Namaste News Holistic Health Fair and Yogic Expo

Hello Yoga Friends,

What a wonderful event on Sept. 17th.  So many new friends I met and wonderful Yogic items that I was introduced to.  http://www.khataland.com/

Yoga Mat that folds to easily travel and magically the dirty side never touches the clean one.

I'm going to have to ask them to make a Yoga mat that folds smaller into my cat carrier.

There was also a really fancy reusable pouch that can be used instead of throw-away plastic zip locks.  I bought a few and now I can carry some catnip with me and the velcro keeps it nice and fresh. 

http://www.snootybootydiapers.com/catalog/green-home-and-dining-46-1.html




So many beautiful pieces of jewelry and essential oils. 
But even more beautiful...

Roshini from Urban Yoga Center

Michelle from Snooty Booty Diapers

Shannon and Rachel

Yoga Girl and Arlene Martin

Singing  My Yoga Song with the children

At the Yoga Life Society table, sending Guruji blessings

Johanna and Cyril from Urban Yoga Center

Such a lovely event.  I hope to be there next year.

Blessings to all!

Much love, light and purring,

Swami Cat

Couldn't help but stare long and hard at this picture of the cat with two faces.  http://news.yahoo.com/mass-cat-2-faces-lives-12-years-sets-131909351.html

Made me think of  Vishvarupa, the universal form of Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna reveals that he is at once both the ultimate essence of Being in the universe and also its physical body, referred to as the Vishvarupa (`Universal Form`).



Why did I stare so hard and long at the cat with two faces?

Not because I couldn't believe this could happen in the world, but that I know anything can happen at any time.  Right now I am saddened to find my four year old beautiful nephew in the hospital having had two emergency out-of-the-blue brain surgeries last weekend and they are slowly waking him up from a coma today.  It is at these tremendously unbelievable times that I find myself hooking onto my Yoga practices more than ever.  It has become important to me to say my Mantra whole-heartedly for Ethan's health and my sister's and her husband's strength during these tough times. 

I am so grateful for the breathing techniques and kirtan chanting that has kept my mind from wandering to a dark place.  Furthermore the Sangha, the beautiful people who I know through Yoga and beyond have had an influx of well wishes and prayers for Ethan which just makes me so happy and grateful.

Yes, it has been a long time since I have written in the blog.
And yes I did say that I was going write a Swami Cat version of the Yoga Sutras every day, but life happens. 

What I do promise is that I am thinking of all of you, sending you love, healing and light every day.

May all beings find Yoga or some other form of peaceful practice to hold them steady through life's sudden Tsunamis.  

And yes, God, I too like Arjuna will continue to do my duty, what I was born for in the face of the scariest obstacles.  I will fight my inner demons by serving others today.   
 
Sending you love, light and a lot of energy to fight your own inner demons. 

Many, many blessings,

karuna (A.K.A. Yoga Girl)

A beautiful talk about Yoga without mentioning the word Yoga

You know you're a Yogi when...

1. Your Facebook wall posts consist of a quote from a Swami, The Dalai Lama or another Saint or wise ol' peacekeeper

2. You wake before everyone else in your house/neighborhood and instead of going back to sleep, you fall asleep in meditation

3. Instead of cursing the loud mouth drunk neighbor whose car needs a muffler, you picture him surrounded by light and love.  Then you put in some ear plugs.

4. You chanted Ram! Ram! Ram! during the earthquake and enjoyed the ride.

What else?  Send in your responses and I'll post them here!

Sutra 1.3: The Seer Abides In Its Own Nature

Ah, so much going on at the same time.  As I write this, a friend is struggling to give birth to a new human baby.  Jai to the little one and its mother.  Another friend is struggling with negative thoughts that plague her mind, poor thing.  Yoga Dog as usual is in sit, stay, drop it training as I watch and just giggle inside.  Luckily I am a cat and no one expects me to train in such mundane "trickery."  Since I do not have to bother with such trainings and have more time to study the Yoga Sutras, the primary text of the ancient science of Raja Yoga. 

