Potatoes in the Mist

Third trimester is, in a way, the most dastardly of all...the energy and well-being of second trimester has fled...now I'm lugging around a bowling ball and trying to find the energy to go about everyday life. Deep fatigue and insomnia are a hideous mix. On the bright side...I love feeling him move. Sometimes he even does it when I walk now (formerly a quiet time for him). And after dinner he wiggles all his limbs, as if to say, "Yay! I just had some potatoes!" It's endearing. One of D's cousins gave me a copy of Belly Laughs... Jenny McCarthy's account of her pregnancy...not something I would have picked up on my own, but I enjoyed it. Who knew a celebrity could be so relatable? She even gained 60 lbs to my 43 (a total I am trying not to raise, although the carrot cake did win the carrot cake vs. popsicle battle tonight). At one point, she says she baked a pan of brownies each night and ate the whole pan by herself...D said, "And she only gained 60 lbs??...

So I meant to go swimming today, but I couldn't because I wasn't able to put down Towelhead by Alicia Erian. It was definitely riveting. When I originally bought it, I thought it was a memoir, and quickly saw when I got home that it was fiction. I'm glad that it was! Anyway, the time melted away as I finished the book, and I never made it to the pool. I felt the need to do some exercise before dinner (other than the walk D and I took earlier, to a Thai place for lunch, and my walk to the library), so I popped in a yoga DVD. I've found that pregnancy is somewhat limiting with yoga...some of the poses are out, either because of discomfort or because different books advise against them. And also, I just found myself gravitating toward swimming. But I did enjoy today's yoga. I think I can embrace it in this different form, even if I like being in the water a little better. On that note, I should probably get the salsa dancing DVD, because some days I won't be able t...

My sister M sent me this link . I found out I am a Snowshoe: The Snowshoe is gregarious and talkative. She is always ready for fun and will regularly try to instigate a game. While her strong intellect leads her to try new things, it also causes her to become easily bored when a task is mastered. Variety is truly the spice of life for this kitty! Affectionate with others, eager to interact, the Snowshoe is always the belle of the ball. I like this description. And I definitely like variety. What kind of cat are you ? Also, in an interesting twist of fate, I will soon be teaching yoga to investment bankers. I just have to get certified in CPR and take a brief orientation.

It's funny...whenever I get a new student, someone who has never taken a yoga class before, their biggest difficulty is always the same. When I say, "Bend your knees and step your left foot back," I can always see the confusion flickering on their face: "Which one is my left?" Then enlightenment comes. I find it endearing. Actually, it was the hardest part of becoming a yoga teacher...did I tell them to step their right foot back before, or their left? (You're supposed to alternate.) Now it's more or less automatic. I can teach a whole class on autopilot now, making adjustments for ability levels. It's surprisingly easy to suss those out. I can tell within five minutes whether ardha chandrasana and headstand (or even shoulderstand) will or won't be happening. I really enjoy teaching. Even if I'm not in a great mood when I get there, I like seeing the smiling faces of people who are looking forward to decompressing/getting some exercise/prepar...

I've developed an aversion to cardio. I don't know how I logged in so many hours on the treadmill, Precor, rowing machine, etc. in the past. I can't stomach the gym now...with a couple exceptions. Pilates. I show up reliably once or twice a week for Pilates with my very favorite teacher. She is occasionally snide, which makes me laugh. I can't remember exactly what she said, but the gist of it was a bunch of people would bombard the class after New Year's, and she ended with, "Don't worry, they'll be gone soon." She also noticed that I had a different book each class, so I worried she might think I was a speed-reading freak. Then she said, "I read really fast too," and I asked her what she liked to read, and she said, "Stuff like that," pointing to my book. Instant bond. If she ever stopped teaching, I would cry. A lot. Swimming. For some reason I always share the hot tub with the same man (a chatty gay fellow with a gold chain ...

A while ago, Amtrak called and asked if I wanted to be part of a focus group. I would be paid $100 to talk about my experiences with Amtrak...during dinner hour! Nah. But when we took the train today, it occurred to me that they could use a yoga car. The car would have no seats, and lots of floor space for mats. Of course, they will never do this because they could pack the car with people instead and make a profit. But I think they should! Once I tried doing yoga in the aisle (on a different trip) and a well-intentioned girl asked, "Are you lookin' for somethin'?" So now I'm too self-conscious. On today's trip, the conductor kept announcing, "Claire Kirby, this is your stop. Get off now," and repeating that with different names. I didn't know they had a reminder service. They did have a number of elderly people on the train who may have asked to be reminded. One of them, a woman behind us, struck up a conversation with D. "Do you smoke?...

I have a singular lack of things to write about. Here's what's going on in my life right now. 1) I have a new schedule for October at one of the places where I teach. They're a little scatty with details, and their print schedule is, um, a little different than what the director and I agreed upon. So I emailed her and she confirmed that what we agreed upon was correct. The thing is, tomorrow I'm supposed to teach there at 5:30, but the schedule says 4:30. I'm thinking maybe I should show up at 4:30 and 5:30 until they get things worked out. 2) I got some more Billie Holiday CDs. You gotta love the bargain rack at Virgin. I got three CDs at the following prices: $4.99, $6.99 and $8.99. (This is turning into a very numerical post.) 3) D is fasting because it's Yom Kippur. I'm not fasting because I'm not Jewish and you would never catch me fasting for any reason. However, they do this thing called "breaking the fast" and this year we will be going...