"Effortless" Tie Knots

Hello once again everyone! I hope your break is going well and you enjoy my second post here! :P

So reflecting on what I learned during the last post, I can wholeheartedly say that it really came in handy. The Jazz Band preformed at the Big Band Dance at KR a few weeks ago and for the first time I was actually able to tie my own tie! Now that I know for sure that this book will impact my life, it's time to learn some more knots and see where/when I can use them.

Today I read through a chapter in the book, How to Tie a Tie A Gentleman's Guide to Getting Dressed, called Effortless Knots. At first glance, I expected to be able to easily tie all of the knots shown in the chapter, but after only looking at the first one I quickly realized they weren't really "effortless". I'll do my best to work through these knots and show you guys how to do them too, so you can use them when you want! Wish me luck!

I'll start with the two knots (The Four-In-Hand and the Prince Albert) used more often because they are able to be tied using just about any length and thickness of tie. According to the author, "Not only is the Four-In-Hand the most versatile tie knot available, it also goes well with nearly every collar style" (Jin 44). I feel that this will definitely come in handy for me because throughout the various different events I attend, I end up wearing several different types of dress shirts. Whether that is the one that goes with my suit for jazz, or the black one I used for Homecoming, this knot will allow me to have a tie that is interchangeable between the events. Also in the future when I have a job that may require a tie, this will be simple to use because I can wear it for any occasion and with any dress shirt. Jin later moves on to talk about the Prince Albert, stating, "The first loop shows slightly underneath the second loop, lending the knot additional character, dimension, and height" (Jin 52). While this may not be the most practical of knots for something like an everyday job in the future, it will be pretty cool to know for events like jazz performances where I can use it to express myself and add a little "flare" to my normally plain outfit. Below I demonstrate how to tie the Four-In-Hand knot, as it will likely be the one most widely used by any readers. I hope you find it as useful as I do!

The next two knots are called the Kelvin and the Nicky. The author states that the Kelvin is very similar to the Kent knot, and is best used with a thinner tie or when trying to avoid excessive bulk (Jin 48). On the other hand, the Nicky is ideal when wearing your thicker wool ties for colder weather, and works well with the all-purpose semi-spread collar (Jin 57). Due to the specifications on when to use these two knots, I won't be able to use them as much. I will definitively end up applying them once my tie collection grows. At the moment I only own about 6 different ties, none of which really fit into the requirements of these two knots. However, later on when I have to live on my own, my collection will most likely grow and I will be able to put these knots to good use. So while it may not help all that much today, it will be incredibly useful to me in the future, so I might as well learn how to do it now. Below is a picture of what the Kelvin knot looks like, as I don't have a thicker wool tie to properly demonstrate the Nicky.

Although the two may look similar, this is actually tied with

the tie facing in the opposite direction, meaning the knots are

tied differently, which gives them slightly different looks.

Like I talked about my previous post, this really shows me how many different ways there are to express yourself. Already I've looked over 8 different ways to tie a tie, and I'm not even halfway through the book yet. Also, this chapter especially has taught me the importance of looking for the beauty in small things. Everyone has something small in their life that brings them joy, and looking at these tie knots it's showing me that I need to appreciate that more. I always get so caught up with school, homework, swimming, etc. This book has really shown me that despite that I can take pride in the little things in life and use them as a short break from all the stress. Whether it's baking, messing with your car, playing some video games, or even when you get time to just lay in bed for an extra half an hour, we all have small things that we love, whether or not we realize it. So appreciate everything in life, because you never know when they might be gone, or when you might need them to help clear your head off all the stresses in life.

Well, I've said my piece, and I hope you've enjoyed it. I plan to get another post out during winter break here just so I'm not cramming everything into January. Anyway, I'll turn things over to you: What are some little things that you appreciate in your life? Have you used any of the knots from either of these posts?


Jin, Ryan Tristan. How to Tie a Tie a Gentleman's Guide to Getting Dressed. New York: Potter Style, 2015. Print.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

It’s almost Christmas and what better way to celebrate, than baking some red velvet cupcakes. “The tender buttermilk cake has just a couple of tablespoons of cocoa, which adds just a hint of chocolate” (Laidlaw 161). These are great to share with family and friends because this recipe says it makes up to 12 cupcakes. Baking is a fun hobby and it reduces all the stress that is happening in your busy lives. This is a sweet treat to eat during the holidays!

This is a two-part recipe: one for the red velvet cupcakes and one for the cream cheese frosting.

