Why I Cheer The Anthem

There is a tradition during Chicago Blackhawks home games to cheer enthusiastically while The Start Spangled Banner is sung in the United Center.  It's a tradition that started in 1985 during a playoff game  against the Edmonton Oilers and was solidified during the 1991 NHL All-Star game hosted in Chicago.  That year, the United States had just entered the first Gulf War days before the All-Star festivities.  What resulted was an emotion-filled reaction to the National Anthem, and the old Chicago Stadium echoed loudly.

This tradition is still alive and thriving.  Chicago has finished this lockout-induced abridged regular season with a record that seems almost too good to believe.  And here we are, on the eve of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It isn't easy being a token hockey fan among my friends in Florida.  But it's given me the chance to ask myself, "Why do I cheer the anthem?"

I've watched hockey with my dad for as long as I can remember.  I'm sure he had me in front of the TV as soon as I could hold my own head up.  He raised my brother and me to be full-blooded Blackhawks fans.  We both had sweaters for our favorite players and played rollerblade hockey in our driveway with one of our neighbors.  And the three of us lamented as one-by-one all of our favorite players were traded.

My brother and me circa 1997 with our Eddie Belfour (30) and Chris Chelios (7) sweaters

In high school I found myself always busy with choir rehearsals, two-a-day swim practices, traveling for concerts and swim meets, and still somehow finishing my homework.  I caught parts of games when I could.  And every summer I still watched the Stanley Cup Finals with my dad.

When I left for college, I started a slide that seemed to parallel the dismal state of the Blackhawks franchise.  I let myself become trapped in a social situation in which I gave up too many things that I enjoyed and hockey was unfortunately one of them.  But I began to break free and rebuild myself around the same time Rocky Wirtz began to rebuild Chicago hockey.

I graduated college and started my first job at Notre Dame.  Still a little shy, I overheard some of my co-workers talking about hockey and found courage to interject myself into the conversation. Soon, we were all drinking beers and watching games at the Mahons' house or Jerde's apartment.  And on June 9, 2010 we watched the Chicago Blackhawks win their first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years.  I convinced my dad to reschedule a meeting with his company's attorneys and come with me to the parade in Chicago.  It was one of the most surreal days of my life, and I'm so thankful that I share it with the person most responsible for my hockey knowledge.

Me and my dad (lower right corner) in the middle of Michigan Avenue with two million other Blackhawks fans

Hockey has been a common denominator in my adult life.  It's still one of the few things my dad and I talk about.  Even with our differing political views and communication styles, hockey is always there.  And I'm not really sure that I would have developed as strong friendships with the people I worked with if I wasn't a hockey fan.

Now that I live in Florida where hockey fans are hard to come by, listing to WGN radio streams and watching the few nationally broadcast Chicago games has helped me feel connected to home.  I've even gotten a few of my friends interested in watching games too (or maybe they're just humoring me).  Either way, hockey has been and will continue to be a part of my life.  In the words of Johnny Weidemann, "Let's send it down to Jim Cornelison and the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner.  Enjoy the anthem, everybody!"

LET'S GO, 'HAWKS!  LET'S GO, 'HAWKS!  LET'S GO, 'HAWKS!

The Ides of April

The ides of April are upon us, my friends.  And I've done a piss-poor job of trying to blog everyday.  I actually wrote a handful of drafts, but never quite pulled the trigger to finish them.  Some of them I still might publish with a post date.  For others, I think the time may have passed.  Maybe I was trying to force the issue.  Or maybe I was just too busy and/or lazy to carve blogging time.  Oh well, reflections are sometimes a living entity without a deadline.  This last week has been pretty exciting, and I think I'll be more apt to put fingers to keys.  One thing is for certain: I'm excited to see where the rest of April takes me.

Scenes From A 26th Birthday

Today was a beautiful day in Gainesville to celebrate my 26th birthday.  After work I met my friends at Mother's, a pub downtown that has NHL Center Ice where I could catch the Chicago game versus St. Louis.  It might be the first game that my eyes or ears weren't glued to the action.  I was surrounded by burgers and beers and good conversation. I feel so fortunate to spent today with all of these great people. It almost makes me speechless, so I'll let some of the pictures (taken mostly by my labmate, Mike) do the talking...

