It's Friday Again...and that's a Good Thing!

Lots going on in my world and I'm busy processing.

Today is my favourite day--Friday morning yoga, tea afterwards (which invariably leads to lunch) & quite possibly drinks with a friend I haven't seen in ages!

And of course, because I could sleep in this morning, I was wide awake at 0530h. Did I mention I went to bed at 0100h? *sigh* Oh well, the sleep I had was restful.

My kitchen looks like a disaster zone and Nermal isn't offering to help tidy it up. I guess that means I'm going to have to. I'll do it tomorrow--it's supposed to be rainy and gross all weekend. Blargh. Good thing I borrowed Season 2 of Numbers from a co-worker! Nothing like veggin' out on the couch all weekend!

Although I'm quite sure that there will be visits to the Farmer's Market(s), coffee, friends and yoga, too.

Happy Friday! Remember: Inhale blessings. Exhale gratitude.

_/|\_

March Madness

Holy, moly, time flies! Where did March go? I can't believe yesterday was St. Patrick's day already.

Not much new/different to report, except that vacation is, unfortunately, over. However, a spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment trip to Whitefish for my birthday was pretty fabulous. My new powder skis have definitely got some experience this season!

Bif on Little Bunkers! Best Powder Day of the Year!

I took today off skiing--my poor little legs were like Jell-o this morning, even after a good night's sleep. Heading out again tomorrow though, to take advantage of the bliss that is mid-week skiing!

Speaking of sleep, well, it seems there's a reason I have been perpetually exhausted for the last 20 or so years. My sleep is disturbed by my irregular breathing approximately 18 times an hour! So a fancy-schmancy, definitely not sexy, machine has become my new bedfellow. Three nights in, and I'm happy to report the bone crushing fatigue that I've battled everyday for years is lifting! Nermal's not sure what to think though. I think she's spent most nights watching this new-fangled thing on her human's face and wondering what the hell the world is coming to!

Yoga teacher training is almost over! How did *that* happen?! It's all good. Practice, practice, practice. And patience. It all comes together in the end.

Kapotasana Prep

And now I must shower and prepare for a lovely birthday celebration dinner with my favourite peeps, S & L. S & I both have March birthdays (although I'm a Pisces and she's an Aires) and since we've both been uber busy lately, we're celebrating both tonight.

Oh Friday, How I Love Thee!

I've worked some crazy overtime in the past two days. Good news is that my overtime bank is now full (for extra days off later this fall) and even though I have to get the rest paid out, it will just about pay for one of my Anusara Immersions! If the tax man doesn't take it all, that is.

I didn't get to bed till 3 last night, but I set an alarm for 7:30...can't miss my Friday yoga class (followed by coffee and chit-chat)! I woke up feeling really great at 7, so I got up and am just starting to feel the lack of sleep now.

Today's class was great--we worked on shoulder and skull loop and tried some neat things with headstand and forearm balance (ooh, my shoulders are tight!!). I'm stoked about the workshop next weekend with Desiree and am loving my practice lately. Immersing myself in yoga studies, asana practice and kula (community) has enriched my life in so many ways that I have a difficult time articulating it. All I know for sure is that the path I'm on is true and I treasure each moment along the way.

When I got home this afternoon (yes, class is from 9:30-11 but I didn't get home till 2), I made plans to hike with C. and some of her peeps tomorrow. This meant I had to plan a "summit sammie". Now, I realize that we're hiking to a lake (Rawson), not climbing a peak, but still. I hike better when I know there's good food at the end! Enter the muffaletta! It's HUGE, but is going to be oh, so good! There's the olive spread (with fresh oregano from my patio), ham and capicola (spicy!), provolone & mozza, roasted red, orange & yellow peppers, and roasted zuke & aubergine (sounds so much better than eggplant, dontchya think?). I hollowed out a loaf of sourdough (my Safeway didn't have any other crusty, round loaves) and loaded 'er up! It's now squishing (that's a technical term, by the way) in the fridge.

I had some leftover veggies and remembered the tasty salad I made for Julie's potluck in the spring. Of course, I had no green onions or cilantro, so I had to go back to Safeway. The end product was definitely worth it, though!

Black bean vinagrette + roasted veg + black beans = Deliciousness!

Now, I must finish this cup of herbal tea (cranberry apple zinger, if you're wondering) and get to bed. It's gonna be an early morning!

