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One to rule the tree ... And one to tear it down ... Who will win??? Tune in next time! Same cat time, same cat channel!

I saw my shadow, so at least six more months of posting on this thread.

Happy February!! It's been a busy month since my last post here. My luger had.a training camp in Lake Placid for 2 weeks, culminating in the second USA Luge North American Continental Cup race, in which Kendall redeemed herself after missing a bronze in the first part of that race in Salt Lake City by 0.025 seconds. She won bronze in the Lake Placid race, besting the Canadian that beat her in Salt Lake City by a large margin. Next up is Kendall's final training camp of the season for 3 weeks in Salt Lake City, with Youth National Championships (for ages 12 to 17) taking place over the course of 2 days the second weekend of March, Jr. National Championships (ages 14 to 21), taking place on March 14th. Kendall has a very good chance of bringing home a medal in at least Youth Nationals, but will have stiff competition in Jr. Nationals, though barring anything unforeseen, she should still do very well. A few days before she heads to SLC, she will be flying to Wisconsin to spend the weekend with her bestie teammate, and they will fly on to SLC together for camp. I'm heading out to SLC in March to watch both races, and to fly back with Kendall. I'm excited to.be in Utah again, since it's been 3 years, though with all of these recent air travel events, and me already being a nervous flyer, I'm not thrilled about flying anytime soon, nor with sending my child flying on her own. With Kendall being a Team USA athlete, this one accident hits way too close to home, as we have likely seen some of these ice skaters during Empire State Winter Games of years past. Surreal. Anyway, here is a pic of Kendall with her "bronze" wooden medal, lol

I just returned from the Galentines Day bake off competition where I entered the Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberries that had the lumpy batter. Long story short, I didn’t win my category, even though I had a 50/50 chance as there were only two entries. Read the captions on the photos for details, including what the head judge told me as to why I didn’t win. As a reminder, here’s the practice cheesecake I made last week. This is the entry cheesecake immediately after decorating it. I tried a different method of piping the lemon curd which worked even less well, so I won’t do that method again. However, I think increasing the size of the heart definitely helped to define its shape better than the smaller one. Because the piping was so terrible, I decided to dress up the sides by adding miniature candy hearts to the sides. I think it definitely looks pretty… FullSizeRender.MOV Here’s how I displayed the cheesecake at the competition. We had to display our cakes by 12:30 PM with the winners scheduled to be announced at 3:00 PM. I used the lid of the inexpensive Dollar Tree cake carrier to hold ice so the cheesecake could sit out without being refrigerated. My only competition in the cake category. Obviously a carrot cake by someone much better at decorating than I am. This carrot cake won my category. It definitely looks luscious! What the head judge told me “off the record” after the competition ended was that the flavor and texture of the cheesecake itself was spot on. There was no evidence of the lumpy batter (yay!). If I had left it at that, I would have edged out the carrot cake to win. However, while the judges appreciated the color and look of the candy hearts on the sides of the cheesecake, they said the candies did not soften at all and that the crunch detracted from the smoothness of the rest of the bite. For that choice, they awarded it to the carrot cake. I had fun preparing, entertaining, and attending this event, though. I appreciate everyone’s input on the flavor choice and decoratingg ideas. I think I’ll definitely enter again if it’s held again next year!

I have a friend who is planning to move across the country at the end of next month. She has a lot of canned goods she’s not planning on taking with her. I saw a photo the other day the free pantry at one of the churches in Kirkland showing it could use some donations. I also went through some of my shelved food stuffs I wasn’t using, packed them up and picked up some goods from my friend. I then made my first donation at the pantry. Here’s hoping I did it right. I’ll probably make a stop once a week until my friend’s back stock is diminished. The outside of the pantry at Holy Spirit. What I found when I first opened it. And a few non food items on the bottom. After I added the items I brought. I hope some of these items will fill needy bellies. A lot of these foods need a can opener. Not that I can afford it, but if I could find a deal on bulk inexpensive manual can openers, like at least 100 but no more than $20 for them, I might order some to donate along with the canned goods.

