Lessons from TKAM

Maybe back in 9th grade, calling To Kill a Mockingbird "TKAM" was cool or something. I don't know. In any case, the person that wrote this appears to have been very insightful.

The Joys of Amazon

Today while looking for a bag on Amazon, I discovered a category called "Fashion Waist Packs."


Who knew that fanny packs were so chic?

Reminiscing

I miss these girls.






That's about it for tonight.

Rediscovery

I did something that would probably horrify every professional musician on the face of the earth. I took a 2.5 month break from practicing. I can hear the whispered muttering now: She did what? She's going to get so much worse. How could she give up so easily?

But the fact of the matter is ultimately this: I needed it.

I needed it after eleven years of working to get into orchestras, working to sit in a better seat, working to get into college, working to sound ok at the next recital, working to pass a jury, working to fulfill the required practice hours, working for the sake of working to prove that I could. Somewhere in the midst of all the work, music - with the sole exception of playing with an orchestra - ceased to be music. It became a requirement. Not only that, but it became something I could use to show myself that I had something worthwhile to offer society.

So I took 2.5 months off. Did I lose some ground? Yes. Does my embouchure get tired after ten minutes? Yes. Do I find this pathetic? Ha...you'd better believe it. But I think the benefits outweigh the consequences here, dire as they are. Suddenly, music has more meaning. All throughout my lengthy hiatus I felt like something was missing, and practicing today - however briefly - made me realize what it was. One cannot abandon a method of offering praise to one's Creator without recognizing a sense of loss.

But now, with renewed clarity and purpose, mere practicing can be a form of worship that it never was before. What could be more beneficial than that?

Baked Goods

One night, far too late for my own good, I decided to bake cookies.  Because who doesn't like cookies?  

They turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.  By the end of the next day, they were gone.  

(Fear not; there were at least 20 people eating them.  I only had four.)

On New Things and Sea Monsters

Ok...ok...so...I forgot about blogging for awhile.  But I promise I had legitimate reasons!  Although that doesn't mean much coming from me.  Judge for yourselves:

A) I moved.

B) I started a new job.

C) I gained a boyfriend (Google-suggested synonyms include "beau," "heartthrob," and "honeybunch." Awkward.)

All of the above are marvelous.  Fantastic.  Splendid.  Terrific.  You name it.  But that's not why I'm writing tonight.  While I'm sure they will be expounded upon later, tonight I want to talk about something important.  Historic, if you will.  Drumroll please....


THE KRAKEN.


Yeah.  I bet you didn't see that coming.  Ha.

On the way back from tonight's spontaneous journey from work to Pinkberry (rush hour + Friday night = poor planning; don't try this at home, folks...), I took a break from the classical station and turned on NPR.  I learned that there are fossils of nine ichthyosaurs, each about 45 feet long, lying in a Nevada valley, bones arranged in a peculiar order, with no particular explanation.

[source]

The paleontologist on the radio came up with a hypothesis, based on the bones' positions, that these fish-like dinosaurs were killed by what could have presumably been the Kraken, evidently an ancient ancestor of the modern-day octopus.  (Side note: in Britain, it's pronounced KRAAAY-ken instead of KRAAAH-ken.  Who knew?)  If you're really curious, you can read all about it or listen to the entire broadcast here.

I, of course, being the nerd that I am, sat in my car for an extra five minutes after I got home to hear the end of it, and then ran inside the new house to research it for the next half hour.  Let's be serious.  What else would I do with my Friday night?

Flash Mob Glory!

You know that when a flash mob involves a professional orchestra, it's got to be good.



(You can read all about it here.)

In Memoriam

Heaven gained an extra choir member this week.

Evangelyna Etienne was dearly, dearly beloved member of the music department as well as the Gordon community as a whole.  She was an incredible source of light and joy to all of us who had the privilege of knowing her, and she will be sorely missed.

I don't always understand why God works the way he does - why some people are called home sooner than others - but I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to have worked her her, lived with her, and heard her beautiful voice, which is now glorifying God in union with the angelic host.

Dear blog world,

Sorry for the serious silence as of late.

 I'll update you soon.

 Love,

The Road Frequently Traveled

One time, I got sent to another state on business. I got most of the way to said state without a hitch: no taking wrong exits, no getting lost on back roads, nothing. Until the very road the hotel was on. As it turns out, this hotel has a very, very small sign that's the same color as the bush behind it, and since it happens to be dark at 9 pm and the sign didn't have a light, it was nearly invisible. So I drove up and down a 3+ mile stretch several times, which left me in despair and wondering if I should just pull over to the side of the road and sleep in my car. Both the despair and the sleeping-in-the-car plan may have been coping mechanisms that were laughable enough to keep me driving, but still. Sleeping in the car would have been very uncomfortable though, so finally I pulled a How to be a Millionaire and used up a lifeline.


It was extraordinarily helpful! I might have been driving forever without it.


