Ten things

In April, Kaylie challenged me to answer these ten questions.

1. What did you do ten years ago?
Well let's see... I was eight and listening to A-Teens way to much; watching shows like Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Full House, and Lizzie McGuire; writing stories; and reading Nancy Drew.

2. What did you do one year ago?
Freak out. Oh yeah, sort of still doing that. I was narrowing down my college application list, getting ready for senior year and being EIC of The Viewpoint, enjoying a stress-free summer. Mostly, dreaming about my future and where I would be in (hey!) a year.

3. Five snacks you like:
Berries, cupcakes, pita chips and hummus, baked snap peas, cheese.

4. Five songs you know the whole lyrics to:
"You Really got a Hold on Me" (She & Him version), "I've Got the World on a String" (Frank Sinatra), "Pure Imagination" (thanks to Glee's rendition), "It's Only a Paper Moon" (Nat King Cole), "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" (She & Him).

5. Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Attend Reed College, pay for my children's college, travel throughout Europe, donate to charity, start a program that allows students from different parts of the world to discuss literature.

6. Five bad habits:
Biting my nails, lacking confidence in my opinions, being critical of my body, procrastinating, not speaking up when I have something to say.

7. Five things you like to do:
Knit, blog, cook, read, and, of course, WRITE.

8. Five things you would never dress in/buy:
Camouflage, fur, cheetah print, turtlenecks, anything with a PLUNGING neckline.

9. Five favorite toys:
My Macbook Pro, my Polaroid camera (with no film currently...), my iPod, my paintbrushes, my coffeepot.

10. Five people you'd like to see take this quiz:
Eric, Rachel, Emily, Cameron, Domenico.

Death at its best (frame)

In the last three days I have watched three movies that involve death. They were all quite well made and wonderful in their own way.

1. You don't know Jack. I have to admit that, though I was aware of this concept/phenomenon, I did not know much about "Dr. Death"prior to watching the film. Jack Kevorkian championed the idea of physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients and put it into practice for over 100 of them. The movie was quite informative and well-made and captured quite beautifully the emotions involved with death and the desire for it.

2. Beginners. First of all, such a lovely movie. Death was not the main focus, in reality, life was. Death was an overwhelming presence though. The true tragedy, however, was not the simple end of a life, but the action of allowing yourself to die, whether that be through fear of love or denial of one's self. Beginners made the beauty of a full and true life obvious through the presence of death. Beautiful.

3. Food, Inc. (Guess who kicks the bucket in this one. Yep, about a million cows.) Gross. Sad. Quite interesting, actually. I think this is one of those movies everyone in America should watch. It was eye-opening and empowering. Individuals have the power to enact change if they only become aware.

Things that make me happy today

The loafers I wore today that used to belong to a 10-year-old Domenico.

A truly beautiful poem by Sylvia Plath. So genius.

April Aubade

Worship this world of watercolor mood
in glass pagodas hung with veils of green
where diamonds jangle hymns within the blood
and sap ascends the steeple of the vein.

A saintly sparrow jargons madrigals
to waken dreamers in the milky dawn,
while tulips bow like a college of cardinals
before that papal paragon, the sun.

Christened in a spindrift of snowdrop stars,
where on pink-fluted feet the pigeons pass
and jonquils sprout like solomon's metaphors,
my love and I go garlanded with grass.

Again we are deluded and infer
that somehow we are younger than we were.

This music video of The First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes made me cry and laugh the first time I watched it.

Such an adorable wedding party.

The social network

Hey guess what? ERIN DOESN'T HAVE A FACEBOOK.
It's crazy. I can't believe.
For years, that's been a big deal. I'm the only person my age I know who doesn't have one (besides my boyfriend). It's unusual, I understand. And it's not because my parents worry about social networking (yeah, my mom's on there) or because I'm boycotting Facebook or anything. I just never made one.

Possible logic:

1. I want to be different. Sometimes I got so wrapped up in being unusual that when people would comment or make fun of my lack of Facebook I would take pride in it.

2. I am not a particularly social person. I love people, hearing what they have to say, and being with my friends. I know that social networking isn't just a bunch of mindless chatter and cleavage shots but (SPOILER ALERT) a lot of it is. I don't particularly care what that girl who was in my government class has to say about God knows what.

3. I'm a little worried I'll become addicted. You hear horror stories about the hours wasted. I'm weak.

4. I'm actually an 86-year-old. This is often the case. Many times I would rather knit or read a book or bake a fig tart than go online.

But, the spell has ended. It was inevitable, because as much as I believe all of the above, I don't want to lose touch with friends. This summer is about the transition between high school and college and as much as I hate to realize it, I will be losing some local friends. I surely don't want to disconnect with them simply because of my stubbornness. So, Facebook me (in the most casual and nonchalant way possible)!

Something magical happened last night

"It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it.  Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well."
- Albus Dumbledore


Last night was lovely. A party with lots of pretzel wands and pumpkin juice (I even made cake pop golden snitches. Hell to make.) led to an eight hour wait outside of Cinemark which led to the end. I was laughing and crying and wide awake the whole way through. It was so wonderful to be with friends and HP lovers (even if they couldn't stay out of our photos). Thanks to Kaylie for organizing such a magical night.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
- Albus Dumbledore

You know those previews that are montages of key scenes from films made in the last 50 years...

I love them. I am a true lover of the feature film. It being summer, I have found myself all too often retreating to my Netflix queue or the darkness of the movie theater. (Yeah, I just walked in the door about 5 minutes ago from seeing Super 8. I have to agree with Kaylie, why is Elle Fanning so much cooler than me?)

Following is a list of films I hope to see this summer and that you may enjoy as well.

1. HP. Enough said. Not even putting the poster on.

2. Midnight in Paris.

3. Winnie the Pooh. The first time I saw a preview I teared up a little bit.

4. Cowboys & Aliens. It's true.

5. Larry Crowne. I love Tom Hanks and have a feeling this will be heartwarming.

6. Happythankyoumoreplease.

7. The Beaver. Not what you're thinking.

8. Beginners. Why have I not heard of this until now?

I promise I'm not ONLY watching movies though. Just finished A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius which was basically just that, plan to read The Great Fire, Freedom, and some Annie Dillard, am back to painting, knitting, and baking like crazy. And watching movies.

Happy Fourth!

Although I don't consider myself the extremely patriotic type, I do enjoy a good hamburger, picnic tables, a hot summer day, and, of course, fireworks. This year's display probably won't live up to last year's Boston Pop's inspired show (see above), but the food, family, and Arizona sun can't disappoint. Every Fourth deserves a delicious pie and considering my recent and serious interest in baking, I have a recipe that I think would be great all summer.

Blackberry Peach Pie:

3 cups fresh blackberries

3 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 cup white sugar

1 double crust ready-to-use pie crust

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix the blackberries, peaches, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Press one of the pie crusts into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Pour the blackberry mixture into the pie crust. Cover with the remaining pie crust. Crimp the edges of the two crusts together to seal. Cut slits in the top of the pie to vent. Brush the top with the melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon and nutmeg over the top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook until top crust is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

I hope that everyone has a safe and happy day!

Guess what came in the mail yesterday

My MacBook!!

Let the cheesy photo taking begin!