For the sake of maintaining the archives, the video of my Jeopardy appearance is back online after an extended hiatus. Thrill as a slightly younger and slightly fleshier Robyn stops just short of game show glory! See it again for the first time! Party like it's 2007!
Part 1:
And the exciting conclusion:
Friday, January 4, 2013
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Shep Hits the Fan: 2012 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
And then, at the very end, you decided to clean yourself up, get your shit together and stop being such a See You Next Tuesday. Astounding things happened in the world that gave me confidence in my work like I've never had before, and made me feel something like an honest-to-god grownup. My bank account may not have swelled, but it at least plateaued -- and that is an epic ACHIEVEMENT, people. I started writing again, and felt awesome about it. Friendships were mended. Conditions were stabilized. And you gave me a few reasons to rock an evening gown, and that's not nothing.
You were not my favorite year, 2012. Watching you unravel most of the time was like watching a drunk person roller-skate in traffic with a bucket on its head. Why is this happening? What am I seeing? Are we gonna die? Where did you even get roller skates?
But it all seemed to come ambivalently together in the end. It may not be "happily ever after." But it's at least "chill til the next episode." And I can live with that.
It's been real, 2012. Let's never do this again.
1. Generals -- The Mynabirds
2. I Don't Believe You -- Greg Holden
3. Mayday -- Jessi Robertson
4. When Your Mind's Made Up -- Cast of Once: A New Musical
5. Love it When You Call -- The Feeling
6. Drive All Night -- NEEDTOBREATHE
7. Wrecking Ball -- Creeper Lagoon
8. Gold Guns Girls -- Metric
9. Get Used To It -- Ben Lee
10. Battered Apartments -- Luke Wesley
11. Sweetheart of the Music Hall -- Bryan Dunn
12. So Cry -- Shwa Losben (live from Rockwood Music Hall)
13. Gotta Get Up From Here -- Ellie Lawson
14. Something Bigger, Something Better -- Amanda Blank
15. Some Bridges are Good to Burn -- Kelli Rae Powell
16. Philadelphia (the City of Brotherly Love) -- We Are Augustines
17. Hang with Me -- Robyn
18. 45 -- Brian Webb
19. Going Gone -- Abby Ahmad
Past mixes
Monday, November 5, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Strawberry Jam Bars and the Fine Art of Cheat Cooking
As satisfying and deceptively easy it can be to make stuff from scratch, sometimes you just want some Duncan Hines on your palate. A little Betty Crocker down your gullet. Some Pillsbury knocking on your epiglottis. It's like the difference between Pizza Hut and pizzeria pizza. I KNOW they're different, because I am not stupid. I KNOW what the superior product is. But sometimes I want a little stuffed crust in my life, and that's OKAY.
But just because you're using a mix, it doesn't mean you can't be versatile. Take, for example, this recipe for strawberry jam bars. It's super easy, relatively labor free, and done in an hour start to finish.
First, get a box of yellow cake mix. Today we have opted for Betty Crocker SuperMoist Butter Recipe Yellow, because that is what was on sale.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then, melt 3/4 cup of butter. This is about a stick and a half. So this is a lot of butter. Anytime we're using more than a stick you can be assured we are not screwing around.
Empty the contents of the cake mix into a large bowl. Then add 2 1/2 cups of oats. Use the old fashioned kind. Not the quick cooking kind. I don't know why for certain, but I'm under the impression it will eff your ess up. And no one likes an effed ess.
Make a well in the middle of the oat/cake mix mixture and pour the butter in. Gradually mix the butter into the cake mix until it's been fairly consistently butter-ified and is crumbly, like this:
Grease a 13x9x2 pan. Really grease it, because the finished product is fairly sticky. Spoon half of the cake mixture into the bottom of the pan. Press it down firmly so it covers the bottom. Like this:
Take a 12 oz jar of strawberry preserves. Dump the whole sucker into a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of water. Mix it up and then carefully spread over the cake mix in the pan. You don't have to go all the way to the edges, but try to cover as much of the surface as possible.
