Kit Kat Adventure

My brother, Adam, and his wife just got back from a vacation in Japan (not just, it's been a few weeks). When I heard they were going to Japan the first thing I thought of that I wanted was Kit Kats. I had read this blog in the past and was fascinated by the many flavors of Kit Kats available in Japan. And I had to try them. Being the loving family they are, my brother and sister-in-law complied. They brought me these:

Clockwise from top left: Bitter Almond, Green Tea, Cola and Lemon Soda, Cherry Blossom

The only one that actually said what it was in English was the Bitter Almond, the others I went by the pictures. (I think the last one is cherry blossom, but I could be wrong). Despite what I had previously thought, Adam and Nikki had difficulties finding Kit Kats in Japan.

Anyway, the verdict:

Bitter Almond: This was one dark chocolate and the closest of all to a real Kit Kat. I couldn't taste any almond, but it was still tasty.

Green Tea: Very sweet, green in color. A little weird and grainy, but not bad.

Cola Flavors: I really liked these two. I loved the combination of two different flavors in one pack. (The Kit Kats in Japan come with two sleeves inside the box, each containing 2 bars). One was cola colored, the other yellow. I found both flavors to be tasty and they kind of fizzed when I ate them. Yummy!

Cherry Blossom: Probably the only one of the four I did not like. This one was also green in color. It was super sweet and I honestly couldn't figure out what it was supposed to taste like.

All in all, I found my Kit Kat adventure successful and tons of fun! It reminded me of being in Europe and buying random candy just to see what they tasted like!

Of course, they also brought me back this gem! I now have a Harry Potter book in 4 different languages!

HANSON

When I was 12, a friend of mine let me listen to her Hanson CD, Middle of Nowhere, and I was hooked. I ran out and bought MoN on cassette! considering I didn't have a CD player, and my mom thought I was crazy when I bought their CD once I finally got a CD player (all for that one song). I quickly became obsessed, covering my walls with Hanson posters, taping their interviews from the TV, reading books like Totally Taylor. When I was 13, Hanson was touring and went to Cincinnati, a mere hour and a half from where we live (I don't think Hanson has ever been to Lexington, psh). I remember begging my mom to take me, but she wouldn't. It was too expensive or something. Obviously, I was crushed. Hanson quickly fell of the radar and I figured I'd never see them on tour. I was still in love with them, but didn't think they'd be around when I could finally see them in concert.

And then Boston came. Not only does Hanson still make music and tour, but they came to Boston! And even screened their documentary at Emerson! I finally got to see the obsession of my tween years in concert (a few times, even). And it was everything I had imagined. Sadly, the past few years I haven't been able to make it out to one of their shows, but last week I convinced Luis to come to one with me! And it was amazing all over again.

I've been listening to Hanson's newest album, Shout It Out, pretty much on repeat for a while. It's an awesome CD and I love that most of the music on it makes me want to sing and dance (which of course makes their concerts that much more fun). My absolute favorite song is Give A Little, so good. I love that, 13 years later, they're still making music and they continue to grow as musicians. And they still sell out concerts, not as big of venues as they used to, but their shows are still popular.

The most recent concert we went to was at Moonlite Garden, which was an outdoor venue tucked in a really lame amusement park (4 story fall, really?). I was worried about Luis being frightened of all the crazy girls there (which, by the way, weren't as crazy as the last time I saw Hanson); I warned him several times that it would be crazy and that I couldn't guarantee that I would be "normal" during the event. I can't help it. As soon as Hanson runs on that stage I turn into that 13 year old girl who wanted nothing more than to see them in concert, but never got the chance. It's like a dream come true.

I'm not afraid to say it: I still love Hanson as much as I did when I was 13, and it's awesome!

plant update

In my last post, I posted a picture of my pepper plants and ginger that I had decided to grow. Now, a few weeks later, they look great!

Cayenne peppers, we've had a couple, they taste wonderful!

Green peppers, hopefully we'll get some more buds on these.

