What Does My Third Eye Look Like?

The first of the year brings new intentions, new goals, and new hangovers.

The beginning of this year has gifted me with some long lost MOTIVATION and an 'I'm gonna fucking do this' attitude.

WHAT TO DO?
A 30 Day Yoga Challenge.  At least one yoga practice a day for 30 days...NO EXCUSES.  Accompanied with my final farewell to the occasional, social, when I'm drinking, because they're there, killing time, killing myself cigarette.

It is worth mentioning that I am already a Yogi.  And for most of those who practice yoga on the regular, doing a practice a day for 30 days in a row 'ain't nuthin' but a thang.'  But this particular challenge is about more than figuring out how to stay in hand-stand and catch a few Om's.

It's a physical and mental preparation for myself, to accomplish as many goals as I can this year.  And  as the poster for the upcoming Sex and the City television pre-quel tells us, Be who you want to become.

Yesterday (January 1st),
A Yin class was offered at Zuda Yoga, one of my favorite heated power Vinyasa studio's.  What better way to experience a deep, slow stretch than in the same place I usually enjoy a sweaty aerobic flow accompanied by Florence and the Machine and the like.  Yin to the Yang indeed.

Today (January 2nd),
This morning I pushed the snooze button to the limit, and was in a bit of a rush for work.  Throughout the morning I looked forward to choosing a studio and practice for Day 2 of my yoga-venture.  When lunch arrived I decided to checkout the schedule for Yoga Shala, another favorite.  The 6:15 Kundalini practice was the winner.  Although I wasn't quite aware of what I was in for.

Kundalini yoga is heavily based in deep various breathing techniques to awaken the inner body.  The practice is still but powerful.  To be quite honest, afterward I felt as if I had earlier stooped marijuana in coffee.  Energy pumped through me but I am relaxed and at peace.
...Also I could use a burrito, but that I blame on an early lunch.

Have still not smoked...Self-Five.  

End of Summer Update!

It's been awhile since my last post. So I wanted to catch you all up on what I've been doing in the meantime.

Just kidding...

Slap Yo Mamma

The end of Summer and start of Fall brought with them many happy events. What could be better than a trip to San Diego to experience the high class of the Del Mar racetrack...and the Food Truck Convention that graced it. Who needs horse-racing when you have an unlimited selection of delicious food?

 

 

Indecision!

 Hundreds trucks offering food from Po'Boy sandwiches to tacos to chocolate covered anything kept us busy in the San Diego sun for hours. The Cajun cuisine offered by my personal favorite truck, 'Slap Yo Mamma' was so good, I later told my mother she should be grateful she wasn't around at the time.

...Speaking of Mother...

Dahhhling would you please pass the cream? http://www.adashofpanache.com/

I had the pleasure of escorting her to high tea at a charming little tea shop in Roseville, California. Tea shops seem to be scattered everywhere these days, but it is a rare thing to find one with both delicious tea, and a dress-up closet! We were served tea in individual pots, along with a little three course lunch. Anything for a Mom who introduced me to the next adventure! A pumpkin farm that was (and is) so much more that just pumpkins...

Memories Indeed!

When I was a kid, my family would take the yearly trip to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland, California. It was a magical place, with a kid-sized train that travels around the HUGE pumpkin field. I was excited to make my grand adult return! It was just as I'd remembered it...with one extra Occupant...

Occupy Wheatland

So since the transition from Summer to Fall has been a smooth (and fun!) one, I hope to keep up with American House Arrest much more in the months to come...Winter is looking promising.

Stay tuned for the next adventure in Incline Village on the North Shores of Lake Tahoe NV!

Sunny Bloody Sunday

For reasons relating to unspeakable boy band reunions,

I spent a piece of the 4th of July weekend in San Jose and Santa Cruz, California.  The weather was cool and welcoming, and after a Saturday night spent screaming my lungs out, bloody mary's and mexican breakfast by the bay sounded like a gift from the gods of the West Coast.

