Halfway

The halfway point of something brings many feelings. The feeling of excitement as whatever it is you're doing is almost over. The feeling of anxiety as you may not know what you'll be doing afterwards. I bring these two up because I'm feeling both right now. We're about halfway through the tri here. I'm excited as it's one more trimester down. However, I'm anxious because of the unknown to come. I still have no clue where I'm interning at yet. I do, however, have a couple of ideas.

Idea one is Disney. A location that I hear works you like a dog, but at the same time pays you justly for the work you put in. I have an interview with their recruiting Chef on Wednesday the 17th. I can't say I have any issues other than the possible temperature down there. I've never been one for hot weather and Florida is probably going to roast me.

Idea two is Delaware North. A company based in WNY that would allow me to be home and hang with friends when I'm not working. Would also probably allow me to come camping this year. Anyone who knows my family knows how precious our camping time is. Though I can't be sure on hours or pay. Also the fact that a lack of vehicle may impede things like it did this past summer may come into play again.

Then the wild card is with a hotel group known as White Lodging. They're mainly based out in the Midwest. That's all I pretty much know at this point in time.

Resume to be looked at on the 10th. Brushing up on everything I can before the career fair on the 18th.

On another note labs are going well. I finished Nutrition and Sensory Analysis with a B. I'm very happy with this as the class is probably one of the hardest ones that freshmen take. Day 9 was mystery basket day, so my group got little-neck clams and mussels. We made paella.

Intro to baking and pastry has started. I'm enjoying myself and there are two other guys from WNY in my class so we have something we can all complain about......football!

No random roommate comment this time. As my roommates have been kind enough to leave the last two weekends and leave me in the room to myself. Hopefully I'll get a little quicker at posting these. In the meantime God bless and thanks for your time.



-Parrow89

Here we are again.

Here we are again the beginning of the year. You never know what is going to be thrown your way. I absolutely enjoy my Professors. One kinda looks like the actor from the Paul Blart Mall Cop or Zookeeper the other is from a military background. Leadership and Menu Planning are my main two classes right now. Next week I have a morning lab before class I'm making up my Nutrition and Sensory Analysis. A class I didn't think I had the chops (pardon the food puns) to do well. I believe that things are better now, so we try again.

Quiz 1 in Leadership I got a 16/15.

Also this weekend one of my friends medically withdrew from her classes. She will be missed by my friends and I.



Random roommate quote of the week: "I hope my groin is healed so I can go the the gym tomorrow."

Little random this post I know. Will try to fix that in the next post.

-Parrow89

Reboot

No I'm not talking about the old cartoon (though I did love that show). It's time I reboot this blog. I'm sorry that I didn't really write after the second or so month of school.  Let me bring you all up to speed... there's too much let me summarize. Finished my first year of culinary school with a 3.43 cumulative gpa. I'm set to move into my new dorm (Harbor View) in under 48 hours! I'm so excited! I've got two brand new roommates. I have no clue what the room layout is like. I know that we should have three beds, closets, and desks. We also get our own private bathrooms! So instead of a communal bathroom shared between 50+ guys. It's just the three of us. Hopefully since Harbor View was a hotel this should me our shower should be a bathtub/shower. Which will be sooooooooo nice.

This trimester will probably be one of my easiest trimesters so far. I have alternating classes everyday Monday through Thursday 1:40-3:35. The second cycle of nine days I have a morning lab from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Then later in October I'm making up another lab on sunday.

Winter trimester will be similar to last year. I'll have 5 labs, all my sophomore labs. More details on that closer to winter trimester.

The spring trimester I have to go on internship. I've applied to the Disney culinary program. If all does well I'll be there for my spring trimester all the way to before classes start next year. More news on that after October 18th, when the fall career fair is here and gone. Another option is a hotel management company called White Lodging.

When I get heavily into my culinary courses again I'll try to include a favorite recipe of the week.