Then take the rest of the cake mix still in the bowl, and spoon it over the preserves. Carefully pat this layer with your fingers so it creates a fairly firm top, but doesn't mush too badly into the fruit layer. It should look like this:
Bake the bars in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top layer is light brown. It should smell amazeballs. Let it cool completely before you cut them. Then eat the crap out of it:
And there you are! You can even change up the preserves and use blueberry, raspberry, peach, apple...whatever. An original treat, helped along ever so slightly by the good people of Betty Crocker. Because sometimes, cheating is a good thing.
But just because you're using a mix, it doesn't mean you can't be versatile. Take, for example, this recipe for strawberry jam bars. It's super easy, relatively labor free, and done in an hour start to finish.
First, get a box of yellow cake mix. Today we have opted for Betty Crocker SuperMoist Butter Recipe Yellow, because that is what was on sale.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then, melt 3/4 cup of butter. This is about a stick and a half. So this is a lot of butter. Anytime we're using more than a stick you can be assured we are not screwing around.
Empty the contents of the cake mix into a large bowl. Then add 2 1/2 cups of oats. Use the old fashioned kind. Not the quick cooking kind. I don't know why for certain, but I'm under the impression it will eff your ess up. And no one likes an effed ess.
Make a well in the middle of the oat/cake mix mixture and pour the butter in. Gradually mix the butter into the cake mix until it's been fairly consistently butter-ified and is crumbly, like this:
Grease a 13x9x2 pan. Really grease it, because the finished product is fairly sticky. Spoon half of the cake mixture into the bottom of the pan. Press it down firmly so it covers the bottom. Like this:
Take a 12 oz jar of strawberry preserves. Dump the whole sucker into a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of water. Mix it up and then carefully spread over the cake mix in the pan. You don't have to go all the way to the edges, but try to cover as much of the surface as possible.
Then take the rest of the cake mix still in the bowl, and spoon it over the preserves. Carefully pat this layer with your fingers so it creates a fairly firm top, but doesn't mush too badly into the fruit layer. It should look like this:
Bake the bars in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top layer is light brown. It should smell amazeballs. Let it cool completely before you cut them. Then eat the crap out of it:
And there you are! You can even change up the preserves and use blueberry, raspberry, peach, apple...whatever. An original treat, helped along ever so slightly by the good people of Betty Crocker. Because sometimes, cheating is a good thing.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
My Letter To City Council Speaker Christine Quinn About Chickengate 2012
Democracy is a funny thing. What can start out as a minor, inconsequential event can snowball into something with big-time, heavy-duty, constitutional implications. Look through the history of the Supreme Court. Some kid in Iowa wants to wear a black armband in school to protest the Vietnam War? Bam -- historic case law guaranteeing students' right to free speech. A Mexican immigrant is picked out of a police lineup and brought in for
questioning and not told about a little thing called the Fifth
Amendment? Oh hey! You have the right to remain silent, you guys! Police responding to a false report of a man with a gun in an apartment in Texas arrest two men inside for having sex? Gay sex for everybody! God bless America!
Which brings us to Chickengate 2012. The CEO of a fast-food chain talks about his views on same-sex marriage, and all unholy hell breaks loose. Various mayors say the company is not welcome in their town, even though they haven't, you know, broken any laws, and plenty of other companies support political causes of all stripes with rightful legal impunity. All of this was for a while merely a headache for me in my professional capacity, (which by the way, this blog post is not meant to represent. I am writing it in my bathrobe at my table with my bunny rabbit running around my feet while watching DVR'd Jeopardy episodes on Sunday. So there's that).
And then New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had to get all up in it, and now I feel some civic duty to speak up about her misguided petition. So here's what I said.
Screw it, you guys. Let's go to Five Guys.
Dear Speaker Quinn:
I am a huge supporter of you and LGBT rights, including the freedom to marry. I even work for an organization that is working tirelessly for the right of all families to have the same protection, security and dignity that only marriage can provide.
Like you, I was troubled by the CEO of Chick-Fil-A's public comments. I do not share his beliefs, and I think that it is unconstitutional for the government to deny loving, committed couples the freedom to marry.
Which is why it's troubling to have to write you regarding your petition concerning Chick-Fil-A. Just as I fervently believe in a country where all families are treated with dignity, I just as strongly believe that it is wrong for political leaders to use their influence to demand that private individuals change and denounce their personal beliefs when they have broken no laws.
