Von der Muse geküsst!

My blog has moved to a new home...

2011-01-27T00:58:00.000-08:00

Please, join the housewarming party at

http://inspiredbythemuses.com/

See you there!

Ute

Culinary treats you'd be sorry to miss #1: Mitchell's Ice Cream

2011-01-17T12:33:00.000-08:00

I tasted some ice-cream yesterday, that got me excited enough to warrant a blog post!

After successfully finishing my ACLS class in San Francisco, I was craving carbohydrates like there was no tomorrow. It must have been the excitement and lack of sleep during the weekend. On Saturday I went by Mitchell’s Ice Cream twice on my way to and from class. Both times I was wondering about the crowded store in weather that would not necessarily drive me into an ice-cream parlor.

Yesterday however, after passing my written and hands-on tests, I felt some sense of entitlement to a special treat. Mitchell’s Ice Cream parlor was the only inviting store around this bare street, so in I went. I did not regret it.

The small crowd of regulars in front of me, who were waiting for their orders to be prepared, stepped willingly aside to grant me full view of the counter and thus countless buckets of the most interesting ice-cream flavors—Espresso Toffee, New York Cherry, Rum Raisin, Toasted Almond,… I lost track quicker than usual…Avocado, Ginger—oh my! they really have ginger ice-cream!!...Green Tea, Ube, Lucuma, Macapuno…what on earth?? Later I figured out, that most of their tropical flavors are based on fruit imported from the Philippines—hence their names. However, where I was finally tripping was the Grasshopper Pie flavor. Awesome! It actually looked like grasshopper pie smushed into an ice-cream bin. I asked the friendly guy behind the counter for a sample—mmmmmmhhhhh!!!! Delicious. Before I could get side-tracked again, I ordered a scoop of said Grasshopper Pie and one of Ginger flavor. Who could say no to ginger? Ever since my chai experiment, I can’t. The friendly guy behind the counter offered two cups, so the flavors wouldn’t mix. I very much appreciate thoughtful merchants, but declined.

Besides their delicious ice-cream, ready to be turned into sundaes, smoothies, or any other custom-built lusciousness, they offer take-home gallons of most of their flavors and ice-cream cakes and pies. The store offers some inside and outside seating and ample parking in the back.

If you are tired of Ben & Jerry’s or Baskin Robbins, or simply want to support a local family business that has been making delicious ice-cream since 1953, please enjoy some special treat at Mitchell's Ice Cream in San Francisco. And, nope…I don’t receive any commission for endorsing their product. I am also aware that ice-cream isn’t a staple food to be enjoyed on a daily basis or in large quantities, although…just think about it...wouldn’t this be nice?!

Enjoy!

Almost last semester...

2011-01-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

It has gotten curiously quiet on this blog…and for good reason, my friend!

I’ve been busily heralding the last semester of nursing school—and this even before the semester has officially begun. Just to start it off with a bang, 30 eager classmates, students from the junior cohort, and I, spent 3 hours yesterday listening to an awesome lecture by ICU nurse Tony about how to read EKGs. It was great and prepared me well for today—day 1 of 2 of ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) training.

Still in vacation mode until yesterday, I had somehow missed out on the fact that one is supposed to prepare for ACLS… Ouch! Review of Basic Life Support, self study of the 10 ACLS Core Cases (100 pages!), review of the relevant thirty-something drugs, and—yes—the ability to identify the most common and most deadly EKG rhythms. So, Tony’s lecture helped with the latter, but for the rest I spent a good ten hours frantically cramming last night and early this morning…

I must have completely lost my mind doing this during my vacation!

However, it turned out to be a fantastic day today. I got lucky with five incredible instructors, who together brought a wealth of knowledge to the classroom, were funny and engaging. Even better, they broke down the 120-pages textbook in easily chewable bites. The most important concepts got boiled down into one readily remembered flow-chart, starting with step 1—is the patient stable, unstable or dead? I can do that! Now my arms hurt from giving rounds and rounds of chest compressions, in my head EKG patterns twirl around with drug doses and contraindications, and ACLS algorithms play tag with the “Rule of 3s.” Information overload! I think I won’t last long tonight because it’s back to the classroom tomorrow at 8am for 4 hours straight of mock codes…

One piece of new information I learned today, I’d like to share nevertheless. Did you know that the most recent changes in the AHA standards for Basic Life Support (BLS) have reversed the A-B-C-D order to C-A-B-D? It’s all about chest compressions now. Wait. Not only chest compressions, but HIGH QUALITY CHEST COMPRESSIONS (this is the answer to questions #4 and #21 on tomorrow’s test…). Instead of the 1.5 to 2 inches of compression depth, it is now 2 inches or more at a rate of 100/minute. That’s fast! Hence my sore arms… Studies have shown that chances of survival to hospital discharge or neurologic outcome are significantly increased if chest compressions are started immediately and interrupted as little as possible, no more than 10 seconds at a time. See the video clip below for more on these changes.

I also learned that Seattle, WA is the US city with the best survival chances for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests—38%. That’s pretty darn good! What do they have that other cities don’t? Apparently it’s a very high percentage of lay people trained in CPR and use of AEDs, in conjunction with many accessible AEDs in public places.

So much for now! Stay save, my friend, and if you have never or not recently taken a CPR class—do it! I bet we could reach 38% or more here, and in your hometown too.

Video clips you'd be sorry to miss #3: A Good Day

2011-01-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Are you having a bad day? Feeling sorry for yourself and what is happening in your life?

Yes—we all have those days.

The good news is that it actually is a good day. It only depends on our perspective.

Take some time to enjoy this video...

and be grateful!

If you are still feeling blue and don't know how to change things around, take a look at this New Years post for some inspiration.

Have a really Good Day!

