You know that thing where you reach back and grab your ankles? Are you supposed to scream when you do that?

Man, yoga kicked my butt tonight.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.  We had a substitute for our substitute.  Our main teacher hasn't actually been to yoga for the last two sessions, as she is unfortunately having chemo.  Well, better than the alternative, I guess.  Anyway tonight's teacher wanted to do several moves that involve pulling your leg back toward your butt and also arching your back, and my body no longer does that.  When it tries to, the leg muscles go into spasm.  At least now I feel it happening and stop before I get a full on charlie horse.  It's a good thing yoga isn't a contest, because if it were I would have come in last today.

I'm kinda hungry these days, because I'm trying to lose weight again.  Every round of dieting I lose a few pounds and then plateau.  So here's to a few pounds.  The neuro doc says the best thing I can do for my back is get down to the lowest weight I possibly can.  I keep plugging away at it, a few pounds at a time. If I end up with at totally rockin' bod as a side effect, I wouldn't sneer at it.  It's like buying the safe, fuel efficient car that just turns out to have the coolest lines and the best radio.  But mostly I just want my spine to stop being stupid.

That, and my brain.  JD told me tonight that he's asked me to do something several times, and I have no memory of it, whatsoever.  And it's something that I want, and have pestered *him* about, in the past.  It bothers me that I can't remember.  Usually things that I've forgotten completely are much farther back in my past.

I haven't even hit my head recently.  That I recall.

Going to bed, but first: I am irked.

I hab a code.

Actually it hasn't gotten that far.  I have an incipient cold.  Runny nose, sore throat, general feeling of ooginess.  I'm going to bed early.

I'd like to leave you with the three levels of this photo.  The sign is from the coffee mess in my building.  The coffee mess a small closet, which somebody is responsible for opening and closing every day.  They've been closing it earlier and earlier.  This is irritating me.  I don't drink the coffee, but I do use the sink.  And they take the hot pot from across the hall and lock it up too.  I do use the hot pot.  Or at least, I would like to.

We do have a building cafeteria, but it isn't open past 3 or so.  If you want to make a hot drink or wash a bowl past whenever Mr. Coffee Closet has decided to close up the coffee mess, you're out of luck.

I find it ridiculous that in a building which houses hundreds of people, there isn't a kitchen.  Seriously?  This is such a tough thing to do?  In my old building, which was much smaller, there were TWO kitchens.  With functional sinks, and refrigerators, and microwaves, and coffee of one kind or another.  Somehow, we got along just fine.  However, in this building apparently we are not allowed to have hot drinks past two in the afternoon.

Oh yeah.  I am irked.

So in this photograph of the sign on the outside of the locked doors, I would like to note three things.  1) Nice with the passive aggressive, coffee guy.  2)  Nice with the grammar and spelling, coffee guy.  3)  Nice with the passive aggressive corrections, other guy.

Well, four things.  4)  You missed some stuff, other guy.

The dog and I make a fine, gimpy pair

I haven't talked about the dog very much lately.  She did very well all summer, recovering from her extreme bout with inflammatory bowel disease.  Last month we tapered her off of steroids (on the vet's advice and schedule), while leaving her on the other drug she was taking.

In the last two weeks, unfortunately, she hasn't been feeling very well.  Either she needs to stay on steroids, or it's time to change her food again (as the doc predicted we would probably need to, about six months from when we started her on duck and potato food.)  We're going to go visit our veterinarian tomorrow to talk about it.  I hate to see her hurting.  She moans and groans, moves very very slowly, and has little appetite.  It's hard to watch.   The disease waxes and wanes, so some days she feels better.  It's easy to pretend she's fine on those days.  But when she's at the foot of my bed, groaning in her sleep, it makes me sad.  I hope we can come to a happy medium with the disease again, after a change in diet and medication.

For myself, I'm pondering life with degenerative disk disease.  I've been doing some reading in equestrian forums.  There are plenty of people with problems just like mine.  Many of them ride.  Many of them ride but say it hurts, or that their legs go numb.  I don't want that.  Most of them say that finding the right saddle makes a huge difference.  I hadn't even considered the saddle issue.

I've been very good about not riding when I'm already hurting, and riding only at a walk.  I haven't gone jogging at all (well, barring several steps at the metro a few weeks ago.)  And the damage from the disease is still spreading.  I'm not sure my activity (or lack thereof) makes as much difference to the progression of the disease as I thought it did.  If the disease is going to get worse regardless, maybe I should enjoy what I can do now, while I can still do it.  Some time when Pluto is feeling very sedate, I'm going to try a few strides of trot to see what happens.

In January when my insurance changes I hope to get into physical therapy.  I'm also contemplating acupuncture.  Apparently it can be quite effective in this instance.  The description I've read is that while it doesn't heal your back damage, it teaches your body to ignore the pain.  Kind of like painkillers, but without the organ damage.

We went to Hollywood East and it was good

We'd been meaning to go out for dim sum for a long time.  Over a year.  I first got a hankering for it while I was trying to thruhike in 2010.  That was approximately 18 months ago.  I can't remember exactly how long it had been prior to that since I had gone out for dim sum.  Too long, I'll say.  Every so often the topic of dim sum would come up, and one of us (probably me) would say "We should do that."  And we would agree that we should, and the matter would be dropped.

So a few weeks ago I made a stand.  WE WERE GOING TO DIM SUM.  I put a date on the calendar.  I invited people.  I chose a restaurant.  I made it happen, dammit.

JD, full of dumplings and other yummy things

This carrot-looking thing actually has egg custard inside of it.

