saw a yoga competition

Today Patricia, who I work with, and I went to the regional Indiana Birkham yoga competition to see another friend from work compete. It was held at a monastery in Floyd Knobs. The top two men and women get to go to L.A. for the national competition...and our friend Steve, who is in his 40's won second place! Really there weren't very many men competing, just 3, but we were proud of him.

I was so impressed with these people. Not everyone was great, and there were all body types. Which is really what impresses me the most. That some of these people have the gumption to get up in front of all of these people and do the best poses that their body can do, knowing that they are not really competing to win.

The woman who won is actually my friend Steve's teacher. She can back bend until her head is between her feet and hold all of her body weight, parallel to the ground on her fingers. I am thinking back to my one college yoga class that Tara and I took together...fun but it didn't last long enough to make any kind of progress. Maybe I will try to get into it at home on my own since classes are so expensive. It would be good for my back- it still gives me trouble; it aches most days, and I never even did anything to it that I know of. I have just been touched by the bad back fairy.

suit shopping with Angelo

Yesterday Joseph and I had the day off together and we went out to this wacky restaurant called Lynn's Paradise Cafe in Louisville. I had Bourbon Ball French Toast and Joseph had eggs with fried green tomatoes. And I now know that I love fried green tomatoes. Ahhh...Kentucky thank you for showing me the way.

So after our delicious brunch, we went suit shopping for Joseph. We went to this great store that we were referred to and had a really good time with it. The tailor there was called Angelo. He was this short trim older Italian man with perfectly wavy hair and unwavering confidence. We would ask him a question like are there other white shirts that could go with this suit? And almost before we have finished asking he says, no no, this is the shirt.
We did not question Angelo. We told him how much we wanted to spend and he made Joseph look great for that amount. Isn't it nice when people are really good at their jobs? It was so funny to watch him chalk Joseph up in the suit. He is tugging and pinning and folding all around his bottom--and Joseph trying to stand so still and look straight ahead as instructed--Angelo whipping the measuring tape all around, rolling it up and then zinging it out of his hand again. I enjoyed watching that.

Pretty droplets- Nancy Rose

Pretty droplets
Originally uploaded by Nancy Rose

I am trying out creating some posts from the flickr photo site and occasionally posting photos taken by others that I really like. I love looking at other peoples pictures. You get to see what they find- It's like having millions of sets of eyes.

I like these water droplets caught on the spider web. First I thought they were on a window pane, but no a spider web.

Well, tomorrow morning Joseph and I are driving to Grams and Grandpa's house to visit for the day and then going to a LensCrafters pool party thing in the evening. Oh my, bathing suit clad drunken co-workers...we shall see. It is a going away party because one of my managers that I actually like has found a new and better job. Cheers Kelly! May Patricia and I follow in your level headed foot steps with our belief in the human race still relatively in tact.

New music

I found two new singer/songwriters. Not that they are really obscure, but...anyway one is A Fine Frenzy. I heard her on public radio singing this song called Almost Lover. It makes you want to cry; it is so beautiful and sad. Her whole album One Cell In The Sea is worth checking out- she is sort of dreamy but still strong voiced. The other person I found is Brandi Carlile. She sounds sort of folk/rock with a earthy and bold voice. The Indigo Girls sing with her on one song on her album The Story-automatic credit for her!! Come to think of it she has a similar voice to Amy Ray. Finding new music by people I have never heard feels like finding precious stones in a drab wall of rock. Thank goodness people make music. I, myself am a listener, not a maker. (Thank you mom for having hope and giving me piano lessons anyway.)

Today I was trying to get old pictures on my computer that I had on disk and I found a disk of photos from Japan. It was strange to see them. That all seemed like it was lived by some other girl- even though I still can feel it all like it was yesterday if I stop and remember. How funny that we will put ourselves in these compromised situations, like we can step back out of splatter range and just see what happens. splat.

Still, there are good things.

Vet day

woohoo, I just got a call about a possible job in Littleton- I haven't scared them off yet so that is good. I am off work today and am stranded at home because I have taken my car in to get a new master cylinder. I also took Simon into the vet this morning for his annual shots. He did a pretty good job because we were the only people/animals in the office at the time. But still he made these noises when the vet was handling him like he was possessed and his head was getting ready to spin around- poor guy. I have never seen him scurry into his carrier as fast as he did after his shots. Any thing to get home away from the man with the hands.

And I did better this time too. Last time he got his shots in bloomington, he sounded so scared that I got tears in my eyes and had to turn away from the vet. Even though I know he is ok, I can't stand to hear the kitty terror in his little cat screams. I just love the darn feline. He is now over 6 years old. I've had him since my junior year of college. I remember when I first got him from the shelter and he was still a kitten. I had classes the next day and had to leave him in the apt. alone--or with Keith-my roommate's nutty video obsessed vegan mustached boyfriend. I walk/ran all the way home from class to check on the little kitten. I wish more people would get their pets from animal shelters. So many people have to give up pets or lose pets for one reason or another.

Here he is with me as I am trying to wrap up a book to mail off this morning. He has to be in the middle of everything.