|
On 2011.08.10, in personal, Amy wrote:
Every time we came home from New York, we had what was called a "trip night." These nights, after hours of driving, meant that you were responsible for your own dinner, or you were okay with whatever left overs were in the fridge. It's been a while since we've had a legitimate trip night, but after our lovely trip to New York over the weekend, Mom and I arrived home right around dinner time. Dad passed us on the road on the way to his meeting, so it was just the two of us. In preparation for living on my own in a few weeks, I've been cooking some things for dinner to make sure that I won't starve or be entirely dependent on cereal.
For dinner, I made chicken according to a really simple recipe. It's actually just a bunch of herbs on the chicken, cooked on the stove with an onion. Seriously, it was the easiest thing ever. Along with that, I made some cheddar biscuits that were supposed to be extremely similar to those that are served at Red Lobster. We also made a vegetable to go along with it. Since I was busy with the other things, and as I'm not good at balancing cooking lots of things, Mom helped me and made some green beans.
Overall, it was quite good for a trip night! I was really surprised by just how good the chicken was with hardly any effort. And I'm pretty sure we have biscuits for, like, the next month since I already made a ton, and there's still dough in the fridge. Anyway, here's a picture of dinner:
I've also been hanging onto a recipe for butterbeer cupcakes for a while. Butterbeer is a hot or cold butterscotch-y drink from Harry Potter. It's really popular in the books, and when they opened the Wizarding World in Florida, they made a recipe and started selling the drink there. A person on the internet then created a cupcake recipe that looked amazing. So I finally got the inspiration to make it, only to find out that butter flavoring (an integral ingredient) is nearly impossible to find in the state of Vermont. After looking in three or four places, I finally found some last night and then set off to make cupcakes at about 10 PM. Making the actual cupcake part was really easy, just like making any cupcakes. The special thing about these cupcakes, however, was that they have butterscotch ganache in the middle. Or, they're supposed to have butterscotch ganache in the middle. That part was far harder than expected. The recipe said to use a ketchup squeeze bottle with a point, like the ones they have at restaurants. Since we didin't have one, I was planning to use an icing bag and tip. The squeeziness of the ketchup bottle, however, it quite vital to the success of this adventure, however. The ganache just flowed through the bag and ended up all over the floor/counter/my socks/pants/hands/every available surface. Once I finally figured out that putting my finger over the hole stopped the waterfall, I started filling the cupcakes. To this moment, I'm not sure if there's actually any butterscotch ganache in the cupcakes. I have no idea if anything went in, or if it just kind of seeped out of the top. We'll see. The icing for the cupcakes was buttercream, which dad and I had to trek out at 10:30 in the pouring rain to get more butter for. While making the frosting and ganache, I'm pretty sure I ate at least a cup or two of sugar purely because it was so delicious. So I iced the cupcakes, decorated them with some more ganache and ended up with this:
Today, I made some wonderful waffles with Michaela, and I'm hoping to make spinach and pesto lasagna in the crock pot for dinner. I'll let you know how that turns out!
On 2011.07.15, in personal, Amy wrote:
I do believe that was the last post-Potter coma I'll ever wake up from. And the last time Daniel Radcliffe/Emma Watson/Rupert Grint's names will appear on screen in the same film. And the last time I'll hear Hedwig's Theme in a theater. And the last time I'll stand in an insanely long line with people dueling, dressed incredibly like characters from the books, accurately quoting movie after movie, and debating really really subtle plot details. The last time, I suppose, unless you count the next three times (or more) that I plan on going to see it.
Yesterday, following a lecture, quiz, and another lecture, I sat down and watched part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Then I sat around doing absolutely nothing until 9 PM when I decided it was probably time to go see what was happening at the movie theater. Now, from previous experience in Vermont, I would have thought this was ample amounts of time to line up and wait before sitting and waiting. Wrong. So very very wrong. By the time I got there, there was already a line of, I would estimate, 1000 people wrapping around the outside of the mall/center thing that the theater is part of. I'm not really used to that kind of dedication. For the seventh book release, the massive amount of people filled up our Borders, but that's a book release. For the movies, usually getting there two hours ahead of time was sufficient and guaranteed you a relatively good seat. This theater, however, was playing the movie on 13 screens with each theater completely sold out for midnight showings. I can't even being to figure out how many people that should have been. Anyway, I sat down in line and listened to some of the soundtracks to pass the three hours. I eventually ended up talking to the woman next to me who had actually flown in to watch the movie with her daughter who is a law student at BU. The daughter had somehow managed to get to the beginning of the line and was updating her on what was happening and which theaters they were letting in (when we finally started to move). They were both really quite nice and were surprised that I had come alone, so they let me tag along with them. That ended up being a really good plan because the daughter saved us really nice seats. We then sat and chatted and waited for a very long time before... dun dun dun... the Warner Brothers logo came onto the screen and cued the beginning of the movie.
