lilrongal: (rainbow)
2012-11-03 08:39 pm

A Glimpse Into Yoga Teacher Training

Yoga teacher training is still proving to be an incredible journey. I’m making really great friends, I’m getting to study with loads of fantastic teachers, and I’m learning SO MUCH. The following collage shows a little snippet… just a LITTLE snippet, of what I’ve been lucky enough to experience. And you guys, I still have five months to go!

I’m spending this weekend with Suzanne Sterling. I’ll write more about that soon. :)

Happy weekend. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour! YAY extra hour of sleep!

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lilrongal: (cute)
2012-11-01 12:43 am

Every Day I’m Amazed

Autumn

Things have been kind of nuts lately! Teacher training, work, just trying to get stuff done! But it’s been great. Hmm, what have I been up to the last time I posted?

Well…

I got my nails done. We had some freakishly warm weather last week, so I took advantage of it, wore shorts and short sleeves, and headed to Pinky Nail to get pampered:

Can't remember the color name, brand was Essie. Peace Out Purple

I did the early voting thing:

I voted today. :)

And….

I’ve been attending many video reviews. See, in addition to my own video review, I have to attend five others. I’ve gone to four others, so I only have one more to go. They make for long days; we have a practice for about 90 minutes, then we head to Daren’s (my teacher) loft to watch the video and listen to his critique. We also learn a lot more about cueing, watching the students, adjusting, and correcting them. This goes on until about 5pm or sometimes later. Then I usually end up hanging out and chatting with Daren and/or various other trainees. Not only is this a good learning experience, it’s a nice way to bond with my fellow trainees.

I’ve been hanging out with some trainees/yogis as well. Sunday, I ran into Fatima at King Spa, and also met up with Daren and his partner Lance for dinner while we were there. Monday, I attended a video review, and then Carmen and I had dinner and went BACK to King Spa. Yesterday, I got to spend hours with Graham and Milena as we explored the next phase of Moksha’s growth.

Future Retreat Center
Graham, who is working so hard on getting this thing going!

SO. King Spa. Let me tell you about King Spa. Oh, glorious King Spa. It’s a Korean spa in a suburb north of Chicago. My friend Jen and I had vouchers, so we headed up Sunday, late afternoon. King Spa is open 24/7, and it’s not by appointment, so we knew we could arrive anytime. I’d never experienced a Korean spa before, so I didn’t know what to expect. But for the low regular price of $25 (we paid $15 for our vouchers), we got two lockers: one for shoes, one for the rest of our stuff, access to the steam room, the spa, many types of saunas, and a movie room, quiet rooms, meditation rooms…. basically, it’ a place to max and relax, for realz, yo. There are loads of extra services you can pay extra for: scrubs, massages, facials, etc. And there is a food court that serves yummy Korean food and yummy juices.

Sunday night was my first time there ever. If you want to get in the spas, you have to get naked. I was OK with that, though. I also got a body scrub. They really do scrub you down. I was cleaner than I’d ever been in my life. They also shampoo your hair (mmm scalp massage). The spa is unisex, but the rest is co-ed, and you are given uniforms to wear. Pink for women, grey for men, yellow for kids. :) The saunas range in temperatures from 19F to 400F. Yes, you read that correctly. I like to go in the 400F one and then go right into the 19F after. Mmmmm. There is something for everyone and you feel like a million bucks when you come out. I plan to frequent that place a LOT. Now that I’m getting more comfortable driving. It only took me more than four years, right? I still have not driven downtown yet, though. Mostly I drive up to Jen’s place (way North), to Moksha, or out to the suburbs, like I did today.

Because last night, I found out that John Barrowman (along with his sister Carole) was going to be at Anderson’s tonight. And with Adam completely booked with ghost tours, I knew if I wanted to meet him, I’d need to get myself out there. And believe me, I NEEDED TO MEET HIM. I’ve been a fan of his ever since I saw him playing Captain Jack on Doctor Who, so I was excited.

I made my way out to Naperville about 1:30pm, so I got there about 2:15pm or so. I got my book for him to sign, and then just hung out. I ate lunch at a yummy BBQ place where the guy behind the counter was really great. He made every single customer that walked into the place feel welcomed and wanted, and you very rarely see that anymore. I shopped a bit (and picked up these gems)!:

My New Fingerless Gloves.

Then I returned to Anderson’s (OK I may have shopped a little bit in between), sat down with my new books, and started reading. I chatted a bit with some other fans, and then the really cool lady in purple next to me belted out this amazing opera note because John had come up to her to hug her! (She’s known him for years.) SO, I offered to take a photo of them together if he wouldn’t mind posing with me for a quick photo as well. :D Then I hung out for the next two hours, chatting with the lady in purple (Linda) and any other random people, and then it was my turn to go meet him! :)

John Barrowman

John Barrowman and Me

John Barrowman, Carole E Barrowman, and Me

Yeah. THAT HAPPENED YOU GUYS!!!!!!111!!!!!!

He and his sister signed my book!

Love John Barrowman. ?

