The Boss

Normally, I don't love Bruce like most Philadelphians love Bruce. Like I have written before, they are big fans. Well, yesterday, on the beloved WXPN, the DJ played Bruce's new song "Radio Nowhere". It is so good. So good that when it was over she said,

"That song rocks. Let's hear it again."

I have never heard a DJ on any station play a song two times in a row. It kind of blew my mind, but after I listened to it again, I agreed. It was completely worthy of the double dip.

And to make your day even brighter, "Radio Nowhere" is FREE!!! this week on itunes. It is kind of hidden and not displayed as a free weekly download. Instead, you have to search Bruce Springsteen and click on his new album Magic.

Enjoy.

Year Eight

For those long time readers, I am feeling like I felt almost three years ago...professionally speaking! This is a very good thing.

It is the beginning of a new school year and I have this feeling that it is going to be a great year on every level. Because of the what comes our way in life, we (I) sometimes have a difficult time living up to 'the way it was'. I left this amazing working environment where I clicked with my peers both personally and professionally. I felt confident in my skills. I am building back up to that place after these past two years of change and transition. It usually doesn't take me this long, but time has flown and even though we still live in the US, living in a metropolitan area is culturally very different than the cozy midwest.

So, I am juiced (but not in the steroids kind of way)! I can't wait to start my school year with 13 newly five year olds.

I have been making my home visits and each of them are charming and sweet. The training that I received at the Responsive Classroom is a huge piece of my excitement, but after one year of kindergarten under my belt, I now can proudly say that I have a slight clue about five year olds.

And because I want people to still check in on the Midwestern Position, let me give you a little teaser for upcoming posts...

• Recipe for my favorite treat EVER! Ever.
• Sara from Minnesota is coming to town and we are going to have many adventures. Two words...Jersey. Shore.
• My latest WAWA adventure...remember the victimized woman who they wouldn't sell the cigarettes to, well, it's always something at WAWA.
  

Dream Big

I must be having some blog guilt or something because I was dreaming about blogging.

Last night in my dreams, I was waiting for the WXPN Free at Noon concert. I was sitting at the back of the room and there were very few people there. Then, Eric Clapton walks on stage. I cannot believe my luck that I am at this concert for free! Soon after, the doors bust open the place is packed because word has gotten out that Clapton is playing for free. And all I could think about was, "I should really blog about this.".

So, I just did.

Recipes I Want To Attempt

1. Bread Pudding - The Pioneer Woman made a yummy sounding bread pudding, but I need just the right audience to make such a treat. This would be the type of treat that I would make and feel quite disappointed if no one wanted some because they just don't understand the beautiful thing that is bread pudding. I'll use her recipe to start.
2. Peach Pie - I just discovered a place where you can go and pick your own peaches and raspberries. Doesn't that sound like the perfect combination? I am going to make my way over there this week so I can make a yummy peach pie for when my pal Sara comes to visit. She likes fruity desserts and I like to make goods that show I was thinking of their favorites.
3. Apple Dumplings - Are you sensing a theme? I tell my friends all of the time how I do not like fruity desserts, but the more I think about it, I do! I just like my fruit surrounded by crusty goodness and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I saw these in one of my cookbooks and they served it with caramel sauce. YUM. I am getting fatter just writing this post.
   

Endorsement Time...

Television: Big Love, Season 1
As I have said before, I love that television comes on DVD now. I am a big fan of religion on television and this show is more soap opera than drama. The characters on this show are so awesome. There is a mold for every quirky personality.

Skatin' Fool

I don't know why I thought that I would have retained my roller skating skills from 1985, but I could barely stay vertical when I slipped on the roller skates on Friday night.

While visiting my high school friends in Minneapolis, we always do something adventurous. Sometimes it is karaoke. Sometimes an amusement park. On this occasion, we strapped on the skates and skated around and around in circles to 70's funk music. It was a time warp, but my skills were lacking. I was skating into the wall in order to stop. I hoped that the other skaters were watching where they were going because it was all I could do to make sure I was not falling.

