My Weird Talent

Two posts in one night - how impressive am I? I'm sitting here watching Gilmore Girls, one of my favorite shows of all time, and was excited to notice that a man Lorelai went on a date with was none other than THE Jon Hamm. He looked much different than the Don Draper we all know and love today. Of course he was still handsome and debonair, but his slimmer build and post-Y2K attire rendered his voice the only truly identifiable characteristic. What's that - you want proof?

I know you're impressed with the clarity rendered by the combination of the TV in my childhood bedroom and my cell phone camera.

I think my screen shot somehow looks more like him than it did on the show, but I was still inexplicably excited when I spotted him.

This talent of identifying actors when they look fairly different or unrecognizable actually runs in the family. My mother also has this skill and we're highly impressive together - well, at least to each other. Last week we were watching one of the [awful] Jurassic Park sequels and I was proud when I recognized that one of the characters was none other than Becky of A Little Princess. I know this is an utterly useless talent (though I do impress Leon every now and then when I do something like recognize an extra as an extra from something else), but I still enjoy it. I'm good at recognizing the voices and feel especially satisfied when I identify the narrator on a commercial (See: David Duchovny on Pedigree commercials and Michael C. Hall on the Dodge commercials).

So this got me thinking: what are your absurdly useless talents? Remembering the names of obscure Vice Presidents? An encyclopedic memory of Harry Potter plotlines? Naming obscure Crayola crayon colors (Atomic Tangerine, Macaroni and Cheese, Robin's Egg Blue...anyone? anyone?) Do share and make me feel less weird about my weird and useless talent.

Colorado, caprese and elusive roaming donkeys

I've been having a lovely break in Colorado that is coming to a close far more quickly than I would like to acknowledge. Every visit home makes me exponentially more thankful for all of my wonderful family and friends here. I really appreciate listening to my grandparents' recollections of my childhood, making dinner for my family, meeting a friend for dinner or just visiting face-to-face are so much more meaningful now that I live so far away.

Views like these are just an added bonus

One of my high schools besties invited me to Cripple Creek - our resident mining town turned gambling town - a little while back. I'm not big on gambling, but the Cripple Creek General Store's ice cream and company of one of my favorite person was enough to get me excited about a day of hanging out in casinos. Little did I know that I would catch the gamblin' fever. I was coaxed into sitting down at a blackjack table with my friends where I impressively turned $15 into $50 [and then turned $50 into $0]. Oops! I was still having fun, but a little disappointed about winning some money then losing it all. After some regenerative ice cream I took the last of my cash and played Roulette and some slot machines and eventually ended up [ever so slightly] ahead. The only disappointed part of the day was mine and my friend's failed attempt to find the famous wandering donkeys of Cripple Creek. They - allegedly - are the descendants of the original mining donkeys of yore. We found some donkey poo [not pictured] and some other proof that the donkeys were somewhere, but there was nary a donkey in sight - even when I left a trail of my ice cream down the town's main road.

Our Cripple Creek lunch spot. I loved the kitsch, though it wasn't as emporium-esque as I would have liked.

This town loves its donkeys.

The "approved" treats. There must be too many asshole tourists leaving ice cream trails for the beloved donkeys.

The local theater, already advertising its showing of "The Christmas Donkey."

The average age of Cripple Creek goers is probably around 65. At first I thought this was a condom machine, then I realized it was just stocked with tylenol, antacids and sinus decongestant. Though this well stocked "Li'l-Medic" couldn't prepare me for...

The readily available sharps disposal. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hate on people with diabetes or any other serious ailment, but never in my life have I ever been somewhere that needed a designated waste bin for needles. Needless to say, me and my other early 20s friends were carded frequently.

My last topic for this rambling post is one of my favorite burger recipes. Well, it's not going to be so much in recipe form since it's just a simple burger, but I highly recommend it nonetheless. Everybody loves a good caprese salad during the hot summer days when tomatoes are at their most ripe and I love thinking of different ways to play with the classic tomato/basil/mozzarella combination.

