This weekend I spent at Mumbai's Yoga Institute on a 2 day specialist course.  My skills were honed and my body twisted into a variety of contortions (All for the calming price of a tenner).

Now the Yoga Institute is a little blissful haven, an ashram located right in the centre of Mumbai's mayhem.

Unfortunately though for the institute it was built several years ago, before there was an airport and now resides directly under the flight path. Thunderous roars crash into the peaceful karma like a three legged randy bull in Harrod's Royal Doulton dept after a Christmas delivery. But, like any a city's noise, you soon get used to it and even welcome the pauses to meditate on the topic of  meditation.

Apart from the usual array of yoga techniques I found myself staring at candles, with the instructions that I was not allowed to blink. The ironic thing was that as soon as I was told not to blink, I blinked...and I was doing so well. It is all part of focusing the mind on a single point and cleansing the eyes through the tears that start to stream down your face.

Absolutions are an essential part of the of the yogi lifestyle, so with red eyes I moved onto the next daily routine, Jala Neti. To but this technique into its most basic form it is snorting lukewarm, salty water up both of your nostrils and marvel at the gunk that rapidly escapes from you nose, eyes and mouth. It is an enema for the nasal passage and sinuses or saline nasal irrigation to be exact.

Let’s face it the nose is designed to filter all the pollution and bugs that lurk in the air and as such why not give this filter a good clear out. And I have to say it is brilliant.

Yogis dub this as one of the best things you can do in your life. As well as physical, psychological and spiritual benefits it can cure, or help prevent sinus infection; allergy problems; respiratory disorders; asthma; hay fever;  deafness; migraine; giving up smoking; depression; mental tensions; epilepsy; hysteria; temper tantrums; sore throats and the common cold. It stimulates better powers of visualization and concentration and gives clarity to the mind.

Pranayama or good breathing is an essential part of meditation and yoga. As such a clear nasal passage goes a long way to aid this. Furthermore, Jala Neti subtly stimulates the olfactory bulb - the psychic centre, known as the Ajna Chakra and yogis believe the right and left nostrils need to be in balance to ensure a healthy nervous system and as such a healthy body and mind. 

So next time you are cleaning your teeth, think about giving those sinuses their daily enema. You may never look back.

I was afraid BG was getting another ear infection, so I took her to the dr on Wednesday.  One ear is borderline--her cold is most likely making it worse than it should be.  Today she was a happy girl and played well with daddy.  So....I guess she's okay! I have a script for an antibiotic just in case though.

I plan on going home to visit my family over the holiday weekend.  The weekend cannot get here soon enough!!

The sad part is, I don't know the cause of this catastrophe. I suspect it could be the bad allergy count for ragweed, or perhaps stress and exhaustion since I've been so busy working and not sleeping, or maybe I'm actually getting sick, probably from being "run-down" and working too much without sleeping.

We'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings...

Whatever it brings, I don't have time for it, so I plan to continue at the same pace and keep my appointments. My biggest suspicions relate to God's sense of humor and trying to correct my shortcomings. I have a feeling that because I am so busy, so stressed, working so much, this is God's way of telling me (again) to slow down and take it easy before I kill myself.

Well...sorry, but I don't have time for that. I have way too much to do and plan to continue with it as soon as I lay down and plug up my nose for a while to see if it stops.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhh.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the bologna into 1/4 inch thick slices, and then into 1/4 inch strips going down the entire length of the block. It should look like big spaghetti. Place in a serving bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and oil. Stir in the garlic, onion, tomato, chives and parsley. Slice the pickles lengthwise into spears, and add them to the dressing. Pour over the bologna, and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Serve cold.

So I writed even MORE last night.  But only like a little less than 2,000 words more.  You know, in the book, Stephen King says that 2,000 words is 10 pages.  So, that means that I have a good, oh,  60 pages.  Now isn't that cool!
I find it cool.
You don't have to though.

Anyway!

I have no idea what's going to happen next, and don't ask what it's about, because I really don't know.  I mean I kinda know what it's about, but really I don't.  I just started with this little idea and ran with it.  So, you see, it sort of happens as I write it.  Which is cool, because it takes little thought really, just typing.

Anyway!  New topic this time!

