Fish Sticks and Custard - er, Mango Sherbet

I finally got into the kitchen.  School is nearing the end of the quarter, work is - well, work - and life... it's all just a juggling act and I only ever learned to juggle two balls at once, so it's been a show for sure.

So happy kitchen time this night consisted of "fancy" fish sticks - they're fancy for a couple reasons, we'll get to that later - and mango-coconut sherbet.  I was excited for this!  Not only because both sounded über tasty from the recipes, but because it'd been a while since I'd had the time to play in the kitchen (last week's chipotlé flank steak with Gorgonzola sauce doesn't count, I was hurried).

Fancy Fish Sticks & Sauce...and beer.

The fish sticks I cut from a fillet of cod mum had picked up late last week.  Yep, that's right, cut them myself - see, fancy.  Then they were dredged first in a flour and black pepper mix, then into an wet mixture (best ingredient of which was lager) and then coated in a mix of Panko bread crumbs, pumpkin kernels and spices.  See, fancy!  Then I faux-fried them - aka put 'em on a heated, oiled sheet in the oven - and voila! Delicious, better-for-you-than-the-originals, "fancy" fish sticks!  Served those babies up with a dip concocted from low-fat mayo and sour cream, spicy brown mustard, fresh lime juice and a Cajun seasoning mix I'd already made myself and I had a great, proud-of-myself dinner.


But what is dinner without dessert? Blasphemy I say!  So I through the whopping 4 ingredients for mango-coconut sherbet into the blender and hit "liquify".  After all was happily blended I flipped the "on" switch on my Cuisinart Pure and poured all that sweet orange goo into the awaiting, frozen tub that was rotating almost as much giddy fervor as I was feeling. 30 or so minutes later the deliciousness was done. Well, sort of; you see it has to be put into a container and then in the freezer to solidify more, so I did that.  While I waited, I toasted up some shredded coconut I had.  Even though it wasn't solid yet, I could wait no longer; so I dished it up, topped it with the now golden  and nutty coconut sprinkles that I'd freed from the oven and spooned my taste buds up some tropical tastiness.

Mango-coconut awesome! I mean sherbet.

Note: I don't have the best camera for this sorta thing, but I do what I can with what I have :)

Music Awesomeness

Chris recently hooked himself up with a Logitech Revue and that thing is sweet.  It's an adapter that turns your existing tele set into an internet/smart tele. It comes with Google TV and is expected to have access to the Android app market by years end. In the meantime, it works great with Netflix and surfs the web very well. Needless to say, I'm hoping our deal to move in together next year is still on, so that I will  this piece of technologic fun.

The Logitech revue

So last night we were hanging and via boingboing.net discovered a music genre that is definitely becoming my new favorite.  Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, Chap-hop!

Professor Elemental - "Fighting Trousers"

Favorite Things

So I needed to do an entry for this blog. I have been ignoring it like a ginger-headed stepchild - which is a little ridiculous for me to say because I would probably love a ginger stepchild. I've been busy, wrapped up in school, work and life, so it wasn't intentional ignoring, but I digress. I borrowed a list of 30 things to blog about in 30 days (I will totally take longer) from a friend who'd posted it on her blog a while back (thanks Jo and Dawn).  First up I'm listing 20 of my favorite things... no roses or kittens here folks.