Back from Tibet

2011-01-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

Have you been looking for that special something to surprise a loved one? Or a nifty accessory to impress the beautiful yoga nymph from class, or the friendly barista guy behind the health food store juice bar, whom you always wanted to ask out but never dared to? Maybe you are in need of a gift to show your partner, that rarely spending any time with him or her anymore because you are in nursing school now or spent the past month searching for yourself in Tibet, doesn’t mean anything? Don’t look any further, my friend. You have come to the right place:

The Muses’ Catalog of Must-Have Gift Ideas

This handy little tool gets rid of the mess your “all organic-all naturally freshly grinded-all naturally separating peanut butter” leaves you with! Just twist on the lid and crank the embedded chrome-plated mixing rod for an evenly mixed spread—just like frothed up in the factory. Easy like this! Should the included lid not fit onto your naturally separating peanut butter jar, you have two easy options: a) Take a bamboo spoon and scoop the gooey unstirrable mess into a jar that fits the new lid. b) Close your jar with the lid it came, take a sharp knife, or a hammer and a nail, and create an opening large enough to insert the chrome-plated mixing rod—and done! Easy like this!

Natural peanut butter lovers all over the world will love this incredibly sleek and clever gift. It’s yours for only $10!

The technology interested target of your affection will be thrilled to receive this “Deluxe Personal Air Supply!” Stifling patient rooms? Muggy Bikram yoga spaces? Just returned from the clean airs of Tibet? Moving to Taiwan? This is the gift to give! It comes with a breakaway neck strap, so in case anyone else should grab this device in a desperate attempt to breathe some clean air, it won’t hurt to share. And who wouldn’t want to own a gadget that produces 120 trillion—yes, my friend, that’s 120,000,000,000,000—ions per second?! This equals to an incredible 7,200,000,000,000,000 ions per minute!! Unbelievable!!

It’s yours for only $99! Get it now—and enjoy watching them thrive with clean air!

Now this one is a gem! You may remember my Recycled Recreation post in which I commented on landfills. We should all cut back on producing waste, right?! Here’s a cute way to help out with this—the Countertop Bag Dryer. At first sight it may look like a bunch of incense sticks, which even more underlines a thoughtful lifestyle, but this tool can do so much more! You just rinse out your used plastic bags and hang them upside down over one of the skewers made from sustainably harvested birch and ash woods. Even the most difficult to dry plastic bag is no match for the air circulation provided by this unique tool. And when you don’t have any plastic bags to dry? It folds neatly for storage!

This is a must have for any thoughtful countertop owner and always a welcomed gift. Considering the money you save by reusing your plastic bags—and the infinite positive karma this will bring you—the $20 for this cute product is very well spent.

You are looking for a gift for an environmentally conscious dog owner? Then this is for you! Who would think that this flat, white plastic cap on the lawn is not part of a solar-powered, water saving sprinkler system, but instead contains a pile of decomposing dog crap?! This well-disguised cesspit is merely identifiable by the adorable “Doggie Dooley” print on the lid (sorry Heather!). To start out, you simply dig a round hole 48" deep by 15" in diameter, slip the Doggie Dooley in, fill it with 6 gallons of water and 2 tablespoons of the Waste Terminator enzyme digestion powder. Now you are ready to fill in whatever dog shit you can find around the house and on your lawn! Easy like this! Never worry about Pooch’s organic wastes anymore. This really works! [Just disregard the customer reviews on the website…]

Buy the Doggie Dooley together with the necessary Waste Terminator powder for only $98. And always remember—you will never have to use another plastic bag for Pooch again. Just drop it in!

Saving the best for last, let me introduce you to this amazing Digital Zen Alarm Clock. Given as a thoughtful gift, this alarm clock, which is set in a hardwood casing, awakens your loved one to the gentle sound of a Tibetan chime. You don’t know what a Tibetan chime sounds like? Click below to find out.

This wonderful clock can also be used as a pre-programmed timer to softly remind you of the outside world towards the end of a meditation or yoga session.

I just received breaking news, which may be especially interesting to students of SFSU’s School of Nursing. Dr O, it says, has contributed an alternative alarm sound to the Digital Zen Alarm Clock. Please, sample this deeply nurturing tone below while reciting all pharmacology and pathophysiology facts you can remember!

I’m torn between the previous two exhilarating sound samples, so I would like to offer my own Zen alarm tone below. After all, we are talking about an alarm clock here, right? Right? So, please sit back, and give this one a try…

Whichever alarm tone you prefer for your gift of good taste and tranquility, this incredible clock, made in China—land of ancient healers—won’t cost you more than a petty $136! Go get it now, and feel the love!

Thank you Gaiam.com, for making this post possible! May it lead many enlightened customers to your website.

Video clips you'd be sorry to miss #2: Reflections--Body Image Program

2011-01-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

(Sandro Botticelli - The Birth of Venus)

In my last blog post I wrote about how breastfeeding increases the likelihood of a healthy weight. However, "healthy weight" is as much in our head as it is in our body. The influence of the popular but distorted body image that surrounds us in Western cultures, often leads to perceive a perfectly healthy body as flawed and unsightly.

These two videos from Tri Delta's "Reflections--Body Image Program" were used to promote their "Fat Talk Free Week" in 2008 and 2009.

I always get goosebumps watching them...

Stunning visuals with a very strong message.

Read more about Tri Delta's efforts here.

You may also want to read here, an inspiring blog about healthy body images that I just discovered .

Of Breasts and Milk

2011-01-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

This week I intercepted my relaxing semester break and spent two days at work. Both days were busy and kept me on my toes from the time I set my feet in the unit until I left. Yet, I would not have wanted it any other way.

My profession, practiced during these days—I am an IBCLC, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and have been working per diem in the Family Birth Center of a busy local hospital for more than 8 years.

My work—I am doing lactation rounds, in which I visit with every breastfeeding mom and family (95% of our clients), listen, listen some more, and even a little bit more, answer questions, educate on what to expect—and what not—in these very first days after birth, assist and—if needed—teach the new mom (and family) how to breastfeed the newborn, and help to find and implement solutions should problems arise.

Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world, right? So why a specific profession? Why a license that requires more than 1000 practice and theory hours, topped by a challenging, day-long exam?

Well, it turns out, that breastfeeding is more of a learned art than intrinsic knowledge, coded for in our DNA. In cultures where breastfeeding is, and has been an inherent part of life and child rearing, an IBCLC is rarely needed. Us here…hmmm…we are of a different kind—the kind that all too often is rather intimidated by this naturally learned process.

