Movies from Itunes

So, I have a couple of different blog posts-things I want to share- in my head right now, but have been getting backlogged because of how crazy work was last week. I presented at my first, real, adult conference on Friday for a whole hour (well, I co-presented). Anyways, I stood up there and talked to a bunch of environmental educators and teachers about what I have done with the YMCA this year and talked about how our program model meets the goals of leadership development, cross-cultural awareness, service learning and environmental activism. It was pretty cool. I had some good questions, too. The most awesome thing was that I wasn't even that nervous. Maybe it was because I knew that everybody would be on my side or that I was confident in that I knew the program model better than anyone (which, I did, because I work there...). But, really I have been shocked about how my stage fright has dissipated since college. I regularly stand up in front of student BODIES (so 300-750 students) and give them a speel about some happening or an event they need to come for. At first, I thought my lack of nerves was a result from the students being younger, so I felt superior over them. However, this conference has given me confidence that I might just have gotten more comfortable speaking in front of an audience in general. YAY!

Anyways, I have rented a number of movies on Itunes this lack week or so and I just wanted to go through them and give a short review.

My Week with Marilyn, I thought was a little-slow moving, but altogether a great movie to lay down and watch. Michelle Williams nails Marilyn both in behavior and in looks (I mean, I think, I haven't really watched any of Marilyn's movies). I was so intrigued sometimes by Marilyn's behavior that I felt the need to pause the movie and wikipedia Marilyn. In fact, I probably spent about an hour reading about Marilyn Monroe during the movie. All in all, I would recommend watching this movie-however, it would be helpful to have a little background about the main persona in the first place. 

This movie did not meet my expectations. All of the acting was superb and the movie was great-but I just didn't really feel any personal attachment to any of the characters, making a 'supposed to be pretty emotional movie' not too powerful, in my opinion. I would recommend it as an entertaining movie, I guess, but nothing life movie and definitely not a 'performance of Clooney's career'

This movie I watched on Netflix Instant and I LOVED IT! It's a documentary about the dude that is the puppeteer for Elmo (as you probably deduced from the image above). Anyways, I recommend this movie to everybody. Every time Elmo giggled, I did too. Elmo has also kissed a bajillion celebrities, I was pretty jealous of that too. And it was so interesting to see how this kid who loved puppets and grew up watching Jim Henson evolved into one of the most iconic characters ever. Just watch it!

Sorry this post is so disjointed, I need to go out to Cap hill so I am rushing super hard. 

Rachel

Weekend!

Wooo...I have done so many different things this weekend, I am not sure where to even start.

Friday Night, Dustin and I went to go see the Hunger Games movie. I had read all of the books recently, so I was pretty excited. I thought the movie was good and plenty entertaining, although I was annoyed at my fellow movie-goers immaturity. I sat by three 'trying to be dumpy on purpose' awkward pre-teens who felt the need to run commentary through all of the romantic and pseudo-romantic parts. Obviously trying to cover up their 'desire for the male characters' and the funny feelings you feel when you are young and you are watching some cheesy romantic happening (yes, I know you all can remember and know what I am talking about) with snarky remarks and a buttload of giggling. I tried to be patient and remember when I was in that situation, but my patience was wearing MIGHTY THIN.

Saturday, we woke up early to go skiing at Mount Baker. We decided to make the long trip because Mount Baker had received the most snow and had a whole section of 'intermediate hills' that Dusty wanted to try. Although I thought that the drive was pretty long-it was an amazing day of skiing on a bluebird day. Plus, Mount Baker is quite a sight to see. Check out this picture I took of Dustin. Anyways, that was a great day of skiing and travelling through a beautiful state. After that I was worn out!

Sunday, I got to work on my cooking adventures. I woke up early to start on Sourdough (which has been an over-a-week and multiple purchase affair). It essentially spent like 12 hours rising today, so it is currently at the oven at 10.30. I am not sure if sourdough bread is worth ALL this effort, but I suppose I should give everything a shot once. Besides, I basically mixed it in a KitchenAid, let it rise. Banged it on the counter top, let it rise again. Drizzled some corn meal on it, and once more let it rise all day. So, the majority of the work was extremely passive. I then spent the day shopping for workout clothes-I bought a pair of running capris (so I can hit the bike after the treadmill and dont get a weird rash from the seat) and a new pair of running shorts with my REI dividend. So, that was fun. I also couldn't resist and bought this dress from Quiksilver. I really have to stop shopping.:

Lastly, I wanted to tell everyone that I got my Sauerkraut started. My recipe book started off with an anecdote that she was having a 'true immigrant moment' and indeed, I felt like I was channelling an old Slavic/Russian lady the entire time I was squishing Sauerkraut (approximately 45 minutes). Basically, I took two cabbages, cut them up, put salt over them (I am scared I put too much salt) and squished them up in a bowl until they were tiny piles of mush and mostly salt water. The squishing part actually really hurt because of the salt and my typically-dry hands. I then squished it into a 'crock' and put a bag of water on top of it.  Now, the sauerkraut has to sit there for 3 weeks and I guess there will be some 'scum' on the top that I will probably think is really gross. Looking forward to it (will post pictures, but will not show anyone who I actually intend to feed the kraut too). The good news is, the risk of botulism is non-existent. Yay.

