ZeeLaSkipper's photostream

ZeeLaSkipper's photostream on Flickr.

Just started a Flickr Portfolio for some of the things I have made. It's not all that impressive right now, but when I have some more time I'll be updating it with more files!

Shorty McShortpants

I don't have very many things to talk about today, but I wanted to post a small update just to let everyone know I'm alive!

Last week I passed my first big skills examination with an 87. I had hoped to get a slightly higher grade, but an 87 is better than some people did, so I'll live with it. I am also now ServSafe certified! For those of you who aren't sure what that means, it's an examination that people who work in restaurants take to prove that they know their stuff around the kitchen. I guess I know my way around, because I passed the exam and ended up with an A- in the class!

Anyway, I'm currently sitting in a coffee shop because there is no internet on campus. That's another reason this post will be so short. I hope everyone is doing well! I'll post again soon!

Movin' On Up!

AHHH!!!!

Now that I have collected myself, I want to tell all of you about some exciting news!! The CIA hosted a career fair yesterday, and I decided to attend, even though I was only interested in one employer: Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA. Craigie on Main is a super cool restaurant with a philosophy that's quite intriguing to me; they believe in wasting NOTHING, they use the entire animal, and they buy farm-fresh produce all of the time. I was interested in them because they said that they were accepting Baking and Pastry externs, but I was confused because I didn't see much of an emphasis on baked goods, desserts, or anything of the sort. When I got to their table though, I found out something really exciting: their pastry chef (Jessica Scott) was called the BEST PASTRY CHEF IN BOSTON by Food and Wine Magazine. That's not even the most exciting part! After talking to him for 20 minutes, I was offered an opportunity to stage (temporarily be employed to prove myself before being offered an externship position) over Labor Day weekend!! I'm SO excited!!!

So for the days/nights of September 1-2 I will be working at Craigie on Main in Cambridge, MA. I'm so excited and proud to have been offered this opportunity! My dad seems to think that they should be the ones that are proud to have ME work for THEM, but we'll just have to see how well I do.

Anyway! Best day ever!

Here's a picture!

To Cure What Ails Me

While I type this entry, I am watching the fifth Harry Potter movie and laying in bed with a large shot of Emergen-C by my side. I am afraid to admit that I've started to feel a bit flu-ish, and that I may soon fall prey to the evil grasp of the rhinovirus. I'm sincerely hoping that after this day of almost constant rest, that my immune system will have perked up and will help me fight off whatever plagues me, but I guess we'll see tomorrow.

This upcoming week is sure to be a busy one. I have my skills examination on Wednesday, during which I will be required to make pâte a choux, pastry cream, and a génoise cake. Fortunately I do not have to complete éclair, and I do not have to layer my génoise. I'm hoping that the examination will be relatively uneventful, and quite a smooth process. Again, we'll just have to see what happens when the time comes.

This week in bake shop was really fun! We got to layer our first cakes at CIA, we made palmiers, practiced pâte a choux, made pastry cream, made bread pudding (mine was flavored with bourbon and dark chocolate chips), and discussed strategies for the upcoming class. It was really exciting.

Anyway, I'm going to keep this entry very short so that I can get as much rest as I can. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow I'll be feeling a whole lot better! This school doesn't allow much time to be sick, and I'm not planning on missing any class if I can help it. I'll post after my exam to let everyone know how it went!

The First Week Back

So. I've been back at CIA's campus for a week now, and it's actually been pretty rough. I came back up here feeling more nervous than I was in May when I first started. As soon as I got here I promptly unpacked my suitcases and hid from everyone. I guess I always feel like people forget my brand of crazy, and that when they are reintroduced to it they react negatively and don't want to be around me as much I would like them to be. So I took preventative measures and stayed to myself for most of that day.

That, however, turned out to be a mistake. Since that day I've been alienating myself from the great friends that I had made up here. Yesterday evening was when I realized what I had been doing. I went to dinner with 14 people and ended up hardly wanting to talk to any of them. It wasn't anything that they had done, I just found myself behaving awkwardly in the group.

I ended up becoming quite upset with myself last night, because I have a pattern of this. I alienate people, and then get mad at them for not knowing what to do to make me feel better. In this way, I am very dumb. So what did I do to correct my behavior? I watched comic book movies! In the past 24 hours I have watched Captain America, Iron Man, and The Dark Knight Rises. I have found that retreating into the comic book world really does cure my depression. Today I am feeling much better. I've got a smile on my face, and I'm back to my regular antics.

So, the moral of this story is: do not assume that people don't like you, even if you are absolutely insane. Just be yourself, and whoever is there to laugh with you (and cry with you) is your true friend. Never assume that just because you haven't seen them in awhile that they feel any differently about you.

Second moral: watch comic book movies forever if you feel sad.

Fin.