"A calzone--heart-attack on the side, please"

When you live in my house, it’s hard to maintain a healthy relationship with food. Temptation is everywhere. My dad makes UH-MAZING stromboli. It’s cheesy, gooey, and so yummy it’s guaranteed to make your heart stop. Literally. So you can imagine the torture I endure when my dad makes this delectable dish and suddenly, my well thought-out chicken and spinach salad doesn’t seem quite so satisfying.

To counter the crippling desire for a heart-attack, I have turned to this recipe for a lighter version of a calzone. It’s quick, delicious, and only requires college-level cooking skills. On days when I need to watch my sodium intake, I use mushrooms as a filler, but you could also use turkey pepperoni. Or whatever you want, really. If you want spinach in your calzone, go for it. If you want REAL pepperoni and maybe even some bacon, I envy you.

To begin, you first need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and gather your ingredients:

• 1 pita pocket
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, fat free
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, nonfat
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• handful of mushrooms, sliced
• handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped

*Again, you can substitute these ingredients with whatever pleases your palate. The amounts of cheese may change depending on your personal preference or the size of your pita pocket.

Second, mix the cheese, garlic, mushrooms, and basil leaves in a bowl until the ingredients are evenly dispersed.

Next, fill your pita pocket with the mixture, pushing the ingredients into every corner.

Then, lay your almost-ready-to-eat calzone on a cooking sheet lightly greased with PAM. Sometimes, I dab the top of my calzone with a bit of water and sprinkle it with parsley flakes. Why? It looks fancy and I’ve heard that parsley has some extra health benefits.

Finally, bake your masterpiece in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. When it’s to your preferred level of crispiness, fill a small bowl with marinara sauce—if you so desire—and prepare to be amazed! Or at least mildly content.

**No judgments on the quality of my photographs! Hunger > aethetics

Wriggling, writhing worms

Let’s talk about heartworms. Wriggling, writhing worms that burrow into Fido’s heart and lungs.

All grossness aside, I may be cheating a little bit; I wrote this “information sheet” while volunteering at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control. But I learned so much while doing research and—being the doting owner of an orange tabby named Skittles—I felt it was my duty to inform animal lovers everywhere of this dreadful disease.

Heartworms

What is it?
Heartworms disease is a deadly parasitic disease caused by heartworm larvae that are carried by mosquitos. Once a larva-carrying mosquito bites a dog or a cat, the larva infects the animal. Over months, the larva then grows and migrates to the heart and lungs. Once the larva matures into an adult, it produces more larvae that circulate in the dog or cat’s bloodstream. At any time, a new mosquito can bite the infected animal and, in turn, infect another dog or cat.

Symptoms and Consequences
Initially there are no symptoms for heartworms disease. But left untreated, it can lead to severe problems with the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, and it will eventually result in death. Over time, more and more heartworms are produced and they crowd the heart and lungs. The animal may develop a cough and could become easily winded during exercise or play. In severe cases, abnormal sounds may be heard in the lungs, the animal may pass out from lack of blood flowing to the brain, or the animal may retain fluid. Again, left untreated, most animals will eventually die.

Important Facts

• There are cases of heartworms disease all over the country
• Heartworms can only be transmitted by mosquitoes
• An infected dog or cat cannot infect a healthy dog or cat
• Humans cannot get heartworms from their pets
• If an animal is infected, it can still contract heartworms again in the future
• Heartworms is a common problem in animal shelters today
• Heartworms is treatable, but more importantly, it is PREVENTABLE!!

Prevention and Treatment
Treatment is costly and risky. Prevention is easier, cheaper, and safer. Your veterinarian can provide you with monthly pills, monthly topicals that are put on the skin, or six-month injectable products. It is important to apply these preventatives year-round.

For more information, go to…
WebMD: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/heartworm-dogs-symptoms-tests
Petfinder: http://www.petfinder.com/pet-health/merial-heartworm-misconceptions.html

If you're an iTunes amateur like me...

