Closing Notice

Please Don't Tell

2012-02-14T11:27:00.003-06:00

Sssssshhhhhh....

Don't tell Jürg where I hid his Valentines Day present this morning (it's in the Lazy Susan)

We'll see how long it takes him to find it.

It's this book.

In the meantime, have a love filled day everyone!

Eating ones words

2012-02-10T19:34:00.001-06:00

Stupidly mild winter...

Happy Friday!

2012-02-10T10:26:00.001-06:00

It's Friday and I thought it wise to share some adorableness with all of you.

This is my sweet friend Jess Godwin. She is super talented and I am in awe of her on a regular basis. You will be too.

Enjoy!

Spring(ish) Cleaning

2012-02-09T20:29:00.001-06:00

Hi Friends!

I recently had an itch to freshen things up around here. Not sure where it came from but I have the urge to scratch. I have been playing around with Blogger's settings and realizing that I am pretty illiterate when it comes to computers, but I shall continue to futz with some settings and layouts. Things have been starting to feel a bit stale and I could use some spice in my life. The blog seems like a nice place to start.

Today I am in a bad mood. Some will roll their eyes when I admit why, but I must stand behind my feelings. I am pissed off that Edward Lee was eliminated from Top Chef last night. Sure, roll your eyes, but no one rolled their eyes at the Patriots fans when their team didn't win the Super Bowl. Some cheer on players, I cheer on Chef's. It's just how I like to do things.

As a Louisvillain I couldn't help but root for Mr. Lee, and I just don't think he was treated fairly. I won't rant and rave too much because if you aren't a fan of Top Chef it won't mean much to you, but it's not often that the Louisville food scene is recognized on a national level. We were robbed!

However, I have had the pleasure of eating at Edward Lee's restaurant and I have a picture to prove it. Please ignore how terrible I look.

Ed, I tip my hat to you! You wore fabulous T's, had some of the best one liners of the season and, most of all, made incredible food. I will be back to 610 Magnolia, you can count on that.

In other news, despite reports to the contrary, Chicago has had a stupidly mild winter thus far. Certainly the mere typing of that sentence will reverse weather patterns and I will regret ever having thought it. But seriously it's been so easy.

My sister-in-law texted me today asking how things were going and I replied "Things are fine...pretty boring to be honest." To which she responded "Haha you always say boring."

It's true though. I am pretty bored. I shouldn't complain because I am healthy and all, but I am sort of wondering "what's next?" I spend lots of time sitting in front of a computer at work, and while I am starting to go on more auditions I just sort of wonder what I am supposed to be doing with my life. I feel a tad directionless and it's unnerving. I still want to perform but I am not filled with the verve and vigor I once was. I find myself spending hours thinking about what kind of window treatments I would like for my living room and I think "what is happening to me?!?!" I am hoping to regain some focus in the weeks and months to come.

Well, this isn't the most exciting blog post I have ever written, but I just wanted to give ya'll a quick check in. Have a wonderful weekend!

Wrapping it Up

2011-11-27T22:26:00.001-06:00

Having looked forward to this trip for so long, I knew the last days would be bittersweet, and so I purposely planned for our final vineyard visit to be the most memorable.

Heibel Ranch Vineyards

I read about Heibel Ranch Vineyards in an old volume of Food and Wine, and while it certainly wasn't the first (nor will it be the last) winery I have drooled over in the magazines glossy pages, this one definitely caught my attention. Heibel Ranch isn't your typical wine country tour, but rather a full on excursion.

Located over an hour away from central Napa you have to take some pretty sharp and steep turns to ride up the the top of the mountain where the vineyard is located. Upon arrival you are greeted by Trent, the brainchild behind the winery, whereupon you hop into his open air Jeep straight out of 1950. From there you are taken on a bumpy, yet picturesque ride through his property while his yellow lab runs beside you. You won't find an experience like this anyplace else.

After your Jeep Tour you get to drink (no three ounce pours here!) his fantastic wine accompanied with local Bouchon Bakery bread, salami, cheese and olives. Our tasting included an incredible Sauvingon Blanc... officially the best we had on our trip and a decadent Cabernet/ Zinfandel/ Petite Syrah blend called Lappas. I would have taken both home but we only had space for one more bottle, so we settled on the Sauvingnon Blanc, but I am keeping my eye on this vineyard. They are very young with a very bright future.

If you travel to Napa, vist Heibel Ranch. I simply can't be any more blunt about it.

It was a perfect day, for a perfect tour and a perfect ending to an incredible trip.

On our drive back to San Francsico we made a quick stop at the Culinary Institute of America, which has a gift shop that will make any foodie swoon.

Then it was back to San Fran for us where we returned our trusty hatchback and hopped onto the BART towards Berkley where we would spend our final night pretending to be MBA students with Brittany and Phil. We had a lovely sushi dinner and got to hob nob with her classmates over Mojitos. Not a bad final night at all. The next morning despite some plumbing issues in her apartment (boo!) Brittany gave us a little walking tour of campus before we headed to the airport, six wine bottles heavier then when we arrived.

No matter how much you enjoy your trip, it is always nice to get home, especially when you have to furry felines to greet you at the door. However, even though months have passed this trip still hasn't left me. It's memories hit me at random moments: On a crowded El car, glancing out the window at work, settling into a couch with a glass of red in hand. Our time out West was not only the stuff that dreams are made of, but it planted the seed for dreams of the future.

I am not sure just when I will make it back there but I don't just feel, I know, that I am not done with California and it's glorious wine country.

Four Days in Heaven (Days 3 and 4)

2011-11-07T21:55:00.000-06:00

Day 3

I arose out of my food induced slumber feeling remarkably well. Perhaps Fois Gras is the key to kicking a cold, but whatever did the trick I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. No sir, not when you are attempting to visit six(!) wineries in one day.

First Stop: V Sattui Winery

We stopped at V Sattui first for a couple of reasons. One, they opened at 9am (atypical as most places don't crack their doors till 10) and two they are known to have a great deli where you can pick up some sustenance for your travels. Well the rumors are true, they do have a very nice deli with a wide array of cheeses, domestic and imported, deli meats, oils and vinegars. However the wine that they make...it's swill. Seriously, not great stuff. In fairness I will say that our wine guide was very nice and let us taste some extra stuff but nothing was great, and a lot of it wasn't even good. V Sattui is sort of the Times Square of Napa, all the tour buses stop there and they have a gift shop full of all kinds of items with their name on it. Go for the deli, don't stay for the wine.

Second Stop: Spring Mountain Vineyard

Located at the bottom of the mountain, Spring Mountain is a charming spot, set behind a gate nestled among rolling hills. The tasting was conducted outside at a makeshift bar set up with two wine barrels a wooden slab over top of them. The woman conducting our tasting was cheerful, intelligent and laid back, and the other couple tasting with us was very friendly.

We got to taste four wines: One white (Sauvignon Blanc) and three reds (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend called Elivette). All of the wines were very well balanced, with great structure and complexity. I would have happily brought a bottle of each home but we settled on the Syrah.

The experience at Spring Mountain was relaxed, picturesque and just plain lovely.

Third Stop: Mumm Napa

Back when I was 16 I went on a tour through Europe with an honor choir called The Sound of America. We travelled through Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Austria. We made all kinds of stops along the way but one of them was in Reims France where we got to tour (and taste!) at the Mumm Champagne House. I was a good kid in high school and didn't imbibe on the weekend so I hadn't had much experience with alcohol, but I remember being so fascinated with the process to create Champagne. I truly think it was here when my interest in wine began. So it seemed only fitting that we stop by the Mumm outpost in Napa in homage to my trip.

As this was our third stop of the day we opted to simply share a glass of the Grand Cru, while we sat along the windows and gazed at the vines. Mumm offers tours and you can create flights for yourself to taste, but we thought it best to pace ourselves.

It was a delicious glass with tiny concentrated bubbles. It had a perfect balance of sweetness but still being dry. I always thinking a little sparkling in the middle of the day is the way to go, don't you?

A quick stop but a nice one.

Fourth Stop: Frog's Leap Winery

When we first walked into the little grey tasting room at Frog's Leap Winery I said "are we in the right place?" I was perplexed because I felt, for a moment, that I had walked right into someone's home. This wasn't your typical high end Napa tasting room: the style was understated and approachable, yet still refined, very much like their wines.

This was one of our very favorite stops.

We shared a wine flight which consisted of one white (Sauvignon Blanc) and three reds (Zinfandel, Merlot and a Cabernet). Our tasting came with a plate of local cheeses, almonds and fruit (score!) plus you got to sip your wines out on a gorgeous patio overlooking their farm. You really couldn't ask for a better set up, or better wines.

We truly loved all of them, the Sauvignon Blanc was among one of the best we tasted (and everyone has one): crisp, fruit forward but with a hint of minerality. The Zinfandel was our favorite with it's deep red berry flavors but balanced well with hints of oak and spice. The service was also outstanding, and again very approachable. They even poured us a glass of their new release Chardonnay and gave us another glass of Cabernet to take with us while we did a little self guided walking tour of their farm and fermentation tanks.

I left Frog's Leap such a fan that I have since signed up to be a Frog Fellow, so I will be enjoying more bottles of Frog's Leap to come.

Fifth Stop: Quintessa Winery

Just down the road from Frog's Leap, Quintessa is an impressive structure. Built into the side of the hill (similar to Jarvis) the winery and the land merge into one another creating a beautiful arch of stone and soil as you approach the entrance.

Our time at Quintessa was very personal, as we had a guide all to ourselves (I get the sense this is how it is for everyone who visits although I am not positive). First we climbed up to a beautiful vista where she opened a bottle of white blend called Illumination. The wine was crisp, fruit forward but with a nice backbone. We sipped while we overlooked the rolling hills and the lake which irrigates the vines. Tough.

After the white we headed down to the front of the winery where we got to check out the grape press before we headed inside to a dimly lit tasting room which had a table reserved just for us. Here we got to sample their '06, '07 and '08 releases (all red blends consisting of primarily Cab Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc) along with a plate of local artisan cheese. They were all fantastic (but I recall putting the '07 only slightly ahead of the others): Rich, silky, complex wines with great tannic structures and nice oak flavors that didn't overwhelm. They are wines that travel along your palette and linger for minutes after you finish your sip. They are wines that don't need anything else to bring out their flavors, but what you do need is a deep wallet. They don't play around at Qunitessa and it is reflected in the price. At this point in our lives Jürgen and I can't play in the big leagues when it terms to investing in bottles of fine wine, but it was sure fun to taste. I think our guide took a liking to us because she also poured us a glass of the 2004 as well, which was (not surprisingly) also fantastic.

After Quintessa we had planned to make one more stop but at this point my teeth were stained and I needed to lay down. While I napped in the car Jürgen took this time to call his father and recall our previous nights meal at the French Laundry.

Once I had my head back on straight we parked the car and walked around downtown St. Helena, and then feasted at a farm to table establishment aptly named Farmstead. To be honest we left underwhelmed with both the food and the service. However it is a popular spot in Napa so maybe we caught it on an off night.

Day Four

First Stop: Cakebread Cellars

I have had one experience with Cakebread prior to our trip out west, in 2008 when Jürgen's uncle came to Chicago to celebrate our engagement by taking us out to dinner. It was at this dinner when I had my first bottle of Cakebread (a Cabernet I believe) and I learned then that it's a wine that means business. So it only seemed fitting to pay them a visit on our trip.

As a winery goes Cakebread won't win any awards in the design department. Of course you have your beautiful Napa mountains as a backdrop, but it's clear they don't put extra time or money into design. Their focus is all on the wine, and it pays off. They greeted us with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (shocking!) and then escorted us back into a curtained off tasting room which we shared with another couple. We got to taste five wines, two whites (a 2010 and a reserve Chardonnay) and three reds (a Zinfandel, Cabernet and Syrah). The wines at Cakebread are solid, well structured wines that you could drink now or if you have the tenacity to age wines they could "cellar" for quite awhile. The Chardonnay's were a nice full bodied Chard's with good use of oak and nice fall fruit. The red's all had a nice balance of fruit and spice. In addition to pouring great wines we also got recipe pairing suggestions for each wine we tried, which was a nice touch.

Second Stop: Beaulieu Vineyard

Literally thirty seconds from Cakebread Beaulieu (BV) has two tasting rooms for visitors to choose from. You can stop in the BV Tasting room or the Georges De Latour Reserve Tasting room. Unsure which one we wanted to try, we first stopped in the BV tasting room which (again not surprising) was pouring a complimentary glass of their Sauvignon Blanc. We promptly determined that it was the worst Sav. Blanc we had tasted. Maybe ever. Needless to say we headed over the reserve room.

The reserve room is very sleek, with a white marble topped tasting bar, and grey stone walls. It's less about selling cutesy BV labeled souvenirs and more about their well crafted reds. We got to taste a 2007 Geoges De Latour and three "clones" which are single vineyard varieties. One sip and we were thankful we paid extra to do the reserve tasting.

Third Stop: Round Pond Estate

As we entered the palm tree lined drive leading up to Round Pond I couldn't hold back a smile. Not only are the grounds...well...stunning, but we were in for quite a treat. In addition to being a winery, Round Pond is also an Olive Mill, so you have multiple tasting options when you visit. You can taste their wines, their olive oils, their vingers and syrups or you can go for the whole hog and sign up for their Al Fresco Lunch. A two hour plus experience where you get to tour the vineyards, gardens, olive groves and culminating in a delicious lunch on the patio where you get to taste everything they make. It's a great value and a unique opportunity we couldn't pass up.

The weather was perfect and our group of six was very friendly. We were lead by the properties head chef on a tour where we got to eat fresh herbs, pick bright red strawberries, stand in the shade of olive trees and head down into the fermentation room where the wine barrels were bathed in sunlight from skylights that towered overhead.

Sitting down for lunch there were two sugar cubes in the center of our plates which we would use to taste their red wine and balsamic vinegars. After pouring a few dops onto the plate you would place the cube in the vinegar allowing it to soak into the cube. You would then bring the cube to your lips and suck the vinegar out of it. You learn something new every day.

We then moved onto their olive oils: An Italian style (grassy), Spanish style (spicy), Meyer lemon and a blood orange. After the Olives came three wines: A Sauvignon Blanc and two Cabernet Sauvignons from two different years (I think '07 and '08). Lunch consisted of a beautiful charcuterie plate with local cheeses, fresh vegetables from the garden and a dense lemon cake for dessert which we got to drizzle their Meyer lemon and blood orange syrups over. I mean it really doesn't get much better than that.

To be honest I don't really remember the wines at Round Pond. Not because they weren't good, but because I was too engrossed in the food and company to really take notice, and when you think about it, isn't that how it should always be?

After Round Pond we decided to head into downtown Napa where we hit up the Oxbow Public Market, which was reminiscent of the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

After indulging in a happy hour oyster special at one of the seafood counters we then spent a few hours walking around Napa.

After we sufficiently walked off our lunch, we stopped in a local pizza spot for dinner, and sadly it wasn't that impressive. It was was also during this dinner when I admitted, much to my dismay, that I was officially "wine tasted out".

But we had one final stop to make the next day.

Four Days in Heaven (Days 1 and 2)

2011-10-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

An old man with a pipe.

If you were to ask me what my idea of Heaven would be I would say "A place where I can drink red wine at 10am without judgement", thus making Napa, CA heaven on earth.

After sedating myself with Benadryl, I was happy to wake up feeling congested but without a scratchy throat, this meant things were on their way out and that's how I liked it. The ride out to Napa was relatively smooth, there was a five minute window where some directions were unclear as we exited San Francisco, but otherwise we encountered no traffic or speed bumps.

I am sure that both Napa and Sonoma county's have lots to offer outside the world of wine but we had a very limited agenda and that was to consume as much fermented grape juice as possible over a four and a half day period. So from here on I will simply cover the wineries by the day and elaborate on other events when necessary.

Day One:

First Stop: Jarvis

Jarvis is a little "out there" on the Napa map, meaning it's not as resting alongside Napa Highway or the Silverado Trail where a you can't spit without hitting a vineyard. That being said it's worth going a bit off course as it was one of our very favorite stops on our trip. What makes Jarvis so very unique is the entire winery is built inside a cave, so a bottle of wine doesn't see the light of day until it's shipped outside the winery. This choice has two benefits, one it creates for perfect climate control when aging wine and two it makes for an architecturally fascinating tour. Despite the fact that our guide made an odd remark that Jarvis was a "weird one to start" our vacation on, we thought it was a perfect beginning.

We were able to taste six different wines (which is more than most tastings offer, just fyi) one white (Chardonnay) and five reds: a blend, a Cab Franc, a Merlot and two Cabernet Sauvignon's. Honestly we loved all of them, and we have since concluded that this was the best Chardonnay we tasted on our trip. One aspect of this tasting I particularly enjoyed was we were seated at a table and not left to stand. This made it easier to write down tasting notes and for some reason it felt like we were able to quietly discuss our thoughts and process what we were tasting better than during tastings when we were standing.

Another welcome addition to this tasting was the serving of a creamy goat cheese and a nice french triple creme with crackers. Cheese plus anything is a win in my book.

Second Stop: Darioush

When you drive up to Darioush you almost feel as though Las Vegas has been dropped in the middle of a vineyard because the architecture is reminiscent of Caesar's Palace. We did a walk in tasting of their Signature flight and we opted (wisely) to share.

*Note to anyone who will ever travel to wine country*: It is perfectly normal and acceptable to share a wine tasting.

This tasting consisted of five wines (accompanied by a little plate of pistachios, which we demolished): two whites (Viognier and Chardonnay) and three reds (Merlot and two Cabernet Sauvignon's). We had a nice time at Darioush and our tasting guide was very friendly. None of the wines blew our socks off, but the overall experience was very pleasant.

Third Stop: Scribe

I had read about Scribe Winery in Food & Wine Magazine a few times so I was very excited to check it out. I made a tasting appointment a good six weeks before our trip, however a few weeks before we were set to depart they called to let me know that they wouldn't be conducting traditional tastings that day because they were having a "members only event", however we were invited to attend despite the fact the fact that we are not members. I thought hey why the heck not? This would give us a one of a kind experience on our trip so I was intrigued to see what it would be like.

When we approached the winery we came upon a lovely hill overlooking rolling grape vines, strewn with blankets for people, who were effortlessly cool, to lounge on and sip Pinot Noir while their long hair flapped in the wind. I wasn't sure I quite belonged in this crowd of sun kissed folks with funky accessories and rugged yet well fitted jeans, but I so wanted to. I don't know how we lucked out to be invited to this event but man was it awesome.

Their staffers were pouring (full sized glasses mind you) a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir, and another red made an appearance at some point. In addition to the wine you could get Ball jars full of water, lemonade or tea. Listen to live music. Smell fresh wildflowers and watch a whole pig roast.

They were beautiful. These pigs were raised by the people at Scribe so you know they were treated well and had a good life, and boy did they taste it. The skin was crisp and cracklin' and the meat oh so tender. They also served fire roasted peppers, fingerling potato salad, lightly tossed kale and beans that baked in dutch ovens over the coals that roasted the pigs. Oh and this entire experience was 100% free.

Jackpot.

Also I was the first person in line for food. I am that girl and I will not apologize for it.

Fourth Stop: Artesa

In an effort to be totally honest, after Scribe I was feeling pretty...well...happy. And not just happy because I was on vacation but happy because I was on the road to intoxication.

