Day One: Hello Venice!

15 July 2012

Some of the best inner journeys start with the passport-stamped kind.
(Whole Living, July/August 2012)

Most of this journey across Italy was a bit of a strange tale. Like the quote above, I didn’t realize that I was about to take an inner journey of epic proportions.

I was just newly retired from hockey writing and on my first trip post-career. The lessons I learned throughout this entire journey were moments I never thought I would experience. But everything was a huge wake up call in life.

This was probably the weirdest and strangest journey I have ever been on in my entire life. This journey marked the end of one journey and the start of a new one.

What follows are my log entries that I wrote while I was in Italy. If you follow it from start to end, you’ll not only see all of the new pieces to my photo collection, but you’ll also learn about the deeper inner journey I took.

Everything starts with Day One…before I even hopped on the plane.

It’s strange how the universe works on these adventures. Everything conspires in the most strange and peculiar ways to show you a world you never knew existed, including the ones inside yourself.

And so the tale begins…

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So before this whole Italian adventure began, I was at the office and for some ungodly reason, I dropped my grapefruit juice on the floor. I kept thinking…this is not a good sign.

Half an hour later, I was talking to my friend and out of the blue…my water spilled all over the counter. I remarked, “This is not a good sign.”

My friend responded, “Everybody gets clumsy every now and again. Even I do.”

I just looked at her and said, “I don’t. The only time I get clumsy is when Death is messing with me and someone is about to die.”

This, of course, freaked her out a little…as well as myself.

I can actually tell you the last time I got clumsy and wound up with a blueberry smoothie all over my bedroom wall…it was right before Derek Boogaard died. All of the clumsiness didn’t end until after his death. [I still swear that the glass moved…it was nowhere near me when I ran into it and splashed it all over the place.]

It’s like you know something is about to happen…and I was sick to my stomach with worry because it could happen to anyone I’ve met in this lifetime. Worst of all, this was happening a few hours before I was hopping on a plane to Italy.

It wasn’t until the defibrillator woke me from my slumber on the plane that I realized that something had gone terribly wrong. Oh, it wasn’t me that was dying.

I sat up and saw a nurse, the co-pilot and two doctors standing in the first row. I realized something was amiss. Ends up they had to shock a guy three times over the course of three hours before he showed signs that he’d make it to our first stop in Zurich. We were halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. There was no way they could divert the plane to a closer locale.

I don’t know what was wrong. I just prayed a silent prayer that he would make it.

After some time, they lifted the man up. He was practically lifeless. They placed him in a seat, wrapped a huge down comforter around him while they spoke to him about what was going to happen next.

I couldn’t even hear a thing, but I was just happy that the guy made it all the way to Zurich…alive.

So that was Death’s first official ‘brush by’…and the guy lived. So either Death took a Holiday that morning, or that wasn’t the person. Just the prelude.

Trust me…it was the prelude.

When I arrived in Venice, the luggage hadn’t hit the carousel yet, so I headed to the restroom. As I reached for the toilet paper, the metal container it was in came flying open (I didn’t even touch the thing) and almost broke my hand. It literally opened up and slammed down on my hand. Luckily, I got away with just a scratch and a lovely bruise as a welcome to Venice.

Stuff like that…it’s still Death f*cking with me. I didn’t even touch the metal container when it came flying down on my hand. This kind of random stuff only happens when Death is following me around trying to deliver some ‘warning’ news that someone I know is about to die. [Post-Vacation Note: This really was the start of all of these weird happenings. It gets worse as we go along.]

After collecting my bag, I quickly found the bus into Venice. It was pure luck how easy that turned out. I put my bag on the bus, helped a British couple with theirs and then hopped on the bus.

The drive in was spectacular. All of that water!

They say that the best way to see Venice is to get lost in Venice. Well, I took a wrong turn and got lost right off the bat. I asked this very handsome Italian man (that was walking down the sidewalk looking at me and smiling) if he could help me. He really put on the smile and took a look at my map and then told me where I was at that very moment was completely off the map!

Thus the story of my life!

It took him 10 minutes to explain how to get back to where I started and then where to go from there. Mind you, those bridges are a pain in the ass. You climb up the bridge (aka carrying your suitcase up a flight of steps and then down a flight of steps). I swear that suitcase got heavier every single time I had to do that…and there are a lot of bridges in Venice!

Ends up the handsome Italian’s directions were spot on and I found my hotel in no time. I was so hot and sweaty that I ended up taking a shower before changing and heading out to explore Venice.

I didn’t see any sites beyond the Grand Canale. I was hungry, it was 5PM in Venice, so I sat down in the first open restaurant I could find, Ristorante Roma. That restaurant ended up being right on the Canale. The food there was fabulous!

I started with a mixed salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Next, I had the pasta bolognese with tagliatelle noodles (not spaghetti). I have to say, the tagliatelle noodles are probably now my favorite noodles. I asked for a gelato for dessert, he brought me three scoops (lemon, strawberry and chocolate). I followed it with an Americano coffee. Oh, it was so good. I enjoyed every single bite.

Most of all, I enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding my first meal in Italy sitting along the Grand Canale, watching the boats go by and listening to the singing from one of the men on the gondola boats. His voice was so big, you could hear him all the way down the canal.

As I ate my dinner, a beautiful little bird kept me company. Since I didn’t eat the bread, I let the bird sit across from me and pick at the bread. It flew away to take a few pieces to its nest. After a few minutes, a sparrow came by to do the same thing. I couldn’t believe how brave these birds were to just sit at the same table as me and eat my bread. It just added to the wonderful ambience of Venice.

After that amazing meal, I headed out to ‘get lost’ in Venice again.

I found myself in a shop buying postcards only to see the magnificent masks she had inside. Since I didn’t want to pick up a mask and carry it around Italy for the next two weeks, I promised to come back to buy the metal mask that was shaped in a way that looks like it’s covered in lace (but it’s metal). It was so beautiful. I knew if I bought it then, it would break over the next two weeks.

