Sunday, June 10, 2007

Refreezing is okay?

Hello (lol!)

I did say my next post would be about someone else's life...but you know what.... I LIED!

So I defrosted my blade steak a few nights ago, in the fridge as is good and proper. I didn't use it within a couple of days and I began to get worried. (I always freeze stuff these days because I'm only cooking for one person, and things tend to go off in the fridge.)
How long does meat keep in the fridge? I wondered. Less than a week, I was sure.

Then last night I discovered that the meat was leaking (blood, that is) and it seemed to be coming through the plastic bag I wrapped it in. This wasn't great as many other people use the fridge. I was in a hurry... so I threw it back in the freezer, instead of throwing it out.

Now I did tell some people this story, including my mother, and they all thought it was a bit dodgy... and that I should probably throw the meat out. But, boo-ya! The internet came good for me again. The above link debunks the myth that refreezing is bad (as long as it was thawed in the fridge) and the only drawback seems to be a loss of fluid from the process.

This link is more comprehensively about freezing.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Freezing/index.asp
It seems to me that there are a lot of misconceptions about food handling/storage - but remember, the ten second rule still applies!

Enjoy my fellow freezers.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Overnight, the leaves began to die - and as they died they turned the most beautiful colours. But nobody saw them, and in the morning they were dead.

Hi there.

That title seems a bit morbid, but not to worry... I was just being poetic.

Something I realised just last night was that none of my friends from Melbourne have been to the restaurant I work at. The visitors I've had while at work have all been old friends from Bendigo.

I've done a lot of writing this year, more writing than I have done for a while. I believe uni has prompted it. There's something about researching and writing about stuff, or rather, being forced to do it, that makes the creative mind wander onto better things. While writing a history essay I suddenly had a creative urge to write about a room. I thought about the power an empty room can have and the power of a title such as 'The Hut of Baba-Yaga', the witch of Russian folklore (from Mussorgsky's 'Pictures At An Exhibition') and the power of the scene from The Neverending Story where Atreyu is in the egg room on the mountain with the Childlike Empress. So I began to write 'The Room of Moving Shadows', although I toyed with different titles for a while. There are only two or three paragraphs so far.

Speaking of my stories... the usual horror story of exams has begun. Still finishing 3 or 4 overdue assignments from two Fridays ago, I've left myself a day and a bit to study for my two written exams. Which admittedly won't be too taxing - I hope.

Oh and I have moved rooms. My new room is higher up, and has [gasp!] a window to the outside world. It also has room for me to move around without bumping into things.

I have progressed with my songwriting. Two songs are now complete, if only in overall structure. More are developing.

I've had a girlfriend for a little over a month now. Her name is Lanie, and she is on exchange from Britain. If you've been out of the loop here (and really do mind not being told!) I apologise.

Last night I worked for nine hours, my longest shift ever. A long time you say? Quite convenient that it happened the weekend before exams. I did have a few minutes to sit and eat, but it was... long. I've spoken to a number of people who are also working during the exam period. Silly, silly fools! That is the first exclamation mark I've used in a while, as in, for some days.

Do I need to say goodbye? Goodbye. Though I doubt it's a final goodbye; I'm sure I'll be back to post again sometime, I really don't know why. I am thinking that a creative blog rather than an everyday one would be more...useful? Thought-provoking? Perhaps I'm just tired of posting about my life. Okay then. My next post shall be about someone else's life. Stay tuned.

>>>G