Interesting.

The old Indian chief sat in his home on the reservation, smoking his ceremonial pipe, eyeing the two U.S. government officials sent to interview him. "Chief Two Eagles," one official began, "you have observed the white man for many years. You have seen all his progress and all his problems." The chief nodded. The official continued, "What do you think of all the white man has done?" The chief stared at the officials for more than a minute, and then calmly replied. "When white man found the land, Indians were running it. No taxes. No debt. Plenty buffalo, plenty beaver. Women did most of the work. Medicine man free. Indian men hunted and fished all the time." The chief paused, then added, "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."

I feel like traveling.

I am tired of looking at scenes like the photo below. Iowa and its surrounding states have a special kind of beauty all their own – but scenes like this one do get old.

(It’s a cornfield.)

I want to be somewhere like the photo below. Somewhere completely free of diesel trucks, leash laws, traffic noise and, above all, cornfields. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet corn, but cornfields serve as a stark reminder of what used to be. It’s very difficult to find original prairie – any place that corn can grow profitably is being used to profitably grow corn.

(I have no idea where this photo was taken)

Stone State Park is just outside of Sioux City. It’s a beautiful park, plenty of scenic overlooks and a decent campground with modern facilities. Its only drawback is that it’s a campground where you literally park your car next to your tent. You’re awoken all through the night by headlights, RV’ers and other desecrations to wilderness solitude. I want to go somewhere that requires me to hike a few hours to get to the campsite.

I want to be able to sit by a fire with a good book and my dog, cook foilfood in the coals and at night relax in the tent with my wife listening to NOTHING but the bugs and night creatures. No bumping sound systems,  no horns, no diesels, no traffic, no light pollution etc. A couple big nasty cigars are involved somewhere in that equation. Wouldn’t mind a six-pack and a few good friends, either.

(Stone State Park)

A quick word about Listia.com

My wife and I have been getting into Listia.com lately. It’s an auction website for ‘free’ stuff – they use ‘credits’ and you bid to win random free items.

So far I’ve gotten a few books, a door alarm, some antique stamps, a vial of gold flake and a few other random items. Kind of interesting.

When you sign up, they start you off with 50 credits but occasionally will give you 100-500 free ones. Just the luck of the draw, I guess. You can purchase credits 100 for $10 – but that’s a ridiculous ripoff.

The only items really worth bidding on if you’re wanting to not spend any cash are the ones marked “Free Shipping.”

The easiest way to get credits on Listia is to buy an Amazon.com $5 or $10 gift card. These will go for anywhere from 800-2000 credits and won’t cost you anything to ship (E-giftcard, ya just email them the code)

It’s a fun diversion, you can end up with some really esoteric stuff – and it’s always a pleasure to get stuff in the mail. If you sign up at the following link we both get 50 extra free credits. Just sayin. http://www.listia.com/?r=54028

Coffeemaker Abuse

My day is beginning with an experiment. My coffeemaker is happily gurgling away in the kitchen – sure, it’s an innocuous enough statement – but the thing is filled with organic fair-trade dark coffee mixed with Starbucks fine-ground espresso roast. Beyond the obvious ethical and moral value-clash playing out deep in the dark recesses of my coffeemaker, I’m flat-out curious about the waking-up properties of the darkly evil brew.

The olfactory properties of said brew are certainly pleasing, but I won’t know until I pour it into my blue enamel camp mug and carry said mug with my recently acquired copy of "Backpacker" magazine out to my porch – at which point I shall kick back and enjoy the morning sunshine with my questionable coffee and bitchin’ magazine.

Good day, all.

WITCC 19% Graduation Rate?

Apparently Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City has a 19% graduation rate, according to the FAFSA website. Hopefully that’s an error.

Steak sans grill

I recently picked up a pair of choice angus top sirloin steaks from Hy-Vee – nothing special, but looked decent. As Sioux City is still in the grip of winter, outdoor grilling really isn’t a possibility. I’ve been experimenting these last few weeks with…wait for it . . .

cooking steaks inside.

I know, blasphemy, right?

Tonight I tried a new method. I wanted that seared, almost charred quality that comes from grilling a steak over charcoal. I can’t get a skillet hot enough with this little dorm stovetop, so I came up with the following.

