Gone Fishin'

Kinda.

As you can tell, I have not been oh so stellar about updating. It's sad and pathetic and evil, believe me, I know.

But I'm back at it... only on a slightly different blog platform.

So follow me on over here, bitches!




See you on the flipside.
xxxooo
Amanda

I Go to Too Many Concerts... and Love It

You may all remember a few weeks back my great excitement over my upcoming trip to California. That's right, today is March 2 which means in twenty-six days I will be seeing my beloved Andrew McMahon perform with Something Corporate in Anaheim. I am looking forward to this vacation and hopefully some sunshine too.

Of course, it isn't all about Andrew. There are plenty of bands I cannot wait to check out and some of my favorites that I haven't seen much lately all playing this two day festival. So you would think that I'd be done with concerts for awhile.

But then, you clearly don't understand my friendship with my best friend Megan which has largely centered around music for the better part of the last ten or so years. And so we are going to the AP Tour at Boston's House of Blues in late April. Luckily this is only going to cost me $23 after service fees. What I find so amusing about this is that the AP Tour consists of five bands: nevershoutnever, Hey Monday, The Cab, Every Avenue and The Summer Set. Three of which will also be at The Bamboozle.

If only concerts were free, because I spend too much money seeing the same bands over and over. Oh and you know that I plan on buying Warped Tour tickets when those go on sale despite the fact that once again, it is mostly for the same bands. But that's me and my best friend for you, and I think it makes us awesome.

Oh and in case you were wondering, you really do need to check out nevershoutnever. I recently discovered them and love, love, love their stuff. Even if the lead singer is only 19 and makes me feel very, very old. I especially recommend the song liarliarpantsonbackwards. You can check out a lot of their stuff here on their MySpace.

How I Spend Days Off

So my lack of posting is largely due to the fact that I have been spending most of my free time on the internet job hunting rather than blogging. Finally it has paid off and tomorrow I have a meeting to go fill out all of the paperwork necessary for starting a new job with my first actual day being Thursday of this week.

At the risk of sounding like a horrible person, quitting my last job was almost more exciting than actually finding a new job. When you put so much work and effort (and hundreds of extra hours) into a job, only to be let down when they decide they don't really need you anymore, it hurts. Plain and simple. Though I never felt that I was working for a company that I saw a great future with, I had expected to remain there for the remainder of college and possibly for a short time after. That being said, it clearly didn't work out that way and I am looking forward to starting my first full time job this week. It all feels very grown up! Wish me luck.

And so with a Monday free and no food in the house, I've been rather productive today. I had a leisurely trip to Shaw's during hours that it is not overly crowded and then came home for some cooking. This is of course after spending the better part of the morning setting up all that I bought at IKEA yesterday. I swear I'm cut out for being a housewife.

What I love so much about my grocery shopping tendencies is that I buy what looks good and then get home and figure out what to do with it. Which can prove challenging, but today turned out wonderfully and so I'll share a new recipe that I plan on making over and over again.

Start cooking some pasta - I prefer whole grain and used penne today

Saute a chicken breast (cubed - boneless/skinless) in a little bit of olive oil with basil and red pepper (you know I love red pepper)

After about five minutes, add some scallions to the chicken and then finish cooking (about five more minutes)

While this is going on, toss some arugula and baby spinach in olive oil and lemon - I used a half a lemon since I like it so much

When the chicken and pasta are done, toss them in with the salad and top with parmesan cheese

This took me about 20 minutes total and was absolutely delicious!! I'm glad I have leftovers!!

25 Random Things

My good friend Joe tagged me in one of those notes on Facebook where you list 25 random things about yourself. I thought long and hard, and here is what I have come up with:


