NYC - Week Five and Six

Go figure - I’m behind! New goal is to be caught up by Thanksgiving! It’s worth a shot, at any rate :)

October 3 - 16

1) I’ve written a lot of papers. It’s not a good excuse, but it is a partial excuse for this delayed posting :) I wrote one paper that was an investigation into the research on low-achieving boys in middle school math classrooms. It was really interesting to read research about boys and how there is some proof that they fall behind in the metacognitive skills that girls tend to be more proficient at in the middle school years - as a result, it can be harder for them to figure out what to do when math is challenging for them. I hope I’ll be able to investigate this more before the year is out!

2) Philosophy is quickly turning into my favorite class. I wrote a whole paper about how much Socrates knows when he says “I don’t know”. It’s been a blast to be thinking about Socrates, as don’t believe I’ve done so since high school. Most importantly, however, my philosophy professor is truly one of the best professors I’ve had! He lives what he teachers in every aspect of our course; incredibly respectful to all opinions, highly-enthusiastic about class and what we’re learning, and constantly attentive to making our work applicable to our teaching (which I would venture to say is unusual in a philosophy class). I really am tired of papers and have another one to write this week in philosophy, but I love his approach, and I love talking about Cosmopolitanism, so how bad can it be? I also got to lead class on the day it was due, as our professor was out of town; again, he impressed me by giving me enough guidelines to make my life easy, but also enough freedom to choose how the day would go. I really admire him as a teacher!

3) The ladies in my cohort got together for a girl’s night in! This was a great night of, somewhat surprisingly, very focused and deep conversation about what it means to be a female leader in education and how we women can help each other in the work place instead of holding each other back. While in the beginning I was dying for us to get goofy and relax a bit (which we did toward the end), it was fascinating to hear each other’s stories in a very welcoming, reflective environment. I’m looking forward to take two in November!

4) New Restaurants of these two weeks

Panino Sportivo Roma: We had a quick lunch here before my mom and step-dad hit the road. Sandwiches were good, though I found them a bit small for the price. It was nice to have them on chewy baguettes with good olive oil, however, and the hostess cracked me up by “honey-ing” everybody in sight. 

The Heights Bar & Grill: I organized our second post-law Cheap Eats night here. We were able to sit on there third floor rooftop, which is winterized with heat lamps and what looks like a retractable roof. Huge burritos with leftovers for the next day - I hope the roof stays warm as the days get cold!

When one of my closest friends from college came for the weekend, we did QUITE some eating:

Eataly: We made a beeline to Eataly the night she arrived, as she loves Italian food and we had both heard great reviews. The best part was standing at high tables in the crowded vestibule drinking wine and eating prosciutto and delicious olives. The pasta was also very good - though we both felt it was a little expensive overall for what we got. Wish I lived close enough to do some food shopping there!

Casellula: We stopped in here for a glass of wine to top off the evening, and it was so cute! We sneaked into some seats at the bar which was perfect, but I’d love to come back for their cheese and small plates. Definitely a good date place to keep in mind!

Joe: A yummy little coffee shop in my neighborhood. I’ve stopped by here a few times for their chai. If you can deal with waiting in long lines and don’t mind that you’ll never get a table, it’s worth it. People who like coffee tell me it’s delicious here :)

Bar Suzette: Along with some Halloween cookies and macaroons, we got savory crepes here in Chelsea Market to tide us over until dinner time. While rather tasty, the wait was unbelievably long and not quite worth it. I did pick up truffle salt at The Filling Station and a glass bottle to keep my water cool at home, so it was well worth the trip overall. 

Je’Bon Sushi & Noodle: We had a great meal here in the East Village - the sushi I thought was well done without being super expensive, and they had some drink specials that would be fun if you were starting a night on the town.

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary: Cashew milk ice cream that tastes like the real deal!! I’m in love. I had pumpkin which brought back all sorts of childhood memories of getting homemade pumpkin ice cream from the local ice cream store with my dad. It’s LACTOSE-FREE, people! I’m in love!

