The Wonderful World of Dairy!

Today, at the farmers market, I took the plunge. I purchased milk and yogurt for the first time! It just looked so good, I couldn't hold back. So for the first time since leaving the farm in Greece, I will be drinking milk out of a glass bottle!

I also purchased carrots, onions, and some crocuses that are just about to come up! Very wonderful!

Recommended

This article in the Times makes me want to take the stairs all the way up to my office on the 20th floor! Almost.

Signs

I woke up for the gym at 6:15 this morning. The sky was already a royal blue, as the sun was on its way up. The signs of life were a little bit louder than usual. And I was able to walk back home with my jacket unzipped.

Spring will be here soon...

I am my mother's daughter...

Yesterday I seriously debated buying a bunch of new glasses for the kitchen.

Why?

Not because we need new glasses, mind you. Because we have six different KINDS of glasses - some from the fabulous Martha Stewart collection, some plastic ones from college races, some plastic ones from my college apartment and then some other random ones from who knows where.

And every time I take out a glass, it drives me CRAZY that all of ours don't look the same or come from the same glassware collection.

Never Enough

After a glorious five days in Florida, Michael and I are back in New York, a little heavier, a little redder, a little less patient for summer to arrive. We had a wonderful weekend with Michael's grandparents, eating every two hours, spending time in 80 degree weather, and enjoying the Florida wildlife.

Traveling down to Ft. Myers has become somewhat of a tradition. This was our third Presidents day weekend, and each time it gets harder to leave. Michael's grandparents dote on us constantly, and it feels lovely.

I spent a lot of time this weekend sitting right here, out on the lanai, watching birds and marine life and chatting:


Michael's grandparents:


My lovely husband, soaking up the sun at Marco's Island:


And Michael with his grandparents at Port of the Islands Marina, after taking a boat cruise to see the manatees:


In addition to the physical pleasure that comes from a vacation in Florida - the sunshine, the sleep (oh, the glorious amount of sleep!), the food, the comfort - we both felt such gratitude for the quality time we had with family. There is something so unique about the relationship between grandchild and grandparent, and I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to know Michael's.

In Typical Fashion

After two hectic weeks and with the prospect of a beach vacation on the horizon, I'm sick. I stayed at home from work today in the hopes of keeping the illness in New York while Michael and I are in Florida. I hope it works!

In the meantime, since I'm ill, I've purchased - and devoured - two delicious bags of Salt & Vinegar Kettle Chips. Heavenly!

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This makes me feel better about our stove!

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An excellent interview from WNYC about the Google way of working. It was fantastic!

Break

The sunshine felt *so good* during my brief outing today. It was the perfect break from the crazed work day!

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Anyone got an extra $900 a month? If so, check this out!

Already Sunday?

Well, another weekend has come and gone faster than I wanted! After another exhausting (and somewhat traumatic) work week, the weekend was too brief to fully recharge. Despite this, we had a great time sleeping until 1 on Saturday, playing poker with John & Anna & Ashesh, joining John & Anna's neighbors for a "stranger party," and had a super hard workout with Arnold. I've been fighting a cold this weekend, so spent quite a bit of time sleeping too!

AND, today, Michael and I went to two open houses! There were two one-bedrooms open in the building right next door to us, both of which had already reduced their prices. Of course, they were $675K and $450K. One of the apartments had been remodeled, the other was in a pretty sad state. It was fun to check out new places, but surprisingly depressing to see what a lot of money will buy in NYC - not much at all!

The Great Debate

Here it is, Friday evening. I'm sitting on the couch in our apartment, debating next steps. I know I should go to the gym and then to the grocery store. I can already feel the relief of having knocked these two chores off of my to do list.

But after another long, exhausting week, all I want to do is pour myself a glass of red wine, curl up on the couch and read my book. I want to change into my winter pants and be slovenly.

Which side will win? It's any body's guess!

TGIF

A title from my mom's email that totally applies. It will be be easier tomorrow... And Florida is only a week away!

Recommended

How much do you love Frank Rich? Especially after this!

