A Saturday Morning in September

As you can see, Hadley beat me to the yoga mat this morning. The pup's got 
an earnest, if a bit limited practice. She mainly sticks to upward dog, 
downward dog and sphinx pose. 
In the bottom image she demonstrates Savasana.

This bun is about as polished as I wear my hair the past few seasons. I'm noticing that no matter 

how fancy the brands of my pieces of clothes get, the hair stays the same. Messy, easy, fast.

Reflections on a Busy Day

The Yom Kippur fast went fairly smoothly. I did start the day with cucumber water and several dried apricots. Lately I've been getting dizzy and lightheaded as soon as I feel hungry, so I didn't want to take any chances. I did get a headache from the lack of coffee, however. 

Today I'm stepping away from the home office today [and leaving behind this rambunctious little one]

[[not before taking us both on an hour-long sunrise walking adventure]], to do work at my beloved Influx. They use my favorite Cafe Moto roast, and I crave their coffee every single morning, especially in a mug.

I'm still working on the Paris Travelogue & from the looks of my schedule, it'll probably take another week or so of compilation. I'm working on it a few minutes a day, wherever I can squeeze in a break. 

This is going to be an organization-centered weekend. Everything from X-P o l l i n a t e Studio projects to thesis to personal projects. Loose papers have accumulated everywhere. The de-cluttering is long overdue.

Foods I've been enjoying this week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

potatoe gallette | yummysupper.blogspot.com

Pear + Apple Tarte | smittenkitchen

sesame seed Challah | David Feldman's grandma's Rosh Hashana recipe

Breakfast for Dinner | My Favorite!

  yogurt pancakes + blueberries

Yom Kippur | S E P T 2 5 2 0 1 2

For those who practice Judaism, at sundown tonight is the beginning of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. It is the day of atonement, and is sort of like a cleanse for the soul. Actually, not just the soul, as one fasts for 25 hours, starting at sundown tonight to sundown tomorrow evening.

A few tips:

so the trick is just to cut back on this. if you can...

1. try not to drink too much coffee today, as tomorrow the withdrawal will hit you hard, rendering your fast unneccesarily challenging. Personally, that is almost an impossible feat, as I drink coffee, for the taste and for the caffeine, pretty much always.

2. stay very well hydrated

3. don't eat a huge meal tonight for the Meal of Cessation [or Seudat Mafseket]

4. Get lots of sleep. Maybe even a nap after services & before Break the Fast dinner tomorrow night!

So the first suggestion may be a bit late, as you could've done well to quit the coffee & other addictive liquid drinking several weeks prior to fasting. But still, I'm trying it today. No coffee. And considering that it's already noon, I'd assess that things are going quite well. Minus the pounding headache above my right eye.

To all a happy & sweet New Year & an easy fast!

Paris Travelogue | Partie 01

I'll upload more as soon as I compile the photos!

back from Paris!

before I share the incredible experience in France, I have to share this bit of domestic politics. As always, Jon sums up nicely...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/jon-stewart-fox-news-romney-47-percent-video_n_1899787.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

Have I Forgotten that I'm a Francophile!?

It's four days until I fly through Detroit all the way to Paris, my cherished city. When I lived there in 2003 it hit me hard. Sunk into me. The last 9 years of my life have been eventful, however,  and I'm suspecting that with a formal education in architecture and practicing in the design field, aaaand now being familiar with life in NY and Seattle, will leave even a bigger impression than my experiences living there as an exchange student.

"Viens, viens ici," the city whispers to me. As I do a mad dash between projects to secure Paris Design Week activities, Anthony Bourdain recommended eateries, artisanal coffee roasters and cafes, and cutting edge art galleries, I ask in disbelief: "Have you honestly forgotten what a francophile you once were, oh sensitive girl? Doesn't the sound of someone speaking French make your heart beat fast? And what of your architecture thesis, didn't your premise begin with the notion of flanerie?"

I have a lofty goal of organizing all of the tours, hints of places to visit, getting lost and eating into a graphic pamphlet of sorts before Sunday morning. But that's mostly a dream as there are 3 project deadlines approaching in the next two days.