This challenge is turning out to be much harder than I was expecting. However, I have finally decided on a song that reminds me of an actual place. I had several options that I was weighing in my head, but most of the "places" I was thinking of were linked to events, and that's a whole separate challenge day.
This song, however, does in fact take me back to a specific location. In my freshman year of college, I lived in a dorm that was relatively secluded on the campus, and enough so to merit it's own market in front of the building. It basically amounted to the college version of a 7-11, with candy and cereal and a few toiletries here and there, even a grill where you could buy plenty of fattening and unhealthy food. Like fried mozzarella sticks. Which were disgusting. And delicious.
Anyway, it seemed as though Pitbull's Culo was playing in the store 24 hours a day. I guess that's what happens when you go to college 15 minutes from the Mexican border...
So here's to you Chappy Market! Thanks for the memories and heartburn!
Day 06 - A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere:
Ahh.. memories.
*Note... this song also reminds me of Tijuana itself, because it played a lot in the club circuit there too. Yes, I partied there. Yes, it's gross. Don't judge me. I was 18 and stupid.
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
A journey down the rabbit hole to find out why a raven is like a writing desk...
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Music Challenge - Day Five
It took me quite a while to pick out this song. There are so many songs in the world that remind me of so many people, and I just wanted to pick out a good one. I finally decided that this song and this person would be the most appropriate.
A little less than a year ago, I lost a good friend of mine. Scooter Pie introduced us back in 2009 when he started taking me to one of his favorite karaoke bars in Hillcrest. The bar is called Flicks, and every Sunday, they would have karaoke, hosted by a man named Tom Doyle. Scooter Pie met Tom while they were in a play together and had remained close. So close, in fact, that every time Scooter Pie was at a karaoke night hosted by Tom, he sang "Sandy" from Grease but changed the name to "Tommy."
This is not that song. This song, rather, is the song that I used to sing with Tom. He approached me one night and asked me if I knew the words to this song. I got very excited, and before I knew it, we were up on stage, singing it together. So here it is.
Day 05 - A Song That Reminds You Of Someone
It was one of the greatest times I had (nothing holds a candle to singing "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" with Scooter Pie... check that off the bucket list) singing karaoke. When Scooter Pie first introduced us, I realized I had recently seen him in a play, and that he was my favorite part of the play itself. I raved, and we became instant friends. According to Scooter Pie, Tommy adored me. I had no idea until I realized that his last Facebook profile picture has me in it. I feel very lucky, and honored to hold that distinction. This one's for you, Tom. I know you're up there, singing with me.
A little less than a year ago, I lost a good friend of mine. Scooter Pie introduced us back in 2009 when he started taking me to one of his favorite karaoke bars in Hillcrest. The bar is called Flicks, and every Sunday, they would have karaoke, hosted by a man named Tom Doyle. Scooter Pie met Tom while they were in a play together and had remained close. So close, in fact, that every time Scooter Pie was at a karaoke night hosted by Tom, he sang "Sandy" from Grease but changed the name to "Tommy."
This is not that song. This song, rather, is the song that I used to sing with Tom. He approached me one night and asked me if I knew the words to this song. I got very excited, and before I knew it, we were up on stage, singing it together. So here it is.
Day 05 - A Song That Reminds You Of Someone
It was one of the greatest times I had (nothing holds a candle to singing "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" with Scooter Pie... check that off the bucket list) singing karaoke. When Scooter Pie first introduced us, I realized I had recently seen him in a play, and that he was my favorite part of the play itself. I raved, and we became instant friends. According to Scooter Pie, Tommy adored me. I had no idea until I realized that his last Facebook profile picture has me in it. I feel very lucky, and honored to hold that distinction. This one's for you, Tom. I know you're up there, singing with me.
 |
| The infamous profile picture |
Friday, June 3, 2011
A Big Ol' Blog Full Of Pictures...
Thank you in advance to Purple who told me about Picasa. You made this blog post much easier.
In the past week, for reasons I'm not quite clear on, I have been experiencing quite the creative spurt. It all started Memorial Day weekend, because we were expecting Cousin Face, MsLyss, Brother-of-Cousin Face, and the kids (from this moment to be known collectively as the "FamBam") for a family bbq of burgers and sausages. So (you guessed it) I was put in charge of dessert. We had a box of red velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines, and I know a great cream cheese frosting recipe, so I couldn't think of anything more patriotic.
