MENAGERIE

"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man..Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, .just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures" - The Dalai Lama

Menagerie by Jonathan Hodgson takes us on a journey through a common zoo, letting us see things through the animal's perspective. Though some zoos are better than others, this is what is must be like for them day in and day out. It made me sad, especially the part with the gorilla. It's hard to see all these amazing creatures that were meant to roam the wild freely, live in such small spaces. This is beautifully done, please watch!  

MONDAY HEALTH & FITNESS: SWIMMING

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After 15 years of competitive swimming I usually find other ways to work out. Swimming makes me miss doing it competitively too much, and I get sad. But for most people it's an awesome workout. My advice for people who want to swim for a workout is to not think of it like going for a run. Think of it as more of a track workout, even if you are training for a triathlon or longer swim. Do a long swim to warm up then do sets depending on your goals. Try something like 10x100's (4 lengths) or 200's (8 lengths) on an interval you can hold but not by much, maybe 10 seconds. This type of training will keep your heart rate up and make you hold a certain level of intensity (or you'll miss the interval). When you just swim laps continuously you have no way to know if you're slowing down or slacking off. 

(photo from a friend)

SUNDAY POSTS FROM AROUND THE WEB

This weekend went by too fast. :( I can't believe it's over. Even though it was busy I still managed to find some neat posts from around the web. Enjoy!


Bensimon sneakers in pretty pastels.


LOVE this white bikini.


How your fur coat can help an animal. 


Yum yum yum chocolate and hazelnut.


What a pretty staircase.


MUAHAHA: please use for good, not evil.


Beautiful dresses.


PLEASE think twice before going to a circus.


Spanx made this woman a billionare!

(photo by Luc Viatour)

BEACH HAIR

Love love love beachy waves. In celebration of warm weather I'm putting away my straightener and letting my hair be au naturale...with the exception of this spray ;)  other beach texture sprays I've tried left my hair feeling heavy and gross. This one smells fresh, is light, and leaves your hair feeling touchable.

(photos from here and here)

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DISNEY

"Be our guest, be our guest, Rolls Royce, Versace" - Princess Belle

This SNL skit is one of the funniest I've seen in a long time. Enjoy!

QUICK AND EASY (DELICIOUS) PASTA SAUCE

Tonight I tried a new recipe for pasta sauce I saw on the incredible blog, A Cup Of Jo via the wednesday chef. It only takes about 30 minutes to make and is simple and delicious! The only ingredients are a good tomato sauce (like San Marzanos), ricotta cheese, garlic, olive oil, and basil. Find the full recipe here. 

(photo from A Cup Of Jo and Smith & Ratliff)

DINNERWARE FROM THE DEEP

For at least the last 10 months I have been obsessed with this dinnerware from Anthropologie.  I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for anything with sea creatures. I already have this octopus coat holder. I don't exactly need new dishes right now, so hopefully these will still be around by the time I do....or someone could get them for me for my birthday. Maybe ;)