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November 30, 2005

Major Nerd

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So this is me with my friend Michelle this summer at PS1 in Brooklyn. It used to be a Public School now its an art gallery with a huge outdoor space, every Saturday they have live djs an afternoon party that is a BLAST.

Posted by jody at 7:40 PM | Comments (2)

Wednesday

Good practice today, still sore in the hamstrings which is bumming me out.
I’m trying to hold back so that I don’t make matters worse but that seems to be hard for me.
It’s a good exercise to include foresight in ‘active awareness’ during practice.
Keeps my over exuberance of today from spoiling my practice tomorrow.

Im sure this comes as no surprise to anybody out there but when you really think about it Asana
Is all about the lower back and hip area. Pretty much every asana traces its way back to those areas.
Of course hamstrings are important too but really the hips and back can make or break you.
How many people have injured their knees or ankles in lotus because their hips weren’t open enough.
Or, how many have had hamstring issues, which in my opinion (humble,humble) has everything to do with not getting your back into it. like doing a forward bend and binding with a rounded back all that space in between your torso and leg has to be made up somewhere and guess who gets punished…the poor hammies! I could go on but you get the point right? Its all about the hips and the lower back opening up.

Anyway, I don’t pretend to know my ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to the above, these are just some observations that Ive made from my own practice and by watching yoga videos (Darby, Swenson) and by observing some of the amazing yogis that I am lucky enough to practice with. But I think its true…at least for me. What do you think?


Oh yeah one more thing..I got the COOLEST postcard from New Zealand from our friend Conrad! It has the national bird on the front and a very nice message on the back! Thanks conrad its in my room on my bookshelf!!!!

Posted by jody at 11:15 AM | Comments (5)

November 29, 2005

Has anybody noticed....

That the AYRI site is down and has been down since yesterday?
Clear your cache then try the site. I keep geting and "unavailable" error message.

Posted by jody at 12:39 PM | Comments (10)

tuesday

Uncomfortable practice this morning once again.
My hamstrings are just not into it this week.
They are being WAY stubborn.
Perhaps they are pissed from having had so much alcohol
Run through them this past holiday weekend? Who knows?
All I know is that they are sore and making practice miserable.

On the positive side of thing all the other crap I usually complain about
was really good today.
Self bound D was a cinch.
Garba P Kukutasana....cake.

Moonday thursday and Im not complaining….

Posted by jody at 10:11 AM | Comments (7)

November 28, 2005

Monday

Decent practice today considering I had four days off. I’m sure the alcohol and the turkey didn’t help much.
But you know it was all good times so no regrets.

I was a little stiff throughout, I guess that’s to be expected. I was glad to get into UHP on my own; I’m definitely making progress although you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at me I’m still hopping about a bit. It’s all in my head at this point, and the only thing that’s going to fix it is me doing it on my own from now on. My left hamstring is a little sore and it flared up this morning making all the forward bends a little uncomfortable. I took it somewhat easy so hopefully it’ll be better tomorrow. This is a bit embarrassing but in Baddha K “B�, you know the one where you forehead is resting on the soles of you feet, well I was unpleasantly greeted by a foul odor …from my feet, YUCH! I think Ill be showering before practice after all…( I do take a hot bath every night before bed, apparently this is not enough)

Good news is that I was given Supta Konasana this morning and Eddie ji said that tomorrow I would “try the next one� which I’m assuming is Supta padagunsthasna and parsvasahita. If that is the case that basically leaves 5 more asanas until I have the entire primary series. I’m really nervous abut Setu Bandasana that one scares the crap outta me Ill wait to worry until I really need to : ). Now lets see how long it actually takes me to refine it all, I think that’s going to take a while.

Way back when I posted a sloka from the Pradipika that basically discourages one from talking about their practice which for some time I pretty much adhered to and instead of talking about my physical practice I would talk about everything surrounding it like the aches and pains from practice or sharing some of the reading that I found inspiring or insightful. Well, I’ve obviously strayed from that path as I have been talking about my practice a lot lately. The truth is, I hope that my blog will do for someone what other blogs did (and do) for me, and that is to help my understanding of the practice and make it more real less mystical less intimidating. Maybe Ill tire of it all and quit posting about it all together but for now I think Ill follow my bliss.

