Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Valentines Day Haiku Competition

Okay... it's last minute, but I need advice on my valentines day haikus by the end of the day today...

Here they are:

(About candy hearts):

Kiss me, Cutie pie
Sweet sentiment but is very
Chalky in my mouth

(About chocolate):

Surprisingly bitter
but warmth begins the melt
and sweetness remains

(About dirty stuff):

Enveloped in darkness
a strong hand and a soft spot
All is forgotten

Friday, February 8, 2008

PNC made me OCD (TGIF, wanna be my BFF?)

On the scale of people with compulsive behaviors, I'm doing pretty well. I can throw things away, I can shake hands with strangers, and I can put mail in the mailbox without checking to see if it fell (or at least sometimes I can.)

But I am not the most relaxed person ever.

(the audience gasps... sarcastically)

I do one particularly strange compulsive behavior, but I'm here to clear my name and give explanation! When at an ATM, before I walk away, I press cancel several times. To the casual observer, it appears that I am a madwoman - obsessed with ensuring her transaction is complete.

Well, maybe I am mad, but there is an explanation: The average PNC Bank ATM has a design flaw. If you don't ask for a receipt, there is a significant pause after the transaction completes before it prompts you about whether or not you would like another transaction. Once, in a fit of distraction, I forgot my card.

In the wilds of Philadelphia, this type of overlook would nearly guarantee that some ne'r-do-well would be able to withdraw all my hard-earned pennies. Luckily, the one time I forgot was at a grocery store on the mainline - where apparantly everyone has significantly more money than I do - I'm actually quite surprised the person who found the machine in this precarious state didn't deposit some money out of pure pity.

But I won't be so cavalier as to think that my luck will hold out, so now I ensure that I complete each transaction with a few safety pumps of the cancel button.

Oh, and I'll still open door handles in the college with my sleeve.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Don't make me go all Hurley on you...

First, I know I am a bad blogger these days. Blame it on the two jobs, the yoga goals, and all the people having babies and getting married. I can barely keep up with all the work - so anything extra has been nearly impossible to focus on.

But I have really been thinking about an issue that came up recently and I need an outlet to talk 'bout it, so here I go: Hurley.

I watch LOST. It's the only network show that I watch. Not owning a television myself, I have a trusted friend and coworker tape the show for me, since I am no longer able to wait for the DVDs to come out. I can only be expected to be SO patient.

With the season premiere now behind me, a question that really bothers me has come up again: "Why doesn't Hurley lose weight?" I hate the question. I find it offensive. I hate the moments in the last few episodes where Hurley's weight was commented on - regardless of the intent of protection by both Charlie and Sawyer. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

I hate it because it proves to me again that we are all so obsessed with weight. Hurley's compulsive eating was added to the story line, and still people are wondering why he doesn't lose weight. NO ONE HAS LOST WEIGHT! Not one character has changed in appearance significantly. I guarantee it is partially so that they have ease of creating flashbacks and adding plot-lines as if they occurred in the beginning of the show. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Jorge Garcia is not allowed to lose any significant amount of weight - I bet it's in his contract.

And yet, it's still a question. And for me, that is an issue.

I know that I am sensitive. As someone that works very hard to maintain their weight, I often still feel judged. It pains me to no end to see people struggle with their weight and with their body image and I leap to the defensive whenever the issue comes up.

This whole post came as a result of a conversation that was days and days ago - and yet I still can't let it go. It makes me realize that while I am healthy - and perhaps even athletic at this moment in my life - I still have a long way to go with my body image and with accepting that this body is a good place to be.

In my yoga class this morning, my AWESOME teacher said something truly thought provoking. He had seen a performance recently where the musicians looked absolutely thrilled to be performing. He encouraged us to do the same with our yoga practice: to enjoy the time - to play with what our bodies can do.

My intention when I go to class is usually just to get through. To be in the moment without judgement, but maybe more often I need to set my intention as "I need to play!" To enjoy the body that I inhabit, and to see what it can do. To take it out for a joyride now and again and let things just happen. That sounds awfully refreshing, but to do so, I may very well need to let some of my issues go.