It's the Remix to Transition . . .

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We. Are. Moving. Finally.

Yes, now that blurb at the top of this page that describes me as someone who is "about to make a move" is legit. I am really, friends, about to make a move. We have set our sights on Portsmouth, New Hampshire and should be there after Christmas to ring in the new year, Granite State style.

What's that, you say? You've never been to New Hampshire? Well, watch this educational video and learn. I promise it will be illuminating.


So, folks, this is where I am moving. It's just like Old Hampshire, but it's new. This means, I am officially in a period of transition. We need to figure out how we're moving our stuff across the country, how our little Satan (our cat) is getting across the country and, of course, where we'll live when we make it there.

Overall, I like change. Now, I didn't say I was good at change, just that I liked it. Call it my ADD but I love switching things up because it keeps things fresh and exciting. Take my shampoo, for instance. I rotate through shampoo so my hair doesn't get bored or worse, take the hair products for granted (I do buy Aveda, after all- that s#!t's expensive).

My husband complains about the volume of products but his luscious locks totally thank me.

I have loved pretty much every minute I've spent here in SF. So, to show my appreciation, I've made a list of the things I will miss most about this great city (you know I love lists).

1. Wine Country. Really, this is self explanatory. Not since football games at Boston College was it appropriate to drink before noon. Thank you, Sonoma, for making inappropriateness acceptable again.
2. Food. Yes, I know there is food where I am going but not like this. From sandwiches at Ike's to Tsunami sushi, I will miss the smorgasbord of opportunities to stuff my face. I feel like like Templeton from Charlotte's Web when he's at the fair! So many things to choose from I might not get home because my tummy is so full!
3. People of Color. Yes, I feel I have to say "goodbye" to diversity as I am moving to New Hampshire where I will be with, pretty much, only other white people. I am sad about this because I know diversity makes us better and well, I need all the help I can get!
4. Being Outside . . . all year. I am moving to a place where it gets very cold and I'm kind of in denial about that. I don't really want to talk about it so . . . moving on!
5. My friends. Yes- I have friends in NH. Fabulous ones that I can't wait to be near. But, I also have fabulous friends here that I don't want to leave. When I finally master teleportation and/or apparition this long distance will not be a problem. If you don't know what apparition is, then I feel sorry for you but you can look it up here. 

I hope that, in the next few weeks, I take the time to reflect on what this place has meant for us. To often, we jump from one thing to another and never take a moment to soak it all in-- sometimes, we are really bad sponges. I wish, for myself and my husband, that we will internalize all of the wonderful things we've had and allow them to make us better and stronger. Then, we'll share that wealth with New Hampshire and, all I have to say is: New Hampshire, you're welcome.

This Blonde Bakes?

Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me-- I am not domestic. It's not that I can't do domestic things or don't think they're valuable: I can and I do. It's that I hate doing domestic things like cooking, baking, cleaning, sewing (that one I actually can't do), etc. All I'm saying is, they're called chores for a reason and now that I don't get an allowance, I'm just not interested. 

Even with my domestic aversions (I think I might be allergic), I actually baked this past weekend. As per usual, I had a craving for chocolate and something had to be done about it! Perhaps I was feeling sorry for my husband who, when he wants something homemade, has to make it himself, so I decided to bake some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies-- my absolute favorite vessel for delivering chocolate to my mouth.

Besides a wife's guilt, my reason for choosing to make these cookies was sentimental. When we were younger, my grandmother (Claudymom's mom) would bake cookies for my siblings and me when we would come visit. She baked oatmeal chocolate chip for my sister and me and oatmeal raisin for my brother (Which is a lesser cookie, let's be honest. What's the point of a cookie without chocolate? She obviously liked my sister and me better).

Claudymom never let me bake growing up because she said I made a huge mess.

As I was baking, I thought about my Grandmother, or "Gram," as we called her. Just like her daughter, she was one of the quirkiest quirks that ever quirked. Whether she was mispronouncing words, chewing uncommonly loudly or singing Carly Simon's version of "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" in her car off of the only tape she owned (given to her at the dealer so she see the "caliber" of the sound system, I guess), this woman was full of life. As I made those cookies, I felt her presence and may have even sang a few bars of the song good old Carly made such a classic. Obviously, it sounded awesome.

They were ridiculously tasty. They're all gone now.

I felt really close to Gram that day because I was doing something she had done, over and over again, for us. She wasn't just a memory or a concept, she was an action: baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. The tangibility of the baking process helped me remember her in a new way, especially because this was the first time I baked these cookies since she died ten years ago.

Even though I wished she was there so much, it was nice not to have to share the privilege of licking the bowl with my sister. I never did like to share.

