i can go a few hours between massive vegetable feedings… and i’m getting creative with my veggies. either this cleanse has made my tastebuds totally whack, or broccoli coconut soup is damn yummy.
but sugar, oh sugar, how i miss you so!
i’m starving… i want carbs!
its crazy because it’s only been 2 meals, and i went to the grocery store yesterday and loaded up on all the yummy things i can eat. i made a sundried tomato and basil pesto (sadly, no pinenuts allowed) that i ate yesterday on top of my wilted greens and poached egg. this morning i made a steamed egg with scallions and ate it with tomato slices with fresh ground pepper and sea salt. i even cheated and had a piece of sprouted whole grain toast.
unfortunately, candida isn’t a totally vegetarian friendly cleanse because they allow you to eat a variety of “natural” “free range” and “grass fed” meat proteins, but no tofu or soy products are allowed. so the only protein i can have is my free range organic eggs. and i don’t know how many eggs i can really eat a day without dying of cholesterol.
but seriously, i’m eating a lot. its weird how we are psychologically hungry and full based on what we perceive completes a meal and really makes us satisfied.
my friend actually asked me to do the candida cleanse with her out of the blue.
2 weeks of veggies and veggies and more veggies coming my way. i’m already hungry just thinking about it.
i have stopped taking my blood pressure every day. this has reduced my stress level. not sure if its reduced my actual numbers though :P
I just went on the Chinatown Alleyways Tour (http://chinatownalleywaytours.org/) and it was incredible. The program is a youth led youth run tour of the alleyways of Chinatown with amazing insight and knowledge of the rich history and political forces that have shaped Chinatown’s past and present. I was seriously blown away, it was so good… everyone needs to spend 2 hours doing this, seriously!
went running and had a bunch of crazy thoughts.
i’ve been busy gaining weight for the past few months, been eating and not running so saturday was the first time that i went out and did a real run – the run i used to do every week almost (acquatic park to baker beach and back).
as expected, there was plenty of pain involved… BUT i fell in love with running again and with san francisco. every time i do this run i am so awed by how beautiful san francisco is and how lucky i am to live here, well how fortunate i am in general that despite the pudge i’ve chosen to carry around lately, i am physically able to run and enjoy the beauty of the world while building a deeper connection with my body and spirit. saturday was so beautiful and clear and great running weather. the bridge was so bright red against the blue cloudless sky and the coast was breathtaking and i even ran the sand ladder and saw the naked people (who were looking, well… natural)
as i walked back to my car, loving life and loving the world, i saw a hummingbird and a homeless guy. i looked at the hummingbird and thought, oh how beautiful… but i didn’t have that reaction when i looked at the bum. each one a life force, why don’t we (I at least) see it as a beautiful thing that both exist? its sad that we don’t value all living beings, don’t you think?
i think with volunteering with the obama campaign (GOBAMA!), volunteering with CASA, and work, i’ve rid myself of the evenings wasted at the computer or in front of the tv (top chef is over anyway).
i just came from learning my song. my fabulous friend steven composed music for my cheesy ass lyrics. i think i kinda got the melody down. the hard part will be learning the chords… more to come :)
ok i have only been to yosemite once before and under less than enjoyable circumstances.
i just have to say that it was so incredibly beautiful. though i wouldn’t necessarily put it first on the list of gorgeous places i’ve been, it’s definitely breathtaking.
what struck me before even getting in to the park was an overwhelming sense of humility. i just felt so tiny there on the valley floor marveling at the grandness of the world. i thought how arrogant man is that we have treated our relationship with nature so poorly. i also thought how unfortunate it is that we’ve abandoned the belief in the sanctity of nature and created a technological, mechanical world in which we make it effortless for us to be destructive to the world and tedious to make a positive impact.
anyway, it was almost overwhelmingly beautiful and humbling. particularly because i am really really really really scared of heights. honestly, i wanted to go to half dome because i have seen peoples pictures and thought they were amazing. i didn’t really think through the fact that a climb to 8500 feet may not be the ideal activity for someone who is afraid of heights. this climb made me very aware of our vulnerability not only to nature and the greater world but to our own mind/fears.
basically, i got to the cables, freaked out because it was scary high and there were no gloves, and chickened out. it was cold, icy, and watching the way people came down the cables scared the shit out of me. i know, i know… i went all the way there, but i certainly didn’t go all the way there to fall off and die.
so i hiked the damn 11 hours and went all the way to that last 400 feet or so (then assed my way down) so i don’t know if it counts and if i get to cross it off the list or not.
but couldn’t bring myself to buy until yesterday… yay me, my first pair of flats!! and i don’t even feel too short and stocky wearing them. maybe cause they’re cute patent leather and shiny!!
This morning I went to a Bhakti Flow 2-3 class. My friend insisted that it was manageable because she had confused it with another class. It was way beyond my level and there were lots of things that I just couldn’t do. BUT at the beginning, the teacher said, being intermediate or advanced is not about being “bendy” its about being able to connect with your breath, because that’s what yoga is.
I’ve been working on challenging myself and pushing to or beyond my limits in my practice, so this was well… an opportunity.
The class was packed, like I was literally an inch away from my neighbors on the left and right and not more than 4-6 inches from my neighbors front and back. It was a bit too stimulating than I prefer… but I felt good that despite the obstacles I was able to focus for at least part of the practice quite well on my breath.
today i am going to a vegan potluck for labor day. my vegan “cheese”cake is in the oven, the raspberry lemon sauce is on the stove, and i am about to get started on my fennel potato salad.
i was careful at mealtimes and did fine but didn’t even hesitate to pick up a piece of chocolate and eat it. i remembered mid-reces :(
i dropped learning to whistle – cause this one is so much cooler. AND cause i bought a beautiful guitar last night. YAY!
this evening i bought a guitar which i will spend future evenings learning how to play
and i rode in the bed of a pick up truck for the first time and looked at the stars
also, i put my pictures in some frames i bought
and also i went grocery shopping
and i made some okra stew and yam
dragged my ass out of bed and did a nice morning practice. got me feeling engaged, awake, and envigorated. great way to start the day.
if anyone else is doing this, the current issue of yoga journal has a great article on home practice.
after a rather unproductive day (wasted at work) this evening i did the following rather productive things:
1. wrote my rent/water check
2. tried the new Mission Frijtz and indulged in truffle frijtz with orange ginger mayo
3. served coffee to lesbians
4. picked up all the clothes off the floor and bed
5. did laundry
6. went out dancing :)
