Idol Hands Lead to Trouble

No, I'm not in trouble. It is just something one of the campus security guards said to me the other day at the school's annual Chili Cook-Off (yes, we have chili competitions). He was asking me how I was doing and how school was treating me after being at it for two years to which I responded that I was so busy I did not have time to think. He says, well, Audrey, what would you be doing if you weren't so involved...getting into trouble with campus safety? (Then he laughs and takes a bite of his chili, which was quite spicy, so his face turned a little red). I believe he is completely right.
I think back to last year when I was finished classes for the day at 3:00. I would go to work only three times a week, and I was only at work until 5. I would eat dinner, go work out, and then do homework. I did not have a lot going on outside besides a club I was loyal to. It just seemed boring most of the time. I wanted to get out, but did not have the motivation.
Since returning to school, I have really reached out and gotten myself involved with a lot of happenings on campus. I am that dork who goes to the student life sponsored events with enthusiasm. I became secretary of the CSA group on campus, Chefs Sustaining Agriculture (we work to bring awareness to students regarding where their food comes from. We go on field trips, host special guests, and have fun little events.) I work a little bit, not much, but enough to keep my contacts. I run cross country, but because of my class schedule and my other extra-circulars, i cannot always make it to practice (and a recent foot injury, slowly healing). I also took up a part time job to work on the weekends as a server at special functions here at school.

The best part is that I am meeting so many great people from all of these groups that I am really creating friendships that are worth keeping. It is always great to meet people with common interests, and it seems as though they have become my new friends, instead of the ones who sit around and do nothing.

But when it comes down to it, it is all about time management.

I sometimes question my capability to do so much, but back to what the security guard said: Idol hands lead to trouble. I'll let you all wonder what I would be doing (I AM a college student, after all).

Why Do I Choose To Make My Life So Hectic?

A question I am going to attempt to answer...I think it is because I feel productive and accomplished if I am constantly going places, meeting with this person, meeting with that person, completing a homework assignment, going on trips...etc, etc. My first week of class was slightly crazy. It involved me carrying tons of books around to each class, getting 15 minutes to eat lunch before I had to go to work in which I would leave work and then go back to class. My day would finish with me going to cross country running practice (XC), eating a quick dinner and then starting homework. Wake up the next day, repeat.

I didn't even have time to watch my TV shows online until the weekend!!! (life takes priority to entertainment).

This weekend was all devoted to homework, in which I have been very productive. I did take a break on Saturday and went to watch a hog slaughter.

Yes, a hog slaughter.

I have been feeling a bit uneasy and any sort of food tastes a bit off to me since going to the farm. The smells were not exactly those of rose petals and lavender. While we did not actually see the slaughtering of the hog, the screams and squeals of the poor animal were enough to make my stomach churn. The stun gun that is usually used to stun the animal before it is hoisted up on the hooks was broken, so other, more graphic methods, had to be used. I am quite happy I did not have to see this. I fully respect the killing of an animal for its meat (and other parts) now that I partially saw it. Maybe this is why I eat mostly fish instead of any other animal. Its just too much for me to watch. When people asked how the hog slaughter was, I just say it was an....slight pause, experience.

But back to the topic of this post, I have so far accomplished what I wanted when I returned to school, get as involved as possible. I just need to make sure I don't get tooooo involved.

Back in School Mode, Let's Dust Off Those Brain Cells

First of all, please excuse me for my 1 1/2 month hiatus (sp?) from this blog. I became super busy with work and other activities preventing me from writing. But I am back now! Currently, I sit in my room at school with my brain moving in many directions. I am back at school for the Bachelor's Program. It is another 1 1/2 years of education here at this fine institute I call the CIA. While the Associate's Degree was focused on the hows of cooking, more practical techniques, the Bachelor's Program (BPS) is more managerial business information. It is where the students wear business casual attire (no more chef whites) and carry text books, binders, notebooks, coffee mugs (no knife bags) around and drag their feet up the stairs of Roth Hall (basically the only academic building here on campus; the main building where all the kitchens and offices, etc, are). I am a legitimate college student. Six classes. But only 4 days a week (!!). I am preparing my binders and notebooks for class (and my brain). I am excited to be able to think critically again since that is all my high schools days consisted of.
I spent the first few hours of my day in orientation (we were just spoken to by different Deans of the school as to who does what and such and such). I spent the next few hours running into old friends whom I have not seen in a few months and catching up with how their summers were. I just feel so refreshed being back and starting a new chapter of my life.
I live in a single room like I did last year which is fantastic. I have suitemates, but we all have our own rooms and share a bathroom, so it is nice to be able to retreat to my own room. I must be getting back to preparation for tomorrow. I will try to write as soon as I can.

If You Can't Take The Heat......

I think it was President Harry Truman that made this famous: If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen....well guess what? I'm STILL HERE!

Oh goodness, Newport has been so hot the past week, especially Tuesday! The temperature was 102 degrees! Oh but wait, in the kitchen, it was easily 120, maybe 125! We were all drinking water by the quart-full, asking the food runners to fill us up every 30 minutes with nice cold icey water. Sure was refreshing. But we found the best secret was to soak a towel in cold water and then store it in the refrigerated drawers where we keep our food for service, that was its nice and cold to wrap around the neck or face. You don't know hot until you are standing behind a grill in long pants and a long sleeve jacket. And then of course there is the walk-in refrigerator which is a nice cold room that can cool the body temp down for a few seconds...

