Just a few more!

Hello Readers!

Yes, long time no write but living and loving along the way!  It is nice to be online and see the traffic within my site!

How are you doing?

Me?  I am still running!  My last race was in the City of San Marino!  The race took place on the 4th of July and it was totally positive!  This race is in honor of a fallen officer.

JP BLECKSMITH 5K

A large part of our proceeds go to support the Flintridge Prep’s J.P. Blecksmith ’99 Memorial Scholarship Fund which is given to a rising senior at Flintridge Prep. The Fund was established this endowment fund in 2004 to honor the memory of 2nd Lieutenant James Patrick Blecksmith ’99, who died while serving in Iraq. The JP Blecksmith ’99 Memorial Scholarship Fund offsets tuition for deserving students, funds special leadership opportunities for selected students of promise, and through the JP Blecksmith ’99 Annual Award honors a rising senior who personifies the qualities of leadership, scholarship, athletic commitment, and public service that J.P. embodied.

The Race

The race was a fast course with (2) very intense hills!  Although the hills were a BIG surprise, I am still happy I finished the race. Always happy when I finish a race and my taste tester is there waiting for me!  One day (fingers crossed) I will be able to keep up with him!  That will truly be a a wonderful day!

Mileage has been increasing each run and I am very excited about where we are in our running abilities!

The last few nights we have run over 5 miles each run and we still are not done with the week…yet!  I still have this evening and tomorrow!  I had mentioned a few weeks back that I wanted to shake things up a bit and run 25 miles for the week – I am happily right at this goal!  Next we will need to be @ 25-28 miles solidly for the next few weeks.  That is, if I would like to run the Half Marathon in the fall!  I will continue to add mileage!  Goals! Goals! They are good for me! Just a few more miles and I will be ready for the Half Marathon!

Reading

I just finished reading “Living with the Himalayan Masters” by Swami Rama.  Although a longer read than the previous book @ 454 pages, I enjoyed many aspects of this book.  It is always a pleasure to read books that really breakdown emotional barriers, give you insight to an ancient world and explain human nature in a very different way…a spiritual way!

To my HAPPY surprise there is a chapter about Anandamoyi Ma!  To anyone who has been around here, you know my affinity to this beautiful woman!  She was divine in nature!  This is the 3rd Yoga book I have read, with different authors I might add, where she is mentioned and the actual author has their own experience with her! Beautiful Ma!

If you like books about adventures in life, yoga, and/or the supernatural world, I highly suggest it!

Musical Meditations

Our latest adventure in the music world took place last Sunday @ the Hollywood Bowl!  A few years back we attended an event titled “India Calling”.  We wondered why there hadn’t been another show since!  To our surprise we discovered there was a show for 2011 called “Journey to India”!

The concert was a bit over 3 hrs!  We had taken Kale Wraps, Champagne, and sliced FRESH cucumber! We headed out to the Hollywood Bowl and expected a dancing, high energy crowd!

What we found was a very calm and serene show.  All of the music for this event was composed by A.R. Rahmen.  For those of you unfamiliar with this composer, you can hear his work on various soundtracks.  Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, The Kings Speech, Inception, and The Social Network – just to name a few!

It was a wonderful night!  I felt so peaceful and calm after the show!  It is rare that my taste tester and I get to eat in such a calm and entertaining fashion.  A Great memory for the both of us!

This week we will see Ky-mani Marley @ the Roxy Theatr

Discussions, FYI’s and other musings…

1) I read an article called “Vegan becomes an “Ethical Butcher”.  You can read that article HERE. Quite honestly, I don’t know what bothered me more.  The fact that he WAS a vegan and ate meat again -or- the fact that he is alright with the killing of animals and chopping up body parts of animals. Before you decide, I do believe that each persons body is their own!  People can do what they want to it! Eat bad food, pierce whatever, tattoo whatever…it is OUR CONTAINER to do WHATEVER WE WANT, right?  Right.  But to kill another being on this earth for the pleasure of eating it -or whatever, that is where my problem is. One of the first Yoga practices to get a grasp of in this lifetime is Ahimsa.  Non-violence toward any entity.  I don’t feel the need to call him names, or say he is beneath any of us Vegans/Vegetarians, just makes me sad that this could be alright for him.  And to make it much worse-what does he stand for? Once a vegan – then a meat eater.  What happened to the commitment of not ingesting an animal product.  I wonder why he became one in the first place???  Hmmm.  What do you think readers?

