Places we go, things we do

It hasn't escaped my notice that I haven't done much writing on my blog lately. I've put stuff up, sure, but there hasn't been much text. I apologize for that. Part of it is that... (pauses for dramatic effect) ...I have been working on a book. All I will say is that it is sort of a cookbook and sort of not. I have a lot of friends cheering me on and offering help, so I have high hopes that I will finish it someday. But anyway, lately it has been sucking up what few creative juices I've been able to produce.

Nevertheless, here's an update, because we've been doing fun and interesting things. Someone started an auction house in the next town down the road, and the Saturday evening auction has become "date night" for the s.o. and me. The items up for bid are mostly overstock merchandise, and they're extremely random in nature. We've accumulated a few bargain-priced things (a small canister vacuum, a rug, a couple of holiday presents, etc.), but most of the fun is in the people-watching and the festive atmosphere. We try not to buy anything we don't need--which is more than I can say for a lot of the people there!

A lot of times there are cases and cases of whatever thing they're auctioning off, so the entire crowd will pile on as soon as the high bidder gets his or her item. This has led to the whole town owning the same stuff. So now I guess everyone in our area will have citrus Listerine breath, will carry a pink psychedelic handbag, will eat Lindt white chocolate truffles, will decorate their house with a holographic light wreath, will cover their spare bed with a Dean Miller surf-themed comforter, and will be giving their children a small beginner's guitar and a talking Spongebob for Christmas. Heh.

Meanwhile, I have continued going to yoga with J. Sometimes she is not able to come, though, so I have popped in on the Kundalini yoga class instead of our usual Hatha yoga class. Anyone else done Kundalini? I have racked my brains and finally decided it's the weirdest thing I've ever done. Maybe it's our class in particular, taught by a bearded Sikh convert who wears a turban and all-white clothes and sits on a little animal-skin rug. There is a lot of chanting and a lot of very dramatic breathing--hooting and whistling and puffing.

I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with the Kundalini class. Some of the kriyas are horribly uncomfortable for me to do, and I suspect one in particular was responsible for a two-week bout of "numb tailbone" I had a while ago. On the other hand, all that super-oxygenation does produce a nice glow afterward. Still, I think the class I went to last night might be the last of its kind for a while. I like the instructor much better when I'm talking with him after class (his family owns a farm southeast of our place) than when he's yelling "FIRE BREATH! KEEP UP!"

The s.o. has, predictably, been putting up Christmas lights. He loves doing it, and although we know it's a waste of energy (I hope someday we'll put the lights on a solar-powered battery so it's a little less egregious), it is so festive. We live right on the highway, so everyone gets to see our decorations. Anyway, he's about halfway done with this year's display, and it's both ridiculous and beautiful. I'll post a picture when it's complete. Wear your sunglasses.

The s.o. has also done something big--something that has made me really proud. He has joined our town's volunteer fire department! Once or twice a week, he has been attending meetings and going to First Responder class. He has learned to work the hoses on the truck and to find everything in the ambulance in case the paramedics need help. He has gotten re-certified in CPR and has learned how to assess an accident scene and proceed safely. I can tell he regards it with extreme seriousness, but at the same time he has made a bunch of new friends and finds the training really interesting and fun. I could not be more thrilled. I want to tell the world how great he is...and I guess I just did.