The week is only halfway over. There is more to come.

Tomorrow, I start teaching karma classes at Moksha every Thursday from 12-1pm for the next seven weeks. The cost is $8, so if you’re near the Riverwest studio, and you have some free time, come on by! It’s a very basic level class, so no experience necessary. This is a requirement to get my certification! Eeek!

There is anatomy class tomorrow night (next to last class!) and Friday, Suzanne Sterling is back!! If you were around last year, you might remember how I came floating out of the Suzanne Sterling workshop. I won’t be able to attend the entire thing this year, but I am going to a few of the sessions (well, one at least) and I know it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to see her again!

Friday night, I have a brainstorming party at Daren’s loft, and Sunday morning, I have a lecture with Wendy Doniger, and she’ll be talking about death and rebirth in the history of Hinduism. Should be interesting.

So, November is going to be crazy and it’s not going to let up until Thanksgiving. I’ve got almost 400 emails to answer, and a guest post to post on my blog (I haven’t forgotten you, Celeste), a few giveaways, and more coming up. I’ve only done Christmas shopping for my mom so far, but I’ve got time for that, so I’m not too worried. :)

OK then. I’m tired and I have to teach tomorrow, so I’d better start heading toward sleep. Plus, Adam is bringing himself some McDonald’s and I don’t want the scent to tempt me. I haven’t had McDonald’s since March 24, 2012, and I want to try to go at least a year without giving in. I know, it’s stupid how it tempts me so much. It’s terrible for me and will probably make me sick since I haven’t had it in so long, but dammit if those fries and McNuggets don’t taste amazing. And it’s not like they aren’t SUPER aggressive with their advertising. But still. I AM STRONG. ROAR.

‘Til next time! :)

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lilrongal: (lucille)
2012-10-19 08:11 pm

Celebrating Fall

Adam and I took a trip to The Morton Arboretum this week to look at the trees and enjoy the pretty fall colors. The weather was nice. It had rained earlier, so the ground was damp, but I was mostly comfortable. I think we went right at the peak. I also collected two buckeyes. And hugged my favorite sugar maple tree.

I took lots and lots of photos. I couldn’t get over how pretty everything was. We drove through this woodsy part that was gold. Just tall trees with golden leaves, golden leaves floating to the ground, golden leaves scattered all over the ground. It was bright and happy and amazing.

Click here to see pictures from this year and last, including that forest of gold. :)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-10-15 11:14 pm

What I’ve Been Up To

Gourds

Hey there, hi there, ho there! Thanks to the folks who entered my giveaway. The winners have been contacted and all is well.

So how goes it? I’m aware that it’s been a while (ten days, exactly) since I’ve posted a “what’s up” kinda post, but I had good reasons.

1. I was temping in an office for a few days, and then I was working a lot from home.

2. I FINALLY got some macarons. I’d been craving them for months.

I Finally Have Macarons!!!

3. I discovered that I love Luna bars. Certain varieties of them are soooo good. I know, I have a problem. I love BARS. Those Trader Joe’s “A Blueberry Walked Into a Bar” cereal bars. Quaker granola bars and Dipps. Cocoa Puffs Treats. They’re so easy to eat. Easy to carry around with me. But at least Luna bars are 70% organic and have lots of vitamins and nutrients, so I don’t have to feel *as* guilty for loving them so much.

4. Saturday, I got the pleasure of studying with master teacher Seane Corn (and she is 10000x amazing) and I attended a master teacher roundtable with her as well.

5. Sunday night, I went to the 2012 Kellogg’s Tour of Olympic Champions show with my silver VIP ticket. I attended the Chalk Talk (pre-show Q&A) and had 4th row seats for the actual show. I also got a souvenir gold medal. I bought a program, a pin, and a leotard but I don’t know if I am brave enough to post it here. Although if you do some digging, you’ll be able to find it…

In the meantime, take a look some girls who definitely look amazing in leotards. You might recognize a few of them….

2012 Kellogg's Tour of Olympic Champions

2012 Kellogg's Tour of Olympic Champions

2012 Kellogg's Tour of Olympic Champions

[more]

But there was one HUGE thing that pretty much consumed me. You see, I had my video review today. The video review is an important milestone in my yoga teacher training journey, and boy was I stressed out about it. Those of you who follow my personal facebook or my tumblr got to see firsthand my freakout sessions about it. The prep for it took a lot of time. Practicing, writing sequences, editing sequences, running the sequence out loud to myself in the shower, running it through my mind in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn’t sleep and my bladder was constantly needing to be emptied and the cat was wailing outside the door. Yea, good times.

Because I wanted to do a good job. For numerous reasons. And so I got to the studio about 30 minutes before class started to help set up mats and props. People started arriving about 5-10 minutes before class. Those last ten minutes FLEW by. And then it was time for me to start. I taught the 30 minute opening sequence while Daren (my teacher) sat in the back taking notes on his laptop and Graham (one of my YTT classmates and Daren’s personal assistant) recorded us. There were three of us, 30 minutes each.

