8 to 5

Polaroid transfer

It has been an odd week.  It feels like my mood is on a roller coaster.......

The class is going well, but the parking situation is still a pain.  My first class day I was lucky.  I found a parking spot, in a very crowded parking garage.  The second class I had to park in a spot reserved for people with a Y parking pass ~ I still don't know who gets those....probably general staff.  I managed to get out without a ticket, although I lucked out since I saw the university parking police heading up to the 6th floor as I was driving down.  Whew!  After that I decided I should try the other parking garage, which is a bit farther away from class, and not as convenient for hopping back on the freeway to go back to work.  I still have to park on the 5th floor of the garage though.  I've never seen the paid parking areas so full ~ I'm not sure if it's just that there's a huge number of incoming freshman, or if students decided they didn't want to pay for a yearly parking pass.  The problem for me is I can't park off campus and wait for a shuttle.  I already take 2 1/2 hours a week off from work to attend.  Maybe things will change in a month or so.  Maybe the kids haven't received their parking passes in the mail yet?  I don't know, but I hope things settle down soon......

In the meantime, life rolls on much the same as it always does.  What I really want is a vacation ~ one where Romeo and I go somewhere else like the beach, or a cabin in the woods.....or Paris, London, Glasgow.  I think it's been 4 or 5 years.  I have a trip to Texas coming up, but that's not a vacation.  That's visiting family and going to a high school reunion.  

There are many times when I wish I lived nearer to home, but then there are times when I thank my lucky stars that I don't.  My Mother's caregiver has prostate cancer, and just started treatments.  While he's receiving treatments, he set up friends to come and stay with Mom, but she was upset because my sister didn't volunteer to come and stay with her, and that she had suggested hiring someone from an agency to come, which I thought was a good idea.  If Mom had a problem, then the friends would have to call an ambulance or something.  My sister is doing her best not to get caught up in having to stay with Mom for four hours twice a week.  So, there's the guilt of not being there, and the guilt of feeling relieved I'm not caught up in it.  

Love, 365

Baking success......

It looks a bit dark, but I think it's the light it was under....

Baltimore peach cake.

Not sure why it's called a cake...

I was watching PBS one weekend morning which featured a peach cake recipe with Martha Stewart a few weeks before I received my peaches and saved it to try.  I thought it was delicious, with great peach flavor and a nice crunch from the yeast dough underneath.  I must warn you that if you want to make it (Martha Stewart's version) do not be daunted by the lack of foaminess of the yeast that is sprinkled on top of the milk.  I threw out my first batch and pulled out a new jar of yeast thinking that mine was past it's prime ~ but it did the same thing the second time, despite the fact I had let the milk sit out for 20 minutes to come to room temperature.  I later looked up other recipes and noticed that in one they scalded the milk to allow the yeast to rise.  Martha also had you add the 4 tablespoons of butter after the dough was made, which made it look like a gloppy mess.  As I set it aside I decided to make a pie, because I wasn't sure the peach cake recipe was working.  The first rise took forever.  I had peeled and sliced 8 peaches and mixed in the rest of the ingredients for the pie, made the pie, and put it in the oven to bake before the dough had risen.  

I decided to look for other recipes (which turns out to be a German pastry that can also be made savory with carmelized onions)  and found this one, which in my opinion will likely be easier to make than Martha Stewart's (which is kinda strange, with her being the Queen of baking).  I will try the second recipe this afternoon to take to the office tomorrow.  

Again, the lighting is terrible, but the pie is wonderful.

All of this peach baking is wreaking havoc with any attempts to reduce the daily caloric limit.  On the plus side, I've been eating plenty of peaches straight out of the boxes they came in.  And I've peeled, sliced and placed in the freezer 10 quarts of fresh peaches.  

So now I'm off to study!  Enjoy...

