Follow Up

Back in November, I did a brief post on podcasts. Serial was all the rage, and I took the opportunity to point out another podcast I've been fond of for a while, WTF with Marc Maron. Specifically, along with the Robin Williams episode, I shouted out the Louis CK episode. Well, as it turns out, I'm either a way more influential blogger than I thought, or I have my finger right on the pulse of what's good and what's really good. This past week, Slate voted the Louis CK episode of WTF the #1 best podcast ever. 

When I first posted about it November, the episode had aged out of the free-to-listen category, and into the you're-gonna-have-to-pay-for-premium category. However, with the recent accolade, Maron re-released the originally double episode as a single episode now streaming on his site. If you're interested, listen now, as I have no idea how long it will be available. 

Tidbits

This post may be a bit nerdy, you've been warned. I feel like it's all the little tidbits that we find in things that interest me the most; a reference in a movie, an homage in a book, and in this case, a song at the end of TV show. Stephen Colbert ended the run of his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, this week. I didn't watch it live, I caught the rerun the next day, excited at getting to see the massive celebrity-politico ensemble singing the host off the air. But, after that, at the very end, I was pleasantly surprised by one of those little tidbits I enjoy so much; someone chose to run the credits of the show--the part no one really pays attention to--accompanying the song Holland, 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel:

This song is among my top 10 list, and the band was one of those bands that made it onto every iPod playlist I made while in college. At first listen, it sounds like just your average, slightly weird, garage rock song...nothing too special. But after a while it sticks with you, the lyrics are haunting, the delivery is intense and spiraling.

The song is about dreams that the singer songwriter had about Anne Frank after visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam (hence the title). My thoughts around Colbert's use of the songs went as follows:

"Oh, he has some hipster on his staff who chose the song."

"Or maybe, as the song is largely about death and life thereafter, he's communicating some message about the end of his show?"

"Or, maybe he's making some commentary about violence and politics in the hectic world we live in?"

While all of these might have some truth to them, I found this article on this event on UPROXX.

Cats of Christmas Cards Past

As a follow-up to this post, here's a look back at all the Ziggy cards we've sent out over the years:

2010

2011

2012

2013

 Bonus: early brainstorm idea for the 2014 card:

What could have been...

Mindfulness

 

Those that know me well know that I have a deep affection for 60 Minutes and never miss an episode. For a journalism major I really don't read as much hard news as I should, preferring to get most of my celebrity smut daily updates from E News and people.com. My one exception has been 60 Minutes, which is actually a very engaging and informative program. Every episode has three stories, ranging from wars around the world updates to here's a cute animal that we got really close to. Amazing!

This past Sunday, they featured a story about Mindfulness, which means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. Essentially just being present in the moment and not thinking about other things or spending time on your iPad. While I don't know if I'm into the whole meditating side of it, I would really like to be more present in my every day life. This could be as simple as just enjoying a beautiful sunset and not instagramming it. Try it with me this holiday break!

Happy Holidays

It's everyone's favorite time of the year: parties, presents, food, fun, holiday cheer, and of course holiday cards from all of your family members and friends. A few years ago, after receiving a few happy couple and baby centered holiday cards, Grey and I decided to join the club with our favorite family member: Ziggy the cat. So we wrapped the cat up in wrapping paper and sent around the picture to all of our family members and friends, wishing them a lovely holiday season. It started out as a semi-joke, but has since turned into a family tradition that we look forward to every year. The hard part has been coming up with a new concept every year and getting Ziggy to actively take part in them. Props to all of the professional cat actors out there, our cat really struggles to do what he's told. Above is this year's card and below is a few outtakes of what we had to get through to get this point. Enjoy!

Get It

Today is Friday, and the weekly Wooster Square Farmers Market is tomorrow at 9:00am. It is one of the best such markets in the city, and I'm not only saying that because I live right next door.

The setup.

Aside from the typical 9 stands of someone selling leafy greens, the market usually has some stands selling instant enjoyables like smoothies, coffee, crepes, hand pies, and myriad sweets like pastries, or, the real reason I'm talking about this right now: fresh-made doughnuts.

Every other week, or so, (if you're lucky) you'll approach the market and instantly detect the heavenly aroma of sugary and fried wafting through that late-fall air. About halfway down the line up, you'll find your hopes and dreams have come true (again, if you're lucky) when you spot the obnoxiously pink tent belonging to Sweet Madeline's, a doughnut maker from Glastonbury, CT. As you get closer, the smell becomes intoxicating and, drunk on it, you'll see the source. A magical machine pumping out fresh-fried rings of orgasm in two varieties; classic sugared, and apple cider cake.

Deus Ex Machina: literally, God comes from this machine.

For $5 you can two of each, and share them with a loved one, or at least someone who is sure to love you once they bite into what you've just handed them.

Yeah, sugar that. Pardon my thumb, I was excited.

As I've hinted, the Sweet Madeline's stand has proven pretty elusive at the Wooster Square Market. I've told friends about it, only to have them show up to a doughnut-less event. My best estimation is that they show up every other week. Coming all the way down from Glastonbury, I guess that's understandable...I guess. Either way, come on by the market tomorrow to enjoy the crisp air in a fun neighborhood. It's getting late in the year, and the market won't be around much longer!

These existed just long enough to take this one photo.

Work It Out

Winter is hard, for all of the obvious reasons (insert snow, ice, and arctic chill here), but it's also extremely difficult to stay motivated and work out as much as you do in the warmer seasons. Working out outside is nearly impossible due to the cold and it gets dark before most of us are even out of work, which is a total mood killer. Plus, there's always a ton of holiday-esque parties and excuses to eat/drink way more then you should. For all of these reasons I have been trying to come up with ways to motivate myself to work out more and stay fit. Here are a few of my ideas and tips:

1. Buy cute work-out wear: I don't know about you, but when I have a new, cute outfit to wear, it totally motivates me to head to the gym to show it off. With all of the holiday sales going on, now is the time to stock up and show everyone how good you look.

2. Competition: The will to win and show up a friend or co-worker is a great motivator to work out harder and with greater frequency. My husband and I are currently competing in push-ups every day, but I'm also semi-addicted to the continuous step competition I have with all my fitbit friends.(Sidenote: Do you have a fitbit? Add me!)

3. Grab a Friend: When not trying to take down a friend competitively, it's always helpful to have someone hold you accountable and force you to go to the gym, even when you'd rather stay home and binge watch Kardashians. A few of my friends have even formed a WON (work out night) where we go to a different work out class every month together. Last month we did ballet-barre pilates and this month we are doing spinning!

4. Go for a walk: It's definitely too cold to go for a long run, but going for a brisk 10-15 minute walk after lunch at work or after dinner is a great way to get in some extra steps, while digesting your meal. Besides, it will keep you from drying out too much in the heat all day!

What do you do to stay fit in the colder months?