The part that I wasn't prepared for were the other skaters. I couldn't believe the tricks and moves these hard-core skaters were performing. They were bending down and spinning and scaring me because I had a feeling that they were going to take my unskilled self out.

Oh, and there is a reason why you can't drink alcohol and skate. It isn't a good idea.

You Know You Are Back in Philly When...

You are standing in line to pay at the Wawa, a local convenience store, when a very angry woman starts yelling that she wants to speak with a manager. The manager is busy restocking the candy aisle. She pushes past the 12 people/audience standing in line to tell her story of victimization to the manager.

Apparently, the cashier had the nerve to ask for her identification when she wanted to purchase some cigarettes. When she handed it to him, he asked for her birthday. She told him. He refused to sell her the cigarettes.

Well, that was her side of the story. When the manager asked the cashier what was going on, he shared his side.

Keep in mind, this was being yelled from the candy aisle and not in a discreet conversation. We were all witness to it all.

The cashier said that she called him a 'stupid asshole' and he won't sell to her because of it.

The angry woman denied that she said that even though WE ALL heard her.

The manager didn't care about the cashier's dignity. He told him to sell her 'the stupid cigarettes'. He wouldn't so she went to the next cashier. She should have done that in the first place. Ah...Philly.

Hairspray (and of course, Zac)

I went to see Hairspray last night in the theater. It hasn't happened yet where I go to Hairspray and not leave with a little crush on the character of Link Larkin. Last night was no exception.

So this teen heart throb, Zac Efron, plays Link in the movie. I guess I have been living under an adult rock because I had not heard of him until this movie. He is in High School Musical which children ages 6-16 love.

I am going to go ahead and say it is totally normal for a 30 year old married woman to have a teen heart throb crush on a movie star. Normal. Very normal.

As for my John Travolta hesitations, I think he did a good job. He just had a different take on the character. I enjoyed watching him dance and wiggle as a woman. There are so many parts to this musical and movie that I love, but I really enjoyed the "Without Love" song during the movie. Link singing to Tracy's picture was pretty funny and again, he is quite cute.

Again, totally normal.

Tatos and Matos

Maybe I am looking in the wrong spot or something, but I am having a hard time finding road side farm fresh produce stands in Philadelphia. Granted, Philadelphia isn't really the bread basket of America like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa seem to be.

Even though I do not get my fair share of peaches-n-cream corn in Philly, I was able to enjoy an ear when I visited my friend Steve P. in Minnesota. The corn adventure started when we pulled up to the road side stand to find a welcoming sign. I love when food is abbreviated to 'matos and 'tatos. I forced Steve to stand by the sign to take a picture. I think he knew it would end up on the blog.

We took the corn home and husked it. It was Steve's suggestion that we grill the corn. I have not been very successful with grilled corn. It usually burns, but I did my best not to balk at this idea. Steve's stock is pretty high with me but it was raised even more when he grilled the peaches-n-cream corn to perfection. Everyone at the table agreed that it was their favorite item of the night.

My Weekend By the Numbers

$122
The cost of speeding on Minnesota highways.
I received my very first speeding ticket. I was going 70mph in a 55mph. The patrolman educated me on the Minnesota road system since he saw me as an outsider with my Pennsylvania plates. Lesson learned.

3
The number of bear sightings this weekend.
My parents have a home in the northern woods of Minnesota. They are surrounded by nature of all sorts. This weekend was the first time that there have been so many bear sightings that I can remember. I saw my first bear when I was driving out of the woods. He just crossed the gravel road and barely noticed us.

At least 10
The number of times people hinted that I should have a baby.
We had three sweet baby girls at the family picnic and I really enjoy holding the babies. However, this started to remind people that I am nearly 31 years old and do not have a baby. This is a fact that I am perfectly happy with, but to many, this is odd. I am happy to hold and cuddle on other people's children for the time being.

