countdown to christmas
Hard to believe it is the last day of fall. It is freezing cold but we haven't been the recipients of the massive snow storm that is hitting the eastern states, so I should be grateful. In fact, if every winter was like this, I'd easily live here. Scratch that. It'd be easier to live here. In any case, we are due for a snow storm (possibly) on the 24th, which is when I'm supposed to fly. We'll see what happens.
I slept in for the first time in a month. Sleeping in for me was waking up slightly before 9am today. Bliss... ahh... my body needed it. Spent the day slowly packing for the trip, and doing other mundane tasks. No yoga today, but I did meet up with a friend who I hadn't seen in 3 months. Her mother had passed earlier this month and finally things were settling down enough for us to catch up. It was nice - we caught up over dinner.
Getting excited as the days to go home near, though I do have to admit there is a bit of apprehension over the whole airport scenario. I don't like chaos and travel but this time of year is the best mix of the two. And while I'm excited to go home, I also wonder what it will be like. It'll have been a year since I've been back - the longest I've ever been away. I wonder how my parents look, how my grandparents are, and how everyone has aged. How have
I changed?
Welcoming winter as this means the days will begin to get longer again!
last man standing
I was making plans to catch up with some friends over the Christmas holiday last week. Called up a girlfriend and asked her to see if she could round up a few others for a dinner. She asked me for my current mailing address and phone number. I gave it to her, thinking that she was sending me a Christmas card - odd since I was going to be going home and seeing her anyway. I didn't really give it much thought until I got a piece of mail today with some lovely handwriting. It was her wedding invitation! *sniff* Only a few months ago, we were talking about how great it was that we were still single since most of our other friends' marriages had collapsed. Alas, I'm happy for her. I'm perfectly ok for myself though. Besides, I'll always have yoga. :P
higher education
It's been a really awesome fall so far! By that, I'm referring to the weather - sunny cold days, with no need to wear winter boots. This is all about to change. We had some flurries today, which really did create more of a Christmas-y atmosphere. We're due for a dump of 10cm of snow tomorrow though before it rains and turns it all to ice and slush.
It was such a shame that this past weekend that I spent much of it indoors relearning my cpr and standard first aid skills. (It was hilarious how when we were to get a bystander to call 911 and bring back the AED, someone said to bring back the ADD...) I did re-discover my love for learning though, and am eager to continue doing some studies next year into ayurveda.
I've also spent some more time doing acro-yoga and partner yoga. It's been so much fun to work on flying poses, and handstands, though I have to say that the reformer work is really giving me a good workout. My next "goal" is to get a handle on back walkovers. I am definitely not a pretzel or contortionist, but loving it all. Am looking forward to coming home and getting some much needed physio work done!
inspiration
I'll have to admit that food has been on my mind since Montreal. It didn't help that I watched
Julie and Julia on the plane ride over and back. Great movie that has inspired me to cook! But who knows how long that inspiration will last. Butternut squash soup in the middle of cooler weather to keep me toasty warm... yum...Treks on foot or by public transport to the markets in the cold for fresh produce however, is really not appealing. However, I have to admit that November has been one serious blessing in that we did not see a speck of snow all month... a record since reports were kept! So we're talking over 160 years. Amazing. I hope we don't pay for it in January...
On top of that, I have done a ton of yoga and pilates to make up for my over indulgence. Just last night my old roommate came by so we could practice and play with some partner yoga and work on handstands. (He's got his nailed down due to past years as a gymnast...I'm still working on getting over my fear of smacking my head or tumbling over.) He makes it look so easy! Ah, inspiration works wonders. Maybe I'll stick with handstands for now. It's a lot simpler than the gathering all the ingredients and taking the time to follow a recipe all the way through!
(And just for context, what's up with the fascination of Tiger Woods and his transgressions?! I suppose it's the fascination of the downfall of celebrities...)