2) While scanning the internet for information and interesting stories about general health and nutrition, I found a great new film!  You can read the summary regarding this DVD HERE.  I am really interested in seeing this DVD “May I Be FRANK” and if done well, I will more than likely offer it to my readers! Tell me what you think if you are able to go and see it!  Come on Ithaca – Talk to me!

3) HAPPY to see a Vegan NASCAR Driver with a goal! You can read that story HERE.  Always nice and uplifting to see others making and meeting GOALS!!! Go Vegans!

Write to you soon!

Love and Light!

Namaste!

8k ~ (1+7+1+8) ~ Ate

This weekend was quite an adventure indeed!

Life is a series of roller coasters!

Up and down the emotions go,

to the right and to the left the adventures wind –

sometimes slow…

Never knowing if you will be left in a bind,

No matter what happens – you just have to know

You are being kept in mind - Be strong! Be healthy!

Live in Love and Light – Lovin – Livin – Life can be out of sight!

Friday

Friday was my cousins funeral.  He was 48 years old.  A father, a husband but most of all a FUNNY FUNNY GUY!

I listened to the pastor, friends and colleagues speak of impressions, experiences and kindness he displayed throughout his existence.  I’m happy I knew him and had the opportunity to enjoy his personality and it was wonderful knowing this soul!

I send his soul love and light now.  The moment his breathe left that day – his soul left.

Yoga teaches us to face death before it ever happens.  It teaches that death is not finite, but instead another experience.  A new journey to open ourselves up to.  My cousin is onto his next phase of soul work.

Saturday

We opened the store as usual.  In the evening, my taste tester and I went to the Luckman Theater - Cal State Los Angeles.

Paco Pena was performing!

For those of you who don’t know who that is… He is a Flamenco guitarist hailing from Cordoba, Spain! He plays traditional Spanish folk music and plays with Flamenco dancers and singers in a traditional setting.

Great Music + GREAT FLAMENCO DANCERS = Great Time by all!

We had invited my sister and her husband for a night out on the town!  They really enjoyed the performance!  That made me really happy.

It was nice to see the dancers and enjoy the music.  It took me to a different part of my mind I had totally forgotton about until that moment!

My mind skipped to a time when I was young and experiencing Spain for the first time.  I was 11 years old and was able to experience Flamenco Dancers and Singers in a small cave/tavern type of setting.  It was the first visit to Europe we would make as a family.  I remembered the olives and tapas from that night long ago.  The brightly colored sangria in the pitchers on the table.  The sliced oranges, cloves and various other cut fruit.  The candles dancing off of the glasses and walls – while I watched the women dancing and the singers mesmerizing everyone in the room!  The women were SO beautiful and the ambience was absolutely HYPNOTIC!

There was a 20 minute intermission and then another hour long performance on Saturday! What a treat! 2 hrs of Flamenco dancers, singers, and guitarists!!!

After the performance we ventured over to Pure Luck in Hollywood!

I had the Fiesta Plate!  My taste tester had his usual Jackfruit Burrito.  We had dinner and went straight home.  We needed to get up early since we were running our first 8k.  It seemed like a perfect race for someone who is into 8′s! Right?

Sunday-8k

The 8k was located in Brea, CA which is approximatley 35-45 minutes away.  The race started at 8:00am and we still had to pick up our bibs and timing chips for our shoes!

We left the house at 6:15 am.  We woke up to 32 degree weather with frosted windshields and icy sidewalks!!! Brrr!!!

We dressed accordingly and we were off!

We arrived at 7:20 am – parked and headed to registration check in!

My bib number was 1718.  Once I did the math 1+7=8+9=17=8 and ended up with an 8 I knew great success was at hand!!!  Love the 8′s!!! Very lucky sign!!! I dedicated the race to the memory of my cousin Rick!

He died February 13, 2011 – The day of the Firecracker Race and he was buried on Friday February 25, 2011.  It seemed only right to run in his memory! Something positive in his memory I thought!

