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.