is it a testament to new york, or to our famed hospitality, that gramercy tavern is brimming with jews

eating subpar pizza at 4 in the morning off container store lids, in bed, with a friend and taco bell sauce accoutrements = fun

eating subpar turkish food at 4 in the afternoon out of the box, in bed, alone with spicy hummus = sad

a lot can happen in one day

theres nothing quite like watching your glove pool with blood as you shuck oysters.

im fucking terrible at this.

germany was nice.

ive moved again.

im living in brooklyn now.

my job is tedious. but i suppose this is what i asked for right.

being an overly complicated person has made it difficult for me to be presented with any serious offers to make me a full time lady of leisure.

off to germany. will update.

the story of the missing link.

last tuesday i went to dinner with a friend, who in turn brought a friend.

dinner was nice.

the next day at school i ran into the friend of my friend and he was wearing his chef whites.

our whites have our names on them.

his last name is my mothers maiden name.

its not a very common name.

he is my cousin. (4th)

what i am saying is, i randomly met someone whose grandfathers grandfather is my grandfathers grandfathers brother. this can not possibly be a common occurrence.

the end

the thing about the elevator game is that if i dont know about it i can not win.

so long student id and more importantly dinner

recently my mother found out a prostitute used to live in our house

i also may have met a distant cousin at school

serena, i cant be certain that im thrilled with how you came to your answer, but seeing as like usual youre the only one to respond you do win.

your prize awaits

to the first person who can correctly guess which city, and specific restaurant, i ended up choosing, there is very special prize.

the woman sitting next to me on my flight from houston back to new york reminded me that when theres a will theres a way.

she went out and purchased several three ounce, airport friendly containers, and then filled all of them with vodka.. good for you texan housewife, good for you.

sobering up at the airport is almost as bad as sobering up in jail.

i must say that i am living for terminal eights airport fashions

im at the airport in new york flying to new orleans and i accidentally ended up at a gate flying to italy. signs are bullshit. my horoscope today is insane. i think it wants me to go to new orleans, but it also suggested i not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

sorry serena, boston is out

rome is back in

no decision yet.

off the topic of extern, i feel that i may have become a grifter. or at the very least a drifter. i say grifter because it sounds more hardened, but thats mostly because it in fact is. and while i cant attest to other peoples perceptions of me, i would suggest that though i do tend to lead a nomadic lifestyle im not quite a swindler. i could be wrong.

every weekend lately i find myself floating from place to place, someones bed (calm down, alone) to someone elses couch. trains that are supposedly on fire somewhere along the line, to hoping onto all sorts of different kinds of regional and local transportation, and all the while with a backpack full of knives in tow, tagging along to bars and bowling alleys alike at this point. lucky for me, i suppose, that less people are interested in what i have in my paul ll bean bag.

people i havent seen in years are being dragged into my chosen, and apparently preferred, homeless lifestyle. it is, of course, almost sukkot, so perhaps my homelessness and transiency has a deeper meaning. i just now thought of that, but who's to say my subconscious hadnt already.

thats pretty much all i have to say right now.

ok it's getting down to the wire. i really need to decide where im going to go for my externship. clearly thats where you come in, i dont much like making decisions for myself.

List:

New York City

New Orleans

Boston

i will have to live in this place for 4 months. where do you want to come visit?

help

its tuesdee and its my birthdee

sorry

ive been really terrible about this lately

no one's complained, so it's really just my loss.

culinary school makes me want to smoke cigarettes and listen to the black keys all day.

i'm in the midst of searching for an externship, such that i might further my culinary education.

places of possible externment:

rome

new orleans

boston

chicago

new york city

seattle

and, dare i say: baltimore

wouldn't that just be a twist!

recently i have burned myself rather severely, i look like a clumsy arsonist. and quite frankly i cant really use one of my fingers. it feels like there is a wax cap on my right ring finger. i cant explain how awkward it is to touch things with this "blister".

in other news: exactly one week until my 23rd birthday. im not much further along than i was at 18, the only way that i can really tell my advanced age is that i go to bed at 7:30pm on weekend nights more often than i would like to admit. a few friends and i made reservations at momofuku ssam to celebrate. which, i might add, that i am rather excited about. in order to acquire these reservations we had to also pre-order a bo ssam. a bo ssam is an entire pork shoulder, prepared in the fashion of awesome. sure its $200 but that's life.