1. My friends - My best friends especially (you know who you are). They are such very special and amazing individuals. I'm really lucky to have them in my life. You guys rock! And honestly, you're why I can make it through the bad days.
2. My mom - Best ever! The most understanding, generous, loving person I know.
3. Hugs/Cuddling - Hello. My name is Kris and I'm a cuddle slut. But I have to be pretty comfortable with someone before I get touchy with them, otherwise I'll cringe away.
4. Otters - They are adorable, frolicky, amazingly smart and tough. If I could choose so, I'd be reincarnated as one in my next life.
5. Pretty knickers - There is something about wearing a fun/fancy/sexy pair of knickers that makes me feel even prettier. Even if it's a basic cotton hipster/boyshort (my preferred style) in a really fun pattern, it's a special part of the ensemble that only I know about...well, unless I choose to let someone see 'em. Shopping for them is fun too.
6. Cooking/Baking - Whether it's from scratch, from a box, or dough from a tube, I dig cookery. It's fun, it can be challenging, I can get all creative and experimental with it and it's science (<3 Alton Brown)! Plus, the result is always tasty... unless you fuck up your sugar for salt or something, which I have never done *knock on wood*
7. Lime - Whether it's limeade (waaaaay better than lemonade), key lime pie, freshly squirted over some chicken or fish or making margaritas, it just has such a fresh and lively flavor that is unparalleled. It's the top dog of citrus.
8. My six-shooter earring - I always get a compliment when I wear them. Since they are studs I can wear them casually or add some edge to an otherwise classy/dressy ensemble. Definitely one of the top ten best birthday presents I've received in my 28 years.
9. The smell of craft/art supply stores - A motley aroma of wood, paints, glues, fabric, pastels... it's the smell of potential magic, waiting to be harnessed and manipulated into something awesome. My grandfather owned his own art & drafting supply business when I was younger; I loved the special days I got to go in to work with mom.
10. Buttons/Pins - These little suckers are irresistible. I have quite a nice collection going. They are a small and fun way to say something, show support or just your fun side.  I wish I could afford the tools to make my own, that'd be awesome. In the meantime I need to build an awesome way to display my collection. That goes ditto to my shot-glass collection; not quite as large, but equally cool.
11. Cake balls - My friend D turned me onto this recipe and I haven't looked back since.  It's cake, mixed with frosting, formed into a bite-sized ball and dipped in candy coating. They are a sweet explosions of AWESOME in your mouth! Also, it turns out I kinda rock at makin' 'em, so now I'm formulating new things to try with them.
12. The smell of Gardenias - Generally speaking, I hate perfumes. I use scented oils instead; there's no alcohol, no allergens and all that crap. Gardenia is one of the few I can rely on liking.
13. Books - "The pen is mightier than the sword." Books can inspire, enchant, motivate, educate, frighten, empower. They can take you to lands faraway or around the corner, empathize with or at least understand viewpoints previously foreign to you, make you feel emotions you didn't know you were capable of... Books are a special kind of magic. 10a. I love the smell of books and book stores.
14. Movies - Similar to books, movies are another kind of wizardry. They can do all the things I listed above, but through a different medium, a visual one, that is equally fantastic. However I do not like the smell of movie stores or theaters.
15. Pineapple - Nature's candy! I could eat this shit all day. I also enjoy cutting up fresh pineapple, not quite sure why...
16. Crafting - I like creating things, the contentment that comes when finishing a project. Painting, gluing, jewelry making, paper crafting, sewing, X-stitching... I have yet to pick up crocheting though.
17. Ice cream/gelato/sorbet - Whatever the name this cold, smooth, scoop of delicious wonderment has long been a favorite of mine. Forget a candy store, my eyes grow wide when I walk into a creamery. Flavor favorites include coffee, rocky road, cookies & cream, Ring Mountain's lime jalapeno sorbet and salted peanut gelato (not together though), Ben & Jerry's S'mores and Americone Dream... yeah, I'll just stop here.
18. My new wallet - I bought it shortly before my Vegas trip and am in love with it. It's has the perfect amount of pockets and folds out beautifully. It's big enough that I could carry just it around like a clutch without being all bulky and awkward. Also, it's by Vera Wang who, for some reason, is a fashion designer I've always admired.  Lastly it is a gorgeous dark green color with tarnished brass snap and logo detail, chic with a bit of edge; love it.
19. Cursing - This one should really be called linguistic/etymology, but anyone who knows me knows that I love to swear like a sailor. The more balls-out creative and mind-fuckingly outrageous the better.
20. Coconut - This tasty fruit has such a unique texture and flavor. It can be made sweet or savory - ice cream, baked goods, coating shrimp/chicken, toasted and coated with chocolate, etc). On a trip to Duluth, my friends and I went to a great little cafe/restaurant that made a coconut peach muffin; that thing sexually harassed my mouth and I loved it! As an added benefit, coconut is one thing I'm positive my dad hates, thereby ensuring anything I get with it will go untouched, mwa ha ha!
21. Dogs - Fuck rules, I'm making this thing longer. I've long lived in apartments and thereby been limited to my pet options. I've done fish, rodents and cats. No more; I want a dog. They are adorable, loveable companions that are waaay more fun to play with that cats (I'm all felined out). I obviously have to wait for my living and financial situations to improve, but in the meantime I have a number of friends with awesome pups that I love to lavish my affection upon.
22. Wing Night/Free Taco Bar - There's a joint named Bunny's in SLP that my mate Chris introduced me to, where we've become regulars. Seriously, we always seem to get the same server and he now knows my drink of choice... last time he even noticed that I was rocking contacts instead of my usual glasses! Anyway, they have late night specials on their delicious wings and FREE taco bar!  Mmm, taco bar...

