HALFTONE CALENDAR & FITNESS

Posted in General by sallybr

As I told you before, I keep my annual records of exercise, with the goal of each month exercising more than 50% of the days. Until now, my records had a boring look…

But, 2012 arrived with new ideas! My stepson Casey developed a cool halftone calendar that comes with empty circles, and each day you fill a circle with a black pen (a Sharpie marker works fine). On his site he offers quite a few options of images, for instance this Mona Lisa version, shown in the photo of his partner, actress extraordinaire Carly.

It took me only a few seconds to choose my image: Audrey Hepburn, with her unique aura of charm and beauty. You can see all available images for a calendar or poster here. Audrey’s image is in the bottom row, “Icons”.

Casey also made it possible to design your own calendar, from a photo stored on your computer. Just follow the instructions on his site, and you can get a unique product for you or a special friend.

So, where does the fitness fit in?

I will use my halftone calendar marking the days I exercise with a dark black dot, and leaving the other days blank. At the end of the year, I’ll take a photo of it. Hopefully I’ll have exercised often enough to see a distinct image. But, one could use it for all sorts of activities: do you want to skip drinking a few nights of the week? Mark the alcohol-free evenings! Study that foreign language you love so much? Meditate? Or, forget about keeping score, just pick an image you love, and have fun watching it form, one day, one dot at a time!

ONE YEAR AGO: A soup for what ails you

TWO YEARS AGO: Let it snow, let it snow, eggs in snow (a favorite dessert of ours!)

8Jan2012

MAUI ADVENTURES

Posted in General by sallybr

ALOHA!

After a flight of less than 5 hours from San Diego, we took our first peek at Maui, an island that’s much less developed than Oahu, …which is a good thing for a tropical paradise… The pilot made some sadistic turns banking sharply left and right, but the views were spectacular.

We drove straight to Kapalua at the northwestern part of the island, and installed ourselves in a little cottage on the Kapalua Bay Golf Course, with a great view from our balcony and a pretty cozy and functional kitchen (to make any food blogger happy!).

Speaking of food, we ate exclusively fish and seafood during our stay, mostly sushi and sashimi, which were spectacular, as expected…

We took hikes together, enjoying magnificent views…
…and saw a woman doing yoga poses facing the ocean, in almost complete solitude at this magical place called Dragon’s Teeth.

We laid down by these palm trees sunbathing for a long time (don’t tell our dermatologist!), letting our thoughts go wherever they chose to go…

We played a lot of golf on the Kapalua Plantation course, where the PGA is currently playing the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. It was so tough that that it brought the best in Phil and the worst in me… but that is another story, that shall be told another time… 😉

Notice his golf ball zipping through…. pretty cool!

We’ve traveled together to many places, but more often than not, our travels are linked to work. This was a strictly fun trip to celebrate Phil’s birthday,and the beginning of 2012. The year could not have started on a better note!

MAHALO!

ONE YEAR AGO: The Getty Museum

TWO YEARS AGO: Crowd Pleasing Pulled Pork

4Jan2012

MY FIRST AWARD!

Posted in General by sallybr

We are home! No matter how great a trip is, coming back home is the best part, although I must admit the first day feels a bit like a mild hangover. But, the blogging year could not start on a better note: just before we left for our (wonderful) trip, Sharyn, from The Kale Chronicles presented me with The Versatile Blogger Award! Who doesn’t like a little praise every once in a while? Feels good…

Part of the deal of the Versatile Blogger Award is to say 7 things about yourself, so here it goes:

1. I was a premature baby, stayed in the hospital for 40 days inside an incubator, but for the first few days they kept me together with a Chinese-Brazilian baby, so that his body heat would keep me warmer. I’ve always wondered who this baby was, and where he is now, as in some way he helped me survive. Could that explain my passion for all things Chinese? 🙂

2. Every year I buy one of these calendars and use it to log my exercises. I’ve kept my exercise records since January 1998, and each month for the past 15 years I strive to exercise more than 50% of the days.

3. I am a compulsive list-maker, not only because they make me more efficient, but because I have a thrill when all items are checked-off.

4. I love to dance, and we started 2012 dancing our hearts out at a party in Maui. Phil is the first partner I have who also likes to dance, until dating him, I was always by myself on the dance floor.

5. My favorite animal is the elephant. They are amazing creatures.

6. My weaknesses: cookbooks, earrings, and black dresses. Cannot seem to have enough of them.

7. I am the personification of a honey badger in the golf course. All it takes is two bad shots in a row. Corollarium: Phil is a saint.

The award also requires that you nominate 15 other bloggers… Well, I am bailing out of that part, and instead I invite any blogger who would like to reveal 7 things about him/herself, to do so.

Thanks, Sharyn! It was fun to think about what to “reveal” here… 😉