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Have you noticed that on GoodReads you can compare your book library and ratings to your friends'? Pretty fun!

Go to a friend's profile, and click on "compare books" to see how you and your friend rated the same books. Then click on "compatibility test" and you can see how compatible your book tastes are!

Where have you been?

What a week! Michael and I both put in a 6-day week (although mine was significantly less stressful). I helped lead a full-day training, presented 4 times, went to the Bronx three times, interviewed a bunch of folks... it was an exhausting work week and I'm glad it is over!

All that said, it was so rewarding. And it is always more fun to be busy at work than slow! I am so grateful for my work environment right now - I've worked with so many wackos in the past. I feel incredibly blessed to have the colleagues I do now.

The insanity left me with less time to catch up with friends and family than usual. But I did manage to keep going to the gym, which is quite a change. Usually when work picks up, it's the first thing to go. But this time I kept saying to myself that if Barack finds the time to work out, if the leader of the free world can do it, I can too! And it worked! I love having a president I look up to...

Not much else to report. We had a great night out with Ashesh & Mona last night. We consumed a great deal of Indian food and danced at Mixx. It was so nice to just be out and about with friends we don't see enough of. It made us happy.

Revisiting A Very Nice Day

Happy Friday!

The Beauty Begins

Hallelujah! (click here to see why)

Sober and Powerful Joy

A few sentiments I want to remember about the Inauguration:

• We craved community. Everyone wanted to be somewhere, with someone, among friends, family, neighbors, citizens. We didn't really care if we knew our fellow viewers, but we knew we didn't want to be alone.
  
  
• We cried from overpowering emotion. We cried for Bush and his failures, for the global and national crises we're facing. But also for hope, possibility, community and connection. We cried because someone who seems so balanced and intelligent took over from such ineptitude and raised the expectations for all of us to work harder and sacrifice more. We cried because he asked us to do what we want so badly to do - contribute, make our mark, and make the world a better place. The same emotions we experienced on September 11, 2001 reemerged, but in a different balance. Hope outweighed fear and anger.
  
  
• We witnessed profound, inspirational history. The history my generation knows: the Berlin Wall, OJ Simpson, and 9-11. This was so much better!
  
  
• It was more than a ceremony, more than a day. Reading the paper in the weeks ahead brought tears to our eyes. Reading the paper and listening to the radio the day after elicited the same emotions.
  

What a sober and profound joy to be alive in this unique moment in time.

Iowa

I've been watching this again:

History

From President Obama's speech today

3 More Days!!!

My husband says it much better than I here.

Adios, Bush!

On the way to the gym this morning

I'm jealous...

It may be cold, but there's lots of love there.

I long for a summer day...

Relax!!

What on earth is wrong with me?!?

There was a time when I could sit leisurely, reading, napping, relaxing. For whatever reason, that time is gone. I feel utterly incapable of sitting still for longer than 15 minutes in my apartment. I get up to fix something in the kitchen, pick up clutter, clean a corner of the desk, go outside to buy things (thankfully most often I'm purchasing required items like groceries). I just can't seem to relax...

This morning is the perfect example. It's been a rough week - Michael and I have both pushed ourselves at the gym a lot and neglected sleep. My body feels tired and ready for a few hours of sitting around and reading. I am in the midst of a fabulous book that I sincerely enjoy whenever I pick it up. And, to top it all off, Michael isn't here - he is in New Jersey taking a class for the bar (don't ask...). But since I woke up, I have been baking cookies, cleaning up random items, making "to do" lists, looking at things online. It's ridiculous!

Perhaps it's the guilt - Michael is working and I'm not and so I feel like I can't really relax since he isn't. But even when he's here, I'm still moving rather frequently...

What's wrong with me?

Patrick

Is anyone else as sad about this as I am?

from The Washington Post

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Suze Orman's new book is available for download for free right here.

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I really enjoyed this piece in the NYT about how to stock a kitchen.

Representative?

From the New York Times

Kristen, Ryan, Lacy...

Where are you? We miss you now more than ever!

