Wednesday randoms.

Is it really Wednesday already? I have a hard time knowing what day it is when I'm not in class.

It's been sunny all week, so I've spent a lot of time outdoors, which I love. I especially love the days when I can convince someone to go play tennis with me. But the other day, we found something out...something that was not so pleasant. Apparently, most of the tennis courts here, despite being found in public parks, are not free. Even the ones we'd gone to like 5 times without ever paying. It costs like £6, and there's a time limit. Lame. But we did end up finding some nearby courts that are free. At least we're pretty sure they're free. So that's good.

This made me laugh out loud. Single ladies out there, take note.

This phrase has been floating around the Internet lately. Till I moved to London, I'd have definitely agreed. But now? Not so sure. Because have you ever heard a Liverpool accent? You don't want to sound like that.

Let's clarify...which British accent do you mean?

My building had a barbeque last night. Let it be known that, here, "barbeque" does not involve barbeque sauce. It's just grilling out. But it was a lot of fun.

This weekend is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It's to celebrate her 60 years as monarch. And accordingly, London is covered in red, white and blue (the Union Jack kind, not the Stars and Bars kind) right now. There's bunting (I had to learn what that meant from Sheila) everywhere, and all the shops are filled with patriotic gear. Not to mention this sweet portrait of the Queen made out of Legos.

And, best of all, two of my favorite people will be visiting me this weekend! Countdown to glorious reunion at 9am on Friday starts now. I can barely handle the excitement. Can't wait to see ya, Alexis and Phil! Forget hugs, I'm gonna tackle you with love.

Blueberry boy bait.

When I first saw the name of this recipe, I was sold. Blueberries? Yum. Boy bait? What does that even mean? I had to try it out. That was over a year ago, and I finally got around to making it. Now, let me be real with you -- there's a lot of butter in this recipe. A whole lot. But butter = deliciousness.
So don't let that deter you. If anything, let it motivate you.

Here goes.

Blueberry boy bait.

adapted (very slightly) from here

Ingredients:

Cake

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk 

vanilla
1/2 cup blueberries

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175ish C). Grease and flour 13x9 inch baking pan (or two smaller pans if you're like me and forgot you don't actually have a bigger one...) I'd also suggest lining the bottom with parchment paper, just to be safe.

Mix two cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, beat butter and sugars on until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing till just combined. After each egg, make sure to scrape the bowl. 

Butter and sugar: the stuff happiness is made of.

Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with flour, and beating well between additions. Add a splash of vanilla, just because that's always a good idea. 

Coat blueberries in remaining 1 tsp of flour, and gently fold into batter. Then spread batter into prepared pan (or evenly between two pans).

Scatter another 1/2 cup blueberries over top of batter. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Bake until it passes the toothpick test -- about 45 to 50 minutes for 13x9 inch pan. My two smaller pans were done in just over half an hour.  Cool in pan before turning out. Seriously though. Don't be overeager like me and lose a third of your cake because it was too warm and stuck to the pan. (But if you do, just cut it up into bite-sized pieces, and no one will ever know.)

This tastes excellent warm, but it's great at room temperature too. 

Enjoy!

 

Sunday stroll.

My Sundays typically look something like this: train to Waterloo Station, Northern line to Tottenham Court Road, church at the Dominion Theatre, Northern line to Waterloo, train home. But today, the sun was so shiny, and the sky was so blue, I decided that I didn't want to spend my time underground. So rather than take the Northern line, I decided to walk to Waterloo. 

But here's the thing: I didn't know how to get to Waterloo from the Dominion Theatre. All I knew was that when I pictured it on the map, it was southeast-ish. Now, I'm not the best at maps and directions and such (understatement of the year), but I do know that the sun sets in the west, so I figured if I could keep my shadow in front and a little to the left of me, I'd be going the right direction. And, what do ya know! I made it there...eventually. But I definitely took the scenic route.

Still, my dad would have been proud.

I got an ice cream cone and strolled down Oxford Street for a bit, before heading over to Piccadilly Circus. Then I went on to St. James's park, down around Westminster, and along the river, where I walked across the bridge and found my way to the station.

Lovely.

 

Eurovision 2012.

I hadn't heard about Eurovision until about 2 weeks ago. But apparently it's a big deal here.

