All Hallow's Eve: A Tribute to 3 Creepy Poems

Before my blogging days, I was a literature major at UCLA. (which is probably why my blogs are generally a bit more verbose than typical blogs in today's short-attention-span society). and even though i love technology, there's still something that i adore about putting pen to fine paper...or a napkin...and that is usually where the art of my writing always begins. it keeps me connected to my craft.

Edgar Allan Poe

i was IMing with a dear friend this morning and somehow we got to talking about Edgar Allan Poe, one of my all time fave poets, and i realized it's Halloween! so i started free-associating with some other wonderful, tragic poems, and decided that they deserved a shout out on All Hallow's Eve. (which, for those of you who are Gone with the Wind fans, might remember that in Scarlett, the sequel, Scarlett O'Hara gives birth to her daughter in Ireland by a gruesome c-section by a local witch on All Hallow's Eve. or so i remember it. someone fact check me? it's a good story, anyway...) 

anywhoo, without further ado, Happy Halloween and enjoy some of my favorite old poems that will hopefully put you in the mood...for some soul-torturing rhymes. I've included excerpts but you can click the title of each poem for the full versions. Enjoy!

Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman

in which the Highwayman, in an eternal tribute to his dead, forbidden love, the inn-keepers daughter, rides the highway

"...and still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,

when the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

when the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

a highway man comes riding--

      -riding-----riding----

a highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door..."

Edgar Allan Poe, Annabel Lee

in which the great, dark poet laments this about his undying love:

"...and neither the angels in heaven above,
nor the demons down under the sea,
can ever dissever my soul from the soul 
of the beautiful Annabel Lee..."

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Tithonus:

one of my very favorite, all time poets wrote this little diddy in which a man asks the gods to give him immortal life, but forgets to ask for immortal youth, and just grows older and more withered while watching Aurora, the goddess of the sunrise, renewing the day and all life every morning:

"...let me go: take back thy gift:
why should man desire in any way
to vary from the kindly race of men,
or pass beyond the goal of ordinance
Where all should pause, as is most meet for all?..."

9/11: My Message of Rememberance and Peace (Plus Some Choice Words from Carl Sagan)

for me, 9/11 is about remembering the victims and their families, but also about remembering the brave first responders and random acts of courage between strangers that happened on this day, september 11th, many years ago now.

may the moments of courage and overwhelming humanity - both seen and unseen - that occurred on that day remind us of the incomparable ability for our human spirit to triumph over hatred, evil and destruction.

may we never forget, but may we all...worldwide...learn from this tragedy to move in the direction of peace and unity. in the midst of all this, i always have to stop and remind myself that, since the beginning of mankind, we've been drawing lines on maps and then arguing over them. but, if you actually look at the earth, there are no lines. we just made them up.

to further put this into perspective, i leave you all with the brilliant Carl Sagan's famous words about this "pale, blue dot" that is our planet:

Where in LA: 14 Amazing Photos - You Guess Where!

Hey SundayLA Peeps!

Check this out:

it's one of 14 amazing (well, at least I think so :) photos that I took of one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. It is also 1 of 14 photo clues for this installment of "Where in LA?"!

Check out all 14 pics below, and then post your best guess on where you think they were taken! I will announce the location on Sunday, so check back then for the answer!

Yeah, I just made this...

Deets to come!

Want to Give Someone a Shout Out on TV? I Can Help!

ok so, i don't normally cross my day job with my SundayLA passion project, but this one was just TOO fun to pass up. How many chances do you get to thank someone or tell them that you love them on TV?! plus i wanted to share the love/opportunity with all of my readers and friends! check THIS shizz out that I just posted on my FB:

Want to give someone a real-life shout out on TV?? i could help make it happen! ;) for realsies!!! how? check it out...(and be sure to share the intel!)...

Mmmmm...Ramen

The best ramen I've ever had, and my new obsession lately, is Ramen Jin-Ya on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile area. It is worth the 1.2 mile (roundtrip) walk from work and the long wait if you get there during rush hour. 

Fire Escape Succulent Garden+Terrariums!

