tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22229776991408323312024-03-14T02:37:41.770-04:00Casa Waywardnever ending adventures of making hearth & homeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger428125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-46742056599842892592014-04-02T22:27:00.001-04:002014-04-02T22:27:43.767-04:00Chili Verde Pork<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We hosted supper club last weekend and I made this Chili Verde Pork, along with <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2012/04/tortilla-soup.html" target="_blank">Tortilla Soup</a>, for our "South of the Border" themed dinner. I'm planning to make this again for the community pool closing party, which means I'll need to scale this to feed about 150 people (and borrow several crock pots from neighbors!).<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_978OBTw3Yg/UzzGjPNvKhI/AAAAAAAACKw/rJoTO5YHaoE/s1600/chili_verde_pork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_978OBTw3Yg/UzzGjPNvKhI/AAAAAAAACKw/rJoTO5YHaoE/s1600/chili_verde_pork.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Chili Verde Pork</span></i></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 125%;">Chili Verde Pork</span></b></div>
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<b>Prep time: </b>45 minutes<br />
<b>Total time: </b>4 hours<br />
<b>Servings: </b>20+<br />
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<b>INGREDIENTS</b><br />
<ul>8 fresh poblano chile peppers</ul>
<ul>3 pounds fresh tomatillos, husks removed</ul>
<ul>4 fresh jalapeno peppers</ul>
<ul>2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped</ul>
<ul>1 bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped</ul>
<ul>1 pork butt (6 to 8 pounds), cubed</ul>
<ul>¼ cup vegetable oil</ul>
<ul>2 large yellow onions, chopped</ul>
<ul>7 tablespoons brown sugar</ul>
<ul>6 cloves garlic, minced</ul>
<ul>½ tablespoon sea salt</ul>
<ul>freshly ground pepper, to taste</ul>
<ul>1 tablespoon ground cumin</ul>
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<b>DIRECTIONS</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Broil the poblano peppers until the skins start to blister and blacken. Turn them over and do the same for he other side. Place the poblanos in a zippy bag to sweat and set them aside.</li>
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<li>Broil the tomatillos until they begin to blacken. Turn them over and do the same for the other side. Put the tomatillos into a blender—be sure to include any tomatillo juices from the pan.</li>
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<li>Peel and seed the poblanos and add them to the blender along with the yellow bell peppers, the jalapenos, and the cilantro and give it a whirl until pureed. (I do this, and cube up the pork, the night before.)</li>
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<li>Heat oil over high heat in a large stock pot or frying pan (the high sides of the stock pot helps to minimize oil spatter) sear the pork in the vegetable oil until golden brown. Remove the pork and place in a crock pot.</li>
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<li>Reserve 2 tablespoons oil in the pan and saute the onions and garlic until onions are tender. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin, then add the mixture to the crock pot and add the tomatillo puree.</li>
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<li>Carefully give it a stir (my crock pot was brimming—I even had to remove some liquid part way through the cooking) and set the crock pot on low for at least 4 hours.</li>
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</ol>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-30484104404765712692013-06-07T19:52:00.001-04:002013-06-07T20:06:12.614-04:00A Lull<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Things at work still seem to be feast or famine, and I'm taking advantage of a little lull today to try and catch up here. I'm still learning, and I'm still asking for additional training/guidance/instruction on the same things as I was a month ago. It's frustrating.<br />
<br />
On the up side, my superiors are now acknowledging the requests and the fact that they have been lacking in providing the direction and resources. So, yea.<br />
<br />
My latest frustration has been discovering that there seems to be no standard process documentation, either that or there is too much documentation. I like to have a main overview checklist, with milestones and responsibilities clearly laid out—Do X, then hand it off to Dave and proceed with Y. Even better if it includes a time frame—X should take about 6 hours.<br />
<br />
I like to save the really detailed documentation for procedure—To complete X, step 1, step 2, step 3, ... I usually only need the heavily detailed things when I'm learning something new, once I learn the procedure it is nice to have the reference but I don't usually need on a day-to-day basis. But I do still need the overview milestones and it is frustrating when the two types of documentation are combined as one; it just means I have to repeatedly sift through unhelpful information to find what I need. <br />
<br />
So I have begun creating the documentation I want, sharing it with my boss, and pointing out the holes that still need to be filled with training. I am good at distilling a massive amount of instruction down to the main points.<br />
<br />
As of yesterday, I've also been given more direction on how my position will grow within the company and how it will intersect with other departments—I will be the conduit between the clients and the Solution Center, educating the client on our workflow and how they can expect to interact with us during production, and facilitating getting price quotes and SOWs to include what the clients' need.<br />
<br />
And again, there does not seem to be a standard process, each sales rep seems go go about it in a different way, and the price quotes they get from the Solution Center all seem to be structured differently. I don't mean to say I think it should be a soulless process, but there should be some standardization. And they should be able to tell me what information I need to gather from the client in order for them to produce an accurate quote.<br />
<br />
Additionally, Four of the six clients I'm working with have asked for guidelines for multimedia assets—what resolution should images be, what audio format to use, maximum files size—and each time the sales rep has written the information in an email, and not all of them are saying the same things.<br />
<br />
So this week I created a one-sheet table for asset specifications by ebook platform and had each of the tech teams sign off on the accuracy of the guidelines. And someone said, "Wow, that would be a really good resource for the sales reps to have and provide to clients."<br />
<br />
Ya' think?<br />
<br />
Oh, I don't mean to grouse so much, especially since you don't hear from me that often these days. I do still like the job and find it challenging, in a good way. Sometimes I wonder how they decide which titles to assign to whom. Some of my most recent assignments have included a book for getting organized (I lost track of an assignment and had turned it in late just before getting that assignment), a guide for wine lovers (maybe I'm mentioning having a glass too often on Facebook), a guide for hosting dinner parties (posts about supper club), an encyclopedia of trees and shrubs (posts about gardening), but I have no plausible rationale as to why I was assigned 3 OBGYN titles and an anesthesiology title.<br />
<br />
Speaking of medical things, I am happy to say my migraine has not come back today. (Knock on wood.) I began getting migraine auras last Friday off and on. Monday night was miserable and I could be found either huddled and whimpering in bed, or hanging my head over the toilet. Even though the excruciating part passed by Tuesday, I was still getting auras and would have hours where I could not see or write, so Thursday I went in to the doctor's office and got a Toradol shot. The pressure on my head was gone after about 20 minutes and I've been aura-free for 24 hours! Woot!<br />
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So, last time I wrote I promised to share our front yard project. We got way more yard than we bargained for when we built the house, and Scoob does not like to mow it. Or water it. Or weed it. So we thought we would make a few adjustments and reduce the amount of lawn we have to deal with. Scoob and I have been talking about doing this for a while, and in April we got to work expanding the planting beds in the front yard. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeRVw_st2Mk/UbJiQ2IFizI/AAAAAAAACJQ/L5vVmoLEZY8/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeRVw_st2Mk/UbJiQ2IFizI/AAAAAAAACJQ/L5vVmoLEZY8/s320/098.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">The before.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRRjuuLuo9Y/UbJiSEts56I/AAAAAAAACJc/bfnekPeka1s/s1600/127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aRRjuuLuo9Y/UbJiSEts56I/AAAAAAAACJc/bfnekPeka1s/s320/127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">The area around each of two trees was expanded 3 feet all around.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRmysOQMYwk/UbJiR2YgAAI/AAAAAAAACJY/BPpJSEg2H54/s1600/126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uRmysOQMYwk/UbJiR2YgAAI/AAAAAAAACJY/BPpJSEg2H54/s320/126.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">We expanded this flowerbed by about 4 feet so we no longer have to mow around that water box.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PGG30a5EW4/UbJiS3AfWpI/AAAAAAAACJo/ckoyL4-GCmw/s1600/131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8PGG30a5EW4/UbJiS3AfWpI/AAAAAAAACJo/ckoyL4-GCmw/s320/131.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Scoob cut out a 3 foot strip along side the walk to the front door.</span></i></div>
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<br />
We topped off the existing planting beds and the newly expanded areas with hardwood mulch, and added some clay breaker and compost to the new areas to help condition the soil. We've planted a few things along the front walk, but the other areas are still empty. Money is still tight as Scoob is getting his business up and running and we have more important priorities.<br />
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I'll have to get some daylight pictures of the walkway with the plants,
but it's been raining here for the last few days, and it is forecast to
keep right on raining for the next 4, so I'm not sure when that will be.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91UO3YODQ90/UbJiS_X-yNI/AAAAAAAACJk/waR6MQH-GVw/s1600/173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91UO3YODQ90/UbJiS_X-yNI/AAAAAAAACJk/waR6MQH-GVw/s320/173.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I added solar powered path lighting and I love it.</span></i></div>
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<br />
I got 10 of these little solar-powered path lights back in February. We've known we wanted to add the lights since we moved in, so I finally bit the bullet and bought them. Easily worth the $30 I spent. I enjoy hanging out on the front porch in the evenings and watching them flick on one by one. Yes, we have an exciting life.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03tBmNQzqEQ/UbJtD_q71zI/AAAAAAAACKI/sK1YCCMGJ5s/s1600/181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-03tBmNQzqEQ/UbJtD_q71zI/AAAAAAAACKI/sK1YCCMGJ5s/s320/181.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Our new walkway to the garden boxes.</span></i></div>
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<br />
I got the inspiration for this DIY walkway from Pinterest and <a href="http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2012/07/pallet-wood-walkway-all-prettied-up.html" target="_blank">this path made from a recycled wood pallet</a>. Scoob wasn't too excited about it at first because if felt too Asian-inspired for his liking and because he wants a flagstone walkway. We had a realistic conversation about what we could afford to do and we knew we needed to make the path a more permanent fixture if we didn't want the forest to keep trying to reclaim the path.<br />
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(I really wanted to try pouring concrete to try to get this look:)<br />
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<a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/2654734/Landscape-modern-landscape-dc-metro"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://st.houzz.com/simgs/cab123c5010994de_3-0749/modern-landscape.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div style="color: #444444;">
<small><a href="http://www.houzz.com/photos/modern/landscape" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Modern Landscape</a> by <a href="http://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architect/c/Severna-Park--MD" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Severna Park Landscape Architects & Designers</a> <a href="http://www.houzz.com/pro/quayleco/quayle-company-designbuild" style="color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Quayle & Company Design/Build</a></small></div>
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<br />
(But that may have been a bit ambitious for us.) As luck would have it, one of our neighbors needed to lay down some sod, and they had all these left over 2 x 6 boards from foundation molds. So we traded them our ripped up sod for their boards. I think the wider boards sort of give me the look I wanted from the concrete pavers. <br />
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Scoob cut the boards to 3 foot lengths, weatherproofed them, and gave them a termite treatment. We then worked to level out the area, laid down some weed cloth, spread out some sand, placed the boards, which Scoob then anchored in place with some big spike nails, then added some pea gravel and hardwood mulch along the edges.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9H38aVRXTEw/UbJiTgvg5ZI/AAAAAAAACJ4/VP_61oAfwmY/s1600/180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9H38aVRXTEw/UbJiTgvg5ZI/AAAAAAAACJ4/VP_61oAfwmY/s320/180.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I think it looks great!</span></i></div>
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We're now making a similar pathway along the side yard near the kitchen. Eventually we'll cut out another 4 foot swath of sod from the front steps to the end of the front yard and add a walkway there, too. Eventually the boards will rot out. Maybe by then we'll be able to afford the stone, but until then, I think this looks great and does exactly what we need it to do. I love that we did it ourselves and it doesn't look like a cookie-cutter walkway.<br />
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(You do know when I say "we" and "ourselves" I really mean "he" and "himself," right?)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-56953403780399537312013-04-19T18:55:00.002-04:002013-04-19T19:00:45.875-04:00Where to Begin…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It seems like a lot and nothing has happened since I last wrote. I am still working some long days, but the last couple of weeks I have found some pockets of down time during the workday and I've been thankful for the breathing room and the restoration of some work–life balance. The job is still evolving and I've approached my boss to talk about next training steps. I'm hoping they'll send me out to California for training, but there's really no telling what they'll do.<br />
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I've been happy. I've had days where I've been pass-out exhausted, days where I really don't want to do what I have to do, and finances are a constant concern since Scoob hasn't found work yet, but his freelance work is starting to attract paying clients. But I find that underneath it all, I. Am. Happy. <br />
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Maybe it's just because spring is here. The lawn started to subtly turn again green in March and then we turned our backs and it was up to our shins. We have a lawn project underway and we finished the first phase this afternoon. I'll post more about that later. No, really. I will.<br />
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In addition to the greening of the grass, things are blooming! First it was the bright yellow forsythia (I am now thinking of planting a bush or two somewhere in the yard so we'll have that early spring color) and now it is the dogwoods. I don't know why I get so excited about the dogwoods, but I do. And the trees surrounding the house are lousy with them. So I walk around house and oooo and aaah at them and feel utterly content.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7JbUhuezQI/UXHDDThBECI/AAAAAAAACIE/rDJcNbnnTCs/s1600/148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7JbUhuezQI/UXHDDThBECI/AAAAAAAACIE/rDJcNbnnTCs/s320/148.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">My favorite dogwood, just off the back porch, has been the first to open up two years in a row.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Blooms and bees everywhere.</span></i></div>
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We went to the community St. Patrick's Day party, which was fun, and we met several new people moving into our little community. And had a friend over for Easter dinner. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3w2XDYlSsLg/UXG60owlUpI/AAAAAAAACH8/wF_0DbbOlQw/s1600/084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3w2XDYlSsLg/UXG60owlUpI/AAAAAAAACH8/wF_0DbbOlQw/s320/084.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I made the <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2012/11/bo-ssamkorean-style-slow-roasted-pork.html" target="_blank">Bo-Ssam</a> for Easter dinner.</span></i></div>
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<br />
And I think I finally figured out the trick to eliminating the excessive smoking problem I had with that recipe—the roasting pan I was using was too large so the juices would spread out too thinly, crust to the bottom of the pan, and start smoking. I've had great success using a smaller roasting pan.<br />
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Like the table cloth? It's a scarf/shawl I picked up in India. I hadn't thought to use it on the table at the time, but a friend mentioned it and I thought I would try it out. I like it. Of course, first thing I did was drop some greasy bo-ssam on it Easter night. Gah.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">And we enjoyed it under the newly installed dining room light!</span></i></div>
