Music Monday #7: Just Two Kids

It's time I start getting serious about this whole music Monday thing. 6 posts in and there has only been one ska song?! Which was a cover of a Disney song? Who am I? 

If you ask me what my favorite type of music is, I will undoubtedly answer Ska. 

Big D and the Kids Table is one of my all-time favorite bands, and a fantastic ska band. I think the first time I heard of them was in high school. For some reason my photography class was split up and put into another class that was loud and rowdy (I mean, it's high school). We were supposed to be watching a movie or something, but for lack of seating I was sitting under the table with this kid who told me to listen to some ska music on his ipod. I am not 100% certain, but I think some of those songs were Big D at the time. But it wouldn't be until a couple years later that I really grew to know the band.

Oh, and just to mention, THE WORLD'S BEST BOYFRIEND award goes to this guy ^ who scored me a t-shirt signed by every. single. member of the band. In a ska band that is nothing short of a miracle. Thanks stud. 

Enough waxing poetic. My favorite album from the group is hands down: Strictly Rude.



But one of my favorite songs, "Describing the Sky,"  is from their album Fluent in Stroll.

Yesterday I realized Ross and I are officially IN THE TEENS.

This takes the Double Digits Club to a whole other level! So in part I pick this song in anticipation of soon turning a new page and starting a new chapter in my (our) life. 

The song opens with, 

Two kids excited when they hit the pavement

It reminds me of starting something new. Say, moving to Grenada. The world is a big scary place. How do we ever manage to get by? 

We'll have to step back, be steady, and check out the new sceneryDeduct what we are seeing and trust each others opinion

Yep! What beautiful scenery we have here in Grenada. Take it in, figure it out, forge our own path. And learn trust each other because if there is something to be learned on this med school journey, it's trusting this is the right path. 

Gotta push back the people who try and sour realityThere's so many bitter, we'll have to be believers

This for me could only describe about half a million people and things on this island. Getting underpaid, having SGU pwn you at every turn, having friends turn on you, rude emoyees who smash you with doors; the point is life can bring you down but you just have to be believers. 

So 

Stand tall We both look them in the eyeWe're trying not to laugh just yetI think we'll both do fine

How lucky I am to have a permanent best friend. And although he's rarely around, there are perfect moments in this imperfect life that  feel just like this:

Now we're laying after a perfect dayas we fade away, what a world we'll make

Moments where in the ugliness and complexity of this world, I remember this about my bestie

Well I'm forever your fighting partner 

Yah, I can hold you above them for days 

You see, my arms are strong and I'm focused 

We're in store for better days

Better days, worse days, different days. Just the promise of a change of scenery. Some days America feels like this: 

Oh no, I don't need to seeJust tell me what it looks like above the cloudsDescribe the sky to me, just describe the sky to 

I'm kind of a sucker for songs with, what's the word? Progression? Like when the chorus changes from conjecture to present to past tense etc. 

We both stand tallWe always look them in the eyeWe're always laughing out too loudUs two are doing quite fineTwo kids shaping their livesYes we will surviveYes we will survive

It's a great end to this fun, happy song. It reminds me that things will be okay, and they ARE okay. Don't mind me. This is my corner of the universe. So I'll stand tall. I'll laugh too loud. I'll just continue shaping my life. Continue on this sometimes insane journey, just insanely lucky that I have Ross as my best friend and husband. 

Work it.

I have really gotten lazy here in Grenada. What normal humans do in a day, I can't accomplish in a few. I only work part time, which for someone in her mid-twenties, is not very impressive.

But this past week I have really ramped up the workload. The research project I have been doing on the side of my part-time work is in the middle of post-testing so it means longer days, and more migraines. It means staring at my excel sheet that is so massive, my data wouldn't fit. I learned that excel has a maximum amount of columns/ sheet. That would be "IV" by the way. 

I'm very blessed to have a job here. They are extremely hard to come by, and especially for that reason I am eternally thankful for the opportunity. But I think what people forget, is that work will always be work. It will always be laughably miserable at times. Doing, and re-doing things. As you can tell from the above screen, there was a lot of fun being had!

