Even though the heater wasn’t working, i still had a great class today. As long as you give it your all, you’re gonna sweat no matter what. even with cool air blowing on me, i was still dripping sweat during the opening breathing exercise. The heat is just a prop, like those blocks or towels that get used in other yoga practises. I like the heat, but now, for the most part, it seems like the heat is all in my head. Although today is a day when it would have been nice if the heater was really cranking, like in a baker class. It’s been so cold today and raining off and on, i can’t think of any place i’d rather be than in a sweltering hot room! Oh well, like i said, even without the heat, i still had a good class. Afterwards, there were snickers bars too! That’s the way to end class—with a yummy snickers! It really does satisfy, even if “i can’t get no satisfaction.”

Media Watch Part 2
I read an interesting article in a fish wrapper called “usa today.” it read more cities are “asking” their employees to cover up their tattoos. Apparently, in some cities, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of tattooed citizens. What confuses me is why cities wouldn’t want their employees to reflect the community itself. If more people in a town are getting tattooed that means, to me, in that community at least, tattoos are being recognized as art or something other than a jail pasttime. if a lot of people in a town suddenly gave up their cars for bikes or walking, wouldn’t a city find that to be a viable reason to make sure there are sidewalks and bike paths for the people of the community? The problem isn’t the tattoos, it’s the people who are “offended” by them. People like that are always asking, “what are you going to do 10 years from now?” Who cares? it’s not your problem, now please fuck off. Seriously though, who are you to be offended by anything i do? After reading that, my desire to get my knuckles tattooed has increased tenfold. Ever since i was a little kid, i’ve always wanted to do that and about 8 years ago, i figured out what i wanted. I’d like to sell enough tank tops and t-shirts so i can become my own boss. When i’m signing the checks, it won’t matter if i have my knuckles tattooed or not. I know Bikram doesn’t like them, but i still want to get my back piece done, as well as my knuckles, “someday, someday.”

What an exciting weekend—lakers tonight and packers on fox tomorrow! Whoohoo! I get so excited when i can see my team on TV, gosh how i miss direct tv. with only free tv, in one year, i’ve already watched a lifetime's worth of 49ers and Raiders games. Ugh. That’s why i’m so excited about tomorrow—i finally get to see my team in action. That’s why the party starts tonight at 6 with the lakers on the radio, thank god for the internet, then we take a yoga break tomorrow at 8 and pick up the party for the packers at 10 tomorrow morning. Life is good, heartbreakers. lates, m

Media Watch Part 1
i’ve never been there, but utah sounds like one of the worst of the 50 states. I just read that the major movie chain out there won’t be showing “zach and miri make a porno” because it offends their sensibilities. The same article pointed out that the chain is currently showing the movie “Saw V” which includes lots of murder and, apparently, some beheadings. how can you live with yourself thinking that violence is safer than sex? That man will have to answer to God eventually and when he does, he won’t have all those saw receipts in his wallet to make him feel better about his decision. Seriously, is money your only reward in life? how does gregory issacs sing it, “is it material things that you’re running after?”

the world series had the lowest ratings ever for a series. I’ve got an idea for how to improve ratings, only play baseball during the commercials of football games. The Giants/Steelers game on sunday had more viewers than any of the 5 world series games. you couldn’t pay me to watch a baseball game, unless you were paying me in marijuana. even then, the herb better be the bomb, save the stress for your kid brother!

Alright kids, i hope you have a safe halloween. Remember, take the treats and leave the tricks for the johns! All ghouls go to hell, see you there! ~m

Oh my gosh, it is so cold right now! It’s totally late at night, the winds are howling and the birdhouse is an icehouse tonight. I can’t wait until winter, he said. what happened to summer? One thing to remember during the upcoming cold months is to keep hydrating just like you would during the hot months. Cold air drys out your skin and your body just like the heat does. We don’t notice it because we’re not sweating, but the dehydration is still the same.

