yoga-catL:  Animal.

F:  I hate cats with a passion. I also have a deep fear of them.  I also think pictures of cats doing yoga are kind of funny.

L:  Mineral.

F:  I am down with crystals, mostly because Mom uses them at parties and such to show people their energy fields using a pendulum over their palm.

L:  Vegetable.

F. I am so in love with brussel sprouts. I am not sure if I have expressed this on this forum, but I would like to tell you here and now that I am in love with brussel spouts. Who’s with me?!

L:  Motivational.

F:  My teammate (co-worker) was talking to me about your bliss-aplines. Essentially, these are your disciplines that keep you blissful. If they aren’t balanced and prioritized, nothing else is.

L:  Aspirational.

F:  I want to start to have serious and intense yoga practice again. Who’s with me?!

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(image via here)

In my most universal and least personal thinking, I believe that everything is just as it’s meant to be.  Or more simply, everything is okay, all of the time. This belief does not however easily translate to the ways I experience what I perceive to be less than ideal scenarios in life.  Lately when I start to feel my anxiety over any given situation rise, and my mind go into its familiar role as an incredible over-thinker, I’ve started to say to myself, this is not a problem.  When I remember to say this to myself, I can literally feel tension in my body release.

I’ve heard some interesting things about stress lately. Mainly in that stress is neither good nor bad for you on its own. Rather the affects from stress are directly linked to how you perceive the stress.  I should look this up and figure out where it’s said, and who said it, but I’m not going to do that.  I’ll simply choose to believe that it is true. {wink}

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-iAS18rv68]

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When I was in Seattle, my friends and I were talking about the burdens of being a sensitive person. My friend Bonnie was reading a book called The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron, Ph.D and she deemed all 4 of us HSPs (highly sensitive peoples). 

If you are wondering if you are highly sensitive, here are some questions to reflect on:

  • Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?
  • Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
  • Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?
  • Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?
  • Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
  • Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?
  • Do you have a rich and complex inner life?
  • When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

I don’t relate to the more physical questions like smell, sight and taste but I have certainly been called sensitive throughout my life, and lately I have really been feeling a lot of feelings. I think I need to get that book Bonnie was reading…

For more in defensive of HSP’s, check out this article.

SPIRIT

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You know you live in California when you go to a gathering where a man channels spirits – which is what I did yesterday. If you put the hocus pocus aside, I did take some things from that experience. Most importantly, I was reminded how important it is to be the silly, interested, outgoing and ridiculous person I am.

I am clearly not taking myself too seriously here. Why should I now?

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(image via here)

I love a good spirit animal reference. I’m sure there’s something very legitimate to the whole concept but I don’t know enough about it to take it very seriously.  This is a fun online quiz to determine what your spirit animal is.  Today I got equal parts wolf and swan; the descriptions sound about right.

Wolf: “Family comes first” could be a Wolf’s motto. You form deep connections with close friends and family members, and they know you’d do anything to protect them. You’re loyal, devoted, and passionate. Your worst fear is being alone, but be careful not to drown your loved ones in too much emotion.

Swan: Swans are idealistic, open-minded, and passionate. Your good nature often leads people to think they can take advantage of you, but they should be careful—beneath that serenity lies a fighting spirit. Your love is fierce and unconditional, fueled by the certainty that it should last forever.

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(image via here)

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(image via here)

As I think I’ve mentioned before, I’m trying to grow out my hair.  After cutting it short almost three years ago, I’m ready to revisit my long curls again.  However, as any girl who has ever made this transition knows, there are some awkward stages along the way.  I’ve been holding out on getting a trim for weeks because what starts as an effort to “clean up the ends” always turns into leaving the salon with a cut that’s feels like I’m starting back at square one.  Nevertheless, I think I’ve hit my breaking point and if someone doesn’t take some scissors to this head in short order, I’ll be all too ready to dress up as Cameron Diaz in “Being John Malkovich” for Halloween.  But until that day comes, aren’t these ladies providing great inspiration for ways to manage some overgrown locks?!

My dad used to recite this poem for us when my siblings and I were little. I think that we could all recite a couple of verses on any given moment. There are still days that this poem gets stuck in my head and today is one of them. I still can’t read this poem without hearing my dad’s voice in my head.

