Taking a reprieve.

(Stolen)


Because the newspaper got crazy, and because I haven't made any delicious treats in a while.

Also because I'm perpetually sleepy.

For free! (and fraiku)

One, this is a pretty spectacular deal for those of us (really, everyone) who likes Wendy's frosties. The only thing better than a chocolate frosty is a free chocolate frosty!

Also, fraiku:

"Taco Tote"
Soda machine from
The future, salsas galore,
the best tacos.

"My week in food:"
Frostie friday, wing
Wednesday, and thaco thursday (milkshake everyday).
I'm the healthiest.

"Really should be copy editing"
This is what I chose
to do instead of real work.
Don't tell Cynthia.

Wings, and mid-week reflections

So I had some great chicken wings today at Rocco's with newsy friends David, Kyle and Chelo, and Mr. Chelo (also known as Duncan).

I did not take photos, though I should have. We had a massive pile of wings, accented with some celery and carrot sticks. Very crisp and refreshing.

Anyway, I've now officially experienced all of my new weekly duties of the semester: I have gone to all of my classes (except the online one), met with the staffers and editors at the Aztec Press and edited some of their work, started my new tutoring job, and ate a lot of food.

If this week is any indication, I would say that the semester is going to run smoothly for the most part as long as I manage my time well and don't procrastinate (especially not by blogging). So basically, this semester will be hell.

But a lovely hell. With lovely people. And lovely food. Just like today.

Also, I think I need to make these.

That is all.

Newspaper things

This week, I will be embarking on a textual adventure in which I will wrestle with printers, scribble in reporter's notebooks and drink gallons of coffee and alcohol (hopefully at different points in the day).

It's time for the Aztec Press to resume their work of covering Tucson and PCC-related news.

I have become the Arts and Entertainment editor, and I am nervous about that.

My homework for the weekend was to review back issues of the paper and other publications' A&E sections to orient myself. I need to compile a list of movies that are out right now and write a few blurbs on them.

Also on my To Do list is to help Chelo, one of our lovely co-editors in chief, with news coverage and making sure the news section doesn't get neglected.

Did I mention that we currently have no news editor? We have no news editor. So that's fun.

Here's to hoping my (and the newspaper's collective) head doesn't explode!

Frai(day)ku

So this is something I want to try on a semi-regular basis: every or every other Friday, I will share a haiku. A haiku on a Friday. Fraiku.

Maybe even a couple fraiku, maybe one to sum up my week, maybe one about of the things I've complained about the last couple of days. We'll see!

Getting started:

Designs by Doty;
impatient men; too
much money-spending.

Eighth day and counting:
alarms, phone calls and boyfriends
keep me sleep-deprived.

Staying up 'til 3
to play with my new tablet
-- very justified.

Hoping a weekly
haiku post will keep me from
forgetting this blog.

Rule of the Day: don't be an asshole.

Cutting in line:
So the other day, I biked down to the post office to send a belated package of Christmas cookies and toffee (I checked, and they were still good) to a friend of mine in Minnesota. When I walked in, I saw a huge line (because I walked in at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday), sighed to myself and got in line.

The man who walked in behind me saw the huge line and decided "F this. I'm not going to wait with all of these people."

I guess he felt slighted since there was no line specifically for pick-up. Yes, rude man, sometimes the employees provide that courtesy so that people who aren't mailing things can get in and out of the post office quickly, but that was not an option today. GET IN THE BACK OF THE LINE. This was the sentiment a lot of people expressed.

It made me think of this:



Which, in turn (but less relevantly), made me think of this:



During the man's transaction, his attending employee made a point of telling him that "it's not okay to cut in line just because there's no 'pick-up only' line, you impatient scum." Okay, so I'm embellishing. But he did give him a stern talking-to.

It was really hard not to shout "HA!" after he did, but I think that would have made me a bit of an asshole, too.

Designs by Doty

Today's blog post is full of fun things!

I briefly mentioned my sister's Etsy page last month when she posted a few things she was selling. Since then, she has been busy at work making a wide variety of items: journals, magnets, hair accessories, home decor and other fun things.

She also plans to hold a giveaway when her Facebook page get 200 likes!

