Ahhhhhhhhhh, on to Taiko drumming this week. This is soooo fun and quite a workout too. Oh my goodness. In Tucson, there's a group called Odaiko Sonora that not only teaches the style of Okinawan Taiko but they also have a performing group and they make most of their own drums.

Taiko is very physical form of drumming. It's choreographed and just amazing to learn as well as witnessed in person. The timing, rhythms, movement are so spectacular to watch and tough to get down. Sometimes you're switching drums all while keeping this music going. Simply fab-u-lous!

There's an entire ritual that you perform at each & every practice, right down to bowing as you enter and exit the studio, greeting the Master or Sensai, the warm-ups, getting the drums out, holding the sticks, just everything. It's truly amazing. But it does give everyone a sense of unity as well as placement in the hierarchy of the group. And... believe me there is a hierarchy.

Again, you learn many of the rhythms by speaking a phrase or sounds which give you the tone or intensity you use to play the rhythms. When my friend & co-worker R. went to classes we had so much fun and laughed our butts off. She's from Okinawa and I grew up in Japan so the first phrase we learned caught us both off guard. I honestly, didn't quite get the phrase at first but knew I knew the words. I haven't even tried to speak Japanese in over 40 years so thats my excuse, but R. cocked her head to the side,  gave me a puzzled look and as I began to figure it out, she started laughing out loud. I joined her, of course, and we were hooked.

Again a sense of community, and respect comes with the learning and playing of Taiko. Everything I stated last week in regards to the drumming circle are present in Taiko but with the added physical benefits of the choreographed movements associated with the drumming. You simply have to work together.

The word Taiko itself means "big drum" in Japanese. But there are many different sized drums played. It does have a vast & rich history and there are some amazing performance groups here in the U.S. so I would encourage you to go and watch one sometime and if possible try it yourself. You could find yourself smiling more, feeling a part of something special, less stressed, losing weight and having more fun than you could've ever imagined.

Beat On! Next week, Drums Alive!

This week I'm going to try some new salmon recipes this weekend. I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out.

Have a great week everyone. Peace out!

So, lets discuss Drum Circles. I do really enjoy being a part of 1. They're all different and completely depend on the person facilitating the event. I've been a part of 2 slightly differing styles. Both are fun and ultimately get to the same "calypso" rhythm, but where 1 leader just went directly to the drums, the other began with little "shaker" eggs and everyone starting with their own rhythm and eventually all coming together into 1 pulsating rhythm. Pretty interesting, but I'll admit, I prefer just getting to the drums. Both had various types of percussive instruments available for folks whose hands get tired of hitting the drums.

I've learned 3 different ways to hit the drum to make different tones or sounds on it. Where & how your hand strikes it can totally change the value of the tone.  So cool! All ages, genders, sizes, coolness levels come together and play  together. The drums used in the circles I've been in as well as in the picture here and djembe drums from Africa. There's various sizes of djembe drums and many places to get them. You can also buy drums made in the USA, some metal, some wood.

The first time I did a circle, my adductors (inner thighs) were soooooooooosore. I've since learned how to better hold the drum between them. I also take off my ring before playing to protect me & the ring from getting messed up. Have you ever done your strength training with your rings on and noticed that its basically squished onto your finger & difficult to remove/ Ugh!

Anyways, back to the drum circles, 1 of the leaders had us singing & playing at the same time in a foreign tongue no less. That was a pisser for me. But I did finally, after about 3-4 weeks, get the hang of it. I can separate my body parts but this was tough but I did get better.

I previously mentioned that there has been research on the benefits of of drumming which includes stress/anxiety reduction but here are some other benefits of drumming circles;
- blood samples showed an increase in cellular activity that kills bad cells or an enhanced immune system Alternative Therapies, 2001 (7)1, Bittman, Berk, Felten, Westengard, Simonton, Pappas, & Ninehouser
-increased self-esteem and a decrease in anxiety & stress in 30 over 80 yrs. old depressed participants at Stanford University  Friedman, Healing Power of the Drum, 1994
- an increased awareness or connection to loved ones in Alzheimer's patients
-other benefits include a sense of euphoria, community, emotional release (like anger!)and to learn to both lead and follow.

All in all it's a wonderful, fun thing to do and with all of the additional health benefits to boot I'd say a very valuable thing to do. Check your area and see if there's a drumming circle somewhere in your community and join from time to time. You see things in a whole new light.

