Week Zero

Intro... and Thanks

First, thanks to that handful of folks (you know who you are) who have asked repeatedly "Where's the blog? When are you going to start up again?" If nothing else, you've shamed me into writing. Actually you've shown that I'm not just writing to pass my time, make a historical record (think "online diary") whatever -- but that somebody else actually cares (or you fake it well).

Last year there was a different set of challenges, a different set of hurdles. From the schooling perspective it is the difference between "fear of the unknown" (new school, new discipline...) last year, and "fear of the known" (remembering how intense it was) coupled with the uncertainty of a different curriculum and a Instructor I hadn't met. Chef Marco, I'll write about him later, is pictured in the left side of the photo, which is of our pastry kitchen.

Like so many aspects of our lives -- well, my life at least -- things have a way of working out for the best. The curriculum is tight, the pace is fast but exciting, not just exhausting, and the new instructor? Well you'll have to wait a log or two for that.

The other difference between now and then, was that last year, I moved into a rented apartment, completely furnished save perhaps for my kitchen preferences. Met a friend of the Owners, got the key, unpacked a bit, and went to sleep. This time, the place is our own (in the same building!), but was almost completely vacant, and completely devoid of furniture. I packed about 200 pounds of luggage into 3 checked bags -- including an inflatible air mattress, which I continued to use until purchasing a sofa bed. It's about 7 weeks later as I write this (I arrived around April 8, 2005, it's May 24th today) and the place is still a shambles. It's a partially painted shambles, it's got some light, the kitchen is shaping up... but it's still a far cry from "move in condition".

This is all potential material for a good tale. Hope you'll check in once in a while to see how it's going -- and to remind me to write.

Week Zero

I've called this "Week Zero" because while school starts in another week, there's a billion things to do beforehand. The condo we bought is in a 40 year old building, and while it is in outstanding physical condition (the condo that is -- the building's just OK) there are just so many things that need to be dealt with just to make it habitable. It is very much like when "leaving the nest" for one's first apartment. You don't have dishes. A vacuum. Toilet paper...

The previous owner left behind a number if helpful items (including toilet paper, actually) but the only "furniture" here initially was what I shipped in plastic storage containers from New Hampshire: an inflatable bed and one canvas chair. With all the things that needed to be done, I pretty much lived on the floor (a couple of carpets were left behind), bought a couple of glasses, a coffee pot; ate off plastic plates which I dutifully washed and re-used. It was sort of like camping but with a refrigerator.

I remember feeling overwhelmed -- no so much at the number of things that needed to be done, but at the number of choices available for how to tackle them. Kathy (wife and family Pragmatist) helped to narrow the choices; some will be deferred for her arrival in May. Used one of my shipping containers (upside-down) as an ersatz table for my laptop, later purchasing a coffee table which also served as a "desk" that and a safer spot for my coffee cup, Cable service. Internet. Kitchen tools. Ahhhh.

Introduction
Week 0	Sad but true.

Intro... and Thanks First, thanks to that handful of folks (you know who you are) who have asked repeatedly "Where's the blog? When are you going to start up again?" If nothing else, you've shamed me into writing. Actually you've shown that I'm not just writing to pass my time, make a historical record (think "online diary") whatever -- but that somebody else actually cares (or you fake it well). Last year there was a different set of challenges, a different set of hurdles. From the schooling perspective it is the difference between "fear of the unknown" (new school, new discipline...) last year, and "fear of the known" (remembering how intense it was) coupled with the uncertainty of a different curriculum and a Instructor I hadn't met. Chef Marco, I'll write about him later, is pictured in the left side of the photo, which is of our pastry kitchen. Like so many aspects of our lives -- well, my life at least -- things have a way of working out for the best. The curriculum is tight, the pace is fast but exciting, not just exhausting, and the new instructor? Well you'll have to wait a log or two for that. The other difference between now and then, was that last year, I moved into a rented apartment, completely furnished save perhaps for my kitchen preferences. Met a friend of the Owners, got the key, unpacked a bit, and went to sleep. This time, the place is our own (in the same building!), but was almost completely vacant, and completely devoid of furniture. I packed about 200 pounds of luggage into 3 checked bags -- including an inflatible air mattress, which I continued to use until purchasing a sofa bed. It's about 7 weeks later as I write this (I arrived around April 8, 2005, it's May 24th today) and the place is still a shambles. It's a partially painted shambles, it's got some light, the kitchen is shaping up... but it's still a far cry from "move in condition". This is all potential material for a good tale. Hope you'll check in once in a while to see how it's going -- and to remind me to write. Week Zero I've called this "Week Zero" because while school starts in another week, there's a billion things to do beforehand. The condo we bought is in a 40 year old building, and while it is in outstanding physical condition (the condo that is -- the building's just OK) there are just so many things that need to be dealt with just to make it habitable. It is very much like when "leaving the nest" for one's first apartment. You don't have dishes. A vacuum. Toilet paper... The previous owner left behind a number if helpful items (including toilet paper, actually) but the only "furniture" here initially was what I shipped in plastic storage containers from New Hampshire: an inflatable bed and one canvas chair. With all the things that needed to be done, I pretty much lived on the floor (a couple of carpets were left behind), bought a couple of glasses, a coffee pot; ate off plastic plates which I dutifully washed and re-used. It was sort of like camping but with a refrigerator. I remember feeling overwhelmed -- no so much at the number of things that needed to be done, but at the number of choices available for how to tackle them. Kathy (wife and family Pragmatist) helped to narrow the choices; some will be deferred for her arrival in May. Used one of my shipping containers (upside-down) as an ersatz table for my laptop, later purchasing a coffee table which also served as a "desk" that and a safer spot for my coffee cup, Cable service. Internet. Kitchen tools. Ahhhh. Index Next Log

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Intro... and Thanks

Week Zero

Index

Next Log