olympics in the air!

The biggest news of this week is that I bought a TV and am able to watch the Olympics!!  I didn't realize that you could still get "over the air" stations, but with an antenna, I have 8+ different channels.  It has been great so far.  However, I am already pretty addicted, so I'm trying to make some guidelines for myself, like: turn town the volume if it's an event I'm not ALL that invested in; read (or do dishes) during commercial breaks or previously mentioned events; and go to bed after the end of primetime coverage (11/11:30pm).  Yes, I'm a little obsessed, but it's the best 2+ weeks of television for 2 years!  Might as well enjoy it while I can.  

This was the iTunes song of the week last week, and I actually like it a lot.  I've also been hearing it quite a bit on the radio.  I'm not sure if that's because of the iTunes special, or it's popular on its own.  Anyway, here's a link to Riptide by Vance Joy.  Disclaimer: the music video is really weird and disturbing, but I still like the song. 

If you were somehow unaware, it is Valentine's Day this week.  I have had plans for the last few months actually - hot date at the dentist's office!  So if you're feeling bad for yourself because you're alone on Valentine's Day and not receiving any flowers or chocolate or lovin', just remember that it could be worse :)

Finally, if you haven't seen this performance yet, please watch.  Jason Brown is perhaps my favorite Olympic athlete, and his long program is outta this world.  This is the video from US Nationals in January, but he's skating this routine in Sochi as well.  He is just so much fun to watch, and definitely sunnyside material.  Enjoy!

hi there february, let's do this.

Pretty VT views on a Saturday snowshoe

Thanks for helping make January 2014 keep on the sunny side's second most popular month ever!  Now we're on to February - inching closer to springtime and summer.  Even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, I couldn't see mine today in Vermont, so I'm going to believe that winter is coming to a close. 

Here are two interesting articles I read in the NYTimes recently.  The first is about sloths and how they have adapted to survive their very unique lifestyle.  And the second is about obesity, specifically understanding when in life obesity begins, and how body weight changes over time.  Check them out.

Last week, I talked about making my lentil dish.  It was ok, not one of my favorites.  But I made a yummy turkey pot pie last night.  So here are some food pictures, as well as a few other photos from my week. 

The lentils.  Not bad, but not my fave.

Yummy and cozy turkey pot pie

 

 

boots!

 

 

Friday Outfit, wearing a Lopi sweater my mom knit back in the day!

Lastly, a couple songs.  From This Valley by The Civil Wars and I Will Remain by Matthew & The Atlas.  Also, I'm pretty sure I've already written about Songza on my blog, but just to reiterate - it's amazing!  "Handclapping & Footstomping" is one of my favorite playlists, but there are many, many great ones.  If you don't use it, give it a try and you'll be hooked.  

Now, I'm off to watch some Sherlock (new to the show, but enjoying it so far).  Happy beginning of February!!

sunday afternoon thoughts

I have been listening to Josh Ritter a lot lately, specifically his 2013 album "The Beast in its Tracks", to prepare for seeing him live in March!  He is playing at Bates, and I think it will be an awesome small concert.  I saw him a few years ago, at UVM actually, where he played in one of the Davis Center ballrooms, and it was a great show - we stood in the second row and it felt intimate and energetic and just excellent.  Here are two of my favorite songs from the album. 
-A Certain Light
-New Lover
His songs have amazing lyrics.  He's a gem. 

This is my first weekend in Burlington in 6 weeks!  Crazy!  Luckily it was nice out yesterday (and by nice I mean the actual temperature was above 20), so I went for run and then did a Jillian ab workout.  It was cold again today, but I did some abs.  It feels good to be getting in an exercise routine again, though I am quite sore.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger though, right?

I also bought a pair of Frye boots today!  I have been wanting to get some for awhile, and I found my size in one of the styles I was eying on sale on Church Street today.  So I splurged, and I am happy I did.  I think they'll replace Dansko's as better "going out" shoes, not that I do very much going out. 

