Working On My Night Cheese

Midnight Snacking is an art form. It should be simultaneously haphazard and perfectly coordinated. Now, I don't profess to be a guru or even a master at Midnight Snacking, but I have spent most of my adult life and an especially large amount of time over my past 2 years at college attempting to study and champion this skill. And it is about time that I recorded some of my better tips, combinations and suggestions for posterity, and mostly for my own benefit.

It should be noted that everyone snacker has their own unique tastes (no pun intended) and preferences, so my recommendations may not work for you. I will accept no responsibility for this.

Tip #1: All good midnight snacks have a cheese component.

You can never go wrong with cheese. Ever. Hard Cheese, Spreadable Cheese, Cream Cheese etc. Never leave a kitchen without one. Also, if it is good enough for Liz Lemon, it's good enough me for.

Tip #2: There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Yes, everyone has cravings, and sometimes you really just want to eat an entire bag of sour cream and onion chips. But a truly good midnight snack balances those chips with salsa or an apple or some queso dip (refer to Tip #1). Also, no one ever ate an entire bag of anything and woke up the next morning pleased with themselves. Keep that in mind.

Tip #3: Don't rush!

Listen, if it's midnight and you are eating, you don't have anywhere else to be, so there's no need to ravenously dig throw your fridge and devour the first 6 things you can grab with your hands. Take you time to figure out what you are really in the mood for and what's available. Also, studies show that eating slower fills you up sooner so you eat less.

Tip #4: Think of a Midnight Snack as a multiple course menu.

Whenever I midnight snack, I always like to have bits and pieces of all sorts of different things rather than lots of one thing. A slice of cheese here, a piece of fruit there and a few bites of something else goes a long way. Try mixing and matching all of the food groups over your different courses. But take caution, food profiles change when the sun goes down. What is delicious to you at midnight may almost certainly not be delicious as tomorrow lunch.

Tip #5: When in doubt, look to the leftovers.

If you are little timid about throwing together your own midnight snack creations, just pick apart what's taking up room in the fridge. No one really cares about eating their leftovers or they wouldn't have become leftover's. Besides, sooner or later whatever doesn't get eaten by you is more likely than not gonna end up eaten by the garbage disposal. Somebody has already taken the time to prepare these dishes, and they are already coordinated for your enjoyment. Take yesterdays leftover quesadilla, add microwave, and voila! Midnight Snack.

But I understand it doesn't do much good to you to just read my tips, so I'm posting the menu for the midnight snack I ate tonight. Full Disclosure, I live in a house with three refrigerators, so I have a lot of food options at my disposal. Don't feel bad if you can't quite live up to my menu's greatness. It takes years of practice and a Food Pack Rat like my Mother to be able to snack like I do. (No Offense Mom).

Midnight Snack Menu - 8/27/10

Amuse-Bouche: One Laughing Cow Garlic and Herb Cheese Triangle

Appetizer: Cheddar Flavored Soy Crisps

Main Course: Sliced Roast Beef dipped in creamed horseradish sauce

Dessert: Colby Jack Cheese Sticks and Nutella

Beverage: Homemade Chocolate Milk

Well, I hope you learned a lot and that I've given you some good ideas. Now go get snacking!!

Jaclyn Goes to Dayton

Today was a day for random things. And apparently not so random blog titles. I feel like all of my recent blog titles have been decidedly not vague and/or interpretive. I can't explain this phenomenon with any sort of scientific evidence, nor am I making any apologies for it. I'm just acknowledging.

Anyways, today was pretty random. For starters, I drove down to the University of Dayton campus to visit my delightful best friend Caitlin. We've known each other since the 1st grade. It's a pretty legendary friendship. Just Saying.

It's about an hour and a half drive down. So, that's about 3 hours of collective driving time. Naturally, I brought 10 cd's with me. Just in case.

For Posterity, I started out with the Almost Famous Soundtrack, followed by Dan in Real Life and then on the ride home I listened to (500) Days of Summer and the "Illinoise" by Sufjan Stevens. If I had thought this through better I would have brought one more movie soundtrack with me so it would be a complete saga, but I'm not that foresightful.

So I drove down to Dayton, met up with Caitlin and then we met some friends of her that work in Liberty Hall. Random thing #1: I met this lady who told me about how her kids raise pigs and goats for the state fair, and no lie, we talked for at least 20 minutes about how you raise and show pigs, and then they go on their death march, and they get carted away, and then killed and hung upside down by their heads. It was pretty intense.

Then Caitlin and I went up to the cemetery where Orville and Wilbur Wright are buried, which was sweet. And Random Thing #2: Paul Laurence Dunbar is buried there too!!! He's an African American poet and we just read him in the Am Lit class I took spring quarter, which is random and awesome.

http://www.dunbarsite.org/gallery.asp

And while we were in the cemetery, this totally nice guy on a golf cart offered us a ride to the lookout point so we could see the city skyline, and then kind of took us on a tour of the entire cemetery, which included lots of people I had never heard of, and he showed us this grave of a young boy with his dog, and people leave toys there because he was deprived of a childhood, and I left him a purple silly band sailboat, and all of this WAS TOTALLY RANDOM.

