Up in the Air

On Saturday, April 21st, I suggest you stay clear of the Atlanta air space. Because I will be all up in it. You know, just flying a plane. No big deal.

I have scheduled a "discovery flight" lesson with SkyBound Aviation out of Peachtree Dekalb Airport. As of this moment I am 50% terrified and 50% excited. But I'm sure my fear will eventually win out, turning me into a walking ball of nerves on a bad acid trip by around April 19th.

Being me, I of course requested the most experienced pilot they have on staff, Dr. No Crash McSafety. Who graduated from Harvard Princeton Flying School with a degree in Not Dying. Hopefully he won't be weirded out when I show up wearing a diaper.

Twenty-nine days until I take off! In a tiny plane like the one pictured above! I'm just going to keep using exclamation points to feign excitement!

Book Look

A few recent pages from my Smash book, courtesy of challenge no. 26:

Painting inspiration

List love + vintage Paris

All Souls Welcome

On Sunday I attended a Unitarian church called All Souls on the Upper East Side, my fourth religious service for challenge #29.

All Souls is a "self-governing congregation of nearly 1,500 people that was established in 1819. We come together to worship, serve the community and create an enriching, non-dogmatic religious environment." They are dedicated to "providing an environment in which all people feel welcome regardless of race, sexual orientation or physical ability."

In 1961 the Unitarians and Universalists joined together, making All Souls a Unitarian Universalist church and part of the UUA.

I was greeted warmly, took a program and entered the large sanctuary a few minutes early. Taking in my surroundings, I noted a few things: No crosses (or any symbols for that matter). No statues. No stained glass. A bare-bones but beautiful sanctuary, anything but intimidating.

My pew number. Fitting.

The crowd was extremely diverse, which was refreshing. I never felt out of place for a second. The overall vibe was friendly, approachable, and easy-going.

If I were to sum up this church and its service in one word, it would be community. Most of what was said in the sermon was about living life together, how we are all interdependent and can use that interdependence for good. What was missing? Talk of death, the afterlife, judgment. The word "God" was used, but when we were led in prayer, it was addressed to the "Spirit of the Universe."

The Doxology read as follows:
From all that dwell below the skies,
Let faith and hope with love arise;
Let beauty, truth and good be sung,
Through every land, by every tongue. Amen.

The music at All Souls had a more melodic quality than I've experienced before, at times taking on almost a Disney feel -- upbeat, happy and warm. There was a soloist who sang two different songs throughout the service. When he was finished, something truly remarkable happened. Something I have never experienced at a religious service before: There was applause. Applause! Well-deserved applause, might I add. Much better than stuffy silence and a few throat-clearing coughs.

Interesting hymn lyrics.

Stunning organ.

When the (55 minute) service was over, I headed downstairs to the coffee hour, where I stumbled upon a welcome surprise: vegan cookies at the ethical eating committee table. Praise Jesus! Or not!

Some people think that Unitarianism isn't a religion and that what I attended wasn't really "church." But according to one particular resource (my brain), if a group of people who share the same beliefs about a higher authority or spirit (in this case, the belief that God is who you want him/her to be) come together as a community to celebrate and explore those beliefs, then by God (or not), that is a church. I understand how Unitarianism could offend people of other faiths by being so open and accepting of so many convictions, but that doesn't mean that I think Unitarianism is wrong or evil. My experience with it was such a positive one that it's hard to fault them. Let them pray to the Spirit of the Universe, let them be welcoming to atheists and Christians alike, let them keep doing what they're doing. Because all they really want to do is good.

And Sew it Begins

Last Friday evening my very generous Uncle Richard took me fabric shopping at Mood for my sewing challenge (learn to sew, design your own outfit, make it, and take a self portrait in it).

Mood Fabrics is always a bit overwhelming. Combine that with my tendency to be crippled by indecision and there was a chance I would walk out empty handed. But alas, I found two fabrics that inspired me:

The striped fabric, which has a nice tooth to it, is going to become a pair of tailored shorts. The minty teal fabric, which is light and airy, has a future as a beautifully draped top.

I can see the outfit very clearly in my mind, but making it a reality is going to take a few practice runs and probably a lot of yelling at the sewing machine.

Or maybe I'll just linger outside the Fashion Institute on 27th with some cookies and a wad of cash.

From M to L

Today at Reading Partners (challenge no. 21) my student M was out, so I tutored a fifth grader. We will call her L. Apparently the difference between a second grader and a fifth grader is kind of like the difference between an intern and a CEO. Enormous.

I have no idea why L is even in Reading Partners because she seemed to excel in every exercise. I was this close to asking her to do my taxes.

In honor of the warm weather we've been having in NYC, I thought I'd share an original poem written today by L. Notice the correct spelling of "a lot." She should run for president.

And although tutoring L was a delight, I did find myself missing M and all of her shenanigans. It made me realize that we are indeed creating a bond and that maybe, just maybe, I am leaving some sort of a stamp on her life.

Stir Fry Try

Another raw vegan lunch recipe for challenge no. 20 (make and bring your lunch two out of five days per week). For this one I went for a stir fry. Mostly stir, not much fry.

BROCCOLI MUSHROOM STIR FRY
(recipe source)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp agave or raw honey
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 large parsnip
1 large carrot
1 cup sugar snap peas
Sesame seeds

Directions:
Make a marinade with the olive oil, soy sauce, and agave/honey. Toss in the mushrooms and broccoli and set aside.

Peel and cut parsnip into pieces. Place in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, when it takes on the appearance of rice.

Julienne the carrots into matchstick size pieces. Chop the peas into 1/2 inch pieces and toss into the parsnip rice with the carrots.

Stir in the entire broccoli and mushroom marinade mix. Toss. Add some sesame seeds. Enjoy!

On the side I made some eggplant chips in my dehydrator to dip into my new obsession: toasted walnut lentil pate. This stuff is heavenly:

Camera Adventures

Since three of my challenges involve photography, I've been toying with the idea of upgrading my camera. I've had my Nikon D90 for a few years now, and while it has been the best camera I've ever owned, I'm ready for the next level.

The next level for me is a Canon 5D Mark II. Yes, I'm making the switch from Nikon to Canon. And I don't feel bad about it. I gave a good ten years and thousands of dollars to Nikon.

Knowing I wanted to purchase the new camera before our Italy trip, I took Nikon out for one last adventure over the weekend. Austin, Dagmar, Nikon and I went down to Washington Square Park, found a bench in the sun, and listened to some beautiful live piano music. After a while we ventured out for some falafel, followed by a trip to the art store so I could gather up some watercolor supplies for challenge no. 25.

Many hours later, Austin, Dagmar and I headed home.

Me. Austin. Dagmar.

I left Nikon listening to piano music on a bench in Washington Square Park. For three hours. On a warm, beautiful day. In New York City. Honestly, I almost didn't go back. I was sure it was gone and didn't want to waste a cab ride downtown when I would just end up making an embarrassingly tearful scene in public. But I did go back.

Nikon was still there. Unbelievable, I know. And an embarrassingly tearful scene in public ended up happening anyway. However, it was a short-lived reunion as just this morning I put Nikon up for sale on eBay.

I look forward to my new relationship with Canon and all of the beautiful images we will create together.