amália rodrigues
from power yoga sessions to writing abstracts, this week amália's been my background artist of choice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nENsPuSeOGQ
(primavera means 'spring' in spanish and portuguese, which explains the excessive flower imagery.)

recycling
here in The Great North, all the trash cans are accompanied by recycling bins, which makes it harder for people to mindlessly trash their cans and bottles. the town also collects compost, which is noteworthy - at least for those people who aren't vermicomposting (my worms have moved in, and we share an intimate moment every morning when i lovingly simulate a rain shower). the other reason i love recycling this week is that i can root through people's bins on tuesday and pilfer glass containers to use in place of tupperware. the only problem is when a coveted container is actually frozen to something (like the ground, or an old tissue with an unknown life history...).

salsa in the kitchen
although i'm also a big fan of the tomato kind, i'm talking about music. kitchens are very joyous places for me, and my mood can't get much better than when i'm dancing around with my racy apron strapped on. although lots of music gets me going, salsa in the kitchen is la crème de la crème.

ted.com
i could post talks i love from this site all day. here are 2 to wet your whistle:
hans rosling does a really neat thing with graphs and global poverty. and of course there's his finale...
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html
barry schwartz's talk is compelling; he covers things i'm often musing about- things that have been flavored recently by "the lucifer principle". check it out.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

raw desserts
last week i began eating nothing but raw food, which i'll be maintaining for at least a month. it hasn't been difficult, maybe because to me it's unfathomable to be unhappy in a world that encourages the copious consumption of fruit. there are a host of unruly raw recipes out there, including some insane desserts. the other day i made a lime-avocado pie that the most narrow-minded culinary connoisseur would've swooned over. the best part about raw desserts is that they double as health food! the sweets and fats come from whole food sources, so you don't have to worry about things like white sugar WRECKING YOUR LIFE (which it will). here's one of my favorite raw sites, with one of carmella's dessert recipes featured to make you drool and get motivated to whip up a little concoction of your own (although for a first timer, a google search for something less involved might be in order):
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/recipe-of-week-layered-blueberry-cream.html

raw food is fun FUN!

war dance

a documentary about kids in uganda living in a war zone who enter their national dance competition. it made me miss the lives in which i might've grown up in a different culture (i belong somewhere that dancing is integral), and gave me sweet memories of the kenyans' seemingly endless graciousness. for a whole host of reasons, i spent much of the movie with goose bumps and or crying. it's so profoundly terrific. (go watch it.)