After class, this girl told me i helped her get through practise today. She said towards the end she was having problems hanging in there and then she saw me get up and into position right away. That was enough to motivate her and keep her in her practise! That made me feel good, not out of vanity, it’s just cool to inspire someone by example. she was practising right behind me and i did notice her kind of lagging. Actually, she had that panicked look on her face, like “i don’t know if i can do this anymore.” since i’m not a teacher, i feel awkward giving advice, but i told her to smile more. when you look in the mirror and you look panicked or defeated, that’s the way you’re gonna feel. any time i fall out of a pose, i try and smile at myself, just to keep a positive vibe going on. i don’t know if it helps, but i know it doesn’t hurt. Okay kids, the winds have settled down a little as the rain has finally started to fall. night night ~the other child of the moon

I was gonna take the late class tonight, but when i unpacked my bag at the studio, i realized i forgot my shorts. Damn. It was such a hassle to get there too. Oh well, at least i did the noon earlier. I din’t even feel like going—i was feeling so down, i figured the class would be good for me. The last thing i wanted was an extra hour and a half home alone. To make it better, i came home and had a brownie and some cookies. What happened to all that health food? No wonder i’m feeling so dead and fried. Oh well, fake it til you make it, right? night night m

Whoa. There was a woman in class today who seemed defeated after the opening breathing exercise. Oh my gosh, her energy was so strong, it was hard not to notice her. By the middle of class, i wanted to shake her and yell, you’re going to be alright! it’s okay! breathe! oh man, i felt sorry for this poor woman. Me, on the other hand, i was having a great class. it wasn’t hot and i was in a good mood. I din’t push it too hard because i was a little hungry going into practise and i din’t wanna defeat myself. i’m figuring out my new schedule and my eating habits need to fall into place. Why is that? i’m better off when my only concern is food, i think. oh well, we’ll see how things work out. luv, m

I feel so loved, so many people have been missing me, i can’t believe it! I din’t keep my regular schedule for a week and i heard from a bunch of people about it! That feels like a big hug if i think about it. i do miss the routine of doing the 10 am daily, but there is something to be said for the noon. It was my favorite class when i first started practising. in fact, i was such a noon time student, if i showed up for an early class, i would invariably hear the “do you know what time it is” crack. i love the early classes nowadays. Nothing better for getting your head on straight than a sweaty bikram yoga class or two. For me, right now though, the noon is gonna work out great. It felt so nice to be doing yoga right in the middle of the day again—fuck yeah! like gary glitter said, “it’s good to be back!” oh mama, the best teacher, at the best time, i was really on cloud nine today, all day. pinch me, wait, don’t pinch me, i don’t wanna wake up. see you tomorrow ~m

Really good class today friends! Since the Packers are on their bye, i slept in this morning and took the 10. It felt weird to be practising when i should have been watching football. I’ll be back at the 8 next sunday. There was lots of good energy in the room. During our dandayamana-dhanurasana, the guy next to me held his foot with one hand, lifted his arm up and that was it. It was actually very inspiring and after class i told him so. He thought i was goofing on him, but i was serious. It was an inspiring example of discipline and patience. Like our teacher says, master each step before moving on to the next. Okay kids, how about a cute picture of my cow kitty, trixie? later, m

It’s so nice to have my little bear purring in my ear as i write. i’m sitting on the floor with my back against the bed and bear is near my shoulder just purring away like a content kitty. he is being so perfect right now. i wish he wasn’t sick, but he is, so all i can do is be happy for the years we’ve had and the days we’ll have. i thought of him during my ustrasana today. Actually, since he’s been sick, i think of him a lot during my ustrasanas. Alright, i think i’m gonna lay down next to him. see ya tomorrow ~m

