Exciting News...

coming soon to a blog near you!
I'm actually too tired to write about it tonight. Isn't that sad?
Plus tomorrow is going to be a bit hectic, so I need to prepare for that.
But I will try to give you the low down tomorrow.
Just wanted to let you know that I actually have news :D

Growing Up

Last night I got the chance to visit Ange, one of my good out-of-towner friends. As an added bonus I got to spend some time with her 7-month-old daughter, Brooklyn, who is now crawling, and making lots of noise which I'm sure will soon become discernible baby talk!
Since this is only the third time I've seen and held baby B, I really notice how fast she is growing up! And its hard to believe that my friend, only a little older than I, gave birth to this beautiful little girl that is going to be one year old in July! It blows my mind a little!
But it seems like its that stage in life now. Everyone is growing up...
Four of my friends have gotten engaged in as many months. I'm sure there will be more diamond rings making appearances later in the year as well!
Obviously I'm really happy for each and every couple. But inevitably there is a little sadness as well. A sense of change and loss, and maybe a teensy tiny bit of envy :)

Cook Psychology 101

Here is something I have learned.
If you have some extra time on your hands, and notice someone else who could use a hand, you have to approach them a certain way.

If you say:

"Do you need some help?"

They will say:

"No"

You have implied that they are incapable of handling their own duties, and hurt their pride.
Also, you have implied that you are better than them, because you've finished your job before they have, and you think they are too slow, which shows far too much pride in yourself.

So you try again.

You say:

"Do you want some help?"

Again, they will reply,

"No."

This is because if they surrender under this particular wording, it implies that not only do they need help, but they are weak enough to want it.

There are few options left to the wandering helper now.

It is my personal experience that the only way to win your way into a job of the assisting nature, is to offer your services with this simple question...

You say:

"Can I help?"

In this way, you present yourself as the humble servant, who doesn't presume to be necessary, but might possibly prove useful.

So they say,

"No!"


Some cooks are so darn proud they won't accept any help from anyone!

Interview

So I did my phone interview...
one of the first things she said was, "I have about a 1/2 Hour's worth of questions here..." and inside, I freaked.
I don't think I've ever talked so much, or so fast. I just rattled on and on...which is quite something, for someone who is labeled "quiet and shy" at school. My brain went into overdrive, thinking of ways to suck up (big time), grasping at positive-sounding words, and spewing information that would show that I know something about...something!
My gut feeling was that it went well, despite my hysteria. But time will tell.
If I don't hear from the lodge this weekend, then my gut has lied to me.

Summer Plans

Its that time of year...
Time to get a practicum lined up.
When it was first announced that we needed to find a place to apprentice for 3 weeks, my first thoughts were local places...somewhere like Milestones or Earls.
Then I realized I could "expand my horizons" and "spread my wings"....and leave Kamloops.
Not that Kamloops is bad...its just...Kamloops.
So I thought, why not apply to April Point, the resort on Quadra Island, 10 minutes from Homewood? I even made arrangements to stay with the camp director's family.
Then, the more I researched it the less I wanted to go to April Point. It put a big emphasis on seafood, and line cooking, and since I'm not a big fan of either, it didn't seem like a good fit.
So...the hunt was on. I googled "BC Wilderness Lodge Culinary Practicum" blah blah blah....hoping something would come up that jumped out at me. But nothing did.
Finally I just slumped against the computer desk, and asked the expert on camping.
"Mike, do you know of a nice lodge on the island that I could do my practicum with?"
"What about Strathcona Park Lodge?" He said.
So I googled it.
And it jumped out at me.
Its a remote wilderness lodge, in a beautiful setting 45 minutes out of Campbell River. The kitchen looks great, and it focuses a lot on healthy eating, different diets (vegetarian, vegan, celiac, etc), and buying local produce. Which I find interesting, and appealing.
Not to mention the whole place does its best to be ecologically friendly, by producing its own power, composting, and a whole lot of other things. Very cool.
Anyway, I got really excited, and sent off a resume hoping desperately to get a quick reply in the affirmative.
But nothing came...
So last Saturday I called to pester them.
And successfully scored a phone interview, which is scheduled for TOMORROW!!
I am soo excited and nervous! I want this so bad, but I'm scared that I won't measure up to their standards, which seem pretty high.
I'm trying to think positively, and I keep catching myself already making plans about "when" I go down to the island!
I will update you all tomorrow on how it went!!!
ps. check out the site, its beautiful

Wait a second...

