Summary: After a decade of silence, the flute makes a sonorous return into my life
When I was young, I took private music lessons on violin, piano, and flute. My father and I played dinner music in a restaurant in my hometown every Friday night when I was in high school. I’d play violin and flute and he’d play piano and accordion.
Performing dinner music with my father in the early 80s
Violin emerged as my primary instrument, until I picked up the viola in my late 20s and was forever hooked. I’ve performed with the Newport Symphony for over 18 years (click here to see my next performances), and I enjoy playing string quartets and quintets with many of my very talented friends.
I do pull out my violin on occasion, and although it seems so small (I jokingly call it my “larval viola”), I do enjoy being reminded of its sound and agility.
But what about the flute?
It’s been over a decade since I played my flute. In fact, I sold my flute to a neighbor who really wanted to play it. I wasn’t using it, so why not?
Then I heard an alto flute.
It was about a decade ago when I was performing in a pit orchestra for a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company.” The opening strains of the moving, heartbreaking song, “Sorry Grateful” feature the mournful, mellow sounds of the alto flute.
I was captivated. To me, it sounded like a viola-flute.
So, what is an alto flute?
An alto flute is longer, bigger, and lower than a standard concert or C flute. A C flute is about 3/4″ (1.9cm) in diameter, whereas an alto flute is 1″ (2.54cm) in diameter. Also, a C flute is 26.5″ (67.3cm) long, and an alto flute is 34″ (86.3cm).
An alto flute doesn’t project as much sound as a C flute. They are rarely ever seen or heard in orchestras or bands. You might get to see one in jazz music.
Anyway, my friend Mitch, who owns a multitude of instruments was moving overseas and had to find homes for his musical menagerie. He had an alto flute and agreed to trade it to me in exchange for some computer work.
That was just a couple weeks ago (I also got a theremin from him, an amazing and unusual instrument I will likely write about soon).
Trying out my new alto flute with Mitch Iimori on ukulele
Before he left, Mitch and I got together to play for fun.
Less than a week later, I attended an outdoor performance of the Tualatin Valley Community Band. I wanted to see and support a coworker who plays in the group.
The Tualatin Valley Community Band performing at Cook Park
Looking over the program, I saw a name I recognized from my distant past. It was my flute teacher — from over 40 years ago!
Of course, I went up and introduced myself. We were so delighted to reconnect!
Reuniting with my flute teacher of over 40 years ago!
During my most recent online karaoke party, I decided to give performing on the alto flute for others a try.
Performing Rêverie by Debussy on alto flute
When out of practice, playing a C flute for the first time can leave one lightheaded and dizzy. The alto flute requires even more air, and the piece I chose to play was a transcription I wrote of Debussy’s “Rêverie.”
The long, sustained notes stretched my lung capacity to the limit. I was left gasping with a light headache and dizziness for at least 15 minutes after I was done. But it was worth it.
I’m smitten. Whereas as the viola has lured me away from the violin, the low, velvety tones of the alto flute have brought me back to the cousin of a long-neglected wind instrument.
In Biden v. Nebraska, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MOHELA) was the key plaintiff. The claim was that the Biden administration’s plan to forgive student debt would harm MOHELA. The state of Missouri claimed that MOHELA would lose revenue and be therefore unable to repay money into a Missouri state fund for in-state schools.
However, MOHELA did not file, was not party to the suit, and did not support the case. MOHELA only found out about the lawsuit on the day it was filed back in September, 2022.
As for the state fund MOHELA allegedly would be unable to contribute to — MOHELA hasn’t contributed to that fund in 15 years.
In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, the Supreme Court looked into a case brought by a Colorado web designer opposed to making websites for same-sex marriages. She argued that a Colorado state anti-discrimination statute cannot compel her to create products that include speech with which she disagrees. The web designer claimed she was contacted in 2016 by “Stewart” for design work for his marriage to “Mike.”
Justice Sotomayor stated this case could be “the first time in the Court’s history … [that] a commercial business open to the public, serving the public, that it could refuse to serve a customer based on race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation.”
