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  • Kimberly Hula 12:25 pm on September 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52   

    ADV #10: How High the Hill 

    I’m still wasn’t certain* how I felt about Boston.  That’s to say, before I left for Japan I prepared myself to miss Boston.  I thought up all the selling points to this city so that my return trip home would be anticipated.  I was certain a 15 hour flight would leave me wanting and needing this newfound city I hadn’t quite broken in.  I guess I just really needed to want to want Boston.

    Japan didn’t quite do that for me.

    The trip itself left me dumbfounded.  I didn’t want to stay but I wasn’t certain where I’d sooner leave.  I thought a lot about my home city of Chicago.  I fantasized about taking an outgoing plane anywhere.  I cooked up a cute story of using an emergency only credit-card to fly anywhere I’ve never been all in the name of this year of adventure.  But, pragmatism came into play.  I had things at home.  I was enrolled in classes and had jobs.  Probably, more practically, my credit card had a limit that I near exhausted on my trip.  I was Boston-bound.

    And really, that’s no reason to complain.  It’s just… I hadn’t acclimated to Boston yet.  I’d been adventuring and trying on for size different neighborhoods and trying to be really and truly optimistic, yet, the city fell short.  Something was missing. (More …)

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  • AG 9:24 am on April 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52, ,   

    Adventures #9, #10, and #11: Island Biking, Mountain Hiking, and Shellfish Eating 

    PhotobucketI just got back from a bike trip on Seonyudo Island. There are 3 small islands connected by bridges and you can ride to and through all 3, so I did. I went with a tour group and some friends. We got to the island via Ferry and biked for about 4 hours hitting up all the islands. I had not been on a bike in at least 10 years and possibly even longer. So I was a little shaky at first but once I got my groove going it was enjoyable.

    On day 2 of the trip, I opted to go on a morning hike. I assumed this would be a leisurely hike that would be short and sweet. I was wrong. We ended up hiking a mountain! I have never ever hiked up a mountain before. Number one, I am afraid of heights. And second, I probably would not have joined the hiking group had I known what I was in for. This so called hike turn into mountain climbing! I made it really far up and ended up far behind the group. Photobucket I started to get dizzy and almost euphoric because I was standing alone on a mountain! I’ve never experienced a feeling like this before in my life! It was a true test. I passed it though because I was able to make it back down alone and followed the same trail. At times, I got really freaked and thought I heard hissing in the bushes. I’ve heard that there are many snakes in the mountains in Korea. I began talking to myself out loud as a way to block the sounds around me. And I actually said to myself, “If you can do this you can do anything.” I felt quite empowered when I reached the bottom.

    Following this unexpected and very very scary adventure, I walked to the beach where people were digging for shellfish. They were using shovels and poking holes in the sand. Then they poured salt into the holes and the shellfish came through. It was very cool. After gathering a bucket full, we headed back to the hotel and boiled them. See pictures below. I ate one! It was quite delicious! (More …)

     

  • jeindeer 7:51 pm on April 16, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52, south boston, theater   

    #10: We’re Not Gonna Pay 

    I’m long belated and a little out of order, but I think that’s alright, because adventure #10 was all about breaking the rules and sticking it to the man.

    Musical theatrically, that is.

    As part of adventure #7: Win Week (which I’m still working on), I boldly retweeted for a chance to win two tickets to the Boston Conservatory production of RENT.  A few hours later, the seats were mine.  I polled the adventuring masses; that night, Rebecca and I headed to South Boston for the show.

    I’d never seen a production of RENT, although I was very familiar.  I tend to like theater lovers, and theater lovers tend to like belting choice ballads at the top of their lungs several times a road trip.  I love my friends unconditionally, but I had no such standing agreement with the songs: they were cows and seasons of love and restaurants in Santa Fe that I couldn’t quite parse.  Without any real RENT experience of my own, I only knew the images which were iconic to the point of parody.

    I did see those images in the Boston Conservatory production, but I also know enough about the show to know that they made it their own.  I wasn’t just impressed–I finally got why my friends always turned those songs up when they came on shuffle.  The acting was great, the casting different enough to keep me on my toes, and because the venue was such a huge, open industrial space the whole shebang seemed organic there.  I also don’t think I would have discovered that theater if not for winning the tickets.  It was all kinds of a learning experience.

     

    • adventurechaser 8:28 am on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      Thanks for taking me along. It was my first RENTal experience as well. Well played jeindeer.