well must run, the school pays me to take notes (don't snigger, tis true)

a

day 2

washed my pen in my whites again

maybe these pens arent lucky after all

day 1

washed my pens in my whites

ruined my spankin new nike pro undershirt

have since rewashed my jacket 5 times

have ink splattering my body

smell like fish

pen, of course, is just fine

bazam

today i went and played tennis. since you know that i like photo essays i will include one at the end of this entry.

i spent the weekend in albany visiting one mz. melissa mazula-san. which was quite nice. i learned a lot about beer and how much (or little) it can cost, i found out some important things about the annual tulip festival (although not why they have one, nor did i see any tulips), and i spent mothers day with a mother. not mine, mind you, but a mother none the less.

tomorrow morning i start seafood fabrication. it will be my first kitchen class, and i have to say that i am a little nervous. ive been sharpening my knives and practicing tying my neckerchief all day, well with the exception of tennis and lunch at rossis (thanks emily) which was absolutely fantastic. easily the best sandwich ive had in months and months.

well i know youre all dying to see my essay so here it is:

"dutchess racquet: a conversation on blood blisters"

if youre wondering how it ended, let me just say accidental sanitizer

i am at least 80% convinced that i have broken at least one of my toes on my left foot.

i am absolutely 100% crazed that i still do not know who sent me that mug.

success

even though its only been a few hours since my last post, i am just really stoked to have these mugs. plus i wore myself out at the gym and i have a test tonight (convenient excuses right), so it seemed like the perfect time to fire up my black&decker and enjoy a hot cup-a-joe.

heres how that went for me:

gourmet and supreme? how could this coffee possibly not be amazing

first attempt: not looking quite right. as you might notice that is clear water dripping from the filter. my wealthy coffee machine was too difficult for the likes of me to figure out. apparently you dont just dump water on top of the filter...i guess thats why theres space for water in the back. add one for me not being an adult.

second attempt: looking a lot better. at least i learn from my mistakes... occasionally.

success!

now its time to enjoy this bad boy, jam to some say anything, and get some studying done.

:)

if you might recall a few postings ago i ever so gently asked for someone to send me a coffee mug. well i must have wished upon the right star that evening, because not only did i get one mug, but three.

and that kind of dedication deserves some attention, don't you think?

mug #1

courtesy r. shanahan

mug #2

courtesy e. eckstrom

mug #3

courtesy anonymous*

*though i do have some solid guesses at from whom his beauty originated, i must confess i need you to unmask yourself (that is unless, of course, john wayne himself hath sent this from beyond)

edit: i really have exhausted all possible ideas i had of who this might be, so mystery mugger who are you?

but seriously you guys, the mugs mean a lot. i didnt bring anything to adorn my little space, so being able to look at your mugs brightens my space quite a bit. and dont worry im going to rotate between them everyday.

for anyone else, if you have something you want me to put up, or drink out of, i am always accepting donations.

i hate budgeting.

too much writing

well if you really want to get me to do math i guess the best way is to turn the problems into recipes. i mean seriously, when jeffery steingarten is required reading are you actually in school?

other things. eric you do deserve mention, and not only because you are the only one who commented, also not because i didnt see you when you were in dc. mostly because that was a hilarious comment. i just think you should know "kudos". anne-chovies was good, but the top chef/jon & kate plus 8 comment was over the top.

so see, if youre checking back often and commenting you may get a shout out.

anyway, i just finished my first weekend here and i would sa

y that it was quite a success. now of course it is me we are talking about so there is my devastating financial situation, coupled with my absolute inability to spend wisely.

this weeks example: i had to print some forms out, and when i went to do that the pages that came out were completely blank. realizing i would need a printer often, i decided to drive into poughkeepsie (which really is kind of as bad as it sounds, the

re are just things places, random buildings, shopping centers arent attached, the paint is all peeling off, downtown is a confusing blend of almost charming and potentially government subsidized housing) and go to office depot. now i happen to own a hp 4400 deskjet or something like that. when i walked into the store i stood behind a desk at the ink depot, an employee asked me if i needed for help and as i started to respond he just goes, "yeah over there go look for it". great, so not only am i trapped in this awful, budget office depot, they apparently have the rudest and least helpful staff ever. my story is getting really long, so let me shorten it for you. i couldnt find any ink suitable for a 4400 model, but i did find one that worked for 4440, and 4402 and so on in the fashion of 44_ _. i figured the hell with it that would be fine. $37 later, i get back to my dorm open that bad boy up, take off the prote

ctive tape covering...and then pull out my old cartridge. well needless to say it didnt fit. i ended up just putting my old one in, the printer asked me to align it, and guess what, a whole page printed out in a rather vibrant black. i had ink the whole time.

