And in the end

I made dinner and relaxed.. more pozole, green chilis an pork... tomatoes an chilis... and the new thing.. and smoked clam empanadas... which were dry grilled, not deep fried... or fixed like the Indians do it... or steamed like dim sum.... I was just messing with the bread dough...

Im thinking shrimp...and even fruit.....

The day was magical.....

Magical as in voo-doo.. undead, queen of the zombies

Meet my beloved truck....which my more beloved GF wanted to see.... its being "worked on" in thoery sort of.... its a beastie, work horse, mother ship and portable domecile.... when I drop my house on wheels in storage.. I have a tent..and other stuff to make life easy....

Said truck has hood popped cause I was checking on progress... but you can see, two fuel tanks, a shell for storage and what not...it has a standard tranny.. cause I like picking my own gears for a climb... theres a radio.... but its for listening not talking... I have my cell phone and wireless for that.. a solar panel and some other stuff which is hidden since I like being non-descript and not attracting attention...

Anyway..... I opened the hood.... ta da..no work done.... I already put the timing gears on slid the cam in... set the timing.... all I ask is..put it together.. set the lifters... which is another no sweat project.. button it up and call me when its done.... for which you get my surplus truck....

The surplus truck, a Dodge, is just an errand vehicle... not a beast.. its an automatic, doesnt carry the weight I need.. its just a run to LA thing that got ok gas milage.. and more survivable if I had a wreck.. Im not a car guy.. you can't toss 5 sheets of plywood, a wheel barrow a BBQ and a goat..in a car......

This is the other truck which is being given to pay for work on the Ford... and a good deal BTW, it runs fine..has no major issues... and sort of pisses me off because at this poind I'd as soon finish up myself and trade in or sell the Dodge then put a down payment on an econo box... since all I really need to do to live is haul my head around not 2,000 lbs of Rennstuff... to sell..The famous surplus truck econo compromise.... its nice.. WTF?

Anyway the day went on.....

I needed coffee and decided to try a road side attrraction.... it was all roadside...all miner and cowboy stuff... things dug out of the desert... the usual.. 

Meet the worlds worst latte.... granted it had steamed milk or at least half and half but no foam.  it had espresso....but not really....as it was drip grind Yuban Coffee in a can from Wall mart or where-ever it was on sale for $3.... He steamed the milk...dumped the shot into it... used whipped cream to top it off and called it a latte, the ignorant twat...  I nearly had a siezure..

THEN I ran into someone I know....... Whatever your thinking..is prolly close... but its still America and being different is allowed (for now).. hes lived in his little motor home for over 10 years, he was telling me about being surrounded by SWAT based on his paint job and rumors...

I told him to come stay out by me..... which is funny, since I don't let anyone near me... but, hes actually honest and trust worthy... we hung out, I had real truck stop coffee he opted for a hot dog.... cause he has a scant will to live and a food obsession...God knows I have my obsessions..

Then I wandered here and there... people coming an goin, opening and closing, buying and selling whatever... even the sink out of the motorhome..

Need a wind turbine? A boat?

Theres hundreds of these little places...

 

Street food and random experiments

I keep working on recipes... I really like street food... and it doesn't matter what culture.. lately its been tappenyaki..... I have that down... along with its cousins kababs, sashlisk, yakatori, tacos, burritos, gyros... and anything close..

Stuff in a bowl.....noodles... golden rice, Chili, miso soup, pink beans, pintos, hummis.. and then there's  BBQ..  Bulgogi, Fajitas, Carne Asada, Chinese BBQ.. Spit roasting, pit roasting, wood, charcoal... hot rocks.... grilling.. brisket, corned beef... anything

Key theme being..can it be done on a truck tail gate, camp fire.. portable kitchen or concession stand.... I always did like taco carts... which went from baskets, to carts too trucks which are now all..

After talking to her fluffyness last night I decided to make a levened/sourdough flat bread....

Which entered the OMG zone of good stuff... in her part of the world sourdough is a big deal... so, my response is......"ok.... this is how you do it" .....lamb and goat is easy to come by so that kind of determines the next steps... she likes yogurt so now its all about tzatziki and souvlaki on a sourdough flat bread..

