river street sign, downtown santa cruz. more photo experimenting. i’m having fun on a friday night, heartbreakers, plain and simple. this photograph trips me out—you can’t see the car at all, but there’s the lights! no lip-syncing involved in this photo, just all-live, in-camera goodness.

woke up this morning feeling pretty good! my back din’t bother me until a few minutes after i woke up. my mom totally nailed where i am right now, i feel great except, if i’m not careful, a sudden movement could re-aggravate all the healing i’ve been doing.

there is a funny? ironic? thing about this injury. the spot i’m really holding in on my right lower abdomen is the same spot the baker told me to hold in during pranayama several months ago. i’m positive i wasn’t holding in that part of my belly when i injured myself. form before depth and part of that form is holding in your belly! i’m learning, i’m learning.

spent the afternoon with my folks, watching the lakers beat the celtics. pretty sweet way to spend the day. see you tomorrow as i begin my desperate job hunt! ~m

river street sign, downtown santa cruz. most people think this sign is an eyesore, i don’t think it’s that bad, tres 80s for sure, but not an eyesore. and why it doesn’t just say “welcome to downtown santa cruz” is beyond me. honestly, river street isn’t really that much of an attraction, unless you’re looking for the kind of alternative pharmacists that i don’t like. regardless, it still makes a nice background for my recent photo experimenting. i encourage you to look at the bigger version and really enjoy the all natural, 100% organic, eye candy—no crop, no photoshop!

i’m really feeling a lot better. my back feels almost 100%, but there’s still a little tenderness in the lowest part of my right back. i woke up this morning and immediately felt it. ouch! as i’m healing, i’m noticing the way my body relaxes and how it’s related to my injury. for instance, it doesn’t matter if i’m sitting or on my back in bed, i have a habit of crooking my right hip just a little, which actually is starting to not feel so comfortable anymore. i feel like i’m in a weird body transition stage. everything that used to feel comfortable, isn’t working out so well for me and the good posture is wearing me out because i’m developing muscles i never knew i had and realigning the few i already had. alright, heartbreakers, come back tomorrow for more healing talk. ~m

oh my god, heartbreakers, i have the raddest friends. yesterday i showed you the beautiful lakers-coloured scarf my friend @evvashtangi made for me. today, i got an e-mail from a friend who said she was picking me up and bringing me to her place for some hot tub therapy. i don’t get the opportunity to hot tub too often, so i was excited. just what my back needed! oh my god, i feel so rejuvenated. it felt totally awesome to relax in the tub and look where i was! oh man, perfect day on the edge of the continent. i have no money, no job and no way of supporting myself, but sometimes i have the greatest days in the world. love & namaste ~m

photo experiment, day 1. this photograph came about because i was watching a documentary on cartier-bresson and noticed that i haven’t been shooting any kind of geometric photographs. so, why not combine, a phun photo experiment with some geometric angles? and you still get a little bit of nature, joy!

we interrupt this series of photo experiments for a little gratitude. i got home from today’s photo safari and found a package waiting for me. heartbreakers, i have the coolest tweeps—my friend @evvashtangi knitted a purple and gold scarf for me! total lakers colours, i’m so spoiled lucky. jenny, i can never thank you enough, namaste ~m

photo experiment, day 4. i know you can do stuff like this in photoshop, but it’s more fun to do it in-camera. this is a 100% organic photograph—no crop, no photoshop, just all natural, eye candy. doesn’t it look like a hover craft, sort of? if you wanna share it with your friends, may i suggest the e-card link? it’s free and goofy, so enjoy it for what it’s worth.

oh boy, heartbreakers, i’ve been out of the hot room for so long, i’m getting nervous about returning. my back is definitely getting better everyday, but it still feels like there’s a little more healing to do. it’s the lowest part of my back on the right side that is still hurting, but that’s where i’ve also been the tightest. i remember writing to you about that spot, like, 6 months ago. i dunno, i feel like i’m healing fast because of all the muscle memory i’ve built up over the last two years.

thanks for your back pain stories!! it’s nice to hear from others who’ve been here. “i couldn’t wipe my butt,” that was the best, or worst, i’m not sure. alright friends, that’s enough from me. thanks for stopping by, see you tomorrow ~m

photo experiments, day 4. i was pretty happy with this one. since i haven’t been able to practise, i’ve been playing with my camera. usually, i don’t consider myself a photographer so much as a documenter, but in this case i think of the picture as a painting.

i woke up to the sound of rain this morning. i got out of bed and started experimenting with my camera, trying for rain photographs. i still haven’t gotten anything worth keeping, but it was a good way to start my day.

i walked to the studio in the rain, dressed like a big, yellow banana. i talked to the studio owners today. one of them had done the same as me in the same pose (standing head to knee). i definitely felt no pressure to go back anytime soon, but i’m still anxious to get back on my mat. i have a tendency to rush things, so i’m trying to play it slow, but that’s not my game. in the meantime, enjoy the eye candy! see you tomorrow ~m

street portraits, santa cruz. this photograph is a good reason why i almost always shoot in colour. i love black and white photography, but there’s so much going on that would get lost in a sea of beautiful grey. hmmmm, maybe not. i dunno. since i haven’t been able to move much, i’ve been thinking about pictures maybe too much.

went for another walk to get some movement in this body. it feels weird to not be practising right now, but “it’s getting better everyday.” i’m sure i’ll be back on my mat sooner than later. of course, i’m pipe dreaming right now, it still hurts to move if i’m not careful. i’m amazed at how much my body wants to revert to pre-bikram slouchiness. at least i’m aware of it happening and i can heal myself into better posture. alright heartbreakers, dinner tonight with the family. see you tomorrow ~m