Bowl Of Stuff

The following is a diary of sorts of cat_77's and my vacation this past weekend. Cool pics can be found at both her site and my home site of Wolfie's World

January 14th:
We are now at Cascade Lodge in the middle of nowhere UpNorth Minnesota. (yes, that is one word here in the midwest) There are no gas stations. There are no grocery stores. This is no cell phone service.

It’s sheer and utter bliss!

cat_77 brought me up here for my birthday weekend. We left before the demon spawn even headed off to school. There was only a bit of snow on the way up, otherwise even with the overcast sky the driving was pretty clear.

It’s mostly an old hunting lodge, with cabins arranged on the property for guests. There are also rooms in the main lodge, game room with pool and table tennis, restaurant, and evidently WIFI that cat_77 can get from our room/cabin. It’s a small cabin but cozy and right next to the trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

After dropping off our gear in the room I talked cat_77 into going on a short trek using the snowshoes I brought up with me. I haven't been shoeing in almost a decade. cat_77 hasn't been since she was three. It was...interesting. I was told several times that I was insane for dragging us out, but also that it was beautiful out on the ‘trail’. I use that term loosely as we could neither find the actual trail we were supposed to be on nor did we really keep to a strait line.

That’s right folks, even while snowshoeing and enjoying the great out doors in the winter, we can’t be strait.

After heading back and having sipping chocolate in our cabin cat_77 fell asleep and I went off to try and find some ridge that has a beautiful overlook. Didn’t find the trail to the ridge and didn’t want to be out any later since it was getting close to dusk, but I did manage to find freshly killed wildlife and a wolf.

Many pictures have been taken. Hoping they turn out and that the wolf shows up that I took while standing in an outdoor chapel. Back at the cabin now and waiting for dinner. Dark as hell out and perfectly quiet. Sigh. Bliss.

January 15th:

Today’s breakfast consisted of Chef Boyardee Ravioli in a microwave. Don’t knock it till you try it. We didn’t have to rush dressing and had some quiet time in the cabin to ourselves with our morning drinks (cat_77 favors mochas, I’m a more muddy black coffee person) and listened to our neighbors and their morning activities.

Yes, in the new cabin which they moved us to last night after the sewer line started spewing up “stuff” into the bathroom tub. It was...interesting to say the least. We felt for the poor maintenance guy who had to come and try to unclog it. Eventually, he gave up and they moved us to a new cabin. Which is huge in comparison with a fireplace and in a more secluded area.

Now, back to the neighbors. We has them. Which, if you had been paying attention in the previous paragraph I had just said we are even more secluded than the last place. Secluded enough that we’re evidently the walk-in closet to some birds and something like a squirrel (scratching on the outer wall) to share a little house with. (shout out to Futurama).

They are fairly quiet, except when scurrying up and down the roof and outer walls. Their antics today woke us up today enough to get us going and even cat_77 to join me on a trek of long-ness up and around the state park we’re staying in.

I’m perfectly fine with the squirrely neighbors as long as we’re in this beautiful place.

January 16th

New day, new mountain to climb. It’s way bellow zero today and I was less than willing to sit still while cat_77 slept in after breakfast. Which, by the way, was microwave mac&cheese along with coffee and cocoa. Odd choice but I’ve had worse when camping in the actual great outdoors when just trying to get enough calories in to keep up with my activity.

Hence leading me to the ‘conquering my own mountain’ thing. I dressed with more layers than a bear and ended up striping down to a vest and snow pants. The whole trip took about four hours for 3.3 km and 1200 mi strait up a hill to one of the most beautiful views imaginable. Did I also mention that I haven't turned my cell phone on sine leaving home friday morning. Or checked me email.

Then, cat_77 fed me a really large meal. There was a huge piece of chocolate cake. And beer. Awesome day. Really, really.

Today was one of the rare days I have in which I'd like nothing better than to go home and drink my self silly till either: a) realize that at some point I do have to go back to work *shudder*, b) think of all the poor winos out there who don't have any alcohol of their own and feel guilty, or c) remember I actually like the taste of the booze I buy and don't want to experience it on the way up.

The only real part that stands out most in my mind, perhaps brought on by the lingering smell as I walked home and now sit here typing this, is what will hence be known as the Pickle Incident that occurred in the walk-in cooler. If you are not aware, in the food service industry we use very large containers. Probably on par with what the Duggar family needs to buy in order to feed their demon hoard.

Needless to say, an almost full container of pickles (plus juice!) spilled all over the walk-in floor. It also spilled in to my shoe. Probably since at the time I was standing in the middle of the walk-in floor. The floor is clean, if not a bit vinegar smelling. My shoes, not so much. And yes, they smell like vinegar too.

Yeah.

I'm the one who posts those inspirational messages in our kitchen. Those small tidbits of wisdom from the comic section, darwin awards, lol cats, etc.

Yesterday I came across a particular comic that I enjoy, "Zits", since it reminds me of my tween son. You can see the particular strip here.

This week has been...one of those. Like the time you waited for the newest something shiny to come out and every day seemed agonizingly long. Like when you waited for your wedding day, and time was almost standing still. Or, like when you're waiting on death row for your lethal injection.

We are getting new people in to be in the cook and prep cook position. I had to observe them and try to find things to do for myself that was next to them, in the kitchen, where I really don't have a lot to do right now since my paper work has been backing up in order to get caught up on cooking.

Normally there would be little problem. I could have gotten caught up and got the hot bar food made along with soups for the case and salad bar. The days that these people were in doing their practicum however were not the days I needed to catch up on things. I can say without bragging that I'm fast. Really fast, when it comes to getting my work done. Hence, being caught up and not needing to really do much the later part of this week other than busy work while I watched these guys work through three recipes each.

Tomorrow, if all is well, I may get to work on the computer a little bit so that I can catch up on the non-cooking part of my job.

Well, it could have been worse. Realy, it could have. Getting to work and not finding the correct things preped for the hot bar lunch of the day, not having hot soups ready, no prep for the vast amount of holiday food that we need to fill both the case and catering orders (that are going to be picked up tomorrw) done. Other than that, it realy could have been worse.

The amounts not yet calculated, recipies incorrect, strange and incomprehensible order takeing by the morons up front (well, just one or two realy), incorrect ingredients entered into our lableing system. It could have been worse.

We could have been missing people this weekend. The boss could have left early when things needed to be done, explained, handed over in a manner that the night workers understood better to make their production...well, more producing. It could have been worse.

That will be tomorrow.

Had the day off today since I'll be filling in for a co-worker on Saturday. I had been going to sleep in but was rudely awaken shortly after my partner headed off to work.

Needless to say the incessant pounding on the door was enough to get me up and moving out of the warm cocoon of my bed. The annoying idiotic f-ing knockers were gone by the time I got down stairs to see who it was. Of corse, by that time, I was awake.

So, after a light breakfast and lounging around watching the history channel I figured getting out would be a little more productive and also make my family hate me less when they inevitably arrived home and found I'd been bord out of my mind busy.

Wandered up towards campus and the library to hang out and work on my nanowrimo novel. Found that the local steak and burger join has a two-for special. Two for one beers that is, both of which went down well with the large philly cheese steak sandwhich.

Eventually, after the library, doctor's office (no more resitrictions on arm that was injured at work), and picking up youngest demon spawn #2 I'm back home and for some reason not looking forward to tomorrow. Or the next day for that matter.

Some one had better hurry up and let me somehow inherrit an un-godly sum of money by some anonomus bennefactor so that I dont have to live with my boss's inept scheduling skills on some of the busiest weeks of the year.