Meadowlands in Winter Make Me Wonder

1. many legs of giants, 2. box bridge, 3. abandon, 4. icy, 5. whoooshhhh, 6. pont d'hiver

The train ride from the city to Montclair isn't known to be a scenic route. The Meadowlands are widely considered a victim of environmental assault so vile it brings Naqoyqatsi-esque images to mind, and the accompanying smell is equally nauseating.

I don't know if it's because the environmental initiatives are finally accomplishing something, or because the light was just right reflecting off the snow--but on my most recent ride home for the holidays, I will venture to say that the Meadowlands seemed rather magical. Hundreds of birds were flying in the winter sky and I hardly saw any litter on the ground. The urban landscape of highways and bridges suddenly seemed to tiptoe across the fields rather than trample them.

This may not actually indicate progress of any kind, in fact, it may just be an appreciation for a barren wasteland that I hadn't yet realized. Whatever the case, finding beauty in the unexpected is always more interesting to me than seeing it where you're supposed to, and this particular experience actually gave me a glimmer of hope for this seemingly wasted habitat. I snapped these through the train window, and I hope they show a little bit of the whimsy that I experienced traveling through.

Holiday (re)Treat

Monogrenade - Ce Soir (HD) from Monogrenade on Vimeo.

Holidays can be stressful, and having family and friends around 24/7 can get exhausting. Here's something just for you, take a moment, mellow out. It's quite lovely and very creative.

When I woke up this morning with a terrible sore throat (probably the result of playing in the snow too much while I was visiting Sarah in DC this weekend) I wished I could sleep all day in peace in my warm, sunny little room, and have my mom periodically bring me hot Earl Grey with lemon and honey. I am however, no longer living in the luxury of my parents nest, and I do have several jobs that cannot simply be slept through. While summoning the energy to get out of bed, I thought about this image, that I posted almost a year ago while I was hurtling through my last semester of college. Shot by my Flickr contact SeetYing, the image still makes me feel calm and cozy, the way I really want to feel today!

Bike Wars

Cyclist Eric Baumann Featured Above

Biking has saved a lot of us city folk from infernal summers on the subway and liberated us from winters waiting in the freezing cold for the bus (I'd rather ride in the cold than stand on the corner any day). It's free. It's easy. It's harmless to the environment. Bikes are basically the best invention since sliced bread. And yet, there are still some city dwellers who want to ban the bike. The war is on my friends, and this time, it's Hipsters v. Hasids. Apparently "Scantily clad hipster cyclists... made it difficult, the Hasids said, to obey religious laws forbidding them from staring at members of the opposite sex in various states of undress. These riders also were disobeying the traffic laws, they complained." I'm not joking, and yet I have to laugh. MWAHAHA.

Read more HERE.

Thanks to Jessie for sharing!

Sustainable Stocking Stuffer?

How many doggie bags do you go through in a year? How much Saran wrap? Tin foil? Whoah. If thinking about that pile of plastic and foil is enough to make you cringe, then like me, you are probably going to be pretty amped about Abeego's all natural (and quite cute) reusable food storage sheets. Abeego products are a hemp/cotton blend, mixed with beeswax and plant extracts to make them water resistant and easy to wash. I'm thinking this might be the perfect stocking stuffer for my mother, an eco-chic landscape designer, who taught me to rinse and reuse ziplock bags when I was 6. I have a feeling she'll be more than happy to get rid of the bag-drying rack contraption, and embrace these practical replacements. Thanks to J. Bloch for finding these!

Apartment Therapy

That is to say, my apartment is my therapy. Tending to it, decorating it, and living in it makes me happy. I got my hands on a Perpetual Paris Calendar and finally my living room is complete! I am so pleased to show you all the first photographs of my decorated humble abode (my bedroom still needs a few adjustments so no photos of that hot mess just yet). The best part about this, for you lovelies, is that Little Brown Pen is offering my readers and their friends a special deal: 20% off their gorgeous art piece, the aforementioned Perpetual Paris Calendar. I'm kind of obsessed with mine, as you can see from the pics, and am considering getting another one to use as an art/headboard of sorts above my bed! Yay.

