Aikido

I went to my first ever Aikido class yesterday. First martial arts class ever. I loved it. Seriously. My body took to it better than I thought it would. The foot movements remind me of a waltz. The rolls, which frankly terrified me when they were explained to me, are fun. I'm looking forward to improving and getting my body to move in different ways. I went because J went last week and thought that this might be something we could do together. Supervised fighting. I was skeptical but I love the stiffness in my back and arms this morning. Not sore but a good stiff that can be ironed out with slow stretches. I feel cat like. Luxurious. Hope this feeling doesn't end.

Follow the Signs

It's Monday and I have the day off. This follows a Sunday off. Yesterday was spent recovering. I lx'd a show on Saturday night with a Friday night rehearsal. It was harder than I thought to do my regular job and run the lights as well. It was fun though. I love lighting dance. Especially East Indian dance. The East Indian community here welcomes me and my ying yang personalities. When members of this group enter the theatre I feel in part that some of my extended family have arrived. We bitch, cajole, giggle, shout, laugh and most of all have fun as we create the magic that will be on stage. My legs are certainly feeling the many ladder rungs and stairs they climbed.

I'm very happy with my new mattress now. Had a bit of a rough start though.

On Friday night after the rehearsal, I asked my sound tech if she would like a ride to her car. She had parked on the other side of campus and I thought it would be safer (not that the campus isn't safe...but why take a chance eh?) We went to my jeep and the jeep wouldn't start. My wonderful jeep choked and sputtered and blew out oil from the tailpiped and tried to start. When I pumped the gas the engine roared to life but with no foot on the pedal the engine proceeded to stall. My audio tech and I then walked to where her car was and she gave me a ride home. The car she was driving was her grandmothers. A Mazda protege. Nice car. A car that I actually liked. Roomy. I asked her what she thought of it. She said it was fine. Best part about it? It started. Funny I said. Ha Ha.

I got home and was looking forward to passing out on my new bed (delivered that evening while I was at work). I went upstairs and saw that my bedside table lamp had a huge chunk removed from it. Grrrrrr. When J got home, he told me that the delivery folks had knocked it over and I should receive a phone call from the customer service people on Monday. Grrrr. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well what with the dead car, broken lamp, overtired and sore body and mattress that didn't feel right.

Next morning, I woke up and told J that I was going to get a new car that day. I went on line and found it. A Mazda 3 GT sport. Copper. My new car.

I packed a lunch and we took the kids for a picnic at the dealership. On the way, the first radio commericial that came on was for Mazda. Another sign. I had J and the kids eat on the grass in front of my car and then I took it for a test drive. The drive was moot. It was my car. One 1/2 hour later, I had signed on the dotted line. I'll be able to bring it home next week. What about the jeep you might ask? Well, the dealership will tow it away for me on Monday and then give me a further discount based on its trade in value. I feel a bit ruthless but, while I had fixed the jeep a couple times this is the first time that I felt let down by it. I was tired. It didn't start. It must go. Besides. The Mazda will sip gas rather than guzzle it. It handles beautifully. The kids like it. It doesn't smell funky -- the jeep was really beginning to get a stank going on that was a mixture of kid, mold, decay and plain ol' B.O. Plus, the Mazda has a powered sun roof and I dig the colour.

I have been splurging lately. Have I won the lottery? Nope. I've just decided to go further into debt. Seems to work for the Jones' . Besides, I had to follow the signs. Saturday was the day to get a car. I guess one could say that I run on impulse.

Sweet Supported Dreams

Our new mattress will arrive today between 5pm and 7pm. I'm excited. Really. It's a very swank mattress. A pillow top. J got himself a foam pillow as well. I personally want to choke down vomit when I think about how much mattresses cost but, we got a pretty good deal on this one. To those who think I should be spending my money on other things, like say travel, let me state for the record that our current mattress can no longer really be called firm support or even medium or light support. It has been providing no support. A very unsupportive mattress and sagging box spring. My hope is that the new mattress will take away my morning aches and pains and prove that they haven't been caused by my body's natural deterioration but are the fault of the mattress. I won't even think about my having had slept on a futon for over 10 years with no ill effects. Or that I have decided to get a blow up mattress for our tent this summer because the thought of sleeping on the ground makes me hurt even more. Every body deserves support.