With the paper bag on top of it, serving as a weight.

This is it in the brine and crock

Sundays.

Today has been a difficult day. I am tired and trying to recover from one of the most difficult nights out I have had in a very long time. That said, my emotions are so over the place. I woke up at 7am and was unable to sleep, so I started baking. I chose to bake two loaves of whole wheat bread because I am out of sandwich bread and have been using tortillas. Wraps are a wonderful way to cut calories and eat a sandwich like fixing, but unfortunately my tortillas kept ripping in the tupperware sometime between breakfast and lunch. Super frustrating. Thus, I had inspiration to therapeutically bake some whole wheat loaves.

Now as I mentioned before, I was curious as to why one loaf of bread always turns out perfect, and the other turns out janky. Kendra mentioned trying to switch the pans in the oven, but during this batch I was more observant and noticed how I made the loaves in the pan. See how many more folds the one on the right has? It seems to be my technique in separating the big pocket of dough into two loaves into pan. I will have to watch the difference in my technique in the future. Regardless, the bread smells amazing and I am exciting to have some fresh bread for lunches this week. At least work will be busy and hopefully stress free!

Unbaked

 Baked

Alright, well I am going to find some other activities to do. I bought the ingredients to make sauerkraut but the kraut needs to ferment for three weeks. I might get the initial step done today, we will see. But I still have to find a place to put 'fermenting cabbage' in my kitchen where it will be out of the way from my roommates and friends.

So long,
Rachel

I've Got Your Number-Sophie Kinsella

Before I do my book review, I just want to share that I finally took the leap and got all of the supplies that I need to start canning. I am now the proud owner of a brand new stock pot, thermometer and jelly bag so that I can safely pickle vegetables and make some rad jellies. I am so excited. My dad happened to can some pickles shortly before he passed away, and Aaron and I would crack open a jar every time I came home. Unfortunately, those jars of pickles have since disappeared. So, I am ready to take a crack at it and see if I can replicate it. If not only as a form of nostalgia, because I do fondly remember the afternoons canning with my dad. (I also bought a nice jar lifter because I clearly remember my dad burning himself constantly trying to pick the jars up with tongs). I have decided that my first canning endeavor is going to be...sauerkraut. Yes, I know it is random but it is something I eat fairly regularly and the ingredients are few.

I loved the book that I just finished today, I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. However, I had no doubts that I would love the book. Sophie, as an author, creates hilarious chick-literature, novels. They really don't take any thought to read, and they are so amazingly cliche. I could see the ending from page 10. However, the situations that she cooks up in the middle of the book make the story...awesome. So while I can call the main gist of the story (who falls in love with who, the grand, romantic gesture at the end, etc), the small twists and turns of the protagonist's movements are in my opinion, hilarious. I read this book in 3 or so days and cannot wait for Sophie Kinsella to write a new one. I am now moving on to read a contemporary classic, The House of Spirits by Isabella Allende. This book is a little longer, so it may take a while for me to update. Especially with the upcoming work week being incredibly busy.

I also got the Sourdough Starter mix in the mail today (You CANNOT find Sourdough Starter in North Seattle. I went to 4 grocery stores!) So, I hope to start that project this weekend as well. Sourdough takes DAYS to make, so it will be a long term project-but perhaps a soothing/calming one after work?

Until next time,

Rachel

Like Crazy

I spent my rainy, Monday night watching this movie and I LOVED it! I recommend it for all who like love stories that are slightly more believable and deal with actual trials of life (rather than some chick flicks that just seem absurdly perfect and ridiculous, like the Sophie Kinsella books I divulge in.) but still are beautiful and represent love well. Anyways, this DVD is in my next order with Amazon because I feel that I could watch this many, many times.

In short, it is about two students-one American, one an exchange student from England-who begin a new relationship and of course, fall in love. In the bliss of love, Anna (the English one) decides to overstay her visa for a summer to stay with Jacob (the American, duh). As a result, Anna cannot come back into the United States and so they have to settle for a long-distance relationship. That synopsis is extremely simplified because I kept saying 'no! I don't want to ruin it', so just trust me, it's good!