Yesterday, the comment of an 18-hours-old father, as I was handing his wife a Nursing Journal, sums it up better than I ever could. Overjoyed he reached for the booklet and said: “Oooh! Is this a manual?!” I felt like giving him a big old hug! No, my dear friend, they don’t come with a manual!

The time following the birth of a child is unique and very special for every new family. Emotions underlie their own erratic rules, and tears of joy, worries and frustration may rapidly alternate with sheer bliss and heartfelt laughter. It is my utmost pleasure to stand back, and humbly watch it all unfold. Having been there myself four times, I am pleased to watch different parenting styles evolve. Sometimes well-meant intentions shatter early on when the new parents notice that their 8-pounds bundle of joy is more a bundle of pure energy and temperament. Parenting is a learned art as well!

Working with families during such a sensitive and vulnerable time, on such a physically close and intimate level, leads inevitably to quite interesting situations. Empathy and professionalism, I find, are key in getting out of any weird situation I may find myself in at work. Sometimes that’s easier said than done…

Such as the day I was helping a new mom years ago. Her baby was a few days old already, her mature milk was coming in and for various reasons this process had left her terribly—and I mean TERRIBLY—engorged. If you have never seen engorged breasts—let alone terribly engorged ones, my friend—start by imagining two good-sized cantaloupes sitting snug, right where days before a B or C cup bra was perfectly sufficient. While it may be visually impressive, they HURT! BADLY! Engorgement rarely gets this bad, but gone that far it is no fun at all. I spent a very long time with this mom—hot compresses, massage, attempts to latch the baby, attempts to pump,… Any effort to empty her painfully, ready-to-burst breasts failed because she was hurting so badly. Massage was all that was left, and while she was pressing her hands against her face in an effort to find some abatement, I was able to gently hand express milk which soon gave her some relief. Her previously tensed up facial expressions lightened up, and to my surprise she suddenly started to giggle. She looked at me and said with a big grin: “Wow! This is almost like in a good porn video.”

Eeeeeeeeeeeewwww!!! Wrong connection! Absolutely wrong! I was completely perplexed for a moment and must have stared at her my most appalled stare. I was blown away and wondered how on earth this could have been her first thought after finally being relieved of the pain. Lucky me, the friendly voice in my head quickly reminded me—“you better use your finest skills—empathy and professionalism!” Yes!, I thought, ready to set some boundaries. I smiled back at the mom and said something to the extent of: “One could think that, but we both know that this is not the case.” Then I went on and taught her how to hand express herself… Ha!

So, if breastfeeding can leave you terribly engorged and making terrible comments, which may leave your IBCLC terribly shocked—why bother with it at all? The quick answer is—because it is a human infant’s natural source of food. If human moms would give birth to calves or soy beans, formula would probably be the first choice. While there doubtlessly are medical indications for babies to be fed formula, its unquestioned use in the early days and weeks can be especially detrimental to the breastfeeding relationship.

On the other hand, breastfeeding has unique far-reaching benefits for baby, mom, the family and the community. Here are just a few, as stated by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics). A decreased incidence in infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infections, and otitis media alone are worth every ounce of breastmilk given. If you have ever lost nights of sleep while taking care of a little one with said conditions, you’ll understand… Breastfeeding also leads to a decreased incident of Diabetes Mellitus type 1 & 2, certain childhood cancers, asthma, overweight and obesity. As Signifying Nothing states in his latest blog post, 38.5% of girls born in 2000 will develop diabetes. 32.8% of boys born in 2000 will meet the same fate. Similarly alarming rates are reported for cancer, asthma and obesity—a decrease of these numbers is worth every sip fresh from the tap!

There are plenty of rewards for breastfeeding moms as well. How about earlier return to pre-pregnancy weight? Breastmilk production burns about 500kcal extra per day, just like this! Directly after birth, nursing decreases blood loss, because the hormones involved in breastfeeding cause the uterus to contract and reach pre-pregnancy size faster. In the long run there is a decreased risk for breast and ovarian cancer and possibly osteoporosis. I would take these benefits at any time. Who wouldn’t?

My work as an IBCLC enables me to support young families in the early decision making process and its subsequent successful implementation. This can influence their baby’s and their own health for decades to come. It is my pleasure and passion to be their advocate and be part of improving individual and public health—one family at a time.

Video clips you'd be sorry to miss #1

2011-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

I just love to watch this incredibly talented yogi from Sweden!

She makes it look so easy, while practicing with the utmost grace.

Enjoy!

Ashtanga Yoga - Viparīta Chakrāsana

Recycled Recreation

2011-01-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I made it to Bayfront Park in Menlo Park. I used to go running there regularly in my life prior to nursing school. It seems like an eternity ago.

Bayfront Park’s 160 acres extend over the area of a solid waste landfill that was closed in 1984. It is located on a small peninsula, surrounded by salt ponds and salt sloughs of the bay on three sides. The forth side adjoins to an industrial area of the city and the highway on-ramp.

As I was taking an unhurried walk today, stopping every now and then to take a photo, I tried to imagine this place full of serenity and life covered in trash. This required quite a mental stretch. Although there are plenty of signs of the surrounding industry—smoking chimney stacks in the far, huge storage and office buildings closer by—the landfill is visible only to the discerning eye.

I always wondered why there was a small sewage treatment plant at the far end of the park. Its extremely noisy machinery had annoyed me many times as I was passing by. So did the foul stench of what smelled like rotten organic material mixed with manure that often filled the air. Both of these nuisances used to have the fantastic side effect of making me run much faster at about halfway through the perimeter trail, just to get away into an olfactory neutral zone.

It was just today that it finally clicked! I read a very well written article about how a landfill works. Of course, the responsibility for a waste dump doesn’t stop when it is capped with soil, and brush and trees are planted. The smelly sewage at the plant in the far back of the park is a penetrating reminder of the very existence of this man-made pile of junk. What is collecting in the pond near the noisy pump station is leachate from the landfill that is drained through pipes, then tested and detoxified if needed. The smell that surrounds the area stems from methane gas which, mixed with CO₂, is emitted from the activity of anaerob bacteria, working hard at slowly decomposing what once was dragged to our curbs.

