Housing II

It looks like after everything I'm going to end up in my dead last choice for student housing. I still don't know exactly when I can move. I'm supposed to get a confrimation of all of that on Friday.

What I Learned While I Was in San Francisco

1. The people seem to be on their sense of time. Business seem to open later than I'm used to. I wake up early, so not being able to make calls until 10am seems like a late start.
2. Jaywalking and running lights is the norm for pedestrians. They will walk against green lights in front of police officers like it doesn't matter. I guess it doesn't.
3. San Francisco's downtown area is just as confusing as Los Angeles'. I pretty much have LA's down, now I have to get used to SF's. One-way streets suck!
4. The homeless are kind of polite.
5. LA's public transportation is terrible. Which leads me to...
6. It's almost not worth having a car in SF. Parking is almost non-exsistant until you want to pay for a parking lot and the traffic is thick. I'm going to save myself the trouble and buy a Muni pass.

Baking and Pastry Arts Program Courses, Part II

Doughs - 6 credits
This course introduces the student to the fundamentals of bread baking, baking science, and the vocabulary of bread. The difference between direct and indirect methods, techniques for improving lean breads, such as pate fermentee, sponge, and pre-fermented techniques are discussed. Natural fermintation techniques, science of wild yeast fermentation, methodology for building loaves in stages, and principles of making wild yeast or sourdough bread are presented. The student can learn and apply the principles of preparation for; rich and sweet doughs; braiding and knotting for rolls; long-rising wet doughs (rustics); flatbreads; focaccias; yeasted rye and whole grain breads; pizza doughs; French pasrty bases; American doughs; chemically and stem-leavened batters and doughs; and layered doughs.

Service Pastry - 6 credits
The student can learn and apply the principles of preparation for a variety of cookie formulas, advanced non-yeasted doughs, French pastries, hot dessert souffles, custards, basic dessert sauces, ice creams, sherberts, sorbets, and still-frozen desserts. Principles of planning, preparation, and mise en place in production of dessert buffets, mirror presentations, table designs, plated desserts, and balanced dessert menus are discussed and applies. Application of principles for portioning, garnishing, color harmony, composition, and decoration of plated desserts for tableside and banquets is emphasized.

Cost Control - 2 credits
This course introduces basic inventory management procedres, requisitions ordering, and basic kichen math skills such as recipe costing, yield testing, calulation of food cost percentage, labor cost percentage, and basic P&L functions to the student.

Human Resource Management - 2 credits
This course introduces the student to the human resources and management aspect of a culinary profession. The student is taught effective procedures to staff and retain employees. Lectures focus on writing a job description, conducting an employee evaluation and complying with state and federal employment regulations. Leadership styles and effective employee motivational strategies are taught in lectures, discussions, and role-playing situations.

Confectionery and Show Work - 6 credits
The student can learn and apply the principles of preparation for chocolate work, caramels, toffees, nougats, Turkish delight, jellied candies, and starch cast candies. Also introduced is the preparation of media for simple showpieces including marzipan, chocolate, plastique, nougatine, pastillage, and cocoa painting.The student xan learn to prepare such showpieces as candy boxes with ribbons, bows, and chocolate filagree. Principles f preparation and application are presented and applied for sugar show work including pulled flowers, ribbons and bows, blown fruit, figurines, and sugar casting.

Baking and Pastry Arts Program Courses, Part I

Here's a list of the courses for CCA's Baking and Pastry Certificate Program

Knife Skills - 1 credit
This course is designed to familiarize the student with basic knife skills as well as fundamental baking and pastry piping techniques.

Food Science - 2 credits
The student can learn the basic ingredients, properties, consistencies, and compositions in the preparation of food products in order to gain a better understanding of the chemical reactions and changes that occur in food during the cooking process. Food chemistry and the effects of heat transfer during cooking are emphasized.

Nutrition - 2 credits
This course introduces the basic principles of nutrition and the relationship of nutrition to health. Current nutritional treds are discussed including dietary guidelines, vitamin supplements, and food and dietary fads.

Safety and Sanitation - 2 credits
The course introduces the student to safe kitchen procedures and the causes of food spoilage and food-borne illness. He/she can learn how to develop and implement an HACCP program into a food service operation. Legal responsibilities and practical implementation of safe and sanitary food service are taught.

Cakes - 6 credits
This comprehensive course introduces the student to the history of cakes and the ingredients, proportions, aconsistencies, and chemical reactions in cake and icing preparation. Princeiples of cake preparation, finishing, and decorating and presented and applied to a variety of over 20 different types of cake. The student can also learn about preparation of special occasion cakes with particular emphasis on wedding cakes. Each student is expected to prepare a wedding cake under the direction of the instructor.