Also, I just got this dress in the mail yesterday. I think that it is very different from what I normally wear for spring/summer dresses, but its a bit more conservative so I can wear it to work. It does billow out a bit, but with the right shoes and with a few wears, I think it will lay down a bit more. I was unsure about it when I tried it on, but I really don't have anything like it so I'm going to give it a shot. The brand is Quiksilver, and the dress is called "The Marina Helms Dress"

Until next time!
Rachel

Books. Books.

Hey,

Apologies for the delay in posting. Work has been a little crazy, with our biggest event happening on March 23rd. I have worked almost every Saturday...blah. On the plus side, I got into the Evans School at UW and received a fellowship as well. I am super thrilled and stoked to go back to school, do well, get out and earn more money and have a great life, and own a Scottish Fold Cat. Yup, have it all planned out. :)

Okay, well the main intention of this post was to share with you guys about the two books that I have finished reading in the recent months: 11/22/63 by Stephen King and The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

I really enjoyed 11/22/63. When I bought the book I was skeptical because I associate Stephen King as a more masculine-driven writer, meaning that his prior book topics didn't always appeal to me. Yet, I decided to give it a chance because I read a review about it in Time Magazine. The review talked about the crazy amount of thorough research that King did for the book to make it authentic as possible. The review also praised how King handled the romance and love in the book, a new sort of genre for King. Thus, with all this praise I decided to plunge through the book. And, I loved every moment of it. I recommend this book for everyone who wants a long read, but one that has many turns and twists and great character development.

Today, I just finished The Color Purple. I had watched the movie years ago, but did not remember that I had when I started the book. However, I kept associating random characters with a young Oprah-and thats when I realized that I had indeed seen the movie before. Haha. The book is a pretty short read (under 300 pages) and is written in Dear... 'letter' format. Thus, its a pretty fast read. I wasn't attached to the story as much as 11/22/63, but I did find some of the spiritual thoughts that reside in the book quite beautiful and plausible. I adored Shug's character as a strong, loving woman. She always knew exactly what to say and her thoughts on 'God' were very Buddhist and were quite in line with my spiritual thoughts. So I enjoyed ruminating on those diary entries as well. 

Now, I am on a book journey that involves absolutely no thought at all! Ta-Da, I am starting the new Sophie Kinsella book, I've Got Your Number. Haha, I hope to have a glowing review on it, but don't expect it to be too profound. Kinsella is GREAT at writing chick-lit, fun novels, but don't expect anything too deep.  :)

I would also like to post this picture that Dustin sent to me of his breakfast. He said he saw the idea on my Pinterest that I left open on his computer. Haha, too cute. Alright, until next time!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

My Cinnamon Raisin Bread was a success (taste-bud wise, see below for so-so aesthetics), everybody! I got the recipe from my Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, which I seriously recommend to anybody who is thinking of taking up baking as a hobby. It has a wide assortment of classic recipes (like sourdough and whole wheat bread) as well as some exciting new ones (walnut and fig bread, interesting cakes). This book has it all!

Anyways, my Sunday project was this Cinnamon Raisin Bread. The bread had two different types of raisins: ones that used to be green grapes and ones that used to be red. I had never eaten the 'used to be green' raisins nor was I actually aware that they existed. So, that was fun to try them. One difference I made to the recipe was that the book called for 'light brown sugar' but I went ahead and used 'dark'. Brown Sugar is essentially regular sugar with molasses-and I like the stronger flavor that dark brown sugar gives. If you want the recipe in its' entirety, shoot me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Haha, somehow I always manage to make one loaf look 'perfectly baked' and one loaf look 'gnarly'. It's not the pans, because they are the same brand and bought at the same time. Is it the oven?


So, I didn't get the swirls perfectly, but maybe I had better luck in the perfect looking one. I chowed down on the gnarly looking one first.


Mmm...Look at that DARK brown sugar pocket. 

Celebrations!

So many birthday celebrations this past week! Woo, it has definitely been a whirlwind. Last Thursday, my co-worker had a birthday party at the Burke Museum where we all went to go look at the new exhibit about food and what people eat. The exhibit was essentially an excerpt from the coffee table book, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. I do not personally own the book, but I thought the exhibit was pretty informative and interesting. I also liked that the Burke Museum did a 'local history' section-displaying what the native Americans in the Seattle area ate in the past. The museum had a fair amount of artifacts and I enjoyed seeing how broad the diets used to be-we eat a tiny amount of different food items compared to what used to be.

