LIFE – Page 2 – My Big Red Glasses

LIFE: Kind

“Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about 100 years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies – God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.” Kurt Vonnegut

Last week Sean called me upset because a small bird was dying on our front walkway. As soon as he noticed the bird struggling he came into the house and looked online to see how to save it and who to call to come rescue it. By the time he went outside the bird was dead with its feet up in the air. The teeny-tiny bird broke Sean’s heart a little.

Being a witness to pain in animals triggers something very deep inside of me. How we treat everything on this fragile planet is a direct reflection of who we are. I love the quote above from Vonnegut. Love, love it. In 2014 I plan on becoming more of an animal activist and spreading kindness.

Animal activism comes in all forms. I am inspired by so many people and groups. Right now, several artists have blown me away with their work. I am motivated by their creativity and kindness, I hope that they inspire you too:

This video promoting animal rescue from Moby motivates and influences me. I think I have watched it 25 times. T-bone, I wish I could come adopt you right now!

I am in love with by Shannon Johnstone’s project Landfill Dogs. Her work demonstrates the power of art as she highlights our disposable society where we are careless about animals and we generate tons of junk that ends up in a landfill. Her work has led to many lives saved because the dogs she highlights are usually adopted. Please check out her site and her work.

Jo-Anne McArthur is another hero of mine. The objective of her work is: “to photograph our interactions with animals in such a way that the viewer finds new significance in these ordinary, often unnoticed situations of use, abuse and sharing of spaces.” She has many different projects on her website and they are all thought-provoking.

The documentary “Blackfish” horrified me. I am disgusted that I ever went to Sea World, and I think anyone that watches the movie will feel the same way. The documentary changed the way I will see wild animals in captivity forever. It must be watched and talked about, because there is no reason to keep whales in fish tanks. Please watch it.

“The Ghosts in our Machine” is another documentary about animals that I am so glad exists. As soon as I can, I will be watching the documentary.

These artistic statements have inspired me over the last few months. They give us a vision of another kind of future. I plan on moving towards that ideal by doing something this year that will inspire others to think about how we treat animals. I’ll keep you updated.

LIFE: Cultivating Courage

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

This morning at yoga my amazing teacher reminded us that we are almost at the end of the year and we should use the days that remain in 2013 to cultivate a trait that we want to work on. For me, that trait is courage.

I consider myself brave, but I continually need to work on my fears to face them down. I never want to miss out on an experience because I am afraid of the outcome. The bravest thing that I have ever done may have been moving to California over six years ago. Up to that point in our lives, my husband, Sean, and I were very risk-averse. We had a good life in Michigan with a terrific support system, solid jobs, and a low mortgage payment. A lot of people thought we were crazy when we announced we wanted to start over in California. We were very scared, but we knew if we did not try it we would always wonder what it would be like. It felt like it was something that we HAD to do. When the opportunity to come out here came, we jumped on it. It worked out better than we ever envisioned, now it is hard to imagine what our lives would be like if we had not taken the risk and moved across the country.

The move encouraged both of us to always try to be brave in all aspects of our lives. A lot of my courage comes from being loved. I am so lucky to have a supportive husband, family, and friends who give me confidence every day. With that in mind, I will try to always give those I love and care about support and encouragement so they take chances and risks. I strongly believe that one of the best gifts that we can give children is confidence to follow dreams and take chances.

I start a new job this week, and I am nervous. I need to remember to be brave. I have confidence in my abilities and know I made the right decision leaving a job where I had been for almost six years. Starting new is not easy, but it keeps life interesting and it leads to exciting adventures. I keep reminding myself that no matter what happens, it will be okay. Trusting my gut will lead me in the right direction.

I am a little obsessed with this video right now:

For me, cultivating courage means being authentic and true to myself. I will work on it for the rest of the year, and for the rest of my life. Life goes by quick, I don’t want to live a timid life.