Love, 365

Later that evening: I made the other recipe for the peach cake, and it is much more a bread, it rose higher and the peaches lay more on top that they did for the Martha Stewart recipe.  Unfortunately the Stewart recipe did not stay crispy, so if you like that best eat it all in one sitting, haha.  Since I haven't eaten any of the second one, I'll update you on that in a later post.  

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Labor Day parade in 1900 (source)

I read up a few facts about Labor Day, and in the late 1800s men, women and many children worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Many of those jobs were back breaking, like brick laying, dress making, etc, and for low wages to boot.  The holiday became national in 1894.  If you go the the source link for the photo, it takes you to the NY Times article if you're so inclined.

Palisade Peaches from Colorado (shutter stock)

A year ago one of my friends mentioned she had recently picked up her Palisade peaches and described how delicious they are.  She gave me instructions to where the truck would be delivering previously placed orders, and that if I were lucky, they would have a few extra boxes for folks who didn't know about it.  I did get my first box last year, and signed up for notification this year and was so excited when my postcard came.  I ordered two boxes and picked them up yesterday.  Last year I made a pie, but this year I'm planning on making a Baltimore Peach Cake: 

Martha Stewart

If it's as delicious as it looks, I'll post a pic of my own attempt.  Actually it looks easy.  I have 2 boxes of peaches, and I need to start baking!  Palisade peaches are delicious, and many Colorado residents can attest.  Romeo ate 3 of them yesterday......

At Wagner's in Corrales for green chile's

We also picked up freshly roasted green chile yesterday, so I spent an hour or so preparing them for freezing, and made a pot full of green chile stew.  Given how hot the medium was, I'm glad we didn't buy the "hot" chile.  It was delicious, and we're having it again today for dinner ~ my favorite thing during the fall so we don't have to cook every night.  Next week I'm going for beef carbonade, which is a beef roast, cut into chunks, browned in bacon drippings, lots of thinly sliced onions with beer, cooked in the oven for 2 hours and served on wide egg noodles.  It's a great recipe for the fall when you don't mind your oven on for that long.  

Meanwhile, at the U.S. Open.....

Čilić

Some games are predictable, but within those have been some awesome games that bring you out of your seat!  Looking forward to watching more today....

I hope all of you enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Love, 365

Why does it continue?

Source

Many of my history classes involve religion simply because the Catholic Church is intimately involved.  I've taken a class on the Catholic Church in America, and am currently taking a class on the History of Christianity.  This class has some teeth.....I will be learning more details of how the church shaped European history.

The Church is surrounded by the smell of corruption.  It is not only the priests that abuse their position for sex.  It is much more than that, but right now that is the smoke in the air.

The idea that priests are unable to marry is based in canon law.  Since Jesus wasn't married (as far as we know) and Paul (one of the 12) who called on all priests to celibacy (and we see how that is going) and to "abstain from civil affairs" ~ or marriage.

The Church has made some small strides toward modernity (very small, lol) it seems unlikely that priests will be able to marry in the near future.  However, I think it is prudent to mention that Jesus never called for the leaders of his church to remain unmarried.  As many of the books of the Bible were written after the fact, many of the "words of Jesus" were likely manipulated by the author's own spin.  But I digress.

I suppose that if the church did allow priests to marry, then there would be the double standard for gay priests.  Can you imagine the outcry?  And yet, it is a contradiction within the tenets of the church, for all the love and acceptance they purportedly preach.  And the truth is, I doubt seriously that allowing priests to marry would solve the problem in it's entirety.

I would have to conclude by stating that in our modern world with the access we have to news and social media, it is very difficult to maintain the "secret" that there are priests (and many of them) that are not upholding the rules of their ordainment.  The biggest problem the church has is a shortage of priests, which is why they prefer to sweep the ugly truth under the rug.  If they had to expel all the priests accused, who will man the pulpit?  In order to solve the problem, the church must find a way to encourage men to enter the priesthood ~ the age old conundrum.  I'm sure there are men that feel the calling to serve, but decide they can honor their Church without entering such a cesspool.  I know if it were me, I'd think the same.

