I was listening to the radio on my way to work. The morning DJs were playing a game with a listener: "Are you smarter than Lexi?" A man called in. His name was Wil.
The first question neither Wil nor Lexi knew the answer to (Where are the 2012 Olympics being held? Answer: London). Wil, being at a loss, attempted to google the answer. You could hear him typing. Lexi told him off for trying to cheat. The next question (What state is the Grand Canyon primarily in? Answer: Arizona) took Lexi a little bit of time, but she got it in the end. Of course, before she figured it out she had to tell Wil off again for trying to google the answer.
After Lexi answered the question, Lexi told Wil he needed to up his game on the next question if he wanted the tickets. Wil didn't answer. He had hung up.
Poor guy, he never saw it coming. See, Wil is smart. He knows where to find anything he needs to. A few seconds with an information processing device and Wil can tell you just about anything. That, dear people, is amazing.
The problem is, Wil can't come up with the information on his own. Once upon a time people stored information. These days, mostly we just process information. Chances are pretty good at some point Wil came across the information that the 2012 Olympics were in London or that the Grand Canyon was mostly in Arizona. At the time, Wil didn't need the information. He processed the information as "not important" and moved on.
I recently read The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing Our Brains by Nicholas Carr. This book talks all about why Wil is the way he is. It's the internet. It's done it to all of us. You may think that's a hasty generalization, but I'm pretty confident in my assessment, seeing as you are currently reading this post. You = internet user. Apparently it only takes about five hours of internet time to significantly rewire the brain. Imagine what your brain must look like.
But that's okay, right? Nothing wrong with being adept at information processing. The thing with the brain is when you begin to do one thing intensely, the connections in the brain involved in that process grow stronger. It works the other way around, too. The less you do something, the weaker those connections become.
The internet helps us with our decision-making (click on that link or pass it by? pay attention to that ad or ignore it?) and with information processing, but it does not help us practice our focus. The less time we spend focusing on a single task (watching tv, browsing the internet, and carrying on three different chats all at once doesn't cut it), the less able we are to focus on a single task. This means that less deep thinking is going on, which in turn means there's less imagination and creativity. Kind of a scary thought.
Good news is, the fact that I was able to read that book in two days means I am still fully capable of focusing.
I may be a champion information processor, but I won't go down without a fight. I exercise my concentration and deep thinking skills quite regularly. I also have a deep dislike for smart phones and intend to not have one for as long as possible. And you better believe someday when I'm filthy rich and don't have to work anymore I'll spend significantly less time practicing my information processing skills.
P.S. I am definitely smarter than Lexi. Who doesn't know where the Olympics are this year? Or where the Grand Canyon is?
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
If you frequent a Smith's or a Kroger, you may have noticed the little orange stickers that pop up occasionally. They say 'Manager's Special' in big bold letters and display the new, discounted price. Items go on manager's special for lots of different reasons: clearance, new packaging, the product is no longer carried. The most frequent reason, it seems, is that the item is getting near its expiration date.
The Ma loves the thrill of the shopping hunt, rooting around til she finds a good deal, getting something that everybody else would pass over for an amazing price and turning it into something spectacular. She's out of her mind in love with manager's specials. They've done all the hard work for her. All the best deals are clearly marked with a big, orange, easily identifiable sticker. Ma quite often makes dinners with nothing but manger's specials.
The other day she came home proudly bearing manager's special, chunked butternut squash. Our favorite way to eat butternut squash is roasted with butter and brown sugar, but she wanted to do something funky with it. Like make soup.
While the Ma has been feeling brave recently and has found herself a few recipes all on her lonesome, she still prefers giving that task to me. "Find me a recipe containing these three ingredients that can be done in less than an hour and will fulfill this delicious meal idea!" Luckily, on this particular trip she found so many manager's specials she didn't have time to think about the butternut squash for at least two more dinners (a little nervous making when you consider that it was on manager's special because it was nearly too old to be eaten, but none of us have died yet from eating it so I think it turned out okay). That gave me the time I needed to hunt for oodles of recipes, compare them with one another, and then pick and choose the parts of the recipes I liked, leaving behind those I didn't.
I was disappointed at first in my search for butternut squash soup. Butternut is a winter squash which apparently means that when turned into soup it ought to taste like Christmas. I love Christmas as much as the next girl, but I've never been a fan of the traditional Christmas flavors: nutmeg and cinnamon and allspice all rolled together so everything tastes like a pumpkin pie. Not to be swayed by the early signs of defeat, I dug til I found some different spice combinations I thought would be delicious.
Best. Soup. Ever.
Really. At least the best creamy, winter squash soup that has ever come out of this kitchen. Plus, it is easy peasy. This is becoming a staple on my fall menu. No longer will I suffer from having more butternut squash in the garden than a girl knows what do do with.
