Iron Cupcake World Voting OPEN!

Hey guys!!

I just wanted to quickly blog about the Iron Cupcake World competition for this month is now open! So pleaseee vote for my lemongrass cupcake (you can vote for my blog on the right hand side, as well as two other recipes should you so choose). I would really appreciate your support, so thank you in advance!!

The link is right here.

Frosted Mini Wheats is a cereal suitable for every meal

Let's clear this topic up even further. I firmly believe that breakfast in general is a very flexible meal, and all foodstuffs that are under the 'breakfast umbrella' don't just make solid meal decisions for any time of the day, but great ones. On any random evening I choose to make an omelet, and for lunch a bowl of oatmeal will often suffice.

Frosted Mini-Wheats

Frosted Mini Wheats, however, are my most recent choice in favorite cereals that can undoubtedly be served for breakfast, brunch, or brinner (or bressert). Just think about how transcendent this cereal is; depending on milk-to-cereal ratios, it can be crunchy, firm but soft at the same time (an enigma), or incredibly mushy. It knows no cereal-eating enemy. It can work for everyone, and it works for me all the time.

Show Weekend!

Welp, tse has been up to quite a bit over the past few days. First off, I'd like to introduce to you the wonderful Ms. Elisa Seda, who will be playing with us from now through the overseas tour. She has been up since Wednesday rehearsing like crazy for the Forsaken Generation show, and had an AMAZING hotel room that was 2 levels (with a spiral staircase):

So basically, in addition to the bottle of wine you see in the above picture, we've been providing her with some band bonding time. And by 'band bonding' time, we mean band dinners. Because as you all know, a band that eats together, stays together. In case you don't know us all very well, we all share a common enjoyment in eating and/or preparing food. So I made black bean sliders and Jon made some homemade guacamole during one of our all-day rehearsals.


And on Saturday, we went out to Thornden Park to partake in the all day Forsaken Generation show. The weather held up nicely (basically until the end of our set haha), but we managed to have wayyy too much fun over the course of the day, both at the park, where we decided sharpie mustaches were appropriate:

To our guitar center run, where Ollie's 25 cent machine provided a much more realistic and horrifyingly disgusting alternative:


We then all went out to China Road and got the most AMAZING vegetarian 'chicken' I have ever had (see, we really do love eating together), and headed back to the show. It was so cool getting to be a part of the cause, and the show itself was at a really cool location. I don't know if you've ever been around the Thornden Park area, but there's a huge stone ampitheatre and stage, and it's just a really amazing place to have a show. The set went really well (only had to cut 1 song due to rain), and from then on we had a record-setting load in to our vehicles as we escaped what ended up being a pretty heavy downfall.

Don't forget that if you missed us we're playing in Syracuse this coming Friday at Funk n Waffles with White Picket Fence and Oh The Story. Once I get a flyer and more details I'll post.

Michael came up for all this weekend's shenanigans as well, and I'm hoping to get out to Rochester a couple days this week. I know it still seems like such a long way away until tour, but I'll only have a couple free weekends from here on out (rehearsing about 40 hours a week starting August 1st) and I want to see him as much as possible. Other than that and a few job appointments I don't have anything else going on, and I figure this is the last 'week' that I can say that before we return from SW Asia. I'm getting more and more excited every day, and as long as we can get all the paperwork and equipment squared away I will be a very happy camper :)

Garage Sale-ing

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything really substantial about my life, but I think I'm finally starting to get it together. I don't even remember what day it was (sad, isn't it?) but our yellow lab, Bently, had to get rushed to the dog vet after having another breathing attack. He was ten years old, but still keeping it together, and after a night in the hospital the family came to a very difficult decision that it was his time to go.

It was really hard for me, he was really my buddy and it's taken a lot out of me. The past year has been really crazy, and having to come to terms with life not always going the way you want it to on top of numerous trying times and tragedies it's been... really rough. I miss him so much.


