I am here in Gainesville waiting to see Kerry. Her junior clarinet recital is tomorrow evening at the University of Florida and we are here to see her performance. She is very nervous but that is to be expected. She will be performing 4 pieces that will take one hour to perform. Three of the pieces will be played with a piano accompanist. One of the pieces will be played alone. Just Kerry!! I am very excited. It has been a few years since I have seen one of Kerry's concerts. Before she went to Gainesville I went to ALL of them so it will be great to see how much she has improved. I haven't even laid eyes on her in over a month so when I finally see her I will be a very happy mom.
I will take some pictures and I will post them here.
Stay tuned......
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Claudia's Book Club
I have allowed myself to be addicted to television for most of my life. The first thing I did in the morning was turn on the TV and I would leave it on the whole time I was home. It had occured to me that I should find something else to wake up to. I was tired of all the bad news that comes out of the TV. Unhappiness, war, death, violence, disease and cruelty are all things that seem to emanate from this box and I was tired of starting my day thinking about these things. I decided to spend the first hour or so of my day reading uplifting books and writings as opposed to sitting in front of the "idiot box" and listening to it spewing it's venom.
I really didn't know which books would help me to start my day on a happy note so I turned to the most enlightened person that I know. Juliana, my beautiful yoga instructor. I had heard her say that she doesn't watch TV because she when she does have extra time she reads happy uplifting books. This statement stuck with me so I asked her what book she thought would be a good book to start with and she told me to read a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. She had a copy of it and she lent it to me knowing that it would be perfect for me in my present state of mind.
In talking with Juliana during my private yoga practices I had told her that I was very unhappy with my job. At the time I was working in real estate doing corporate rentals for staffing companies. It was a very stressful job. I spoke about the constant cancellations and changes that had to be made with every deal that was done. I felt as if I was putting forth all of my effort in knocking my head against a brick wall. I complained about my job constantly but didn't have the courage to change it. I was stuck in a cycle that went round and round. I went to work. I hated what I was doing. I complained about it and then I did nothing to change it.
I took Juliana's book home and the next morning I reached for this little book instead of turning on the TV. I sat and read in the silence of my home. I was blown away by this book. It was the story of a simple shepherd boy named Santiago who gave up everything to go on a journey to find his "personal legend". It talked about how omens showed themselves in his life and how he learned to recognize them and act upon them. This book really spoke to me. So much so that I told Pat about it and he read it.
After reading this book I knew that I needed to change my work situation. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do but I knew that I had to do something so that I could find my own personal legend. I started looking in the classifieds and also online when I came across the website for the Curves For Women gym that was located right around the corner from my house. I clicked around the site and saw that they were looking for a person to help train and motivate the ladies that go there. I knew right then that an omen had showed itself and it was up to me to recognize it and act upon it. I emailed Curves that day and found my new job which I love. I am much happier and I am proud of what I do when I go to work.
I am still on my journey to find my personal legend but I feel that I am much closer than I was. I will continue to spend my mornings reading uplifting and enlightening books like The Alchemist. No more mornings in front of the TV for me. Read this book and maybe you, like Santiago, will find your personal legend.
I really didn't know which books would help me to start my day on a happy note so I turned to the most enlightened person that I know. Juliana, my beautiful yoga instructor. I had heard her say that she doesn't watch TV because she when she does have extra time she reads happy uplifting books. This statement stuck with me so I asked her what book she thought would be a good book to start with and she told me to read a book called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. She had a copy of it and she lent it to me knowing that it would be perfect for me in my present state of mind.
In talking with Juliana during my private yoga practices I had told her that I was very unhappy with my job. At the time I was working in real estate doing corporate rentals for staffing companies. It was a very stressful job. I spoke about the constant cancellations and changes that had to be made with every deal that was done. I felt as if I was putting forth all of my effort in knocking my head against a brick wall. I complained about my job constantly but didn't have the courage to change it. I was stuck in a cycle that went round and round. I went to work. I hated what I was doing. I complained about it and then I did nothing to change it.
I took Juliana's book home and the next morning I reached for this little book instead of turning on the TV. I sat and read in the silence of my home. I was blown away by this book. It was the story of a simple shepherd boy named Santiago who gave up everything to go on a journey to find his "personal legend". It talked about how omens showed themselves in his life and how he learned to recognize them and act upon them. This book really spoke to me. So much so that I told Pat about it and he read it.
