Author: Daphne Psaledakis

Valentine’s Day

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As most of you know, or should know, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and as ever, Facebook is lamenting “Single Awareness Day.” Every year, there is a group of people who don’t hesitate to make it known that they hate Valentine’s Day because it makes them feel bad about themselves, when really, if having a relationship determines your self-worth, you should feel bad about your principles.

And then there is the group of people who do have dates for Valentine’s. They fret about the perfect gift for weeks, hoping that they can show their date just how well they know their other half through the present they get for them. This causes people to go all out and spend pretty much all the money they have worked so hard to earn. What should really be a simple romantic holiday has been turned into a commercialized event that makes people feel left out.

Instead of going out and buying the most expensive gift you can think of and still somewhat afford for your date, you should try to hand make something a little more heartfelt. It’s through being creative that you can really show someone how well you know them, and not that you just listen to them talk about something they really really want. And people who don’t have a date should use Valentine’s Day as a chance to be goofy with friends, or have a girls’ night. Valentine’s isn’t designed to rob people’s banks and make others feel bad about themselves. It’s designed for you to be able to show your love to someone – whether it be your boyfriend, parents, siblings, or friends.

Nicknames

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Pretty much everybody has a slew of embarrassing nicknames. If you don’t, your family is way too nice. Over the years, thanks to my wonderful dad and brothers, I have accumulated quite the collection of nicknames. All but one are pretty embarrassing, which made my brothers way too happy.

When we were younger, my brothers would insert my name into the song “Yankee Doodle.” And if that wasn’t bad enough, I also became Daffy Duck. When they first started with those nicknames, it would make me even angrier at them than I usually was. Since then, I have come to accept the fact that I just make them do it more by creating a fuss about it. So I’ve learned to embrace it — or at least pretend that I have.

The worst is when your family slips and tells your friends some of your nicknames, or worse, your evil teacher who then coins even more embarrassing nicknames. Thanks, Dad.

Those aren’t my only two nicknames, and I will admit that I probably have more than the average person. But I am definitely not the only one with a family who takes joy in embarrassing me, and I’m not the only one with a nickname. I would think everyone knows what I’m talking about.

Let’s Talk About the Super Bowl

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As a Colorado resident, watching the Super Bowl yesterday was a bit embarrassing. The Broncos haven’t exactly been the strongest team in the past, but this year they improved considerably. The fact that they made it to the Super Bowl is pretty impressive in itself. Their performance during the Super Bowl was not.

The commercials were the most interesting part.

The Chevy Silverado commercial was a riot, and the Maserati commercial was probably the deepest car commercial I’ve ever seen. And Budweiser, of course, left eyes watering with their adorable puppy commercial. I was impressed by the commercials, although some people have claimed them to be lackluster this year.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the halftime performance. I did not have very high expectations for Bruno Mars, but his dancing and attire made up for his cheesy lyrics. He was better than Madonna at least.

So basically everything about the Super Bowl except for the actual football part was pretty cool. The football was just sad. It left a lot to be desired for a much-talked about match up. And even though I was rooting for the Broncos, I can’t be completely angry at the Seahawks for bringing home their first championship.

P!nk

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Four years ago, I was watching the Grammy’s with my mom, and saw what I thought was the most amazing performance I had ever seen – or was going to see. P!nk sang her song, “Glitter in the Air,” meticulously while doing acrobatics in midair. I’m not joking. That takes some serious skill, and I was properly impressed.

Of course, P!nk is not exactly one to slack off after delivering only one stellar performance, so she set about proving me wrong two years later during the 2012 American Music Awards, where she executed a flawless ballet routine with a partner to her popular song “Try.” The performance showcased her incredible talent, strength, and flexibility. All while singing. When I thought I would never see a more impressive performance than “Glitter in the Air,” two years prior, I had most definitely been wrong.

Then P!nk went and broke her own personal awesome performance record during this years Grammy’s. She combined her two previous performances, set to her song “Try.” But she didn’t stop there, and she went on to sing her song “Just Give Me a Reason,” with Nate Ruess. In all, the performance was incredible.

I was so impressed with these performances that I sent the three links to my dad – who had an appropriate reaction: “She is a badass.” That about sums it up. And if you haven’t seen the videos, go see them.

Lone Survivor

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This weekend I went to go see the newly released movie “Lone Survivor,” starring Mark Wahlberg. From seeing the trailer I could tell that it was going to be a fairly intense movie, but I figured it would also be the typical war movie – glamorized, patriotic, and making all the men in the theatre want to walk out and immediately enroll in the army. Boy, was I wrong.

