Revisiting 2013 Resolutions

Last year I 1) actually made resolutions for myself and 2) posted them online for all the world to see  to give me some sort of accountability. If you're curious, you can see the original list here in all its glory. Let's see how well I did.

1. Take a photo every day
I think I did fairly well with this. Until September when I just gave up. Before that I took at least one photo every day and carried my camera with me everywhere. It all fell apart in August after my trip to Tajikistan because I had trouble catching up on backlogged photos.

2. Post more original content
Mission sort of accomplished. Unsurprisingly the majority of them are about tv. There were a couple of hiatuses in August and from October to now. So there is some tweaking that needs to happen (spoiler alert for 2014 resolutions).

3. Learn a new language
This one stopped fairly quickly. My free time disappeared starting in April due to work. And that last thing I wanted to do was learn things after work. While in Tajikistan, I was forced to use Russian constantly with my coworkers and around the city so that was a good kick in the pants. In Dushanbe, signs were posted in Russian and Tajiki so I was able to learn a few words based on context. No fluency though, as is to be expected from a weeklong trip.

4. Organize my life
Yeah. That didn't happen. No surprise.

Baking: Apple Cider Donut Holes

Nothing says "fall" like apple cider donuts. So I decided to make some to bring into work. I found the recipe online and it seemed pretty standard across different sites. You can see the recipe here at Smitten Kitchen.

The recipe was easy to follow, though it was time-intensive from start to finish. Mostly happy with the results. I heard lots of comments and compliments from coworkers. Some of the donuts were a little doughy on the inside as I was getting accustomed to frying times. And next time, I'll tweak the recipe a bit to make the donuts a little more moist on the inside. But mmmmmm. With all that cinnamon sugar they were delicious.

25 Most Influential TV Shows in my Life

Taking a page out of my friend Toni's book, I'm listing the top 25 most influential tv shows in my life. You can check out her list over at TV Saurus. You'll notice that there is a bit of an overlap.

Disclaimer: In no way does this mean that they are the best shows out there (as you will see, Glee is on this list, and there is no way in this universe that Glee would be considered the best). These are the shows that have changed my life or are connected to certain memories. They have changed my views in general or how I watch tv. This was a lot harder then I expected as I tried to keep it from turning into a list of all tv I've ever watched.

Dialect Quiz

Today was a very slow day at work so my friends and colleagues all started taking dialect quizzes. So I thought I'd share my results. It's not a surprise that I tawk like a New Yawker, having spent many many summers on Long Island growing up. My fate was sealed when I answered "on line" instead of "in line".

If you'd like to take the quiz, go to http://spark.rstudio.com/jkatz/DialectQuiz/

First Impressions: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In Joss Whedon I trust. I've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Serenity. I immediately watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog. I even watched all of Dollhouse (eventually, and you should give it another chance). So obviously I was going to watch Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

When promotional photos appeared earlier this year, I was worried that I would have trouble telling characters apart. I mean, they all had brown-ish hair and wore black. But watching the pilot, it wasn't that bad. The Fitz and Simmons introduction was cute, but a little difficult figuring out which was which. Here is my brief rundown of characters:

Agent Coulson - still alive! now with a bit of mystery of "what really happened in Tahiti?"
Agent Ward - the "stick up his butt, follows protocol, and works alone" type of agent
Skye - hacker activist first against S.H.I.E.L.D. and who then joined them, but who is she really?
Agent May - the "I'm too old for this combat shit, but I can still kick your ass" type of agent
Agent Fitz - male half of the science wonder twins - robots division
Agent Simmons - female half of the science wonder twins - science division

From the Avengers action figures to the quick name drops you almost miss them, this show is one big ad for Marvel. Normally, I would be upset with this, but I think it was done tastefully as little references for those who are fans. It's good to know that this fits into the bigger picture with Avengers and even the individual superhero movies like Iron Man and Captain America. It gives sense that this is a bigger world than we knew before and has me wanting to see more.