As always everyone was ULTRA positive and kind!  Much less people than I had seen in a while.  That was nice!!!  No problems with bathrooms or anything like that! YES!

Here is the START line!

The actual start line was approximately .25 mile away from our place in line!  There were a total of 2700+ entires – much less than the Chinatown Firecracker race! It worked out well!

The Course

The course was a series of 3 hills.  One being Heart Rate Hill!  Ok yeah! Wish I has known about THAT HILL!  It was alright though.  I made it!

The initial hill took us through a bit of a residential neighborhood and looped around the Brea Marketplace.  We then went around another residential area – a bunch of condos and up a small hill.  We then did another loop and went on to the base of Heart Rate hill!  After Heart Rate hill we did a straight a way for about .75 of a mile and looped around another neighborhood, another hill before we headed over to the FINISH line.  I was happy.  I completed the 5 mile/8k race in 1 hr 3 seconds.

I will definitely do this race again next year!

Psst…I am determined to make Heart Rate Hill my B*%@#!

As we traveled home I saw the most beautiful snow topped mountains!  That is not a usual occurrence for us here is Southern California!!!

I actually saw a few people from the Pepperdine Run in January so that was cool!  If I see them again I will definityly say HELLO!

Once we went home I made a huge salad with avocado, salsa and FRESH GREENS!!!

We also enjoyed a large glass of REJUVELAC!  Yes still brewing Rejuvelac!

About an hour later I served a halved avocado to my taste tester and topped it with some salsa.  Finished the laundry and made another salad!!! We had a total of 3 large salads on Sunday! Each with Avocado and tomatoes and tahini dressing!  It wasn’t until the evening that we had asparagus with a mushroom medly! (Garlic, Shitake, Portobello, Lobster, Crimini and Maitake mushrooms!)  It was great.  Went to bed at 10:30pm and woke up 12 hours later on Monday!

Thanks for reading!!!

Love and Light!

What did you do this weekend?

Have you dealt with a loss of a loved one recently?

Let me know! Give me a shout out!

Namaste!

Musical Mediation – Gilberto Gil

Saturday evening I went to see Gilberto Gil.  He performed at Royce Hall – UCLA.  The performance placed me in a meditative state.  This musician has been playing for more than 35 – 40 years.  His catalog spans more than 50 albums.  It made me yearn for a time that does not exist in my life…yet.

The music was so poetic and tranquil.  The small band played non-stop for two hours + an encore of (3) more songs.  It was great.  I thought it was even more enchanting to know his son Bem Gil played with him.  It is so important for a young man to spend time with his father. Forever they can remember this tour they are on together in life and in music.  A deeper level these two will share.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Everything worked out wonderfully.  Our seats were easy to get to.  We had seats with a great view.   If possible check out some of his music.  The April Giveaway will include a book, music, and something else I haven’t quite figured out yet.  More goodies to come!!!

You Tube is a great resource to see him!!  I can’t seem to find a way to put a video in my blog.  If anyone had some advice that would be great!!!

On a Culinary Note..

There is a wonderful place on Heliotrope and Melrose in the City of Los Angeles.  After the concert we went and had a wonderful meal.  I had a RAW Cesar Salad and my wonderful musical mediation partner had the Jack Fruit Tacos.  He enjoys these so much.  I think I will attempt a RAW version.  Obviously I know I can make a RAW TORTILLA… But the Jackfruit.  That will be an interesting one.  We’ll see….Where will I even find Jackfruit??  Anyone know about Mail Order???

Pure Luck Restaurant

707 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029-2522

(323) 660-5993

FOOD NOTE: The April 2010 issue of Vogue has an article entitled “Coming Clean”.  The article explores Juice Fasts, Detox Diets and their claims of great Health.  I read the article and am curious to know what your thoughts are.  If anyone reads it let me know what your thoughts are on the conclusions listed.

Thanks for visiting.

Namaste!

Sundaze Adventure – Both Musical & Culinary

Last night I had the opportunity to see Angelique Kidjo perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

The concert began promptly at 7:30 pm and ended at 9:30 pm.  It was nice to see and hear this wonderful womens voice resonate throughout the concert hall.  She is so full of life and STRONG energy.

February is a great time to see live music here in Los Angeles.  February/March is actually the beginning of all of the music scene in an outdoor forum. (Which is always the best way to see music!

