Thursday, November 29, 2012

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Hello Friends. I haven't written in a couple of weeks and thought i probably should. I mean, it is the right thing to do, isn't it??
Take a look at the graphic on the left for a moment. Pictured are a pair of TVs; one a clunker with rabbit ears and the other a modern flat screen. Some days i am awestruck with the advancements made in the Tech Industry over the last thirty years. More on that in a moment.
When i was in third or fourth grade, the teacher would assign story cards to us. You'd drag your person out of your seat and pick one from this plastic file box, return to your seat, read it, and answer questions from the back of the card. (Lavender Chick and/or Painted Groove Girl may remember this practice) One day i drew a card that has stuck with me these last four years since... Okay it's been more than four, but you get the idea: It stuck with me. The card i drew was on the SST; which stood for Super Sonic Transport. It talked about airline passengers being able to fly at speeds greater than the speed of sound cutting down on travel time. It went so far as to say you could wake up in London and eat lunch in New York. It's funny, that "some day soon" story turned out to be the British Airways Concorde. The Concorde flew for nearly thirty years and today it's just a memory. In my life, it went from a possibility, to a reality, to obsolescence. Toward that end, Telecommunications has followed suit.
I have great memories of dialing four numbers to make a call.  My kids will never ever know what it's like to get a busy signal when you absolutely have to tell someone something and it can't wait. I guess texting killed the busy signal. The TV only had three channels in the daytime, but some nights we'd pick up the PBS Station. Two of the channels had bad reception in the early evening and required regular tweaking of the rabbit ears. I remember how grateful i was as a teen to catch either The Midnight Special or Don Kirchner's Rock Concert; both of which preceded the message thanking you for viewing, but this concludes our broadcast day. Naturally, this was followed by the National Anthem and that stupid Indian test pattern thing and that annoying 440hz tone. I'm guessing on the tone, it sounded like an A to me. Here again, my kids will never have to find something to do when the broadcast day ends. We don't have ends to the broadcast day anymore; we have outages. The greatest thing though, was the radio. We had some mixed genre station back then and made terrible jokes about it. However, if you were out and about after it got good and dark, you could get KOMA out of Oklahoma City. For some of us, it was the place where we learned the songs and the bands who recorded them. Many a night i sat up with my friends hanging out, doing what kids do, and listening to a whole different world than the one i was growing up in. My poor boys, they don't know what they've missed. Their equivalent is to program an SD card with music and pop it into the stereo in my car. It's convenient, but it's just not the same. Between the two of them i have seen a hundred little girlie friends run through, but not a mix tape between them. That innocent intimacy from making a girl a mix tape is lost forever. I can't even imagine what they do these days. Do they text a bunch of YouTube links to a girl they like?? So not the same.
I've run a little far afield and I'm going to redirect myself now. Back to Television where i had planned to write. In '97, i made a bet with one of my former boss' that wireless, most assuredly the cell system, would be the go to medium in twenty years for everything. Instant communications, video calling, and you'd be able to watch anything you wanted past or present at will simply by bringing it up on your TV. I have to admit, i was a bit optimistic, but are we not nearly there?? I'd say that instant communications and video calling are a done deal and being able to watch anything past or present is nearly there.
I have a smart TV that is a few years old and a smart phone that I'm hoping Santa does something about at Christmas. together, they nearly remove the laptop computer from my life. Between the three i am nearly always online and available which makes things interesting at times.
 I get Facebooked to death. Then there are the people that would rather text than just dial the number and have a chat (though I'm not sure dialing is the right term for making calls today), and i love my Netflix. I have spent my lunch time over the last three weeks watching the entire series of The X Files from start to finish. It was awesome. For the last week, it's been Ally McBeal and yes i have introduced my guys to Norm and Cliff from Cheers. I must admit, watching entire series like this gives the storyline a much more linear feel to it and i love it.
I guess when it's all said and done, my phone isn't bound by my house: my TV isn't bound by scheduling, my book is never overdue, i carry all of my music with me all the time, and the list is growing every day. What will the world look like in another thirty years. Only time will tell, but I'd really like to see a little more Gene Roddenberry in its implementation.

and on that note, i feel my usual closing is lacking so I'll proffer,
Live Long and Prosper, D


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Another Thanksgiving, Another Bird