The shops of Venice are filled with the most beautiful and intriguing masks you’ll ever see. Some are comedic, others are outrageous, and some are downright beautiful that you can’t help but marvel at the craftsmanship.

Even the cheap masks designed for tourists are a wonder to see…especially the way they are displayed in a sea of thousands of colorful, and all very different masks.

As I made my way over yet another bridge, my calf muscle decided to say, “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” in the good ole’ Gandolf way. I literally stopped, hobbled over to the side of the bridge and decided to rest for a few minutes and take photographs.

I think this is where the jetlag was really setting in. I hadn’t eaten in over a day. That meal I just had was the first. I didn’t put on sunscreen when I first got lost and ended up getting sun poisoning. Throw on top of all of that a bit of dehydration and my body was begging me to just stop…go back to the hotel and sleep.

Instead, I pressed on.

After I climbed the bridge and made my way back down again, I discovered a fruit/vegetable market. It was just so beautiful…all of the colors and shapes…the smell of the basil as the beautiful and young Italian men bunched them up for sale. Yes, it was a sight to see and take in.

I stopped at one stall that had sundried tomatoes. I picked up a bag when the shopkeeper pointed to some fresh cherries. He had three different kind. He kept directing me to the most expensive ones so I asked, “What’s the difference? Can I try one?” He hesitated and finally agreed to let me try one from each batch. I ended up buying the more expensive ones…and they were delish!

I realized after the bells to close up shop started ringing…I should have bought some bananas. Of course, that wasn’t until after the other calf screamed “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” at the next bridge. Oh boy, I was a frightful sight! I haven’t been this bad since post-surgery in 2008 when I pulled a muscle in my stomach…just because I was walking too fast. This is why the doctor keeps saying that my body still isn’t ready to workout again.

I found a statue close by and just collapsed. My body was giving out on me. I rested underneath the statue for a good half an hour as tourist after tourist took photos of the statue (and me) and the homeless guy on the other side!

I headed back to the hotel after that second beating…only to get kicked in the calf again at the next bridge. Why didn’t I think to fill a prescription for pulled muscles before I left? Those drugs would have come in nicely.

I made it back to the hotel finally, but stopped along the way to buy a new leather purse. You know…the MADE IN ITALY…leather bags. They come in so many sizes and colors that it is so hard to decide which one to buy.

I settled on an orange one that has “FLORENCE Made in Italy” imprinted on the front of the bag.

I decided that I might end up coming home with a new bag from every place I visit. I just hope there’s enough room in the suitcase.

The quality of each piece in the store was just impeccable. These are the kind of bags that will last you a lifetime…just like the Italian leather shoes. This is the kind of leather you invest in. Ironically, each bag is about 30 euros each. In America…it’s well over $100…even at Daffy’s.

After I bought my bag, I handed a gypsy woman two euros for luck and headed back down the canal to my hotel. I fell asleep right at 9:15 and woke up again at 11:30PM. I took a friggin nap! I didn’t fall back asleep until 2:30AM…and I had to be up at 7AM for my train.

Jet lag…totally not fun.

Next stop…Bologna.

[Here are the photos and new pieces to my collection from Venice.]

Friday Loves Being Home Again!

13 July 2012

I’m back in the States. The trip will be told in the coming weeks (be prepared to read a lot…it’s currently 40+ pages and I’ve only made it to day 10 of the journey across Italy).

Now, some crazy stuff happened while I was in Italy. When I got home, I decided I would never leave again for a summer vacay, because the cat almost died while I was away. Apparently, there was a blackout while I was gone…which meant no A/C for the princess (she was sleeping in the bathtub to stay cool). She drank all 7 bowls of water and ran out. She was almost on day two of no water when I walked in to a screaming, crazy cat.

I understood immediately why she was going crazy when I walked into the apartment. I dropped everything, and ran to the sink to get her some water. She not only drank it too fast and threw up three times, she started bleeding the next morning…scaring the crap out of me.

NO MORE SUMMER VACATIONS FOR ME!

But don’t worry…after spending the day home with her on Wednesday, brushing her for hours upon hours on end and getting her rehydrated, she’s doing much better. She’s back to her happy diva self again and knows she’s in 100% control of our domain.

(Guilt card is definitely in play.)

So here are the top Friday loves…being home again.

1. I Lost My Phone in Verona, Italy. So you’ll find out over the next few weeks what happened in my trek across Italy that was very much on the strange side…as in…Death was following me. A gypsy woman confirmed it when she saw me and had to give me some charms to ward him off (which are now at home close to the cat). While I was in Verona, I was so sleepy after seeing the performance of Aida at the Arena (an outdoor coliseum), I must not have put my phone back into my purse when I reached for my wallet to pay for the taxicab.

Of course, this freaked me out, because that’s my alarm clock! That meant I would have a few sleepless nights until I got a new alarm clock/phone. [Plus, I never do stuff like this. I never lose anything. That freaked me out even worse!]

Well, thanks to watching Hulu Plus, an advertisement from AT&T showcasing the new Samsung Galaxy S3 kept replaying. I thought…what a cool phone. I went in and got that phone the next day.

Sure, I’m upset that my BlackBerry Torch with all of those interviews I was going to type up this summer (like the Kovalchuk part 2 story) are gone forever…it was just a reminder of the world that has ended. I’m retired. I can no longer write those hockey stories. (Sorry, Ilya. That was the most important part of the story…lost in Verona, Italy…FOREVER.)

[I just love how the universe makes sure that I really should not go back on my word or even reconsider retiring from hockey writing.]

Luckily, AT&T helped me out with purchasing this phone by giving me some options like using my brother’s upgrade, and he could use my upgrade in October (which means he can get the iPhone 5 at that time). This brought down the cost of the phone to $199. Switching upgrades worked out perfectly since my brother is an iPhone lover and the new device won’t be out until later this year. It gives them time to work out the bugs (as he says).

Now, what I love about this phone…it’s everything I love about the Nook Tablet in a phone. The whole fact that the phone is an instant WiFi HotSpot is probably the only feature that is lacking in the Nook…but works perfectly while traveling or just commuting to work. For instance, I watched “Once Upon a Time” on the way into the office. I love that it hooks up to my Netflix and Hulu Plus accounts.

