Two Stanleys in One Day?!?

So.

There was a (shit)(rainstorm) yesterday. And there was Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs. AND THE KINGS WON THE STANLEY CUP!!! 

Thus, this morning was dedicated to slowly sipping coffee and reading funny hockey commentaries. And a bit of catching up on the World Cup, too. 

HELLO, BOYS!
Source.

I like hockey a lot. Not a total diehard fan, but fan enough to enjoy watching a game from time to time. I know, I know, Rangers are an OK team (I guess), they have a mighty fine-looking goalie and they ARE my town's team. But blood is thicker than water and LA Kings have Anže on their roster, so there you have it - me is LA supporter smack in the middle of #rangerstown. 

Anže is a big hero back home and he brought the Stanley Cup to Slovenia in 2012, which was all kinds of awesome. And he's bringing it home again this summer. AND he looks way better when he does not shave.  As do a lot of men.

Anže being adorable again.
Source.

In case you are craving more bearded Kings, Heather of the Fug Girls compiled a lovely gallery. The title of the post says it all: Well Played, Jubilant, Oft-Toothless Men in Beards: The Los Angeles Kngs Win the Stanley Cup. You are welcome. 

Why so sad, "king" Henrik?
Your team lost, but at least you are still very pretty.
Source.

On another note, today is a lovely Saturday. The nasty storm left behind crisp air, no humidity and streets without dust. Which can only mean one thing: take Stanley (not the cup, the bike) out for a spin. After the beard and coffee and that-other-Stanley overdose, of course.

First stop was Central Park (obviously), where I, by some miraculous stroke of good luck, managed to find a not-too-crowded spot in the otherwise-extremely-crowded Park to sit down, crack open my book, and read for a while. I boycotted the iPOD for once and listened to the birds instead. 

Chilling in Central Park with a book.

My next stop was the UWS Whole Foods. I do not shop there often, as I find the whole experience a tad pretentious and many of the things that I ordinarily buy are severely overpriced there compared to my local grocery store. But they do have virgin coconut oil that my local grocery store does not stock AND that does not cost an eye. Also, peonies.

Hipster Stan!!!

I came home late in the afternoon, just in time for some early dinner. Colorful veggie stir fry, roasted on my new coconut oil. Made the whole freaking house smell of coconut instead of onion and broccoli. 1:0 for coconut oil, I guess.

Having a Blair Waldorf  moment. 

Veggie stir fry. Made with coconut oil.
Joyful!

Now it's 9 pm and it's still light outside. Adore!!!

I'll probably go for a quick run now, since I have been a lazy ass for the past few weeks. 

And tomorrow is Sunday brunch-day!

Gotta love weekends. 

Jules

The Amazing Sunday

Perfect Sunday alert!

Oh, yes. After a wild, gin-infused Saturday night (ohmyiactuallywentouttoparty), sleeping in until 10-ish felt amazing. So did waking up with a clear head and a calm stomach. And so did having coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches in bed while binge watching three episodes of Scandal.

But enough is enough and three episodes were enough. Time to slap on some sunscreen and leave the house. And leave Manhattan, too. A bumpy ride on the 4 train and another one on the 2 train took me to Brooklyn Botanical Garden where the cherry blossoms are still blooming amazing. 

I headed directly for the cherry esplanade, found a spot under a tree, spread my blanked, took off my shoes and lay down. 

A minute and a half later (yes, those pink-clad branches against the blue sky demanded a bit of attention) I switched temptation of by activating my phone's airplane mode and cracked open a book. 

 

I zoned out for a few hours. Reading and sipping a chilled ginger lemonade. The only thing that disturbed my bubble was a freaking bird that parked its butt on a branch right above my head. 

Yes, it decided to take a #2. Which landed two inches away from my head. Could've been worse, I guess.

Yeah, for a person who zoned out for 3.5 hours, I took an astonishing amount of pictures. But dudes, look at all the pretty pink fluffy blooms!!!

