Monthly Archives: July 2015

“Outlander” season one review

06 Monday Jul 2015

Posted by in College, Literature, Television, Uncategorized

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4874_900Warning: spoilers ahead.

With it being summer, I’ve found time to play catch-up on “new” shows and if one thing is for certain it’s I am drawn to shows that take place at least 100 years ago.

Earlier this summer, I finished season one of Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful” and now I’m watching season two. I loved the show but seeing as I’m now at the point where I have to wait for the new episode each week (or until the new season starts), I had to find a new show to binge.

This is where Starz’s “Outlander” comes into play.

I searched different Starz and Showtime series and I was drawn to “Outlander” for a few reasons. The first was the time period, or least the time period most of the show takes place in. The second was the time traveling aspect of going from 1945 to 1743. The third was the beauty of the Scottish Highlands.

I started watching not realizing the show was based on a book series by Diana Gabaldon and honestly it didn’t effect my viewing. You know how sometimes when either a show or a movie is adapted from a book you are left feeling like you’re missing something? “Outlander” hasn’t made me feel like I need to read the books in order to understand what’s going on so there’s a huge plus.

The show starts off in 1945 post WWII Scotland as an English woman, Claire Randall, and her husband, Frank Randall, are taking a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. Unfortunately for Claire, she visits some old standing stones named Craigh na Dun and is transported to 1743. She encounters her husband’s ancestor, Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall, who turns out to be the season’s villain. She is rescued from Black Jack by a group of Scots, taken to Castle Leoch and kept under the orders of Colum MacKenzie to stay as the castle healer. Eventually, Claire is forced to marry Jaime Fraser, nephew of Colum and Dougal MacKenzie, in order to protect her from Black Jack under Scottish law. Through many ups, downs and extreme downs, the season ends with Claire, Jamie and Murtagh Fraser sailing to France in order to seek safety.

Claire Randell, "Outlander"

Claire Randell, “Outlander”

That’s the extreme short version of the story. Here are some details about the characters and why I’ve come to love this show.

Claire is one of the strongest female characters in a show I have ever seen. She was a nurse during WWII and seen plenty of gruesome war injuries. Being a woman of the 20th century, she is not used to being “put in her place” by her husband. When she’s thrown into the 18th century, she acts and speaks differently than the women of the time. One of the funniest parts of the show is watching the men react to some of the things she says and does. Because she is from the future, she also knows what is going to happen and where they will take place.

Jamie Fraser, "Outlander"

Jamie Fraser, “Outlander”

Jamie is a bit of a mystery that slowly reveals his past. You know his back is severely scarred and know it was Black Jack who did it but you don’t get the whole story until later. Claire has tended to Jamie since she first landed in 1743 due to an injury from a battle with the “Redcoats” and we see the connection early on between the two characters. Jamie is considered an outlaw because he escaped from prison and anytime the British army comes into contact Jamie is forced to hide. Though Jamie’s uncle Dougal MacKenzie forces Jamie and Claire to marry in order for Claire to be protected under Scottish law, Jamie isn’t exactly angry about the situation they’ve been put into.

Black Jack, "Outlander"

Black Jack, “Outlander”

Black Jack is nothing short of a villain. He is the first person Claire runs into in 1743 and he attempts to rape her before the Scots take her. Your opinion of him just continues to drop from there. He takes pleasure in the pain he inflicts on others and views Jamie’s scarred back as a “masterpiece.” The truly messed up part? He mentally injures Jamie far worse toward the end of the season due to his sexual obsession with breaking Jamie.

Which is where the controversy surrounding the season finale of “Outlander” comes up.

There is an intense, physically and mentally, rape scene between Jamie and Black Jack. It’s made know earlier in the season that Black Jack gave Jamie a choice: take the lashings or give me your body. Jamie chose the lashings and he eventually escaped Black Jack’s clutches. The Redcoats catch Jamie again and Black Jack saves him from execution moments before he was to be hanged. After a terrible round of torture and a threat to Claire, who had tried to free him, Jamie surrenders himself to Black Jack and the rape scene is shown in flashback after Jamie is rescued.

The funny, and not funny as in humor, part is not much media coverage was given to the scene. I am a huge “Game of Thrones” fan and with the latest rape in the show, so many people were outraged and many media outlets took stands against the scene and asked “has ‘Game of Thrones’ gone too far?” That particular rape scene was not visible but you could hear the actions and the camera zoomed in on Theon Greyjoy who was forced to watch it happen. The “Outlander” scene was much more graphic and the exploited psychological damage done to Jamie was much more intense yet not many stories popped up. Is this because the show isn’t as popular as “Game of Thrones” or is it because it was a male raped and not a female?

