The first thing I told Jason when I walked in to work on Saturday was that Chef Yek had said my translated product wasn’t sweet enough for the mainstream market. He made it sound like that was something I ought to have known =) BLAH. I may have grown up here, but I haven’t quite got the American taste for sweets.
We’re to come in at 7 rather than 8 on the day of our final, and I’m freaking out. I went to MCI today and I found out that all of MCI Operations is invited. I suppose that ought to make me feel better on some level, because at least I’ll know a decent amount of people, but… *sigh*
Stevo’ll be there. I stopped in at Receiving and saw him, but he seemed busy, so I didn’t say anything.
I got my jacket from Jay, went upstairs to hunt for Chef LaSorella and get my shirt from her, chit-chatted with Chef LaSorella, Chef Huller, Chef Myatt… bumped into Chef Kinsella… Chef Huller says she ought to be on the shirt, too, standing in between Chef Myatt and Chef K, pushing them apart =) If I could have just gotten a picture of her when she posed for that brief split-second, I could’ve cartoonified it and iron-transferred it onto my shirt. Lol. Chef LaSorella and I were talking about work, and I told her about Jared asking if she’d taught me how to make toffee, and how he’d said he’d have to give her a call sometime when I said she hadn’t. Of course, not knowing the significance, I’d just taken it, but Chef gave me my comeback for tomorrow, which is to ask Jared why he didn’t go and learn it from her all the years that she was there making it =) I can’t wait.
I also stopped by the Honors room and spent a decent amount of time catching up with Cory and making all sorts of plans for digging out a hobbit hole and discovering the broom closet that no one knows about at UC once his batch joins mine. Good times =) and the markerboard hasn’t been erased since I left!!! Mine and Josh’s and George’s goodbye notes are still there.
So yeah, after wandering around for about 30 minutes, I headed back down to Receiving and bid everyone a happy Thanksgiving, and I really did mean to leave it at that, but Stevo greeted me, then declared that it was time for a sidebar.
It was pouring outside and I thought it looked absolutely miserable, but then Steve smiled and asked, “Isn’t it nice?” and indicated the rain. When I hesitated, he added, “I like it.” And then I realized that I’d forgotten just how much I love standing on that hill, enjoying all the different seasons from the semi-sheltered semicircle that is the dock. Sidebars with Brad and Steve were the best on otherwise miserably-weathered days. We had a nice long talk, it must have been at least fifteen minutes, if not twenty.
I know it’s not yet December, but I’m soooo anxious for January’s potluck… on top of Michelle and Nate being in the same place, to get Stevo and Bradley and Steffy in the same place as well…
Somehow, I haven’t had much Kuya-time at all in the past month. Things came up that kept me from my previously regular Stevo-and-Josh time on Tuesdays. I don’t think I tend to appreciate it any less when it’s fairly frequent or regular, but Kuya-time is always even more terribly refreshing than usual after a hiatus, especially an unplanned one. One of the best characteristics of Kuya-time is the spontaneity of conversation. I wasn’t expecting a twenty-minute sidebar, but we talked about UC and MCI and Dante’s Divine Comedy and Harry Potter and co-op and Texas and mosquitos and Indiana and hunting and deer and and white hair and lunch and work and teachers and people and master’s degrees and mindsets and… other things.
Well, well, moving on to work.
What precipitated the following conversation, I still have absolutely no idea, but here I am, minding my own business, probably singing to myself while prepping on pastry, and suddenly Jared stops at my station and goes, “So, I dated this girl from Denmark once…” Something something about high school and international students followed, which frankly, I didn’t really catch because I was busy trying to look around and figure out who he was talking to without looking as if I wasn’t paying attention in case he really was actually talking to me. When I’d ascertained that I was the only human being in the immediate vicinity and decided that I wasn’t imagining that Jared was looking at me while he spoke, I really couldn’t help cutting in with, “Jared… why are you telling me this?” “Oh. Never mind. Just thought you’d be interested in my life story.” I felt horrible. But he wouldn’t talk about it anymore, no matter what I said. Fail. And I interrupted him. Epic fail.
Jared occasionally snaps his towel at the grill or at the bains sitting next to it at random times on slow nights. I’m just waiting for him to snap his towel at me. Seriously.
Sam: Ais, Yards is looking for you. I don’t know what he wants.
me: Does he have an apple?
Sam: Yeah, now that you mention it, he was holding an apple. Why; does he bring you apples??
me: No, he wants me to cut it for him. Tell him I’ll be up as soon as I can.
Go figure, Sam runs upstairs and starts yelling for Yards to do it himself. I only caught the first bit of it.
me: What did you do?!?!
