Good Finds

I've been searching lately for good finds in all categories: health, beauty, gadgets, restaurants, recipes, you name it. This weekend was an interesting one for good finds, as rather than me seeking them out, they found ME. And the best thing about discovering good finds is sharing them with people, so without further adieu...

1. The Creative Habit, by Twila Tharp.
What's this? A book made the top of my good finds list?! Whatever is the world coming to? :)

Seriously, this book is incredible. I can't stop reading it, absorbing it, thinking about its contents, and despite the assumption that it should only be read by people in creative careers, the suggestions and exercises included in the book will benefit people in all fields. For those who don't know, Twila Tharp is a renowned choreographer who has worked on countless ballets, movies, and Broadway shows. She even conceptualized and created Movin' Out!, the Tony Award-winning show based on the works of Billy Joel, something I hadn't known before reading the book. Josh checked out this book from the library over the weekend after hearing about it over a year ago, and after reading the first two pages I was hooked. I really need to post some of the questions she includes in her "creative autobiography," which is supposed to help the reader discover their creative origin and personality. Very, very interesting stuff. I've already discovered so much about my own creative personality that I didn't know before, and I'm only on page 95.

2. O'Connell's Restaurant in Old Town, Alexandria.
A friend of mine and I decided to grab a bite over the weekend in Old Town, somewhere I hadn't visited for pleasure in a very long time. Because we are both incredibly indecisive people, it took us a long time to choose a place and stick with it. Thanks to a bit of happenstance, we landed at this delightful Irish pub. I tend to order unusual stuff at restaurants, just to try it. Lucky for me I have pretty good epicurean instincts because the meal I ordered was simply divine. It was called, "chick pea and wild mushroom casserole," and it was cooked in a creamy Parmesan sauce. But before our meal came out, we ordered an antipasto (something I didn't know they had in Ireland, but whatever). Delicious! I let my friend eat the pork items (as I don't eat pork or beef), but the Irish wine cheese and the chevre were so incredible, and the haricot verts in vinaigrette with mustard and pear jams were so flavorful topped onto the Irish soda bread. Giving the meal a perfect finishing touch was the Irish hard cider (damn, I wished I had caught the name), which tasted more like a light and crispy, appley champagne. Very, very good restaurant.

3. Light Blue Eau de Toilet, by Dolce & Gabbana.


I had just finished my bottle of perfume from a Christmas gift from my parents, so I was casually looking for a new summer scent when I found one that sounded interesting on Ulta.com. It had notes of citrus and flowers (right up my alley) and the reviews on Ulta.com were all favorable, so I decided to give it a squirt while I was running errands yesterday. WOW. This will be my summer scent (and possibly my fall scent, my winter scent...). Even Josh--who is not a fan of perfumes and colognes--nearly toppled over after smelling my wrist. It's fabulous. What's even more fabulous is I found it on Perfumania.com for 10 bucks cheaper-- hey!

4. Yankee Candles at JC Penney.


Yes, I admit, I am a fan of the Yankee Candles. Typically I buy them at either an official Yankee Candle store or, the next best thing, Bed, Bath & Beyond. Much to my surprise, JC Penney sells them at reduced prices. They can be found over by the catalog order area. They were having a special on selected scents through May 31st, so I picked up a huge jar candle in the Garden Sweet Pea scent for less than 20 bucks (ordinarily they're close to 30). The only downside to this is their selection is small, but if you're there and they have what you want, it's a steal.