Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Favorite Things #4
After two days of single digit weather, when the mercury hit the freezing mark of 32 degrees, it seems as though I were in the Sahara Desert. Balmy came to mind. And the best part of this winter heat wave was the coating of pure white all over Central Park. As I walked the dogs down our usual morning path, with the sun rising over the skyscrapers, the silence of the park was interrupted only by the crunching sound of my boots on the freshly fallen snow. I love snowy mornings in New York. The stillness and calm is something that I embrace wholeheartedly because it’s so rarely found. And I love Central Park. At times it’s an absurd maze that seems impossible to get across and other times, it’s just the most wonderfully man-made nature reserve. It is on days like this when all the dogs are popping up and down in the snow and enjoying the reckless innocence and abandon that I am thankful for my city and to live here. It’s a unique moment and I cherish it every time it happens. It makes me return to those carefree days when I was young and I would go sledding in the hills of the park. I’d giggle and scream with sheer glee – not a thought in the world could ruin this feeling for me then or now.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Pins and Needles 4
The fourth installment of my acupuncture was back to being relaxing. I mentioned to my acupuncturist that I was having a lot of neck pain and headaches so she decided to take a different approach than before. Up until this point, the needles were concentrated on my back. This time around she places a number of needles into my scalp and at the base of my neck. I'm pretty sure I looked like that guy "Pinhead" (is that his name?) from that 'HellRaiser' series of horror movies.
Regardless of what I looked like, after it was done, I felt amazingly cured. Even as she was placing the needles in, I began to feel the change. The headache's strength slowly subsided and the neck tension went away. I began to feel my muscle let go like an overused rubber band. Once she removed the needles, she also did a scalp scratching. While she did this, I admit, I would have rather she stopped. However, after she was done, my scalp tingled as if I had rubbed a cool, refreshing York's Peppermint Patty all over my scalp. This was all done to increase circulation to the scalp. The acupuncturist said it would be good for me to do this whenever I felt these headaches. Now, what would it look like if I just started scraping my scalp whenever I was at work or surrounded by family? Pretty insane I think...but no one needs to know what I do in the privacy of my own apartment.
Regardless of what I looked like, after it was done, I felt amazingly cured. Even as she was placing the needles in, I began to feel the change. The headache's strength slowly subsided and the neck tension went away. I began to feel my muscle let go like an overused rubber band. Once she removed the needles, she also did a scalp scratching. While she did this, I admit, I would have rather she stopped. However, after she was done, my scalp tingled as if I had rubbed a cool, refreshing York's Peppermint Patty all over my scalp. This was all done to increase circulation to the scalp. The acupuncturist said it would be good for me to do this whenever I felt these headaches. Now, what would it look like if I just started scraping my scalp whenever I was at work or surrounded by family? Pretty insane I think...but no one needs to know what I do in the privacy of my own apartment.
It Baffles the Mind
I have often said to those who know me that people’s behavior often confounds me. I’m sure that my comportment is equally perplexing to others but I like to think I try to vocalize the reasons for my actions or that my actions are at least predictable to those around me that they already know how I will act in most circumstances.
That said, I am still confused by what people do. Let me give you a couple of examples:
This morning I went to the library to get some school work done. The public library in itself is an enigmatic place but since I needed to make photocopies of things I was reading, it served its purpose quite well. At the library that I frequent the most, there are four tables of 8 chairs each. Luckily I got there early enough to have my pick – the seat closest to the window. So I chose table number 3 by the window. Perhaps 10 minutes later, a older gentleman walked up and sat at the opposing end of my table. Now, normally this wouldn’t bother me but why did he sit there when there were 3 other tables to choose from? Was it his favorite spot? I don’t know but it just seemed odd to me.
Earlier this morning, I was exercising my cardiac muscle on the stationary bike at the gym. I usually read a book while I cycle my legs into oblivion and barely make a note of who else is in the gym. However, this morning it was a little difficult to not pay attention to one other person working out. A man that I’d say was perhaps in his late 20s or early 30s had decided to check the noise register of a number of the weight machines on the other side of the floor. He contracted his muscles, let out an excruciatingly inappropriate moan and then proceeded to drop the stack of weights on each machine upon realizing his muscles. He continued to do this for quite some time (at least it felt this way!!) and was then perturbed when one of the staffed walked up to him and asked him to desist in doing his distracting exercise routine. Why did he get upset? I’ll never know.
