Consider the Wolf

This video is making a stir on the internet. I liked it. Deer are like rats, but bigger.
Hat to Big Cheese for sending.

GIVE ME ALL THE KISSES

GIMME SOME OF THAT SUGAR

Visited with Friend Ryan earlier in the week. He always laughs at me because as soon as I come in we shake hands hello and then I immediately sit down on the ground with the dogs and hug and kiss them for about 5 minutes or until they settle down, whichever is longer. No time for chat, first we have to get the hugs out of the way.

Apparently some people that visit worry about stuff like dog hair and slobber and the occasional bump or bruise when they get rambunctious. I am not one of those people. I am the opposite of those people. The dogs love it when I come over. SO MANY HUGZ AND KISSES.

One of his pups is Brutus, who he found at an abandoned foreclosure home and rescued. Brutus was about 35 lbs when he was found starving and chained to a fence in a dirt yard. Just skin and bones and his enormous noggin. He had sores and fleas and worms and various other ailments related to slowly starving to death while chained up in a small space. Friend Ryan called up his then girlfriend (now wife) and said, "honey, I think we're getting another dog." (Friend Ryan is good people.) That was about 4 years ago now and Brutus has grown into an enormous (90 lbs!!) beast ball of sugar. It's very good that Ryan adopted him because the shelters are already stuffed full of pit bull mixes. Plus he went to a very good home and is loved.

Next time I visit I will get some photos of his other dog, Roxy. She is even sweeter than Brutus, and although she is half his size she bosses Brutus around. 

BABYTIME

SO MUCH BABYTIME

My friend and his wife had a baby. Her name is Samantha. Their cat is has been around a bit longer and we are close friends because she keeps me company when I stop by at their house. Mainly because I always sit on the floor and the cat is also on the floor and she likes having company down at floor level. So my friend sent me this amazing photo of the two babes in repose. It gets no better.

Well That IS Handy

This from XKCD lets you know what time it is everywhere. Just click the link. Easy.

What time is it?

Surya Namaskara A and B in Sanskrit and English

In my TT we had to write out the scripts for Surya Namaskara A and B as homework. This little chore was a pain in the ass because it forced me to sort through some crap yoga sites and double check my work to ensure that it was correct. Related: Yoga people should not be allowed to design or deliver web content. Ever.

All I needed was a simple list of the steps. I added the breath for n00bs but if you have a regular vinyasa practice it should be old news to you by now. You want poorly lit photos and mediocre descriptions of the postures feel free to look elsewhere. You want to know how it's really supposed to go then take a yoga class. This list is intended as a study aide for someone familiar with the poses.

Special Pet Peeve PS. Do your chadurangas correctly or don't do them at all. Elbows tight to the body, wrists under elbows and upper arms parallel to the mat and no further. NO SWOOPING. Swooping puts unnecessary stress and wear on your rotator cuff. You don't get closer to enlightenment by being an asshat and hurting yourself. There's nothing blissful about doing physical therapy. If fundamentally sound chadurangas are too hard then put your knees down.

Happy practicing. See you in class.

Surya Namaskara A

(0) Samasthiti

1. INH - Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana (Arms Up)
2. EXH - Uttanasana (Forward fold)
3. INH - Urdhva Uttanasana (Halfway lifted forward fold)
4. EXH - Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank)
5. INH - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
6. EXH - Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
7. INH - Urdhva Uttanasana
8. EXH - Uttanasana
9. INH - Utthita Hastasana in Tadasana

(0) Samasthiti

Surya Namaskara B; INH = INHALE; EXH = EXHALE

(0) Samasthiti

1. INH - Utkatasana (Chair)
2. EXH - Uttanasana (Forward Fold)
3. INH - Urdhva Uttanasana (Halfway lifted forward fold)
4. EXH - Chaturanga Dandasana (Plank)
5. INH - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog)
6. EXH - Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog)
7. INH - Virabhadrasana 1 right (Warrior 1)
8. EXH - Chaturanga Dandasana
9. INH - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
10. EXH - Adho Mukha Svanasana
11. INH - Virabhadrasana 1 left
12. EXH - Chaturanga Dandasana
13. INH - Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
14. EXH - Adho Mukha Svanasana (5 breaths)
15. INH - Urdhva Uttanasana
16. EXH - Uttanasana
17. INH - Utkatasana

(0) Samasthiti

This is the Best: Royal Society Charter Book

Loved every bit of this. It was charming and genuine and fascinating all at once. 