As you yourself have stated, there is no evidence that Chick-Fil-A has violated any anti-discrimination laws by refusing to employ or serve anyone based on their sexual orientation, regardless of their CEO's beliefs. And while it may well be true that some of the company's profits go on to support causes that both you and I may not agree with, that is not illegal. It is up to the public -- not the government -- to hold the business accountable by withholding or supporting the business as they see fit.
To do otherwise would open the door to scrutinizing the beliefs and giving practices of all private business owners not because of any suspicion of criminal activity, but because of personal beliefs. These are not the values of a dynamic, pluralistic, democratic society. This is fascism.
I know that's a loaded word. I know you're not a fascist. I know you're only acting out of a deeply held belief that I personally find worthy and admirable. But this kind of action is actually irresponsible to that cause, as it can be rightly held up as the kind of intolerant, discriminatory action that you purport to be condemning.
I would not support a leader that acted to force a pro-LGBT business or entity to change its beliefs. I would be outraged, just as you were outraged when some leaders tried to prevent the establishment of an Islamic center and mosque in lower Manhattan, near Ground Zero. You said then:
"The true way to honor the Americans who died fighting for our country's founding principles is to respond to the proposal of this mosque and cultural center with support, with a deepened commitment to religious freedom, and with a deepened commitment to New York City being the freest, most tolerant, and most accepting place in the world."
Neither you, nor I, nor anyone need to support Mr. Chick-Fil-A's views or his business. And I know it's arguably just a chicken joint, and not a religious institution, so I understand it's not a perfect comparison. But we must allow private individuals to hold their beliefs and protect the ability of those who disagree with us to establish their businesses. That is the true meaning of tolerance and acceptance. Please stop the petition. You're better than this. Our city is better than this. And there are much better and constructive ways to achieve equality for all.
Respectfully,
Robyn Shepherd
Which brings us to Chickengate 2012. The CEO of a fast-food chain talks about his views on same-sex marriage, and all unholy hell breaks loose. Various mayors say the company is not welcome in their town, even though they haven't, you know, broken any laws, and plenty of other companies support political causes of all stripes with rightful legal impunity. All of this was for a while merely a headache for me in my professional capacity, (which by the way, this blog post is not meant to represent. I am writing it in my bathrobe at my table with my bunny rabbit running around my feet while watching DVR'd Jeopardy episodes on Sunday. So there's that).
And then New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn had to get all up in it, and now I feel some civic duty to speak up about her misguided petition. So here's what I said.
Screw it, you guys. Let's go to Five Guys.
Dear Speaker Quinn:
I am a huge supporter of you and LGBT rights, including the freedom to marry. I even work for an organization that is working tirelessly for the right of all families to have the same protection, security and dignity that only marriage can provide.
Like you, I was troubled by the CEO of Chick-Fil-A's public comments. I do not share his beliefs, and I think that it is unconstitutional for the government to deny loving, committed couples the freedom to marry.
Which is why it's troubling to have to write you regarding your petition concerning Chick-Fil-A. Just as I fervently believe in a country where all families are treated with dignity, I just as strongly believe that it is wrong for political leaders to use their influence to demand that private individuals change and denounce their personal beliefs when they have broken no laws.
As you yourself have stated, there is no evidence that Chick-Fil-A has violated any anti-discrimination laws by refusing to employ or serve anyone based on their sexual orientation, regardless of their CEO's beliefs. And while it may well be true that some of the company's profits go on to support causes that both you and I may not agree with, that is not illegal. It is up to the public -- not the government -- to hold the business accountable by withholding or supporting the business as they see fit.
To do otherwise would open the door to scrutinizing the beliefs and giving practices of all private business owners not because of any suspicion of criminal activity, but because of personal beliefs. These are not the values of a dynamic, pluralistic, democratic society. This is fascism.
I know that's a loaded word. I know you're not a fascist. I know you're only acting out of a deeply held belief that I personally find worthy and admirable. But this kind of action is actually irresponsible to that cause, as it can be rightly held up as the kind of intolerant, discriminatory action that you purport to be condemning.
I would not support a leader that acted to force a pro-LGBT business or entity to change its beliefs. I would be outraged, just as you were outraged when some leaders tried to prevent the establishment of an Islamic center and mosque in lower Manhattan, near Ground Zero. You said then:
"The true way to honor the Americans who died fighting for our country's founding principles is to respond to the proposal of this mosque and cultural center with support, with a deepened commitment to religious freedom, and with a deepened commitment to New York City being the freest, most tolerant, and most accepting place in the world."