I'm not going to bore you with my in-depth review of the movie. I really need to read the book and watch the movie again before I make any final judgements. My immediate reaction, however, was pure and absolute contentment. They did a really wonderful job making a brilliant movie out of a book of near utter perfection. I know some people are angry about things they changed or left out, but there was not anything blatantly inaccurate that really ruined the movie, in my opinion. I would have liked for the final showdown to be more true to the book, but I liked what they did with it. And I even liked the epilogue, no matter how corny it was and how cheesy the makeup was. I give the movie cast and crew magnificent amounts of credit for producing one of the most difficult movies ever. So many people have waited so long for this that the pressure must have been immense to make it perfect. I think they did the best job possible without making it word for word, image for image the novel (which, dear Internet crazies who can't stop complaining, is not what a movie is supposed to be).
I'm not sure if anything will ever live up to what Harry Potter has been for me. It's been nine or ten years since I read the first book and was immediately enthralled in the wonderful world. I've been to three midnight book releases and three or four midnight movie premieres. There are t-shirts and special books and various memorabilia strewn throughout my room. There have been heated debates about movie/book differences, certain plot choices, and favorite characters. There have been instances of word for word movie recitations and displays of encyclopedic knowledge. The series has been a driving force in my life for such a long time, providing a constant source of joy and escape. I know this might sound a little bit crazy, but there's really no way for me to describe what it means to me and how greatly it's affected my life. I can't put into words the odd sort of loss I feel after seeing the final movie last night. After the release of the seventh book, there was a similar feeling, but I convinced myself it would be alright because there were still movies to look forward to. Now, I suppose there's Pottermore, but that doesn't really provide me with the same excitement. I'm at quite a weird point, like there's something missing. There will never be another midnight release, or the same feeling of gleeful anticipation and buildup. I feel like a part of my childhood has ended, and I wasn't quite ready to let it go. In fact, I'll never be ready to let it go. I plan to spend the rest of the day listening to the Deathly Hallows audiobook read by the brilliant Stephen Fry. I suppose that's what I'll have to settle for. Re-reading the books, re-watching the movies, and exploring fan fiction.
I have an incredibly deep love for JK Rowling's ability to inspire an entire generation of kids to read and accept some really intense/funny/heartwarming/thrilling stories. She is an amazing woman with an amazing imagination and I can only hope that she understands what she has done (and will continue to do) for millions of people around the world.
"Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."
--JK Rowling
I am, and will forever be, a proud member of the Harry Potter generation.
On 2011.07.06, in personal, Amy wrote:
So I ended up having a pretty failtacular Fourth of July. After missing the reading of the Declaration of Independence, I wandered around the insanely crowded city for hours before trying to find somewhere along the even more crowded river to watch the fireworks. I realize now that I should have just sat down at 4:00 and waited for the fireworks, but I was extremely unprepared (no blanket, just a granola bar, water, sunscreen that I bought after walking around for a while, and my kindle). There was no way I was going to be able to wait until 10:00 and there was really no where for me to sit comfortably. So instead, I returned to school and watched the fireworks on the TV in the student lounge. I'm still pretty disappointed that I didn't get to see them in person, but at least I now know what to expect so that I can be far better prepared next year.
My week (and perhaps month), were definitely made today when I got to attend a free Torchwood pre-screening. For those who don't know, Torchwood is a spin-off TV show of Doctor Who. The new season starts on Friday, and to promote the move from the BBC to Starz, they hosted 12 pre-screenings around the US of the season premiere, and there just happened to be one in Cambridge that reddit so nicely informed me of. The Facebook page registered 60 people attending with about 30 "maybes." The Starz people said there would be approximately 50 tickets, so I knew I had to make sure I got there quite early. After having a really crazy T experience, I managed to get myself to the theater in Cambridge at 4:40, get a ticket (and an awesome stress ball), and get in line. I think I counted and ended up about 20th in line, which was really nice. I was wearing my University of Gallifrey t-shirt (thanks Aunt V & Aunt M!!) and people totally knew what it meant, which is quite rare. There were people of all ages and they were all crazy awesome nerds who enjoyed Doctor Who, Arrested Development, Firefly, Nathan Fillion, Neil Patrick Harris, Comic Con, and Kindles. Seriously. My kind of people. It was really amazing to talk to some of them and stand in line listening to others. They were all really huge fans of Doctor Who/Torchwood and were extremely excited to see the premiere. Once we finally got to sit in the (quite small) theater, I redeemed my popcorn&soda&candy voucher that the nice Starz people gave us, and contentedly munched away while people behind me discussed Doctor Who conventions, costumes they were making, theories on the new seasons of Doctor Who/Torchwood, and whatever else they could possibly talk about. In the end, I'm pretty sure they sold out the screening, so I'm incredibly happy I got a seat.