Turns out, Stewart is married to a woman and never requested design work. When contacted by a reporter to ask about the case, he replied this was “the very first time I’ve heard of it.” His name, contact information, and website info were all correct. Stewart went on:
“If somebody’s pulled my information, as some kind of supporting information or documentation, somebody’s falsified that … I wouldn’t want anybody to … make me a wedding website? I’m married, I have a child—I’m not really sure where that came from? But somebody’s using false information in a Supreme Court filing document … I disagree with this, in the strongest possible terms. I couldn’t disagree with her stance more.”
It didn’t take long for reporters to uncover these two instances of unwitting and unwilling “plaintiffs” in Supreme Court cases.
Regardless of how you feel about the decisions for these two cases, wouldn’t it be reasonable for everyone to agree that cases should only be valid with actual plaintiffs who have filed and are supportive of the cases in which they are named? Furthermore, I would argue any decisions based on cases filed by fake and/or falsified plaintiffs should be vacated.
On a recent trip to Phoenix, AZ, I was introduced to some amazing food — found by my traveling companion, an executive chef and former restaurant co-owner. We ate well!
If you are traveling to Phoenix and want to experience some superlative dining, may I offer these suggestions?
Ask most where you can find the best pizza and you likely would hear Chicago, New York, or Italy. Phoenix would likely never cross your mind, and you’d be forgiven for being skeptical that the best pizza might be found there.
However, James Beard Award-Winning Chef Chris Bianco produces pizza worthy of such praise. He is featured in episode one of the Netflix series, “Chef’s Table: Pizza.”
Be warned, there are no reservations and waits can be up to two hours. However, after putting your name on the waitlist, go next door to the bar and enjoy a cocktail or a cold one indoors or out while you wait.
It.will.be.worth.the.wait.
Handmade mozzarella, local market vegetable, basil with extra virgin olive oil
Handmade mozzarella cheese, impossibly thin, yet crispy and flavorful crust, the salads and pizzas are a feast for the eyes and the stomach.
The same chef who perfected the aforementioned pizza has another restaurant just a mile away. Salads, pastas, meat dishes and more with ingredients sourced from local farmers and ranchers will equally delight the eyes, mouth, and stomach.
Spring pea salad with pea shoots, fennel, crescendo cheese and toasted walnutsForeground: rigatoni with fennel sausage and roasted broccoli, Background: pansotti with greens, homemade ricotta, lemon and fava beans
Every single bite was full of beautiful and complex flavors.
I would rate this meal one of the top 5 restaurant meals I’ve had in my life (so far).
Of course there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants in the greater Phoenix area, and I only tried a couple. But this one really stood out.
Foreground: cucumber mint lemonade, Background: horchata
Beef flautas made with homemade tortillas, “Christmas style” (one with red sauce and one with green)
Foreground: hatch chile rellenos with shrimp, Background: chicken mole negro
Great cocktails, a salsa bar with a dozen salsas and sauces for your chips, and handmade tortillas, accompany dishes with complex and rich flavors, including some of the best mole I’ve tasted. Casa Corazon is worth a visit.
“Cue the Orchestra” (grey goose la poire vodka, monkey 47 gin, john d. taylor falernum, combier liqueur d’abricot, holy grass-infused contratto bitter, marionberry, vanilla, lemon juice, g.h. mumm champagne, rosemary, orange oils)
Just drinks, no food, and reservations are recommended. 3626 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ https://centurygrandphx.com/
No doubt natives as well as other visitors to the greater Phoenix area can offer their suggestions for some amazing food and drink. Please comment with yours!
Friday, I saw a brief glimpse of my father when I looked in the mirror.
I’ve never seen my father in my own face — in my uncle and occasionally in one of my brothers, but never in me. I might detect a familiar pose or shape of the mouth in pictures of myself, but never more.
Although he’s been gone for 27 years, there’s a good reason he’s constantly been in my mind, especially this last month.
Saturday, April 15, I will be a featured storyteller at the “I Am An American Live” event hosted by The Immigrant Story, a non-profit whose mission is “to document, narrate, and curate stories about immigrants in order to promote empathy and advance an inclusive community.”
With my consultants and fellow storytellers at our last rehearsal
For nearly a half year I have been working with a dedicated team of compassionate, encouraging, and skilled story editors and story tellers to develop my story, which will be about me coming to terms with my mixed-race heritage. Some very personal moments from my relationship with my father feature prominently, and I am pleased to share with the world how he impacted and still influences me today.