I don't really count not being able to find something as being lost. I knew what I was looking for was supposed to be exactly where I was. But I'm not convinced I can still use "I've never really, really been completely lost before" as a claim to fame, especially since I have another getting lost story that's even better than this one. I'll tell that one another time. Oh well. Call it a humility check?

Conversation Over Dinner

Small brother: "What makes the wine you're drinking a dry wine?"

Jillian and company: "It's not sweet - there's less sugar in a dry wine."

Small brother: "Oh, so the wet wines are the sweet ones?"

Snapshot

Today in a nutshell:

Work (ate a lovely lunch, called England, survived a tiny earthquake)

Home (made an omelette with a good pan, texted a lot o' people, read blogs)

3.6 mile walk (strolled past a swearing, angry, possibly drunk man on a bike, saw a concert and the beach, stabbed finger by accident on a plant (presumably) and drew blood, came back in the dark)

Home (changed into very comfortable clothes and got ready for bed)


Minus the fact that this sounds really boring when written as such, it was an eventful day and I feel healthier than I did when I left the house this morning. Except for the bleeding finger, of course.

Insert infomercial here.

Ok, SHAMELESS product plug. Bear with me.




This stuff is the BEST face wash I have ever bought in my life. So much so that it actually makes me want to wash my face at night, which up until now has been the task that has almost always made me want to take a full shower rather than deal with washcloths, water all over the sink, and staying up for an extra five minutes when I could be in my nice cozy bed. That, friends, means we have a miracle on our hands.

I insist that you go buy some immediately. I don't care that it's midnight. Go do it.

Lately

I have been failing on the blogging front as of late. It isn't because I've had nothing worth writing about. Not at all.

I could have told you about how I moved away from the spot I called home (away from home) for the last four years and how it somehow felt a little like graduating all over again.

I could have told you about I went to Pinkberry again with roomie dearest and discovered that they had resurrected pomegranate, which - you may be of a varying opinion, but I don't care - is the best frozen yogurt flavor known to mankind.

I could have told you that I started working at a new job with marvelous people...(but it's probably best to keep work away from blogging).

I could have told you - since we're on the subject of people - how much I value good friends, spontaneous adventures, good conversations, and the beauty and blessings associated with all of the above.

I could have taken a literary jaunt and described how my rediscovery of the glory of libraries had me pondering the power of the written word - how authors take language and twist it masterfully until I no longer see words on a page but become swept up in some fantastical adventure. Or maybe how I wish I was gifted enough to weave together stories of my own.

I could have told you about the (cheater) cookies I made (from a mix) or the obscene number of times I found myself waiting in line at Panera, asking for a chai latte, a chicken caesar sandwich, or a chocolate chip cookie.

I thought about writing about each one of those things at one point or another, along with a long list of other things. But somehow, the doing of all those things got in the way of the writing about all of those things. And honestly, while I love documenting, describing, and detailing, I think it's better that the doing outweighs the writing. Don't you?

Presents!

Remember when my family went to Switzerland? I never showed you what they brought back for me!


They're salt and pepper shakers! Aren't they the cutest? I love them. And I can use them forever because they're black and white and will therefore match everything.

News.

Oh, perhaps I should mention this to relieve suspense.

(I'm employed.)

Bloglovin'?

I don't really know what Bloglovin' is, but it sounds a little like Google Reader. Since I love Google Reader as much as I do, why not use this too?

It's asking me to post some code in a new blog post, so....I'm not sure what's going to happen. Here goes nothing.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

The Joy of Cooking

Well, glory hallelujah. I forgot how AMAZING it is to have a functional kitchen!

This evening I had the opportunity to make a full dinner for three people, myself included, and all of a sudden I remembered that I basically haven't cooked anything real for eight months. Between student teaching and the gross summer living situation, cooking just wasn't an option.

That's all changed now.

This evening's dinner included rice (with thyme, bay leaves, chicken stock, and butter), breaded chicken, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and a very nice Riesling wine. Nothing very complicated, of course, but it was good nonetheless. Also, I've never made hollandaise sauce before. Turns out...it's pretty good! I took pictures, but my USB cable is currently buried in a bin in the back of my car and is therefore inaccessible. I'll do it later.

A note that I'm absolutely positive I've made before: butter is the key ingredient to making anything taste good. I will stand by this statement until the day I drop dead from an artery blockage, which, given my views on the substance, is entirely probable.

::sigh::

Do you ever feel like life is changing faster than you expected it to?

I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing or a bad thing, or just something you have to get used to. I'm tending to think it's the last of the three options.

ADMIT IT....

It's cool, even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan. If you are, well...there's no reason to not love this.

Success.

World, you should be proud of me. I went to the gym for the fourth time in 22 years last night. And I did something other than run around the indoor track. This may mark a turning point in the future of my existence.


(But probably not.)

In it to win it...

