I Like...So You Think You Can Dance!!!!!!!!

It's true. It's time. For the. best. show. EVER. period.

This show seriously makes me happy. Just like with the Lion King, there is just something about people using the creativity God gives them to do something so beautiful with such passion that is incredibly inspiring to me...yes, this is cheeseball.com if you were wondering which website you mistakenly landed upon. But for realz y'all, I wait ALL year for this show and I'm so excited to see what amazingness the choreographers come up with this time around. I wish I had danced as a kid so I wasn't just jealous of their mad skillz.

So, to usher in the new season, here are a few of my favorite dances from seasons past:


"Bleeding Love," Chelsie & Mark


"No Air," Joshua & Katee


"Hometown Glory," Joshua & Katee


"Hummingbird," Jamie & Hok


"Time," Neil & Lacey


Some Celine Dion song, Lauren & Danny


Park Bench dance, Travis & Heidi

And soooo many more!! Can't wait to blog about this season and hear everyone's opinions :)

I Like...the Lion King

I have never been one to disguise my love for all things involving music and dance, such as inspiring and cheesy musicals. Dear old Scotty takes the obsession to a new level though, given that he was in musical theater in high school and worked as the set foreman in college. Come on people, he knows every word to Wicked and his favorite movie of all time is Newsies, I'm not even kidding. But that's one of the many things I heart about him :) Plus, it means that he will always be as excited as I am - probably more - to go see any musical we can. So naturally when we found out the national tour of the Lion King was coming to OKC, we jumped at it. I saw it twice when it came to Houston in high school, but I remember being so blown away that I HAD to go again.

This time, we had the privilege of sitting probably 10 rows back, on the aisle where the elephants and birds and such come parading down belting out "The Circle of Life," which I won't even lie, nearly brought me to tears. The music is SO beautiful, and a good portion of the cast is actually from Africa, which gives it a whole new sense of authenticity and cultural pride pretty unique to a Broadway shows. I love how they celebrated African music and dance, African women, and wildlife in this incarnation of my favorite Disney movie ever...my goosebumps pretty much didn't go away the whole time, and I'd go back in a second if it wouldn't break the bank. Anyway, here is one of my favorite songs from the show being performed on The View a few years ago...it doesn't quite do it justice, but it's still nice to see the costumes and elaborate makeup and such. Amazing!


"He Lives in You," from the Lion King

I Like...Arabic Rice

I was in charge of the main dish for our small group last week, and I've been wanting to embrace my Egyptianness and start learning how to make some of my favorite recipes that my mom and Teta (grandmother) make. I thought about making Moussaka, my all-time favorite, delicious Teta meal, but given that I am still working on my cooking skills (especially with meat) and that Teta's recipes usually go something like, "Put in some eggplant, the right amount of all spice, some more tomatoes, enough nutmeg, etc.," I was scared to subject my poor friends to an entirely new recipe. Sooo, I decided to make the much easier - but still delicious - Arabic rice, and it turned out wonderful! So dear readers, I decided to post this recipe in case anyone is feeling adventurous in cooking and wants to try something new. I used lean (93/7) ground beef, so it really is pretty healthy, too. The flavors are definitely different, and I love that Egyptian food often uses spices that we typically relegate to cookies and coffee cakes. Delish!

1.5 lbs ground beef
3 tbsp garlic powder (yes, 3 tbsp is correct!)
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground all spice
2 cups of long grain rice
4 cups beef broth (~3 cans)
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
2 chopped green onions
Rice Wine Vinegar or Lemons

Combine first four ingredients in large skillet. Cook over medium heat til meat is browned, stirring til it crumbles. Stir in rice, beef broth. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender/liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and green onions and serve with lemon wedges. Note: I lovvve tons of lemon on mine, it's a great contrast with the toastiness of the almonds and all of the spices.

Happy eating!

Song Obsession of the Week

So I must confess, I have watched American Idol this season. I know, lame. I watched David Cook's season, but other than that the only one I ever followed was the first one, with the brilliant KC. But this season I decided, meh, I guess I'll watch it...and Kris Allen is amazing! Yes, Adam Lambert can pull off the rockstar thing, and yes, he played Fiyero in the LA cast of Wicked, but pretty much every song Kris sings makes me want to go buy his album. Here are my faves:



"She Works Hard for the Money"

"Falling Slowly." LOVED that he took a risk with one of the best movie songs ever!


"Heartless." Love that he covered Kanye AND The Fray's versions.

So there you have it, I watch American Idol. I do not, however, vote for American Idol. I save that ultimate lameness for So You Think You Can Dance...WHICH PREMIERES NEXT WEEK PEOPLE!

I Like...Awkwardness

Oh man, you have to check out Awkward Family Photos. They're just putting out in the open what we have all experienced at some point in our lives...except these are WAY more awkward. Best procrastination tool ever!

I Like...the semester being over!! (Almost)

It's true...this insane semester of full-time practicum + class + insane number of papers is finally winding to a close. It has been hectic and exhausting, but challenging and productive for the most part. In short, here is what I learned:

I am a LOT more interested in social policy than I ever expected.

