Blog - Page 18 of 24 - Cynthia Gellis

January 31, 2019January 25, 2019

Ore’ Originals

Happy Products for Good People and Pets

You know how I love my group exercise classes at the gym? Well, one of the reasons is that I always meet such nice and interesting people there. One really wonderful woman who I met in yoga class (she is also a fellow member of Rachel’s cycle groupies) is the owner and designer of her own gift-ware business called Ore’ Originals. They make happy products for good people and pets.

I love creative people, so when someone mentions that they are a designer, I always want to know more. Lisa really did start this business in her garage. Now she has this awesome facility with light-filled offices and her warehouse on site.

Lisa has this beautiful energy, it’s like practicing yoga next to a sunny day. I think that she infuses that energy into her products, I mean, I’ve never had such a happy feeling looking at baby teethers before.

She is always working on new ideas and making sure that her products are safe as well as attractive and useful. When I visited her, she showed me some new products that they were just coming out with and some concepts that were still in development. She also told me about how they send samples for testing to make sure that there aren’t any dangerous chemicals.

Ore’ Originals has three lines:

Sugarbooger

Sugarbooger is the kids line. The core product line – sippy cups, divided plates, suction cup bowls, lunch boxes and accessories, etc. come in so many super adorable patterns that Lisa created. Of course my favorites are “Go Kitty Go!” (because what is better than kitties and bicycles?) and “Flamingo.”

Ore’ Pet

Ore’ Pet is the pet line (surprise!). I know Lisa as a fellow cat lady, but it seems that the pet line started when she had a pet dog (that’s ok, I won’t hold it against her). Now, they carry almost as many cat products as dog products.

As a new baby kitten present, Lisa gave Anabel and Sally a set of these beautiful kitty dishes. I had been feeding them out of tea saucers but Anabel would step, then sprawl onto her dish (she was a slob). These precious little dishes solved the problem and helped her learn proper table manners. I love the aqua with the pretty, orange rim. I also love how the pattern on the dish is textured, it’s a lovely touch.

These “Wish You Were Here” toys are so beyond cute. They would make really pretty Christmas tree ornaments, don’t you think?

Living Goods

Living Goods is the original line which encompasses all sorts of fun around-the-house-type things. It’s the stuff for grown-ups and the products are all based on the idea of eclectic home organization.

There are three styles of mugs: “Pop of Color”, “Cuppa This Cuppa That,” and “Cuppa Color.” All the designs are really cute, I would hate to have to pick a favorite. My neighbor had one of her mugs that he really loved, I would see him running out to catch his ride to work with his Ore’ coffee mug in hand. He said that it had a “great mouth feel” as opposed to that coffee mug that I had once that would trick me into dribbling coffee down the front of my shirt pretty much every time I used it (I’m not kidding! I thought it was me, but my drinking problem stopped when I switched mugs).

There are fun tabletop things like placemats and coasters. And how brilliant are these chalkboard placecards? I feel the sudden urge to plan a party.

January 30, 2019September 14, 2019

Don Quixote

San Francisco Ballet, Program 1: Don Quixote

It’s Ballet Season 2019! Time to dust off something cute to wear and wing up to San Francisco for a fun night out with mom and sister. This is our 14^th year of having season tickets to the San Francisco Ballet, which seems substantial until you learn that Robbie and Gail who sit in front of us have had their season tickets for over 40 years! Apparently, it’s the kind of tradition with staying power.

San Francisco Ballet opened their 2019 season with Don Quixote, the rom-com of the classical ballet cannon. It is silly and corny, and it knows that it’s camp. At the same time, the Spanish flavor lends a bit of flair to the performances. It’s like Diana Vreeland would say, “a little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika.”

Don Quixote premiered in 1869 with music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography by Marius Petipa. Modern productions retain the Minkus score; however, the choreography is derived from Alexander Gorsky’s 1900 update of Petipa’s original. The San Francisco Ballet version, staged by Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov, premiered in 2003.

