Un Tres Grand Merci!

I know I said I wouldn't talk about yoga any more but I have to say thanks to the three people who have been helping me learn the basics, proper alignment, and the asanas for Ashtanga. So far so good. I met a guy today after class, Roy from San Francisco and my age. He told me that after his first class with Gerald last week (he is also here for a month) that Gerald took him aside and told him he needs to learn the fundamentals or he will seriously injure himself. This wouldn't be so bad except he has taken Ashtanga for five years. Gary, Erin and Sam.....thank you for helping me along this path and ensuring that I am doing things as correctly as I possibly can given my age, inflexible hips and all the other things that go along with getting older. Gerald is pretty well known in yoga circles and does a lot of workshops around the world so when he doesn't take me aside to point out how poorly I am in position (not that he isn't constantly making corrections but that is his job)...I say you guys have done a great job. Thanks.

I'm finally feeling better. Holy cow five days of feeling yucky in a hotel room isn't fun. I'm sure it wasn't fun for Abe either as I whine a lot. Maybe he didn't have business in Holland at all...maybe it was all a way to get out of Paris and away from me.

The sun is out, the streets are full so I think I'm going to walk to the Louvre and do my duty.
That place is so damn big that it is daunting deciding what to go look at. It could take an hour just to find the section I'm interested in. It is an hour to walk there anyway so I will certainly get my exercise. I have my subway pass but since the legs still work I see no reason to do it the easy way, plus the walk along Rue de Rivoli is great with tons of shops, cafes and restaurants.

Have I mentioned that we have been to every single type of market possible....flowers, birds, oldest one in the city, organic, plus every local market nearby. Abe is fascinated with the mouldy cheeses growing fur....which we don't eat. Seeing all the fish and seafood in the markets makes me realise I am a very limited cook. I have no idea what to do with an oyster, or what the different types of clams and mussels taste like and why you would care to have a different variety. I blame it on growing up landlocked in Haileybury......pickerel was the fish of the day and that was it...maybe a rainbow trout if dad fished somewhere different. Of course there was the "ling" but I won't go into that here. It involved almost throwing up and riding my bike about ten miles away from home swearing I would never return....one of my dad's favourite stories.

A little boy yelled at me today. He was very cross that I crossed the street on a red light. He yelled and then started telling his mom what I had done. I felt like a terrible example but there were no cars coming.

My son, David, has been really sick in China since he arrived. When I talked to him the other day it made me cry. He has felt at about 80% of normal since arriving in Shanghai in Februrary and we both think it is due to the filthy air quality -- not pollution like we have that we can'tsee but a dirty brown cloud that hovers over and in the city day and night, a visible cloud. Not only has he developed a deep hacking cough that is constant but his mouth has become so sore that he can't swallow or eat. He's lost about 15 pounds which is not good as he is a very thin man to begin with. However, he has gone to the doctor and been assured his teeth won't fall out (which had frightened him terribly as he has never even had a cavity and he's 26)....and that he has
severe allergies due to the pollution as well has bronchitis. His whole body is stressed due to adapting to the new country, pollution, food he doesn't recognise, etc. I'm a mum and even though he's 26....I wish I were there to take care of him. Why does he always have to choose the hardest road to follow his dreams.....can't he teach English to foreigners in a nice warm climate, near the beach, and eat coconuts and pineapple all day long. Luckily he likes his job, likes his apartment, his students love him (and want to have him to dinner all the time and I think he needs to go!) and his roommate is nice and they get along well. I guess I can't have everything bu I just want him well. If you are the praying kind, please say a little prayer on his behalf that he will get well and begin to feel like himself and enjoy his new life in China.

Benj should be back from Morocco now. I think that will have been a very interesting time for him. He was well prepared as they had had several weeks where Moroccans of all faiths came to tell them about the country, what to expect, etc. Benj was just happy to say he has put his foot on the continent of Africa. I have not done that and I don 't think Abe has either. Benj is one up on us all now.

My good friend lost her dog this week and she is in my thoughts. Silvia and her little Teddy have been together for 14 years I think. This was a huge loss and it will leave a large hole in her heart. to any of you who know her....hugs are in order and a kind word.

Off I go to the Louvre.....if you never hear from me again it is because I have not found my way out of the building. It is gargantuan. Take care.