And for those of you who know anything about Torchwood, I can't wait until you see this episode! It's pretty amazing. It's completely new and different and fresh compared to some of the beginning episodes. I'm pumped for this season to be awesome. And for those of you who are entirely confused by this, it's quite okay. I just had to rant about the glory of finding people who are fans of things I'm a fan of!
That said, I'm now going to go start the original Doctor Who seasons, study for a test or three, and eagerly await the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on Thursday night!
On 2011.07.02, in personal, Amy wrote:
Hi! It's probably been so long now that no one even checks this anymore. Anyway, I thought I'd write an update on all of the crazy things going on in Boston. First of all, I think I'm finally in college. Seriously. Classes are actually harder. I have a roommate that I talk to and go fun places with (we go find food, eat frozen yogurt from Pinkberry, explore the mapparium, watch movies, etc.). I leave my room. I sometimes cook food. It's pretty insane and I'm pretty happy.
Secondly, and slightly more importantly, I have somewhere to live in the fall! Yay! With lots and lots of help from mom and dad, I finally found somewhere relatively close by that isn't entirely sketchy or tiny. It's actually quite nice. I went in the other day and signed the lease and wrote the biggest checks I've ever written. My apartment has a little bathroom, a little kitchen (with a gas stove), a separate bedroom, and a small entryway that can fit a table and chairs or a small couch. The windows look out over Fenway Park and that general area, so there's lots of food/stores/CVS/etc. right near by which is quite helpful. Overall, I'm really happy that I found somewhere so nice and that I actually have somewhere to be! I'm also quite excited to be able to organize and decorate a new place. Also, now if anyone wants to come visit, there aren't other people to make it awkward or weird! (Psst! Come visit if/when you have time after September 1st. Specifically when I don't have major tests!)
This upcoming week should also be pretty fun. Apparently, I'm going to attempt to go to the Chowder Fest tomorrow and see what that's all about. Then on the 4th, I'm going to take a deep breath and plunge into the crazy crowds of July 4th Boston. I'm going to try to go see the Boston Pops Concert and watch the fireworks and generally avoid being stampeded. Then on Wednesday, I'm going to see if I can get into an early screening of the new Torchwood season premier! Also, there are some classes thrown in there. Somewhere. We'll see how that all goes.
That's about all for now. I really really wish this summer session would be over right now. No matter how much I love being in Boston, I really loved being home for my birthday and seeing everyone and it was incredibly difficult to get back on that bus. My three weeks of freedom cannot come soon enough. I really look forward to heading to California, sleeping in my own bed, and doing fun things with awesome people. Until then, there are fun things to do, books to read, cross-stitching to do, classes to attend, lots and lots of tests to take, and movies/TV shows to watch.
On 2011.05.16, in personal, Amy wrote:
It seems like only yesterday that I was packing up my room after finishing my first year of college at MCPHS. Oh wait. It was just about two weeks ago. All joking aside, they were two wonderful weeks filled with sewing, shopping, painting, Doctor Who, Donald Glover, an epic Saturday, a brilliant CTC show, and really great people. I made the most I could out of that short vacation and although I was extremely sad to see it go, I'm happy with all of the fun stuff I got to do. I am still a bit bitter, though, that I missed the opening of Shelburne Museum by one day. Also, it was quite nice to have finished off a really insanely busy semester and a relatively terrible year with good grades.