Before you freak out about fire safety, I live in an old brownstone building from 1898, and all of the fire escapes facing public streets have been converted to wrought iron balconies, so my 4-stories-up garden is NOT a fire hazard to anyone. :)

RECIPE: Healthy Tuna Salad (Only 5 WW Points Plus!)

I LOVE to make this healthy, simple tuna salad for lunch or a light dinner! The whole thing, including the little whole wheat bread thins, is only 5 Weight Watchers Points Plus, for those of you working on your summer figures (as I feel I am perpetually doing. and then not doing. and then doing again...pattern, anyone?).

Here's the low-down on how to make this recipe at home, and good substitutions. One thing to know: my secret ingredient for this? PAPRIKA! Yep, that's right, paprika!

Ingredients:

• Chunk-light tuna or albacore in water (NO OIL! I like to buy the ones in the pouches because you don't have to drain them, refrigerate them and they are perfect to keep at work in your desk!)
• 1 tbl fat free or light mayonnaise
• 1 chopped persian cucumber OR large stick of celery (you can use either depending on what you have avail. the point here is to add a nice CRUNCH to your salad! I like the Persian Cucubmers because you can eat them with the skin on and it's filled with fiber)
• Salt, red or black pepper & paprika

Directions:

1. Dice the cucumber or celery into perfect little cubes. I like them pretty small because they look pretty, and i like each forkful to have a nice balance of the fish and the crunch.
2. Drain the tuna and place in a medium bowl. Use your fork to break it up into little chunks.
3. Add the mayo; mix it up well.
4. Add the diced cucumber or celery on top; season with salt & pepper to taste, then pour on the paprika to your level of comfort. (i like a LOT of it! especially if it's smoked paprika).
5. Mix everything together well.
6. Toast up some healthy whole wheat bread (I use the mini sandwich thins in this photo). I like to make the plate pretty so before I serve everything, i take the toasted sandwich rounds and cut them into fourths so that i have little triangle toasts. Makes me forget that I'm eating what is considered "diet food", and makes for a nice plate if you are serving this for a lunch!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what YOUR best Tuna Salad recipe is, and if you have a secret ingredient that makes it uniquely yours!

Peace, Love & Progress,

D :)

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice + Pretty Bottles

I finally got to the juicing! Because it's a bit of a process that involves a lot of clean up, I tend to do a bunch of juice at once, and I bottle it in these lovely glass bottles that I save whenever I buy that fun sparkling Italian soda from Trader Joe's or the grocery store. And even though fresh juice starts to lose vitamins the longer it hits air after it's been made, I feel like day-old fresh juice has still gotta be great for you!

Check out the pictorial steps on how to make it below. Enjoy!

For just 1 serving, use 1 apple, 2 medium to large carrots and as much ginger as you like (i like it spicy & love ginger!) For this recipe I had 10 Red Delicious apples, a bag of organic carrots (1 lb, i think). I also used a large ginger knob.

I'm lucky enough to have a Jack LaLane Power juicer. All you have to do is remove the stems from apples, and as long as they fit in the juicer, you are set! Alternate apples, carrots and ginger (the apples wash out remnants of the other stuff since they have the most liquid).

I use a medium sized pot with pour spouts on the sides because it helps to catch all the juices as they splash out, and because it makes it really easy to pour into the tiny-necked bottles I'm about to put it in!

Here are the bottles that I use. I remembered an old trick that I learned in college for cleaning narrow-necked bottles (don't ask but you can guess), and I adapted it to clean these out since my bottle cleaner doesn't fit into these. I took some uncooked rice and mixed it with some soap, and closed the top. I shook it around like a rattle, and the rice helped to scrub off all the insides of the bottle! I felt like a bit of a genius for thinking of this plan of attack-i've tried dishwashing these bottles and they still keep gunk all up the insides, so now I have a new method of cleaning them!

Here's another great clean-up tip: save those small plastic bags that you use in the produce section of the market, and line the receptacle of your juicer with it. When you are done, just lift the bag out and trash it...at least it's just one less thing you have to clean in the end! 

All in all, a lovely, refreshing and healthy carrot, apple & ginger juice with lots to enjoy tonight and tomorrow for breakfast!