The libretto is based on two chapters from Cervantes. The story begins with Don Quixote dreaming of his beloved Dulcenea and resolving to go on a quest to find her. From there the story transitions to a town where the inn-keeper’s daughter, Kitri, is rendezvousing with her beloved Basilo, the town barber. Conflict arises because Kitri’s father wants to betroth her to a rich nobleman. Soon Don Quixote and Sancho Panza arrive in town to exacerbate the shenanigans. After much hijinks, including a gypsy camp, tilting at windmills, and hallucinatory driads, Kitri and Basilo are allowed to wed and there is much rejoicing. Let’s just say that the plot of a romantic ballet is only there to give the illusion of a structure for a bunch of dancing.

The performance that we saw featured Sasha de Sola as Kitri and Aaron Robison as Basilo. Sasha has been with San Francisco Ballet since 2007 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2017. I don’t think that we had seen her in the lead of an evening-length story ballet before and I was very pleased with her performance. She is a stunning, petite blonde with big blue eyes and a radiant smile. Sasha studied at the Kirov Academy, formerly the Russian Imperial Academy, and her Russian training is evident in her precise technique. Her Kitri was athletic and joyful. She wasn’t as sassy as some Kitris, but she didn’t need to be, it wouldn’t have suited her.

There is a ballet term, “ballon” which refers to the illusion that a leaping dancer floats through the air momentarily. In general, I don’t find San Francisco Ballet dancers possess much ballon; they tend to telegraph the effort of take-off and you hear every ounce of them land.

The role of Basilo is known for its many virtuosic leaps which Mikhail Baryshnikov immortalized with his ability to appear to actually fly. Aaron also executed these leaps in a powerful-yet-effortless manner and landed every one of them silently. He managed to be elegantly graceful and cool at the same time, even during the more comic scenes. Aaron first performed with San Francisco Ballet during the 2016 season and returned in 2018. I hope that he is here to stay.

Now, I can’t neglect to tell you about the real star of the show, Oreo the pony. Oreo played the part of Sancho Panza’s donkey, Dapple. The horse who played Don Quixote’s Rocinante was an elegant white gelding. But Oreo is this adorable, dark-brown, fuzzy pony with a huge, unruly blonde forelock, mane, and tail. Yes, there is a horse and a donkey in this ballet, why wouldn’t there be? How would the Don and Sancho make their dramatic entrance without them?

Ballet Season 2019 is off to an auspicious start. More to come!

January 29, 2019January 19, 2019

Toe Tufts

I know that I often revel in the fluffiness of my kittens, but today I want to take a moment today to appreciate how fluffy their feet are.

I mean look at this!

I googled images for furry cat feet and none of them had hair coming out from between their toes like Sally does.

That is not to say that these are the only kitties with furry toes. I discovered a great term for it on Wikipedia: toe tufts. According to Wikipedia, toe tufts are, “commonly found on cats with medium to long coats.” To officially qualify as a “tuft” the fur must stick out at least a centimeter from the paw pads (so strict!).

Cats with toe tufts are even more silent than non-toe-tufted breeds. Except when they slip on the wood floor and crash into something in the middle of the night, then they are equally noisy. It certainly means that they are well-equipped to traverse snowy ground…not that that is something that I have to worry my kittens will ever experience.

Mr. Man thought that I should ask the vet if we should trim the kitten’s toe tufts (and by “we” he meant me). The answer is (thankfully) no. Messing with it could cause irritation that would lead to excessive grooming which could cause problems. Of course, if my kitten steps in gum or some other sticky gunk (I’m not making this up y’all, this is what the vet told me), I should try to work the sticky gunk out with olive oil before taking scissors to it. If my kitten steps in gum, Mr. Man is going to have a lot of explaining to do. Can you imagine?

I will admit that on occasion, I’ve accidentally snipped a bit of toe tuft when trimming the kittens’ claws. Sometimes it is really hard to know what I’ve got when I’m looking at Anabel’s white claws against her white furry feet. It doesn’t happen often, and no one has found it a reason to be irritated yet (beyond the standard low-grade irritation of having one’s claws trimmed).

January 28, 2019January 18, 2019

Flabdominals

Flabdominals (noun): flabby abdominals, particularly the kind that jiggle when participating in high-impact exercises and/or solicit congratulations on a person’s non-existent pregnancy. Also, a word that Cynthia made up.