If you’re anything like me, then you understand how mind-boggling computers can be. Somehow I missed the tech-savvy gene. Lucky for me, Google is a powerful, powerful tool. I use it all the time. “What foods are rich in iron?” Google it. “How do I get to Bob’s Steakhouse?” Google it. “Why won’t this rash go away?” Google it; then see your doctor. But for some reason, I never think to use the All-Mighty Search Engine when I have questions about backing up files or updating a program. No, that’s when I call my computer science major boyfriend. Why bother to learn something for myself?

Now, iTunes is fairly basic. I know how to purchase music from the iTunes stores and import music from a CD. But then I got a laptop for college. Wanting to transfer my music, I confidently plugged my iPod into my laptop, clicked a button or two, and…my music was gone, banished into the murky depths of cyberspace. Apparently that happens when you introduce your iPod to a “new device.” Who knew?

Long story short: I recovered most of my albums and mourned those that were lost. When I enthusiastically and unashamedly purchased The Hunger Games soundtrack (2012) a few months ago, I received a warning about clearing my existing music—again. This time, I didn’t stand around waiting for someone to help me. Instead, I used Google and—wouldn’t you know?—I solved my problem all on my own!

So. Without further ado, this is how you transfer new music to your iPod from your old iTunes account while using a new computer. Er, or something along those lines…

1. If you haven’t already, upload your new song or album to your iPod music library. Before doing so, make sure your iPod is disconnected from your computer.

2. In the left toolbar, click on the name of your iPod under “Device” (Mine is oh-so-originally named Brittany)

3. You should see a summary of your iPod, including the sections entitled “iPod,” “Version,” and “Options.” Under “Options,” click “Manually manage music and videos.”

4. Breathe a little easier; your music will no longer vanish mysteriously!

5. Go back to the left toolbar. Under “Library,” click on “Music” and search for the new music you desire to sync to your iPod.

6. Now, go back to your iPod under “Device.” Click the arrow on the left side of the iPod icon, and you will see a list including “Music.”

7. Highlight the music you just searched for, click and drag it to the “Music” option under “Device.”

8. Voila! You can now sync your iPod, and listen to your new music on-the-go.

It begins with an active pursuit of knowledge

Have you ever stopped to consider how big the world really is? It holds millions of pieces of information—too much for one person to conceive of, much less understand. History, geography, science, math, religion, politics, law, technology, transportation, health & fitness, food & nutrition, culture, music, literature, and subsets within subcategories of each heading. The thought is staggering. And for me—a senior English major (with a Business and Communications double minor thankyouverymuch)—it’s also terrifying. Sure, I’ve gained my fair share of knowledge during my years as an undergrad. I can hold a conversation about 19th century literature (American or British), I can contemplate the cultural revolution surrounding Oscar Wilde, I can even argue which states may or may not be considered part of the American Southwest. But the things I do know are greatly overshadowed by the things I don’t know. For instance, practical knowledge; like how to balance my own budget, how to change the oil in my car, how to renew my driver’s license—everyday tasks required of an independent adult (cue my quickened heart rate, tightened chest, and downpour of anxious thoughts). 

As the name “Analytical Enquirer” suggests, I am a detail-oriented person. I crave clear and exact step-by-step instructions (in other words, “idiot proof”) that I can successfully replicate. So with this blog, I hope to 1) convey the information and knowledge I hold in a way that is helpful to others and 2) translate, record, and simplify the information and knowledge I will (hopefully) learn.

To accomplish these objectives I will become a pseudo-reporter, a seeker of facts. I must overcome my reluctance to ask questions as well as my embarrassment of being completely ignorant of seemingly simple tasks. I must shrug off my fear of the unknown, for I can no longer postpone adulthood. I have one summer and one school year until I graduate and I am kicked out of the kiddy pool. And the only way to grow and thrive is through an active pursuit of knowledge.