Musical Chairs

July 30, 2015 at 11:19 am (evil, feet, food, short story, Tattoo)
Tags: , ,

We sat on the curb in the parking lot outside the store drinking Mexican cola. It was raining a little but we didn’t mind. LA was suddenly very tropical and we had time to kill. We talked about girls tattooing their legs. I thought it was akin to spray painting a flower. Fashion is so strange.

My friend talked about that waitress from the restaurant we had just eaten at. There was a darkness about her from the moment we interacted, but I chalked it up to something my witch friend had told me: that evil would be in the air until the 26th of the month.

The waitress sat us in the middle of the noodle restaurant. I never like that. It’s a Malcolm X thing. But I decided not to say anything. Before we ordered, a big drop of water fell on me from the air conditioner vent above. I jumped like a man being shocked.

The waitress let us move to the corner where there was a stack of about 10 unused chairs next to our table and a group of punk rockers eating before they went to a show across the street. They were wearing the same punk clothes and band t-shirts that the punks were wearing 20 years ago. Nothing had changed except now their uniform was bought at a corporate punk rock clothing store at the mall.

I was wallowing in sadness over this thought when the waitress came over and asked if she could have the spare chair that was sitting at our table. My friend had to remove his backpack and I had to grab my sunglasses and keys so she could give this chair to people that had just walked in. My friend and I looked at the stack of 10 unused chairs next to us and laughed until the waitress came over and said, “Is everything okay?”

When I got home, I decided to go back out and walk in the rain. I was wearing a tank top and cut-off army pants from Desert Storm. It was so still and quiet in my neighborhood. So few people were out. The rain seemed to be calming the entire world.

As usual, I ran into someone I knew. They said hello and then asked, “What’s with the flip-flops?” I said, “LA is turning tropical.” They said, “No really….” I hesitated. “Ok… they are my girlfriend’s. I didn’t expect to run into you.”
flip flops

Written by Daniel Overberger

Edited by Nancy Winebarger

3 Comments

Yoga for your feet

February 4, 2015 at 12:19 pm (Ask a yoga teacher, feet, Plantar fasciitis, Yoga, Yoga for your feet)

The feet are a delicate, perfectly engineered, high-performance piece of sophisticated walking, standing and running machinery. We should really make it a daily routine to show them our love. This is not a blog about foot fetishes by the way … it’s yoga for your feet. I’m going to give you four foot poses (asanas) that will have your feet serving you like happily indentured slaves. So with no further ado, let’s be nice to our foot soldiers.

The feet are the furthest appendage away from our heart, which is the prime source of oxygen, the fuel for our body and feet. So every foot asana (pose) we do will be held for the duration of 3 breaths to send oxygen and fuel from the nose to the toes.

Breathing: Breathe through your nose as you count to 3, then hold for a moment. Breathe out to a 3 count and hold empty for a moment. We will do this simple breathing technique 3 times for every pose.

First Foot Asana: Sit down and clench your feet like you are trying to make fists with your feet. Keep you feet like this for 3 deep breaths (see above), then release. If you get pain, back off … that goes for everything.

foot1

Second Foot Asana: Flex your feet like you’re trying to open them as wide as you can. You’re pulling your toes back in the direction of your shin. Stay like this for 3 breaths, the release.

foot2

Third Foot Asana: Grab your left foot with your right hand. The palm of your hand will be facing the sole of your foot. Put all of your fingers in between all of your toes. Now squeeze a little like your giving a firm handshake. Hold for 3 breaths, then do the other side. Left hand on the right foot, hold firm for 3 breaths. Don’t forget to count slowly to 3 as you breathe in and count slowly to 3 as you breathe out.

foot3

Fourth Foot Asana: You are going to have to get a golf ball. Maybe someone you know plays. It doesn’t matter what brand. You should sit in a chair for this one. It will be easier to do this on a carpeted floor, but you can do it almost anywhere. Put the golf ball on the carpet, then put the center of the sole of your right foot on the golf ball. Move your foot around like you are trying to touch every part of your foot directly on the golf ball. Use a little pressure. As you do this, take 3 deep breaths. Then do the left foot.

foot4

I would do these at least 3 times a week, more if you have the time. Make it a habit and try and do it at the same time every day … and don’t forget to breathe. I know in current society we are spending less time on our feet and more time on our asses. Maybe next time we’ll do some ass yoga. But for now, be cool to your feet and take them out for a walk once in a while.

1 Comment