Under the Knife

This entry has three sections that are in no way related to one another:

Part 1: Piano Madness
Last night I went to the Schubert Club International Artist Series with my parents (and without Ben... we have season tickets but we just have a ton going on this week, and he needed to take a night off to grade papers. Understandable. I did remind him that he could just draw grades out of a hat...but apparently that is not ethical.

Anyways, the recital was amazing and Watts rocked it out with an all Liszt program. If you're unfamiliar with classical piano repertoire, Franz Liszt is known as the greatest piano virtuoso of his time, and he wrote music primarily for his own performances. The man was basically a rock star - at the time, he was sometimes derided for his flamboyant performances and harmonic exploration and innovation, but the ladies did love him. I mean, look at this sexy mug - how could you not? Plus he apparently had huge....hands....

Rawr

And thus ends your nerd-tastic music history lesson. You're welcome.

I also noticed a glaring error in my list of things that irritate me - I somehow forgot to mention loud breathers. It might seem like I'm breaking my streak of no complaining, but I'm really not - I am just stating facts.
Fact 1: Loud breathers irritate me
Fact 2: One happened to be sitting behind me last night at the concert.
That's all...no complaints. Only true statements of a neutral character.

Part 2: Further thoughts on Yoga and Positivity
This whole "no complaints for a week" thinng has me thinking about real hardship, and I sometimes wonder if, by being all "don't complain, be positive and awesome!!", I am doing a disservice to true hardship. There's a huge difference between being a whiner about waking up at 5:30 and going through something really life-shattering. Then I read Christina Sell's blog yesterday, and I think she says it better than I ever could:

"I am not someone who believes that everything we experience in life makes us
stronger. I have watched plenty of people make mistakes, suffer terribly due to
life's ups and downs and experience tragedies from which they never recover. It
is not the case, in my opinion, that hardship makes us better people. I do
believe, however, that it can. I believe that difficulty holds within it
the power and possibility to elevate us and our awareness to new heights. I
believe the apparent "bad thing" has the potential to become our most
profound teacher, but I also believe that the circumstance itself holds no
guarantee that it will do that for us. The difference, in my opinion, as to to
whether or not difficult experiences strengthen us or destroy us has to do with
how well we are able to make use of them. The answer to growth is not on the
side of the circumstance. It is on our side, as students of Life."

Part 3: Under the Knife
And on a totally unrelated note, Mini is at the vet today for her spay surgery. I know I shouldn't be nervous but I totally am. I've mentioned before that having pets gives me a terrifying preview of what I will be like as a parent...and the fact that I can barely concentrate on work right now is not great. I also wigged out during my dad's hip replacement and my sister's appendectomy...if it was my own surgery I'd just be like "whateves guys I can handle it," but when it's someone I love I get super worried. I think I probably have an extreme amount of empathy...this has been confirmed by both Strengthsfinder and Meyers Briggs, and we all know if it comes from a personality test then it must be true...? Anyways I'm sure she's fine.

KITTY.

Bah.

No Complaints

The number of things I find seriously irritating number in the bajillions - I realize this makes me sound like a negative person, but what it really means is that I just enjoy a good rant. I will rant about anything for any length of time, and I've been told that it is hilarious. I'm glad my rage amuses people. My list of pet peeves includes but is not limited to:
- People who walk too slow
- Kim Kardashian, and really anyone who makes serious $$ while contributing nothing to the world other than their ability to exist on the earth
- Bike commuters who refuse to follow traffic laws
- Edible Arrangements
- Arguments that are not backed by logic
- Politics
- Celery (unless raw and topped with PB and raisins...ants on a log FTW)

Cyber Monday is not on my list, but it is for sure on my yoga teacher's list, and yesterday her extreme irritation with Cyber Monday pushed her to the breaking point. She was then inspired to... give up complaining for two weeks. Not to fling her computer across the room in a blind fit of rage, cursing Banana Republic, Target and their OMGAMAZEBALLZZZ deals. She gave up complaining. For two weeks. Yoga, people...it works.

