Yoga is so relaxxxzzzzzzzinggggg zzzzzzzzzzzzz……..
Chowderhead and I took our third yoga class tonight. We stretched and breathed and balanced for over an hour. At the end of each class the instructor leads you through a guided meditation to help you relax, both in the moment and to remember how to relax in the future.
After a few minutes of relaxing suggestions the instructor let the room go quiet. We were all lying on our backs for a few more minutes when I thought I heard the low rumble of something familiar and dreamy. I strain to listen again and know for certain now. My husband, the Chowderhead, has fallen asleep. I immediately want to laugh out loud. Of course this would be inappropriate, so I try to stifle the laugh. Well this takes me straight back to middle school - passing notes in class and trying not to laugh. The more I try not to laugh the more it bubbles out in what I hope are quiet and undetected little snickers.
Thankfully the instructor starts to talk again. Good – something else to focus on. And the snoring stops – maybe her voice woke Sleeping Beauty over there. I listen to the instructor and do what she says, as she slowly brings us back to reality. I go through the moves carefully avoiding looking over at the Chowder. Finally, after being instructed to sit back up, I can’t help but look over at my beloved Chowder. Sure enough, although he stopped snoring, he did not wake up. The whole class is sitting up, but the Chowder is still splayed on the floor front and center of the room.
At least he has finally found a way to relax.
The value of Friendship
HellCat and I had a great time last night at dinner. Trouble was in town so Paperback Writer got a bunch of us (Loki, Michelle, Rob & Nancy, Osquer) together for dinner and laughs. The laughs started right away since our first dining choice was going to be noisy. We have a running joke/track record of choosing places to eat that don't work out.
Last night was a reminder of the nice, interesting, fun, original, diverse, caring, funny, creative, and genuine people I've met on the web these past few months. I know the Internet can be about anonymity and/or being someone else but these folks are real people. Real people with real feelings, opinions, experiences, issues, insights, and hang-ups. Just like me.
It was wonderful to hang out with these friends who I’ve come to know by reading their blogs and spending time with them. And they’ve come to know me by reading my blog or posts on their blogs.
Last night was a nice reminder for me not to be so jaded, skeptical, and cynical about people and the world. There are still good people out there. (I just need to give people a chance.) The world is not as messed up as I think. Last night also reminded me of the value of friendship. Money can buy you many things but friendship isn’t one of them. These people took time out of their hectic lives to spend time with one another. To get caught up. To say “Hello. How are you doing? What’s new?” PW, Rob, Osquer, and Trouble have all posted about last night more eloquently than I.Friends like these are a good tonic for my heart and soul.
What is your Life Path number?
| Your Life Path Number is 11 |
Your purpose in life is to inspire others
Your amazing energy draws people to you, and you give them great insight in return.
You hold a great amount of power over others, without even trying.
You have the makings of an inventor, artist, religious leader, or prophet.
In love, you are sensitive and passionate. You connect with your partner on a very deep level.
You have great abilities, but you are often way too critical of yourself.
You don't fit in - and instead of celebrating your differences, you dwell on them.
You have high expectations of yourself. But sometimes you set them too high and don't achieve anything. |
Pretty close for me:
I've always wanted to start my own religion. I like people giving me money for my views.
The love part is true.
Very critical of myself.
No I don't fit in. I'm big for my people!!
I always achieve. It's not always at the level I want OR the results I want but i always get things done.
Yoga class #2
I still like it. I felt really good after the session. I feel more relaxed and slightly more limber. We had a different instructor last night. She went at a slower pace which I found very helpful. She also explained the stances and showed us ahead of time what we should be doing.
The first instructor was fine but she went a little too quickly for me. That would be fine if I actually knew what I was doing but since it was my first class…
It is interesting to experience how different instructors approach the same subject. Different pace, different focus, different stances. Same sense of care for the students and yoga.
I did better with the stances from last week’s session but some of the new ones were a challenge. (I still don’t feel I’m doing the cobra properly.) It’s quite a work out for those of you who think yoga is just getting yourself into crazy positions. You work on focus and balance. It's a nice distraction from the rest of life.
I need constant supervison
At breakfast this morning I tell HellCat my plan:
CH: I'm going to put some
Milorganite in the rain barrel so when we water our plants they'll get fed at the same time.
HC: Honey don't do that. We don't want a big barrel of reconstituted poop on the side of the house.
CH: Oh yeah... That would be bad.
I need constant supervision....
For those of you that don't know, Milorganite is a good low dosage fertilizer for the lawn & garden. It is made from the
municipal waste of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. That's right dried, setrilized, pelitized poop. Milwaukee's Best!