I am making a goals list for this year. And LUCKY YOU! You get to read them. Don't you feel privileged? Ok, maybe not. But at least I have witnesses now, right?

1. I will practice at least 4 out of 7 days of the week. I will, I will, I will. I will.

[source]

2. I will read the entirety of Gray's Anatomy in 356 days. So far I've made it to page two, but I started today. Give me a break, ok?

3. I want to be more...muscle-y. I have to wear a nicer dress next month, and I want it to look better than it does at present. Grr.

[source]

4. I will take part in at least one world-wide fad, just because I can. I mean, come on. Though we are not of the world, we are in it. This will probably happen sooner rather than later, while I still have motivation.

[source]

(Not this one; fear not.)

5. I will consider learning yoga. I may not actually do it, but I will consider it.

6. In two years, I will be on my way to doing something fantastic as a result of hard work.

[source]

(Ha.)

7. I will throw a dinner party, cooked entirely from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Consider yourself invited, because chances are...if you're reading this, I probably know you.

[source]

8. I will travel somewhere out of the country. That will require funding, but perhaps that will happen soon. Perhaps. I dunno...if all else fails, I could always join a convent in Italy. That's been my back-up plan to my back-up plan for several years now. Don't YOU want to become a nun?

[source]

That's all. I may add more to the list later in time. I could add impossible things, like becoming a Highly Successful Blogger, but then my list wouldn't be realistic anymore. So...bye.

And again...

Look, the color version! Can't decide which I like better...


(Does anyone else have trouble with Blogger making pictures look more dull? I feel like I need to oversaturate in order for them to look right...)

MA vs. VT

New fave picture from home.


Nothing in Mass can beat the superiority of VT cows.

Food for the Future

I will have to be moving out of college dorm housing very soon now - quite exciting, if you ask me - which naturally means that I will have a KITCHEN! Clearly I need to plan what I'm going to be making right now. Right now, I say.

Which, obviously, brings us to the the Master of French Cooking herself,

JULIA CHILD.


[source]

Wasn't she grand?

So here are some recipes with...sexy...French titles. (OMG, I just used the word "sexy" online. There goes my credibility as a moral person.)

Quiche Lorraine - cream and bacon quiche

Pièce de Boeuf Braisée - beef braised in red wine

Poulet en Cocotte Bonne Femme - casserole-roasted chicken with bacon, onions, and potatoes

Poulet Sauté aux Herbes de Provence - chicken sautéed with herbs and garlic, egg yolk, and butter sauce

Purée de Pommes de Terre à L'Ail - garlic mashed potatoes
(P.S. The French word for potatoes, "pommes de terre," literally translates as "apples of the earth." Now you know something new. Maybe.)


I guess that's enough for now. I'm drooling too much to keep this up.



Oh, and you can be sure that I will be avoiding the section entitled "Brains." No.

Beautiful.

Word, equal to the Most High, our only hope,
Eternal day of the earth and the heavens,
From the peaceful night we break the silence,
Divine Savior, cast your eyes upon us.

Spread upon us the fire of your powerful wisdom
May all hell flee at the sound of your voice;
Dispel that slumber of a languishing soul,
Which has driven it to forget your way.

Oh Christ, be favorable to this faithful people
Now gathered to bless you.
Receive the songs it offers to your immortal glory,
And may it return filled with your gifts.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles...

Today I had unnaturally cooperative hair. Somehow, an upside-down-French-braid-combined-with-messy-side-bun turned out ok.

[Sorry...pictures of the back of my head don't usually turn out too well, and therefore you can't really see it. I guess you'll have to take my word for it...?]



Humidity...makes hair work better? Backwards.

Thank you, Hairdresser on Fire for inspiration. (Her braid/bun combo obviously looks better. Please don't judge me.)

Gleek out, y'all!

Confession: I love the Glee Project.

Dorky? Yes. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

That said, I have had this stuck in my head all day today, and as a result, I have watched the video at least three times since 4 pm.



They're good, right?

[Yes, I know it's not Christmas yet.]

On Fame (of the blogging variety)

At one point in time, I came up with a list of things that seem to make a blog legit. I have since realized that there is no way under the sun that I will ever become a Highly Successful Blogger (HSB). Here I present you with a list of reasons why that is the case.


1. HSBs can abbreviate any word and it sounds cool.

2. HSBs each have a Story. These Stories are different, life-altering, funny, sweet, or any other adjective that grabs your attention.

3. HSBs have husbands. Intelligent, good-looking, the-kind-you-see-in-movies husbands. From here on out, they will be referred to as "blog husbands."

4. HSBs know all the other HSBs, and are therefore unafraid to comment on each other's blogs.

5. HSBs have the best cameras available to mankind and know how to use them well.




DO NOT CHANGE THE CHANNEL; WE WILL RETURN AFTER THIS MESSAGE.

[Random side note: according to a common online acronym finder, HSB also stands for the Latin phrase "Hic Situs Bonus," meaning "This place is good." Somehow, that fits well with this topic, don't you think?]