When I got to the front of the room, there were times when I just forgot myself. I forgot I was teaching. I just got in the zone. I stumbled over some words. Said some silly things. Used the word “just” wayyyy too much. But overall? HE SAID I WAS AWESOME. He said I exceeded his expectations. He gave me so many compliments, and the constructive feedback was very gentle. He has a really amazing way of delivering feedback that does not make you want to beat yourself up for messing up a cue or forgetting to do small things. I had on my Team USA leo under my shorts and Moksha tee-shirt, but only a few people knew it was there. I felt like it was a good luck charm. He told me that he thinks that teaching yoga is my dharma. (I plan to write a post on dharma sometime….)

At any rate, I PASSED MY VIDEO REVIEW, and now I get to teach eight karma/community classes to actual, paying customers. *gulp*

So… that’s what I’ve been up to these days. Now the the video review is done, I can let out a huge breath I’ve been holding, get a decent night’s sleep, and tackle my next to do list. Also, we’re going to Morton’s Arboretum this week. I’m super excited for that! Trees seem to be peaking so this will be awesome. Can’t wait to take lots of photos!

Til next time….

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (halloween)
2012-10-05 12:29 pm
Entry tags:

Now That It’s Getting Colder….

Fall

Now that it’s getting colder (when I left this morning, it was a terrifying 42F), it’s time to start thinking about the upcoming holidays. I mean, it’s only 26 days until Halloween, and I haven’t been to a big box store in a while, but I’d imagine that the Christmas decorations have already snuck onto the shelves, competing with the Halloween costumes and candy.

I’ve already gotten a gift for my mom, and it arrived safely a few days ago. I’ve only begun thinking of ideas of what to get for Adam and Aidan and other people.

I don’t care for the cold, but I don’t mind this lead up to the holidays so much. The cold weather is accented by the pretty oranges, reds, and golds of autumn, then the festive greens, reds, and silvers of the holiday season. There’s Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping and wrapping gifts and Christmas music to listen to. Lots of opportunity for photos, and even I can admit that evergreen boughs with red bows sprinkled with snow is gorgeous.

But once the holidays are over, it’s just nothing but dirty, grey, slushy snow. Slick, slippery ice. Cutting winds. Bitterly cold temperatures and the depression that comes with it. As far as I’m concerned, once Christmas is over, the snow can go away and the temps can start being in the 70s and above. If the seasons went this way: Spring-Summer-Fall-Spring-Summer-Fall, I’d be happy. The ONLY good things about winter, in my opinion, are Christmas, Aidan’s birthday, and our February trips to Disney World. Summer really does go too fast for me.

But I still have several months until January, and I still have lots to look forward to in the meantime, so YAY. :)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-09-29 07:44 pm
Entry tags:

Short Update

Early this week, I drove out to Ohio to visit my mom. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas and was missing her. I had a really great visit with her! We stayed up til 3, 4, 5am every night talking. It was so nice to reconnect with her.

Adam and I arrived Sunday morning around 1130EST. (We left home about 430CST.) I drove the entire six hours with direction from the Hungarian Grandmother I downloaded to my GPS. I probably wouldn’t have stopped at all for more time than to get gas and/or pee but Adam woke me up and started asking for food. He didn’t want the food I’d packed. Hmph. I listened to my three playlists (The Commute Mix, Elventified™!, and The 90s) and had fun singing along. The only hard part was when the sun was rising. I was driving East. You do the math.

It felt SO NICE to drive like that, you guys. When you’re on the Interstate between 4-6am, it’s pretty much empty. I was able to sit back and really just become reacquainted with my car. I am not comfortable driving her in the city, but I certainly enjoyed bonding with her on the highway.

I ate terribly when I was there. Well, except the home cooked stuff. Somehow that doesn’t count, right? :) But I ate fast food three times (shh, don’t tell my yogi friends) and I snacked a lot more than usual. My mom and Adam said I don’t eat enough. Three meals and day and two snacks just sound like SO MUCH, though, and I just can’t do it. I don’t get hungry enough.

Here are a couple of new things I tried:

Oh YUM!!
OH MY GOD this juice is soooooo freaking good, I can’t wait to get more!!!

Actually really delicious!
I know right? But they tasted really good. I shared this little bag with my mom and Adam.

Sweet Lord Yes!

We don’t have Bob Evans very close to us yet, so I ate there twice on this trip. This is the French toast topped with blueberries. More please.

I visited with some cousins and Aidan and Chris came up to visit too! So I get a bonus Aidan visit! :D

Yay!!!!

I’ve been home for a few days now. Still worn out and I have yet to unpack. Haven’t been to a yoga class in well over a week. But I did make it to my anatomy class and I worked yesterday. I spent all day today reading and being lazy.

I promise to get back on track tomorrow. There is a rogue cat turd in this house and the scent is driving me up a wall. That’s how they punish us for leaving, by the way. Pooping all over the place. Ugh. There is always one that is hidden very well and I literally have to sniff it out. Gross. I’ve got to eradicate that ASAP; my nose can’t take it.

