Going Waaaaaaay Back

I was doing a little spring cleaning on my email account, and I found a message I forwarded to myself back in 2001 when I was switching from Hotmail to Yahoo. The message was insignificant (now) but the signature made me smile:

Do not try and bend the spoon
That is impossible
Instead... only try to realize the truth
There is no spoon.
Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends,
It is only yourself.

Wow, talk about a trip in the way back machine. I used to be such a computer nerd (^ ^)


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Name Change Time

As you can tell, I've changed the name of my blog. The title didn't match the website address, and it was starting to bug me.

When you sign up for a weblog, you get to name it first, then pick the address. I had wanted my address to be "underthesun" too, but it was already taken. So I had to get creative. I thought, what do I like to see under the sun? The first thing that popped into my head was cherry blossoms. Therefore my address became "blossomsinthesun".

As my blog evolved, and it's always going to be evolving, I noticed I was talking less about the sun and more about the blossoms. I just figured, why not? Change the name to match the site.

*In my best Greek accent* So there you go. It's pink, it's pretty, and it's all about the blossoms in the sun.


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A Beautiful Day

My, my, my, yesterday was a beautiful day! I was so excited about being able to go for a bike ride after work that I sang all the way home. My song of choice: "Don't Break This Rhythm" by Peter Gabriel (I LOVE him).

It was sunny, warm, the wind was calm- just a slight breeze. Perfect for a ride around the block. I unearthed my sleeveless jerseys and went outside without tights and windbreaker.

I rode 11 miles. Small beans by common standards-- Tony, of the hardcore, rode approx 55 miles**. Had I been in shape I probably would have done a tidy 20, but I'm not. And I must remind myself at this point "take the action, let go of the result". I rode my bike, under the sun. That's enough for me.

** Tony is in a category by himself The Zen Hardcore. He rides without a cyclo-computer, without a heart rate monitor. Ultra cool- the Johnny Depp of cycling. Totally in the moment, in the present, without care for the (statistical) result. He takes the action. Awesome.

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Awesome Quote

I just got this quote in an email from my colleague Francisco:

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

--Helen Keller

The timing of this quote is amazing. Due to changes in life priorities, hurt feelings, etc., I've had to say goodbye to two friends who both were very special to me. I miss them both, and wish things could have turned out different, but terminating these friendships were in the best interest for all of us. Yeah, I'm still looking at those closed doors, thinking about all the good memories of times past. I hope I never forget them. But today Francisco has reminded me that there are new friends to be made out there, and new experiences to be had. Thanks Francisco. (^ ^)

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Work Beckons

I'm disappearing for a few days, a colleague and I are going up to the Chico office for training.

I love the Chico office. Everyone there is really nice and the atmosphere is so relaxed. You can immediately feel that the stress level is non-existant . The director there is great too! I'll have to write more about Chico another time. I have a lot of good things to say about my colleagues there.

Of course, looking forward to having dinner at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

www.sierranevada.com

BUT- There is a concert there tonight: The Brubeck Brothers with special guest (Dad) Dave Brubeck. (sidebar- Take Five is the best jazz song EVER!). I don't know if we'll be able to get a table, but I'm willing to try. Heck I'd even try to go see the concert if I could.

I'll let you know what happens.

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I'm Alive!

Yes, I'm alive and I made it into work today (^ ^)

Actually I'm not feeling too bad, only my hamstrings are sore today. I took some vitamin "I" before going to bed last night (ibuprofen), not sure if it made a difference, but if it did, I can live (and walk) with that.

Not much else to say on that topic, I'm just glad I'm still mobile.

(Now if it would just stop raining....)

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Monday Night Yoga

Are you ready for some yoga? (hee-hee)

Well, I made it to another night on the mat and I lived to tell about it. It went well in my opinion. Ask me again in the morning. I guess if I make it to work on time I can really say I survived. I couldn't do the more advanced stuff like the head stand, but I did what I could. Personally, I'm impressed that I'm actually able to bend down and touch the ground.

I am glad that I have a sense of humor to go with the class. I found the tree pose quite difficult to do. I kept falling over and I found it hilarious. I have no idea why, but I did. Maybe I was light-headed with all that deep breathing and had all my blood rushing to my head when I would bend over. Who knows. (^ ^)

Not sure when I'll make it back this week. I have my family night tomorrow night and then I need to pack for another work trip. This time I'm off to beautiful Chico.

YZ
(My initials in Webdings)

The Spirit Is Willing...

...but the flesh is weak (> <)

I can sum it all up in one word: OUCH!!!!!!!!

Did I make it to yoga class Saturday morning? No. I couldn't move my body. My right knee, my lower back on the left side, and under my right arm where my wing would be if I had any muscle tone in my arms. I knew it wouldn't be easy, and I was anticipating being sore. I mean, I'm out of shape, overweight, and haven't moved my body seriously in those types of directions in nearly 2 years. If I was a horse, I'd have been shot and turned into glue, Jell-O, or French food by now.

I was so sore, I couldn't even go for a bike ride either. And it was a beautiful day. So I had to "settle" for taking a long walk in the park. Of course I went to my secret hiding place, I walked around for an hour UNDER THE SUN in the Japanese garden. It was cool and breezy, but sunny. The sun felt good on my face.

I kept walking so my joints wouldn't get stiff. That's pretty much how I felt this whole weekend. Just keep moving, keep those legs and arms moving. I even did light back stretches so my core wouldn't get stuck.

I'm nervous but excited about tomorrow-- I go back to the yoga class. Hopefully I'll fair a little bit better this next time. If I make it out of there in one piece, I'm sure I'll be okay. (^ ^)

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It's YOGA Time!

Today I attended my first yoga class!

A bit of history for those of you who don't know me well. I used to be a lot thinner, and I used to dance. Tap, ballet, jazz, modern, Mexican folkloric. I've even taken classes in other cultural dancing: belly dancing, bharata natyam (a national dance of India), Brazilian. If it was dance, I was into it. I very nearly graduated with a degree in Theatre Arts- Dance Option, but at the last minute (18 units to be exact) I decided to change my major.

I've always loved the class environment: group setting, hands-on instruction, one-on-one clarification from instructors. I've always done well in that atmosphere.

Since I finished college a few years ago (2000), I developed an interest in Yoga. It was similar to dance in certain ways, yet didn't have the dance mentality that ultimately led to my leaving the program.

But, in the almost six years that I've been out of school, I never took a class.

Over the years I've purchased a yoga video or two, but it never felt quite right. I never knew if I was doing things correctly, and I never had an instructor to help me out.

Today I finally decided to take a class. I've known about the class offering for quite some time, but as a shy person, it took me a while to summons up the courage to make the trek over. But I did it. I finally did it. And I liked it! I go back tomorrow morning at 9 am.

That is, if my body is still moving tomorrow (^ ^)

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