Month: November 2024

November 20, 2024 – Maybe I Was Wrong?

November 20, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I am a big boy. When I did my review of my Greek Table, I admitted that I had only read half of it. It was the salads, sauces, breads and appetizers section of the book. I was not really inspired and didn’t want to invest more. But, with our meeting coming up tomorrow, I had to make an effort to try something.

This last weekend, it was nasty. My wife had been gone all weekend and I wanted to do have a nice dinner prepared for Sunday night. I picked out a few recipes to prepare a Greek dinner. While it was raining buckets, it seemed like a stew night to me. The picture below is the beginnings of Greek Beef Stew.

What you see is fennel and red onion being sauteed together. Beside the beef it had red wine, cinnamon, thyme, rosemary, carrots, allspice, molasses, honey, tomato paste and prunes. What else have you got? I have to say that it wasn’t my favorite but it was definitely hearty and unique.

I made the stew to go with what I really wanted to make. That was a squash pie in-between some phyllo. We have had several packages of that hanging out since the failed phyllo pizza experiment. This recipe had a phyllo sandwiched with walnuts. The filling was made with butternut squash, raisins, ricotta cheese, cinnamon, clove and onion. There was phyllo placed on top and baked. It kind of came out as like a mild pumpkin pie.

Finally, I made a spinach salad for the second time. It has feta, Olives, spinach, red onion, oranges dressed with Olive oil and lemon juice. Clearly I liked it if I have made it twice now. We had to toast with some Ouzo I bought for some future recipes and a Pinot Noir that paired beautifully.

All of the recipes call for things like Greek olive Oil, Greek Wine and Greek molasses. Where I am at, I would be lucky to have a few choices but Greek is certainly not likely. So, I made do with what I could find. It is hard for me to imagine a better pairing of Oregon Pinot with these exotic recipes.

This meal was some work. Besides having to go to the store for ingredients that I don’t normally keep around like fennel I started at one and most of the cooking was done by four. I wasn’t completely done until six which included doing most of the dishes and setting the table. So, it wasn’t a meal for a weeknight.

So, I probably judged the book and a cuisine prematurely. I really didn’t get into the heart of Greek food even with my experimentation. The seafood and the small plates. I sure went through a lot of olive oil on this dinner, about a quart. My next attempt will probably include spanakopita and some sort of fish. I have got to find something to put Ouzo in.

End Your Programming Routine: I guess the lesson here is that you can’t judge a book by the cover. I didn’t think that I was going to like it, but because I was forced by necessity to try, I found the silver lining. That is an experience that can span a lot of different genres and activities. Ultimately, I don’t think that I am ever going to crave Greek food, but I can probably find something intriguing to try.

November 19, 2024 – Preparations for Travel

November 19, 2024 / / 0 Comments

We are going on our first ever Thanksgiving road trip. This year, we are headed to Montana for a week. The way the weather is shaping up, this could be a miserable doozy of a trip. It is a long way to go in winter weather and we are expecting feet of snow at the higher elevations this week.

The problem with cold weather is all the additional gear you need. Add to that a dog and two extra passengers, we will be pushing our space even in a full sized Navigator. I had to break out the car carrier for the first time in quite a while. This thing is great for extra space, but it also adds a lot of extra height to an already high vehicle.

At the hospital, we already hit the 6’7″ bar warning that a crash is eminent. I happen to know after years of experience that I am just fine. But, I don’t know how fine I am. So, I don’t push it and keep in mind that I may be a bounce away from some very expensive body work. I can say that my wife has tried to drive into our garage Fortunately, I was outside to stop her. The carrier stays on only as long as it has to be on.

A smart man would have gotten the car to a mechanic before we leave. I really didn’t give it a thought until last weekend. By then, it was pretty much too late. That is not to say that I have done nothing. Recently I started getting a ‘Tire Pressure Fault’. I have checked the tire pressure multiple times and chalked it up to more electronic gremlins that have been plaguing this vehicle its whole life.

But, I wanted to check on chains for our upcoming travel. My wife had been told that chains would not fit on the vehicle due to wheel clearance concerns. So, I asked about the tire sensor. I was educated that it was probably a battery. Who knew, inside the wheel has a sensor that communicated with the computer. After fourteen years, two of the sensors are dead. I always wondered how that was done.

All this being said, I would think that this would be something the tire shop would do with new tires. It turns out, no. Now, I have to break down each wheel and replace the batteries. It was suggested that we could wait until new tires are due, but with the Navigator’s reduced role, it could be years at this point. The best motivation is that my wife want’s it done.

