Busy Weekend

This past weekend, Ad Liberation was busy busy. We had a show on Friday here at Purdue, then Saturday morning we traveled to the far-off land of Bloomington (home of Bear’s Tavern, Mama Bear’s Pizza, and Indiana University) for a day of improv workshops (put on by the talented Upright Citizen’s Brigade traveling troupe) and comedy performances. We met a lot of Indiana U comedy groups – both sketch and improv – and stand-up comedians. It was a very long, fun day and we came back exhausted but better off.

Here are the videos, if you’d like to watch. All in all, about an hour and a half of comedy. A lot for anyone. Take it in stages. Or just pretend.

Friday, April 6th:

                            

April 7th comedy sets:

                          

Fried Pickles

 

Okay. I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably thinking “aw, gross”.

But really. If you like pickles, and you like fried, then you’ll like these.

If you don’t like pickles, and you like fried, then you might like these!

If you don’t like pickles, and you don’t like fried, then I don’t even know if you’re a real person. You might be a zed-word. Get yourself checked out.

Hey, look! The odds are 2 to 1. That’s a 66.6% chance you’ll like these pickle things!

It’s also really easy. I bet that just makes it even more likely. Yes? No? Maybe?

Also none of the amounts are measured out here. Just go for it.

YOU WILL NEED:

• Dill Pickles (whole, not spears)
• Cornmeal (I used white)
• Flour (exclude for gluten-intolerance)
• Oil for Frying (I used sunflower oil)
• Salt/Pepper

YOU WILL NEED TO:

1. In a frying pan of some kind, heat up some oil. Should be enough to cover a dill pickle chip.
2. Slice your pickles into chips. The amount is up to you. You could also just buy dill pickle chips, and skip this step altogether. Make some other chump do it.
3. In a bowl, mix together some cornmeal and some flour. Should be about 50/50, unless you aren’t using the flour. That’s fine.
4. Dredge the chips in the powder. They should be wet enough (being pickles and all) that the breading just sticks to them. This is fine.
   



5. Drop them in the oil. Cook until nice and golden brown. Put them on a paper towel or something to let the excess oil drip off, and to let them cool.
6. Salt/pepper to taste, and eat! Really tasty things. Very hard to stop eating them. Eatemup.

Perceptions and Denial

I was going through my documents folder, and I found this short (very short) story I wrote in my first or second year of college. I’ve always liked it – I don’t think it’s crazy good or anything, but as far as things I’ve written go, it’s towards the top of the list. Let me know what you think!

PERCEPTIONS AND DENIAL

“I think I have a plan,” said the Blue Shadow to the Grey.

“Indeed?” came the reply. “I do hope it is an improvement upon your last one.”

The two blurry smears on the perception of reality were the only things distinguishable in the room. In fact, a careful observer might say that there was no room, only an endless field which pulsed with nothing, on which nothing moved, and which indeed seemed to stretch on and on forever into the horizon which wasn’t really there. But as long as one cannot possibly fathom what one’s eyes are seeing, it is much more reassuring to believe that a seemingly endless plain of nothing is no more than a room so full of shadows that it is in fact pitch-black, in which nothing can be seen clearly.

“So where do you suppose we’ve ended up?” Asked the Blue Shadow as he picked up what he imagined to be a crate and moved it over to where he thought the wall might be. “France?”

The way in which a mind conceives a plain of foggy nothingness may very well reflect the way in which the owner of the mind functions. For example, a very imaginative, yet fearful person might envision the nothing as friendly, familiar shapes such as walls, crates, windows, and even other people. A more realistic person might see an endless moor, the darkness only alleviated by the moonlight drifting through the fog like underwater lanterns. A complete madman, who hasn’t a mind for fear, might see only nothing, and might not even be surprised.

The peculiarity of the mind is that when faced with the impossible, it simply blocks out contradictions until what is left is manageable. Take the case in point of these two different figures faced with this nothing. No matter what their minds perceive, they are in fact seeing the exact same thing – their perceptions may be different, but their surroundings are not. So it may not come as much of a surprise that although they may be telling two entirely different stories, they take no notice of it.

“I’m sure I don’t know,” said the Grey figure, who was, and had always been, a careful observer. “But I can almost assure you that it is not France. He gazed off into the distance. “Do you believe this? I don’t think I can recall ever seeing anything this empty. It reminds me of the sea, though I have never seen it.”

“Hm? Yes. I wonder if this window is locked.” Another crate was stacked into place.

“I think it’s very beautiful.”

“Aha! There’s no latch. Well, let us see what we shall see.” The Blue figure climbed up the pile and out of the window he fancied was there. The Grey sighed softly and walked straight through the wall (which he didn’t fancy to be there) and sat down next to the Blue. “Well, that got us nowhere,” Blue was saying. “Just another room.”

“Why do you suppose we’re here?”

“I’m not sure. There’s another window.”

