adfh

amazingness

lots of stories to share, but while i type, enjoy these two vids. my DVR caught the celine dion special on CBS last friday--a woman who has an amazing voice, but is pretty damn annoying. well the opening song was pretty damn good and i didnt know why--until i realized it was originally an ike and tina turner song. OMG, obvs that was the reason for the infatuation.

so here i post the celine performance from last friday, and an older tina turner version from her latest tour--and watch around 3mins when tina cuts a rug. fucking amazingness, that woman!




and tina (TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN FIRST)

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

PATRIOTS LOSE!!!  AWESOME

day 2: Arda Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana (half moon with hands to feet)

you see the reason for the days off betwixt day one and day two is because i am fucking sore. as i mentioned, i have not done the yoga in a few months, so after you go through day 1, you feel like you just did both arms and legs for the first time in a year--and the second day after i was much sore. the common idea would be to go to yoga and STRETCH but OH NO. i am too much of a pussy to do that, and i'd prefer to let the soreness go away then jump back into it--because in about two weeks i will be very sore every day from a regular daily yoga practice. but a good sore.

this may also lead one to ask "how do you fit 50 classes in 60 days if you already used a good few days off here?" and the answer is that as i become more regular in attendance (ie now-forward) after about a month i can start doing double classes on weekends. some people think thats insane--doing one 90 minute class followed immediately by another--or even one in the morning and one at night. either way, once you get over the psychological aspect like "OMG IF I DO TWO I WILL DIE" it is actually quite amazing--the second class you find yourself moving deeper into a posture and getting a lot more out of the class. i look forward to being in that spot again in about a month.

as for everything else, well my idiot roomate jacqueline has developed a habit of leaving the door to the roof deck unlocked which is quite frustrating as i dont care for the whole stranger coming in whilst i sleep and rape me. this is of course different from those posts on craigslist where you arrange for someone to come into your apartment whilst you "sleep" and rape you. i suppose it is the difference between consensual rape (hot) and rape rape (not hot and scary with possibility of stabbing). as for my condo, i'm sure the cats will scare any intruder away--with their awfulness.

this morning on the way into the office to do the professional thingy, i was FREEZING COLD and for the first time wished i'd had the heated seats my dad said i should get when i bought my car last june. but HELLO DAD, i said, i didnt need heated seats in CALIFORNIA. ok, i do. i could even SEE MY BREATH this morning it was that cold (it was like 40f at 6am--FORTY!). oh how acclimated i've become.

last night bem and i went to see the royal concertgebouw orchestra of amsterdamn. they did a delightful program of debussy and brahms symphony no 2--a symphony full of good german virtues. what i DID notice was a total hottie sitting a few rows ahead and on the other side of the aisle. the was wearing a tshirt and jeans and definitely wasnt sitting there for the first half. i had wanted to say "hi" or even SMILE and not talk to him after the concert, but as soon as the applause erupted, he bolted--almost as though that wasnt his seat--which i knew it wasnt. alas, i just have to look forward to seeing the next hottie at the symphony--which is indeed a rare sight.

Listening to ELGAR: Wand of Youth Suite

well, look at my flights

bored this morning and went through my american airlines AAdvantage account and decided to do a map of all my 2007 flights on american only--the map got too messy if i added in the two or so other airlines when i was cheating on AA. no wonder i'm tired. i stole the idea from a blogger over here and thought why not.

as for this economic stimulus pkg i see the congress is contemplating i just love the idea of the wealthy continuing to subsidize life for the poor. no rebates to single people making in excess of $75k/year or hetero couples who make $150k+/year. but hey, those people who dont even make enough to pay taxes get $300. i call bullshit. i also wonder whats happening to me--i am clearly very much a liberal person but i find these scenarios laughable at best, and i hate unions. hate them a lot...am i a closet republican? dear god no. my parents would be SO sad.

the weekend ahead look uneventful. on the concert calendar this weekend is the Britten: War Requiem which is a ginormo work, both in musical complexity but also in sheer number of musicians required--so i'm quite excited. i find it to be in the upper echelon of the requiems. haha.

also this past weekend opera amy and the marcus were down here in LA visiting relatives. so i had the great fortune to meet them for breakfast over at the W Westwood on monday and see their amazingly precious 7mo old daughter. first, neither marcus no amy seem any changed. they look exactly the same. and second, their daughter was amazing. i honestly dont think i have seen such a cute and precious baby EVER. two people stopped by the table to talk about the baby--and i asked if it happens a lot when they go out (i suspect it did) and they said it does. i thought they should sell the baby into doing baby food or diaper commercials.