And who knows. This might just be enough to keep me from shaking my head the next time the Ma sets out with a happy giggle to hunt down some manager's specials.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
5 cups chunked butternut squash
1/2 medium onion, rough chopped in large pieces (I cut mine into six pieces)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups water
4 cubes bouillon
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Dump squash and onion chunks in an oven safe sauce pan and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat each piece. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. Squash should be cooked through. You can check doneness by inserting a knife. If the squash is cooked, a butter knife will slip easily into the squash flesh.
2. Puree Squash and onions in a blender (I suppose you could use a food processor for this but I think those things are a booger to clean) til all the chunks are gone. Add the cream cheese and puree until it takes on a smooth, even consistency. Return to the sauce pan.
3. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add bouillon water, marjoram, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the squash mixture in the sauce pan. Warm over medium heat. Do not boil.
4. Bust out the previously purchased, crusty bread and delicious sweet cream butter. Dig in.
PS I only used chunked butternut squash because it was on manager special. The easiest way to roast butternut squash is to cut it in half from top to bottom, scoop out the seeds, and throw that puppy in the oven. No chunking, just halving. Coat the onions with olive oil and drizzle olive oil on top of the squash halves. Scoop it out of the skin and into the blender for pureeing.
The Ma loves the thrill of the shopping hunt, rooting around til she finds a good deal, getting something that everybody else would pass over for an amazing price and turning it into something spectacular. She's out of her mind in love with manager's specials. They've done all the hard work for her. All the best deals are clearly marked with a big, orange, easily identifiable sticker. Ma quite often makes dinners with nothing but manger's specials.
The other day she came home proudly bearing manager's special, chunked butternut squash. Our favorite way to eat butternut squash is roasted with butter and brown sugar, but she wanted to do something funky with it. Like make soup.
While the Ma has been feeling brave recently and has found herself a few recipes all on her lonesome, she still prefers giving that task to me. "Find me a recipe containing these three ingredients that can be done in less than an hour and will fulfill this delicious meal idea!" Luckily, on this particular trip she found so many manager's specials she didn't have time to think about the butternut squash for at least two more dinners (a little nervous making when you consider that it was on manager's special because it was nearly too old to be eaten, but none of us have died yet from eating it so I think it turned out okay). That gave me the time I needed to hunt for oodles of recipes, compare them with one another, and then pick and choose the parts of the recipes I liked, leaving behind those I didn't.
I was disappointed at first in my search for butternut squash soup. Butternut is a winter squash which apparently means that when turned into soup it ought to taste like Christmas. I love Christmas as much as the next girl, but I've never been a fan of the traditional Christmas flavors: nutmeg and cinnamon and allspice all rolled together so everything tastes like a pumpkin pie. Not to be swayed by the early signs of defeat, I dug til I found some different spice combinations I thought would be delicious.
Best. Soup. Ever.
Really. At least the best creamy, winter squash soup that has ever come out of this kitchen. Plus, it is easy peasy. This is becoming a staple on my fall menu. No longer will I suffer from having more butternut squash in the garden than a girl knows what do do with.
And who knows. This might just be enough to keep me from shaking my head the next time the Ma sets out with a happy giggle to hunt down some manager's specials.
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
5 cups chunked butternut squash
1/2 medium onion, rough chopped in large pieces (I cut mine into six pieces)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 8oz package of cream cheese
3 cups water
4 cubes bouillon
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350*. Dump squash and onion chunks in an oven safe sauce pan and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat each piece. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. Squash should be cooked through. You can check doneness by inserting a knife. If the squash is cooked, a butter knife will slip easily into the squash flesh.
2. Puree Squash and onions in a blender (I suppose you could use a food processor for this but I think those things are a booger to clean) til all the chunks are gone. Add the cream cheese and puree until it takes on a smooth, even consistency. Return to the sauce pan.
3. Dissolve bouillon in hot water. Add bouillon water, marjoram, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the squash mixture in the sauce pan. Warm over medium heat. Do not boil.
4. Bust out the previously purchased, crusty bread and delicious sweet cream butter. Dig in.
PS I only used chunked butternut squash because it was on manager special. The easiest way to roast butternut squash is to cut it in half from top to bottom, scoop out the seeds, and throw that puppy in the oven. No chunking, just halving. Coat the onions with olive oil and drizzle olive oil on top of the squash halves. Scoop it out of the skin and into the blender for pureeing.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Othello
I recently attended a performance of Othello put on by Shakespeare in the Park. Othello has always been pretty near the bottom on my list Shakespeare plays. I think my dislike of it stems from my 11 grade English honors class. I playacted a scene with a group of students in which I was mostly dead, after being smothered violently with a pillow. Also, we didn't read the actual text; we read a comic book version featuring mice.
