Aging Gracefully

By
March 23, 2012
Holistic Living
3 Comments

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
Mark Twain

“A man growing old becomes a child again.”
Sophocles

On Sunday night my whole family had an amazing dinner at my Dad’s house. There was a tornado warning and as a result, the power went out. We sat in the candle light eating cake and trying out the age booth app on the iPhone.

I was the first of the table to take have my picture taken and travel 30 years time to see what I will look like in 2042. Here is the result:

Upon seeing this photo, I screamed. At first, I laughed a little, but that laughter suddenly turned to tears and horror. I think I kept saying, “no, no!”

There is no way that when I am 56 years old, I will look that much like an old grandma, will I?

After that whole experience, I vow to take better care of my skin. Eat more anti-oxidants. Get enough sleep. Exercise regularly. And have a sense of humor about myself. Maybe I shouldn’t take the way I look SO seriously.

Let’s call it a fling

By
March 22, 2012
Personal & Interior Style
Leave a comment

For the bulk of 2011, I stewed in the idea of starting an online store.  It’s a project I’ve since put on the back burner (pun, yay!) but I just came across the photos I took while I was working on it.

I’ve never been much of a photographer but I was attracted to the prospect of honing my skills as part of the process.  I’d recently gotten a little digital camera, so that was a start.  On a flight somewhere, while flipping through the Sky Mall catalogue, I came across a Tabletop Photo Studio and thought to myself, “well, perfect, I definitely need this!”  And then I did what I imagined no person every really did with an item seen in Sky Mall magazine: I actually ordered it.

I soon found myself fully equipped with an extremely modest product inventory, a teeny digital camera, and a miniature tabletop photo studio, which as it turned out took up much more space in my little NYC apartment than the catalogue picture ever let on.

I spent many hours playing with the product positions, testing out the lighting and trying to make some sense of the various settings on my camera.  Though I was enjoying myself, all in all, I thought the photos I was producing were complete crap.

I started doubting whether there was any point in continuing to work to realize the overall concept.  It started to feel like maybe this wasn’t meant to be my thing.  And slowly the stuff I’d purchased to play around with was making me feel claustrophobic in my own home.

So I began to pack away the products, and to figure out once-and-for-all how in the heck that inflatable photo studio fits back into its space-saving case.  When Christmas came around this year, before heading out to shop, I went back to the merchandise and began to parse items give as gifts.

And though, as of now, the whole concept was just a fling, I quite enjoy looking at these pictures.  The tagline for the store was to include the notion that “everything has a lifespan.”  Now the same concept applicable to the project itself.

Why I Love Cleveland

By
March 21, 2012
Inspired & Inspiring
4 Comments

I am from Cleveland, Ohio and proud of it. Cleveland was such an amazing place to grow up. I spent summers on Lake Erie learning to sail and swim. I spent my falls and springs playing soccer in the Metroparks and the winters taboganing and sledding every day after school. Cleveland is so underrated. And not only is it a paradise in the summer, there are so many different kinds of people that call it home.

I remember calling my mom when I moved away from home to go to college in Boulder, Colorado and telling her there weren’t any “real people” there. At the time, I didn’t even know what I meant by that, but as I sit today in my favorite ‘cafe’ in Lakewood (suburb of Cleveland), I am realizing that people from Cleveland aren’t really trying to prove anything to anyone. I think Clevelanders encompass all cultures and that is what makes the people feel so real.

See, Clevelanders are something special. The people that live here, love it. As my friend Scooter says, “There is a humbleness to Clevelanders and they wear their love for this place on their sleeve.”

I’ve been asking some of my Cleveland friends what it is that they love about Cleveland, and I’m looking forward to posting their responses in the coming weeks.

Homie of the Day: Teddy

By
March 20, 2012
Homies
1 Comment

As we mentioned yesterday, our brother, Teddy, graduated from college over the weekend with a degree in Fine Arts.  In addition to his musical prowess* (listen here and here), he is also an incredible artist.  He recently put together a site featuring his work and we’re excited to share some of it here with you today.  We love it!

*You may also remember the playlist Teddy put together for us awhile back.  Listen again!

Picturesque

By
March 19, 2012
Pictures
Leave a comment
Every week, we ask some of our favorite people in our lives to share a picture and some words about that pictur with us.  Here are this weeks photos:
Meghan – San Francisco, California
Out for a walk
Michele – Vermont
Hiking in the Green mountains on Lake  Champlain. Sometimes you just have to pause and soak it all up!
Teddy – Columbus, Ohio (recent graduate of Ohio State University!!)
This is a wooden mask I made. It is one of three that are based on the same person at different life stages.
Abbey – Brooklyn, New York
This is a little British band I saw called Big Deal. They are young and endearing and a bit stage shy but completely sweet. I recommend checking them out.
Reed – Arlington, Virginia
First weekend back at the bike shop since October. Since the late ’90s the Hopwoods have been working here (all 3 kids!). In many ways this store has shaped who we are and has taken us to places like Iowa on our bikes, trikes, and tandems.
Becky – Austin, Texas
This picture was taken at the garden patio stage at avenue called The Spider House in Austin on Saturday. The venue had 6 different stages both inside & outside & tons of benches, tables, & gliders/swings to sit on. The band playing is called The Nightmare Boyzzz.

