Today is the third Friday of the month. Mara went with me to the Buddhist meditation session. (We were both too busy to go on the first Monday.) As we started focusing on our breathing, I realized that I was using the breathing style I've learned in yoga class: to breath by expanding my chest in four directions - not only pushing my chest out, but my back and the sides of my ribs, as well.

There are several schools of yoga. I knew that before I signed up, but I couldn't name any of them. Lisa teaches anusara yoga. I knew that when I signed up, but I didn't know what that means. Tonight, I learned that anusara yoga teaches attitude over alignment or action. Other schools teach only action or only alignment. I would guess those other schools are the "fitness and exercise" forms of yoga. It seems I walked into the right school for what I was looking for.

An amazing thing happened during tonight's class. We were doing an assisted pose - I don't know its name. While kneeling, and with a partner supporting the weight of your head in their hands, the object was to curve your back backwards as far as comfortable - touching the heels of your feet, if possible. My partner's name was Kirsten. As I began my backward arch, Lisa came over and assisted by pushing gently into my lower back. My hands were resting on the backs of my upper legs. Lisa asked if I wanted to try bending farther back. Yes, and I did. Keep bending back, if you'd like, said Lisa, and move you hands lower on you legs. I kept bending farther back, and Kirsten supported my head as my head lowered. Now, see if you can touch your feet, instructed Lisa. Not only did I touch my heels, but the palms of my hands supported my weight against my foot. I wish I could have seen what my pose looked like, because it impressed Lisa ("Wow!" she said) and Kirsten and apparently other members of the class.

My posting has been sporadic and brief, since our desktop computer went down. I haven't written anything about the latest issue of ¡Piensa en Epañol!, which came about the time of the crash. I read an article on El Babo - "Son reptiles que viven en el medio acuático de las lagunas y caños de los llanos y de las lagunas costeras y río que desembocan al mar." I've read articles titled "Humacao, La Perla de Puerto Rico" and "¿Qué es el Ecoturismo?" I'm now reading an interview with Joaquín Sabina (the same singer/songwriter written about last month). I think this is the first time I've read an interview in Spanish. "¿Por qué prima la tristeza o la melancolía en sus canciones?" "Pues porque creo que las mejores canciones del mundo son las que hacen llorar."

Devotions was a big hit at the Church Council meeting last night. It set off a lively discussion, people actually mentioned mindfulness throughout the meeting, and after the meeting, Cheri said to me, "Cool Devotions!" I hadn't considered how to close it, however, so after the discussion, it just ended. Then next time I do Devotions, I'll plan a closing segment.

The song stuck in my head today is "Clocks" by Coldplay.

Woerden is very much on my mind today, for an unknown reason. I've changed the background on my work computer to a street map of the town.

I saw Lela on the bus again this morning. It was esophageal reflux that had brought her down on the sidewalk that morning, and gave her a morning in the ED. I told her that I knew exactly what she had gone through.

I know how James Bond survived from the end of From Russia With Love to the beginning of Doctor No. It was fascinating to read those first few pages, and see that Bond of the novels is not infallible, that he makes mistakes, and that he is, at the heart, just a civil servant who is at the mercy of his employers. It was amusing, knowing that Ian Fleming was an avid bird-watcher (and that the character James Bond was named after the author of Birds Of The West Indies), to read the pages where Bond and M and Major Boothroyd ridicule The Audubon Society as being a bunch of meddlesome kooks.

Still, at page 036, Doctor No and Ian Fleming are being set aside. In their place are Flying Home and Other Stories, by Ralph Ellison and a book that arrived a few days ago: Living to Tell the Tale, by Gabriel García Márquez.

So, it turned out that Writers' Group was not yesterday. It's next Sunday. I may have known that already, but forgot. That was fine with me. I was in a kind of anti-social funk yesterday, so it was just as well that the group didn't meet.

I started writing late last night. I decided to finally re-write Waking Up In Ashland, which I told myself I'd do quite a while ago. I'm tightening it up, taking out some of the side stories, and taking out the baby. I may even rename it to Rolling Wabi-Sabi.

Phillip and I went to two parties on Saturday afternoon - which is an unusual thing for us. The first party was a Louisiana-style shrimp and crab boil. I decided to be a non-vegetarian for the day.

I went to the University District yesterday, alone. That was part of my anti-social mood. I bought "Freedom Chants From The Roof Of The World," by The Gyuto Monks - from Mickey Hart's Seven CDs of World Music. (Two down, five to go.)

This morning is Writers' Group, and I don't have anything written. I'm bringing a poem that Phillip wrote before I met him. (Phillip asked me to bring it.) Phillip is a published author, too, you know.

I'm experiencing a unique form of writer's block. I have an intersting story to tell, and I have, in my head, an interesting way of telling it, but I don't want to write it. I want to put this past summer behind me and move on. There hasn't been much story-worthy in my life to write about lately. My life is all I write about.

I wish I could write fiction, but I don't know how. I don't know how to make up a story.

I'm writing this post from our laptop. It's a bit of a risk, maybe. I re-installed the old virus scanner yesterday. I tried to install the virus scanner I bought for the desktop this year, but I couldn't because it doesn't work with Windows 95. I tried to install the firewall, but I couldn't because it doesn't work with Windows 95, either. This is an old laptop. It was a wedding present from Martin. It still works perfectly well - it has never had any major problems. It just can't easily be upgraded anymore - and there is very, very little on this laptop that needs to be upgraded, really.

I sent in my registration for the next session of yoga classes. I mailed the registration yesterday. The next session starts in the first week of November. I'll be taking the beginning classes again on Friday evenings.