On Humor

True humor is fun. It does not put down, kid or mock. It makes people feel wonderful, not separate, different and cut off. True humor has beneath it the understanding that we are all in this together.

-Hugh Prather

Friendship

Support your friends even in their mistakes. But be clear, however, that it is the friend and not the mistake you are supporting.

-Hugh Prather

uh-oh

“perfectionism is a slow death. if everything were to turn out just like i would want it to, just like i would plan for it to, then i would never experience anything new; my life would be an endless repetition of stale successes. when i make a mistake i experience something unexpected.... when i have listened to my mistakes i have grown.”

― Hugh Prather

Last Child in the Woods

"The quiet wisdom of nature does not try to mislead you like the landscape of the city does, with billboards and ads everywhere. It doesn't make you feel like you have to conform to any image. It's just there, and it accepts everyone." -Erin (Last Child in the woods)

living in the moment

I have to say that when people talk about how living in the moment is the way to live I tend to disagree. Don't get me wrong, I understand what people are getting at...well sort of. I just think it's so important to learn from the past and to plan for the future. The mentality that goes along with living in the moment seems to completely disregard these two important aspects of living thoughtfully. So don't just live in the moment. Live in the past, present and the future. 

On Death

"Just as we take a train to get to Tarascon or Rouen, we take death to reach a star. We cannot get to a star while we are alive any more than we can take the train when we are dead. So to me it seems possible that cholera, tuberculosis and cancer are the celestial means of locomotion. Just as steamboats, buses and railways are the terrestrial means."

-Vincent van Gogh

"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,

If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles."

-Whitman

“Look for me in the weather reports.”

-Saul Bellow

deep thoughts

"Before you educate the head, try to educate the heart."

-Washington Phillips

I Was A Child Model

I was a child model. I did this for about seven years working on a weekly basis. I also did a lot of commercials back then. I was raised by a single parent, and she worked and went to school. Modeling was a huge part of how we paid the bills growing up. It always felt sort of ironic to me to working as a model, living in government housing  and wearing mostly hand-me-downs. Modeling was mostly fun, and the photos and commercials are now like treasures.

Sri Chinmoy Ghose

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

-Sri Chinmoy Ghose

Music and Nostalgia

There are certain albums that, no matter when or how many times I listen to them, will always remind me of very specific times in my life. They are by no means my absolute favorite albums, but they do remind me of some of my favorite times. These are just a few, and they remind me of falling in love with my husband, sharing a studio apartment with my best friend, driving around Mexico in an old VW bug with my first love and first moving to in New York City.

vegan pesto

My husband recently made some delicious vegan pesto. Instead of using cheese he substituted in cannellini beans. He calls it "Pesto Gaucho", and here is his recipe: two handfuls of flowering basil leaves, half a can of drained cannellini beans, three tablespoons of olive oil, two dashes of sea salt, four cloves of coarsely chopped garlic and black pepper to taste. Blend on low power to maintain a thicker texture. He did not use nuts, but suggests an oily nut like cashews or pine nuts if you want to add them in.