Being a child born of the sixties, I was one of the fortunate generations to have the opportunity to experience the genius of Norman Rockwell (his thanksgiving painting is to the left and for more on him click this parenthetical). He had a way of capturing the American family that solicits imitation, but like the Alamo there will never be another. I don't have a favorite. This is probably due to his body of work over a large number of decades, but given the holiday i found this to be suitable art for the occasion.
It's funny, to me that the family is sitting at the table when the mother figure brings in the turkey. It certainly never works that way around here. Then again, i'd be the not so motherly figure putting out the bird and perhaps that's why. Then you have the father figure "eye balling" that bird like Darren McGavin's character in A Christmas Story. Around here, supplant a pair of teen boys for his role. Then again, my bird won't look like hers. Finally there is no starry eyed young woman hanging on to someones every word. Maybe it's my cologne??
So, i took this buzzard out of the freezer today and it's big. I mean the kind of big where you wonder if it were raised near a nuclear power plant or something. I put it up on the counter so i could make room in the fridge to defrost it and was thinking about what i'm going to do to it. Last year, if i remember correctly i did a burnt skin grilled bird on a spit. Here i am toying with the ideas and suddenly out of nowhere i've got help. EVERYONE IS A FOOD CRITIC!!! smoke it, grill it, roast it, I even got a Coq Au Vin it "except with turkey", he says. I said, "Why don't i bone it, line it with bacon, roasted poblano peppers, and raspberry jam, sew it up and bake it. I got this look from this small group of Food Network rejects that said, "Pardon me, but is that an alien exploding from your chest like in a Ridley Scott film"?? Suddenly an acquiescence from the pack. "Just poach it in butter, garlic, and sage.
For what it's worth, i'm pretty sure i'll bone it and it'll get cooked. Though i'd like to add the jam, i don't think they are up for the challenge. Fruit goes great with anything with feathers, though i've never done anything with fruit and ostrich.
Tomorrow, i'll make a couple of chocolate pecan pies and a couple of pumpkin mousse ones too. If i have any energy left i may make some cream puffs or go ahead and get the bread out of the way
I wish you all a very enjoyable feast with only enough leftovers to satisfy those day after desires and thanks for stopping by and reading my thoughts.

Peace Be With You, Dave

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Does He Sit Or Does He Stand

How fitting that i should sit down to pen a few lines about the life of a stay at home Dad and what should happen?? The washer stopped. (FYI, it's 1:20 AM) I know, i know, it doesn't seem reasonable i should be doing laundry at this time of night on a weekday, but every now and then there is that surprise load of clothes because one of the guys needs a work shirt or something the next day they forgot about it until the very last minute. Such is the life of a stay at home parent: male or female.
I hadn't planned on writing today, but a series of events took place that just made me put pen to paper; so to speak.
Earlier in the day i was listening to a movie, yes listening, while i was toiling away at one of my household duties. A woman didn't want to allow her husband's boss into their home because she hadn't had a chance to properly clean it. It made me laugh. The set up on this was a very 1950's archetype of a housewife, right down to her flowing skirt, fitted bodice, and pearls. Oh Brother, have we come a long way from that image.
Then this evening i was talking with someone about how their friend's dad doesn't like her friend's boyfriend/fiance because he doesn't work. Their conversation was a Q&A session on how to deal with stereotypes and coping mechanisms for stay at home dads. The amazing part of this for me had everything to do with the prejudices, sexism, and ignorance of a number of people from the early days, most of which i had forgotten until tonight.
The first prejudice for a stay at home dad is that he's lazy and does nothing. It's just a dodge to get some woman to take care of him so he can lay around playing video games or surf porn all day. I'm sure there are those men out there where this must be true, but a bona-fide stay at home dad is no more these things than a housewife. So let's begin by calling him what he is; a housewife or house spouse if you prefer. Personally i prefer the title of Dad, but we do like our labels in this country, so whatever makes you feel better we can go with.
As for sexism, Oh Lord, i could go on and on. The schools have to be the worst in this category. One incident, which seems really funny now, was quite irritating. When my older son was a Freshman in High School in Dallas, he wound up at the nurses office with a 103 fever. As it turned out he had the flu that was going around then. Upon seeing me the nurse told him," see we got your daddy away from work to get you, maybe mommy can come next time." Cough, Gag, Splat!!! I am not now nor will i ever be daddy. The thing about this was mommy was at work and i was at home. However, generalizations such as they are, she just knew i had been called away from something important to be there.
My favorite one has to be the ignorance category. I can not begin to tell you the times people have said such things as the following: it sure must be nice getting to lay around all day, are you getting some of that cute neighbor lady of yours, you don't watch soap operas all day do you, do you drink beer all day or do you have a certain time you don't drink till. There is a reason i call this ignorance. I don't believe i need to define why. I certainly don't to all the women who have stayed home to chase kids and clean house. When you are the stay at home parent there are a few things that remain the same whether you sit or stand in the powder room.
Please, consider the following and decide for yourself whether gender makes a difference or not: I swear i just vacuumed, what happened?? Hello chicken, what the hell am i going to do to you today?? and why didn't you wash your work clothes earlier while we were eating dinner??  I promise you, there is no difference. You can throw a chicken in the oven, but that won't make it a biscuit!!!
Here is my advice for the stay at home dads that may be feeling like they don't contribute or are less of a man because of their chosen role in the house. Ask yourself the following question and be honest; is being home what is best for you and your family and is this role a mutually accepted lifestyle in your home?? If you can honestly answer that question as a "Yes", then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It's your life, live it. Don't worry about the attitudes of others. In time, your skin will thicken and it won't bother you so much. I will warn you, staying home is not a nine to five job five days a week, rather, it's a twenty four hour a day, seven day a week job. There are no days off and you are on duty even on vacation. So, if this is the life you have chosen, live it with everything you have and do your best to give your family every advantage from your sacrifice. If you do that, nobody in the world can slight you for doing what you do.

and with that, Peace Be With You, D

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Not All Pumpkins Are Created Equal

Hello All and Thank You for stopping by. I do so enjoy reading the comments, so please leave one.

