welcome to 2010

good morning!
it really is! because it’s a new year, i’m not the least bit hung over, and i get to start using the colour-a-month planner that i waxed ecstatic about in october.

(yes, october. i take planner preparedness very seriously).

rational or not, the 1.1.10 date gets me all charged up about my various resolutions and projects! here’s the final list of 10 for 2010:

1. take better care of my skin
2. start working on learning spanish
3. improve my morning routine
4. be a better teacher at work
5. increase strength training + yoga
6. learn to take better pictures
7. practice sustainable eating
8. take my vitamins daily
9. recommit to work reading and studying
10. continue to work on practicing mindfulness in everyday life

i will put this list into the sidebar to remind me of these aspirations, lest i be caught neglecting my skin/spanish/muscles/brain by february.

skincare 101, revisited
i asked for your input on a good skin routine in this post and got so many helpful responses! i was on the way to target (notes in hand) when i picked up the mail and found THIS in my box:

yes, in lieu of a comment, the amazing vickie took the liberty of sending me this wonderful resolution-inspired gift!

so i’ll be trying out these clinique products to start with! but i’m thrilled to have all of these other helpful hints as well. here is a compilation of your suggestions:

✔ morgan loves clinique lotion and cetaphil wash

✔ chelsea recommended the exfoliating power of LUSH ocean salt

✔ porcelain-faced aimee also suggested cetaphil cleanser, plus eucerin sensitive skin moisture lotion with SPF 30 and neutrogena healthy skin anti-wrinkle cream with retinol

✔ katie also recommended cetaphil moisturizer and cleanser, and i will take her very seriously because you can actually SEE her cetaphil in this picture, plus a lady gaga cd.

✔ another katie put in another vote for eucerin’s spf 30 moisturizer, and mentioned neutrogena’s anti-blemish, anti-wrinkle cleanser

✔ lisa stressed the importance of sunscreen from a young age (but lisa . . . i might be too late!) and recommended elta gold spf 45 and aveda gel cleanser

✔ maggie is a proponent of exfoliation (clinique 7-day scrub) and also backs eucerin and neutrogena moisturizers

✔ hardcore outdoor runner jess uses st. ives, cetaphil, and oil of olay.

✔ sharon wrote me a (helpful!) novel on combination skin care (which happens to be the kind i have). she loves clinique antioxidant lotion, neutrogena moisturizer with spf 30, aveda botanical kinetics exfoliants, and bliss pore-perfecting facial polish.

✔ sara also loves bliss products, including their spf day cream and foaming face wash

✔ practical and budget-conscious options from molly: target-brand copies of oil of olay lotion, plus coppertone spray sunscreen for AM runs

✔ susan put in another vote for neutrogena products, including their moisturizer and anti-acne cleanser.

in addition to the clinique set, i looked to the advice above and went with a neutrogena SPF-containing product for day. unfortunately, it looks like i didn’t QUITE get the right one (this one doesn’t have retinol, and is not SPF 30!) but it will suffice to start.

NYE festivities!
we kept it pretty low-key last night, with a nice dinner out at parisian bistro-styled rue cler in durham. my sister joined us, too! the meal was fantastic: for the occasion, they had a lovely fixed price menu with some spectacular dishes. a photographic journey of the evening . . .

headed out the door (in my new anthro sale find!)
my fashionable sister
PINK champagne! oh, i was happy.
millefeuille d’omelette = 1 million layer omelette. or close to it.
their on-site french bakery makes wonderful bread
josh’s pick: lobster and crab mini-crepe with thyme cream sauce
my pick: lentil and frisee salad with melty and delicious cheese croquettes
my pick: NC grouper with amazingly buttery mashed potatoes + asparagus
josh’s pick: lamb chops with corona beans and local kale
3 people . . . 3 dessert options! obviously, we shared.
unfortunately (or perhaps LUCKILY), i don’t have pictures of the dramatic lady gaga dance session that followed this dinner, nor do i have footage of us strugging to stay awake to reach midnight (yes we are OOOOLD). we did make it and saw the ball drop live on hulu! happy new year, indeed.

cooking in 2010
it’s been a fun week of restaurant decadence, but i’m excited to start my new cooking project! details tomorrow, and the long-overdue doin’ time “best of” recap for sunday. stay tuned!

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12.31.09

workout: 3.5 miles WITH JOSH (yay!) + 45 minute yoga podcast (power vinyasa with dave farmar from yogadownload). dave is a favorite among bloggers these days and i can see why — he has a casual style, but says some pretty spot-on philosophical things all while putting your muscles through a nice challenging workout. i found the routine hard because i am a yoga wimp, but i’m getting better at just accepting less-than-perfection but enjoying it anyway.