And lastly, and this is only for today, I went to have some lunch at a new establishment. Because I live in New York, there is an insane competition for every New Yorker to be the first to try anything new. So the place was quite crowded. I was seated right by the waiting area and I enjoyed my food and my book to a great degree. However, as everyone was being seated, they somehow all decided it was ok to practically stick their faces into the dishes I was eating at the moment to see what it looked like. To a number of these food rubberneckers, I gave a nasty glare and to others, I covered my dish with my hand like a student covers his test from a cheating classmate. Now, why did these people think that poking their heads into my food was a pleasant gesture? I guess I’ll never know or figure it out. I just enjoy writing about it in hopes that there might be others who find these situations just as baffling as I do.
That said, I am still confused by what people do. Let me give you a couple of examples:
This morning I went to the library to get some school work done. The public library in itself is an enigmatic place but since I needed to make photocopies of things I was reading, it served its purpose quite well. At the library that I frequent the most, there are four tables of 8 chairs each. Luckily I got there early enough to have my pick – the seat closest to the window. So I chose table number 3 by the window. Perhaps 10 minutes later, a older gentleman walked up and sat at the opposing end of my table. Now, normally this wouldn’t bother me but why did he sit there when there were 3 other tables to choose from? Was it his favorite spot? I don’t know but it just seemed odd to me.
Earlier this morning, I was exercising my cardiac muscle on the stationary bike at the gym. I usually read a book while I cycle my legs into oblivion and barely make a note of who else is in the gym. However, this morning it was a little difficult to not pay attention to one other person working out. A man that I’d say was perhaps in his late 20s or early 30s had decided to check the noise register of a number of the weight machines on the other side of the floor. He contracted his muscles, let out an excruciatingly inappropriate moan and then proceeded to drop the stack of weights on each machine upon realizing his muscles. He continued to do this for quite some time (at least it felt this way!!) and was then perturbed when one of the staffed walked up to him and asked him to desist in doing his distracting exercise routine. Why did he get upset? I’ll never know.
And lastly, and this is only for today, I went to have some lunch at a new establishment. Because I live in New York, there is an insane competition for every New Yorker to be the first to try anything new. So the place was quite crowded. I was seated right by the waiting area and I enjoyed my food and my book to a great degree. However, as everyone was being seated, they somehow all decided it was ok to practically stick their faces into the dishes I was eating at the moment to see what it looked like. To a number of these food rubberneckers, I gave a nasty glare and to others, I covered my dish with my hand like a student covers his test from a cheating classmate. Now, why did these people think that poking their heads into my food was a pleasant gesture? I guess I’ll never know or figure it out. I just enjoy writing about it in hopes that there might be others who find these situations just as baffling as I do.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Pins and Needles #2 and 3
In my quest to reduce the stress in my body, and pain associated with that stress, I’ve been going to acupuncture (as I mentioned in Pins and Needles #1)
The second session was much the same as the first except that I told the acupuncturist that the headaches and pain I’d been having had been getting weaker. So she placed the needles in different places on my back. After the half hour had passed, I didn’t feel much different at all. However, as I left the office, I felt a lot lighter and full of energy and that feeling continued for the rest of the day. I had a pretty great period of focus and attention at work and it was darn cool. So, I was pretty much hooked….
And then session three came along...
For some reason the days leading up to session three were particularly taking a toll on my lower back. And my headaches were manifesting themselves a bit more. No matter what I took for this pain, it didn’t seem to help. I informed the acupuncturist of this and she told me ‘Don’t worry we will fix you up.’
And she certainly did. We began the session with the heat paddles and the needles were concentrated in my lower back…like a little porcupine but who got a Mohawk or something…After 30 minutes like that she came in and said ‘Now we are going to do cupping.’ Uh oh I thought. I’ve never done that before, I thought and said aloud. And she explained how it was done. That some aromatherapy oils would be placed on my back and then small glass jars would be heated around the rims and placed on my back. This would create a suction and then she could manipulate these cups around my back to generate circulation to the areas that needed it.