This episode focused on a "gifted" who goes off track. It doesn't seem like anything too special as they go about resolving the issue. But this episode is not about a special case. This is about establishing who this group is and their characterization. Of course, there is the bigger picture still in the shadows when it comes to how the technology is falling into the wrong hands.

More Notes:

• Yay Cobie Smulders guest starring! 
• SHEPHERD BOOK! Is this where all dead Joss Whedon characters go? Level 7?
• "Under your people skills, she drew a... I think it is a poop. With knives sticking out of it." This dialogue is why I am watching this show. 
• Tumblr had gifs of the show already making rounds before the show was even over. Internet approved!
• Proof that Disney owns Marvel - Fitz's robots were named after Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
• Cheesiest line: "This is a disaster", "No this is an origin story." [Liz rolls her eyes.] 
• "I'll show you my thing...my hardware... my equipment... I gotta go"
• That ending was like Grease and Back to the Future all in one. The second cheesiest moment. 

Will I watch it?
Yes, I'll probably watch it again. I mean, it's Joss Whedon. I thought it the dialogue was quick and witty. I found myself laughing out loud a couple of times. Agent Coulson really grounds this series as a familiar character who easily can go from cracking jokes to being the moral center. I'm interested in finding out more about Agents May, Fitz and Simmons since they were background characters in the pilot. Less interested in boring Agent Ward, though that could change (hopefully).

Other (more professional) reviews:
[ AV Club ] [ Vulture ]

Let the TV Season begin!

The Emmys are over meaning another tv season is officially started. I don't know if it is just me, but 2013-14 doesn't seem to have many promising new shows. Or at least shows I'd be interested in watching.

Dads - Nope.
Mom - Not even if you paid me.
Sleepy Hollow - I think it will get old fast.
The Millers - Sorry, Will Arnett. Not even for you.
Welcome to the Family - can we just stop it with family themed sitcoms?

On my list of new shows to watch is Marvel's The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which has a long and complicated title. Two reason why I'm interested: 1) I liked the Avengers movie 2) Joss Whedon. But even with Joss Whedon's name attached I'm a little skeptical. Will the cinematic success of the Avengers translate into tv viewers? Critics' reviews have been positive, so maybe I'm being a little cynical.

And can you blame me for being a cynic? Shows are canceled after 2 episodes. Why get involved right away? Let the tv cancellation carnage happen and then pick from the survivors. May the odds be ever in your show's favor. Yes, it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy but I can't handle waiting for a show to be picked up for a full season and then if it gets a second season.

Before we move on to the new seasons, let's have a moment of silence for the shows we lost in the 2012-13 season. Some lived full lives into syndication while others were canceled far too some. I'll never forget you (rural juror). RIP 30 Rock, Bomb Girls, Don't Trust the B, Happy Endings, and Young Justice.

2013 Primetime Emmy Predictions

Okay, here they are! My predictions for this year's Emmys. I have a rocky history with predicting tv award shows so take this all with a grain of salt. It's a mix of who I think will win and who I want to win. Oh and if Tatiana Maslany was nominated, she would win all the categories. Just saying.

Update #1: I updated the predictions with the wins from the Creative Arts Emmys. Some of the categories were listed here because I could not remember which categories were presented at which awards show. So I went 2/5, which is on par with my television track record. Yay Carrie Preston for winning best guest actress in a drama! I absolutely love her performances on The Good Wife and True Blood.

Update #2: Well, I told you I wasn't good at tv award shows. Correctly picked 11 out of 30. From the show, I thoroughly enjoyed Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They stole the show from the very beginning and it was just another reminder that they need to host more award shows. Not that NPH wasn't good. He always delivers, especially with the song and dance numbers. I really liked that they announced the choreography award live.

Outstanding Drama

Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men

Life Update

Again, I am very behind on updating. But for VERY GOOD REASONS, I swear! Besides the travel to Tajikistan and a crazy week back at work, I have been preoccupied with a move. That's right! I moved from my studio apartment into a 2 bedroom almost literally a stone's throw away. And the best part is that I have cable and internet at my new place. I'm still settling in and unpacking, but soon expect me to fall into old habits and spend all my time on the internet.

