Duple: The Musical Rhythm, Meter, and Metric Organization Game Created by Ruth Paget

Duple: The Rhythm, Meter, and Metric Organization Game Created by Ruth Paget 

Objective: 

Learn the vocabulary or jargon of musical rhythm, meter, and metric organization in Barron’s AP (Advanced Placement) Music Theory Test Preparation Book. Learning the vocabulary first makes learning the concepts and understanding the illustrations in the second chapter of Barron’s AP Music Theory easier.  

Some junior colleges and colleges will award college credit for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Music Theory Test. Having college credit awarded for one class saves on tuition money. 

Some high schools offer AP test preparation classes. Some businesses like Princeton Review and Kaplan can find tutors for the AP Music Theory exam. 

Skills and Related Jobs: 

Mastering AP Music Theory will allow you to read and write music. Related jobs include composer, musician (if you practice), singer (if you practice), concert organizer, and music industry writer. 

Materials Needed: 

-Barron’s AP Music Theory Test Preparation Book 

-index cards 

-markers 

-access to Google pronunciation 

Number of Players: 

-1,2, 4, or a group of single players for a society game 

Method: 

-Create flash cards with the vocabulary word on the front and the definition, symbol, and/or demonstration notes on the back. Look in the Barron’s AP Music Theory book for this information.

-Learn words two at a time. -When you have learned ten words, test yourself on spelling and meaning. 

-Continue to test ten words at a time till you have learned all the words. 

-Once you have learned the vocabulary words, read the second chapter two or three times to see if you understand the concepts and illustrations. 

-Finally, practice doing the exercise on separate sheets of paper first, so you can correct answers. Do the exercises two or three times to apply what you have learned. 

-Play Duple till you have learned the following words: 

-alla breve 

-anacrusis 

-bar line 

-beat 

*Beat Type 

-compound 

-simple 

-changing meter (multimeter) 

-common time 

-dot 

-double dot 

-dotted rhythm 

-duplet 

-triplet 

-duration 

-downbeat 

-hemiola 

-irregular meter 

*meter 

-asymmetrical meter 

-duple 

-triple 

-quadruple 

-note value 

-rhythm 

-subdivision 

-syncopation 

-tempo 

-tie 

-time signature (meter signature) 

Have fun learning the building blocks of music! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Clefs: The Music Fundamentals Game Created by Ruth Paget

Clefs: The Music Fundamentals Game Created by Ruth Paget 

Objective: 

Learn the vocabulary of music fundamentals in Barron’s AP (Advanced Placement) Music Theory Test Preparation Book. 

Learning vocabulary first makes learning the concepts and understanding the illustrations in the first chapter of the Barron’s AP Music Theory book easier. 

Some junior colleges and colleges will award college credit for a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Music Theory Exam. Having college credit awarded saves money on college tuition. 

Some high schools offer AP Test Preparation classes. It is also possible to find tutors through businesses like the Princeton Review and Kaplan. 

Materials Needed: 

-Barron’s AP Music Theory Book 

-Index cards 

-markers 

-access to Google pronunciation 

Skills and Related Jobs: 

Mastering AP Music Theory will allow you to read and write music. 

Related jobs include composer, musician (if you practice), singer (if you practice), concert organizer, and music industry writer. 

Number of Players: 

1,2, 4, or group of single players for a society game 

Method: 

-Create flash cards with the vocabulary word on the front and the definition, symbol, and/or demonstration notes on the back. Look in the AP Music Theory book for this information.

-Learn the vocabulary words two at a time. 

-When you have learned ten words, test yourself on spelling and meaning. 

-Continue to test yourself ten at a time till you have learned all the words. 

-Once you have learned the vocabulary words, read the first chapter two or three times to see if you understand the concepts. 

-Finally, practice doing the exercises on a separate sheet of paper until you thoroughly understand them. 

