PS Don't Forget To Play!

This postscript comes from a note that I received recently from my aunt.  The phrase is borrowed, and she’s not the only family member admonishing me with it these days...  

You see, recently my younger brother graduated from college.  During the commencement ceremony, one of the speakers emphasized the importance of graduates not getting so tied up in work that they forget to play.   And so there I was, minding my own business in the dimly lit balcony of the university auditorium, when all the eyes of my family members suddenly turned in unison… to me.

Methinks I must be guilty of this transgression.

It is admittedly hard to fit ‘play’ into the schedule.  I have lived most of my life as an accomplished overachiever, and the most recent chapter in this book is that I have enrolled in a doctoral program in chemistry.  I have no intention of using this blog to hash out all the gory details of lab-life, but for the sake of my readers who aren’t familiar with this lifestyle, I will be brief:  I am expected to work a minimum of 60 hours a week in lab; I am permitted one day off on the weekend; my program lasts five (or more) years; and no, I don’t get summers off.

Clearly, playing has limitations – but it’s not impossible!

Six months ago, I was flipping through a book titled, Bread Machine: How to Prepare and Bake the Perfect Loaf, by Jennie Shapter.  The book has the most magnificent pictures of bread I have ever seen.  But there was a problem: I didn’t have a bread machine.  Then in occurred to me:  I am a chemist who ‘cooks’ in lab all day.  If anyone has the skills to figure out how to make these loaves without a bread machine, it’s me.

So, I made a loaf… and another… and another… and discovered that I love making bread.  For me, it is the epitome of playing.

So, consider this an invitation to join me as I play, experiment, and tinker with recipes.  You don’t have to be an expert to join in the conversation, and you don’t have to quit your day job to participate and have fun.  Happy baking!