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We also attended a Welcome Brunch for new residents. (Yes, we have been here for 1½ years as of yesterday. The welcome wagon is a little behind.) Which was followed by an afternoon nap (I should have known better than to have a mimosa with lunch) and the wine club. At some point during brunch the subject of the pool opening luau came up and our usual person who roasts a pig for the event will be at a soccer tournament, and I mentioned how easy <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2009/01/hog-heaven.html" target="_blank">Scoob's kalua pig</a> is to make, and I'm now strategizing how to cook kalua pig for 160–200 people around mid-May. (Another reason not to drink mimosas at brunch!)<br />
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I'll admit I had a panic moment, but then I remembered all the times I've helped with cooking for family reunions and powwows and settled right back down. Then I started planning. I've rounded up 15 crockpots so far and have a couple of volunteers to be Crock Masters with me. Every time I see Crock Master I think "full of crock" and start cracking up. And Scoob has been talking to a local meat market about arranging for the quantity of pork butt we'll be needing.<br />
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We helped a friend move into her new house week before last and I've been deep-cleaning the house in preparation for supper club tomorrow night. I chose a Middle Eastern theme because I love Persian food, but I'm afraid I've stumped the rest of the group as to what to bring. I'm making lamb-stuffed eggplants (bademjan-e shekam por) and Persian rice with lentils (adas polow). I'm sure it will be alright, but now I'm wishing I'd gone with a Mexican food because I am craving some pozole and it would probably be an easier theme.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-87400177909184591322013-02-23T18:06:00.000-05:002013-02-23T18:40:29.295-05:00Red Carpet Nariyal Burfi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A friend of ours is hosting an Oscars viewing party tomorrow and I decided to bring something Oscar themed. I started by reviewing all the nominations, because we haven't been to the movies in ages and I know next to nothing about the films nominated—<i>Brave</i> is the only nominated film that we've actually seen, and I don't think haggis would receive a very enthusiastic welcome at the party. <br />
<br />
A couple of films, <i>Argo</i> and <i>Zero Dark Thirty, </i>started me thinking about Persian and Middle Eastern dishes. We're hosting supper club in April with a Middle Eastern theme and I thought I could try out a couple of dishes for tomorrow. I was thinking of trying ash-e-jow, an Iranian/Persian barley soup.<br />
<br />
But then I learned we'll be going out for a meal before the Oscars start and I decided to focus on a dessert or snack-y food and settled on nariyal burfi—also called nariyal vadi, nariyal barfi, or khobra pak. Think of it as coconut fudge. Since <i>Life of Pi </i>is nominated and nariyal burfi is a common sweet throughout India (and I recently returned from India), I thought it sounded good. <br />
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I don't usually like super-sweet sweets, so I cut the sugar called for from the inspiration recipes in about half. I also swapped unsweetened coconut for the sweetened coconut some recipes called for—I figured if some were calling for freshly grated coconut, it probably didn't need to be sweetened. The result is still plenty sweet, but not cloyingly so. I could see adding some cocoa powder if I make this again. Combining coconut and chocolate makes sense, though I'm not certain how I would like cardamom and cocoa.<br />
<br />
Hang on—I have some Dutch dark chocolate cocoa powder in the pantry and dipped a burfi ball in it to check—tastes fine, not really chocolatey, but it does temper some of the sweetness and makes the overall flavor more complex.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VAW34dKE_CI/USlAuQsHrfI/AAAAAAAACEQ/5G2h3YX_5d4/s1600/nariyal+burfi+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VAW34dKE_CI/USlAuQsHrfI/AAAAAAAACEQ/5G2h3YX_5d4/s320/nariyal+burfi+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Nariyal burfi—Coconut fudge</span></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 125%;">Nariyal Burfi</span></b></div>
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<b>Total time: (I forgot to keep track) </b>1–1½ hours<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>3 cups shredded coconut—fresh or unsweetened dry</ul>
<ul>1½ cans (14-ounce size) of sweetened condensed milk (450 ml in the measuring cup)</ul>
<ul>¼ cup sugar</ul>
<ul>4 Tbsps ghee (if you can't find ghee at the store, you can make it yourself—it is essentially clarified butter)</ul>
<ul>1 Tbsp ground cardamom</ul>
<ul>1 cup slivered almonds</ul>
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<b>Directions</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat; add the coconut, condensed milk, and sugar, and mix well. Cook until the condensed milk is reduced by about one-quarter and the mixture has a fudge-like consistency.</li>
<li>Add the ghee and mix well. Cook until the ghee begins to separate from the mixture.</li>
<li>Add the ground cardamom, mix thoroughly and remove from heat.</li>
<li>Grease a 9X9 pan (a spritz on non-stick will do, or smear on some leftover ghee if you have any), transfer the mixture to the pan and smooth out. Sprinkle the surface with the almonds.</li>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDBf2bgP3_E/USlAwHWLN5I/AAAAAAAACEs/vTw75sKkNuU/s1600/nariyal+burfi+cooling.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDBf2bgP3_E/USlAwHWLN5I/AAAAAAAACEs/vTw75sKkNuU/s320/nariyal+burfi+cooling.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li>Allow to cool a little and cut into squares while still warm.</li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5pYIhubtEk/USlAv_97AuI/AAAAAAAACEo/UgVIuHTDL9c/s1600/nariyal+burfi+OCD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5pYIhubtEk/USlAv_97AuI/AAAAAAAACEo/UgVIuHTDL9c/s320/nariyal+burfi+OCD.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I may have a few OCD tendencies.</span></i></div>
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<li>Allow it to set, then remove from pan and store in an air-tight container.</li>
</ol>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfXxvyaNcI/USlAup5raiI/AAAAAAAACEU/fHRZSPqcPy0/s1600/nariyal+burfi+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2IfXxvyaNcI/USlAup5raiI/AAAAAAAACEU/fHRZSPqcPy0/s320/nariyal+burfi+4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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So, you may notice my burfi are not squares. That's because I did not not allow them to set before trying to remove them from the pan. So I ended up rolling them into balls.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S1xfCrL7ijg/USlAu283M9I/AAAAAAAACEY/TMUE_LR8-_s/s1600/nariyal+burfi+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S1xfCrL7ijg/USlAu283M9I/AAAAAAAACEY/TMUE_LR8-_s/s320/nariyal+burfi+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-12660447379594120732013-02-15T07:52:00.002-05:002013-02-15T08:09:11.485-05:00A Valentine's Day Conversation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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For Valentine's Day, I spent the iTunes gift card I received for Christmas on some new music and was enjoying listening to my new tunes while making dinner. Scoob and I were both at the kitchen counter when we had the following conversation—he was on his laptop and I was having a glass of wine while dinner cooked:<br />
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<blockquote>
Scoob: Why are you smiling?<br />
Me: Just feeling chill and happy.<br />
S: Chill?<br />
Me: You know, relaxed. Content.<br />
S: Oh. So why aren't you dancing around?<br />
Me: I did. Back when I was feeling energetic and happy.<br />
S: Oh.<br />
<br />
S: So, I guess porn is out of the question.<br />
Me: Uhhhh…<br />
*eying dinner in the oven*<br />
(what the hell) I guess we could watch some porn, if that's what<br />
you want to do. What did you have in mind?<br />
<br />
SILENCE<br />
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S: Or we could look at woodpecker pictures.<br />
Me: *puzzled look/amused chuckle*<br />
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PAUSE<br />
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S: What do you mean that's going to cost $200?<br />
Me: *laughing seriously hard* <br />
<br />
S: What?<br />
Me: *laughing with tears* You can be so random.<br />
<br />
S: Why are you laughing?<br />
Me: Because I love you.</blockquote>
</div>
<br />
I can't decide whether I know him so well that I understand and can follow his random train of thought, or if he's a comedic genius and understands me well enough to know what makes me laugh. Either way, we're perfectly matched.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VH9OXLw6JUI/UR4uoaE7xQI/AAAAAAAACDQ/KLzhUh2q9mw/s1600/bracelets.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VH9OXLw6JUI/UR4uoaE7xQI/AAAAAAAACDQ/KLzhUh2q9mw/s320/bracelets.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Oh, and he gave me jewelry—a couple of bracelet bangles I was admiring last weekend.<br />
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I think I'll keep him. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-73188367967632750902013-01-27T12:11:00.001-05:002013-01-27T12:12:11.390-05:00Delhi Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a rough start this morning, I am feeling much better this evening. I still have a sore throat, but at least I can swallow and speak tonight. Went down to McDonald's tonight for a McFlurry thinking the cool soft serve would help soothe my throat. (At least that's the excuse I'm giving myself.)<br />
<br />
I did not get to do everything I wanted to do today, India Gate was still cordoned off from yesterday's Republic Day celebration so we could not get close to see it and I wanted to do more shopping at the marketplace but my shyness took hold today--I know my coworkers are giving up their day off to take me around and they had to bargain for me at the market to get a fair price, and I did not want to monopolize their whole day. I know they said it was okay and that they wanted to, but I also know my boss had to bargain with them to be with me on their day off and they have family at home waiting for them.<br />
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Even so, I was still able to see some amazing things today. I'm a little bummed that the air quality was so bad today (who am I kidding it's bad every day and probably what triggered my sinus issues) because it makes my photos look washed out. I may spend some time trying to clean them up with Photoshop once I return home.<br />
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We started the day at the Baha'i Lotus Temple. It is a beautiful, perfectly symmetrical structure made to look like a lotus blossom. We had to remove our shoes near the grounds entrance, about a quarter mile from the temple, in order to go inside. No photos are allowed inside, but it is one huge room for prayers open all the way to the top with nice acoustics. I couldn't understand a word of what was being spoken, even in English, because of the echo, but the sung prayers were beautiful. The Baha'i welcome all faiths, and there was a mix of Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh worshipers inside.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j5eXrQAvR8M/UQU--_Z1vjI/AAAAAAAAB9U/Gu5SNhYFdrI/s1600/Lotus+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j5eXrQAvR8M/UQU--_Z1vjI/AAAAAAAAB9U/Gu5SNhYFdrI/s320/Lotus+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Baha'i Lotus Temple in Delhi.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeQDuymR6jI/UQU--wDrixI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/1SlwkVZIuhA/s1600/Me+at+the+Lotus+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeQDuymR6jI/UQU--wDrixI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/1SlwkVZIuhA/s320/Me+at+the+Lotus+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">This is the conceptual model for the crown I will someday wear when I rule the world. Just so you know.</span></i></div>
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After the Lotus temple we went to Qutub Minar. I had though the Qutub Minar was the only thing to see there, but it is part of a larger complex constructed by a series of rulers and includes the world's oldest existent mosque (Quwwat-ul-Islam), the iron pillar of Delhi, a <i>madarsa </i>(seminary), and several tombs. The entire complex is not very well preserved and my coworkers were debating whether the structural damage was a result of age or some conflict in the past. (It was also their first visit to the Qutub complex.)<br />
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The iron pillar was created around 400CE and is important to archaeologists and metallurgists mainly because it is highly resistant to corrosion. The pillar was originally dedicated the Hindu god Visnu before being brought to the mosque. The Qutub Minar (built around 1200) is 5 stories tall, made of fluted red sandstone and marble, and has verses of the Quran carved all around it. It is the tallest minar in India and was used to issue the Muslim call to prayer at the neighboring mosque when it was still in use.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYrxTgI6WwU/UQVOcdAAAPI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/aRpJc2ipPUY/s1600/Qutub+Minar+through+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYrxTgI6WwU/UQVOcdAAAPI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/aRpJc2ipPUY/s320/Qutub+Minar+through+arch.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Qutub Minar from mosque.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gK6i-40a-KM/UQVOg3OQ0qI/AAAAAAAAB-w/MhQ7WIVa4b4/s1600/Qutub+Minar+w+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gK6i-40a-KM/UQVOg3OQ0qI/AAAAAAAAB-w/MhQ7WIVa4b4/s320/Qutub+Minar+w+arch.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Qutub Minar from madarsa.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-so5dD1_hA5M/UQVOcztwaOI/AAAAAAAAB-g/P_muklDF200/s1600/Me+at+Qutub+Minar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-so5dD1_hA5M/UQVOcztwaOI/AAAAAAAAB-g/P_muklDF200/s320/Me+at+Qutub+Minar.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">You know who.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okWJCAB-ptQ/UQVOg4ZhGEI/AAAAAAAAB-0/we4MS7iUJZw/s1600/Qutub+Minar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-okWJCAB-ptQ/UQVOg4ZhGEI/AAAAAAAAB-0/we4MS7iUJZw/s320/Qutub+Minar.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Classic redwood shot works with red sandstone too.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_91PSZkNVQ/UQVOmIfNukI/AAAAAAAAB_E/Sqg813TuRPs/s1600/Qutub+minar+balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r_91PSZkNVQ/UQVOmIfNukI/AAAAAAAAB_E/Sqg813TuRPs/s320/Qutub+minar+balcony.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A close up of the first level balcony.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HjpBSyVaEoc/UQVOeWjZw9I/AAAAAAAAB-o/fPppcObFmDA/s1600/Qutub+Minar+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HjpBSyVaEoc/UQVOeWjZw9I/AAAAAAAAB-o/fPppcObFmDA/s320/Qutub+Minar+detail.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Detail of the Quran carvings.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXwuBFaJpB0/UQVO4mvtr7I/AAAAAAAAB_w/WHvAbla8MI4/s1600/iron+pillar+of+Delhi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jXwuBFaJpB0/UQVO4mvtr7I/AAAAAAAAB_w/WHvAbla8MI4/s320/iron+pillar+of+Delhi.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Iron pillar of Delhi.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-zn0EzGnUk/UQVOmEo0uvI/AAAAAAAAB_M/b8xFPDUaAT4/s1600/Qutub+mosque+pillars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W-zn0EzGnUk/UQVOmEo0uvI/AAAAAAAAB_M/b8xFPDUaAT4/s320/Qutub+mosque+pillars.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A jumble of pillars and angles in the mosque area.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3r7dL0fPoI/UQVOqiUdp7I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/6azqTE5xn2I/s1600/Qutub+mosque1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T3r7dL0fPoI/UQVOqiUdp7I/AAAAAAAAB_Y/6azqTE5xn2I/s320/Qutub+mosque1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A colonnade near the mosque.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bo_tIDzXunc/UQVPDMppDDI/AAAAAAAAB_4/iXvqTMb-c7c/s1600/060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bo_tIDzXunc/UQVPDMppDDI/AAAAAAAAB_4/iXvqTMb-c7c/s320/060.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">The colonnade from another angle.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZyhe44Vpbo/UQVOlnFj_4I/AAAAAAAAB_A/vohmtAAxZPg/s1600/Qutub+madarsa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XZyhe44Vpbo/UQVOlnFj_4I/AAAAAAAAB_A/vohmtAAxZPg/s320/Qutub+madarsa.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Arches in the madarsa.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fjZQGc8212U/UQVOrxv6DCI/AAAAAAAAB_g/Ppp25YSp7KI/s1600/me+in+the+Qutub+madarsa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fjZQGc8212U/UQVOrxv6DCI/AAAAAAAAB_g/Ppp25YSp7KI/s320/me+in+the+Qutub+madarsa.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Me in the madarsa.</span></i></div>
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After the Qutub complex, we went to Delhi Haat, a permanent open-air marketplace with lots of touristy, and not so touristy, stuff for sale. We had an Indian lunch from one of the stall vendors and did a little shopping. I ended up buying a touristy bangle bracelet, a pashmina shawl, and a painted box. All market purchases require haggling, and an outsider like me is sure to end up paying far more than a fair price. But, my coworkers were with me and bargaining on my behalf.<br />
