Yogademia

Moving house!

2008-07-25T19:30:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed that one of the items on my 1001/101 list is to "rename the blog" (#48). I've had this niggling feeling for quite a while that "Yogademia" didn't really encompass everything I needed to express. So I've moved over to The Prosecco Life, and I hope you'll join me over there! Thanks for all your love and support, and please continue reading in the new and improved venue!

To subscribe, just click here.

See you soon!

Second 1001/101 Goal Achieved: #76 See a free event in Central Park

2008-07-22T21:31:00.005-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

This week, the free Naumberg Orchestral Concerts series in Central Park offered up Flamenco San Juan in the Naumberg bandshel l at the top of the Mall and just below the 72nd Street cutoff. It was spectacularly compelling - the throaty singing, the passionate strumming, the fiery dancing! The entire audience was completely mesmerized. I sat in the crowd and sipped my split of bubbly, watching the dancers' shadows follow their movements. Their colossal silhouettes were outlined by the pink and orange glow of the lights shading up the Pantheon-esque coffered ceiling of the bandshell. It was entirely cinematic, and no photograph would have done it justice. A completely perfect way to achieve #76.

Split of California champagne: $7.99
Flamenco concert: $0
Cool breezes to break the day's stifling heat: $0

Achieving another goal on your 1001/101 list in an utterly beautiful way: priceless

Creative Dining for One: Chocolate Red Rice Pudding

2008-07-21T21:22:00.003-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Remember that red rice I keep talking about? I made far too much of it last week, and it gets pretty tough when cold. The best things to do with leftover rice are to make fried rice and rice pudding. Since I had already made the savoury, it was time for the sweet.

Chocolate Red Rice Pudding

1.5 cups leftover cooked red rice
3.5 cups milk, I used 2%
1/4-1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
generous 1/4 cup chocolate shavings (didn't have chocolate chips, but I'm sure that would work too)

Dump all ingredients in saucepan on high heat. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low so the mixture simmers. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes or until most of the milk is absorbed and the pudding is creamy. Serve hot or cold, plain or topped with berries.

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This was really, really delicious. The red rice made it seem even more chocolatey than regular chocolate rice pudding since the color was closer to that lovely chocolate brown. I used some really nice unsweetened drinking chocolate that I'm trying to finish off for the chocolate, and I would strongly recommend this because it kept things from being too sweet. If you used chocolate chips, decreasing the amount of sugar used would probably be a good idea given their inherent sweetness. All in all, making this pudding was stupidly easy. The only thing you have to remember is to not let the milk boil in an attempt to make it evaporate more quickly - slow and steady wins the rice.

(Sorry about that - I couldn't help myself.)

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If you're wondering why I'm writing so much about cooking lately, there are three reasons: heat, frugality and availability. It has been above 90 every day in New York for the last several days, and being outside just drains me, so I stay in. Since living in New York is so very expensive, it is far easier - and much more fun and creative - to cook at home than to go out, as tempting as that is. Besides, once I get to Beijing this fall, there will be no cooking whatsoever, so I'm trying to take full advantage of having my own kitchen for a little while.

First Attempt at #14: Learn to roast a chicken

2008-07-21T20:45:00.004-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

At $2.29 per pound at the closest grocer, whole chickens are the cheapest game in town right now. So it seemed like a good time to start learning how to roast a chicken and make some more headway on my 1001/101 list.

Why roast a whole chicken? For some reason, it intimidates me. I can rock a holiday turkey without thinking twice about it thanks to that marvel known as the electronic meat thermometer. But chickens seemed somehow quirkier and more difficult to do really well. It's easy to make a mediocre roast chicken; harder to do a truly delicious and memorable bird.

It also seemed like the perfect dish both for bachelorettes like myself and for dinner parties. As a single girl, you roast one chicken and come out with cooked meat at the ready for the remainder of the week to make curry, top salads, pack a picnic, and so on. For a dinner party, it feeds several people, scents the kitchen divinely, and makes a good impression when carried to the table on a serving plate surrounded by roast potatoes and brussels sprouts. Plus, you can make stock from the carcass.

But first, a little clarification. When I say, "Learn to roast a chicken," I don't mean to just throw a chicken in the oven and be done with it. I mean, roast enough chickens to determine the right combination of heat, flavor and time to create a juicy, flavorsome bird with a nice crispy skin that works every single time and can be done off the top of my head. There are so many possible suggestions for temperature settings on the web! So many ideas for rubs, pastes, stuffings, and so on! Where does a girl start?

In the spirit of creative dining for one, she starts with whatever is about to go off in the fridge: in this case, scallions. I hacked them up into 1.5 inch pieces, coarsely chopped two cloves of garlic and cut two lemons into eighths. After prepping my chicken (wash, pat dry with paper towels, don't forget to remove the giblets) and settling it in the pan, I stuffed it with a handful of the scallions, garlic and lemons, and scattered the rest around the chicken. A generous sprinkle of herbes de provence, a light coating of olive oil on the skin, a squeeze of lemon, and in it went.