1. If I hadn't transferred, I'd be graduating in 89 days. But I'd also be miserable.
2. In 36 days I'm flying to California for a band. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever spent money on but Megan and I will definitely have the best 5 days ever while we're there.
3. Sometimes I think about moving far away, but I think Boston has always and will always be my home.
4. NESN should fire Kathryn Tappen from hockey commentating and hire me instead.
5. Officially, I own 100 pairs of shoes and I don't think that's enough.
6. In addition to shoes, I collect shot glasses that I have never used to take shots from.
7. One of these days I'll visit all 50 states. So far I'm at 17 plus DC.
8. I have seen Guster upwards of 30 times in concert but have yet to meet the band.
9. What the hell am I going to do with a PoliSci major?
10. If only every day could be Christmas Eve - except then I'd be really, really fat.
11. I'm glad my friends come to me for advice, I just wish I could follow it myself.
12. Ten months from now I'll have a degree but will also be 40k in debt. To start paying it off I'd like to become a flight attendant.
13. Dr. Pepper is my least favorite beverage. I also hate ketchup. And cherries.
14. Embarrassingly enough, I have Titanic memorized. Including the deleted scenes.
15. Dana Carvey's Broccoli Song is the best way to turn a bad day around. Either that or cuddles.
16. I have grown up a lot in the last year. I think I have better goals and ideas about what I want out of life.
17. I am only slightly addicted to my Blackberry.
18. 22 was, by far, better than 21 as far as birthdays go. I have some amazing friends.
19. If nutrition was not an issue, I'd eat crepes every day. With Nutella. And whipped cream. Oh okay and strawberries and bananas too.
20. I'm still not convinced college was right for me or that I was really ready for it.
21. 8 months ago, without even trying, a really amazing guy saved me from a really awful situation and I hope he knows how much I appreciate it.
22. It's a good thing I don't make more money or I'd be covered in tattoos.
23. I have questionable taste in television shows and I am okay with it. The same is true of movies.
24. Owning a panda bear would kick ass. Or a penguin. Or a llama. I'd settle for a cat though.
25. I hope the Bruins don't win the Cup until I can afford season tickets!

I was surprised at how difficult that was. But I think the thing I learned the most about myself is just how much I have grown up and changed in the last year or so. I'm pretty gosh darn proud of myself!

Don't Die, It's Only Hockey

... only hockey? After all my ranting and raving over the Bruins this season, how my boyfriend can honestly think telling me that "it's only hockey" is a rational idea is beyond me. The list of things that will always cheer me up is as follows:

1) Hockey
2) Dana Carvey
3) Titanic
4) Forehead kisses

In that order. When all else fails, it's hockey. A sport that has somehow always been so easy for me to get wrapped up in. I live and die by the Bruins and make no apologies for it. But beyond my love for this team is a love for this game that is absolutely unparalleled.

I'll spare you all the details, if you care to know why Olympic hockey is superior to the NHL, about.com does a great job of summarizing it here. I recommend reading it if you are both unfamiliar with hockey and also planning to watch some of the upcoming matches. If you're in it for the fights, don't bother - they are nonexistent in international play.

"Hockey is entertaining but I don't share your passion for rule variations. I enjoy it for what it is: grown men skating with sticks." Seriously? How I am dating this boy is sometimes far beyond me. But apparently his less-than-obsessive interest in hockey is on par with my absolutely hateful feelings toward Dr. Pepper, we agree to disagree.

The thing is, it's not just grown men skating with sticks. The USA/Canada game yesterday was played well. The most basic of fundamentals were adhered to for a solid sixty minutes. The Canadians out-skated USA but the Americans were able to take better advantage of the elusive powerplay. Each team was comprised 100% of NHL players. So why was that the best hockey game I've seen in a very long time?

Two words: salary cap.

Olympians, by definition, are the best of the best. Salary caps prevent these teams from ever being duplicated by the NHL and I am in support of that. The last thing the NHL needs is the hockey version of the New York Yankees taking over because this would also lead to teams that become the equivalent of oh say, the Padres. Because of the nature of the Olympics, the best of the best from every country are pretty damn good and there aren't too many teams at a disadvantage (okay, if Jamaica had a hockey team, then maybe).

And so, you see, it isn't "only hockey." It's Olympic Hockey. It's sixteen days of the best hockey the world has ever seen. Sixteen days of hockey fundamentals that just aren't a part of the NHL. Sportsmanship that isn't part of the NHL. Beyond anything, it is sixteen days of hockey played the way hockey has always intended to be played. It isn't "only hockey," it's hockey. Plain and simple.

