Mary and Max

I'm totally enamored of the movie, "Mary and Max." It's the sweetest, smartest little claymation movie I have ever seen.

My review here: http://www.shvoong.com/entertainment/movies/2034662-mary-max/

anti-smoking in Oz

I found a pack of cigarettes in the bathroom of the botanical gardens center, so I got a nice look at the warning labels on the package. It seems that the warning labels take up just as much room on the boxes as the actual label for the tobacco. And they are super-serious about their warnings!

Beet Crazy

Every once in a while, I get a massive craving for beets. They are so insanely good for you--did you know that most natural food-based vitamins rely on beets as one of their main ingredients--they are loaded with great stuff!

Anyway, this recipe I made yesterday was based on this one: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Beet-Peach-and-Goat-Cheese-Salad/Detail.aspx

I pretty much stuck to the same recipe, but I used Almond Oil (instead of Walnut) because that is what I had. The store didn't have fresh peaches (way out of season down here in Australia--it is just starting to hint at spring), so I had to go with canned (but it still was great). I also used Cashews because that's what I had (instead of Pistachios). And no Mache, just extra Arugula.

It seems like it wouldn't be much, but this salad has a major WOW factor--it's SO delicious and super-good for you. My sweetheart even said it was the best salad he's had in ages...I'm only slightly bummed that it has ousted my classic sugar-roasted nuts/pears/gorgonzola/greens salad for 1st place, but I have to agree.

Long live Beets! (but once I finish off the leftovers today, I'll probably be off the beet kick for a while again). Looking forward to being stationary enough to start making my fermented beet tonic again. Although that is one that only my sweetheart and I like--we love it, even though everyone else I gave it to turned up their nose!

bikram

I started going to Bikram (hot) yoga, because there is a studio (literally) just 1 minute away from the apartment. I just finished my 3rd class. I'm on a 10 day pass, so I'm going to try to hit 8 or 9 classes to try it out.

I've been pretty skeptical about the hot yoga thing for a while, but I'm going to give it the old college try and see what I think of it after these 10 days are up. The first day, I almost passed out from the heat, but now I know which classes are less full (less body heat!) and I always plan on going to the classes in the nice NEW studio, not the nasty old one that smells like a gym.....that seems to help, too. So far, my skin seems to be a little bit more glow-y, but I am trying to figure out how to manage the fact that all clothes and towels get soaked. I will either have to purchase more work-out clothes or start doing laundry EVERY day....and I think buying more work-out clothes will probably be cheaper in the long run.


I'm also really kind of sucked into the show "the Tudors" and reading short stories by Alice Munro on the rainy days. I am still missing my driver's license, so I haven't gotten to drive to the countryside to get wool. I am not very into the things I have been making with fabric. Wool is really where it is at, so in order to avoid stir-craze, I am giving up and ordering some online tomorrow. That I haven't gotten to make anything with Australian wool yet feels like a bit of wasting time....but on the other hand, I have not had so many days in a row of full-night's sleep in ages....so at least there is that positive.