The ingredients are:

• 1 ¼ Cups Cake Flour

• 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

• ¾ Tsp Baking Powder

• ¼ Tsp Kosher Salt

• ½ Cup Buttermilk

• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

• ½ Tsp White Vinegar

• 4 Drops Red Food Coloring

• ¾ Cup Sugar

• 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

• 1 Large Egg

Cream Cheese Frosting

• ½ lb Cream Cheese (at cool room temperature)

• ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (at cool room temperature)

• 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

• 1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar (sifted)

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar, and red food coloring.
3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine.
4. Add half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk mixture, and finally the remaining dry ingredients, beating on low speed until combined.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with liners or grease with butter and dust with flour.
6. Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling them nearly full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 17-20 minutes.
7. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to the rack and let it cool completely, for about 1 hour.
8. To make the frosting, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue to mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
9. Use right away, or, if the consistency is too soft, refrigerate the frosting until it is spreadable, 10-15 minutes. The frosting will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
10. Finally, spread a thick layer of frosting on each cupcake and serve. Enjoy!

Overall, I had baked 9 cupcakes in total with the batter that I had left. This took me twice as long to bake (2 Hours) than the chocolate chip cookies I had baked last week which only took about 1 hour. But I would have to agree with this book that the cream cheese frosting is the best part of this whole cupcake (Laidlaw 161). In the end, the cupcake color was not what I was expecting to have. It turned out to be more light brown than dark red because of the two tablespoons of Cocoa Powder the recipe told me to add in. But, all in all, I am glad that I got to bake in the kitchen even though it got a little messy with the electric mixer flying flour and sugar everywhere! J Have fun baking!

Have you ever tried baking something and it didn’t turn out as what you were expecting it to be? What are some ways you tried to fix it?

Citation: Laidlaw, Kim, and Erin Kunkel. Dessert of the Day. San Francisco, CA: Weldon Owen, 2013. Print.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

For my second post, I will be baking chocolate chip cookies. It’s winter break and it is the best time to bake, especially during the holidays! “Chocolate chip cookies and brownies are universally popular baked goods with very distinct and committed fans” (Jackson 41). I know I am a big fan of cookies in general and they are a delicious treat to eat. It is also fun when you get to bake them from scratch, to share with your family and friends.

The ingredients are:

• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 ¼ Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt

• ¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda

• 1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled Slightly

• 2/3 Cup Lightly Packed Dark Brown Sugar

• 2 Eggs

• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (or Honey)

• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

• 1 ¾ Cups Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and creamy, about 1 ½ minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla, and add to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, about 15 seconds.
4. Scrape the bowl again and add the dry ingredients on low speed, mixing just until the dough comes together, about 20 seconds.
5. Wrap the dough and chill overnight or up to 2 days.
6. Once you are ready to bake and have chilled it overnight or up to 2 days: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using your hands or a 1-oz scooper, form 1-inch balls of dough and place them on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the cookie edges are golden brown and the centers are still soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Enjoy!

Alternative: If you like, replace 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

This was an easy, simple bake and I’m sure you can copy this recipe yourself at home. If you are wondering why we need to chill these cookies overnight, it was done so that the dry ingredients could absorb the liquid ingredients during a certain length of time. Chilling the dough would produce a chewier cookie and/or allow the flavors to develop. (Jackson 43). Something I didn’t know while reading this cookbook was that, “Bittersweet chocolate is the best type of chocolate for baking” (Jackson 5). The total amount I had baked was 21 cookies! When you first bite into one, you can’t stop eating more and more! Baking allowed me to have a bit more fun during our winter break and I hope you can become a baker too during this cold, winter weather! After all, it’s baking season!!!

Have you ever tried baking cookies from scratch before, how was it like? What sweet treats do you eat during the holidays?

Citation: Jackson, Ellen. Classic Cookies with Modern Twists: 100 Best Recipes for Old & New Favorites. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2015. Print.

How to Make: The Hurricane

The Hurricane

this plane is a very mysterious flying object that just soars through the air like nothing you've every seen before. as seen in the throw chart on the picture below, it is one of the only planes that flies in a straight line and it is very predictable unlike some of the other planes in this book. The Hurricane is one of the easiest planes to fold but it definitely gives some of the best results.

 Step 1: fold in half the long way

Step 2: fold one side to the vertical crease

Step 3: fold it once more to the center, then roll the fold over and crease once more

Step 4: curve the paper on the edge of the table by holding both sides and "pull the paper across an edge to make it curl"

Final Step: insert the folded part behind the other folded part to create the ring looking effect

The way you throw the projectile is slightly different than they way you throw any other plane. there are two ways to throw it, like a football or flicking your wrist downward. I found that flicking your wrist downward creates more power and causes it to go farther and it floats better. 