To keep herself honest, she announced this in class, set her intention to check in with us next Monday, and invited us to join in the fun. I mentally added this to my list - no complaining for a week at least.

The real challenge in giving up complaining isn't so much the external ranting as it is the internal negativity - the downer thoughts that float in and linger when we aren't paying attention. Despite my tendency towards ranting, I consider myself a pretty positive person - but once I started paying attention to my "inner complaints," I was shocked. This isn't to say I've discovered I'm a horrible grinchy person - just that in general, our negative to positive thought ratio is probably much higher than we think it is.

I'd had at least 10 negative thoughts before I even got out of bed in the morning. Most of them were along the lines of "it is toooooo freaking early" and "cat, if you stealth pounce me one more time I will destroy your face." Just normal morning thoughts.

But guess what happens when I force myself not to be negative - I am approximately 85,000 times more productive. I had a bit of a rough morning at work...mentally anyways. It's a long story, and I don't talk about work on the blog, but on a normal day I would have really let it get to me. Today, I chose not to. I'm not saying it was easy, or that it happened right away, but the second I made myself stop thinking things along the line of "this succckkkkkss.....," I immediately started building a solution, and channeled my rage into work. Lots and lots of work. Powerpoint slides and excel spreadsheets galore. It was glorious.

Again, I'm not saying I am normally a negative, mopey person (I'm not). Or that the goal of your life should be to create brilliant excel spreadsheets (it shouldn't). However, I will say that the first lesson I've learned of my week sans complaining is that negativity is a black hole of productivity. Once you've reached the event horizon of bitching and whining, there's no way out, although some have been known to escape using chocolate or pictures of fuzzy kittens. OK so maybe it's not exactly like a black hole.

Giving up complaining. Try it, friends - you might be amazed.

Thankful

I guess this is really yesterday's entry...but since I chose to spend yesterday interacting with the people I love instead of blogging about them, it had to wait until today. Since I have the day off and actually have time to write for fun, here is a list of a totally random number of things I am thankful for, in no particular order.

1. Ben

OK I know I said this was in no particular order, but it would be foolish not to list him first. My best friend, partner in crime and nerdery, occasional handstand spotter and amazing teacher of rowdy teenagers. This guy.... I tell you.

2. Family

All of them - my parents who live 20 minutes from me, and my aunts, uncles and cousins who live halfway across the country. The ones who were my family before July 9, and those who became my family after...I am grateful for every single one of you.

3. These Five:

Tessa, Alex, Julianna, RT, Alisha...you ladies are amazing. I can't thank you enough for your love and support, and for everything you did to make our wedding amazing! I truly couldn't ask for a better sister, cousin, or best friends. Just...you rock. That's all.

4. Yoga

The practice itself, my teachers, and especially the Anusara kula I've come to know and love over the last year. I am humbled an honored every day.

5. Local music that blows my mind

Dessa, Doomtree, Cloud Cult, Trampled by Turtles, Caroline Smith, Atmosphere, etc. I could go on and on

6. Neil Patrick Harris

Self explanatory

7. Single Malt Scotch

Yes.

8. Victor Hugo

Everything he writes is magic.

When the night is serene it is a depth of shadow, when it is stormy it is a depth of smoke. This limitless expanse witholds iteslf from man, and at the same time offers itself to him; closed to experimentation, but open to conjecture. Innumerable points of light make the bottomless darkness blacker still. Gemstones, scintillations, stars. Presences identified in the Unknown; fearful challenges to those who would approach the lights. They are landmarks of creation in the Absolute; marks of distance in an expanse where there are no distances; a numbering system, impossible but nevertheless real, for measuring the depths of space. First one shining microscopic point, then another, then another; an imperceptible presence, but vast. The light we see is a spark; the spark is a star; the star is a sun; the sun is a universe; the universe is nothing. Any number is zero when compared with ifninity.

