Christmas on Nantucket, 2010

The best way to describe an Old New England beach town in the off season is "charming".  We took a morning ferry over from Hyannis to Nantucket on the sunny, wintery Christmas morning.  Everyone was merry, and as we approached the harbor and could see that memorable view of the lighthouse on Brand Point before us, I let out a sigh of relief...we made it.  As we pulled in, there were seals sunbathing to the left, neatly aligned grey shingled with white trim buildings in front, and beach all around.  We dropped our stuff and then toured around the island - from the town's center, to Siasconset, to the Sankaty Lighthouse, to Pocomo, to Madaket, and back around.  We walked and snapped endless pictures on the beach. Almost all restaurants and shops are closed down for the season, and even the few that might be open are closed for Christmas day.  We met a few locals, and a very sweet family from Virginia doing the same thing as us.  It was a perfect afternoon.  That night, we walked down the cobble stone roads to dinner at Easy Street Restaurant.  Of course I had to have the Nantucket sea scallops. How can you have anything else in the prime of scallop season!  After dinner we cozied up next to the fire in the beautiful 3 story dollhouse on Centre Street and opened our Christmas gifts.  The charm and serenity may have taken a turn when we realized the 2010 Blizzard was on its way up the Noth East coast, but that is best saved for another blog.

Happy Holidays!

Dinner Parties in Manhattan

When I turned 25 I all of a sudden began to love hosting, as well as attending, dinner parties.  It must be one of those things that you have to just wait for it to happen, sort of like brussel sprouts and dirty martinis.  This week I am hosting a dinner party for 6 people in my 800 sq. foot 1 bedroom apartment.  The catch:  it is for family.  I have successfully hosted 2 dinner parties this year, but they were for my girlfriends who are happy as long as they have wine, a plate of food, and a friend sitting next to them.  Not to say that family is any less easy to please, but there is more at stake.  I cannot fail my first meal served in my own home to my dad and boyfriend's parents, all of who are great cooks.  This is a big deal! 
I decided to make a simple dish, eggplant parmesan, because it is pretty difficult to mess that up, yet always a crowd pleaser.  On the side I will make a romaine heart salad, and herb roasted sweet potatoes.
 I bought my ingredients from Eli's; I am hoping people will attribute the fresh full flavors to my kitchen skills.  Although the downside of living in the city is the small space to cook and host in, the wonderful part is the accessibility of fresh produce.  I went to Eli's, my choice for fresh ingredients in the neighborhood.  It may cost you a little extra, but you can find any top quality fruit, vegetable, bread, cheese, fish, meat, homemade pasta, coffee, nut, vinegar, dessert, snack, you name it, that you are looking for! 

Stay tuned for results...

The Hummingbird

Ok, so you may have heard a hummingbird can drink nectar from flowers, fly 34 miles per hour, flap its wings up to 90 times per second, fly backwards, hover, or stop in an instant.  But have you ever thought about their charm that goes beyond their physical beauty?  That is what has inspired me to today.  Hummingbirds can remind us that seemingly small ideas and concepts can possess great potential and power.  It has been said before that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying out hopes for peace, love, joy, and celebration.  And that the Hummingbird is actually the sun in disguise who is trying to win the love of a beautiful woman, the moon.  Others believe hummingbirds are fierce warriors, as they defend their territory from other hummingbirds.  To me they represent a blend of these virtues - bravery, grace, love, and happiness - and if you are ever to come across such a lovely creature let yourself be reminded of these meanings of life.

  



Hiking in New Zealand: The Routeburn Track

Part 3: Paris

As I mentioned earlier, we went out on a limb on our whim, and rebooked our flights to include Paris.  Traveling between countries in Europe is cheap and convenient,  http://www.ryanair.com/en.  We flew into Paris from Ibiza, and the contrast of the 2 countries was so strong it practically felt calculated.

Taken from Part III of journal:
"Where we stayed: http://www.st-christophers.co.uk/paris-hostels
Things we did: Louvre, the Hotel De Ville, the Versailles, lunch on the Seine, top of Montmarte for a panoramic view of the city, into the center of the city and through la Jardin, down Champs-Elysees, over to the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Eifel tower, Deux Margo, and a bit of shopping.  The nightlife that Julien introduced us to was very different than Spain - not sure if it was his taste or Paris in general - but it was more sophisticated fun.  Paris feels grander and more spread out than Barcelona does, or perhaps my feet were just getting tired at that point.
The food was exceptional. NYC may be the foodie capital of the world, but a croissant at Boulangerie Duchêne or anywhere else in Paris is very different than a croissant in New York.  The flaky, buttery, pastry eaten any time of day, alone or dipped into espresso is not replicable in North America.  Strolling through St. Germain led me to the most a-mazing pistachio macaroon, and I quickly developed a brand new appreciation for that little treat, as well.  Follow that with a coffee at Deux Margo, and your day will feel complete.

Favorite memory:  Tour de Eiffel when it sparkes on the hour
Favorite Souvenir: Ladurée Body Oil

Part 2: Ibiza!