Get your core going

Continuing my reading of Muscle Exercises Encyclopedia, I have continued to learn all sorts of things about the body but lately have been more focused on my abdomen and lower back and how to build and enhance that part of my body. An example of this is on page 278 where the author talks about how to do lying leg raises and how much that helps your entire abdomen (rectus abdominis, external and internal oblique’s, transverse abdominal, and iliopsoas) as opposed to just the lower or upper parts of your abdomen (Moran 278). This is a great exercise because you don't need to have any special equipment and you can do it basically and time that you feel inclined to do so. However, there are a few important things you want to note that you are doing correctly in these poses. On page 279 Moran says "Common mistakes: short movements using jerking motions to gain momentum and bounce raising the hips too far so that you are resting only on your shoulders and gaining momentum by flexing and extending the legs" (Moran 279). These things could lead to possible neck and shoulder injuries as well as just not getting the full affects and results of this exercise. Because of Moran I have now expanded my horizons and feel much better doing my other exercises because I have a much stronger core. He has shown me how to strengthen my core without needing a bunch of different machines and equipment and now i have an exercise i can do where ever and whenever i want which will help me to make sure that i actually am working out my core more than i have been. Having a strong core is vital because it helps with all aspects of not only sports and weigh training but also in daily activities. Do you see yourself using this exercise as part of your normal workout, why or why not? 

 In this picture i am in the starting position where my hands are flat under me to provide support so that I can start doing the lift.

In this picture I am demonstrating what the lift looks like when you are fully extended and as explained earlier this is a good lift because it activates and helps to strengthen all parts of your core. 

Moran Oscar. Muscle Exercises Encyclopedia. Cape town: Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2012. Print.    

Ballet - The Choreography Makes Emotion

Choreography is the cause of dance in the first place. Without someone making up so many dances in the world people wouldn't improve in dance and some people wouldn't be famous. Lots of people now a days are famous because they danced a lot in their past and they are good at it. Like Maddie Ziegler, if it wasn't for her choreographer Abby Lee Miller she wouldn't have gotten an opportunity in a Sia video and then onto Dancing with the Stars as a judge, all because of her dancing. Author Susan Au made a statement about a ballet choreographer Beauchamp who invented different ballet steps that we use today. Also that Beauchamp changed his teaching methods to become a little harder so that it will challenge his students to push themselves. Au also explained that all of those kids who were pushed were able to accomplish their goals of improving and getting great outside opportunities (26). Just like Maddie Ziegler, these kids rose to the occasion because of their great choreographers, who kept pushing them all the time without even thinking about it.

What choreographers do with their dancers isn't always about just pushing their technique and stuff. Choreographers also like their dancers to tell a story using different emotion, like author Au states. "The 18th century was an age of brilliant dancers, yet it was also a time when both dancers and choreographers began to seek something beyond the mere display of technique. Dance, they felt, should be more than an ornament of even an object of wonder; it should convey some meaning to the viewer (29). Au stated this because technique can't always tell the true meaning of a story, but the choreographers always remind dancers to use their faces when they dance so they can portray their character. Something I always remember choreographer Abby Lee saying is use the Maddie face, because Maddie Ziegler is so good at her emotion that it gave everyone chills. But for me whenever I dance, my emotion came naturally because I always feel the music as I'm learning it, then when we keep going over it I can feel my face feeling it too.

Do you feel choreographers are the reasons dancers are so good? Why or why not?

                Au Susan. Ballet and Modern Dance: Third edition. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson world of art, 1988. Copyright

Art Techniques: Trees In Pencil

In our lives we have always just aimlessly drawn trees. But could you believe there is actually a wrong and right way to do it? While reading in my book 30 Minute Art Sketching by Alwyn Crashaw, I came across an interesting section on how to actually properly draw trees. So i decided to take on the challenge and try it for myself.

In my attempt to properly draw trees I followed the steps and hints listed, "1. Don't curve the bottom of the trunk like a tree in a child's drawing... 2. A tree trunk is round like a cylinder...practice by drawing your trunks with ellipses. 3. Because the trunk is round, draw shadows on the trunk going around the tree, not straight across" (Crashaw 58).  I took these steps and hint and hit the ground running. At first it was weird to break the habit of drawing a trunk straight, it felt awkward due to the fact that i have always drawn a rounded bottom. But it did feel normal to take the extra step of actually drawing out the tree with a cylinder, due to the fact that I learned how to do that last year. But the final step of shadowing was a struggle. When you look at a tree and look at the bark you see it go up and down, so it was hard to break the mental image of the bark and not draw it like that.

This impacted my view on simple art. It gave me the insight that the simpler side of art even has technique and a certain flow to it.

what other simpler art forms do you think are actually more complex?