Hello friends.
No doubt some more of you have wandered over here from the Midlands, seeing as my guest comic is up today. I appreciate your visiting my site. Welcome! You're going to find that my own comic hasn't been updated in about a month, since I'm living in Memphis for the summer and having trouble juggling that with other activities... but if you like what you see, check back from time to time and I'll try to amuse.
I'm actually running out the door to yoga right now. Busy busy busy. This was just to say hello. Hope you all have a great weekend!
Memphis is... interesting. I am having some adventures.
We've been working out a lot. Mostly we run at the gym, and I can easily go 2.5 to 3 miles now at a time, which is great for me. But, sometimes it can get a little boring, what with all the laps. We don't wanna want to get stuck in a boring routine, or we'll loose our motivation. So, everyone decided to take a bike ride for a change. Germantown has some awesome bike trails running through it's wilder areas. There is a long trail right underneath a section of huge power lines, which leads off into a dense forest. Beautiful. Mark has taken to collecting bikes, so there were plenty of Schwinns and 10-speeds for everyone.
One problem though. They are all men's bicycles.
I have discovered that there is another difference between men's and women's bikes than a crossbar and metallic pink paint. The seat on man's bikes is
much narrower. Consider your pelvis, everyone. Women's bones are wider than men's. So when we rode these miles of trail, I became slowly aware of a... burning sensation. Riding on these bike seats was like trying to sit on a knife.
After several minutes, we started having to take "crotch breaks".
By the time we got back, we were all bruised, right on the inside of our "sits bones". I've been doing a kind of waddling walk for the last few days, and I'm actually thankful for the fact that I don't have a chair in this room. As I type this I'm sitting on a slightly unstable but very soft yoga ball.
Bike rides are out!So what new exercise can we try instead? The answer is apparently "Night Hikes".
We wait until the mosquitoes are gone and then walk around the wide streets in the dark. It's cool and pleasant, and we move at a nice, leisurely pace.
Until we come to a sewer.
Out come the flashlights, and all the family starts running. We shine the lights down into the sewer holes, hoping to spot some antennae. That's right folks, we're hunting for roaches.
You would be astounded and disgusted by the number of roaches we can see through those tiny sewer holes. I shied away when their brown bodies were illuminated under the light, though the bugs seem indifferent to us. There are at least two at
every manhole, and often we spot as many as 8. My uncle and cousins laugh each time they find another drain. "This one is really rich!" they exclaim.
At first I was horrified. But I still looked.
Now I'm running with the rest of them.
You know. For exercise.
It's kindof funny; here we are in one of the nicer neighborhoods in all of Memphis. Germantown has city ordinances about the color of your trashcans and the height of the grass in your yard. Signs must be tiny; buildings must be of complimentary colors; and you can't even park in the street.
But right under the surface of that sanctified street teem thousands and thousands of roaches. We believe we're civilized. We are delusional.
I'll bet money that there are just as many, if not more, right outside your door.
So.
I've been looking for a job. Still. And I'm feeling lucky.
Also, I've just finished a major guest comic for The Midlands, which should be up in the next week or two. That done, I'm trying to make a comic for my own story. I keep starting it, but the art is so horrid I just have to walk away from the sketchbook. Hopefully that will change soon. I am itching to get on with things.
Love and light to all. Hopefully I'll be employed soon. More adventures to follow.
I find myself in Memphis, and all is well. Camping at the lakes was fun, especially on the third day when we took a party barge to an island beach made of flat sandstone. The kids and I ground up different colors of rock into thick paints and covered our bodies in designs we deemed "warpaint". Once we were thoroughly painted, we skipped all the flat shale rocks over the water. Occasionally we erected small towers of stones along the paths. Wonderful to commune with nature. Did you know that crawfish swim backwards?
Since I arrived in the city, it seems like my entire life revolves around "healthy living". We attempt to go to the gym every day (I can only jog about two miles at present). We also go to yoga classes with Master Kang Rhee, a legendary martial artist (who also apparently taught Elvis). Lori bought a juicer and we've experimented with creating all different kinds of drink from fresh fruits. The process is fascinating. You shove in a fruit and an entirely different color liquid comes out of the bottom. I love to watch the kids making kiwi juice since its such a bright green. Strawberry lemon apple is probably my favorite. But I've always loved strawberries best of all.
I came to Memphis for my spirit. Lori talks about how your mind and body and soul are connected, and I believe it. Its something I've read for years in eastern philosophies. Unfortunately I think its kindof neglected in the western point of view. You hear about yoga classes all the time, where you stretch and stretch until your problems melt away. But people dont' realize that there are other paths of yoga in Hindu thought. There is the path of devotion to deity. There is the path of knowledge. And there is the path of right action. In the end, they all lead toward the same goal... but ideally one needs to find a balence in all areas. Be mentally serene. Be hard working and diligent. Be studious and wise. Be healthy.
I'm going to be more than preoccupied this summer. The family sat down and made a list of goals for our next few months. They ranged from increasing athleticism to sampling all the sushi on the menu at Sekisui. (We've created a bunch of wall charts to mark our progress!) What's truely appealing is the fact that this change of environment really gives me the TIME to do the things I need to do. I'm going to the gym. I'm eating 50% fruits and veggies as my meals. I'm reading books (which I never have time for anymore!) Hopefully I'll get myself a job (but even if I don't make money, I don't think this summer will be wasted). There are no video games, and there's hardly any time on my computer. I'm actually typing this blog out on the Macintosh, my own computer upstairs with no internet connection.
I don't know what is going to happen to the comic for a few weeks. I kindof loose my perception of time here. But when I get back to work, you can rest assured that it is a healthier and happier Esuna working on it. In the meantime, you can tune in here to read about my many adventures (Applying to nursing school! ahhh!!). I'll at least try to be diligent in that much.
I miss you guys back home very much. Especially you Sarah. I feel like I'm passing up an extremely rare chance to hang out with you, since our summers have never lined up well in the past. (You can bet Lara and I will buy WoW as soon as we get home... if not before...) And my Mom and Dad, I hope your nest isn't too empty. Good practice for three years from now, I imagine. But I love you still.
I hope you all have an excellent week. It's the summer, so why don't you do something fun for once? Sitting at the computer for too long makes you loose touch with your creativity. (Believe me I KNOW). I wish you all happiness.