Well that's it for now. Back to packing.
-P

Continuing the hard work

Well I've come to the realization that trying to keep time to write this blog is hard! Considering how much time I spend dedicated to my studies. For instance I'm putting the final touches to my Skills of Meatcutting project as I write this entry. I never would've guessed how much fun I have had in this class. People around here always say that it is the hardest freshmen course here. I'm enjoying myself!! Granted when you get to deal with raw meat all day, so I can't get the smell off my hands. That part is a little nauseating to be honest. But you ask me where a particular cut of beef, lamb, or pork. I'm pretty sure I can name where it came from. Chef Vaillancourt is absolutely nuts, in the best way possible. His quirky teaching style makes it really easy to learn the course material. 


In other news things here are going well. Still being the nerd occasionally. Just got thorough the longest week ever. The tuesday through friday week was horrible... threw off everything. Sleep schedule mostly.... the most important thing here. 




Time to hit the sack! 

Something old, something new

Alright I live though I know I haven't updated the blog in a little over a month.

Here's a brief look into what's happened in the last month.

Started and finished Fundamentals with a B. Started Storeroom.... we're currently on day 8 on monday when we get back (1/9/11) Then I start Meatcutting.

Was on break the last two weeks now I'm getting ready to drive back to my grandma's house to deliver her car back to her thankfully she allowed me to borrow it to drive myself to see my other family 4 hours away. After delivering said car back to her I have to wait until 11:45 that evening to catch a bus back to Providence. Arrive back by like 10:30 then catch a bus from there back to campus.... and thus to fold laundry and iron and make everything all nice and clean for class on monday. Oh and doing some sanitation work and study produce...... yes that's right produce. My practical exam is being able to identify 30-50 items of produce by sight alone. We'll see how I do. I'll probably make flashcards or something on saturday after getting everything else done.

Start of Culinary Labs!!!!!!!!!

Hello readers. I've finally started culinary labs!!!!!!! I cannot believe how fast information gets thrown at you here. Sure we're in class for 6 hours but let me break down a normal lab day for y'all.

7:00- Inspection and attendance
7:05- Announcements
7:10- Quiz (if we have one that day)
7:30- Lecture start
9:30- Lecture ends/ Prep begins
11:15- Those eating in the dinning room leave
11:30- All food needs to be ready
12:00- Clean up starts
12:30- Dismissed for the day


That's a typical lab section. Now one would think two hours would be plenty of time to get things done. I've found that most of the time that isn't the case. It gets really close considering the recipes we have are fairly involved. So far out of all the days we've produced we've only been ready on time one day.

http://recipes.jwu.edu/JWUPoultSauteedChickenBreastMshrmSage.pdf

That's a link to the recipe that we produced on time in two hours and had the food hit the steam table by 11:25.

Enough school talk. We're now T-minus 22 days until Christmas. I'm hoping that I'll be able to work someway home. Trying to get out of Providence is a pain, especially with no car. If I had one things would be so much easier, but then I'd have to pay for the insurance and stuff..... which would require a job and we've established the fact that I can't work a job and go to school at the same time. Things could be worse though... I could have no way back home for Christmas. "But why can't you just stay in the dorm like you did for Thanksgiving?" Reason I can't do that is because the resident halls are closed for this break even though it's only two weeks. We get out on the 22 after class, and have to be out by noon on the 23.

I'm really looking forward to seeing family and getting to spend sometime with them. It'll be a nice break from the normal grind here. Though I'm not looking forward to the packing up of my stuff practically at both houses when I visit. So right now my home is my dorm room. Well that and my mom's house if I really need it. I should start looking for summer job opportunities soon. Especially because I'll have a ton of certifications from school that says I know how to do things.

Sorry if I seem a little random today. It's been a long week.
-Parrow89

Finals week, Thanksgiving week, and beyond

My apologies for my lack of posts recently in the last couple of weeks. Week 11 was finals week and I spent all my time when my brain was firing on all cylinders studying. This proved useful cause the official grades are out and my gpa is a 3.5 which puts me on Dean's List!