As much as i miss my morning classes and as much as i miss having time to write to you all, i must say i’ve been feeling pretty lucky lately. I spent the afternoon napping with my bear today. My alarm went off so i could make it to the 4 yoga class and i i hit snooze. What a nice luxury. I hit snooze a second time, but started to get fidgety after only a minute. i almost got out of bed, but then i looked out my window and saw a hummingbird sitting in a tree. It’s so rare that you see a hummingbird not moving, i took it as a sign. i spent the rest of the snooze watching that beautiful hummingbird, feeling so lucky that i can spend my day like that. Then i got my butt kicked in yoga and i wasn’t feeling so lucky. No, that’s not true, i did feel lucky to be able to kill myself like that. Even better i stuck around for the 6 too, and again i had to remind myself of how lucky i am. it was a hard one, kids! i’m looking forward to next week, when i can get back to a somewhat normal routine! i’m a lucky man, that’s for sure and i’ve been doing a lot of praying in class as a result. okee dokee artichokees, this lucky fellow has to make his dinner now. good nite, m

I don’t know how to say this so i’m just gonna say it, if you don’t like sweating, then maybe bikram yoga isn’t the practise for you. You know how much i value stillness in between postures, right? I was right next to a woman who had to bend down, pick up a towel and dry off her head, arms and chest in between each posture. Okay, not between every posture, just the last 24. Hey, i fidget too now and then. Sometimes i wipe sweat off my face too. My worst offense is cracking the toes on my left foot. Trust me, it’s been pointed out to me that no where in the dialogue does it say anything about cracking your toes. I try not to do any of that, but i’m not perfect by any means. When i have a major distraction like that, i try not to get annoyed, i try and think about my love for god, which is why i’m here, i guess. i don’t know, kids, i’m just happy to be here. That’s what it boils down to, i’m happy to be there, grateful to be in the room. It’s an awesome practise if you listen to the dialogue each time. Thank you bikram for such a wonderful practise, you have no idea how stoked i am on this yoga! see you tomorrow! ~m

i don’t know how, but sometimes things work out for the best. My day went well enough, i din’t do yoga, but my plan was to do the 6 pm. The 6 was a little rough for me, it was hot, humid, oh man, kids, i had a little trouble keeping up and staying with the class. You wanna know what i did? i took a shower and stayed for the 7:45 class too. I told myself to not push it too hard, but do i ever listen? No, i still work just as hard as i always do. This evening it felt like i was working harder, i was sweating even more than in the first class! The crazy thing is, i was a lot stronger in my second class than i was in my first! The sit-ups and the postures, they really do give you energy! See what happens when you don’t give up? i din’t wanna leave yoga feeling worked or defeated having only done one class. So i did the second and had a way stronger class. Pretty good, huh? Then my teacher asked me if i wanted to get sushi after class! Are you kidding me? Am i dreaming? What a heartbreaker, but i would still love to get sushi! Just between you, me and these four walls, that was the first time i’d ever had sushi! Seriously, i’d never tried it before. Raw fish has always kinda spooked me, so i’ve always stayed away. I knew it had to be good, people are so crazy about it. this may sound lame, but in my heart, i always knew it would be someone super special that would take me to my first sushi restaurant and i was right! Like i said, sometimes, things work out for the best. ~m

Let’s see, yesterday i did the 8, today i did the 4, it’s been a nice change of pace for me, i think. actually, today was awesome, i got to practise inbetween two of my favorite people. that was totally unexpected. lately the unexpected has been the norm. or maybe it just feels like the last two days have been a dream. whatever, it was a nice way to end a day or start the rest of one. our teacher speaks so fast, you really have to pay attention to the instructions. keeps you on your toes, but i cheated during poorna-salabhasana and let go early. i couldn’t hold it anymore, i was trying so hard! honest! alright friends, nite nite ~m

On my way to yoga this morning, I saw a cool bumper sticker, it read “everyone wants to get back to nature, but no one wants to go by foot!” That kind of sums up how i feel about travelling in general. You see, i have this theory—i don’t think you should travel farther than your feet can carry you. imagine, if you will, a world where everyone walked to work instead of driving. What would you buy at the grocery store if you could only walk it home instead of throwing it in the trunk of your car? I bet those are scary thoughts to some of you, but not to me. I’ve been living like this for years. Well, i can’t front, right now i’ve got a cool, hand-me-down bike to pedal around town on and when i was reppin’ LBC, i kept it real by riding the bus. You get what i’m tryin’ to lay on you though, right? Anyway, back to the root of my theory, which is to say that i think it goes against God to drive or fly. i don’t even like riding the bike to be honest with you. i hate how fast it goes sometimes, but it is what it is, right? it saves time, i guess. okee dokes artichokes, time to tend to my bear. love you large ~m

