In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll be taking a look at a few classic Irish foods that are typically associated with the holiday. From traditional dishes to trendy favorites, I will be describing a few popular St. Patrick’s Day foods and give my own rating on each of them.

1. Corned Beef and Cabbage: A traditional, American spin on an Irish classic. Commonly served on St. Patrick’s day, this one-pot meal features salt-cured beef brisket simmered until tender with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. This meal is cherished for its simmered beef-brisket for 2-3 hours until tender.

My rating: I don’t know, I’ve never tried it.

2. Irish Soda Bread: Originating in the 19th-century Irish famine era, this food is a quick-leavened bread,            characterized by its use of baking soda instead of yeast. Irish soda bread has a dense, soft interior, a tough crusty exterior, and a slightly tangy flavor. The authentic, 4-ingredient recipe consists of wheat flour, buttermilk, baking soda, and salt.

My rating: I don’t know, I’ve never tried it.

3. Shepard’s Pie: A savory casserole dish, featuring minced lamb or beef and vegetables in a rich gravy sauce, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. Traditionally using lamb (though when replaced with beef, renamed Cottage Pie), it often includes peas, carrots, and onions, providing a hearty, one-dish meal with a crisp potato crust and tender, savory filling.

My rating: I don’t know, I’ve never tried it.

4. Colcannon and Champ: A traditional Irish comfort food, this dish features mashed potatoes, butter, and milk, and is often served with lots of melted butter. Colcannon mixes creamy mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale, and often includes butter, milk or cream, and onions, leeks, or scallions. Unlike Colcannon, using cabbage or kale, Champ specifically highlights green onions/scallions. This food is a popular staple around St. Patrick’s day.

My rating: I don’t know, I’ve never tried it.

5. Dublin Coddle: This dish is an Irish stew made with pork sausages, bacon, potatoes, and onions, slow-cooked in a broth until tender. The Dublin Coddle gets it’s name from the gentle simmering (coddling) method, and it’s a hearty, one-pot meal often made with simple ingredients, typically using leftovers. It’s known for its comforting, savory flavor and is often served with soda bread!

My rating: I don’t know, I’ve never tried it.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I hope I (and you) get around to trying some of these delicious Irish foods sometime!

It is now my favorite season of the year (other than summer). March. You may be wondering why March as it is still part of the winter. As an avid sports fan, March is the best time of the year. Spring training for the MLB is starting up, the NBA’s regular season comes to an end, and most importantly: March Madness.

In my opinion, March Madness is the best sports tournament. The rivalries, upsets, and Cinderella stories, all crammed into a short few weeks. For as long as I can remember, my family has had a bracket competition. Every year we would sit in the office together, going through the teams until we had each picked our own champion (Duke). I also create a paper bracket with my mom most years and we follow along and mark the winner of each game down.

I look forward to streaming the games on my computer during class, jumping up and down when a lower seeded team hits a buzzer beater. I remember being in class when Furman upset Virginia in 2023, or when Michigan’s Jordan Poole hit a game winner from half court.

While there is lots of fun in March, it can also be devastating for some fans. As a huge Duke fan, I remember the horrible feeling when they lost to UNC in the final four of Coach K’s last season.

So, for people making brackets for the first time, here are some tips from someone who considers them a ball knower.

1. Pick underdogs. No March Madness has ever had no upsets. 10 seed versus 7 seed is a common one but don’t be scared to take a 14 seed over a 3 seed or a 15 seed over a 2 seed.
2. The 1 seeds usually do pretty well. I would suggest picking them through at least the first two rounds.
3. If you don’t root for a specific team, choose a random team you’d like to win and become a fan. It makes the madness more fun

The games begin this Thursday so get your brackets in before then. Lastly, to everyone who celebrates: Happy Cinderella Season.

Why do the few weeks leading up to spring break feel like 300 years? I feel like we’ve been through every season and every event imaginable.

 

For example:

 

-The Exchange students came!!

• They are all so fun and amazing, I’ve loved meeting so many of them and getting to learn about their lives in Japan!

-Juniors took the ACT

• What a hectic day! 🙂

-Sophomores took the PACT

-Band trip 

• I feel like once the band leaves my classes will be missing around ⅓ of the people 🙁

-Thailand trip

-Staff vs. student basketball game 

-(What feels like) Endless field trips creating half-empty classes

• Similar to the band and Thailand trips, I swear there’s a different field trip everyday and my classes are becoming more and more empty.

…And it doesn’t even end there.