However, the Church will persevere as they have for 2 thousand years.  Civilizations rise and fall, and the Church is still here, limping along admittedly, but still here.  It will be interesting to see what P. Frances will do ~ although this morning a cardinal (can't recall who) made public a letter he had written to Frances in 2013(?) about abuses at the hands of his priests and he did nothing.  Too bad, because I kind of liked him.

Love, 365

Beginnings.....

Smiles all around.......of course we'd had a few mimosa's by then!!

I love these women.

We're here for each other....

So, I already moaned and groaned about my migraine and although I mentioned I would not miss the first class I actually did.  The migraine from Monday came back while I was getting ready to go.  The sweats, and all the other lovely special effects.  

So my first day was Thursday.  I left work at 10:30 and traffic was cool, but parking was a real bitch.  I forgot that it was the first week of the fall semester with tons of freshman going to class for the first week.  The parking garage was a nightmare, because these young energetic people don't want to park on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th floor (and I bet the 3rd and 4th were practically empty) because they might have to walk a few extra steps.  So, every time someone's back up lights came on on the first floor all traffic stopped while they backed out and the next person in line would grab the spot.  It took awhile to get to the first open spot.  I thought I might make it on time until........

I arrived at room 105, to a small classroom where all the desks were against the wall in a U shape, and the professor was talking about how she didn't realize she needed to ask for a projector the day before, and then droned on....I wasn't really listening until she said something technical and then I realized ~ I wasn't in the right classroom.  So, between the time I walked in and walked out was probably only about 3 minutes.  As I left, I thought I should say something, so I said as I left "sorry, wrong class" and two or three said "thanks for stopping by!", which made me laugh as I walked out and found my class in room 102.  Not sure I get why a 5 looked like a 2.  My eyes aren't what they used to be. 

Love, 365

Sort of a sick day.....

Just outside of Abiquiu

Yesterday I had to leave work 30 minutes early with the beginnings of a migraine (always fun, driving with one...picture the a/c on full blast with my darkest sunglasses on).  I made it home in better shape than I usually do (probably because I left early enough).  Romeo was already home, and is familiar with the routine of my flopping on the couch, throwing an arm over my eyes and sleeping for a few hours.  Then he brings me back to life with oyster crackers and a carbonated drink.  

After one of these lovely periodic bouts, I am tired and still slightly headachy.  So I decided last night I would skip work today.  So, that's the reason I'm writing on a Tuesday instead of working.  I sent the text to the Doc and the OM (office manager) at 6:30am this morning.  So different from my previous job where I had to be on my death bed if I was missing work ~ my previous boss is a little tyrant.  Literally, I am taller than he is.  I am not the only one that believes that his being so small is no "small part" ~ haha ~ of his problem.  So, it's a real relief to be able to call in and not be grilled or made to feel guilty for taking a day off.

I do have my first class today, which I will not miss.  Missing the first day of class is to be avoided at all costs.  Your professor will cast a jaded eye on you for the entire semester ~ that is unless you are brilliant.  Brilliant people in college are like super models.  They get away with a lot.  I am not one of them.  I have to study and put in the hours to reach "smart" level.  Which never stops me from occasionally blurting out something stupid ~ there are times when I just have to get it out of my system.  

Now, I think I'll take a little nap before class.

Love, 365

It's a fantastic day......

And as the sun sets on another day......

I have had my luckiest day ever.  

Picture if you will, a three lane road, with a speed limit of 55mph.  I'm in the middle lane, probably going about 50-55 mph.  All is as it should be.  I look down at my phone ~ just for a second.  When I look back up, the car that was in front of me changed lanes (which I didn't see) because there is a car that is at a complete stop in my lane.  I tromp on my brakes, but realize I will never be able to stop in time, and at the last minute swerve around the left, barely missing the stopped car and the car in the right lane.  