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It was many and many a year ago,
   In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
   By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
   Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
   I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
   Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
   In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
   My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
   And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
   In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
   Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
   In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
   Of those who were older than we—
   Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
   Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
   In her sepulchre there by the sea—
   In her tomb by the sounding sea.
-by Egdar Allan Poe

Over the past two weeks we’ve run installments of the thoughtfully detailed Los Angeles city guide that our sister-in-law, Kelley, created. Today marks her final neighborhood wrap-up. If you missed either of the others, you can check out the guide to L.A.’s Westside here and Downtown here.

guide

EAST LA including LOS FELIZ, SILVERLAKE, HOLLYWOOD and ECHO PARK

This is the area of LA I call home and, in my opinion, the best place to live. East LA offers a culture of people that are hip, artsy and inviting. There’s always something going on in one of these neighborhoods and celebrity sightings are frequent! While I’ll offer some of the best tourist attractions in my list below, the true vibe of this neighborhood can best be felt by walking around and exploring the numerous shops, restaurants and farmers markets.

to eat

Breakfast: Forage. What can I say about Forage other than its fresh, seasonal fare makes it by far my favorite spot for breakfast/brunch in the city. Each Sunday, Teddy always asks me where I want to go and my answer is always the same, Forage. Their menu changes constantly, but one of my favorite staples is the fig and chevre tartine. Creamy and rich, it’s the perfect balance between breakfast and lunch. And for dessert, they have CRONUTS.

Lunch: The Oaks. Located in Franklin Village, the Oaks has awesome sandwiches, salads, cheese and wines. I recommend the couscous salad, a staple of my diet that I pick up at least once a week for lunch. Be sure to look across the street as you exit at the Scientology Celebrity Center, a towering mansion that hosts some of the biggest Scientology celebrities.

Dinner: Hyperion Public. This little restaurant has by far one of the best burgers in the city. With a relaxed atmosphere, you can get some of the best food in LA without all of the pretention that comes with other restaurants in the area.

what doWhat to See:

Griffith Park & Observatory: Located directly behind our apartment, Griffith Park is a huge block of land with plenty of hiking trails that lead straight up to the observatory. You can choose to hike or drive up, but this is a must-see in our neck of the woods.

Sunset Junction: Farrell lives right near this hip little city center. With plenty of shops and restaurants, this area will keep you busy for an hour or two in the afternoon and provide you with a great place to find some unique LA souvenirs.

The Silverlake reservoir: Not something you expect to see in the middle of a neighborhood, the Silverlake reservoir offers a nice waterside retreat in east LA. You can jog or walk around the 2 mile path and enjoy views of the cool architecture and parks nearby.

Hollywood Homes Tour: This is a must-do on at least one of your visits to LA. Though it’s extremely touristy, the Hollywood Homes Tour (and the TMZ tour) takes you to homes of the rich and famous. When we went, we saw Orlando Bloom and Tom Cruise’s homes, just to name a few.

Barnsdall Art Park: Also right down the street from my apartment, Barnsdall Art Park offers a plethora of activities and hikes available to visitors of all ages. On Friday nights in the summer, they also offer a wine tasting from local vendor, Silverlake Wines. Afterward, Vermont and Hillhurst Streets are close by, offering more opportunities to shop.

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Thank you, Kelley!  xo

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F:  What have you been listening to lately? Will you share it in this post?

L:  I’ve been listening to so much music lately!  A lot of it has been revisiting old music such as the playlist I just made of my Shazam tags.  It’s a kind of hilarious set of songs, I think.

p.s. The Azealia Banks song is super vulgar and the Tweet song is a close second; sorry about that. Also, that Bruno Mars song sounds just like The Police, right?!

F:  Where is one city in the world that you would like to visit in 2014?

L:  I’m trying to plan a Cambodia trip to visit my friend Jo who is currently living there; for some reason I’d really like to go to Laos too but to be perfectly honest, I can’t name a single city there.  Time to do a little research.

F:  Is there any hobby you wish that you had?

L:  I’ve actually been thinking a lot lately about how I’m really in need of a new hobby.  I’ve been trying to think of what it could be and started a post about this very topic last week. I don’t know; I’m still thinking.

F:  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

L:  Mint chocolate chip

F:  Have you ever baked anything before?

L:  Sure, but it’s been a minute.  I think I’ve made cookies in the time I’ve lived in this apartment so I’d say it’s been about 3-7 years since my last baking.  Also, sometimes at Thanksgiving I’m involved in the apple bread/cake.

This past weekend flew by! It’s been mostly beautiful, warm fall weather in NYC but I have to admit that I’m missing all the beach time I got in over the summer.  I think I’m about due for a little venture outside the city and a little closer to nature.

Lauren – New York, NY

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Subway station light installation

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A Saturday afternoon stop into Aquarium Theory

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Banksy on Ludlow Street

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Farrell – Los Angeles, CA

This whole entire weekend we shot the video for Monster Rally’s Orchids. It was pretty awesome. These photos don’t even come close to conveying the awesomeness.

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photo 1

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Dance rehearsal

Dance rehearsal

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Post-rehearsal

Post-rehearsal