Tiger Tai Chi

I ended up going to the free Tai Chi at the Trammell Crow this past weekend. It was a fun experience. I always like going and doing something I know I'm going to suck at and seeing little improvements as time goes on. The instructor was very nice and patient but the airy room (it's in the shrine room) made it hard to hear some instructions so I kept looking over my shoulder at the people in the class trying to get my positions right.
It was a nice way to start the morning though, feeling your way into your body slowly and also being part of the community...not to mention being surrounded by amazing works of art. They have a really cool Tiger show up right now...I peeked at it. I want to visit it on my lunch breaks this week and head over to the Chinese Lantern Festival next Saturday...which is also free! Here's the details...

Family Days at the Crow Collection: Chinese Lantern Festival
February 7, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

The Chinese Lantern Festival is a traditional festival on the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year. The lantern festival, marking the end of the Chinese New Year, celebrates the bright new moon. During this festival, children often carry lanterns, light fireworks, and eat sticky rice balls. Enjoy an afternoon of festivities as we herald the year of the ox and embrace our own lantern festival in the Dallas Arts District. Come create your own lantern and parade around the museum with traditional lion dancers from J.K. Wong Kung Fu Tai Chi Academy.

FREE. No reservations required.
And I also saw that Tuesday evenings they have a Zen mindfulness class. Ok, is this not weird? Here I am studying it and here it's right across the street from me for free! Here's the info:
Zen in the City
6:15 – 7:15 PM (6:00 PM Orientation for Beginners): Savor silence and awaken to reality of the present moment.

Guidance will be offered on posture, breathing, and mindfulness. This series is sponsored by the Maria Kannon Zen Center. Please wear comfortable clothes. FREE. No reservations required.


For the whole calendar of upcoming stuff visit this link

Hit Random

I'm all into my Operation Bruce Lee project right now. And this image on etsy made me smile. It's called "Carnival in Italy" and it can be found in the etsy shop called Martha Haskins who also goes by Alexandra Whatton? Maybe I'm confused but what a great image. She has some fun pineapple ACEOs I'm also quite fond of. Go have a looksee!
This is a random post so onward we go... (wait, maybe you want to know what an ACEO is and I'm being an etsy nerd...ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals)

On the first day of the new year I got good news in my inbox, which is rare...usually I just get SPAM and stupidness. But the good news was that my favorite sushi restaurant which went BYE BYE (sayonara!) in 2008 will resurface in 2009...in April to be exact. This makes me as happy as a little ハマグリ (Clam!)Sushi on Mckinney is making a comeback and I will for sure be there with my chopsticks come April reopening time.
Speaking of sushi, here is one novel idea I came across on etsy.com

His name is Sushi Ed and as it states on the site "Meet Sushi Ed
- a benevolent bean whose interest it is to show everyone a way to see the good fortune all around --- because it always is.


For just $1 ($1.75 international) - a fortune card meant just for you will be sent in the most cheer-packed mini package you ever saw. Your fortune will feature a teenie-tiny photo of your bean friend, Ed."
This is the cute creation of
Girlgolite whose got some cute felted stuff over at her etsy shop. Go peek!
More randomness from the random file- I've started a new book called "Beginning Mindfulness" by Andrew Weiss. It's like a ten week study in practicing being mindful. I really need this as my brain is always racing. ALWAYS. I know you can't tell by how cohesive todays blog was. Not random and scattered at all! I'll keep everyone posted on how the book works out for me.
The band is still finishing up the album at Hai Tex and it looks like we're getting our old practice room back so that means WOOHOO- NEW ROCK! New Rock is good. I've been experimenting with ads on myspace, let me know if you see this one around:

and the photos we took recently were all very beautifully and graciously done by David Mausey of Mausey Fashion Photography and were taken in the beautiful nowherelands of East Texas proper. Luckily no cows had left behind fan mail for us.
Ok, random is as random does. Sayonara sweeties!

The Meaning of Washing Dishes

Whats funny about this to me is it reminded me what a little bullheaded kid I was. The first time my Dad asked me to wash dishes.....change "asked" to "told" rather, I cried. I burst into tears as if it was punishment. I washed dishes with tears streaming down my face I was so indignant. I was just a kid. I should be outside playing or watching tv I thought.
Then later as a teen I had joined a dojo for Aikido. What did they make us do after our training was over? We had to put the matts away and CLEAN the floor. I was so upset and thought it was so beneath me. Oh the teacher is just using us so they don't have to pay for a maintenance crew I thought.
Then if my boyfriend didn't wash dishes or help me clean I would get so peeved and tried to make him feel bad about not helping to keep the place clean.
But I noticed something very strange in my 30s. I...dare I say....liked? I kind of liked doing the dishes? I kind of liked doing the dishes, there...I said it. And what's even weirder, I felt kinda peaceful doing them. There was a pleasure in cleaning and purifying the dirtiness and making your little abode back into a proper temple. Order and not chaos. I can almost meditate while washing dishes. I definitely get into what is called "flow". It's the weirdest damn thing but it's true and now I truly laugh when I'm washing dishes and think of myself at 8 years old crying over the sink. Theres a lesson in washing dishes. If you think of what that is let me know. A friend of mine said the lesson is getting a dishwasher. Everyones got jokes.