1. Take your steaks out of the fridge at least an hour before you want to start cooking.

2. Cover them in kosher or sea salt. Literally cover them. You don’t want to see any red. This may seem counterintuitive, but trust me on this. You may want to add a little seasoning at this point.

3. Let ‘em sit for at least half an hour or so, covered. Leave them on the counter. Don’t put them in the fridge.

4. Rinse, pat very dry. Completely dry. You don’t want any moisture left on those steaks.

5. Take your skillet out of the oven. By now it should be stupid hot. This is a good thing.

6. Toss the steaks on the skillet, turning after the first side is seared to your liking. If you’re cooking more than one steak, be sure they aren’t crowding each other.

7. Lower your oven temp to around 425 degrees, put the skillet in the stove.

8. Let ‘em sit in there for awhile, check ‘em every now and then. Usually will only take 2-5 mins depending on how thick your steaks are and how well done you prefer.

9. Brush them with a little butter, a bit of Worcestershire sauce and serve.

Not as good as grilled, but it’ll get you through the cold winter months.

3/4/2010

Got a crap ton done today. Made all the phone calls necessary for family life this morning, went to my vision appointment where I had photos taken of the back of my eye (that looked like something from the Hubble Telescope). Picked up the glasses an hour later, boom. The world is sharp and in focus again. Happy face.

We tried to walk around Bacon Creek, but the sun was headed down and the wind had picked up, making it too cold for ourselves, not to mention our little one. We settled for a gi-normous Hy-Vee run, filling our trunk with about 200 pounds of food.

Xander sat in his stroller for the first time today; before now he’d always ridden in the infant seat attached to the stroller.

SO yeah, that was today. What did you guys  do today?

Almost camping season.

It’s finally getting towards the tail end of winter. The air outside has that certain spring smell to it, no longer the cold, dry stench of dirty snow. At least when the sun is out, anyway.

This is good news. Camping season is almost here (at least, the camping season where I stand half a chance of convincing my wife to accompany me) and I’m stoked. Last time we went to Target, we stood in the camping aisle checking out the tents. Definitely going bigger this season; last year we used a four person tent. We found one that has over six feet of headroom inside; it’ll be great to be able to stand up in it. The extra rooms will help with the several metric tons worth of baby stuff we’re inevitably going to bring.

We’ve still got over a month until Stone Park opens the gates to vehicle traffic, but we might end up just waiting until most of the snow melts to hike/bike in and camp.

I’m stoked.

Living In Your Car

Every now and then life reaches out and smacks you one. Your house burns down. Your significant other leaves you. Your medications are too expensive and without them, you cannot maintain a stable lifestyle. Regardless of the reason, winding up in the back seat of your car alone happens to the best of us. Having done so myself, here’s a few tips for you.

First off, pat yourself on the back. You have a car, which puts you rather high on the totem pole as far as homeless folks go. You have the capability to warm yourself, cool yourself, secure yourself and move yourself without ever setting foot on the ground. Keep a healthy mindset – it’s half the battle.

(image credit Begbie Images)

Hygiene is huge. There just isn’t much air in a car and stink happens – keep that in mind when you buy the packet of baby wipes or crash the shower at college athletic complexes. It’s worth the effort to keep yourself presentable – this makes a huge difference in your dealings with others.

If you’re trying to keep it on the down low that your Honda is your home, it’s much easier to do if you’re clean and don’t have seat belt indents on your face.

Spend time outside of your car, if at all possible. Sacrifice the necessary fuel and drive to an outdoor park (if it’s warm) or a coffeeshop (if it’s cold). It can do wonders for your mental state to spend a day in the warm sunshine, kicked back against a tree with a decent book or relaxing with a cup of cheap coffee at a bookstore or coffeeshop. If you’re lucky and have a laptop, wifi is free at many places. Pick up a refillable beverage and hang out until they make you leave (this is where proper hygiene makes all the difference in the world).