Sometimes, and we all do this as humans, we just say things. Let me give you an example:

Person: Oh, you have a job?!
Me: Yes!
Person: Oh that must be nice... to keep you busy.

I mean... yes. But also, NO. Perhaps people think that pre-employment, I sat and waited by the door until Ross came home. 

I mean, yes I miss him while he is gone, but I have interests, activities, hobbies, talents that I am more than capable of employing to keep myself busy. And I think I speak for everyone who works, when I say that: 

Saturday was a long day, 9+ hours of testing and data collection. It was wonderful to end the day with my favorite Greek Food Truck with Ross, and a nice sweaty bus ride home. :) 

Music Monday: #6 New Soul

As I get older and get closer to supposedly figuring this all out, I couldn't be farther from understanding anything.  But I'm learning a lot about these creatures called humans during my sojourn here on Earth.

Thanks to the magical powers of Pandora I stumbled across this beautiful song awhile back. It's been love ever since.

-New Soul-

Yael Naim

Not only is it incredibly beautiful, it is also upbeat. It's easy to belt out or hum. A nice little song.

And of course the lyrics aren't bad either. No matter how near or far I travel from the Shire, people always surprise me. Today, I am surprised (though I shouldn't be) about the incredible people I call my friends. Their endless and boundless love that is always there for me. 

I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

Sometimes I feel like, in the song, I find myself making every possible mistake. I forget important events, I don't call as much as I should, I'm clumsy with my comforting words, I get irritable, I say things I don't mean, I'm slow to apologize.

But I'm learning from every single one of those mistakes. And as I take, I hope I also give.

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit 'bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? Try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

As Yael tells us in the song, trust and love is not always easy to make (or, might I add, maintain). But I am so grateful for those people who, despite distance and friendship tremors, and my very human mistakes, still love and trust me. This world is filled with ugly hate, ugly disdain. Sometimes because of silly things, sometimes because of important things. But communicate! And you can find so much beauty in this world through trustworthy and loyal people. 

This is a happy endCome and give me your handI'll take you far away

Sometimes life can really stink. But I believe, no matter how deeply it gets buried in my heart, that we were made for happy endings. Despite our mistakes and shortcomings, despite the ugliness and fear of the world, we have so much beauty around us, and so many friends that care.

CA Love

Let's take a minute to talk about how California is the best state in the world.

I know, I know, you haters with your "the government is so big," "the taxes are exuberant," "the whole state is bankrupt," complaints, take your hunting rifle and go kill and animal, or book your tickets for the next Republican Convention, or just idk, don't read this post.

Cos California isn't for haters mmkay?

I know as well as the closest anti-Obama fanatic that California isn't perfect.

But oohhh it's so close.

Give me a minute or two, to just bask in my love for my home-state. The farther I get from California, and the more I scratch my head at other states, the more I realized California is in my blood.



I spend some days in Grenada aching for a pupusa, the traffic of the 405, the freezing cold Pacific ocean water (mmmkay maybe not that), street performers, or just to hear another other language than English.

*sigh*

A while back I posted this list.

20 Things Nobody Tells You About Moving Out of Southern California

After reading it, I realized I was an ex-pat long before I left the country to live in Grenada. Indeed, when I moved away to college I left behind certain things that, in my mind (just trying to be fair) are essentially California.

Let me walk with you through this particular article's list:

No. 20 You have an accent. No, really.

It's true, so true. I don't say "brah" though, I think that is a little more coastal. But I find myself with a mix of slang and ghetto speak that no one around me quite understands.

No. 19 The Mexican food is terrible
Ugh. SO terrible. So very very terrible. I remmeber when I tried "Mr. Chipotle" here, I didn't think "Mexican" food could get worse. The most shocking part was that people said it was good. I secretly pray they have never been to California.

No. 18 You will become a traffic snob
Not a problem here in Grenada. But people love to complain about how "horrendous" traffic can be at "rush hour." So freakin' cute!

No. 16 Everyone wants to know if you've been to Compton
Many funny stories about this one. 