Yoga Weekend #2

Celebrating Lakshmi and Beltane here.

As usual on day shift, I have had 4 hours of sleep. Thank goodness I'm not driving to Golden, I'm catching a ride, so hopefully I can nap a little on the way.

Have a great weekend!

Wacky Wendesday

Not really wacky but I couldn't think of another 'w' word to go with Wednesday.

My napping caught up with me last night. I got a whopping two hours of sleep by 4 a.m., so emailed my yoga teacher to bail on class and took one of the pills I'd rather not be taking to sleep. Ahh, but sleep I did! It's amazing how refreshing a mere 6 hours can be!

I've got my mini air diffuser pumping out "Immune" blend (eucalyptus and more). Nerm's not so sure. I think she likes "stress release" better.

I did some yoga last night (mostly twists to get the lymph moving) and let's just say that down dog was messy. After three sun salutations, I gave up following the online class and just did my own thing!

I'd better get moving--I want to take the long way to work today so I can get some activity of some sort in.

Spring has Sprung!

I went for a run this morning in long sleeves and a running skirt! It was glorious! Note to self: remember your inhaler when you run.

5.01 km
37:12
7.25 km/h
402 cal

Added some hula hooping when I got home to whittle my waist. I need to lose an inch from my waist to get my waist:hip ratio at a healthy level. I also have a grad party to attend in just over a month and want to rock my favourite party dress! I have a feeling that down dog and chataranga may make a few more appearances in my yoga repertoire.

Day FIVE of continual sleep. I forgot how good it feels to wake up rested! It's been AGES!

Lovin' Life

What's not to love? I've slept for THREE (count 'em, THREE) days in a row, the sun is streaming in my kitchen window, Nerm's sitting on the windowsill giving the magpies the what-for and I've got a big mug of chai to sip on.

I had a great day skiing, although the morning didn't feel that great. I wandered around the mountain, not really finding my groove anywhere. I took a break after a few runs on Goat's Eye (right when the kidlet ski racers were eating lunch--it was not a quiet break, by any means!). When I went out again to shred the mountain, a Sunshine Snow Host approached me and asked if he could ski with me. Well sure! The more the merrier, I say and by this time I was pretty bored with the conversations I was having with myself.

We did a few runs on Goat's Eye--ones that I would never, EVER have attempted on my own (and probably not with anyone else, either). Goat's Eye is STEEP. That's it's claim to fame. There are NO green runs off the Goat's Eye chair. Anyhoo, black is my favourite colour, and don't they say that diamonds are a girl's best friend?! The best part of my new ski buddy: he is SEVENTY (or almost). New hero. We skied around on Goat's Eye, then headed over to the Divide chair and skied in BC for a bit! We have a date next Saturday, too! He also lives in my area of town, so I may have a new ski buddy next season! =)

This is what the top of Goat's Eye is like (it's the easiest way down to the tree line from the chair lift):


Last week when I was skiing with my cousin and his buddy, they showed me this video and we laughed all day. I still laugh, so I know it wasn't just the beer and natural mountain high. Enjoy!

Insomnia Part Trois

Well, new drugs helped last night! A blissful NINE hours of sleep, followed by an hour and a half snooze. I feel human again!

Not enough energy to tackle the huge pile of laundry, though! =)

Insomnia Sucks Part Deux

Doctor's appointment at 1530h today.

Is it bad that all I want is to sleep?! My head hurts. My body aches. My eyes hurt. Arrrrgh! I just wish I could curl up with Nerm and sleep for days (and no, I'm not depressed, I'm just TIRED!!).

On a much happier note, Miss Nermal Ruth got a clean bill of health from her doctor this morning. Check out my hunter-in-residence(it's an old photo--I haven't had a tv for almost 2 years!):

Insomnia Sucks

Just sayin'.

I haven't slept since last Thursday. This is getting really old, really quickly. And I don't have typical insomnia. Noooooo, I can get to sleep, I just don't stay asleep. I don't function on 4 hours of sleep.

Off to call doctor to make follow-up appointment. The drugs we thought would fix me, have fixed me not. Arrrrgh!

And no, I'm NOT stressed about anything. Except the fact that I don't sleep!