February is here!

I decided to do the Meyer Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberries for the bake-off. I’m very glad I did a practice run; several of my experiments did not work out. Fresh out of the Instant Pot and topped with sweetened sour cream and zest. The first lesson learned was to not use parchment paper around the sides. I thought it would help the sides look smooth rather than blurry, but the sides actually came out pocked as I pulled the parchment away. Removed from the push pan and plated for the three day rest. After “aging” for three days and ready to be decorated. I’m really terrible at decorating. This was taken immediately after decorating. Lessons learned here is to use a narrower tip to pipe the lemon curd, define the shape of the heart more with the whole blueberries flooding with the pie filling, and to not use the candies Meyer lemons at all. Their texture does not compliment the cheesecake at all. The decorated cheesecake after being refrigerated for a couple of hours. I think I’ll also make the heart in the middle a touch larger, to emphasize the shape more. One last top view before slicing. An interior view and three slices. I tried to a blueberry pie filling swirl, but the filling all sank to the bottom and made the crust a bit soggy. I saw a technique where one takes half the batter and flavors it, fill the pan with alternating scoops of the batters, and then swirl it together. I was concerned that method would turn the entire cheesecake purple, but it has to work better than what I did. Now to decide if I want to experiment doing it that way on my entry cheesecake, or leave out the swirl completely. A close up of a slice. Lessons learned from this practice run: If trying to swirl, use the half and half method and hope for the best since I don’t have the funds to do a second practice run. Do not use parchment around the sides of the push pan for a cleaner edge. Enlarge the heart in the center. Do not use candied lemon slices for decorating.

Happy February!!! Only 327 days until Christmas!!!

Happy February, y'all! Some might recall I got rear-ended right before Thanksgiving (can't remember who all I told at this point). Well, I decided to not go the insurance claim route for a number of reasons. Instead, I am using a trusted small business auto repair shop (owner's name was given to me by both my dad and my insurance agent - though they don't know one another, so had no way of knowing they were recommending the same person to me - ha!). Since my car was drivable with the damage, I had the flexibility to wait until he could accommodate the needed work in his schedule. Well, the time has finally arrived! My car is in his capable hands as of this past Saturday morning and he expects to have the work done before the weekend. Good stuff. I am excited to have Blue (as I call her) back in one piece and looking good again soon. In other news, I am counting down to the annual Vegas run, coming up here in about a month or so. We've got all of our travel arrangements booked and can't wait to get back out that way for our first race trip of the year. That also means it'll be cookie baking time again soon for my pit crew buddies. Good times. Typically when we go out that way, we take one day for a "field trip" that alternates between the south rim of the Grand Canyon and the greater LA area. This year would have been an LA year but, with the recent fires and resulting devastation, we're heading back to the canyon. We know we'll enjoy it and the last thing we want to do is be in anyone's way or end up in a bad spot ourselves by trekking anywhere near the fire ravaged areas there in CA.

Over the weekend I got a new batch of vanilla extract going for the holidays. I may do another bottle to be use as gifts.

I'm tired of adulting.

The Christmas tree will remain up for a while longer. The queen has decreed it...

I’m so sick of winter. The cold and snow. Where was it at Christmas?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Checking in for the month after a long night last night. While my team didn't win the big game, I not losing sleep over it (I can't sleep as it is, so it didn't add to my sleeplessness). Though one bright spot last night though was how well Tubi presented the football game. I have an issue with my TV that is a simple soldering fix, but until I learn how to do that, I tried out Tubi's coverage of the Super Bowl. This morning I read the had the shortest delay among all streamers including NFL's own service. I didn't suffer any dropouts the entire game, and was quite happy with that. I already liked Tubi, but they were outstanding yesterday. Now its time to prepare for a snowstorm that at least has decided it knows what its doing (unlike the last one) it just needs to get the snowfall total honed in a bit. I hope its not 5-8" but as long as I have food and shelter and power doesn't go out, I'm happy. Hope everyone has a great month. I just hope this storm doesn't linger too long so I can maybe get out on my birthday on Friday.

