Our Dinner Rush

Oh yeah... the Missionaries are coming over at 5 pm.  What, my love? You invited our friends who are new to the area to dinner? Hmmm.  And it's late afternoon?  Good thing I threw on an extra large pot of Everything Chili.  (It has everything that was lying around in my fridge, with beans and meat.)

Church got out at 3pm, home by 3:38 (ish).  SCRAMBLE!!

My wife took over the counters to make a double batch of cornbread.  I fine tuned the Chili.  The kids cleaned.  Well, the kids cleaned like a donkey pulls loads.  They do... but they need prodding and can be very stubborn.

In my rush to find additional food for the table, I decided on salad.  It is primarily spinach, and I felt like a passion fruit vinaigrette.  Here it is:

Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
   3 TBL frozen passion fruit juice concentrate, thawed
   3 TBL minced shallot (substitute with mix of onion/garlic - more O than G)
   4 tsp. Sherry wine vinegar (Or other vinegar, I guess)
   1 tsp. Dijon mustard (too much will overpower)
   1 tsp. whole coriander seeds, coarsely cracked (sub: 1/2 mint, 1/2 parsley)
   3 TBL olive oil

I got the recipe here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Avocado-and-Mango-Salad-with-Passion-Fruit-Vinaigrette-231721

Nice.  Very nice.

Oh shoot! the kids need to clean the guest/kids bathroom.  Bye.

Ha! I found today that I have 1 follower. Nice. I used to have about 3. Maybe 4. That would mean my silence cost me 3/4 of my followers. On the other hand, I now know who is dedicated.

I no longer feel free to say what I wish on Facebook. I have become friends with everyone I can from highschool, family, and work. The people I interface with span a large spectrum. My buddies at work who go out drinking, whoring, and whatever else are on FB. My mom is on FB. My wife, my church friends are on FB. I don't feel like I can say too much, because one group or another may learn something they shouldn't, may hear something that offends, or... flashback- arguing points at work... or may cause me undue stress. I must write here. I care not who sees this, the offense may happen, and may happen to many. I must be me.

Gina and I went on a date last night. Fun. Watched Ironman 2. I don't mind the Hangul subtitles anymore. I read in the news that the Korean movies will start having english subtitles. That would be really cool. Gina and I saw a Bollywood movie called "Black". The Indian culture likes the english language, and much like Korea, many people speak it to some extent. The subtitle were Hangul, so we had to rely on the cinematography to tell the story, with a few english words interlaced. Fun movie. Now, I can go see Korean movies, and understand what is happening. I haven't seen one yet.

Last night as Gina and I walked around, I realized I am going to miss this country. Korea is so different from what I was told. My dad served here in the 70's, and up north by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). My parents would not recognize the country today. I am quite used to Korea. I believe I could expat here, but I don't think Gina could.

Work has forced a big decision on me. Stay in or get out. I rarely thought about leaving the army early. I figured that as long as I wanted the army, it would want me. I have been passed up for promotion for the second time. Now, what? I have been offered the option to stay in at the same rank. I may also get out. Many factors are involved, and Gina and I are exploring them. This is no longer about the army, its about me and my family. What is best for us? What truly is best for us? I am very unsure right now.

Something Tasty

Today I made a recipe for Peach Mango Cobbler. I found a few recipes on the internet, but I was displeased with how they were written, ingredients they needed, or how long they'd take. None were for the crockpot, so I used one as a base and created mine. Not even the ingredient list is the same, so I feel no reason to mention the other recipe further.

Here is my Peach Mango Cobbler for Crockpot:

Ingredients:

1 ½ package frozen peaches

1 package frozen mango

½ tsp Vanilla

½ tsp Cloves

½ tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Cinnamon

2/3 C. Sugar

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1 C. Unbleached All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

¼ tsp Cinnamon

¼ C. Butter (Salted Sweet)

½ C. Whole Milk (or Buttermilk)

¼ C. Sugar

Directions:

1. Grease the inside of crockpot with butter.

2. Combine Peaches, Mangos, Vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, 1 tsp Cinnamon, and 2/3 cup sugar into crockpot, begin heating. If desired, thaw fruit in microwave before placing into mixture.

