It's not hip-hop...it's Electro... [entries|friends|calendar] Cockacidal Maniac [ website | MY GRAPHICS JOURNAL ] [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

First day as an honest-to-god chef. [01 Jul 2008|06:33pm] [ mood | absolutely shattered ] Had my first full shift at Rosemary's today! In an unlikely turn of events, every cook in there on day shift is a woman! It's rare enough having a woman in a professional kitchen (don't even get me started on THAT), but to have a whole brigade female-staffed? Wow. Our head chef is a guy, but every other person in that kitchen had a vag, lol. Also funny, I'm the only white girl, lol. I think I'm going to drop my pastry class next quarter and take Spanish instead. Not only will it be more beneficial to me, but it also means I won't have to spend 15 hours on my feet cooking...my feet fucking KILL today and that was just an 8 hour shift. I didn't do a whole lot of cooking today; I mostly prepped in the morning (we do an insane amount of prep, which is what kills my feet from standing in the same place for 4 hours), then hung back during service, taking notes on what sauce/garnish goes with what and helping to plate. My station is responsible for 5 full dishes (2 apps and 3 main courses), including a special that changes daily. I only have 3 more days of hands-on training before I have to run the station by myself on Monday. Hot damn, I'm going to be running my ass off, and I just know I'm going to fuck shit up...But I guess that's how you learn, and at least my head chef is supercool. The chick that I'm training under has been running that station for 4 years, so I guess if I'm gonna learn it from anyone, she's my best bet. I guess that's about it for now. All I really want to do is chop my feet off and pass out until I have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I should eat something, as food has not passed my lips since about 9AM...Mmm...lentils and bacon... The last thing I want to do right now is cook anything though. Helloooooo delivery.... You've got red on you

Busy busy busy! [26 Jun 2008|05:45pm] [ mood | busy ] Well, today I bailed out on my stage at Sensi. I just have too much to do for my parents anniversary party this weekend. I know I'm kind of putting all my eggs in my Rosemary's basket, but I talked to the chef yesterday, and I'm almost certain I have the job. The position will be sweet too, because it's on saute during the lunch shift. That means I get to skip over garde manger (yay!), and actually cook during the day! Lunch will be good for me too, because it's not as hectic and there won't be nearly as many covers as dinner. I'm catering my parent's 45th anniversary party this weekend...and as is usual for me, I'm going all out and planning a lot more than I can probably do by myself, lol. Here's the menu: Hors d'oevres: -Baked Camembert in phyllo parcels with red onion confiture (to DIE for!) -Caprese salad skewers -Crostini and dip Four course meal: -Chilled cucumber and avocado soup with creme fraiche -Bistro salad of frisee and rocket with quail egg, bacon lardons and dijon vinaigrette -Filet mignon with whiskey-peppercorn sauce, procuitto-wrapped asparagus and lemon-herb fingerlings -Carrot cake with cinnamon ice cream; assorted truffles I'm probably in over my head having to do all this by myself, but hey, that's kind of my M.O., lol. Actually, if I get a bunch of it done ahead of time and schedule my day productively, I should be okay. I've been tinkering with the idea of doing a vegetable carving centerpiece, but we'll see how that goes. I don't think I'm actually going to be able to sit down and enjoy the meal myself, but such is the life of a chef, lol. I guess that's about it. I've got a headache and I think it's from not eating. Mmm...foooood. You've got red on you

[22 Jun 2008|02:44pm] I'm leaving for my interview at Sensi in a few minutes. Not sure how this will all play out. If I say no to any position they may offer me and Rosemary's falls though, that would really suck. But I guess I can't worry about what-ifs right now. Whatever happens happens. You've got red on you

