Sunday, October 26, 2008

i love my babies!!!





I am feeling so exhilarated because my babies are not only surviving but growing and flowering!!! And by babies, I mean my jalapeno pepper, arugula, and basil plants. I decided not to give them names because it just made me more attached to them, and more tragic if they died but now that they are healthy and happy, i might be inclined to name them soon.
I've attached some photos. As you can see, the jalapeno pepper plant is actually flowering which means that more peppers are to come! The arugula, even though it looks like one big weed, has some larger leaves (prob not enough for even 1/4 of a salad). The basil has all these new ultra green leaves growing from the top, so that is very very exciting (not like my other basil plant that died a slow death).

In last week's New York magazine, there was this whole article on urban gardens and this Japanese guy grew such amazing produce. I'm inspired to be like him! Next on the list...tomatoes? Squash?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Raclette, show off yogis, and DRAMA!

The last few weeks have been ultra busy with travel, travel and more travel.

1. I went to Sante Fe, NM to attend a wedding with my oh so special friend. Sante Fe is gorgeous, but a strange life force made me want to buy large pieces of turquoise, dream catchers, and eat a whole lot of chorizo. We went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum, and found her paintings so breathtaking. I was mildly shocked to see a shirtless Native American man put on a leather vest to enter a cafe, and then take it right off upon exit. I guess "No shirt, no service"!

2. I went to sexy Herndon, VA where I met up with my lovely and entertaining friend from business school. We hit up the Applebees by my hotel (twice!) and went into DC to have drinks and rice balls. It was amazing to see her and she reminded me how much i love mozzarella sticks.

3. I went to Nantes, France for just one weekend where i ate some ridiculously amazing food and took at least six trains, round trip to get to and from my friend's house. Oh, and have you ever been on a 9 hour plane ride sitting in the center seat, last row? It's pretty awful. Luckily, I'm a narcoleptic at high altitudes, so i was able to slumber through the flight. Anyhow, my friend and hubby prepared a delicious meal called raclette - french comfort food, if you will.

Let me explain it to you: There is a special hot plate where you can heat little square shovels of pungent raclette cheese. Then you pile baby potatoes and meats on your plate and pour the melted cheese all over it. Then you devour if as if your life depended on it. I love raclette x 10000000000000, and then some.

I also spent a short evening in Paris, which i had forgotten how incredibly gorgeous it is. I went to a bistro for dinner and met an adorable couple who were rendezvous-ing in Paris for the weekend. The guy is from London and the woman was from Sydney and they had both met at his brother's wedding 3 months prior. Talk about a long distance relationship! They recommended me the saumon grille and i LOVED it.

After all these trips, I was pretty stiff from sitting on so many cramped planes. So I went to yoga last night at the gym by my house. I think i've mentioned this before but I love the yoga instructors in Dallas, and especially the two at my gym. Anyhow, I practiced next to an Asian guy who i know lives in my building, and quite possibly my floor (i think i commented on his leather bag this morning). He was actually quite a good yogi, and definitely had a regular practice but he was definitely trying to show off. How did I know? Because he started doing all these aerodynamic moves that were beyond his skill level, his grunting got more laborious, and lots of crashing ensues. If you are really zen, then your practice should be somewhat effortless, albeit sweaty. My own practice has been improving quite a bit, and i could tell he wanted to be my friend after he saw my crow (he tried to strike a conversation right before shivasana - how gauche!!!)

Lastly - DRAMA! who doesn't love drama? Especially if it's work related!! I won't go into detail but let's just say that I've made an enemy in the office. I think someone got upset over having to move a few boxes or something. Anyways, nasty emails were sent, lots of whispering ensued, the silent treatment is definitely on, but i think i've retained my integrity throughout the drama. Basically, she SUCKS. That's right, I said it!

Hummer count: 4

Thursday, October 2, 2008

No lectures in dance class please

As a 30 year old "girl" who still takes dance classes, I know that i don't have a future career as a Britney backup dancer. I go to sweat it out and show off some of my skillz and then go home happy and stress free. Tonight, I went to Power House of Dance to take a Thursday night advanced hip hop class. There were only 4 people in the class, including 2 little munchkins. One was 13 and really good! But halfway through the class, our instructor, who is probably frustrated that no one came tonight, meaning he's probably not getting paid, decides to just run his mouth for 10 minutes and tell us how disappointed he is in us for not having more energy, and that no good dancers come from Texas anymore, and how everyone is so lazy and fat, etc. etc. And of course, he tells us we're all getting shown up by this 13 year old girl who just started dancing 2 years ago.

I just wanted my $15 worth of hip hop instruction! Instead, I came out barely breaking a sweat and feeling a little bad that I couldn't really pick up the routine. I guess if I was in Jr. High school right now, and all i had to do was learn pre-algebra and wait for my mom to drive me 45 minutes from Fort Worth to take dance classes, then I might be a tiny bit better.

However, I did have my first k-town karaoke session and it was SO SO fun! Holding a microphone and singing your ass off is totally addictive and after three hours, i was hoarse and tired and ready for a nappy-poo.