We opted to do the limited release tasting, and while we didn't share this tasting we should have. Partly because none of the wines were particularly outstanding (or even good) but also because we had consumed more than we should have at this point in the day. Artesa was one of our least favorite wineries one our trip, however our guide apparently liked us because he let us try an extra Merlot, a sparkling wine and he only charged us for one tasting. Regardless the wines still weren't good.

I am totally wasted in this photo

The tasting room does have some lovely views though.

After our trip to Artesa we had planned to make one final winery visit, however as we pulled out onto the road it was quite clear that we were in no state to consume anymore for the day. So much so that we had to pull over to the side of the road and sit....for forty five minutes...while we got our heads on straight.

The lesson of the day was: eat more than a Cliff Bar for breakfast when planning on drinking all day long.

After we sobered up we travelled to the quaint town of Calistoga which is known for it's natural hot mineral waters. About a month before our trip I purchased a Groupon (!) for a small spa in Calistoga that offered healing mud baths at two for the price of one. Having never done a mud bath I thought this would be a very fun activity for Jürgen and I to do together.

We had a great time, we started off taking a dip in the naturally heated mineral pools followed by the mud bath. It was very very warm, but they brought you cool water to sip, and placed cold towels on your face to keep your body somewhat regulated. The mud forms a sort of capsule around you and keeps you suspended in the bath allowing your muscles to really relax. After the bath you rinse off and soak in another mineral bath for twenty minutes. It was detoxifying (my sinuses were completely clear the entire time) and oh so relaxing.

After our spa experience we had dinner at the Calistoga Inn and Brewery where we got to dine under the stars. My thinking was after a day of wine drinking it would be fun to try a local beer. We both chose a red ale, but sadly as the meal progressed I began to feel more and more ill. I am not sure if it was the intense heat, the exorbitant amount of wine I consumed, or just a cold running it's course but I was feeling very woozy and out of sorts. So much so that I got to the hotel, spent twenty minutes shivering under a hot shower, and put multiple layers on before I went to sleep.

Day Two:

First Stop: Pride Mountain

Located in the Spring Mountain growing region of Napa, Pride Mountain sits at the very top of a long and winding road which is best traversed early in the day when one hasn't consumed any wine. Now if you were to have asked me before my trip to describe a quintessential Napa setting Pride Mountain would have been it. All you could see for miles were rolling hills of vines, the tasting room was a beautifully constructed stone building and everything just felt effortlessly refined. The people were unpretentious yet extremely knowledgeable. Humors yet detailed in their explanations. We started the tour off with a crisp Viognier, which we sipped on the front porch.

Followed by a trip into the wine caves where we got to taste a lovely Syrah, then a 2010 Merlot directly from the barrel followed by a 2010 Merlot that had been aging in the bottle. It was so much fun to do a side by side comparison of the two. The 2010 (still in the barrel wine) was very fruit forward, it hit you hard and then died off, but was still delicious and ripe (pun intended) with possibility. The 2008 was more complex, softer in it's fruit notes with more earthiness and heavier mouth feel.

We then got to take a horse drawn wagon (this was an extra special treat and not always typical at Pride) up to the top of the mountain to stand among the vineyards and taste the grapes.

We ended our tour with a side by side taste of their Cabernet Fran and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both were fantastic, but we ended up purchasing a bottle of the Cab Franc.

Basically I cannot say enough good things about Pride Mountain Vineyards. If you travel to Napa, make it a priority to go.

Second Stop: Keenan

Just down the mountain from Pride Mountain, Keenan is an unsuspecting little winery. You will likely be greeted by winery dogs and the tasting room is no frills, no nonsense. We got to taste about six (ish?) types of wines, and we did share this one. The majority of the wines were reds, and to be fair I do not have a tasting list of all that we tried. The wines were good, but nothing that we still remember. Our guide was lovely though and ended up not charging us (whoo hoo!), so while it wasn't in our top five per se, it was a nice place to visit.

Third Stop: Schramsberg

Schramsberg is a house of sparkling wine, and is the oldest sparkling wine producer in Napa. They make all of their wines in the Méthode Champenoise which is the method in which they use to make Champagne in France. This tour was incredible. It was so informative but so much fun at the same time. The winery is tucked back in the hills and you spend the majority of the tour inside the wine caves.

We learned what a painstaking process it is to make sparkling wine: from the aging, to the "drumming", to the riddling, to the corking it's quite an involved process! In addition to expanding our minds we also got to taste some beautiful bubbly. Set deep in the wine caves, illuminated by candlelight we got to indulge in four sparklers and one red wine (a Cabernet I believe). All delicious. Their bubbles are concentrated and fine, they dance along your pallet and linger for awhile. Schramsberg is the real deal my friends, and I truly believe they could hold their own amongst any great French Champagnes. This whole tour and tasting was such an incredible experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Fourth Stop: Vincent Arroryo

Vincent Arroryo is along the lines of Keenean as a no muss no fuss type of winery (and they have dogs!). It's a small tasting room set around a card table with wine boxes stacked all around you. But don't let their low key approach fool you, they take their wine making seriously. All of their grapes are estate grown and they are known for their Petite Syrah, although we ended up purchasing a bottle of port, which I know will pair beautifully with a silky blue cheese.

Unlike the day before, after our fourth stop we were happy, but completely in our right minds, which was beneficial considering we had a major meal ahead of us. We travelled back to the hotel to chill for a few hours before we dined and what some may consider to be the best restaurant in the country: The French Laundry.

The meal....well it deserves it's own post altogether, but rest assured dear friends, there is more where that came from.

San Francisco Treat (Days 2 and 3)

2011-10-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

Day 2

It's amazing what a full night of sleep will do for the spirit! I was up, bright eyed and full of vigor by 7am ready to take in a full day of San Fran sights.

First stop: Golden Gate Park. Having only skimmed it the day before, now was time to really explore. We walked through beautiful rose gardens, dodged several sprinklers and arrived at the Japanese Tea Garden, which much to our surprise is free on Friday mornings! Score!

After taking in the luscious scenery and feeling totally zen'd out we did what every first time tourist must do when the visit San Francisco...visit the Golden Gate Bridge.

After taking in as much of her as we could through all the low hanging fog we hopped a bus to Lombard street, which we were told would provide us a nice walk on our way to the Marina. It was on this walk when we realized that Jürgen's camera had died. There is no reason to recount the full sequence of events which transpired after this realization, suffice to say it was a bit tense but everything worked out. We even ended up visiting a local camera store which was selling a specific lens Jürg had been searching for, which came in handy during the rest of our trip.

When dealing with moments of tension, it's always best to follow them with something sweet, so a trip to Ghiradelli Square was necessary. I am not a big fan of sweets, but when ordering ice cream I only have eyes for one flavor: Mint Chocolate Chip.

We then strolled along the waterfront into Fisherman's Warf, which in all honesty is sort of like a nicer Ocean City and slightly less lame Navy Pier. But you have to go if you are a San Fran first timer.

Stroll a little deeper into Fisherman's Warf and you will come to Pier 39 where you will get a front row seat to watch a great show entitled: Sea Lions Sunbathing.

Then we marveled at the crooked/corkscrew/squiggly part of Lombard Street

After which we proceeded to walk quite a distance to Coit Tower and pumped up pur heart rates climbing the stairs to get there.

In all honesty, Coit Tower was a bit of a let down for a few reasons: 1) It costs $7 a person (cash only...lame) 2) You take an elevator to the top of it so you miss out of the whole "huffing and puffing" experience that you expect when climbing up a tower and 3) Once at the top they have plastic panes on every opening so getting glare free photos is tough. Just my two cents.

Despite being a tad disappointed with our Coit Tower excursion, we found a cute, steep brick staircase (called the Greenwhich steps), travelled down them and back to the Piers where we enjoyed some early evening breezes before jumping on a boat to....

The Rock. Also known as Alcatraz. I decided to sign up for the night tour because I thought it would be a little spooky. I live life on the edge, what can I say?

It was at this point when it started to cool down significantly in San Francisco, and being on a boat over a choppy ocean not only causes ones naturally curly hair to immediately expand in width, but it also marked the beginnings of a nasty tickle which was growing in the back of my throat. A harbinger of things to come.

My windswept hair is giving Jürgen a mullett.

Scratchy throat aside, a visit to Alcatraz is definitely a must do for the San Fran tourist. You get fantastic views of the city from the island and you learn a lot. You don't get as much time or freedom to explore when you do the night tour (and it does get cold) but I am still glad we went.

After the tour, we met up with my friend Brittany and her friend Phil for dinner at a restaurant called The Slanted Door in the Ferry Building. It was great to see her, meet Phil and catch up. The meal was good, not amazing, but definitely good.

Day 3

Sadly this was another fitful night of sleep, and I awoke with a full on sore throat and a slight tightness in my sinuses which was quite unwelcome. Determined not to succumb to it's nasty ways, we first ventured to the San Francisco airport to pick up our rental car for our upcoming Napa adventure. This whole process was very easy and made even better by the rock star parking we found near our apartment. Score.

First stop: The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Also known as, the Farmers Market to end all Farmers Markets.

We did pick up a little breakfast, but we literally could have made a meal of just the samples at every vendor's tent. beautiful stone fruits, sweet apples, creamy cheeses, grassy olive oils. It was a food lovers paradise.

After sufficiently oohhhh'ing and ahhh'ing at nature's bounty we met up with Brittany and a dear friend of mine named Brian who I have known since I was twelve (that was quite a while ago FYI).

Brian had a show that afternoon so we parted ways after an hour pr so but Brittany stuck around while we navigated Chinatown. San Francisco apparently has the best Chinatown, and while it was impressive as far as size, it was super crowded and I am not one for crowds. What can you do?

We ate lunch at a spot many people insisted we go called The House of Nan King. The food lived up to the hype, but it was quite an experience. Soon after we sat down an older gentleman came to take our order and asked us if we had ever been there before, to which we all replied "no." With a swift nod, he took all of our menus from our hands and said "I am the chef, I will take care of you."

I am an adventurous eater, and most of the time I would relish the opportunity to have a head chef take charge of my dining situation, however this place was cash only and we were limited in our spending along with some dietary restrictions. We were a bit uneasy as to how it would all turn out, but I can happily report that we made it out on the other side unscathed. They brought us three dishes, fish, chicken and beef, all of which were delicious and well prepared. The service is no nonsense and they get you in and out pretty quickly, but I would recommend it. Just don't tell them you are newbies if you want to place your own order.

At this point my throat was ragin' and my head was getting stuffy. Basically I was down for the count and I knew that we might have to cut this day a little short, so I did what any person who spent their formidable years in the late eighties and early nineties would do...paid a visit to The Painted Ladies. Aka "The Full House Houses."

To be honest, some of the ladies need a new coat of paint, but it was nice to sit on the hill overlooking them and chill for a bit.

By now Brittany needed to head to the other side of the bay, and we needed to head to Walgreen's and stock up on Benadryl. I was going to kick this cold/allergy attack/ devil possession in the butt if it killed me. However another fantastic way to ward off evil spirits is with Burbon, so our final stop of the day was a modern day speakeasy called Burbon and Branch.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, and you cannot take pictures inside, but it's an awesome local spot. You have to have a password to get in (don't worry it's on their website) and a host or hostess will lead you through a dak windowless bar, pull open a bookshelf where you will find yourself in the Library. We made friends with a very nice bartender, and had some great drinks. As I was feeling under the weather, I wanted to hearken back to the days when my mother would spoon feed me burbon when I had a cold, so he concocted two fantastic Burbon based drinks which certainly helped ease the pain at the back of my throat, or at least replaced one burning sensation with another. We used this time to recount our stay in San Francisco and get excited about the next phase of our trip in wine country.

Once home I swallowed one of those bad boy Benadryl's, and despite my best efforts to take in an episode of Friday Night Lights, I was once again asleep by 9pm.

San Francisco Treat

2011-10-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

Remember back when Jürgen was cast in a Broadway show? Remember how it closed unexpectedly?

Yeah? Ok just wasn't sure if you still remembered.

Well, before all of that came crashing down there was a point when we thought he would be getting one weeks paid vacation after the show had run for at least six months. This would have put us somewhere around March or April of 2009 and we thought it would be a perfect time to visit California Wine Country. And thus the dream was born, our next vacation would be in Napa.

Well we all know how that turned out, and dreams of crushed grapes and rolling hills all but vanished.

Fast forward through eight months of my misery in NYC and almost a year of living apart and we felt like we deserved a vacation. Throw in a best friend getting her MBA at a Bay Area school and you have no excuse not to travel west. And thus, the dream was reborn.

We have known about this trip since April, and while neither of us wanted to wish away the time, or the fleeting Chicago summer, we. could. not. wait. We saved, researched, planned, mapped, we even made multiple spreadsheets in preparation for this excursion. We were to be gone a full week, but we wanted to see and do it all. That's just how we roll.

We spent two and a half days in San Francisco, four and a half days in Napa and about twenty hours in Berkeley, California. It was busy, it was enriching, it was a trip for the record books. Our personal record books anyway. And while there is no way I can fully capture the experience here, I will certainly do my best.

It would be far too much to try to cover it all in one post, so I shall begin with San Fran.

Day 1:

Despite our best efforts to get a good nights sleep, the night before our trip was restless. Many sheep were counted, very few hours of sleep were accumulated. Not the best foot to start on but we persevered, and thankfully were met with no flight delays or mid air turbulence! I managed to squeeze in a few winks en route but Jürgen wasn't as fortunate (a positive side effect of being tiny is the ability to curly up on two airplane seats). Ah well, we pressed on.

Upon arriving in Oakland, CA it took us about an hour to reach San Francisco proper, and our first order of business was to stop at the visitors center and pick up three day City Passes, allowing us freedom to use all buses, subways and trolley cars for transportation. If you ever travel to San Fran, get these...they are worth their weight in gold!

After that we headed to the studio apartment we rented through this site to drop off our stuff, freshen up and get our bearings. The place wasn't fancy, but it suited us just fine. Clean, centrally located to all modes of transportation and directly across the street from a foodie hotspot the Zuni Cafe (which we never ate at but was excited to be near it nonetheless).

The view from our window

After unloading our belongings, we were still fighting fatigue but decided a good place to begin would be the Hight Ashbury district. An area not unlike Belmont in Chicago (if you aren't familiar with this Chicago area just trust me when I tell you they are similar). Imagine a world where dressing like a hippie is totally en vogue and you can't throw a stone without hitting a tattoo parlor, and you have imagined Haight-Ashbury. We walked into some vintage shops, stopped by the Grateful Dead house, and explored a tiny bit of Golden Gate park.

I swear I spotted some Dancing Bears

The rumors are true. San Francisco has a lot of Fog.

It was now a suitable hour to imbibe in some beverages of the alcoholic variety so we stopped in Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery. A respected brewhouse in San Fran with a cool community table you can belly up to and hydrate yourself. We settled upon a six glass beer sampler, goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon and some crispy pig ears. Yes you read that right...crispy pig ears.

Note: I will not go into detail about the food we ate in these summary posts, I will save that for a separate entry

Now revived from hops and pig parts, we decided to catch a bus to the Mission District. The bus ride was long but we got to wind through the Twin Peaks neighborhood and get some cool views of the city. I was continually amazed at the concept of a large metropolis being built on so many hills, it's just a sight I am not used to seeing.

Once we found ourselves in the Mission, our first mission (pun! intended!) was to put our name in for a table at the renowned pasta restaurant Flour + Water. We knew it would be a long wait, which was fine considering we were still a bit full from our cocktail hour and it would give us a chance to explore.

Go Here. Go here now!

We wandered over to Clarion Alley, a famous alley in San Francisco for its incredible street art.

After immersing our self in street art culture we sat down for what was truly the best pasta either of us has ever consumed. Trust me on this one. Details are forthcoming.

Once we literally licked our bowls clean the effects of a long day of travel combined with next to no sleep were kicking in. So much so that we didn't even have a desire to eat dessert! Satiated and happy, we traversed back to our little apartment, and I was asleep by 9pm (which in fairness was 11pm Chicago time).

Mission Accomplished

2011-08-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

I feel it is only fair to give a final photo update of the China Cabinet I have written about so excessively.

My dining room has been transformed by her beauty, and all of our incredible wedding gifts can finally be displayed! I still smile every time I look at her.

Here's a straight on view for you...I didn't want to leave you wanting more. Not after so many months of waiting.

However, there is no rest for the weary, the next mission: A new couch.

Summer Lovin'

2011-08-31T21:29:00.000-05:00

As the calendar hovers on the brink of August to September and the inevitable end of summer (sob!) I feel it fitting to recap some of my favorite aspects of the season.

First off, Jürgen and I have been enjoying nature's bounty and have been cooking up a storm. As I have mentioned in a previous post we are members of a CSA and every week receive a box of local produce. Our favorite find so far: Garlic Scapes. They may appear to be a tangled light green bundle, but when you cut them up, splash on a little olive oil, throw in a pinch of salt and roast them at 400˚ for 30-45 mins what you end up with is a delightfully crispy, mildly garlicky green bean type veggie. Their season has already waned, but we will anxiously await them next year.

In addition to cookin' we have also been growin'...herbs that is. After years of letting three planters (left behind by the past owners) sit unoccupied we finally decided to till our own soil and have an urban garden of our own.

We planted basil, dill, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (thank you Simon and Garfunkle), and I am pleased to report that all plants are thriving, with the exception of the dill which met it's fateful end one night during a fierce rainstorm. It is truly an exciting event when you can make pesto with the basil from your own garden. Or grill some feta cheese with sprigs of fresh thyme that you have nurtured with your very hands.

What's that you say, grilled feta? Yes, you heard me correctly...it's incredible. Trust.

We have had the pleasure of seeing two couples get married.

Kevin and Heather

Katie and Hunter.

(I just realized that both of these couples were K+H...how cool!)

I have currently become obsessed with the recently wrapped television series Friday Night Lights. If you haven't already watched it do yourself a favor and start, it's brilliant.

Finally, we have two trips coming up. First we will be travelling to Louisville this weekend to visit my family and meet it two newest members.

Could you not just die? I cannot wait to squeeze their little mushy faces. I love my cats, but there is nothing like a fuzzy kitten.

Then in one week we will be travelling to the land where I belong: California Wine Country. I have never been so excited for a trip in my life. There will likely be many blog posts about it so stay tuned.

I hope you all have had an incredible summer. It goes by far too quickly.

Cabinet Update

2011-06-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

A brief update from Closing Notice Headquarters:

The cabinet I have been feverishly saving up for has been ordered! It could be here as early as one month or as long as three, but I am not concerned with the date. Just knowing that it's on it's way is gift enough!

Let's look at her one more time shall we? Isn't she wonderful....

Beginner

2011-06-04T23:24:00.000-05:00

I came across a link to this post a month and a half ago on Twitter- a social media phenom I still haven't fully embraced but tease from time to time. This quote really struck me:

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."

-Ira glass

I think I have written about this in the past, but I feel this quote really sums up one of my greatest flaws (and I have so few...) which is I hate being bad at things. And because I hate being bad at things I never let myself get through the "sucking" phase to get to the "succeeding" phase. I told myself when I was in high school that I had waited too long to take dance lessons so I certainly could never be a dancer. I picked up a guitar freshman year of college and by the end of the summer it was basically a doorstop because I didn't want to push myself to master "Home on the Range." I would love to learn another language but I literally have said, on many occasions, "I'm too old to do that now".