The article reads, "To the rest of the country, Compton is like Somalia. Even the word "Compton" is used as a synonym for Murdertown USA."

No. 15 No matter where you're from, it's Beverly Hills & No. 7 You need to know at least one famous person
Palmdale is a far cry from Beverly Hills, but I will let you know I've high fived Magic Johnson and gotten churros next to Shane West. Just throwing that out there.

No. 14 You will never have good produce again
Holy Heaven, the produce. The cheap glorious produce. Cilantro (not on sale) for 25 cents people. Pounds of tomatillos for a dollar. I can barely find a tomatillo anyways. I came to Grenada and people were raving about how cheap bananas are. Seriously? The going rate for bananas here is more expensive than the pricey stores in CA. 

The article reads, "California has absolutely the best produce in the nation and that's fact. You have grown up with strawberries the size of your fist that taste like sugar. You know what a jicama is and why it rules." 

Just looking at the bell peppers in IGA is cause for me to breakdown and start crying in the middle of the store. 

No. 13 Nobody puts "the" before highway names
If you have never seen it, please just watch this SNL sketch. It's a bit irritating, but I get that. 
How do I get to the beach? I take the 14, to the 5, to the 405, to the 101, then of course just go along the 1. I never noticed this habit, but my sister-in-law from Idaho mentioned it once and now I always laugh about it. 

No. 11 You will crave In-N-Out like it was crack
There is a local cafe that opened up here, they have a picture next to their menu. I'm sure they figured it was just a simple stock photo of a delicious looking burger, shake and fries. 

NO IT ISN'T! Please take a look that the photo near their menu.

The photo is blurry because I was too busy sobbing that they would do such a thing to me. No, you liars! You DO NOT sell anything here that deserves those glorious palm tree printed paper goods!

No. 9 Humidity is a thing -- and it sucks
I never knew what humidity was until I went to Central America. Now I am saturated in it every day here in tropical Grenada. My friends from the East coast or the South think I am hilarious. Like a walking joke. I. Die. I try to explain to them that I would take a 110+ degree day in the high dry dusty desert than almost any day in Grenada and they don't get it. This is how I explain it. 

Dry heat: Higher temps, zero humidity = putting your face in the oven to check your baked goods. A wall of dry, hot heat. Humidity heat: Lower temp, higher humidity = being wrapped in a wet blanket and cooked in a microwave. A slow, sticky, never escaping hot feeling.

No. 6 You will actually miss earthquakes
Every once in a while Grenada will get a little shake. None of them have been large, but the Facebook aftershocks are unbeatable. I mean, people already share every time they sneeze on social media, imagine when they EXPERIENCE AN EARTHQUAKE FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amateurs. I remember routine earthquake drills, where the principal would get on the intercom and shake a can of marbles and tell us to get under our desks. I remember wanting so badly to go in the Shakey Quakey Schoolhouse (earthquake simulator) when it was at our school.  I remember crouching in the hallway with my family as we sleepily rose from our beds to the designated "earthquake safe spot" in the home. Routine stuff folks. 

No. 5 Normal stuff is famous

The article mentions a few awe-insipring bucket list items. The Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese, Walk of Fame, Venice, it goes on. In order to cope with obnoxious tourists, my siblings and I have created lots of intricate games. Lots of fun games to make fun of the buses and buses of tourists.

No. 3 Nobody else cares about area codes
When I moved to Utah and found out there were two, TWO, 2 area codes for the whole state. My mind was totally blown. In California, you have to judge everyone, especially based on their area code. When I hear someone is from California I immediately need to know where they are from so I can throw all my stereotypes on them and know everything about their lives. 

No. 1 You will miss it every day

Some days more than others, but yes. Definitely true.

Happy Birthday Pip!

This friendship story starts a long time ago in my freshman year of college when I was preparing to move to off-campus housing. All by myself. Harden and cold, all alone. The complex I was moving to was three (or more?) gigantic buildings. For logistical reasons I asked to be put in the first building, and received my apartment number to which I would be moving in the next few months.

As the months went by I called again to find out what my apartment number was, only to find I was put on the opposite side of the complex.

