hamikka’s blog

What's the best thing about today?

Pinon coffee and homemade granola?  Still in the middle of morning...

As many of you have probably gathered, I'm embarking on this whole thing of compassion and understanding and loving kindness and all that jazz.

I've been researching the yogic and buddhist literature, and can't find an answer to this question:

Do I need to show compassion and loving kindness to creepy people, or can I go with my gut, self-preservation (ego, but perhaps a good use of ego) and ignore them / keep them at a long distance?

Thoughts?

Do you own your home? If not, do you have plans to buy a home in the near future?

No.  Define "near".  Right now about 1/4-1/3 of our income is going into a savings account, which is currently half-EF and half-downpayment.  By April, about 1/2 of our income will be going into this account.  So, that's the part we're doing.

I think we might wait longer than we'd like in order to see what this whole housing/mortgage mess is going to turn into, and to see how it will affect the local housing market.  One thing that's also holding us back is we don't want one of those "affordable" cookie-cutter houses on the southside, in the same neighborhood as 7,000 people under the age of 18.  We've been joking about moving into a retirement community first. :)

I would definitely like to own something before the decade is over, even if it's a plot of land an hour out of the city.  Or a condo.  Something.

After taking a few weeks off for traveling and adjusting to my new work schedule, I'm back on the yoga horse, having been to two classes in the past week and planning another one on Wednesday (if I get out of my morning meeting on time).  Yes, yogic breathing now allows me to type ridiculously long sentences.

The classes I've been taking have been pretty tough, with poses I've always shied away from, but it's a nice feeling to rise, sometimes feet first, to the challenge.  It's definitely good for my peace of mind as I'm juggling two jobs until the end of the year and trying to quit smoking later this week.  So we'll see.

Wednesday I will post a picture of something I've always wanted and finally got.  Maybe two things.

Now I get to juggle a homicidal kitten in the shower.  Yoga rules!

Voice Of The Fire

Show us something that looks like junk to everyone else, but looks like raw materials to you.

IMG_1312

What is the best beer on planet Earth? 
Submitted by Remmy Van Hornie.

That's like asking a parent which child is their favorite. 

I love them all equally, except the ones that suck and never should have been born to begin with.

What one year of your life would you like to re-live, if you were given the chance? 
Submitted by Ross. 

There are two possibilities:

1.  the last year I was in Albuquerque.  I spent way too much time and energy on a soul-sucking relationship, rather than enjoying the life I had and celebrating milestones like my MLS.  Buuuttttt....if that year hadn't been that year I might not have moved to the Four Corners and met Sin, so I think I'll keep that year the way it was.  Even though it was mostly sucky.

2.  the first year in the Caribbean.  we met some wonderful people down there, but kept most of them at arm's length for the first year, while we struggled with boredom and alienation and a weird second adolescence.  spending more time with those wonderful people would not have dissuaded us from getting off-island as soon as we could, but it could have made the first year less damaging, painful, solipsistic, scary, etc etc etc. Buuuttttt....without that year we might still be that anti-social couple, walling ourselves away from the world behind seasons of Buffy and mistaken assumptions, instead of bravely seeking out different people and activities to pass the time with.  So I think I'll keep that year the way it was, even though it was probably the worst year of my life and a hard foot to start a marriage on.