Besides the obvious luggage for a week long stay, it would be good to take some extra precautions. The first is be prepared for extra time. The highway’s may be closed until the storm blows through and the snow plows do their jobs. This can effect the start time and the return time and there is absolutely nothing that you can do. Keep your schedule flexible.

Part and parcel with keeping your schedule flexible, make sure your vehicle is stocked with food and drink. You could spend significant time in slow traffic following a plow, an RV or in a snowbank waiting for a wrecker. If something does happen, stay with the vehicle. Leave a plan with someone you know so that they know where to look for you and having food, water and shelter significantly increases your survival odds.

There is all kinds of recovery gear you might want to have. But, if you don’t have it and likely have never used it, probably best to skip. That being said, stick to major roads for safety purposes. These will be the best plowed and most travelled roads anyway. A much better chance to be found or get help if you need it.

I am going to bring a portable CB. I am not expecting a whole lot but it gives a possible way for secondary communications. My past experiences have been pretty ho-hum, If things get ‘western’ than maybe it will be an option to get ahold of a trucker. Plus, it gives a little more experience on the road with a potential tool. It would be better if I had a permanent mount.

End Your Programming Routine: This is supposed to be fun. It is a week of vacation for me and the first whole week this year. I’ll admit that I have a few doubts but it should be alright. I would much rather gear up and not need it, than need it and not have it. But, you have to go through these what if situations and test them to really be ready for the situations.

November 18, 2024 – Finally Something To Be Excited About

November 18, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Trump has wasted no time getting ready to start. I believe that this is something that comes from his non-governmental background. Successful projects are always planning to have the best and fastest possible results. I am still on the fence about him or any other politician for that matter but from what I have heard so far, this has the possibility to actually Make America Great Again. I will reserve judgement, but the marketing is great.

Link for referenced Op Ed: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/one-reason-trump-won-democrats-cannot-admit

November 15, 2024 – The Art of War, Nine Terrains

November 15, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Another chapter on terrain. This leaves us with two more reading chapters until we are done with this book. I will wrap it up with one more opinion on the whole book and then moving on to something else. I am thinking that I might give book reviews a rest until the new year since we are so close to the end of the year. Don’t worry I will announce what it is to give you a chance to start.

The thing that makes this different the last chapter is that this one talks about the tactics on the different types of terrain. I am not going to rehash the types and responses, you can read that for yourselves. But the general idea is the deeper the army goes into enemy territory the different name it has. As a result, the different strategy and tactics to put to use.

I have to say that I am struggling with relating this outside of war again. I mean, I suppose that you can change tactics on any campaign when the situation dictates it. There is a time in a business when even though things seem like they are going well, trouble is just around the corner despite things look rosy right now.

There was a time that I was working at a small company. The company was making money hand over fist. We, the workers were killing ourselves working 80 hour work weeks. I am not begrudging the owners by any means, this is a story about tactics. The company scored a huge job and they pulled out all the stops to make it worth the effort.

But, something was not quite right underneath. Even though the owners were buying boats and vacation homes, deep down they were worried that this couldn’t be repeated or sustained. It was part that they had gotten what they wanted from the business, but they also knew that there were responsible for thirty some mouths now. So we ended up merging with a larger company.

The point is that things never looked better from a financial standpoint but a change of tactics was called for. I will never know if that was the right decision but I think this falls right into Sun Tzu’s advice. We need to keep our eyes open in all situations despite what it seems like.

There is more jibber jabber about leaders and treating the group as one. If the group is one then they will work with predictive results and in a more cohesive fashion. I say it in that tone because I think we have had some of this beat in chapter after chapter. There is nothing like repetition to emphasize the point.

End Your Programming Routine: If I was going to summarize this chapter, I would have to say that tactics are situational. Do different things depending on the situation for the best chance for success. I can’t say that is a revolutionary idea, it seems like a common sense one. The real trick is knowing accurately what part of the situation you are actually in.

November 14, 2024 – What Is New?

November 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Is there any news on the cancer front? No news is good news.

Am I reading anything else? No. I just finished reading the ‘Art of War’ this week and I still need to finish the Greek cookbook. It has been a slow grind this fall.

How about some exotic or fine cooking? No. Actually my wife has been doing a lot of the cooking lately. I figure that if she wants too, why not.

Did I start selling junk like I intended in the late summer? No, I took the pictures but have been lazy and not done anything.

Any big projects coming up? Nothing new. I want to get back to the wine cellar but it has been kind of out of sight, out of mind.

