Breadfail, Panini Success

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You can navigate back to read the Thursday post if you missed it.**

Thursday I did not have work, but did have an orthodontist appointment at 11am, which meant getting up at 9 for breakfast and the hour drive.

I was referred by my dentist, purely cosmetic.
My front teeth overlap, and while it hasn't been much of a problem for most of my life I have noticed that it HAS gotten worse over time, and I accidentally bite my lip with that overlapping front tooth a lot more often than I used to. It's annoying, and is also making me self-conscious. I really would like to correct it.

The problem is that I play the trombone.

The orthodontist x-rayed my horsey face, and we discussed my teeth.
He called them "immaculate" as far as hygeine. Oh my, I was flattered!
They may be horsey but I do take care of them.

I have an overbite, so I'm always going to have a gap between my top and lower teeth, he explained. He wanted to make that clear so I'm not expecting miracles (I wasn't). My options are to do metal braces, which are more accurate for placement yet cost less; or the clear alignment (Invisalign), which are less accurate for placement yet cost more. In addition, the braces can be put on within four weeks of consultation, whereas the aligners take six weeks because of the turnaround after the teeth mold is sent out.

Either way, this is not something I'll be able to do before the tour starts up again.
The earliest I could possibly get them on would be the last week of August, two weeks before the first rehearsal.
I'm not going to risk damaging my mouth or finding out I can't play with braces in right before a nine-month tour.
So, this will be a possibility for afterward.

Also, I am not at all concerned about the aesthetic of having metal braces at the age of 38.
Far as I'm concerned, being able to afford a cosmetic tooth alignment is a flex.

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On the way home I picked up more protein shakes and some vegetables, and some hot honey to try on our wings tonight.

Back home I ate lunch and chilled for a bit, then went to the gym.
I did the same "wussy routine" of 15 minutes on the elliptical followed by 15-20 resistance.
I did a lot of arm stuff, so when I was taking a shower back home my arms were trembling when I lifted them a certain way.
Cuz I'm a wuss :p
But that's ok. The goal is just to maintain, maybe slightly improve. I'm happy with what I have and want to keep it.

After my shower I had the sudden realization that I'd completely forgotten to reorder birth control pills.
I'm not sexually active, but have taken birth control for many years due to painful menstrual cramping.
In over a decade I have never missed a pack, this will be my first time.
I wonder what will happen...probably just some spotting and extra cramps.
Anyway the pills should arrive in a week or so, so I'm not worried.

I made the wings for dinner and they were great.
The hot honey was better added afterward as a drizzle, we decided. Cooked onto the wings, a lot of the flavor was lost.
The hot honey was also FANTASTIC drizzled on our pizza.
We have vanilla ice cream in the freezer, I'll try it on that and also in my oatmeal at some point.

Before bed I did my remaining data entry work so I won't have to worry about it tommorow OR so they can give me a new resident to work on tomorrow.

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Friday, another early morning for discount court reporting!
I woke up with a sore throat, but as it was mild I ignored it (internal freakout, commence!).

Wheat bread, egg whites, raspberries, peanut butter, half a protein shake, and coffee for breakfast.

I arrived early and was able to set up in room two, and also get my email issue sorted out in room one.
Then I got set up in room four for work.
For the first time, I was ready at the start of hearings!
And the Judge was ready!
And all of the phone numbers I'd been given were correct!
And everyone was ready when I called them!

After nearly two weeks at this job, this is the first time I've been able to start a case (actually all three cases!) on time.
It's a freaking Christmas miracle.

The Judge was great and easy to work with, the cases were normal, nothing dramatic or ridiculous.
I was so pleased. Wish every day were like that.

At the end of the day I found out that I'd been misscheduled for the 25th, so won't have work again until the 27th.
What to do! What I SHOULD do is more work for the data entry job.

On the way home I picked up a covid test (negative) and then went to Whole paycheck for ingredients for paninis.
Mainly I needed the fancy cheese and the ciabatta rolls.

Back home Jameson treated us to order-in sushi from a nice restaurant since he had a credit. I got sashimi, it was so nice.

