29.9.12

Bak-ed




This was my Friday night: homemade apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream, an old thriller film, a comfy couch, and a very cuddly boyfriend. It was just perfect. The first of many cozy fall evenings.

How did you spend your Friday night? I hope it was delicious.




25.9.12

Instantly Gratifi-ed.




Look out world, I've finally downloaded a mobile blogging app! (Yes, I understand I am severely behind the times!) I am typing this from a moving train and while I find it very exciting, I also can't help but feel like I've sold out.

Yesterday evening, I took a run along the Hoboken waterfront as the sun was setting against the skyscrapers across the river. It was a gorgeous afternoon, a perfect fall crispness to the air. My music was shuffling just right and I was inspired to pause and snap a quick photo on my iPhone before heading home.

I often think about how much the world has changed since I was a little girl. Growing up, it would have seemed like science fiction to imagine that I could take my phone on a run with me to play music, snap a photo, make a phone call and play a game of Scrabble all at the same time. While I don't disagree that it's amazing, it also makes me yearn for the days when things moved a bit slower and required a bit more effort. We are truly a spoiled generation--instant gratification is literally at our fingertips. It's all so wonderful and terrible at once.

I often try to imagine the world my children will live in. Technological advances are inevitable--things are getting faster, more convenient, more digital everyday. I just hope that the next generation will still appreciate the little moments our world offers us, like a sunset on a beautiful fall day, or the way your lungs feel after a hard run.

Here I make a promise to teach my children about the joys of life as I saw them as a kid. I'm sure they'll laugh at how little knowledge I have of the latest technology, as we all do with our parents, but while they have their heads down, absorbed in an app or a text, I'll be pointing out the sunset.

May we save a piece of the real world for the next generation, just as our parents have tried to do for us. And with that, I am off to walk the dog and (gasp!) leave my phone behind.

24.9.12

Soul Foo-ed.


What is it about eating outside in the elements that makes food taste so good?  This weekend, after a nice Saturday morning hike up the mountains of the Delaware Water Gap, the boyfriend and I broke for lunch.  We climbed out onto two rocks at the border of the Sunfish Pond and unwrapped our turkey sandwiches.  With each crusty bite, we alternated mmms and garbled “this is so gooooood.”

Maybe it was our primal instincts kicking in, maybe the added effort had peaked our appetites, or maybe there’s just something about the fresh air that enhances the taste of food.  But, without a doubt, that was the best dang turkey sandwich I’ve ever eaten.  And don’t even get me started on the fruit tart we gingerly carried in our backpacks and then devoured sans forks or napkins, licking our fingers and sucking up every last buttery crumb.

We trekked down the mountain with full bellies, lungs and hearts.  Sometimes all we need to feed our souls is a little fresh air, good company, and a turkey sandwich.

How was your weekend?

21.9.12

Impassion-ed


Last night the boyfriend took me to dinner in this tiny French bistro, tucked in a corner on a quiet street.  Easy jazz oozed from cracked stucco walls, smells of garlic wafted from the back kitchen and the handwritten chalkboard menu made your mouth water before even stepping inside. 

Though the food was fantastic, the music is what really made the evening special.  Every Thursday night, the restaurant’s owner leads his jazz band in a set of nostalgic tunes for diners.  As he strummed away at his guitar, I found myself envying him. He had found a way to incorporate two passions into his everyday life—food and music.  When I admitted this to the boyfriend, he asked  “What are your passions?” 

Without hesitation, “Food, travel and writing” I responded.

He then suggested that I’d already taken care of the hardest part.  The easiest part is figuring out a way to weave those passions together.

And so, here I am, back to writing.  If you don’t mind, I’d like to take you to a few places and tell you about a few fabulous meals.  But mainly, I’d just like to feel impassion-ed every day.