Tzatziki goes like this...sorta

• 2 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups greek yogurt, strained .. you can use regular yogurt which you hang in cheese cloth or muslin  for a few hours till it thickens
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh dill (optional) some people use mint..or cilantro which is again optional 
• 1 tsp. lemon

I sprinkle my dinner with red pepper flakes and cumin once its all hit the bread, some people use white pepper but that makes no sense to me....its not mayonayse...

Give em a Greek salad with herbed feta and call it good or fancy up the salad with goat cheese and double the price....

Oh damn.... then there is..... goat-cheese, sour-dough, crayfish quesadillas...assuming I dont use phyllo dough and make somethin like a spanakopita mutant....which actually sounds good too...

Dnner

As far as flat bread food goes tonight was (Mexican) chorizo (not the damn Spanish kind), eggs, onions.... and garlic was included... chilis... and thats about it..

I need cheese.. more beans and maybe some crema.. not that I use it much... I'd as soon have yogurt....but I end up slipping and sliding into East Indian or Middle Eastern type dinner...

I guess thats what fusion stands for.... Fucking Up Some Ingredients Over Nostalgia...

You start out making a Mexican dinner.. substitute an ingredient then start thinking how good some cucumber in your yogurt would be and end up with Tatziki on your taco....

Storms on the way..

Phoenix is claiming thunderstorms and violent type weather is on its way......... which may or may not knock out power and internet for a few days.... I can't take my test today since the pages won't load.... even Blogger is kind of jacked up, which is all third worldly and what-not..

I made hard copys last night when I was out and about.. so I just study more and call it good.. I checked on my truck, and may have to jerk someone up, cause Im getting jerked off.. people think cause I don't tense up, it means I won't , which isnt the same at all....I just try to be easy..but that can come to an end..

 Its been months.... and needs gettin done.. now..

I checked on Bill again.... hes gone, having fled the State to avoid some consequences.. which makes it worse.. more people got prision time, including his former GF..or it could be he was embarrassed... he'd been warned.. schooled and had every opportunity to get off the  tracks when the train was bearing down on him.....

I got spotted.. I need to hide.. it wasn't bad stuff.. Im just not wanting to deal with people..  Im becoming like a character from to kill a mocking bird.... Im just not comfortable... so I wander out at night...

Which is funny given how I live and work... rennfaires being the least weird..

Its raining now.... Im tired.. I want something.. I'd say "long for" if I weren't a guy and hetrosexual..  not to mention the fact I have no clue what it is I want...

Maybe its a corned beef sandwich....

More from the return trip

Given that the country is rife with "dead" volcanos... which arent as dead as they are supposed to be.. we have a few hot springs.....this one is surrounded by bamboo for whatever reason... everyone has their vision of what they want to do with their business and life.... which is way more interesting than Best Western or Sheraton.. even IHOP but I tend to like dives and roadside attractions

Not that the water isn't hot everywhere in the summer.... But hots springs I tend to avoid.. since I have a thing about not being steamed like a pork bun during an earthquake.... or any other time for that matter...

Another view... without the make up....or signs...which makes sense because no one is to the south anyway.... its just desert to Mexico so they save the paint money... The springs are in the stone building...and this is the tourist season...hahahahahaha.... really it is...

So you can see there is no exaggeration...... this is looking south.. so whos going to read the back of the signs, aside from the coyotes, snakes and lizzards?

The Post office... located next to El Dorado Hot springs which is not Indian Wells but less than a half mile from them to the west down potholed road that turns to dirt.. which, they all do.... cause thats where the fun starts...

.I dunno what the mattresses are for.... I told the guy his sign was too cool to pass up without a photo.. He kept laughing and working the whole time I was babbling about photos for people in the UK and NZ.. so they can see what we're really like...and who we really are.. He was good with the idea of being the real US ambassador...

 Back to the interstate.....follow Indian School road make a left... or go straight and end up in Salome and more little desert towns.. repelte with petroglyphs, abandonded gold mines, meth labs and some more Americana....

The photos got scrambled by blogger but you get the idea

And.....

There was a return trip....this is the rest area I stopped at in the dark....now its in the light and to the South....my biznezz is done and I'm headed West....

And then theres this to the north...

One more time

Late dinner, its past 1:00 AM but my schedule is what it is...... so thats how it is..

You gotta remember I use a salad plate for dinner and I trim the fat from the pork thingie... and steam is the usual cook tech for green stuff..

