A Birthday At Home

My birthday was last week.

I spent it at home.

In true time honored tradition, I flew to my hometown to see my dad, little sister, grandparents and aunt and uncle to have my cake and eat it too.

It wasn’t your typical shots-at-the-bar fiesta (that came later).

Instead, I asked for a birthday party.

Maybe I was in a reminiscent mood.  Maybe I wanted to celebrate in a grandparent-friendly establishment.  Maybe I had my kick-ass 10th rollerblading birthday at U.S. Blades on my mind or the one that followed when my parents rented out an entire ice arena and I made my friends skate with me (watch me skate).

I wanted cake.  I wanted to wear a dress.  I wanted balloons.  I wanted toasts.

I wanted my home-based family around a table.

My dad made reservations at our favorite Russian restaurant (the only food grandpa said he would eat).  My grandma took me shopping to purchase a new birthday dress.  My little sister spent the morning picking out her most appropriate soon-to-be-a-teen ensemble (sweatpants and over-sized shirt).

The day was everything I hoped it would be.

It was nothing fancy or extreme.  But it was special.

Dad pre-ordered all of my favorite Russian dishes. Each family member took a turn at a toast.  We took pictures.  We laughed.  We reminisced.  We ate cake.

I felt blessed to be celebrating quietly (loudly) with my family (possible sign of oncoming maturity).

Absolutely Awesome.

Nerds, Kegs and Inspiration

Starter League @ http://www.starterleague.com/

Today a friend invited me to experience The Starter League’s demo day.

This evening, a collection of individuals who dared pursue their start-up dreams gathered to showcase their new websites, companies and ideas brought to life.

Excited to experience something new, I left a holiday party early in pursuit of inspiration and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Plus, I was promised pizza and beer.

Let the learning begin.

The showcase included 20 teams that had coded, designed and developed an idea that was apparently show-worthy.  Some of these individuals had abandoned great careers and lucrative positions in search of their passion while others weren’t familiar with the computer ON button before their pursuits.

Shark Tank, this was not.  For a room of curious entrepreneurs, the atmosphere wreaked of group camaraderie and friendly encouragement.

The presentations were creative.  Some were entertaining.  A couple were brilliant.

The following is a small list of my favorites:

• RealTransparent – Apartment rental listing site that provides transparency for renters, by disallowing all of the bad practices found on craigslist (ie 37 consequently listed apartments advertising the wrong price – no longer)
• ThePitch – New spin on career sites where one can write a “pitch” about themselves to explain to targeted employers why you’re the one
• MamaLi’s – An e-commerce web store providing beauty products to mainland China (where they are not available) that are tested and loved by the founder’s mom (true story)

There were kegs.  There were nerds.  There were home-written songs about computer code (see previous sentence).

Despite my beer intake (or in spite of?), I found myself deep in thought about life’s choices, the risks we take and more importantly don’t take and the wonderfully overwhelming abyss of opportunities available to forge your own path.

2 slices of pizza and 3 beers later, I found myself ready to conquer the world… or at least the giant plate of loaded French fries and specialty cocktails at our next stop.

Awesome.

Beets, Lemons and a Little Mahi

Today’s Awesome was simple.

I cooked for myself.

I’m not sure what it is about having my own apartment (it’s my first!) but it’s making me want to get out all the pots and pans and make a big mess.

The history of my food preparation prowess is a slim novel at best.  I never thought I’d like it.  I used to detest the idea and figured that any future male would just deal with this (modern) woman.

Over the past couple of years I’ve taken a new liking to it and these days I find that it comforts, provides some zen after crazy days and allows me to keep track of the ingredients I’m putting in my body (some of the time).  I also find it’s a great way to spend with oneself.

SO.

After an intense workout, I took myself to Wholefoods to experience one of the greatest parts of the cooking process: the grocery store.

In my opinion, the grocery store is like a toy store for adults.  You no longer have to kick and scream in the aisles.  Just take the Frosted Flakes (pay) and go home.  Going in makes me giddy.

