all I want for new years...

is for the puppet show to happen!

you see, at christmas there was a perfectly wonderful puppet theater constructed with great care and love, but it seems the energy ran out and the puppet show never happened.

but alas...

i have faith that 2010 will bring a puppet show...or two!

family means fabulous food

hanging out in miami always includes awesome meals prepared by my mom and sister.

hats off to the chefs!

highlights included a delicious orzo, tomato and chick pea salad

tasty snap pea, ricotta ensalata, radish and mint salad!

petra's mascarpone and strawberry dessert creation was insane!

mom's traditional hungarian pea soup

quick mushroom and spinach quiche

and late one night jon and i ventured to a place that only makes empanadas...they were tasty!

overall it was a delicious time to share!

a serious and chocolatey day in south beach

after sunning on the beach with dad, i attended the magical 8-mile twas my 17th!

after, I bicycled home for a super-fast shower so I would be clean for Chocolate Yoga!

chocolateyoga was all about savoring delicious chocolate, savoring the moment and realizing that we are full of bliss; sometimes it just takes a little chocolate on your tongue to access it!

(ring ring)

THEN--met back up with dad for a movie; a SERIOUS MAN. all i can say is, GO SEE IT, seeeeeriously. then give me a ring so we can discuss!

a new york afternoon

jon and I drove up to New York yesterday to hang out with my dad and sister.

it was lovely.

(petra and dad)

(creeping vines)(the incredible High Line)
people-watching at the High Line

i was so impressed by the High Line. what an incredible example of innovative landscape architecture--and the beauty of restoring old structures to create new possibilities for green space!

tweedledee

on saturday, Jon and I attended the 2nd semi-annual Philadelphia Tweed Ride.

tweed rides have become an international phenomenon where bicyclists dress in tweed (i wore houndstooth) and celebrate simple pleasures.

this ride included a stroll through Rittenhouse Square

a picnic and gaming opportunity

and some good old fashioned group bicycling around the city.

as we sat in the sunshine watching a penny farthing go by, we felt transported to a simpler time!

soup-er fall

this fall I've been making "soups of the week."

last week it was leek, celery root, and white bean soup.

here it is pictured with some local friends for lunch; spelt bread & hummus, honeycrisp apples over arugula and meadow run farm sausage!

soups are fun because you get to play around with different ingredients;

just chop 'em,

sautee 'em in olive oil,

add water and let them do their thing for an hour or so! put them in a food processor and you're ready to roll!

halloweeeenie

a few dollars later...

(peter rabbit and a carrot)

fair food FRIGHTstand

this week, for halloween, I was inspired by some very mousy looking "bulls blood" beets at the farmstand.

their tails just looked so mousy I couldn't resist. added some garlic cloves for ears and shazaam!

genevieve, a farm stand colleague, thought they should live in some kind of a scene, so I figured they'd be quite happy watching the Phillies game on a flat screen TV.

i think they're having a blast!

my best costume

my best costumed happened in 2005.

alissa was a kiwi fruit that year!

still unsure about this year.

still sure that i like costumes!

400cow burger

In Marion Nestle's book, Safe Food, she mentions a study which finds that one pound of commercial meat could contain meat from more than 400 cattle.

400 cattle bits!

Also, 70% of antibiotics produced in the US are given to livestock--and then end up leaking into our water supply.

Mmm, would you like a side of meat with your antibiotics and hormones?

Just make sure you know and like the origins of the meat you consume!

These cows were super happy (and maybe they're not around anymore?). Jon and I visited them at Hendrick's Farm and Dairy earlier in the summer.

And if you're really into meat, subscribe to meatpaper.

run free!

there is a growing debate around the necessity and effectiveness of the "high tech" running shoe. many experts claim that despite all of the advances over the last few decades, injury has not declined and there is little evidence that running shoes prevent injury--in fact many believe they lead to more injury!

one of my yoga teachers mentioned Born to Run the other day, a book about one man's quest to find out why, despite the best "technology" and "gear" for running, he still faces injuries. the book chronicles his experiences with the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, who run distances effortlessly wearing sandals or barefoot.

i got myself a nifty pair of Vibram FiveFingers and have been running shorter distances in them--and also wearing them during long shifts at lululemon. they feel great--and my toes definitely feel happier and more in tune with the world!!

blahs vegas

went to vegas (my least fave place in the milky way) last week for the rad interbike bicycle trade show to help set up and man the Focus Bicycles booth

Focus is a German bike company that is newly launching in the US.

their bikes are incredible gems of German engineering and are designed by professional racers!

vegas was an interesting backdrop to a tradeshow for the bicycle industry. there are, at present, no bike lanes there.

vegas is unreal. it's an intense and constant juxtaposition of excess and lavish ornamentation

against pervasive ugliness.

but all in all i had a great time and got to see some really neat innovations in bikes, like these ones made of bamboo!

jonny b. goode

up your nose!

i was at whole foods to pick up 4 things; oats, quinoa, lemons and garlic when all of a sudden i found myself impulsively adding a neti pot to my basket. i'd heard my sister talk about this ancient nasal irrigation device as well as many yoga teachers and i felt it was time to get my nasal passages clear once and for all!

and it really works! it's a bit strange at first, but once I got the hang of it, I know it will be a part of my daily routine. and for anyone who is doubtful, it was featured on oprah. so it must be great!

"a nightmare without it"

weddings abound! i was checking out my friend kim's site on theknot.com when this little product popped up as a suggested gift--i was so intrigued, I just had to click on it.

wow.

viszlát!

and we're off! be back sept 13th!

birthdayriffic!

August 23rd 2009 was incredible!

I woke up to a surprise that brought me to tears! Jon had some members of the West Philly Orchestra play a few wake up tunes in my apartment!

Then, my mom, who would later gift me this here vacuum of my dreams

arrived and the three of us biked to Dhyana yoga for an 11 AM class.

We then ate lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Fork

and proceeded home for an apricot fruit slump that my mom created. It was accompanied by a chilled honeydew coconut tapioca soup.

(note--the "25" candles were reused--my mom happened to find what were her "52" candles from a few years back!)

Overall, it was an amazing day!