Monthly Archives: October, 2011

Lazy Bones

During yoga class the teacher, Tina, tells me to lift up a bit. I’m squatting in a pose (it’s sort of this made up pose that I’ve dubbed the Tinasana) and Tina says my middle is sagging.

“The muscles in your body will automatically revert to being lazy if given the chance,” she says.

Lazy? But I’m working so hard, I think.

Later, in Warrior II I’m concentrating on my arms when Tina reminds me to firm my thighs. If I don’t pay attention, they become lazy.

Yet another pose and my feet are splaying instead of pointing in the right direction. Guess why?

Really. Out of all the things in the world, I don’t consider myself lazy. But apparently even when I’m truly working on my alignment there are parts of my body that are secretly trying to get away with as little as possible.

After class I start thinking . . . does that apply to other areas of my life?

No way. I’m motivated! Diligent!Relentless in my pursuits!

Aren’t I?

Except in the mornings. I like to linger in bed. It’s warm and cozy. Plus I’m still sleepy. By the time I do get up, shower, and eat breakfast, I’m always surprised at how much of the day has gotten away from me before I make it to my home office.

And walking. I love my afternoon walks. Love them. Then why do I skip them from time to time, opting instead to sit and work a little longer?

Speaking of work, I realized something as I began investigating this whole laziness issue. If I have ten things on my “To Do” list, I tend to opt for the easiest projects first. When I do start working on a hard topic (say an article that requires a lot of research or possibly a personal essay that forces me to do some inner work), I will drop it as soon as I feel stuck. I tell myself I’ll get back to it and turn my attention to the easier assignments again.

Isn’t it funny the insights yoga gives us into our lives? So if you’ll excuse me, I have an article I’ve put off. I’d better get working on it.

Sunday Crowds

I don’t know what I was thinking. Hmm. I guess I was thinking that I had a few free hours, so why not sketch out a menu for the week and stock up with ingredients at the grocery store? Off I went – the Sunday afternoon of Labor Day weekend – and as soon as I walked in the door I realized my mistake.

What a zoo.

I tried to practice my yoga breaths as carts jammed the aisles and children blocked my path as they played handheld video games in front of the eggs while their parents taste-tested the artichoke dip. I tried to remember I had just come from church and I should be patient and kind and gentle and not cave into my mounting frustration. Breathe. Breathe. BREATHE!

Egad.

I do not do well in crowds.

The trick to grocery shopping (at least the one I go to in my town) is to hit the store early Monday morning. It’s empty and open and I can take my time reviewing my list and making sure I have everything I need for the week. When I had an office job with less flexible hours, I’d go to the store late at night. I’d have to step around boxes of fresh shipments, but it was better than being piled in an enclosed space with too many people. My goal is to get away from stores almost entirely – next season I’m signing up for a CSA subscription. And I’m continuing to explore year-round farmers’ markets (for some reason crowds don’t bother me as much when I’m outside) and buying local food through other direct methods. But I’m in transition, so for awhile I’ll be heading to the store at least once a week. On Monday mornings. Š

Addicting Appetizer

Here is one of my favorite appetizers involving Wasa crispbread.

I searched Wasa’s recipe page and it’s on not on there, so I’m feeling rather innovative (except that I didn’t create it – the recipe was passed along by a friend of mine, but anyway . . .)

Spread a layer of organic cream cheese on Wasa crispbread.
Add two slices of cucumber.
Season with garlic power and sea salt.
Enjoy.

Tadalafil – Branded or Generic?

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is easily the worst woe that a man will ever encounter as he no longer has the capacity to please both himself and his partner.  Fortunately, ED medications are aplenty with tadalafil being the most popular amongst couples.  However, when it comes to buying ED medications, is it better to go for branded or generic?

If you are not familiar with generic drugs, the name that identifies a generic drug is usually the active ingredient that the treatment has.  For generic tadalafil, it means that tadalafil is the active ingredient of the drug.  Usually, generic drugs are derived from branded drugs, the likes that had spent a lot of money in the research and development of the medication.  Normally, they are given several years of rights as sole maker and distributor of the drug to make up for the cost of the drug’s R&D.  In the case of generic tadalafil, it is Eli Lilly that did research as well as manufacturing of the drug Cialis – the branded version of generic tadalafil.  Like all drugs though, no manufacturer has sole rights to the making and distribution of the medication for a very long time which is why the ingredients used in the making of the drug are released and generic drug manufacturers are able to copy them and resell the drug for their own, provided of course they pay royalty as well as sell the drug only as generic in name. Read more…