I'm 28. That's pretty young. Sure I think I am old enough to know better but why do I think that a cap has been put on my ability to accomplish anything? I never would have been a prima ballerina but I certainly could have become someone who could hold their own in a dance audition. I could have persisted, practiced and learned to rock some Bob Dylan on my guitar. I could still learn French. Or how to play the guitar. I could even speak French while playing the guitar if I really put my mind to it.

Being a beginner. I am not so good at it.

This isn't going to be a proclamation post where I declare today is the day when I resolve to become a new person and enroll in french lessons. I have written posts like that before and they have come back to get me. No, instead I am merely going to sit with this notion of beginnings for just a little bit. And maybe that's the whole idea. Sitting with the idea of being a beginner. Knowing that you have a long road ahead but that you don't have to rush to figure out the directions right away.

Hi

2011-05-04T22:55:00.000-05:00

Well I finished my forty days...and fell a little short. Sometimes wine took precedence over the blog, but it was a good challenge and I am glad that I did it. However I am glad to not feel "pressured" to write every day anymore!

How can it possibly be May? The year is almost half over, in the blink of an eye. Life moves pretty quickly.

And it's slowly starting to turn into spring. Note the word slowly.

More to come soon, just didn't want ya'll to think I abandoned you again.

Have a lovely day.

24 Hours with The Jürg

2011-04-19T22:21:00.000-05:00

Since Jürg and I have lived apart we have done a mighty fine job of seeing each other at least once a month. Not ideal, but given the circumstances certainly a good goal to have.

I was supposed to fly out to the City of Brotherly Love right after I gave my ~~don't go into the art~~s dream big and do whatever you want speech, but last week Jürg got called into an important audition here in Chicago. So, as is typical whenever you make a plan, everything had to be rescheduled. We cancelled my flight and transfered the credit (God bless you Southwest Airlines) so he could fly here for a mere twenty four hours. Again not ideal, but we adapt.

The trip was oh so quick but we did our best to make the most of it. We went out for cocktails at a new lounge in the neighborhood, played Yahtzee, drank wine and talked about summer goals. His audition went incredibly well so we are keeping our fingers crossed and just gearing up for the home stretch of this almost one year separation. It's always the final furlong that's the hardest, but hopefully time will continue to fly and June will be bustin' out before we know it.

Until then....I hope Spring decides to return. Any...day...now.

Something I Covet

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Years ago when Jürgen and I first started dating we spent a summers afternoon enjoying the always reliable Art Institute of Chicago. An exhibit which caught my eye and has stayed with me was On the Beach by Richard Misrach. A series of aerial photographs of oceans and beaches around the world. Ever since then I have been dying to get my hands on one of his prints.

Isn't that stunning? It looks like a painting it's so gorgeous.

This one is great too...with the subjects feet peeking above the water.

I would die to have a print like this hanging above my bed. Something about the calm blue water feels fitting for bedside art. I feel relaxed just looking at these images.

Sadly, it seems as though you cannot order prints from this collection. I have searched, but to no avail. I have also tried to find comprable looking images on sites such as art.com, but nothing seems to move me like these photos.

Boo

Enough To Make You Cry

2011-04-17T22:12:00.000-05:00

We're "Trying"

2011-04-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how hilarious I find the phrase "We're trying." As in "We are trying to get pregnant."

It's hilarious to me. I love that phrase.

Because think about it: what are people really implying when they say that?

Jürgen and I could be at a fancy dinner party surrounded by uptight elders and if I declared to the table "Oh yes we are trying to get pregnant" they would all look at us with warm smiles and approving nods at our desire to further the human race and nurture a human life.

But if I instead said "oh yeah we are having all kinds of sex around the clock in an effort to knock me up" they would gasp in horror and possibly lose their meal all over the table.

But that's basically what you are saying when you utter the loaded two word phrase "We're trying."

Hilarious.

Oh and to be clear, we are not "trying", nor do I play to "try" any time soon, and should I ever decide to "try" you will never hear me use the phrase "we're trying."

Words of the Wise

2011-04-15T21:52:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I received an email from my high school asking if I would be available and interested to speak to the current students about a "career in the arts." My response was: "You mean to tell them not to do it?"

Ha ha. I kid. Kind of.

As I pulled into the school parking lot yesterday morning I had a bit of trepidation about my agreement. For one, I don't feel particularly successful in my "career" at the moment, and on the other hand I remember what it was like to listen to guest speakers during the assembly period. I was usually fighting a battle to stay awake or feverishly trying to finish an assignment for the following class. This would not be an easy crowd.

I did not want to discourage any young souls from pursuing their dreams, but on the other hand I did not want to be dishonest about the hardships this career path affords you. Going in I had no set speech, no set list. I figured I would let the kids lead the discussion and I would do my best to answer honestly. Also, I was just hoping not to drop any expletives during my talk.

Despite my fears I actually had a really lovely time.There was a group of about ten or so of us "artists." Among us was a film director, opera singer, photographer, art teacher and graphic designer to name a few. We were all placed in a classroom and groups of about 20-25 students rotated in every ten minutes over the span of an hour an a half. The kids were very attentive and asked really smart questions. Every group was interested to know more about my day job, what my favorite show has been and a few kids had even seen my commercial a few years ago. It was nice. I am glad to have been asked to be a part of it.

Sometimes when we try to teach others, we end up teaching ourselves along the way.

Failing Grade

2011-04-14T22:36:00.001-05:00

Hi Friends

I have totally slacked in the past few days. I am ashamed. I am sorry. I have been babysitting, I have done another I-65 road trip and I have procrastinated over the past few days to the point where it is almost midnight and I am just sitting down to write.

Perhaps my Lenten goal was too lofty?

I have ten days left to stick to this goal, so in an effort to spice things up let's play 20 questions....shoot me a question (or two!) that you would like to ask me. I will post the answers in a few days!

A Recent Obsession

2011-04-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

I can't quite pinpoint when it happened but some point before we entered into a new decade I have become obsessed with candles. Actually it is more specific than that, I have become obsessed with having a lit candle in my entry way.

Sorry this picture is a but dark but you get the idea. When I come home from work my routine is always the same: Shoes off, keys in dish, bag on bench, feed hungry kitties, light candle, collect mail. You could set you watch by it. On weekends as soon as I leave my bedroom I light the hallway candle, and it will sometimes burn all day long. For as long as I am in the house, there burns an eternal flame.

I have no reasonable explanation as to how those obsession began or where the need comes from but it's a part of my daily ritual. Do candles in the entry way ward off evil spirits? Do they cleanse the house of any negative energy? Are there any sort of Feng Shui rules that apply to this?

My candles must not be of the floral scented variety. I am partial to savory or "festive" scents (i.e anything that smells like a Christmas tree). However I wonder if these scents will be appropriate once the warm weather actually decides to stick around. Should the candle be replaced with a vase full of fresh flowers. I am going to wait to see if the obsession is seasonal.

Wow I have become a woman who thinks about candles...what has become of me?

April Goals

2011-04-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

Here are a few things I would like to accomplish this month. In no particular order:

1) Get my wine aromatics poster framed (did this today! hootie hoo!)
2) Buy pillows for the sham's that have been folded in my closet for years
3) Finish the photo archiving project I started last week.
4) Research organizations that focus on sustainable/local food for possible volunteer opportunities.
5) Start reading a new book.
6) Think about working out (I hate exercising, so I feel that at least thinking about it is a good first step)
7) Solve the worlds energy crisis.
8) Clean up this blog a bit, and read more blogs on a regular basis.
9) Eat at this restaurant.
10) Find a way to get Democrats and Republicans to stop arguing about stuff that doesn't matter and actually work to together for a change.

Think I can do it? I will report back.

2011-04-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

Jürgen sent me this picture he took today. Isn't it lovely? The dainty purple buds blossoming and heralding in Spring? Such a time of birth growth and possibility.

Then why oh WHY was it FORTY DEGREES today in Chicago?!?!?! Forty frikkin degrees and raining. Raining.

It's days like today when I question my decision to live here.

Dining Out For Life

2011-04-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Lately I have waxed poetic about how much I adore my alone time, and I do adore it. However, after a certain point of self satisfying activities such as drinking wine and organizing your photos, or sleeping in late, or counting your pennies as you save up for the China Cabinet you love so much you realize that your life has become pretty self-centric. This is important sometimes, but it's also equally as important to be a contributing member of society, so when the opportunity arose to volunteer for Dining out for Life I jumped at the chance.

Dining Out For Life is an international fund raising effort that teams up with restaurants in cities across the country, and the world, to raise money for local AIDS Organizations. Chicago's night is coming up on April 28th and I will be serving as an ambassador at one of my favorite places, Bistro Campagne. A rustic French restaurant thats has never let me down, and I have dined there on many occasions.

If you live in Chicago stop by one of the many participating restaurants and grab on bite on the 28th. A portion of every sale will go directly to Edge Alliance, an organization dedicated to providing support to homeless people and families afflicted by AIDS. Not a Chicagoan? Check out the Dining Out For Life website and see when your city is hosting, it's a perfect excuse to try out a new restaurant and help people in the process!

My friends, it doesn't get much sweeter than that.

Babysitting Machine: Part 2

2011-04-06T22:34:00.001-05:00

As previously stated I was babysitting until 1am this morning, and I just returned from another stint this evening and will go at it again tomorrow night. I am a well oiled dinner making, teeth brushing, iCarly watching, diaper changing, book reading machine. And it's all in name of love.

I love this china cabinet.

Oh and children! I love children too....

But seriously, let's get back to the task at hand. Isn't she lovely? I have eyed her for years and I decided this was the year she would be mine. Every cent from every babysitting gig I get is going towards the prize. It will be a slow climb, but in the end it will be oh so worth it.

It's almost as though I have reverted back to high school, except in high school I would have been saving up for a new pair of Doc Martins or something, now I dream about furniture. This would be another example of: you know you are becoming an adult when...

Now might be a good time for me to admit a rather painful truth about myself: I have never actually saved up for anything in my life. I know, I can feel your judgement radiating through the computer screen, but in an effort to be totally transparent I just want to put that out there. If I ever wanted something I usually asked for it for a birthday or Christmas. Or I would put it on a credit card when I couldn't actually afford it and then pay it back (with interest, of course) over time. This is not a fact I am proud to admit, but we all have the capacity to change if we put our minds to it. My mistakes of my past don't have to dictate the actions of my future.

I am currently about a third of the way to my goal and while I would love to have this gorgeous piece of craftsmanship in my home now, I am willing to wait, because I know the reward will be that much sweeter in the end.

Babysitting Machine

2011-04-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

I babysat until 1am today. I am so tired and I have nothing to say, please forgive me.

Dishing for Dana

2011-04-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

When Jürgen and I became engaged a few years ago I started writing a blog, or blürg, centered around our wedding planning. It's main purpose was to provide a window into the event for all of our family and friends across the country. In retrospect it was also an excellent way to document that special time for posterity, or should anyone need any info for my autobiography.

I began to read a fair number of wedding-centric blogs at that time but none compared to the sassy, resourceful and oh so hilarious Broke Ass Bride. My friend, The Parakeet, introduced me to her and I eagerly awaited her posts each day. The blog became quite the hit and has developed into a full blown enterprise of it's own. However, even with all of the excitement, the Broke Ass Bride herself has been battling a rare auto immune disease that affects both of her eyes. The result being that she has to undergo multiple surgeries and therefore acquire massive amounts of debt. I encourage, and frankly urge you to read the full story here and see if you can find it in your heart to show her support in any way you can.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Dana and she is a one of a kind, super cool, awesome gal who is destined, along with her husband Hunter, to achieve great things and I hate the idea of someone being held back because we live in a country with a broken health care system.

After you read it, take a gander around the site. You will not be disappointed!

Exploring Your City: Goose Island Brewery Tour

2011-04-03T22:45:00.000-05:00

Last week the beverage world was rocked when it was reported that this company had purchased Chicagoland's beloved brewery Goose Island.

I am not afraid to call myself a Wino, but over the years I have developed a deep appreciation for well crafted brews, and as someone who likes to support local economies I have become a fan of Goose Island. Particularly their Belgian style beers like the Matildia and Sofie. When I learned of the acquisition I felt it best to pay homage to the local gem and take myself on a brewery tour. I brought my pal Brandon along for the journey.

It was a lot of fun, if I do say so myself. For a mere ten dollars you got to see where the magic happens, sample six different beer styles and you got to take home a souvenir glass. What a lovely was to spend a cloudy Sunday.

Todd, our guide and a Master Brewer himself, was easy going and very informative. I have been on several brewery tours over the years so I am familiar with how the system works, but every brewery puts their on spin on things and its a great excuse to drink in the middle of the day without judgement! If there is a brewery tour, sign me up!

A particular fact I liked about Goose Island was they send all of their grain to local pig farms, the pigs eat it and then they buy back the pigs to later appear on their menu. Love a company that keeps it local and reduces waste. I hope that doesn't change when the big guys roll in.

And of course, the best part of any brewery tour is the tasting. In this tour our guide really encouraged us to shout out various flavor notes and aromas that we picked up in each unique brew.

The six beers we tasted were:

1) Golden Goose (Pilsner): Didn't care for this one. Tasted like a slightly less better Bud Light.
2) Sahti (Saison Style): A beer made with juniper berries instead of hops. Very unique flavor. I very much enjoyed. I imagine it would go well with a nice grilled Salmon.
3) Green Line (Pale Ale): Again, didn't love this one. Felt similarly to the Golden Goose.
4) Blonde Rascal (forgot to make note of the style): Brewed with lavender which gave it an herbaceous and floral nose. I liked it, although I don't think I could consume an entire pint.
5) Sneed (Porter): Yummy! A darker beer but very smooth. Nice chocolate, coffee and tobacco notes.
6) Lake Effect (Imperial Ale): Another crowd pleaser. Medium in body, caramel in color, great all year drinking beer.

A wonderful thing about Beer is it can be made anywhere, and be great. Unlike wine which really depends on the climate and region (Sorry Indiana wines...). So there are tons of great local breweries all across the country, and many of them offer tours. This is not a fact, rather a theory I have, but I feel confident enough to make that statement. Tours like this are a great activity to do with a group of friends and a wonderful way to learn about the craft of beer making. I highly recommend it!

You were allowed to take a beer on the tour, and that coupled with the tasting I was feel rather happy after the tour concluded. As witnessed by the photo below.

P.S- According to Todd, Goose Island is going to continue operating the same way and the buy out shouldn't affect the quality of their beers. I hope this is the case!

Sad Cats

2011-04-02T22:30:00.000-05:00

Good game tonight Cats. I thought this could be our year, but alas it was not in the cards.

Still, we are proud of you and we look forward to a great season next year.

Go Butler!

April Fools

2011-04-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Ah the first of April. A day when it's socially acceptable to let our inner prankster to run free and torment those around us. Some live for the day, while others live in fear of it. Where did this annual gag pulling tradition come from I wonder?

On April 1st 2009 I was working at a commercial photography and digital media studio here in Chicago. It was a pretty cool job as far as these things go. Funky atmosphere, laid back people (for the most part), an always changing environment. It was a glimpse into the world of print advertising, because this studio works with some pretty big ad agencies. Now if only Don Draper could have stopped in to have a look at the "artwork" my life would have been complete.

That first April day, which I would like to point out was much warmer than it is currently, I was having lunch with two of my coworkers (both named Eric...I like to hang out with people who have the same name, simplifies things) and the subject turned to....wait for it....April fools. Had any of us successfully pulled off an April fools joke? None of could lay claim to such a feat, which incidentally got our wheels turning. We should pull one over on the studio! Many ideas were tossed around and we finally settled on staging a fake client call. It would for a project that would need to be rushed and therefore would require an emergency phone conference. But who would make this call? Seeing as I was the only person out of the three who wouldn't be required to attend an emergency meeting, the torch was passed. The game had begun.

I need to be clear about something: I may be an actor but I am no great joker. I am no improviser. I laugh when something out of the ordinary happens onstage. My lips start to quiver when I attempt to trick someone. Basically I am hopeless. Therefore the thought of having to to pull of a studio wide prank, was daunting to say the least.

The studio does a lot of work for pharmaceutical companies and our thought was it would be easy to create a brand name for a drug that no one would be able to prove didn't exist. At the time I was taking a very strong pill called Accutane in an effort to combat by years of troubled skin (blast my parents for passing on their bad skin genes!) which happens to cause very severe birth defects should you become pregnant while taking the pill. They aren't kidding around about that either, on the inside of the packaging are erie drawings of babies with horribly deformed heads and no ears. It's a serious drug.

Well we might be the most brilliant, or demented people on the face of the planet because we chose to draw upon that horror and created hilarity! Yep, I was going to act as an account executive for a major ad agency that would be producing a big, glossy brochure outlining the abhorrent side effects of a new drug: Isoplex (derived from the generic name for Accutane, Isotretinoin).

However, it was not to be some frightful brochure, no we wanted the images to depict deformed babies in cheerful settings in an effort to juxtapose the happy with the horrific.

(As I type this I am realizing how terrible this sounds, but I assure you it was funny at the time).

Back at the studio I was prepped with the proper terminology so I would seem legit and we created my character. My name was "Emma" and I had to be of British origin in order for no one to know it was me on the phone. I called the studio from my cell phone, then proceeded to page Eric over the loudspeaker, and then I stole away to the prop room to begin the tom foolery.

Eric assembled almost the entire office: all of the partners, the producer, her assistant, quite the crew. These calls with clients are taken very seriously. Eric introduced me to everyone and I could hear that they were all using their "business voices" their "we need to impress this important ad exec" voice. I couldn't believe I had signed on for this...but I began the speech.

I started with the standard ad world lingo about the timeline, the type of campaign etc, but then i unleashed the absurd ...

It went something like this (do your best to imagine it in a very realistic British dialect):

"We want these images to be shocking, SHOCKING, but funny at the same time. The babies should look very happy and be placed in settings that are otherwise pleasant experiences. As one of the side effects is a cone shaped head and no ears perhaps that baby could be at a birthday party. Another side effect is the babies legs are born fused together to form one giant leg, otherwise known as Sirenomelia (this is not an actual side effect, but it is an actual genetic disease that is absolutely tragic and I am going to hell for sure), so perhaps that baby could be in a swimming pool or laying on a large rock. And the final side effect is an underdeveloped heart so we would need to see the baby looking cheerful but show an internal shot of the heart, oh and maybe this baby could be at a picnic?"

You would think the insanity of this request would be enough for them to sniff me out. On the contrary my friends, the bought every word of it. Hook, line and sinker. Then the real fun began...

Eric: "Emma, since the baby has a cone head anyway, in the birthday party shot instead on putting a cone shaped birthday party hat on it, how about we put just a big puff on top of the cone head as if it were a party hat?"

Me: "Brilliant! That's exactly what I am looking for. Maybe we can even make it look sort of like a graphic novel, maybe the images can have thought bubbles coming out of them saying things like 'I am so sad my baby doesn't have ears' or something like that. We really want to juxtapose the serious nature of these side effects with the pleasantness of the images. They need to be serious but shocking. SHOCKING!"

Producer: "What look are you going for in the casting of the mothers and babies?"

Me: "We this brochure is going to be distributed internationally so we would want them to be ethnic. But you know...not too ethnic." (people say stupid stupid stuff like that all the time apparently)

Eric (the other one): "Emma, you sound British are you from France?"