OK then. Til next time.

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (halloween)
2012-09-21 10:07 pm

Autumn 2012

Well, there was no more denying it after today. Temps in the low 60s/upper 50s, rain, grey. Adam’s favorite but blah to me. Still, it was a good day and for that I cannot complain. And as you can see, I’ve updated my site’s theme to reflect the new season. Do you like it?

Today the iPhone 5 came out. Adam and I were both due for upgrades. I was going to wait because my iPhone 4 is still great, but when Adam came home with his new phone and started ordering Siri around, I decided I wanted to go ahead and upgrade today as well. Especially because he told me that he’d only waited in line for 20 minutes. By the time I got there, there was no line at all!

I got the white one. It’s so fast and lightweight and the screen looks great.

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-09-20 10:00 am
Entry tags:

Ode to Summer In The City

Summer In The City

bare feet, pink nails, iPod, shorts

I will miss this.

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lilrongal: (lil yoga)
2012-09-14 10:00 am

Teaching Yoga

At the beginning of August, I had the privilege of teaching a yoga class at Musecon, my favorite convention ever. It’s not a sci-fi con, it’s a con for more creative folks. The emphasis is on things like writing, knitting, art, photography.

Here are a few pictures from the class I taught (pictures from the Musecon photo gallery):

Teaching Yoga at Musecon

Teaching Yoga at Musecon

Teaching Yoga at Musecon

Teaching Yoga

I got really good feedback. I think they want me to come back next year. :)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-09-13 10:53 pm
Entry tags:

Speedy McSpeedy

Thinking

Time is flying. I can’t believe that next week it’ll be autumn. Seems like it was just summer, and I was wearing my tiny shorts and tank tops. Today, I was all bundled up, which made some people tease me. (Forgive me, I freeze easily!) Some people had on short sleeves and shorts. And every time I am freezing at work, at least one person is like “You’re cold? It’s hot in here to me!”

I have the space heater blowing on my feet now, while Adam basks in the air conditioning. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

BRRR
me freezing at one office or another

Sorry I haven’t been so active on the blog here. Besides that fact that I’ve spent some time on tumblr, I’ve been pretty busy. I did get the bathroom cleaned up, but now my room and my “nest” is a hot mess. I’ve been working onsite for two of my favorite clients, trying to squeeze in yoga classes, and attending workshops and extra courses. Spent all weekend at a Building Blocks of Alignment workshop, and started my Thursday night anatomy classes. First weekend of September was spent at WorldCon, where I got to spend time with friends I hadn’t seen since 2009, and some who I’d seen a little bit more recently. I also blew a nice chunk of change in the Dealer’s Room–there’s something about handmade jewelry that’s just super hard to resist. And hair falls! I got new hair falls!

I guess, if I were to use a few photos to sum up what I’ve been up to the past few weeks, it’d be this:

Today's Polish :)
Dessert Leaving for Yoga
Good night! I'm at Worldcon

And that’s just a tiny sampling! But it’s a good kind of busy though. It’s tiring, but fulfilling. And I’m grateful for it.

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-08-20 11:05 pm
Entry tags:

Falling Forward

Aidan is back in Ohio. He left early this afternoon. It was hard. It always is. The summer good-bye is always the hardest, though. Because he’s been with me for so long and I’ve gotten so used to him being here. It’s so quiet in the apartment now.

Yesterday, all three of us went to Naperville just to hang out–our last full day of hanging out in the summer of 2012.

Aidan at the candy store.
He’s like a kid in a…oh.

We had a fun day. I miss that little booger. *sigh* But this year, I did something I’d never gotten the chance to do. I got to buy Aidan all his school supplies and some of his school clothes! Chris and Matt usually do that after Aidan’s in Ohio. Chris did buy most of Aidan’s school clothes, and Matt got him his backpack. But I got to buy all the supplies (I’ll take any excuse to buy office/school supplies) and his lunchbox and socks and stuff like that. Probably kinda silly to get excited over that, but I’m not going to apologize for it.

So, this evening I’ve been sort of relaxing but also trying to sort out all the stuff I need to start focusing on. It’s time for seasonal deep cleaning. The annoying thing about cleaning is that it doesn’t STAY that way after all that hard work. But a dear friend of mine pointed me toward the UFYH tumblr and it has some really great ideas about getting stuff done. Adam wants to reorganize our coat closet area in the front room, which I’m totally in agreement with. I have a LOT of coats and I’d love to see them all contained in a wardrobe that CLOSES. If we can find one big enough. I’d like it to have room to hold shoes and purses as well. I know.