Yesterday I made some marinated beef for sandwiches. I'd been having such a craving for them so I went to the market, bought some rolls, some thinly cut beef and Voila! I made a marinade out of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. I placed it all in a zip-lock freezer bag, added the meat & left it all in the fridge overnight. I pulled out my huge cast iron skillet, got it nice & hot after spraying with a canola oil spray, tossed the whole enchilada in the skillet, tossed it a bit and done. I hollowed out the roll making a little trench in each side to hold the meat, made a salad, sat down & ate. Yummy.

You can get the butcher at your market to thin slice any meat you want to your desired thick (or thin) ness so don't be afraid to ask.

We used to get these sandwiches in Monterey, Calif. at the wharf at a little place called "The Captain's Gig" but they haven't had them in ages. Too bad.

Well, I'll discuss Taiko drumming next time. Bang on everybody and de-stress!

I ended my last post talking about anxiety or stress having an effect on your body. Well, it's true. There's lots of research on the subject. I've written about it before myself. So, lets delve a little deeper into it, shall we??? Yes, we shall.

Have you ever tried drumming? I've done 3 types of drumming. Each 1 is fun, energizing and meditative. I've taken a few Taiko drumming classes along with a friend of mine. The 2nd type I've done is something from the fitness world called Drums Alive! and the 3rd is a Drumming Circle.
I'll go into more detail about these 3 styles later but I mention them because drumming has been shown to relieve stress, lower overactive hormones, create a calmness in those who perform the activity. No matter which you do, you fall into a rhythm which helps to equally activate both sides of the brain and gives a state of balance to your mind. Besides, who doesn't enjoy just bangin' on something?

Feels great to just "get it out," right?

On another note, yesterday as Putney & I were walking, we saw a coyote run across the street & up a wash with a white or cream colored cat in its mouth. I could tell it was a cat by 2 things. 1) the color, 2) it had a long tail dangling down. Kind of solidified my thoughts about Oreo, I'm sad to say. I feel bad that another pet owner will be missing their pet too. I'm trying to think of it as "the circle of life" but it still hurts my heart.

Had another great dance class yesterday and a fab meal with my sis. I grilled a pork loin roast on the grill with a little spray of evoo and a sprinkle of Buck & Judy's Dang Rub #39,
and I made a balsamic reduction glaze which I drizzled on just about 15 min. before I turned off the grill and again while it set. (Recipe to follow). I made a bigger batch 'cuz Sis likes extra which we were able to drizzle more on as we ate our slices.

Glaze: 1-2 C balsamic vinegar
           1-2 handfuls of brown sugar 
           1 lg minced clove garlic
In a skillet, I use cast iron, add all ingredients and heat to simmer slowly over over med. heat. Stir and turn heat down to low. Pay attention to this as it'll burn very easily and when that happens...YUCK! This'll take at least 20 min. to reduce just 'till it's of a thicker consistency.

For the roast, I used indirect heat on the grill which means the flames were around the meat, not directly under it. I cooked the 2-3# roast for about 1:15 hours or about 35-40 min/#. Let it rest for about 15 min. after grilling before you slice.
Enjoy the recipe.

Peace out.

It's been a crazy, busy few weeks for me. I've worked like a mad man, with over 20 personal trainings, teaching classes, assisting classes, paying off my vehicle, paying off a small credit card, paying back my sis & bro, getting caught up on every bill, paying extra on everything, Oreo missing, lunches w/ Mom, dinners w/sis, planning sis' birthday dinner, niece & hubby moving back into town, helping sis move out of & clean her house so niece & hubby can move in & moving sis into niece's condo, up & down stairs no-less, my shoulder still hurting after the great tripping over Putney in the dark incident...Whew! I'm bleedin' pooped.

I've also been to 3 bellydance classes so far these last couple of weeks. I can't begin to tell you how fabulous it feels to dance for myself again. A-maz-ing. On Sat.'s I get there early 'cuz I just go there after teaching on the NW side of town so I get to go to some of the stores in the area. Not really a lot to choose from but I like what is there. I told you about the architectural antique place last time, but this time I went to a pottery store.

I just love the wrought iron &/or scrap metal sculptures out here. The were 3 different sized armadillos that had me laughing out loud. Well, you all know how I love to laugh. I didn't buy 1 but I am thinking about it. I'm trying to be smart with money here. I'm not out of the woods yet, but things are getting better for me.

Anyways... I did spy the cutest crab made of rock and metal. I kept going back & looking at it. It seriously made me smile each & every time I saw it. I went in & asked the price & she told me $16.00! Wow, a steal! Turns out it was a scorpion! So, I bought it!

By the way the prices for everything were unbelievable. You have to go there some time. I can't remember the name, of course I can't, but it's on Grant at Loretta,1 block west of Country Club. all kinds of Mexican pottery, metal sculptures, tiles, tables, sinks, benches, chairs. All so reasonably priced. I think I'll be going back soon.

