Fun and more Fun.

Yesterday I taught 7am Yin in Avalon, followed it up with an epic breakfast and coffee, some graphic design work, gave a massage, and then taught my 5:30pm Slow Flow Vinyasa class in Margate. After the class a few of us went out for drinks. Kylee, Col, me and Paisley met some other friends at the Tilton for some Gunniess with Sprite, as well as a {pitiful} game of pool. In bed before midnight. I slept at the house where Ky is house-sitting/dog-sitting and got to cuddle with Lola this morning before I headed to the Zen Den to take one of Ari's incredibly challenging yet totally rewarding classes. It was packed and the energy was good...plus there was a very sexy yoga man in the back of the class that made my view from downward dog a pleasure! Left power yoga and stopped to visit my friend Mila at Who's On 1st cafe in OC before giving TWO massages @ Exodus. Amy (the owner) and Vicky (the massage therapist) both received one hour thai massages from me. Headed home, a bit exhausted, enjoyed some food and some family time and now I'm getting ready to head out for my 7:30pm Candlelight Slow Flow Vinyasa!! But the good times are only beginning...my favorite cuz, TC, is coming up with her boyfriend David. I love the SHIT outta both of them and cannot wait to have a full 3 day weekend with them!!!! YEEEEWWWW!!!

Prayer for Mealtime.

Another thing that I took away from the Thai Yoga Massage training that wasn't part of the bodywork, was a little prayer that my teacher and her boyfriend would say before they ate. I'm not very religious, and I don't usually say a prayer for I dive into my food - but I loved the 30 seconds that they took before eating to close their eyes, hold hands and gave up a little awareness and gratitude. The prayer that Jennifer would recite is from the Gita, and she just forwarded it to me.

From Bhagavad Gita 4.24

Brahmaar panam Brahma Havir
Brahmaa gnau Brahmanaa Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
Brahma Karma Samaadhi naha

Om Shanti shanti shanti

Mad Ramble Rambled Out.

The mad rambler seems to be rambled out. I have nothing clever to say, nothing too crazy to report, and no new recipes. Usually this time of year is travel entry after travel entry after travel entry -- so I'm sorry to those of you who look forward to these adventure tales...they will be continued sometime when life allows. But for now the very exciting news is that I'm certified in Thai Yoga Massage! I have been massaging up a storm (2 a day!) and I'm loving it. It feels so very natural, and when people tell me that I have the "healing" touch, I believe them - because I can feel it pulsing through me. For those of you who don't necessarily 'speak' this language, I know it must be difficult to understand how one person has a healing touch and another doesn't, so you'll just have to take my word (or really, the word of my clients) as truth. If anyone is interested in a massage it's $80 for 90 minutes and I come to you! There is a hot towel for your feet, a cushy shiatsu mat (thanks mom and dad!), mellow music, and ginger tea afterwards! Today I journeyed to Brigantine to work on one of my yoga students from Margate, Gina. She loved the massage, and not only did she give me an amazing tip - but she also fed me!! I'm going to try and pry her 'vegetable meatball' recipe from her so that I can share it with all of you - because they were DELICIOUS. Anywho, that's all for now. Love you all <3

I realize that I haven't blog-blogged in a long time. So here's whats been happening with me...

On the TWILIGHT front: My friend Kylee has been house/dog-sitting so I spent a night hanging with her: cracking out on Twilight and cuddling with "Lola". There is NOTHING better than cuddling with a dog...nothing. We watched the first Twilight, and Twilight Eclipse, I made some dinner, and we ate lots of Oreo's (thats all her fault, shes a junk food queen). And since we both like to read, we spent lots of time just reading. She turned me onto some serious crack: Stephanie Meyer had written the first Twilight book from EDWARDS perspective a few years ago, but after it got leaked she became frustrated and said that she made no plans to finish it and publish. But because her fans are so die-hard, once they got wind of this they began searching the web for the illegal never-released book. SO, she finally just posted it on her website. It cannot be printed out, you can't "copy and paste", you can ONLY read it online. But it is well worth it. The unpublished novel is called MIDNIGHT SUN. For all of you Twi-Hards out there, you can check it out HERE. It's A-MA-ZING.

On the YOGA front: I'm teaching 4 classes a week at Surfside Fitness in Avalon, and 2 classes a week at the amazing Zen Den in Margate. Ari Green is the owner of the Zen Den, and she is just a spectacular person. She makes me feel so welcomed and appreciated, and she always makes me feel as if when I'm in the studio that its MY studio. She gifted me these beautiful Mala beads (that I'm wearing in the picture above)...they are so beautiful and definitely bring me happiness every time I put them on!