As we near the holidays, I hope I can pursue actions that connect me with my loved ones that are gone, as well as the ones that I am lucky to still have with me. What will you do this season to connect with those you love?

If you want the recipe, I've posted it here. This whole "writing about baking and posting recipes" is not going to be a habit. I will leave that to the fabulous Lady Gouda, who knows a whole lot more than I do about the "kitchen" subject.

I used to make fun of bloggers. . .

Not to their faces, of course. I'm just not like that. I at least had the decency to do it behind their backs.

Now that I'm a blogger, I think it's only fair that I should make fun of myself. As illustrated above, I'm a big fan of "knocking it before you try it." Here is a list of things I used to make fun of but got totally into later on:

1. Uggs. Sure, they may be a little funny looking but have you ever worn them? It's like cloaking your feet in a soft lamb right before it's sheared. Fantastic. I used to make fun of people for wearing them (again, behind their backs, like a lady) but now I own 5 pairs. Yup, 5 pairs.

This is but a small taste of what I had to live with for years.

2. The Color Pink. Since Claudymom decorated my room in Laura Ashley for the first ten years of my life, I kind of overdosed on pink. My bedroom looked like Laura had eaten bad Chinese food, chugged a whole bottle of Pepto Bismol to cope with it and then threw up over my room while her child was coloring the walls with only a pink marker. Once we moved into a different house, I vowed never to have pink in my room again. I hated it for a long time and, after years of healing, we eventually mended our relationship and my bridesmaids wore a lovely shade of vermilion on my wedding day. It was glorious.

3. Capri Pants. I didn't "get" them for a long time. Sure, they would be useful in the event of a flood but wouldn't my ankles be cold? I have very sensitive ankles. I would mock my dear friend Caroline for wearing them where we were in high school (I really was such a doll!) and it was only a short time later that I had capris of my own. They're quite handy in the mild-weathered San Francisco. Not quite pants, not quite shorts!

4. Harry Potter. There was a time in my life that I persecuted fans of the teenage wizard. It was a dark time in my past that is quite difficult for me to write about. I even threatened to tell my husband (who was then my boyfriend) the end of the 6th book because I had heard a rumor about what happened. I can't believe he still married me! Clearly, I have repented and stepped away from that dark time in my past. Ok, I'm done talking about it-- it hurts too much.

5. Diet Coke. Gosh, I am just bringing up all these painful memories! I used to think Diet Coke tasted disgusting and would make this face anytime people drank it around me:

Isn't it so fun when someone makes this face at what you're eating or drinking?

After years of making this face, I woke up one morning my sophomore year of college with craving for Diet Coke. My life hasn't been the same since! I have a sneaking suspicion that my roomies were slipping me some behind my back and therefore creating an addiction (ah, sweet addiction!) that I would happily carry into my adult life.

6. Highlights. Yes, I was judgmental of people who got highlights. Is there no end to my hypocrisy?! Now, without the help of a trained colorist, I would not be "blonde yogini" but rather "'I used to be blonde when I was younger and sometimes I get blonde in the summers if it's really sunny and I am outside enough' yogini." Thank God for my conversion, not to mention my fantastic colorist at my local Aveda salon (their blondes really are the best!).

7. Big Sunglasses. I was skeptical of the trend in designer eyewear at first because I didn't want to look like a bug or worse, Johnny Depp from Willy Wonka. Now, they are my go-to accessory on any sunny day. Without them, I would need a seeing eye dog when it gets really sunny. My absolute favorite are my Kaenon sunglasses-- the design is called Leila. I just feel so much better in big, fabulous sunglasses. When it comes to women's sunglasses, I say the bigger the better. They are worth the price, in my book and I daresay I look nothing like Willy Wonka (even though Johnny Depp is super hot and, while he's a man and everything, any likeness to someone of that caliber hotness is a compliment).

8. Many more things! Skinny jeans, gladiator sandals, Mexican food, Canada and the list goes on!

I guess I judge what I don't understand or feel uncomfortable with . . . I'm sure there's a lesson from history here. With my track record, in five years I will be a purple-wearing, Ashton Kutcher fan who votes Republican. Yikes!

Ideas for Getting Out of A Bad Mood

Maybe today sucked. Maybe you have an ingrown toenail or your cat was acting up. Maybe your cat has an ingrown toenail. Or, maybe you were just grumpy for no reason. Whatever caused (or did not cause) your bad mood, you're desperate to get out of it. Because, let's face it, being in a bad mood is no fun (for you or the people around you).

This might surprise you but, I am not always a pleasant, bubbly person. I get grumpy and even mean sometimes. Shocking, I know- am I rocking your world?! While it might be easy to get in a bad mood, it's really tough to get out of one. This is where I am here to help. I've come up with a few tips to get help get you out of your bad mood.

