OK, let's see if this works... No comments, so either people couldn't read the last blog entry or nobody had a problem with the font change. 

So teacher training is still kicking my butt. My last Body Reading assignment and my last sequence were...not received well. But unlike Graduate School, I can just re-do them. It's not graded. 

This week, I started the Apprenticeship segment. Now NORMALLY, we'd have a "Head to Toe" yoga class and we (the trainees) would be the apprentices to the master teacher. We'd learn by doing. But, now, COVID has changed all that. Now, there are 8 of us, and we have to figure out how to learn to do these therapeutic techniques when we can't even touch each other. 

So, this picture has nothing to do with teacher training...but it IS a great reminder. Left to right, it's amethyst, green aventurine, and raw black tourmaline. These are gemstones that I got in barter for knitting a baby hat. They're lovely stones. I have them on my table next to my little "yoga gnome." 

Friday night, we had a lot of lecture and a few teachings where each of us was chosen to demonstrate a technique. We then had to discuss how we wanted to go forward. In that, I mean, we need to learn in this module how to sequence for therapeutic yoga, we have to learn a myriad of adjustment techniques...and we have to do this without student to practice on! 

All I can say is that it's going to be interesting. 

But this weekend's Therapeutics module -- today I had fun. Prenatal Yoga!!! I've wanted to teach prenatal yoga since I started my 200-hour training, but I never felt like I knew enough. We've managed to talk to the master teacher who presented today, and might be able to get a class together to do the actual 85-hour certification. Yeah, I know - I'm probably nuts. But it's something I've always wanted to do.  

The Knitting...

Well, Kid #2's Afghan proceeds apace. It's going a lot more quickly. I had a consult with my "color consultant." A/K/A the Hubby. I was trying to balance out the 2 sections of black that The Kid wanted in there but I was having trouble placing them properly. Hubby took a look at it, then we slightly rearranged my notes and you can see that I've got about 10 rows to go, then a 5-row border that matches the bottom border. For once, I think it might work out as a balanced pattern! I mean that on MY part, not Hubby's...his eye for color is amazing and I will usually consult him because I'm not good at that. My mom is actually pretty good at it, too. 

We ended up switching up the black sections; initially I had grey where the black was and it would've been almost 6 more sections (12 rows!) to get the balance right. I am totally winging this color combo. Initially, it was just the red and grey (college colors are red + white, but I try not to put white in an afghan unless it's just a slight accent). But then the request for black...(sigh - a ginormous pain to knit with, even with my lovely Ott stand light). 

You can see my "color list" here, working from the bottom up. It's rough, but if you have a system that works for you? Go for it. You are the only one using it. 

I am anxious to get back to the Baby Car Seat Blanket, because I want to stay on schedule for that. 

And I want to get back to knitting a few things I've set aside -- the Longsands Tee and the February Lady Sweater, along with a couple of shawls. 

The Reading...

I finished the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency book series - at least what's been published. Aside from all the yoga stuff I've been reading, I've also just purchased a couple Agatha Christie books. I mean, you can't exactly snuggle down before bedtime and read Ray Long's "The Key Muscles of Yoga." 

Well, you could, but you'd have to be wayyyyyyyyyy geekier than I actually am. 

Anyway, I have "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," which has been called "the greatest murder mystery novel of all time," and "Murder at the Vicarage," the first Miss Marple. 

For me, Geraldine McEwan was the perfect Miss Marple; Joan Hixon was the first one to play the part, and she's my #2. Just as David Suchet is  -- just "is" Poirot. 

I'm looking forward to one of those tonight; not sure which one yet. My other favorite murder mystery author lately is Louise Penny, with her Inspector Gamache mysteries set in Canada. 

And of course, I love the "usual" ones: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I've been reading Sherlock Holmes since high school), P.D. James, Martha Grimes... A good murder mystery is just a balm to my imagination and restful to read. Funny, maybe, but there it is. 

I'm also re-reading The Whole 30, which I'm starting on Monday. Or I should say, "re-doing." I need to get rid of the COVID-19 that I gained. 

I suppose I should have been on the ElliptiKILL or knitting during the shut-down, instead of making (and eating) bread...

