Finally...time to relax!

I love my weekend jaunts to places like Boston and San Francisco, but they really take it out of me energy-wise.  I felt like I was just constantly sleep-deprived and was really looking forward to a weekend of lounging around in my pajamas drinking tea.  The weekend was a little rainy and cloudy - basically perfect for curling up on the couch with some tea and a book :)

In a related story, Mini has recently discovered that she can jump onto high surfaces.  She used to feel confined to chairs, beds and couches but no more.  Now, no table, counter or windowsill is out of her reach.  It is terrifying.

Tea, and cat photo bomb

Delicious new tea from Boston



I DO WHAT I WANT



I also did a little shoppin' this weekend, and bought a new dress at Anthropologie.  I saw it on the rack and thought hey, that dress would be perfect for work.  Well when I tried it on I realized that it does not feel necessarily work-appropriate.  I think if I wore it with tights it would be fine, but the fact that the hem is longer in back than in the front makes it feel more revealing, maybe?  Regardless, it makes me look like I am 8 feet tall (I am not) and have the legs of a gazelle (I do not) so - purchased!

Work-appropriate?  You be the judge.

On Saturday we went to dinner and the opera!  The show was Madame Butterfly, which is probably my favorite.  It's my Taj Mahal of operas - I expected to be underwhelmed because it is so famous, and ended up being completely blown away.  Puccini...the man knows how to write a melody.  Plus Kelly Kaduce rocks the shit.  Also it was way too cold and windy to be exposing my bare legs to the elements, but this did not stop me from wearing my new dress out.  Take that, weather.

We kicked off the evening with a sushi dinner at Sakura.  Butterfly is set in Japan, so it seemed like an appropriate choice.  Despite the host's strong recommendation that we make an early reservation, we breezed through dinner with two hours left until the opera.  What to do?  Drink, obviously!  



Perusing the menu



Salad and seaweed apps



More tea!



Sunday was brunch with my parents, more relaxing, and re-organizing our bookshelves. Super exciting.  In the evening we went to my friend Ellie's birthday party, and then to Tessa's for GAME OF THRONES.  As I mentioned in my last post, I wasn't so hot on the second book, so it's not too surprising that I am a little lukewarm on the second season of the series.  Some plotlines are awesome, others get boring quickly.  But every line out of Peter Dinklidge's mouth is GOLD.  Pure gold.  I would watch the show for his scenes alone.

Yoga last night was awesome.  The theme was "patience," and we worked on...hamstrings obviously.  Monday night was the intermediate/advanced class so we built up to Titibasana (Firefly) and Kurmasana (tortise pose). 

Kurmasana
(source)

Titibasana
(source)

Patience is definitely the key especially with Kurmasana, but I surprised myself by actually being able to get into the pose!  Normally I get claustrophibic and freak out, convinced my hips/shoulders/other body parts will break if I try to go any further.  But this time, I just took it one step at a time.   Stop, breathe, inner spiral.  Go a little deeper.  Stop and breathe, inner spiral again.  By the end I was basically flat on the ground.  Who knew??

Anyway, there's your little yoga inspiration for the day.  Just be patient and you too can squash your upper arms into the ground using your thighs.  Hooray!

Five Things 12/16/2011

Five things I can't get enough of at the moment...

~New Album from Doomtree~
One of my favorite local acts just released a new album, and I can't stop listening to it, and I even helped convince my manager to buy a copy - spreading the word. This is one of my favorite tracks:

~This~

I found this Hermione/Bella meme on George Takei's Facebook page and it basically articulates everything I hate about Twilight (and also everything I love about Harry Potter. In a related story, it turns out I am totally satanic. Oops. )If you don't follow Mr. Takei on Facebook, I highly suggest you do so.

~The Rest is Noise~

Alex Ross writes about music both classical and contemporary in a way that is eloquent and insightful. I could, and often do, procrastinate other things I should be doing by losing myself in his blog for hours. See: his analysis of Copland-esque music in Rick Perry's campaign ads, his lambasting of Lars von Trier's use of Wagner in Melancholia, and the fact that he respects Bjork and Radiohead as much as he does Bruckner and Beethoven. I read his first book shortly after college and can't wait to get my hands on his second.