Since I made the trip to Brooklyn and paid for the ticket, it occurred to me that there's more to the Garden than just the cherries. So, after 3.5 hours of pure bliss (minus the freaking pooping bird), I burst my bubble, folded up the blanket, removed some fallen blooms from my shoes (and my hair, and my butt) and left my slice of heaven. The stroll through the park's grounds was delightful, although it was quite crowded. But it was not half bad. Actually, the rest of the garden was just as beautiful as the freaking cherries.  

Next up was a mediocre ice cream (boooooo), redeemed by some very decent iced coffee. 

Brooklyn, I really do like you. 

SOTD: The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You. 

Because it sounds just like Prospect Heights.

Before I knew it, it was 6 pm and time to make it back to Manhattan. Destination: the IMAX theater at Lincoln Center. Movie: The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Snack: salted caramel popcorn. AMAZING indeed. One of the cooler superhero movies around. Of course, nobody puts Iron Man in the corner, but the rebooted Spidey comes a very close second. Woo-hoo!

Happy Monday or whatever.

Jules

Melt away!

Ha!

A warm day! A sunny day! A Saturday! All happening at the same time!

Seriously, this winter has been a serious pain in the ass so far, thus, the collision of the above-mentioned concepts that finally happened today made me beyond extatic. 

I started the day by opening my windows and taking a long deep breath. The air finally feels fresh and crisp and not bloody freezing cold and wintry stale. I've had enough of the wintry stale air.

Breakfast aftermath.

After devouring my bagel & cream cheese breakfast & coffee, it was time to take Stan for a spin. Since he's been dormant for a good two and a half months, his tyres needed a bit of air. And the nutcase needed a good dusting. 

Accessorizing 101.

After the pit stop at the bike shop (I do not own a pump, because who would ever need a pump when one owns a vintage bike, non?), it was time for the big loop in Central Park. 

Beautiful. 

Sure, it looked like all New York runners currently in existence decided to occupy the paths at 10 am this morning, but I couldn't possibly care less about the crowds. Everything was so darn perfect. Almost puke-inducing-it-is-so-saccharine-perfect. 

It was actually warm enough for short sleeves, so naturally, I exposed my pasty arms to the February sunrays. It honestly felt weird - with all the (melting) snow and with about half of the people around me still bundled in all-winter gear. But again, I couldn't possibly care less!

Bye, bye snow.
Hello blue skies!

Riding Stan (ok, that kinda sounds marginally inappropriate, but do your homework and you'll learn that it is actually not) after such a long time was really fun. And actually setting foot (and wheel) in the Park felt like returning home after a long-ish absence. Made me feel all warm and nice and gooey inside. All the biking paths were clean and dry, whereas many of the smaller, bikes-not-allowed trails were still covered in yuckily melting, sad looking snow. Good. 

And by blue skies, I mean BLUE skies.

I made it back home a bit before noon, just in time to go to the pool for a swim before heading to the lab. Because yes, nothing better than killing some cancer cells on a lovely Saturday afternoon. 

My today's thoughts exactly.
Source.

The bike ride and the swim and the sun gave me so much positive juju that the prospect of spending the rest of this lovely day in our grim looking lab did not sound dreadful at all. Phew.

This one is a bit random,
but let's all accept it is photo proof of my trip to the pool.
The pool is awesome!

Actually, I am at the lab now, running yet another western and killing some more cells. The sun is slowly sinking behind the skyscrapers and I just feel happy that it decided to show its face at all today. 

Sun, I love you and and I have missed you. Why don't you hang out here for a while?

SOTD: Zmelkoow - Čau s(l)onček. Because it's perfect!

The weather people are, of course, forecasting another shitload of snow for Tuesday, but now it's not the time to be bothered about that. We were given a perfect springy day and let's just roll with that. 

Cheers to spring!

Jules

Catch-up recap, part two

My month-long visit to Slovenia is coming to a close. I fly back to New York tomorrow. Yay! Since my first flight is at an ungodlily wee hour of the morning, I opted to book a room in a hotel near the airport. A 2.30 AM wake-up call to get to the airport is NOT happening, thankyouverymuch. 

So, as I lay in bed all excited to get back to the lab and to my apartment and to Gotham himself (duh!), let's reflect on what's new since I left New York. 