AND WE'RE BACK.




6. HSBs are the most photogenic people in the world.

7. HSBs have the best fashion taste in the world.

8. HSBs can cook anything, with a recipe or without one.

9. HSBs have Highly Successful Blogs within a year of entering the Blogosphere.

10. HSBs have perfectly imperfect lives. [This is not universally the case, I know. But we're generalizing here, people.]



So that's my reasoning. One day, perhaps I will have a life story that merits widespread attention, but for now, I will resign myself to my relative anonymity. I have, however, coined the acronym "HSB." That should count for something, right?

Suggestions, please...

I got this fantastic pair of forest green tights at Gap for - check it - $1.18. Yeah. Best Gap deal ever, minus my favorite dress that cost me $13.99. My dilemma?

I'm not sure what to wear them with.

Suggestions, please?

Oh, and I'm sorry to have neglected to mention any food-related things here recently. I haven't been cooking at all. Instead, I eat cafeteria food. Or in rare cases like this morning, I have been lazy enough to eat a bowl of uncooked oatmeal sans any sort of topping. I promise to mend the error of my ways when it isn't so hot.

Miscellaneous

Today was a great day...for my inner child.


I sat on a rock wall and read 80 pages in under an hour.

I wrote a 3-page letter.

I met a nice person.

I sang along with some classical music I didn't know.

I ate ice cream.

I laughed at unimportant things.

I skipped and ran across a field.

I hung out with a lovely friend.

I explored new places.

I walked on a guardrail.

I did two cartwheels.

I scaled a rocky cliff.


Who says I need to grow up? (Although I did apply for yet another job today. Yay.)

Hurrah for spontaneity and good friends.

Magical...historical performance?

In honor of the final installment of the Harry Potter film series, I present you with an orchestral recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo that anyone in the wizarding world would surely appreciate, due mostly to the presence of billowing robes.



Enjoy.

Meine Familie und die Schweiz

Well, the fam managed to make it back from Switzerland all in one piece.


It's quite nice there.


They stayed in a teeeeeeeny tiny town way high up in the Alps.


It was even pretty at night, where it stayed light until very late.


And my mom got to sit in a little pod car thing. Evidently there are only 90 of them in the world. Volkswagen-made, of course.


Pretty cool, eh?

Now I want to go on vacation.

Goals?

I may have come up with a ridiculous but amazing plan for the future. That's all I'm going to say here, because it's too risky. If it works out, I'll let you know in a year or two when it actually comes to fruition. If not, no one will be able to laugh and say, "Well, obviously. I TOLD you that was impossible."

It can't hurt to dream big, right?

Catching Up

I have to admit...I'm not feeling inspired in the writing department these days. Probably because most days are exactly the same: babysit, beach, practice, ice cream, sleep. Sometimes we throw a movie in the mix too. So...sorry. MLIA. Whatev.

That's not to say, however, that summer is being wasted away. No sir. (Or ma'am.) It's been a long time since I've had a more lazy summer, and I'm really enjoying it. I guess I can't be completely footloose and fancy free just because - ya know - I'm looking for a job and all that. (Have I ever mentioned that before? Yes? Mmm. How redundant. Again, sorry. Chalk it up to networking?)

I've discovered a new-found love for lying on the beach with friends, even though it requires wearing sunscreen (which I hate almost as much as I hate folding laundry).

I've rediscovered the glory of ultimate frisbee, and I've eaten way too much ice cream for my own good (to the point where I finally ordered sorbet instead. Uncharacteristic).

My family is currently is Switzerland, and I miss them a lot. (As in more-than-expected-a-lot.)

I've cried too much. Also uncharacteristic. (Uncharted territory stresses me out, apparently.)

And I've seen so much more to be grateful for. Transitions really make me want to hold tightly to the things that I've treasured in the past, but I really can't do that forever. Thus being grateful for new things is imperative.

In the meantime (while I figure everything out - ha!) I will try to eat more Pinkberry than ice cream, I will try to gain more freckles than sunburn, I will try to branch out from frisbee to whiffle ball, and I will try to practice more than two hours per day.

What do YOU do on the weekend?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love construction paper? If not, here it is: I LOVE CONSTRUCTION PAPER AS MUCH AS I LOVE COOKIES.

[That's saying quite a lot. You have no idea.]

Do you still need an illustration? We'll assume you said yes.

Last Friday night, my friend Ali and I spent over three hours creating things out of it. After she left, I worked on my project for another two hours. Result? A chain of construction paper flowers. I was pretty proud of myself.

SURPRISE!!!

I'M ENGAGED!!!









Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Did I manage to fool you, or do you know me well enough to know that it's not even remotely close to a possibility at this point in my life? Basically, I have found the perfect method for eliminating awkward babysitting situations.

Let me elaborate.