First Snow Song

For the month of December, I was invited to choreograph a piece for the dance company at Montclair High School, my alma mater. Not only is it an absolute joy to work with such enthusiastic and talented young people, it is really lovely for me to get a break from the city and travel 12 miles west to my home town. Montclair is a beautiful place in any season, and when I arrived at my parents' house and found the lawn dusted with snow I felt my heart begin to tingle with holiday spirit for the first time this winter. Supposedly, NYC had some flurries on Sunday, but all I saw was dark slushey puddles. Sometimes in the city, due to lack of trees and other natural signals one receives in the suburbs, I can only really tell the season by the increase in wind and, of course, the sparkly upscale window displays. I hate to admit that for the last four years, I've been so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of city life that my parents had to call me and remind me to come home! This pretty winter video for Ra Ra Riot's "Can You Tell" brought me back to the long, restful, friend & family filled holiday seasons of my years in the 'burbs. As it should be, if you ask me.

Nesting

Above from Anthropologie.com

First, I started working on my next piece of choreography, in which I envisioned the dancers building a nest on stage. Shortly thereafter, I was overcome by a desire to decorate my new bedroom as a bird's nest. Not with real twigs and leaves per se, but definitely faux bois and bird print bedding, and photographs of trees, and cozy nooks and crannies. Needless to say, this motif is playing quite an important role in my life right now. Above are some things I am using as visual references, both for my home design and my work. As my friend Nichole from littlebrownpen said when I told her about my nesting, "life really does imitate art!"

A whole blog dedicated to my favorite green...

So, I REALLY didn't intend for this to become a Kale-centric blog. At all. So this is the last post about Kale I'll make for a while, but it's well worth it. Thanks to Eileen for finding this little gem!
I HEART KALE: a whole entire blog about... guess?

Flu Season

"Part public service announcement, part satire, part art film, this is the end result." Julia Bloch, Producer Etc.

Circle circle dot dot, get your H1N1 shot!! Whether you're willing to stand on line for 3 hours in the hopes of getting a vaccine, or have even been savvy enough to find out the where's and when's of said vaccines being administered around NYC, you're probably not freaking out every minute of the day thinking you have Swine Flu (for me it's more realistically once or twice a week, ha). Either way, the "Your child may be sent home today with an 'F', for FLU" ads plastered on subways and bus stations have definitely made their way into my unconscious-- the results of which are extremely chapped hands from washing obsessively, and a surplus in energy from all the darn EmergenC I've been chugging. Rex Arrow and I got together and made a little video on the subject of H1N1 hype and I have posted it here for your snarky viewing pleasure... and of course for the benefit of our collective health in the midst of flu season!

Crazy For Kale

Believe it or not, I hadn't tried kale until this past summer, when my friend Shae made it in a delicious recipe from Real Simple. I was instantly turned on to the earthy flavor, and actually found myself craving it for dinner! One evening recently Julia invited me over and was in the middle of tossing a big bowl of kale, which she served up for me to try. HEAVEN in a little ceramic bowl. She told me that it was simple: Steam kale, sprinkle with Ume Plum Vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Too yummie and refreshing for words! Julia and I enjoyed our bowls of kale with crackers and St. Andre (my new favorite bree-like cheese) and a glass of red. The next day, I headed to whole foods and purchased the needed ingredients- which were inexpensive and way worth it. The recipe is sooo easy and was made into a delicate, flavorful, and healthy meal with just a few basic additions. Sometimes, after a hard day, a balanced and stress free meal and a glass of wine is the best thing on the menu, and this meal definitely hits the spot.

Giving Thanks

Thanks to Jennae Petersen from Green Your Decor for this cool holiday place setting suggestion. Just take your old corks, cut a space for a card, and insert name card! I love the cork for a cozy fall aesthetic. Also loving her other website, http://www.greenandgorgeous.net/.

Happy Thanksgiving week everybody!

Bouncy & Fuzzy, Just Like Me?