9. I know I just did a literary one but.... Rumi

Every human being is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, shame, and malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from the beyond.

10. The local food movement and all the amazing co-ops, farmers markets and restaurant owners that are making it happen

11. Bon Iver/Justin Vernon

... for this:

...and this:

...also this:

12. Bull Run Coffee

For being so close to my home, and for making amazing and delicious lattes. And for always having free dog treats.

13. Autumn in Minnesota

14. Gainful employment

I know I complain about having to sit in a cubicle all day, but I really am incredibly thankful to have a job at a company I believe in, doing work that challenges me, with people I enjoy.

15. These rascals

Mini and Sidney, the two greatest pets a girl and her husband could ask for

16. Airplane travel

For getting us to amazing places like India and Thailand.

17. Amazing choral music, and the opportunity to sing it

18. My body and my health

19. Harry Potter

20. Butternut Squash

Thank you for being so delicious, and for being on sale at Lunds last week.

20. You

Whoever you are - all of my friends, family and anyone else who happens to read this. Thank you.

If home is where the heart is...

...then the office must be where your laptop is....and today my laptop is sitting on my bed so...not sure what that means exactly. Ben has the day off and I only have a couple of meetings, so I decided to work from home - an option that's really pretty much always available to me, but I try not to take advantage of it too often. It really is usually helpful to be there in person, and also I know it wouldn't look great if I regularly didn't decided not to come into work just because I didn't feel like putting on real clothes.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about working from home but I've gotta say... I LOVE it. On a normal day, going to work involves waking up super early, showering, taking Sid out, feeding Sid and Mini, drying my hair, having breakfast, getting dressed, taking Sid out again, and driving 15-20 minutes to the office. Today, "going to work" involves rolling out of bed, throwing on sweatpants, taking Sid out, and turning on my computer. Boom. Done

Normal workday

...today

The only slightly weird thing is that, because my work computer mysteriously refuses to connect to our home wireless network, and our ethernet cord is in the master bedroom, I am currently working from my bed.

On the one hand, the idea of working productively in a place that is normally reserved for sleeping is kind of messing with my brain. On the other hand, it's a nice room with lots of natural light...and my bed is super comfy. And I have a kitten napping next to me while I work.

...office?

Ben and I walked down the street for a lunch date in the middle of the day, which was such a nice treat...it's really great to be able to spend so much time with him during the day, and I honestly feel like I am just as productive at home as I am in my cube at work.

This whole "work from home" thing sort of begs the question...are offices becoming obsolete? I don't think they are, necessarily - there's definitely something to be said for being able to talk with people in person, or drop by a colleague's desk to ask a question - but I think working from home more often should be encouraged as a regular choice, instead of something we have to have a huge justification for.

At the end of a day in the office, I sometimes feel totally drained just from sitting at a desk with flourescent lights glaring down on me all day. Today, I still feel totally energized at 4:30. Obviously this isn't something I can do every day, and there is value to the social environment of an office, but I might start taking advantage of the work-from-home option on days when there's not much need to be physically present.

The human body just was not meant to be in that environment for 9-10 hours every day, and I think the workforce in general would be much better off if we honored that. There's no reason we can't be happy, balanced and productive. Just my two cents.

\

our return walk from lunch

my new co-worker

Gotta wrap things up here at the "office," and then we're off to choir. Tomorrow, Ben and I are having a baking extravaganza, and in the evening we're heading to Ben's parents house for dinner! I'm really excited that our families are getting together for Thanksgiving...but bummed that we won't really all be together. My grandmother hasn't been feeling well and actually was in a minor car accident a couple of weeks ago, so my mom flew out to be with her in Montana over Thanksgiving. They'll be in my thoughts, and I am thankful that my grandmother is OK and no one was hurt in the accident, but sad they can't be with us tomorrow.

Mom and Grammy, if you're reading this - we miss you!