“Lone Survivor” hardly wasted any time in getting to the good stuff. At the beginning of the movie, there is just enough time provided for the viewer to learn about the characters – their friendship, and what is waiting for them back home. And then after you have been tactfully exposed to their lives, the action starts. And it doesn’t end until the final credits roll.

The film, which is based on of a true story, follows four NAVY SEALS, all of which are friends, on a mission to kill a dangerous Taliban member. He is wanted for killing twenty Marines in one week. From the start, the mission doesn’t go well. Their planned lookout spot has an obstructed view of the village, prompting them to move to the top of a peak, where goat herders happen upon them.

After a conflict of morals, the herders are released, upon which they return to the village and the four friends begin the fight for their lives. Every time you think they might catch a break, another hurdle is thrown at them. They push their bodies past the breaking point, and then more. One by one, they die, leaving only the lone survivor. Hence the title of the movie.

I’m not usually a crier during movies. Especially over a war movie. And especially when in a theater. But about halfway through the movie the waterworks started, and they didn’t end until twenty minutes after we had left the theater and had sat down for lunch. Before the credits rolled, pictures of those who had been involved in the real mission were projected onto the screen, along with pictures of their families, videos of their weddings and their names. It was heartbreaking. The movie was raw and powerful. It did not glamorize their jobs, and instead showed the reality of what the men in Afghanistan have to face. It was action and adrenaline-packed. It was brutal and intense. And it was really really good.

I was not the only one crying during that movie. It’s hard to watch, but worth watching.

Greek Food

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I am part Greek, and I have grown up knowing that hummus, pita, tzatziki, and spanakopita are only a small portion of a wide array of Greek food, and that they are all delicious. Strangely enough, most of my friends don’t seem to know what Greek food actually is.

I even had a friend argue with me that hummus was in fact Jewish.

So for those of you who don’t know, Greek food is absolutely delicious. The appetizers, which could arguably be the best part, are amazing. Spanakopita, one of  the most famous ones, consists of fill dough wrapped around spinach and feta cheese. Similarly, and if not even better, tiropita is spanakopita without the spinach. My family has been eating dolmades since we were real little, which are stuffed grape leaves. Often they are stuffed with a rice of sorts, but sometimes a bit of ground lamb is added in as well.

And then, of course, there is the famous pita bread and dips. You can’t go wrong with pita bread, especially when it is fresh out of the oven and perfectly seasoned. But when you dip it in hummus, or tzatziki, yogurt mixed with cucumber, garlic, and other herbs, the pita becomes even more heavenly.

As for the entrees, the Greeks cook with a lot of seafood, octopus in particular, and lamb. My favorite dish is lamb souvlaki, skewers of lamb often accompanied by potatoes or vegetables. Contrary to the more American way of cooking lamb, which tastes rather gamey, the Greeks smother the tender meat in lemon and garlic, making it irresistibly delicious.

And then the desserts. Baklava is my favorite. It’s wonderfully messy, and is made of chopped nuts wrapped in fill dough, and coated in either honey or syrup. Another all time favorite are kourabiedes, which are similar to what we most often know as mexican wedding cookies. They are butter cookies with walnuts in them, and disguised by a generous coating of powdered sugar.

Caution: when eating, do not inhale.

Greek food is possibly one of the most hidden and underrated forms of cooking in America. I have decided to drag my friends to try Greek food, and I encourage you to find a local Greek restaurant near you and give it a try. It’s definitely worth it, and I can promise you won’t leave without feeling like you need to unbutton the top button of your pants, it’s that good.

Gingerbread Houses

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One of my all time favorite things to do in the Holiday season is to make a gingerbread house. This weekend, I made my first gingerbread house in years. It was so much fun.

Making gingerbread houses is a good way to celebrate the Holidays. It’s creative, fun, and delicious. You can do the simple out of the box gingerbread houses, or go way over the top and make your own crazy creation.

Gingerbread houses are a fun group activity to do with kids of any age. Young kids, especially, love it, but even older kids will enjoy the activity and take the chance to be creative.

It’s also a not-so-healthy way of snacking. When I was little we would always eat our gingerbread houses after making them. I’m proud to say that wasn’t the case this year.

So if you’re looking for a fun activity to do this Holiday season, I highly recommend decorating a gingerbread house.

