The Trouble With Oscar

The Oscars...
I remember when it was just assumed that they were gonna be shallow. It was funny, because we all knew that, no matter how good his film, Leo would never get an Oscar. We knew that if Jennifer Lawrence was onstage, we could expect a super awkward moment that would make everyone love her all the more. The women would get snippy when asked about the dresses, and cry sexism, despite the fact that they're all wearing gorgeous dresses by renowned designers, and the only reason that this question is asked of the women is that they're all dressed differently. The men are all in suits that basically look the same, and no one cares what they're wearing. 

We'd watch, and we'd laugh at some of the speeches, and cringe at the others. Sometimes the host(s) made us laugh, sometimes we shut off the tv because they were too annoying. It was a frivolous night, and something good to have on in the background. 
And now it's stage for massive controversy. 
I believe strongly in equality. But I think we have grown so obsessed with equality that we're actually becoming more segregated. Maybe it is unfair that there weren't black nominees for the Oscars. I don't know. I haven't watched enough of this year's movies to have any idea about who was in them. Heck, I haven't even heard of several of the movies referenced during the Oscars. I will say though, that I loved Donald Glover's performance in The Martian. It probably wasn't enough screen time to actually get a nomination, but he was brilliant. 

But the more we say that we have to have this minority and that nominated for awards, or on this board, or in this college, the more we give people license to not try, and to simply skate by on their ancestry. Ancestry should not matter in matters like this. I wouldn't want an award simply because they had to give it to someone with my specific bloodlines. No one should be entitled to awards, or recognition, unless they have earned them. Will it happen this way? Probably not. Should Michael B. Jordan have been nominated for an Oscar? Maybe. I've not seen Creed. I really have no interest in seeing Creed. Because I'm racist? No...because I couldn't care less about the movie. 
What do movies actually do to change the world? For the most part, nothing. They give us an escape. They give us a way to see how other people live, and to pretend that we are them. We watch awards shows to see rich and famous people interacting with each other. But really, how genuine is any of it? It's basically like watching another movie, but with fewer explosions and a lot more awkward laughter. 
With the exception of some of the documentaries, there isn't much of substance happening at these shows. That's why people picked apart Leonardo DiCaprio's cringe when Lady Gaga touched him at the Golden Globes. That was trending on fb the day after the Globes. Seriously? We have nothing better than that to talk about?

How about this? How about if the Oscars start making a difference. Instead of a "comedian" up on stage, whining about inequality, why don't they get out there and make things more equal. Instead of spending a fortune on the food, decorations, dresses, and those ridiculous gift bags everyone gets, maybe they should start a not-for-profit that has a goal of bringing people together. Or maybe they should choose an organization that already exists and give the money to them. And instead of the event, every actor/actress who is nominated has to work a set amount of time in the organization. Think of what all of that money and effort could do to change the country. And eventually to change the world. We whine about the rich people not showing enough integration. But they aren't necessarily the people that we should be using as role models, so I don't care if they're integrated or not. I don't agree with 90% of what most of them do/believe in anyway. But if they would use their fame and clout (and insane amounts of money...) to work all throughout the social ladder, that would be huge. 
What do you think the odds are that it'll ever happen? Yeah...I doubt it too. 

And now, at the risk of sounding shallow at the end of this, Congratulations to Leonardo DiCaprio for finally winning an Oscar :~) Pretty sure he should have a long time ago. 

Pictures of Dead Things

They say that you take pictures of the things you are afraid to lose.
I don't know if that's entirely true in my place...

As far as I know, I am not afraid of losing a dead buck. Though...I would like to get those antlers before he's swept downstream...
But looking at what I used to take pictures of, and what I take pictures of now, I think that maybe it is true...

I used to take pictures of people. I used to take a lot of pictures of people. And with people. So many that people got super annoyed with me. But I took pictures of the people that I cared about. I wanted to remember those great moments that we had together.






I seldom take pictures of people anymore. I don't have anyone that I care that much about. I still take pictures of family, and I take some pictures of people here and there, but I don't really care that much.

I know this sounds either very depressed, or somewhat disturbed, but I assure you, I'm ok. I'm not really bothered by the whole thing.

