Beans in the Belfry

Playful name, bohemian aesthetic, delicious edibles. The ideal café, no? Beans in the Belfry, centered in a romantic stain-glass windowed chapel in the heart of Brunswick, MD, is an attraction unto itself, not simply a quaint stop while in the area. Odds and ends decorate the little chapel, from old pews to ragged sofas. Everything is mismatched in the most charming of fashions, and beyond the desire to simply be a part of the warm and sumptuous atmosphere, the drinks provide a cozy touch to soothe the fringes of a more general untamed and exotic flamboyancy.

Rain

I have due cause to be pleased with the rain today. Well, aside from my natural love of it. But today, it cancelled my phys ed class, rendering me a great service! As it was my only class today, this means I am completely free to engage in such trivial matters as writing blog posts. Ah, rain. Well done, my pet, well done indeed.

But beyond being cheerful about a day off, I welcome rain with open arms any day. It is beautiful, calming and dramatic; fresh and clean! It inspires poetry and creativity. Plus it makes soup and tea particularly soothing and relaxing.

Oh, and I'm eating a Starbucks birthday cake pop right now. Ha!

The Elusive Birthday Cake Pop

As the title suggests, for sometime the Starbucks "birthday cake pops" had eluded me. It had been love at first sight; I beheld the new (and improved) menu with wonder, awe, and desire. It was a pink lollipop covered in white sprinkles. It had a nonsensical name. It was edible: It was perfect.

I immediately decided I had to have one, but they were all out. I figured everyone had wanted to try one because they were new (and beautiful, duh) but that I would be able to try one upon my next visit. Wrong. Five times in a row I ordered one only to hear the same, tedious chorus: "Sorry, we're out of the birthday cake pop, but we have the rocky road and tiramisu!" No, curses! Why do you think the other two flavors remained untouched, unloved? Because they were lesser, that's why. No, I would not settle. I eventually figured I must live in an area with a particularly high demand for pink, childish candy so when I was in Pennsylvania I stopped at a Starbucks and ordered one. "Sorry, our shipment doesn't come in until Tuesday." This was Monday. At this point it was simply fact: I was, in fact, jinxed. They did, unsurprisingly, have rocky road and tiramisu.

About the tenth unsuccessful try, one Starbucks employee even took pity upon me and gave me a rocky road for free. It was tasty, but I knew, deep in my heart, it could never match the perfection of the devious and taunting birthday cake pop. 

At long, long last, I arrive at Starbucks sometime in the afternoon. Rejected so many times at this point, I only expect further failure and sorrow. But I knew I had to keep trying. So I ordered my drink and a birthday cake pop. Rather than the familiar "we only have rocky road and tiramisu", instead I'm greeted by the sweet, sweet song of success: "Will that be all for you today?" All for me today?! My day has just been whole and meaningful! Yes, I was well satisfied with my order. There was no need to add trivial goods that would only pale in comparison to my gorgeous birthday cake pop. There was no match: I had found love. 

Madame Butterfly

It was determined last week that my theater costume & make-up class would take a field trip to Baltimore to see a production of Mme. Butterfly in lieu of class. I knew neither the premise nor the details of the play, but I enjoy theater, field trips and the occasional change of class location and activities, so I was pleased. It was arranged that we would meet our professor at the school where it was being performed (he was a professor at this school as well), so needless to say by the end we were all confused, a quarter of the class didn't realize we were actually doing the field trip, and those of us who did make it were an hour late. It also involved a six-person group in a five-person capacity vehicle and me driving on a beltway again.... with eight and a half months' licensed driving experience and three and a half hours of sleep. I'm not sure I'm fond of this trend. At least it was the Baltimore beltway this time.

We finally arrive after a very cramped drive at intermission. We find our professor, who is understanding of the complications we encountered, and everything at last seems settled. The second row is unoccupied, so we seat ourselves there and wait for the show to begin. To fill me in, one of my friends who is reading the play for another class tells me what turns out to be the surprise ending (she was only reading the end for class and didn't realize it was a surprise). For those familiar with the play, this information was in itself somewhat perplexing. But I shrugged and waited to see how it would be handled.

The show begins and from the start multiple references to the first act are made, but I'm able to piece it together. The script had humorous lines and the actor who played Mme. Butterfly was highly skilled, tackling the challenge with apparent ease and finesse. Although the date was repeatedly mentioned, my mind kept reverting back to the perception of it as being set in the nineteenth century. It was startling every time, forcing me to rework my interpretation. Eventually I just gave up and pretended it was in the nineteenth century.

In the end, I wish I had seen the entire production. But as an alternative to class, I was still happy with the opportunity and to be able to have an amusing and eventful adventure with my friends (it involved an emergency McDonald's stop - how could the trip be anything but worthwhile?)... seven hours and 45 minutes long. Phew.

