The 16 Types of Spinner Personalities from RateYourBurn.com

I *heart* this so much. So much.

This is me.

A must-read if you love spinning: This list of indoor cyclist types. So true and so hilarious. I love these “What type are you?” posts on RateYourBurn.

What type are you?

Oh yes, and happy new year, everyone!

5 Things… Monday edition!

I’m loving right now.

Love this!

The Body Shop Tea Tree Cool and Creamy Face Wash. Really love The Body Shop’s tea tree line and this is one of their new additions. Because it’s a creamy wash, it’s totally fine to use morning and night – not drying. And I love the cooling feeling from using this.

Top 10 Spinning Songs of 2013

To celebrate getting my new kicks, I thought it’d be fun to compile a list of my favorite spinning songs from this year.

Spinning instructors out there, please weigh in on the type of drills these songs would be suited for. I could definitely be wrong!

[REVISED 12/31] And I just realized I was short one song for the 10. Oops! See that missing 10th song at the end of the list.

Avicii. Does this put you in the NYE spirit?

Pecan Buttermilk Pie Tartelettes (P. Allen Smith)

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! It’s insane to me that Christmas has come and gone.

Similar to my thoughts on blondies, I’d never met a pecan pie that wasn’t much too sweet. And yet pecan pie is so tasty, I could never resist having a piece when it’s available. When Thanksgiving rolled around, I went on the hunt for a less-sweet pecan pie recipe. I found P. Allen Smith’s recipe, courtesy of this funny blog post. Candied pecans? Buttermilk? I’m in.

The recipe is really very simple. The buttermilk pie filling is a one-bowl recipe with no mixer needed. And the candied pecans are easy to make as well. I cut the sugar in the pie filling by 1/4 cup and cut a little of the sugar from the pecan topping.

For Thanksgiving, I made these into mini tarts. They make a great hors d’oeurvre or dessert finger food. I made the full-size pie version for Christmas. The candied pecans are a good foil for the tang of the buttermilk pie filling. Rave reviews! I do prefer the tartelette version since they’re simpler to transport and eat. But of course there’s more labor involved.

Candied pecans

Buttermilk Pecan Tartelettes

My favorite scene in My Neighbor Totoro

…is the bus stop scene. How great is the reveal of Totoro (from Satsuki’s perspective)?

In rewatching the movie (it looks great in HD, by the way), I was reminded of why I love this movie so much. Love how serene it is. Love that it’s fantastical yet still grounded. Love that the movie on the whole has a very light touch, so that the emotional moments have real impact. It was also a great decision on Miyazaki’s part to make Totoro (and the mini-Totoros) non-speaking. And we all know a little kid who reminds us of Mei, right?

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

A great quote from David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, as well as some brief commentary. NY Times calls the book his “most conventional but most emotionally engaging novel yet.” Sounds like a must-read!

2 months and 1 day later…

What do you get when you combine a beautiful venue and an amazing photographer?

At the Santa Barbara Courthouse

Needless to say, we loved seeing all our photos when we got the full set. And even though it’s been just 2 months, I’m already nostalgic. I might do a wedding day post a little later, and maybe put up a couple more photos, too.

Plus, Emily just blogged Part 2 of our (epic) engagement shoot. That was so fun!

Jonathan Lethem likes video games, too

We already knew he’s a music lover, but it turns out Jonathan Lethem knows a little something about games, too.

Also, Lethem shares a 10-song playlist that inspired Dissident Gardens.

Top 10 signs you’re addicted to spinning

Totally true image courtesy of RateYourBurn.com

You know you’re a spin addict when…

1. You spend more time browsing workout gear than regular clothes
2. You are very attached to your special spin class water bottle (you know, the one that holds the perfect amount of water for a class, fits in the cup holder, and has a fliptop or nozzle)
3. Your car smells perpetually like sweat
4. Your musical taste has likely gone down a couple notches
5. You mentally categorize a new song you hear as a sprint, climb, or jog. And when you hear a new song, your first thought is often “Can I spin to this?”
6. You schedule important appointments around your favorite spin class
7. You have taken one class earlier than 7:00 am
8. You get more excited than needed when you hear a requested song played in class
9. You feel elated when an instructor compliments you in class
10. When a favorite instructor stops teaching your class time, your response is close to mourning

Any of these describe you? If you exhibit more than 5 of these signs, you’re surely one of us. Welcome! We are a very nice bunch.

“If You Build It” Project H documentary screening in LA

Today’s post is a little bit different.

Several months ago I went to a UXPA LA event and was introduced to Studio H, the 2013 IxDA Future Voice Award winner.

The idea of the class is to empower kids by having them design and construct actual projects (from coffee makers to chicken coops to farmers markets), in the process learning architecture, industrial design, business concepts, research, and community organizing in a very hands-on way. Studio H launched in a rural area of North Carolina called Bertie County and is now housed in Berkeley, CA.