I am thankful for the opportunity to see live music and be around people who enjoy live world music.  Last week I went to the Reggae Festival in Long Beach.  You can read that post here.

Two Sundaze in a row is FABULOUS!  I love to see live music.  All kinds of music.  Jazz, Reggae, Classical, World Music – EVERYTHING!!!  The most beautiful thing about the artistic world is the creation process.  From visual art to written music and improvisation.  All types of art!

In college I majored in Fine Arts and Jewelry Design.  It was always beautiful to see the creation process of all of my classmates.  From the sketching process all the way through to the casting and/or fabrication process.

Life can truly be beautiful in our experiences and our possible adventures.  There is so much potential for love, life and health.  Everything in it’s natural state is an organic entity.  As RAW Foodists we must remember that vegetables, fruits, nuts…they all have their own energy.  We put their energy in our bodies to both nourish and love ourselves.

If it is a day or a lifestyle – everytime you eat RAW FOOD you are loving yourself .  Loving yourself more that anyone could possibly love you.  You are placing life on the inside of your body and it will be seen on the outside.  The next time you have the opportunity to have a RAW food meal.  Remember this.  Love yourself.  Love life.

Namaste!

Sundaze Adventure – Both Musical and Culinary

Yesterday we went to go see Reggae Music in Long Beach, California.  Every year there is a Reggae Festival dedicated to Bob Marley.  It had been a few years since I had been to the Festival.  However, when I saw the line up I knew I HAD TO BE THERE!

This year was the first time an artisit by the name of ALBOROSIE was going to perform in the USA!  He is originally from the Island of Sicily and then migrated to the Island of Jamaica!  I first heard Alborosie on the Green Sleeves One Drop Anthem 2007 – CD/DVD.  It took 3 years to get him here in California!!!

He definitly took command of the stage and the audience.  It’s unfortunate most of the people didn’t know who he was prior to this.   He seemed a little surprised about that small matter, but nonetheless he was GREAT!  100% of his musical energy went into his performance!  The back up singers were really good as well!

I love it when performers are excited about performing.  There isn’t anything worse than a performer who is obviously bored!!

As they say in Reggae music – BIG UP ALBOROSIE!

This was also a nice addition to my day.  Each year I see more and more vegetarian/vegan options on menus.  However, this year there was a completly VEGAN place at the festival!!! Yeah!  Vegan Veggie Patty, Fresh Cocout Milk  (coconut and straw), (that was my RAW choice for the day!), Island Soup, and a few other choices! You can see their web page here!

Overall I had a really good time.  It was nice to relax and meditate to great live music.  (Psst…and look @ a sexy man!

Sundaze Adventures – Both Musical and Culinary

Nishat Khan - USC - 10/11/09

This Sunday we went to USC to see a sitar player.  Sundaze are usually our time to go and check out muzic.  We are usually tired after we close the store and it just seems like the thing to do on Sunday evenings.

It was a pleasureable performance and I really enjoyed the visual representations of art in the background of the stage set up.

Nishat Khan explained and played Ragas.  I enjoyed that he took the time to explain what a raga was.  For those of you that don’t know here you go…——>

raga [ˈrɑːgə]n (in Indian music)

1. (Music, other) any of several conventional patterns of melody and rhythm that form the basis for freely interpreted compositions. Each pattern is associated with different aspects of religious devotion

2. (Music, other) a composition based on one of these patterns

Since we were going to see Indian music, I decided to use some Indian flavor for my clients.

For anyone who knows this blog you know that I cook on Wednesdaze and Sundaze.  I make vegan/vegetarian food.  Both cooked and raw.  On this weekend’s menu:

1) Saffron Sweet Potato & Garbanzo Bean Stew

2) Madra Masala

3) Quinoa with Slivered Almonds, Red Onion and Parsley

4) Raw Ricotta and Kale Roll Ups

5) Quinoa with Hempseeds

I hope that everyone that ordered food this week will enjoy their food.  In the future I will be adding more vegetables to the salads I provide with the meals.  Carrots, Zucchini, Beets, and Sunflower Sprouts.

Which reminds me. Anyone know a good place to buy Hemp Fabric Salad Bags? Info and weblinks appreciated!

Namaste!