So really, my life has kind of stalled? In a way, yes.

If this was a job interview, you would have no choice but to take me at face value. And I admit, I wouldn’t hire myself based on those answers. I would argue that not all is as it seems. I want to be open about my humanity but I don’t want to leave myself appearing as a slug either.

Currently, I am waiting for the CB base station pictured below. I bought it on Ebay and the seller is taking his sweet time shipping it. I imagine that there is some kind of health problem because the date keeps getting pushed out. So I will patiently wait. The truth is I don’t have a suitable antenna anyway. I am just going to test mobile to mobile while I decide what direction I exactly want to go.

I mean, lets get real. CB is a low powered, very short range pursuit. We are talking about a couple of miles at best. However, this unit was cheap at $35. As I plan on gearing up with radios, why not learn and play in the cheap space. This had lead me to consider my workspace, battery back-ups and related topics.

I can’t express how the impact of training has on life. It becomes the number one optional priority. I realized this when I was training for my half marathon. It seemed like the only thing I ever did. If I wasn’t actually training, I was scheduling around it or scheduling training around other things.

This week has been miserably rainy. For that reason I haven’t done a lot of training. But, I am currently waiting for a reflective poncho so I can go out at night, in the rain. Once again, training has come top of mind.

Way too late in the election cycle, I realized that the future is uncertain. Right now, ammunition and reloading components are about 80% of pre-covid availability. I started building up my supply again. I pretty much stopped shooting regularly since Covid and what shooting I have done has been out of my inventory.

Fortunately, with the election results being what they are I anticipate at least four years of good fortune on that front. But as all good preppers should behave, it is the time of plenty that is the proper time to stock up. I have been inventorying and organizing trying to figure out where the gaps are and working to fill those gaps before the next shortage.

Now that my wife is back in action, the calendar has far fewer gaps than it did earlier in the year. Also with school in session, there have been a lot of activities. Trap finished up mid-October, trap fundraiser, the last weeks of my son’s cross country season and other family affairs.

Last week, we did something that we have done once before. It was the pumpkin shoot. We took our surviving jack-o-lanterns out as well as other decorative pumpkins and blasted them. We also shot hand thrown clays in a family friendly competition. If I had taken any pictures, I would have been writing about that exclusively, not just a paragraph.

We are going to Montana for Thanksgiving. I am not loathe to get too involved in anything until we get back. There are also some things that I need to finish up in the mean time. I would call that preparing for the trip and then there is the holiday season. Another dead spot in productivity.

End Your Programming Routine: It’s going to be OK. This has been a tough year and by all accounts I think I made it through pretty well all things considered. I wish that I could just go all the time, but there is a reason that nature has a season of rest. Consider that now as the time.

November 13, 2024 – Sometimes You Run Across the Darndest Things

November 13, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I haven’t talked about this much, but at my age and fitness level I see my upcoming Pacific Crest Trail hike barreling at me. My wife tries to convince me that I have six months and plenty of time. But I see the evening darkness and prevalent rain kind of crimping my style. Living in the elements is part of the deal but I sure don’t want to get hit by a car because it is dark and cars can’t see me.

I am trying to get my walks in during the daylight. In order to do what I can, I am packing weight. I need to be able to pack a full load up to twenty miles. This is between water sources on the trail so it is pretty much a necessity. Anyway, I am worried that I am not doing enough, fast enough.

The bike in the picture below used to belong to my eldest son. He was in sixth grade when we bought it for him for Christmas. It was replaced by an e-bike three years ago. So then, this bike went to my younger son. Despite constant cajoling about locking the bike up, one day it was not in the bike rack after school.

How do I know that it was son’s bike? Well, there are quite a few things. First, it was the bike that my son was using when he was hit by a car. We replaced the petals. One crank was worn out so we bought a mis-matched crank that was used. The most telling part is the last time my son put on tires, we put road tires on a mountain bike. It meant that they didn’t wear out so fast.

Part of me was kind of glad the bike got stolen. I was hoping that the lesson would sink in about our guidance was for a reason. It was also hoping that walking to school the rest of the year would be payment enough. As a result, no police report was filed. No record of the crime exists.

One day I was walking and I saw the bike. There it was sitting in front of a house. I don’t know them though I am pretty sure the house has kids. I never expected to see the bike in one hundred years. When my locked bike was stolen in college, I never saw it again and I lived there three more years. I always looked for it.