1. Treat yourself to something. Not something big, like a pony, but something small and special, like a Diet Coke, a latte or some chocolate. Yum-tastic.  
2. Get up and get going! What you may want to do is watch the 6 hour, BBC version of Pride and Prejudice featuring the fantastic Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy (or something like that . . .) but, your body and mind will thank you if you just get out and do something! Make a plan, make a friend and get out of the house or office, just for a bit.
3. Exercise. Boost those endorphins to help your mood from really going south. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't. (Yes, I am aware that I just quoted Legally Blonde making me, officially, a cliche.) 
4. Do something funny. Choreograph a dance to your favorite song (note: this becomes even funnier if you suck at dancing). Prank call a local grocery store (Do you have Mrs. Butterworth's syrup? You do? Well, you better give it back to her! is really a classic). If either one of those don't appeal to you, video yourself lip-syncing to a song like this guy:


5. Start drinking. It's five o-clock somewhere right? Unless you're not a happy drunk in which case, don't do this one, it'll make it worse.

Well, I hope this list was helpful. I know I already feel better.

Misbehaving dog in Cole Valley

Big news, everyone! I found a misbehaving dog in my neighborhood and just had to post! Since posting this post a few weeks ago, I have been feeling very insecure about my future dog's behavior.

But, Blonde Yogini, how can you be insecure about a dog that has yet to misbehave because he doesn't yet exist?

I don't know how I do it, it's a gift. Looking at the rest of my family, I'm guessing it might be hereditary.

So I have been feeling this insecurity about my potential future dog because of the well behaved dogs here in Cole Valley. Is there some secret obedience school? Are these dogs really just cute robots (think Teddy Ruxpin) that might turn on us one day making both Stephen Colbert and Dwight K. Schrute right all along? The possibilities kept me up at night.

But today I am feeling much better and I think I will sleep tonight. For, at 2 pm PST, I found this little gremlin barking up a storm outside the Boulangerie.








No, that's not an Ewok but a misbehaving dog is just as rare here. Thank you, universe, for reminding me that anytime I feel insecure I just need to find faults in others to feel better.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Jessica

Ice Baths and Utkatasana

Almost two years ago, I ran the Nike Womens' Marathon in San Francisco. This may be the coolest marathon in all of history because a) it's all women and b) at the end you are greeted by firemen in tuxes and one of them hands you a Tiffany blue box with a silver finisher's necklace. Amazing, right? Sure it was a little awkward seeing a horde of fantastic looking men after I had just ran 26.2 miles and wasn't looking . . . awesome. But really, I'd do anything for that blue box.

I'm the one in the hypothermia blanket. Claudymom is on the left! Isn't she a babe?

I've run a few shorter races since then and, even though I don't plan on doing another marathon, I still think about it a lot. As I've said before, there is something about pushing your body that makes you feel alive. We were designed to run, walk and even swim and I try to be grateful for my body every day (even on those days my "skinny jeans" seem much more like "thank God these zipped up today jeans").

One of the most challenging things I had to do in training for the marathon was take ice baths. Any time you run over 10 miles, it's a good idea to take a bath in ice water for about 15 minutes. This is even less fun than it sounds. I remember the very first time I did this . . . I bought a few bags of ice from the store around the corner, put on my fleece hat, poured the ice in the tub with some very cold water, and proceeded to get in.

If you know me well, you know I did not go quietly. From the second my big toe hit the water, I began screaming obscenities at the top of my lungs. If pressed, I can curse like a sailor-- it's a gift. My husband ran around the apartment closing windows because, according to him, "kids live in this neighborhood!" and would apparently need therapy for years if they heard what I was screaming. I really didn't give a crap.

In this painful state (and it was SO painful), I could feel every part of my body. Even though I hated my life at that moment, I was so acutely aware of it.

I experience the same awareness when I am in the yoga pose utkatasana (oot-kuh-tah-suh-nah). This pose is most commonly known as "chair pose" because the person is supposed to look like they are sitting in an invisible chair.

In some yoga circles, this pose is known as "awkward pose." I truly didn't get that name until I saw this image from Yoga Journal. I swear most people don't look like this in this pose. Yoga is cool, I swear.

As you can imagine, this pose burns. But, if you can stomach it, it has the potential to remind you that you are, indeed, alive.

I know I spend too much time taking for granted that I am alive and well. That my heart pumps, my lungs fill and empty and my body is able to work hard.

So today, I am thankful for ice baths and even "awkward pose" for the awareness they have brought to my life. Awareness is what I need. I am also thankful for my yoga practice and the way it blends so well with my running practice. Yoga complements running and running complements yoga. They work together in my life to make me a saner, more aware person.