Explanation

I think that last entry requires a little bit of explanation. Why on earth would I go on a three-page rant about cheeses? Why would I spend that much on cheese? Well, I'll start from the beginning.

Alice likes Boar's Head ham. It's the only type of ham she had ever eaten before coming to Oklahoma. But it's elite. They don't sell it at Walmart, which is basically the main grocery store in these parts. So one day Alice asked the woman behind the Walmart deli counter if there was anywhere nearby that might have it. The helpful Walmart employee quickly named Forward Foods as the place to go. I remembered having seen it on Main Street while riding deliveries, so one Sunday afternoon, Alice and I took a trip up to Main Street and walked around. We found Forward Foods with relative ease. It turns out that that store and the one next to it (a record shop) are the only two places open on Sundays. Anyway, we go in, and I am AWED by their cheese display. I mean, just look at that! So I go to the counter and read the descriptions on several of them, but there were just too many to read them all. So I tell the person behind the counter that I have no idea what I'm looking for, except that I'm hoping for something on the less expensive end--I am, after all, a college student. He asks me if I've tried the "Prima Donna" and I say no, so he slices off a sample of it for me.

OH MY GOD. Have I mentioned lately how much I love good cheese? I think it was even better because I haven't had real cheese in such a long time. I've been limited to the Walmart selection--and they hardly even stock extra sharp cheddar down here. They have nothing for those of us with more sophisticated cheese tastes. But this Prima Donna was delicious. I ask how much it is... Oh... oh... um... Hmm... That's the trouble with good cheeses. They're really flipping expensive. $16.99/lb... I try a few more cheeses, on the less expensive end, but he started me off with one of the best and I just couldn't bring my mind away from it. I bought 0.42 lb. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it all began.

A few days later, I was telling Kate about all this. She tried my Prima Donna, loved it, and we decided that we would have to have a cheese party. Thursday, February 12, we walked back up to Main Street and went to Forward Foods. We took pictures on the way (remind me to upload these--it includes a picture of the James Garner statue!) and then when we were inside, we hatched a plan. We would split the costs of buying several really small samples of cheese. $3 samples, to be precies. And 10 of them. Well, we ran a little bit over our intended price range. $41.50 was our final total. Although, in our defense, that included crackers. Yeah, a kind of weak defense, I know. Also in our defense, it was delicious.

And then you have people like Richard, who just can't appreciate a good cheese. He tried a tiny piece of the Prima Donna and spit it out in the trash. I tried to keep him away from the rest of the cheeses after that incident, but one day Kate and I were partying it up in the office and he decided to scoop up a finger full of the bleu. That was dumb. That bleu is the cheese with the physical bite. I tried to warn him.

So that's our cheese adventure. Kate and I have tried all of our cheeses, but I haven't finished writing about them all, obviously. Nonetheless, deliciousness.

And now, a brief summary of everything else going on in my life:

• The Couch center president (who just replaced the previous president over break) is resigning. I intend to apply for his position. I'll probably be running against Eddie. Final decisions will probably be made by Thursday night.
• Shannon is happily moved in. It's working out very well.
• I had my first physics test of the semester yesterday. It went... alright. Could have been better.
• I had my first math test of the semester sometime last week. 47/50. That's a lot better than the first test in the previous semester: 53/100 (class average 37/100). Yeah, I like this teacher a lot better.
• On the same day that I got my math test back, I also got back the first real programming project from my Programming for Non-Majors class. 600/600. Bitchin'.
• I've become nocturnal again. I'm working on adjusting that. Last night I was actually asleep by 1:00. The previous night, I didn't go to sleep until 6:30.
• Big dilemma going on regarding spring break.
  

Cheese

Prima Donna– Renowned for its caramel aftertaste, Primadonna is a mild cow’s milk cheese made in the style of a Holland Gouda but bears a distinctly less sharp, less penetrating flavor. It has an ivory rind with rose blush, a crunchy texture and a sweet, nutty flavor.

• Price: $16.99/lb
• Purchased: About 0.43lb
  
• Had a little trouble finding this "Caramel aftertaste" for a while, but I think I finally did

Cabecou– One of the smallest French cheeses, weighing in at only an ounce per piece, these are flat little discs of French goat cheese (with black peppercorns) wrapped in chestnut leaves soaked in brandy. Try with a white wine from the Loire Valley, or a red Bordeaux. Very tasty and pretty.

• Price: $3 (I already did the math on what this means per pound, and I don't want to talk about it)
  
• Purchased: One piece
• I don't particularly care for the taste of this one. It's a lot like tea, which is just weird. Worth trying, certainly, but I don't think I'd buy it again.
  

Black Mountain– Black Mountain is a combination of matured Welsh Cheddar, white wine, garlic and herbs, It’s balanced even though garlic’s side of the teeter totter’s closer to the ground. Winter nights made warmer with this one.

• Price: $19.99/lb
• Purchased: 0.21 lb
• OM NOM NOM! This cheese is freaking delicious. Sharp, garlicky, amazing.

