Tag Archives: music

Pink Floyd Yoga

If you’ve been reading this blog a while, then you probably know I’m a big music nerd with a soft spot for artists from the 60′s and 70′s. You’ve probably also noticed that I love yoga. Last night, my friend Carrie and I went to Yoga Vida for a night of Chris Calarco’s Pink Floyd yoga. It was basically everything you’d expect—lasers, projections, 2 hours worth of Pink Floyd music…IMG_2218

While I wouldn’t call it the best yoga I’ve ever experienced, the whole thing was really fun. They played a lot of great songs (some of my favorite moments were this and this, and while I rolled my eyes at the “be both comfortable and numb” jokes during half-pigeon, it was a good-natured eye-rolling), and by the time they started winding down, I was more than happy to lay in savasana and listen to this song as the ceiling fans spun overhead. Hah, yeah. I told you I’m a nerd.

IMG_2217Since the event didn’t start until 8, Carrie and I caught up over dinner at nearby Dojo. I’m not a fan of eating a big meal before yoga, so I figured a salad would be a good bet. This has grilled chicken and portobello, and I asked for avocado on the side. This was perfect—it was the exact right amount of filling, though by the time I got home around 11, I was really hungry.

Aside from talking about all the stuff going on right now and coming up, Carrie and I had an awesome time reminiscing about college. It’s crazy to think we’ve known each other for 8 years. Or is it 9? I may not remember the year, but I do remember when my friend Anders told me, “I want you to meet her,” and we had dinner at this Chinese joint near their apartment. A few years later they were married : )

It’s funny, frat parties and the like were not part of my college experience—it was so off my radar, I didn’t even know we had sororities and fraternities until graduation. Though I have plenty of not-safe-for-blogging memories, I also have some really sweet, kind of innocent ones, at least from my freshman year (aka before I discovered whiskey, Tom Waits, and Bukowski—we all have our phases). That winter, we spent quite a few Friday nights going to the Pink Floyd laser light show at the Boston Museum of Science (where my aunt got married in 2011!) and then going for a late-night snack at the South Street Diner or cuddling (yes, cuddling) and listening to music in someone’s dorm room until the wee hours. Totally sober, too. Weird, I know.

Anyway…

Have you ever been to a “themed” yoga event? Any artists you’d like to do a yoga class for? Favorite pre-yoga eats? 

A few good things

I’m not going to sugar-coat it: there is some f***ed-up, confusing sh!t going on in the world this week: the Boston marathon bombings, the gun control rulings, the explosion in West, Texas…There are a lot of people out there who need love and support right now.

I’m not exactly in the kind of headspace that makes me want to talk about things like oatmeal (though I’ve been eating a lot of this recently) or omega-3s or even things like bacon or what you should eat after sex, but over the course of the past few days, my family and friends have reminded me that it’s also important to celebrate the good things in life, even when it just seems like the whole world’s going wrong. Even if it’s just celebrating the everyday or things, like, “Sweet—got the ‘walk’ sign!”

IMG_2169

Central Park is waking up

So here’s a little good things/gratitude list:

  • My friend Laura and her husband Chad’s Bushwick restaurant, Mama Joy’s, got a great write-up in New York magazine recently.
  • Mad Men is back.
  • Beautiful weather, lots of long walks. I even wore sandals yesterday.
  • Thug Kitchen.
  • I got a capo for my ukulele. I can now distract myself in different keys much more easily.
  • And oh yeah—I’m starting a new job soon.

What’s on your “good things” list? 

Easter and April Fool’s

Good morning and happy Monday! Whether you wish the Monday-ness was an April Fool’s joke or not, it’s here. How was your weekend?

Dunkin Donuts run with my sister : )

Dunkin Donuts run with my sister : )

Unfortunately, I had a mostly sleepless night in New Jersey on Saturday and required a lot of coffee and endorphins to get me out the door to my aunt’s yesterday for Easter dinner. It was great to see everyone and I was fine once I was there, but I was still in need of a musical pick-me-up. PMS and religious holidays should not be allowed to coincide.

Cue the Somewhat Blasphemous Easter Survival Playlist:

  • “The Ballad of John & Yoko”—the Beatles
  • “Miracle Man”—Elvis Costello
  • “Shame”—Avett Brothers
  • “Roll Away Your Stone”—Mumford & Sons
  • “Get Me Away from here, I’m Dying”—Belle & Sebastian
  • “Friend of the Devil”—the Grateful Dead
  • “Beginning to See the Light”—the Velvet Underground
  • Sweet Virginia”—the Rolling Stones
  • “Sister Jack”—Spoon
  • “Shelter from the Storm”—Bob Dylan
  • “Acid Tongue”—Jenny Lewis
  • “Sound Like Hallelujah”—the Head and the Heart
  • “A Shot in the Arm”—Wilco
  • “Jesus the Mexican Boy”—Iron & Wine

Overall, though, it was a nice holiday, complete with good company, and the food was great. My mom wrote a great post about my grandmother’s lamb recipe.