Here are some of the things she's made:

Hairclips I absolutely LOVE. Especially the umbrellas.

Super cute marble magnets.

And a cute fabric wall hanging on artists' canvas!

Classy lookin' tile coasters.

I really love how much she's honed her creativity. She got started by making fun things for friends and family. She's been sending me the cutest hand-made holiday and birthday cards for a while now, and has started getting active in her local crafting scene, selling things at fairs and on her newly created Facebook page. I wish I was in the area so I could check out the Mattoon Craft and Vendor show where she'll be showing off some of her work.

Anyway, I think her work is super awesome and think everybody should check it out. She's been making things by her own ideas as well as by request, and is open to try and make anything! Definitely worth checking out. :)

MP3 players and drawing tablets

Once upon a time, there was a little high school sophomore Miki. For Christmas, she received a fancy new mp3 player of the SanDisk variety.

It looked like this:

Being one with good forethought, she decided to invest in a 2-year protection plan from her SanDisk provider. This was especially good because she was clumsy and dropped things a lot.

Within the two-year protection period, 
I dropped it on some pavement
 something awful happened and it mysteriously stopped working.

She took it in, and with a bit of magic and a lot of luck, the employee granted her a gift certificate for the amount that was originally paid for the SanDisk.

Following this pattern, over the course of five years the SanDisk became a Zune, Zune became a Walkman, and the Walkman served me well for just under two years before I brought it in for a repair. It ended up in the Geek Squad's 'defective merchandise' bin and I was given a gift card for $140.

..Which means that I've effectively taken advantage of the Geek Squad's protection plan so that I only pay about $50 (give or take) every two years for a new, $125+ mp3 player. It's kind of magical.

This brings me to where I am now:

Instead of keeping with the theme this time, I did not walk out of Best Buy with a shiny, new music box. There weren't any that I was super crazy about that were also in my price range, and I've been thinking about investing in a drawing tablet for a while now.

I decided to try out the Bamboo Capture and see 1. if it was a good fit for me (and for keeping my wrists from getting too sore from my excessive Internet use) and 2. if I could get used to drawing with electronic pens.

We'll see how this goes. I'm not entirely convinced that my e-drawing skills will catch up with my paper drawing skills fast enough, but at the very least, it'd be nice if this device can help me avoid carpal tunnel -- or at least put it off for a while.

Blogger vs. Wordpress?

So, not-so interesting story:
I'm currently operating this blog on both Blogger and Wordpress. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding which one is best.

Blogger's templates are nicer looking than the free ones I've tried on Wordpress.

Buuuuut, I feel that when I insert photos into my Blogger blog it looks awkward most of the time. If I left-align the photo, the text wraps around it, which I don't always want. Then when I make a bunch of line breaks to move the text below the photo, I'm left with an awkwardly big space between the photo and the text.

See?
(okay, so it's only a few centimeters more than I want, but it still bugs the crap out of me. Plus, hitting <enter> over and over until the text is below the photo is cumbersome. I feel like I should be able to insert and left-align photos without text-wrapping, but I don't know how.)

Also, Wordpress' interface makes a bit more sense to me.

But Blogger's templates are much, much prettier and less clunky looking.

So, if anyone reading this has a strong opinion about which is better, I will gratefully listen. Also, if you have any tips on how to improve either blogserver (or which one is easier to fix), please pass the info along!

Oreo raspberry cheesecake

So after I made a coconut cheesecake for my boyfriend David's birthday, my friend Erik wanted me to make him one. He requested an oreo raspberry cheesecake, and I was very excited to try it out.

It had:

a 24-oreo crust

3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
(with fluffy egg whites)

6-8 cookies coarsely chopped in the batter

a layer of raspberry sauce between two layers of oreo cheesecake

leftover raspberry sauce slathered on top and 2-3 cookies crumbled on top of that

I used the Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe and added the raspberry sauce.

It turned out really well. Erik was really happy with it!

Sexism in hip-hop (follow-up)

I was not expecting so many people to read my dick-punch post. I don't expect people to read this blog in general, because it's a place to process and dump my thoughts. Given that, it was surprising to see so many comments about said post.

Folks be pissed; I understand. I said a lot of critical things about a highly respected member of the Tucson hip-hop scene.

