Male sexual harrassment

This picture cracks me up!!

Joe Sacco

This is his latest work, and I wanted to plug it because I really like what his books offer. They're graphic novels focusing on the conflict in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He visits these areas as a journalist and then draws his experiences, which makes the story accessible in ways that conventional journalism doesn't allow for. It's really an interesting way to learn about the conflicts he covers, and Joe Sacco is pretty much the pioneer in this area of graphic storytelling. I recommend checking out Palestine.

Climbin on board

This is my anthem right now, such a good beat!! I'm considering dancing to it as I walk into my new job tomorrow...

Gifties

I got some great things for Christmas this year! Some highlights include a delicious black tea sampler from Adagio (I'm sipping the yunnan jig as I type this), black arm warmers from Etsy, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (yay! I can't wait to cook everything!), and Raising the Bar, written by Gary Erickson the owner of Clif Bar, Inc. -- my parents visited his vineyard in Northern CA and picked up this book, they gave it to me with a bottle of his wine and a box of bars, definitely one of my favorite gifts! The best gifts are the unexpected thoughtful ones, which my mom seems to always get right.

Stowe

My family took a ski trip up to Stowe, VT between Christmas and New Years and it was quite an adventure! There was a ton of snow, which made driving a little tricky...we actually ended up getting in a small crash in my mom's car. Everybody was okay, but we flew into a field and mowed down a street sign in the process. It could've been much worse, I credit my dad with some quick steering.

And I actually did a bit of skiing this year! Obvi it was on the bunny hill, but still fun. I picked it back up pretty quickly and took a lesson, which helped. The mountain was beautiful! And it was so nice to spend nine days with my family. I miss them already.

2010.

I think New Year's resolutions are great. It's an opportunity to set goals, reflect on where you are, where you're going, and what you'd like to change. And while I tend to do this anyway (some may say over-do, ahem Mom), the beginning of a new year is a great excuse. In 2010 I plan to focus on being more spiritual and physically active, with first steps being a steadier meditation and yoga practice. I'm also starting the year with a new job and going back to school, and I hope to really challenge myself in these new facets of my life. I also hope to cook more, spend more time with friends, and...possibly move to Brooklyn, but no promises Dina.. :)

Holiday Baking

I baked three desserts over the holidays this year, and they all turned out pretty yummy. For Christmas I made an orange-walnut-olive oil cake, and ginger molasses chocolate cookies, and for New Years, a sweet ricotta pudding with roasted grapes. It was decided that the New Years dessert needed another little something, my mom suggested a drizzle of maple syrup. BUT, still good, and I would recommend all three recipes.