I also need to go through all my clothes and get rid of stuff. Like for real. I have too many clothes and nowhere to put them. It’s time to go HAM on that stuff. The last time I did that was 2008. Basically, here is a rundown of all the work I want to do:

- Declutter my closets. All three of them. Getting rid of clothes, shoes, coats, anything I simply cannot fit or don’t/won’t wear anymore.
- Thorough cleaning of Aidan’s room. Boys are truly disgusting sometimes. I’m not sure WHAT Aidan did in there but man. Adam and I have our work cut out for us.
- Clean up the foyer. The motor oil stain on the carpet out there–we can’t do anything about (don’t even ask but it wasn’t our fault), but there are random boots and shovels and paint cans out there. I’d like to clean it up at least a little bit.
- Organize all my CDs. I have a buttload of CDs and I have to figure out how to get them somewhere easily accessible yet they need to be nicely organized.
-Redo the DVD shelves. They WERE organized, but Aidan and Adam have since ransacked the things looking for certain DVDs and/or video games.
- Unclutter my lotions, soaps, hair products, fragrances, makeup, etc. I have SO MUCH of that stuff and most of it just needs to GTFO.
- Clean out the refrigerator. It’s back to being a hot mess.
- Clean out carb city. Cause there are things there that have been there since 2008 or 2009 (unopened, of course), and y’all, that ain’t kosher.
- Get rid of old magazines and catalogs. I don’t know WHY I am holding on to some of my magazines… I get so many free subscriptions and honestly, the ONLY ONES I ever really read are Reader’s Digest and Yoga Journal (which are not free, go figure), so I need to let all the other subscriptions run out and just keep those two, right? I mean, I LIKE having my bathroom filled with Popular Science (come on, it’s SCIENCE!) and W and the Rachael Ray magazine (they were all free!), but Newsweek is usually outdated by the time I get around to reading it. I don’t even know what else I subscribe to. Oh wait, Fitness or Self or Shape something like that. I don’t need to renew those subscriptions. And catalogs. I keep Free People around for writing inspiration, but I need to just cut out the pictures I like and trash the rest. I don’t want to get rid of my American Girl catalogs but seeing as I have them come to two different addresses, I don’t need to have doubles of all of them, now do I?
- Do something about the HUGE number of books I have. Which will be painful, but is so necessary. We’re completely out of shelf space.
- Clean up my doll display. I still haven’t unboxed my Designer Jasmine and Tiana, and one of my Ellowyne Wilde dolls is hidden behind a baby Tiana doll. Poor Katniss is sitting here like “WTF. You bought me as soon as you could and now I’m just sitting here in the box.” I need to change my Julie out of her summer clothes and into an autumn outfit and maybe I should think about displaying another American Girl doll because I have 12 of them and most of them are in a bin in Aidan’s room.

Me & Julie
Me and Julie, when I first got her in 2009.
She was an early birthday present. :)

Katniss Barbie
The Katniss Barbie I just got last week.

Some of these need to be done immediately, others (like the CDs and DVDs) are pipe dream projects that will happen when I’m inspired, have time, and really just want to get it DONE. I also feel like some trips to Garden Ridge and/or The Container Store and/or Ikea need to happen for everything to take place like I want it. AND I need to have a plan when I go into those stores. We went to Ikea last week and my mind just goes like this about EVERYTHING whenever I’m there:

And then I get all overwhelmed and I’m just like:

So I really need to have some sort of plan before I hit those stores. It’s cute that Ikea sent me a huge catalog the other day, isn’t it, tho?

Basically, though, for my sanity and just because it’s better, I need to seriously tackle some projects around the house. Get some music on, bust it out, room by room, and be like:

Maybe I can post before/after pictures? Make it kind of a series here? What do you think? I wonder if I could even stick to it, but it would be great accountability….

In other words, I got my yoga teacher training midterm today. Twelve pages, 225 questions, 4.5 credit hours. I have until September 20 to get it done. Trying to coordinate meetings with my other classmates so we can work on it together. I’ve already filled out a few answers that I knew off the top of my head. We’ll see how it goes.

My 2013 Life Planner arrived on Saturday. I think it’s super pretty! :)

My 2013 @erincondren Life Planner! ?

My 2012 Life Planner has been amazing. I take the thing just about everywhere and I love showing it off to people. It’s worth every dime I paid for it, and I’ve already started filling in my 2013 Life Planner. Lots of yoga teacher training things to populate.

And this guy finally got to come home with me:

My New Friend

Love Beast! :)

One thing I really want to do is cut back on my Internet time. I waste away many, many hours on tumblr and Facebook games when I have toys to be played with, books to read, hell, books to WRITE, yoga poses to practice, journals to write in, pictures to take, an exercise bike to use, and of course, there is that list^^ of all the cleaning I need to tackle. But it’s hard because as a freelancer, I am essentially ON CALL and need to be available, at least from 9am-5pm M-F. (Who am I kidding? Like I actually get up at 9am!) And I’m actually really happy with the amount of work I’ve been getting. It’s just the right balance. Enough to keep me quite busy, but it’s not taking over my entire life and stressing me out to the point of tears and wishing I would get sick so I could call off work.

But in the evenings? I really need to unplug. One thing I loved about the movie Juno was that the parents were never on their computers. They were always doing crafts or projects–engaging in hobbies that were not computer/tablet/smartphone related. And even though I suspect that Juno was set in a time when life wasn’t so computer-centered, it’s still nice to see.

