Any day that starts with yoga is a good day.

I attended my first yoga class in years this morning, and my body is thanking me for it. I'm always a little hesitant about trying out new studios/instructors, but this one was just the right combination of workout and meditation/relaxation - I actually broke a sweat, my legs will definitely be sore tomorrow, and for at least a few minutes I did manage to slide my shoulders lower than my ears and release a few of the muscles in my torso. Progress.

Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique

If the Canadians end up moving back to anywhere near Vancouver, I am definitely going to have to track down these people. (thanks to djbryan for the discovery!) Also, I have totally won their "I will crush you with my math prowess" badge, for a variety of reasons, but my favorite being using the Pythagorian Theorem to figure out how best to place my bed in my new apartment (it involved a bay window).

Fantasizing about 6 months in England

So a friend/colleague/prof (these lines get so blurry in grad school) sent out a job announcement for a six month gig as senior research officer at the University of Essex, to provide research assistance to Prof. Paul Hunt. Sadly, the reasons not to apply (most importantly, my current year-round federal funding essentially forbids it) outweigh the reasons to (Paul Hunt makes my little heart go pitter pat, afterwards I could practically write my own ticket in the human rights world). Nevertheless, I did spend about 5 minutes entertaining the idea of putting the dissertation on hold for half a year, pushing back my goal graduation date, and living abroad for six months. Sigh.

I Heart Matthew Modine

After uttering this statement during game night this past Friday a friend insisted I must watch Vision Quest, and promptly loaned it to me. I haven't had a chance to sit down and enjoy it yet, but the blurb on the back promises great things -

High school wrestler Louden Swain is a man obsesssed, trying to shed 23 pounds in a dangerously short time and take on Shute, the undefeated, tough-as-nails 168-pound champion who's the best wrestler in the state. Matthew Modine stars as the mop-headed student undeterred in his Vision Quest...until the day sexy drifter (Linda Fiorentino) threatens to pin Louden and his dreams to the mat of unrequited love.