~These earrings~

I'm not a person who buys a lot of jewlery, and especially not expensive jewelry - almost everything I own comes from Target or Francesca's, or local designers. But every once in a while, I invest in something that is worth every penny. These Marcia Moran earrings are totally one of those purchases - they are classic but just a little different, and I've gotten tons of compliments on them. It looks like the price has gone up since I ordered them but they're still available on Open Sky! (Disclaimer: I do not like Kristin Cavallari, nor do I have any affiliation with Open Sky. I just really love these earrings).

Top photo courtesy of OpenSky.com
Bottom photo courtesy of my bathroom mirror (I always hate buying jewelry online having no relative context for size)

~Benefit High Beam~
I am also not really a makeup person - tinted moisturizer, bronzer, curl my eyelashes and out the door is my usual routine - but I used High Beam a lot right after college and for some reason when my first bottle ran out I didn't buy it again. Probably because I was broke at the time. But a few weeks ago I got a free sample at Sephora, and suddenly I was unsure how I'd managed to survive the last few years without it. This stuff is great for giving your skin a nice glow when it's cold and dry outside.

Photo courtesy of Sephora.com

TGIF! Tonght I'm headed to hot yoga, then to a party at my friend Tessa's parents' house with Ben and a couple of other college friends. One week 'till Christmase Eve-Eve!

They say time flies...

...when it is the WEEKEND! Saturday and Sunday flew by far too quickly, and now I'm back to the daily grind. Ben started work last week too - his students don't actually show up until after labor day, but the teachers have all started and are in the thick of curriculum planning.

Anyways, I kicked off the weekend by helping my little sister get tatted up! Julianna has been wanting a tattoo for a years and on Friday she finally went to St. Sabrina's for her appointment - I met her there and we got ice cream afterwards, and then went home to say hi to Ben and watch part of the Twins game.

Handing out Thank-You cards in person = saving on stamps!

The tattooed foot - all bandaged up

We also had time after the tattoo appointment to shop at one of my favorite stores - Patina on Lyndale. Every once in a while I come across a product that makes me think, "I have no idea who ever decided to make this or why - but I'm SO glad they did!"

Kali Mints!

Seriously. Who sat down and thought I know what will be a GREAT gift idea - curry-flavored mints based on the hindu goddess of death and destruction. EVERYONE WILL WANT THEM.

Well...everyone may not want them. Which is probably why they were on the 50% off sale shelf. But I want them...and that's what matters, right??

On Saturday we spent the whole day at the MN Renaissance Festival, which is pretty much a yearly event for me and my close friends. When my friend Tessa and I were little, we were totally obsessed with dragons - not much has changed! We went to a free beer tasting hosted by Schell's, a local brewery out of New Ulm, and wandered around enjoying the festivities.

Yesterday Ben and I hit up the Kingfield Farmer's market. The Kingfield market is the only one within walking distance of our place, but it's only open on Sundays and choir starts up again the week after next so we've been trying to get there as much as possible.

The Chef Shack - a local food truck favorite

Fresh local raspberries in an adorable carton

Melt-in-your-mouth sandwich cookie from Bramblewood Cottage Bakery

On our way home, we stopped at a playground - I can't get enough of playgrounds.

I am a huge nerd...but you already knew that

Ben really likes candid shots...

For dinner, I chopped up some potatoes and summer squash from last week's farmer's market bounty. I wanted an indian-inspired preparation, so I tossed them with coconut oil, salt and curry powder before roasting.

We served them alongside farmer's market salmon (also baked in the oven) and some fresh fruit for dessert - I love late summer fruits and will be so sad when they are gone :(

Hope you all had a great weekend, too!

Picture Perfect

Well, here's a bit of what I've been up to this weekend:

A little of this...

A LOT of this...

A lovely date with my husband (!!) at our favorite spot, Lucia's...