Aubergine August Update

As you might have noticed, I have been falling behind with my posts this month. Well, it's going to be a little while longer since I'm going to Tajikistan for a week. Insane, right? When I get back, I'll fill in the gaps. No worries. I've been keeping strong with Aubergine August. And will continue to do so overseas. Based on my suitcase, Tajikistan will think that I only have purple clothes.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 13

Last day before my trip to Tajikistan! I decided that I needed a purple backpack to bring on my trip. So on impulse I bought a bag I didn't need. Reliving my childhood JanSport days. Fun fact: I did have a purple JanSport backpack in elementary school.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 10

So today we went mini golfing at the National Building Museum. Let me just tell you that I am a rock star. Out of 18 holes, I had 4 hole-in-one's. It was the power of the purple. Of course I picked the purple club and purple ball.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 9

  A friend was in town so we all went out to celebrate her brief return to DC.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 6

Fun fact: I seem to always wear this shirt when it is raining. I threw on a purple sweater at the last minute because it was a chilly 77 degrees yesterday. And as always, I rocked the purple Converse with my business wear. Another coworker pointed out the purple I had on. He said he didn't have enough purple in his wardrobe to challenge me.

Reading: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

In between my re-readings of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, I decided I needed a little break and read something a little less dense. So I picked up The Son of Neptune, which is the second book in Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series. In case you wondering what this one is all about, here is the back of the book blurb:

Percy is confused. When he awoke after his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain-fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him.

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. When the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now, because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes, but he doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely-enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.

It has been a couple of years since I read the Percy Jackson series so I was a little rusty with some of the cameo appearances. But it was nothing that prevented you from understanding the story. It just added a fun layer for those "in the know". The Son of Neptune introduced us to 2 more demigods, Frank and Hazel, who will be involved in the Prophecy of Seven. There was a lot of focus on the Roman aspects of the gods, which was interesting especially since I know very little about that. At times, it felt like the explanation for what was happening was simply "well we're Roman, that's how it is done". With The Lost Hero and now The Son of Neptune, the stage has been set and now it gets interesting as the Romans and Greeks are brought together.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 5

Busting out my favorite "business camouflage" shirt. I guarantee I will wear this again because I just don't have enough work appropriate purple tops.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 4

Let's brighten it up today! I love this plaid shirt I bought at Old Navy. I have worn it about every week since I bought it. Expect to see it again this month.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 3

Toning it down today because it is a very blah day. Must conserve some purple for later in the month.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 2

Causual Friday - Aubergine August edition! One of my coworkers actually commented on how purple I was. Maybe they will catch on this year.

Aubergine August 2013: Day 1

And here we go! Starting the month off with something I purchased implusively yesterday. I was just scoping through Nordstrom Rack and found this sweater on the clearance rack. It was marked at $17, which was already 75% off original price. But at the checkout, the sweater rang up at under $11. Obviously it was fate!

2013 Television Critics Association Awards

No. In this post TCA does not stand for Teen Choice Awards, as Google tries to tell me. It means Television Critics Association and of course they have an awards show. Who doesn't these days? I'm not one to judge. This is just another opportunity for me to hone my prediction skills.

This award show works differently than others. 1) Actors and actresses share a category based on individual achievement 2) Career Achievement awards are also given to one person, though it seems like all nominees deserve an award 3) Program of the Year seems like another opportunity for Outstanding Drama Series, but what do I know?  TV awards are not really my strong suit (which is ridiculous given the amount of tv I watch). But I'll just channel some of my favorite critics and see what happens. Here are my picks for the 2013 TCA awards. Winners will be announced August 3rd.

3rd Annual Aubergine August

Tomorrow is the start to the 3rd annual Aubergine August! I've purposely avoided purple the past few days so I can start the month out strong. This year might be a little different because I have a week long trip planned and I won't be able to update every. Plus there will be duplicate outfits as I don't plan on changing during my many airport layovers.