Sri Patanjali's Sutras: 1.3  Then The Seer (Self) Abides In Its Own Nature


You are not the body nor the mind.  So simple, yet most of us get bogged down by distortions that cloud our ability to see the truth.  Our mind creates thoughts and desires.  The Seer or Self knows this but sometimes is mixed up by the mind.  For example, one day Yoga Dog was walking by a beautiful lake and looked in the clear water.  First he thought there was another dog looking back at him so he barked and barked.  After I told him that he was looking at a reflection of himself he recoiled in horror.  The lake from all his barking was rippling and he looked like a wavy mess.  He thought that was what he looked like.  Of course we know that his head is not wavy and misshapen.  He is not as good looking as a cat, but he is handsome for a dog.  Why is it that he could not see himself?  He thought that the reflection was him.  Of course we know that the reflection we see in a lake or mirror is not us, but then again if we have never seen ourselves before this might be something our mind believes.  This is how our mind works sometimes-- it looks at the reflection from mirrors, from other people-- and we take that as truth.  But our True Selves never change, and we are within pure and beautiful.

So how do we see ourselves as always true and unwavy?  We must help the mind get clear and calm again, just like the lake water.  When we allow our minds to be disturbed by negative thoughts, worrying, judgment, etc. we can no longer see our True Selves.  It is through meditation and Hatha Yoga that we can help the mind practice being in this calm clear state.  It isn't easy, but with time, perseverance and enthusiasm we can master the mind.

Any questions?  Try reading Sri Swami Satchidananda's translation and commentary of the Sutras (see picture above.)  Also my friend Rev. Jaganath's book Inside The Yoga Sutras is so helpful in understanding this ancient and wise text.  Rev. Jaganath analyzes the Sanskrit words and helps the reader understand why each word was used and what it meant at that time.  Very interesting!

And of course I want to hear from you.  Are you having a hard time with The Yoga Sutras?  Or any part of Yoga?  Life?  Love?  Going back to school?  Let me know.  I'm all ears, and a little fur.

With much respect, love and purring,

Swami Cat

Day 2: The Sutras

 Day 2 of the Sutra Discussions. 

Feel free to write in your own thoughts and comments regarding the Sutras.  It is more fun with a dialogue, no?

Here we go...
Pada 1.2

This is the crux of Yoga.  This is why we do Yoga.  This section of the Sutras is the most important and if you could only study one of the sections, this would be the one.

Yoga chitta vritti nirodha. 

"Chitta Vritti"-- it sounds like a new snack food.

It is Sanskrit and it means the stopping of all the bouncing around of the mind is Yoga.

It is like when I was a little bitty furball and I saw a piece of yarn I would run and pounce on it.  But then I was distracted by the fly and so followed it.  It led me to the window and I jumped up and saw the dog outside and fell of the ledge, hurt my paws and ran to my mommy.

This is like the mind when we do not practice a form of meditation or Yoga.  Most people have trouble staying true to their path in life because there are so many distractions.  Many people have a very hard time sitting still and being quiet.  They say it is the scariest thing.  And if you ask them what they are scared of, they say-- their own thoughts.  Ahhh, the mind.  It IS the last frontier.  (Spock did not have a problem with chitta vritti.  His mind was not an incessant whirling.)

So what to do with our distracted, ego-centered mind that leads us to pain, suffering and ignorance?

We practice Yoga.  And put away the balls of yarn before we start.

Om and purr,
Swami Cat

Now Yoga

Sitting with Yoga Girl and Gopal up on the mountains, looking at nature's beauty, I was reminded of how I feel after I meditate.  I admit, it has been awhile since I woke up early and did my full meditation and asana series.  This summer I took a part time job teaching kittens how to act (other than cute.)  My whole day was about wrangling kittens.  Have you ever tried to focus a clutter of kittens?  It is almost impossible except I know a secret.  Kittens love to play.  And so to re-focus them every so often I became the leader of Simon Says.  This then reminded me of meditation for is not the mind like a kitchen full of hungry chirping kittens?

And so when I returned from nature's quiet where I could easily meditate to the the home where dishes, laundry and cat liter lay, I opened my copy of Rev. Jaganath's Inside The Yoga Sutras.  I opened right to the first Pada.  "Now, the exposition of Yoga."  The only way to practice Yoga is to do it in the present.  Focus.  Be alert.  And so I will be alert and ask you to join me on my journey.  Once a day we together can study a section.

And so it begins.  See you back here tomorrow.