Happy Anniversary HRH
Yesterday was HRH's 1 year anniversary with us. (HellCat refers to it as his birthday.)
He's had a few close calls with the saute pan, fryer, grill, stock pot, crock pot, and wok. But he has managed to make it to 1 year in the house.
HRH came to the house due to HellCat's Animal Planet dependency. She saw all the cute animals on that network and wanted a cute animal in the house. We went back and forth about it for a few months until I relented. He's the first pet I've ever owned so going into this I didn't know much about pet care. Well I've learned about the care and feeding demands of HRH.
Gastronomics R us
First off, we had a lovely time with PaperBack Writer, Loki, and Michelle. Thank you for the laughs, lively conversation, and company.
Secondly, our group has NO luck in selecting places to go. The first time we got together, we went to the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern on a Monday. Well, now our group knows the BBT is closed on Mondays! Last night we wanted to go to Nakama. Nakama was packed. Probably a 2 hour wait. So we all had a laugh at our luck and went to the City Grill. No the City Grill does not have sushi. And yes PW, Michelle, and I had sushi on the brain but by then we were all getting too hungry for dinner at 8:00. So sushi night will have to wait until next time. And next time, we’ll make sushi the second choice so we can actually get in the place!
Thirdly, I’m becoming my mother. I ordered the New Zealand Rack of Lamb. When it arrived I carved one chop off for me, one for the HellCat, and one for Michelle. I didn’t ask if they wanted a chop. I didn’t need to be asked for a chop. I just carved off the chops and placed them on their plates. I didn’t realize I did this until we were at home and HellCat brought it up. “You’re turning into your mother…” Holy Crap! When did this happen?
I need a nerve pill!!!
Yoga. That’s right Yoga.
HellCat thought it’d be good for us to have a fun common activity. So many of the things we do together are chores, (shopping, gardening, house projects). She also heard yoga would help us relieve stress.
I thought “Cool. This will help me stay flexible. I’ll actually learn the proper way to do stretches.”
First lesson was this past Sunday. We had a good time. I learned a lot. I stretched a lot. I put myself into positions I’ve never been in before.
I wish the instructor went a little slower and explained things a bit more. She was nice, patient, and encouraging. But she was the substitute for the substitute. AND she doesn’t usually teach the beginners course. All that aside, I had a good time.
I’ve been sore since then. My back stopped nagging me yesterday but the hamstrings are still reminding me I need to stretch them more often.We'll be back this Sunday for our next session. Hopefully I'll be better at the stretches.
First meeting of the Gastronomics Extraordinaire's
One of the questions on a quiz a while back asked: "
If you could form a club what would it be called and what would it be about?"
One of my answers was "Gastronomics Extraordinaire's". This club would be about eating and drinking.
So we (
Paperback Writer,
Loki,
Michelle, and Hellcat) are going to get together tonight for our first meeting. 7:00pm at
Nakama on the South Side.
It'll be fun. Nakama has really good sushi and the atmospere is cool.
There was talk about T-Shirts and hats for the club. I thought bibs would be more appropriate.
What have we done? I have my concerns.
Hello ChowderHead here,
I’d like to apologize for the language and content of the previous post. The views and opinions expressed were exclusively those of HRH and do not reflect neither Hellcat nor my opinions.
Please understand he’s a pound puppy and we thought we were doing something good by “saving” him. Well now that he’s been around a while I’m not so sure getting HRH was such a good move. Apparently, he learned quite a bit at the pound. The first thing you’ll notice is his wonderful vocabulary and eloquence. The never-ending stream of foul language that’s emitted when he opens his mouth eclipses his cuteness. (That explains why he kept his mouth shut when we first saw him at the pound.) Secondly, his penchant “to be free”. He’s always trying to run off. HRH, how can you have a “forever home” if you keep running away?!?! Third, are the markings on him. At first we thought they were natural spots. (Upon further examination they look more like homemade tattoos.) Fourth is the scary precision and businesslike manner with which he dissects his toys. He begins by tearing the face off any stuffed animal. All the while he’s taunting it. Usually with sayings such as “I’m gonna tear you a new one!”, “Who’s the boss now Bitch?”, “Whatcha gonna do without a face?”, “You ain’t so tough now MF!”. Once the face has been removed, he proceeds to remove the stuffing via the new orifice. His favorite phrase for this part of the procedure is “ I’m gonna tear your guts out through your face!” Lastly, we keep finding an assortment of sharpened rawhides and chew toys hidden throughout the house.