It's been a really difficult summer for my family, but through everything we've been through it's a constant reminder how lucky and blessed we are to have everything that we do. My mom underwent a pretty serious surgery, and thank goodness everything went well and now she is better. Being diagnosed with a cancer (though operable) is really really emotionally straining on everyone involved, and having to go to wakes and funerals and just knowing other people who passed over the past few months from this terrible disease didn't make it any better.

But, onward and upward. I've been quoting so many cliches lately. When it rains it pours. Life goes on. Everything happens for a reason. Live every day like it's your last. All dogs go to heaven.

I'm sick of being sad, sick of being frustrated, and ready to get my running shoes on and start up the minivan. I've spent too long allowing all the bad things in life to control my feelings and actions. We're all still here, and every day is a gift.

That being said, I am trying to surround myself with friends and things that make me happy. I went downtown with my mom and sister yesterday, and I tried selling back a box of like 30 used cds (to which sound garden took 1... an unopened sevendust album. don't ask), and I got a whopping 5 bucks. But either way, I got season 2 of 30 rock, stopped by the chocolate store, and went to pasta's and got some bread and sauce for dinner.

That night I also spoke to NYC photographer Paul Williams, who took some AMAZING shots of the group at our Arlene's show, and he's going to be coming out for a week in August to shoot our album artwork. That means dresses and pictures and dressing up and he and I are heading all the concepts... I am so excited.


My family is having a garage sale this Friday and Saturday, and I've also been viewing that as an opportunity to get rid of things that I don't need or don't wish to be attached to anymore. It's oddly freeing, even if just to get rid of old cds, hoodies, etc. I have also decided to give up a hobby of mine, sewing, and I'm getting rid of all my old lace, fabrics, ribbons, etc. The DIY period of my life has come to an end, and I realized I have to pick and choose what I do in my free time. I have picked music first, and if I have time to get back into it, painting and drawing. Cooking will always be around, but I just don't have the time or space to devote to making dresses or bags or anything else anymore. I have a sweet sewing machine though, so if I ever change my mind the craft store isn't too far away :)

Oh, sigh. I need more happy. I need to feel like I'm enjoying the summer. And I don't think it's ever too late to start, so here I go.

What my ride needs is ... a ride.

Let's see, what would make my car better?

PT Cruiser

... I think title and Registration in my own name would be a great start! That would just be grand... because if I had my own vehicle, it would just be the greatest ride I could ever dream of. I'd decorate it with pretty cupcake bumper stickers, it would smell amazing (as I'm not allowed to have air fresheners in my current vehicle), it would be clean all the time (I'm a neat freak when it comes to my car, but I can't clean the mini van all the time because of how much band stuff it accumulates in like a week), it would be all girlyyyy... ooooh it would be amazing. And someday, it will happen. I can promise you that. So, in a year or a few, watch out for that sassy lady driver in a pt cruiser or other small vehicle with a hatchback, with sweet air fresheners and bumper sticker art out the wazoo.

I'll read 'The Great Gatsby' one day

Ever since graduating I've been telling myself that I will start to read more... and I have. To a degree. Maybe. Well, okay, so maybe reading half a book doesn't really count, but still, I'm readinggg. I'm just setting myself up to be able to tackle a whole one, all in the same time period. I think that's why I'm putting off reading "The Great Gatsby."

No real delay...it's sitting on my nightstand. I've been meaning to get around to it, but it's just been one of those things. I suppose one reason I haven't started it just yet is that I've been on a kick of finishing all the books I've BEEN reading for the past 3 years (I have a tendency to read like 5 books at a time and never really finish any of them). I've been told I'll enjoy this book, so maybe before the end of the summer it'll happen.

Iron Cupcake July!