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Turns out the vendor I was purchasing from was from the Kashmir region, as is one of my coworkers, and I noticed they were not speaking the same dialect of Hindi as the haggling became down to the wire. My other coworker was laughing as he listened to them slip into their native Kashmiri dialect. In the end, the pashmina shawl that would have cost me 1000 rupee came down to 350 rupee thanks to my skilled negotiator. I did not take many photos at the market because I was too distracted looking at all the items on display for sale.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FJM3Iujt8U/UQVVVzYVUsI/AAAAAAAACA4/Dn_EkroU33Q/s1600/Delhi+Haat+vendor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FJM3Iujt8U/UQVVVzYVUsI/AAAAAAAACA4/Dn_EkroU33Q/s320/Delhi+Haat+vendor.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Vendor stall at Delhi Haat.</span></i></div>
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After Dellhi Haat we went to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the most famous Sikh temple in Delhi dedicated to Guru Hari Krishna, who became the eighth guru of the Sikh in 1661. When Guru Hari Krishna visited Delhi, he stayed in a palace that stood where the Bangla Sahib stands today. While he was in Delhi, an outbreak of cholera and small pox swept the city and Hari Krishna walked the streets feeding the sick and providing water from the well at the palace, and aid as he could.<br />
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Today, the water from the well is considered holy among the Sikh and believed to have healing properties, and in continuing with Hari Krishna's selfless deeds, the Sikhs feed anyone who comes to Bangla Sahib needing food.<br />
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To enter Bangla Sahib, we needed to remove our shoes and socks again, and cover our heads in respect. We also needed to wash our hands and feet. Let me tell you, the marble stairs and courtyard are dang slippery with wet feet. Before entering, you get a small pie dish of what tastes like a corn meal porridge and take the dish to a stand where a Sikh scoops out a little bit of the porridge. You then keep the rest and enter the temple. Most people knelt and either placed their foreheads on the marble steps of the entry way or touched the steps, then either their hearts or heads.<br />
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The inside is under reconstruction, but is layered in gold leaf with a dazzling chandelier and carvings. throughout the entire complex you can hear the day's verse being recited over a PA system; the singers and drummers are seated in this entrance area. A verse is chosen from the Sikh holy book as the daily lesson and is recited for 24 hours. I am told the verse is chosen by what would be the Sikh Vatican and all Sikh worldwide recite the same daily verse at their temples.<br />
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People offer their prayers in this entrance area, then move to the sides to sit on the carpet to meditate, or contemplate, or just rest. Upon leaving the temple, you receive a scoop of porridge, equivalent to what was taken from your pie dish before entering, from a communal pot. I am not sure why this is done, but it seems very symbolic as a melding of many individual pieces. The wife of one of my guide/coworkers is Sikh and offered a lot of insights, though he, himself, is Hindu.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_PreOdLU-D8/UQVd6kt49ZI/AAAAAAAACCM/WFhPqaq3y0A/s1600/head+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_PreOdLU-D8/UQVd6kt49ZI/AAAAAAAACCM/WFhPqaq3y0A/s320/head+cover.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Testing out the covered head look. (The whole reason I've been wearing a scarf, because I don't know where I will be required to cover up.)</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUdDdwHryiY/UQVd2jIHUCI/AAAAAAAACB4/7036iTYk_gs/s1600/Gurudwara+Bangla+Sahib.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUdDdwHryiY/UQVd2jIHUCI/AAAAAAAACB4/7036iTYk_gs/s320/Gurudwara+Bangla+Sahib.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YK-R6BJ7FrE/UQVd56h_NCI/AAAAAAAACCA/R-dc4ZfUPf0/s1600/Bangla+Sahib+interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YK-R6BJ7FrE/UQVd56h_NCI/AAAAAAAACCA/R-dc4ZfUPf0/s320/Bangla+Sahib+interior.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Bangla Sahib interior. The Sikh holy book rests on a pillowed stand under the gold canopy in the center.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65_tAil1s1k/UQVd6eDi6eI/AAAAAAAACCI/gRuiJbSflOc/s1600/Bangla+Sahib+exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65_tAil1s1k/UQVd6eDi6eI/AAAAAAAACCI/gRuiJbSflOc/s320/Bangla+Sahib+exterior.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Bangla Sahib exterior.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-33703266865746329372013-01-26T11:02:00.000-05:002013-01-26T11:03:20.521-05:00A Day at Agra and the Taj Mahal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been an incredibly long day and I am definitely fighting a sinus infection. I drank 5 cups of herbal tea and a huge bottle of water last night, skipped dinner and went to bed early hoping I would feel well enough to go to Agra today. Thankfully, I did feel much better this morning, but started losing steam around 4pm. (I just got back to the hotel room around 8pm.)<br />
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So, I am going to keep this short and sweet so I can take a hot shower and get to bed early again--I have another day of sightseeing planned for tomorrow. We'll just call this a photo essay of my day at Agra. (I have lots of pictures of my coworkers, too. But since I don't have their permission, I won't be posting them here.)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8HGZKCOFWc/UQPzGHHW2GI/AAAAAAAAB7U/7XlR_XJFxP0/s1600/Welcome+Center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H8HGZKCOFWc/UQPzGHHW2GI/AAAAAAAAB7U/7XlR_XJFxP0/s320/Welcome+Center.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Cute little Ganesha on top of the welcome center.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HOlVrGdznNA/UQPy0w5GElI/AAAAAAAAB6A/1POaSoXB3LE/s1600/North+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HOlVrGdznNA/UQPy0w5GElI/AAAAAAAAB6A/1POaSoXB3LE/s320/North+Gate.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal's north gate. There are 22 little domes on top (11 on each side) for the 22 years it to build the compound.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CqA6QwRNlHU/UQPyy97JV0I/AAAAAAAAB50/7DWDC5CmdZo/s1600/In+front+of+the+north+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CqA6QwRNlHU/UQPyy97JV0I/AAAAAAAAB50/7DWDC5CmdZo/s320/In+front+of+the+north+gate.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Me and the north gate.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gnf-wuZpr_M/UQPzI5w-b1I/AAAAAAAAB7o/LrBZsI8vDak/s1600/first+view+of+Taj+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gnf-wuZpr_M/UQPzI5w-b1I/AAAAAAAAB7o/LrBZsI8vDak/s320/first+view+of+Taj+Mahal.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">First view of the Taj Mahal, passing through through the north gate.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7y-Qi-NehGM/UQPzNAQbzeI/AAAAAAAAB74/FBdapZWRWzs/s1600/me+and+the+Taj.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7y-Qi-NehGM/UQPzNAQbzeI/AAAAAAAAB74/FBdapZWRWzs/s320/me+and+the+Taj.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Me and the Taj Mahal.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8SBPDMvgms/UQPzAfckrwI/AAAAAAAAB64/-05C0jSELZM/s1600/Taj+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8SBPDMvgms/UQPzAfckrwI/AAAAAAAAB64/-05C0jSELZM/s320/Taj+Mahal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal, full frame.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JF3sCXB1OGY/UQPzBxL1WFI/AAAAAAAAB7E/AZE3koEeCGI/s1600/Taj+main+dome.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JF3sCXB1OGY/UQPzBxL1WFI/AAAAAAAAB7E/AZE3koEeCGI/s320/Taj+main+dome.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal domes and trees.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_9U7oJXcQQ/UQPy3cL9FwI/AAAAAAAAB6I/zB30vN-efI4/s1600/Taj+Mahal+domes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_9U7oJXcQQ/UQPy3cL9FwI/AAAAAAAAB6I/zB30vN-efI4/s320/Taj+Mahal+domes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal domes.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fyrUyHQLi8/UQPy63dB-II/AAAAAAAAB6g/_u_N2CICsbs/s1600/Taj+Mahal+marble+inlay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fyrUyHQLi8/UQPy63dB-II/AAAAAAAAB6g/_u_N2CICsbs/s320/Taj+Mahal+marble+inlay.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal marble inlay. A total of 28 different precious and semi-precious stone from all over were used for various inlay designs, including lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, carnelian from Arabia, malachite from China, and turquoise from Tibet.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVDL_YdI7s/UQPzKvAEujI/AAAAAAAAB7w/u6qN5l6hHZQ/s1600/in+front+of+marble+inlay+and+carving+at+Taj+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KQVDL_YdI7s/UQPzKvAEujI/AAAAAAAAB7w/u6qN5l6hHZQ/s320/in+front+of+marble+inlay+and+carving+at+Taj+Mahal.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Me in front of the inlay work.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kCJ2AI6yMPE/UQPzGMHguGI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/3esG51UUImw/s1600/Taj+tomb+chamber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kCJ2AI6yMPE/UQPzGMHguGI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/3esG51UUImw/s320/Taj+tomb+chamber.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal tomb chamber. (Actually not supposed to take pictures of this room, but our guide told me to.) Each of the screens are carved from a solid marble slab and the most intricate inlay work is in the tomb chamber.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbghcOHtrvQ/UQPyyoV5bmI/AAAAAAAAB5w/FAVO-iEZzUo/s1600/Taj+Mahal+Minar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mbghcOHtrvQ/UQPyyoV5bmI/AAAAAAAAB5w/FAVO-iEZzUo/s320/Taj+Mahal+Minar.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">One of the 4 minar surrounding the main building.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UoxxfiHSkA/UQPy44vV5LI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/9p7o1g1jU1Y/s1600/Taj+Mahal+east+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UoxxfiHSkA/UQPy44vV5LI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/9p7o1g1jU1Y/s320/Taj+Mahal+east+side.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal from the east courtyard.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o_HCLtPf2Dc/UQPzB8lMIsI/AAAAAAAAB7A/1ZuzDqG7UhM/s1600/Taj+mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o_HCLtPf2Dc/UQPzB8lMIsI/AAAAAAAAB7A/1ZuzDqG7UhM/s320/Taj+mosque.JPG" width="240" />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">The Taj Mahal mosque to the west. An identical red sandstone building stands to the east.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9h7a6bAtWNg/UQPzQMAl41I/AAAAAAAAB8I/yqvBpNnZVqc/s1600/red+sandstone+screen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9h7a6bAtWNg/UQPzQMAl41I/AAAAAAAAB8I/yqvBpNnZVqc/s320/red+sandstone+screen.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Red sandstone screen.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFl1waNNaBY/UQPy7k9mYJI/AAAAAAAAB6o/wENL5B5JdZk/s1600/Taj+Mahal+through+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jFl1waNNaBY/UQPy7k9mYJI/AAAAAAAAB6o/wENL5B5JdZk/s320/Taj+Mahal+through+arch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oO4IoRNjcA0/UQPy8jgixYI/AAAAAAAAB6w/lAB9Jp2dEGw/s1600/Taj+Mahal+through+scalloped+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oO4IoRNjcA0/UQPy8jgixYI/AAAAAAAAB6w/lAB9Jp2dEGw/s320/Taj+Mahal+through+scalloped+arch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A couple of views of the Taj Mahal through arches.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ykl-3tslhiI/UQPy4LEGVdI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/52fqbBZPaR0/s1600/Taj+Mahal+and+pools.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ykl-3tslhiI/UQPy4LEGVdI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/52fqbBZPaR0/s320/Taj+Mahal+and+pools.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Taj Mahal with reflecting pools.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8RtixJQ23Rs/UQPzH05fs0I/AAAAAAAAB7g/jTgWfcbaLW0/s1600/east+gate+colonnade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8RtixJQ23Rs/UQPzH05fs0I/AAAAAAAAB7g/jTgWfcbaLW0/s320/east+gate+colonnade.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A colonnade at the east gate.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhX0weW_fx4/UQPzNt1tRzI/AAAAAAAAB8A/0UglHsgf10A/s1600/marble+inlay+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mhX0weW_fx4/UQPzNt1tRzI/AAAAAAAAB8A/0UglHsgf10A/s320/marble+inlay+arch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">More inlay work.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krZ40jOOyh4/UQPzQsa9PKI/AAAAAAAAB8M/r6pe1C73OZI/s1600/spinnet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-krZ40jOOyh4/UQPzQsa9PKI/AAAAAAAAB8M/r6pe1C73OZI/s320/spinnet.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A close up of one of the minarets on top.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9sbMQDSRDo/UQPzTXx1j4I/AAAAAAAAB8Y/1dwZDZjjCyc/s1600/tree+roots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a9sbMQDSRDo/UQPzTXx1j4I/AAAAAAAAB8Y/1dwZDZjjCyc/s320/tree+roots.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Aerial roots of a ficus in the Taj Mahal gardens.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-45439703609788656142013-01-24T11:31:00.000-05:002013-01-24T11:31:21.475-05:00Like White on Rice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're keeping track, I'm winding up day 4 in India, and loving it. I've decided Indian food tastes immensely better in India and I actually like it.<br />
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Yesterday I needed to go to the company's other building in Noida-Sector 62, the building I am based out of is in Sector 16. While I was there I met with the boss's boss, and the team members of the other team I am working with. The work I do with the 62 team is mostly letting them pick my brain for Western design aesthetics and making suggestions as to which items in a book could be made interactive.<br />
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After meeting, we went out to dinner at a restaurant called Binge. I let my coworkers do the ordering, so I am not really sure what our dinner items were named. We had a tomato and basil soup that was yummy, spinach kabob (I believe it is pureed spinach, dal, garlic, chilies, and spices, formed into patties and then roasted, palak kabab?) also delicious, along with butter naan, and pineapple raita.<br />
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Today, I continued my training at Sector 16 and 2 of the women on the team took me out to lunch at Punjabi by Nature restaurant. These are the 2 people I have been, and will continue, working most closely with, so I was glad to get some time outside of the office together. The restaurant seems very close to the office on the map, but it took us hours to take our lunch because of traffic. It took over a half an hour to find parking once we got there. But it was very worth it. Again, I let my coworkers order, but this time I paid attention to what we were getting. (I should have taken my camera.) We had paneer tikka, butter chicken, dal makhani, butter naan (again), and something sweet that sounded a lot like jelly beans but was nothing like jelly beans.<br />
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Every time I eat out with a coworker they always seem very concerned that I eat some meat, even though most of them are vegetarians. I've tried explaining that we usually eat vegetarian several nights a week at home and I like vegetarian food, but they are constantly sneaking a lamb or chicken dish onto the order. My boss ordered me a lamb Big Mac yesterday at McDonald's (even though I'd already ordered Filet-o-Fish) and today they sneaked the butter chicken onto the order.<br />
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Today I surprised a coworker, and myself. She was asking the coworker driving to turn on the air conditioning in the car, so I reached over and did it thinking I did not want the driver distracted while driving in traffic here. The only thing is, she asked in Hindi. This happened several times today where people around me were speaking Hindi but I was sort of following along or would anticipate what they would ask for. (I've noticed I am also starting to use the head wobble-bobble. It probably helps that I practiced the motion before I got here :) )<br />
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I ended up working late tonight and ordered dinner in from Swagath once I got back to the hotel. I decided to chance it and call in the order myself. By the end of the call, I wasn't sure if I would actually get what I ordered or not. The the restaurateur was apparently as confused as I was because he called the front desk and had someone come to my room to verify the order.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kqbn2K-OClE/UQFcoM8iC_I/AAAAAAAAB5I/9_kjRVqq9pg/s1600/dinner1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kqbn2K-OClE/UQFcoM8iC_I/AAAAAAAAB5I/9_kjRVqq9pg/s320/dinner1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Dinner from Swagath</span></i></div>
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What we have here is vegetable kebabs, what should have been tandoori khumb, and plain basmati rice accompanied by the ubiquitous spicy green sauce, small round onions, and thinly shaved onions. Food here is very heavy on butter and oils (no wonder I am liking it so much!) and I desperately needed a break from all the buttered naan. The person at the restaurant was very insistent that I wanted naan and it took some convincing to get him to believe otherwise. He was also very concerned that my order was too dry. The tandoori khumb was also a dry dish, so when the hotel clerk came up to confirm he suggested the dish that ended up coming instead--khumb (mushrooms) and mutter (peas) in curry gravy. It was very yummy and I have leftovers for tomorrow!<br />