And this is my ginger! I had read online that you could buy ginger at the grocery and plant it and it would keep growing. Then, whenever you wanted to use some, you just dig it up, cut some off and replant it! I was skeptical cause I had planted it for several weeks before it began to grow. And now it's huge! I can't wait to use some!

shopping for fresh food

Lately, Luis and I have been making an effort to eat healthier and spend more time cooking using fresh ingredients and cut down on the amount of processed food we buy. When Jill, Carey and I moved into our first apartment in college, I think we owned two pots and maybe one frying pan. I spent many a night eating from instant pasta and rice packets and rarely buying fresh veggies. It was quick, easy and I was only cooking for myself so I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I wasn't concerned with what was actually in the food I was eating. After college, I started cooking more, but I often found myself resorting to using processed foods a lot. Now that Luis and I are both working and in school and have crazy busy schedules, we end up going back to college and buying pasta packets again. After getting sick of constantly eating pasta and not very tasty frozen stir fries, and watching Jamie Oliver make chicken nuggets -- I'd had enough. Luis and I decided to start cooking more often, invested in some really good cookbooks (that didn't all revolve around pasta) and began buying more fresh ingredients. I've also gotten really into gardening: growing herbs, green peppers and now tomatoes and cayenne peppers (and ginger!).

My peppers and ginger, in their early stages!

Now that we're finally buying fresh ingredients, and cooking delicious meals from scratch, like this Jamie Oliver sweet and sour pork:
I've noticed that our grocery bills are going up like whoa. This really bothers me. I've always said that I have no problem paying MORE money for BETTER quality food; if you can taste/see/smell/feel the difference, then I'm all for it. But I despise the fact that it costs more to eat healthy than to eat junk food. I understand that it costs more to produce fresh foods, but there is a serious problem in this country if going to McDonald's is encouraged, while eating healthy is discouraged. I am ashamed of you United States! I get the Sunday paper every week, and I always go through and look for the coupons. I used to save TONS of money at the store, but now not so much. Why? Because they don't print coupons for fresh vegetables - just for mac 'n cheese and instant stir fries. I hate that we live in a country that does not encourage fresh foods and healthy eating. I hate that you have to have money to buy foods that are good for you. It seems like, as a whole, we are encouraging people to be fat and eat junk. And that is wrong. I'm a lot happier and healthier now that I've stopped buying as much processed food. And I enjoy cooking with fresh, raw ingredients, even if it does take some time. And the end result is always way better than any bagged stir fry could give.

My new favorite cook book. I don't think we've made a recipe in this that we didn't love. I even made cheesecake, from scratch!

columbus, part two

Recently, Luis and I traveled to Columbus, OH once again to see the Columbus Crew in action. This game was much more intense than last year, and was successful in getting me excited about the World Cup! Columbus Crew managed to pull off the win over Chivas USA, but it was a good game overall.

Before the game, we went to the Columbus Museum of Art. Apparently, pretty much the entire museum, minus their special exhibit, is closed as they are renovating. Luckily, the lady there only charged us for one admission! We saw this exhibit which was pretty awesome.

Then we wandered around trying to find something to eat. Apparently, Columbus' downtown is similar to Lexington's - everything is closed on the weekend. But we eventually found some yummy Cuban food!

Hey Art.

Then, we went to the game where there was a drumline with really small children.

And our seats were amazing! It's crazy how you can get such cheap, good seats in soccer!

The teams warming up.

Good times.

hey authors

I've met a lot of authors lately.

Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal (Robert Jordan's wife)

Patrick Rothfuss

Dandi Daley Mackall

John Green

And ready for more!

hello summer

Summer is here!

