these peaceful waters.

today, all that's on my mind is gratitude. deep, respectful, intense appreciation for the luck of being alive. each day that passes where seemingly nothing much happens and we go about our business peacefully is a day to be cherished and held SO close to our hearts. a day where we don't have to experience trauma or pain is a fucking gift from somewhere, a gift that we have no control over receiving, that we just take without a second thought or a question as to whether we deserve it. the little scenes of worry and stupid fears are truly meaningless when held up to life's giant motion picture. with how much bad and sadness going on everywhere that we don't get to see, we that are in the land of the living where we are smiling and moving along with our daily duties are truly LUCKY. we, miraculously, survive these moments with almost a shield of goodness watching over us because today's circumstances have randomly added up to something positive. and there is absolutely nothing we can do to try to change or control what we are dealt today. yes, i know i think this too, if only i had done this that wouldn't have happened, but how can we stop the waves from being gentle or turbulent? all we can do is ride them and allow the gnarly storms to remind us to treasure the tranquil water we often take for granted everyday. amidst the unlucky shit that we are handed from time to time, i bow to the graces of the universe that allow me these peaceful waters in this very moment. namaste.

adventures in sewing.

sewing. i've always had this love/hate relationship with it. when things are going well, seams are straight, i cut the pattern perfectly, the machines are behaving, well then i just love it. but when the fabric pieces don't line up for some crazy reason, and i can't sew a straight line, AND the machines are acting like bitches, well then i get very very frustrated. like i would like to sew the machine out the window.

lucky for me, my new serger and coverstitch machine have been good girls for the most part. up until i was finishing up my final pair of pants prototypes for my new line, the serger knife cut through a needle and then the rest of the seam for those pants was screwed. and i need a new knife. but i'm glad it happened later than sooner!

so yeah, i'm working on a new line of end of summer/fall clothes for purusha people! i may or may not be sewing everything myself, depending if i can get some manufacturing done in LA. but i wanted to sew the prototypes to bring what i imagine to life. plus, sewing has been actually really fun these past few days. i've woken up each morning truly excited to create! with my usual purusha work, of course i freakin adore it because it's mine, but often times i am not as enthused to make the same pants i've been dyeing and screen printing for 2 years. so it's fun to sew and do something different. i'm sure though if i sewed these pieces everyday, i might be singing a different tune!

today i am having my new clothes photographed on some yogi friends! super excited! so you will see what i've been working on real soon!

btw, i still need about 140 votes to qualify for the chase bank loan. the deadline is in 3 days! please vote for purusha people if you haven't already! many thanks, and namaste. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8VpRyYZMtM&feature=player_embedded

mr. julie.

this weekend liam got a new nickname, and it's mr. julie. for some reason calling him that makes me laugh way harder than maybe it should. why is it so funny to me?! liam was waiting for dinner on sunday and drooling heavily, as usual, so i said, "relax mr. drooly!" patrick was like, "did you just call him mr. julie?" and we all laughed and laughed. and now we are calling liam mr. julie. isn't it crazy how many nicknames your dog ends up getting?!

this weekend patrick, mr. julie, and i went to the no dogs beach in malibu. what is up with beaches not wanting dogs on them having a rockin' good time?! c'mon, it's so silly and uptight. i will pick up the poo and liam, um excuse me mr. julie, will make you smile. who wouldn't want that?! malibu is SO pretty, and we lucked out to meet some other doggies on the no dogs beach, so it was a pretty good time for mr. julie :). hehe.

me again ;). on youtube!

hi!!

turns out i say um a lot.. but you get the point, right?!

xo.

these guys.

i mean, c'mon! look at this dude in the plaid shirt! how cool is he?!

liam is hilarious. and such a nice friend. patrick, liam, and i, we are all so in love. with life, with running, with each other. patrick just got some new vibrams, so now we are all running together barefoot. yeeee! :)

now we are tired and getting ready for bed. everything is pretty fun and awesome 'round here today, and well most days!

good night! 

the path we love.

how gorgeous is this?! basically in our backyard too!

there's a little grave up top that has a dog collar on it, and it says 'blade' 'on the trails you loved to run'. oh my gosh, i cried when i saw that. and hugged liam so tight. and then patrick too. life is so short. we have to appreciate and treasure every moment, especially moments as beautiful as these.

hope your day is wonderful!

my life this week.