All these people!

Mike and Chip

Happy to be 26!

Sherry and Drew in an intense conversation

Mike and me, field pros

This round of picklebacks goes out to my friends in the Midwest

Just creeping on my roommate, not a big deal

Jenn and Erin

Erin and Mike 

Thumbs up, lets do this!

High five, Aaron? Hell yeah!

Just three months ago, I was dealing with some deep homesickness.  I never thought that a short time later I would celebrate with so many good friends. I feel very loved.  I couldn't have asked for a better night.... (Except for a Blackhawks' win. ;) ).

Birthday Grand Melón Lemonade Cupcakes

Tomorrow is my 26th birthday! I haven't baked cocktail cupcakes in a while, so I decided it was appropriate to celebrate with the Grand Melón Lemonade cupcake.  It's based on my signature drink, Bacardi Grand Melón watermelon rum mixed with lemonade and a splash of club soda.  It was invented in Milwaukee the week after my 23rd birthday.  The cupcakes turned out fantastic, even if the watermelon flavor was a little more subtle than I hoped.  Here's what I did!.....

First things first, pour an inspiration cocktail! 

Liquify a chunk of watermelon, then add enough Grand Melón so the whole mixture equals 1 1/3 cups

Add Watermelon Rum mixture, 1/3 cup oil, and 3 eggs to a lemon cake box mix

Mix it. Oh yeah, mix it real good.  Mm...
 

Oil a muffin tin, parcel out batter in 1/4 cup increments, and bake at 350º F for 18-20 minutes

When those bad boys are done, they should look a little something like this.  Let them cool for 5 minutes
 

Then let them get completely cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile in frosting land, mix 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 stick of butter, zest of a lemon,
a splash of vanilla, milk, and more Grand Melón.  Butter Cream, baby. Dig it.

Frost thusly 

Get drunk off cupcake.  (Please consume responsibly...)

I hope you've enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at Camelot Bakery.  I'm excited to share these with my friends tomorrow! 26... it's going to be a good year.  I can feel it.

Hard Decisions Worth Making

After my mental block a couple months ago, I finally contacted the professor at Florida Atlantic University, had a successful phone interview with him, and applied to the Environmental Science Program.  On Saturday, I found an acceptance letter in my mailbox!  I felt excited, but as I read further, the feeling slowly changed to anxiety.  The letter requested that I confirm my decision by April 5, less than a week away.

I began to panic.  I have so many questions left!  I haven't met my future advisor, his other graduate students, or even stepped foot on the campus!  How could I possibly make this decision by Friday?!  After sharing the news with my mom (of course she was the first person I called!), I knew I needed to call one more person.  Chris, my friend, mentor, and former boss at Notre Dame, has influenced my professional growth more than anyone else.  I absolutely needed his guidance now.

I left Chris one spaztastic voicemail, then wrote him a slightly more coherent email with my concerns.  I hit send and curled into the fetal position on my bed feeling completely debilitated.  I was terrified of making the wrong decision based on incomplete data.  And I felt that I had next to no time left for more research.  Eventually, I fell asleep for a bit.  Chris had replied by the time I awoke, and it was perfect.

" Go have a drink
Know that we are going to talk tomorrow or Monday
Have another drink
...
Have another drink and start making a list of questions
Go to bed, get up tomorrow and go for a long walk, then have a breakfast drink.
Yup. Lots to think about.  You will make this decision by the 5th. Congratulations on having an option!"

It's amazing the calming effect these words had on me (or maybe it was the rum).  In the mean time, I contacted my advisor to try setting up a meeting.  After some back and forth, he let me know that even though the deadline is April 5th, my decision isn't binding.  This gave us more flexibility to find the best time for my visit.  Chris and I finally got a chance to talk today.  We went over what questions I need to ask and how to ask them.  And he told me how proud and excited he is for me. And that I'm ready for this.  They were mostly things that I knew but easily forget.  It is always uplifting to hear them out loud.

Now that I feel less pressured about making a decision so soon, I'm more relaxed and excited about visiting FAU next week.  I'm thankful that I have people like Chris in my life whose guidance I trust.  I still have uncertainties that I need to overcome, but life's hardest decisions are the most important ones.

