Joy to the Wine Rack

My wine rack from Amazon came in, and I assembled it the other day.  I couldn't be more excited about it, and S. was nice enough to bring me a few bottles of wine in celebration! 

 

I talked about this rack in a previous post, comparing it to one from Pottery Barn that was more than 6 times the price of this one!

 

Soooo, what do you think??

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year, we went to Atlanta to spend the holiday with my dad's brother and his family. Thanksgiving is always a tough time for me. Just thinking about all the turkeys that are killed every year for Thanksgiving makes me so sad. I wish I had the power to "turkey pardon" all of them.

  On a brighter note, for our Thanksgiving meal, we had a traditional Indian meal of daal baati (baked whole wheat balls, covered in ghee, served with Indian lentil soup).  It was so delicious I'm salivating right now just thinking about it. 

 

Parents walking around Atlantic Station.  Pretty lights!  My cousins have a nice condo right in the center of Atlantic Station.  Love it.

My cousins, Vijay and Vinita, are twins and were born on November 25th, so we always celebrate their bday during the Thanksgiving holiday.  This is us at Aja, an Asian restaurant in Buckhead.  Vinita is in the middle, and their little sister, Nisha, is on the far right.

This is me with the birthday boy, Vijay. 

 

And this is how we LOVE ending every night: with a four to five hour game of poker!  And I came in second, so I enjoyed it even more.

 

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Diwali!

Happy Diwali everyone!  Known as the "Festival of Lights," Diwali is a celebration incorporating many faiths across India.  Straight from Wikipedia:

 

"The name "Diwali" or "Divali" is a contraction of "Deepavali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvalī), which translates into "row of lamps". Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (dīpa in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.  These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.  Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends."

 

 

 

 

In Hinduism, there are a variety of reasons to celebrate, based on where you live in India.

In North India they celebrate the story of King Rama's return to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana by lighting rows of clay lamps.

South India celebrates it as the day that Lord Krishna defeated the demon Narakasura.

In western India the festival marks the day that Lord Vishnu, the Preserver (one of the main gods of the Hindu trinity) sent the demon King Bali to rule the nether world.

 

 

 

In Jainism, Diwali marks the celebration of Mahavir Bhagwan's attainment of nirvana in 527 B.C.E.  

 

 

 

In Sikhism, the celebration of Diwali is celebrated because it rejoices the time when the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind singh was released from his imprisonment.

 

 

 

 For whatever reason you celebrate, the end goal is to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.  Oh, and to light a lot of candles, set off fireworks, eat tons of dessert, and spend some much needed QT with your family. 

 

HAPPY DIWALI! 

 

 

 

Monet and New Friends

This week, I met up with a friend, Megan, and we went to one of those BYOB art classes that have taken off like wildfire in the last few years.  We went to this studio and had a great time. 

 

We tried to do a version of Monet's lillies.  Key word: tried. 

 

Megan, Alix, Me, and Abby.  I think they turned out pretty good!  Have you ever been to a wine and canvas class?  Where?  Would you go again?

 

 



Wine Rack Steal

I have been looking and looking and looking and looking for an awesome wine rack since I got my new place.  Ever since I saw this awesome wine rack at my friend Jill's place that she got for her wedding, I've been dying to get it.  But as it costs $170 (for both pieces) at Pottery Barn, and I just couldn't justify such a cost for something to hold my $3 bottles of Trader Joe's wine. 

Well, imagine my unparalleled bliss (no, I am not dramatic), when I found this baby on Amazon.com for only $28.50 plus $7.22 for shipping:

There was no stopping me then.  I did a happy wine dance and clicked my way to purchasing a beautiful new addition to my apartment.  Granted, it's missing an area to pour your wine, but that's a project for another day.  Will post pics once I get it and set it up!

Happy Halloween!

Whoops. Sorry for the delay on posting about Halloween.  I guess I just got a little too carried away eating my candy to be able to come down from my sugar high to write an entry. In any case, how was your Halloween? Ours was great. S. and I went to a friend's Halloween party at their house and then to the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh to continue to celebration. The pregame was awesome, complete with apple cinnamon bourbon punch and a yummy spread of Mediterranean food. There were also awesome and scary decorations all over the house.

Lieutenant Dangle doing his job.

It wasn't me!  It was the one armed man!

No words.  I couldn't even bring myself to post a full body pic of his short shorts. 

But, really, we really had an awesome time celebrating Halloween, and I can't wait to grow up (no that has not happened yet) and go all out for all holidays.  Speaking of growing up but remaining fun, my parents went as Jawaharlal Nehru, influential Indian politician during the independence movement known for his hat, and Sonia Gandhi, Italian Indian politician and leader of the Indian Congress.

Happy Belated Halloween!

GOBAMA!!

 

Phew.  I know it has been quite some time since I've blogged, and I apologize for that.  But what better time to make a come back then the day after such a successful election night??  I'm happy for so many reasons, but I'll list some of them for you now:

 

1. ME, MD, and WA for the first time ever by popular vote legalized gay marriage, standing by equality for all.

2. MN refused to ban gay marriage.

3. Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay senator. She represents WI.

4. A female double-amputee war hero won the Congressional seat for Illinois's 8th district.

5. A man who thinks there is such a thing as "legitimate rape" was defeated soundly in Missouri.
6. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was elected as the first woman Hindu representative to the House and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii was elected as the first Buddhist Senator.

7. Barack Obama was reelected President of the United States.
 

And, an interesting result/not one I care about though:

CO and WA voted to approve state initiatives to legalize marijuana.

 

Voting is such an awesome right. No matter who you voted for, if you voted, I fully support you. In a democracy, there is no more important duty than the duty to vote. 

 

 

That's me, exercising my right and voting early!

(Don't you dare judge the taco bell in my hands.  That, I absolutely cannot support.)