My old friends in the band Leftover Crack played the 20th Anniversary of the Tomkins Square riot yesterday. I missed it due to family obligations, but I got to thinking how I really loved playing there and being a punk and shoving my boots in people's faces. One of the greatest Agent 99 shows was played at the Fierce Pussy Fest in August 1993. I found a review:

"...the sun came out, and Agent 99 entertained the soaked crowd with their hard-driving ska. Everyone was moshing; a muddied-face Tatiana danced through the crowd..."

The East Village used to be kind of a magical place where dreams still felt possible. I thought that optimism was just me, but I think it was everywhere. Where is it now?

Tags: agent 99, fierce pussy fest, leftover crack
I feel: nostalgic
I'm listening to: silence

Okay, so anyone with little kids and cable knows about the insane nick jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba, perhaps the first kids' show for the DJ generation of parents. The first time I heard about it, a friend invited us to wake up early and head down to the OC from LA (don't call it the OC) to watch the first taping of the show.  We didn't wake up in time.

Now, I absolutely cannot get enough of this show. So, last night, for the first time ever, the hubby and I watched the show without the youngin'. Okay, it's bordering on addiction, but now I think I know why.

Tags: chakra, kids, yo gabba gabba, yoga
Current Location: home sweet house
I feel: cheerful
I'm listening to: BSG

I really admire the people who can decide who they are and unwaveringly go forth wearing the skin of that person. I really do. I feel like a chameleon, constantly changing the skin I'm in to match the colors around me.

I've been posting my resumes for jobs. I have like 6 different resumes, all full. There's the musician one, which is most consistent. The webmistress resume is also fairly consistent, but has no formal training. The office chick resume has great gaps, because I hate being an office chick and am therefore always trying to get out of it (I figured this out after 10 years or something). Then there's the yoga teacher resume which includes all my work with dancers and choreographers. My combo resume for the jobs that I think want an office chick who can do web work. And finally there's the enchilada resume which is like 5 pages long and has everything.

What do I have to show for it? Nothing. Still can't get hired. Too diverse? Too honest? Too quirky? Too much!

So who do I become now? How do I sell 50 million records? Become an independent artist and put out my own stuff. Coming Soon.

Namaste

Tags: invention, madonna, music, resume, stuff and things, web, yoga
Current Location: home
I feel: determined
I'm listening to: adoring fans

So the real question is, who painted the mastadon cave paintings?

Tags: elephant art
I feel: enthralled

I've started teaching a small class at the Village Quill on Franklin Street in Manhattan.  So far the largest it's been has been 3 people, but it is helping me focus and be a stronger teacher.  When I'm able to let go of the insecurity, I recognize my ability to see each body as it is and to help each person pull himself into alignment.  I also see where they can go and how long it will take to get them there. 

I didn't pre-write the sequence I used.  I really went for a feel oriented session.  I knew that they were nearly beginners and that some of them were very tight muscularly.  It was also a rainy day and I am desperate for spring.  So I brought them through some small back bends to increase lung capacity and stretch their shoulders and I did a lot of work with legs and feet, for grounding. 

I have to say that I impressed myself finally.  I think I'm getting the hang of it.  

Tags: yoga teaching village quill
I feel: accomplished

Just finished watching Obama's speech and as I watch the CNN commentary, I can't help but giggle. The black commentators are practically weeping with joy. I think this is the first time since the 60's that anyone so high-profile has addressed the issue of race in this country so directly. He said the things I've been thinking my whole life, especially since the whole 9/11 thing, when I thought the country would be brought together. If you missed it, the transcript is on the NY Times website.

Tags: barack obama
I feel: jubilant
I'm listening to: CNN Commentary

Has anyone else noticed this? Seriously. Watch the Sarah Silverman movie then watch Amy Winehouse. Has anyone ever seen them in the same place at the same time?

Tags: winehouse silverman misunderstood jewess
I feel: amused
I'm listening to: Grammys 2008

So my friend called me up this afternoon, knowing I had just finished my training and said that the health club she works at needed a sub for their Thursday evening yoga class. And they could provide child care. How stupid would I be to say no? So I said yes.

I have learned these things about teaching at a gym:

1. Always let the class know what kind of yoga you teach. This class apparently had been taught a vinyasa flow class at near aerobic levels for a year and a half. I was told this was beginning yoga. My bad.

2. Talk with the person in charge. While it was nice of my friend to think of me, the person in charge would have benefitted from speaking to me directly and getting the real deal rather than getting hearsay from my friend.

3. Always have a plan B. My sequence went by very quickly and I was left with lots of time to kill. Bummer.

4. Stick to your guns. This evening class really wanted to do a lot of back bending and a lot of energy lifting poses. At night. They also wanted to do poses thatif improperly aligned could cause serious problems. I refused to teach these poses, because these guys could barely stand straight. If they want to be hurt they have to take class with someone else.

Trial by fire. Yum. At least I'm on their sub list now.

Tags: yoga teaching trauma
I feel: confused
I'm listening to: Air Purifier

So yesterday I did my final practice teach...sukhasana with uttitha hasta. I started the class with a little centering and 3 oms. I meant to do a lot more, but I had total stage fright. I have to say that my class was exceptional, from teachers to students. I never met so many people I liked at one time. I am excited to take everyone's class. I recommend the YogaWorks program super highly and if you can do the intensive, it is totally worth it. I have a take home test that I need to finish by the 15th of February, but I'm done with all the classwork. I'll post when I conduct my first class.

Tags: sukhasana, yoga teacher training
I feel: accomplished
I'm listening to: Legos

After 12 days straight, we got a break from learning how to be yoga teachers. And we were SO done. One of my fellow students said she got her new Yoga Journal magazine and didn't even want to look at it.

I have to admit, doing 2 and a half hours of asana practice every day makes you want to keep doing asana every day. It's nice to have such a strong point of focus. I now know where every muscle in my body is because I feel them. It's as if I never had muscles at all before. We worked on backbends, which are my favorite, probably because they elevate the level of energy and I totally need that. I remember doing bow pose for something like 20 minutes when I was little. That memory is really good to have during the training.

Since we don't get Martin Luther King Day off, I will be dedicating tomorrow's practice to cultural understanding and world peace.

Tags: dhanurasana, ustrasana, yoga teacher training
I feel: drained
I'm listening to: silence