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It's hard to believe it is already Thursday and half of my time here is nearly gone by. I have confirmed I am going to Agra on Saturday and a few of my coworkers are coming along. I've learned that my coworkers usually work on Saturdays (6-day work week), but since this Saturday is Republic Day they get the day off. Sort of wishing it were a work day so they could get to play tourist on a work day instead of their holiday day off. I'm hoping my boss hasn't forced them to come on their day off, although he is coming too.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-20442317525034095922013-01-22T10:06:00.002-05:002013-01-22T10:06:58.635-05:00India--Day 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I had to choose which car to take to the office; a coworker, my boss, and a hired car were all arranged for me. I guess they really wanted to make sure I didn't walk again today.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-apRneUHrruE/UP6i7q75uII/AAAAAAAAB4Y/xLTSOe12Tfo/s1600/room-with-a-view1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-apRneUHrruE/UP6i7q75uII/AAAAAAAAB4Y/xLTSOe12Tfo/s320/room-with-a-view1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">A room with a view.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pb7DE97p6Bo/UP6i8GC_HrI/AAAAAAAAB4g/-dPZZcxX51I/s1600/room-with-a-view2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pb7DE97p6Bo/UP6i8GC_HrI/AAAAAAAAB4g/-dPZZcxX51I/s320/room-with-a-view2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">And the busy street.</span></i></div>
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Work was good. I met with the group managers for the teams working closely with the team I am on and learned what they do as part of the process. And the comedy of errors that has been my laptop continued. I still could not log onto the main repository server I need in order to start working at full capacity, so the other team members got me logged onto the local server and have rigged up a way for me to get to what I need. Only problem is, it is just a temporary fix. Once I leave I'll have the same problem I had before.<br />
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So they created this work around only to discover I do not have Acrobat Pro on the laptop, which I need to perform the backbone on my job. I guess I had copied the training files to my desktop at home to do the work (I wanted to use the larger monitor) and I have Acrobat Pro on that machine, so I didn't discover until today that I did not have the software tool I need to do my job. But the IT department got the software installed at around 5:00, just in time to go home.<br />
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I am debating about trying to crank out some work from the hotel room. Part of me really wants to use the time to relax and sleep to make sure I shake off the rest of the jet lag, but part of me also wants to get down to work so there will be plenty of time for sightseeing later!<br />
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Since I was awake until 3:00am this morning, I spent some time browsing the guidebook I brought along, so when my boss asked me this morning what I would like to see or do, I had a list ready. I've found now that the getting here is done and I am here, I am really excited and looking forward to exploring. We talked about going to Agra on Saturday, which would be awesome! But it is almost 3 hours each way and there is a ton to see closer to Delhi, so we'll play it by ear.<br />
<br />
Saturday is also Republic Day for India and there will be a huge military parade and celebration in the heart of the city at India Gate. But we won't be able to see the gate that day because the event is invitation only. I am hoping to go to Nizamuddin Dargah around sunset on Thursday to hear the Qawwali (Sufi devotional music), but my boss indicated the performance schedule may have changed. I would also like to see Lal Qila, the Red Fort built by Shah Jahan (who also commissioned the Taj Mahal). If we can go to Agra, I would skip Lal Qila since it is farthest away from the other Delhi sites (it takes about 30 minutes to travel 3 miles in the city) and the forts in Agra are in better condition.<br />
<br />
We will definitely be going to the Baha'i Lotus Temple, and ISKCON Tower and a local marketplace are very close to it. My boss seemed very pleased that I wanted to visit Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. I had also suggested Kalkaji Mandir, but he said it would be very difficult to see as is very small and very popular. Instead he suggested an alternative Hindu temple that will offer more opportunity to explore.<br />
<br />
So I have Muslim, Sikh, Baha'i, and Hindu temples on my list. I know the architecture and art will be astoundingly beautiful and I am really looking forward to it, even if we can't get to Agra.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-68457809944249906792013-01-21T13:53:00.000-05:002013-01-21T13:55:08.039-05:00India--Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I think I may have mentioned I am not a huge fan of Indian food. Well, my adventures with the cuisine began on the flight over when the airline served Indian food for the in-flight meal, snack, and breakfast. The flight itself was about what I expected--long, crowded, and uncomfortable seats. I now understand why my previous boss coveted aisle seats for long flights.<br />
<br />
I ended up having to check my carry-on bag both on the regional plane from Raleigh to Newark, and again on the flight to Dehli. Once we landed in Delhi I felt a little overwhelmed at the airport because I just didn't know what I was doing. I knew I needed to go through immigration (and of course, I filled out the forms wrong) and pick up my bags, but there were only signs for baggage. So I just followed the crowd and made my way to the general area for baggage, and immigration was there too.<br />
<br />
I wish I had dug through my laptop bag for my camera at immigration. There was a beautiful wall sculpture of huge brass discs and hands in various <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudra">mudras </a></i>poses. Luckily, I found a few online, but trust me, immigration was way more busy than this when I passed through.<br />
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<br />
Next came baggage claim. I really should have tied something easily identifiable to my bags. One has a fairly distinctive pattern and was easy to pick out, but my carry-on looks pretty generic. Granted, as a carry-on I never intended to need to pick it out on the carousel, a colorful ribbon or strap would have made finding my new bag a lot easier. I actually took it off the carousel, looked at it, and put it back because I thought it had more zippered compartments than mine. But after it came around 2 more times I decided to take a peek, and sure enough, it was mine.<br />
<br />
Next, I needed to find the driver hired to take me to the hotel. The only problem with this was there were several designated areas where the driver might be waiting. My flight had landed early, so I wasn't too worried when I couldn't find him right away, but after a half hour of searching I started trying to figure out how I would get to my hotel on my own. Luckily, an airport staffer noticed I'd been patrolling the pick up area and stepped in to help me find the driver, and I immediately outed myself as a tourist and an American by trying to get into the driver's seat (passenger seat at home).<br />
<br />
Then there was the drive to the hotel. Think of any movie scene you've ever seen about driving in India, it's really just like that--lane markings are merely suggestions, making left turns from right lanes is a well-developed skill, and flashing red traffic signals? Those just provide ambient lighting, because no one stops at them. I apparently wasn't too worried, though, seeing as how I kept drifting off during the drive.<br />
<br />
And the horns! Everyone always seems to be honking at something, and it seems more of a Morse Code form of communication than the you-dumbass-you're-about-to-cause-an-accident way we use the horn in the US. Drivers here mostly honk when they're over taking something, whether it's a truck, a car, a rickshaw, a pedestrian, or a cow--it's sort of like saying "I'm here, I'm here, look out, I'm coming through." Except that there are just so dang many cars, someone is always passing something, so there is always a cacophony of horns.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Pretty accurate, including the music. Just put a couple of huge stickers in the front window so you can't really see where you're going, and picture it on a 6-lanes expressway.</span></i></div>
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<br />
I am so thankful I had a driver, but the experience did help me understand why drivers in Fremont, CA (with a high percentage of Indian and Afghan residents) drive the way they do. It also made me realize how much of an effort those foreign residents were making toward following American rules of the road.<br />
<br />
This morning, I looked up my work office online and realized it was only about 2 blocks from the hotel, so I decided to walk it rather than get a cab. On the one hand, I'm glad I decided to venture out on my own, on the other hand, I came to realize how woefully unprepared I am for doing just that. When I first decided I would walk, I was picturing a city like any other city. Maybe it would be bigger and busier, like New York City, and maybe it would be unorganized, but I was not fully prepared for the chaos.<br />
<br />
The first thing I noticed when I set out to walk to work (in heels, low heels, thank goodness); there are no sidewalks. The berm is overgrown and something of a trash depository, so all foot traffic walks in the street with all the car traffic. I passed someone feeding a bull in the streets. I wanted to take a picture, but I also didn't want to stop on a busy street to do it. So, no photo. I bought a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vada_(food)"><i>vada </i></a>for breakfast from a street cart.<br />
<br />
While I was buying the vada, I showed the cart vendor the address I was trying to find and he indicated it was back the way I came and kindly communicated on my behalf to arrange a rickshaw.<br />
<br />
English is not nearly as widely spoken as I previously believed, and every time I would try to speak English to someone who spoke Hindi back to me, I would switch to speaking Spanish, the only other language I speak with any fluency, which most definitely did not help communication at all. I am learning, though, that the Indian head wobble-bobble means "I understand" or "yes," and I just hope that they understand what I am actually trying to communicate. It would be very helpful to know some basic Hindi phrases, though, everyone has been patient and helpful as I muddle along.<br />
<br />
People at the office seemed very surprised that I got to work in a rickshaw. At first I thought the look they were giving me was because it must have a touristy thing to do, but when I told them I had started out on foot the look changed to more of an "are you stupid". I've been told, under no uncertain terms that even though it is only a couple of blocks, I am not to set out on foot to or from the office; they will provide a car to pick me up every morning at the hotel at 9:15 and will arrange for a car back to the hotel in the evening. If I want to go anywhere else, I am to let them know and they will make all the arrangements.<br />
<br />
Part of me does not want to be shielded from getting out and experiencing daily life in India, but as a woman traveling alone, the other part of me appreciates the concern.<br />
<br />
Jet lag started setting in around 3:00pm and I called it a day just before 5:00 and went back to the hotel. My plan had been to stay up until evening to try and reset my internal clock, but I ended up napping for a few hours. I also ended up at the McDonald's downstairs to get a bite for dinner. Oh, it has been sooo long since I've had McDonald's fries. And there is no beef to be found on the menu--the Big Mac is instead made with chicken, the Chicken Maharaja Mac, and most sandwiches have a veggie or paneer option. I ended up getting a spicy chicken wrap and learned that McDonald's spicy chicken is way spicier in India than in the States.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-42944009826473735942013-01-18T12:56:00.002-05:002013-01-18T16:43:50.177-05:00Hermione's PurseI finished up the laundry last night and just started pulling together all my clothes for packing. And after what Cheri said in the comments yesterday, I decided to try everything in the carry-on, just to see. (Oh, I've also gathered up all my prescriptions and vitamins. Just looking at the assortment makes me feel old.)<br />
<br />
An amazing amount of stuff can fit in my carry on! It's almost like Hermione's purse! I would have zero room to bring anything extra home with me (not like Hermione's purse), but still, I am amazed! It's all the "work related" stuff that is making things a tight squeeze—extra charger/adapters, power supply, shoes, files, planner that I would not travel with for pleasure. <br />
<br />
I am really tempted to pare it down and make it all fit. That would mean leaving out:<br />
<ul>
<li>a pair of dress shoes—if I do that, my feet will be killing me. If I wear the same pair of heels everyday for 2 weeks, I will be hobbling when I try to walk.</li>
<li>my camera—if I squeeze everything into the carry-on, some things will need to shift into my personal item (laptop bag), which will bump out my camera.</li>
</ul>
I think that is really all I would need to leave out to make this a carry-on only trip! (Which would mean I bought a large suitcase for no reason.)<br />
<br />
But, I really cannot fathom not taking my camera. I suppose I could get by with using the camera on my phone. But the photo quality will not be the same, and even though I may return to India in the future, I'll never again see it for the first time like I will on this trip. And I know if I don't take another pair of shoes, I'll be worthless after just 2 or 3 days and trying to find painkillers.<br />
<br />
I think for this first trip I'll go with better safe than sorry and risk taking too much. I have no idea what the dress code is like at the office, so I'm taking a suit jacket and more conservative clothes. After the trip I will have a much better picture of what I "really" need, which will make packing for the next trip much, much easier.<br />
<br />
If I go back during the warmer months, I can trade out some of the bulkier clothes and swap closed-toe heels for sandals, which will take up less room, too.<br />
<br />
Okay, I'd better get back to packing. I still need to find my swim suit.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-77034583317444418672013-01-15T20:25:00.000-05:002013-01-15T20:25:28.729-05:00Countdown to IndiaI feel like the countdown for my trip to India started today. I've been feeling twitchy and unfocused all day. Of course, it doesn't help that the cats have been crying like teething babies today, either. I can't for the life of me figure out what they want. They have food and fresh water, I've cuddled and played with them both, but lord help me, they just won't stop. They're probably just picking up on the mood in the house.<br />
<br />
Scoob came downstairs for lunch today and just held me. He said it just became real to him that I'm leaving and how much he is going to miss me. And as much as I want to cuddle with him and wrap myself up in that sentiment, I just cannot turn off my brain and I'm thinking about laundry and packing and customs and visa/passport and power supplies and FedEx deliveries and all this stuff that needs to happen or get done before I leave. And of course, I'm expecting 3 FedEx deliveries tomorrow; the one day I need to be away from the house this week.<br />
<br />
Add to that the fact we're trying to get through the one-year punch list with the builders and I'm thinking about lighting and plumbing and drywall and nail pops and paint and trying to remember again exactly which cabinet drawers are rubbing so they can be fixed Thursday morning when the cabinet guy comes over. I'm actually kind of thankful the lighting vendor did not get our order placed—it's one less thing to try to squeeze in before I leave. I'm hoping I can postpone that appointment until after I get back.<br />
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After much wrestling, a little cursing, and a blood offering, we finally managed to get the Christmas tree packed away today. The pieces just did not want to come apart and I was tempted to make it a permanent fixture. But it does feels good to complete my first goal for 2013—get the tree put away before February.<br />
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We made one last pre-travel shopping trip this past weekend. At one point I wasn't sure if I needed a rolly carry-on in addition to my laptop bag because the bag is large enough for a change of clothes. But then I put the laptop and iPad in the bag and realized how heavy it was going to be once I added the power brick and adapters, plus the clothes. And then started thinking about all the other items I usually keep in my carry on—prescriptions, make up, hair brush, curling iron, toiletries. You know, pretty much every thing you would need in order to function for at least one day should your luggage get lost.<br />
<br />
Even though I may have been able to scrunch everything in the laptop bag, it was going to be very heavy by the time I was done. And it would be so filled to the gills, I could forget about trying to open it to get anything out of the bag during the flight. So I ended up getting a rolly carry on. So much for traveling light—I'll have my laptop bag, a rolly carry-on, and a spinny checked bag—but not hurting my back is more important to me. At least I know I'll have room if I find some great souvenirs/gifts to bring home.<br />
<br />
I also realized I would need an electrical outlet adapter/converter, so we picked up one of those along with what seems like a never ending list of things. One of those things was a Smashbook. My bestie got one recently and was talking about it on her blog, so I'm going to give it a whirl. I've never been interested in scrapbooking; it always seemed far too fussy. But the whole premise of smashbooking is you just smash it in there, who cares if it isn't perfect.<br />
<br />
I've taken several trips—Mexico, Chicago, Washington DC—where I picked up items here and there to save, but then I never did anything with them when I got home because the idea of creating a scrap book was just to daunting and I ended up throwing out most of the things when we moved. Too much time had passed since the experiences to even hope of being able to create a meaningful memory book.<br />
<br />