It's funny, because sometimes when you are around people a lot, you think that the friendships will last forever. I always thought that was more of a thing in high school. I assumed that friendships made as adults would be more likely to last.

Not necessarily true. There were people that I thought I was super close to, but it eventually just fell apart. It didn't seem to matter what I did, there just wasn't a friendship.

It got to the point that I determined that 6 months was pretty well the extent of my friendships. I could call, text, try to hang out with people, and it would reach the point where it was a totally one sided friendship, and I would have to drop it.

So I stopped bothering. I stopped making an effort at relationships, and I stopped taking pictures of people. Other than family.

See, I don't push friendships any more. There's a difference between making an effort and pushing the issue. Making an effort is when both people are invested in the relationship. Pushing it is when only one person cares.

If I see that I am the only one saying, "Hey, let's hang out." or I am baking cookies, and bringing gifts back when I travel, and there is nothing coming from the other side, then it is no longer worth it. It's not like I will end a friendship because someone hasn't given me a present or cookies. I don't need them giving me anything. But it's the spirit of it. If they aren't willing to invest, I no longer am either.

I used to make too much of an effort in relationships that were destined to fail. I didn't want to admit that they were over, even though they were. 

Sometimes I feel selfish about the fact that I refuse to make too much of an effort for other people. But it's about balance. If you are killing yourself trying to make someone else happy, then you are wasting your time. It isn't good for you, and it really isn't good for anyone else. You will burn yourself out and not be able to invest in the relationships that do matter.  

The funny thing about all of these pictures though, is the fact that the one that gives me the most positive memory is the one of the dead deer. Took it while out for a nice walk with Kita and ReMe, so even though it's a somewhat depressing photo, it brings up good memories. Maybe it isn't really the photo itself that shows what you are afraid to lose, but the feelings that it evokes. The other photos don't really bring up any sort of emotion at all.

You're Weird

"Normal is a setting on the washing machine"

"We don't use the word "normal". It implies abnormal, which we also don't use."  

There is a stigma about the word normal. Or the word abnormal. And to be honest, I am not sure which is more frowned upon. You can't use the word abnormal, because it's rude. You can't use normal, because it implies that something or someone else is abnormal. But what is normal? If we're looking at the dictionary, it means "conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected."

Now, normal is simply what the majority of people do. The majority of people live in houses. So it is normal to live in a house. If I decided to live on a boat or in a teepee, that would mean I am not normal. Would it mean that there is something wrong with me? No. It would mean that I have made a choice to do something different from the norm. Which is well within my rights to do. And, which is one of the big things that has driven our history. 

Pick up any history book and you'll see a whole line of people doing things that are abnormal.

The norm would be to remain in your city where it was safe and comfortable.

Then you have your weirdos who decide to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, and set out away from the comforts of the city with some boats and an Indian woman as a guide.

The norm would have been to drink British tea, and gripe about the taxes.

Then there are those crazies who decided to dump the tea in the harbour to make a point that the taxes weren't ok.

Abnormal, different, unique. These words have become almost forbidden in our society. We don't want to point out the things that make us different, because we "don't want to embarrass someone else". Unique is the most tolerated of these words, because it still has more positive connotations to it. Abnormal means you have bad differences, differences that people don't like. Unique means the differences are good. Maybe you're super intelligent, or a great artist. But even then, we shouldn't stress the differences too much, because it'll make the people around you feel bad. They'll think that, because they aren't unique in the same way that you are, they're not special, or they're not good enough. See where the problem comes in? If we're all unique in the same way, then no one is unique. Or special. Or different. Or abnormal.

I read a lot. In case you haven't noticed. One type of book that I have read a fair bit of recently is the dystopian novel. One big thing that is often in these books is uniformity. We have peace and prosperity because everyone is the same. No one is better than anyone else, no one can advance due to their own merits, but moves along at the same pace that everyone else moves along at, because everyone has to be the same. Or they have differences still, but people are separated into groups that fit the main differences that are found in society. Like in the Divergent series. Each person chose a faction to be in for the rest of their lives. The factions were totally different, which meant that you'd be different from 3/4 of the population. But within your faction, you should not stand out.