...and since we couldn't decide which dessert we wanted, we got two to go :)

After choir this morning we met my sister for brunch at the Happy Gnome, and then spent some time goofing around on a rather terrifying piece of playground equipment. Apparently playgrounds are designed to frighten children these days...

And then we made a little trip to Target :)

I've been wanting a DSLR for at least a year, so I put one on our Target registry knowing full well that no one would buy it for us, but hoping that a few guests would chip in to help us out... and so, using a combination of gift cards and cash, we are now the proud owners of a Canon EOS Rebel T3! We're looking forward to taking lots of amazing photos on our honeymoon and beyond :)

It's like the things never end!

Sorry for the lack of posting, we had the second weekend of immersion 2 so that combined with starting to move stuff, combined with a few wedding things put me a bit over capacity. I even backed out on some things, including a school-related event that I was actually really excited about but that would have involved a *late* night, when I realized that I was totally wiped out about halfway through the day on Saturday, and Sunday started with a 2 hour arm balance class at 9:30. You can't do everything though right?

Yesterday was school-free so I planned on having that be a day full of moving and accomplishing many things. I started out being super productive and adult like - I organized all of my clothes for packing, changed the battery in my smoke dectector like a motherf***ing champion (in the words of Hyperbole and a Half), set up my new Xcel account, took an entire load of boxes over to the new place, and drove up to my parents house to pick up some more boxes. This was when I realized my wedding invitations came in.

Wait what? I have to address all of these? AND move my stuff from one place to another? AND get DirecTV and internet set up? AND read for class tomorrow.

The critical mass of responsibilities had been reached; system failure ensued. I drove home, sat down on my couch, listened to the Twins game and played my guitar for three hours and went to bed without accomplishing anything of value. It will all get done eventually...just not right this second.

Also, in the process of packing I've realized I may need a 12 step program:

And yes, they are organized both alphabetically and by genre. And this isn't even all of them.

Philosophy...

Various nonfiction....

Music books and opera scores...

Poetry...

....and fiction....

...more fiction...

....even more fiction....

My name is Kristina and I have a problem.

......

OK possibly two problems.

More things I am loving

1) Salman Rushdie When I discovered Rushdie a few years ago, I immediately wanted to devour everything he had ever written. Shalimar the Clown was the first book I'd read in years that actually made me cry! I know Rushdie probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but I just love him - his writing style is like poetry and the worlds he creates are fascinating and full of magical realism. His new book, Luka and the Fire of Life, is a sort of sequel to Haroun and the Sea of Stories which I haven't read, but I think it stands on its own. I haven't finished Luka yet, but I'm really enjoying it and it's a quick read - if Alice in Wonderland, the Scott Pilgrim series, a Miyuzaki film and Salman Rushdie were to all get together and have a beautiful love child it would be this book. More than just an adventure story, Luka takes a broader look at stories and the role they play in our lives and, while it acknowledges that today's kids are growing up with their own, new stories based in video games and technology, and we have to fight to keep the old traditional stories alive, it asserts that there is no reason these two worlds can't coexist and compliment each other. Plus how can you not love lines like this:

"Now it so happened that the moment when Luka shouted out in anger was one of those rare instants when by some inexplicable accident all the noises of the universe fall silent at the same time, the cars stop honking , the scooters stop phut-phuttering, the birds stop squaking in the trees, and everyone stops talking at once, and in that magical hush Luka's voice rang out like as clearly as a gunshot, and his words expanded until they filled the sky."

... who doesn't know exactly what that feels like? :) If you love reading and nerdiness, and want to check out Rushdie I'd recommend starting with Shalimar... I think it's probably the most accessible while still giving a good introduction to Rushdie's style of magical realism. Midnight's Children, while also awesome, is so full of allusions and metaphors involving Indian politics and history that you'd pretty much have to read an entire textbook to really understand it...which I did not do.... and The Enchantress of Florence is lovely as well. I've been meaning to pick up The Satanic Verses, but I haven't had a) a large chunk of time, or b) a chance to read up on my muslim theology... I learned my lesson with Midnight's Children and knowing the subject matter of Verses I don't want to make the same mistake twice!