Neither you, nor I, nor anyone need to support Mr. Chick-Fil-A's views or his business. And I know it's arguably just a chicken joint, and not a religious institution, so I understand it's not a perfect comparison. But we must allow private individuals to hold their beliefs and protect the ability of those who disagree with us to establish their businesses. That is the true meaning of tolerance and acceptance. Please stop the petition. You're better than this. Our city is better than this. And there are much better and constructive ways to achieve equality for all.
Respectfully,
Robyn Shepherd
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Halftime 2012: I Call Do-Over
Oh. Hai.
I'm a big believer in do-overs. Something not quite going the way you planned? Screw it. Stop it. Rewind it. Do it again. Once more with feeling. That's why if you take any five-year period of my life, Point A wouldn't recognize Point B if it punched her in the face. And I like it that way.
I'm also a big believer in the mid-year resolution. So here we are in July 2012. How've you been since New Year's?
For my part, 2012, we could be doing a lot better. You're not my worst year. Not by a longshot. And you've meant well. But MAN have you been quick on the drama button. To be fair, some of that was my fault and completely unnecessary. But some of it has been a genuine bummer on a grand scale.
Like those months I spent driving myself to distraction over a ridiculous series of junior-high level misunderstandings, only to one day suddenly and brutally learn that a friend...a friend who I really should have called a bit more, or sent that email to, or Facebooked once in a while for crissakes...was lost and gone forever thanks to a motherfucker called cancer. Awful, unjust things happening to wonderful people and changes that take others out of your life just as you were getting comfortable letting them into your little circle of trust. Things that make you angry that sometimes stories don't turn out the way you think they should, because the world can be mean and unfair and there's not a whole lot you can do about it except bitch and moan on the Internet.
But it's also those times that make me stop and realize that while there may be a fair amount of bad juju out there, there are also a lot of truly extraordinary people in my life. Jennie Lewis, who we lost last month, was one of them. While I'm angry and sad about how her story ended, I'm also thankful that I had a chance to know her. When something really sad and unfair like this happens, it's good to remember that there are a lot more good guys than bad guys. I can still feel grateful for the folks I have around that make all of the other crap that much more bearable.
So, 2012. We're stuck with each other for another six months. I call do-over. Let's make the most of it.
Happy new year, everyone.
I'm a big believer in do-overs. Something not quite going the way you planned? Screw it. Stop it. Rewind it. Do it again. Once more with feeling. That's why if you take any five-year period of my life, Point A wouldn't recognize Point B if it punched her in the face. And I like it that way.
I'm also a big believer in the mid-year resolution. So here we are in July 2012. How've you been since New Year's?
For my part, 2012, we could be doing a lot better. You're not my worst year. Not by a longshot. And you've meant well. But MAN have you been quick on the drama button. To be fair, some of that was my fault and completely unnecessary. But some of it has been a genuine bummer on a grand scale.
Like those months I spent driving myself to distraction over a ridiculous series of junior-high level misunderstandings, only to one day suddenly and brutally learn that a friend...a friend who I really should have called a bit more, or sent that email to, or Facebooked once in a while for crissakes...was lost and gone forever thanks to a motherfucker called cancer. Awful, unjust things happening to wonderful people and changes that take others out of your life just as you were getting comfortable letting them into your little circle of trust. Things that make you angry that sometimes stories don't turn out the way you think they should, because the world can be mean and unfair and there's not a whole lot you can do about it except bitch and moan on the Internet.
But it's also those times that make me stop and realize that while there may be a fair amount of bad juju out there, there are also a lot of truly extraordinary people in my life. Jennie Lewis, who we lost last month, was one of them. While I'm angry and sad about how her story ended, I'm also thankful that I had a chance to know her. When something really sad and unfair like this happens, it's good to remember that there are a lot more good guys than bad guys. I can still feel grateful for the folks I have around that make all of the other crap that much more bearable.
So, 2012. We're stuck with each other for another six months. I call do-over. Let's make the most of it.
Happy new year, everyone.
WEIRD POP CULTURE TOUCHSTONE YOU GUYS!
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