1. My pants feel way tighter than they did when I flew in. Bless the holiday binge and my mother's amazing cooking skills. But I should definitely rectify the situation. Eating good food is one of my favourite activities (duh!), but...

I guess my awful spartan housekeeping skills and the crazy life of a postdoc will help get back into those skinnies. Wish me luck!

SOTD: REM - Leaving New York. Because it's the other way around!

2. I donated 400 mL of blood for the 30th time. Which made me quite proud of myself. Due to the law, I am not eligible to donate in the US (I tried, but failed miserably), so donating back in Slovenia felt even more special, and, I admit, sort of payback-y to the weird rules in the US. Not the most noble of me, I admit, but not much I can do about it now. On the flip side, a few people will benefit directly from the donated tissue AND all the evil that got drained out of me this time around will make life easier for the people who are forced to interact with me on a daily basis (insert evil laugh here). 

3. My hair is 2 inches shorter in the back and about 1 inch shorter in the front. I am  a proud wearer of a cool bob that on a VERY good day looks something like hers (wishful thinking) and allows me to pay even less attention to hair styling. Which is magnificent. 

4. Fitness-wise, I'm in the worst shape of my life. I don't like it. And this, too, shall be rectified. 

5. My tolerance for ignorance, especially among students, is even lower than before. I firmly believe that in the 21st century, in a developed country with almost 100 % literacy, being ignorant is a choice. And it's a despicable one. Dear students, get your shit together and open your eyes. Slovenia needs you!

7. Friends and family are the coolest and I am freaking spoiled.

8. I'm such a dork for having felt labsick for the past 14 days. Amid all the good things happening to me in Slovenia, and all the cool stuff about New York I could be missing, the lab was firmly in first place. Awful. 

9. Europe is great. In the timespan of a few days, I managed to touch down in 5 countries: The Netherlands (layover + first coffee on EU soil), Italy (landing+a few visits), Slovenia (duh!), Austria (drove through) and the Czech Republic (Prague!!!). Each with a distinctive culture and language. 

10. Euros are waaaaaaaay prettier than US dollars. AND, they actually have numbers on coins, which is more user friendly than "dime" and "nickel" and whatnot. And paying 1 € for coffee is awesome.

11. I still can handle booze very well. I got shitfaced a lot this past month. It was great, and so so so funny. Obviously, since I'm past my prime in terms of tissue regeneration my liver now needs a wee vacation. But that's details.

12. I HATE PACKING! 

That's about it. Better go catch some sleep. 

Talk to you after the jet lag.

Jules

Sunday. Slavnik.

If I don't count half a day of sunny weather last week, the weather was at it's absolute worst since I touched down in Europe: soggy fog alternated woth rain. All at unseasonably warm temps. Yuck. 

(Yeah, total opposite of all the #freezeyork and #chiberia going on in the US). 

Today, blue skies finally decided to make an appearance, so it was only natural for me to take advantage of the clear balmy day and go for a hike on a nearby "mountain", Slavnik. 

Pano view from right under the summit.

I've been a regular on the paths to Slavnik since I can remember and my love for that lump of terrain is unmeasurable. At just a little above 1000 m (roughly 3000 ft), it barely fulfills the criterion for being called a mountain. And it's a pleasant and easy hike. Bonus: the apple strudel they bake at the hut at the summit is to die for. 

There...
(on the way up)

... And back again
(on the way down)

As usual, I took the steep path up and the gentle, curvy one down. On the way up, the real extent of my outofshapeness showed itself in all of it's glory, since I had to stop to catch my breath more often than I originally planned to. And don't get me started on the humiliation of getting surpassed by 60+ year old poppas with beer bellies. Mental note: move that ass more and get back into shape!!!

But it was worth it. 

I returned home happy, refreshed and just a bit tired, my cheeks finally gently sunkissed (although I did wear SPF, duh!). 

SOTD: Mumford and Sons - Lover of the Light.

It was the most perfect kind of giddy tired only a hefty dose of fresh air and a gentle hike can make you. 

Here's to the outdoors. 

