A comment on having an open mind: Musicals

A long time friend of mine from high school just told me to listen to a song. He has always been good about telling me to listen to songs he finds that he thinks are especially beautiful. This one happens to be from Bonnie & Clyde the new musical that started previews on Nov. 4. Personally, I've never heard of this musical.

First, I just want to let you know I used to live for live theater. I acted in plays and musicals, I loved going to see them. In college I directed skits for my sorority to fill the void.

But, I have plenty of friends that hate musicals and theater in general. They find them irritating (some can be), implausible (I mean, yea, people break out in song and dance spontaneously), or just boring (again, some are. I'm not going to name, names...Gypsy.) I don't begrudge these people at all. It's their opinion.

Really, I used to be the same way but with country music. I couldn't stand it. Three of my college roommates loved country, but we had an unspoken rule that I wouldn't play my emo music when they were in the room and they wouldn't play twangy country.

I absolutely love country now. It would be difficult for me to live in Alabama if it weren't for that. There are more country stations than anything else, but the point is, I only started liking it because my boyfriend would play it. It still took me a while to catch on. I was pretty opposed to it for a few months, but the more I had to listen to it, the more songs I remembered and the more I came to understand it wasn't just about losing your house, and your dog and your wife. I regret all that time before when my roommates and I could've been jamming to Dirks Bentley or Brad Paisley.

What I'm saying is, it pays to open up to new things. I've already said I think that country music has the most romantic and heartfelt lyrics. But musicals can have the most powerful lyrics if you listen to them. They have the ability to actually move you. If not the lyrics then the melody. It's even better live. And for those of you that love musicals, or even those who hate them but might want to try a little sampling here are a few songs from musicals that are absolutely gorgeous.

Ok, I picked kind of obscure songs. Fair warning.

A musical sampler

Everything You Ever - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (SPOILER ALERT: Don't watch this if you want to watch the movie and you haven't. It's the last song and will totally ruin the ending for you. )

Take It All - Nine

Stars and the Moon - Songs for a New World

Touch Me - Spring Awakening

Dyin' Ain't So Bad - Bonnie & Clyde

"Dyin' ain't so bad, not if you both go together. Only when one's left behind does it get sad. But a short and lovin' life, that ain't so bad. I only hope to God that I go first, I couldn't live on memories I'm sorry, but I'm not that strong, there are some things in life you can't replace and love like our's don't happen twice. When all his days are through mine will be too. Cause' dyin' ain't so bad. not if you both go together only when you're left alone does it get sad, but a short and lovin' life that ain't so bad..."

- Bonnie & Clyde

M-I-Z! S-E-C!

So speaking of me wanting to be a Southern belle, I am unbelievably excited for Mizzou to be in the SEC. If you are unaware, my wonderful Alma Mater is the University of Missouri, and up until today we were in the Big 12 conference.

Because I attended Mizzou when were in the Big 12, I have a small loyalty to them. But anyone who knows anything about college football knows the SEC is where you want to be. Alabama, LSU, Auburn, they're schools that are consistently dominant for the most part. And since I moved to Alabama I have seen first-hand what the football culture is like here. It's amazing.


I even have examples of my own experiences with SEC football lovers.
Once I was complaining about how disappointed I was that a sorority event I was helping with was going to last an hour longer than I thought and would cut into Mizzou's football game I was going to watch on TV with friends. The other advisers told me just to leave, explaining that I was in football country, and if I hadn't wanted to go watch it, that would be a problem.

When my boyfriend came to visit me he spotted a man and his two little sons practicing football in a field outside my apartment complex. They were little, little kids, and I never would've expected a dad back in Kansas to teach sons that tiny to play a specific position. But that is the norm here. It's a way of life. One of the other sorority advisers told me that people actually plan weddings around football games.

It isn't all about sundresses and bow ties, although I'm still confused about why people think those are bad things. It's just a cultural thing. Some people (granted it's a small amount of people) do wear those things at Mizzou. But even if no one did, that doesn't make our cultures incompatible. This blog refutes any claims that we "don't fit in." The SEC is diverse itself. It's all Southern, but each school is unique.

Granted there are the nay-sayers that think our football program will never improve enough to beat the football giants of the South, that we only did this for money, and that this was the stupidest thing we could have done. Yea, we probably did it for money, most schools would. Yea, we might get our ass kicked a little at first, but I have no doubt we'll improve. Hell, we beat Bear Bryant once.

Another great thing is that kU is so jealous. The school, and its fans, have made themselves look terrible by not letting us just leave gracefully. I am going to miss the Border War, I went to see the football games over Thanksgiving Weekend at neutral Arrowhead Stadium. I have so many friends that went to kU the rivalry has been a blast, I mean, Kansas and Missouri have been at odds since the Civil War. I even have respect for the school. But honestly, if they are going to act like this I'm not going to miss them.

So, welcome to the South, Mizzou. Now, I can actually attend games considering I live down here.

