more traveling, less blogging time here

Blogging on this site has waned, in part because when I have time, I now write about cooking and eating on Food/Love/RocknRoll.  If you have the time, do check it out, as it will be updated more regularly (hopefully, anyway).  In another part, blogging has waned as we pick up our traveling work life.  David and I just returned from Oberhausen, where the production process went very well.  We really thrived working on the Oberhausen production, and are proud of the work we did there.  Next up for us is Stockholm, where we begin a completely new production of DD.  It should be interesting! 

teeth, finished!

I finally completed my Invisalign trays yesterday!!!  I still have to wear retainers for a year, but don't they look great?  I am thrilled to be finished with them.

I've come a long way since my last March 2010, when, frankly, I looked like a monster!

traveling about

David and I have been on a tour de force of travels -- after Belize, we skipped over to L.A. for a long weekend, after which we drove up to Vermont for a week in the mountains.  We have been eating well.  In Vermont we have gotten our grill on, and have come up with some great recipes.  Amidst our travels, blog posting has suffered, but there are some fantastic food photos coming up... even taken with a real camera, not the Blackberry.

Stay tuned!

good looking boy in the kitchen

David looking mighty fine making his first paleo chocolate fudge
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tuesday night candle-lit dinner

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David cooked dinner

I am one lucky girl!  Roast beef, eggplant/beet root caponata, and watercress salad.

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serious paper reading husband

..reading in our condo lobby, very diligently.

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Lamb roast with eggplant + tomato sauce

David welcomed me home with dinner ready -- his first roast! It was delicious and I will be asking him to make it again for sure! x

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In Oberhausen

We are back in Germany for a week!

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in NYC now, next, Oberhausen

David and I have been happy and well back in New York, although desperate for a more spring like weather. We leave for Germany again at the end of this week. Until then, we are enjoying being home, continuing on with our new diet/eating lifestyle (check out the food blog for details), and trying to put more time in at the gym in preparation for the warmer months.
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2 weeks in Germany

David and I have been in Germany almost 2 weeks.  After a brief return home fromStockholm, we are back in Europe to do preliminary casting for the upcoming Oberhausen production of DD.  It's funny to think that for the last 5 years, we have visited Germany almost once a year, and have already lived in 2 cities.  Who would've thought!  (Sadly, our German has not improved much...)  Last week was packed -- we arrived in Oberhausen, worked 2 days, then traveled by train to Hamburg (which took 8 hours instead of the usual 3 because of track problems); we spent 2 days in Hamburg, and then we went onto Berlin for 48 hours (again, by train), then returning for Hamburg for the final week.  Lots of train travels!

Although exhausted, we enjoyed our time in Germany.  It's lovely to see our German colleagues and friends again.

I can't seem to upload any photos from here (Hamburg), but shall do -- do check out our food blog, which is more frequently updated and will (eventually) have our eating adventures through Germany.

We fly back to New York this Sunday.
xxxx

David at work in Berlin

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Heading home...

In car from airport to our home in Brooklyn. David is understandably knackered after intense work weeks and a long flight... (But still looking adorable ;)

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Invisalign... bottom tray #24

Tonight I put in Tray #24 out of 24 trays for my bottom teeth.  The last of the trays!  I have now completed my originally prescribed sets of braces trays for both top and bottom rows of my teeth.

My Invisalign journey, of course, is not over yet -- I still have to await my "adjustment aligners," which will arrive (hopefully) in the next few weeks, to fine-tune the progress.  It has almost been a year since I began the Invisalign process.  Although it has not been always pleasant or easy, I am glad I did it and look forward to completing the adjustments... hopefully not too long from now (but it probably will take a while still).

Here is a look at my teeth at Tray #2 -- on 6 March 2010:

Here is a look at my teeth tonight, as I embark on Tray #24 for the bottom row -- 3 February 2011:

Still a bit lop-side-y up close, perhaps, but my teeth look great and I can't believe the difference!

Driving into Stockholm...

In taxi from the airport into Stockholm. Morning. Snow-covered. Trees. Beautiful.
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"Snowcalypse"

There's a van in there somewhere...

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Snow-Ice

Our window. Heavy snow last night, stuck to our window panels and turned to ice!

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And still more snow in NY

Flights are being canceled today. I hope our flight on Saturday will be okay... What a snowy, cold winter we're having!

Happy Australia Day in NY, in very unAustralian weather!

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4-Hour Body Diet

David and I have decided to try the 4-Hour Body.  After his knee surgery, David spent months inactive and in recovery mode.  Now that he is able to move around, he goes to the gym daily.  He has bulked up quite a bit all around, but for the first time since I've known him, he has some stubborn weight he'd like to get off his middle (he has always boasted a super-human metabolism).  I, on the other hand, have always wanted to get rid of/tame my "rice belly" -- a little lower tummy paunch that never seems to go anywhere.  Also, these days with long, full work days, I just can't make it to the gym as much as I should -- I just don't have the energy or the inclination.  Recently I have opted to use hand weights to work arms, do squats on a chair, and do abs on a mat while I watch TV, which at least keeps me doing something everyday.  But I've felt like I need more focus and inspiration that are realistic, manageable, and sustainable.

4-Hour Body approach seems very do-able.  More importantly, the approach seems possible when we work abroad and live in a hotel room, eating out all the time.  It's basically gluten-free eating, but allowing for legumes and requiring a "cheat day" once a week.  Tim Ferris outlines various exercises, but recommends twice weekly is plenty; there are exercises that are easily done in a hotel room.  (Useful since many European hotels do not have a gym -- perhaps access to a nearby fitness center, but who treks in the snow to another location to work out during long work days?  Not me.)  Knowing food, I feel pretty confident that we could dine out, make smart choices, and eat within the guidelines of the approach and still enjoy ourselves.

We're pretty excited to have this focus -- a new challenge, a new perspective, a new way of eating and exercising, that seems realistic, not overwhelming.  I will blog our 4-Hour Body eating on my food(ie) blog, Food, Love, Rock & Roll, so do check in if you're curious about how we are eating for this diet.

We're off to Stockholm in a week!  Good thing there's great fish and vegetables other than potatoes in Sweden.

Rock Band ProDrums

David loves playing on his Rock Band ProDrum set (complete with cymbals).   He is very focused.

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More snow over NY

Beautiful fluffy snowflakes descending, like feathers. A look at Central Park right now...

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy 2011, ladies and gentlemen!  We wish you great health, happiness, joy and laughter this year.

David and I rang in the New Year in our new home  -- it seemed the right and most appealing thing for us to do, and we were right.  We had a lovely evening a deux, reflecting on 2010, appreciating our apartment (THE big event of last year), while we ate and drank very well indeed.  We had a front-row balcony view of the fireworks at midnight around the Statue of Liberty, which was spectacularly memorable.  Unfortunately neither our digital camera nor our mobiles take good fireworks photos... so you'll just have to take our word for it, or pop by for 2012.

We rugged up to ring in 2011 on our balcony, taking in the city views and the fireworks.

This year appears to be busier (perhaps) than last.  We are due to travel to Stockholm at the end of this month for 3 weeks, and plans are in the works for us to be Oberhausen (Germany) shortly thereafter, followed by Hamburg.  Ah, dark winter days in Scandinavia, followed by non-Berlin German cities!  (We confess we are a little biased -- Berlin is one of our favorite cities, Hamburg, not so much.)  It's no vacay in the Caribbean, but we are looking forward to traveling again on the casting, show-creating band wagon.  We have never been to Oberhausen before...... at least we know there is delicious food in Stockholm.

Here's to a fabulous 2011!!!