The city of Menlo Park budgets more than $225,000 per year just to maintain the landfill and keep the surrounding ecosystems intact. This does not include any costs for the maintenance of the recreational part of the park. Millions of dollars to keep an enormous pile of garbage under control? That is quite perplexing. I guess we can call ourselves lucky, that at least this junk was not dumped into the ocean to add on to the ever-growing pacific gyre, but instead is taken care of in our very own backyard.

Yet, one can’t deny that this landfill contributes considerable recreational value to the area. Runners, walkers, bikers, dog owners, bird watchers, artists, model plane pilots, kite flyers, backyard gardeners who shovel buckets full of free compost soil, people looking for solitude, as well as noisily chit-chatting groups that enjoy each others’ company—there seems to be a place for everyone. I have always found mine whenever I came.

Thinking back, I actually grew up close to a similar construct—der Gruene Heiner. About a ten minute drive from my childhood home in Germany, this popular 230 feet high green destination towers over the otherwise mostly flat landscape. It was built back in the 1950’s—from WW2 debris. Today people enjoy its recreational value. In 1999 a windmill-powered plant was added to its summit and has been providing green energy ever since.

While I would prefer to walk on natural grounds that were aggregated by California’s overactive tectonic, I can hardly turn my back on an issue as big as Western societies' overactive consumerism with all of its unattractive side-effects, such as giant landfills. Yet, one has to give credit to humankind’s creativity and problem solving skills. Turning a pile of crap into an area of recreational value is truly a masterpiece--a masterpiece that many people enjoy regularly for exercise and stress relief, and thus maintenance of good health.

To say it in the words of Albert Einstein:

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

Aparigraha and the Mind of the Beast

2011-01-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

She denies any involvement with this matter…

Although she has been seen around the site of the action right about the time of the incident…

But then…

Could these eyes lie?

No. Hm…maybe…

Let’s look at the evidence:

The frazzled bite marks on my yoga mat….....................the fangs of the vicious beast.

Check!

This happened last summer, and since the beast tends to have more of a dog-like demeanour, loyally following my every step in the backyard, I could hardly be angry about her adornment to my mat. After all, the reason I bought my own about a year ago was by far more disturbing. At the height of the cold season I took a yoga class—then still using the common mats offered by the facility—when one of the participants took a gigantic sneeze that spread unhalted all over her mat and the ones of her neighboring yogis left and right. Now my friend, if you have ever seen images of sneezing people such as these…

…then you will understand that only hours after this memorable class, I owned my very first personal yoga mat. I think I bought it at REI, just because I had to run some errands there anyways. You may know that REI isn’t a particularly dedicated source for yoga products, but rather of any kind of outdoor activity. Honestly, I didn’t even care what kind of a mat I bought. I just wanted one that would harbor only my own pathogens.

Now, after a good year of quite regular, often daily use, attacks by the beast, and misuse by the kids (sometimes they just need a roof for their play house structures…), even I can’t deny that it probably needs to be replaced. Too many downward dogs with sweaty paws, attempts to balance a most wobbly crow, and too many times melting into the mat in my favorite pigeon, took their toll on it.

This time, however, I want to be cleverer when choosing such an important utensil! I looked around in classes and online to find some inspiration, since the muses failed me in that matter. While I could imagine that size, thickness, and material plays a role, until last week I had no idea that also the shape is a variable.

I was a few minutes late for class, rushed to the studio, squeezed through the door as quietly as I could, removed all unnecessary clothes then turned around to find a spot amongst the yogis who were already sitting in silent meditation. Whoa! My attention was immediately drawn to the young yogi, who had her mat placed right in front of the teacher. To get the right visual, my friend, you must know that said yogi had a ROUND yoga mat that spanned across the space that could usually be utilized by two. But that was not all…this bodacious, blue mat was bearing the sign—the sign of high quality, being en vogue and bearing a big wallet: Lululemon.

Throughout the class I couldn’t help but glance over to the front-row yogi to get some idea of how practical this mat is. I have gotten out of the habit of looking at my fellow yogis during practice. I even close my eyes most of the time to be more focused (which unfortunately is quite detrimental to my already weak sense of balance…). This external focus, however, almost led to a forwards crash-landing of my wobbly crow that morning. But then…I’ve already been known to endanger my health in pursuit of new knowledge (keyword: chai) if necessary, so what’s a crashed crow?!

The young yogi seemed to enjoy her practice within her private double lot, although I could not make out any poses that would have actually required the extra space left and right. While I’m not opposed at all to an enormous, blue, round mat—nor to Lululemon for that matter—I have some doubts this would be the right product for me…

I guess this leaves me a seeker for now. Maybe I should consider the eight limbs of yoga to aid me through this process. The first one, yama, often translated as ethical disciplines, includes aparigraha--the non-accumulation of superfluous physical objects. BKS Iyengar writes in his book Light on Yoga: “By the observance of aparigraha, the yogi makes his life as simple as possible and trains his mind not to feel the loss or the lack of anything. Then everything he really needs will come to him by itself at the proper time.”

Here my lack of knowledge in the philosophy of yoga shows terribly… Maybe aparigraha is a hint to keep waiting for a new mat to magically appear. Or even worse, it indicates that the old one must do for now, because it’s likely not the proper time yet for another.

I think I'll let the beast decide.

Namaste!

Happy New Year MMXI !

2010-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

I saw this on PeaceLove Yoga's blog and love it!

Happy New Year, my friend!

May 2011 bring health, joy, peace and ease to your life.

Meeting the OM

2010-12-30T11:36:00.000-08:00

If you have ever taken Professor Einhorn’s Cultural Anthropology class, you are familiar with her unique assignments. All of them require stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing something completely different from what you are used to. For example, the assignment where she asks to visit a spiritual service of any kind—just not the kind you already know.

Terrible procrastination of this assignment on my part almost made me miss out on a wondrous experience. One day before the paper was due I frantically searched the internet for ANY kind of service in the area that was offered the same day. The Hindu Temple in Sunnyvale came to the paper’s (and my) rescue…

Please read in the following about my one-of-a-kind first encounter with Hinduism—and chai for that matter!

