Things I am excited about!

There are SO many movies in the theatre I want to go see! Burlesque, The Tourist, Tron, True Grit, How do you Know, Love and Other Drugs.... the list could even go on from there. But somehow I came across the preview for Water for Elephants, and I CANNOT wait. The book was so good, and different. It had everything you would want in a book- adventure, circus animals, a love story, midgets :o) And I remember reading something at the end of the book, the author did quite a bit of research and the elephant is based off a real elephant from a real circus (waaaay back in the day). If you ever watch the movie you'll know what I mean ;o)

And Robert Pattinson really looks talented in the previews. Taking on such a different role from the Eclipse movies, I'm excited to see him branch out and show other types of talent. And who doesn't love Reese Whitherspoon?

Another thing I am, and I admit I am ENTIRELY TOO excited about this- Oprah's New Network OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)!!

I am obsessed. How?

Well, let me count the ways. Since her latest magazine, which published a preview of many of the upcoming shows that will be airing, I have read about them ALL. I have also read about her shows online. I have watched her exclusive interview with Barbra Walters about it (FYI Oprah doesn't do very many interviews- now she has of course interviewed countless- but given is a much shorter list. And of course only Barbra Walters could have done this one...) I have checked my channels to make sure I get Discovery Health (what OWN will be replacing). I have joined the OWN facebook group and get excited every time they post something new. I have become an OWN insider, so I can view the upcoming previews of shows. I can't decide which show I am more excited about. Really let me tell you about some of them (I would post the previews but can't pull the embedded videos off the OWN site... and I doubt they are on youtube.)

Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind
OWNS turns the mystery of creativity into inspiration. Join some of the world's most creative thinkers such as Lady Gaga, Will.i.am (who wrote OWN's them-song- really I told you I'm obsessed), James Cameron and Annie Lebowitz as they take you into their own creative process.

Our America with Lisa Ling
From religious movements to sex offenders to drug addiction and online brides, Lisa Ling takes viewers along for an in-depth look at some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues in the United States today.

Oprah's Next Chapter
Join Oprah as she embarks on her greatest adventure yet: her next chapter. Featuring in-depth interviews and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that lead you from the ends of the earth to Oprah's own backyard.

--I don't think this preview really says what the show is about, Oprah will be traveling all over the world and turning those experiences into a TV show! She will even be giving some interviews in these places. What I really like about it was why she wanted to do it, she said that when she and her best friend Gale to Yosemite, she said her viewers felt like they got to go too, so she wanted to get to do that again. To travel and share it with her viewers. :o)

Oprah presents Master Class
They are the stories you've never heard from the people you thought you knew best. Hand-picked by Oprah Winfrey for their unique impact on the world, eight true modern masters step forward to share the greatest lessons they've learned along the way.
First season masters include Jay-Z, Simon Cowell, Sidney Poitier, Dr. Maya Angelou, Diane Sawyer, Lorne Michaels, Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Oprah Winfrey.

Oh I could just go on and on... I won't bore you any longer.






I have started re-watching her 25 years DVDs, because obviously I just can't wait till Jan 1st for OWN to air.

Recent Elections

This pretty much sums up how I feel about the outcomes of our nation's recent elections Congressmen and Senate members. Also, it may serve as a much needed chuckle for those (obviously few) of us who are NOT HAPPY about the G.O.P recent takeover of our Congress. Goodbye Healthcare initiative! Hello Congress holding up anything Obama wants to pass! Whoo hoo!

At least Shelby congressional district has DEMOCRATIC Congressman Steve Cohen, and I am ashamed to say, it is probably only due to the large African American population here.

Enjoy!

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/oh-happy-day/

{one} have you ever crawled through a window?

Actually, no. I am pretty sure I haven't. Makes me wonder if I'm missing out, hehe.

{two} what’s one subject that you wish you knew more about?

Lots and lots. I would prob have to say cars, though. I HATE taking my car to get ANYTHING fixed, because I always feel like I have no idea what is going on, and I always get the feeling I'm being taken advantage of. Sometimes, I really want to say: "Look, obviously, I know nothing about cars, but if you could just be straight with me about what we're doing I'd really appreciate it." Does anybody else ever feel like they are getting spoken to like a child when the go to get anything done with their car?

{three} who’s your favorite villain?

Hmmm, definitely have to steal Meg's answer and say Lord Voldermort! I also REALLY hated Professor Umbridge, though I don't know if she counts as a classic "villan?"

{four} have you ever hit a jackpot on a slot machine?

Of course not. Does ANYONE?

{five} what is your favorite disney movie?