Then I met Catilin's friend Father Chris, and we talked with him for a while. I told him I was a Pop Culture Minor and explained to him the meaning behind Edward/Jacob and explained who Justin Bieber is. Maybe one of the most proud and totally random moments of my life. I wasn't kidding when I said today was totally random.

Oh, I almost forgot, the most random part of my day: Flat tire on my parked car. Apparently from a screw that was sent from the transportation curse that haunts me. So right as I was about to drive back to Columbus, I had to then proceed to call about 50 different people and get a guy to come out and change my tire and do this all while having basically no idea where I am and knowing nothing in the area and not have a panic attack. Thank God Caitlin was there, because she basically solved all the problems for me.

So, eventually a really nice guy from the road side assistance company drove out to put my spare tire on, and everything would have worked out fine, if the spare I had had in my car hadn't had its own nail in it. Which I can't even adequately explain. But in a nutshell, my spare tire was flat also, and had I attempted to drive on it back to Columbus I would have died. So that rules.

So he went ahead and put on the spare because it was less flat than the very flat flat tire that was on the car already, and then Caitlin and I drove to Sunoco at a cruising rate of 15 mph despite the various speed limits in order to put some air in the not as flat flat tire so that we could then drive to the tire repair place so that I could buy a new tire so that I could drive the hour and a half back to Columbus without dying. Which was awesome.

But long story short, I made it back, a mere 5 hours later, and alive too, which is always a bonus. And I didn't even have a panic attack! I should be congratulated. And probably hugged.

Because trying to recreate this would have been way to hard.

Andy

let's talk about inception instead

3:48pmMe

read the blog post quickly

then we can talk about it

3:51pmAndy

glad you liked it

3:51pmMe

i did like it

i thought the thought process behind it was absolutely brilliant

and if christopher nolan wrote it, then im officially impressed by him

the writer should get an academy award nom

seriously

3:52pmAndy

he helped i think

3:53pmMe

seriously, one of the most brilliant concepts for a movie ive seen in years

3:53pmAndy

amen

3:54pmMe

probbaly the best summer blockbuster ive ever seen

3:56pmAndy

probably an accurate statement

3:58pmAndy

probably an accurate statement

3:58pmMe

yup

3:59pmAndy

i'm shocked that you already have firm opinions about it

it took me two days to form complete sentences

3:59pmMe

i mean, it didnt really blow my mind

it impressed my mind

a lot

but like, i wasnt like totally dumbfounded

4:01pmAndy

i don't think dumbfounded would be the word i'd use

more like mindfucked

4:01pmMe

yea, i wasnt mindfucked by it

like, dont get me wrong, i loved it

but i think i already live in a world where my mind entertains ridiculous ideas like multiple realities and time travel, so dream travelling wasnt a big enough stretch for it to be truely mindfucked

4:03pmAndy

i'm talking about the end

i followed the story super easily

4:03pmMe

what part about the end was confusing?

you dont ever find out if he was dreaming or awake

but theres no way to figure that out anyway

4:04pmAndy

it calls into question the enitrity of the film!

4:04pmMe

how do you know you werent dreaming during the whole viewing process

i mean, not really

the movie is based around this idea that people can exist consciously in an unconscious world

and that once you entertain the possibility of multiple realities, the idea of real vs. not real becomes obsolete

because you can choose what reality you live it

so why does it matter if you dont get to find out whether or not he was living in reality or his own reality

you've already accepted that multiple realities are possible

dicaprio is clearly choosing to be in that specific reality

and in his reality hes happy

4:08pmAndy

that is an incredibly mature way of looking at this

it also takes away all the fun hahahaha

4:08pmMe

what do you mean?

4:09pmAndy

well, most people go see that movie and come out trying to wrap their minds around whether the entire movie was a dream or whatever the hell just happened

4:10pmMe

oh

4:10pmAndy

and you're just asking why it matters if he's happy

4:10pmMe

i mean, im just not gonna worry about if it was real or not because the whole point of the movie was there is no real

the him being happy thing is just a bonus

also, by virtue that it is a movie, it isn't real

4:11pmAndy

you don't ever do deep thought into films after they're done, do you?

about moral, philosophical meanings behind the films?

4:11pmMe

i think it depends on the film

and yes, i do think about the moral and philosophical implications of films

but even though i personally think about the moral and philosophical implications of things, that doesnt mean there were meant to be any

4:14pmMe

oscar wilde wrote that "it is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors"

and "Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril"

i tend to agree with the first statement, and acknowledge the second one as fact despite partaking in it personally

4:15pmAndy

wow

that takes all the fun out of my life

4:15pmMe

not really

its just a whole different way to overanalyze things

that when you are thinking about something when you look at art or film you are relaly just overmeditating about yourself

there is no better way to think yourself in circles

its amazing

think about it

4:17pmAndy

but that's why it's fun

it's thinking myself in circles about something that doesn't actually matter

4:17pmMe

did inception put ideas into your head by viewing it or did it bring forth ideas you already had

4:17pmAndy

for me, it's an escape from thinking myself in circles about my life

4:17pmMe

but thats exactly what you are doing

its just subconscious

you think about inception

it blows your mind

it changes your life

did inception give you ideas, or do it just make you think about things you hadnt thought about that you already had

i mean theres no way to know

but if we learned anythign from the movie, you only except new ideas from yourself as the source

hence theres no way inception could have really given you new ideas to think about

you had to have them already, inception just provided the necessary avenue to think abotu the

m

hence you think in circles about the movie, but you are really just htinking about yourself

i mean its genius

4:20pmAndy

i'm confused by all of that

4:26pmMe

?