I am so excited about summer and all it's glory. It's been super hot here, which is crazy for this time of the year. School ended on Wed. and I'm incredibly happy that terrible semester is over. So far, one grade has come in but I'm still waiting on the other two. To celebrate summer Luis and I went out to lunch and saw Iron Man 2 (which was amazing and I loved it immensely and now want to rewatch Iron Man.) I also celebrated with a trip to the bookstore and purchased several books which I am very much looking forward to reading. I got God of the Hive by Laurie R. King, Lies by Michael Grant, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. So excited. Right now, I'm reading a book about the Gardner museum heist which is very interesting and quite enjoyable.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to bake a fruit tart (should be interesting). Then on Monday, I will purchase the rest of my herbs and tomato plants, and plant them. On Tuesday I start my internship at the Lexington Public Library. I think the internship will be good, but I am nervous and not looking forward to getting up early. Then, next weekend Luis and I are going to Columbus for the weekend to see a Crew game and do other fun things! I love summer.

Now I just need the Red Sox to stop sucking and all will be well......Well, that and to not work....

And of course, the terrible election day is coming up!

Also, the best news....I am halfway done with my masters! yay!

work stories

So we have this anchor at work (who brought in cookies today, so he's now my favorite), and he has a tendency to read whatever's in the prompter a la Ron Burgundy style. So today in the commercial break I noticed the first story began "ASK WAS FALLING DOWN" or something along those lines, which obviously doesn't make sense. The story was about the Iceland volcano so I mentioned to everyone that it should be ASH and not to read it like that. The anchor replied "You know me too well." Crisis averted.

Well, (here's the interesting part of the story) this brought up another story our producer told. Our old chief meteorologist used to have weather stories in his weather forecast and he would read a script that went along with it. The producer had written it wrong and he read it, never noticing the mistake. It was a story about a flood and people being rescued. "PEOPLE WERE BEING RESCUED BY BOARS" Amazing. I couldn't stop laughing when he told that story. Just imagine boars rescuing people from the flood. Rescuing? Or stabbing people in the stomach? which is more likely?

Oh, work.

baseball

I'm so happy it's baseball season! Go Red Sox!

the grad school edition

Grad school is kind of driving me crazy right now. I feel like I'm going insane over the amount of work I'm supposed to be doing this semester. I have to make a Pathfinder and I have yet to start on it. At all. Go me. I just spent the last 2 weeks in the library looking up seemingly impossible reference questions, which really just reiterates the fact that I DO NOT want to be a reference librarian. But then, there was no chance of that anyway. And tomorrow I have to give a Book Talk, which is the "project I have been dreading most this semester," which is funny, cause a book talk won that title last semester as well. *Sigh* Overall, I am just not looking forward to public speaking in general, let alone in front of a bunch of 7th graders. But I like the books I have chosen (The Westing Game, Chasing Vermeer, and Never Trust a Dead Man), so hopefully it will go well and I won't get the death eyes of boredom. Of course, it's the last period of the day for them, so I'm not too hopeful. Anyway, I'll spend more time worrying about it than actually speaking. The good news is, now that I'm taking Young Adult Literature, I'm really enjoying most of the books I've read. The bad news is that I have NO time to read anything else, like I bought this book a few weeks ago and I'm really excited to read it, but I don't have time so I just look at it longingly. So some of my favorites so far:

Paper Towns by John Green (I'm officially in love with him right now and can not wait until Will Grayson Will Grayson comes out, but again, I won't have time to read it). I absolutely love the road trip in this book. It is amazing. And when I got to the end, I was shocked. Shocked. Also, did you know this won an Edgar Award? yeah.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - interesting book about a girl who has a secret and withdraws from everyone around her. Very powerful.

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger I think when I read this I didn't like it too much, but that was around the time my grandfather passed away. But thinking back, it was a really good book. I really like how it had a positive look at a transgendered teen.

The Arrival - Shaun Tan. This is a graphic novel, and there are no words. But it is amazing and everyone should read it. Go to the library/book store and read it. It won't take long, but the illustrations are awe-some.

The Graceling - Kristin Cashore. I love fantasy and I just got wrapped up in this story. Good characters, good romance. A lot of people don't like the main characters attitude (cause she doesn't want to get married), but really, what's wrong with that? As soon as I have time I plan on reading the companion to this one, and there's a third one coming out soon.

