Desert Magnolia

As I was working this afternoon I came across a pop up ad that made me click to see what the heck was going on. They got me. I'm fine with that. What is really odd, though, is they admit to the random basis for the design of this vehicle: If I'm understanding the super cool Kia website correctly, they've based the design of this vehicle on wild African boars. In fact, during the jazzy demo they show a comic drawing of a backpack 'strapped' to the top of a wild boar to emphasize the deliberate approach they took to this vehicle. Two words: butt ugly. Or maybe boar ugly? Either way, they've been priced to move, and I have already seen several of them on the streets of Albuquerque. Where oh where has our sense of style gone is all I want to know. Is that snarky of me?

My Grandma G just turned 90 this weekend. My Mom and aunts threw her multiple celebrations, and good times were had by all. Grandma G is feisty, intelligent, engaged, busy, and observant enough to stir up the pot in her family on a regular basis. Honestly, I hope 90 looks that good on me, I really do. On a side note, and for full disclosure purposes, when hubby and I tied the knot I made it perfectly clear that 'til death do us part means for a really long time in our family. Really long. He still said 'I do', but I'm pretty sure if he had thought seriously about it, he might have hesitated for at least a beat or two...I'm a lot to take on a good day/week/month/year/decade, so more can be, um, maybe more than he'd bargained for. For example, Grandma Alice was 89+ when she died. Grandpa was 85. Other Grandpa was 89+ (and had lived that long in spite of rheumatic fever, two major heart surgeries and general disdain for any food that wasn't brown and cove...

I just took a quiz that kind of blew me away. I am, absolutely, overwhelmingly, Pitta. Really Pitta. Fiery disposition and all. This comes as no surprise, I suppose, maybe just that the other doshas are so far behind it's not funny. Vata? Kinda...Kapha? Barely. From an Ayurvedic perspective, that means I should avoid many of my favorite things including: coffee, cayenne, sour, salt, spice, grapefruit, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, onions, alcohol, brown rice, red meat, etc. Really? I'm Mediterranean for heaven's sake! Lemon, olive oil (oh, I should also avoid olives...), feta cheese..those are in my blood. Big time. I'm not sure giving them up would be good. It would create a spiritual, cultural rift that might cause damage to my soul, which I refuse to allow. My friend JL is talking me off the ledge, and assures me that moderation is always best (you're absolutely right JL), and to maybe just be aware that if my doshas are out of whack there are ways to do that,...

Chemistry between actors can be difficult to create, and no movie I've seen in recent history proves better how independently amazing actors, when paired, don't necessarily create something better and bigger than the sum of their parts. It's sad, really. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Travolta are both charming in their own right, but for some reason, their relationship feels really really forced. And their witty repartee comes off as...cliche. And really, truly, I was afraid Travolta was going to hurt his big self more than once attempting the moves he rocked during the movie. (Yes I know he had a stunt guy for the hard stuff, I'm just sayin'...) But enough of that. The Internet Movie Database Plot Summary (partial): A personal aide to U.S. Ambassador in France, James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has an enviable life in Paris and a beautiful French girlfriend, but his real passion is his side job as a low-level operative for the CIA. All James wants is to...

My job requires I do lots of research on spa, health, wellness, relaxation, mind/body connection, and other really amazing topics. This is one of the things I love most about it. I love learning how to make life better by practicing simple, time-tested methods. The simplest, and one we all can easily practice just about anywhere, just about anytime, and it's completely free, is engaging our breath. Just breathe. Sit quietly, comfortably, and up tall. Close your eyes, take a long, deep breath in, then slowly let it out. Don't force. Just relax, focus on the breath in, relax on the breath out. Repeat 10 times. If you're not significantly more focused, centered and relaxed after that, do another set. Simple, balancing acts practiced as often as possible can net enormous results in terms of reduced stress, overall calm, and a heightened sense of well being. So breathe with me.

Do you ever wonder just how many identities you have inside at any given point? I don't. I've simply stopped counting. While life is never dull when you're me, it's always fun when one of the identities flexes its muscles and demands more time. For me, right now, that persona requires heels, tight skirts, lipstick, and whatever chic can come of that. Don't judge me. And please don't pull the dime store psych analysis routine that renders the 'ah, she's simply compensating with her apparel because she's feeling out of control with life right now, what with all the turmoil that's happening' conclusion. Because while there may be merit to that analysis, I really like wearing heels and skirts and lipstick, and maybe it's time I did that on a more regular basis.

