Restrepo

I heard about Restrepo when it first came out in 2010 – it’s been on my to-see list (and my 101 in 1001) ever since.

It’s about the American military’s advance into the Korengal valley in Afghanistan. It follows a platoon there as they try to open up a road way and keep the community free from Taliban. Members die, others are injured and every day they are in a fight for their lives.

I don’t know much about war, but this seems to be the best way to show the reality (far better than a fictionalized account of the same thing).

You see the good moments, and the awful. You see the emotion as it happens, but also in interviews with the men who survive and recall their time at Outpost Restrepo for the film. The Outpost was named after Juan Restrepo, a platoon medic, who was killed. From the opening scenes to the choice of music – Barroom Hero by the Dropkick Murphys – for the credits this is a movie that pays attention to detail.

I can’t call it good, because the topic is so sad, but if you haven’t seen it, I think it is absolutely worth the hour and a half.

If for no other reason than to celebrate the work of a photojournalist who has since died doing the job he loved. Tim Hetherington was killed while filming the 2011 Libyan war.

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Vegas baby

Have you been? Go.

I thought I would hate Las Vegas, but I wanted to have a warm holiday that wasn’t going to break the bank (I’m not a gambler so no big deal). I figured the glitz, the glam and the quality of people I expected to find would make me hate the place.

Now there were bits that I found seedy, and parts that are sad, and overall it bothers me that there is so much wealth in one place, but if you set that all aside, just for a minute, there is something incredible about the level of detail to all the grandness. My favorite part, was walking through all the hotels.

Also, Vegas marked the completion another of my 101 in 1001 goals – visiting five new cities.

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It’s the simple things

People always say that – it’s the simple things in life that make you happy. To which my external response is to smile, and my internal response is to flip them the bird. Seriously, sure little things can make you happy provided you have the time and situation in which to appreciate them and to create that space you need to have a lot of big things sorted out.

My counselor is trying to work with me to get past that mind set. So to that end – a list of the little things that actually truly do make me happy and a plan to make space to appreciate them:

1. Good radio/podcasts
2. Movies for escapism – simply comedy/action/romcom
3. Documentaries
4. Reading – interesting articles, a good book
5. London Fogs (skim milk, vanilla syrup and tea)
6. Music that is upbeat (everything from Bob Marley to Brittany Spears)
7. A good run
8. Engaging conversation
9. Glass of wine or a quality gin and tonic
10. Travel
11. Trains – and train travel
12. Sudoku puzzles
13. Art
14. Writing – news, fiction, anything
15. Photography – taking pictures and looking at good ones
16. Good food – home-cooked, ethnic, comfort

 

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Eating clean for a week

One of the to do’s on my 101 in 1001 list, is to eat clean for a week.

According to my googling that means high vegetables, ultra lean protein, low carb and no booze (or caffeine). Well I finally did it and so did boyfriend (in what he now says was an unfortunate show of solidarity).

We did it in the last week of May (or what I am now referring to as the longest week of my life). Hindsight being 20/20, I probably could have guessed I wouldn’t feel amazing two days after turning my entire diet upside down. And with that tiny bit of knowledge I probably wouldn’t have picked the biggest week of meetings that I have in a year at work – that culminates in a massive two-day workshop that goes into the weekend.

However I had best case scenario in mind and started with high hopes as I roasted chicken, steamed kale, cooked quinoa and prepped overnight oats with yogurt and chia. By day five I was a little tired, by day 7, I was borderline cranky.

Day 8 (or the last day of the workshop), I snapped and drank half a bottle of red wine before going out for steak, fried mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes.

Now before you all think what a waste, it was actually really good. I do have an appreciate for kale now, and I’m looking to less carb and more veggies in my diet – keeping in mind less carb doesn’t mean low or no carb, I’m part Italian, that just doesn’t work. The carbs are whole grains and nutrient rich.

It was a good kick off to healthier, cleaner eating overall.

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Poached: The best way to eat an egg

Poached eggs are the way to go, protein, no additional fat in the cooking process and they go on everything from salad to toast (if you are looking for comfort food).

When you get it just right, nothing can be better. I usually poach in a silicone pod, but today I wanted to branch out and knock something else off my 101 in 1001 list.

