It’s my first day of school!
Grad school, that is.
Even though the program is low-residency and I don’t have to physically be on campus, I still feel the need to surround myself with backpacks, apples and composition notebooks. Maybe a Thermos too.
Month of fun: Day 24
September 24, 2011Sometimes I forget what yoga does for me. It becomes a chore to drag the mat out. I think, “Oh, I’ll do some yoga later. Or tomorrow. Or next Saturday.” I have to force yoga upon myself, like a child eating her spinach, and then I spend the first few downward-facing dogs cursing the whole world.
You know where this story is going, right? By the end of yoga class, I’m humming “Kumbayah,” waving my peace flag and shining with sparkly love, gratitude and light like a big granola star. I swear I can even feel my cells dancing.
And that happens every single time I try to talk myself out of yoga. You’d think I would learn.
It’s the same thing that happened to me at the ashram in India. I was doing four hours of yoga a day, not drinking any alcohol, getting loads of sleep, meditating, eating a sattvic diet. I felt beyond fabulous. Then as soon as I was off ashram grounds, I had a bottle of cheap Indian wine in one hand, a bag of potato chips in the other and 10 clove cigarettes in my mouth. At the same time. And then I was all, “Why do I feel like crap? That ashram didn’t do anything for me.”
I actively buck and scream and fight the things that make me feel good. It’s tiresome and pointless.
Well, today I think I finally learned. I forced myself out of bed — away from stacks of fluffy pillows, a hunky husband and a freshly brewed pot of coffee — and headed to Ruth Hardy Park in Palm Springs.
Every Saturday there’s free yoga in the wellness park, a lovely gift from Power Yoga Palm Springs.
During the sweltering summer months classes begin at 8 a.m. Next week, (that’s Oct. 1, if you’re keeping track), yoga in the park will resume at its normal 10 a.m. time.
Founder Janet Vance says on her website that the class is “inspired by nature, a love of yoga and dream to make yoga accessible to all by removing barriers such as price, props and intimidating settings.” That means no mirrors, no chanting, no billowing clouds of incense. Just sweet birds, powerful trees and a desert sky hung so high and proud, you can’t help but feel invigorated.
It feels less like a workout class and more like a bunch of good friends getting together for a 90-minute shot of serotonin.
Here’s a photo I stole borrowed from Janet’s site.
Today’s class was like a complete reboot for my system. I left there as giddy as a toddler with cotton candy toys.
And it only took one teensy, positive step forward to make me feel the way I should all the time.
Month of fun: Day 22
September 22, 2011Sheet mask day!
Oh man, I got so hooked on these things when I was in Korea. This is how Asian women keep a youthful glow while also terrifying their partners/roommates.
Hubba hubba!
Sheet masks come individually wrapped in little packets like this.
Some of the Japanese ones feature Hello Kitty. So you can look as young and fresh-faced as a cartoon kitten! Me-OW!
The sheets are coated with serum, which varies depending on the effect you desire. Some have brightening/whitening agents, others are for detox, acne, anti-aging, moisture, whatever.
After you apply the sheet mask, keep it on there for a half hour or until your skin has soaked up most of the moisture from the sheet.
Because there was always a puddle of serum left in the packet, I usually fold the sheet carefully and tuck it back inside to reuse it again a few days later. But perhaps you are not as cheap as me. In that case, just throw your mask away when you’re done.
I can’t make a claim for the long-term effectiveness of sheet masks. However, I adore them. They are 100 percent soothing and cooling for my skin, which often gets too taut and dry. I would especially recommend this for anyone living in the desert.
And at just $1-2 per mask, that’s the kind of skincare treatment I can afford. Except now I’m going to have to get my fix from Amazon, instead of a vendor on the street corner in Seoul.
Month of fun: Days 18-20
September 20, 2011Day 18
I made one of my favorite snacks: Yummy eggplant chips.
Eggplant chips are a healthy way for me to achieve what I want (DIP!) while keeping fat, preservatives and all kinds of nastiness to a minimum. Think of them as corn chips, but without the regret.
They are also far more delicious than they sound. The eggplant loses any kind of bitterness, soaks up the salt and condenses into a mild, but tasty, background for my favorite salsas. They never achieve the same kind of crunch as potato or tortilla chips, but they’re another entity entirely.
Want to try them yourself? Good. They’re incredibly easy. Just slice an eggplant into thin rounds. Sprinkle with a little salt (or seasoning of choice), then dehydrate for a few hours — just until the chips lose their chewiness.
Here’s what they look like in the beginning:
And here’s the final product.
No dehydrator? No problem. Set your oven to the lowest temperature and keep the oven door cracked while the chips are drying. They will still take several hours to dehydrate completely.
Day 19
Fun manicure!
This was my first time making dots on my own nails. Some were look great, but a lot of them look smudgy and warpy, like bubblegum crying. I think I’ll keep trying.
Day 20
Goofing around with the Photo Booth on my MacBook.
Month of fun: Day 17
September 17, 2011The Husband and I went to a screening of “Drive” last night, followed by a Q&A with Ron Perlman.
The neon noir thriller stars Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stunt driver by day, a hired getaway driver by night. He is stoic and seemingly emotionless — his job is to drive, no matter the outcome.
“Drive” has very little dialogue, but what’s there is important and evocative. The use of sound and light is downright inspired. All that, plus Ryan Gosling. Fuck yeah.
I’m not typically a fan of movies with a lot of action, violence and car chases. With a different director at the helm, this one easily could have been a definitive miss for me. As it is, this flick is understated and thoughtful, coming to a slow boil and then quickly spilling over.
Unlike big-budget Hollywood blockbusters with heavy-handed narration and CGI, this film doesn’t assume the viewer is dumb. Nicholas Winding Refn, the director of “Drive,” allows the audience to use their imagination, fill in the gaps and come up with their own ideas about ethics, morality and revenge.
It’s gritty, tender, terrifying and unnerving all at the same time.
Ron Perlman, who plays a Jewish crime boss, did a fantastic Q&A after the screening, giving us a little insight into how he became attached to the project and what it was like making this small-budget piece in just six weeks. He said Hugh Jackman originally intended to turn this script into a glitzy, glamorous film, where the driver lived in a penthouse and only pulled off very fancy heists. For one reason or another, that idea was scrapped and that version of Drive was never made.
Eventually Ryan Gosling stumbled upon the story tracked down some old, early drafts of the script and set out to get this thing done.
Lucky for us.