Gonna Get It Together: Shades, Yoga & Hoffa - Oh My!

I've about 500 items I'd like to throw up here, so I'm going to attempt one of those catch all entries. 'Scuse the clutter, but my mind and life are cranking at breakneck speed. Thank god for yoga, otherwise I'd probably throw a rod or something.

First, here are a few of the pictures from my first shoot with the Dolce Gabbana Shades. Thanks to J9 for putting these together. We'll be doing regular D&G shoots just to keep on our toes and I'll share the results here. Again, any photo direction from readers would be great. Do keep in mind that those who donated to the cause have first say in just about everything here. Speaking of that, I'm pleased to announce that I've already started on special packages for those who made donations. I'm not going to reveal what's in them yet, but I think you'll be pleased.

Onward, I'm actually going to write about yoga here! Yes, I know, this has become the yoga blog that never mentions yoga anymore, but you can't blame a guy for spreading his wings a bit. So, for the past two weeks I've gone into a new mode with my practice. I've been going in every other day! Sacrilege! Yes, I actually do miss daily practice but I tell you, I'm getting quite a bit out of this new approach. My body seems to have a bit more time to process what I am doing. My attitude is great when I hit the mat as there is a sense of longing for the practice after skipping a day. I also have been completing the full primary everyday. I had been overly tired and physically weighed down on a regular basis so I was only doing half primary every other day. The most important reason though, is the fact that I've been really enjoying staying in bed and snuggling with J9! I'm working towards equanimity and staying to that path sometimes requires a bit of flexibility. For the past month I've really been kicking myself to get up every morning and get to practice. I'd tell myself that I would spiral out of control if I didn't keep it up and then I remembered that it was my choice whether I spiraled out of control or not. I elected to shift to every other day and it's been brilliant since. I'm sure that I'll go through shifts like this for the rest of my life. But the practice has become an integral part of me and part of the practice is listening to the subtle hints that it offers.

What else? Oh yes, I'm thrilled that one of the women that I practice with at Ashtanga Michigan is leaving for Mysore soon. We're having a little send off for her this evening. I'm so excited for her. I find it rather gratifying that she's going to go and breathe in the same air that I did. It seems to be keeping it alive and real for me. I don't know, it's hard to explain. Mysore was such a dream for me. It was heavenly and surreal and knowing someone else who is going or who has gone validates it as truly being there. I'm so excited for her and send strength and care with her on her journey.

Finally, back to processing this funny place we find ourselves in, have you heard about the Hoffa search that's going on here on a farm in Milford? I was at a stop light this morning and saw the front page of the newspaper. In a huge bold font it read "The hunt for Hoffa heats up." I hesitated as the headline brought to mind the fact that I had just written a bit about Hoffa in this blog yesterday and didn't know a thing about this investigation. Actually, I never posted what I had written as it didn't make much sense. What I did post was this:

"Maybe you’d like a photo of me in the glasses while curling, with Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, or anything else within the bounds of my own twisted mental faculties."

Which actually makes sense. The first thing I wrote, which didn't make sense was:

"Maybe you'd like a photo of me in the glasses while curling, at Hoffa's burial site, or anything else within the bounds of my own twisted mental faculties."

Of course, this didn't make sense because no one knows where Hoffa was buried! I typed it as I was looking for a Detroit reference that would be known on an international level, hence Hoffa.

I don't know exactly what to make of it, but I'm in a state where there aren't just coincidences. I'm thinking they might actually have something out there in Milford and if they do I'm thinking I need to get out there and do a photo shoot in my new shades! :) Man, there's that damn humor again! I just can't stop smiling these days.

Thrive on and on, ~Gregg