Spring Reading

Growing up in Los Angeles, you never really get a chance to appreciate, let alone notice, the change in seasons. As a kid, the only indications that I had that spring had finally come was our government-mandated spring break and the dreaded, statewide Stanford 9 tests. Flowers blooming, icy rivers melting, and the long-awaited goodbye to the winter doldrums and hello to sunshine were unknown to me.

So, I did what I usually do, and sought answers in books. The first time I read Rabbit Hill was in Mrs. Polep's fourth grade class. Talking animals, especially rabbits, have never really been my thing and I can honestly say, had I not been a nerd and chosen the desk right smack in front of the classroom bookshelf, I probably would never have noticed the book. Ever since fourth grade, though, I have read Rabbit Hill every spring ( on an almost consistent, yearly basis) to remind myself that spring has come and that I should be joyful.

I know it's a children's book, but that shouldn't stop you from reading it. It's the typical story of nature vs. man, as a neighborhood of small critters, rodents, and animals team together to get rid of the newest tenant who moves to Rabbit Hill.

I'm curious if anyone else has favorite spring reading that they turn to time and again to read, or, if there is a particular book that they feel evokes the spirit of spring like no other.

To be honest, I don't like spring. The main reason is because, after suffering through a cold and dreary winter, I want respite-- sun and warmth. And yet, spring is never as warm as I'd like it to be, not to mention far wetter than I remember each year. Spring is merely another blockade to summer that I must wait out. This, of course, explains why I need motivational reading, such as Rabbit Hill, to get me through March, April, and May.

'S' is for 'Saturday' and 'Sinister Juice Bar'

I've been on a juicing binge lately, and, for the past three or so weeks it has been my habit to drink a tall glass of cold, live juice after my bikram class. Today, however, I thought I'd change things up a bit and alter routine...quite a lot.

Instead of heading to Bikram Yoga in Glastonbury for the noon class today, I decided to try out a new yoga studio, West Hartford Yoga, and to take a hot vinyasa class-- my first vinyasa (non-Birkam) yoga class in almost three months!!!

Stepping into the soothing, female empowering confines of the studio, I remembered why I used to love going to vinyasa yoga so much, but during class and after class, I remembered why I switched over to Bikram: I simply get a better workout that stretches, works, challenges, and detoxes my body far better than any other form of yoga. I also have to admit that it's hard to love something that you aren't good at. Although I have been practicing yoga for years, taking a three month hiatus on ashtanga/vinyasa style yoga has really taken its toll on my practice. It's quite bizarre when your body is so fit and competent at one form of excercise and yet completely inept at another.

After class, I decided to drive to a nearby raw food cafe and juice bar that I had read about on the internet rather than drive the 25 minutes home to juice, shower, and do homework. Let's just say, it was a bad decision.