I'm glad the judge gave you feedback - good things to mull over, and really the most important part - the cake was delicious.

Ya last couple of times I’ve been there was mid summer. Stupid hot out. Still had a lot of fun. We will gamble some but I enjoy a lot of the other things like shows and just getting out and seeing things. I’ve only been twice and it’s been a good amount of time since the last time I was there.

My month for festival of the Arts is here!

It still looks yummy!

goodness gracious!! That's too much for one month!

Prepare yourself!

This made me smile!

From input I’ve received in various places, I’m going to go with the lemon blueberry. I’ve made it before and have more confidence than with going with completely new flavors. I’ll do a practice one in the next two weeks; someone suggested I swirl blueberry into the batter. I have a decent homemade blueberry pie filling I can leave the uncooked blueberries out of which I think will swirl nicely, and then I can use it in addition to the lemon curd for decorating. The practice one will test how the swirl works out, how it tastes and then to practice my decoration ideas. Ah… You probably would not care for mine then. I’m completely the opposite. I much prefer the style and texture of the cheesecakes made in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan in the mid 20th century; Cheesecake Factory’s are tasty, but they’re too light and fluffy for me. Mine are the denser, heavier Jewish delicatessen-style cheesecake. The competition is on February 8th, so I have time to hone it in.

We were thrilled to hit 20* here today...

Ya I sort of feel they will just move stuff to other stores. A lot of these closeout deals I see is they bring in stuff they never carried and the stuff you want is already gone somehow.

Most around me are closing. I don't hit Joann's often but I will miss them still for the times I did find stuff I needed there.

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Happy early birthday! I have a dear friend who is also a Valentine's baby. Baking him his fave cookies and shipping them his way later this week.

Do it. Plenty to do that does not involve gambling, and I actually enjoy going in the summer when it's 110 - the heat is dry and there's WAY less people.

Congratulations to Kendall!!

Happy February! We are experiencing our annual "false spring/summer" with record highs for this week before Mother Nature calms down and brings in the cold again next week. After being on medical leave late summer, then at the end of said medical leave I find out that my company eliminated their local operations where I was working, I finally found a job and start in a couple of weeks, just in time for me to come down with this nasty respiratory illness that over half the state is sick from. Yay me.........

This month is dragging on.

Good Saturday morning!!!!

Happy Friday!

For many years, I had no idea what time of day I was born. I had misplaced my original microfiche birth certificate and the replacement I received from the City of New York did not record the time of birth, only the date. This past year I finally found the way to order another official City of New York birth certificate which does include the time of birth. It turns out I was born in the early morning hours on the 21st of January in 1960, which apparently matches this year’s Hebrew calendar. So, prior to sunset today, my secular and Hebrew birthdays match up. From posts I have seen from others, it is apparently customary to wish others well on ones Hebrew birthday. I’m a few hours late, but even so I wish for all of you health, peace, and fulfillment. May you find your bliss and joy in the year ahead, and may it carry you through any challenges forthcoming.

It’s going to be brutal tomorrow and Tuesday. I’m ready for spring!

Good lord have mercy! I can’t choose but if i had an opportunity to pick a slice to eat my tastebuds would lead me to the peanut butter one or the cookies and cream. However I do love a good lemon dessert too.