I had the weirdest brain fart today. Someone asked me how old I was and I was like,
"20." NO doubt in my mind that I was 20.
My friend Lin was like,
"Um, no you're not. You're 21."
In my head I was thinking, there is NO WAY I am 21. That is too old. I'm definitely 20, I'm sure I just turned 20 in January. Then I started to think very hard, and eventually remembered that I am indeed 21, because I celebrated my 20th in Ireland. It was really strange. I mean, who the heck doesn't even know how old they are???
I was so sure that I wasn't 21. My memory is already failing me....I am soooo old. Ahhh!

When Common Sense Isn't

It took me a sec to get it, but this really cracked me up!

Close Cut

I'm so used to burns now, it never even crossed my mind someday I might do myself more serious damage. While julienning red peppers today I totally sliced part of my left thumbnail off! It was SO close to my thumb.
My first thought was, WOW look at that! I have to take a picture for my blog!
So I resisted the terrible urge to tear the rest of the nail off, so that when I got home I could let you all know about my near death experience. What a good blogger am I.

Late Bloomer

My Christmas cactus has decided to flower!

This is an especially momentous occasion, because for nine months last year my beloved houseplants did not have me around to care for them. Not pointing any fingers of course, but without watering TLC , they suffered. And in fact, my beautiful, bushy, English Ivy...died. Crispy as a potato chip.
The others were on the brink of destruction, but I set to work, and now, months later, they are on the road to recovery. And I have this lovely flower as proof.
Its good to be needed.

Chilling in the Boonies

I've just got back from a few relaxing days spent at a tiny little cabin in the middle of nowhere with some great camp friends.
The much-anticipated convoy of 5 Victorians arrived around 2AM Thursday morning. I was getting some beauty sleep at the time, so I didn't see them until a more reasonable hour, but it was quite exciting to see Barb, Victoria, and the guys again! Katie also joined us before we headed out.
Ted's dad has a place somewhere up near 100 Mile, very close to the tiny little village of Lake Bridge. He is a great man, and allowed a total of 8 Homewood crazies to borrow his place for a couple days.

Its a pretty awesome spot, with a great view, wild animals (we saw 2 moose --mama & baby-- on the drive up!!) and total quiet. Not to mention a solar panel, propane stove, wood heat, and no running water! I love it. The seat in the outhouse does tend to be a little chilly at -15 though...
We had to pack our stuff about 10 minutes up a hill to even get there. Unfortunately, I was under the impression that this place was accessible by car...not to mention I don't even own a decent backpack...so I packed all my stuff in a huge suitcase. It made sense at the time...I fit my pillow, sleepingbag, snowpants, extra blanket, and change of clothes in there, so actually it wasn't so much bad packing as it was a bad choice of luggage. (of course the guys wouldn't understand that.) Luckily, among our number was the truest gentleman I know, David Nadeau, and he hauled the beast up after I was about halfway. Thanks Dave!
Friday morning we tempted Whiskeyjacks with crackers. Dave was at one with nature...
Mark didn't have so much luck.
It was a pretty chill couple of days. we spent our time hanging out on the deck, playing board/card games, snowshoeing, chatting, and having lots, and lots, of fun!

The Finer Points of Fitness

I've always been interested in Pilates.
As far as I could tell, it was a lot of stretching, and wouldn't require much standing.
After a long day in the kitchen, always on my feet, a form of exercise that doesn't require any standing really appeals. Or at least appeals more than, say, running.

