Wobbley

Ok. So tonight was my 3rd time at Moksha yoga. Getting better! Not as stinky as the first class. And, the non newbie teachers are really pretty good. At least the last two that I went to.
I like to stay one row away from the mirror. Not so close to my reflection but just enough to see myself and correct my position.
However, today we were doing this pose:

(dont know the name of it yet)
And the gal in the green tank in front of me, up against the mirror (right by my reflection) looked like this:

All wobbly, one foot down and up again, then down, then up again then down then up but holding some awkward pose. I felt for her. It is difficult to stay balanced! I had trouble too on many poses!!
But wow this was distracting!
And the sick person in me almost burst out laughing!
Im sick I know. I gotta work on that. Or go right up to the mirror so I only focus on myself.

Nipples of Vienna

Well, thats not exactly what these are. Im just referring to the fact they can look like titays haha. And also referring to a movie I saw on TV a few weeks ago about Mozart - Amadeus. Excellent old movie that I stumbled upon one night when I could not sleep. (think I saw parts of it before but never really paid any attention to it). Did not really appreciate his talent before this...... believe it or not, the movie has got me to start listening to classical radio during my communte to and from work.

Anyways, I have a sugar rush right now and am expecting to slump in my chair in a deep stupor after lunch. So maybe I can make the most of it and super clean this office and fill some casts that need to be made and polish my shoes and braid my hair before lunch ...  all right after I finish this post ! These stuffed jelly sugar cookies were given to me by a patient this morning to "have with a cup of coffee during your break". So thats what I made before I realized what she gave me was a sugar rush package. What What? Caffiene and Sugar ?! Ok, gotta run!

Tiger Balm.... Grrrrrrr

(excuse the blurry cell pic)

Oh that mediciney smell! Kinda reminds me of whenever I entered my grandparents room when I was 6. Ugh. Didnt really like it then. Now....... its not so bad.
Since I see alot of elderly patients, you may think this is a segway into talking about them today....
Nope. Today.... this mediciney smell is actually coming from yours truelay. My new perfume I guess.
I succumbed to buying this "natural" analgesic today. The pain in my fingers has not stopped. And I feel like it may be getting worse. My doc says Im too young to get arthritis but what does she know... she is younger than me. As I type, my wonky finger is feeling cool...and I can move it around better..... hummmm. As I said earlier, its not too bad. I dont mind the smell if it works.

Oh the joys of over thirty. Weird, a patient this morning asked if I was married, when I said no, she said "Oh you have alot of time...what are you, like 22?"

Oh such a contradictory life I lead!

...... A little laugh to start off the week : )

Hard Week

Wow this week is difficult. I dont even really know why. Nothing new compared to any other usual week that Ive had. It just seems to keep going on forever!
I heard a nurse today say in the hallway "Oh no, I totally thought today was Friday"

Thats how I feel. Im ready to pack it in for the day, and I look at the time .... 3:30pm (I finish at 6:30). I see a patient and think wow, I have no more energy, maybe there is just one more.... I look at the schedule and there are 4 more patients to see.

This is when I remember hiking in a Costa Rican rainforest for 3 hours, getting to the end of the tour and thinking that was a great tour, Im beat, this is the end so I guess I can rest soon.... then having to hike back up the mountain for the final leg of it................

... looking ahead thinking if I can just make it to the top of this flight of steps, it must be the end....... only to see more steps around the bend... while my chest is burning with the deep breathing and my legs are on fire, shakey and ready to give out. Its just like that.... the feeling of seeing never ending steps ahead of you....also kinda like walking up a downward escalator. Except the only way off of the escalator is to get to the top.
Ugh Just one more day......

Moksha or Mocha?

As I sit here at work, finishing off my belgian hazelnut, I contemplate whos thighs were connected to my body in the mirror during the Moksha class I attended over the weekend. Hugeamongous! Anyways, the mirror musta been warped or something due to all that heat in the room....this chocolate tastes good. Took me less than a week to finish..... its hugeamongous.... I said that word already.


So... my review of my first time at Moksha yoga:
After everything was done, I think it was great! I felt relaxed after and slightly energized. I stretched out some muscles easier than I would have in a cold room and toned some other muscles that definately needed toning. I felt like I sweatted out a bunch of toxins, maybe even clearing my zits up abit!  89 degrees F is actually only 32 celcius. Which isnt too bad. It was hard to get used to at first, but once I calmed down and relaxed, it was good, especially for someone like me, who has naturally cold extremities! All in all - definitely worth another try!

