#94- Keep a “my day in 6 words” blog every day for a month

I figured this one would be on the easy side of my goals. But surprisingly, condensing an entire day's worth of feelings, activities and accomplishments into 6 words is not as easy as it sounds.  Often as I sat down to post my 6 words blog entry at the end of the day, I discovered that I had either too little or too much to say.  How can I fit a wonderful Thanksgiving into 6 words?  And conversely, what do I really have to say about a day spent being totally lazy?

Looking back over my entire month's worth of blog entries, I notice several themes.  The first one I noticed is that I'm a positive person. There are very few entries in the entire blog that are sad, depressing, or negative.  I am very proud to think that I'm a glass-half-full type of person, and seeing documented proof is encouraging.

Another theme of the blog is that I am so overwhelmingly blessed by the people in my life.  My family and friends are mentioned many times and always in the most positive light.  Clearly I got incredibly lucky with the ones I didn't pick (aka family).  And I chose rather well the ones that I did pick (friends).

Since this is a project based on words and numbers, I thought it would be cool to look at the final result in terms of frequency of word use. Here are some of my most frequently used words in the blog and how many times I used them:

Great/good/best/awesome/wonderful/delightful - 8
Friends - 7
Love (d) - 5
Laughter / laughing / smile - 3
Feel (s) - 3
Family - 2
Exciting / excited - 2



To sum up this goal achievement in 6 words:

If you're interested, the link to my entire 6 Words blog is here.

#3 - Get a massage

Completing this goal felt soooooooo good. Yesterday, my wonderful mother took me to get a massage while she got a facial at Massage Envy, where she's a member.

I have this goal listed under "health" on my goal list because of the many physical and mental health benefits associated with massage therapy:

• Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs. 
• Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body's natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.
• Increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body's largest organ - the skin. 
• Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles
• Reduces spasms and cramping
• Increases joint flexibility. 
• Releases endorphins - the body's natural painkiller - and is being used in chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain. 
• Decreased anxiety
• Enhanced sleep quality
• Greater energy
• Improved concentration
• Reduced fatigue

I can safely say that I went into this appointment needing some of the benefits above.  I love Christmas, but no one can deny that it is a stressful time of year.  Plus, I decided to complete two of my goals to host events within a week of each other. (What kind of crazy person does that?!)  So clearly I was in need of some stress relief.

This massage definitely did the trick. My masseuse was AMAZING.  I've had massages before, and they're always good.  I think this one was the best yet. I left the appointment feeling refreshed, relaxed, and ready to take on the Christmas season once more!

#93 - 15 new restaurants- Jaleo

This is going to be such a fun goal to complete!  I love food, going out, and trying out new places.  I've been looking forward to getting a start on this one and my husband and I kicked it off with Jaleo, a spanish tapas restaurant in Bethesda, MD.

About Jaleo:
Under the direction of famed chef José Andrés, Jaleo offers an impressive assortment of tapas, the traditional small dishes of Spain, as well as savory paellas, superb sangrias and a fine selection of Spanish wines and sherries in a festive, casual atmosphere. Created in 1993 by Rob Wilder, Roberto Alvarez, and José Andrés, Jaleo has become a DC institution.

What we ordered:
Cava sangria- Sparkling wine sangria with Cava, Liquor 43, strawberries and mint
$18 for a half carafe
This was delicious and VERY strong.  We got about 3 drinks total out of the half carafe size which makes it $6/glass.  Pretty normal price for Bethesda.  This drink was worth the price and I would order it again.

We decided to split the $20 for three tapas lunch deal, and I think it was a great value for what we got.

"Gambas al ajillo- The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic"
About $6.50 for 7 small shrimp
Wow these were good.  They were moist, garlic-y, buttery, and so very tasty- pretty much like a shrimp scampi.

"Cordero a la brasa con salsa de romero- Grilled lamb T-bones with rosemary sauce"
About $6.50 for two 1 oz steaks
We ordered these medium and they came out well done.  Still, they were tender and had the most delicious light barbeque and rosemary sauce.  Despite not being prepared to order, they were very yummy.