3. Prepare Topping: Combine remaining dry ingredients, then stir in butter and milk. Dough should be grainy, so don’t spend more than a minute mixing.

4. Fruit Mixture should be warming. Drop the Topping onto the fruit mixture in small spoonfuls, ensuring that some fruit is visible. The majority of the surface will be covered with topping.

5. Cook on High for 4 hours, or until you can no longer resist (appx 2 hrs 45 min for me).

Directions (short version)

1. Combine first set of ingredients in pot.
2. Combine second set in bowl, drop in pot.
3. Cook on High for 3 – 4 hours.
4. Ensure milk (or other fulfilling beverage) is on hand.
5. Eat.

My review: The Peach Mango Crockpot Cobbler was outstanding. I think maybe the cloves were bit too strong, or it might have been the nutmeg. I am a perfectionist, though. All persons at the dinner party introduction of my cobbler loved it. As a measure, even the leftovers were taken home by someone. So, I feel that this is already a good recipe, but may be better by backing off some of the spices. Maybe not. I say definitely make this, eat it, and love it. Then maybe you can adjust it.

Bubbles in my IV

A Korean friend mentioned to me that there is a viral sickness going around this country that is worse than normal. The Korean newscasters have been talking about it for a few weeks. He only mentioned this because I have the bug. The Korean Krudd.
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The Krudd got bad enough that I finally went to the clinic. While there, I listed my symptoms on a sick call slip. It was a long list, but at the end I added receding hairline. When the nurse was going over my symptoms, there was no laugh. No chuckle. She looked at me in all seriousness and inquired about my hairline. I had to explain it was a joke, so the humor was lost.
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On to my "Brush with Death". I lay on the hospital bed with an IV in me. The Private First Class that was attending me and managing the IV set the drip at a fairly slow rate. I watched it drain slowly into my arm, referencing the clock on the wall quite often. I had a date with Gina. I was going to watch the kids, while she flew solo at the theater. Urgency overcame protocol, and I set the drip to a faster rate. Not much faster, though. Near the end of the first bag of Saline, the doctor came in and increased drip rate a little more. The bag emptied, and I stopped the fluid from draining as I watched the last of it course through the drip part of the tube, and into the long tube to my arm. When the PFC came to replace my IV, she didn't seem to care about the air in the IV line. This somewhat allayed my fears spawned by Hollywood. I have never researched the validity of someone dying from air bubbles injected into the bloodstream. I did, however, see it in a movie. I think.
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She replaced the IV and walked away, paying no great attention to the air in the line. I wouldn't be concerned by small amounts of air in the line, but I saw a section as long as the No. 2 pencils I used in grade school. The pocket of air coursed slowly toward my arm, and I watched the PFC walk out of the room. I figured that if there was truth to the matter, I was in a pretty good place to have any problems. I had a mental projection of my body- not a High Def 3D display, but something like the guy in the Operation game. I tried to think of what organ might let the air out of my system, or which organ would fail. This is all I had time to think as I watched the air enter my arm, and I wondered if I had made a mistake.
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Beat
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Beat
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My heart was still good, and I had no odd pains. Then I thought, what about my brain? I didn't have time for any great concern to build, though. I could hear the squeeking, popping sound of air bubbles passing through a tight space behind my right ear. Yes, my right and not my left. After the bubbles stopped making sound, I tried to see if my brain had been harmed. What was I going to do? Well, I felt the same. I feel just a sick as I did, but no worse in the brain. Of course I haven't tried my hand a higher math or philosophy, so I may yet be impaired.
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I researched the issue of air in the blood vessels, well after the fact. Small amounts are OK. Large amounts (someone said 5 cc) can cause an embolism. The replies to questions on the subject are many and varied, though. So, I don't even know if that little research I did was accurate. I do know two things... I had about 8 inches of air in my IV and introduced into my blood stream. I also heard squeeking sounds shortly thereafter.
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Having lived through my near Hollywood death, I sped up the IV drip once again. This time, I opened the valve all the way. I wasn't sure what a full bore IV drip would do to me... but there is nothing like a good experiment, eh?

