S = Shrimp Scampi

1 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined- Whenever I was sad my mom would buy me shrimp. Shrimp never tasted good to me as a child but now I acquired a taste for it.  My mom's scampi is the best.  To prepare the shrimp I stood by the sink for several hours and cut the gross parts of the shrimp before cooking it.  My hands were frozen from the shrimp.  It hurt my hand but I thought it was worth it. 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper- My mom told me to grab the sea salt from the cabin.  I don't know why we use sea salt instead but we do.  I don't add pepper because I don't like the taste. My mom agrees. I put the salt in.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter- So much butter! My mom laughs and says she doesn't care about the calories from the butter. We figured we'd just exercise and play tennis after we eat it.  I put the butter in the pan and patiently wait.

2 teaspoons minced garlic- I love garlic.  I put it on everything.  I slowly put it in and inhaled the wonderful smell. My mom laughs because she doesn't know anyone who likes garlic as much as me.

1/4 cup dry white vermouth- My mom doesn't put this in because we don't own any.  The scampi usually tastes fine without it.  We ignore the ingredient and move down the list.

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice- Instead of using freshly squeezed lemon juice, I pour the lemon shaped bottle that we got from the store into the pan and can't take the smell of the scampi. I wanted it so bad at that moment.  My mom tells me to wait.

2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves- My mom takes the parsley leaves from her little plant out in the backyard and washes it off. We hope our dog, Blake didn't pee on it in the yard. I chop it up and drop it in.

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest- We yet again don't add this because we put in the other lemon juice.  My mom now lets me try a bite since I've waited so patiently. After it cooks we enjoy the meal with my dad and brother during dinner.

Picture and Recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-scampi-recipe/index.html

Famous Poem Starters

Shipwreck by Alyssa Varsanyi
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
through my eyes a flash-
at sea,
what I can see means so much to me.
A light house shines bright back into my mind,
making me wonder why I have not yet to shine. 

I crawl out of bed,
and head to the porch.
Staring into the nightmare,
that had occured to me the previous day.
A ship wrecked all over the beach.  
Corpses stench the air.
I stare and do not hesistate to turn back.
Once day I will have the courage to go look at the mess.


The mess I was supposed to have been on-
for I,
was supposed to be the captain. 



(First line from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe)

Nursery Rhymes ARE Relevant to Life

Diddle, diddle, dumpling

---

Diddle, diddle, dumpling,

my son, John,
Went to bed

with his trousers on,
One shoe off

and one shoe on!
Diddle, diddle, dumpling,

my son, John!

I chose this nursery rhyme because it reminds me of me when I'm too stressed out and forget things before I go to bed.  For example where it says "my son, John,Went to bed with his trousers on," one time I went to sleep with a nice shirt I wore to school instead of an old tee-shirt I usually wear to bed.  Another time I wore a hoodie to bed without realizing it because I wasn't concentrating. (I'm paranoid that if I fall asleep with a hoodie I will somehow roll around and the strings will wrap around my neck and suffocate me so usually I do not sleep with a hoodie on.)  This nursery rhyme also sounds like something my mom would say (plainly, not in rhyme) to one of her friends because she likes to talk about me and I find it weird that she shares embarrassing things like that I don't want her to.

Taken from:  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~pfa/dreamhouse/nursery/rhymes/diddle.html
 

Turn your Inkblot into a Butterfly

 Thoughts Before Speaking 
Can Lead to a Friend

I had been quick to think, 

and from that turned a disaster.

Arranging things around quickly,

always going so quickly,

messing it up even more.

I was angry and torn.

 

 

A word said wrong,

saying exactly what I thought,

I knew then it can sometimes hurt others,

and from that

I burned inside.

My own mind-

embarrassed.

My own words sting my tongue,

I dropped my head in shame and preceded to back up,

dropping it and backing up,

seems that's all I ever do.

Realizing, 

I really need to think.

 

Patience didn't occur to me,

so I looked all around

and thought hard.

I quickly turned around,

and walked away from my own thoughts -

I couldn't think about it any more. 

I knew now something had to be done.

The sun rose,

and I knew what to do.

I walked up and said sorry to you.

You forgave me,

and we became friends.

And  I now thinking-

ever so slightly

before the next word was shed.

Cathleen F. Crowley

http://www.timesunion.com/cathleencrowley/
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/A-precious-gift-for-the-giving-3473055.php
http://blog.timesunion.com/healthcare/about/

Cathleen F. Crowley is an "avid sportswoman, playing volleyball, basketball and ice hockey, as well as board games and orienteering"; but Mrs. Crowley covers "health care, hospitals and medicine" for the Times Union.  The article I read was called A precious gift for the giving.  In this article it tells how New York is "rank[ing] close to the bottom in registered organ donors" in the United States and now with the help of DOV (Department of Motor Vehicles) it is said that the registered organ donors will rise because of the new part of the website.  In the new part of the website, people have the option to "register as organ donors".  Right now, the organ donor list is low, "so a team of nurses at the hospital has started an effort to improve the donation process and increase the number of donors."  The nurses help patients change their mind and sign up for donation.  This article was kind of touching because I realised that "[y]ou could give someone hope and be someone's hero," just by donating.  Mrs. Crowley is a "closet techie" and researches a lot for what she covers in the newspaper.  She has been a "newspaper reporter for 15 years" and loves her job.

NYT Tuesday

Two Different Kinds of Birds

The day began as a first step;

Their feathers were simple,

slick but shallow,

except for two hybrids.

The tale of a shiftless dreamer 

and the woman who saved him;

has been the only dispute.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/us/a-shortage-of-rural-veterinarians-means-retirement-must-wait.html?ref=texas

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/science/dinosaur-dig-in-china-turns-up-largest-known-feathered-animal.html?ref=science

http://tv.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/arts/television/bent-on-nbc-brings-romance-to-remodeling.html?scp=2&sq=romance&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/business/energy-environment/for-hybrid-and-electric-cars-to-pay-off-owners-must-wait.html?ref=business

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/us/love-that-endured-alzheimers-ends-in-2-deaths.html?scp=2&sq=love&st=cse

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/nyregion/juror-in-michael-pena-trial-regrets-lack-of-rape-conviction.html?ref=nyregion

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/nyregion/fighting-over-a-liquor-license-from-park-avenue-to-albany.html?ref=nyregion&gwh=2E0F2A4176D776B11EF574BC3754E43A

 

What sets you apart from the crowd?

The fact that I hate the crowd sets me apart from the crowd.  Everyone these days is trying desperately to fit in with the "crowd".  While I, on the other hand, want to defy the crowd.  I dislike "mainstream" culture.  I don't listen to the radio because well, simply, it's awful.  I don't even know the names of most celebrities.  (For example, I get mixed up between a Beetles band member and someone from INSINC, although I have forgotten both their names...One of them is Paul.)

I tend to be quiet around other people who I'm not good friends with.  For example in art last year I had no friends (literally, it was awful) and I never talked to anyone and sat by myself.  (Turns out I draw better when I'm alone, doesn't surprise me much, considering the only work I can ever get done is in my room with music blasting.)  But then if you took earth science last year I would never shut up because one of my best friends, Timmy, was in that class and we'd just talk and draw all over each other's papers.  I seem to have multiple personalities around different people.  There's quiet/shy me, 5 year old me, funny me, and angry me.

Anyways, I defy the crowd with my train of thoughts.  I am always thinking outside of the box.  Sometimes my mind works in layers, and I'm a visual learner.  I draw whatever I want, do whatever I want (for the most part) and am not even swayed to want to be like someone in mainstream society.  I am my own person, and I believe in not being anyone else.