Eat lots of turkey and pie tomorrow everyone - that's what the day is for :D

Poof

The opera last night was fantastic - and the story was such a great reminder that across the world, despite our outward differences and conflicts, we are all connected in our humanity.

MN Opera's sets are always amazing

Adults.

Also, I seem to recall promising you guys pictures of Sidney post-groomer. Hard to believe our wild and feral pup of the earth would, only hours later, be transformed into...this:

Who am I?

How could you let this happen to meeee....

hides his head in shame

I'm sure the real Sid is still in there somewhere - a good roll in the snow or two should do it. But, he is clean and that's what counts! Meanwhile, Mini decided to make her presence known lest we forget that we do in fact have more than one pet:

I can wash your hair?

bleh

What.

The Anusara Immersion was great - so fun to see everyone again, but sad that some people couldn't make it :( Great practice, great snacks - and I almost got into full king pigeon! I've been working on it for a few weeks, but I have really tight shoulders... it'll come eventually :) That's one of the many things I love about yoga - I never feel like I have to push myself to "achieve" a certain level or pose. I have total confidence that my body is physically capable of every single pose in the syllabus, it just takes commitment and practice.

Now we're just hanging out watching Party Down Season 1 on DVD with dinner and a glass of wine. At this time last year I probably would have been writing a paper on a Sunday night...nope, don't miss homework at ALL. Giant comfy sweatshirt, yoga pants, and wine - yesssss....

Another weekend gone, another Monday morning upon us...but luckily this week isn't too bad, because it is extra-short! I'm in the office Monday and Tuesday, and working remotely (from home) on Wednesday, and then... holiday weekend!!! Happy Thanksgiving week, all :)

Poof

The opera last night was fantastic - and the story was such a great reminder that across the world, despite our outward differences and conflicts, we are all connected in our humanity.

MN Opera's sets are always amazing

Adults.

Also, seem to recall promising you guys pictures of Sidney post-groomer. Hard to believe our wild and feral pup of the earth would, only hours later, be transformed into...this:

Who am I?

How could you let this happen to meeee....

hides his head in shame

I'm sure the real Sid is still in there somewhere - a good roll in the snow or two should do it. But, he is clean and that's what counts! Meanwhile, Mini decided to make her presence known lest we forget that we do in fact have more than one pet:

I can wash your hair?

bleh

What.

The Anusara Immersion was great - so fun to see everyone again, but sad that some people couldn't make it :( Great practice, great snacks - and I almost got into full king pigeon! I've been working on it for a few weeks, but I have really tight shoulders... it'll come eventually :) That's one of the many things I love about yoga - I never feel like I have to push myself to "achieve" a certain level or pose. I have total confidence that my body is physically capable of every single pose in the syllabus, it just takes commitment and practice.

Now we're just hanging out watching Party Down Season 1 on DVD with dinner and a glass of wine. At this time last year I probably would have been writing a paper on a Sunday night...nope, don't miss homework at ALL. Giant comfy sweatshirt, yoga pants, and wine - yesssss....

Another weekend gone, another Monday morning upon us...but luckily this week isn't too bad, because it is extra-short! I'm in the office Monday and Tuesday, and working remotely (from home) on Wednesday, and then... holiday weekend!!! Happy Thanksgiving week, all :)

Into the Wild

This morning, we took Sidney and met our friends Emily and Eric at the dog park. As far as we know, he's never been to an off-leash park so we wondered how he would handle it, but nothing could have prepared us for how thoroughly Sid would embrace the wilderness.

Emily and Eric brought their dog Emmy - Emmy was Sid's "sister" for a few weeks when he was a foster at their house (we actually found Sid through Emily :) ), so at least there was one familiar face.

At home, Sid loves three things:

1) Napping on the couch

2) Napping on the bed

3) Eating

At the dog park, Sid loves other things:

1) Running and bounding

2) Barking

3) Becoming one with the earth

It didn't take long for this to happen:

How did I get in this lake?

We totally did not see it coming. He just bounded in like he owned the place. After his dive in the lake, and subsequent run through/faceplant in the mud and dirt, Sid decided that the woods were his home.

