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

How Philly cured the Gotham blues

G'bye, Manhattan.

As mentioned in the previous post, I've been getting a bit tired of New York over the past few weeks. It was a general, no-specific-reason-for-it funk, something that happens from time to time when life sucks you in a vicious cycle of whatevers. 

SOTD: The Wonder Years - Local Man Ruins Everything. 

Enter: weekend trip to Philadelphia to visit some friends. 

Pretty skies in downtown Philly

I made it South on Saturday afternoon and the shenanigans started with a drink at a firehouse-converted-into-bar establishment, followed by a sinfully delicious Greek dinner. 

Said dinner involved setting cheese on fire and binging on vampire vaccine. And baklava. Because: duh!   

My friends took me to a great party afterwards and I got to chat with some great people. I also met a ghost writer. Which was just about the coolest thing ever. Ghost writer, y'all!    

Love Park.
Yes, they are THAT cheesy.
Of course, couples stand under the sculpture and kiss
while someone takes their picture.
Ugh, cheesiness...

Sunday started with brunch, which for me consisted of a delicious french toast drowned in cream cheese sauce with a side of fruit salad. Allow this to sink in properly: buttery rich french toast smothered with a sweet-tart cream cheese (philadelphia, of course) sauce. Yum!

After brunch, my friend had the awesomest idea ever. We went to the Mütter museum. It's tagline is "Disturbingly informed" and it could not be more true. Which is a medical museum full to the brim with freaky sciency medical stuff like a preserved GIGANTIC megacolon, 300 years old obstetric forceps, extremely twisted scoliotic spines and dried up hands. And histologic slides of Albert freaking Einstein's brain. 'Nuff said. 

Needless to say, I loved the place and will definitely go back for more. 

        

After all the weirdo-fest, we rewarded ourselves with a stroll through Rittenhouse square. And since I am a fantastically lucky girl, the Fine Arts Show happened to be happening that weekend, so we go to check out some cool paintings. Seeing some beauty after the freakiness was a welcome cleanse. Also, ice cream! 

Until next time, Pennsylvania.

Jules

p.s. Excuse the non-so-pretty photos. Posting them completely crude without any editing. Not even a smidgen of straightening. Because I am that lazy. 

I have a case of Gotham fatigue. I have a cure for that, too.

Oh hey.

It's been a while. I've had a boring few weeks, but that's changing NOW:

Philly skyline appearing on the horizon. Almost there!

A weekend in Philadelphia is happening as I type. Ouyeah!

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

New York, New York

Oh, New York. 

The city of 8000 stereotypes (and all of them true to the dot).  

The New York Times recently published a series of haikus about the city in honour of National Poetry Month. They made me smile and they made me stop for a minute to revisit all the reasons why I chose to move to this city in the first place (Yes, it was for a job, but it was also for a dream I had for a long time). 

Some of the haikus are a bit random, of course - 17 syllables are not easy, but overall, they are a delight. You can read them here. 

Keeping with the theme, here are some more passionate New York tidbits:

NYC Tips and Etiquette by Nathan W. Pyle - made me laugh.

8.4 Million New Yorkers Suddenly Realize NYC is a Horrible Place to Live - dystopian much.

Humans of New York - Brandon is great romantic. See for yourself and become addicted.

A Cup of Jo's Guide to NYC: 10 Ways How to NOT Look Like a Tourist - very similar points to mr. Pyle's, but told by more "ordinary" New Yorkers.

Opening sequence of Manhattan - Oh, Woody.

Now that I managed to sappily fall in love with New York all over again, it's time to leave the laptop and go for a walk in Greenwich Village and continue this love affair. 

Jules

The Toronto Diaries, part 0

Canada, eh?

You bet.

Source.

A spur of the moment decision to buy tickets for a The National gig + tickets for appropriate transportation up north has brought me to Toronto. The timing was not exactly perfect, but it actually was. Perfect, I mean. After a draining tiring few months of trading my daylight for a career, I needed a break to recharge and regroup. 

It's been a long and freezing winter, but spring has finally marched in. So of course, it makes perfect sense to go and choose the freaking North Pole for a minibreak. I am talented that way. 

In a nutshell, you got three days, two airports and one very satisfied gal.