While I could read books on the Galaxy…I’ll just keep the Nook for that. The Nook has a bigger screen.

This device has been creating quite a stir. Even the guys at the AT&T store love it. They gave up their iPhones and Blackberry devices for it. For those at AT&T who don’t have the Galaxy S3, they are hoping to get it soon. That should tell you how amazing the buzz is around this product if they’re giving up their iPhones and Blackberry devices for this device.

Apple, on the other hand, might be a little threatened by the success of the Galaxy S3. There’s a rumor they’re releasing the iPhone 5 on 8/7 instead of October. It’s just a rumor…but it should also tell you how amazing this new device is.

So in retirement…and my first few days back in the States I’ve discovered I’m becoming a techie…

Yeah…we’ll see how long that lasts.

2. Young Adult Bestsellers. So, I may be cheating a little on my New Year’s Resolution. I just finished reading book number 34 this year. That’s probably a record for me since we are only in July. I’m going to share my secret…I have an addiction to young adult book series. I plow through them in a few days because they’re filled with so much action and adventure…I just can’t put the books down.

While in Italy, I was sad to finish both the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan and the Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. Both authors brought their series to an end. I was sad and almost cried because I didn’t want the adventures to end. But the symbolism in seeing an adventure come to an end…yes, you’ll read about that symbolism in the coming weeks as I recount my adventure through Italy.

Even though I ended the journey with these characters I loved, I started a new one with Peter Pan in the “Peter and the Starcatchers” series. A Broadway show is currently playing in NYC with huge success. I definitely plan on seeing it soon.

I realize that even though one adventure comes to an end, no matter how much you enjoyed it and the characters in it…sometimes it can mark the beginning of a new adventure. With Peter Pan, it is all about being forever young and never growing up.

3. PASTA! I don’t care what the diet books say or the fact that my hips may have grown a little bit while in Italy…but I’m in love with tagliatelle noodles.

They look like fettucine noodles, but they’re actually egg noodles.

My first meal in Italy was Tagliatelle al Bolognese in Venice, while I was sitting right next to the Grand Canal. It was the most amazing dish I had throughout all of Italy. It was sooo good. It was the noodles that made the difference.

While I was in Florence, I searched everywhere for a shop that sold tagliatelle noodles and finally found them. I bought two boxes and bought another bag before I left Venice to come back home.

Last night, I made a pasta sauce and boiled up a batch of these noodles…and all I can say is that these noodles just make everything taste better.

Since tagliatelle is not easy to find in America, I found a recipe! Actually, I bought a cookbook in Florence (in English) with the recipe for Tagliatelle al Bolognese to make at home. It takes two hours to make the sauce, so I’m going to wait until the fall/winter to cook up a pot (it’s too hot to cook in the summer). As far as making the noodles…I found a recipe for you to try! Homemade Tagliatelle.

I’ve never had noodles that redefined a pasta dish, but tagliatelle did it for me. FAN FOR LIFE!

4. Marty’s Better. So while I was in Vatican City, I decided to mess with a few nuns while they were praying (you’ll read about it in the travel log). After I left the prayer room, God answered my prayer. I’m not joking when I say it happened right after I left the prayer room. I looked down at my phone and there was the news! Marty Brodeur is still a Devil for two more years. I could almost kiss a priest. Almost… (they creep me out…especially since I can read their sinful minds…just disgusting human beings some of them are).

Anyway, the Martin Brodeur Facebook page just linked to a really awesome shirt that I have mad lust for. It’s a Marty’s Better t-shirt. You’ll have to click the link to see.

That shirt is just as awesome as the new Dallas Stars jerseys featuring #68 on the front. Jagr in the back. [Just happy he decided to go with a team that didn’t have orange in their jerseys…bleh.]

5. A New Wardrobe. So the great thing about going to Europe is the fact that I can bring back fashion that will not be in style until next year.

I like being ahead of the fashion curve. After all, I like knowing I’m wearing something that other people can’t own unless they go to Italy themselves to purchase it.

While in Milan, I didn’t have time to do anything before heading to Verona, so I headed to the train station early and luckily, they had shops galore.

One store that captured my attention was Mango. I’ve only seen a cheaper brand of Mango at JC Penneys, and all the fashionista seem to love the store, so I decided to go in. Luckily, the store was 50-70% off. I picked up the striped top (in the picture) a new bag and a bracelet for 29 euros. I really couldn’t believe my luck!

While in Sorrento, I picked up a few lightweight (aka see-through) tops that can also serve as dresses (but I wouldn’t recommend wearing nothing but underwear underneath). I wore the longer piece as a tunic because of the drastic lines and wore a pair of jersey pants and a t-shirt underneath. I got so many compliments on it because no one has seen this kind of top here in NYC.

Jewelry…came in the form of Karl Lagerfeld. There was a shop in Verona that gave me 50% off the two Lagerfeld necklaces I found. They were so willing to make a deal…and everything was so beautiful in their shop (all major couture designers).

Of course, the most important finds were all about the purse purchases. I bought a new bag in every single place I visited except for Bologna and Naples. The most amazing find wasn’t just the 100% Italian Leather bags…it was a scarf bag I picked up in Sorrento, Italy for 6 euros. It was the cheapest bag of the lot, as well as the cutest. You’re not going to find that bag anywhere else in the world except in Sorrento, Italy.

In Florence, I picked up a scarf from a store right outside the Uffizi Gallery. It is the only place in the world that you can buy this scarf because it was specifically designed and made for that store…and there’s only one store in the world.

For the Fantasy Wardrobe followers…this is actually how I create my wardrobe. After you get past all of the basics and have added a lot of couture pieces from your favorite designers, all that’s left to do is to define your look by wearing what no one else can buy…unless they go there themselves to buy it.

I always hate when I see someone wearing something I own. I like wearing items that no one else will have…yet, they also want it very badly.