Stormy Night

When we first moved to Philadelphia, we had to relearn the meaning of certain sounds, smells, and expressions. I was reminded of one of the first instances last night as a midwestern summer stormed brewed in the skies of Iowa.
Sitting in my new living room in Philadelphia on a clear blue day, I hear what I have always known as the tornado siran; but this did not make any sense to me. I ignored it and went on with my day and hoped for the best. This happened several more times until one day I realized that after the tornado siran I would always hear the blare of fire engines.
A-ha!
But this caused me to have a concern that I would not recognize the siran when there was an actual tornado. It took me a while, but I soon understood that Philadelphia does not have summer storms like the midwest. They like to act like they can brew up a storm, but it is not the cracking thunder and earie orange sky kind of storms that appears April through October in the heartland.

On the Road Again

If you have been worried because The Midwestern Position has not been updated for awhile, don't be concerned. I am still alive and thriving in Iowa as Tim and I tour the midwest. So far, I have been hanging out at my good friend Kecia's house. We've enjoyed coconut cake, playground time, and visiting. After we travel through Iowa, we'll stop in Minneapolis for a brief time, and hang out in Grand Forks. I can't wait to see my parents and spend time at their place in the woods.

I'll keep this brief, but aren't my friends Kecia and Jodi cute?

Learnin' to Teach

I am attending this conference this week called The Responsive Classroom. I am exhausted every evening. I am even more tired from the conference than I am when I teach kindergarten. This is not so good since I should be getting ready for our big road trip across the country, but instead, the bed draws me in.

As a teacher, there are these moments that change you. I feel that happening at this conference. Ideas that I once prescribed to are no longer acceptable. Theories that made sense to me before seem without purpose. The fact that this conference is actually worth the money is a rarity and I couldn't be happier. The fact that I am participating in the conference in August just makes me all that more excited to start a whole new crew of five year olds.

Midwestern Rant: It's All About Me Shoppers

Here's the deal, people.

The self-check out is beautiful thing when you are at the super market. In theory. Why then, do people make it into an ugly mess with their enormous shopping cart of food for the week.

The self-check out is NOT NOT NOT for your weekly groceries! It is for the shopper who carries the little hand basket with a few items. The shopper who just stopped in for some juice and eggs. Don't be one of those people who are soooooooo bothered with human contact that they cannot be bothered to have a trained cashier check out their weeks worth of groceries.

C'mon.

Oh, and I will give you the dirty "I'm judging you" eyes. You deserve them.

Midwestern Recipe: Banana Crumb Muffins

Bake these and bake them now. These are so yummy! I made them on a whim this afternoon because I had some well-intentioned bananas that were ripe ripe ripe.

I stumbled upon this recipe on my beloved Allrecipes.com. It is a five star recipe and over 1500 people have rated/reviewed this recipe. That means it is good.

I just had one and I think they are better than a bakery. I am happy to add this to my ever growing brunch recipes.

Midwestern Hint: My mom always says to use Parkey in all of your baking. I have tried other butters and margarines, but Bette is always right. Parkey is the best.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Internet Treat

The internet is a fantastic waste of time. Today, I wasted approximately 25 minutes creating a Simpson character that resembled me. Notice, the donut on the shirt. I was hoping for a cup of coffee, but the sweet treat will do. It also looks like I have one heck of an overbite which is not the case. I was going for a chubby cheeked look.

Then, because I just couldn't resist the temptation to waste more time, I created Tim as a Simpson character. Notice, Tim's shirt has some nuclear sciencey thing on it. Tim looks like he has some fancy shoes which he would never wear in real life.

I can't wait to create all of my friends and family. No. That would be too much time wasted. You better do that yourself. Here's the link.

"Where Words Fail, Music Speaks."

