Time for a Vacation

Mentally that is...

In the August 2010 issue of Cooking Light there was an article on mental health that really stuck with me. While it was less than a month since my vacation I was beginning to count the days until the next one and oddly enough it was only minimally related to work. In fact, lab is going well even with the abundance of summer interns. However, activities that I usually enjoy such as workouts were becoming a chore rather than an outlet mostly because my days have been getting longer as I try to fit in my lab work, mentoring interns, reading, cooking, exercising, and socializing with friends.

This week, after reading the magazine article on "How to send your mind on vacation" I tried to look at each day as a vacation. Basically, I thought about the activities I enjoyed on the cruise ship that helped me to relax and disconnect and incorporate them into everyday habits. As a result I've cut down on my internet time and been reading a bit more. This one example of an everyday change has already helped me to feel so much calm in my life.

This week's workouts so far have been shorter than my normal sessions but as a result I've had time for other activities, such as baking! I made use of the 2 pounds of zucchini from my CSA share this week and made zucchini bread.

I also met with a friend this evening for dinner and a look at the new NYU bookstore which is incredible. They even have a Think Coffee inside, which is a local coffee chain that serves organic fair trade coffee along with a menu of tasty sandwiches, soups, salads, breakfast, cookies, etc.

We dined at Angelica's Kitchen an organic BYOB restaurant serving plant based dishes. I've been several times now and I love it more each visit! We stopped at Trader Joe's and shared a bottle of Riesling between the two of us and with an older lady sitting next to us who we chatted with for a bit. She was friendly and was asking about the wine, so I offered her a glass, there was more than plenty to go around!

On the way to NYU we stopped at Stogo for a scoop of non-dairy ice cream. Macaroons in the background.

Now it's time for bed, night.

Nicole