Wednesday, April 29, 2009

ive always had a love for squirrels. since 2002. at one point, jerry, steph and myself called ourself the 'original squirrels'. they are just too freggin cute. with their little bodies and bushy tails. i love em!

and this video - proof! why! i! love! them!

it's amazing how smart animals truly are, and how GOOD humans really are. it bought jolly tears to my eyes.



enjoy. pass it on. xo.

smiles all 'round

last night i went to g's for dinner. we laughed and laughed and laughed. drank champagne with frozen fruits and had a cold pasta salad with everything fresh (which was so delicious). we laughed until we fell on the floor laughing and couldnt breathe. laughed until our tummies hurt. just when we thought we were done laughing, it picked up again. laughing about our vacation to the bahamas, laughing about our dinners, laughing about our last road trip to philly to visit cody, laughing about our nights out, laughing about the 'balcony'. and the best - laughing at each other. it's so beautiful to have someone to just spend a whole night with, laughing and loving. i hope dearly that everyone at one point in their life, has a friendship like that. they are one of a kind.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

weather-ful

can you all believe this weather we are having? blows my little exploding mind!

today, during work, shea and i dropped off what seemed like a zillion hand knit/crochet quilts our olds made for the babies in need. yes, on the hottest day of the year. via subway. oy vey. all for a good cause, but in this heat! mama mia. we came back into our office, pumped the AC and settled into a heat coma.

tonight i am going to give my best, g., some TLC in his tiny yet quaint manhattan apartment. we're going to have cold pasta salad and enjoy some bellini's. peach. strawberry. pear. yum yum yum. possibly some gelato and cute boy watching. did you all hear about those crazy low-riding jets yesterday? i am sure (those of you who know me) can imagine g's response. let's just say - his main concern while being evacuated was what he was going to order for lunch. figures.

i am ready for the semester to settle down. three more papers, one more exam, one oral presentation. i can do it. i know i can. keep pushing. this summer i am taking more courses, which does NOT make me happy, but i know it must get done.
i can do it. i can do it. i can do it.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

thank you, mbee.

a little reflection from the beautiful meg b. 
she's a jem.

How are you spending your SundayofSun?
i spent my sundayofsun down at astoria park. a hidden treasure in the city. a gorgeous, open park right on the water, next to the rfk bridge and across from the manhattan skyline. my favourite place to go and breath. and watch. (& so. many. puppies.)

After you get up, does your body allow you to fall back asleep if you choose to?
at 4 am yes. after that, not always. my body always wants to go go go!

What colour can always catch your eye?
yellow! orange! turquoise!

Do you eat the fortune cookie or discard it after your psychically fulfilled?
i had a friend from australia who i met my freshmen year of college. he told me that you werent allowed to eat your fortune until you ate your entire cookie. i believed him. i spread his word to all of my friends and family. they believed me. right before we graduated college, he told me he was lying about the fortune cookie, but told me that because he always felt bad the cookie went unnoticed. people would read  their fortune, toss the cookie in the garbage. he didnt like that. i still continue to eat the cookie, and tell people, they must eat the cookie before they read their fortune. i like his philosophy. 

What is one absolutely beautiful trait about someone you hate? (strong words, so. "dislike", but it rhymed, so. you know)
their passion. 

What time of day do you feel most alive?
right after a work / yoga class. so this can be at 7 am or 10 pm. pending.

What was your favourite sound this week?
laughter with kate. 

lovely.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

today was

one of those feel-good, i-love-my-life days.

a good workout. like, a really good workout. sunshine. lots of it. astoria park with a picnic lunch. laughing. people watching. music in the park! more sunshine.

the outcome:
a very calm (& blessed soul) and sun-kissed skin. the sun kissed me smack on my face. i love this feeling. it glows (& goes!) wherever i go.

and the day is not yet over! a roadtrip tonight to see very dear friends play music in an unknown town. 

smile smile smile. smiling. always.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

inspiration lately

beautiful weekends . breathing . the smell of rain . pink pink pink . earth day love . embracing one another . learning to love my body again . weekend travels . ryanad.ams photos . simplicity . dim lighting . no noise . getting it, truly getting it . rasberry dressing . happy baby pose . the warrior pose . om's . turquoise . emails filled with love . friends . my begonia blooming flowers . this.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

more psychotherapists incorporate yoga


"oh hi, my name is melissa... im a yoga therapist".

just you wait. it's going to happen.

earth day 2009




on the earth, what are you grateful for the most?

it's raining men! (?!)

i am a sucker for any little gadget to keep my life:

1. easier
2. stress free
3. manageable.

umbrella today is a super cute website, where you enter your hometown, and they will send you a little gentle nudge in the morning (in the form of a text message) to tell you to use your umbrella if rain is in the forcast. living in the city, i dont have the comfort of running my errands with a car, so i am constantly on foot, en transit or in another part of town in the middle of a rainstorm, sans umbrella.

so me knowing when whether i need to lug my umbrella or not - amazing.

love little things like this!

additionally, umbrella etiquette is hilarious. definitely a site you will want to check out on a rainy day, when you have the rainy-day blues.

tuesday.