Humble musical beginnings at age 4
When I was 4 years old, he launched me on a joyful lifetime musical journey placing a small violin in my hands. He encouraged and supported me as I took private lessons on three instruments, and when I was in junior high and high school, we played live music every week in a local restaurant. That was the period during which we played the most music constantly together.
Playing dinner music when I was a high school senior
One of the sweetest memories, and one I return to several times in my story, is the feeling I felt when we’d be playing, our eyes would meet, and we’d smile:
Performing at my eldest brother’s wedding
It’s bittersweet to realize I am now the age he was when we were playing music together in the restaurant.
He died after having been hit by a drunk driver. Although it’s been nearly 3 decades’ past, it still stings. But out of that tragedy, I found a new musical outlet, one which brings me more musical joy and happiness than ever in my life.
I’m humbled to be included with three other outstanding speakers with gripping and emotional stories of their own. Although I’ve struggled with self-doubt whether I belong, they have been encouraging me and I’m pleased with my story.
Then, a week ago, I got very sick. Sore throat, headaches, loss of appetite, and malaise, I suffered for four days eating and drinking very little and losing an alarming amount of weight. I worried whether I would be safe to tell my story. I tested for COVID and Strep Throat — thankfully both came back negative.
Happily, I’ve begun eating again, my symptoms are lessoning, and my strength and stamina are creeping back. I am confident I will be able to tell my story but will exercise caution so as to minimize possible exposure to others as well as not overtaxing myself.
Maybe the glimpse of my father I saw was due to the severity of weight loss and dehydration from which I’m recovering. Regardless, I feel his kind, silent reassurance and am proud to share some of my personal moments with him with you all.
In most action and disaster movies at some point you will see the main character running, sliding, and jumping to dodge and avoid obstacles and assailants.
Sometimes I feel the same way as I try to avoid the slings and arrows of bad news, anti-social media, and cynical politics and marketing.
I don’t wish to withdraw completely and become ignorant and isolated from what is going on, so how do I strike a healthy balance? Here are two sites that consistently turn my day around:
This website posts positive news stories from around the world, and just glancing at the headlines can redirect your attitude upwards from sadness and despair. Here are a few recent headlines:
Skimming the headlines or reading one or two articles in the morning puts me in a good mood and strengthens my ability to deal with challenges and not be dragged down.
Good News Network also has a mobile app to make it easy to pull up headlines and stories on your smartphone!
Another site I haven’t visited in many months is a Facebook series hosted by Glamour called, You Sang My Song.
Don’t worry. Even if you have sworn off Facebook (as I have attempted) or don’t even have a Facebook account, you can still watch it.
In this series, successful musicians and music groups watch videos of fans playing and singing covers of their songs. The pros give their positive feedback, and then their fans are contacted. We get to see their reactions to the pro’s feedback.
Although there have been no new videos posted in over a year, there are over 40 videos — plenty to visit and revisit again and again.
It’s heartwarming and moving. The professionals are generous with their praise, and watching the fans’ reactions — shock and surprise that their idols are seeing their covers, trepidation as they await the feedback, and effusive gratitude once received — really warms the heart.
Those anxious moments remind me of the powerful scene at the end of Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” when his formerly blind beloved realizes who he is, and he nervously awaits her reaction:
Admittedly, many of the artists were unknown to me, but I am nonetheless always buoyed by the music, the initial reactions, and the secondary reactions. I suspect you will too.
If you have sites to recommend, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
Two years ago I wrote a two-part blog series about saving on your prescription drug costs using GoodRx or buying from Canada.
I heard from many friends and family members who were already using both methods. I was surprised to hear how many were buying from Canada.
Today, I’m happy to share a third method that may save you significantly on your prescription drugs. It is Cost Plus Drug Company.
A year ago, I started hearing news reports about billionaire Mark Cuban starting a new pharmacy with the goal of offering drugs with the lowest prices around. I hadn’t looked into until today, when I learned about a friend who was facing costs of $350 – $650 for a one-month supply of a single medication.
In the case of my friend, their particular medication was not listed on Cost Plus. You can sign up for a notification when a medication you need is added (which is what they did).
I decided to do a simple lookup on Restasis (Cyclosporine), which prompted my search and the original blog posts two years ago. Here’s what I found.