The Best Character on TV: Creed Bratton

In my world of obsessive TV watching, with endless favorite shows, I believe that I have finally pinpointed who is quite possibly the best (and most underrated) character on television: Creed Bratton of NBC's The Office.

Stop laughing, I'm being serious. Yes, I realize Creed sees about twenty to thirty seconds of screen time per episode but next time the show decides to have a clips show, maybe it should be a half an hour of all these clips one after the other. I guarantee you will never laugh so hard.

So who is Creed Bratton? First of all, the actor's name is actually Creed Bratton, originally born William Charles Scheider. Which explains this lovely scene in which Creed and Michael have a heart-to-heart about filing for bankruptcy:

Creed Bratton: Creed Bratton has never declared bankruptcy. When Creed Bratton gets in trouble, he transfers his debt to


[holds up fake passport]

Creed Bratton: William Charles Scheider.

I like these little random hidden jokes in the show. Furthermore, Creed works in Quality Assurance, but he can't remember his job title due to heavy drug use in the 60s. In addition to his drug use, the Office has implied that Creed may have been involved in many other crimes, including religious cults: "you have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader."

I'm not sure you can say that what he has are "one liners" because they aren't really jokes. They are just the bizzare thoughts of a man in his 60s who has no business being in Corporate America.

The biggest mystery surrounding this man is, in my opinion, brought up in the episode Chair Model

He can't wait for Michael to get a new chair when Pam gets Michael's old chair and he gets Pam's. Then, Creed will have two chairs and will have "only one to go."

I hope someday to know what this means.

As a closing argument, he looks a lot like John Locke. Keep up the good work Creed!




 

 

Another YouTube Clip... The Funniest Thing Ever

I have, unfortunately, not been having the best of weeks. Luckily, I can easily compartmentalize this and was able to thoroughly enjoy a Valentine's Day weekend! (For details on the amazing restaurant, check out my Yelp! review here.) After a great dinner out we generally spent a very lazy Sunday, which is really the best kind of Sunday, watching an MTV True Life marathon with tons of cuddles. Excellent.

However, with back to work today (as I am not lucky enough to have this holiday off from work, only school) I am again finding myself not exactly having the best of times. And while I am doing my best to try to keep a positive attitude (and sending out as many resumes as possible) there is one thing that absolutely, always, without fail makes me smile.

Thank you Dana Carvey. Seriously. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do.

An Update on the Best Team in Sports (my opinion)

I like that I can usually count on the simplest things to cheer me up. For those of you who I've talked to in the past few days, you know it's been a pretty tough week. Luckily for me, the Bruins have been turning it up and rocked out a win against Tampa Bay last night. It was not without it's drama, they were up 5-0 but the final score was 5-4, but in the end they pulled it off and I was easily able to forget about everything stressing me out.

As we go into the Olympic break, the Bruins are now in 6th place in the confrence and they have one more game on Saturday. They've come back from a ten game losing streak to win three in a row, and I hope they keep it up.

My hope is that two weeks off will do them a lot of good. Yes, five key players will be in the Olympics, but the rest of the team will be able to rest up and practice and regroup. When they come back there will be twenty-two game left for them in the regular season.

The way I see it is that they need to win about 75% of these games. Ideally, we need to finish top five to ensure making it past round one of the playoffs. If we go in lower than fifth, they're going to need one hell of a miarcle to win a seven game series against any of the teams they could possibly face. From there on out, I think the confidence of getting past the first round can carry them through a bit more.

But what's keeping me nervous is the number of games going into OT and SO. For those of you non-hockey fantatics, playoffs don't have SO, they just continue to play OT periods until a sudden death win. While I love this rule (especially since we are struggling with SO) it's not going to be good if we can't win in regulation. The more OT a team plays, the more tired they get. A seven game series is already tiring and draining on both teams, carrying it past regulation is even worse.

So these are my hopes and dreams for the Bruins. Beyond that, I hope they can work out one last win before they go on a break. I'm anxious to see how it all goes.

Another (Stolen) Lost Recap

Okay folks. Wednesdays are deliriously busy, so I'm going to post this entry that I stole from my friend Steve for tonight. I don't feel too bad about it because I contributed...

