A Plated State of Mind

Everyone who has ever been to a wedding knows what to expect when it’s time to eat: some lousy food that’s only purpose is to keep you somewhat sober. I have no illusions of grandeur that the food at our wedding will be life-altering, but we do at least want it to be tolerable.

One thing Tracy and I agreed upon early in the reception planning was to have plated meals for dinner and not a buffet. We have been to weddings before with buffets and while it does have the advantage of allowing people to eat until their heart’s content, it tends to be cold and gross. Hopefully plated will allow have a somewhat more refined atmosphere, and everyone is served at the same time.

Our reception hotel had a menu tasting over the weekend and we were anxious to try out the fare. For the most part, it was about what you would expect at a wedding: prime rib, filet mignon, salmon, pasta and several chicken dishes. We also were able to sample all of the available side dishes and sauces, and they even had a few of the tables decorated with upgrades like chair covers and centerpieces. But the highlight for Tracy was the chocolate fountain was out and flowing, further cementing its place at our reception.

I think Tracy and I went into the tasting with a pretty good idea of what we wanted, and it didn’t change much. As a result, the meal options will be:

• Roast Sirloin with Bordelaise Sauce, Redskin Potatoes and Green Beans Amandine


• Chicken Piccata in Champagne Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Squash and Zucchini


• Grilled Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze, Wild Rice Pilaf and Steamed Broccoli and Carrots
  


• Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Off and Rolling

With the air starting to get cool and the leaves starting to fall off the trees, it can only mean one thing: bowling! Yes, Tracy is back to school and already dealing with annoying students and their overbearing parents. But as she likes to say, bowling is the one thing that gets her through the school year. While it isn’t so dire for me, it is an entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

We’re back at our same alley as last year, but we swapped leagues to the opposite Saturday. This was mostly due to scheduling, as it would have required us to bowl on Thanksgiving weekend and Christmas Day (and yes, they do bowl on those days). After looking at the scores from last year, we might finally have found a league that matches our lousy scores. We made another lineup change and added two teacher friends of Tracy’s, so hopefully I’m not inundated with shop talk all year.

My goal for last year was to complete every game with a score over 100. Sadly, I was not able to meet that ridiculously low mark, so I will attempt to do so again this year. I would love to have another 200 game this season, but I would gladly settle with an average above 125.

Now it gets serious

After taking a mandatory summer break, I’m back to school this fall (seriously, there were no classes offered in my program). As it stands right now, I have completed three classes of my 10 needed to graduate with my degree in Written Communication. While that sounds impressive, I should point out that all three classes so far were electives. I should also point out that all three were also classes that were undergraduate level. So basically I completed three senior-level English classes that I should have taken before joining this program.

This fall, I start grad school for real by taking my first required class. It is English 505, although it sounds more impressive by its title: “Rhetoric of Science and Technology.” This class will look at writing as argument, and how the advances of technology have changed the way we write and make compelling arguments. I know, I’m scared too. The book for the class has me especially nervous, as it harkens back to my undergrad days of taking Intro to Philosophy. I struggled to understand most of the class, and I am convinced I had divine intervention that allowed me to pass. If this class has us reading dissertations by Plato and Aristotle, I’m in trouble.

To make matters worse, this class is being offered online. If you recall, I struggled with my previous online class and felt the format left something to be desired. I found the discussion-by-comments procedure hard to follow and was a poor substitute for a discussion section. This time the professor has optional in-person meetings of this class, which should hopefully allow me to resolve my many questions.

I know I haven’t used this space for talking about grad school all that much, but I have the feeling I may write several posts just to blow off some steam… or just gripe about Socrates.