I became a somewhat passionate advocate for education policy reform. 

I could see myself being more involved in the macro/community development/policy/advocacy aspects of social work than I previously thought.

Some professors are crazy, and some are crazier.

I heart Trinity for actually preparing me for grad school. I learned that this semester, because last semester was a joke.

Even when writing insane papers for insane professors whose jargon and made-up terminology is impossible to follow, I became more introspective and got more of a handle on my own philosophy of social work and empowerment. 

I want to start a community vitalizing, sustainable development, strengths-based, street-level, innovative social change organization. Someday. 

I still love to write, even if the paper topic is vague and I am making up B to the S the whole way.

I have written 127 pages...10 more to go. 

Hallelujah!

p.s. why is it raining, cold, and feeling like November? It's May 10!

I Like...Reality Checks

I got this from Arloa Sutter, a community organizer/minister from Chicago whose blog I found recently :) So powerful.

Being poor is getting angry at your kids for asking for all the crap they see on TV.

Being poor is having to keep buying $800 cars because they're what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there's not an $800 car in America that's worth a damn.

Being poor is hoping the toothache goes away.

Being poor is knowing your kid goes to friends' houses but never has friends over to yours.

Being poor is going to the restroom before you get in the school lunch line so your friends will be ahead of you and won't hear you say "I get free lunch" when you get to the cashier.

Being poor is living next to the freeway.

Being poor is coming back to the car with your children in the back seat, clutching that box of Raisin Bran you just bought and trying to think of a way to make the kids understand that the box has to last.

Being poor is wondering if your well-off sibling is lying when he says he doesn't mind when you ask for help.

Being poor is off-brand toys.

Being poor is a heater in only one room of the house.

Being poor is knowing you can't leave $5 on the coffee table when your friends are around.

Being poor is hoping your kids don't have a growth spurt.

Being poor is stealing meat from the store, frying it up before your mom gets home and then telling her she doesn't have make dinner tonight because you're not hungry anyway.

Being poor is Goodwill underwear.

Being poor is not enough space for everyone who lives with you.

Being poor is feeling the glued soles tear off your supermarket shoes when you run around the playground.

Being poor is your kid's school being the one with the 15-year-old textbooks and no air conditioning.

Being poor is thinking $8 an hour is a really good deal.

Being poor is relying on people who don't give a damn about you.

Being poor is an overnight shift under florescent lights.

Being poor is finding the letter your mom wrote to your dad, begging him for the child support.

Being poor is a bathtub you have to empty into the toilet.

Being poor is stopping the car to take a lamp from a stranger's trash.

Being poor is making lunch for your kid when a cockroach skitters over the bread, and you looking over to see if your kid saw.

Being poor is believing a GED actually makes a difference.

Being poor is people angry at you just for walking around in the mall.

Being poor is not taking the job because you can't find someone you trust to watch your kids.

Being poor is the police busting into the apartment right next to yours.

Being poor is not talking to that girl because she'll probably just laugh at your clothes.

Being poor is hoping you'll be invited for dinner.

Being poor is a sidewalk with lots of brown glass on it.

Being poor is people thinking they know something about you by the way you talk.

Being poor is needing that 35-cent raise.

Being poor is your kid's teacher assuming you don't have any books in your home.

Being poor is six dollars short on the utility bill and no way to close the gap.

Being poor is crying when you drop the mac and cheese on the floor.

Being poor is knowing you work as hard as anyone, anywhere.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually stupid.

Being poor is people surprised to discover you're not actually lazy.

Being poor is a six-hour wait in an emergency room with a sick child asleep on your lap.

Being poor is never buying anything someone else hasn't bought first.

Being poor is picking the 10 cent ramen instead of the 12 cent ramen because that's two extra packages for every dollar.

Being poor is having to live with choices you didn't know you made when you were 14 years old.

Being poor is getting tired of people wanting you to be grateful.

Being poor is knowing you're being judged.

Being poor is a box of crayons and a $1 coloring book from a community center Santa.

Being poor is checking the coin return slot of every soda machine you go by.

Being poor is deciding that it's all right to base a relationship on shelter.

Being poor is knowing you really shouldn't spend that buck on a Lotto ticket.

Being poor is hoping the register lady will spot you the dime.

Being poor is feeling helpless when your child makes the same mistakes you did, and won't listen to you beg them against doing so.

Being poor is a cough that doesn't go away.

Being poor is making sure you don't spill on the couch, just in case you have to give it back before the lease is up.

Being poor is a $200 paycheck advance from a company that takes $250 when the paycheck comes in.

Being poor is four years of night classes for an Associates of Art degree.

Being poor is a lumpy futon bed.

Being poor is knowing where the shelter is.

Being poor is people who have never been poor wondering why you choose to be so.

Being poor is knowing how hard it is to stop being poor.

Being poor is seeing how few options you have.

Being poor is running in place.

Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.