Yep…It’s finals week:
Culinary Foundations I Final (Friday)
Culinary Foundations I Knife Skills Practical (Thursday)
Culinary Foundations I Identification Exam (Friday)
Food Science and Safety Final (Wednesday)
ServSafe Certification Exam (Thursday)
College Success and Career Portfolio Final (Friday)
I might die. Before I do…I love you all and yeah…
Bigger blog on Saturday! I PROMISE!
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Nick B.
I don’t know what it is about Sundays, but they always seem to drag me down. Maybe there is some weird brain chemical that is secreted and it tells everyone to go crazy, scream, and attack each other. Any thoughts? I didn’t think so.
School is going well. I’m acing all of my tests: lowest grade being a 93%. I love my chef instructors (who will remain nameless, just incase they have the google disease). I love the school. I love the uniform. I love everything I’m learning. But there seems to be something missing.
I am alone a lot. I’m not a person that handles or likes being alone a lot. The last time I saw my brother, my roommate, was Thursday before I left for school. I had way too many projects to do, so I couldn’t go down to Peachtree City this weekend. So, I’m going a little stir-crazy. I miss all of my friends; my family (some of them: I don’t miss the stress though). Some days I wish I could go back to Tucson, and then I realize that I have nothing to go back to. I don’t have a house there anymore, my family is falling apart, and I don’t want to go back to work at Blockbuster (no offence, Tammi).
Things will get better. They have to. I’m just throwing my life into my schoolwork so that I don’t break down. I can’t imagine moving down here without any family. Oh! And did I mention that I don’t feel like I can be myself around them? Weird, right? God I hate life sometimes.
I hope that this is a good week. I applied for a job on Friday, and I need to hear back from them. Ten dollars an hour plus tips. That would be AMAZING!
I love you all, and I hope all is going well!
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Nick B.
Hey my peeps! I started school on Tuesday. A new chapter to my life, or at least that’s what I’m told. For the first six weeks, I have three classes: Culinary Foundations I (Monday through Friday), Food Science and Safety (Monday Through Thursday), and College Success and Career Portfolio (Fridays only).
Tuesday was great! First day of classes: I met all of my chef instructors. Seems like it’s going to be a fun twenty-one months… I had to learn how to iron. That was a fun little experience. Remind me where there’s a cleaners around Decatur? Yeah, but I do love wearing the uniform. Others might disagree, but it makes you feel like you’re actually working towards something. It’s nice. Minus the cravat. That’s a pain in the ass.
It started snowing yesterday. It’s freaking cold here. It’s about 21 degrees here and the wind chill is one. ONE. Are you fcking kidding me?! I get cold when it’s fifty out. But ONE!? Anyways, like I said, It started snowing yesterday. So, obviously, they decided to cancel my third day of class. Okay. That I can deal with. I get a phone call this morning at about six o’clock. It’s an automated message telling me they decided to close the school for another day. Really. REALLY. I want a refund for those two days. Just Kidding! :>
I decided to crack open Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain. I’m only on about the twelfth page, but it seems like it’s going to be a good book. I have to write a one page summary on it for my Culinary Foundations class. Not too bad of a project. I like reading so it works. I also have a project for my Food Science and Safety class. I have to write a paper on the bacteria, “Giardia Duodenalis”. I don’t know where to start, but I think I got it covered. Maybe. We’ll see.
So, with two unexpected days off, here I am. Sitting at my computer. Shoving out another blog, trying to put a little bit of my soul in it. Do I have enough soul give? You decide!
Love you all!
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Nick B.
Getting ready to go to orientation for LCB. I pick up my uniforms and books today. Oh! And I get to sit through a two hour long orientation about class rules and uniform regulations! It’s my lucky day!
I start “actual” classes tomorrow. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It’s like the first day of high school all over again; except for the fact I will be wielding knives. That might make it better. Huh. Who knows.
Just thought I would keep all of you abreast as to what my first day of school is going to be like. Wish me luck, people!
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Nick B.
Another day in the cold confines of Georgia. Ha. This has been an interesting last couple of days. And by a couple of days I mean nine, of course. Christmas has passed and it’s a new year, so I though I should update my bloggity-blog blog.
My last update was about Christmas Eve and having to do a shit-load of cooking. Yeah. We made fried calamari, fried basa, little smokies, three different kinds of shrimp, two different kinds of pasta with oysters, fried oysters wrapped in bacon, and raw oysters on the half-shell. Yeah. I was working from noon until about nine-thirty when we finished cooking. We finished prepping at about five or so. Started cooking at about seven, because the party started at seven-thirty. Yeah. Lots of shit to do!