Beets

I love 'em! But what a mess they make!

Recommended

Frank Rich's column today is great!

Winter Farming

We often are asked what is available at the Farmers' Market come January and February. Well, today I picked up two types of mushrooms, fresh pasta, apples, eggs, carrots, onions and red kuri and butternut squash. The market also offers tons of fresh meat and fish (I have yet to start buying it, but know I need to), yogurt, cheese, honey, granola, breads, fresh flowers...

Here are some pictures (unfortunately, not very good ones, as I only had my phone with me) from the market today:

Mushrooms (with five varieties available)

Beautiful and delicious fresh pasta!

A million varieties of potatoes

A million varieties of squash

Tons of pickled produce!
(included here are beets, tomatoes and actual pickles)

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This was a neat idea!

Resolute?

To resolve, or not to resolve. That is the question facing me today, January 2nd, 2009.

There are several goals I have in mind that make for decent resolutions, including washing my hands for the full 30-seconds required to maximize the benefits of soap, getting my mile time down to 8:30, cooking dinner 5 days a week, keeping a positive attitude about going to work or doing yoga once a week. But then I read articles like this one in the New York Times, and I get discouraged and dissuaded from making the effort.

I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on the changes I’ve gone through over the past year, and there is one behavior modification that I’ve been particularly proud of: cooking dinner at home. This was a goal of mine last January 1st, and I’m happy to report that we’re averaging about four dinners a week, prepared in our very tiny but serviceable kitchen.

Here are the reasons I think I’ve succeeded with this goal:

1. The act of eating at home (particularly food grown and purchased locally) reflects some of my core values. It is a lifestyle that I want to live, one that’s environmentally, socially and economically responsible. Crazy as I sound, eating at home is a political act to me and I believe it in.
   
2. Structural changes have occurred that make it easier to cook at home. When I was in school, I had to take a lot of classes in the evening, so I regularly got home around 8 or 9 at night. Now that I get home around 7, there’s time to make a meal.
   
3. Michael encourages me. He always praises our dinner, says thank you, and enjoys the meal. Often he asks to have dinner in, rather than finding Chipotle, Subway or some other fast alternative.

So the question for me now is: do any of my potential resolutions link with something I believe in, have the structural support in my day-to-day to support their success, and will I receive positive reinforcement for accomplishing them?

2008 in Numbers

2008 brought us:

* 30 books * 5 countries
* 3 weddings * 1 new president
* 2 concerts * 3 plays
* 4 graduations * 2 babies
* 4 pregnancies * 4 jobs
* 2 baseball games * 2 Turkeys
* 2 Passed Bar Exams

Pretty great!

Happy New Year!

from the WashingtonPost.com

What will we do!??!??

Will Time Warner be worth it after this?

Bare Bones

An excerpt from my current read, Sophie's Choice:

"She was so chaotically in love with Nathan that it was like dementia, and it is more often than not the person one loves from whom one withholds the most searing truths about one's self, if only out of the very human motive to spare groundless pain."

I think one of the greatest challenges of adulthood is trusting that the people you love will still be with you when all your scares are laid out before them.

But, then again, I think that's what makes love so valuable, enjoyable and rewarding - that we are able to embrace the people we care for, regardless of their "searing truths."

It just requires faith, that those whom you care for want to know you as deeply as you want to know them.

What's to love about winter?

For the first time, I'm starting to find out!

This year, I've made the effort to switch my thinking about winter. And here's what I've learned I like about this time of year:

1. I don't feel guilty relaxing at home, in our apartment on the weekends.

2. I enjoy cooking more, since it isn't (1) 120 degrees in the kitchen and (2) still light outside while I'm preparing food.

3. Now that I've learned how to dress (i.e. hat, gloves, scarf, long johns), it isn't too bad once you start walking out.

4. Michael and I have enjoyed a lovely winter Saturday routine, including a matinee movie and some walking around the city.