I don't know if it's because Rex Arrow thinks I am an exquisite specimen of nature or because I haven't waxed my legs this month and have been wearing glasses instead of contacts that he sent me this (rather spectacular) photograph... and said it reminded him of me. AWESOME. On one hand, this high jumping arachnid won WIRED magazine's award for cutest spider. On the other hand, IT'S A SPIDER.

Spotlight: Caroline Silver

Photo by DAVID GRUBBS/Gazette Staff

My dear friend Cal Silver is spending the year in Glendive, Montana through Americorp, as a volunteer to help bring the "farm to table" movement back to the state. At one time, Montana produced 70% of what its residents ate (talk about eating local!) and Cal's job is to work with farmers and the community to reinstate the movement, which will provide the residents with a healthier, more sustainable local food chain. Cal, a smart and savvy graduate of Barnard College, chose to literally get her hands dirty to make a difference in the Glendive community, and will probably see the results of her work extend far beyond that! I would say good for her for spending her time farming instead of blogging, but guess what, Cal's got a blog too! What can I say? She's a phenomenal woman. I guess that's why the Billings Gazette created this short video of her on the job, an inspiration to us all!

Kraftwerk

Sometimes, when I'm in a choreographic rut, it helps to shift my focus away from the body and work on something external. I discovered that I like to sculpt, and that playing with different textures and materials helps me imagine the artistic texture I want to create with the dance I am working on. I've been feeling particularly stuck for the past few weeks, so this week, I took some alone time, retreated to my parents house, and began my search for some fun things to play with. After digging up some scrap fabrics (including some strips of mink my mother tore from an old vintage stole) I let my hands take over and allowed my mind to wander. The process resulted in some interesting pieces of DIY jewelry, and best of all, a few images came to mind while I was working that are really going to help me make the next steps in my piece... literally! Above are some shots from my session, leave a comment for a chance to win one of my creations!

Not Above The Bucket

My brother Nick was digging around our house last time he was home, and found this picture, which he immediately made copies of and sent to me. It made me laugh out loud to see us crammed in those little buckets, but it also got me thinking about the role of the bucket bath in my life. I lived in India as a little girl, and my earliest memories of bathing look just like this picture. Even when I could no longer fit completely inside the bucket, nick and I learned to bathe ourselves by filling the bucket, lathering up, and using a scooping cup to pour water over our sudsy selves. When I moved to the states at 5 years old, the bucket became all but obsolete. I quickly grew accustomed to sitting in huge bathtubs filled with water, and soon enough learned the pleasures of a nice long shower.

Last summer, when I was couch-surfing in Bhalil, Morocco, I found myself face to face with the bucket once more. Irked that I didn’t make it to the Hammam in time for a “proper” bath, I washed my long hair in the bucket, growing more irritated every time I flipped my head over to pour water on the back of my neck. But then it occurred to me, “I grew up bathing in a bucket! When did I become such an arrogant bathing snob?” So I didn’t have a steady hot stream flowing down on me for ten to fifteen minutes (or sadly sometimes, even longer), I had a big bucket full of hot water, which was plenty to get me lathered and rinsed. I was ashamed at my own attitude towards the bucket bath, an activity in which I had once found immense joy. Thinking further on the matter, I was appalled when I thought of how much water I must use weekly in the bath or shower at home, without a second thought to how much energy it must take to heat it all.

Although my family in India have buckets in every bathroom, during my most recent trip (as well as most of my past visits) I opted for the western style shower… until there was a problem with the water heater and was forced back in to the bucket. This time though, I wasn’t so upset about it. Now, back in my Brooklyn apartment, the incessant shower pressure/temperature problems that my super hasn’t gotten around to fixing are enough to drive my roommates crazy and often keep them from bathing altogether. I guess it’s a blessing that I know how to bathe from the bucket, and I’m no longer above it.