I know it seems like I absolutely love the show and can see no wrong with it but that would be false. I have one problem; the Gaelic. I’m not saying it’s aggravating that the Scottish characters will speak Gaelic at length or just a few words here or there because I think that adds to the authenticity of the characters. I hate not knowing what they are saying though. Usually when you’re watching a movie or show where a different language is used there are subtitles telling you what they are saying so you, as the viewer, can be in on the secret. There are no subtitles in “Outlander.” It drives me crazy that I don’t know what the characters are saying back and forth but I think I know why they’ve been left out. Claire doesn’t know Gaelic and as the narrator of the show, she brings up how those around her will speak in Gaelic in order to keep something from her or to exclude her. I feel like the audience is supposed to get the same feeling in order to sympathize with Claire’s plight.

I’m excited for season two! I haven’t read the books and I don’t know that I will get around to it therefore I’m not sure what’s ahead for Jamie and Claire but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the two in France.

Making things: herb infused olive oil

05 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by in college, cooking, Food, Life, student, Uncategorized

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The basil, a mix of blue spice and cinnamon basil, in the colander fresh from the garden.

The basil, a mix of blue spice and cinnamon basil, in the colander fresh from the garden.

There are times when I fancy myself an “accomplished” cook and by accomplished I mean I haven’t given anyone food poisoning…yet.

I like to try new things, most of which are found in the middle of the night when I have nothing else but Googling to do, and I have had few fails. That being said, I’ve found there are a few things I cook with frequently.

Thoroughly rinsing.

Thoroughly rinsing.

Butter, because it makes everything taste like a delicious heart attack waiting to happen and keeps things from sticking to the pans.

Garlic, because I love the taste and find reasons to sneak it into any recipe.

Olive oil, because it gives a great flavor when roasting chicken or cooking some sides.

Take all the basil leaves off the stems.

Take all the basil leaves off the stems.

The butter and garlic are fairly straightforward ingredients. Yes, you can alter them but that takes serious effort and they come with short life spans. Olive oil though? It’s like the old Ronco Showtime Rotisserie Oven’s, “Set it and forget it!”

Basil, mortar and pestle and Mason jar at the ready.

Basil, mortar and pestle and Mason jar at the ready.

I like basil but unfortunately don’t cook with too much. It adds a fresh flavor to dishes but it doesn’t always work with everything. One of my favorite things to cook is a roasted lemon, garlic and rosemary chicken. One of the steps in the prep process is to give the chicken a rub down with olive oil because it helps with browning the skin while roasting. I normally use a garlic olive oil but given I’ve recently began gardening, I have so much basil I don’t know what to do with it.

Cue the olive oil!

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Basil leaves nestled at the bottom of the Mason jar.

I like herb infused olive oil because it adds flavor that’s not overpowering but an all around great kick. Seeing as I have Google skills, a Mason jar, some extra virgin olive oil and more basil than an Italian bistro, I set to find out how to make my own basil infused oil.

Warning: it’s super easy but not instantaneous.

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Begin pouring in olive oil.

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Pour complete.

Step one is making sure you have clean basil. Whether you are buying from a store/farmers market or growing it in a raised bed like myself, it needs to be washed thoroughly before you do anything with it. As I cut my basil from the stalks I was putting it right into a colander, stems and all, in order to cut down on the amount of potential dishes I would have to deal with later. The other plus was once done with collecting basil, I was able to put the colander right into the sink and start rinsing any dirt and gross nature off the leaves.

After a thorough cleansing, I put paper towel at the bottom of a container, began picking leaves off the stems and dropped them right into said container. Once the leaves were in the container, I covered them with another paper towel to dry them. One of the keys to the herb infused oil is the herbs must be dry. I discarded the paper towels and recovered the basil in a fresh towel to let them completely dry over night.

The next day, I emptied the basil into a mortar and ground them with a pestle in order to bruise them.

The recipe I was using had a hot and a cold method and seeing as the steps after combining the herbs and oil were the same, I’m going with the cold and less complicated route hence the reason I’m only bruising the basil.

