D.C. or Bust!

The Bearcat Bands are on their way to tomorrow's football match-up of the University of Cincinnati VS. Virginia Tech.  The last match-up of these schools was January 1, 2009 at the beloved Florida Orange Bowl.

In terms of travel arrangements, this means 5 full charter busses, 250 band members and staff members, and one very large (and full) semi truck is on the move.

Am I excited for the trip?  You betcha!  Traveling approximately 1000 miles in just over two days with 250 of my closest friends in a whirlwind weekend performance is always a great time for an alumni band member!

GO BEARCATS!

UC Band: Recruitment Mode!

There are exciting things happening today in the world of UC Bearcat Bands Recruitment!  The UC Bearcat Bands are performing at a BOA (Bands of America) marching band competition in Kentucky, and I just finished a new version of the UC Band recruitment DVD!  Take a sample look:

With the exception of the physical creation of the DVD menu template and the C-Paw (which is being used in accordance with the branding specifications set by the University of Cincinnati), everything is my original creation.  I took each of the four pictures visible within the scrolling DVD menu at last season's 2011 Liberty Bowl with my DSLR.  I shot and edited each of the three short Band videos using a combination of my DSLR and through the use of a friends Canon XL1/Canon XHA1 video camcorders.

This video, the TUCBIDG Recruitment Info listing above, is the newest of the three videos.  By new, what I really intend to say is the most recent edit of an existing video.  I repurposed a previous video I made last year to better work as a recruitment tool by making it exist in more of a slideshow format that can easily be repeated on loop.

Personally, I think the whole project looks pretty spiffy.  What do you think?

Guten Tag!

One of my more touristy moments while visiting
Salzburg Austria--Mozart's birthplace!

It has already been over three years since my summer studying abroad in Munich Germany.  I had a great time and visited Berlin, Paris, Prague, Deggelsdorf, Salzberg, and hiked in the Austrian Alps.

Oh Germany, how I miss thee...

Luckily, I live in Cincinnati and Cincinnati is a 'sister city' to Munich.  I have already visited one of the several Oktoberfest festivals in the vicinity and have easy access to Hofburhaus--just across the river.  Since I flew home on my 21st birthday, I have not missed out on any of the delicious beverages (Radler  beir excluded) that you can drink at age 16 in Germany.

Nepolitaner bars!

While in Germany, I found it hilarious that I could buy dozens of flavors of fruit spreads, but grape was not an option!  Some of the items that I cannot seem to find in the US however include Apfel Saft (an apple juice soda), Mezzo Mix (Coke mixed with Orange Fanta), Radler Beir (Lager Beer and Fizzy Lemonade-it is much better than it sounds), and Original Nepolitaner.  One item, much to my delight, has recently found its way to the shelfs of my local Walgreens!

My beloved Original Nepolitaner, or in the US labeled as Hazelnut Cream Filled Wafers, are currently in stock at my local Walgreens as part of a small effort to promote Oktoberfest (which doesn't make complete sense since Manner Bars are a product of Vienna Austria).  As you can see from the picture above, I delightfully bought several of both the Hazelnut option (pictured) and the sweet Lemon variety.  For the moment, I am happily delighted to have found one of my favorite German treats :)

Tschüss! 

It's not that I am dieting...

...but I decided to track what I was eating for a few days and really surprised myself with how often I consume multiple servings without intending to do so!  I know that most restaurant meals are larger than they 'need' to be, but it had never really occured to me that I was preparing the same size meals at home too!  My day one clocked in at over 2300 calories with no exercise.

This is how the above meal counts itself calorie wise!

The weekend experiment has left me deciding that I should be a little bit more conscious of what I am eating, for health's sake.  To the right you can see a dish I made for dinner.

This yummy meal, including baked tilapia and cheesy broccoli, is much lower in calories than what I was eating before, clocking in at a total of 342 calories.  Plus the tilapia is high in protein, I skipped butter and used the 'healthy fat' olive oil instead, and was still able to allow for cheesy broccoli!  Everything was baked in my oven for 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Because I am trying to show myself what individual servings should look like, I took the time to measure out the recommended serving sizes for this meal, for the first time in a really long time.  I surprised myself when I realized what one cup of broccoli looks like and that adding 1/4 cup of mild cheddar cheese (one serving) really seemed like too much cheese!

I should also mention that the meal also looks jumbo sized in the picture, but it is actually sitting on a small salad plate.

Today, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two small snacks will clock in at 1329 calories--> 267 calories 'under budget' in respect to the suggestions that http://www.everydayhealth.com/ gives me based on my height, age, activity levels, and fitness goals.

Coffee Cappuccino?

It all started because I have the day off work.  After a yummy lunch out, I returned home desiring a tasty sweet treat.  Usually, I fulfill this craving with ice cream.  Deciding to seek a lower calorie option today, I hit the web for a homemade cappuccino treat.

I don't own anything too fancy when it comes to my kitchen utensils.  I do not have an expresso machine or a milk steamer or even a simple blender for that matter.  My Mr. Coffee is a Keurig wanna-be and suits my needs for a much lower upfront cost.  I continue to save money by using refillable K-Cups too.
"Reusable Filter for Keurig Single Cup Brewers" (Google Affiliate Ad)

After reading a dozen or so recipes, I decided to take a stab at my own by combining the ideas I found online with the items my kitchen has to offer.

How I made a Coffee Cappuccino!

Step 1: Brew some strong, tasty coffee.  I made two 5 ounce cups.

Step 2: Microwave milk and sugar in a microwaveable container.  I used one-third cup of 1% milk, about two to three teaspoons of sugar, and a pyrex glass measuring cup.

Step 3: After microwaving the milk and sugar, froth it with a wire whisk.  I microwaved in :30 second increments, whisking furiously to grow frothy bubbles.  I repeated this until the milk volume doubled to around two-thirds cup.

 

       
                 

Step 3

Step 4

Step 4: Add the milk (but not froth) to the coffee.  Use a spoon to keep the froth so it can be added slowly.  Step 5:  Add the milk froth and top with a dash of cinnamon!

Step 6: Enjoy to the last drop! Sisters ♥