Sometimes you just need to do something for yourself so I did. I just may go get my armadillo too!

I wrote earlier about my loving to laugh. If you know me you know. For the last few years my nephew-in-law has given me gift cards from ticketmaster. Well, I finally used 'em. Sis & I are going to see Kathy Griffin. Probably the one person more irreverent than myself. You either love her or hate her and guess which category I fall under. Yup, same with Sis. I can't wait. Should be a night of changin' my underwear.

Isn't it crazy how anxiety can mess with your body? Even though I'm missing my Oreo, I'm feeling so much more relaxed from everything else. I'm having fun, I'm moving (dancing) more, I'm not freakin' out financially at the moment and a couple of co-workers have stated that I look like I'm getting smaller. My legs look thinner, my torso is leaner.

Stress really does play havoc on your physical systems, throwing off your hormones etc. So lets see how my lessened stress levels are going to work for me. I've been stuck, so hopefully the #'s will fall.

Peace out folks

I have been so sleep deprived these last few weeks. I hate that you can't "catch-up" on sleep you didn't get. Not fair! I've doing so much at work, personal trainings classes, etc. I am glad that dance week is over & doesn't happen again for 4 months. A moment of peace and actually eating lunch relaxed. What a concept.

Life is getting a bit more relaxed for me lately. I've managed to pay off 1 loan only to take out a larger one, however, I'm going to pay it back over a longer period of time. I paid off the truck and a credit card, got caught up on all other bills, put some away for when I do get my knee done, am saving for a vacation w/sis, got the truck serviced and new rear shocks (amazing how different the truck feels) along with getting the tires their monthly inflation and have $ left over. Whew! Feels great.

On a sad note, my sweet (?) little Oreo didn't come home yesterday. Putney & I have been searching but have found no sign of him. He is good at hiding though. He's done this before, when he's hurt and scared. He'll hide out until he feels better and/or confident to come home. I found out from a neighbor last week, that he spends some time at her backyard and I know he hits another neighbor's place to hang safely sometimes. I'm hoping when I get home this afternoon that he's here waiting for the attention he wants & needs. Putter's & I will take a different route this morning to see if we can find him. Wish me luck.

We did see a beautiful hawk while walking yesterday though. Just gorgeous. He/she flew right above us and landed on a tree as we walked by. Saw a falcon the other day at work. These birds are just simply beautiful to see & watch. I'm hoping they don't get my little gato. It does happen, small dogs, rabbits and cats go flying off. Oh, DON'T GO THERE JUDI! Quick, I have to think of something else.

I made a wonderful dinner dinner last night. I marinated some (a lot) of salmon in olive oil & Buck & Judy's Dang Rub #9 along with a steak in #12. Salmons still in the fridge, but I broiled up the steak for just about 3-4 minutes each side but I also sprayed some asparagus w/olive oil and sprinkled #9 on them and broiled them along w/the steak.
P-e-r-f-e-c-t! OMG! They were delicious. I usually dip my asparagus in mayo, but I didn't even bring out the mayo. The asparagus was crisp, just the way I love 'em. I did flip 'em over when I flipped the steak. You really need to try it. http://dangrubs.com/.

I was finally able to go back to dance class this week. It felt soooo good to get back in there. I took an int. Bellydance class. My forearms are a bit sore from the finger cymbal work. Just to be able to move just for myself felt fantastic. To get corrections, to improve, to feel good, to move made me feel great. I caught myself smiling from ear to ear again. Hmmm, when was the last time I felt that way? I dunno, but I do know, I'M BACK! Right now I've paid for 2/week. In a couple of weeks I'm going to add another class/week. I'm not sure if it'll be West African or Afro-Brazilian. I just want to see what my legs can handle right now. I'm trying to be smart & not over-do it.

Hopefully, this'll kick-start my weight drop again. I'm having difficulty getting down anymore. Oh well, at least I haven't re-gained any of the weight I did lose. I'm finding silver linings wherever I can.

While waiting for the class to begin I went in to an architectural antique store in the area. Lots of cool woodwork. Gave me some crazy ideas for my home when I get financially better off. So many things I want. A huge gate to my door with a rock wall around the front yard, a garage or at least a carport, re-do of the office that I believe used to be a carport, an infinity pool with direct access to the bathroom, enlarge my bedroom, landscape my backyard, the list goes on & on & on. Well, I plan on being here for a long time so who knows, I just may be able to get it all done some day, bit by bit.

Well, I've got a very hectic day today & I need to take Put's for his walk. Take care.

Peace out