2) Organization!! Did I mention I'm in total denial about that whole moving thing? Yeah... over the last few days I've been busy re-arranging all my closets and cupboards. I love these glass door built-ins in my apartment... they give me motivation to keep my dishes neatly stacked :)


3) Helpful Books So as it turns out, there's like, a whole ceremony thing that goes along with the wedding? What's up with that? I'd been so busy planning the music and food for the reception (aka party time) that I completely neglected the actual part where we get married. Like, we have to say stuff to each other. And other people have to say stuff. Ack! Luckily, one of my yoga friends recommended this book to me:


Since our officiant(s) isn't planning the ceremony for us we're basically on our own - which is great because it means it will be more personal, but also scary because it means a lot more work for us. This book is great though, and it even has a section on co-officiated ceremonies. Hooray!

4) Things that smell like summer I pretty much can't get enough of anything that smells or tastes like a coconut. I also have a mild obsession with body products, and Pacifica is one of my favorite lines - they're quite committed to using natural ingredients, no animal testing, and no sulfates which are harsh on skin. So, when I saw this new scent at Sephora this weekend I had to snap it up. Here comes the sun (and hopefully warm weather...)!

5) BASEBALL!!!

It's that time of year again...the time when we embrace the smell of grass, the taste of beer and mustard, and the agony of losing to the Yankees on the road. Oh wait, no we don't embrace that last one... but those other things are good. Also good - Victoria's Secret has baseball gear! I snagged one of these as my annual Twins gear purchase:

Not cheap but also not any more expensive than buying one at the ball park. We actually looked at why sports fans pay such high prices in my Corporate Strategy class last fall - fascinating analysis of value created and value added, but I won't bore you with it here :)

Go Twins! Oh yeah, and my baseball blog I share with Ben, Peanuts From Heaven, is now on Twitter! Follow us and you too can be party to the snarky commentary and random humor that is PFH. DO IT NOW.

In with the new

Due partly to being a student with no income, and partly to the upcoming wedding/honeymoon situation which is going to be quite expensive, I decided shortly before Christmas to do my best not to buy anything I didn't absolutely need until I start work in June. This is going to be HARD. Part of why I'm posting it here is to keep me honest - Ben is also helping to keep me honest.

So, logically, this post is about all the new stuff I got this weekend!

Don't worry, I didn't break any rules - all of it was stuff I either didn't buy, or didn't not need (aka, I needed it, but for some reason the double-negative seemed appropriate here).

On Saturday I went shopping with my dad - even though I'm a real adult now, we still have our post-Christmas tradition of going shopping for my present(s) and then having dinner somewhere fun just the two of us. This is honestly one of my favorite days of the year - my dad and I hang out a lot but for some reason this day is always really special. For example, my dad never, ever, tells me what to do with my life but on our post-Christmas day two years ago we had one of the best, most life-changing (for me) conversations we've ever had (if anyone wants to hear the story, I can post it at some point. It sort of relates to my upcoming wedding). We hit up the Anthropologie sale and Len Druskin and came away with the following spoils:

I LOVE the skirt... I tend to gravitate towards pieces with fun details, and this is totally work-appropriate too. The bathing suit was mostly because I have Thailand on the brain...but check out the cool tag! Just about awesome.

Now on to the things I didn't not need. While in Istanbul, I realized how old and worn out my running shoes are, so my sister and I made a trip to Run n' Fun today. She stocked up on new shorts and socks and I got these babies (please ignore disgusting boot tray):

They're the same brand I always buy (Asics) but I upgraded one level to the Gel kind...they're super comfy, I can't wait to go running in them once the temperature gets above 0 (barf). And last but not least... the absolute necessities (aka necessary to pass my classes). Some of these are for school, some are for the yoga immersion:

So that's about it! A fruitful weekend, but now I have to read a ton of articles about healthcare for my evening class tomorrow. Wheeeee....