Katniss' Lamb and Plum Stew

ATTENTION:
THE VIDEO HAS BEEN MOVED TO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auN51nErjaU
THE RECIPE HAS BEEN MOVED TO HERE: http://magiccatjenny.blogspot.com/2012/03/katniss-lamb-and-plum-stew.html
PLEASE CHANGE YOUR FAV.S LIKES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS!

THE ORIGINAL POSTS WILL SOON DISAPPEAR
THANK YOU AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR!

STATS
Subscribers: 302
NaNoWriMo: 25,064
'Gossip Girl Episode': 7
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child

True Whovians

I have now watched the first two disks of the very frist season of Doctor Who, the 1963 Doctor Who, and I can say it was at the same time very different and very much the same.  First off it had the feeling of a show even older then its time yet there were elements that have not changed in the entire time it's been on the air.  The first thing I noticed was the music, it was created back then with manual sound editing, recording static, backwards feedback, forwards feedback, and white noise machine (among other tools).  It was the time before synthesizers you see.  It's just amazing to see the magic that was made without the use of ProTools and other digital tools.  Another thing were the daleks, they were made they shape they are so the operator/actor inside could sit down.  And yes, that is a plunger at the end of their arm thingys, it was all they could afford at the time.  The third thing is the tardis, it looks almost the same and sounds just the same.  This I knew yet it was still such a pleasure to see.  The thing that, not so much confuses me as makes me a bit curious, is the fact that there is a character named Susan who calles the Doctor 'Grandfather.'  I'm not sure at this point they had the idea that the Doctor was actually a different species, (Time Lords).  So there are four characters, the Doctor, a young girl named Susan, and two school teachers; Ian and Barbara.  They are accidentally on these misadventures with the Doctor who owns this time machine/space ship.  An interesting fact I learned was that the character Susan named the Tardis.  (Time and Relative Dimension in Space)

I'll keep you all updated with my Doctor Who progress.  For any of you interested on following along with me (and have Netflix) I found a spectacular list on the internet to help you organize it all.  Doctor Who DVDs, chronologically posted by Baff.  I don't know if I'd call myself a 'true whovian' but I do enjoy this show and the progression of the story and I really look forward to filling in all the gaps.

STATS
Subscribers: 289
NaNoWriMo: 13,680
'Gossip Girl Episode': 5
Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction

How Gossip Girl Helped Me Lose Weight

The last three weeks were filled with the unreal, the beautiful, and the inevitability tragic.  (Or, more accurate, the inevitable tragedy.) For the first two weeks, however, I was blissfully out of touch with the world back home and enjoying a right of passage for any young 20something, the famous 'Euro Trip'  Yes, I've been to Europe before but never without the guidance and restrictions of my parents. This time I was on my own, accompanied only by my boyfriend's little brother and a multitude of maps, tickets, and the 'How-To Speak French' book he brought with him.

But more on my trip later.  Right now I want to tell you about the new amazing 'weight loss' idea I had.  Not that I need to lose weight, but after walking around Europe for two weeks I want to keep that good feeling exercising gives you.  Now, I hate exercise, but I hate Gossip Girl more.  I suppose that's not fair, I've never watched the show, yet I tried to read and could not stand the book.  I'm a bit picky when it comes to my television programs, I won't watch just anything.  Usually if it does not have scifi, fantasy, or ridiculous amounts of comedy I'm not interested.  I do not like Dawson's Creek, The OC, etc.  In fact, the only 'teen drama' show I enjoy (or used to at least) was Degrassi...it goes there.  Honestly though, I more or less know I'm not gonna like watching Gossip Girl.  My little sister likes that show, she thinks everything I do or like is...weird.  Yes that's right Nerdfighters, she things you're weird!  I love her, but she watches Gossip Girl and spends her money on clothing.  I spend my money on hard-drives.  But I shall embark on this feat, because for every Gossip Girl episode I watch, I will work out for the entire time.  That's right, 45 minutes every other day.  If, that is, I can work it around job interviews and making YouTube videos.  I'll try and keep posting here as often as I can so you can check to see what episode I'm on and how my workout progress is going.  I'm not going to weigh myself, it's not about weight loss, its about being healthy.  So from now on, when I mention what Gossip Girl episode I'm on, I'm more referring to how many time's I've worked out since Oct. 28th  Congrats, our first blog inside joke, feel special.

