Luv a duck

Summer has arrived in LA and so have the ducks.  Yes, ducks in our swimming pool.  Don't you have some? 

Ducks fly in, neighbours emerge from their caves/apartments, BBQs are fired up and gin & tonics mixed with a slice of fresh lime and a sprig of mint.  Delightful.  Oh, and the sport of the season is basketball - apparently the Lakers are playing off for a shot at the golden hoop... or something... and of course the World Cup is playing.

And my activities?  Well, I've got two more phone interviews lined up for corporate copy editing type jobs I applied for - yay, I really need something to click into place by the end of the month - and I've started a new blog.  Not to replace this one, which will continue to document my activities and occasional rants, but an outlet for the imperfect wisdom I'm accumulating about life in LA.  It's called 'An Aussie Guide to Surviving LA' and I'm aiming to post every two days (three articles up so far); there's a link to the left, check it out, email it to your friends, make me a cyber-phenomenon.

Aside from bloggery and job applications, what did this li'l Aussie get up to this week?  Well, last weekend I participated in a 4 and a half hour meditation workshop.  It was held at my yoga studio, was led by a woman called Sally Kempton who is regarded as something of a guru, and altogether came highly recommended.  I haven't really done meditation before so I thought I'd poke my nose in and inhale.  So to speak.  Hmm, seemed like a good metaphor at the time and now I'm not so sure.  But I digress.  It was quite interesting; Sally spoke about her experiences, her teachers, her philosophy, and led us through several group meditations.  She spoke about the power of collective consciousness, when a group of people are focused on the same thing, thinking the same way; and I thought that's what happens at live performances - be they music, comedy or theatre - at least when they're good, it's exhilarating.  As for the meditations, I had trouble staying focused on her voice and the imagery she was creating; when my mind didn't wander, I felt sleepy, not more conscious of my consciousness. 

Out of my mind and into my body, on Wednesday I scored a personal training session at the gym - gratis - involving a very large truck tyre.  Close to a metre in diameter, this was a solid chunk of rubber which Mike (my PT) made me flip over and over.  Simple and very effective full body workout; I had to squat deeply, grab the bottom edge of the tyre, lift it up (using legs, keeping back straight) and push it over - SLAM!  Repeat.  Buttocks, quadriceps, abdominals, biceps all engaged.  This activity was mixed up with lots of other deep squats and ab crunches.  My legs felt like enormous sandbags by the end of the session, and I was still feeling them two days later.  It felt great though, I certainly don't push myself that hard working out on my own.