Back where I started

The trip to SF was a bust. Mike and I didn't find anything we could afford right now. He's in a tighter squeeze than I am. His school starts on the 1st and he still hasn't found anything. He says his student housing is $3300 a month. That just doesn't sound right. Mike isn't known for reading things correctly.

Anyway, I'll be in student housing myself. At least it's only $600 a month. I'm still not looking forward to that.

The tour of the school was great. My admissions rep gave me a tour personally of the north campus. I saw the massive kit they'll hand out the day after orientation. And I got fitted for my uniform and shoes. It turns out that I didn't fill in the loan amount on the application, which is kind of good because I needed it raised anyway. My mom didn't fill out any of her information, only signed the bottom for the co-borrower part.

Oy, I have a lot of people in my life who make me want to smack my forehead.

States I've Visited

Here's a map of the states I've visited. I've got a few more to check out.

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide

Update

OK...Not much and a lot has been going on. Mike and I are going to San Francisco on the 24th and 25th to look for an apartment. We've decided to rent a car with unlimited mileage. It'll be a lot easier when we're up there to look around at places and it'll probably work out to the same amount as the Greyhound bus.

I need to call my financial planner because I swore that she told me my loan doesn't include payment for housing. I've got to get that straighten out because I definently applied for extra to include it. My job sucks and they only gave three freeking days to work when I gave my two-week notice so I'm borrowing more money from my mom to help with a down payment for an apartment.

I'm still packing and trying to part with things (and people). I'm so ready to go and not at the same time.

Short trip to SF/ Papers II

Mike and I planned to make a short three-day trip up to San Francisco. It's too soon to book a flight without spending a lot of money, so we've opted for the bus. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about the smells, and noises, and the long trip, but we're broke and we can't beat the $89 round-trip fare purchasing a week and a half before. I'm not looking forward to it, but I plan to sleep as much as possible.

My mom called to let me know that she got the envelope. Since it's Sunday, she's waiting until Monday to mail it back to the school.

Housing

I didn't turn in the housing papers that came with the package. It looks like I might already have a roommate. I've just recently got back in touch with my best friend from high school. Her younger brother Mikey is going to the Art Academy in SF. I know he doesn't know anyone there. So, I have to give him a call and see when he's leaving.

Papers

Finding the DHL site was a bit tricky. Finding the DHL site on the bus is also tricky. The industrial area of downtown Los Angeles is confusing! There were some streets that I refused to go down because they didn't have a street name posted anywhere. After about a 1/2 of looking after I got off of the bus, I found the place.

Being that there was no where to fill all of this out, I went to the library to fill it out. I was worried about being approved for the loans. I've got $6,600 from the Federal Stafford Loan and a $25,000 from Sallie Mae. I found out after calling an 800 number that I was only preapproved for the 25G's if I have a co-borrower. Thanks mom for the nice credit score.

I included money for housing in that loan. But now I'm not sure if I want to live in the school's housing or off-campus. I don't have much time to figure this out.

The big loan has a 15-year repayment plan and payments don't start until six months after I graduate.

Thirty-five dollars to over night it to my mom to co-sign the loan then, hopefully she'll have it off to the school in time by the 18th.

Deadline

Hi everyone. I've got deadline issues. I'm trying to get everything squared away for the September 19th session at the California Culinary Acadamy. If I don't get the financial aid package that is currently sitting at a DHL office signed and shipped off to my mom in Sacramento to have her co-sign and ship back to the school by August 18th. By tomorrow, that will give me only 6 days to pull this off or I'm waiting for the next session that starts in November.

I'm off to find my package in downtown Los Angeles at 8 in the morning.

Finally Going Back To School

Everyone from the school, California Culinary Academy that I talked to seems really nice. Within two days, I've been contacted by my admissions rep, financial aid planner, some lady who is on me to get all of my paperwork to be turned in, and the assisstant president of the school. They answered all my question with a politeness I'm not always used to. If they haven't been at the phone when I've called, they have all returned my calls with a few hours.

School is crazy expensive.

I did my FAFSA on Monday and got the results the next day. That seems really fast. I thought it usually takes a lot longer than that. I don't know anyone who is eligible for the Federal Pell Grant, I wasn't. (They let you know if you're eligible when you get your SAR [Student Aid Result] results from the FAFSA.) My EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) is almost 4,000. That seems like a lot to me.

I'm waiting on a mysterous financial aid package that is being shipped down to me from the school in San Francisco. When that comes, it's time to apply for the Federal Stafford Loans and another from Sallie Mae. My credit is terrible, but my nice mother is willing to co-sign.

I hate bills and here comes a big one.

I'm feeling stupid because I can't figure out how much I'm getting from the FAFSA in the first place.. oy..I'll be calling the financial aid planner soon.