art @ busboys

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing three art shows at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington Village. The new, and first, Curator-in-Residence at Busboys, Simone Jacobson, hosted the shows: "Food for Thought," works by J. Ford Huffman, and "Tiny Treasures: Size Matters," works by Bensonn Anspach , Bat Favitsou and Tim Rodgers. The artists showcased a variety of styles and amazing talent. From the found art box installations of J. Ford Huffman, which demonstrated a keen eye for details and a very unique perspective within his pieces well in line with the spirit of socially conscious art, literature and of course the food which are a large part of Busboys; to the colorful and expressive pieces of Bensonn Anspach's memebots, featuring memebots highlighting Ovechkin to Obama, and the work of Tim Rodgers which were stylized doodles on skateboard decks and portraits reminiscent of colorful statues. These artists are definitely ones to watch among the DC art scene. Check out some photos from the shows below.

Note: I saw the work of Bat Favitsou - another series of paintings on skateboard decks (which I covet because of their street art edge) - but did not attend the art show.

Quote of the Day!

"Stupid goal-setting! I'm just going to sit here and pretend my Crystal Light is a Whiskey Sour!" ~ Me

Playlist Joint: Rabiosa (the video)

My new pick-up line "come bite me in la boca!!!!" then when he does...I'll say.."rrrratttatttttttaaaaa!!!" = sexy!

Say What? Say Motivation!!!!

There are many things that I have found in the past month to encourage and motivate me. Seeing the numbers on the scale go down, seeing the numbers of reps I can do go up. Seeing the numbers of days I'm in recovery following new work-outs decline! All good things. But at the end of the day, it's all about two things (1) how I feel and (2) how much I like how I look. Note: I'm not saying looks come first, because seriously - I like myself. It's not about that. But, if I like how I feel and look at the same time...it means I get to overhaul my closet!

One of my friends is a stylist and blogger - SR - and she is amazing. I cannot wait to work with her to update my wardrobe and get rid of all the drab black and grey (two colors I will continue to love at the end of this btw) frocks in my closet. Sidenote: while I know black is slimming...why do people who gain weight convince themselves that is tricks anyone??!! It really doesn't...you're still fat. Just in hot layers of dark cloth! The brain is one fucked up 3 lb functioning ball.

In the meantime, while I'm working on getting myself to the level of loving how I feel and look. I'm gaining motivation by the new years (resolution) move by Vogue Italia to begin to use the fashion industry as a tool to project (and in my opinion to protect) all standards of beauty. Which include the curvy ladies. I felt the most healthy in my life when I was a size 10. Not when I was a size 4...when I was a size 4...I thought I looked like an alien bobble-head doll. Seriously, I have photos and can prove it. So, I'm hoping to get back to that healthy size 10. I like being a female, I like my breasts and my booty. I like my curves. And seeing that Vogue Italia is celebrating all forms of healthy beauty at a time when we have an insane number of pro-anorexia/bulimia and - to my shock - pro-obesity websites out there...is a major boost to my motivation. I can check out tips to make my curvy self look as fierce as I am. The latest cover of Vogue Italia - for the masses - takes it to the next level. "Belle Vere" means "True Beauty" and these women are bringing the hotness for women everywhere. Brava Divas!

Playlist Joint: Mashup by Marc Johnce

This is SICK!!!

Weekend Playlist: Sinnerman

This song makes me want to move quickly...and thanks to the greatest of the film, the Thomas Crown Affair, steal artwork! Enjoy.

Weekend Playlist: Ven Conmigo

Say it to me two times. Ay Papi Ven Conmigo - Ven Conmigoooooooooo!!!

Playlist Joint: Habibi Ya Nour El Ain

Because Arabic music is sexy. Period.

Cheese, Cheese, Glorious Cheese

It's the number 1 reason I will never be a vegan...and thank God for it! The most recent newsletter for Goop.com is dedicated to the most heavenly of all treats...cheese!

It comes at the perfect time as I'm looking to indulge in summer picnics, outdoor film screenings, wine festivals and the like. In order to do so, I need to know how to put together the perfect cheese plate and this newsletter tells you how!

Here's the New Food well...Plate!

I supposed the intent of this revision to the traditional food pyramid, in the form of a dinner plate, is supposed to make people consider the portion of their meals which should be designated to specific food groups. If you go to www.choosemyplate.gov you can click on each different group and find more information relating to servings, what types of products/produce each refers to and other information. I don't really think the visual will change the way most Americans eat because honestly, we need one big health/nutrition class.

They started cutting such programs from schools to make room for teaching us about abstinence (as if the only concern - if it's even a concern at all for those with sense - for a growing person is their reproductive health!) when I was still in school so I really hope the current generation of youngsters are getting more of a holistic education relating to health class. I suppose the greatest issue I have is culling through all the information out there, which now includes the information on USDA.gov, to find out what to do with items from each food group to not become too repetitive but also to choose the best of the bunch and turn to other sites to learn to cook, prepare, etc. the food. So perhaps what we need is a health and cooking class. Where the hell was Jamie Oliver when I was in secondary school??!!