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Saturday, I was still feeling under the weather but it seemed very much a sinus issue.
(TMI ahead) The sore throat was gone, and in it's place was some minor yellow boogers from one nostril and an eyeball headache.
Still, after consulting with Jameson I will test again tomorrow so he'll know whether it's safe for him to go to rehearsal.

While Jameson took a much-deserved lounge by the pool, I made my loaf of wheat bread for the week.
I am trying to develop my own recipe, of course using someone else's recipe as the base (this is acceptable to do, trust me, I researched it so I wouldn't piss anyone off or steal anyone's hard work).

My recipe will be similar to the one from Jenny Can Cook.
The changes I'm definitely making:

1) Add a Tangzhong roux
2) Add a second rise (surprising that there's not one already!)
3) Increase liquids to 255mL for the roux
4) Increase bread flour slightly to 70g
5) Add 1Tbsp vital wheat gluten

I think that is enough major changes to make it my own recipe.

Gave it a shot today.
Overall it went pretty well, up until I did two things wrong.
I underproofed it and it had a blowout along one side, which isn't a huge deal.
But then I also didn't oil the pan enough and/or used too much egg wash, causing the bread to stick.

This is the first time that has ever happened to me.
I had to free it with a knife and the results were not pretty.


Murdered loaf lol. But otherwise you can tell it would have turned out nice.


Stab wounds aside, the rise was good, the crumb was good.


For next time, I've GOT to stick to a minimum one-hour rise time.
Because the last loaf was overproofed I freaked out this time and cut the rise short.
Gotta STOP that! One hour minimum!!

The rest of the day was very lazy.
We watched Blown Away, which if you haven't seen it is a glassblowing competition and it is AWESOME.
The artwork is incredible and the process is fascinating. There are three seasons now, so give it a watch :)

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Sunday after breakfast I worked on my data entry job.
I picked a random profile and it turned out to be quite boring and easily completable (this still meant about two hours' worth of work). This poor person sounded quite depressed, and I hope that the completion of their profile will help staff at the nursing home to provide a better experience for them.

I picked another profile that sounded a little more upbeat, then Jameson and I had lunch and watched TV.
Deli chicken meat, mashed avocado, carrot sticks, wheat bread, and frozen cherries for me.

The afternoon was fairly lazy, neither of us went anywhere. I weeded around the house and felt jealous of the neighbor's pineapples.
They have two now and they both look lovely. Jameson says I can have a pineapple plant, but I don't dare until touring is over.


My vanilla is looking photogenic as well.


Back inside I got started on dinner.
"Dual Panini", I call it.


Here we have a caprese panini, and a ham and Brie one.
Caprese: basil, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and balsamic drizzle squished in a ciabatta roll.
Ham: thin-sliced ham with mustard, Brie, spinach, green apple, and peach preserves, also on ciabatta.



There was something missing with the ham sandwich.
Maybe next time I'll make it a pseudo-Cuban and throw a pickle in there.
It needed acid or "bite", which I thought the green apple would provide but it was too mild.

The caprese was great, only I want to research how to make the tomatoes less drippy.
I know sun-dried is always an option, but we don't like those very much.

Overall, though, really tasty crunchy creamy melted-cheesy goodness. Not to mention super easy.

After dinner we went outside to read because it was actually temperate out there for once.

Jameson was reading "My Bass and Other Animals" by Guy Pratt, session bassist and performer for Pink Floyd and Madonna among others.
And I read "Fall: Or Dodge In Hell" by Neal Stephenson. I freaking love Stephenson's works. I'm going to swear because that is how into this author I am: he is just so goddamned INNOVATIVE. He is an advisor to Blue Origin, and has also been working with Magic Leap, a startup dedicated to superimposing computer imagery over real-world objects using absolutely fascinating augmented reality technology.

In other words he is more than just an author. But all of the projects that he's involved in, and all of his genius, become so accessible, and heartwarming, and exciting, through his books. I love love love reading them, and rarely have the time.

Tonight, sitting outside with my favorite person, just reading quietly together while dusk fell and the bugs began singing in the trees...it was a real treat.