[21 Jun 2008|07:39pm] [ mood | Today was a good day... ] Today was a pretty fucking good day! I headed out this morning for some coffee and reading time at Starbucks. I just finished Chuck Palahniuk's book Snuff yesterday, which was pretty entertaining. A quick but good read, though definitely not his best work. This morning I started reading My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith and so far it's pretty damn good. Dude watches a lot of Simpsons/Law and Order and plays a lot of online poker, lol. After that, I went had had my Mary Kay facial. It was fun, but I was by far the youngest person there, lol. I just wanted to pick up the free schwag I won from the drawing at Torrid. Wound up buying some eyeshadow and makeup remover, but that was about it. I had much more important places to be.... THEY JUST OPENED A LUSH HERE IN VEGAS!!!!!!!! OMGSQUEE! For those who don't know, I am a 110% dyed-in-the-wool Lush WHORE. It was their grand opening today and you had to reserve a spot to even get in the door. On my way in I got a free bubble bar slice , which I'll be giving to Melissa because I don't take baths in our piddly little tub and she's got a big fat Roman one...She's getting most of the bath bombs too, lol. I totally blew $140 in there (easy enough to do, and soooooo worth every fucking penny!). I paid for my stuff and got a free grab bag and a couple free samples (bath bombs and lotion!), took my receipt and stood in line for the prize booth. They had one of those booths where it blows tickets all over the place and you have to grab them out of the air. I had my fingers crossed for one of the boxed sets, but wound up with a couple solid shampoos. SO yeah, I totally have home with sos much free shwag tonight. It was awesome. So now, after having spent roughly $170 on cosmetics and bath stuff today, I'm considering heading out to Best Buy to indulge my other guilty pleasure...Ghost Hunters. Shit, I've bought so many GH DVDs over the last couple weeks. It's hard not to do when you get a 3-4 disc boxed set for $20! Luckily though, I have a BB credit card, so it's an ease off the bank account for now, lol. *sigh* I should be saving more.... :} As soon as I got home tonight, I got a call from one of the chefs at Sensi who wants me to come in for an informal interview tomorrow. Rosemary's is still kind of up in the air until next week sometime, so I have no idea what to do. I've never been this "in demand" (lol). The only problem with Sensi is that it's at the Bellagio, which requires a hair drug test. I've smoked weed like once in the last few months, but they can test 3 months back, which worries me. :^/ Who knows, maybe the levels won't be too high. I hear they only actually test 50% of the hair samples anyway because it's so expensive. I guess that's it for now. I have to drop some cash in the bank, get kitty litter and pick up the Ghost Hunters DVDs :) You've got red on you

In need of a 12-step plan for life... [18 Jun 2008|02:36pm] [ mood | peaceful ] Last night I had a 2+ hour long conversation with Mindy (a recovering alcoholic) about all the stress and shit going on in my life. She really has a way of making me think about my life and putting my life into perspective in a way no other person has ever been able to do. She always says "you don't have to be an alcoholic or an addict to work a 12-step program", and I'm starting to think that she's right. 99% of the advice she gives me comes right out of the AA handbook, and I'll be damned if it isn't good advice. It's the simple things like "One day at a time." I realized lately that when I start to get really depressed and overwhelmed it's generally because of one of two reasons: 1.I'm thinking too far ahead and worrying about what could or might happen, often hand in hand with things I've already done or said. ("You've got one foot in yesterday, one foot in tomorrow and you're pissing all over today!") 2. Things don't go according to the plan of the way things "should" be in my head. ("You're shoulding all over yourself!" "That's why alcoholics don't make plans. We set goals") Once I start talking to her and realize that "everything happens for a reason" (AKA "God has a plan for you"), I really do feel better, so today I tried to get myself into that frame of mind. To wit: Right now I need to get a job so I can save money and move back to Oregon this fall. (I really freak out when it comes to job hunting, more so than the average person.) There is one restaurant in town that I really want to work at...actually the only one I really want to work at called Rosemary's Restaurant. A little over a month ago, I had an interview with them, staged (a kind of culinary audition) a night on the pastry station and they absolutely loved me, but then told me they didn't have any openings. The hiring chef told me to keep calling back until something opened up because they wanted to hire me. Fast forward to yesterday. My career advisor tipped me off that they were hiring again (apparently they have really high turnover)and that I should call them. Enter the return of performance/job-search anxiety. I keep worrying that I'm not good enough to work there or that I'll crack under the high-pressure, fast pace of the kitchen (which is always busy). My mind starts racing with everything that could happen if I did/didn't get the job, all of which is negative. Once again, I'm looking too far into the future and not focusing on what is happening here and now. So I take Mindy's advice and start to look at things through her lens as it were. The result: 1. I set myself a goal for TODAY. My goal today was to call Rosemary's and inquire about the position. I called, but the hiring chef was on his way out. He wants me to call back tomorrow. :) I reached my goal for today and now I don't have to worry about it until tomorrow. 2. I tell myself that whether or not I get the job, it happened for a reason. Just like when I staged. Just because I didn't get the job when I staged didn't mean that it wasn't meant to be. More likely, it was a way of getting my feet wet in the professional kitchen and showing me that I really do have it in me without shoving me in the deep end right out of the gate (to mix my metaphors, lol). That one night stage showed me that I can hold my own in that kitchen, and maybe that's what I needed to be more comfortable this time around. 3. Whether or not I get this job, it was meant to be. Even if I later decide that the stress is too much and I need to quit, it will have given me valuable experience and insight. If I don't get the job, it means I was meant to do something else, and I'll keep trying until I figure out that that something is. I guess that's all for now. My goal for tomorrow is to call Rosemary's again...but that is tomorrow and I don't have to think about it until then. :) You've got red on you