Then last night, I went to Capitol Hill to help my buddy Doug ring in his 24th birthday. That was a good time. We started at this mellow bar called The Chieftain, but ended up most of the night at the Unicorn. We met some interesting people, fed the jukebox to play some good music and had a great time. As I write this, I am still suffering from a mild headache-but it was well worth staying up late. The only sad thing about the night was that I THOUGHT I put ketchup on my Seattle hot dog, but rather, put Siracha (spelling?) sauce on top. My hot dog was so spicy!

Anyways, there really isn't much point to this post. I just wanted to share some of my new purchases from the GAP as well as some of my upcoming buys. Their 'Friends and Family' sale starts March 8, so I get 40% off my entire purchase! Hoping to use that coupon to update my spring wardrobe and get ready for the warmer weather (kind of, this IS Seattle...)

What I just bought:

What I will get at the Friends and Family Sale:

Look really cute cuffed at the bottom to skim above ankle. Would not personally choose to wear those shoes with them. 

I know, I already have things that look like this, but I can never resist a motorcycle looking jacket. :)

Alright, I need to jet because I just took some cinnamon-raisin bread out of the oven. Pictures and update to come soon!

23.5

Hey!

I am so excited! It is my half birthday tomorrow! This is the day to celebrate (and lament) the fact that half of my year '23' is over. I always pay particular attention to this day. I feel that its a good time to contemplate what I enjoyed about this past 6 months, and take some notes for how to act/feel/do/experience in the future. I try to do fun things for myself on this day too. I am super fortunate this year that my half birthday falls on a Sunday. That means a drink to myself at midnight, some shopping and maybe a new hair-do tomorrow?

I also came up with a new tradition, where if somebody wants to get me a 'birthday' present, then they just have to pay half! I will pay for half of my present. I thought it was beyond genius. I am sure that most people think its ridiculous, but my mom thought it was adorable too! She said that I should pick out a new Fossil purse (I love Fossil Purses, they look nice but are cheap enough that if you spill something on it, you don't FREAK OUT!). I've been eyeing a few these last couple of weeks and I thought I would share them here! Two of these I set my sights on this winter, but I feel that they will translate nicely into the spring and summer seasons. Particularly here in the Pacific Northwest, where people still sport the darker, earthy tones in all seasons-and it doesn't get hot enough to wear as little clothing as possible.

Anyways, here they are!

DECISIONS. DECISIONS. DECISIONS

Macadamia Nut Coffeecake

Wow, Finding the time to write a blog is harder than I thought. Today I took a half day of work in order to go to the doctors. It was a semi-successful venture. But, whenever I take hours off, I always feel really unproductive and kind of stumped with what to do. Should I go running? Should I grocery shop? Should I shop for stuff (ahem, clothes) that I really don't need?!? I understand that time off is so precious-and I can't find anything to do to put the hours to go use! Furthermore, my time is particularly so precious because AmeriCorps affords me no time off! The hours I missed today will be made up by working Saturday :(. Which makes this time infinitely more special. However, my anxiety about being productive is laid to rest when I realize that I typically spend Saturday laying around and catching up on TV shows. Oh well.

I am also particularly nervous because March is the month where I find out if I received admission to the UW Evans School of Public Affairs or not. Based on googling and friend anecdotes, I expect to hear around March 15 or 16. However, now that March has hit me I am obsessively checking my e-mail and stuff. I wouldn't be too heartbroken if I didn't get in. I only applied to that one school (which is NEVER a good idea) and I didn't go all out in editing my essay repeatedly. However, I really don't like rejection so that would make me feel a little sad. :( I will let you know the progress on that!

Okay, well the title of this post is regarding my Coffee Cake that I made this past weekend with Dustin. Although my picture is crummy, the cake turned out moist and crumbly-just as it was supposed too. I have so far devoured half of it for breakfasts, and the other half is frozen. Saved for next week or whenever I deem it okay for me to regain another pound. The cake was actually one of the easier things I have baked. The special crumbly filling that you put between the layers took longer than expected because the recipe specified that the butter be cut into 'small' pieces. Their definition of small and our idea seemed to be very different. The butter is what makes the crumbs, by sticking the flour and sugar together. Thus, it took a while for the crumbs to become sufficiently crumbly instead of 'some rock size' . Besides that, however, the cake was fun to make! If you want the recipe, I have it. Or you can buy the book "The Williams Sonoma Baking Book"

Oh man, such a BAD picture!

Alright, well thats all I really have for today. I have some fun purchases coming in the mail soon, so hopefully I can report on those soon.

Rachel