4:26pmAndy

you're statement that was genius confused me

4:26pmMe

hahaha

ok, im gonna try to explain it without sounding condescending

you want to know whether or not it was real

thats like dream level 1

i am willing to accept that it was unknowably real or not, and instead, im interested in the implications of deciding whether or not it was real or not has on me

thats like level 2

however though, i dont really need inception to determine whether or not i believe in multiple realities or reality vs falsity

because as the film taught us, you cant really think ideas that arent your own

so by watching inception, ive realized that i dont necessarily believe in multiple realities, but i will say that reality is man made concept

and that what one deems to be real is only relevant to that person

because they are different

in a nutshell, thats what im thinking about right now

which i think is fun

did that make any more sense or am i rambling?

4:32pmAndy

a little bit

4:32pmMe

i think my brain is perpetually in dream level 3

which is why i overthink things and dont make a lot of sense

4:33pmAndy

ah

4:33pmMe

anyways, what did you think of it?

4:34pmAndy

i loved it

i saw it twice

Me

i bet it would change the way i thought about it if i saw it again

i could write a freaking dissertation on this movie

4:36pmAndy

it's def better the second time

4:36pmMe

also, im contemplating putting this converstaion in my blog

4:36pmAndy

totally okay with that

just don't make me look like too big of an idiot

4:36pmMe

i was just gonna copy and paste it verbatim

4:37pmAndy

oh

that's okay

make sure you include this part

4:37pmMe

i mean, i did already do the blog post about inception though

and duh

the best part of reading it in the blog would be the deciding whether or not to put it in the blog

4:37pmAndy

i think you should put it in the blog

4:37pmMe

ok.

Who's Ideas Actually Fill This Blog?

So I finally bit the bullet and went and saw Inception.

I should clarify, I did this because it was free. My sister works at the Rave, and recently I've been seeing all of my movies for free because it is actually legal for her to bring me along. Which is awesome, and surprisingly enough completely legal. And since I had no reason to not go see it other than to pay for it, I figured I might as well exploit my sister's workplace while I have the option. (On a separate note, I really really want to see Step Up 3 in 3D, and I can promise a free movie ticket to see it to anyone who will go with me. I know that no one on earth wants to see this movie but me, but it has the Other Asian in it! Someone please help me make this dream come true)

Which is a nice segway into dreams, which is a nice segway back into Inception. (Unfortunately I have a knack for getting off-topic and/or rambling in these blog posts and in my subconscious, just something to be aware of in case anyone ever wanted to break into my mind).

Anyways: INCEPTION.

1. I went into this movie knowing very little about it. This is a good thing for me, because I tend to guess things too early as an audience member when I know things upfront, which is bad. I also went into this movie with a half a box of Milk Duds, Mike & Ikes, Sour Patch Kids and 2 Cowtails. I have no idea why I did this.

2. This movie totally exceeded my expectations for what it was gonna be. I don't know why I thought it was just going to be a Grade A summer blockbuster, but I think a lot of stupid things without any sort of basis in fact. I was not only entertained for the full 2.5+ hours of viewing time, but I was absolutely absorbed into the experience. And that is harder to do than you'd think.

3. The most genius thing about this movie is the editing. Yes, the idea of it is awesome, but if it weren't for the editing of the film, I guarantee this movie would suck. The story line is based in this idea of how do you get to where you are when you are in a dream, which is a novel concept because no one really knows that, but because the dreamer (and the audience) is being asked to question that, it suddenly becomes important to watch every cut between shots, because the relationship of dreamer and dream to placement is essentially the same as audience and film to placement. We as an audience, when watching a film, move through time and space via cuts from shot to shot, and we don't actually question how this is happening because it is a movie, but Inception forces us to question this relationship because it is the entire point of the film. Which is why is was interesting and challenging to follow the real world vs. the dream world, and why it was impossible determine exactly which world you (the audience) was in, and why this movie totally blew my mind.

4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is hot. So very very hot. The scene where he was fighting the guy sans gravity? I practically drooled all over myself. Also, I have yet to see a movie with Ellen Page in it where she doesn't totally and completely rock. If you are reading this, please go see Whip It.

5. The only thing I have to say that lost me a little bit was this 4th level of dream world in the final act. Not because it didn't make logistical sense, but because really? A fourth level? Granted, if this is the only time my suspension of disbelief kicked in over the course of the entire film, that's not too bad comparatively.

Obviously, I have a lot more thoughts on Inception, but for now I have to go to sleep. Granted, after I go to bed tonight there's no guarantee they are solely my thoughts, but I'll do my best to keep my subconscious on guard.