...may flowers...

We have certainly weathered the April showers, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes so I am hopeful that May will bring a reprieve from the violent weather, as well as a month for me to practice contentment and non-attachment.  Since the May flowers are coming up I am going to stop and take the time to smell 'em (even though I live in Atlanta and things have been flowering for a couple months now). 

In order to appreciate these small, real, natural and free treasures that the world has to offer I am engaging in a buying freeze.  That's right, a retail free month, a month free of bargain hunting and window shopping (maybe I will window shop...), I won't even buy a bottle of nail polish. 

We are lucky enough (and Sean worked hard enough) to get to go to Aruba with his company on June 1st and from this Sunday to the day we leave the only store I will be in is the grocery store.  Wish me luck or join me in a retail free month!

In honor of this small undertaking I will be skipping to the Niyamas of yoga theory (the observances) and kicking that off with Santosha (contentment) next week.  Exciting business!

...loving vintage...

After falling in love with a new blog, the Sartorialist who posted this lovely idea, I searched out some great oldies, brought them to work and had one of the little wipper-snappers show me how to use the  newfangled scanner... I am so excited.  Here is a sampling, I am still trying to figure out what I will do with them but I will keep you updated...

This is my Ma- steering the "Aphrodite", my Aunt Munch is on the left and Aunt Kathy on the right, I believe that would be Uncle Jeff's striped back (he is most likely getting into trouble back there if the stories are all true).  This photo in particular looks timeless to me, especially with those fancy iPhone filters all the cool kids have, it could be over 30 years old... or yesterday.

Here is my handsome Pa looking especially dashing...

This is my Nanny Flossie and Pop-pop, my dad's parents on the wedding day looking stylish as ever, I really love this one.

So that's it for now, if you have any interest send some of you favorite images to the Sartorialist or even to me and let us revel in their appeal!

...Hello there remember me??...

Turns out that last bout of unemployment didn't last too long.  I have to say I really enjoyed the month off and my 30-day challenge went swimmingly which is really a good thing since we most certainly overdid the girl scout cookies this year.

In the midst of my month-o-fitness we also got a delivery of 15 boxes of deliciousness from those little temptresses in green and tan.  We made rather quick work of that and went on to buy 5 more boxes from Sean's "supplier."  I believe in my heart of hearts that the only reason I can still button most (read not all) of my pants is due directly to the 30 day challenge. 

I have my calendar of achievement to post but most exciting was the call I got in week three of unemployment from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs/Education at the Art Institute of Atlanta asking me if I would come in and chat with her about a position.  After the sea of rejection I have been swimming in this call was almost unbelievable but in I went and here I am.  It is still a temporary position and when they get the funding approved I will have to apply, but for now I am the Academic Support Coordinator.  Which sounds all fancy but really I am just....wait.... yeah... I am all fancy!  Not reallllly but one can dream right??


Ha- I am running the tutoring center doing lots of day to day and learning a lot about corporate environments, management of people and (gasp) even budgeting for a department.  Keep your fingers crossed for me to become permanent!


In other news I have not been blogging, perhaps you noticed?  I have on the other hand found a couple more blogs that I love to follow.

Two of note are...


The Sartorialist, amazing and fun street photography and,
Recovering Yogi, "a refuge for the spiritually disenfranchised"


I was inspired by the Sartorialist to scan some old family photos that I will share soon- stay tuned.


I have some fun stuff to share, recipes, visits, and home improvement so hopefully I have shaken off the cobwebs!

...it makes my heart go pitter patter...

I had a friend once that developed a personality test with his med-school nerdy friends (I type nerdy with love!). Their test involved, how do I say this... hmmm... excrement? Yeah excrement. If you HAD to eat this.... excrement... would you eat it baked, boiled or fried? It still makes me giggle and I was reminded when I did a little Facebook poll the other day about teen drama heartthrobs and peoples preferences. Could this be another personality test? What does it mean about us when we choose one character over another??

I decided a little pro-con list was in order... I am looking at (what I consider) three main characteristics as well as their enduring adorableness, all the following is anecdotal...

I am sure there are lots more heartthrobs out there and feel free to leave a comment with you favorite here but I am focusing on three, beginning with...

