Persnickety Tutu

He was flawed. He seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. He was an enigma.

But then there was his music. He was, and always will be, our king of pop. He moved in ways that made men and women alike swoon. We all tried to imitate him. He was so talented that it was often hard to remember that really, in the end, he was just a man.

He was just a man. And he is gone.

Thank you for so many years of pleasure, Michael. Thank you for the hours upon hours of dancing and giving us, all of us, a common thing to share for years to come. Your music.

Thank you... thank you... thank you...

~Rest in peace~

Simon and I are happily settled into Hotel Isla Verde in Santa Cruz and our casita hangs out over the cliffs and we have a perfect view of the lake. In a word? HEAVEN....

Okay, so there is no real hot water to speak of and the man staying above us never stops talking! We laugh in bed at night at his running commentary and wonder how his wife can deal with him. That all said, we sleep to the sounds of nature and the wildlife here and when it rains the sound simply lulls us to sleep. Our bathroom is open air and we take showers while looking out over the land and lake. It really is kind of magical.

I was sick with something for two days -methinks something crawled up inside me and freaking died! - but indulging in things like fresh papaya, banana and yogurt shakes will surely heal me right up. Yep.

So, off to drink said shake and swing in the canoe swing with the man. Life is, well, kind of fabulous....

We landed in guatemala City on Tuesday and were greeted by masked employees wearing gloves. This swine flu thing is being taken very seriously . That said, coming into Antigua not one person was in a mask and life is full and vibrant here as usual. I was feeling under the weather after we arrived but two hot toddies of 12 year old Guatemalan rum, lime and sugar did the trick! Simon is loving it here as much as I do which is a good thing. We are enjoying our room at Casa Cristina and our days are full of wonder and play. I'll write more as I go along. Must go have a latte at Fernando's Kaffe and start my day....

Simon and I will be heading down to Guatemala next week and look forward to ten days of adventure and play! When we met he was planning on going down to explore Guatemala on his own and loved my stories about my travels there. We decided that we really wanted to share the experience together. It is a journey we both know we are destined to take together. Ah, we shall see where the days take us....

I was a great fan of Natasha Richardson. I was therefore deeply saddened to hear of her untimely death stemming from a simple fall while skiing in Canada. The saddest part of the story is that had she gotten help immediately she may very well have survived. She walked away and declined medical attention. She was brain dead mere hours later. They call it "talk and die syndrome." Neurologists are very well versed in this type of tragedy. One minute the person is talking and laughing and all the while they are bleeding in the brain. The damage has been done and unless it is dealt with immediately there is no hope.

I know from here on out if I ever take any sort of impact to the head I will get it checked immediately. Perhaps Natasha's death has had this same impact on many of us. Here's hoping...

THIS LINK takes you to a video timeline of the course of events that led to Natasha's death. I found it incredibly moving and terribly sad.

I will miss her great talent. She was a truly lovely woman.

Things are a bit hectic back in L.A. at present but just a quick note to wind up my time in Dallas.

A big fat thank you to Kendall Inman of Living Yoga Dallas who ran the yoga event and training with Judith Lasater. She is a truly fabulous woman and I'm sure we'll be spending more time together in the future. She's a fellow yoga teacher and she was a blast at the training! Namaste, sweet girl!

I met a wonderful new friend in Dallas and she became my partner in crime. LeAnn, if you read this, thanks for the amazing girl talk and sake fun. You are a jewel to me!

And a shout out to Scott, the manager at The Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center. His staff took such god care of me and when one little thing got funky (a crazy noise that kept me up all night) they comped me a night's stay and apologized profusely. I hope you liked that bottle of red wine I left you, Scott. It's a sweet little number from California. You're the best!

And I am once again both humbled and inspired by my teacher, Judith Lasater. I came home a richer soul who has better skills as both a yoga teacher and a human being. Her husband, Ike Lasater, teaches something called Non-violent Communication and I am looking forward to studying with him one day. Judith incorporates this into her teaching style. It is utterly brilliant. Seriously.

So, on next to my advanced Restorative Yoga training and certification with Judith in NYC come May if all goes according to plan. Good stuff!

Yoga therapy is a new and wonderful addition to my teaching repertoire. I love this path that I am on. Oh yes...

The training with Judith Lasater is going really well and I am learning so much more about working with client's ailments and issues. Judith always laces philosophy and little stories throughout her trainings (this is my second) and I really appreciate them. She was one of the people who started The Yoga Journal! It all began in her living room... This chick is old school. It feels good to be so fully present with someone who returns in kind. She truly is a remarkable yoga teacher and woman. I feel inspired.

I am incredibly grateful to Scott, the manager here at the Holiday Inn Market Center for hooking me up with the Queen's Suite. I'll have some of my fellow trainees up for wine and snacks one night before I leave. There's room for everyone. I feel crazy blessed for the good stuff that steps out and finds me. I'd like to think I am manifesting it myself. It's amazing how making positive changes in your life throws open those doors and lets to good jiu-jiu in.

Did I mention that there is a Mr. Teachick on scene these days? Well, there is. He's yummy and loving and came as a surprise. There you have it. This single and Solo girl is a little less single, but still enjoys her solo adventures. Thankfully, he's just as much of an adventurer as I am.

As if it could be any other way?