So, now it's May 16th, I'm back in Boston and I think things should turn out better than last year. I'll be here for three months (or less, depending on whether or not my school can organize its information and make sense of things). I'm taking a whole bunch of classes: Clinical Pathophysiology, Health Care Ethics, Medical Terminology, X-Ray Radiation Physics, and Foundations of Radiography. Even though it's just the first day of classes, I can already tell that things are going to be quite different. For example:
- 2.5 hour long classes (for Pathophys, Physics, and Foundations)
- Online classes (Ethics and most of MedTerm)
- Exponentially better roommates (four in total)
- Sharing a room with an acual roommate, for that matter
- A nearly empty school
- Classes only on Monday and Thursday and for an hour on Wednesday
- Having to cook because the dining halls are closed and/or have really strange hours (on that note, the two roommates not in my room cooked dinner tonight!)
- Sitting in the common room
Things are already looking up, and I'm sure that will be a great relief to a few people. It's still really hard to be here in class when everyone else is/will be at home. So I'm using Doctor Who Saturdays, Tim's graduation (!!!), the aquarium, The Wise Man's Fear, my kindle, and the hopes of trips home/visitors to keep me content. Also, if you have a suggestion for any good recipes, I would greatly appreciate it!
On 2011.04.21, in personal, Amy wrote:
Today I got to see Casey and take her on a really really short tour of MCPHS.
Today I had my last class of Computer Applications. Thank God.
Today I presented a project that has been freaking me out for the past two weeks. It seemed to go okay.
Today I handed in a paper I’ve been working on since Spring Break.
Today I got a package from Mom with delicious Easter candy.
Today I found a wonderful new background that is both adorable and happy.
Today I listened to people have an angerfest and realized how glad I am that I don’t have to deal with that craziness.
Today I listened to lots and lots of good music to celebrate being done with everything except exams.
Today I realized that in exactly one week I will be packed up and heading home.
On 2011.03.24, in personal, Amy wrote:
It's become apparent to me that March and April are insane months. First off, there's the really odd weather. It can be 60 degrees and sunny for a couple of days and then it can SNOW! I'm really quite sick of snow and I wish we could all just agree that it's spring. Anyway. March and April are also pretty crazy due to the sheer volume of work. I'm not opposed to this, as it's been relatively easy so far, and I've been waiting for the challenge. My issue is the absolute stupidity of most of the work. For example, Computer Applications. It's a tedious enough class when we have to learn things that we all mastered in elementary school, but when the professor forbids the use of any cohesive design, it's absolutely useless. Her one requirement is that we use different backgrounds for each slide. Each slide. Basically, we're learning exactly how NOT to make a presentation that any professional person would take seriously.
So. There's that. And then there's Expository Writing. I like reading. I really really like reading. And I really liked this class until a few weeks ago. I mean, the professor is really great and we do some pretty interesting stuff with fairy tales. But a few weeks ago, we got assigned three papers/presentations: one I already referenced about a lasting modern tale, one about a hero from a movie/book and why they're a hero in the society when they were created based on the values/skills they have, and one where we creatively retell a fairy tale in a modern light and explain why we changed what we changed. I'm still in the process of getting my group to agree upon a topic for the first one, but that's not really due for a while. As for the second one, I have a week to write that paper. Well, I've actually had a month... but I spent most of that time procrastinating by doing a first draft of the third paper. (I really need to get my priorities in order.) Anyway, for the past few days, I've had my very own Firefly/Serenity marathon since I chose Malcolm Reynolds as my hero. It wasn't a difficult decision, as my Firefly obsession is quite clear from the posters, pictures, books, DVDs, and Jayne hat in my tiny room. That said, I was under the impression that it would be an easy paper to write. Mal is obviously a hero. He's the hilarious Captain who loves his crew and would do anything for them. He's happy to do a job, get money, and keep flying. The question, however, is why those qualities represent what Americans in 2002 think of as a hero. Oh boy. Well. I think I've gotten somewhere in figuring it out, as you can see from my lovely, color-coordinated, and highlighted notes. Seriously, though. The hardest part has actually been stoping myself from overanalyzing everything that happens because I still want to be able to escape onto Serenity whenever I want.
