The O.C.

I am obsessed with The O.C....you know, that television series that ran for four years in the early 2000s depicting the lives of affluent Californian high school students.
I don't know why but something about getting lost in the overly dramatic, completely unrealistic, slightly twisted lives of some of the wealthiest teenagers in America is so incredibly enthralling.  Every time that the leading lady, Marissa, spirals out of control within her sixteen year old angst, binge drinking, and stalker boyfriends, I cannot stop watching!  Seth Cohen's endlessly whitty comments and corky pathetic mannerisms are adorable in every way and I can't get enough of him.  The characters are so lovable within their soap opera lives and the drama of it all is absurdly addictive.
I've recently discovered a web sight that allows anyone to watch free episodes of all four seasons of The O.C. online at anytime.  It is spectacular.
You're thinking...okay, so Jen really likes this TV show, big deal.
No. There is much more than that.  This TV show is life-changing in its hysterical depiction of the upper elite country clubbers and will provide you with a distracting escape from whatever emotional roller coaster you seem to be trapped on in your own life.  Having friend troubles? Watch The O.C., you'll realize that it could always be worse.  Feel mistreated by your parents? Watch The O.C., you could always have Julie Cooper as you're mom.  Can't decide whether your Marc Jacobs or Chanel bag is the best fit for your campus? Watch The O.C., Summer will show you the way.  Need a way to express your inner feelings of anger and manly rage? Watch The O.C., Ryan will be inspirational.  Want to figure out how to throw the "fear of God", Dad style on your teenage boy? Watch The O.C., Sandy Cohen knows all.
The O.C. is not the answer to all of life's most troubling questions...but it will distract you from your own concerns so well that the real world issues will simply fade away.  All is chaos in The O.C. and so, by comparison, all is well with you....unless your life is chaos, then you're not alone.
It is for everyone.  I highly recommend seasons 1 and 2.  Go watch and see.   www.tv-links.eu

Take Captive Your Thoughts

Time and time again I'm reminded that time spent in anger, jealousy, or strife is time wasted.  What is the point of getting so worked up about something that will not matter a year from now.  Why use up so much energy feeling worried or anxious when life is really uncontrollable?  You can't change an outcome or fix fate. Life happens the way God wants it to happen and for His glory.  So, why get caught up in the things of the world.
I am inspired to instead "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ".  Like it or not, God is in control of it all so why not allow His control to happen.  Something tells me that this verse wouldn't be in 2 Corinthians unless we needed the reminder that our thoughts will rebel if we let them.  We will get angry and over-sensitive and upset at the small things if we allow ourselves to....and that is a waste of time.
We can't control what will happen to us throughout our lives but we can control what we think and how we react.
I choose joy.  Not angst.  See life for what it is: a chance to live abundantly on the world that God has given us and try to love those around you the way that God loves you.  It is nothing more than that.
How someone views you, whether or not you get your dream job, how much money you have in your banking account, and if you are married or single DOES NOT MATTER.  You see...joy can be found in all circumstances and no situation has to be a "bad" one.

What matters in life is not what happens to you but how you choose to live out what you're given.

Home at last

Back in Austin, Texas and it feel good. After my long journey to Hong Kong and a road trip to Colorado, it is nice to be back in the place that I know best. The summer has been so long and busy that I can't help but get excited with the thought of relaxation, Barton Springs, Gregory gym, my house on Harris Ave, Midnight Rodeo, thrift shops, and the Butler School of Music. I have learned to appreciate and love this city and I must say that it is good to be home. More on the Hong Kong trip soon...

It's been too long

My apologies blogger, it has been far too long.  Unfortunately, classwork trumps blogwork and that is how it must be.  Summer, my friend, has saved our relationship.
Life without summer would be a life without sunshine, and swimming pools, flip flops, or watermelons.  There would be no wildflowers or days of endless sun followed by nights aloe cream or Margarita Mondays full of chips and salsa.
To me summer means freedom, independence, sundresses, road trips, forgetting what day of the week it is, staying up late just because you want to, sleepy mornings, riding in a boat, sunglasses, and festivals.  Summer is time for learning something new, developing an old skill, trying your hand at painting, becoming a crochet master, taking hip hop dance classes, swimming laps, sleepovers, and spending time with friends that get neglected by due dates and exams.  It is here.  And I love it.
So my apologies to you, my neglected blog.  I am back with the sunshine.