Something to keep in mind whenever you venture away on vacation…always look for the boutique stores. Take a look around. You’ll always find something that is unique to that place you’re visiting and something you will love from your time being there. Just keep in mind that whatever you buy to add to your wardrobe…it’s something that you will actually wear at home and not just on vacation.

So if you’re in Jamaica buying a sarong, make sure it’s something you won’t mind wearing at home or displaying over a table or chair when you get back home. That’s how you determine what you’ll actually buy as far as clothes go while you’re on vacation.

Even right now, I’m wearing a top I picked up in Raleigh, North Carolina when I went with a friend to see the Columbus Blue Jackets play against the Carolina Hurricanes. Sure, the CBJ guys like to talk about my big ass octopus bag they saw me buy…but the top I picked up during their nap…that’s the piece I love the most. That top was a reminder of a fun trip and of a marvelous city.

So for those vacationing soon…always look for something you’re going to love owning for the rest of your life. I said LOVE. I LOVE all of the pieces I’ve picked up from all over the world. Those pieces always have more meaning to me than any of the NYC finds. It doesn’t matter if I picked it up from one of their local JC Penneys…all that matters is that I picked it up in that place while I was traveling. It’s a great way to remember those places you visited beyond just the pictures you took, because there’s a story and an adventure behind those pieces.

Friday Loves The Summer DIY

15 June 2012

Ah…the summer. Hockey season is FINALLY over. The Stanley Cup has finally been lifted and I can go back to my normal life…

Oh wait…my life’s not so normal.

The first question someone asked me the day after the Stanley Cup was lifted was: now that you’re retired, what are you going to do with your life? Well…ask me that in a month after I’m back from vacation.

In the meantime, here’s what I plan on doing this weekend.

1. DIY Chalkboard Paint. Well, in the chaos that is my bedroom right now (still rotating my wardrobe because the cold days are still lingering around; packing for Italy; redecorating for the summer months; and needing to do laundry for the last two months) I ended up smacking the suitcase right into my full length mirror and it came crashing down. Yep…it broke. 7 years of bad luck for me, right?

Well, instead of lamenting over the bad luck, I took one look at the smashed up mirror and thought…DIY PROJECT!

Instead of throwing out the mirror, I’m recycling it. The mirror frame is being turned into…a chalkboard!

The Idea Room shared her recipe on how to make chalkboard paint in just about any color under the rainbow. It’s really easy. I still have some leftover paint from the time that I painted the apartment. This will help recycle some of that leftover paint, too.

As for the broken shards of the mirror itself, it will go towards a mosaic table I’ve been thinking about doing ever since the roofers smashed my Hermes toucan plate into the kitchen floor! I couldn’t bare to part with my first Hermes…even if it was broken. So a mosaic (Hermes) table is definitely in the works this summer. Now I have some more pieces to add to the table.

2. Garage/Yard Sales. One of the great things about summer is that you can find a lot of things being tossed out for next to nothing at garage/yard sales. I’m in the market for a new side table for cheap because I need it for my mosaic (Hermes) table I’ll be constructing this summer.

There are a lot of blogs out there on how regular joes like you and me found something at a yard sale for less than $5 and turned it into a treasure.

Take for instance A Pinterest Addict’s post on how she changed this dull chair she picked up for $5 and turned it into an incredibly new and beautiful chair. All it took was a little fabric paint.

Hitting up garage/yard sales allows those inner home decorators a chance to try out something new for next to nothing. For those who are furnishing or decorating a home for the first time, garage/yard sales allow you to quickly furnish your home without spending thousands upon thousands of dollars.

Where to start? Craigslist! You’ll be able to search for and find notices of yard sales in your community listed on Craigslist. Just make sure you write down the time (always sucks to show up early…you can’t browse).

My favorite hits are always the ones where more than one household is hosting a yard sale. It then becomes a community yard sale. So always try to put those sales at the top of your list to hit up first. You may find everything you’re looking for and more in that one stop.

mason jars — These are the exact Mason Jars I picked up. While I use them for canning purposes, they can also be used in various ways…like adding sand at the bottom with candles to create a new tablescape.

Thanks to garage/yard sales, I’ve found flip top canning jars from the 50s and 60s for $1 a piece just days after seeing how they were listed for $35 each in a magazine. I’ve also found gorgeous pieces from all over the world (like a geisha bust and a wooden vase from Indonesia). I also found a beautiful crystal globe vase for $3. The owner would only sell it to someone that she knew would cherish it. She was really attached to the piece. The fact that she was willing to sell it to me, and the fact she cried when she let it go…makes me cherish that piece even more.

A lot of my favorite treasures were found at garage/yard sales. I always like things that have a little bit of history to it and isn’t just on some clearance rack. These items are being given a second life.

3. New uses for PAINT. Oh, leftover paint…what am I going to do with you? I painted my apartment five years ago, and because of the laws governing waste removals like paint, I can’t seem to get the leftover paint out of my apartment. So what’s a girl to do?

INSERT…new DIY projects. 🙂

For the painted vases, Oh So Lovely explains just how she was able to create these beauties.

I also saw another pin on pinterest where someone used old glass tea light jars to create a similar look like you see in the picture with the cans.

If you can’t tell…I like simple DIY projects…like something that can be done in just a few steps.

4. Where In The World Have I Been? If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a bit of a jetsetter…always running all over the world. Well, I also photograph every place that I’ve visited. My problem is…what do I do with the thousands upon thousands of pieces that are so good…they’re worth putting up?

While I realize that as a photographer, I may be sitting on a gold mine of work that can be sold…as the person that took the shot, it’s a moment from my memory of the places I have been. That’s something I want to see on a regular basis.

But how does one go about seeing it all on a regular basis? Well, just perchance I had an epiphany. I took one of my new Paris magnets from off of the refrigerator and went to my front door and stuck it on there. Surprise, surprise…it stuck.

So now I’m in the market for little circular plain magnets…and a lot of them. It’s an easy way to put up all of the really remarkable photos I’ve taken over the years and put them in a place where I will see them all of the time. I can probably put up 50-100 photos on the door. When I get tired of looking at a few of them, I can just easily remove them and put a different group up.

