BiBimBop and ScrubADub

Bi-Bim-Bop

I did an NYC express trip on Thursday. I woke up at 6am, did my kundalini kriya "ego eradicator" and meditation, read from my May Cause Miracles, and then sipped some hot tea. I was on the 8am bus in Atlantic City, headed for Port Authority. My only plan was to go to the Master Class with Dharma Mittra at the Dharma Center, and to track down "The Bean" because it's the only place aside from Upright Coffee that carries almond milk (side note: seriously NYC?! ALL those damn coffee shops and theres only TWO that have almond milk..!?!). There's a Bean in Union Square, and after I got my decaf spice tea latte I wandered about. Directly across the street were two yoga centers:  one, the very famous Jivamutki Center, and the other was a little grassroots place called The Shala. In India we practiced in "the Shala", and I felt a pull in my heart to try out the studio. Well, it certainly wasn't Mittras Master Class, but I am glad that I tried it - and it was nice to zone out into an Ashtanga flow. I've always said that there's no such thing as a "bad class", because even in a class you don't enjoy you'll take something away from it. I walked away with two things: a cool stretch for the hamstrings and the thought that I will NEVER, EVER count out breaths for my students-- it is distracting, counter-intuitive, and I found that I breathed less than I would have naturally. Anywho, the day continued....I met JamieD by her work and we grabbed a quick but INSANELY-FUCKING-DELICIOUS Korean lunch at Manna Kitchen (28 E. 18th Street, NY NY). I love love love Bi-Bim-Bop, and I was happy that they offered brown rice (which I am allowed to have - in moderation - with this candida cleanse). Not only am I allowed to eat everything that came with the dish, but it's all recommended for the cleanse (miso soup, kim chi, and lots of veggies and seaweed in the dish itself). Make sure that when you order this traditional korean dish that you get it with the hot skillet - otherwise the rice won't get crispy (with the toasted sesame oil), and that's the best part!! I said my goodbyes to Jamie and then headed to my Korean spa for a scrub and a massage. Back on the bus, read my book most of the way,  and asleep as soon as I walked through the door.

Lazy Day, the Lodge, and the Quest for Almond Milk...

Day 6 of the #moveyoasana instagram yoga challenge

beautiful doorways in beautiful brooklyn

my love Rob, a kickass veggie burger (with a fried egg) and some tea @ the LODGE in BK.

Rob had this hanging up in his studio...and I love it.

Bye bye NYC.

Today was a somewhat lazy day in the city. I woke up early but lounged around the apartment in Brooklyn with JamieD's roommates. I talked travel with Rachel, love with Chloe, and had a cuddle with Pi on the couch as I read his palm and talked about craft beers and tropical fruits. Then I hopped the subway one stop to Williamsburg to meet my dear friend Rob. Rob has my heart. Period. End of sentence end of story. We enjoyed an amazing brunch at The Lodge (just off Grand Street), where I had the most delicious cup of chamomile tea and a perfectly-crafted veggie burger (topped with a fried egg!). We walked around town, arm in arm, soaking up the brilliant sun and the company of one another. I jabbered away about yoga, travel and my Dad and Rob filled me in on his most recent art projects, life in the city, and his new addiction to fresh pressed juice. He snapped some photos of me doing yoga and we hung out at his studio, going through his prints, photos and past + present projects.

I meandered around the city the rest of the afternoon, searching out a cafe with almond milk. Hooray for The Bean in the east village that has a kick ass decaf "spiced" tea, almond milk, free wifi, comfortable seats and lots of plugs (to charge up your constantly-drained iPhone!). After my (non)-caffeine fix I headed to Robs for one final hug, then onto the subway and back to Jams place. Rachel was home and we got deep into conversation about the magic of India and then, exhausted from this blissful weekend, I passed out on the couch for a short sunset cat nap. I'm hopping into Jammie's truck now and we are headed back down to south jersey, just in time for the weekend to begin...

John DiGenni Says...

My friend John DiGenni is hands down the funniest person that I know. I have NEVER been around him when he hasn't had me laughing...he even keeps me laughing while I'm outta town via facebook messages. After reading my blog about feeling "uncool" in NYC, and how analyzing the new movie, Black Swan, was completely beyond me - he wrote me this great email:

"Haha I like you're last post. I've found myself in the same situation once or twice. 7million people in that town and no one to hang with!! Also, the feeling of not feeling cool enough during some gatherings. Don't worry, soon it just turns to contempt hahaha
In situations where you find yourself hanging with over educated, over analytical or just pretentious art jerks. I'll share a few universal key phrases that I use when backed into a conversation I could careless about or not know-less about--

1. The influences seem too muddled for me to decipher where they're going with this.
2. I loved it. It was amazing. Total genius. Can I go now?
3. It brings up a lot of feelings that I'm not ready to share. Where's the bathroom?