Since I'm well-practiced in roasting turkeys, I decided to take my cues from that process. First I preheated the oven to 400, put the bird in, then turned it down to 350. This allows the skin to get a little crispy and brown without requiring that you actually brown the bird in a skillet before heaving it into the pan. Then, just baste occasionally with pan juices and roast until the juices run clear, which took a little more than an hour. I then let it sit for about 15 minutes for the juices to redistribute.

It turned out pretty well. Toothsome and juicy, cooked perfectly throughout. But it wasn't as flavorful as I would have hoped, and the skin wasn't as brown or crispy as I would have liked. How to fix this? For crispier skin, next time I'll try leaving the oven at 400 for 10-15 minutes before turning it down, or perhaps leaving at 400 throughout, which some recipes advocated. For more flavor, I'll put cloves of garlic and whatever herbs under the skin on top of the meat, same as for a turkey. But right now, I have a lovely large foil package of roasted chicken in my fridge, which is extremely satisfying considering I did it on my own and for the first time.

If anyone has particular suggestions for combinations of flavors and cooking methods that work well, I'd love to hear them!

Creative Dining for One: French Omelette with Herbs and Goat Cheese

2008-07-20T22:20:00.006-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

When you just can't be bothered to cook but you know you need a proper meal, the best thing to make is an omelette. Served with a simple green salad, a slice of fresh buttered bread and a glass of wine, it makes a light and balanced meal. Lest you think that omelettes are intimidating, just watch Julia Child:

I tried it today just to prove to myself that it could actually happen in thirty seconds or less. In the space of one commercial break during the Mad Men season one marathon on AMC, an entire fresh meal came together! I added herbes de provence and goat cheese for a bit of filling just before turning it out of the pan, and it worked perfectly. Follow Julia's recipe (high heat, hot nonstick pan, butter, two eggs, shake and flip) and you will do just fine. If you want an actual recipe to follow, this recipe for a Classic French Omelette will give you the step-by-step instructions. Bon appetit!

First 1001/101 Goal Achieved: #11 Tour a Cheese Cave

2008-07-20T08:37:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Word of the day: affinage (noun), French - the art of aging and maturing cheese. One who is professionally trained in affinage is known as an affineur.

As a confirmed Dairy Diva and Cheese Fanatic, touring a cheese cave was absolutely going to be one of the things I achieved on my 1001/101 list. But instead of waiting to travel to France, I found I could do it a little closer to home: Murray's Cheese in Greenwich Village opens up its legendary cave once a month for tours. For $10, you get a 45-minute tour plus two tastings, and they had water and snacks out for us before the tour as well. It's cheaper than a movie ticket, which is currently $12 in Manhattan.

There are different caves with different environments based on the type of cheese and its type of rind. There was an entire cave with nothing but goat cheese! If you are in New York or traveling there on Murray's Cave Days, you should definitely sign up for one of the tours.

And now, mesdames et messiurs, le fromage...

Left: goat cheeses becoming all ripe and wonderful in their own dedicated cave
Center: an 85lb. wheel of parmesan, approximately $1500
Right: Stinky, wonderful washed-rind cheeses

Left: The cutest cheese in the cave
Right: Our tasting platter, with Grayson, a stinky cow's milk cheese from Virginia in front, and Monte Enebro, a soft goat's milk cheese from Spain at the back

But this photo really sums up the experience:
This is Constant Bliss, from Vermont - of course there would be a cheese named for happiness!

The requisite $100 for completion has now been stashed away in celebration. One thing down, 100 left to go!

Defining the life you want

2008-07-19T21:45:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Hip Tranquil Chick's most recent post is about defining your life as art. She raises a very interesting point about how to do so:

"What do you want to see — colors, players, life-defining moments, milestones? Let your canvas unfold into images that make your heart sing. If you don’t like what you see, how can you begin making small changes to make certain pieces of your life more prominently displayed and to lessen any parts that are overshadowing?"

Even a quick glance through the Master List of 1001/101 projects makes it clear that the participants want to change their lives from the one they have into the one they want. The list of 101 things that someone creates is all about committing to change, and making that list begins to define the life a particular person wants in very concrete terms.

What also needs to be defined are sense responses you want for your life: views, flavors, scents, sounds, and textures. In preparing for my monthly at-home spa night (#31 on the list), this idea was brought into sharp relief. Whether a professional spa or a home spa, anyone who goes into the experience hopes to come out softer, smoother, fresher, prettier. We hope to improve the texture of our skin, brighten the colors of our nails, calm our minds and our muscles. But any activity or treatment we choose reflects the life and body we hope to enjoy on a regular basis.

It isn't simply that we want to have clearer skin or softer hair; it is also about the sensual experience of the spa. Candles, music, flavored water, bath products, even the robe that you wear all suggest elements of your own personal definition. This is especially true of an at-home spa experience, when you can decide exactly what you want or need. Do you want scented or unscented candles, pillars or tea lights? Do you want flavored water, tea, or a glass of wine? A gentle yoga practice, a nap or a movie? Oil-absorbing clay mask or skin-soothing creamy mask? To some degree it may seem to be just what your body needs, but that is also part of the definition because your body is defining for you the changes that are necessary to bring it into its ideal state.