OK, this entry is really long. Sorry about that. I guess I had a lot to say.

‘Til next time!

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-08-13 05:27 pm
Entry tags:

Oh Hi!

Me on the Beach

So, I’ve been in kind of a funk for a while. I have’t had anything really good to write about, I’ve been tired, and I’ve been busy as well. If I start posting memes or really short entries, then you know that I’m either super busy or just uninspired. This time I was uninspired. And busy too, I suppose. But mostly lazy. ;)

I don’t take my medication like I’m supposed to. Part of the reason is that it’s expensive and I’m trying to stretch it out as long as I can. I cut the pills in half, and I take it when I feel like I need it, and I felt like it last night, even though I knew I’d probably have a hard time sleeping. I was so tired, though, I figured I’d be OK.

So… I was up at 3am. Wide awake. I scooped the litter boxes, cleaned up the kitchen and bathroom somewhat, finished the first draft of the September Moksha newsletter, turned in my timesheet for last week, and did a yoga practice, in which I did ANOTHER breakthrough pose: Mermaid. MY HOLY GRAIL POSE. Guys, I DID MY HOLY GRAIL POSE THIS MORNING.


Mermaid Pose.
This is Kathryn Budig,
who I got to study with this weekend.
I love her outfit.
[via]

I went through a yoga funk for most of July. I was just NOT INTO IT. I didn’t go to classes regularly, I barely practiced at home… it just wasn’t the thing for me. I even skipped one of my Tuesday classes (arm balances because guys, I suck at most arm balances and I just didn’t want to be bothered), and yeah. It wasn’t good. I think it had something to do with Mercury being in retrograde, because now I’m back to loving yoga again. Or maybe I was just in a tamasic (lazy) period.

Anyway, I’m glad to be back. :)

Here is me and Ariel at last week’s homework review. We were talking about Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose) and well, we had to demonstrate. :)

Me and Ariel in Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall Pose)

And in the random….

I have loads of playlists on my iPod, but I think I finally got my Commute Mix sorted. At least for now:

See how everything has a genre, an artist, and an album? I am super anal about my playlist. I hate to see blank spaces or jacked up genres. I’m also not above making up genres to suit my needs (like “Marching Band” or “Patriotic”). What’s on your playlist these days?

And finally, It’s a chilly 64F outside right now with rain. Adam’s loving this weather; it’s his favorite. You all know what I like and fortunately, it’ll be back tomorrow. But I figured that since today is fall weather, I can wear fall clothes.

Got My Buckeye Pride On
GO BUCKEYES!

And finally, I’m featured over at Crazy, Beautiful, Unique today! Celeste is a super sweetheart with awesome hair. :) Go visit!

‘Til next time! :)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (lil yoga)
2012-08-12 09:18 pm
Entry tags:

The Week of Breakthroughs

One-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

Had a really cool week of yoga breakthroughs. Sunday, I taught a yoga class at Musecon and at the end of class, I went into my very first Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose). Never thought I’d be able to do this because that pose typically hurts the top of my feet and my butt doesn’t really sit on the floor. Granted, I probably did it wrong, but it felt nice.

Wednesday, I did my first ever Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance). OK, forearm balance is a challenge. Not going to lie. The prep for it is super challenging. BUT I did it, with some encouragement from the apprentice. How surprised was I when I floated up there?

Then yesterday, I got to take a workshop with Kathryn Budig, where I did my first ever Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana (Compass Pose). (How funny that the article highlighting this is written by her!). It was awesome!!!! I also did a variation of Visvamitrasana, and that was pretty sweet. :)

So, needless to say, I’m pretty tired today. So, you get a short and sweet entry. :)

Night!

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (upward facing dog)
2012-08-07 08:53 pm

My Fellow Trainees

Chicago G-12 Teacher Trainees

back row: Christine, Reshma, Ariel, Graham, Daren (our teacher), Julie, Atticus, Mary, Carmen, Sabrina.
front row: Amy, Denise, Me!, Fatima, Genevieve, Milena

That’s all of us, except for Cameron, who had to leave early for work.

We just completed foundations training. Twenty-two classes, giving us the foundation for our teaching. Poses, lectures, nutrition, gunas, sutras. New friends, good times, great oldies. It was all there.

Up next? Video review. Teaching karma/community classes. Anatomy classes. Workshops with Kathryn Budig, Seane Corn (love her), Aadil Palhkivala (I am SO PUMPED for this one you have no idea), Suzanne Sterling (can’t wait to see her again!), and Tias Little. Answering study guide questions, book reviews, catching up on my reading and my Anatomy Coloring Book assignments. All of that will keep me quite busy until the end of 2012.

Now 2013? That’s a whole other animal, and I’m just gonna not worry about that now. :)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-08-03 11:38 pm

Moon and Beach

Moon on the Beach

I don’t go to the beach enough. This is no good. I really need to go more often. The beach is lovely, especially when there is a waning gibbous moon to gaze at.