Posted by jody at 12:29 PM | Comments (2)

November 23, 2005

Stellar

Stellar practice today. I wish I could practice at 11 all the time. I felt so strong. I practiced in a different spot today in the very last row. Actually I was in the first row to begin with but it was just me up there and I got shy so I moved. Anyway I was right in line with Ganesha and he looks very festive with new wall hangings and some pretty garlands. In some prior post I said something to the effect of the shala being a big empty room which was wrong.
Its really a room with no furniture but "empty" is just simply the wrong word to describe it. Being in line with Ganesha brought that to mind.

I had the strangest sensation today right after kurmasana. Getting my feet off the floor after Ive straightened my legs is conceptually elusive for me and when I begin I end up with my butt off the floor instead so I have to basically rock back so that the bum drops and the legs lift [read: seesaw]. My right arm fell alseep and also felt "pumped" like after a really good work out, strange. It was crowded today but it was both Eddie ji and Jocelyn. There were a couple of brand new folks so Eddie was busy with them. I got only one adjustment today in UHP from Jocelyn it was a good one too. Otherwise everything came really smoothly, even my jump throughs and backs were really good. I was almost like an old pro in D! You know things are good when D is easy (thats pushing it but you catch my drift, right?)

So tomorrows the big day! Woohoo! Cant wait. Im making a pumkin and sweet potato pie! First time but it looks pretty easy on the food channel and my pecan pies are usually pretty good.
Its going to be a big test for me you see Ive been fooling around with vegetarianism for a while and for the most part Im pretty good although I will on ocassion have a nibble of meat at dinner my average is about everyother week Ill take a bite. I think thats pretty good for having been a hardcore carnivore all of my life. (I do eat eggs and dairy on a regular basis.) Im going to see if I can get through tomorrow with out eating any meat. We're having turkey and lamb luckily we are also making a fresh pasta dish with a whole slew of side dishes so I wont feel like Im not eating a complete meal. Honestly Im not going to feel bad if I end up eating meat but wish me luck..

Have a lovely holiday!!!

Aum Gam Ganapataye Namaha

Posted by jody at 12:38 PM | Comments (4)

November 22, 2005

Toosday

It started at around 8:38, don’t know why I remember that, last night. I was thinking how late it was getting and that I better think about getting to bed. So I laid down and watched t.v for about 20 minutes and thought Id surely be asleep with out any problem seeing as I had gotten up super early. Turned out the light and lo and behold sleep was nowhere and I mean nowhere to be found, I tossed and turned all night! I’m pretty sure I slept but it was interrupted over and over again so it didn’t feel like I slept at all. I did dream the same dream over and over again which was pretty cool and kind of scary. I have no idea what it means but here it goes from what I can remember. First there is this creepy stone hallway that has arches like something you’d see in a scary castle, or at Hogwarts school of Wizardry (saw it Sunday) in black and white no less. It looked like a move but I think I was in the movie or something. Then I was with a wardrobe person looking at a sweater I was to wear, the only way I can describe it was like something that you’d see Frankenstein in. Then it got kinda spooky and I was walking down the creepy hallway which was really dark (still in black and white) and there was somebody else ahead of me in one of the sweaters who I just knew was super creepy and Frankensteinish and this basically happened over and over again. I never did get to actually see the creepy Frankenstein full on just the back of him. So at first it was scary because the visuals were really creepy, then my curiosity got the best of me so I wanted to see who this person was that I couldn’t catch up with. So between being scared and then anxious to get back into the dream it was hard for me to fall right back asleep. Weird.

Needless to say it was difficult to get up this morning, I tried really hard to convince myself not to go to practice but thankfully I did go and it was surprisingly good. Maybe because I was too tired to think everything through and I just went with the flow [Ha!] One little thing I learned..again..is to bring your straight leg out and up to get into Uttitha Hasta Padangustasana makes the whole thing much easier. I tend to bend my leg to catch my toe which makes the balance part really difficult. Eddie ji was back today which was nice. I’m working from home tomorrow praise be …. Hopefully this day will go by really fast because I really need to be AWAY from the office.

