Health Dish For The Weak: Roasted Bone Marrow.

Yeah... So I know that four years ago when I tried it, I said I would never eat it again.  Even though it was delicious.

Well here it is years later, and a fellow Bikram teacher (and fitness model/chef) wrote a post about a recipe she put together for Roasted Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad.  It sounded too delicious and simple, I had to try it.

So yesterday I went to a butcher in the West Village and picked up three small bone pieces, which were super cheap... As well as the rest of the ingredients...

Parsley, lemon, shallot, capers, cornichons, baguette...

Then I dropped the marrow pieces into a pot and popped them into a 400 degree oven...

Super simple...  Didn't need to put anything on them, just simply put them in a pan on their own and pop into the oven.

Only 15 minutes and they are done.

You serve with the Parsley Salad and some the baguette, toasted.

The toast is for spreading the bone marrow onto.

Looks creepy... But is really, really good. And good for you.

Short List Of Reasons To Live: January 29, 2012.

The past two weeks have been filled with travel.  It's actually been a very busy travel month so far. I am ready for it to be a little quiet on the travel front for me. Gives me a chance to settle in a little.  And it's definitely something that makes my Short List of Reasons to Live this week.

• No Travel. Like I said above... Not having to head to an airport this week, and being able to be home in NYC is lovely. Can actually commit to a schedule of Bikram classes and get some much needed stuff done at work.
• The Ringer. It's about to get real, people! The show returns this week with new episodes on the CW. I am amped for this how. The sexy Kelly sisters are enemies and crazy... And there was cliffhanger shit mid-season, and I am dying to see how it gets resolved. Bet it just gets crazier.
• The Husband Visits. I love it when people ask when my husband is moving to NYC... And I respond with, "Not anytime soon." They look confused and then ask, "But don't you miss him?" Truthfully... A little. But I see him every day on Skype.  And we seem to visit each other every other week lately. Then with how busy our jobs keep us, we really don't have time to get lonely or miss each other. So far, this is working. And he visits this weekend.
• The Super Bowl. Now, please don't think I suddenly have an interest in sports... In particular, football. Sports bore me. Always have. Always will. But you can bet I will be watching the Super Bowl this coming weekend. I will forever and ever be a Boston fan when it comes to sports. So I am jazzed about this game.  My old home town taking on my new home town... GO PATS!!!! 
• Providenciales Vacation. Only 11 weeks to go till I head to the Turks and Caicos. Laying under an umbrella, wearing 100 spf sunblock, reading books and watching the waves... I can hardly wait.

Enlightenment For Sale.

From my walkabout around the yoga studio neighborhood...

Buddhas for sale at a local garden store.  Only $23.99 each. Sales tax not included.

Funky Door Yoga.

Probably not the smartest move... But my time is so sparse here in San Francisco this week that the only time I could guarantee myself a Bikram class while here was this afternoon... Two hours after I landed from a six hour flight.

It made for a rough class. But I was able to do 90% of the class. So I am not going to judge myself negatively.  Flying in general really dehydrates you. And flying for six hours really takes its toll on you, no mater how much water you down on the flight.

The studio I practiced at was Funky Door Yoga on Polk Street.

Such an awesome studio!

The place has a really good vibe too. There were no attitudes there. The teacher was compassionate.  And she was efficient.  And the class was lovely and packed.

It was like being back in Boston to practice. San Francisco and Boston...  Two cities with highly intelligent teachers and awesome Bikram teachers. Go figure.

Short List of Reasons To Live: January 22, 2012.

I seem to have regressed back to my teen years this past week.  I have broken out on my cheek and my chin...  I am having to deal with some catty gossip...  And I have immersed myself into another Young Adult novel by Stephanie Myer.

It's like I am 13.

But this week will allow me the opportunity to feel more adult with the following Short List of Reasons to Live:

• SAN FRANCISCO! I have a business trip to San Fran this week. The company is having an off-site, and we're bringing the leads of our client teams. We're also visiting some vendors based in the "San Fran area."
• Funky Door Yoga. Yep, with a trip to San Fran... There is no way in holy hell I could pass up an opportunity to practice at the legendary Funky Door Yoga studio. It is a Bikram studio. And with my schedule in San Fran this week, it will allow me time for two classes.
• Decision Time. Part of being the boss means getting to make some decisions on the direction of my piece of the business. I have some decisions to make this week. And I am looking forward to making them.
• Gipsy Lipstick. I picked up a lovely new shade of lipstick last weekend, Gipsy by Nars. It's a shade of coral-red... And it's fabulous. Just as fabulous as the Tom Ford True Coral I picked up last month.
• Providenciales Vacation. We are booked! The Husband and I have decided that we will be taking our annual trip to the Turks and Caicos this year around my 35th birthday (in April). So now begins the countdown to the trip. Expect to see this one on the list EVERY WEEK.