Golden Unicorn Restaurant: We met up with another friend here for Sunday brunch at this delicious dim sum restaurant. While the wait was a bit long, I think we beat the real crowd coming in, and it’s hard to complain when you have gorgeous little dumplings on your table within seconds of sitting down. I was having weird deja-vu the whole time; I think I came here when I was 12.  It kept us full all day long until…

Craft: This place deserves it’s own internet browser for all the good things I could say about it. I’m SO grateful to my old math department for the gift card that made this meal possible! We had quite a little adventure getting their Sunday night as we thought it was on the opposite side of town, but we still managed to make it on time. The menu lets you put together your main protein and vegetables or side dishes, etc. Honestly, I would trust Tom to put it together for me. The portions were sizable! We started with an arugula salad with thinly sliced lemons, then shared sea scallops, roasted oyster mushrooms, braised beef short-ribs, duck risotto, and the S’mores dessert (included smoked salt sherbet!). Everything was divine. We were having this in depth conversation about our careers, but as soon as the food arrived we literaly stopped talking to each other except to mouth the occasional “mmmm”. Servive was inpecable. I took home the leftover short-ribs which were just a bit too rich to finish, and they gave me a coat tag so I could pick them up on my way out (so classy!). They also gave us granola for our breakfast the next morning. My only complaint? There were raisins mixed in with the dried cherries and coconut, so crazy me had to pick them all out…

5) Her visit was not just food, of course. We did a TON of walking around all parts of the city; we wandered around Central Park, which was sadly missing many autumn leaves as the weather has been so weird; we visited one of her friends on the Upper East side and crossed the top of Central Park again to get back to my place, stopping at a few cool public monuments along the way. We went by Uniqlo’s new store (opening weekend), which was a madhouse on 5th Avenue - I can’t believe how gigantic it was! Sadly, it’s more H&M-esque then the Old Navy-esque store I remember from living in Japan, but we still found some great winter cashmere sweaters which were nice and cheap! We also got to see the Richard Serra exhibit in Chelsea at the Gagosian Gallery; I didn’t realize I had seen some of his statues in an outdoor sculpture garden in Seattle already, but it was great indoor space and fun to walk among the gigantic steal plates. We spent a lot of time talking on the subway about life, career, love, family: all those things good old friends talk about. I’m sad she can’t stay in NYC for good, but I’m so glad she came for such an awesome weekend!

7) How I Met Your Mother Season 7 started and I am CAUGHT UP for the first time ever! It’s so much BETTER to watch it in New York City since it all takes place in the Big Apple. However, it’s so much WORSE to watch it on your own :(. I need to find some HIMYM fans to come hang out and watch it with me!

8) I came across the Good Food Fest while perusing my New York Magazine and Time Out. It was a little but fun event in Chelsea where you buy tickets to get bites of delicious, sustainable, local food from NYC restaurants. I thought $20 for four bites was pricey; however, the bites were actually rather substantial. My favorite was a really yummy duck rillettes terrine. I then moseyed over to do homework on the High-Line; despite the fact that I would have liked some company, it was a pretty glorious way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

10) I got to visit a local boys Catholic school as part of one of my classes on the organization of American education. In spite of my socially-liberal questions about Catholic education, I was duly impressed with the institutions strength of mission and the atmosphere among the students at this school. I really appreciate the exposure to different types of schools that I’m receiving in NYC!

11) Vino Fino: the only thing I’ve seen in NYC to have five stars on Yelp - and they totally deserve it. The majority of the wines in this tiny store fall between $10 and $20, and the staff is utterly lovely. I’m keeping a little list on my new smartphone of which wines I like best. Way ahead of the pack is a 2009 Vega Sindoa Cabernet Sauvignon that is fruity, smooth, and rich - I’ve brought it over to a friend’s house to share a few times now, and it is consistently loved by all! 