Blue Skies Have Arrived

What a beautiful day! Spring has arrived. The temperature is a balmy 15 degrees C. It's finally time to put away the kids' snowpants, hats mitts and scarves. Time also to check and see if any of last years summer wardrobe will fit the kidlings. Probably not. They are getting huge. I think it's time I had a clothing upgrade as well. I may as well face it that my nearest and dearest haven't bothered to call up the folks from 'What Not to Wear' -- thanks a lot...you know who you are-- so I'm on my own. I really detest shopping for clothes. Well...that's not entirely true. On certain days when the moon is in the 4th quadrant of the sky and Mercury is in retrograde and I don't feel particularly bloated or rushed for time, I don't mind it. Otherwise, it's right up there with working backstage for 12 hour variety shows.

J has gone bouldering for the day. He's been chomping at the bit ever since the ice melted -- no more ice climbing -- and has wanted to get outside. It'll be good for him. Hope he takes some time to finish the dresser (a 'winter project') that's sitting down in the basement. Our one lowly Ikea dresser can barely hold the abundance of socks and crew shirts that are crammed in it on a daily basis. Ikea isn't really meant for heavy loads and I fear for its joints. I guess all building can wait for a bit tho.' Now's the time to get outside...enjoy the blue sky...have fun in the sun and all that.

A New Wind

It's April. It's not Paris. It's been snowing. The robins look pissed. I received my candles. They have wicks. They burn. Lightly scented. I have been burning one every night. Home Fires. Obligation. They smell nice.

Work has been busy. End of the fiscal year means cleaning out the surplus budget before it gets swallowed whole by the institution never to be seen again. Thing is, we're never sure how much of a surplus it is so we have to make several contingency plans outlining what we want to purchase based on a variety of possible figures. I like making purchases on the company visa. I feel like I have a god-like credit limit -- if any deity were actually fiscally savvy...or even interested for that matter.

Woke up this morning knowing that I wanted to buy a new mattress. Stiff back. Stiff neck. Achy everything else. After my morning shift--bodybuilders in the theatre--and after walking the kids to and from the public library--very cool that we live within walking distance--I convinced J that we should go and get a new mattress. We walked in the shop and commenced lying down on beds until we found the perfect one. The kids played in the corner with the toys supplied by the company. I felt very yuppie. Our new mattress will be delivered on Friday. Our old one will be carted away to charity.

My Christmas cactus is about to bloom again. Same goes for a potted mum J had bought me a year ago that I was about to leave for dead. The inside of our house is fertile and awaiting spring.

I think my jeep has a leak in its radiator. One hole got plugged with the replacement of a hose but now steam comes out of the front grille. I'm really not ready to get rid of the jeep. There are more fuel efficient, planet friendly vehicles out there--bike anyone?--but I like my jeep. It's not ready for the land fill yet. Hopefully I can find a mechanic who agrees and can get it working again without emptying my wallet. To be honest, the thought of getting another vehicle makes me tense. I don't want to buy a new car. I don't even want to look at new cars. I don't want to be saddled with a used car that breaks down. I don't like the look of any cars out there in my price range. I need a vehicle to get the kids to school and such. I want a vehicle because I like to drive. Fast and hard. I admit it. I quit smoking. Allow me this vice.

I keep feeling like something is going to happen. I feel jumpy. Out of sorts. Not upset. Just strange. Kind of in limbo. Waiting. I was thinking about my past lives. As an undergrad I wore a few hats: Historian. Musician. Dancer. Ethnomusicologist. Coffee Slinger. Theatre Technician. Lighting Designer. Music Teacher. I've left some of that behind. Each role a part of who I once was and who I've become (not really all that different). I have a past that I'm pretty fond of.

I have a sneaking suspicion that something new is about to loom over the horizon. A change is a brewing. At the moment, I'll settle for a change in the weather.