Christmas Eve - Florida Style

Christmas Eve is a little different in Florida. For one, it was in the mid 70s today with a bright sun and light breeze carrying the smell of late blooming Azaleas and Spanish moss. Next door to my mom's house is a neighbor who flys the Stars and Bars of the Confederate States of America (not the more famous starred blue saltire cross which is called the Confederate battle flag). Look it up if you are interested in some history you won't read about in school. Let me take a moment and say two things. First, I would like to think that anyone reading this can make the basic distinction between an acknowledgement of historic facts and any sort of endorsement of racist ideology but for those of you who cannot, let me simply say that I cannot help you. Second, for those of you reading this who live in Florida, we apologize as we could not shave out the time to see you but we do still love you very much.

We did swing through Gainesville today to see the semi-famous bat house. Currently home to approximately more than 100,000 small bats that leave their abode at dusk to seek out meals of the insect variety. They trickle out at first but eventually start to swarm out.


More appetizing than insects, I cooked up some swamp cabbage. It is made from the tender parts of the heart of the palm. Add some bacon (which makes everything better) and cook it like cabbage. I even made the kids try this integral part of the heritage. They made noises as they sometimes do but so far no one has died.


My mom always has a beautiful tree. If you look closely you can see the angel Moroni as the tree topper.





Not much else to say except, Merry Christmas everyone.

Phoenix Rising

Phoenix is an enormous city. I’m also including in this statement the ‘Greater Phoenix Area’ of Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Sun City, and all the other burbs and townships indistinguishable to me from one another. I’m sure to the trained eye of a local there are clear delineations but I just don’t see them.

Another exciting and obvious fact is that Phoenix is in the Desert. Grass is rare and the medians, road sides and many front lawns sport so called desertscapes complete with Cacti and sandy pink gravel. It’s hot as well. Here I am in October with temperatures at home in the 40s and Phoenix is starting to cool off into the 80s. Don’t let them tell you it is a dry heat either because it is still just plain hot.

It is beautiful however. Clear blue skies hang over the aforementioned desertscapes as well as golf courses and mountains plopped down in the midst of the urban sprawl with seeming abandon. These mountains (hills really I guess) provide many scenic views to those willing to scale them. Near to the hotel I am staying in, a city park has been established amongst a few of these hills/mountains. I went out one early morning for a quick hike and brought my camera along. I have attached pictures below.

Get 'em Hot

In the South, along almost every road and byway you will see humble stands or shacks proclaiming to have Hot Boiled Peanuts. The spellings vary widely and nothing adheres to conventional laws such as building or food handling codes. Business is cash only and receipts rare but everyone walks away happy.

Pronounced somewhere between Bowled and Bold, these luscious legumes are a integral taste of the south from the Carolinas to Florida to Louisiana. More of an outside or picnic delicacy, the best method of consumption is to give the end a small bite to split the seam and slurp any juice out, crack the rest of the shell off and gobble the soft nuts. Sometimes the nuts stay together and sometimes they split with the shell but as long as you don’t drop them, they both taste good.

Living in Indiana, I have been missing these for some time until I finally decided to give it a try. Recipe wise it cannot get any easier. You need a large pot, water, peanuts and salt. Peanuts are properly boiled in brine which means a pretty good bit of salt. I would also suggest some kind of non-iodized salt given the amount used. I didn’t measure how much salt I used but if I had to guess, it was probably about 3/4 cup of salt to a gallon of water. Nothing scientific about it, just make it salty. The peanuts I got were called ‘Raw’ which is a slight variation from how this is normally done. Generally, the peanut vendors buy them in what is called ‘green’ state. Unlike other vegetables, ‘green’ peanuts are already ripe but remain somewhat unwashed (these are in the ground remember) and retain some of the root tendrils. For them, the process starts with washing the nuts and picking out the roots and chaff. For me, that had already been done but the snag was that they were dryer than I had anticipated. Given the choice, I probably would have opted for ‘green’ for authenticity but my choices here in the North are limited. I had the perfect pot though; I had decided to use my turkey fryer setup which turned out to be a champion idea. Turn the gas on, light it and set it to boil. As dry as the nuts where, they floated at first so I took a straining basket that fit the pot and weighted it with a relatively clean rock to press them into the water. I don’t know if this really helped but it made me feel better. Fast forward 5 – 6 hours and they seemed to be about right. They were still kind of al-dente but it worked for us on a first attempt.