There are fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtless friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of someone less fortunate. Today you can make your life significant and worthwhile.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

for you astorians -

socrates sculpture park is offering free! outside! waterfront! yoga courses beginning in may. so many of my favourite things wrapped into a one hour session.

get your om's ready.

Yoga in the Park
Saturdays, May 9 - September 19 (rain or shine)
First session: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Second session: 11 AM - 12 PM
Socrates offers free Kripalu Yoga, a system of Hatha Yoga that integrates body postures, breathing techniques, relaxation and meditation. Taught by Monique Schubert, participants are encouraged to integrate their yoga practices with this very special waterfront environment of nature and art. Suitable for all experience levels. Participants should bring a mat or towel.

although, to be honest, i am not sure how yoga in the rain would be, but to each her own.

they actually offer a slew of amazing workshops / art courses and fitness programs that are generally free to the public. 


check out their site: http://www.socratessculpturepark.org/Education/Education09.htm

Friday, April 17, 2009

the best three notes, just happen to be --

do - re - me

i will not lie, the sound of music is one of my favourite movies. i have fond memories of watching it with my family in vermont, and sitting in my basement with my grandmother during hot summer nights singing along to the music as we wept together. and just recently, i stayed up late one night watching it on tbs, reliving all the memories.

therefore, it's no surprise, i got chills watching this:




people amaze me. 
i tried to find an embed version of this, but am failing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XVR9AKZOu4

i think it is beautiful. and proof that your wildest dreams can come true. and that no one, not even simon cowell, should stop you. and also, the good ole lesson: never judge a book by its cover. true freggin story.
(shea, i wish you were in the office right now, because i just spent the entire ten minutes crying and praying that no one would walk in on me).
i had lunch on the roof of my work-building today and have very faint kisses from the sun. the first of the season. the start of a romance. toes in the grass, head to the sky, eyes shut.

the sun, the breezes, the sounds, embracing me. accepting me.

i imagine the sun to look like her.

in my mind; she has gorgeous eyelashes and powerful lips. and yes, a she. always knowing that she is in charge, and she controls the happiness. she loves us all, accepts us all, lights up our world. without her, we would be. she is my happiness.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

last night plane tickets to san francisco were booked. i will be spending my 25th birthday with my two longest and very best friends. we are staying in this adorable cottage in napa valley (http://www.riverpointenapa.com/) and will be visiting family in san fran. there are so many things i want to do. so many things i want to see. just so very much, that a week wont cut it.

  • indulge in wine.
  • spend my 25th at a gorgeous spa, overlooking wineries and drinking port wines all day.
  • ride a bike over the golden gate bridge.
  • take many photos. many.
  • see the house where 'full house' was filmed. (c'mon, who doesnt want to do that!)
  • relax. 
  • explore the 'trentadue' winery. 
  • make a home-cooked meal.
  • find a cute tea shop and a nice antique shop. purchase something GOOD.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Saturday, April 11, 2009

april showers.

Always it happens when we are not there — 
The tree leaps up alive in the air, 
Small open parasols of Chinese green 
Wave on each twig. But who has ever seen 
The latch sprung, the bud as it burst? 
Spring always manages to get there first. 

Lovers of wind, who will have been aware 
Of a faint stirring in the empty air, 
Look up one day through a dissolving screen 
To find no star, but this multiplied green, 
Shadow on shadow, singing sweet and clear. 
Listen, lovers of wind, the leaves are here!

~May Sarton

spring cleaning

when i lived at home (which let's be honest - was not that long ago) i always got an itch to rearrange my bedroom around the summer months. i had a twin sized bed all through high school, and always wanted it right next to the windows. why? to hear things and to see things. to be like one of those writers we all see on tv and in the movies, who sit in their bay windows and write all day and all night. (and okay - i also did not have an air conditioner during my high school years, so the idea of the summer breeze while i slept was my intention and goal).

and so - i would rearrange. move my bed from here to there, move my dresser from there to here, hang up some new no doubt posters, and call it a day. as i grew older, my rearranging of the furniture obsession diminished (i got a larger bed, an air conditioner and no doubt had broken up and stopped touring). with no furniture to move, i learned what does need a good spring cleaning. something i never thought would need a spring cleaning that can be so emotional and so difficult at times.

me.

now i am older. and live in an apartment. a home that truly does NEED spring cleaning, and not just the rearranging of furniture and the obsessive cleaning of a kitchen floor. it's this time of the year that i, and you, need to rearrange our minds. take the dust bunnies out of our brain and let out the past. let out the anger we may hold, the hostility, the grudges, the tears - let it out. write it out. sing it out. draw it out. dance it art. YELL it out. just get it out! spring clean your mind so it can blossom and start afresh. 

