my steps.

One day.

Happy Friday!

 

Now, I've had a great week...but either way this is a fantastic Friday song.

The Duck Was Rescued.

Today I began a new job.  And saved a baby duck.  And I have almost completely cut ties with the other lease holder.

Today was a great day.

But the coolest part of today was definitely the baby duck.  While walking during lunch with a coworker we watched as a baby duck rushed across the busy street and was almost slammed with a car--but thankfully the car hit the brakes and barely missed it (possibly from my co-worker and I's frantic arm waving).  Once the car moved around the little duck, he then sat down right in the middle of the street. I then rushed across the street and scooped up the little ducky and returned him to the lake.

I've often wanted to be scooped up during my perils in life and returned to safety.  I thought about this today when I realized that I have been scooped up and saved in the nick of time.  At the hands of "friends," death, debt, and depression I have gotten to the point where I just sat down in the middle of it with the thought of "meh. no point."  And it's then that God sends angels in the form of friends, life, new opportunities, and true happiness.  So today, as I sat and listened to all the new job training and felt slightly overwhelmed, I thought about how these past several months have been on the up and up and the changes I'm facing-- I smiled.

Dear Right Eye

Dear Right Eye,
        I'll be honest...I'm not overly fond of you.  It's odd and random of you to be my poorest eye and yet my dominant one...causing poor Lefty to do all the work and pick up the slack--but I have forgiven you for your shortcomings.

However...

Twitching for several days in a row, 24/7, is a bit much.  Twitching for an hour or even two---fine.  But twitching every few seconds nonstop for the past several days---you've gone too far right eye!!! You broke my heart right eye.  You broke my heart. (and yes I am referencing Michael Corleone--and if you don't know who that is, than we have some serious issues to work out)

So this is your warning right eye.  Stop twitching. Just stop it.  No one thinks you're funny.  No one thinks you're clever.  Every eye can twitch, you ain't doing anything special.  So just stop.

You have been warned.

Chocolate cake that I like? Whoa.

My brother called me about two months ago to request a spicy cake.

"What?"
"A spicy cake."
"You mean spice cake."
"No, cake that's spicy...with cream cheese."
"With cream cheese?  Where did this idea come from?"
"I was eating a bagel."
"A spicy bagel?"
"Nope."

Thus began my quest for a spicy cake.  This was the result:

no cream cheese though

This cake is not for everyone.  But if you love heat and you love chocolate--then you've just tasted a raindrop from heaven.  I based it off the recently popular chili chocolate bars and took liberty with the use of cayenne pepper in the chocolate cake.  I personally, hate chocolate cake.  But this?  This I could eat.  And did.  It's a rich dark chocolate cake with spice packed into every bite.  The combination is a match made in heaven.

Of course, you can totally order these cupcakes from my cake business, The Cupcake Pub, for $16 a dozen :)  They're called Cameron's Chocolate Fireball

Packing Up

I have bags and bags and bags of stuff I've thrown away and clothes I'm donating....and yet I still have more stuff to shove in my car than I know what to do with.  But here was my favorite moment of packing:

Books.  It was also the most time consuming thing to pack because I paused to read a little bit from each of them.  It saddens me to think that reading and literacy are being lost on the new generation.  Spelling and grammar is quickly declining and it's downright sad.  I know people in their early twenties who have no idea that friends is not spelled freinds, or the silverware is not spelled silverwhere, or that jealousy is not spelled jelosy.  I wish I was exaggerating.  Sadly I am not.

 

 

The Girl's World of Dieting.

“There are 17 grams of sugar in this medium sized orange.”

“Wow!  What about my apple?”

“About the same.”

“But it’s good sugar.”

“Sure.”

Good sugar? Bad sugar? It’s still sugar and you still have to count it.  And it’s still a pain.  Counting calories is frustrating, but even worse is when you count fat, sugar, carbs, saturated fat, and protein all at the same time—which is the current endeavor I’ve begun.  One night a week I do not count-and that’s when I’m eating at Judy’s house because truth be told, she can cook and I refuse to ban my taste buds from that God given talent. 

Last week I sat at my desk begrudgingly scarfing down a plate of leafy spinach and tomatoes while I overheard a male coworker comment on the fact that he has lost 15 pounds in the past couple of works.  Immediately I paused my ipod as he explained how.  

"I stopped drinking alcohol."