One Word, Two Ways: Green

By
March 17, 2012
One Word, Two Ways
2 Comments

Right there, in the middle of the spectrum, lies this fresh, lucky, tone of prosperity. Its abundance can leave us sick or envious to say the least. Yet, we cannot deny the stature it gives our old colorful friend, Roy Biv.

Photo by Oleg Gordienko

Though we typically associate its complement on the color wheel with matters of the heart, not so, says the study of our energy centers.  Green is the color associated with our heart chakra.  Its most basic function is to love and be loved.  In balance.  Just as its color sits in the middle of the rainbow.


8

About two years ago, I fell in love with greens. I am talking collard greens, spinach, and KALE (sweet, sweet kale). It was then that I started to drink green smoothies. I know the concept might sound yucky to some of you, but trust me, you can’t even taste the greens. Lucky for us, we are coming up on smoothie making season. Here is my favorite recipe:

Green Means Go Smoothie!
1 tablespoon finely ground flax seed
1-2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes (unsweetened shredded would work too)
2 cups spinach
1/2 a banana
a handful of frozen, organic blackberries
1 cup milk (I use almond, soy or coconut)
1 cup ice

Lately

By
March 16, 2012
Inspired & Inspiring
Leave a comment

These are just a few things that I have been doing this week and that have been on my mind.

I can’t stop thinking about these double exposure pictures. They are beautiful and remind me of the feelings of spring. Here is my favorite:

This is a picture including a quote of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s. I just happened upon it this morning and it struck me deeply as I just read “The Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway describes Fitzgerald in a way that I have never known. He was a writer that could not write, due to his drinking problems and his wife’s extreme jealousy over his work. He seemed like a tortured soul.

I love this Grimes song and her video.

I wrote down in a list of things to do the other day: “Remember to have a tee pee in your house”

I just started reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and I pretty much love everything about him. He was so much cooler than they let on in school. Check out his list of the top 13 virtues to live by:

  • TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
  • SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
  • ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
  • RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
  • FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
  • INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
  • SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
  • JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
  • MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
  • CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
  • TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
  • CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
  • HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

The Beauty of Spring

By
March 14, 2012
Holistic Living
3 Comments

Over the years, I have developed a passion for all natural products; it has almost become an obsession.  I love to read about new products and find out what their brands are all about.  After a lot of trial and error, I have come to really love certain beauty products. Here are the ones that I have developed a small love affair with:

Intelligent Nutrient Leave-In Conditioner

Intelligent Nutrients has the same founder as Aveda. Their tagline is “everything we put in our bodies should be nutritious and safe.”  This leave in conditioner smells of cinnamon and leaves my curls feeling so moisturized.

Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Soap

This soap is the best ever. I use it as a body wash, but it can be used to wash laundry, dishes, your teeth, etc. It makes your body tingle and has the most refreshing peppermint smell. Also, check out the documentary made about Dr. Bronner himself called Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox. He is a bit nutty.

Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser

This whole entire beauty line is amazing. Every single one of their products produces amazing results. I will never forget the first time my sister and I tried their product line. We were both instantly in love. This cleanser is a bit expensive, but anything Tata Harper is worth it.

Soapwalla Lip Balm

I have mentioned Soapwalla’s amazing deordorant before, so you might be familiar with this brand. However, she has a new product and it’s amazing. This lip balm works wonders! The citrus ginger is the best!

All the products above are organic, vegan and chemical-free.

To shop for more products like these, visit Spirit Beauty Lounge.

High Five

By
March 13, 2012
Inspired & Inspiring
1 Comment

On my way to pick up some lunch today, I saw two friends run into each other on the street and go in for a pretty amazing high five.  It got me thinking about a spin on the classic high five that my brother and I developed, taking the five a little higher, straight to the middle of your forehead.

As it turns out, it hurts pretty badly when you both go in for this enthusiastic, head butt variation.  Nevertheless, the whole thing dials the smile up a notch.  So along that same vein, I thought I’d take another twist on the high five and stop to take note of five things I’m thoroughly enjoying of late:

1. Warm weather.  It’s mid-March and gorgeous in New York.  Despite the totally manageable winter we had here, there’s nothing better than these* first signs of warmer days to come!

Photo via here

2. Morning coffee.  I fall into the category of people who get excited about their morning cup of coffee as they fall asleep the night before.  It’s a good part of my day and simply makes me happy.

3. Guided meditations.  I’m loving my new iPhone for many reasons, not the least of which is the guided meditation podcasts I’ve been downloading.  My favorites come from here, here and here.

Photo via here

4. Secret messages.  I’m such a fan of this little trio offering creative ways to keep secret reminders or messages around your neck, your finger or on this awesome thumb drive.

*
5. Lucky penny.  I’m a bit superstitious and am always on the look out for lucky pennies on the street.  I only pick them up if they are heads up.  I found one today on my way back from getting lunch.

*

*