Om and purr,

Swami Cat

Tail of the Day

Tail of the Day

by

Swami Cat

Every morning do a little stretch, breathe and Purring. 

When I miss my stretch, breathe and purr the day is a little off.  Sometimes the off day steamrolls into a bad day when I hiss at my students, stub another paw toe and miss many opportunities to serve others.  But when I take the few precious moments for myself the day is easier and I have more patience with others, the world becomes more colorful.  It's the difference between a cloudy day and a sunny day.  It is an old antennae TV channel filled with static instead of HD.

Yesterday I took a long walk with Gopal, A.K.A. Yoga Dog and taught him the joys of early morning Hatha.  We stretched, breathed and purred.  He did not get the purr down but he is very adept at the pant.  For the rest of the day we enjoyed each others' company, chose healthy foods to eat and for everyone we met along the way we smiled.  Gopal came up with the brilliant idea of picking up trash on our walk home.  We had paws full by the time we found a dumpster and hopefully all the people in the passing cars that saw us doing a good deed were inspired to as well.  It was a wonderful day watching the rain instead of cursing it, as could have happened. 

And so may you all find a little time to stretch, breathe and purr today.

A little reminder,

from
Swami Cat

Time Off

Things to do before school starts again:
Try new Yoga classes
Make organic meals
Shop in local stores (anyone know a local farm that sells eggs?)
Take my bicycle off the bike rack and use it at the park
Kayak, kayak, kayak
See more of the world -- New Hampshire White Mountains next!
Write in this blog every day (every day I'm not "seeing the world")
Playtime with Yoga Dog.
Plan Swami Cat's live tour to Yoga studios near you
Create the Swami Cat book of Wisdom To Purr By (Just made that up, do you like it)
Hopefully sign up more followers to the blog.
Much easier to write if I know people are reading.
Put more artistic and business effort into writing career

What's your To Do list?

"It's Hard to be a Saint in the City"

Dear Swami Cat,

Bruce Springsteen wrote, "It's so hard to be a saint in the city."  And it's true for the suburbs as well.  I find myself busy, busy, busy and then depleted of creativity, joy and patience.  But you'd be proud of me.  I took myself out into nature this weekend and watched as a neon green inch worm sauntered in down dog over and over in front of me.  I watched egrets take flight and turtles almost trust me but then jump last minute into the water.  There was a gorgeous butterfly that landed on the flower I had just hand-picked from the CSA I belong to.  I feel so much better in nature.  Then when I get home, ironing, dusting, cooking an organic, healthy meal for my family and cleaning off the clutter of my desk hounds me so much that I feel overwhelmed and unable to do any of it.  I don't see the beauty inside as I did watching that inch worm.

What can I do?  I can't give up my home and live outdoors always.

Bruce also penned, "They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread."   That's how I feel.

Signed,

Nature Girl


Dear Nature Girl,

Yes, nature is beautiful, all the miracles that surround you.  You take a walk and can marvel at the smallest of details that the universe displays before us-- a spider's intricate web, a caterpillar turning into a butterfly but can you not also see the beauty inside?  The handiwork of the craftsman that made the shelves that you have to dust and is it not easier to breathe once all the papers are put away.

I understand.  I know what it is like to dislike the "chores" of life.  I was once in a band and living with several band-mates on the road.  It's awful seeing dishes in the sink but day after day we all would not admit they were ours and so they sat there, congealing, foul smelling and a nasty reminder of just how ugly life could be.  But something happened when I couldn't take it anymore and cleaned all of them.  I didn't mind the suds, the repetitive motion, the chore.  I was doing it not only for me, but for my fellow band mates.   Could you not also think of the chores as little gifts to your family and the world?  Maybe we can not always say "I love you" as we would like, but it is the little things-- doing laundry for your family, making a tasty, healthy meal that help the world be a better place.  Outside we see sunsets and say "Ah," why can't we also wipe away dust and say, "Ah" as well.

Hope you can put on some good music and dance around as you do those chores.

And for you another few lyrics, from the memorable funky fun band, the B-52's--
"Housework, housework, housework...I am doing my housework / Got no time to fool 'round / I am doing my housework / Cleanin' up and I'm gettin' down."