i some how always forget that i am just not an adult at all, like the time i didnt know what a deductable was, or how much i pay for my cell phone bill.

with that exception the weekend was really nice. on saturday a few of us went to the market, picked up some striped bass, asparagus and things for a salad. the school has a couple of outdoor brick grills near the edge of campus by the water, that students are allowed to use, so we (and by we i mean philip and christian) put together a buerre

blanc, grilled up the asparagus and fish, tossed together a quick arugula/mesclun salad, and enjoyed a few glasses of white wine.

as christian would say, our ghetto ass mise en place

then perhaps the best thing that could ever happen to anyone happened to me. this guy walks out to the grill and asks me if we are almost done so he and his friends could get on. i tell him yeah, pretty close and he says, "cool, you want a mojito?" what the fuck, i am never leaving culinary school. yes i absolutely want a mojito.

for easter philip and i explored the vanderbilt mansion a bit. we had planned to make dinner again, but easter put a halt on that idea. so we headed into rhinebeck. which is the realization of quaint and charming. the meal we had at arielle, maybe not so stellar, but the town certainly deserving of more time.

school

so if you're wondering, ive done it. im all moved in. now of course when i got here to my luxury dorm, and began unpacking my belongings i realized i hadnt the foresight to bring blankets or pillows, or any sort of academic utensil. you know like a pencil...

but in only one brief target trip (by brief i do mean for myself, my mother and grandmother might have seen the situation differently) ive got all i need, with one glaring exception. a coffee mug. now you might be saying, "hey anne why dont you just go buy a coffee mug that they most assuredly have in the book store" but then i would say, "no thats an awful idea, because they are $11" sooo basically what i am positing to you is that i would like a coffee mug. you could be that person who will supply me with one. and then think of the possibilities, every morning as i wake up and turn on my black and decker single pot coffee machine, and load it with whatever fucking awful folgers blend i bought, i will be forced to think of you fondly. its a great way to get, and to stay in my good graces, dont you think?

ok i will find my address:

Anne Alexander

CBN #422

1946 Campus Drive

Hyde Park, NY, 12538

excellent.

now, on to a little about me here at school, for those that care. yesterday, we received our class schedules and by the grace of god i didnt test into remedial math. that may sound a little down on my math abilities, but thats not really how i think of it. i just like to think that my math abilities totally exist, we just arent well acquainted. but apparently no matter. we also got our knife kits, which is awesome. i dont know why everyone doesnt just go to college this way. we have wine and beer clubs, and we get knives. this sounds way better than three strikes youre out at CU. lastly, yes i have made some friends. i know it was a shock to me as well. as befitting a young lady of my sensibilities, all of my 5 friends thus far are boys. one of them was actually cooking at brabo in old town (alexandria) before this. we make a lot of rape jokes, which are hilarious until i realized im the only one that is potentially going to get raped, so maybe not. we smoke cigarettes and drink beers. sometimes they talk about football, which you know, thank god for my new years resolution or i would be even more lost. and they are all way better cooks than i am, but they seem like the people to know.

so that about wraps it up so far. i start class today at 4. food safety, followed by gastronomy. and then tomorrow i have culinary math and product knowledge. fun stuff.

im going to try to update a little more frequently than i had been, so moms and what not can read up on me, so check back often.

anne

did i mention im moving to school next saturday?

hi

i am so glad serena commented on my last entry because a refreshing fresca would be quite delicious right now. and since she is the only one to comment i suppose that means fresca really isnt soda after all.

remember when i was really proud of my burn. well that was before i accidentally scraped it against the metal container that holds our ice scoops at work . if there had been any questions before, i can rest assured this baby is permanent.