“Freedom lies in being bold” Robert Frost

LIFE: Idyllwild, California

If I didn’t live in San Diego, I would live in the mountains. Idyllwild, California is the perfect weekend, mountain escape from San Diego. It is a short, 2-hour drive, yet it feels like it is much further. Part of the route to Idyllwild is known as the Palm to Pines Highway, the name is a perfect description of the changes that happen as the elevation climbs.

My husband, Sean, and I have visited Idyllwild at least twelve times in the last five years because we feel most calm and centered when we are surrounded by immense trees, big skies, bright stars, and gorgeous peaks. We have celebrated holidays in Idyllwild several times, including this past Thanksgiving weekend. On our recent trip it was sunny and 71 degrees when we left San Diego, by the time we reached the mountains it was 52 degrees and the perfect weather to build a huge, cozy fire.

Idyllwild Hike - Humber Park to Saddle Junction — Idyllwild Hike – Humber Park to Saddle Junction

Since we’ve been there so much, I have lots of recommendations. Part of me doesn’t want anyone else to know about this quirky, artistic village near Palm Springs, but it is too great of a place not to share. If you decide to go, here are some suggestions…

STAY:

Quiet Creek Inn and Vacation Rentals is the only place that we stay. When we first started visiting Idyllwild, we would stay at Quiet Creek Inn which are cozy cabins near Strawberry Creek. They are comfortable, relatively inexpensive (about $130/night), and full of amenities like free fire logs, coffee, and movies.

After staying at the Inn a few times we decided to rent a vacation home from them and we have continued to do that each time. We have stayed in five different vacation rentals, a few of them multiple times. The rentals range in price from $100-over $400/night, prices increase during peak seasons and there are fees for pups (of course we always bring ours) and for housekeeping.

All of the houses are well-equipped, secluded, and generally better than they are advertised on the Quiet Creek website. The houses are ideal for group travel. Last weekend our group consisted of 6 adults, 2 kids, and 2 pups. All of us had plenty of space and were able to make and share a Thanksgiving feast together.

EAT:

I crave the penne arrabbiata at Cafe Aroma. Super spicy and deceptively simple, it is the only thing I order; however, I do try dishes that others order and they are always also yummy. This restaurant is warm, charming, and smells like roasting garlic at all times. Sean and I have ate many dinners outside under heat lamps and a star-filled sky. On our recent trip, we enjoyed a delicious lunch that included a bottle of wine, bread and garlic oil, curried carrot soup, and of course, penne arrabbiata. When we got home I re-created the curried carrot soup and was pretty successful (1 lb carrots, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 onion, diced and roasted for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, after they are done add to a soup pot with 5 cups of vegetable broth and 1 -2 TB of Penzey’s curry, puree with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy). I have tried and can not re-create the arrabbiata, so I’ll continue ordering it every time I go.

We shop for food at the Mountain Harvest Market. It is a small grocery store that sells healthy, organic food with a Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.

For a quick meal we generally order pizza from Idyllwild Pizza Co. It is a satisfying, easy meal to pick up in town.

The best coffee in Idyllwild is at Higher Grounds Coffee House, which is located right in the center of the town.

THINGS TO DO:

Idyllwild has a lot of shops and art galleries that are fun to stroll through. It is listed as one of the best 100 art towns in America, so there are a lot of artists that reside in the area. The only stores that I have purchased items at are Ink Book Gathering and Mountain Paws. Ink Book Gathering is a used bookstore with a great selection and good deals. Mountain Paws is a dog-lover’s heaven. It is full of handmade dog treats, unique gifts, and fun gear for pups and cats.

We hike and walk a lot when we are in Idyllwild. It is best to start early before the crowds come, and it is important to remember that there is often snow at the higher elevations so the trail can get slippery. We like to hike the following trails (in order of preference): South Ridge Trail to Tahquitz Peak, Devil’s Slide Trail to Saddle Junction, The Ernie Maxwell Trail, and Deer Springs to Suicide Rock. We take Ruby on all of the hikes, and (mostly) keep her on her leash.

What we do in Idyllwild — Idyllwild images: Nature, hiking, snuggling pups

It was fantastic spending Thanksgiving weekend in one of my favorite places with some of my favorite people. Sean and I are looking forward to heading to Idyllwild sometime this winter so we can play in the snow with Ruby.