Have fun on the rest of your trip and you're welcome."


I hope that everyone has a John DiGenni friend like I do....they just make life better.

NYC, I'll See You In 2011....

Holy Christ, is it possible to have THIS much fun?? Whenever I'm flying high I feel a little nervous, worried about when I have to come back down. Wednesday was fun, Thursday was great, Friday was even better, and Saturday - well, Saturday was perfection. A full, complete day of fun and food and adventure.

1. Finally, a day that Emily doesn't have to work! We headed to Milk + Roses, of course. We both had Americano's, and Emilia had a croissant with spinach, egg and balsamic. I had a bite and it was just as I thought it'd be....delightful.

2. Caffeinated and ready to go, we made our way to Em's old hometown, Chinatown. She had some errands to run, so I popped into Vanessa's for one final fix. For $2.50 I had a Sesame Pancake Sandwich w/ Vegetables and an order of Pork & Chive Dumplings. I ate til it hurt and there was still food leftover...all for under $3!!!

Corks and I continued to shop and bop. Well, Em did some shopping and I just did some bopping. I saw a bunch of stuff that I really loved, but simply couldn't {and wouldn't} afford. Plus, I don't think that I'll need a $325 vintage silk dress or $250 leather lace up boots in Cambodia, Laos OR Vietnam....

4. Em talked me into trying an "infused coffee" @ Randolph's. Well, I'm a coffee purist. Espresso, milk and a touch of sugar. Some may even say that I'm not a purist because I use cream and sugar. Anyways, this fancy $4.50 artisinal coffee was good....but I'm not quite sold on it. It was more like a strong tea than a good coffee. Anyways, always glad to try something new - and I'm glad I did.

5. Cruised a few blocks down to BABYCAKES on Broome. Rochelle turned us onto Babycakes, a fabulous ALL VEGAN bakery!!! Dad still is, and always will be, on {as I like to refer to it as} his 'brain tumor diet'. This is basically what's keeping him alive. Lots and lots of vegetables, and little to no sugar. The vegetables he doesn't love, but my mother makes him drink lots of fresh-made veggie juices. The no sugar....near impossible for him! I mean, we are talking about the KING of chocolate chip cookies, Drake's Cherry Pies and "White" ice cream. BABYCAKES is a blessing because they bake these deliciously complex healthy-alternatives that he can enjoy. Baked with spelt flour and agave nectar, they have a low sugar index and they still manage to be lip-lickin' good!! Check them out, they overnight orders if you aren't around the city!!

6. CAFE HABANA. Let me repeat that...CAFE HABANA. MmMmMmMm so f*ing delicious. Em and I were lucky enough to only wait 20minutes {at 3pm} for seats at the bar. We both had an order of their famous grilled corn....grilled, doused in butter, rolled in Cotija cheese, sprinkled with fresh cilantro and chipotle pepper powder, served with fresh limes wedges. Divine. Definitely not a food to eat on your first date, but Em and I go way back so we just dived in - devouring the corn and wearing the butter and cheese all over our faces. We washed it down with Michelada's {beer served with a salt rimmed glass, filled with ice, and a good serving of fresh squeezed lime juice - plus a shot of hot sauce} and MARGARITAS :)

There's no bein' neat when eating Cafe Habana's Corn!

7. Stuffed, and totally buzzed, we stumbled in and out of stores - stopping in UNIQLO because I had the genius idea to purchase JEANS. Now, let me tell you - I haven't worn jeans in almost a year. Literally, a year. No jeans. I find them to be constricting and completely uncomfortable. I have been living in stretch pants and jeggings. Woohooo! I walked into the dressing room with my jeans {which were even slightly stretchy!} and began trying them on. Well, I got up to my voluptuous thighs and had the epiphany, "What the fuck!? I hate jeans. Fuck jeans. Get these off of me...right now!". I marched out of the dressing room, and with a confused face Em said "Did they fit?". I stated that no, they did not fit, and in fact - I will never wear another pair of jeans so long as I live! I am trading in my jeans for cheese and beer and charcuterie! With that, we fled the crowdy shopping scene of Downtown and took refuge in a bar....

8.TOM & JERRY'S is a great, cozy bar in NoHo {On Elizabeth, between Prince & Houston}. I sipped a Red Stripe, and Em had a pint of Sierra. The bar was filled with drunk Santas from "SantaCan"....which is an annual event where thousands of people in NYC dress as santas, elves, reindeer, etc. and then tour the city, drinking as they go. We were having a good time, but then the Santas became too friendly, and a bit too obnoxious, so we decided it was time to leave.