Situation 1:

Stranger approaches Jillian accompanying small child in grocery store. Stranger comments on how cute small child is, asks how old, asks what preschool small child will be attending in the fall, assuming Jillian is the mother. Jillian responds with, "Oh yes, he'll be going to ____________ in the fall!" Stranger thinks Jillian is a very young, possibly teenage, unwed mother. Jillian feels uncomfortable with this conclusion and tries to get out of the situation as soon as possible.


Situation 2:

Stranger approaches Jillian accompanying small child in grocery store. Stranger comments on how cute small child is, asks how old, asks what preschool small child will be attending in the fall, assuming Jillian is the mother. Jillian responds with, "Oh, I'm just the babysitter." Stranger thinks he or she has made Jillian feel uncomfortable. Jillian thinks she has made stranger feel uncomfortable. Both back away from the other slowly.


TODAY, MY FRIENDS, THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED.


Situation 3:

Stranger approaches Jillian accompanying small child in grocery store. Stranger comments on how cute small child is, asks how old, asks what preschool small child will be attending in the fall, assuming Jillian is the mother. Jillian responds with, "Oh yes, he'll be going to ____________ in the fall!" Stranger thinks Jillian is a very young married mother, Jillian feels justified with her slightly deceptive $2.80 ring, while both stranger and Jillian walk away from situation awkwardness-free.


And there you have it.


P.S. The picture makes it look like the ring is on my right hand. It's actually on my left; Photobooth just flips pictures, and it looked weird to have it flipped back to normal. I do, in fact, know the difference between right and left.

HOO-RAH.

Today I had an epiphany. Maybe one that I already had, but here it is.


I NEED A JOB.


Therefore, I applied for six jobs today, so that the next time someone asks, "How many jobs have you applied for since we last spoke?" (which happens more frequently than you think it does between friends, teachers, and parents...), I will be able to reply with a respectable answer.

Here is where I will commence kicking butt at this employment thing.

This video is a little long, but it's incredibly inspiring. Watch it.

On Night Walks and Music

Taking walks at night has always been a thought-clearing experience for me. I think this phenomenon stemmed from taking "night walks" with my parents when I was very, very small. Vermont is beautiful all the time, but it's especially quiet and peaceful late at night, when the darkness is vast and open, the stars twinkle brightly in the distant heavens, and the stillness makes you feel wonderfully small and insignificant.

The stillness of the fields in Vermont translates very well to the beaches in Massachusetts. I love walking along, listening to the waves splash on the shore and watching boats' lights shine on the horizon. The feeling of freedom - no one watching, no one caring - is what allows me to really feel the presence of God. Because I know that while I feel small and insignificant, while no one is watching or caring, the God who created this amazing vastness is also the God that created my small, insignificant soul, and it doesn't feel so insignificant anymore.

Tonight I didn't go to the beach, but I did decide to walk around campus at night. Not quite the beach, but still. I initially just intended to walk around the quad once to feel productive or something, but I ended up walking all over campus because I was thinking so much. I didn't even know I had that much to think about. In the beginning, it was mostly asking questions with an undercurrent of a hymn stuck in my head. Does that ever happen to you? Background music to your thoughts? Maybe that's just me. Slowly, the background music started getting louder; it gradually overtook the questions, and I realized that I had Jesus Loves Me stuck in my head.

Why is it that a song that you normally just pass off as a simple children's song suddenly hits you with a message that nearly brings you to tears? It doesn't just have to be a kids' song either. Beethoven's 7th, Tchaikovsky's 5th, Saint-Saens' 3rd, Brahms' 1st symphonies have all had the same effect on me at one point or another. Without warning, a melody or specific lyrics unveils a brief glimpse of the heart of the Creator, and regardless of hopes and joys, fears and sorrows, you recognize for a few blissful moments that nothing matters more than his love for his creation. Nothing on earth can replicate that kind of beauty.

Omnivorous Antipescetarian: Confirmed

I hate fish. Whoa.

Like the kind you eat, not the kind you keep in a bowl or a tank or whatever.

I had thought that maybe if I tried some again, maybe my last fish experience would have been long enough in the past that my taste buds would have matured and I would magically think that the taste and texture were the grandest things in the world. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Last night, our choir had a very fancy end-of-the-year fête, including a gourmet meal with four courses: (hors d'oeuvres), soup, (palate cleanser), entrée, cheese, dessert. I took a lot of risks at this dinner. I ate both pea soup - the greenness of which has always perturbed me a bit - and foie gras. If you didn't know, that's made out of goose livers. Like I said...RISKS. (Good risks. As it turns out, pea soup is pretty tasty!)

But then came the salmon wrapped in bacon, covered with oyster sauce.

Dread came over me. What should I do? I resolved to try it. Be brave. Show the world that you are not intimidated by your food. It sat like a lump on my plate. Why is it so pink? I like red meat...but red fish? I cut off a large bite. No sample sizes here. Whole hog. I put the fish in my mouth and chewed. This texture is different then I imagined.

