Bored-Bored-Bored

[Chef Dave]

It is 9:15 AM on Christmas Eve and I'm getting ready to go to work. I have competency checklists to organize and curriculum to look at for the 2nd semester. I haven't had time to go through my predecessor's file cabinet or her office closet. I also have tools and equipment that I'd like to reorganize in the culinary arts lab.

More than anything else, I'm also horribly bored.

This is my first year back in education after six years in the food service industry. I haven't had a two week Christmas vacation since the last time I taught ... back in 2000.

I find to my chagrin, that I am no longer used to having all of this time off.

When I returned to education as a chef instructor, I was thrilled just to have weekends off. I hadn't had a weekend off in at least five years.

There's an old adage in the restaurant and hospitality industry that goes, "We work when everyone plays and we play when everyone works." I have found this to largely be true. Weekends and holidays are when a lot of people eat out ... so I'm not used to having days off on weekends or holidays.

I'm especially no longer used to having a two week vacation.

I had a pleasant weekend. I slept in this morning. (That means I woke up at 6 AM instead of my customary 4 AM).

I thought about driving to Phoenix or Tucson to spend a few hours in a bookstore ... but on Christmas Eve, shopping is likely to be brutal ... so disdaining the long 2-3 hour drive and the congested crowds, I ordered some books through an on-line vendor.

Tomorrow I plan to slow roast a prime rib. The day after Christmas I'll begin assembling another Victorian gingerbread house. This house will come with me as a culinary arts display when I visit a neighboring high school in January as a guest speaker for career day.

Tsk-tsk-tsk ... it's going to be a long two weeks ...

Are any of you already bored with your two weeks of vacation?

[mopar]

Bored...not a chance. I just picked up the Christmas cake and now plan to spend the day baking for my 4 Christmas dinners. One tonight, two on Christmas and one Thursday after Christmas.
So it'll be a long week ahead.

Let's see: ways to spend break: read, bake, clean house, watch tv, visit with friends and most definitely stay away from school as much as possible.

[Chef Dave]

Let's see: ways to spend break: read, bake, clean house, watch tv, visit with friends and most definitely stay away from school as much as possible.

After thinking about it, I decided to spend some time making soap. I handcraft soap that look like food products i.e. hamburgers on buns complete with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard ... fried chicken legs, pizza, slices of watermelon, ice cream sundaes etc.

I will also work on my novel.

I still plan to spend at least a week at school.

[mopar]

Handmade soap, what a great idea to spend some time. Looking like food??? well good for a culinary arts instructor and classroom. Not sure I would want any soap looking like food in my classroom or home....

[Chef Dave]

Handmade soap, what a great idea to spend some time. Looking like food??? well good for a culinary arts instructor and classroom. Not sure I would want any soap looking like food in my classroom or home....

My soaps tend to be very popular gifts.

As far as I know, nobody else crafts anything remotely similar.

My most popular soaps are the ones made to resemble cakes or fruit. I have an entire fruit basket line that includes slices of lime, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew along with peeled bananas and coconut halves.

I also make small cakes such as strawberry cream or German chocolate. I even make open faced tarts and slices of fruit pie such as blueberry, peach, key lime, and pumpkin.

Children enjoy taking baths using my cookie soaps ... oatmeal, chocolate chip, and chocolate swirl. They also enjoy bathing with glazed cinnamon buns - which look and smell like the actual product but are much more hygienic to use. :)

[javamomma]

Christmas is not to bad, but summers are a whole different story. I am really not a good stay at home mom! :)

[Ms.Champion]

I get bored very easily as well. Although, we don't get two weeks off. We only get a 11 days for Christmas Break. Sigh, but that is still too long for me. So, I am spending my time declutering my house and cleaning. I will also spend some time planning my lessons. So, yeah, it will go by fast and I will be wishing for the break again in a couple of weeks!!! LOL

[3rdgradeteach]

I am cleaning and painting my house as well....actually went through that space under the sink that everyone hates going through..it is sparkling and pretty now...also got through the tupperware cabinet....oh my goodness....nothing seems to match each other....what a mess! But lo and behold....<snicker>...they all match now.....
Can't paint much today....it snowed ALL DAY!!! and I mean ALL DAY!!! so...no ventilation...so....just hung out and vaccumed and stuff like that....filled the dishwasher...FUN FUN huh?

[Chef Dave]

I am now 9 days into my two week vacation and have only now started to relax. I've been working "nose to grindstone" for so long that it took me a while to even remember what a vacation actually was.

This is after all, my first year back in the classroom after having been away for six years. During my time in the private sector, I rarely had any vacations. Although I was entitled to one week per year, something always came up and I'd be called in to work with some muttered (and not terribly sincere) "apologies." There was even one year where I worked throughout the entire year ... all 365 days with no days off.

Last week I rearranged my furniture and moved my office into my living room. I also cleaned my home and reorganized my kitchen.

By way of fun, I have worked on my manuscript. I made some favorite comfort foods ... paella ... meatloaf ... chicken enchiladas with a side of refried beans and Spanish rice. There was more food than I could possibly eat, so I portioned out the food among a dozen plastic containers and froze dinner in expectation of not having time to cook come 2nd semester. I also watched a couple of movies.

Last night I marshaled an ad-hoc Kampfgruppe of Fallschirm-Jäger, Volkstrum, and Wehrmacht infantry and Panzer units in a desperate defense against the onslaught of a Soviet armored regiment during the spring of '45. No, I am not delusional. I was playing a WWII computer war game, "Steel Panthers"

Today I think I will finish unpacking my 2nd bedroom.

[Harriett]

We didn't get out of school until the 21st. I had to clean and cook for Christmas lunch. I've now taken down all of the decorations and gotten the house back together. I 've cleaned out drawers and my closet. I am planning on painting the pantry tomorrow. I finished one book and am going to start a new book, Double Cross, tonight. I've been staying up late and sleeping late. I haven't had time to be bored yet. We go back to work on the 7th.

[sweetsass]

I know not the word "boredom." Can't fathom it.

[pearcen]

I had 2 1/2 weeks off (today's the first day back) and I have to say while I had some days I was bored out of my mind, now that I'm actually here, I'd give just about anything to be able to have break back!

I guess as humans we are never happy with what we have!