sunset from last night--inspiring

sand, sand, everywhere....

I love Tuesday nights. Solely, for volleyball. Inspiring.
Last night was a little different. The turnout was smaller. I arrived and knew only one guy well enough to joke around with. Miles is the one that decided to name me Sara. It took, and last night, several people greeted me with--Hey, Sara. I think I prefer my Mexican nickname--Destiny. I acquired that nickname on a flight from Denver. Over the course of the flight, the guy next to me, told me his life story and inquired about my life. Short flight, but long enough to have a personal history laid out. When I walked away from the guy, he said--Destiny, it was a pleasure to meet you.
I couldn't believe it. How was it possible that this guy would forget my name after telling me all of these personal stories? I retold this to my friends in Mexico and from that point on, I was introduced as Harmony from the States and Destiny while she is visiting Mexico. Definitely a better nickname, for me, than Sara.
Anyways, I was on a team with two guys to start. One had a vicious serve and the other was a capable player. My serves were consistent and I managed to dig out serves and field that back court well. My net play struggled all night. Each time I had the opportunity to spike, suddenly, I would overthink my move and screw it up. It sucked. The one guy with the awesome jump serve was also a great setter. He consistenly tried to make a play work with me. Drats! It wasn't sticking. A few more people showed up and we recruited the lack of personality guy. Great serve but otherwise, no contribution. Seriously. This guy would not attempt a play unless the play was hit directly to him. Frustrating! And, he has no personality whatsoever. I think I have seen him smile once over the course of three Tuesdays. Talk about intense.
Throughout the night, Miles kept making comments to me. Light hearted and he made me laugh. We opted to redraw cards to change up the dynamics. Three people left which left us with eleven people and one volleyball. At this point, two more people decided to leave since playing with five, per side, is too cumbersome. Had we had anothe volleyball to play with, well, we could have split up more.
We played one more match and it was okay. Overall, the night was lame, really. I did manage to protect my knees and restrict excessive bleeding. That is something. A few people met for beers afterwards. I opted to return to the west valley. A porter sounded delightful and so I stopped at a market in route to the casa. Of course, they did not have any dark beers outside of Guinness which did not sound appealing. I settled for a belgian wit.
I woke up this morning and found sand in my bed which wasn't too surprising since I did play volleyball last night. I brushed my hair and surprise--more sand. I didn't think I dove that much, last night. Apparently, I did. My hair is full of sand. Just another friendly reminder of volleyball. The sand factor. I look forward to next week and hope that the turnout is greater. It was a mediocre outing at best.

shout outs to---

Woke up this morning intending to go for a run. Lingering, in bed, I journaled for about ten minutes. I am trying to unleash creativity in my life. At some point, I read a book that suggested journaling, first thing, daily, three pages. Even if it was the same sentence, over and over and over, it was the effort of releasing it that was important. I realize that I self censor frequently. I need to let go of some of my limitations.
Journaling delayed the run. Possibly postponing it all together. Excited. Not lying. I can be lazy, unmotivated and negative about running. Today, definitely could have been postponed until I looked outside and realized that it was over cast. Perfection. I had to go. There was no way out. Rarely, are there days this ideal, in terms of the running conditions here. I stretched, grabbed my visor/sunglasses and headed out. Oh, and I have upgraded my visor. My beloved one is in a drawer, resting. I think I finally washed it after running numerous 1/2's and two marathons. I was afraid that I would jinx my performance if I washed the visor. I know, it sounds crazy. It made sense to me.
Currently, I am sporting a visor advertising my friend's bar in Mexico. I am still working out the kinks and adding salt to it to make it look overused. My old visor is ideal for running. I want this one to be my new go-to visor.
Anyways, I take off and it is fantastic. I feel wonderful and I am not overheating. I listen to the Rolling Stones and consider what day it is. Yesterday, I finally sent a card off to my friend, Jenny. I have known Jenny since she was ten years old. She was my neighbor and best friend for the remainder of grade school, the beginning of middle school and recently, we reconnnected in Denver. High school separated us. My parents divorced and we relocated to the north side of town. Still, we attended the same high school. We just had different interests. I had to work. She didn't. Our memories of high school differ greatly.
Regardless, she is my friend and will continue to be. We reconnected in Denver and had started to meet every two months for happy hour. Until, things changed for both of us. I miss those happy hours. I sent her a card to wish her happy birthday and catch up. I hope we are able to catch up over food and soon.
Back to the running aspect...I have another friend who, also, is celebrating a birthday today. Brett, one of my favorite Canadians. Brett and I participated in a running group in Denver and celebrated in Vegas. I ran the full and he tackled the 1/2. Awesome memory. I wish each of them a lovely day. I am sure that Brett will celebrate to the fullest. I don't know if he will go running, per se, but a few vodka sodas are in order. I know that they had a spontaneous celebratory dinner on Sunday.
I began celebrating by running and will conclude today by playing volleyball. Love the new routine on Tuesday. I considered taking a day off to heal the scab factor on my knees. Both knees are displaying lovely little strawberries of the last two Tuesdays. Someone suggested knee pads, but that doesn't look tough. That looks soft. I try not to dive, but that isn't truly playing in my book. I am finding that I really enjoy volleyball. My only regret is not finding teams to play the last 8 summers. I have missed out.
Happy Birthday to Brett and Jenny. Celebrate, enjoy and be happy!