Located in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia, Spain. 
The island is best known for the summer club parties, but the Spanish Tourist Office have apparently been working in order to promote more family-oriented tourism. Good luck with that! Noted clubs include Space, Pacha, Privilege (ex Ku), Amnesia, DC10, Eden,and Es Paradis.  I can still feel the beats in my head.
Although it is naturally surrounded by beaches, the best thing to do is hop on a bus and take a ride through the salt fields to see the different coasts.  We went North as well as East.  And if you forget your bathing suit tops, it's not a problem! Many of the women do.

Part 1: "I'm In Spain"

In September of 2009, I took an adventurous vacation with my good friend and first follower, Amy.  Hi Amy.  On a whim, we decided to book a trip to Europe, and agreed on Spain very quickly.  We booked the flight and would worry about the details later.  I am more of take it as it comes type of person.  Being that type of person costs a lot extra when you decide to add on Paris, but that's for another time.  It all worked out beautifully and exceeded my expectations.  While I was there, I couldn't help but to miss a certain someone at home, 3839 miles (6177 km) away.  So, everyday I recapped our experience and e-mailed to this certain someone.  Not even meaning to, I created myself a journal that I will always have to look back on.  It's easier to record as you go.  My first email was titled "I'm in Spain!".

Highlights from Part I of journal:

Where we stayed:  A hostel called Kabul in Placa Reial http://www.kabul.es/ - 8 beds per room, and the bathrooms brought me back to college dorm days, but hey, it was all an experience.

Things we did:  Sangria on Las Ramblas, Port Vell, Mirador de Colon, Barri Gotic, El Cort Ingles, take out lunch in Catalunya Square.  Up to La Padrera, through the heart of la ribera, Picasso museum, Parc de la Ciutadella. [It was dusk by the time we arrived and the soft lighting on all of the gardens and trees is an image I will never forget, but nothing a camera could fully capture (well, maybe if I had the D90 back then)]. Walked up to La Cascada, to the large elephante, and a castle protected by dragons. Met up with spanish friends at Port Olympica. Went to a night club called Supemento, followed by an after party at Opium.  Went to the beach, had lunch on the waterfront, and lit a candle the Barcelona Cathedral.

Favorite night out in Spain: We met Tiago (a connection through a co-worker, thanks Alisa!) and his friends in insagrida familia. They cooked ribs, beef with mint sauce, and tomato salad. We had a 'warm up' party, or pregame as you might say in NY.  We went out at 2am and went to a club at the top of a mountain.

Favorite food:  Paella

Favorite drink: Voll damm cerveza
Regrets:  I never did get to have a siesta. Will have to go back!

The Nikon D90

It wasn't an easy choice.  Ok, let me take a step back.  Nothing is an easy choice for me.  I am as indecisive as they come.  On top of that, as I have mentioned, I am just an amateur with this foreign object that is the basis of my blog.  So, trying to decide which camera was right for me was a lengthy task.  Unfortunately, there is always the issue of a budget. Budget was set at $1,200. Then there was the question of Canon or Nikon.  I quickly learned that Nikons are designed by photographers, where as Canons are designed by engineers.  It is personal preference, and I knew I was more of a right-side-of-the-brain person.  Nikon it was.
The bulk of my material will be traveling, people (adults more than children), and cats; specifically Venus (see next blog).  In order to cover the bases, I chose the Nikon 18-105mm VR Lens (zoom lens) and the AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens (prime lens). This zoom lens is high performance but cost efficient, and is useful in a broad range of shooting settings. The wide zoom range allows me to shoot buildings and scenery while the telephoto zoom range is ideal for portraits.  It has a focal length between 18 and 105 mm, with a focal length equivalent to 27 to 157.5 mm in 35 mm. (The format is designed to be used with my D90.)  The high-performance allows me to create high resolution and high contrast photos. And did I mention the shutter speed on this lens is the equivalent of a shutter speed three stops faster than standard lenses!  Next there is the prime lens.  Prime lenses used to be the only type of lens available.  They are much cheaper because duh, they don't zoom. But, they are sharper than a tack and great for people like me who are just learning about photography.  And thank you to B&H for a great deal on all of this.

Ok, so my camera knows a lot more than I do, but hopefully not for long.....

Venus

She's the goddess of Love.  Or....just my fluffy grey cat whom I adore.  I don't like to be called a "cat lady", but I will admit I am slightly obsessed with her. I adopted her from Save-A-Pet in Port Jefferson, Long Island http://www.saveapetli.net/ in 2007.   It's funny how your pets have a personality from day 1 that will of course evolve and mature, but you will know whether or not they are going to be pushy, shy, curious, or a scaredy.  She is in between.  Shy when there are strangers, but pushy with Troy (see next blog) and me.  She was popping her head out of the cardboard box and meowing the day I got her, and she is still poking her head into trouble.  And I will tell you, she is not afraid to vocalize if she wants something.  She turned 4 this year, her birthday is October 26.  (I did not make her a cat food cake or anything weird like that).  Her favorite places are on the bed, in the bed under the covers, or on the cable box because it is warm (she also watches TV). If you don't find her in any of those places, she is mostly likely in the kitchen making sure to keep that belly full, or in the bathroom in the tub between the shower curtain and liner.  She's silly and I love her.