In other news, it's November, NaNoWriMo.  Even though I'll be cranking out at least 1,667 words a day I want to write on this blog more as well.  If you are reading this and want to agree with this idea, please let me know in the comments what you want to hear about.  My Euro Trip? the job hunt? NaNoWriMo news? Let me know.  Also, I have a new love of the British television show Doctor Who and after getting all caught up on episodes starting in 2005 and ending now, I have decided to start from the very start in 1963.  There a few things I am not giving up despite my recent unemployment, and one of those is Netflix.  (Another is VidCon2012)  Oh, and I'm 'sargentj' on NaNoWriMo.org if you want to follow my progress.  Comment with your username and I'll follow you!

Stay nerdy, you guys.

STATS
Subscribers: 278
NaNoWriMo: 1,235
'Gossip Girl Episode': 3
Doctor Who: The Begining, Disk One 'The Daleks'

Finding My Home Online

The internet is a strange and feral beast and even from my early experiences with it (aim chat-rooms with complete strangers) I've always been a bit uneasy with making friends on it.  As time went on my feelings about that have changed.  Yet, there's still those rare times where I get the feeling that someone just outright hates me.  Now, this post is not intended to fish for reassuring complements or loath in self deprecating anguish.  Seriously, not everyone is going to like everyone.  That's just a fact of life.  I want to talk about the vagueness of the internet.  A silly joke or poking fun of a friend could be taken seriously, it's hard to tell and the internet lends itself to passive aggressiveness.  I'd be lying if I thought from time to time that someone online just outright dislikes me.  Most of those times the evidence is, again, vague and probably misunderstood.  However it's the feeling of uncertainty that gets me.  I'm a sensitive person and it does not take too much for me to feel hurt.  Because of this I am going to make it my personal goal to be as genuine as I can online.  I know it's so easy to be something you are not online.  Hiding behind the pixels and the 0s and 1s is so tempting but faking 'it' is even more frustrating.  I've been feeling cluttered with my online presence lately, making too many promises to too many people.  Starting...well now, I have decided to change my focus a bit.  Change my 'image' to one that requires less maintenance but more work...if that makes any sense at all.  I took a break from the internet last Saturday and came back to a flood of emails, notifications, questions, etc.  The two weeks I'm about to take off will lead to who knows what... The thing I discovered from my break (which consisted mostly of me reading a book in my backyard in the sun all day) was that I need to sort my priorities out.  I need to stop worrying that people hate me.  I need to do what I want to do and create a hierarchy list of websites I give my time to.  My personal site needs to be much higher on that list then it currently is.  (Most people don't even know it exists.)

Perhaps I'm not even worried at all, perhaps I'm not upset or even care if I'm well liked or not.  Perhaps simply writing a stream of conscious blog post that will get read by very little people is therapeutic enough to put me at peace and realize that 'finding my home online' means very little.  But probably it's the anticipation of my European adventure I will leave for in less than two days.  A two week break from the internet (save email and twitter to stay in touch with my loved ones) and a chance to really experience things in a way I have not for the past month or so.  Maybe it's the open-ended-ness of my future.  Whatever it is, it doesn't matter so much. Not really.

Flights taken this year: 0 but about to change
Currently reading: Good Omens by Nail Gaiman
Subscribers: 259
Featured Craft Project: nothing, as I am about to embark on a journey and must pack light

Survey for Teenagers

If you are between the ages of 13 and 19 and have some spare time, I would love it if you would help me out by answering the following questions.  You don't have to answer any that make you uncomfortable, but do as much as you can.  This is to help me out with my NaNoWriMo novel this year as I am writing it from the perspective of a 15 year-old girl.  If you know any more teens that you think might do it as well, send it their way. I really appreciate it!  Just send your answers to my email (thecreatingcat@gmail.com) and comment on this post once you have.  Thank you so much!