12) I went to my school’s football game; or at least, the picnic beforehand :). I meant to go to the game but one of my dear colleagues from my old job was in town, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch up with her, even for just an hour! As much fun as it is to be in NYC, I miss my friends from DC like crazy! It did encourage me to go to other sporting events in the future, however, as it’s free entertainment and a little school spirit never hurt anyone.

13) I’ve started a “School Dream Book” to keep track of the ideas/peoples/quotes that really catch my imagination when I think about what I would want my school to look like if I could design it from scratch. It’s fun to keep in my bag and flip through as it slowly expands…I hope one day it’s more than a book!

That took longer than I intended, but it’s so much fun to write about my adventures here. I sometimes feel like I spend a lot of time alone in my dorm room; it’s a good reminder to me that my life is full and busy and wonderful right now, and I don’t need to worry about doing everything this year!!

Good Night!

NYC - Week Three and Four

Some unexpected visitors (yay!) last weekend and some planned visitors (yay!) this weekend have postponed this post :) Let’s see if I can catch up!

1) There’s a free “Total Body Conditioning” class in my dorm that has reminded me how totally unconditioned my body is. I’ve been twice, and both times I realize that when the teacher gives us a break from kickboxing to jump-rope, it’s more like a death wish than a break. I hope all the people staring in the glass doors are admiring every one of the thousand drops of sweat covering my body, because I feel like collapsing when I come out of that class. It’s totally awesome. 

2) I signed up for yoga classes at the school gym, which are CHEAP, and a friend in the program is doing the same classes so I thought it would be fun. Unfortunately, my beloved DC studio has permanently spoiled yoga for me at any other location! This one teacher here keeps stressing that this is not a beginner’s class, and that she expects us to move quickly. I pride myself on not being a yoga beginner anymore: however, I also pride myself on moving with my breath. If I follow this teacher’s lead, I’m going to hyperventilate! You’d think it was “marathon yoga”, not “vinyasa yoga.” I’ve decided to stick with it and just be “that girl” in class moving slower (because I still think I’m doing it right)!

3) I’m now on book three in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Oh man, am I ever hooked. I love these books - even when some chapters run a bit slower than others, they are so engaging! I pride myself on reading for fun every night before I go to sleep, no matter how much work I have left: it keeps me sane. However, I might have to put book three to the side for a bit…my lovely friend Leila Sales had a book reading last night to celebrate the release of her new book, Past Perfect, which I now have in my possession! It was so fun to hear her bring her characters to life, and I’m excited to delve into her SECOND published novel. Go Leila!

4) This has been the (two) week(s) of restaurants, so I’ll go into minimal detail. Most of the fancy ones I’m very lucky to have been to because my mom and step-dad were in town and took me out to places I can’t get myself to on my student budget. THANK YOU!

Convivium Osteria: This adorable Park Slope restaurant is so romantic - candles and old wooden tables and copper pots. The food was fantastic and the service attentive. Take someone special here!

Print : This funky restaurant has very swanky interior design and a delicious menu to boot. Everything was tasty but the chocolate flan dessert was to DIE for. If you need to be cool in Hell’s Kitchen, this is the place to go!

Bell Book & Candle: This basement level restaurant boasts an “aeroponic rooftop tower garden” where much of the restaurant’s produce comes from. My college friend and I both had the Thursday special: Suckling Pig! The servings were huge, and I gladly dined again on my leftover piggy the following night. 

Radiance Tea House & Books: Some of my cohort headed this way before our awesome discounted Broadway show. The eel was delicious and the tea really lovely. I definitely want to come back for the afternoon tea service!

Massawa: Service was a little slow and the bread thinner than the DC deliciousness I’ve gotten used to, but overall this Ethiopian restaurant hit the spot, and was cheap! A great hangout after our night class :)

Baked By Melissa: These little cupcakes are ADORABLE! However, they fall a little bit short of amazing. It was nice to try a few different kinds with only one bite. However, I still think most cupcakes just don’t do it for me!

