Ultimate Recipe

Asparagus in Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

15 asparagus stalks
¾ cup water
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 Tbs canola oil
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼- ½ tsp salt

Directions:

Peel the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus stalks
Cut diagonally into 3 pieces
Steam the stalks covered for 3 minutes
Mix mustard oil, salt, and pepper
Drizzle over room temperature asparagus

I Know This Means Something

You know when you are in the midst of a very interesting dream, and then the minute you wake up, you do not and can not remember anything? It happens to me all the time. I try to remember what it was about but the harder I try, the vaguer my memory becomes. I know my dream means something, but I can’t quite grasp it.

Or, how about when you study all night for a test, but when you get it your mind goes blank. I hate it when that happens. I sit there, trying to remember that equation of person’s name for what seems to be forever, but sometimes I just can not revive my brain. I know that the answers means something, but I can’t quite recall what.

Also, when you are talking to someone and you just can not think of the word that is on the “tip of your tongue.” It happens to everyone. I know what the word means, I just can't think of it.

Album/Track Review

This Time on Evolver by John Legend

I first heard this song while in Germany during a WY choir trip. I loved the song almost instantly. After hearing it, I could not stop listening to it. I played it over and over, memorizing the words to the entire song in less than a day. “This Time” introduces John Legend’s music to me. Of course I had heard his more popular songs like “Ordinary People” and “Green Light ft. Andre 3000,” but I became interested in his music style. It didn’t take long for me to download and hear his albums. Although the majority of his songs deal with having sex and getting high, “This Time” is unique in that neither of these topics is the main focus of the song. The lyrics describe a man who misses his old girlfriend, and that he realizes that it was a mistake to separate and that “this time” he will be better.

These are the lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Ran into you yesterday
Memories rushed through my brain
It started to hit me,
Now you're not with me;
I realized I made a mistake.
I thought I needed some space
But I just let love go to waste.
It's so crystal clear now
That I need your here now
I gotta get you back today.

[Chorus]
This time I want it all.
This time I want it all.
Showing you all the cards.
Giving you all my heart.
This time I'll take the chance.
This time I'll be your man.
I can be all you need.
This time it's all of me.

[Verse 2]
I hit the bar every night
Looking to score a good time.
It's not like I planned it,
I'm left empty handed,
'Cause I’m still alone in my mind.
Now what will it take to feel right?
Can I come see you tonight?
Is there someone new now?
What can I do now?
'Cause I need you back by my side.

[Chorus]
This time I want it all.
This time I want it all.
Showing you all the cards.
Giving you all my heart.
This time I'll take the chance.
This time I'll be your man.
I can be all you need.
This time its all in me.

[Bridge]
Last time I wasn't sure
This time I will give you more.
I'm more mature
I'll show you.
Last time I didn't know
I messed up when let you go,
I need you
Don't say no.

Lying alone in this room
All that is missing is you.
Pick up the phone
Won't you come home?

[Chorus]
This time I want it all.
This time I want it all.
Showing you all the cards
Giving you all my heart.
This time I'll take the chance.
This time I'll be your man.
I can be all you need.
This time it's all of me.

Link to youtube.com:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbMWnaD3fhI&feature=related

Good Food Review

Within the past few years, I have acquired a liking of sushi. There is a great sushi place close to my house. It is called The Sit Down and is on 53rd Street. It seems like anytime I go there I have to order something different because there are so many choices. I started out with California rolls, and then to shrimp, salmon, tuna, and yellow tail. When compared to the big name sushi places downtown like Sushi Samba, The Sit Down tastes better to me. For those who do not like sushi, The Sit Down offers a wide range of other foods. Some of these are sandwiches, bruschetta, and one of the best pizzas I have ever tasted.

Another meal that is unexpectedly good is White Hen's chicken fajitas. The first time I heard about them, I was a little grossed out that White Hen even sold chicken fajitas and that people actually bought them. I eventually gave in and tried them one day. They were much better than I thought. From that point on, I was hooked. At least twice a month I would make the walk to Racine and Adams and pay the $5 for the fajitas. Then, White Hen turned into Seven Eleven, and I was crushed. One day, I walked there just for a fajita and realized that they no longer sold them. So now I am in search of another place where I can buy chicken fajitas for under $5 within 10 minutes of the school.

King Still King?

Yes. Dr. Martin Luther King is still king because of the fact that we, as a nation, take the time to dedicate a specific day just for him. Saying that he is not the king because everyone does not commemorate his birthday is like saying the Washington was not president because we all don’t do something in his honor. Of course there were many people that were influential in the Civil Rights Movement, and indeed some people may have made a bigger change, but that does not invalidate what he did and what he stood for.

I'm a Shoe

We are used for different seasons.
We are used for different reasons.

We are bought and sold each day.
We are bought so you can play.

We are needed to go in stores.
We are needed for when it pours.

We are made to relieve.
We are made to be recieved.

We are sold at a high price.
We are sold for looking nice.

We are the ones sold in twos.

We are the most useful shoes.

Globalization

Many people think that globalization is a new concept created by the UN and outsourcing, when actually it has been around since the beginning of time. Americans in particular see globalization as enforcing our culture onto unwilling countries and destroying their history in the process. Actually, the United States was founded by globalization. The Spanish and British came across the ocean to expand their empires and to acquire natural resources. This way of living is nothing new and should not be expected to die down quickly-or at all. We should all accept the fact that cultures are going to mix and people are going to travel and that this is all just a part of life.

Winter Poem

Time for short days and long nights.
Soon the New Year will appear.
Time for big family fights.
Hope the neighbors don’t hear.
Time for putting up lights.
Seen from far and from near.
Time for seeing “the cites.”
Many blown up reindeer.
Time for slipping on ice.
Get your car the right gear.
Time for gifts over priced.
We’ll all hate the cashier.
Time for worshiping Christ.
Though the true date is unclear.
Time to check the list twice.
So you be of good cheer.
Time to try to be nice.
Carrying a smile from ear to ear.

Sports in My Life

Sports have always been a part of my life. I loved playing with the boys at recess instead of whatever the girls were doing. When I was six years old, I joined the Hyde Park division of AYSO on a U-8 team. I continued with AYSO through the U-10, U-12, and coed U-14 divisions. While in my last year of AYSO soccer, I became seriously involved in my school’s cheerleading team. The time came to make a decision between my two favorite sports. I decided to switch sports and did not continue with soccer. Now that I look back, I realize that I did not have to make the choice between soccer and cheerleading. I wish that I would have stuck with soccer because it would have lead to a more successful future than cheerleading will. With soccer, there was a high possibility of playing college level and I am almost completely sure that I will not pursue cheerleading after high school. Next year and throughout college will be the first years since my first grade years that I will not be on an athletic team. So as of now, sports are a big part of my life, but as for the future, I do not know. I hope that I continue with soccer at some level later on but nothing is certain.

Thankful for a Classmate

This is the week of Thanksgiving, so saying who we are thankful for is appropriate. If there is one person in sixth period Philosophy In Literature that I am thankful for, it would be Xavier Muhammad. Why? I have known Xavier for four years and have never had a real class with him until this year. He seemed like a cool person so I was naturally happy that I had a class with him. In class, I can always count on him to make a joke or make me laugh. Also whenever we have to break into groups for classwork, I know that there is someone who wont mind being in my group. So, thanks Xavier for being a cool person and making sixth period Philosophy In Literature better.