A night worth documenting

Last night our little, unassuming dinner party was such a resounding success it lasted until the wee hours of the morning! It was a small dinner in honor of my friends Lauren and Kristina's birthdays. Instead of cake, there was a request for Star Wars cookies so I made vanilla Stormtroopers and chocolate Darth Vaders. Easy enough. For dinner we had my mom's top secret Japanese Style chicken curry. ( One pot meals are the best for crowds!) I made some sweet tea using a blend of the Blueberry Bliss and the Strawberry Lemonade tea from Teavana. We also had a toast with some cheap Cristalino  (not to be confused with Cristal) which turned out to be pretty decent. I think the highlight of the evening (besides the great company!) turned out to be the many rounds of Guillotine we played!

Finally, we closed off the night (rather morning! We were very surprised to find 1 o'clock had come and gone by the time we checked our clock!) with a small piano concert by Brad.

It's nice to have friends up here, and to finally be settled in enough to comfortably have company.  When they left I was thinking of this song:

The Remedy for Too Much Weekend

I had too much weekend and as a result, I've been sick this whole week. But, of course I've found ways to cope.

I've been reliving the good times of the Westbound Train show on Sunday by listening to them all week. Brad and I walked into the Middle East Underground with this as the soudtrack-

It was way too good to be allowed! You can see how I may have overdone it with the dancing, right?


Cut to Monday, when I began feeling my age... too sore, and sick to be staying up late dancing until the wee hours of the morning. (BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT!)

I've also been reading a lot in the past couple of weeks- Emma and Northanger Abbey by the incomparable Jane Austin and A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  If you don't have time to read ( I sincerely hope that's not the case) or if you would rather watch a movie, OR, if you've already read them and still have to sit around (like me), I recommend watching: 

-The 2009 BBC miniseries version of Emma. Superior to all other film versions and incredibly faithful to the book. Everyone is exactly how I imagined them, in this adaptation. My favorite Jane Austen book has now become my favorite miniseries! 

- 2007 BBC version of Northanger Abbey. Not quite as faithful to the book, but the book wasn't anything terribly special anyway (in my humble opinion). 

- Sherlock, BBC 2011. I am eagerly awaiting series 2, set to arrive this Summer! This show is set in the present, but does a great job of maintaining faith to the original novels off of which they are based.   What impresses me most is the way Watson is portrayed. Usually he's sort of shoved to the side in film adaptations, but here they are able to capture his importance the way it is in the books. Long story short- PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW!

I suppose you could call it a "Masterpiece" bender, of sorts. All of these stories can be found in television adaptations there. It's my personal cold remedy: miso soup, tea, and Masterpiece Theater -all consumed with wanton enthusiasm.

Miso Soup= Elixer of life. 

I'm also preparing for the new semester, which means I am in the midst of receiving books wrapped in brown paper at my door. This is always a delight, even if they are just text books.  Today, Power, Politics, and Universal Health Care: The inside story of a century-long battle by Stuart Altman and David Shactman arrived at my doorstep. I have three weeks to have it read for one of my classes. It looks interesting; far more interesting than my books on how to use SAS (statistical analysis systems). I'll probably end up doing a post on it later, since a quick google search has yielded some potentially useful video accompaniments to this book. 

Finally, DOWNTON ABBEY has finally reached the US, and I couldn't be happier! The series two premier did not disappoint! Of course, now I'm clinging desperately to the edge of my seat for the next episode to air on Sunday. I'll refrain from any summaries for fear of spoilers, but let me just say, I sense a kindred spirit in Lady Sybil.

Christmas Bows

     I think it's been long enough that we can begin feeling nostalgic for Christmas again, right? One of my VERY favorite things is wrapping the presents. My mom and I are obsessed with picking the right paper, the most deceiving box shape, the perfect ribbon to complement the paper tied into supple bows. My dad and Brad say it's because we're crazy. We say we're honoring the arts of our Japanese heritage. You can decide for yourself.

     This year, I didn't buy any gifts that weren't shipped directly to their recipients. So, I did not get to wrap any gifts. But I did receive a lot of gifts that were wrapped but did not have any bow! So I looked through my meager collection from last year, and from  my other craft sources to come up with the perfect way to jazz up each package; illuminating it's potential!

Such beautiful, traditional paper! I used a cord from last year , that I simply braided from yarn and had attached some regal tassels on the end. I feel like the tassels reflect the regal style of the paper and the navy is a nice, complimentary, contrasting color to the cream and gold. 

This is the third ribbon (and final) I put on this gift.  It was hard to get this one just right!  I'm very happy with  end result of this "gift from my puppy"! Like him, it embodies all the fun parts of Christmas! I'm just in love with the Santa hat! 