Designer Coffee Cup Sleeves.

Talk about extravagant!

I guess Jimmy Choo needed something to do with all of those leftover scraps of leather from making shoes and bags. What better way to use up resources than make them into coffee cup sleeves?

Pretty.  HOWEVER.... Not so pretty? The cost. Buying one of these bad boys will run you $165. For a coffee cup sleeve.  For something you will get dirty.  And probably lose.

I would never buy one. But good for Jimmy Choo for being resourceful. I'll stick to the homemade ones my sister-in-law made me for Christmas.

Golden Globes Style: Some Love. Lots of WTF!?!

I am not a fan of awards shows. The only reason I have even bothered watching bits and pieces of them at all in recent years is due to the eye candy.

The style! The glamour!

So last night, I caught a wee bit of the red carpet pre-show for the Golden Globes. Then I watched Ricky Gervais's monologue. (LOVED IT!) Then I tuned out.  That's just how I roll when it comes to these things.

And now, I wanted to take a moment to dissect what was worn.

OVERALL: I was split. There were ones I LOVED. And ones I really HATED. And everything else in the middle was just "boring."

The Big Winners:

Sophia Vegara - LOVE! She can do no wrong!

Tilda Swinton. Either love her or hate her. I think she is divine.

Sexy and graceful. Charlize Theron.

Dame Helen. Hope I am this hot in my 60s!

Love the color. LOVE the Wonder Woman-like belt on Emma Stone!

The Big Losers:

Was she going for a "Blood & Honey" look to complement her movie? Ugh, Angelina.

Hi. My name is Nicole. And just like with Botox needles jabbed into my forehead (which never moves), I like to have my gowns jabbed with studs.

What the fuck? No really. SMG, what is this shit?

Totally get it. You just had a baby. But you could have tried a little harder to bring less frumpy and more sexy, Maya.

Really, bitch? This is the Golden FUCKING Globes. Not high tea at the Peninsula Hotel. You had a sexy show (American Horror Story). And this is how you pay your respects to Ryan Murphy for giving you awesome writing?

Bergen Patent Leather Wedges.

Sitting in near-zero (Celsius) temps up here in Toronto today has me dreaming of Spring.

SPRING IN NEW YORK!

By the time mid-April rolls around, I am hoping to be in darling peony-bloom-like skirts, cropped blazers and these...

By Jimmy Choo. Hot pink wedges. I mean, really, how can you not love?

Short List Of Reasons To Live: Janary 15, 2012.

Going into the third week of the new year already? Time is escaping me.

This is largely due to the fact that I am totally off the rails with my Bikram 101 Challenge. And, also, the being vegan part. I feel like if I was doing better with the challenge, I would feel more in tune with time.  But there is a lot of travel this month and a lot of stress. So I am suffering in my challenge. But just like Bikram says, "Never too old to start from scratch again," this new week provides the opportunity to reset myself.

And with that, here s my Short List of Reasons to Live:

• Finally have both my GOES pass and Nexus pass... Can come and go quite easily between US and Canada. 
• The Husband. Spending a few days with The Husband, unexpectedly, is very nice. 
• Victory is mine! May finally get to do something that I have been wanting to do for two months. (Code.) 
• It's "new Vogue" week in the month. Have decided to put me first and work further down the list. Resetting myself.
• Golden Globes fashion.  Looking forward to dissecting what was a very boring sartorial parade.
• Vacation planning. Sometime this week, I intend to sit down and really plan out my vacations for this year. I want to see a lot this year. And some of it I want to do completely solo.

Vivre Dans Deux Says. (Living In Two Countries.)

On average, I have been spending about 20% of my time in Canada each month.  This is what I expected it to be once I moved to NYC. How long will I keep doing it for though?  Who knows. But nearly two years ago I predicted that I would do it, and that I'd do it for two years.

Maybe I know myself better than I thought?

Anyhoo...

Going back in forth between the two countries so often has made it necessary to get a GOES and Nexus pass, so that I don't have to do the long lines at customs when I land in each country.  I just got both of these in recent weeks, and let me tell you it is worth it.

But beyond the customs lines, the two residences to maintain and only seeing The Husband most nights via Skype, there are things that have taken some adjusting...