After reading this book I knew that I needed to change my work situation. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do but I knew that I had to do something so that I could find my own personal legend. I started looking in the classifieds and also online when I came across the website for the Curves For Women gym that was located right around the corner from my house. I clicked around the site and saw that they were looking for a person to help train and motivate the ladies that go there. I knew right then that an omen had showed itself and it was up to me to recognize it and act upon it. I emailed Curves that day and found my new job which I love. I am much happier and I am proud of what I do when I go to work.
I am still on my journey to find my personal legend but I feel that I am much closer than I was. I will continue to spend my mornings reading uplifting and enlightening books like The Alchemist. No more mornings in front of the TV for me. Read this book and maybe you, like Santiago, will find your personal legend.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Free Yoga Day
This weekend was the fifth anniversary of a local yoga studio called The Yoga Source and they had an anniversary party on Saturday to celebrate. They offered 4 free yoga classes along with a yoga bazaar which featured all kinds of things yoga related. I am always ready for free yoga so my yoga friend Ruthie and I decided to check it out.
We got there early and signed up for two of the classes that were being offered. One of the classes available was a Hatha class. Some time ago my yoga teacher and mentor Juliana had told me she wanted me to check out other classes and teachers. It has been years since I took a yoga class from anyone other than her. She wanted me to spread my wings and try other yoga instructors so that I could enjoy a different yoga experience. I signed up for the Hatha class given by Mary so that I would be a mindful student and follow Juliana's sage advice. Ruthie had just gotten out of Juliana's Saturday's Hatha class so she signed up for a NIA class which was going on during the Hatha class that I was taking. We both signed up for the Kundalini class that was being offered right after both the Hatha and NIA classes.
As we were waiting for the free classes to begin we were walking around the bazaar and looking at the merchandise. Who did we see? Juliana!! She had decided to come and see what was going on at the anniversary yoga party. Everyone there came up to her and hugged her and wanted to talk to her. It was like she was the rock star of the yoga world. Well, she is certainly the Paul McCartney of my yoga life. I was hoping that she would take the Hatha class with me but she decided on the NIA class that Ruthie was taking.
When the time came Ruthie and I split up and I went into the Hatha room. There were about 15 or so people taking this class with me and the yoga instructor was very nice but she was no Juliana. I did enjoy the class but I didn't get as much out of it as I do when Juliana is teaching. The first thing that Mary did was put on music which is okay with me but it was so loud that I had trouble hearing her cues. The asanas were pretty much the usual but Mary seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry. When Juliana guides us she allows us time to expand and deepen while in the postures. There was no time for that in this class. I found my mind wandering and it was hard work to stay in the moment. When it was over I was glad that I had done it but the one thing that I learned was that I was right when it came to my love for Juliana's classes. There was no comparison.
When my Hatha class was over the I found Ruthie and we set up our mats in the Kundalini room. We were talking and waiting for it to start when a tall woman came in the room dressed in long white robes and a turban on her head. Ruthie and I made jokes about it but settled down for the class. After two minutes we both felt guilty for making fun of our amazing teacher's garb. It was a lesson in "don't judge a book by it's cover."
There were quite a few people like Ruthie and myself who had never taken a Kundalini yoga class before so I think this class was geared towards beginners and newcomers. When I turned around to see how many people were there I noticed Juliana sitting close to me. It was a real thrill to take a class WITH her instead of FROM her.
In Hatha yoga an asana can be held for one minute, five minutes or even more. This Kundalini class had us in almost constant motion. It was definitely not you mother's yoga class. LOL.
The teacher guided us through and ended the class with chanting and singing. She had us close our eyes and sing along with music that was playing. I didn't know the words when I started but I soon learned them and was singing loudly with the rest of the class. It was a wonderful class. It gave me a sense of peace and happiness which was similar yet different to my usual Hatha classes.
When it was over Ruthie and I ran over to Juliana and told her how much we enjoyed it. It turned out that Juliana taught Kundalini in the past and was willing to guide us though our own class on Wednesdays . Ruthie and I decided on the spot to take some Kundalini classes from Juliana. We are both very excited about it.
I told Juliana that I had taken her advice and had practiced Hatha yoga with different teacher. She was glad that I had spread my yoga wings even though I made it quite clear that I won't stray again until she absolutely makes me. We both laughed about that.
All and all it was a wonderful day. I got to practice with new teachers and I also got to try a new kind of yoga. The best part of all was that I got to spend time with my good friends and favorite yoga people, Juliana and Ruthie. Namaste.