Did i not even talk about yoga yesterday? what kind of yoga blog is this? what’s in your yoga bag, heartbreakers? you wanna know what was in my yoga bag this morning? a dozen and a half cookies! The cookie monster in me woke up early this morning and went to the cookie outlet bakery! They sell the imperfect cookies at a discount and on sundays, the discount is even more generous. This morning i got there too early and the pickings were limited to last nights’ offerings. you know what i do with day old stales like the ones i had to choose from? i stick a slice of bread in the bag with them. The cookies absorb the moisture from the bread and taste fresh again. Try it, trust me. That’s my cookie report for today, what to do with stale, day old cookies. I don’t think most people show up to yoga with a big bag of cookies. Last night for dessert i had half a chocolate cheesecake, half of a whole cake not a slice. That’s the kind of stuff i can get away with eating nowadays. Thanks, of course, to my wonderful bikram yoga practise. see you at the 8 tomorrow friends! ~m

The marching bands are playing on the boardwalk today. I remember watching them last year, thinking, my dad would totally dig this. Every year the local marching bands play on beach street. last year the freight train had to claim right of way and a couple of the bands had to make for the sidewalk. i can’t believe it’s been a year already! i remember when cbs announced they were doing a prime time mma event. at the time, i din’t think i’d be here to see the first broadcast, i was already out of money. Watching the first broadcast, i remember being amazed that i was still here. I was surprised i made it to the second show they had and even more surprised that i saw the third here too. I don’t know how i’ve done it, but i’ve managed to scrape by somehow, someway. alright heartbreakers, you know tomorrow is my big football day so i gotta do everything i need to do tomorrow, today. love ya, m

What a great class today! Super sweaty and lots of good energy in the room. I practised next to one of my favorite people and she din’t take water once! I’m always amazed when anyone, including myself, does that. That’s discipline, during a really humid class too. That’s another reason she’s one of my favorites. I took it easy today and only did one class. I really like doing the doubles, it’s like extra rehab for my bad posture. That’s kind of what bikram yoga has been to me for the past year now—rehab for 37 years of bad posture. I’m like an athlete who has an injury, except my injury is bad posture that has been exacerbated by a decade of being hunched over a mouse and keyboard, two decades hunched over a guitar, 8 years slouched in a bar stool and a little bit of low self-esteem mixed in there too, lovely. Well, that’s why it’s better for me to do doubles, i got a lot of rehab to do on my poor body.

Oh, here’s a pic of my adorable bear. he is being so gross, rubbing his head in the sweat-soaked armpits of my thermal shirt! I’m dr. funkenstein, he loves my sweaty funk so much. later ~m

Good evening, i mean, afternoon. as much as i don’t like their news, i gotta give it up to yahoo tv. i’ve been enjoying lots of the full episodes they have to offer on the web. I’ve already been through all the bob newhart shows and all the WKRPs. Now i’m working my way through the alfred hitchcock presents. There’s a bunch of them too, all from 1955 and ’56. i really love watching them! Last night, i was watching another thriller when there was a scene of a coastline that looked exactly like the cliffs nearby. I saw the scene and immediately said, “that’s santa cruz!” the cliffs are really cool, they look like the white cliffs of dover in england. i had just experienced the same view a few days ago on a bike ride and told my friend about that great scene in Quadrophenia, when jimmy throws the scooter over the cliffs. even though there was no reason to think that it was the cliffs here in santa cruz, i knew it had to be. after the play was over, i googled up a little history and was surprised to find out that he lived nearby for almost 40 years! and he used the cliffs in a movie in the ’40s. that’s been my buzz for the past 14 hours or so. i got my butt kicked during yoga this morning. but that’s good, right? it sorta felt good, i guess. i dunno. i wasn’t really feeling a noon class, but din’t wanna leave just because i was feeling worked. i took the pregnant lady spot for the noon and it sure din’t feel any less hot than the podium spot felt at 10, it was warm! i was dripping a lot during the opening pranayama, who said the heater was out? i gotta admit though, there was a spot when the fan went on and it really did feel nice. it picked me up, that’s for sure! and the glass felt a little cooler temperature-wise as opposed to being next to another person. it was still pretty warm though, no doubt. okee dokes, artichokes, see you tomorrow! ~m

