If You Build It

A few weekends ago my friends and I found ourselves in/near Boston.

You can find this on Wellesley's Campus.

The Wang Campus Center desgined by Mack Scogin Merrill Elam.

Making More Packing Less

I'm challenging myself to choose 5 foods that I eat/drink that I can make myself to reduce packaging.

The winners are:

Veggie Burgers
Yogurt
Sprouts
Bread
Hummus

Ever since I found out that NYC doesn't recycle plastic containers, like the ones hummus and sprouts come in, I have felt awful about buying them and throwing these packages away. I think that the yogurt will be the biggest challenge.

rawr

If you were to donate or "gift" one of these animals as a present which one would you choose?

First I would scratch the crocodile off the list.

He might as well stop trying now because I'm pretty sure he is on the bottom of most peoples' lists.

The camel might want to join the croc on the rejected list.

I'm pretty sure that the photographer was showing bias as well.

I'm choosing the goat... he looks like a jokester.

I think we could have a good time...

Whoever has a birthday next is getting a goat. Well not really... but there is a goat involved.

to the TEA

After giving up coffee about 6 months ago, I have been drinking a lot of tea. When I was a coffee drinker I felt tea didn't have enough taste to replace my addiction to coffee, but now I find myself really enjoying tea.

Around the same time that I had given up coffee I stopped drinking alcohol (temporarily) and we found ourselves at Sympathy for the Kettle on St Marks place on a Friday night.

This night was one of my favorite Friday nights. I could actually hear the conversation I was having with my friends, I didn't spend much money, and it was very relaxing. Might become a common thing for me.

Travels

I have a credit card that gives me travel points. Last September I went to Germany...

and drank too much beer at Oktoberfest...

and wandered.

I just reached $100 off of travel again. Now I can't stop thinking about where to go next.

Visit The Expat Architect in Brussels?

Iceland, because JustFoster wants to help save their economy?

Prince Edward Island or Quebec, because it's a recession and I should spend less?

Stay in the US? Maine? So close but I've never been there.

BedTime

I wouldn't say that these beds were very comfortable...

but they did make for wonderful people watching.

Banana Choconut

Dessert or Dinner?

Finally made that Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. I choose dessert.

weekend warmer

What are weekends for if not...

...Night time walk across the Manhattan Bridge

...Biking, Exploring, Walking, Ice Cream

...A First of Birthdays

work is for treats

Molten Chocolate Cupcake

f I could eat you again, I would.

GARDENS... made by guerrillas?

If you are going to get in trouble for trespassing it might as well be with a spade in one hand and a sunflower in the other.

Guerrilla Gardening started in New York in the 1970's at a garden between Bowery and Second Ave on Houston now known as the Liz Christy Community Garden. The idea behind guerrilla gardening is to reclaim neglected land by rejuventating it through gardening.

(photo: www.lizchristygarden.org)

(photo: www.lizchristygarden.org)

One of my favorite ideas in guerrilla gardening are seed bombs. These allow a quick sneak attack to occur. Sometimes I imagine a similar result when I throw and apple core into neglected landscapes. Apparently these seed bombs often contain seeds as well as fertilizer which I guess I eat away with my apple cores.

Sometimes even gardeners get in trouble...

Gina Badger has some really interesting studies and installations of nature/landscape interventions and exhibitions. (I found this while searching for seed bomb photos)

SNOW PATTERNS

My office looks onto Trinity Church's cemetery. The grave markers looks like braille from up here, especially when they are surrounded by snow. It's too bad I didn't have a real camera.

PLAYFUL PARIS

While we are reminiscing...

WARMER WEATHER

We are so close to warm weather it's hard to avoid reminiscing about last summer.

I (HEART) VEGGIES

Today, I found the website for cenyc (Council on the Environment of New York City), while trying to find out if the Grand Army Plaza farmers market was still running this time of year.

They have a wonderfully informative website for the eco-concious New York City dweller. It covers topics like Farmers Markets, Green Living, Education, Recycling, etc.

MY favorite part of the site is the list "Chef's Who Buy", a list of restaurants that buy produce from local farmers (during harvest season). It inspired Justin and I to choose one restaurant off the list each month to visit. I think that our first visit is going to be to Rose Water in Park Slope. Since we are not eating out anymore this will provide our once a month restaurant dinner.

I also learned that I am over recycling. I've been recycling anything plastic that is #1 or #2 but apparently NYC only recycles plastic bottles and jugs. Now this gives me a bigger push to make my own things like hummus that come in those little platic containers.

This is starting to make me think about last summer when we snabbed some treats off the Urban Farm at PS1 in Queens.

I picked some cherry tomatoes, but you could pick a Katie or a Justin.

WEEKENDER

This weekend I spent time doing things that I haven't done in awhile.

Like...

Biking and Spending Time Outside

and Baking a Full Meal from Scratch.

PLUS today I finished a Book! I can't tell you how long it's been since I accomplished that.

Mornings.

It's amazing how viewing mornings differently changes the whole day. Hitting snooze is like telling yourself you don't want to start the day. Everything starts at that moment.