Weekly Summary #24

Ah, finally I am getting the urge to write again. I haven't been wearing myself out writing cover letters lately, so my writing energy seems to growing back to its normal levels again. Very good. Anyhow, I thought this week could have been a little more packed in the productive realm, but overall it was still good. The list:

1.) Write an article on my connection to cooking: I'm still planning this one, I just didn't want to do it this week given other commitments. I should be able to do it next week if my situation is what I think it is, which I'll elaborate on below.

2.) Read all of Green & Black's articles: Done. Honestly, I think many of these are too short to be of worthwhile value. It's very easy to breeze through them in two minutes or fewer, and most aren't informationally dense.

3.) See if there's a way to drive down CPU usage on my computer: I didn't do it, and I should soon. To reiterate from last time, for whatever reason, my computer has been working terribly ever since I moved to Texas. Ever since I updated my Firefox browser it has, among other programs, been sucking my memory to the point my computer functions excruciatingly slowly. I can't watch DVDs pleasurably in this kind of state, and overall my computing experience is annoyingly inefficient. I need to work on this problem, but my proposed solutions are so time-consuming I'm procrastinating.

4.) Be STRICT in completing my goals: While I may not have completed all my weekly goals I did a perfect job keeping on top of my daily goals, and have awarded myself with chocolate and Hulu accordingly. Mm, New Tree.

5.) Write in my journal at least 3 times: Done. It felt great the first time, but the other two times it felt like I was forcing myself partly. I think I need to identify when I'm in the emotional state that would be best benefited by written introspection, and develop the discipline to do the writing when that state has been recognized. When I force myself to write with no issues in mind there is the possibility I could stumble upon a valuable thought serendipitously, but it's an uncomfortable pursuit overall in that context. 

6.) Clean out the useless papers in my car: Yep.

7.) Look for the nearby Farmers Market: Looked for and documented, but it's not yet open.

8.) De-frag computer: Procrastinating on. The thing I hate about things like running a virus scan in safe mode or de-fragging my computer is that is takes a long time, up to eight hours or more, and in the meanwhile I have no access to my files. Sure, I can certainly go days without using the internet, but I utilize to-do lists meticulously on my computer and am creating text files all the time, so being away from my computer even in this short amount of time is uncomfortable and somewhat deleterious to my overall productivity. Even running the scans while I'm in bed is annoying, for my computer lights up the room and is still in that process when I wake up. I need to find a good time frame that would make going through this process bearable, and I haven't found it yet.

* * * * *

The best thing that happened this week is that I may have possibly secured a job! I've been trying to apply to a country club that a sous chef recommended to me, but have been having trouble getting in contact with anyone. I visited them yesterday and surprisingly got a on-spot interview, which I think went exemplary, and am now waiting for them to contact me as to when they want me to come in to work. The greatest thing is that I believe this place may positively be the best for my culinary education and the wisest employment choice, so I'm glad to have been persistent in my pursuit of it and for things to be working out this way. The sous chef there is a vibrant and very intelligent man, and I'm eager to satisfy my intellectual appetite under him.

They did say that they have accepted me, but at the moment specifics are not clear, so for the immediate present nothing is clear enough as for me to start choosing my next major pursuits. I learned of the field of gastronomy while I was there, so I suspect that I'll soon be shifting my personal studies quickly to this scientific specialization. It may very well be what I want to do in the long-run of my career, for the causation behind food is what interests me at root. After all, it was people like Alton Brown who got me interested in cooking to begin with. Aside from arranging a new course of study, I'll also need to contemplate my financial practices, reassess my new year's resolutions, and begin thinking about my social involvements. This is truly where my life begins.

Additionally, I suspect that this blog will become more and more food-oriented as I get deeper into my career and studies. I'm going to start visiting more high-end restaurants as part of my culinary studies, and I definitely intend to blog my thoughts on what I experience. Furthermore, I've been daydreaming often of my taking my chocolate reviews more seriously (in regards to meticulous editing), so I'm contemplating if there's other ways I could branch out in my reviews or food writing. Self-improvement will still be a major theme of this blog, but now that I'm fresh out of my Project and getting into my career field it's time for me to dedicate myself to my chosen line of work: The culinary arts. Inevitably such a dedication will show in my writing.

And my writing will certainly not be neglected. I may not want to be a professional writer anymore, but writing will not be sacrificed to cooking. I do this, after all, for its immensely practical introspective benefits, and I view continued writing, even this blogging, as essential for my learning and my honing a better understanding of my knowledge. It's simply too valuable to pass up. I look especially forward to returning back to regular blogging, for my irregular schedule makes me feel rusty and incompetent. Good writings skills seem to me like a knife: Always needing constant honing to maintain its edge.

What to do with this upcoming week is a mystery at this point, but as my employment situation becomes more clear I'm sure my range of activities will blossom. For instance, one of my first plans is to get a copy (either printed or self-made) of every menu and to learn it like the back of my hand, including doing conceptual exercises for concepts I've never understood before (e.g. demi glaze, fois gras) or have a difficult time pronouncing, like French terms. There's a great many things I have planned to begin my career development, including practicing knife skills, but I need to start my work first before I can identify the concrete activities. For now I'll make some brief plans with the thought that things will certainly be added to my plate very quickly and very soon:

1.) Write blog post on my connection to cooking: I think this would not only help further identify my purpose in life, but help in the future identify what I need to do to achieve it.

2.) Get gym membership: I'm looking to get physically fit all over, not only because it makes me more attractive and healthy, but also because it helps at work. Lugging around all those heavy pots and pans, you know? I love the Body by Science exercises.

3.) Go to Master Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse: I never knew these things existed until I saw this one, and I instantly fell in love with the idea. It's the most Paleo restaurant I've ever heard of, and I decided near when I first moved that this would be my first restaurant visit after I get employed. I'll fast, workout, and eat way more than I paid for.

4.) Read 30 pages of What Einstein Told His Cook if it comes in the library: Having learned of gastronomy has been a real big help in identifying what type of books I need to read. This shall be the first of many, though I already own Cookwise.

5.) Write a post about that emotional identification I made.

That's about it for now. Next week this list will surely be larger, for I'll know better what my best course will be, but for now things should be left open-ended like this. With my free time I think I should get back to work on maintaining my blog properly, to hone my writing skills back to where they once were. And there will be other things too. I'm glad I can cease my job hunt, for being involved in it was getting quite monotonous mentally.

Life is moving forward. Greatly forward.