Armageddon USED to be my favorite movie

Lately, New Hampshire and most of New England has been subject to some pretty wild weather. We're talking brutal winds. Torrential rain. Rapidly changing temperatures. Huge, powerful waves. Flooding so bad, thoughts of building an Arc aren't such a bad idea anymore (anyone have access to a pair of hyenas? Cheetahs? Giraffes?) Every morning I wake up and peek out my window, expecting brimstone and hail at any moment. Armageddon, perhaps?

Okay, maybe not that extreme. But still, pretty alarming. The crazy weather we've been experiencing is beginning to make an appearance in my thoughts and dreams at night. Just this past night (or morning, should I say, since I had this dream at about 5:00 this morning), I dreamed of tornadoes and falling trees, and rain that came down in sheets like the water from a shower-head. I was with several people, my mom being one, but I don't quite remember who else. We were in the backyard of my sister's God-parents' house in Greenland, NH, but her God-parents weren't there. It was windy and raining, but we were still running around in the backyard, until a small funnel tornado appeared at the edge of the tree line. We ran for shelter, but I remember watching a giant tree snap in half like a twig and fall. And then roll, crushing other trees in its path. I know that isn't possible but hey, it was a dream. This sequence repeated several times, a tornado appearing and us running for shelter, then going back outside and it happening all over again. I think I got annoyed with the repetition, which is what woke me from the dream.

Pretty strange.

What else is going on, besides inclement weather? My birthday is quickly approaching, Easter Sunday. Happy Birthday to me: I get to work a double shift because Easter is pretty busy at the Wentworth. I went to dinner last night at Brazo with Deb and some friends, for Restaurant Week. I'd never been to Brazo before, even though it is one of Phelps's restaurants. I was very impressed! Restaurant Week is a week-long event, it happens about twice a year, in which 30 or so area restaurants participate. They create a special menu, or select certain items from their regular menu, and offer a 3-course meal for a set price. Lunch is $16.95 set price, and dinner is $29.95. It has proven very successful in the past couple of years, and is something that we all look forward to each year. So last night at Brazo, I ordered the following:

• Ahi tuna tartar with capers, lemon, soy, red onion, cilantro aioli and sweet potato chips (absolutely DELICIOUS!)
  
• Roasted acorn squash filled with a savory mixture of quinoa, sautéed zucchini, red pepper, and goat cheese. Served with black bean puree and watercress salad
• Pistachio studded chocolate terrine with candied pistachios, raspberry coulis, and burnt orange mascarpone cream

To drink I had a Red Sangria, made with Brazilian natural cane rum, Los Cardos Malbec wine and fresh fruit juices. TO DIE FOR. I absolutely loved every part of my meal. I can't wait to go back to Brazo again soon!

....Which won't be for some time, I'm afraid. You see.... I am MOVING! To New York! Ah! I have been asked to travel within my company and head to The Sagamore Hotel and Resort in Bolton Landing, NY, which is on Lake George. I am going to be the Assistant Pastry Chef there, in training for the Executive Pastry Chef position, should the current EPC decide to leave. I leave for NY on Monday the 5th with a stop in Burlington for a day or so. I will be in Bolton Landing on April 7th and ready to start work on the 8th. The hotel is seasonal, so it is only open until after Thanksgiving, and then closes for the winter. So I will be returning to the NH Seacoast in about 8 months. This is a really good opportunity for me to learn about the workings of a much larger bakeshop and its production (the Sagamore is about twice the size of the Wentworth and does a little more than double the production that we do). It is also a good opportunity to network with other chefs, and also a good resume booster. Plus, I have an opportunity to advance my career... though I'm not particularly certain this is the direction I want my career to take. However, it will be a good experience nonetheless.

I think one of the best parts of being in NY is how close I will be to Burlington! I think it's about an hour away, so I will be able to see my sweet, wonderful Bear more often! And my Goddess-sister, when she returns to New England from her adventures and travels. Which, by the way, I simply cannot wait to hear about! I believe she will be returning on the day I leave, so hopefully I will get to see her soon enough! So, I'd better sign off and return to packing. I never realized how much junk I've managed to accumulate throughout my life, and sifting through it to pack and organize (take to NY vs. leave behind) has not been an easy task. However, I was pleased to discover some pictures from my high school senior prom back in 2002 and reflect on how handsome my Bear was in his CG dress uniform! I mean, of course he is still so handsome and VT rugged now :-) Ok, back to packing...

"Liminality"

Liminality is my new favorite word. It is my (not-so-new) existence. As quoted from my deity-sister, who quoted from her mother (my Other Mother, if you will), liminality is "the middle stage of change, the threshold between what was, and what is yet to be." I feel it in my bones, in my being, and in my decision to pack up my life and move to a state where I know next to nobody. I don't know where I will work, or where I will live. But I know that I will live. And I am not frightened. I am excited! I am anxious! I am a little nervous, I will admit. But all of the good feelings take up all the space and leave little room for fear. I'm learning that this is a good way to live one's life: leave very little space for fear. And don't let fear over-stay its welcome.

Reflection: Valentine's Day at the Wentworth went very well! Everyone enjoyed everything, the menu was fantastic, brunch went smoothly, and we didn't run out of anything! I even got a second-wind at about 8 o'clock Sunday night (hour 12 of my shift), and was bouncy and excited. Probably because 9 o'clock was the end of my shift and I was excited to get home to my warm, comfortable cloud of a bed!

And then... Monday... I had a day off! Finally! It was so nice to sleep in until 10am. I spent the morning in bed, reading, relaxing. Then my roommate came home in the afternoon and we made mimosas to celebrate the return of "our house" to being Our House! (Our other two roommates, who were more like squatters than actual roommates, moved out on Sunday). We rearranged furniture, bought new pillows and a new rug, and rearranged our collection of wall clocks (15 and counting!) Tuesday brought with it a wedding cake tasting for a friend of mine, almost a foot of snow, and just a pleasant day. I love the way the seacoast looks under a blanket of freshly fallen snow, especially when it is the light and fluffy stuff. You know, the way it sparkles in the soft light of the street lights or porch lights. The way it creates almost a canopy in the trees, blanketing the branches and bowing them down, almost like nature bowing to your royalty as you cautiously creep your way along the freshly plowed roads towards your destination. Something about the freshness of the snow, before it is salted, sanded, and slushed by the hands of man, is so peaceful and beautiful. Ironically, it is quite heart-warming.

I am off to try and travel a good road in Dreamland. I was rewarded for my patience this evening with getting to spend time with my goddess-sister and my (Sleepy) Bear, who have journeyed from the Frozen Northland to spend a few days here before one heads back North, and one heads to the extreme South. Viva la Mexico! (... I don't think that's what I meant to say, but it's all I could conjure). Tomorrow brings work, wedding cake preparation, and a delightful dinner with my Other Family, whom I've missed terribly but am extremely grateful that they take me under their loving wings whenever I need. And then a quiet night with the Bear. Life is good :-)