What is Your Word?

 Choose one, and only one; hyphenated is okay. 

This idea was taken from the book (or movie) Eat, Pray, Love. It resounded well with me because I'm a bit of a word nerd. Ok, so I don't check out the Word-of-the-Day on Webster all the time, but still, I can fully appreciate and enjoy a good word and its meaning. Especially if it is well-used in a sentence or writing.

Here's how to choose your word. It should resonate with your soul. You don't want your word to be teacher or engineer because those are careers; they are not you. I think there is also a difference between choosing your word and using words to describe yourself. That is why I think this is a very hard task to accomplish.

I have put some thought into who I see myself as, who I want to be, and who I actually am.

Free

That is my word. This word has been so dear to me. I've always come back to it. I think that when something is free-ing it has an optimistic character to it. I am the utmost optimist, and FREE is my word. Not because of the price, but because of the experience.

 Have you ever had a moment where you felt totally and completely free? What was it like? What is your word?

Would You Rather..

Some of you may know the title of this post as a drinking game, however, today I am using it as my platform for writing. The idea for this post was sparked by 3 random occurrences that happened this weekend. They were run-ins with people of the blind and deaf community, as well as watching a show that highlighted people with missing limbs.

This is the only occurrence I'll mention because it deserves the highlight. I was privileged to see Synetic Theater's most recent production King Lear. (If you have the chance and live in the D.C. area, I highly recommend this production. It was excellent.) This theater company is known for re-creating silent Shakespeare plays; meaning it is performed without words, and they tell a story through guesstures and movement--a pantomime if you will. I enjoyed this very much because as a dancer, I love anything that is artistic and movement based. Amongst the cast and audience there were members of the deaf community, which I find wonderful and intriguing, which brings me to the point...

Being a privileged individual that is not missing limbs, has 20/20 vision,  and well-functioning hearing, I am certainly grateful for all that I have, and in no way do I wish any hardship upon anyone. But I suppose you can't help but wonder sometimes right?


Would you rather be deaf or blind? 
I have put much thought to this question, and as it stands, I'd rather be deaf. First and foremost, I choose this because I would still be able to dance. I also think that sign language is beautiful, and am easily distracted by the fluidity of ASL interpreters at events. However, you have to take the good with the bad. A silent world could be a very lonely world, and for those that music is everything, never knowing sound would be hard to give up. Communication would also be very different when you're deaf, but at least no one could say, "Don't take that tone with me!"


Would you rather lose an arm or a leg?
 When I try to answer difficult questions like these I think about functionality in terms of being able to dance. However, this video makes it hard to choose between the two because of this pair, one is missing a leg and the other an arm, and they perform beautifully.

But I still have to pick, and so I have decided that I would rather be missing an arm. Mostly because hopping around sounds tiring to me, and underarms can get sore from using crutches. Missing an arm would present a problem when carrying alot of anything, and making 2nd and 3rd trips is [an unrealistic] pet peeve of mine, so that would definitely take an adjustment.


Would you rather lose your sense of touch or sense of taste?
I think both of these senses would be equally hard to lose because they are so linked to comfort. We eat comfort foods and buy comfortable beds and clothing. But, I love to eat, and would rather be able to taste the most delicious foods, than feel the softest skin or fabric. However, losing your sense of touch could be dangerous because you wouldn't know when something is burning hot or ice cold. You'd also never be able to say, "I know how you feel."


Would you rather be hot or cold?
This one I didn't have to think about. I hate with the fire of 1,000 suns (pardon the pun) being cold. I dislike it so much that I think I could live without air conditioning. When you're cold you have to wear tons of layers and invest in a Snuggie to remain warm and functionable. I always start my car 5 minutes before I leave so I can immediately get into a heated vehicle. I don't care if you can't strip down and out of your skin. I'd rather walk around naked than take 15 minutes to go to the bathroom because of all the layers I'm wearing.


Which of these would you rather and why?

Pet-Peeve Poetry

 This post idea was taken from the Daily Post at Wordpress.com: "Write a Haiku about something that drives you nuts."  I actually decided to write about all my pet peeves. Here they are:

Interrupting Cow

Stop talking over me please

Interrupting Cow

Don't let my food mix

Thanksgiving is a hard day

I need special plates.