I fly unseen through the wild forest...the trees are mine

This log is mine

After his adventures, our formerly white dog looked like this:

Oops

Good thing we'd already planned on taking him to the groomers this afternoon. Now he looks much different -I haven't uploaded the pics yet but um...he looks hilarious. Poor Sid. They floofed him and it is ridiculous.

It also seemed that we picked the right time to head home, because by 12:30 it was SNOWING. As in, white stuff on the ground. Luckily, I was prepared:

Best tea on the planet

This mug makes me laugh

Mug of tea in hand, I turned on the Frank Sinatra Holidays station on Pandora and set to work putting together some paper snowflakes! The snowflakes came in a kit from paper source and were a bit of work to assemble ... they also called for extra materials, some of which I didn't have, so I had to improvise a bit.

Mini totally snuck up on me while taking this photo. Luckily she didn't actually destroy all of my hard work, but it was close!

Tonight, Ben and I are headed to the opera! This means I have to put on respectable clothes on a non-work day, but that's cool. I'm really excited to see Silent Night - the story is based on the screenplay for the film Joyeaux Noel by Christian Carion, a recounting of the Christmas Eve truce that took place on WWI's western front. MN Opera tries to incorporate a new work or premiere into each of its five-show seasons, and Silent Night is a world premiere. Can't wait to see it!

Tomorrow I'm skipping choir for the Immersion reunion! In case you're wondering what the heck that is...two of my teachers held a 100 hour Anusara Immersion last year and I took the plunge and did all three parts! The immersion is a deep-dive in to Anusara immersion and philosophy, delivered through practice, lecture and conversation. It's also a pre-requisite for teacher training, and to be honest, I think every TT program should have such a prerequisite. I had such an amazing time, and even though I've seen most of my immersion friends since we finished in June, I can't wait for us to all practice together again!

Have a great Saturday night!

Apple Cinnamon Hot Cereal

Our shower is broken.

Well, not broken exactly, but broken for the purposes of me using it. It just started draining reeeeeeeeeally slowly one day, in the mysterious way that shower drains do. I tried cleaning it out with a wire hanger and pulled a TON of crap out of there (you don't even want to know... just what happens when two people with hair use the same shower for an extended period of time), but there seemed to be little improvement so Ben got out the Liquid Plumber. That made it worse. Not Ben's fault, obviously, but now we can't really use our shower.

As a result, I've been going to my local CorePower Yoga a LOT lately - partly because I love me some daily yoga, and partly because...they have showers that drain properly. This morning I went to a 6am class, showered (glorious), dried my hair, dressed, grabbed a coffee and still made it to work in time for my 8am meeting.

On mornings like this (and I anticipate there being more...) I obviously don't have time to make breakfast before I leave, so it's nice to have something pre-made and portable to throw in your purse. May I humbly suggest this Apple-Cinnamon hot cereal? Warm and comforting, topped with honey and coconut milk, it can make even wading through gajillions of e-mails in the morning seem rather pleasant.

Or not. E-mail is ridiculous.

I'm providing two versions of this "recipe" - one that makes two servings, and one that makes a ginormous batch of six servings that you can use throughout the week, along with super-complicated instructions for storing and re-heating (read: not complicated at all). They should theoretically turn out the same, since I use the same ingredient ratio for both, but textures of the large and small batches are quite different. In two serving version, the grains stay much more separate and intact, and the large-batch version is a lot mushier- more like oatmeal. I can only assume it's because the large version takes longer too cook, allowing more time for the grains to break down. Either way it's delicious. Enjoy!

