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I'm not back yet, I just thought I should post an update for folks whoose only contact with me lately has been the website.
For the past 3 weeks I've been taking Yoga Classes (as has Kiralee) at a local school. It has been interesting, at times very useful, and at times very hard. I'm not as young as most of the others in the classes, and the beginner's Gentle class has been a lot more strenous and closer to concepts of 'power yoga' then the softer forms I was hoping for. I'm usually exhausted after each class, and sore for several days afterwards. Although its helping my back, its being a severe strain on my bad knee and arm. The class actions are more exercise oriented rather than towards pure stretching and restorative positions (which is what I was looking for). I'll continue for now, until I either manage to injure myself or I run out of our pre-paid lessons, but I seriously doubt I'll continue with the instructor after this.
Kiralee has taken over the majority of the organizational duties of the Western Ave Irregulars, although I've had to give her some help and advice along the way. Unfortunately my plans for taking the time I'm not spending with the groups to relax etc are not working as well as I wish - snowstorms, extreme cold weather and other access problems have pretty much kept me hidden away in the bedroom most game sessions rather than getting the full benefit from not attending.
The reduction of my online involvement in mailing lists, websites, discussion groups etc has helped reduce my online time drastically. This has also helped with my attempts to reduce my media exposures to the horrors of the world that the madmen in Washington and Iraq are subjecting us to. Unfortunately I live in one of the most political cities in the United States, so I have not been able to really hide from it all.... but I'm down to a more manageable level. I'm avoiding most newspapers, hearing only 5-10 minutes of news on the radio or tv daily, and have only run into petition drives and protest marches a few times in the past month. I hate whats going on. I want it to stop. I want Bush and his buddies to get the message that millions of people in the USA and across the world have said and find some other way then dragging us into a bloody war. I feel powerless, frustrated and angry over what has become of this country since he stole the office of President with a bought and paid for Supreme Court of Republican cronies. I think most of the Democrats that have joined his war bandwagon should be removed from office ASAP as well. But if I have to keep listening to it I'll never be free of the stress thats eating me away.
I find myself falling into biographies and novels about the ex-patriots of 1920s Paris. The 30k+ Americans who fled the conservative madness of the Prohibition, Racism and Christian-enforced morality that was thrust on the country in that decade. The Writers, Artists, Performers and creative folks that fled for their freedom of expression are the sorts of folks I mentally associate myself with in these dark times in this era of our government's insane position. Hemmingway, Sylvia Beach, Joyce, the Murphys, etc. I'm now trying to break out of this mild obsession with my latest reading book, to see if I can manage to read for real enjoyment again....
My IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) continues to be a menace, no matter what I do or do not eat. My weight is fluxating around by 10 lbs every depending on where in its cycle the IBS is. Until I truly get my stress levels down it will continue to plague me.
I'm sleeping more, and have had a few nights with full eight hours of sleep in them in recent days. I'm still having a few nights of broken sleep each week, and nightmares (many of them war related) but I'm generally doing better than I was a month ago when I had reached pretty much the breaking point where I was managing only 4-5 hours of sleep each night. Now its a mixture of 6,7 and occasionally 8 hour nights of sleep. I think this is a good sign.
I had a dental incident last week.... managed to chip one of my front teeth while flossing. It must have been weakened already by decay for this to have happened. The Dentist took me the next day, did a composite filling on it (didn't even need novicaine) and its been ok since. Of course I was very stressed that day, but dentist trips always stress me. I've had too many of them, and too much major dental surgery and life threatening dental situations in the past not to have a fear of them.
Well, thats about all I have to report.... our basement project from hell continues. Kiralee continues to over book her life and complain to me that there's not enough time to do everything. Cindy continues to live in tax season hell on her job (but gets a reprieve after April 15th).
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Synthesis & Synchronicity is the meanderings of the mind of Joseph Teller and may not reflect the reality of your own personal universe. Contents are Copyright 2003 by Joseph Teller and anyone who wants to reproduce it in any way or fashion must request permission (although linkage to these is granted to any and all websites, mailing lists and newsgroups, their operators, posters and users if so desired). Unless, of course, otherwise noted within the text of the articles involved. Synthesis & Sychronicity is distributed by Naughty Faerie Productions.