Well, things are peachy in Erika's neck of the woods. The garden plants are coming up just beautifully. Now if only I could get my dog to stop peeing and pooping in it!

I always enjoy highlighting new culinary experiences and would like to share with you my latest Whole Foods adventure: Kombucha. According to the label for this drink made by Millenium Products, Inc., "Kombucha (pronounced kom-Boo-cha) is a handmade Chinese tea that is delicately cultured for 30 days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active Enzymes, Viable Probiotics, Amino Acids, Antioxidants, and Polyphenols. All of these combine to create an elixir that immediately works with the body to restore balance and vitality."

This particular version I'm drinking as we speak is called, "Gingerade" which contains organice raw kombucha and fresh pressed ginger juice. Due to fermentation, the label also warns that the product may contain a trace amount of alcohol (less than 0.5%).

Indeed, one can taste a slight fermentation so please be careful driving, haha.

This stuff is quite strong but it certainly is interesting in my humble opinion.

What else is new? I've been doing this yoga class once a week (alternating w/pilates once a week). This yoga instructor is this tiny little middle-aged Asian lady. It's a beginnger's class but it focuses more on core stability versus flexibility so it completely kicks your ass. Watching her instruct us while doing these asanas herself with ease is quite entertaining. There is always a lot of laughter in the class because most of us are no where near that good (hence, it's a beginner's class).

The instructor has studied many different schools but her primary training is in Synergy yoga. And I will attest that it certainly is synergistic! I think this is the very first time, despite many months of Bikram in past years, a short fling with Iyengar, and numerous journal articles and books on the subject, that I truly understand the benefits of yoga to the body and how my own personal imbalances can truly be corrected through body awareness.

Being left-handed, imbalance is incredibly prominent in my body language and posture. My left shoulder slumps forward after years of writing the way most lefties tend to do. Typing is my saving grace because it allows me to write square on and use both hands (though most experts agree that the most frequently used keys are actually on the left side). It seems the majority of the world's ergonomic accomodations are based on right-handedness. This "dextrocentric" point of view is a curse to lefties. But we have our strengths as well. For instance, music and rhythm come very naturally to me. I can pick up a song off the radio or a CD and play it with little effort on my piano or guitar. Once you have the chords as the skeleton of the song, the rest is all in the details. Most recently, I was in the mood to imitate U2's "Pride" and Brian Adams' "Do I have to say the words?" Both songs were puzzles solved within minutes even with me singing along at the same time. I am so happy to have a Clavinova at my disposal. It is such a cool toy!

Well, I think I've really come to peace with my current career. Where I am working now, I am mainly dispensing acute care meds (for pain control, infection control, etc.). I work for a wonderful not-for-profit health system that really cares about the well-being of their employees. I no longer have to work evenings, my schedule is not stressful or overly demanding. And I can bike to work. What more could I ask for?

Well, Grubster is informing me that it's bedtime. I should go now. Ta ta for now!