Bicycle Child

A love of all things 'cycle related was instilled in me by my Grampa, an avid cyclist, ever since I was a babe. I would wait for him to come home from work, and when he walked through the door I'd shout, "Bampa bikela!" which was my way of telling him it was time for our evening ride. He'd hitch up the baby bike carriage to his bicycle, and ride around until I passed out in the back, which was usually only a matter of minutes. I might be too big to ride around in the carriage (bummer), but I still find riding my bike to be a seriously soothing activity, not to mention it's more efficient than walking, or even taking the bus! I love my old Junker (pictured top left w/kitty) but its really rusted to pieces and the brakes are starting feel dangerously ineffective, so I've been checking out some other options from Anthropologie. Though these are definitely out of my price range, these styles are so simple and pretty, and the foldable one would even fit in my little apartment!

Cooped Up

Okay. I'm home from India. No more excuses. No more excuses for not blogging, or not cleaning my room, or for not joining the Park Slope Food Coop. Oh wait, actually, I do have an excuse for that one. I HAVE been meaning to get over to the Food Coop, pay my $100.00 initiation fee, and enjoy first rate produce and groceries at a discounted rate, in addition to becoming a part of a community of greenies like me. Woo! And all this, JUST for working 2 hrs and 45 minutes a month! What a great idea. Yes, well, as the saying goes, apparently every rose has its thorn... or something- because I just read this detailed account of how one well meaning young woman flunked miserably out of the seemingly easy-pass food coop, and all of a sudden I'm having second thoughts. Who knew that if you have to miss your shift that you have to make it up with two shifts before the time of your next shift? I can see how the cycle could spiral out of control. What if I have an emergency rehearsal? What if my boss calls as I'm leaving the house for my shift? What if I JUST FORGET ONE DAY?!!??!? All this pondering to say, I'm just not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment. I want to be. Just like I want to be a puppy owner, I am telling you I really want it. BUT, as my mother would say, this is a bigger decision than I may have originally thought, and so I think it's worthwhile to take my time in making it.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

(Those aren't clouds in the background, they're mountains!!!)

I know I’ve been a little bit delinquent with my posts, but you’ll have to forgive me, I’ve been in India! Oops, I forgot to tell you I was going. I came to visit my grandparents in the foothills of the Himalayas and then to take them on a short beach vacation to Goa.

It’s always really intense coming back here, and seeing my grandparents living alone in the mountains always makes me emotional. I decided to take a hike in the mountains this morning to clear my head—up to China Peak, an 8,500 foot ascent at the top of which you can supposedly see China!

What can I say? There really is nothing like mountain air to clear the mind. Especially when the air up here is such a huge contrast to the air down in the plains where the big cities are. The air quality in Delhi and Mumbai is so bad, on smoggy days I can hardly see my hand stretched out in front of me, and my eyes, nose and throat get intolerably dry and itchy. It felt great to spend a little time away from the teeming humanity that sometimes seems literally inescapable in India.

Sadly enough, even at 8,500 ft. there was still litter strewn across the mountainside (granted it was cleaner and cleaner towards the top). My disgust at the total disregard for nature was replaced by sympathy after some consideration… in a developing country like India, people are struggling just to have food and clean water, the environment is just not a realistic concern at that point. Even the USA, which is literally decades ahead of India in terms of development, is only just getting smart about the environment and beginning to implement change. My dad told me it would be pointless, but I filled several bags with trash and brought them down anyway- if anything for my own peace of mind.

The complexity of such a beautiful and culturally rich place is only intensified by the contrast brought by globalization. Like every country in such a transitional time, conditions are rough and the environment gets compromised for the sake of “progress”. Hopefully, in time, the balance between industrial progress and social progress here will even itself out. Let’s hope it does, because the natural beauty of this place is too important to waste.