A sampling of the Easter dinner offerings

A sampling of the Easter dinner offerings

I don’t know about you, but I’m happy it’s a new month. I have a few hopes and plans. I’m looking forward to hopefully hanging up my winter coat for the rest of the year.

Anything in particular you’re hoping to accomplish or anything you’re looking forward to this month? 

New York Weekend

Sometimes I have really mellow weekends, and other times, I have super-busy weekends. This past weekend fell into the latter category. I got to spend a lot of time out and about with  some of my favorite people—a friend was visiting and my sister and I finally managed to find some time to hang out.

Highlights involved a group dinner at Hearth Friday night, drinks with friends and then a jazz show Saturday night (followed by late-night girl-talk over tea at Starbucks until they kicked us out to close, and then lots of outside time on Sunday. After a stop for Indian food, my sister and I checked out the Coffee & Tea Festival and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, walking around, and catching up.

It was one of those perfect New York City kind of weekends, and I’m grateful I got to take a little break and have some fun and some good conversations. It was restorative in a way I didn’t even know I needed, but I feel a lot better equipped to face the week.

What were your weekend highlights? 

On Chickpeas and Perfectionism

It’s no secret that the field of dietetics is full of (okay, dominated by) Type A women. I often feel that the food blog world is similar in that respect. Though I’ve tried to deny it in the past, in more recent years, I’ve made peace with some of the Type-A aspects of my personality: my reliance on routine and structure, my need to stay organized, and even my workaholic and overachiever tendencies. Though I may not be super-competitive with others, I can be competitive with myself, which occasionally leads to a bit of the perfectionism blues.

Case in point: several years ago, when my life was a little different (understatement of the century), I made a lot of foods from scratch that I now buy pre-made. One glaring example that nags at me every time I throw it in my shopping basket is hummus. And remember that time I made my own falafel basically just to piss off show my then-boyfriend that he didn’t own me?

Chickpeas 3 ways

Chickpeas 3 ways

Well, the times-a-changed a long time ago. Overall, no complaints, but sometimes I get down on myself about the fact that this blog used to be a lot more recipe-driven. However, part of why I started writing it back in 2009 was to find my “voice,” so to speak, and as we grow and change, so do our voices, but my apologies for any of you out there who are, like, “Jess, can’t you just post a freaking dip or crackers recipe or something?” Continue reading

Wearing o’ the Orange

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? From the looks of Facebook and Twitter, I gather many folks wore o’ the green and all that other St. Patrick’s Day stuff.

I spent Sunday hanging with my mom, and as we walked down the street flanked by a family in shades of Emerald, she looked at her orange scarf and said, “I accidentally wore the opposite color you’re supposed to wear—I hope no one minds!” Like someone would be legitimately offended.

“No one will be mad at you for wearing orange on St. Patrick’s Day!” I said. “Besides, it’s not like either of us is all that Irish.” I was wearing an orange scarf too, and no, we hadn’t planned to coordinate.

“Actually…”

Ancestry is a funny thing. So first there was that time I found out my Greek family is actually sort of Turkish (?) by way of border changes, and yesterday I got to hear the story of how I’m not really related to my Scottish (so-called) ancestors by blood, as my great-grandma’s biological father was some Irish guy passing through town (whether he was a soldier or a sailor or some other sort of transient gent is unclear).

So anyway, guess I’m a little more Irish than I thought. That still doesn’t mean I did anything to mark the day. After yoga plans fell through due to a funny miscommunication about it being a prenatal class (still not really sure what the deal was), we spent some time walking around, eventually making our way to a flea market. IMG_1909 After wandering about in the cold trying to decide what to get for lunch, we made our way to Ocean Grill. Whenever my mom and I get together, one or both of us seems to be craving fish—me because I don’t make it for myself that often, and her for, well, the same reason, as my dad won’t eat it. This time, we were both in the mood for it. I went with the grilled branzino, and we split a side of brussels sprouts. I didn’t get a picture, but they came with a little “ALLERGY” flag because we told them tree-nuts were on the no-fly list. That always embarrasses me, but better safe than struggling to breathe. IMG_1911

We’ve also decided make a tradition of getting our nails done at this one place we’ve gone to a few times. Not only do they give great manicures, they also do amazing massages while you get your nails done. Totally worth the extra few bucks. If you couldn’t tell from other recent posts, I’m a sucker for a good massage—why bribe myself with, like, shoes, when I can have that instead? IMG_1913

So yeah. My shoulders are only very tight instead of impossibly tight today and my nails are a bright shade of gold. I tried to get some work done on a research project about breakfast intake, but instead, I wasted a few hours learning this song on the ukulele because sometimes, well, it’s more important to play obscure old Elvis Costello songs over and over than to do work that you will probably have to do over later anyway. All to keep from losing one’s mind…

Did you do anything for St. Patrick’s Day? How do you keep from losing your  mind? 