  • eatveggiesdrinkwine 9:45 pm on April 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52   

    Adventure 10/52: Slow i n g d o w n 

    vacation mode

    If only I could be in vacation mode all the time...

    So, I haul a$$. There’s just no other way to say it. Doesn’t matter if I have a destination or not, I walk like I needed to be there FIVE MINUTES AGO, people. Outta my way!

    If I had to pinpoint where this all started, my guess is college. Far from overprotective parents, I could finally walk places after dark, all by my lonesome. Since I’m five feet tall on a good day, I realized I needed to adopt a don’t-mess-with-me glare and accompanying pace. It also helped me get to my 8 am Calculus class, give or take a few minutes.

    A few weeks ago I realized that this mad rush is not limited to my gait … it’s taken over my entire life. It’s not unusual for me to drive 20 miles over the speed limit on my way to work. I practically attack the keyboard when I’m typing emails. I often find myself taking the first chance to end a conversation, in person and on the phone. This is a rather embarrassing discovery for a yogini to make. It’s not like I can’t be mindful and move through life with intention, but it’s sadly just not my default mode.

    In an effort to reset my internal speedometer, I spent a few weeks in slow mode. (Because just a few days would be rushing things, right?!) I intentionally picked the slowest grocery line, walked behind the slowest person possible on the path from the parking garage to my office, lingered over a discussion, and drove the speed limit. When I remembered, and when I felt like I could do so without losing my mind.

    This was by far the toughest adventure I’ve undertaken, and probably my least successful one in terms of accomplishing my goal. I did make some important observations: (More …)

     

    • yearof52adventures 10:03 pm on April 12, 2010 Permalink

      I love this post because I do EXACTLY the same thing. I even had a mantra “slow down, you die” but, but, but at the end of the day there is nothing wrong with taking a moment to take it all it. This is an inspiration and I thank you for taking the time to tell us about it.

    • lisa 7:20 am on April 19, 2010 Permalink

      You have made me slow down, if not for just a moment. I am going to have people blowing the horn at me and giving me middle fingers and such because i’m slowing down on the road. I’m going to do the speed limit. I’m going to walk when it is possible and i’m standing in the longest line in Walmart in stead of rushing. Thanks for the inspiration with not persperation!

  • Stephanie 1:55 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52   

    Adventure #10 – Strawberry and Champagne Cupcakes 

    February 14, 2010

    In honor of Valentine’s Day I decided to transform my favorite wine and food pairing into a delicious dessert!  My love of champagne and strawberries began with “Pretty Woman” (who doesn’t love the scene where Richard Gere takes prostitute Julie Roberts up to the hotel room and “takes the liberty” of ordering this classy treat??), but has since grown into my go-to choice to end a fabulous dinner.  I figured I wasn’t the first person to think of champagne cupcakes, so I did a google search to get me started.  I found a great recipe for Champagne Cupcakes with Sweet Champagne Buttercream from gimmesomeoven.com.  I added my own little twist by filling the cupcakes with strawberry jam.  The results?  A light, sweet cake with a creamy, buttery frosting and a fruity, tart center that brought the whole package together.  The champagne wasn’t overpowering, but it gave the cakes a lighter consistency and slightly sweet taste.  I wish I had pictures of the look of sheer delight on people’s faces when they found the surprise in the middle!

    Below is the cake and frosting recipe from gimmesomeoven.com.  To fill the cupcakes, I used store bought strawberry jam.  I transfered the jam into a plastic bottle with a pointy tip and a hole large enough to squeeze out the jam.  When the cupcakes are cool (and before they are frosted), I poke a hole in the center of each cupcake with the plastic tip and then squeeze about a tablespoon of jam into the center.  Cover with the frosting and red sugar crystals and voila!

    Champagne Cupcake Ingredients:

    • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp. salt
    • 2/3 cup butter
    • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
    • 3/4 cup champagne (the sweeter the better – even strawberry would be great!!)
    • 6 egg whites

    Sweet Champagne Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:

    • 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
    • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons champagne, at room temperature

    Method:

    To Make The Cupcakes:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.  (This recipe yielded about 20 for me.)

    In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and then blend into creamed mixture alternately with champagne.

    In another large clean bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten it, then fold in remaining egg whites.  Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

    Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

    To Make The Frosting:

    With an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter. Mix on low until well blended, and then on medium for another two minutes.  Add vanilla and champagne, beating on medium for another minute.