These are great because they are simple but are a little fancier than your average burger. I got some large whole wheat buns, which definitely elevated the taste of these burgers. Simply make your burger patties as you generally do (about a pound of ground beef for four patties) and grill thick slices of onion on the grill at the same time. Spread a bit of pesto on the top bun and grill for a few minutes until the top and bottom bun are toasty. Melt sliced mozzarella on the hamburger patties and serve with the grilled onion and sliced tomato. What's your favorite way to eat a burger?

My current loves

OK, obviously I'm NOT loving how long it has been since I've updated, but it's been a pretty busy few months. Finals, Leon's gradation, summer school, driving to Colorado and enjoying a bit of free time. I love when I'm not in school and I can enjoy some non-academic pursuits. This summer these are a few of the things I have been absolutely loving:

1. Non-academic reading: Law school ensures that I spend a lot of time reading, but as any student knows there's a huge difference between reading for class and reading for pleasure. I've been indulging in some fun, non-academic books this summer and I've been loving it.

First on the list was "Bossypants" by Tina Fey. I'm a huge fan of "30 Rock" and of TIna Feyin general. This book definitely did not disappoint. It's witty, hilarious, sentimental, insightful and everything else one would expect from the fabulous Ms .Fey. It was a quick read and I was truly disappointed when I finished.

I know Chelsea Handler is a bit polarizing - people seem to either love her or hate her. I fall into the former category and have been meaning to check out this book. I decided to read it after "Bossypants" because I was craving more female humor. It's written in the style of "Are You There God It's Me Margaret" - kind of a coming-of-age style but the subject matter includes men, drinking and family issues, among others. If you like Chelsea and aren't too easily offended (which you probably aren't if you like Chelsea), I highly recommend this.

I have been meaning to read some David Sedaris for quite awhile and I definitely see myself reading more of his stuff in the future. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is a collection of essays on varying subjects, from Sedaris' childhood speech impediment to his trials growing up gay in North Carolina to his difficulty learning French during long visits to France with his partner. The essays vary in tone and make for an interesting read.

I just got done reading this yesterday and I could hardly put it down in the few days that it took me to read it. I guess it falls into the "chick-lit" category, but if this is chick-lit then I'm definitely a fan.The movie came out recently but I have been hearing about this book for a little while and decided to read it. The book follows Rachel, a young lawyer who has an affair with her longtime best friend Darcy's fiance. The books explores the complexities of female relationships and actually has you rooting for Rachel. I found the characters and situations extremely relatable and II'm sure many other women would too.

I'm really looking forward to the ongoing liquidation sale at Borders. If you have one near by you need to go! They are fully shutting down and liquidating all their merchandise (sad, I know - but cheap books are awesome!).

2. Pinterest: The BEST new thing on the web. I'm totally obsessed with this site. If you like fashion, art, interior design or cooking (though this is hardly an exhaustive list) check out the site and start pinning. Oh, and add me :)

Just a preview of the Pinterst awesomeness.

3. Nutella. Ok, we all love nutella all of the time, so perhaps I should clarify and say "creative uses of Nutella." This one definitely fits the bill and is courtesy of Allie over at "...and a teaspoon of life." Check the link for her awesome blog and the recipe. The only thing I really did differently was that I didn't cut off the excess wonton wrapper. These seriously are beyond delicious - try them!

4. This American Life: This is a radio program that is available from the link I listed and as a podcast or download from iTunes. The basic premise is that each show has a theme and there are between one and four different stories, anecdotes etc. on that theme. Some are informative, some are funny, some are sad. Scroll through the options and find something that sounds interesting to you. They're great to listen to in the kitchen while you're making dinner or on a long car trip. A few of my personal favorites: "Switched at Birth';" "Very Tough Love;" "Father's Day;" and "#1 Party School." This stuff makes me understand why people loved radio so much many years ago and makes me wish that good radio programming were more prominent.

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one} how often do you do laundry?I do laundry on a pretty shamefully infrequent basis. We don't have our ownwasher and dryer and the ones at the apartment are crappy and expensive, so there aren't a lot of incentives, haha.


{two} what is your favorite type of cookie?Chocolate chip


{three} what would you do with an extra $2000 per month?Probably start saving up for when I have to start paying backthose pesky student loans, save up for my eventual wedding and a down paymentfor out first house.


