oh, who are the people in your neighborhood

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood,
In your neighborhood,
In your neighborhood?

Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
They're the people that you meet
When you're walking down the street
They're the people that you meet...each day!!!

This little guy's picture has been around the neighborhood for quite some time now. The reward is up to $12000!!! Yay! Hopefully, I find him. Actually, no. He's wanted for sexual assault at knife point in an elevator around 148th Street. Yeah, that's were I live....Maybe I'll start taking the stairs. Oh wait, the cops said never to take the stairs...

They're the people that you meet
When you're walking down the street
They're the people that you meet...each day!!!

cheese

My friend Adam is always teasing me about my impractical “healthy” eating habits. Every time he would come to my home he would inevitably find in the refrigerator something low-fat or fat free. From his exaggerated reactions to these items, you would have thought that I had insulted his very being. (Perhaps I did. :) ) Naturally, the teasing worsened when Lent rolled around and I decided to give up processed foods. The two allowances I made were whole grain bread (I wasn’t about to start paying $5 for a loaf) and milk (I go through about a gallon a week--at least). Other than that, most everything I ate was whole, natural, unrefined, and made from scratch. Talk about difficult and time consuming. Sometimes it would take me so long to figure out what I could actually eat that I wasn’t hungry by the time I had come up with food options. It was trying, to say the least, but it got me thinking about the way that our society views and consumes food. I also started reading labels and figuring out exactly what I am putting into my body. It’s pretty shocking to see what types of ingredients we are consuming without even blinking an eye.

The other day, I was in a rush to get some grocery shopping done and mistakenly picked up some low fat mozzarella cheese. I wanted to make a Caprese Salad with some tomatoes that I had picked up from the Farmer’s Market. When I got home, I realized my folly but wasn’t about to waste my $6 purchase. I made my beautiful, little salad, cut my first piece and took a bite. It was disgusting. The tomato and basil were divine, but that cheese did NOT hit the spot. I started to laugh because I thought of Adam and could hear him saying something to the effect of “See! I told you so!”

I find it interesting that I am in more in agreement with Adam at this point in relation to “fat free” or “low fat” foods. They don’t taste very good and they don’t use real ingredients. I much prefer a little bit of real butter or cream as opposed to something chemically engineered. Lent has come and gone and I have definitely not been as regimented as I was before, but I am still reading labels, still studying up on food and nutrition, and still watching what I am actually putting into my mouth. Now I’m not going to get into the debate between Organic vs. Conventional Foods here, rather, I just wanted to say, Adam, in this instance, you were right...despite the fact that you love processed Kraft Singles.

born to notice

"Born to Notice"

For the past week or so I have been walking around the city, happily greeted by some great Gap ads from their new "Born to Fit" campaign. I don't really shop at Gap (gasp), nor will I really start (double gasp) but I sure do appreciate their ads. They've certainly caught my attention...
I mean, I want this man...er...to buy these jeans...


I prefer the man in the middle, rather, the jeans in the middle. The ones that are paired with the denim jacket. The model seems to wear them very well. Below is a better shot of the jeans. Again, my favorite "jeans" are the ones on the right. I searched for a good 30 minutes for his solo ad but apparently the search engines of the world had it in for me tonight and did not let me find him and his sexy pose...again, I mean, those fabulous jeans that he is wearing.

But I have to hand it to Gap. They definitely, definitely know how to catch my attention. Here's one of my all time favorites featuring Scott Speedman. When I first moved to New York, vendors often sold Gap ads on the street. One night I was walking home from something and I passed Columbia. A vendor was selling this particular ad. Now it wasn't a small, phone booth sized ad. It was a store front window sized ad. For some reason (sheer stupidity), I didn't buy it and for weeks after, I stopped at every vendor trying to find it. But no such luck, I completely struck out on this Scott Speedman specialty. Talk about a once in a life time deal!


Here's another ad that stopped me dead in my tracks. Literally. But it was after I ran into the corner of street kiosk in front of a Gap store. Can you blame me? Who doesn't love a little John Krasinski?


Bless you, Gap for producing some amazing ads....and clothing that a lot of people like to wear too.

i like plants and cats...do you?