Good morning friends! The sun is shining, but it was still super cold today, brrrr! I’m getting smarter about what to wear on my bike ride though! I love the sweat hoodie, but it’s time to break out the medium weight packers jacket! i just got the packers pro shop catalog in the mail a few days ago and i’m still reading it! forget about design within reach, i’d rather look at all the great packers gear i could buy. i know it’s silly, but i love supporting my team. Backetball season starts soon too, good think i don’t get the lakers catalog! i am so looking forward to hearing the games over the internet again—whoohoo! You know, listening to games over the internet is going to make me appreciate when i can watch them on direct tv again. some day, paper boy, someday. At least the heater was working in the studio today, for now, that’s all i need. farmers market day, so i guess i do need more than heat! see you there ~m

I’m sure every bikram yoga studio has a community of super great regulars, i know our studio does! Today, it was so nice to have friends ask me how my interview was, one woman even told me she’d been praying for me! oh golly, miss molly, that made me feel so good. That particular woman has been such an inspiration to me, to have her saying prayers for me, wow. she used to live right up the street from the yoga studio and would do doubles almost everyday. If i was hanging out on the avenue in the afternoon (which was almost everyday), i’d almost always see her pedaling back for the 4 o’clock class after having done a morning class. What dedication, i’d think to myself, i’ve gotta get that dedicated. Now that i’m doing doubles almost everyday, she continues to be an inspiration. How so? Well, she moved about 15 miles away and is still riding her bike to go to yoga! The community here is dedicated, but i think the classes would be a lot smaller if everyone had to ride a bike that far to practise! That kind of dedication is very inspirational to me, i can’t begin to tell you. Wait, i guess i just did, sorta! Oh, and after a year of practising daily at the same studio, i still hadn’t had a class with a particular teacher yet. It wasn’t intentional, by any means, it’s just worked out that way. Not that i need an excuse to stay, but that was a good reason to stay for a second class. It was a good class too, i had to really listen for the instructions, which kept me from going through the motions. Alright friends, it’s hammy sammy time for my manny bearalow, gotta get cookin’! ~m

It was so cold this morning, my hot plate wouldn’t work! This morning i thought it was broken and took it as a bad way to start my day. i was so hungry, oh my gosh, all i wanted to do was eat. i had some strawberries but that was hardly enough. my plan was to do the 10 and 12 and, because you can’t trust the wolf in the henhouse, i was gonna misappropriate some funds and treat myself to a nice lunch before an interview i had scheduled for this afternoon. My morning was on a rocky road though, i was so hungry, all i could think about was the food i wanted to heat up on my broken hot plate. On my bike ride to yoga, i reminded myself of the buddha and how he survived on one grain of rice a day. i have to admit, i even thought about that during practise. i should be so grateful to start my day with 5 strawberries! Fuck, how many people in this world would love to start their day with delicious, fresh strawberries? i’m sorry, did i say my morning was on a rocky road? The 10 was really nice, there were lots of bodies, the room was super warm and toasty, it was the kind of energy i really wanted today. The 12 was pretty empty in comparison and the room felt cold, like, shoulda-worn-a-shirt-cold. I don’t know how the heater goes from being super great to broken in between classes. I was in the same spot, under a vent that was blowing super hot air during the 10 and cold air during the 12. I din’t let the lack of heat get to me though because i really wanted to think about focus, concentration and determination during class today. I had those three things in my head during the 12 because i remembered them from Bikram’s second book. i had gone over it last night and wanted to take that into my practise today. it’s nice when all the voices in your head are your yoga teachers making corrections to your practise, but i wanted to have some of bikram’s words in there too. i felt so good during class, it’s amazing how you can go through so many different emotions during class. To be able to do 2 classes today, my morning went from rocky road to paradise and my afternoon felt blessed. i’m so lucky, heartbreakers, i wish i felt this way a lot more often. ~m

