Curious about London...

the view from my window.
Regents College, London

According to a friend of mine, a criminal offence comparable to Jack the Ripper's murders to keep my dear blogofriends in the dark as to recent happenings. The issue has been not the lack inspiration, as oft is the case, but more an issue of overwhelm. While my summer friends have all returned to their home schools, many of them to Marymount, I find myself nestled on the broad windowsill looking over the rather picturesque gardens of Regents College, London. Bizarre indeed. Yet, eight hours (which translates to sixteen days of jetlag, so I'm told), thousands of miles and worlds away, I feel strangely at home in this city. From what I can tell, Regents is a school of much the same spirit of Marymount, in its  quintessential setting it is daring, pushing you to great heights, yet supportive, giving you all the tools you need to succeed. They have created an ideal environment for exploration of both self and city- creating opportunities to define yourself in relation to an dynamic and eclectic metropolis. For me, an acute case of sticker shock- that is the  condition of perpetual amazement at the price of any given item compared to its price at home- forced me to come to terms with the type of Londoner I am, I realized that there are a lot of things which I just don't care enough about to sacrifice even five pounds while others are worth thirty (trying the best fish and chips? Heck yeah! Tigertiger? not so much...). This is all to say that this first week is eye-opening and adventurous to say the least, but there is much, much more to come. 

Joi, 
Michaelanne{gello}

The Day Hobbiest Bakes

Granted, I am a long time baker, shamelessly indulging in pies, cupcakes, crostatas,  and cookies of all sorts since my youth, nonetheless, I feel that baking might just be the perfect day hobby. Imagine starting your day with a cup of coffee and a wild determination to conquer a confection! To truly pursue baking as a day-long hobby, your post-coffee day may include a trip to your local, acclaimed bakery {pilgrimage to Sprinkles, perhaps?}and a post baking soiree to flaunt your new-found skills. But, the glory of baking is that requires little to no mobility, which, for the wheel-lessly impoverished college student is icing on the proverbial cake. Whatever route you choose, baking as a day-hobby is not without challenge. For the impoverished, dorm locked collegiate, it is not easy to pull together a dessert out of the contents already present in your hopelessly small kitchen. For the inspired confection conquerer, while the possibilities are endless, time, skill, and availability are always obstacles. 

{With my own photos woefully lost in
cyber-space, this prime example of your potential
was one of the first images under 'hipster baking'}

Here are a few ideas: 

For the Gun-Ho

The Timely Classic, the Cupcake. 

For their adorableness, enduring popularity, and the simple fact that entire boutiques have been dedicated to their existence, cupcakes are a fabulous place to start in baking. While not bite size, they are certainly not more than any amateur baker can chew, metaphorically speaking. For a little inspiration, check out Cupcake Wars, Sprinkles, and my personal favourite recipe for 'Coco-nilla-licious' cupcakes {having no affiliation with chocolate or Nilla wafers}. 

For the Aformentioned Student

Easy, Breezy, Summer Fruit Crostata 

The glory of the crostata is its incredible adaptability and versatility. Using this recipe as a guideline, you can create innumerable masterpieces out of flour, butter, and that frozen fruit you have long intended to turn into a smoothy. Literally, you can throw any filling, even chopped candy bars, in this dough and it would taste amazing! Top it with whipped cream, if you have it, and voila!

For the Oven Challenged

Perhaps now is the time to master the no-bake subculture of the baking world. While I have yet to explore it much myself, Epicurious is a fantastic resource for everything in the food genre. 