So today is "prep day." I have made ghee (so stupid-simple, why would you pay $11/jar!?), and I've got eggs boiling. So why ghee? It's clarified butter. When I was a kid, the Galloping Gourmet (just Google it...) used to talk about clarified butter and it always sounded so exotic! 

It's easy. Take a small saucepan, put in 4 sticks of butter (you can cut them up if you want). and simmer over medium-low heat. The worst part: DO NOT STIR IT. Seriously, that's the hardest part. As it simmers, you'll notice a froth on the top - that's the dairy solids, which you don't want. Skim them off the best you can; you just toss those. 

Then, put a strainer over the top of a canning jar, stick some cheesecloth in there (it's way easier than a coffee filter - ask me how I know that...), and strain the now-clarified butter into the jar. Cool before storing it in the fridge. You can keep this in the fridge for 6 months, or at room temp (easier to use) for 3 months. 

The biggest thing is to prep. If you try to do this on the fly, it usually won't work. I'm really in need of a  re-set; I've gotta get my sugar demons under control, and I think I need to do something about gluten. It doesn't make me sick, per se. But it does make me bloat. Is that a problem? Not sure it's a real medical issue; just more of an intolerance. Either way, I'm over it. 

And if I don't do something, I'm setting myself up for a gigantic lecture by my cardiologist. Wish me luck...

The Politics...

So #WeezyMussolini violated (again) the protocols and held a rally.... a "rally" on the WH lawn. In the middle of the COVID pandemic, while he's still contagious (and no, I do NOT believe the "doctor" who said he was fine). And --- he PAID THE ATTENDEES. 

Dude was supposed to speak for 1/2 hour, made it to 18 minutes. He's still got pneumonia, I'm tellin' ya. I've had it (pneumonia, minus COVID) and it's bad when it's "regular" pneumonia. I can't imagine COVID pneumonia. 

November 3rd can't come fast enough. We need a landslide and Electoral College victory that cannot be denied. And then the Secret Service can move the mendicant crime family out of the White House, fumigate it, and we can get back our democracy. 

I'm not sure we'll ever get back our "original" pride in our country. And it's goingto take years to get back our reputation - even a shadow of it. But we can start the process by ending the reign of mendacity that's occupied our country for the past 4 years. 

Maybe we will have learned something profound during this time. We've certainly learned the ugliness of our nation was really just under the surface. Maybe now we've learned that it takes all the good people to get up off their sofas to make the changes necessary for us to live in a better world. 

I watched the VP debate. God, it gave me flashbacks of every moron male boss I ever had... Mikey P. was a total jerk. Kamala's "mom look" was perfect, though sometimes, you really wished she'd have just said "SHUT. UP." 

The problem is, "angry black woman" is a real stereotype. But what angered me even more was the rubber spine of the moderator, who was a prior donor to the Republican party. I swear, they should've gotten a mom in there who's been home-schooling her kids. Pence wouldn't have stood a chance if my mom was the moderator. Then again, my kids would say the same if they thought I was the moderator! 

Vote. Please. 

The Random Picture...

Well, Raisa was not looking for toast. I actually had her huge Kong bone in my hand. The one she flung at me and that clocked me in the shoulder. She knows how to pitch. 

Her problem is that her aim is off. You're more likely to get whacked with that bone as she uses her skills as a doggie baton tosser. She'll roll the bone around her neck and then toss it up - and that's cool. It's when it goes on an angle where it gets dangerous - then, it could land on your foot. In your knitting bag. On your lap. 

Or, as frequently happens, bounces off your head. 

That's always fun. 

And remarkably, as with buttered toast...the bone always hits you with the slimy end that she's just gnawed on. 

It's a good thing she's cute...

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Current Events and Not-So-Current Events

 

Well, it's been nearly a month, and I didn't mean it to be that long. 

I guess I should go in some sort of order. The teacher training is kicking my sit-bones, in a good way. Therapeutics has always challenged me, though our population at the studio seems to trend toward those that can use that kind of yoga. I just have to get more confident. 

I finished my second body study, wrote it up and submitted it. I have a case study due at the end of the month, and I have an assignment for my apprenticeship. That goes first, then the case study. 

No wonder that this module is considered the hardest one. I'd rather do 6 months of Sanskrit and Philosophy. 

By the way, I'm experimenting. I've changed fonts - not sure what your computer will show you, so please comment and let me know. So. On to...