Posted by jody at 9:58 AM | Comments (6)

November 21, 2005

Monday

The most consistent coaching I’ve received from the start of my yogic journey has been to think less.
I was reading my very first entries and here is what I wrote which was inspired by one of my then teachers J.D (who is awesome BTW!)

1. Be here now. Helps me when I’m fidgeting once I’ve taken the pose and trying to "perfect" it.
2. Let tension go. When I am tensing up trying to get into a pose.

They are both as relevant today as they were then and I’m sure will be in years to come.
Aside from all the cool looking asanas that I am eager to get and perfect one of the main lessons that I am learning from yoga is about being. Being is so important and so easy to lose sight of at least for me. I’m always caught up in where I want to be that I forget to just be right here in this moment. Or, right here in this asana wherever that is, and not worrying about “getting it right� that part will come with practice. Its in that moment you learn what you need to progress to the next stage.

Alright, with all that out of the way today’s practice was AWESOME!

Posted by jody at 4:44 PM | Comments (0)

Just gives you that feeling...

of wanting to throw up from embarrassment!

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Posted by jody at 1:18 PM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2005

AYNY

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Posted by jody at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

FRIDAY

There are times when I just feel inept at practice..like today for instance.
Arghhh, it sucks but what are you going to do? There were a couple of forces at work
one being how cold it's getting in NYC, second the door opener being late
so we didnt even get into the shala until 6:15 which made me feel like I had to rush and third
Im kind of a lazy bastard on Fridays. Combine all of this and you get the type pf practice I had this morning.

It wasnt terrible but it certainly wasnt inspired. I basically blew off Mari-d I did it but barely touched my fingers on the good side and went thru the motions on the other, luckily nobody saw (teacher wise). I just didnt have it in me today.
My back is killing me from rocking back and forth in Garba P...youch!!! Baddha k and Upavista are really easy for me and I dont know why. The adjustements in Baddha k get deeper and deeper today I had barry standing on my thighs and pushing me even farther forward, Im almost one flat plane from my chest to my chin, same thing in Upavista chest on the floor looking forward you would think something like Triang would be cake but it isnt I still feel like Im going to fall over when my knees are touching. Kurmasana is aight to and supta well, you know thi si going to take time. It feel like my feet are ready to move behind my head I can almost get there on my own and Im sure it'll hapen soon maybe once this happens Ill be able to get the hand bind. Seems like the hand bind shoudl be the easier part but somehow it isnt for me.

C'est la vie....

Ill have to be good on Sunday and push a little bit harder. WE have a nice little vacation next week, no class Thursday thru Sunday!

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Posted by jody at 9:07 AM | Comments (4)

November 17, 2005

Thursday

Today was one of those days when I had hoped to receive absolutely no adjustments.
Of course the opposite happened and I was adjusted and adjusted and adjusted I’m not complaining mind you.
If I think about it its shocking to think of how far along I’ve come, and I am grateful for it. I’m way ahead of where I thought Id be. I’m blessed to have such an awesome teacher and to practice where I do, the people and the atmosphere are amazing. Im sure everybody out there has the same experience at their own shala’s…aren’t we a lucky bunch!

I think that asana is like a conversation, there are times when you are trying to make a point and somehow you can’t convey it precisely. So you have to move on in the hopes that the point will make it self evident. Can you imagine being stuck on a single sentence and not moving forward until that sentence was crystal clear. You know, if you keep on talking and you see the glazed over look than of course you stop and rewind a bit. It’s the same in asana if you think about it. I mean obviously there are times when you have to really hammer on a point to make it clear keeping the conversation at a stand still, for me that point was Mari D its such a complicated thing. (The light bulb has finally switched on.) And much like a conversation ,unless it’s a contract or something, its not necessarily how something is said exactly but more about the content and the sincerity of the content that matters. Make sense? (Not that that means I’m not striving for a practice that looks like iit's aided by hydraulics and hidden wires : ) At the same time if there were Ashtanga Police I would probably be one of them, I’m all about the tradition and feel like if you are going to call it Ashtanga then it should follow the traditional sequence of postures with no modification or props. It seems that there are a lot of new “traditions� out there that are calling themselves Ashtanga. That drives me crazy, I think all yoga is good no matter how wacky it may seem on the outside if it works it works who is anybody to judge another’s method .