The new year has included lots of delicious salads for me, with fresh fruits and goat cheese crumble and candied nuts.  Today, though, I am going to branch out a little and make a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (great cookbook), Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions.  I'll write about how it was later, but I have had good luck with his other recipes so I'm optimistic. 

May the last week of January be fun and productive and not too too cold! 

this is the new year

We are now well into 2014!  The new year has been busy but also fun, and I'm excited about what all is in store for the upcoming 11 months.  Here are some highlights from my first few weeks.
-I purchased a grown up wallet.  It will be especially nice to not hand over folded and crumpled bills.  Also, it's metallic, which is pretty amazing.  Real world, get ready.
-I signed up for Stitch Fix.  I think it has recently become a lot more popular, so my "fix" won't be coming until the end of February, but I'm still excited.  Here's the premise: You fill out an online style profile, which is a lot of fun and includes your sizes, what types of styles you like, what items you would prefer, etc.  Then, a stylist reviews this and sends you 5 items in the mail on your scheduled date.  This costs $20, but if you decide you want to keep/purchase at least one of the items, the $20 is applied to the cost.  Then, you send back whatever you don't want (shipping is free!).  You can get fixes as frequently or infrequently as you want...I signed up for one but opted out of the once a month option.  I'll check back in with my thoughts about what I receive, but in the meantime I'm eagerly awaiting my first shipment!  Also, here's the link if you're interested, because if you sign up then I get a credit :)  https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3404025
-I have a pretty great pink crop top sweatshirt from H&M.  Basically one of the best articles of clothing I've ever owned.  I think it's also the first crop top I've owned, other than shirts that I accidentally shrank, and my life has certainly changed just a bit.
-I saw Dallas Buyer's Club last weekend.  I'd highly recommend it - very interesting and great acting.
-This is a sort of negative highlight, but the high temperature today was -2 in Burlington!  So cold!  The forecasted low for tonight is -18.  It's the kind of cold that makes your legs hurt when you walk outside, but it also makes me feel pretty intense. Almost like living in the Arctic. 
-I've gotten to see a lot of good friends in the last few weeks, which has been awesome. 
-And finally, here are a few fun, happy songs for your Wednesday night:
Life is Better With You by Michael Franti
The Wire by Haim
Happy by Pharrell Williams (from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, watched it twice over vacation!)

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

We are halfway through December!  I love this time of year, and I can't wait to be home in just a few days.  And, the recent snowstorm has made everything that much more festive.  The subzero temperatures and arctic windchills, not so much.  But it's winter, and even though I complain about the cold and the snow, I do love my seasons. 

Since my last blog post:
-I finished Season 4 of The Good Wife.  I have really enjoyed the show (thanks Robin!).  Watching shows about lawyers makes me positive I would never want to be one, but very glad that there are lots of people out there with the skills and confidence to defend me in court if I ever need it. 
-I finished knitting my cowl!  It's cozy and warm, and the first cowl/infinity scarf I have owned.  Now I need to find a new knitting project for vacation.  I'm thinking about starting a sweater, which would be an exciting endeavor for the next few months.  I'll post later when I make a decision!
-Watched Love Actually (finally!), and of course it was the best.  That movie will never get old.  On a related note, I have been getting in the holiday spirit with music.  Some of my favorites are probably also some of yours: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Springsteen version), O Holy Night (Josh Groban version), You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch (from the animated version), etc.  However, I doubt that many of you are familiar with the great album "Christmas in Maine."  I have listened to this CD/cassette more times than I can count, and I'd encourage you to check it out.  Here is a link to The Maine Christmas Song.  It covers my love for Maine and Christmas in one great track.  What more could you want?
-Last but not least, we're having a cookie swap at work tomorrow, and these melting snow-people are my masterpiece.  I found a lot of websites/mom blogs out there with recipes for them.  I improvised a bit, but I think they turned out well - cute and very chocolatey! 

And to leave you on a happy note, 2 of my favorite scenes from Elf:

could it be? a sunnyside post?