When we make up the goals we want to accomplish in the next 1001 days, we don't say, "Scent my home with lavender every Friday" or "Wear only silky pajamas to bed for a month." Somehow, the sense element often seems to be left out of the lists, replaced by specific goals to improve our lives and ourselves. Changing the sense elements around will also help with that, and making a tiny intentional decision about creating a particular sense response - whether with fresh flowers, a ripe peach, or just the color of the polish on your toenails - brings your definition of the life you want into sharper focus.

Yogademia Essentials: Effortless Yogurt Mask

2008-07-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Lacking a mask for my at-home spa night, I decided to try a yogurt mask. Talk about idiot-proof: simply take one or two tablespoons of plain yogurt, smear over you face, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Plain yogurt is good for all skin types, but you can add a squeeze of citrus juice for oily skin or squirt of honey for dry skin.

Bottom line: Scoop, stir, smear, sit, splash.

This was incredible - my skin feels amazingly soft and smooth, even more so than it does after exfoliating with Modern Friction. It even looks slightly glowy, and the tone seems more even as well. The ultimate facial mask, costing mere pennies, has apparently been hiding in the refrigerator behind the guise of standard cooking staple. Try it - I promise you will not be disappointed.

1001/101 #14: Learn to roast a chicken

2008-07-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

This little video by my culinary hero Julia Child about roasting a chicken is quite possibly the funniest introduction ever to the different types of chickens available for cooking.

If it wasn't a no-spend day, I'd run out right now and buy a roaster to try making tonight.

1001/101 Tally: Week 1

2008-07-18T06:41:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

At the end of my first week of the 1001/101 project, the tally is as follows:

Missed:
#36: Drink one cup of green tea every day (one day)
#38: Listen to one French-language podcast daily (three days)

Achieved:
#29: Floss once every day
#39: Write in journal twice a week
#40: Choose Happiness consciously every day
To keep myself honest, Choosing Happiness is specifically defined on my tally spreadsheet in various ways for any given day.
#51: Post to blog at least three times weekly
#52: Take at least two photos each week

Left: Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Yellow), sculpture garden on the roof of the Met
Right: Belvedere Castle through the trees, Central Park,
#91: Practice yoga twice weekly
My second practice this week was Yoga Today's class on Supported Head and Shoulderstand, which is also a stepping stone for #30: Learn to do and hold a headstand.

#95: Run twice a week
#97: Work on my dissertation for 30 minutes each non-holiday weekday
I didn't work on it for the two weekdays while Freya was here because we declared that a staycation. In other words, I was officially on holiday and therefore didn't actually miss any days.

Anticipated for the upcoming week 7/18-7/24:
#11: Tour a Cheese Cave
Scheduled for Saturday morning at the monthly Cave Day at Murray's Cheese Shop!
#31: Have an at-home spa evening
Probably tonight, since it's time for a new coat of nail polish.
#76: See a free event in Central Park
I did go with Tennessee to half of the free New York Philharmonic concert in Central Park on Tuesday, but could barely hear anything (i.e. Beethoven's Symphony No. 4), so that doesn't seem like it counted. Instead, this coming Tuesday I'll be going to one of the Naumberg concerts in the bandshell to see and hear a flamenco performance!
#82: Have 10 no-spend days per month
The first of those has to happen today in order to achieve all ten.

Musings on what I learned from all this will be in my next post!

Creative Dining: Savory Red Rice with Pecans and Goat Cheese

2008-07-16T21:15:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

I found Camargue red rice at TJMaxx a few weeks ago, and used it in the Sweet Plum Rice I made for the first Creative Dining for One installment. It is very toothsome, and has a nice nutty flavor, which makes it much more filling than plain, brown or basmati rice. As such, it has a little too much body for a side dish, but as the base for a vegetarian main dish it is absolutely ideal.

1 scallion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup cooked red rice
handful of pecans
goat cheese

Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then turn heat down to medium-low and add scallion and garlic. Stir-fry gently until softened and shiny but still brightly colored - be careful not to turn the heat up too high and burn the garlic! Add the rice, and stir gently over the heat to mix well. Add the pecans, mix gently to heat through. Serve topped with bits of goat cheese.

*If you were feeling ambitious or needed a good wrist-strengthener, you could toast the pecans in a dry skillet before cooking the scallions and garlic.

*If you wanted to do more of a fried rice-type version with higher protein or are allergic to nuts, after stir-frying the scallion and garlic, you could stir a beaten egg into the pan and scramble it gently with the vegetables. Break up the curds of egg into smallish bits with your spatula and make sure it's cooked through before stirring in the rice.