Two Serving Version

Large Batch Version


Lovely Apples

RECIPE: APPLE CINNAMON HOT CEREAL

I really hesitate to even call this a recipe, since much of the credit goes to the brilliance of Bob's Red Mill...but I think it's worth sharing :)

2 Serving Version
- Butter (very small amount)
- 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain Hot Cereal
- 4/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 small apple, chopped/diced into small pieces (roughly 1/4 inch - no need to peel them)
- Cinnamon - enough to coat the apples as they cook (roughly 1/2 tsp maybe? see photo above
for a rough cinnamon to apple ratio. Sometimes I don't measure things)
- Coconut Milk
- Honey

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add a small amount of butter (maybe 1/4 teaspoon) to the pan with the apples and sautee for a minute or so. Add the cinnamon and continue to sautee, stirring occasionally until the apples begin to soften.

Add the cereal to the pan and stir to mix apples and cereal together. Then add water and milk, stir to combine, and lower heat to medium-low. Cook until finished. Serve drizzled with coconut milk and honey to your taste. I know, it sounds weird but I highly recommend that you don't skip the coconut milk and honey - they really take it to the next level.

Large Batch Version
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill 5-Grain Hot Cereal
- 2 cups water
- 1/2ish cup milk
- 3 small apples, diced into 1/4-ish inch pieces (again, no need to peel the apples)
- Cinnamon - enough to coat the apples (see photo above)

Follow the same instructions as for the small batch version - just be aware that 1) this version will take longer, and 2) you'll probably have to stir the cereal more often as it cooks, as it will be more prone to sticking to the bottom (unless you have a non-stick pan)

To make it portable, I put one serving into a screw-top jar the night before, added a little extra water as well as the coconut milk and honey. This morning - grab jar, throw jar in purse, warm up in the breakroom microwave at work. Done.

You could also easily make this vegan by using coconut oil instead of butter, and subbing almond or soy milk for regular.

Happy Wednesday, all!

Everyday Shri

It's that time of year - when you leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark. I felt a little depressed today as I walked out the door towards the parking lot, and realized the stars were out.

But when I saw how vibrant and blue the sky was, I almost didn't care.

Photo courtesy of abstract.desktopnexus.com

I don't even know

At my work, we are required to "badge in" every day - this basically means we wave a security badge in front of a sensor near the door, the door magically opens for us like in some crazy CIA movie, and we are allowed to enter the building so we can stare at spreadsheets and attend meetings for several hours. Not that my employer does any crazy top-secret work - just when you have a bajillion employees and multiple offices there's no way the desk security agents can recognize each employee.

This week, I forgot my security badge not once, not twice, but three times. Thrice, if you will. The first time, the security agent just nodded pulled my employee ID number up in the system and let me through. The second time, he laughed, shook his head, and joked that I kept forgetting my badge so I could continue having riveting conversations with him and I was all "oh haha, no I'm just ridiculously forgetful" (fact).

The third time he longer amused - probably because I was so embarassed that I tried to sneak past him and ride the wave of someone else's badge (against company rules btw) and he totally caught me. Out loud, he said "Ma'm do you have your badge today?" but his eyes said "Seriously. Again??" He even made me take a temporary "visitor" badge, probably to shame me into remembering. Luckily, it was Friday and I had the entire weekend to get my shit together and regain my dignity.

The problem was, I ventured away from my system. I'll fully acknowledge that I am probably the most forgetful person ever, and have many systems and mechanisms to prevent me from losing all sorts of important things. I always put my credit cards, drivers license, passport etc. in the same place in my wallet. All of my keys (including car keys) are attached to a lanyard with several keychains that is so massive there's literally no way I could be without it and not notice. My mechanic told me it's bad for my car's key...ignition...thing (yes...) to have that much weight on it, but I explained that without that lanyard I probably couldn't function normally.

My dad is convinced I just don't try hard enough to remember things -but after 28 years of life, I know better...this is just how my brain works. No matter how hard I try to change, I will always be an extremely forgetful person, which is why I've developed random and sometimes inconvenient tools to prevent me from forgetting important stuff.