Once I was satisfied with their state I dropped them into the Mason jar and poured the olive oil over them and left about a half inch from the top of the jar because I wanted to make sure I had enough room to shake the jar as instructed.

Every day for two weeks the jar must be shaken at least once.

Every day for two weeks the jar must be shaken at least once.

After tightening the lid, the oil and basil has to sit for about two weeks with a good shake at least once a day.

That’s where I’m at right now. The two have been hanging out in the jar for about three days and once ready I’ll have to separate the oil and the basil via a strainer. I’ll likely bottle it and save it for my roasted chicken and turkey.

This seems foolproof. If I fail, I need to sort out my priorities and reflect on why it turned out terrible.

This is the beginning of the rest of your life

02 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in College, Family, Life, Music, student, Uncategorized

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Title courtesy of my favorite RuPaul song, “The Beginning.”

I’ve been very vocal about my belief in equal rights and last week I was filled with an extreme feeling of relief and victory.

I knew months ago the United States Supreme Court had heard the verbal arguments of Obergefell vs. Hodges which covered whether states are allowed to ban same-sex marriage. I also knew that given the controversy and magnitude of this case, we wouldn’t hear the ruling until the end of June.

I said I would toast the ruling on Twitter and I did later that night on Instagram.

I said I would toast the ruling on Twitter and I did later that night on Instagram.

But that didn’t keep me from looking nearly every day at the progress of the case.

I would check the top stories on Google News and read what this presidential candidate or that attorney general had said about the possible outcome of the ruling. If I was paid for my eye rolls, I’d be able to purchase a third-world country and turn it into paradise.

I’m not ashamed to say I’ve already decided whom in the presidential race I will not vote for and I’m shocked at some of the comments I read from different public appearances and interviews.

The closer we got to the end of June, the amount of news checking and the amount fisting clenching increased. I was getting nervous. No news is always good news but when you play the waiting game you find yourself second-guessing what you feel will be an obvious outcome.

I had heard that there was supposed to be a ruling announced on Monday, June 22 and was disappointed when it was just some of the less controversial cases. I had hope when I heard the next round would be Thursday, June 25 and set my alarm accordingly.

Unfortunately, being a student on summer break means I sleep through alarms.

I was supposed to be up at 9:30am but jolted awake around 10:25 a.m. and immediately grabbed my phone to check Twitter. I saw Tweets flowing in about the Supreme Court upholding Obamacare. I jumped out of bed as if there was a fire and ran to my MacBook to start seeking updates.

It was a big day but not the one I had been hoping for.

I set my alarm again and stumbled downstairs the nest morning in hopes I wouldn’t have to wait until Monday to hear about the same-sex marriage ruling. Follow my logic; Obamacare hit the air around 10:20-ish a.m. the morning before so me taking a few minutes around 10 a.m. to make some toast and caffeinate should be fine and I won’t miss anything, right?

Wrong.

Through my iPod’s headphones I heard my mom shouting for me and when I looked into the living room from the kitchen she was pointing at the television. On the screen, ABC had below the correspondent “Supreme Court rules states are required to allow same-sex marriage.”

As one could guess, I immediately jumped to my Macbook and began tweeting, first ABC’s headline then the 5-4 ruling as soon as I heard what it was. Through the live feed from in front of the Supreme Court building I could hear the car horns blaring and the crowds cheering. I was so glad I was up early enough to watch it all unfold and wish I could have been in the center of it all.

After inhaling my cold toast and lukewarm coffee, I spent the next hour watching Twitter explode with Tweets of joy, happiness and celebration. One of my favorites came in the form of a map titled “States where same-sex marriage is now legal. About time” and the entire map was the same color. I never thought such uniformity would look so beautiful.

When United States President Barack Obama spoke in the Rose Garden on the ruling, he opened with one of the more profound statements that I feel many of those in the opposition forget. Honestly, this may be one of my favorite Obama speeches.

The rest of the day I spent watching people react and the funny thing is I didn’t see much negative. The hashtag #LoveWins became the number one trend on Twitter and people changed their profile photos across many social media sites to a rainbow haze over their photo. Here on WordPress, the task bar at the top of the browser was a rainbow instead of the normal solid blue and once night fell the White House was rainbow colored.

It was a great day for equality and a great day for not being afraid of who you are.

Congratulations, everyone. We now live in a country where we just have marriage.

Not one man, one woman.

Not same-sex.

Just marriage.

Just love.

Love Wins.