This comment was apparently met with a conference room full stares as if to say "France? What is wrong with you? How could you say that to a client?!?!?!"

This continued on for about fifteen minutes and miraculously I had answers to all of their questions, and they were oh so interested in everything I had to say. Imagine a chorus of yes!, absolutely!, and emphatic uh-huh's!

It was all too good and too much to handle, I knew I had to wrap it up quickly before my cover was blown and as they asked me for an email addressed I burst into the conference room and yelled a victorious "APRIL FOOLS" and proceeded to quickly sprint away for fear of the venom that might be dripping from their eyes.

Thankfully everyone had a good laugh about it, and I was surprised (dare I say, SHOCKED) to learn that this was not the most outrageous client call they ever had. Which if you think about it, is kind of frightening.

Simple Pleasure: The Sound and the Purrrring

2011-03-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

I am just going to go on record and say it: There are few things in life that are better than cat curled up and purring in your lap. And you can quote me on that.

In fact I have a furry feline in my lap right now which renders my arms somewhat useless for typing. It's calming. It's warm. It's a special feeling to feel loved unconditionally.

So in honor of one of life's greatest joys I will share a few, I promise just a few images of my favorites kitties taken over the past few months.

If you think this is too much...you should see my iPhone.

A Firm Foundation

2011-03-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

If you all haven't picked up on it by now, I am clearly a fan of soup. I just find it to be a perfect lunchtime option coupled with a side dish, or a crunchy/ salty snack. They aren't too filling so you can function without the post lunch coma, and in most circumstances they are very healthy.

Because I make it a point to pack my lunch, I like to make dishes that can feed my stomach (and soul!) for several days. Soups fit this bill nicely because they usually get better over time so as the week passes you get deeper flavors, and on a hectic Wednesday that is a welcomed development.

I like to think I am a decent cook with a somewhat advanced pallet. However, I think the next step in my culinary growth would be learning how to build upon a basic recipe and making it my own. At present I am a follower, someday I would like to lead the ingredients to create a dish based on my ideas of flavor combinations. You know those people who can just look in a refrigerator or a pantry and pull seemingly unrelated items and make a meal? People who taste their way to an end result rather than measuring. I aspire to be that kind of cook.

Which is why Mark Bittman's article in the New York Times Magazine caught my eye. Profiling four soup types: Creamy, Brothy, Earthy and Hearty, it gives you a base for each type and teaches you two variations on each theme. The theory is, by the time you have made all twelve options you will never need a recipe again because you have learned how to riff of off one idea to feed another.

This is a perfect challenge for me seeing as I can never have enough soup on hand and I can grow as a cook in the process.

Since the thermometer still reads at a balmy 33 degrees I decided to try my hand at the Hearty category, and since I still have so many potatoes I opted for the Minestrone (pictured above left). It was every bit as simple as Bittman promised, and a great easy kitchen activity for a Wednesday evening. I will admit that I haven't eaten it yet, as I want to give it time to deepen in flavor overnight, but I did manage to sneak a few samples tastes which were light and clean.

I am already looking forward to lunch tomorrow.

Photo Source

Blogger is acting funny and I am annoyed

2011-03-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

I have no idea where my post from yesterday went and I just spent a good thirty minutes writing another entry tonight. I pressed "publish post" and then I went to view it an it was gone. Not in the drafts section, just gone.

Grrrr....

It's almost midnight and I should go to bed. A workday calls and I hope to be productive tomorrow evening.

I am contemplating switching to Wordpress. Any thoughts on that?

Ugh.

The Kings Speech

2011-03-27T21:58:00.000-05:00

I had the extreem pleasure of finally seeing the beautiful, moving and utterly remarkable film The Kings Speech tonight. I am no film critic so I do not intend to write a review, but I will say that Colin Firth (who will forever remain as Mr. Darcy in my mind) and Geoffrey Rush we impeccable. By the end of the film I was sobbing, rather uncontrollably, by myself in the basement of a family I babysit for. My cheeks are still a bit tear stained.

I cried not only because of the performances, but because at a certain point in the film Colin must deliver a speech about England going to war with Germany, and I thought about how we are currently at war. I will be honest and say that I don't find myself thinking about that on a day to day basis as it seems somewhat removed from my life, and I am ashamed to admit that. There are people fighting on behalf of my country, right now, as I write this.

I thought about a time when speeches were made over the radio. Where people had to huddle around a little noisemaking box and truly listen to the words that were blasting from it. People had to be quiet and process what they were hearing. You couldn't rewind it. You couldn't DVR it. What a novel idea.

I also thought about the feeling when you know the world is starting to change. When life changes. This thought coupled with the brilliant acting sent me over the edge. I remember the feeling when the world changed almost ten years ago. I remember when we declared war, and it fills me with such sadness to think that we are still there, and I wonder if we will ever get out.

I do not want to get too political on this blog, but to say that I worry for the future of our country, and our world would be an understatement. Sometimes I do feel hopeless. I fear the end. I get angry at politicians (on both sides) and wish they would stop fighting over their rightful place in the sandbox of democracy and just try to get stuff done. Feed people. Clothe people. Heal people. Love people. Is that too much to ask?

Then of course in the midst of all of my tears over my fears for the world, and my complete awe at brilliant art I hear the soft cries of a sweet two year old boy who has woken up startled. I go into his room, scoop him up from his crib, rock him in a chair as he hugs my arms around him. Then I do feel the slight pangs of hope.

I wrote a rather trite entry yesterday equating adulthood with a Costco membership. I think becoming an adult means that you begin to understand that you have a responsibility to a generation which will proceed you. I don't mean being a parent, I mean knowing that what you do, what you say will have an effect on other people. How we act now will affect the world later and it's our job to be wise in our actions. Wise in our words. We hold a great responsibility in our hands.

I am not sure if the artistic team behind The Kings Speech ever intended for that to be the message of the film, but it truly affected me. Waste no time adding it to your Netflix queue, it's one we all should see.

You Know You Are Tuning Into An Adult When...

2011-03-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

You sign up for a Costco membership.

Soon after I moved back to Chicago, I called my friend, I shall call her The Parakeet, and said "Do you think Costco is worth the money? And if so should I join?"

She gave me her candid thoughts about the option: Worth the money? In her experience yes, however a place like Costco can make it very easy to overspend. Should I join? Hard to say with Jürgen being gone, but it can be a great place to stock up on everyday staples such as paper towels and garbage bags. I even accompanied her on a Costco outing this past summer just to get a taste of the experience. However I never took the plunge and signed up.

Recently, while at work, a company wide email went out declaring that representatives from the wholesale magnent would be coming to the office to sign people up for memberships. This got my wheels turning. After all its an option I had considered, Jürgen will be back here in a few months, and my now budget conscious self always enjoys a savings. However the real clincher was when my friend offered to join with me so we could split the costs of a membership. Badda-bing, Badda-boom.

Today I took my first solo venture into Costco, armed with my new membership card and ready to experience the perks. I didn't want to fall prey to buying more just because you are saving a few bucks, so I walked in with purpose. I had a list, on it were three items, and that's exactly what I left with. Self control is an important character trait.

And because I am a loser with no life, and because a Target is located just minutes from the Costco I visited, I stopped over to do a little cost comparing after the fact to see if I did, in fact, save anything.

My three items: Sensodyne Toothpaste, ScotchBrite Sponges and 13 gallon garbage bags.

Here's the breakdown:

Toothpaste:
Target: $4.99 for one tube
Costco: $15.99 for a pack of 4 (normally it's $19.99 but I had a $4 off coupon)

Total Savings: $4.00. Now to be fair you will notice had I not had the handy-dandy coupon there wouldn't have been a savings, it simply would have been breaking even. However, what I did not take into account when I did my cost comparing was the size of the toothpaste, because I think that the tubes I got at Costco are actually bigger than the normal sized tube being sold at Target. Therefore you are still getting more product for your money.

Sponges:
Target: $9.29 for a pack of nine
Costco: $10.99 for a pack of eighteen

Total Savings: $7.59

Garbage bags:
Target: $7.49 for fifty 13 gallon bags
Costco: $12.69 for two hundred bags.

Total Savings: $17.27

Grand Total: $28.86 in savings! Which means that I covered my membership cost ($25.00 after the split) in one visit! Score!

I am a complete dork for figuring all of that out, but I am placated knowing that it was worth the money. However, I do not think Costco is for everyone. For example, if you are the type who always leaves a store like Bed, Bath and Beyond with way more than you planned when you walked in, Costco could be very dangerous. There is so much stuff there, and would be easy to overbuy. Also, if you don't have the room to store the fifty rolls of paper towels Costco will afford you, I would wager it's not worth the savings either. Having extra around is nice, but not if they have to be stored in your living room.

This Writing Thing

2011-03-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Is tough man....

I definitely needed a swift kick to get back to blogging, and I am happy that I have set a goal for myself. But I feel like I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here folks.

I remember when I started this blog. I remember standing in my bathroom on that fateful night, looking in the mirror and I just had this moment of clarity. An "ah-ha!" moment if you will. I knew I had a story to tell, and it needed to be written. Words flowed out of me. I wanted to share my thoughts, I wanted to sit down and write.

Then a funk came over me while I was in New York and it became hard to write. Then I moved back to Chicago and felt like I had let too much time lapse to pick back up and write. Now I just don't know what to write.

My life, it's pretty uneventful these days. I work, I come home, I drink wine, I talk with friends. It's all good stuff, and I am so thankful for my blessings. I just don't feel like it makes for particularly interesting blog entires.

I am not giving up on this challenge. I still plan to see this through till Easter, and I very much want to continue beyond that. I just wish I had a bit more focus. A stronger story. A greater need.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any advice?

Failed Attempts

2011-03-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had no obligations. My intention was to eat a little dinner and get some work done around the house. There's a suitcase to unpack. Dishes to be washed. Rooms to declutter.

I got nothing on my to-do list accomplished and now I am too tired to attempt any tasks. I sunk into the cushions of my couch, was warmed by the soft purr of a kitty, watched some television and indulged in some yummy red wine.

Sometimes you have to cut yourself a break I suppose.

A Little Something I Miss...

2011-03-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

About New York.

There is very little, but without a doubt what I miss the most is the subway. Weird right? You regularly see rats and the smells leave something to be desired and people are pushy...but I just love the trains.

It was so freeing not having a car, never having to worry about parking, or gas, or getting you picture taken by the monitoring cameras and receiving a ticket in the mail months after the offense. None of that. Plus everyone was on the same playing field, because (with the exception of a select few) everyone takes the train.

When I take public transportation I feel like I am a good person. I am not contributing to excess emissions, I am lowering my carbon footprint, I get to log in valuable people watching hours. But here in Chicago the train and bus system leave something to be desired.

Yes it is absolutely possible to get by without a car here and I know plenty that do, but having a car just makes life easier. The difference is there literally isn't anyplace you can't get to on the island of Manhattan by train. In chi-town there are entire neighborhoods that aren't accessible via train. If you live in Andersonville and your friend lives in Wicker Park you can't hope on the El unless you want to travel all the way into the loop and back out again. It just wasn't created with the same accessibility that the NY Subways have.

On top of that Chicago trains are smaller, slower and come less frequently than the subway trains. It's a bummer and as a proud "Chicagoan" I hate to give one point over to the Yankees, but I have to admit: New York, you've got us on this one.

That's ok though, I happen to think that we have better pizza AND hot dogs. How bout them apples?

My Favorite Things: Tuesday Night Trivia

2011-03-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

Some people work for the weekend. They tick off the days and minutes until its five o'clock on a Friday and the real fun can begin. Not for me. I prefer to have boring weekends and busy weeks. I'm a complex being what can I say?

In the past few months Tuesdays have quickly become one of my most anticiapated days because with the dawn of every Tuesday brings the possibility of victory. It's Tuesday Night Trivia my friends, and it can get intense.

I never like to feel stupid, it's not a fun feeling, however when you have a few beers in ya, and perhaps a nice batter filled plate of fish and chips, the sting is less painful. And sometimes I even leave feeling a little more intelligent than when I walked in, because not only do I gain knowledge when I don't know an answer but I surprise myself when I get an answer right.

For example: In figure skating how many rotations are there in a double axle?

Easy! Two and a half. Bam! Correct! Don't ask me how I know that...

While trivia can be a singular sport, its best played in teams and its a great way to spend an evening with friends. A team of regulars among my friends has developed and it's so much fun to catch up on the previous weeks events while exercising our minds at the same time.

It's a growing trend I hear and I highly recommend you jump on the Trivia Train. Do a little googling of some bars near you and I am certain you can find a place and time that fits your schedule. Invite some pals along and you have a regular weekly tradition in the making.

And may I say...Cheers to that!

Road trippin up (or down) I-65

2011-03-21T22:16:00.000-05:00

A great majority of the day was spent in the car with my mom, traversing north on Interstate 65 towards Chicago. I have made this drive countless times over the past nine and a half years that I could almost do it with my eyes closed (although this is a dare I will not attempt).

I wish I could say this drive was exciting, but its a far cry from it. The terrain is flat, there are too many billboards for adult toy superstores, and the cops are fond of handing out tickets (I know from experience). However, I am a firm believer in finding adventure whenever you travel and there are a few sights one can take in should you ever find yourself cruising along I-65.

A favorite stop of mine is Fair Oaks Farms. A dairy farm about eighty miles from 90/94 it's a perfect place to stop off and fill up both your gas tank and your stomach. An ideal break from the typical highway fast food fare they serve up fresh eats, made with ingredients from the farm. They make a mean grilled cheese, and they have a great selection of farm made ice cream. You can sample all of their cheeses and tour the many barns and learn about the workings of a dairy farm. I still have yet to venture past the cheese tasting area, but I vow soon to get the full Fair Oaks experience.

Did you know that in the heartland of America a little wine country is being built? Hard to believe but its true, and if you want to get a sampling of some varietals just hop along the Indy Wine Trail. I have stopped at a few of these over the years, but today my mom and I took a little detour to the Mallow Run Winery in Bargersville, Indiana. I had remembered this winery because its located in a hundred year old barn and has a great tasting room set up. You can sample up to six wines for no charge and they have a lot of wine themed gifts and other locally made items.

Now let's be honest, Indiana isn't known for great wines by any means, and a bunch of the wines they offered at Mallow run are on the sweet side, which is not my cup of tea at all, but we did pick up a very drinkable Syrah as a thank you gift for my downstairs neighbors who have been great kitty-sitters, and I snagged two delicious smelling hand crafted candles. It's not a winery for an aficionado (I am not there yet, but I am working on it) but its a lovely setting and inexpensive experience if you want to change things up. I plan on hitting a few more of the wineries on my next I-65 go round.

Probably one of the coolest parts of I-65 is the new sprawling wind farm that has sprung up in recent years. You are driving down the road with nothing but flat farmland on the horizon and then out of nowhere a sheet of wind turbines take over and makes for a very cool few minutes of travel. They are so grand as they tower above you and spin in the wind all the while creating clean energy for the masses. Every time I go through it I think "Ah....Progress."

The moral of this entry is simple: so often we are so focused on getting from point A to point B that we fail to notice the unique opportunities around us. If we all allowed ourselves to take our time and perhaps (gasp) turn off the main road and onto a side street who knows what we might find? In the end will the extra thirty minutes really make that big a difference? We can all embody the spirt of great explorers no matter where we are travelling.

Now I leave you with some more photos, taken from the passenger seat of the beautiful windmills. I am not photographer but a certain app on my phone can take any picture and turn it into a work of art.

March Madness

2011-03-20T20:00:00.000-05:00

I do not follow college basketball. I have not made an NCAA bracket. All I know is that I hail from a state that loves college sports and you fall on one side: you bleed Blue or your bleed Red.

I bleed Blue.

Basketball isn't what drives me mad during the month of March. It's the weather. The hateful weather that seduces me out of my ankle length coat into a waist length hoodie and then slaps me in the face with freezing temperatures.

I have spent a delightful spring weekend in Louisville where I have been able to eat lunch out on the deck, soak up the sunshine and dream of warmer days. Then I check the weather app on my iPhone and this is what I see:

Do you see how by the end of the week it will be down in the THIRTIES?? How is this fair? How is this kind? Haven't we been through enough? We had almost two feet of snow pummel our streets followed by sub zero temperatures. We get it Mother Nature, winter sucks! But it's officially spring! Bring. It. On.

I just ordered myself a new pair of spring flats from this fantastic organization. I long to shed my winter boots and don my gay footware, why must I be so taunted?

This is what they mean by March Madness.

Missed Friday/ A Note For My Brother

2011-03-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

Ok I didn't get to post yesterday, but I have an excuse that is totally legit I assure you.

My alarm went off at 4:30 am yesterday morning. Nothing is right about that sentence. Knowing that I would have to greet the day at such a cruel hour of the morning, I tossed and turned all night completely unable to sleep. I think I logged about forty minutes of sleep before the wretched beeping began. Awesome.

I had an early flight to catch for Louisville, Kentucky. Home sweet home. Sadly I have never been able to sleep on planes so the flight, while smooth, was rather painful. The rest of the day looked like this: go home and make myself look less tragic, eat brunch with my brothers friend who just arrived from NYC, run an errand, get in a much needed two hour nap, shower to try to look less tragic, eat dinner with the fam at Proof (so so good), grab a cocktail at 732 Social with Neill and his friend, drive home, fall asleep with all of my clothes on. I hate when I do that. But it was necessary. Sadly the blogging didn't happen. Please forgive me.

Now onto other thoughts.

I flew into town with the sole purpose of seeing my brother in a production of All's Well that Ends Well. His production was worth the price of the plane ticket and then some. Spectacular would be the word I would choose to describe it. Spectacular and hilarious. He was incredible and I was so proud of him.

I have always said that I don't like to "act" onstage. I like to "live" onstage, and that's what I always love to see from other actors. Neill is someone who truly lives onstage. He is the character he is playing from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. It takes an incredible amount of skill to pull it off and he does it oh so beautifully. He is particularly good with Shakespeare and heightened language pieces. It just rolls off his tongue and you actually understand what he is saying. I am not good at Shakespeare. It's taken me a long time to admit that and be ok with it because as a theatre actor you are supposed to love speaking the Bard. But I don't. It's not my thing. What can you do?

As the older sibling it's usually you who sets the footsteps for the younger ones to follow, but in our case I followed in Neill's. He was a performer from day one. He was outgoing, engaging, and fearless. I was more reserved and didn't crave attention. I was athletic, I was academic, being an actor wasn't really on my radar.

I will never forget seeing Neill in his first play, Alice in Wonderland, and he was the most delightful of Cheshire Cats. As it was an after school program-type-deal, everyone's mom had to volunteer for one performance. It just so happened I was not in school on my mom's volunteer day so I went with her and sat backstage. That's the moment when I realized I wanted to be a part of the theatre.

I observed people running around, putting on costumes, fixing their hair, getting into places. I was taken in by the excitement, the energy, but most of all the camaraderie of being a part of a whole. I wouldn't have been able to put it into those words at the time because I was eleven, but I still remember that day, I still remember that feeling.

It's hard to say how things would have panned out had Neill not gravitated towards the stage. Would I ever have thought to follow suit? I guess we will never know, but I do know that I will be forever indebted to Neill for that moment. When I would imagine winning a Tony award I always saw myself saying: "And finally I would like to thank my brother Neill, for inspiring me to be an actor and who continues to inspire me every day."