The Vocabulary or Jargon of Music Fundamentals: 

*Aspects of Sound 

-pitch-wavelength 

-dynamic-wave height 

-timbre-waveform 

-articulation-envelope

-duration 

*Piano Keyboard 

-octave designation 

-half step 

-whole step 

-chromatic 

-enharmonic 

*accidental 

-flat 

-sharp 

-natural 

-double sharp 

-double flat 

-cautionary accidental  

*clefs 

-G clef 

-treble clef 

-F clef 

-bass clef 

-clef 

-alto clef 

-tenor clef

-neutral clef 

-grand staff 

-notation 

-accidental 

-note head 

-stem 

-flag 

-beam 

-bar line 

-double bar line 

-final bar line 

-ledger lines 

-measure 

-staff 

-staves 

-system 

Have fun learning the building blocks of music theory! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books

Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Vegetarian Paneer Tikka Masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

I tried vegetarian paneer tikka masala from Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California for lunch. I liked it and think the Indians also consider food as medicine like the Chinese do. 

I used the recipe from www.indianhealthyrecipes.com to find basic information about paneer tikka masala. Paneer is Indian cheese. Tikka means “grilled.” In this recipe, marinated and cubed Indian cheese is grilled before bein added to the masala gravy. Paneer Tikka Masala is a Northern Indian dish that was originally made with chicken. 

Restaurants grill the paneer cheese after marinating it. The marinade is made with yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chile powder, garam masala (curry powder), turmeric oil, salt, and lemon juice. Avatar Indian Grill may not use this exact recipe, but it is probably a close approximation when you taste Avatar’s paneer. 

The masala gravy is made by sautéing onions, tomatoes, and cashews with turmeric, garam masala (curry powder), and red chile pepper flakes. This cooked mixture is added to a blender and mixed till smooth. This mixture is cooked again with the addition of onions, green pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, garlic ginger paste, and water. The masala is allowed to cook until thickened. 

While the masala gravy cooks, you grill the marinated paneer cheese. You add the grilled tikka cheese to the masala gravy along with cream before serving it with basmati rice and naan flatbread seasoned with black nigella seeds. 

The spices in paneer tikka masala are especially good for you along with the vegetables and the cheese (with the exception of people with allergies). I used information from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Rochester University, and BBC Good Food websites to put together the nutrition information for ingredients as they appear above: 

-ginger – eases morning sickness, cuts down on constipation and bloating, and contains antioxidants that remove free radicals that can cause cancer 

-garlic – reduces heart attack risk -red chile flakes – contain Vitamin C which is an antioxidant that removes free radicals from the body that can cause cancer  

-turmeric – is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory that also helps prevent degenerative eye diseases  

-lemon juice – is a an antioxidant 

-onions – contain vitamin C, antioxidants and B vitamins for the metabolism

-tomatoes – contain vitamin C, an antioxidant 

-cashews – contain protein and antioxidants 

-bell peppers – contain vitamin C, vitamin B6 which forms red blood cells, and promotes bone health  

-cardamom – aids digestion, balances blood sugar levels, and lowers blood pressure 

-cinnamon – is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory 

-cloves – contain antioxidants 

-paneer cheese – contains protein and calcium 

The delicious vegetarian paneer tikka masala at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California is a community asset for flavor as well as health. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Target's Santa Fe Salad as a Combo Meal by Ruth Paget

Target’s Santa Fe Salad as a Combo Meal by Ruth Paget 

All by itself Target’s Santa Fe salad has 260 calories in its single-size serving bowl. 

The Santa Fe salad comes with iceberg lettuce, sweet corn, lime marinated chicken breast, carrots and red cabbage, mixed corn tortilla strips, and corn tortilla strips with a chile pepper flavored salad dressing. 

I make this salad part of a combination meal that I do at home. I add slices of roasted red pepper preserved in oil to the salad. I also eat one or two slices of sourdough toast and a homemade probiotic yogurt with the salad. 