Bon Autumn

Cafe Regular du Nord, Berkeley Pl
Originally uploaded by Arancia Project

I'm all moved in to my new Park Slope apartment. I love the new place, and the neighborhood is about as cute as they come (I'm already completely enamored with my corner coffee shop, Cafe Regular Du Nord, shown here).
In the few days that it took me to move and set up shop again though, it seems the seasons have abruptly changed. In my last post I was picnicking in Dumbo, and now, I'm wrapped in a blanket doing work on my living room floor, a makeshift office setup until I get the rest of my furniture in here. I've even got my cold weather music on. I may be jumping the gun listening to Bon Iver, a play on French words meaning "Good Winter", but his voice is so soothing and warm that I may just be able to take my blanket off after this song, which I am posting for the enjoyment of your chilly ears. Better yet, Bon Iver wrote the track for Dark Was The Night - a compilation album created by the Red Hot Organization to raise money and awareness for the fight against aids :

<3Home Grown<3

On a short visit to my parents house in Montclair, NJ last week I invited my grandparents, Gary and Irene Sanderson (known to me as Grampa and Glam) to come to DUMBO to see my neighborhood. They are very cool people: Grampa collects antique bicycles and rode a high wheel bicycle across the country only a few years ago, and he and Glam have ridden a tandem all over the world! It was no surprise that they jumped on the chance to explore my neighborhood with me, given their youthful and adventurous spirits. So, after picking some veggies from my mothers garden (shown above), Grampa, Glam, and I hopped in the car, drove out to DUMBO, and had a lovely picnic in the park under the bridges. I even took them to the Brooklyn Flea, where they took interest in some old maps and bicycle paraphernalia. I visit my grandparents pretty regularly in their home or my parents home, but sharing my world with them was a really special experience- for all of us. Now that my sublet is up in DUMBO, I think Glam and Grampa are pretty excited for an invitation to see my next neighborhood: Park Slope here we come!

Inspiring me to do good: 1 Dress 365 Days.

Wow, people can be so awesome sometimes. I just found out about The Uniform Project on twitter, and I am kind if in awe of what a great idea it is. "The Project" was created by Sheena Matheiken and Eliza Starbuck as "a non-profit mission that takes on creative projects that advocate sustainability and social responsibility." Cool. But what's even more awesome is the way these girls are getting their message across. Sheena will wear the same dress (designed by Eliza) everyday for a whole year, using her sense of style along with hand- me-downs, vintage finds, and donations of accessories, to make it work in 365 different ways.

The point is to get people interested (success!) and to raise money for The Akanksha Foundation, an organization committed to funding the education of children in India's slums. After having worked at The Vatsalya Foundation, an organization for homeless slum children in Mumbai, when I was 16, this whole thing really struck a chord with me. Now I feel like it's my turn to think of something creative to raise money for them. Any ideas?

Amala On The Dieline!

What can I say? I'm proud of my Amala Mater.

Check out the good press here.

And for more info on The Dieline, a very cool site/blog.

If You Care...

I wish I could recite to you verbatim this hysterical joke that comedian/ actor David Cross told last night when Rex Arrow and I saw him at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Basically, he goes to Whole Foods, and notices that next to the Whole Foods brand (365 Everyday Value®) there's this other brand called, get this: "If You Care". HA! Okay, so he goes on this tangent about how he's at the grocery store deciding what to buy and all of a sudden "If You Care" is right there in front of him everywhere and he envisions his rabbi wagging his finger at him and saying "You don't have to buy this- if you need to save the extra 17 cents, you need to save the extra 17cents- so what if the planet is being destroyed and your children and children's children won't have a place to live?!?! BUT IF YOU CARE, you would buy this brand, but you don't have to, you know, just if you care."

Okay, so it's really not that funny when I say it, but that's why David Cross is the comedian and not me. He also made several references about "bloggers" and "blogging" so I felt I had to give a little nod to that.

BUT.

The real point is, David Cross was expressing a symptom I've been thinking a lot about lately. A symptom we all experience at one point or another in our quest to become more environmentally conscious and eco-friendly, all the while feeling like what we do is never enough. He was expressing: GREEN GUILT.

You're not alone, people.

I like my mornings light and sweet.