Joi, 

Michaelanne{gello}

Americana

{Image of the the original
Star-Spangled Banner
snatched from the Smithsonian}

Curious, isn't it, the traditional American Independence Day? I never stopped to ponder the significance of the fireworks, cook-outs, and apple pies that rule the day until I found myself surrounded a crowd of international students who could really care less about the Declaration of Independence. Sitting with them around a campfire, eating s'mores, and observing as representatives from all the world over sang their national anthems,  I found myself pondering the meaning of being an 'American' relative to being French, German, Spanish, or Russian. There was a certain reverence in the voice of a boy we affectionately call 'Phil'as he sang "Deutschlandlied" {the German National Anthem} solo, hand over heart, eyes to stars, as if he could see the very reflection of his homeland in the sky. This soul element present in almost every anthem was markedly absent from our playful version of the "Star-Spangled Banner." Why the lack of reverence for the nation that empowered me to influence its future, encouraged me to use my voice, and   gave me the chance to pursue happiness as I see fit? My question was interrupted by a sudden burst of what has apparently become the theme-song for the summer,Fun.'s 'Some Nights'. The recurring question, 'What do I stand for,' ushered in the realization that perhaps my generation is taking this question outside of its original musical microcosm and asking,
"What do I stand for as an American?" While we could point out a thousand different meanings of 'American' in years past, at the end of the day, "Most Nights, I don't know."

Joi, 
Michaelanne{gelo}

The Day Hobbiest Infiltrates Bicycling Culture

Photo Filched from Urban Outfitters 

Sadly, recent events have kept me from pursuing my true passion, day hobbies. I find it very challenging to carve out time for virtual bird watching, an intriguing suggestion from one of my cousins, or water tasting in the midst of moving and starting a new job. My deepest apologies if, in my absence, you have finished the last season of Mad Men on Netflix and have sunken into a state of depression. While I can't make any promises, I might have a daytime activity to restore the life in your eyes. Picture this- cleverly disguised as a hipster, you infiltrate the bicycling culture for an adventure of potentially epic proportions (or at least you could make it seem that way on Facebook). Infiltrating the secret haunts, tasting the cuisine, and experiencing this unique subgroup of the American public. 

While cyclist culture varies from city to city, keeping in mind a few key points would allow you to experience cycling hipsterdom just as easily in Los Angeles as in New York. To point out the elephant in the room, you must first have a bike- I plan on renting one for the day. After that, try to do something unique and you'll fit right in. This could include riding your bike to a farmers market where you procure the fixings for an artisan picnic then heading off to a small, local bookstore to pick up BikeSnob's latest book, The Enlightened Cyclist for the full immersion experience. 

Here are a few resources to help get you started: 

The Bike Snob NYC blog- while far from strictly cycling, the Bike Snob explores the various elements of cycling culture in New York City. 

Urban Outfitters- they have teamed up with Republic Bikes to create an online venue for designing your own bike. 

The Day Hobbyist

Ah! The third week of summer! Not to tout my liberty over my many friends still struggling under the yolk of that heartless slave driver, finals, but I have reached a point in my summer where most truly productive endeavors have already been done. Whilst I slacked in my blogging (my deepest apologies), I have renewed my passport, vacuumed under my bed, finished Downton Abbey, had a family reunion, and even baked three batches of cupcakes! Faced with the threat of a listless existence, wholly dependent on Netflix's availability of tolerable entertainment, I have determined to pick up a hobby! Upon further consideration, however, many hobbies are lifetime or at least summer-consuming pursuits. Consider the classics, like playing guitar, golf, or painting - lifetimes have been absorbed! No, I daresay that a modern student like myself would do well to choose a hobby befitting the fast pace of the modern world, that is, a day-hobby. Such a hobby would not only occupy said student in a pseudo-meaningful way, but would arm them with a plethora of interesting tidbits and witty quips to impress their various followers or mitigate the awkwardness of chitchat.
Hence, over the next few posts, I will be delving into a few day-hobbies which piqued my curiosity.

Water Connoisseur for a day.
Typically, one becomes a connoisseur only after years of dedicating superfluous amounts of time and energy caring about what few people truly care about. Their subject ranges from wine to soda, maple syrup to salt, they have their own language, sense of humor, circle of friends, and style of hat. For instance, your wine connoisseur (or at its height, 'sommelier') would wear a beret, while your maple syrup connoisseur might wear a knit beanie because he is from Vermont. While comprehending all the nuances of wine or breaking into the salt gang of friends is daunting, especially when one is too young to partake in such appreciation, armed with the right terminology and hat one could easily become a connoisseur for a day. I suggest approaching ordinary things, like water or soda, from a new angle. That way, when your date walks in with crisp Fiji waterbottle, you can whip out something like, "Oh, so you're a Fiji person? I find I prefer ethos, for its more balanced feel and superior mineral content." Or something along those lines. I recommend hosting a fine water tasting, inevitably involving a trip to whole foods, to appreciate the finer points of water; be careful, however, to wash water tasting goblets with distilled {pure and flavorless} water so as to keep from tainting future tastings. 
Insightful Resources:
The Water Connoisseur blog 
Fine Waters
Continue reading for further enlightenment on dihydrogen monoxide {H₂O}