Thanksgiving Pie

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Let’s be honest. The best thing about Thanksgiving is the food. Particularly, the traditional pumpkin and pecan pie. Personally, these are my two favorite kind of pies. So when Thanksgiving rolls around and I have an excuse to eat pumpkin and pecan pie everyday for a week straight, I’m pretty happy.

Pumpkin pie though can be tricky. The stuff you buy at the supermarket is terrible. You’ve got to go either with homemade pumpkin pie, or buy it from a bakery not situated next to the deli and cheese sections. This Thanksgiving I had the best pumpkin pie I’ve had, well, ever. It was made by a friend of ours, who runs a small local bakery in Boulder, Colorado. Her pumpkin pie was absolutely amazing. It practically melted in my mouth. The crust was perfectly flaky. And she topped it off by sprinkling streusel on top of it.

It was perfect.

Now to pecan pie. It’s so good. Perfectly sweet, with a little bit of crunch to it. My family has always made pecan pie for thanksgiving. We have a family recipe that never seems to fail. This year, my dad and I made four pies. I don’t know why we made that many, but we did. Unfortunately we burnt two. We ate one by ourselves, and I brought the fourth pecan pie back to school with me to share with my roommate.

Well as it turns out, my roommate doesn’t like pie. Of course, she’d never actually tried it before (we all do that). So last night I forced her to try the pecan pie I had brought back to school with me. Well it turned out she hadn’t even tried pie crust before, which she thought was pretty. Then she tried a bite of the actual pie.

The only thing she said for the next couple minutes was “Oh my God.”

And she kept eating.

That just proves my point that pecan pie is one of the best. And Thanksgiving is a pretty good excuse to make a lot of them.

Dots

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I’m not really one to get addicted to games like Candy Crush, or Hay Day. I’ll play a phone game every once in a while when I’m bored, or not doing anything. But lately I’ve been playing this game called Dots every chance I get.

Dots is a game which gives you a square filled with different colored dots. The object of the game is to connect as many dots to their like color as you can in 60 seconds. It’s incredible difficult. And incredibly addicting.

It lists the high scores of the week, and some people are in the 800’s. I’m still stuck in the 300’s. My friends and I compete against each other, reveling when we have the highest score, and desperately trying to catch up when someone steals first place. I haven’t been first place in a while, but it’s still fun.

I’m glad I’m addicted to Dots and not Candy Crush though. At least with Dots I can kinda claim it’s a mind-stimulating game. Candy Crush just seems pointless. I mean all you’re doing is moving around candy.

So for all of you looking for a new game to be addicted to, or at least try out, I recommend Dots. It’s pretty fun.

 

Equestrianism is Not a Sport… Say Football Players

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One of the debates currently coursing through the student body at OVS is between football players and equestrians. The football players seem to think that horse-back riding is not a sport.

First of all, I’d like to invite football players to a sit-up competition. The equestrians would win.

Everyone who has sat on a horse even once can recognize the talent, skill, and hard work it takes for a 97 pound person (me) to maneuver a 1,500 pound animal to move forward, sideways, backwards, to jump and gallop and stop, all without looking like you’re doing anything. Not to mention the 1,500 pound horse has a mind of its own, a mind which most often, relishes in doing the exact opposite of what you want him to.

Horse-back riding isn’t a sport? Yeah right.

Whenever I can bully my dad into giving me a piggy back ride, which has been less and less often as I’ve grown taller, he has to remind me over and over again not to squeeze his sides with my legs. That would be because after thirteen years of gripping the sides of a horse, my legs are pretty strong.

Last spring, I decided to take a break from riding. For some reason, I decided to do cross-country running as my fall sport. First of all, that was a terrible idea. Secondly, I realized that I’ve gotten off a horse sweatier than I’ve been after a four or five mile run in ninety degree weather.  My muscles have been far sorer after a challenging ride than they have been after a long run.

Horse-back riding makes you use muscles you didn’t even know you had. It makes you focus, and plan out every move of each finger, arm, leg, and foot because the tiniest movement from any part of your body could send your horse off running or bucking. The horse can sense your fear. It can sense which way you look. It knows what you’re going to do almost before you do – and it loves to do just the opposite of what you’re asking.

So to the football players who think horse-back riding isn’t a sport (cough cough my editor in chief cough cough), I invite you to come to the barn and ride for sports one day. Forewarning, you’ll have a hard time moving the next day.

Time Jump