Ray’s Pizza: A friend and I went to this little NYC pizza shop having heard that it was in danger of closing. Although I am just not the pizza connoisseur that everyone else in this city seems to be, I thought it was absolutely delicious!

Caffe Roma Pastry: After pizza and a walk through the San Gennaro festival, we paused in this little store. Try their chocolate covered cannoli; they are so good, they really shouldn’t be legal. 

Kiku Sushi: We took a break and a pre-show lunch at this cute little sushi shop. Nothing special, but the lunch portions were generous, and I was impressed with how really fresh the sashimi tasted!

Chelsea Market: What a cool re-purposing of an old biscuit factory! We just got some breakfast nibbles and coffee, but I love how you can see the bread-making in action and all the old preserved factory architecture. 

Georgio’s Country Grill: Yummy brunch here with my old roomie. The menu is comforting like a diner menu should be, but the location is a bit cozier and cuter then you might expect. They have all sorts of fresh-squeezed juices!

Vine Sushi & Sake: This neighborhood hang out is great for noodle bowls and a quick sushi fix. The proportions are sizable and the prices fair: if it’s nice out be sure to sit outside and people watch!

Osteria Al Doge: I can’t speak to the food here, as we only ducked in for a glass of wine, but it LOOKED delicious, and the bar was very peaceful and the bartender very friendly, which we especially appreciated being so close to Times Square!

Whew! I’m full :)

5) The taping of The Daily Show was awesome! It involved a LOT of waiting, which is not so awesome. By the time the show starts, I think everyone starts to wonder if it’s going to be worth it. But then, IT IS. John Stewart is SO funny and so quick with his humor. We watched him several times switch directions and improvise on the spot without losing a beat. We also watched him carry on a challenging interview with Governor Mitch Daniels and stick to his guns the whole time. It made me hate all politicians, but I certainly can’t blame Stewart for that one. I thought my crazy laughing would be distinctive on the taping, but when I watched it that night, I blended right in with the crowd. For anyone with an extra day to spare in NYC, go to a taping!!! You won’t regret it :)

6) I got to see two Broadway shows these last two weeks: Wicked and How to Succeed in Business. I can’t decide which one I like better….Wicked’s plot was much more interesting, and several of the songs were SO wonderful and stuck with me for days. How to Succeed, however, had Daniel Radcliffe, and FABULOUS choreography! I really was impressed to see Harry Potter dance it out on stage with awesome back-up dancers. I also think I got a picture of his ear as he was mobbed by little girls leaving the theater, which pretty much made my year! Hands down, I love Broadway theater, they were BOTH awesome, and I can’t wait to go see something else!

7) In the only time period with sun that I can remember in the last few weeks, we went on a walk on the High Line. A park created on old train tracks raised a story or two above the ground, this walkway is not to be missed! Not only do you have beautiful views of the city, but numerous spots to sit down on funky benches and peek into windows of the surrounding buildings. Many apartments in the area have crazy architecture, and that’s just as fun as seeing the Empire State Building in the distance. I would love to end up back here sometime to see the skyline lit up at night!

I have a few papers to work on and reading to do (and I’m leading Philosophy class on Wednesday…whoops!) so I will stop here. Happy Sunday! Hope you had a lovely weekend!

NYC - Week Two

It’s hard to believe it’s been another week already! The highlights of this week:

1) I saw two things this week that made me feel like I was in the movies: A rat in the subway and someone stealing a cab RIGHT out from underneath someone else! The first one made me cringe, but the second made me laugh. I thought the woman who was left on the sidewalk would start beating the man with her purse, but it didn’t quite get that far. Speaking of movies, however, this weekend I have seen real-deal photographers everywhere I have gone, with gigantic movie cameras, props, and make-up artists. I’m pretty sure they’re not famous, but it has felt like I’m on the set of a major film production. 