I may never win a Tony so in the meantime I dedicate this blog post, On March 19th, to my brother Neill. For his inspiration. Now and always.

Reunions

2011-03-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

I received a Facebook invite to join a group for my high school class ten year reunion, which I learned will be taking place in October. When I received said invite, two thoughts ran through my head:

1) What did people do before the age of facebook? It's amazing and frightening how you can reach so many people so quickly.

2) How can this be possible? Ten years? I have not won my first Oscar yet! I was supposed to have accomplished that before my ten year reunion. And if not that, at least I would be on a successful sitcom or something.

Ten years. Wow. That's a long time when you think about it. Ten years ago 9/11 was merely the eleventh day of September. If you said that you "tweeted" something people would look at you and be concerned for your mental health. Barack Obama wasn't a name anyone recognized. Or Sarah Palin (and if it only could have stayed that way). You didn't text. You still bought CD's. Justin Bieber was probably still in diapers (is anyone ever going to point out that he is a dead ringer for Hillary Swank in Boys Don't Cry...anyone?). We hadn't entered into a war. No one watched Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. Apple Computers weren't cool. And certainly no one was blogging.

This is a fun game.

I used to think I would never go to my high school reunion, but now I think it could be interesting, perhaps even fun? It would be nice to see the faces of folks who I haven't seen since graduation day. To see what everyone is up to.

Am I where I thought I would be ten years after high school? I am not sure. I had ideas and starry ambitions, but I don't think I could really visualize my future back then. When I think about the next ten years I want to be more intentional about how I want to shape my life. About where I see myself going. Be realistic, yet optimistic. I certainly believe that my best days belong in my future and not my past.

I feel good about that.

Oh, and I haven't aged a day.

My Favorite Things: City Provisions

2011-03-15T23:44:00.000-05:00

When I returned from my eight month adventure in New York I was pleased to see a new business pop up in my neighborhood. I mentioned in a recent post that I have a passion for local and sustainable food, so what could be more perfect for me than a fabulous delicatessen dedicated to serving food produced primarily by local farmers.

The place is City Provisions, and I can safely and without hesitation say that I am in love. I adore this place. For one, I admire their mission, they clearly have amazing relationships with area farmers and therefore we benefit by having a fantastic neighborhood jewel that serves quality food from a source we can trust. Secondly their staff is so informed, passionate and helpful. Just the other day I stopped in to pick up a few new cheeses and the lovely lady who helped me allowed me to sample about six options before I made my selection. Finally the food they serve tastes great! If you are in need of a hearty deli style sandwich, or perhaps you haven't had the time to make dinner they have incredibly fresh and delicious prepared foods you can take home. They also offer tastings of their vendors products during the week and very cool farm dinners, which I have not had the
privilege to attend but I hope to one of these days. And as luck would have it, they have a great selection of local brews, organic spirits and biodynamic wines. Need I say more?

It's a really special thing when you feel like you live in a neighborhood where exciting things are happening. I look forward to many more visits to City Provisions and I hope over time that I may develop a relationship with the staff there. I am always striving to learn more about food and wine and this could be a fantastic resource.

If you live in Chicago, go now. If you come visit Chicago, let me know and I will take you.

Now if you will excuse me I have some delicious cheese to go eat.

Simple Pleasures: Wine Nights

2011-03-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Several years ago I was in a play. A really bad play. A play that was so bad it had to close early and made several "worst of theatre" lists in Chicago. However out of extreem badness total awesomeness can arise and it was from this diabolical production that I made two of my dearest friends today. Coincidentally they both share the same name and I dub them "My Sara(h)'s". Becoming friends with them made the utter embarrassment of that show totally worth it.

The summer of 2006 (which was the summer of the bad play) we began getting together for what we termed "wine nights". It was chance to go to someones home, drink wine (of course) eat some snacks and generally gab and be girlie. We made a point to have a wine night every couple of months and after a time they have become a pretty regular monthly tradition. It's amazing to think that its been over four years since the tradition began! In this time a baby has been born, a marriage has taken place, someone has moved to New York (and back again) while another cohabited with their significant other, jobs have been lost and gained and soon one of us will be off to grad school. Times may change, but the beauty of a wine night never does.

Sometimes are wine nights are centered around a theme, we have made vision boards, we have had veggie (from our CSA!) nights, we have gone to a BYOB restaurants, the possibilities are endless. It's not a novel concept, it's pretty simple really, but it's a tradition I cherish so deeply. And while I know that life's evolutions will make it challenging to keep these nights regular, even if they have to stop I will always have the memory of them, and for that I am so grateful.

I deeply encourage people to create such nights with their friends. Life gets so busy sometimes and its so easy to let the days fly by without really connecting with anyone. Text messaging, facebook wall posting and tweeting have replaced real human interaction and have tricked us into thinking we are connected. We are not. We are informed, but we are not connected. There is a difference. I just came home from a wine night and during the entire evening not one of us checked our phones, or our email, or our facebook once. We didn't need too. We were totally contant and enjoying one another's company. It's the simple stuff, the free stuff, the no iphone app is as good as a true friend who listens stuff. I am blessed to have friends who are so willing and open to be so present.

So my Sara(h)'s: I raise a glass to you. For our friendship, now and always.

Holy crap I need to write something...

2011-03-15T00:19:00.000-05:00

I don't have much to say tonight.

I worked all day and then came home to play hostess to several coworkers of mine for a Bachelor finale viewing party.

Yes I have been watching The Bachelor. Yes I am totally ashamed. Yes I think it is total trash. But in fairness a good friend of mine who has a degree from an incredibly prestigious university called it "TV Crack" because she watches it too. It's fascinating and horrifying all at the same time. I am not sure what possesses these people to go on these shows considering the track record, but some of the acting that transpires is actually pretty entertaining.

And now I have a buzz from too much Pinot Grigio and not enough food in my stomach to balance it out. So while I leave you with a pretty useless entry, I promise I will write something with more substance tomorrow.

Happy Monday!

Sunny Side Up: Vol. 4

2011-03-12T23:05:00.001-06:00

I no longer live in Sunnyside, Queens (and my I say thank God!) but I like the name of this "series" I started and I want to rev it back up. So fasten your seat belts, keep your eyes pointed forward, and away we go...

This past winter I signed up for a CSA, also known as Community Supported Agriculture, through a group called Simply Wisconsin. I had always wanted to be a part of one because I have a passion for supporting local agriculture and sustainable farming practices. Thankfully Chicago has lots of CSA options but this one had come highly recommended to me by several friends so I jumped on the bandwagon and every Tuesday for ten weeks was gifted with a box of local produce, eggs and cheese. While it was incredibly awesome I must admit that living by myself made it challenging to use up all of the winter squash and other root vegetables that filled my crisper drawer. Which is why I will be super glad that once my summer CSA begins Jürgen will be back in Chicago (yay!) to help me keep any veggies from going to waste.

Even though my winter share stopped being delivered at the beginning of February, I am still laden with potatoes. So. Many Potatoes. I love a good spud as much as the next person, after all they are one of the most versatile of veggies. You can mash em, fry em, boil em', bake em'....the possibilities are endless. However I needed to find a recipe that would use a good amount of taters and be a filling and healthy meal.

Nothing pleases me more during my lunch hour than a nice bowl of soup coupled with some cheese and crackers, so when I came upon this recipe I knew I had found a winner.

Potato Soup with Kale and Chorizo

By: Roy Finamore, Bon Appétit- March 2008

This soup is incredibly easy to make. Just a little basic chopping prep and you really let the stove do most of the work. The recipe says to peel the potatoes but I left the skin on because I feel like someone told me once that the skin is the most nutritious part of a tater. Ok lets be honest I really just didn't want to deal with peeling a bunch of potatoes! I promise you it had no negative effect on the outcome.

After the soup simmers for an hour it is ready to go, but like any good soup if you can wait a night and let the flavors develop over time you will be rewarded handsomely. The only spice you add is a healthy dose of smoked paprika, which adds a really nice heat to the dish. The soup itself is very hearty with lots of big chunks of potato, which keep their shape instead of turning into mush which makes for a nice variety in texture. The chorizo swims unsuspectingly in the broth and helps to round out the the dish, while the kale, a super food, just makes you feel so healthy. Seriously whenever kale passes my lips I just feel my body say "thank you."

The other day at work my "pod-mate" exclaimed "That soup! It smells so good!" I have to agree it does smell awfully nice.

You can find the full recipe here, but as always here is an ingredients list and a cost breakdown.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided (Had)

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups) (Had)

8 ounces fully cooked smoked Spanish chorizo or hot Calabrese salami, casing removed if necessary, chopped* ($5.49)

2 teaspoons smoked paprika ($6.99-I actually had this at home, but wasn't aware until I got home, oh well can't have too much smoked paprika apparently!)

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Had...obviously!)

8 cups low-salt chicken broth ($12.97-Bought one 48oz box and one 32oz box, both by Swanson®)

1 1/2 pounds kale, stemmed, torn into small pieces (about 16 cups lightly packed) ($1.20)

3 cups 1/2-inch cubes rustic bread** ($2.49)

Total spent: $29.14

I have eaten this soup three times since and I definitely have at least three more days worth remaining. That all equals out to $4.86 a day! Obviously if you already have the paprika that cuts the cost even more, but if you do have to spring for the seasoning its always a good investment to have a well stocked spice cabinet!

*For any vegetarians/ non-red meat eaters out there, you could absolutely substitute a veggie or a chicken/turkey sausage for the chorizo. You may just want to play a bit with seasoning since chorizo is such a heavily seasoned sausage.

**While the homemade croutons are a nice addition and add great crunch, they aren't necessary at all for the overall enjoyment factor of the dish.

**And now a PSA from the Closing Notice Headquarters: If every one of us committed to eating just 10% of our food from local purveyors we would make a huge difference for local farmers and our environment. Eating locally is not only one of the healthiest options around there but it actually can be quite affordable. My summer CSA share for produce costs $230 and will last 18 weeks, which works out to $12.78 a week! That's no more than what you would spend at your local grocery store chain. For more information about CSA's in your area visit Local Harvest.**

For the love of Notebooks...

2011-03-12T00:06:00.004-06:00

Have you ever happened across the blog Stuff White People Like? It's incredibly brilliant, and if you are a white, urban, liberal like myself you will find that more often than not the entries apply to you in a pretty sad way. Entry #122 hits home particularly hard because it'd devoted entirely to a brand that I covet: The Moleskin Notebook.

Do yourself a favor and read #122 then jump back here for the remainder of my entry.

Done? Had a chuckle. Good, let's carry on.

I do adore my Moleskin. Or rather I should say, my Moleskins as I have multiple. For I am incredibly white if you haven't noticed. My journal is a black leather bound Moleskin and I have a mini version of the same one that I keep on my bedside table to jot down important thoughts (which for the purposes of transparency I will admit I haven't written in since probably 2008). My dear mother, at my behest, purchased a Moleskin recipe notebook for me last year, and a few months ago I bought a set of Three Ruled Cahier Notebooks in Navy Blue.

My initial intentions for these notebooks was to make customized day planners for myself, but I decided I didn't like their size for the intended purpose. To be clear, yes you did just read that I wanted to make a customized day planner, I have since made one but it was not created in a Moleskin Journal. The levels of dorkdom in my life are at a alarmingly high percentage.

However a good Moleskin is never to go to waste, so instead I created a trio of notebooks that sit to the left (naturally) of my computer, held in place by a paperweight which was gifted to me by my Alma Mater for being what they called a "Lifer" (that means I went to the same school from Kindergarden through Twelfth grade). Could this scenario get any whiter? I'm not sure.

From left to right: Money Matters, My Wish Lists and Free Time Fulfillment.

The notebooks have been created to keep organization and focus in my life. The first one, Money Matters houses my records of personal spending. I have a set budget each month and different allotments for various spending categories. Every month I create a new page with each category listed and I leave a page blank for detailed notes on where my money goes. It's a system that works for me, and I have tried more high tech approaches to money management, but this simple and relatively old fashioned way seems to be the best bet so far. I write in it almost daily in order to keep my finances in check.

The second notebook, titled My Wish Lists, is where a keep a running tab of all the things I hope for one day. These are physical, tangible items, not wishes like world peace and rock hard abs. I have a page for each room in my house and I write down all the things I would like to eventually have for that room. Items may include: A new couch, bathroom accessories or a countertop compost pail. I make note of this because I read somewhere once that people who actually take time to write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. Also, because if I ever happen upon extra spending cash or gift cards it helps me spend said money on things I actually want/need rather that impulsive non-necessities. I also paste pictures of images I find in magazines that inspire me, and I am currently using it to keep track of the money I am saving up for one of the larger and more pricey items on my wish list.

Free Time Fulfillment keeps a tally of things I could be doing when I find myself with nothing to do. Up until recently one of the tasks was "organize storage unit". So often when I have time on my hands I watch useless videos on Youtube. This helps me remember those projects that I say "some day when I have free time.....". There are a few things more satisfying then crossing things off of a to-do list. And while I am being totally open and putting my insane and neurotic ways out there, I should tell you that I never cross things off in pen, I always use a highlighter so I can still see the task that I accomplished.

Yep, I am utterly and completely uncool. And as white as they come.

Oh and I created the labels for my notebooks during Snowmageddon. Nothing like having no TV or internet to get the creative juices flowing.

Check out these entires for more Stuff White People Like entries that are a little too familiar for me: #123, #91, #88, #60, #54, #40, #24, #23, #8 and #5

Snowmageddon

2011-03-11T00:26:00.000-06:00

A little over a month ago there was talk of snow. Lots of snow. Like it's the end of the world because there is going to be so much freakin snow and lets all freak out about and give it a totally absurd name such as SNOWMAGEDDON snow.

At first I thought it was all a bunch of hype and we would be lucky to see a few inches. Admittedly I did make a point to hit the grocery store a few days before the impending weather, but I was on my way there already. Certainly I was not buying into all of the media driven hoopla.

But then on a Tuesday afternoon the sky turned completely white and the snow began to fall. It fell fast. It fell hard. It fell with a purpose. It was impossible to concentrate at work because the scene that was unfolding outside the window was too gripping to take your eyes off of. I mean Chicago see's more than its fair share of snow every winter, but this was more than just snow, this was crazy insane I want to shut down Lake Shore Drive snow. By 3:00 I called it a day. This weather wasn't playin' and the comforts of home were calling.

Thankfully (even though I was not listening to the hyperbole, no sir I was not) I opted to leave my car parked in my garage that morning and trained to work, because I have some bad car karma when it comes to navigating severe winter weather. So, I waited (along with about eighty percent of my office), for the building shuttle to take me to the train, but sadly it too decided to check out of work early because there was no shuttle to be found. I decided it's moments like these when you can create cool stories to tell your grandchildren so I put my shoulder to the wind and ventured out onto the city streets in the middle of the blizzard.

By the time I reached the train my hair was caked with snow (BAD day to forget your hat) and I waited through three sardined packed trains only to finally cross over to the other side of the tracks and take it completely around the loop in order to get home. The train had to stop multiple times because of snow filled tracks. The whole city was canceling their plans and fleeing. The snow, it just kept on a comin.

Ok so the weathermen and women were right. There is a first time for everything.

When I arrived home I could not have been filled with more gratitude to have a warm, dry and comfortable place to call home. I put a pizza in the oven, wrapped myself in my super soft robe, opened a bottle of wine and I was set and ready to be snowed in.

One caveat? My cable and internet...out. Bummer.

The blizzard kept building in power, like a roaring symphony outside my windows, until it crescendoed into an incredibly elusive and rare weather occurrence...the Thundersnow. Have you ever experienced lighting and thunder in the middle of a snowstorm? It's beyond cool, take my word.

I went to bed early that night and for the first time in over ten years I got to have a snow day. They haven't lost a single ounce of their glory.

I managed to snap a few photos the following day. It's certainly a snow storm I will never forget.

The snow bank that formed against my back door (you can see that it was still snowing the next morning). I had to climb on a chair and jump over it to get out.

The view through my front windows. Not very clear I realize you but can see how high the snow is creeping up around the cars.

Needed to take out your trash? That was a process to say the least.

My back alleyway which thankfully was fully plowed two days later.

This blizzard certainly slowed down Chicago for a few days, and certainly was very dangerous. However the effects of this blizzard were nothing like what the people of Japan are experiencing right now. My thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Me Time

2011-03-10T23:37:00.000-06:00

I read somewhere, probably in Real Simple or something, that the happiest people are those who make a point to carve out time for themselves. Personal time. "Me time."

I have never been good at this. For the majority of my life I have lit the candle at both ends and set about the day at a frantic whirlwind pace always feeling as though I was catching up to myself. When I was a junior is high school I took the SAT's, an AP US History Exam, planned my high school prom, ran a fundraiser for this organization, and began rehearsals for a play all in one week. What?!? Why did I think that pace was maintainable and why did I think it would continually make me happy?

"I function better when I am busy". "I am more focused when I have a lot going on". These were the sorts of excuses I used to justify my inability to say no. Or my inability to spend time alone.

It's taken me the better part of 28 years but for the first time in my life I am realizing just how much I enjoy my "me" time. I have spent many a weekend night with a glass of drinking wine while I organize the kitchen cabinets. I spent a good portion of a recent Saturday rearranging my storage unit and I couldn't be happier. I cook, I take long showers, I make vision boards, I journal, whatever it may be...it's my time.

Now that I have experienced the joy and freedom that comes from having time to oneself I am kind of selfish with it. Of course I still love to be social and enjoy time with my wonderful friends, but I am more aware of when I begin to feel stretched too thin and I make a point to block out an evening for just me.

The realization of this need makes me feel wise but also incredibly boring at the same time. Is it wrong to say I love to declutter my house on a Friday night? Is this progress or am I in a slump?

Wait...don't answer that. I have a box of photos that need to be put in chronological order and labeled accordingly.

What do you do with your free time? Do you like having me time or do you go crazy? Do you feel you give yourself enough "me" time or do you need to make a point to create more for yourself each week?

40 Days...

2011-03-09T23:31:00.000-06:00

It seems as though the Lenten season is upon us. It's that time of year when Winter slowly...oh so slowly...begins to fade into Spring. When the multiple layers of outwear begin to shed and the sunlight lingers a little longer. I like this time. You get the cozy Winter nights and crisp Spring days.

For years I have partaken in the practice of giving something up for Lent. I am not a particularly devote religious practicer but this has been a ritual I enjoy. It's a challenge. By giving up something you make space in your life for new possibilities. In years past I have given up Chocolate, Pizza, Salty snacks, Facebook and Alcohol to name a few (the last one will never EVER be repeated). However this year I have struggled to figure out what to give up. After much thought and some encouragement from facebook friends later, I have decided that instead of giving something up, I will take something on. That something will be...blogging!

Clearly I have struggled to get back in the game, and this feels like a perfect kickstart back to the blogosphere. So for the next forty days (and I actually think its ends up being more if you count Sundays in the equation) I will write something every day. It will be good for me to make time for writing again, and it will force me to share so many of the thoughts I have been thinking over the past few months. I look forward to sharing it all with you!

So here we go...

Five Years

2011-02-28T20:30:00.000-06:00

It has been said that we greatly over estimate what we can accomplish in one year, and greatly under estimate what we can accomplish in five. An interesting theory, particularly when you are in a state of transition.