=)

Under the Weather

And the weather is finally gorgeous!! I haven't been sleeping well, even with the drugs the doctor prescribed. I woke up this morning just feeling BLAH, for lack of a better word. It didn't get much better...

I had a dentist appointment this afternoon and was convinced that the fresh air and sunshine would take away the blah. Not a chance. And really, with all of the advances in modern medicine, why can't dentistry keep up? Yes, if you continually poke and prod my gums with sharp, pointy metal things, they will bleed! Although not so badly today. My former dentists got praise--apparently all my old fillings are holding up well (half are about 20 years old and the rest 10). Unfortunately, there's a new little one. But I can't complain--I've been seeing this dentist since I moved to Calgary and this is the first work I've needed to have done (we've been watching this tooth for the past two years). And now the time for watching is over and drilling must commence.

After the dentist I came home and tried to have a nap before yoga. Woke up and felt like I'd been slammed by a truck. Body aches and pains, headache...no yoga for me.

=(

A long soak in the tub with a cup of tea (fruity, no caffeine for this girl at this late hour!) and I feel somewhat human again. I'm going to shut down the computer, have another cup of tea, curl up with Nerm and a book and call it a day. Tomorrow I'm off for an appointment with a health study I've joined. Should be interesting!

Just Another Manic Monday

Oy.

Went to bed late, woke up waaaaay too early (3:30), trudged to work in snow and nearly wiped out on the ice. Hoped work wouldn't be too busy--my cold from the weekend reared its ugly head again--but alas, it was not to be. Didn't make it to yoga (hacking up a lung and sneezing all over one's yoga students is not ideal) but lounged on the couch with Nerm watching a movie (Zoolander).

Like Derek Zoolander, I struggle with turning left (only while skiing, not on a catwalk). My friends thought I needed to see it so that I'd know I'm not the only one. I will never get those 89 minutes of my life back.

Now I'm going to soak in the tub with a book and hope Tuesday arrives at the more civilized hour of 6:00.

Oh, the yoga retreat was AMAZING. Did lots of really bendy stuff with plenty of introspection on the goddess Saraswati. I'm also registered for the next one at the end of April. =)

Knackered

That's me.

I had a pretty good day skiing on Wednesday, but the visibility sucked. It snowed all day and you couldn't see anything above the tree line. I went up the Angel chair 'cause I heard the snow was pretty good up there. When you have no depth perception, you also have no speed perception! Before I knew it, I was almost hurtling down a black run I knew I didn't want to go down, but I could have sworn I was hardly moving. Verrrrry disconcerting!

But I had a blast in the trees! I wasn't brave enough to tackle the bumps on Standish without my friends, but I made it all day without a wipe out. I also didn't head over to Goat's Eye because the visibility was so bad, which made me kind of sad. I really wanted to play in the great powder!!

Worked Thursday. Boo. I wanted to be skiing (did I mention it snowed all day on Wednesday?!)!

Yesterday was one of those days!
1. Co-worker calls in sick. I cover their bench. No biggie, since we anticipated they'd be sick since they left early on Thursday.

2. Different co-worker has meltdown for seemingly no reason. Turns out she's completely misconstrued comments made about planning workflow (see #1, above) and seethes for an hour before melting down.

3. Ready for beer/wings/wine/nachos & cheese by 0830h.

4. Do work left from evening shift (again, no biggie, I had the time, but somewhat annoying, nonetheless).

5. Two co-workers call in sick for evening shift. I offer to stay late if I'm needed. Start testing early to help ease workload.

6. Discrepancy in previous results and current results. This is a BIG deal where I work. All kinds of conference calls get made by the big-wigs (not just my bosses, but their bosses and their bosses' bosses). I'm trained to do the investigative side of this kind of thing, so I'm now staying late to do that...

Anyhoo...yesterday was a long day! 0700-2040h. Did I mention that most of my work is standing? (well, it's either that or sitting at really ergonomically not good work stations--either way, it's not kind to your body). Yeah, physically, mentally and emotionally drained. And I got to go back this morning for more...

But today ROCKED! No big plans for tonight other than Corrie, yoga, knitting, and a soak in the tub. I haven't decided what to make for dinner though...I should get on that since lunch was awhile ago.

Tomorrow I'm going for a run then to work. And I'd love to sleep in....like maybe till 7!

Happy weekend!

Insert Witty Title Here

Still sick today, but feeling much more human this evening. Could have been the afternoon nap on the couch cuddling with Nerm!

