I'm sitting here, awaiting the 8 EDT going-live of the final installment in the season finale of Shadow Unit, and even though it's going to be painful (lots of pain to go around in this universe), I simply can't wait. This is the best TV show not on television.
It's not too late to get in on the action, especially as it comes equipped with a forum where you can interact with fans - *and the authors*.
I'm off to read the forum until the episode goes live ... Wish the characters luck.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
The singing engine
Cary Tennis does it again.
Having just come back from Balticon, and having my annual commitment to my singing engined renewed, this couldn't have been more timely for me.
But I must go now - I have an appointment with my muse for tea and catching up. She & I have a lot of missed time to make up for ...
Having just come back from Balticon, and having my annual commitment to my singing engined renewed, this couldn't have been more timely for me.
But I must go now - I have an appointment with my muse for tea and catching up. She & I have a lot of missed time to make up for ...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Touch my heart
Cary Tennis has done it again, written another column that makes my heart sing. The 4th paragraph could be a wake-up call to a nation. If only we would pay attention.
This hits close to my heart, because one of the things I've been struggling with in recovery is that I'm still eating meat. Those of you who have been reading along here know that I've toyed with vegetarianism off and on over the years. In the world of my dreams, I wouldn't eat meat, or would eat very little.
But we touched on this at Ranch, and my heart is finally at peace, as much as it can be on such an emotional issue. For my body to function at its best, I need the dense protein from meat. That's it. I've tried at various times through my recovery to do the vegetarian thing, and I always feel my recovery slipping away at those times.
Sigh. But there it is.
This hits close to my heart, because one of the things I've been struggling with in recovery is that I'm still eating meat. Those of you who have been reading along here know that I've toyed with vegetarianism off and on over the years. In the world of my dreams, I wouldn't eat meat, or would eat very little.
But we touched on this at Ranch, and my heart is finally at peace, as much as it can be on such an emotional issue. For my body to function at its best, I need the dense protein from meat. That's it. I've tried at various times through my recovery to do the vegetarian thing, and I always feel my recovery slipping away at those times.
Sigh. But there it is.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The world has been doing its yoga
So Hello Kitty has been named the Japanese tourism ambassador. Hokay, I can see it, I guess.
And if that doesn't work out, or the Japanese decide to invade somewhere, they've always got the Hello-Kitty-themed Warhammer 40K Sisters of Battle to back them up, right?
The world is seriously bent today, folks.
And if that doesn't work out, or the Japanese decide to invade somewhere, they've always got the Hello-Kitty-themed Warhammer 40K Sisters of Battle to back them up, right?
The world is seriously bent today, folks.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Going for the flow
I've come under the sway of coach Scott Sonnon. I discovered him through another guru, Steven Barnes, who I got the pleasure of seeing at Balticon a couple of years ago. I've been a reader of Barnes' blog for about 3 years now, and I credit him with my conversion from Libertarian to Liberal - but that's a whole 'nother blog post.
I still haven't completely grappled with what Coach Sonnon is teaching, but he posted something to his blog a while back that really clicked with me. It was a 4x7 exercise protocol, where you cycle between 4 intensity levels of exercise and work out every day. It's not as difficult as it sounds, because 2 of the days are "active rest" days.
The cycle goes like this: day 1 is moderate intensity; day 2 is high intensity; day 3 is no intensity; and day 4 is low intensity. This 4-day cycle is repeated 7 times, then there is a 4-day rest period, then the cycle starts over.
I've been dabbling in this now for about a month, never quite making it to exercising every day. Day 1 has been weight-lifting, day 2 has been a 2-mile walk, day 3 has been Sonnon's Intu-Flow, and day 4 has been yoga. Intu-Flow is this amazing process (I can't really call it a workout at the level I'm doing it) which helps your body regain its range of motion. It feels like giving yourself a whole-body massage. Even at the sporadic level I'm doing it, my aches and pains have reduced considerably.
Even though I truly have been dabbling, I've made some amazing progress, considering I've never been in any kind of shape but bad my whole life. I can now walk a mile without giving it a second thought - that's the distance from my front door at work to the train at Union Station. Hubby & I have been doing that on nice days.
Coach Sonnon predicts in his blog post that the most likely days to be neglected are the no- and low-intensity days, and I was surprised to find he was right.
So, what's the point of this post? I'm committing here to a full 32-day cycle, starting tomorrow, exercising everyday, including my recovery days. My plan is this: day 1 - Flowfit; day 2 - 2-mile walk or 1-mile walk DVD; day 3 - Intu-Flow; day 3 - yoga.
I'll be posting the daily results in my Twitter feed (off to the right there), so as not to clutter things up here.
Wish me luck!!
(ETA: link to Flowfit page - sorry it's to a page that tries to sell the product, but I couldn't find another good explanation of it ...)
I still haven't completely grappled with what Coach Sonnon is teaching, but he posted something to his blog a while back that really clicked with me. It was a 4x7 exercise protocol, where you cycle between 4 intensity levels of exercise and work out every day. It's not as difficult as it sounds, because 2 of the days are "active rest" days.