 

Keep the doors closed please

Cabinets don't stay open

Close the damn doors Will!

Crumpled napkins: Ick!

Tissues or napkins are sick

Get them all away!

Wet jeans in the rain

I walk on my tippytoes

To keep the rain out

Hope you enjoyed my pet-peeve poetry (alliteration anyone?!). Until next time!

On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken

I was driving home from work today when I suddenly got the urge to practice being domestic. For some reason I have been craving the Tostitos Hint of Lime chips, and that is exactly where my inspiration to make tequila-cilantro-lime chicken came from. So I stopped by the grocery store to buy the needed ingredients (I was kind of hungry so I also bought broccoli, bananas, eggs, and of course, the hint of lime chips).

Not to be arrogant or anything, but one of the things I happen to have a slight talent in is cooking on a whim. This means I don't really use a cookbook or recipe. I just throw things that sound good together, and voila! Today, I'm writing this post soon enough to remember what I put in it (I've even remembered the measurements!)  I'm calling it "On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken."

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tequila
3 limes--juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
4 chicken breasts- skinned and boneless

Combine all of the ingredients except for the chicken as your marinade.
Take the chicken breasts (I cut mine in half because they were HUGE!) and trim off all the fat and blood veins. Next pound them down to about 1 - 3/4 in. thick--In reality this would have gone over well for me, however, at first I discovered we did not have a pounder. So used a rolling pin...Also, I never want to pound down chicken again. Those images will forever haunt me-- Once this is finished, place the chicken in a Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour. 1-3 hours for marinating is probably ideal.

After the chicken is finished marinating, saute the chicken in olive oil, 1 chopped yellow onion, salt and pepper until thoroughly cooked. This takes about 7 minutes.

I have also been obsessed with sour cream lately. So I thought that serving the chicken with cilantro-lime sour cream sounded delicious. I basically combined 1 Tbsp. of lime juice, chopped 1Tbsp. of cilantro and mixed it with 1 c. of sour cream. It is sensational, pairs perfectly with the chicken, and it's great with those hint of lime chips.

I'm very pleased with my meal. The chicken tasted delicious, and it was very flavorful! Also, the sour cream really did add a nice touch. Perfect! I think this "On a Whim Tequila-Lime Chicken" is about to become a regular in my mental cookbook.






**Editor's Note: In all honesty, this wasn't a huge moment of sheer genius. Many people that enjoy cooking could have guessed that tequila, cilantro, lime, and chicken pair well together. I just enjoyed writing about it and taking pictures ;)

Bucket List Item #75: Flashmob

I think that the reason the Flashmob exists is because people like me enjoy entertaining thoughts like:

"What if life was a musical, and it was possible for groups of people to spontaneously erupt into choreographed dance and song?"

I have long thought about how fun it could be to dance up and down the supermarket aisles, and not be the only one doing so. ( I'm talking the musical "Annie," in the scene where the maids and household staff are singing and dancing around her.) Then one day, I saw a video on YouTube of a Flashmob like this one, and I realized not only had my weird fantasy come true, but someone had figured out how to make it possible.

 Since then I have looked for opportunities to make this happen myself, or been standing in the middle of a crowd or at a club and just wished for everyone to hear the same song and join in an elaborate dance. And I do not mean the Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide, or the Cotton Eyed Joe.

Now I realize that there have probably been some opportunities to join in that I have missed out on, and that it is probably my lack of zeal that has held me back, but no more! After seeing that an elite group of preppy college students (Thanks to Anina, who I grabbed this from) at Virginia Tech can make it happen, I've realized that either choreographing one or participating in one has become a life-long goal. Or rather, a bucket list item.

National Dance Week begins in April, which also means that as a result, Dance Is the Answer sponsored by Dance/Metro DC, will be going on April 15-May 2, 2011. During this time, Deviated Theatre, the fabulous company in which I dance will be celebrating dance, but there will also be Flashmobs to participate in as a celebration of dance! I definitely plan to become a part of this process, and cannot wait to fulfill my dream of becoming a Flashmob dancer. Perhaps I can even win "Never Have I Ever" with that one!