Believe it or not, I’m actually putting the photos up based on color scheme. This summer, the door will match the summer decor of the whites and blues (so photos from Santorini, Greece will flood the door, along with the blues of Morocco). In the fall, I’ll probably change the photos to the more gothic pieces from Paris and the photos of Prague in the fall.

As for that great big picture…the search is on to decide which photo I’m going to supersize and put up on the wall. The above idea comes from Design Darling. I think something from Paris would do the trick. We’ll see what wonders I bring back from Italy.

5. DIY Seasonings. Now, why didn’t I think of this? Want a non-preservative seasoning? Why not DIY?

The one seasoning that gave me a D’OH! moment was the taco seasoning. I always order taco seasoning when I order my groceries because I come up with about a zillion ways to come up with the taco stuffings without using meat. I never even thought about making the seasoning myself.

Thanks to Self-Reliance by Jamie for sharing the recipes she found!

Although, since these will be staple items in my pantry…I plan on upcycling some of my jars and creating a few labels to give them a gorgeous and French kitchen worthy touch.

Thanks to The Painted Hive, she lets us in on how you can create these dishwasher safe labels. For the jars pictured here…she found these SLOM jars at Ikea.

I love these kinds of jars. They are perfect for just about anything and everything you need for storage purposes. They’re even great when you’re canning the summer’s bounty.

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So my first weekend in retirement = catching up on all of those DIY projects I’ve been pinning since I got on Pinterest. There are so many things I want to do that I can’t wait to start.

Just wait until I get back from Italy. I plan on buying a sewing machine so that I can start my next DIY project…turning all of these damn NHL t-shirts into something I actually love…PURSES.

Although, I’m saving that Clarkson t-shirt for something special…I’m thinking a skirt.

And people thought I wouldn’t have anything to do in my hockey writing retirement…

Friday Loves

1 June 2012

1. Frozen Planet. I am all about the BBC’s “Frozen Planet” this week. It is probably the coolest and most intriguing documentary I have ever seen. I’ve learned so much from it. These guys filming the North and South Poles have the coolest jobs in the world (figuratively speaking, as well).

After watching the behind-the-scenes video of the filmographers capturing footage of the penguins in Antarctica, their job also looks like it has to be the scariest adventure too. If these guys are caught on the coast filming penguins when 80-120 mph winds pick up, they’re screwed. Camp is 2 miles away…and they have to get back somehow (with all of their equipment). They could either lose one of the camera guys (they struggle to not get blown away), or get lost when those winds come down.

Other times, they felt their cabin getting ready to be lifted up while they were in it…and this was during the summer! It’s like an Antarctic Hurricane.

I keep watching these guys thinking…I so want to be on that adventure!

The cat even sat down on the couch to watch the white wolves in the Arctic as they were hunting. She’s enjoying the program just as much as I am.

In America, Discovery released the video of the same footage as narrated by Alec Baldwin. I prefer the untainted BBC version (because they’re the ones that filmed it).

Check the videos out online. Discovery has many of the videos available online for consumption. Not only did I learn a lot, including discovering species I never even knew existed, but I enjoyed the scenery. It was absolutely beautiful. I especially enjoyed watching how a snowflake is created. No two are ever alike. 🙂

Even though I picked up these DVDs from the library, I’m definitely going to have to buy them. I love the show!

Can’t wait to start booking some nature trips in the near future.

{I also learned that I don’t like killer whales. They’re beautiful, highly intelligent, but absolutely cruel. They need to learn to eat just fish…not seals or other whales. I’m having a hard time watching the killer whales while they hunt.}

2. Seaweed Chips. Since hockey is still ongoing for me, I like to pick something up for dinner on the way to the arena (because I can’t always eat what they offer for the media meal). I think the Devils are used to my weird diet and how it’s difficult for me to eat, so they just let me do whatever and bring my own food.

Well, while I was picking up some soup and aloe water, I saw Seaweed Chips with Olive Oil. I thought…why not? It would be a healthy alternative to the chips and onion dip offered up in the press box.

Gotta say…I LOVE THEM! I think the perception when most people look at it is that it will taste horrible, but they’re actually really good. For 30 calories per serving, I’m good with just making it my meal. It can be filling and very easy to digest.

It has a little bit of a salty after taste, but no salt is added. That’s the natural sea salt you’re tasting. It’s not added, because seaweed comes from…SALT WATER. It’s the sea salt from the ocean you’re tasting.

What’s great about the ‘easy to digest’ part…seaweed actually helps to boost your metabolism and get rid of BELLY FAT!

While I could say, “Eat Up!” I know people go haywire and overindulge in something they find out is good for you (or in this case…trigger word was ‘get rid of BELLY FAT!’). Like everything, eat in moderation. I usually eat 1/2 a pack of seaweed chips (comes in 2 serving sizes) if I’m snacking. If it’s my dinner, I eat the whole pack (60 calories). That also means that I eat this one or two times a week, not every single day.

Your body needs a lot of different things…just not all at once. So add this to your diet, but don’t overdo it.

They’re a good, healthy snack to add to your diet. My friend recommended this to me during a time when I needed to find a strategy in sneaking iron into my diet. Seaweed chips were easy to get down and digest (i.e. something that my stomach liked). Now, I eat them as the healthier snack alternative because I choose to “Have Fewer Things, But Better Things.” 😉

3. Spaghetti Aglie, Olio, e Peperoncino. Thanks to Fab Fatale for directing me to this recipe from Yum Sugar. It’s a great way to get me into the ITALY state of mind (t-minus 26 days and counting until I hit Italian soil).

What is it? It’s spaghetti with minced garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes. What did I do differently? I added grated parmesan and freshly grated Romano to the recipe (I also used whole grain/whole wheat penne and fusili instead of spaghetti). I mixed it up and used it as a base grain for the week (easy to grab during the week).

As a base recipe, I was able to take this basic pasta and make a few different meals out of it, so it was like I was having something different every night. One night, I added chicken with a tomato sauce on the side. Another night, I added ham and peas. Tonight, I’m going with capers, fresh tomatoes and fresh bell peppers.