9. Several hours and several more drinks after Cafe Habana, we find ourselves in another restaurant: my new favorite, BIANCA! Best pasta EVER. There was a very long wait for a table despite the late hour, so we sat in the bar next door {which is also owned by Bianca}. We ordered some food and they kindly delivered it next door - gnoccho appetizer, artichoke salad and the pasta. MmMm. Corks old roomate Paige met up with us and then we headed out to scope for sexy, available men.

Paige, Me and my new fabulous lipgloss from Sephora

10. Okay, so you'd think that sexy, available men would be in abundance in NYC....but, they are not. In a relationship or gay. Oh well, so void of bachelors we opted for the next best thing... Gin & Tonics! I forget what the name of this bar was...perhaps it was because I'd had too much to drink....

When in a {man} drought, drink gin!

11. The final destination of our evening was WINNIE'S. Winnie's Bar & Restaurant is a great Karaoke bar in Chinatown...Emily's favorite. It stunk like B.O. and was as darky and dodgey on the inside as it appeared to be from the outside. Tons of beautiful men filled the bar, though again - all were gay. There were a few eclectically dressed women accompanying them. Em, the Queen of Karaoke, sang a few numbers - and I even got up and sang Peggy Lee's "Fever". At this point I had switched to water and was a bit sleepy, but still managing to have fun. We hailed a cab and were home a little after 2am, and asleep by 2:15.

They are all so good, I couldn't pick just one...

...Emmy in all her glory!

And so the fun continues....

Wow. Every day has been better than the day before. Let's recap yesterday, {technically my 3rd day, but really my 2nd}...

Woke up in the morning and decided to grab a yoga class @ Usha Veda Yoga, which is next door to Milk + Roses. The space is adorable..cozy, clean, welcoming. Incense, candles. The works. My instructors name was Sarah, and she was delightful. It said on the price list that everyones first class is FREE, but I felt that taking advantage of this would be bad karma - because I only intended on taking one class, afterall I would be leaving town 2 days later. They didn't mind though, and the class was on the house. There were just two other people in class, both from the neighborhood. There was a good vibe, and we worked ourselves up into a great sweaty vinyasa flow. Towards the end of class we practiced DROP BACKS {this is when you go from standing to backbending and dropping backwards into a wheel}. We used straps: strapping the top of the thighs together so that when you press into the constriction that you are grounding down thoroughly through your feet. Raise your arms up, and strap them between the elbow and the shoulder, hips width apart. Stand with your back to a wall, beginning just a few inches away from teh wall - and working your way further away as time goes on. So as you are pressing into the thighs and the arms, WITHOUT pressing your hips forward, lifting through your core- lifting the heart, drop the arms back and press the hands into the wall as you would if you were in a wheel. I got a good distance from the wall, and began walking my feet away further from the wall and walking my hands down the wall - deepening the backbend. Okay - does that make any sense?

After a great class, I rewarded myself with an Americano at, you guessed it, MILK + ROSES! I kept it tame with just ONE americano, as I strolled through UrbanSpoon looking for a great place to eat lunch. I decided on PAPACITOS: Mexican Street Food.

Papacito's {999 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint, Brooklyn} has what they call a "3-Way-Happy-Hour":

1st Happy Hour: 11am-4pm Monday through Friday

$1.50 tacos, $2 fish tacos, $2 tecate cans, $2 modelo especial cans

2nd Happy Hour: 4-7pm Daily

2 for 1 frozen margaritas, $2 tecate cans, $5 pints of sangria, $6 tequila + tecate, $3 regular nachos, $2 modelo especial cans, $5 house margaritas, $5 burritos, $4 meat burritos

3rd Happy Hour: The last hour of every night {1-2am Sun-Wed, 3-4am Thur-Sun}

$1 taco madness.

You can't beat the prices, and having eaten Mexican street food in Mexico, this is authentic and deeeelicious. I really wanted a margarita, but I was living on a budget. Their margaritas are the real deal: fresh squeezed lime just and tequila, splash of agave. MmMmMm.

Left Papacitos, thankful that I was in stretch pants. I bopped through the local thrift store and bought myself a "cool" NYC shirt. Headed back to Emilia's, showered and changed into a cute outfit for the upcoming evening. Walked downstairs and got my nails 'did' but the Asian downstairs. It's $7.50, and she smacks my hands and yells at me because I bite my nails. Yeah, Yeah, I know...bad habit. I still had some time to kill before Corks got done work - so I hopped off the L @ 1st Ave and cruised through the East Village. Checked in with my handy-dandy iPhone app, HAPPY HOURS and one of the 'readers choice' happy hours was at local Irish Pub, LUNASA. Well, I am so glad that I sat down here. Had 3 pints, a large bowl of shoestring cut french fries, and a lot of fun!