But what also happens in all of those books? Someone decides that this is not the way to live. Or someone is forced into that realization. A revolution is started and people learn that they are not mindless robots, but they are humans, and as such are meant to feel and to be unique and different from each other.

I was just listening to The Giver (best Dystopian novel ever...). Toward the end of the book (SPOILER ALERT!!!), Jonas, who was chosen to be the Receiver of Memories, has left his town and is facing the realization that he may starve to death before he manages to find help. He questions if it would have been better had he never received the memories and never understood what it was to have feelings, and to be different from everyone around him. But he knows that if he would have stayed in his community, not knowing any more than the people around him, he would have starved in a different way. He would have starved for feelings, and something deeper than what he was experiencing, even if he had no clue that there was anything else out there. And even as he is staring at death, he is content with his choices, because it is better to die knowing what makes us human than to live without ever learning it.

Read the book to find out what happens to him (and just know, I don't always read books that have happy endings...Les Miserables is my favourite...So the ending may not be predictable.) It's a quick read, so just go for it.

We try so hard to be politically correct that we end up ignoring the differences that make us who we are. We talk about what we have in common, and seldom about the things on which we disagree. I like my differences. I like being unique, different, and even abnormal. We should have the decency to not slam people for their differences. Just because I take 8 million pictures of anything and everything (yes, that is something that I have been called weird/stupid/etc for before...), that doesn't mean I am a bad person. It means I process life differently than you do. Just because your idea of fun is spending any free time with other people (something I would hate doing, I can hardly stand people once or twice a week), it doesn't mean that I think you're bad. We're different. And if we weren't different, the world would be a sad place indeed. We're all special little snowflakes.

Good Game

Leaving the Icehogs game, I heard this kid behind me go, "That was a good game!"
I thought he must have been cheering for the other team, as the game had not gone well for the Hogs.
His Mom answered in a pretty annoyed voice, "No, it wasn't a good game."
Ok...so she was a Hogs fan...
The little boy stayed cheery and said, "Well, it was fun."
The Mom continued to snappily move him out the door, and I didn't hear anymore of what was said.
It changed my feeling of the game though. No, it was not the best game I've seen. They got a lot of penalties, some fair, some not so terribly fair. The other team tripped our guys numerous times without being called on it, the Hogs couldn't even make a goal when they were playing 6 on 4. And yes, they lost.
But was it a terrible evening? No, not really.
I got to spend the evening with my Aunt. Always a good time.

We definitely had fun watching the little baby in front of us with her tiny Blackhawks jersey and pink ear muffs (we like to see hearing protection on the babies...for one thing, it's really cute. For another, it's loud in there for such new ears).
I got super cool socks (yes, I love fun socks :~) They make my feet happy).

I had fun watching the Hogs play. Even when they weren't all that great. There were some halfway decent fights (Liambas tends to be something like a banty rooster, and that makes for some pretty impressive fights. He's a new favourite...).

This one isn't actually from this last game. But it's a good picture to demonstrate what I refer to. 

So, was it a good game? Depends on what you mean by good game. Did my team win? No. Did they play well? That's a matter of opinion. Some of them did. Just not enough of them at the same time. Did I enjoy the evening? Yeah, I did. And I guess that's what matters. So even though I keep threatening to choose a new team if the Hogs don't shape up, I think I'll just stick with them. Partly because I think Neita would disown me if I cheered for anyone else :~P But mostly because, it's up to me if it's a good game or not. No, I don't think that I have any impact on the outcome of the game. I can't think 'The Hogs will win this game 6-2', and have it happen. But I can decide how I feel walking out of the BMO Harris Bank Centre after a game. And that's what really matters. 

Romans 12 Part 2: Community Means Lying...I Guess...?

This post isn't so much about Romans 12 as it is about the study that we did this week.
The study we're doing as a group has a dvd portion, as well as a discussion time and some homework for during the week. It's a Chip Ingram study, which I may or may not have mentioned in the last post.
We were watching the dvd segment, and Chip started talking about some book that was used at Yale or Harvard or something like that. He said that they were used to teach reason and decision making or some such thing.