From a creator standpoint, I'm trying to make more graphics for Aubergine August, such as that snazzy image above and some more yet to come. Additionally, this year I have an actual camera so say goodbye to the grainy camera phone photos. PROGRESS! I'm also open to any suggestions for this and future Augusts.

Liz goes to the National Portrait Gallery

On my way back from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, I stopped by the National Portrait Gallery. After nearly 7 years in the district and I never went to any of the art galleries or museums. Until now.

You can't take photos of most of the exhibits unless they are part of the permanent collection. Pictured above are William Henry Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon (as painted yearbook-style by Norman Rockwell).

Some parts of the gallery can get a little repetitive like the "America 1600-1900" or as it should be known "Old dead white guys". You find some really interesting portraits. For me, it was John Brown (that guy who raided Harper's Ferry) and his crazy eyes/beard.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum shares the same building with the National Portrait Gallery. But I did  have the time/foot strength to walk through those exhibits so I will have to return some day. Interesting fact: the building used to be the U.S. Patent Office. They've created an enclosed atrium  with this wavy top (seen below). I plan on going back one day during a storm just so I can stare up at the rain falling down.

In case you can't visit the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum, there's a (Google) map for that. They've gone through with street view so you can have a cultured life from you computer.  http://maps.google.com/intl/en/help/maps/streetview/gallery/art-project/national-portrait-gallery-smithsonian.html

Liz goes to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Each year the Smithsonian Institute organizes a Folklife Festival on the National Mall. It lasts about a week and features 3 different topics/themes/cultures. This year the spotlight was on "One World, Many Voices" (endangered languages), "Hungarian Heritage", and "The Will to Adorn" (African American diversity, style and identity). I was really excited to visit the endangered languages exhibit because 2 languages from Russia were featured: Tuvan and Kalmyk.

I was there for the yurt. Once I saw that they had 2 set up on the map, I made a beeline for them. They were so bright and colorful both inside and out. And it's bigger on the inside (haha a Doctor Who reference!). The Tuvan exhibit really impressed me. They've worked very hard to adapt their endangered language to the modern world by creating a 14,000 word online Tuvan-English dictionary app. A computer station was set up where you could look up words or phrases. I chose the word "horse" and was not surprised to find a lot of words relating to horses. Listening to Tuvan, it is very slow and drawn out, especially on the vowels. Probably makes it easier for guttural throat singing, which they are known for.

Next, I went to the Hungarian section of the festival. Oh boy! They came prepared. They built large and intricate structures and fences. They had a fire pit to make a mutton stew. They were wood carving in their spare time. It was just incredible to look at the craftsmanship in all of the their work. There were fashion shows and traditional dances. And in the food tent, they were selling traditional dishes. I tried the shashlik with lesco (chicken kebab with peppers and tomatoes). It was delicious! Fun fact: shashlik also means kebab in Russian so I recognized one Hungarian word.
For more info about the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, check out their website http://www.festival.si.edu/

Photos of the Week: July 1 - 7

1. Softball hieroglyphics
2. They see me tumblin'
3. Rainy day
4. Blurry Fireworks
5. Pixar
6. Homework
7. Folklife Festival

Photos of the Week: June 24 - 30

I will get my act together. I can't keep forgetting to take photos. I should know better.

24. Poolside vacation
25. Seriously, WTF? 2 missed photos in a month?
26. Free custard from Shake Shack
27. Play.
28. Metro escalator art
29. Playing SimCity
30. Darren Criss concert

Photos of the Week: June 17 - 23

17. CAT!
18. Grilled Cheese
19. Road Trippin'
20. Grand Central Terminal in NYC
21. Mr. Graduate
22. Excuse me, there's a man in my drink
23. By the shore

Lifescouts: Empire State Building

Empire State Building

I was in New York City for some business and when that finished early, I decided to be a tourist. I'm fairly sure I've been to the top of the  Empire State Building before, but I couldn't remember any of them specifically.

