Pasta Night at Tri County Vocational High School

Having had so much fun taking the Chocolate Truffle class as a substitute for Audrey I signed up for the pasta class. We managed between all of us signing up to be about half of the students enrolled.  When the day came I was eager to make ravioli since its one of my favorite Italian dishes.

When we arrived at the Tri County Vocational High School kitchen called Gerry's Place I immediately recognized the instructor as one of my favorite Chef's at Sur La Table. Betsy Proom and her uber helpful side kick Lynn greeted me with smiles and a hug. I knew we would have fun with them as our instructors.

 

After a quick introduction and an apology to the other students for our enthusiasm of seeing each other again the class began. Betsy started off describing, demoing and instructing us how to make pasta dough using flour and eggs. She explained the importance of using a scale to measure the flour since it wasn't volume but weight that was important. The perfect portions for 4 people are 4 large egg's for every 12 oz flour and 1 tbsp of oil and 1tbsp of kosher salt

What you want to do it create a bowl using the flour to contain the eggs. Then slowly combine the egg and flour until completely combined. Then this new pasta dough must rest. Wrap it in plastic wrap and wait roughly 30 - 60 minutes before using. She also explained at this point that the dough could be frozen and used again later.

Once fully rested you want to press firmly on it with the palm of your hand to flatten it out. Then you can begin feeding it into a pasta machine on the widest setting. After the first pass fold it into threes and feed it back through the rollers at their widest setting again. Repeat a third time. Then lower the setting by one and feed the dough through. With each pass you lower the setting until the pasta is translucent. Solid but you can start to see your fingers through it.

With sheets now created you can use this to make ravioli or run it through the pasta machine to create spaghetti, fettuccini, or other flat pastas'. If you want to make ravioli you would lay the sheet out flat and put a quarter size dollop of filling ever 1.5" along one side of the pasta sheet. Then using water draw boxes around those dollops then fold over the sheet. As you do this remove as much of the air as possible before sealing the ravioli's then use a cutter to cut them out individually. Then dust with flour until ready to cook.

We made a Wild Mushroom Ravioli. To make the filling finely chop up 1lb of wild mushrooms. Mince 1/4 cup of onion and 2 cloves of garlic. Then in a large skillet heat 2tbs of olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once melted add the chopped mushrooms and onions with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Herb de Provence and cook for about 6 minutes until soft and caramelized.

Remove from heat and put mushroom mixture into a large bowl. While hot add 1 oz goat cheese, 2/3 cup of ricotta and 1/4 cup parmesan and mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce is just as easy. Using 4tbs of butter, 2 tbsp of flour, 1/3 cup white wine, 1/3 cup of chicken stock and 2 tbsp. of cream. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil over medium/high heat. Once slightly brown add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Making a rue. Then add wine, stock and cream and whisk until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

We also made two more dishes; Three Cheese Cappelletti with a Parsley-Walnut Pesto and a a Spinach Fettuccine with Creamy Artichokes and Chicken Sausage.
 

Task 85 - Workout 2x a Week for 2 Months

Since last fall I have been participating in a group ‘crossfit’ like routine at work during lunch. It’s called Bravo Ignite. Ignite is the entry level fitness program in the Bravo Energy Burn Series. It’s designed to burn calories and build strength though specific strength movement patterns and cardio blasts.

The Cardio blasts are designed to burn high amounts of calories while the targeted strength movements build muscle fast. The idea is to achieve a total body workout in just one quick 40 minute session. These workouts can be pretty intense and you definitely feel the burn during and the results the next day. Our pattern has been to workout in these group sessions every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch time.

There are more advanced routines that follow the Ignite series but Ignite seems to work well for our mixed group sessions. With people of all levels each person adjusts the weight to make the challenge just right for them. After all you get out of it what you put into it.

These workouts haven’t made me lose much weight but I have noticed that I have far more energy and that my pants are considerably looser then they have been in a long time. This became clear to me when I went out to get a new pair of dress pants and the 33 I usually wear was falling off me. I ended up picking up a size 32 which also was loose. I have also noticed a definite increase in strength and more toned areas of my body. My biggest challenge is diet and it’s likely the biggest culprit in my not shedding more weight. It's something I definitely need to work on.