It’s so delicious! It beats having just the plain pasta with nothing on it in the fridge (and then it ends up getting tossed because I won’t eat it or come up with new recipes).

4. GabiFresh. If you’ve noticed what are the latest things trending around the world right now, you might have found that one of my favorite bloggers, GabiFresh, has become the subject of some controversy over one of my favorite posts she’s done recently on her new bathing suit.

Now, for those of us followers, we knew about the bathing suit long before the blog post. When I first saw the bathing suit (before the post), I thought…wow, that is so cool. She looks fabulous. It’s daring, but she looks fantastic!

I would never be brave enough to pull off the bathing suit (you should see the Muslim one I adopted for travel in Africa), but I thought it was incredible that she did it and she was willing to share her brave moment with the world. Not once did I ever think that anyone could look at her fab photos and think something negative…until I saw FATKINI trending.

For those of us who are loyal to GabiFresh…we know what her blog is about. It’s about inspiring women, no matter what your size, to be comfortable in your own skin. It’s about being brave enough to wear something so scary as a bikini or even a pair of skinny jeans or a sexy dress that hugs all of our curves. In other words, there are ways to look, be and feel beautiful in your own skin…it all begins with being brave enough to take that chance to wear something you’ve always dreamed of wearing and just take the plunge and do it! That is the message of her blog. And that is exactly why she is this week’s favorite blogger that I love to stalk that I’m sharing with all of you.

I think I’ve been following Gabi since December. All along the way I’ve found her site to be very inspiring not just for me, but I realize for other women out there. I know what it’s like to be so overweight, you can’t wear anything they put out in the stores. Designers snub you if you’re bigger than a size 12…and sometimes a size 8.

I remember the days when we were stuck with mumu dresses, sweatpants, oversized sweaters and tees. We were too fat to be fashionable. We were the world that the fashion world stuck their nose up at, and said crap about how unhealthy or overweight we were.

It’s bad enough that we say this crap to ourselves…even worse when the world echoes those depressing feelings. We’ve all been there at one point. So I applaud Gabi for going out on a limb and empowering women to be comfortable in their own skin and showing us how.

And if you don’t like it…as Rich Hardesty sings, “If you don’t got nothing nice to say, then don’t say nothing at all.” Just look for the beauty of the moment like most sane people do.

5. Pekka Rinne. Now, there’s a reason why Pekka makes my top 5 loves. I’m helping to promote him for the NHL 13 cover. He’s currently up against Claude Giroux after defeating Henrik Lundqvist and John Tavares. I mean…he BEAT Lundqvist. I have no idea how that is possible, but he did.

Pekka is also part of the Puck Agency family (you know…the agency that represents Ilya Kovalchuk, Anssi Salmela, Anton Volchenkov, Johan Hedberg), so of course I’m going to lend my social media world of support for Pekka, especially after Scott Hartnell decided to tweet something about sending Rinne back to Finland (almost ranks up there with that BizNasty’s ‘commie’ tweet).

So for those who are not Flyers fans, vote for Pekka Rinne. He’s probably the nicest (most innocent) guy I’ve ever met…and he’s never been suspended for getting pissed off and delivering a headshot to some innocent guy out on the ice (like Giroux did).

I still find it funny that Pekka is petrified of Las Vegas. We were able to snag an interview with him for Inside Hockey while we were in Vegas last year for the NHL Awards. He had just become an uncle for the first time right around that time. But the whole Vegas deal…this guy spends 82+ games a year stopping a flying puck made of vulcanized rubber from entering into his net…and he’s scared of Vegas.

UNBELIEVABLE, but true.

So fans, vote for Pekka Rinne in the NHL 13 Cover Vote and vote often HERE.

Friday Loves

18 May 2012

1. Fresh Day, 38 W 48th St (between 5th Ave & Rockefeller Plz), New York City. I am a tad bit addicted to this Manhattan deli that I came across the other week. It’s your typical run of the mill kind of deli…unless you’ve discovered its secret.

To the back of the deli, on the right, there’s a Korean food station. Who will you find there? REGULAR customers that seem to come by almost every single day. They order something different off of the menu every single day, and they are all addicts…just like me.

My office has dubbed their udon soup with fresh vegetables with your choice of meat as the ‘Barrel of Soup.’ For $7, you’re getting a huge barrel of soup filled with fresh ingredients. What makes the soup so addictive? The broth. The broth is what has every single one of us coming back again and again and again.

Even if you don’t get the soup, everything else on the menu is superb. If you get an entree, they give you a small container of the broth with fresh green onions floating at the top. It’s that broth…that’s the addiction.

Everything on the menu that I’ve tried so far is AMAZING! It’s not so often you make a discovery this incredible. To walk in at the spur of the moment, walk all the way to the back and discover something this good? That rarely happens.

The Korean counter has the same group of luncheoners every single day. We’re all addicts, sharing with each other what we had the day before and what we thought of it…really, it is a cult following. No place else in Manhattan have I ever seen a group huddled around a food station talking about this dish or that dish or the “What are you having?” to complete strangers.

The two Hispanic guys that cook up the meals for us…they just laugh every single time they see another regular. The food is really the best Korean food I’ve ever had in my life…and I’ve been to Korea!

If you’ve never had Korean food before, and you’re going to try it out for the first time…see Fresh Day and the Mexican guy in the back. He’ll whip something amazing up for you!

2. KOMBUCHA! You can first blame Winter Adams and then Georges Laraque for my new obsession. Winter texted me and told me to try Kombucha because it made her feel better. Of course, I asked, “What in the hell is Kombucha?” She replied back that it was a tea…to just try it, I’ll understand.

Well, while I was at Fresh Day, I wandered over to their drink case and noticed that they had Kombucha. I thought…well, Winter has never done me wrong before, so I bought a bottle. It was $5!

I made the mistake of picking up the ginger one. I should have gone with a flavorful one, because that was the nastiest tea I had ever tasted in my life!