The bread.... a brined/ smoked pork chop...tomatoes and chilis... streamed mustard and other greens.. stuffed olives..plus a whole bunch of steamed garlic (6 cloves).. which sort of tastes and feels like artichoke bottoms to me....

The bread gives me a laugh.... its a chapatti, but I use it like I do a tortilla  since its the same stuff only...better... if I want pita or pizza dough all it takes is yeast, more olive oil and herbs...

Chapatti is good for running down the road cause its unleavened and doesnt have to be baby sat.. Ive been letting the stuff sit for days....at most it will ferment and become sour dough... which is still good.. it takes longer to heat the comal than make the bread....

And back on track...

I post lunch photos so the GF can see what I'm up to... its interesting to her as shes a chef..

Anyway..

Bread in on the comal..... which looks kind of nice to me... a little fuzzy and out of focus but still....

Transition from comal to plate.... dough board and flour everywhere....cause I like a bit of.. anarchy....

Phase 3.. Tomatoes and Chilis, smoked oysters, chopped shrimp, stuffed green olives, a clove of garlic.. chives, cumin... which ended up in an East Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican taco sort of thing.. which works for me.... earlier I did something similar with egg salad...onions, more tomatoes, more garlic and chilis...

At this point Im investing in mushrooms, some Irish Cheddar and making tatziki in case I get a stick food urge....or go off on a curry binge.. any of which is possible at any given moment..

I also want some big Anaheim chilis...



Anyway..

The only excitement of the day was B12 related, other than that its all about moping around and working out my chapati fixation..

I made them so thin newsprint shows through... which is totally useless but might be good for shrimp empanadas...

I made both soft dough and stiff.... each worked fine but soft was nicer... so soft it is.. then I minced, some shrimp with garlic, salt and butter..... then smushed the whole business with cream cheese so it made a lumpy(ish) spread...which became a half dozen quesidilla sorta things that got eaten while still steaming off the comal... Been a while since I goofed with my food...

Next step is green chili and pork...... which is kind of like a Mexican curry or is at least the way I do it....plus I tend to go for smoked pork in chili verde.. The bread is soooo pretty.. hahahaha

2c flour, salt, 1/4c oil 1c water and thats it... put 1 3/4 c in a bowl add salt oil and water... make soft dough, knead to develop gluten and make into golf ball size blobs let rest...

Roll out dough.... on flowered board 1/8 inch thick...the dough is 1/8th inch not the board.... have a hot comal ready.. no oil nuttin... the bread cooks in seconds...puffs like a pita...turn it over an give it a few more seconds.. Cover hot bread with a towel and make more assuming your not a pig and eat them as you make them like I did.....

Thin like a tortilla or thick like a pita....don't cook them hard unless you want tak, they should be floppy bubbled and having character....... it can be done under a broiler too.... its all just whatever..

Unngh

Today was B12 shot day and I'm not feelin the love..

Except I beat the DR out of $70 by stabbing myself in the butt, I wasn't exposed to contagion by going in.... didn't have to pay $20 for a .50C medication..or tolerate some smug twat who makes his living from peoples fears of mortality...

Of course its the most awkward shot I can think of giving ones-self....... but for a grand total of around $90 for 3 minutes work.... I can suffer through it... A penny saved is a penny earned and for now tax free...

Bastards..

I think thats why I cook..... it costs $3 for a $40 dinner and I know I got the best quality.. not that every meal is $40....Hummis, a salad and flat bread is less than $5 in a resturant.. and less than $1 at home.. I also like oatmeal and polenta which is pretty cheap... as is any kind of beans..

The $40+ a plate fare is usually a salmon or something unusual... squid, shellfish, something not that I don't make a nice $40 Country Capitan or coque au vin.. I just dont have that much animal protien in my diet, having stopped growing vertically a while back...

Not that I spare on ingredients.... I like Parmesan in a block so I can grate it myself as needed, not the stuff in the shaker can, which tastes and feels like a mouthful of dirt given its mostly microcellulose... Real tomatoes that aren't hard and crunchy as apples..

I don't mind spending.... but I want good value..

Once upon a time in cold country I would grain feed pigs and chickens, milk cows and generally stay busy in the wee hours.. reason being the quality of dinner was exponentially improved... same thing with produce tree fruits..