Memorize the words to the fight song, Tigers fans. Belt that Alma Mater. You'll need to know them to drown out the Crimson Tide, the other two Tiger mascot schools, Bourbon drinking Southern boys and Kentucky Derby-hat wearing girls in the South.

Guy Fawkes Day

Remember, remember the fifth of November the gunpowder, treason and plot...

In America, Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night isn't even celebrated. Most people only know this rhyme from the 2006 movie V for Vendetta. But in England it is a very real holiday, that, according to James Sharpe, a professor at the University of York, England, is getting ousted by Halloween. It's still a family event, where people get together with friends and there are fireworks, but it isn't as popular as it once was. I interviewed Sharpe for my most recent article about Guy Fawkes and the implications of the Guy Fawkes mask being worn by Occupy protesters and the hacker group Anonymous.

A few things that didn't make it into my article:

• Guy Fawkes Day was almost an American holiday. It was celebrated in the colonies, and very popular in Boston, but they called it Pope Day. You see, Guy Fawkes was a Catholic, the plot was to blow up Parliament because the Catholics were being severely oppressed in England. Blowing up Parliament was supposed to send them a message, but they were caught. During different points after this England was even more against Catholics than normal and would burn an effigy of the Pope on Bonfire Night instead of one of Fawkes. In America, they burned the Pope, hence Pope Day. George Washington was the one to stop this because he really needed the Catholics to help his cause.
• The Protestants thought the discovery of the plot was divine intervention and started having a special service every Nov. 5, that's what really cemented Guy Fawkes Day as a national holiday.
• Fawkes was tortured intensely after he was captured with the stock pile of gunpowder. He finally cracked and gave up the names of his co-conspiritores.
• Fawkes wasn't the central character, a man by the last name of Catesby led the activist group Fawkes became a part of. He, and a few others, were killed attempting to lead a revolt and the others involved were captured.
• The ones captured were sentenced to be hanged but not until they died. Then they were to be cut up (quartered) and displayed in prominent places as warnings to others. This was the penalty for treason.

I enjoy knowing the true story of Fawkes. But I do happen to enjoy the movie. There are such wonderful, empowering quotes. And although Fawkes and V are for violence in order to promote their agendas, the idea is that they thought they had no other choice. Violence in this way was better than no change at all.

Today those that wear the mask sometimes don't understand this fully. The story is about change which the modern movements want, but they are also trying to be peaceful. In this way the two don't fit. I hope that those that adopted the mask will do their research and understand the man they are representing. As the English say he was, "the only man to enter Parliament with honest intentions."

My favorite quotes from V for Vendetta:

"An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must NEVER let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the worlds turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. With all my heart, I love you."

"I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence. "

" My father was a writer. You would've liked him. He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up."

"You wear a mask for so long you forget who you are beneath it."

...I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

A Note To All Men

This is a note to all the men out there. I can't tell you how many friends I have that are wonderful, intelligent women that just feel like they'll never find a good man. I keep telling them, if terrible people can find mates I have no doubt they can find a mate, but that doesn't seem to make them feel any better.

Here's the thing, I know they'll find someone. But just to help it along a little, here's some advice for the men, and for being a better person all around.

Thought Catalog is a great site, and I highly recommend you check it out, for the most part, it's hilarious. They recently had the article, A Guide To Being A Southern Gentleman. This is everything you need to know to be a stand up guy that is worthy of the multitude of amazing, single women out there. Seriously, these are things you should be doing. This doesn't involve wearing a bow tie and sipping on mint juleps either. But if that's your thing, go for it.

Here's the run down of their advice with my opinions thrown in:

• Have a job - or be working to get one, at least. Or an internship, just be a little driven
• Have manners - please, thank you, hold doors open etc.
• Be the escort - help people out when they need help, don't blow them off.
• Use violence only when necessary - don't start drama, but stand up for yourself and others
• Be willing (and able) to cook - this is such a turn-on, just fyi
• Know your Bible - or be tolerant at least. Be open to other's opinions and know your own
• Be well-rounded - try new things, experience things
• Be good with kids - eventually women want them, don't be an ass around them
• Don't kiss and tell - don't gossip, that makes women run away and you look like a douche
• Be a man of your word - this is self-explanatory
• Be able to dress yourself - again, a turn-on, groom yourself or who will ever consider talking to you?
• Just dance - no one likes the guy who is too cool to dance. It doesn't matter how stupid you look, you'll appear to be a fun-loving guy, and everyone likes that.

These things really aren't too difficult. It may take time but if I were a man, I'd try to do them.

The "What Women Want" playlist

What women want in a man - Any Man of Mine - Shania Twain

What women want to hear from their man (especially if he's Southern) - Love Your Love the Most - Eric Church

If you're long distance - All My Loving - The Beatles

If you need to thank her for all she has done for you - God Gave Me You - Blake Shelton

I swear I listen to more than just country. But I firmly believe country songs have the best love lyrics.