for me - probably the hardest part is letting go of the physical things. i go through my wicker basket that i keep everything 'important' in. by 'important' it ranges from cards, receipts, ticket stubs, bank statements, stickers, scrap paper, wrapping paper - fun napkins. you name it. i for some crazy reason, keep it. i clear them out, throw out the old, the meaningless. keep the happy things. notes from disney world from manda, get well cards from teresa, a sticky note from rachel. the little things that bring me to a happy place. always. (psssst - this does not mean i am throwing out your cards! this means i am throwing out a reminder postcard my obgyn sent me months ago!). 

i de-clutter, and have a sigh of relief. 

i let go of people who cause me pain, despair, or who i just dont speak to anymore. yes, i get on facebook and spring clean. say bye to those faces of individuals who i cant even tell you how we met. hit delete. say goodbye to people with a negative aura and personality. people who dont fit me. people who just dont get it. people who are jealous. hit delete.

i de-clutter, and have a sigh of relief.

i go on itunes, discover old favourites (hell-o jaymay) and replay them. i smile. re-organize. delete the songs from the past that hurt too much (or, if you're brave, hide them in a file, so you can relive those negative moments for meditation/therapeutic purposes). delete the songs that i really just dont understand why they are even on my computer to begin with (justin timberlake...sorry bud). move along, move along.

i de-clutter, and have a sigh of relief.

i go into my closet. tell myself how crazy i am with all of the clothes i own, and take out what i realistically will not wear. so many girls would love my closet. so many girls need my closet. i load up trash bags with threads, and bring them to the salvation army. one woman's trash is another person's treasure. one woman's trash is another woman's wardrobe on a budget.

i de-clutter, and have a sigh of relief.

at the end of the day, with a clutter-free mind and home, i am not a writer who sits in a bay window with the sun gleaming on her face, writing brilliant prose. in fact, i am not a writer at all. i am however, strong enough to de-clutter, to let go of the past with a notion that tomorrow is another day. tomorrow is a new day. tomorrow brings along new things to clutter my mind with, tomorrow brings a new day to relive a mistake, or to learn another lesson. tomorrow is precious. a gift.

this spring, let go of it all. start anew. clean out your drawers, go through your memory boxes. remember the good memories, hold onto them. look those bad memories in the eye, and tell them that you learned from them. you grew. 
reflect. 
and let go of it all. the good. the bad. open yourself up, for of course, more good and bad.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

five really really good things --

1. keeping your blinds/window open a crack before you sweet slumber. when daylight comes, you awake to sweet birdies singing to you and the sun saying hello to your face. a cool breeze comes in, the sun dances on your face. a way to wake up in the morning.

2. cooking oodles of yummy goodness in a kitchen that is smaller then a bathroom, with your two best guy friends and a bottle of pinot. 

3. washing your face first thing in the morning. renewing. cleansing. starting afresh.

4. om's. stretching out all of your worries, tension, heartaches. letting it out. breathing. putting your mind at peace. maintaining a peaceful heart we all strive for.

5. resting. with no regrets. 

my true love

In my room on a chest
sets a picture, one of those I like the best.
A man and a child walk along in the sand,
He looks down at her as he holds her hand,
she's looking back at someone and seems to say,
don't worry, I'm with my grandpa today.

Monday, April 6, 2009

tonight during my yoga class, i decided to let in support and patience for this upcoming week. i sat in namaste  position, asking myself, to please bring these two words and actions into my life.
support and patience. 
two things i always pride myself on, but two very solid themes i know i will need this week. support to get through a (short) work week, support to get through classes, support to practice patience. patience at work. patience at home. patience with my family. patience with my mind. patience with my friends. 
support and patience.
these two themes are prominent in my life. terribly prominent. however, waking up on the wrong side of the bed to a rainy monday, i made a promise with my body tonight, to keep these two themes strong and living within me. i cannot let one day stand in the way of others. one foot in front of the other. supporting myself. mentally and physically.
support and patience.
when was the last time you held gratitude for your body? and everything it does? and for everything it offers you? think about it. thank your body. thank your body for giving you a mind. for giving you a place to practice support, patience, love, laughter, crying, singing, dancing, living. thank your body. without your body, there is no you.


Sunday, April 5, 2009

oh, sunday

this weekend was a present.
with presence from out of town guests (K.D. & S.B.) to rest their heads in a happy home.
and presence from the sun, gorgeous weather, talented friends and love.




i started writing in my paper journal more often. getting out thoughts and positive (and sometimes negative) energy in the form of photos, words and doodles. a positive form of release that holds dreams, worries and thoughts. a happy place.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

milk





the sad thing is
 that this is still a fight 
we are
still
 battling today.