Trust me thats where the real value is....

And I saved $89.50 on my shots...

Bastards....

long story

A few years ago....Hotel/Motel stuff.. night auditor/management.. like I said.. "long story".. which involved 100 something hour weeks and no days off.....none.. I slept on site so I didn't have to burn up sleep time driving... weird experience... what with whackos, drug addicts, fleeing felons, suicides, drug overdoses and SWAT teams..other than that it was cake.... 

More forward movement...

Ha... the credentialing process is going my way.. I found memos and paperwork that give me some more options and I get permission for classes that put me on track towards other things I want to do..

The rule is acquire intellectual property whenever you can...crosstrain as much as possible so you can jump ship or fill a hole in the command line if needed...

Money is good.... but getting skills and moving up the chain is better.. because at the apex money finds you... I just need to hang on and do each step as it comes..

Follow up..

The second interview handed me more Hoops to jump through and stiles to leap...

But, Im in the system..My ID is being sent through the mail.....

I have access to the training calender and I know what the gig they want me for is....
There was a nice "anything you want" email which gets bounced back to them with my current schedule..

And it turns out, I have a few wants.. I've cross trained for years, its a basic principal for emergency management... stuff has to be done..lots of guys die in the saddle, nut up, get hurt, or are casualties of whatever.. someone has to replace them NOW so all the exe's can do at least two jobs.. I'm credentialed in four but want more....Including some opps as an EMT since emergency medical staff is generally in short supply..

They supply the plane ticket and I keep a bag by the door so I can get gone in minutes....which I've done for years.. But that quirk is also part of the training...

Get the call and hit the ground a runnin.......

I got booked for a class March 5th "Disaster Services".. So my planner is filling fast... fast...fast.. lots of suit and tie gigs...  I suspect they want me ready to go come Spring flood season, I've seen the predictions and its not good...

So there it is...

Speaking of primitive

I decided to bang out some chapatis.. the sprinkling is burned cumin from the few I made earlier But I don't even care about that since I like it....

Cumin or fire ash just makes them taste and smell better to me...  I like Dal, Hummis and refried beans about as much as I do stick food...so its all good by the campfire....and Im not opposed to a flat rock or ash bed for cooking....it brushes off..

I wasn't joking about primitive... I have a nice cast iron comal, but sheet metal works too..so does a grate.. so does a lot of stuff...and I've done all of them... no oil is used except in the dough and thats optional.. but when I do add oil its olive oil... not that I would hesitate to use bacon grease, lard, butter or anything else available..

One can survive on chapatis and Dal even if its not fast food..... but if you like chapatis, you prevail in humble circumstance, rather than suffer and just get by... which is ironic since I despise fast food and feel put-upon if its offered as part of my per-diem..

I can pull the bread by hand... roll or press it... and cook it on any heat source available....but bottom line...  I have it and I like it..  

The basic bread can be enriched... an egg... milk rather, than water, oil... catch some yeast and leaven it... theres also oats, corn, millet, and other grains..

Best bet for making bread is whole wheat for food value....  other than that... I know how to forage like a locust, skin a rabbit and generally be a hazard to anything that can be eaten...

Little Ireland

Pretty much typical desert camp...... the Irish flag being a visitors welcome notice... assuming your one of the tribe and then you sort of know what to expect.. camp gets made in same spot every year.... theres more people there than you think... a tent or blanket under every tree and bush ..

Its like more than a few scenes from "Snatch" ......excessive indulgence, screaming, random violence for entertainment.. communal dinners cooked by whoever was the stay behind during the day... Mikey Boy and Taz rolling around on the ground  brawling over something or other... then bestest buddies 5 minutes later.. cause they forgot what the problem was in the first place....

The polite thing to do on your approach is to stay back till your waved into camp or see movement.... You'll know if your welcome or not fast....

You can forget about 911because even during the day it takes an hour to find someone who wants to be found.... at night you won't even find the road.... which is just the way everyone likes it...

Everyone works.... loading trucks, steppin and fetchin, working a spot, making jewlery, gathering sage, making lunches or whatever will generate off the book cash...

Night falls and out comes the weir-wolves who seem to be attracted to the bonfires..I keep gear with me cause I seem to be attracted to bonfires and fit in... Hahahahaha..