Officer Tom Hanson:

Ahhhh... Johnny Depp knows no limits.... He plays Officer Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street.

Saxophone-playing bowling-loving Officer Tom Hanson, Jr. is a baby-faced cop with a bit of a sorespot over the constant teasing he gets regarding his looks from criminals and fellow cops alike. When this leads to a loss of temper after which his captain tells him he has a choice; he can get assigned to desk duty for a few years while he gets a handle on his temper and get a little older looking, or he can take part in a special secret project called Jump Street Chapel that takes young-looking cops, teaches them how to act like teens again, and places them in schools to catch perpetrators before they tun into hardened career criminals.

Hanson's not happy about the idea of participating in "fast times at Bust Your Buddy High," but he's wanted nothing more than to be a cop like his late father, and the idea of desk duty is far less appealing than than driving down to the chapel on Jump Street, and taking the assignment. By-the-book Hanson seems initially out of his element among the free-wheeling cops and captain of the Jump Street program, but his compassion for the kids he deals with on a daily basis soon distinguishes him--and gets him to break a number of regulations on more than one occasion--and he quickly becomes close friends with his fellow Jump Street cops, as well as his usual partner, Officer Doug Penhall.

Slightly edited from IMDB

Well, I am least familiar with Officer Tom, but Cathy this is for you! I am going to go with characteristics of Intelligent, Driven and Hot-tempered. Depp obviously has incredible staying power and still looks dreamy...

If you love Tom you may be a good girl with a taste for excitement. You like jazzy beats and a tough guy exteriors with well adjusted morally sound interiors. You like happy endings and clear boundaries along with immaculate bone structure!

Dylan McKay:

Luke Perry took on the role of Dylan McKay in the h-i-t show 90210 (or just 9-0 to those in the know). Dylan stole my heart with his nonchalant charm and deep meaningful stares (wink wink), not to mention his...

Enough about me, lets talk about Dylan!

"Mad, bad and dangerous to know. That was him and that's me." (about himself and his father).

Dylan's role on the show was initially that of the Anti-hero, and was often portrayed as a good person with personal demons. The character was reportedly based on James Dean's character Jim Stark in the 1955 film Rebel Without A Cause. Dylan is a true tortured, bad boy with a heart of gold.

He was a loner in high school before he developed his enduring friendship with Brandon Walsh. From these he found his first love, Brandon's sister Brenda, and they developed a meaningful relationship where they tackle numerous teen challenges, including sex, pregnancy and substance abuse just to name a few. He eventually cheats on Brenda with her best friend Kally while she is away for a summer. Dylan's life was fraught with drama including a felon father who is believed to die in a car bombing, alcohol and drug abuse and loosing the love of his life when someone makes an attempt on his life but kills her instead by mistake.

"Rule number one, the only person you can trust in this world is yourself."

Highly edited from IMDB.

I spent many an afternoon watching a 9-0 marathon and enjoying the scenery. Dylan's characteristics will be, Soulful, Protective and Rebellious. Luke is still looking good but we haven't seen him too much lately.

If you love Dylan you definitely have a rebellious streak and a love for deep and meaningful ambiguity. You love vintage style and live to melt the tough exterior of the tortured soul. You probably like the unexpected and a deep desire to heal the wounds of the world!

Jordan Catalano:

Annnd the youngest of our charmers is Jared Leto who played Jordan Catalano is the one season sensation My So Called Life...

Jordan is one of the best-remembered characters of the show. He is good-looking, popular, and rebellious, a major slacker who constantly cuts class and is on the brink of being expelled (in part because he is nearly illiterate due to dyslexia). He is Angela's main love interest, and during the series they have an on-again/off-again relationship. He reveals his emotional depth in his songwriting ability and his occasional — and seemingly accidental — profound thoughts.

Jordan Catalano can't read. He's always leaning, putting Visine in his eyes, and running his hands through his hair. Meet him under the bleachers for a cigarette or at Tino's before the Buffalo Tom concert. If you're lucky, he'll pressure you into sleeping with him in "Red", his beloved car. His band, the Frozen Embryos never took off. He showed tremendous potential, though, in his cover of "I Wanna Be Sedated".

From Wikipedia and IMDB.

