The Time Has Come

The walrus said, to talk of many things...

No, I'm not going to write about shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages, or kings. This will be my last post, actually. I've realized that, while it's been fun, I can't keep this blog going. There are other things in my life that need my attention right now and this blog is not one of them. Plus, I don't want it to turn into one of those personal diary blogs, which it is threatening to do. So it's time to look at the writing on the wall and throw in the towel, time to listen to the fat lady sing about how all things must come to an end. Like I said, it's been fun. Hope that at least a few people out there saw this and learned something. Thanks, and peace out.

The Internet...

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And Then There Was Two...

Now, I never really expected to be writing a blog (truth be told, I kind of made fun of some people that did) and I never really expected anyone to read it (I still don't). That being said, I definitely never expected to be writing two blogs. Today, however, when I happened to be spending time with a very good friend of mine and we happened to be cooking, the subject of blogs came up. And now, I am writing two blogs. Check out Burnt Water, it should prove to be fun. Hopefully my roommate will agree...

Can I Have the Definition Please?

Hope

Pronunciation: \ˈhōp\
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hopian; akin to Middle High German hoffen to hope
Date: before 12th century

1. To cherish a desire with anticipation
2. archaic: trust


You can't help but feel it. Anyone who has ever wanted anything ever knows what it feels like to hope. It can tie your stomach in knots, make you giddy, give you something to wake up the next day for. There's another word, though, that is closely tied to hope: disappointment. It's the risk you take when you open yourself up and dare to hope. However, the question is, how disappointed are you going to be?

My boyfriend is in the Army and currently deployed in Africa; he has been for four months now. His deployment was supposed to last until about September, but due to some paperwork mishaps there was (is?) a potential for him to come home within the next few weeks. Now, when I heard about this I tried not to get too excited. Things like this happen with the military all the time. Plus, I knew it would be for the best if he stayed down there the entire time; he'd be able to pay off his truck and save up money for school. But a tiny, selfish part of me desperately hoped that he would be coming back soon. Looks like disappointment is knocking, though because today I got an email from him saying he was told to cancel his flight back and wait a few days.

Now, disappointment and I are by no means strangers. That doesn't mean it hurts any less, though. The only thing we can do is deal with it, really. But how? Some get angry and blame someone (the system, God, etc.), some get depressed and mope about, and others handle it with grace. I hope (for lack of a better word) that I'll be graceful in this. In life you have to roll with the punches, keep swimming, what have you. If you stop hoping, you stop having things to look forward to. Like I said before, hope gives tomorrow a bright and shiny coat of paint. It makes things worth it.

Tomorrow is a new day, let's see what it brings. "In a moment there is time/ For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse..." And there are a lot of moments in a day.

I Take My Waking Slow

There is something beautifully simple and satisfying about waking up to the smell of banana bread fresh out of the oven. Lately life has been a bit stressful for me, so it was a wonderful surprise to wake up from a good night's rest to find a clean kitchen and banana bread, courtesy of my roommate. Now, I love my roommates, but sometimes they can be a bit absent-minded when it comes to cleaning and such, so I end up doing it. But maybe this is a sign; maybe they're finally learning.

The bread is great, by the way, so here's the recipe for any that care to try their hands at baking:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 medium bananas (the best ones are those full of black spots or almost completely black)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly butter or spray the bottem and sides of a 9 inch loaf pan.

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, or until the sugar is completely mixed into the butter. Add the eggs and mix for 1 minute, or until the batter is smooth. Add the (mashed) bananas and mix for 1 minute, or until no large chunks remain. The batter will be lumpy, but the pieces of banana should all be 1/2 inch or smaller.

Add the baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Add the flour and mix, scraping the bowl occasionally, until all the flour is incorporated. Don't work the batter too much, or else the bread will be too dense.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf come out clean.

Remove from oven, wait until cool (or mostly cool if you're impatient like me), and eat!


Now, we all know bananas are tasty things good for eating (unless, of course, you don't like them), but they are also used for other things. In times as early as the 13th century banana fibers were being used in Japan to make clothing and that continues on into modern times all over; the fibers are also used in some areas to make paper. Seeing as how bananas are grown in over 100 different countries, they are also essential to trade. Plus, they're good for you. So eat up and savor every bite.

Can We Start Again?

Wow, it's been a long time; a -very- long time... Hope everyone has been doing well. I know I have (for the most part). Just been doing everyday life things like trying to adjust to this whole "being an adult" thing. To be honest, I think the title of adult is overrated. I'm an adult, my friends (some of whom are in their thirties) are adults, and we run around every Friday night pretending we're in the Star Wars universe. Sure, people can argue that gamers are escapists and all that jazz, but I don't care. I'm enjoying life.

Anyway, I am sad to inform all of you (the very few that read this) that this blog will be changing a little bit. This is going to change to one of those more "life blogs", where I just tell you guys about what's going on with my life and all that. Granted, there will still the added article, recipe, odd fact, but that's what life is, right? A random hodge-podge with everything held together using gum and paper clips.

So, here we go; blog attempt, part two. Enjoy!

Don't Knock it Till You Try it

I've been gone for a while, yeah I know. Part of it is just getting caught up in college stuff and the other part of it is... well... See, I have joined a club of sorts known as a LARP. Those four letters stand for Live Action Role Play. Yes folks, I have joined a role playing game. And not just any role playing game; a STAR WARS role playing game. Every Friday night I go out and pretend to be a Jedi and hit people with a plastic toy. Dorky, I know. I can say without a doubt that this is the dorkiest thing I have ever done, but you know what? I DON'T CARE! Right now I am having the time of my life. Plus, the LARP is where I met my new boyfriend.

Explorers, I have to be honest with you. A few of my friends played the LARP before I did and I swore that I would never do anything like that. Yes, I was being an uppity snob. The only reason I went was because of a complicated situation that I'd rather not get into, but the bottom line is, I went with the belief that it would only be once. I feel in love my first night. Now I don't see what took me so long to join. I love Star Wars, I love making up stories, I love being active (we run around a lot in the LARP); why wouldn't I love it? I guess it was because I had the stereotypical gamer/ nerd image in my head. Don't get me wrong, some of the people in the LARP fit that image beautifully, but many don't. The guy that plays the Wookie in our game is seven feet tall and very intimidating. It just goes to show that you can't always judge a book by its cover (hurray for cliches!)

The LARP has led to more nerdiness, readers. I now play Dungeons and Dragons as well as a game known as Cyberpunk. My boyfriend bought me my first set of polyhedral dice and I am currently crocheting myself a bag for them. All of that aside though, I truly am having a wonderful time. If you really look at people like us you will notice something: we are generally very happy. I think it's because we don't worry so much what people will think of us; we already know we're weird. Us weirdos, when we find each other, band together so that we don't need the normal people. We don't need to worry about fitting in because we fit in with each other. We give into odd quirks when other people hold themselves back. Repression of wants because of image leads to unhappiness in my opinion. There are plenty of people I know who don't do things due to being afraid of what others will think. Which I can understand; we all have that fear.

So I charge you, explorers, give in a little! Try out something that seems ridiculous or nerdy or a little weird! Who know, you just might like it.