It felt like a frivolous expense given how much preparations for this trip have already cost and the bills will come due before the reimbursement checks arrive, and the fact that Scoob is still out of work and I hadn't received a paycheck yet (paychecks arrived today!!). But Scoob thought I should give it a try, too—he saw how upset I was when I threw away things that should have been made into memories when we were moving. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-73942140716131621612013-01-10T12:34:00.000-05:002013-01-10T12:34:17.807-05:00Shields UpMy US passport arrived last week and I did not want to part with it to send it in with my travel visa application on Tuesday. Funny how having my passport in hand makes me feel more worldly even though I haven't gone anywhere with it yet. <br />
<br />
I've booked my trip to India—I fly out of RDU 1/19 in the afternoon, catch a direct flight out of EWR around 8:30pm, and land at DEL on 1/20 around 9:30pm. (Even though that looks like a 25 hour flight, New Delhi is 10½ hours ahead of Eastern Time, so it's really only a 15 hour flight. Still stupid long, though.<br />
<br />
This first trip will be for 2 weeks; I leave New Delhi just before midnight on 2/1 and land back at RDU around 10:30am on 2/2. But, the company has requested I have a 5-year, multi-entrance visa, so I don't think this will be my only India adventure.<br />
<br />
I had my appointment with the travel clinic at UNC yesterday and I am still sore from all the vaccinations, and more than a little grumpy because I did not sleep well last night (I'm a side sleeper and they gave me shots in both arms, so I was tossing all night) and I just feel "off" today. Here's what is floating around in my system:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hepatitis A & B</li>
<li>Typhoid</li>
<li>Measles/Mumps/Rubella</li>
<li>Polio</li>
<li>Influenza</li>
<li>Tetanus t-dap</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-98vt1IeuEUM/UO71ziP9-ZI/AAAAAAAAB3E/6r4_xND0mYg/s1600/deflector-shield1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-98vt1IeuEUM/UO71ziP9-ZI/AAAAAAAAB3E/6r4_xND0mYg/s1600/deflector-shield1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I envision my vaccinations as an impenetrable deflector shield.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Though the reality is probably more like this deflector shield—<br />I'll still end up with plenty of gross stuff on my windscreen.</span></i></div>
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<br />
Thankfully, I'll be in northern India and it's the cool season, otherwise there would have been vaccinations for Malaria and Japanese encephalitis, too. The clinic also gave me prescriptions for Ambein (to help recover from jet lag) and Azithromycin (for the inevitable Traveler's Diarrhea, and yes, I do need to avoid the local water, even in the western-style hotel).<br />
<br />
I had no idea they now recommend an adult booster for Measles/Mumps/Rubella and Polio, and I'll need to go back to the clinic in 2 months and 6 months to finish the series for Hep A/B. If I return to India during the transmission season for malaria or Japanese encephalitis, I'll need to get those too, and possibly rabies. Luckily, these vaccinations should cover the cocktail I'll need for travel to Manila since they've said I'll eventually go there too, and they should cover any travel required to their Sri Lanka location, as well.<br />
<br />
Now that I know my trip will only be 2 weeks, I'm wishing I had purchased a smaller piece of luggage that I could carry onto the plane, but I thought the trip was going to be 3+ weeks so I got a larger piece that I will need to check. Live and learn. At least the bag I got for the laptop is large enough for a change of clothes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-49724493092945998822013-01-02T14:39:00.000-05:002013-01-02T14:39:57.113-05:00Hello, 2013I feel like my New Year began around mid-December with the start of my new job, but I'd started thinking about the dreaded "resolutions" even before then. I have a love/hate relationship with New Year's resolutions—I enjoy the exercise of self-improvement, but usually lack the desire/drive to pursue something throughout the year.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">My first goal for 2013 is to get the Christmas decorations down by the end of January.</span></i></div>
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<br />
Yes, I want what most people want—lose weight, get fit, exercise more, eat healthier, go to bed/get up earlier. But, let's face it, I do not want to focus my energy on or obsess over these things, and if we're being honest, these are also the most frequently broken resolutions.<br />
<br />
I've tried years of just not making New Year's resolutions, and while there's no disappointment when I break or don't achieve a resolution, there is a degree of disappointment in the fact that I didn't even try.<br />
<br />
So this year, instead of trying to make sweeping changes to my behavior that I would need to maintain through the year, I focused on events.<br />
<br />
In 2013, I want to get out and DO more and EXPERIENCE new things. So my New Year's resolution for 2013 is to do 4 things I've never done before. I am perfectly happy being a homebody, so I guess I am trying to alter a behavior, but my resolution feels like more fun than work.<br />
<br />
Some possibilities:<br />
<ul>
<li>travel somewhere new</li>
<li>take a gun safety or conceal & carry class</li>
<li>take a cooking class</li>
<li>go kayaking</li>
<li>go white-water rafting</li>
<li>go skydiving</li>
<li>take an archery class</li>
<li>take a self-defense class</li>
</ul>
<br />
When I first started thinking about my resolutions, I thought traveling to a new place would mean going to Charlotte, the Outer Banks, or the Smoky Mountains for a weekend, but now I know my new job will most certainly require me to travel—to some familiar places, like San Francisco, and to some new places, like New Delhi, India. I did consider turning down the job due to the intense amount of travel involved, but, it will get me out of my comfort zone and ensure I experience new things (not to mention keep a roof over our heads and the bills paid). Is it cheating to count a work requirement toward the fulfillment of my resolutions? <br />
<br />
Actually, the new job has done a lot already to help me
achieve some of those other behavioral changes too. I go to bed and get
up earlier now since most of the co-workers on my team are in India and I
have a lot of 7:00am phone calls. (It only took a week for me to start waking up at 6:00am without an alarm.) Knowing all the travel I'll be doing
has spurred me to getting more regular exercise, since I know if I don't
take better care of my body and overall health the travel will wear me down quickly. And even though it hasn't resulted in any significant
weight loss, I can feel my body changing and stamina increasing.<br />
<br />
As for the gun class, guns make me nervous, and living in North Carolina means living in a more gun-friendly culture than what I was used to in the Bay Area, for example, personal firearms were supposedly not even permitted in our city of Fremont (not that it prevented the guns from being there anyway). Given how many people in our circle of friends here have conceal & carry permits, I know I'm around guns even when I don't know I'm around guns. (?) Anyhow, I don't think it would be a bad thing to be more comfortable with guns. <br />
<br />
I've fired guns before and while I'm something of an ace with a shotgun, I can't hit the broadside of a barn with a .45 or 9mm. And even though I know the basics of gun safety, like don't ever point it at anyone and clear the chamber, I don't know the first thing about maintaining a gun. And as I was always told, if you catch it, you clean it, or you've got to pay to play, which essentially means, you don't get to just do the fun stuff (shoot), you'll also have to do the work (maintenance). <br />
<br />
As for the cooking class, there's a specialty grocery store not too far from us that has several cooking classes a week and it would be a good way to meet more people in the area. Some of the classes are more than a little frou-frou, but they also offer a lot of regional cooking classes (Low Country Cuisine), some basics (Southern Biscuits 101), and dressed up basics (Mac 'n Cheese Three Ways: Cheddar and Poblano Mac 'n Cheese, Comté and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese, Smoked Gouda, Fontina and Ham Mac 'n Cheese). Most of the hands-on cooking classes run $35–50 per person, but when you figure you're getting dinner (and sometimes wine) at the class, as well as learning something, it seems more reasonable.<br />
<br />
Kayaking and white-water river rafting are just things I've always wanted to try and never did. I think I would really enjoy kayaking, and now that we live within 10 miles of a lake, I do really want to try it.<br />
<br />
Just typing skydiving gives me the willies. I do really want to do it, I just don't know if I want to try it badly enough that I could step on a plane knowing I planned to jump out of it.<br />
<br />
I've always thought archery was cool, but I remember trying to shoot my step-dad's compound hunting bow and I couldn't even pull the string back because of the tension and I never really tried again.<br />
<br />
As for the self defense class, given the amount of solo traveling I'll be doing, this seemed like a good one to add to the list.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-63113190991808734492012-12-31T18:50:00.004-05:002012-12-31T18:50:53.163-05:00So Long, 2012I really don't like pretending that a particular day definitively bookends a set of experiences that can be neatly packed away resulting in a clean slate; it's just not realistic. But I do like the ritual of taking stock, envisioning of our better selves, and purposeful and deliberate thought put into how we want to be or what we want to do differently. <br />
<br />
And while 2012 wasn't necessarily a bad year—it was quite good, actually—it was bumpy.<br />
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2012 started off with major surgery in January to remove uterine fibroids, which resulted in a hip-to-hip pelvic scar and several weeks of convalescing. And though there were only 1–1½ weeks where I was unable to take care of myself, it was difficult to acknowledge my limitations (however temporary) and let other people do for me. Not something I do easily.<br />
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My mother was also here while I was recovering from surgery. I thought she felt somewhat betrayed by our decision to move to North Carolina since we had been talking about moving to Oregon. I thought by having mom visit it would make her feel needed and give her a chance to see where we live instead of having this great unknown blank space when she thought about where we live.<br />
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In hind sight, I wish we had planned her visit for when I was more able to spend quality time with her instead of spending most of the first week in a pain killer-induced haze. I wish I had been able to take her out to actually see the area we live in instead of her being stuck in the house with us because Scoob was working and I could not wear a seat belt or ride in the car.<br />
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We had originally planned for a 2-week visit, which somehow got extended to 3 weeks. Sometimes I wish we had left it at 2 weeks; there was a lot of stress in the house, and I was ill equipped to handle it gracefully what with being semi-conscious/coherent. But I also think 3 weeks would have been just fine if we all hadn't been stuck in the house together.<br />
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At the same time, the 17-year marriage of close friends was crumbling and we found ourselves doing a lot of listening and hypothetical rationalizing. I remember that Scoob and I suddenly became much more attentive and appreciative with each other. We touched more, made time to be together more, and made a more deliberate effort to communicate better. In the end, our friends were not equally committed to working it out and they separated, though it has been reassuring to watch the wife land on her feet and bounce back from having her world unexpectedly upended. She is resilient.<br />
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February, March, and April were mostly spent marveling at spring in North Carolina, building and planting our garden, and helping our friends adjust. Though there was a particularly bright spot in April when I learned one of my favorite video bloggers, Ze Frank, was blogging again. I'm not quite sure what that says that this is my stand-out moment for spring, but he never fails to make me think, laugh, or appreciate something in a wholly new way. <br />
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I hit a personal wall around May, finally taking a good hard look at how alcohol in my family (in a general way) and my mother's battles with alcoholism (recently and specifically) actually affect me. While wrestling with this, I also pissed off my mom and was more or less disowned. While I may not have completely vaulted that wall, I am much more aware of how it has shaped part of who I am and how I interact with others. (On a side note, I did speak with my mom for the first time since then last week. It was a pleasant conversation, but we did not address the elephant.)<br />
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Also in May, my bestie's husband received a heart transplant. I still marvel at how quickly he received a heart after going on the transplant list, at how so very many things had to coincide and happen just so for this to happen, at how well he has recovered. And despite the falling out with my mother, I found myself up to my eyeballs in gratitude. That both my bestie and her husband's families were close by and supportive, that friends and extended family were stepping in to help, that their church family was looking out for them, that they had made the transition a few years ago to homeschooling, …There was absolutely no shortage of things to be grateful for there, but I was also grateful for the peace and calm of our lives here. I found myself making prayer a regular part of my days and nights, and spending a lot of time thinking about faith.<br />
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In June, we had a fantastic day at the zoo, and Scoob and I learned we would both be losing our jobs by the end of the summer. My last day was July 13, while Scoob's was August 31. So our summer was spent putting ourselves in order, revising our resumes, and gearing up for the job hunt. And, really, the job hunt has pretty much been our top priority for the rest of the year.<br />
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I had some strong leads on jobs and was approached by a headhunter late-October for a job working with ebook conversions. A job very similar to the one I was doing with my previous employer and as a freelancer after being laid off. And after a total of 10 interviews, including a flight to Connecticut for 3 of them, I was finally offered the job; my first day was December 19. Scoob is still on the job hunt.<br />
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I've spent the last couple weeks filing HR and benefits paperwork, and training, and adjusting to being a morning person. Even though I'm home-based and work in the US, I'm technically part of the India production teams, which has meant lots of morning phone calls with India. What this typically means for me is setting my alarm for 6:00am so I can wake up enough to check my email—I've missed 2 meetings so far where they emailed me at 2:00am to notify me of a meeting at 7:00am. If there's a meeting, I need to get up and make coffee and breakfast before my meeting starts. And if no meeting is scheduled, I can either get up anyway and exercise, or blog, or read, or whatever (not that this has happened yet or even been an option), or I can grab a couple more hours of sleep and get up to start work by 9:00.<br />
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I thought they were sending my out to San Francisco at the beginning of the year, but that fell through and now I am preparing for a trip to India around the end of January depending on when my passport arrives.<br />
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That pretty much wraps up our year. It's been a good, if turbulent, year, and I'm looking forward to 2013.<br />
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I hope that you're able to see and focus on the positive as you look back over the year. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-43929580404782059602012-12-10T20:31:00.000-05:002012-12-10T20:31:01.274-05:00Apricot CanapesI made these tasty little bites for an appetizer/cocktail party last weekend and they were a hit!<br />
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Even better? They were a breeze to put together and a nice option for guests on a gluten-free diet.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">apricot canapes</span></i></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 125%;">Apricot Canapes</span></b></div>
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<b>Prep time: </b>10–15 minutes<br />
<b>Total time: </b>10–15 minutes<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<ul>dried apricots</ul>
<ul>goat cheese (chèvre)</ul>
<ul>freshly ground pepper</ul>
<ul>pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped</ul>
<ul>honey</ul>
<ul>kosher salt</ul>
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<b>Directions</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Top dried apricots with about a ½ teaspoon of cheese and sprinkle with ground pepper. Sprinkle with pistachios and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. (Whole lotta sprinklin' going on.)</li>
</ol>
<br />
It doesn't get much easier than that and it's an excellent recipe for little helping hands in the kitchen.<br />
<br />
I found the original recipe <a href="http://family.go.com/food/recipe-ew-631009-apricot-canapes-t/" target="_blank">here</a>, but I cannot digest blue cheese so I switched it out for goat cheese and chose to add the pepper earlier for greater stickability. My pistachios were unsalted, so if you're working with salted nuts, you may want to skip the kosher salt at the end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-43216741292414794392012-11-17T13:25:00.000-05:002012-11-17T13:25:22.436-05:00The Twinkie DefenseScoob has been whining about the end of Twinkies like its the end of the world. Twinkies were never my thing, so I'm having a hard time understanding the angst. Sure, I enjoy a Ding Dong or Ho-Ho now and again, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I had one or the other. <br />