Anyway, after thinking about it forever, I finally got out to London Drugs one day and bought a Pilates For Beginners DVD. It was even on sale. Must be destiny!
That first session hurt a LOT. I was huffing and puffing and aching...but it was a good hurt. And my feet weren't aching. That's always a plus.

For my birthday, I got a pilates mat and exercise ball. Now I felt even more pro.
I was doing a good 45 minutes a day for a week or two.
Feeling good, energy levels high, losing a few pounds...

I've learned that the important thing about exercise is being consistent.

So...what happened after that week or two?

I'm not sure. But I haven't watched that DVD in...a week or two...

And I've been enjoying lots of tasty morsels during my Desserts block at school. Not to mention "homework"...

So the other day I decided to go for a walk around the neighbourhood, and ended up slipping on the icy roads. Somehow managed to pull muscles in my left shoulder and right ankle. Dumb? yes.

Oh, and I've also been playing badminton at the free walk-in session at TRU with a friend from school. That's been good exercise AND a lot of fun!

Goodness, this post is all over the place. I am tired, guys. I'm not going to lie to you, I usually go to bed really early because of school, and 11PM is like...WOW, can't believe I'm still awake.

I'm not even really sure what I've just written about.
I promise my next blog will be better.

Reading Break

I knew if I didn't make a plan, my reading break was gonna slip away from me.
But...I never made a plan.
Its been nice to sleep in though. And I've been scrapbooking. Finally got my Yorke Island pics done, even though it was a bittersweet experience (see previous post). I also have been getting into card making, which is slightly easier than scrapbooking because its smaller. Who knew.

I do have some big plans for the break though! Some camp friends are coming up tomorrow, and Mike and I will be join them for a few days at a cabin in 100 mile...hanging out, hiking in the snow, and having good times. I'm pretty stoked about it, especially about seeing my good buddy Barb again! We worked in the Homewood kitchen together for a couple months, and such situations create tight bonds :)
Plus both Barb, and friend Ted, have been through culinary school, so I have much to learn from them in the meals we will share!

I have a TSA meeting Sunday night, so I have to be back for that, and Monday is gonna be ROUGH I just know it. Oh well. It will be a theory day, so I will get home early to SLEEEEEP.

Ugh, I totally should have done some pilates today. I feel so sluggish.

WAIT a minute, you guys don't know about TSA or my new pilates workout, do you?
You probably dont' even know where I'm (not really) working!
I have really been neglecting this blog lately, its kind of sad.
When I look back at all the funny/interesting things I used to write, it makes me want to weep.
I just can't dig stuff out of my brain anymore.

I will try to do better. Upcoming posts:

*TSA- The Stupid Assignment
* Jobs are a Joke
* Fitness with Jill: what not to do

sounds promising, doesn't it?

Lost Forever

I've had some prints from my trip to Yorke Island sitting around for probably like nearly 2 years. Since that day had a militant/paintball theme I told myself I was going to find some camo style paper to scrapbook them with. That's why they've been sitting there for so long! I couldn't find the paper anywhere...until today.
I was so excited when I spotted it at Michaels this morning, and so pumped to get some serious scrapbooking done.
When I got home, and had all my stuff set out, I realized I was missing 2 pictures....so I was like, "Oh well, I'll just find the CD with the pics on it, and print them next time I'm in town".
So I went to find the CD.
But it wasn't with my other picture CDs. So I looked on my laptop. Not there.
Wasn't on mom's computer either.
In fact I couldn't find any of my Homewood pictures.
I began to wonder if I had ever burned that CD. If it even existed.
Panicking, I searched the whole house-- everywhere I could think of that those pics might be.
Nope.
No Homewood '07 files anywhere. Except the ones I loaded onto Facebook. Which are no good for printing.
Somehow they must have been deleted without being backed up.
Six very special months of my life ERASED!
I am sooo upset. Its SO FRUSTRATING!
ARGH!

My Lizzie is All Grown Up and...

Getting Married!

Congratulations to my friend Liz & lucky Mr. Tim Taylor, on their engagement!
I'm so excited for you both :)
Your names make me laugh, and knowing how perfect you guys are for each other makes me smile.

