Where Oh Where has My Little Mind Gone...

My brain decided to stay in bed today and did not give me the memo. My first alarm did not go off (thank goodness for alarm #2), I forgot my side towels, I asked a few silly questions, I almost steamed the wakimi instead of stemming it, I was seconds away from using the wrong mushrooms in my miso soup, my matchstick carrots looked more like odd sized crayons,and my cooking partner and I forgot to strain the Bonito flakes out of the miso. I belonged in the culinary preschool class today.
You may be questioning if carrots cut like odd sized crayons are really a reason to stress. The answer is "yes". I have a knife skills test a week from Wednesday. We are given a list of items to cut and tested on how well we cut them. The chef instructor has a ruler and will measure our cuts to be sure they are precise. Example: a small dice is 1/4th inch x 1/4th inch. If the item cut is any more or any less, we will be marked off. We are not allowed to use rulers. Considering that I practically hid my "matchstick" carrots from the chef today, I have a lot of practicing to do. I see a date with my knife, cutting board, and a bag of carrots in my near future. Maybe I will even light a candle.
On a high note, the dishes we created in class today were finger licking good and a great distraction from my absent mind.
We made our own sushi, a coconut lime custard, coffee custard with chili maple pecans, and a mixed salad with black sesame carrot dressing. If there had been any custard left over I would be eating it right now. Unfortunately the class polished it off and I came home empty handed.
I was also able to finish my night by watching "Dancing With the Stars" at the gym. Watching Kate Gosslin attempt to dance is a great way to feel better about yourself. If you are having a bad day watch her dance the tango. Who knew trashy reality television could be free therapy.
I am setting 3 alarms tonight and looking forward to leaving my apartment with my mind intact.