Pharmacy
Best Prices
GoodRx
$156.70 – $205.39
Your Canada Drug Store
$111.24 – $163.80
Cost Plus Drug Company
$128.35
GoodRx search resultsYour Canada Drug Store (one CIPA member pharmacy)Cost Plus Drug Company result
Conclusion:
Cost Plus Drug Store is only a year old, but it is saving some people a lot of money. Do your homework and compare options. Note the generic vs. name-brand drugs are listed, so you are comparing apples to apples.
Your results may vary, but it is definitely an option worth considering when looking to save money on your prescription drugs.
Goodbye ads and hello significant network speed improvement!
So, I set up a Raspberry Pi-Hole yesterday. Well, actually I did much less than that. I purchased a ready-built Raspberry Pi-Hole and installed it into my home network.
Why did I do this? I wanted a clean and efficient way to block annoying ads, pop-ups, and trackers so many websites attempt to download to your devices. I also expected some improvement in network speed. It turned out to be a significant speed improvement loading webpages. For that reason alone, I would recommend a Raspberry Pi-Hole.
1. What is a Raspberry Pi and what is a Pi-Hole?
Raspberry Pi computer (many come with no case or power supply)
A Raspberry Pi is a tiny computer, no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. Hobbyists love to tinker with these devices, building and configuring them for any of a number tasks (home digital juke box, attic temperature and humidity monitor, robotic applications, home automation, music and digital sound effects, games, and much more).
Raspberry Pi computer case
Raspberry Pi computers can be purchased for as little as US$40 for a bare bones circuit board to up to US$150-$200 for more features such as a power supply, enclosure, cables, and more. Numerous accessories are also available (touch screens, cameras, sensors, etc.).
So, what is a Pi-Hole?
A Pi-Hole (pronounced “pie hole”), is software run on a computer which filters out advertisements and trackers. For the network savvy, it acts as a DNS sinkhole, a DNS Cache, and can be configured to block adult content.
A Pi-Hole has significant advantages over typical software solutions (e.g., pop-up blockers, etc.). It works faster, more efficiently, and blocks ads on not just from reaching your computer, but also your cell phone (when using Wi-Fi), your smart TV, and other devices on your home network.
Normally, internet traffic, including all the ads and tracking software, etc., comes through your main internet connection, through your router, and gets propagated through your network cables and Wi-Fi network to your computer, mobile device, etc. Once there, you might have a pop-up blocker or some ad-blocking software on your local device attempt to filter out those ads. But those programs take time and computer resources.
With a Pi-Hole, those ads and trackers are filtered out way upstream, before your router can send them to your computer, mobile device, etc. Not only can you avoid the annoying ads, it can also result in significant speed improvements when surfing the web, watching videos, etc. Additionally, your local device doesn’t have to work so hard blocking the ads using its local software (e.g. a pop-up blocker).
2. Can you install a Raspberry Pi-Hole yourself?
To install and configure a Raspberry Pi-Hole, there will be some network configuration skills required:
I. Ability to log into your router’s Admin page
You must make configuration changes to your router to use a Pi-Hole. You need to know your router admin login credentials and how to log directly into the admin page of your router. Once on your router admin page, you need to be able to:
View attached network devices – You need to see if your Raspberry Pi is on your network, and if so, what is its IP Address.
Set a static IP address – Although routers typically grant the same IP address to various network-enabled devices on your home network, the Raspberry Pi must have its own dedicated (aka “static”) IP address.
Change DNS settings – After your Pi-Hole is set up, you will need to redirect your router to use the Pi-Hole IP Address instead of standard DNS servers.
II. (Optional) Build a Raspberry Pi-Hole
There are many documents and videos that explain how to install Pi-Hole on your little Raspberry Pi. But I was lazy and found a ready-built Raspberry Pi-Hole for about US$125.
My ready-built Raspberry Pi-Hole
2. Obtaining and Building a Pi-Hole
Pi-Hole is software which can run on a Raspberry Pi or on a computer running Linux. At this point, anyone without some computer software skills may be tempted to tune out. However, if you know how to log into your router and make the configuration changes listed above, you can still do this!
Those interested in tinkering will find countless websites and YouTube videos walking you through the process of installing and setting up your Pi-Hole. The Pi-Hole software is completely free, although donations are recommended to keep the software updated and continuing to improve.
