Sunday, December 30, 2012

Whoa, there's a blog here....

Oh my. It seems like I've completely forgotten about this blog I have here. Hm. Well, I suppose I'll just post whenever I have time/drive/an interesting little quip.

My grandmother is in town and staying with us, so lately my life has consisted of keeping her occupied. I've been crazy busy with school, and since break started, I've mostly slept.

Hm.

Yeah, my life isn't very interesting.

Oh yeah, my prompt project is almost done!

Crazy, huh?

I think I'm going to do another project, just to keep me writing everyday. It's awesome to have something to work on, something to strive for.

I'm feelin' good, man.

*long, wise old sigh*

I'm from Oregon, if you didn't know. We practically survive on coffee and philosophical musing. It's pretty cold, as of now. I'm sitting on my couch wearing a giant fluffy coat and a knit hat. But you know what? I'd never want to leave Oregon. Sure, we might have rain and the bitter cold and high property tax, but I love it here.

It's home.

Alrighty, better get back to working on prompts and my manuscript and ignoring the fact that I've got winter break homework to do.

Tootles, lovelies.

-Hannah

Monday, October 29, 2012

October Music Obsession

How's it going, everyone?
Are you ready for another music obsession post?
No?
Well too damn bad!!

This month, I have a different sort of music obsession. Instead of a particular band, I've been listening to a song obsessively this month.

And that song is.... *drumroll*

"Falling In Love In A Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuTDtkd5ByBLK2sfxBqlRjnNpxdRNBxQy7gHRS5WBhzXZkEN2CtA

Now, I admit. I have a bit of a soft spot for love songs. Especially the calm ones, when it's just voice and guitar. I swear, guitar is the sexiest instrument ever. Boys, if you ever want to get a girl, learn how to play guitar. If you don't get a girlfriend within two weeks, I will personally drive over and--

Wow.

Okay. Moving on.

Here are the lyrics.

"I think that possibly, 
Maybe I'm fallin' for you.
Yes there's a chance that I've fallin quite hard over you.

I've seen the paths that  your eyes wander down,
I want to come too.

I think that possibly,
Maybe I'm fallin' for you.

No one understands me quite like you do.
Though all the shadowy corners of me.

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop that I love so much.
All of the while I never knew.

I think that possibly,
Maybe I'm fallin' for you.
Yes there's a chance that I've fallin' quite hard over you.

I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine,
Now I'm shinin' too."

It's one of my favorites, definitely. See ya'll next month with more of my music favorites!!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

September Music Obsession

Hello, everyone! Back with another music review for you! Last month, I was obsessively listening to Vampire Weekend. While those Northeastern beauties still completely have my heart, I've made room for another lovely group.

That's right.

Death Cab for Cutie.


This band has been around for quite a while. Their poetic lyrics and indie style. Lately I've been listening to them as inspiration for my writings. I have them to thank for many essays, papers, and pages of writing. My personal favorites are "I'll Follow You into the Dark", "Transatlanticism," and "The Sound of Settling."

"I'll Follow You Into the Dark" is a simple love song that expresses sweet loyalty.

Love of mine, someday you will die,
But I'll be close behind,
I'll follow you into the dark.

No blinding light,
Or tunnels to gates of white,
Just our hands clasped so tight,
Waiting for the hint of a spark,

If heaven and hell decide,
That they both are satisfied.
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs,

If there's no one beside you,
When your soul embarks,
Then I'll follow you into the dark.

"Transatlanticism" is rather conceptual, I'll leave it to your interpretation.

The Atlantic was born today,
And I'll tell you how.
The clouds above opened up,
And let it out.

I was standing on the surface,
Of a perforated sphere,
When the water,
Filled every hole.

And thousands upon thousands,
Made an ocean,
Making islands,
Where no island should go.

Oh no.

Those people were overjoyed,
They took to their boats,
I thought it less like a lake,
And more like a moat.

The rhythm of my footsteps crossing the flatlands to your door,
 Have been silenced,
Forever more.
  
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row,
It seems farther,
Than ever before. 

Oh no.

And finally, "The Sound of Settling" is more upbeat and catchy. Simply can't stop singing it.

I've got a hunger,
Twisting my stomach into knots,
That my tongue was tied off.

My brains repeating
"If you've got an impulse let it out."
But they never made it past my mouth.

Baa bah, 
This is the sound of settling,
Baa bah, baa bah.

Our youth is fleeting,
Old age is just around the bend,
And I can't wait to go grey.

And I'll sit and wonder,
Of every love that could have been,
If only I'd thought of something charming to say.

Well, that's it for now.

Long live Death Cab and long live Indie!!






