Nos Vemos, Los Angeles.
July 28, 2009
Or, Back in the New York Groove.
When I decided to crawl out of the eighteenth century and start this blog, I promised myself I would not vomit irrelevant musings like Narcissus would if there were a Narcissus Blog (even the word blog itself is repugnant to me, to be honest). But here I am, enjoying not the sound of my own voice, but the sound of my own keyboard. And I have some time to kill before Oleanna starts in New York, so I’ve been letting my mind wander. I don’t pretend my insight is, well, insightful, I just hope it is at least worth a chuckle. So indulge me.
Did you know there is a National Yogurt Association? I was reading my yogurt container today… (yes, I have that much time, and I feel irrationally guilty about it because I am, essentially, a New Yorker)… I was reading my yogurt container and noticed it said “meets National Yogurt Association’s requirements for live active cultures.” This had me thinking, who exactly comprises the National Yogurt Association? And do they spend their working hours looking at thousands of petri dishes full of yogurt samples? Petri dishes full of thousands of yogurt samples, full of billions of live bacteria? What do they do when they are not working, and can they ever eat a cup of yogurt again? Curiouser and curiouser. (FYI, with a bit of reconnaissance, I discovered the NYA WEBSITE! Did you know that yogurt has a publicist? Thankfully, those good little active bacteria are no longer misrepresented).
Before I stumbled on this new information, I attended a Yoga class for the first time since being back from Los Angeles. The class did what it was supposed to, I left feeling limber and a tiny bit Buddha, but not before I noticed the many things one could buy at said Yoga Studio. There were books and CD’s and leotards and outfits and seminar packets and audiences with gurus. My idle thoughts sufficiently controlled, and my $18 clarity reached, it seemed ironic that an ancient non-material tradition could become so glaringly profitable. God, I love New York.
Nice photo. No palm trees in NYC but we do have the best groove. Welcome back to it.
So envious. LA sure ain’t Brooklyn!
Wirklich ein schönes Foto! Sonnenaufgang oder?!
Um… er…I think Sonnenaufgang means sunset… yes, that is an LA sunset.
Sunset…ok…so the photo makes sense!
Greetings from Germany
Were you the one driving when you took this?
Reminds me of David Bradford:
http://drivebyshootings.com
Thanks for that link, I like his work a lot.
is that Santa Monica Blvd, on the westside 9pm’ish?? or maybe Pico Blvd. or Venice Blvd.? Definitely looks west of the 405 freeway for some reason. Gosh I miss LA now… The sunsets on the Hudson here in NYC have been pretty spectacular lately though.
No doubt yogurt has lobbyists, too!
Beyond alignment, strength, limberness and mindful clarity it has taken me years and years of Yoga to block out the the social chit chat, cliques, marketing and mini shopping malls of contemporary Yoga studios in NYC. I feel I have finally reached a point where i can attend practice totally introverted, thinking of myself, my mind and my body and just let a limited amount of my surroundings in. I am not sure how enlightened and being present this really is but it used to be a struggle to block those things out just to reach the very a light meditative state for a decent practice.
I guess this is what life as a Big City Yogi is
my friends brother was a food sciences major and then he totally did all of his masters work on yogurt. they genetically engineered it to be better for your digestive system.
Julia,
I discovered your post via a link from another site. Like you, he is a Mets fan and he liked your post re: the Yankees “harshing your mellow.” I read the post and I liked it,too – even though I am a lifelong Yankee fan. (Don’t gnash your teeth too much. I was a fan way before the mid ’90s – back when the Yanks were consistently bad and everybody loved the Mets).
Anyway – I read and liked the other posts on your site, too. So I had to chuckle when you started this post with so much concern about being “narcissistic.” Meanwhile, I have been thinking “c’mon and update the doggone blog with another post, already!”
Good luck with all of your projects.
Be Well.
RBB
True, I blog at a snail’s pace. You can take the girl out of the olden days, but you can’t take the olden days out of the girl…? Not even sure what that means, really.
Hello Julia,
It’s very nice to hear from you and as your fan, I really appreciate that you share with us all thoughts and discoveries! It’s really cool!
I am interested in Yoga myself very much and I like this kind of soul relaxation…
Good luck to you in all you do and you are welcome to visit Moscow as well!
Ты лучшая!
I chuckled a bit as I read your observations. Your thoughts echo my own. I have even wondered aloud how intriguing a job it would be to be an executive in one of these foundations, President of the National Shoelace Association, for instance. Lol!
Julia,
I have to say that I’ve been a fan of your movies, but I never realized how interesting you are as a person until this blog!
Not only do you write about interesting things but they’re written so well. Have you been offered a weekly column? I think you would do quite well.
This blog is quite enjoyable..even when it’s about yogurt.
I may have found your blog because you’re a famous movie star, but I continue to read it because you’re a very good writer.
Sincerely,
Jen
Its always interested me how Yoga, which is about clearing the mind and seeking enlightenment can be so tied up with money and people who have it.
Why should we need to pay money to participate in it? Or is this the forbidden question?
I’ve heard of a place called “Yoga for the People” that is donation based.
I don’t think Yoga, as a lifestyle and philosophy is materialistic (quite the opposite), but that’s hard to escape in New-York- expensive-City. Even Gurus have to pay rent here.
I raised the issue, because a little while ago I was looking into yoga as a form of exercise.
Upon reading into it, I discovered that traditonal yoga is actually quite spiritual in a sense, or quite mentally cleansing in another sense.
Yet, when I tried to source more information about it, or places to educate myself in it. I discovered that there were webpages advertising, yoga mats, yoga drawings, yoga books, all for sale.
It was in this sense that I made my original comment. Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be snarky.
I didn’t think you were being snarky.
“Yoga for the People”… St. Mark’s place?
“Yoga for the People”… St. Mark’s place?
Thank you for your information. I don’t actually live in the US so will be unable to attend.
I have though begun to utilise books from the library and to begin at home. I find it very calming and meditative, though trying to take ones focus off the body and focus ones thoughts on your inner self may take me a lot longer.
А мне блог понравился
this one made me laugh and smile for afew minutes