Huh? (A Valentine’s Day Post)

We’re leaving for work, going out of the house through the garage. It’s cold. CC is wearing a ski cap that covers his ears. I have on the purple fox earmuffs he gave me for Christmas, a gift selection he made without fully considering the ramifications of having to appear next to me in public when I wear them.

The button that opens the garage door is mounted high on the wall. My hands are full and I’ve been having physical therapy on my shoulder since before Christmas and still can’t reach overhead some days.

Me: I can’t hit the button.

CC: Do you want a water?

Me: Do I have a flyswatter?

CC: A water! Do you want a water?

Me: I have a water right here.

I wiggle my water bottle at him. But only at waist level, cause I can’t lift it higher. At this point he practically runs into the garage door, realizes I didn’t hit the button and goes back to push it. We get in the car.

Me: I have a water and I would be willing to share it with you.

CC: You’re in love with the shipwreck of me?

Me: No! I have a water and I would be willing to share it with you!

CC: Oh, good. ‘Cause that was sounding like a Loudin Wainwright song right there.

Me: A Tom Waits bong in midair? Huh, I guess it does kind of sound like Tom Waits. I like that house.

CC: A light mouse?

I point to a house we’re passing in our neighborhood.

CC: Yeah, I like that one too. I really like that tudor behind it though. I’ve always had a fondness for tudors.

I look at him sideways.

Me: Does this mean you’re sleeping with Lucia Roga?

CC: What? No, I’m not sleeping with My Sharona.

Me: No, Lucia Roga! The math tutor?

CC: Why, does she live there?

Me: Tudor? Tutor?

CC: I didn’t know she lives there. That’s ironic.

He smirks. I smack him. I hate it when he turns my own joke back on me.

I flip on the seatwarmers and, as I always do, I sing their theme song. Which I made up. Which goes to the tune of the orginal Transformers cartoon theme song. And also steals most of its lyrics from it.

Me: Ass-warmers! More than meets the eye!

CC: That doesn’t make any sense.

Me: What?

CC: You always sing that song and it doesn’t make any sense.

Me: I’ve been singing the seat warmer theme song since we got this car four years ago and you’ve never known what it is?

CC: Yeah. Because it doesn’t make any sense.

Me, incredulous: It’s the Transformers theme song. You know, the cartoon?

CC: Oh. Now I get it.

Me: I can’t believe you’re just now telling me you never got that. Is this part of your newfound commitment to us improving our communication?

CC: Yeah. Remember when you said back there in the bathroom, ‘I look crazy!’ and I agreed with you? That saved me like twenty minutes trying to argue with you that you don’t look crazy. And you do look crazy, so it’s honest.

Me: Asswarmers! More than meets the eye!

CC: I can see the monkeys, jumping from tree to tree in your eyes.

I adjust my earmuffs.

Me: I can’t hear you. I have foxes in my ears.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

image by cellar_door_films via WANA commons

Yin and Yang, Yoga Style

One week, one yoga studio. Two Bikram teachers, two very different styles.

One gave us some great quotes to ponder as we were struggling for breath down on the mat between asanas.

For when you’re working towards a goal: I am comfortable with my plan. I am at peace with my power. I achieve my dreams and outcomes with ease.

To stay out of needless drama: I am a lighthouse, not a lifeboat. I do not rescue, but instead help others to find their own way to shore, guiding them by my example.

She spoke two others that were quite beautiful, Marianne Williamson as quoted by Nelson Mandela at his inauguration, The Guest House by 13th century Sufi poet Rumi.

It made the trying to breathe and not fall out of savasana better.

The other one offered us this eloquent advice in the final part of Half Moon with Pada-Hastasana:

PRETEND LIKE YOU’VE GOT A FLASHLIGHT IN YOUR BUTT AND YOU’RE TRYING TO LIGHT THE CEILING!

He also made us sing Happy Birthday to one of the students during Triangle pose. Twice.

I love both those teachers. I love that even with it always being the same 26 postures, you never know what’s going to happen. I dig opposites. Learning how to comfortable with uncertainty is why I keep coming back.

I’m never going to go into that second set of Triangle now thinking that I can’t breathe and have to fall out, knowing that I can actually sing Happy frickin’ Birthday while holding the pose.

I’m also never going to go into hands-to-feet pose without picturing the entire class…um, lighting up the ceiling.

For Bikram Yoga Etiquette, check out this post on Joy is so Yellow.

Namasté.

There’s Nothing to Eat!

Along with the recently-issued mandate in our house that the kids make their own school lunches, we’ve also started buying less junk food.

It’s amazing how much damage junk food has caused to their eyesight. They look in the pantry and can’t see that there is any food left.

One kid, who shall remain unnumbered, attempted to offer helpful suggestions to all the other kids who couldn’t see any food for lunch snacks. A different kid, who shall also remain unnumbered, said “This is gross! There’s nothing to eat in this house!” and went to her ~~cave~~ room and slammed the door, it is rumored.

Three remaining kids banded together and made snacks for lunch, which just thrilled my heart to no end.

In the pantry were an unopened package of graham crackers and six unopened boxes of table water cracker of varying flavors. In the fridge were grapes, baby carrots, a pear, apples, an orange, cheese and eggs. We had bananas, peanut butter, celery, jello and dried and canned fruit. There was bacon. Not that it all counts as health food, but they couldn’t see any of that because of the junk food disease.

So they made Cinnamon Toast Crunch muffins from a mix that one of them got for Christmas, and popcorn.

#4 made the muffins. She thought they seemed a little plain and never voluntarily eats anything without added sugar, so she gave them Christmas sprinkles. Then she found the packet of Cinnamon Toast Crunch crumble in the box. So she put that on too.

There’s always something to eat here. You just need to know where to look.