Hip-hop, Running, Hot Sauce

“Best movie ever.” -my boyfriend. But I think he really meant it. Especially because he was very hesitant to see it, and probably was just fancying a whim for me.

It quite possibly is that, though.

“Beyond words- you need to see it.” – me

Those are bad quotes, but somewhat true to the film.

My friend’s boyfriend had a pretty good description of this unique gem of a documentary:

“genius with a twist. its like ‘the sixth sense’ only with less bruce willis and more great.”

I was naturally drawn to it, under unnatural circumstances (found it at a tiny movie theater next to the coffee shop where two friends were playing that evening), because of the French shop-keeper. I read a description about a documentary following a subject that wasn’t there. I didn’t fully understand what that meant until well into the film. There really were plot twists, and intriguing changes of events- and it was all true.

Read the NY Times Movie Review of it.

There’s a preview to give you a better idea of what it’s about. It combines street art, which is pretty neat, with a crazy French-men, with totally unrealistic ideas that work in the wildest ways- like it ends up so often with popular things in society.

I’m not a film reviewer, if I had time I’d say more, but, the urgent message right now is, YES, it is worth seeing!!!

It looks like a hail storms a brewin.

Not quite sure what I’m trying to do, anywhere.

Interests are a key thing, so are interesting people, and so is an interest-bearing savings account.

Gotta keep yo’self occupied. No lies, no hidin. You gotsta be you. And I ain’t old-school…but I like it (old-school, you know)!

Reassuring myself I’ve been doing enough is a kindness. I recently realized I am in fact a perfectionist, and a needlessly ambitious one.

That said, my interests, such as examining and performing music, are a clear key to keeping myself real.

Oohhh weee it is gettin’ real dark out.

I’m lovin’ it. But. Sadly, I can’t go to the Erykah Badu concert because I’ll already be on my road trip! Yay! Road trip 2010 comin so soon. And my SUMMER!!! This one is inevitably going to be 70% better than last Summer, for a lot of reasons.

And I thank God for this. Hydration, and gratitude, are two huge keys to success.

Love to y’all!!!

Catching up with friends is great (especially when they have the cutest baby ever! -besides my niecees obvi!) I made a Spinach pie to entice some friends over, we talked. We did stuff.

See, I look like I could have kids someday. Kittens and babies are 2 of my favorite things. But, having a child also means giving your life to the child. Which is noble, and worthy, but not something I want to do too soon.

And then look what happened!

The baby wanted me to teach her how to DJ! Holy Moly Awesome!

Video- check it:

Aww, her first DJ lesson with DJ Doo. That’s my name. Sort of. For now. We’ll see. Create the skill first, and the name will follow.

I’ve been neglecting this poor blog, and so many other things. But maybe I’ve been living. Vibrantly. Instead. Alas, schoolteaching does take up an inordinate amount of my time, mostly due to the getting up early (and my faulty not going to bed early), the thinking about and wasting time procrastinating doing the work, and the whole being at work for ~8 hours a day. And then some days there is just a lot of work.

My life? It’s pretty good. It’s all about your mind perspective, and the present. You just NEVER know what might happen. I certainly didn’t. Now I really feel that I see things differently. Part of this might be due to some more regular integration of spiritual practice. In a real way. A heartfelt way. I am more conscious of my thoughts, patterns, actions, and words.

I’ve been neglecting this blog, but no one cares except for me, so that can be remedied.

I’ve been neglecting running, but I love it, and I have some real motivation to do it now.

I’ve been neglecting relaxation, and efficient time usage (what’s new there!), but I do only have a month until school is done. The real challenge would be more relaxing and efficient time usage while I’m still in school!

I’ve been doing a pretty good job on a personal level, with human relationships. And that’s valuable. The most valuable thing.

I’ll be back here again soon. No excuses, just gotta sort out what the real important stuff I’ve been doing/observing/collecting has been. Stay tuned (all you millions of readers…..)

Here’s a link to Varalliusa or Upstares restaurant in Philadelphia.

I haven’t been blogging much lately, and I’m no renowned food critic, so I’ll make this short and sweet.

The food was excellent, but more importantly, the service was SPECTACULAR! And the price was pretty reasonable considering the high quality of food.

My boyfriend and I went there with just over an hour before the start time of a nearby show we were going to see. Once the server knew we were seeing a show and on a time crunch (she asked, by the way!), she said they’d do everything to make sure we dined in enough time.

The food came out so fast it got there before she had brought us bread, which literally felt like single-digit minutes.

I got duck with a fig sauce, which she said could go on anything, and she was right. It was delicious. It came with sauteed spinach and some mustardy mashed potato delight. Boyfriend got the in-house-made gnocchi and beef ribs, which was also delicious.

The decor was quite nice, we were seated right away (again- this is on a busy Saturday evening! in downtown Philly), and it was all a very pleasant experience.

The best part? Because we had to eat quickly, our waitress gave us a $10 gift certificate, on them, to come back and enjoy dessert.

I had to blog about this place, it was such a uniquely awesome dinner and experience. I will definitely go back. What service!!!

Went and saw a chillawesome monk who worked on this sand mandala – it represents the “Wheel of Life”

Pic says it all. As usual, I’ll say more…

Amazing. I got to talk with him too and he was splendid. So carefree. But you know it’s from all that meditating and mindfulness!

I gotta be honest, it was amazing. I also gotta be honest just this one time- I am backdating this blog because I (cough ehhem feel bad cough) about only blogging once in April!