Feed - MT Anderson. Ok, so I didn't love this one mainly cause the dialogue drove me crazy. But it was an interesting concept and really cool. I think it's supposed to drive one crazy.

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld. Awesome sci-fi book about an alternate WWI with a war between the Clankers and the Darwinists. Second book coming out in Oct. (maybe I'll have time to read it then).

That takes me about halfway through the semester. Right now, I'm listening to the audio book version of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. I enjoyed the book when I read it (doesn't it have a lot of illustrations?) but I'm not digging the audio book. It's read by the author, which is cool, but he has a funny accent that bothers me. I'm also getting ready to start (right now) Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (hey, she was born in Portland!), which I swear I've read but I can't seem to remember. Darn.

Books I'm excited to read the rest of the semester: Sunrise Over Fallujah- Walter Dean Myers, The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins, The Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld, Going Solo - Roald Dahl.

Also, I just signed my Learning Contract, so this summer I will be interning at the Lexington Public Library. I'm excited cause I get to hang out with kids and help with Summer Reading.

Olympics

I don't know what it is about the Olympics that makes me care about sports so much. The majority of the year, I'm not really into sports. Give me a UK basketball game and I'm there. If I see a Red Sox game on, I'm interested. However, I do not make it a point to watch many sporting events, and if I miss it, I'm okay with that. But there's something about the spirit of the Olympics that makes me want to forget about work, school and that dang paper I have to write and watch people figure skate and snowboard, cheering for USA the whole time.

Also, aren't these medals awesome looking?

Rockne Elwood Bender

My popaw passed away on Sunday. He was a great man. He had an amazing life and I hope when I'm older I will have as many stories as he did to tell to everyone. From the goat that attacked him when he was little to the diamonds he found in Saudi Arabia and smuggled back to the US for my grandma(oh, man, those things are HUGE!) there were plenty of stories. Popaw was very happy around his grandkids, there are few photos of him without one of us in it. He taught me to fish when I was little, and let me drive his little red boat. He brought me back pretty things from Mexico every winter. He sang to me every morning when I stayed at their house, and read the "funny papers" to me. He took me to the lake, took me for rides on his scooter, bought me books, taught me how to make apple butter. I know he's in a better place now; he's with my grandma who he loved so much, and he's not hurting anymore. But I'll sure miss him. It hurts to see his empty chair at their house because it's full of memories. My aunt is planning on selling the house. That makes me sad, because there are so many memories there. But I think it's for the best. I love you popaw. I hope you and momaw are fishing and dancing and having a great time together.

how my blog got it's name

Favorite band
Favorite Beatle
Favorite Drummer
Favorite movie

Ringo goes "parading in A Hard Day's Night"
This clip is the only one I could find, and it's like 10 min. long but the important line happens within the first minute.

hello full-time job!

This is kind of long-winded and rambling, but the highlight of it is that I got a full-time job at WTVQ as a Director after waiting for over a year. And I'm discovering that the more I direct, the more I like it.