I went onto my YELP app and read all the reviews. People raved about it being a good community bar, where locals get together. The bartender Scott received rave reviews - he's been there since the day Lunasa opened 7 years ago. Sure enough, my fabulous bartender was none other than the original, famous Scott! He was great. We talked about dogs {his boxers name is Luna}, french fries, Costa Rica, and other odds and ends. I made friends with the people sitting next to me, and ended up leaving with 3 new friends. Scott insisted that I come back again, and my new friend David is bringing all of his friends to my next NYC show.

I walked down to Ave C and met Emily and friends for Jacinta's birthday party @ the fabulous new Austrian restaurant, Edi & The Wolf.

Edi & The Wolf has only been open over a week, but it has gotten TONS of reviews, ALL of them being 5 star. This one review kinda puts it into perspective:

"It was cold. It was rainy. But inside Edi & the Wolf, all was perfect. Which is pretty damn impressive, considering it was their third night.

Austrians do comfort food very, very well, which seems to surprise a lot of people (it goes back to the lousy quality of Viennese housing etc etc that led to the rise of cafe culture etc etc blah blah). Anyway, this place does a fabulous version of your Austrian favorites. What? You don't have Austrian favorites? Well, you should. Austrians, you see, like butter. And meat products. And fatty things. And bread. Washed down with lots and lots of booze. And coffee (that also is spiked with booze). And lots of cigarettes (well, that's missing here, obviously). In other words, to borrow loosely from someone a lot smarter than I am, they excel at a lush, baroque aesthetic culture. In simpler words, they eat and drink well. And you'll eat and drink very well here. For an extremely reasonable price..."

I had the pickled vegetable appetizer and weiner schnitzel. So f*ing delicious. Kasha was our waitress, and god-bless-her, she handled our table of 20 quite well.

Stuffed to the gills, a tad bit too much to drink, Em and I hopped a cab and then passed out. Another successful day.

Brooklyn, Day 1.

Well, technically I guess it was Day 2...but let's not get lost in the details.

I am way overdue for my city visit, I mean really....I'm only 2 1/2 hours away, I should be here every freaking weekend. Wednesday: Hopped on the bus in AC and arrived in NYC well after dark. Grabbed a beer with Emilia {who I will also refer to throughout as Emmy, Em, Corkill or Corks} and her coworkers and then we jetted off for a late, and totally sold out, showing of BLACK SWAN staring Natalie Portman. Anyone see Requiem For A Dream? Yeah, this movie was totally fucked up like that one was!! A kind of psychological thriller, with some crazy lesbian sex thrown in. After the movie, the group that we had met up with stood outside, smoking cigarettes, analyzing {in depth} the movie. The philosophy, the essence, the 'big picture'. Again - let me reference the blog I wrote earlier about feeling totally uncool in NYC - I thought that the movie was terrifying, and honestly a bit confusing. Yes, I guess I didn't "get it". I loved the cast, I loved when it was centered around the ballet, but you add in the horror of it all and in reality - I missed half the movie because I had my eyes covered, my ears plugged, my head buried into Emilys shoulder and I was cutting off the circulation of her right hand. She's lucky that I didn't have night terrors later that evening! Got back "home" to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and passed out - excited for all of the following days adventure. Emily got up early and headed to work. Thankfully she left me her keys, which meant I could lay around and be lazy as long as I wanted, not having to rush out of the house when she left. Thank You, Thank You Emilia! I had tons of plans for the day, and several people to see. Well, Gina couldn't get off of work - and she has a sniffle, so her mother wouldn't let her come in to meet me for dinner. That's one down. Two, Emily had her Holiday Christmas Party. Three, Kristen Watson had a Jivamutki yoga event. Four, Rob Kulisek had "fancy schmancy" dinner reservations somewhere - couldn't hang out and wouldn't be able to meet me @ the White Buffalo Show at the Rockwood. Five, Eileen was in the city but was busy with previous commitments and had to return to the shore, leaving around 6pm. Are you getting where I'm going with this? I know a fair amount of people in this city, and every single one of them was unavailable. As much as I love the city and am completely able to entertain myself, killing 12 hours by myself was a bit more than I bargained for - and come to find out, I'd have to be doing the same on the following day {friday} as well! I packed my bag and decided to head back South. I wrote Corks an email saying thanks for the hospitality, but I'm going to head home - love you, blah blah blah. Short and sweet. She protested and said that she could make herself available Friday evening so I said okay...and now here I am.