To say I was freaked out is an understatement.  I shook and cursed myself for 15 min.  I stupidly thought to myself "wow, I had some quick reflexes there", and then immediately berated myself.  I could have killed the people in the stopped car.  I could have been killed.  It could have been fucking awful.  I've always prided myself on driving safely, and now realize I was kidding myself thinking I could even glance at my phone and drive safely.  

I am an idiot.  A lucky idiot.  

But it sure reminded me that when I drive I need to focus solely on that and nothing else.  

I have some meds for anxiety which I hardly ever take, but let me tell you my friends, I took one when I got home.  Just to stop the shakes.  

Love, 365

Cranky Sunday.....

Hahahaha

Romeo is at his worst on the mornings he wakes up grumpy.  He'll go off on a tangent....this morning it was about plastic containers.  He didn't think you could put them in the dishwasher.  I mentioned that I put them in the dishwasher all the time, but he still had that look on his face.  You know the one?  The one that says "I'm still bugged", "why didn't you tell me sooner", etc.  I did what most wives do when the other half is dogged by a dark cloud ~ I went to my office (to blog about it! Hahaha).  Poor man, he's overwhelmed and when that happens he just has to get it out of his system.

Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood

Now, The Great British Baking show has it's issues as apparently in the U.S. we are not watching them in order, and after a bit of a tuffle, it was picked up from PBS to a commercial channel and Mary Berry is no longer on the show.  Which is a shame, because I dearly love her demeanor and skill.  Paul Hollywood is a bit more harsh with his criticisms, but if you've ever watched "Chopped", he is much more kind with critique.  Of course, the two shows are as different as black and white.  Chopped contestants are presented with a basket of ingredients (with one really crazy one thrown in each one) and only have 30 minutes from start to finish.  The Great British Baking Show's contestants are home bakers, not professionals.  So, it can be encouraging (or discouraging depending on what they're baking) to home cooks everywhere that have an interest in home baking.  One of my co-workers brought her cookbook ~ Mary Berry's Baking Bible ~ and I ordered it for myself.  And made this yesterday:

My first French Tart

It took me 3 hours ~ but I've learned a few things from this one.  

~Peel those apples.  Underneath the thinly sliced apples on top is, well, basically applesauce of sorts. You cook the apples until soft and then strain them (undoubtedly the longest part of the whole deal).  The book says you don't need to peel them, but if I had, it would have taken half the time to push the mushy apples through a sieve.  

Once I baked it, I knew those peels, that give it a nice color admittedly, would pose a problem with cutting it.  Which it did.  No matter though, it's just the two of us eating it, so if it gets a bit messy, no problem.  

The truth is though, although I could cut the time down to 2 hours, that's still a lot of time.  I don't see myself baking it more than a few times a year.  It is so delicious, that when apple season comes back I will likely make it again.  If I were a stay at home wife, I would make it monthly.  Yep.  It's that good.

Love, 365

Saturday morning musings....

A little fun with a new photo app

If you've been reading this blog, you know I've been waiting for the grade on my summer class.  The grad student who was teaching it had some surgery scheduled right after class ended, and explained she had asked others for help with grading our final papers.  The university has a policy that we are to receive our grades one week after class ends.  So, on Monday I e-mailed and called, only to get a recording.  Tuesday I called again and spoke to the woman who answered the phone, and she said that the department is aware of the issue, and the department head (yes, the department head, omg) would be grading our papers.  Which made me break out into a sweat.  Noooooooo........

By Wednesday I had my grade, which was an A.  I was surprised.  I figure the dept. head was a bit overwhelmed, scanned the papers, looked at our grade averages to that point and graded accordingly. This has happened before, where the final project was rather large.  So, I wonder why they do this if there's no time to look at them properly.  Not that I'm complaining.  Hey, I ended up with an A because of the rush to get them graded.  But truly, unless there is a minimum of stuff a class must do, why even ask us to write a 6-8 page paper when you know you can't grade them?  I guess shit happens at every level of any given organization.  Moving on......