I like this little Californian combination meal. It is light and might appeal to people looking for a fast and healthy lunch, so they can do errands. 

You can also buy all the food to make this combo meal at Target.

By Ruth Paget, Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Hi-Tech Pizza at Domino's by Ruth Paget

Hi-Tech Pizza at Domino’s by Ruth Paget 

I have always like Domino’s for innovating to provide expanded and better service. 

When I lived in downtown Detroit in the 1980s, I loved Domino’s for delivery, which no one else did there except for expensive caterers. 

These days I have the Domino’s app and like getting deal offers by text message. You can sometimes save $5 to $10 per offer, so the deals are worth checking out, especially if you are on a tight budget. 

The online ordering has a feature that allows you to easily split the pizza order in half, which I do. I like pepperoni and cheese on one side of the pizza and mushrooms and cheese on the other side. The app has a handy feature for adding extra mushrooms and red pepper flakes to go on the pizza. (Red pepper flakes contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant that removes free radicals that can cause cancer.) 

Once your order is placed, you can watch it progress along a status bar from prepping, baking, quality control to delivery. 

Once in delivery status, you can watch your driver’s progress to your home on a map on your phone. The driver can also text you along the way, if any issues come up. Most drivers use the text messaging to let you know when they have arrived. 

The app allows you to opt for contactless delivery or traditional delivery where the driver will hand the pizza to you. 

All of this technology has allowed Domino’s to provide a very accurate delivery window of about 10 minutes, which is important for both catering and individual homes. 

Using the app has reduced stress for me in ordering Domino’s pizza and getting delivery. 

Domino’s technology might be useful for other food outlets as well. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Vegetable Coconut Curry at Avatar Grill in Salinas, California

Vegetable Coconut Curry at Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas, California near Natividad Hospital serves vegetarian and meat-based dishes to the entire Salinas community thanks to delivery. 

I recently tried vegetable coconut curry made by sautéing onions and bell pepper with garlic, ginger, garam masala (curry powder), turmeric, and coriander. Once this mixture has simmered a few minutes, 

Avatar Undian Grill adds sliced cauliflower, broccoli, squash, peas, carrots, mushrooms, coconut milk, and maybe chicken broth to the pan and simmers everything for about half an hour. 

The delivery food arrives hot just as if it had just left the pan. 

I ate this savory curry over saffron rice with warm naan flatbread studded with cardamom bread. 

For something quick, healthy, delicious, and reasonably priced, Avatar Indian Grill in Salinas has some for almost everyone it seems on their exhaustive online menu. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Winchell's for Donuts and Sandwiches by Ruth Paget

Winchell’s for Donuts and Sandwiches by Ruth Paget 

Winchell’s Donut House has three locations in Salinas, California. It is part of a chain with 170 stores plus locations in Guam and Saipan, the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific, a U.S. Commonwealth in the Western Pacific according to its website. 

Loyal customers in Salinas know that the stores are open 24 hours a day and serve bagel sandwiches in addition to large, puffy donuts. 

I have a recommendation for a combination meal at Winchell’s: 

-1 plain donut topped with dark chocolate frosting 

-a toasted bagel turkey sandwich (see review below) 

-an iced bitter coffee with cream 

Winchell’s does delivery in addition to being open 24 hours per day, making it a convenient option for lunches at work. 

I tried one of their toasted bagel sandwiches recently and thought it would be a good Friday treat lunch. The sandwich comes with about ¾-inch of turkey slices, 2 crispy bacon strips, pepperjack cheese, avocado slices, and a mustard-mayonnaise. 

I think avocados make everything taste better and liked this sandwich. I also like crispy, salty bacon, which made this sandwich double delicious. 

A bitter and creamy iced coffee is just the thing to enjoy after a hearty sandwich like this. 

Winchell’s donuts are always good with coffee, too, especially when you buy them by the dozen. 

Bon Appétit! 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click for Ruth Paget's Books