Posting on this blog right now is a daunting task.  How am I supposed to account for months and months of sunnyside-ness in a single entry?  I have been away too long, and even though I have lots of stuff I could post, how do I choose?  Which happy songs or cool videos or random thoughts should have the honor of appearing in this post, my first since March?  Well, I have no answers, so I guess I will just have to pick a few, and try and share the sunnyside a bit more frequently.  Life is slightly less busy than normal right now, and there is much to be sunny about, so I shall do my best!

-I recently finished a great book, The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown.  It tells the story of the Men's 8+ from the University of Washington who took the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  I had heard a bunch of positive reviews, and I'm so glad I read it.  Having seen parts of the rowing and coaching side of the sport, the book is especially relevant and interesting, and the poetic descriptions of rowing make me miss the feeling of rowing as part of an 8.  It is always great to be reading for pleasure, and I hope to do a lot of it this winter.  Suggestions are welcome!
-It has been chilly recently, which I am honestly not super thrilled about, but it does mean that it's now acceptable knitting weather!  And also that I can watch Love Actually, Elf, and all my other holiday favorites.  There was some snow and ice in Burlington last night, which made for nasty roads, but I am starting to get in the winter spirit.  Slowly but surely.
-Thanksgiving is this week.  It's one of my favorite holidays, and is a great time to relax and reflect.  Of course, I also love all the wonderful food.  Pies of all sorts, stuffing, veggies...lots of favorites.  I am mentally and physically preparing myself for the end of the week!  And also, taking time to remember all the amazing things in my life I am thankful for. 
-It is almost grapefruit season.  Which, if I remember correctly, was one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place.  I love grapefruits.   And I can't wait to eat lots and lots of them this winter. 
-Probably the most exciting thing is that I definitely will be attending med school this fall!  If you're reading this, chances are you already knew, but sometimes I have to remind myself that it's actually happening.  I feel so fortunate to know already, and it takes a lot of pressure off.  I also have loved having a break from school these last 18 months or so, and I know I'll be ready come next August.

And finally, some of my favorite new(ish) music:
-Unconditionally by Katy Perry.  She's not always my favorite, but for some reason I really like this song.
-Timber by Pitbull/Ke$ha.  If you've talked to me recently, chances are I've raved about this song.
-Basically all the music from the Nashville soundtrack.  I like the show a lot, and the music is great.  Check it out.  

Well I always say it, but hopefully this will be the first of more frequent posts to come.  Here's to a happy Thanksgiving!  Safe travels and warm wishes!  And I posted this on facebook, but I have awesome stamps and would love to send letters if you're interested!  Peace and love. 

Happy March!!

I can't believe it's MARCH!  While I'm pretty done with winter (February post-college was pretty depressing), I'm not quite feeling ready for spring...but I guess I'd better get ready fast!  I'm crossing my fingers that Georgia is warm this year, because I could use some sunshine time :)  Gotta start getting that watch tan back into top form. 

Last week, I finally took the plunge and got my Vermont license.  It was sad to give up my Maine one, and even though I've been living here for 6 months (shhh), this made it all feel a lot more real.  I also got to play at the hospital, which was a lot of fun.  I played in the lobby, which is a rather hectic environment, but it was great to see people pause and appreciate the music.  I'm looking forward to playing next week!

I went to August First Bakery this morning.  I've been trying out baguettes from the Burlington area, and this was a great one!  I think I'll have to start incorporating bakery trips into my Saturday routine.  There are few foods better than freshly baked bread.  I also stopped by Lake Champlain Chocolates and got to sample their new Organic Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate bar...pretty delicious!  I love living so close to the factory store, because they always have a couple different chocolates to try.  I also bought some discounted Valentine's Day chocolate squares - gotta satisfy my sweet tooth!

And now for some vidos:

 

I think this song is beautiful, and I look forward to seeing more music from him in the future.  Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips

 

This song came out over the summer in the UK, but has only recently made it to the radios in the US.  I like it a lot...very sunny side.  Wings by Little Mix. 

 

If you haven't seen this yet, watch it!  I Knew You Were A Goat When You Walked In by Taylor Swift (with a special goat guest). 

That's about all for now.  May the month of March bring lots of literal and metaphorical sunshine!