     

    • Kelly Smith 2:49 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink

      if you want to try something different with this I suggest:
      leaving off the buttercream frosting. When cupcakes cool slice the top off to make a “sandwich” make some homemade whip cream and mix in fresh strawberries. layer the whip cream on top of bottom half of cupcake and sandiwch with the top half.

      I do this with vanilla cupcakes and raspberry whipped cream or blueberries.

      (I accidentally replied to the wrong one the first time so I thought I’d repost)

  • Berton 1:39 am on April 1, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52   

    Week 10 – Follow-up to The Playlist 

    Here is my playlist as of now. I won’t lie, it was fun receiving these and I would love to get more feedback.  So if you haven’t responded yet, feel free to send me an e-mail (d.amborn@gmail.com) with a song that reminds you of me and an explanation why.  So, in no particular order (actually, I randomized the playlist on my iTunes and here is what came up)…

    TMNT Theme Song
    Three Dog Night – Joy to the World (Jeremiah was a Bullfrog)
    Daft Punk – Around the World
    Beat Crusaders – Hit in the USA
    Garbage – Only Happy When it Rains
    Jefferson Starship – Sarah
    Tenacious D – Wonder Boy
    311 – Down
    Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer
    Less Than Jake – The Ghosts of Me and You
    Fall Out Boy – Graft Theft Autumn (Where is Your Boy)
    Five Iron Frenzy – You Can’t Handle This
    Brian Setzer – Jump Jive n Wail
    Anal Cunt – I Just Saw the Gayest Guy on Earth (thanks, Jamison)
    Reel Big Fish – Good Thing
    Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
    Billy Idol – White Wedding

    As of now, I have two comments: Firstly, I am kind of surprised by the fact that none of my three favorite bands made the list.  And B of all, two people chose Daft Punk songs; I didn’t realize that I listened to them enough for them to become synonymous with me somehow.  Kinda cool though, since they are a sweet band.

     

  • adrienne 8:09 pm on March 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52, , ,   

    A Quick and Dirty Catch-up… 

    8th Adventure – getting a haiku accepted into Sidelines, Simmons lit. magazine.  Not a big adventure, but nice to get a poem in the mag two years running (two last year, I’m slipping). 🙂

    9th – Going to Boston Beerworks for the first time on 12 March.  I decided it was no longer fair that I wasn’t supposed to drink at all (thanks to issues from a brain tumor I didn’t ask for), and so after nearly 12 years of nothing more than a couple of  sips of alcohol, I drank two beers and a little vodka (over the course of the entire evening).  I’m not going to go crazy, of course, because that would be stupid, but I’m not always going to say no.  A defiant adventure, it was.  Although the Beerworks is nice, and it was a fun evening with friends.

    10th – I joined Haiku a Day on Facebook, and will test my mettle with the poetry style I love writing. I reserve the right, however, to fall back on my older stash, and I firmly believe that haiku poems can be in two parts, like chapters. Themed haiku.

    11th – Friday 19 March I tried JPLicks ice cream for the first time – kahlua.  Yummy, but definitely get a cup because it is drippy!

     

  • Berton 8:25 pm on March 16, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 10/52   

    Week 10 – The Playlist 

    About two years ago, a friend of mine did a psychology or sociology or some such project that she asked me to participate in.  It was kind of an interesting idea, and I started thinking about it recently.  And ya know what, why not do my own version of this project as an adventure.  I love making playlists of my music, so that is how it will come into play.  But for this project to work, I need the help of you.  Yes, you.  The person reading this.  Even if you barely know me or don’t like me.

    What I ask of you is to think of a song, any song at all, that for whatever reason makes you think of me in some way.  Maybe the lyrics remind you of a childhood event we had together, maybe it makes you feel angry and you hate me, maybe we sang the song together on a roadtrip together.  Whatever the reason, whatever the song, please tell me.  And after a week’s time, I will compile the songs together and make a Daniel Playlist.  Feel free to post the songs as comments on here, or e-mail me at d.amborn@gmail.com.  Oh, and please explain why you selected that song.  Don’t just say, “A Whole New World,” without telling me why, cause that would leave me with many questions.

    Thanks for your help in this adventure!

     

    • yearof52adventures 8:05 pm on March 17, 2010 Permalink

      White Wedding. When you told me you were pricing rings and asked me to look around in Hiroshima, I queued this up before going to the jeweler, and, ahem, trying on big blinging rings all in the sake of friendship.

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