So, if one were to be considering entering a local amateur baking contest with a cheesecake, what flavor cheesecake would best appeal to a variety of judges one knows nothing about? Stick to the basics and do a plain New York with a homemade fruit topping? Freshen it up a little with a Meyer Lemon Cheesecake served with homemade lemon curd? Go indulgent with a white and milk chocolate peanut butter cup cheesecake? Maybe add a touch of coconut with a Samoan cheesecake? A childhood classic of a Cookies and Cream cheesecake? (no photo at this time) A Pumpkin cheesecake? Chocolate cheesecake with fresh strawberries? Possibly a savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake? Or maybe a flavor I haven’t considered that would earn the judges accolades? (all of these were made by me in the past)

Sigh these are the HR people ruining it for the rest of us that do the right thing... I do admit I don't always answer the phone (I have way too many people calling trying to sell me crap) but I will call you back. And I always respond to an email or slack message.

My HR rep lives in a different state from where I work. She has never been to the facility, has never responded to an email from me, and has never answered her phone when I have called during business hours. There is something to be said for being able to darken an enemy's door from time to time.

HR hat: Working hybrid is a privilege and not an entitlement. It can be revoked at any time, whether due to leadership discretion, poor performance or the position has evolved to require additional presence. Providing hybrid work arrangements is a benefit that may help attract and retain employees, especially to support commute times and help with affordability for those who may live further away from the office. (massive issue here in CA.) Some positions are not conducive to remote work. I remind employees that while you may have worked fully remote during the pandemic - so did many of your colleagues and teammates. We had no option but to make it work. As return to office has normalized and stabilized, the expectation set out by your organization should reflect the needs of your organization. Some roles require in person connections for productivity, brainstorming; others require employees to be in person due to the nature of the work - we cannot feed residents remotely, support their maintenance, conduct research experiments with ridiculously expensive equipment that costs millions, teach classes, or even in non-academic examples (as I work in academia) interview employees during an investigation (I do not like doing this remotely due to security concerns and the conversations are VERY different when I hold them in person) If your company is fully remote, it's different - the expectations are different. If it is not, I advise any employee to be open and flexible when you are asked to return to the office, or add occasional additional days per week as needed. I work two days a week in person, and often add a third day due to meetings, events etc. I also advise employees to maximize in person days - I purposely schedule in person meetings, 1:1s with my team, etc - so that I don't have to hear "but I come in and sit on zoom meetings." Some meetings are better held over zoom - the meeting I had with finance as we reviewed data is better when you have a screen to look at salaries right in front of you. Some conversations need to be in person. Some work is done much better in person; some work can ONLY be done in person. I tell people all the time who say they don't want to come in: then do not be surprised if you no longer have a role to work hybrid from as we are not required to allow you to work hybrid. Employees have been terminated for deliberately not coming in on their assigned days. And because I have to say it OFTEN - working hybrid or remotely is NOT a substitute for child care. We understand emergencies happen, and you may need to pick up a child due to illness, issues at school, etc. That has happened in the before times and will continue to happen. You cannot be inflexible on hybrid days because you only have child care two days a week, for example. There is no way you can be productive with a 2 year old roaming around, and the time has passed for children to pop up behind you in meetings. Non HR Hat: I live close to work, I don't mind coming in. Don't abuse that by having me come in for you either, because that's rude. But if you're going to complain you have to come in one extra day ONCE a month because your manager wants everyone there on the same day for team meetings or company wide events, I am not going to have sympathy. If you want to work fully remote, find a fully remote position. You cannot expect a company to bend to your preference to be fully remote if it does not meet operational needs, is not consistent with other members of the team, or meets the vision of leadership. You need to make it work in order to continue making it work. I've heard too many examples of one person effing it up for an entire team because they were refusing to come in, or disappearing for three hours a day, not being responsive, and hybrid privileges were revoked for an entire team. Don't be that person.

I just conducted the random drawing from the 1,519 eligible entries and the 2 winners are... Bopeep (post ID #1569649 from the Amazon Black Friday Sale thread) ytmomof4 (post ID #1569019 from the Disney+ Deals on Black Friday? thread) Congrats to the two winners and be sure to check your messages to claim your prize.