Scottich Sponge Bread

Recently, I started a search for a specific recipe. It is a good, but uncommon recipe for bread called "Scottish Sponge Bread". My wife made it many times before I left Hawaii, and she forgot the recipe when she came to Korea three months later.
I suggested that she look online. Her reply was like a light switch turning on in my brain. She said, "Alpha said that I couldn't find it online." First, some background. I love Alpha. She is my wife's brother's wife. She is an only child raised liberally in California. Her upbringing was drastically different than that of mine, and of Gina. We don't always see eye to eye on little things like religion and politics. Hmm. I don't think there is much religiously or politically we agree on. This is ok, though. Family is family, and I try to accept others as they are. However, I did feel challenged when she mentioned that I could not do something. Very challenged.
I spent a little time on Google, and even used another search engine, in an exhaustive search using as many key word combinations as I could. I found a few websites all referencing a book, "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book." No website had the actual recipe, but when I posted on someone's blog, she replied and happily gave it to me. Thank you, Maria.
Maria sent me the recipe, and I had my victory. What could be better than a personal victory to a challenge? Achieving that victory prior to my wife speaking with her brother again. To add a final touch, I also purchased the book online.

Completion of a sort

I haven't blogged in a while for a few reasons. They all stem from my lazy gene, so I won't list them.

Tonight I finished my RL progression. I am now able to fly with Pilots-in-Command (PCs) in my unit that are not Instructor Pilots (IPs). I have truly enjoyed the regular flying that progression provides. I have honed many of my skills, and identified many of the areas that need work. So, work is going well. I do have a worry, though. I was told that my name was mentioned in reference to the upcoming PC board. I do aspire to become a PC, and I want it quite badly, but... I don't feel ready for it right now. I want to study a bit more first. I realize that I am far more experienced and capable than many of the other PIs (Pilots- just pilots). This realization has come from flying in a position that I was able to observe them from. The nervousness, lack of knowledge, and difficulty controlling the helicopter are evident. I didn't see my experience, because everyone in Hawaii had progressed to the same or a higher level of experience together. Interesting... but enough pilot talk.

I have a friend, whom I will call Justin, who introduced me to hypnosis and the idea of using it in my life somehow. We have talked about hypnosis a few times. Yesterday, he came over to my house and brought some digital audio of hypnosis inductions. I now have them on this computer. I have d0ne little with them, due mainly to lack of time. When Justin was here, however, he suggested we watch a part of one of the files that had video explaining some concepts. In the video, the hypnotist slowly inducts two women into a hypnotic state. As she spoke, I became more focused on her, and I attributed this focus to my interest in what she was doing. Justin said something about not listneining too intently, and as I turned to look at him, I felt myself coming out of a slight trance-like state. His timing was impeccable. I still have much research to do on the subject, but am quite interested.

Forced Football

Today I watched my company football team play a game.  They wore orange jerseys and reminded me of the Cincinnati Bengals.  Our company had just returned from the field, and a quirk of regulations did not allow us to go home but would allow us to all attend the game.  We won.  I spent most of my time standing on the bleachers and either heckling the other team, or rating the cartoon shows most of us had seen as kids.  

The weather was cool.  I liked it.  I had to flex my abdominal, chest and arm muscles to keep my body from shivering.  The cool air was refreshing.  The football atmosphere was fun, and brought back many memories.  

Earlier today I saw several news stories from the BBC, CNN, and FOX about our american presidential candidates.  I wish a candidate represented all that I feel is important or needs to be accomplished.  My aunt Irene once wrote down her political ideals, and had no problem promoting them.  I think I need to do the same thing.  I believe doing so will help me understand myself a bit better, and make clear to my loved ones what is important to me politically. 

Lastly, I am watching Manchester United win against Blackburn.  Nice.  The crowds at British football (soccer) games are amazing.  Always loud.  Even in the rain.  Man Untd is one of three teams I like: Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal.