Sunday , June 13, 2010
nogoodforme ix: Best Ways to Beat the Wintertime Blahs
BOWLING
I think people should go bowling all year-round, but I love to do it especially when it's cold out. You get a bunch of people, wear ugly shoes, drink some beer and throw a big heavy ball around. It's social, active and cathartic -- plus you can drink beer and eat stuff like potato skins whilst doing it. What's not to love? In NYC I'm a fan of Harlem Lanes: it's way cheaper than other places in the city (ahem, Bowlmor), not as crowded (ahem, Bowlmor) and folks are way friendlier and more diverse, too (ahem, Bowlmor.) I don't know, bowling just doesn't feel right unless there's the element of the crazy floating around. Plus there are glow in the dark lanes. Whoo hoo! (Kat)
HOT CHOCOLATE
Oh, man, is there nothing better than hot chocolate in the middle of winter? (Okay, perhaps a hot toddy, especially if you've got a cold.) I don't know who came up with the idea of essentially melting chocolate into a warm, comforting beverage, but whoever did -- thank you, genius! My favorite NYC places for cocoa: City Bakery has a hot chocolate that's like the closest thing to drinking a slice of chocolate cake, while Payard Patisserie's take is rich, filling and a wee bit decadent. (Kat)
ICE SKATING
The key to beating the cold is sometimes embracing it. If you're an NYCer, head uptown to Lasker Rink for some blade action, where it's less crowded and more neighborhood-y in feeling. Tip: make fists when you inevitably fall, but don't tell beginners why. Otherwise they'll be paralyzed by fear of having their fingers sliced off. Yikes. (Kat)
(Yes, that's me taking a spin around the rink. I practice what I preach!)
CONTINUE LIVING YOUR BEAUTIFUL CALIFORNIAN LIFE
If you Angelenos desperately need to shake off those SoCal winter doldrums, I'd suggest getting a headstart on planning your summer '09 personal fashion concept. And then you can actually live that concept out, since lately it's exactly like summer all the time here. My own summertime-in-wintertime concept involves those Iron Maiden Vans slip-ons Laura pretend-bought me for Christmas and some girly summery white dress that would prompt Ethan Hawke to tell me I look like a doily (something kinda like the Bensoni frock shown below, I guess) - soooo perfect for drinking beers at the Townhouse in Venice after an 80-degree day at the beach, in the middle of January. In the words of Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters: I LOVE THIS TOWN! (Liz)
(Left: A fairly accurate portrayal of midwinter in Southern California. Center and right: My summertime-in-wintertime essentials.)
GO TO DISNEYLAND
When you've successfully finalized your summertime-in-wintertime fashion concept and some TV commentator dude rushes up to you with a microphone and asks what you plan to do next, you should definitely joyfully exclaim, "I'm going to Disneyland!" And then actually go to Disneyland! The only time I've ever been was on a weekday in January; it was a blast and a half and the lines were minimal and I rode Space Mountain for the first time, and then the second time. Fantastic! (Liz)
ROADTRIP TO TOWNS THAT START WITH "SAN"
Last weekend I took a spontaneous road trip to San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco with a Lovely Lass Named Lisser. We drank much coffee and beer, ate really good sushi and really good cookies, played darts, hung out with Neil Young, plotted our takeover of the universe, and spent a coupla magical hours at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, which you may recognize from The Lost Boys (aka the 2nd Greatest Film of All Time). It was the most fun, and I highly recommend doing the same if'n you ever feel the need to get the hell outta dodge. Don't forget to go to Caffe Pergolesi when you're in Surf City! (Liz)
(l to r: choosing Pixy Stix over danger, the carousel from the opening scene of The Lost Boys, pledging my love to Neiler)
EAT SUMMERY FOOD
The instinct in winter is to always eat mushy, hearty comforting fare like mashed potatoes and oatmeal and bibimbap, but this instinct is a fallacy. The best thing you can do in winter is feed yourself summer foods; they're probably higher in nutrients or whatever, and, if you concentrate really hard, you can convince yourself that you "feel more summery" while eating them. This is something I've been doing a lot of lately.