So, as everyone knows, I am in love with baking, and more specifically, baking and eating cupcakes. Through all of my online research for ideas and recipes, I stumbled upon Iron Cupcake World. Basically, similarly to the 'Iron Chef' television show, anyone who is interested can become a member, and once a month a new ingredient is introduced to which you need to create a cupcake including or showcasing that specific ingredient. Without any hesitation I immediately joined and got moving, after all, what isn't a good reason to bake and create cupcakes at least once a month? :)

The July ingredient was "herbs" so immediately I thought to use something refreshing and summery, and lemongrass was the first thing that came to my mind.

Lemongrass is most commonly used in Thai food, and from even more research I found that it is rarely used in making baked goods. Oh, and it’s really stringy, so after playing around with a few tries the best way to get some of the flavor of it was to boil it down in order to incorporate it into the recipe. I also added some lemon zest so that the lemon flavor would really 'pop' in the cupcake, and incorporated the rest of the lemongrass ‘juice’ that I created from the lemongrass into the icing so that the lightness of that herb would carry through.

I tend to bake a lot of vegan treats, so I am no stranger to substituting apple sauce for eggs and using earth balance or margarine for butter. And even though I am entertaining a group of non-vegans tonight, I wanted to have the sweetness of applesauce with the sourness of the lemon and lemongrass, so I did include an egg in there to fill the recipe out, but overall I think I prefer applesauce (and if you do decide to make this vegan, make sureeee you put enough baking powder in there!)

For the icing, I tend to go with a non-buttercream frosting so that it can last longer out of the fridge, and if you so choose to get crafty and decorate it will stiffen up nicely.

Lemongrass Cupcakes

1 stalk lemongrass

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

3 tbsp applesauce

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 lemon

1 egg

½ tsp baking powder

For the icing:

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 lb confectioner's sugar

lemon zest

Cut the stalk of lemongrass into 1-2” pieces, and boil on high for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water. Turn off heat and set aside.

1. Combine flour, sugar, applesauce, and butter in a mixing bowl
2. Remove lemongrass stalks from the water and put 2 tbsp of the ‘lemongrass juice’ into the mixture
3. add zest of ½ a small lemon, 1 egg, baking powder, and mix until smooth
4. Add food coloring if you desire (I added a few drops because I tend to be overly-festive and love foods with bright colors)
   
5. cook on 375 for 15 minutes or until the tops begin to brown

For the icing:

1. Using a mixer, blend together 1 cup of vegetable shortening and 1 lb of confectioner's sugar
2. add 3 tbsp of the lemongrass 'juice' and lemon zest to taste

I got great reviews of this cupcake at the dinner party that I catered, and think that especially for summery get-togethers or parties, lemon is the way to go. I'm so glad I found Iron Cupcake, but that's not the end of it just yet -- I need your help!

Iron Cupcake holds votes for 5 days afters the baking period ends (the 24th of every month at 12 noon). And all of the bakers are competing for a really great prize pack:

Our July ETSY PRIZE-PACK is from artists:

• A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5021935
• A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEY http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335273
  
• a sweet surprise from Sweet Cuppin' Cakes Cupcakery, http://www.acupcakery.com/
  
• PLUS, IronCupcake:Earth can not forget our good friend, CAKESPY, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5243382, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice - sweet!

Last and certainly not least, don’t forget our corporate prize providers: HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS, http://www.fiestaproducts.com, HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson, http://blog.hellocupcakebook.com, JESSIE STEELE APRONS http://www.jessiesteele.com; TASTE OF HOME books, http://www.tasteofhome.com; a t-shirt from UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM http://www.upwithcupcakes.com/. Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers, http://www.1800flowers.com .

So starting then, if I may be so bold, PLEASE click on the badge below and vote for my cupcake!! Tell your friends, and if you try out the recipe let me know what you think!!





Thanks guys!!

100th Post!

The past 36 hours have been pretty crazy, and right now I am in desperate need of some sleep and I think as soon as I finish this up that's where I'll be headed. Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:45am to head out to Jess' to meet up before we left. It was Michael, Kaleena, Jess, and myself in his car on the way there. Us...and the trailer.

