sat on the deck and ate an apple in the sun and two beautiful shimmy shiny green hummingbirds stopped by to entertain me! i love hummingbirds. see you tomorrow ~m

When the Cats Away the Mice Will Do the Work Part I Just to clear the air, i do not live on a farm. There’s plenty of land here with a lot of fruit trees and even a few chickens, but it isn’t a farm. I’m a city kitty, i’d be lost on a farm. Well, not lost, but in a constant state of awe. Now that i think about it, I’ve never even been on a farm! While the landlords are away this month, i’m doing some chores that make it sound like i live on a farm! What have i been up to? My favorite thing is i get to take care of the chickens! They are so cool. There’s 4 hens and a rooster that i feed every day. Not only that, but i get their eggs too! Bonus right now because me and my Bear have been sharing an egg daily since he’s been sick. After doing some research, it seems like chickens will eat pretty much anything, so i’ve been giving them the stems from my lettuce and chard as well as apple cores and strawberry tops. it’s pretty cool, my garbage is now chicken feed! i only thought of this two days ago, so i can’t comment on any improvements in their eggs, but the two i got this morning felt heavier than the one i got the day before last! I’m also watering the corn and while doing that, i discovered two more apple trees on the land! Ohmygosh, these two trees are producing heavy! Last night, i would pick one and two apples would fall. i was afraid to breathe on the tree for fear of knocking apples off! Sadly, none of them compare to the apples from the tree in the cemetary, but that’s another blog. In addition to the corn and the chickens, i also take care of some african gray parrots that live below my place. After i fed them this morning, one of them imitated one of Bear’s many meows! i had never heard them do that before! Poor guys, they must get sick of hearing him whine while i’m outside doing work around the yard. Okay heartbreakers, i’m a little worn out today, this morning’s class was a hot one! Whoowee, i don’t know how i made it through the class. Almost as soon as we got to the floor series, my stomach started growling. All i did last night was eat and sleep, but i was still hungry when i woke up! Well, the good news is i get to buy groceries—yup, farmers market today! see you tomorrow! ~m

A year from now, will be a real cool day! “Homicide!” What? If you don’t know your english punk, i’ll excuse you for today, but, really that’s just a great song wether you like punk or not. If you like good music, you’d like it, eh mate? I’m in a playful mood today. One of my practise buddies rolled out the longest yoga mat i’ve ever seen today! Seriously, it would have been perfect for KB24, it was basketball player size. I mean, this mat was a first *and* second row mat! She ended up cutting about a foot and a half of it off before practise. That long mat made a lot of us laugh before class! What a hoot. Then, after class, my teacher told me to stay for a double. Um, okay. I told her she wasn’t the boss of me, but she is my teacher, so i guess she kind of is. Actually, i would prolly do anything she asked, just because i know she only wants the best for me. i figured that out after Jason Winn visited our studio, oh so long ago. A lot of people were struggling in his class, but i wasn’t! Only because she had been beating up on me for months before that class. At least that’s how i felt afterwards. Like, a little lightbulb went off over my head, all that was leading up to this! Ding! Fast forward to today and if she tells me to stay, i do. I hadn’t taken a noon class in so long! Nice. That’s how my second practise was. Nice.

Okay heartbreakers, there is a lot to do today so i can’t even talk about the packers last night, my ebay auction, or what i’ve been up to lately, but i will take a minute to encourage you to check out the homepage. actually, i’m not gonna. i’m afraid it’s too sell-oriented so i don’t wanna push it on you. i’m just happy ya’ll are reading so much of this! okay friends, hasta tomorrow ~m