books

Kindles are killing the art of reading a book made of paper.  They need to be outlawed.  If not, ancient bookstores, public libraries, and the book business as a whole will be no more.  Turning a page while reading a suspenseful story, is worth the paper.  Books hold history and rustic smells.  Reused books with penciled in notes and highlighted lines overflow with character and an untold story. Yellowed pages, creased corners, sandy crevices and coffee stains fill the pages of the beloved books and illustrate their significance to the human race.  The thought of a generation not understanding the power of a real document is frightening.  So, for the sake of books, I take on my first grumpy, old, narrow-minded stance against new technology and say that, unless quickly eliminated, Kindles threaten the existence of a beloved member of everyday life, the turning of pages.

Offering Leftovers

God.  The master and maker of everything we see, feel, touch, and breath.  He deserves more than leftovers...but, unfortunately, leftovers is exactly what I usually give Him.  I fill my already overweight schedule to a point of extreme pressure on the buttons and obese exhaustion.  Meaning, I spend my time, money, and energy on things that truly will not matter when I'm 83 wearing diapers and will seem exceptionally pointless when all that is left is eternity in heaven.  Then, after daily meetings, rushed meals and hurried break times, I take what little gusto I have left and offer it to God.
Francis Chan wrote the book Crazy Love which has something to say about this offering of leftovers.

"For years I gave God leftovers and felt no shame.  I simply took my eyes off Scripture and instead compared myself to others.  The bones I threw at God had more meat on them than the bones others threw, so I figured I was doing fine.  

It's easy to fill ourselves up with other things and then give God whatever is left...Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one who matters), they're evil.  Let's stop calling it "a busy schedule" or "bills" or "forgetfulness".  It's called evil."

But somewhere in our minds (that is to say in my mind) I conclude that I have given God everything I can stand to give.  I'm so consumed with other things that I am sure will further my career, help me network, or give me that once in a lifetime opportunity....and those things really mean a lot right?  No, what really means a lot is God and my relationship with Jesus.  That is what I should really be concerned about, nothing else.
This inability to understand what is truly the most important thing, is something that Francis Chan referenced Henri Nouwen's book With Open Hands for further evidence:

" 'It is hard to bear with people who stand still along the way, lose heart, and seek their happiness in little pleasures which they cling to....You feel sad about all that self-indulgence and self-satisfaction, for you know with an indestructible certainty that something greater is coming...' Or, as Luke 9:25 says, 'What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?' "

When you choose to fill your life with insignificant tasks, you fail to let God in.  Simply put- all of that pointless crap is leaving no room for God to move.  More importantly, it leaves no room for you to love God because you're too busy loving yourself and your own accomplishments.
I will end with one last quote from Crazy Love, a book I recommend for anyone searching to understand deeply God's truth....it seems to sum up that with which I struggle on the daily and hope to overcome soon.

"When we put it plainly like this-as a direct choice between God an our stuff-most of us hope we would choose God.  But we need to realize that how we spend our time, what our money goes toward, and where we will invest our energy is equivalent to choosing God or rejecting Him.  How could we think for even a second that something on this puny little earth compares to the Creator and Sustainer and Savior of it all?"

Dinner for Two

This year as part of a Christmas present for my boyfriend, I decided to make us a "romantic dinner for two" on Decemeber 16th.  I worked hard to make the average Thursday evening special and even printed out an elegant invitation to the dinner.  I inserted a small note into the invitation asking him to choose the style of food he wanted.  The options were Italian, Chinese, or Mexican food.  I am queen of Italian food and make a pretty decent Chinese stir fry, so felt pretty confident.   BUT, of course, Austin chose Mexican food.
I was rather nervous about cooking mexican for the first time at a dinner that I had made such a big deal about....unfortunately, there was no going back so I chose my meal.  This was my plan:
Fresh Queso and Hot Sauce
Chicken Verdes Enchiladas,
Spanish Rice, Black Beans,
Virgin Strawberry Margaritas, and
Sopapillas for desert.  
Decision made....but totally overwhelming.  This list was comprised of five dishes never before made by "Jen Bailey Cook Supreme" over here (Perfect, Jen, way to bite of way more than you can chew.  No pressure).
With the help of a few friends, I rounded up recipes and prepared for the dinner.  I decorated my apartment with candles, flowers, cheesy music, and a table for two.  Even if the food failed, it would look good.  Right?  I had my day planned out to ensure that everything was ready for our 7:00pm dinner and left little room for dilly-dallying.   What follows is an approximated outline of the hours of courageous first-attempts at difficult recipes leading up to my Romantic Dinner for Two:

3:30 PM-  Shower and blow dry hair....even if I run out of time later on, looking (and smelling) good is a necessity.

3:50 PM- Prep the very small, apartment-sized kitchen to begin by hanging recipes and organizing supplies.

4:00 PM- Begin the Sopapillas.  This was what I was most worried about.  I figured that I would start early just in case they needed to be redone.  The sopapilla recipe began with making homemade dough similar to that of a pie crust or biscuits and ended in frying the dough that expands and puffs with the heat.  The recipe I used can be found at: http://whatscookingamerica.net/CynthiaPineda/Sopapillas/Sopapillas.htm

5:00 PM- One melted spatula and extremely floured kitchen later, the Sopapillas are complete.  A huge sigh of relief.

5:30 PM- Begin the Enchiladas.  This recipe (given to me from Miss Celeste Castillo) was also very detail oriented and took a lot of time.  I had to cook and shred the chicken, blend my very own Verde sauce, and fry tortillas before I even assembled the enchiladas.

6:00 PM- Multitasking at its finest!  While waiting for frying oil to heat, I begin the Spanish Rice and prep the Black Beans.  I also have to take a break to wash my only 4 pots/pans (evidence of a college student) to re-use them, as well as my blender to make the Margaritas.

6:15 PM-  FULL FLEDGE PANIC ENSUES as I realize the series of loud beeps coming from my hallway is the smoke detector going off!!!  I immediately begin waving my towel at the device providing it with fresh oxygen and momentarily stopping the alarm.

6:21 PM- All windows and vents are open and turned on in attempts to keep the alarm from crying "fire" once more.  It seems that too much smoke and steam coming from my rice and frying tortillas triggered the alarm.  Only 42 minutes to complete the dinner, light a dozen candles, and pull myself together...now is not the  time for the Austin Fire Department to arrive.  

6:24 PM- I make the decision to call my father (division chief of AFD).  Our conversation goes as follows:

Hey, Dad....   

Oh, hey Jen, what's going on?    

Well, uhm....you see, I just set off my fire alarm cooking dinner for Austin.      

Oh did you? What happened?     I was just frying tortillas and didn't have the oven vent on and didn't notice the smoke, nothing huge.      

Snickering.    

I waved my towel at it and opened the windows and everything's fine, it only beeped like 5 times...but is the fire department about to show up?  

No, no if they aren't there now, no one's coming. You don't think a neighbor heard it and called, do ya?  

(Thank God, for the guys in 304 having band practice tonight) 

No, I don't think anyone heard.   

Then, I think you're good to go honey.  Just keep the vent on.    

Okay, thanks Dad. Gotta finish before he gets here!

6:28 PM- Extreme focus and concentration is poured into finishing the meal on time.  I have to finish frying tortillas, roll the enchiladas, pour the sauce and heat in the oven, finish the spanish rice and black beans, make the virgin margaritas and try not to sweat because I have to look good.

6:47 PM- All of the food is somehow miraculously, by a gift from God, complete!  I quickly jump into my "casual cocktail" attire, throw on some mascara, wipe down the kitchen, light all the candles, and push play on  the corny romantic music.

7:00 PM- Just on time, my handsome date knocks on the door with a big smile, bouquet of flowers, and warm hug.  I proudly offer him a seat and serve him his meal.  Much to my delight, everything tasted wonderful and I got plenty of compliments from Mr. Austin Hart.

His smile and excitement and sheer happiness made all of the stress fade away.  FIVE new recipes in THREE short hours and one fire scare later, I have made my date feel special...and that is what made it all worthwhile.