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Then last night, someone on Facebook reminded me Hostess made the fruit and pudding pies, too. Okay. Shit just got real. Other kids may have had Twinkies in their lunch boxes, but my mom packed the fruit pies in mine.<br />
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I distinctly remember grocery shopping with her and coming up to the fruit pies and she would let me pick out the favors I wanted--apple, lemon, and (of course) chocolate pudding were my favorites. I remember how I had to be careful when eating the blackberry ones, because the filling had a way of gooshing out whet you bit into it, and the blackberry filling would stain whatever it fell on. I remember the disappointment of finding a smooshed pie in my lunchbox. And I remember eating it anyway. <br />
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And it wasn't just grade school. I remember eating Hostess fruit pies well into high school and even after, though with less frequency. I remember buying and packing them for camping trips, and yes, they usually got smooshed then, too. <br />
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I haven't rushed out to the stores to buy up the last few on the shelves, but if I do happen to spot one, I might be tempted to place it in my cart for nostalgia's sake. However, I am reading that psychologists are preparing for Twinkie
Withdrawal Syndrome (TWS). "It sounds like a joke, but it’s real," said Dr. Virginia Albertson of North Carolina. (North Carolina. Figures.) And that police departments in many cities are preparing for a riots at 7-11s and other delicatessens. (Did they really just call 7-11 a delicatessen? Clearly, <a href="http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/52718/the-day-twinkies-died/" target="_blank">this</a> is not a reputable source.)<br />
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Anyhow, back to Scoob and his Twinkies. So, this morning Scoob was lamenting over how all the stores are sold out and Twinkies are now a collectors item selling for $300/box. And he's just crushed that he'll never have another. I reminded him that Hostess will be selling off its products and recipes, so Twinkies are not gone forever. "But they just won't be the same," he said. <br />
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Now he's totally stoked because he just bought 2 boxes online (at regular price). Me, I'm now looking at a future where his perfectly preserved Twinkies share shelf space in my pantry with his Peeps that are already several years old. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-1227456820634507912012-11-12T12:57:00.000-05:002012-11-12T13:03:25.710-05:00Bo Ssam—Korean-style slow-roasted porkOr, as I call it, Mind Control Pork.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1IyhH3VExE/UKEkOfu4kkI/AAAAAAAABx0/TzGI8V0S_k8/s1600/bo+ssam2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1IyhH3VExE/UKEkOfu4kkI/AAAAAAAABx0/TzGI8V0S_k8/s320/bo+ssam2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I came across this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/the-bo-ssam-miracle.html" target="_blank">article about Bo Ssam in the <i>NYTimes</i></a>—the picture alone convinced me I would need to try this recipe, but then I read the article. The recipe is the creation of David Chang, chef and owner of Momofuku in NYC where it sells for $200 and feeds 6–10 people. (I get this on the table for less than $20.) And get this:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[R]ecipes like Chang’s bo ssam are a godsend. They make any cook appear to be better than he or she really is, elevating average kitchen skills into something that approaches alchemy. Tell no one how easy this all turns out to be, though. Simply cook the food and serve it and watch as those at your table devour the meat in a kind of trance. </blockquote>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7nGspFQ7MYY/UKEj5NpTNNI/AAAAAAAABxs/X5mHnQ1At8c/s1600/bo+ssam1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7nGspFQ7MYY/UKEj5NpTNNI/AAAAAAAABxs/X5mHnQ1At8c/s320/bo+ssam1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Did you catch that bit about a trance? That's why I call it Mind Control Pork. The pork roast itself is delicious, but the salty/sweet bark that forms on the outside is amazing! If there's an unpleasant task on the Honey-Do list, or the list is getting particularly long, I just tell Scoob I'm making this for dinner and suddenly things start getting done.<br />
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In fact, Scoob prefers it to the kalua pig that he makes (which is also amazing and simple). Coming from him, that's saying something.<br />
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I've made this a few times now, and it just seems to get better each time. The last time I made it, I even invited neighbors over for dinner (that's how confident I am with this easy recipe), and now it's being requested whenever we're the host house for supper club.<br />
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I've made a few adjustments to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/magazine/recipe-momofuku-bo-ssam.html" target="_blank">original recipe</a>—I found it unclear at one point and reduced the oven temperature and increased the time for the final step in the oven (500° just filled the house with too much smoke—extremely unpleasant, especially if you're expected guests). The recipe also recommends oysters as an accompaniment, but I didn't go there with it.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfr7WCJDIEY/UKEkmx3lrzI/AAAAAAAABx8/IIgg5Xz7G08/s1600/bo+ssam+condiments.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfr7WCJDIEY/UKEkmx3lrzI/AAAAAAAABx8/IIgg5Xz7G08/s320/bo+ssam+condiments.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Feeling saucy?</span></i></div>
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The recipe includes directions for the accompanying sauces. I love the ginger-scallion sauce. Even though it sounds like an odd combination, I urge you to try it. Scoob refuses to try it because he hates onions—I don't care for a lot of onion either, but this stuff is addictive! Oh well, more for me! (I now make this sauce fairly regularly to go with noodles and pot stickers, too.)<br />
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Neither one of us really cared for the ssam sauce (pictured in the middle, above), so I usually skip this now and just set out some chili paste. And even though I do like kimchi (in the back, pictured above), I don't really care for the brand we have available locally. Scoob likes it though, so he gets the kimchi while I get the ginger-scallion sauce.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 125%;">Bo Ssam</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Prep time: </b>15 minutes<br />
<b>Total time: </b>Overnight + 6½–7½ hours cook time (mostly hands-off)<br />
<br />
<b>INGREDIENTS</b><br />
<b>Pork Butt</b><br />
<ul>1 whole bone-in pork butt or picnic ham (8 to 10 pounds)</ul>
<ul>1 cup white sugar</ul>
<ul>1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt</ul>
<ul>7 tablespoons brown sugar</ul>
<b>Ginger-Scallion Sauce</b><br />
<ul>2½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts</ul>
<ul>½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger</ul>
<ul>¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)</ul>
<ul>1½ teaspoons light soy sauce</ul>
<ul>1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar</ul>
<ul>½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste</ul>
<b>Accompaniments</b><br />
<ul>2 cups plain white rice, cooked</ul>
<ul>3 heads bibb lettuce (we used Romaine), leaves separated, washed and dried</ul>
<ul>Kimchi</ul>
<br />
<b>DIRECTIONS</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl. Mix the white sugar and 1 cup
of the salt together in another bowl, then rub the mixture all over the
meat. (I know it sounds like a lot of salt, but you do rinse it off later. I've found ½ cup each white sugar and salt to be fine on a 6-pound pork butt.) Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at
least 6 hours, or overnight.</li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UuD3U1SrbM/UKEwsVsCBjI/AAAAAAAAByw/p9OO0jwctsI/s1600/bo+ssam+morning+after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UuD3U1SrbM/UKEwsVsCBjI/AAAAAAAAByw/p9OO0jwctsI/s320/bo+ssam+morning+after.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">The morning after.</span></i></div>
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<li>When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 300°. Remove pork from
refrigerator and discard any juices and rinse off any excess salt and sugar. (The original recipe did not call for rinsing, and my first try at this recipe was extremely salty.) Place the pork in a roasting pan .</li>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhsHolS167M/UKEwq7taeGI/AAAAAAAAByo/d0wj1_ai9KA/s1600/bo+ssam+into+the+oven.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhsHolS167M/UKEwq7taeGI/AAAAAAAAByo/d0wj1_ai9KA/s320/bo+ssam+into+the+oven.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Into the oven.</span></i></div>
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<li>Cook for approximately 6 hours, after the first hour, baste hourly with pan juices. Once the roast collapses (somewhere around 200° internal temperature) and yields easily to the tines of a fork, you may remove the
meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour. </li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2qQYUyxn3HY/UKEwpTfw4LI/AAAAAAAAByg/L90_bG9Wp3U/s1600/bo+ssam+around+4+hours.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2qQYUyxn3HY/UKEwpTfw4LI/AAAAAAAAByg/L90_bG9Wp3U/s320/bo+ssam+around+4+hours.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Somewhere around the 4 hour mark.</span></i></div>
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<li>You can make the ginger-scallion sauce while the roast rests, but I've found I like the taste even more after it has had a chance to meld—I usually make mine when I put the roast in the oven. In a large bowl, combine the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding salt if needed. </li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7BhxmGCY028/UKEypi57FBI/AAAAAAAABzQ/dxv_E6d5xkI/s1600/ginger-scallion+sauce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7BhxmGCY028/UKEypi57FBI/AAAAAAAABzQ/dxv_E6d5xkI/s320/ginger-scallion+sauce.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Ginger-scallion sauce</span></i></div>
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<li>While the roast rests, prepare the rice, wash lettuce, and set out the sauces.</li>
<br />
<li>When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the food, turn oven to 400°. (As I mentioned earlier, 500°, as called for in the original recipe, produced way too much smoke in the house. I may try this at 450° next time, but 400° did work, although it took a bit longer. You may want to wait on setting out your rice so it doesn't get cold.) In a small bowl, stir together the remaining tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the cooked pork and spoon some of the pan juices over the top being careful not to rinse off the rub. (I found spooning some juices onto the roast at this point helped the sugar form more of a glaze-crust instead of the thicker, more sugar-granular crust I experienced the first couple tries with this recipe.) Place in oven for approximately 15–20 minutes, or until a dark caramel crust has developed on the meat. Serve hot, with the accompaniments.</li>
</ol>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QDZ-NQC41U0/UKEwuDrzCvI/AAAAAAAABy4/fnLEiaJumkw/s1600/bo+ssam3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QDZ-NQC41U0/UKEwuDrzCvI/AAAAAAAABy4/fnLEiaJumkw/s320/bo+ssam3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Going down in a glaze of glory—yes, it is Bon Jovi-worthy</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KENB0VepOH0/UKE27ZshUWI/AAAAAAAABz0/0hdaneS902E/s1600/183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KENB0VepOH0/UKE27ZshUWI/AAAAAAAABz0/0hdaneS902E/s320/183.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Scoop some rice on your lettuce, layer on some pork,<br />
and top with the sauce of your choice.</span></i></div>
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Leftovers, if you're lucky enough to have them, are delicious as repeats, and when you get down to the nubbins, they make an awesome fried rice. If it's just the two of us, a 4–5 pound pork shoulder easily feeds us for several days (and no one complains about getting tired of it!).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Bo ssam pork fried rice</span></i></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-83536510942355049362012-11-04T14:57:00.000-05:002012-11-04T14:57:24.502-05:00On Working and RelationshipsI keep telling myself I am going to blog more frequently, even if it's just small posts, and I keep not doing it. I think part of the problem is that when I write here, I like to write uninterrupted. (I would also say without distraction, but I am so easily distracted it never happens that way.)<br />
<br />
Like right now, I am writing but also monitoring file transfers and the time tracking web-based software I use for billing. The time tracker has been having some issues post-Sandy since their data center is in NYC and I am worried I may lose the tracked hours and invoices already in their system. But the point is, it's difficult for me to get lost in the writing when there's something else going on that I must monitor.<br />
<br />
So what's going on here? Well, clearly, I am still getting freelance work (hence the file transfers I am watching) and I'm averaging 15–20 hours/week with that. Sometimes I out earn my unemployment check (which is awesome!) and sometimes I don't, and believe me, I am incredibly thankful that that particular safety net is there to help as we get back on our feet.<br />
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Scoob has started freelancing with me. He has been meeting lots of people at the networking groups he has been going to, and many of them want consulting work done on their websites. And despite <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2012/07/excuses-excuses.html" target="_blank">my concerns about working together</a>, we have now worked on a couple of projects together. We've been doing this pro bono right now to get the word out, but he does have a lead on a paying client.<br />
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I am not totally sold on this working arrangement—when I said he could use the company I set up to do freelancing under, I did not mean I would be taking on the additional work myself. So far I do not like how the division of labor is falling out. He finds the client, does an initial review of their website, then asks me to review the site, and then I get stuck writing up our findings and recommendations. I do not mind looking at the websites and giving a second opinion on specific things or even proofreading his write ups, but doing a complete second review of the sites and putting together the write ups is time consuming, and since he's doing the work for free right now, it takes away from time I could be billing on other projects.<br />
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If he wants to do this, he needs to do the whole thing. I am more than willing to help him, but it just rubs me the wrong way when he dumps the work he doesn't want to do in my lap. His reason is always "because you're better at it." An that may be true in some instances, but that doesn't mean I want to do it. And, he needs to start tracking the time he spends on these projects so he can figure out what to charge when the time comes. So far he hasn't been willing to, or he "forgets".<br />
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I'm seriously about to play the Owner card with him and lay down the rules and expectations, and that is exactly what I wanted to avoid. But it seems pretty clear to me that he is going to continue to take advantage of the situation unless I do. I've even offered to file the paperwork to make him a co-owner or even just turn the business over to him—if he wants to run it his way, then he needs to be in charge.<br />
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That, and I am interviewing for the <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2012/10/free-time.html" target="_blank">position in New Jersey </a>I posted about last time. I ended up interviewing with a VP and then a Senior VP the day after that post, and had an interview with one of their program managers this last Wednesday. I'm currently scheduling interviews with their production managers in India as the next step. Scoob and friends are convinced I have the job as long as I don't lose my mind and start dropping f-bombs during the interviews.<br />
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And, as I have been pointing out to Scoob, this is even more reason for him to step up on the freelance side, because if (when) I get this job, I won't be here to do the write ups, track the time, meet with the clients, or send out the invoices for him. Then he talks about hiring someone to do that work and I just have to keep telling him I did not want this. I never wanted to "build" a company or hire employees; I simply wanted a business name to conduct my freelance work under. If he wants to go out an conquer the world, by all means do it, but do not expect me to allow you to co-opt my business or do the grunt work. It is not my goal and is not what I want, and I have been very clear about that, and yet…Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-59384812055618307992012-10-25T03:00:00.000-04:002012-10-25T11:05:43.943-04:00Free TimeIt seems like my free time has been coming in snippets lately. About two weeks ago I had an idea. An epiphany, really. That I should really be using the down time I have while I am unemployed to DO stuff.<br />
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Like:<br />
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Start writing and addressing Christmas cards.<br />
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Unpacking the remaining boxes in the garage.<br />