2) I’ve been corrected by my Brooklyn friends: if I head over that way, people do use reusable bags - just not in my hood, apparently. I’m going to try to work on that!

3) It’s hard to believe, but both of the following are in Manhattan proper and both are free (well, if you have a student ID, that is…) I had a blast wandering around The Cloisters by myself, after finding the bus that takes you directly there and sitting in their beautiful gardens for a bit. Then today I had a chance to attend a lovely picnic in Central Park for another gorgeous day outside.

4) Fairway Market is amazing! I barely survived the refrigerated section, where that entire part of the store is kept icy cold, but I love the produce, the selection of food, and I even managed to not overload my reusable bags too much for the mile walk home!

5) I saw an outstanding talk by architect Michael Arad, the designer of the 9/11 Memorial. He walked us through his initial conception of the memorial just days after the original attack, through all its iterations and complications to its final design. Since the memorial had officially opened to the public on Monday, this was his first talk to include actual pictures of the site being used, and it was really quite powerful. I’m having a bit of a “Ted Mosby: Architect” moment. If I can’t date an architect, I might just have to become one in my next career…

6) Friday night I had a wonderful dinner with friends at Village Yokocho. It satisfied some serious cravings for okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakitori, AND I got to see my friends, all in one go! Some of us went us on to dessert at Dessert Club, ChikaLicious which was outstandingly delicious, despite it’s somewhat unappealing name. 

7) I also was lucky enough to have dinner with my step-sister, brother-in-law, and nephews on Saturday night out in Queens (as well as some of their relatives…who potentially are my relatives? I never know how to figure that one out…) It was really, really nice to have a delicious home-cooked meal with more than just me, and to take a little trip out of the city. I also got to ride the Long Island Railroad back with everyone from Long Island who was coming into the Manhattan to party, which was an experience in itself :)

8) I got to visit the fabulous school in which I’ll be doing my field placement, meet the inspirational founder and school head (graduate of my program) and start on our way to deciding a project. That’s the simplest way to sum up what was an amazing morning, and I can’t wait to be there again!

27) I can count correctly, but I thought this would be more appropriate seeing as how IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY! It was a low-key celebration overall, but I had so many nice cards and gifts and phone calls, and I’ve got a feeling that (this year’s) gonna be a good (year) :)

NYC - Week One

I’ll take a break from writing my first paper (yes, I know! Already!) to give a little update on my impressions from the first week!

1) Though small, my room in New York City is actually not the closet I was preparing to live in for the next nine months! I don’t know if it’s just a result of having no personal space all summer, but it actually feels quite luxurious for city living. I have a big blank wall that needs some love, as I have no posters anymore, but I’ve just bought a printer and plan on printing out come fun photos to decorate it a bit. I have sweet suite-mates, who are courteous, friendly, interesting people. At the moment I’m the only one from the USA as well, and I immediately feel a diversity on campus that is quite real and I love! The only minority on campus I have found so far is men, but I expected as much…

2) New Yorkers do not use reusable bags. I AM SHOCKED. Every time I have gone grocery shopping (about once a day as I came with no food and keep trying different grocery stores) I have brought out my resuable bags and consistently have felt foolish as they look at my bags doubtfully. The only exception to this rule has been Trader Joe’s (I love you TJ’s! Especially your shopping cart escalators!); however, I have felt foolish coming out of TJ’s as well, as both times I have vastly overestimated the amount of bags I can comfortably handle on the way home on the subway. 

3) Of all the people I have met in the school, only the people in my program have been assigned homework for the FIRST class meeting, and several pages as that. I have literally been doing reading every day since last Saturday and currently am trying to put together a short response paper, whose biggest problem is that it is much, much too short for what I need to say! I am already tired, and challenged. Life is good. 

4) The people in my program are awesome! I’m pretty sure I’m the baby, though there are others that are close to my age. They come from across the world and a variety of different schools, but not a single person has come out of a classroom saying anything but positive comments! This is a huge change from my previous master’s degree, and it is very exciting for a dork like me. 