This week was Thanksgiving week as well. I'm still on campus away from family. I had a job recently which required me to be here for black friday. However the couple of weeks I had work and school I noticed I couldn't focus as much in school as I was doing earlier which lead to a substandard performance in some of my classes. So I quit the job. I need to be able to focus all of my energies here in class. Work will provide later, for now though this is my job. My job is to go out into my classes and do well and soak up all the knowledge that my Chefs will be teaching me. Do I regret not giving the customary two weeks notice? Yea a little, but with this run at college being my second time round I cannot afford a chance to make the same mistake twice.

So in 4 days starts the new trimester and my cold lab rotation. Starting with Fundamentals of Food Service Production with Chef Adel. I'm soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to cooking finally! More importantly there is 4 days until I get my knife kit!!!!! YAY!

-Parrow89

Week 10

Hey everyone week ten is here! I still can't believe how fast this whole trimester has gone by already. Not complaining though I like how fast paced this is. Two projects due this week and I am almost done with both. Finals week next week. I'm not working hardly at all as to focus on my finals.

Grades are still doing well. 4.0 in math (go figure) 4.0 in Nutrition, 3.5 in my english composition class, and a 3.0 in my public speaking class. Just got my last couple exams back in a couple of classes. 99 on my last math exam, and a 94 in my public speaking exam. My class in nutrition was just told since we're not going to have the time to cover chapter 10 our final exam will only be on chapters 6-9.

22 days until I get my chef knives. I can't wait!

On a completely unrelated side note 15 meals a week on our meal plan here isn't enough. It's enough for 2 meals a day with one meal extra per week. For those of you reading this who don't know me personally. I'm a big guy. I like food. Two meals a day isn't enough for me. Granted you can purchase more meals as if you were a commuter that's separate from your main allotment of meals. I will probably have to do this sometime soon.

Work started for me this week. I have 29.5 hrs at work this week. Though I'll probably give up a 4 hr shift to maintain my sanity. I've just realized how much my boss just scheduled me outside my availability this week. Oh well something that'll be corrected next week. I really need the money for my books next trimester.

Got to play some D&D with some people around my age range for once. It was nice being around people of a similar maturity level for once compared to all the new freshmen that I live with. Need to make friends with upperclassmen more often. Hopefully this'll allow me to feel a better fit in this school.

Till next week!
-Parrow89

Start of week 9

Well we're closing in on the home stretch. We're at week nine of eleven. Things are going swimmingly around here. Sure I may have the occasional argument with how things are run around here, mainly with other students not the staff. But things are going well. Today is Halloween! Wonder how many people will dress up to go to class........ and how many people will go out and party on a school night........ oh well not my problem.

Just got done with hell week. Had five major deadlines this past week. Had two projects in nutrition due, one persuasive speech, one paper due, and an exam in math. Think they could've packed more into the four days we have class for? I've come out on top though. Just got a 94 in my public speaking midterm. I'm ecstatic with how well things here are going compared to the last time. Update on gpa next week probably, I'm waiting on more grades to get put up officially.

I'm hoping next term to expand my club experience by one club. I'm currently involved with anime club in limited quantities. Next trimester I would like to join the Club for Culinary Excellence. They host some interesting events and have demonstrations regularly that I would like to attend. I was also offered a position on the entertainment committee for relay for life which I accepted.

On a side note 29 days until I get my knife set! mwhahahahahahaha


*cough* Anyways personally I'm doing well. I'm getting along with more people more to the point that people I don't know very well are saying hello to me in passing. I forget how easily I can influence the area around me. Something that hasn't happened in a long time. I've been feeling more "normal" than I have in years. As I was speaking to my father today, "I feel like how I was back in fourth grade." This was the last time I remember getting great grades in school. Maybe there is a future for me in this profession.

Got the job at Gamestop. However I had a talk with my manager and I'll have to leave mid December because I cannot work the week of christmas and the week afterwards. This is the only time before the summer I'll probably get to see my family in both towns. So family is more important than work for the time being. I've had a very good support this time around from both parties...not like I didn't the last time I just didn't utilize it. So I have a feeling that any money earned will go to travel expenses so I can see my family.