Uros Petrovic - Good Morning!
Originally uploaded by Uros Petrovic

If there's one thing that can really get my day off to a bad start is a breakfast calamity. It's the way I start my day, and I want it to be yummie, energizing, and good for me. I woke up this morning, made myself a bowl of Irish cut oatmeal with agave syrup and pomegranate seeds, and brewed a cup of joe. I like it light and sweet, so when I realized I had NO MILK (quelle disastre!) I had to think fast for a substitute. Luckily, I had bought some of my favorite coffee ice-cream last night: Haagen Dazs "five", the brand's new development in flavor, which uses only 5 ingredients: SKIM MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, EGG YOLKS, COFFEE. Pure and simple, just the way I like it, and coincidentally, there's LESS FAT in "five" than in the regular version. A small scoop of ice cream in my coffee and my morning was back to light and sweet!

Accusations, Lies, and Czars. No, kids, it's not the Bolshevik Revolution.

Photo From The New Yorker Article

This past Sunday, Van Jones, the White House "green jobs" adviser, often called the "green jobs czar", resigned due to controversies surrounding (surprise!) his past and (surprise!) statements he made about Republicans. Jones said of his resignation: "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me," and "They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide." WHAT? YOU MEAN HE ACCUSED REPUBLICANS OF LYING?!?!? Republican's would, of course, NEVER do anything like that (please see Obama's healthcare speech and refer to Congressman Joe Wilson). 

Jones decided to step down after a big to-do was made about a petition he signed in 2004 (posted on 911truth.org), which called for an investigation into the government's role in 9/11. NOW, I am not saying one way or another what I think about September 11th, but heaven forbid someone actually seeks out an answer that hasn't been spoon-fed to us by the media! If you ask me, we probably need more people like Van Jones hanging out in DC. We should, however, probably refrain from calling them "czars".

Food Fit For Queens

Last week I went over to see Shae's new apt in Long Island City. I don't particularly think of myself as a big apartment building kind of gal or a Queens type of gal at that, but after seeing how CLEAN and NEW everything in Shae's place was, I thought to myself for the 1,813,587th time "I'm so over wanting to live in an a cute old Manhattan building !" (it's like a mantra, maybe if you keep repeating it it will actually become true).

But this is not an entry about real estate. It's about the meal Shae made for me that night, after we hadn't seen each other in a very long time. Granted, her SPARKLY NEW kitchen probably made it easier to toss together, but the recipe only take 15 minutes of hands-on time anyway (so good for the sanity!) Without further ado, here is the recipe for Quinoa with Mushrooms, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes, which Shae found at Real Simple. We agreed that our choice of Red Quinoa was an improvement on the original. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 10 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)

Directions

1. Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the kale, wine, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve over the quinoa and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

What's GOOD? I'll have the Plantagon.

Today RexArrow sent me a link to the GOOD website, where I found out (among a boatload of other ridiculously cool sh*t) about a super smart idea with a futuristic form. Plantagon is a company that is designing ginormous "vertical farming" greenhouses for urban spaces, in order to cut out the stocking costs, as well as the carbon footprints, of produce that is often shipped hundreds of miles before reaching its destination. With the help of their Swedish engineering partner SWECO, Plantagon came up with the model above (as seen on GOOD) , which would allow a 10,000 square meter space to produce 100,000 square meters worth of produce! Looks like it time for us to get what's really GOOD.

Flower Girl

Flowers: bringing me a lot of brightness on this rainy day. It really is the little things. I guess someone knows how to make me smile after all ;)

Hands of Gold

The best part of working in the organic essential oils world thus far has been meeting world famous masseur, Ricky Welch, creator of the Aurum Manus massage technique. I have had the pleasure (and I mean, REAL pleasure) of having several sessions with Ricky, who uses healing crystal spheres dipped in a warm blend of oils to stimulate acupressure points and meridians. Ricky has an intuition about the body that allows him to know just what type of pressure or crystal your body needs, and when I told him I was sick, and also had a pain in my sacrum from dancing, he set to work, in what always ends up being the best massage of my life. I felt completely relaxed afterward, without being drained- and what's more, my cough actually subsided a little, and I couldn't even remember the pain in my sacrum. It's no small wonder that the rock band The Scorpions took him on tour, or that some well known politicians prefer his services to any other massage therapist out there. For more info click here.