Georges Laraque followed up by telling me that one of his companies distributes Kombucha. He told me to give it another try…there were better flavors.

Take Two. I got the cranberry one…and then because the deli keeps changing the flavors on me when the other flavor runs out, I tried the citrus and then the three-flavored trinity or something flavor from Synergy over the course of the next couple of weeks.

Guess what? Ends up that was the wiser choice. It actually tastes better.

What is the importance of Kombucha?

From Wiki: “Proponents claim it aids cancer recovery, increases energy, sharpens eyesight, aids joint recovery, improves skin elasticity, aids digestion, and improves experience with foods that ‘stick’ going down, such as rice or pasta.”

So for those of us that are sick…have a history of cancer, etc. this detox fermented tea actually assists the body, especially the liver and digestion.

For me, it just gives me hot flashes a lot like HCG drops do. {HCG drops are a homeopathic detox cleanser that helps eliminate fat from the body.} I think there is a possibility that Kombucha does attack fat cells (at least that’s how it feels to me). The most important thing is that it does give those with ailments an added vitality that makes them feel a whole heck of a lot better.

For those a little scared of Kombucha, it’s been around for 2,000 years, made more popular by the Russians in the 1900s. It’s a lot like vinegar in a way…and my grandpa was a believer that apple-cider vinegar was a cure-all for what ails you. So going along the same lines of ‘vinegar’, Kombucha would have similar benefits.

If you see it, try it out. It can be rather expensive, but the health benefits are fantastic! But like all crazes to cure-alls…read the fine print and drink in moderation. Here’s MSNBC’s take on the Kombucha craze.

3. Glass Jars. Pretty soon it will be that time of year again to start canning the summer bounty. It’s a great economical way to keep the summer bounty going well into the winter months when fruit/veggie prices skyrocket.

Canning is actually easier than it looks. One of my favorite recipes is a corn relish from Food & Wine. I usually buy corn for two weeks straight just to make this recipe and can it. I eat the corn relish with almost everything because this recipe is so divine.

But let’s talk about JARS. The jars pictured here are from The Container Store. I saw them in Martha Stewart Living recently with a really cool recipe attached. I thought…what a brilliant idea for bringing lunch to work. I love the flip top and that it seals in liquids tightly.

I don’t use plastic containers to bring my lunch or to store food in the fridge. I use only glass containers. I’ve made huge batches of my favorite tortilla soup and put them in jars I saved from Archer Farms (Target’s generic brand), various salsa and spaghetti jars, etc. and have taken the soup into the office, just because there’s enough for two lunches in each jar.

The thing I like most about giving jars a second life is that it makes it easier to store big batches of soup. It’s easy to just grab and go.

I like these French hermetic jars because I’ve used the glass bowls with plastic lids and guess what? Forget about carrying around anything liquid. But truthfully…I’m just a huge fan of these jars with flip tops. Not only are they perfect for canning the summer bounty, but spillage is less likely.

There are tons of creative uses to jars beyond canning. You could pack your salad in a jar (make sure dressing/liquidy parts are at the bottom then add other veggies, etc. put the lettuce at the top so it won’t get soggy), oatmeal, cake, you name it…it can be put in a jar which makes it much easier to grab and go.

Cake in a Jar.

Oatmeal in a Jar can be prepared the night before.

A lot of people use plastic containers to store food and take it to go. To me, glass is the more eco-friendly alternative. It can be reused again and again. Not all plastics are recyclable. Glass is always recyclable. Besides, I think it just looks cooler to have glass around rather than plastic.

4. PEONIES! I have a new favorite flower.

I actually can’t wait to have a house of my own so I can plant peonies all over. In Martha Stewart Living, she described the methods to having a successful crop of peonies…they live on neglect. The more you neglect them, the more abundant the flowers will be. It’s like a no-nonsense plant that you don’t have to worry about at all and it thrives!

When you put peonies in vases around the house, they are so fragrant and just burst right open, lasting for several days.

I think Blaire from Gossip Girl is making peonies even more popular, because that’s her favorite flower. Can you blame her? Look how HUGE the blooms are!

Tis the peony season! . . . that’s right now!

5. The Glamourai. Look who’s in Marrakech, Morocco! The Glamourai is currently visiting and you should see her fashion shoot and photos!

Like always, I like to share what blogs and sites I’m currently stalking, and The Glamourai is the latest. Her photos are so glamourous! I wish I had thought of doing a fashion shoot while I was in Morocco.

It’s kind of fun looking at her photos, because she’s visited all of the spots I visited. But what makes her site even more fun…it’s like seeing a glamourous fashion take of the same spots I visited. It’s soo cool.

Check out the site. You’ll love the colors and photos. Just beautiful. As the Moroccan men would say…”LALA!”

My New Motto

17 May 2012

Have Fewer Things, But Better Things.

— Suzanne Rheinstein —

I’m not sure what magazine I clipped this quote from, but this motto just really leaped out at me. “Have Fewer Things, But Better Things.” Why didn’t I ever think about that before?

Because we live in an age of NOW. We want it now…not tomorrow…not six months from now. We want the latest gadget, latest fashion trend, latest phone, latest car, latest social media platform NOW…not later.

We would rather not eat in order to buy a pair of $800 shoes now, instead of saving our money up to buy the shoes when they go on sale. We want everything now, now, now, now….NOW!

Guess what? We’re collapsing on ourselves by doing this to ourselves. Accumulation…clutter…yep, most of us (including myself) are hoarders of something. We are not minimalists at all.

Well, frankly, I’m kind of sick of my clutter, so I’m making myself change by changing my belief system. I’m forcing myself to live by the motto: “Have Fewer Things, But Better Things.”

So instead of furnishing my home with cheap stuff just because I need to furnish it somehow and give it character…I’m going to invest in more qualitative things now that most of the apartment actually is furnished. Sure, I could add some character here and there with little cheap finds, but I can also upgrade my life by saving up for those better things.

Think about it…say you need a new sofa (like I do). Instead of getting another cheapo Ikea one because I need something NOW (and different)…I could just stick with the one that I have now, put a new slipcover on it to give it a new look, and start squirreling away for something that will be an upgrade to my current look.

