Conversations / by and Play

// Maya // 

Listening to: I just started listening to a new podcast called The Dinner Party Download and it is fantastic! It basically goes through the different parts of a dinner party (cocktails, conversation, etiquette, food, etc.) and gives you things to talk about, cocktails inspired by an event in history that happened the week of the podcast, and sometimes Miss Manners or Tim Gunn make a guest appearance. It is a very entertaining listen when on the train to work or an andPlay rehearsal!

Reading: I have recently discovered that I can borrow books from the library on my iPad. It has changed my life! I no longer have to carry around a bunch of books wherever I go. I recently finished  Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. They were both lovely and fun reads. I just got Fin and Lady by Cathleen Schine and The Love Affair of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman. 

Snacking on: Apples and peanut butter have definitely been my healthy snack of choice recently. I hadn’t been eating that many apples until I bought a few at the store on a whim a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t looked back! I hope the saying is true and that I am keeping the doctor away! On the other hand, my not so healthy snack has been Swiss chocolate that Hannah brought back for me from Lucerne. I carry a bar in my bag and have a little square here and there during the day. It is the ultimate pick-me-up!

Dreaming about: Hannah and I have been talking about setting up a small Midwestern tour for late Spring 2014, and I just can’t get it out of my head! It is such an exciting prospect to take andPlay on the road, and sometimes I daydream about it. We have great new music to play, and since we are both from the Midwest and went to undergrad there it seems like a natural thing. We have friends, family, and other connections there that we think would all want to help make it a reality. For now I need to focus on the October concert rep, but a girl can dream, right?

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// Hannah // 

Listening to: I've been trying to catch up on podcasts that I haven't listened to in a while, especially WTF with Mark Maron, and the Nerdist.  They are both great shows that mainly interview comedians.  It's always so interesting to learn about these people's lives!  For example, I learned that Billy Crystal's family was in the record business and Louis Armstrong came to their Passover Seder once!  And Kristen Schaal had llamas at her wedding!    

Reading: I am constantly trying to keep up with my magazine subscriptions to the New Yorker and New York Magazine.  Recently, I read a really great article about Ahmed Jama, a Somali chef who keeps working in Somali despite the dangers and hardships of being there.  (Sept. 30th issue of The New Yorker)

Snacking on: I never liked raw carrots and made it my goal recently to try to like them -- they are such an easy and healthy snack!  So, for the past month I've been trying to snack on carrots and hummus whenever possible.  I can now eat 5 baby carrots in one sitting (as long as they are dipped in something)!

Dreaming about: Unfortunately I'm already dreaming about summer -- is it too early to start?  Also, I've been thinking about what cake to make for my birthday, which is coming up in a few weeks!