5) I broke a glass for storing it on a not so stable shelf in the kitchen. This would not be a big deal except it was my beloved undergraduate 2006 glass and now I am sad. :( As fate would have it, I broke it within an hour of buying a new matching glass from my current university. I’m still trying to figure out what the message is there…

6) My mother and grandmother combined forces to give me a Wii Fit Plus for my birthday! It is awesome! Though I am sure I look ridiculous (and since I regularly forget to close my shades, I’m sure someone out there finds this hysterical), my competitive side comes out and I like beating my previous score, which can be quite a workout. This also means I have a TV and cable in my bedroom, for the first time ever! I spent Friday night exhausted and watching TV, which was lovely, actually, but I don’t imagine I’m going to have a lot of time for that.

7) General consensus among my cohort is that my school is like Hogwarts, in that the stairwells keep moving and you never get off in the same place twice. No seriously, friends, come visit me and I’ll show you. It’s nutso!

8) Today I took a walk in commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. There are some lectures coming up that I hope to attend as well, but I today walked 50 (short) blocks, which was quite lovely. I met some new people, and saw an incredible motorcycle brigade, all seeming to ride in honor of fire and police departments - it was quite a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and so nice to walk around NYC a bit on this infamous day. 

9) Cooking has been fun! Though I did resort to a frozen TJ’s meal tonight as a treat and some store-bought soup when my cold was bad, I’ve been making myself food every night for dinner, and it’s quite do-able in my itty-bitty kitchen! I adore my magical Le Creuset pan. It is the perfect one-person size. Last Sunday I stumbled upon a Farmer’s Market just as I was thinking about dinner, and created my first real NYC meal: Spinach Linguine with fresh tomato vegetable sauce!

Yum!

Until next time!

So long, Washington D.C. I loved you after all!

A few weeks ago, I wandered through the Hirshhorn Museum and the National Museum of American History as part of my “Goodbye DC” tour. I’m moving to New York for Grad School and wanted one last (for now) free tour of our Nations beautiful collections. Somewhere in between the Star-Spangled Banner and Julia Child’s gorgeous kitchen, I found myself bathed in an unusual amount of patriotism and adoration for the Capital and the country. I’m not sure I predicted I’d remain in the city for FIVE WHOLE YEARS, but I’ve come to really love the monumental sights, the blossoming food scene, and of course my lovely friends and coworkers in the area. 

I’m sure the Big Apple will keep me from being bored over the next few months - indeed, I’m more concerned about having any downtime to update this blog - but I will be thinking of DC very fondly this year. Today in particular, I’m wishing my colleagues an exciting first day of meetings!

A few photos of summer to leave you with for now: 

Vermont at Sunset

Bloody Mary Gazpacho in Cucumber Cups

Baha’i Temple and Gardens in Haifa, Israel

Chapel Talk Three

I like to think of myself as a master of the mix tape: which nowadays has evolved into being a master of the iPod playlist. I spend a lot of time making sure the songs come together to fit the desired mood, and the first song is key to this goal as it sets the tone for the whole mix.  Before a good friend of mine departed on a six-month boat trip, I made her a mix CD full of joyful, singable songs she wouldn’t get sick of after a million  playbacks while stranded at sea; including some of my favorites by Hootie and the Blowfish and Regina Spektor. The first song on that mix, however, was a country song by Rascal Flatts: a bit outside my normal music spectrum, but I can never resist amazing lyrics and these are some of the best! The chorus goes: “It’s ordinary, plain and simple. Typical, this everyday love. Emotional, so familiar. Nothing about it too peculiar. Oh, but I can’t get enough, of this everyday love!”