I'm pretty sure I am "too sensitive" (as someone said) to be involved in the scene, but you know, it's not something I'm pursuing.

I feel the way I do, regardless of my naivety in this area. I would not appreciate experiencing what Xnoxie did. She may very well have taken it another (less vulnerable) way, and good for her. I'm pretty sure I would feel like my gender was being honed in on and attacked like it was a weak spot, and that doesn't sit right with me. I'd like to think that there's a lot more to who I am than what's between my legs.

When I met Grimey, I thought he seemed like a really decent person, and I'm sure he is in his day-to-day life, but some of the things he said as an emcee (even if that's the point of rap battles) make him sound like an asshole. Regardless of my not being involved in hip-hop and "not knowing what the fuck [I'm] talking about," I can say from experience that to an outsider, it looks looks shitty and harsh and dehumanizing, even if there's more to it below the surface.

How is someone on the outside supposed to know? Especially if it keeps them from wanting to get involved in the end because it just looks like putting yourself on a chopping block.

Even if there is more to the rap battles and the rappers have an understanding and respectful rapport, that doesn't get conveyed well to someone who isn't already involved.

I felt the need to articulate that, and I think I succeeded.

I have a feeling Grimey L does not care how I feel about him, and that his feelings are not hurt. He's a big boy and can take care of himself.

I'm just a college student with opinions, occasionally. I like to write about them, and sometimes I'm going to voice them on my personal blog.

The number of you who took my post so personally was very surprising.

I think you're giving this blog wayyy too much credit, especially the person who said I took things out of context, but thanked me for giving Grimey free press. Really?

Because really, who reads this blog? Nobody would have ever read it (except for a few close friends who check this occasionally) if someone involved in hip-hop hadn't found this, gotten angry, and passed it on. It's not like I posted it on Grimey's page and said "read this because I think you're an asshole." I didn't throw it in his face or bring it to his attention in any way.

I did not write it for a well-read publication or otherwise seek to mass-disseminate it. I am not trying to incite anything. I posted it on my personal blog to reflect on how I felt.

And if you think my opinion is naive and unfounded because I'm not involved in the scene, what do you care? It's pretty simple: don't read my blog.

Now I'm going to go back to keeping my personal blog, and keep expecting people not to give a shit.

* I want to reiterate that this post was an opinion piece, not a news article. Opinions have one point of view, that's what makes them opinions. If I were writing a full-fledged article, it would be bad form to have my opinion in it at all. If it were an article, it would reflect how Xnoxie and Grimey and other hip-hop folks feel and respond to the event, because that's how an article is supposed to be written. Don't confuse the two, as they are very fundamentally different.

My post was merely a representation of my opinion, so take it or leave it.

Greetings!

Or "grettings!" as I originally typed, because I'm tired. Time to put on my glasses.

My name is Miki. I am going to try and keep up a blog on this website now.

I have a habit of creating multiple blogs and letting them wither up and die. So far, I've created a foodblog called MikiNomz, a portfolio-type blog where I keep all of my (mostly) published articles and rantings, a Tumblr where I originally started posting my photo manipulations, and probably another one I'm forgetting.

But I think it might be a good idea to concentrate all of these things on one blog. It adds variety, plus it makes it a lot easier to update and update OFTEN, which I hear is important.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my lists and cake descriptions and other babbles, and I hope also that this blog won't crash and burn like so many of my others.

Thanks for reading! Here is a picture of a sleepy puppy:

RIP Grill/Red Room (repost)

I was screwing around on Facebook last night when I spotted the news that Grill is closing down this week. Lament-filled status updates and re-posts of Grill's farewell message started popping up all over my news feed.

Within an hour, dozens of my friends and two or three news organizations had mentioned the restaurant's closing.

Scouring the comments on Grill's Facebook page revealed countless patrons sharing their memories and mourning the loss. Aside from one or two heckling assholes, it was touching and sweet.

It took a while for the news to sink in, but once it did, it hit me hard. It really feels like losing an old friend.

Teens and young adults are losing their place to go for tater tots after school or downtown shows. College kids are losing a place to chug late-night coffee and cram during their all-nighters.

The Red Room will also be closing its doors with Grill, cutting down the city's selection of places to drink and dance to goofy music.

