Yoga vs Yoga

I went back to my regular (hatha) yoga class tonight at the YWCA after about a month break between sessions. Meanwhile I have been doing hot (bikram) yoga so have been doing that for about a month now 1-2 times per week. I definitely noticed some changes. My hips and legs are a lot more flexible (what I would consider major progress after only one month). My elbows hurt a little for some reason, and I have a crooked arm that previously wouldn't straighten and I think it's straighter now although I have no proof. On the flip side, my arms became weak like spaghetti again, a longtime problem, because the hot yoga is more focused on the legs. I'm not nearly as totally exhausted after the hatha yoga, and it doesn't feel as totally relaxing or satisfying as the hot yoga but is also not as horrifying or painful. Hmmmm.

Some quotes I picked up from these yoga classes that are particularly memorable:

"Smile with your eyes..." (??)

"Haul your butt flesh back." (said by at least three different teachers with a totally straight face, but when I said it to my class my face could not be kept totally straight)

"The future is a fantasy" (whoa!)

"No humping!" (said by ME to my class on accident when I meant to say 'no HUNCHING [of your back]')

Happy Birthday Studly Hubby!

My Studly Hubby turned 28 on Sat and we celebrated with an eventful and fabulous weekend trip to Chicago (full-detail post below). I gifted him well this year with a Napolean Dynamite action figure from Spawn.

J & D Do Chicago

My Studly Hubby and I took a weekend trip to Chicago to celebrate his birthday and one last weekend of freedom before school starts for us both.

Highlights:

Read Janet Evanovich #1 to my Studly Hubby to make a fan out of him on our radio-less drive 6.5 hrs to Chicago.

Made a fan out of him after the first two pages.

Arrived at our super-fancy art decco hotel Allegro in the Chicago Theater District (downtown), had valet take our car to the ramp and got spoiled by the polite staff, wine tasting, complimentary Aveda products, and fun high-rise view.

Went out to dinner at the super-funky Sushi Samba down the street, had delicious Sushi and an interesting time experiencing the glass bathrooms and carpeted walls. And check it! If you go to their website you can listen to the funky samba music we listened to right now while you read this blog.

Wandered the Theater District, saw a huge lit Christmas tree and heard some Christmas songs chimed by a neighborhood church, but most notably smelled the strong scent of chocolate that drifted through the whole neighborhood. The source of the smell was never pinpointed despite our sniffing expertise and increasing motivation to find it.

Headed back to the hotel and ordered some chocalate mint Haagen Dazs through room service, delighted in the fancy tray and glass bowls it came with and snuggled into bed beneath down comforters and pillows to eat it while watching a Chicago restaurant show on public access.

Sat am, ate at the fancy hotel restaraunt 321, then headed out to Michigan Avenue to do some shopping and sightseeing. Bought some super-sweet Ariat cowboy boots and wore them around until the blisters won. Had some delectible Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's. Checked out the spitting fountain at Watertower Place and went up in the Hancock Building to see Chicago from way-up-high (at dusk). Then went to Kingston Mines for some chicken wings and serious blues headlined by a lively John Primer with a surprisingly excellent Joanna Conner providing two opening sets.

Sun am, went out for dim-sum at Three Happiness in Chinatown, a must-do for any Chicago trip. Ate so much we felt sick, then went to Shaumburg's Woodfield Mall and shopped a little more till we were ready to do the car ride again with some more Janet Evanovich before dark.

Chicago trip: Ten stars (out of five)

Note

Of note:

Lindsay Lohan finally admitted in Vanity Fair that her recent weight loss was due to bulimia - which isn't surprising. What is surprising is that SNL's Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels held the intervention that helped her realize her problem. Where are her friends and family?

Another note:

There was a lime-green speedo behind me in hot yoga tonight. Go speedo go! Also, the guy to my left almost puked on me and the guy to my right almost fell on me so all in all is was a very exciting night.

Broomball and such

There's an interesting game here in Minnesota called broomball. I'm not sure if it was invented here, but I had never heard of it until I moved here. Broomball is a little like ice hockey but you wear shoes instead of skates and kind of hit the ball with a broom-looking thingy. Now that I am a Minnesotan, I have several friends who play this game regularly (any Minnesotan would) and they have obligingly sent me pictures of the spectacular bruises they got playing this game which I will pass along to all of you. The big question is, why does ice bruise more than cement? We are still working on that. I recommend to anybody who plays broomball that they wrap themselves up completely in Charmin toilet paper so that every part of their body is totally padded.

And a big pat on the back to my two brave friends who posed for these pictures... may your broomball days become less colorful once you get going on the Charmin trick. Good luck to you!

Best and Worst of '05

Here it is (get ready!):

Best of '05:
Boggle, blogging, jigsaws, world travel, Janet Evanovich, Animation Mentor, hot yoga, PNAS, cookies, crockpot cookin, Buffalo Wild Wings, Netflix, the YWCA triathlon, the Newlyweds, Buffy, Seattle, my Camry (the Survivor), cake, the Dandy Warhols, iTunes, the new hot water heater

Worst of '05:
Robbers, hot yoga, dirty dishes, the Longfellow Grill (and all their food), flooded intersections, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, onions

2006 New Years Resolutions:
Eat crap
Exercise less
Watch more TV
Blog constantly

The Old Man is Snoring...

We woke up this morning to a nice steady drizzle and some frozen death-trap sidewalks and streets. It was very strangely warm for January in Minnesota (35F) but I had a dream last night it was 85F and it wasn't quite that. It was pretty surreal though.

We said goodbye to my mom and brother this morning who took off around 9 am for a tour and interview at Carleton College (we visited Macalaster on Friday). It was a splendid time we had with the fam this week and I want to offer a big CONGRATULATIONS to my Studly Hubby for being such an excellent hostess and putting up with it all with such grace and sincere enthusiasm. Good job Studly Hubby!

The highlights of the week were: drunken italian at Buca (second annual adventure), intense jigsawing, TWO rounds of hot yoga, a trip to the Mall of America, Chipotle (of course), Boggle, homecookin (thanks to the Studly Hubby) and zipping around town in my mom's new Jetta (sweet) (I want a new Jetta).

Happy Birthday to those of you who are obnoxious enough to have birthdays in January: my Studly Hubby, my Naked Co-worker, some nieces, some cousins, my Studly Mummy, and anyone I regrettably didn't mention here.