LIPSTiCK TrACeZ

I went to Colorado this last weekend to attend a wedding.  As we were driving away from Denver International Airport we were greeted by this almost frightening 32 foot sculpture of a blue mustang with glowing red eyes.  My kids exclaimed "What is that?!"

Apparently, in 1992, the city of Denver commissioned the sculpture from artist Luis Jimenez .  After waiting more than a decade for delivery, the city sued Jimenez.  He countersued,  complaining about a city plan to put Mustang inside the airport.  Jimenez had been paid $300,000 of the $450,000 commission. 

The city and the artist were able to work out a schedule last fall to deliver and install the sculpture outside the airport.  Sadly, as Jimenez was nearing the completion of the sculpture, a large piece of it fell on him and he died. 

Now, here it stands, to greet visitors- wow.

I found this great Natural Jute yoga mat.    Its eco friendly, has natural jute fibers, and PER (polymer environmental resin)ingredients.  It's a pretty earthy color and has a great cushiony, grip texture that allows you to do your best yoga positions.

this one is available at barefoot yoga co.
barefoot link

This keeps your water cool, and doesn't leach harmful chemicals that plastic does:

Why it's important

In 2004 the global consumption of bottled water reached 41 billion gallons, up 57 percent from five years earlier. According to the Earth Policy Institute, "Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand for bottled water is increasing--producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy." 

The United States consumed 17 percent of that total--more than any other country.  Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year. Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States aren't recycled. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

The "Break the Bottled Water Habit" pledge was part of the Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) campaign. Visit the C3 blog to learn more about incorporating carbon-friendly practices into your daily life.

Deeply disturbing...

With gas prices nearing four bucks a gallon, and since I drive so much throughout the week, I believe I'll start riding my bike more and more...













































and besides, when you have this practically in your back yard- why go anywhere?

Wow.  Last week, what a week.  You know,  you've had one- running around town like a chicken with it's head cut off.  Every time I turned around I remembered yet another thing I had to do.  If I wasn't actually physically moving, my mind was racing from one task to the next.  Yikes!  Exhausted at the end of the day. 

Here's what I do to prevent mental break down and physical exhaustion:

Sit in a comfortable cross-legged position, or in a chair, with a straight spine.  Fold your hands in your lap, one palm resting on top the other, pads of the thumb tips touching.  Close your eyes and begin to focus on your breath.  Let your breath originate from the belly, and then work it's way up the lungs until your collarbone lifts.  Gradually begin to deepen your breathe.  If your mind is highly agitated and keeps wandering off to schedules, deadlines or whatever, try counting.  A slow count of four on the inhale, and the same for the exhale.  

Try to sit for at least 5 minutes, every day.  Eventually, when you start noticing a change in stress levels, you might find yourself sitting for 30 minutes a day. 

What a lovely video by Nick Knight..

Recently, with the help of a dear friend, I have been learning how to knit.  This is something I've always wanted to do, and now that I am actually knitting I'm beginning to see that the benefits go far beyond constructing a fabulous sweater (which, admittedly, is why I wanted to learn).

I'm finding that it's not just the act of knitting that I enjoy- the repetitious and monotonous movements have a very meditative and therapeutic effect on me-but I enjoy the type of community that knitting brings about.


My friend introduced me to a fabulous store to help me with my knitting endeavors.