There are two books which sit on my nightstand in honor of the number five. Both were suggested to me by friends and they are interesting tools when you wish to gain some perspective on your life.

The first is my Five Year Diary. It was gifted to me by Jürgen as part of our first wedding anniversary, for I had always wanted one. Unlike a regular journal with blank ruled pages. this notebook has a page for every day of the year and each page is divided into five sections. The idea is that you simply jot down a few things you did that day, or perhaps a few thoughts you had. After a period of five years you can look through each day and see how life changes from year to year. Admittedly it takes some dedication, and there is a period of time from last year when I fell way behind with my journal. Now I am trying to recollect certain days to fill in the gaps, but as far as this year I am up to speed. I am excited to see how the next few years pan out and what happens.

The second is a workbook aptly titled "5" by Dan Zadra. It requires that you pull out a pen and maybe even some extra paper and leads you through a series of exercises to help you envision and create intentions for the next five years and, ultimately, your life. I am very early into this process, but I am eager to begin to dedicate more time to this work. Who knows where my life will be in five years? I do think its important to be malleable and open to possibilities that you may not have thought possible, but at the same time it's important that we take control of our own personal journey. This is a great tool to oil the mind and get the gears working.

All things considered it's also a good idea not to dwell too much on the future but be present and take things one day at a time. It's a delicate balance, one that we all struggle with I imagine. However I don't think it's ever a bad idea to do some self work and question asking.

Do you think it's a good idea to think about your life five years from now, or do you prefer to take it day by day?

So what happened....

2010-12-20T23:40:00.000-06:00

From the age of about twelve to sixteen I used to keep a journal pretty regularly, and when (much to my chagrin) I go back and re-read them I find that a typical entry is just a retelling of the days events. Rarely did I really delve into any "deep thoughts". Instead, it was usually pretty pointed and frankly pretty boring. Sure, there are some entries in there that I would prefer to take to my grave, but for the most part my diaries are not the stuff that great literary or autobiographical magic is made on.

In fact I would often get behind in my journaling, because you know life as a seventh grader is stressful, and instead of just going with the flow and realizing that my journal was my private space to write any way I wanted to, I felt tied to the structure and expectations I set for myself about writing an entry every single day. As a result I was often playing catch up and trying to recall events from days even weeks prior. Many of my entries looked like this:

March 17th

Nothing interesting happened today

Blair

Over the years I have given myself more freedom when it comes to my journal writing, now I try to be present when I write and not feel as though my journal is a vessel to record history but rather a creative outlet for me to express myself. While this is all very freeing its also made me a very lazy writer. The journal I am currently writing in has entries from 2006, and I am only about halfway through. Half of a year will transpire between entries sometimes, and while I don't want to punish myself, I do think that there has got to be a happy medium between setting an unrealistic expectation about writing everyday, and basically not writing at all.

What that medium is remains to be seen, but in a nod to my adolescent self I will recount a few of the things that happened between July 10th and right now (give or take a few days).

-I finally got a new day job and now work for these lovely folks. It's a totally new environment for me full of really quirky interesting people and I never would have been hired had I not known someone on the inside.

-I now make my bed every single day. I never did this before but the day I moved back to Chicago I started this morning ritual and now I feel as if I cannot truly begin the day until the bed is made. Strange. But true.

-I have been on an organizing rampage since my return and frequently spend weekend evenings taking everything out of cupboards and rearranging them. This may make me old and boring, but I drink wine while I organize so I think that ups the coolness factor.

-And speaking of getting older, I turned 28 recently, but I still get called into audition for roles that 16 year olds could play so there!

-I raised money for, produced, and acted in a play that I fell in love with almost two years ago. It was a unique experience for me that was met with many different emotions and reactions from myself and others. However, I am very glad I got to see it come to life and very thankful to all who made it possible. Oh and I took my shirt off and donned a orange polka-dotted bra onstage.

-Jürgen and I have managed to see each other once a month at least. So far he has always come to me, I have yet to go back to New York. People wonder how we do this, but I have to say I think its incredibly cool that we get to be married but still pursue our dreams in the places that make the most sense to us. I recommend it highly.

-A major motion picture has been filming in Chicago and for some reason I managed to nab a day player role in it. I got to so a scene with this actor, and I wore a yellow plastic hazmat suit and very little makeup. I am certain the scene will never make it to the big screen, but a girl can dream can't she?

-I am currently in a bit of a "what am I doing with my life" phase. But I actually kind of like it. I feel as though all this questioning will only lead to great things.

-I do not miss New York at all, and it's almost as if it never even happened. Eight months of my life and it seems like a dream. A distant memory. It's so strange to me that I can feel so removed from a situation that had such a profound affect on me in so many ways, but maybe that was the point.

And...that just about covers it.

I am thinking a lot about this blog and what I want it to be going forward. If you have any thoughts about things you liked from past entries or things you would like to hear about please let me know, I swear I am very receptive to such opinions! In the meantime I am going to work on marrying my rigid adolescent self with my somewhat jaded older self. There can be great freedom within structure, you just have to strike the right balance.

Wow, when I write that it makes it sound so easy....

As I search for balance I do hope that everyone is having a very happy and healthy holiday season!

Christmastime is here...

2010-12-12T18:09:00.002-06:00

How did it become December? Seriously, who allowed that to happen?

Even though each passing year seems to go by faster than the last, I do love the month of December. The holiday lights that flicker up and down my street. The chance to eat rich and sweet foods and feel totally justified in doing so (the calories don't count because they were consumed at a dinner party right?). Buying loved ones gifts that you know will make them happy. I even told some friends of mine the other day "I don't mind the snow in December. Any other month it pisses me off but during December I am fine with it." It feels as if it should be snowing, it just makes the lights on the trees shine brighter and peoples homes feel warmer.

This time of year is also steeped in tradition and while I consider myself rather non-traditional in many ways, there is something about holiday time rituals which I have no desire to ever let go. Now that I am a married lady its also fun to learn about Jürgen's family traditions and to think about ways to create our own as the years go by.

A tradition my family has kept for years has been the annual Christmas card photo. There certainly were times growing up when my brother and I protested getting our photos taken, and there have definitely been years where creative ideas evaded us, but having a yearly holiday photo card is an amazing way to document a families growth, and I am so thankful that my parents have been steadfast in their commitment to mailing them out year after year.

It was my intention to start this tradition for our new family last year, however a few things happened which made life difficult and well we just didn't get around to it. However this year I have vowed that we would get organized enough to send out holiday cards to those we know and love.

I had not yet decided how I was going to go about getting our holiday cards together "when what to my wondering eyes should appear" but this incredible deal from Shutterfly!

Being a bit of a Shutterfly novice (I am ashamed to say) I had no idea how many incredible holiday card choices they have! Any color, any theme, I assure you they've got you covered. You could spend hours upon hours (and I am not ashamed to admit it, I did!) perusing their site to find your perfect card, not to mention all kinds of other cool photo inspired gifts (personalized calendars, beautifully bound photo books and so much more). I am officially a Shutterfly convert!

It took me quite a while but I am down to these three holiday card layouts.

I love the simplicity of it, plus I am a fool for anything that is deep blue!

This is so festive and gives you a great opportunity to add a bunch of photos from throughout the year. It's a little "photo retrospective" all in one adorable holiday card!

They call this one "vintage snowflakes" which i just love. It's unique and offers multiple options for how many photos you want to use.

It's hard to pick just one! What do you think? Do you have a favorite? Cast your vote now!

I cannot wait to start the holiday card tradition this year and for the years to follow. It's such a great way to spread holiday cheer to family and friends both near and far!

The holiday cards have already started hitting my mailbox this year and I am just so thankful to have so many incredible people in my life, especially during the holidays! If you are still unsure what to do for your holiday card just go to Shutterfly, it's super easy to use and they have so many incredible options!

Happy Holiday Card sending to all!

P.S- Once I get the holiday card situation under control, next project will be creating a massive wedding album.

Dusting off the cobwebs....

2010-12-12T17:13:00.000-06:00

Wow.

Um, hi.

My name is Blair. I used to write a blog (on a semi-regular basis at least). Some people even told me they enjoyed reading it, and I actually enjoyed writing it. But then I stopped writing for no good reason other than I just got kind of busy.

It's a lame excuse to be sure.

In all honestly it's a little scary to come back here. When I first felt inspired to write this blog I had quite the story to tell. Blogging was a bit of an escape from some unpleasant life events and a means to cope with all of the change. Now I sort of wonder what do I really want to write about? What story do I have to tell?

It would be easy to just stop and let the blog fade into the background, but I find myself at a bit of a crossroads and I think this little space of mine may just be the perfect place to regain some focus, and allow for some creative discovery. Plus, winter has come and comfortably settled into Chicago which means I will be spending many housebound nights by my lonesome. What a perfect setting to open a bottle of wine and do a little writing? It will warm the soul I have no doubt.

So I am back. Ready to return to writing and seeing what comes. I have no idea what I plan to say but I feel ok about that for now, and I look forward to new stories unfolding along the way.

Moving Day

2010-07-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

Well my friends, the day has come, the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" if you will. Currently we are enjoying a leisurely morning in the cool of Jürgen's nicely air conditioned bedroom, but we will soon make out way outside to enjoy some final moments together before we part for an undetermined amount of time.

I feel lots of different things right now: I feel happy. I feel sad. I feel confident yet I also feel unsure. I feel like a failure but feel hopeful. It's a bevy of emotions really.

I know that going back to Chicago is the right decision for me, right now, but that doesn't undo the fact that I am upset with myself for not trying harder since I have been out here. Yes life threw me a curve ball and I adjusted, but if I am going to strive to be totally honest, I need to admit that I gave up. I was a quitter. I didn't put myself out there. I folded the hand of cards I was dealt before I even tried to hedge a bet. What's that about? This isn't a good side of me. This isn't the person who I strive to be and know I can be. What was the point of all of this?

I am not sure I know just yet. I do know though that I cannot continue down this road. This road of unmet goals and excuses. If I am going to make this move, a move that will separate the two of us, then it has to be worth it. I have to take charge of where my life is headed and what I want it to look like. This is scary.

So I have a new challenge: to reclaim my life and make it better. I am moving back to the place I consider home, so there will be a familiar comfort, but I can't let myself get too comfortable. This move is a change, not a fall back. I do not intend to simply go back to "how things were" pre-NYC, because that path wasn't what I wanted either. I want this to be new, I want this to be different. I hope to God I do not disappoint myself again. That's what scares me the most.

Well it's getting awfully heavy over here (you should be inside my head!). Jokes aside, I am glad I am scared because it means I feel strongly about this, and this just may be what I need to spur me into action. It's ok to be a little afraid right?

Good I am glad you agree.

Next time I sit down to write I will be home in Chicago. Crazy.

Tunnel Vision

2010-07-03T10:55:00.001-05:00

First of all let me just start by saying thank you for all of the kind and encouraging words I received via either the comments section of this blog, or facebook, or in a sweet email or in person. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your support, encouragement and belief. It feels good to share, and to be appreciated in return. Thank you my dear people.

Since the last entry life has been on hyper drive, and I have been trying my darndest to keep it all together until I reach the end of the tunnel. This "end" of sorts will occur in one week. I just have to make it one week. Lots of things have happened, so I am going to tell you about them. Away we go....

If you didn't already know this, I made the definitive decision to move back to Chicago. Notice I used the term "I" and not "We." Now to be fair, I didn't make this decision without Jurgen's help, advice and encouragement as he has been involved in every facet of the decision making process. But it will simply be me who is trekking back to the Mid-West. Jurg will be staying put, for a little while longer at least. This wasn't an easy choice to make, but it is the right choice for now. I haven't been thriving in New York, which invariably makes me a pretty un-fun person to be around, and Jurgen understands this. He knows that I need to go back for personal (and professional) reasons, and being the supportive and loving husband that he is, he is letting me go. Isn't he lovely? He is staying because while he too misses Chicago terribly, he feels he owes it to himself to give it a final push here in the city before he possibly makes a decision to leave. He has made more connections here and has more momentum than I do, and I 100% understand and support his desire to stick around a bit longer. Sometimes in a relationship you need to be selfish and unselfish at the exact same time, which is what we are doing (for the moment).

Once the big decision was made there were many more decisions that accompanied it including but not limited to "when do I move?" "what do we do about our lease?" "Where will Jurgen live?"

Being a grownup is so annoying sometimes.

In the midst of all of these decisions, Jurgen's Grandfather passed away. He was 82, was called the "Perry Cuomo of Baltimore" and endured a (thankfully) short battle with brain cancer. The funeral was held on June 19th and Jurgen delivered the most incredible eulogy at the service. So good in fact, that several attendants already put in their requests for Jurgen to write and give their eulogies. Being that Jurgen and I are from different home states, and we don't live particularly close to either of them, spending time with one another's family is limited. Sadly I didn't get to spend a lot of time with his Grandfather, but I did have the extreme pleasure of sitting with him on the balcony of his wonderful beach condo in Ocean City two years ago, seeing him cut a rug all night long at our wedding, and to speak with him over Memorial Day weekend. The final time we saw him he was nearing the end of his time here on earth, but he kept repeating "Don't feel bad for me. I am ready to go. I am so happy. I am so happy!" If we all could be at such peace. I hope he is singing Frank Sinatra up in the skies, dancing with his wife and giving my grandparents hi-fives for me.

Side note: With every end to a life a new life seems to emerge, as was the case for my friend Sara who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! I cannot wait to meet this kid.

So, life...it keeps on spinning. Earlier this week we loaded up a Dodge Mini-Van (how sexy is that?) along with our two kitties and made the 13+ hour drive to Chicago. We spent a mere twenty-four hours there before hopping a jet plane back to NYC only to immediately load a Uhaul truck with Jurg's stuff and move him into his new abode in Astoria. The madness was capped off with a thorough deep cleaning of the old Sunnyside apartment. I'm talking Easy Off, yellow rubber gloves, on your knees while you scrub almost eight months' worth of dinners from the inside of the oven cleaning. But it is done. Now it's a matter of getting through this week while I live with Jurgen's two new roommates, and out of a suitcase. Not ideal, but we adapt.

I am interested to see where this new move takes me, takes us. What I have learned from this whole experience is we are never stuck, we do have the ability to pick up and go. To make decisions, make changes. As much as I want to control and set things in stone, there is some comfort in knowing that life moves and shakes without consulting you first, and sometimes you simply have to trust in it.

There is more where that came from my friends! In the meantime have a very happy Fourth!,

The Seven Month Itch or Sharing Your Heart

2010-06-10T19:38:00.000-05:00

I have been putting off writing this entry for months now. I started writing a version of this entry when I hit my three month mark, then I said I would complete it by four months, then five, and now I have been here for seven months and ten days and I am still struggling to write it.

I was told by a very wise man that I should use this blog as a space to "share my heart", an opportunity I have all but run away from since I started writing. Sure every now and then I reveal a glimmer of my inner feelings, but they are usually coupled with sarcastic comments or an attempt to be humorous. I have always been a very private person, and have never been particularly keen on talking about my feelings. Some might call this being "emotionally closed," while others (well probably just myself) may chose to call it "mysterious." Take your pick. However, it's becoming apparent to me that I need to be honest with you, with myself, about where I am right now.

I am not pleased. I am unhappy. I am not enjoying New York and I want to go home.

There I said it. I admitted it. Are you happy now?

The day I arrived in New York I was hopeful. I had suitcases full of hope. Subway cars even. Despite the news I had just received I was ready to take on the change, the challenge and the uncertain days that lay ahead. I set goals (none of which I have really accomplished...I am so terrible), I wrote blogs about positivity and being resourceful. I felt good for a bit, but slowly, little by little, the hope has begun to fade.

Life here in New york is tough, it's expensive, it's fast paced and it can feel very isolating. You are surrounded by millions of people but you only know a handful of them. I have a good amount of friends out here, but many of them have lived here for awhile and therefore they have fully formed lives out here, lives that I don't have a regular place in. I am not resentful of this at all, it's just reality. I understand how much work it takes to create a life for yourself, and how much effort it takes to cultivate a new dimension of friendship. Everyone here has to work so hard to make ends meet, chase their dreams and all that. It's hard to carve out time for someone new.

I also have been spending way more time than I ever wanted to spend at my day job, better refereed to as my survival job. I know I am lucky to have it, but I didn't move to New York to work in customer service, if I wanted to do what I am doing right now I could have stayed in Chicago and lived much more comfortably. After spending several months working six days a week you find yourself wondering what you came out here to do in the first place, and even when you have a day off the last thing you want to do is wake up at 6am to go wait in line at an audition.

Aside from the lack of time to pursue my passion, I have also felt a lack of passion when it comes to my passion. I just can't seem to generate any excitement when it comes to singing or auditioning or even seeing theatre. I feel rather numb and disinterested. I have asked myself many times "is this really what I want to do?" "do I have what it takes?". Just for the record these are not fun questions to ask, because the answers are not easy and they certainly are not clear. This business of show is not a business to stay in if you aren't passionate, because passion and drive are the only things that will get your through to the other side. They are the only things that will get you out of bed in the morning, that will take you to class, that will keep you believing when you have been unemployed for a year. Passion, drive and well...hope. Without them you are lost. And that is how I have been feeling...lost.

I haven't been able to share this because writing about it frightens me. Literally in the past few weeks even coming to my blogging site has roused the beginnings of mild panic attacks. Like I don't even want to see my blog, I don't want to see how neglectful I have been or lazy I have become.

About a month ago I was having a quick lunch with a friend and I said to him "this just isn't where I thought I would be at this point in my life." Where I thought I would be I am not sure, but what he said to me was "isn't that just the way everyone feels right now?" Apparently my feelings of discontent are not uncommon, but that didn't ease my pain. I don't like the idea of being one in a million of wayward, disillusioned, apathetic late twenty-somethings. That doesn't make me feel good. I don't regularly delight in the misfortune of others. I truly want great things for people, and for myself, I just don't quite know how to accomplish them at the moment.

In the meantime, I will say that I do not regret my decision to come here. I am proud of myself for taking a risk, exploring a new city, embracing challenge and change. Above all, what I have been most thankful for during my time here in NYC has been the chance to form a true adult friendship with my brother. He and I have not lived in the same city for almost ten years, and to finally be able to see one another on a regular basis has been such a gift. I feel that we are now not only siblings, but friends, great friends. This opportunity alone has been greater than any career opportunity I could have received, and for that I am truly thankful.

Clarity is what I am striving for and I am getting there. Peace of mind would be nice too. Some decisions are being made, which I will report back on very soon. It truly is my intention to get back to blogging on a regular basis. Amidst the mire of uncertainty and doubt there have been plenty of cool things that have been happing in our life, and those stories deserve to be told too.

Thank you all for listening, for reading. I am sorry for being so neglectful, but I hope you will forgive me! I will be back soon, and until then I hope you are all enjoying these new days of summer.

Beating the Funk...

2010-04-27T18:04:00.000-05:00

A Funk has overtaken me for a time now. It ebbs and flows and generally pisses me off. Funks are no fun and render me lethargic, uninspired and useless. I will expound more on this in a later post, as I am trying to collect my thoughts regarding said Funk. So for now I will give you a list of some activities that can beat the Funk, and even if they can't beat it, they can certainly give it a run for it's money.