It was hard to find the right gift for this rather short piece of red and neon green ribbon,  but I wasn't daunted. I straightened my posture, said, "challenge accepted" and wrapped up this little guy.   

I loved this old-fashioned, rustic paper from Brad's grand parents. I decided to go with an equally rustic and old fashioned bow.

I love how the white ribbon "pops" on the red paper. Also, the bow is cute! 

When I saw this package I knew exactly which ribbon I  was going to use! So elegant! 

The same with this package, which was uncharacteristically bow-less from my mom! Such over the top, almost Seussian paper covered this tiny box and I had the perfect amount of ribbon this glittery, polka-dotted ribbon to give it an adorable tuxedo bow-tie. Definitely one of my favorites. 

I love the juxtaposition of the "fancy" paper with the rustic bow. It really brings out the  outdoorsy subject of the paper: birds and trees. A very balance package.

This is more of the paper from Brad's grandparents. I kept the plaid fabric strip from last year. I love the "Christmas plaid", and the rough edges. It feels resourceful, and I imagine the people that live in the cabin (pictured just to the left of the bow) would have tied up their gifts similarly.  The end result feels very "heritage".

I think this was my favorite bow, although it was close, this year. This package positively glowed , under the tree. Traditional red and green,; beautiful, supple ribbon. Just a treat for the eyes! 

Looking back, I should have also photographed my mom's masterful wrapping, but that will have to wait for next year...

Young Pioneer

After going on my annual Winter Break BBC Period Drama bender, I moved on to watching the 2005 TV adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. Following that, I started watching the "House" shows. (You know, like 1900 House...) Now, I am convinced that I need to go on a camping trip this summer. I just want to load up the back of our car -conveniently it's a SUV...perfect for replicating the Conestoga experience!- And head out into the wilderness. If I'm being honest, I know I cannot survive completely without modern comforts, but I think I can deal with walking down a dirt path in my shower shoes to get to the bathing facilities.

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In my fantasy world, I am an expert camper and can plan a camping trip that would go without a hitch, so to speak, and with my very real lack of expertise in mind, I give you my list of essentials for a weekend of pioneering.

Shelter- I did a bit of searching around and found a product called Magna Screen that catches my attention. It fits over the space left by rolling down the windows of your car, so you can close the doors and treat it as a tent!

Sleep- An air mattress fitted with a sheet a blanket and one pillow each. This fits perfectly in the back of the car when the back seats are down and the supplies are stashed in the front seats.

Food- a pallet of bottled water (1/2 of them frozen in cooler to do double duty as ice), peanut butter, bread, fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, peaches... things that don't need to be kept cold and can be eaten out of hand), beans, brown bread, hot dogs, marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers,  muffins (maybe corn muffins? YUM!),  plates, silver wear, a roll of paper towels, skewers, can opener, a bag for trash (just in case!)<-- you can see by the length of this list what is most important to me! 

Toiletries- 1 roll of emergency TP, towels, wash cloths, all over body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sun screen, deodorant

ETC.- 2 flashlights, a deck of cards, bug repellent, a book (I recommend Young Pioneers), batteries, Swiss-Army knife, first aid kit, cell phones and car charger...just in case!

It should be noted that in my head, all camp sites come with a picnic table so I didn't include chairs or anything like that.

Time to round up some friends and face the wild yonder! 

What is Your Dream?

Yesterday, someone challenged me to ask myself "What is your dream?" and to answer with the utmost honesty and to begin to take action immediately at the start of this new year.  I like to think I'm pretty open and honest in general, so this would be easy. Especially in a culture consumed by social networking, it seems like there are no secrets. But in fact, even this blog, as public as it could be, remains the equivalent of a homestead on the prairie in the 19th century. A few close people follow, a few strangers stumble through. I value this space as a way to have some record of myself unfiltered by the thought, "Would I say this in front of my grandmother?"  So, in this place, free of the threat of henpecking from loving relatives, I give you my dream for myself in 2012:

• To be employed making at least $800 a week, working in public health, by the time I graduate. 
• Have a wedding date set for next year. 
• To get my passport and drive to Canada
• To truly join my family with Brad's (That includes coming out with my religious beliefs.)
• USE THAT SEWING MACHINE!
• To run the Charles River trail from my neighborhood to the Esplanade with Brad and my dad running along side me, and my mom on her bike. 
• Make my home/ life a center for community

One of my favorite pictures from Christmas- Brad and I like to go to a quiet pond nearby, to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. I always feel refreshed and ready to face new challenges after going there. Just like I'm ready to face this new year! 

If you feel like you would like to share your dreams for yourself in my little patch of quiet in the internet, my comments box is always open. I promise not to henpeck, although I'll probably congratulate you on a particularly beautiful dream. Happy New Year! Good Luck!