The legend continues

Check out my current class blogs:


http://www.cheby3.blogspot.com/

http://www.chebyec6.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave comments, but remember, as the elders, you must set an example.

OM

The highlight of my day was spotting Ms. Sara on campus and hearing she is taking yoga at ELAC!

Then your replacement, my new 6th period, requested some yoga breathing time. As we sat and breathed together, I couldn't help but think of all those who cannot breathe deeply, the rescue workers of from the World Trade Center.

Another reminder of how lucky we are. Hope you all are feeling the same.

Skylight Books

Since so many of you seem to have free time you are trying to fill in new ways, here is my suggestion for the week (and perhaps the only one forever):

Skylight Books
http://www.skylightbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

On the website you can find directions and a schedule of events, which mostly consists of authors coming to talk about their books. I think it was Lily who met Luis Rodriguez there last year. In addition, it has an unusual collection of books on almost any topic as well as some independently printed mags and books. They have a great graphic novel section, too. Mostly, I love that there is a full size tree who branches cover the store and under which you may sit and browse through books. Finally, located in Los Feliz, it is a few blocks from the subway station at Vermont and Sunset and surrounded by some cafes.

Happy book browsing!

Zen and the Art of Procrastination

As I think about going back to work in a few weeks, I, of course, thought of all of you! I hope everyone is doing well and ready to start school, also, in September. Maybe some of you already started. And I know many of you working. So, how does it feel to be out of school and in the 'real world' as an 'adult'? I hope to continue with the blogs with my classes this year and would love to have my freshman read some recent graduate stories.

I am glad to be back in LA and, to avoid getting right to planning, I took on some home decorating projects which turned into much more labor than I planned. Do you have any idea how much dust and mold gets trapped under a rug? With my carpets gone, I now sleep better knowing I am not breathing in all that toxicity. I am now exhausted, but very happy with what feels like a new apartment. I did take a break to go to the Reggae festival at the Hollywood Bowl with some colleagues from Garfield. If you have never been there, I recommend going; there are cheap tickets in the upper seats, it is easily accessible by bus/subway, and a great way to enjoy the LA summer evenings, all priorities, I think, for young adults just out of high school.

And today, giving advice to a friend who was feeling overwhelmed with life, I told her our class motto: think, fast, and wait. She said, "It is true. Except, when I say it, I think of it as 'think fast and wait.' And that doesn't help." See how important a comma is?! Then, in the book I am reading, Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut, there was a passage about how when humans are full, they lose all sense of urgency and perspective in what needs to be done. Which then brings up the issue of Quality, which was the focus on the book I read while traveling, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which is what you might get if Siddhartha lived in the 20th century Midwest and wrote a manual about repairing motorcycles.

Pura Vida

I am glad to see some of you have thought about our little blog. I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as well and the feeling of no longer being a high school student.

I am now in hot, humid, and stormy Florida after a week in hot, humid, and stormy Costa Rica. I will post more about that trip, maybe even some pictures, once I get the energy and mindset to write it out for all my friends who are waiting for emails. I will just say I love how travelling makes more aware and appreciative of my day to day surroundings. For example, this morning walking on the causeway with my sister, we saw dolphins and pelicans. How lucky to have such beauties of nature in my own backyard.

So, as they say in Costa Rica, "Pura Vida."

Helpful hints to readers

If you are looking for a post by a particular contributor, you may use the search on the top of the page next to the blogger logo. Simply type in the contributor's name as it appears on the list and search in this blog. Click on the title of the entry you want to read. (This is also useful for contributors who want to check for comments). I am happy that site is so full of posts that it makes it a bit difficult to navigate (as I discovered when grading all the entries).

Namaste

Namaste. This is a parting blessing, a salutation, that most yoga teachers will use to close a class. It translates to something like the divine in me bows to the divine in you. It goes a bit beyond the traditional good luck and good bye that we offer students, especially those who are graduating at the end of the year. It acknowledges that the time we spent together is part of a greater whole that makes up the journey of our lives. Moreover, it acknowledges how in life we all bear the responsibility of being the teacher and the student in all our interactions with others. Thus, this best captures the thanks I want to offer this class. Each class has a unique class personality and this one was blessed with kind, considerate, and thoughtful people. I appreciate all your work and am sincerely confident and hopeful each of you will move on into the 'adult world' with grace and success. It will be tough, you will make mistakes, but know that each of you have the integrity and wisdom in yourself to do accomplish your goals. It may not be clear what this is, but if you just wait, fast, and think, it will become clear.

This blog will stay active as long as blogger exists as a free service. Feel free to use it as a way to let each other (and me) know how you are doing in whatever you are pursuing -- work, school, travel, etc. Eventually, you will move into new lives and communities and may lose touch, but during that transition, this could be a place to find advice or to brag about successes.

Namaste.