1001/101: First Lesson Learned

2008-07-15T05:21:00.000-04:00

There are four daily things on my 1001/101 list:
Floss
Drink a cup of green tea
Choose Happiness
Listen to a French podcast

So far, the things from this list that I've managed to do every single day are floss and Choose Happiness. The flossing is somewhat ironic since it has been exempt from my dental care routine for some time. I've missed a day of tea drinking because I decided to have black tea with Tennessee with our Sunday morning scones, and we didn't arrive back at home until well past the hour for caffeine that night. Two days have passed without French podcasts, although I did listen to two on one day.

Choosing Happiness has been an interesting exercise so far. It's easy to do in principle when drinking the morning tea, and rather more difficult when faced with an irritating situation like a glut of smokers crowding outside a subway stop. But somehow, because Choosing Happiness is so intentional and deliberate, it is always at the forefront of my mind, offering itself as an option with every conscious decision that has appeared before me. It's rather like those old Choose Your Own Adventure books, except instead of wondering where the choice would lead, the outcome is already known: happiness.

Sometimes this can be difficult to deal with. When footsore and achy from a long day of walking, the conscious choice literally has to be made with every single step. In that case, the issue is not simply to Choose Happiness internally, but to change the external factors to ones that promote happiness and enable you to choose it. Relaxing a little and not pushing so hard when the ability to Choose Happiness is being strained actually allows more happiness in.

For example: Tennessee and I have been on our feet for most of the last few days. Sunday alone included at least sixty north-south blocks in addition to time spent walking and standing in museums, stores, Greenwich Village, and the subway. By the time we were headed home Sunday night, we were exhausted and aching, with twenty blocks - a full mile - standing between ourselves and the apartment. We decided that the $6 it would cost to treat ourselves to a cab was well worth not becoming irritable with each other and creating blisters. Choosing Happiness here was a financial choice, which I'm trying to avoid, and it broke my rule about not taking taxis because they are expensive and not terribly eco-friendly. Still, by breaking that personal rule, the $6 investment in happiness (which was not outside our budgets) was going to produce some very high returns - and it did, considering that five minutes later we were both seated on the couch with our feet up and a cold glass of wine firmly in hand. But it took stepping back, and doing something previously not even considered as an option to create that happiness.

Lesson learned: in extreme situations, sometimes you have to break your own rules and displace your own ingrained tendencies in order to Choose Happiness.

Stone Nudes

2008-07-15T05:14:00.001-04:00

Rock climbing is one of the more uncommon interests I've picked up in my travels. For a while this spring I was climbing with some terrific girls, and it was only when one of them badly sprained both her ankles in a fall that we stopped going to Ladies Night at a local rock gym. I'm really looking forward to regular weekly climbs once I get to England in December.

But just the idea of rock climbing naked makes me wince. OUCH!

Sunday Morning Indulgences

2008-07-13T07:48:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Sundays mornings always feel special and luxurious to me, but this one especially so because of all of these wonderful indulgences:

*Starting a run in Central Park with classic 80's Madonna

*Running around the entire Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and completing a summer goal

*Buying a paper copy of the Sunday Times to share with your best friend

*Walking down Lexington Avenue at 7:15 on a Sunday morning and being able to sing along out loud with your iPod because the street is deserted

*A refreshing shower

*A soft bamboo t-shirt that reads "Choose Happiness"

*Homemade scones warm from the oven

*A whole pot of tea

*The thought that the whole day still lies ahead of you...

Bite out of the Big Apple

2008-07-13T04:33:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

Tennessee has come to visit! She arrived yesterday from a writing conference, and we had a lovely afternoon filled with fabulous things. A walk through Central Park past hordes of people coming in to hear Bon Jovi led us to Magnolia Bakery, where we indulged in a buttermilk cupcake with chocolate frosting (for her) and a red velvet cupcake with whipped vanilla icing (for me). Afterwards we wandered into Fresh and had our makeup done, just for the sake of fun on a Saturday afternoon, and continued wandering south towards Broadway where we sampled fresh currants at the Lincoln Center farmer's market just as they were closing up for the day. We were looking for the Chopra Center because their retail store supposedly carries the Tees for Change that we've both been eyeing for some time. I got the address wrong so we didn't end up finding it, but we'll probably make a trip back over there before she leaves on Tuesday.

Tennessee's purse broke yesterday, so we were on a mission for a cheap, functional, fun replacement bag. Of course, where else does one go for such things but the H&M flagship on Fifth Avenue - seriously, the best place to go for accessories. They have fantastically affordable sheer stay-ups and black hipster tights that don't cost a fortune or fall apart the first time you look at them. We walked out with a new bag for her, a few pairs of stockings for me, and the ultimate traveler's essential comfort piece: a giant, hemmed piece of stretchy organic cotton in a natural latte-like color that will do multiple duty as a cozy wrap, ultra-portable travel blanket, beach sarong, savasana cover-up and then some - for only $12.90. This is definitely the frugal girl's answer to the TranqiliT savasana throw, which is wonderful but a little out of my price range even if it is made out of lovely sustainable bamboo. Versatile pieces like this are key for the Ph.D. Pilgrim, traveling the globe with only what fits in two 50-lb. suitcases, a rollaboard, and a shoulder bag in search of enlightenment and a completed dissertation.