Om and purr,
Swami Cat

What's New

Hari Om Yoga Friends,


What's New:
My first episode of Inside The Yoga Sutras is up on Youtube!  Rev. Jaganath Carrera's interview is very informative.  Please curl up on the sunny part of the rug when you have a few minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER-FwGOT5gI

What's Not New:
What is not new to us but new to many of Dr. Oz watchers: Meditation can help with many things, stress, focus and now weight loss.  This is the topic being covered on Dr. Oz Wednesday with special guest Deepak Chopra.

 Anything new happening in your part of the collective Yoga mat?

Om and Purr,
Swami Cat

Too Much Yoga Causes...

Dear Swami Cat,

I'm thinking about Yoga too much.  It's on my mind constantly and even when I'm driving in my car I am thinking about Yoga.  I drove too far today and had to make a U-turn and then I was late to work.  Is there such a thing as too much Yoga?  Have you heard of this before?  What should I do?

Signed,
Yoga-On-The-Brain

Hari Om YOTB,

Ah yes, this is a problem.  Keeping the lessons of Yoga in the forefront of the mind is advantageous to ones progress on the path.  Yet one of the practices of Yoga is mindfulness.  This does not mean fill your mind with thoughts, in fact some translate it as clearing the mind.  Unfortunately the mind is a tricky one and it is not so easy to "clear the mind" as they say.  And so we Yogis practice one-pointedness, focusing on one thing during meditation to help focus the mind.  This focus could be on a mantra, on a candle or on one's breath.  There are many practices you can try and you will find what works for you.

But dearest YOTB do not try these practices while driving.  Your one focus on the road should be reading the signs and watching for a potential accident.  Remember Yoga is first and foremost about doing what is needed for your health and well-being.  Keeping your thoughts on the road and nothing else is a practice of Yoga.  It reminds me of a quote from one of my dear friends whom I met while still on tour with my band Heavy Cream.  I was complaining about doing the dishes on the tour bus when he happened to walk by.

 "While washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first, glance, that might seem a little silly. Why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I am completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves."

         – Thich Nhat Hanh 

Very good lesson, no?  I thought so.  I did all the dishes for the rest of the tour!

I hope this helps you. 

May all two and four legged beings find a spot of sunshine, a soft place to nap, and a scratch behind the ears.

Om and purr,

Swami Cat

Driving on Empty

Dear Swami Cat,

I just wanted you to know that I am so thankful for my mantra.  It keeps me calm during liftoffs on airplanes and has helped me through a tough upwards climb on a hike.  And tonight I added another thing to be grateful for regarding my mantra. 

I ran out of gas.  I was driving on fumes.  I found one gas station after another only to find it closed.  I was beginning to panic and so I repeated my mantra.  I know it helped me find the only open Exxon in miles.  I am eternally grateful for my mantra.

Love,
Yoga Girl

I appreciate you Summer!

YOGA GIRL'S ODE TO SUMMER

Outdoor Yoga
Walks in the dewy grass (good for absorption of chlorophyll)
Nighttime deep breaths in the cool relaxing air
Finding the night secret Avatar-like new universe of fireflies behind a wall of bushes
Honeysuckles!
Dairy free ice cream
Digging in the earth
Green leaves of basil, a healthy promising batch of tomatoes
Bird songs
Natural vitamin D
Nostalgic tunes on the radio (Bruce, Journey)
Friend time
Daytime lasts so long the night sneaks up and suprises you
Ocean time
Park time
Biking time
Taking my kayak down off its winter perch
Sitting on my terrace just soaking it all in


Take some time to appreciate while the butterflies fly and the crickets serenade.  Make your own list and I'll post it here!

The Perfect Yogi

Dear Swami Cat:

I've been thinking lately about how when I take Gopal, my dog out for a ride in the car he jumps into my car not knowing where we're going or for how long.  He willingly jumps in and sits comfortably, feeling the breeze, content and happy without any knowledge of what's happening next.  I'm jealous of his complete surrender.  How do I cultivate this for myself?

Signed,

Chauffeur

Dear Chauffeur,

If you desire to be like your dog there are a few options you can try.

1) Let someone else drive and stick your head out the window
2) Take a few minutes in the morning and meditate on the notion that we are not in control of the driver seat no matter how much it feels or looks like we are-- God's hand is really moving our car, not our foot on the pedal
3) Practice saying yes to someone who usually makes you lose your cool.  Maybe a small child at home who talks to you only when you pick up the telephone or a student who calls your name from across the room-- practice hearing that person's voice as the voic of God, drop everything and listen to that voice.  Then you will be like your dog.