LIFE: Meditation

I am on Day 5 of the Oprah and Deepak 21-Day Meditation Experience. I encourage anyone reading this to join in on this free three-week series. It is the third time I have participated and it is a great way to experience the benefits of meditation. The theme of this three week journey is Desire and Destiny, finding your passion and purpose.

I understand that time is a luxury, but it is crucial to find time for things that improve our well-being. Depending on the day, I’ll meditate in the morning or on my lunch hour. I prefer to do it first thing in the morning and begin with a cup of coffee as I listen to Oprah and Deepak introduce the meditation. Each session is about 8 minutes of them talking about desire and destiny, and then 10 minutes of meditating. This morning Oprah reminded listeners to “Pursue the moments that light us up.”

Mantras and visualization help me when I meditate. A mantra is a phrase that is repeated in our mind to help us relax and concentrate. Deepak gives a different mantra each day of the 21-Day Meditation Experience. If I forget his mantra while I am meditating, I start to use my favorite mantra, which is Om Shanti. To begin the meditation I picture myself at places that I love, like on my Aunt Nanc’s porch in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula listening as the wind goes through the trees. When I start thinking about things I have to do I re-direct my focus to the mantra and to a place where I am calm.

Some days are harder than others to meditate. I try really hard not to judge myself and to keep doing it. You can’t do meditation right or wrong, you just need to do it. I find that I am a more considerate and aware person on days when I meditate, and that is why I do it. I know this sounds new-agey, weird, hippyish…but it works for me and I wish more people would do it every day.

Like a lot of women my age, Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” was a life-changing book for me. It came to me in 2006, at just the right point in my life, and I feel like it helped me through a lot of things I was working on. (A few years ago, I was at a talk by one of my heroes, Bill McKibben, and he said, “The Holy Spirit is the one that puts one book in your hand instead of another one.” I know that is true. Books always seem to enter my life at just the right moment – I plan on writing lots more about that in this blog.) Italy (Eat), India (Pray), and Indonesia (Love) are all a part of Gilbert’s journey; the India section spoke the loudest to me because of her descriptions of her meditation experiences.

She writes, “Why have I been chasing happiness my whole life when bliss was here the entire time.” She describes all of the frustrations that came up while she was practicing meditation at an Ashram in India, more importantly she talks about what the meditation does for her spirit. Gilbert writes, “The Yogic path is about disentangling the built-in glitches of the human condition, which I’m going to over-simplify define here as the heartbreaking inability to sustain contentment.”

If you have not read “Eat, Pray, Love” I think you should. It is an ESSENTIAL read. Also, it is not to late to join the Oprah and Deepak 21-Day Meditation Experience. You can still start at Day 1.

Namaste

LIFE: San Francisco and Napa

I always say that when I am not at work I usually feel like I am on vacation. That is the BEST part about living in San Diego. We spend the majority of our actual vacation days traveling to Michigan to visit family, but we often make quick weekend trips to Idyllwild, Santa Barbara, or somewhere else in California.

A few weekends ago, I had to go to Northern California for work so we decided to go to San Francisco for the second time and to visit Napa for the first time. It was a quick three-day trip, but we managed to do a lot in the time that we had.

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco

San Francisco is a huge, somewhat overwhelming city. There is a lot to see and do, so it is best to plan a little before heading there. About four years ago when we went my goals were to visit City Lights Bookstore (Howl!), Muir Woods, and the tourist trap restaurant The Stinking Rose. This time we wanted to experience new things.