Take for instance this “Cowling” Velvet Sofa from Horchow. This classic beauty is $6,059. It’s not something you would toss after 20 years…it’s something you would invest in for the long haul.

The point is learning to save for the bigger purchases instead of trying to buy everything NOW, NOW, NOW! Sometimes we sacrifice on quality because we want to consume a lot of things NOW. We then end up not happy with what we have and then end up buying more because we weren’t 100% happy with what we just brought home.

Then that item ends up in some corner, or on the floor…basically in a place that is forgotten until we’re rummaging through and finding 50 of the same items, but none of them was the one item that made us happy. We start to hoard collections of things until we get it right. A lot of times, what we spent on the ‘didn’t make it’ pile ends up costing us more than the more expensive item cost to begin with that was the item we coveted the most.

Am I losing you? Let’s talk fashion…

I am a purse hoarder. My purses have their own closet…and now I’m shopping for a new armoire to put them all in. Lately, I’ve been forcing myself to go through my collection to declutter it. I have so many bags, I carry a new one every week. I’m so backlogged on new bags versus old bags, that I’ve not been able to get back to carrying an old bag, because I still have another 20 new bags I still haven’t carried yet.

I had to force myself to stop accumulating more bags. That’s where that quote came in. “Have Fewer Things, But Better Things.”

So I changed my belief system about my purse collection. I am now only adding couture designers. Most are vintage right now, but for the new bags…I’m forcing myself to save up to buy the “Better” ones that will last for the next 50+ years that I can pass along to my daughters and granddaughters. These are the Fendi, Prada, Valentino, Chanel, Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent bags of the world.

If you know your purses, you know that all of these have a starting price of well over $1,000 for the bags that last a lifetime.

Right now, I am coveting an Yves Saint Laurent bag to add to my collection. My savings goal (I included the taxes) is $1,695. Here is how I’m forcing myself to make it happen:

Buy NO MORE BRAND NEW bags. {Exception on purse collection is if I find a vintage couture bag at a great price.}
For every book I read (this is in conjunction with my 2012 New Year’s Resolution), I am putting the cost of the book into the jar. So basically, if I got the book from the library (for free), I put the same amount into the jar that the book would have cost me if I had bought it, because basically I saved that amount by not buying the book. If I actually bought the book I completed reading (and this could be any of the books in my library at home), I have to put 3x the amount into the jar, or take the money out of the jar that I paid for the book (to force myself to not spend money on books…so if I paid $13 for a book at the bookstore, I penalize myself and end up spending $52 for the book because 3x that goes into the jar and the $13 I used to pay for the book, or I lose $13 from the jar). What happens to that $13 taken out? Well, looks like I spent it on a book already.
For every gift card I receive to Saks, that is a BONUS and is deducted from the amount I’m trying to save up.
To curb my spending and to add to the jar faster, for each breakfast/lunch I do not buy during the week, that money goes into the jar. That’s a savings of about $20 per day that could go into the jar. That’s almost $400 saved every month. That’s a great incentive to get me to take my meals to work!
For every classic book I read, I put $25 into the jar (because it’s difficult to get through classic books or get myself to read them). For every 10 classics I read, I add in an extra $250. That gives me more incentive to read more classics!
For each week that I successfully complete five days of exercise…I put $50 into the jar. It’s not $10 per exercise day…five days per week have to be completed in order for the money to hit the jar. This will force me to work harder on accomplishing my dream of having a yogalicious body when I hit 40.

The point in creating these rules for myself was to help me accomplish other goals that are also important to me like my 2012 New Year’s Resolution to read 1 book every week (52 books a year). Of those 52 books, 26 of them have to be classics. So far I’ve read 22 books, only 2 of them were classics.

Other belief systems I’m changing is how much I spend on what David Bach calls the “latte factor.” Saving $400 per month to go towards my new motto…actually forces me to curb my spending on a daily basis. If I’m willingly spending $20 per day, that’s $20 I’m not putting towards my new covet item. What do I want more…the NOW factor or that INVESTMENT factor?

I’ve found that when I write down what I eat/drink every day for the doctor’s office, I also keep tabs on what I spend. I found a link between eating and spending in my life. I find that when I’m healthier and making wiser decisions with what I put into my body (like cooking my own meals), what I spend is actually lower. When I get careless with my food diary and my diet, my spending is also OUT OF CONTROL.

I mentioned this to my doctor once and he thought it was the craziest thing…but I saw a correlation between the two. It has a lot to do with the NOW factor and wanting everything NOW instead of saving and investing in what I really want out of my future.

So now that my main focus on my GOAL BOARD is going to be “Have Fewer Things, But Better Things,” I’m going to incorporate it in all walks of my life.

When you think of your diet, think of having fewer, but better things. When you think of buying that new handbag, don’t think of how many bags you can accumulate, think of buying a better handbag…one you’ve been really coveting that seems out of reach. You’ll appreciate it more…just like I do my first Burberry and my first Fendi.

This is just one of the first steps I’m taking in changing my life for the better. Sure, I’ll meet the girls once a month for dinner or some other activity, because happiness is important…and sharing time with your friends is important. It just doesn’t have to be every single week.

I am on spending lockdown right now. I am making sure that I maximize my savings so that I can start investing in the future that I want. Everyone wants a nice future filled with nice things. We have to be the change NOW in order to have those things in the future. Instead of instant gratification, learn the lessons from our Great Depression grandparents…save for the future.

It takes a change in mindset to focus on what you want for your future. We’re so busy living in the NOW, that we oftentimes forget that our future eventually becomes the NOW. It’s best that we have that future covered too.

For me, when I think about the future, I’m thinking about my future family, my future home, my future health, and my future retirement. Those are the things that are important to me, but one lesson I learned from the head of one of the top law firms in the country a long time ago…don’t get so wrapped up in the future that you forget to live in the now. Focus on the things that are important today, but don’t forget about tomorrow, because it will eventually become the now.