And now for the cons:
As I feared....... it stank. Im wondering if it is normally like this or I simply was so worried about this issue that I subconsciously was manifesting a self fulfilling prophesy. You know, like the book, The Secret. The secret of calling all stinky people to hover around me during hot yoga! I understand there is the normal B.O stuff - sweat smells, feet smells, etc. But musty-old- wet- ragg- towel that is used for every hot yoga class that has not been cleaned ever and is placed in a ball in the corner of the room ready to be rolled out again for the next hot yoga class smell, I was not expecting!  Really people. Simple personal hygiene, of yourself and of the equipment and things you bring to class. I mean, they talk about respectin the meditation of other students by being all hush hush.... how about my olfactory senses? Im sure they know about aromatherapy dont they?!? Thank goodness the instructor whipped out some eucalyptus cream mid class - it smelled so refreshing! (but it wasnt enough). Well, at least it gives me the idea of bringing some of that cream along for when I go to my next class.

And then there was the instructor herself. I should be a bit more understanding because this was a Moksha economy class, so they allow new instructors to lead these to get more practice. I found her voice not soothing at all. It had the "valley-girl" up tone at the end - almost like every statement is a question instead. And the flow was off a few times, like during crucial times - like in plank, when my arms and abs are burning, telling us to "swing our right leg up above our head then place our - right, no left, no right leg by our right um left no left hand wrist um ya left wrist..... " Um ya, I'll just sit in childs position while you figure out what you want us to do, my arms are tired and Im swimming in my sweat.
But I must say, the positions she gave us were challenging enough to push us farther, yet not too advanced for a beginner like me, so we got a nice work out. I did go into childs position a couple of times when I couldnt do anymore. She also walked around to correct some peoples positions and verbally told the class the correct positioning as she did so. Sometimes this leads to over staying in one position side and not enough time on the opposite side, but I guess that is common since it has happened in another yoga class I took before. I hope to give moksha another try again soon! 3.5/5*

Beef Vegetable (Quinoa ) Barley ! Soup

To counter my last post, I'm going to talk about some REAL soup. REAL Gooooood Soup.
I'm no soup connoisseur, but lately I have taken an interest in real soup. Meaning - from scratch. Also, given the fact that I have been sick more times in the past 8 months than I have been in about ten years, soup is my new fav!
It started off with my regular visits to the Upper Crust  for their AMAZING minestrone soup. Actually... their soup was the only thing I went there for (other than their lemon-blueberry tart - which they shipped in and charged an arm and a leg for). I loved this soup because it was made from scratch. And it was a burst full of flavors all into one, with even a wonderful touch of ginger, for my colds on a rainy day.

But alas, since my Italian patient (who's recipe it was) stopped working there, the quality diminished as the prices soared! (7$ for a soup? Really? Is it made of gold?... whatever, I'm cheap, what can I say)  This actually lead   forced me to attempt to make my own soup. After a few tries, I think I did pretty good. I call it my Italian Veggie Barley soup! (actually it has no name, I just made that up on the spot... it should really be my I need to save my lunch money to one day buy a home ... soup).

But that's not what I'm here to give away. I'm here to share with you yet another AMAZING tasting soup. I will admit, it surpasses mine. (NOTE: its better with barley than quinoa.)

1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 cup diced stewing beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup quinoa BARLEY
4 cups beef broth
1 sprig (what the heck is a sprig?!)fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs parsley
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Prep:

Heat oil in large sauce pan on medium-high heat. Place the beef in the pan and brown for 5 min. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until the onion is opaque, about 10 min. Add the quinoa and beef broth.

Make a bundle of herbs by placing the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and parsley in a small 4- inch (5 cm) square cheesecloth and tying it with a cotton string. (you can also use a tea strainer or simply tie the herbs together with a string)Immerse the bundle in the soup.

Simmer the soup for 17 minutes, until the quinoa is tender. Add the red pepper and peas in the last 8 minutes of cooking. Remove the fresh herbs, Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Where's my Balsamic vinegar soup?

Sometimes I like a little bit of greens with my Salad dressing.....
This is not enough dressing!
Really? A fair amount of salad from the take-out Swiss Chalet and then they give you those itsy-bitsy packets of dressing.
Im parched! This salad isnt going to quench my thirst!
I think Im going to choke on this lettuce leaf!
Should of asked for an extra packet.... or to 'Biggie' the dressing.
I know what you are thinking.
But stop. Its still healthy. Its balsamic.

Yogi 'Bare'

Ha. Im showing my age with the Hanna Barberra reference.
Well, its the last leg this week. My final is on Thursday.
Im a little too chill about it right now since Im feeling waaaay too comfy that I rocked the last two Case Studys. I should beware of over-confidence with the continuing ed Pharm course Im taking.
Im a natural procrastinator. When things need to get done I feel that that is the perfect time to try to get everything else in my life in order! The rest of the time I laze around.