During my interview/life biopsy, I was asked if I "could deal with primitive living conditions".. they didn't realise I spent most of my life sleeping on a piece of canvas in good weather. under it in bad or rolled in it when the nights were freezing.. 

But then primitive is subjective....

I kept my mouth shut when they brought up "primitive" food, cooking and sanitation.. I may do a seminar on primitive living for them...like a week or two inna bush..with half the food they think they need.. and one pot... hahahahaha..

A bag of flour, a bag of rice, a bag of beans, salt and 30 gallons of water...

The great escape

Old hide out photo....its a good place to go when you've got a few days....

Pickled fish

What can I say about pickled talipia.. I ran out of lemons, limes and oranges...cilantro and Mexican or South American stuff...so civeche is out.....

That being how it is, I had to fall back on plan B... vinegar for the acid followed with salt, sugar, vermouth for more acid... pickeling spices, onions, garlic....then jacking with the balance.. I have whole spices so I made my own mix...rather than pay a 400% mark up for "pickeling spice"..

That being said..... it was a success..

Granted its not pickled herring... but it still works..I have some high end smorgasbrod fare for way cheep.... $3 rather than $15..

Equal parts water and vinegar... equal parts sugar and salt... random spices, make enough to cover the cubed fish and your golden..I did find one lemon.. so it got into the soup..

I suspect I need to go on another pickle binge... eggs, pork, mushrooms, onions, asparagus or anything I can make indestructable... including cabbages....

Its stress reduction ...... hahahahaha

More from the trip..

I think its close to 6:00 AM at the all important Wall Mart parking lot...Its my personal rest area... I change clothes, buy office supplies, water...use the facilitys.. then go to safeway... for bread, clamata olives and deli stuff... the sun hasn't cleared the mountians yet.... but its there..

First things first... I changed my shirt to one that fit decided I needed a hair cut sometime before my interview... did the visine trick so I didnt look like I'd been up forever......scared people by carrying a camera into the rest room....and don't remember if I cared... Prolly not...

Ahhhh consumer goods......and the illusion of choice.... I needed a day planner and a smallish desk calender that would fit in my padfolio or lap top case... the usual pens and legal pads which I buy cause I have a habit of making notes that are almost like dictation... so I go through at least one pad per class.... not that this was a class.. it was mostly habit.... and .... it was just me wandering around, which I tend to like so a good time was had....

And back to the drive... now its watching the sun and pretty quick the traffic is going to build up so then theres a little ducking and dodging so I don't get smushed like a possum...  which is the reason I don't eat till I'm where I need to be... a ruptured stomach is hard to repair if something happens.... which I learned from listening to a nascar interview... I'd wear a Nomex fire suit if I had one... But for not the traffic is easy...

Random rear view, glare and traffick building..just like it does on a normal trip in......

A little more.... and then it slowed down to 5 MPH.... but not for long.. maybe 15 minutes.... then it was  time to do thethe tunnel squirt through......

Not bad at all for a change..but there were more lanes and I was running a little early.. the best part was no one wrecked out and narrowly missed me... which happens every second trip chunks of semi tires flying at my head the usual hazzards... No wrecks makes me all happy, happy.....

Out of the tunnel and the sun has cleared the mountians and I know people are blinded so I have to really pay attention... hahahah.....yay

Off the freeway and in Indian School.... the surface streets bit ass.... there was a 45 mph speed limit for which Im greatful.... what with kids going to school, people heading to work....and most folks being asleep at the wheel....  I scouted where I needed to be.... went back to a 7-11 or somewhere got coffee and a bear claw... drove to where I was supposed to be, composed myself for the interview.... with some hazelnut coffee blend... got organized ..... and rocked the interview....

Tons of stuff got done... I had to show hard copys of my certificates... which is standard credentaling..then get my fingerprints taken...which is more standard stuff...a stop for a haircut.. which was great.. the barber was a Hopi off the Rez who gave straight razor shaves for $20, and the shop packed with all things Marilyn Monroe.. turned out he has family on the rez I lived on.. another funny thing was.. he was a long hair Hopi giving me a white guy cut... not the regular kind but old school block and shave comed straight back....

I wasn't thinking or I'd have gotten photos of him an the shop...it was worth seeing....next time in.. I will take photos of the shop...

Yeah well....

