Booked for the week . . .

Taking time out from my ranting about stuff to talk about my week. I’m so glad this week is almost over . . . I’ve had something to go to almost every night this week and the weekend looks to be just as hectic.

Tuesday night was the second part of the Adult Ed cooking class that I signed up for – I will take the other two sessions in July and I can’t wait! Last week was where I picked up the strawberry/rhubarb recipe and this week we made a decadent dark chocolate “bark” with toasted walnuts and dried cherries, along with a three onion couscous, a chicken scallopine in lemon caper sauce and a baked salmon with mustard topping. We also learned how to make simple vinaigrette, and by using that base how to make dressings to match whatever meal type you are making. I got to take a lot of the class leftovers home to K for dinner, which he was highly appreciative of . . . especially the chocolate.

Last night was choir practice. I sing as a high soprano in my church’s little ragtag choir. There are only 8 of us on a good day, and only two are guys. Being a high soprano, I get a lot of descant stuff to learn which is kind of hard since my tendency is to blend into the melody and try not to stick out. Also, if I screw up a descant, everyone can tell who it was – no pressure, really. We had to learn a TON of music last night, since this Sunday is Pentecost and our Pastor LOVES celebrating Pentecost. I wish he loved us enough to give us more than four days to learn 8 pieces of music. We were practicing for 2 hours straight last night and my voice was still pretty raw this morning.

Tonight is the start of my 7 week photography class. I’m taking this class as a refresher, since I haven’t picked up a camera in a while and I really loved taking photos. I need to be reminded how to set f-stops, deal with lighting and process negatives. When my husband and I first started house hunting, I had fantasies of setting up my own darkroom in our basement where I could process my T-Max 3200 film negatives with ease . . . and maybe one day down the road get an enlarger and do printing at the house too. Then reality set in, and we were only able to afford a 2 bedroom and a den condo with no extra room for anything, so the dream was deferred for a bit.

Saturday morning is my Ten Miler training, where I’m supposed to be running for an hour and a half straight this week. I didn’t go last week, because I played hooky and went to the Farmer’s market to get strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus. I’m also supposed to be doing 1 hour of Elliptical training on the days I’m not running. Um . . . yeah. I still have a couple of months, so I really need to get moving on that. I try to get up early in the AM to go running, but I can’t go by-myself and K can never get up in time. I should go alone, but that will be the time I get mugged on the trail or somesuch thing will happen. Being a female sucks sometimes . . . K used to go running on the W&OD trails at 5 in the morning, no worries and nothing happened. I’m not dumb enough to do that (this was pre-going out with me) but it shouldn’t be a hassle to go running at 7 AM on a well lit trail . . . although several local women have been attacked in broad daylight, which is why I refuse to go solo.

Saturday afternoon we have an early dinner with our friend, C, who wants to take another out of town friend to eat at the terrace of one of the venerable hotels in the area.

I’m holding out hope that Sunday is a nice, quiet day where I can finish my knitting in peace.