First Day of School!

Hey Readers! So guess what was yesterday?! My first day of school! I was totally going to write yesterday, but it was really busy. Anyhow I am very happy with my schedule this year. I am taking two journalism classes this writing journalism (instead of a regular English class) and Video Production and Communication, also known as D-Town. I LOVE my honers bio class. Anyway the thing I really wanted to write about in this blog entry is my outlook on my classes. I will fully admit I have been a pretty horrible person to live with (or parent) the past few days. Now that school is started though I feel a lot more at ease for some reason. I don't know if it was that I was unconsciously stressed out about school, or perhaps I was just tired and board of doing nothing and now feel invigorated that I actually have a grander purpose (learning). The point is though I am feeling a lot more invigorated and less annoyed at my family.

Here is the other thing, During classes whenever the teachers ask the class to do something the whole class groans and complains, but I am so excited about every activity! I just think it's terrific and fun, and I can't wait to get started. This is with the exception of having math homework I didn't understand on day one, that I wasn't exactly thrilled about. I have also made quite a lot of new friends or at least acquaintances (it's only the second day of school anyway) So just wanted to express this recent development, in my very busy, but awesome life. I'll write again soon, so check in!

My dear Anandi

For those of you who don't know (I forget if I have mentioned it) Anandi is my pet name For Anandaswara. It may seem weird to give God a pet name, but when you see him a lot, and talk to him, it's hard to be always saying Anandaswara, and something like Lord, just seems to formal for the conversations I have with him. So and I call him Anandi. Anyway.

Yesterday I was doing the evening routine. First I set up for evening Ararthi and helped set up the pooja, and then sat for the pooja. Well during the pooja I was really hot, so Just like I was saying to a friend I said "Anandi, can you please cool it down in here, I'm super hot. I promise to try to be extra focused during arathi" (my mind tends to wander a lot during it) well at that point I had to light the arathi lamp and forgot about it. Well a couple minutes into arathi and I realized I was almost chilly, which was a huge contrast to the overly warm feeling I had experienced earlier. I looked up at Anandi and realized he had fulfilled my request. He had this totally satisfied expression on, after that I spent the remaining part of arathi (in addition to doing it) keeping my part.

The funny thing about this incident is, for the past few weeks I really haven't felt a big connection with Anandaswara. Sometimes when I walk into the temple I feel as if I am greeting my best friend, I feel he is smiling especially for me, and have lengthy complicated conversations with him about stuff, and then other times (such as the past few weeks) I feel he is a stranger, someone I don't know just sitting with Anandaswari staring into space. Kind of like in the movie Night at the Museum (good movie by the way, I highly recommend it, and number 2 as well) how at night the exhibits would be all alive, and then during day, just exhibits. This incident opened him back up for me now, and I feel we are good friends again, and I can relate to him.

Picture Credits: I took this picture a few weeks ago in Chicago, it's the front of the field Museum (not the Smithsonian which is the sight of Night at the Museum but I very good museum all the same. We went to the whale and horse exhibits, and it was awesome.

Round Pen

So today started out as an average day in the life of a high school band geek. Woke up went to band practice for 3 hours. Spent the afternoon watching movies with my sister, and then came the not s normal part that I will write about.
Today I taught my sister, Sophia how to round pen. Sophia used to ride horses, but hasn't in ... a long time. Now as she says she is into dance, and gymnastics, and acting, and her cat. Never the less she has come to the barn a few times, and helped out with the arts and crafts portion of one of the summer camps. During one of these camps she saw round pen work in action. If you don't remember what round pen work is (I can't remember if I have written about it previously and don't really feel like checking) I will quickly explain. Basically, from my limited understanding, you use a horse's natural instincts to become it's leader. Horses want a leader, but you need to prove you are capable, once you are their leader the horse will willing work with you. This is just a bare bones explanation. When you do round pen work you are in a circular shaped pen, you stand in the middle and the horse is on the outside, the horse has no bridle, halter, anything like that. It just you and the horse, and a special rope that is like a communication single, but sometimes you don't even need that. You ask the horse to do something and if they do it you reward them by taking off pressure you are supposed to look at them while you do this) Now when you think the horse is ready (and there are signs) you "join up" with him/her. You go up and talk to them pet them, then turn around and walk away, if they follow you they have joined up and it is successful. If not, you work more.
So I was teaching Sofia how to do this using an older horse (but not old). She is an Arabian mare named Kompania, she is a great teacher and was the first horse I ever did round pen work with just about a year ago. (that's the picture of her by the way, sorry it's not very good) Now Kompania only joins up with a few people, she has joined up with me and one therapy kid, that's all I know of, although I am sure there are more. But still not many, I don't think I was the best teacher, but I got the basic message across to Sofia, and then she worked on it. And they where a perfect team (in my opinion) I mean Kompania was no angel for Sofia, she tested her, and helped teach her, but I think that's good. And guess what? Kompania joined up with her! Followed her all the way around the ring. Riding horses, is awesome, but there something about round pen work that's just a little better. That moment when you realize the horse is following, that big, beautiful animal has chosen to join up with you is truly magical. And it's so great to be able to share it with someone!

Tieing on the Rakhi

Hey Readers,

Sorry I have not been posting much lately. But I finally have something interesting to write about!

Saturday was this Indian Holiday, I'm sorry but I can't remember the name, but what happens at it is you tie a "rahki" onto your brothers wrist. This is to symbolize your love and emotions for him, and to show you will support him the rest of his life. My brother lives in New York, and I was not able to go all the way there (although I do plan on sending him one as soon a I can) so I did it for a guy at our temple, who's like a brother to me. The thing this holiday made me realize though is, that there's just something so much deeper about Indian culture then the one I have been born into. I mean their are no holidays in this, (American) culture are about recognizing your siblings. OK so we have birthdays, but everyone celebrates that person's birthday (to a degree I mean). And it's not just one-sided. In return for the Rahki the brother will give his sister something, a gift or whatnot to show the same things, and to show he will always be there for her, isn't that amazing!? I think it is. I just wanted to write about that, about the holiday and what happens. I have a couple entries in mind now, so check back in soon!

New Post

Ahhhh I'm hitting "new post" for the first time in ages!

Well Monday was the beginning of a new year of marching band. Our show this year is A.L.W AKA The Themes of Andrew Lloyd Webber. So far we have been practicing the music, and we have learned only the very first part of the first song, marching wise. Besides that we have just been doing basics. There are sooooo many freshman this year! This was just pre-band camp, real band camp starts on Monday.

I don't have much of interest to write about, I just wanted to get something up on this blog, helped out all the temple this morning, cleaned the upstairs bathroom of my house, read....

Right now it's storming outside. I can see the rain rain coming down in gusts from a grey sky. Tried to take a picture, but it didn't work. Anyway just trying to stay blogging, I'll try and write something interesting later