Plus.

Free samples.

Heaven!

After much deliberation and in-store iphone googling, I decided on a fish and salad.

I picked out healthy ingredients that would also facilitate a post-thanksgiving cleanse (see my family’s ability to eat) and walked home anticipating the next two hours of chopping, boiling, sautéing and grating.

I purchased the following main ingredients:

• Radish bunch
• Beets
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Eggs
• Garlic
• ½ pound piece of Mahi Mahi
• Also two jugs of pomegranate juice, sparkling water (my favorite) and babybel cheese (couldn’t help myself)

After unloading, I went to work taking care of the steps that would take the longest.  I’ve found that cooking is really a lesson in time management.  For example, boiling beets takes 45min-1hour whereas sautéing Mahi takes about 20 minutes.  And no one wants cold Mahi.

Therefore, the beets were up first.  I trimmed back the leaf stalks per instruction, and placed them in boiling water.  Then set out to chop up the vegetables and dice garlic.  I chopped the radish and cucumber and boiled and sliced the eggs.

At the 10 minute mark (on beet timer) I threw the Mahi in the pan as instructed with garlic, lemon and white wine (I drank some too).  I peeled and sliced the boiling beets, made sure the Mahi was taken care of on both sides and arranged everything on plate (presentation is key!).

The entire exercise took about1.5 hours and was extremely calming.

I felt a personal sense of accomplishment.  AND, it looked good enough to eat.

I think mom would have been proud.

Awesome.

Russian Thanksgiving: An Exercise in Over-Eating and Food Hopping

I am accustomed to wading through crowds, airports and screaming children to make it home for the family – oriented holiday of the year.

This year was no different.  I was home for thanksgiving.  However, having moved to Chicago (from NYC) a few weeks ago – my heart sang when the typical airplane ride home was replaced with a friend picking me up and delivering me to my hometown in Michigan a few hours later.

The rest of the weekend was business as usual.

Of course I say weekend because a Russian family’s thanksgiving couldn’t possibly consist of one evening or of one household.

Instead, we prefer to see how many times we can prepare an entire feast and how many other homes can provide the feast for us.

My arrival on Wednesday prompted the setting of a celebratory feast.  A visit to the grandparents called for a banquet.  A check in with family friends was the perfect opportunity for a ceremonial spread.

By the time today rolled around, I had eaten more than I had in the past month and was really starting to crave bare vegetables.

For those of you from the Ukrainian/Russian/Jewish/Immigrant variety, you’ll probably relate to the following:

• Roasted chicken instead of the traditional turkey
• Spanakopita (the always beloved Greek addition to thanksgiving)
• Herring, sardines, lox, cheese, salami and prosciutto (favorites the pilgrims overlooked)
• One too many toasts about being thankful (for a reason to toast)
• Turkey (or chicken) for breakfast
• Family members discussing your figure while simultaneously scoffing at how “little” you’re eating
• And of course (my favorite)… using what’s left of Vodka as gravy (see picture above)

We watched our family’s favorite movie (Other People’s Money) for the 187^th time (and recited lines together).  Sis and I told stories under the covers with flashlight (modern times: flashlight app) and engaged in cartwheel competitions that dad judged (I still got it!).  Days were culminated with family swim hour after our hearty meals (not advisable).

Aside from the fact that comments such as “you should eat more” started to have negative effects on my aggression meter (I can’t fit anymore!), I’d say it was a perfect thanksgiving.

Awesome.

Babs: The Early Years

On Day 46, I attended the William J. Mann book signing pertaining to his new work:

Hello, Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand.

Yes.  I was the only person there under the age of 62.

Yes.  The older folk and I gave each other weird looks.

Cat’s out of the bag: I’m a Babs fan.  I realize I was born about 20 years after her big break, but I was born to parents who went to Barbra’s concerts, bought me her CD’s and introduced me to her movies.

I’ve seen Hello Dolly about a hundred times and I’ve choreographed about a dozen figure skating programs (as a 12-year old) to Tell Him (a duet with Celine Dion).

