Summer

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy’s inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

 Summer Sun, by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Ahh, summer. Don't you love it?

 

After a busy school year, finally I get to relax and bathe in the warmest of suns.

 

Almost every summer I travel across the Atlantic with my family to visit my mother's side of the family, in the U.S, or my father's side of the family, in Argentina. But this year is different. We're not leaving France!
Right now I'm staying here in Lyon for ten more days until I go to Paris for a couple of weeks. Then I come back, and soon afterwards I leave for a windsurfing camp in St-Tropez with my friend. Once we're back from St-Tropez, I have a week or so in Lyon before I drive with my family to a chalet in the Alps for a week. After that I have ten days of vacation left before school starts!
I'm going to be in troisième! That's 9th grade! Eeeeeeeeeek!

So what are your plans for the summer? Are you going anywhere exciting? How do you like to spend your hot summer days?

Ohm.

What do you do when you're home alone?
I don't know about you, but I take advantage of the peace and quiet to practice my home yoga!
Sure, there are times when you want to kick back with a coke and watch TV, but trust me, once you're hooked onto YogaGlo, you will be ridding yourself of your couch potato-ness. It's addictive!
I tried a Yoga class at the beginning of the year in an actual yoga studio near my house (it made the subject of one of my first posts, actually), but wasn't completely satisfied. I'm glad I didn't sign up at that studio for the year because YogaGlo works so much better for me.
My mom and I have been getting really athletic lately... and as you know, after all sports, it's essential to stretch. Yoga complements our routine perfectly!
So what is YogaGlo? It's a paying website streaming yoga classes from a studio in L.A. The fee is something like 12 $ a month. And for the amount of time I spend there it's definitely worth it.
I'm obsessed. Practically everyday now I practice yoga, whether it's to stretch out after a workout or if it's to deepen my strength or flexibility somewhere, or even to adjust my attitude (there actually really is a class for that)!
There are many many classes to choose from: 21 teachers (I recommend Jason Crandell, Steven Espinosa and Tara Judelle), 10 yoga styles, 5 levels, and the duration you desire.
The yogic power has taken over my body. After six months my flexibility has majorly improved.
These are a few of my favorite poses:

Triangle Pose

 



Uttanasana (forward bend)

 

 

 

Double pigeon Pose

Ohm. :)

 

 

 



Birthday

Hi guys and gals :)
On Saturday I turned fourteen. That is 5 113.3 days, or 7 363 282.73 minutes, or 441 796 964 seconds. Wow.
People have been asking me "how does it feel? Is it weird?" and the truth is I pretty much feel the same... I'm still trying to get used to saying "I'm 14". It feels so mature!
My thirteenth year just flew by. I feel like it was only yesterday that I was at my favorite cupcake shop celebrating with my friends. It's like I haven't had enough time being 13!  I guess it's a good sign I feel that way. It proves it's a good life.
And I'm totally looking forward to the 363 days of being fourteen ahead of me. I'm not sure what turning 14 means exactly but I promised myself one thing: I will fill my (free) time only with what makes me happy: yoga, books, friends, my family, running, dancing, guitar, baking, cooking, writing... There is so much to do all the time!
I am definitely not one of those people who doesn't know what to do with themselves and ends up being bored easily. This might sound narcissistic, but I think it's one of my best qualities.


Now enough about me. I'd like to make a BIG, FAT shout out to my dear, lovely mother. She is the one who went through all the suffering in that hospital fourteen years ago. She is the one who has always been my biggest supporter, helper, friend, and inspiration. She should be the one getting all the presents right now!
Mom, I feel so lucky to have YOU everyday by my side. I hope you know how much I admire you and to which point I think you are wonderful. Smart, strong, lively, beautiful, cheerful, groovy... the list goes on! I could not wish for a better mother. I love you!


This is us!

Okay, so I had no idea what I was talking about.

Last week I wrote a post on how I felt guilty about killing a mosquito. When my dad, the all-time-tropical-diseases-expert-epidemiologist read this, he came running to inform me that I was wrong about how mosquitoes function and that they are actually a danger to humans and have killed THOUSANDS of people. I also got several comments explaining why I was wrong for feeling guilty.
So I had no idea what I was talking about.
Mosquitoes actually need blood to PRODUCE eggs which they will then lay in water, NOT to FEED their babies. Once they lay their eggs, they never return, they just continue  their blood-sucking adventures.  There are TONS of mosquito eggs in pond waters and lake waters.
Mosquitoes transmit very serious diseases, like Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and much more.
Now that I know all of this, I feel much less guilty about killing that mosquito. I hate them more than ever. I guess my hatred for mosquitoes is what separates me from Jainism (Jainism is a Hindu religion where it is believed that no living being should be killed... jains go around with a brush in their hand to swipe away all insects from their passage that they might step on and kill otherwise).

Guilty of Murder

A few weeks ago, I was complaining about how disappointing and rainy this spring was. Now, summer is approaching, and the sun has finally caught up with the seasons. Which means I have something new to complain about! YAYYY!


