Where I'll be in a month...

here!

Take me back to San Diego!

This is long overdue (forgive me!) but I recently enjoyed a little slice of heaven in the great city of San Diego. Though the California weather didn't hold up too well, I was impressed by the amazing quality of food & restaurants in the area we were staying in (the Gaslamp District). Let the pictures speak for themselves...

Proscuitto and tomato, mushroom baked omelette with butter on toast and fresh Cali fruit.-Cafe 21

Cafe Chloe

French water bottle from 1895. Put my glass of grapefruit mimosa behind  it for the neat lighting effect.

  

A pair of poached eggs with wild mushrooms and wild green salad...yum!

Chocolat Creperie...

 

....featuring Creamy decadent gelato!

On the last day, it was nice enough outside that we got to see the sunrise. These trees could definitely be in considered #strangetrees, don't you think?

Something that made me smile

ACP Cartoon caption contest.

"Just as I suspected: ST-rex segment elevation."

The runner-up: "I know what you mean. There aren't very many of us solo practitioners around either."



What's I'm watching

Now that I don't have cable, it's time for me to find some new shows (and also for mental health, I think any more Real Housewives of XYZ or Bravo reality televesion would have sent me into the Psych ward). Enter How to Make it in America, starring Bryan Greenberg (OTH phenom!) and Victor Rasuk in this mildly entertaining retention of young-people-not-knowing-what they're-doing-with-their-lives-in-NYC and pissing-away-their-money-in-the-LES HBO drama-comedy.

Apparently, it was announced several months back that it would be cancelled. Worth it to get invested now?

Climb on!

Okay this post is long overdue. I apologize profusely to my (few and loyal) readers. Blogger seems to have gone a recent upgrade and as such, my super-restrictive work broswer has become unsupportive of Blogger. But against all odds, I blog on.

 

My latest adventures come in the flavor of outdoor activities, namely, outdoor rock climbing. I was first introduced to indoor rock climbing (there are a few good places in NYC such as Brooklyn Boulders and Chelsea Piers) with a Living Social coupon for a discounted Belay class and 2 climbing sessions. Similarly, outdoor rock climbing sessions with Barry Rusnock at Riverview Outdoor Adventures have been featured on discount sites such as Google Offers, Zozi, etc. This is where my adventures starts.




The Intro to Rock Climbing class takes you to Allamuchy State Park in Central NJ. Getting out of the city, yay! 



You learn the basics of rope-typing. rock climbing and belay technique.



 The formidable rocks were introduced as: "If God made a place for rock climbing, this place would be it".



There is certainly technical footwork that is advantageous for specific situations.



A chalk bag and sturdy climbing shoes go a long way to keep you from slipping.

As it turns out, rock climbing is predominantly about mental strategy and less about physical prowess or stamina. You start at the ground by mentally preparing yourself and surveying the climb's topography. If you stare long enough, the nooks and crannies of the rock begin to pop out and become inviting footholds and grips.  Learn how to trust your belay partner.

There were a few phrases that stuck with me.

• When you're panicking on the climb, what is one thing you can do right now to change your position?
• If you can step on it, you can stand on it.
• You're either climbing or you're resting.

 

The day ended with a nice attempt at repelling down and a final climb back up. Hurray for Amazing Race building skills!

Ballet Shoes

What girl doesn't love shoes? Especially ballet shoes. No, not the current fashion fad but the real deal! An inside look into the NYC Ballet dancers and their beautiful hand-crafted pointe shoes. Reminds me of the days when I used to do ballet.... got my first pair of pointe shoes and promptly stopped from all the pain. Ah, mediocrity.

Huffington Post

Caine's arcade

Wanted to share some feel-good feelings with everyone today. A short video about a little boy, some cardboard boxes and a big dream.