Anyway, I have no idea where all that came from hope it made sense.

Posted by jody at 11:30 AM | Comments (1)

November 15, 2005

Confessions

Alright, I have a confession to make which is slightly embarrassing but you know Im gonna keep it real.
As anybody who reads this lil’ blog o mine knows I have a daily yoga practice which I LOVE LOVE LOVE and take very seriously.
My mornings are dedicated to practice and evenings are spent studying the texts (Gita, Upanishads and some others as well)

Well being a libra I like balance so in order to keep it level I also fill my head with the most inane utterly useless crap.
Its my guilty pleasure and I thought Id share. Its all terrible but soo funny I just cant help it!

blogs

Perez Hilton
Dlisted
Pink is the new blog

reality shows
Americas Next Top model UPN
Laguna Beach MTV

Posted by jody at 10:37 AM | Comments (7)

November 14, 2005

Take Me to the River

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When

Thursday 17 November - 7pm

Where

Rubin Museum of Art 150 West 17th Street, New York City 10011

Tickets

212.620.5000 ext. 344

Price

$12

More

www.rmanyc.org

Omkara, a classical Indian and fusion ensemble will join bamboo flute player Joshua Geisler to perform a live musical soundtrack to the documentary film, Take Me To The River. These artists have created a new score that they will play in real time with the film. Take Me To The River is a magnificent visual journey through the Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival and pilgrimage inAllahabad, India. While drawing heavily on the Indian Classical tradition, the music movesthrough many textures, rising and falling with the emotional and aesthetic contours of the film.

Joshua Geisler: Bansuri (Bamboo Flute)
Aneal Padmanabha: Acoustic Guitar
Naryan Padmanabha: Hammered Dulcimer
Ravi Padmanabha: Tabla

Take Me To The River, directed in 2001 by Kenneth Eng, conveys the essence of the Kumbh Mela experience, bringing the audience directly into the midst of this fascinating and bewildering festival, which was the largest gathering of people in history. Interviews and other dialogue from an eclectic group of participants provide a narrative structure for the film. However, it is not an analytical portrait of the festival, but a finely crafted collection of moments and moods that form a collage across a massive festival that drew over 15 million Hindus to the banks of the Ganges. Because most of the dialogue is in Hindi with English subtitles, the audience will be able to follow the film even without the original soundtrack..

The musical group Omkara was formed in 2002 by the Padmanabha brothers to reflect a common love for sound and music. Omkara literally means “Divine Sounds from God�. In Hindu mythology Omkara is thought to be the original sound of our world and source of all other sounds. Omkara the group produces an intense and dynamic sound based on the improvisational nature of Indian classical and jazz music. For more information on the group please visit www.epochmusic.com.

Thanks SMN this looks SUPER cool!!

Posted by jody at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

New day

As I was showering after today’s practice I realized that I completely forgot to do Garbha Pindasana and Kukutasana. I was soaping my back and thought to myself “wow my spine doesn’t hurt from the rolling back and forth� then it dawned on me. There was one brief moment of thought when I jumped forward into Baddha K that seemed off but I attributed it to the newness. Oh well really, Ill work on it on Wednesday. Otherwise practice was pretty good, the past couple of days my forward bends have been pretty deep my face presses into my shins which I must say make the jump back’s feel much better as I’m not thudding down as hard I hope it’s a permanent thing not one of those “I had it for a second..� type deals.