"Croquetas de pollo- Traditional chicken fritters"
About $6.50 for 5 croquettes
These were little croquettes filled with what tasted like Thanksgiving-style chicken stuffing.  They were frickin amazing, like Thanksgiving just exploded in my mouth.

Final bill:
$40 not including tip

Service:
Very good.  When we walked in, we were seated almost immediately. Water glasses were always full, our sangria and food arrived promptly, and he asked us how the food was. When we asked for the check we got it quickly and were able to get in and out of there in less than 45 minutes.  Which probably could have been even less if we had been trying to have a quick lunch.

Overall impression:
I loved everything about eating here.  The decor was pretty and fun, the service was great, the food was amazing, and value for our money was decent.  I will most definitely be going back. Though next time I think I'll get a group together and try out their paella. They are served in a traditional paella pan, and take over 30 minutes to cook. Maybe I'll go for my birthday dinner and sit at this cute private curtained-in table... buen provecho indeed!

#54- “Best Picture” Oscar winners- "All About Eve" (1950)

My fellow Day Zero goal achieving hero LoveMuffins and I set out to watch some movies that we have in common for our goals.  [My goal #54 (see every movie that's won a “Best Picture” Oscar 2/85) and her goal #70 (watch all movies on the AFI 100 Years Movie List).]

The first two that we had in common and were also readily available to us were All About Eve (1950) and On The Waterfront (1954).  Since LoveMuffins already wrote a review that nearly mirrors my thoughts about the movie, I will not bore our shared readers by writing one of my own. I will simply direct you to hers here.

 

All About Eve (1950)

 
Now, I hadn't looked up anything about this movie before seeing it. And looking at the poster for it, you would think it was another histrionic drama (like, ahem, On The Waterfront).  But this movie turned out to be hilarious!

The basic plot is that a seemingly naive young girl wants to become her just like her actress idol.  Having the background in theatre that I do, I greatly enjoyed all of the poking fun that it does at the theatre world.

However, I found it troubling that women seem to be consistently cast in a bad light in these older movies.  Margo, the big time actress, is portrayed as having low self esteem, and she's often crazy, jealous, weak, manipulative, dependent on men, vain, rude, and paranoid.  Not a very pretty picture.

Meanwhile the aspiring actress, Eve, is portrayed as young, naïve, and stupid until ultimately proved grasping, scheming, and manipulative. Even the women with smaller parts are portrayed as stupid, manipulative, greedy, and vain.  Here are a few quotes that stuck out to me as particularly offensive:

   Miss Caswell (played by Marilyn Monroe): “Now there's something a girl could make sacrifices for: sable.”

   Max: “Sable? Did she say sable or Gable?

   Miss Caswell: “Either one.”

Ugh!

The only things she can make sacrifices for are expensive possessions or handsome men?

   Margot: “That's one career all females have in common - whether we like it or not - being a woman. Sooner or later we've all got to work at it, no matter what other careers we've had or wanted. And, in the last analysis, nothing is any good unless you can look up just before dinner or turn around in bed - and there he is. Without that, you're not woman. You're something with a French provincial office or a book full of clippings- but you're not a woman... slow curtain. The end.”

Double ugh!

Careers are pointless because without a man, you're not a woman and life is meaningless?! I couldn't believe that that monologue was for real.  But not only was it for real, it was one of the most serious parts of the entire movie.

Aside from all this, there were great parts of the movie as well.  Margo's boyfriend is the perfect balance to her craziness.  He is kind and understanding, but he doesn't put up with her nonsense.  He tells her how he feels and listen to her when she rants.  Yet he doesn't hesitate to tell her to stop when she has crossed the line.  And when the beautiful young Eve tries to seduce him, he tells her off in no uncertain terms.

And, the scheming and grasping Eve does get what's coming to her in the end.  That part was very satisfying.

All in all, a hilarious movie- especially for theatre people. Despite its downfalls, I think I will probably watch it again sometime!