Cakes are Important

It was a tradition in my family growing up that we should have a classic birthday cake: yellow cake with a special family recipe chocolate frosting. These cakes were generally decorated by my father's steady, even hand, with whatever image I happened to be infatuated with that year. One year it was Kermit the frog, another my favorite teddy bear. As I grew to be a teenager I had different types of cake, ice cream cakes, bakery bought, and brownie sundaes lured me away from this tradition. A few years ago we returned to the tradition and wondered why we had ever strayed.

In college I began to bake cakes for some of my friends on their birthdays (depending on how busy the term was). I baked my first red velvet cake from scratch (before I'd ever even tasted one) for a friend of mine who had grown up in Texas. The cake turned out fantastically and my friend's gratitude inspired me to make it a bit of a tradition.

Baking a cake can be intimidating and with the popularity of cupcakes it's somewhat of a rarity these days. While cupcakes are charming, they just cannot compete with the commanding presence of a layer cake. I recently baked an alternating four layer raspberry and dark chocolate cake. When sliced, the contrast of the pink and brown was striking in a way that a cupcake could never be.

Next month I will take on my greatest cake challenge of all: baking the wedding cake of a dear friend. The question I have been asked most is "Aren't you afraid?" The answer to that is that fear had never occurred to me until asked. I've got resources and some experience and I trust that my friend would not have asked me to take on this task without first believing.

Last week I received a classic cake with twenty-five candles on it. It was delicious as ever but I've decided that this is the last year it's probably safe to put the right number of candles on it!

Underneath it all

Image via ESPN

I first heard the name Alexi Lalas while reading Sports Illustrated for Kids (SI for Kids for those in the know) in 1994 shortly after the World Cup that year. I remember noticing him because of his hair color and he was essentially the only famous soccer player profiled. Back in the day Lalas had long hair and a long beard. He pretty much looked like my uncle Arnold did during grad school in the 70's and I thought this was hilarious. It was the nineties, grunge rockers and old hippies had long hair, not athletes. Looking at this picture now, I can only think about how Lalas was in his 20's during his time in the MLS.

Fast forward more than 15 years to the FIFA World Cup 2010. It is clear that social media has been a friend of this event because you couldn't escape the buzz if you tried, of course why would you? What's not to love about an event that truly brings the world together on (pardon the pun) an even playing field. The winners in this contest aren't determined by GDP or military strength, having the best educational system or strongest tourism industry doesn't score goals. The results come strictly from the most skilled teams with the most heart. On father's day I caught some World Cup coverage and who should be an ESPN analyst? None other than Alexi Lalas, MLS ambassador of the 90's. I heard the announcers say his name before I saw his face, which is a good thing because I likely would not have recognized him otherwise. Behold, the striking man that faced the camera:

image via ESPN

Let us never underestimate the power of a decent haircut.

Beverly Cleary

Growing up in Portland, Beverly Cleary's books were required reading. The fictitious world of Ramona Quimby, Beezus, Henry Huggins, Ribsy, and Aunt Bea were a beloved place that happened to exist in my very own hometown. One year in grade school my class took a field trip across town to walk down the real Klickitat Street and other places immortalized in Cleary's series. One day not too long ago I found myself walking down Quimby street in Northwest Portland and thought of the young freckled heroine of those books I hadn't thought of for so long. Until now, Ramona's legacy has been restricted to the original books and a 1988 Canadian mini-series starring a young Sarah Polley which I watched on PBS many, many times. On July 23rd the full-length feature version starring Selena Gomez and Joey King will hit theaters.

Gomez is of Disney fame and I after checking out Joey King's IMDB page I'm fairly certain the only thing I have seen her in is an episode of Entourage where she played "Chuck Liddell's daughter." Ramona's parents are played by Bridget Moynihan and John Corbett (wholesome twist for two actors known for their roles on Sex and the City) and the beloved Aunt Bea and Uncle Hobart are played by Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Duhamel, respectively. I'm thrilled by the casting of Goodwin as Aunt Bea, who exemplifies the ultimate in idealized role models: the cool aunt.