Had a good feed of noodles (Vietnam Fortune on Kensington Road & 14 St NW)to wish Carol well in the marathon on Sunday (carb loading for her, spicy noodle soup pour moi) for dinner and that seems to have done the trick.

What I've learned in the past two days of being sick on the couch:

1. It's the ONLY time I've regretted giving my tv away.

2. Nerm is getting much better at cuddling. She is also a couch hog.

3. My yoga practice changes considerably--no handstands or headstands for me this week! I could barely manage variations of sun salutations this morning. Sitting on my mat and breathing was much more my speed.

4. I did find some great Anusara classes online though!

5. My family (most of 'em anyway) are pretty amazing.

6. I'm really looking forward to next week in Kelowna! My mom and I are taking a reality break/birthday trip/wine tasting/yoga on the beach mini-vacay. We deserve it!

7. Drug induced sleep can either be (a) glorious or (b) weird. Last night was (b). Not so much fun, especially when boss phones 3.5 hours after I've called in sick and wakes me up. Hello, sick! Still sleeping at 0930. Leave me alone!

8. Hot water, lemon and honey from Northern Alberta makes my throat happy. Well, happier.

Back to School Goal Setting

I spent a lot of years in school:
1980-1993 (K-12)
1993-1998 (U of A BSc MLS)
2007-2008 (Athabasca U)
2010 (Jan-Jun Yoga Teacher Training).

I'm one ed-u-ma-cated chick!

September is a better "new" year for me than January. I also feel compelled to go buy stationery. Is it bad that I was literally drooling over my friend Michelle's weekly planner on the weekend? I still want one! Maybe when she returns on Friday we can go on a shopping mission. Although, we discovered that we know how to do some serious damage to the bank account when we went hog-wild at Lulu on Sunday, but really, how much could you spend at Staples? Never mind, don't answer that!

So what's the point to this, you ask? Well, my goals lately (I can't remember the exact day I started, but it's been a few weeks now):

1. Stop eating before 2000h (that's 8 p.m. if you don't do the 24-hour clock thing). Sometimes this may not happen, especially when I work evening shifts, but the intent is to eat dinner and then STOP.

2. Drink more herbal tea. See #1 above. No eating after 8, but who said no drinking?! I stocked up this weekend:

From Teaopia: Coconut Cream Green, Wild Cherry and Pina Colada.
From Banff Tea Co.: Women's Keep Well-Uma & Chocolate Mint Rooibos.

3. Sleep 7-8 hours each night.

Most nights, it's worked just fine! I'm currently sipping some delightful Coconut Cream green tea.

Note to Self:
Drinking wine on a school night is neither in alignment with the above stated goals nor conducive to getting up for work in the morning! But it was good wine and great company!

Friday, Sweet Friday, How I Love Thee!

TGIF has never been so sweet. Why, you ask? Well, lemme tell ya:

- I slept all of two hours last night. Yep. Two. From 1100 - 0113h. I think the dream about my dad wigged me out so I couldn't go back to sleep. It wasn't the nightmare one, it was all good, I think it was just seeing him that did it (if that makes any sense whatsoever).

- I checked the forecast on the Weather Network literally right before I walked out the door. No rain till thundershowers in the afternoon. I got two blocks from home (S'bucks in sight now) and the sky opened up, thunder boomed and lightening crashed. Lovely. And all at 0540h. Did I mention that I had neither a coat nor brellie? Yeah, figures! Have I mentioned I'm seriously considering a career change? Yep. Meteorologist. Apparently it's the only job that you can always be wrong at and still keep your job! =P

- Two people called in sick at work. They weren't going to call anyone in, either. Yeah, that went over like a proverbial lead balloon. By 11 (a mere 5 hours into my 8 hour shift), we had replaced the two sickos.

OY. Alas, I'm home now. I stopped at Shoppers and picked up my winning lottery tickets for both tonight and tomorrow. I also got two free plays from a few weeks ago. My banker frowns on my retirement savings plan, but I'm told they won't give you the money unless you buy a ticket. Also stopped and got some groceries and bought only healthy stuff! Big feat on two hours of sleep! It was yummy veggie pita pizzas for dinner tonight chez moi.

I also just had a lovely soak in my claw foot tub. *sigh*

Happy Friday! 'Night!