A Nothing Post

My boss told me I look just like this girl-I guess she's on American Idol.  I can see the resemblance I suppose, but not as much as he says.  I wish I looked like her more-or at least had her build.  Boys would be flocking to me if that were the case.

 

Have you ever asked for a sign and gotten one and then not liked the sign you got so you asked again?  

 

My supervisor from the park called me last night which was a little weird.  He sounded nervous or something, asked how my weekend was and then said, "I'll see you tomorrow at noon."  I said, "Uhhh....nope.  I'll be in at 4:30-it's a weekday."  Aren't you glad I ran through the conversation for you?  You can go on with your day now, I know.

 

Disbelief can sometimes hurt your heart.  Especially if it's coupled with ignorance.

 

Having my niece ask me why I wasn't coming over for her birthday yesterday made me sad.  I'm only 2 hours away, but I might as well be in Chicago.

 

I've heard about lots of people going to Italy and touring the countryside while cooking and meeting all sorts of interesting people.  I wish I could afford to do that.  For lots and lots of reasons.

 

Timing is everything.

 

I'm still baffled by the speeding ticket I got a while ago.  Everyday I drive through the tunnel and everyday I am passed by people going almost twice my speed.  Never do I see them stopped.  And me trying to merge into traffic while they are going so fast is a hazard.  Hence, the reason why I sped up in the first place last time.  I'll love explaining to the officer who responds to the accident I'm sure to have by telling him that I was going 45 because of the ticket I got and that's why they plowed into me.

 

I hope that doesn't really happen.

 

Baseball again tonight...6 days in a row, then off again for 6.  Why 6?  I don't work day games during the week, and I am going to a game myself on the 29th.  It's the only ticket I did not sell.

 

What Do Ya Think??

Here is the sketch of the cake I'll be making.  I ordered a sugar image of the HSM kids-hopefully I'll get it in time and I can use an Xacto knife to cut them out and put them on the "stage".  If not, it'll be paper cut outs...

 

Think she'll like it?

 

Top Chef: Episode 6

So...I send these from email at work, and for some reason, it sent before I was done...here's the complete version:

 

The more I watch this show, the more it seems like there are obvious choices for Top Chef contenders: Stephanie for sure & Dale, along with Richard to me, are the top 3 chefs on the show-and even though you all hate Andrew, I think he's also a good chef who may be able to squeeze his way into the top 3 if Dale or Richard slip up.  I'm hoping this is the year a female wins.  (Hey, it happened on The Biggest Loser the other day!)

 

At the beginning of the season, Stephanie seemed very unsure of herself.  But as the competition sped up she found herself consistently on top and her confidence is growing-though she's still humble, which is nice.  I think if she wins, her prize money will go toward something fantastic, making lots of hungry people happy.  For this weeks quickfire challenge, she paired her beer with Mussels and a Cilantro Vinaigrette along with some grilled bread to sop it all up.  Though I've never eaten mussels (which are my favorite, by the way) with beer, it certainly does make sense now that I am thinking of it.  It's easy to see why she was in the top 3.

 

Also in the top 3 was Richard for his Grilled Tuna Sandwich & Pickled Vegetables.  His flavors were very concentrated and went very well with the beer-and I also think it's simplicity was key here.  Last, we have Jenn, who put all of her anger about Zoi going home last week into her dish.  (Gag)  She made Shrimp Beignets with Fennel & Avocado & Pepper Purees.  The judges liked that her dish was unique, but also liked the fact that her beignets were still light after frying.  Her food was well seasoned (unlike her girlfriends last week) and this landed her as the winner and therefore, immune from elimination.

 

This weeks elimination challenge was a big old tailgating party-an individual challenge in which each chef was given $350 to work with.  There was a lot of "I was going to make that but now they are so I can't" going on...Mark was especially animated when he complained that someone else was doing Shrimp and what kind of Aussie would he be if he didn't do "Shrimp on the Barbi?"  Apparently anything "on the barbi" isn't his specialty because he sucked wind-big time.  His station was a mess, the judges said he had more food on his apron than he did on the plates and his chowder was gritty.  It's not big surprise that he landed in the bottom 3.

