Day 85

31) Take a yoga class began 6/23/07; 6/25/07; 6/28/07

I learned the hard way yesterday that it pays to get to yoga class early lest you end up in the "hot spot". As it'd taken me some time to find parking, I was so relieved to see this large chunk of floor amongst the crowd when I walked in the room. And I started out so strong expecting the intense but tolerable warmth I'd experienced in the previous two classes. Then, about 5 poses in my body felt like an inferno and I began to waver in what had been an extremely strong pose for me a couple nights before. I didn't give up, and even excelled at some of the following poses, but the heat remained crippling from then on. The reason for this is the spot I was in was in direct line with the windows and door to the outside and had been baked by the unclouded sun all day. The instructor took pity on me and the girl directly behind me a few time by fanning open the door, but these short bouts of relief only kept me yearning for the next one. Afterwards, of course, I felt fantastic, and pampered myself with a lavender oil salt scrub in the shower. However, I'll scornfully avoid that spot and those surrounding it from now on.

33) Complete 35 books: 5 must be from Banned-books(0/5); 5 must be from Guardian's top 100 books (0/5); 5 you must already own (0/5); Total - (2/35) What Would You Do If You Had No Fear, by Diane Conway 5/2/07; Healing Emotions:Conversations With the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health, Edited by: Daniel Goleman 6/28/07

What can I say? The Dalai Lama is awesome and this book is full of his wit and insight. I wasn't happy to learn about the emotional experiments done on animals though. I already practiced mindfulness (a main topic discussed) without knowing, but meditation is not yet in my grasp. Yoga helps though, because it's hard to think of anything while holding those positions. During Pilates my mind is all over the place. I understand now how yoga unites the body and mind while Pilates becomes more atomatic. But I degress from the book... sort of. The primary thing I got from it is a peaked interest in yoga and meditation.

Day 83

10) Master 10 dinner recipes (0/10) Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce & Fennel Green Beans (3); Stir Fried Chicken & Asparagus w/Seaweed Rice (1); 15 Minute Salmon with Mint Salsa and Minted Carrots with Pumpkin Seeds (1)

On Sunday I traveled to the East Bay to visit Maggie, Randy, and Lucy. When our dinner plans with Ritch and Leida fell through due to Leida developing an Appendicitis, they asked me to make dinner instead. With Randy's assitance I made 15 Minute Salmon with Mint Salsa and Minted Carrots with Pumpkin Seeds. The carrots had a remarkably addictive flavor, Maggie couldn't get enough of them. The pan cooking method for the salmon was a little trying, as I ended up cooking the salmon almost three times longer than suggested, but it turned out fine. Like usual, the sense of freshness these recipes give is uncanny. I feel like I'm getting a good groundbase for creating healthy recipes of my own too.

I think it's worth mentioning we've twice made a desert from this site as well, Very Berry Delight. The first time Randy and I mixed the berries with the pudding fixings to chill, which made tasty but slightly watery pudding. This Sunday we got it right and it was just decadent.

31) Take a yoga class began 6/23/07

So I found out that this Yoga place (Bikram Yoga) I've walked by dozens of times offers an introductory 30 days for $30. This Saturday I went ahead and signed up, though was mildly alerted by all the waivers I had to sign, particularly that the room can rise to 110 degrees. But I bravely carried through despite this ruthless testing of endurance, and managed to keep up with the class on all but a couple of the 26 positions. I should add that we do each of these positions twice over 90 minutes. Directly after I felt fabulous and continued to the next day regardles of the pain all over. I went back Mon night, granted still rather sore, hence dificulty with the standing work, but I still got through, dripping everywhere like a leaky faucet. Apparently these positions in conjunction with the heat enable your body to heal itself, too, not to mention the detox from the sweat.

Day 77

53) Volunteer 50hrs (12/50) Food Bank 4/18/07, Homeless Children (2) 5/2/07, 6/20/07, Sprucing up the Botanical Garden 5/19/07, Breakfast for Abused Children 6/2/07

Yesterday evening I participated in St. Joseph's Village Cooking and Art Fun! for the second time. This time there were a lot more kids and we focused more on the art than cooking fun. There were eight children total: brothers Junior and Marco, siblings Honey, Carolina, and Richard, brother and sister Precious and Randy, and last but not least, Victor (the only one I'd met previously). An art teacher named Mark was there with a couple projects. This man actually sewed together a quilt from fabrics that emulated the sea. Around the border of the quilt he'd interlaced a rope. We sat in a circle gripping the quilt spread between us, lifting it up and down to cause waves, while Mark read:

Down deep below the sea are the strangest fish you ever did see! Some are very small and move really fast. Some are very big and move really slow. Let's try to catch one we all know!

Then we'd all close our eyes and chant: I wish, I wish, I wish for a fish!
Mark would tap one of the kids on the shoulder instructing them to get under the quilt. And we'd open our eyes to see we had caught a fish! The kids loved it, though they all wanted to be under the quilt in the end.
For the second activity we rolled butcher paper out on the floor, taping it there, and proceeded to trace each other lying in crazy positions. As the kids grew bored with it and drifted toward the other toys I showed Honey and Carolina how to mix colors (ie: blue & yellow = green). Then the two girls made me a plastic feast as I read to them.

