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  • Kimberly Hula 1:23 pm on September 13, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 11/52   

    ADV. #11/52: The Power in Protest 

    When I had a car, it was obnoxious.  It was a little, un-souped Saturn SL1 with manual locks and windows and no stereo.  It’s lack for frills did not lend it it’s obnoxious air, instead, the bumper, the standard champagne colored dent-resistant bumper was covered, bumper-wall to bumper-wall in stickers.

    Go ahead and roll your eyes.  I am certainly one of those people.

    But I’m going to try and redeem myself.  I didn’t sponsor any lame slogans.  There was no prostelyzing about bikes or a God or even public works.  There was, however, a very real agenda to my cars backside.  There would be no mistaking my political affiliation if you were to see my wheels on the road.  You would know I’m a Democrat.  A Democrat who supports Democratic candidates.  A Democrat who supports gay rights.  A Democrat who supports ending the war.  A Democrat, a Democrat, A Democrat.

    And maybe I talk a big talk.  And showcase an impressive bumper.  But when push comes to shove I’ve been a lax Democrat.  I’ve missed voting in less sexy elections.  I argue about causes and beliefs without really researching my side and the oppositions side.  I’d like to believe I’m well meaning, and I really want to be well meaning.  It’s just… if I’m to tote around town all self-righteous like as a raging liberal (It would really have been better had I a hybrid), I should probably do more for the team, right?

    So when presented with the opportunity to stand up for something I believe in, I thought to do so.  To get in and get my hands dirty and invest myself totally to something.  And that’s usually the issue – I think I can do it all, and a lot is half accomplished.  I didn’t want that.   (More …)

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    • eatveggiesdrinkwine 9:52 pm on September 15, 2010 Permalink

      So very brave of you. Good work!

  • eatveggiesdrinkwine 11:17 pm on April 25, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 11/52, career,   

    Adventure 11/52: Entering a short short story contest 

    For the first half of my life, I can remember giving only one answer to the question of what I wanted to be when I grew up: A writer.

    I’m not sure how this came to be, other than the fact that I was painfully shy as a child and writing was the one activity in which I felt inexplicably confident. I was first “published” in the third grade. My poem was a simple stanza on the benefits of being me, and it lacked any hint of irony or sarcasm. (This still fills me with pride, no matter how embarrassing the content.) As a 10-year-old, keeping a journal was second-nature, and like many teenagers, I channelled my angst and confusion into poetry which remains, thankfully, unpublished. At 16, I didn’t hesitate to enter my local newspaper’s Halloween horror story contest and was the youngest, by far, of the three winners. I experienced a minor set-back in my dream career when I watched “All the President’s Men” and realized that my intended college major of journalism didn’t seem to be a good match with my introverted nature. In a panic, I ended up majoring in Public Relations, for which I was equally unsuited, but its curriculum left much time to continue writing, through elective classes and my involvement in student organizations.

    However, this once-pleasurable activity soon became a source of frustration. Accustomed to praise and support for my writing, I was ill-prepared for the critiques I received from professors and peers. One of the most painful experiences of my life was listening to faculty advisors and fellow executive board members of the campus literary magazine bash my blind submissions for its upcoming edition. I had plenty of company in the reject pile, but that was of little comfort after what I’d heard. (More …)

     

    • yearof52adventures 11:24 pm on April 25, 2010 Permalink

      This adventure takes an INCREDIBLE amount of strength and will and I applaud you for it. A wide-eyed (see: terrified) writer myself, I am just so very proud of you! This is just the first of many future words! (and if they are at all like your posts, let the words keep coming!)

    • eatveggiesdrinkwine 8:11 pm on April 27, 2010 Permalink

      You are so kind, Kimberly! You are a fantastic writer … your posts amazing. And, really, everyone’s posts are so inspiring and lovely. I adore this community’s adventuresome spirit.

    • blueskiesinva 9:10 pm on April 27, 2010 Permalink

      What a wonderful post – and what fantastic determination! It takes a lot of strength to keep persevering. I admire your spirit, eatveggiesdrinkwine!

    • uncleneil 9:45 pm on February 18, 2011 Permalink

      I also admire your spirit. It shines through all of your adventure stories. It would show regardless, but a very important part of the “shine” comes from your sparkling prose. It’s a real joy to read. Please do keep it flowing because it nourishes all of us lucky enough to share your fine wines.