After a lovely dinner, we wandered back home for an early evening, and planned out our list of activities for today: breakfast over the Sunday New York Times in Central Park, the Met, the Bastille Day celebration on 60th, the American Folk Art Museum, the MoMA Design Store, and then dinner with her cousins. A full, wonderful day with one of my favorite girls in the entire universe!

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A little more about Tees for Change - I've been thinking about their Choose Happiness bamboo raglan for some time now, working up the nerve to shell out $32 for a t-shirt. But then Laugh Often went on sale, and I knew that I would regret not getting them. They are FABULOUS - a lovely thin bamboo fabric that is utterly flattering and wonderfully breathable. Plus I felt like I was spreading my "Choose Happiness" motto around New York, and actively working on #40 from my 1001/101 project.

WoYoPracMo Log

2008-07-11T06:31:00.000-04:00

NEW YORK, New York

July 5 - Malasana
July 6 - 90-minute Jivamukti podcast
July 7 - Malasana
July 8 - Malasana before bed
July 9 - Malasana while waiting at the JFK baggage carousel
July 10 - 60-minute"Inhale" yoga on TV

101 Things in 1001 Days

2008-07-11T05:01:00.002-04:00

My 1001/101 Project has moved - click here to read! And please stay with me during the project over at my new blog, The Prosecco Life.

NEW YORK, New York

Some time ago I came across the site Day Zero - home of the "1001 things to do in 101 days" project. I started work on the list before leaving for England, with the goal of setting my 1001 tasks to be completed by my thirtieth birthday: April 4, 2011. Officially this is 996 days from now, but I've been working on the list for the last few days and so I consider that legitimate - plus this gives me a very definite milestone date by which to have completed the tasks.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Global
1. Go on an ayurvedic retreat in Kerala
2. Visit the top of the Eiffel Tower
3. Send immediate family postcards whenever I travel
4. Go punting in Cambridge
5. Visit family in Belgium
6. Work on a WWOOF
7. Walk the labyrinth at Chartres cathedral
8. Have new pages added to my passport
9. See the Mona Lisa in the Louvre
10. Visit Kyoto
11. Tour a cheese cave (7.19.08 Murray's Cheese Shop, Greenwich Village)
12. Visit the Topkapi Sarai in Istanbul
13. Pick lavender in Provence

Culinary
14. Learn to roast a chicken
15. Develop a signature dish
16. Make a proper flaky pie crust
17. Grow a pot of herbs
18. Bake a loaf of bread from scratch
19. Make homemade pasta
20. Grill a steak medium-rare
21. Make homemade ricotta
22. Bake a homemade layer cake
23. Flip an omelette
24. Make a salad with edible flowers
25. Make gougeres
26. Grill a fish

Self-improvement
27. Learn to drive a stick shift
28. Learn how to whistle with my fingers
29. Floss once every day
30. Learn how to do and hold a headstand
31. Have an at-home spa evening once monthly
32. Learn to play a decent game of chess
33. Do an at-home detox/cleanse
34. Take vitamins every day for one month
35. Create a Happiness Project
36. Drink one cup of green tea every day
37. Own a closet made up only of flattering clothing I love
38. Listen to one French-language podcast daily to bring French back to conversational level
39. Write in journal twice a week
40. Choose Happiness consciously every day

Romance
41. Plan a weekend mini-break for two
42. Go out dancing specifically (either lessons or event)
43. Surprise partner with a gift for no reason
44. Kiss under mistletoe
45. Watch the sun rise with partner
46. Sing partner a song

Creativity
47. Take a beginning sketching class
48. Re-name the blog
49. Gain 100+ hits per week on blog
50. Blog once daily for a month
51. Post to blog at least three times weekly
52. Take at least two photos each week
53. Knit/crochet an item for someone else
54. Learn how to do a cable-knit
55. Meet another Hip Tranquil Chick in person
56. Indulge in a Hip Tranquil Chick event
57. Have a friend come visit me while overseas
58. Make playlists for five friends
59. Wear all white for one day
60. Drink pink champagne
61. Empty e-mail inbox every day for a month
62. Have a conversation in French
63. Pare skin-care routine down to cleanser, scrub, daytime moisturizer, nighttime moisturizer, eye cream

Fun
64. See a Puppini Sisters Show
65. Become SCUBA certified
66. Have ten dinner parties
67. Attend a performance of Handel's Messiah
68. Take a beginner downhill skiing lesson
69. Host a theme party
70. Sing karaoke
71. Make a piece of jewelry
72. Make my own facial mask or body scrub
73. Develop five new female friendships
74. Take a cinematic bubble bath
75. Take a tango lesson
76. See a free event in Central Park
77. Have friends over for mimosa brunch
78. Plan a major event to celebrate 30th birthday, funded by completed task account

Financial
79. Save $75,000 among all long-term acounts
80. Roll over/consolidate IRAs
81. Put $100 aside for every completed task and every task not completed by April 4, 2011
82. Have 10 no-spend days per month
83. Invest in Vanguard 500
84. Freecycle ten things

