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!

beard net

you would frown too, if it happened to you!

and i know because of KRS-One

rapper KRS-One is a vegetarian. he has a song called "Beef." the words go a little something like this:

Let us begin now with the cow
The way it gets to your plate and how
The cow doesn't grow fast enough for man
So through his greed he makes a faster plan
He has drugs to make the cow grow quicker
Through the stress the cow gets sicker
Twenty-one different drugs are pumped
Into the cow in one big lump
So just before it dies, it cries
In the slaughterhouse full of germs and flies
Off with the head, they pack it, drain it, and cart it
And there it is, in your local supermarket
Red and bloody, a corpse, neatly packed
And you wonder about heart attacks?

cool running!

on september 6th, jon and I will be running the Budapest Half Marathon!


it will not only be loads of fun BUT it will certainly be an interesting cultural experiment to see how my fellow Hungarians are during a race compared to Americans.
I predict they will be more competitive!

less exciting, more exciting part I

vacuuming the floor of lululemon on Walnut Street at the end of my shift:

less exciting.

ROOT, the First truly authentic American liqueur since the Pre-Prohibition Era

more exciting (and tasty).

getting locked in the walk-in refrigerator after my shift at Fair Food Farmstand.

most exciting!

wedding season

is in full effect! my fave neighbors sean and kim just got engaged, people on facebook are changing their statuses left and right and posting photos and there are brides and grooms all over the city getting photographed!

but this...this is the coolest.

inspiration

can appear in unexpected places.

floating, figs and fun

blue skies

old places

desert hikes

down dog sunrises

floating along

wheels and deals

tel aviv

on a raft with 3 smokers

playtime

real magical realism

yad vashem

figs the size of your face!

a desert oasis

reflecting time

the gang

it was real. israel!

here I go

+
= now until July 5th.

See you soon!

weekend wisdom

My sister's boyfriend suggested a really profound, yet simple way of making choices at dinner a few weeks ago.

He said, "Would you rather contribute to the harmony or to the discord?"

I've thought about this many times since. I hope it serves you too!

chasin' 'falls

PA is home to extraordinary natural treasures and parks--Ricketts Glen is one of them.

This weekend we hiked a trail that was pretty much where Ferngully was filmed.

Is there anything more refreshing?

these ladies had it twisted.

hey diddle diddle

fiddlehead ferns are the unfurled fronds of young ferns harvested for food consumption. they are found in the wild and usually pop up for about three weeks in May.
(sauteed with jerusalem artichokes & tempeh)
sometimes you get lucky and find them at the market in June!

happy birthday, grANNIE

i like you.

lew blum(pkin)

jon's car window got totally smashed last weekend!

several shiny pennies were taken.

this morning, upon waiting for the window repair people to meet me at his car, I noticed something. jon's jeep was gone! lew blum stole it.

(they really put the special in specialists!)

I've always wanted to see his face.

but I wasn't so fortunate today.

i think he was in the bathroom.