Category > The Yoga Experiment
So, even though I had a small setback last weekend with binging, this week I took seriously the prospect of getting back on ye olde wagon. My life is changing, and I feel like I am in the process of deciding which old parts to keep and which to throw out. I think that perhaps the binging is a sign that I am clinging to some old issues. Writing this column helps. It might have been a longer process towards …
I'm not going to pretend like this whole thing is easy. I don't want to fall into a trap here of trying to gloss things over or to make them pretty for public consumption. This is intended to be a true documentation of my journey during The Yoga Experiment. And this week I fell off the wagon. I didn't just fall off, I jumped off and went flying into oblivion. It isn't the yoga, really. Yoga is awesome, and I …
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend who was dealing with some personal issues. She felt depressed and cynical, but she knew that she didn't really want to live that way. I recommended one of my favorite books to her, Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a book that I read often, and it talks about how to be more loving and therefore at peace in the world. When I mentioned it, she …
After rounding out the fifth week of The Yoga Experiment, I feel like I am finally beginning to relax into my practice. I am getting to know the teachers and the other students, and I have proven my dedication to myself and others. Five weeks is huge for me, now I can say that this is the longest and most consistently I have ever "worked out" in my life (or at least since high school), and it has by far …
I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I started TYE. And even though I knew at the beginning that this would be a lifestyle change, I am surprised by the number of times that the topic of consumption has come up within the last few weeks. Just the fact that I am now more conscious of my body and how what I put into it effects how I feel, and that in turn effects how I …
The third Monday of TYE proved to be my biggest challenge yet. My weekend before had consisted of copious amounts of alcohol both Friday and Saturday nights, not enough sleep, and generous portions of greasy mexican food, ice cream, pizza, sweet potato casserole, and banana bread. I felt like crap, and I was beginning to notice a pattern. In my old way of doing things, I would eat like this almost every day, and I never noticed how bad it …
Week one of The Yoga Experiment was lovely, but by Saturday, my whole body hurt. I felt like an old lady, and it carried over through the next few days. That, combined with a weekend of overconsumption and staying out too late (hey, I was celebrating the triumph of my first completed week!) made for a very yucky feeling on Monday morning when I awoke. I really really did not want to get out of bed. "Whyyy did I put …
I had been planning The Yoga Experiment for weeks, but on Sunday evening I started to get a little scared. A momentous task was ahead of me. Yoga almost every day for a year, and a weekly column about it? Knowing myself, and my flaky tendencies, I wondered if I had set myself up to fail. Nevertheless, I was still excited to get on the mat for the first time the next day. I shaved my legs, washed my black …
A few months ago, my life was in complete chaos, and I felt it spinning out of control. My marriage was in shambles, the house was a disaster area, my weight had ballooned to its highest point ever, and the steady flow of my massage business had slowed to a trickle. I was in trouble. I felt adrift; I knew I could be close to losing everything, but I wasn't sure how to proceed. Then, the universe, in its divine …
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@Jason: You’re right about that. I get groceries at Schnucks (they carry what I buy, which I can’t say of any other single grocery store in town), and if they have a beer I’m in the market for it’s usually a quarter or two cheaper per 6-…
Best Neighborhood Bar (& Grill) : Urbana - My ‘hood- the ‘Boom! http://www.boomerangbarandgrill.com Go on a Wing Wednesday or Fish Friday, or see a band play some night. Local blue-collar Urbana terroir galore. My only beer snobbish gripe is lack of a pale hopped ale, but you…
The one thing that’s bothered me for a while about the Friar is that, for most commonly purchased adult beverages, you can actually walk down the strip mall to Schnucks and get them cheaper. It makes no sense, but there it is. I suspect it’s because Schnucks…
Maybe I complained enough in person. One time I even explained to the (wholly uninterested) clerk how to navigate the Illinois Statutes web page, and Savoy’s Municipal Code database I wouldn’t know because I only go there when I want to pay 30% more for anything, which is never.
@Rob: You seem to have the weirdest experiences. I’m in Friar Tuck every other week (don’t tell my mom that I’m a lush). They never fail to ask for my birth date but never my age, they never card afterwards, and they often allow me to use…
This column affords me a long-awaited opportunity. I’ve wanted to write my own column called Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors. but I always thought it’d be too pithy. Here, I can say Fuck You Friar Tuck Liquors and not feel bothered to stretch it out to 750…
Ha! Exactly. You, sir, are welcome at the bar in My House.
Why wait ‘til 3 pm?
I’m excited to go tonight- should be very fun!
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“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
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The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!