Monday, August 20, 2012

Omelette Experimentation

The idea of an omelette is daunting. When looking at an omelette, one's first impression is: "How the hell does it get flipped?"

Well, it's not easy.

This is my very first time making an omelette. I had no idea how to go about this, and yes, I did google it. But it's still fun to see me fail, right?

Right?

Ahem. Anyway, start with two eggs.

Now beat the living crap out of those eggs.

Now, add some butter to a pan, and let it melt...
Note:) I added waay too much butter and my omelette turned out greasy. So...I'd say around a tablespoon or less.

Next, add some milk to the egg mixture and beat it some more. You need to get some air into the eggs, so I suggest listening to an upbeat song whilst mixing. My personal favorite for this situation is Hey Ya!  by OutKast.

Note:) Holding a newly opened milk jug and a camera while trying to pour is one of the hardest things ever.

When the pan is hot and ready to go, pour the egg in. don't stir it. Just let it sit and set for a while.
All that brown junk is burnt butter. Gross, right? For this recipe, you need to be fast. As soon as the butter melts, you need to pour the egg in. I made the mistake of waiting too long trying to figure out my camera settings and chopping bacon.

Now you'll notice that the egg has cooked on the bottom, but there is still liquid on the top. Using a spatula, push the egg on the edge of the pan forward, so that the liquid spills onto the cooking surface.
Okay, once the eggs have cooked all the way, it should look like a yellow pancake. This is not how it should look.
But this is how I made it. Yeah.

Add whatever toppings you want. I chose bacon and Italian cheese blend.


The next part is very difficult, and practically impossible to document with a camera. Take the pan, and make sure the egg is loose and moves about freely when you shake it. Carefully slide the egg onto your plate. When the omelette is about half-way onto the plate, fold the remaining egg over the top.

It's harder than it sounds, especially when you have no arm muscle.

By the end, it should look like a better rendition of this.
Mmmm...

Okay, so my first omelette turned out crappy. That doesn't mean yours will. And besides, practice makes perfect. Experiment with different toppings, spices, herbs--whatever you feel like having.

But bacon is the best. Just sayin'.


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Flying Overhead

Favorite prompt from this week. Tell me what you think.


I’ve always hated the way dried grass feels on my skin. So prickly and scratchy and hard. Dried grass was ugly too, yellow and brown instead of cheerful green. But during summer, the field in which my friends and I hung out was never able to receive hydration. The sweltering rays of the sun soaked the life out of that field. Yet we still went there, to talk and sit. This happened nearly every day of summer.
                We only stayed there when it was the four of us. Addie, Kelly, Georgia and myself. We’d sit, and then either smoke or drink, depending on what Addie could sneak behind her parent’s backs. The tiny bottles of rum Addie brought us were hardly enough to get us drunk, but we still would lie back in the yellow, prickly grass, dazed while we spoke of boys and summer while watching the endless blue sky.
                Things were ending for all of us. It was our senior year, and we’d all gotten accepted into different colleges. Addie was heading down to South Cali—she would definitely fit in there, with her glamour and all. Kelly was going east, to Virginia. She’d received a design major, something she’d always worked hard for. I was proud of her, I really was. But I didn’t want her to go. None of us did. I had been accepted into a college up in Seattle. I never had much of an idea what I wanted to do in life, other than to leave my small town behind.
                As for Georgia, she preferred to stay. She had chosen to attend the local community college to stay close to her family. She’d always been the odd one out in the group. She rarely drank, never smoked, and had a chipper, positive attitude that I just wanted to smack out of her. She was innocent, with no real aspirations other than to get married and start a family. Nothing was wrong with that, of course, but that was a bit traditional for my tastes.
                We had a total of eleven days left with each other, probably forever. While we’d been close high-school friends, it was a sort of silent agreement we’d made that we’d drift apart. At first, we would forget to call on each other’s birthdays. Then, the Thanksgiving invitations would get “lost” in the mail. And finally, phone numbers would be deleted from our cell phones, after months of unanswered calls. It was bittersweet, really, but we understood that the friendships we’d spent four years building would only hold us back in the long run. It was a matter of accepting, now.
                As we sat back and watched jets from the nearby airport fly overhead, we were probably thinking the same exact thing.
                Time moves so damn fast.
                “Look at em,” Georgia said, her Texan drawl growing more apparent from the rum-spiked Sprite she’d been drinking. “Those planes are going so fast.” Georgia always became more giggly whenever she was drinking. It was kinda funny, especially when any cute boy was around. Little hill-billy Georgia got her flirt on. This was probably the sole reason she refused to drink unless we were here, in our special field.
                “They’re cool,” I smiled, looking towards her freckled face and big blue eyes. She really belonged in Texas. She was the cute little cowgirl with her cowgirl boots and her worn-out jeans and her pigtail braids. Sometimes it was really hard to tell she was about to go out into the big bad world of adulthood. She was just the time of person I wanted to constantly protect, to hold her hand and pack her lunch and tell her that everything was going to be alright, even if it wasn’t. She was our little Georgia.
                “I wanna be a pilot.” Georgia said then.
                It must have been the alcohol—because I suddenly burst out in giggles. That triggered more laughter from Addie and Kelly, of course. “Why?” I asked.
                “Imagine,” Georgia turned on her side, so she was looking at me. I watched her, silently. Perhaps it was because she sounded serious. Georgia never acted serious. “You could go where ever you wanted, whenever you wanted. You can see the world. You can see everything. It’s…it’s like everything is boundless and wonderful and perfect.”
                I watched another jet streak past. I couldn’t help but agree with her.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Frustration

