Lunch in the Real World

Good morning lovelies. Aren't you just so completely surprised that I'm blogging so early this morning? No? Just me :) okay. Anyway, since I'm up early to give my friend a ride to the airport I thought I'd catch up a bit. I haven't told you about my Armory Square lunch yet! My friend Laura graduated last year but she's from the Syracuse-area and has a new job downtown so we could think of no better occasion than to lunch at one of the fine establishments there.

It was a rather gloomy day last Friday (somewhat like this one) but the lighting for photographs was right on. Before she got on break I walked around the quaint Armory Square. As far as downtown is concerned, this area is the creme de la creme with many chic cafés, boutiques, venues, and sites of pampering (aka salons, I need to visit one soon, yes need.)

After chatting it up with the boy as I strolled, she came 'round the corner and we sat down at BC. With a nouveau-American menu and downtown casual atmosphere, this is a great spot for a meal with friends. It was actually founded by a former Nobu manager and her husband :).

To begin I ordered a cup of the Roasted Acorn Squash soup which came with a fluffy side of bread.

It was deliciously creamy, spiced and topped with some cheese (of which I forget the exact name of). I could have gone w/o the cheese but I am completely on a squash-kick so was perfect.

As an entrée, I had the Spinach, Apple & Walnut salad topped with pickled onions and shaved carrots. It tasted wonderfully fresh, although I did have to ask for the walnuts because they forgot about them. How is a plain veggie-salad supposed to hold me over until dinner-time? Exactly.

Later, when it was time for her to finish up her work day, I headed around the corner to Freedom of Espresso. There I had a scrumptious little latté and worked on some school assignments. I know, very hip and cool of me ;) I will be doing similar things this upcoming weekend alongside my ever-studying boyfriend. On a more exciting note, however, we will also be going to the Museum of Chinese in America so I can do research for an upcoming article, and possibly visit the Bronx Zoo as well. Hope you have a wonderful weekend planned!

You drive me crazy

And :) my second post on GoBackpacking.com is up! Check out my book review and chau for now.

Infinity plus One

Ahoy there maties! I am absolutely uninspired today! I have so many things racing through my mind and yet I feel like I'm physically stagnant. Let's see if I can create some sort of perspective here: My second blog post at GoBackpacking.com is going up tomorrow and I will continue to write for the site weekly. My debut on another (soon-to-be-announced) site is scheduled for November 10th. I just filed my diploma request and will be registering for classes, for my last semester, next week. What do I want to do with the rest of my life afterwards?

I went out for frozen yogurt last night as a treat for myself. Problem is, aside from the raspberries (yummy), I didn't really enjoy it. I think I may want to give up dairy. Kind of? I have to pitch an story idea in my cut-throat editing class tomorrow. After that, I have about a week and a half of resting, academically at least, but I can't get my mind to slow down enough to enjoy it. 

I haven't been to one yoga class all week. Registration for this six week term begins and I think I'm losing exercise-commitment steam. This happens too often. Maybe it's because the weather is getting cold again and I'm not ready? At Thanksgiving this year, I'm not sure if I'm even interested in eating turkey. I do not miss meat, and at this point it's actually quite unappetizing.

I'm going technically going home this weekend. It's not exactly home because I'll be staying with the boy. I haven't seen him since I've been sick. But I may very well have landed an amazing interview with someone from a museum that will work in a new article for my news class. My family "stuff" has still not been resolved. Maybe uninspired isn't the right word, how about crazy?

P.S. This is my last attempt to try a statement that is slightly less confusing.... Go Yankees! ;)

The perfect woman

One of my classes was cancelled this afternoon because my poor teacher (of whom I adore) has swine flu :(. The extra free time, however, was very much appreciated. My magazine editing professor, Harriet Brown, is heading the BODYTALK Project, and today I made my contribution. "BODYTALK gives people a chance to record commentaries about their relationships with their bodies, appearances, food, eating, and weight."

"...because the more we talk about these feelings, the more shame and stigma will fall away." We're receiving bonus points for participation, but I am very interested regardless. I believe this entire thing is fabulous; we will achieve progress is through dialogue. I'll also have you know that I spoke for about five minutes straight, we'll see if anything gets chosen for NPR :).

I have certainly come along way and thus had a lot to say. At this point though, I think I've reached the ultimate: a healthy body image and healthy food choices. Research has shown that women who accept their bodies the way they are seem to be more likely to adopt better eating habits. Furthermore, "Those who scored higher on measures of intuitive eating also showed higher levels of self-esteem, coping ability, optimism, and ability to deal with stressful situations."

I am so thankful. Gena recently wrote an incredible post about food just as food. Leslie, another favorite, responded with her own insight in not just one, but two posts regarding her food philosophy.  I agree with both of them. Also in the blogosphere, if you'd like to see a rare case of body diversity in the media, be my guest and walk on over to Blueberry Hil.

Across the country, and the world, our bodies come in all different shapes, different sizes and different colors. We must learn to appreciate our uniqueness, and in doing so, treat our bodies accordingly. In the end, though perfection does not exist, beauty is universal.