In keeping with last week, here is another running diary, albeit belated, on this week's edition of LOST...
First segment: Hippie Richard tells Kung Fu that “he's alive,” referring to Sayid. This seems to get a big smile out of the Drunken Master. Then we switch to the gang, and Sawyer, that rascal, is already planning on running.

Next, we're back to the Bizzaro LAX, where Kate is holding the taxi guy hostage with a gun, and Claire is in the backseat. The taxi driver looks suspiciously like the puppet master from Heroes, but I'm not positive about that. He runs from the car, and then Kate steals Claire's purse before ordering her out of the car.
We switch again to the Temple, with the gang explaining to Sayid what is going on. I love Miles, who arguably has as many good, snappy lines as Sawyer at this point. “As you can see, Hugo here has assumed a leadership position, which is... really great.” There is a confrontation between Jack and the Kung Fu Master, who might not realize that Jack can probably speak whatever language he's using, because of his experience with the wacky Chinese lady in past seasons.

Anywho, Sawyer has magically procured a gun, because he's Sawyer. He decides to leave, and Kate offers to track him and bring him back, convincing the Tribal Others (my name for them) that she can do so.
Now we're back to Kate in LA, presumably, where she at first pulls a gun some fat, sleazy but kind of charming mechanic. (Think Bud from Kill Bill Volume 2.) She pays him $200 to break her handcuffs, and then goes into a restroom to change, at which point we get a stomach-punch scene with Kate going through Claire's bag. She has a picture of her pregnant, and a big stuffed Shamu doll. A really, really powerful scene.
We switch scenes again to Jack and Kate planning for the trip into the jungle to find Sawyer. Jack grabs Kate like he wants to kiss her, but doesn't, and she doesn't lean in for the lip-lock either.

On to the Kung Fu Master and Sayid, as the Master blows some sort of dust on to Sayid, before hooking up electrodes to him. He begins to shock him, getting a scream out of Sayid, and then he prepares a red-hot poker, scorching his skin with it. Hippie Richard tells him that he passed the test, but apparently, he did not, as Kung Fu says that Sayid didn't pass the test.

Back to the Bizarro LA, Kate somehow finds out where Claire is and gives her back her stuff. Then amazingly, she offers Claire a ride to the adopted parents house, which Claire seems to accept! (This whole turn of events strikes me as completely and utterly impossible – Kate just held her up at gunpoint, and then dumped her on a random street, and then she somehow finds Claire again, AND convinces her to not be very, very uncomfortable with this whole ride thing.)

Now we're on the Island again, and some member of the Tribal Others is leading him. And shockingly, it is Mac from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia! Wow! What an inexplicable bit of casting! Anyway, Rousseau the French Woman has apparently been dead for a couple years now, according to Mac, but then Kate manages to overpower Mac and the other guard (again) to escape.

Jack goes inside to talk with Kung Fu and Hippie Richard, and they say that Sayid is “infected” with something. They're trying to convince Jack to get Sayid to take a pill. If Sayid doesn't take the pill, Kung Fu said that he would be dead. Sayid and Jack then have a heart to heart.

We cut back to Kate and Jin in the jungle, with them breaking up a bit, and Kate trying to chase after Sawyer. Then another quick cut to Claire and Kate as they ride to Claire's baby adopted momma. It turns out that her husband dumped her, and she didn't tell Claire, and the shocking news causes Claire to start going into labor.

Another cut to the Others' village, which Kate is exploring. Sawyer is ripping up the floorboards in one of the houses, to reveal a shoebox with... Well, it's not really revealed, but I assume it is something of Juliet's that makes Kate change her mind that Sawyer could ever be her's. She tries to sneak out, but Sawyer discovers her, and they exchange awkward words.

Back to Bizarro LAX, Kate manages to take Claire to a hospital, and who is the doctor? Ethan, of course. Claire is given the option of having her baby at that time, or postponing it, and she chooses to postpone it. LOST teases that she'll have to deliver the baby anyway, and also, Kate seems to show some faint glimmers of recognition when Claire reveals that her baby is named Aaron.