Foodie Pen Pals - March 2013

The box I received from my March Foodie Pen Pal was wildly disappointing.  APRIL FOOLS!  It was awesome!!! This month I was paired with Skinny Sometimes author Shannon from Pennsylvania.  I told her that I was traveling a lot at the end of the month, and she sent me so many snacks that were perfect for my airplane rides and fieldwork.

• Trader Joe's PB&J chocolate bar - That thing didn't make it though the night.  

• Trader Joe's dried fruit strips - These were great for throwing in my daypack to snack on during field work.  The apricot was tasty, but I think the boysenberry was my favorite.  I had never had anything boysenberry flavored before.

• Quaker Real Medleys oatmeal cups - The cherry pistachio was perfect for my morning flight home.  All I had to do was ask the flight attendant for some hot water.  I ate the Apple walnut flavor for breakfast on Blackbeard Island.  I liked these so much that I got two more when we got groceries before working on Wassaw Island.

• Justin's peanut butter and almond butter - These were super tasty on tortillas for a snack.

• Two flavors of Cliff Mojo bars - I love Clif bars and Clif Builder bars. These are the first Mojo bars that I've tried, and they are just as delicious.  They are awesome for throwing in my daypack as well.

• Trader Joe's Apple Banana sauce crushers - I liked eating these after my bike ride home from work.  I squeezed a couple of them into my smoothies too, and they were a great addition.

• Planter's NUT-rition spread - It's peanut butter with banana chips and granola mixed in.  I've been spreading this on bananas (when I'm not eating it with a spoon...) and I really like the crunchy texture.

• Pumpkin Seeds - I haven't eaten pumpkin seeds in so long! These are salty and nutty.  I'm mildly addicted, and I think they are now going to be one of my standard field work snacks!

Thank you, Shannon, for introducing me to so many new go-to field work and travel snacks!!

I had a ton of fun this month shopping for my recipient, Kate in Massachusetts.  You can check out what I sent her at her blog What a life...

If you want to lean more about Foodie penpals, check out the link below! It's been a really fun experience :)

Zombie Jesus Day

For the second year in a row, I'm away from my family on Easter.  Last year I was in Puerto Rico, and now I'm in Florida. Since I'm not religious, Easter doesn't hold much spiritual weight for me.  Still, it's hard to be away from family on days like this.  I think part of growing up means starting your own traditions, even if they only stick for a year.

My day started watching the Chicago Blackhawks play the Detroit Red Wings in NBC's Game of the Week... ON TV!! For most games I have to listen to the WGN Radio online stream, and it always feels like a treat to watch the few national broadcasts.  My dad got me hooked on the sport before I can even remember. Watching and listening to hockey connects me to home like few things do.  I sat in my living room in my Blackhawks sweater watching Chicago score goal after goal after goal.... repeat that four more times! Final score: 7-1.

Later in the day, a few friends came over for a Rum Ham! I wanted an excuse to make this recipe by my favorite food blogger, Dan over at The Food In My Beard, and Easter seemed like a good enough excuse.  The recipe was inspired by an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia where Frank simultaneously eats and gets drunk via a rum-soaked ham.  We felt it only proper to watch that and a few more episodes while eating our meal.  The Rum Ham was a HUGE hit, and our guests brought some other kick-ass sides.  Needless to say, we were all stuffed!  Not bad for a last-minute get together!  I only wish I had remembered to take a few "before pictures" of our spread.

The after...... RUM HAM!!!

I closed out the evening watching The Walking Dead season finale.  Jesus is kind of the world's most famous Zombie (get it? he rose from the dead!...) so it seemed fitting.  Season three ended much more poignantly than season two.  I really missed watching it with my late-night crew in the conference room in Puerto Rico.  At least my friend, Chris and I were able to chat online while it aired.  It's always fun to banter about the scenes with someone.

It was a great way to end the day, and a great day to end the month.  February and March have been a little emotionally dodgy for me.  This month I especially slacked on my blog.  In April I'd like to do better, and I'm challenging myself to write every day.  And if not on every day, then encompassing every day.  I think April going to be a better month filled with excitement...and not just because of my birthday ;)