[17 Jun 2008|02:46pm] [ mood | indescribable ] I finally came out to my parents last night. It's been really hard waiting for them to get back from their trip and once they were back I found it even harder to spit the words out. I finally got a jump-in point when we started to talk about moving back up to Oregon. They asked about our plans and how Craig was going to make a living bartending like he does here (where the pay is PHENOMENAL compared to other cities). I said "Well... Craig might stay here..." at which point my mom set her dishtowel down, looked at me and said "Alright, then; let's hear it...what's going on?" I told her that Craig and I love each other very much and we're still best friends, but we're not together anymore because I'm gay. Her eyes started to well up and she came around to my side of the counter and hugged me, and my dad got up and hugged me from behind, making what we used to call a "Connors sandwich", lol. Long story short, they told me the loved me no matter what and they just want me to be happy. My mom actually though maybe it was Craig that was gay because the last time she was over, I had accidentally left a book sitting out called "When Your Spouse is Gay". I actually kind of laughed a little bit, thinking of Craig being gay, lol. You would have thought I would have been the logical conclusion from that, considering my "gay" history, She said she feels bad for us and all the crap we have to go through, but she's glad that we still love each other. Her best friend was married with kids before he came out as gay and things didn't end well at all. They'll still consider Craig as part of the family though. I feel like I've disappointed them in a way, even though I know that's not really the truth. I know how many of their dreams for me died last night when I came out. I know I am not responsible for other people's emotions, but it hurts to know that, while they are supportive and loving, they are hurting and I am the cause of that pain. I don't know what will happen next. I don't know what will happen when I move back to Oregon. I don't know what will happen with our emotions at separation. I don't know what will happen to all the material things we've acquired together over the years. I don't know what will happen with our 2 cats that are our "children". I don't know if Craig will stay in this condo and get a roommate or move out elsewhere. I don't know how I'm going to deal with finances. I may have to declare bankruptcy. I know it won't clear my EXTENSIVE student loans, but a least it could get rid of the $20,000+ debt in medical and credit card bills. If I declare bankruptcy, I don't know how I'll ever find a place to live. I just don't know. Things are kind of up in the air right now, and I am terrified. 2 Prrricks|You've got red on you

WARNING: WHINY EMO POST [14 Jun 2008|07:49pm] [ mood | sad ] The only difference between tonight and every other night I sit at home and watch Ghost Hunters on DVD by myself, is that today just happens to be my birthday. Craig took me out to lunch at Red Rock Casino on his gambling points, so we ate for free. Last night he gave me a giant BBQ recipe book (we only have a George Foreman grill...), a "zen garden" and a few DVDs. I'm pretty sure he picked them all up within 20 feet of the entrance of the Smiths grocery store. Today I bought a couple things for myself at Torrid for my bday then headed home and watched Dr. Who. Even if anyone wanted to go out tonight, I'm on antibiotics and can't drink anyways. I miss my friends and I'm really lonely. :( 1 Prrrick|You've got red on you

Chocolates display pieces [13 Jun 2008|11:47am] Just finished up my chocolates, confections and display pieces class... thought I'd share my little slideshow of pictures of my final display pieces and truffles. Nothing came out quite as good as I wanted it to, but hey, nothing ever does, right? http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v506/KatatoniaGraphics/Culinary/?action=view¤t=87d7fc8b.pbr 3 Prrricks|You've got red on you

It's okay to be jealous...I would be too... ;) [10 Jun 2008|11:56pm] Last weekend my friend hosted a tattoo party at her house. The artist is freaking awesome, his rates are incredible and after hours of waiting, I finally got my missile-boob Tank Girl. I just have the outline so far, but as soon as it's fully healed (some time this week probably), I'm getting the color put in. ( Pa-pa-pa-POW! ) 1 Prrrick|You've got red on you