Then I tasted it.

Oh gosh. It's getting fishier...and fishier...and FISHIER! AHHHHH!!! IT'S LIKE EATING CAPE COD!!! QUICK! DRINK WATER! EAT BACON!! MUST. EVICT. FISH. FLAVOR. IMMEDIATELY.

At this point, I knew that I could not subject myself to eating another bite.

I know without a doubt that it was not the fish that was bad. Everyone around me was saying how splendid it was, how finely prepared, how flavorful, etc. I commend the cooks and servers for their top-notch cooking and serving. I wanted for nothing, and the evening was delightful. With the fish came green beans and mashed potatoes, which I ate with great appreciation and rapidity.

I did, however, discover that I really, really can't handle seafood. It seems to be anathema to me. Be forewarned, those of you who dine with me regularly.

I like lists.

Do you have a rich-and-famous list? I do. Now, before you get all weirded out and wonder why I want to go off and meet rich and famous people, let me explain. (Although honestly...who would complain about meeting rich and famous people?)

This is a stuff-I-will-do-when-I-am-rich-and-famous list, but I'm lazy and I don't want to write that all out every time I reference said list. Thus, we have the rich-and-famous list. (Also, this list excludes giving to charity, because that would be a given.)

TRAAAAAAVEL.

Traveling is pretty much my favorite thing to do ever. Problem: international travel requires a lot of money. Hence, it goes on the list. Destinations include Norway, Ireland, France, Italy (ROME!), Turkey, Greece, Iceland, Wales, and Mongolia.


[source]


Oboe Lessons/Baroque Oboe

Lessons with some really important people, because they generally know what they're doing, and I could learn a lot from them. And a Baroque oboe because it sounds cool.


...Clothes...

Al-RIGHT already. So maybe I'm materialistic. But I like clothes that are nice, and if I were rich and famous, I'd buy some.


Red Sox Tickets

Because I've never been to a game. And I've lived near Boston for four freakin' years now. You'd think I'd have done that already.


iPhone.

Duh.


Ballroom Dance

Because it's fun. And doesn't everyone want to be Fred Astaire and/or Ginger Rogers?


[source]

I can't keep this up because you'll get bored. But other stuff is on there too, like owning an estate, a time portal, a fancy-schmancy camera, a cat, and an unclaimed island where I could resurrect Latin.

What's on your list?

Mini Bread-Muffins

Hey, hey, it's been a pretty long while since I posted anything about food! That's terrible. I love food. But I'm living in a regular dorm again, so cooking food is no longer as easy as it was in The Apartment.

Today, however, I was babysitting, which meant full access to a usable kitchen!

(Aside: doesn't grammar dictate that you should use "an" before a word that starts with a vowel? Why don't words that start with u count?)

I decided that bread-baking sounded like a good plan to do with kids. They can mix everything together, and THEN!! they get to mush the dough all around with their hands! It was perfect.

I used the following recipe for Crusty White Bread:

2 packets of yeast
2 cups of warm water
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 c. vegetable oil
6 - 6 1/2 c. flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Follow instructions on the packet.

Mix the sugar, salt, oil, and 3 cups of the flour together, then mix with the yeast mixture.

When it's well blended, add more flour until the dough is easy to handle.

Place the dough on a floured board (or counter) and knead for 8 - 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes.

After dough has doubled in size, punch it down, separate it into two loaves, place in greased and floured bread pans, and let rise for one hour.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes at 400 degrees.


That's a pretty simple recipe, so I decided to make it more exciting. When we were mixing up the first ingredients, I dumped some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into the dough until it looked spicy. (For this type of thing I don't use measurements. Eyeball it...whatever looks good is probably right.) Then, instead of separating it into two loaves, I decided that we should make mini-bread, and we baked it in a muffin pan! I made a mixture of some butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and brushed it on top of each mini bread-muffin as a sort of glaze. Since they were smaller, I cut the baking time down to 20 minutes.

They turned out great!



And they're highly kid-friendly. Seriously. Beyond the kneading fun, the kids get to mix things, watch the dough "grow like a plant," smell the wonderful aroma of baking cinnamon, and feel accomplished that they made something. Also - IT'S HEALTHY! I mean, let's face it...even with the glaze it has no more than a total of 4 tablespoons of sugar. What's not to like?

Fun at Work

Ok, so I know I'm supposed to be getting a real job and all, but honestly, babysitting is kinda fun. I mean, how often do YOU get to have someone do your hair, dress you up in a fancy evening gown made out of a large green blanket, and pretend that you're a movie star for 45 minutes at a time? I even had a photographer.

He was 4.

But still.



I felt so pampered.

Even if my hair was held in place by marker-covered popsicle sticks.

Best part of summer?

OOOOOOOOOOH EEEEEEEEEEEEEMMM GEEEEEEEEEEEE. (That's code for "Oh my gosh," if you couldn't read it due to the excessive letters.)