CURRENT EVENTS...

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is dead. The entire nation just about collapsed in short order; it's amazing what we put on this tiny, courageous woman's shoulders. Her final wish was that her replacement not be chosen til after the election. Of course, Trumpenfuhrer et al steamrolled over that before Ruthie was cold. 

Choosing a woman who was on the Federal bench for about 45 seconds, who's pro-life (which is actually only pro-fetus), has a bunch of kids and belongs to this weirdo religious group (which she FAILED to disclose on her paperwork for appointment to the Federal bench, by the way) which believes that the man is the head of the home and should direct the woman in all things.Just how did she get to law school? Oh, and her "goal" is "to bring the country to the Kingdom of God." Ummmmmmm. Treaty of Trent, anyone? We are not now, and never have been, a nation founded upon the Christian religion. So sayeth Thomas Jefferson. 

And on top of that, the GOP then accuses the DEMS of wanting to "pack the court." Just what, please explain to me, are THEY doing shoving this Handmaid down our collective throats, and why does Clementine get to do this when Merrick Garland was refused even a meeting, in the Obama years? No, you don't have to answer, I know what it is. It's the Black Guy in the White House. A/K/A Obama Derangement Syndrome. 

Then, Karma came along. 

After a disasterous debate ... um, "debate" performance, in which Clementine was all sound and fury and Chris Wallace was unable to yank his choke chain hard enough, and even Biden snapped - a "debate" in which it was reported that Clementine simply wanted to rattle Biden enough to cause him to stutter, thus being able to cull out-of-context video clips showing him to be "stupid," because those of us who stutter are often called "stupid" (you shouldn't get me started on this)...and they failed...

THEN...

It was disclosed that Trumpenfuhrer's assistant, the young Ms. Hicks, was positive for COVID-19. After which they started dropping like flies. Suspiciously, after a "super-spreader event" in the "Now Not a Rose Garden" where nearly 200 people were crammed in to meet RBG's supposed replacement, sans masks. 

THEN...

It was disclosed that the medical team, after flying Clementine to Walter Reed, had claimed that he was "72 hours in" to his COVID diagnosis. Which means he knew - or suspected - that he had it during the debate. During which time he was out of control raving, and during which time his ENTIRE mendacious crime family sat in the arena maskless, against Cleveland Clinic rules. Which, by the way, someone should've bounced the lot of 'em. What could he have done? Closed the place? 

THEN...

As he's being airlifted to Walter Reed, nobody bothers to tell Nancy Pelosi, who's 3rd from the throne, as it were. She's supposed to know stuff like that. 

And a good percentage of Americans think this is a tremendous hoax in and of itself. We've been gaslighted so often by this administration that we really don't know what to believe. Though when he got sent to Walter Reed, I started to believe that it was "real." Walter Reed wouldn't go along with some political stunt, even for this guy. While anonymous (which seems how we get any information), a source has said his breathing is labored. I am struggling to find the balance between "karma" and "kindness." I don't want to be overly sanctimonious, but I am battling my "angels" for this. 

Do I wish him dead? No. Honestly, I don't. I wish him miserable. I wish him to achieve (though I know it's like peeing into the wind) a shred of humanity and humility. I wish him a landslide loss in the upcoming election. I wish him humiliation and a prison sentence for his crimes, which are multitude, and I'm only counting the ones since he's been in office. 

The right all want us (the left/Libs) to "have compassion" for Trumpenfuhrer...though he callously had/has no compassion for over 200,000 dead. They're screaming for Biden to suspend his campaign. 

You know - much like Clementine suspended his when Hillary came down with pneumonia. You remember that, right? Because if you do, you are truly living in an alternative universe. Because it never happened. He doubled down, mocked her and called her "too old." 

Whew... 

On top of that, we are under the spell of the first of the October full moons (there will be two) and, this being Illinois, we can't really see it because it's raining. I saw it before it reached full power. One day...

THE KNITTING...

So I'm moving along nicely on the Feather & Fan Variation for the Car Seat Blanket. I'm using the same yarn I used for the Wedding Afghan but it's not for the wedding couple. If I get a Happy Announcement from them, I'll just order more. This is for a friend of mine. 