We got there early and signed up for two of the classes that were being offered. One of the classes available was a Hatha class. Some time ago my yoga teacher and mentor Juliana had told me she wanted me to check out other classes and teachers. It has been years since I took a yoga class from anyone other than her. She wanted me to spread my wings and try other yoga instructors so that I could enjoy a different yoga experience. I signed up for the Hatha class given by Mary so that I would be a mindful student and follow Juliana's sage advice. Ruthie had just gotten out of Juliana's Saturday's Hatha class so she signed up for a NIA class which was going on during the Hatha class that I was taking. We both signed up for the Kundalini class that was being offered right after both the Hatha and NIA classes.
As we were waiting for the free classes to begin we were walking around the bazaar and looking at the merchandise. Who did we see? Juliana!! She had decided to come and see what was going on at the anniversary yoga party. Everyone there came up to her and hugged her and wanted to talk to her. It was like she was the rock star of the yoga world. Well, she is certainly the Paul McCartney of my yoga life. I was hoping that she would take the Hatha class with me but she decided on the NIA class that Ruthie was taking.
When the time came Ruthie and I split up and I went into the Hatha room. There were about 15 or so people taking this class with me and the yoga instructor was very nice but she was no Juliana. I did enjoy the class but I didn't get as much out of it as I do when Juliana is teaching. The first thing that Mary did was put on music which is okay with me but it was so loud that I had trouble hearing her cues. The asanas were pretty much the usual but Mary seemed to be in somewhat of a hurry. When Juliana guides us she allows us time to expand and deepen while in the postures. There was no time for that in this class. I found my mind wandering and it was hard work to stay in the moment. When it was over I was glad that I had done it but the one thing that I learned was that I was right when it came to my love for Juliana's classes. There was no comparison.
When my Hatha class was over the I found Ruthie and we set up our mats in the Kundalini room. We were talking and waiting for it to start when a tall woman came in the room dressed in long white robes and a turban on her head. Ruthie and I made jokes about it but settled down for the class. After two minutes we both felt guilty for making fun of our amazing teacher's garb. It was a lesson in "don't judge a book by it's cover."
There were quite a few people like Ruthie and myself who had never taken a Kundalini yoga class before so I think this class was geared towards beginners and newcomers. When I turned around to see how many people were there I noticed Juliana sitting close to me. It was a real thrill to take a class WITH her instead of FROM her.
In Hatha yoga an asana can be held for one minute, five minutes or even more. This Kundalini class had us in almost constant motion. It was definitely not you mother's yoga class. LOL.
The teacher guided us through and ended the class with chanting and singing. She had us close our eyes and sing along with music that was playing. I didn't know the words when I started but I soon learned them and was singing loudly with the rest of the class. It was a wonderful class. It gave me a sense of peace and happiness which was similar yet different to my usual Hatha classes.
When it was over Ruthie and I ran over to Juliana and told her how much we enjoyed it. It turned out that Juliana taught Kundalini in the past and was willing to guide us though our own class on Wednesdays . Ruthie and I decided on the spot to take some Kundalini classes from Juliana. We are both very excited about it.
I told Juliana that I had taken her advice and had practiced Hatha yoga with different teacher. She was glad that I had spread my yoga wings even though I made it quite clear that I won't stray again until she absolutely makes me. We both laughed about that.
All and all it was a wonderful day. I got to practice with new teachers and I also got to try a new kind of yoga. The best part of all was that I got to spend time with my good friends and favorite yoga people, Juliana and Ruthie. Namaste.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Office Politics
Oy vey, it's starting already. I work with two other people. One is Lisa and she is the owner of our Curves. She is very nice but also expects things done the way that she wants them done. Now, believe me, I have absolutely no problem with that. I happily do what she tells me to do. Lisa has told me many times that she is very happy with me (no applause, just money). She has also told me that the ladies love me. They find me very happy and motivating. I love to hear that. It makes me feel like I am doing something worth while with my career.
I also work with Michelle who is the gym "manager". She is the one who I had to interview with before I got to Lisa and was offered the job. She takes care of all the insurance issues and does lots of the paperwork required for the club to run smoothly. She has a very strong personality which does not bother or intimidate me. You know me. I just let it roll off my back. I don't let things bother me and I don't cop attitudes. It's just not my style.
