Yes, still alive.

I've kind of drifted away from the blogosphere, mostly because I'm too busy. I often think about things to write, but don't have the time to sit down and actually do it, and besides, I'm much more articulate inside my head than I am here.

Here goes, anyway, if for no other reason than ten years from now I might wonder what I did with my life.

I'm still working, roughly 10-12 hours a week. I really like it, other than one fairly difficult, uptight guy with not much of a sense of humor in the office. I think I like the getting up and putting on real adult clothing and going to an office where there are other adults, just as much as I enjoy the work.

Also, I'm much more efficient with my free time if I only have three hours of it as opposed to seven, and I appreciate it more.

Oh, and the extra money definitely makes life easier.

So, yoga. I'm still practicing at the local hot studio. I've not been to the ashtanga studio much at all; I went to a class there two weeks ago, and before that, I last went on a Saturday in June. One reason is time - it's much more convenient and eats up a lot less of my day if I just practice here.

But another reason is that I've discovered if I don't do primary series on a regular basis, I lose my ability. The less proficient I feel, the less I'm motivated to go. The less I go, the less proficient I am. And so on.

Another reason is because I've gained a little bit of weight. Not much, maybe five pounds. That's a result of being 42, of not being as careful with my diet as I should, and I think because of a reduction in how much I practice. I feel large and awkward in a room full of highly skilled yogis.

Ironically, I feel stronger now in my practice than I ever have, whereas the things that came easily to me, like twisting and folding, have become more difficult.

All summer I regularly attended boot camp, which was a lot of cardio, interval training, training with resistance bands and medicine balls, that sort of thing. It really wasn't as hard as I would have liked, because it is geared toward women who are not very fit. So I may have lost some conditioning by going there instead of hot vinyasa flow. It feels great to be outside sometimes, though, instead of closed up in a yoga room, and the boot camp group is a lot of fun with great energy.

So, kids. One is in fifth grade, the other, second. Michael bikes to and from school by himself every day, which is awesome, surrounded by pedestrian-hostile suburbs as we are. I drive by his school during the day and look over to see a hundred or more bikes chained to the railing and it does my heart good. Michael can bike with a group of kids, or not, whichever he likes. One more little push toward independence.

Will is Mr. Personality (and Mr. Push Every Limit). He is all about the sports and being cool in a way Michael is oblivious to. He wears a black cord with a silver skull on it around his neck, says things like "oh crud, dude" and "whoa, extreme!" He can tell me all about a video game that he's never played because he'll pay attention to the smallest details in a commercial or in a conversation with someone who's talking about it. He keeps asking us questions about middle school. The other day in the car, he asked "how do you get a baby?". I told him "that's something you need to ask dad, because it involves your penis". I think that was enough information for him for the time being.

Lee's work is insanely busy, but no one is complaining. He's had to do some traveling lately and has more coming up, and in about three weeks, we are tacking on a long weekend in Chicago to a trip he has to make there. I'm taking the kids out of school and we are going up on a Friday morning to meet Lee. I've never been to Chicago, but I keep hearing it's fabulous.

Last but not least, Haiku from mamayogini, memorialized forever here.

very cute he is
and it is a good thing, too
or else, jail for me

this too shall pass, yes?
inhale, exhale, repeat for
the next fourteen years.

this year, second grade
what I think he really needs
military school

sullen teenage years
stays in room always, won't talk
damn, that sounds good now

So, until next year.....Kidding!