Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Kung Fu Fighting

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Gosh, Scorpio, it sure would be nice not to have to deal with the greedy needs of a stupid body. You could rent yourself a sensory-deprivation chamber or get hooked on drugs in order to escape your physical needs, but why not be as badass as you claim to be and try getting grounded in your bod. It'll help you cut some emotional crap.

Double Team Psychic Dream is the main reason I still check out the Bay Guardian online every week (now that they've finally cancelled my Table Ready column, 2 1/2 years after I left San Francisco). Written by Michelle Tea and her astrology pal Jessica Lanyadoo, their horoscopes are short, pithy, and kick my ass more often than I like to admit. Since I'm on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio, I get to read both, but clearly this is a Scorpio week. Cutting the emotional crap (and earning a living again) is very, very high on my list of What Must Be Done. And after reading this Talk of the Town and seeing the truly fabulous Kung Fu Hustle last night at my local movie palace (Cobble Hill Cinema, on Court Street--all movies only $5.50 on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Rock on!) I know just what to do: Start kicking things. Hard.

Poekoelan (which I always want to call Pokemon, thanks to the influence of my 8 yr old nephew) is a discipline based on traditional Indonesian martial arts forms. My writer pal Louise Rafkin, who runs Studio Naga, a Poekoelan school in Oakland, turned me onto it, when I was equally depressed last summer. There aren't very many Poekelon schools in general, but there is one in Chelsea, right near my old apartment on Hudson St. I started going to the early-morning class, which focused on self-defense. Just the warmup--stretches, kicks, running around the room--had me panting, and probably will even more now that I'm no longer living in a 5-floor walkup. But I need to go back, even though it's 30 minute subway ride away now. Sweat, discipline, counting to twenty in Indonesian, pushing my body instead of beating up on my mind. It's time.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finding this post through FPW has made my day! Thank you - from one emotional Scorpio to another - for putting some more perspective on my current state!! Yes the double team were spot-on...if only I had read that 5 days ago, before I wreaked some havoc on my love life...

Do you read Johnathon Cainer (stars.metawire.com)? I always find him motivational, in fact I often wonder if he is a Scorpio himself...

Stephanie J. Rosenbaum said...

Thanks so much for your comment, Christina! It's such a pleasure to think that actual people (beyond four or five of my friends) are enjoying the Adventures of the Pie Queen! What is FPW? And I will definitely check out Johnathon Cainer--thanks for the tip! yours in Scorpio-ness, Steph

Anonymous said...

Hi Stephanie,

FPW is foodpornwatch.arr.net which lists food blogs around the world as they are updated. You can really get lost over there!!

Anyway that's how I found your site, I hope you don't mind my popping in. I love to live vicariously while I'm sitting at my desk (and should be working :))-on the other side of the world!!

Wishing you a emotional-crap-free weekend, Christina.