Weekly Roundup: Volume 1, Issue 20

1.Pet Rescue
For my final video project in Converged Journalism, my project partner and I have spent the last few days at Pet Rescue by Judy, a local pet rescuing organization that takes animals and keeps them until they are adopted, unlike many shelters that euthanize animals after a certain period of time. So basically, our project was to hang out with puppies and cats. It was great! Here’s the final product:

2.18 months!
Abel and I celebrated our 18-month anniversary this week. It was wonderful! As you can see in the photos below, we made a lovely gingerbread house, and then watched some funny episodes of The Simpsons together. On Saturday night, we tried out a new Italian restaurant (new for us), Anthony’s, in Downtown Orlando. I had the eggplant rollotini, and I found it pretty good, but nothing can compare with our all-time favorite Italian restaurant: Goodfellas. After that, we paid a visit to our favorite ice cream spot, 4Delights. Amazing as usual! We played Little Big Planet together when we got back to his house. Overall, it was a very lovely time!

3.Documentary
Editing is almost done! Our amazing editor, Aaron Hose will be completing the final touches on Monday, and then it’s premiere day on Tuesday night! Once again, here’s the Facebook event page. Everyone come! Seeing the editing process done by a professional has been enlightening. Aaron is truly a master of the craft, and he’s been able to take this film to the next level. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

4.A new recipe for this week
The Honors College staff Christmas party was this week, and I tried out a new recipe for the potluck: Curried Couscous with Vegetables. I’m happy to say that it’s delicious! I’m also happy to say that I got to bring home leftovers. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. I had to use a gluten-free brown rice couscous, since it was the only curry-flavored boxed couscous I could find. I could have made my own, but…whatever. The sweetness of the raisins and onions is a good balance to the spiciness of the curry seasoning, and the almonds on top add a nice crunch to this hearty meal. Try it out and enjoy!

5.This week I’m listening to…
The Mountain Goats! No, I haven’t gotten their new album yet, BUT Life of the World to Come has been playing in my car for the past three days, and I have to say I was hit once again by how amazing it is. I hated the Goats when I first heard them, and even now I have to give each album a few listens before it sinks in. But after that point, I find I’m always in love with their music. Take a listen:

*note: The Mountain Goats aren’t a Christian band. They just thought the Bible was cool and made an album about it. Check out the lead singer’s interview on Colbert Report for more fun info.