I would have to say Peter Pan, but I remember I and my little brother went to see The Lion King SEVERAL times in the theater. Kinda funny, in our office, the conversions team are dressing up as Snow White and the Seven dwarfs for Halloween (SOMEHOW, I got drafted into being Snow White, not quite sure how that happened.) Anyway, we are doing a skit- Sedgwick takes Halloween very seriously- and have been watching Snow White on youtube, it's so good. They really don't make animated movies like they used to, shame.

{six} if the whole world were listening, what would you say?

Well this Q kinda puts me on the spot. If the whole world were listening to me, it'd be a waste I think, haha. I think (don't judge me), they should tune into Oprah. lol, no seriously. She really talks about things that MATTER, she truly cares about people and the issues that concern their daily lives. And the good she has done for some countries such as Africa- opening an all-girls school- just awe me. The world could use a dose of Oprah, everyone is so hung up on themselves these days.

{seven} if you could choose one song to describe you or your life, what would it be?

How about "I'm a Rockstar"? Kidding, um, I have no idea, I'm not good at this kinda thing. Browsing through my itunes, maybe "I'd do it all again," by Corinne Baily Rae.

{eight} your desk: messy or organized?

Ugh, I think it's messy. I always jot things down on random pieces of paper, and unfortunately I write down everything, and never want to throw it away. But as far as other stuff on it, it's not too bad.

{nine} have you ever had surgery?

Nope, never. (knock on wood)

{ten} if you could have any animal as a pet, what would you have?

Well this is an easy Q! Of course, my Pockets. I'm smitten with her, she's got me whipped. :-)

"I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening!"

Ok, people. This should be every woman's bible. I'm NOT KIDDING (Hence the capital letters).

I have never read an intro to a cookbook (and I'm a little embarrassed to say I have read quite a few intros to cookbooks- WHY? Oh WHY am I becoming more and more like my mother every day?! They say these things are going to happen to you as you get older, but really, I was just unprepared.)

Anyway, like I was saying- I have never read an intro to a cookbook that I AGREE WITH MORE. This lady knows her stuff. This cookbook's forward should be every woman's second Bible (second to the actual Bible, naturally.) I wish I could post the entire forward on this blog post, but I just spent the last 15 minutes trying to find a way to CPY-PASTE from several online readers and they have that sh*t on lock-down. Not gunna happen. So I will only be able to post snippets. Sad, I know. I know anyone reading must be tearing up right now...

So a few of the pieces that SPOKE to me were:

"Twenty minutes in your kitchen can save you three hours on a treadmill."

"I was on the yo-yo diet fast track, gaining ten to fifteen pounds per year from the time I was eight until I was fifteen. At that point, I tipped the scales at close to 190 pounds and was wondering why I could succeed at everything I put my mind to except losing weight. Then I heard that if you just cut 100 calories from your diet everyday, on average, you'll lose ten pounds in a year. That really clicked. I immediately called upon the cooking skills my Italian grandmother bestowed on me. The next thing I knew, I was actually losing weight- and, more importantly, keeping it off! All I did at that time was make minor tweaks to the foods I as already eating."

"Though I've lost over fifty-five pounds, I really don't struggle with my weight any more"

LADIES THESE ARE EVERY WOMAN'S WORD'S OF GOLD, I MEAN WHO DOESN'T WANT TO NOT EVER WORRY ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT ANYMORE? UM ME! ME! ME!

" well, unless you count that nagging five to ten pounds all women fluctuate"

Wow, she's a normal human being. Imagine.

" wishing they would conquer forever. But even with that, my weight is no longer the obsession it was for the first twenty-six years of my life. That's because I can eat all of the foods I love."

Now I don't know what image you have in your head of this woman (heck, maybe I'm the only person that sometimes pictures the author when reading) but I certainly was picturing someone a little on the larger side. What? I'm going to be honest here. Someone who "likes to eat" and "has cravings", has "struggled with weight in the past?" I mean, what pops into your head? I wasn't thinking overweight, but I was thinking she probably had some "cushin-for-the-pushin," if you know what I mean....






















That what you pictured? Um, yea didn't think so. Can you imagine that she was ever 190? I can't. I mean this lady is gorgeous and she eats WHATEVER she wants on a daily basis. If that isn't motivation enough to read this intro, then I don't know what is. But let me continue....

Now there is some really GREAT material I'm going to skip over- because obviously I'm not going to type the whole intro on here. I mean really, that is a lot of typing and probably not legal... And plus, I am hoping you will investigate on your own!