I need one of those guys you squeeze and his eyes pop out... [21 May 2008|09:27am] [ mood | stressed ] Things have been kind of stressful lately. It's getting down to the end of the quarter and I am totally burnt out. I'm only taking one class (chocolates,confections and display pieces), which is really fun, but we have to start working on our final display piece soon. I'm not too worried, but finals are finals. I'm just completely sick of my school (Art Institute of Las Vegas) and everyone there; staff, admin, students, everyone... I'm ready to just move on, get the hell out and start cooking already. Unfortunately, according to my academic director (who looks like Flanders with buck teeth)I can't do portfolio show next quarter to graduate unless I take another class next quarter...which is interesting for 2 reasons: A) I've taken every class I need to graduate AND THEN SOME and B) there's another student this quarter who is doing portfolio show without taking any classes. This fucking school wants to squeeze every last goddamn dime from you. On top of all of this, there's been talk (instigated by the girl herself) that our team coach has offered my team captain position out from under me to the captain before me... which is a total joke, because if it's true and he makes her captain, I walk, and the ENTIRE TEAM walks with me. And without trying to come off as conceited, we really are the cream of the crop and the only dedicated students at that school. He makes her captain and he can kiss his gold metal goodbye. That being said, I have to try to figure out a way to stay on the team without actually having to keep going to school until spring, lol. Either I'm going to go for my baking and pastry associates degree as well, or I'll just take time off school until competition, then re-enroll to compete. :) No matter what, I'm done working in the stock room next quarter....not like my job is a lot of responsibility, or even taxing (I pretty much work from home and collect my paycheck), it's just a pain in the ass. Craig and I have been in separate bedrooms now for about a month, and things seem to be going pretty well. He's made no real effort to make his room more personal like I have. I chalk that up more to his personality and laziness than unacceptance of the situation (there's still a big black trash bag of junk sitting in the middle of the floor from the day he moved in. *facepalm*) Apart from that, things area actually pretty much as they were before. We still go out together, spend money from the same bank account, call each other "Love" and kiss each other goodbye... I think I'm really starting to feel the pull away more than he is... in the sense that I kind of want to move on with my life. When I say "move on", I don't mean leaving him behind. I could never deal with that. What I mean is that I'm not happy living in this marriage-like relationship. To be perfectly honest, I would rather live on my own, which I've never even done. (How much can you really know about yourself if you've never lived alone?) I know I'd be giving up a lot of comfort and stability...but to be honest, I just want to rent a little house in the woods outside of Eugene, Oregon where I can grown my own food, let the cats outside and get a dog. No cable, no distractions, no fucking dust and concrete, which is what Vegas is built with, dust and concrete. I'm sick of it here. I need Oregon, and I need her bad. I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen with Mindy and I when I eventually get back to Oregon. She recently relapsed again and drank for 3 days straight. At least it wasn't meth! I think she's going to have to prove to me that she can make it a year clean and sober before we start trying for a relationship. She was so close before Christmas... only days off of her one year mark before she relapsed. I know life for a recovering addict isn't easy, but I have enough complications in my life as it is... I can't deal with someone I constantly have to worry about relapsing too. I miss her though and I think about her every day. I just want to see her and hold her and kiss her. :( I guess that's enough of a rant for today. I have to get ready to head down to the pub for breakfast and  the UEFA FINAL!!! WOOOOO!!!! GO MANCHESTER UNITED!!! 2 Prrricks|You've got red on you

Pride parade picture post! [05 May 2008|12:05pm] [ mood | proud! ] So, this weekend was the gay pride parade and festival. We wound up not going to the fest on Saturday (too hung over, lol), but we went to the parade on Friday night! I got some great shots and thought I'd pass them along. Enjoy!( Peeeectures ) 1 Prrrick|You've got red on you