He told a couple of stories that were used in the book, and explained how they fit into the lesson about giving up everything to follow God. Then, at the end, he mentioned the book again, saying "If any of you have your phones out, and you're already googling the book title, you're not going to find it." He'd made the book up. He claimed that he made it up so that people would be more engaged, and if he'd simply started yelling about being sold out for God, and surrendering everything, most people would have checked out. And I was really bothered by that.

I understand the idea behind using stories to illustrate what you're teaching. Jesus did it, and it helped people to better understand what he was saying. My problem wasn't the fact that he used stories, but the fact that he went on about it being out of this college textbook. This wasn't part of the story. I mean, c'mon, he's Chip Ingram. People respect him, and if he said that they're stories he made up just for his message, I don't think anyone would care at all. In fact, people would be impressed that he is using the same teaching method that Jesus used.
Something about his casual attitude toward dishonesty made me unsure that this is someone that I want to be listening to. It's a real deal-breaker for me. I've had run-ins with people who enjoy telling "little lies" just because they can. And it is a major problem and needs to be stopped. I'm not talking about joking around, or telling stories that people know are stories. I'm talking about actual lies that have no reason to be told, but are told simply for the amusement of the teller. It's a pathological problem, and it's very hurtful to those who learn later on that they are being told lies. No one else was bothered by this, and kind of seemed to think that I was crazy for taking issue with it. And maybe I was. Maybe it was just the people in my past that made me feel that way. Maybe saying that the stories came out of the textbook from Yale or wherever was no different than using fictional stories to make his point. Maybe I was simply overreacting, and shouldn't care about it. But it coloured my whole opinion of him, and makes me a lot less interested in the study (which I wasn't super excited about to begin with). But that's the way it works, and that's why we need to really watch what we say and do. As Christians, and especially as Christian leaders, we need to be aware of how our words and actions affect people. Just because it amuses you, that doesn't matter. What matters is how it causes people to see your witness.

Orange You Glad I Didn't Say Banana?

 Tried a new recipe...It was a recipe for delicious banana upside down muffins. I was a little surprised by how easy they were. The recipe looks like it would take more time. But it doesn't. So get some bananas, click on the link, and make muffins. Here's how mine went. This isn't the actual recipe. That's why there's the link to click on. But this is how I did it, and some of the changes I made, and suggestions I have, and of course, my photos.



You start out by making caramel. It's much easier than most caramel making. All you do is toss your 2 tsp of butter and 2 tsp of brown sugar in each space in the muffin tin, then put it in the oven for about 10 minutes.

I did more like 6-8 minutes.
I've burnt enough stuff that I usually at least start it out with a bit less time on it than the recipe calls for.
You don't even have to bother stirring the caramel as it cooks. You just leave it in the oven til it gets all bubbly.
The recipe says dark brown sugar, but I've never been wildly keen on the stronger molasses taste. So I used light brown sugar, and it was great.

Then you take your leopard bananas. Hahaha...when you're sleepy, it's hard to stop typing banananananananas...I got a bunch of bananas last week, and have been waiting for them to get to just the right level of ripeness for baking. I think they were pretty good. Super sweet, but not mush. I wound up only using two bananas instead of the 4 it called for (I was gonna just do a half recipe, decided to do full and forgot that I'd already halved the bananas), but there were complaints on the page of them not being good to eat the next day, and mine were fine, so that may have had something to do with it. They were pretty good sized too.

 Slice the bananas nice and thin. I know bananas don't necessarily need a sharp knife, but it does make them mush less, so I usually use one.

You let the caramel cool a little when it first comes out of the oven. And be really careful with it. If you get this stuff on your skin, it'll stick, and it'll burn. Didn't do it this time, but I have had stuff like this get on my skin before. Trust me...don't try it. Or do. It's a free country. But if you do, I will laugh at your stupidity because you ignored my warning :~)
I was a little concerned this went too dark, and it was close, but not burnt. I hate the taste of burned stuff, and this was just under burned. It was pretty much perfect

 I didn't add the rum that the recipe calls for, but I wanted some sort of extra flavouring aside from the vanilla extract. So I put in some ginger.
I used to hate ginger so much. Thought it was one of the more disgusting tastes in the world. Still don't like biting into a big chunk of it, but I do like it in a lot of dishes. Or tea. I think it was Indian cuisine that changed my mind.