Note how the early pages are filled with signatures from top to bottom. They couldn't have made a little more room for Hooke, maybe started a new page? No. Vellum was expensive. Fit your name at the bottom.  Christopher Wren, titan of architecture and design, doesn't even bother with his full written name. Same with Newton, who writes in a type that is inversely proportional to his impact.

NULLIUS IN VERBA is my new favorite phrase.

Don't Plan on It

You got plans? Sure you do. Everyone does. Here are some quotes about plans. 

If you want to make god laugh, tell him about your plans.  - Woody Allen

No plan survives first contact with the enemy. - Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. - Mike Tyson

See you out there.

The Troof Hurts

Friend of the Blog had to get some dental work done. I wanted to be supportive via txt msg, but also couldn't help being a dick. HUGZ! 

#MERCY_IS_SIGN_OF_WEAKNESS

No Time for Self Reflection

The intertubez, it delivers.

Not Strictly True: Lone Survivor Movie

This is late but I wanted to do some reading before I got caught up.
The Lone Survivor movie marketed itself as being based on true events. It was a hell of a long way from anywhere close to accurate. The most egregious error is the number of men that ambush and kill the Navy SEALs in Operation Red Wings. The head bad guy that organized the ambush made a video of the attack. There were 8 men in the video. Eight. Even if he had a few more that didn't want to be in the video (possible, though highly unlikely) then he may have had as many as twelve. That's not quite the 50 (!!) mentioned in Michael P. Murphy's MoH summary of action, nor is it the 30-40 in his MoH Citation. And it is far less than the number depicted in the movie.

Whatever. Hollywood is bullshit and makes stuff up. We knew that. The military is bullshit and makes stuff up. We knew that too.

Except: What chaps me is that Muphy's summary of action doesn't need to be embellished. His acts of bravery and sacrifice are beyond compare regardless of how many people were trying to kill him and his team. Tell the truth about that shit. It matters.

For a full accounting of the inaccuracies, go here: http://www.onviolence.com/?e=770

Superb Owl

WHAAA??

This little guy was discovered outside my friend's office last week (she works in upstate NY). It was rescued and taken to a shelter for recovery.

It's very bright outside during the day for owls. Or maybe he's just suuuuuuper baked. I don't know what the owls get up to in their free time. 

Heard it from A Friend Who Heard it from a Friend

Woke up with this song in my head this morning. No idea why. I haven't heard it (as far as I know) in a long time. I did hear some REO Speedwagon earlier this week on the radio, but not this song. Weird. What's going on in my empty brain during the overnight? Doesn't matter.

Keeps Me Busy, and Another Hit from Sander van Doorn

Long blog posts are in short supply because I haven't had time to sit down and write something thoughtful. I only have a limited number of brain cells and it's tough to get them all going the same direction. SQUIRREL. Plus TT and work means I am doing busy at least 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. In related news I am tired all the time. Plus: homework. But also: hot girls in yoga pants. Shed no tears for me.

At least I'll get plenty of rest this weekend. Except I won't because my peep is visiting from the East. I'm hoping jet lag slows him down or I might die. I don't mean I might die in the "oh that sucks you're so hung over" sense. I mean it in the "oh damn that's too bad he's dead he was a cool guy" sense. Yikes.

On to the music! This delicious slice of Big Room Cheese from Sander van Doorn goes out to (who else?) Big Cheese. There was a time that I would listen to this sort of jam on repeat as loud as possible. And by "there was a time" I mean "yesterday". Autotune? Yes. Catchy hook? Check. Trite lyrics about being young and YOLO and similar bullshit? OH HELL YES. This is a hammer.




Full track comes out in a few days. This song is going to be a smash hit for sure. Sometimes the world needs a slice of cheese. Don't fight it. 

You Knew It All Along

J.K. Rowling admitted recently that Hermione would have been happier had she ended up with Harry instead of Ron. The interview isn't online yet but you can pick up the glossy advertisements magazine when it comes out. If you're the type of person that reads Wonderland.

Which, there's a magazine called wonderland? What? The website says it's got FASHION MUSIC CELEBRITY ETC. It looks like the type of air-quotes-'edgy' print mag that the cool kids thumb through to identify what's not cool any more because somebody put it in a magazine. That shit is so last year.