A fabulous list to be sure... [30 Apr 2008|05:33pm] Came across a bunch of quotes on homosexuality and thought I'd share... Don't know why, don't ask. Some are positive, some are enraging, some are ridiculous, but I love them all. Homosexuals represent a threat to the community in that when they commit suicide by jumping from buildings, they sometimes hit passers-by - The FBI Training Manual, 1968 LOLWTF?? That was a major concern? [Feminism] is a Socialist, antifamily political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians. - Pat Robertson ...For once in my life, I am speechless...Why isn't this guy shot yet? Homosexual affection can be as selfless as heterosexual affection, and therefore we cannot see that it is in some way morally wrong. An act which expresses true affection between two individuals and gives pleasure to them both does not seem to us to be sinful simply because it is homosexual. - Towards a Quaker View of Sex, 1964 I am honestly shocked...I mean, a good shocked, but WOW! If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work. "Hello, can't work today, still queer." - Robin Tyler The only unnatural sex act is that which you cannot perform. - Dr. Alfred Kinsey I love Dr. Kinsey The male party line concerning Lesbians is that women become Lesbians out of reaction to men. This is a pathetic illustration of the male ego's inflated proportions. I became a Lesbian because of women, because women are beautiful, strong and compassionate. - Rita Mae Brown Heterosexuality: an abnormal or perverted appetite towards the opposite sex - Dorland's Medical Dictionary, 1901 LMFAOOOO Heterosexuality is a serious health hazard for women at this time. - Lesbian Health Care, 1973 Nothing could be more ridiculous than to say, as some critics have, that I am anti-homosexual simply because I do not embrace every twitty gay fad that comes along. I think that a lifetime of listening to disco music is a high price to pay for one's sexual preference. - Quentin Crisp 3 Prrricks|You've got red on you

Taking the other step out of the closet [19 Apr 2008|10:01pm] [ mood | relieved ] So... the last month has been one of the hardest of my life. In a nutshell: I came out to my husband as a lesbian. I've been out as bisexual since I was 15, but I finally really allowed myself to be honest with myself and others. I still truly believe Craig is my soulmate and I have loved him from the moment I met him. That hasn't changed. When I was 18, I thought that maybe if I married a man I loved as much as Craig, my attraction to women would just go away...but it just didn't work like that. It kept building and building and eating away at me, contributing to some major depressive episodes in my life. Since I've come out, it's like this huge boulder has been lifted off my shoulders and changed everything in my life for the better. Even my home life is happier and more fulfilling. In Craig's own words he's "lost a lover, but gotten his best friend back." O He has been amazing and although this transition has been difficult on us both, he has been wonderfully supportive and understanding. He even said he'd be my wingman at the gay bar =^D Our love and friendship is stronger than ever, we just don't have sex anymore. We've still been sharing a bed, although we now sleep in PJs. This weekend he is moving into the guest bedroom, and although it is going to be very hard at first, we both think it is important to start establishing ourselves as individuals again. Neither one of us is ready to discuss divorce yet and we're both very content to remain married for the time being. It has its benefits in ways of finances, immigration, health insurance, etc. Neither one of us is ready to start dating quite yet either, but when the time is right, my next relationship will be with one of my very best friends, who has been out as a lesbian since high school. We've always had a romantic undercurrent to our relationship and we've always known we've loved eachother. At the moment, it's probably a good thing that we live in different states, as we both need time to get to know our new selves (she is a recovering alcoholic/addict). Craig knows about our feelings for eachother (and even the few past indiscretions we've had) and again, is totally supportive because he knows her and knows how special our relationship is. Like I said, he's amazing. I've come out to a few of my closest friends and have yet to tell my parents... which will be interesting. The last time this subject came up was 10 years ago. My girlfriend dropped me off one night and my mom was waiting up for me... the conversation went something like this: "So, is she like...your girlfriend?" "...Yeah...is that a problem for you?" "Well, I guess I'm not as liberal as I thought I was when it comes to my own daughter." "..." "I just think you're to young to be exploring the gay lifestyle" "Um...what?" The subject never came up after that and I think my mom thought it was just a phase... I've also decided to forgo the culinary management bachelor's degree program I switched to last quarter in school. I really need to gain some practical work experience before shelling out that kind of money for a degree that I'm not sure I really want. The management classes hold absolutely no interest for me, and I just can't deal with classes like accounting. Last quarter I got a C in Financial Management, which is BY FAR the lowest grade I've recieved in the last two years, and is responsible for the ONLY two Fs I have ever recieved on exams. (The highest grade anyone got on the midterm was a C+) This was due not only in part to my lack of enthusiasm and understanding of the subject, but also because our FUCKTARD Academic Director scheduling the course before accounting and without prerequisites. Anyways, next week I have to go in to the academic office and basically FORCE them to give me the Associates degree I earned before transferring in to the bachelor's program. We'll see how that goes... Anyways, I guess that's enough for now. I'm dealing with some pretty heavy shit, but honestly, I'm happier in my life right now than I have been in the last 8 years. I have experienced less anxiety, less depression and more love, acceptance and tranquility in myself as well. I'll try to be better about updating now that my life is a little jucier, lol... 3 Prrricks|You've got red on you

