What I've Been Working On

Here are a couple songs I've been working on. They are both by Schuyler Fisk. The first one is called "Hello", the second "From Where I'm Standing". I chose to learn these two songs because they're easier to catch on to and I absolutely love the simplicity of her voice. My singing isn't super on par nor is the guitar but I've only been playing for about 3 months.

There's a lot of noise in the background. Some of it is Lucy with her squeaky toy. The other one is a metronome I forgot to turn off. And there is a weird harmony type thing in the middle of the bridge on the second song. I couldn't figure out how to delete that part out. I think I recorded it while playing the old track. Oops. I also realized that when I tweaked the guitar effects on "From Where I'm Standing" it made it really off tune. It didn't sound that bad until I actually listened to the song on full volume.

So here are my first recordings on Garage Band.

I don't even know if these files will work but we'll see.


Click to hear my take on Schuyler Fisk's "Hello"



Click to hear my take on Schuyler Fisk's "From Where I'm Standing"

Easy MSG-Free Asian Noodle Soup

Okay so I've come up with an easy noodle soup recipe. I took a couple recipes that I've seen and made my own. It ended up being pretty tasty. Don't be afraid to add more fish sauce or lime juice for extra flavor. Check it out!

Ingredients:
1 package of rice noodles
2 cans of chicken broth (14.5 oz each) I like to use MSG free
2 tbsp. of fresh minced ginger
1 piece of lemongrass or 1 tbsp of Gourmet Garden lemongrass (it's in a tube, much easier)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (thinly sliced)
2 tbsp. of fish sauce
handful of snow peas

Condiments:
mint leaves
Thai basil
bean sprouts
lime juice
Sriracha


Directions:

Combine chicken broth, 3 cups of water, fish sauce, ginger, lemongrass and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large pot boil water and cook rice noodles according to directions on package. Slightly undercook noodles.
Add thinly sliced chicken breast and snow peas to chicken broth mixture. Allow chicken to cook for at least 5 minutes. Add slightly undercooked noodles to broth. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish dish with mint leaves, Thai basil, bean sprouts. Add fish sauce, lime juice and Sriracha according to taste.

Everyone Knows the Secretest Code of Mine

Okay so I think I am pretty much obsessed with murder mysteries because we've been watching so much Bones. I checked out a book by Kathy Reichs (producer/novelist/forensic anthropologist) and it is incredible! No seriously. I just stopped on a chapter where Temperance Brennan is about to be a humongous gator's lunch!

I'm reading Break No Bones. I don't know if these novels of Kathy Reichs go in any particular order but I am getting completely absorbed into the language. I took an anthropology class my freshman year at the U and I loved it. I like its application in novels nowadays. And also on tv. Even if it is a little mindless and absolutely alienating watching Bones, I love it.

I don't know why I brought up my recent obsession with Bones & murder mysteries. I think it's because Bones is always trying to create a dichotomy between psychology and anthropology (science). Sometimes it gets a bit trite. I get a little annoyed when Dr. Brennan says that she is all rational, doesn't rely on gut and uses her scientific knowledge to make logical decisions. Sometimes this "anthropological rationality" makes her absolutely infantile and frustrating to deal with. Agent Booth constantly has to lead her around by the hand, correct her misunderstandings of jargon and furthermore remind her when she is being spastic and mean.

I like the novels by Kathy Reichs (Bones is based on her novels) because Temperance Brennan is a normal human being. Her talents are extraordinary, but what makes her exceptional is her ability to comb through details of a person's life that are not necessarily scientific fact. Other than just examining bones, she can connect events and recall stories. She uses her emotional attachments to people to re-evaluate complex pieces of evidence.

I want to be like the novel version of Temperance because she is uniquely intelligent, bold, and able to make rational decisions while accepting her "gut reaction". She's a problem solver. She likes to be the one with the answers but accepts the responsibility of having to solve it if the evidence is insufficient.

I used to think that I wanted to be a scientist. I wanted to be a dermatologist in high school. That was until I took all humanities courses and realized that I actually enjoyed English. However, I'm starting to think that I'm still a scientist in my own way. The first day of my Renaissance Studies Seminar we were asked to give a reason for why we were English majors. Most said it was because they wanted to write. Many were already writing novels. My answer, of course, was vague and not specific. It wasn't until my professor said that the reason we were there was because we loved to solve problems: problems in language, plot, characters, everything.

So. I am a scientist! I kind of wish I was a little bit more knowledgeable about math and science. But that's why I have Graydon : ). I think that I enjoy reading these murder mystery novels because it reminds me of this quote from Northanger Abbey:

And what are you reading, Miss—?" "Oh! it is only a novel!" replies the young lady…in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humor are conveyed to the world in the best chosen language.

So although novels (especially murder novels) might seem flippant, I enjoy the refreshing take on life, I truly agree that they display "the most thorough knowledge of human nature".

Yay murder mysteries!