I have lovingly referred to my tummy region as my flabdominals for several years now. I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, my daily abdominal exercise habit evaporated and the era of flabdominals began. Up to that point, I had been used to having a toned middle; it was not one of my problem areas that I needed to dress around. Quickly, I had to learn to dress around the fluff that had invaded my middle.

Currently, I am feeling that I may be at a point with my fitness that I can conquer the flabdominals and reclaim an at-least moderately toned middle region.

And so, I am going to issue a challenge to myself to do 10 minutes of abdominal exercises everyday (in addition to anything that happens in any workout class at the gym) for 30 days. I don’t want to turn it into a big thing that is going to become another block of time to schedule; I think that I can fit 10 minutes in either in the morning when I get back from the gym or as part of my bedtime routine. I know that I will see some difference, I’m interested to see how much. Also, I’m curious to know if it will stick, if I can get my daily ab exercise habit back.

One of my barriers to re-forming a daily ab habit (cough *lame excuse* cough, cough) was deciding what exercises to do. So, this time, I’m going to set a series that will be my daily go-to. Afterall, I do like to eliminate that whole having to think business whenever possible.

I think I’m going to go back to good old-fashioned Pilates mat series. These are the exercises that I kept up for years after college. Yes, I took Pilates as a class in college, that’s what dance majors do. It was two units, we had a text book and tests and everything (of course I got an “A”). The full series takes more than 10 minutes, I’m going to start with just a few.

The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning by Friedman and Eisen — Pilates text book from college

10 (ish) Minute Ab Series

Heel lowers (10 reps)
Pilates 100s
Roll Up (3-5 reps)
Roll Over (3-5 reps)
The Vacation Special (10 of each):
- Single Leg Stretch
- Grand Battement
- Double Leg Stretch
- Cross Over (Bicycles)
- Leg Lowers

Do you already have a daily ab habit? What are some of your go-to ab exercises? The one you love and/or the one you hate so much but you know it works.

If you don’t have a daily ab habit, do you want to play flabdominal boot camp with me this month? We can do a check-in at the end of the month (no measurements!) just to see how we did with doing the work, if we noticed any difference, if we are going to keep doing/do more/do better/do less.

Let me know if you want to play along at home!

January 23, 2019January 13, 2019

1,000 Books to Read…or Not

I was trolling amazon and came across this book called 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die.

My first thought was, “Ugh, what a terrible idea!” I don’t want someone telling me what I should be reading, I can’t even get around to all of what I want to be reading myself. To me, this book is setting you up to feel like a failure.

It gave me an idea. I thought, “What are the books that I would tell someone that they have to read?” But you know that I don’t like to be dogmatic, and we all read for different reasons. That led me to ask myself, “What do I endeavor to get out of my reading?”

For the past few years, I have been very interested in histories and biographies. Last year, my reading list had a theme: biographies about interesting historical women written by women. Female authors are certainly not more sympathetic to the women they are writing about, but there is a subtle difference in perspective that, to me, informs their subjects in a more complete way.

Histories and biographies really illuminate the world for me. Things that are happening today make more sense to me with a historic point of reference. One book that I’m just finishing now is a collection of scholarly essays about the aerospace industry in Southern California. It was amazing to read, like someone just said, “Hi, let me tell you why Southern California is the way it is.” The impact that this industry had on the place where I live is enormous and omnipresent.

I think that is what I’m looking to get out of books that I read: some sort of frame of reference that can illuminate the world that I live in in some way.

Here are four books that I have read recently that you might be interested in (I went for a variety):

The Quartet by Jim Ellis. A friend who shares my love of history recommended this book. It is a terrifically insightful read about the political horse-trading that was integral to the creation and adoption of the US Constitution.
The Discovery of Witches series by Deborah Harkness. I really don’t read novels much anymore, but I couldn’t put these books down. Deb Harkness is a history professor, so her historical fantasy stories are infused with so much rich historical detail, they are delicious. Just make sure that you don’t need to do anything for a few days if you decide to pick these up; you won’t be able to stop until you’ve finished the last one.
Of course, a biography of an interesting historical woman: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff. Let’s just say that men have been trying to erase powerful women from history for a long time. And the fact that despite that, the historical record of Cleopatra’s power is undeniable. What an interesting time!
And last, but not least, The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga by C.G. Jung. I didn’t study psychology in college, so I am not familiar with Jung, but I find his concept of the collective unconscious fascinating. As someone with limited but profound exposure to Kundalini yoga, I was very interested to delve into the deeper meanings of the various chakras, especially from a Western perspective.