“I think the sun’s coming out.”

The surrounding gloom was getting slowly brighter, but not clearer. If anything, it made the nothing more difficult to see.

“I think I should want to close the drapes until evening.”

“The clouds are moving! Do you see?”

It soon became too bright to see anything.

“Oh!” cried the Blue. “It’s blinding me!”

“Yes,” breathed Grey. “Quite wonderful, isn’t it?”

The light was everywhere. It took over everything. Every sense, every nerve, every thought was bright. Too bright to see. Too bright to feel. Too bright to be.

And then…

Then there was nothing. Endless nothing.

Photo shoot!

Ad Liberation went out and did a photo shoot!

You can see the whole thing at our website – as soon as we get them up. You should check it out now, though, in case we have already. Also there might be cake. Or something. There definitely might be a much more exciting animated GIF. Who knows? YOU DO! After you click.

Cast Iron Cookie

If you’re a regular follower of this blog, or even just someone who knows me (the two don’t always overlap), you know that I am all about my old cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens, and I am always looking for new things to cook in them.

It’s going to be hard to top this one.

I saw this recipe from Sophistimom last week, and I had to stop myself from driving to the grocery store that instant. It looked amazing. I had to try it.

Let me tell you, it’s not a disappointment.

The cast iron cooks very evenly. The edges of the cookie get nice and crispy while keeping the inside super gooey and soft. And as far as the chocolate goes… let’s face it. Chunk beats chip any day. Now let’s stop with all this ado.

I didn’t change this recipe much – because I didn’t need to. Good job, Sophistimom!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 medium sized cast iron skillet (I used a 10.5 inch skillet)
  The size of the skillet will affect cookie thickness and cook time. The smaller the skillet, the thicker the cookie, the longer the cook time.
• 1 stick butter (unsalted. If you’re using margarine, throw it away and buy some butter.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1.5 cups chocolate chunks (I used various chocolate bars found in my cabinets – one Hershey’s milk chocolate, one Ghirardelli 60% cacao, and a few squares of semi-sweet bakers chocolate.)
• Vanilla ice cream. Important.

YOU WILL NEED TO:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Over medium heat, melt the butter in the skillet. It’s the only pan you’re going to use.
   
   
   
3. Once completely melted, stir in sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.
   
    
   
4. Remove the pan from heat, and let it rest for about five minutes – or until you can hold your finger to the bottom for a couple of seconds without crying. Warm, but not hot.
   
   
   Don’t actually leave the heat on, though.
   
5. Crack the egg into the mixture, and whisk with a fork.
   
    
   
6. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt. It will thicken very quickly, so make sure it gets mixed in completely.
   
   
   
7. Add the choco chunks.
   
    
   
8. Place in oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Cook time will vary depending on various factors – especially with cast iron – but just keep an eye on it every few minutes starting at the 15-minute mark, and take it out when the top and edges start to go golden brown.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Serve it up! I went pie-style, but I think handing out spoons would work just as well. Serve with ice cream for ultimate satisfaction.
   
   
   
   
   

24HBD#24–I Wish Someone Had Told Me...

• That I would wish, at 24, that I had learned how to play piano as a kid.
• How little my profession seems to matter to my government.
• How much of an impact improv would have on my life, so that I may have started it sooner – and continued it sooner.
• How much friends would come to mean to me.
• How awesome it is to spend every day with your best friend.
• How cheesy that last one would sound.
• Not to be so meta in this blog post.
• They’d bet money against me doing home improvement projects.
• That I’d won the lotto.
• That country music is the worst.
• That nothing is really as awkward as I think it is.
• That friends are important in high school, too.
• That personal insecurities and social awkwardness aren’t real reasons for not reaching out and helping someone feel better.
• That online courses are 100x more stressful than in-person courses.
• How to apply for student loans.
• That I really don’t need to worry about what anyone thinks of me.
• That I only need to worry about what one person thinks of me.
• That I’d finish the second 24-hour blog day over two hours behind the original schedule.
• That even so, it won’t matter because you’re gonna do a good job anyway.
• To stop typing things.
• To seriously, cut it out.

24HBD #23–Nicholas Nack’s Paddy Wagon Hands Out Dog Treats

Monday, September 5, 2010
BY Chel Tei | City Editor

In a retired police transport vehicle – turned delivery van, Nicholas Nack has taken to the streets to spread canine joy throughout the city.

Easily spotted in his “copper blue” 1920s-era vintage paddy wagon, Nick will stop for any pooch who happens to catch his eye – or his bumper!

“Really, for me, it’s all about making dogs happy,” Nick explained as he handed assorted dog biscuits through his wagon’s side window to cheerful, paying customers. “Well worth the small fee I ask for each home-baked treat.”

Nick plans to continue driving up and down the city streets every day for the next two weeks, so be sure to flag him down if you want Nick Nack’s Paddy Wagon to give your dog a bone.