Christmas was good. Lots of family and lots more cooking. I got a couple things I really needed! I got a nice little GPS for my car (it has already saved my life a couple of times!) and I got a clothes hamper (might not sound like much, but it’s nice not to have to buy one). I got a couple of other little things too, but they’re too small to remember. Ha. This was also the first time I got to aid and abet the falsification of the man known as “Santa Claus”. It felt good. I felt like a bad-ass. Haha! Had some good food for dinner. Had another nervous breakdown. Good day all in all.
New Year’s Eve. How might I describe thee? Hell is one possibility. Another is satanic. Who knows which I will choose?! Went to a “interesting” little shindig in Atlanta in a little antique shop (that has a party room and stage…?) called “Paris on Ponce”. There were about 200 people there, so it was very crowded. It was very boring and I don’t want to talk about what transpired that night, so we’re done…
Woke up the next morning to a knock on my bedroom door in my apartment. I was so f***ing tired the next morning, but my brother felt the need to wake me at nine o’clock. Why? Who knows… We went to breakfast at a cool little diner in ATL called “the majestic”. It’s on Ponce De Leon right by Freedom Parkway. Good food but it was packed. Then we headed back to Peachtree City and we all took naps. Haha. Yeah.
Happy New Year, everyone! Hope twenty-ten (which is how I’m going to pronounce it, because I want to) is filled with as much joy as two-thousand-nine was. School starts on Monday, so wish me luck!
Have a good one, peeps!
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Nick B.
What’s up peeps? This is going to be a short little blog, as there is nothing new to report. Christmas Eve is upon us, and I really don’t know how it snuck up on me. It’s almost 2010 and I have nothing to show for 2009 yet; I hate new years. Yeah.
I’m down in Peachtree City with my brothers, sister-in-law, nephew, niece, nephew, and parents. It is a full f***ing house, my friends. It’s ten o’clock in the morning; it’s forty-three degrees outside. Everyone is awake, and I have to go help my sister-in-law’s mother cook the Christmas eve feast. I’m not complaining, but I wish I had some choice in the matter. Whatever.
Yeah.
I told you it was going to be short!
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Nick B.
Good times in the 30033! A lot to report in this bloggy blog, but it shouldn’t be too boring (hopefully). I’m sitting at my desk at around eight-thirty, it’s 32°, and I’m drinking coffee! I love my my coffee! I tell you, there is nothing better on a cold day. Coffee is the fire in my candle. Wow that sounds weird. HA! Anyways, like I said…too much time and too little to tell! Wait…strike that, reverse it! Ha that silly Willy Wonka!
I got my new bed today: I love it! It’s so comfortable. Amazing. I don’t have a light in my room yet, so it’s still kind of dark but whatever. I still need a couple of nightstands and whatnot, but other than that, I’m ready to go! I absolutely love living with my brother; although, I wish he was a little more open with me. We’re not really talking; I know that sounds weird, but he’s not a big talker. We’ve only seen each other about six times, before he invited me to move in with him. I love him to death, but I might not be able to live without talking. Yeah. I’m a BIG talker. Everyone who has met me knows that. Whatever.
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts: Atlanta…what can I say about you? Hmmm. AMAZING! I had my tour on Saturday along with an amazing chef demonstration. The school is in one kind of “office” building. It’s a single story 75,000 square foot building. There are ten full-size commercial kitchens and a five-star, student run restaurant. I can’t believe I get to study there. It all seems like an awesome dream! Come on January fourth! While waiting for the chef demo, I got to talking with one of the chef instructors at the school, and she was actually really cool. Now, little did I know that this certain chef was going to be the one doing the demo. She made the most impressive Peking Duck I had ever eaten. The duck was cooked medium-rare (you can do this with duck, unlike chicken and turkey, there is no salmonella factor with a duck. You treat it just as you would a filet mignon) and just melted in your mouth. Absolutely BRILLIANT! She made jasmine-rice to go with it. The rice was cooked with star anise, so it had a small touch of licorice flavor but not overpowering. To give it another flavor profile she added a basil purée to give it more of an earthy feel. I can’t wait to have her as my instructor! Jesus.
Tomorrow is the day. The worst day. Job hunting day. I haven’t had to go into a business to apply for a job in a little over three years. I’m a little rusty. And f***ing nervous. I have a great résumé and over a year of management experience, but I don’t have ANY restaurant experience. All retail. Kill me now. All I can do is hope. Hope that someone gives me a little bit of a break, because, like I said, I DO have over a year of management experience. That should count for something! Let’s HOPE!
Well, thanks for listening to my ramblings once again. I love you all and keep cookin’!
Here’s something you can make your family for the holidays!
Chicken Drumsticks with Asian Barbecue Sauce
Enjoy!
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Nick B.