This, my friends, hurt. Not the heated suction cups, but the areas that were in pain, they hurt!! She concentrated the cups on my lower back. And I admit, I can take an awful lot of pain but this was a little unbearable for me. Once it was over, I wanted to get out of there faster than you can ever imagine. I was in pain for the rest of the day. However, the next morning, nothing. No pain in my lower back at all. The headache had subsided and I was feeling so loose and light. After all that pain, I admit that for what I felt the next day, it was completely worth it. When I had left the office the day prior, I entertained never going back. But I will....for sure. Stay Tuned.
The second session was much the same as the first except that I told the acupuncturist that the headaches and pain I’d been having had been getting weaker. So she placed the needles in different places on my back. After the half hour had passed, I didn’t feel much different at all. However, as I left the office, I felt a lot lighter and full of energy and that feeling continued for the rest of the day. I had a pretty great period of focus and attention at work and it was darn cool. So, I was pretty much hooked….
And then session three came along...
For some reason the days leading up to session three were particularly taking a toll on my lower back. And my headaches were manifesting themselves a bit more. No matter what I took for this pain, it didn’t seem to help. I informed the acupuncturist of this and she told me ‘Don’t worry we will fix you up.’
And she certainly did. We began the session with the heat paddles and the needles were concentrated in my lower back…like a little porcupine but who got a Mohawk or something…After 30 minutes like that she came in and said ‘Now we are going to do cupping.’ Uh oh I thought. I’ve never done that before, I thought and said aloud. And she explained how it was done. That some aromatherapy oils would be placed on my back and then small glass jars would be heated around the rims and placed on my back. This would create a suction and then she could manipulate these cups around my back to generate circulation to the areas that needed it.
This, my friends, hurt. Not the heated suction cups, but the areas that were in pain, they hurt!! She concentrated the cups on my lower back. And I admit, I can take an awful lot of pain but this was a little unbearable for me. Once it was over, I wanted to get out of there faster than you can ever imagine. I was in pain for the rest of the day. However, the next morning, nothing. No pain in my lower back at all. The headache had subsided and I was feeling so loose and light. After all that pain, I admit that for what I felt the next day, it was completely worth it. When I had left the office the day prior, I entertained never going back. But I will....for sure. Stay Tuned.
My Favorite Things cont'd (#3)
Johnny Depp
Sigh!! Just thinking about him brings my blood pressure down and makes me warm all over. I’m not sure what it is…maybe it’s the cheekbones? Maybe it’s the way he doesn’t care if he looks dumb in movies. Ok, no more wondering, he’s just hot! That’s it!!
I’ve always liked him. Yep, since back in the days of 21 Jump Street. But I began to like him even more when he teamed up with Tim Burton. Also when he moved to France, that helped to make him more delicious. Wasn’t too fond of him in the Kate Moss days I admit or when he tore up that hotel room. But we all make mistakes, Jonny. It’s ok. I still love you.
Sigh!! Just thinking about him brings my blood pressure down and makes me warm all over. I’m not sure what it is…maybe it’s the cheekbones? Maybe it’s the way he doesn’t care if he looks dumb in movies. Ok, no more wondering, he’s just hot! That’s it!!
I’ve always liked him. Yep, since back in the days of 21 Jump Street. But I began to like him even more when he teamed up with Tim Burton. Also when he moved to France, that helped to make him more delicious. Wasn’t too fond of him in the Kate Moss days I admit or when he tore up that hotel room. But we all make mistakes, Jonny. It’s ok. I still love you.
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Few More of My Favorite Things
Something about this movie just makes me laugh every single time I’ve seen it. And I’ve seen it numerous times. It’s such a clever movie. It has action, romance, comedy, great acting and wonderful writing. It's hard to not repeat such lines as “Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
As if that weren’t enough, the music makes me chuckle too. How can you not laugh when Wallace Shawn’s character Vizzini screams out that ‘The Cliffs of Insanity’ are ahead when the music all of a sudden becomes ominous and bleak.
I think that when this movie came out back in the 80s it might have been reviewed as silly. It has since become a cult classic and I can’t help but watch a little bit of it every time it is on.
As if that weren’t enough, the music makes me chuckle too. How can you not laugh when Wallace Shawn’s character Vizzini screams out that ‘The Cliffs of Insanity’ are ahead when the music all of a sudden becomes ominous and bleak.
I think that when this movie came out back in the 80s it might have been reviewed as silly. It has since become a cult classic and I can’t help but watch a little bit of it every time it is on.
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