Health and Fitness
85. Run a 10k for charity
86. Run a half-marathon
87. Take a weeklong outdoor trip (hiking, cycling, walking, climbing, etc.)
88. Climb a solid 5.9
89. Develop a basic abdominal routine and do it daily for a month
90. Do a chinup
91. Practice yoga twice weekly
92. Practice yoga every day for one month
93. Have a Thai massage
94. Indulge in a four-handed massage
95. Run twice a week - even while in Beijing
96. Do a 90-minute yoga practice on my own (not with teacher or podcasts)

Career
97. Work on (write, edit, deal with logistics) dissertation for 30 minutes each non-holiday weekday until submission date
98. Give five conference talks
99. Earn Ph.D. by June 2010
100. Publish an article or have it accepted for publication
101. Find a job or a post-doc for after Ph.D.

Playing by New Rules

2008-07-05T07:03:00.001-04:00

July 1: 10 minutes restorative poses and breathwork before bed
July 2: 45 minutes podcast yoga
July 3: Ujjayi and focused breathwork while trail running
July 4: Remaining hip and tranquil during and after a long day of traveling when I might have preferred to become peevish and petulant.

At first, I thought it had been an inauspicious start to WoYoPracMo given that I've only had one "real" practice since July 1. But with the changes and improvements made here at Yogademia, it seemed that I should make my own rules for the July WoYoPracMo. I know that there are subtle ways to practice yoga while traveling: twists in an airplane seat, cow face arms on the train, perhaps a bit of triangle pose in the aft galley. But sometimes, when faced with stale recycled airplane air on an intercontinental flight or London/New York/Beijing subway cars that reek of overheated bodies, the last thing I want to do is stretch and breathe deeply. After a run, all I want to do is shower and nosh. And just doing the poses does not necessarily guarantee that I will be calm and yogic for the rest of the day. As any yogi knows, the difficult part is taking the practice off the mat.

This is not an excuse to avoid actual practice while still claiming my WoYoPracMo participation. I'm not giving up the practice! Instead, I'm going to look at July both as a way of getting back into the practice and as a means of finding more creative ways to work it into my life. There isn't going to be a set minimum time for a given practice, although I will mandate myself at least two hour-plus practices per week as well as a few minutes each day spent in a month's project pose. This month's new pose, Malasana, is great for opening up those tight hips that come from sitting for too long on airplanes and trains. But I will also try to bring in smoother breathwork while running (still difficult for me), more tranquility and humor in everyday dealings, more focus and concentration on my work, and more balance and calm amidst all the global movement. In this way, I might just be able to keep WoYoPracMo going on past July - which would be a real accomplishment in my book.

Making up one's own rules for any situation is a delicate undertaking. You have to be careful to ensure that you aren't following the given rules simply out of laziness or apathy. But if the rules are stressing you out more than they are giving you a structure for growth and improvement, then perhaps it is time to reevaluate how the rules can be expanded upon to encourage own potential. That doesn't mean you should go breaking laws, but when it comes to self-improvement, invoking a little more svadhyaya than normal can be a very worthwhile enterprise.

Proper English Holiday

2008-07-05T05:16:00.000-04:00

CAMBRIDGE, England

Whew! A whirlwind week of sunshine, sea breezes, rolling hills and not a single skyscraper in sight from Porlock Vale House. The weather was remarkably good, with only one rainy day that turned into a complete napfest. Plenty of walking, a good bit of sightseeing and a few very creative special events! Like the night we were told to dress up in black tie formalwear, and then discovered that our transport was a vintage open-topped double decker bus. The bus took us to a little steam train, where we sat down to a ploughman's dinner and an onboard murder mystery. There was just as much ham and cheese among the cast as there was on our plates, but it was a terrifically fun evening and a complete surprise to everyone because it had been kept secret the whole time!

Porlock is right across the water from Wales, which you could see most days but especially at night when the city would light up and twinkle at us as the sun was setting around 10 p.m. at night. Although this corner of England is known more for Exmoor park, cream teas, rolling hills and literary connections to Romantic poets and Lorna Doone, a little bit of Wales slipped over as well. The tiny medieval church in town, mentioned in the Wikipedia entry for Polock, was named for St. Dubricius, who turns out to have been a Welsh saint.

Several of us later spent a lovely day at Dunster Castle.

The weather could not have been more perfect, and all the flowers were in full bloom. Of course, no visit to an English castle is complete without a visit to the Crypt...or the Lemon House. And for all you curious kitties out there, here's Darcy taking photos at the castle - he's something of an amateur photographer, and this place had postcard shots around every single corner.

Other events of the week included enjoying our very own bouncy castle at the house, jogging with Darcy, yoga on the croquet lawn, long walks through the surrounding hills with new friends, kayaking on Wimbleball Lake, renting out the entire Lynton Cinema for a private showing of Gone Baby Gone and tour of the projection room, and more cream teas than were probably healthy for anyone. Nothing like clotted cream to really make a girl feel like like she's on holiday!

