Poetry Day

Since today is poetry day, I thought I would share a poem I wrote recently. It's one of my few attempts at an Italian sonnet. Here goes: 

You lie there mocking me and my neglect,
But please, I do not wish to cause disdain.
Your touch I do desire to abtain.
I guarantee, I mean no disrespect.
Oh, this problem, I wish I could correct.
To lay all night with you sometime again.
Long days without you give me so much pain.
Without your warmth, life cannot be perfect.
With time apart, desires ever grow.
I cannot wait for what you have in store.
My lust for you, I hope you always know.
Your delicate touch I truly adore.
It is time I finally say hello.
My dearest mattress, I am yours once more.  


Also, here is a link to my favorite poem, "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. 

Happy poetry day!

Beer Drinking Day: The Search for Beer That Doesn't Taste Like Beer

Yesterday was National Drink Beer Day, a great holiday for all of those beer-loving folks. Not so great for those of us who can't stand the taste of the stuff. However, today seemed to be a good day to continue my quest to find beer that doesn't taste like beer. So, I gathered up my group of friends and we went to our favorite local pub, Jackie O's. Fortunately for us, Jackie O's has platter so you can sample several things without spending a fortune. We looked through their ample offerings, and choose the ones that sounded most appealing. 

1. C.S.A.ISON
This wasn't very bitter and I found it relatively drinkable, though it definitely tasted like beer. I probably wouldn't want an entire glass of the stuff, but there are worse things yet to come. 

2. Razz Wheat
I didn't hate this, but it makes the mistake so many drinks do. It mixes fruit and beer and tastes much more like beer than the fruit. So, what you get is the taste of fruit diluted by beer. Not my first choice, but it wasn't bad. However, unlike many other beers that claim to have the taste of fruit and don't (I'm talking about you paw paw beer) this did at least live up to its claim. 

3. Mystic Mama
Oh, Mystic Mama, she is a harsh mistress. If you don't like beer, DO NOT DRINK THIS. I REPEAT, DO NOT DRINK THIS. This beer tries to lure you in with it's oh so sweet, succulent smell. Unfortunately, it tastes nothing like it smells. It is very bitter and reeks of all that I hate in beer. 

4. Imperial Razz
This beer was okay, but a bit bitter. It did have more of a rasberry flavor that the Razz Wheat, but the bitterness distracted from this. I ended up liking the Razz Wheat a bit more. 

5. Chomolungma
Despite it being the darkest of the bunch, this wasn't as bad as I expected. It does have the typical beer taste one would expect, but it wasn't very bitter. I don't think I could drink an entire glass of it, but I also didn't think it was the worst tasting thing out there. 

6. Waka Waka Waka
This must be Mystic Mama's older sister. It packs even more of a bitter punch with hints of a decent flavor. It plays a cruel trick as you sip it. First you are hit with the same awful taste of Mystic Mama, then for a mere half-second it is delicious, and then it comes back for the kill. The faint hint of something sweet, makes it so much more bitter. I do not recommend this. 

7. Southern Tier Plum Noir
I wasn't a fan of this, but I think other beer-hating people may like it. It did actually taste more like plum than beer, I just didn't like the plum taste either. Nonetheless, I would recommend trying it. 

8. B. Nektar Necromangocon
We managed to save the best for last. This tasted nothing like beer and was absolutely delicious. If you like wine, you will like this. It was fairly sweet and fruity. This was the only one I wanted to finish and I will definitely be buying it again. 

After our sampling session, we stopped at few other places and I tried a few more (and I am glad I did!)

9. Redds Apple Ale

Unlike many of the ciders I have tried that still tend to taste of beer, this tasted like sweet apple juice. It was delicious and I may have lost track of how many of these I had last night. If you are like me and hate beer, go drink this!

10. Blue Moon

This was...eh. I may have liked this even less if I hadn't already had several of the Redds Apple at this point. It tastes like your typical light beer. 

11. Redds Strawberry Ale

Despite my newfound love of Redds Apple Ale, I was hesitant to try this. Strawberry beer just doesn't make sense. Boy was I wrong. While I still prefer apple, this could be a good stand in. Like the apple, it also has no hint of beer and is very drinkable. I would recommend trying either of them. 