i forgot to mention it before, but i had a couple of guests sit in my section on a first date the sunday of our big blizzaster week (blizzaster is a word i stole from them actually). they were really fun and interesting, and im not quite sure how it came about but i am now going to houston with the her of the couple and two of her friends for a rodeo in march. i mean why not.

lastly, why isnt anyone else as obsessed with the reeds as i am. you probably have no idea who they are, and that is really the problem. the reeds are three american born siblings, all competing in ice dancing at the olympics this year. wow awesome for them right, well it gets better. chris and cathy (20 and 22 respectively) actually compete, together..., for japan. which would be the country of their mothers origin. but then there's allison, their 15 year old sister. who inexplicably competes for georgia. i mean seriously what the hell. amazing. i love the olympics.

update

so lent is upon us, and like any good jewish girl ive decided to partake in this catholic tradition. at least its not fasting for a whole day! so gone with soda, fast food and cigarettes until he is risen.

side: does fresca really count as soda? if so i may already need to repent.

other side: tonight i burned myself on the industrial fryer making tex mex eggrolls at work. i must say im pretty proud, even more so than the first time i cut myself. but thats probably because when i cut myself it was really lame, im not even sure i bled.

friday

serena i will do my best to keep you updated, especially if jdate becomes a topic of discussion. but jdate is really just a device i use for my mother to upset my father. also january is like the worst month to be asked to loose weight. all i want to do is eat chocolate and pack on my winter weight so i can hibernate without starving.

also because im admittedly creepy i was lurking on a friends facebook (holler foran) and i stumbled upon a quote i hadnt read in a while. its from an old pal oscar wilde, and goes as such:

"it is absurd to divide people into good and bad. people are either charming or tedious"

isnt that so true. i mean quotes are quotes for a reason, and when it resonates it really rings loudly sometimes.

tomorrow is our all staff breakfast at work, im dragging my mother and two younger brothers. i feel like my restaurant job holds the same importance to me as being on a youth soccer team. im not sure if thats charming or tedious.

nye

ok so its about 3:30 in the morning new years day and i just crawled into bed from work. as a joke i told everyone i was working all day on new years eve to set the bar low for 2010. but i have to be honest with you internet friends, that just is not the case, and further more if tonight/yesterday were to set a precedent for this upcoming year i would welcome it quite warmly.

the fact is i was surrounded by people that i genuinely care for, working hard and once the dj showed up dancing quite a bit. not to get all preachy, and i will most likely regret being so sweet in the morning and delete this, (much like i did that one time i got really stoned and decided to post some horrifying self loathing blog) but i really do work with and for some incredible people. in the past ive always tried to make new years something special, have it somewhere fun with important people. last year it was new york, the year before tel aviv, and when it came time to decide what i wanted to do this year i kind of "copped out" as it were. but i guess it turns out i ended up right exactly where i wanted to be.

i find myself to be at an interesting impasse in life. i know that my time here is but another stop on my journey, and yes becca i did get accepted to the culinary institute of america so i will in fact be leaving virginia shortly, and this time it looks like for good. i know that when i look back on this past year, on this particular job, on those people that have helped grow me personally and professionally i will remember it fondly. and the real blessing in that is that i right now am truly happy, and i know it. this particular posting is grossly sentimental which is something i try to avoid, but its sincere and hopefully that counts for something.

other than that, im currently cat sitting for a woman who has been living alone long enough to write (and respond to) notes to herself around the house, and who would like to "make a meal with me sometime" as the voicemail she left informed me. paul is in florida for the new year so im watching ginger, and today i didnt even yell at her because its 2010. my mother really got into the idea that i would do things for money, duh, so she is now paying me to a. lose weight which is followed by and directly linked to b. get a boyfriend. im not sure how i feel about all of this, being a grown woman and all...but if i end up being less of a lush, thiner, not alone forever and with some spare change that would be kind of nice.

p.s. becca youre like the reason why i still write this blog. i could just send you emails you know. also seeing as cia is in new york when youre done with school and interning or doing your residency or whatever thing you will be doing it will also be in new york. basically this means that we are probably destined for what will be a beautiful and lasting friendship spanning multiple decades. what i mean is you could at some point (pending my current weight loss and boyfriend acquisition) be added to the list of "bridesmaid friends". isnt that exciting?

if anyone cares i actually do have a list there are right now 7 people on it.

ok thats enough babbling

anne