Not just a great man, but a good man too.

Yesterday I said goodbye to one of the greatest men I've ever met. His name was Mr. Louis Nabors.

While in undergrad, I pursued a science degree, though my passions generally lie with the arts. Throughout my time in college, I participated in operas, musical theatre, straight-laced theatre, and several choirs. This was difficult, because I took several hours of labs each week, and many of the labs lasted until five o'clock, at which time I'd have to run over to the theatre to begin rehearsals that lasted until 9:00 or later. I received scholarships for my efforts, and made many MANY friends through my participation in VAPA, our Visual and Performing Arts program.

Mr. Nabors was one of these friends. He was my voice teacher, and the one teacher I had every.single.semester of college. I started with 30 minute lessons, then my second semester of Freshman year, I swapped to an hour long lesson each week. And each week, he would threaten me with his cane, compliment me when I achieved something I thought I was unable to do, and pick songs that seemed to be made for my voice. He was tough, lethally honest, and always hilarious. My accompanist, a great man as well, used to chuckle throughout our voice lessons, which he dubbed Comedy Hour. My voice grew to something I never thought it could be. Mr. Nabors constantly bemoaned my lack of practice due to my dedication to sciences, but when he paid me a compliment, I knew he was being honest.

Plenty of people were afraid of Mr. Nabors, partially because of this honesty, but also because of his presence. He was at least 6'7, and had a voice that filled a room. He was a true bass, but had a clarity to his voice that many basses lack. When he spoke, you could hear him across a football field. And when he sang, you never wanted him to stop. I heard him perform as Sorastro in The Magic Flute, which was magnificent, but he was best known for his renditions of old Negro spirituals (and You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, but that was a rare treat indeed). Indeed, his presence was so large, so amazing, that you sometimes forgot he was a mortal man.

Mr. Nabors passed July 30, 2013 doing what he loved--performing. He was in Italy to teach and perform and while there, he suffered a fatal stroke. A man I considered to be immortal has passed away, but he has not died. I know that he is singing in God's choir in the sky.

Even now it seems surreal, but I have to be thankful for the things he has taught me and the memories we have shared, and I take comfort in the fact that I visited him numerous times since graduation, most recently a few months ago, during which time I was able to speak with him for over an hour.

Mr. Nabors was a great man, and he was a good man. He encouraged me to pursue my passions, and demonstrated this pursuit in his own life. I hope anyone reading this blog has their own Mr. Nabors, and I hope you tell him or her how much they have inspired you, how much they mean to you, and marvel at how they were put in your life. He certainly changed mine, and I am proud to say he was my mentor and an inspiration to me.

Copycat Recipe: My Take on the Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte

Inspired by this post over at Farmgirl Gourmet, I decided to create my own cinnamon dolce latte based on the version from Starbucks. I finally got around to making it after pinning it over a month ago, and I'm sorry to say I waited this long. (There isn't a Starbucks in my hometown, just so y'all know.)

However, one thing was lacking in this tutorial: how to steam milk and froth it, particularly when you never used your espresso machine and donated it to Goodwill are lacking the awesome gadgets that make the job easier. The link she provided had been pulled due to milk exploding all over people (which is CRAZY and I've never heard of happening, but would have almost certainly have happened to me, given my luck in the kitchen). So, I researched it, figured it out on my own, and decided to post it here. The recipe is broken into three segments: (1) How to create your syrup; (2) How to froth your milk; and (3) How to put everything together in a delicious harmony of awesomeness.

Ingredients for cinnamon dolce syrup: 
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
An airtight jar

1. Break three cinnamon sticks in half; put in 1 1/2 cups water. 
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then remove from heat and cover. 
3. Allow mixture to steep for 10 minutes. 
4. Remove cinnamon sticks from mixture.
5. Add 1 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar to cinnamon-infused water. 
6. Put mixture over heat, bring to soft boil, then simmer until all sugar is dissolved. 
7. Continue simmering for five more minutes to reduce the mixture (even after reduction, it really is *quite* watery). 
8. Allow to cool and put in an airtight container (I used an old pickle jar). You can store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

How to create frothed milk:
1/2 cup milk
Whisk, blender, or food processor

1. Pour 1/2 cup milk into microwave-safe cup and heat until milk is steaming, but not bubbling. I find about a minute in my microwave is best. Stir every 15 seconds to make sure it does not overheat and curdle.
2. After heating, whisk rapidly or add to food processor and whip until desired amount of froth is obtained. 