Jordan was easy to love, and hate, and we all know Jared Leto has aged BEAUTIFULLY! Jordan's characteristics will be.... Misunderstood, Complicated and Wanderer.

If you love Jordan you are very drawn to pretty things. You are patient and caring and can't turn down a hesitant yet penetrating stare rather than an eloquent speech. You like rock music and style and love to live on the fringe rather than show off in the spot light.

Where do you fit? Have any suggestions??

...living with intention, satya...

Sooooo much for a monthly post, but here yet again is my living with intention post about Satya.

This is the second in a series that began with Ahimsa, or nonviolence which is the first Yama (as explained in the aforementioned post...)  Satya, the second Yama, means truthfulness, both with others and with yourself.  On the mat, for me, this often comes up when I believe that I just can't stay in a challenging pose for one minute longer.  Then it is time to check in and discover if I really can't hold it for one moment longer or if in fact I don't want to stay in the pose.  If I actually go through this thought process the pose usually ends and low and behold I have in fact held the pose and lived to type about it.

Off the mat this can be practiced in numerous ways, most obviously while not telling lies to ourselves or others.  For me, living in a truthful way also means being myself.  This means that when I enter a room, or meet someone for the first time I am myself; not what I think the other person thinks I should be or what I think I should be.  For me to live in truth I need to keep my own wants and needs in mind and when I feel strongly about something to share that opinion rather than sit back and not "rock the boat."  I am the queen of not rocking the boat and as I have gotten older I have begun to liberate myself from this, I am not all the way there but I am on my way.  

I always see it noted when talking about Satya that truthfulness should never come at the expense of Ahimsa.  In other words regardless of a truth if it has the potential to be harmful to others than it may behoove us to keep it to ourselves.  This seems like a tricky balance because it also seems important to face difficult truths that may even be hurtful in the moment but will result in personal growth (this seems especially true when looking at personal truths but can also come when someone holds a mirror up to us that reflects something less than beautiful).  So how do we balance truth and nonviolence?  Is it OK to speak a truth that may be difficult to hear when we do it from an open place, a place from which we care deeply for the recipient of the truth?

Any thoughts?

...trying...

Since I left my job I have been trying to stay positive and motivated.  I have seen lots of jobs in the mental health field and it is sooooo tempting to apply for them, because I know there is a good chance I will at least get an interview, but it isn't what I want to do.  It is an amazing feeling to stop myself from applying and stop looking on websites that focus on small social service agencies and focus on were I want to go, rather than where I have been and where I expected to go for a long time.

I have been trying lots of little things to keep myself on track, my 30 day challenge to keep my spirits up, the new home office to make doing work as easy as possible and reading the Makeunder My Life: Design a Life with Intention.  I really like this blog- check it out.  It is also where I got this desktop wallpaper...

This is another tactic I have employed, each day when I turn on my little computer this is what I see.

I can only imagine that it helps- it is like a placebo... I believe it works so it does!

How do you live with intention?

...end week one of 30 day challenge...

I have finished my first week of my 30 day challenge (not a full week because March began on Tuesday), and I feel great, still a little tight (that kettle bells is tough!) but great.

Day 3: 5 mile Chastain Loop and Kettle bells with Sean and Trey.

The walk around Chastain is so beautiful right now as the first blooms of spring happen here in Atlanta while school is still being canceled for my folks in the north!

Aphi's favorite part of the loop...

The Kettlebells was less of a workout today because Jack worked with us a lot on technique which for Sean and I was super important. We learned the Turkish Get-up, silver-back dead lift, swings and the goblet squat...

Trey should stop looking so excited (he skipped chest day at the gym for this, a real sacrifice... thanks Trey!)

Day 4:
Yoga and a one mile fast run (well fast for me...)

Day 5:
Kettle bell workshop with Sean, John and Jack: Another day of basics, Jack is super knowledgeable about body mechanics and kettle bells and I think we are all on the same page now and ready to move and shake. We did get a workout in at the end and those little weighted balls are unrelenting!!

Day 6:
5 mile loop and Yoga at Peachtree Yoga with Daniela who is also a pranic healer so as you can imagine we did lots of breathing... it was a nice class, my first with her, I would definitely go back!

So Here we go into my first full week of the challenge... I will check back in on Sunday!

Have a great week everyone!