My dad got a wood permit this morning.  That means I have to wake up tomorrow morning, and actually get up for something.  So, we have to go at least "exploring", he said.  Well, anyway, eventually, we're going to have to go and actually go woodcutting.  Meaning it's gonna be cold, and probably colder as the  months go on of course, and then have to do all the stuff that goes with that.
I really don't like it.  Simply because it's cold, and it's early in the morning (9, 10, 11, in the morning, when I don't have to be up, is early, okay?) and it's painful and all my muscles are sore afterward and it's a pain in the back and knees and legs!  For reals.

Okay well I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go eat lunches.  I'll probably have some great things to share later.
I hope.
TOODLES!

The dog-sitting business is going fairly well. We've had two dogs for the entire month, and may have them for a good bit longer. One of these is a newfoundland/chow mix by the name of Chico. He's very sweet, but cries sometimes at night and sheds more than you can imagine. The other is a smallish, long-haired, all white dog with the embarrassing name of Shoo Shoo. She's very affectionate, but barks obnoxiously when we leave the house, and I worry about our neighbors. The Vizsla, Jerry, came to visit us again over the weekend. And from yesterday through Sunday evening, we've got a funny little dog, a rat terrier, named Clio. All the dogs are getting along just fine and keeping the barking to a minimum. We are vacuuming twice a day to keep the fur under control, but other than that, the dogs aren't that much work. It's nice to have a second source of income.

It rained all night and most of this morning. I couldn't find my umbrella this morning and didn't have time to look for it, so I put on my oversize raincoat and walked the three blocks to the bus stop through the downpour. I had thought I'd barely make the bus, but I stood there in the rain for at least 3 minutes before it arrived. By then, my pants were completely soaked and water filled my shoes. I didn't mind too much. I was glad it was raining, because we desperately needed it, and it was warm outside. It wasn't until I arrived at the office that it became a problem. The boss keeps the A/C at 72 degrees in here--gets furious if anyone bumps it up to 74, even. So now, I'm freezing. I'm wearing a sweatshirt and have a coat draped over my legs, but what I really need is either a change of pants or a blow-dryer. I'd settle for a space heater, but I don't have that either.

First off, the machine we got was meant for bigger portions, and being that this was our first time ever using it, we thought using a recipe from the Food Network would be okay - since there was no recipe on how to make Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream in the manual that came with the ice cream machine. Other recipes were in the manual though - such as Vanilla, Chocolate, Cookies and Cream, and several others. But I wanted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream!

So we started making the ice cream at 4:30pm on Sunday. First we made the cookie dough (which did not take very long) and then we put it in the fridge. Next we made the ice cream base by heating milk and creamer (which was a mistake, a we should have used whipped cream as the manual lists this ingredient in all their recipes but not in Food Network's recipe we used.

So we heat up the liquids, add in 9 egg yolks. Afterwards, pour liquid into can.Refrigerate for 3 hours. Then we took out the can, put the motor on top, and turned it on. We had to add ice cubes and rock salt in layers. Let it spin for about 40 minutes.

After the process we put it in the freezer. Then we took it out and added the cookie dough. But of course, the texture of the ice cream was not good since we did not use whipped cream. So in the end, we get kind of an icy ice cream. And did I mention not much? This recipe only has about 8 servings!

We had leftover cookie dough, so we made cookies - which were awesome since it was the first time I had made them with butter. So good! So in the end, we got one thing done yummy - some cookies. Next week, hopefully, we will try again next week using whipped cream and probably a different recipe. But I'll save the cookie dough part. I loved the cookies! : )

Bottom Line: The machine seems to be alright once we get the recipe down. I did not have much trouble with the machine, it was mainly just the recipe. I'll post another article in the future letting everyone know how the second go-around went with using whipped cream. Total time spent on making ice cream: 2 hours. The rest was just waiting while things were being chilled, frozen, or churned.

I'm starting to feel a tad bit better now, but I'm still not 100% as of yet. I think I'll just take a couple extra days off and head out of town this weekend. I'm sick of the dreary weather and the pouring rain...the sunny valley seems so much better right about now, and it will give me a bit of time to catch up with old friends.

So no fucking for me while I'm still recooping. At least I know I'll be missed a bit, and business will be busy when I return.

                                        'TATERS                                                                           

     Getting out of my warm bed on a cold winter's morning was not a favorite daily activity.  The kitchen stove provided the only heat in the house at that early hour (the fireplace would be lit later).  My intent was to get out of the warm bed, grab my clothes and make a run at "breakneck" speed to the kitchen.  Any slower would surely mean freezing to death. 