Why the exclamation, you ask? I will inform you. Harry Potter (the finale, of course) will be in theaters on July 15th, and the they have finally released the trailer. It looks pretty epic. If you haven't jumped on the Harry Potter train by now, it's time you did. Just saying.

Tales of Me & the Roommate

Meghanne is my eternal roommate. Ok, not LITERALLY eternal, but we've lived together for two years now, and we're cohabitating yet again for the summer. Who's to say we won't live together forever?


That nice picture is all fine and dandy, but it doesn't really sum up our relationship. Let me try again.


Ahh. Much, much better.

In any case, today I will tell you a story about me and Meghanne.

(Preface: Meghanne and I have a slight...affinty for weddings. Not our weddings. Just weddings in general.)

Setting: Wednesday night, junior year of college. 10 pm.

"Meghanne, we've had the longest day ever. I'm so, so tired. And yet, I don't want to go to bed yet," says Jillian. "I KNOW. LET'S GO TO THE GROCERY STORE AND GET WEDDING MAGAZINES AND WATCH THE WEDDING PLANNER!!!" replies Meghanne, all in verbal caps lock. Jillian finds this to be a brilliant idea. Generally, you wouldn't peg her as the let's-all-read-wedding-magazines-and-pick-our-engagement-rings kind of girl, but suddenly, the reading-wedding-magazines-and-watching-a-chick-flick part of Meghanne's plan seems to be the best plan in the entire world.

Jillian and Meghanne race to the grocery store. The clock on the dashboard reads 10:32. Luckily, Shaws is open until 11. Upon entering the store, they immediately recognize imminent danger: other Gordon students are grocery shopping! At risk of ruining their reputations as sensible people, they sneak to the magazine isle, and, disguising the incriminating material at the bottom of the basket by covering it discreetly with Ben and Jerry's ice cream, they make their way surreptitiously to the check out.

"Oooooh, are you getting married?" the check out lady asks politely and somewhat excitedly. Eyes on the conveyor belt, they reply in unison, "....noooo...." "Oh dear, I remember when I was your age. My girlfriends and I would get wedding magazines and watch girly movies while eating candy. It was so much fun. Is that what you're doing?"

Quickly, Meghanne comes up with an excuse to preserve our compromised feminine integrity. "My sister! (Sidenote: Meghanne is sister-less.) My sister is getting married and we're having a girly night with her and the rest of the bridesmaids and so we needed this magazine and the ice cream so that we could have our party and it's a surprise so we're getting it late tonight so there's no chance she'll be here."

The checkout lady may or may not have believed us. We will never know. What we do know is that we get safely back to campus, the magazine and ice cream double-bagged so that we won't be accused of being "typical Gordon girls" or "Ring-by-Spring fanatics."



Of course, by retelling this story, I've sort of already done that, haven't I?

Opportunity of Wonderful

Maybe you were not as interested in the Royal Wedding as I was, but regardless of whether you got up at the crack of dawn to watch it or not, you should find it interesting that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are visiting Canada between June 30th and July 8th.

Better yet, they're stopping in Montreal, which, as we know from last year's escapade, is not so far from my house.

Conclusion: since a possible trip to Montreal was in the works anyway, we need to go over the first weekend in July.

(Because who would pass up an opportunity to see foreign royalty/the world's most famous couple in person?)


[souce]

Brohan the Second

yay i was watching tv when my sister called me and said that i should write on her wall so thats what i'm doing. so im going to tell you a story. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. well anyway thats pretty much it.



(He's a funny one, that one. Did you laugh? I did. Well...maybe the first few times around.)

Way cool 2.

Guess what! I have TWO brothers! Christopher is a pretty cool person too. These pictures are from awhile ago, but I have a video of him too so maybe I'll put that up later.

 

I think I'll get him to guest blog tomorrow.

Be excited.

Fotobooth Fun

Hello world!

I am writing today in order to explain a photo collage which apparently grows larger upon the commencement of one clicking somewhere on the surface of it. This collage came to be in existence because my sister, the notorious and infamous Jillian Griffin, who i'm sure is known for her blog posts throughout the interwebs, opened photobooth on her computer... Apparently the fun does not end after this outrageous photo taking program is running. We spent nearly an hour creating funny and inexplainable facial expressions as well as body gestures to entertain ourselves in the evening.

One would think that you would use effects to have the most fun, but that is not the case. Simply have an excellent time on good old normal mode and off to the races one goes. You see, I have found that there is not so much ingenuity or perplexity involved in the making and observing of photos that rely simply on the effect to make them funny, like having two faces and four arms. All you really need is to have the soft susurration of your imagination prompt you, within three seconds, to plaster onto your features an indelible moment of creativity that is now saved to less than one kilobyte of space on your hard drive. Congrats you've made a photo!

