Savings for Students (and Teachers)

When Rob goes away, I have to keep myself busy.  For the last week-plus I’ve been sanding, scraping, varnishing and painting the upstairs and planting the garden: projects that are eleven and three months later (respectively) than I meant to begin them, but at least they’re done now.  And, clearly, at the expense of my blog!

I promise to post something more meaningful soon, but I thought these bargains deserved their own private shout-outs:

1. Amazon Prime: free two-day shipping and $4-per-item overnight shipping for a year, plus special sales and promotions.  $80 per year.  Or, if you have a .edu e-mail account, completely free.  No joke!  As of now, they’re saying it’s at least a one-year membership; they “might choose” to extend it. Either way, it’s quite a deal, and they have an alternate method for non-edu e-mail addresses.
2. Scholastic Warehouse Sale: All educational materials are on sale, most around half of their normal price, through this weekend.  Search for a location (the closest to me is in Odenton) and click the “Sign Up” button to register and receive a coupon for an additional 10-25% off.

You Really Like Us!

1) The Newseum* does.  Free admission in April to any teacher with a valid ID.

2) The Container Store does: 15% off in 2011.

3) Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts does: 15% off through August 31.

4) Ann Taylor LOFT does: 15% off indefinitely.

5) Barnes & Noble does, sort of.  20% discount on "most" books, toys and games.

*In case you didn't know, the Newseum is pretty much my favorite museum.  Except for maybe the liger museum. Or the Decoy Museum, though it's a little disappointing once you realize it's, well, a decoy . . .

Still Waiting?

In case my glowing review of Waiting for Superman wasn't enough to drive you off the couch and into the theater, here's a good excuse to go: teachers can see the movie at a discounted price this week.

Okay, so it's only a three-dollar discount, and it's only for three days.  But you really should see it anyway.  And I might even go with you!  :)

Falafel Found, Finally

Falafel is one of those foods you take for granted until you can't find it anywhere.  In New York, there were a dozen little shops within walking distance of my apartment where, for about five bucks, you could get a pita crammed full of veggies, tahini sauce and delicious warm nuggets of fava beans and parsley.  In Baltimore, falafel is a specialty item, mainly found at upscale mezze restaurants.  An Arab lady briefly opened a gelato shop up the street from our church, and when we found out she made falafel on the side, we tried hard to keep her in business.  Unfortunately, she closed after less than a year (probably because the Middle Eastern side of the menu was insider's information.)

But today, on a Groupon adventure, Rob and I found falafel.  Tahina's is so well-designed and efficient, it looks for all the world like a chain restaurant; Rob dubbed it "the Middle Eastern Subway."  I would say it's closer to Chipotle, as the ingredients are all fresh and beautiful. My research, however, turned up an even better scenario: it's a brand-new venture by a marketing firm who wanted to try out some of their tactics on their own business.  They're calling it the "first of 300."  Boy, do I wish I had enough venture capital to be number 2!

Like Chipotle, you choose a centerpiece (beef, chicken, or falafel -- and who in their right mind wouldn't choose falafel?!) and a presentation (pita or salad.)  Then the fun begins.

There are a staggering number of vegetables (crispy fried eggplant rounds, red cabbage, sprouts) and salads (carrot and cilantro, cucumber and tomato, spiced chickpea) and sauces (baba ganoush, hummus, and yes, tahini.)  You can also get slightly inauthentic toppings like pickles, cheese and honey mustard. As many as you want (my salad teetered precariously as I carried it to the table) for about $6 per entree.

The restaurant also sells fries; eggplant and sweet potato options are a nod to the Mediterranean, and a "sauce bar" is meant to evoke Belgium's frites shops, I think.  After our falafels, we didn't want anything else.  But we will be back.  And you should join us!

A New Love

I love to learn.  This might be why I occasionally love to teach, too.  I also love a good deal.  This might be proof that I'm Armenian.

Thus, I purchased a Groupon awhile back for a month of yoga classes at Charm City Yoga (turn volume down if exploring that link!) which has four locations around Baltimore; I got to six classes in a month, most with my friend Jamie, and I'm sad to know it will end tonight.

As I drove home from class, I reflected on some of the things I love about yoga, none of which I could have predicted until I tried it.  From least to most important:

1. It's a great workout. Anyone who thinks it's simply stretching is woefully misinformed.  I left my first Vinyasa class drenched in sweat and was sore for several days afterward.

2. It leaves you feeling peaceful. As much as I loved running and hated to give it up, I never liked the way I felt afterwards: tense.  Yes, I got a nice feeling of exhaustion and a rush from the endorphins, but my neck and shoulders were always tight, and my feet hurt, even before I developed plantar fasciitis.  When you leave a yoga class, you feel tired, but very peaceful; more flexible, more open.

3. It's centering. I know I have shared this Tolstoy story before, but in case you haven't read it, please do; it explains so much of what I hate about modern life.  I feel we are always looking back, with nostalgia and relief, or forward, with anticipation and dread.  We try to accomplish so much at once that we rarely take the time to ground ourselves in the beauty of the present moment.  Yoga forces you to do this: you concentrate on your breath, your body, the room you're in, the presence of others, the voice of your instructor -- all the visceral and tangible signs of the world around you.  You have to pay attention and be present.

4. It's deeply spiritual. I have always thought Orthodoxy had much in common with other Eastern religions, and I have found yoga to be very much in line with its tenets.  At the beginning of each session you set an intention, a prayer -- something you lift up and ask for throughout the practice, either physical or spiritual.  As I breathe, I say the Jesus Prayer. I often find myself praying for others in the class, for the instructor, and for myself: as my body grows stronger, I pray that my faith will, too.

So.  Yoga.  Who knew?  This is why learning is such an amazing thing.