Sure, Grill was dirty (I've spotted more than one cockroach during my lunchtime visits there), the drunken assholes weren't always so few and far between, and the food took a long damn time, but people loved that place.

People made friends there. People performed there. People hung out and drank coffee and ate tasty, greasy food.

My boyfriend took me there on our first date. We went there for dinner after seeing a movie at the Century Park 16 on the west side that closed down this year as well.

The economy hasn't been so kind to local businesses these days. We lost Smiley's Ultimate Hookah Lounge last month, and Buddy's Grill shut down one its locations in the summer. (Edit: And Kanella's announced their closing in December.)

No matter how mixed the feelings one may have about the place, it's almost always sad when landmarks close down -- especially when you have your own memories and emotions invested in it.

Grill's final business day will be Tuesday, Nov. 22 (TOMORROW) and they'll be closing at midnight on Wednesday. Everyone should go and mourn the loss with tater tots or fries with pesto and a milkshake.

EDIT: I just learned during a recent visit that the wait staff are so busy that they are refusing to make milkshakes for anyone.. Sad day.

EDIT EDIT: I just heard that they ran out of food. :c

Sources:
Tucson Sentinel
Tucson Weekly
Grill and the Red Room's Facebook pages
Bill's Facebook status

Sexism in Tucson hip-hop (repost)

Reposted from my old blog, originally posted Nov. 26:

Today, I saw a video from the YouTubes of local MC Grimey L. It was footage of a rap battle between him and Xnoxie, another local (female) rapper who participates in Voicebox Battles. The hip-hop scene in Tucson (and probably everywhere else) is largely male-dominated. Xnoxie is the first woman to ever participate in a Voicebox Battle, and the video I saw was of that event.

(NOTE: there is a 1:05 video intro at the beginning if want to skip it.)



Xnoxie got her ass (and vagina -- don't forget to mention her vagina 18 times) handed to her. It was the most demeaning load of shit I've ever listened to.

My initial thought was: He does realize that women aren't just walking pussies, right? ..Right?

I get that the point of rap battles is to insult the hell out of your competitor, but there are a million things he could have used. He chose to punch below the belt, talking solely about screwing her, dominating her, driving the point home that he thinks sex is supposed to be a humiliating experience for the person getting fucked. Something to be ashamed of and embarrassed by.

Her sexuality shouldn't be a fucking handicap. There is a difference between clever insults and dehumanizing language.

Would he have pulled the same shit and used the same lines on another male rapper? Hell no.

So why does he have to treat her "like a bitch," as these assholes would say?

One guy at the end of the clip seemed somewhat concerned by Grimey's performance, and felt strongly enough to comment (at 7:02): "There's too much sexism in hip-hop … Sometimes men are more bitches than bitches."

..Really? If you're going to step up to "say somethin'" about how sexism is a problem, you should probably talk about women like they're people, not props.

I've heard guys involved in the Tucson hip-hop scene talk about how male-dominated it is, and how it would be great if more women got involved.

If Tucson rappers are wondering why people of certain demographics are scarce in their scene, maybe they should re-examine the way they view and treat them, and try to make them feel a little more welcome.

Shit like this -- low blows like Grimey's performance at the VoiceBox battle -- is not going to encourage involvement from the women who stand by, watching from the sidelines.

To Do (before spring semester starts)

Projects:
???:
Get some sleep
Make Erik's birthday cheesecake

A.S.A.I STOP BEING LAZY:
Get work schedule
Get hiring form, get employee bus passInstall new bike seat and lights
Make bike seat cover
Finish X-mas presents (baking, buying and making)
CLEAN/organize room, bathroom, closet

Eh:
Replace doorknob
Organize computer wires somehow

Put old textbooks up on Craigslist, put away

Heal mouth
Go to editor's meeting

Tasty treats

Just a quick plug for my food blog over at WordPress. It's pretty new, but there's a handful of tasty things to check out!

http://mikinomz.wordpress.com/

Top: mocha almond fudge ice cream and oreo cookies on top of dark chocolate cake.
Bottom: cream cheese frosting sandwiched between butter pecan ice cream and French vanilla, topped with pecans and whipped cream.