5. I don't start sweating two seconds after stepping outside.

6. The sun still shines in the winter! In fact, sometimes it is stronger.

7. I don't feel like I'm missing out on life if I stay at work a little later than usual.

8. It's the perfect light to wake up to in the mornings.

Not the Right Direction

Good move, Republicans!

Top 10s: Books

2008 was not "The Year of the Book," that's for sure. I enjoyed about half the books I read this year, with the other half feeling much more like a chore than anything else. That said, here are the top 7 of the year - an odd number indeed (prime, in fact!), but the only ones worth highlighting.

7. Stoner by John Williams --- Of all the short books I made it through this year, "Stoner" was one of the few that really came to life. Brief, spare and beautiful.

6. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen --- My personal philosophy, articulated clearly, succinctly and engagingly.

5. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan --- Another stunning book by McEwan. Short, but still thought-provoking. McEwan's writing is masterful, and in this book he was able to discuss marriage, naivety, anger, love, passion and all of life's most profound emotions with great insight and skill.

4. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri --- Always a winner, Jhumpa's new book of short stories was worth the wait.

3. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz --- Despite all I had heard about this book, I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed it! The narrative voice was funny and compelling, the characters rich and relatable.

2. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy --- Just for sheer length of time I remained committed to this book, it had to make my list. Tolstoy is definitely my favorite Russian author, and while "War & Peace" was no "Anna Karinnina," it was still amazing. I loved the arch of this book, the way we grow up with characters. When this book begins, we're with the main characters in their childhood. When it ends, they are in late adulthood. We see how they change, mature, grow. Not until I finished the book was I able to appreciate how much I had grown to love these characters, and that's what makes "War & Peace" worth the effort.

1. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver --- I feel somewhat ridiculous for calling this the best book of 2008 (especially considering the other award-winners I read this year), "The Post-Birthday World" was just that! This was a literary version of the Gweneth Paltrow movie "Sliding Doors." Early in the novel, the main character has to make a decision - whether or not to cheat on her long-term boyfriend and kiss another man. The book splinters into two parallel stories based on each outcome - in one universe she's kissed him, and in the other she hasn't. Shriver crafts two beautiful, if at times terribly painful, realities and her craftsmanship is absolutely stunning. Perhaps this was just the right book at the right time, but I found it utterly engaging and thought-provoking. The main character is a woman who almost always believes, "the grass is greener on the other side." But what the book highlights is how it isn't - that everyone struggles, that there is joy in every existence. I loved it.

Oh Chris!

The Joy of Christmas

Napping on a Thursday at 4:30, after a busy day of eating and socializing, in preparation for another round of food, family and fun!

Saddened by the Script

I miss the pre-scripted version of The Hills... but I still love it!

13 Degrees

This morning we woke up in an icebox!

When I left for work, it was 13 degrees outside. In preparation, I blow dried my hair, wore long johns, put on snow boots, a hat, a scarf, and gloves. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful morning! The sun was shinning, the wind was under control, and after three days of snow, sleet and clouds it felt great to be outside in the bright, sparkling day.

On Friday, just before the snow began, I had the chance to walk through the botanical gardens in Central Park. In the spring and summer, this small snippet of the park is full of color and life. Walking through this barren space on Friday was still a wonderful experience! Winter is an important time of the year and I am learning to love it!

Top 10s: Photos

It's cliche, I know, but the period between Thanksgiving and New Years is a serious time of reflection for me.

This past year has been particularly dramatic, physically, emotionally, in my personal life and in my career, with almost all aspects of my life going through significant change. Michael and I returned to life as professions, departing the comforts of graduate school. Between the two of us, we've had four jobs in twelve months. We visited family and friends all over the world, from my mom in Armenia to my sister-in-law in South Carolina. I made new friends, fought for old ones, and did my best to do right by those I love. I worked hard to be a good wife, a good daughter, a good sister, a good friend - succeeding sometimes and failing others. Michael and I celebrated the marriages of our dear friends and the births of a host of beautiful children.

What's remarkable to me is that change as dramatic as this year has been the reality for the past several. For the last six Christmases, I've had a lot to reflect upon! And when I think about our future, about Michael and I as parents, I think about how our lives will no longer be marked by our own challenges and triumphs, but by those of our children (whenever they arrive)...