The exercises themselves vary from following list (There are more I couldn't remember).

Overhead press	Step ups	Lat pull down
Burpees	Deadlift	Arc trainer
Standing crunch	Rear delt	Reverse step lunge
Chest fly	Back row	Wall squats
Air squats	Torso Rotation	Arc
Planks	Bike	Row
Box Jumps	Ab Crunch	UBE
Jumping Jacks	Bicep Curls	SitUps
Leg Press	Single arm d-bl curls	Trap Pull
Decline Row	Cross Row Delt	Scissor Kicks
Trunk Flexion	Decline Chest Press	Calf Machine
Lateral box step	Tricep Dips	Overhead D-Bl Press
Battle rope	High rows	Incline Chest Press
Decline chest press	Broomstick forearm curls	Chest press
L & R side planks	Shoulder press (db)	Pushups
Hip swing	Shoulder roll	Fireman carry
Kettle bell squat high pull	Tricep push downs	Seated press

Generally there are 12 stations per session. Each station is a single exercise. There are two sets per station per cycle. We complete 2 cycles. To help keep us on time and on track we began using an app called Tabatas Pro on the Apple App Store. It cost an inexpensive $2.99 and has been an invaluable tool. The app and its audio alerts keep us all focused but organized.

Sometimes we don’t use the app and follow a more crossfit style workout as was the case yesterday when we did the Filthy Fifty. It was a 50 rep challenge where we had to do 50 reps of a series of different exercises such as box jumps, lat pull downs, kettlebell swings, walking lunges, situps overhead press, back extension, wall balls, burpees and the arc for a sustained 5 minutes. If this were a true crossfit workout I’d have only had 21 minutes to complete it. I managed to finish in 34:20.

Each session is run and administered by a small group of us and we do our best to make them balanced or focused depending on our goal. We are also always adding new things based on suggestions and user imput and whenever possible we have the certified trainers who come in give us pointers or guest lead the sessions.  Those are the most fun because they really push us to our limits.

NSC Certified in First Aid and CPR

I recently was asked to get certified in First Aid and CPR and be a company first responders. First Aid and CPR are vital first steps people can use when faced with a life threatening situation. These skills when properly learned can have life saving results. It seemed logical for me to get certified because accidents happen everywhere not just at the office. Being properly trained could allow me to help save the life of stranger or even a family member. Nothing could be worse than watching someone who has been injured and feeling helpless to do anything about it.

Our instructor Rick was following the National Safety Council (NSC) course which meets ECC Guidelines and OSHA standards for first aid in the workplace. Training took place over the course of two days and was roughly 3 hours in length each day.

 On the first day we learned everything from how do act during an emergency, how to check on the victim’s condition, when to call for help, how to prevent further injury and stabilize the victim. We practiced how to properly use rubber gloves to avoid disease transmission and how to use the Haines Recovery Position to stabilize an unconscious person.

Day two was the most interactive with the use of dummies to practice CPR on. While we didn’t name them each seemed to have their own personality. When CPR is properly done the dummies click to indicate that you are providing the necessary compression in the proper position. My first dummy didn’t seem to want to cooperate and we discovered that it had a broken diaphragm which makes the noise. We also grabbed one of the AED’s from the building and got comfortable with the machine and its use. 

Once the course was completed I will admit I did feel better prepared to act in an emergency and more confident in my abilities to really assist and provide life saving care until a professional arrives. It is important to know that while trained in First Aid and CPR it is vital that you only help and provide assistance if you have been trained and never provide assistance outside of the scope of your training.

  

F1 Boston - Ignite the Power of Microsoft

Ignite the Power of Microsoft

Location: F1Boston

Address: 290 Wood Rd
               Braintree, MA 02184

Website: www.f1boston.com

Ignite the Power of Microsoft was the title of the event I attended. I won’t bore you with the details of the conference portion of the event but I’ll share with you the specifics of the venue and the thrill of the race.

F1 Boston is located just off the highway in Braintree, MA.  It offers a great facility for a business meetings, team building events or private parties. It is easy to get too and offers two tracks that can be combined into a single large track for longer racing. There are several lounges to choose from, two having birds eye views of the different tracks.