Milk & Roses

Yesterday was a very full day. Woke up and went straight to my FAVORITE coffee shop in the whole world, MILK + ROSES here in Greenpoint {1110 Manhattan Ave). I had TWO of the most delicious Americanos, with cream. I listened to Grizzly Bear and {don't judge!!} the Twilight New Moon soundtrack as I flipped through Lonely Planet: Cambodia, planning the first leg of my trip. I decided to start NW in Siem Reap, work my way down to Phonm Penh, and then NE before crossing over into Laos. All travel will be by boat. BAH. Can't wait. After Americanos I headed to my old stomping grounds, Williamsburg, to visit my old boss OLIA. Love, Love, Love Olia {see blog below}. I know that she is insanely busy with the upcoming holiday season, so I was so very thankful that she could set aside some time to hang with me :) We chatted about life, our love for blogging and eating, and our distain for Bikram! Before I left she let me pick out a pair of earrings as a Christmas Gift....a VERY generous gesture that I'm still blushing over! {check out her beautiful jewelry: www.oliadesigns.com}. We said our goodbyes and then I was uptown on the L to 8th ave, downtown on A to W4th, transfer to the B downtown to Grand Street. Cross the park and 118 Eldridge Ave, my favorite dumpling house in all the world - VANESSA'S {or as you've often heard me refer to it as, "Dollar Dumpling"}. The line wasn't that bad, and I actually GOT A SEAT!!! Hooray!! And lucky me, also seated at my table was a very handsome, interesting and well-traveled New Zealander {is this correct? What do you call someone from NZ?}. His name was Bob. We chatted quite awhile, but alas - he has a girlfriend. Go figure, they all do. I thought that NYC was filled with millions of singles...? Well every man I meet has a woman. Anyways, good for them. Had a great time sharing stories with Bob, and then was on my way to meet Eileen for ONE DRINK @ Gus + Gabriels on the upper west side. I arrive at Gus + Gabriels....and the menu says "FISHTAG". Hmmmm. And there are no gourmet tater tots on the menu....or housemade sodas {that are spiked with whiskey}. But, the menu looks good, the bartender is very nice and the atmosphere's alright, so I decide to stay put. They've been open for only a week, and the food was pretty damn delicious. Eileen ends up staying for a cocktail....and a bottle of wine, Ouzo, Port, and an arrary of appetizers and desserts! HOOOORAY!! I got to catch up with Eileen AND I didn't have to hang by myself! We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I love Eileen, and I was thankful to have some time with her, we haven't hung out since my yoga classes ended! Eileen treated, which was truly above and beyond- and VERY appreciated. Headed back to Brooklyn for sleep and now here I am. In bed, typing. Prepping for another glorious day. I'm headed to a vinyasa flow yoga class now @ Usha Veda Yoga {1104 Manhattan Ave}, which is conveniently located next to MILK + ROSES.

Blessings everyone, enjoy today.

Olia Love.

Several years ago I worked in Brooklyn for the most fabulous jewelry designer, Olia {www.oliadesigns.com}. Not only is she an epic creator of beautiful jewelry, but she is also an amazing boss....the best of the best. Over the years I have kept in touch, and whenever I'm in the city I always visit her at the Grand Street studio in Williamsburg {Brooklyn}. Sometimes we lunch, sometimes we sip tea....and we always get into the most wonderful, and meaningful, conversations. Lately I discovered that Olia has taken on a 30 day writing challenge: keeping a blog, writing for 30 minutes every day. Well, in those 30 minutes Olia covers alot....a whole lot, and a whole lot of important and close-to-the-heart kinda shit. Recently she wrote a blog that really, really resonated with me. It reminded me of the way that Shawn described how he felt about dating me...and something that my mom chooses to remind me of, here and there. SO: I thought that I'd share it with you all.

"...Her {Elizabeths} blog talks about vision and having ownership of your vision and that is what I thought of doing this morning. I discovered vision setting years ago. It was so effective for me that I gush about it to anyone in need of a house, boyfriend, family or a new job. I learned that the way to get those things is through a carefully planned vision. I engage in the vision exercise, not exorcise (thank you Josh), frequently but this morning I feel that I need it again. I need it in terms of my relationships. Elizabeth’s writing about carrying certain stories with you your whole life time struck me. I thought that I have processed all of my “stories”, but I have not. The haunt me almost everyday and they need to be exorcised That is where curses come in. I think curses can come from other people but they are only effective if you then curse yourself. Otherwise they fall away like dry leaves.

Josh, I am sorry to do this but you cursed me. And then I cursed myself. I notice this curse every time I get into an argument with my husband and other arguments as well. It was a strong curse and for the sake of exorcising it, I am doing it publicly because I know when you read it, you will help me. One day we got into our fight, in my mind was our final fight. We were arguing and were both exhausted. You were painfully whimpering from your chair and you said “Being with Lisa was like dying of cancer and being with you is like being burned alive.” You always had a way with words, that is why I love you. I walked out with my little Papilloni on a leash, crying down the street. What I did then was internalize these words. I thought, well if I were to choose a death. If I had to choose between these two options, I would probably choose cancer. Burned alive is very scary and I don’t ever want to experience it, ever! I know this is graphic but its for a reason.

