It Ain't Over Till the Zombie Diva Sings

It's not full-time work, but at least it's in music. Sort of. Mostly.

In a series of events that will surprise exactly no one who's known me for any length of time, it took me all of five months to go from being a n00b in the State College Choral Society to its new Chorus Manager.

I'm particularly thinking of Michael, who mocked me at my 40th birthday roast for doing things like becoming vice president of the teacher's union as a second year teacher. (I became president the next year.) Apparently, this is what I do. I join things. Then I run them. I don't mean to. It just sorta happens that way. :-S

So, what this means is that, starting in the fall, my job will basically be to take care of the singers' needs: make sure they've got music and outfits, make sure they've paid their fees, that kind of thing. In exchange, I get a (very) small stipend. And the fancy-pants title of "Chorus Manager."

I'm being silly about it, but I'm genuinely happy for the opportunity. It's a lovely organization. It's a nice feather in my cap. And it's a fantastic networking position. All good things. Also, I'm pretty good at herding cats, so it's a good match for me. I'm pleased. :-)

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Occasionally, I post on Twitter/FB about the various Colleens: Ditzy Colleen, Productive Colleen, Lazy Colleen, Depressed Colleen.

This week, Depressed Colleen has been making things difficult for Productive Colleen, so the two of them have been trying to hash things out. Depressed Colleen's all, like, "I totally suck." Productive Colleen answers, "That's not actually true, but if you keep thinking that way, it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy, so cut it out."

Then PC put the screws to DC, forcing her to explain what she could do to improve her situation. Turns out, DC's feeling pretty guilty about a lot of unfinished business. She's making a mental list now of several things she needs to address. Not surprisingly, these things are way outside her comfort level, so she procrastinates in doing them, which only makes her feel worse.

Here's to getting uncomfortable in order to feel more comfortable.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

Here's the thing. I love going on these JoCo cruises, but they're expensive. Not empirically expensive, but certainly an extravagance for the underemployed. I went into debt for the last two, a trend that I shouldn't continue. So, how to finance another cruise? A harebrained plan, of course!

If I could get 150 donations of $20 each, I could afford to go. As a thank you, I would give each donor some of my homemade cocoa mix. I could also make sachets and decorative pillows. ($10 would cover shipping and supplies.)

I have until May 4 to decide if this is viable. Whaddaya think?

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

cybermudgeon and I attempted a cooked eggnog the other night. I was just hoping for "not terrible," but it was fantastic. Here's the recipe (from Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary edition). NB: An instant-read thermometer is invaluable for this.

Cooked Eggnog
16 servings

Do not double this recipe.

Combine:
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream

Whisk in a medium bowl until just blended:
12 egg yolks
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Heat in a large saucepan over medium-low heat:
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream

While whisking, slowly add part of the hot milk and cream mixture to the egg yolks. [We used a little over a cup. Rob tells me this process of warming up the yolks is called "tempering."] Then slowly pour the cream and egg mixture back into the saucepan, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes a little thicker and reaches a temperature of about 175 F. [FYI, I didn't notice any appreciable thickening.] Do not overheat or the mixture will curdle. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the combined 1 cup milk and 1 cup heavy cream. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a storage container and cool. Chill thoroughly, uncovered, then stir in:
1/2 cup brandy, Cognac, dark rum, or bourbon. [We used Bulleit bourbon.]

For a non-alcoholic alternative, 2 Tbspns vanilla or 1 1/2 cups strong coffee can replace the spirits.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 3 days. Serve sprinkled with ground nutmeg.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

It's a quiet morning here at Casa Mudgeenky. Overnight low temps left a layer of frost on the cars, but the sun is shining brightly now.

As I think back on the past year, I'm awfully grateful for the people in my life, who have been endlessly kind, patient, and generous. I appreciate my family, who accept and love me, even though I'm kinda weird. ;-) I'm very thankful for my friends, who continue to have confidence in me, even when I don't. And I'm especially thankful for cybermudgeon for taking a chance on me, for putting up with my "idiosyncrasies," for meeting my moodiness with good humor, and for generally being loving and supportive.

Thanks, everybody :-)

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.