So, take this advice to heart. It'll help in every aspect of life from friendships, to relationships, to dealings with your family.

Did I mention my boyfriend is originally from Georgia? Maybe I'm a little bias.

xoxo

Penne a la Betsy

So, tonight I decided to make a large dinner. Typically, because I live alone, I make a huge meal on Thursday or Friday and then eat on it until I'm off again (which is the next Thursday.) I decided to try something new this week. I can really only make curry, fried rice, and grilled cheese sandwiches (I'll put those recipes up later), but I'm trying to expand my cooking horizons now. I'm super great at baking, I'm lacking at cooking. Anyway, this is what I cooked tonight:

Penne a la Betsy

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Fresh Parsley, to taste
• Fresh Basil - To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

I highly recommend the Pioneer Woman blog. She actually takes you step by step through the recipes, which people like me that are cooking challenged need. When I made it I made it with whole grain penne, and I accidentally got a can of whole tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce. Yea, that's how bad I am at cooking. But I crushed up the whole tomatoes and it worked fine for the most part.

Look at me! I can make like four meal that are delicious. I'm nearly domesticated. Almost. Try this recipe, if I can do it, you can do it, trust me.

xoxo

No one should marry for love

I thoroughly disagree with this statement, but if you think about the facts, it makes a sad kind of sense. According to a Huffington Post article, no one should actually marry purely for love. They even advice you to ask your fiance why they want to marry you. If the answer is "Because I love you" you should tell them that isn't good enough.

Personally, I find that to be the exact answer people want to hear, along with "Because you're beautiful, funny, talented, interesting and kind," but I guess I'm just easy-going. The new statistics actually show people are getting divorced because they fell out of love with each other as opposed to something like infidelity or abuse. So, maybe they are on to something. And who knows when you might fall out of love and want to end your marriage/relationship. I mean, look at Kim Kardashian's 72-day marriage. It's embarrassing, but not uncommon.

What I mean is, people get divorced for "irreconcilable differences" all the time. Kardashian is a bad example since her wedding itself could have pulled a third-world country from the depths of poverty, but that's a different story.

I believe in love. It's hard, and it hurts and sometimes you wish there was no such thing, but overall history wouldn't be the same, and our lives wouldn't be nearly as interesting. Maybe we can envy those that don't feel anything, and at some point we all want a procedure that can just erase all memory of a former love a la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But can anyone really say that love is dead and gone? Or that we should only marry for money, stability, or children? I may be cynical at times, but when love is good, there's absolutely nothing comparable.

A Love Song For Every Phase of Love

(Just listen to the lyrics or look them up if it's a genre you hate, I promise you'll agree)

The unrequited love - Sparks Fly - Taylor Swift

The one you love from a distance - As She's Walking Away - Zac Brown Band

The one you can't get over - I Still Ain't Over You - Augustana

The new love - Told Them All About You - Cindy Woolf

The match made in heaven - The Way I Am - Ingrid Miachelson

The first dance as a married couple - God Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts

The one you'd lay down your life for - I'll Follow You Into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

The one you screwed up - Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons

The one who just can't grasp love - I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

This is me

I can't tell you how many blogs I've created. Way too many, and they all end up collecting dust after a couple weeks. Seriously, it doesn't matter if I set goals and try to make it fun, they always just end up falling off a cliff. So, let me break it down real quick:

I was born and bred in the Midwest. I grew up in Kansas and went to school at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. There, I was a member of Phi Mu sorority, and continued my passion of soccer and theater. I always wanted to live in New York until I met my boyfriend and decided that the South sounded charming and elegant. So, long story short, I got a job in Alabama straight out of college and here I am, starting my new life. Trying to find myself and striving to become a Southern Belle, essentially the classiest of classy lady - in the olden days I mean, Gone With the Wind-style without the enormous dresses.

I love sunsets but I don’t care for sunrises. I’m rarely sympathetic. I’ve never been camping but someday I’m determined to show everyone I’m able to. I hate talking on the phone and I never listen to my voicemails. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. I can be too honest. I love to travel, but I rarely do. I love to drive with my windows down. I get nervous in and around cars. The worst feeling is failing my parents. I love Kansas City and Columbia, but I need to live on a coast for a while. I’m half Mexican, a quarter Italian, and a quarter German, you’d never be able to tell but I wish you could. One of my biggest fears is to be boring. I’m a huge nerd, and a sorority girl. I’ve played soccer my entire life, and it’s the only sport I really care about. Live theater is the most breathtaking and awe inspiring experience when done right. I’m afraid of heights but I love roller coasters. I hate toilets that flush automatically. Speed limits bother me, and trucks on the highway scare me more than they should. I’m terrified of sharks although I lived in the Midwest all of my life. I love my friends and family more than they’ll ever know and I can ever express.

One of my goals right now is to develop a Southern accent. Fingers crossed.