~Hans Christian Andersen


"Fade Into You" ~ Mazzy Star

"Falling" ~ Ben Kweller

"Here You Are" ~ The Greencards

"Laugh So You Don't Cry" ~ Andy Davis

"More Than This" ~ Roxy Music

"There's a Girl" ~ The Ditty Bops

"These Arms of Mine" ~ Otis Redding

"White Daisy Passing" ~ Rocky Votolato

Along with the Rolling Stone playlists, Entertainment Weekly playlists, blogs, and the itunes essentials, I will someday have all of the songs that I need to have.

Please note, without knowing it, I have become an Otis Redding fan.

Out of the purchased songs, my obsession of the evening is...wait, let me educate you for a second...

ob·ses·sion /əbˈsɛʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[uhb-sesh-uhn]
–noun
1.) the domination of one's itunes with a particular song over and over and over again
2.) insisting that everyone needs to love particular song as much as I do at this moment
3.) follow any thread that originated with the particular song because all songs that follow will be considered for future purchases since the source was said obsession

I am obsessing about "More Than This" by Roxy Music. Therefore, I am researching and loving Bryan Ferry. I am listening to all covers of this song.

An Easy One

What were you doing ten years ago?
Making smoothies at TCBY! Seriously. I spent many hot July nights making a variety of frozen yogurt treats. Asking the important question, "What toppings do you want with that?".

What were you doing one year ago?
I am going to bet that I was hanging out in Iowa, watching television, recovering from a day at the pool, and eating Taco Bell. Tim and I ate a lot of Taco Bell last summer.

Five snacks you enjoy:

• String Cheese
• Nutri-Grain Breakfast Bars-Apple Cinnamon
• Lemon Cream Pie yogurt
• Yoplait Yogurt Smoothies
• Popsicles

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:

• Let's Stay Together by Al Green
• You're So Vain by Carly Simon
• 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
• Ghost by Indigo Girls
• Mad Mission by Patty Griffin
  

Things you would do if you were a millionaire:

• Travel
• Have a ceramics room/cottage where I have my own wheels and kiln
• Share the wealth

Five bad habits:

• Snacking
• Speeding
• Avoiding Exercise
• Saying "like"
• Avoiding the dishes
  

Five things you like to do:

• Go to movies
• Listen to music
• Hang with friends
• Hang with Tim
• Hang with my family
  

Things you will never wear again:

• A Scrunchy
• A strapless dress

Five favorite toys:

• ipod
• computer
• grill
• catalogues
• cable
  

Where will you be in ten years:
Right here.

Dum Spiro Spero

Some days are bad. There is not a rhyme or reason. They just happen.

On the other hand, a person has to ask themselves what part they had in their bad day. Following my new found philosophy of reason over emotions, I will act within reason and pull up the boot straps and move on.

Will a new pair of shoes help? No.
Will a night at the movies help? No.
Will a milkshake help? No.

The only thing that will encourage a brighter outlook are my own forward looking eyes. I will focus on the good, the lovely, the reciprocated, the just, and the belief that there are better moments ahead.

Shamin' Sara

There are a few things in life that I have to use the motto "Fake it 'til you make it". Going to the dentist, I have to psyche myself up and fake that it'll all be okay. It isn't just one thing that I hate about the dentist, but a list of disgusting and shame-filled conversations that take place at the dentist.

Dental Assistant: Sara, do you floss everyday?

Sara: No.

Dental Assistant: Sara, looks like you might have a start of a cavity back there.

Sara: I bet.

Dental Assistant: Sara, looks like you have been using a medium toothbrush.

Sara: You're probably right.

Dental Assistant: Sara, You must drink a lot of Diet Coke or coffee.

Sara: Yep.

Dental Assistant: Do you know why it is important to floss, Sara?

Sara: Yes. I am just lazy.

Dental Assistant: Well, just remember, Sara, they are the only teeth you have.

I wonder if they take a course in guilt and shame in dental hygienist school? One of the tenets of a shaming is the use of the first name over and over and over again. It really drives home the guilt.