London for a gig (part 1)
Vegetarian lunch at Nostimo A Day & A Night in London I found NOSTIMO Greek Restaurant in Russell Sq—in that old Brutalist building I love so much (The Brunswick Centre)—anyway, ordered the veggie platter—which comes with chips. I forget that Britons love chips more than any side. The platter came with a gorgeous fresh salad, tahini, made-to-order pita, hot and crisp, and what looked like 2 generous slices of grilled polenta. When I cut the first of these medallions open, it spilt out fresh cooked peas and carrot, still a bit firm. What a…
Inexpert Guidance on Mindful Eating
Mindful eating is the practice of giving your full attention to eating and drinking, noticing what happens to foods as you process them. It is derived from mindfulness, focused on being present and fully engaged with whatever we're doing . When you eat mindfully, you focus on the loof, feel, smell, and even the sound or your food. And you pay attention to your feelings of being hungry, sated, and full. I don't have any rules for my mindful eating, but I've come to recognize some patterns that made me want to try mindful eating..…
Why did I Choose Whitby?
Because, I have never fallen as quickly or thoroughly in love with a place, since first visiting Puerto Viejo over a decade ago. Sunset over Whitby Rail Station, January 2025 I hopped off the train and strode purposefully toward the pier,toward my lodgings for the next four days. The seaside resort town was awash with the amber glow of sunset, and I had minutes to spare before oranges gave way to purples, then blues, then black in the night sky. 50 meters from the station, I turned around, grinning at the world and snapped my first photograp…
England 2025: Friendly Recommendations
I can recommend joining an online group that feeds your passion, and befriending at least one group member; asking them questions and sharing messages (not in a weird way). I can recommend cultivating a real friendship with this person, and growing to share your life's challenges and triumphs with this friend. I can recommend planning to visit your new friend whenever you visit their country, and perhaps have to cancel if one of you gets sick. I can recommend maintaining the friendship, speaking via text or phone for the next year or so be…
England 2025: One Great Night in Whitby
I Found the Buck Inn After another beautiful North Yorkshire day of photography, walking,and making humorous videos to send to friends via WhatsApp, I opted to skip dinner at my pub and grab something light. After my fruit and nuts tea, at about 5 or 6pm, I sauntered down the road to find that many pubs were closed of a Monday...but not the Buck Inn. Inside was a nice mix of folks, women, men, younger and older—all drinking age. I grabbed a pint of Guinness and an open seat toward the back of the pub, to write up the details of my day. Withi…
England 2025: Getting to Whitby
On the North Yorkshire Coast Okay, why do they call it the Transpenine Express , since it hits every single stop between Manchester, and where I want to be. I’ve had to swap trains at Middlesboro, just to ensure that I go to every dale, ware, and kil before reaching my final destination. Perhaps rebrand it as the Transpenine Omnibus? Just a thought. Besides having lost phone service for the last 8 stops of the journey, it is magnificently beautiful to travel by train, in a warm sunny winter, through the dales and up to the coast. The Boro had …
England 2025: My Favorite Italian
Good Fare Italian Restaurant I awoke to another day pregnant with possibilities, in a newly renovated room on the 4th floor of the President Hotel (I need to find somewhere else to stay one day...ha. this is my 5th time!). Anyway, I'll admit to taking an early morning nap after breakfast. That was probably all of my jet lag, which was pretty mild this year. When I finally made it out--feeling like I've thwarted jet lag--I strolled through Camdentown and hit three of my favorite places: (1) the Mind charity shop, (2) the art supplies …
England 2025: The North Sea (restaurant)
Tuesday, Day 1 Okay this is weird, because I can totally see Professor Bill Davis here, sat belly-up to a table on his own—like me—with a huge plate of haddock and chips. There is a take-away attached to the eat-in restaurant. I know from past experience that is preferable to make a reservation to this establishment, so a month ago I booked my 5:30pm dinner for one. Professor Davis at the right-front, detail of the North Sea menu, and my plate of haddock. At 17:30, the main dining room is 'filled' with American patrons. Four tables…
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
My recipe is no secret. I've had a late start on my syrup this year, because it's just been so dang nice out. Well, the weather has caught up with the season, and last week I caught the cold that's been going around my office. While I had no syrup on hand, I was given daily doses of master tonic by my mum for the duration of the illness--around 5 days. Each year, I dig out the old recipe book for a reminder on what goes in. Finally it's fully committed to memory. One little change is this, the preservative: I use wither Vitamin…
Mindful Eating: Day 4...
How to mindfully eat a hamburger and fries...or not. On the one hand, I was not looking forward to mindfully eating my weekly hamburger and fries from Five Guys. This is because I wasn't sure I could do it. This meal is quite often scarfed down, book-ended by a handful of salty roasted peanuts. Questions in my head: Will I be able to do it, eat a succulent burger and too-many-delicious fries slowly? Chewing and swallowing the bolus before taking another bite? If so, will I enjoy this meal more than in the past? As with others this week…
Mindful Eating: Day 3…
Finding the time for mindful eating…Breakfast is a challenge. First, because it’s muesli. I’m not a fan of oats, so I must to doctor them up special to make them palatable. Practical DINK Muesli recipe: (random amounts of) Oats, unsweetened dried coconut, dried cranberry or currants, unsalted pepitas, raw sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and a scoop of raisin bran cereal. Next, I have grown accustomed to standing for breakfast, and shoveling it in (again because I don’t really like oats) , and I have rarely sat down to eat breakfast. So, Today, I…
Mindful Eating Day 2...
Today's mid-morning snack consisted of mixed nuts and a date...not tossed in by the handful Day 2: Not a full post, but a few observations, as I have just finished an afternoon snack: Recognize when I'm hungry. Rather than sticking to a habitual eating routine (based on the clock), I have opted to eat when I feel hunger. So rather than nibble may way through a mid-morning snack at 830, and then lunch at 11, I waited to feel hungry. Finish one bite before starting another: this seems silly, but It occurs to me that I rarely do this…
Why I’m Trying Mindful Eating
I caught myself on two separate occasions last week, having consumed a delicious bag of Barbara's cheez & jalapeño doodles. I had no recollection of any enjoyment in either one. With this snack in particular, it’s just not like me...I love those things, and they often remind me of Friday evenings back in grad schools, when I worked in the multimedia studio—managing training and checking out audio/video equipment, lighting rigs, microphones, cameras and DAT recorders—late into Friday nights. My meal of choice back then was a pot of hon…
PoeM: I too want Maltesers
A month ago, I went to our local supermarket to pick up my daily packet of candy and a few odds and ends. The candy wasn't in stock, so I tried again every other day for a week. Then every week until I learned that Giant will no longer carry this particular international malted milk ball. I am so shattered by the news I need to write a poem about my love for this confectionery, now missing from my life. Here is another original, non-rhyming poem: my love once described being without me in the metaphor of our favorite chocolate treat he s…
On Socials