Happy Twitter-versary

As of tomorrow, July 13, 2012, I've been on Twitter 4 years. Wow, how times flies. Twitter continues to be for me a source of grace, beauty, laughter and friendship.

This video is an example of grace and beauty, found via Twitter, in an airport of all places. In the departure hall in Terminal 1 of the Singapore Airport, this brand new kinetic sculpture greets visitors. Motors in the ceiling control two sets of 608 copper-covered aluminum raindrops, suspended on wire, that perform a 15-minute long choreographed dance.

"Kinetic Rain" Changi Airport Singapore from ART+COM on Vimeo.

T's Favorite Apps

Our new ipad, which I received for Mother's Day, has become T's best friend. He has a couple games he really loves, and since they are educational, I thought I'd share them.

The first is Stack the States. By answering questions about the U.S. states and stacking up the correct answers, the player wins states on a map. Questions range from easy (choosing the state that matches the abbreviation) to hard (knowing state nicknames). The bar moves up as you get better so you continually have to earn more states to more to the next level. There are bonus games that open up that are fun too - T's favorites are puzzler and capital drop (in which you have to match state shapes with their capital cities).

A sample question with states already stacked.

The goal is to have the stack reach the black and white line.

The "My States" page. Each time you stack states up to the bar, you earn a state for the "My State" map.

In one of the bonus games, Puzzler, you drag the states together to make a section of the map.

The app costs 99 cents and is worth every penny. If you play it long enough, it repeats questions, but this doesn't bother T since he loves repetition! Check it out at the itunes store here. 

T's new favorite game is Presidents vs. Aliens. Created by the same guy as Stack the States, players earn presidents by answering questions about the men who have served in the highest office in the U.S. This a bit more difficult than the states but the tougher questions have clues (like dates) that help. The hardest ones are quotes from Presidents as not many of them are well-known. [We might engage in a bit of quiz-jacking.]

A sample question - in the background, you can see the aliens hovering over Washington, D.C. 

After you get a question right, you get to help the President take out some of the aliens. When all the aliens are defeated, you win a president for your big "My Presidents" list. 

The main "My Presidents" page. In the bottom corners, you can see the bonus games: Heads of State and Executive Order. T loves putting all the presidents in chronological order in Executive Order. 

This app is also a bargain at 99 cents! Check it out on itunes here. We're going to try Stack the Countries next. Learn more about the author of these great games on his blog: http://dan-russell-pinson.com/

Fun Times in the Madison Area - Casa Capelli

We're always on the hunt for new places to try (both at home and when we're on the road). Sunday and Monday nights can be a little bleak, as many places are closed, but that just makes us stretch out of our comfort zone a bit. The first Monday we were in Madison, we decided to stick with the "restaurants in bank buildings" theme we started two nights earlier at Vault by visiting Casa Capelli in Ashtabula.

A little more than 30 years younger than the old bank in Madison, the former Farmer's National Bank in Ashtabula is a more imposing structure, both outside and in. This photo shows the tellers windows in what is now the main dining room.

photo from the restaurant's website

the dining room today

stained glass ceiling is something else, even on a rainy evening

Despite the somewhat lavish surroundings, the restaurant is a no-nonsense Mom and Pop establishment that prides itself on making things from scratch. Our server was honest and efficient; the food pretty good. They carry a nice selection of local wines to go along with a menu that is primarily Italian with a few Mexican dishes thrown in for fun. Dinner included a big green salad and a basket of bread to start.

we both had fajitas - chicken for me (above) and shrimp for C (below)

"Served with Spanish rice, shredded cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, and flour tortillas."

C wished there were a few more shrimp on his platter but I had plenty of chicken to share with him. It was a filling and satisfying meal. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, but if you're in the neighborhood, you'll have a nice meal at a good price.

Casa Capelli
4641 Main Avenue
Ashtabula, Ohio
http://www.casacapelli.com/

Polenta Eggplant Stacks

We love this recipe, which is adapted from Weight Watchers magazine.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
28 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes (we like Hunt's with basil and xx)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 1/2 pound(s) uncooked eggplant(s), cut into 24 (1/4-inch thick) slices
16-18 oz polenta, from a refrigerated tube, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) slices
3/4 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup(s) (shredded) part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic. Sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.

Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil. Spray with olive oil non-stick spray. Place the eggplant on the tray and broil 4 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes on each side. There is usually enough eggplant that it takes 2 batches to cook them all. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Spoon about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a nonstick 11 x 14-inch baking pan. Place 12 of the eggplant slices in the pan, then top each with a polenta slice, a tablespoon of ricotta cheese, and the remaining eggplant. Spoon the remaining sauce over all.

Bake, covered loosely with foil, until heated through and the sauce is bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Top each stack with about 2 teaspoons mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.  Serve hot or at room temperature. Yields 1 polenta and eggplant stack per serving (~6 WW points each).

Quote of the Week

from oldpostsecret via pinterest

My Grandparents Wedding Photos

February 12, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio (Dad's parents)

November 8, 1934 in Erie, Pennsylvania (Mom's parents)

Who Are Your Stars in 2012?

One of my favorite Alpha Chi Omega Convention traditions is Star Booth. For a small donation, you can honor the sisters who have touched your life or inspired you.

All the funds raised support the mission of Alpha Chi Omega Foundation - helping sisters learn and grow, assisting survivors of domestic violence and the agencies that serve them, and commemorating our musical heritage through support of the MacDowell Colony.
When you purchase a star (which you can do online here), Foundation sends an email to the recipient on your behalf. This is new this year and it's been fun receiving stars in my inbox. Convention attendees also get stars to wear on their name tags, and I've traditionally mostly bought stars for women I know are attending but I thought this year it would be fun to recognize four young sisters who are devoting time to making a difference in the world.

The first three are 2012 graduates of my home chapter, Zeta Upsilon, at Case Western Reserve University, all of whom were selected for Teach for America. They are training now and will teach children in underprivileged schools for 2 years, starting this fall: Abi in Oklahoma; Candace second grade in New Mexico; and Erin high school English in Memphis.

Abi, Erin and Candace at Alpha Chi Recruitment this winter. 

If you're not familiar with Teach for America, learn more here. Also, follow along as Erin is blogs her training and teaching experience here. 

My fourth inspirational sister is Victoria. Another Zeta Upsilon alumna, she graduated CWRU in 2011 and after completing her masters in Engineering and Management this spring, is spending the summer cycling across the US with Bike & Build.

Bike & Build organizes cross-country bicycle trips which benefit affordable housing groups.
Specifically, we fund projects planned and executed by young adults. Over the past 9 seasons we have donated more than $3.3MM; built for more than 100,000 hours; pedaled over 5MM miles; and engaged more than 1500 young adults in spreading the word about the affordable housing crisis in America.

Victoria's journey will take her from Providence, Rhode Island to Seattle, Washington. Along the way, the team will take breaks from riding and participate in building projects made possible by their fundraising.

Victoria in Pennsylvania en route to Seattle

Follow along with Victoria here and see the route (and where she is today (until August 21) here.


Who inspires you? Recognize her with a star here: http://www.axostarbooth.com/

See also
Who Are Your Stars? Don't miss the great comments
Alpha Chi Omega Star Booth