It all began in 1920

As many of us well know, and are anticipating, Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend. I, myself, am very excited. This year Superbowl XLV features two great teams: Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
(Go Packers!).  Lately, I have been a little bit down on American culture because as this country is considered to an emulsification of other cultures, I am jealous of the traditions of other countries. However, good ole American football is definitely one thing I appreciate. You really can't go wrong with friends, food, and football!

 I joke with my Dad sometimes because I have 3 older brothers, but I'm the one that watches sports with him and texts him for the scores of different games. In fact, it's probably my older brothers' fault I like sports so much. When you show up to your first day of preschool with a plastic hand grenade tucked into a little red purse you have to know a girl's got older brothers and not very many pink toys(I did have Barbies). I also remember being upset that my brothers would not let me join their army platoon because I couldn't do pushups. This is probably also why I was motivated to do the 100 pushups challenge. So maybe it is really my brothers that I have to thank for the sports genes in me (that a few bruises). Those little anecdotes aside, some of my favorite sports teams include The Washington Redskins and the North Carolina Tarheels, though there are other teams I am partial to.

So in honor of sports and the most watched sporting event of the year...Here are some Super Bowl Fun Facts!

Professional football began in 1920 with the American Professional Football Association which later became the NFL in 1922

The Green Bay Packers are the only city-owned franchise

The Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the youngest coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl twice

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won the most Super Bowls out of any other NFL team


Courtesy of my Facebook wall, here are some of the best menu items for Super Bowl Sunday:
Cheese
Nachos
Meat: meatballs, chicken wings, burgers
Chili
Chips and Dip
Beer
A Packers win

And thanks to my friend Corey, here is a really great link for many other Super Bowl menu items.
Have a happy Super Bowl!

Starbucks

Starbucks Coffee Co. was founded in 1971.
I became obsessed when I was 11, in 1998 with the Starbuck's frappucino. So obsessed, my best friend and I walked to the mall (4 miles or so) to get one.

I began working there when I was 17, after having dreamed of working there since my obsession began.

Just for the record, I don't drink frappucino's anymore. They are SO annoying to make.

Most of my close friends work, have worked, or are dating someone that works at Starbucks. In fact, my boyfriend and I met from working at Starbucks.

Working in a coffee shop was one of the best jobs that I ever had. (Although, I will NEVER again arise at 3:45 A.M. to go to work). It was a fun atmosphere to work in, and it taught me how to mulit-task better than I believed possible.

I encountered many different types of people, most of whom I remembered not by their names, but by their drink of choice. Quad Venti Breve Latte is still one of my favorite customers, while Venti Vanilla Latte who added extra vanilla bean and always made change from our tip jar..not so much.

Working at Starbucks, "serving liquid crack to guppies" was a frequent away status (member those?).
Dried whipped cream, after a whipped cream war smells TERRIBLE!

Also, Starbuck's mocha, is made from a powder that you mix with water, and when you knock a tub of it over..it's the worst mess to clean up.

Espresso rundown in a given 8-hour opening shift: Open at 4:45 a.m. Turn on espresso machines make drink. 7:10 a.m. take a 10 minute break, have a drink. 10:30 a.m. take a hour break and another espresso drink. 12:00 p.m. take one more 10 minute break have another drink. 1:00 p.m. end shift, take a drink home. 2:30 a.m. still wired from the caffeine.

At my old Starbucks, they frequently tell the Newbies not to "pull a Meredith." This means don't confuse half 'n half and heavy cream to make whipped cream! This is not helpful during a rush...

In my defense, the cartons are the same shape and size and both blue. They are just different shades of blue.

At family functions, I am always called to make the coffee. I'll never live it down, even though putting coffee in a grinder and pouring water into a coffee carafe requires no special skill or training.


I am officially a coffee snob and can tell the difference between a latte made with skim milk vs. regular milk, the difference between good foam and bad foam.
When a shot of espresso has expired, and whether my latte, macchiato, or cappucino was made correctly judging by its weight. (just so you know, all the other Starbucks barista's can tell these things too).

This Ladies and Gentleman, is simply a small portion and collection of thoughts of a book I had one day hoped to write called Memoirs of a Starbucks Barista. I am convinced I could make millions. :)
Thanks for listening,
Meredith