It's always a risk converting a literary classic into a film. I'll admit I was and to a certain extent still remain highly skeptical that a current children's movie could do justice to the books I loved all those years ago, but after watching the trailer I feel rather optimistic. It was filmed in British Columbia, which is passable as Portland, Oregon and they seem to have captured at least some of the charm of the novel upon which it is based. It's a refreshing departure from the hyper-merchandised, trendy movies that have become the standard in the age of product placement and manufactured stardom. In fact, I believe I didn't see a single product placement in the entire promo. I plan on seeing it upon its release (likely on DVD some months down the road). Check on the trailer for now:

Words of Wisdom

It's Wednesday and it's easy to lose momentum at this point in the week, which is why I provide you the sage words of one Barney Stinson. Barney is the beloved resident bro on CBS' How I met your Mother played by Neil Patrick Harris. Until last year when I heard the phrase "30 minute CBS sitcom" I would've thought of Two and a Half Men, the highest rated network sitcom on television. With all due respect to the fine comedic acting skills of Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen, I never tuned in. A friend introduced me to HIMYM via season 1 on DVD and I was hooked. The show is quick and witty. The continuity is one of my favorite parts. You've got to love a show that rewards its viewers with references to episodes from three seasons prior. If you do start watching the show, I highly recommend starting with season one as the show is essentially a continuing narrative. Here's to the middle of the week and finding inner awesomeness.

Am I an iPhoney?

Last week, the cell phone that I've had since I was a senior in college finally bit the dust. It didn't have a lot of functionality but it never dropped calls and most importantly was cheap with a cheap coverage plan. I went to AT&T and while perusing the phones was approached by a sales associate and began to discuss the various models. He suggested I consider an iPhone. Clever, I thought, just by the virtue of bringing it up you're giving me no choice but to consider it. I love my Apple computer, but when the iPhone came out I wasn't terribly interested in it and figured I would wait until the price came down. Whenever an expensive new gadget comes out and people go crazy over it I always think of that scene from The Wedding Singer where Glenn tells Julia he just got the newest thing (a cd player) and that it was only a thousand bucks. Basically I like to give myself a little time to let the excitement calm down a bit and then evaluate whether or not I really want it.

Turns out the price of the iPhone has dropped enough and AT&T has revised their minimum data plan so that the whole thing is significantly less expensive. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that their exclusive deal with Apple is running out shortly and they realize they are going to have to become more competitive. I was able to get an iPhone for roughly the same price as another phone I was interested in with a nominal increase to my monthly service charges. I was probably the easiest sale the kid made all day. Cell phones are probably on my top 5 least favorite things to shop for list and I was glad to get in and out. A small part of me felt personally defeated. I had resisted the trend for so long, held out against the need to feel constantly connected and have the internet at my fingertips at all times. Had I held out all this time for nothing?

I spent the afternoon customizing it to my preferences and thinking about this new piece of equipment that I will use on a daily, possibly even hourly basis. I thought to myself "This isn't going to change me. I'm still the same person," a mantra generally reserved for first time parents and people undergoing real life-changing experiences. I didn't download a truckload of apps, or cheeky ringtones in favor of a more minimalist approach: when the need comes up for more stuff, I'll get it then. Forty-eight hours later I had sent and received a handful of texts, sent an email, read some blogs and downloaded exactly two apps (NPR News and a fitness/diet app). I feel calmer, more convinced that I'll be able to resist the phone addictions that have entrapped so many of my friends and acquaintances.

As I sat on the bus home from work on my first weekday of being an iPhone user I decided to respond to a personal email. I didn't enjoy emailing after work so perhaps this would be the perfect way to save some time. As I composed my email I couldn't help but feel like the eyes of the woman sitting next to me were scrutinizing everything I wrote. The email was a planning discussion with a fellow hostess of an event I'm putting on and was mainly logistical but interrupted every so often with fairly personal texts. The bright colors and snazzy logos on my iPhone just begged of this woman "Read me. Look at how colorful I am and how quickly I change. I am the chameleon of technology." I realized while sitting there that although I now have the capability to do all these things in virtually any public place, it doesn't mean I will. A close friend had given me a good natured ribbing over the fact that I am now one of "those people with an iPhone" but sitting on that bus I couldn't help but wonder: am I an iPhoney?

Only time will tell. It's early and perhaps I'm not assimilated into iPhone culture yet. To be continued...

Sweden's Princess Victoria gets married

Crown Princess Victoria wed Daniel Westling on Saturday, June 19 in Stockholm. The wedding, with 1,200 guests was the largest royal wedding since Charles and Diana. The Princess was the picture of elegance in her cream colored off-the-shoulder gown designed by Pär Engsheden. She is the next in line for the Swedish throne after her father, King Carl XVI.

Doesn't she look absolutely stunning and joyful? I love the expression on her face in this photo. Great slideshow can be found here.

{Image via MSNBC}

Father's Day

Hope you had a great Sunday. I enjoyed a drizzly walk in the park with my dear dad and his faithful dog followed by a barbecue. Here's hoping the week ahead brings some sunshine!

Dreaming of warm weather

The weather in Portland has been completely dreary for the last few months. With record rainfall in May and June and below average temperatures, I'm starting to daydream almost constantly of what it would feel like to be in a warm climate again. I wouldn't mind spending a day (or month) in Tahiti enjoying the amazing natural beauty. Stay warm out there!

{via National Geographic}