:)

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-08-02 12:35 am
Entry tags:

Sunday Stealing (14)

Too Tired To Think Meme: Part II

So, I fail. I forgot to do Sunday Stealing this past Sunday ON Sunday. So I’m doing it now. Aren’t you so lucky? ;)

26. What type of errands do you like running?
I like going to Target for anything, and I like going to Trader Joe’s for groceries.

27. Have you ever eaten snow?
Yes, when I was younger. And no, it wasn’t yellow.

28. What color are your bedsheets?
I’m pretty sure they’re orange.

29. What’s your favorite flower?
Wildflowers, followed by lilacs.

30. Do you do ballet?
No. Wellll, sometimes I bust out my New York City Ballet Workout DVD. Does that count?

31. Do you listen to classical music?
Yes. I love classical music.

32. What is the first TV Theme song that pops in your head?
The theme song to Punky Brewster. I still know all the words!

33. Do you watch Sponge Bob?
I do when Aidan puts it on. My favorite episode is “The Idiot Box.”

34. What temperature is it outside right now?
81F.

35. Do people consider you smart?
Yes.

36. How many piercing do you have?
Just my ears now, double pierced. Used to have navel a long time ago.

37. Are you signed on [to] AIM?
No.

38. Have you ever tried gluing your fingers together?
No.

39. How do you feel about your family?
Love them.

40. Do you have an iPod?
I have two. One is a classic from 2007 that no longer really works with headphones (but works fine in our dock player), the other is a silver classic. I got it last fall. Apple was nice enough to replace it for me after the one I bought in 2010 crashed and burned one or two days after my warranty expired.

41. What time do you go to bed?
Too late! Wah.

42. What CD is currently in your CD player?
There isn’t one in there now but I can tell you that the last one was Bon Jovi – Cross Road.

43. What movie do you know every line to?
Clueless.

44. What is your favorite salad dressing?
Catalina! Mmmmm. Oh wow, a salad sounds really good right now.

45. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Gift cards to iTunes, gift cards to bookstores (or Amazon), gift cards to Old Navy, just about everything from The Pyramid Collection, safe travels, health, love, my mom’s traditional Christmas dinner (YUM), to be looking forward to a trip to Disney World (hee hee), to be happy. :)

46. What family member/friend lives the farthest from you? Where?
My friend Stephanie Jae lives in London.

47. Do you like hugs?
I LOVE hugs!

48. Last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
Yesterday because I knew I had to do savasana adjustments and I just learned how to do them so I was hoping I wouldn’t mess up. (Someone came up and complimented me after class, so I guess I did OK.)

49. What’s the way people most often mispronounce any part of your name?
It doesn’t happen so much anymore because I introduce myself as Ronni, but when I go by Ronica (my real name), a lot of people think it’s “Veronica” and when I was younger, I often got Roo-NEEK-uh if they hadn’t heard it pronounced (like in a doctor’s office or in a new class with a new teacher). It’s pronounced RAW-ni-kah.

50. Last person you hugged?
Aidan. Although I got a lot of hugs at Moksha–one from Amber, one from Betty, and one from Rachel. <3

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-08-02 12:03 am

O Hail August!

In The Backyard

It’s August, you guys. How did it get to be August? So many things coming to an end this month. Today was the last day of my first yoga teacher training apprenticeship. Next Tuesday will be the last day of Foundations training. And next Wednesday evening is my last homework review.

Which means it’ll be time for me to settle down and play catch up for a bit. I’ve got loads of plates to color in my Anatomy Coloring Book, some reading to catch up on, and some things to prepare for in the fall. But I am definitely going to take a breather because it’s gonna be CRAZY once fall hits!

I didn’t talk much about my apprenticeship here. I did most of my venting regarding that over on my yoga blog. Not venting in a bad way at all. Amber was great. I learned so much from her. I got to teach poses in three different classes, and by my third class, people were complimenting me. :) Complimenting me on my teaching, on my adjustments… it was pretty cool.

Honestly, I’ve spent a great deal of July slacking off. I mean, I’ve been going to training and workshops and things, but I didn’t go to a lot of yoga classes in July. I have been working like crazy–it’s busy time for my clients–and spending WAY TOO MUCH TIME playing SimCity Social (taking a break from FarmVille) and reading tumblr. So I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to do, but I’ve not been taking time to do more productive things in my free time. There is a saying out there that says any time doing something fun is not time wasted, but well, you know.

I need to get back focused, though. More exercising–back to yoga and back on my exercise bike–and getting my coloring and reading handled. So, there you go. A quick update. I’m tired now, so I’m heading to bed. ‘Til next time!

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-07-25 03:28 pm
Entry tags:

Employment Enjoyment

The Employment Enjoyment Meme

1. What kind of work do you do?
I am a freelance copy editor and proofreader.

2. During the course of your lifetime, which job or career has been your favorite or most fulfilling?
Anytime I get the chance to edit materials meant for primary school I get super excited. My most fulfilling work is when I get to make really cool stuff even cooler.

Fruits of My Labor
this was one of my favorite projects.

