moving!

well, steven and I made a very brief but very productive trip to chicago the other day. Amidst many dingy apartments with coffin-sized bedrooms, we found and secured our new apartment.

It is cheap, close to the blue line in Logan Square and oh so cute and the bedrooms are a really nice size. The living space is tiny, but both Steven and I concluded that we'd rather each have a nice bedroom and sacrifice a little living space. Here are some pictures-- i didn't take them but they're from the craigslist ad.

oh, and the lease starts July 15 so i am totally freaking out about moving in two weeks.

official

so i am officially published!
the article isn't technically out yet, and it actually isn't in a 'peer reviewed' edition of the journal, but i am still really excited about it.

it's in the Journal of Food Research and Distribution and the title is
here is a link if anyone would like to read it. or at least see my name.

the yoga retreat was awesome
i keep processing it more and more every day, taking away something new.
the big crazy thing i did, that really pushed me to my edge was i HELD A TARANTULA. and yes, i am still scared of them, but the idea of touching one doesn't make me want to cry anymore, so i think that is progress.

retreat!

well, even though i am very nervous/apprehensive about going to this retreat, i am also very excited and think it will be very helpful and inspiring for me. In two weeks I am going to the very exotic land of Holly, MI for a yoga retreat

will i be the youngest person there? the most socially awkward? the only one to not make a breakthrough? the only one worrying about stuff like this? i'm not sure, but i am going anyway.

saturday morning

this morning has been really great so far. nothing extraordinary happened.. but i did get up and go to yoga, which is the best way to start my day. it was Suzanne's class and her voice is so angelic and soothing i couldn't help but feel at peace afterwards. Then I went to the farmer's market and picked up some mushrooms, lettuce and 'hydroponic cucumbers and tomatoes' which means they were grown in water, not dirt and in a greenhouse. organically, of course. i love supporting local farmers. it makes me feel good about myself, like i am taking action on my value system instead of just contemplating my values. same thing about riding my bike.

speaking of my bike-- i just went to Albe's Bike Shop and got reflectors put on so I dont' have to worry about dusk-time driving. for free, i might add. AND the dude was really cute! it was a good visit to the shop!

the other thing that made today so lovely was lunch at Inn Season with julie and my mom. i got the basil-pesto (yes nicky, i got pesto) seitan open face sandwich with grilled eggplant and coleslaw and corn chips.

work later, for now relaxing and watching my mom scratch her instant lottery ticket. cashword multiplier.

two for free movies

so i just got back from the longest bike ride i've ever embarked on. For the cycling enthusiasts it will seem like no big deal, but for me it was.

it started the other day when i rode my bike to Rob's for a bonfire and felt so good about not having to drive. i got excited and motivated and found myself thinking that i could bike to work and back. so today i decided to ride my bike to family video (i wasn't working) to see how long it would take. I think i am really fast because it only took about 32 minutes to ride 8 miles. granted i was a bit sweaty by the time i got there, but it didn't seem that bad! AND, there is a new policy where workers get the 2/$1 movies for free, so I rented



and



and i am still motivated/excited so i think i am going to ride my bike to yoga tomorrow morning instead of driving! we'll see how i feel in the morning though.

being mindful

so even though a lot has been going on, i always think i have nothing too important to update my blog with. that's a lie though because i think life in general is important no matter what one 'does' to occupy the time. i've been thinking a lot about time and what i do with it and how none of it really matters unless if i'm paying attention to it. one moment i could be planting a tree, pulling a weed, staring off into space, striking a warrior pose, reading, updating this blog.. all this stuff.. and it's not until i pass judgments on it that i deem it good or bad or become attached to it.
in theory, sitting down is just as meaningful as taking a run or cleaning the bathroom.

i heard this analogy the other day when i was listening to Guatam Jain
The analogy was about how when we attach to things our experience of something can change and either lead to suffering or to joy. He used the example of buying a new, expensive car and it's your first time driving it and you hit a giant pothole. The initial reaction by most is that it hurts your heart and you become worried or upset. Now, picture the same exact car and situation, except it's a rental. You may not even care about the pothole. In fact, you might notice the car's superb suspension! it's the detachment from the car that allows us to remain present in the situation.

anyway, he talked about a lot more things and i could probably discuss them forever but one analogy is enough for one blog update.

i get to hang out with Jenny tonight and i am so excited! We're actually going to Guatam Jain's third lecture so I am also looking forward to learning more from him. And maybe we'll go to the new Panera Bread that opened in Birmingham, too.

Okay, time for me to get clean and run some errands. Hope everyone is doing well!

east coast to the west coast

breathe. relax. settle back in. i have to remind myself of these tips daily.

two weeks ago i was in Washington DC visiting nate and meghan. I forgot if i updated anything about that, but in a nutshell it was a fantastic trip. i got to meet all three (yes, three!) of meghan's cats, sleep on a tempurpedic-padded queen size bed and eat lots of vegan food. and of course spend time with one of my best girlfriends who i wish lived closer so that i could gossip with ALL THE TIME. and start a vegetable garden with! unfortunately i didn't get to go dancing because it was raining the night of bliss and i didn't want to walk in the rain and dance with soggy socks. however, i did get to ride a tandem (a 2-person bike) with Nate and all i could keep saying was "this is so cute. i can't believe how cute this is."

last weekend i visited Joseph in Tacoma and Jenny + Evan showed up, too. it was so much fun and i got to see so many things in the city. Tacoma, Seattle and a day trip to Portland. We ate really good food, saw really beautiful parks and also got invited to a high school kegger. literally we saw a gang of 15-20 high schoolers carrying a keg, a tap and lots of red plastic cups to this abandoned manufacturing plant-turned park to party and we got an invite during their stroll. we declined. and joked about calling the police. ha. but it was really great seeing joseph and getting insight to how he's been living his life the past two years! i only wish the midwest landscaping was as beautiful as the west.

now i am sipping on coffee waiting to go to work for a whopping three hours. i am wearing a freshly ironed skirt and it still feels warm. my mom is sick and watned subway so i got myself a foot long veggie sub and somehow ate all of it plus chips and i am glad i waited on going to Shakers for a hot fudge sunday because i am really full right now.

oh, last night Jenny and I snuck into the movies, too. we are so bad!

more later
i hope you all enjoy your day