• Remembering all my pin codes.  I have one for my US bank card. One for my Canadian bank card. And one for my Canadian credit card. And each is totally different.  When I land in each country, I move the proper cards to a special place in my wallet for easy access. But I always have to remind myself what the pin code is before I use it. I often type it in wrong at least once.
• Starbucks lids. Random? Yes. But I have to stop and remind myself each time I come back to Canada now that at Starbucks they don't put the lid on your hot beverage for you. I believe for health code reasons you have to do it yourself.  (Or something like that?) But whenever I get a cup of coffee, I always want to say, "Hey! You forgot my lid!" Then I remember which country I am in, and dismiss the feeling of lack of customer service.
• People use their change. In the States, people aren't as likely to count out all their change when paying for a purchase. We often just use our debit card, and don't carry cash.  But in Canada, I've gotten slowed down by someone wanting to pay with a substantial amount of change.
•  Internet content. Noting like hearing all about how Lana del Ray totally bombed on SNL last night and wanting to catch the video of it, only to be told "This content is blocked in your region" when I try to click it.  I have to remember when I am up here that I don't have the viewing freedom that I do in the States.
• Processed food sometimes tastes different.  Must be all that fresh Canadian air affecting my tastebuds, eh? Er. Wrong.  Different food requirements up here for processed foods. And this, somethings taste differently than they do in the States because the government up here actually cares and pays attention to what gets put into the food supply.  And so, Corn Pops up and Ritz Crackers up here don't taste as sinful as they do in NYC...  And thus I want them a lot less.
• Metric versus Imperial.  Always have to pause and think when reading measurements. Centimetres versus inches.
• The History Channel is channel 43, not channel 40. I am always forgetting which channels are which between the two cable systems. 

These are all that I encountered today. Who knows wat will discombobulate me tomorrow.

My Saturday Evening.

Off to Toronto tomorrow...  And tonight I am staying in an enjoying being curled up in the warmth of my couch with the following...

Tea and glossies.  International glossies at that.  It took all my patience i the world to score the French Vogue. There was only one left of the stand at Barnes and Noble.  And some young gazelle with pin straight black hair and porcelain skin snagged it before I could, along with the Vogue Nippon.

She flipped through the Vogue Nippon, and then set it down.  But she kept the French Vogue in her hands. I had a feeling she would put it down... But she sensed my hovering and desire for it.  So I took a walk, in hopes she would put it down. Sure enough, after the third walk around, the young thing surrendered the magazine back to the rack.

Victory is mine!

Kicking The Java Habit.

Make no mistake. You're reading that headline correctly.  I seem to have inadvertently kicked my coffee habit without even intending to.

Pourquoi?

It started nearly two weeks ago when I met up with my family in Disney World (yes, you're reading that right). Each morning, I would get a coffee to wake me up... But I would only drink about a third of it before we were off and running around.  By the time I got back to NYC a week later, I was exhausted and my chest hurt from eating so horribly over the trip. So I wasn't craving coffee. Or any disgusting food.

Instead, I was craving water.  

So since then, each morning when I wake up, I drink a glass of water.  And then I drink Yerba Mate tea while at work.  And you know what?

I feel so much better!

My chest doesn't hurt.. And I've had far less feelings of "oh man, I gotta puke!" in certain poses in Bikram this week. 

I will still, most likely, enjoy a cup on the weekends.  As I do love the taste of coffee. But for now, it's not a daily habit. And who knows if it will return.

Short List Of Reasons To Live: January 8, 2012.

Ah yes. With the new year, I am bringing back my commitment to write this weekly post. And this time, it's going to stick!

So I give you this week's Short List of Reasons to Live...

• Mockingjay. I am halfway through the third book in the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series. I devoured the first book in five hours straight. Then read the second book while at Disney World last week.
• Bikram. Been a way a week... And have quite a few classes to make up for my challenge. Fun times. But as I like remind my students before class, "Everything you need to get through the class is inside of you."
• My office. I finally have an office again at work. This may not seem like a big deal... But I didn't realize that even though I was taking a step up in position with my new job that I would be taking a step down in office accommodations. And it ended up being a big deal to me, as I had just come from a job where I spent months dictating what a new office space would look like.  And I not only had my own ridiculously large office with large windows, I also had a couch. But now I have an office again. And can now be as loud as I want when I talk. (Not that I was quiet when I sat at a desk in the open.)
• Back in work mode. It's been two weeks since I went on vacation. I am very ready to be back in the office, because I have quite a bit of "stuff" with which to deal. My lackadaisical brain is shutting down... Aggressive and productive brain is ramping up.
• New Hampshire Primary. Aww yeahhh!  It's election year again. And from here until late summer, the entertainment is being provided by the Republican Party only. And highly entertaining it is. The crazies have come out... And they aren't afraid to open their pie-holes. The debates so far have been a good time. But it will be fun to see what happens this Tuesday, and if anyone else drops out as a result.

One Lucky Duck Pina Colada Shake.

One of my favorite places in New York City is One Lucky Duck. It's a fairly quick walk over to Chelsea Market in my neighborhood, where it resides. That location offers snacks, shakes, smoothies and juices. All vegan. All organic. All awesome.

Today, after a successful trip to the Apple Store (to reset my new computer, after I messed up the file transfer when I got it last week), I popped next door to score myself a Pina Colada shake.

Pineapple. Coconut. Coconut water. Drizzle of agave syrup. Squeeze of lime.

Easy enough for me to try to make it myself at home.