Now, I love New York City, but when you're with a car, and a trailer, and a few thousand dollars worth of musical equipment, it's pretty much like traveling to NYC with a small child. You can't leave it anywhere, you have to feed it (the parking meter) every two hours (which therefore means you can't go too far either), and be responsible for it 24 hours a day. Especially where we were, it was all metered parking, and if it was overnight it was at risk of being ticketed after 7am. Jess was amazing for dealing with the vehicle... no wonder why I get stressed out so much!

So we got into the city before noon, and Michael and I met up with Paul Williams at an organic macrobiotic restaurant (Souen). I got some really interesting (but tasty!) cornbread, cabbage salad, and veggie sushi. Then we went to a comic book store and went back to the venue.

We managed to get an early soundcheck, and then Leena and I headed back to the hotel to quickly get changed and not look like we'd been in a car since 6am, got back to the venue and got things ready.

Overall I don't think we could have asked for a better show. There was a line out the door right before we went on, we played an amazing set, the energy was amazing and the crowd was as well. There were so many friends, family members, and music people that it really blew my mind. The following hour was me saying "thank you" to everyone who came out, meeting new people that I didn't know who came out to see us, and loading up all our equipment.

Another 'thing' about nyc shows - when we play, it's almost like your graduation party, where you have your current best friends, your old best friends, your family friends, and your family all there to see you, and you're trying to figure out the best way to see everyone and not seem like a hermit and only talk to a few. That being said, I just walked to the back of the bar and yelled "WHO WANTS PIZZA?? WE'RE LEAVING IN 5, GET OUTSIDE!!" and thankfully, a crew of my friends from school, home, and otherwise came out and we had pizza and then went to a bar until they had to catch their trains. It was such an amazing night, and if you were there, I really cannot thank you enough for everything :)

Crazy Day!

Today started off simple enough, or at least seemed like it was going to be. We met the guys at Carousel this morning to help Jon go shopping for the show tomorrow (gotta love it when guys go shopping for shows), and on the way home, we saw a family of ducks trying to cross the intersection of Taft and Buckley Road (really really busy streets). So, Jon jumped out of the car to help them across the street and 5 babies ended up falling into a storm sewer because they kind of freaked out. Immediately (thank goodness other people were paying attention), we parked the car close by and tried to get them out. Things weren't working, so Jon and Aaron went to a pool store conveniently right down the street, bought a few skimmers, and were back at it. I ran to Subway, explained my situation to the guy working, and he managed to give me a whole loaf of bread to try and lure them out (how awesome is that?!)

Unfortunately we still weren't able to get them out, despite 2 sheriffs RIGHT AT OUR STOP LIGHT (one of them was on their phone, so yanno, I can understand the lack of observation), so we went back to Jess' to practice, and Aaron called the city who later called them back asking which sewer because they were going to rescue them. So happy that they called us back, it really makes me upset when people just ignore what's going on around them.

So then Jess and I ran to the rental place to pick up a wireless device for my violin and arrange to pick up a drum kit for rehearsal at the end of the week. We got back, practiced, then ran out and rented a Uhaul trailer for the show. Then I came back to Jess', we ran the set again, loaded up and headed out.

Kaleena and I had to run a few more errands before we got home around 8pm (we started the day at 9am so it's been busy... and I had nothing to eat but some cake Jon brought over!), so now I'm exhausted and packing and waiting for Michael to get here because we're leaving at 6am tomorrow.

OOOh I am looking so forward to this show. I can't wait to see friends and family and anyone else and go to Red Bamboo... tomorrow will be wonderful.