The truth is, first of all, I don’t have to choose the two deaths and you didn’t either. There is a third and a fourth and an infinite option. For example, dying in your bed smiling while your dearest friends and family are around you with candles and smiles to help you in your transition. I think I’ll take that option and you can too if you want to.

The other thing is, I am a fire sign, so I am known to be fiery. I know that fire can light the night and keep you warm but it can also burn you. I’ve done both in my life. I think its also why I believed this statement so much. Knowing that I am a fire, I assumed that it was the truth. Being with me felt like being burned alive. I notice now that when my husband gets upset with me, even when its his own stuff, I think to myself, “Tred lightly, being with you is like being burned alive so you should be grateful to anybody willing to commit to a lifetime of eternal fire.” Its an unconscious thought and it has many forms but I know its there, compounded with my mom’s words “Being with you is not easy, Olia.” Ouch, even writing this one, hurts so much. Why is being with me not easy, mom? Why? Is being with other people easier? What’s wrong with me? Is it because being with me is like being burned alive? In that case, I should be alone. Right?

So now the Vision. The all powerful, aligning vision.

I see me waking up in the morning with a smile on my face. I had a restful night sleep. Its perfectly quiet in the house. All the day’s things are put away. I look over and see my love, he is waking up quietly. I go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I look refreshed and beautiful after a night’s sleep. Yes, beautiful, I always look beautiful to myself. My eyes are shiny and wide. The whites of my eyes are still that bluish color that they were when I was a child. My body is lean, firm and soft. My skin is smooth and feels good to the touch. I am graceful in my movements. I conserve my energy well but I also know how to make more if I need it. I am healthy and agile. I clean myself and start my daily stretches in my private space. It involves stretching, meditation and space. Sometimes my love and children join me. They are allowed as long as they are respectful of the ritual, they are welcome.

We all gather together to eat our morning meal. It is nutritious and filling. Its its satisfying. Hot liquid that warms the soul. Warm home cooked meal full of all the vitamins needed for a vital and productive day.

My husband and my children appreciate one another and me. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We help to strengthen the strengths with kind words, support, encouragement and love and we help each other with our weaknesses using the same techniques. I feel loved in my relationships. I feel appreciated and I feel stronger when I am with them because of our combined energy. We come together in harmony and unison and although our paths are not identical we can travel together happily, encouraging our combined and personal journeys. We laugh a lot. I love making them laugh and I love it when they make me laugh, especially out loud. Laughter and interesting conversation fills our house. It is our place of coming together for sharing, caring, regaining strength, resting, enjoying, learning and listening to each other.

I feel calm when I get home. I feel peace within my walls. I feel peace in my soul and I feel peace all around me. I feel abundance and love. I feel light on my face. I feel space and time. I feel help all around me. I feel clear because our house is kept clean with all of our efforts combined. I feel free to be myself. I feel like I can dress how I want to and my family will like it, especially when I fantasize a very elaborate ensemble. I feel the perfect balance of leisure and work. I feel that we enjoy time together and time apart. We can come together in connection and leave in connection, free. Free of attachment and control. I fee free to be me and being me is the way that I express myself. Whether it is jewelry, writing, singing, standing on my head, therapy, film making, or drawing, I feel supported. I feel that what I am doing is important. Just as important as everyone else’s work in the family.

I feel that there is balance. We love our work and we love our time together and we love our time alone. We appreciate each other deeply and we listen to each other’s needs. We are compassionate for each other when the other’s are hurt. The one that is hurt gets special attention until they recover but we all have “special attention” all the time because we learned to give that “special attention” to our selves in our daily lives. We don’t need it anymore but its very nice to receive it.

There is a balance between giving an receiving. We give gifts daily and receive gifts. A gift is a piece of sprouted wheat toast with organic butter or its an Imac What ever it is, the intention is giving and receiving in balance. Giving and receiving as pleasure and abundance, not substitute for missed love and affection. Giving and receiving in celebration of life, sometimes marked by special events.

We enjoy special events. Halloween, Hanukah, Rosh Hashana, Thankgiving, Christmas (I know its not mine but I celebrate it in my Jewish way, chinese food and sometimes movie), New Years Eve, Passover, Valentines Day, Shabbat, Yom Kippur, Memorial and Labour day weekend I can keep going but the calendar is already marked with nice times for breaks and enjoyment. Its not to be rigid but to enjoy within a community not just the family.

We love spending time with family. We bond and laugh and help each other. We share and do all the things we do in our immediate family but with our extended family as well. It spreads from inside out. The core has to be strong and the flower can bloom beautifully.

