QS PRN

Ingredients

• 10 lemons
• 1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature, away from sunlight. 

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.

Notes

For stronger limoncello, use equal parts Everclear and vodka. The higher alcohol content in the Everclear will also pull more of the oils from the lemon skins.  

Straining the peels through a cheesecloth will produce a more clear, refined limoncello. 

For bottling, the 8.5oz glass flip-top bottles (like the ones below) work well. Shop around on Amazon for the best deals, as prices vary. 

*While this post may have very little to do with doctoral programs, it made its way to this site for educational purposes. Not saying other limoncello recipes are bad, but I have tasted a few that were pretty bland. This recipe has never failed me, and I hope it inspires you to create some holiday cheer!

New course started yesterday. First post requires a bit of research to define “human capital” using a source other than the textbook or required readings. Interestingly, most of the the sources point to Adam Smith (of Scotland) or Marxist writings with the respect to the origin of the theory/idea of human capital. 

In a nutshell, several theories of human capital exist. And, in true fashion, there are alternative viewpoints that focus on Intellectual Capital, Social Capital, or Cultural Capital. Seems to me that it boils down to the old argument between information, knowledge, and ignorance. As a result, here’s what I’ve got so far: 

A fact is information minus emotion. An opinion is information plus experience. Ignorance is an opinion lacking information. And, stupidity is an opinion that ignores a fact.  

Running a hybrid model is exhausting. I am beginning to wonder if it is sustainable. If the "reply all" email threads that making the rounds are any indication, I think there are many teachers on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Running a hybrid model, AM and PM sessions around an A group and a B group on alternating days, is brutal. 

It is like working two jobs simultaneously, one as a classroom educator and the other as an online instructor. It is like teaching twice the case load. All while fielding emails and messages from students, staff, and parents. Passing periods are spent hustling to the restroom only to return to the classroom in time to wipe down all the desks and high touch-point areas with hypochlorous solution. We are all overworked and a bit stressed. So, now what? 

My point: no one is getting a prize for having it the worst. We are still all in this together. We just need to find a way to make it work. Whatever that looks like. 

Personally, I try to find the humor in it all. I certainly did not have Unhealthy Air Quality on my 2020 Apocalypse Bingo Card. And, I never imagined that I would be teaching from behind a plexiglass curtain that looks like a salad bar or sitting at a desk surrounded by tape on the floor like Les Nessman.  

And, I certainly wasn't ready for this little gem in my Quantitative Analysis textbook. 

Being one of the few counties in the state with low COVID numbers, our school district was allowed to open with a hybrid model. AM and PM classes, with alternating days. 

The first week went fairly well. The students handled it better than staff, in my opinion. It has been a learning experience for everyone, coming off (emergency) distance learning to close out the end of the 2019-2020 school year. And, that learning curve has not been an easy one to bear. 

To say that teachers are stressed is understating the situation. I understand students are stressed, and parents are stressed. We are all under stress as we work to adjust to this new normal. I only point this out because I hear the stress in talking with students and staff. Daily, I see news articles about the stress teachers feel as they attempt to deliver quality instruction and learn new technologies.  

There is no baseline for the work we are doing. 

I feel it, too. Although, if I am being honest, my biggest concern is the future of education. I feel as if public education is setting itself up for changes that will quickly advance beyond its control. I worry that we are headed towards the privatization of education.