Wow, what a cold bike ride this morning! My hands were so frozen, i could barely feel them by the time i got to class. The room wasn’t up to temperature this morning, so i actually wore a long sleeve thermal shirt while i practised today! You may not believe this, but even with the thermal i still din’t sweat enough to get my yogitoes or even my shorts wet! Seriously, i’ve sweated more on the way to yoga than i did in today’s class. That’s okay, the heat is all in your mind anyway. I still found myself challenged and for the first time ever i got the backs of my feet off the ground during the final stretching at the end! i know it’s not about how far you go, but i was so knocked out by that, it made me happy, what can i say. later ~m

I don’t think it’s a secret that i’m broker than a joke, so believe me when i say i feel guilty about my recent spending. For the past two days now, i’ve stopped at the neighborhood bongs after bikram and bought a bag of peanut m&ms. Bongs is having a sale—3 for a dollar or 1 for 34 cents! I couldn’t justify spending a dollar, but 34 cents a day din’t seem so bad. Now i’m stuck though, i can’t buy anymore, because if i did, i’d be overspending! grrrr, they got me, jerry, they got me. I hate that i enjoy m&ms so much, but i do. It’s all healthy and organic over here except for the candy. Which i crave almost daily. i’m really good about not buying candy though, except when there’s a sale on my favorite! Actually, if i could have good dark chocolate bars and sour candy, i could do without the m&ms. Alright, that’s the candy report for today, tune in tomorrow when i let you know how i really feel about chocolate.

sorry, but even the mail man has decorated his cart in a halloween theme, i can’t help but have candy on the brain! We were joking about my eating habits after class today, which was really good by the way. Unlike most people, i’m eating right until i go into the studio. Well, maybe i’m not that bad, but close. There’ve been only two times when i felt i ate a little too much, but you should have seen how much i ate those two days. And both those days were days when i did a morning class and an evening class. Some of the highlight reel included a rad, huge cheeseburger and a quarter of an apple pie. even with all that, i still had good classes, but felt a little too full. Am i obsessed with food? i know it doesn’t look like it, but yes! I’m already planning my grub for tomorrow’s football games! Homemade organic french fries anyone? organic strawberries and apples? you bring the m&ms! oh man, how sad that i’d rather talk about tomorrow’s food instead of tomorrow’s packers game. if ya’ll could think good thoughts for the green and gold tomorrow, i’d shore appreciate it! see ya ~m

Well, the led zeppelin catalog is finally available on i-tunes. This should mean nothing to you because, if you’re a good rock and roller, you already own all the important records on CD or vinyl. Or in some cases both. I still have my uncle’s copy of Physical Graffiti, which i “borrowed” when i was 5! That actually reminds me, in his time of dying, my bear is so well-behaved! Oh my gosh, i am so proud of my little boy. He doesn’t look like the sturdy, rugged bear i fell in love with 14 years ago, but he’s still the same awesome cat he’s always been. When i’m preparing his food, he gets so anxious and meowy, but if i tell him out of the kitchen, he’s out. It touches me right there in my heart, when i see him sitting outside of the kitchen, diligently waiting. He’s not patient, i can see him stewing out there, pissed off, but he’s out there, it’s awesome and makes me so happy. Anyway, i had a great 10 am, except the guy next to me had too much cologne on! Yuck. Imagine my dismay when i found out he was staying for a second class too. As bad as i felt about it, i still picked up my mat and moved to the other side of the room. I wasn’t gonna do two classes next to an odor. Oh! and then you wanna know what happened? The heater must have broke in between classes and to be honest with you, i wasn’t that bummed out about it. Sure, the cool air was annoying, but after my teacher turned it off, we had a nice, mellow class. Alright kitties, time to feed a bear. see you tomorrow! ~m