-Buying a new pair of shoes. Yellow flats are espically funk-repellent

-Planting a herb garden in a pail and seeing the seedlings begin to sprout

-Enjoying a toasted marshmellow milkshake (with a toasted marshmellow on top even!) from The Stand (just don't eat their hamburgers)

-Organizing the CRAP out of your apartment. Like under the bathroom sink, in the shoe/coat closet, and the kitchen cabinets. It's so cathartic.

-Enjoying Drag Queen Cocktails, while wearing Tiara's and watching the finale of RuPauls's Drag Race.

-Eating yoru first ever double cheeseburger from Shake Shack. **Warning** deep pangs of guilt may follow this indulgence, but that is just the Funk getting to you. Life is short, eat good burgers.

-Eating an amazing salad of kale, beets, peas, wheatberries, feta cheese and other oh-so-nourishing and soul feeding healthy foods, which makes you feel like a grown up who can balance their diet after eating a double cheeseburger, cheese fries, and ice cream.

-Watching LOST (it's getting so good!) with the two main men in your life and drinking Champagne cocktails

-Lots of cuddly, kissy, lovey kitty time.

-Pre-ordering your ticktes to the midnight opening of Sex and the City: 2

-Drinking margaritta's at 2pm on a Friday with your brother while throngs of teenage girls scream outside the restaurant at Channing Tatum who is filming a movie in Astoria, and you realize you are too old and out of touch to know who he is and why people care.

-Being asked to be an actor in a staged reading of a very cool new play, performing it for a crowd of intelligent theatre-goers and finally feeling like you are doing something creative after months of stagnation. (Thank you Brian!)

-Watching this on YouTube. Incredible.

-Knowing that as you write this blog your husband is in the process of making sauteed pork chops with musrooms, dill and sour cream along with twice baked potatoes.

What activities do you do to beat the Funk?

The Great Walk

2010-04-17T21:47:00.002-05:00

I am not entirely sure when the inspiration hit. It could have been while at work, or over dinner, or as I was drifting off to sleep. And since I don't know the true origin of my grand idea, and for the purposes of adding a little drama and flare to the story, I will say it happend while I was up in the air. 30,000 feet and descending, as I headed back to New York from Chicago on January 3rd (our one year wedding anniversary). It was a clear night and I always find myself rather contemplative while in airplanes (does this happen to anyone else?), and as I looked out the window I could see the entire island of Manhattan illuminated. I found it amusing how you could see the pool of lights surrounded by the flat, black, glass like river and it formed the shape that was identical to that of the subway map. As if I thought in real life it should look different and completely unlike some cartographers hard worked sketch. Regardless, I was drawn in to this island, which from the air appears so small. Like you could skip rocks across it, or do a few cartwheels and you would end up on the other side. I wanted to walk it. From tip to tip, and Jürgen was going to come with me.

Jürgen being the cool cat that he is was totally down with my crazy adventure idea, and we decided as soon as the weather turned pleasant we would set things in motion to traverse the island. It had seemed like a lofty idea until last Thursday when I was awoken to the dulcit tones of Jürgen saying "today is the day." I hadn't mentally prepared myself for the journey, but I decided it was best not to fight a man decided. It was a beautiful day, and frankly I needed a bit of adventure and challenge in my life. So we hopped the train and found ourselves all the way at 225th street. The journey began.

I am waxed poetic about my newfound love of walking recently, but this was the ultimate in walks as far as I was concerned. According to googlemaps the distance from 225th to Battery Gardens is 13.6 miles (give or take a bit depending on your preferred route), however we did a bit of sightseeing and zigzagging along the way, so while neither of us donned pedometers we think we logged almost fifteen miles of foot traffic. There are many different paths you could take to complete this journey, but we tended more towards the west side of the island following Broadway and then spending a decent amount of time on 6th ave (which if we ever decided to do this again we would avoid), until we reached Battery Gardens with a view of Lady Liberty in all her glory. It took about seven hours to complete, and I felt the effects of this half-marathon distance walk for days.

It was an awesome experience, and one that I will truly never forget. It's amazing to see how the landscape changes, culturally and physically, as you travel through the various neighborhoods. At one point I even proclaimed "it's amazing how 'un-New York', New York feels!" and it was really true, there were times I almost forgot I was in Manhattan. This really is an incredible city and I am glad we took the time to really travel through it, with the sun on our faces and the wind at our backs.

We took quite a few pictures along the way, and since I recently learned how to make photo slideshows, I have another one! But first here is a list of the few sites we visited, some planned, and some happy accidents.

The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
The Cloisters
The Morris Jumel Mansion Museum
Alexander Hamilton's Country Home
General Grant National Memorial
Riverside Church
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Cross at Ground Zero

(I am sure there are many more sites we could have seen, however once we hit Columbus Circle, it was less about the journey and more about the destination...at least thats what my feet were telling me!)

A "Tail" of Two Kitties...

2010-04-14T23:58:00.001-05:00

A year ago my world changed in a way I could never have forseen. A year ago Jürgen and I became parents to two precious kittens, and life has never been the same. The amount of joy these two long-haired beings have brought into our lives was unimaginable to me before I met them, but now that I have them I will never let them go!

I have been very lucky to grow up having animals around, and it was always in the plans for Jurg and I to adopt two kittes after we got married. I love dogs as well, and I am proud not to have to ascribe to being either a "cat person" or a "dog person." However, when you are a young couple, living unpredictable lives, cats are much more adaptable creatures who require less involvment in their everyday survival. So while a puppy may be somewhere in the distant future, for now its all about cats.

Last year Jurgen was working on a production in Milwaukee and the plan always was to adopt once he returned in Mid-May. However, one afternoon while I stared blurry eyed at the computer screen at work, and email popped up from my good friend Jenn, informing me that a friend of a friend, had a cat who had kittens, just eight weeks old and they were looking for good homes for all of them. She made a convincing arguement: by adopting them from a home I would be able to get them younger (younger=smaller), they were already litterbox trained (major plus) and since the two would have been litter mates they already would have bonded (awww little fuzzy bonded kittens...). My interest was piqued! I called Jürg right away, and thus began almost a week of hemming and hawwing about if we should make a move, a little off schedule.

Then we received some very exciting news, Jürg got a call with an offer to understudy two Broadway shows! A major achievement! A career stepping stone! Oh if only we knew...

In all of our excitment Jurgen said "Blair, you should go get those kittens." In an effort not to be too rash, I said "how about I just go look at them?"

Now let's be honest with ourselves for a moment, anyone who thinks they can go look at tiny, adorable, furry, hand-sized creatures and not steal away with a basketful of them is lying to themselves. Who was I kidding? I was doomed from the start.

Jenn, being the ever supportive and animal crazed friend that she is, accompanied me that Saturday afternoon, to a basement apartment that held three adorable kittens: two little girls which were all black and one little boy with black and white spots. I sat on the couch and a teeny black kitten crawled up onto my lap, curled her front paws underneath her chest and proceeded to fall asleep on my thighs. I had been claimed. I was a goner.

Afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell two all black kittens apart, I naturally gravitated towards the spotted little lad with the precious face. And with that, a family was born.

We named our little man Stanley, after the character Jürgen was to understudy on Broadway. Our little miss? We call her Toaster. Yep, like a toaster oven. I take no credit for this, as it has always been Jürgen's plan to have a cat named Toaster, and despite my protests, I lost that battle after a tension-filled game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Despite my lost battle, I am quite happy with her name, and more importantly I am thrilled to be a "proud parent" the these two precious creatures. This past year they have grown before our eyes, traveled from Chicago to New York, and provided endless hours of entertainment. My love for them has surprised and inspired me. I am forever grateful to have them in our lives, and as a part of our family.

I present a photo-retrospective of Stanley and Toaster's first year. The photo's aren't great, but regardless they bring a smile to my face and warm my heart. May they do the same for you!

Gotta make that cash...

2010-04-10T18:02:00.001-05:00

So there has been a bit of silence over here in my little blog space as of late. Admittedly I have not been doing my part in carving out blogging time, but I also embarked on a little journey out west and I have been catching up a bit since my return. No I wasn't in search of gold, but rather fufilling my bridesmaidel duties in a Salt Lake City wedding. 2010 may be the year of the Tiger, but for me it just may have to be dubbed "The Year of Weddings." I have seven which I will be called to attend, and I hope to make it to all, but that remains to be seen.

Where was Jürgen you might ask? Well he was not with me, no sir he got to fly the skies to Argentina! Buenos Aires to be precise, where he got to stay in this swanky hotel, eat steak and dance upon the same soil from which my favorite grapes are grown! What's up with that?

Actually, his reasons for travel were purely professional (although he got to experience a fair amount of fun as well!), because Jürg booked himself a commercial! Can I get a what-what?? He auditioned in New York, for an Irish Celluar company commercial which filmed in South America. If you wish to spend time making sense of that, be my guest.

It did get me thinking about how funny and wildly unpredictable life can be from time to time, espically if you choose a profession in the arts. One minute you can be serving burgers and fries at a tourist packed, time square restaurant, and the next minute you are a working actor in Buenos Aires. Well, in Jürgens case anyway. It also reminded me of the array of various "jobs" I have had over the years in an attempt to cobble together a living. So let's bring back the blogging with a little sharing, shall we?

-I had my first "real job" when I was 16, where I worked at a small flower shop in Louisville, KY. I was too short to see over the counter, and was often left alone to my own devices. The job was relativley harmless except for two incidents which are worth mentioning:

1) I had literally just received my drivers liscense and on my first day of work they sent me out to make a delivery that involved me taking the expressway-a system I was unfamilliar with at the time- and I ended up somewhere way outside of the city limits, at night with no idea where I was. This also happened to be before the time when we really relied on cell phones (I feel old!), and "car phone" that I did have was totally dead. Hours later I made my way home and dissolved into a puddle of tears in my kitchen, because I never was able to deliver the flowers and the arangement and been tossed all over the back of my car. The next morning my mom and I went to a more established flower shop and had them re-do the entire thing and she drove me to the rightful recipients who were very understanding.
2) The owner of the shop was my friends mom, and while she was a lovely, fun, artsitic woman she really had no business being the owner of a business. Oftentimes there were no records of how much a given item cost, which meant during the times I was left to my own devices I was forced to make up the price of things. Not being well versed in the expenses of horticulture I inevitably charged a very lucky lady a mere seven dollars for a beautiful hanging fern. For the record it should have been around twenty-five.

The little flower shop closed a few years later. I'm just sayin'

-During college I spent a summer working as an intern for the Lookingglass Theatre Company, which paid me nothing, but I did get to work as the assistant to David Schwimmer for a week, which involved videotaping a workshop he ran and getting him coffee. He was very nice and very humble. However Lookingglass then proceeded to hire me off and on as a "door watcher" (I prefered the title "securty guard but what can you do) where I made a great hourly wage to sit at the front desk while performances were happing in their rehearsal space and make sure no riff-raff strolled in and made off with the office equipment. As if my tiny self could have done anything about it, but I took their money anyway. It was awesome.

- I have only onced worked in a restaurant, as a host, at a Tapas restauarant one summer in Chicago. I ate a ton of queso de cabra and very quickly decided I never wanted to work in restaurants again, for the mere fact that I found it rather torturous to watch other people enjoying their food and I had to starve.

-The job to have while attending Theatre School was to be hired as an usher when rental productions would use our space. It was great pay for maybe 15 minutes of mindless work, after which you could enjoy the show, or engage in epic battles with your flashlight. Juvenile, but fantastic.

-I have been babysitting since I was twelve, and still do every now and then. The first child I ever babysat is now an adult and on her way to being a huge star, however there is also one baby who I have sat for at least five times and still have yet to meet. Her name is Macy and she goes to sleep at 7pm, and never wakes. She is a gift from above.

-Once I was hired through my agency to work at the NeoCon trade show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. It's a huge event focusing on office furniture, and my job was to pass out pins and candy to passerby's and encourage them to find their "style ID" on the 8th floor. Why you need to know your style when it comes to cubicles I will never know. It was so horrible that I hid in stairways and behind model kitchen units, in an attempt to keep my sanity. Never again.

-Being hired to perform at the Chicago Auto Show is much less annoying. I sang "Let the Sunshine In" with a group of incredibly talented Chicago actors, for the launch of a new line of KIA cars. We each wore a different solid colored crewneck sweater from Lands End, and threw our hands in the air with great abandon. In a word: queer. In another word: amazing.

-For two years I worked as a receptionist at a commercial photography studio that threw incredible parties and didn't mind if I drank alcohol while working. A privledge I never took full advantage of.

-One day while working at the aformentioned phtography studio, the producer asked to see my hands, which apparently are photograph worthy and whisked me upstairs to feature my digits in a cataloge. This gave me the courage to call up the print department in my agency to see if I could be seen as a parts model. My agent said "its a very quick decision and is usually a no, but I will see you." Luckily, he said yes, and every now and then I literally make money from my hands.

-After I graduated college I spent a couple years working as the front desk manager of a spa, which once I left I swore I would never revisit customer service ever again. Well "never say never" apparently, because once I decided to move to NYC I contacted the New York branch, and five minutes later I was rehired. Lesson learned: its a good thing to keep the bridges you build intact.

-Finally, this is without a doubt the best job I have ever had (aside from special theatre gigs) only involved twenty minutes of actual work, but was oh so very cool to be a part of.

Have you had any special/scary/random/interesting jobs you have had to do to make ends meet?

Reasons why I need a new camera

2010-03-25T10:42:00.000-05:00

Because if you find yourself strolling through Central Park on a lovely sunny Sunday, and you happen upon an ice skating competition, naturally you will want to document it for all time.

And you look at the pretty balloons swaying to the music, of course you will feel compelled to zoom in.

But you can't.

Of course there will be times when you peer out of your kitchen window to find the moon glistening from above and clouds hastily painted across the sky.

But the camera on your phone fails to capture it's beauty.

Then there may come a time when you rationalize to yourself that it is ok to stop in the middle of the street before oncoming traffic to photograph the Empire State Building at dusk.

But was the outcome really worth laying down your life for?

Oh how I want a real camera!

Stream of Thought...

2010-03-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

I was out of the house by 5:30 am this morning, which means I was forced to arise far earlier than anyone should ever have to. Nothing is right at 4:45 am. Nothing.

So here I am at work, unable to fully concentrate on any one thing because the dull ache of tiredness resides behind my eyes rendering me incapable of thinking on a productive level. However, I do seem to have a consistent stream of random thoughts, which are not necessarily connected to the other, and in an effort utilize this little blog space of mine to share my thoughts, no matter how irrelevant, I am going to list them here. In no particular order:

-I have a penchant for Moleskin journals off all sizes, and while doing some morning blog reading I came across this one which I now covet.

-I will also continue to covet an in-home inversion table. The idea of being able to hang from my ankles and strech my spine make the knots in my shoulders relax just thinking about it.

-I find myself desiring to learn how to take pretty pictures of pretty things. I have no idea how to use a camera aisde from pointing, clicking and zooming (and I am a photographers daughter! the shame!) but should I learn on a film camera or a digital? Help...

-I think having two frisky one year old kitties is somewhat akin to having a toddler in the house. The constant need to explore, knock things over and put undesireable objects in their mouth can be trying at times. Except a toddler doesn't look at your with a furry face and no ability to understand what you are saying. But then they get all cuddly on you and you forget you had to yell at Stanley who was chewing on the metal end of a power cord.

-I recently got a burger from the NYC Buger Joint, The Stand which is supposed to have some of the Big Apples Best Burgers, and I am here to totally debunk that theory and tell you it's all lies. My burger was totally underwhelming, chewy and not seasoned. The fact that it cost $12 only added insult to injury.

-To me, I will know I have succeeded in my life when I can end each day with a glass of good wine and a plate of some nice cheese. I think this goal is attainable.

-I wish I did a better job at keeping up with a day planner, I am sure it would help make me a better person.

-We still haven't done our taxes, crap. Although between the two of us I think we have over ten w-2 forms, which still confuse me despite the number I have had to fill out.

-We recently began making bread in our shiney, new bread machine. However it appears to be flawed in all it's shiney-newness and we have to send it back. Blast.

-The idea of making my own greek yogurt intrigues me, although I wonder if after you spend the money on yogurt and cheesecloth it really saves you any money?

And with that, my time here at work is wrapping up. Isn't being inside my mind wild and fanciful? Clearly I spend a lot of time thinking about food, which may be something worth looking into. Also I thought I would share with you this little fun fact about my time here in NYC so far,

I have encountered a grand total of five celebrities since I moved to NYC: Goldie Hawn, Mariska Hargatay (she is super nice), Maggie Gyllenhall and Peter Saarsgard, and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia Roberts, and all she did was make out with her boyfriend the whole time. Very uncouth). I will let you know if I ever encounter the ULTIMATE in celebrity sightings...Sara Jessica Parker. I heart her.

Spring in your Step

2010-03-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

There are many things I miss about Chicago, however there is one thing which surprisingly I do not miss one bit: driving. Yes, it would have been convenient during the monsoon on Saturday do be able to hop into a vehicle and save the life of an umbrella, but for the most part I am quite happy to rely on my two feet and the NY Subway System. I do love the car that waits patiently for me back in Chi-Town, it's sleek, fuel efficient, I bought it all by myself, and heck I even knocked a brick wall down with it just to see what would happen. It's a good car, but I am happy to be apart from it, for now anyway.

Most often as I walk through the city I am usually pretty destination focused. Which subway stop will bring me closest to my desired end point? How many avenue blocks must I walk? That kind of thing. It's a fairly common affliction here in NYC, we are busy people with places to go and people to see. However, last week when the gods above decided to give us a sampling of spring weather, Jürgen and I accidentally indulged ourselves in a walk with no real destination. I say "accidentally" because our afternoon didn't start out with "wandering" on the agenda. We happened to be in the city at Macy's so I could return something, and we suddenly found ourselves with two hours of free time before either of us needed to be at work. So we started to wander, which I wil admit didn't come naturally to me from the onset. "What are we doooing? Where are we goooing?" were typical statements from me as we started, but thankfully I took a self prescribed chill pill and began to enjoy the crisp fake-spring air, and vitamin-D enriched sunshine.

We walked past the empire state building, stared up at it and made ourselves dizzy. We gazed into store windows, we even stopped into the NY Public Library and took in a free exhibit on maps. Yes maps. Not thrilling, but informative, and free, can't argue with that. Plus I had not seen the inside of the library before and it really is quite beautiful. After the library we found our way to Bryant Park, which I of course knew all about (ooohh fashion week...fancy!) but never knew quite where it was.

The trees clearly aren't ready to donn their spring green just yet, but they sure looked stunning with their branches intermingling to form a canopy above the park. We sat at a table below the trees and took in the scene, and I realized: had we not allowed ourselves to simply walk, with no real agenda, we may not have thought to stop here.

A similar thought crossed my mind a few weeks ago when Jürgen's parents were in town, when we took the subway down to battery park and spent a few hours walking. We saw:

The Statue of Liberty in all her Glory.

We walked into St. Pauls Chapel, an Episcopal (represent!) Church which was crucial to the volunteer effort at Ground Zero. Inside the church is decorated with all kinds of memorabilia from that time:

Letters from Children offering words of hope.

Healing paper cranes from Japan

A chausble pinned with hundres of badges in honor of those who were lost.

It was incredibly moving, and I had no idea it even existed.