Since we had small children coming, I thought it would be fun to make mini-cupcakes, and save some for their little hands to decorate. Generally, this cake mix is enough for about 24 cupcakes, but I managed to get 55 (yup, more than double) with my mini tins. I use a piping bag to fill my cupcake tins because I can better control the amount of batter per cupcake, but it's not necessary. I also wanted to give you a few in process pictures (even though cake mixes are very user friendly) to show you how they look before and after being baked.
Once the cupcakes were baked, I wanted to do a little something extra to frost them. I used Wilton Icing Coloring in Delphinium Blue, and mixed just enough to create a swirl effect. Then I used my smallest star piping tip to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with colored sugars (I used red, blue, and gold) and you have some lovely, festive, pop-able cupcakes. My cupcakes came out a little bit uneven, but the best way to avoid that is to put your cupcake tins on a flat surface (like a cookie sheet, or a foil covered oven rack) and rotate them halfway through the baking process.
The next night, Cousin Face, who had spent the night before with us, was a most excellent historian/sous chef while I made my family a dinner of meatballs and THE bruschetta from Julie & Julia. As you know, that movie holds a very special place in my heart (and my kitchen!) and my mom and I have been talking forever about wanting to make this bruschetta that they rave so much about. I finally found the recipe, concocted by the food stylist for the movie, and I've gotta say... it is every bit as good as they make it out to be.
This is a super easy recipe, with very few ingredients, and very little prep time. You should also be aware that the bruschetta alone is enough for a meal. The most important things to remember, in my opinion, are making sure you have large, ripe, heirloom tomatoes (they make a difference), TEAR the basil, don't chop it, and have a nice loaf of crusty bread. I used a par-baked round of Italian bread from Ralphs, most grocery stores carry par-baked breads in their bakery sections. Rather than bake the bread for the full 15 minutes suggested by the package, I only baked it for 10 minutes since I knew the bread was going back in a pan to be fried, and I wanted to maintain some of the softness in the middle. Cut the bread in thick slices (about 3/4 inch) and then cut them in half. After frying them in the pan, rub them with a garlic clove (the heat from the bread will help bring out the juices in the garlic and it will spread more easily) and then spoon your tomato mixture onto your bread slices. *Note: It's better to spoon your tomatoes on each bread slice just before you eat them, letting the tomato mixture sit on the bread will make your bread soggy.
To go with this marvelous bruschetta, my dad found a recipe for meatballs (link above). I substituted the 1/2 pound of veal for another 1/2 pound of pork, so I had a 2:1 ratio of pork to beef. *Note the hilarious Star of David made of mostly pork meatballs. For the marinara, I used Fresh & Easy's Tomato Basil sauce straight from the jar. Don't be afraid when you cook your meatballs if they look a little charred on some sides - that's a good thing! Meatballs are supposed to have a sort of, crunchy outer layer. The moral of this adventure in the kitchen is: it is very easy to over eat when the food you make is as delicious as this dinner was.
For my last segment of this blog, I'm going to switch it up from food, to hair. For reasons I don't entirely understand yet, I'm going to link you to my comedian friend's girlfriend on YouTube. Her name is Bree. Under normal circumstances, this would not be happening, but I guess this is just another unexpected twist on my journey down the rabbit hole. As I've told you before, I am a full-fledged hair retard. I watched her tutorials, and by some magic... I think I actually learned something. It will take practice, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. It took me quite a bit of time to get it right, but it was late at night, and I wasn't using product of any kind (I was relying on my dirty hair to be enough product) but I managed to have some success. And anyone who can teach me how to do something semi-difficult in the hair department certainly deserves a shout-out in my book.
That's it for today's installment! See ya in Wonderland!
In the past week, for reasons I'm not quite clear on, I have been experiencing quite the creative spurt. It all started Memorial Day weekend, because we were expecting Cousin Face, MsLyss, Brother-of-Cousin Face, and the kids (from this moment to be known collectively as the "FamBam") for a family bbq of burgers and sausages. So (you guessed it) I was put in charge of dessert. We had a box of red velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines, and I know a great cream cheese frosting recipe, so I couldn't think of anything more patriotic.
Since we had small children coming, I thought it would be fun to make mini-cupcakes, and save some for their little hands to decorate. Generally, this cake mix is enough for about 24 cupcakes, but I managed to get 55 (yup, more than double) with my mini tins. I use a piping bag to fill my cupcake tins because I can better control the amount of batter per cupcake, but it's not necessary. I also wanted to give you a few in process pictures (even though cake mixes are very user friendly) to show you how they look before and after being baked.