If you want to build your own Pi-Hole, you will need, at minimum:
Raspberry Pi
Power Supply
USB Keyboard and USB Mouse
HDMI cable to connect to an external monitor
MicroSD card
Not comfortable with or interested in building your own Pi-Hole?
Although I was confident I could build one myself, I had neither the interest nor the time (i.e., I was feeling lazy), and decided to buy a ready-to-install Raspberry Pi-Hole. I found one on eBay for $125. I ordered it and it arrived a week later. I already owned a USB keyboard and mouse, and the Raspberry Pi-Hole came with an HDMI cable which I connected to my TV.
4. Configuring my Pi-Hole and Home Network
My Pi-Hole came with a link to a website with step-by-step instructions on how to configure my Pi-Hole. Briefly:
I. Made Physical Connections
Connected the network cable to a port on my router
Connected USB keyboard and mouse to the Raspberry Pi
Connected HDMI cable between the Raspberry Pi and my monitor (in this case, my TV)
Connected the power supply to the Raspberry Pi
II. Network configuration Following the Pi-Hole configuration instructions:
Connected the network cable to a port on my router
Assigned a static IP address on my router for my Pi-Hole
Chose a DNS server for the Pi-Hole
Checked for and installed Pi-Hole software updates
On my router, set my DNS to point to the Pi-Hole IP Address
The whole process took me less than half an hour.
Immediately I saw a significant improvement in web page loading. This was due to two features of Pi-Hole: not having to load all the ads and trackers, and DNS caching, which is built into Pi-Hole.
I don’t have statistics, but some pages appear to now load almost instantaneously. And I certainly don’t miss all the ads.
I regularly run a malware scanner. I will be curious to see if the number of malware items found decreases now that I’m running Pi-Hole.
Interested, curious, wondering whether you can do this? Drop me a line and we can discuss it.
So I finally tested positive for COVID last month.
I have taken the pandemic seriously from the start. I got my vaccines as soon as they were available (I’ve received 5 so far). I continue to exercise caution, wearing a mask while I am out shopping, and taking tests before and after symphony rehearsals. I usually self-test before large get-togethers.
I wrote a three-part blog series about the pandemic. I interviewed friends in healthcare, shared stories of former skeptics, and did my best to convince others to get vaccinated and exercise caution.
So nearly three years after the start of the global pandemic, I finally caught and tested positive for COVID.
Information about the virus has been changing and confusing. Different strains of the virus have caused consternation with an ever-changing array of symptoms, varying levels of contagiousness, and rare unknown and troubling long-term effects for some.
People have understandably become fatigued by the restrictions, the social isolation, and impact to commerce, and so much more.
In that kind of environment, it is understandable there are many skeptics, deniers, and even protests regarding safety protocols. This piece does not intend to persuade or convince anyone. It is merely to tell my story, what I have learned, and what conclusions I draw.
1. Getting Infected
Day 0
I started to develop a really bad headache. Bad headaches are rare for me, so I decided to take a nap. For safety’s sake, I took a rapid at-home COVID test. The initial control line darkened, and then I saw the dreaded second line appear. I was positive for COVID.
I immediately contacted everyone I had seen recently, and they all tested. Out of the group of a dozen, one other person was shocked to find they were also positive. They had no symptoms.
Although my symptoms ended up being mild, this first day was the worst. My sinuses were completely blocked and I had a splitting headache. Over-the-counter decongestants and painkillers made it bearable.
Days 1 – 5
I stayed in bed, hydrated, and isolated. My headache wasn’t bad, and I suffered mostly a runny nose and some coughing. I had no fever, and I didn’t suffer any body aches, difficulty breathing, or other more serious symptoms. I did partially lose my sense of smell.
I contacted my healthcare provider about getting antiviral drugs, but given my age, relatively good health, and mild symptoms, I was told such drugs were not suggested. I was instructed to just continue to rest, hydrate, isolate, mask, and wash my hands frequently. I was also told not to start testing again until day 5.
Day 2 Positive COVID test result
However, on about Day 2 I was feeling really good, suffering only a runny nose. For the heck of it, I tested, and the second line on the COVID test immediately appeared, dark and bold.