From an analytical perspective I observed how close in age the siblings are, Junior and Marco are less than a year apart, and got to thinking someone should introduce mom and dad to this invention called the condom.

88) Attend 10 year high school reunion

This summer happens to be that of my high school reunion, but having heard nothing about it, and having read nothing about it on the SOTA website I felt compelled to post this on MySpace:

Subject: ATTN SOTA alumni (repost please)
Body:

As you may have noticed, SOTA has ceased having it's yearly reunions.

This didn't really bother me until this summer, which would be the time of my 10 year reunion.

You see, I've made this list giving myself 101 things to do in the next 900some days (I've had alot of free time at work), and Attend 10 Year Highschool Reunion is #88.

So I ask you to humor me people. Lets assemble, somehow, somewhere, sometime this summer. At a bar, or club, or park, or coffee shop... the beach perhaps.

Let me know if you're in or around SF and interested in attending, or even helping me organize.

-Amber

Luckily, after not so many responses, Trin sent me this:

hey trinity

Can you pass on that SOTA has not ceased having reunions. the class reunions are typically held in august, because that's when people have requested reunions be held due to folks with kids, work schedules, etc.

Mr. Rosenblatt has contacted your class officers [who have historically been in charge of planning reunions with the alumni association, who funds the reunion], and they have begun working on putting together the 10 year reunion for the class of '97. If anyone is interested working on the reunion planning committee, please have them contact me at ron.mccan@gmail.com.

Thanks darlin'!

- Ron
Vice-President
SOTA Alumni Association

So sometime in Aug I'll fulfill this goal. Phew!

Day 74

10) Master 10 dinner recipes (0/10) Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce & Fennel Green Beans (3); Stir Fried Chicken & Asparagus w/Seaweed Rice (1)

I spent the last week and a half living with Maggie and Randy so I could care for Lucy while Mag went back to work and Randy was finishing up school (he teaches 4th grade). Maggie was stressed about how her employers would react to her decision to give her two weeks in order to become a full time mom. Then she became further stressed when she realized she needed to leave asap, giving a one day notice Wednesday. So I cooked them healthy meals to take the edge off. Saturday I made Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce over Spinach and Wednesday night I made Stir Fried Chicken & Asparagus with Seaweed Rice for the first time. The chicken was slightly overcooked and next time I'll go heavier on the sauce, but the seaweed rice was perfect.

12) Master 10 lunch recipes (0/10) Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad (1); Mediterranean Pasta Salad (1); Red Kidney Bean Soup with Lime Yogurt (2)

On Monday night I made Red Kidney Bean Soup with Lime Yogurt for the second time. I went a little easier on the garlic, it got rave reviews. I made enough to have leftovers Tues night and served that with salad.

Day 59

64) Schedule appointment to see if you qualify for Laser Eye Surgery; if yes, begin saving for and have procedure; if no, contacts: appointment on 5/26/07; contact fitting on 5/30/07


Finished! (I love them!)

53) Volunteer 50hrs (10/50) Food Bank 4/18/07, Homeless Children 5/2/07, Sprucing up the Botanical Garden 5/19/07, Breakfast for Abused Children 6/2/07

Saturday morning I got up and headed to the Edgewood Center to help make breakfast for abused, neglected, and troubled youth. The children there are split into four different cottages according to age. I, along with a couple named Bryan and Kelly, was in a cottage for 8-12 year olds. We made the kids scrambled eggs, hash browns, and fruit salad. Kelly is an international accountant who's hobby is cooking, while Bryan is a handyman and aspiring song writer/musician. They're getting married in Mexico next September. International weddings are the new thing apparently. Sounds good to me. I got along with them famously, and boy, can we make a mean batch of scrambled eggs. Unfortunately the bananas were bruised and browning, and we couldn't get our hash browns to brown or crisp. Meeting the kids was intense as their behavior was erratic and troubling. I bonded a little with an obese kid named Gregory, a purist and strawberry enthusiast. He played a game with me where he had me guess his favorite chips, slushy flavor, and fruit (besides strawberries). When asked to receipted I had to regress to a time I ate chips and drank slushies. I came up with cherry cola and Doritos Cool Ranch. He wanted to play a board game with me after we finished eating, but I had somewhere to be. It didn't feel good to disappoint him, but I'll go back. Situations like that call to me, "Amber, get a certification in counseling, degree in psychology, SOMETHING. You're needed." On the other hand, Bryan mentioned to me painting furniture is a very lucrative business, particularly for children. Thankfully, these two paths aren't mutually exclusive.

77) Walk on the beach 2 times a week for a month (8/8) 5/6/07, 5/12/07, 5/18/07, 5/19/07, 5/20/07, 5/23/07, 5/29/07, 6/2/07

Finished!