Your name, your age, your gender.

Give a two or three word description of yourself.

Do you have any nicknames?

Where do you live?

Why do you live there?

What are your strengths?

What are your flaws or weaknesses?

What is the coolest thing right now?

What kind of music do you listen to?  Favorite band/artist?

What is your personal clothing style?

Do you wear makeup?

Do you wear glasses/contacts?

What do you like about school?

What do you hate about school?

What are your friends like?

Do you play with toys? What's your favorite?

What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?

What is your family like?

Do you get along with them?

What type of people do you get along with?

What type of people do you not?

What do you think of the opposite sex?

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

What are your goals?

Who are your role models?

Favorite book?

Favorite movie?

If you are a youtuber:

How long have you been a 'youtuber'?

Who are your favorite youtubers?

What was your first video like?

How often do you post videos?

Do your IRL friends know about your 'youtube life'?

Does your family?

What do people think about it?

Do you ever get sick of youtube?

What's the best part about being a Youtuber?

What's the worse?

If you are a Nerdfighter:

How long have you been a Nerdfighter?

What is your favorite John Green book? Why?

How many of your IRL friends are Nerdfighters?

Ever met another Nerdfighter randomly?

How did you become a Nerdfighter?

What do your non-Nerdfighter friends think about it?

Which Hogwarts house do you most identify with?

What's the best part about being a Nerdfighter?

What's the worse?

Anything else you think I need to know about teenagers before I write my novel?

 Thank you so much for compleating this, you're a huge help!

~Jenny

Currently reading: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Youtube Subscribers: 234
Worse thing this week: Pretty much everyone I love is going to be in Europe without me.
Best thing this week: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171657162906111

Internet Friendships

I've had 'online friends' for years. Getting the internet was such an exciting thing for me as a kid. It meant I could find a world of people that liked the same things I did and would talk to me about them anytime. So believe me when I tell you that I'm no n00b to having 'online friends'. I am new to having online friends that I can actually see and talk to and are video creators like me. It's been a weird couple of weeks but ever since Vidcon my 'online' friendship count has astronomically increased. I believe it was partially due to the comfort of meeting these people in person first and the sense of comradery that was thick in the air. We could all be ourselves and not be judged for this one glorious weekend.

What I real want to address though is the term 'online friend' and it's stigma. At a time it was thought to be a creepy concept worthy of a visit by Chris Hansen. In the last, oh I don't know, 10 years or so it's gotten a little more respect and credibility. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, smart phones, and such are to thank for making communicating on the internet mainstream.  The problem I seem to run up against is the canyon-like separation I feel between my friends I met (or mostly talk to) on the internet and my friends I made at school and actually see on a semi regular basis. (at least more than my so called 'online friends')  Yes, the two worlds tend to collide at times and the term IRL (in real life) is pointless because the internet is still real life, and I hate the term 'online friends' almost as much as I hate the term 'viral video' but can't seem to find a better way to explain it to my (oh dear) 'IRL' friends...

I guess my general frustration stems from the fact I'm so used to hanging out in groups (in high school, at college, parties, etc.); that to have all of these individual friends I interact with online (even though some of them tend to know one another anyways) and no place/ability to hang out with offline in a group (google+ chat rooms do not count...not like I've been invited to one yet) Yes there are BlogTV shows and such, but again, online meet-ups does not count! I guess I could just be wishing to relive Vidcon, like so many of the people who were there do. Or maybe I want all of my high school and college friends to attend Vidcon and interact with my 'online friends' and accept it and say it's cool and not weird.

