la la land

All is nice and calm here today. Problems have not completely been resolved, everyone isn't in the happiest of moods, but I think we're in a good enough place to take a step back and just breathe. Ahhh, life in my very own Lala land.

Did I ever tell you that Lala is my nickname? Well, when I was a baby and trying to call myself by a name, I could not say Danielle nor could I form Daniela (which my family sometimes refers to me as) so "Lala" was born. My parents and my siblings still call me it from time to time :). I never received another nickname until Marie lived with us and she began to call me Dela (the letters make up my initials). Do you have a nickname that stuck?

Anyway, since I am participating in Vegan 4 a Day (hosted by Katy and Michelle), and it's only about 2:30 in the afternoon, I thought I'd save my reflections and meal pictures for tomorrow. Today I'm going to mix it up a little! Hm, maybe I got the nickname Lala for other reasons ;). Thanks to the wonderful Leslie, I've been tagged to partake in the fall-inspired survey. I'm so glad to take part in some autumn fun, it's one of my favorite seasons.

1. Favorite variety of apple? Honeycrisp.

2. Apples dipped in? Pumpkin butter.

3. Favorite way to enjoy pumpkin?  First thing in the morning with pumpkin oats!

4. Favorite soup? with crackers or bread? Any squash soup with bread (like focaccia).

5. Do you eat orange foods all year round? Of course I do! Carrots take me through every season.

6. Most used spice in your autumn cooking: Cinnamon, it's a chilly-weather comfort spice. 

7. You are baking some homemade bread, what flavor combination of bread would you like to make? Mmm, I'd most likely whip up a banana walnut bread, it's my favorite.

8. Favorite autumn vegetables and ways to eat it? Recently discovered my love of kabocha squash served roasted and stuffed. Check out my recipe!

9. Hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee or tea? Oh, all four! Green tea upon waking, coffee as an afternoon pick me-up, hot cider on special autumnal occasions, and hot chocolate while wrapped in a blanket in front of an evening fire. Warm perfection.

10. Favorite seasonal dessert? My mom's apple pie, hot from the oven, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I cannot wait for Thanksgiving!

11. Lets make a fall stew! Pick any 6 ingredients to create your own: French green lentils, kale, cremini mushrooms, carrots, dill and sweet paprika. I really should try to make this happen! 

12. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts or almonds to snack on? Always almonds, simple yet satisfying.

13. Popcorn flavor/seasoning? Oddly enough, I'm not a popcorn fan. Plain?

14. Bowl of hot cereal you have been wanting to try:  Asian Fusion Oatmeal from HEAB, I have yet to take the savory oats plunge.

15. Post a link to a recipe that you recently bookmarked. I'm planning a little trip to Thailand with Red Curry with Vegetables. Happy Thursday :) I'm passing this along to the beautiful GC.

infinity plus one

Ahoy there maties! I am absolutely uninspired today! I have so many things racing through my mind and yet I feel like I'm physically stagnant. Let's see if I can create some sort of perspective here: My second blog post at GoBackpacking.com is going up tomorrow and I will continue to write for the site weekly. My debut on another (soon-to-be-announced) site is scheduled for November 10th. I just filed my diploma request and will be registering for classes, for my last semester, next week. What do I want to do with the rest of my life afterwards?

I went out for frozen yogurt last night as a treat for myself. Problem is, aside from the raspberries (yummy), I didn't really enjoy it. I think I may want to give up dairy. Kind of? I have to pitch a story idea in my cut-throat editing class tomorrow. After that, I have about a week and a half of resting, academically at least, but I can't get my mind to slow down enough to enjoy it. 

I haven't been to one yoga class all week. Registration for this six week term begins and I think I'm losing exercise-commitment steam. This happens too often. Maybe it's because the weather is getting cold again and I'm not ready? At Thanksgiving this year, I'm not sure if I'm even interested in eating turkey. I do not miss meat, and at this point it's actually quite unappetizing.

I'm going technically going home this weekend. It's not exactly home because I'll be staying with the boy. I haven't seen him since I've been sick. But I may very well have landed an amazing interview with someone from a museum that will work in a new article for my news class. My family "stuff" has still not been resolved. Maybe uninspired isn't the right word, how about crazy?

P.S. This is my last attempt to try a statement that is slightly less confusing.... Go Yankees! ;)

the perfect woman

One of my classes was cancelled this afternoon because my poor teacher (of whom I adore) has swine flu :(. The extra free time, however, was very much appreciated. My magazine editing professor, Harriet Brown, is heading the BODYTALK Project, and today I made my contribution. "BODYTALK gives people a chance to record commentaries about their relationships with their bodies, appearances, food, eating, and weight."

"...because the more we talk about these feelings, the more shame and stigma will fall away." We're receiving bonus points for participation, but I am very interested regardless. I believe this entire thing is fabulous; we will achieve progress is through dialogue. I'll also have you know that I spoke for about five minutes straight, we'll see if anything gets chosen for NPR :).

I have certainly come along way and thus had a lot to say. At this point though, I think I've reached the ultimate: a healthy body image and healthy food choices. Research has shown that women who accept their bodies the way they are seem to be more likely to adopt better eating habits. Furthermore, "Those who scored higher on measures of intuitive eating also showed higher levels of self-esteem, coping ability, optimism, and ability to deal with stressful situations."

I am so thankful. Gena recently wrote an incredible post about food just as food. Leslie, another favorite, responded with her own insight in not just one, but two posts regarding her food philosophy.  I agree with both of them. Also in the blogosphere, if you'd like to see a rare case of body diversity in the media, be my guest and walk on over to Blueberry Hil.

Across the country, and the world, our bodies come in all different shapes, different sizes and different colors. We must learn to appreciate our uniqueness, and in doing so, treat our bodies accordingly. In the end, though perfection does not exist, beauty is universal.