BE MINDFUL OF WHERE YOU PARK. I cannot stress this enough. Pick the wrong spot and you’ll be woken up to a cop rapping on your window. If you’re lucky, it’ll be a good cop who will tell you to move on without giving you any trouble. Like any profession, there happen to be douchebags in the law enforcement community as well — these are the guys that’ll search your car just to hassle you, leaving all your possessions lying out beside your car as they pull away feeling all manly and crap. Seriously, just avoid all that and park sensibly. Don’t park in a loading zone, in front of a driveway, in a bar parking lot after 2am, an interstate off ramp, or anyplace that’ll draw the attention of your city’s finest.

Keep your car clean inside. You more than likely will have a ton of stuff packed into a tiny space; decreasing your personal space inside your car. Keep it picked up – a bunch of wrappers and trash strewn on the floor won’t help you at all.

It’s never an ideal situation, but with the right attitude you might even end up enjoying yourself.

Been awhile.

The alarm clock blinked its amber eyes before emitting the high pitched whine that woke John Stohlman from sleep before being choked off by a calloused hand. Shuddering, he sat up, flipped the TV on and clicked on the window air conditioner. CNN filled the screen as he stumbled to the bathroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and the sweat from his brow. Summer had so far not been kind to the Minnesota north woods, plunging the region into a soaking humidity.

Outside, the morning sun filtered through the pines in the forest behind his cabin. Heavy trucks rumbled down the dirt road a half mile down his driveway, making their way to the work site that had heavy security, or at least enough to keep the citizens of Kent, MN guessing. A coffeepot clicked on in the kitchen, filling the house with the scent of hot coffee.

John emerged from the master bedroom having showered and dressed. His heavy flannel shirt and worn jeans had seen better days, making an odd juxtaposition with the granite counter, stainless steel kitchen appliances and giant flat screen in the living room. He lumbered towards the refrigerator, pulled out a beer and sat heavily on a chair. Cracking the top, he tilted his head back to take a deep draught, stopping only when a sound outside caught his attention. It sounded like the crushing of a soda can, only amplified and it seemed to last for an interminable length of time.

He set the beer on the counter as he walked past, making a beeline for his boots which rested on a rack near the back door. Opening the door, he looked out and saw the source of the noise. An unladen flatbed semi had collided with what looked vaguely like a small passenger car.

John walked to his truck, got in and reversed, turning it around to head towards the road. As he bumped down the rutted driveway towards the accident, his eyes flicked briefly towards the dirt road to the north, seeing a plume of dust that registered in his mind but was disregarded as he arrived at the accident. Pulling up alongside to park beyond the wreck, he peered through the splintered glass of what he now could tell was a late model compact. He saw the Asian driver cast nervous glances at him while speaking into a cell phone. A noise from around the curve up the road made him automatically turn his head, which probably saved his life. John threw his vehicle into reverse, his tires spitting gravel as they propelled his truck into the ditch just as a black Suburban, all four wheels locked up, slid past his front bumper. Two more black Suburbans slid to similar stops on the other side of the accident as a man in a suit stepped confidently from the passenger door and stood in front of his truck.

“Sir, we’re all set here. Go ahead and take off; is this your home?” He motioned towards the cabin.

“Yeah, it’s mine. You guys need to call 911, that woman looks bad.”

The suited man took a menacing step towards John’s side of the truck. Pulling aside his suit coat, he displayed a blacked out handgun holstered at his waist. “Best move on.”

“Hey, you got it.” John reached down and grabbed the shift lever to put the truck in four wheel drive. He pulled out of the ditch and lit a cigarette as he drove back up to his house. As he entered, he locked the door behind him. Pulling his .45 from his concealed holster, he set it on the table next to him as he sat down to finish his beer, debating whether to call 911 to report the accident. Reason won out. John pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Yeah, I need to report an accident, happened out front of my place about five minutes ago. I’m on the old Ridge Road north of Elk River.” John cast a glance towards the clock.

“Sir, I need you to stay on the line until emergency vehicles arrive – what is your name, sir?” The dispatcher was trembling with excitement – being new at his job gave him the jitters which, combined with the caffeine in half a pot of coffee had his nerves at a fever pitch.

“No name.” John flipped his phone shut, got up and started making a light breakfast. As he sat down to eat, there was a heavy pounding on his door. Grimacing, he holstered his pistol, muted his TV and walked towards the door, opening it to find two cruisers idling outside and two officers standing on his deck.

The younger officer spoke first.