But since I've always been one for juicy and mellow instead of concise, you're not getting away with just a nutshell. You get the whole shebang down to the last clumsy detail in the form of a few blog posts, which are being typed in at the airport while waiting for my flight back home. The 21st century is a beautiful thing.  

Enjoy!

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

A horsey bowley beery weekend

So. Two major things happened this past weekend. One was the lunar aka Chinese new year. On Friday, the water Snake left us and the wooden Horse began its gallop into the year 4712. 

Chinatown. Colorful. Cheery. Confettied.

Supposedly, the year of the wooden Horse will be a fierce one, so watch out and be prepared to pick your battles.

Probably one of my favourite shots from Saturday.

I order to bid the Snake a proper farewell, I spent Saturday afternoon roaming Chinatown, drinking ginger tea and eating away my weight in red bean cakes and coconut custard tarts. It was fun and colorful...

... And a great intro in a dorky Saturday evening spent in the lab. Oh, lentiviral transfection, how I cherish thee!

On Sunday, I had actually planned to return to Chinatown to watch the parade, but instead, 75 % of the day got eaten by annoying student paper grading. Which did not exactly put me in the best of moods. Luckily, there was this great Superbowl beer party in the evening. I mean, I have no idea what american football is all about, but judging by the amount of buildup going on all around New York, the Superbowl is apparently a ginormous deal. Europeans, think FIFA Champions League finals on freaking steroids! I mean, I get that it's the final game of the season, Clash of the Titans of some sort that determines who's this season's champion. But the marketing stuff was just so intense with ads, all around the city, since the fall, you would think Earth's destiny was going to be decided or something.  

Source.

Things have been hyping up a lot (hello, junk food and beer on super sale everywhere for the past ten days) and there was no way I was going to miss this quintessential American thing. 

Even the Empire State Building was lit up in
NFL's colours in honour of the 48th
Superbowl

Honestly, I got into it mostly because of the beer and the company. And even more honestly, I still am not sure that I understood what the game is all about (ups!), because the Broncos (orange team) did not do much on the field and they seemed to be totally smitten by Seattle's action. So, rookie dilemma: is that what NFL games usually look like? One team standing there while the other hammers the crap out of them? 

And WHY for the love of all that's holy is the sport called FOOT-BALL? They hardly ever touch the ball with their feet. Unlike in proper football... 

Moving on.

It's Monday. So I guess The Compulsory Complain-About-The-Weather Note is to make its entrance: after a balmy weekend spent wearing cute flats and a light jacket, this morning looked like this:

Snow-covered UES

I'm so over winter!

SOTD: Bruno Mars & Red Hot Chilli Peppers - XLVIII Superbowl's 

halftime show. Because every now and then, even I dig Bruno Mars.

I like the month of February well enough, but I am seriously waiting for spring!
Jules

Every landscape architect's wet dream

SOTD: Rudi Bučar - Bella Istriana mia. 

Because I looked for "Moby Dick", but it's not

uploaded on YouTube. So this one is second best. 

My girl M has been mentioned repeatedly on this lovely blog. And for good reason - she's awesome. 

Further proof of her awesomeness is a huge step forward in her life that she took YESTERDAY. And to celebrate such a gigantic step, I decided to brave yesterday's annoying snowfall and ass-freezing cold and walked the Highline, all the way from top to bottom. Because the Highline is very high on our list of shit we need to conquer as soon as she gets her butt on my side of the Atlantic (no pressure here, darlings). 

One of these Hudson-facing sunbeds shall be ours,
darlings.
Because we have coffee to drink and Gotham to
conquer!

Due to the weather (boy, are snowflakes annoying when you breathe them in and they tickle), and the sheer fact that it's winter, so plant-wise the park is pretty much barren, I sort of expected a quiet lonely walk. 

 

Rather barren in this time of year, but
eerily beautiful nonetheless.

I was wrong, there were quite a lot of people, mostly tourists, walking it. But that was kind of OK. 

I know, M, you despise hot pink. But how cute is this pink-clad girl hugging her dad so he can help her get safely off the bench?

Very cute!

I'm not going to say "the world is your oyster", M, because frankly oysters are fucking disgusting.
So, instead:
Here's to your newest adventure, M!
(I toast to you with a tall glass of gin & tonic - just because I can!)

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.

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