I got my badges so step one is done,  now comes the long slow part..

Its like spinning straw into gold....  the mighty resume got a lot of attention and Im the golden one, but theres more hoops and hurdles.. now its about seeing how am I in the clinch...they want to make sure I'm not like one of those boxers that looks good, moves right... but stops fighting when he bleeds or gets hurt....

I boxed against grown men when I was a boy.. I always came out at the bell..... hahah cause you never know.. I've seen some big boys crack.. funny thing, I knew I didn't have a chance... but they didn't... so they tucked tail...

Long story short... the bell just got rung and I have a few things to do..  Its part of the selection process..  and a tool to evaluate how committed are you...

The higher up the food chain you go.. the more public service is required.. so you intern, volunteer or become a fund raiser.. its about patronage as much or more than a pretty resume....

I have the resume and tell the tale like a good son of Ireland, and Im told my enthuisam is contagious...  so the honcos like me..

The trip began thusly.... you can see what 4:00 AM looks in my world.. no street lights or town lights.. no businesses or neon.. just the moon maybe.. which works for me since Im not afraid of the dark.. it was cold but given the summers, I enjoy the change...

Time marches on..... 4:45 and a road side rest ..most were closed due the economy and budget cuts, but are now open again as the death tolls from driver fatigue and senile idiots pissing in the middle of the road started to climb....  And fine facilitys they are....

More yet... Picnic tables and the full moon... a few shade trees.. no serial killers wandering around.... it was after 4:00 AM so I was safe....

The all important shrine for vending machines and maps....

Typical Map

And Back  to the Hiway for more of the same.....

Innsomnia

It figures the night before I gots ta go holla at my boy I can't sleep.... Caffeine and visine will save the day though....I'm not facing 40 hours of class and test time...I don't have to be quick

Its just show and tell....but still, theres a lot bearing down that particular track...

Tomorrow is da day.

So lets see if insommnia does its work and keeps me up till 4:00 AM... which is about the time I need to get up..and wend my way East into the rising sun, not that its even close to my first rodeo..

I like the drive, 2-3 hours of just rollin and La Musica thats not two decades old.. a break for coffee..a little pre-shopping, shopping and some multi-tasking... I never go on a safari for just "one" reason...  If I gotta invest 6 hours drive time.. $40-$50 in fuel.. plus some wear an tear, I gotta has me some, somethin..

Music, Tofu, goat cheese.. whatever I can't get locally... find a bistro type operation or taco wagon... talk to folks different than me, so I don't turn into one of those guys that can only talk to people like themselves..

Im looking forward to the trip...
_____________________________________________________________


Today its overcast and throwing everything out of whack with that "flight 19" Bermuda Triangle vibe.... so I just lay low..an wait some mo..

Dinner.. accomplished

I decided to take my own advice about not worrying about what I don't have and work with what I've got... So.. this is how it goes...spinach, onions, scallions....black olives, raisins, walnuts and cheese claiming to be cheddar....

While all that is going on we enter Phase 2... frying bacon..chopping tomatoes etc...thinking about how to do all this on the fly... the bacon photos kinda bite because Im cooking, not thinking about photo stuff... its bacon.. done crispy so I can make bacon bits out of real bacon... Im not putting textured soy or chicko bacon in my dinner.... its wrong on so many levels

I got distracted and missed taking photos of the salad building process.. the pretty tomatoes and all the colors coming together...

Anyway... starting at the shrimp going clockwise... shrimp civiche which I can't stop wolfing down.. black olives.. refried beans with cumin, spinach and cheddar just because I wanted some contrast and smoked oysters...

The salad is the usual anything I can get in the big bowl type.. I usually add rasins, nuts, garlic cloves, onions, grated cheese or whatever kind... I like spinach.. spring mixes, baby greens.. and stuff you wouldn't expect...  boiled eggs being a favorite.. but shrimp can end up in it all pretty fast too.... ham, chicken... asparagus or any dried fruit thats close at hand....

Lately I've been using vermouth as salad dressing.... its different.. and there are no rules.. nothing wrong with a little adventuring....

 

One of the big pleasures in my life is fixing my dinner exactly the way I like it there is no.. I don't feel like having________________ or I don't like_____________ its great...  you aught to see me work over a salmon.... its magical...the salmon, not me.. and I never have a clue till I get in the kitchen what the game is going to be....