Wrote this last night when I was feeling extra depressed because of my parents and siblings and life in general. There is a writing contest I was thinking about entering this into, with the prompt as  "Frustration." I don't know if I will or not, since this isn't very good. Tell me what you think, though.


Empty pages,
Exhausted sighs,
Staring into white,
Wondering what on Earth to write.

A simple text,
Asking for help with life,
Waiting three-hours,
For a half-hearted response.
Wondering if it’s worth my time.

Flat strings,
Awkward bow-hold,
Unfamiliar grip,
Lost of love for music-making,
Wondering how I’ll survive next year’s class.

A distant friend,
Seems to be further and further away each day,
No conversation, nothing to say,
Wondering if she’ll read this poem.

Undetermined future,
Struggle and stress,
To keep my life from falling apart,
And then failing.
Wondering what I’ll be blamed for next.

True friends that stay by my side,
Forever and ever.
Yet it still stings when,
Some grow apart.

I’m wondering when I’ll snap.


Guys, I'm going to be arrested for murder...

Never in my life have I wanted to kill two people so much. Seriously. I would describe all the horrific, terrible, morbid things I want to do, but...I don't want to scare some of you off.

Yes, I'm talking about my brother and sister. The way they act and the way they get away with everything just makes me want to scream.

But I'm mature. I'm a big girl. I'm not going to do anything stupid.

Even if I really, really want to.

Yeah, I'm in a MOOD. Basically, I'm going through this weird phase where I'm wondering what in the world I'm going with my life and yada yada yada...

Oh look. My brother and sister have started a burping contest.

IN MY ROOM.

Ugh, that's it for now. Don't know when the next post will be, so don't go expecting one.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kool-Aid and Screaming

So yesterday my brother and sister had a "Kool-Aid" fight. Mind you, they are both in middle school, seventh and eighth grade. This morning I was cleaning my room, and I found Kool-Aid dust EVERYWHERE. And I mean EVERYWHERE.

If any of you have had experiences with Kool-Aid, you'll know that it stains. Badly. And guess where my brother and sister decided to have a Kool-Aid fight?

That's right.

On. The. Freaking. Folded. Clothes. Pile.

More specifically, MY folded clothes pile. So a few of my favorite shirts are completely ruined, and the carpet in my bedroom is sticky and gross.

It's not like I can tell on them either, because my parents honestly wouldn't give a damn.

UGH.

Now my sister is screaming "PHONE" at the top of her lungs because she lost her cell and she thinks that by calling it, it will run up to her like some kind of dog. Yeah, I have a headache.

It's going to be a long day.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Ick, Sweat.

So I just went on a little thirty minute walk around the neighborhood. It was really nice, and I listened to some music on my iPod and pet some dogs and all that. I even met an adorable little girl.

Girl: *rides up to me on her bike* "Hi."
Me: "Hello."
Girl: "How old are you?"
Me: "Old."
Girl: *laughs* "You look..seventeen...are you seventeen?"
Me: O_o "No. I'm not that old."

Gosh, do I really look like I'm seventeen? I've been mistaken for being older than my actual age sooo often. It's annoying, because I don't want to look older. (Contrary to many of my friends, who dress like they're twenty.) I want to make the best of each year, without skipping any. It's time to pull out the Princess shirts and sparkly skirts.

Anyway, upon getting home, I realized how hot it actually was. I feel gross. Where's the rain? Where's the cold? I want winter!

-Hannah

Music Obsession, August

So lately I've been listening to a lot of Vampire Weekend. They're a fairly well-known band, consisting of four guys. And I am in love with them.


Picture found here: http://catbirdseat.org/beta/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/vampire_weekend.jpg

Well, no.