What an exciting day of football yesterday! Holy cow, did you see Brett Favre’s touchdown passes? What an arm! i still can't believe the pack wouldn’t take him back. He’s an ironman, no doubt. Who would have thought Tom Brady would get injured in the first quarter of the first game? That’s why i love football, you never know what’s gonna happen! This season is already interesting with a lot of great story lines and we haven’t even wrapped up week one! I’m bummed today though—no espn in the birdhouse! i’ll have to follow the games tonight via the dreadfully slow javascript play by play. I don’t care about the raiders or the broncos, but i’m hoping the pack looks better than the bears did last night. i guess i’ll wrap up the sports section of this blog since no one wants to read my reviews of the network coverage of the games. Practise today was really good. the pace was so nice, it hardly felt like i was working! ha ha, that’s not true, but you know what i mean. sometimes it feels like there’s no time for savasana, not so today! when you have enough time to breathe in between the poses, it makes the class easier. that’s kinda why i wanted to stay for another class, so i could work some more, but it’s gameday! Go Pack Go! ~m

This morning’s class was my fourth in 24 hours—what a marathon! I wasn’t planning on taking 3 classes yesterday, but i had to make an exception. Yesterday evening’s class was the last that one of my favorite teachers will be teaching at the studio here. It’s a real shame to lose someone so amazing. She’s helped develop my practise so much and been such an inspiration. Her energy was so awesome to be around wether it was practising next to her or taking one of her classes. When i first started practising, my favorite class was her wednesday noon, but any class you took with her was amazing! she has this way about her, sometimes during class i felt like she was speaking directly to me and other times i felt like she was looking inside me, like she could see my energy and know exactly what i as thinking. I can’t tell you how many things she’s said that run through my head as i practise. “The posture doesn’t start until you want it to end”—that was her! We have plenty of great teachers here, but her instructions, words and energy will sorely be missed. Geez, i’m getting misty-eyed again. What’s that sound coming from my heart? It’s the sound of my heart tearing apart. ~m

Did you know that one of the many benefits of smoking marijuana is improved eyesight? It’s true! The active ingredient in marijuana slows down the part of your brain that processes what your eyes see. By slowing that part down, your brain processes more information from your eyes. You think your eyesight gets better, but really your brain has just slowed down enough to take in more information from your eyes. If you’ve never had marijuana, the effect is kinda like going from regular television to high definition, everything you see looks so sharp, crystal clear and focused. At least that’s what my friends tell me who’ve tried it. If you practise bikram yoga, you’ve prolly experienced the same thing! During my second class today, my vision was so sharp after dandayamana-janushirasana and dandayamana-dhanurasana! It was like i came out of each pose and into a high def-bikram studio! alright friends, after two classes, the bear and i are starving! time to get our egg on, see you tomorrow! ~m

When he dies, David Spade will be canonized the patron saint of skinny nerds. I woke up early this morning and, in my yahoo headlines, read that david spade is the father of a playboy centerfold’s baby. That’s been my dream for the last 25 years! Seriously though, as someone not blessed in the looks and body department, it becomes very inspiring to know that David Spade, who looks like he does, is having sex with beautiful women.

Speaking of beautiful women, why were there only six of them at practise today? I think class was 6 women and 4 men this morning. It was one of the smallest classes in a really long time! i love small classes! i *was* the second row on my side of the room! The room was the perfect temperature too! i was really looking forward to having a great class, but my belly wasn’t as in to it as i was. who knows, maybe i’ll go back for the 4 to make up for leaving the room. or maybe i won’t push myself and stay in the birdhouse with my bear instead. we were so bored as we watched last night’s football game. It’s hard to say how good the giants are because the redskins were so lousy. Speaking of lousy, yahoo had another headline this morning that din’t inspire clicking, the 10 most annoying singers. i always hate reading lists like that because i never agree with anybody. i started making my own list of annoying singers, but i could only think of 4 before the negative energy burned me out. alright friends, i’m gonna make lunch for my bear and i. love you tomorrow ~m

Oh boy you guys, it’s finally here! Football season starts tonight on nbc! Even though my team doesn’t play until monday, i’m still excited. It’s an early game today which means i have to run all my errands now and then come back home. What a day to be pedaling all over town too, i had a debilitating class today! Okay friends, if you don’t mind think some positive thoughts for me today, i could sure use them. thanks! ~m

