Nia

This weekend I took a two-day class called "Nia," which is a fusion of martial arts, dance and healing arts. The day before I started the class I had virtually no clue what it was. The academic adviser who suggested the class to me as part of my general education requirement told me that it was a "martial arts class with yoga" so I said, "Okay, that sounds better than ballet I suppose." I think that made my experience better because I didn't have unnecessary fear going in to the course due to preconceived notions of what it was.


In a nutshell, the class looked like this (with loud ambient music in the background):















*photo from www.claruscenter.com


It was a very free-form, do-your-own-thing, sort of experience.
The class was fun in many respects, but it hooked me for a few reasons:
1. You get to dance and have fun without shoes while touching hardwood floor.
2. Everyone else in the class accepted the exercises and had fun for several hours on both days.
3. The teacher projected a spiritual vibe and was very calm about assignments as well as technique.
4. The class was two days and I received one credit. Yes, amazing.
5. I do not move around nearly enough, and I think that this class was a little bit of a wake-up call that even though I'm skinny, I'm not necessarily healthy.


I liked the feeling of gyrating my hips, twisting my hands, dancing to the music with a bunch of other people, feeling very positive, and not caring what anyone thought about how stupid I looked. Thinking that other people in the class might have felt these uplifting emotions made me smile, too. I liked not being sedentary the majority of the weekend, something I've become far too accustomed to during the course of this winter. This activity has made me yearn even more for summer to arrive so that I can play outside again and ride my bike, play soccer, etc. I had almost no clue what this class entailed before I enrolled. Before taking this course, I would have never thought that I would be doing some of the blatantly feminine moves that I did. At first, when the class began, I had a hard time sacrificing some of my masculinity and pride. I thought that other people might be judging me. However, after getting into the swing of the class, I found out that this is completely not the type of atmosphere that is generated during the different routines. I would definitely consider taking a Nia or Yoga class outside of a university setting in the future. Overall it was very positive and brought out some fantastic emotions inside my body. I learned that sometimes it's good to just let go of your inhibitions and express your inner child and your body. Next weekend I'm looking forward to taking a sailing class. We actually get to captain a sailboat on Ford Lake! Very exciting!

At the Capitol

Today I went to the State Capitol to protest in favor of higher education. The protests were in response to funding cuts from Snyder's 2011-2012 budget bill, which seeks to cut higher education funding by about 22 percent. According to news sources, about 200 students from different universities turned up to protest today. Some students even came from the Upper Peninsula, so that was pretty awesome. Virg Bernero, the Mayor of Lansing and former candidate for Governor, gave a speech, along with a few other interesting people. The protesters had a lot of energy, and many people had some very good signs. After the rally outside the Capitol, we all migrated inside and chanted around the rotunda and near the House of Representatives. This lasted about an hour or so and then the momentum started to die down as some schools left in their respective buses. All in all, I would say that it was a pretty good day, and the people there, though relatively few in number, were very loud. The only bad thing about the experience was the biting cold.

*This image was taken by Greg DeRuiter and posted on http://www.lansingstatejournal.com

A brief personal thought: sometimes I don't understand the passionate hate people have for students and educators. How far removed are these Americans from reality? It irks me that they think every student and educator is an anarchist when that is clearly not the case. If it was the case, that would be fine, and it would be amazing, but that is really not the case. Really, these people are jokes, and I notice they have no communication skills or arguing abilities. They hop up out of the woodwork and try to put you on the blacklist from the 1960s. Just something that I needed to get off my chest.

On another note, Tara and I are going to a performance of Les Misérables at the Fox Theater tonight, so I'm very excited for that. My mom got us excellent seats for Tara's birthday on Sunday, and I've been waiting to see a production of this for a few years now. All in all, today has been quite a busy day, but I'm very happy about it so far! Now if only it could get warmer soon!

Plans!

I haven't posted in a while because of school. 12 credit hours for spring semester is quite a bit to handle. However, it will all be done soon, and I will be able to experience freedom, recreation, and travel! In the beginning of July my partner, her sister and boyfriend and I, will be going down to Florida for an entire week! I've heard it's in the 100s down there which is extremely hot, although Michigan has been in the 80s recently. After that I'm hoping to go up to Bay Lake to visit my grandparents for a week. It's about 2 hours north of Toronto, Ontario near Algonquin Provincial Park, which is incredibly beautiful. And maybe, just maybe, after both of these trips, Tara and I will go up to the Upper Peninsula and camp out somewhere near Tahquamenon Falls State Park. For those of you who aren't completely aware of where the middle of nowhere is, here's a map. Tahquamenon Falls State Park is the red dot.


In addition to this, here's a picture of Tara (just so you can visualize who I'm referring to from now on) and I at Ludington State Park on Michigan's west coast.


Here's a picture of the beautiful Bay Lake near Huntsville, Ontario.


Please tell me about a better place to go camping up north if there is one, because I've never been to the U.P. so I'm not exactly an expert.

Sonia Sotomayor Appointed to Supreme Court

Once approved by the Senate, Sotomayor will be the first Hispanic woman to hold a chair on the Supreme Court.  She's taking the place of David Souter, a primarily liberal judge who was appointed by George H.W. Bush.  This is a wonderful decision, in my opinion, because Sotomayor is in her early 50s and will likely be on the Court for another 30-40 years.  President Obama might also have a couple more appointments to make in his Presidency, because Justice John Paul Stevens is 89 years old and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 76 years old.  However, Justice Souter is only 69 years old and he is retiring, so one can never really know when a Justice will step down.  Here is an article and short video detailing the appointment.  

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Political Compass

I took a political ideology test just now, one that I've taken before. I took it again to see if my
views have changed at all. I think I've moved a little farther to the left (if that's possible??).




The graph on the right shows the various political ideologies of several prominent characters in society. One would think that Thatcher would be right up there with Hitler, I guess not though...
I've seen another test, and it placed the Dalai Lama at about the same position as me on the scale, so that's cool. I'd rather be similar to the Dalai Lama as opposed to Margaret Thatcher or Milton Friedman any day. You can take the quiz at http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
If you find a better quiz, tell me, because they're a great waste of time and offer mildly interesting thought questions.

My First Steps

This is my first blog, so if anyone ever reads this, take it easy on me. I'm using this primarily as a way to put out my thoughts, pictures, and feelings like a journal or diary. Blogger.com seems more interesting to use than a book: writing in a book sounds tedious, I'm online way too much, and it would be great if viewers could give me some feedback. I live in Southeast Michigan and love it a lot, so I will probably talk about occurrences around here quite a bit. I'm very interested in politics, learning, having fun, camping, traveling, and music, so discussion and networking would be great. Don't be a stranger!