I should start putting together a christmas list.......

That's it for now! See you all next week!
-Parrow89

Week 7/Start of week 8

Week seven has come and gone. I can't believe how fast the term is moving now. I can hardly believe there is only 3 weeks left in the term. Then we have a week off for thanksgiving break then we start up again right after into labs! I can hardly contain my excitement. Granted, I still need to get through this term first. So much work that's due this week then we're golden until the end of the term.

On other notes found some other geeks to hang out with and play settlers of catan with. It's a board game similar to ticket to ride. Resource collecting and plan execution. Still not all that great at it. 

OOOH I can't talk about this past week and not talk about the demo I had the chance to sit in on Thursday. In communication skills we got the chance to listen to a Chef talk about New Zealand cuisine. It was very interesting the dishes we got to try were a sashimi style salmon, muscles with a spicy Japanese mayonnaise, lamb with mint served with greek yogurt with more mint, and venison! I could've eaten the venison all day...... *daydreams about venison sausage* err alright the venison was really good. We got to see the chef literally take all the meat from one leg of the deer and cut it to the point where he could cut medallions later. He literally had less than a handfuls amount of waste from cutting it. Along with tasting all this amazing food he also gave us in his booklet contact info so we could order ingredients from New Zealand. Coolest thing ever!!!! We also have all the recipes for the food he demonstrated that day. (By the way New Zealand's main export is food.)

Still doing well in classes current gpa stands at a 3.37 :) Huzzah for doing well finally!

I know this blog entry is rather short but I've gotta run and work on my projects for this week!

-Parrow89

week 6.1

This week has been interesting so far. Just got off a long weekend. Fairly boring as most of the hall was empty. Classes just started back up today and what a day it was. Today was one of those days where my body woke me up earlier than my alarm was set. So today my day started off at 4:30 am, took a shower and prepped for the day. Registered for classes as soon as it opened at 6 am. Went to International Cuisine, a lab I was shadowing for communication skills. The lab was really cool to sit in and watch. Today they covered Vietnamese and Thai food. I was really happy to get some food with some spice finally. Then on the 3 hrs of sleep I got today went to my academics after lab. Had my midterm in nutrition today. Got a 92.5% on the midterm. So maintaining a 4.0 average in that class :) and keeping my 3.25 gpa.

While I was at International Cuisine today I noticed something. Even though I may not have been cooking today. I was happy to be in the kitchen. It was really cool smelling the fresh ingrediants today which included lemon grass, galangal root, and lots of chili peppers. I guess this realization is an affirmation of sorts. A true gut feeling telling me I'm in the right place.

In other news still "yearning" as my father put it. I don't know if that's something that I can stop. With every thing that's happened. I just want something secure for once. Someone I know that'll be there for me when nothing else is. I'm making it by here, but it's hard (and not in the studies part). I mean sure if you look at it I've always had parents who love me, relatives, and friends. But part of me strongly believes that whatever shattered in me from my parents divorce is killing my love life. I've been told numerous times I'm a "nice guy," not that it helps. Normally that just gets me landed in the friend zone, or worse. I know I'm a nice guy, but it doesn't help when you feel like you're coming in last all the time. Having all the friends in the world doesn't substitute for having a significant other. That one person you can rely on with your life come better or worse.

I thank God for the friends that I do have that I can go to about anything. They all know who they are. For without them keeping me grounded I think I would have a much harder time here. If anything they listen to my rants and aid me in distracting me from what I'm currently feeling. Which may have been an issue my last time at school, but I used something else to escape. I went to something that I knew I could lose myself for hours and not care. I delved into a few online video games more so than I had before. I escaped so I didn't have to confront any of the pain that I've pushed off for so long. A pain that I really didn't know existed until I got out on my own. Pain that I was able to push off for 11 years, and now it is coming back to bite me. This time however I'm not running.........

Also noticed how the best time to write these blogs is early morning when I'm my most creative/ when my defensive barriers are down. Intriguing....