 

Once we get back from break school becomes even more hectic:

 

-Seniors leave for project

• In one of my classes, there are only like 6 non-seniors, when they leave it’s gonna feel like a ghost town throughout the whole school.
• I can’t even imagine being the oldest grade in the school, I feel like I was a freshman yesterday.

-Late start through most of April because of EOC testing 

• Thankfully I took all of my EOC’s sophomore year so I don’t have to come in for a single one.
• I’m REALLY excited for all of those late start days to sleep in.

-Finals week 

• I’m honestly not dreading finals week as much as I was for midterms, now that I’ve experienced a week like that, I feel really prepared to study for another one.

-AP and IB testing

• These are the tests I’m actually dreading, let’s just say I didn’t do so amazing on my APUSH exam so I’m really hoping I can make a comeback this year with my AP Euro one. 

 

Florida yet again. After my trip to Costa Rica last year, it’s far from shocking that my family is taking the relaxing, relatively easy, and fall back spring break trip option this year. While 2025’s trip was filled with AMAZING Costa Rican wildlife, food, and insanely unique experiences, I might have to say the opposite about this year. Let me preface this blog, though, by saying that this is in no way meant to undermine a good Florida vacation. In fact, I am actually so excited to be in the sun and find some inner peace amidst the pre-AP test/finals season that is looming. So, in honor of my seemingly low-key spring break vacation spot, I’m going to give a run down of the things I’m excited to do in the sunny and warm Naples, Florida!

1. Run, Hike, and Walk Outside

While it’s no Costa Rican rainforest, nothing beats a good stroll in the sun. And, of course, since I’m in track season, the 40 miles of running over the course of my trip is almost inevitable. Nevertheless, I am glad to have a consistent climate to conduct my physical activities in. Whether hiking, going on a run, or a simple walk in the sun, I can assure myself that it will be more fun to do while in Florida.

2. Tanning

With a UV of 10 every day, you best believe I will be tanning by the pool for hours on end. I will of course wear sunscreen, but after the annual winter pale epidemic I am ready to embrace being sun-kissed and tanned.

3. Seeing my first polo match

This is the only official “plan” I have for the week—going to see a polo match! I am so excited to take a day trip to Ft. Lauderdale and watch polo, because I’ve never seen it before. I love a good new experience!

4. Going to the beach (I guess…)

I HATE sand, and truthfully, I’m not the biggest fan of the beach (excluding Costa Rica and Mexico). I think it’s just such an overwhelming experience for me, and I really feel like such a band-wagoner for going to the beach like every single other person on vacation in Florida. However, this trip I am ready to give it another shot. Who knows, maybe the beach will grow on me.

5. Reading 

I am so excited to read all of the books I’ve been accumulating for the past month. The idea of sitting by the pool or on my grandparents’ deck and reading a good book is EXACTLY what I want from this hopefully calm Spring break.

6. Hanging out with my cousins and brother 

The most exciting part of my break is that my family is all going to be there at the same time, which, given that I have divorced parents, NEVER happens for me. My brother just happens to be playing baseball in Florida at the same time we’ll be there, so we are going to see him play his first collegiate baseball season. Also, my cousins and grandparents will be there too, so I’ll have tons of people to spend time with while there. I love the idea of the alone time, but I like spending time with family even more, and I can’t wait!

Say CHEESE!

The gloomy winter skies have faded into, well, slightly less gloomy, slightly less winter skies. My treadmill miles are now on the track, and my appetite has increased like never before. This means it is officially spring track season, and with that, comes the beloved Media Night. 

Media Night becomes a fun festivity for all those in spring sports. We gather in the South Gym, the smell of basketball practice still lingering on the reflective wood floors. We stand body to body and take pictures with peers that you really never otherwise talk to, and everyone has on an unfortunately ugly uniform that has been worn by 30 spring teams before them. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I am all in to gather on a weeknight, eat cold Pizzazz sheet pizzas, and pretend like I am having a blast retaking the same team photo multiple times. So, last Tuesday, I thought that is what I would be in for: a Media Night like all the rest.

I went about the day like normal. After school, track was the only team that had practice until about 6:30. We tackled the same old lift with excruciating four-minute rotations of exercises, and then departed on the classic 3.56 mile run that most of us do every Tuesday. It doesn’t end there, of course, we have to do our stretching, and our drills, and our injury prevention, ect, ect. 

So, by the time the standard routine has wrapped up, we have about a thirty minute period to get home, shower, eat, change, and get ready for Media Night, following hauntingly at 7 pm. Now luckily, since I plan ahead and have the entire day listed in my notes app (per usual), this is not an issue. I had already stalked the Media Night schedule to see when my team photo would be taken, and much to my luck, we are not scheduled until 7:55 PM. 