What we did:

Alcatraz. My friend made fun of me because we booked our tickets to Alcatraz about a month before our trip. We wanted to make sure we got tickets because the last time we went they were sold out. Good thing we pre-ordered them – they were sold out for the next two days! Alcatraz is a creepy, chilly ghost island surrounded by incredible beauty. It’s awesome. The best parts are the ferry ride to the island and the audio tour narrated by ex-wardens and prisoners. It was a little crowded, so I recommend going in the middle of the week rather than on the weekend if you are able to. Wear warm clothes!
Biked the Golden Gate Bridge. We rented bikes at the Embarcadero and rode along the bay, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and to the city of Sausalito. At the bike rental they said it was easy, but there were some hills (because they are inescapable in San Francisco), and parts of it were a little challenging for me (Sean will laugh when he reads this because it was not hard for him whatsoever). My favorite bridge will always be the Mackinaw Bridge, but the views on the Golden Gate are beautiful and they constantly change as the fog rolls in and out. Super fun experience that I highly recommend – even though my legs and bum were sore the next day. You can walk across the bridge if riding bikes is not your thing. Also, you can take a ferry back from Sausalitio rather than riding the bike back.
Farmers Market. On Saturday at the Ferry Building there is a huge, gigantic Farmer’s Market with fresh produce, bread, and so much more. Go there hungry and try a bit of everything. I already talked about the Hodo Soy in a previous post, but I was also excited about Sukhi’s Indian mixes. I bought three at the market and have already made two delicious, easy curry dinners at home. I am stocking up on her products from now on. The air was crisp and the fog lifted slow. A great way to spend the early morning in San Francisco.

What we ate:

Tropisueno. We stumbled on this place in the Financial District. It was packed, so we knew we should stop in. It was happy hour and we had to scrunch into a spot at the bar, but it was worth it. The margaritas and chips, salsa, and guacamole were so good and super cheap. Best deal we encountered on our trip and a total happy accident.
Millenium. So…this is the meal we were really looking forward to and it was the meal we were most disappointed in. Maybe our expectations were too high (a gourmet, vegan restaurant!!) or maybe we were still thinking about the yummy guac from our happy hour? We split the Crusted King Mushroom Trumpets, another appetizer that I can’t remember, and the Potato Tiki Cake. It was all good, but not great. Sean kept repeating over and over that the food I cook is much better. We also had poor service, so that probably contributed to our impression of it.
Gracias Madre. I debated going here because I have heard so many good things about it, but I was hesitant after our experience at Millenium. When we were in Sausalito we had a glass of wine and talked to another couple at the bar (who were also native Michiganders) and they recommended that we try Gracias Madre. So we went. And loved it. It is a vegan, organic Mexican restaurant and it is so good. I got the special of the day: butternut squash flautas, pickled vegetables and beans. It is not a typical Mexican restaurant, but it is delicious and healthy and inspiring. They don’t take reservations.
Boudin Bakery. We stopped for the traditional San Fran sourdough bread bowl before our bike ride. Sean got tomato soup and I had butternut squash soup. You can’t go wrong with a meal that is mostly bread!

Random tips for traveling in San Francisco: Take public transportation – parking is ridiculously expensive and hard to find. There are a lot of homeless people in San Francisco – bring dollar bills if you are a bleeding heart. Wear walking shoes – we walked over 10 miles in one day. We stayed at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square – it was fine, but Union Square is my least favorite part of San Francisco.

Napa

After 1 1/2 days in San Francisco we rented a car and drove 45 minutes to Napa. The grapes had just been harvested and the warm, red colors of autumn were everywhere.

Napa in Autumn

Where we slept and RELAXED:

Hotel Yountville. We splurged on this hotel. Totally worth it. The hotel upgraded us for free and we had a fireplace, high ceilings, porch, and soaking tub. Everything about the hotel was relaxing. They supplied free bicycles and we rode around Yountville and stopped into a lot of tasting rooms. The pool and jacuzzi area were luxurious and we had them all to ourselves- even though the hotel was sold out.

Wineries we visited:

Domaine Chandon.
Domaine Canteros.
Hope and Grace.
Robert Mondavi.
Cornerstone Cellars.

I think there was one or two more. To tell you the truth I can’t tell you much about them. We had fun, we drank, and we enjoyed doing nothing except sipping on wine for the day.