Day 11
I started testing on Day 5, and I was still positive. Testing subsequent days, the 2nd line on the COVID rapid tests grew gradually fainter. Finally, on Day 11, no trace of the second line was visible. My sense of smell gradually returned, too.
Rapid test results from Days 9 – 16
I was happy to finally be testing negative, but I continued to isolate, mask, and wash my hands religiously. I decided to sign up for a drive-through PCR test. Two days later I received my result: Inconclusive.
I scheduled another PCR test, and two days later I again received “Inconclusive.” Frustrated, I signed up for a third PCR test, and after waiting again a couple days, the result came back: POSITIVE!
2. Confusing Instructions
Frustrated and confused, I started contacting various healthcare professionals to find out what I should do.
Various articles from reputable sources suggested that I would only be contagious the first 5 days of my infection, or if I still had serious symptoms. I learned that PCR tests are much more sensitive, and that you can test positive up to 3 months after your infection.
The CDC’s website states “Any positive COVID-19 test means the virus was detected and you have an infection.” It continues that you should isolate, take precautions, tell people you recently contacted and monitor your symptoms.
Elsewhere on the CDC website it says “You may end isolation after day 5” if you have no symptoms after day 5. You are instructed to wear your mask through Day 10. You may remove your mask earlier if you have two sequential negative tests 48 hours apart. Of course, if your symptoms recur or worsen, you should restart isolation and talk to a healthcare professional.
So what to do with negative antigen (rapid at-home) test results and a positive PCR test result?
With consistent negative antigen test results, I should be okay to relax my isolation and masking protocols (although I’ve never stopped masking while going out shopping, etc., nor to I intend to). But with a positive PCR test result, the CDC says I should assume I have an infection and take precautions.
Calling the Red Cross
I am a frequent blood platelet donor. I wanted to know when I would be eligible and safe to donate again. Calling their donor line, I was told I would not be eligible to donate if I have symptoms, or if I tested positive in the last 10 days.
I protested that I was symptom-free and consistently getting negative results from my antigen rapid at-home tests, but got a positive result from a PCR test. They repeated that as long as any test was positive, I should wait 10 days. Conclusion, don’t test for 10 days (unless my symptoms return or worsen). After that, I should be eligible.
This did not reassure me.
Calling My Physician
Although it was a long holiday weekend, I decided to call my physician’s office and speak to the on-call nurse. I received a callback late in the evening. Here is what the nurse told me.
1. Unless your symptoms remain or get worse, you are only contagious for the first 5 days of infection
2. You should only test when you have symptoms or if you suspect you have been exposed to COVID
3. After getting infected, your immunity against reinfection is very high for the first three months
She reiterated that rapid at-home tests can often detect COVID and report positive up to a couple weeks after infection, and that the more sensitive PCR tests can test you as positive up to 3 months after infection.
Her message was that testing should be used to a) verify you have COVID, and b) try to determine the start of your infection. From that point, you can start counting the days. 5 days later, you can assume you are no longer contagious. 10 days later you can decide to stop masking. What COVID tests are not good at is for determining the end of your infection.
3. My Conclusions
As I said before, given the conflicting and changing information about this virus, it is unsurprising people are confused and will draw very different conclusions. These are the conclusions I have drawn:
1. I will continue to mask when I am in public indoors even when I feel completely healthy. Two people I know who felt no symptoms tested positive in the last month. So rather than risk either infecting people unknowingly, or exposing myself to possible infection from people who are asymptomatic, I will continue to mask.
2. I will rely more on rapid tests for the next three months, then try PCR testing after. Previously, I had signed up for PCR tests often. I would test before and after symphony rehearsals, and before big in-person get-togethers. Since I may test positive for 3 months, I will rely more on rapid tests until this spring.
3. Stay informed. Information continues to come out, new strains of COVID may come out, and recommendations will change. It’s tiring and confusing, but I’ll try to stay informed on the latest recommendations. I encourage you to do so as well.
Preparing for Thanksgiving week, I bought a bit too much food. One item was a loaf of delicious seeded multigrain whole wheat bread from Grand Central Bakery.
A delicious, but stale, hard loaf of bread
The loaf was untouched for several days and became predictably so hard it would have been difficult to slice. The interior no doubt now was also quite tough.