I'll be in England for the next several days before returning to New York, and now that I'm back in Cambridge we can all look forward to the regular posting schedule!

Simultaneous Health and Wealth

2008-06-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

This is a great post on How to Save Your Health and Wealth at the Same Time over at Marc and Angel Hack Life. They have some really terrific suggestions for staying healthy and saving money without feeling like a shut-in, such as this one:

"#9. Stay In and Hang Out – Your home is your haven. It’s the safest, most comfortable environment to relax and socialize in. It also happens to be a far cheaper alternative to the local bars, pubs and clubs. You can save money on gas and entertainment costs while avoiding a lungful of secondhand smoke. So login to eBay, sell some stuff you don’t use, buy yourself a Wii and invite over a few of your favorite people. Don’t forget to crank-up the tunes."

There is one tiny addition I would make to this particular suggestion: start having small dinner parties. No more than 6 or 8 people, use your good china if you have it or just enjoy the cozy, casual everyday pieces. You can grill, you can have a potluck, you can do it all yourself - but having people you enjoy over for a meal is always great fun, especially if you pick dishes that aren't too finicky or that guests can help make. Dinner parties can be as casual or as fancy as you like! But if you are feeling a little dressier, just throw a little cocktail party with a signature drink and some munchies, asking everyone to bring a bottle of wine.

In-home events are always worth the cleanup afterwards because they bring people together in a safe, fun, cheap environment and you can always just push the cleanup until the next morning if it gets too late. Or, if someone has too much to drink, they can always just crash on your couch. Maybe this way you'll inspire others to start entertaining again, too...

Made it safe and sound

2008-06-26T10:48:00.000-04:00

CAMBRIDGE, England

With flights as expensive as they are right now, I was extremely worried when this trip came up that I simply wasn't going to be able to afford to go. But when Mobissimo popped up a flight on Air India for even less that what Darcy and I had been paying in the spring, I jumped on it. I was a little worried about the flight, having flown a few overseas airlines that were HORRIBLE (*cough* Air China). Boy, were my fears unfounded! The personal in-flight entertainment systems were already turned on even while sitting at the gate and worked perfectly throughout the entire flight. The dinner was terrific Indian food - zippy chicken curry, a spiced cauliflower dish, and better rice than I've had in many restaurants along with a fresh little salad, a cup of rich plain yogurt, and halva. The seats had plenty of legroom, as well as foot rests which allowed you to give yourself a bit of a foot massage by rolling the soles of your feet on them. It was definitely the shortest-feeling flight to England yet!

Immigration was, unfortunately, rather the opposite. With all the redeye flights seeming to get in at once, the lines were horribly, horribly long, but it still only took me 3.5 hours from time of touchdown to get through immigration, across London on the Tube, onto a train at King's Cross, onto a bus in Cambridge, and into Darcy's house. The timing for all the different forms of transportation was just about perfect each time - green lights all the way, with just enough time for tickets but not enough time for a snack or water, unfortunately. Still, I made it in, and was greeted with a printed banner over the couch that read "Hello Kiki!" and all sorts of funny little notes about how to work the television, where to find snacky stuff, and so on.

But the best part? When I told Darcy he was a rock star for taking the time to do all that for me, he simply beamed at me and said, "I like you." How cool is that?

Off again tomorrow for Porlock!

Creative Dining: Fruity Arugula Salad with Chicken

2008-06-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

Dateline: Manhattan

Leaving again for the airport in a few hours, so it's time for a lunchtime Creative Dining for One post! This fruity salad is a great combination: the sweetness of the fruit and the creaminess of the cold cooked chicken balances the bitterness of the arugula perfectly. A few splashes of vinegar on the top adds another note of flavor and keeps the fruit from being too sweet and cloying. Perfect summer salad that is different from the same old usual salads!

Ingredients:
big pile of arugula
5 strawberries
12 blueberries
1/2 pear
bits of cold cooked chicken
balsamic vinegar

Arrange arugula on plate. Wash all fruit, throw on blueberries, slice or coarsely chop strawberries and pear. Top with bite-sized bits of chicken, splash a little balsamic vinegar on top. Sit in the sun and enjoy!

Meet Mr. Darcy

2008-06-24T23:04:00.000-04:00

Dateline: Manhattan

You could say that my love life over this past year has been somewhat complicated. From being royally dumped in November, to a brief and tumultuous rebound fling in January and February, to the date from hell in March. But somewhere in the middle of all that I met someone who has become rather special, and if you believe in Fate, this is a pretty good story.

In September, one of my senior colleagues suggested I apply for the Mellon grant at Cambridge that I mentioned recently. Over the winter, in grand twenty-first century style, I met a guy online and we started doing a good bit of e-mailing and video Skyping. Only catch that kept us from meeting in person was the distance: I was in Boston, and he was in Cambridge, UK. After much discussion, the setting of many ground rules, and a legitimate need to spend a few days at the institute at Cambridge offering the grant, we decided to meet in the UK. It turned out that his office is a five-minute bike ride from the institute where I needed to be. We had a terrific week that included a lot of playing outside, plenty of great food and many wonderful conversations. But because of the distance, my wacky travel schedule, and the fact that we met unconventionally, actually starting something needed much more thought and discussion.

