Hurrah for Food and Rain! [Boo for a lack of a better title]

Hurrah for the glorious, refreshing rain after a week of incessant heat! Gloomy, rainy days seem to add to the coziness of a restful weekend following a whirlwindish week of term papers and tests. April showers in May? It works for me! Hot lentil potato soup for lunch and chocolate bread pudding in the oven--it's a bit reminiscent of the hearty stews and puddings of wintertime. However, I am ready for summer. Summer is the time for lighter fare--fresh and simple, yet full of flavour. Summer is the time for alfresco dining. Summer is the season for cherries and peaches, vine ripened tomatoes and sweet basil, and spontaneous picnics. There's nothing like packing a picnic basket full of cheeses, fresh fruit, some nuts, and a crusty baguette and heading to the park to read, paint, and eat. (Don't eat paint, however, or else you might start doing odd things). I used to dislike summer because of the hot weather, but I'm starting to realize that summer brings so many wonderful and good things that far outweigh the heat. So hurrah for the coming of summer! And hurrah for the good food!

"So long, farewell..."

As of last Sunday, I have officially started my not-sure-how-long hiatus from playing the violin. (It's not exactly official...I suppose it's simply "decided"? Decided and put into practice?) As much as it feels rather sad stopping something I have done for so long, the relief I feel from not having to worry about violin and practicing seems to outweigh all else--for now at least. I haven't stopped playing violin for good, though, and I hope to play a bit every week or so to keep my fingers from getting too stiff and forgetful. In the meantime, I shall try to focus more on piano.
Liszt.
Lissssszzzt!
I am very, very excited!
There shall be much finger dexterity training this summer. March, little soldiers, march!
I suppose they must also learn to march lightly? Is that even possible? Perhaps they fly!
Wheee! (glissando...buuuurrrrrrrrriiinggg!)
Or if it is done badly (from personal experience): *bumpbumpbump"ouchouch"bumpbump"ouch"bump"ouch!"bumpbumpbink!"

Hehe.
Speaking of summer, I will also be bridesmaiding as a little yellow buttercup in my friend's wedding this June. Hopefully, sister and I will spend two or so weeks in beautiful NM to take part in the festivities, visit old friends, and breathe the wonderful, clean air of the desert. It is the desert with piercingly blue skies and the yummiest chocolate cake. :-) If ever you visit Santa Fe, make sure to stop by the Chocolate Maven and try their chocolate cake. It is dense and moist, and oh so very chocolate-y. Sometimes they serve it up with dollops of chantilly cream and it's almost a bit like heaven. (Perhaps? Can food taste divine? Well, it's delicious and marvelous combination of flavours and textures, whatever it is.)

I'm also plotting to journey up North with family in July to obtain some pot de creme pots (sans creme, since I will most likely eat before I take them home) from Miette. I'm quite enchanted by their jolly little pot de creme pots...Hopefully they will still be making them from glass by the time I visit.

Enough of silly Goosie's summer plans! Time for bed and a bit of resting before the SAT this weekend.
I shall be glad when it is over..
Have a good weekend!

Hello Summer!

Whew! Another year of school completed! :-) I'm not sure which year of high school I just finished, or what grade I will be entering next year, but either way, I'm ready for a little break. My last few weeks of school were so very hectic that I never tried to "plan out" my summer vacation, and once it finally arrived (last Friday), I wasn't quite sure what to do first. So....after some serious consideration :-P, I decided my first order of business was to do "nothing"! And nothing I did--for a day and a half. It was fun at first, but in the end I was reminded of the chapter from Little Women where the sisters attempt to "do nothing" and things become quite disorderly. In the end, my time doing "nothing" made me want to do "something" all the greater. ("nothing" and "something" and "nothing" and "something"...this whole blip is rather confusing. :-/)
My first "something" was to catch up on housework I had neglected during finals and such. It's rather refreshing to clean and tidy up the house after long weeks of being too busy to really care. Hopefully I'll finish cleaning my room sometime today, and then sort through all our bake ware and crockery. I also want to give this poor house a good dusting and scrubbing, and maybe pull weeds in the garden. But one thing at a time. :-) I have a bad habit of trying to do too much at once, and I end up not doing anything at all.
I'm really enjoying this early summer weather--not too hot, not too cold. It is quite a lot like spring. Perhaps it is the spring we never get here in California. o.O Hmm. It's also a good day to wash things (such as cars and doggies), and I think I'll go and do just that! Have a merry summer!