Well, that rounds up my taste test. I hope you find something new to try and if you only go for one, definitely go with the Necromangocon. 

Rice Krispies Treat Day

September 18th is a day for celebrating the sweet and gooey rice krispies treat. And what better way to celebrate than by making some of our own. Here's the breakdown of my process: 

Ingredients: 

13 oz marshmallow cream 

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

3 tablespoons butter

First, melt the butter over low heat in a large pan. 

 After the butter is melted, mix in the marshmallow cream. Stir until it is completely melted. 

Next, add the rice krispies. 

Stir until it is completely mixed (It will likely be mixed when your arm begins to throb. It's like mixing sweet, delicious cement.) After this, spread them into a greased 9x12 pan. 

Now, put them in the refrigerator to cool. Or, if you can't wait, go ahead and brave the sticky mess. 

Enjoy!

7 Things You Didn’t Know About the U.S. Constitution

Happy Constitution Day! Here are 7 facts you (probably) don't know about the U.S. constitution. 

1. The Constitution was not signed by Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. They were serving as U.S. ministers in France and Great Britain, respectively. 

2. The Constitution has only been changed seventeen times since 1791 and only one amendment has been repealed (18^th declaring prohibition repealed by the 21^st ). 

3. One of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, actually played little role in writing the constitution. His views of government were considerably British and the others did not agree, so he focused on helping with the writing style of the document instead.   

4. There was no Bill of Rights in the original Constitution. Two years later, it was added as the first ten amendments. 

5. When the delegates gathered at the Constitutional Convention, they actually had no intention of writing the Constitution. Instead, they planned to edit the Articles of Confederation. However, James Madison, now known as father of the Constitution, thought it needed a lot of work and came up with the idea to create a new document. 

6. The Constitution represents our Natural Rights, which differ from Human Rights. With the ongoing war for universal healthcare, this is an important distinction to make. Natural Rights are our right to those things found in nature. The founding fathers considered these to be “life, liberty, and property and the right to protect those rights.” 

7. The U.S. Constitution was the first government document to protect its citizens Natural Rights just for being human. 

Sources:

https://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-constitution-amendments/fascinating-facts/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/duel/sfeature/hamiltonusconstituion.html

http://www.allproudamericans.com/Seven-Quick-Facts-About-the-US-Constitution.html

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/holidaysspecialdays/tp/The-US-Constitution.htm

Rock Collecting Day

In honor of rock collecting day, I figured I would talk a little about what a rock actually is. We walk over the things every day and unless we happen to be collectors, probably don’t pay them much mind. Unless of course we find one of those tiny, sharp pebbles with our bare foot - then the war is on. When they aren’t hurting us, rocks can be quite useful. We live in them and sometimes we wear them. And since we obviously don’t make our buildings out of diamonds, there must be different kinds of rocks. These fall into the categories of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. 

breccia

Sedimentary rocks are made up of fragments of other rocks and particles, such as sand, mud, shells, and bones found in calcium-rich water. The weight of other materials compresses these fragments and forms including sandstone, limestone, and mudstone. In the strata layer of sedimentary rock, you can often find fossils. 

pegmatite

Igneous rocks are formed from molten material expelled from volcanoes, or from granite which hardens underground. Granite rock can be found all over the world and are some of the oldest known rocks. The oldest known rocks, found in the Jack Hills mountain range in Australia. They are 4.4 billion year old zircons, a kind of igneous rock.

schist

When igneous or sedimentary rocks are put under pressure, extreme heat or exposed to fluids, metamorphic rock can be created such as marble or quartzite. These fall into two main types: foliated and non-foliated. Foliated rocks have a banded or layered appearance due to exposure to heat or pressure. Non-foliated rocks do not have this kind or appearance. The rock to the right is schist which is an example of a foliated metamorphic rock. 

Despite the pain of stepping on one, it can often lead to an unexpected discovery. I once accidentally came upon a plant fossil while out fishing. What are some of the most interesting rocks you have found?

Sources:
Geology.com
NSF
National Geographic

Felt Hat Day

In honor of felt hat day, I've rounded up some of the more interesting steampunk hats on Etsy. 

LittleLadyAccessory

wrenspaperwings

DarkWidow

carribeanrosepirate

FancyThatLLC

EmilyWayHats