Once the cupcakes were baked, I wanted to do a little something extra to frost them. I used Wilton Icing Coloring in Delphinium Blue, and mixed just enough to create a swirl effect. Then I used my smallest star piping tip to swirl the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with colored sugars (I used red, blue, and gold) and you have some lovely, festive, pop-able cupcakes. My cupcakes came out a little bit uneven, but the best way to avoid that is to put your cupcake tins on a flat surface (like a cookie sheet, or a foil covered oven rack) and rotate them halfway through the baking process.
The next night, Cousin Face, who had spent the night before with us, was a most excellent historian/sous chef while I made my family a dinner of meatballs and THE bruschetta from Julie & Julia. As you know, that movie holds a very special place in my heart (and my kitchen!) and my mom and I have been talking forever about wanting to make this bruschetta that they rave so much about. I finally found the recipe, concocted by the food stylist for the movie, and I've gotta say... it is every bit as good as they make it out to be.
That's it for today's installment! See ya in Wonderland!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, but I Left my Heart in San Diego...
Time to take a break in the Music Challenge ('cause if I don't, today's song would leave me completely exposed and I just can't have that on the internet forever) and just tell you about some things that have been rolling around in my little head. Forgive me in advance, I may ramble.
Like, for example, that I have been feeling sort of like I'm threw myself really hard at a Velcro wall, and got stuck there. I've been living in LA for almost a year. Since moving here, I have had relatively little success. Sure, I got a really cool gig as a post-production assistant on a major motion picture, and I learned a lot. But that only lasted for three months... which doesn't look so great on a resume, no matter what you say in an interview.
Now, I'm in a position where I'm (basically) being forced to be an intern until someone decides that I've gained enough experience (unpaid) to hire me as a full-time employee. Most places ask for a minimum of one year (usually two) of experience. And I can't really afford to work unpaid anymore. On the upside, I just had a really cool opportunity to drive around a Swedish director, for which I am getting paid. I am now officially on the payroll at one of my internships. Great, right? Well, yes and no. Yes I'm on the payroll, but I will only be paid for project work, or part time hours. So I'll get paid, but only sporadically. At the moment, it looks like I'll have enough spending money for my trip to Israel (in three weeks!!), but nothing promising enough to save up for any long period of time.
So why am I miserable? I came to LA to work in the Entertainment Industry, and I finally got my foot in the door. By myself, no less! I should be really excited, right? You would think so, but actually, the second I signed my name on that W-4, I was overcome with a wave of panic. Call me crazy, but that's not how you're supposed to feel when your dreams come true. Which brings me to the second half of this blog...
After being in LA for so long (I know a year isn't that long, but when you've been unemployed for more than half of it, believe me, it's a loooong time) I am coming to realize that I don't really know what I want to do in this industry. I don't really know what I'm cut out for. I have a major lack of direction... and in a job search... that's a HUGE problem.
Not to mention, all of my friends are still back in San Diego. All of my closest friends, that I made my life with, are far away from me... and the broker I get, the harder it is for me to visit them. And with all of the struggling in LA that's going on... I'm feeling a stronger pull back to San Diego than ever. I need to be with my friends, I need to be away from my parents, I need to be back where I'm comfortable, and I need to make enough money to stay there.
I have been running my job search, full-speed, back to San Diego. I have been scammed twice in a week's time, sending me on an emotional rollercoaster (for a number of reasons) and its wearing me down. Hard. With every job rejection, I feel more and more like I should never have left in the first place. With every scam, comes the promise of moving back, but then reality hits. And my heart breaks a little more each time. When I said I feel like I'm stuck to a Velcro wall, this is what I'm talking about. Now that I don't live in San Diego, it's even harder for me to get a job there. People are much more willing to take a local than someone who has to relocate.
I remember when I was first considering moving to LA. One of the first (and most prominent) fears I had was that I would move up to LA, and get stuck here. I really didn't want to move. I resisted as long as I could. And now... I'm exactly where I said I'd be. Stuck. The longer I stay, the less I want to. So come on San Diego... pull me back. Please?
Like, for example, that I have been feeling sort of like I'm threw myself really hard at a Velcro wall, and got stuck there. I've been living in LA for almost a year. Since moving here, I have had relatively little success. Sure, I got a really cool gig as a post-production assistant on a major motion picture, and I learned a lot. But that only lasted for three months... which doesn't look so great on a resume, no matter what you say in an interview.