Well over the course of that one hour, I had a most excellent and bodacious adventure. *Bill and Ted fans insert laugh here* I hope that everyone who reads this blog tries out their own version of photobooth or crystaleye or whatever type of program you have so that they all can have as much fun as my sister and I did. I dare you to try it :)

K, Later all

(Jillian's brother, not v v v)

Way cool.

Johann (the Brohan) and I are cool people. You can tell by looking at our fun pictures.

 

Aren't we the greatest? Or at least Jonathan is. (That's his real name. I refer to him as Johann.)

I think he should guest blog sometime. Maybe today.

Stacy and Clinton will probably hate me, but...

I was wearing a dress earlier today, but seeing as it was cold and rainy, I wanted to be cozier. Thus, I put on my Man Day shirt and have since been enjoying the lovely comfort of oversized flannel...


(For the record, Man Day was an apartment holiday this past year involving the aforementioned shirt, eating food, and hanging out with some of our manly friends.)

Should I be changing my life plans?

I've had weird dreams in the past...like one time I dreamt that two friends and I were living in Communist Russia. The Communists were hunting us down because they thought we were protestors, and the general populous was hunting us down because they thought we were raging Communists.

Like I said. Weird. That one didn't even make any sort of sense.

Well last night, I had another weird dream, except this one didn't involve anyone being hunted down.

It started out in a shopping mall in London. I was there with a friend - I can't remember which friend - and we found a whole rack of extraordinarily brightly colored corduroy pants, presumably at Gap. They were on super sale, so I was going to buy a pair of white ones and a pair of purple ones when I got distracted by some students I recognized from student teaching.

You know when you definitely know someone in a dream, but then you wake up and realize that the person you "knew" so well didn't actually look like said person at all? Maybe I'm the only one that experiences that...in any case, upon reflection, I'm pretty sure the students I ran into don't look anything like students I actually taught. Especially since their names were Holly Jane and Hailey, and I don't have any students with names like that.

However, dream details are inconsequential.

I chatted with them for awhile while my friend browsed the clothes some more. Suddenly, I was interrupted again, this time by someone by the rather well-known moniker Price Harry. (Or the less well-known moniker "His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales.")

[source]

We proceeded to wander through the mall together mostly unnoticed expect for a few discreet paparazzi, and I thought to myself that I was probably going to end up on the cover of some sleazy tabloid distributed to grocery stores throughout the UK. I woke up to the echos of Prince Harry telling me that he really wanted to keep in touch by phone when I traveled back to the US later that day...

Personally, I have never even considered any sort of connection to the Royal Family through marriage or otherwise, nor have I ever been given to what could be considered a "celebrity crush," but apparently my subconscious is telling me that I have been misled by my conscious intelligence for the past 22 years. I don't really believe in dreams having meaning, but if they do, perhaps my life will be more exciting than I anticipated.

Everything

Today I'm presenting you with a smorgasbord of things. Maybe you'll find it boring, but I think it's all interesting.

The Sartorialist became one of my favorite blogs to read (slash look at) since my apartment buddy Michelle made me aware of it several months ago. I've never been the most fashionable person in the world, but I think the people in the pictures he takes always look so in style. I don't always like what they're wearing, but at the very least they're all extraordinarily chic. Today he posted my favorite picture yet, and so I'm going to put it here so you can appreciate it too.


I'm also going to give you a few more examples of the fantastic-ness just so your eyes can feast on things that are aesthetically pleasing.

("Aesthetic" has been my word of the day. I've used it about four times already in conversation.)




[The Sartorialist]


Secondly, here is another aesthetically pleasing thing.

LOOK. AT. THIS. CAKE.


[souce]


Thaaaaaaaat's it.

Appreciate its glory.

Revel in its presumed deliciousness.

Anticipate the day when it will be on my counter ready to eat...because it certainly will be.


Thirdly, the Unnamed Denominationalists are here again, which essentially means that it feels like all of Gordon came back for the week, except that everyone has aged thirty years and is wearing what could only be categorized as "mom clothes." (Sorry, Mom. For the record, your clothes don't look like that.) Problems with the Unnamed Denominationalists being here include ZERO PARKING on campus during the day, long lines for food, and odd worship music. Odd is not an understatement; we're talking piano, two saxophones, hand percussion, and lyrics along the same lines as the "Jesus is my Friend" video.



Actually, I think the video is a pretty good overall representation of the Unnamed Denominationalists. Intriguing.


Fourthly, I FINALLY turned in all the paperwork involved with student teaching today, which means that I can get a teaching license! Woo! I will be an official music teacher now. Scary thought, eh? I could be teaching your children how to sing do.

And re.

And mi.

And so on and so forth.

"DOOOOOOOO, a deer, a feeeeemale deeeeeer...." Except not like that at all. No one learns to sing that well that fast.


Fifthly, I've bought some new clothes recently. Would it be a good idea (and/or not vain idea) to do an outfit post sometime? Opinions, please!


Finally, I need a good book to read. Any suggestions?