So I started reading website and I consulted my mom and I had it nearly figured out save the indecision about to use vinegar or not to use vinegar. Mom doesn’t like the smell, but websites recommend it for first timers like me.

Then, in the far recesses of the internet, the suggestion to use seasoned rice vinegar, so I did.

And my first poaching experience was a raging success (as you can kind of tell by the blurry cell phone photo – yes, I do not have an iPhone). You can’t taste the rice vinegar, so it’s just a whole lot of salt-and-peppery, eggy goodness.

Seriously, if I can do it, so can you!

Now to deal with the dishes, somehow I ended up with a pot, a chopstick, a silicon spatula, a plate, and a small dish all dirty. So maybe poached is not the most effective method of cooking and egg, but one worthy of a feeling of accomplishment.

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Point and lift: two words from barre class

I survived another barre class, this makes two full classes since I tried the sample class a few weeks ago.

Seriously I now know why ballerinas are skinny and toned. I run, I walk, I have a personal trainer so I lift weights, I row, swim, play basketball, attend Zumba and none of it, I mean none of it makes me feel like I do at the end of the barre class. It so royally kicks my ass, that I gulp my water and sit in my car waiting for my legs to stop trembling so I can drive home. How long can one girl point her toe while lifting and bending on her other leg?

The exercises and the repetitiveness of them reach and work some of the tiniest muscle groups in my arms, legs, core and hips.

This last week I was doing so badly that I kept dropping the ball we were holding between our knees. I couldn’t even hold it there and I was not alone. But while tiring it also feels great, and even better when I’m finally done.

I think I am a little addicted. It makes me want to eat better and sleep more, so I can handle more classes! But healthy eating will start Monday after my first weight in; I don’t want to lose anything before the Biggest Loser challenge starts.

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Taking to the trails, cross country-skiing

This past weekend I found myself standing in -8 C in a brutal wind with mismatched skies on my feet.

It was a throwback to the first, and what I told my six-year-old self last, time on cross country skies. The difference is, I stuck out those horrible few first seconds and actually skied, for the first time without a mountain.

It was great. It’s a good think I’m so committed to getting this 101 in 1001 done, or I might never have been convinced to go cross-country skiing.

Admittedly it might have been better, if I had been wearing warmer clothes or if I had two of the same skies (an oversight by my manfriend, who was so excited to show off his sport).

I may have only lasted 20 minutes before the cold got to me, but it’s made me rethink winter weather.

When I woke up this morning to a couple of centimeters of snow, my first thought wasn’t a bad word that starts with F, but rather “Ooooo, if this keeps up, I can go cross-country skiing again on Sunday.”

I’d say here’s hoping, but I never want to go on record as hoping for snow … ever.

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Marrakech Express: A new city

This is an old post, but I wanted to make sure I got it out there.

One of my 101 in 1001 was to visit five new cities, one of those I visited in November, when I arrived in Marrakech, Morocco. I didn’t know what to expect of the city (or really the country), but I was fully prepared to love it.

From the incredible Riad that I stayed in, to my early morning runs, from the twisted alleys of the souks to the giant space that is Jemma el Fna square, Marrakech was everything I hoped. It’s this incredible mix of old world religion, with women wearing head scarves and mosques tucked into every corner, with new world style and extravagance, with bars and stores more posh than I find at home.

If I lived in Europe, I’d be travelling to Marrakech every time there was a seat sale, or long weekend, or I simply needed an escape.

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101 in 1001: Visit a greenhouse conservatory in middle of winter

So I told my manfriend (not sure if that’s the right fit for a phrase yet, still working on it) about my 101 in 1001 list and he’s taken it upon himself to help me be motivated to accomplish some of the things on it.

So along with being the driving force on blood donation, he is constantly looking for new restaurants to take me to, coming up with ways we can travel to new cities and we went to the plant conservatory and art gallery the other day.

It’s great. To walk in nearly -25 C to building, step inside one set of doors, to normal room temperature, then go through a second set of doors into a garden is the perfect cure for ugly cold winter weather.

While standing under the banana tree, we watched the snowfall and wind blow through the glass windows. Strange and wonderful.

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