KEY:

plain font = stalker
italics = stalked (a.k.a. Malia)
bold = rescuer

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my friend's house to retrieve my plant that she had been babysitting for me while I was in Utah. It was late and as usual the trains were infrequent and weren't running as quickly as they do during the day. It was hot, humid, and I was tired. With plant in hand, I boarded the train. There were a few empty seat but I didn't feel like sitting down so I made my way to the middle of the train. A man near the door motioned for me to come and sit next to him. To be honest, it looked a little squishy, he looked a little scary, and I was too hot to even think about being that close to someone...let alone a complete stranger.

I politely declined and pretended to be caught up in my thoughts and slowly turned so that I wasn't facing him. A few moments passed and he moved to the opposite side of the car so that he was facing me once again. Another few minutes passed and he motioned for me to come over to him. I shook my head. He motioned to me once more. I smiled and said no. By now people were watching our exchange. At this point, he said, "Come on. Be polite." So, not wanting to seem like the subway grouch, I slowly made my way over to him. He then motioned for me to sit down while he stood up. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I told him no and that I was completely content to be standing. He then began to chastise me, "I'm trying to be a gentleman. You should try to be a lady."

Really? Did you just say that to me? I determined to absolutely NOT sit down at this point.

"No," I said firmly. "I am fine." And I moved away from him closer to another man on the subway who was watching us intently. (He was super cute, by the way, and I was wishing that HE was the one engaging me in conversation instead of this drunk, stalker man. He was tall, had dark hair, rippling muscles and a friendly face. He wore a green shirt, black shorts, and was carrying a gym bag. He smiled at me as I moved closer to him. I will call him Alex....but I digress.) Stalker man then started to whip out his "womanizing" tricks while slowly inching towards me:

"So you like plants?"
(I did my best to stifle a laugh.) "Yeah."
"I like plants. Do you know what kind that is? It looks like it would grow big if it was outside."
" Maybe. I don't know what kind this is. A friend gave it to me."
"Yeah, I like plants....and cats. I really like cats. Do you like cats?"
(Now I do like cats, but I didn't want him to find another commonality between us...I mean after plants and cats surely dating and marriage would follow, right? But I didn't lie.) "Yes, I like cats." (I took a step back.)
"Yeah, I had a cat once but when my ex kicked me out she kept the cat and then later kicked the cat out." (He stepped closer.)
(Sad.) "I'm sorry. That's not very nice."
"Yeah, I really miss that cat. But I like cats and plants."
"OK."

Now take note that everyone, and I repeat EVERYONE in the train car was watching us and the awkwardness that was uniquely ours. What was really bothering me though, was that my stop was coming up soon and he was still on the train. I was starting to worry that we would both get off at the same time and that he would follow me home. Alternate plans started to float around in my head and I found myself hoping that police would be canvasing the area like they normally do when I got out. He continued to try to chat but most of his speech was slurred or too quiet to hear. I wasn't about to get closer to better understand him.

"Well this is my stop." (Thankfully, it was the one right before mine.)
"OK, bye."
"I would ask for your name, but I probably won't see you again?"
"Yep, no. Probably not. No need. Goodnight. Nice to meet you."

He reached for my hand and for some reason I gave it to him. It was a weak shake...the ending of a weak pick-up. I breathed sigh of relief as he got off and the tension in the car started to melt.

I looked over at Alex and we exchanged knowing glances.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't think of anything to say. I was racking my brain, trying to think of reasons to interrupt your conversation with him. You know, something like, 'So what are we going to have for dinner tonight?' But you know."
"Aw, thanks. Yeah, I was afraid that he was going to get off at my stop."
"Yeah, me too. I would have done something though. Don't worry. I was totally with you."

We chatted for a few minutes and I found myself wishing that HE would follow me home, but no such luck. I had to smile though, as I walked back home. New York unites people. We're all struggling through the heat, we all have to ride the crowded subway cars, we all deal with crazies. We all have to carry groceries, run for the elevator, and all of these things and a million others bring us together to the point that a complete stranger is willing to change his travel plans so that he can help out a complete stranger who needs an escort home. New Yorkers get a bad rap sometimes. But I have to say that it is completely unfair. I have been privy to more acts of kindness, generosity, and unity than I can count. Granted every group of people has its grumpies and those that are just plain inconsiderate, but for the most part, New Yorkers are willing to be a part of a team and I love it.