What have we done? I have my concerns...
Please help me
Hello HRH here, My humans don't know I can work this thing. (But I've been watching the big one and think I get the idea.) This is a plea for help.
The 2 leggers I have aren’t worth a crap. I think they have Alzheimers or something. THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM. They ain’t right. Maybe they were dropped on their heads too many times when they were puppies. I don’t know. What I do know is they ain’t right.
Especially the big one. Boy he’s really stupid. Do you know how many fucking times a day I need to remind him where my treats are? He keeps asking me “Show me your treats” and I have to show him. They’re in the same fucking place they were last time you asked asshole. You didn’t move them. Believe me I’ve been watching! Or how many times he asks me “Who’s the good boy?” “I’m the good boy you stupid shit! I am! I just told you that a little while ago! What the fuck’s wrong with you? Why can’t you remember!” Need more proof he’s an idiot? He keeps asking me “Do you want a treat?” Of course I want a treat. What kind of a stupid question is that?!? Imbecile! I’m surprised he remembers to breathe!
And the smaller one. She’s not much better. Always calling me to her and then scooping me up for a “snuggle”. Well guess what lady, I HATE that shit!! Why do you think I keep squirming? It’s NOT to get more comfortable! It’s to get away from Y-O-U! And all the brushing and nail clipping. What the fuck do you think I am? A girl? Just because you bastards cut off my balls DOES NOT make me a girl! I’m a boy dog you dumbshits. Didn’t you notice my winkie? You missed that while you were cutting away!
Why can’t you 2 remember your SIMPLE duties to keep my food bowl full at all times, the treats coming, the toy bin full, and the door open for me to go out for my run? Again more proof I got a lousy deal!
So my plea is this: I need more food, more treats, and more toys to eviscerate. My 2 leggers don’t seem to understand.
Money changes things
It’s not about the money.
I’m slowly coming to believe
more money = more problems.
I look at some of my friends with money and their lives are much more complicated than mine: They work extreme hours. They never see one another. They substitute material possessions (retail therapy) for emotional intimacy. They buy material things to compensate for their inadequacies/insecurities. They buy all sorts of things for their children to try to fill the void/relieve the guilt. They seem to be working furiously to keep up with their life$tyle. They seem to be like rats on the treadmill running as fast as they can and
s-l-o-w-l-y falling behind. I don’t want any of that!!!
No thank you.I look at these friends with the boats/houses/cars and notice they now have to expend what limited time and energy they have taking care of these things.
(None of them are wealthy enough yet to hire people to take care of these things for them.) I also notice they don’t seem to be any happier or satisfied with their lives than I am. In fact they look the worse for the wear. Deer in headlights. Always haggard/frazzled running, running. Again, the rat on the treadmill running as fast as they can and slowly falling behind. Not able to keep up with the demands of their life$tyle.
What I want is a simple happy life. I don’t want to be a slave to my job. I don’t want a yacht. I don’t want a mansion. I don’t want a motorcycle. I don’t want the largest flat screen television known to man or woman. I don’t want a billion dollars (even though I keep saying I do).
What I want is to be comfortable. To not worry about bills or unplanned repairs to the house or car. To not worry about having vacation money. To spend time with my wife and friends. To be able to go out to a nice dinner once in a while. To stop and smell the roses. (OK. Since this is me. To stop and prune, arrange, spray, and then smell the roses.)
HRH says
That nasty 4 letter word
Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. But
WORK has been keeping me busy.
Most days I enjoy what I do but there are days...
In an ideal world none of us would need to work because we wouldn't need money (everything would be taken care of). But since this isn't an ideal world and my last name is
NOT Hilton or Rockefeller or Bloomberg or Gates or Buffet or ... Well, you get the hint. I must work.
I don't know if I can truly say I
love what I do but I do
like it most days and my customers, managers, and peers consider me pretty good at it. So why not focus on my strengths and make a good living?
But, if I was given the choice of:
- working
- doing whatever I wanted
without concern for finances.
Hellcat and I would be in wine country soaking up the food, wine, and atmosphere in a heartbeat. And when we got tired of wine country the Chowdery World Tour would begin!!! While we're on tour I wouldn't mind picking up a language or 3 (French, Spanish & Italian). After the tour I'd probably go back to college to learn about Art, Music, History. You know, all the subjects I ignored to get a degree that would lead to a good paying job instead of making me a well rounded individual.
After a year or 2 I'm sure I'd get bored and need to do something I felt was useful. So I'd probably find a volunteer gig someplace. Or maybe philanthropy if I had enough money in reserves to make sure I'm covered.