I can see fall on the horizon.....the sun is coming up noticeably later, the mornings are cooler.  Fall is my favorite season in New Mexico.  Soon we'll be heading down to Corrales to order our green chile.

Leaving you with these:

Albuquerque Sunset ~ Mikey Brooks

Old Homestead ~ Rita Smith

Rio Grand in Espanola ~ P. D. Skowronek

Clayton, NM  ~ Edward Sisneros

Not only do we have talented photographers in NM, we have awesome scenic landscapes to shoot.  These photos are from "Memories and Photos in New Mexico" Facebook page.  

Love, 365

Remember Pete? He's on hiatus....

Petroglyphs in Albuquerque

It is a bright sunshiny day here in Albuquerque.  It seems the monsoon season has taken a bit of a break with 0% chances until Thursday, which then bumps up to a whopping 10%.  It's unreasonable to expect showers every evening.  The landscape has greened up, and the view of the west mesa is beautiful.  It's been nice to take a break from watering plants, but we'll have to get back on it this week.  Truthfully, I'll take the break from the humidity, which I'm no longer used to.  

Romeo goes back to school next week, and he is both excited and bummed.  Once he completes his last test, which is next week, he will be fully licensed.  Next school year he'll be looking for a different school to teach in, hopefully one closer to home, and in the Albuquerque Public School system ~ not because it's a great system because it sucks, is part of the good ol' boy system, corrupt, bureaucratically heavy, but because NMPED (New Mexico Public Ed. Dept.) absolutely hates charter schools and is always looking for ways to exterminate them.  The charter school Romeo has been at has been threatened with closure at least 3 times in the last 2 years.  The last time NMPED had a closed meeting and voted to shut it down, only to have a hand smack that they can't do that legally.  Not that they didn't try.  Our state, like many others has a huge teacher shortage.  No one wants to do it anymore, and for a myriad of reasons.  One of our patient's at the dental office has kept an ongoing dialogue of "two more years" then "my last year" in teaching.  Apparently she has a principal that is not to her liking.  She says she wants to go into real estate, although I hope she doesn't think she'll have more family time in that profession.  That's all evening and weekend work, and it's tough to get established.  I actually obtained my license, but decided not to pursue it because I'd never be home when everyone else would be. 

Currently on my second cup of coffee, and soon will get dressed for racquetball.  I do love having a break between classes (I only have two more to go until graduation!), although there are times when I just can't figure out what to do with myself.  I think I need to plan it, because otherwise I just do stuff at home, stuff that needs to be done but aren't my favorite things to do ~ laundry, housecleaning, etc.  

And still no grades, although to be fair I didn't think there would be any change over the weekend.  Although that hasn't stopped me from checking.  

Love, 365

For Pete's sake......

You guessed it, I still don't have a final grade for my summer class.  Technically they have until midnight tonight to post final grades after a class has ended, but I've never had to wait so long before.  I've checked 3 to 4 times a day since Wednesday (but was checking at least once a day since Monday).  

On the plus side I returned my rental text book from Amazon, and apparently since I haven't had the book that long, they are refunding me the full price of the rental minus the UPS label for the return.  I'm certainly OK with that.  I guess they don't realize there are 4 week classes.  

We have had rain nearly every evening this week since last Friday (when we had and inch of hail).  Things will start to green up around here, although I think there's no hope for our Aspen tree.  It's green toward the bottom, but the top main trunk is dead.  We're not taking it out until the fall, although Romeo may decide to let it go until next spring.  As with all Aspens, there is a small tree just underneath the old one that we will just let grow into a new tree.  At one point Aspen groves were considered the largest living organism on earth until they discovered that there are types of fungus that grow much larger ~ the Humongous Fungus, which is in Oregon.  

I'm cleaning up all the paper that I accumulated from the class, and getting ready for the next one which starts on Aug. 21.  Not very long.....July went by in a flash.

I hope y'all enjoy your Friday and the weekend to come!

Love, 365