I should probably get back to work, but I had to take a break from studying/writing/reading to vent my frustration at how ridiculously busy I am in classes that will never matter. With that done, I thought I'd just tell you about something amazing that happened last week. On Wednesday, I went to the Boston Opera House (where I went to see Wicked) and had the pleasure of watching Mary Poppins! It was phenomenal. I don't remember the movie from when I was little, but last year, a bunch of my friends were in a dance recital that was Mary Poppins themed, so I re-watched the movie to figure out what was going on. (They were wonderful, by the way!) So, when I saw that the show was going to be in Boston, I got a ticket (much better than my Wicked ticket through the school). I don't even know what to say about it, besides the fact that it makes me want to quit whatever it is I'm doing here and go and study technical theater somewhere. I was in shock for the entire show and most of the rest of the night trying to figure out how they did any of the effects in the show. Mary Poppins flies. It seems simple enough and happens all of the time, but it's still cool. But wait. At the end, she flies over the audience into the balcony and then ends up on stage a minute later. She flies over the audience. Seriously amazing. Also, there's a scene where the entire set gets destroyed by the children--there are plates everywhere, tables broken, and shelves falling down. Then Mary Poppins comes in, sings, and everything slowly replaces itself. It's hard enough to imagine making all of those things fall in the correct order, at the correct time, but making them go back?!?! I have no idea how that's even possible. There's so much more that I can't even begin to describe. And that's just the tech stuff!! There were gorgeous costumes and props. And I don't even know what to say about the actors themselves. They were phenomenal, epic, amazing, perfect... I think you see where I'm going...
That's been what's going on here in Boston. I cannot wait for this semester to be over. I'm looking forward to going home for a few weeks, seeing Donald Glover in NYC, watching CTC's Glass Menagerie, and having a calm vacation before going back to school (I only have classes two days a week, though, so that's nice).
On 2011.03.15, in personal, Amy wrote:
I know it's been such an insane amount of time that no one probably reads this anymore, but I still have to try. So, for the one person who gets emails when I post things (coughTimcough), I have a question for you.
If you had to pick one modern movie/book/TV show/etc that you think will outlast our current era and stand the test of time, what would it be? (Note: previous examples have included Harry Potter, Star Wars, Zombie apocalypse-type, sports themed (as in Remember the Titans)...)
You have probably guessed by now that this is part of one of my crazy English assignments. I'm having quite a difficult time thinking of an answer because I still can't seem to figure out how some of the "classics" made it there, which makes me think that whatever I assume is worthy will, in fact, not be. Ideas and suggestions would be greatly welcomed!!!
On 2011.02.05, in personal, Amy wrote:
So, I've decided that after almost a month, it's absolutely necessary that I write something! I'm not really sure what there is to say. School has been going pretty well, we've had a ton of snow days and delays and I've been pretty sick, but overall, the semester has started off quietly and is quickly ramping up.
In the meantime, I've been watching the best TV show ever: Doctor Who. It's a well known fact that I love mysteries, science fiction, fantasy and time travel stories. This show, somehow, manages to cram all of those together while also being hilarious and very thoughtful. I started with the new series from 2005 instead of the original from the 60's. I can honestly say that within two episodes, I was hooked. And there was absolutely no chance when the ninth doctor regenerated into David Tennant as the tenth doctor. He's widely recognized as the best (or second best) doctor out of all of the series, and it's for many very good reasons. The Doctor (he is not referred to as Doctor Who) is the last Time Lord from Gallifrey who travels around space and time in his police box shaped TARDIS (time and relative dimensions in space) with various awesome companions (not a verb). It's a really brilliant show where "intellect and romance triumph over brute force and cynicism." There's so much awesome packed into an hour that it sometimes hurts to watch because of the sheer amount of smiling. So, over the past month, I've devoured the five series and I'm planning on starting over to tide myself over until the sixth starts. So if you ever find yourself bored, sad or adventurous, watch Doctor Who!!!
I did, however, take a break for one short weekend when mom stopped by the Boston area to do awesome things! We got to figure out the commuter rail, eat dinner at PF Chang's, look around a mall where you could literally live in the bathroom because it was so "posh," watch the brilliant movie The King's Speech, eat cupcakes, shop for earrings, and hug a lot. My next recommendation, therefore, is for anyone needing inspiration, some history or dry humor. Go see The King's Speech!
This weekend (which will probably be ancient history by the time you're reading this since you've probably stopped checking because it's been so long...) Tim is coming to Boston for an interview and is coming to see me and stay with me! I'm quite excited to take a break from the tests/projects/papers that have all converged on this week and next week to see him! I hope the interview goes well for obvious, selfish reasons, but I'm also super excited about his interview in California! We'll see!
For the moment, I'm going to go watch Beauty and the Beast for an English paper. The homework never seems to stop for long... But at least it can be punctuated with awesome.
On 2011.01.08, in personal, Amy wrote:
Below is the current schedule for my second semester classes. Overall, it seems pretty good, espeically Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And I suppose it's nice to get the labs over early in the week, though early in the morning is kind of annoying. My only real issue is that I have to take computer applications. I mean, really. Also more expository writing...
|
|