Ramen: The New Gourmet

I am writing a cookbook and there is a whole chapter on ramen noodles.

I just wrote two side sections titled Ramen: it Fails at Life and Over Thirty and Still Eating Ramen? You Fail at Life.

In reality I am promoting eating ramen, but throwing away the flavour packet and using my recipes. There are some ramen stir-frys, breakfast ramen, and many recipes that disturb even me. I just started this book and it is going to take so much effort. That's why we have dreams!

The Joys of Life Out of High School

My friend definitely peed in a milk jug today.

He had to pee, so we all went into the bathroom & said we would watch. So he went to the kitchen sink and we followed. Finally when everyone had to pee just from waiting he grabbed an empty milk jug and locked himself in a closet. A few minutes later he came into the bathroom, announced what he had done, and poured the pee (and a little milk) into the toilet, a few drops getting on one of my other friends.
Then we shoved 7 people into the shower. Such are the joys of having a party in a 1 bathroom apartment with people just out of high school.

BFFs, Old and New

I am not a normal or easy-to-stand person. People do not like me. I talk a lot, I have acne, I correct people's grammar aloud, I dress weird so it is a little embarrassing to stand next to me. So you can imagine that it is a little hard to find people with whom I click.

The solution? Find weird people.








So calling all weirdos, rainbow scene kids, annoying people, and even those creepy people who go to Denny's at two am and make straw walruses. Because I love you guys, even if you are just as weird as I am.

(yes, all pictures are my real friends)

Building Self-Esteem for the Chronic Emo

These days every group has one (or many) of those emo people who constantly says downing things about themselves. A lot of groups just accept it. But to us, that is a drag.

So what do you do?
Well, the emo will stay friends with you through abuse, so violence, while still bad, is effective.

In my group we instituted a new policy - if someone downs themself, they get hit. Since my friends are scene they carry hair brushes, the perfect weapon against the forces of emo.

As bad as I feel when Steven gets hit (he is so oft emo), I really feel like it makes us realize that we should be happy. Anyone with friends great enough to beat happiness into them has something to smile about.

Epiphany From Dan

http://www.myspace.com/epiphanyfromdan



On their page you see my name as the person who came up with the band's name. They may be a random MySpace band, but they are my favorite random MySpace band and made up of the coolest, nicest (maybe except Fabio) people ever. And they just happen to rock.

They performed in a lobby and made a buck fifty, the best way to make a buck fifty (yeah, I blogged that too)...

Even better - I am a writer for their band.

By no means am I a musician. I can play a piano if the notes are written on the keys (my keyboard is.) However, I perfectly understand music theory and can hear my song in my head (schizophrenic jokes aside. This combined with coming from a family of writers (who write poetry... Ugh...) gave me the ability to rock out on paper.

My first song for them is in the process of editing. And then I let Epiphany From Dan shed their moment of knowledge on it. it is a traditional breakup song. Only the breakup is not theirs. It is a story (dialogue) of one side of a two a.m. phone conversation with a heartbroken besty. Even better, the band has only done covers so far - mine is their first original.

They don't know yet, but I will milk all I can get out of this amazing band just for my own bragging rights. As a Theatre/English Ed. major/dancer (choreographer?)/amateur video-maker, I am planning on forcing them into a music video. Luckily for me, they love me. They are only sophomores in high school with one of their mothers (A fellow English Major!) as their manager. A real garage band (really, they have a garage) they are some of my favorite people and even if I hated them, I could not deny their talent. Give them a listen on their MySpace (granted some of their recording equipment needs replacing).


(Guitarist, Rita)


(Bassist, Dan)


(Vocalist, Fabio and the back of Rita's head)


(Drummer Shea (BatShea) Photo by someone who isn't me)

How To Make A Buck Fifty

The easiest way to make a buck fifty today is to get a job. Or to ask people for change on the street.

The best (and most fun) way to make money?
Be a street performer!


That's right! Put on silly costumes and dance!
Well, maybe not the silly costumes... And you can even forgo the dancing if you wish...

Well, the band for whom I write, Epiphany From Dan ( http://www.myspace.com/epiphanyfromdan )didn't have to sit outside to make a buck fifty last night. Because the high school was having a basketball game and there were people in the foyer, ripe for some musical entertainment.
Just the guitarist, Rita, and the vocalist, Fabio were there to play. They had a guitar case, a paper-and-sharpie sign, and the music in their hearts. They made a buck fifty all night. And they were happy.


(Fabio and Rita rocking it out for sports fans in a high school's foyer.)

Need Cash For College

Getting into college:

The struggle facing many students these days is no longer getting the best scores and getting into college, that part my generation has. The struggle now is money.

I am an identical twin with a stepbrother who will be graduating with us. We are humble land surveyors with our own business. I have a 29 ACT score, the highest of the three. My sister has a learning disability and my brother relies on baseball to pay.

Tomorrow I compete for a scholarship against 50 high-ranking students.

Paying for college is the struggle of my generation. We must enter the workforce instead. In a world where you need a degree to flip burgers, keeping us from college puts forth a grim future for the future of our nation and our youth.

AIDS is bad.

Yesterday was AIDS awareness day. Since I am a day behind I will blog about it now.

Facts about AIDS:

•Two million people died from AIDS in 2007 (5,500 people per day), and 72 percent of these deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa.
•Over 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 67 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa.
•Fifty percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS are women.
•There are 7,400 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries).
• HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with 45 percent of the new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24.
•Annually, there are 70,000 new infections of children under age 15. Many of these children are or will become orphans. Without treatment, approximately half of the children with perinatal infection will die by the age of 2.
•The estimated number of orphans under 18 years of age in sub-Saharan Africa is 11 to 12 million.

(from http://www.until.org/statistics.shtml?gclid=CJzwqJGJuJ4CFR5inAodyghrrA )

In the US alone there are 1.1 people living with HIV/AIDS. There are many new infections every year.

And in Africa children are orphaned and a lot are born with HIV or infected before age 15. We need to find a cure. Everyone responded to Swine Flu, AIDS is being overlooked, overshadowed by lesser diseases or diseases that affect Americans. We can't ignore the dying children just because they aren't right here.