25 THINGS {BY SAYEH}! 7 Mar 2012

In addition to the wonderful Johanna, whom we’ve already profiled in our 25 Things series, there is a larger cast of characters that inhabit the front desk at all 3 Lithe Method studios, and Jeanette Boorstein is one of them. She will gladly answer any questions you may have. Want to know how a smoothie tastes before you purchase it? She highly recommends the Lithe C. Forgot your hair tie? She’ll fish one out of her own bag for you. And she does it all in a wonderful accent that makes you wonder where exactly she’s from, and how she ended up at Lithe. She shares those answers and more in her edition of 25 Things.

1. Let's get this one out of the way: I'm NOT Australian.
2. I was born in Hungary, grew up in Sweden, lived 13 years in London and then moved to Philly in 2010. In between I also lived five months in Australia and three months in Costa Rica. I consider myself a multicultural Swede.
3. As a result of the above I am trilingual: Swedish, English and Hungarian. I'm still working on my Spanish.....
4. My biggest pet peeve is when I order tea in a restaurant or a cafe, and they bring out a cup of warm water with the tea bag sitting next to it. That is not how you make a proper cup of tea! You need boiling water (or just below boiling, depending on the type of tea) and, this is crucial, you pour the hot water over the tea, in that order. You NEVER dip the tea bag into the water. Call me a tea snob, but it makes a big difference.
5. I love ice cream, and can eat more ice cream in one sitting than any person I know.
6. I don't have a driver's license and have never driven a car. I did however once drive a tractor on a farm in New Zealand.
7. I have not used shampoo since Nov 14, 2011.
8. My favorite movie is The Last of the Mohicans. I have watched it more than 15 times, and I cry every time. Sometimes I cry just hearing the music in the opening credits.
9. In my pre-Lithe life, I was an accountant and insolvency tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London for six years, working on cases such as Enron and Lehman Brothers. I much prefer my current job!
10. I love hiking. I have done week-long hikes in Tasmania, Iceland and Greenland (twice), and in 2009 I hiked 850 miles of the Appalachian Trail (from Georgia to three quarters of the way through Virginia) with my now husband.
11. Prior to starting the AT hike, my husband and I had only spent a grand total of 10 days (spread out over a time period of six years) together. They say that most couples who hike the AT together split up as a result; we ended up getting married.
12. Apart from a tenth grade school trip on my husband's part, neither of us had ever been to Philly before moving here; we just randomly picked a city. It is growing on me.
13. At work I am constantly organizing the locker keys on the front desk to make sure they are in neat columns; disorder of any kind drives me crazy.
14. I have hiked to the top of Mount Ngaurahoe in New Zealand, better known as "Mount Doom" in the Lord of the Rings movies.
15. I have a BSc in Mathematics from University College London.
16. I'm in the video for "Block Rocking Beats" by the Chemical Brothers. Although the filming, at some dungeon in Camden Market in London, took over six hours, I appear for less than a split second in the video. My 0.05 seconds of fame.
17. In an ideal world I would be a completely self-sufficient organic farmer living near the ocean.
18. I love foraging for wild foods, especially mushrooms. The smell and texture of edible wild mushrooms give me an immense sense of pleasure. In fact, one of the happiest moments of my life was when I finally got my hands on an elusive Giant Puffball in a field in Herefordshire, England.
19. I once came eye to eye with Marilyn Manson backstage at the Reading Festival in England. Very scary eyes indeed!
20. I love country music, and it's nice to finally live in a country where that love makes sense to (some) people.
21. My favorite Lithe class is Hot Legs!
22. I enjoy creating complex financial models in Excel.
23. I get very excited about assembling IKEA furniture; I have never understood why some people have such a hard time with it.
24. I strive to live as natural and simple a life as possible: shopping at farmers' markets; always cooking and baking from scratch; avoiding chemicals, medications and toxins to the fullest extent possible; using technology only when it simplifies, not complicates, my life; reading books printed on paper and writing notes by hand.
25. I have an irrational fear of large, white objects (think cruise ships, not refrigerators).

Jeanette, you have certainly confirmed what I’ve always believed: that Lithers are some of the most interesting and diverse women I’ve ever met. A video vixen that loves country music?? Amazing! Your 25 Things seems to be the tip of the iceberg with you. I have so many questions. If you’re not using shampoo, what are you using? Nothing? Does this mean you still use conditioner? I tried this once, and it was a bad, bad scene. Only 10 days with your husband before you hiked the AT with him?? I must know why! More, Jeanette! More! Good thing you work at the front desk, and I can harass you for all my answers! Thanks for always being so helpful, and thank you in advance for how forthcoming I just know you’ll be with all of the intimate details of your life just for the sake of satisfying my curiosity.

See you in class!

Image of Jeanette Boorstein at Lithe Old City via Lauren

Comments

[Pridespring]

My mom is British (and I was born there) so I totally get #4! In fact, I've been known to pull Yorkshire tea bags out of my handbag on more than one occasion ;)

[Kate]

This entire entry is absolutely amazing from start to finish. Jeanette I already thought you were awesome but now it's just like that feeling times 1000. We must take more classes together :) You're great!

[Rebecca]

Jeanette is the best! She's always so friendly.

[Sarah]

Ooh, Jeanette, do you use Wen?

[Lauren Boggi Goldenberg]

26. She's SUPER handy. Like, she can fix anything. Love her!

[Jeanette]

No, I don't use Wen, although I've heard very good things about it! I use plain old baking soda: 1 tbsp baking soda mixed with 1 cup of water. That lasts me around 2-3 washes, just applied to the roots. And Sayeh, yes, I do still use conditioner, although I might give that up eventually as well and replace with an apple cider vinegar rinse. I'll let you know!

[Liz]

I KNEW you weren't an Aussie! Really amazing, especially a country music lover, in a Chemical Brothers video who stared down Marilyn Manson! Good, stuff.