Fort Greene's Green Getdown: Habana Outpost

Photos By Rosalee C.

Wednesday night, despite the slight drizzle and the fact that I have bronchitis, I hopped on my bicycle and pedaled myself to Fort Greene (I was thrilled to find out its only a 10 minute ride from my place in Vinegar Hill!) Though I wasn’t feeling 100%, I made the excursion to meet some friends I haven’t seen all summer at a get together for Tara’s birthday at Habana Outpost. I’ve passed the lively looking outdoor eatery on my way to rehearsals at the Mark Morris Dance Center several times, and I’ve even seen it transformed into a tiny outdoor flea market on Saturdays. As if that’s not enough of a draw, Habana Outpost claims to be NYC’s FIRST eco- eatery, or restaurant that uses “earth-friendly practices in their design, construction, and day-to-day operations…to reduce wasteful consumption and promote sustainable solutions.” Not to mention my bacon cheesburger was fresh, affordable, and my margarita came in a biodegrable cornstarch cup! (Yes, I drank ONE margarita on antibiotics, go ahead, judge me!) Learn more about the innovative ways that Outpost keeps green here.

A Confession

I'm sitting in my apt. coughing and coughing and oh did I mention coughing, and trying to work even though I'm sickie and out of sorts :(

I just glanced at my Yogi Tea Throat Comfort tea bag label, which reads: "The universe is the stage on which you dance, guided by your heart".

And you know what? I freaking know it's a stupid marketing ploy aimed directly at me (green- blogging, dancing, balance-seeking, ME) so that I will buy Yogi Tea forever in my search for inner peace and harmony in everyday moments.

But I dig it. It made me feel just the tiniest bit better.

There, I said it.

Is This Stuff Really Legal?

I'm talking about Kava, people, what were you talking about?! I first learned about Kava from Dan, who I met a few weeks ago on the bus ride back from DC. By the second hour of our ride, as travel buddies often do, we were sharing our hopes, dreams, wishes, fears, and neuroses. That’s when I told Dan about my occasional anxious streaks, which I am pretty sure every New Yorker experiences after a few years. Dan recommended that I visit my local health food store, pick up some Kava root in powder form, brew a tea, and reap the benefits—which he described as “totally awesome, you just take what comes to you, but remain really clear headed at the same time.” SIIIICK. Well, next time I was at Pickles & Peas, my local green grocer, I picked up some Yogi Kava Tea. On Friday, I brewed myself one super strong cup, with three bags, and actually DID feel myself become more composed—a feat I had thought wouldn’t be possible on what was destined be an awful(ly stressful) day.

What the box says: “ Set your mind free with Kava Stress Relief.” So far so good. “Native to Oceania and the South Pacific Islands, Kava has traditionally been cultivated for its power to calm the body and mind and encourage a good night’s sleep. Kava is also recognized for its ability to promote a state of relaxed awareness without compromising mental functions” (unlike some other, less legal, “herbal” stress relievers!).

I bet the straight powder is even more effective, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about experimenting with this relaxing root!

Stillness Is The Move

"on top of every mountain
there was a great longing
for another even higher mountain
in each city longing for a bigger city"

A new take on the classic "grass is greener" motif that is seriously working for me in this song. I'm trying to sit still, be focused, and get some day-job work done as I listen to it, but thinking about my amazing dance class this morning and the way the gnarly vibe of this track makes me want to slink and bop around my apartment, I have to ask myself— is stillness really the move?

Brooklyn Laundry: Escape to Thailand

Photo by Adam Cathro

For my hot mama’s birthday this year, my brother Nick and I decided to take her out for dinner—while taking her out of her element. I’ve known about Brooklyn Laundry for a few years, but I knew this occasion would be the perfect time to try it out. My (all too) frequent visits to my favorite bar, Botanica, resulted in a nice friendship with bartender/ creative culinary master/ Americana folk musician, Fiore Tedesco, who started BL with the intention of creating a “spirited farm to table catering service, specializing in seasonal and sustainable food and events”. When I received the invitation to the BL dinner inspired by Fiore’s honeymoon in Thailand, hosted in a beautiful apartment with a roof-deck on the Lower East Side, I knew my worldly eco-chic mother would be as excited about it as much as I was.