Fresh is something of a Toronto institution; it's one of those vegan/vegetarian restaurants that people who eat meat eat at by choice. In the dead of this dismal winter, all I ever want to eat is their coconut tempeh appetizer and "Tangled Thai" salad (shredded carrots, daikon, and golden beets, Napa cabbage, chopped peanuts, cilantro, cucumber, freakin' Goji berries, puffed quinoa, crispy tofu cubes, and peanut-lime dressing)- it's like edible Vitamin D and melotonin. (Laura Jane)
(l to r: Fresh's Tangled Thai salad; their peanut sauce-drenched Thai burger)
EMBRACE CRAPPY WINTER STYLE
Seen below are two hilariously-captioned images of Laura Jane's Style: The Winter Edition in full effect. As you can surely see, clear as the day itself, my winter style is Bad. But it can't not be! If I chose fashion over function in this subzero climate, I would die of hypothermia and/or have an emotional breakdown within ten minutes, or maybe even five. To survive, I wear jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweater (sometimes two) every single day. For awhile, I was able to wear stacked-heel ankle boots with my Uniform; lately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, so I've been relegated to "rocking" the salt-stained Laurentian Chiefs pictured in the image at left. They look weird because I chopped off the top half since they had fur on them. At right, you can see what I look like when I venture out of doors. I look like a total boner. I've never used "boner" in that context before and generally think it's gross to use like that, but no other word is capable of so perfectly describing my winter "look".But guess what? I don't care! In Winter, there's no pressure to even bother, which means you can sleep in later and be comfortable all day. (Laura Jane)
FULLY HERMITIZE
It is impossible for a person living in the shit-middle of Canadian January to even speculate upon what things will be like during "Here Comes the Sun"-era 2009. The year is new and filled with thousands upon thousands of potential greatnesses: Nogoodforme.com-branded events! Fiery Furnaces concerts! Magnum Opuses! Bylines! Sundresses! The possibilities are endless. But, it's January. None of these things are going to happen in January. They never do. January should be spent hibernating and hermitizing; accept this and embrace it, just as you have embraced Crappy Winter Style. If you live in a climate as depressing and unlivable as mine, pull on some jammer pants, lock your front door, and store up all your AWESOME for April.
Don't worry, dudes- Hibernation Mode can be a straight-up romp if you get it right. Some of my personal favourite Hermit activities include: blogging, drawing psychedelic doodles in my notebook, watching hella movies, giving my hair hot-oil treatments, washing my face, being too lazy to get up and go to the bathroom, contemplating dying my hair brown again, crosswording, contemplating e-mailing Matthew Friedberger, checking my friends' Tumblrs, smoking cigarettes, not following leaders, watching parking meters, palling up with my other Hermit friends and doing my normal Hermit activities while they do theirs, etc.
That's all I got, folks. I am entirely unqualified to speak upon the subject of "beating the winter blahs". If it weren't for Hermitization, the winter blahs would be beating me! (Laura Jane)
(l to r: Mikhail Nesterov's "Spirtual Hermit"; The Hermit Tarot card; a hermit crab)
Tags: bibimbap, bowling, crappy winter style, Disneyland, Ghostbusters, hermitization, hot chocolate, ice skating, L.A. rules, Laura hates winter, Neil Young, New York City, Reality Bites, Santa Cruz, Shag, summertime in wintertime, The Lost Boys, Toronto, Vans, vegan food
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Posted by Kat in nogoodforme IX |
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2 Comments!!
Say something so insightful and witty, it will blow us away. (No pressure.)
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Something else a chocolate loving hermit can do:
Defy hot cocoa mixes and make your own, the old fashioned way.
Heat milk in a sauce pan until frothy, add 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa, dash vanilla and a dash of cinnamon. Continue to stir over heat until all ingredients are dissolved.
Nestle, eat your heart out.
By Sara on January 23, 2009 12:01 PM
It was so amazing a few years ago when Starbuxxx sold that drink that was basically melted chocolate in a cup. I bet it would be really good to make your exact recipe, only with REAL dark chocolate. I'm going to eat chocolate today.
By Laura
on January 23, 2009 2:51 PM