The Flexible Wooden Sandle Phenomenon

It's summer and time to ditch those stinky old tennis shoes you've worn for the last 6 months.  What more could you ask for than a wooden sandle that flexes and moves with your foot?

I found it hard to believe myself until I tried on the Wooccoli sandle.  Wooccoli's create life to the daily task of walking with it's unique manufacturing and design.  The sandle, manufactured in Austria, starts as a block of Poplar wood; which is soft, lightweight and versatile.  It then gets laser cut into 5 moving pieces and finished with bee's wax for a sleek look and feel.  The sandle includes 3 rollers on the sole that massage your feet as you roll through your gate.  This is one of many wellness shoes distributed by Novascarpa Group which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. 

 Wooccoli, natürlich gut für dich, of course good for you!

Top 5 Things To Do In 5 Days

It's official.

You know what it is.

I'm moving back to....

... Btown. After 11 steller months in San Francisco, I'm headed back home. Funny how life works. When I took this job anticipating a move to the big city, I wasn't planning on looking back or coming back to Btown for a long time. I see the world differently after being exposed to the exciting life a big city has to offer. Tall buildings, extravagant restaurants, fresh-off-the-hook seafood, cruise boats in the Bay, culture, festivals, endless amounts of nightlife and definite career opportunity. I'm lucky enough to have my man, family, friends and a job to move home to. I anticipate a new adventure with this move and thankful for a great opportunity waiting for me.

Top 5 things to do in 5 days before I leave San Francisco;

5. Give a bum $20

4. Shop The Haight

3. Visit Ocean Beach

2. Go to a Giants game with my man

1. Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge

Rule #4: Pick and Choose

I must admit one great thing about living in a big city are the numerous yoga studios available. Over the last 9 months, I've spent time scoping out different places to relax, rejuvinate and rehydrate my need for yoga. For most of these studios I utilized their introductory offer or purchased a Groupon/Living Social.

The first bikram studio I engaged with was Fluid Yoga off Judah and 10th. The studio is lacking in space but makes up for it in cleanliness. The teaching was hit or miss. There were a couple of great teachers that push you past your comfort zone. Eventually I realized there were other studios much closer to my house so I decided to move forward with my search.

Yoga Works off Divisadero was a great find, close to my neighborhood and a nice change from Bikram. I was only able to attend a few classes during my 1 week trial. My take on it was excellent teaching, nice facility, good variety of classes but expensive.

Funky Door Yoga off Polk is the best Bikram yoga studio I've found, thus far. This is based upon the ample amount of space, clean facility, windows lining the room (to air out the smell of sweat), exceptional teaching and overall execution of the staff. I spent 2 months practicing about 3-4 times a week. Most of the teachers were highly skilled teachers, focusing on the correct form while pushing students past their comfort zone. They have strict rules about entering/exiting while class is in session and at times came across as egotistical. They could also use a remodel.

Global Yoga off Chestnut is my least favorite yoga studio I've been to... ever. The space is small, enclosed, wreaks of sweat and I question their cleaning methods. I was not impressed by the monotoned, dis-engaged and lack of motivated teaching ability. I actually didn't finish my trial because I couldn't stand the stench any longer.

California Yoga Company was a breath of fresh air after my previous encounter. The focus of this studio is a version of hot yoga incorporating similar poses in a warm (not hot) room while adding a twist of different stretches. What shines most about this yoga studio is the teaching. The regular teacher must also be the owner because he truly cares about each student's correct form and growth as a Yogi. After the 1st week, I saw noticeable differences in my posture, core, mood and sleep patterns. I would highly recommend this studio to Yogis of all ages and levels.

These are only a fraction of the many yoga studios available in San Francisco's 49 square foot city. My interest and experience with yoga has grown immensely and look forward to many years of practice.

Rule #3: Stear Clear of Driveways

Parking is one of the most challenging aspects while living in this 7-mile radius, 800K population city. The city is filled with parking zones marked by faded paint and taped up cardboard signs that make it impossible to know if you're legally parked or not. Aside from the lack of clarity on legal parking, the majority of spaces are sized to fit Smartcars and Minis.