-Parrow89

Week 5 (a couple days early I know)

Week 5 at school and I write this at 3:30 am. This week has presented some interesting challenges mainly mentally, but also emotionally. I was informed by my mother that we had to put down our last dog Woody down last week. This is difficult because I remember that dog like his mother Seeger about 3 months ago (my timeline may be a bit off). I remember both of them as puppies until their old age.

In other news I still feel alienated while hanging out with my group of friends. I don't know why. Perhaps it is because I'm feeling homesick. This happened at Potsdam too. Just this weird feeling that I don't belong. Wish I could get rid of it. Doesn't help that my current nickname that I'm trying to stamp out is "Grandpa Pierce." Can't help it if I act more mature than everyone all the time. *sigh* Oh well, can't change who I am. Finished writing a majority of my annotated bibliography not to long ago. I've also come to the conclusion that as much as I am a social butterfly. I also need some physical contact. Will try to remedy this by getting/giving more hugs.

Got my second math quiz back, and got a 97! Huzzah! My math skills don't completely suck. So I'm still maintaining a 4.0 average in that class so far. Just had an exam in that class today that I'm slightly worried about. Though I don't think it went that badly.

I worry about and pray constantly for my family back in Binghamton, NY. My cousin, aunt, and uncle are always at the forefront of my mind. I miss them all a lot. Hope my aunt finds this blog entry a little more entertaining as it looks into myself a bit more. Hope babygirl is doing alright.

Looking towards the future. I'm planning on taking "cold" labs next term. Which entails: Essentials of Beverage Service, Fundamentals of Food Service Production, Skills of Meatcutting, Nutrition and Sensory Analysis, Purchasing and Production Information, and Safety and Sanitation. Looking forward to that sooooooooo much. Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to getting my knife kit and getting to the hard work.

Found a methodist church here in Providence on Mathewson St. It is a different church than where I've come from but Methodists are Methosdists. I've never felt more at home. They were all very welcoming and I sing when I can (I'm fighting off a cold) in their choir. The church isn't very big, but very pretty and circular. Communion is served every week and the hymns are more traditional. No crazy hymns of the week so far.

That's it for this entry. Talk to you all again soon!
-Parrow89

Week 4

So some status updates since last blog.

First math quiz back got a 70 on it.... but I have that 95 waiting in the wings.
Second math quiz I feel much strongly about and hoping to get that back graded on tuesday.

First nutrition quiz this past Wednesday. 92% yay!

First paper back from my writing teacher... 72. Which my professor says is about normal for the first paper of freshmen year.
Next assignment for that class due wednesday.

Gave my first speech in communications skills. Don't know the grade from that yet, but I feel that I conveyed my portion of the speech well. We'll see how the grade is.


Made some new friends tonight! We're heading out to City Burger tomorrow for brunch/linner. More to come soon! Family weekend is this weekend, and even though I have no visitors coming (that I know of) I'll probably have a blast with other peeps. OH! There will be deep dish pizza soon too!

The start of school.

Just starting up the blog so gotta play a little bit of catch up. 

I'm a Johnson and Wales student studying Culinary Arts and Food Service Management. I'm part of the class of 2015. We've just wrapped up week 3 of 11 here. Just got back a math assignment and scored a 95 on it. Just took a math quiz and have another one monday. First paper for english composition just turned in. I thought I did well on it. Wrote a visual analysis on a political cartoon about how the United States Postal Service is going broke. 

Things coming up this week. Math quiz monday, public speaking presentation thursday, intro to nutrition quiz wednesday, and have to pick a topic for my annotated bibliography soon.

In other news the girl I really liked told me yesterday that she felt awkward and thought we wouldn't work out. Oh well, thus is life. Starting up my D&D campaign again. Probably the only thing I do this term. Still need to find a job around here, but not all is bad. I feel completely alone though up here even when I'm surrounded by friends. Dunno what's wrong with me in that regard. Can't wait to start cooking next term.

Parrow89