{four} what was/is your favorite subject in school?In High School I loved Journalism, English, Social Studies and Government classes. In undergrad I always loved my Political Science andPhilosophy classes. I've enjoyed my Constitutional Law and Criminal Law classesduring law school.


{five} have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?No, I don't know if I would have the guts to do it or not.


{six} what was your high school mascot?The Badgers for my first year and the Panthers for the rest.


{seven} if you had the chance to go into space, would you?Probably not, but I may think about it if space travel became extremely safe.


{eight} how often do you go dancing?I don't, unless Zumba counts :)


{nine} would you rather drive or fly?Drive for a short trip, fly for a longer one. More than five hoursin a car makes me antsy.


{ten} have you ever been caught re-gifting?Thankfully not! I've probably only done it onceor twice, but only for secret santa. How often does anyoneactually like a secret santa gift anyway?
Copy, paste and share a wee-big-o-yourself!

Chicken and Leek Stew, the great de-stressor

There has not been a whole lot of cooking happening in this house lately. As the semester wears on that's pretty normal, but I had a 30 page rough draft due yesterday for a paper I've been working on throughout the semester and I needed to take it easy. We've had a super chilly, stormy couple of days and this sounded like the perfect comfort food. I've made this stew a couple of times and it is, without fail, delicious. It's thick and creamy, which makes it hard to believe that it's fairly healthy. This is also the first time I've used leeks, and I have definitely been missing out. They're a mild onion, kind of like a huge scallion. If you want that instant 'yum' smell in your kitchen, saute some leeks in olive oil - delicious. This recipe is courtesy of Jamie Oliver. I followed all of the directions, though I used fat free sour cream. Oh, and I added garlic. You could make it without, but why would you ever make anything without garlic?

Jamie Oliver's 'Simplest Chicken and Leek Stew'

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts (discard any discolored ends)

1 pkg. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

1 tbsp. chopped thyme

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Aren't the leeks gorgeous!?

Method:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Scrape the leeks and mushrooms onto a plate.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour, shaking off any excess. heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook over moderate to high heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken stock and thyme and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about one minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the plate with the vegetables.

3 Simmer the stock over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken, leeks and mushrooms to the skillet and simmer over low heat until warmed through, about 1 minute.

4. In a small bowl, blend the sour cream with the mustard and stir into the stew. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve.

Serve with: Steamed rice (I used brown).

Savannah-rama, Part 3

Ok, apparently blogger just cannot contain all the photos I want to post. This is nice though, I'm getting to reminisce about my vacation and forget about all the stressful things I'm currently working on. Savannah really was gorgeous though. The trees and flowers there are pretty much the same thing you see in Tallahassee, but we definitely lack the old-Timey charm. We probably bull dozed down all of the old houses to make way for our heinous, phallic capital building.

This old synagogue is the student center for the

Savannah College of Art and Design. They own a

bunch of gorgeous buildings around town and I'm super

jealous that they get to hang out in gorgeous buildings like this.

Savannah has a really active port and we saw this

cargo freighter, it's huge! Suddenly I understand why

customs doesn't quite make it through everything shipped into this country.

Skillz.

The buildings on River Street.

Cool or creepy? Savannah-Rama, Part 2

There were so many gorgeous things to see in Savannah, there's no way I could limit my pictures to one post! One of the more offbeat things we did was walk around the Bonaventure Cemetery, which was featured in the book an film "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." I'll admit, I didn't check out the movie until after our trip to Savannah, but it definitely captures a lot of things about the city. The cemetery overlooks a gorgeous river and is full of amazing spanish moss laden trees and gorgeous tombstones. I know some people get weirded out by cemeteries, but I'm definitely not one of them. I actually lived behind a funeral home for quite a few years, so it takes a lot to creep me out. I'm not too partial to the idea of being buried myself, but cemeteries are kind of nice - they're full of tokens showing the great love people have for one another. Is that weird?

So, readers - cemeteries: cool or creepy?

The fountain at Forsyth Park in downtown Savannah