It's become a habit when I park, to visually check both ends of my SUV to ensure I'm not invading another vehicle's space or blocking a driveway. I did my routine check as I parked to attend a Bikram Yoga class. Ninety minutes later, I left class feeling thankful I saved enough energy throughout my day to end with a challenging Bikram class.

I started walking towards my car, searching in the distance, wondering "how far did I park"? The most awful, sinking feeling came over me as I realized my car was no longer there. I quickly entered panic mode of... what the heck do I do now? It was getting dark, I was significantly far from my house, I had no clue of any tow truck companies or what number to call and I had no form of payment on me to call a cab since my wallet was in my car. I was screwed.

I trecked up the hill back to the yoga studio hoping I could get some help there. There was one guy, David, left in the building. I asked if he knew who to contact if my car was towed. David gave me a sympathetic look and stated his car has been towed 10 times and that he could tell me exactly who to contact and where to go. After donating $2 for me to ride the muni (remember my wallet is in the car) across town and beginning to describe where I needed to go, he realized I had absolutely no clue where he was directing me. David became my saving grace as he offered to give me a ride.

Thirty minutes and $430 later, I had my vehicle back on the road. It turns out a neighbor called in a "driveway complaint" for my SUV. Perhaps my vehicle was over the line by about 6 inches but to request having my car towed is outrageous. They even disclosed the address of the person who called... I must keep reminding myself bad karma is in his future. San Francisco Parking & Transportation doesn't know who they're dealing with because I will dispute this and win. Thanks to growing up in a family of attorneys, it's in my blood to negotiate my way.

Don't worry I'll keep you posted.

Rule #2: Wear Comfortable Shoes

One of the biggest changes for me from my past hometown is the constant walking. I'm constantly walking to and from the bus stop, to breakfast, lunch and dinner, to the dog park, to my parking spot, to the nearest market and anywhere else necessary. For my new job, I realized I needed to vamp up my wardrobe with more professional wear and shoes. I couldn't wait to sport my new shoes during my first week at work. I forgot about one important factor associated with new shoes... blisters.

The hotel I stayed in during my 1st week was a 20-minute walk to my office. Needless to say, my feet suffered more than ever before.

I realized something had to be done quick so my mind wasn't lingering off to my aching feet at work. The solution was simple; Ryn Footwear. Ryn Footwear is based out of my hometown and was lucky enough to know a contact. I found the perfect pair of Ryn shoes for work; a basic black pair of rocker bottom shoes that worked perfect with my wardrobe.

I know what you're thinking, "Aren't those the shoes you see old ladies wear?" My friends, not just old ladies sport these shoes, it's becoming a growing fad among all the celebrities. Which means it's sure to become a trend to the rest of us folks... right? An added bonus to the comfort is the rocker bottom sole that tones your body, abbs and legs as you walk. So now I feel active simply from walking.

I've never appreciated a pair of active, comfortable shoes more than this week. Thank you Ryn Footwear.

Rule #1: Stay Away From Gangs

I just moved to the big city of San Francisco from the small town of Boise, ID. What a change. Aside from beginning a new job, the challenge is finding a place to live. Two important features for me include; accommodating my dog and my car. These might be the two toughest neccessities while finding a room in the city. Not too mention the slight price difference from renting in Boise.

Looking through 30 different neighborhoods is a bit overwhelming when you don't know the area. I began with a suggestion from someone in Boise who thought they knew a good area being the mission district. As I began my first day at work, all my associates kept warning me the mission district isn't the safest area. I thought I'd check it out anyway thinking it could work.

Pulling up to the appartment wasn't too bad. I was amused by a guy playing the ukelele on his front porch. The girl owning the apartment was very nice as well. Looking through the apartment there wasn't much I didn't like. It had certain ammenities I was looking for but didn't have a yard or a close dog park.

It wasn't until the end when the girl was discussing how safe the area is. She stated, "I mean, there's a couple of shootings every once in a while but they're always gang-related so....". That was my final thought as I left. "A couple of shootings every once in a while".... she said it so casually. Being from small town Boise, shootings are not casual. I decided to keep looking determined to find a place where shootings aren't casual. My dad reminded to "stay away from gangs". It felt like I was going back to the basics of "always look both ways" and "chew with your mouth closed".

It seems everyone needs reminders even as grown-ups. The search is still on for the perfect place in the city of San Francisco.

Sigh.