Jules 

P.S. This year's version of winter on this side of the Atlantic:
primroses in bloom on Jan 12th at 1000 m above sea level.

Catch-up recap

Oh boy, having a social life is exhausting. So are the holidays. So is rain. And so is jet lag. And cookies. Well, maybe not cookies, because cookies are not exhausting per se, but you get the jist. I am munching on them cookies now and they are sublime. Cookies are awesome. 

So far, this visit to the home turf has been quite kind to me. I have mostly gotten over the jet lag and the weather is supposed to improve tomorrow. Christmas is over, so half of the madness is in the past already. For which I am quite thankful. As much as I love Christmas strictly as a family holiday, it is stressful. So booyeah that it only comes around once a year. Other than the big holiday being over, let's see what have I been up to since coming back. I have hardly had any time for myself or not-yet-alotted for some reunion/visit/errand/nap. A bit mad, yes, I agree.

The "getting shitfaced with my girl M part" on my first evening back, which was awesome, was already mentioned. Gin tonic was good, not having to get through a hangover was almost as good. I have this superpower, you see, I am hangover-proof or something. My liver might start objecting at some point, but for now my head and my stomach are being great sports if/when I decide that one drink is just not enough.   

The next day (Sunday) did not exist. I literally slept through it, woke up around 6 pm and went back to bed a few hours later. Which means I can scratch "sleep deprivation" from my list. Yay!

SOTD: R.E.M. - Daysleeper

On Monday, I went for a very much needed haircut and I love the very subtle, but cool change. Feels awesome. And yes, there are plenty of hair salons in NYC, but I still feel reluctant about changing my hair person yet. Maybe someday, but not just yet. After the pamper session, lunch with mother and roadtrip to Ljubljana to catch up with some lovely friends from there. The reunion, the beer and later the mulled wine on the bank of the river all felt so familiar and good. The day ended with a dinner and a bottle of wine at an old friend's (and I do not mean she is old, it's just our friendship that is a senior citizen already) house. 

Tuesday was Christmas Eve, a day meant to be spent bickering with my mother, laughing with my brother, making cookies (duh!), trimming the tree while eating said cookies, having a delicious fishy dinner and having a good time. Oh, and we watched Home Alone for the umpteenth time, all three of us sprawled on the couch. Talk about family time. 

Christmas day was spent in the countryside visiting relatives. As usual, it was tipsy, loud and yummy. And there was a visit to the movies later on, since The Hobbit is in town. It was way better than An Unexpected Journey, which felt like a bloated bore, although my man Gollum was in that one (thumbs up for Chapter 1!) and absent from this one (Booooo!). Smaug was a good enough drama queen, but no one beats Gollum at I-do-alone-crazy-in-a-cave-like-a-boss-so-I-am-a-better-crazy-than-you-precioussssssssssssssssssss.  

Thursday was another holiday and another rainy day. And another day of meeting good friends. I could easily get used to that. Lively chitchat, catching up with life events and developments, drinking coffee (from an actual cup!!! It still fascinates me how much I missed actual cups!!!) with a view of the sailboats. I did some work in the afternoon, since I had to submit a peer review of a paper. Which also made me fish out the huge stack of papers I brought from New York. Time to start catching up with my reading as well. Oh. I love science. I love science. I love science. I love science. I love science...

Regardless, I miss New York.
This one is from 72nd & Madison. UES at it's finest.

There's still a lot of people I want to see and a lot of things I want to do and A LOT of papers I HAVE TO READ, but I am being quite efficient, so I am confident there will be time for a siesta and for doing my nails at some point. 

Cheers to manicures!

Jules

Ocean? Re-crossed!

Roughly six months after crossing the Atlantic, I did it again. 

Sunrise over the Atlantic in Miami.
Next stop? Africa. Close enough to Europe, I guess.

Touched down in Venice around noon yesterday, had a lovely catch-up with my brother, then lunch with the fam and a nap. Then I managed to get shitfaced with my girl M. All in all, first day back was successful. 

SOTD: Chris Rea - Driving home for Christmas

Sunday felt victim to jet lag and a bit of unpacking. The weather sucks anyway. 

