Day 176

I'm running on about four-and-a-half hours of sleep this morning because I was out until the wee hours last night dining and dancing with my friends. We were celebrating a birthday and had a private room at Voglie. It was a lovely, intimate setting with snow drifting down lightly outside the windows and a fireplace (I sat by the fireplace - I'm always cold!) We had a big group - about 20 people - but I've known most of them for years, so it was comfortable.

The food was absolutely stunning. I had a bad experience at this restaurant a few years ago, but they're under new management now. I consulted with the waiter and chose a breaded, pan-seared soft goat cheese as my appetizer (served with lightly toasted baguette slices). It really packed a punch. I don't often eat cheese (or bread, for that matter) so this was a treat.

For my main entrée, I chose an interesting salad, the Insalata All Panzenalla. There is no lettuce in it, just fresh tomatoes, cucumber chunks, red pepper, thinly sliced onion and capers with a zesty dijon mustard vinaigrette dressing. The croutons soaked up the dressing and were so yummy! I wasn't sure if I liked capers. Well, I love them! I'll be looking for them at the store next week.

Dessert was a decadent homemade Tiramasu, which was beautifully presented and incredibly rich. It was like an orgasm on a plate; I was in heaven.

After the leisurely meal, the group headed upstairs for some dancing. I haven't danced at this club before and I was pleasantly surprised. The DJ was playing a good mix, including some Soca, which I always enjoy. I stayed for longer than I had intended, but managed grab a subway before it shut down for the night.

Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit sore and tired this morning. My left hamstring is tight. I don't know if this is because of my Mad Movz on the dance floor or because I had my legs crossed for part of the meal. I lingered in my forward bends during the sun salutations.

I went deeper in today's practice, playing with my edge more than I did yesterday. My Bhujapindasana gets better and better every day. Today, I even did a very decent approximation of Tittibhasana A as I was exiting. I'm not bringing my head to the floor these days, instead focusing on deepening the pose and balancing.

Supta Kurmasana absolutely rocked today.

Musical Sirsasana was Linda Ronstadt's 'Desperado' (3 minutes, 27 seconds). I was wobbly.

I'm relaxing with a cup of tea for a little while before I head to the soup kitchen to do some Karma Yoga. I still need to do some baking and my prepare my soup for the week, but after that is done, I'm sure there will be some napping! Both are great activities for a gray, snowy day.