Now, I'm in a position where I'm (basically) being forced to be an intern until someone decides that I've gained enough experience (unpaid) to hire me as a full-time employee. Most places ask for a minimum of one year (usually two) of experience. And I can't really afford to work unpaid anymore. On the upside, I just had a really cool opportunity to drive around a Swedish director, for which I am getting paid. I am now officially on the payroll at one of my internships. Great, right? Well, yes and no. Yes I'm on the payroll, but I will only be paid for project work, or part time hours. So I'll get paid, but only sporadically. At the moment, it looks like I'll have enough spending money for my trip to Israel (in three weeks!!), but nothing promising enough to save up for any long period of time.
So why am I miserable? I came to LA to work in the Entertainment Industry, and I finally got my foot in the door. By myself, no less! I should be really excited, right? You would think so, but actually, the second I signed my name on that W-4, I was overcome with a wave of panic. Call me crazy, but that's not how you're supposed to feel when your dreams come true. Which brings me to the second half of this blog...
After being in LA for so long (I know a year isn't that long, but when you've been unemployed for more than half of it, believe me, it's a loooong time) I am coming to realize that I don't really know what I want to do in this industry. I don't really know what I'm cut out for. I have a major lack of direction... and in a job search... that's a HUGE problem.
Not to mention, all of my friends are still back in San Diego. All of my closest friends, that I made my life with, are far away from me... and the broker I get, the harder it is for me to visit them. And with all of the struggling in LA that's going on... I'm feeling a stronger pull back to San Diego than ever. I need to be with my friends, I need to be away from my parents, I need to be back where I'm comfortable, and I need to make enough money to stay there.
I have been running my job search, full-speed, back to San Diego. I have been scammed twice in a week's time, sending me on an emotional rollercoaster (for a number of reasons) and its wearing me down. Hard. With every job rejection, I feel more and more like I should never have left in the first place. With every scam, comes the promise of moving back, but then reality hits. And my heart breaks a little more each time. When I said I feel like I'm stuck to a Velcro wall, this is what I'm talking about. Now that I don't live in San Diego, it's even harder for me to get a job there. People are much more willing to take a local than someone who has to relocate.
I remember when I was first considering moving to LA. One of the first (and most prominent) fears I had was that I would move up to LA, and get stuck here. I really didn't want to move. I resisted as long as I could. And now... I'm exactly where I said I'd be. Stuck. The longer I stay, the less I want to. So come on San Diego... pull me back. Please?
Monday, May 23, 2011
30 Day Music Challenge - Day Four
I'm starting to realize why they call these things "challenges." They're HARD! If I could list my top 5 for each category, it would be so much easier. The challenge for today was to find a song that makes me sad. I will be the first to admit to you, that most of the songs that make me sad are related very directly to an incident (usually an incident involving men) so I tried very hard to narrow down the choices to a song that just makes me sad.
First, I thought to myself, well "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton is a really sad song... but especially if you know who the song was written for.
*Sidebar - I just spilled coffee all over myself. Read my profile and you'll understand why that's hilarious.
Anyway, I also thought about "Please, Please, Please" by the Smiths... because that song really sort of fits my life right now. But, I know there is a better one. So, a list 13 songs long, and 12 cross-outs later, here it is (please ignore the Spanish titles):
Day 04 - A Song that Makes You Sad:
I know what you're thinking. How can a song called "Smile" make you sad, right? Well, basically, when I'm sad, the hardest thing in the world for me to do is to smile. So this song sort of points that out. I can put this song on, and often, I find myself crying because I just can't do anything else. Even more so if I sing with her. So there you have it. This song brings a good cry.
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
First, I thought to myself, well "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton is a really sad song... but especially if you know who the song was written for.
*Sidebar - I just spilled coffee all over myself. Read my profile and you'll understand why that's hilarious.
Anyway, I also thought about "Please, Please, Please" by the Smiths... because that song really sort of fits my life right now. But, I know there is a better one. So, a list 13 songs long, and 12 cross-outs later, here it is (please ignore the Spanish titles):
Day 04 - A Song that Makes You Sad:
I know what you're thinking. How can a song called "Smile" make you sad, right? Well, basically, when I'm sad, the hardest thing in the world for me to do is to smile. So this song sort of points that out. I can put this song on, and often, I find myself crying because I just can't do anything else. Even more so if I sing with her. So there you have it. This song brings a good cry.