 

The movies portray love and romance in constant “fireworks mode”. The lovers have had a horrible fight, all based on a misunderstanding that could easily have been remedied. They also happen to have 10 seconds before Earth explodes. They somehow manage to save the day, tell each other they love each other, and also choreograph a celebratory dance routine just in the nick of time! Don’t get me wrong, I love “fireworks mode” and own my fair share of over-the-top chick flicks. I also may have woken up just a teensy bit early two weeks ago to watch all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the royal wedding, and I don’t regret it!

 

It’s just that, most of life is not in “fireworks mode”: most of us will not marry a Prince or Princess, nor heroically save the entire globe from total ultimate destruction; at least, I think I can safely assume that none of us will do both. If we start to expect movie plotlines to take over our lives, however, I think we overlook the normal but good moments that make life so delightful. Rascal Flatts sings of a love “ordinary, plain, simple, typical, familiar” and yet, AMAZING because of its normality.  To me, this sounds a lot like the love that God has for us. As extraordinary as it is, we will miss the plethora of moments throughout the day when we are touched by God if we only look for those that are presented in “fireworks mode”. For most of us, God will not light a bush on fire and talk to us through that bush, however dramatic and exciting that would be. God’s constant love will be apparent to us in the tiniest of actions, the smallest of gestures; the one’s we could easily overlook but make living worthwhile every average day.

 

Good manners, to me, are a perfect example of the little things that count. Saying please or thank you is such an easy thing to do, and nothing warms my heart more than students saying “thank you” when I hand them a dreaded math quiz. But those little words are easy to skip over. I was so aware of this in the airport this weekend where no more than a “good evening” to the TSA agent checking my ID was enough to get a large, genuine smile out of him.  How many people before me silently handed over their driver’s license and then forgot him instantly? I don’t think they were bad people, and I’m just as guilty as the next person of getting caught up in my own world, but I do think people could significantly improve their own lives by connecting in to those around them, and turning boring moments into solidly good ones!

 

Buddha said: “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.” “Be where you are.” What a concept! My first reaction to these words when I was younger was “Sorry, Buddha: I can’t NOT be where I am!” But my mom had me paint this quote on the wall above her wood burning stove in the living room, and I’ve read it several times now, so I think I’m starting to get it; and I think Rascal Flatts gets it too.  Buddha is telling us: put the cell phones away at the dinner table. Look out the window at the scenery when in the car, or talk to the person sitting next to you. Listen when someone takes the time to talk with you. Think about what you’re eating while you’re eating it. Most of our lives will be spent eating, walking, traveling, studying, working, and even sleeping: and tapping into happiness in those mundane times deliversexponential growth of joy into our lives! Conversely, if we can’t find God’s loving touch in those moments of utter normalcy or love both the friends and the strangers who share these moments with us, we limit ourselves to hoping that the fireworks are as grand and loud as we expect them to be. Unite introduced us to Desmond Tutu, a Human Rights Champion yesterday, and his quote struck me as I was writing this talk: he said “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”  So, go out, overwhelm your own world with good, make playlists that will never grow old, find God in the hellos – please – thank yous, and seek out love and friendship that is “ordinary, plain, and simple.” Amen. 

60!

From Very Good Taste, I love this idea! 

I’m having some brainfarts (have I had catfish? I’ve had a million lobsters, but have any of them been Thermidor’d???) But I didn’t include anything I wasn’t sure about. I’ve had sweet Lassi, Gefilte fish, lobsters, and clotted cream, but apparently that’s not enough…

  Also, Kaolin? Really? I’m not buying that one… Overall, only three things I won’t touch, I’m impressed with the maker of this list!

Instructions at the end if you want to play as well…

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

1)    Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.

 3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

 4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Animal Highlights! Some of the best…

Nature Highlights!!

It’s too hard to catch up on all of Alaska in words - but I’m going to try with a few pictures!

brianfeldman: The most disappointing disappointment. I am going to marry the person who drew this. I am NOT ALONE IN THIS WORLD!!!!!

brianfeldman:

The most disappointing disappointment.

I am going to marry the person who drew this. I am NOT ALONE IN THIS WORLD!!!!!

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Themed by: Hunson