Winter Must Be Cold

“Well a ring-a-ding-ding.” (from Clearly Delicious Food Blog)

I think studying for the RD exam is seeping into my brain a little too much. Last night I dreamed I opted out of a second date with a guy because he told weird stories about making chocolate-covered NYC sewer crawfish for his neighbors during Hurricane Sandy and talked a big game about glycogen when he had no idea what he was saying. I also got caught in some kind of race and woke up trying to figure out a route home and worried about dead mice falling from the ceiling and collecting under my bed. Awesome.

A few times during the night I also woke up because my iTunes had opened up on its own and started playing music. I eventually gave up and shut the machine down. What gives? Either Mercury retrograde is totally f***ing with me or I have a ghost buddy who likes the Apples in Stereo song “Winter Must Be Cold.” I hadn’t even thought of that song in roughly seven years, and you’d think that was the first song in my iTunes library, but nope. Not even close. So whatever.

The morning started well, though. I just got back from a free Dancelates class—it wasn’t my favorite thing ever but the instructor was great and it was fun to try something new. Time to start the day for real. Hello Tuesday, let’s do this thing.

Have you had any weird dreams lately? 

 

Nerve Soup

Anyone else having a “one of those days” kind of weeks? Um, yeah. Over here, it’s been a range of death in the family, stressful communication issues (thanks, Mercury retrograde), and even a salmonella waiting game. The universe has a sense of humor–not 20 minutes after I finished a cup of tea brewed with the first bag in a box someone gave me for Christmas, I got a text about a recall. Guess which  lot number was at the top of the list? Hey, it happens, but you’d better believe I kept myself busy that day to keep my mind off it.

Add to that things like, oh, feelings (what up, full moon), and it’s no wonder I’ve been relying on things like yoga and coffee dates with friends to get me through.

And humor. I love Mel Brooks—this clip basically says it all…

Good times. Another of my favorite remedies for these nerve soup weeks is real soup. Here are a few of my go-to recipes:

How do you deal with anxiety?

Weekend Things

Happy Sunday, guys. Hope you’re enjoying a lovely weekend. I was feeling a little under the weather on Saturday, but I’m convinced there are few things 10 hours of sleep can’t fix. The fog and low-grade fever are gone and the sun even came out a little Sunday morning.

veggie burger on a brioche roll with a side of vinegar slaw

veggie burger on a brioche roll with a side of vinegar slaw

Friday I went to hear some live music in Astoria and had dinner at 5 Napkin Burger beforehand. I think my body might be trying to readjust after pulling one of those “I’m just gonna lose a few pounds because I can” the way it does whenever I go through a major life change—it would be silly for me to discount the end of the internship as a big deal. I ate every bit of my meal (which would normally fill me up) and then was hungry again an hour later.

Saturday I was feeling crappy so I laid low. Basically the only reason I left the apartment was to go check out a reflexology place near me. Holy s*** it was amazing. It hurt so good it kind of tickled. I was in bed by 10 pm after giving the first couple episodes of Downton Abbey a try on Amazon Prime free streaming. I think I get what all the fuss is about, but not sure I’ll stick with it.

This morning I woke up feeling a lot better, though I’m kind of impressed by my own under-eye circles. I also spilled boiling water on my hand making tea but was fine. Hey, whatever works. I did some good stretching and then when to pick up a baguette, brie, and Bordeaux for an Oscars party tonight. I’ve never been to one, since I’ve always had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn on Monday, so I’m looking forward to having a good time.

What have you been up to this weekend? Have you ever been to an Oscars party? 

Food and Mood

Here we are, just a few more weeks until it’s officially spring! Is anyone else super-excited to be moving towards a new season?

During the wintertime, especially where it gets cold, it’s easy to feel exhausted and bummed out—and to reach for comfort foods. Though we may feel psychological benefits in the short-term, some of these foods (think sweets, salty snacks, or heavy, fatty dishes) may leave us feeling sluggish and, ultimately, worse. Factor in less sunlight and a decrease in motivation to get up and work out, and you’ve got a recipe for sad bastard-itis.

In a recent news segment, Bethany Thayer, an RD based in Metro Detroit, emphasizes the importance of “lean proteins and healthy grains” to boost serotonin production, along with foods rich in selenium such as Brazil nuts and mushrooms, as selenium deficiency has been linked to depression. 

Haha I wonder if this explains my recent mushroom cravings…

Another important thing is to make sure you eat regularly and focus on enjoying balanced meals to keep your blood sugar levels—and mood—stable. Putting oneself on a spring break starvation diet isn’t exactly gonna help you feel good. It might not also be the best time to listen to Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, or whatever your personal sad bastard music might be.

Speaking of sad bastard music, please enjoy this clip (f-bomb warning in case you’re at work):

What are your wintertime comfort foods? Are you looking forward to spring?