Beer and Yoga

my yoga practice has been suffering.  like painful, teary suffering.  but i bought a headband today to keep my frizzy, humidity driven hair out of my face, and once i got my hair out of my eyes, i saw my yoga mat in the corner.  it looked so sad that i just had to do a sun salutation.

ouch.

but that sun salutation turned into another.  and tree pose.  then triangle.  another sun salutation with cat/cow thrown in.  and child pose.  table top.  lying twist.  and shavasana.  oh how i love shavasana.  it's kinda fun to feel every vertebrae click into place.  makes ya feel alive.  

and i now realize just how much i missed my yoga practice.  and how much i need it.  my (not inconsiderable) muscles just FEEL better when they are stretched.  i feel more centered.  more like myself.  my awesome, awesome self.

so i've made a deal with my awesome, awesome self.  

a little back story here.....  i love pumpkin beer.  ok, i'll be honest, i love pumpkin ANYTHING!  but i especially love pumpkin beer.  and now that it's available (damn seasonal beers, i curse you.  a pox on your family) i've started stocking up.  but i'm not going to let myself have one until i've done at least a sun salutation, a balance, an inversion, and a twist pose.  this way i can give myself a reward until the act of the yoga becomes a habit, rather than an inconvenience.  so send good yoga thoughts.

and send beer.  

lots and lots of beer.  

Refashioned

As long as I'm making an effort to dress nicer and show off my awesomeness, I've got a little confession. I do, sometimes, like ..... frill.  I don't have a problem with pink.  I like lace, especially vintage lace, I can spend SO MUCH MONEY on vintage lace. You have no idea. I have a nice stock pile of vintage lace, and have been looking for new ways to use it.  I'm planning a lovely pencil skirt with a lace ruffle godet. I'm excited.

And I decided to refashion a tank top with a little lace.  Think I'll wear it to work tomorrow.

Its about style, not swag

I doodle whilst at work, between phone calls.  Well, doodle and watch movies. Occasionally there is a NCIS marathon.  Or maybe the programming on the History Channel or Discovery doesn't actually suck for once. But a lot of it is doodles. And today I doodled a cute little late 40's pencil skirted suit. I think I'm going to make it. Not that I have anywhere to wear it.  Except possibly grocery shopping, but that's something else entirely. (Seriously, why don't people dress up anymore?? I mean, I love me some comfy clothes, but why does going to shopping in your pj's seem like a good idea??)

Well fitting clothing is something that's not NEW to me, just not something I really cared about. Any ole pair of jeans that can stay up without bursting off... done. T-shirts, always the acceptable option. Sneakers always fit. But if I'm really going to be true to my authentic self (sorry, finished reading Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling, and while I didn't really LOVE of, its stuck in my head), I should project myself more.  Fitted clothing makes a person more confident. Not that j have a problem with that of course, but even I have days when my coyly awesome self esteem cracks a bit and I'm feeling schluby. And besides, as much as it may be non-feminist of me to say, every once on a while, I could use a couple of wolf whistles.

I don't think I'm going to turn into Kym KarCrapian anytime soon, (like I said, too much self esteem) but don't see the harm in tarting myself up a bit. I'm not going to go overboard, I don't even have a closet so I'd have nowhere to put oodles of clothes.  But a couple of really nice pieces, exquisite construction, timeless fabrics.... I can't loose. So this weekend I will window shop for some awesome fabrics and begin patterning.

National Pagan Coming Out Day

Today is NPCOD. And i just didn't make a big deal about it this year. Not that I don't think its important to show support for those who are thinking of coming out of the broom closet, but because I don't think there is a single person that I know that doesn't understand that I am a Pagan.  I'm as out as you can be without just going up to strangers and asking if they've heard the word of Odin.  And i won't do that because its creepy.  My multiple Christian friends are as aware of my Heathen faith as I am of theirs.  And to their credit not even one of them has tried to 'convert' me. Most people I know are mostly kind and tolerant.  Those that are not are not among my friends. 

But more than that, I think the reason I'm not pushing the NPCOD banner is because what others think of my faith is ....  well, meaningless really.  It one of many aspects of my life, and to be honest, worrying about what others tho of me just isn't really on my radar. I have other things to occupy my mind.  Children, mortgage, police chases careening trough my house. (No I'm still not reach to let that go)  I love who and what I am.  And I'm sure my gods love me too.

And that's all that really matters. 

Major overhaul

I'm not talking just diet and exercise.

I'm planning on an overhaul of every aspect of my life. If it doesn't help me grow, its got to go.  Old ways of thinking, patterns, and routine parts of my life that aren't working, gone.  People that hold me back more than they hold me up well we'll always have Facebook. 

So many things have happened to me and my family in the last three or four years that have caused a subtle, but increasingly powerful shift in my perspective.  I'm not the same person I was. I don't think the same anymore, so it makes no sense to continue down the same paths.  The things I used to be interested in... just aren't interesting anymore.  So new paths will be traveled, forged sometimes. New adventures, new experiences. 