This year, I’m just trying to clean up the “to read” pile. My hope is to eliminate the stockpile and transition to using the public library instead of the “buy it now” button on Amazon. Keeping the books from piling gets tiresome but I am committed to reading books printed on paper, I love the low-tech-ness of it. If you’re local and you’re looking for something to read, hit me up, I’d love to pass something along.

Anything that you have read recently that you would suggest I add to my list?

January 22, 2019January 13, 2019

Butterfly Cat Toy

The kittens received a Christmas gift from their cousins. My dear nephews are experts when it comes to battery-operated toys and of course they (their mom) found something for their furry cousins.

A little motorized butterfly cat toy!

My sister knows the frustration of gifts without batteries and she made sure to put batteries in it before it went under the tree. She also noted that it came with a spare butterfly. Which was a good thing because that first butterfly barely lasted a week. I kept straightening out the wire and picking up little bits of pretend butterfly wings. Once I found the whole contraption flipped over and another time, it was no less than three feet from where it had been. Mr. Man found the whole thing shoved inside of the cat tunnel one morning.

Eventually, Mr. Man changed out the batteries and put on the spare butterfly. Then he got on Amazon to see if he could find replacement butterflies. Fortunately, he did, and they come in a six-pack! The box says, “Recharge Papillons” which sounds so much more fun than “butterfly refills.”

The base of the toy has a little button to turn it on and off. Les chatons have figured this out and will turn their toy on themselves when they are ready for playtime. I’m impressed that the little motor has lasted as long as it has since it has run for hours at a time. And especially because sometimes they will just grind that poor papillon into the carpet and then leave it stuck there.

Anabel really likes when her cat tunnel is lined up with the papillon. She likes to shoot through the tube to preserve the element of surprise for her attacks upon the poor, motorized butterfly. Sometimes she will charge back through the tube after she pounces, other times she leaps to the far end of the tube, turns, and zooms through again.

But by far, the most adorable part about watching Anabel and Sally play with this toy is the way that they take turns. No, I am not exaggerating. Yes, it is hilarious. Sally will sit back and watch while Anabel takes a few passes at the poor thing. Maybe 3-4 times. Then she will take a few steps back and settle in to watch Sally go at it. It’s kind-of like a kitten break dance battle. They get their licks in, then sit back to let the other guy take a few swings at it.

January 21, 2019January 13, 2019

Try Castor Oil

I know what you are thinking. I would be thinking the same thing. But trust me, Castor Oil is good for all sorts of things and you don’t have to ingest it. So, no need to panic.

I have a very dear friend who is my homeopathic guru. I solicit and trust her advice about ANY health/personal care type things. Several years ago, we were talking about this lipoma (a non-cancerous, fatty tumor) that I had which I was hesitant to have removed surgically. Since it was fat and since she knew that Castor Oil dissolves xanthelasma (those little yellow cholesterol deposits that some people get under their eyes) she suggested that I could try Castor Oil on it. She didn’t promise that it would get rid of the lipoma, but she knew that it wouldn’t hurt anything to try.

It did not shrink or dissolve my lipoma, but it did make the area feel better, so I kept using it for that for a while. I also started using it for other things (since I had it out anyway):

It helps strengthen and grow hair (I use it on my eyelashes and eyebrows).
I like to use it as an under-eye night cream. It is very thick and emollient, and I think it helps with fine lines and puffiness.
It can be used topically on your tummy to get the same results that you would by ingesting it. Rub it onto your tummy clockwise (down on the left, up on the right, end on a downward stroke) before bedtime for results by morning.

