So Beautiful

Beaches and Boobs!

 

 

 

Turks and Caicos 2015!

Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever is a short film by Kenyan artist Ng'endo Mukii, and it makes me wish that I was still teaching The Bluest Eye.

Watch it here:

One (Expensive) World

It can be ridiculously expensive to play tourist your city, but I have been trying to invest money in experiences rather than things for me and Chloe.   The views from the Observation Deck at One World Trade Center were definitely worth the expense.  Buy your tickets online ahead of time to skip all of the lines!

Happy (Almost) Birthday Mikita!

We celebrated Mikita's birthday early this year; she made it clear that she's not thirty-eight yet and holding onto 37 for as long as she can!  Nicole was wonderful enough to plan a evening of food and drink that began at the Ludlow Hotel.  The bar is a comfortable, dark space with a beautiful outdoor garden space.  I had the Belmondo which was a mix of tequila, pear eau de vie, ginger, gentian, and fresh lemon juice.  The service left a little to be desired, but there were lots of laughs as the conversation ranged from drunk babies to bikinis to Bible thumpers.

Can you believe that Nicole just had a baby!?!

We then made our way to Birds and Bubbles to meet up with Jennifer for some champagne and chicken.  Navigating steep stairwell and the grates at the bottom of it was hazardous (I lost a heel!), but but the food was well worth it.  We feasted on kale salad, fried chicken, pork chops, shrimp and grits, fried potato salad (amazing!), cornbread, and biscuits.  Then because there were four of us, we decided to sample each of the desserts (or maybe we were just being greedy).  We had Banana Pudding, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Birthday Cake, and  Lemon Posset.  Who knew that such amazing Southern food could be found on the Lower East side?  I am currently racking my brain for things that I need to celebrate so that I have an excuse to go back! 

 Happy Birthday Mikita! You're only as old as you look, so that makes you about 24!

Yes.  Mikita has drumsticks on her head.

Bikram Yoga

One thing that has been on my Summer bucket list for two consecutive summers has been Bikram Yoga.  Bikram Yoga involves executing a series of twenty-six poses in a heated room, and I had fantasies of exiting the class five pounds lighter with a glowing complexion.  I must have caught James in a moment of weakness because he agreed to go with me last week.  We arrived at Bikram Yoga Harlem twenty minutes early and paid $20.00 for a week-long beginners pass.  As we settled our mats and towels (included in the pass) in the studio I noticed how diverse the students were.   Our instructor was black and there were people of all ages, races, and body types there.   That was encouraging because I was expecting everyone to be young, skinny, and white. Yes, even on 145th Street.

The class started and my glasses immediately fogged up rendering me unable to look at myself in the mirror while attempting the poses.  Then the salt from my sweat began running into my eyes rendering me blind.  At one point I remember being unable to grasp my calves because of mix of sweat and Gold Bonds made them too slippery (note to self: do not wear lotion to Bikram).  Each time I closed my eyes and attempted to relax I was kindly instructed to keep them open.  How was this a 90 minute meditation?

I have blocked almost everything that happened in that hotbox out of my mind.  However, I do know that I spent a significant portion of the class laying on my back doing Lamaze breathing in an attempt not to have a panic attack because of the suffocating heat.  And what of poor James?  He was down for the count too!

Bikram Yoga is not for the faint of heart.  We were told that since it was our first session all we were expected to do was stay in the room  That we did, but whether or not we will return remains to be seen.

Frida!

I have a "Summer Break To Do List" and visiting The Frida Kahlo exhibit at The New York Botanical Gardens was definitely on it.  I loved the way that food, art, and music were integrated in order to give visitors a view into the culture that produced Frida.  

My one complaint is that the IDNYC membership to the Botanical Gardens is only a "grounds membership" that does not include entrance to the special exhibits or discounts at the gift store.  As long as it costs $70 for a family of four to visit The Botanical Gardens, an exhibit like this will be out of reach for many New Yorkers.