Apartment Blog

                                  Pic by opiummuseum

Do you ever wonder why we celebrate the holidays we celebrate? Do you ever look beyond the festivities, gifts, and laughter to understand the roots of the occasion.  Maybe you have and maybe you haven’t, but Halloween has a unique history.  History.com says that when Europeans came to America they brought their varied Halloween traditions with them.  It wasn’t as prevalent in the rigid protestant north as it was in southern colonies like Maryland.  Different European ethnic groups and American Indian traditions meshed to form the American version of Halloween.

The first festivities included “Play Parties” that celebrated harvest and people came together to dance, sing, tell stories about the dead, and tell each other’s fortunes.  Telling Ghost stories was common as well. History.com also notes that in the second half of the 19^th century America was flood with immigrants especially from Ireland, whom helped popularize Halloween nationally.

The Trick or Treat Tradition came from English and Irish Traditions, and Americans began to go from house to house asking for money or food. In the late 1800s though, there was a movement to take the witchcraft out of Halloween and make the holiday more about community get-togethers and games.  Halloween eventually lost its religious and superstitious overtones. Trick or Treating evolved over time to be an inexpensive way for the community to share the celebration. Also, in theory giving kids treats prevented them from being the victim of tricks.

Halloween is now the second biggest commercial Holiday, where Americans an estimated spend 6.9 billion dollars.  Knowing the history may just be of trivial consequence, but it will help you understand the dynamics behind such a popular holiday!

 It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  My cousin’s favorite song to accompany her favorite sport - football.  We’re going to focus on college football for this one though. 

The Florida Gators are the preseason #1, no surprise there.  I’m not a Gator fan by any means (FSU all the way!), but I’ve heard it is a pretty nice area.  If you’re starting school in the fall you may want to check out some off campus housing near Florida State University or the University of Florida.  With Tim Tebow returning for his senior season, the Gators are predicted to win their third national title in four years.   The top ten also includes:  Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Penn State and Oklahoma State, in that order.

The top ten rankings don’t show it, but the SEC is going to be a lot stronger this season with five teams in the top 25 (Florida, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi and Georgia).  LSU has been known for their defense in the past, but have struggled since power defensive lineman, Glenn Dorsey left in ‘08.  I have high hopes for the Tigers, though.  Georgia is a school that continues to go after it year after year; they finished last year with a very respectable 10-3 record.  Coach Mark Richt has a no nonsense attitude and apparently so does the Bulldogs’ mascot, UGA.

It’s clear that quarterbacks dominate discussion for this season with the top three Heisman candidates, Colt McCoy (Texas), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) and Tim Tebow (Florida) all starting in the QB position.  Two of them hail from the Big 12 conference; Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford.  Out of these three, my vote goes to Colt McCoy because I’m neither a Florida nor Oklahoma fan.  My hatred for Oklahoma stems back to 2003 win they gave Jason White the Heisman trophy.  Larry Fitzgerald got robbed!  What ever happened to Mr. White anyway?  Has anyone seen or heard from him?  Is he even in the NFL anymore?  That would be a NO!  This is one of the many reasons why I’m looking forward to the Red River Rivalry even more this season.     

Last season Texas beat Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry even with the horrible officiating throughout the game.  And I will never understand how the Sooners jumped the Longhorns in the rankings last season when they clearly beat them in the head to head.  There will never be a logical explanation for that mess.  That’s the BCS ranking system for you.  But if you’re thinking about moving and you’re an avid college football fan like me, think about Texas as many would argue the Lone Star state is home to the best college football athletes in the country. Check out some apartments for rent in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

Schools in the rebuilding phase:  Notre Dame.  They are currently listed as #23 in USA Today Poll.  I think that’s rather high especially with Charlie Weis’ job hanging in the balance.  If the Fighting Irish don’t come through this year, he’s probably done.  The Irish have ranked in college football’s elite throughout history, but you wouldn’t know it from recent seasons.  They finished last season with a less than respectable 6-6 record.  That’s not going to get it done this year.   But if you’re still holding on to the Irish’s old glory days (like my father) then you’ll want to check out some apartments in South Bend. 

Miami is another school that’s had its share of struggles.  Miami really hasn’t been the same since the Ken Dorsey/Willis McGahee era (I’m not a Hurricanes fan, but I’m secretly a WM fan).   Even though they’re not ranked in the top 25, the ‘Canes have a lot of returning talent and look to start the season strong.  However, their first game is against the ‘Noles on 9/7 so that’s a guaranteed loss.  Sorry Miami. 

It looks like this is going to be a pretty eventful season.  Many analysts predict the Gators to win the 2010 National Championship, but I think it’s still up in the air.  Either way, I can’t wait for the season to start.  Everyone mark your calendar for Thursday, September 3^rd.  Hard hitting and pigskin, that’s what I live for.