It's NPM Yo! part I

April is National Poetry Month - snazzy, I know. As I was considering a writing degree before settling on GD, I'm thought it'd be fun to share some poetry. Good stuff (and maybe some humorously bad stuff) found over my years of taking lit and writing classes (English geek? Yes, a bit). Maybe I'll even share some of my own...

First up, a couple war related poems.

Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime...

Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, –

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.*

*translation: It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.

Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa

My black face fades,
hiding inside the black granite.
I said I wouldn't
dammit: No tears.
I'm stone. I'm flesh.
My clouded reflection eyes me
like a bird of prey, the profile of night
slanted against morning. I turnthis way – the stone let's me go.

I turn that way – I'm inside
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
again, depending on the light
to make a difference.
I go down the 58,022 names,
half-expecting to find
my own in letters like smoke.
I touch the name Andrew Johnson;
I see the booby trap's white flash.
Names shimmer on a woman's blouse
but when she walks away
the names stay on the wall.

Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's
wings cutting across my stare.
The sky. A plane in the sky.
A white vet's image floats
closer to me then his pale eyes
look through mine. I'm a window.
He's lost his right arm
inside the stone. In the black mirror
a woman's trying to erase names:
No, she's brushing a boy's hair.

Plague of Indecision

Recently I went on a real, honest, plane-trip-required vacation to Las Vegas,NV. While there, my friends and I went on a self-guided tour of the Ethel M. Chocolate Factory.  It was founded 25 years ago by Forrest Mars Sr. who named the company after his dear mother, from whom he'd learned about quality chocolate-making in their family kitchen. They do their chocolatiering in small batches and their products are preservative free. And, if you are wondering, "chocolate + 'Mars' is that guy...?" Yes, he is that Mars of chocolate fame. But I digress...

While the tour was pretty boring - not much was happening that day, mostly packing - they did have a great little store and, being a chocolate lover, I went ahead and got a hand-picked selection of 12 chocolates for a mere $18. It sounds like a lot, but most of the chocolates in their cases were individually priced at $2/piece; once I counted no less than five that I absolutely had to try, the upgrade seemed the best choice.

Now I'm home and have gone through all but 5 chocolates:

Pecan Brittle

Key Lime Ganache (dark chocolate)

Coconut Delight (dark chocolate)

Sea Salted Caramel (milk chocolate)

Honey Truffle (dark chocolate)

I go to get a treat today and I cannot decide which one to eat! The remaining chocolates are some of my favorite flavors, thus why I've passed them over until now (best for last)! This I went to do 20 minutes ago and still haven't decided (although I've done other things that have taken up brain time). 