Where we ate:

Redd Wood. The best meal of our trip. We ate a lovely meal outside with a simple pizza and a brussel sprout salad. It was romantic and a perfect Napa experience. We missed Ruby, but the couple sitting next to us let us play with their dog, Cooper, so we felt a little better.

We biked past the French Laundry…maybe next time we go we’ll pay $270 for the vegetable tasting menu. I doubt it though.

I love quick escapes, but coming back to our home is ALWAYS the best part of a vacation.

LIFE: Jimbo’s Grocery Store

I think a lot about what I want to be when I grow up. I am nearing forty and I still have no idea what I want my career to be. I talk to other people about this all the time, and I have found that most people feel the same way.

Let me tell you what I THINK my dream job is: professional grocery shopper and meal planner. Is it possible to make a living doing it?

Most people dread going to the grocery store each week and planning what they’ll eat. I am a good grocery shopper and it is a chore that I don’t get sick of. In fact, I look forward to it. I modify weekly menus at the store when I see what is on special and what produce looks the best. Buying groceries is one of the most important things I do each week because what I buy leads to my overall health and well-being.

Most of the time I go to multiple places to get everything we need for a week. In San Diego I shop at Trader’s Joe’s (stocking up on organic frozen fruit for smoothies), Whole Foods (one of the only places I’ve been able to find Field Roast sausages), Farmer’s Markets (for kale, bitchin’ sauce and Indian food), Penzey’s Spices (for all spices, especially curry, cinnamon and mulling spices), Ripe (our neighborhood produce spot), and Sprouts (this is our go-to store).

Organic Greens at Jimbo's San Diego — Organic Greens at Jimbo’s San Diego

We lived in downtown San Diego for over three years and we always said it needed a good grocery store. Now that we’ve moved they have finally opened one. Jimbo’s, a So Cal grocery chain, opened at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego a few weeks ago. I have wanted to go since it opened, especially because I read that almost everything is organic and the prices are pretty reasonable.

When we were at the San Francisco Farmer’s Market last weekend we tried Hodo Soy. It is the best soy product I have ever had (Chipotle uses them for their AMAZING Sofritas, which are rolling out across the country after being tested on the West Coast). We wanted to buy all of it and take it back to San Diego with us, but the logistics of that didn’t work so great. The good news was that they told us they were sold at one location in So Cal – Jimbo’s grocery stores! As soon as I got home guess where I went?!

Hodo Soy

Jimbo’s is a little inconvenient for me because it is in downtown San Diego, but I’ll still be shopping there almost every week because it has everything I need in one space. They have free parking on the fourth floor at Horton Plaza, and the new Tender Greens (if you go, get the Happy Vegan Plate!!) and Chipotle are near for pre-grocery dining. Almost everything is organic and food is labeled so you can be sure what you are eating is GMO-free.

JImbo's San Diego

When you are checking out you get five cents off for each bag that you bring, or you get wooden nickels that are deposited into a bin for different charities. Of course, I picked the animal rescue.

Here was my haul for the week: kale*, bananas, 10 lemons*, butternut squash*, sugar pumpkin*, pink lady apples*, radishes*, cucumbers*, cabbage*, potatoes*, almond milk, cereal, Hodo Soy*, Curry Seitan*, Tempeh, Frozen Hilary’s Veggie Burgers, Meiomi Pinot Noir*, Pad Thai Noodles, whole wheat penne, 1 lb raw cashews, pizza sauce, follow your heart mozzarella, Sukhi Indian seasoning mixes (this will get a full blog post at some point)*, bitchin sauce*, salsa*, sprouted curry hummus*, corn tortillas*, garbanzo beans, kombucha*, tamari, mint tea, and quinoa. Everything with the * was made in California. Delicious dinners coming this week.

I don’t think there is such a thing as a professional grocery shopper. Maybe for really rich people, but it is the people who don’t have a lot of money (or time!) that need it the most. I wonder if I was paid to grocery shop if the fun would be taken out of it.

How many people really have their dream job? And is work even supposed to be fun?

WATCH: The Last Goodbye

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents̓ strife.

