Rules for happiness: 2012 edition

• Do the hardest thing(s) first
• Sleep at least 8 hours a night
• Practice yoga asana 6 days a week
• Take full breaths
• Take a digital sabbatical one day a week
• Eat natural, nourishing foods that agree with me, i.e.: no wheat or casein
• Speak up for what I need
• Act the way I want to feel
• Remember birthdays
• Laugh out loud
• Be fully present in each moment
• Spend time in nature as often as possible
• Listen to my body and nurture it
• Move towards my dreams daily
• Apply structure to weekdays
• Reach out to others in a crisis
• Arrange to always have leftovers in the fridge
• Avoid experiences with prohibitive cancellation fees
• Never buy cheap shoes
• Indulge in a salon blow-dry before long-distance plane travel
• Don't neglect self-care and grooming. It profoundly affects self-worth
• Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of strength
• Arrive early and breathe
• Say yes to invitations

Favourite things, December 2011

• The Christmas tree and Neopolitan Baroque Crèche at the Metropolitan Museum
• Stunning, just-opened Islamic Galleries, also at the Met
• Tortilla wraps from One Lucky Duck in NYC
• Truffled croque-madame at The National in NYC
• Please Don't Tell speakeasy and Crif Dogs
• Seasonal scented candles on the mantlepiece: mistletoe, winter cabin, hot buttered rum, peppermint
• Fairy lights around the fireplace
• Mulled apple cider with a splash of small-batch bourbon
• Potato latkes
• Salmon, red cabbage and edamame salad with miso-wasabi dressing (inspired by this one)
• Yin yoga
• Sadie Nardini's core strength vinyasa yoga
• Living Yoga by Georg Feuerstein
• Black cardiwrap by TranquiliT in organic bamboo
• Trader Joe's Peppermint Joe Joe's - oh my!
• Pandora's Indie Holidays station
• Fort St-Antoine Comté cheese
• Jo Malone's Wild Fig and Cassis cologne

Freak October snowfall in DC

For my Aussie friends who have never seen snow.

Home

It took almost 4 weeks, but we've found a place to nest that doesn't break the bank. Our condo is the one behind the streetlight. We'll be sipping rosé on the rooftop deck by Sunday!

Japan, June 2011

The kaiseki, the sake, the mochi, the gardens, the temples, the Shinkansen, the onsen ... wow. Click on the image to see a bit more detail.

Still awesome

Lush, Hypocrite


Hoodoo Gurus, Bittersweet


The Hummingbirds, If A Vow


Clouds, Cloud Factory


Ratcat, That Ain't Bad


You Am I, Berlin Chair