Now if you want to know how to surrender like your cat just let a mouse or bird loose in your house and hunt it all day.  It's very focusing and better than Pilates at core strengthening.

Om and Purr,
Swami Cat

What we need now is a Laugh

Dearest Yogis,

Well we survived!  Another day.  Another chance to laugh, isn't it so?

I thought it about time we started a Yoga blast of laughter.  Send in your Yogic-style jokes.   I look forward to reading them.

Here is mine which I heard from the sweetest most open hearted nurse/Yogi that I ever had the privilege of learning from-- Radha/Ginny at Freehold Yoga Center

The Joke:
This guy walks into a barber and asks him to buzz his hair and says,"Whatever you do, do not take my headphones off."  The barber cuts his hair as he wishes but thinks that's weird because it won't look very good.  Next week the same guy comes in and asks for the same thing.  This happens three more times and then the next time the guy comes in asks for a haircut and reminds him that whatever you do don't take the headphones off.  So the barber begins to cut.  This time the guy falls asleep.  So he quickly takes the headphones off, buzzes his hair and then replaces them on his ears.  But when he tries to wake the guy, the guy doesn't wake up.  The barber tries but the man's fallen unconscious.  The barber lifts the headphones to his own ears and hears, "Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out."

 Don't Forget To Breathe!

(And on your walk today even if it rains you can smell those wonderful flowers that are bursting open right now!)

Please send your own favorite Yogic joke to Swami Cat.

On Death and Birth

Dear Readers of the Yoga Girl Blog,

Thank you so much for the kind words regarding this hard time that my family is going through with the passing of my grandmother a few weeks ago and now my grandfather on Sunday.  Many in the Yoga community have been so sweet and it feels as if I have a second family's support.

Having loved ones pass out of their body is such a reflective time.  I am reminded so often lately to not take any moment for granted. 

My grandfather's recent passing was a bittersweet goodbye.  He so badly wanted to end his suffering and did not want us to see him so frail.  He used to be a boxer and was very proud of his machismo, as well as his knuckle-crushing handshake.  So being under 100 pounds at the end was not how he wanted to be remembered.  So I am happy he is now pain-free and I hope with all my heart that he is reunited with his beloved wife who passed about six years ago now.  They knew each other as kids and married at eighteen.  It makes me feel so happy to imagine them together again.

I am glad that this ordeal is over, especially for my parents.  They have been running, shopping, making doctor's appointments and taking care of their parents on a daily basis for almost a year.  I have a new vivid compassion for caregivers now.  So hard they work, many times forgetting to take care of themselves. 

So I asked my mother how she feels now that her father has passed.  She didn't hesitate when she answered.  She told me that she isn't afraid of dying now and that it reminded her of when she gave birth.  She said that when she was giving birth to me she was very nervous about the pain and didn't know what to expect.  But, she thought, if her mother could give birth (who was not the most courageous person-- running away from even a discussion of pain) then she could do it.  Mom said that she used, "If mom can do it, I can do it" as her mantra.  And now watching her father's slow decline, she is no longer afraid of death either because she can see it is just like giving birth.  Giving birth is a violent pushing and contracting of a baby away from one world into another.  Mom said, "maybe death is just another messy birthing from one world into another."  What a profound notion, I thought.  So maybe some deaths are harder because they need more of the pushing and contracting to get them to their next adventure.

I like this thought.  And I like knowing that my mother isn't afraid of death now, for she has a mantra, "If my parents could do it, I can do it."  And so shall I use this mantra when my time comes. 

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
Peace to all.
Love to all.
Light to all.
And rest in this peace Poppy Mel and Grandma Ethel.

Cesar's Way

Obsession. 

My dog's obsession is his bone that he will chew on until he kills it.

My new obsession is my dog.  I rush home from work so we can go on a walk together and have time to practice what I've been learning from Cesar Milan's DVD.  Harrison and I are both benefiting from Cesar's teachings on dog psychology and behavior.   

As Cesar's DVD teaches me tricks to snap a dog out of his obsessions that are bad for him or us, I constantly see new and improved ways that I can calmly and assertively train my junior high school students.  Okay, okay dogs-- kids not the same.  But Cesar's Way is all about calm, assertive energy that redirects the canine when s/he is not focusing on the right thing.

