The Daily Grind

1. That awkward moment when you’re the only person at the Apple Store- that pantheon of the new and high tech – who is reading a book.
2. I wish computers were more tactile and engaging of the senses.
3. Seriously, where’s the smell, taste, texture, movement? I’m tired of just sitting and staring at a screen that causes migraines.
4. I think that’s the problem with computers. For me, at least. They make me feel less alive. Because the only thing engaged is my brain and my fingers. But what about the rest of my body?
5. Perhaps that’s why Yoga is such an excellent antidote to modern life? Because the rest of the body needs to be heard. It’s tired of sitting in silent retreat.

The Daily Grind

1. On a 3-day, mostly vegan retreat, all I could meditate on was hamburgers. And pepperoni rolls. Oh god, my mouth is drooling!
2. Someone started shooting guns on the adjacent property at the retreat and I just wanted to shout to my vegetarian compatriots that they were probably just shooting fluffy little bunny rabbits.
3. Not that I want fluffy bunny rabbits to die. I like fluffy bunnies. But I also just really love a good joke.
4. The best way to break the silence of a meditation retreat is to squeal when falling flat on your face in front of everyone. Well, at least I couldn’t feel that pain in my butt anymore.
5. Pretty sure I’m one of the few people in the world who could leave a meditation retreat with battle scars. Let’s just say I fought a crack in the pavement and lost.
6. Meditation is not for the faint of heart. But I guess neither is walking, and even babies manage that.

The Daily Grind

1. Hooray for keyboards and mouse pads that work. I’ve discovered it’s quite hard to use a computer without those two components. Especially if you do not have a touch screen.
2. It feels so good to be able to type again. I’ve been writing in journals, but it’s just not the same. And hey, I can’t share those with the blogosphere!
3. Besides, now that I have my laptop back, I can type when I’m on the toilet! What an efficient use of time.
4. I’ll let you ponder on your own whether or not I’m actually kidding about that last one :).
5. Guess that leaves you with quite a lot to think about, huh?

The Daily Grind

1. 40 hours of sitting and 40 hours of sitting in an office are NOT created equal. Just ask my shoulders.
2. I’ll give you a hint. Just sitting is WAY easier.
3. I need a maintenance day filled with solitary unstructured free time. I’m sure the same could be said for over half the adult population.
4. The cat has finally (mostly) accepted that we have a puppy.
5. Though perhaps puppy was only accepted because cat is cold and needs a snuggle buddy to get him through winter.
6. Oh well, I’ll take what I can get!

The Daily Grind

1. I shop so rarely that, after my recent trip to the outlet mall, my credit card got shut down for suspected fraud.
2. Some days, I like to mess with the automatic spell corrector on my computer. Oddment, blubber, nitwitserstan, tweatserwhatsit, snarfugglescheizer, blergalergathon. Correct those, computer. I dare you.
3. For those of you who have spent the last several minutes trying to figure out what those words mean, I made most of them up. Though, it would be cool to discover they meant something in some language…perhaps German? Oh well, guess I won’t ever know, because silly autocorrector doesn’t automatically speak German.
4. Silly autocorrector.
5. Every time I drink a beer, I redefine the term lightweight.

The Daily Grind

1. There are only three tests that truly measure the strength of a relationship: 1) Driving a 21 hour, overnight road trip. 2) Sharing a double kayak and trying to coordinate steering. 3) Putting together IKEA furniture.
2. That should be the real questionnaire given by marriage counselors.
3. Sort of like an obstacle course for figuring shit out. Together.
4. Though sometimes, you’d really prefer to Rambo-style that stuff and go gung-ho solo for the sake of not tearing someone else’s eyes out.
5. Luckily, no one’s eyes were torn out during these tests.
6. Also, we still love each other.
7. Looks like we passed :).

The Daily Grind

1. This new year’s eve, we watched the kids’ countdown on Netflix and went to bed at 9pm.
2. Why? Because we like to live dangerously.
3. And we had just driven 21 hours.
4. 21 hours is a LONG time to be in a car. It’s sort of like driving in a never-ending Austin rush hour.
5. It had been a good year, so we figured there was no point in dragging it out. Better to just cap it off with a good night sleep I’d say.

The Daily Grind

1. I’ll share with you a secret. I’m absolutely terrified of signing in front of people.
2. I mean, really singing. I can joke sing no problem.
3. But letting people hear my true voice. That’s scary.
4. This film shoot marked the first time ever I was able to share a meditation chant in front of an audience (or camera, or just the two camerapeople in the room even). Normally, chanting ties right into singing. It freezes in my throat.
5. Something powerful happens when you start to meditate frequently on compassion.

The Daily Grind

1. I drink sleepytime tea for breakfast. Why? Because I like to live dangerously.
2. Ironically, that is the exact reason why my boyfriend leaves his shoelaces untied sometimes.
3. Maybe the real trick in life is not to find ourselves, but to uncover ourselves.
4. Trying to shove a cat, a dog and two people into a small bathroom during a tornado warning was quite dramatic enough without the tornado.
5. Luckily, there was no tornado. I just wish we could’ve found that out before I got cat claws all down my legs.
6. I will still, any day, choose cat claws over a tornado.

The Daily Grind

1. Today I learned exactly how long is too long to heat oatmeal in the microwave.
2. Let’s just say the microwave looked like breakfast fought a war. Both breakfast and the microwave lost.
3. Does anyone in the U.S. know what it means to eat a meal uninterrupted anymore?
4. Better yet, does anyone know what a table is anymore? Pretty sure everyone just eats in their cars or at their desks.
5. When did our eating (and therefore our world) become so flipping sad?