Up to now I’ve been getting to the shala at 6:00 doing some warm up stuff and then really starting practice at 6:15 this is going to have to change. Now that my practice is longer I don’t have the luxury of all that pre practice time not to mention that its time for me to buck up and get UHP on my own. I’ve come to rely on assistance in this asana and I’m lost when I don’t have a helping hand …not good, change needed. However Kurmasana has straightened itself out I think I was just rushing into it and my legs weren’t in proper position now I take a bit more time before flattening out and its been smooth so I’m happy with it. Supta is definitely on its way as well, you know I don’t get much help in either of these asanas and they have come along pretty quickly. I’m not exactly bound in Supta yet but Im getting closer and closer on my own. This morning I almost had my ankles be hind my head… well lets say on top… behind makes it seem more extreme than it may have been but you get the point right. Baddha K is my favorite asana at the moment I love the feeling of my hips opening up I’ve no idea why this one comes so easily to be but it does and I’m not going to complain what’s more I there isn’t any “after glow� type pain either I noticed that after it my vinyasa was fluid almost graceful. Upavista Konasana was alright the one on the floor is great chin and sternum completely on the floor no pain. The second piece of it while it isn’t bad I’m balanced and steady [for the most part] but I need a lot of work on straightening out the back its more about being comfortable in the balance it’ll come.

Packed shala today so I flew thru closing, ehhh bad man chatvari.

Posted by jody at 10:31 AM | Comments (4)

November 11, 2005

Look what I got today!!!

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Posted by jody at 10:13 AM | Comments (4)

November 10, 2005

Ashtanga Yoga

Practice: It is said where there is no effort there is no benefit.
Strength, stamina and sweat are unique aspects of this traditional yoga,
seemingly contrary to western perceptions of yoga. This demanding
practice requires considerable effort to purify the nervous system.
The mind then becomes lucid, clear and precise: and accordoing to
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois "Where ever you look you will see God".
Only through practice will we realize the truth of what our Guru often says.

"Everything is God."

From:
Astanga Yoga Lino Miele
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Yes yes and yes that's exactly it! Amazing!

Posted by jody at 8:03 PM | Comments (2)

Om!

O Gods, while engaged in sacrifices,
May we hear with our ears what is auspicious,
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious.
While praising, may we of strong and steady limb
Enjoy the life given by the gods.

May Indra of ancient fame be blissful to us;
May the all knowing Pusa be blissful to us;
May Garuda, the destroyer of evil be blissful tous,
May Brhaspati be blissful to us.
Om shanti shanti shanti

Posted by jody at 5:37 PM | Comments (0)

Back

Back to practice today and what a relief I went to bed at 8:00 last night [probably fell asleep at like 9:00} so I was up extra early. I took a long shower and even shaved, I was looking pretty haggard after being home this whole week. I still probably look a little rough.... ; (

I didn’t think I was going to finish practice but I ended up doing the whole thing and I felt good the whole way thru. It was weird because I could actually FEEL the sickness deep in my muscles being squeezed out, mostly in my hamstrings. It was weird but GOOD!

I had the most satisfying snap crakles and pops in Parivritta Parsvakonasana seriously you could hear them thru out the shala and now my back feels tons better!!

Ahhhhhhhh.........

Posted by jody at 10:39 AM | Comments (2)

November 8, 2005

Umm yeah.....

All of my ambitious plans of practicing no matter what pretty much flew out the window this morning.
I dont get sick often but when I do good lord watch out. Its not fun. Ive discovered that having a cold or the flu as a yogi is in someways harder than normal. You know all those little aches you have from practice that you sort of brush to the side and dont really take notice of...well ratchet those up by 10 and that what its like to have a yogi cold.

Posted by jody at 2:47 PM | Comments (0)

November 7, 2005

FYI

Here is the article I was talking about in my earlier post.

Posted by jody at 8:37 PM | Comments (2)

Tamiflu where are you???

I feel like Im catching a cold...great! Yesterday, I woke up early and read the blogs and blogged myself then slept until 2:00 which only happens when I m not feeling good. Still, I made it to practice this morning, I didnt finish I only went through Mari -A which was a struggle, but I did it. In Uttitha Hasta I couln'td hold my leg out to the side and held my knee instead, Barry was like...dude you gotta work on the straight leg...so like any grown man of 36 I whined and told him that I wasnt feeling well. Luckily he granted mercy and helped me thru it and said to take is slow [practice]. Which I did, I probably could have completed my practice but I wanted to reserve some energy to try and get this bug outta my system. I really dont feel like being ill. Im going to practice either at home or the shala depending on wether or not I have a fever. I think I read somehwere that David Williams practices Sun salutations even when hes sick to get the prana flowing, sound like good advice. Anyway, Im home sick from work today and I think Im going to go and lay down for while. Namaste!!