In any event, all of this reflection lead me to sorting through my pictures from 2008, to identify the highlights of the year. Here we go:

10. New York, NY. Obama! What joy!


9. Armenia! This picture is from a fabulous night with my mom, brother and husband. It isn't the most flattering shot for any of us, but it represents much of that trip - smiles, snow, cold, and walking uphill.


8. In Maryland at Mona & Ashesh's wedding. Laura & Michael, having fun and laughing together. Laura officiated the wedding, Michael and I cheered it by dancing all night. Very fun!


7. Naples, Florida. Enjoying sunshine and seafood in the middle of winter with Michael's lovely grandparents.


6. Angkor Wat, Cambodia. My husband in his adventure pants, Cambodian sun-protecting scarf, climbing, adventuring and getting tan.


5. Koh Tao, Thailand. Seeing Michael in his element, passionate about writing.


4. Koh Tao, Thailand. I've already talked about this night, but it was magical. I thought about how wonderful it is to be in love, to feel the sun, to share a life with someone. I thought about the children we might have some day, how I hoped that they would be lucky enough to know the joy I felt at that precise moment, how life can be perfect sometimes.


3. New York, NY. Celebrating Michael's birthday with fabulous friends, good drinks and some serious karaoke. Two people well matched for one another.


2. Sapa, Vietnam. Hot, sweaty and climbing a mountain.


1. New York, NY. Happy and home after the adventure of a lifetime. Tan, happy, my husband nice a scruffy. Happy to be together, happy to be by the water on a perfectly sunny, warm day in New York City. A feeling I won't soon forget.

Snow! Again!

Congratulations!

Check out this article on Betty!

Mr. Podesta, who was Mr. Clinton’s last White House chief of staff, said it was only natural to call Ms. Currie back to service once he took over Mr. Obama’s transition operation. “Of course I asked her because in the 30 years we have worked together, I have never known anyone with more grace, dedication and public spirit than Betty,” he said. “And she has one mean rolodex.”

Recommended

I think Eugene Robinson has it right in his op-ed piece today.

Evening Cheer

My thoughtful husband came home today bearing these gems:


What a lucky woman I am!

Morning Cheer

Celebrations

A weekend in South Carolina celebrating another exciting and well-earned family milestone.
A helping hand, or 10, to transition from one life to another.
A deliciously exciting new life in a handsome bright apartment.

Congratulations, Kelsey!!

The Lucky Ones

It's cold. It's wet. And it's New York.

Some days, you're the person who successfully battles the rain. You're wearing rubber galoshes that protect your legs from knees to toes. You're holding an umbrella that actually keeps you dry. You're able to keep spirits up and smile as people struggle to keep themselves safe from the rain.

Other days, you're the people who resort to this:


Today, I was one of the lucky ones.

Morning Trauma

It's only 9:37 and the following things have happened today:

* Our alarm went off at 6:15 so that we could attend a weight training class (the one that used to be lead by our favorite, Arnold, but has been taken over by a sub-par instructor - last week we left the class having not broken a sweat). Turns out, Michael had already been lying awake for at least an hour! His back has been hurting him off and on for the past month, and last night it was definitely on. We decided to skip the gym. I pulled out the heating blanket, put him on top of it, and attempted to get another hour of sleep.

* For the next hour, I dozed off and on, waking every five or ten minutes to check on Michael. When he was asleep, I would close my eyes restfully. When he was awake, I would close my eyes guiltily.

* I got out of bed at 7:15, brewed my first cup of tea, and read my book for a solid 30 minutes. The highlight of the day so far.

* I got into the bathroom at 8 to learn that there was no hot water. So no shower. No heat. No fun.

Now I'm at work, feeling gross and not yet awake. I took a shower last night at 9, so I shouldn't feel so bad. But a morning shower is as crucial to a good day as a cup of tea... It's going to be a rough one, folks.