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
Sunday, May 8, 2011
30 Day Music Challenge - Day Three
I'm trying to keep up... I really am.
Anyway, it took me a while to come up with this particular choice, as there are quite a few songs that make me happy. Recently however, I do have a few favorites. I narrowed them down and tried to think of all the songs that brought a smile to my face, just by listening to them. Turns out, a lot of those songs are "loser anthems," which I can relate to very easily.
Being the huge Gleek that I am, there is an absurd amount of music from the show on my iPod. So as I flipped through my library, and especially in my Top Rated folder (THE playlist of favorite songs) I encountered quite a few songs from the Glee Cast Catalog. None stuck out as clearly as this particular song. But you should all know that Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was a VERY close second.
Day 03 - A Song That Makes You Happy
Not only does this song bring an instant smile to my face with the hook alone, I actually get goosebumps when the I hear the chorus. That's right. Goosebumps. I am so overcome with joy and smiles that my hair stands on end and my skin gets all tingly. I love this song. For all that it represents, and for every one who has ever felt like a loser.
Well done, original Glee song. Well. Done.
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
Anyway, it took me a while to come up with this particular choice, as there are quite a few songs that make me happy. Recently however, I do have a few favorites. I narrowed them down and tried to think of all the songs that brought a smile to my face, just by listening to them. Turns out, a lot of those songs are "loser anthems," which I can relate to very easily.
Being the huge Gleek that I am, there is an absurd amount of music from the show on my iPod. So as I flipped through my library, and especially in my Top Rated folder (THE playlist of favorite songs) I encountered quite a few songs from the Glee Cast Catalog. None stuck out as clearly as this particular song. But you should all know that Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was a VERY close second.
Day 03 - A Song That Makes You Happy
Not only does this song bring an instant smile to my face with the hook alone, I actually get goosebumps when the I hear the chorus. That's right. Goosebumps. I am so overcome with joy and smiles that my hair stands on end and my skin gets all tingly. I love this song. For all that it represents, and for every one who has ever felt like a loser.
Well done, original Glee song. Well. Done.
day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
30 Day Music Challenge - Day Two...
I'm beginning to think there is nothing that will make me update this thing more often... but here we go.
Day Two - Your Least Favorite Song
I tried to think about my least favorite song. On any given day, I'll hear a song I don't like and it might be my least favorite song of the moment. It changes, but my feelings are usually based on whether or not I like the artist and/or if the song has been considerably overplayed. However, I don't spend much time listening to songs I don't like, so I was drawing a blank.
I did remember a song that I didn't like a long time ago, and it's actually kind of a hilarious counterpoint to my favorite song post. So the story here, is that when boy bands ruled the radio, I was an *NSYNC fan to my very core. That meant I had a sort of automatic hatred for the OTHER boy band with the giant following of teenage girls... The Backstreet Boys. One weekend, I was working on a solar system project in my garage, and I heard this song played on the radio 7 times in a fairly short period of time. It was like every time I was out there listening to the radio, that song played at least once. So without further ado, I present to you, day two's song:
If I never hear this song again, it will be too soon.
day 01 - your favorite song
*A note to Purple: I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you knew this was the answer.
**Cousin Face: Shut up, I know you already said I'd do it and my list would be full of boybands and bubble gum. There will be others, Face, there will be others...
Day Two - Your Least Favorite Song
I tried to think about my least favorite song. On any given day, I'll hear a song I don't like and it might be my least favorite song of the moment. It changes, but my feelings are usually based on whether or not I like the artist and/or if the song has been considerably overplayed. However, I don't spend much time listening to songs I don't like, so I was drawing a blank.
I did remember a song that I didn't like a long time ago, and it's actually kind of a hilarious counterpoint to my favorite song post. So the story here, is that when boy bands ruled the radio, I was an *NSYNC fan to my very core. That meant I had a sort of automatic hatred for the OTHER boy band with the giant following of teenage girls... The Backstreet Boys. One weekend, I was working on a solar system project in my garage, and I heard this song played on the radio 7 times in a fairly short period of time. It was like every time I was out there listening to the radio, that song played at least once. So without further ado, I present to you, day two's song:
If I never hear this song again, it will be too soon.
day 01 - your favorite song
*A note to Purple: I'm gonna go ahead and guess that you knew this was the answer.
**Cousin Face: Shut up, I know you already said I'd do it and my list would be full of boybands and bubble gum. There will be others, Face, there will be others...
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