Long entry...it's been a whirlind week... [22 Feb 2008|09:37pm] OMFG, what a whirlwind week. Where shall I start? Competition? Yes, that will do. So, the ACF culinary competition...it was what it was, and I am damn proud of our team when we were dealt a shitty hand from the start. It started with one of my members spilling her coffee all over her brand new competition chef's jacket ON HER WAY to the competition. Then our coach totally fucked up his hand on the damn ski rack on top of his car. Fast forward to the meeting with the judges before the competition. They went over the rules...some of which we were completely unaware of until that very moment. Apparently an e-mail went out regarding certain rules that our coach never got. Pretty significant things. Like the fact that we had to MAKE the sausage for our entree ON SITE....We didn't have the ingredients, equipment or recipe to make sausage. But we fucking did it! During the knife skills portion of the competition (I'll get to THAT in a second...), our chef ran to the nearest grocery store and bought us some pork shoulder. We hand chopped that shit with herbs and bacon, rolled it in saran wrap and poached it in stock...and it was ORGASMICALLY good. The judges LOVED it and gave us major props for pulling it out of nowhere. The other setback we had was our chicken...oh my god, the chicken. Let me give some background on the dish just real quick. As part of the skills test, we have to butcher the chicken needed for the entree. For our dish, we left the drumstick and thigh attached, but deboned the thigh so we could stuff it with mushroom duxelles and foie gras. Back to judges meeting.... one of the judges starts explaining the chicken fabrication section and hold up a picture of what it should look like, describing the final result. We have never seen this before in our lives. It was madness. ( Full description behind this cut, if you care ) Needless to say, this was not compatible with the way we had developed our entree. SO, I basically had to learn to fabricate in a completely new way in 10 minutes from a piece of paper. I didn't do to badly at all, but it screwed our entree. Because of all this crap affecting the main course, it went out late and we lost points... Just enough points to cost us the bronze. In the end, we were only 2 points off of a bronze, and 5 off of a silver medal. Medals earned are based on points alone and are issued regardless of final standings. One judge scored us a lot more harshly than the rest (he did last year too...) and that really cost us. So yeah, apart from our competition, I also had another culinary competition this week. I'm a volunteer chef mentor for a team of high school students involved in the local ProStart program and they had their state competition today. I've been working with them since the start of the school year and I was damn proud of them today. They have come a LOOOOONG way and the judges gave them some great feedback today. There was only one real criticism from one of the judges, the rest were all pretty much just suggestions on how to tweak the dishes. 4 students had 1 hour to put out a 3 course meal cooked solely on 2 butane burners. Here's the menu (I'mma post pictures soon: Mixed greens salad in a cheese basket with seared sea scallops and citrus dressing Mustard-glazed filet mignon with rosemary-scented mashed potatoes and bacon-wrapped asparagus bundles Riesling-Poached pear filled with vanilla custard with berry and chocolate sauces Oh, and I failed my first midterm ever last week in Hospitality Financial Management (58%)... in fact, the whole class did so badly that we all have to retake it because nobody got above a C+. =/ And apparently there's something wrong with us, even though our class is filled with most of the top students in the school. Yeaaaaah... I guess that's about it, well, not really but this is long enough...If you made it to the end of this entry, congratulations... and thanks for reading because I needed to vent. You've got red on you

ACF Competition [11 Feb 2008|07:28pm] [ mood | shattered ] Well, my culinary team's ACF state competition is this weekend and we had our second-to-last practice today and I thought I'd share the results. I hope we're ready! ( Warning, explicit food porn behind this cut ) Send out good vibes for us on our Sunday competition!!!! 1 Prrrick|You've got red on you

[03 Feb 2008|07:20pm] [ mood | overwhelmed ] So, last time I updated I went in for my abdominal ultrasound. Since then, I have read nearly an entire book waiting in doctors offices. Seriously. I've had lots of fun tests run, one of which included being shot up with radioactive dye and lying motionless for 90 minutes. Although at one point, the monotony was broken when he injected me with the equivalent of a double bacon cheeseburger to induce a gallbladder attack, which was ohsofun. Long story short, my gallbladder (the thing that pumps bile [yum, I know] and helps to digest fats) is only working at 23%, so they're gonna yank it out. Good times. And great timing with midterms and competitions coming up and all -_-. Since I've changed my diet I haven't had an attack, so I'm hoping the surgeon will let me postpone the surgery until after competition. I've fought way too fucking hard to be where I am to not compete because of shitty timing. Anyways... There's probably shit I should be doing, although I can't think (or don't want to think) about what it is. Blech. 1 Prrrick|You've got red on you