On the FAMILY front: Saturday was family day ALL DAY LONG. I taught a vigorous, loud, energetic yoga class in the morning and then quickly rinsed off and headed to lunch at Lucky Bones down in Cape May with Mom, Dad and LP. The food was delicious, as always, and the cocktails were pretty dang good too!! New to their menu is fried zucchini with lemon aioli which is so so so yummy. After our long leisurely lunch we headed home. Dad and I both took LONG naps, while Mom and LP hung out downstairs. We watched 50/50 together, reheated leftovers, sipped on some wine, and then watch Barneys Version. Two movies, the whole family, lazy day, good food. All in all, a great day.

50/50

I just watched the movie "50/50" and was totally blown away. Laughing out loud and shedding tears, this movie really hit the nail on the head. Gratitude to my mother for being so selfless in her quest to take care of my dad...never making this 'about' her, and giving without asking for anything in return. And big ups to my Dad, who remains positive and strong throughout this shit ass situation that he's been handed. Watch this movie if you have some spare time. <3

South Jersey January Sunshine

Enjoying this lovely weather that we had all day. Nearly 60 degrees, sun shining bright. Hung out with my friend Kaitlin today and her dog Paisley at the beach, and then she made me a yummy summer salad!! So grateful for the mild winter. <3

kurt

Corn and Crap.

I'm a junky for information. When I became interested in Kundalini yoga, I went up to Massachusetts for a 4 day immersion, and ordered 6 books. What I'm trying to say is that I fully immerse myself in whatever I am interested in. And why I haven't known more about my food is beyond me...afterall, we ALL know that I live to eat food, prepare food and share meals with friends. Now- I never thought that I'd say this...but I'm going vegetarian. Yep, I said it. BUT, there are some specifications that I should make: I will continue to eat game, especially that that is killed by my friends and family. Venison, fish, home-raised pigs...all good. Also, if a restaurant KNOWS about the meats that they are selling then i would feel comfortable eating this (example: chef Gordon at La Medusa not only knows the name of the local farm his meat came from, but chances are that he was most likely present at the slaughter). These types of proteins are environmentally friendly, humane, and are about as natural as it comes. My generations life expectancy is actually going to be LOWER than that of our parents...all because of what we eat. And even if you don't care about losing a few years, at least have some respect for the planet, for the sake of the generations to come.

Take a minute to inform yourself...it is your obligation as a human being.

Who's down for some partner yoga...?

Xie Xie

LP and I grabbed some epic sushi tonight at Sushi Ocean View. Again- amazing meal, amazing service..Faith is the best. Learned how to say "thank you" in Chinese...it's pronounced "shay shay".

3 Bean Soup with Kale

This was probably one of the easiest soups that I have EVER made, and definitely one of the most delicious.

• Can of Garbanzo beans
• Can of Kidney beans
• Can of Black beans
• A bunch of Kale (the more the better...it is soooo good)
• Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• 2 shallots (or one small yellow onion)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Dried oregano + basil (one teaspoon each)
• Cayenne pepper (to taste)
• Salt and Pepp (to taste)
• Vegetable Broth (I prefer BETTER THAN BOUILLON concentrate as opposed to the boxes)

In the pot that you will be making the soup in, drizzle a fair amount of EVOO. Dice the shallots and the garlic and throw into the pot to sautee. Put all of your beans in a colander and rinse, rinse, rinse. Once they have been rinsed throw them into the pot. Pour in vegetable broth and seasonings. Dice a huge handful of fresh parsley, add to pot. Pull the kale off of the ribs and dice, add to pot. Enjoy!!!

I like EXTRA kale in mine, and I like it extra spicy. So before I would heat up each bowl I would add an extra handful of kale. It doesn't need to "cook down" or anything, it tastes great just as is. Also, those beans just so happened to be what I had around the house - use whatever you'd like!

Go Go Gadget

Here's some cool gadgets that I came across these past few days and have fallen in love with...

TO GO WARE : sold in Whole Foods Markets, as well as online...this nifty, eco-friendly food ware should become an essential to everyones purse/backpack/car/office/you-get-where-im-going-with-this. The utensils are made out of bamboo, and the holders are made out of recycled plastic bags. The company is fair trade and they are very involved in the process of production - from start to finish. All in all, an amazing company and an amazing (and cheap!) product. www.to-goware.com to order yours now and to see about all the amazing things that this ambitious company is doing!