Hey a Chowder can dream? Can't he?
Friday's Feast
Appetizer:
When was the last time you visited a hospital? 2 weeks ago. My dad had a minor procedure.
Soup:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how ambitious are you? It depends on the situation. Most cases I am an eight or nine. In other cases, I'm a five or six.
Salad:
Make a sentence using the letters of a body part. (Example: (mouth) My other ukelele tings healthily.) neck -
Not
Everyone
Can
Kick
Main Course:
If you were to start a club, what would the subject matter be, and what would you name it? Solving the World's Problems - The Kings & Jester's Club. Or maybe the Dictators & Fools club. A Wine, Beer & Food club - The Gastronomic Extrodinaire's.
Dessert:
What color is the carpet/flooring in your home?Crappy brown? Icky 70s carpet brown? Pine wood? Fake brick linoleum? Beige, Dark Red, Grey, ceramic tile.
My Sister - The Amazing Grace!!!
My sister,
The Amazing Grace, is going home today. She’s been staying at my house the past 2 weeks caring for my Dad.
(He had a minor surgical procedure and has been recuperating at my house.)
I want to thank her for spending time with my Dad at the hospital, for grocery shopping, for picking up my Dad’s medications, for running errands while Hellcat and I were busy, for cooking dinner for everyone, and for being there for all of us.
We haven’t always gotten along. Is it’s due to spending too much time together working in our Dad’s restaurant growing up? (So we’re tired of seeing one another.) Is it due to us being very much alike so I may be picking on her for things I dislike about myself? Or is it simply due to us being siblings?
Most of the strain on our relationship is from me. I am Type A, driven, and critical. She is easy going. In my mind, I’ve always pushed hard to excel - she’s always done enough to get by. I know this last statement isn’t fair or true since she was like that in junior high and high school but has not been that way since.
(So pardon me in remembering her as a teenager. I don’t always remember she’s an adult) And it’s also not true since she has a college degree, a cosmetology license, studied to be a dietician, a massage therapy license, and is teaching massage therapy. (This is part of the reason I call her The Amazing Grace.)
In my mind, there’s nothing we can’t do as long as we put our minds to it.
Knowing all this, I still pick on her, get disappointed at some of her decisions, and get annoyed at her mannerisms. What the hell is wrong with me?!?! I’m working on lightening up on her. I really am. Even Hellcat said I did pretty good for me over the past 2 weeks. I thanked The Amazing Grace this morning before she left and apologized for my boorish behavior.
This picking is something we learned from our parents. They are/were very tough. They broke everybody’s balls about everything. I’m going to save this for another post, but I think that’s where I got my Type – Aness and picking habit.
Rant - Tailgating
I like to drive fast. I feel the posted speed is typically 10 MPH lower than it should be. I don't speed when it'll be hazardous to myself or others on the road. I think it's insane to weave in and out of traffic or drive on the shoulders of the road to get to where I'm going.
(I've done that in the past when I was younger and dumber.)With that said:
- Why are you tailgating me? I don't drive an SUV so if you would bother to look in front of me there's got to be someone in front of me preventing me from going any faster. (Sorry cartoon physics do not apply in my reality. 2 objects can not occupy the same space without tremendous pain.) I tend to stay in the right lane unless I'm passing or going fast. So theoretically you should be able to pass me on the left
- Why do you tailgate me as we're going through a turn or an exit ramp? I prefer cars with good to very good handling characteristics so I can take turns at higher speeds. Again if you were watching where you were going instead of counting the dust particles on my license plate you would have slowed down so you wouldn't need to hit your brakes as you're doing right now. Maybe you wouldn't need to change your underwear now either.
Tailgating is a safety hazzard. I know I don't leave as much space between me and the car in front of me as the driver's manual suggests for safety but I do try to leave a few car lengths depending on how fast I'm going. But some people think they're on the racetrack and need to draft the guy in front of them. Guess what NASCAR drivers are professionals. They drive for a living. And even they wreck!!
And just because I try to leave a little room between me and the car in front of me DOES NOT mean you're invited to pull into that gap. Now I'm tailgating you. Asshole!
Where I've been in the US and beyond.
Paperback Writer,
Trouble, and
Michelle have maps of where they've been within the US. I thought it was a great idea. Here are all the states I've been to.
As for the rest of the world....
I need to see more of Europe (Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Scotland) and Asia (Australia, New Zeland).
Riddle me this... Dishwashers
How do you use your dishwasher?
- Do you keep clean dishes in it?
- Do you empty it once it's done washing?