I didn't realize how many lines would be involved in making it to the observatory deck. After what felt like hours on line, I finally made it up to the 86th floor observatory deck. And it was beeeeeeautiful. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze, not too hot, not too cold.

And it was packed full of people from said lines. So it felt like looking for a parking spot at the mall around Christmas. I swooped in whenever I saw an opening.

Chrysler Building

West Side

South Side

To see more, check out my collection of Lifescout badges here or the 'lifescouts' tag. And see how many you have at www.lifescouts.com.

Photos of the Week: June 10 - 16

10. Forgot a photo apparently
11. What a find in my apartment freecycle corner
12. Not a morning person
13. Thunderstorms and tornado?
14. Just kidding, all is fine.
15. Plaid + me = <3 p="">16. Softball cupcakes

2013 Critics' Choice Television Awards

The TV season may have ended but the TV award season is just starting. Tonight marks the 3rd annual Critics' Choice Television Awards. Normally, I don't trust any award show younger than me, especially when it has only been around for like 3 years. But I couldn't help myself this time. I'm going through award show withdrawal.

However, I won't be watching because it will only start livestreaming at 11PM ET. For those interested, the stream will be here.

Now for the tough decisions in what I like to think of as warm-up for the Emmys in September. I really wanted to pick from my heart for so many of these categories like for Tatiana Maslany's breakout performance(s) in Orphan Black or literally everyone from tv I've watched this year. But I tried to think of how the Broadcast Television Journalists Association would vote.

EDIT: Well now, it is done. 10/22, which is not my best at all. I think because I was in Emmy warm-up mode I forgot that critics pick some lesser known performances. I am very happy and surprised that Tatiana Maslany won. I have been in this Orphan Black obsessed state for the past 2 weeks and this win feels like validation. I'm curious to see how this will pan out at the Television Critics Awards and the Emmy nominations later this summer.

BEST COMEDY SERIES

The Big Bang Theory
Louie
The Middle
New Girl
Parks and Recreation
Veep

Photos of the Week: June 3 - 9

3. Freebie from #nofiltershow
4. Capital Cities
5. Me acting like a fool
6. Hotels just hang large photos of George Clooney, nbd
7. WINE
8. Union Station at sunset
9. Candy Crush

Photos of the Week: May 27 - June 2

27. Caught a mouse!
28. Dad and I standing in front of the White House
29. Softball field
30. "Motherfuckers had ladders and shit" graffiti
31. Lizstrong
1. #nofiltershow
2. Cordially invited to the Red Wedding!!!

Liz goes to #nofiltershow

Yesterday I went to the #nofiltershow featuring Grace Helbig, Hannah Hart, and Mamrie Hart of YouTube fame. And it was the greatest fucking day. Like I would rank it among some of my top days ever.



When I first heard they were coming to DC, I immediately bought my ticket. Unfortunately, my friend who is equally, if not more obsessed with vloggers in general, could not make it due to adult things. I was ready to go alone and try to make friends. Then lo and behold, a second show opened up in DC, one which my friend could attend, so we bought tickets to that show so we could attend together.Yes, I went to both shows. I would feel a little guilty about it but I won't. I had a great time each show.

I loved how they encouraged the entire audience to take photos and film everything. And so that's exactly what I did. Here are some of the videos I took from the show.

What's the Deal - 6pm Show


You Deserve a Drink - 6pm show

Liz versus the mouse in the house

I'm back from unexpected hiatus. Life has been a little hectic between work, softball, and as you can guess from the title of this post, there was a mouse in my apartment. See?

Photos of the Week: May 20 - 26

20. Shake Shack
21. Dancing with the Stars finale (#zendaya was robbed)
22. Homemade mouse container
23. Stormy clouds
24. Empty terminal
25. Dad with Teddy
26. A Capitol Sight

Reading: Paper Towns by John Green

 Finally found my copy of Paper Towns so I could continue my journey through John Green's complete works.

When I first started reading, it felt very familiar to his earlier book Looking for Alaska. Male protagonist likes this manic pixie girl who then goes missing possibly dead and he obsesses over figuring out what happened.