Now here is the exert that the author MUST HAVE TAKEN FROM MY HEAD. I swear it's like she read my mind (also, just FYI I have this EXACT same thoughts about working out. You are just making excuses if you say you don't have time to workout. Period. End of story- but guess that's for another blog-post :-))

"I often hear people say they don't have time to cook. But as I see it, we don't have time NOT to cook. Assuming the above is true- that twenty minutes in your kitchen can save you three hours at the gym- you're actually adding time to your life by cooking. Not only will you need to spend less time at the gym, you'll be shedding those unwanted pounds that are the direct cause of your spending way too much time in the doctor's office, or waiting in line at the pharmacy to pick up your blood pressure or cholesterol medicine or even in spending tons of time monitoring your sugar levels because of your type 2 diabetes."

Oh if only my grandfather had this information and would have followed it YEARS AGO- he might be a different man today. As it is, he was a man that could work on a farm all day, played sports his whole life- MS State football, too. Now he can't even get up from his chair to get the paper some mornings.

"And all of that costs money, which means you have to spend more time at work making the money to pay for it all."

She then goes into the spill about how everyone has time to do this. And she is right. Everyone is busy. And I do mean everyone. I hate people that seem to think they are busier than other people. Yes, you may be. And doing this may mean that you have to cut out things like that extra television show, or that extra nap. If it's not worth it to you, than you have no right to complain about it. And just for the record, if you want to know what will give you more energy- it's working out and eating healthier. Hands-down it is the best energy booster you could ever give your body, and I speak from experience.

Then she gives you tips on how you can do it. Real tips, ones you can use. Buy this book people, if you are looking for some help here it is. I know I intend to take her advice, because lord knows I struggle sometimes- with overeating and it all! Hopefully, her words of wisdom may be just the little bits of help I need to get through those tougher days.

:-)

Photography

So, I recently purchased a point and shoot camera, a FILM camera. Yes, those still exist. I know most people wouldn't understand the appeal of a film camera, but I really have to admit, they can be a lot of fun. I think society today becomes so sensitized to the digital "world,"- they forget anything existed before digital! I think it's nice once in a while to kick it "old school" if you will, haha!

Plus, in my opinion, while you can get the same effects using software to alter digital pictures, a lot of film cameras produce truly original results without that extra step. Of course there is the added disadvantage that your pictures won't turn out at all. It's all a trade-off.

This is the camera I purchased:

It's official title is the "SuperHeadz: White Slim Angel (Wide Angle Lens) Camera"

Found here: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/wide-angle-slim/ (and also Amazon of course)









It has a ultra wide lens (the picture can span a wide lateral area),
and I love the vivid colors of the pictures after the film was developed:



'














And let me just say right now, Photojojo the site I purchased the camera from is excellent, for the non-photography saavy like myself :-) Not only do they sell excellent products, they send out a newsletter you can subscribe to via email, chopped full of fun tips and projects. For example, this one: Doing double exposures with your friends- which for those that don't know, double exposure means taking two pictures on the same roll of film, overlayed. It creates a really cool effect of two pictures meshed together...

http://content.photojojo.com/diy/friendly-double-exposures/

One of my fondest memories was when I and my Dad went out one day and he taught me how to use his Manual Nikon.

It looks a lot like this:













Now, as I said before, I'm not camera saavy AT ALL. But it was A BLAST. He taught me the basics of how to use a manual camera, and it's really not as hard as one might think.(Like I always say, if I can do it, ANYONE can lol.) To me, there are just two basic facts you should know to get you started.

1. Setting the shutter speed.
This determines how much your film is exposed to light (on some digital cameras you can actually alter this setting, the auto feature usually just sets it for you.) In photography, shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open. The total exposure is proportional to this exposure time, or duration of light reaching the film or image sensor.

In addition to its effect on exposure, the shutter speed changes the way movement appears in the picture. Very short shutter speeds can be used to freeze fast-moving subjects, for example at sporting events. Very long shutter speeds are used to intentionally blur a moving subject for artistic effect.

Hopefully, this little picture I found on Wikipedia will help explain :)








The first picture of the pinwheel was taken with a short exposure, and captured the the pinwheel very quickly. It appears that pinwheel wasn't even spinning at all, because it just captured that one moment in time. It looks frozen in time.

The second was taken with a longer exposure time, and the effect is more visible, you can see the pinwheel was actually spinning through the blurs of the colors.

And... in the third you can see how all the colors were captured during the longest light exposure and the effect it creates. Pretty cool, huh?

2. Adjusting the aperture.
This is a little more difficult to explain, but I will try my best... (Most of this was gathered from Wikipedia :-) )
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture of an optical system is the opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. This is just fancy language to say that the aperture controls the depth of field, or the distance range over which objects are acceptably sharp. If an aperture is narrow, then highly collimated rays are admitted, resulting in a sharp focus at the image plane. If an aperture is wide, then uncollimated rays are admitted, resulting in a sharp focus only for rays with a certain focal length. This means that a wide aperture results in an image that is sharp around what the lens is focusing on and blurred otherwise. The aperture also determines how many of the incoming rays are actually admitted and thus how much light reaches the image plane (the narrower the aperture, the darker the image for a given exposure time).