My walks are part of my mechanisms to keep an eye on what is happening around town. I check on the progress of the new sidewalk work happening on my street. I walk into the new neighborhood to see what lots are starting to get built and what houses are finished and no longer empty. I see the new places homeless people hide their tents. And apparently, I see where my son’s stolen bike ended up.

End Your Programming Routine: There was a small part of me that wanted to get on the bike and ride off. There was another part of me that wanted to confront these people. But then, I have no proof that we ever owned the bike and no record it was taken. It has been gone years now, my guess it that they probably need it more that we do at this point. Keep your eyes open, you never know what you will see.

November 12, 2024 – Not Quite It, But Will Do For Now

November 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I know that sometimes I can’t leave well enough alone. Once I did my podcast yesterday, I got to wondering if the video I was referring to was actually on YouTube. I do currently have access to it but I didn’t create it so technically, I should not be sharing it because it is not mine to share. However, I did find a video that talks about the current state.

Boy, does time fly. I said that the church was moved a couple of years ago. However, the date on this video says that it has been at least 11 years. This short video below shows exactly how I remember it looking. It is even still the same paint and colors.

If you look very carefully, you can see the walls are wooden board, not drywall or plaster. This is the original pioneer interior. The alter and the cross remain unchanged at the front of the church. Recently (since this video was taken), the outside was painted and it has a new location with new foundation.

End Your Programming Routine: I need to make a priority to get to the county museum to see if there is more information or if this is just data for the archives. If I ever run across the video I am talking about in a public forum, I will put it here first. I am proud to contribute to the preservation of the history. This place holds a lot of really good memories for me.

November 8, 2024 – The Art of War, Configurations of Terrain

November 8, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I am trying to keep it short today. This is partially because I don’t have a whole lot to add, but also because while I think that this is solid advice, it is not universally true. You will see why as you read on.

This is one of those chapters that while might be good advice and good tactics, is probably outdated. The first part of the chapter is about the different types of terrain.

  • Accessible – equal advantage either side, take the high ground
  • Entangling – can move forward but not back
  • Deadlock – no advantage either side
  • Enclosed – can move back but not forward
  • Precipitous – take the high ground

The reason that I believe that this is out of date advice is that when we look at modern warfare, it is way more complicated. Adhering to this advice strictly, there would have never been invasions of the Pacific Islands during WWII. Modern weapons such as airplanes have drastically changed the strategy for assaults.

With Veteran’s Day coming up, my most familiar conventional war was World War II. I think about those ‘kids’ putting out temporary bridges for the invading force to use. I heard a story about US Seabees bulldozing a landing strip while being shot at. I think by Sun Tzu’s definition, these were probably bad tactics.

On the other hand, the US could have used some Sun Tzu wisdom in Vietnam. I think that we thought based on what we did in WWII that we could bulldoze our way through that war. Certainly, we didn’t heed the advice to get out of the swamp as soon as possible. Bombers, artillery, gunships etc could not clear out the jungle. We haven’t got to or I don’t know if Sun Tzu addresses the will of the opposition.

I want to relate this to the election badly or at least something not military related, but it is hard. I suppose if we say the terrain is something like the economy then you might say stepping into the battlefield with weapons like it is ‘your fault’ and you ‘just don’t get it’ were inadequate. The democrats stayed way too long in terrain that was not advantageous.

Even stalwart supporters like minority groups thumbed their noses at Democrats. This is now in the territory of moving forward without the ability to move back. I have no idea why the party of Lincoln ultimately got the no questions asked approval of the party of slavery in the 20th century. The Democrats were the party of segregation in the 1960s. And yet they didn’t blink an eye to support the Democrats.

A short diatribe. When my wife and I moved to South Carolina in 2001, my wife’s aunt was disturbed. She said ‘how could you move to a state that Strum Thurmond was a Senator’? Strom was a famous racist Democrat in the 1960s and my wife’s aunt was the Democrat that I spoke of in my podcast Monday. How those two could be in the same party is beyond me but Strom was now a Republican for twenty years.

I don’t care what party is after your name people are who people are. That being said, those people an change. I am not going to give them a current inch but when you start moving in the right direction, it is tie to let the past be the past. I think Trump started with advantage to move forward, but not back. It turns out that was the result of the election.

End Your Programming Routine: I had to try to find some relevance outside of military tactics because I don’t find this chapter super relevant. As such, I had to make some stretching to try and make this pertinent. While I don’t trust either side, clearly the tactic to denigrate the common man failed, this time. Don’t be surprised if either party brings it back. I am just happy that the group that was perpetrating it got it shoved in their face. That is picking a battle in the wrong terrain.