It was action packed - including an all-nighter revenge plot, cryptic scavenger hunt, and a road trip all in one book. So I was engaged with what was happening, and kept reading to find out more.

I don't actually have much more to say about it. There were references to Moby Dick and Walt Whitman as Green was trying to instill the lesson. I'm having trouble putting that into a comprehensible sentence right now, so I'm guessing it might not have sunk in or I didn't really believe it. But it involved strings, grass, cracked vessels, and humans I think. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.  Now all that is left at the time of this post is The Fault in our Stars, which I am avoiding because I know it will make me bawl.

Photos of the Week: May 13 - 19

13. Capitals pride
14. Embassy of Kazakhstan
15. Potbelly's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies = crack
16. Mind-blowing Moriarty reveal
17. Racing horses
18. Setenant Stamps
19. A Storm of Swords

Liz goes to the Postal Museum

Today I decided to visit the National Postal Museum. Sure it is not every tourist's favorite spot and many DC residents might not know of its existence, but I love this museum. It is geared to a certain level of geek. I've loved stamps ever since I watched that Reading Rainbow episode in 2nd grade. So the National Postal Museum is like my mecca.

It is housed in this large building, dating back to 1911-14, right next to Union Station. When you enter the museum, you're in this large hall exactly as it was back when the building functioned as a post office. Then you take an escalator down to the exhibits about how the postal system works and how cool stamps are. Compared to the larger Smithsonian museums, it can leave one wanting more. There are only a handful of exhibits about how mail was delivered by various transportation ranging from trains, planes, cars, horseback, and even dogsleds. Did you know that people used to mail their laundry? I learned that at the museum.

Really the highlight of this tiny museum is the Stamp room, which is about 10x15 feet with about 200 panels full of stamps from around the world. It is just fascinating to pull out a panel of stamps from Bulgaria dating back to the 1880's and see how stamps progressed up through the 1960s. My favorite are the panels from Russia, given my background in Russian. Looking through each panel, you can see themes of stamps and what they found important at the time.To the Soviet Union, these stamps were little propaganda pieces and you see Lenin and Stalin on stamps way past their deaths. You can even see it on those countries that were under their influence. But enough of the history lesson.

Fun fact: there is a functioning post office inside the museum. And the gift shop sells 500 mystery stamp bags and packs of themed stamps. It is like my Disney World.

I like this museum because it is off the beaten path of Smithsonian museums. It is very quiet and not overwhelming with the number of people milling around. They are currently building a stamp gallery on the upper floor, which I think will be a great addition to display the stamps they have in storage. So I will definitely be coming back to this museum. Okay, I've finished geeking out about stamps.

Reading: Divergent by Veronica Roth

The inside praise for Divergent was true. I didn't want to put it down. In fact, I picked it up on Sunday and by Tuesday night I had finished it (which for me is incredibly fast).

It's no surprise that I started reading this book because there is a movie coming out sometime in the future. I kept seeing the casting reports on Entertainment Weekly and thought "I need to know what happens to keep up."

I felt immersed into this dystopian Chicago world as we follow the main character Beatrice or Tris for short as one choice transforms her. I've enjoyed reading dystopian novels since high school. And I think the setting is what really made me power through this book. I wasn't very invested with the characters. I only wanted to know what the big super secret plan was and how it would affect the 5 factions in the book.

Since Tris chooses to join the Dauntless faction, with its wild and crazy daredevils that jump from trains, the story was very action packed from initiate training til the very end.

Some things seemed very obvious to me and less so to Tris such as Four being from Abnegation or that he wasn't being mean, he just like-liked her. Didn't she know she was in a YA novel? Come on.

I thought it was also cheap to bring back her parents only to have them die sacrificing themselves for her a few pages later. It made sense since they were from the selfless Abnegation faction, but did they both have to die to give weight to what happened at the end?