So you blur the background, and bring the object you are looking at into focus, or vice versa.

Here's a pic that hopefully provides a visual:






This picture was taken with a narrow aperture, and a slow shutter speed.






This picture was taken with a wide aperture, and a fast shutter speed.

Well, those are the basics, if you're interested (and if you're not hopefully you're not still reading by this point!)

Just want to wrap up by concluding the story I started earlier- about the day I and my Dad went out with his manual Nikon. I remember very few pictures actually came out (don't be disappointed if your first trail run results this way, you have to learn to do these adjustments and every camera is different), but we took one roll of color film and one black and white. We went to our church, to the graveyard- for those of you who are wondering why we went there, you should take a walk in a graveyard sometime, they are really beautiful, peaceful places with all kinds of interesting features to photograph on the graves and flowers- and then we went up to the University. My two favorite photographs of my father, I took that day! All by myself! They were some of the only black and white photos that came out that day. I L-O-V-E them, and never could have achieved the custom look they have with a digital camera. The framed photos sit atop my bookcase, and will forever capture my father and that day. Those two freeze frame moments bring a smile to my face. Every time I look at them, I go right back to that day. To me, they capture what photography is all about, capturing memories with loved ones. :)

Getting to Know You.


1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?
I am actually not a huge reality TV junkie. Just never got into it very much. So I honestly don't really have an answer.

2. Do you put your seatbelt on before or after you start the car?
Usually before I think. It's hard for me to tell because putting it on has become something so familiar I do it without thinking about it. I ALWAYS wear it, feels weird if I don't.

3. Shave or hair removal cream?
Definately shave or wax (even though waxing hurts like a b**tch!!!) But anyone who has suffered those horrible little red bumps knows what I'm talking about.

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?
This is a really cool question, but that I find hard to answer. I think just the layout in general- I love a house that is decorated and layed out very well. I like pretty furniture, and good decorations. A room that's pulled together is the answer I think I'm trying to get out :)

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?
Hmmmm, does the smell of cookies baking count?

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??
LOST!!!

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?
Neither, I really like to do both those things! It takes all the fun out of it if someone else does it.

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?
Football season and the start of Fall semester- but this year I won't be going to Fall semester, and I don't miss it one bit!!

These are a few of my favorite things...

These are a few of my favorite things...

Doncha love the Sound of Music? I mean, who doesn't love the sound of music?

Anyway, no idea why, but I wanted to post some of my favorite things as of late. As I said, I don't know what prompted this post. Completely random.

Everyone has favorite things, whether they are things they enjoy doing, products, food, whatever. And when you share your favs you give the opportunity to give someone else something totally awesome, too. Plus I love reading other people's posts about favorite crap, so I am stealing the idea :)

1. Pockets- First name, Polly :)

I'm smitten. She's a handful, but I love my new dog. Our latest adventure? I took her to the dogpark yesterday, in hopes that I might wear her out (ha, what a joke). We literally went for 2 hours, played fetch, she splashed in the lake and got completely filthy. We walked, she played with other dogs... We came home and I pretty much tricked her into taking a bath (bc I mean, she was COVERED in mud). Yeeeaaahh. She went a little nuts. She was ok during the actual bath, she didn't want it, but she let me hold her in the tub and wash her. After, though, she ran up and down the stairs like a demon-possessed banshee. Like she was trying to get the bath off her! It was nuts. I might buy a hose just to avoid the bath experience in the future, not kidding. The bathroom after she got out was covered in mud and hair. But seeing her splash around the lake and chase the birds- priceless :).


Wish I had a photo of how dirty she got when we went to the park, now THAT would be a good photo!











2. LOST






















So yeeeaaahh. This show has been on for a while now. Like 6 seasons... I JUST started watching. It's great. Super great. I never knew what it was about (what is it with commercials that make no sense?) but it is about a group of people traveling (from?) Sydney back to America who crash on a very strange island.... The characters are awesome and weird and freaky stuff happens every episode. There is definately something strange about this island :)

3. The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book





















The first time I saw this cookbook, I knew I must have it. And it is AWESOME. I love cookies, so a cookie recipe book chopped full with 745 recipes obviously makes me happy. But a cookbook with SHORTCUT recipes that ALL sound delicious? Now that I am excited about. So what makes them shortcut recipes you ask? Well they use brownie mixes, premade cookie dough (yup the Pillsbury kind (or WalMart/Kroger brands for those of us that are a bit poorer), or cake mixes that you buy at the store) as the bases of all the cookies, brownies, and bars. Now I haven't gotten through the whole book, but here is one recipe I thought I might post, just to give an idea of what the book is like. I mean this recipe has FOUR ingredients, people. If that's not easy, I don't know what is. That is almost easier than just buying the plain old mix, and much more delicious.