I looked around on the internet to see what other people have to say about Castor Oil and I found some other uses for it. The most interesting to me was that Castor Oil has anti-inflammatory effects and can be applied topically reduces inflammation and relieve pain. This is probably the benefit that I was getting when I would apply it to the area of my lipoma; when I would wake up in the morning, I would notice that the area always felt noticeably less achy.

One very popular internet application for Castor Oil is for promoting hair growth. I’ve tried it on my eyebrows and eyelashes, and I think that it maybe, sort-of works. I mean, you’re not going to look like Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. What I noticed is that, for example my eyebrows seemed smoother and fuller, not as wiry as before. It could just be that the hair follicles are plumper and smoother because they are moisturized.

Because it is so thick, it can be messy, you really have to take your time to rub it in. It has a sort-of nutty smell; it’s not delicious smelling like coconut oil, but it also isn’t offensive. A 6-ounce bottle of food-grade Castor Oil at the drug store is under $5. I think that it is great for specific applications.

January 17, 2019January 6, 2019

Banana Ice Cream

Ice cream is delicious. I don’t think that there is a flavor that I would say no to. But the one flavor of ice cream that I am truly obsessed with is banana ice cream. I just love it.

Surprisingly, it is not that common in your neighborhood super market. Some stores don’t even carry Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. If they do, it is usually the only banana ice cream in the aisle.

I know that there is that easy cheat way to make banana “ice cream” where you freeze bananas and then blend them, but I never really got into that. Fortunately, there is a new Cuisinart Ice Cream maker in our home (thank you Santa!) and I am now enabled to make banana ice cream any way and any time I want.

My first foray into banana ice cream making was sort-of cheat banana “ice cream”, using the ice cream maker. I blended the five over-ripe bananas that were sitting on my kitchen counter with a can of sweetened condensed milk and a splash of vanilla, then poured the whole concoction into the ice cream maker. It smelled divine. Then I put the mostly firm concoction into the freezer to harden. We wound up with a very banana-y frozen treat. It had a lovely smooth texture, but it was a little too sweet. We ate it all anyway.

Mr. Man asked that we make “real” ice cream the next time (not banana flavor). The booklet that comes with the machine has an easy recipe for vanilla ice cream that does not involve making a custard, so I got some supplies and got to work. Whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla – I can handle that! I measured and almost followed the recipe (it called for three cups of heavy cream, but the store sold it in a two-cup container, so I went with a little more milk and a little less cream). It wasn’t Trader Joe’s Super Premium Vanilla, but it was still yummy.

I made sure that I picked up a good-sized bunch of bananas when I was at the store for ice cream supplies so that I will be set to make banana ice cream again next weekend. This time I’m going to riff on the vanilla ice cream recipe just using banana (not as many as last time), whole milk, and a splash of vanilla. I’m thinking that the banana will sort-of be the substitute for the cream, but that I also won’t need to add any sugar. It’s not that I’m trying to be healthy about it, I’m just lazy. I will let you know how it turns out!

I’m looking forward to finding the right banana ice cream base and then experimenting with all the other little touches. Maybe a peanut butter swirl? Chocolate chips for sure! Maybe banana pudding style with Nilla wafer crumbles and banana chunks? The list is long.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I need some suggestions so that I don’t just make banana ice cream every week.

January 16, 2019January 7, 2019

Pointe Shoes

After my World Ballet Day post, one of my dedicated subscribers mentioned that she thought that the video of the ballerina prepping her pointe shoe video was very interesting and wanted to learn more. So today, I will attempt to briefly explain pointe shoes.

A ballet slipper is a soft shoe worn by all ballet dancers. This type of shoe has a flexible, soft sole and is secured to the foot with one or more elastic straps. Ballet slippers can be made of leather, canvas, or satin and are usually a flesh-colored pink (ballet pink) or black.

A pointe shoe is generally only worn by grown ballerinas. It is the same sort of shape as a ballet slipper with small but significant differences. First is a rigid toe box that is flat on the end. This is the “point” that the ballerina dances on. The box is made from layers of paper and/or fabric that are stiffened with glue. The shank of a pointe shoe functions to stiffen the sole and provides support to the arch of the foot when on pointe. The shank can be made from layers of burlap, cardstock, or leather that is again hardened with glue. A pointe shoe is secured to the foot with satin ribbons.