My first impression of the temple was rather sobering. While most Christian churches are recognizable as such from the outside, this temple looked at first glance like a mixture of a single-story office complex and a warehouse. If it wouldn’t have been for the signs in Sanskrit and large shoe racks in front of the entrance, I may have missed it. The shoe racks were another surprise. Everyone who enters the temple is asked to take off their shoes. This made sense as soon as I entered and saw that the floors were carpeted throughout and there were no chairs or pews. The main room was huge, with a wide open space in the middle and altars of different sizes along the walls.

I looked around the altars, each of which had several figures, and sacrifices of fruit, honey, sugar and milk positioned on them. The icons were very colorful and adorned with necklaces, flowers, and golden hairpieces. Many of them also had incense sticks affixed to their bases that effused a sweet smell. The temple was nearly empty, with only the priest, who was busy making phone calls, and a janitor who was vacuuming with an extremely noisy vacuum cleaner. The priest was dressed in what looked like a white sari with a few golden emblems embroidered on it. He had shoulder-long hair that was combed back with quite a bit of gel or oil. I decided to ask the janitor about the Puja that I had hoped to attend, and he informed me that it had started earlier, before I had arrived. I felt quite frustrated and somewhat at the wrong place, so I was getting ready to go home.

However, things changed quite rapidly. The janitor had a hard time speaking English but made a real effort to communicate with me. Eventually he gestured me to follow him into another large hall, just adjacent to the one we’ve been. He offered me tea mixed with milk [my first CHAI!!]—very good, very sweet, and spiced with what tasted like cardamom and ginger—and pointed to a table with chairs, while getting some traditional Indian sweets for me to taste. Several other people came in, sat down with a cup of tea and had some sweets. Among them, an Indian woman in her fifties, who started talking to me in very good English. She introduced herself as “Banu.” It turned out that she was a music teacher from Mumbai, who was visiting her daughter in Sunnyvale. She said that she would come to the temple every day to sing Hindu hymns, and asked if I’d like to stay and listen, which of course, I was delighted to.

I followed her back to the other hall where Banu started singing hymns. She had a strong and clear voice and sang for a good hour, one hymn after the other, every now and then stopping to explain the lyrics to me, which were mostly tales that explained the virtues. While Banu was singing, more and more people entered the temple. After entering the building, each came forward to the main altar of the god Vishnu where a bell was attached about six feet above the ground. Most of the followers rang the bell right as they came up front. Banu explained that this is to make contact with the gods, to let them know “you are here.” One elderly woman in particular drew my attention. She was too small to reach the mallet of the bell with ease, so she took several attempts stretching and jumping until she finally was able to ring the bell loudly. After ringing the bell, every visitor seemed to have his or her own ritual, touching different parts of the altar, alternating with different parts of their face and head. They ended the ritual by bringing their forehead to the floor in a kneeling, some in prone position. Then they sat down somewhere at the edge of the carpet and prayed, meditated or talked to each other.

I was lucky enough to have stayed, as at noon another daily ritual, Aarti, took place which I was able to observe. There were about 20 persons in the temple, mostly older and middle-aged adults, as well as two toddlers. Goal of the Aarti, as most of Hindu rituals, is to receive purification from the gods. The priest started with a hymn. Everybody got up from the floor and came closer to the altar. People took turns ringing the bell very loudly throughout the ritual. The priest took the tray with the oil lamp from the altar and started moving it in circles in the air to the rhythm of the hymn. He sat the tray down and one by one everyone picked up the tray and did as the priest had done. Banu gestured me to follow her up front as she picked up the tray to have her turn. This made me quite uncomfortable, especially when she leaned over to pass the tray to me. She must have seen the slight horror in my face, and offered to do it along with me. I had not expected to be more than a silent observer in the temple, and there I was—an active participant.

Interesting enough, it seemed as if I was the only one who thought that I was somewhat misplaced. Everybody else treated me like I was a regular at the temple. Nobody gave me strange looks or tried to exclude me from any part of the ritual. The service was said and sung completely in Sanskrit, so I had no idea what the hymns and the sermon meant.

Then everybody lined up to receive a teaspoon of water mixed with oil and safran in their hands, as well as a piece of fruit that had been offered to the gods at the Puja before and that were now regarded sacred. Banu prompted me to get in line with her, and so I received those goods as well. People dispersed soon after they had received the fluid and fruit. Some were headed to the adjacent hall for tea and sweets, some went to their cars. I stood outside with Banu for a while and she patiently answered all of my questions before we said good-bye.

During this 2 1/2-hour visit, not only did I learn quite a few details about Hinduism, but I actually experienced one of the key values of the Hindu worldview—acceptance of every living thing. Although I was a total stranger and felt misplaced first in the temple that looked and felt so different, I enjoyed hospitality and inclusion without any further expectations towards me. As I was leaving the parking lot, an elderly woman in her traditional sari was waving me good-bye with a big smile on her face, as did the janitor who was standing on the sidewalk.

I wished all learning would be exhilarating like this!

Leben an der Spalte, Teil 1

2010-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Nichts wie raus! Seit Tagen hielt es uns unweigerlich im Haus da die Alternative sehr nass, kalt und windig aussah. Heute gab es etwas Zuversicht am Himmel, also Regenjacken an und los geht’s! Oder?

Immer mit der Ruhe, mein Freund. Wir sprechen hier davon vier Kinder aus dem Haus zu bekommen. Noch dazu vier Kinder die die letzten paar Tage warm eingemummelt auf dem Sofa und um den Kuechenherd herum verbracht haben. Raus ins Kalte? Noeee, danke! Lieber nicht. Ich muss da glaub ich noch schnell an meinem Puzzle weiter machen…noch ein paar Seiten lesen…einen neuen high score am Wii aufstellen…irgendwas…blos nicht raus!

Doch heute hatte ich einen Trumpf in der Hand den niemand abzuweisen vermochte: Oma’s Paket! Ja, diese mit den vermeintlich schoensten Weihnachtsgeschenken gespickte Kiste, die in mittlerweile ueber 4 Wochen die lange Reise ueber den grossen Teich immer noch nicht abgeschlossen hat—und indes von ihrem Nachfolger ueberholt wurde—koennte ja eventuell heute eintreffen. Falls niemand zuhause ist wenn die nette Dame von der Post klingelt, ist guter Rat teuer. Also:

ALLEMAN RAUS INS AUTO, ODER WIR SIND NICHT ZURUECK BEVOR DIE POSTFRAU KOMMT!!

