Lisa Johnson

What a Difference a Day Makes

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Chinese lanterns

Thursday afternoon, it was close to 60 degrees and I was wearing a light jacket. The next evening, I was walking in snow wearing mittens! That’s how it goes. By now I should be used to it, but I don’t think that will ever happen.

I’m starting to believe that we Bostonians have the the same coping mechanism when it comes to snow. A certain level of denial.We talk ourselves down (off the ledge) a lot.

We survived last year!

It’s not that bad!

We can handle it!

It’s almost spring!

February is always the hardest month. Even when we’ve had an easy winter so far. But anything is better than last year, so I guess I can’t really complain. But I think you hear me. I’m complaining!!!  😀

My Favorite Lunch ~ The Power Bowl @ b.good

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Power Bowl

Usually I bring my lunch to work. But once a week or so, I’ll splurge and buy something. Recently I have found a new favorite meal for lunch.

If you’re looking for a lunch that is healthy and tastes amazing too, then I recommend the Power Bowl at B.Good.

I go to the location on Summer Street in Boston, but they have places all over the city. After looking at their website, I see that they are not only in other parts of Massachusetts and New England; B.Good is also in North Carolina, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Back to the Power Bowl. It’s made of kale, local egg, lentils, carrots, brussels sprouts, crunchy chickpeas, pepitas, and tomato vinaigrette. I cannot tell you how much I love this lunch! The textures and flavors mix perfectly together and I feel like I am definitely getting in a good deal of my vegetables for the day.

With taxes, the cost is a little over ten dollars, so it’s a bit pricey for my budget. But I think it’s worth it for a treat. Hope you’ll give it a try if you get the chance!

Looking at the menu, I realize that they have many other items that I’d like to try as well. Like a veggie burger, sweet potato fries and milk shake. Maybe next time!

A Study on Sunsets

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Sunsets January2016

While doing errands Saturday evening, I truly enjoyed the sunset. The picture on the left was taken just a few miles away from the one on the right and less than a half an hour apart. But they look so different.

The colors. The fluffiness of the clouds. The starkness of the bare branches against the sky versus the lush greenery.

No matter the number of sunsets that I see, they never get old. All sunsets have their own unique beauty and feel. What a treasure. All we have to do is look up to find it!

Have a great week and keep looking up! 😀

Unexpected: Co-workers + Coffee

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coffee quoteOn my old blog, I sometimes wrote about things that surprised and delighted me. That were unexpected.

I’m not sure why, but I haven’t done that much here. Well, that’s about to change, because last month I was surprised and delighted.

A co-worker, who is from Nairobi, was recently married. Her family knows coffee growers in the area, so she and her husband, who is Italian, gave packages of Kenyan coffee and biscotti as favors to her guests. Isn’t that the best idea!?

Our group has only been working together for a few months, but we all get along really well. One day around Christmas, when I arrived at work, I saw packages of coffee on our desks. The quote in this picture was on one side.

It doesn’t matter where you go in life… What you do in life… or how much you have… It’s who you have beside you!

On the other side of the package is their names. They had extra packages of coffee, so she shared it. It was such a kind gesture for her to think of us.

The coffee is long gone now. I had planned to take a nice picture of a mug of it, but that didn’t happen. I was very surprised by the flavor. It was quite different from the coffee that I usually brew at home. It was so smooth and almost fruity. I’m no coffee expert, so I’m not the best at describing it. But I liked it.

Also, I started thinking that it was interesting that I got a wedding favor. I wondered if this were some sort of sign that I would be invited to a wedding soon. It was! I received an invitation to a wedding within weeks of the coffee! Again. Surprised and delighted!

Recently Watched: Middle of Nowhere

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Recently WatchedDuring the snow storm last week, G and I finally watched Middle of Nowhere. It’s been on my Netflix list for a while now and I’m so glad that we saw it. What a beautiful film! We both really enjoyed it. And if you’re into indie films, you’ll probably love it too. Check out the movie trailer.

The story is a simple one. A woman’s husband goes to prison and she decides to wait for him. But we see all the complexities of her life. Her job, family and hopes for the future. The characters are nuanced and the soundtrack is wonderful.

The Director is Ava DuVernay and I think this film is where I first learned of her. She won Best Director for it at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. She also directed Selma, which I thought was amazing. I saw it when it first came out on the big screen, which doesn’t happen so much anymore.

DuVernay has become a real force in film, Hollywood and just in general. There is even an Ava DuVernay Barbie Doll!  It sold out in 17 minutes!

I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more by DuVernay in the future and I’m sure she will keep us guessing.

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Screenshot: YouTube