Byzantine Catholic Liturgy

This morning my friend and I, who are Roman Catholics, decided to attend the Sunday Liturgy of our brothers to the East, the Byzantine rite. My friend being a Catholic-phile and I an enthusiast for different cultures, we found a Byzantine Catholic Church an hour from where we live and were enthusiastic. We drove across the Capital Beltway (My first time driving on said beltway. I was very pleased I managed to not kill us in a fiery, albeit dramatic, accident) and at last arrived at our destination.

The Byzantine rite is culturally rich and highly devout. I admired their sense of decorum and reverence throughout the Liturgical service. On the whole it seemed similar enough to be comfortable, but different enough to be fascinating. Icons and adornments were in every direction. More incense was incorporated. Several priests were present to assist in the Liturgy. It was an interesting twist on the familiar. The Russian and Greek influences were apparent from the language used to the icons to the manner of administering Communion. On the whole, it was an intriguing means of fulfilling our Sunday obligation.

Contra

Over the past three years or so I've become involved in dancing. The college I attended freshman year had a club in which we learned mostly swing, but also charleston, lindy hop, tango, salsa, polka, waltz and a handful of aerials. About a year prior to this I was introduced by a friend to a casual and folksy dance called "contra." My first reaction was to question the origin, composition and intent of this foreign form of dance, but the aforementioned friend tempered my puzzlement by informally defining contra as a conglomeration of dance, especially square, folk, and "Austen-esque" eighteenth century British styles. The basic mechanics of contra involve couples forming long lines and then performing specific predetermined movements in different patterns. Over the course of the average dance, a couple will continually move up and down the line, repeating the same steps until the dance is called to an end. All in all, good exercise and lots of fun!

My favorite aspect of contra, however, is the laid back atmosphere and casual nature of fellow dancers. By no means is this the kind of dance that is practiced ad nauseam so as to appear impeccably trained on a stage. Rather, contra is recognized as an activity to do with friends. Never do I feel pressure to perform nor worry about making a mistake. If I or anyone does, it's simply laughed off or received with a smile and everyone simply alters their movements to keep in time with the dance. Contra is certainly a wonderful way to spend an evening with friends, or a fun excuse to get out the door for the night!

The Wine Basket

I went to a fundraiser with my extended family yesterday which consisted of lunch, fashion show and raffle/silent auction. The food was excellent and the dessert was a generous portion of lemon pie (generous by my standards is, indeed, quite generous). My personal favorite for the afternoon, however, was the raffle, in which I won a wine basket. I wanted it because it included a box of chocolates. I got my chocolates and was made very happy. As a fun extra, it included several boxes of various crackers and pretzels, glasses and polka dot hand towels and twelve bottles of wine. I also look forward to using the insulated picnic basket the batch came in this summer on a fun venture outdoors!

Super

Movies can be hit or miss. I'm always very excited, therefore, when a movie with a great premise and promising execution emerges into the full beam of Hollywood's limelight. I'm not particularly news-savvy when it comes to remaining up-to-date on current affairs, so I usually hear about such matters through friends who are somewhat news-competent. This is how I came to hear about "Super."

To those familiar with the tv show "The Office", all I need say is it's a comedy about Dwight's actor as a superhero. Given that information alone, I'm already anxious to see it upon its release in a week. The very fact of my eagerness then further amplifies my general delight, in that rarely do I hear about a movie before its release, and thus rarely have the opportunity to become enthusiastic. But this year is brimming with potential in the fanciful world of cinema. 

Also due to come out this year are multiple superhero movies: "Thor", "Captain America" and "Green Lantern". Also the final installment of the "Harry Potter" series. Beyond this summer buzz is another rendition of "The Three Musketeers" in October!

"Super" movie trailer, clip and basic info

Late Night Starbucks

My local Starbucks remains open all night during the weekends. It's three miles from my house and has a drive-thru. Needless to say, I take advantage of these amenities on a regular basis. In fact, I so habitually frequent the place, I believe a vast percentage of my monthly earnings are lost within a matter of days to Starbucks. I even recognize the employees who run the drive-thru. I should just keep a tab. But do I protest this state of affairs? Certainly not! Hence my continued patronage. In fact, I can think of little better to spend my money on. This is the way I justify it: let's assume a hypothetical scenario in which I would not go to Starbucks (don't laugh too much). Instead, I would use my funds to be practical. Would my quality of life have improved? Certainly not.

Money can, in fact, buy happiness.

The April Fool

It's my cat's birthday today. Yes, she was born April Fools' Day and yes, she is very foolish. It's sort of the chicken and the egg conundrum: is the cat a fool because she was born on April Fools' Day, or was the cat born on April Fools' Day because she's a fool? Thus the timeless question is applicable to even the most inane of topics.

I'm a visual person, so here are some pictures of Chesapeake the cat, affectionately called "Baby," who just turned nine years old today.