[28 Jan 2008|07:15pm] [ mood | exhausted ] Today was a long day. We were reeeaaally slow in practice. We're miles away from being ready for competition in 3 weeks. *sigh* All I really want to do is eat some food, curl up and pass out, but I have so freaking much work to do for capstone. At least I didn't get volunteered to the top 6 brigade. I don't need that extra shit. Like I don't have enough on my plate? Yeesh I'm so very very tired... You've got red on you

End of week rant. [25 Jan 2008|05:51pm] [ mood | Mmm...tea ] Today was...weird and annoying... I had to drive all the way out to Henderson this morning for an 8AM abdominal ultrasound appointment to check for gallstones. The tech wasn't able to tell me anything, so I have to wait until my Wednesday doctor appointment to know anything. Ugh. I had hospitality financial management class today, which I fucking hate. I don't get any of it, and I don't care. I have no interest in it. The math makes me queasy and if I hear the word dividend one more time, I'm going to puke. I'm sick of the fucking trailer for "Meet the Spartans". It is so obnoxious I want to put my fist through the screen. Kinda like the entire length of "Epic Movie". This whole genre should have died with Scary Movie 2. Oh, and this happened today, creating insane, retarded traffic. This just added to my on-ramp construction traffic. I fucking hate driving in Vegas anyway. People are assholes. BUT: That 70's Musical is on, so all is well :) You've got red on you

[23 Jan 2008|06:31pm] [ mood | exhausted ] Well, kids...this is going to be a bumpy quarter. This capstone project is going to be a royal fucking pain in the ass. We're basically putting together a fully costed and functional menu. (You can look at my menu HERE. I've spent over a year developing it, so tell me what you think...especially if you're vegetarian.) By the end of the quarter, we will have a 200 page business plan, basically. It's a lot of fucking work. To add to this, I've apparently been experiencing gallbladder attacks lately. That is some serious muthafuckin' pain. Been to the doctor and urgent care several times over the last week and things keep pointing to gallstones. I have to go for an abdominal ultrasound on Friday. The silver lining is that I HAVE to eat healthy and very low fat to prevent the attacks, so I've lost about 10lbs! :D If they confirm I have gallstones, I'll probably have to have surgery, which is scary. It's laproscopic though, so there's minimal down time. *sigh* We also have ACF Student Team competition next month. We're totally not ready. The double practices that start soon should help...and if Chef would name the final five competitors, that would be awesome. The high school team that I mentor has their competition around the time as ours. Due to random circumstances and the holiday vacation, I haven't seen them since mid-December. I don't even know if they've run through their dishes yet... or if they even know what their dishes are...*facepalmX3* The dedication isn't exactly there, know what I mean? My financial management class is going to kick my ass. I hate it with a fiery burning passion that you cannot begin to comprehend. *shudder* Math and stocks and bonds and mergers nononononono! [/panic] I guess that's about it. We'll see how my appointment plays out on Friday... You've got red on you

[08 Dec 2007|06:31pm] [ mood | stressed ] Okay, so I’m done freaking out about team. We changed out menu for competition one last time and now it’s awesome. I’m stoked. We’re gonna kick major ass. For our dessert we now have a duo of a freeform tarte tatin with lavender-french vanilla icecream. We also tweaked the fish course and finalized the sides for Escoffier. Muuuuuuch better! We gav e Chef his xmas present too...A bottle of Opus One! LOL, I thought he was gonna cry… It was awesome, and totally worth it. Now I can start freaking about the last week of the quarter… I’m totally taking the easy route on my portfolio and just tweaking my journal and essay pages. It’s not going to match the rest of my portfolio, but...meh. Right now, I just don’t care, I just want to get it done so I can focus on algebra. I have to take 4 chapter tests in math on Monday and I don’t think I’ll do well on many, if any, of them. I reaaaaaaalllllyyy don’t want this piece of crap class to drag down my GPA. Anyways… You've got red on you

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