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May. 7th, 2012 @ 10:29 pm I got a job!
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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. :-)

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Conductor
Apr. 25th, 2012 @ 06:04 pm Meet the Colleens

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.

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Thirteen
Apr. 21st, 2012 @ 10:18 am Cruise Crazy
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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?

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JoCo 1
Jan. 6th, 2012 @ 09:30 pm My brother issues an "EMERGENCY NOTICE"
My brother recently sent me an email extolling the virtues of the movie Hugo, describing in acute detail Scorsese's wonder-inspiring use of 3D, and imploring that I go see it forthwith. I told him that we were already interested but might end up seeing it in 2D. His wonderful response, which I read aloud to [info]cybermudgeon, nearly sent us into apoplectic fits. Enjoy, dear readers. :-)

"NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you MUST NOT even CONSIDER seeing Hugo in 2D. NOT NOT NOT by all that is holy and all that is not NO!

"I am serious and [his wife] is in earnest agreement with me.... I will NOT countenance your seeing this film in any format but 3D. I do not intend ever to own it because I cannot afford a 3D television.

"I beseech you as your tenderly affectionate elder brother that in your necessarily ignorant position vis-a-vis this film, you have no idea what you will be missing. It will be like eating dinner without your tongue, or seeing a rainbow with your ears, or enjoying a wedding night rendezvous from a distance, in a virtual reality suit worn by someone else who tells you about it later. No 3D film has ever been designed and shot with such exquisite care for the possibilities of the medium to affect your immersion in it.

"I AM SERIOUS. Do not endanger our relationship, built as it is on trust and respect as much as on love. Do not tempt my wrath, do not court shame. SEE HUGO IN 3D."
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Zombie Diva
Dec. 24th, 2011 @ 02:04 pm Rob's traditional (heart attack inducing) breakfast casserole
Current Mood: cheerfulChristmassy
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In [info]cybermudgeon's family, they traditionally have this egg casserole for Christmas breakfast.

Meat mixture:
3 slices bacon
2 (3 oz) packages dried beef
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
3 Tbsp margarine/butter
6 Tbsp flour

Scrambled eggs:
3 cups milk
12 eggs
1 (7 1/4 oz) can evaporated milk
3 Tbsp margarine/butter
salt and pepper

Dice bacon and cook until almost done. Add chopped, dried beef, mushrooms and 3 Tbsp margarine/butter. Cook until beef and bacon are done. Remove from heat, add flour, blend; add milk, return to heat and stir until thick and smooth. [Set aside. In a separate bowl...] Beat eggs slightly, add salt, pepper, evaporated milk and scramble slowly in 3 Tbsp margarine/butter in large skillet. Grease 8x12 inch casserole. Cover bottom with half of meat mixture, then eggs and remainder of beef. Garnish with a few mushroom slices. Bake, covered, at 275 F for 45 minutes, uncovered at 325 F for 15 minutes.

Notes: Rob made this without mushrooms, for my benefit. :-) Also, this can be made ahead and refrigerated before cooking.

Enjoy, but keep a phone handy for calling 911. ;-)
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Zombie Diva
Dec. 15th, 2011 @ 07:49 pm How to nog eggs
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[info]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.

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Zombie Diva
Dec. 6th, 2011 @ 10:00 pm Chocolate Thoughts
I was at the grocery store several weeks ago, in the mood for some hot cocoa. Then I remembered that we had some cocoa powder at home and thought (somewhat uncharacteristically), I don't have to buy a mix; I could make that. Plus, I could control the sugar content and avoid corn syrup and whatever other powdered mayhem they put in those little packets. So, I made a batch. And it was good. And then I was struck with a Harebrained Plan. If I like this cocoa better than the store-bought stuff, maybe other folks might too. I posted online to gauge interest, and several kind folks responded. Then the project fell to the back burner for a few weeks. Until yesterday, when I whipped up several batches. Those will go out tomorrow.

My original post asked if folks would be willing to buy this, but for now I'm giving it away. Those of you getting these early batches are my guinea pigs. While this started out as something of a lark, I'm getting delusions of chocolate grandeur. I'm experimenting with the recipe a bit, and I'll be asking for some feedback. I'll be looking into different types of cocoa. Natural versus dutched. Different levels of cocoa butter. That kind of thing. Eventually, I might like to try to find socially conscious sources for the ingredients. And then, if folks like it, they might toss a couple shekels my way instead of giving it to Big Cocoa. Maybe I'll just continue making this for fun, or maybe something more will come of it. Who knows?
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Zombie Diva
Nov. 24th, 2011 @ 08:38 am Giving thanks

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 [info]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 :-)

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Zombie Diva
Nov. 10th, 2011 @ 10:34 am We got trouble. Right here in State College.
A few folks have asked, so I figured I'd post a little something about the child molestation scandal that's recently surfaced at Penn State. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google "Jerry Sandusky."

Last night, Penn State students rioted in town after the Board of Trustees announced that head coach Joe Paterno would not be permitted to finish out the football season. [info]cybermudgeon and I live several miles away from campus, so we were completely unaware of what was going on until this morning. We're fine. Rob says that things are uneventful on campus today.

Having lived here for just a few months, I don't really have any more insight about what's going on than if I were still living in LA. I don't have any sense of just how integral Penn State, Joe Paterno in particular, is to the local communities. Everybody's talking about it, but I'm just an observer. I don't feel the same outrage and betrayal that I think many folks here do. And I certainly don't feel any loyalty to "JoePa."

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Zombie Diva
Nov. 4th, 2011 @ 08:37 am Dear Internet...
I think we need to take a little break. It's totally not you. It's me.

OK, this metaphor is breaking down quickly. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, as I'm wont to do sometimes, so I might not be online as much. If anyone needs to get a hold of me, please call or email. Public email is colleenky AT gmail DOT com.
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Thirteen