We love spending time with friends. It is the same with them from inside out. When we grow inside we can share our growth with the outside, otherwise we share our own discomfort.

Ok I have an appointment coming.

I will do more later but I think I got the core.

{http://oliarights.com/2010/12/08/day-28-curses-and-visions/}

Thank YOU Olia for sharing your inner most emotions and thoughts with us -- sometimes hearing of someone elses struggle helps us to navigate through our own suffering.

Oh, and PS: Thank you Olia for the most beaaaaaaautiful 'prezzie' every....the earrings are BEAUTIFUL!!!

www.oliadesigns.com

Polka Dots + Stripes + Everything Cool.

NYC: I love it, but this place makes me feel so uncool. Genuinely UNcool. I know my way around the subways, I know of the best places to eat - where to get dumplings, where to get coffee, where to get the best pie or cannoli or falafel. But no matter how hard I try, I feel totally uncool. Perhaps this is because I'm trying, or because I'm longing to be something I'm not. I'm sorry - but no matter how cool it is, I will always feel like a smacked-ass in oversized glasses, unmatching socks, or a huge fur coat. I don't feel comfortable in bright pink tights or ill-fitting sailor pants. I feel at home in stretch pants, uggs and my warm Patagonia jacket.....and for some reason, when I wear this attire in NYC, I feel totally uncool. And then I get down on myself for not being comfortable in my own digs or in my own skin. I don't mix polka dots and stripes, and I probably never will - so I need to accept that my cool isn't their cool, and what in the hell defines cool anyways? Realistically, I don't think that I've ever been very cool to begin with, so why the hell am I trying to start now?

SO: NYC - Please continue to embrace me, despite my inability to be cool. Feed me, entertain me...and let me enjoy my stretch pants and plain jane attire. Love, Cailin.

bianca.

bianca

5 bleecker street

between bowery + elizabeth

NYC

212.260.4666

www.biancanyc.com

Emilia, telling a story...

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

Fernand Point

SOUL SATISYING.

That is how I'd describe my dinner @ BIANCA in NYC. MmMmMmMmMm. I started with the most amazing artichoke appetizer, Carciofini; thin artichoke slices with Parmigiano in a lemon dressing ($8.50). For my entree I had Spagghetini al Pomodoro with tomato + basil ($9.50), and it was satisfying deep down into my very soul. Homemade macaroni with the most simple but perfect sauce with crushed tomatoes and fresh basil. The icing on the cake....freshly grated cheese on top. The restaurant itself was super cute and dainty. If you haven't already caught on through the past few years of food blogging - it's not just the food that makes for a great success, but it's almost as if food tastes better when the place you are eating it is special. There is nothing worse than a restaurant with no atmosphere. It was loud and cramped and cute and fabulous. Between the three of us we had: one bottle of Chianti, 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 3 espressos. The total: only $92!!

MmMm, I just wanted to drink the lemon dressing this artichoke salad was in.

Nicole and the Spagghetini al Pomodoro.

Nicole's first bit of coffee in over a year. Thank goodness for her it was one of the most delicious cups of espresso around {aside from Milk and Roses of course!}.

NYC Jaunt : Part II

NAIL salon, Greenpoint , BROOKLYN

NYC

September

Jaunt #1; Part II

Whoa. So I now realize that I left out ALOT of details in the blog below about day 1 of Jaunt #1 in NYC. To begin, in Little Italy was the Italian Festival for Saint Gennaro. The whole part of town was in a tizzy with arcade-esque games, food stalls and lots and lots o' italians! This was where we enjoyed our sangrias. Afterwards at Eight Mile Creek {the Australian restaurant and pub: http://www.eightmilecreek.com/ 240 mulberry st New York, NY 10012 (212) 431-4635} I was delighted to find that Ravi was bartending. He is great! G and I started off with Elderflower cocktails {elderflower cordial, vodka, champagne and limeade} and then we downed some COOPERS, an Australian beer. We said goodbye and when Emily and I made our way to Webster Hall for the Caribou concert it started to POUR RAIN! We ducked into a random, dark bar and a few minutes later in walks MICHAEL CERA {superbad, arrested development, nick + norah's infinite playlist}!!!!! BAH. I'm obsessed, he is certainly my celebrity crush. We had two pints, I goo-goo and gaa-gaa'd over Michael Cera, and then once the rain let up we headed to our final destination. We ended up leaving the concert early because the lights were making Em nauseous. Anyways, those were the details I left out. NOW, for day #2. Em had left for work and I putzed in her apartment: blogged, facebooked and uploaded some photos. Grabbed and shower and then hit the streets. I love Em's new Polish town. I cruised down to a cafe that Emily had recommended, Milk and Roses. Pardon my french, but it was fucking AMAZING. So amazing that I won't touch on anymore details right now, because this place needs a blog entry all its own. Enjoyed an Americano and the lovely atmosphere before heading to the NAIL salon by Em's place for a $7.50 manicure {a mani-pedi is $17.50}. The asian woman yelled at me for my awful, ugly, short, stubby bitten nails. Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know lady. Sat next to a sweet soul sista who found me and my life so entertaining. We talked about black girl booties and her 9 year old daughter, who was going to be very jealous of her mothers new bright orange mani-pedi.