At long last my dream has come true! Well, my dream for now that is. As of Monday Feb. 8 I will move to a full-time position with WTVQ. I will now be Full-time Director Sam and reap all of the benefits it comes with. Needless to say, I'm stoked. I've been smiling the whole time since it was official and also thinking. When I was in college I became unsure as to whether I would enjoy a career in TV/Video and began pondering if I had made the right choice. But I wanted to finish my degree (I never liked the idea of quitting) and ended up with a Production Tech job at WKYT. I worked there for a year and a half and didn't really like it. It was boring and repetitive and there was a lot of time where I sat around and did nothing. Near the end of my time there I began thinking about a new career path and started thinking about being a librarian (something I had considered long ago). Once I lost my job and had some extra time on my hands I began preparing to get a Masters in Library Science. Somewhere along the line I started working part-time at WTVQ. When the station added a show I was offered the chance to become a director. I knew that it was the only path to a full-time job there so I accepted, not sure if I would really enjoy it. That was in November 2008. I've been directing for a little over a year, and am now almost halfway done with my Masters (it's only a 4 semester program) and am starting to doubt my career choice yet again. There are a lot of things I don't like about my job, but that's not important right now. What is important is that there are a lot of things I DO like about it. I've discovered that I really love directing. I never had any desire to do so, but now that I have done it, I enjoy it. And I'm good at it. I love going into the studio and the talent being like "you were directing that? you did a really great job!" or "that was a really clean show." or even, "way to stay calm when everything went wrong." I like being good at something, it feels good. When I told the weekend talent that I may be moving to weekdays once a new weekend director is trained they were upset and said they'd miss my clean shows. So once again, I wonder if library science is the right career path for me. I know that we'll be in Lexington a little while longer while Luis finishes his degree, so there is no reason for me to not finish my Masters. But sometimes I wonder if I will enjoy the library as much as TV. TV is fast-paced and exciting, and there's so much pressure to get everything right because you don't get to do it again. When I first started directing I always felt like I was going to vomit before every show, that doesn't happen anymore, but when it did, and the show went well, there was always this great feeling of accomplishment. I do know two things, I want to leave Lexington in the future and I plan on sticking with my Masters through the end. What do I have to lose but money? I'm hoping doing an internship this summer will help me decide whether I would enjoy being a librarian or not. And when I graduate, if I get another job in TV instead of a library job, I don't think I'll be upset. Some old man once told me that with my personality he didn't see me enjoying a career in librarianship because it wouldn't challenge me. We shall see, old man.

books 2009

And now the moment everyone has been waiting for....and by everyone I mean me.....my list of books read in 2009! Only 131 books this year, down from last year's 165 (which can be found here), but I blame grad school and the fact of being employed ALL year on that glitch.
Highlights include:
17 Re-reads (most due to grad school)
Favorites:
The Name of the Wind
The Battle of the Labyrinth/The Last Olympian
The Hero of Ages
Tamora Pierce books
Batman: Year One (what can I say, I love Batman)
Gone and Hunger
The Alchemist Trilogy
Discovering that Dumas had a new(ish) book that had been found in the archives in France.

And a whole stack (almost all) of Caldecott winners and honor books which were not included in this list due to the fact that they take all of 5 minutes to read. Also not included, my library school textbooks because they are boring.
Starred books are re-reads, and yes, I'm aware that I read several books twice in one year, blame grad school for that.