Das wirkte!

Etwas Gekreische und Gewimmer hier und da, fehlende Schuhe, unauffindbare Regenjacken, verschollene Fahrradhelme—nichts half. Heute gehen wir an die frische Luft!

20 Minuten ueber den windigen Highway, durch Regenschauer und an mehreren hartgesottenen Fahrradfahrern und zukuenftigen Marathonlaeufern auf der Landstrasse vorbei, und wir kamen bei den Crystal Springs Lakes an. Wer sich etwas mit der Geographie, Geologie und vor allem Tektonik der Bay Area auskennt, weiss dass es sich bei den beiden Seen um den mit Stauwasser gefuellten San Andreas Graben handelt. Selbiger ist der Grund warum hier die Erde eigentlich staendig, wenn auch meist unmerklich bebt. Ich werde in Kuerze einen zweiten Teil zu diesem Thema verfassen, der sich etwas mehr mit den Freuden und Sorgen vom Leben an der Spalte befassen wird. Doch jetzt zurueck zu unserem Ausflug.

Was haette man nach Tagen des Dauerregens auch anderes erwarten koennen? Schoene grosse Pfuetzen, rauschende Wildbaeche gespeist vom gesammelten Regenwasser der umliegenden Gipfel, und aufgeweichte, matschige Haenge. Ein Paradies wenn man Gummistiefel anhat!

Ploetzlich war alle Muedigkeit vergessen. Mit Fahrrad, Skateboard und zu Fuss ging es los, den geteerten aber von Erdbebenaktivitaet stark gezeichneten Weg am Rande der Seen entlang. Wer haette gedacht, dass ich sogar noch ein paar hundert Meter Joggen in Verfolgung der Suessen in diesem Ausflug unterbringen koennte?

Die Maedels genossen die grossen Pfuetzen in vollen Zuegen und ich war unweigerlich an die schier unendlich grosse (zumindest mit Kinderaugen gesehen) Maehdachwiese, nur ein paar Schritte von meinem Elternhaus entfernt, erinnert. Ein Bach fliesst durch das riesige Wiesengelaende. Meist tut er das unterirdisch, aber im Herbst und Winter steht die ganze Wiese voll mit schoenen grossen Matschpfuetzen in denen es sich herrlich spielen liess. Viele Stunden meiner Kindheit verbrachte ich mit meinen Schwestern und Freunden in und um diese Wasserlachen.

Auch heute war das Wasser um uns ein riesen Erfolg. Der wunderschoene Ausblick ueber die Seen und angrenzenden Waelder war fast so schoen wie der meiner vier Erdferkel die keine Pfuetze und kein Matschloch ausliessen… Trotz schlussendlich wassergefuellter Gummistiefeln hatten wir ein riesen Spass.

Und Oma’s Paket? Das kam leider immer noch nicht. Dies kann nur eins heissen—morgen geht’s wieder raus! Und besser ohne Troedeln, denn wer weiss ob wir sonst wieder zuhause sind bis die Postfrau klingelt?!

Guest Blog: CHAI! - Part 2

2010-12-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

Dear reader,

Please give some love to my friend and guest blogger, herbalist and yogi Dagmar Jones!

Born and raised in Germany, Dagmar has been a resident of Central Florida for more than 20 years, where she lives with her husband and two children on their organic orange grove. Organic produce and herbs are her passion and she is fortunate enough to have made it her profession as well.

I invite you to meet her inspiring and energetic personality!

Here is Dagmar’s take on the ingredients of chai tea—from an herbalist’s perspective.

	Cardamom: The parts used of the cardamom plant for herbal actions are the seeds. Seeds are obtained from commercial plants in Sri Lanka and India. Cardamom is a very valuable culinary herb used extensively in India to relieve flatulent dyspepsia and griping pains. If chewed before a meal, cardamom will stimulate the appetite and the flow of saliva.
	Ginger: The ginger rootstock is dug up when the leaves have dried. (As a side note, it is very easy to grow your own ginger. When you purchase ginger from the grocery store and notice a small shoot appearing, set the ginger into a pot of soil and water gently every day. The shoots will grow into leaves and the root will multiply underneath the soil. There is nothing like fresh ginger!). The remains from the stem and root fibers should be removed. Wash thoroughly and dry in the sun. Ginger is a wonderful herb for the stimulation of the peripheral circulation. During fevers, ginger acts as a useful diaphoretic, promoting perspiration. As a carminative, it promotes gastric secretion and is used in dyspepsia, flatulence and colic.
	Cinnamon: The dried inner bark of the cinnamon shoots are used to make what we know as cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder. Cinnamon is a strong carminative. It relieves nausea and vomiting. Because of its mild astringency, it can be used to relieve diarrhea as well. Cinnamon is known to balance blood sugar levels in the body.
	Cloves: The parts used for herbal action are the unexpanded flower buds. Cloves increase circulation, promote digestion and nutrition, raise the body temperature and stimulate the excretory organs. It also stimulates and disinfects the kidneys, skin, liver, and bronchial mucous membrane. It is the most powerful of the aromatic and carminative herbs. Cloves are also indicated for cold extremities, colic, flatulence and indigestion.

Chai tea contains a lot less caffeine than coffee, so it is a great alternative for people who enjoy stimulants throughout their day. The Black tea that is used to make chai has antioxidant properties. The spices or culinary herbs used in chai tea are all digestive aids, as Ayurvedic medicine (the ancient Indian medical system where chai tea originated) maintains that a healthy digestion is the key to overall health and well-being. Ayurveda speaks of the digestive fire ("agni") which should be burning all day long to aid digestion and proper absorption of nutrients. For that reason, Ayurveda frowns on cold and iced drinks as the cold is said to put out agni. Chai tea aids in the digestive fire being strong all day and is a great beverage upon rising to prepare the body for the assimilation of nutrients as well as after meals to combat flatulence, balance and support digestion of the body.