The smell and taste is a flood of memories of football games, days at the springs and road trips to the stereo sound of slurping. Boiled peanuts can be enjoyed alone but are much better with company. I had also cooked some cabbage which goes nicely with it and invited some people over. For the full on Floridian treatment, I should have had swamp cabbage (heart of palm prepared like regular cabbage) but it was still a great time.

I think next time I’ll soak the peanuts overnight like dried beans and then add the salt and boil. I imagine it will take less boil time. I might get ambitious and add some spices like garlic or some chili peppers but that isn’t for everyone. Caution, consumption of boiled peanuts may result in speaking in a southern drawl and a desire to sit for a spell on the front porch watching the trucks go by.

Get Fit

My birthday was this Wednesday and as a gift, I got the Wii Fit Plus. The term feature rich was coined for a device such as this. I feel like an infomercial guru every time I start talking about it. I’ve only scratched the surface of all the variations of games/exercise/yoga posses it has. In short order, all of the family including the cat were registered. Unfortunately, the cat cannot exercise with the Wii. I would have loved to see the cat on the ski jump, they land on all fours don’t they?

The rest of us slobs were told our ‘real’ age. I have to say that I think the science behind ‘real’ age is suspect. Height/Weight charts are bad enough but telling someone they are older or younger based on health parameters is kind of like saying that everyone, EVERYONE, should drop dead on their 95th birthday like some kind of cable service cutoff date. So on my 36th birthday apparently I am ‘really’ 39. Not bad considering that Cheryl is very put out that her ‘real’ age is 41. Abby was confirmed to be a practically perfect 4 but the other kids were told that they could drive and pay taxes.

The big thing the Fit stresses is balance. At the risk of sounding prideful, I have pretty good balance. I’m not a tight rope walker (mostly it’s the height thing) but I can keep from falling off a slow moving skateboard. So far I am the champion ski jumper and Segway racer but I’m sure the rest will catch up.

This isn’t really a game review so suffice it to say we are having fun with it. Otherwise the birthday went well with family phone calls and a meal including Brats, Kraut, Carrot cake and Root Jack, a pirate themed orange flavored root beer. I found a place locally that stocks it and have been fighting temptation ever since.

The weather has turned cold and remains soggy so I don’t know how much longer I can keep running outside. Cheryl will be doing a half marathon Tomorrow but I’m just not on that level yet so will be home with the kids. It will be down in Indy so maybe a little warmer weather. I guess I prefer the cold to the hot summer days.

Run

There is something very satisfying about completing a goal. Back in the Spring I started trying to prepare for a 5K run. I was starting from a very low point as far as fitness is concerned and the goal seemed so far out of reach as to be laughable. The training didn't always go in a smooth line either with bumps along the way and setbacks. However, on September 19, 2009 I ran a 5K in a local race called the Salmon Run. I ran it in a couple seconds over 40 minutes. I was dead last in my age group and very near the end overall but I did complete it.

It was an early morning run as these things seem to tend to be and my wife and her friend were running in the 10K just before me. I experienced some trouble in keeping a steady pace with all the other runners going by and had to stop and walk a couple times. I was feeling pretty disgusted with myself until the end when I discovered that my time was about what it would normally be if I had kept my normal pace that I do on the track that I train on. I could do without the well wishers along the way but I suppose I prefer them to hecklers. The next day a Brother from church told me that he had seen me in the race. This has turned out to be the best feedback and most encouraging comment of any at all mostly based on its unsolicited nature.

I am moving forward with my run training and trying to increase distance to an 8K which really doesn't represent a race as much as just an intermediate distance on the way to 10K. I can't say that I have caught any kind of bug for running as I still dislike it; I do however like the increased health and fitness that I get from the training.

Cheryl and Jillian after the run.

The High Road

I was in Utah this week for work and while here one of our client contacts took us out for a hike in the beautiful countryside. We went up to a place called Dog Lake which was about a 2.3 mile hike with a 1000+ ft elevation change. I was not quite ready for the thin air and sounded like a freight train going up. For the next few days I was very sore in some unusual places. The trail itself was nicely shaded and was a good outing. There are a ton of trails and outdoor activities in Utah and I can see why a lot of people love it out here.

Shipping off to Boston

I was in Boston for training and was able to take a short walk around town. What a neat city. It is a lot more crowded than I care for but the history is incredible. Small little chapels, graveyards and state buildings from the 1600s where snuggled in between skyscrapers and modern structures.

We had a seafood dinner down by the harbor and I was stuffed. The boats looked nice and overall I had a good time.