It's a song competition between countries in Europe (and apparently Azerbaijan is in Europe?), and it happens every year. The final is televised, and it was last night. A group of about 20 of us got together to watch it. It was...interesting. And hilarious. There were 42 competing countries, but 26 performed in the final. I came in on number 6. It was Russia's song -- some cute little babushkas who "baked cookies" onstage while they sang their little song. And it just got crazier from there.

Once all the countries have performed, you text your vote in. You can't vote for your country...well not the country you're texting from anyway. Then, each participating country tallies the votes and doles out points. First, they award 1-7 points to 7 countries (1 point to one, 2 to another, 3 to another, etc.). Then, they award 8, 10, and 12 points to their top 3 countries. It was all very political, with countries typically awarding points to their neighbors.

Sweden won it all by a landslide, which was fine with me, because it was the closest to a "real" song in my opinion. The whole thing was crazy entertaining., but there were several um...standout performances for me.

One was Turkey, because they made a human ship, complete with a masthead:



Another was Ireland, because the twins who starred in it were creepy. And they were wearing spandex armor.

And finally, Romania's moonwalking bagpipe player pretty much killed me.

Here's the link for all 42 entries. I haven't actually watched any of the ones that weren't on last night, so I have no idea what they're like.

And, just for fun, here's the winning song from 2006. Finland. Insane. And mildly terrifying.

Hello, summer.

On days like today, there's pretty much a 0% chance I'll be studying inside, especially when there's a park just around the corner. I'll take sunshine and daisies over light bulbs and my desk any day.

Hello, summer. So good to see you again.

 

Wednesday randoms.

My favorite food is anything breakfast, so I was really really excited to see that this exists.

We went to a pub in Surbiton to watch the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Since Chelsea is a London team, pretty much everyone there was wearing blue and singing songs like, "You are my Chelsea..." The game went to overtime, and then penalty kicks. And then Chelsea won, and all hell broke loose. Half the guys immediately ripped off their shirts and started swinging them around their heads. Others climbed onto the tables to lead a celebratory sing along. A couple glasses went flying, and we decided that was our cue to leave. It was certainly entertaining, though. And the whole bus ride home, these guys behind us were singing this song. Quite the night.

I submitted my final essay of the term today! I had over 16,000 words in this month, so I'm not as worried about my 10,000 word dissertation as I used to be.

McDonald's McFlurries choices are severely limited here. They choices are all Cadbury's stuff...no Oreos, no M&M...and, worst of all, no Reese's! Disgraceful.

The best email a girl can get? "Two pairs of pretty, but occasionally impractical shoes headed to you tomorrow." Thanks, Dad!

On the subject, mail is quickly becoming my love language. Especially when there's coffee involved. And the tank was just in time -- the next day, it was 75 degrees (F) and sunny! Lovely.

I'm really excited for June. Friends are coming the first and last weeks, and about mid-month, I'm headed to Italy! The last time I was in Italy, I was only 5. All I remember is getting stung by wasps, my uncle's cracked rear-view mirror, and people burning trash on the side of the road. So I'm hoping this go around will help to redeem the country for me. And with Google images like this, I'm thinking that might just happen.

Happy Wednesday!
 

Fun to be had.

One thing that’s both good and bad about living in New York City is the sense that I could be doing so much—going to the ballet, going to an off-off-Broadway play, taking a graphic design class, shopping in Williamsburg, eating in Astoria. But I almost never do those things, so the possibilities are exciting, but also a reproach. I’ve been haunted for years by a public service poster I saw just one time, in the subway. It was a photo of a Chinese food take-out container sitting on top of two videos. The caption read, “If this is how you spend your time, why are you living in New York?”

Fun abounded in New York City, if only I had the largeness of spirit to tap into it.

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A friend of mine posted this quote the other day. It's from Gretchen Rubin's book, "The Happiness Project." I hadn't heard of this book before, but now I think I want to read it.

It's exactly how I feel about London. 

The other day, I was walking across the Golden Jubilee Bridge (doesn't that sound fancy?) toward Waterloo. There are always a ton of tourists there, because it's the perfect spot to take that classic London-Eye-and-Big-Ben-over-the-river photo. And out of nowhere, it hit me. I live here. It's still weird when I stop and think about it. I live in London. Crazy.

Like that quote says, there's just so much I could be doing. It's such an exciting place to be, but it also leaves me feeling a bit guilty. I've been here eight months now -- have I taken advantage of it? Surely not as much as I could have.

