Five things from Brooklyn
While the high today in Portland is expected to hit 70 degrees my bff Emi is braving the cold and dark winter in Brooklyn. She was inspired recently on a subway ride to put together a list of the five things that are getting her through winter and wanted to share them. Keep an eye out for future 'five things' posts from a few other guest contributors. Despite the springlike (mid-40s) weather we have been promised this week, I know we still have a month of winter to go. Living in Brooklyn, I don't have much ground to stand on when complaining about winter. I don't have a car to dig out, my super scoops the snow away from our stoop each morning, and we don't get the same piles as our neighbors up North. Still, I walk miles through whatever Mother Nature brings each day just to get around, and it's cold, dark and exhausting. Here are 5 things I've been loving this winter:
- Sunday Baths: We tend to spend our weekends out and about, and by Sunday evening we can usually use some warming up and mellowing out. We are lucky enough to have a big bathtub, so it's become a favorite way to relax and get set for the week ahead.
- Lanolin: I don't remember this being a thing in the rainy winters of Portland, Oregon growing up, but come February in New York, I'm always dry as Winter's Bone. Between the dry below-freezing air and those clanging radiators, my face needs serious attention. I read about lanolin on the blog of the Of-a-Kind gals. It's harvested humanely from the skin of sheep which is a little odd, but I also use argan oil which has similarly peculiar origin. I didn't let that deter me. The only issue I had was where to find it- until I went home to meet Mario, and found it sitting there at Lydia's house in the form of nursing creme! My face is keeping it together like never before.
- Phillips sunrise alarm clock: I have wanted one of these babies ever since seeing an early version of it in Sky Mall sometime in the mid-90s. It mimics a slow sunrise beginning 30 minutes before you are supposed to wake up, and then some birdsongs start subtly coaxing you up at your wake up time. We finally splurged on it this winter and I actually look forward to the sunny glow and bird chirps the evening before.
- High Maintenance: Our favorite webseries High Maintenance was picked up by Vimeo this year. It's written by a husband and wife team and follows "The Guy" (a bike delivery weed dealer) to his various clients. Sometimes it's hilarious, sometimes incredibly poignant, and always a spot-on representation of the characters of Brooklyn.
- Planning something fun for spring: One year ago this April, Steve and I were married in New Orleans, surrounded by our loved ones and sealed with a brass band second-line parade. We've just booked our flights and Airbnb to return for our anniversary weekend, and hope that this becomes an annual springtime tradition!
I love the idea of revisiting NOLA each year!