I gotta tell you guys, my consecutive day streak almost ended today! I woke up this morning and realized i din’t have any legs. Oh my gosh, are my muscles sore and aching! I could barely move, i thought about staying home and resting but i figured that stretching would prolly be the best medicine for me anyway. What a bike ride, but i made it. I was so wobbly during class, there was no way i was gonna stay for a second, even though i had everything i needed to do it. My leg muscles feel like they need to grow, i can’t believe how sore they are. I asked my friend “what kind of foods help build muscle?” “Meat.” Oh, the one thing i don’t eat any of, usually. Alright friends, i’m getting the evil eye from bear, it’s time to feed him again! ~m

Have i ever told you how much i hate the media in general? what got up my ass today? the new “controversy” over newsweek’s palin cover. They din’t photoshop her and make her look glamourous, the goddamn liberal media! The headline reads “she’s just like one of us”—why would they give her the playboy treatment? i was a media studies major at university, is it any wonder why i did nothing with my degree? i hate the media! school is good like that, i studied media, realized i hated it and got into rock and roll instead. Since i vaguely mentioned politics, there oughta be a subsistance package for all the lifers like me who din’t make it in rock and roll. Kinda like a rock and roll welfare program. But, to quote mssr. strummer, “i suppose you don’t wanna hear me going on about what’s up my ass,” so i’ll give it to you straight, “sitting here in limbo” after an awesome morning class. Only one today, but i plan on going back for seconds later. ~m

Have i ever told you how much i hate yahoo? They ruined the olympics and now they’re not helping the election any. I went to their home page last night and saw the headline in the news that read “Obama awarded government grants to relative’s service group.” Stop the presses! I din’t think politicians did that kind of thing, oh no! I’m sorry. How much money did VP cheney make when they rebuilt iraq a few years back? big deal. if you’re gonna report it, let me click a few times before i have to read it. i don’t know why that irked me so much, but it really did. Oh boy, i have to stop writing now, my little bear just attacked the food package my mom sent me! he knows there’s food in that box and he wants it, it’s so cute! ~m

Awwwww, these days, the mornings have that crisp, summer’s over feel to them. The days are heating up just fine, it’s the mornings that are getting brisk! By the time i get to yoga, i’m ready for the heat, believe you me. Today’s class was a warm one too! It felt so nice walking into that room after my chilly bike ride. Of course, practising bikram yoga in there for 90 minutes was a different story. Our teacher must have felt the heat too—she gave us an extra water break during the standing series! I still waited til the floor series for my water, just to stay disciplined. Plus, i was planning on doing the noon, right after, so I din’t want any “it’s too hot, i need water” thoughts in my head and i din’t want to contribute to them by indulging in water outside of the normal water break. Not that i din’t want the water, i just din’t want to think about it at all, you know what i mean? how does mike d say it, i came here to party, not drink bacardi? yeah, something like that. uh oh, that’s another rap, too! geez, too many songs in my head to be writing to you today! Anyway, even though it was a rough class, i stayed for a second and it wasn’t even as hot as the first class. Or, maybe i just forgot to worry about the heat. Yeah right, it wasn’t as hot because there weren’t as many people there! it was still an awesome class though and the best part is that i get to do it all over again tomorrow! ~m

Mellow class this morning! The woman behind me wore metal bracelets on her right hand the entire time. Any time she moved her arm, there was jingling. It was kinda funny. I don’t know how you could wear jewelry while practising. My teacher said the lost and found box of jewelry is huge, so i can see why you wouldn’t want to take anything off, you might forget it. People forget lots of things after yoga. The lost and found at our studio has at least 20 yoga mats. Those poor abandoned yoga mats, all rolled up, but without a home. I always forget stuff after yoga, but not material stuff. i forget stuff like buying a pepper and lemon for my beans. okee dokee artichokees, that’s enough of me for today, until tomorrow ~m