Culinary Quips

I didn't make these stories up. They either happened to me, or I overheard them.

~*~

Student: Where can I get an elastic band?

Teacher: Follow me, I'll show you.

Teacher leads student to the very back freezer.

Teacher: How much?

Student: How much what?

Teacher: Glace de Viande!

They claim after working in industrial kitchens for so many years, their hearing is effected.

~*~

Male Student overheard during class:

"Girls in the culinary course look totally different than other girls. Say, like, if a girl is doing like...sciences...or something...she will have her make-up perfect, be like...totally skinny...whereas in our course, the girls look like they really enjoy food, and like to eat, ya know?"

Flattered, I'm sure!

~*~

Student to teacher:

"Should I cut the cheese to order?"

~*~

Teacher 1 to Female Student: And when you line the lamb bones in the pan like this...there, you have a nice little rack.

Teacher 2: (chuckling) well that's a nice little compliment for you.

Female Student: OH MY.

Welcome to the world of culinary humor!

Chillaxin' vs. Challengin'

Today I kind of realized that I don't like to be challenged.
It makes me nervous.
(Both the fact that I don't like it, and the being challenged part)
I was moaning to a friend of mine at school about how boring the Meat-Cutting section is, and one of my instructors, Sully, overheard me. Sully is a very wise man, and he asked me why I thought it was boring. I told him we are doing the exact same stuff as we did last semester, and even the written study-guide material is almost identical. I did all the self-tests without studying, and got most of them right because they are the same questions as last semester.
"Have you told Toby that its not challenging enough for you?" He asked.
Umm...no.
As I mumbled excuses, he said he smelled bullshit, grinned, and left.
Now my feelings are hurt. Mostly because I know its true that it is my own fault that I'm not being challenged in this section. I'm content to sit around, fold my arms and lean back, and let the day pass as it will. I'm comfortable at the level I know I can achieve, and I don't go beyond.
But when I think about it, I'm really the only one I'm letting down. Its my time, my money, and my effort that I'm wasting. If I'm not pushing myself to learn more, I'm holding myself back.
I'm also a huge wuss. I'm scared that if I DID ask to have a little more challenge thrown my way, I wouldn't be able to cope. I'd flub it and fail, and then people would laugh at me because I had been cocky. Sometimes I think that would be worse.
So did I triumph over my wimpy ways, and talk to Toby about it?
Umm...no.
Maybe tomorrow.
Did I mention that I'm also a huge procrastinator?
I'll save that for another post.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Yesterday afternoon 6 good friends of mine and I went up to Robbins Range hills and spent a couple hours "tobogganing" in the snow! Thing is...we had two GTs between us.
It didn't take long for us to ditch the GTs, and step into the new latest thing: Garbage bags!
We poked holes in the bottom for legs and wore them like diapers! It was seriously the best! However we were slightly ashamed of our garb, especially in front of the large groups of snowboarders/snowmobilers gathered around fires at the bottom, so we found a great spot up behind the first hill, where we were mostly hidden from view. It was great. The most fun was when we would all join up in a train...the speed we picked up was amazing!
Whenever the odd snowmobile or snowboarder would come by, we would all flop to the ground and laugh SO hard, hoping they wouldn't notice our, erm, unorthodox sleds.
Later on we became more creative with our bags. Soon it turned into a full-out fashion show! We had tube-top, halter, and off-the-shoulder styles that were so hot the snow was melting...
After much fun and laughter, it started to get dark and we decided to head on back home. We decided on a grand finale: we would make a train slide down the big main hill in front of everyone.
We would prove to the world that we were not ashamed of our garbage bags; they are obviously a superior method of sledding. Ok, maybe SOME of us were ashamed, but we were peer pressured into it.
It would seem that our embarrassment was meant to be. Our train would NOT slide. We inched down the hill, laughing SO hard. When we finally reached the bottom and were packing stuff into the car, Rebekah couldn't get her backpack off-- her clip had frozen shut! Then, as we were about to drive away, a girl knocked on the car window and offered us a glove that had been dropped. And THEN we almost got stuck in the snowbank trying to get onto the road again!!!