Bleu D’Auvergne– From the Auvergne region in France & made only since the middle of the 19th century, it is made in the traditional manner from cow’s milk and features blue veining throughout. A moist, sticky rind conceals a soft paste that possesses a grassy, herbaceous, and (with age) spicy, pungent taste.

• Price: $14.99/lb
• Purchased: 0.29 lb
• Pungent is right. Sticky is also true. Most prominent, however, is the bite. Sure, you expect a blue to bit back, but this is physically painful. I'm not even sure how we're going to eat it all. Richard just came by and tried some (without a cracker) and decided it was nasty. Good for him. I think it's delicious.

Comte – French, very similar to Swiss Gruyere but a little more buttery and caramel-y tasting. Fabulous melted, make a Croque Monsier and drink a Cotes du Rhone.

• Price: $13.98/lb
• Purchased: 0.29 lb
• The description of this one is quite accurate. It's a firm cheese with a buttery, caramel-y taste, slightly sweet.

Petite Brebis– Made in the region around the Basque mountains this pure sheep’s milk cheese develops its reddish rind and aromatic taste during the ripening process which takes approximately five months. It has a deeply nutty taste with a firm crumbly texture.

• Price: $20.00/b
• Purchased: 0.12 lb
• Nutty, a little softer than the previous cheese. Very delicious. Not really crumbly. Definitely nutty. Melts in your mouth, with a slight bite in the aftertaste.

Brie Notre Dame -This is a soft cheese with dry rind and velvety white fungus. It belongs to the classic French cheeses and counts five centuries of history. With intense aromas and a fine, sweetish, nutty taste.

• Price: $10.00/lb
• Purchased: 0.25
• Buttery, extremely soft. The rind has a leafy taste. I'm really bad at describing cheeses.

Taleggio- The classic Italian washed-rind, this cheese is soft and velvety with a slightly salty, full flavor. The texture of the cheese is moist-to-oozy with a very pleasant melt-in-your-mouth feel. The combination of the soft texture, pungent aroma, and buttery flavors has proven to be addictive especially when spread on fresh crusty bread.

• Price: $13.99/lb
• Purchased: 0.29 lb
• Very very soft, needs to be spread on something. The rind is less leafy than the Brie. "Pungent Aroma," though, is code for "smells like feet." Nonetheless, it tastes delicious. This is the only thing stopping Kate and me from being connoisseurs: we keep calling it "feet cheese."

Murcia Al Vino – From Murica, Spain, a very agreeable moist goat’s milk cheese that is enhanced by the wine it’s soaked in.

• Price: $17.98/lb
• Purchased: 0.17 lb
• Leafy flavor, a lot like the Cabecou, but different. This one has a distinct wine flavor and it's simply more cheese-tasting.

More next time, including:

• Zamorano
• Grafton Maple-Smoked Cheddar
• An explanation of why I'm talking about cheese.
  

Planning ahead

I don't typically go for the whole "setting goals" thing, because either they don't get accomplished and then you feel like a failure, or they do get done, and then you set the bar too low for yourself. But I'm planning ahead for next year, and I'm excited. My hope for myself (goal, technically) is to be an RSA President next year. I'm still not sure if I'm going for Walker or Couch. Right now it sounds like there's someone else going for Walker, and she lives there so she probably cares more about getting that specific building. I know I won't get Adams (Richard is running again), so Couch is a realistic but still optimistic goal. The unfortunate bit is that I don't really know anyone at Couch. Anyway, that's my plan, my hope, my goal for next year (Well, it will all be decided by the end of March, really). My backup plan, then, is HCSA Secretary. The position comes with a lot of the same benefits and involvement, it's just different.

The way I see it, secretary has less variety. Same total amount of responsibility, but different types. As an RSA president, one must plan events, put in orders, run the events once they've been approved, etc. Secretary... well, I honestly don't know all of the responsibilities involved. I know the secretary is involved in the paperwork for RSA events. Secretary can (but isn't generally required to) take notes at General Council meetings. I assume there's more, but it's certainly more behind-the-scenes, or it was the way this year's secretary did it, anyway.

But for now, I have to just do the work that's already on my plate. I'm getting all my homework done without a problem. Yeah, sometimes there are late nights involved, and sometimes it's at the last minute, but it gets done. Meanwhile at work, I'm having a bit trouble... not blowing up. I have some new co-workers and they just aren't as... companionable as some of the people I've worked with in the past. Janiway (the "J" is pronounced like an "H") is the worst, by far. Everyone else tries to learn things. When the people with more seniority or authority ask them to do something, they do it. Janiway acts like she knows all better than we do. She claims to make fast sandwiches, although we all recognize that's not the case. And when we tried to do some training, she walked away and said "I already know how to do that." The first time I worked with her, I wasn't sure that she was an employee. It was a slow day, but she sat on the benches the whole time and talked on her phone. I'm guilty of occasionally answering my phone when there are no customers in the store, but rarely will I stay on it for more than a few minutes. She was on the phone for literally two hours. Maybe I don't get paid enough not to do that.

Blah, Mondays. In any case, it's time to pay attention in Physics now. After this, a quick bus ride to the Weather Center, a quick lab, and a quick ride back to the dorms (hopefully). And maybe I'll find a chance to sneak in a quick nap, too.