jealous

Shari and her niece, Hannah, are in New York City. Color me green with envy. What a place. Vibrant city, foodie friendly and more. I am so jealous of their adventure. I love the Big Apple. My one and only visit was a year ago. I must return. That trip focused on the food factor. I adored that but recognize that there is so much more to explore. The theatre, more of Central Park, food, bars, people watching. I saw a glimpse of its greatness and I found someone to accompany me. Ironically, my initial thought was to explore on my own and then I ran into Manraj who happened to be living there during the week. He resided between Denver and New York. Since he was relatively new to the city, he was up for my suggestions of food. We checked out Motorino and L'Occanda Verde. Both were excellent. We had wine at a kosher wine bar near Time Square, too. I had a blast. It was nice to have someone to explore with, too. I tried many fantastic items as a result of running into Muni.
Shari's niece, Hannah, is fourteen. I am, also, jealous of her. I wish one of my aunt's had offered to take me on a vacation when I was fourteen. Seriously--what an opportunity. There are so many things to see and to view them as a teenager is amazing. They arrived today amongst a huge parade celebrating the recent marriage change. A parade of grandness that closed down parts of the city. Shari mentioned that they were unable to cross 5th Avenue. I can only imagine some of what they saw. The attire or lack of attire must have been amusing and eye opening for Hannah.
I contacted my friend, Mark, that is extremely user friendly not only as a guide, but also as a restaurant resource. He knows some incredible places. I told Shari that she must try to see him and meet him in person. Mark is great people. He is extremely busy but found time to follow up with both me and Shari. Impressive. Inspired to find time to return to New York myself. A show would in order this time around. Or possibly a 1/2 Marathon would be appealing. Then there is the food factor. Don't even get me started. I could spend a week, solid, just finding places to dine. I would have to return to some of the places I checked out last time--Motorino, Daniel and Colicchio & Sons. Superb dining all of them. And, recently, I borrowed a recipe from a blog that was inspired after dining at Motorino. I would definitely have to return there. I think I would want to check out some of the food stands, too. I am hungry just considering a trip to NYC.
I know that whatever Shari and Hannah decide to do that it will be a great adventure. A once in a lifetime trip. New York has that awe factor. Magical, it seems.
They did sample Motorino tonight. They both enjoyed the meal according to my voicemail. I will have to find out what they tried. Afterwards, they walked back to their hotel and stopped to enjoy ice cream. Gotta love summer and the ice cream factor.
Instead of ice cream, I chose mint tea and dark chocolate. Delightful way to conclude a productive day. Happy Sunday!

Sunday dinner

I had forgotten that I had been posting about my creations on Sunday night's. Sunday night seemed to be the one night where my friends and I would enjoy a relaxing, chill day, and conclude with a home-cooked meal. Easter was the first attempt and since then, we have invited others to join us. I enjoy the practice of it. Although, sometimes, I have been lazy and relied on Tom to grill so that I can enjoy one more glass of wine at my favorite wine bar. I am finding that to be counterproductive. I should cook. Grilling is great but we tend to eat the same fare. I like to challenge my skills.
Anyways, last week, I skipped since I had a friend in town and we were on the other side of town. His friends were interested in entertaining us which was an excellent change of pace for me. His friend, Mark, was a little heavy handed on the mai-tai's. Yes, he actually made stronger drinks that I do. It was crazy. We had carne asada tacos and guacamole. Yummy!
Today, a friend of mine texted me and asked what I was making for dinner tonight. My initial response was stirfry. I have been on a vegetable kick and trying to find ways to spice up the routine. Stirfry seemed like a nice change.
However, tonight, I stopped by the local farmer's market and purchased spaghetti. I had onions, garlic and grape tomatoes. Inspired to carmelize onions and create a different dish. Carmelizing onions still sort of eludes me. My first attempt was years ago in the house I shared with Sara. I invited some of my co-workers over. I cannot remember the occasion. Only, that it took forever and without much success. I remember Brie commenting on my attempt. Funny.
This time I cooked the onions over a medium heat and added balsamic after they were translucent. I didn't want to overcook the onions. I watched closely and it was better. It improved and next time will be even more successful. I added garlic. When I put the pasta in the water, I tossed the tomatoes into the mix.
Flavorful and delicious. Plus, I have leftovers for tomorrow. Life is grand. I enjoy cooking and showcasing my skills even if it is a work in progress. Grateful for the reminder text. Next week, well, it is a holiday. I have friends in town or am considering a return to the beach. If that occurs, it is likely, that I will not be making dinner. Enjoy your night~

Different approach to practice

New yoga concept--direct two different practices in one classroom. Success.