One important part of both ballet slippers and pointe shoes is the vamp. Both types of shoes will have a vamp that is high enough to cover the metatarsal phalangeal joints (where your toes meet your foot). This provides important support to those joints which is particularly important for dancing on pointe.

The shape of the toe box and the hardness of the box and the shank vary among brands and models of pointe shoes. One brand, Freed, has each shoe marked by the shoemaker as there can be variations that certain dancers prefer. I never wore Freeds, but on more than one occasion I did witness a gal trying to find two shoes in her size from her preferred maker at the dancewear store (it was a big deal).

During my years of dancing on pointe, the brand and style of shoe I preferred evolved. I began with the Capezio Contempora, which has a tapered toe box with a long, V-shaped vamp and a firm shank. I have a very high arch, so the long vamp and the firm shank supported my foot well.

Eventually, I switched to the Chacott Coppelia II, which were made in Spain. I can’t remember why that was such a big deal, but I do remember that it mattered. The Coppelia II was similar to the Contempora, but the big difference that made me switch was that it had a flatter toe box. This meant that my toes were more constricted in the shoe which meant less rubbing (that is a good thing).

My last pointe shoes were Chacott Veronese, which are made in Japan. The Veronese are more lightweight; they have a shorter, more square-shaped toe box with a firm shank. By that point in my life as a dancer, my feet were very strong, but I was starting to feel the years of wear-and-tear. The lighter box took a lot of pressure off of my metatarsal phalange joints, particularly on my big and pinky toes.

Anabel thinks pointe shoes are interesting too.

And that is a brief discourse on pointe shoes. Let me know if you would like me to do another post in the future to talk about how ballerinas prepare their pointe shoes.

By the way, get excited – Ballet Season is almost here!

January 15, 2019January 7, 2019

Distraction Duo

Oh these kittens, they make my life better every day. But I’ll tell you what, they are a HUGE distraction! They are THE distraction duo.

As I write this, they are maybe four feet away, getting into things. I hear a thud, and look to see what they’ve knocked over now, and just keep staring because watching them trouble around is so entertaining.

The way that Sally always tries to pick up my pen…

We are just really lucky that he doesn’t have thumbs

When Anabel takes her nap behind my laptop…

How Sally tries to get into the bag of dry cat food – not because there isn’t dry food in his bowl at this very moment, but because it is there, so he feels that he should get into it.

Those times when they run out in front of me, flop over, and ask for belly rubs…how can I resist?

Here comes Anabel, she is going to help my write this post. Maybe if she walks on the keyboard we will wind up with the next great work of English literature? Nope, that did not look like a masterpiece to me.

You know how multitasking was big for a while? I remember sitting at my desk, working on tasks for at least two or three different projects, and replying to every email as soon as it came through, even if I was on the phone. I was so busy, I must have been getting a lot done!

Then it turned into, no one really multitasks, they just switch between tasks. Oh, and that is a really inefficient way to work because your brain isn’t that good at switching tracks. I believe it. And I’ve been working at only working at one thing at a time, really focusing and forcing myself to stay on task. I will set a timer to write and not check my email or my phone during my writing time. But when you’ve got a kitty sitting on the back of your chair, grooming your head, it is tough to stay focused.

One strategy that I’m trying to keep me from getting too off track when they come in flaunting their cuteness at me is that I set aside little bits of time throughout my day to play with them. That time is focused on appreciating them; I don’t try to catch up on Facebook with one hand while Sally gets his belly rubs. Often, my kitten time coincides with their nap time. There are only so many hours in a day and they need to sleep for 18-20 of them, so I can’t really expect that they can be bothered to get up just because I want to play. But if they are up for it we might play with the ribbon on a stick or practice walking on a lead for a few minutes. If they are feeling mellow, it might be a good time for a nail trim or other grooming.

The only thing that I can say for my kitty distractions is that every time it happens my heart feels happy, as opposed to the panic-y, fear feeling that I would get from trying to multitask at work. Some distractions are worth it.