Two words: Great Success!

The food. Was. Unbelievable. Tomato salad in red curry sauce, local blue crab and coconut gelée ravioli, a twist on spicy peanut noodles, and a sticky rice desert with coconut gelato were my favorite parts of the 6 course meal, paired all the way through with organic wines.

And lets not forget about the company; the dinner party had 15 guests, a perfect number for my brother, mom, and me to mingle and engage in intimate conversation. I was thrilled to meet Ben Flanner, the Brooklyn rooftop farmer I recently read about in New York Magazine (whose farm supplied the fresh produce for the evening), Abena Koomson, currently performing in Bill T Jones’ broadway show Fela, and Gabrielle Mendola, owner of the Inizii boutique in Brooklyn.

Nick, mama, and I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner- as an alternative social and culinary experience. I recommend Brooklyn Laundry to anyone who has something special to celebrate, or to those who are simply looking for a different kind of dinner. I am anxiously awaiting the next invite… I’ve heard it’s inspired by Hemmingway’s A Moveable Feast!

Read more about BL in Daily Candy's review!

Private Pilates

Hmmm... I guess that sounds a little dirty, but aside from having to lay on my grimy living room floor, there's not really anything kinky about it! At rehearsal yesterday I found out that my friend and company member Mandy, is getting certified to teach Pilates. To get the teaching hours required for certification, Mandy, who has training in Reiki and massage therapy, is giving private Pilates sessions for the price of...get this, $12 bucks, or a BARTER! Now that's a price most recent grads can get down with. It's cheaper than seeing a movie in Manhattan, and its better for you too! I had my first session with Mandy this morning, and even though I've done it before, the one on one training is already kicking my butt. 20 minutes in and I was saying, "Woman, I didn't even know I HAD muscles there!" which, believe it or not, is a good thing. Besides, look how much much fun Joseph Pilates looks like he's having in the photograph above!

Craving: Pink Grapefruit Ice Cream

pink ice-cream truck
Originally uploaded by -l.i.l.l.i.a.n-

Last week I talked about ice cream for maybe four days straight before I actually went after some (not a will power-related delay). I was with Ian, standing outside of the IFC, when he told me the time had come. Yes, I know there is ice cream in the West Village, but Ian assured me that THE SPOT for us lay in the East Village. As it turned out, he was right. Sundaes & Cones is no new kid on the block, but after living at school on the UWS all this time, I seem to have overlooked it. With homemade ice-cream flavors like Wasabi, Ginger, Corn, Tiramisu and Black Sesame, along with all the classics- this definitely was definitely the right place. Obviously-- I am literally drooling remembering the refreshing Pink Grapefruit ice cream I chose...perfection on a muggy New York night.

Oh Hey!

I can’t not blog for another minute. Since graduating, I have become an employee of Amala, started working with Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, taken a side job writing for a law blog (no, not Bob Loblaw’s) and subsequently moved to Dumbo, Brooklyn. To my pleasure, this new mosaic of activities has served to expand my knowledge and increase my access to findings of the “green” and “very awesome” variety. On one hand, I never realized how paranoid I would become, selling the most pure organic skincare in the world, while simultaneously writing articles for the law blog about groundwater contamination, loose FDA regulations, and carcinogens in beauty products. On the other hand, I do feel like now more than ever, I am armed with the information I need to make the lifestyle choices that are right for me as I start my post-grad life. I’m not going vegan, or even practicing yoga everyday (shocker!) but, I am trying to make healthy affordable choices concerning what I eat, what I put on my skin, and how I treat my mind, body and the environment everyday. I look forward to sharing some of my recent summer adventures in addition to any tidbits of “greenery” I acquire along the way!

ps. above is a mosaic (teehee) of some of my latest flickr posts that I made at collagr.com