Read more about Dagmar the herbalist and yoga instructor, as well as her Greener Living Co-op , and organic veggie and fruit delivery service.

CHAI!

2010-12-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

Yoga class this morning held a special treat—a fellow yogi who regularly “ommm”s loudly in the most dissonant interval. I’m always glad to see her because I know she will bring a big smile to my face at the end of class. Namaste!

Now it’s time for—yes, finally—a CHAI!

My search for the perfect recipe to cook up a chai from scratch is over. For the last week my kitchen was transformed into a test lab and I did not even shy away from endangering my health to find that perfect mix. While I enjoy spicy food (well, to a certain degree that is), it turned out that I seem to be more simple natured when it comes to chai. Even after an extensive test phase, I ended liking the recipe I started out with the best.

[insert drumroll]

My #1 chai recipe—slightly adapted from Chai & Yoga’s blog website:

Ingredients:
2 cups of water
3 green cardamom pods
1 tsp black tea (I use loose Taj Mahal’s Orange Pekoe tea)
1 tbsp fresh ginger
2 cups nonfat or 2% milk

Instructions:
Crush cardamom and ginger with a pestle and mortar. (If you don’t have one, open the cardamom pods with your fingers and smash the ginger with the back of a knife.) Bring water, cardamom and ginger to a boil.
When the water starts to simmer add the tea and stir, then add the milk. Bring to a boil again, watching the pot carefully. Simmer for about 3 minutes or until the color looks satisfactory, depending on how strong you like your chai. I find the Taj Mahal tea to be very strong, so I reduced the original amount of tea from 3tsp to 1 tsp. You may want to use more than 1 tsp, depending on your tea and preference.
Pick out big pieces of ginger with a spoon, then strain the chai into cups. Enjoy sweetened or just like this, the latter is my personal preference.

The preparation alone is a pleasure for the senses. Crushed cardamom pods, fresh ginger…mmhhhh! I find I’m craving ginger even in food now. Maybe I should get myself analyzed by an Ayurvedic practitioner one of these days.

At day 1 of the test phase, my friend Sabine from Santa Cruz stopped by and I offered her a taste of my #1 recipe. She liked it and we exchanged ideas and recipes over the following days. She sent me her favorite formula which, of course, I had to try. Now, my dear reader, I mentioned that Sabine lives in Santa Cruz. If this doesn’t mean anything to you, click here to see a typical citizen of Santa Cruz. These people are hardcore in any way nature intended! I noticed at first glance that Sabine’s recipe compared to mine had about twice the amount of spices, plus some additional ones with only half the amount of liquid, but hey—nothing would stop me from finding the perfect mix, right?! I paid the price. Big time. The most awful heartburn haunted me for the rest of the day… Have you ever been to a yoga class where the teacher asks you to go just a little bit deeper into the pose and engage in just a little more ujjayi breathing to fuel the fire in your body? If you want to feel said fire in your stomach and esophagus without stretching a single muscle, cook up a cup or two of Sabine’s chai recipe, which she says she got from Yogi Tea. Now feel the fire!!

Real Masala Chai Latte

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups of water

- 8 green cardamom pods

- 2 slices fresh ginger, peel

- 1 stick of cinnamon, 2 inches long

- 2 whole cloves

- 2/3 cups of whole milk or low fat

- 3 tsp of loose Assam Tea

- 2 Tbs of Agave Syrup

[Since Agave syrup is fallen from grace these days, Sabine suggests using honey instead.]

Instructions:

1) Crush the cardamom and cloves together until the cardamom pods open up.

2) Put the water and spices into a pot and bring to a boil.

3) Simmer for 5min.

4) Add the milk and Tea and bring mixture to almost boiling and turn off the heat.

5) Allow the brew to infuse the tea for about 2-3 min.

6) Strain the chai, add 1Tbs of sweetener to each cup, stir and enjoy!

No matter if lots of spices or only a small selection strike your taste buds, chai is always worth an inspiring and balancing break—especially if you’re in need of some inner fire.

Go ahead, my friend, give it a try!

On a side note: I have not had any coffee for the past week. This is weird, since I’m usually a 'once to twice a day' coffee aficionada. For some reason the desire to even open the coffee jar has plummeted to below zero these days. Maybe next time I’ll try to add a piece of ginger…

Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 of our excursions into the world of chai—this time by guest blogger, herbalist and yogi Dagmar Jones.

Holiday Cheer

2010-12-25T11:12:00.001-08:00

(my parents' backyard in Germany these days)

Frohe Weihnachten & Merry Christmas, my friend!

It's Christmas Day. I'm sitting at the kitchen table typing, while my two daughters decorate gingerbreadmen. Actually, they are gingerbread-girls as I was forcefully informed. I'm itching to get out of the house. A nice hike would be awesome right now. In fact, I think that's what I'm going to do. Yay!

I received quite a few holiday-emails and cards in the past couple of days, also from friends and family in Europe. Thanks to all of you. While I'm glad I missed out on the long lines at the airport, canceled flights, and piles of snow to shovel, I sure wished I could share the white Christmas with you. Bay Area Christmas weather just never seems satisfactory if you grew up in need of Gluehwein to keep your core temperature somwhere close to 37⁰ Celsius at this time of year (if you're not sure what I'm referring to, check out the previous post). In fact, I moved here in December, 11 years ago. The weather had been lousy in Germany at that time, and I arrived at SFO with an awful cold and wrapped up in layers and layers of clothes. The first day, I took my then 2-years-old son to the playground where children played barefeet--yes, BAREFEET!!--in the sand. Talk about culture shock!

No, let's just talk about culture for now, without the shock. Yesterday I made Brataepfel (baked apples), like I always do on Christmas Eve, because that's what my mom does on Christmas Eve and probably my two sisters do as well. It's almost like a pandemic of Brataepfel cooking. One of my daughters commented last night "Mama, hier riecht es nach Weihnachten!" ("Mom, it smells like Christmas here.") Well, it looks like the next generation of Brataepfel cooks has arrived! See the picture below for my creation from yesterday. Just imagine them smothered in a pile of whipped cream. Mmmhhhhhhhhh!!