“Romeo and Juliet”, William Shakespeare

My introduction to Shakespeare came at eight or nine years old when I was flipping through TV channels and found the Franco Zeffirelli movie version of “Romeo and Ju liet.” It is a pretty fantastic way to fall in love with the Bard. Over the next few years I read the play in middle school, watched Baz Luhrman’s 1996 version with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and went to see “West Side Story” at the theater. My senior year of college I studied at Oxford for three weeks and was able to watch Shakespeare plays every night for three weeks. During that time I watched at least two adaptations of “Romeo and Juliet” (and four of “Hamlet”!). I never get tired of new versions of Shakespeare, especially “Romeo and Juliet.” It is an enduring tale of young love, tragedy and innocence lost and it speaks to me in a different way each time that I see it.

Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet — Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet

Yesterday I went with a group of friends to see “The Last Goodbye,” the latest incarnation of “Romeo and Juliet,” at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. The play is set to the music of Jeff Buckley and involves a combination of verse, song, and guitar riffs. Going to the theater always makes me feel like a full-blown adult – it is probably the cost of the tickets and the fact that the majority of theater audiences are over fifty years old. This version of “Romeo and Juliet” really made me feel old because I found myself shocked at the graphic, oh-la-la, parts of the performance. Especially the marriage consummation scene.

I’ve never been a fan of Romeo because he is humorless, impulsive, childish, and fickle. What did Juliet (who is one of my all-time favorite Shakespeare characters, probably because she gets all the best lines in the play) see in the immature, brooding boy? “The Last Goodbye” changed my mind about him. Romeo just needed to belt out some music, and it didn’t hurt that the actor in this version looked like Ryan Phillipe.

Photo Courtesy of the Old Globe. Jay Armstrong Johnson as Romeo and Talisa Friedman as Juliet in The Last Goodbye, a new musical fusing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with the songs of rock icon Jeff Buckley, Sept. 22 - Nov. 3, 2013 at The Old Globe. The Last Goodbye is conceived and adapted by Michael Kimmel, with music and lyrics by Jeff Buckley, orchestrations, music direction and arrangements by Kris Kukul, choreography by Sonya Tayeh and direction by Alex Timbers. Photo by Matthew Murphy. — Photo Courtesy of the Old Globe. Jay Armstrong Johnson as Romeo and Talisa Friedman as Juliet in The Last Goodbye, a new musical fusing Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with the songs of rock icon Jeff Buckley, Sept. 22 – Nov. 3, 2013 at The Old Globe. The Last Goodbye is conceived and adapted by Michael Kimmel, with music and lyrics by Jeff Buckley, orchestrations, music direction and arrangements by Kris Kukul, choreography by Sonya Tayeh and direction by Alex Timbers. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

“The Last Goodbye” is not set in a specific time period which highlights the timelessness of the story. The costumes are a mixture of leather jackets, hoodies, and renaissance-inspired dresses. Mercutio, always a scene-stealer in productions of this play, wears a glamorous, over-the-top fur coat (I hope it is a fake) in the party scene and it attracts the attention of the viewer over and over. The scenery is like a medieval castle, and my vertigo kicked in a few times as I watched the actors gracefully maneuver the towers and higher portions of the walls. Many times I thought they would fall off of the stage and it made me nervous. I also worried that someone was going to get hurt in the sword-fighting scenes – they are spectacular and a highlight of the production. The lighting is key in contributing to the mood of the music in the scenes. At certain points it feels like a rock concert, and at other points it feels like you are in a church.

I was waiting for the Buckley classic “Hallelujah,” and it does not disappoint when the song arrives in the final scene. It is a powerful way to end the play, and I noticed quite a few people around me wiping tears. Throughout the play I discovered poetic, soulful songs by Buckley that I had never heard before like “All Flowers in Time” and “The Last Goodbye.” Buckley had a pure voice, and the actors in this production honor his memory and voice beautifully.

Back to the Zeffirelli film….apparently the actors playing Romeo and Juliet dated in real life. Check out this youtube video of them doing an interview. It’s adorable and disturbing at the same time — kind of like “Romeo and Juliet.”