Despite my dislike of the the play, I was excited to go. I have not seen nearly enough Shakespeare in my lifetime. I wrangled together some other Shakespeare fans, found my picnic blanket, grabbed some snacks, and headed to the park.
In their original form, Shakespeare plays were performed on an outdoor stage with little props or scenery. The story was told through the words and actions of the actors. There was also no fourth wall. The performances relied heavily on the reactions and participation of the audience. Shakespeare wrote to please the masses.
My expectations were pretty low. Free Shakespeare performed by volunteers in the park? I thought the whole thing was highly suspect.
Shakespeare performed is magical. Always. Shakespeare performed in the evening among the tall pine trees at the park while you sit on blankets and munch on bottle caps is pretty much the best thing ever.
You can find more information about Shakespeare in the Park here. I believe they are doing Richard III next. You should try to find the time to go. Trust me, it's worth it. Chances are pretty good you'll run into me, sitting on my picnic blanket with my buddies, munching on my bottle caps.
PS It is so strange to work with a whole bunch of people just like me. Who knew I'd ever have a host of friends that enjoy Shakespeare? I'm kind of in love with it.
Despite my dislike of the the play, I was excited to go. I have not seen nearly enough Shakespeare in my lifetime. I wrangled together some other Shakespeare fans, found my picnic blanket, grabbed some snacks, and headed to the park.
In their original form, Shakespeare plays were performed on an outdoor stage with little props or scenery. The story was told through the words and actions of the actors. There was also no fourth wall. The performances relied heavily on the reactions and participation of the audience. Shakespeare wrote to please the masses.
My expectations were pretty low. Free Shakespeare performed by volunteers in the park? I thought the whole thing was highly suspect.
Shakespeare performed is magical. Always. Shakespeare performed in the evening among the tall pine trees at the park while you sit on blankets and munch on bottle caps is pretty much the best thing ever.
You can find more information about Shakespeare in the Park here. I believe they are doing Richard III next. You should try to find the time to go. Trust me, it's worth it. Chances are pretty good you'll run into me, sitting on my picnic blanket with my buddies, munching on my bottle caps.
PS It is so strange to work with a whole bunch of people just like me. Who knew I'd ever have a host of friends that enjoy Shakespeare? I'm kind of in love with it.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Las Vegas
There are two parts to going on vacation: leaving and coming back. As much as I love the going, I think I may love coming home even more. There's something luxurious about sleeping in your own bed with your own pillow and showering in your own shower.
Four days, I think, was perfect. Long enough that I was able to relax into the vacation, but not too long. I was sad to leave but also glad to come home. Feeling only sadness at leaving means I haven't been gone long enough. Only happiness means I've been gone too long.
Ma, the Little Sister, and my Twinner Sis-in-law made the perfect traveling companions. We talked and laughed and shared pillows and road treats, but we also read books and watched movies or just watched the red rocks go by, leaving each other to our silent occupations.
I appreciated the company of Twinner SIL particularly. Although she didn't wake up as early as I did (I woke up just after 6:00am the first morning), she woke up sooner than the Ma and the Little Sister. Twinner SIL hadn't spent much time in Las Vegas before. We explored the strip together, checking out the sites. We were whistled at, approached about Vegas pool parties, and asked if we wanted VIP access to a night club. We said no.
Because Twinner SIL hadn't been there before, we took lots of pictures. Lots of pictures. I was the only photographer so our pictures look pretty much the same. Me on the right, Twinner SIL on the left, with different backgrounds: the monorail, multicolored m&ms, the fountains at the bellagio.
This one is of us in the conservatory of the bellagio. Simply add different backgrounds and you'll get a pretty good idea of what all the originals looked like.
We waited for Ma and the Little Sister to wake up before doing anything super fun. Like going to Freed's Bakery and trying their wedding cake. Some of the most delicious cake I've ever had. Or driving to the Hoover Dam and leaning over the edge so we could feel the crazy wind coming up from the bottom. Or visiting the floor to ceiling chocolate fountain at the Bellagio.
I've been visiting Vegas since I was a tiny child. Years I didn't visit Vegas are far more rare than the years I did. This trip included far more touristy things than ever before. It was fun and there was a lot we missed. Luckily, a girl trip to Vegas (no men and no babies) is officially part of the yearly schedule. Some of my sisters and definitely my Ma appreciate lying by the pool more than anything else. I am excited for the chance I'll have to explore the city from top to bottom, ranging far and wide, finding things to see and delicious things to eat.
Mostly I'm glad that I have some time each year to hang out with the Ma and my sisters,
Four days, I think, was perfect. Long enough that I was able to relax into the vacation, but not too long. I was sad to leave but also glad to come home. Feeling only sadness at leaving means I haven't been gone long enough. Only happiness means I've been gone too long.
