The One With the Birds Nest Cookies

 

 

 

Bri and I made bird's next cookies earlier today as part of our Easter weekend celebration. Making these cookies takes me back to being a kid and making them with my sister....which is one of many fun holiday memories I have with her.

 

 The recipe we followed (we modified from one online) calls for:

• 1 bag semi sweet chocolate morsels

• 1 bag of dark chocolate morsels

• 1 bag of chow mein noodles (we had to get these at Stop and Shop, aisle 4)

• 1 bag of Cadbury eggs (which were harder to get this year...maybe because of tariffs or Maga sentiment about the fact they incorrect keep re-posting that Cadbury dropped the word Easter from its products?)

We put the morsels, half bag at a time, in the large purple mixing bowl. We heated them up in 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring them. After about three heating sessions, we added the last portions of the bag and heated them up some more. Perfect!

We slowly added  the bag of chow mein noodles and Bri stirred. Then, I put wax paper on two cookie sheets and we set out the cookies to harden!!

Voila...a tasty treat!!!   And here is the link to the recipe we used (the picture above is from the website): https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/birds-nest-cookies/

 

The One With MICCA Fest

 

 

The official MICCA performance arrived tonight. And with it, the DHS band performed the final show at MICCA Fest on the Friday night.

 

The performance included three songs that were performed quite nicely...even better than on Wednesday. And, the band sounded great.

 

Although Emmie and I left before awards, Kiff came home later that night and told us they earned a Silver award. Congratulations to them. 

The One With Kiff's Film Festival Debut

 

 

 

Kiff's film festival debut occurred earlier today at DHS. The school, in a partnership between DECCA and The Danvers Accessibility Commission, hosted what will hopefully be an Inaugural 504 Film Fest.

 

Emmie and I attended to festival, which started at 10:30. We were fortunate to see three amazing movies from three very different view points about 504 Plans. Kiff's was shown last and starred his close friend, Hope, with cameos from Adrian, Lauren, Ms. C, and others. 

 

Having seen the film before, I knew what to expect. But in that setting, with other students (who applauded as he was introduced, which was so cool to see), the movie was powerful. And the actual event, was, too. There was an introductory video about 504s, a guest speaker in the form of the chair of the Danvers Accessibility Commission, and a chance for all of the filmmakers to speak. It was amazing!!!

 

Kiff also won first prize in the contest, which was an added benefit (along with a prize). However, I think what he enjoyed most - as did we - was the chance to talk to the chair of the committee who is a film-maker himself and gave Kiff some amazing pointers.

 

It is probably the first of many film festivals we will get a chance to see Kiff attend!!! 

The One With the Micca Preview

 

 

We went to see the MICCA preview show earlier tonight at DHS. The preview featured three songs from the DHS soundtrack for the MICCA performance this year, which will be in two weeks.  Now, the band is performing a little bit early so there is some time to make corrections in the performance.

They performed really well in their three songs. They represented a diversity of styles and types and included a final song that lasted nearly nine minutes. Amazing!!!

 I can't wait to see the real snhow. 

The One With Project Hail Mary

 

 

Chiff and I went to see Project Hail Mary tonight. And, it was a great movie....much better than I expected.

 The premise behind the movie is that the sun is being "devoured" by someone unknown source (later to be identified as an alien-like amoeba. Ryan Gosling (against his will) and two other astronauts set out into space to help determine the cause of the problem, as well as explore another  star where the amoeba's are not having success eating a star.

After being "frozen" in a sleep-like state, Ryan's character wakes up, but the other two astronauts don't. He has no full recollection when he awakes as to where he is or why he is in space. However, how he got there and his mission are slowly revealed during carefully crafted flashbacks that provide relief during tense moments.

Along the way, Ryan's character encounter's an alien species that is not quite like the carbon based life forms of earth. They slowly but surely interact and find a way to save each other and the suns.

Amazing movie!!! It was fantastic to watch. 

 

The One With the Academy Award Shorts

 

 

Kiff and I went into the Kendall Square Landmark Theater to see the Academy Award live action shorts. While I wasn't too sure what to expect, Kiff was excited and I looked at it as an opportunity to have some fun.

Unlike last year when we saw it in the small Salem Cinema with about ten other people, we were in a larger theater with many more people checking out the potential award winner.

There were five strong performances:

1. The Singers - about men in a bar singing and how it brings them together on a dreary day. It was good.

2. Two People Exchanging Saliva - about a woman who kisses another woman in a society where all kissing has been banned.  It was really good.

3. The Butcher's Stain - about reverse discrimination of a Palestinian butcher in Israel. Great show.

4. A Friend of Dorothy - about a young black man who, while trying to retrieve a ball, befriends an elderly lady named Dorothy and how the friendship impacts them both. Great show.

5. Jane Austen's Period Drama - about what the title says it is. A man is about to propose to a woman when he notices blood on her dress. What unfolds is a hilarious story about the subject of periods and how men, especially in the 1800s, had little awareness of periods.  Amazing show and just like a SNL skit.

Great movies and a great take!!! 

 

 

The One Wit Dramafest Preview show

 

 

 

Last night, Kiff took the stage in his long awaited debut. Emmie had made him vow to be in a play sometime, back when he was in 5th grade. Well last night, it came to fruition. 

Kiff has a part in the student written and student directed production "Dreamscape." We - along with many students, other parents, and several DHS teachers, watched the preview show to see what it was about. And, it did not disappoint.

 It tells the story of a girl (played by one of Kiff's friends) who lives a tough life and is taken into a dream world where her sister lives. However, it soon becomes clear that the dream world is devoid of emotion. Kiff played one of the characters who shows the sister that, while her old life was tough, it did indeed have emotion.

Kiff has a blast doing it and wanted to take it on, knowing that, as a future director, it is important to be able to relate to actors. 

He did a great job and it was an honor to see him on stage. Their production goes to the official Dramafest competition tonight.