I need for Leigh to plan my movements so she can get the best shots... and make it look as pretty as it is good...

The Dinner plan..phase one

I decided civiche is the way to go today.... shrimp, talipia, an onion a head of garlic, chilis, tomatoes, cilantro and enough lemons to cover it all...

The acid in the lemon does the "cooking".....which is more like pickling but... meeh..

I added an orange and some coconut stuff... cause I got bored... refried beans, spinach salad and that should take care of it....no bread or tortillas though, which leads me to believe Im deprived..

No egg for the salad... I do have bacon.. but damn..

Wait..I do have walnuts.... more onions, more garlic...another tomato... so I guess its functional..

Ahhh Black olives... Im all Happy again... I'm making a stop or two in Phoenix thursday...

I need stuff.. maybe tofu, goat cheese, flour..

Produce...

Ah...

What cha gonna do....

More historical venturing

New Mexico somewhere past Albuquerque headed to Denver... seems there was a sub contractor for Greyhound Bus Lines involved... running from Mexico to Denver....which is fine, the Mexicans had a better bus..

I like going by bus... the depots are interesting at about 2AM, during the day I get to look at the scenery and zone out.... My carry-ons I measured to fit under the seat and in the over head... and packed with a weeks food and water.. Sort of like a giant Bento Box.. or picnic basket... only different.. its actually pretty funny.. I have $20-$30 of high end dried fruits... prosciutto, cheeses, salamis, smoked and cured salmon, boiled eggs, klamata olives and whatever else... I've even put dry ice in the bag so I can carry yogurt, hummis and the like for a few days.... not that I think I need to..  but its cheap health insurance...

I don't have to buy one $4 twinkie or a bag of potato chips.......... and besides a caprese salad with grape tomatoes and boccatini  is a whole lot better than anything your going to get out of a vending machine..

And the country slides by.....

More but different...

My appointment is on, a class I want is confirmed..

My beloved GF is in the middle of moving, but we manage a text or two.. I don't have abandonment issues... so its ok on my end.. besides I don't have the clingy gene.

One needs must be self-sufficent.. I do miss her though...

I suppose I got spoiled...but I have plotting and scheming to do... she has studies and work

My deal is pretty much show up with your proofs of completion your resume and what you have planned for the next few months...Which I have..

Turns out my name was recognized on the roster which generally gets some interest as I tend to be top of my class and pretty aggressive about study and notes..  then Q&A and any sort of interaction or activity...

I like class.... Im not there cause its mandated.. Its cause Im a true believer..

I keep forgetting every now and then its good to be me ..... OMG the interview is Thursday.. hahah..

More of the same

It must be nice to divide work up into business days then let things hang for weekends and holidays...rather than a "get busy, get done an get gone" business model.

Im antsy...  seasonal changes, classes, pending this and that...no money having and dis-satisfaction..

That back ground thing needs to be over so I can move forward...

I didn't just go see the guy I bounced for.. I checked in with other people I know.. one had a sign in the window "now hiring" hes known me for years... has my phone number, knows I need work and didn't say a word.. He was also the one who gave me the "I'll call when the containers get here from China" then didn't and left me hanging...

I don't get it...  I saw his guys.. which makes me wonder about why I got a pass... every last one of them is a derilict and on SSI for being drunks..

The "Now Hiring" sign on the door wasn't mentioned...but thats fine, I had figured out the deal when he fell down about calling me to unload the containers....

One less contact to worry about keeping up with...

Not that its bad... chaff needs to be winnowed from the wheat..so writing him off with a few others isnt a big deal.. hahah it is mildly depressing but not for the reasons you'd think... its just the money..... friends don't forget you need work and have to live just like everyone else.. not calling is a statement and actions do speak louder than words don't they...

Thankfully I heard it the first time and wasn't emotionally invested....

Whatever... just a little longer and its all good.. the guy I bounced for thanked me for being stand up and said he was too high to get it at the time.. but women half your age an slammin meth will mess up ones thinking..turned out I was the only one who came to see him when I found out it all went bad...and I was the only person around who didn't have my hand in his pocket up to the elbow..

Hindsight no?

Thursday I have an interview and this time I get finger printed...so it'll be easier.. Something to do while I wait.. ha

It seems Im writing a lot of drafts....