Ma, the Little Sister, and my Twinner Sis-in-law made the perfect traveling companions. We talked and laughed and shared pillows and road treats, but we also read books and watched movies or just watched the red rocks go by, leaving each other to our silent occupations.
I appreciated the company of Twinner SIL particularly. Although she didn't wake up as early as I did (I woke up just after 6:00am the first morning), she woke up sooner than the Ma and the Little Sister. Twinner SIL hadn't spent much time in Las Vegas before. We explored the strip together, checking out the sites. We were whistled at, approached about Vegas pool parties, and asked if we wanted VIP access to a night club. We said no.
This one is of us in the conservatory of the bellagio. Simply add different backgrounds and you'll get a pretty good idea of what all the originals looked like.
We waited for Ma and the Little Sister to wake up before doing anything super fun. Like going to Freed's Bakery and trying their wedding cake. Some of the most delicious cake I've ever had. Or driving to the Hoover Dam and leaning over the edge so we could feel the crazy wind coming up from the bottom. Or visiting the floor to ceiling chocolate fountain at the Bellagio.
I've been visiting Vegas since I was a tiny child. Years I didn't visit Vegas are far more rare than the years I did. This trip included far more touristy things than ever before. It was fun and there was a lot we missed. Luckily, a girl trip to Vegas (no men and no babies) is officially part of the yearly schedule. Some of my sisters and definitely my Ma appreciate lying by the pool more than anything else. I am excited for the chance I'll have to explore the city from top to bottom, ranging far and wide, finding things to see and delicious things to eat.
Mostly I'm glad that I have some time each year to hang out with the Ma and my sisters,
Thursday, May 31, 2012
In Which the Little Brother Begins His Two-Year Hiatus
It happened. I gave the Little Brother a giant hug yesterday, told him goodbye, and that was it. I've sent my kid brother off to do and learn hard things. When I see him again he'll be a man.
Not man enough, I hope, that he won't giggle with me while we lay on my parents bed where Pa is sleeping (in our defense he wasn't sleeping when we first got there) and we torture each other with Pa's back scratcher. This may or may not have been how we spent the last night together. Who knew a back scratcher could do so much damage? Also, we were whooped. We had buckets of unfinished business to attend to. I love the Little Brother, but attending to necessary preparations is not his strong point. In our home, whooped = super loopy, meaning that our giggles in relation to the back scratcher were louder and lasted longer then they would have otherwise. Don't worry. Pa slept through it all just fine. He was whooped, too.
It is strange to think of the next two years without him. I know two years will pass crazy fast, but where I'm standing now it feels like forever. I can only imagine what it must feel like for him.
For the most part, the Little Brother is laid back and easy going (leading to his seeming inability to get things done, as mentioned above). He's been pretty chill about this two-year hiatus thing. There was only one time when I thought he might be overwhelmed by emotion. It was the evening before he left. A couple of amazing men had come to our home to talk with the Little Brother about what he was about to do. It wasn't long after they got there before the Little Brother's face became taut, his jaw set and his cheek muscles tight and his mouth in a hard, straight line. It's a face I've never seen on him before but I recognized it because that's my emotion face. The face I make when I have so much emotion in me that if I crack even the least bit it will come flooding out and there will be no stopping it or reeling it in until it's had a nice, long romp.
The Little Brother and I are most like each other than we are like any of our other siblings. I forget that sometimes. The Little Brother and I are different enough on the surface I forget how similar we are underneath.
I'm going to miss this little guy. Technically I shouldn't be calling him little since he's been significantly bigger than me for years. But to me, he'll always be the Little Brother.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Yesterday, When We Busted Out the Mother's Day Pie
We also busted out the ice cream. Gma likes vanilla ice cream with her homemade peach pie.
Since the peach pie was a last minute dessert decision we weren't able to make sure we had the vanilla ice cream to go with it. I didn't think it would matter much since I knew we had recently had some vanilla ice cream in the freezer.
My dad dug out all our frozen deliciousness when we served the pie. This is what he found:
We apparently need to work on our ice cream stockpiling skills. How could we possibly have that many flavors but not have vanilla?
Since the peach pie was a last minute dessert decision we weren't able to make sure we had the vanilla ice cream to go with it. I didn't think it would matter much since I knew we had recently had some vanilla ice cream in the freezer.
My dad dug out all our frozen deliciousness when we served the pie. This is what he found:
- Turtle Tracks
- Mint Chocolate Chip
- Toasted Almond Fudge
- Cookies and Cream
- Double Strawberry
- Cherry Vanilla
- Raspberry Sherbet
- Rainbow Sherbet
- Mango Sherbet
We apparently need to work on our ice cream stockpiling skills. How could we possibly have that many flavors but not have vanilla?
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