Highly reminiscent of my mom’s love for soulful love songs, I immersed myself in her inspirational story.

Some info on Babs: she was born in Brooklyn and lost a parent at a very young age. She didn’t always have the means or the support that was much needed to pursue her dreams.  She fought hard and achieved unbelievable success.

She might be from a different generation, but her story is inspiring and relevant to me just the same.

I listened to people speak up from the audience who had gone to middle school with her.  I thought about how my mom would have enjoyed the event. I met the author (who gave me a surprising and great compliment ;)).

Awesome!

Miniature Cameras, Bugging Devices and False Bottoms

On Day 40, one of my friends suggested we head to the theater district and skip Broadway in favor of a Spy Exhibit.

SPY: THE EXHIBIT, was an interesting way to start the evening.

I’m not sure what I expected but everything you might imagine such an exhibit to have, was included in this extravaganza:

• Dead mice used to stash secret documents during the cold war?  Check.
• Aircraft designed to fly 3 times the speed of sound and pick up foreign secrets?  Check.
• Fake bricks known as “dead drops” with secret containers for money/messages?  Check.
• Laser room where one embarrasses oneself by fiercely dodging strobes of light while random passerby’s watch outside on screen?  Check. (Uncharacteristically, I skipped this activity… but LOVED watching).
• Remote controlled catfish AND dragonfly developed to “explore the use of underwater and aerial vehicles?”… CHECK.
• Voice recording station where one records oneself and changes voice intonations (and broadcasts comments about said friend)?  Check.

One of the coolest parts of the exhibit was the history lesson we received.

I’m no history buff! But even I shut up and paid attention once we entered “The Vault” with relics from WWII, the Cold War and the Russian Revolution.  All of these hit close to home and I was mesmerized by two displays in particular:

• A limited edition copy of Dr. Zhivago captured by the CIA and originally banned by Soviet Union Officials (author was given the Nobel Prize but was forced to decline it by the Soviet Government)

•  A letter written in May of 1945 by Richard Helms – a commanding officer in USA’s Office of Strategic Services – on Adolf Hitler’s stationary to his young son (age 3), explaining the significance of the victory.

Chilling.

Awesome.

Freshman Orientation…Again.

On Day 36 I found myself with microphone in hand, aiming to “impart wisdom” on the next class of freshmen students at my alma mater (when did I get this old??).

The journey to this particular podium started a few weeks ago.  I received an invitation to speak at this year’s orientation and immediately felt elated, honored and nervous (think Lindsey Lohan’s first day in Mean Girls meets jumping on the bed).

First things first: I had to make the drive up. No trip to school is complete without at least a short drive through the hills of New Hampshire.  I reveled at the natural beauty.  I talked to myself for hours.  I belted out favorite high school/college classics (Go on leave me breathless…).  I had a goofy smile plastered on my face the entire time.

Driving onto campus, the significance of orientation sunk in.  These students were about to embark on the same journey I took some years ago.

Today I not only tried to inspire but also to motivate.  I spoke about post-college opportunities, the breadth of available experiences in and out of the classroom and the importance of following your own path and studying the things you find interesting.  Most importantly, I tried to assuage fears for the students of the class of 2016 during this exciting yet anxious time.

After I was done speaking, many hands went up in the air, each person with a different question.  I felt like the program was a success.

One young man asked how it felt to be “on the other side.”

Loaded question.

I thought:  proud of myself.  Grateful for the opportunity to pass my experiences on.  Jealous of the class of 2016 (maybe I can re-enroll??).  Pondering whether I could head to the frats afterwards (celebratory keystone?).  And wanting to give back even more.

The mix of emotions I felt was overwhelming.  Today I wasn’t on campus for a reunion, a class event or a big alumni weekend.  It was business as usual on Day 2 of freshman orientation.

Finding myself in the midst of the orientation schedule was a great honor and the opportunity to give back and help inspire a whole new class left me humbled, reminiscent and giddy.

Absolutely Awesome.