My favorite part of this training is learning that dogs when they walk following a pack leader, their ears are back, they are submissive and are in a open mind zone.  They clear their mind and all stress, anxiety, defensive nature goes away so that they can just follow.  This is the same as a person in a good Yoga class, is it not?  I love knowing that when I calmly, assertively take Harrison on a walk that he is in a Yoga zone. 

So I've been thinking about how I can translate this training to the classroom with 20-30 Jr. High students.  I can't put them on a leash, but I can use calm, assertive energy and practice some Yoga techniques with them.  I have taught them a relaxation exercise and after that lesson my students always beg me to do it again and again.  They tell me that they never learned how to relax or quiet their mind and they see the benefits right away.

I hope some day I am able to teach more ways to bring peace into their lives.  And one way I hope to do this is by creating a calm but fun classroom where students know their boundaries and I can find tricks that refocus them quickly just like a quick harmless yank on the leash redirects Harrison.

If you have any Yogic redirecting tricks for kids or dogs, let me know.


Lots of love, light and calm, assertive energy to you.


--Yoga Girl

A letter from Swami Cat

Dear Yogis and Yoginis,

Thank you for your letters.  I understand that some of you want to know a little bit about my daily routine.  Do I wake and do Asanas and Pranayama?  But of course.  Meditation-- every day.  Twice daily if I can fit it into my night time schedule, if not just a little on my bed before I take my nightly catnap.

The day is busy full of responding to emails, writing my book of Yogic Lessons from the Liter Box, working on editing the Inside the Yoga Studio: Swami Cat Yoga Interviews, and consulting with other animals that wish to follow the Yogic lifestyle.  There are many.

Have you noticed that when you do your Yoga practices outside there are animals paying attention?  They are looking for some peace and the ability to rest in meditation as well, I assure you.  It is not as easy for the wild animals.  Those poor souls must always be on the lookout for a predator or an encroaching construction tractor that they have lost their instinctive ability to be at peace.

Just recently I had a call from a squirrel that doesn't know why the humans are so upset with her.  She couldn't see their point of view.  After a few sessions of Yoga Nidra we spoke about the human's desire to feed the birds and see their pretty colors and so she discontinued her attack of the bird feeder and resumed her search for acorns.  Another happy soul.

Often I am faced with a challenge that even I can not handle calmly right away.  Just recently the home where I reside, with Yoga Girl has had an invader.  Yes, Yoga Girl did invite him in, but I was not consulted.  This creature is of a loving nature but has not had proper Yogic training.  I am taking upon myself to teach him to stop licking certain parts of his body early in the morning and focus more on his downward dog stretches that he does quite well.  He is a very willing student but he is of the species of animals that does not listen well to cats, so I am sometimes met with a growl.  Luckily the growling subsides quickly when I show him that I have the doggy treats in my paw.

I'll keep you updated on Yoga Dog's progress.

Please let me know if you are having any problems with your animals or your Yogic practice.  I am here to serve.

With much love, light and purring.

Swami Cat

Ettiquette

What happened to being quiet when you are in the audience and letting the artist entertain you?  In this current climate of Youtube I think some people think they are allowed to be the center of attention all the times because they constantly tweet or update their status on Facebook.  I am embarrassed that last few times I've been out to see a performance that someone in the audience thought they had the right to talk directly to the performer in the middle of their show.  It happened to us last night at Lily Thomlin's show in Red Bank.  In the middle of her show a woman in the front row asked if Lily could sign her autograph.  Lily was going to say no but the audience urged her to do it.  Then the woman asked if she could sign it for her daughter and spelled it out-- two names with unique spellings.  This took about four minutes, but who has such an ego that they think that it is okay to waste hundreds of other people's time?  What made the night even worse was that I had a hard time listening to Lily for the five women behind me were straight out of the book of rudeness.  They probably think that "Etiquette" is a kind of French croquette.  They were talking the whole time but not in a whisper a full out cackling, ranting misery.  Three people asked them to be quiet but they continued to talk as if they were at home watching a football game and their team was losing.  I am afraid that performers might think all of New Jersey is this uncultured and selfish.

Is this a trend?  I hope not.