I can be horribly indecisive;I can stand/walk around in Target for 30 minutes comparing two things before making a choice. Why am I this way? I have no idea.  If someone wants to give me a free psych rundown, I'd love it. Seriously, unless I have a predetermined list, I should not be allowed to shop without someone there to force me to make a decision...

Shopping chaperone needed! 

Volunteer position. Please apply via e-mail. 

Multiple positions available.

Sin City, Here I Come!

In 1 day I'll be in Las Vegas! YEEEEEEE!!!!! :D  

I am so excited!  This will be the biggest vacation I've ever been on.  I've done a number of road trips to places in and around MN -  a weekend in Duluth, a 24 hour trip to Madison,WI for a concert - but have never had a real, air travel required, destination vacation before.  The closest has been when I participated in KCACTF in college and got to travel to St. Louis,MO and Denver,CO, but those were school related so I didn't get the opportunity to really experience those cities (I'd love to go back to Denver).

Monday morning, my friends and I will be on our way to Vegas!  I'm almost completely packed but for a few things I will use tomorrow and my yet-to-be-decided vacation read.  We're staying at New York, New York hotel, four days and three nights.  Thus far we have some loosely based plans; catch some free fountain shows and the Fremont Street Experience, gamble, shop, maybe some sex and blow, you know the usual thing. Hopefully we won't get roofied by the fourth, newer member of our party... 

Although maybe I ought to text "check the roof" to my fellow cohorts each evening...

I just checked weather.com to see what the climes will be for my stay on The Strip; the forecast is either "sunny" or "mostly sunny" with highs up 86 and lows at 55 degrees.  After the slushy downpour I drove in this last Tuesday, I could cum from the sheer giddy I feel at reading that forecast!

Hunger Games The Movie

For those of you that work with me or have talked books with me at anytime recently, you know of my love of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Many of you even love them right along with me. If you haven't given it a look, you should. It's a fantastic sci-fi/fantasy, dystopian future set teen series! Hey now, don't grumble at the teen part, there are some excellent works out there mixed in with the likes of the Clique series and vampire hysteria latch-on novels! Stephen King even gave it props. 

Naturally, with the success of Twilight and other teen books gone to film, the rights for Hunger Games were bought by Lionsgate in spring last year and now rumors of directors are floating around.  Thanks to my friend Steve who posted this to a friend on Facebook- although not to me >:( - , there are some high (and low) contenders in talks. Check it out here!

Of those three, I'm rooting for Slade or Mendes, in that order.  

Slade is awesome! I loved Hard Candy- which was essentially two actors and a house, but full of great tension & drama! Plus, he's done 30 Days of Night and now Eclipse, which means he's got the chops for some good action & gore/horror but knows what to expect in dealing with a teen-genre story. Additionally, he's directed videos for the likes of System of A Down, Stone Temple Pilots and Muse. He has a knack for dark material, such as The Hunger Games. I have not seen Eclipse (haven't found the time and booze enough yet), but as for the others, he's done solid work. Plus, he's a Brit, and that will nearly always score a point with me.
 
Now on to Mr. Mendes (also a Brit). Almost all his previous films have started as books, so he has that experience going for him. What I have seen of his work has been pretty solid and beautiful material as well.  Away We Go was great! And while Revolutionary Road's story left me wanting to slit my wrists after leaving the theater, my understanding of the book from others tells me he captured it's feel perfectly and there's no denying is was a good film.  And we've all seen American Beauty. Unfortunately I have yet to see Road to Perdition or Jarhead, which would give me an idea of how he handles action/violence, but they're in my Netflix queue!

Ross has not done a whole lot directorially (2 done (Seabiscuit and Pleasantville), 1 in production and 1 just announced according to IMDb). He's more a producer and even that list doesn't seem to lend much experience to a project like this. Of what he's directed, none have the action and spectacle that, in my opinion, this series would require. Also, all his directed films have been period pieces, none present or future set (well Pleasantville was partially present, but that was back in 1998).

So this is my petition to the Universe/Powers-That-Be/what have you; Slade for Director (at least of those mentioned)!  Mendes is an very acceptable 2nd.  If Ross gets it, my expectations for a decent film translation drop exponentially.

Movies: July/August Edition!

JULY

Despicable Me (7/9)

The Plot:  The usually deplorable Gru is forced to rethink his plan to steal the moon when a trio of orphaned girls enter his life (animated).

The Players:  (voices) Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Ken Jeong, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews

The Prospective:  It had me at, "IT'S SO FUZZY!!!" :) 

Predators (7/9)

The Plot:  Another addition to the Predators series, this time around a group of elite warriors are hunted by the merciless alien race.

The Players:  Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace

The Prospective: The Predator series is one of that I have yet to view, but with Messrs Brody and Fishburne in tow and the likelihood of seeing Topher Grace bite it, I'm in for the ride.

Inception (7/16)

The Plot: All I can tell from the trailer is it's another Nolan mind trip dealing with manipulating other peoples' dreams. 

The Players:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Lukas Haas

The Prospective: This. Looks. AWESOME.  Now that I've seen it, I can say for sure that it absolutely freakin is!  5 STARS! I would gladly pay $10 to see it again!

Get Low (7/30)

The Plot: In 1930s Tennessee, backwoods hermit Felix Bush (Duvall) enlists the aid of Frank Quinn (Murray) in his decision to throw a party for his own funeral --while he's still alive.

The Players:  Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lukas Black

The Prospective: It's an interesting idea and there's no question on the talent involved.

Dinner For Schmucks (7/30)

The Plot: A rising executive (Rudd) gets in over his head when he must find a guest for his boss's monthly event, a "dinner for idiots" which offers major advantages to the exec who shows with the biggest moron. 

The Players:  Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Jermaine Clement, Bruce Greenwood

The Prospective:  I find it very hard to resist Paul Rudd, Ron Linvingston, Steve Carrell and Zach Galifianakis individually, put them together and I'm a goner. 

The Extra Man (7/30 [limited])
The Plot: A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing.
The Players: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, John C. Reilly, Kaitie Holmes
The Prospective: Kevin Kline is amazing.

AUGUST 
Eat Pray Love (8/13) 
The Plot: Based on the biography by Elizabeth Gilbert about her trips to Italy, India and Bali to rediscover herself after a painful divorce.
The Players: Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, James Franco, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins
The Prospective:  Might as well check it out. I always kinda meant to read the book.  I do like me some James Franco. I also really love the song in the trailer :) (Lame as that is for a reason to see a movie.)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (8/13)
The Plot: Scott, an average dude in a band, falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers, but in order to win her heart, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.  Based on the manga series.
The Players: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick
The Prospective: I may not be a fan of Cera, but this looks so fantastic!  Video game meets comic books meets awesome.  Plus, I can't explain it, but Jason Schwartzman is bizarrely appealing.

The Expendables (8/13)
The Plot: A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator... cuz that's new.
The Players: Sylvester Stallone (who also directs and co-wrote the screenplay), Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Steve Austen, Eric Roberts, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
The Prospective: I'm sorry, I'm laughing too hard at the cheesefest this is bound to be!

Tales From Earthsea (8/13)
The Plot: Based on the fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Players: The voice talents of Willem Dafoe, Mariska Hargitay and Timothy Dalton.
The Prospective: Goro Miyazaki brings the Le Guin novels to stunning anime.