On the plus side, today is my father-in-law's birthday! Happy birthday, Marty!

Randomness

Saturday: lounging in bed, errands that included stops at Old Navy, the Gap, the farmers market and Chipotle, baking chocolate chip cookies, purchasing two needlepoint kits to make our stockings for next Christmas, a lovely night with John & Anna (including dinner and "Frost/Nixon"), and a coke and some cookies with SNL.

Sunday: waking quickly, a brief enjoyable chat with Mom, an exhausting sweaty workout at Equinox, "Australia" with Jordana, cooking dinner, wine with my husband.

This weekend was freezing! But it felt more and more like Christmas! Our neighborhood music school (doesn't everyone have one?), decorated for the holidays:


A Christmas-y dinner with John and Anna (and all the old people on the Upper West Side):


And finally, when I went to purchase brown sugar at the grocery store on Saturday, an adorable 3-year old was helping his father by pushing a mini-shopping cart around the store. It was too cute, so I attempted (but did not succeed in taking) a photo. Here he is, right in front of the butter and yogurt:

Comfort

Disclaimer: the things I am about to say make me sound about 30 years older than I am.

I love tea. It is an absolute consumable comfort - the heat, the sweetness, the milky, bold taste make it the perfect way to wake in the morning, relax in the afternoon, or unwind after a long, cold day. By necessity, I've become rather adept at filling my tea kettle and putting the heat on without really waking up. Within about fifteen minutes of climbing out of bed most days, I have a warm cup in my hand, my eyes slowly fluttering open.

At work, we recently uncovered an electric kettle that had been hiding in the depths of our rather dirty "kitchen" cabinets. It was a sensational find, because until then if were we to try to make a cup at the office, we had to heat water in the microwave. As any good black tea drinker will tell you, this method is simply acceptable. Instead, I was stopping at Starbucks each morning for my cup of Awake, because that water is PIPING HOT.

With the discovery of the electric kettle, a friend of mine and I have started afternoon tea. Around 3:30 we put water on for our second (or third, sometimes forth) cup of the day. We'll often have a sweet to go along with it - a cookie or piece of dark chocolate. Heaven.

Here's a recent piece from NPR about tea and all its goodness:

Crash Into Me

On my way home from work today, I witnessed two car crashes! It was the strangest thing - one minute everything was hunky-dory, and the next there was broken glass and scratched metal all over the place. I paused for a minute to make sure everything was okay, then continued my way home.

As I walked past drivers and passengers left to clean up the mess made on a Thursday night, I said a quick thanks for my car-less existence. And I also marveled at my walking coma --- I've done this trip so many times now, in the rain and snow, sunshine and freezing winds, that I barely notice where I am or what's going on around me (except, of course, for the mornings when I walk by John Stewart's house - I'm always looking out for him!). It took two car accidents to snap me out of my haze today.

I hear a lot about meditation, about its mental and physical benefits. This evening, I began to see my walks as a form of meditation. Sure, I usually have my ipod on, listening to NPR or Taylor Swift, or I'm talking to someone on the phone. But it is a rhythmic experience - not only is my physical movement the same, but the path I take is repeated twice a day, five days a week. I pass the same markers, the same people, the same shops and the same traffic lights. I keep a steady pace as I walk, moving just ahead of the strollers in Tribeca. I like my route, which (despite tonight's experience) is fairly free from major streets and traffic.

The walk gives me time to reflect, relax, unwind or prepare for whatever lies ahead. It is soothing, comforting, and indeed meditative.

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How cool is this?!?

Lunch

In an effort to eat healthy and save money, Michael and I have been "brown bagging" our lunches for the past several years. The longer we do this, the larger our lunches seem to grow. At first we were taking a sandwich, coke and a piece of fruit. Then we added a yogurt. Now some more fruit. And often a cookie or two...

This, in and of itself, wouldn't be a big issue. But in combination with my environmental guilt, the results are insanely overwhelming. Since plastic bags are banned from our household (generally), the ever-expanding quantities of tuperware are rather cumbersome... Here's an example of how ridiculous its growing: