Tales of a Restaurant Kitchen Worker: Part Two

It's a dangerous world out there. I didn't know how dangerous until I started working with industrial size Hobart mixers. Sure, I love me a good KitchenAid stand up mixer, they come in handy with practically every baking recipe, but believe it or not folks, size does indeed matter.

Okay, so I didn't exactly have a bad run in battle with a giant bread dough mixing machine, but I got a bruise on my knee and a few good scratches on my hands. I work in the bakery department of a state-wide franchise pizza place, which means I basically make everything except the bread and pizza dough. Cookies, crab, jell-o, and pasta salads, a variety of calzone fillings, two kinds of pies, chocolate mousse, apple crisps, etc. All from scratch. I actually very much enjoy my job, because I like cooking, and for some reason I'm a fan of continuous cycles of activity, i.e. doing a small task over and over and over for a good half hour or so. Like portioning 8 ounces of an Italian calzone filling into a small plastic bag...25 times. I find enjoyment in the little things in life. There's generally a logical reason for the enjoyment, but sometimes I just simply like the repetition.

Anyway, I was cleaning the smaller of the two giant mixers the other morning after making a raspberry jell-o salad, and whilst wiping the machine free of pink splatters, the metal gate/splatter shield fell off the machine and onto my leg. Perhaps I should let you know i was kneeling on the ground, or else the previous statement doesn't make any sense.

I ended up with a lovely welt, relatively the size and color of a plum. It's slowly fading, but still. I haven't been that bruised for a while, it was odd to know that it came from a kitchen accident.

The moral of the story, folks, is that there is danger everywhere...I just didn't expect it to come after me in the form of a Hobart mixer.

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That was my attempt at writing something different for once. Still all about me, but a different take on me, I guess.

Later days.

Song of the Day: "Bring It On Down" by Missing 23rd

Show of the Day: Bones

On the Road Again

I'm looking forward to my drive to California on Tuesday morning. Long drives alone are good for thinking. And also for good music listening, which generally helps out the thinking process. In my opinion, anyway.

I haven't done a long drive alone since September, but I'm excited to go again. I''ll be making up some playlists tonight and tomorrow in preparation. And also doing a lot of laundry.

I don't really have much else to say.

I'll take pictures and such, I'm sure, perhaps even some video.

Wish me luck and a safe drive!

Later days.

Song of the Day: "Sailing To Nowhere" by Broken Bells. The Shins + Gnarls Barkley = Broken Bells. For the most part.

Leave Your Home, Change Your Name

[Keep in mind that this is just my opinion. I listen to and enjoy much more music than that which I reference in this post.]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how awesome music is? I mean, I know I'm a total music nerd, and as I've said before, in no way do I think of myself as an all-knowing music buff, but I am passionate, and I think that's the most important part.

I realize that I just wrote a music post a couple weeks ago, but I feel like I didn't quite express my love for the beautiful stuff as much as review and recommend a few artists.

I can't read music. Well, actually, I can, but it takes me way too long to sight read, and I just don't like doing it. I like sounds, not symbols. I may regret not learning how to further advance my skills in reading music in the future, but for now, I am quite content with tabs and sounding out things by ear.

I owe a lot of my 80s music knowledge to my mom. Singing songs from Into the Gap by Thompson Twins is one of my favorite childhood memories. And dancing along to "Rio" by Duran Duran when I was little. I'm so glad that I still have most of those tapes and records in my possession now. Scritti Politti, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads...she had good taste. Same with other music genres: Steel Pulse is still one of my favorite reggae bands to this day.

It's a surprise that I didn't know who Led Zeppelin was when I entered high school.

I never was brought up on classic rock, but I quickly learned, and immersed myself in the fantastic tunes, perhaps too much at times. That led into my love of hard core punk rock, and then into my punk phase during my sophomore year of high school, which I do not regret one single bit. How I do miss the local punk shows and mosh pits...but I digress.

Throughout my punk phase, I learned of something called indie rock: I surrounded myself with Rilo Kiley, The Shins, Death Cab, Tegan and Sara, the works. Probably still my favorite type of music to this day. Regardless of how much I love The Doors, I will choose Rogue Wave over "Crystal Ship" any day. Though perhaps not over "The End". My point is, I love the feel good sounds of The National more often than the acid trip sounds of "Dazed and Confused". I want to hear listen to Tegan & Sara's The Con on repeat for 2 weeks straight, intertwined with some Eisley and Now, Now Every Children.

But that doesn't mean I don't have my Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz moments.

I love music. I love lying on my back on the floor of the empty room next to mine in the basement, doing nothing but letting the sounds of Iron and Wine wash over me. Every once and a while, I tear up when I listen to "Passenger's Seat" by Death Cab.

I was once asked by a friend of mine what sense I would rather lose if I had to pick: Sight or Hearing. I said sight. Sure, I can be moved to tears by the sight of a beautiful piece of art or a film shot, but try watching Amelie or City of God without the sound. It is nothing without the music to guide it.

I'll leave you with that.

Later days.

Song of the Day: "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" by The National, from their High Violet album. Perhaps my favorite of the year so far. That I've heard anyway.

Film of the Day: Bottle Rocket (1996). I'm in the middle of it. Love it so far. Also, Inception just came out about 35 minutes ago. Probably seeing it tomorrow in between work shifts if possible.

I have no ideas for a catchy title today.

Believe it or not, I've been busy lately. Not like 'omgz i have no time for anything', but I have been more busy than I generally tend to be, which is saying a lot since it's summer and I spend way too much of my time on the interwebs.

This next week is going to be a little crazy. I'm actually kind of nervous about it, which is weird, but it's probably because I haven't had to do so much in one week for several months now \, so I'm just freaking out a little bit internally.

Anyway, I work everyday except Wednesday, and I'm closing dish 3 of those nights, which I'm NOT looking forward to, seeing as it is probably the worst job within the food service industry. As for opening in the bakery in the mornings, I'm getting a lot faster at everything and have most of the recipes committed to memory now, so things are going a lot more smoothly in that department.

It's still incredibly hot here in southern Utah, and I am still not used to it.

I really want to go to Zion sometime soon, but I don't see that happening for at least another two weeks, after I get back from Salt Lake City for Jen's wedding.

Oh, I'm going to SLC for a wedding in a week and a half. I'm so excited! I haven't been up there since last September for my birthday, and I haven'y even seen Jen or Shannon or Bre or Lindsey for over a year now. It's insane. I've missed my Weber buddies.

Speaking of college, I am excited for school to start up again next month. I'm taking 19 credits, which is kind of a lot, especially for me, considering I haven't ever taken more than 13 at once before in the last 2 years. In any case, I'm excited. A little nervous, but excited nonetheless.

I'll be taking American Civilization (basically US History), Human Development (... psychology? Or close to it), Elements of Grammar (yay English major classes), Intermediate Ceramics (I've missed the wheel...), Beginning Spanish II (me gusta mucho), and Communication Design, which is just a the very basic starting course for anyone interested in Graphic Design. Of which I am. So. There we go.

I've been playing guitar a lot more lately, not really writing so much as practicing and improving. Or trying to at least. I have motivation to do so lately, so I'm just going to roll with it.

But I did write a song last week that I really like. It's called Weird Kids, and I would really like to expand on it a bit more, though the chorus is pretty set.

Okay, I need to head off to sleep.

Later days.

Song of the Day: "Lipstick" by Lemuria

Film of the Day: Good Will Hunting

Also, Inception comes out next week! Stoked. And check out the trailer for Let Me In, it looks pretty awesome, and not just because Chloe Moretz is in it.