For all of you tea snobs out there, this CuisinArt electric tea kettle has several options so that you can best enjoy your mug of tea:

• 160 degrees : Delicate
• 175 degrees : Green
• 185 degrees : White
• 190 degrees : Oolong
• 200 degrees : French Press
• Boil
  

And finally, for all of us smoothie loving vagabonds out there (or for any of you 9-5ers that like a smoothie in the a.m)...a travel sized blender that also seconds as a travel cup. Also, you create less waste because you are consuming the beverage in the container that you made it in - one less dish!

...and so the journey begins!

The crew: Sara, Me, Jennifer, Josh, Alan, Ashley <3

I finished up my level one training yesterday, and now the true journey begins!! I could get into detail about my full 75min massage to the public, and how she could feel my love and energy with every touch- and I could tell you how excited and anxious I was- or how proud I was to complete- or how outstanding my teacher was, and how much I loved my 'neighbor' Sara, but instead I'll just leave you with this: Let your intuition be your guide, and when the universe points you in a certain direction...follow it, with an open mind. I have loved surfing more than anything or anyone, for my whole life. If a few years ago you had said that teaching yoga would become my passion, I would have laughed at you. If you told me a week ago that I would find a home in Thai Yoga Massage, I definitely would have rolled my eyes. How silly we are to think that we have any say in the matter! Blessings to my teacher, Jennifer Yarro...and to her assistants (boyfriend & great friend) Josh and Nikki for their patience and knowledge, to my 'neighbor' Sara for giving me constructive criticism along with encouragement to help me grow, and thank you to Daniel Orlansky for the e.p.i.c. hospitality!

Figured that I'd reward myself for a job well done....Yummy (local) "Happy Sol"....

"Do you think I know what I'm doing? That for one breath I belong to myself? As much as a pen knows what it's writing, or the ball can guess where it's going next." - Rumi

Fam Florida Fun

I'm so excited to be here in Cambridge, but I gotta say that there is a little tug at my heart because my parents are down in Florida!!! My Dad wanted to see his mom (who is that short, glamorous lady in yellow in the picture) so his cousin, Pat Levitt, scooped up my parents in her private jet and flew them down!! The level of comfort he was able...or should I rephrase, the level of DIScomfort that he was able to avoid, was significant...and made the trip much easier than it would have been if he had flown commercially. God bless Pat, yet again, for her humble generosity- it means so very much to everyone in our family. Here are two pictures that make me smiled: one of my parents, grandparents, aunt nelly, pat, and uncle sean and his hubby terry having lunch down in key west. I wish I could have accompanied them but am just so stoked that this was all possible. But more than anything, I am happy for my mom. She hasn't taken a second to breathe or a second for herself in over two years now. So ENJOY MOM!!

Day 3

Day 3, and I am just flying high ( as well as being totally exhausted ). Still overwhelmed with gratitude...stoked to be participating in such an amazing training with a great group of people and an ammmmazing instructor. Thai Yoga Massage is way more powerful and amazing than I had originally given it credit for. I'm super excited to be on this path and definitely plan to take this much further (hopefully continuing under the tutelage of Jennifer Yarro and hopefully some of that being in Thailand!). Speaking of Jennifer, she is a multifaceted pretty spectacular human being, and her boyfriend Josh is extremely special as well. Jen is a yoga instructor, dula, body worker, healer an oh so much more. Her Josh lived as a monk in Thailand for over three years, and his peace and serenity will seep into your soul...instantly making you a better person. Seriously. No lie. He has a deep, soothing voice that reaches just above a loud whisper. Compassion oozes from his being. And him and Jennifer together...well they're something special. And all of us are sharing one roof, with the gracious Daniel Orlansky who has opened up his home (and kitchen) to us wandering nomads.

Anywho- another long day, but I was thankful for a smaller group (only 8 of us in the full certification program, but about 20 people for the two day weekend immersion). It was nice to have more individual attention, less distraction, and a more intimate group. We added a lot more onto our flow today, which was mildly overwhelming but all in all will become second nature in no time.

After a full day we headed home for leftovers, hot tea and some great company. Aaron stopped over with his kids, which was more than entertaining. His youngest son Jasper came right in the house, stripped off his clothes, and sat in front of the wood stove. His oldest (7), Body, came wearing slacks, a button down shirt, a tie, and a argyle vest. Aaron declared that this has been his style since a school Christmas party. Both little kids had very Big personalities...it was great to have them in the mix for a bit (and then to send them on their way). Excited and nervous and a tad bit sad about tomorrow being my final day. Studying my notes now and listening to some Chris & Thomas to soothe my nerves. Hasta Mañana troops!