Lisa is supposed to work with me on my Tuesday and Friday night shifts but as she has become more comfortable with me and my work ethic she is not afraid to leave me alone at the club. She has also been giving me a few more hours here as she has a small child and sometimes needs some extra time off. That is what happened yesterday. She had me work both the morning and afternoon shifts. Yep, I am tired but happy to do it as things like Pat's $1700 re-root canal happen and every buck helps.
I work on Monday nights with Michelle and lately I have been getting a strange vibe from her. She has been kind of cold towards me or at least that's what I have been thinking. It occurred to me that she was not happy that I am working out as well as I have. I think that my natural ability and feel for this job has taken her by surprise and she may be feeling somewhat threatened. I have also been told by many of the members, old and new, that they prefer to come on the days that I am there. They like my style better than Michelle's. Maybe she has heard some of this too.
Last night when Lisa called to tell me that she would not be coming into work she seemed a little talky. She told me that she had given Michelle instructions that last Monday night she wanted me make some telephone calls to the members that have not been working out lately and to invite them back. She told me that she wanted me to do this job because she had heard me on other phone calls and felt that the ladies would respond to me better than to Michelle. Of course, I didn't know any of this. I just did my usual thing and thought everything was fine. I did notice that Michelle was on the phone all Monday night but I really didn't think anything of it until Lisa talked to me about it yesterday. She said she thought that Michelle was feeling threatened by my presence. I guess she is beginning to fear for her job.
Lisa also told me that she wants me to learn the computer system. She wants everyone who works there to be able to work the computer programs. I got the feeling from her that Michelle is not happy about that either. I think she is more comfortable keeping me in the dark about some of the things that she does. I told Lisa that I would be happy to learn all about the computer. I enjoy computer work and Lisa already knows that I am computer literate.
I really hope this situation works itself out. All I am doing is trying to do the best job that I can while I am there. I am not looking to squeeze anyone out because I'm not looking to work full time anyway. I am perfectly happy with the part time hours that I have now along with the few extras that I pick up along the way. Lisa already offered me another night and I turned it down. I want to be able to spend time Pat when he gets home from work. If I am working four nights a week I would not be able to do that. I told her that I would like some day hours if they became available but I was well aware that Michelle worked most day hours.
I really love the job. It's perfect for me right now. I am extremely happy motivating people to reach their weight loss goals and making them feel better about themselves. I am proud of what I do. I just hope that the office politics don't come to bite me in the butt.
I also work with Michelle who is the gym "manager". She is the one who I had to interview with before I got to Lisa and was offered the job. She takes care of all the insurance issues and does lots of the paperwork required for the club to run smoothly. She has a very strong personality which does not bother or intimidate me. You know me. I just let it roll off my back. I don't let things bother me and I don't cop attitudes. It's just not my style.
Lisa is supposed to work with me on my Tuesday and Friday night shifts but as she has become more comfortable with me and my work ethic she is not afraid to leave me alone at the club. She has also been giving me a few more hours here as she has a small child and sometimes needs some extra time off. That is what happened yesterday. She had me work both the morning and afternoon shifts. Yep, I am tired but happy to do it as things like Pat's $1700 re-root canal happen and every buck helps.
I work on Monday nights with Michelle and lately I have been getting a strange vibe from her. She has been kind of cold towards me or at least that's what I have been thinking. It occurred to me that she was not happy that I am working out as well as I have. I think that my natural ability and feel for this job has taken her by surprise and she may be feeling somewhat threatened. I have also been told by many of the members, old and new, that they prefer to come on the days that I am there. They like my style better than Michelle's. Maybe she has heard some of this too.
Last night when Lisa called to tell me that she would not be coming into work she seemed a little talky. She told me that she had given Michelle instructions that last Monday night she wanted me make some telephone calls to the members that have not been working out lately and to invite them back. She told me that she wanted me to do this job because she had heard me on other phone calls and felt that the ladies would respond to me better than to Michelle. Of course, I didn't know any of this. I just did my usual thing and thought everything was fine. I did notice that Michelle was on the phone all Monday night but I really didn't think anything of it until Lisa talked to me about it yesterday. She said she thought that Michelle was feeling threatened by my presence. I guess she is beginning to fear for her job.
Lisa also told me that she wants me to learn the computer system. She wants everyone who works there to be able to work the computer programs. I got the feeling from her that Michelle is not happy about that either. I think she is more comfortable keeping me in the dark about some of the things that she does. I told Lisa that I would be happy to learn all about the computer. I enjoy computer work and Lisa already knows that I am computer literate.