I then proceeded to to throw the rest of my salad away and turn up my ipod and drown myself in work.  Fifteen pounds lost by a coworker who eat outs everyday for lunch by merely abstaining from alcohol for a few weeks? Crazy.  And then you have me-- a girl who goes to a vigorous kickboxing class and walks every day at lunch and eats nothing but spinach and fish---who lost 7 pounds in two months.  Should I stop drinking alcohol? Is that the secret?

No.  Otherwise I would have lost weight months ago.

So what's the real secret? Guys just loose weight easier.  They stop eating or drinking one item and the pounds shed off.  I was told recently that men who undergo gastric bypass or lap-band surgery also loose weight amazingly faster than women.  I get it.  The primal role of a women is have babies and raise them and therefore by nature we need to be heavier than men.  Men are built merely to hunt. 


So I get it.  But that doesn't make it any less frustrating.  Especially when I drive past cookout after kickboxing.  (I want a milkshake so freaking bad)

I write this hesitantly since I often struggle with food issues (and can't even enjoy a freaking orange anymore).  But girls, don't stress about looking good.  If you're gonna stress about your weight, stress about maintaining a healthy body.  You could go on the twinkie diet and loose weight but most likely you'll end up without teeth and diabetes.  Coming from someone who has a family history of diabetes-that's not what you want.  Take care of yourself because you want to live longer and more satisfyingly, not because you want to look great in a bikini. 

Elephant ring

I've been searching for the perfect elephant ring...tada!  One day maybe I'll own it.

Found on Etsy

Harry Potter Trailer

Yes.  Today the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II came out.  So when my boss asks me why I was late today--this is why (actually it's because I accidentally clicked on the French version and couldn't stop because I just could not tear myself away from the trailer and then I debated about whether or not I had time to watch the English version for so long that I was already late.  Either way, it's Harry's fault.)

Watch.  Then read my comments.

Do it.

Now.

 Now dry your eyes and breathe :)

SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK 

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I'm slightly worried that they gave a little bit too much with one of the deaths.  They very clearly show that it is a Weasley and to me, that was wayyyy too much to give away.

But other than that....loved it.

It seems to show a lot of Snape and Snape's story and to a Snape fan like me...that is freakin awesome.  Snape's story needs to be shown.  It answers so much and gives so much wonderful depth to our beloved Snape.  

Also, it appears that they vamp up the final showdown between Voldemort and Harry and this is obviously a diversion from the book.  However it makes sense.  The final showdown is packed full of wonderful dialogue and some great Harry quotes...but for a movie it wouldn't work as well.  So kudos to them for not being afraid to change something.  yea. I said it.

I'm also really glad they let Ron talk in the preview.  

July 13. :D

Hannibal Lecter

Sage and I have recently gone on a Hannibal Lecter binge. I'm aware this is strange--but I don't care.  Anyways, we watched Hannibal Rising the other night and to be honest, it was a complete let down.

The movie relied solely on gore and guts and the success of Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal has nothing to do with gore and guts--it has to do with the character of Hannibal itself.  The alluring and frightening personality of Hannibal Lecter is what makes it great-not the blood.  Also Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon are well written and carried out--Ralph Fiennes and Anthony Hopkins are superb.  Hannibal in Hannibal Rising is...well...boring.  He is predictable and has no personality (obviously this was not Anthony Hopkins being that it's supposed to be the story of the younger Hannibal).  He slowly becomes a serial killer and predictably hunts down his enemies and kills them in gruesome ways...just like almost every other serial killer movie.

BUT that's not the real reason I hated the movie.
Let's give some background.
Here is the chronological order of the movies (not the order they were released):
Hannibal Rising (how Hannibal becomes a serial killer)
Red Dragon (Hannibal is caught and put in prison)
Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal still in prison and then escapes)
Hannibal (I have yet to see this movie...)

Now here's the big plot hole in Hannibal Rising that has me all fussy.  Hannibal Lecter kills many people and it's known that he is the killer and that he's eating parts of his victims.  At the end he fakes his death and then goes to Canada to continue killing.  So...according to Hannibal Rising, Hannibal Lecter is a dead, cannibalistic, serial killer by the end of the movie.

We learn in the other movies that Hannibal was a world renowned psychologist and often helps out the FBI to profile criminals before he was caught (even after he was caught he was still used a source for profiling).

Now tell me friends...how does a man who is supposed to be dead and a serial killer successfully become a world renowned psychologist and friend to the FBI without changing his came?  Last I checked Hannibal Lecter is not a common enough to name to keep without being noticed.

And that is why Hannibal Rising was a let down.  Ahhh....now that I've ranted and gotten that I off my chest...