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Get back in the habit of blogging regularly. (Or exercising regularly for that matter.) <br />
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Actually organize the closet from when we moved in an just put stuff where ever.<br />
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Rearrange where I keep things in the kitchen now that we've been here for a year and I have a better idea of how I work in there.<br />
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Start compiling our one-year punch list for the builders so it's ready when they ask. (Too late, they've already asked.)<br />
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Finish organizing the filing cabinet and shredding old documents.<br />
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Maybe actually <b>make</b> one of the cute crafty things I see on Pinterest.<br />
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And the list goes on.<br />
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But of course, now that I have had this epiphany (and even bought the supplies I need for one of the crafts—notice how crafts seemed to bump the more important stuff aside for priority?), I have become incredibly busy with freelancing and other stuff. Isn't that just the way?<br />
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Which is a good thing. It is an excellent thing and I am not complaining. I have actually logged 30 hours in each of the past two weeks and out earned unemployment check, and probably will again this week. I am very thankful for that.<br />
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And the social committee decided we needed to get together on 4 different days to decorate for the Halloween party this Saturday. Really? Four days? I went for 3 hours last week and another 3 hours on Tuesday, but we were having friends over for dinner on Wednesday and I needed to be home to tend to the roast pork (so yummy!), and they want to decorate some more on Friday.<br />
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I am meeting with the Director at UNC Press Friday morning. We both worked for the same employer before, though he was in NY and I was in CA and we never met. I asked a mutual acquaintance to arrange an introduction and we're going to meet for an informational interview. I would like to learn more about UNC Press and how a university press differs from mainstream publishing, and maybe get some input on particular skills I should hone in order to pick up freelance work from them, or Oxford or Duke who also have university presses in the area.<br />
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And I've been consulting with a friend who recently launched her own business, helping her organize content on her website so it's easier to find, finding ways to streamline her workflow so she can spend more time creating instead of promoting, showing her ways to get more mileage from her social media efforts, and thinking up ideas for promotions and product packages she could offer. (Which reminds me, I still need to type up the summary from our last meeting.)<br />
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So I got all that in motion when I received a call on Monday from a recruiter for one of the big tech companies. They're looking for an editor for their technology and business web and blog properties, and it's local with some telecommute flexibility. So I set aside my freelance work and put together a resume and cover letter for the position.<br />
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Then on Tuesday I got a call from another recruiter, this one for an ebook conversion house in New Jersey doing almost exactly what I am doing now as a freelancer. They need a somewhat techie person with a background in publishing who understands book layouts and publishing standards, ideally with ebook or other digital publishing experience. This is so me! So again, I set aside my freelance work and put together a resume, cover letter, and portfolio for the position.<br />
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It is a straight telecommute position, though there is quite a bit of travel involved—New Jersey (of course) for training, orientation, and meetings as needed, but also 3 weeks in India, probably another week in the Philippines, 2 or more weeks in California to work on a "disaster" project, and traveling with sales/client reps when they meet with new clients to spec out their ebook conversion needs.<br />
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I would be happy with either position. The first one is a long-term open-ended contract and pays slightly more than what I make as a freelancer . The work would be predictable and it's local. The second one is a full-time position and would be close to a 40–50% raise. Yeah, you read that correctly. But I'll also need to be available outside normal work hours since I would be working with teams in India and the Philippines, as well as clients all over North America.<br />
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I never really thought I would be one of those on-the-go career women, but I have to say, the second one, while more demanding, sounds way more exciting. I know of this company and the work they do—the publisher I'm freelancing for is a client and I already interact with one of their off-shore teams. (The recruiter was stunned when I guessed who he was calling on behalf of during the interview—he didn't think I would know of the company and certainly didn't expect that I would already have a relationship with them.) The technology and solutions this company provides are in the direction publishing needs to move toward as it evolves to absorb ebooks and self-publishing.<br />
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I really am not a fan of outsourcing jobs, but that doesn't change the fact that India and the Philippines are where the coding is being done, not just at this company, but at all 5 of the companies like this that I've worked with. Okay, so these places aren't exactly on my list of places to travel to before I die but I bet I would still enjoy the adventure and have a wonderful time, you know, in addition to working.<br />
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I'm trying not to count my chickens, but I am pretty stoked about the possibility.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-62953744869695136072012-10-12T14:09:00.003-04:002012-10-12T14:09:43.042-04:00The Life of an AntWe've been buckling down lately and taking care of fall tasks and winter prep around the house, and generally living the life of the Ant from <a href="http://www.umass.edu/aesop/content.php?n=0&i=1" target="_blank">Aesop's Ant and the Grasshopper</a> fable. Mostly this has meant working in the yard.<br />
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Now that the evenings have been much cooler (we've been dropping into the 40ºs), the ticks and chiggers have abated somewhat and we're tackling the under brush closest to the house, chopping and hacking and snipping and pulling. We have lots of sore muscles at the end of the day, but it's a good kind of sore. We're hoping to create a buffer zone between the house and spaces we eventually want a patio or outdoor living area and the vegetation to help keep the ticks under control in the future.<br />
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I am pretty brutal when it comes to cutting things down—if we want a cleared space, everything has to go and it has to go permanently. Especially the little tree saplings establishing themselves close to the house. Aside from tick control, the thick vegetation is a fire hazard and winter storms can really wreak havoc with trees too close to the house.<br />
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We've started some pruning on the shrubs for fall and finished getting the deer netting up around the flower beds. (Just in time, too. The morning after we finished there was a family of 4 deer grazing around the house.) When spring comes I should have really healthy camellias and azaleas instead of the nearly lifeless twigs the deer left for us last spring. In fact, the camellia near the front door started blooming this week.<br />
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We had debated trying to aerate and overseed the lawn ourselves, but ended up contracting a landscaper (not the original landscaper) to do it since there were large sections that had completely died off. I am so glad we did. As the guy was getting ready to rototill the dead section he asked about the irrigation system, and I assured him no water pipes ran through the area he was about to till up. About 20 seconds later he had to stop because he'd hit electric wires. How in the heck would I have known the electrical wires for the irrigation system ran through the middle of the lawn? <br />
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Not only that, but they weren't even buried. They should have been 6–8" underground, instead they were laid on top of the ground and the sod laid on top of them. They should have been run up against the house, or at the very least along the same patten and just under the water pipes. Upon further inspection we could see the wires had been nicked multiple
times by the aerater, so I'm actually really glad he hit them with the
rototiller too, otherwise we would never have known.<br />
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Anyhow, after numerous calls to the builder (who has had several problems with the all the properties this particular landscaping company worked on for them) they sent out their current landscaping sub-contractor who really walked me through the system. We figured out that the wires that were cut actually hadn't been working anyhow; we had 2 water stations that hadn't been getting any juice for about 6 months, which is probably why that section of the lawn and shrubs were not doing well.<br />
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He showed me how to manually turn on each sprinkler station so we could water the grass seed we'd just added to the lawn and found that we have a leak at one of the station valves. He then sent over a quote to run the electrical up against the house and bury it, fix the leak, and replace all the electrical caps with grease-pack, water-proof end caps. Very reasonable and the builder has agreed to pay for the repairs.<br />
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Hopefully they'll be out next week or the week after to do the work. In the meantime, I'll keep sticking my hands into valve box holes to manually operate the sprinklers and hope no spiders have set up a home in there. *shudder*<br />
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And speaking of spiders. Oh. My. Lawd. There are some monster spiders out and about. I finally named the one (Lloyd) who has been living in a web across my office window for the past month. The pest control company came out for our quarterly check-up and told us these spiders are really active September and October and are mostly harmless. I just thought maybe they were trying to help me decorate for Halloween since they're building webs under the eaves all around the house. He knocked Lloyd's web down along with several others, rebaited the mouse traps, and sprayed along the foundation.<br />
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The garden is just about kaput, though the basil is still flourishing. I had thought to plant some fall veggies, but I think the space we set up our garden boxes in does not get enough sunlight this time of year to make the effort worthwhile. I want to try to move them forward out of the trees about 10 or 15 yards. I should probably float that idea by Scoob and see if he's up to it. We'll have to shovel out all the soil in order to move the boxes and his back is still bothering him.<br />
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On the job front, I've had a few phone interviews since I posted last. None in the local area though—one in Boston, one back in San Francisco, one in Austin, and one in New Haven. The Boston one sounded really good, but the company CEO is currently moving all the remote digital workers to Boston so they ended up not wanting to add another remote worker. The one in New Haven ended up being for Yale University, but they also want someone on site. I seem to have a skill set that is in demand, just not in demand here. At least not at the moment.<br />
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Happily my freelance work has picked up pace and the fall title list has been keeping me busy this week. (I actually out earned my unemployment check this week!) I also spent some time with a local friend who recently started her own business to help her map out an online marketing strategy and refine her current efforts. All pro bono, of course, but it could end up growing into something else. We'll see.<br />
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Anyhow, that's news here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-4889844759365802702012-10-01T16:08:00.000-04:002012-10-01T16:08:00.928-04:00Okra FriesOne thing I've learned since moving to North Carolina—Scoob loves okra. He likes it soups, pot pies, casseroles, and pretty much any way he can get it.<br />
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I, however, am not a big fan of okra's slimy qualities. Though, whatever it is that makes okra have that slime is supposed to be very good for you.<br />
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So I keep a bag of frozen okra in the freezer and Scoob can add okra to whatever he wants and I can stay happily okra-free.<br />
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I did make an okra and polenta casserole that wasn't too bad. (I love that autocorrect wants to change polenta to tadpole—okra and tadpole casserole would be beyond disgusting.) Though I was stunned at how difficult it was to find coarse ground cornmeal for polenta/grits here. Aren't grits a Southern staple?<br />
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And speaking of cornmeal, Scoob really likes fried okra, which is basically okra sliced into rounds, battered in cornmeal to soak up the slime, and fried. (This usually gives me heartburn, a tummy ache, or both.)<br />
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So the last time Scoob conned me into buying a pound of okra at the farmers market, I decided to fry it a bit differently. Instead of slicing it into rounds, I quartered it lengthwise, and I did not batter it. I just added it <i>au natural</i> into the cooking oil.<br />
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And once they browned a bit, I removed the okra fries from the oil, blotted up the excess oil with paper towels, tossed them on a plate, and sprinkled them with a little kosher salt.<br />
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I've now found Scoob's new favorite way to eat okra, and I like it too! If you like baked kale chips, you'll probably like okra fries. In fact, next time we get some fresh okra, I am going to try baking them instead of frying.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-18986497129540080892012-09-30T15:28:00.000-04:002012-09-30T15:39:35.799-04:00Fungus Among UsOne of the things I was really looking forward to with our move here was having a garden. We planned and we mulched and we built and we planted. But I have to say, it was a dismal year for our garden.<br />
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I was most looking forward to the tomatoes. I planted 6 tomato plants and thought we'd be eating garden-fresh tomatoes July through August. I thought there would be an abundance of tomatoes and I would cook and freeze spaghetti sauce, and can diced tomatoes.<br />
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But, between a late frost and a really harsh hot wave, white flies and tobacco hornworms (which look just like tomato hornworms, but the horn is a different color), I think we harvested about 15 tomatoes. Total. I pulled off the last of the green ones today because the garden boxes are not getting enough daylight and the days are not hot enough for them to really ripen up. We'll force them ripe indoors.<br />
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The only thing that did really well was the basil. I think next year I will focus my gardening efforts on establishing a thriving herb garden. I started noticing how much we were spending on herbs while we waited for the basil to establish itself, and now that I've learned the deer typically do not eat aromatic plants like herbs, I won't have to worry quite so much about fencing them out.<br />
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I'm thinking of building up a rock garden near the kitchen side of the house, and now I am considering having the area do double duty by planting herbs in the rock garden. I know for sure I'll plant some mint in a container since it's very difficult to find in our local grocery stores. I'll do basil again, and I also use quite a bit of thyme. I use a lot of parsley and cilantro, too, though they may not grow as well in the space I am looking at using. At least I know I'll save some money by not buying herbs. (It just really cheesed me that I was buying tomatoes all through the growing season.)<br />
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And I'm thinking I should look into mushroom farming—it's the one thing that seems to grow here without any effort. Or at the very least, I should brush up on mycology to see if the mushrooms growing here naturally are even edible. (The deer seem to enjoy them.)<br />
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I spotted this bright, white mushroom from the kitchen window; it was peeking from behind a tree. It was so bright, I actually thought it was a piece of trash or a plastic bag that had blown into the yard.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">It's nearly as big as my hand!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">And they just seem to pop up all over</span></i></div>
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In addition to the basil, the okra seemed to do really well, though I still need to work on how to tell when they're ready for picking. We got some really big okra, but they were dry and tough as wood when I tried cutting them up to cook with.<br />
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But we managed to put them to good use as entertainment.