Posted by jody at 8:53 AM | Comments (4)

November 6, 2005

M.I.A

I've not practiced since thursday due to a combination of tenderness and a little laziness. I was in a cycle of over exuberance the week before last and in addition to overdoing some home stretching I was doing the same thing in practice. the result being that my legs, actually my right leg, has been a little tender. I could practice and get thru it with out a problem but I cant seem to holdback once I get on the mat and if I have a hand bind then I HAVE to work on the wrist bind which doesnt do much in the way of not overdoing it . so acknowledging this trait I thought it best to skip the past couple of practices and let my legs chill for bit. the laziness has to do with the fact that fridays and sundays are led classes and I prefer mysore to led. [ apparently until further notice fridays are mysore from now on].

ashtanga has a reputation for attracting alpha or driven types which i think is true. it is a demanding practice that has clear cut goals that are defined going into it. there is always something to work towards a new asana the next series etc. its only after you begin practicing that you realize these most obvious landmarks are really not whats its all about. the real practice happens when you are faced with your own nature and start asking questions about it.
which for me asana has served as the catalyst for, makes sense right? you start with the physical practice which [unless your doing power yoga at the gym] has some mindfulness thrown in. which makes sense and is a good lesson blah blah blah. then something happens wether it be a confrontation at work or in the course of a day but afterwards you realize that you were able to react or see things in a different light because of yoga. which was where I became hooked. back on the mat you have your first scare in my case it was an ankle opening which put the brakes on my practice faster than you can blink an eye and all of a sudden the thing that had given me this new found peace was in jeopardy [not really but it felt like it ]and i had no other choice than to start looking at the larger picture of yoga outside of the physical practice. since then its just been a continual process of learning and then relearning some of those things i forget Im grateful for it and look forward to each new day.
dont get wrong I love asana I truly do and there is a part of me that wants that next asana and next series badly.
that isnt going anywhere I just have to remember that asana is like life things are connected, there is a lesson in everything, respect it and approach it with mindfulness and this should get you through reasonably unscathed....I hope.

Posted by jody at 8:28 AM | Comments (2)

November 3, 2005

Thursday

Practice has been awesome the past couple of days, not by any means easy or fluid or graceful but great none the less. Since last Friday when I went all 'yogon' and over did it while watching TV and Sundays led practice I’ve been really sore and my hamstrings feel a little fragile. It’s turned out to be a good thing as I’ve had to be really aware of my ego and hold back just a tad when I really want to push past that comfort (safe) zone.

Today was the first major adjustment in Supta K, up until today the adjustments had mainly consisted of moving my hands from the floor to cross my back, today I was bound which wasn’t hard in terms of flexibility but it sure was a test of strength especially when Barry moved to my legs… good sweet lord I wasn’t strong enough to hold it! I think it has something to do with the problem I’ve been having with Kurmasana, on the left side once I’ve gone forward and am straightening out my leg my elbow digs into my hamstring in a way that feels like its nudging its way in between the separate muscles back there [sorry for the laymen’s description]. Maybe I’m not flattening my arms out properly… anyway I’ve not been straightening my legs out completely because it doesn’t feel good.
I think makes the leg adjustment more intense will have to work on it tomorrow. Barry also helped me out in the rocking portion on Garbapindasana ,well more like reminded me that my breathing was all off, I was inhaling when I should have been exhaling once I corrected that everything was much easier.

I’m so thankful for my teachers they are all great I’ve gained so much from them, its not like we sit around and chat about the wonders of life or anything but rather by doing what they do they point you in a direction that can lead, if you want it to, to self realization …or help you get a kick ass workout.

Posted by jody at 8:56 AM | Comments (1)

November 2, 2005

Source

Announcements
1. Sri K. Pattabhi Jois World Tour 2006 - check back soon for tour dates!

How exciting is this!!!