Listening to GERSHWIN: An American in Paris

day 1: kiss my asana--or pranayama breathing day 1

well hello! welcome to my blogge in the new year--its VERY dramatic. so my friends (i use the term here specifically and not colloquially) i know some of you have expressed disappointment in my lack of keeping up with this thing, but based on how long it takes me to return your phone calls these days, you can see how blogging takes justabit longer.

as you know i was in nyc from jan 1-15 for a work seminar that kicked my ass in a good way--and received some prime recognition from my organization president which is very good and i am currently in a weird state at work where i am trying to advance myself and strike while the iron is hot so to speak--but especially since i have the full support of the #1, ie the presidente. i shall let you know how that goes.

but whilst in nyc i was accustomed to 4.5-5hrs/nt of sleep because of my insane work schedule--and waking up at 6 am each morning carried over when i got back home to los angeles. i was waking up at 3am for a week--forcing myself back to bed and finally decided i should take advantage of waking early and started up with yoga again. as such i am embarking on a challenge.

the typical challenge has been 26times in 30 days, and i am shooting for 50 times in 60 days. i decided posting a brief daily summary on here would keep me accountable, and afford me the opportunity to bitch and moan to others beyond my normal friends who will still hear it all anyhow.

so i did class on day 1--and jesus i was sore the morning after. it has been months since i had been in the studio but i was able to make it through the 90min series doing all postures twice--what is sad is that i KNOW where i was last at in the progression of a posture and in the months since practicing, i lost a great deal of capability. no BIG deal, just annoying--yet it also provides me with more personal goals to work towards.

also in class 1 was this totally cute guy who i think may have been a fatty because in the locker room he had a bit of flab/loose skin--but omg he was so cute--so good for him i say.

but it was odd because i rarely EVER see hot/cute guys in my yoga class.

ALSO in blogging about this i will post an image of each of the 26 postures for the next month/26 classes. this is posture 1, a breathing exercise that i absolutely hate, and over 5 years of practice i have NEVER enjoyed it.

whatevs, its not difficult, and i will probably always hate it.

NAMASTE

ok dad

its no secret that father has never been big into classical music and while my parents supported me growing up--i have absolutely no clue how i became interested in classical music or began playing the cello at such a young age given both parents total lack of interest in this art. but dad in his old age is starting to explore more. as such i loaded a copy of a recent sibelius symphony no 2 performance onto his computer in october and he called this week to say how much he loves it but hates the coughing in the background as it is a live recording. WELL he has bought three different versions this week and each week there has been something "wrong" with each. and so we had such a txt exchange this morning:

dad: UGH this recording with bernstein
me: WHAT IS IT NOW
dad: i can hear them turning pages of the music
me: are you serious? THIS is what you are complaining about?
dad: i wasnt hoping to hear them turning the pages UGH
me: these are not machines. you have to learn to hear beyond the ambient noises to focus and appreciate the performance. this is precisely why i love live concert recordings, its a performance existing only at a specific point in time.
dad: yadda yadda yadda
me: i dont see whats so difficult as you have spent 27 years working on your "selective listening" and only hearing parts of what i said, hah.
dad: well this concert is superior to what you gave me--at least the horns are. and i hear everything you say to me my dear son.

HAH. as kids my sister and i never stopped talking (surpised?) and so i cant see how my parents ever heard half of what we said--if i were them i would have blocked us out more--but when i was in middle school i started accusing my dad of "selective listening" and only hearing half of what i said. sometimes i wonder how annoyed my parents were with my sister and i being a bit too smart for our own good.