A few odds and ends

Clearing out my blogging queue with a few random quickies:

Shimizu-no-mai Pure “Dusk” sake, the best I’ve had recently.

Mario Testino‘s exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts (“In Your Face” is the exhibit name) was great. Well worth visiting for a couple of hours. My two favorite images were Reese Witherspoon in a red dress (American Vogue, November 2008), and Jennifer Lopez walking some dogs by a pool (also American Vogue, from 2004):

Read more about this pic from the NY Times…

Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco touring show stopped by Boston for a few days last week. I went, and it was fun. I wish they were in town longer, and marketed it more / better in advance. But the athleticism is always impressive. The Chinese poles / bars are always my favorite.

Not my pic — pics not allowed during show. From their web site.

While we’re on the topic of bars, the guys at BarStarzz are just bad-ass, despite the funny spelling. I’ve been doing a bit more bar work, and generally more calisthenic and isometric work, but what they do is such a different level, it’s inspiring. This video is a decent compilation illustrating their principles:

Been doing some yoga, mostly at Back Bay Yoga. It’s a good workout, particularly as a complement to my other distance and high-intensity interval training sessions. I like the vinyasa flow work and the hip hop yoga for variety, but I still can’t help but laugh (quietly ;)) to myself sometimes at various position names.

Back Bay Yoga Studio entrance pic from Yoga Boston.

Some of my 2000 Bordeaux wines are ready to drink. (If you haven’t heard about this vintage, but care about wine, read this…)

I shared a bottle of 2000 Cos d’Estournel with 3 friends at a home-made dinner this past weekend, and after decanting a solid hour or two, it was good to go. Delicious wine, as expected.

Central decanter is a 2000 Cos d’Estournel. Left is also excellent: 2002 Ernie Els Stellenbosch.

Final thought: the November Project is great. It’s by far the best workout group I’ve ever joined, because of its unique combination of community, attitude, enthusiasm, energy, and diversity. I’m proud to be a member, and I think all my friends should try it out, no matter how fit (or not). Everyone has a good, friendly attitude, the workouts are fun, and I can’t wait to see how we do over the cold winter months.