I really hope this situation works itself out. All I am doing is trying to do the best job that I can while I am there. I am not looking to squeeze anyone out because I'm not looking to work full time anyway. I am perfectly happy with the part time hours that I have now along with the few extras that I pick up along the way. Lisa already offered me another night and I turned it down. I want to be able to spend time Pat when he gets home from work. If I am working four nights a week I would not be able to do that. I told her that I would like some day hours if they became available but I was well aware that Michelle worked most day hours.
I really love the job. It's perfect for me right now. I am extremely happy motivating people to reach their weight loss goals and making them feel better about themselves. I am proud of what I do. I just hope that the office politics don't come to bite me in the butt.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Hitting The Casino
Pat has a golfing buddy named Bing who got two free tickets to the Honda Classic which is the PGA event that takes place in Palm Beach Gardens. Pat told me about it last week and I wasn't mad because Tiger Woods wasn't going to be there. If Tiger had been appearing in this event I would have put up a stink and gone myself. Yep, I'm a fan. Anyway, this left me with a whole day alone with nothing to do so I got dressed and went to the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach with $100 in my hot little hands. Even though I knew it was against the house rules to take pictures I decided to take my camera and see if I could sneak a few in for this blog.
When I walked in the door my nose was hit with that "casino smell" that always makes me stop and sniff. Oh yeah, I love casinos. Can you tell? I immediately took off in the direction of the 2 cent machines.
I slipped a 20 dollar bill into a Blue Dolphin slot machine and started my gambling experience. As you can see the machine has an ocean theme with fish, sea horses and dolphins.
I didn't do so well so I started moving around to different machines. I sat down at a machine called Sun and Moon. It had lots of Egyptian looking coins and pyramids. This machine started to pay off a little and I found myself up a few bucks. I was unable to snap a photo of this machine because it was located right by the door where the casino personal congregated.
The Sun and Moon machine went cold so I went over to the Brazilian Beauty machine for a while. I was back to my original $20 when I finished on this one.
I noticed the machine that my Mother In Law had played and had good luck at about a month ago was free so I sat down. It is called Babylon and it has ancient coins, faces and numbers. Well, I hit a jackpot of about $80.00. As you can see on the picture below I got 5 coins across and the video money started flying.
I guess I should have stopped there because by the time I left the casino all that remained from the $80 jackpot and my original $20 was 7 cents. Oh how sad.
Of course, the gambler inside of me said things like "oh, that's ok. You had way more than $19.93 worth of fun." which is totally true. Next time I am going to hit the video poker games. The money lasts a much longer time. Those slot machines sure are fun though. I guess it's a good thing that I don't live in Vegas. Maybe someday........
Making the turn on to Race Track Road
If I lost my car in the lot I had this picture to remind me of where I parked
The Isle Casino
If I lost my car in the lot I had this picture to remind me of where I parked
The Isle Casino
When I walked in the door my nose was hit with that "casino smell" that always makes me stop and sniff. Oh yeah, I love casinos. Can you tell? I immediately took off in the direction of the 2 cent machines.
I slipped a 20 dollar bill into a Blue Dolphin slot machine and started my gambling experience. As you can see the machine has an ocean theme with fish, sea horses and dolphins.
I didn't do so well so I started moving around to different machines. I sat down at a machine called Sun and Moon. It had lots of Egyptian looking coins and pyramids. This machine started to pay off a little and I found myself up a few bucks. I was unable to snap a photo of this machine because it was located right by the door where the casino personal congregated.
The Sun and Moon machine went cold so I went over to the Brazilian Beauty machine for a while. I was back to my original $20 when I finished on this one.
I noticed the machine that my Mother In Law had played and had good luck at about a month ago was free so I sat down. It is called Babylon and it has ancient coins, faces and numbers. Well, I hit a jackpot of about $80.00. As you can see on the picture below I got 5 coins across and the video money started flying.
I guess I should have stopped there because by the time I left the casino all that remained from the $80 jackpot and my original $20 was 7 cents. Oh how sad.
Of course, the gambler inside of me said things like "oh, that's ok. You had way more than $19.93 worth of fun." which is totally true. Next time I am going to hit the video poker games. The money lasts a much longer time. Those slot machines sure are fun though. I guess it's a good thing that I don't live in Vegas. Maybe someday........
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