i discovered the jackpot of all trails right near my house. just a half a mile away there's an entrance to sooo many lovely trails! they are endless and gorgeous, with sweeping views of calabasas and all of topanga! having this haven to run to is heavenly. i am in love with topanga even more!

the mornings here have been very misty, but clear up around midday.

and i finally got a new pair of vibrams!! little girls vibrams. they look like shoes for a small child. my other pair had holes and my big toe would keep popping out. when they were so beat i started running in my pumas, like my normal walking shoes. ugh. glad to have the five fingers back!

our house is coming along! 

the only area that needs work is my purusha area. it's kinda a disaster. i plan on fixing it up this weekend and making it all organized and cool! i'll show it to you when its done!

i spend A LOT of time cuddling and kissing this guy.

wearing the dress my mama made me a few years ago. cute right?!

hope you have a marvelous weekend!! lots of love to you!

landlady leaks

ok so a couple months ago i promised a post on our old landlord.

like a normal person, i'm of course over it and the whole ridiculous experience with her is basically forgotten... but a big part of me still wishes to protect others from renting from her, and wants justice. no one in her condition should be running a rental property, and it was very strange to watch what a bit of power did to a person like her.

we were going to pursue her in court to get back the the large amount of money she took from our security deposit, but decided the money wasn't worth compromising our sanity while fighting her in court. like i said though, sometimes i wonder if we should have done that, to put this person in her place and show her that the way she works with people is absolutely cruel, illegal, and just plain wrong.

so below is her "addendum" she makes tenants sign before renting (totally illegal), and an email from her, for your entertainment. you can't make this shit up. enjoy!

5 random shapes.

view from near my house.

this morning i took a perfect yoga class with the lovely and wonderous ashley albrand!  it's so great 'cause we live only 5 minutes away, and ashley lives on this beautiful magical space in topanga. the class is outside under an anthropolgie-esque (they wish they could shoot at a place this glorious!) open air vintage homemade building. and it was right on the dirt. what a way to slow down and get grounded in the morning. if you live in the topanga area please come visit this space! it really is a healing happy atmosphere.

so ashley mentioned this morning that the shapes in yoga are not just confined to the mat. this really resonated with me. the shapes, or asanas, happen all day long. whether you are washing dishes, typing on the computer, cleaning the house, making food, each moment is an opportunity to settle into and surrender to the shape. each breath is a gift and a new chance to connect with the innate spirit within us all. what a joy!

shapes i'm taking today: 

1. surrender on and off the mat. reminded of this from the class this morning.

 photo 1: pink rayon, metallic spandex, bamboo blend, organic cotton spandex.

photo 2:  nylon sweat wicking polka dots!, organic cotton spandex in blues.

photo 3: metallic mermaid multi colored spandex, striped viscose, peach bamboo, gold patterned nylon.

2. sewing.

i got these fantastic fabrics at the fashion district!! aren't they incredible?! i love walking into fabric, craft, or vintage stores and just looking at and imagining what could be. i'm using all the above fabrics for pants, leggings, tanks, and tees! yippee!

3. a question for you.

what colors/prints/styles of clothing would you like to see in purusha's summer/fall 2012 line? you all mean SOOO much to me, so i would like your ideas and input! oh please!

4. reverence for insects and their place in the universe. especially spiders.

there are a TON of spiders in our house. at first i kinda was freaked and wanted those little buggers killed! but after a little research i am now beginning to feel really comfy with these little guys. i don't want them crawling on me (and they don't want that either!), but i respect them and don't mind them living in our house. they kill annoying flies and gnats, and some of them are REALLY cute. like this baby above. he's a daring jumping spider. we have one walking around our house. we named him michael jordan, 'cause he jumps! i'm always like "michael jordan, get out here and do your job. there are flies." hehe. michael will look at you. he turns his head and stares into your eyes with his 8 great big beautiful green eyes. i just love him.

5. slow down.

this is my final shape, my most important thought for the day again inspired by ashley's class this morn. slowing down is evolutionarily beneficial for us. it makes us healthier, helps us make wiser choices, and allows us to get tasks done with more brilliance and clarity. there is no need to rush through our daily activities. slowly slowly is the way to move and to get things finished. with patience and trust in time to take care of what we need, we can stay here in this moment peacefully and with awareness. we are safe here, melting into the moment with every breath.

randomness thoughts here for sure, but this what life is all about. a collage of shapes of all sorts!

namaste my friends.