(Do you wonder how I managed to get the soft-edged, blurry-frame effect around this photo? I do, too. I awkwardly fumbled around with my camera, covering the lense with one sweaty palm--next thing I know is the photo turned out like this...)

It even appears that I am getting used to blogging over the holidays. I was warned by more experienced bloggers, that it has addictive properties and "checking the blog" would become a first priority. Well, I don't know, I'm still figuring out the technical side of it. So many colorful buttons to press! I discovered one yesterday, that I think is very cool: the "stats" tab. Clicking on it will give me a list of the activitiy on the blog--hourly. The pressure is on, my friend, make that click to view this blog--it'll show!

Oh, and even better, it gives a list of countries the blog has been accessed from and shades those countries dark on a map of the world. Now that's were the fun really starts. The U.S. is in first place so far, followed by Germany, Czech Republic (Hi Kate, I hope you have an awesome, well-deserved vacation with your family!), and Malaysia. That's odd. I don't know anybody in Malaysia. Somebody traveling? I'd love to see photos!

So much for this Christmas Day post. I'm off to the outdoors! That's one reason to love Northern California for sure. I'm also feverishly experimenting with chai (see my first post in German for details, or simply know that I'm on the verge of discovering the most delicious recipe for chai from scratch). I'll share as soon as I found it. And I'm also seeing a guest post or two in the near future of this blog--inspired by the muses!

Have a beautiful day, filled with warm fuzzy thoughts,

Ute

Süsse Freiheit

2010-12-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

Alle Jahre Wieder...

Weihnachtslichter-Segen auf Hudson Street (einen Block von uns)

Lieber Leser, Dies ist die erste Blog-Post meines ersten Blogs. Sei lieb zu ihr. Es ist drei Tage vor Weihnachten. 11 1/2 Monate nonstop Vollzeit-Studium liegen hinter mir. Seit fast einer Woche gibt es nun endlich eine Pause--Weihnachtsferien! Süsse Freiheit! Zeit sich inspirieren zu lassen und Neues auszuprobieren. Was liegt da naeher als zu schreiben? Das mache ich ja sowieso zur Genuege--essays, research papers, reports, case studies, care plans, study guides,... Aber diesmal soll das Schreiben etwas spassiger werden, denn durch all die viele ungewohnte Freizeit jetzt bin ich von der Muse geküsst worden! Ein bisschen jedenfalls. Turbulent geht's bei uns trotz süsser Freiheit zu, denn ausser mir haben auch alle vier Kinder Ferien. Nachdem wir vor 2 1/2 Jahren aufgehoert haben zu home-schoolen bin ich mit dem Geraeuschpegel und der Fuelle an dringenden Beduerfnissen erstmal wieder ziemlich (über)ge-fordert. Puh! Gut dass der Regen gerade nachgelassen hat und alleman draussen im Garten das Laub unserer vier dicken Eichen aufrechen durften. Das daemmte die überschiessende Energie wenigstens etwas ein, und renkte mir fast den Ruecken aus... Was gibt's nun also zu tun für die naechsten fast fünf Wochen?

Lernen, lernen, lernen! Mein letztes Semester Nursing School an der San Francisco State University steht bevor, und damit auch das Staatsexamen, der NCLEX-RN, im Juni. Das will natuerlich laengerfristig vorbereitet werden, denn durchzufallen ist nicht nur peinlich, sondern auch recht kostspielig.
Entspannen, entspannen, entspannen! Denn es sind ja schliesslich Ferien. Aber irgendwie habe ich das Gefuehl als ob das erst nach dem 3. Januar 2011 der Fall sein wird, wenn die Schule fuer alle unter 150cm wieder beginnt.
Feiertage. Da gibt es vorzubereiten, zu kochen, zu feiern, und vor allem die Nerven zu behalten.
Lesen. So viele gute Buecher warten auf mich! Aus diesem Blickwinkel betrachtet, moechte ich doch noch gerne ein paar Regentage extra bestellen.
Yoga. Mein Lebensretter durch das letzte Jahr, vor allem die letzten Monate, in denen ich relativ regelmaessig fruehmorgens um 5:30Uhr ein Stuendchen damit verbrachte. Was ich dabei an Balance nicht habe, kann ich meist mit Flexibilitaet aussgleichen--ganz wie im Leben generell. Meine neueste Errungenschaft: Kopfstand (ohne jegliche Hilfe). Das freut mich diebisch, denn das habe ich selbst als junger Huepfer noch nie gekonnt. Jetzt, mit 38 Jahren, sieht die Welt wundersam anders aus wenn man sie andersherum betrachtet.
Chai, ein weiterer Musenkuss. In einem anderen Blog habe ich heute ein Rezept fuer selbstgemachten Chai gelesen das mich so begeistert hat, dass ich gleich in den Laden ging und mir die Zutaten--Schwarztee, Kardamom, und frischen Ingwer--besorgte. Ab morgen geht es los, ich braue meinen eigenen! Mal sehen ob es eine Alternative zu meinem gruenen Jasmintee wird.
Dieser Blog. Das duerfte interessant werden aus mehreren Gruenden. Ich schreibe mittlerweile deutlich mehr auf Englisch als auf Deutsch, was mit Anlass war hier in beiden Sprachen zu schreiben. Mein Deutsch scheint mir oft schon ein bisschen rostig und meine Rechtschreibung fragwuerdig. Es kann damit also nur bergauf gehen! Interessant wird auch zu sehen wie regelmaessig ich zum Schreiben komme mit Semesterbeginn Ende Januar, und der wilden Bande hier zuhause. In den naechsten Wochen klappt das hoffentlich haeufiger.
Umlaute. Ich moechte gerne lernen wie ich die Umlaute auf der amerikanischen Tastatur mit shortcuts benutzen kann. Hat da vielleicht jemand einen heissen Tip?

Wie ihr seht, liebe Freunde von ueberall verstreut auf der Welt, es gibt eine Menge zu tun und eigentlich klingt das alles hier sehr spassig.
Kein Wunder--ich hab ja auch Ferien!
Herzliche Gruesse und einen angenehmen Rest-Advent,

Ute