Chubby Rocky Road Bars

1 (16.5 ounce) roll refrigerated chocolate-chip cookie dough
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Spray 8-in square pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with foil.

Break up dough into the prepared pan; with floured fingers, press dough into pan to for an even layer. Bake for 27-30 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Removed from oven and immediately sprinkle with half of the chocolate chips; keep oven on. Let stand 5 min until chips are shiny; spread chocolate chips with a knife to cover cookie layer.
Top with marshmallows, remaining morsels, and walnuts. Press down slightly. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until marshmallows begin to puff.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15-20 min. Cut warm bars to pieces with wet knife.

(credit: pg 216 The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book by Camilla v. Saulsbury)

The recipes I'm most looking forward to trying next? Baby Ruth Brownies and Granola cookies!

4. Lipton Diet Green Tea
























I love this stuff, especially love the berry flavor.

5. Song: Like Boom by Vita Chambers

Apparently opening for Justin Beiber, I happened to hear her stuff on the radio. (I never hear new, good stuff lol.) Instantly thought this song was fun, and made me want to sing along like a kid.





6. My kickboxing class!!!

My teacher is probably- oh I would say 50 or over- no joke. And she just about kicks my butt every class. It's a high-intensity cardio workout, and I L-O-V-E it. I have always been a cardio junkie though, so anything that's a change from my daily jog is fun. I think my favorite part about the workout is the arm workout. I hate to workout my arms, and kickboxing provides the perfect cardio workout to mask the arm workout. he he.
























7. Charming Charlie

Ok, the first time I went in here, for some reason I didn't see much I liked. Crazy, I know! I don't know, maybe I just didn't take a good look. Don't know what happened, because my second trip here I wanted to buy the whole store... If you haven't been to one of these, ladies, you are missing out. They are basically the largest jewelry store.. EVER. Jewelry, bags, shoes, clothes... But mostly jewelry. All colors, all kinds. Whatever jewelry accessory you are looking for you can find it here. And for pretty decent prices. Can't really shop online though, so here's a link to store locations:

http://www.charmingcharlie.com/locations

Just a taste ....

Starting up again!

Ok, so it's only been a couple months since my last post.... That's pretty good right???? I am going to start back up again, and really, this time I will keep it up. No, really. I'm serious this time.

So many things have changed since my last post: graduated, GOT A JOB, moved to Memphis, GOT A JOB....

And I am happy, for one, I LOVE the working 8:30-5 (yup that's a full-time day for me) instead of the kill-myself, don't sleep for an entire semester, study 24-7 school. It is SUCH a nice change, it really is. And the company I work for is great. Sedgwick CMS is a claims management company, which takes is (mostly) workers comp and disability claims for other large companies and manages those claims in their system (JURIS). I am a conversion programmer/analyst. My job is to look at the data coming in and determine where it should go in our system and how to convert it there. Sounds pretty easy, huh? Not always the case. I am really enjoying it, there have been a LOT of new things to learn, and I am still learning new things everyday, but hopefully with time I will become more experience and more of an asset (sometimes I feel much more like a burdon with the billion questions I ask per day)!

Daily Read

So, enough about that- there are several things I would love to blog about, one of them being what I am recently reading, "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. Now I was not familar with Ken Follett, even though now I see he has written about a hundred books. I am by no means the expert, but as far as I can tell he writes mostly historical fiction (which I have come to discover I love, if you haven't read "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Phillipa Gregory, I highly recommend it- or the movie if you're more into that (however, NEVER judge a book by it's movie!!!). I think I enjoy historical fiction so much because you actually get a dose of history but a much more exciting tale blended in. Because let's face it, I think I speak for a majority of people when I say that history from a textbook can be, well, boring. I think I am putting this as nicely as possible.

Anyway, this book has some amazing characters, and is really the reason it's such a hit. The story takes place in England (and I have been planning a family vacation to England, and every place they go I think- I WANT TO SEE THIS WHEN I GO, lol). You begin with strange circumstances- a hanging of a young mantaking place, ending with his pregnant lover (Ellen) cursing his executioners. Then you meet Tom, a mason who aspires to work on a cathedral one day, and his family. Then there is Phillip, a righteous, yet ambitious monk who discovers a plot to overthrow Stephen, the heir to the thrown after Henry the I dies. Character after character you meet only deepens the plot. Each character has their own tale and as the story progresses you find their stories intertwine and connect in the most subtle ways. I can't help wondering how this book will turn out, every page something new and exciting happens.

