I had a blah-blah day of routine errands and other unremarkable stuff. I started to fear that I would end my Mouth of Fun on a not-very-fun note.
Then my husband came home from work, created a spontaneous date night and absolutely swept me off my feet. Even though there was a thunderstorm outside, we were cozied up inside with a romantic dinner, dancing and each other. Bliss!
I love this dude. We’ve been to the ends of the earth together, and we’re still holding strong. Every day feels like our anniversary.
Oh, it’s National Coffee Day? Well, this is a holiday I can wholeheartedly embrace.
I am a total coffee freak, which is why my caffeine-fueled trip around the globe could easily be subtitled: Americanos in Argentina, Lattes in Laos and How I Grudgingly Learned to Love Nescafe.
Aside: I once contacted Starbucks about sponsoring me on a bean-themed trip, where I would travel through some of the biggest coffee-producing countries in the world, writing stories about the process from bean to cup and the people who get it there. Sadly, Starbucks turned me down.
Back to my story. It’s coffee day. Yay!
Since today was my kind of day, I kicked it off with a total brewed awakening — a coffee mask, coffee scrub and piping hot cup of coffee.
That’s a lot of coffee!
First, I made a pot of coffee and put it in a carafe where it would stay nice and warm. Then I started working on the other stuff.
For the mask, I took 2 tablespoons of just-brewed coffee grounds, mixed it with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of soy yogurt, then slapped the mixture on my face. While the mask dried, I made a coffee scrub using a couple more tablespoons of coffee grounds, a tablespoon of sugar and a drizzle of olive oil. I applied the scrub in the shower, washed it all off and then relaxed with super-soft skin and super-yummy coffee.
You can just call me Sir Mix-a-Latte.
I got the idea from this Crunchy Betty post, which you can read for more details. (NOTE: The face mask can be made with honey and/or cow yogurt, for those who aren’t vegan.)
How does it work? Basically, caffeine detoxifies your skin and cuts down on puffiness and swelling, which is why it’s used in so many expensive beauty products.
Well, here you’re just cutting out the middleman and using straight-up, fresh grounds within 20 minutes of brewing. You’re isolating all the wonderful properties of caffeine without wasting all your dough.
Of course you know that your skin absorbs 60 percent of whatever you apply topically, which translates to an extra caffeine kick in your day! But don’t blame me if you end up running a triathlon instead of going to work.
I bought it for the purpose of getting me places. Picking up groceries. Running errands. Riding to the coffee shop.
It is not built for speed or anything extreme.
But it is AWESOME. Chocolate body, blue rims, cream saddle and handles. I attached a silver wire basket on the front handlebars, which made my neighbor squeal, “Ooh, girl! Look at your little Toto basket!”
Also, I have a bell. I ring it frequently and inappropriately.
Sometimes I go out riding in the mornings and I catch myself grumbling and swearing. I get 10 kinds of frustrated over the fact that I’m not going as fast as the people on zoomy $2,000 Trek bikes. And that’s when I have to step back and remind myself, “Girl, you have a Toto basket. You are here for FUN.”
Today I rode farther than I ever have before. I came to a long stretch of road near Indian Canyons, where a beggar was camped out in the creosote bushes. He was draped over a stack of buckling cardboard boxes and bulging plastic bags. As I got closer, the man leapt to his feet.
“Oh no,” I instinctively thought. “What’s he going to do?”
Then the man smiled so wide, I swore the sun was peeking out from his teeth.
“There you go! There you GO!” he cheered and clapped his hands. “You are winning this race! Everyone else is behind you. Stay strong!”
It was wonderful. How could my day possibly go wrong after having my own personal cheerleader first thing in the morning?
A sunny afternoon ride in a convertible. A delicious lunch. A fantastic conversation with a beautiful friend.
What could possibly be better than that?
This is the salad sampler at Palm Greens Cafe, 611 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs.
I swear the salad sampler is a force of nature. I am physically incapable of ordering anything else whenever I go to Palm Greens.
The dish comes with a big bowl full of crisp greens, shredded carrots, tomato slices, cucumber and other fresh veggies. On top of that they put scoops of other salads: Red quinoa, lentil, soba noodle, sweet potato, curried tofu, seaweed, potato salad.
But wait! There’s more.
Three dollops of vegan goodness top it off: Hummus, star-kissed seed salad and cockadoodle tofu. (They’re underneath the tortilla chips in my photo). Then you can slather it all in vegan caesar dressing.
In a word — amazeballs.
But if you think the food was the highlight, you’re wrong. Because sitting across the table from me was this lovely lady:
That’s the wonderful Tammy Coia, who has a huge heart, radiant spirit and energy to spare. You can learn more about her and her remarkable work here.
Tammy is one of those rare people who is unflinchingly supportive and genuinely cares about the people in her life. I’m lucky to call her a friend.
Even though the program is low-residency and I don’t have to physically be on campus, I still feel the need to surround myself with backpacks, apples and composition notebooks. Maybe a Thermos too.