Hi guys! After writing yesterday’s blog, i decided to cancel the rest of my plans for the day. Instead, i had a boy’s night in with my Purr bear! We had a great time hanging out! We sat here and i gave him tons of pets for hours on end. Thanks to the power of the internet, the two of us watched Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder! I know the movie studios hate that, but i love it! I wasn’t gonna see either of those movies in the theater. Rent on DVD? um, prolly Pineapple Express but prolly not Tropic Thunder. The latter was a lot better than i thought it was gonna be, but i’m still glad i din’t waste money on renting it. Pineapple Express is, of course, right up my bowling alley and i really enjoyed that one. its story of friendship and the commonality we all share was great. Pineapple Express went from a rental to a must-own! Bully for the bootleggers, eh?

Since Purr and i were up late watching movies, i, accordingly, woke up late but still made it to 8 am yoga. it’s farmers market wednesday and i like to do the early class so i can come home, hang out with Purr for a while then go back to town for my grocery shopping. That’s a lot easier than taking the later class and doing the quick turnaround. But what a day to do the 8! Afterwards, one of my friends shows up thinking we’d do the 10 together. That’s my rotten luck. I would have stayed for a second class, but I barely finished my class this morning, i was so hungry. I musta been totally out of it afterwards. why be so responsible about the market, when i should be jumping at the chance to practise with a friend? seriously, “i think i’m dumb. or maybe just happy.” ~m

Ohmigosh you guys, i think it’s happening again. i haven’t wanted to say anything because i was kinda waiting to see how things would go, but nothing is getting better. Sadly, i could be talking about a few different things in my life but, right now, i’m talking about the health of my oldest cat. Purr Kitty has been losing weight like it was going out of style. he’s always been a stocky, healthy kitty, it’s weird to see him so skinny. oh man. a few years ago, my middle cat got sick. His brother and sister both rejected him a month or two before he got sick, it was like they knew he was dying and din’t want him around. Motor Kitty was a pretty big smoker, so i guess it was inevitable that a cancer would get him. Friends, i know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but everyone knew Motor was mine. That was one of the reasons why he was so hated in my house. Purr and Trixie were so happy when he passed, it really pissed me off. Eventually, we (i) adjusted to life without Motor and realized how desperately my other two cats wanted to be near me. (As i type, they’re each resting against one of my legs.)

A few months ago, it seemed like my youngest cat rejected my Purr bear. I couldn’t figure out why, he seemed healthy. A couple of weeks ago, though, i noticed his movements have been on soft serve mode. Uh oh. He’s got an appetite but he’s not digesting his food. Aww fuck. I bought him some eggs and he seemed to be doing better with that, he even gained a little weight! Plus, i’ve been giving him all kinds of pep talks too, so i thought they got his mind to trick his body into being well, but he looks so skinny. I’m not a cat whisperer, but he seems scared too. Trixie has almost no time for him, like he’s not even here. Oh man. i worked with a girl who’s cat went through something similar for about six months and then he got totally better, so i haven’t abandoned hope yet. If you all could think some positive thoughts for my Purr, it shore wood be nice of you. Here’s a squeaky little meow from him in healthier days. luv, m

Ohmigosh, heartbreakers, i am so lucky! I was able to do the 8 & 10 three days in a row! Whoohoo! Today was prolly the roughest of the three days but, all in all, each class has been awesome. Great teachers and great instructions have made the last three days so much fun. The cherry on my weekend sundae was today after my second class. i was packing up all my stuff and one of my friends from the 8 came back to the studio with a bag of pears and tomatoes—for me! She even stuck a sunflower in the bag to pretty up an already beautiful collection of homegrown fruit. Seriously, i felt like the luckiest guy in the world when she said “these are for you!” That was a really cool feeling. She said it was a thank you for all the apples and plums i’d brought in over the past couple of months. Now that i’m home, i’m also reminded that i now have one less thing to buy at the farmers market this wednesday! Whoohoo, the same gift keeps getting better! alright friends, let’s play tag and you’re it, today if you have two, give one! ~m