How to create the cinnamon dolce latte:

2 tablespoons cinnamon dolce syrup

1 small cup of coffee** (I use my Keurig and select the smallest cup)

1/2 cup hot frothed milk

Cinnamon sugar mixture (optional)

1. Add 2 tablespoons cinnamon dolce syrup to bottom of mug.
2. Heat and froth milk.
3. Since my Keurig brews coffee quickly, I then brew my coffee into the mug that contains the syrup. If you must make your coffee by other means, you should probably do this first. (Also, this is normally about 3/4 of a cup for me)
4. Stir the syrup and coffee to ensure it is blended well.
5. Add frothed milk to the concoction. 
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. 

**The great thing about doing this at home is you can use the coffee flavor of your choice. You want the coffee to be strong, but I always favor a medium roast, or Pecan Praline coffee if I can get it. :)

And that's all there is to it! Don't be discouraged at the number of steps required for this drink, because they're shockingly easy to follow and the resulting latte is absolutely delicious! (Plus it saves you a boatload of money you'd otherwise be forking over to Starbucks.)

I HATE HATE HATE PACKING

I'm finally moving from my apartment (back into my parents' house until I find a job....fail) and am feverishly packing. I packed for a while during October and the last time I was in town, but left stuff because I didn't know when I would *officially* be moving out. I gave my notice a week or so ago. Then I started packing kinda for real.

Yesterday, my wonderful boyfran and I loaded up my house furniture that I wanted to keep, leaving my bedroom furniture alone (because that shit is new and if we fucked it up, I was going to cut someone). The things I didn't want, we put on the curb. The definition of hysterical? Watching a couple of frat guys claim your old pink particleboard desk. After our first trip, one of my dear friends came over to assist with the bedroom furniture. By seven o'clock p.m. we had moved all my furniture to my storage unit.

This is after actually cleaning up the living room. 

The rest of the house, however, is a joke. There are dustballs everywhere and I woke up this morning barely able to breathe. My dogs also made this trip with me after being MIA for several months (bf was starting to get pissed that he hadn't seen them). Crackers is sullen, having been pulled from outside where she can eat whenever the hell she feels like it and run around doing things that are generally looked down upon in my household. The second dog, Rosy, (who used to be an outside dog) came inside and told me she's never going back outside EVER. Except to pee.

So now I'm alone again, packing up the rest of my shit and wondering if I would actually miss anything if I just were to throw it all away.

I don't think I would.

I assure you this is a lot more shameful in person. 

No...really.

This whole apartment thing ain't working out anymore....(Or: I'm too old for this shit)

I go to bed around 1:00 (adjusted time) last night, savoring the extra hour to myself.

Then, around 4:30, I'm awakened by a woman's moans. I'm disoriented, worried, and blind (I've got 20/600 vision). I also hear "no."

I jump to my feet, grab around for my glasses. Can't find them. I rush to turn on the light. I'm pissed my gun is in the other room, not that I'd be able to shoot anyone if a woman were being assaulted outside of my window, since I can't see one foot in front of me.

Then I realize it's either (a) my neighbors having sex, with her being extremely vocal or (b) my neighbors blasting porn.*

As that awareness washes over me, my heart settles from about 220 beats per minute to a (still high) 150 beats per minute. And my worry turns to fury. I turn to the wall and beat on it three times, vowing to myself to call the authorities and report a domestic disturbance if it didn't cease (it WAS a domestic disturbance...they were disturbing me).

Ms. Oooh-Yes-Oooh-No shuts the fuck up.

But it takes me about twenty minutes to get rid of that adrenaline and settle back to sleep.

Undergrads. Can't live next to them. Can't shoot them with my 9.

*I'm guessing porn, due to her sounding JUST LIKE a fucking porn star. And owing to the fact that as soon as I banged on the wall, all noises stopped. Headphones? 

Comfort Foods....A Chicken Pot Pie Soup Recipe

I follow Centsational Girl's blog because I envy her craftiness and know I will never be capable of doing anything she is able to achieve with a can of paint and some old furniture. Today, however, she featured a link-up for favorite comfort food recipes, which is something I can TOTALLY do. I do NOT have any pictures, but the recipe I do have is one that will make your taste buds want to praise the little baby Lord Jesus, and is something I've been working on perfecting for a couple of years. Introducing:

Makes approximately 4-6 HEARTY servings. 

Prep:

Cube 2 chicken breasts

Slice your carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and any additional veggies you want to add to the mix. (Some people may just want to throw in Veg-All to save themselves some time. Phooey to this, I say....but really, you can.)

Cooking instructions:

In a soup pot, slowly melt 6 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add ½ cup of flour, and stir continually for 1.5 minutes still over low heat. Add in 1 box of chicken broth, and half a can of cream of chicken* and stir vigorously over medium heat. (*I throw in the COC because it makes it super thick, which I like; but it’s totally not necessary*) Allow to simmer for about three minutes, until suitably thickened. Lower heat and add ¼ cup of milk. Stir and continue to let it simmer. (You don’t ever want to do this over high heat, since it will curdle. Add seasonings to taste—I recommend ½ teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (and a pinch of Tony Chacheres, but that’s a Louisiana thing).

