happy happy weeekend

this was a happy weekend. the weather was beautiful. in a place like chicago you learn to really appreiciate the sunny mid 70 degree weather. yesterday i started tearing up my lawn- i want to expand my garden. i met some great neighboors who i'd never met before. we had a great time talking in the sun. one of my best friends came over and we sat on the front "stoop" (that's what we call the tiny front porches in chicago) and had a couple of mid-afternoon beers. perfect.

last night i went to a friend's housewarming party. it's funny, while everyone else in my life is getting more and more settled, my fiance and i are doing the opposite. i'm back in school and, if all goes as planed, he'll be back in school soon. studying to be a luthier so he can make instruments in the violin family. we'll sell our house and go back to apartment living so we can afford it. owning a house, as great as it is, carries with it a huge amount of cost and responsibility. i just realized yesterday that we're paying almost $500 a month, just for the gas bill! i can't wait to be living the simple life again. starving artists and students...

today is another gorgeous one! i plan to go to breakfast once the fiance wakes up. by the way, am i the only one that doesn't like that word, fiance?--- so i'll call him the boyfriend. so once the boyfriend wakes up we'll go eat and then i have a lot of studying to catch up with today.

home practice

i practiced at home today. funny, how when your car's in the shop my daily routine changes so much. i rely on my car too much. i'm going to try to ween myself off it in the next few years. well, not completely off it, but i just don't want to rely on it as much as i do now.

i had a relatively short practice. my hamstring still hurts. really hurt in Trikonasana today. i used a block because it hurt too much to go all the way down. after the sun salutations, i worked on second series poses. Laghu Vajrasana is seeming next to impossible now. this was probably my 5th or so attempt, and i can't understand how anyone can lift themselves out of the pose back to kneeling. well, as guruji says "practice and all is coming". i have to trust that.

joining the blogging world

so i'm doing it. i'm starting a blog. i'll use this as a space to talk about life and my yoga practice. i've been practicing ashtanga yoga for a little over a year. last july i switched from led classes to mysore style. i love it. i love the silence and moving with my breath. today's practice was ok. i injured my hamstring about a week ago, so i'm treading lightly. i started the second series about 6 months ago- still struggling with getting heels to the floor in pasasana. i was given Laghuvajrasana last week. i love the backbending. it must have to do with my few years as a gymnist as a child.

other things... i'm finishing up a master's degree in mathematics. next year i'll start a phd program in learning sciences. i was a high school teacher for 10 years. i miss it, but i felt like going back to school. it's been a whirlwind of a year, that's for sure.