Lazy Saturday

I just came across this post by Mark Brennan, author of the travel blog Fevered Mutterings. Great reminder of the importance of reading (if pleasure or leisure isn't cutting it for ya) for all writers.

Here's an excerpt: "I read because I still don’t know enough about the world, and reading is the quickest, cheapest and second most enjoyable way of addressing that. Reading is training for becoming a good, well-rounded, well-adjusted human being."

Happy Saturday! 

(Photo is of the bookshelves in my room.)

Little kid bedtime rituals to get stoked for Machu Picchu (as if we need help)

Cam and I have been reading Turn Right at Machu Picchu since last week. We've been taking turns reading chapters aloud, and while it sounds corny, it has been so fun sharing a book together as opposed to our usual TV series-binging or independent activities (Instagram-stalking for me, computer coding for him) before bed.

Adams was a writer at a travel and adventure magazine in New York City before deciding he wanted a real adventure for himself -- a trek through the Incan heartland ending at one of the world's most famous and beautiful archeological wonders.

While we're only about seven chapters in, so far I would definitely recommend the book, as well as the read-aloud activity. I don't think taking turns reading would work well with long or dense books (I'm loving The Fountainhead right now for my independent reading but would dread reading/listening to 700 pages out loud...), but it definitely works for the travel genre, especially if you're reading with your travel companion.

I also think that anything by Bill Bryson would be fun for this activity -- my two favorites are A Walk in the Woods and Neither Here Nor There -- since whenever I read his books I'm laughing out loud so often that I just have to read aloud and share anyway.

Destination bucket list: Russia

Students from the cadet academy march in this photo from Sergey Kozmin's piece entitled "Girl Soldiers"

The summer going into my sophomore year of college I spent the month of June in Washington, D.C. with a small group of Villanova students and professors. One of the professors taught Russian history and politics, and gave several lectures on topics varying from Kievan Rus' to the Battle of Stalingrad.

Ever since this summer, I have been absolutely fascinated by Russia (okay, 'absolutely' might be a stretch because I haven't done much to study this interest or further my knowledge, but the lectures definitely piqued an interest that I'll get around to eventually).

Yesterday I came across this New York Times article, where photographer Sergey Kozmin chronicles the daily lives of students at the Moscow Female Cadet Boarding School No. 9. I was once again fascinated by this small insight into Russian culture,  particularly the juxtaposition of the huge white bows with the military uniforms -- what does this mean!? Why do the bows have to be SO HUGE!?

Sergey Kozmin

Max Fisher/Washington Post

I came across this Washington Post article the other day which reinforces a common reaction I get whenever I tell people that I would love to go to Russia...basically some version of "they probbbbably don't want you there." According to this data collected by the World Economic Forum, Russia ranks among the three countries least welcoming to foreign visitors, along with Venezuela and Bolivia.

Maybe I won't book tickets to Moscow tomorrow, but I can continue (i.e. start) my research while I wait for Russia to rise in the WEF rankings.

Weekend Trip: Lake Tahoe

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with my childhood best friend, Danielle, her boyfriend, and our friends David and Ellen (oh, and Cam was there, too :). We went up to Tahoe and I was absolutely shocked at the lack of snow! While we weren't necessarily planning on skiing/snowboarding, I was not expecting shorts weather.

We got in late Friday night and I was delighted when I somehow got everyone to agree to wake up and do Yoga with me at 9:30 Saturday morning. Highlights after that include making a deliciously fresh salad from Ellen's CSA box, catching up on lots of girl talk (while the guys racked up hours on my family's new shuffleboard table), and a gorgeous lakefront photo shoot at Sunnyside followed by brunch at Rosie's. 

Making lunch with some fresh veggies

One highlight that continues to make me smile days later...


We had an incredible dinner Saturday night at Stella in Truckee, which came highly recommended by my parents. Cam and I decided to share the sweetbreads as an appetizer. I'll admit, my knowledge of sweetbreads went as far as knowing it was some kind of meat, and that it was unusual to the extent that I probably didn't want the waiter to remind me of specifics. Shortly after placing our order, the waiter brings out a basket of bread and butter. Cam looks at me with bright eyes and a huge smile and says, so earnestly and adorably, "Oooh and we get even more bread and butter!" (If you, like Cam, are totally unfamiliar with sweetbreads, they are actually cow thymus gland sometimes paired with pancreas...). Gourmet fail.

For more photos....

Day Trip: Cataract Falls

Recently Cam and I went to Cataract Falls in Marin, a hike that had been recommended to both of us by several people. The hike was gorgeous. It starts at the base of a completely still, glass-like lake, and ascends Mt. Tam with views of seven waterfalls on the way. It reminded me of a hike I’ve done in Hawaii, which is pretty crazy considering we were actually just outside of San Francisco in January....

We looked at a couple of different websites to find the hike, and LocalHikes seemed to have the clearest directions. One tip: the left turn at Pacheco is unmarked, so instead of looking for a street sign, look for the wooden sign that says “Fairfax”. 

The trailhead marker

One of the falls we saw on the  hike -- supposedly even more beautiful after a big rain

View of the city from Sausalito, on a deserved post-hike picnic