My security badge always goes in my purse as I leave work. Always. But last Tuesday, I left it clipped to my belt loop and it ended up on the futon in our second bedroom. Where it stayed for the remainder of the week. Such is life. As soon as I got home on Friday, put the badge in my purse, and this morning I walked proudly into work with my head held high, plastic laminated ID badge gleaming in the sun. I'm back, bitches.

So disappointed...

For at least 10-15 seconds during yoga tonight, I somehow managed to convince myself that it was Saturday. The realization that it was, in fact, Sunday night came as a rude awakening. In any case, we had a great (if too short) weekend. Friday night involved a lot of this:

Curled up on the couch with Community, a warm and comforting bowl of soup, my amazing husband and two fuzzy friends - a great, relaxing start to the weekend!

The soup is Heidi Swanson's "A Good Soup for the Sick" from 101 cookbooks - I added kale and collards for some greenery

dawww.....

DAWWWW....

Since we adopted Sidney, we've gotten into the habit of getting up early on Saturday so we can take him for a good long walk. There are three necessary components for a successful Saturday morning walk - coffee, a puppy, and a beautiful lake path. Check, check, annnnd check!

8oz Black Miel from Bull Run - my favorite drink from my favorite local coffee shop!

Lake Calhoun

And puppy :)

Sid behaved himself quite well, and only barked at a couple of other dogs. His interactions with his peers are quite odd - when he meets another dog, he's fine until they've been sniffing at each other for a few seconds. Then, he flips out and starts barking like crazy...but when we remove him from the offending dog's presence he starts whining like "hey guysss why are we leaving our new friend?!?" So we've come to the conclusion that he doesn't actually hate other dogs, he just has terrible social skills. Barking = friend making...right? No, Sid. False. We'll get there.

We went to two parties on Saturday night - I really wanted to spend time with both groups of people and would have preferred to stay for all of both parties...but I didn't want to miss either so we had to split our time. We started out at my friend Ellie's place for a potluck with a few friends of mine from grad school. The food was fantastic, but the highlight was definitely Ellie's dramatic reading of... well... I don't want to get into too many details, but let's just say it was hilarious.

"...the accused then plugged his nose and proceeded to jump in to the water, yelling 'I'm not scared of you!"

From there, we headed north of downtown to my friend Emily's place for board games and wine! It was a great time. I know board games sounds totally dorky...and it is...I'll own my dorkishness any day. Only great things can come from an awesome group of people, a few bottles of wine, and charades. True story.

Emily, Tyler, Amanda, Ben, Justin, Biz...good friends, good times.

Portrait of a Tyler. The bow tie confuses me.

This morning after choir, I had a great afternoon at my parents' house while Ben was running errands. I haven't been up to their place in six weeks - since I cat-sat Maggie - and I love being there in the fall. They live on a lake in the woods, and the leaves are just beautiful. I went for a walk with my parents, and then had a long chat with my sister Julianna, who was there working on her CV for grad school applications. My little sis is an adult...how did this happen??!?

In a related story, Mini has recently discovered her long-suppressed love for empty paper bags. Leave a paper bag anywhere and within approximately one nanosecond she is all over it, driven wild with excitement by the endless possibilities of a portable cavernous space with handles. Earlier this morning she managed to get her head stuck in the handle of a Whole Foods bag - unperturbed, she proceeded to wriggle her entire body through the handle.

Inspired by this earlier success, while I was gone at yoga she decided to try the same trick with a Patina bag containing my new, very glittery Christmas wreath. The result was that the wreath went for a joy ride through the living room, glitter was all up in everyone's business and I'm still picking sparkles off of the cat. Wreath is fine. Cat is bejazzled. Living room has been vacuumed... just a normal day.

The traumatized wreath

Now, Ben and I are having a Bollywood extravaganza! Homemade hyderbad-style Mango Chicken (thanks Ben!), Kurkure and a Shah Ruk Kahn film... perfection.

Yes.

Happy weekend everyone! And if you actually managed to stick it out and read this entire post about my somewhat lame and boring life...I now reward you with this photo:

The cuteness may kill you. Seriously.