We also walked to water street where we saw some majestic boats,

And finally we weaved our way through the financial district and happened upon a historic federal building which housed all kinds of information about Alexander Hamilton, and this stone:

I am not sure if you can read the inscription, but this is the very piece of stone upon which President George Washington took the oath of office.

All of this was discovered because we simply put one foot in front of the other. I know it seems obvious, but if you are looking for free entertainment, try taking yourself on a walk! Even if you don't live in a big city, you can always find unique neighboorhoods, or some pretty trails where you can literally stop and smell the roses. It's an activity you can do solo, if you want some personal time, or you can always find yourself some walking buddies. The possibilities are endless, and so many new expierences await you!

Any other ideas for great (and cheap!) Spring entertainment? I am all ears.

War Torn Umbrellas

2010-03-14T00:12:00.001-06:00

Mother Nature has declared war on New york, and her chosen weapon of mass destruction: rain. Massive amounts of rain. She can be so cruel sometimes, and after a few days with winks of spring weather, she pulled out all the stops in the forms of fat, cold, dense raindrops coupled with gusts of wind that rival the winds of Chicago. Those winds I was more than happy to leave behind yet they seem to have journeyed East. You see the terror on everyones face as they walk through the doors from the outside: the pink cheeks, hair plastered to the sides of their faces, droplets falling from their earlobes. Everyone wearing the same expression of disbelief mixed with frustration. Being wet and cold is no fun. No fun at all.

Then there are the carnage lined streets. I wasn't prepared for such a sight but everywhere you turn you see the remnants of a life cut short. A life that was meant to travel miles, to serve and protect.

It was on my walk home when I chose to capture the final moments of this young ones life. I have no idea where it had been or to whom it belonged but I swear it whispered to me "please tell the plastic polka dotted angel, with her faux-wooden handle, who I met in the coat check of The Oak Room...I never forgot about her..."

How the mighty have fallen.

My poor umbrella also saw it's demise all too soon. It was on the way to work this morning and she just didn't have the strength against the wind, not even even her darling multi-colored poly-fiber fabric could save her.

It was a rough day. I had plans to meet up with two dear Chicago friends, their names are Jess and Cassie, but was secretly hoping we would all decide to flake out on one another in an attempt to stay off the violent streets. However none of us wanted to be "the one who flaked", so despite the danger we convened in midtown for some inexpensive thai food. I had to seek shelter at one point while on 45th street for fear of becoming MIA.

(I wish I had a fancy camera that could capture rain falling....)

Thankfully we all made it, despite Cassie's train being shut down halfway through her commute, and we managed to ignore the events outside and focus our attention on being three ladies living it up in New York City. It's hard to believe that I met them almost five years ago, when were all performing in a production of The Wild Party. We had all recently graduated and danced and sang our tails off in a tiny Chicago storefront, with no air conditioning, in the middle of August. Oh the days of being young, sweaty and performing in your underwear (I didn't let my parents see that one). I am so glad we are still friends. We gabbed about Chicago, New York, theatre, the brilliance of Sex and the City, being in our late twenties, high school reunions*, and many other topics. It was incredibly lovely and worth fighting for. Plus we were able to pay only $15 for a prix-fix dinner menu of chicken coconut soup, thai salad, veggie spring roles, chicken pad-thai and coconut ice cream! I didn't even touch my pad-thai, I boxed it up and plan on savoring it tomorrow during my lunch break. Victory is mine!

Go to Yum-Yum Bangkok on 9th avenue. Go now. But be kind and leave your umbrella at home.

Also, while waiting for the train I caught site of this colorful fellow:

His sign read: Let us not forget that in this great big beautiful world that there are only two things that are really worth living for and they are love and happiness. Spread Joy.

You hear that Mother Nature? Make Love. Not War.

*I had a mild panic attack while at work the other day when I thought my 10 year high school reunion was approaching this fall. However I was comforted to know I was a year off, which means I have until the fall of 2011 to become wildly famous and successful. I will get right on that.

Simple Pleasures: Homemade goat cheese. And oven roasted tomatoes. And Crostini. And Other lovely things.

2010-03-03T13:30:00.001-06:00

Every Tuesday (since early February) I wake up with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, because Tuesdays bring something no other day of the week can bring: a new episode of LOST.

I jumped on the LOST train about a year and a half ago and have never looked back, not even during this season when the writing gets a bit clunky and deliberate, no not even then, and I suggest you do the same. It's quite a ride, I assure you. Thankfully Neill has been a passenger on the train as well, so we are a content party of three, who gather in front of our tiny TV, mouths agape (in fascination or disappointment...) for a full hour followed by at least thirty minutes of discussion about what we just witnessed. Good times indeed.

(Stanley is a fan too!)

Of course we can't just get together and watch TV, no no no we need to drink. So we have decided that our drink of choice during the duration of this season will be Absolut Mango as sort of an ode to the fruits they may find while on the island. Also, eating is helpful, and Jürg and I do our best to put some sort of food on the table. Some nights (like last) we don't have our act together and it ends up being pasta, but other nights, like last week, we hit a home run, and we make our very own goat cheese.

Yes you read that right, we (well, I) made cheese. It may very well be one of the most thrilling things I accomplish all year (I aim high), and I simply had to share this with all of you so you can experience the excitement for yourself. You don't need a must see Tuesday night show to inspire you, goat cheese can be consumed any time, and in an ideal world I would have some every day. I'm serious. There are few things I love more that goat cheese in all its creamy, tangy, sometimes herby splendor.

I never realized that making my own would be so easy, until I came across this incredible blog. I found it one Sunday evening when the blog creator made a comment on my first Sunny Side Up post, making her the first "stranger" to comment on my blog. Which was thrilling in and of itself, but find the recipe for goat cheese, and so many other delectable dishes was the real prize. Thank you Giao!

She does an incredible job of teaching you how to bring the pleasure of homemade cheese into your kitchen, and beautifully depicts it in photographs, so I will simply provide you a link rather than recount it here. However I will tell you that a quart of goats milk cost me $3.50, which is the same price as a typical "log size" goat cheese, and this recipe yields at least two "logs" worth. Not only do you get the joy of becoming a novice cheese maker, but you save money in the process! Love that!

We paired the goat cheese with some homemade oven roasted tomatoes, homemade crostini, and homemade potato leek soup (not pictured). The soup was also from the same blog, and simply wonderful. We already had enough potato's on hand so all we needed to buy was a few leeks and some chicken stock. Dear friends, I tell you it's possible to eat like a gourmand on a tight budget.

Oh yes! The drinks! How could I forget? So far we have tried three different types of Mango drinks, one of which does not bear repeating, and we continue to search for more. There are ten episodes left this season, so we have plenty of time to find a favorite.

They are the Absolut Caliente and The Absolut Firefly, which certainly don't lack in either flavor or color. You would pay $14 a pop for these in Manhattan, but here in Queens we shake and stir to our hearts (and wallets) content. The Absolute Drinks site has all kinds of great recipes, take a gander for yourself!

Tuesdays are the new Friday's in my book, well for the next ten weeks anyway.

Breakfast of Champions

2010-02-25T11:12:00.000-06:00

A few days ago, I had a day off, and the night before I proclaimed "tomorrow for breakfast I am going to have oatmeal, an egg and a half of a grapefruit." I don't know why I felt the need to make such a statement, but I went to bed very excited about my upcoming first meal. it was everything I hoped it could be. Easy to make, so very healthy to eat, and I didn't find myself feeling hungry until much later in the afternoon. My usual breakfast consists of greek yogurt with granola and honey, but I think this one may need to make an appearance more often.

Speaking of champions, I have been devouring the Winter Olympics with the same fervor as I did with this breakfast-I am a huge Olympics fan. Be it Summer or Winter I love seeing athletes at the top of their game, their eyes filled with dreams of standing atop a podium with the coveted Gold hanging from their necks. When the Olympics are on there is always entertainment just a remote control click away. You have all the drama, the excitement, the anticipation, the despair, and the joy you would find in a movie of the week but it's live and unscripted. I can't get enough of it.

Perhaps my favorite moment in any Olympic event is the moment before. The brief period of time before the athlete takes off down a hill, or around a rink, or onto a beam or into a pool. The look in the athletes eyes, the mental prep going on inside their head. I always try to imagine what that moment must feel like, knowing that in seconds they will be chasing after a lifelong dream, but not knowing if it will be realized. How do they even handle themselves in that moment? How do they cultivate that competitive edge that keeps them in control? It's fascinating to me. It's theatrical.

Athletes and Actors have oft been thought of as totally different specimens. You have those who are sporty and strong, and those who are expressive and sensitive. However as I have been watching these games, it has occurred to me that Actors and Athletes may not be so different after all. Both of us must possess a competitive spirit, which keeps you going even when you don't perform to your personal best. Oftentimes our "fate" is determined in a matter of seconds, be it 16 bars of a song or .16ths of a second at the finish line. We train, we get judged, we size up our competition, and many people think we are crazy for putting ourselves in such a position in the first place. No I doubt there has been an audition which has landed an actor in traction, but the emotional wounds of some auditions can seem just as painful (albeit way less dangerous thank god).

However, one thing I always envied about being an athlete is you usually know your outcome right away. If you have the fastest time, or you attain the highest score, then you know where you stand. As an actor you get to be a contestant in the waiting game, which is not a fun game in which to compete. Getting cast in a show rarely comes down to "who is the most talented" but rather "who is the right height?" "who's has a certain 'energy'?" "who looks good with whom?" Still at the heart of it, the prizes aren't always awarded to the "best" but rather who was the best on that day.

To me, it seems crazy to ski down an icy slope at over 90mph, but to many it would seem insane to sit on the floor of a crowded studio, at 7am, as you wait in line to sing for one person sitting behind a table.
Yes, I do believe that Actors and Athletes may have more in common than we think. Perhaps we should have shared a lunch table more often back in the days of "jocks" and "theatre geeks." We could learn a thing or two from one another.

Simple Pleasures: Snowy Days and Snuggly Kitties

2010-02-11T19:57:00.001-06:00

It has been a long day folks, when you arise at 4:45am after a fitful night of little sleep the wrong side of the bed is the only side from which to emerge.

Apparently the word on the street is that a good half of the country is blanketed in snow, with potentially more looming in the wings. Here in NYC we certainly saw our fair share throughout the day yesterday, but amazingly enough the damage seems to be minimal as the early trudge to work this morning was not slowed down by drifts of snow. They move fast here in Ol' NY, and with the heat from the subways underfoot and the snow plows which appeared from every corner out of thin air, the city really only had time to take a breath before it was back to the daily grind.

However, this evening I allowed myself to take more than just a breath, and really lay still. In a rare occurrence Jürgen and I both had some simultaneous free time and spent a good portion of it laying on the bed cuddling with our beloved feline friends. It was so calming to just sink into the down comforter and feel the warmth and low hum of their purr, and my heart swelled a little with my love for them. They have been such an amazing addition to our lives and they have an incredible way of centering you when the days are long and cold.

Stanley didn't allow us to photograph him for posterity, but Toaster didn't mind snuggling with me for a few extra minutes.

It's a lovely little gift when life affords you the opportunity to take a breath and feel the love around you.

Sunny Side Up: Vol 3

2010-02-10T11:19:00.000-06:00

Well the pots are on the stove a simmerin', and things are in the oven a bakin' and bubblin', and due to the huge new number of food blogs I have been devourin' (see my growin' list to the right), I have many recipe ideas a brewin'!

Whew!

I'll have to admit that while I have enjoyed making a dish and having it sustain me for days on end, basically taking the guesswork out of "what should I eat" it does begin to weigh a bit on your spirit after you have eaten the same lunch/dinner/or both after more than a few days. My wise mother suggests I make a bunch of dishes and freeze parts of them so I can add a little variety to my life. She has a valid point (don't you hate it when she does that?) but I am just not quite there yet when it comes to my planning and organization. So until that day comes, monotony will be my guide. Ima tellin' you though, this following dish was a fun one to chew on each passing day.

(©Quentin Bacon-Food and Wine Magazine)

Free Form Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagne: Followed pretty much by rote from Food and Wine Magazine (January 2010)

You can tell it's winter and our household is craving stick-to-your-ribs-and-warm-you-from-the-inside dishes. First Chili and now this. However it makes sense to crave hearty dishes this time of year. Still, even I surprised myself when I found myself turning back to page 60 and slightly drooling over a lasagne dish. I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a lasagne, as I have never been a huge fan of the family style classic. In the past I have found so many of them to be laden with ill-flavored meat, buried in tomato sauce, with rubbery cheese (usually a chalky textured ricotta) and heavy noodles. All converging together to create a mass that doesn't impart any individual or distinct flavors, and promptly rests itself in the pit of your stomach and overstays it's welcome. I'll say it here first: I haven't been the biggest supporter of lasagne. Until now.

Not only did this dish pique my interest because it seemed to fit my mission of finding dishes which are affordable and lasting, but the individual components of the dish intrigued me. I am sucker for the term "three cheese"-kill me now, along with the fresh basil and the subtle sweetness of an Italian sausage. It was definitely a reason to jump back on the lasagne bandwagon.

Honestly, I think I could be so bold as to write "this is the best lasagne I have ever eaten." I know, quite a big statement from this little blog, but I stand behind it (and I think Jürgen would agree). The fantastic thing about this dish is while it is filling, and certainly hearty, it's also quite light. I ate it while on a break at work many times and never returned feeling weighed down and semi-comatose. After all, when you are dealing with persnickity Upper East Side housewives, you need all the energy you can get. Also, this is the first lasagne I have had the pleasure of tasting where each individual flavor was able to shine through while complementing the others. The use of the whole tomatoes created a fabulous caramelized oven roasted tomato flavor, the sausage was sweet and crumbly, and the cheese rounded out the dish with the fontina being the real winner. It brought an unexpected creaminess along with a pinch of tartness to keep your tastebuds excited. All in all, it was good enough to make a lasagne convert out of me. Never say never my friends.

(source: authors personal collection-I am no food stylist so please don't judge the dish based on this photo)

When you first take the dish out of the oven it needs to rest for ten minutes, however if you eat it the night of its going to seem a bit "soupy" but do not let that worry you. All this means is you have an incredibly delicious tomatoy juice to sop (or in my case slup) up after you are done. Trust me on this one.

The entire recipe can be found here, but again here is a breakdown of the ingredients (with a few substitution suggestions) and the total cost:

1/2 lb of lasagna noodles (we got two boxes for $3.00)
3 Tbls of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for tossing (had)
1/2 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage* (bought a package of 6 links, totaling 1lb for $3.29)
1 cup water (had)
4 large garlic gloves, thinly sliced (had)
One 28-Ounce can of Whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved ($1.99-we used Hunts)
Salt and Pepper (had)
Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (we always have a block on hand, but it usually runs between $7-$8 and lasts at least a month...make it a staple in your house, I'm telling ya!)
1/2 lb Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 8 pieces ($8.15)
6 Ounces Italian Fontina**, cut into 8 pieces ($4.99)
2 Tbls unsalted butter, softened (had)
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves ($3.49 for a package)

*For those of you who don't eat pork or perhaps any meat products, you could easily substitute turkey/chicken/veggie sausage in it's place.
**If your grocer of choice doesn't carry fontina, Gruyere, Emmental or Gouda came up as similar alternatives. But do everything you can to find the fontina, it's worth it.

We made this dish on a Tuesday night and it fed us (primarily me) through Sunday.

Total Cost: $32.41 which breaks down to about $5.40 a day.

However-not only did we like this dish SO much, but we only used half of the sausage we purchased, so that Friday night (we had a bit of Lasagne overlap) we made an entire second helping of this yummy treat. The only ingredients we needed to purchase for the second go-round were:

Another ball of mozzarella
A block of fontina
A can of tomatoes

Total: $15.13

With this second serving of lasagne I was able to feed myself for another full week (Jürg got a few digs in, and Neill got a taste as well). This means a grand total of TWELVE days of lasagne bringing the daily total down to $3.96 a day!

Lately with all this talk of snow, I canot think of a more fitting dish for a snowed in evening. We paired it with a viewing of the Disney-Pixar Classic Monsters Inc. on a Friday night, and I am not sure if it was the yummy-ness of the dish, or the sweetness of the movie, but I was definitely left in a puddle of tears by the end of the evening. Fuzzy monsters and cheesy lasagne...they get me every time.

A Toe in the Water

2010-01-28T20:38:00.000-06:00

There is a term used in the theatre world, and probably in the world at large, it's called the "talent pool" or sometimes referred to as the "casting pool." I like to imagine a bunch of artists stuck in a large pool and the trouble they might cause in the process, but thankfully this "pool" is merely metaphoric. Obviously the pool in NYC is quite large, and I would venture to say the biggest in the country, if not the world. LA certainly runs a close second, but they are so spread out there in the West, here in the land of Broadway everyone is crammed onto one tiny island (and a few surrounding boroughs). New York is full of talented people, all wading in the water just waiting to be plucked out and put onstage. I am ashamed to admit it, but I have been a mere spectator sitting in a lounge chair in the shade ever since I moved out East. It wasn't all my fault, as I made a deliberate decision not to worry about any career stuff until the new year. Well, that has come and surprisingly I found it harder to dive in than I anticipated.

Ok enough with the extended metaphor's already.

I have never been one to really waver when it comes to career advancement. From a young age I have been very ambitious and have had no trouble putting myself out there when it comes to auditioning, networking and even creating work for myself. For the most part I have always been focused and driven and relatively unafraid about the whole scary world of Showbusiness. However, when you take a little break and then try to throw yourself into an unknown scene, with new faces and names to learn, it's tempting to curl up under the covers and never come out. It surprised me, this hesitation and trepidation. I wasn't afraid to try, I wasn't even afraid of failing. If anything my feelings were bordering on apathetic, which is even worse in my opinion. I felt out of sorts, and unlike myself. Was it New York that was doing this to me? Was the city already hardening me to a point where I couldn't muster up the energy to pursue my dreams? I shuddered at the thought.

I kept thinking about some words of wisdom my friend Jenn shared with me: "Blair, you have to just put your toe in the water. You can't look back on this experience and think that you didn't make the most of it."

Just put my toe in the water....(ok more water symbolism...forgive me)

I kept thinking about this phrase, for days on end, and I slowly realized that what was holding me back was a sense of slight discouragement. Discouraged that I still haven't found an agent (more on that at a later date..), frustration that I have to adapt to a new system when I had grown comfortable with the old one, and even a bit doubtful about my own abilities as an artist.

Thankfully after a very affirming voice lesson, and some more encouraging words from friends and Jürgen, I decided enough was enough. I needed to do just that, put my toe in the water. By no means did have to dive headfirst into the deep end, no I could wade at my own pace, but I had to start somewhere, and today I am pleased to report that I took my first step into the New York City Talent Pool.

Ok I am all about the water metaphors today!!!

And I am pleased to report that I lived to blog about it! Honestly, it was quite simple. It was for an Off-Broadway play here in the city which I new next to nothing about, and truth be told I am not totally convinced I am even right for it, but it was a way to put myself out there and stop hiding. Thankfully they provided scenes to read at the audition, so I didn't have to perform a the much maligned monologue, and the casting director was very friendly. After I was done, she said "I love Chicago actors, they have such a reality and intimacy about them." I appreciated her sentiment, most definitely.

So there you have it, my feat for the day, with hopefully many more to come.

In the meantime, please ponder these words "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming."
(which wise fish said that?)