3. Do you think it’s necessary in your life to have a day-to-day “career” that is meaningful and service-oriented or do you function better in “just a job” with a steady paycheck?
I have to do meaningful work, but I admit that it taks a certain amount of privilege to be able to say that. Any time I’ve worked on a position that was just a “paycheck”, I felt like I was dying inside. When it’s Sunday night and you’re wishing you’d get sick so you can call off? That’s a problem. When you’re crying on the commute home? That’s a problem. But some people don’t have a choice, and I respect that.

4. Was there ever a time in your life when you wanted to stay home with your children instead of working, even if it meant less money in the household?
Yes, especially when Aidan was first born. Now I am fortunate enough to be able to do most of my work from home.

5. Tell us your worst boss story.
Hmm, there was the time I went to leave work and the boss said, “You have five more minutes.” When I showed him the clock on my computer that did NOT indicate I had five more minutes, he reset the clock and made me sit for five more minutes before I could leave.

6. Have your ever been the boss? Do you like this this role?
No. I purposely avoid those types of roles. I’ve been sort of a “leader” in a way, but I feel that’s different from being a boss. And even then I was dragged kicking and screaming into the role.

7. What is your dream occupation?
New York Times Best-Selling author as well as someone who gets to edit awesome fiction.

Here are some pictures from some of my past jobs:

Working the Front Desk
working the front desk at the stadium scholarship dorm at ohio state university
(yes, i actually lived in the stadium. it was awesome.
this gave me the opportunity to live in less expensive housing.
it actually should’ve been called the stadium workstudy dorm.)

First Day
first day working as a desk attendent at the apt i lived in from 1995-1998

Another Work Picture
i took pictures of myself during breaks when i worked at Nationwide

Grey Contacts
see?

And a couple past workspaces:

Work My Desk at Work

Wanna hire me? Check out my LinkedIn profile. :)

OK speaking of work, I need to get back to it. Ta ta!

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)
lilrongal: (Default)
2012-07-22 12:05 am

Sunday Stealing (13)

The Too Tired to Think Meme part 1

1. You have 10 dollars and need to buy snacks at a gas station. What do you get?
Water, Doritos, and something chocolate.

2. If you were reincarnated as a sea creature, what would you want to be?
A mermaid.

3. Who’s your favorite redhead?
Oh this one is hard! I adore Karen Gillan, but I also like Ron Weasley! And Ginny Weasley. SO basically ALL the Weasleys.

4. What do you order when you’re at IHOP?
A Rooty-Tooy Fresh & Fruity, but with all bacon.

5. Last book you read?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for the millionth time!)

6. Describe your mood.
OK.

7. Describe the last time you were injured.
Can’t remember.

8. Of all your friends, who would you want to be stuck in a well with?
*shrug*

9. Rock concert or symphony?
Symphony! Went to a bunch when I was in grade school. Had no idea how awesome it was. Would love that opportunity again.

10. What is the wallpaper of your cell phone? The number? (We’ll just say “hi” – promise.)
My wallpaper is a picture of Aidan and me. Not posting my number.

11. Favorite soda?
I don’t drink soda.

12. What type of shirt are you wearing?
I’m wearing a purple tank top under a black one.

13. If you could only use one form of transportation?
Seems like some of this question is missing….

14. Most recent movie you have watched in theater.
The Hunger Games.

15. Name an actor/actress/singer you have had the hots for.
I had a big crush on Adam Brody about eight years ago.

16. What’s your favorite kind of cake?
Jello cake.

17. What did you have for dinner last night?
Spaghetti.

18. Look to your left, what do you see?
A door. Table piled with books and toys. Adam’s overflowing trash can.

19. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Nope.

20. Favorite toy as a child?
I loved my Barbie Dolls.

21. Do you buy your own groceries?
Sometimes. Adam buys most of them.

22. Do you think people talk about you behind your back?
Yes.

23. When was the last time you had gummy worms?
It’s been a minute. I’ve had bears more recently. (And when I say recent, I mean sometime in June.)

24. What’s your favorite fruit?
Peaches (in season) and Rainiar cherries.

25. Do you have a picture of yourself doing a cartwheel?
No, but I have a picture of myself trying to do a handstand.

Attempting a Handstand

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lilrongal: (pencils)
2012-07-19 09:25 pm
Entry tags:

The Sucky Part of Being a Mom

Now I know what it meant when a parent (mine never said this, mind you) on TV says “This hurts me more than it hurts you.” Because having to be strict and discipline your child, seeing him upset and crying, is NOT the thing. And I fought it. Boy did I fight it. I’m not a confrontational person, so it was really hard for me to do it and follow through.

BUT he did something that broke my trust, so all the fun stuff had to be taken away (in all fairness, I think he got off VERY easily considering), and I hated doing it. But I know that I have to. I’m not trying to be on Jerry Springer or something like that duking it out with my kid. No way.

Being a mom is hard. But not hard enough for me to EVER say, “This is hurting me more than it hurts you.” Heh.

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(Originally posted at http://anywhere-is.net. Comment here or there.)