  • jeindeer 7:46 pm on April 19, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 11/52, indian food, won   

    #11: Naan tasting party 

    Sometimes adventures lead to more adventures. I think I’m much more likely to see opportunities now that I’ve trained myself to keep an eye out for them. 

    Sometimes the opportunities are delicious.

    A series of emails after I won the Boston Conservatory RENT tickets led to an invitation to a Naan-making lesson for contributors to CitySearch Boston, which had run the contest.  As meeting new people is always an adventure for me–and as I have no natural resistance to the promise of Indian food–I dutifully arrivde Mantra (warning: music autoplays through the restaurant web site) impressed by its swankiness but otherwise not sure what to expect.

    The event was not Naan-making so much as sipping sweet cocktails while witnessing the birth of Naan, but it was still a wondrous thing.  I didn’t know that Green Chili and Mozzarella Naan existed.  I’m not sure whether it exists elsewhere–but it should exist everywhere, as far as I’m concerned, because it was just delicious.  The workings of Tandoori ovens were illustrated for us, and we were invited to taste the spoils: delicious shrimp and succulent cubes of Tandoori chicken.  After writing this, there’s just no way my lunch tomorrow is going to stack up.

    The best part is that I met a handful of patently fantastic Bostonians–food bloggers and lovers of finding things to do.  They were a delight to meet and have added some local flavor to my twitter feed. One of them shared an apple cider foccacia recipe that’ll probably find its way into an adventure, one of these weeks. I’m looking forward to it!

     

  • AG 9:24 am on April 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , 11/52,   

    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 …)

     

  • Stephanie 2:38 pm on April 10, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 11/52   

    Adventure #11 – Heavy Metal Show at Club Whiplash 

    February 21, 2010

    Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a standard girly girl.  In fact, my friend Matt has been calling me “Pretty, Pretty Princess” since high school.  I like my high-heeled shoes (especially patent leather), expensive handbags, little blue boxes with white ribbons, mani/pedi’s, and my ridiculously overpriced and inconvenient salon on Newbury St.!  I love shopping and am very excited when my friends at Banana Republic send me weekly coupons.  When I cook, I wear a retro Jessie Steel apron with pink cupcakes all over it!   So how did this cupcake baking, shopaholic in Banana Republic adorned with Tiffany’s in her black patent high-heeled boots end up at a Heavy Metal Show in Stoughton, MA?  She was DUPED!

    My friend Lydia was moving to California in a few weeks, so I pledged to spend as much time as I could with her before she left.  When she invited me to a “rock show” with her and her husband, Chris, I jumped at the chance.  One of her former co-workers was in a band and they were going to go see him play.  They worked at an architecture firm, so I figured the band would be a bunch of geeky architects with their T-squares doing Billy Joel and Elton John covers all night.  When we walked in and the warm-up band was covering Metallica (and not a T-square in sight!),  I realized just how severely I misjudged the situation.  This was heavy metal at its finest, and I was in for a long (and loud) night!  I swear I saw Brett Michael’s and Big John milling around, along with biker dudes and a lot of women who clearly hadn’t seen a stylist since the eighties!  Perhaps Lydia and I were out of our league?

    All in all, the night turned out to be great fun!  We moshed with the bikers, screamed with the crowd, and listened to some pretty decent music, as far as heavy metal goes (Steel Assassins is definitely a band worth checking out if you are into Heavy Metal).  Chris taught me how to make my hands into devil horns, which I showed off to my friends the next day while sporting a Steel Assassins T-shirt.

     

  • Berton 11:09 pm on March 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: 11/52   

    Week 11 – NCAA National Wrestling Championships 

    know that wrestling isn’t the most popular sport, which is a huge shame.  But I grew up with it.  My father was a wrestling coach, my older brothers wrestled (I didn’t, but I didn’t play any sports).  And recently I have gotten back into watching it.  So this past weekend, I went to the National Wrestling Championships with my father and two brothers in Omaha.  And that was by far the most exciting weekend of sports I have ever personally witnessed in my entire life.  I know many of you may not watch or care about the sport, so I will spare the details, but needless to say, some of the wrestling was so intense that Jayson Ness from Minnesota’s match made the #1 play on Sportscenter Saturday night.  When have you ever seen wrestling covered on Sportscenter?  Never!  And this match was so amazing that it made #1.

    Anyway, if you want to watch the last take down of the match, watch the top ten plays at http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5015113

     

  • adrienne 8:09 pm on March 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , 11/52, ,   

    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!

     

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