Awesome! I can arrive at around 7:30, giving myself enough time to get ready and fuel but also make it well before the team photo. 

So I thought. 

Let me tell you, when I arrived with Bailey at 7:30, it was as if we were patients of the plague. As if I had hives on my neck and everyone ran away. Maybe there was toilet paper on my shoe, or my uniform was on inside out. I cataloged the list of reasons as to why Media Night could possibly seem like it was wrapping up at 7:30, when pictures were not even scheduled until 7:55 and beyond.

The fact of the matter is, I still truly have no idea. I genuinely felt like an alien arriving on Earth. Everyone began BOMBARDING me with questions. 

“Bridget, why are you coming late anyway,” and  “they took the photos early because they wanted to,” and lots of  “you missed the team photo.”

It was then that my rage truly began. First of all, I know I missed the team photo. HALF THE TEAM missed the team photo. I mean, why bother releasing an agenda if you don’t abide by it. Second of all, why in the world did I bother wasting my Tuesday night on this. It is not everyday that I put on mascara and leave the house. I find beauty in being alone, not in the gym for NO reason. 

Actually, for the record, I didn’t even step foot in the gym. The tumbleweed and dust balls were already encircling most of the school by the time I arrived. 

So, who knows guys. Media Night is incredibly misleading and should not be classified as a “night.” It is more of a 7 pm to 7:01 pm type of event, and god forbid a girl wanted some time to get ready. I won’t be speaking on this topic again, it is too rage inducing for me. What a waste of a Tuesday night. 

 

 

 

No Alcohol, no coffee, no caffeine… sort of? The reality television hit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives recently made the rules followed by modern Mormons, and the ways they break them, abundantly clear.

As you can imagine, deceit, relationship drama and great lapses in Mormon Judgment play out on screen. However, a great, yet sinful, loophole was able to shine through all the scandal and controversial antics. The popularization of Swig and dirty soda makes me thankful for The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and their undercover methods to drinking caffeine.

Recently, I’ve had the great pleasure of experiencing an authentic dirty soda myself. This past November, I took a solo trip to Arizona to visit my older brother and his girlfriend. My brother, Sam, moved to Arizona about six months ago. While he’s changed a lot, and adapted to the west, he has not become a Mormon wife. However, he has indoctrinated me into the world of Mormon soda.

After one of  Sam’s long days of working as a one-to-one aid for elementary school students, we drove fifteen minutes to Swig. Swig is a chain of drive through soda shops that are mostly found out west. They are popular in Arizona, as well as Utah, better known as home to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Swig offers a large menu of sodas, energy drinks and tea, with the option to add in cream, flavored syrups and fruit juices. The add-ins are what turn the typical soda dirty.

My soda of choice was the “The Founder,” a diet coke with fresh lime, coconut syrup and coconut cream. It was amazing. The concept, while so simple, never crossed my mind before. Sure, lime in my diet coke wasn’t outlandish, but what had been stopping me from adding more?

After my first Swig run, I’m left with many questions, and post-dirty soda depression. When can I get another? Why does anyone care about Mormon Wives’s other secrets? How do I tell Swig’s owner to expand to the Midwest?

As much as I obviously enjoyed the dirty soda, I do wonder what about it is so enticing to the women in The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives? I understand they act as a filler for the typical Starbucks or Dunkin run for coffee, yet they still have caffeine. Caffeine is typically prohibited by Mormon ideology, so what justifies a coke with cream and syrup? 

I could dig deeper into the thinking behind the choices of these Mormon women, but I’m choosing to appreciate them for the joy they have brought me. Who am I to question the caffeine habits of people who so generously introduced the concept of dirty soda into my life?

If you ever happen to drive past Swig, do yourself a favor and pull into the drive-through. Then, do me a favor and tell me what you got, so I know what  to try next time. 

As seen in Leela’s (another Shaker Writing Center intern) blog titled The Beauty of Letterboxd, I am very into the app and have pushed many people into joining—at this point I’m just an unofficial spokesperson for them. Just this past week, I have successfully completed my 1,000th watch logged on Letterboxd, marking the semi-large milestone with watching the record-breaking, Oscar nominated film, Sinners. In my devotion to the app, here I am, defending the films I placed in the sacred top four, the question many actors get asked on red carpets, and the holy grail for users. The top four is presented at the top of your page, for all to view and judge one’s taste upon immediately, which creates a fearful thrill when one must choose a mere four favorites between hundreds of beautifully crafted and touching stories.

