July 2
From my brain
Contents |
2011
Me 00:43, 2 July 2011 (EDT)
So, come Tuesday, I will be...employed. As a baker no less. Like, actually, honestly, as a baker.
I got a randomish email on Monday from what I thought was a contact from my placement director about this bakery up in Powell. I looked at their site. It was about sweets, and rolls, and cakes, and whatnot...but it was a job. I thanked her for sending in my resume, and hoped maybe something would come of it as unemployment is about tapped out.
I had only read the email on my phone, so didn't really look at it. Come to find out, it was not from that bakery in Powell, but another bakery in Powell that I had sent my stuff into and he didn't have an opening. Turns out he is going to have an opening soon, and wanted to know if I could come in. After much zomgzomgzomg, I told him that Wednesday would work best.
I went in. I interviewed. I rocked it. I got the job. (What, you were expecting fanfare?)
Apparently, the baker he has working there ain't cutting the mustard. She's still only doing sweet breads, and still is having accuracy and timing issues. He doesn't even want to trust her with yeast breads yet, and he's prepared to let her go. In fact, my start date of Tuesday was because he needed a couple of days to "clean things up".
On top of that, I now have my first wholesale client starting up next week Friday with his first delivery. I had totally sold him on giving him "half loaves" of bread...before I even knew how to do them. He wasn't sure he could buy wholesale and mark them up enough but not too much that his customers wouldn't get shaky about a seven dollar loaf of bread. I dug around online and managed to find a method to do it in my own pans (and added to the trick a bit myself), and have been practicing with it with our home loaves. I got it nailed.
On top of all of that, I find out yesterday that the executive chef that I worked with at the catering company...is no longer with the catering company. Turns out BossLady told him in one way or another that he wasn't going to be the one to carry the company forward, and gave him a rather serious knock-down position that he said wasn't right for his family (I don't blame him). As a result, he moved on, and managed to get right into another position, running the cafe that's attached to a performing arts center here in Columbus (big name; big, big name).
I think he was rather disappointed to find I'd already found employment, and I could kinda hear it in his voice as I boisterously mentioned that I found the bakery I'd been looking for. He did say that they were looking for someone to be the assistant manager as he and his wife couldn't do it all on their own. I didn't tell him I couldn't do that role, but when he mentioned there would be some "spot work" as they get things rolling there, I told him by all means to let me know and I will lend a hand. He said, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to say anything less than that." Nice to know I made an impression over those 12 weeks. :)
So, last Sunday, Wifey lit a vigil candle in church, sending up a prayer that we'd find a solution to our money problems. It's a $5 candle in a glass tube (as opposed to the little $1 ones we usually have the kids light), and apparently it worked. After the extra-potential of Chef's call, I have to wonder though: did she pay for a $6 one instead? LOL
Me 00:48, 2 July 2011 (EDT)
Also, I gotta ask. Person in / near Montgomery, MN...who the hell are you? I mean, I don't *mind* you reading my blog, but I have pretty much figured out that the WV person is Callistana, and that NY pings are Erudi, and well, Denver, CO ones could be either Yeshe or Roxy...but I haven't a clue who would be watching me from Montgomery, MN. Ping me on Facebook if we're friends there, if not...I guess it'll just be a mystery...
2008
Me 15:37, 2 July 2008 (EDT)
So, yesterday in a moment of Spider Solitaire braindeath, Wifey forgot to take TheBoy to his pulminologist. This visit was to verify if his asthma meds are working properly for him.
Today, he went off in a tirade when he realized it, "I didn't go to my doctor for my asthma yesterday, Dad."
- I know bud, it's OK.
- Nope, it isn't. It was supposed to see if I'm gonna be better with the inhaler, and if I didn't go there, I can't go.
- What do you mean can't go? On vacation?
- Yup.
- Why not? You'll be fine!
- NO! The rides!
- Buddy, you'll be fine. If they get to be too much, you'll just take your emergency inhaler. You'll be OK.
- Nope, that's it. Not going. So there.
Wifey then took over the phone and she said he was adamant about it. She said it for his benefit that "If he doesn't want to go, then he and Daddy will stay home and Princess and Mommy will go with Grandma and Poppa." Didn't seem to phase him.
Ah...parenthood.
2007
Me 10:42, 2 July 2007 (EDT)
If it wasn't for the fact I need his help probably doing some of the stuff to get the house ready, I would curse Uncle Ducky for feeding us yesterday.
Went over to their house for dinner / picnic after church. They specifically didn't include any onions in he dishes because they knew that Wifey didn't like them. What did he make instead? Garlic laden steaks. (Garlic happens to be almost as bad on her stomach as onions are on FIL's stomach.)
Date night was shot.
In other news, had a fantastic time at the Crew game Saturday night. Soccer is still one of those sports I respect (how can you NOT respect a sport when you're running around like mad fro 90 minutes), and TheBoy and I had a blast. Ate lots of expensive Stadium food, but the tickets were free (and cheap even if we did pay for them), and so it was fun.
2006
I couldn't sleep. I had running through my head this odd memory of a story I read back in Jr. High. It was during our Great Books class (an advanced supplimental English course) but I can't for the life of me think of what it was called.
Regardless, it was about this child prodigy who once he was found to be gifted was kept away from all other artistic influences. He could sing, he composed, he played any instrument he grasped, and could even paint. At one point though, some how he caught a snippet of Mozart (or some other composer) and noticed something intriguing about the piece he heard. Fearing he would be caught, he made sure that any compositions never included that technique. This went on to viewing a Picasso (and avoiding using any abstract/cubist techniques from his paintings).
The long and the short of it was that he was found out. Not that anyone caught him in the act, but his compositions already had those techniques in them. When he pulled them out of his works, someone realized he had been exposed to them and was covering his tracks.
I'm starting to feel that way about my writing. No, I don't think I'm any sort of prodigy. However, I've been avoiding what a good aquaintence (friend?) of mine states on her website as tips for new writers: "Read lots. Good writers are readers first." She's a NY Times Bestselling author, so I guess I should take her advice as sound, but at first, I said yeah, yeah, sure. Later on though, I was listening to Stephen King's biography/writer's guideline on audio disk and he said the same thing.
I've never read Lord of the Rings. I read The Hobbit, but never got further than that. I've never read anything of Stephen King -- crappy slasher stuff or brilliant epic -- and I've got not a few friends who would fault me for that. I spent much of my early attempts at "writing" not doing anything but reading about "how to write". Since then though, I've forced on myself what was done to that character in that title-forgotten short story: I've kept myself away from all outside influences.
I fear writing my heart out into the novel, getting it "out there" and then someone saying, "Wow, someone read Return of the King one to many times," or, "Holy crap! What is this? Robert Jordan's little brother trying to write?" I'm torn between the gestalt concept -- that every experience will become a part of what I write -- and the out and out fear that I'm going to just be an imitator.
Or worse: I'll be a bad imitator.