Just like my handsome "almost, but completely willing" rescuer, Alex.

more ovaltine, please

More Ovaltine, Please...

The other night a friend said the word, "Ovaltine" and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I should probably just buy some so that I can get rid of this nagging craving. For some reason I am always surprised when people know about Ovaltine. In my head, it's something top secret. I feel like it's something that only I had when I grew up...a special treat that was passed down from generation to generation. It is sacred, associated with a happy childhood.

But that's not the case. Ovaltine is actually distributed nationwide and many, many people have tasted of its goodness. Just so you know.

The nice thing about it, though, is that it does remind me of my childhood...mostly my Mom. She was, after all, the one who first introduced it to me. She would tell me stories of how she and her Father would sometimes have Ovaltine together as a "night cap" and naturally, I would look forward to those times when I got to do the same...with both her and my Grandfather.

I also remember, very distinctly the night that I had my first Ovaltine malt. I remember the texture. It was perfect. Not too thick, not too thin. I drank it with a bendy straw. The taste was a perfect blend of Ovaltine and extra malt. One didn't overpower the other. I thought that my Mother had created a masterpiece, something that the world, once they found out about it, would clamor to have. In the end, she didn't go public with the recipe but it was probably for the best. Our apartment was too small to accommodate long lines of raging fans.

Other times, I remember sneaking into the kitchen, (after I had brushed my teeth, of course) grabbing a spoon, walking over to the can of Ovaltine and taking out a heaping spoonful (because that's what the directions said to do), making sure that I scooped out the largest little nuggets of heaven because they popped just right in my mouth. I would hold the spoon steady and let my tongue press against the tip of the Ovaltine heap so that the top of my tongue would be covered. I would let that dissolve and then do it again and again until my spoonful was gone. Sometimes I would go back for more. Other times, it was too risky. But every time I was satisfied. Had I known that Ovaltine was "rich in essential vitamins and minerals", I might not have felt so guilty. It would have been more like I was doing my Mom a favor...

This craving, I'm sure will pass. It will go as quickly as it came. But I sure am glad that those nostalgic memories are here to stay.

ode to the trader...ode to the joe

So today during my lunch break I decided to venture to 14th and 3rd. Now if you are familiar with that area, you know the Mecca of which I speak. Now when I say Mecca, I mean it. It has been the destination of many, a destination that I didn't quite understand until just recently. Ok for those of you who don't know, I speak of...

Trader Joe's

As I've started to explore the art of Raw Eating and have attempted to incorporate much of that healthy lifestyle into my life (Attempted=had Ben & Jerry's tonight with some fabulous friends. Don't judge.) I've come to appreciate grocery stores that carry products and produce that are organic, local, and that use as little processing as possible--you know, natural, food that is actually food and not humanly engineered into food.

Now, those of you who do the same thing also know that this can get really expensive, and despite being a high-rollin', fabulously paid social worker (enter sarcasm), I can't really afford to eat completely organic, local, or natural. While I try my best, there is only so much that I can do.

So the fabulous thing about Trader Joe's is that it is super cheap! Instead of spending $40 on a bag of groceries, I only spent about $20. Now that's savings. Granted, it doesn't have everything and it is a schlep, but I think that I'm going to brave the distance, the sore shoulders (because of the grocery hauling), and yes, even the long lines...at least sometimes. :)

P.S. While I'm declaring my love for stores, I do have to give a hearty shout-out to Whole Foods. Can I just say that I am in love with that store? I can wander around for hours, reading labels, dreaming up food combinations, trying to figure out how to make certain products myself, and marveling at the types of products that the health world comes up with. In my heart, it has become akin to Bed, Bath & Beyond (#1 fave) and Barnes & Noble (#2). Shouldn't I get some sort of kickback for all of this advertising??? And why didn't I blog about Whole Foods? I don't know. I guess it's because I got raw almond butter for $4.99. :)

what the?

So I got home today and my bed looked like this...




And I thought, "What the...?"


Then I remembered that I did it and started to clean straightaway. All better.