On Isolation

Isolation. The state of being separated. The word isolation usually gives off a negative connotation, but in terms of lifestyle, it is vital to maintain happiness and rid yourself of stress. Stress comes with being overwhelmed and simply being annoyed by obnoxious individuals who for some reason always are able to pluck a string that sends you overboard. When frustrated, the best solution I realize is to isolate yourself from others and find a productive activity to do that allows yourself to enjoy yourself. Too much time is devoted to spending time with others and worry about what other think or want. Sometimes, you need to just isolate yourself and pick up an activity that you love.

My activity is cycling, or commonly known as bike-riding. It is the perfect activity to indulge in because of its invaluable benefits. What is nicer to do on a beautiful sunny day than ride a bike through mother nature, taking in the the sights and sounds that she has to offer? Nothing else brings a smirk to your face in times when you're frustrated than to take in some fresh air, reminisce on all your thoughts and feelings, and get yourself in shape at the same time. If you haven't taken up bike-riding and you feel that you need time for yourself, I highly recommend it. Not only is it enjoyable, but it also makes you feel like a fresh, new person. It's just refreshing.

I could continue to go on and talk about all the different types of activities and the things I like to do to just get away, but each person needs to experience something that he/she loves on their own. I just want to say most importantly: take time for yourself and find your own happiness. By doing this, there will be a new self that you will be happy with. Knowing that you can escape from your troubles and take up something as pleasurable as cycling is important. So please, try out that activity that people would make fun of you for or something you have never had time to do, because in the end, you will feel like a completely new person. Have fun and REMEMBER...Indulge yourself.

On Cooking

So today I went to heat up some leftover baked beans from our "bar-b-que" dinner the other night, and I learned that after about 33 seconds of cooking in the microwave baked beans explode. It was really cool, but I had to stop before my meal was obliterated (Besides, the beans were more than hot at this point, anyway). After burning the roof of my mouth, I realized that I should probably share my thoughts on cooking mishaps (which of course I did not realize I had such thoughts until right then).

Naturally, today's mishap comes after a long succession of mishaps. When I was about 7 or 8, I received a "Cooking with Chemistry" kit that was supposed to teach me science through cooking. I failed miserably. Being self-righteous and having the attitude that I "didn't need no stinkin' directions," I neglected to read that you must take the homemade gelatin out of the mold before sticking it into the microwave. After about 45 seconds the mold imploded, smoked and bubbled for a brief moment, and then collapsed into a sticky and cruddy mess on the glass plate in the microwave. Half out of it from the noxious fumes, I ran to my mom to get her to clean it up. I should have known better; I scraped every last bit of that mess out while she watched.

More recently, I decided that it would be a novel idea to butter my toast before putting it into the toaster, as we keep our butter in the refrigerator. Doing so cools the butter to the most perfect, irritatingly un-spreadable temperature. My idea would solve that and make a nice type of "butter bread." My sister, who is four years younger than me, warned me against doing so since she said the toaster would catch on fire. Naturally, since I had read Ayn Rand and taken Calculus, I was right, so I went ahead with my idea.

The butter melted, dripped onto the heating element, and immediately caught fire.

Luckily my sister saw this happen and unplugged the toaster before further damage occurred, as I was in the other room reading, being oh-so-confident in my plan that I did not even need to be there. The toaster was trashed, and we had to buy a new one.

Now, where is the learning in all this? The deeper meaning? I think, toasters and microwaves aside, that cooking mishaps, when they do not hurt anyone, can be great ways to experiment and learn. They reveal that hey, we are not perfect - we make laughable mistakes. My mom still makes fun of me for the incident, and I wrote about it in a college essay (I got into that college).

So, experiment! Have fun (safely of course - don't want lawsuits)! Here's a video of some REALLY cool microwave tricks! DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT try them please! Just watch ;)

-MM