The pattern is actually from The Linus Project, and it's a 3-row variation on the Feather & Fan which is super-easy to memorize. I can see this being a nifty scarf or shawl. But not now. I'd thought about one colorway and then I rearranged after I laid things out. It moves along fairly quickly, and I like it because it's light enough to sling over a car seat so that, in the event the parents can take The Peanut out into public EVER, and it's air-conditioned or chilly, it will be warm enough, but lacy enough to not feel like it's smothering. I love the color combo, but you know by now that I really adore a "sophisticated" palette for a baby. I like bold colors, strong patterns. 

I will use "traditional" colors if I know mom prefers it. But I don't ask. If I'm told, then that's different. If I'm not told, they get what I knit. 

I also have completed the hats and have given 2 of them to my pseudo-nephew and he looks stinkin' adorable!! As you may recall, I used the colors from his baby layette and then I used his mom's favorite color. The hats are for a one-year old, and this kid has a HUGE head! It may be that I knit him a hat a year. We'll see... This was part of my "hat binge." I'm over it now, thanks. I also did a batch of "Ear Savers" that I brought to yoga training. And in that move, saved the lives of several trainees...Kidding; but they did love them. And I'm glad I could just do that for them. 

Tomorrow, I absolutely MUST pull out Kid #2's afghan and get cracking on that. The Peanut isn't due till January, but I totally, really, REALLY must have that afghan done for Christmas for The Kid. I promised and I should have been doing that during the shut-down instead of baking bread. I wouldn't have gained 20 pounds...and I've had had it off my list finally and could with no guilt actually knit for myself. 

THE BOOK...

The book has not only been launched, it's in the top 10 nationally and INTERNATIONALLY in Holistic Health. So technically, I am an international best-selling author!! I got my author copies today, did a little "let's open the box" video and posted it. The book is available here on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback versions, and it's a great resource. If you want an autographed copy, drop me a comment and I'll ship it to you in the US (shipping on me, but I can't ship overseas at this time). All the volumes are really good resources; even if a topic seems to be repeated, there's always a different slant on it. Because each of us is a subject-matter expert, we often give our own techniques. So, if in Volume 1 you see a chapter on breathing, that's cool - because my chapter on breathing in Volume 3 is different. So now you have TWO tools for breathing. 

I'm really pleased to offer the tool I offer, and I think you'll like the other chapters in the book. The good thing is, you don't have to read cover-to-cover. You can look at the table of contents and check out whichever chapter strikes you. We each tell you why we talk about what we do, and it's quite interesting to read some of the stories. 

One of the stories that hit me particularly in the heart was my friend Jen's journey through the pain of infertility. I know so many women who've trod that path. Much of society tells us that motherhood is the be-all and end-all. And somehow, we as women are penalized if we can't carry a pregnancy through to completion or if we can't get pregnant at all. Jen's story will resonate with so many people, and I hope help them as well. 

And that's just her chapter. Hopefully, you will also enjoy mine, Chapter 6: Inhale. Exhale. Repeat. Yep, it's that simple. And that difficult. I lead you through a breathing technique and visualization meditation that you can start right this moment, and "grow into," so to speak, as your practice starts to grow. 

And...when you purchase the book, you get access to a Facebook group wherein ALL the authors will periodically offer workshops and sessions, interviews, Q & A and more!

RANDOM PICTURE...

With the new Blogger (which, by the way, I really still dislike, except for the cool fonts which I hope translate to you, the reader), I would normally have a picture stuck here and then I'd write about it. But this way, I have to write first, then insert picture after. 

Not liking that at all. And on top of that, my "camera roll" function on the phone and One Drive seem to be going all wonky. So the picture I kind of had in mind? I'm not exactly sure where it went to... 

Did I tell you that I adore technology??? Yeah. Not. 

Anyway - in remembrance of When We Use to Have Family Holidays, these are Avocado Deviled Eggs which I made for last Easter. Which my sister, who adores deviled eggs, wouldn't eat because she claims to be allergic to avocado. I have never heard that, but I'm not one to mess with her gut, seeing as she's usually got a raging case of IBS and I'm not willing to put her in any more angst. 

So technically, I owe her a dozen "regular" deviled eggs. Someday. When we are all able to meet as a family. Or I drive to her house and drop 'em off. 

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