Little did I know, it was of the best decisions that would have ever been made for me.

Because when I moved into that cave apartment of 5 random strangers, I met the beautiful Pip.

Nope, that isn't her true name, but it is her real name to me.

At our first meeting I never would have guessed we would be as good of friends as we are now.

We've been through a lot together. Being roommates in college will do that to you. Heart breaks, final papers, holidays, moving, drama, missing leftovers, dating, car trouble, hospital visits, sickness, midnight store runs, Halloween dances, engagements, you get the picture.

When you go through that much with a person you either end up hating them, or having to keep them because they know too much. Good thing I like her!

As friends you end up doing weird stuff, like making Daniel and the Lions Den cake.



Or do weird white people things like go hot tubing in the snow, or decided midnight and pajamas is the perfect time to get soft serve.



Best friends like Pip also support you on your triple date endeavors.

I often find myself missing my old roommate. I miss writing a thousand Love Notes. I miss our late night drives and afternoon talks. I miss spending entirely too long at the MOA cafe. I miss borrowing clothes, and watching Criminal Minds when we should be studying. Mostly I miss seeing her beautiful face everyday. You really form a unique bond with a roommate best friend.

I am so happy that we are still best friends far across the distance and spaces between us. She has definitely shown me how to go on. Near, far, where ever we are I believe that we will be friends forever.

So here is to my brilliant, beautiful, witty, understanding, inspirational best friend. I love you so much Pip! 

Let's do this next quarter century thing (you go first though).

Date Night

Wednesday Ross and I went to the movies.

I'm not certain if I have ever blogged about the one and only movie theater here, but its a funny little experience.

Recently the movie theater got 3D and digital movies (as opposed to reel to reel). So they raised the price of tickets, started charging for 3D glasses, and took away one of the 2 for 1 days. But on the plus side, there are movies that have come out in the past century.

It's pretty exciting. Almost anything is a big deal around here so this was a BIG DEAL. As in, we already have Captain America: Winter Solider!

Ross, being of course a big comic book fan was really excited to see it. If zombie 5th term Ross was willing to take a night off, I figured it must be pretty important.

I definitely didn't anticipate the huge crowd of people at the theater. Why I didn't anticipate this, I don't know. Usually I am much smarter than that.



When I thought about it for a second I got sudden clarity. 1) The childrens have two weeks off of school for spring break 2) it is 2 for 1 night 3) it is only the second week Captain America has been out 4) the theater is only about as big as a closet anyways.

We got our tickets and I attempted to get popcorn. Attempted because Grenadians don't really believe in lines and there was only only employee sloooowly dropping popcorn into a bag. Nvm about that. As Ross and I were squished on all sides by grabby patrons we tried to keep calm and think of icy glaciers to stay cool in that stuffy lobby.



My favorite part of the experience was getting the arm bar from the employee taking tickets who thought he was a hulk hogan bouncer. Dude, this is a movie theater. Just rip my raffle movie ticket and let me get a seat. I don't mean to be dramatic, but I was pretty relieved when I finally got in and seated. The ever-valiant Ross went to get us popcorn and a drink. What a trooper.

The movie was absolutely fantastic. I was really impressed. Everyone should go see it.

After the movie Ross and I got some frozen yogurt. They have a new flavor "Spice." Living in Grenada has given me a new love for all things nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon, so I loved the flavor. We got Spice + Grenadian Dark Chocolate yogurt. Along with some toppings like almonds, caramel, and white chocolate.

I love how happy we both look in this picture. I think the promise of progression, seeing the start of a new chapter, a change of scenery, has us pretty excited these days.

Grenada Arts Council: 50th Annual Art Exhibition

Ross rarely gets time off, so when he does we really try to make the most of it.

I've been bugging him to go downtown because the Grenada Arts Council has their 50th Annual Art Exhibit going on.



I went last year with a friend who entered some of her work and was absolutely blown away by all the pieces. All the artwork is by locals (residents).

Here is a video of this year's exhibit.

The hardest part about getting Ross to the exhibit is that it always closes before 4pm on the weekdays and doesn't open til 10am on Saturday. C'mon people I need a gallery graveyard shift!