So we continued writing and video Skyping through the spring, and right after I moved to Manhattan, he came for a visit. Another dreamy week of playing outside, great food and wonderful conversations, and at the end of the week, despite all the impending time and distance complications, we decided that we would regret not giving a relationship a chance. And then my Mellon came through, meaning that I would have ended up at Cambridge in the winter regardless.

The funny thing is, even if we hadn't met over the winter, we would have met in the long run. Every Tuesday, at the halfway point between his office and my institute, a burrito truck sets up shop at lunchtime. I love Mexican food, and would definitely have gone for burritos every week, which means that we would have encountered each other there. Whether we would have worked up the nerve to talk to each other is another story. Yet I can't help believing that the universe is perhaps making just a little bit of a point. Of all the places in all the world to apply for (and win!) a grant, and then to meet someone completely randomly who lives and works right there...it's rather a large coincidence, if I do say so myself.

I've been thinking for a while now about what his pseudonym should be. Something involving climbing or rowing, two of his favorite activities? Some pun using the word "Brit"? Some multipurpose descriptive adjective, like Thoughtful? Nothing felt right, until Optimista and I ended up watching the tail end of Bridget Jones's Diary and sighing over Colin Firth. Then I caught a cold, and needed more comfort films, which means Colin Firth. And who is everyone's favorite romantic hero? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, of course. Everyone, meet Mr. Darcy, new love interest and all-around great guy with quite possibly the cutest accent ever.

Tomorrow I'm off to England for two weeks, to spend a week with Mr. Darcy and a group of his friends in a great big house in Somerset. We'll be hiking, climbing, and generally getting plenty of fresh air at Exmoor National Park. My mother's response was this youtube video from her favorite musical. Not quite what is planned, but still amusing. Next post will be from the UK...

Carrie Bradshaw Syndrome and Mad Money

2008-06-22T12:09:00.000-04:00

Dateline: Asheville Regional Airport

The great failure of the American educational system is the lack of instruction young women receive about personal finance. At no point in college is there a class that teaches you about investing, managing debt, saving for a first home, and the like. Financial freedom is incredibly important, especially for women, and unless your parents explain that, you might just find yourself with Carrie Bradshaw syndrome: the tendency of young women to acquire thirty pairs of shoes before they acquire $30,000 in retirement assets. If you shop at Marshalls or TJMaxx, acquiring thirty pairs of shoes is as easy as rolling out of bed in the morning.

It's hard to enjoy putting that pair of strappy clearance-rack sandals back on the shelf and tucking the money into a retirement account. But this post, over at Girls Just Wanna Have Funds, presents the idea of "Mad Money." It's a girl's escape fund to help her out of a bad situation and to rely on for herself alone in case of emergency. It's not a shopping fund, or to pay for that last-minute weekend deal to the Caribbean. It's to help ensure a woman's financial freedom in case something goes horribly, horribly wrong and she has to get out fast.

It comes down to a question of personal safety: a girl wouldn't (and certainly shouldn't) walk through a dark parking lot alone at night without her keys ready in her hand, her senses on full alert, and maybe even a can of pepper spray. The same idea applies in taking full care and responsibility for one's personal financial safety. The author of the post points out that perhaps you won't need your Mad Money - maybe you save it up for ten years and use it for a fabulous anniversary vacation. But it should always be there as an emergency fund. As the author says, "You can’t buy security, but you can make yourself feel more confident and secure. Confident, secure women have healthy financial lives and happy relationships. And if by some freak of bad fortune they don’t have these things, they have Mad Money accounts to help them get back on track."

Product Review: Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser

2008-06-22T06:18:00.000-04:00

Dateline: Asheville

With all the travel restrictions on liquids, creams and the like, I'm a complete sample-size junkie. Often these are sent to me through the mail by my mother, the Queen of Free Samples. This weekend, I was impressed to discover that my Asheville hotel's sample-size offerings were all Neutrogena, including the Fresh Foaming Cleanser, that claimed to remove makeup and cleanse simultaneously.

As a Noxzema lover with dryish skin, I was rather skeptical that the Neutrogena would take my eye makeup off without leaving me looking like I'd been scrubbed raw. And I hate washing my face before bed, because I can't stand all the steps required when I do wear makeup. But wow - the Neutrogena cleanser took it all off, including eyeliner and mascara, and didn't even leave smudges on the towels. I've used it for three days straight now, and it hasn't dried out my skin or left me with raccoon eyes to scrub away in the mornings before a run. Very impressive! Definitely a keeper.

At this point I've pinched enough of the sample-size cleansers from the hotel to last for quite a while. But this product is good enough that it is a strong contender for the international toiletry list that I'm working on decluttering my toiletries down to for August.