This time of year my thoughts turn to the impending doom of the Holiday Season. I shouldn't say impending doom, but let's face it, someone has to do the dishes. This time of year often finds me in a sweater or "hooded sweatshirt" (as i recently discovered from a very trendy person that Hoodie just doesn't work) until my blood is up and i'm toasty and moving. My suppers have begun to change, whereas we had quiche the other night instead of something else because i no longer have to worry about the oven overheating the downstairs. Then naturally, like so many generations before me, i begin the process of putting up certain foods for the winter.
Back in August, i roasted and peeled a twenty pound case of Hatch green chiles and tossed them in the freezer. We're about a third of the way through them already, but it'll do. I have my dried chile pods to make chile sauce and the jars to put that up; I just haven't done it yet. This week, it was pumpkin.
In years past, i'd just grab an extra pumpkin when i got one to carve for the kiddies at Halloween. I'd bake it off and rice out/ puree the flesh and generally i'd have enough pumpkin to get me through the holidays.
This year, i did just that. Then, something hit me while i was writing my post about winter squash: What do all those other weirdo squash taste like. While i have eaten most of the popular varieties, the question remained: What does a Turban Squash taste like. So my kooky alter ego, we'll call him, Dave, began researching the flavors of winter squash. To get a good baseline of the reviewers taste buds, i associated their assessment of Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti Squash with my own taste for them. Next, with my extrapolation (best guess opinion) i looked at their descriptions of things like the Turban Squash, Banana Squash, and interestingly enough the Fairytale Pumpkin. I do want to say at this time that i could not eat these gourds daily, but everything in this world has its purpose.
Turban, has a so so or ho hum flavor. Yeah! I want to eat that. The Banana Squash, is much like an Acorn or Butternut only it is so large most places sell pieces of it. The description of the Fairytale was akin to a Butternut but leaning toward a sweet potato. Hmmmm, Time to reassess the decision making paradigm on pumpkin but first, let's give one a go and see what happens.


 So the next time i went to the store, i picked one that had a good weight to it and was solid. I mean that sucker was pretty hard. I cut it in half, like ya do, and scraped out the seeds. There aren't that many seeds in a pumpkin like this. I'd say about half of what you'd find in a regular one and the meat is considerably thicker. By the by, this variety is called Cinderella.
Once i had the inside cleaned out, i sprayed some oil on one of my cake pans, placed the cut side down and popped it in the oven on 300 for 2 hours. I set the timer and went off to bigger and better things.
After about an hour and a half, the house smelled wonderful!!! I got up from what i was doing (i wrote about this in my last post) and went to take a look. My oven was a swamp!!! The bottom was completely filled with pumpkin juice and the cake pan was overflowing. I grabbed a few of my pretty white auto store towels and just tossed them on the liquid in the bottom. I couldn't find my baster, so i grabbed my large injector and a 6qt pot and drained the cake pan into the pot using the injector. At this point the pumpkin was still upright. so i tossed the towels in the wash and let it continue baking. When the timer went off they had collapsed (as pictured to the left). Once again i had to drain the cake pan of pumpkin juice. By this time, i had over a half a pot of juice. I decided i'd reduce it down and use it in a loaf of bread or something. The problem was, the damn thing kept leaking and leaking. More and more juice filled the pan until my pot was all but full. I reduced that pot down until all that was left was a golden brown syrup. Yes, i do mean a syrup.
I peeled and pureed the pumpkin and added the syrup to it. I did taste it before and after adding the reduction and it was really good, but went to "that justifies the work" after adding the reduced syrup.
The pumpkin on the left in the blue bowl is a regular pumpkin, above you can see the gorgeous orange flesh of the Cinderella, and in the white bowl is the Cinderella with the reduction. I have to admit, it is pumpkin with overtones of sweet potato.
In the next couple of months, i'll make about six pies (holidays and all of that), 2 pumpkin rolls, a bisque for when the guys aren't home and when i get some whole wheat berry flour, and if i have it figured right there will be enough left over for about four dinners of pumpkin pancakes before my menu flops back over to the warmer months.
In my house if you say you made banana nut bread you get a great big, "so what". However, if you even whisper the word pumpkin, the leeching tax deductions come out of the woodwork. If you've never tried making your own pumpkin, here's what i'd suggest: first get you a fairytale pumpkin that's heavy for its size, then reduce the juice, and last but not least make something fun with it. I promise you won't regret it.

Until the next time, Peace be with you. Dave