Now, add your cubed chicken, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and any other veggies (a frozen bag of Veg-All works in a pinch too, although I’d suggest defrosting it first) to this mixture. Bring to medium heat, and keep at this temperature for about five minutes, or until you’re reasonably sure the chicken is cooked. Turn the heat to low, cover it, and allow it to simmer about 20 minutes, or until your veggies are soft.

For the crust:

I recommend either Pillsbury pie crust mixture or Jiffy pie mix (highly recommend Jiffy, but it’s not always easy to find). Make the whole box, because the crust is the best part. Roll it out on a cookie sheet, slice it into 2x2 pieces with a pizza cutter, and broil (making sure to watch them closely!) until they are brown on top. These are added to your soup when you feel like eating it…and it never gets soggy that way.

Additional:

You may want to pre-heat your chicken broth and cream of chicken so it goes into the mixture of butter/flour better. (I’m lazy and usually don’t.)

Watch your flour/butter combination closely—it will burn if you do not continually stir it.

Do not ever boil your mixture, because it can curdle due to the milk content.

Best ad placement EVER

So today I was reading commentary on Chic-Fil-A. And then someone on facebook posted a link. I arrived to observe the best ad placement I have probably ever seen...ever. Behold the glory....

What I see v. what I imagine

Why I'm awesome, part 2

1) I'm strange. And by that, I mean I have a really quirky sense of humor, in the way that only theatre kids have. If you know a theatre kid, you know what I mean.

2) I shop at Goodwill and resale/consignment stores a good bit of the time, and at ebay just as much. (I've already went into my ebay addiction, but let's talk about Goodwill for a moment, why don't we?) I started shopping at Goodwill when I was about 15 years old and at the height of my theatre-kid awesomeness, and the "best" outfit I ever wore in high school consisted of leopard print stretch sleep pants with gold threads shooting through them and a man's gold lame' shirt from the 70s with HUGE shoulderpads. I didn't wear it because I thought I looked good. I wore it because it made people smile, or laugh, or point, and it was worth walking around looking like a disco ball for the awesome reactions. I've since retired this look at mostly stick to jeans and blouses, but I may be able to dig up a redacted picture of this outfit. Maybe. If I actually allowed myself to be photographed in it (I said I was weird, not retarded).

This one is almost as good....almost:

3) I hate (almost all) people, but love (almost all) animals. I have two dogs, but they are NOT my fucking babies. I refer to them as "my girls" and they are DOGS. (Don't get me started on people that carry dogs in purses.)

4) When I drink, it's shots. And I have a system for doing so that involves taking said shot, then sipping 8 ounces of water for 40 minutes before I take another shot. And I have never gotten blacked out drunk, or made questionable life decisions while doing this. My drink of choice? Tequila.

5) I didn't get cable until my 3L year, and that was because my boyfriend was tired of missing the games. I still hardly watch it, and mostly use it for background noise or to watch one or two shows I can't catch online.

As a side note: you know from past posts that I've been studying for the Bar, and am just now starting to emerge for air. I'll do another legal blog soon bemoaning my cruel summer's fate, etc. but for the moment, I just couldn't bring myself to write about the law when I am literally INUNDATED WITH IT at all times. Saturated. Soggy, if you will, from the law (and I mean in the nasty, fingers are pruny kind of way. Oh God, I'm going to have nightmares about that tonight...). 

Getting to know me, getting to know all about me....

I generally tend to talk a lot about law school, and now that I'm done, about bar prep. I rarely talk about myself in a strictly personal sense, because I like to pretend that I'm operating under the shield of anonymity. What the hell, though? This is my blog and if you don't like this particular entry, you can content yourself with the law-related blog that's sure to follow.

There are relatively few things I can't live without. Here are a few of the things that make my "have to have" list.

1) Sleep--obviously, we'll all die if we don't sleep. However, if I do not sleep, I have the added benefit of being a raging bitch. I need at least 8 hours per night, and I tend to get in bed early rather than sleep in.

2) Citizen jeans (specifically, the Dita style)--this past Christmas, my awesometastic boyfriend invested in a pair of ridiculously overpriced jeans for my wardrobe. He somehow hit the amazing-jeans lottery, because these ARE.IT. I'm really short (5'2) so the inseam (31") works awesomely with a pair of heels, and the rise in front and back are high enough to cover asscrack without looking like mom jeans. The Oxford wash is as buttery as velvet. They feel like money. And I've bought 3 pairs since (off ebay, of course). Which brings me to my next obsession:

3) Ebay. I love ebay. I love deals (but hate couponing), so this is my site of choice. I'm constantly trolling, and wish I had MOAR MONIES so I could buy ALL THE THINGS. Normally I'm content to buy tiny things off of ebay, or things I would be purchasing anyway (so I might as well get a good deal on it, right?).