 

Also on the bottom was the ever so annoying to me Nikki.  She was once again heard saying that at her restaurant she does a lot of comfort food and therefore, she would do really well.  Nikki, honey-here's a tip:  You're comfort food sucks.  Go another route.  Sausage and peppers was her dish and though it's a great idea for tailgating, especially in Chicago-her sausage was bought, not made (which, in a competition like this, is horrible b/c really, it's not that hard) and by the time the judges came, she had run out of food.  She was surprised that the fans didn't rate her more highly and said that she had people coming back for seconds.  Perhaps, Nikki, it was because you gave them an inch of bread with 1 slice of sausage on top!!

 

Rounding out the bottom was our resident cutie, Ryan.  He made a panzanella salad (bread salad) with chicken but then went on to make poached pears with brandy cocoa...and I think he even had a drink.  Boy...don't you remember the first challenge when you went WAY overboard and didn't have a quality dish?!?  Charming, may he be, he is not a fantastic cook.   His idea about making a chicken sandwich not a chicken sandwich (by using a bread salad instead) was ridiculous.  It's bread, and chicken...why not make it easy to eat (especially at a tailgating party!). 

 

Now, this is where I cringe...because though Ryan may be kind of a goofball in the kitchen and might not be the best-Nikki is CONSTANTLY effing up easy dishes (mac n cheese?!?!) and is constantly on the defensive about why she's in the bottom.  I thought for sure (even last week) that she would be the next to go-I'm praying that she can't last for another episode.  She needs to go back home to re-evaluate her definition of "comfort food".

 

Top 3-Stephanie for her pork, Dale for his ribs and Antonia for her jerk chicken.  All three were well received by the fans, and the judges agreed that their dishes were fantastic.  In the end, Dale leaves the winner and takes home a bears jersey with "Top Chef" written on the back.  Which is pretty cool.  Because he's a huge Bears fan.  I liked that we got to see a softer side of Dale-kind of a giddy "OMG I'm near famous people" side.  It showed he was kind of human, and not just a jerk...

 

Next week: I'm doing the elimination dance-in hopes that Nikki gets sent home.

Happy Birthday Rye Bread

Today is they birthday of my favorite person in the entire world-my niece Rye Bread!!  Today she is 6 years old-I can't believe it!!  She's growing into such a smart, funny and loving little girl (with a little bit of attitude thrown in!) & I can't wait to see her next weekend.  This year's birthday theme is, of course, High School Musical.  Because my sister was nice enough to move the party to next week so I could come, I get to make the cake again!  I'm thinking it will be a stage-hopefully 3D and it will have her name in "lights".  Crossing my fingers it will come out ok....

 

(Funny thing-I went to the cafe to get breakfast and without even thinking, I got Rye toast.)  :)

 

 

Randomivity

*This is (yet another) picture of my view of downtown Boston. I am always amazed at how beautiful it is when the sun starts to go down and it shines on the buildings. This photo doesn't even come close to showing you how fantastic it is...

*It sucks when your week includes ripping your finger open, having a swollen ankle and not being able to turn your head.

*My new chiropractor told me to get a massage. I didn't want to remind him that massages are expensive but at the same time, I don't want to hurt anymore!!

*I had a dream that Dustin Pedroia told me he loved me and that he wanted to marry me. I woke up feeling happy.

*It's always nice when someone tries to prove you wrong every time you talk.

*Biofreeze really does work, especially overnight.

*Living alone has major downsides-for instance when you need to put medicine on your back but you can't reach the worst spot.

*It also has upsides-for instance, being able to sit around naked if you're too lazy to get dressed.

