Only in My Dreams

The Whale Hugger by Don McMichael

Latest Obsessions

*Angie's Truffle Risotto
couldn't.stop.eating.

*The Battle for Wine and Love-or- How I Saved the World from Parkerization
by :Alice Feiring
Great book about natural wines, raised a lot of questions
highly recommend it if you love wine.

*Spring Cleaning
The give-away pile is getting pretty huge-
I also discovered dresses that I forgot I had.
bonus!

*Charles Joguet Chinon
dreamy, dreamy cab franc.

*The baking soda/apple cider vinegar hair treatments are finally
agreeing with my hair.  Took about 5 weeks to adjust
Mission accomplished. No more chemicals.

A Farewell

Goodbye, beloved Vans slip-ons.
2004-2013















I got these shoes before I left for Charleston,
I'm fairly confident that I was the only girl down
there wearing skull sneakers and not Rainbow flip flops.
(very popular in the south-for whatever reason)

These sneakers moved up to NY with me and that is
where they really met their demise.  The city is so cruel to shoes.
I did try to wear them last summer but they barely functioned
as footwear at that point. I had to part with them, and as
I put them in the trash my heart did break a little.


I should note that I'm not a hoarder, just a sucker for nostalgia.

The Pursuit

If I experience/hear/see something twice in a short period of time

I consider it something worth delving deeper into.  Happiness

is the latest of those things.  The Happiness Project sparked this.

I read about it briefly yesterday, and then last night- in a 

continued conversation about being happy- my friend also

mentioned it.  

This is something I've been working on in my personal life,

finding happiness.  When I say that I don't mean that I'm struggling

to get through a deep depression or that I'm unhappy with my place in

this big world.  It means that I'm trying to enjoy life.  Being able to
look back on each day and be happy about the decisions that I made
for myself, whether or not people agree or understand.  

The husband and I have started reading about Buddhism

(part the inspiration? MCA) Because let's be honest, 

you cannot find something if you never start to look for it.

And we felt like that was a good place to start.  I was about to write

that it's less about religion when it became apparent that labels

are so important to everyone, why did I have to clarify that
it's not about religion? Why do I feel the need to ascribe my
eating habits to an -ism? Why do we constantly have to justify
our choices?  Maybe true beauty (and happiness) lies in living without
some of the constraints. By forging your own path and finding ways
to make things fit for you.

It's really an interesting concept, happiness, but also something

that is so different for everyone. On the materialistic level I used to 

find happiness in shopping at Burberry, at the sweet age of 19 I felt that 

being able to afford these"luxury" items gave me a sense of feeling fancy.  

Now, in terms of consumption happiness I find the most happiness 

getting lost in used bookstores, buying wine, and shopping
at the greenmarket.  It changed from items to experiences, engaging with
the farmers at the market, taking the food home to make dinner with
the husband, sitting down and enjoyinga bottle of wine together or with
a group of friends.  What makes you happy? How has it changed from
a decade ago?  It's interesting to see how priorities and beliefs shift.
I think it's possible to see so much beauty in those changes.

I started to wonder why happiness played such a big part in the minds of
people. Then I realized that it's part of  the American mantra.
"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
What they don't tell you is that you need to find your own form of happiness.
So I encourage you to find it. Whether it is something huge and life changing
or something as small as taking time to cook dinner or enjoying how the warm
sun feels on your face.
Make thoughtful daily decisions, stop and enjoy things, do what is right for you.
Perhaps that should be the new mantra..


for further curiosity:
The Happy Movie
The Happiness Project

A Year in Books: February

I did a lot of reading last month, but I really only finished one book

The Moving Finger- Agatha Christie.  

Everything else has been sections of  bigger reference books (Vino Italiano and 

other wine books) or it's been from magazines (Living, Bon Appetit, Lucky Peach)

This Lucky Peach issue is especially worth reading.  The article by Michael

Pollan is excellent, and the content is always way more interesting than your

standard food magazines.  Pick it up if you can find it.

Spring Wish List

Things are slowly beginning to change,
the sun is feeling (slightly) warmer, little daffodil greens
are popping up in the gardens, and my patience
with winter has worn extremely thin.

Perhaps making a list of spring activities will
pull me from the final throes of winter blues.

*Meander around the Met's new exhibitions,
grab an Austrian treat at Cafe Sabarsky, then take
in the view at the Central Park reservoir

*Stay at The Graham & Co. for a day or 2

*Explore the labyrinth that is the West Village
(eat at Buvette again)

*Take the ferry

*Go to the Cherry Blossom Festival @ Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

*Take a free yoga classes in Socrates Sculpture Park

*Hang out in Beacon, NY for a day

*Get out to Spa Castle for some pool/sauna time and some
delicious Flushing fare.

*See the Royal Ballet of Cambodia @ BAM

*Maybe get up to Stone Barns....just maybe.

Latest Obsessions

Beasts of the Southern Wild
beautiful film, amazing soundtrack. see it.

Anthony Nappa's Anomaly
a white pinot noir from Long Island. beautiful coppery color,
cherry notes, super smooth finish and oddly enough
pairs extremely well with 90% dark chocolate.

Buvette
New favorite lunch spot. You know a place is special
when they can turn a smoked trout salad into one of the best
things you've ever had. bonus #1: awesome wine list.
bonus #2: right near the 1 train so I don't have to worry
about getting lost in the West Village

Rose Water
I am obsessed with the smell of roses. It's so feminine and delicate,
I'm always entranced.  The video is dreamy and the recipe seems
fairly easy. I'll be picking up some roses next time I see them
at the greenmarket

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food
a very long, but worthwhile article in the Times Mag.
even if I still ate all of that crap, just knowing the plotting,
 planning, and gross science behind it would make me
change my junk food ways. That said, jalepeno chips and frozen
Amy's pizzas are my guilty pleasures.

Spicy Kale Chips
(to keep me away from jalepeno potato chips)
I added black pepper, cayenne pepper, and
turmeric to give it a kick.
The husband and I ate a batch of these in
about 3 minutes. delicious.

It's almost March.. which means that Spring is right
around the corner!