This morning we decided a gallery stroll would be a worthy outing and patiently waited til closer to 10am. We headed straight for the gallery only to find it was closed. Perplexed, we checked the hours and the current time. It was just a little after 11am. As posted in the window, we went to inquire at Art Fabrik (another amazing store). She made a couple calls and before long a cute little lady with lovely curly silver hair and a fantastic smile took us over to the gallery and unlocked the door. I guess whomever was supposed to be there this morning never showed up.

Pretty much we got a private opening of the gallery. We strolled around and checked out the amazing artwork. I took some photos off the Grenada Arts Council Facebook page because I was too shy to take some myself.

[Via]

I really loved these pieces! So much color. It really reminded me of my brother Kyle and my sister Rissa.
The gallery is small but brilliant. It's no Getty but in some ways I like it better because it isn't as overwhelming. You don't need a map to navigate the halls and walls, but the pieces are still breathtaking and filled with meaning.

[Via]

This was maybe my favorite piece of the day. The one on the left with the boat on the water at sunset. The sunsets here are one of my all-time favorite parts of Grenada. I never seem to capture the hues with a photo lens, but these artists sure can capture it with a brush.

I always find myself especially drawn to the pieces that really capture (what I perceive to be) the essence of Grenada. The palms. The sea. The fishing boats. The waterfalls. The jungle. I got a little emotional today thinking of how weird it will be to leave all those beautiful things behind in about a month.

Eventually Ross and I decided on a piece of artwork to make ours. I was beyond excited. When I visited last year's Art Exhibit I had a feeling that taking home a piece of art might be the perfect souvenir. Over 365 days of thinking that over, I was set on it. Better than spice necklaces, or salt & pepper shakers, or flip flop key chains, I thought a painting could more accurately capture this beautiful place we have lived the past two years. I was beaming when the woman put that little red dot on our painting and wrote the receipt. I guess you guys will just have to wait to see the purchase.

Ross outside the gallery. Happy that he doesn't have to do souvenir shopping, or scared that he let us spend so much money.

We took care of some errands and did some wandering downtown. Like I mentioned, it feels very surreal to think that in 35 days, this won't be my life anymore. No wandering on the hot crowded streets. 

Here in Grenada Spring Season is Kite Season. With that lovely breeze comes the opportunity to go fly a kite. You can see kite vendors along the roadside. Little, big, bright and colorful kites. All homemade. 

After going to the Pearls Airport Kite Festival last year, I think Ross and I both wanted to give it a go this year. We passed several kite vendors before deciding where to shop. We are now the proud owners of a smallish kite with cute polka dots. Oddly enough I didn't get a picture of our vendor nor our kite but I will take care of that tomorrow. 

Before long we headed back to the bus terminal home bound. I snapped a picture of the steel drum school. I've passed it dozens of times, but I never really thought to take a picture of it. 35 days until I never have the chance to pass this school and be serenaded by the lovely steel band music. 

35 days until I never get to rummage through my purse for my bus fare. 

The Lance aux Epines weekend buses aren't very regular so we just walked home from the round about. Just walking home with our groceries and kite. Goaty grazing on the side of the road. 

It was a really strange morning being haunted by this departing feeling. It's hitting me more than ever and these moments that I get to spend time with my best friend in a beautiful country, I really feel it.

So here is to 35 days, whatever that means.

DIY: Ombre Hair Color

Ombre is all the rage. It's a bit old now, but still trendy. And D.I.Y. is all the rage too. So today I bring you:

#nofilter

Sometimes in lame Get to Know You or Speed Dating games, you ask someone

"What do you consider is your best feature?"

It's a bit of a silly question, but it gives us all a break from the "omg-i-am-so-ugy" shtick. Wanna know my answer? Thought so.

My hair.

I hate that I don't have much, and I hate my ever-receding hairline, but one of my favorite things about me is my hair. I get asked if I dye it. I don't. Once a hair dresser very sternly looked me in my eyes and said "NEVER color your hair. Women pay a lot of money to get it to look like yours."