"The Pillars of the Earth" is being turned into a Ridley Scott-produced miniseries starring Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell; shot in Hungary and Austria, it is to air by June 2010. I can totally see why they made it into a mini-series, it reads just like one. Which I usually don't enjoy, but the writing is excellent in this case, and I think that's why it's the exception.

The book rose to fame when Oprah put it on her booklist, which is why I am reading it of course. And the only reason I would recommend you don't read it is if a) you aren't a fan of historical fiction and b) you don't like long books (this one is a 600 page whopper) otherwise, I recommend ya read it, because so far, it's awesome!

I have decided to start reading most of her list :) which can be found here:

Cookies!

Ok, so I have decided that I am going to have a weekly blog "thing," bc everybody else does. Only it took me a bit to decide what I wanted to do. I couldn't pick a weekly thing I might not be able to do every week, and I didn't want to pick something that would be hard either (lazy, I know). So... I thought, what about cookies? I am always finding recipesthat I would like to try (but never make bc I tell myself I don't need the extra calories), and so they just sit there. What's the good in that? Why not bake a few and share some experiences at the same time?

So here's my first cookie post. I have not currently thought up a witty name for my blog thing so for now it's just cookies.

So here's the story behind my first recipe:
My Dad and I grabbed breakfast not too long ago at a new bakery that recently opened up in Oxford, Honey Bee. I do have to say I thought it was very good. They serve a variety of bakery items: sweets and homemade bread, and they have a wonderful breakfast and lunch menu. It's small though and can get crowded pretty quickly. Also, probably my favorite thing about the bakery is their selection of teas and coffee, you can get some very interesting brews and a french press also, which I have always loved. Anyway, back to story, after my Dad and I grabbed breakfast and were paying I saw this bakery had some Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies. I LOVE oatmeal cookies, always have. And thought these sounded like an interesting twist. So I looked up a recipe and tried em out. They were just as good as they sounded and super easy. :)














I would have taken pics of the cookies I cooked (as proof) but... I ate them all before I thought of that...

Here's the recipe and I have a few tips to give with it. I didn't add the 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter because I just refused to add that much butter, it's ridiculous. But I soon realized that was not the best thing to do- these cookies are actually made with a cake mix. Just the plain-jane yellow cake mix. It actually gives them a great flavor, but because it's a cake mix you need the extra butter to make the cookies form a more dough-y material. They are pretty hard to form into cookies because they are a bit flakier due to so much cake mix and oats. Also, next time I make them I will definately omit the 1/4 cup of sugar. I originally added it just because it wasn't much, but these cookies are sweet enough as it is, almost too sweet in my opinion. And I can have a sweet tooth at times.

Anyway, hope someone enjoys these as much as I did!


INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 box yellow cake mix with pudding
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, cinnamon and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Stir in cake mix and oats until blended. Stir in butterscotch chips and walnuts.
2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Ok, this was just too weird so I had to share. I watched Up in the Air last night (Which, I thought was a different, pretty funny movie, if anyone is interested. It was also kind of depressing though, which is an odd combo lol.) That's not the point of this post though, the weird thing that happened was the opening song to the movie I immediately liked. It was a jazzy lady, whose voice I thought was just beautiful. I have always had a weak spot for jazzy, soulful ladies. I really have no idea where I get it from. Anyway, I thought, I'm gunna google (Which, on another completely random tangent, did you know that "google" is officially in the dictionary now? . Google has apparently tried to keep it from becoming a mainstream term, because if it loses its trademark status, then other companies may be free to use the term. I say "googling" ALL the time...)

Ok, I will get back to the original point of this post- weird happening, heard song on Up in the Air, knew I wanted to look it up and get it. Well, another source I use for new music is artists that Oprah features in her magazine. One of the artists she featured this month, and the first one I "googled" was Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Well, waddaya know that was also the artist of the song I heard last night on Up in the Air. Strange coincidence and great song = blog post :)

This is the song. And Sharon Jones also seems like a rather special lady. She apparently tried to begin her career at a younger age, and no one wanted her (which I find unbelievable).

xkcd

Poop Senders

This is just too good not to share...

http://www.poopsenders.com/

xkcd

One of my fav xkcds.
Also, for those that know Pam Lawhead, it will make sense why this reminds me of her, for those that don't just disregard :)

Picnik

So, one of my best friends showed me the BEST photo editing site (that's right, site, not software) available. It's picnik.com. It's free, with optional upgrade for additional features, and I know what you're thinkin. Yeah, I won't be able to do anything with the free version. I have to say this is one of the few sites that fact doesn't apply to. The free effects are very good, and you can re-create pictures taken with a mediocre camera and turn them into photos that look professional. Really, you can. It's also very easy to navigate and use, and cool to view other photo-buff's works.