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Additionally, we learned that the cages on our garden boxes were too low to allow several of the plants to grow to full height. If we do the vegetable garden again next year (and I'm pretty sure we will) we will build a 10' fence around the garden area to keep the deer out instead of using the chicken wire cages we built. Live and learn.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-61427203715117427392012-09-20T22:05:00.000-04:002012-09-20T22:05:26.440-04:00On the EdgeArrrgh, I know yesterday was talk like a pirate day and not today, but if the power goes out again while I'm trying to write this post again, some body's walking the plank!<br />
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In one version, I got all introspective once, talking about how Monday is mom's birthday and we're still not speaking and all the emotional crap wrapped up in that. Then the power went out.<br />
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Then I tried waxing eloquent about the gorgeous weather we're having on the edge of Fall and how when I woke up this morning to the fresh, crisp air I knew nothing could go wrong. Then the power went out.<br />
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And then I was trying to sort out my thoughts on <i>East of Eden, </i>our book club read for September (book club was tonight). And the power went out.<br />
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Now I'm just going to plow through this and get it up! (Before the power goes out!)<br />
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Okay, I made the <a href="http://casawayward.blogspot.com/2012/09/chile-rellenos-quiche.html" target="_blank">Chile Rellenos Quiche</a> again, and this time I took some pictures. They're up on the original post.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Anyone recognize this vintage Tupperware cheese grater? Mom was going to toss it out when she moved, but for some inexplicable reason I love this thing and it stirs many memories. Of what? Well, of grating cheese, what else?</span></i></div>
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I've also tweaked <a href="http://pinterest.com/casawayward/" target="_blank">my profile over at Pintrest</a>—instead of just having one board for recipes, I've now split it up into recipes to try and recipes I've tried and liked. Usually when I want to make something again, I Google +casawayward +"the name of the recipe" then find it in the search results. Now, I can just go to Pintrest and look at my Tried & True board and it will be there.<br />
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I am interested to see how writing up my recipes here and pinning them up there will play out in terms of analytics, traffic to the blog, and just general functionality. <br />
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I am still on the job hunt. There have been a few nibbles recently, and I'm still in the running for a web-based editing/writing position for a company in Poland. (I wonder if I will need to visit the main office? Better get a passport.) But for now, I am still freelancing and work is slow. I keep waiting for the Fall publishing season to take off. And, I'm still waiting.<br />
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But I checked in with my pool of freelancers that I send work to, and two of them are not available for Fall, which will be tough because Fall has a large list of titles, but it's also good in that it means I will pick up more of the slack. The person I report to had encouraged me to take a lot of the proofing jobs for myself, but that felt somehow wrong to me since I know my freelancers are also depending on the work for income. But now that I know they aren't available I have no problem picking up that extra work.<br />
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I have been teetering on the edge of just making a go of freelancing as my sole means of income. Right now I still spend a lot of time combing the job boards, writing cover letters, and sending out resumes. But if I am really going to do this, I need to stop doing that and put all of that energy into networking and drumming up additional clients. It scares me senseless and yet I know I could do it. I guess I just would have liked the option to decide on it for myself, set aside a nest egg, and ease into it instead of falling into it this way.<br />
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I read a report on freelancers the other day, you can <a href="http://www.internationalfreelancersday.com/2012report/?goback=.gde_1891704_member_158981929" target="_blank">download the full report here</a> (the report is a bit large, but is mostly graphs; the page I'm linking to is just a summary), and it has me feeling more positive and confident about freelancing and I am seriously considering embracing it and seeing where the path takes us. Like I said, though, I just wish I had more time to prepare for it. And I wish we both weren't out of work as I make the transition.<br />
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Still teetering.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2222977699140832331.post-42771145059407388292012-09-12T14:19:00.000-04:002012-09-12T14:19:23.732-04:00The Cheese Stands AloneYesterday was kind of a weird day. I played hooky from work. Well not really, but I feel like I did. The freelance project is not due until Friday (actually I wasn't given a due date, that's just the date I set for myself, if I had sent the job out to another freelancer I would have allowed for a 1-week turn around), so it's not as if I blew off working.<br />
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But I could have worked, but I didn't. It's a dangerous thing, really, this freedom to choose when and if you'll work. I suppose if I'd had another project lined up right behind it, I wouldn't have taken a day off. And even though the project will be done on time and on budget, I am still feeling a wee bit guilty about it.<br />
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So instead of working yesterday, I went into town and got my hair cut, opened a small business checking account (finally), and went grocery shopping (and got the cheese!). And later I took a leisurely evening stroll.<br />
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And the cheese is not alone—it's standing next to the cheddar and the Swiss. But I was. Scoob went to a tech career fair in downtown Raleigh yesterday morning and his back was really hurting him when he got home, so I did all my running around by myself, which was nice. I rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof, and turned up the tunes. It was a perfect day for a backroad drive. <br />
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I had been waiting for my final Assumed Name papers from the county before I could open the checking account. But they arrived a while back and I've had a couple payments for freelance work sort of sitting and waiting. My final severance check was last Friday, so I figured I had better get on the ball so we have at least some sort of cash flow.<br />
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Anyhoodle, you know how you always feel a bit better, spiffier, after getting your hair done? Well, opening the checking account also rekindled that "I've started my own business" glow (it also rekindled that "Holy frijoles, I started my own business. Now what?!" panic, but I don't think you can have one without the other). <br />
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Then, at the grocery store, I helped an elderly gentleman load his groceries into his truck. He was wrestling with a walker and his shopping cart and was clearly in pain. And so I introduced myself to Joe, loaded his groceries into his truck, untangled his walker from the shopping cart, and chatted with him a bit about the area, then went about my shopping. In addition to the Pepper Jack cheese, I got a big ol' Boston Butt.<br />
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I made a fantastifabulicious pork roast last Thursday and we finished off the last of the leftovers Sunday night. But pork shoulder was on sale (why do they call pork shoulder a butt?) and Scoob wants me to make it again. In fact, I do believe he said he likes it more than his kalua pig! But, before I make that again, I'll make the Chile Rellenos Quiche and use the avocados in a pasta dish before they turn.<br />
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Finally, my walk. I temperature has cooled down quite a bit for the last several days, we've been in the mid-70s to low-80s with low humidity all week and it has been lovely! It's even been dropping down into the 60s and 50s overnight, so we're sleeping with the bedroom windows open again. I love it! But who knows how long it will last, so I grabbed my camera and just walked.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yuUTt3d1_zs/UFDOZgbusWI/AAAAAAAABqA/dg_KpJs6fKY/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yuUTt3d1_zs/UFDOZgbusWI/AAAAAAAABqA/dg_KpJs6fKY/s320/048.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I told Scoob, It's like living stained glass</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-twkhKkQ2DVM/UFDOdRrzbDI/AAAAAAAABqY/_2ooXKtpBsA/s1600/afternoon-sunlight-pink-muhly-grass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-twkhKkQ2DVM/UFDOdRrzbDI/AAAAAAAABqY/_2ooXKtpBsA/s320/afternoon-sunlight-pink-muhly-grass.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Afternoon sunlight in the pink muhly fronds</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFBGt2jEpdw/UFDOXPIJoBI/AAAAAAAABpw/yljptIkrw9E/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFBGt2jEpdw/UFDOXPIJoBI/AAAAAAAABpw/yljptIkrw9E/s320/032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Playing with the sun</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8OKrVftww00/UFDOYd8ZwgI/AAAAAAAABp4/T_RHhgCJ_Ck/s1600/045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8OKrVftww00/UFDOYd8ZwgI/AAAAAAAABp4/T_RHhgCJ_Ck/s320/045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hO_BzrwuaM/UFDObDNyFgI/AAAAAAAABqI/eb9ZEKN6ZzM/s1600/063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hO_BzrwuaM/UFDObDNyFgI/AAAAAAAABqI/eb9ZEKN6ZzM/s320/063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Tobacco drying shed and old oak tree</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-km0C1_j6ZpA/UFDOcPerVtI/AAAAAAAABqQ/95LIj4GakiM/s1600/afternoon-glow-in-a-forest-clearing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-km0C1_j6ZpA/UFDOcPerVtI/AAAAAAAABqQ/95LIj4GakiM/s320/afternoon-glow-in-a-forest-clearing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Afternoon glow from a shaded clearing</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CK6FVLIsNIs/UFDOezy9IDI/AAAAAAAABqg/RdNN9kCb_lM/s1600/blue-sky-leaning-trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CK6FVLIsNIs/UFDOezy9IDI/AAAAAAAABqg/RdNN9kCb_lM/s320/blue-sky-leaning-trees.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">I just liked these leaning trees and the Carolina-blue sky</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UhARAvfxcoA/UFDOgFik29I/AAAAAAAABqo/jytjIFVxm_8/s1600/house-in-the-trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UhARAvfxcoA/UFDOgFik29I/AAAAAAAABqo/jytjIFVxm_8/s320/house-in-the-trees.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Our house, nestled in the trees</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pp9XNUO7kmA/UFDOhLXWKOI/AAAAAAAABqw/KGVqCBWNBfc/s1600/peeling-bark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pp9XNUO7kmA/UFDOhLXWKOI/AAAAAAAABqw/KGVqCBWNBfc/s320/peeling-bark.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">Interesting peeling bark</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-de3T4WfDfwY/UFDOibGL6VI/AAAAAAAABq8/oA6v2XMnwtQ/s1600/shadow-and-light-in-the-trees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-de3T4WfDfwY/UFDOibGL6VI/AAAAAAAABq8/oA6v2XMnwtQ/s320/shadow-and-light-in-the-trees.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">More light and shadow in the trees</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12e_r7trP8U/UFDOjuRAT1I/AAAAAAAABrE/LwhQhUf376k/s1600/the-great-oak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-12e_r7trP8U/UFDOjuRAT1I/AAAAAAAABrE/LwhQhUf376k/s320/the-great-oak.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 85%;">It's grand old oak tree.<br />I do miss the huge California live oaks,<br />but at least this one is right around the corner.</span></i></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0