 

1. Train to Busan

This 2016 zombie horror film, directed by Yeon Sang-ho is the film that I tell people is my favorite of all time. Whilst it is the most difficult question to be asked, this film truly deserves all the love and praise, as its incredible camera work, acting, writing, and plot pulls a deep emotional reaction from viewers and enacts them to contemplate humanity and the true ‘monsters’ of the world. With its context of being inspired by the Sewol ferry tragedy, an awful incident where a ferry in South Korea sank, killing 304 people and leaving many missing and unidentifiable people, many being children who were on a school trip, the layers of meaning become even more deep — truly showing the truth of society, humanity, and governments. I also personally connect to the emotional storyline of the two main characters, a father and daughter, which just encapsulates me even more in the story. This movie is truly the epitome of what I enjoy in movies, and brings it all together so beautifully, I cannot describe how much this film has emotionally torn me apart and brought me back together again.

 

      2. Bones and All

I am a huge horror movie fan, and this, just like Train to Busan, is a beautiful and enrapturing story of a young girl (also aptly named Maren — which gave me a huge dopamine hit every time they said her name) who is a cannibal, and goes on a journey through the crossroads of America and finds love, understanding of herself, loss, fear, etc. This film is incredibly beautiful in the color scheme and style of film the director, Luca Guadagnino employs to fulfill the disenfranchised feeling the main characters continuously feel. Also in the very end, a horrible tragedy happens to the two lovers. The ending is hauntingly beautiful with (SPOILERS!!!) Maren feasting upon Lee (her boyfriend) after he begs her to eat him, “bones and all.” This might be the most romantic movie I have seen thus far, surprising as it may be. Whilst the overall plot of the movie remains gruesome, the theming and tonality becomes romantic in nature. The movie has a great understanding of the message of overcoming trauma, finding acceptance, love, and compassion for others and oneself. I have only recently seen this masterpiece of a film, and while I have only seen it once at this point, it has completely taken over my mind and heart.

 

      3. Lars and the Real Girl

Finally moving on from horror films, Lars and the Real Girl, directed by Craig Gillespie, follows a man named Lars, who is a socially inept and lonely man, shutting himself out from his small community who all love and support him. Through a coworker however, he buys a sex doll and uses her as a girlfriend. He fully believes she (Bianca) is a real human, and he parades her around town, using her as a shield to hide his shyness and inexperience. In the very end, Lars is able to shed Bianca, due to the help of his small family and community, and begins trying to improve his relationship with others. This film, while not perfect, is very near and dear to my heart. I relate quite a lot to Lars, being a very shy person for years and struggling with deep social anxiety issues. Ever since I saw this film for the first time, I genuinely felt represented in the way Lars’ issues with socializing was portrayed. To this day, I believe this is the only film which I have felt fully attached to in such a way, and although many pieces of media display such issues, many sensationalize or downplay the struggles at hand. Through this, the very sweet exploration of new love, baby steps to understanding oneself, and acceptance of help from others, this movie is a perfect comfort film for a cozy, rainy day.

 

      4. La La Land

This film truly needs no introduction, as the nearly Oscar winning film, La La Land is a treasure to an exuberant amount of people around the globe. With the in-depth use of color in the film to represent the characters standing in life at certain points in time, cinematography, lighting, music, and acting, the story of Mia and Sebastian comes to life, immersing the viewer into a gorgeous and emotional story of the two lives interweaving and falling apart. This movie is perfect to me in every sense, and it cannot be encapsulated into words how this movie is able to accomplish that. I do believe that no matter how many wonderful films I will continue to see, this will always be at the top of my list, as it has completely gripped me for years, and there is no world in which the legacy of this movie will die out.

While I strongly believe in the effectiveness of therapy (yes, everyone should go), sometimes I like to employ alternative methods to manage and work through my emotions. In no particular order, these are my favorite methods:

1. Baking

Okay, I know I said this was in no particular order, but this is certainly my favorite, especially during the winter. I’ve been baking since I was a child, and I’ve always found it very therapeutic. The process is calming and you’re rewarded with a delicious treat afterwards. My favorite thing to bake is chocolate chip cookies!

2. Long walks

Believe me, a nice long walk can do wonders for the mind. To make it truly effective, though, you have to craft the perfect playlist. I love tailoring the music to my specific situation; it really helps me expel all of those unwanted emotions.

3. Coloring

Even if you’re not the artsy type, coloring is so therapeutic. I’ve recently upgraded to watercoloring (they have coloring books for that too!) and I’m absolutely obsessed. You can also find all different kinds of coloring books to suit your interests, which makes it extra fun!