We went to Hollywood East, a restaurant I had not visited in its current incarnation.  The previous incarnation had good food, but it wasn't dim sum.  Generally, I visit Good Fortune (several hundred yards away) and they were pretty good.  But I really liked Hollywood East, in large part because almost everybody spoke English, and they were completely comfortable discussing the different foods with you and predicting what you might like.  Also they bullied us into trying the congee, which was delicious.  Sometimes you need a little push.

I didn't take pictures of the whole meal because I was busy eating. I didn't even think of it until my carrot/dessert.  Too bad, because most of the food was pretty.  I can't remember what all I ate, but I know it included steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed chicken buns, baked roast pork buns, congee, turnip cakes, steamed chive and shrimp dumplings, beef rice noodle crepes, and shrimp rice noodle crepes. We ate family style, so generally I had one of a thing, or half of one of a thing.  It's a lot of fun to eat that way.

Afterward we were all really full.  JD and I came home and relaxed for a couple of hours.  My digestive system needed the time.  After a bit we all moved out to the living room and got comfortable.

So comferbuls

Finally, I felt like I could risk going for a walk without my innards leaving me.  I lollygagged my way around the park, taking pictures of this and that.  Also the other.

This holly

That branch of pine cones

The other path through the woods

Winter bonus: you can see the sky!

A railroad spike in a stump.  Huh.

When I got home, A) I was ravenous, and 2) JD had a very picturesque fire going in the dining room fireplace.  My plan had been to eat dim sum for breakfast, and then have a very small snack for dinner.  Hiking in the cool (though pleasant) air showed that my plan had flaws.  Such as the fact that hiking makes me really hungry.  So instead of a tiny snack I had leftover turnip cake, then a sweet potato, and finally a microwaved apple.  And frankly I could still eat.  However the very pleasant feeling of all being in the dining room around the fire helped stave off my hunger a little bit.  Winter is all about being cozy together, right?

Something I hope to do again in the not too distant future

What a nice day!  I got to sleep in, then I met Windy out at the farm so she could ride Pluto.  At a trot, which is something I can't really do.  He needed the exercise.

It was really nice to see Windy.  Usually we see each other only a couple of times a year, at Renaissance Festival and maybe once at sig-beer.  So it was special to be able to get together and spend time with a horse.

Pluto was on reasonably good behavior today, other than his forceful head-dives for any green-looking grass.  He was actually a little bit low energy in the warm afternoon sun.  Windy had to boot him a couple of times to get him trotting which is NOT like him it all but is better than his occasional explosion.

I started her on the longe to let her get used to that bit trot, then gave her reins and let her go.  I was pleased with both of them.  She adapted to his very bouncy trot really well, and he handled having a new rider really well.  Amazingly, my stirrups are actually a bit long for Windy.  (The same stirrups had to go all the way to the last hole for my trainer Amy, and were still a wee bit short for her.)

Here he is just trotting like a normal horse:

After she rode, I got on and walked him around doing some lateral work.  Also, I chatted with Griffin.  He's relatively new to the farm.  He thought we had been introduced before but I didn't remember it.  He has a really cute little four year old mare he was working with, and I really need to get him to teach me and Pluto some of the things they did because it looked really fun.  And let me take this opportunity to say really a few more times because it is a word I really like.  Really.

He volunteered to take pictures of me and Windy and Pluto:

I had no idea Pluto was sticking his tongue out, but I find it hilarious.

And here we are all looking kind of normal, although I look maybe a little overenthusiastic.  You think?

Later in the day my farrier came out and now Pluto has pedicured feets and he is very happy.  Or maybe he's happy because of all the cookies he got.  Either way, a happy horse is nice to have.

An evening at Chez Dory

DeLee came over for dinner and then we hung out talking.  Because we're happening that way.  Poor poochie is not feeling so hot so she just snoozed on the sofa.

Andy.  The center of attention.

Nazca, with fricking lasers.  He stuck to the edge of the room.  Just outside of it, actually.

My pet-averse husband

Dory.  Would not hold still for a picture.  Here seen sniffing the woodstove.  I guess that's what the kids are into these days.

Olli.  With fricking lasers.  (Also DeLee)

I am so fierce that Sasquatch runs away from me

Okay, now that was a good night's sleep.  I flipped my anti-drug sentiments the bird and dosed myself up.  I slept like a somnolent log.  Man.  Good sleep is a luxury, isn't it?

I will say that I still dreamed.  This time, I dreamed that I was hiking (yay!) and came upon a sasquatch.  Two of them, actually.  They ran away from me.  It felt very much like coming upon two bears in the woods, only they were upright.  And sasquatchy.

It was a beautiful day today, which helped my mood.  Yesterday it was dark and cold and windy all day.  Today was just cold and windy.  I can handle that!  I went for a delightful walk.

Also, it was donut day.  Half an apple fritter can have quite a positive effect on one's morning.

This evening I drove out to the farm in the dark to ride Pluto.  His girth confirms that he has lost some weight.  I need to find my weight tape, but I think I'm going to start feeding him.  (What?  He's half Lipizzan.  Lipizzans are air ferns.  Normally you don't really feed them. )  Just a little to start with, maybe half a can (~two cups?) of pellets twice daily.

Also wondering if I should get him tested for Lyme.  He's still not interested in cantering on the longe, which is unlike him.  He looks just fine at the walk and the trot, but he wants nothing to do with cantering, in either direction.   Something is going on there.  Muscle stiffness or foot soreness.  I hope the farrier can provide me with some clues on Saturday.

I got on for just a few minutes tonight.  Mostly I wanted to touch Pluto to reassure myself of his existence, but I also wanted to get on him and have a positive experience.  Riding in the dark is a little iffy at the start of the winter, and the arena closest to us is not in his comfort zone.  I got on, we walked around, voila.  I didn't ride very long because a) my back is tweaky, and b) there was an angry bird.  (I'm serious.)  Still, it was nice.  It was good to be with the stinker.