lady gaga

She has coffee and cigarettes for breakfast. I've never seen her alone and she always appears to be deep in conversation with a man. I've never seen her smile, but she doesn't look sad either. She's a complex character, that Lady G.

inspire.

Feeling very airy today. Airy in the sense that I feel light. Light in the sense that I am free. Free in the sense that I could travel anywhere I want. I want to dance in a sunny, open field while wearing a flowy dress. I want to hug a tree. Today I visualize myself floating through a field, smiling, dancing, doing yoga, laughing. Carelessly frolicking. Goddess style.

wednesday

Last night I celebrated Julia's birthday with John, Kyla & Kelly at Sapphire Hotel. So yummy and so fun! I liked that it was an intimate group and we all got to catch up. However, it made me realize that I really don't want to go out to eat anymore. Here's what it's like for me (or for the server is more like it):

• Is this gluten free?
• Does this have cheese? 
• What kind of cheese? It is really gooey or is there just a little bit of dairy in the sauce?
• Can I have a mug of hot water with lemon?
• And a regular water with no ice, please.
• Is your house white dry? No? Okay I'll need another minute.

All of those questions/requests really happened. She was nice about it and I tried not to be annoying but I'm sure I was. I also think saying, "I'm sorry, I know that's annoying" or "I'm being really annoying" is the MOST annoying thing of all, so instead of saying that I just smiled and thanked her. It's such a pain to go out if you have dietary restrictions, especially if you are still getting used to them yourself.

Speaking of the dietary issues, I feel like the gluten free/dairy free thing is working out. I still think I have some issues that need to be sorted out, but maybe it's getting a little better? I definitely feel more in control of things. I also started doing warm water with lemon and cayenne, which sounds gross but actually feels pretty good. I feel like my body is in major repair mode. I don't have much energy, and I don't know if that means I'm just lazy or my body is actually repairing itself, but I've been sleeping a lot. Like 10-12 hours a night for the past four nights a lot. Last Friday after Mysore I came home and fell asleep for a few hours without even showering first. I just immediately crashed. I wondered if pushing my body to wake up at 5:30 and practice for 90 or so minutes was too much for my body right now, so I decided to let myself wake up naturally this week and it's been between 8:30 and 10am. Obviously too late to go to Mysore. I've been taking walks, but I feel so low energy that walking with any sort of speed is not really happening. The good news is that I have lost 5 pounds since I wrote about gaining 20, I found that out yesterday. I think it mostly has to do with cutting gluten and dairy and also making sure I don't eat too late at night. I always had a bad habit of eating after my evening classes, which would sometimes be as late as 9 or 9:30 (yes, that is late when you're asleep by 11 at the latest). Things are feeling like they're getting back on track (at least for now), slowly but surely. Now all I have to do is go see the naturopath and really get things right.

vacation

I need a vacation. A real one, not a trip back to Virginia. I'm not picky about where I go. In fact, I would be happy with either of the following:

• Somewhere warm, sunny and tropical. This place should have white sandy beaches and clear water. Wherever I stay should have an infinity pool. All of my meals will be eaten outdoors with stunning ocean views. There will be jet skiing involved, and lazy days lounging on a boat. I will have a tan and wear a white bikini and look like a goddess.
• Somewhere cold, snowy and majestic. Wherever I stay will be nestled in the middle of a ski town. I will wear cozy boots, sweaters, scarves and hats and drink lattes every morning by a fireplace. During the day I will snowboard my ass off. At night I will return to the fireplace in my pajamas and drink wine. I'll be too tired to snowboard every day, so there will be a spa day in there complete with a massage, facial and probably some other treatments I'm not even familiar with.

After writing this, I have decided that I much prefer the latter. I'm thinking Aspen or Park City. I should also mention that for this vacation, I will have plenty of money to spend on activities, spa treatments, shopping and lavish dinners.

wednesday

I’ve done Mysore twice more since I last wrote. I made the mistake of going two days in a row, one of the mornings I taught a 90 minute heated power vinyasa class right after. Perhaps the mistake was not going two days in a row, but rather going on a morning I had to teach. I felt so weak and wiped out because I didn’t have time to eat anything or rest. I am a fan of slow mornings and yesterday was anything but. I decided to take today off, and probably tomorrow too. I’ll return on Friday.