I live here.

Part of that has to do with being a student. Most of my time is spent reading journal articles, writing essays, and looking up how to reference in the Harvard style (for the millionth time it seems...have I mentioned that I really miss MLA?)

The other part has a little to do with the fact that I'm living off my savings. Now that classes are over, hopefully that'll change. I've been sifting through job openings the past few days and will start applying once I've got this last essay in. Fingers crossed.

So yeah, there are plenty of things I haven't done and haven't seen...yet. But there's a lot I have, too. I've seen the touristy stuff, visited museums and markets, seen a show on the West End, and found some great little restaurants and parks. Plus I've done a fair bit of traveling...with more to come soon. And I've met some truly wonderful people.

Still, I plan to tuck this quote in the back of my mind. Once I leave, I'll probably never live in London again. I want to make the most of this. So, roll on summer. 

There's fun to be had.

  

Braids.

I've always, always had long hair, so I've been a fan of braids for years. They're such a simple solution to a bad hair day, and they work just as well for fancy occasions as they do for hanging around the house in your pjs.

Which is why I love the fact that they're in vogue right now -- it means tons of girls who are waaaay more creative than I am come up with fun braided hairstyles and then post how-to guides online.

Speaking of, this is my most recent favorite: The Mermaid Tail Braid. It's easy, and just different enough that it's fun. Plus, it's pretty. (Side note: Girls, if you haven't visited this lovely lady's blog yet, you absolutely should. It's great.)

Basically, you put your hair in two braids (dutch style, which is where you cross the outside strand under the middle, instead of over), loosen them up a bit, and pin them together so it looks like one crazy elaborate braid. Ta-daa! Easy.
 

Wednesday randoms.

I met a Texan on the Tube this weekend. Even though Tube etiquette necessitates that no one make eye contact, let alone speak to anyone else, I noticed his Texas A&M hat and just had to ask. "I'm sorry, but did you actually go to A&M?" His response: "Well, yes ma'am, I did." Ma'am! I haven't been called ma'am in months. My heart smiled. It made me miss Texas boys.


Other things that made my heart smile this week include:

This video. It's pretty much my life.

This other video. I'm so proud.

This handy dandy website. Super helpful in the kitchen.

This cheddar cheese. I haven't seen yellow cheddar since I moved here. Apparently, it's called "coloured cheddar." Who knew?

This picture.

Skyping with my sweet sweet friend to figure out what we're gonna do when she visits me here soon!

The flowers Hannah and I bought ourselves because it was Friday and, well, why not?



Things that have not made me smile? Well that'd be:

Forms that make me list my address history. Where have I lived in the past 5 years? More like, where haven't I lived in the past 5 years...

Running out of vanilla while I'm trying to make frosting.

Finding a massive run in my new gray tights the first time I wore them..after I'd already left the house.

Not being sure whether the proper spelling is "g-r-A-y" or "g-r-E-y."

Realizing that I'm rapidly approaching the real-life-adult status that requires that I find a full time job.

Not being able to play tennis because of the rain.

The absurdly high price that the university charges for color prints. 40p per page? Seriously? I'm a poor grad student.



But, let's be honest. Even though the things on this second list may be frustrating or inconvenient, they definitely don't outnumber or overwhelm the good stuff. I spend most of my life smiling.

Hope you do too.

Vanilla cupcakes.

It's birthday season in my building. Three birthdays in three days. I've had a lot of baking to do...which I totally love. But with baking comes dishes...which I don't so totally love. That's why I adore this recipe for vanilla cupcakes. Only one bowl needed. Glory, hallelujah. Let's do this.

One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes

slightly adapted from here

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter (softened but not melty)

3/4 cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla 

2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175ish C). Line a muffin tin with paper cups. Preferably pretty ones. I recommend polka dots...even if they're going to boys. Because, why not?

Cast of characters.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

Add the butter (it's best if you cut it up into smaller pieces first), milk, vanilla and eggs. I ran out of vanilla --tragedy!-- at like 3/4 tbsp, so I topped it up with almond extract and it worked great. Beat on medium speed until blended. The batter was a little too thick for my liking, so I added a little more milk. But you don't want it so thin that it's easily pourable.

Nerd moment: Isn't it amazing what a little heat can do?
There's probably a good metaphor for life in there somewhere...

Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Do a toothpick test (or dry spaghetti, if that's all you've got) a little beforehand. You don't want to over bake these babies, or they'll turn out pretty dry. 

Remove from pans to cool completely before frosting. 

I used a stiff buttercream recipe that holds up well when piped. But these little darlings work well with pretty much any kind of frosting out there, so just pick your favorite and get decorating!

And there you have it! A simple vanilla cupcake recipe that tastes great and leaves you with only one bowl (plus measuring cups, spoons, and other utensils, but whatever) to clean up afterward. Lovely.

Enjoy!

  

Caffeine highs and hallelujahs.

Today was deadline day. One of them, at least.

I got up early, piled my hair on top of my head (because, let's be honest, a shower just wasn't going to happen), grabbed a sweatshirt and headed out the door. In typical finals fashion, I wore my glasses, which wasn't the best idea since it was raining. And rain and glasses don't exactly get along.

But I made it to uni and turned in my essays...all 49 pages of them. Hallelujah! 

I then treated myself to coffee and tried not skip down the street as I sang praises to Jesus under my breath all the way home. So happy to finally be done with those.

It's okay, Starbucks. I'll forgive the impressively poor attempt at spelling my name
since this caramel macchiato was particularly delightful.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not done. But I'm almost done. Only one more essay to go. Once that's in, I'll have written over 16,000 words this semester. Did I mention that's 6,000 more than the suggested minimum word count for my dissertation? Yeah. Cool.

And now, seeing as how I'm tired of staring at computer screens, and I'm rapidly coming off my caffeine-on-an-empty-stomach high, I think I'll take a little nap.

Goodnight, world.

 

Sentimentality.

Today my brother -- my little brother -- graduated from Baylor. Already! I can't even believe it. Part of me is really sad that I couldn't be there, but the rest of me is just super proud. 

My brother's the best guy ever. Seriously.

Not only that, but two of my dearest friends just graduated with masters degrees. How cool is that? Again, super proud.

It all makes me so sentimental, and I find myself asking how it's already been two years since I graduated. Unbelievable. But I'm so so thankful for my four years at Baylor and all the amazing friends I made along the way. Even though I'm now a looooong way from Waco, Texas, it still feels like home -- and I suppose it always will. And that's entirely because of the people I met there. 

So, if you'll forgive my sentimentality, I'll leave you with this. It's okay if you think it's cheesy. I'm sure a lot of people do. But it means a lot to me.

Video interviews.

Everyone knows interviews are super uncomfortable. Even if you don't mind the actual process, there's something weird about having to talk yourself up to a complete stranger. 

But know what's even worse than interviews? Video interviews.

That's right. Thanks, technology, for introducing us to the wonderfully awkward experience that is the video interview. Not only is it weird Skyping with someone you've never met, but there's the added pressure of actually being able to see yourself. I seriously had no idea I was that fidgety. 

Plus, eye-contact is nearly impossible. One, because you're too busy checking yourself out. And two, because it feels so incredibly unnatural to talk to the little green light at the top of your laptop.

Oh, and did I mention that this is all probably going down in your bedroom? Factor in the aspect of something to lose (say, a job opportunity), and BAM. Ranks right up there with going to the dentist.

Immediately before my interview...Don't be fooled. I'm not as calm as I look.

But there is one good thing about video interviews, and it's this: you only have to look good from the waist up. I recently took full advantage of this. Notice the picture above. I look presentable, right? My hair's more tame than usual, I've got some make-up on, and I'm not in a sweatshirt. But wait...

Don't tell!

Ignore the state of my nightstand. That's not the point of this photo, people. But look! I'm wearing athletic shorts! During an interview! And not only that...

This is probably my fav piece of clothing.

I've got on my fluffy pink socks! 

Sure, it's not exactly professional, but it's definitely comfortable. And if there's anything I can do to make myself a little more comfortable with doing a video interview, I'm on it.

Good luck to all you recent and soon-to-be-graduates! (Including you, lil bro!) May you rock all your upcoming interviews -- both in person and otherwise.
  

Wednesday randoms.

I've learned quite a lot since I moved over here. And I'm not talking about academic stuff -- though I've learned plenty of that too...don't worry mom! Here's a little look at some of the things these past eight months (eight months?!) of living in London have taught me:

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How to make a good cup of tea. 

That my impression of a British accent is absolute rubbish.

