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
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
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!
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!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
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
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
Friday, November 25, 2011
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
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
Monday, November 7, 2011
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
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
Sunday, October 30, 2011
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
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
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