The End of Summer

Summer ends. That is a fact no matter how much we wish it wasn't. That is message Gravity Falls is trying to instill in us. I know most people here have't watched this weird show about the supernatural and children, but its more than a kids show. The last episode is going to air soon after 2 seasons of adventure and fun. The show is ending because life continues and like I said summer ends. Everything ends even if we don't want it to. This show takes you on a journey through the strange town of Gravity Falls, Oregon with the twins Dipper and Mabel Pines. Its about their adventures through time, space and the unknown, but most importantly its about the relationships they have with each other and the odd townsfolk. It may be an animated kids show, but its a damn good one. Its funny and exciting for anyone who enjoys T.V. I urge you to check it out. You might just learn something. You can choose your family, everything is not what it seems and everything ends. So before this good thing comes to an end you should check it out. 

image: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/08/27/gravity-falls-is-the-best-show-on-television/

College stress

This is a pretty stressful time. Early Decision acceptances or rejections come out in just over a week. For many of us, these are our first choice schools and if there are people like me, then there really isn't a plan B.

As the date approaches I think more about actually going to college. Do I actually want to go? Is the school I applied to really good for me? I have no idea and no way to answer any of these questions. I begin to second guess myself, I think possibly to make the blow less powerful if I don't get in. To be honest I feel like I am okay in this in-between  stage, where I have applied so its not up to me anymore, and I don't have to deal with the fact that I am in or not.

The main topic of conversation around anyone my age is college. You can't talk to a senior without finding out their biggest college fears or where they are applying, where they aren't. It is a common topic that has bonded us all together for this one moment in time. We are all waiting.

I know that the date when I find out will eventually come and I dread the moment when I physically have to open the email. I don't know if I will be able to do it. Also, am I going to open it alone? With my parents? With my friends? But I know that the letter will come and whatever happens happens and life will go on, but right now and I think all my peers would agree with me, that this feels like the most important decision of our lives.

View image | gettyimages.com

My Favorite Ice Cream

When my family goes out to dinner, we are very critical of the food we eat. If our meal is not up to par, we go out for ice cream to make up from it. We have a few favorites around the Boston and its suburbs, and most of them. J.P. Licks is always a good option, and Bedford Farms is amazing if you're willing to really pig out on ice cream, but my absolute favorite ice cream place is Christina's.

This Saturday, my parents and I went out to dinner at a Chinese food place that my mom was recommended. To say the least, it was pretty awful. So, as we payed the check, we made plans to go out for ice cream. Being in Cambridge, Christina's is usually not an option. However, my mom felt really bad having chosen a bad restaurant for dinner, so she offered to drive and I once again got to have my favorite ice cream.

Christina's is a little ice cream place in Inman Square in Cambridge. On the right side of the two shop windows is Christina's Homemade Ice Cream, but on the left is Christina's Spice & Specialty Food. Christina's makes some it's ice cream flavors using spices and ingredients from its partner store one shop down. This results in the most amazing cinnamon ice cream I have ever tasted. The cinnamon tastes amazing, and the ice cream doesn't taste super fatty. I've never even tasted another flavor on the menu because I can't risk giving up my cinnamon ice cream for a lesser flavor (although my mom raves about the coffee flavors).

Anyway, I highly recommend Christina's to anyone looking for some really great ice cream.

photo from onegoodscoop.com

Darkness

Darkness.

My mind, heart, and soul whirl in the cascading torrent. I think but no one responds.

Luckily darkness is a slower killer than water. The rush slows down. Someone lets out their soul as a lifeline. It’s unfamiliar. I hold on.

Our combined light keeps the darkness away for the most part, but once in a while a shard of glass hits us, almost as sharp as a fragment of a dream. The current gets faster.

Arms of shadow reach out towards us, trying to pull us down, but they shrivel up in the light.

The current slows down long enough for me to look up out of the water.

On the edge of the sky, in the vast emptiness of the universe, I see a light.

You Are Not Special

"Everyone's special, Dash."
"Which is another way of saying no one is."

-The Incredibles

I remember the first time I saw The Incredibles, and I remember this quote more than any other part of the movie. As children, the love and attention we receive from our friends and family is unconditional, but what children are not taught is that they are not the most important person in the world. We live within the realm of our own lives, the confines of our own heads- and that's not selfish, it's just narrow. When I saw this movie, it was the first time I realized that I am not special, though my mother could drive you a hard argument as to why I'm wrong. It is, at once, something I fear and take comfort in. Not everyone can be extraordinary- not all of us can run a country. Not all of us can paint. Not all of us can write a book, and at that, write it well. There is the assumption that many of us will go on to write papers and teach classes and inspire masses, because we have special privileges- we are young, we are wealthy, we are bright. But you are not special.

You will not be the first person to have their heart bleed out in front of them; take comfort in this.
You will not be the first person to watch your parents creep surely towards death; take comfort in this.
You will not be the first person to get insulted, get caught, or get ridiculed; take comfort in this.

If we can take comfort in the fact that our experiences are not unique, that our lives are a repeat of lifetimes before us, that there is nothing we feel that hasn't been felt before, we can find comfort in each other. We can still wish to be special, but to be special is to be uncommon, singular. To be special is to stand alone, and who would wish for loneliness?

"But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" 

-Mark Twain

View image | gettyimages.com

I think this quote has changed the way that I look at so much. Personally I am not very religious but I understand the idea that people pray for others who need help and guidance. Clearly Satan needs a good deal of help and no one is praying for him to get the guidance that he needs. Reading this made me look at other people differently, people who have done something wrong, either to me or to others, because I realize that I have no idea what is going on for those people, and how they choose to protect themselves from harm does not make them a bad person. They probably shouldn't deal with their problems by lashing out at someone else, but it is not up to me to judge them for it, all I can do is hope/ pray for them to find help for their problems or learn how to deal with them in a less destructive way. I think the simple point that Twain is making in this quote makes it almost scary to believe that no one had thought about Satan in this way, that he needs you thoughts and prayers as well, and it points out a major problem in the way people think about each other, whether you are religious or not. 

Malke's Secret Latke Recipe

My dad is the one who makes latke's every year during Hannukah, and his favorite recipe comes from a very peculiar place. There is a children's book in our home, Malke's Secret Recipe, that tells the story of the best latke's in a town. These latke's that Malke makes have a secret recipe that Berel the shoemaker attempts to steal for his family. He writes down how he sees Malke making her latke's, and runs back to his wife to report the recipe. However, because the recipe seems to be so different from their own, they alter it all the way back to their original in the disbelief that it will be any good. My dad, however, is not as ignorant as Berel and his family. He has also decided to steal Malke's recipe, and uses it every year to make incredibly good latke's. Here is the recipe, as told by the story:

5 potatoes, you can leave peels on
6 scallions
3 tbsp. flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt, more to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. parsley flakes
Vegetable oil for frying

Scrub potatoes and grate or shred in food processor. Add rest of ingredients and process until just mixed. Heat oil in large skillet. Carefully drop the latkes by large spoonfuls into hot oil and brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with applesauce or sour cream.