To eat chips (french fries) with a fork.

To look right-left-right before crossing the street.

That, in the absence of syrup (because it's pretty impossible to find), butter and brown sugar makes an excellent pancake-topping. 

That I prefer American pancakes to British pancakes.

To queue.

How to set my spell check to UK English.

To always carry an umbrella.

To order at the bar instead of waiting to be served.

To avoid eye contact on the underground.

That 350 degrees F is 176 degrees C (a baking essential). 

That hugs (even Skype hugs!) can make your problems seem significantly smaller. 

To say sorry when someone runs into me...even if it's clearly not my fault.

That I should really buy butter in bulk.

To say "no thank you," when asked if you'd like black pudding with your full English breakfast.

That people have no idea where New Mexico is.

That people think Texas is like living in a western film.

To say "film" instead of "movie."

That I look like an American...whatever that means.

 

 ----------

It's been a wonderful, crazy, fun, occasionally-stressful-but-mostly-beautiful eight months. 

I'm excited to see what the next few hold.

But seriously.

This is my life. Except it's actually Lizzy's. 

I don't know her, but I think we could be great friends.

Vocab lesson.

Here are a few vocabulary tips you may find helpful, should you visit the UK: 

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No one here says "oriented." Instead, everyone says, "orientated." As in, "That young man is very goal-orientated." It throws me off every time.

Squash isn't a gourd-type food. It's a flavo(u)red liquid you put in your water. The most popular flavo(u)r? Blackcurrant. What even is that?

This is squash...

Holiday-wear isn't Christmassy. It's swimsuits (called swimming costumes here) and other beach attire. Because here, you don't go "on vacation." You go "on holiday."

If you're looking for an eggplant, don't ask for an eggplant. Ask for an aubergine. And if you want a zucchini, you'll need to ask for a courgette. 

If a guy tells you he's wearing a dressing gown, it's not what you think. It's just a bathrobe. 

When the sign says "dual carriageway," don't expect any horses or buggies. You'll be disappointed. It's referring to a divided highway. 

If you want some jelly for your toast, you might get some funny looks. What you really want is jam. Jelly is Jello. Which would make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a much more interesting concept...

"J-E-L-L....Y? It's alive."

A public footpath isn't a nature trail, or even the scenic route. It's a plain old sidewalk.

Talking about "bangs" will probably get you laughed at. Here, they call it "fringe."
 
A mouthguard? Not here. It's a gumshield. 

When abbreviating the term "mathematics," it's not "math." It's "maths." Don't forget that 's'!

Looking for scotch tape? You mean is cellotape, as it's known here.
  
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So there you have it. May you benefit from my knowledge...and be spared from the confused looks that I still face every time I open my mouth.
  

Cinco de Mayo.

Look, I realize it's thousands of miles away from Mexico, but London has a serious piñata shortage. I'm from New Mexico, where you can find them everywhere, so when I was faced with the grim realization that I'd be spending the fifth of May piñata-less, I was kind of heartbroken.

But I did make burritos. So it wasn't a total tragedy.

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Or, as my sweet British flatmate said, "Happy New Mexico Day!" Ummm...not quite. But nice try, Hannah. Nice try.

YouTube comments and the future of humanity.

I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Over the past month (and I'm embarrassed to say this), I've logged countless hours on the YouTube page for Justin Bieber's "Baby." Hitting the mute button immediately does help a little, but it's really started taking its toll. Why would I do that to myself, you ask? Well I don't really have a choice. It's the topic of my research for my computer-mediated communication class.

I'm studying flaming. Now, you may have never heard that term, but if you've spent any time at all on the Internet, you've seen it. Flaming is basically hateful speech, and it's everywhere online. 

I picked the Justin Bieber video for two reasons: 1) It's the most-viewed video on YouTube.
2) It inspires overemotional responses. So it's a prime subject for flames.

Anywho, I've been looking through hundreds and hundreds of comments lately. This afternoon, when I pasted several hundred into a Word document to organize, this happened:

My spell check just gave up and died. I didn't even know that could happen. Those Bieber fans sure have a way with grammar. It's shocking what you find on that page. It's also really depressing.

Lev Grossman said this on the subject:

“Some of the comments on YouTube make you weep for the future of humanity just for the spelling alone, never mind the obscenity and the naked hatred.”

And that pretty much sums up my entire life these past few weeks.