In other news, I’m on day 10 of gluten free, and mostly dairy free too. Most days I don’t have dairy, but there’s a salad dressing I like that has milk in it so I continue to eat it. I think I’m feeling better? It’s hard to say, the naturopath at Yoga Pearl says I should give it a minimum of 5 weeks. I like being mindful of what I eat. I am a total label reader. Not sure where I picked up that habit, but I think it pays to know what’s in your food.

Today is Tiffany’s birthday and she’s spending it alone in Greece. Not the worst place to be if you have to spend your birthday alone, but I’m sure it’s still lonely. I’m wearing a pair of the Nikes she gave me right now. It’s a pretty safe assumption that I’m always wearing at least one thing she gave me since she gave me so much clothing, shoes and jewelry. I love it! 

best dressed

And now for something completely different...

I just came across People Magazines list of the Best Dressed Celebs of 2012. First of all, fashion is completely subjective. They have listed Gwyneth Paltrow as The WORLD'S Best Dressed Woman. No. Just no. And secondly, these people all have stylists who put their outfits together for them, and a completely disposable income. These people have an extreme advantage. Aside from Gwyneth, here's what I think about their other 9 picks:

Kate Middleton: The classic beauty. Does she look nice? Yes. Does she dress like she's 30? Not in my opinion. Most of her outfits look matronly. But, I get that she's the future Queen of England and has to keep it classy, so she gets a pass.

Emma Stone: The red carpet ruler.  Nothing about her stands out to me. Red carpet ruler seems like a huge overstatement.

The Kardashians: Brunette bombshells. I love the Kardashian sisters. Kourtney's style is my favorite. Very boho chic. I like it. Kim is a little over the top for my taste, but I generally like the way she dresses. Khloe too.

Miranda Kerr: The street style pro. She's wearing pants with a floral print in the photo they chose and that is a huge no-no in my book. I hate floral prints.

Reese Witherspoon: The hot mama. I do love Reese and her down to earth style. I wouldn't mind having her wardrobe. Jennifer Garner too.

Rihanna: The risky renegade.  I'm not sure what statement she is trying to make, but I very much dislike her style. Looks pretty tasteless and most of the time slutty to me. She has the type of body that she can wear anything and look good, but that doesn't necessarily mean she should.

Jessica Alba: The jean queen. Possibly my favorite on this list. I love how she is always pairing jeans with a blazer and scarf. I love that look and when I wear clothing that isn't made of Luon, I love jeans and a blazer. So clean!

Diane Kruger: The high fashion pro. I know nothing about high fashion and therefore know nothing about her or her style. If it's high fashion I probably don't like it ;)

Jennifer Lawrence: Best rising star. Don't know anything about her either. I suck at fashion blogging. Think I'll stick to yoga...

saturday

I'm happy to report that I'm feeling better today. Better for this moment. I have lots of ups and downs. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this would be considered a vatta imbalance. From a western perspective, this would be considered bipolar, or just plan crazy. I may be a little crazy, but probably not any more than the next person. I'm taking a workshop next weekend at Yoga Pearl called "What's Yer Dosha" with Britt Bensen Steele. It's an Ayurveda workshop and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to learn from her. I've been taking her classes and I always love what she has to say.

This morning Keith and I went to breakfast at Besaw's. It was a late breakfast, we got there around 11:15. Who goes to breakfast at 11:15 on a Saturday morning? Everyone. We waited for about 30 minutes, but then scored a really great table so it all worked out. I've been gluten free for a week now and was thrilled to see that they offered gluten free pancakes and french toast, as well as gluten free bread. The bread was delicious, not like cardboard at all. It tasted and looked a little like cornbread. Maybe it was? I stayed away from the pancakes and french toast because I'm not clueless enough to think that gluten free is synonymous with healthy. I wouldn't order regular pancakes, and I wouldn't order them gluten free either.

Last night after taking Britt's class, I was talking with her about my digestive issues and she told me she doesn't think I should be doing raw food as it can be very difficult to digest. What a bummer. I do tons of raw food and I happen to love it. But the truth is, I don't always feel great after I drink a smoothie or eat a raw spinach and veggie salad. She suspects I'm having issues with malabsorption. Sometimes my body feels like my worst enemy and I want to scream at it, "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, ANYWAY?!"