Yes mom, I am drinking lots of water, thanks for asking.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my new job!!! I am SO happy I left Bar Harbor! Working at Castle Hill is everything I imagined it to be! The people are great (and actually have training and know what they are doing) and you can tell they love their jobs. I ask questions a lot, but they love answering them. Almost all of our products are locally sourced from areas around RI, MA, and CT. I currently work as a floater, so to speak. Because I am only there for two months, it did not make much sense to train me on my own station, so I work as the hot app/pantry wingman. I am training on both stations so that when the stations are busy, I can jump in and assist with plating and expediting of the tickets. Unlike The Mooring (last summer's job), the plates have many more components, so plating takes more precision and time. I have only been working there for about four days, but I have loved every day so far and I cannot wait to see how the summer unfolds.
I have had the past two days off. I spent yesterday at the Farmer's Market (like I said I would in my last post). I bought eggs, spinach, basil, garlic scapes, whole wheat bread, and yogurt. With the spinach, I made spinach pasta (which used the fresh eggs for the dough). I chopped up mushrooms and made tortellinis! I then minced the rest of the spinach with some basil and garlic scapes that were sauteed in oil and then added more oil to the mixture to make an herby oil sauce. I tossed the tortellinis in that sauce and oh my goodness was it divine!!! Just knowing that a majority of the ingredients were local was so much fun! I live above a computer IT store owned by an elderly couple and brought some down to them and boy were they happy!!!!

I can easily say Life is Good.

Back in Newport for the summer...as of two days ago

So I was supposed to be in Bar Harbor this summer, but due to conflict of interests between me and my job, I left. Thank goodness my boss from last summer in Newport was able to give me a job this summer. Good thing I left Newport last year on good terms! So I packed up my things from Bar Harbor and headed down to Newport...homeless! I drove to Newport and began my apartment hunt via craigslist and randomly driving around looking at signs in front yards. I am a little impatient sometimes, so halfway through the day, I was starting to get nervous I would not find anything and was considering just giving up and not staying in Newport.
All of a sudden, I got a call from a guy living right in Newport who was offering me the chance to look at his place. He had one room available, furnished. I stopped by that evening and met him and the other roommate. The second I walked up the stairs to see the place, I knew it was perfect! It was clean, organized, and it just had the perfect vibe! With a very affordable price, I took it because I knew that it would be gone if I waited another day. I moved in the next day. Thankfully a friend from last year was around so I could crash at her place for the night until I could move in.
The location is perfect! While I still have to drive to work, I am walking distance from anything here in Newport! I am right down the road from my favorite Tea house where I spent a lot of time last summer too (they had bubble tea, loose tea, and free wifi!) But there is wifi here at the apt, so that will save me some money from being tempted to buy tea every day!
I am quite proud of myself for finding this place because I did it all myself and thanks to good spending habits (actually, wait, no I have horrible money managing skills, so its more like thanks to good spending habits in high school where i spent nothing....) I was able to afford it easily.
My roommates are so nice too! One is late 20's and a cook at the Marriot Hotel down the road and the other is in his 40's and works for the town as well as a part time paramedic. They both like to cook, which is great!! While I am only here for two months, it is sure going to be a great summer! Especailly since I already have friends here from last year!

I will be working at the Castle Hill Inn, a Relais and Chateau property (look it up). I start tomorrow and the menu just looks incredible!!! Most everything on the menu is local and from RI, which I am totally interested in. I love this local/sustainable/organic movement, so being right here in the center of it all is just a dream come true. There are farmers markets every Wednesday and Saturday, so next Wed, since I am not working, I will be getting food from there and cooking dinner for Peter and Kristen (roommates), which they are stoked about!

Oh gosh, what a long post: Ill write more later!

I'm A GRADUATE!!!

Yes, that's right! I graduated from culinary school!!! I have graduated with my Associates Degree and plan to continue on for my Bachelors Degree in August. Its so exciting to know that I have a degree and something to show for my education! Part one is over, though it went by way too fast! I think the best thing for me to do at this point is to go out into the workforce and apply what I have learned.
Correction: I am not a "CHEF." Graduating from culinary school does not make one a chef. A Chef is a title given to an individual that deserves that title, a job, for instance. So if I am given the job as a Sous Chef, then I am a chef. Call me chef all you want (my parents have been calling me their little chef for a while now), but I am technically not a chef. Having a degree certainly gives me a leg up on the job ladder though when compared to one without a degree, so I may reach "chefdome" quicker than the other.
As for my time off this summer until I return in late August for my Bachelors Degree, I will be working in Bar Harbor, Maine at an inn right on the water! As for the people who know I was in Newport, RI last summer, they just cant help but be a little jealous that I keep working in these touristy-summery destinations. I am excited to go to Bar Harbor because I really like being by water and Acadia National Park is practically next to it, giving me full access to endless hiking and sightseeing and outdoor activities. While Newport was pretty and outdoorsy, it was just too many cars and shopping...hopefully having Acadia nearby will pull me away from the shopping!
And as you all know, I was taking Bartending classes, so I will be trying to get a part time job as a bartender/barback to hone my skills and see if I am cut out for the job.

I am ready to go and cook my heart away!

If you are in Bar Harbor area this summer, send me a message and we will meet up!