Not a lot thats good either... the bad stuff has nothining to do with me, its just some "I told you so" dealing with a guy I bounced and did security for.. the adage about sowing and reaping holds true and stuff caught up to him...

My world is ok.... but then, Im aware of the consequences of what I do and am attentive....

I have a class coming up that was put on my calender Wednesday.....this time its crime scene preservation.. which has to be part of the deal... not every death in New Orleans was from the flood and people do take advantage of chaos too even things up.... not that I'll ever be in the trenches doing searches.. but I will have to be sure others know what to look for....

There are other things I'd rather do.... but its a required training and I understand why.. so thats that..

Im pretty excited about some of the other stuff....Managing  Community Mass Care is basically hustling up bed and board for anything from a rew dozen to a few thousand people not to mention special needs, medical, pets and God knows what..

Besides its a way happier use of my paranoia...... the irony is I prolly won't be allowed in the kitchen..

Speaking of Lunch

Lunch is in the eye of the beholder....  the plate is a salad plate maybe 7" across so its not like Im stuffing myself into a nap coma...

Lunch is hash browns, Talapia and killed spinach, which isnt boiled into submission or steamed...... It just had  boiling water poured over it causing wiltage ..

Normally I just have spinach in a salad... but today I figured a change would be good....  which it was.. I still want a new prep board...

Seriously I do....  and still want a butlers tray.. its weird but I don't care..

If one thinks about it

We have three meals or more per day....given how tied food is to health and well being, it fits that quality and variety is a priority.. 

And  the key word is quality, not fast food, supersize or wall mart fat bombs..... Fast food kills more people than tobacco, asbestos or alcohol...and I really don't trust corporations concern for the public... See tobacco, asbestos and alcohol...

So I make my own meals... and Im good at it.... its a studied, practiced skill...

Priority two.... sleep and house..

You spend X chunk of life in bed for various reasons... so a good sleeping arrangement needs to be up there.. if you can't rest, your really not able to recover from the day like you should...

Priority three-ish.... your house, inside should be all about you... what you like, what pleases your eye.. what makes your time at home restorative... cause you spent the day outside dealing with bastards and slamming your head into a wall.....

Now its about couch time... that drink, dinner and people you actually like... maybe not peace and quiet... but you get the idea....

Priority.. 4ish..... if you have a girlfirend or want one.... They spend a lot of time in the bathroom, So pimp it out.. with candles, plants, towel warmers and any spa type goods you can think of...
Soaps, bath oils, massage stuff, fizzy bath bombs... green house tile floors..brass and mirrors whatever...

Especially if you can make a lemon grass soap she likes.... just for her..do that...

I know spas arent a guy priority.... but the person you share the rest with is.. So I rest my case..

There are others.... work, transportation etc.... but meeh.. they facilitate the first four...and only have value because of that.... actually work is good in and of its-self but may or may not be related to money.... and is an entirely different rant

More waiting..

I know a reasonable background check takes a couple of weeks.....  but that doesn't mean waiting doesn't bite.

There are other calls to make in my persuit of free credits.....

I have a training/work transcript which is pretty massive.... but now Im working on the esoterics of education some of which was fun... pottery, stone lithography, various art classes and project works..

I did find a syllabus for a seminar I attended put on by the university.. which was actually good there were 16 speakers and they each vied with the other to impart pearls of wisdom... Said efforts to vie were met with oinks of approval..

The thing I always had problems with is...... when its obvious no-one understands what is being said, they all just sit there.. no-one takes notes to recall the questions or answers... I dunno its kind of sad..

I figure they either know it all, or are so scared of looking stupid they let themselves stay ignorant... which is stupid..

Anyway.... I torture the bastards... its great seeing a professor get excited and light up as the class goes from somber to vibrant..  Anyone with any pride in what they do wants a challenge and to have thier knowlege tested.. professors included....

But I digress.....

I don't like waiting.... I really don't..

Different Direction..

South towards Yuma and a dfferent kind of storm....early afternoon in the monsoon season the clouds assemble into masses of thunder heads that eventually meet..and tower thousands of feet, thunder, lightning down pour..pounding soaking rain, sometimes hail..

You can feel the humidity climb...the air gets thick and dense.. All there is to do is watch it bear down..... till you cant tell earth from sky any more