Apr 20, 2012
Posted by Mel
If you haven’t treated yourself to the app Zombies, Run! yet, don’t wait! Get it now; so much fun. And if you are running from zombs, I gotta tell you: Mission 9 is so so so good. The story takes an unexpected, poignant turn, and it’s brilliant. I felt sheer elation at the end of the mission when I finally ran through the gates to Abel. Naomi Alderman, the author of the story (and some...
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Apr 20, 2012
Posted by Mel
One of the weird-wonderful things about our rental house here in Playa Grande, Costa Rica, is that there are caretakers who will, if we ask them, cook food for us. We’ve mostly been preparing our own breakfast (eggs + plaintains) and lunch (grilled chicken marinated in Salsa Lizano; grilled fish with lime juice, oil, garlic, and cilantro; guacamole and raw veggies), then hitting neighborhood...
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Apr 19, 2012
Posted by Mel
It’s not all plantains and pina coladas — I mean, it’s mostly plantains and pina coladas, but a girl’s gotta do some moving around to keep her sanity. Yesterday, we played frisbee on the beach, then strolled toward Tamarindo until we hit the DO NOT CROSS estuary. And this morning, we joined the iguanas in the garden for Tropical Tabata.
A full tabata workout is 8 x (:20 work + :10...
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Apr 19, 2012
Posted by Mel
From the beach in front of our house, we can look to our left and see the town of Tamarindo. If properly motivated, we can walk along the beach toward Tamarindo and when we arrive at a big bend to the left, we could wave and shout to people across the way. What we cannot do is walk or swim across the estuary — it’s the home of tricky tides and crocodiles. Our options are to take a water taxi — $3...
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Apr 18, 2012
Posted by Mel
As much as I enjoy playing in the kitchen, I like to balance “project recipes” (I’m looking at you, Paleo Chicken Bastila.) and dead-simple dishes that require almost no work with a big flavor payoff. This Tropical Chopped Salad is part of my series of Super Simple recipes that are made with minimal fuss and just a few ingredients.
When we arrived in Costa Rica a few days ago, our first...
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Apr 17, 2012
Posted by Mel
So far, the app Zombies, Run! has transformed my runs from ordinary to Holy sh*t! Zombies… run! in the very best way possible. Whether I’m running under moody skies in my (usually boring) neighborhood or in brilliant sunshine on the hike & bike trail around the lake, Zombies, Run! makes every workout more fun — and mildly terrifying.
Today, I tested it on Playa Grande here in Costa Rica....
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Apr 16, 2012
Posted by Mel
Of all the wonderful attributes of our trip to Costa Rica — the private beach, the right-outside-our-bedroom pool, the lazy days — we were most excited about the animals. Yes, I had some anxiety about insects (which turned out to be unfounded so far), but I heard tales of monkeys and iguanas in our garden, and I wanted to see them for myself. Dave, showing off with his ability to capture animals and...
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Apr 13, 2012
Posted by Mel
If someone had told me a year ago what I’d be doing this weekend, I would have thought they were out of their minds — and then I might have hit ‘em with two for being lame.
What a difference a year makes! Tonight, Dave and I are off to an event called Gong Gong Gongathon. I know! Can you even?! It’s a one-hour kundalini yoga class followed by a 45-minute gong concert. I anticipate...
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Apr 12, 2012
Posted by Mel
Right around the time I was making the decision to resign from my dayjob with the corporate overlords, some dear friends invited Dave and I to join them in a plush house on Playa Grande in Costa Rica.
My overly-sensible inner voice said, Are you nuts?! You’re quitting your job. You can’t go on vacation six weeks after you quit your job!
My favorite yoga instructor said, Are you nuts?...
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