Mani's: $7.50

After my manicure I texted Olia to see if she was around the office. Lucky me...she was!! I made my way to the neighboring borough, Williamsburg. My old stomping grounds. Olia was a GREAT boss. A super laid-back Russian jewelry maker, who insisted upon long coffee breaks and lunch on the roof. She would Reiki all of our jewelry before it went out, and burnt sage over it as well. She sells at high end boutiques, Henry Bendell, as well as online : check her out... www.oliadesigns.com Also in the office is Megan Hill and Corinne, Olia's right hand chickadee. We enjoyed a delightful lunch on the rooftop, analyzing the publics obsession with vampires, bringing back OBAMA t-shirts because he needs support now more than ever, and how Megan is getting "old" and loosing touch with the hip music "those kids" are listening to these days. HA. SO much fun to reconnect with these lovely ladies....

Olia, Meg + Corinne.

After lunch in Brooklyn I headed Uptown to meet up with Lance, a very good friend of mine and also the producer of my first album. We talked about his life after separating from his wife, his kids, his job...but mostly we talked about music, and recording album #2. I can't wait, that's going to be my project this winter. Left Lance and met up with Nicole Gorton who's in visiting from California. We bopped and shopped our way around SOHO before meeting up with our friend Cyrus Sutton and his girlfriend Anastasia. Cy is an amazing surfer and an outstanding filmmaker. He was in town for the East Coast debut of his new film "Stoked + Broke" at the Tribeca Surf Film Festival. We all agreed to meet up later in the night @ a party in Brooklyn. We parted ways and then Nicole + I met up with Miss Emilia at an adorable little Italian restaurant, Bianca, on Bleecker between bowery + elizabeth. Again, a meal so outstanding that it needs a blog all its own. So, I'll just leave it at that for now. Said goodbye to Em after dinner then headed to Brooklyn to reunite with Cy, Anastasia and the group at a rooftop BBQ for all the filmmakers. A good time was had, as always. The night continued and then both places we'd had lined up to sleep at that night fell through. We ended up staying on Grand Street in Chinatown at a friend of a friend of a friends place. Thank God for friends of friends! HA. I woke up at 6am so that I could catch my bus and be home in time to start my day. G'damn, I love jaunting!!!

Cy, Nicole + Anastasia, dancing around a dumpster couch in Brooklyn...

Two beautiful, beautiful ladies: Nicole + Anastasia.

The California Crew...cruising on the NYC Subway!

Jaunting.

Jaunting. Yep, it's actually a word {I looked it up in the dictionary}.

jaunt (jônt, jänt)

n.

A short trip or excursion, usually for pleasure; an outing.

intr.v. jaunt·ed, jaunt·ing, jaunts

To make a short journey.

Anyways, JAUNT #1 of the season: NYC. There won't be any travel abroad, so I plan on getting down and dirty all over the US of A. Headed into the City yesterday morning, arriving around noon. I met up with my best friend from college, Gina Enberg. We did our usual loop: H+M in the city, then downtown for "dollar dumplings" aka Vanessa's Dumpling House on Eldridge. Followed by TaiPan Bakery on Canal for coffee and sweet bread, and then Little Italy for a refreshment {aka Sangria} + Cannolis. We chatted and bopped and shopped and caught up. THEN we headed to my favorite bar in the city...8 Mile Creek. Well, maybe it's not my absolute favorite, but I really really really like it. It's an Australian pub and the bartender, Ravi, makes up a mean cocktail. Emily met up with us here, we said farewell to Gina, and then Corks and I headed uptown to meet with NICOLE GORTON who'd just flown in from California. No, she didn't fly in to see Caribou in concert, but she did fly in to catch the Igor swell. Yep, she's pretty amazing. Danced it up, laughed it up, said our farewells. I crashed at Em's new place in Brooklyn {Greenpoint} and it's ammmmaaazing. Lots of light, lots of space. Corks had to go to work, and after I finish this blog I'm going to pack it up and start checking out the new neighborhood. Going to be meeting up with Nicole for lunch @ Cafe Habana and I cannot WAIT to eat their delicious grilled corn.

Jaunt #2: NANTUCKET, a short jaunt visiting my Uncle Sean in this awesome NorthEast coast town :) Details to

come...