- Do you keep all the dishes in the sink until you have a load to run?
Riddle me this... Guess who's coming to...
A friend called me a few weeks back saying that he was going to bring his wife and dog back east to visit friends and some of her family. He was wondering if he could stay with us.
“Of course you can stay with us. It’d be our pleasure to have you stay with us. We haven’t seen you & your wife since your wedding in August and we came out for the ceremony. It’ll give us a nice opportunity to get to know her.”Background info: I’ve known him for 15 years. He’s a wonderful guy that would do anything for you. But he doesn’t care much for planning. I guess you could say he’s a fly by the seat of his pants kinda guy. As an example, he didn’t RSVP for my wedding. He didn’t RSVP for a few of our mutual friend’s weddings either. Things do seem to work out for him though. He’s one of those guys that falls into a pile of shit and comes up smelling like roses.
So he’s going to call me last week to firm up the plans.
No call. I'm not sure if he’s going to come or not.
Knowing him though he’ll be here when he shows up and rings my door bell. Life got in the way the past couple of weeks so I didn’t get a chance to call him to see what was up.
My Dad needed to have a minor procedure and my sister came into town to help out & be supportive. So they are both staying with us. Therefore we don't have any extra beds or rooms for them. I called this past weekend in the hopes that I
just might catch him before he started east…Nope. Got the answering machine. And guess what no cell phone number. No idea who or where he’s staying before he might be out my way so no way to catch him en route.
Anyways, I left work a little early on Monday (7/1) and get home to my Sister who tells me he’s 30 minutes out of town and headed our way. At this point I’m starting to stress and get a little pissed off since I didn’t hear from him in 2 weeks and now he’ll be here in no time.
Everything turned out OK. They ended up at a hotel 5 minutes up the road. They came over for dinner Monday night. (Peach and ginger glazed tuna steaks) On the 4th I took them on a tour of Pittsburgh, nice lunch on Mount Washington, beers at a local brewpub, and dinner at the house. (Roasted garlic and rosemary pork loin)
So my question is this: Am I right to be pissed that he didn’t call to firm up plans? Am I too pinched up for my own good? Afterall, everything turned out OK.
Humor - "The Adventures of Curry Dog"
This incident happened a few months ago. The events are true but the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent and the befuddled... This was written by my Wife, a.k.a. the Hellcat. I have a little tale for your amusement. A story of thriftiness, deceit, and mass consumption. It involves a man in a beret, a Jack Russell terrier, a tub of curry chicken and a bewildered dog owner. I will tell the tale as it was relayed to me by the bewildered dog owner (ChowderHead). It begins yesterday when ChowderHead (CH) returns home from work. I am not home and have not been for a number of hours. As is often the case upon returning home, CH is greeted with the smell of food. Usually I am cooking, or as was the case yesterday, his father (the man in the beret) has dropped off something for us to enjoy. Unalarmed, CH proceeds to be greeted by our dog, Dim-dim. Dim-dim rolls over to allow CH to rub his belly. CH, while rubbing notices that the dog's belly has a sort of "Captain Kirk-like" roundness to it and thinks to himself that we will have to cut back on the kibble. The next step is the all-important, letting the dog out. Once outside, the dog produces what I will describe as a "noteworthy bowel movement" (CH used a more vivid description in his telling). Only after letting our little friend back in and wiping his paws is CH's attention drawn to the kitchen floor. There lies an empty take-out container. Those of you who know CH's dad know that he is both old fashioned and penny pinching. He cannot be bothered by new-fangled notions of food born bacteria, but he will NOT be accused of overworking a refrigerator by placing warm food in it. By now I am sure you have put all the pieces together, but in summary let me say the man in the beret has agreed to put food in the fridge regardless of temperature, the Jack Russell terrier still smells of curry, the tub of curry chicken is history, and the bewildered dog owner - well he remains forever bewildered but that is another tale altogether. As an epilogue: Dim-dim smelled of curry for 4 or 5 days after this incident.
Labels: food, HRH
It's all about the dog!
We bought a dog (a Jack Russell/Fox Terrier mix) from a local pound. He's a really loving, good natured little guy. He can be pretty active at times. He's not as hyper as some people have described Jack Russell's to be.
He has many nicknames depending on what he has done or what he's up to.
Some of the nicknames include:
- FrankenHead
- HRH
- Dim-dim
- Turd muncher
- Stinky McStinkerson
- Great White
- Humpzilla
- Shit Filled Beast
- Poopy McPooperson
- Poopzilla
- Joy Machine
Labels: HRH