Vampires Suck (8/18)
The Plot: A spoof on Twilight and other such recent teen dribble.
The Players: Ken Jeong and Diedrich Bader were the only two I recognized.
The Prospective: I don't typically enjoy recent spoofs, but this one I will make an acception for >:)

The Switch (8/20)
The Plot: An unmarried 40-year-old woman (Aniston) turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant.  Her best friend (Bateman) gets drunk at the impregnation party and accidentally spills her donated seed down the drain and replaces it with his own...and then blacks out.  Seven years later she returns with her little boy who seems to share many personality traits with her dear old friend.
The Players: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Wilson
The Prospective: I love me some Jason Bateman, and hopefully enough that I might be able to ignore Aniston's involvement. Plus, Jeff Goldblum! :D

Going The Distance (8/27)
The Plot: A rom-com about the trials of long distance relationships.
The Players: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan.
The Prospective: Looks pretty damn funny, but could be another sucky rom-com.  I do enjoy Barrymore and Long respectively.

Centurion (8/27)
The Plot: Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers) directs this period film.  After the Roman Ninth Legion is attacked by the Picts -Celtic tribesmen who serve as some of the Roman Empire's toughest opposition- a band of soldiers who survived the brutal massacre try to make their way back across enemy lines.
The Players: Dominic West, Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds), Olga Kurylenko, Dave Legeno (HP and the Half-Blood Prince), 
The Prospective: First of all, I'm a fan of Marshall.  He's become something of a master of genre filmmaking and is notorious for being about to squeeze riches out of lo budgets. Second, it's Dominic West and the Brit from Inglourious Basterds! HOT!

Other Comments:

Twilight Saga: Eclipse (7/2)- Let the horrid, masochistic hilarity continue!

Ramona And Beezus (7/23)-  Nostalgia calls me to this one based on the Beverly Cleary books of my youth.
Salt (7/23) -Really Liev Schreiber? This?  Really brotha, c'mon, you're better than this.
Step Up 3D (8/6) - Why?! I'm blaming Kent for this one.

Winter Fun (aka Winter Want To Dos)

So Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are "officially" into the Winter/ Holiday season.

...When the hell did that happen?!

I am not ready for this yet! I still have shopping and crafting to do to get all the people on my gift list done. I still have stuff I want to do too! Between work (all those holiday shoppers *cringe*) and school taking up time until the week of the 17th, I want to find time to work in some fun and hopefully with my friends. So I, as usual, have compiled a list of fun things I'd like to do this winter. Not all of them have to or can be done before the holidays, but some of them I would like to do before then. So, in no particular order, I want to:


1. Bake cookies! And from scratch too! I don't do enough cooking and baking, but I always love it! Especially around the holidays there is a certain extra joy to it that I cannot place, but love the feel of. And now, since I noticed a kids picture book on the holiday display, I want to make holiday pirate cookies! Except I'm thinking of makin' 'em with sugar cookie dough instead of gingerbread dough.

2. See at least TWO more movies off my November and December (coming soon) lists. January and February too, but that's too far out to think and I hope by then I've seen two movies, sheesh!

3. Go see the Holidazzle Parade. I've lived in the Metro Area all my life and never gone down and stood on Nicollet Mall, freezing my tush off to watch a ton of pretty lights parade in front of me. I like pretty lights! And there are certainly enough nice joints along the mall to go to and enjoy a nice pre- or post-parade din.


4. I still want to try to make it to a Wild game! Even if they are not always the greatest, it's an awesome sport to watch and fun to support the home team.



5. Go to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. I have not gone to this since I was little, like Gimli would've dwarfed me little. The sculptures are always so cool, there's ice skating and all sorts of stuff I don't even know (there's not a calendar on the site yet).


6. Go ice skating. I'm not even sure if I remember how, but we should find out :)

7. I still want to go see the Titanic exhibit at the Science Museum.

8. Go for a walk in a state park or nature reserve or heck any nice park. Snow and ice covering everything with the sun shining down on it is so pretty and can make viewing wildlife a bit easier without so much foliage. Maybe even hit a park that rents snowshoes! This one is, of course, completely dependent on the weather.



This is all I can think of right now, but something else will probably pop into my head later on, that's just how my brain works :)