Before racing each racer must complete some paperwork and sit through an entertaining safety briefing. The training takes roughly and hour and they keep it light but informative. Once everyone completes their forms and training you head into the track area where you suit up in a full race suit with all the fixings including a neck brace and helmet.

Both courses were designed by race professionals and the F1 carts can reach speeds of almost 50mph. Four our event we would be racing on the Country Course. They describe it as having longer straightaway’s then the City Course which allow you to gain more speed. The straightway also includes a small hill followed by a curve that will leave your car screaming as you corner hard. Next you enter the off-camber corners where you will need to keep your hands gripped to the wheel as you fight off competitors looking to unseat your position. 

Our event was an endurance race lasting 90 minutes. Teams choose when to change drivers, and each team must have made at least nine pit stops and driver changes during the race. We had 5 people on our team and that resulted in a scheduled change about every 10 minutes. When fully suited up it can be hard for the driver’s to distinguish if they are being flagged to pit stop by a member of their team. They race organizer suggested a form or communication that no other team could mimic. We selected a redsox baseball hat from one of our team members as our signal.  I was selected to race second for our team. Exactly 10 minutes into the race I flagged our driver to make one last lap before pulling into the pit.

Our transition from our first driver to me was smooth. The pit was empty allowing for a quick exit back onto the track. My average lap time ranged from about 17.56 seconds to roughly 21.78 when faced with blocks in my path and slower drivers. It was a like being in a real race car and you could feel every bump and turn of the road as you made the rounds. The air was infused with the smell of burning rubber and the sounds of screeching tires. I managed to improve our position from 4th to 3rd with some hard and aggressive driving. After 10 minutes it was again time to swap drivers and my next team member and I swapped out much slower then I had hoped. Unfortunately when I was flagged in I didn’t and couldn’t see that the pit was gridlocked with all the other teams also changing drivers. While this mistake didn’t cost us position it allowed a couple of the teams still racing to widen their lead.

We changed drivers several more times and our second to last driver was the most timid and cost us several positions. Our team had managed to gain one spot to second place until his 60 second average lap time sunk us to 7th place. We called him in after only 4 laps and he was definitely not upset and apologized for his poor performance. After some ego smoothing he joined us on the side lines cheering the rest of us on to fight hard to regain our position.

My second turn at the wheel came up and I drove harder and more aggressive then I had the first time. I was convinced I could regain at least one position. I jockeyed for position with the current leader and was persistent at pressing him hard. I pushed hard to pass him but his hard driving made that very difficult and we found ourselves challenging each other.  With every turn we would bump each other trying to force each car into the barriers.

Sadly we never managed to get back to second place and only managed to regain 1 position before my excessively aggressive driving landed me a penalty. That cost me about 10 seconds but enough that I couldn’t catch the leader again before I was called into the pit.

About 25 minutes later the race was over and we finished 6th place.  It was a great experience and a nice end to a productive day learning about all the new Microsoft products. I am definitely going to have to return to F1 Boston again and race with my friends.

 



American Dagger Moth Caterpillar, Acronicta Americana

Today, as I was on my usual lunch time 1.5 mile walk with the boy’s we came across a very bright yellow caterpillar sporting black tufts moving quickly across the busy road. Having no idea if he would turn into a beautiful butterfly or an ugly moth I moved him to the side of the road using a stick to ensure his safety from the cars that travel this one lane road.

When we returned a quick Google search for Fuzzy Yellow Caterpillar quickly identified this colorful creature as a young American Dagger Moth Caterpillar (Acronicta Americana).  I learned that these fuzzy caterpillar go from a bright yellow when they are young to a very pale to white color. I also learned that you should avoid touching them as their setae or coat with black tufts will sting you and leave irritations on your skin. Thankfully I moved him with a stick rather than picking him up.

I also learned that they can grow up to 2 inches in size and that they are often found in their moth form from April to September and in their caterpillar form from July to October in deciduous woodlands and forests east of the Rocky Mountains. When in their moth form they are brownish grey with darker markings and have a large wingspan of 5-6 cm.

Christmas Decorations

Today I was greeted with a surprise. There is a lady in the office who is very gifted with art’s and craft’s and has been making mini trees for select people in the office. Apparently I am one of those select people and she made me a beautiful tree.