That's funny

When it comes to the question of what makes someone funny to me, I really think that a big part of that is the person's outward ability to be themselves no matter where they are. Being composed all of the time isn't necessarily the best way to be, and if you're out having a grand old time and other people can see that, chances are they will too. Laughter and happiness is contagious, and I think that being able to come out of your shell and being a little more outgoing is awesome. The best reference I've seen as of late is in the film "Away We Go," where Burt (John Krasinski) and his wife (Maya Rudoph) are in Phoenix visiting her sister. There's a scene where Burt is on his cell phone on a business call, steps away from the table on an outdoor patio, and puts on leg up on the edge of the patio (about a foot or two off the ground). For some reason, he starts to do lunges, not really intentionally doing anything to gather attention, but holy crap I couldn't stop laughing. My boyfriend even mentioned it to me after the movie, wondering why it was so funny. Being yourself and letting it shine through and just doing what you do is in my opinion the most amazing trait, and oftentimes will go hand in hand with making someone smile and/or laugh.

Weekend

The past few days have been kind of busy for me, and oddly enough it wasn't really because of anything to do with the band. I have just been kind of getting myself back into the grind with having my computer back, and therefore having a lot of work to do for Hafner's and LaTresse.

Let's bring it back to Wednesday, first off. My mom had a dinner party for some members of her twins club (go ahead, laugh, it's okay), so naturally I offered to cater it. My list of 'foods to create' was just snacky kinds of things, no actual meal, but still, I wanted it to be interesting. So I made:

-roasted chick peas with ranch and garlic seasoning
-spinach and artichoke dip
-my mom made some taco cream cheese sort of wraps
-and we had a platter of hummus and crackers

I also made the dessert, but you'll find out what those were either later on today or tomorrow... you'll see why.

Surprisingly enough (none of the people there were veggie), everyone liked everything, and if you haven tried roasting chick peas ( I certainly hadn't before) DO IT. They're pretty awesome, and it's pretty minimal in terms of work. All you have to do is drain and strain a can of chick peas, pat them dry, and put them on a cookie sheet with some olive oil. Bake them at 350 for about 30 mins or until they get crunchy, and that's it! I chose to put some ranch dressing seasoning on it because of my recent obsession with snack mixes, but it's really all your call.


Thursday didn't really include too much 'new' stuff. I have taken on a part-time job with my dad's construction company as a runner to and from delivery companies and job sites. I actually really enjoy it, because it pretty much consists of a couple hours of a road trip by yourself along back country roads, where you can listen to whatever you want, or take great joy in the random street names and towns you pass thanks to my gps (I found a 'Doo' drive. AND it was in 'Suckersville.' I laughed for easily 10 minutes, and then thought about my level of immaturity and decided it was a good thing afterall). Then we had trivia night, and although the whole team didn't make it out a good amount of us did and we managed to place 3rd.

Friday I did some computer work, and then found out that Michael didn't have to work on Saturday (he got a job at a music store), so I decided to come out for the night so that we could hang out. I really enjoy that I have the ability to come out for a night to go on a date or just hang and then come back the next day... yay for not having a boyfriend 1000 miles away anymore! We went out to the Little theatre in Rochester and saw Woody Allen's "Whatever Works."


Now, I can't say I was disappointed with the film by any means because I do enjoy Woody Allen films, but I don't really believe it was his best. I've heard from some people that it would have been a better casting decision to have Woody Allen play the character portrayed by Larry David, and though I agree to some extent I also have a case for believing that the character was very uniquely Larry David. The overall acting was a bit sub-par to me, but I do think this has something to do with my common criticism of his work that the scripts would be much better served as a stage play. I did enjoy it, it was oddly reminiscent of "Manhattan," but our choices for the evening were this or "Food, Inc." and although I truly want to see the latter, we opted for a more upbeat one.

The Little theatre could very well become my favorite place in Rochester. It is absolutely amazing in my opinion (though I see to fall in love with any indie theatre), but the fact that it's an old warehouse-turned theatre is just so wonderful. Agh, I love it. Will return several more times.


Saturday ended up being pretty rainy, but lucky for us the rain seemed to stop as soon as we entered the Corn Hill area for the Corn Hill Arts fest. This was the underlying reason I wanted to go to Rochester this weekend, so I was so happy that we could make it, and that the weather was in our favor. Basically it's a festival lining the streets of this really unique and older homes area of Rochester right on the edge of the city, with hundereds upon hundereds of artisans, painters, potters, jewelery makers, etc. It is so much fun, and especially because I will be missing out on the NY State Fair this year I have to indulge myself in as many of these as I can.