Tomato Juice Heaven

Cafe El Palomar served up the best Bloody Mary ever to have graced my lips.  Their recipe is complex and filling but not too heavy or obtrusive.  The service was slow but that's to be expected on a holiday weekend in a town littered with tourists. It is rumored there is a bar in SC that tops off their BM's with Guinness. That alone would lure me back to the coast for a taste, as if I'd need an excuse.

The tan back of a Santa Cruz local.

After a long winter, and suddenly scorching summer in the valley, a weekend in Santa Cruz is all one really needs to remember to "chill out." It's what they do best.

And a little vodka in the morning couldn't hurt...

Sac-town Jams

Once a year, Capital Public Radio (NPR via Sacramento) holds its Used Record and Cd Sale.  Tonight, white collar geriatrics and hipsters alike migrated to Arden Way in search of cheap supplements to their record collections...and to enjoy a glass of wine.  The well-publicized event is a fundraiser to support listener funded Capital Public Radio, an ever important Sacto staple.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/capradio/events.eventsmain?action=showEvent&eventID=1118466

Friday night, (the launch party for the sale) cost a pretty penny for entry.  $20 per person would have been well worth it if the man behind the bar had withheld his snarky judgmental nature...but I digress.  Thousands of titles temped the sharp noses of CPR listeners, as did the delicious appetizers.

Records Sold at Only $1!

Jazz filled the stuffy, if not pretentious air. The smooth band set the mood behind a simple backdrop as patrons milled about.

A worthy cause and a deep selection however, could not keep this particular music lover on Arden.  As any Sac-Town regular knows, Friday nights belong to Concert in the Park.  Downtown, Cesar Chavez Plaza buzzed with a more youthful crowd.  

Lucky for us, Northern California has been graced with 80 degree weather, and the populace is well aware that such a gift deserves celebration out of doors. Well lubricated beer gardeners enjoyed the hidden treasure that is the Sacramento music scene. Summer has just begun, and there are many more bands and $1 records to to be heard.

http://www.sacramento365.com/event/detail/440705617

Monday Night Mayhem

Ping Pong is back.  Perhaps after years of tossing ping pong balls into party cups half full of cheap beer, the populace of young adults in the states figured it was time to bring back the challenge of the paddle. And they mean business. 

Tucked away in East Sacramento, a rag-tag group of bartenders, state workers and even teachers gather together for the weekly Liu Ping Invitational. 

They come toting custom paddles and a desire for friendly competition.  Clouds of cigarette smoke grace the entryway accompanied by welcoming faces.  Inside the Tavern, beer is cheap and the game gets serious, but the more skilled players always make an attempt to throw a tip or two to the newbies. It's all in good fun after all.

Cabin Fever

Working from home is not always the treat those sitting at a desk from 9-5 imagine it would be.  Yes the hours are better, I rarely wear anything but sweatpants and am lucky enough to own a Keurig.  So, it is do-able.

Survival Kit

My muscles tighten as I walk into my bedroom. Work computer on the desk, cords and wires everywhere and very little space to maneuver. My natural inclination is to then, exit the bedroom and search for a place to relax...to the living room!

California's Worst Enemy

But the thought of sitting on a black leather couch in 100 degree weather makes me sick to my stomach.  Then to the kitchen for a glass of water, only to find dishes piled up and the Brita filter is empty.

Cabin Fever has set in, but when night rolls around, and I am finally free from my techno-work-den, I am desperate to get out!

Gateway to Freedom

But don't fret my invisible readers, it is Monday after all.

And Monday is PING PONG NIGHT.

(More to come.)

Baseball Bliss 1Y-6M-12

It's been a strange start to Summer in Northern California.  Cold weather has kept skimpy skirts in the closet and sweaters close at hand. Saturday, the warm sun chose to make an appearance, fashionably late but still very welcome, bringing with it the most beautiful sunset.

This weekend the San Francisco Giants played the Oakland A's in the Bay Bridge Series, their respective AAA farm teams The Sacramento Rivercats (A's) and the Fresno Grizzlies (Giants) faced off at beautiful Raley Field in Sacramento.  Since the Giants took the World Series in September 2010 everywhere you look in Northern California you'll find a sea of Giants shirts and hats...it's an epidemic.  Needless to say there was a population of Sacramentins rooting for the Fresno Grizzlies and checking out the talent.

