misSion accomplished.
i haven't really cooked a damn thing since i've been out here. on monday, or maybe it was tuesday, on the verge of tears, which became actual tears once they tried topsy turvying this muthafucka on me, i expressed my concern regarding my externship, and how i feel as though i haven't done anything other than cut vegetables since i have been out here. this resulted in me being assigned the task of designing and orchestrating a weekly lunch special at ricardo's, the employee dining area.
i made skrimp po' boys with creole cole slaw and slathered the bread with a garlicky, old bay & chopped parsley compound butter. BaNGiN! i marinated the shrimp in a ton of garlic, and some cayenne, and other spices, overnight. i made a panko bread crumb mixture, phyllis fried them up for me [i swear she is my living guardian angel], while i set up my mise en place for service. i was about to freak out, until phyllis stepped up to bat, and she said, "you better relax. these people are waiting for you to fail. they want you to fail. you can do this. you're fine. you're alright. you need to relax." G0D BLESS THAT WOMAN.
service started, slow at first. Kenny, the executive chef, and Kalli [shes the manager or something of the kitchen and works in nutrition... she is slowly becoming as wide as she is tall {she's pretty short} and thinks that because she's little and giggly and smiles a lot, she can get away with being a complete cunt. ugh.] sat down at a table, pretty much directly across from my station, neither of them said a word to me, nothing, and just sat. waiting. i really think they were waiting for no one to want my special. well... many people were hesitant to try shrimp on a sandwich [gasp!], but once word of mouth spread, i got freakin SwAmPeD!! there was a huge line, and kenny and kalli disappeared. kenny reportedly was in the kitchen saying, "oh my g0d there is a huge line!"... and that line was for yours truely. i was out of skrimp, and waiting on my next batch to be fried up. and people were waiting for them to come out.
when i first set up, and was idly standing by, waiting, i felt bad. bad as in "not good", not bad as in guilty. i just could never imagine really wishing failure on someone. and i could feel that energy resonating around me and weighing down on my heart. i tried thinking of stanton, in attempts to make myself feel better, but it didn't work, because i knew how upset he'd have been if he were there. i wouldn't want him to be upset. but then the crowd came. people were running into the kitchen to get more shrimp, more lettuce. my success was indirectly being reported. FUCK YOU, BiTCHES. i know you'll be happy when i'm gone. so will i. but y'all squandered a tremendous opportunity to learn, and i can promise... they will see my face again. i have a special relationship with food. it is my passion. i love it. and i have a wonderful palate. honestly, i'm not gloating, i am really good with flavor combinations, as well as complimentary textural contrast... probably because i used to be a huge pothead.
its sad when people wish bad things on others... is oklahoma so far behind that they haven't heard of karma?
yesterday i purchased my very first professional chef's knife. i bought the dimpled blade because it keeps food from sticking to the blade when cutting. its sexy. :o)
the potato has sprouted some new appendages. i accidentally broke one off during our photoshoOt. 
sweet potato sunday had to take a back seat to the super bowl. i think the pink appendage is beginning to wilt... 
whenever i see this label, and buy this bottle, i think of my number 1. i think it is because of the B, and the swirly image. it conjures a subconscious recollection of her tattoo. and also, the simple elegance and complexity of the logo. it just reminds me of Brooke :o)
ridiculous. this apartment complex does not shovel anything, and everything is covered in ice. this would not fly in new jersey. however, i don't really care, because i am not paying rent to live here. 
i am getting a head start today; just woke up and already snapped a picture. yesterday was cloudy and miserable, and today the sun is beginning to shine, though you can't really see it in this photo. But it looks beautiful, and rejuvenating. i hope all this ice on the ground disappears [transportation hasn't been running shuttles these past 2 days and i am out of water, and technically out of food, being that i have no milk for my cereal]! i am parched.
is excruciatingly long. but i gotta keep on keepin' on. 
taking a picture every day is a lot of work. sometimes i don't feel like pausing to take a picture. more often than not, i am fairly certain that other people may not appreciate me pausing to take a picture of them. so, this is me, note in the background: my externship manual has taken over the couch. i look thrilled to be staring at the information i need to transform into juice drinks. in pajamas at 6:50 pm. only three more weeks of this... 3 more weeks...
its been one week since i happened upon my little friend... i think its dying?
nap time. and the sun is peering through my blinds, right into my eyes. ugh. i hate waking up from naps and feeling like crap. i just want to stay in bed and sleeep.
i checked my mail today, prior to my measly two miles on the treadmill [which i wanted to 86 at least 7 times during my brief 30 minutes of activity], and received this card from my mother, informing me of some current events back home and this gem of advice: "hope you are okay & please don't rely on wine for comfort. it only dulls everything, doesn't solve anything."
interesting. i guess i figured out how to make my pictures really small? i don't care enough to toy with it. this is the fireplace in my apartment. i still have the flowers from one of my first weeks out here. phyllis was supposed to come over for dinner, and we were going to go for a movie, but then her daughter had to go to the hospital, so phyllis had to cancel. that doesn't seem like so long ago, but at the same time it does.