Now, I have recently upgraded (which is fairly inexpensive, I did the ~$5 per month), but the only reason I upgraded is I have been taking a lot more pictures lately. Many for a friend getting married, and I wanted to use a few of the premium features.

Just to show you I'm not lying about the quality of this site, here are a few examples of some stuff I've done (the first photo is I and the friend that told me about the site :) ...

And here's picnik: http://www.picnik.com/

Warrior of the Light

Ok, another deep post! Promise all of these are not going to be deep, I actually consider myself to be a pretty carefree, unemotional person most of the time. But I had to post some of what I consider to be "the greats." The stuff that really inspires me.

And Paulo Coelho is "one of the greats." He is a Brazilian writer who is a MUST-READ. He was recommended to me by a friend I had the joy of working with this summer at Notre Dame. My first read was Veronika Decides to Die, one of his newer books. It's not a light read, if you are looking for something to move you, I recommend it. It's about a girl who, you guessed it, decides to die. One part that touched me was that this young girl loses joy in all the little things that I find joy in, in life. Like her part time job working at the library and hanging out with friends. But Veronika finds no joy in those little things in life anymore, and decides she would be better of dead. So she tries to commit suicide. I won't spoil the rest of it in case you're intrigued, but lets just say that after Veronika decides to die, she finally finds a reason to live.

Anyway, the actual point of this post (I am getting there within the century I assure you) is that Paulo Coelho has a blog (well, I guess it's a blog) called Warrior of the Light. You can see is popularity by how many languages it's available in, around 10. It is a collection of his stories and thoughts, all of which I enjoy.

This is one of my favorite posts I would like to share, concerning happiness.

What is happiness?

This is a question that has not bothered me for a long time, precisely because I don’t know how to answer it. I am not the only one. Through all these years I have lived with all sorts of people: rich and poor, powerful and mediocre. In the eyes of all who have crossed my path – and here I include warriors and wise men, people who should have nothing to complain about - I have always found that there was something missing. Some people seem to be happy: they just do not think about it. Others make plans: “I’m going to have a husband, a home, two children, and a house in the country”. While this keeps them occupied, they are like bulls looking for the bullfighter: they don’t think, they just keep moving forward. They manage to get their car - sometimes even a Ferrari – and they think that the meaning of life lies there, so they never ask the question. Yet, despite all that, their eyes betray a sadness that they themselves are quite unaware of. I don’t know if everyone is unhappy. I do know that people are always busy: working overtime, looking after the kids, the husband, the career, the university degree, what to do tomorrow, what they need to buy, whatever it is they need to have in order not to feel inferior, and so on. Few people have ever told me: “I’m unhappy”. Most say: “I’m fine, I’ve managed to get all I ever wanted”. So then I ask: “What makes you happy?” They answer: “I have everything that a person can dream of – a family, a home, work, good health”. I ask again: “Have you ever stopped to wonder if that is all there is to life?” They answer: “Yes, that’s all there is”. I insist: “So the meaning of life is work, the family, children who grow up and leave you, a wife or husband who will become more like a friend than a true love-mate. And one day the work will come to an end. What will you do when that happens?” They answer: there is no answer. They change the subject. But there is always something hidden there: the owner of a firm who has still to close the deal he has always dreamed of, the housewife who would like to have more independence or more money, the new graduate who wonders whether he has chosen his career or has had it chosen for him, the dentist who wanted to be a singer, the singer who wanted to be a politician, the politician who wanted to be a writer, and the writer who wanted to be a peasant. In this street where I am sit writing this column and looking at the people passing by, I bet that everyone is feeling the same thing. That elegant woman who has just walked by spends her days trying to stop time, controlling the bathroom scales, because she thinks love depends on that. On the other side of the street I see a couple with two children. They live moments of intense happiness when they go out with their kids, but at the same time their subconscious is busy thinking about the job they might not get, the tragedies that might occur, how to get over them, how to protect themselves from the world. I leaf through magazines filled with famous people: everybody laughing, everybody very happy. But since this is a segment of society that I am quite familiar with, I know it is not like that: everyone is laughing or enjoying themselves at the moment that photo is taken, but at night, or in the morning, the story is always quite different. “What can I do to keep on appearing in the magazine?”, “how can I disguise not having enough money to afford all this luxury?” or “how can I manage this life of splendor to make it even more luxurious, more expressive than other people’s?”, “the actress whom I am seen with in this photo, laughing and having a great time, she could steal my part tomorrow!”, or “I wonder if my clothes are nicer than hers. Why do we smile so much if we loathe one another?” To end, I recall the words of Jorge Luis Borges: “I will not be happy any more, but that doesn’t matter, / there are many other things in this world”.