4. Baths and long showers

I absolutely love the occasional hot bath, but if you’re not a bath person, a long, hot shower will also do the trick. Of course, this should involve music too. I also like to shut off the lights and maybe light a candle. If you do it right, this can truly be the most relaxing thing ever.

5. Naps

I try not to make a habit out of napping as that can quickly spiral out of control for me. However, I’ve found that the occasional, short nap on my rough days really helps. I often fall asleep upset and wake up having forgotten what was bothering me. Trust me, everyone can use a little extra rest.

6. Shopping

…you knew it was coming. Retail therapy! I try to use this method sparingly, but a new accessory or piece of clothing can really brighten a bad day. Recently, I’ve bought a couple Sonny Angels, which are blind boxes with these adorable little characters. They have a ton of collections, but mine have been from the fruit and veggie one, and so far I’ve gotten the tomato and the eggplant!

Every once in a while, there is a very specific two-week period when everyone suddenly returns to their roots and gets really into Minecraft again. For me, these phases always end when I get bored after finishing the exterior of my house. I’ve been playing since I was about five, and Minecraft has always had a serious lack of interior decoration items. I am tired of scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration, so I’ve gathered a list of my go-to blocks over time that double as both functional and decorative.

Trapdoors

Trapdoors are a classic for a reason. They can be used far beyond their original purpose, whether that’s as shelves, cabinets, or detailing on walls. They’re also perfect for putting on the sides of dirt blocks to act as a planter on a window sill, immediately making a build feel more lived in.

Barrels

Barrels are newer compared to chests, but they completely changed the appeal of storage. They work as shelves, counters, or furniture pieces while still being useful for holding items. They’re also way prettier than chests, which makes them ideal for keeping items where you actually need them, like kitchens or farms, rather than hiding ugly chests in their own room.

Campfires

Campfires are extremely underrated as decoration blocks. When used normally, they can add a cozy atmosphere to outdoor areas like campsites and can even generate smoke for realistic chimneys. When extinguished, they become even more useful and can be used for shelving, bridges, roofing details, fishing docks, and more. Their texture adds depth to a build without looking out of place or drawing away any attention.

Carpets

For a long time, I avoided carpets because they felt useless. You can’t place blocks on them, so the only time I really used them was on top of fences in animal farms so I could jump in and out while animals couldn’t. Over time, though, I began to open up to the idea of carpets. They make a house feel like a home when used as rugs or tablecloths, but they also make creative ideas possible, like their unique ability to cover light blocks and create softer, ambient lighting.

Stairs

Stairs have always been essential, originally serving as a classic chair or couch. More recently, however, they’ve become useful in less obvious ways. Stairs are perfect for giving a space character by adding texture to walls, mimicking crown molding, or acting as countertops. They give intentional detail and dimension to a build that would otherwise appear bare, lifeless, or unfinished.

 

There was this group of old men who seemed to live at the market. (For this whole story just imagine Van Aken but dirtier and all outside and you’ll get the vibe). They hung around all day, waddling from store to store without ever buying anything, seeming to only exist to happily talk to whomever would listen. At noon, they’d congregate at the only table in the market and play chess. They stayed in that penguin-esque huddle for hours on end, only stopping when it got too dark to see the board. I didn’t get it. Couldn’t these folks be doing something else with their time? Is there no one at home who they oughta be looking after?

I couldn’t keep these questions to myself however, and soon I broke one of them off from the huddle to ask if they didn’t have anything else they could be doing.

He laughed a deep laugh that sort of seemed to linger after it was gone and asked me what else in the world would be better than chess. 

I looked back on this moment a lot during my college application process. I found myself sleeping less just to finish homework and write and refine college essays. Stress of applying to and subsequently getting deferred from and reapplying to schools weighed heavy on me, and I began to question the idea of reaching in the first place. Those men who seemed to amble to and fro lived the antithesis of what I considered a ‘useful’ life, and yet in it they found happiness day by day. What was the point of going through all this work if it wasn’t to be happier in the end?

Now that I’m coming out of application mania, I know that that the feeling of not seeing the value of work was only a phase. That being said, my experience in that market and my college application experience has given me a respect for the peace that must come with “bummism” (The act of being a bum) and knowing where to set your limits. 

While the plan is to have a good career and all, I do look forward to retiring    and becoming a bum myself. I don’t think I’d be a chess bum though– more of a feed the ducks by the pond bum or maybe even a miniature ship in the bottle bum.