Accidental treasure

In the midst of a stressful day at work, I went to start some research and accidentally stumbled upon this which causes me to stop. and re-asess my outlook.

Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Morning Runs

Take a look at my route!

My very first Swiss Chocolate Bar. omg. Denner is the market across the street. a little pricey, but they have everything you need, including cheap wine and all the chocolate you could ever imagine. The girls that work there are super nice and Im forcing myself to practice my German on them...even when they look really confused, I just keep going. Can't wait for a breakthrough then maybe I can actually have a conversation with them.

My new room in The Faulken.

Gais, my new home

I have arrived safe and sound to my new home! Bianca picked me up at he train station and showed me back to our home The Faulken in Gais. This town is absolutely picturesque and beautiful. Its been snowing hard ever since I arrived and the town is covered. (this is the most snow theyve had in a month since Bianca arrived). I brought me bags into my room, which looks out over a church, and I have a perfect view of it from my window. Its bells ring at times throughout the day and its always a lovely sound. With 9 franks I bout some pasta, an orange, apples, pita and some tomato sauce. I took a good 6 hour nap and got up, strapped on my boots and took a walk through town. It was getting dark and I could see families sitting down to eat dinner through their lit windows. There are all of these winding roads that take you every which way through the village. Everywhere I look there is another rising peak and flickering house lights. I strayed off to a path that took me to a farm and a big field. Two white rabbits were hopping around in the snow and I stopped to watch them for a while- they weren't afraid, as if putting on a show for me. There are little cheese shops and candle stores tucked into the sides of streets and I cant wait until daylight to explore this area some more. I arrived back to the Faulken and in front in the center of the village there were three ice sculptors chipping a way at a huge block of ice. One man spoke broken English and told me that they are sculpting two wheels? He said it was a recreation of an image found on a vase of grandmother's .I couldnt quite understand, but tomorrow I guess I will find out if they have completed their masterpiece.
I met the other interns and I am anxious to experience for myself what they tell me about. Now I will get some sleep and get up early to explore some more. I have the weekend to settle and than I start work on Monday!

Love from Gais,
Eleanor

Things I learn on a plane

Within 5 seconds of boarding my plane to Zurich, I found a man already passed out with a ziplock bag full of oatmeal cookies falling over his lap. My new travel sedative: lots of cookies.

As if someone's going to shove that back into their seat pocket.

Bon Voyage!

Off to Switzerland!! Wish me luck as I begin this new adventure!

Bon Voyage!
Eleanor

The Tasties at Plough & Stars 1/19/2012

Had a great show last night at the Plough! Such a good turn out with lots of friends! Thanks all who came to support us, we had soo much fun! This was our second time performing at the Plough and our last show before I leave for Switzerland for 3 months! Once again, the cozy and intimate setting at Plough provided a perfect venue for our soulful set. Peter and Bryan rocked it on drums and guitar and I played keys and sang. Go to the right column to see a video from last night of my song "Plateau" and the John Prine song "Angel from Montgomery". Keep following my blog for updates during my time in Switzerland. Also follow The Tasties and more of my music on reverbnation http://www.reverbnation.com/eleanorkaufmanandthetasties. I'll be adding some more recordings soon! I hope to keep writing while in Switzerland and maybe can find a cheap keyboard at a pawn shop or something. Or maybe I'll just take up a small, transportable instrument like the harmonica. Until next time, Auf Wiedersehen!

In Memory of Kip Weeks

I would like to send my love to the Weeks family. A good friend of mine, Meg, lost her father, Kip, this past week to a three-year battle with brain cancer. Today I attended the funeral in Keene. It was a beautiful service. A family friend delivered the eulogy, which was so thoughtful, tasteful, and funny ...so Kip. Although Meg and her family are so strong, to lose your father is an incredible loss, and I send my deepest blessing and all of my love to Meg, Sam, Chris and her whole family.

With love,
Eleanor

holiday snapshot

Happy Holidays everyone! And a very happy New Year! I was able to get home this year for Christmas and the last couple nights of Hanukkah. I hope you were all safe and able to spend time with your loved ones. Here are some snapshots of how I spent my holidays this year- snapshots include: Christmas cookies from scratch, Alex and his baby Simon, Roots concert with Isaac, Jameson, Mom's ruggies, cranberry chutney, etc
Love,
El

Deck the Halls!

This year I decided to try online printing. I used overnightprints.com and uploaded my designs quickly and easily. I spent $30.00 for 200 cards (100 Chanukkah and 100 Christmas)! Definitely the way to go for a fun holiday send-out! Also, made latkes from scratch this year...they were delish! Eric and I enjoyed them while we lit candles and sang Matzor. Latke fact #1: MAKE THEM FLOAT. (and mix the applesauce with sour cream)

Christmas bar crawls invade Charlies

This is what happens to Charlies at Christmas time. Santas. Everywhere.

runner's hi

I bumped into a Santa 5K yesterday en route to work.

Santa?

Its the holiday season and things are in full swing here in Cambridgio. Best part: Mariah is serenading me wherever I go. Plus, all floors of the restaurant are set to the same christmas station--so as I lug PBR from the basement all the way to to top floor, I feel like Im in really cheesy holiday music video.

This is how I know Christmas has arrived:

a. Today it took me 12 minutes to cross Mass ave while hoards of various shaped Santas and Elfs ran past me- all in a race towards the finish of the Cool Running 5K.

b. My local CVS looks like a florescent lit version of Santa's warehouse.

c. Santa has not texted me in weeks.

d. I just finished decorating my wreath with holly and cheer!

To Beau: Bianca's Seed Paper!

Hey all!

My roomate Bianca http://www.biancapettinicchi.com has been working furiously on producing mass quantities of seed paper, which she is selling today at Mass Market at Mass Art. Stop by 12-6 and you can see all of her seed designs...maybe even buy someone a gift for the holidays! Every day our living room as produced more and more of this stuff--recycled paper mixed with various seeds. She has cards, ornaments, gift tags etc. And when you give the gift of a seed card, the recipient can plant it in the ground and before you know it--flowers will blossom. How lovely. I especially love Bianca's stitched design cards. (MWAH), where she stitched little beaded notes into the paper. The idea is creative and her designs are delicate and beautiful. Check it out!

-El

Howdy!! These are some sketches of rainy days past. I always find rainy cambridge really entertaining. Its as if the rain is falling bullets or something. Everyone looks really sad and depressed crowding under their $8.00-half-open umbrellas. BUT sometimes I spot some really adorable scenes. Like at bus stops. These are some reflections of people I see.

I hope everyone is starting to bake lots of christmas cookies and sing carols. I know I am.
Till next time, Tata!
Love,
El