I am in a professional slump. I am not happy where I am working or what I am working on. Yet I am about a year away from finishing my master’s degree. Since my current employer is paying for that I am stuck. So, I am exceptionally excited to have three weeks off. I have several goals for this vacation. First, I want to try out new recipes. Second, I want to learn a couple songs on my guitar. Third, I want to finish a couple of books.

With my first day off yesterday, I got off to a good start. I made this: http://davidwarda.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/pear-upside-down-molasses-spice-cake/#comment-567 This recipe gave me my first experience with parchment paper. My only regret is not using it sooner. I will never again struggle to coat the inside of a pan evenly with butter and then shake flour around in it. My god that stuff is magic. The cake came out of the pan looking like the last word on gorgeous cakes for all time. I haven’t sampled it yet. I’m taking it to a party, so here’s to hoping it’s done all the way through. I always experience a little anxiety when taking a new creation out for public consumption. 

Now, I need to find some sheet music for the songs that I want to play on guitar. I would like a nice arrangement of Carol of the Bells. Hopefully, I can locate this today and start playing.