New Yoga Studio

I have started a new yoga challenge. I am going to do a yoga class 4 times a week in addition to boot camp classes 3 times a week..Groupon made me tackle this crazy challenge. Boot camp will not begin for a few weeks, so I am going to shoot for 5 to 6 yoga classes a week. My new studio so far is great. The studio has an interesting policy of not allowing air conditioning while a class in session. My first class was intense. During 1st 20 minutes, I thought it wasn't for me, until I realized how well I was doing with my poses. I have heard about Bikram Yoga working for so many people, but I don't do well with extreme heat (except for the sauna). I think I will be able to handle this month with no ac and yoga. I also really like the studio and the instructors. I have been doing yoga for a few years now and can do most poses, except for this one:

The Mermaid pose, it's difficult, but not too difficult. My challenge is to be able to do this pose by the end of my month of yoga.

New Purchase

The weather in Houston at the moment is fantastic ( apart from the drought). Tomorrow, sadly..that will all change and will return to the usual swamp weather. I like spending evenings in my patio with Lola when the weather permits. I found this amazing azalea plant.

It's flowering more and more everyday.

Houston Nights

I went out last night with my dear friend, Ryan. We started out at Cafe Boheme....I didn't realize they had moved location. The weather is amazing at the moment. Zero humidity, sunshine and cool breezes, so we opted to have a drink outside. After that we proceeded to check out different places in the area. The Houston sky line looked amazing.

My picture didn't come out very well, but I took it with my camera phone. Then we went into a bar where the lighting was really interesting so I took a self portrait. I couldn't resist.

Sometimes, I forget how much fun a relaxed night on the town in Houston can be. If weather permits, strolling from place to place is rather a pleasant experience.

John Carpenter's "The Thing"

I finally got around to watching The Thing last night and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I love movies in general and I also love science fiction. Science fiction with a cult following, however, I truly enjoy. The stranger the better. My favorite cult Sci Fi movies are The Fly, Scanners, Black Hole, 2oo1 Space Odyssey and now I am adding the The Thing to my list. I also think Kurt Russell is brilliant in any of John Carpenter's films ..(and Overboard)

The special effects in The Thing are great even 30 years later. I read that the film's reception commercially was not a success, but film critics agreed that the effects were stomach churning in parts. People's faces stretch to inhuman dimensions, and all sorts of bloody mayhem ensues, while the members of the research crew stand around covered in the bleakness of Antarctic ice. I knew something was up when the "friendly" doggie was wandering around the camp and giving certain crew members stare downs. Actually, I knew something was wrong with the dog at the very beginning, but I don't want this post to a be a spoiler post.

Going Veggie For the Week

I grew up in Texas, I love steak. I love a Sunday roast on a cold day and hamburgers make me happy. Lately though, I have really been considering my carbon foot print. A carnivorous (human) diet takes its toll on the environment and I feel bad for the animals. I read somewhere to produce one calorie of beef, we must expend 78 calories of fossil fuel. The list goes on for pork and chicken. I drive my car more often than I should, I love the sauna at the gym..in essence I use and enjoy the energy resources that are bad for the environment. I am no eco warrior, but I feel that if I go veggie for a week, I will be helping mother earth in my own way. Plus, it's healthy. I will start my veggie voyage this week and after that I will start meatless Monday, and possibly try out a vegan day, as well.

Houston Yoga Experience Thus Far

Since returning from London, yours truly has been on a quest to find a yoga studio. I recently joined a studio for a month of unlimited yoga and I must say that I have mixed feelings about the this place. The only yoga studio that I have attended in Texas was an amazing place in Austin. The center in Austin and my favorite center's in London were challenging, relaxing and most of all serene. The place that I attended here in Houston was challenging, but had more of a fun component to the classes. The main thing that stuck out for me with this particular studio was the people in attendance had a strong affinity for being incredibly corny. How can yoga be corny? My answer: I never knew it until now, but it really can...and the corniness can really be a distraction when you are reaching for deep relaxation.

In my experience with yoga, I have witnessed people showing off or trying to be the best in the class with very challenging poses and from what I hear from instructors that is not uncommon. The thing about this particular studio was the attendee's of the class were show offs, but were so hokie about their abilities. The one instance that really sticks out in my mind was a woman in her late 40's..she was in great shape. It was an afternoon class and the instructor had us doing hand stands against the wall. It's a challenge to maintain the pose for many reasons and a few people were having trouble staying in the position. Said woman was doing so well that she felt inclined to tell people around her ( while upside down) in a hubris tone that "It feeeeeeeels great to get out of the office on a Friday afternoon!!". A few of us managed to control our laughter, but several people around emphatically agreed with her and said things like "Aint that the truth" an "uh huh, sister!"

Maybe I had missed something and these people had all connected on a deep yogic level, but trying to control my eyes rolling or trying not to laugh isn't really my idea of stretching. Instances like this happened constantly and I found it incredibly distracting, while in the middle of a complicated poses someone shouting out "Savasana NOW!!!!" Savasana in Yoga is marked at the end of the class when the body and mind can rest. The person shouting this was not wanting the class to end, but was trying to garner cool points by trying to get cheap laughs from the class. The amazing thing was people did laugh and it just seemed to egg him on.

I am trying out another center soon and will be sure to write about that.

Anthony Bourdain Cooking Course

As many of my friends and family know, I really enjoy cooking and consider myself a foodie. I also watch No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. So, it stands to reason that when I heard that Sur La Table had an Anthony Bourdain cooking course, I signed up. Bourdain was not actually teaching the course. If, Anthony had shown up, I would have had to conceal a girly squeal of delight. The course was a three part series and I even got a signed copy of Bourdain's new book.

The recipes in the course are so innovative and relatively easy to make. I have made a few of the dishes and my guests seemed impressed. Sur La Table offers a variety of courses that I am eager to try out. They even have a sushi class!

Once, I finish Bourdain's new book : Medium Raw, I will be sure to write about it.

Above is a picture of the work station for the students.