Nevertheless is was a lot of fun, and a great memory!
Moral of the story: Garbage bag sleds are awesome. You should try it sometime!

Entry Level One

Today the NEW Level Ones entered the kitchen for the first time.
I am no longer among their number, for I have entered that prestigious elevation of LEVEL TWO!
In case you didn't know.
As a Level Two my role has changed in the kitchen. I must take more responsibility and initiative, and get more things done, and ask far fewer "Level One" questions.
My dishes have to be on time, I must know my cooking methods, and I must use my recipes less.
This has all been strictly implemented and enforced these past 2 weeks. "No more excuses" has become the instructors' (and bossy/arrogant students') mantra.

As the newbies trundled into the kitchen this morning, wandering around looking for aprons, setting out their cutting boards and pans in the way you are taught but nobody actually uses, and staring at recipes with glazed-over expressions, I fondly remembered my own first days.
Or not so fondly.
The confusion, the chaos, and general mayhem were definitely memorable though.
My first week in Veg Station was a nightmare.
I was terrified of my instructor, Sully, I didn't understand the service system, and since the Level One class outnumbered the Level Two class by nearly 3/1, it seemed like NO ONE knew what they were doing. We were yelled at, we burnt things, and we were never on time.
(By the second week, many of the wrinkles had been ironed out, and Sully quickly became my very favoritist instructor ever)

Watching the new recruits today was interesting because they asked many of the same questions I did, and made the same mistakes, and now I can see how my work habits have changed, and my knowledge has increased in the past semester. Its encouraging. It makes me believe that MAYBE...just MAYBE I might be capable of Level Three when the time comes.

Burns & Blisters

I resurrect this poor neglected blog to inform you of a most tragic event.
Yesterday, whilst pan-frying a salmon fillet, my left hand was spattered with boiling hot butter. IT HURT. A LOT.
But...the show must go on. I finished the dish, and then rinsed my hand under cold water for a few seconds before completing the rest of the fillets. It stung, but it was bearable.
At the end of the day, as I was putting away my uniform and knives in my locker, I noticed a large, bulbous growth on my hand.
A blister!!
Ouch.
(Please note also the other red grease-burns nearby. They want your pity too)
I was nervous about this blister popping because it hurt a lot to touch. So I treated it gingerly, applying it with vitamin E when I got home (but I took the picture for you first), and being careful not to brush it against anything.
Then...of course...in a moment of forgetfulness, I put my hair up in a ponytail, and the elastic that had been on my wrist snapped across the finger and squeezed the blister ' til it popped!!

At least I didn't have to worry about popping it anymore! It got a little grimy from lint before I covered it with a band-aid, and it still looks pretty sick.
But it gets better: today I had to sear off my chicken ballantyne in hot oil. And guess what...that's right...I burnt myself AGAIN! On my RIGHT hand.
It didn't take long for a blister to rise to the surface. Not as big as the original, but puss-y looking nonetheless. I couldn't wait to get home and take a picture of it for you.
Unfortunately, as I was sweeping the floors during clean up, too much pressure was put on it, and it burst.
So now my hands look like I have a severe case of leprosy or something. Yay!
Just what I always wanted.

Hiatus

I'm not calling it quits with my blog, (It would certainly be a desperate time in order for that to happen!) I'm just taking....another....break.
Reasons?
1. No time. After today all my free time (aka not at school and not working) will be consumed with copious amounts of homework. I have 3 tests to write next Thursday, plus assignments due at the end of this week, and studying for said tests. The study guides are HUGE. ARGH!
2. No inspiration. None.

So unless I find myself driven to a desperate method of procrastination, you will probably not find this blog updated for at LEAST a couple weeks.
BUT...
luckily for you, there are many blogs out there who have taken up the NABLOPOMO challenge, and will have daily updates for you blog cravings.

See ya later :)