And although that was a little bit intense and scary, I took the compliment. The sun was made for my hair, or, my hair was made for the sun. My hair's years in the cold dark days in Utah were the saddest days of it's life.

But when my hair gets in the sunshine, it lightens and highlights, and beams. And I really love that it does that. I know before long it will darken and lose it's natural highlight but for now I will enjoy it.

My first year in Grenada I spent a lot of time outside. Walking, exploring, bumming it.
My second year in Grenada I spent more time inside. Working, sleeping, being grumpy. As a consequence my hair has grown in much darker, resulting in a (when intentionally looking) clearly visible line of "roots."

Instead of being bummed about this, I realized I had accidentally D.I.M'd (Did It Myself) Ombre hair! So I parted it down the middle.



As you can tell from that laugh-smile on my face, I thought this was pretty funny. I am so trendy. Maybe I should permanently part my hair in the center so people can see how trendy I am.

SPOILER ALERT: Yeah, this isn't actually a tutorial.

Crock of CRAP!

In some ways, I am an all or nothing kinda girl.

Like I will either spend 2 hours cooking dinner, or 3 minutes.

In my mind, a slow cooker is a magical food machine, not a kitchen tool. People really rave about slow cookers, but I have this really weird mentality I just can't seem to get over. It's the mentality that indeed they are magical food machines.

This means that I dump a bunch of stuff in said Magical Food Machine, come back in 4 hours and the food (also magical) comes out amazing. Part of the magic is that the prep time needs to be less than 10 minutes. And I chop onions pretty slow. 

There are some recipes like that, of course. Dump this in, dump that in, dump that in too, then in 4 hours, here comes the magic.

See, to me that is a Crock-pot recipe.

But this recipe required like.... a bowl, a whisk, measuring cups AND spoons, a plate, a fork and knife, a saucepan.... like what? I was supposed to cook the meat, take it out, shred it, make a slurry, strain the ingredients in a saucepan *YAWN* What a crock of crap! That is just an incredible amount of work for me. I can't handle that people. So I did what I do best and half-assed it. This is a Crock-pot people, Half-Ass should be its first name.

I ended up substituting some ingredients, and halving the whole thing. You can find the original recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken here.

You mix ingredients and I massaged it into the chicken and between the skin. You cook it, and shred it. 

Then dump it back in. Please be impressed with the lighting and general photogenic nature of food stewing in a slow cooker.



I ended up throwing the cornstarch into the slow cooker instead, it wasn't as thick that way but it still tasted delicious.

The lesson of this story: Half-assing it ain't half bad. I don't know that this pearl of wisdom is a good one to pass down to the future generation, but that chicken was pretty tasty. I used it on a salad, but I imagine it would be a very versatile and flavorful recipe to use for many dishes. 

Oreo Dipping Station 2.0!!

I've been working so hard to keep the blog updated with posts from when my family was here that I'm not posting much about my mundane life. Which, I think is important too.

Here is another post about the simple things in my life, which oddly enough, are the big things.

Apparently, since my new monster phase, i'm crazy for Oreos. More specifically, turning Oreos into a major delicacy/ special event. As you can see for the picture below, this is Oreo Dipping Station 2.0 cos we now have fancy lil dishes to put the ingredients in.

When my family came to visit I kindly requested some Oreos. When they unpacked there was so much food it was like sensory overload. I couldn't even process all the goodies they brought! My parents definitely know how to spoil me, and indeed they did. Included in the mix were two yes TWO packages of Oreos. I was pretty excited. It wasn't until Ross created another Oreo Dipping Station that I realized my parents had not brought just any old Oreos. 

Birthday cake FLAVOR CREME?!? Ross said "I think that just means they have special coloring in the creme." 

Being one that does not take her snack foods lightly, I recalled rumors of these new flavored Oreos. With my spidey sense tingling, I knew that meant they were indeed cake batter flavored. Cracking open that package was like a crackhead getting a whiff of powder. I think I may have forgotten to breathe because they smelled so good.

I felt a little bad because the cookies were so good, we didn't even use the dipping station. But we were both so in heaven I don't think anyone's feelings were hurt.