landslide

after watching DVR'd glee this morning, maj and i were talking about how we like that show because they're handling all major teen topics and giving out information that kids may not otherwise hear. every time they talk about gay issues or sex ed or bullying.. for some reason i picture kids in houses from the '50s out in the middle of cornfields or down dirt roads, watching glee and reconsidering everything they thought about issues they may not have been able to put a name and face to in their actual lives. it seems like so many people with closed minds simply haven't had the opportunity to make decisions for themselves based on real life.

at least i hope that's what's happening all around the country as people consider issues like gay marriage or bullying or the ridiculousness of abstinence only education (like we have in texas.. the state with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation) through the lens of glee. it means so much more when you put human faces on those issues. and it points out the obvious--being gay is ok/confusing/not a "lifestyle choice," abstinence only sex ed isn't realistic and it won't make kids consider things they "haven't ever considered" because it's all around them all the time, and bullying comes from fear.

anyway it's all to say bravo, glee. what a fantastic way to use a multi-million viewer venue.

on a lighter note, it's day 3 of the 40 day yoga challenge and i didn't get completely drenched in class tonight until the 30 minute mark, which is a personal victory. wednesday and thursday classes [with the cute teacher] in the hot room are the hardest of the week.

on my mind

[photo from smitten kitchen]
today i made deb's granola bars based on an ina recipe. mine didn't come together quite like that.. but they are so tasty. i added 1/2 c of toasted flax seed and used dried apricots and dried sour cherries for the fruit. so yum.

i took this picture quickly while stopped at a light and it isn't the best.. but the bradford pear trees are all in bloom right now, and they are so beautiful. i peeked at our old backyard while i drove by today and saw our trees in bloom hanging over the fence. i hope the new owners are loving them.

(these pictures are from last year)

peace beneath the city

there are some things you can only learn at preschool.

the 4 steps to turning into a strawberry:
1. red rash on your face
2. coughing fits
3. hysterical laughter
4. turn into a strawberry

..we also found out if you happen to have a boy who's turning into a strawberry in your midst, you can easily replace 'sam i am' with 'strawberry man' while reading green eggs and ham to make it a little more personal.

p.s. it's day 1 of the 40 day yoga challenge!

all things go

if we're being honest.. i've spent a lot of time lately feeling sorry for myself or feeling unhappy about where i am in life right now. it isn't ideal to be living at home, working at a couple of part time jobs, without a significant other, etc.

but after weekends like this, i realize i don't have a lot to be unhappy about.

on saturday, i volunteered from 8am - 10pm at 3 different things; the camp i worked at this summer, yoga, and the symphony. it was chaotic and tiring.. but rewarding to be helpful to the organizations, meet new people and accomplish a few things.

tonight i made dinner with three girls i've been friends with since i was 11. two of them are the people i've been friends with longest with out of everyone else i know. we had a great time catching up, cooking, laughing, complaining, solving the world's problems. even if the 20 or howevermany people who used to do fun things every week together in high school are no longer in austin, i'm lucky to still have the majority of them in my life, no matter how near or far they are.

so it's nights like these that i feel like i should be thankful for what i do have rather than be sad or worried about what i don't have. and that's all you can do.

jezebel

here's one reason why you should be jealous of me today:

 i got to hold baby cate for 2 hours while i chatted with jill. she is getting so big!

and one reason to be glad you aren't me: went to the cute instructor's yoga class again tonight, and he helped me get all the way into bow pose..

 

(yogabarn.net) 

but i was soo hot because of the heated room that even my wrists were sweaty. yuck. he has a whole gaggle of girls who flirt incessantly and get all swoony before/during/after class. i try to tell myself i won't be one of them, but i am. let's face it. i guess i'm even worse because i'm blogging about it. whatever keeps you motivated, right? ;) 4 days in a row!

head on the floor

have you ever had rhubarb? i hadn't. so when i saw it in the frozen fruit section of sprouts the other day, and then saw a recipe in ina's book for strawberry rhubarb crisp, i decided to try it out. it turned out beautifully and is deeeelicious. i love fruity crumble desserts for breakfast. this is the 'before' picture. the 'after' is all washed out and ugly.

for the last several months i've split the grocery shop into two sections.. sprouts for produce, HEB for everything else. sprouts is supposed to be like a farmers market. there's no makeup, no batteries, very limited organic cleaning and bath products. cheese is off the charts expensive, but produce is cheap, fresh and restocked daily. HEB is a normal grocery store.

this is what i got today at HEB for $40 (plus a container of breyer's vanilla bean ice cream i forgot to take out of the freezer for its closeup):

 and this is what i got at sprouts for $40:

boggles. my. mind.

lisztomania

do you remember when jeff and i went to buy matt some birthday tea at the tea place downtown and we were all excited about tim? the fancy dressin', tea drinking, scooter riding, gardening yoga instructor? turns outtt, he teaches at the studio i go to 3 times a week. his classes are late in the evenings, so i don't usually have the will to change clothes and drive down there.

i guess now that i've typed it out it doesn't seem like such a big deal. but it's interesting how things come together sometimes, isn't it?

while we're talking about yoga though.. for the last few weeks i've been wearing majjy's '80s yoga pants and it has been so much fun. it just makes you feel more jazzy when you're not wearing black or gray. (today a cashier in sprouts called out to me from 2 aisles away to tell me how much she loved them). but you can't buy interesting yoga pants anywhere. i keep thinking of these lavender and white patterned jammie pants from J Crew that would be so pretty as yoga pants. have you seen any with bright prints?

[athleta.com]
ok maybe not quite like that.