And that’s ok. I am a serious overachiever. Addicted. Admitted. I recently realized again (as in, another level deeper), how much importance I place on “doing stuff”. Achieving. “Taking care of business”.

Some of it’s important, there will always be more adding up, but I am always thinking about wanting to do more. And I’ve also realized I need to just suck it up, and be ok with what I’m doing. More than just be ok, I need to recognize that I’m doing a lot. And I need to say, way to go, Amandoo.

Easier blogged about once than done regularly. I’ve been more aware of it, though, and I’m happy to say that awareness does cure all. As long as you keep being aware.

Simplifying life would be a good way for me to have less to actually have to get done. This can be done in a number of ways- and I’ve obviously been too busy to blog much, and I have to be okay with that.

I’m living it up. Creating more human ties. Relaxing. Accomplishing a modest, yet pleasant amount.

Note to all you overachievers out there- just stop it! Yes, it’s important to make goals and reach them, but there is a healthy limit, and way too many Americans are constantly working towards futility.

Work and being “busy” can be an addiction and a very misleading aim.

Things are good. Really good. Yes, it would be easy for me to say that because I went to the Bahamas for almost a week! But I am headed back to school tomorrow and am still finishing up a bunch of planning and grading. What changed is the feelings I have heading back into school after a break. I actually feel relaxed, and not that nervous. Even though I did procrastinate, I did a great job working today because a) I knew I had to, b) I had some power and energy from break, and c) my life has changed. Just take a look at this pic of me:

Maybe I’ll get more up, maybe I won’t. I do care a lot about blogging, and want to create a wonderful blog, but school takes up SO much of my time. It just does. And then the other stuff in life. Like accomplishing things.

Over the vacation, my “accomplishments” were relaxing, sitting by the pool and/or beautiful ocean, and connecting and having fun! These are not things I normally see as big achievements, but they were!

My mind really has changed. Usually I’m extremely anxious, depressed, and doing anything but preparing to go back as it gets closer to going back.

This time, I think the vacation was so relaxing and wonderful, and the thought processes and reflections I had while there, have helped me recognize that in the grand scheme of things, everything is really quite great. Sure, I might not feel very well-prepared for tomorrow, but it will come and go quickly, and then I’ll be back in work mode. And I’m sure the students won’t be in the best shape as far as working goes. Games- I’m lucky to teach a foreign language for that reason.

I have a lot of further insights into what went on, and why it was so wonderful, and some of it is personal, some of it people might not be able to relate to- but that’s what a blog is for, right? Sharing your own subjective experience of life and your encounters?

I have so much to share. The overwhelming desire to have more flexibility in my work schedule is still a persistent push in my mind, but, alas, WHAT IT IS. This is the way it is, and it’ll do for now. And I’ll enjoy it.

It’s been a while since I blogged, so I could get wordy, but I’ll try not to. I’m just so happy, and appreciative of life these days. Of course new love is something that makes everything seem better, but this love is a realistic and tender relationship that has helped me open my eyes, appreciate my life more, and change my perspective in a lasting way.

A wise man once said, “It’s your mind that needs to change, not the things it deals with”. We’re always saying “When this happens, this…”, focusing on how good things would be once…whatever change happened that may not ever happen. Life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it.

For me, a great challenge has been learning how to appreciate my job more, and to realize that I really do like a lot of parts of it. And no matter what happens in the coming years with it (if I stay or go), I’m doing it right now, so I’ve been figuring out ways to make the dread of planning and grading more tolerable.

It’s a change in perspective that’s really made the difference.

As I said, new love is a great remedy for everything, helping you see the world through “rose-colored glasses”, but I’m happy to see that this love is more than just a “falling in love”. I read in a book on philosophy that if you “rise in love” instead of “falling”, then you can come into a state of love, and then you won’t end up falling out of love. It’s more complex than that, but that’s the idea I’ve kept in mind as I go through this relationship.

I’m not usually one to blog about my intimate, personal life like this, but this applies to my whole life, and since everyone just wants to be loved, that’s what I’m aiming to do. Love more, and bring more love into my life, into my being. That’s something everyone can do on their own, whether they have a “love” in their life or not, and if you don’t, well, you never know what might happen…I didn’t see this coming.

I am actually involved with a lot more positive feelings than I would have thought, coming into the final hours of my Christmas holiday vacation from teaching. It’s over, as in, I really oughta already be asleep. However, I am having 82% fewer bad feelings and thoughts than usual.

It is gonna SUCK @#$%^ getting up so early tomorrow, especially because I gave up coffee for a New Years’ resolution. Mmm, coffee.

But the no coffee thing has gone alright these past few days, besides me being tired and on a weird schedule involving too much sleep (store it up!). And I guess it’ll all get back on track eventually.

And other things are great. Even my attitude about teaching has changed, somewhat. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow, but I’m hoping I can bring some of the ethics of Zen-ness into the classroom, and to be relaxed, but authoritative, so the kids behave ok and don’t resent me.

I’m not sure how I really feel about the whole getting up so early all of the time thing, as far as my ability to do it in coming years, but I just don’t think it’s gonna be okay for much longer. That said, I didn’t do much over break to think of other options, but, I am glad that my life attitude changed. I feel heavily inspired, but cannot expound on this at this time, leaving all of my loyal blog readers forlorn, je sais.

In conclusion, enjoy breaks while you get them, and recognize that life keeps going on, and soon enough…Spring Break! hahahaha