Here is how it happened. I had told Vanessa that it was highly likely that I would be missing the next class as I believed a mexico trip was in the works. I e-mail Vanessa about things I like/dislike and how I would like to see my practice evolve. This works for me. I enjoy having an open line of communication with my instructor. It gives me a sense of trust that in other studios I have not been able to build.


Anyways, since she thought I would be absent from the practice she altered her plans for the class. My trip to Mexico fell thru and I decided to head to yoga. I didn't e-mail Vanessa. I was on the fence with whether or not I wanted to go. In many ways, I knew that I would benefit from attending due to the super tight hamstrings. On the other hand, the studio is far and I was uninterested in the nidra class. If I was going to attend the class, I wanted it to be worth my time. I prefer the flow series. Since I had told Vanessa that I would be unable to attend (maybe) I was uncertan if she would be teaching nidra or flow.


I arrived, late. Tuesday night I had difficulty sleeping. Anxiety, stiffness, constant thinking. I took a siesta, woke up frantic and considered my options. Did I have enough time to make it to yoga? Should I try to do my own flow practice at home?


Then, I thought, just go. See how long it takes.


I arrived three minutes late. I walked in and there was the one lady that likes restorative yoga and the instructor. I unrolled my mat and joined the practice. Do a few breathing exercises and Vanessa stops, looks at me and says, "Harmony, I know you prefer the asana flow. I will direct you thru a flow series and Sheryl, I will have you focus on restorative yoga."


She told me to begin the sun series and turned her attention to Sheryl. While they focused on multiple hip openers, I went through four sun cycles and waited for more direction. She led me through a warrior two flow with the side angle, triangle and 1/2 moon being incorporated into the flow. All, in all, I think she was able to balance her duties through the different tasks. Eventually, we recombined the practices and I ended up finishing with restorative series. I think if we do this in the future, I would suggest continuing with balance instead of rejoining the restorative. It reminds me too much of hot yoga. Staying in a pose for too long. I prefer the movement and breathing that continues due to the flow series.


The other woman, Sheryl, is friendly. She misses the point of yoga, though. She focuses entirely too much on why she is uncomfortable in the poses. If she focused on her breathing, she would find enjoyment in the practice. Vanessa tries to be accomodating to this woman and aid her in the practice. It isn't taking yet. Sheryl is uncomfortable with yoga. I wish she would trust in the practice so that we could try more flow series.


Until then, I hope that Vanessa will conduct the class in this way. I thoroughly enjoyed the class.

stiffness

Sleep eluded me last night. I couldn't get out of my head about expectations and being sore from volleyball. That didn't go away when I woke up either. I believe yoga will help ease some of the stiffness associated with playing volleyball last night. Wow, am I sore! Must remember to stretch in the future, pre-match, and afterwards, too. Or, invest in a massage. Wouldn't that be nice?
I found some revive gel and applied it to my knees and feet. After showering the sand away, I found a few abrasions on my feet, too. The sand is not my friend. The revive gel was part of a goodie bag from one of the events I did last year. Thankful that I kept it for a rainy day. The gel worked like lavendar would I think.
My quads are both tight. I am trying to figure out where I developed this stiffness in both of my legs. Last week I ran which is normal and attended yoga class. I did some strength training, at home, which I suppose is where it happened. I stretched before and after the activity, but apparently not enough. For sure, I have soreness in quads. There is a tendon that feels super tight. I almost skipped volleyball, last night, due to this. I had spoken to my sister who is on a kickball league. At her first game, she didn't stretch and sustained an injury. The sprint to first base screwed with her hamstring. Hamstring injuries are no picnic. It seems like they can hang around for awhile from what I remember. In high school, I did the splits without adequate stretching. Next thing I know, I am couch surfing with ice praying for relief. I favored my right leg for awhile after injury.
After talking to my sister and remembering how uncomfortable I was when I strained my hamstring, I made sure to stretch long and hard. The last thing I wanted to do was sustain a tendon issue 7 weeks before my next half marathon. Especially when this is all in my control. I can stretch and I understand how important this activity is.
Yoga could be challenging tonight. I am not, at all, looking forward to the camel pose or any of the sitting on the knees stretches. Two weeks ago we focused on the controlled breathing exercises. Perhaps that will be the focus of tonight. There are two women in the class that I think would prefer that as opposed to the flow type of class. They are both new to yoga and out of stretching shape. The one lady feels the need to comment on her difficulty at most poses which is semi-annoying to me. I tend to block it out and work on my own practice. I find myself biting my tongue, sometimes, to stop myself from saying anything negative to her. I think it is excellent that she is trying to be healthy. I support that. I do not want to suggest otherwise. Plus, the instructor goes out of her way to keep me interested even if it is apparent that our levels of comfort greatly differ.
The best way to combat this stiffness is to get moving. Definitely time to greet the day and stop bellyaching about a good hurt. Volleyball is fantastic! I am glad that I decided to try it out again. A little discomfort is worth all of the joy associated with the activity. It is fun and connect friendly.