...Sorry Cats...

We walked to the ballpark from Old Sacramento with a hop in our step, thanks to a pint or two from O'Malley's pub. Once we arrived, we were delighted to learn that Saturdays at Raley Field feature fireworks after the games. A treat indeed!  Our tickets were good, close to the first baseline and more importantly the beer vendors. Thanks to some cheap and clever friends however, we discovered that the $8 grass tickets were just as enjoyable as our $18 seats. Something to remember for next time.

The game flew by. Grizzlies took the victory and crowd delighted in the rather impressive fireworks. If there's one thing America's got going for it, it's baseball.

Midnight in Sacramento 1Y-6M-9D

Last night I made my way to my favorite spot in Sacramento, the Tower Theater. Tower is widely known in the independent cinema community in town for the consistent quality in selection of film, not to mention appealing ticket prices.  I'd been waiting for weeks to take in Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris; and was therefore happy to trade an evening at the bars with friends, with what was sure to be a love letter to Paris written in Woody's trademark snark. 

Owen Wilson is charming as the Allen-esque lead; but even he is overshadowed by a parade of well cast artists and writers of the 1920's ranging from a spot on Hemingway to a comical Dali. Wilson's character Gil is discontent, engaged to the unlikable Inez successfully played by the usually delightful Rachel McAdams. Gil is enraptured by the streets Paris, longing to have lived there in the 20's, what he considers to be its 'golden age.' 


The film explores questions about the disappointments of life, love and fear of death. A quotation by Hemingway (Corey Stoll) particularly struck me.  Although I cannot remember it exactly, it was something to the effect of "If you fear death, have good sex until you no longer do."


While enjoying this beautiful film I couldn't help but miss Paris myself.  The last time I was lucky enough to visit was 2008, and I am once again keen to make the trip.  That of course will take some time, and until then I am satisfied to have walked the Champs-Elysées without having to leave mid-town.


And yes, I even made it out to the bars in time for last call...what a night.

No Place Like Home 1Y-6M-7D

I left Ireland on January 7th 2009. A place where a California girl will destroy four pairs of heels on cobblestone and still call it 'home away from home'.

Dublin, 2008

It was my fifth and last visit to date - and time for a change.

Leaving Dublin that morning had never been more difficult...literally. It was snowing as I walked to the bus stop at six a.m.  I knew I'd have to spend at least $20 to mail the coat I wore back over the Atlantic to a friend who'd lent it, but it was worth it.  Irish weather doesn't fuck around.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to be caught in a snow "storm" in Ireland knows that the lightest drizzle of snowfall will shut down the entire country for a day or two. This being the case I should have been thankful the busses were still running and I would make it to the Aer Lingus gate on time. Yes, Lingus...giggle.

After I made it through customs, I knew it'd be a long time before I'd be on the other side again. As I tucked my passport back into it's charming leather cover, I told myself I would not leave the US until I had the means to relocate to Dublin or even London. Let me say, it hasn't been easy.

I would need:

$8,000 to be sure I could survive in either city (and still pay for drinks.)

A work visa.

A job. 

By June 2010 It had been six months of discomfort, readjusting to life in American society and trying to control the amount of "this one time in Europe" stories I told.

Three truths were concluded:
One: There were no jobs to be found in the UK or Ireland for an American who did not have the legal right to work and could not interview in person.
Two: The "best" option was to go back to school overseas. HA! I'm still paying off my degree from the US and would like to be able to pay rent and eat when I move.
Three: This was going to take much longer than anticipated.

At that juncture, I made the decision to enjoy being a Yank for a while.

It turns out, if you look around a bit, there is some pretty impressive stuff. Living in California allows for many freedoms. For instance, one may drink as much coffee and do as much yoga as one wishes with little consequence. There is art, and fashion and night-life. Wanderlust it seems, can't be cured - but it can be treated.

Which is why I've started this blog. To express  aspects of American culture that make it unique, stylish and even sexy.

Fuck, I'm out of coffee.