The cycle goes like this: day 1 is moderate intensity; day 2 is high intensity; day 3 is no intensity; and day 4 is low intensity. This 4-day cycle is repeated 7 times, then there is a 4-day rest period, then the cycle starts over.
I've been dabbling in this now for about a month, never quite making it to exercising every day. Day 1 has been weight-lifting, day 2 has been a 2-mile walk, day 3 has been Sonnon's Intu-Flow, and day 4 has been yoga. Intu-Flow is this amazing process (I can't really call it a workout at the level I'm doing it) which helps your body regain its range of motion. It feels like giving yourself a whole-body massage. Even at the sporadic level I'm doing it, my aches and pains have reduced considerably.
Even though I truly have been dabbling, I've made some amazing progress, considering I've never been in any kind of shape but bad my whole life. I can now walk a mile without giving it a second thought - that's the distance from my front door at work to the train at Union Station. Hubby & I have been doing that on nice days.
Coach Sonnon predicts in his blog post that the most likely days to be neglected are the no- and low-intensity days, and I was surprised to find he was right.
So, what's the point of this post? I'm committing here to a full 32-day cycle, starting tomorrow, exercising everyday, including my recovery days. My plan is this: day 1 - Flowfit; day 2 - 2-mile walk or 1-mile walk DVD; day 3 - Intu-Flow; day 3 - yoga.
I'll be posting the daily results in my Twitter feed (off to the right there), so as not to clutter things up here.
Wish me luck!!
(ETA: link to Flowfit page - sorry it's to a page that tries to sell the product, but I couldn't find another good explanation of it ...)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Big meal
I'm still digesting everything I learned from Ranch, plus I got sick over the weekend, hence the complete lack of posting ...
But let me say a little bit about Ranch. It lasted from Friday dinner to Sunday just before lunch. Over that time, we talked about the basics of the biochemistry that makes us sugar sensitive and how the 7 steps create healing. We talked about brain plasticity and healing, and about addiction to misery. That last one hit home for me big time. We talked about reframing things that feel like obligations: instead of saying "I have to", say "I get to". Let your life be your privilege, instead of your painful obligation.
You can see why my brain is still reeling from all the knowledge imparted. And of course because I'm so introverted, all the wonderful connections I made left me with a great need to recharge.
I can't wait to go back next year, and learn more about healing and make another year-long commitment to my recovery.
It really was a life-altering experience. And now that I'm days away from being 3 months past detox, it was a timely experience, that will reshape my recovery for the next year.
Scary to think that if I stay on course, I'll be on step 7 this time next year. That's the "get a life" part of the program - I truly can't wait.
But let me say a little bit about Ranch. It lasted from Friday dinner to Sunday just before lunch. Over that time, we talked about the basics of the biochemistry that makes us sugar sensitive and how the 7 steps create healing. We talked about brain plasticity and healing, and about addiction to misery. That last one hit home for me big time. We talked about reframing things that feel like obligations: instead of saying "I have to", say "I get to". Let your life be your privilege, instead of your painful obligation.
You can see why my brain is still reeling from all the knowledge imparted. And of course because I'm so introverted, all the wonderful connections I made left me with a great need to recharge.
I can't wait to go back next year, and learn more about healing and make another year-long commitment to my recovery.
It really was a life-altering experience. And now that I'm days away from being 3 months past detox, it was a timely experience, that will reshape my recovery for the next year.
Scary to think that if I stay on course, I'll be on step 7 this time next year. That's the "get a life" part of the program - I truly can't wait.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Home from Ranch
I'm still travel-weary and utterly mind-blown from Ranch, so there's no energy for a full post or update today. How about some bullet points instead:
* For the first time in my life, I walked into a roomful of strangers and felt immediately at home. I can't describe how wonderful that felt to the shy, fearful girl I used to be.
* I've found another family. These people really get the issues in my life, because to one degree or another, they've all lived them. It's a powerful feeling.
* I'm feeling so incredibly blessed to have this community to call upon, to be part of. It hasn't yet completely sunk in, but it was wonderful to participate in this communal intention for healing. The power of this group was amazing.
And now I'm off for a little nap ...
* For the first time in my life, I walked into a roomful of strangers and felt immediately at home. I can't describe how wonderful that felt to the shy, fearful girl I used to be.
* I've found another family. These people really get the issues in my life, because to one degree or another, they've all lived them. It's a powerful feeling.
* I'm feeling so incredibly blessed to have this community to call upon, to be part of. It hasn't yet completely sunk in, but it was wonderful to participate in this communal intention for healing. The power of this group was amazing.
And now I'm off for a little nap ...
Thursday, May 01, 2008
You know me. Occasionally, I'll be quirky. "I'll be quirky." Albuquerque! I'll be right back!
I'm off to Albuquerque for a long weekend at the annual Radiant Recovery retreat. I'm excited and anxious all in equal measures.
See everyone Monday!
(the title of this post is a Simpsons reference to this episode, just in case you thought I'd finally gone comprehensively off my nut ...)
See everyone Monday!
(the title of this post is a Simpsons reference to this episode, just in case you thought I'd finally gone comprehensively off my nut ...)
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