Mosquitoes.
Hot weather brings mosquitoes. And I hate mosquitoes! I'm not going to lie to you here. When it comes to mosquitoes, I'm super whiny. I just can't get used to the idea that some little insect is making a microscopic hole in my skin through which he'll suck blood from MY body! It's just too horrifying.
And WHY, mosquito, WHY DO YOU DECIDE TO COME WHEN I FINALLY AM FALLING ASLEEP? WHY?!?!
It's definitely not like me to hate another creature, whether it's ugly, stinky, or annoying. I believe that no violence should be used against animals, that any creature with a brain deserves to keep living. I'll stand there yelling at somebody for ten minutes if I see them squish an ant.
Which is why I was quite surprised that I did what I did. What did I do? I killed a mosquito.
*head lowers in shame*
Now I know some of you kill all the mosquitoes you come upon and are thinking "this is what being vegetarian does to you, you see: she can't even kill a little mosquito. Oh, my God, she's such a freak!" but I just can't help feeling a little bit guilty. Have you thought about what it's like to be a mosquito? You're this tiny defenseless bug in a big, big world, and you need to feed your kids. So one night, you go on a mission to find the drop of blood which will nourish all of your kids. So you fly away, leaving your babies alone. Then you find a human. You approach, slowly, trying to make the least noise possible (that's not going very well) and you find a vein, let's say, on the shoulder of that person. You don't want to harm the person, you  just want a teeny tiny fraction of their blood. As discretely as possible, you lower down onto their skin. You're about to dive on in when you sense some sort of huge object hovering right over you. And then, it's all over. The worst has happened. The one thing you've always feared has taken place and now your babies are left to fend for themselves. And all you wanted was a small drop of blood.

In other words, it would pretty much suck having to live in fear like that all the time.
I am the person the mosquito targeted. I am the one who squished it. Did that little bug deserve to have it's life ended?
I am guilty of murder.

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

So you think you have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Well, sorry, but you're wrong. I hate to deny you the pride of thinking you make the best of best chocolate chip cookies, but the cookies I've produced  here in the kitchen are, like, the best, EVER.

 

Nuh-uh, there will be no arguing. These peanut butter chocolate chunkies are by far the chewiest, softest, most divine combination of milk chocolate and peanut butter you hope to come upon, period. the. end.

 

The recipe is from Averie Cooks. She's posted so many mouth-watering cookie recipes, I had a hard time choosing what I wanted to make!

Usually, when I bake something, I take at least double the prep time it calls for, but these REALLY took only the eight minutes it says you need! Maybe it's the absence of flour?
Averie says that natural peanut butter doesn't work as well in these cookies as industrial peanut butter does like Jif, but I used the PB I always eat, which is 100% peanut... and they came out perfectly!
They call for just one egg, but my eggs were small so I used two.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (averie recommends Jif)
• 1 cup of light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg or two small eggs
• 6 ounces (170 grams ) of baker's chocolate (I used milk chocolate but I'm sure dark would taste great also), chopped

Directions (copied and pasted directly from her recipe!):

To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer gritty or granular, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary. (Note regarding peanut butter - although natural peanut butter or homemade peanut butter may work, I recommend using store bought peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, Peter Pan or similar so that cookies bake up thicker and spread less. Using natural or homemade peanut butter tends to result in thinner and flatter cookies that are prone to spreading while baking)

Add the baking soda and beat to incorporate. Add the chocolate and beat to just incorporate; don't overmix or the nice chocolate chunks will break down. Transfer dough to airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 5 days, before baking.

Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats, parchment, or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons of dough or about 1.60 to 1.75 ounces by weight), form dough mounds and place on prepared baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart (8 to 10 per tray). If chocolate is falling out of dough since there is an abundance, roll ball between palms to encourage it to stay in the dough. Slightly flatten the mounds before baking so they don't stay too domed and puffed while baking, just don't over-flatten.

Bake for 8 to10 minutes, until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the center. Watch them very closely after 7 minutes and I recommend not baking longer than ten minutes. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long will result in cookies that become too crisp and hard (The cookies shown in the photos were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark, and have chewy edges with pillowy soft centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Enjoy!

Olive's new style, bloglovin', and a special shout out

First off I'm gonna start my post with pictures of Olive, my female kitty, wearing her new accessory.

Ever since we adopted her and Gaspy, she's been going around collar-less, because the few times we tried (with great difficulty) putting one on her, it drove her crazy and she couldn't stop rolling around on the floor, madly batting at her neck. It was quite funny, actually. It looked like she was on drugs. But she definitely wasn't enjoying it.

Yesterday, though, my brother casually slipped it around her neck and she didn't seem to mind a bit! So we left her like that, and ever since then we can hear just where she is in the apartment, because the collar has a little bell that rings wherever she goes. No more sneaking around, Olive!

Just look at her! She is so cute! She's taken on a whole different appearance in my eyes.

 

On to the next subject.

For months now I've wanted to write a post about bloglovin', but every time I tried sitting down to write it I started writing about something else.

It's been a while that the sad and depressing news has been out that google friend connect is going to disappear after July 1st, but I've refused to face the fact and start building a community of readers on bloglovin' until recently. At first I couldn't believe GFC was leaving. What a loss of time and effort! I know I don't have that many followers, but nonetheless I've worked SO HARD to get them. And at last I started feeling that I have a base of followers worth writing for!

And then the news is out that I'm going to LOSE all these followers!

This is tragic, guys!

So if you have just a little mercy for me, could you take a few seconds to follow me on bloglovin'? It would make my day.

And if you don't already have a bloglovin' account, it's VERY SIMPLE to make one. It literally just takes one minute! And it's worth it. It makes reading through your favorite blogs very fast and easy!

And last but not least, I'd like to make a special shout out to my dear friend Matthew!

The 22nd of May was his birthday, and I failed to send him an email that same day... sorry again, Matt!

He has a YouTube channel where he posts funny videos, you can check them out here.

He's worked super hard on this channel, and his videos keep getting better and better! So if you would like to support another determined teen in succeeding in his project I'm sure he would be forever grateful to you for your subscription, likes, and comments!

Joyeux anniversaire, Mathieu!