Here's the list:
1. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
2. Moving Targets – Mercedes Lackey
3. The Battle of the Labyrinth – Rick Riordan
4. Holidays on Ice – David Sedaris
5. Kabul Beauty School – Debbie Rodriguez
6. Goodbye, Jimmy Choo – Annie Sanders
7. Tweak – Nic Sheff
8. Winner Take Nothing – Ernest Hemingway
9. Dewey – Vicki Myron
10. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – Gary D. Schmidt
11. Falling Off the Map – Pico Iyer
12. The Hero of Ages – Brandon Sanderson
13. Locked Rooms – Laurie R. King
14. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
15. Sun in Glory – Mercedes Lackey
16. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt
17. Rifles for Watie – Harold Keith
18. Deep and Dark and Dangerous – Mary Downing Hahn
19. The Time Paradox – Eoin Colfer
20. The Pirate Hunter – Richard Zacks
21. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
22. Deadline – Chris Crutcher
23. Parzival – Katherine Paterson
24. The Blade Itself – Joe Abercrombie
25. Sword of Ice – Mercedes Lackey
26. King of the Mild Frontier – Chris Crutcher
27. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart
28. The Gebusi – Bruce Knauft
29. Watchmen – Alan Moore
30. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer *
31. Here There Be Dragons – James A. Owen
32. Easter Rising – Michael Patrick MacDonald
33. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart
34. Two for the Summit – Geoffrey Norman
35. Forever Lily – Beth Nonte Russell
36. Before They are Hanged – Joe Abercrombie
37. Turn Coat – Jim Butcher
38. Rumors – Anna Godbersen
39. Backup – Jim Butcher
40. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon – Dave Barry
41. Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway
42. Welcome to the Jungle – Jim Butcher
43. The Sun Over Breda – Arturo Perez-Reverte
44. Last Argument of Kings – Joe Abercrombie
45. breathe – Cliff McNish
46. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion – David Bassom
47. A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
48. The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan
49. Maps and Legends – Michael Chabon
50. Sailing Alone Around the World – Joshua Slocum
51. Mystic and Rider – Sharon Shinn
52. Song of the Lioness – Tamora Pierce
53. On Royalty – Jeremy Paxman
54. Batman: Year One – Frank Miller
55. The Language of Bees – Laurie R. King
56. Hood – Stephen Lawhead
57. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
58. Merlin’s Dragon – T.A. Barron
59. Schooled – Gordon Korman
60. Mexico City Blues – Jack Kerouac
61. Three Letters from the Andes – Patrick Leigh Fermor
62. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas *
63. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – JK Rowling *
64. Gone – Michael Grant
65. The Perfect Storm – Sebastian Junger
66. Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay
67. The Thirteenth House – Sharon Shinn
68. The Black Book of Secrets – FE Higgins
69. Chinese Handcuffs – Chris Crutcher
70. Dark Moon Defender – Sharon Shinn
71. The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword – George R. R. Martin
72. Massachusetts Curiosities – Bruce Gellerman & Erik Sherman
73. Looking for Alaska – John Green
74. Envy – Anna Godbersen
75. Reader and Raelynx – Sharon Shinn
76. X Files: Ruins – Kevin J. Anderson
77. Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson
78. Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
79. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
80. Persepolis 2 – Marjane Satrapi
81. Airman – Eoin Colfer
82. Hunger – Michael Grant
83. The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick *
84. The Hours – Michael Cunningham
85. Angry Management – Chris Crutcher
86. In the Hand of the Goddess – Tamora Pierce
87. The Woman who Rides like a Man – Tamora Pierce
88. Red Helmet – Homer Hickam
89. Lioness Rampant – Tamora Pierce
90. 3 Willows – Ann Brashares
91. You Don’t Love Me Yet – Jonathan Lethem
92. Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein *
93. Queste – Angie Sage
94. The Alchemist’s Apprentice – Dave Duncan
95. Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson *
96. Dicey’s Song – Cynthia Voigt *
97. Hatchet – Gary Paulsen *
98. The Higher Power of Lucky – Susan Patron *
99. Foundation – Mercedes Lackey
100. School of Fear – Gitty Daneshvari
101. Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman
102. Best Served Cold – Joe Abercrombie
103. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne *
104. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt *
105. Batman and the Monstermen – Matt Wagner
106. Chains – Laurie H. Anderson
107. Beauty – Robin McKinley
108. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle *
109. The Secret of Platform 13 – Eva Ibbotson
110. Coraline – Neil Gaiman *
111. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis *
112. The Alchemist’s Code – Dave Duncan
113. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
114. The Giver – Lois Lowry *
115. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling *
116. The School Skeleton – Ron Roy
117. Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley? – Rebecca Caudill
118. Eagle Strike: An Alex Rider Adventure – Anthony Horowitz
119. The Alchemist’s Pursuit – Dave Duncan
120. Crazy Horse: Sioux Warrior – Brenda Haugen
121. Lincoln: A Photobiography – Russell Freedman
122. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village – Laura Amy Schlitz *
123. The Book of Time – Guillaume Prevost
124. The Wild Things – Dave Eggers
125. Charlie Bone and the Shadow – Jenny Nimmo
126. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving
127. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
128. The Last Cavalier – Alexandre Dumas
129. An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
130. Sandry’s Book – Tamora Pierce
131. Knight: Noble Warrior of England 1200-1600 – Christopher Gravett

Now on to 2010! First up: Tris' Book by Tamora Pierce, book 2 in the Circle of Magic Quartet