Oh yeah, this is happening now!

And it was Written in the Sand...(Day 1 Recap Coming!)

Working on a recap of day 1 (with lots of great beach and tide pool pics) now. Stay tuned! One tidbit: i didn't end up juicing. But i did eat healthy all day :)

peace, love and progress...

Prog Blog: Days 8 & 9 + Itinerary for Retreat Yourself Day 1!

carrots, apples & ginger. read on...

Even though I still have a ton of work to do tonight in preparation for being out of the office for 2 days (with NO access to email-I'm leaving the blackberry at home! ok, maybe not at home but definitely in the trunk of my car. only for emergencies. don't judge i can't help it. there's a reason they call it a crackberry.) I am SO very excited for RETREAT YOURSELF!! My 2 day mini-retreat kicks off tomorrow morning, and even though it's been cloudy and drizzly here in LA (which i normally LOVE) i'm still looking forward to hitting the great outdoors in Malibu for a workout, some meditation, journaling and general fun and relaxation tomorrow!

Prog Blog: Days 5, 6 & 7 (Donna Martin Graduates & Zumba)

yes, this is from THAT 90210 episode. yes, it's totally random. read the post below to see why...

Today marks exactly 1 week since i've decided to take back my personal well-being, and aside from being really sore, it feels great! (random tangent: for some reason, when i wrote "take back..." in that first sentence, the Beverly Hills 90210 episode where they have the "Take back the Night" rally popped into my head, and then for some reason it morphed into the "Donna Martin Graduates!" episode. Don't ask how/why. Sometimes, these are the things that go through my head!) Anyway...

Prog Blog: Days 1 & 2

The universe's "pillars of creation," as captured by the Hubble telescope.

soooo...i've been doing some legwork to prepare not only for Retreat Yourself days next week, but LIFEWORK to start making permanent changes in my life. And you know what? It's not all that bad...

Retreat Yourself.

Ok, so we all work hard. And everyone is stressed out about life, love, the environment, whatever it may be. Since most of us don't have the financial resources to go on a yoga or wellness retreat when we need a re-charge or a kick-start for some healthy new habits in our lives, sometimes we need to take matters into our own hands.

Where in LA? Settled Atop the World

Hey SundayLAers!

The first photo clue of 2012 is here, and it's one of my fave newish places in the city, so check it out to see if you can tell where it is!

Food: Quick n' Pretty Bruschetta

I whipped up the loveliest bruschetta last night, and it's so easy to make I had to share! All you need are some tomatoes, garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. (and yummy bread to crisp up for serving!)
Check back later today for step by step directions.

Food: Guess what I'm making....

Hint: it involves lots of apples and a crock pot... Stay tuned for the recipe!

Save the Internet...What you can do NOW!

Ok, so i don't usually get political on this blog-i like to keep it mostly light and any darkness usually comes from moods in my photos. but i thought this was important to share. i just did this and it gave me an embed code to share with others, so i'm sharing. in case you hadn't noticed, Wikipedia and other key internet sites have gone completely black today in protest. check out the info below if you want to participate. (back to regularly scheduled, good-old-fashioned sundayLA-style blogging tomorrow!)

cheers,
daria

DIY #1: Industrial Window Hardware Project

The smallest steps have begun! Here are some parts for tomorrow's project. So excited-check back for the full vision and step-by-step breakdown!

Cheers,
Daria

Where in LA (HINT: 24), DIY & More!

Happy New Year Bloggers!!!

Turns out I've got a LOT more to share with y'all than I thought when i created this blog! I will always still feature photos on my blog (in fact, guess where in LA the beauty below was taken) but I'm adding TONS of other fun stuff that I do on Sundays, like DIY projects that you can do at home and recipes that I create to relieve stress and have fun in the kitchen!

Where in LA was this pic taken? Hint: it was indoors. Hint#2: 24.

Check back tomorrow for updates on a DIY project that I came up with that will allow you to make your own, industrial-vintage looking curtain hardware!


 Until then, Cheers, and keep rockin' 2012!
Daria