The weekend classes are always a little more humid than most people, including myself, are used to. The more you think about it, the more it’s gonna affect you. The water drinking and skipping sets started pretty early for some people and you would have been surprised to hear how loud the mouthbreathing was! The collective breathing was louder than the teacher! When the rest of us turned to the side for the seperate leg part of our standing series, my buddy din’t turn, he just kept facing straight. I was trying to not pay attention to him, but he started wobbling like the space needle! Oh my gosh, i started to get a little worried, i thought he was gonna drop. I was almost gonna step off my mat, so to speak, and whisper to him that he should lay down but he did it on his own and under his own power, thankfully. There’s a fine line between pushing hard and pushing too hard (gotta love the seeds). Knowing where the line is, that’s the tricky part. Okay friends, time to enjoy your day! ~m

Wow, you wanna hear something weird? Thanks to modern technology, my teacher was able to tell me how many classes i’ve taken at the yoga studio. He was even able to tell me who my first two classes were taught by. I knew that already, but i din’t know how many classes i’ve taken. Are you ready? Since i joined the yoga studio on november 9, i’ve taken 334 classes! That’s a lot of yoga! But i still feel like such a beginner to this wonderful practise. I guess that’s because i’m trying to undo 37 or so years of ungoodness. But if i can talk about a lil goodness, can i tell you my sista hooked up da nilla and his bear phat last night! Oh man, she brought us all manner of good things. Bear got chicken and tuna and i got cookies and juice! so rad. i’m gonna be able to feed bear all kinds of good things now! i wish i had done this with his brother, god bless his soul. Back then i was a dumbass and not into anything natural. i remember trying to feed him this awful looking doctor prescribed food and wondering why he din’t like it. Fuck! What was i thinking? How much was that a can and who was making the money? They call it doctor prescribed for a reason, cause the doctor makes the money. Fuck! I hate the medical system and i hate that i wasn’t aware enough to realize that a cat needs real food when he is dying. well, i’m not gonna make that mistake with this one. So, lemme just say, i got lucky last night when my sister brought over that sooprize package! word to all the sisters out there, lates ~the m to the c to the k

hey heartbreakers, it’s another day that i’m grateful for, I got my ass kicked twice today! Um, oh, i mean, i had 2 really good classes today. what a treat! Actually, after the first class, i was thinking of bailing, but i did that last week. I had a tough class and then went home because the noon teacher would have been another hard class. i din’t wanna do that again—it shouldn’t matter who’s teaching or if in my head i think the class is gonna be harder. I mean seriously, they’re all tough classes, right? if i have the time, i might as well take advantage of it, which is exactly what i did. i’ll take water a little more during my second class, just because it makes me feel better. or rather, safer, i mean, seriously, sometimes it feels like my brain is shrinking. That’s how i started to feel during the first class today! So, believe me, i allow myself a little more water during the second class. Today, it wasn’t the heat that started to get to me, it was a total lack of energy. i hit my hunger wall and all of a sudden i felt like my starving bear. we had some nice facedown savasanas and my teacher stood on my feet during one of them—oh my golly, did that feel good, miss molly! Seriously, after that i felt like i coulda done a third class, i was so rejuvenated, energized! That was a nice way to kick start me into the rest of class. or at least a good way to get my legs up higher when we’re doing that second set of poorna-salabhasana! hasta tomorrow heartbreakers ~m

happy october fiends! I din’t want to get out of bed today. It was early, the morning was overcast-cool and quiet. As i was lying in bed, convincing myself to go back to sleep and go to the 10 am class, i remembered who was teaching the 8 and that made me get out of bed! I don’t know what it is about this teacher but i always find myself going a little further than i usually go in my poses. Or i’ll hear instuctions i hadn’t heard before and my form gets better. She said something really great today, “it’s not about how far you go, but instead how much you let go.” That was worth the cost of admission alone! okily-dokily kids, enjoy your day! ~m