All hoopla aside, here's the new Food Plate...

Playlist Joint: Rabiosa

New Food Pyramid Debuts Today

It makes sense that I would start reading the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans report released by the USDA the day before a new food pyramid is to be released by the same agency with the help of First Lady Obama. I sincerely hope that this pyramid will make sense and find a way to tie in the many recommendations set forth in the guidelines.

The food pyramid has undergone a number of changes since I was in primary/secondary school. But it's always been a color-coded puzzle to navigate that allows for cheating like pretty much ever other 'plan' out there. Even as we've been told what amount was recommended per day, etc. the pyramid has always implied that these handful of things are good for you therefore, eating them is good for you - recommended amounts are just that - recommended. People can always decide to fill their plate with meats, potatoes, and other goodies they like and only pay cursory attention to the rest. I think that's been the problem. These recommendations don't really say much about portion control, ways to make these suggestions, etc. Also, there are many different varieties of food pyramids out there - from the USDA's pyramid to ones to address the needs of women, children, breastfeeding women, people with specific illnesses, etc. As in many other things, there is an information overload with little consistency beyond recommending more fruits and vegetables. But when there are debates ranging from classrooms to work cafeterias over what constitutes a vegetable - i.e. is a potato still a vegetable if it's been deep fried? - the ability of people to make conscious and informed decisions is equally up for debate.

I know what vegetables look like but don't ask me to cook them...pretty much lost there. The new pyramid reportedly looks like a plate and is more about the all important issue of portion control over recommended servings. Serving size delusion is what's killing Americans and leading to obesity. Our fast food, super-sized way of life is the problem. I cannot wait to see the new Pyramid and how it fits in with the 2010 guidelines.

Some examples of current food pyramids:

Playlist Joint: Back Down South

Because this song reminds me of growing up down South, living down South, loving the South and the country. Sometimes you just need a slow jam to add to the mix for a cooldown jam.

Currently Reading: 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans

As someone whose career and life is guided by policy - especially the policy adopted and set-forth by the government - I figure the first step towards increasing my nutrition literacy is to start at the source. So, on my last day off following the Memorial Day holiday. I'm reading the USDA's 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

I look forward to seeing what they set forth as the basic needs for Americans - especially since I believe this study/report focuses on the guidelines for adults. More information can be found here: http://www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/PolicyDoc.pdf. These guidelines are required by law to be updated every 5 years. From the table of contents the breakdown of information shows a comprehensive examination of food/exercise requirements. I'll post my thoughts after I've finished reading the 112 page document!

First Month Down...

So, today marks the first month down of my journey. Five more months to go before the TM challenge and I have had a couple hits, misses, roadblocks, etc. First, I'm beginning to think vegetarians are not the healthiest people in the world. For all they say they aren't killing animals and therefore saving lives, etc., etc. in looking for healthy recipes online and in cookbooks, etc. I'm beginning to see that vegetarians are in LOVE with sugar and heavy cream in their recipes. It's slightly ridiculous. Vegetarianism and low-carb worship go hand in hand but even low-carb recipe books are full of unhealthy substitute - i.e. one called for 6 cups of heavy cream...wouldn't it make more sense just to use milk and call it a day?!

In seeing all of this its made me realize I really need to increase my nutritional knowledge. It's not even good enough to go to the doctor for advice because, in a ridiculous and sad twist of fate meets irony, doctors are not trained to be nutritionists or even know much about nutrition. As in all things counter-productive in order to learn about nutrition it's not enough to go to a health care professional. Instead you have to go to a specialist. A dietitian or nutritionist. So going into the second month of this, I'm going to be looking into nutrition classes in my local area as well as seeing if my insurance will cover a nutritionist for me...it should! It would make so much more sense to me for health insurance companies to keep dietitians/nutritionists on retainer so they can turn the tide of people's bad habits before they become major health issues.

Color me encouraged and equally frustrated after the first month because there's a lot I didn't do and a lot of excuses I made for not doing things. The one good thing about keeping track of myself was paying attention to my cravings for food (and my equally ineffective response to not give into them), my need to establish a workout plan that coincides with my daily work/social schedules as opposed to just working out when the mood strikes me (this made me do less effective work-outs and shorter work-outs even as I was getting in gym time), and finally, I need to expand my dining out options. I go out a lot for work, social activities, etc. and I need to expand my reference points for places to eat, etc. to find more places that offer a greater variety of healthy options.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't think this was going to be an overnight or easy thing to accomplish. But, I imagined that the resources out there - especially those coming from the vegetarian corner would have a much stronger grasp on truly healthy options or at least provide an idea as to good substitutes. My mother had to completely create a new diet plan for my dad after he was diagnosed with diabetes and they were able to reverse his diabetes to a manageable level (i.e. no need for medication/insulin) based on his diet and exercise plan. So I find myself calling her as my primary reference point because I'm becoming suspicious of a lot of the information out there that seems to offer solutions to "cheat" but not to actually make sustainable changes. Going into June, I know what I have to work on...so time to get started.