The book cuts off right after the crisis is averted, but leaves you wondering what it will be like the day after. What will happen when everyone finds out what happened? (Will everyone find out what happened?) What will the consequences be? This is all set up for the sequel Insurgent (and then the final book in the trilogy). I couldn't care less about the romance aspect of the book. I'm more interested in how power will shift from the events in Divergent.

Photos of the Week: May 6 - 12

6. Nerdy cooking => more here
7. Anniversary present
8. Editing in photoshop
9. Look! I match the flowers
10. Best mail day in the history of Liz
11. Embassy of Czech Republic residence
12. Sunset, moonrise

Photos of the Week: April 29 - May 5

A week behind as usual. And I just noticed that I forgot to put dates in but hopefully you can associate the numbers below with the corresponding photo.

29. Petal snow
30. Jacoby Jones does not approve
1. The White House
2. Powerlines
3. Cupcake
4. DC 101 Chili Cook-Off
5. "Peyton Reed wears Converse tennis shows and eats Krispy Kreme doughnuts" ~ Bring It On credits.

Reading: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld is the third in a series set during a WWI alternate universe. In it, the two warring factions are called the Darwinists (or Allied Powers in real life) and the Clankers (or Central Powers). Darwinists believe in evolution (remember high school science?) and create beasts made up of several creatures. Clankers are the nuts and bolts side that believe mechanics is the way to go. You still there? Good.

Now add an Austrian Clanker prince, Alek, onto a floating beastie ship along with a girl, Deryn, pretending to be a boy so she can serve in the Royal British Air Service and mix for three books. Anyway, the point of view jumps between Alek and Deryn as they travel around the globe in the airship Leviathan.


In the book, there is no traditional villain. The Germans serve as a sort of Stormtrooper bad guy, in that they are just kind of annoyingly there and never seem to hit their targets. Nikola Tesla is the closest thing to a villain character because he plans to use his machine Goliath to bring peace to the world. I wish this book had delved into the issue of "for the greater good", but I guess I can't expect too much from a book meant for young tweens.



Keith Thompson



Best part of the book series would have to be the illustrations. Scattered throughout the pages you see full page illustrations to just tiny characters like this perspicacious loris, one of the fabricated creatures of the Darwinists. With such a creative concept of creatures vs. machines, it helps to have visual guides to what it all looks like. The world Westerfeld created feels real with these illustrations or perhaps as real as a book featuring floating whale ships could possibly be.

Overall, I liked this series. It had: secret identities, fantastical beasts, forbidden romance, history, illustrations, steampunk elements. I don't know what else I could want in a young adult book.



Cooking: Spinach Lasagna

I'm trying to broaden my cooking repertoire because, let's be honest, it is pretty sub-par right now. I'm a one-dish meal kind of person. So lasagna is right up my alley. For my model, I used this Spinach Artichoke Lasagna recipe from Budget Bytes. I had made it twice before but this was a chance for me to really cement this recipe into my brain by doing it without looking it up.

I got all my ingredients together:
- no boil lasagna noodles
- a ton of tomato sauce
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- 16 oz frozen chopped spinach
- 2 eggs
- all the mozzarella in the world

1. Thaw frozen spinach. Decide that since you have leftover frozen broccoli that it deserves to be in lasagna.
2. In a different bowl, combine all the ricotta cheese, 2 eggs, and a handful of mozzarella cheese. Add some pepper and other spices you have lying around because nothing says "fancy chef" than going BAM! SPICES! Mix well.
3. Add green thawed bowl into yellow mush bowl and stir.
4. Layering time: sauce, noodles, filling, some extra mozzarella. Repeat. Finish off with the noodle, sauce, cheese roof.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 40ish minutes. This is not really scientific. Near the end take the foil off and let it cook for a few more minutes. It is done when you are starving.

I like this recipe because it is simple and can be altered very easily. Swap in some meat if I want. And I have meals for the next week or so. I slice up my lasagna and put it in individual plastic containers, some of which go into the freezer for convenient last minute lunches. This batch gave me dinner and 9 plastic containers worth of meals. VICTORY!

Recipe Unlocked: Lasagna (and all its derivatives).