Sam: I really don’t think I should repeat what I said in front of you.
me: But what if he believes you?!
Sam: Ais, you really think he’d believe me? You’d never use the language I chose.
I guess he told Jason exactly what that was once I was sufficiently distracted. Jason seemed to find it funny.
When I finally finished what I was doing, I went upstairs… only to find that Jared had cut the apple for Yards. “But he didn’t cut it with love, Ais.” Later, still early in service, Jared gave me an apple to julienne for the scallop apps. “See, Jared, look at that; she’s cutting it with love.” Rme.
Fr. Geoff and Marv were at the Panera on Calhoun for lunch a couple Tuesdays ago. Aaron had an exam, unfortunately, and apparently a number of other UC students from St. Max had similar conflicts, so I was one of two students, the other being a senior in DAAP. I couldn’t stay for as long as I would have liked, as I had to head over to Raymond Walters for my afternoon class, but it was a terribly gorgeous November Tuesday, anticipated high in the 70’s, and I stopped by Receiving for half an hour-ish to catch up with Jay. It was just one of those perfectly lovely days where absolutely nothing could possibly go wrong.
I picked up Aaron and Anna Marie on Friday morning. UC holidays equals downtown adventures, and it was a bit on the chilly side, but the sun was shining, and that was about as much as one could hope for. We had brunch at It’s Just Crepes, checked out the Skywalk and Macy’s to keep warm, were the first customers in at Abby Girl Sweets, and finished off our downtown adventures at Findlay Market. Mrs. Ridenour met us entirely by chance in the elevator on our way up to Anna Marie’s room, and joined us for our feast of cupcakes. I’ve never been a huge fan of cupcakes, but those were killer. It’s Just Crepes is awesome. We each got our own, and then we shared the crepe of the month, which was Bananas Foster, and boy was that a work of art. Dojo Gelato is always wonderful, and Abby Girl Sweets was quite the find.
Oh, Matt. First he was complaining that I’d bruised up his arm so badly from all the kicks I threw; now he’s bragging that he beat me up. Silly, silly Matt.
So, I guess I had it coming. Jared randomly said sorry to me the other day as I was walking past, and I stopped and asked, “Whaat…. Why…” “Believe me, Ais, I ask myself that same question all the time.” “But… When I say sorry, I have a perfectly legit reason for doing so-” “In your head, Ais.” “No-” “Yes.” “… I’m sorry…” “Oh geeze.”
Later in the week: “You need to stop being sorry.” “Oh. *pause* Should I… be asking permission to be sorry-” “NO.”
And then the other day, Jared was at the window and Ricky Bobby was at the white fridge behind me, and they were having a conversation over my head about something so I wasn’t paying any attention, and then all of a sudden it registers that Jared is saying, “Sorry… sorry… sorry… sorry…” and I look up from the amuse and find that Jared’s looking at me.
Maybe he will cure me eventually of saying sorry all the time, but I highly doubt that he’ll find me any more tolerable for it.
We went to Music Hall on Wednesday, the restaurant was closed to the public. We were there with Tony’s, Kyoto, Taste of Belgium, JR, and others that I didn’t catch. The best part was that Taste of Belgium had their speed rack of goodies stowed in the back area where we were plating, and sometime in the latter half of the evening, the chef bid us take whatever we liked, soooo…. on top of a hotel pan of duck confit that hadn’t quite worked out the way it should’ve and foie gras that had come back on our cart when things had slowed down somewhat, I had a pumpkin cake pop, lemon tarts, a bunch of chocolate somethings, more cake…
Sam and I were doing the antipasti platters; I was doing the garnishes in the back and he was slicing the meats and plating them at the booth. Chief and Ricky Bobby were plating foie in the back; that was going out on a cart which was really a table on wheels and being followed by servers offering Eiswein. Jared was plating the duck at the booth. I think Adam and others were pouring wine at the booth as well. I had been instructed to keep up with plating garnishes and stop when I reached 250, so I had the Manchego and the membrillo cut and counted after Doug had taken some and I’d told him point-blank to stop or I’d make him. And then I came back to find Jared eating pita and Manchego. “Jared, you, too?? I had those counted…” “I’m starving. I need to eat something or I’m going to faint. You don’t want me to faint, do you, Ais?” “I suppose not, Jared…” “Ok, then.” “So I’m short one?” “No, I’ve had, like… four.” “Oh, brilliant…”
Well, that was fun, and I’ve tons more to share, but I think it’s time to sleep… lol.
Dinner with two of my favorite people ever tonight =)
Peace.
With Open Hands 