Well plans plans plans for after my exam is over. They always seem to flood me just before my exam.
One of which is to try out Moksha Yoga!
I tried yoga before... one class which was calming, almost meditatively stretching. The instructor was pretty good, stressing the importance of proper positioning, making adjustments to students here and there. The other was Ashtanga yoga... stressful, fast, difficult... a killer, and never again, if you ask me.
So when my friends mentioned trying out yoga again I quickly shunned it. Either too boring for my squash-paced self, or too crazy nutso for the lazy in me.
But some how the yogi in me kept calling me to come out.
I went to a house party before Christmas and met up with a gal I met at a party the year before. She ranted and raved about how yoga is amazing and has changed her life, her energy, her fitness, her mental well being. Wow! She was convincing! Especially when she mentioned it toned her abs!?!
Ive tried Pilates recently (which I know is amazing for the core) but I cant seem to get past the "thunk thunk" that my right hip makes as I do leg lifts (a misalignment - maybe ugh).
So again, this later half of the winter, a guy friend mentions the Moksha yoga and how he loves it and wants to do it again.
But since I havent heard from him yet, Ima go ahead and do it myself! Do it now while I have the interest or its just gonna fade and be forgotten.
So hopefully, after my exam this week!!

What to wear for this Hot yoga???  Im afraid I will pass out if I feel I cant breathe in the heat! And Im sensitive to "smells" - thats some major sweating going on in there and if it reeks, Im gonna hurl for sure! Im temped to shower before and go in my skivies! Though Im also paranoid about plantar warts with all them bare feet. So skivies and socks and nose plugs.....

Anyhow gotta stop the worrying. Yoga better help.
Let it go.......
OOhhhuummmmmm.......
namaste.

Im excited!

Hacking Specialist

Not what you may think. Nothing at all to do with computers.
But I should be an expert by now. I mean, 5 times within 8 months.
World record for me who has hardly ever missed a day of work in all my 10 yrs of working in this field.
I shouldnt blame others. Yet I cant help but do.
It all started off with this little sweet ol lady..... coughing on my head.
That night, my throat had a scratchy feeling.
I was down for almost 2 weeks.
Postponing a new date's second date requests for about 4 times.... he finally gave up and thought I was faking.
I tried everything I knew of then.
Concoctions of the juice of 1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 lemon once a day.... heck I even upped it to 2 times a day.
I think the enamel of my teeth wore down a few layers worth.
And the Cold FX extra strength, doubling up on the dose per day.
What a costly hoax, if you ask me now.
Then the sick days. Those days I hardly touched at work. Broke my record. Again and again.
I sweated it out as well. Wrapping myself up in socks and fleecy track pants, sweater and scarf. My flannel sheets and douvet coccooning me up until you can only see my eyes.
Who knows if these things contributed to my recovery.
Eventually, after what seemed like a life put on pause, I came out of it.

Only, to have it come back in a familiar yet different form a few months later.
That itching cough you can feel coming on which brings with it so much anxiety as I panic inside, trying to muffle and hold back the pressure building in my throat, sometimes odd sounds escape my mouth, my eyes begin to tear up and turn red, I panic,  trying to find my exit out of any social situation, be it a work meeting, a discussion with a patient, a conversation with a friend, or an outing on  date....Armed with my ricolas and halls and hot honey-lemon- ginger tea in hand,  I still panic inside, knowing that when it starts, I am left helpless, at its mercy, being forced into unsightly hacking, lung ejecting coughs that I know will not stop, until my eyes and face are red and my throat is raw and until I exasperate every little  bit of air in my lungs in hopes it will clear this uncontrollable, unconsoleable hacking cough.... so then, I just need to ride out till the end of this coughing session until I can find that few moments of calm and normalcy  .............. and until I feel that throat itch and panic and anxiety set in once again.

Then during holiday season, the weeks long attack happens again, almost like it picks the times that my life is at its socially busiest.
Not quite leaving me on my vacation away and to come back yet again when I have to go back to work.
It seems to like my scheduled days off. Turning my "vacation days" into actual sick days - though Im too late to change it.
Muuhahahahahahah! I can almost hear it laughing at me as I hack away the last bit of lung tissue I have left.

This time, it started as an innocent "tickle" in my throat. Not again! I started early with the vitamin C. Kept the mask on at work and secretly avoided (like the plague) and was extremely annoyed at the squash partner that started coughing during our break, and the patient that came in saying that his cold is "almost gone" as he coughed away in my office.
This time when I simply swallowed my saliva, it felt like there was a golf ball stuck in my throat, and the soreness was felt into my ears and spread to my temples. I had headaches and body aches. And now when it seemed to be going away... that impending anxiety and non stop hacking feels like it is coming back to finish this one off again.

F(*%$!n cold! You have seriously overstayed your welcome this year! This last time will be the end of you dammit!