Take a gander at the photos below; here are a few For Rent Media Solutions’ employees celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! How will you celebrate this year??

The corporate Marketing Department in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia had a St. Patrick’s Day Pot-Luck lunch. Everyone dressed in their GREEN and flashed their pretty smiles!

And heres Mary Christenson from the Phoenix, Arizona office. Mary greeted everyone with the Luck of the Irish. There was some wonderful Irish music, from jigs to Irish drinking songs, and Mary’s sweet smile complements her shamrock earrings and shamrock necklace!

And in Edina, Minnesota Mandy Thompson, Emily Erickson, Jennie Robles and Kristy Jordahl are posing with the For Rent Magazine. On the table are all our fun little For Rent friends who are taking place of all our advertisers who could not be in the photo! Lovely ladies….

However you celebrate this year, For Rent Media Solutions wishes you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Have fun and be safe!

 While ordering a cake the other day we were faced with a dilemma.  The cake specialist asked if we wanted a four leaf clover or a shamrock on our St. Patrick’s Day themed cake. Not understanding, we asked what the difference was. The specialist responded that the shamrock is the Irish symbol and the four leaf clover is the American version. She mentioned that in her experience some Irish people have gotten offended if the four leaf clover is used improperly. So for those of you who aren’t familiar with the differences between the two (besides the obvious additional leaf), here is an explanation.

The shamrock is a three-leaved clover; the plant was used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. It has subsequently become a national symbol of Ireland. The word comes from seamróg, the Irish name for the plant.

 A four leaf clover refers to an aberration of a three leaf clover plant, “white clover.” The white clover is a deep green flowering vine with white blossoms. It is the original shamrock plant of Ireland and the unofficial state symbol. The shamrock already has powerful associations, and its occasional production of an extra leaf makes the rare four leaf clover especially lucky.

For more ideas about St. Patrick’s Day parties and crafts, please visit our Holidays section.

 Are you planning on cooking this St. Patrick’s Day? Or perhaps you’re thinking about throwing a party?! Having a pot-luck at work? If you’re a little stumped on what to bring or what to cook this year, look at a few ideas I’ve just tossed together. There are some for the serious chef or for the low-maintenance cookers.  Categorized in two ways, dishes that are Irish or dishes that are GREEN!

Irish Items:

• Irish Stew
• Corned Beef ( include sandwich fixings for a Rueben)
• Roasted Potatoes or Irish Potato Salad
• Lime Pie
• Rhubarb Pie
• Irish Soda Bread
• Sheppard Pie
• St. Patrick’s Day Punch (sherbet ice cream and Sprite)

‘Green’ Items:

• Spinach and Artichoke Dip (with tortilla chips)
• Green Tortilla Chips
• Shamrock Sugar Cookies
• Green Cupcakes
• Salad (w/green ingredients-green peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, etc.)
• Shamrock Shaped Biscuits/Toast (or use green food coloring for color)
• Green Fruit Tray (green grapes, green apples, honeydew melons, kiwi, etc.)
• Green Veggie Tray (cucumber, broccoli, celery, green peppers, zucchini, pickles)
• Green Bread Loaf (using green food coloring in the dough)
• Drinks: Sprite, 7-up, Mountain Dew, Limeade
• Coleslaw

Most sites, like FoodNetwork.com, will have recipes for these cuisines.  Or you can check out our ‘Holiday Recipes’ section which has traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipes.  Whatever you choose to do, have fun this St. Patrick’s Day!

If you feel like having a traditional Irish meal this St. Patrick’s day, what better way than having Steak & Guinness Pie? Exported from MasterCook, check out the below recipe to make your own…

Steak & Guinness Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds of Round Steak
1 tablespoon of Flour
1 teaspoon of Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon of Raisins (optional)
5 Onions
10 fluid ounces of Guinness
8 slices of Bacon
Parsley Chopped
1 Recipe of short Pastry*

*For double-crust pie in deep pie dish, Cut the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in seasoned flour and brown in the lard with the bacon-chopped small.

Directions:
Place the meat in a casserole dish. Peel and chop the onions and fry until golden before adding them to the meat.  Add the raisins (if wanted) and brown sugar.  Pour in the Guinness. Cover tightly and simmer over a low heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2½ hours.

Stir occasionally and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich brown gravy get too thick.  Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with half the pie crust and bake it blind.  Then add the Guinness/beef mixture from the casserole dish, cover with the top layer of pie crust and bake until finished.  Probably about 10 more minutes.  Serves 4

Source: http://fp.enter.net; Exported from MasterCook