Here's to reunions!

Jules

The best cocoa for snow days.

There are not many things cozier than a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Agree?

Well, let me introduce you to the best cocoa "recipe". I am aware that obtaining a cup of hot cocoa can be really simple - hot milk and a spoonful of Nesquick or some similar instant soluble powder. Done. 

But boy, with a bit more time, more effort and a bit of preparation, this simple treat can really be taken to the next level. Because THIS is the cocoa you didn't even know you were missing in your life.

Yumminess.

"Recipe" is a bit of an overstatement - it is very simple and as tweakable as you want it. 

You'll need:

• real cocoa powder (instant soluble sugary crap is just not in the same league as the real stuff),
• whole milk + a dash of heavy cream (that's optional),
• teeny tiny pinch of good salt, just enough to give it a kick,
• sugar,
• peppermint syrup (very easy to make, I used this recipe, although I swapped white sugar for brown),
• peppermint candy canes for that extra festive touch and to use as stirrers.

Soon to be minty creamy chocolatey heaven.

Adjust all quantities to your taste and, of course, to the number of cups you are making. Also, keep in mind that both the syrup and the candy canes are quite sweet, so do not overdo it with the sugar. 

The secret ingredient for the bestest cocoa:
 pepermint!

Combine the milk with the cream and add the salt. Warm slightly. Either in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. Having the milk warm will help the cocoa powder getting into the mixture.

Mix in the cocoa powder. Stir vigorously to get all the cocoa into the milk and crush all the lumps. Real cocoa powder (as opposed to soluble powders) is a pain in the butt to mix in, but the end result is really worth it. Once the brown stuff is inside the milk and not floating on top of it, add the syrup and mix a bit more. Finish off with adding enough sugar to make it perfectly sweet.

Warm it up, but not let it boil. Right before serving, stick a candy cane (or two) in each cup. They will slowly start melting and releasing the pepperminty goodies into the cocoa. Awesome.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

You might want cry a little when it's gone, trust me. Of course, you can always make another cup.

Bonus tinsel: The tree at Rockefeller Center.

24 hours of peace and quiet

Two very lovely ladies were visiting the past few weeks and we had a blast. Huh, having a social life is kind of fabulous, my dears. I seem to have forgotten that...

But they left on Friday and there was someone else flying in yesterday. Which is a whole other level of awesomeness. But which also means that I had a whole one day to enjoy the blissful luxury of having my home all for myself. 

View from my morning bike ride

I had tons of TV shows to catch up on, a few books to open after a long time and tea to drink, a face to scrub and pamper, and a box of dark chocolate covered slated caramels to finish off, all in the company of the weirdest great music from my iTunes library. And a brand new scented candle.

Sweet sweet doing nothing AKA calm before the storm.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go tend to my social life. 

Cheers,

Jules

Lately.

Oh, boy, tis blog is dusty and neglected! I am so sorry. Life kind of took over...

Let's catch up, my dears.

So. Many. Pumpkins. Everywhere.

Ireland and Estonia love me. Ok, I might be exaggerating.
But at least a few people from those two lovely countries think of me.

Thank you, ladies!

New scent for the home.

Kate Spade mint green heels. A favourite.

SOTD: Morphine - Honey White. 

Yes, life has been a bit up and down these past few weeks. There has been drama at work, spinster ways in terms of being either cooped up in the lab or cooped up at home with an empty fridge, Seamless abuse and Homeland catch-up. I am pathetic. 

But, between Carrie and Brody and westerns and IPs, I managed to savour life from time to time. And to catch it on camera, so I have proof. 

The Marathon. All those people are superheroes! 

Boot season at last.

Hey, unbelievers, western worked.
Not the prettiest looking blot, I admit, but we got bands.

Jules walked into Sephora to get nail polish remover.
Walked out with Clinique Black honey collection
(legendary Almost lipstick PLUS nail polish and gloss).
Yay for sophisticated vixen makeup! 

A little bit of wisdom from my girl AM. 

Autumnal views from the 5th floor.

I better leave the house now. A reasonably nice Saturday is waiting for me outside of this apartment. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Jules