Listen to Sonohra Favorites :3

Spending so much time in Italy, I was exposed to some great Italian bands. Granted, not many because the Italians spend so much time promoting the English music, that Italian bands don't get very much coverage. Anyway, this band Sonohra is a group made up of two brothers from Verona, Italy. They are super cute and have very good music. Enjoy!! I'll add more of their new songs as soon as they are released!

My Yummy, Delicious, Super Special Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't know about you guys but cookies are Life!! When you feel down or when you just need that little bit of sugar to get you going, cookies are the answer. The only problem is, it's really hard to find the perfect cookie; it's not too crunchy, not too gooie, the right amount of chocolate chips. Well, my friends, I have come up with the perfect recipe for cookies. They turn out perfect everytime and everyone loves them.

Yummy, Delicious, Super Special Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1-2 tbsp cinnomin

Mix well in a medium size bowl and set aside.

3/4 cups Sugar
3/4 cups Brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat well. You can microwave the butter for about ten seconds so it's really soft, but not melting, that way it mixes better in the dough and doesn't cause your cookies to melt in the oven. Add the dry ingredient mixture a little bit at a time, mixing well. Add a 12 oz bag of mini chocolate chips and mix well. You can use regular size chocolate chips, but the mini ones provide a better cookie-to-chocolate ratio.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Make little two inch balls and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for ten minutes. When you pull the cookies out, they will just barely be turning a rich golden brown but DON'T put them back in!! They continue cooking when they come out and you don't want them to burn.

You can also substitute the 2 1/2 cups flour for 1 1/4 cups flour, then add 3 cups oats when you mix in the chocolate chips for a more healthy alternative. However, don't sweat too much over health because the secret to my cookies is not what's in it - though the cinnamin is a great addition - it's what's missing. There is half the amount of butter than is usually used in cookies, and they actually keep their shape better and you get nice firm cookies instead of the flat blah cookies.

So, get in the kitchen, get cooking, and enjoy!!! : ) I promise you, they are to die for!

The Lightning Thief

I just finished reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan. I was very impressed with all the mythology mixed into it and all in all it was a great story. I loved how the different locations, i.e. Olympus, the Underworld, had a modern feel to them, like the gods evolved with the times. I also liked the discriptions of the gods, very cool; Zues in a pinstripe suit, hilarious! There were a few dry spots where things didn't seem to flow quite as well as they could have, but it was still a great story.

It got me thinking back to the Classic Mythology course I took a while ago and I was amazed at how much I remember! All the different characters and stories about the gods, it's crazy! They were lustful, devilish, greedy, tempermental, vindictive, everything we love to hate about mankind. I have this theory, about the gods and why we think the Greeks worshipped them. The gods could have been important people in the Greek society that were highly thought of, so much so that to us today, it appears that they were worshipped. For instance, in our society today, people are so interested in celebrities, what their doing, their latest scandal, who they slept with and had a bastard child with, perhaps we could theorize that the Greeks felt the same way about people in their society that would have been rich and privilaged. That's why the gods could get away with so much, the lies, cheating, etc. We do the same for celebrities today. They get minimal punishment for their crimes and yet we still admire them!

...Kind of a sad state for our society to be in.

Don't get me wrong, the myths are fascinating. You've got heroes, villians, nature, man, the furthering of western civilization with cosmic help, drama, tragedy; what's not to love?

A Beating Heart

I have a bunch of totally awesome friends that are just as talented and artistic as I am :) Anyway, one of these awesome friends, Cory Keena, wrote a great prose piece and with his blessing, I am now sharing it with you. It's called A Beating Heart

This beating heart, it throbs and aches and beats until by chest cracks and heaves and it tries to fight its way out of its bone and flesh prison. It beats louder, faster. I can hear it, I can feel it, all around it, all consuming, in me, around me, it becomes me, this agonizingly repetitive motion, this ka-dum, ka-dum, I hear it in my very mind, it tries to escape. I can feel it, trying to beat its way out of me, trying to get away, but it can't. It's trapped within this web of veins and arteries, pushing and pulling but it can't be free.

Amazing. I love how the rhythm flows and keeps you in this steady beat just like a heart. The heart, trapped in the chest, is trying to break free and yet you get the feel that the person wants to be free as well. The constant sound of his heart is driving him crazy. The man has to live with and be constantly reminded of his humanity and his death which looms closer to him with each heart beat. But at the same time, his heart, his life is trying to get away from him, like his life, his soul doesn't want to be contianed in a flimsy human body but be free and alive.

Awesome, Cory! High five, kudos, amazing. I love it.

Here's a link to Cory's deviantart web site: http://itsaki.deviantart.com

Art the Easy Way: Collage

It happened on a blustery day not long ago, I came across a collage program featured on Tom Kaulitz's blog (yes, the guitarist for Tokio Hotel ;) ) It's called Shape Collage and it is so easy, so addicting and I have been spending a lot of time clicking away making collages. I recommend, if you want an easy way to make artsy compilations of your favorite pictures, then check this out! It's free to download the simple version and is way fun!

http://www.shapecollage.com/

While playing around with this software, I got a little more complex and combined my newly discovered Shape skills with my Paint.NET skills to make a fantastic collage of my favorite pictures taken while in Italy. So, it gives me great pleasure to present to you - drum roll, please -

Collage de Italia!!

This is made with all original, taken-by-me, on location photos. I would like to thank all my friends for appearing in these photos and making Italy my favorite place in the world. Loves you guys!

So, in conclusion: Shape Collage = awesome, Paint.NET = awesome, and the two combined with my awesomeness = totally awesome awesomeness. :)