(Taxing) Toosdae ?'s

Good morning my friendly blog readers!  Today's weather here in Boston is clear and crisp-just they way I like it...I for one am excited to get home so I can take a walk and enjoy the fresh air!  It's also tax day for my fellow Americans, so today's questions will be about taxes.  If you're not American but still want to say hi, please do so!!  I need some cheer, considering I am sending a fat check to the state of CT today.  :)

 

Don't you think they should sell special stamps with ugly pictures on them for tax day?  I do....

 

1.  When did you file your taxes?  Did you file early, or did you wait until today-or, did you file for an extension?

 

2.  How did your taxes work out this year?  Did you have to pay or did you get $$ back?  If you don't mind sharing, how much did you pay/get?

 

3.  If you got $$ back, what do you plan on using it for?  Will you splurge on something fun or will it go to pay bills?

 

1.  I filed my taxes in February-I try to do them early because I usually get some money back, and I always need it!! 

 

2.  I got over $1K back from the Federal government but of course, the state of CT is a big money sucking leach and I had to pay over $500 to them (even with school and a house as deductions!).  I also got back about $40 from the state of MA-which isn't bad considering that is only for the month of December (remember, I moved to MA in November and started work in December).  So, overall I came out ahead, but it still sucks butt that I had to send out a big check this week.

 

3.  I don't remember exactly what the $500 that I got to keep went to because it went to pay bills.  Maybe a past due car payment or something...nothing fun though, that's for sure.  If I could have spent it on something fun, I would have loved to use it for a vacation to someplace warm with clear blue water and fruity tropical drinks. :)

Defeated

I remember my first few weeks at Disney and how much I hated it.  I was homesick, I missed my boyfriend who was back in school in MA and I didn't have any friends (b/c I went down there not knowing a single soul).  Then, one day, I made someone laugh, and we went out to dinner after work.  The next day, we went to the movies with a group of people and after that, dancing at Pleasure Island-and instantly I liked being there.  They told us it would be that way-that almost all of the college program kids started out hating it then you'd be okay with it, and then you'd love it.  I didn't believe them when they were telling me this, but it ended up being true.

 

I'm hoping that happens at the park where I am currently working.

 

Part of my problem is that I have very high expectations for everything.  Because I get so excited about things like location, location, location-I expect the people around me to also be excited to be there.  Because I love being a chef and love all things that have to do with producing food for people to eat, I expect everyone else to be happy about doing that for work too.  And because I am trustworthy, I expect everyone else to be as well.

 

And almost always, I am disappointed.  There are only two people at the park who are as excited as I am to be there-and they don't work in the kitchen with me.  One is the suite attendant I work with and the other is the security guard who stands watch for us outside of our door.  The rest of the people seem to have forgotten that we get to be a part of something magical.  As for being trustworthy, well...I'm quickly finding out that I can only trust the same two people I mentioned above.

 

I don't like having to deal with the us against them thing-especially when the "them" is the people I work closely with on a daily basis, and especially when that includes my supervising chef.  I don't like being an outsider with no one to talk to and I don't like being pushed aside and forced to watch someone less talented get opportunities I am not allowed.

 

Last night I was very sad.  While I stood in my suite and carved tenderloin for my owners and watched the game from the windows in front of me, my heart was heavy as I thought about how the day went.  I was sad to learn that the people I work with don't really care and that they aren't really interested in letting new people in-especially a girl who isn't a supermodel and who isn't 23.  And I was sad that the person I confided in wasn't as trustworthy as I thought he was and that he told my supervising chef what I had said.

 

And I was sad because of the way that chef chose to handle it.

 

I know things aren't going to be perfect, and I know that I have to give it some more time-but it's a lot of hard work and a lot of time being taken out of my life to end up with no true experience under my belt.  Sure, it will look good on my resume.  But to be honest-I don't care about that.  I think that my personality is what gets me the job 99% of the time, not the words on a piece of paper.  If I can't get the opportunity to hone my skills and to learn more, I won't be able to cut it and I'll lose every job I get.

 

It just sucks, ya know?  Being let down by something you thought was going to be awesome, and also, being let down by the people who brought you there in the first place...