I am a...

...cerevisaphile. You can look that one up. Having said that, My tastebuds learned alot on Wednesday night that perhaps shocked them. Smokey? Maybe while eating some barbeque. Sour? That was definitely a twist. I can't imagine being able to tolerate very much of any of these out of the ordinary flavors. Lambic? Horsehair blanket. Yet it was very interesting to learn about the how's and why's and to get just a small sampling of some truly old traditions. I can't say I will ever venture there again, but it will at least be nice to say, "Yeah, I've had that".

Coffee...

..Yum. Ever had Vietnamese coffee? Well, I learned what that is. A little metal brew cup is placed on top of the glass coffee cup. But first, some sweetened condensed milk is poured in the bottom of the glass. It is very thick. When the coffee is brewed into the glass it does not even mix with the milk. After the brewing, you stir the two together. It is very strong, and very sweet. The glass is also rather small. You can drink it hot or pour it over a tall glass of ice for a cold, refreshing version.
Maybe now, I'll have to go back to Queen of Sheba and try their Ethiopian coffee.
I'm becoming so worldly... ^ _ ^

So much...

...learning. How it's nice to have a weekend in the middle of the week. How different a front-wheel drive works sooooo much better than a rear-wheel drive. How beer got it's start, and all the different kinds of beer and how they are different from each other.
Now I must say, that I wouldn't recommend using that middle of the week weekend, to do those beer studies, and then go out and drive that rear-wheel drive car. Just sayin'.

With all the snow...

...that has fallen in the past day or so, I have learned one thing for sure; I am now at the point where I much prefer to view it from the inside looking out. Although I will admit, driving down 2nd, 3rd, or 4th can be quite pretty with the snow hanging on all the trees. As long as it's from a warm car.

Tonight's is...

...short but oh so sweet. I learned that it IS possible, even with school in session, to have a weekend with absolutely nothing work-related going on. And believe me, that's a rare occurrence. It was so nice to chill, and relax both mind and body. For trust me, I know what's coming. And it ain't pretty...

New traditions...

...are sometimes way cool. Our group of friends who already enjoy a yearly January cabin trip , have started doing a once a month ethinic resataurant experience. Our first experience took us to some Ethiopian food. We were introduced to the usual meats and veggies, but with very good and unusual spices. It had great flavors. What made it most unusual was having it all served on a very large plate. The idea was to tear off pieces of the injera (spongey bread) and pick up your choice of whatever on the plate. That did seem a bit awkward, but if that was the tradition, we were willing to give it a try. We even got to talk with "the Queen" who owns the place. Good friends. New experience. Totally great evening. And yes, I learned to eat and enjoy Ethiopian food. Now I can't wait for next month's pick. I already think I know what that will be :-)

Can you believe...

...I'm taking a class? Well, maybe you will when I tell you it's a beer class. It's through IUS and it is run by the owner of the New Albanian Brewery (aka Richo's). The first night was very interesting and there was much learning. We stood in the brewing area and learned about the process. We also did several tastings for comparison reasons. But the most important thing I learned tonight? I'm REALLY going to like this class :-)

This semester...

...is really starting to "busy up". I realize that I now have 6 recitals to accompany and various other performance duties for which to prepare. At this point in time, I learned that I am not at all organized for what's coming ahead. The daily duties occupy so much time that the long range things that require attention are being ignored. I am going to promise myself to try and learn to get things all laid out neatly. Starting...................................NOW!

Much has happened...

...in the past few days. On Friday I learned that I still have many good classmate friends from H.S. Even though I may not have seen some for a very long time, they are still wonderful, do anything for you, people. I feel very grateful for that. We had a great get-together on Friday night. Treasured friends one and all.
On Saturday, I learned that sometimes you can escape snow by going North. Who knew? A great trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Cincy was the backdrop for my daughter Mackenzie's 12th birthday. It was very nice going from 9 degrees outside to 84 balmy degrees inside at the waterpark. We had a great time. I also learned on this trip how to avoid being run over by a semi when he changes lanes doing 80mph without looking to see that I was there. It was a very terrifying experience that was very close to disaster. Don't get me started on semi's.
One of the last things I learned today was that it IS possible for the Louisville Cards to get a big lead in a ballgame, and hold onto it. Shocker.
I think I'm all learned out for now. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Nite all!