A professional chef friend told me that it is possible to rejuvenate a stale loaf of bread by running a water faucet all over the loaf and briefly baking it! I was skeptical, but what did I have to lose?
Note 1: Do not attempt this with moldy bread. If your bread has mold, compost or toss it.
Note 2: This works best with fully intact loaves of bread. But Bon Appetit says even if the interior of the bread gets wet, it still can be rejuvenated.
How to Rejuvenate Stale Bread
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
Step 2: Hold the bread under running water. Completely soak the surface. Soak the bottom of the loaf more, since it is usually thicker and tougher. If the bread has been sliced, position the exposed portion of bread away from the faucet to minimize getting that part wet.
Beginning the rejuvenating shower
Soaking the bottom of the loaf
Step 3: Place the soaked bread loaf on the bare oven racks and set your timer for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Remove and inspect the loaf. If the loaf is large and/or still dry and hard, repeat the rinse and bake once more.
Step 5: Remove the loaf, slice, and enjoy!
The seeded whole wheat bread and the baguette were successfully rejuvenated!
You may need to adjust the temperature and length of baking time depending on the size and type of loaf you are rejuvenating. Just keep an eye on the bread while it is in the oven. You will be surprised how well this can work!
Update: I was able to successfully rejuvenate a baguette as well! Also, I attempted re-rejuvenating a loaf that had been sliced, and it worked as well!
Summary: A story of unexpected connection and history borne out of a selfless act
A year ago this month a friend was visiting from out of state and booked a cute AirBnB in the neighborhood. Surrounded by a garden of flowers and herbs, the quaint cottage was cozy, well appointed, and included a fire stove.
Fire stove similar to the one at the AirBnB
The fire stove door had a detachable wooden handle. You connected the handle to the door when you needed to open or close the door, and removed it to prevent it from getting too hot.
The handle had seen better days. Bite marks, probably from an enthusiastic pooch, pockmarked the wood, and one side was singed black. Worst of all, nearly half of the handle had cracked off and was completely missing.
The house was lovely and the AirBnB host kind and helpful. I thought it would be a nice gesture to see if I could repair or replace the stove handle.
I knew of a woodworking store in the area and I thought, maybe they have wood handles ready to buy to easily replace this broken one.
I took the handle to the store, and a kind gentlemen working there took a look at it. No, they did not sell any ready-made replacement handles that would work.
I suggested that anyone with a lathe and basic wood turning skills could probably whip one out in less than an hour. Did anyone in the store offer such services? Not usually, he answered, but said he’d be willing to do it himself. He thought the job would take a day or two and suggested — in my opinion — a too low price for the job. We shook hands to seal the bargain.
He began carefully taking measurements of the handle and writing them down on a sheet of paper. Then he asked me for my name and contact information.
“Toby Loftus,” I answered, and gave him my phone and email address.
“Loftus,” he repeated, spelling it out. “You know, my sister took piano lessons from a Loftus when she was a child…”.
“Where, and in what decade?” I asked.
“This would have been in Eugene during the ’60s,” he responded.
“That had to be my dad, Don Loftus!” I answered. “Although Dad passed away over 20 years ago, Mom is living in Ashland, and I’ll bet she remembers her!”
“Ashland?” he responded with equal surprise. “My sister lives in Ashland and still plays piano today!”
With the woodturner
Indeed, not only did mom remember his sister as a piano student of my late father, but she remembered their father, too. She recalled him being owner of a wood working or furniture business in Eugene.
A few days later I returned to the woodworking store to pick up the new stove handle. It looked beautiful, perfectly proportioned and fitting comfortably in the hand, stained a deep walnut hue, and shiny with a fresh coat of clear lacquer. I couldn’t have been more pleased.
Pleased, too, was the AirBnB host, once she saw the new handle. She couldn’t believe I had it done and was so grateful.
The satisfaction replacing the burnt and broken handle was far outweighed by the delight the wood turner, his sister, and my mother experienced at the unexpected reconnection.
I don’t believe one should commit selfless acts and expect additional rewards — that rather defeats the whole purpose. Whether it is fate, karma, or mere coincidence, I do not know, but it seems like selfless acts beget more selfless acts and unexpected joys.
Regardless, there is no shortage of opportunity to, or need for acts of kindness and generosity.
Blatant Calm 