     How my Mama and Grandma managed those cold mornings, I'll never know.  The fire in the stove had to be stoked, biscuits made and baked, and the fat back (salt pork) from which gravy was made had to be fried.  All that before I opened my eyes and made the mad dash.  Once I got a whiff of those made-with-love aromas, being cold was all but forgotten.  A biscuit with a slice of fat back, a little gravy on top, and a cup of hot cocoa was all that was needed to warm body and soul.

     "Dress warm, it might snow!"  Words of wisdom as I got ready for school.  I don't remember those school days too well.  (I was six or seven).  But I do remember rushing home after school.  The fire place would be burning, creating red, hot ashes.  While warming my frozen toes and icicle fingers, Grandma would put a few taters in the hot coals.  "They'll be ready come suppertime." 

     The waiting was torture, trying to do homework while the 'taters were baking just a few feet away.  I remembered a few days earlier Great Uncle Will had brought lots of "stuff" he had stored for the winter--corn, 'taters, yams and carrots.  The last box had something special--a chicken for Sunday dinner, and a ham that would last a week or two.

     At last it was suppertime.  A piece of ham on my plate, just waiting for that hot baked 'tater from the coals.  Carrying them in a small bucket, Grandma placed a "my size" 'tater next to the ham.  Finally, after grace, of course, I was feasting on the hot 'tater,  made more delectable with real butter and my slice of ham.  What a blessing!

     I slept good that night.  I've come to realize over the years how blessed we were.  God had provided not only the food, He also planted the memory of a special day into the mind of a child.

By Janet M. House 

I have a ton of work to be getting on with and I really don't have time to be all posty-post-post on the blog. Especially because today I was planning to write about how I have yet another cold, and no one wants to read about me whining over the pile of used tissues on my desk. 

However I did sign on to have a wee peek at comments and stats. (I know... I'm a comments and stats whore. Leave me be.)

I found that I'd had a couple of hits from a site called Shakespeare Geek. So I clicked the link, and then spent the next 15 minutes laughing my ass off. This guy is big on his Shakespeare and yesterday I pretty much bastardised one of the bards best known plays...

He did call my version "enlightening" but I suspect in the same tone as my 4th form English teacher, because he also employed the word "painful".

Ok now I really have to get myself under control because the rest of the office can hear me giggling like a maniac behind my desk. I'm starting to get weird looks. Also that pile of work is not getting any smaller.

Cold . . . .

VERONIC

 i hate ironing, which is quite the opposite of my roommate anna. my mom bought me this stuff, and i think neither one of us really thought it would work. it does! i use it everyday. i have been working out lately. it feels good. and i can eat pretty healthy with the meal plan. i am becoming friends with the cooks, and i am started to ask them to use less oil, and they usually do. i am coming home on friday for labor day weekend. i am super excited for three things. my family, joseph, and watermarke. well.

i hope everyone is having a great monday. hang in there if you are not.

love.

I remember my first love rival very well. It was back in fifth grade, I didn't have crushes to frequently, in fact, I was so immature in the matters of the heart, that it took me about half a year to realize i had feelings for the girl for whom I would soon engage in an epic battle. It was when the teacher changed my seat and moved me away from her was when I started to notice something.  The constant staring back at my old seat. The wanting to be seated next to her again. Oh I how longed to once again share treats with her during snack time just once more! I couldn't deny how I felt any longer, and my feelings became apparent to a few students in my class, and eventually to my soon to be love rival. Oh poor naive me, I only realized he had the same feelings for her far too late.

"Hey Sam" My love rival called over to me. I walked over to him to see what he had to say. I was surprised when he brought up my heartthrob. "So I hear you have a crush on her, is it true?" he asked curiously. "Yes" I said truthfully, I had no reason to deny my overflowing love. "Oh" He said calmly. "Come close I have something to tell you" He said. I leaned over and brought my ear close to his mouth, curious as to what he could have to say to me, was it something about my love? Before I knew it, my love rival had set me up in a perfect position and I was caught in the stone cold stunner! The shock of the infamous wrestling move made me fall back a few steps. "What the heck just happened?" I thought in my mind. "You better stay away from my woman" He warned me before he sped off into the distance.

From then it was on!