Last night we booked my return flight from Rhode Island. The one I'll be taking once I've situated Daughter in her dorm digs. We used rapid rewards, which tends to take a little longer than other transactions. But still. We were on the phone for almost an hour. An hour! Really? And we had to give them the credit card number 5 times. For one flight and one rental car. I'm just sayin' you guys may be the best bet out there in terms of airline choices, but come on! At least provide fun Hold music if you're going to make people engage for that long. Seriously.

It's time for a bit of culture in our lives, so off we head for the Santa Fe Opera. Tonight.  For Madame Butterfly.  We've heard it's a crowd pleaser (unlike the last one we attended, which, while highly recommended was terrible in my opin). Puccini pleases, we're told. We believe these recommendations, and are looking forward to the event. The venue itself is awe inspiring. Nestled in those sagey, pinony hills outside of Santa Fe, the Opera House never fails to please with its beautiful lines, amazing acoustics, and, mostly, its astounding performances. We stay at a charming B&B in Santa Fe so we don't have to haul our very cultured yet tired selves home in the wee hours. We've made reservations at a nice Italian restaurant in the railyard section of Santa Fe that has also been highly recommended by a good friend. Their website looks appealing, and their food reviews are consistently very high. They also have an impressive wine selection, which will...

But it's lovely weather for a chilly green tea flavored with a bit of peppermint and honey. Ummm, and a Tuna Nicoise salad from the Grove for lunch. Today felt self indulgent to me. (careful) Today felt like a day when, if presented with a tantalizing coconut cream pie or creamy chocolate cake or tapioca pudding I WOULD HAVE JUMPED IN FACE FIRST! Amazingly, I was able to resist the pull of their red velvet cupcakes frosted with cream cheesy frosting. I still don't know how I did it, but there you have it. The cranky looking customer who was semi-leaning on the display case when I dashed in to pick up my salad may have dissuaded my sauntering over and caving in...Thank you cranky pants lady! Strange how some days are sweet days. And some days are sour lemon dressing and tangy tarty days. And some days are all about the spicy... This looks like what I chose to eat: So, clearly, I've avoided a train wreck by choosing the subdued Tuna Nicoise accompanied by a chilly...

I, Stevie, have Volvo lust. I've had it for over 25 years. They represent all that is safe, comfy, reliable..in car form. They signify stability and a modicum of economic stability and they hardly ever break down, I'm told. I still don't own one, which makes this unrequited lust, I suppose. But it turns out I may be fickle. I know! Really? But Stevie you've always always always said you wanted a Volvo. Always. See above for reasons. Until I saw the new Honda Crosstour. OMG! It is: sexy, sturdy, sleek, shiny, and it's a Honda. I love Hondas. I had a Honda Accord for 15 years...and only gave it up after delivering Baby #2 and realizing the risk of permanently throwing out my lower back hauling said Baby out of the carseat in the back of the Honda was only moments away. But I didn't want to give it up, it had been an awesome car. Awesome. The Crosstour: I am in l.o.v.e. Sorry Volvo. I've just relegated you to Old Lady Car status.

You may recall how excited I became when pondering shoe choices for a trip to NY back in the Spring. One of the reasons I became excited? Vince Camuto. A little bit about my feet. [Note: Feel free to exit this post now if the whole foot detail piece is going too far outside of your comfort zone and/or you simply do.not.care about my tootsies. Seriously. I get that you may not care, and am totally ok with that. It's my blog, though, so here I go.] I am 5'8" tall, have long arms, long legs, and teeny tiny hands and smallish, square feet. Most would expect my fingers to be like a concert pianist's, and my toes to be the toe equivalent. But not so much. Apparently the same Middle Eastern genes that kicked in and gave me green eyes decided I needed to have feet just like my Grandma Alice. Who was 4'11". And tiny. Seriously. I was looking at her feet one day, as happens in lengthy, relaxed conversations with a person you're sitting next to on a couch. An...

Sometimes you run across a most amazing way to deal with a problem. For most of us, we work through a series of what if's, extrapolate outcomes, then opt for a direction to take. Trial and error can play a role, as can estimating outcome based on experience. Darwin was right, and we do (mostly) tend to learn from our mistakes. Scientists, well, they're a different breed. Which is great. They're trained in a most rigorous, traditional way to ensure they get the basics in their brains, then, if they're lucky, they get to apply themselves in really really cool ways. Recently the pursuit for the Higgs boson particle, aka the 'God particle',  per The Independent.com,   'the elusive, hypothetical particle which supposedly gives mass to other particles and will help scientists understand how the universe's first atoms came into existence ' has led to a different way to view the elusive particle. Scientists have sonified what they believe the birth ...