4) My support pillow. You know those hideously ugly pillows that offer you back support and have the arms? Ugly as sin? I couldn't bring myself to buy one for the longest time (both due to ugly factor and the fact that I didn't want to shell out $15, since I'm a huge cheapskate). Now, I'll never go without my ugly-as-shit pillow.

5) Intuition razor--like the support pillow, I hate shelling out the money for the cartridges. But they're worth it. And anything that ensures my legs aren't hairy and scaly is worth a few extra dollars (but seriously guys, why the hell are razors so effing expensive?!?!?!?!).

6) Candle warmers--these are cheap. And amazing. I can always have melted, amazing-smelling candles in my house. And I don't have to worry about burning down my house or setting my eyebrows on fire. (The latter has happened before, only it was a grill and IT'S A LONG STORY, SO GET OFF MY BACK.)

7) My Dinair airbrush makeup--spent lots of money on it. Worth it. Enables me to quickly apply my makeup, covers everything I need to cover, allows me to blend two or three colors to get the perfect match for my skintone, and doesn't break me out. Also, the makeup ends up lasting a lot longer than most foundations I've used.

There you have it...seven things that I consider to be personally awesome. You're welcome.

Day late and a dollar short...aka: 2011 in retrospect

I realize it has been 2012 for a FULL WEEK. That being said, I really don't give a fuck. I found this online and I liked it, and my blawgs can't always be about the legal community (otherwise I would probably shoot myself). It's a quiz about 2011 and, being that I like self-reflection ever so often, I figured I could do it and give everyone a little bit of insight regarding my previous year and aspirations for this one. Here goes....

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

I interned at my first legal job. It's really hard finding a job in this economy, and even though this wasn't paying, it was still the legal jackpot as far as I'm concerned. AND I LOVED IT. 

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

I didn't make any resolutions last year. This year, I did. They are mostly all job-hunting related, along with a few lax promises regarding taking care of myself better. We'll see how that fares. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I'm not sure how close of a relationship this entails, but one of my mother's best friends, a woman I've known since childhood, died due to long-existing complications resulting from diabetes. She was an incredible woman and one I fondly remember. 

5. What countries did you visit?

Unfortunately, none.  I stayed in 'Merca, by God. 

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

I would like to have a job, or even job prospects. I would like to have a house with a backyard for my dog to play in (I don't care if it's a rental). And I'd like to have my diploma, thankyouverymuch.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't remember dates; I remember moments. I'll remember my time at my internship, the seven hour winter car ride up to my apartment with my 10 year old brother, my birthday with my friends, and the awesome vacation I took with Leonidas. :) 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I didn't get sick even ONCE this past semester. (It's the little things--and I sound kinda pathetic right here.) 

9. What was your biggest failure?

Time management. I need to work on that...like, a lot. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got a few colds in the 2011 spring semester. I also twisted my ankle playing a contact sport (like an idiot....I've the most clumsy person you've EVER MET in your entire life) and spent a few days on crutches.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I'd say my bike, but it was a birthday present. So here I go again sounding pathetic: I bought one of those pillows with the arms that you use to sit up in bed. I've been wanting one for years because I hate working at my desk and it is AWESOME. I'm so sad I didn't purchase it sooner. 

12. Where did most of your money go?

Most of it went to rent, bills, and my dog. Oh, and groceries. 

13. What did you get really excited about?

My trip to Orlando with my boyfriend. 

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

No one song really sticks out from 2011, which is strange because I normally have one. 

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?  I'm pretty much the same. I guess I'm more excited because I have a lot to look forward to. 
Thinner or fatter? Same.
Richer or poorer? Poorer. Job hunting is a bitch. An expensive bitch. 

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

More cooking at home and hanging out with my friends and family. 

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Obsessing over small things. 

18. How did you spend Christmas?

I spent it with my family at my apartment. :)

19. What was your favorite TV program?

Discovering "The Big Bang Theory" at the end of the year was awesome. 

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked, but I probably enjoyed "The Help" the most of all the books I did read. 

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
I listened to a lot of Glee.
22. What were your favorite films of the year?

Harry Potter 7, second movie. It was badasstastic. 

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Celebrated it with my friends at school and with my boyfriend at my favorite restaurant. 

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A job offer. 

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Is hobo-chic a fashion concept? If not, then "rolled out of bed and went to class" MUST be. 

26. What kept you sane?

My boyfriend and friends. Not my family, because they do not know what sanity is. 

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
I learned the value in trusting in myself. Although I regularly do so, an authority figure in my life discouraged me from doing this, and later beat me up for not doing it. Because of this, I'm stronger, wiser, and a little bit more wary.