I don't know why I'm having such a struggle with this.  I guess I want to make sure my 'online friendships' don't dwindle and that we don't loose contact.  It's so much easier to forget friends when you can't hang out with them in physical places. I don't want that to happen. So, to all my 'online friends' (ugg, is there a better term for you?) though I can not take you all out to coffee like I want, please let me take to you to virtual coffee. What I mean is, go bother me on one of my many online locations, go, do it now, just say hi or something or comment here. And to my old friends whom I've shared experiences with and grew up with, lets go out for real coffee sometime.  Lets not let it slip into the classic: "We never hang out, lets hang out more!" because we all know that never actually leads to any hanging out.

Keep Calm and Pottermore

I was never super into Harry Potter growing up.  Sure I read the books the moment they came out and saw all the movies in their first week.  I even dressed up to the premieres a few times.  But I never really considered myself a part of the Harry Potter fandom.  Looking back I realize that Hanson is to blame.  The first Harry Potter book came out in 1997, the same year Mmmbop was a chart topper.  I am a Hanson fan.  Always have been, always will be.  Because of my love of the brothers, I was pretty tunnel vision with my fandoms.  Harry Potter was great and all but my heart belonged to the blond boys who knew how to play music and harmonize. (Sorry boy bands, dancing does not do it for me like a guy with a guitar, drum set, piano, etc.)  Then, about a year later, the musical Cats was on my radar.  It was the perfect fandom.  Small and therefore supportive and friendly (for the most part).  The lose plot allowed for creative fan fiction, and the beauty and originality of the costumes was the best thing to draw which I did in my endless notebooks of fan art.  I realized my two big loves were classically unliked and I probably would have been much better off donning a scarf and wand rather than a wig and tail.  It did not matter though, we like what we like and should not have to apologize for it.  That being said I did get deeper into the HP fandom as the books got better and better; the last two being my favorites.  Then I found YouTube and wizard rock in the past year.  Yes, I know I'm late to the (Yule) ball but I feel like I don't have to have been there from the beginning to be a part of it.  Ever since the hype of the final movie and Pottermore I've been a non-stop Potter-obsessed nerd.  (Much to the annoyance of everyone around me.)  I joined Pottermore and even helped a friend who is a bigger Potter fan then me but had no internet that week get in.  It's been an interesting year, but I'm as excited for the new 'thing' as the next fan.  So to aid to my new obsession, I've filled out a Pottermore survey I stole from Hayley G Hoover.  Enjoy!

What's your Pottermore username? SparksRain117

What House do you think it sounds like? It could be Gryffindor or Slytherin I think.  Sparks raining down makes me think of dueling and those two are always dueling. 

What House do you want to be in? Gryffindor. My friends think I should be Hufflepuff (not sure if they think it's cause I'm nice or cause they want to make me mad.)  I've been know to eat books so Ravenclaw is an option.  Yet, I'm obnoxious and bossy and insistent on being the one in charge, so really it could only be Gryffindor.  I have no idea what I'd do if the site makes me a Hufflepuff, nothing against the badger I just would never live it down with my friends.

Does your username relate to you at all? Out of my options, 'WolfCat' seems as it would have been a closer fit (another option I had) but I really really like SparksRain!  It's like how I chose my house against what was 'obvouse' for me.  I can't always be predictable.

What kind of wand would you wish to get? Lightweight with a Unicorn hair in it I think.  Something that would be good for Transfiguration, I like Transfiguration. 

Are you pure, half-blooded or Muggle born? Half-blood I think.  My dad would defiantly be a wizard but I'm not so sure about my mom.

Which day did you get into Pottermore? Day 4.

What shape is your Patronus? An ocelot.

What does your boggart look like? Coping Haley here because it's so true.  "Like Mrs. Weasley's-- the death of someone close to me."

Would you rather be an Animagus or a Matamorphmagus? I think I'd be an animagus.  However, that could be my old desire to be an Animorph surfacing.

If you were an Animagus, what animal would you be? Some sort of feline, that's for sure.  I want to say a lion but if I wanted to be unsuspecting I'd probably be a domestic cat or a feral cat.

Thanks for reading!  Fill out the survey in the comments if you like, it'd be fun to see your responses.