How not to get sick:

zombie student captured here oogiboogi

You may have noticed this phenomena- picture a zombie, dragging around a slow-drop coffee IV, dark cirlces under their eyes, an ever so slight crack in their scull, and a voracious interest in books rather than flesh eating- keep this image in your mind and give it red hair. You just met this weeks version of me. To add insult to injury, the zombie is now coughing and sniffling in addition to ripping her hair out. As grotesque as this may sound, it isn't alltogether uncommon. I have run into many of my friends at the IV refill station (the Sacred Order of St. Arbucks) in a similar state. Yet why must our bodies suffer for the ailment of our minds? I think the time has come to support the body whilst exhausting the mind. I have taken it upon myself to figure out.... how not to get sick! Aside from the bioflavenoids and other flavins, there is a reason I am not a biochem major, I need a plan, maybe even five easy steps, to avoid getting sick, again.
1. Sleep. The Mayo Clinic says that sleeping allows infection-fighting cells, like cytokines, to mulitply. Also, [shocker] sleeping improves your memory, helps reduce stress, cuts down your dependancy on coffee, and makes you an overall better human being!
2. Go Orange. Apparently, oranges and other citrus are more than just the staple for your 'get pumped for summer' smoothy kick and staving off scurvy (basically a pirate's disease). Everywhere I look, very smart, healthy looking people in labcoats are telling me to eat citruses because of their vitamin C content.
3. Eat Garlic. I love garlic, I want to blame that on being italian, but I'm not. Nonetheless, I think garlic is fantastic! Apparently, in addition to being the root off all tastiness, for savory dishes at least, garlic helps your body replicate those ninja cells, it is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antioxidant... so you don't have to worry about getting cancer while you overcome your cold! It is also rumored to protect againt vampires, thus you will also be safe at the midnight Dark Shadows premier.

More after the break

Playlist for a 'Cluckin' Good Time'

So, apparently, spring is upon us. That is, while the season has been here for a while, the celebration is just getting into swing. 'Spring Fling' is a real thing, and it is here. Though my friends at Student Life have kept me well apprised on this golden week, the muscley version of a spring chicken as seen on the posters did not prepare me for the extent of the festivities. Not until I heard the music blaring from the poolside and found that the entire cafe had moved into the parking lot did full breadth of "a cluckin' good time" dawn on me. Yes, this is truly momentous. Faculty mingling with students in a festival of free ice cream and beach balls, AMP radio and laughter, the smell of sunscreen and burgers wafting. Anyways, this is all to say, I pulled a few strings and managed to get in touch with the Cory the Fantastic over at Student Life, who gave me her official playlist to get me pumped for a "cluckin' good time." It came in quite handy as I mentally and emotionally prepared myself for the zombie tag, rasta concert, silent disco, masquerade ball, Disneyland, and more fun this week!

Cory the Fantastic's Ultimate Spring Fling Playlist:

1. What I got......................................Sublime

2. Pursuit of Happiness (Project X).Kid Cudi

3. The State of Massachusetts...........Dropkick Murphys

4. Feel So Close..................................Calvin Harris

5. Welcome To Jamrock....................Damien Marley

6. Ayy Ladies......................................Travis Porter

7. Santeria.........................................Sublime

8. Sorry for Party Rocking...............LMFAO

9. Sweet Child O' Mine.....................Guns N' Roses

10.What It's Like..............................Everlast

11.Shooting Star (Party Rock Remix)..LMFAO David Rush...

12.On To the Next One....................Jay-Z feat. Swizz B...

13.Soundtrack 2 My Life.................Kid Cudi

14.Erase Me.....................................Kid Cudi feat. Kanye West

15.Faded..........................................Tyga feat. Lil' Wayne

See fifteen more fabulous songs if you continue reading...