You don't have to work.

"I get paid to work ten hours a week, but I actually work about forty-eight hours a week. The ten hours are getting paid time and the rest is fun time, because I like what I do. I don't know whether this is getting paid time or having fun time."

That's what our sound guy said at the Jolly Beggars radio feature on Thursday.

Like what you do; you'll never work a day of your life.

Lots of cooking (was it really three whole hours to prep dinner?) and hiking. Some practicing in there, as well. Moving furniture down the street, experimenting in the kitchen, getting a call for a music camp job in July. Don't get me wrong, there are always frustrating things; it's just that I don't remember any, right now. I've also had some time to actually think for a few moments. 

What a good weekend it's been.


And now for something completely different:


saffron and ginger ice cream:

 

Why? leftover ginger, some cream that needed to get used up, and because it seemed like a good idea.

cream, sugar, ginger, saffron, salt

• heat cream to a simmer (not boiling)
• once the cream is hot, throw in some saffron strands and finely chopped ginger
• stir and allow it to simmer until it's taken on a yellowish color
• throw in a handful of sugar and a very small pinch of salt
• if you don't want bits of ginger and strands of saffron, strain
• allow it to cool, then make it into ice cream by any method you choose
• put whatever on it or serve as is. there's honey on it, here.

Some people use milk in addition. Eggs will give it a firmer consistency. I didn't have any, but I'd be curious to try it with alternatives as well, like adding almond milk to the above.

Not terribly aggressive.

First of all, I'm not by any means an aggressive driver. Assertive is a better word choice. When traffic is at a halt on all four lanes of I-95 because of an accident, I think you should wait your turn to go.

Now, I understand that all of us have somewhere to go. I also understand that, if we're planning on meeting a deadline, it can get frustrating to have to bring our cars to a full halt and actually turn off the motor on the interstate because we'd otherwise run out of gas.

So, if you're wondering why when you honk because you're impatient I lean out my window and look back at you with the best what-are-you-doing expression I've got, now you know. If you're wondering why when you barrel down the left shoulder to circumvent traffic, even though you know you'll just have to merge to the right again, I pull halfway into the shoulder and park just to stop you, now you know. It's because all you were doing was making a problem worse and being terrifically lame.

Moral of the story: Chill.

process, not product

learning, not performance

journey, not destination

first

So I decided that, amongst other purposes of this blog, I wanted to keep a little record of the odder things that seem to happen to me. Many have come before and I'm pretty sure many will follow. Perhaps the world can learn something from this, or at any rate, at least get a decent laugh. Here comes today's:

Last night I left my sunroof a bit open (moral of the story is right here: don't do that.) It was open just the way so that rain couldn't fall into the car's interior - instead it was diverted into the roof. I discovered all this on this beautifully sunny afternoon, as I was driving to Norwalk for a symphony rehearsal. It began raining in my car - actually, it was more like pouring. At least I made somebody's day; some guy came to a halt next to me at a stop light. When he realized what was happening he started laughing. He was on his cell phone and had his head out the window. When I opened my umbrella inside the car in an attempt to divert the "rain" out the open windows, the guy laughed harder and told the person on the other end of his phone call something about "the funniest thing [he'd] ever seen". That's when I ditched the umbrella idea and the light turned green. I drove off, and I thought the whole thing was pretty funny, too.