I'm in love with a few of their songs. I've been listening to A-Punk, Cousins, Walcott, and The Kids Don't Stand a Chance so much this month that it's unhealthy. I don't really understand why. Before now I was never a really big fan of Vampire Weekend. Maybe it's because their fast-talking, ineligible words seemed a little too much for my pre-teen mind. Also, when I was that age, I totally wasn't used to Ezra Koenig's potty mouth.

But now that I'm in high-school and now that I hear (and speak) curse words on a daily basis, I'm totally unfazed by the use of words like "shit" and "fuck."

Vampire Weekend is on the top five list of my ultimate favorite indie bands.

Here are a few of my favorite lyrics from my favorite songs.

Cousins:

Interest in colors I discovered myself,
If your art-life is gritty you'll be toastin' my health,
If an interest in culture you should be linin' the walls,
When your birthright is interest, you could just accrue it all.

Walcott:

Walcott, don't you know that it's insane,
Don't you wanna get out of Cape Cod?
Out of Cape Cod tonight.

Walcott, mystic seaport is that way,
Don't you know that your life could be lost,
Out of Cape Cod tonight.

A-Punk:

A thousand years on one piece of silver,
She took it from his lily white hand,
Showed no fear, she'd seen the thing,
In the Young Men's Wing at Sloan-Kettering.

The Kids Don't Stand A Chance:

A devastating backstroke
All the way from France
With shiny, shiny cufflinks
A shirtsleeve to enhance

The pin-striped men of morning

Are coming forward to dance
With pure Egyptian cotton
The kids don't stand a chance


And there you are. Vampire Weekend, Music Obsession for the month of August. Stay tuned for more of my favorite bands!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Prompt 226

For those of you who come here from my dA account, you know I've been working on my 365 prompt project. For those of you who don't know what that is, well...it's exactly how it sounds. While on dA I wait until the end of the week to post my prompts, I'll be updating more frequently here.


226.
Prompt: Delete
Date: 8/13/12
                People come into our lives for a reason. Whether that be to help us along the way, or to hurt us and make us stronger. Either way, they’re there, and we can’t do much about it. Whether we want to or not, we’re forced to associate with people who change us—change us into someone we aren’t, yet we are at the same time.
                And what happens when these people leave us?
                They’re simply a contorted memory. A face. A thought.
                People can be erased from our lives entirely too easily. Like the simple click on the keyboard, relationships are wiped away, as if nothing had ever happened. And then eventually, we’ll forget. We’ll forget what these people did for us. We’ll forget the sound of their voice, even their words. We forget what they meant to us, what they felt, what they dreamt. We’ll forget how they changed us. Yet the changes will remain.
                Because while people may pass through our lives, short-term or long-term, their effect on us will always remain, like a hidden tattoo. No matter how hard we may try to prevent someone from changing who we are, it’s impossible.
                So make the best of every person if your life.



Midnight Snack...

So last night I had this craving for something salty. Like the weird, psychopathic person that I am, I took thirty minutes to make myself a "Midnight Snack."

This is a really easy recipe. It doesn't really have a name, other than Bowtie Pasta and Prosciutto. Anyway, all you really do is boil some bow-tie pasta. Then go ahead and cut up as much prosciutto as you can handle. I trust that you know that prosciutto is cured Italian ham. Anyways, if you're like me, it will take a really long time to get those prosciutto pieces apart from each other, and that will take up the majority of your prep time. Throw in about 1/2 to a tablespoon of butter into the hot pasta (after you've cooked and drained it, of course), then add whatever Italian cheese you please. (I usually put in Parmesan.) After mixing the pasta around so the butter and cheese have melted somewhat, put in the sliced up bits of prosciutto. To make sure all the meat doesn't clump up into one, salty, meaty ball, try adding little bits at a time, and mixing it well. There, you've got yourself an awesome plate or bowl of delicious and simple pasta.

Now this probably has enough salt content to kill me. But was it worth it?

Ab-sol-utely.

-Hannah

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Humble Beginnings

Hello.

I'm Hannah.

If you're reading this, then you must have stumbled across my blog.

Lucky you. :)

After some careful thinking, I've decided to document my life with a simple blog. I'll try my very hardest to keep up with updates and things, but you should know that my life can be hectic. Most of my posts will include writing, photography, and recipes.

I suppose you'll want to know a few things about me.

I'm a high-school student, with decent grades and hopes to become a freelance writer. I like cooking, especially baking. I play the violin, though I'm not very good. Music is my life, so look forward to many posts about my favorite bands and artists. Writing means everything to me.

I'm new to blogging, so bear with me. I'll get the hang of it eventually, I'm sure.

Welcome aboard, and happy reading. From this point further, I am not just Hannah, the quiet girl with the brown notebook. I am Hannah, internet blogger.