Not only are Paulo Coelho's books very good and interesting to read, he has led a very interesting life as well. For instance, as a child, his parents sent him away to a mental institution because he was a creative child. That's right, carted him off to countless shrinks all because he wanted to be a writer instead of a businessman or some such other occupation more acceptable in their eyes.

Warrior of the Light can be subscribed to via http://www.warriorofthelight.com/engl/index.html, and his books are available (as I mentioned) in virtually every language in any major bookstore. He has also taken advantage of making his literary works available as torrents.

Oprah talks with Thich Nhat Hanh

From an interview in O The Oprah Magazine, March 2010 issue

Lately I feel like all I do is run around. I never stop to "smell the roses," I don't spend time with the people I want,instead I fufill obligations to other people. Then, by the time I do have time to spend the time with the people I feel really matter, I'm too tired to pay attention. I stressed from my other activities. Sometimes I fear I am going to wake up and be 100 years old, never having spent time on what really matters! This article really helped, and I intend to try and incorporate it into my life...

"He's been a Buddist monk for more than 60 years, as well as a teacher, writer, and vocal opponent of war- a stance that left him exiled from his native Vietnam for four decades. Now the man Martin Luther Kin Jr. called "an apostle of peach and nonviolence" reflects on the beauty of the present moment, being grateful for every breath, and the freedom and happiness to be found in a simple cup of tea."

OPRAH: Okay. We've been talking about mindfulness and you've mentioned mindful walking. How does that work?

NHAT HANH: As you walk, you touch the ground mindfully, and every step can bring you solidity and joy and freedom. Freedom from your regret concerning the past, and freedom from your fear about the future.

OPRAH: Most people when they're walking are thinking about where they have to go and what they have to do. But you would say that removes us from happiness.

NHAT HANH: People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and now.

OPRAH: What if my bills need to be paid? I'm walking, but I'm thinking about the bills.

NHAT HANH: There is a time for everything. There is a time when I sit down, I concentrate myself on the problem of my bills, but I would not worry before that. One thing at a time. We practice mindful walking in order to heal ourselves, because walking like that really relieves our worries, the pressure, the tension in our body and mind.

Skip a bit...

OPRAH: The nature of Buddhism, as I understand it, is to believe that we are all pure and radiant at our core. And yet we see around us so much evidence that that people are not acting from a place of purity and radiance. How do we reconcile that?

NHAT HANH: Well happiness and suffering support each other. To be is to inter-be. It's like the left and the right. If the left is not there, the right cannot be there. The same is true with suffering and happiness, good and evil. In every one of us there are good seeds and bad. We have the seed of brotherhood, love , compassion, insight. But we have also the seed of anger, hate, dissent.

OPRAH: That's the nature of being human.

NHAT HANH: Yes. There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus.

OPRAH: Can't have one without the other.

NHAT HANH: Yes. You can only recognize your happiness against the background of suffering. If you have not suffered hunger, you do not appreciate having something to eat. If you have not gone through a war, you don't know the value of peace. That is why we should not try to run away from one thing after another thing. Holding our suffering, looking deeply into it, we find a way to happiness.

There are so many good pieces of this interview, the entire interview is so eye-opening, I wish I could have included the entire piece here. But I will only post another question, which spoke to me.

OPRAH: And speaking of life, what about death? What happens when we die, do you believe?

NHAT HANH: The question can be answered when you answer this: What happens in the present moment? In the present moment, you are producing thought, speech, and action. And they continue in the world. Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears yours signature. Action is called karma. And that's your continuation. When this body disintegrates you continue on with your actions. It's like a cloud in the sky. When the cloud is not longer in the sky, it hasn't died. The cloud is continued on into other forms like rain or snow or ice. Our nature is the nature of no birth and no death. It is impossible for a cloud to pass from being into nonbeing. And that is true with a beloved person. They have not died. They have continued in many new forms and you can look deeply and recognize them in you and around you.

The article contains a great deal of material on Nhat Hanh's input on peaceful activism for the purpose of social reform. He, at the age of 16, opposed his own government during the Vietnam War. Just a few of the revolutionary things he did were to set up a relief organization that rebuilt bombed Vietnamese villages, set up schools and medical centers, and resettled homeless families. He created a Buddhist University, a publishing house, and a peace activist magazine- all of which led the Vietnamese government to forbid him, in 1966, to return home after he'd left the country on a peace mission. He remained in exile for 39 years. It isn't hard to see why this man was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1967 by Martin Luther Kind Jr. This was an immensely eye-opening interview, if you're interested further I highly recommend it. :)