On the Island, Kate and Sawyer are chatting, about how she wants to find Claire to reunite him with Aaron. Sawyer has a teary scene with Kate, and the item is revealed to be an engagement ring for Juliet, which he throws into the water.

Kung Fu is spinning a baseball, and he and Jack have another chat. You know, mostly about trust. Jack tries to swallow the pill instead, and Kung Fu has to attack him to force him to not swallow it. You see, it is full of poison.

In Bizarro LA, Claire covers for Kate as two cops come looking for Kate. (Lilly looks pretty in this scene, for some reason, and I'm not usually a fan of her.) Kate encourages Claire to keep Aaron.
Back to Kate and Sawyer at the village – they exchange looks, but that is all. Back again to Jack and Kung Fu, as they talk about why they wanted to kill Sayid. Kung Fu thinks that Sayid has been “claimed” by a darkness that is growing in him. Jack wants to know how he can be sure – And Kung Fu says it happened to Jack's sister! (For those of you not keeping close attention, I believe that would refer to Claire.)
Mac and the Black Dude stumble upon Jin, and threaten to shoot him for the ambush earlier. Jin tries to run away, and gets his leg caught in a bear trap! As Mac hovers over him, about to pull the trigger, he and the Black Dude are shot by... Claire! Dressed in plaid, and looking all woodsy and whatnot! So she IS alive
----
And now, Amanda's comments on the episode. You can find her full blog on all matters pop culture and Boston, Amanda.Jean, here.

Alright, Greenwell. Here's my take on this week's episode:

I'm going to start off by saying that I don't like Kate. I wasn't thrilled that this was a "Kate" episode, but I'm starting to like dopelganger Kate.

I like how doppelganger Claire is still forced to keep Aaron. Can we please get back to the psychic? WHY does she have to be the one to raise Aaron? Are we about to find out? Probably not, they'll keep us waiting for a Claire episode. I know this because she showed up at the very end of this one.

Sayid. What's up? Who is he? John Locke is now Old Smokey, would they really have two characters technically dead with "possessed" bodies? That's not like LOST to rehash storylines like that, so I'm guessing there's more to it. As far as this "infection" maybe we'll finally figure out what happens to people on the island. But maybe this is a different infection, because Sayid is not, as far as I know, pregnant.

Jack is still an arrogant ass.

Sawyer is still charming as hell. I liked how he went back to his old house with Juliette. He really is a softy at heart! This guy makes me believe in romance (that and I'm on a bit of a sappy-love-story high thanks to the upcoming Valentine's Day weekend). I am glad he and Kate made peace. Even if she's a whore. And yeah, I went there.

Is it me or is Hurley taking more of a backseat than usual? Then again, with such a large cast, it may be too early to really tell.

Where is Ben? Where is Desmond? Where did Locke take Richard Alpert? Where is Aaron? Where is Penny? TOO MANY QUESTIONS and still no answers.

So that's about it from me. Let's do this again next week.

The Power of YouTube

I want you all to watch that video before reading this entry. If your computer doesn't have speakers or you can't have the volume on right now, hold off on this. You need to watch this video. If you are having trouble making out all the lyrics, fear not! The organization who put this on has a site "for the hearing impaired."

Now that you're all familiar with "That Christian Side Hug" we can proceed with the entry.

I understand a lot of things that Christians have to say about relationship and shall we say, relations. I get it. I don't necessarily thing preaching abstinence works, but I understand that in an ideal world it's a great solution. Certainly I find it disturbing that children (and yes they are children) are getting some first hand experience with the birds and the bees long before they ever take a sex ed class in high school. But can someone please explain to me how "full frontal hugging" is a problem?

First of all, it's not actually called "full frontal hugging." It's just plain old hugging. People have been hugging this way for a long time. I hug all of my friends and family this way. I have many male friends who I hug and it has in now way ever made me somehow lose control to the point where I have been overwhelmed with inappropriate thoughts. 

There are about a million things I can think of that are more important to worry about than this. 

And how come lame rap songs make things "cool?" In what world is this rap cool? I want to meet the person who heard this rap and decided, "Yeah man, no more full frontal hugs for me, Imma start hugging on the side. Christian style. What up!"