Gencon 09

Gencon


The very name itself has a mystique. It comes from the first convention held at the home of Gary Gygax in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin then called the ‘Geneva Convention’. It is one of the oldest and biggest gaming conventions. By gaming, it is inclusive of all gaming styles, board games, card games, miniature wargames, role-playing games, electronic games and all the various sub types that exist under and between. Also represented is interest in anime, model crafting and writing. As of 2003, this annual event has moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. I have attended at least one day of the convention every year. On those occasions when friends are also attending, I will come out for the full four days.


I love Gencon as it is one of the few times that I feel completely at ease with everyone around me. Nobody has a hidden agenda and we all have the same goal which is to have a great time. I walk in the ICC and get an immediate sense that ‘these are my people’. This year, our friends the Goodwins, came up a day early and we visited and went to the children’s museum. As the day progressed and some normal life stress started to increase (trying to do too many things at once), Sheard reminded me to relax as the next day would be Gencon and that just made it all better.


Unfortunately, the Goodwins came down with some kind of bug that passed through them all. This made me think of the last time they visited Indiana during the winter and all got sick. Sheard assured me that they did not blame Indiana but I sure felt bad for them. Fortunately, they all recovered quickly and were able to enjoy most of the Con.


I have included a lot of pictures here as I have tried and failed often to describe the atmosphere. I would say that they represent about 15% of all that goes on. By Sunday afternoon, I was feeling rather sad knowing that the fun had ended for another year. To anyone looking at this and wondering if you would enjoy it, I whole heartily invite you to come check it out.


Mark your calendars:
Gen Con Indy 2010 August 5-8, 2010
Gen Con Indy 2011 August 4-7, 2011
Gen Con Indy 2012 August 16-19, 2012
Gen Con Indy 2013 August 15-18, 2013
Gen Con Indy 2014 August 14-17, 2014
Gen Con Indy 2015 July 30 - August 2, 2015


Here a a few of the pictures but for more please visit - Flickr

Castle Diorama











Cardhalla (all made with cards)











One of the board gaming halls











An Angel statue













Amtgard guys demo

First up, Doug's Party

Everything has to start somewhere. First let me clear away some small items of business. I have no announcements to make. Cheryl is not currently pregnant. I am not reading anything interesting right now and Cheryl reads so fast that it makes keeping an accurate post impractical. This is the first post in the first public blog for our family so don't worry about catching up on historic posts as there are none.

Having read many friends' blogs, I have come to believe that these online musings serve a purpose beyond posting pictures and stories for far off friends and relatives. As a while, they form a communal bonds very much like those enjoyed by a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. I like small towns and as far as I am concerned, this is a good thing so hence this contribution to the community.

Today's entry is regarding Doug's birthday. He is 11 years old today and last Saturday we had a party for him. He wanted to host a kind of role-play mystery adventure where he and his guests would go room to room on a fantasy medieval quest. We took on this challenge and developed a storyline, recruited decorating and casting help and generally prepared for hours to somewhat successfully host a 15-20 minute adventure. Fortunately, the kids were victorious and not much crying occur ed. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our friends who gladly came over to help out. The famous Rigby twins, Dana and Sarah, who spent their Saturday with us and helped place spiderwebs and other props and Sarah even stayed on as our hardworking tavern wench. In addition, Joe Ambrose made a convincing ghost and Jillian Tueller was our outstanding Spider Queen. In addition to the castle cake, Cheryl baked round loaves of bread and so called pigs-in-a-blanket while I deep fried a turkey and fries for that not so authentic look and feel.

While I am satisfied that it turned out well enough, I did learn some lessons. First, inviting kids to a party is a very intricate ordeal. If you invite the brother do you invite the sister etc. and before you know it, you have triple the number of expected guests. It's great to have everyone but it does strain the resources and can make planned activities a lot less organized. Second, your most carefully laid plans will not get executed like you think. Again, this is fine but be sure that you are flexible enough to handle these surprise changes. Third, take lots of pictures before and during the party. The actual event goes so fast that before you realize it, the trap has been sprung or the treasure found and the memories are already fading. I think even staged pictures, while annoying is useful. Take lots of shots as well. As the pictures below will show, you don't know when your hand is shaking or the light was wrong.

Every time we finish one of these parties, the inevitable question is, "what will we do next?" At this point, we don't know, but hopefully we can maintain the fun factor.

The Castle cake

Joe Ambrose as a Ghost

The message in the mirror

The revelers

The trap room

Killing the Spider

The throne of the Spider Queen