When I returned home around 5:30 that afternoon, my dad and sister were getting ready to go on an organized ghost hunt of the Rolling Hills Sanitarium outside of Rochester, so I wished them luck and they actually didn't return home until 8am today. I'll have to find out how all of that went. My mom and I, choosing not to see any 'shadow people,' spent the evening shopping, after which she bought me a variety pack of Woodchuck Cider (go team), and we went home and watched the first half of season 1 of "Samantha Who?" Ah, the wonderful things that happen when evenings turn into "Girls Night In's."

Believe it or not, I haven't seen 'The Big Lebowski'

So, a movie that people give me a hard time for not having seen... I'd say this would have to be the big one. That and 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.'

There really isn't any reason why I haven't seen it, and sure, I'll watch it if anyone else is down. I am pretty big on movies, so I guess it is all just a matter of time.

Friday Five

I am new to this whole 'Friday Five' thing, but it seems like a lot of fun after I've read a few of Rachel's entries. And plus, I'm totally a sucker for all those internet surveys you say you hate but really, you love. Probably because along with them comes a love of procrastination, which I am engaged in as I type this. So, without further adieu, here are my Friday Five:

1. Where can you go for a really good bagel, and how do you like yours?
   oooh, Tim Horton's 7 grain (or 9 grain...I can't remember. There's just a lot of grains in them). We had a TiHo's right by my college, and sadly I haven't been to one since. They are amazing, and slap some strawberry cream cheese on it and you have yourself dessert that can count as any meal.
   
   
2. What is your favorite style of doughnut?
   I'm not huge on doughnuts, but every once in a while I crave the ones with cinnamon sugar on them. Thanks, Volver. I watched that movie and really only took away from it that I need more of those in my life.
   
   
3. What’s your favorite flavor of Lifesavers?
   I haven't had Lifesavers in FOREVER. But I think maybe the red ones? Or the green...
   
   
4. What O-shaped breakfast cereals do you like?
   Cheerios seem to be the go-to O-shaped cereal; though Oh's are pretty great if you want to have your daily recommended intake of sugar for the week before 10am.
   
   
5. How do you feel about onion rings, and where can you get some good ones?
   I feel great about them; I just don't feel great after them. I have strayed away from overly greasy food over the past few years, but Quaker Steak and Lube has some pretty amazing ones that I seem to be a glutton for punishment for.
   

I don't get electricity.

There are a lot of things that I don't understand, but like most everyone these days I will just go along with my every day life relatively ungrateful for these little luxuries until I really stop to think about it. But I think one that has crossed my mind fairly often is...

Electric Light Patents

How. Electricity. Works.



Whenever someone asks me this question, my response is always "You turn a light switch from the off position to the on position, usually in an upwards motion." Then ta-da! You can see in an otherwise dark room.



When I was younger I absolutely loved physics, but I think more than the concepts themselves I was drawn into it because it is a science that can be proved with math, not trusting that those little electrons and protons that you can't see are truly moving around and can predictably bond themselves into patterns ("obviously this will work because there is a double-bond between this molecule and this molecule, making it stick together FOREVER"...what??). Therefore, chemistry wasn't my forte. At all. And yeah, physics deals with a lot of those little guys, but it's moreso just using them as constants or accepted principles than actually analyzing them.



I've been told over and over again how a light switch, blender, air conditioner, and dust buster works, but alas, it is a concept I cannot grasp.



So, thank you all you national grid/niagara mohawk people for figuring everything out for me, I really appreciate everything except your monthly bills.

Ranting

Welp, as per usual, I get into a rut where I forget to keep on updating this thing. It certainly hasn't helped that I don't have my laptop back yet, so I'm just going to list off a few things that I have been up to/have been on my mind.

