Yoga

This morning I attended my last yoga class. I'm quite sorry to see it end. I so much enjoyed my mornings there. The other women in the class have all been attending these yoga classes for some time (one for 5 years!) and they started a tradition of all going out for breakfast after the last class. So, we all headed out to a local breakfast place for some eggs and pancakes. Definitely a strange little bunch (male yoga teacher, 3 50/60-something women, and my friend and me).

I wish I could continue the morning classes, but unfortunately my work schedule keeps me from going twice a week. However, Jeremy and I are going to attend a class together on Monday evenings starting at the end of September. And the best part (besides that it's insanely inexpensive and with this same teacher) is that it's going to be across the street from us. We can walk there!

I think yoga's going to be around in my life for the long-haul. If you ever have the chance to take a class like I did, do it. It's so worth it!

Owning Books

When I don't know what else to write about, books are my fallback subject. I'm sure you've probably noticed this already. :)

Jeremy and I own a ridiculous amount of books. We both love to read and most nights you'll find us lying side-by-side in bed with books held in hand, reading. We go to bed early and we read. It's very peaceful.

While I love being surrounded by books, I do feel like we need to have a limit, particuarly because we are apartment dwellers. Frequently I peruse my shelves to see if there are any books I can part with. I don't want to own books just for the sake of ownership, once upon a time I think I felt like that. I'd say about two-thirds of my books, I've read. I have a large collection of children's books and a moderate collection of chapter books I loved when I was a kid. Throughout college I collected many books for classes, some I've parted with, others not. While working at the bookstore, I accrued so many other books; some I've read and passed on, others I haven't gotten to yet. As much as I love my books, I want to be deliberate in what I own.

So, this is my question for you, if you're a lover of books/reading...What is your criteria for shelf-worthy books?

Staff Picks

There is a display island at my library and each month it offers a variety of books and media resources based on a given theme. This month, is staff picks. One of the reference librarians took each of our photos with a favorite book and then she taped them around the island where we then picked books to display by the picture. The librarian told me, "Watch your face." It took me a moment to figure out she was referring to my photo and the fact that I needed to restock "my face" with additional books when my picks were checked out. I've enjoyed this and am happy to report that 3 weeks in, 8 books I've selected have been checked out. This might not seem like such a big deal, but I don't necessarily read main-stream books, so I enjoy seeing some of my choices making the rounds.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbury
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Love Soup by Anna Thomas
How to Read Like a Writer by Francine Prose
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Aromatics

Just after 10 last night, Jeremy and I headed to bed to read for a bit before sleep. Jeremy was a few steps ahead of me and as I headed down the hallway I inhaled the overpowering smell of garlic. In the bedroom, even stronger. The vent apparently carrying cooking smells up from downstairs, like it was a strong wind. Jeremy looked at me and said, "I don't think I can sleep in here." He went to the couch. I settled in to read (Romancing Miss Bronte) and noticed a broccoli smell mixing with the garlic bread smell. Thankfully the smell faded significantly before I turned out the light to sleep, but my stomach did growl a little in the process. I saw visions of spaghetti and garlic bread, a meal I haven't eaten in months, I wanted a plate of it right then!

Thursdays

Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week. I wake up at a reasonable, but slightly later than normal time (7:30ish) and start my morning slowly before yoga from 9-10. Once I'm back from yoga, I pack Jeremy's lunch and then we head off for an hour long coffee date before Jeremy goes to work at noon. As I don't work until 5 on Thursdays, I spend the rest of the day catching up on laundry and cleaning (or sometimes it's finishing up a good book or watching a movie...I just like for you all to think I keep a perfectly clean home and don't in fact spend so much time entertaining myself.:).

Hope your Thursday started off as pleasantly as mine.

Pet Peeve

The misuse of loose for lose.
As in: I hope we don't loose this game.

I see this mistake with frequency. I'm not as obsessed with it as Lynn Truss is with the misuse of the apostrophe (see Eats, Shoots & Leaves) ; however, I do cringe every time I read a sentence containing the misuse of loose. :)

My morning

This morning I headed off to yoga. The sessions this week stretched me a lot! Working on twisting shows me how much flexibility I don't have. :) But, I'm enjoying the class and feel like I'm learning.

Upon my return, Jeremy and I headed off to a coffee shop downtown for cups of coffee (obviously!) and conversation before he worked at noon. We spent a pleasant hour or so there. Just kitty-corner from us was a man, the most bird-like human being I've ever seen. Sitting straight backed with long neck extended. His nose prominent and beak-shaped. As he focused intently on his computer screen, his mouth stretched into a sort of close-mouth smile and his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Occasionally he'd surface from the screen and turn his neck to observe a passing person outside, or someone walking by the cafe, his beady eyes widening a bit and blinking as he followed their movement until his neck turned and honed back in on his computer. Never did his posture falter. It was excellent.

So, we're enjoying ourselves, me in an over-stuffed leather chair, Jeremy in a leather love seat next to me. And a woman, (eating an ice cream cone at 11:30 in the morning I might add) walks deliberately over to us and sits directly next to Jeremy. Is this as odd and invasive as Jeremy and I felt it was? It sort of ruined our moment, so we extricated ourselves promptly and went for refills of coffee.

On to the next phase of the day: ironing, washing dishes, doing laundry.