Normally I am pretty conservative and would never have picked a metallic silver tree for myself much less colored lights but I am very pleased and wouldn’t change a thing about it. Her tree’s are usually themed based on the person’s particular interests but being the relatively private guy that I am I don’t share too much with my co-workers so she opted to make me a traditional Christmas themed tree.


I also included a few other examples of themed tree's she has made. They include the obvious sports teams Bruin's and Patriot's but an even better one for a co-worker named Graham that she refer's to as Graham Cracker. These tree's were all part of her first round and were normal green tree's. Round two are the metallic tree's.

My Dragonfly Passengers - Autumn Meadowhawk

Every day after lunch the guys and I take a walk through a neighborhood near where we work. We see dragonflies everywhere. They have never landed on any of us, that was until today. Today a pair of Autumn Meadowhawk’s (Odonate sympetrum vicinum) landed on me. At first I stopped moving thinking I might scare them away but when it became clear that they had found a spot they were happy to stay I continued on my walk with them as passengers. I have always been fascinated with Dragon flies and spent countless hours chasing them around my yard trying to get a good photograph but really knew nothing about them.

After a little research I discovered that my passengers were a dragonfly known as an Autumn Meadowhawk. It was fairly easy to identify with a photo in hand and I quickly discovered that it had to be a dragonfly and not a damselfly because while it rested, its wings were spread out and extended horizontally, perpendicular to its body. Damselflies hold their wings together and parallel to their bodies when at rest.

Once I determined that it was a true dragonfly, I did a Google search for red dragonfly’s and discovered that this is a Meadowhawk (a member of the skimmer family). To find the exact species, I compared my photo with others. Based on habitat, the season, and the distinctive red stigmata (dots on its wingtips), I determined that this bright red dragonfly must be an Autumn Meadowhawk. Here in New England, the Autumn Meadowhawk is a late-season dragonfly, often found in grassy meadows and wetlands from early October through November. This species is widespread in the United States and southern Canada, from the east coast, throughout the midwest and westward to the pacific northwest and northern California.

Dragonflies and damselflies serve an important environmental role in a capacity as natural mosquito control. Dragonflies spend most of their life-cycle as waterborne nymphs. During this immature stage (which can last anywhere from two months to five years, depending upon species) dragonflies inhabit swamps, ponds and slow-moving streams, feeding mainly on mosquito and other fly larvae. After metamorphosis, dragonflies continue to serve as adult mosquito predators for the remainder of their lives. Dragonflies are so effective at mosquito control, that many municipalities, parks and private estates purchase and release dragonfly nymphs into wetlands.

I’ve always loved watching these tiny biplane-like creatures as they dart about fields and ponds. Now that I have been properly introduced to the Autumn Meadowhawk and understand a little but about them I am even more fascinated about these beautiful creatures.

   

  

Task 99: Boston University Corporate Education Center Project Management Certification.

(99) Take Professional Development Classes (0/10)

Today I signed up for the Boston University Corporate Education Center's project management certificate program. 

This program will fulfill all the educational requirements I need to sit for the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. This program is a self-paced style online curriculum of 10 courses that include all areas of project management and detailed in the PMI PMBOK. When completed I will have earned 198PDU’s, 19.8 CEU’s and 10 ACE Credits. I must complete this program within two years of enrollment or less.

The 10 courses are separated into three sections with three courses each and one courses for Preparing for the PMP Exam.  Those three sections are the Foundations of Project Management, Principles of Project Management, and the Comprehensive Project Management.

The Foundations of Project Management is comprised of Project Framework and Integration Management, Project Scope Management, Project Communications Management.

The Principles of Project Management is comprised of Project Time Management, Project Risk Management, and Project Cost Management.

The Comprehensive Project Management section is comprised of Project Quality Management, Project Procurement Management and Human Resource Management.

Wish me luck as I begin this program. Hopefully by its completion I will be PMP Certified by the PMI Institute and will have a Certificate in Project Management by Boston University’s Corporate Education Center.

I will review each course as I take them. Keep an eye out for each review.

The Boston University Corporate Education Center is run and operated by the College Nework: education inspired by life.