I've got myself signed up at a new yoga studio on a groupon for more yoga classes, and I'm trying to get a more stable meditation routine going.  Hubby and I went to our first meeting with the local SCA.  I've got my first tattoo planned. I bought grown up shoes (not heels, but not chucks either). And those are the small changes.

As far as big changes, those will come on their own. I already realize that I'm less likely to suffer fools gladly, unless I'm being paid to do so.  I've recently begun to realize which people I can count on and those I can't, and will shift my attention accordingly.

This is my life.  My domain. I will do what is best for me.

Planet ComiCon 2013

it was the best of time, it was the worst of times.

no seriously.  it was.  the parking was atrocious.  the line to get in took us two hours (admittedly our fault for not having the scratch when advance tickets were available, but we didn't, so that's a "suck it up" situation), and my feet were killing me by the end.  i didn't even give standing in line for Will Wheaton's autograph a second thought.  the lines were HUGE.

but i also had a blast.  stayed with some of my best friends in the world (hi Greg and Jo!!), ate the "con hot dogs" which are mysteriously delicious and repugnant at the same time, and saw some PHENOMENAL examples of CosPlay, and my friend, the wonderful and talented Greg Shelton aka Barbossa (also Bam's godfather) won the Best Costume Villain !!  i'm still squeeing on this, seriously, he has worked for YEARS on this costume, and like Jo said "this is finally validation".  i'm so far beyond thrilled for him.  the contest is apparently going to be aired on SyFy at some point, so please be watching for it.

 i put some of the photos on FaceBook, but i figured i'd just do a photo dump here and save everyone having to scroll through.  (i'll get to those in a second, but first i'm going to rant)

HOWEVER....

i'm hearing grumbelings that the costume contest winners were 'screwed'.  i'm not sure what's going on, but i'm pretty sure that by the end of the day, we'll find out what's up with that.

and proving that a con is still "the real world", the wonderful and lovely Miss Holly (her etsy shop is here) got her booth burgled for about $200 and some really expensive sewing equipment  not to mention some sentimental items.  i've bought some amazing patterns from her, and the leather mask that i said on FB that i'm going to wear to the grocery store is from her shop.  please give her some love so she can at least replace  her stuff, even if she can't get her special items back.

now, on to the pictures.  i don't have captions for all of them yet, and if you see yourself, please let me know so i can tag you.

night before, piratin' around the table

the most beautiful 11 of the con

trixy hobbits eating first breckfast

Uncle Barbossa and 11

love this dress

Captian Jack Harkness and 11

Klingons

11 and Rose (by far the best Rose i saw)

who ya gonna call?

i love Deadpool

Don't blink.  Don't even blink.  if you blink you're dead

the best Amy Pool at the con.  she NAILED it

scary scary

10 and 11.  Awesomesauce

Dean and Trianna.  i squeed

i loved all the classic Doctors

these guys are amazing.  they even have a Stan Lee!!!

cute couple cosplay

a tiny weeping angel

Bam was in haven.  a Power Ranger

the only 9 i saw.  nailed it.

Bane

the cutest family of super heros

Elizabeth and Lois as Steampunk Baby

mr Freeze.  i think he also won a costume prize (well deserved)

Klit man and Frodo, hanging out

love my boys

Bam and his ComiCon romance.  these two were so cute together.

Adorbs

so cute

Day 2, Girl Indy and Baby 11

it's a layer cake!

he loves his r2's

how cute.  every Doctor wanted a picture with him.

even some fans just wanted a picture.

he had such fun with the guy inside the Dalek costume. 

i think soap box derby is in our future.

awwwww

how awesome are these costumes???

Pond, 11, and 10

Sonic Screwdriver trouble

it's adventure time!

he wouldn't give Dr Horrible his gun back.

and now you know why he loves Avengers so much

best father-son costumes there.  hands down

the detail in Ivy was just amazing

triangle head

i seriously gushed at these guys.  i LOVE venture bros, and i love love love that they were both Hank.  i also loved that they kept making fun of the guy that was supposed to be Dean but didn't wear his costume that day.  this, THIS was my favorite costume (on non family members)

even the make up.  that's dedication

he's got red on him.

yes, this is the Spoonflower fabric, i touched it.  wonderful

another view.

bane 2.0

this artist was amazing.  even had some dwarves.  but no Balin.  i was sad.  

velma.  i loved it.  i love when people who have a certain body type, myself included, costume for that body type, they don't try to squeeze into a popular costume and make it look bad.  i loved this.  love.  i may do a velma in the future.  

awesome family cosplay

the Mighty Thor

adorbs Amy Pond

11 and the Tardis

11 and Dalek

Barbossa getting his autograph from Jayne

Iron Man

Sweeny, Mrs Lovett, and Bellatrix

Iron America

War Machine

waiting for Sissy to be in the costume contest.

so all in all, it was a great experience.  i know things that we'll do differently next time, but pending any real f*ckery with the costume contest winners, i'm pretty sure we'll be back.