 Keep the fingers out of the way of the grater...
I did maybe half an inch or so of ginger, with the finest part of the grater. I didn't want to steep the ginger and add the liquid, so I grated it very fine so as not to end up with huge chunks of ginger. Didn't want these to be culinary land mines...

Fresh Nutmeg...Yeah...This nutmeg has been around as long as I can remember...Can you tell we don't use it much? This is not a huge tin.We just really don't use nutmeg very often at all. Oh well, still seems to work tolerably well.

I almost always substitute applesauce for oil. Except for frying. Applesauce does a rubbish job of frying things...But as far as putting it in cakes or whatever for moisture and as a binding agent, it works very well, and is way healthier than oil. Especially if you get unsweetened. Or, even better, make it yourself. I've done that once...It was delicious, but took forever.

Eggs...I had a ton of eggs to choose from. I need to start eating more, as well as selling them $2/dozen if anyone is interested). The girls have been laying very nicely for me. I could have used a blue egg, but they tend to be a bit smaller.
Fun fact...the pigment in blue eggs is added early on in the formation of an egg, and cannot be scraped off. It is incorporated throughout the thickness of the shell. However, the brown pigment, whether dark, or simply tan, is added later in the making of the egg, and can be scraped off. And now you know...

I almost always crack my eggs into a separate cup. Have since I cracked an egg that had been frozen into a dish I was making. It looked like a melon ball, and I could stab the yolk with a fork and pick it up. It was thawed by then, but was still kinda messed up. May have still been ok to eat, but I didn't think it was smart to try. And after hearing stories of rotten eggs and various gross things, I figure it's better to not risk ruining a whole dish.

Thought I'd checked my recipe and had everything, but I forgot to buy milk when I was shopping the other day. Luckily we had a couple tins of evaporated milk. And, I count it fortunate that this was still usable, as it expired in 2011. Tasted fine. Baked up fine. I'm not too worried about dying from it.

Once you figure out what milk you're using, mix all of the wet ingredients, and the brown sugar together. I guess brown sugar counts as a wet ingredient.
It looks kinda cool before it actually mixes together, especially the milk and egg, but once it's mixed together, it kinda looks like vomit. Yes, I know that I probably should not talk about vomit while doing a food blog...Part of the reason I don't do food stuff that often :~)

Mix the dry ingredients together, then pour the wet ingredients in, and mix til moistened.

I put half of the mixture into the cupcake tin with the caramel and bananas, then put the grated ginger in with the rest of the batter. I didn't want to put ginger in the whole thing just in case it didn't work out taste wise.

I put the gingery batter in the remaining cups, and stuck it all in the oven.

You can see a few pieces of banana sticking out of the batter in this photo, and I don't think it would matter too much. The banana mush down, and the batter rises, and it should be ok. I did push them down though, just in case. 

Don't those look amazing? The caramel sort of went all over the place, but that was ok. This is one reason though that I would recommend using a non-stick pan. I was actually pretty impressed with how well the caramel came out of the cups, and even off of the top surface. And you won't want to waste any of the caramel :~)

As good as the non-stick pan was, the muffins did not want to come out just at first. I shook the pan over my cookie sheet, then just let them sit there upside down for a little while to see if they'd loosen up.

Finally grabbed a spoon and ran it around the edge of each muffin. Apparently it was only the baked caramel that kept them from coming loose, and as soon as that was cut by the spoon, they fell right out, with their caramel on the bottom.

A bit of a mess. And, in getting them out, I mixed up which were the ginger muffins and which were plain. The only way to really tell is to eat one. I do think that next time, I'll do all of them with a little ginger. It adds a very pleasant note to the banana flavour, and all of the sweetness.

These muffins are amazing with a cup of coffee (though, I must say, I don't

know that I have ever had a muffin that would have been bad with

a cup of coffee...). Just found this mug at Goodwill :~) 

Coffee cups are an addiction for me.

The muffins are definitely best straight out of the oven, but stay good for a while. 

I made them on Wednesday, and just had a couple today (Friday), 

and they're still great. I wouldn't suggest keeping them long though, as they are 

incredibly moist, and I feel like they would mold in very little time.