Posted by jody at 1:13 PM | Comments (1)

Sad

The other day I posted about the unfortunate effect people some times have on religions.
Here is another example, its sad because people will see this and associate Kaballah with this jerk and his actions.
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From Guruphiliac:
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Shaul Youdkevitch, head of the Rabbis Bergs' Kabbalah Centre in Israel, and the man who hosted Madonna's much touted visit there last year, has been arrested for extorting close to $50,000 from a woman suffering cancer. You'd think 50 Gs would result in a cure. Think again:

Police claim Mr Youdkevitch and rabbis running the Israel Kabbala Centre persuaded Leah Zonis and her husband, Boris, to make what they called "a significant and painful donation" if she wanted to recover. They were also alleged to have sold her bottles of "holy water" at inflated prices under the Kabbala label.

Mr Zonis's lawyer, Haim Cohen, told Haaretz newspaper: "The woman's condition continued to deteriorate and instead of telling the truth, that these were empty promises, they took more money and cheated with medication that is just a bottle of water."

Not just any water, but Kabbalah water! It must have lost it potency by means of some scoundrel's evil eye. The bastard!

The news will take some shine off of Madonna's triumphant recent visit to NYC, where her new album and Kabbalah-inspired documentary were surprisingly well received, despite the fact that they're both full of culty propaganda.

Could this arrest be a sign that the Bergs' red-string power continues to be on the wane? It's going to take a lot more more than some record sales to offset the fact that a major Kaballah Centre player has been busted for satscamming—in the birthplace of the ideology and for plain, old simple quackery at that.
================================================

Posted by jody at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

November 1, 2005

Hilarious!

2005 Washington Post Mensa Invitational

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once
again asked
readers to take any word from the dictionary,
alter it by adding,
subtracting, or changing of one letter, and supply
a new definition.

Here are the 2005 winners:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house,
which renders the
subject financially impotent for an indefinite
period.

2. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an
asshole.

3. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax
refund, which lasts until you realize it was your
money to start with.

4. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a
hillbilly.

5. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid
people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
The bozone layer,
unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking
down in the near future.

6. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself
for the purpose
of getting laid.

7. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very
high.


8. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of
sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

9. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when
you are running late.

10. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

11. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This
one got extra credit.)

12. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is,
like, sending off all these really bad vibes,
right?
And then, like, the Earth explodes and
it's like, a serious bummer.


13. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting
through the day consuming only things that are good
for you.


14. Glibido: All talk and no action.

15. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas
to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

16. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance you
perform just after you've accidentally walked
through a spider web.

17. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a
mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in
the morning and cannot be cast out.

18. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after
finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Posted by jody at 1:33 PM | Comments (2)

Trying times..

The commute this morning was a bear, the line for the bus was about half a city block no joke.
It only got longer as no limited bus arrived, finally after about 15 minutes the bus appeared.
Obviously the bus was PACKED but I had gotten a seat out of some stroke of luck. About 5 minutes into the trip
I feel a tapping on my shoulder [I had my ipod on loud as I downloaded some new music] and this woman
is speaking to me she is older , not elderly, but gray hair and such, well she is asking me for my seat, which is not a problem and had I seen her before she asked me I would have offered it right away. BUT ….the way in which she asked really got under my skin, it was literally the most artificial syrupy sympathy gathering way. Oh it was awful, of course I smiled and said no problem but inside I was like “Lady, c’mon just ask for the seat lay off the theatrics … jeesh!!!� I know I sound like an ogre but the lady was a soccer mom with grey hair.
So I stand up and there is this prim and proper young girl reading AM New York (for those outside NYC AMNY is a free daily paper with little news tidbits and gossip) who shoots me a dirty look and looks to my head phones in a gesture letting me know my music is bothering her. Which I promptly ignore.
Then getting off the bus I think to myself that I need to be more compassionate so I let somebody ahead of me to get off which signaled the rest of the bus to step in front of me. Well this was tiring so I just went all Manhattan and made my way off the bus. But it got me to thinking, how do you manage the balance of being kind and compassionate and not ending up a door knob ....uhhh I mean doormat. Which in NYC can be a very easy thing to end up if your not careful.

Posted by jody at 9:37 AM | Comments (2)

Ganesha Vishnu Shiva

ganesha.gifnarayana.jpgShiva_3.jpg

Posted by jody at 7:28 AM | Comments (0)