My love rival had declared war, and I purposed in my heart not to disappoint him. Our recesses were now spent trying to come up with ways to get eachother. Each one of us devising plans to catch the other when we least expected it. Neither of us backing down. It was stone cold stunner after stone cold stunner. With each stunner sending a message. That our love was more powerful than the other. That mere physical pain wasn't enough to keep us from striving for the affections of the one we desired. That in order to get to the girl, we would have to go through eachother first. The bout eventually escalated past just one-on-one and our friends began to get dragged into the fray. Before we knew it, we were all stone cold stunnering eachother in the playground! It was a full-fledged gang war!

(If 6, 4 ft. tall children attacking eachother with particularly harmeless wrestling moves counts as gang warfare.)

Eventually an aide witnessed one of our battles and put all of us on timeout, making us sit at a lunch table to reflect upon what we did. My love rival approached me, I immediately got on guard, not knowing what to expect. "Hey, Sorry" he said. "Friends?" He asked.

"Ok" I said.

... The wonders of time out.

And with that the battle was over. So what happened after? I told the girl of my dreams how I felt about her and asked her to the prom. I ultamately got rejected and things got so bad between us that we didn't talk to eachother for a whole year. She probably didn't even know about the whole dispute between me and my love rival. If only she could've seen how strong my love was! My love rival on the other hand? He got bored and moved on, and being the hot shot that he was easily found another girl. We even met up in a summer program later that year and became the best of friends. I haven't heard from him since though and i sometimes wonder how he's doing. Maybe we can meet up again, and crush on the same girl just for old time's sake. Oh where are you love rivals of the world! It's been too long since I've had a glorious battle such as that! I've been honing my skills, my spirit aches for battle! I long for nervous sweat of rejection! I thirst for quenching waters of victory achieved by a hair's breath! Oh how I need to be kept on my toes! Come my next love rival, make me want the next girl all the more! Don't allow me to be lax with the feelings in my heart! Come love rival, I await you!

(Note: Though the events in this story ARE true, my passion in this writing is slightly exaggerated and are there for amusement purposes Please do not approach me and slap me across the face with a glove and challenge me to love duel.)

1 Bunch fresh spinach, trimmed and cleaned(I love Baby Spinach for this)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon finely chopped red onion

salt and freshly gound black pepper

1 cup plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cook spinach with a little water. Drain, Cool and squeeze out excess water.Chop as finely as possible.

In a bowl combine spinach, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper.Toss  and add yoghurt. Mix throughly.

Refridgerate at least 1 hour. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with cumin and mint.

my night will haunt me

as I realise i can't forgive my destiny

taking me through all those lines

that sounded so cheap, so bitter

this world couldn't contain the joy

the ambitions that can only be achieved

when it's 2am under blankets that chill

possessed to attempt but words are tired

like minds, words and actions

if you hold on to Jesus
don't ever let him go
when the feeling aren't just right
just do what you know.

hold on to Jesus
You've been given his grace
hold on to Jesus
don't stop running this race

just do what you know is right
even if your feelings don't agree
hold on tight to Jesus
then wait and see

though your faith was getting cold
it shall shine forth as the sun you know
and you shall come forth as gold
because you never let him go.

I have a little device that tests the TDS or "Total Dissolved Solids" in liquids. I decided to test the various water sources in my kitchen. The tester gives a number between 0-999 and one of five faces. 0-30 is a :D face, 31-100 is a :) face, 101-200 is a :| face, 201-300 is a :-? face, and 301-999 is a :( face.

I started with hot tap water because I thought it would be the highest, and I was correct. I got a 350 from my sample.

I then got a sample of cold tap water. It was also very high at 330.

Our refrigerator has a filter connected to it, so I tested the water from it. I was disappointed to see that it was 300.

We don't usually use the water from the fridge, we have a Britta water filter pitcher that we drink from. Luckily it seems to be a better job of filtering out the solids in the water. The sample showed a 190.

I took an ice cube from a bag of store-bought ice and let it melt in a clean baggy so I could test the water from it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that ice from the store had only a 3.

While I was in the freezer getting the Ice, I also pulled out a bottle of Cachaca and decided to test a sample of it with the meter.

It has a TDS of 20.

We didn't have any bottled water in the house at the moment, so that was one sample I wish I could have also tested. I thought about testing my spit, but I have a feeling I already know the results and it would have been a gross thing to do anyway.

• .na stránkach ligy severu
• .formálneho združenia miloníkov ľadu, mrazivých obrazov, melódií, mrazenej zeleniny a zmrzilny