R= Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons butter- A simple ingredient, like the simplicity of days with our grandparents in New Jersey.

1/2 onion, minced- An added flavor to the recipe, this shows that there was always something else to experience there. 

1/2 red bell pepper, minced- an ingredient that gives the recipe a little spice, like all of the twists and turns the evenings would take with our grandparents, visiting new places around the town, and experiencing new things.

2 pinches kosher salt- A very common ingredient, but there was nothing common about the way my grandmother cooked anything. Especially her very good rice pilaf.

2 cups long grain rice- the main ingredient, just like family was the main focus of every evening we spent at our grandparents' house in New Jersey.

2 3/4 cups chicken broth- common in soup, this part of the recipe symbolizes the warmth that was felt all of the time when we were around family, and people who cared about us.

2 strips orange zest- A little added sweetness to the rice, showing what was felt when we spent time with family. Sweetness and joy.

Pinch of saffron strands, steeped in 1/4 cup hot water- another spicy ingredient, showing that you never know what to expect. There were always unexpected thrills and fun that we had when our family was together in that house in New Jersey.

1 bay leaf- we would visit most falls, and see all of the leaves that surrounded the house changing colors, and becoming yellow and orange.

1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed- I don't think my grandmother put peas into her rice pilaf, but she always made great tasting vegetables with all of her meals.

Golden raisins and pistachios for garnish- Yet another flavor to taste when enjoying rice pilaf. It makes me remember all of the meals my grandmother would make, so there was always a new taste to be experienced.

One of the things I remember most about my grandparents, was their great cooking, and their great warmth. In a way, this recipe expresses both of these.

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/rice-pilaf-recipe/index.html

Famous Poem Starters

By the shore of Gitchie Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, that is where I wish to be. 
Free to move and play on the beach, or in the water. 
The perfect place to relax, and let your cares fade away. 
Where the weather is perfect, and there are no troubles, that is where I wish to be.  
But all good things must come to an end,
and though I may have to leave,
I still dream of going there, because, that is where I wish to be.

Nursery Rhymes are relevant to life

One misty, moisty morning

---

One misty, moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
I chanced to meet an old man
Clothed all in leather.
He began to compliment,
And I began to grin,
How do you do?
And how do you do?
And how do you do, again?


This nursery rhyme reminds me a lot of how I spent my weekend with my family. My brother visited the college of Holy Cross for accepted students day on Sunday, but the weather was bad, and it was raining very heavily. Still, my whole family was able to enjoy the day because of how nice the campus was, and how nice the people on it were. Much like the old man who compliments in this nursery rhyme, the nice people on campus made up for the poor weather. The friendly people made it a great day, despite the weather.

Turn Your Inkblot into a butterfly

Making mistakes

it is a part of life

but it is what we do to fix those mistakes

that makes us who we are

To correct a mistake, 
you must know your mistake.
Knowing this allows you to correct it
and make it right.


 

Now you must right your wrong,

 admitting you made a mistake

is the only way you can move on,

and start to leave the mistake behind.

 

Your mistake is now far behind you, but you still have not completely corrected it. It will take all of your effort, in order to complete your correction.

 Now your mistake is gone, and you can continue your life, living freely, like a butterfly out of the cocoon

 

 

Tu Tuesday Mark McGuire

Article: http://blog.timesunion.com/mcguire/siena-tebow-sanchez-support-among-nyers-breaks-along-party-lines/13862/
About the Author: http://blog.timesunion.com/mcguire/about-mcguire/

Mark McGuire is a sports column writer who has a family of " two kids and one wife" and enjoys sports a lot.    " McGuire remained a fan at heart, a mindset forged from decades of sitting in the cheap seats." I read McGuire's story on which New York Jets quarterback has more fan support. " And there shouldn’t be a shock in this: Support between Sanchez and the highly (and publicly) religious Tebow breaks down along party lines.Democrats favor Sanchez 46-27 percent, according to the poll.Republicans favor Tebow 46-34." Being a fan himself, McGuire shows very interesting points of view on sports issues. " 'Tebow is a hero to a certain group of people. I’m a little surprised Tebow doesn’t even do better among upstate folk,' Levy said. 'You are looking at upstate, you are looking at party and looking at religiosity. He is an icon. We will see how it plays out in New York.' He shows his perspective on the issues, and because he is a true fan and not just paying attention to sports because it is his job, he is very well informed on the aspects of sports. He gives the reader a very unique experience when they read his articles.

NYT Tuesday

A Walk to the Store

You would never think a walk to the store would get you killed
shooters in my neighborhood
they do what the system allows them to do
I have felt legitimately threatened before, and I didn’t stand my ground.
anyone can feel threatened if they are scared or paranoid about their safety
You would never think a walk to the store would get you killed
but you can't risk your life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/sports/ncaabasketball/kentucky-built-a-title-team-on-underclassmen-expected-to-leave-early-for-the-nba.html?_r=1&ref=sports

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/on-trayvon-martin-a-guest-post-from-a-teenager-and-some-teaching-suggestions/

Money, fame, or happiness? Are they mutually exclusive?

 Money, fame and happiness are very different things, but I don't think they are mutually exclusive. While money doesn't always lead to happiness, in a lot of cases it can make people enjoy life more. The best example is people that go from living in a poor environment, to living a very luxurious lifestyle. I'm sure that in most cases the people are much happier living with more money than being poor. Fame and money are not mutually exclusive, because if you are famous, people will pay you to appear at events. The relationship between fame and happiness depends on the situation. If someone is famous for a good thing that they have done, and they are well liked, that person will probably be very happy. The people that are famous for something bad that they have done, like Cam Newton, who is famous for his pay for play scandal in college, would probably prefer to have less fame, because people recognize them for that one thing, and not for them as a person. Money, fame and happiness are not mutually exclusive in most cases, but it really depends on the situation.