- Not having a laptop totally sucks, but it's doing wonders for my book-reading goals of the summer.


- Got to see "Away We Go" with Michael; surprisingly enough it was at Carousel Mall. It was amazing. You should see it... and it was a lot funnier than I anticipated, which was also a huge plus.
- Baking. Doing a lot of it, as many of my friends know I gained the nickname of "Izzy" from Grey's since I go on cooking binges when I get stressed out. Orange cupcakes with lemon icing, anyone?
- Lost majorly in trivia night this past week. Where did my team go?? We need our brains back!
- Great rehearsal with Cam for the NYC show... it's going to be amazing, and I hope you can go if you're in the general area. If not, I suggest road trips! :)
- Got to see some pretty amazing fireworks in Penfield this weekend. And a cover band that actually covered Lady Gaga and The Black-Eyed Peas. Whoa.
- Found a cute little cupcake bakery in Webster, NY. Got a red velvet cupcake, and Michael got a chocolate cupcake with a hammer on it. She made gender-specific cupcakes. Love it.
- The second I get back I start to get stressed; so much work with this tour, and shuffling around people, and planning! I need yoga again. Or less junk food surrounding me on a daily basis. Or more bike rides.

...on that note, I think I'm going to get on my bike.

It's been a blur

Yesterday was a pretty weird day. I had a lot to do (especially errands so that all of this AFE work gets done quickly and doesn't stress me out too much), including go to the drug store, get additional passport photos (I need to get an extension on my passport to be allowed into Saudi Arabia), go to the grocery store for the parents, get an oil change, and try and find 30 rock season 2 for a reasonable price. I succeeded in everything but the latter, though I know I can get it for a nice price on amazon, and I intend on doing that right before I leave for Asia so that I have a few hours of shows that I can watch if I need some 'alone' time or if there aren't any televisions, though I don't anticipate staying in my room while out there.

The weather has been crazy lately, though I do love storms and honestly the rain doesn't bother me when it's warm out. Other than making sure my cell phone is safe from water (killed a couple of phones that way), I really don't mind it.

Later on last night Kaleena and I went to the retirement party for our 7th grade gen. ed. music teacher, Mr. Simiele. He was one of the most influential teachers I have ever had, and was one of the driving inspirations to my sister and myself to pursue music after high school. Every year, he WROTE his own musical, and had the middle school perform it. In 1999 (7th grade for me), we both had a lead in his show, and he wrote a song for just Kaleena and I to perform in the play. We were asked by the 6th grade teacher (another wonderful music teacher, Mrs. Gerber), to come to the party and suprise him by performing it again. It's crazy to think it was over ten years ago since we performed the song last, and it was so nerve-wracking!! He and his family were sitting at a table right in front of us, and he just listened with his eyes closed and a huge smile on his face. He even cried! It was such a touching moment, and just as thankful as he was that we were there, we were just as grateful for the opportunity.

We also found out that no one is going to be replacing him next year, which means Mrs. Gerber is going to be stuck with 2 years of general ed. That is simply too much for one person to handle, and there may not be a musical for the middle school anymore because it is too much work to do. I think it's a travesty, especially in our school district, because the level of the music department in Baldwinsville has always been highly regarded. Not to mention all of the studies that have proven that a good knowledge in music helps kids excel in other areas. It's just wrong that we are going to be cutting a teacher, especially at a level where it is a formative year for kids to develop an interest in music and the opportunities that creativity can provide. Seeing a teacher write and produce a new play year after year inspired me back in the 6th grade, and it still does. That kind of effect on kids is contagious, and without someone cultivating that we may be losing a lot more than we think.

I spoke with the remaining teachers at Baldwinsville and told them that whatever steps may be needed to help with the cause of finding an additional teacher I would take (not like there's a shortage of them, I know at least a dozen music ed graduates looking for a job). It really sucks, the state of the economy right now, but I really think that cutting something like this would be far worse.