Hello everyone!
This swine flu is really taking us to the slop! Just about everywhere I go it's taking over the conversation. I'm doing my extern at a Walgreen's and all I here is swine flu...did you wash your hands...cover your face...there are mask in the front of the store. Believe or not, all the hand sanitizer has sold out 2 days in a row. If the medical industry can't get a handle on the flu, there is talk of it becoming pandemic (world wide). I don't know if I'm ready for this. They say the last time we had a pandemic episode like this was in 1918 influenza pandemic, nearly 100 years ago, can you believe it. Earlier today someone breathed in my face, since then I've been feeling ill. Call me an hypochondriac but I seriously feel like I caught. Upset stomach and scratchy throat, I just know that breathe was unhealthy. A couple school's here in the CV have closed and may be a few more. Palm Springs High is on a watch, some young lady has gotten but they're not sure whether it's swine flu or not. Anyway, when you're out and about be safe especially if you have kids.
Friday, May 1, 2009
APPLE I-PHONE VS LG VU
Help me out here!
Apple i-phone vs LG VU
Hello all, I have a question for the techno savvy. My question is simple, Apple i-phone vs LG VU? Anyone out there having the problem I’m having? I need a new phone, currently using the Motorola L2; it’s out dated and losing signal due to being dropped too much. I’ve been looking for a new cell phone and think I have narrowed it down to these two. There is a possibly that I may like to look at a few others, like AT&T’s HTC FUZE. This phone is hot! It’s an ultimate smartphone with a touch screen, email, internet access, personal organizer, broadband speeds, navigation, satellite, GPS navigation and more. The price for this phone is a bit out of my reach just now. This is the reason I have chosen the other two cell phones. AT&T has a discount on both of the cell phones with a two year contract. I can get one of these phones for virtually nothing after rebate. The other will cost me about a bill ($$100) refurbished. I am trying to figure if I “need” the Apple i-phone for my applications. I check email and need to have access to several websites. Also I need calendar and note pad applications.
Apple i-phone vs LG VU
Hello all, I have a question for the techno savvy. My question is simple, Apple i-phone vs LG VU? Anyone out there having the problem I’m having? I need a new phone, currently using the Motorola L2; it’s out dated and losing signal due to being dropped too much. I’ve been looking for a new cell phone and think I have narrowed it down to these two. There is a possibly that I may like to look at a few others, like AT&T’s HTC FUZE. This phone is hot! It’s an ultimate smartphone with a touch screen, email, internet access, personal organizer, broadband speeds, navigation, satellite, GPS navigation and more. The price for this phone is a bit out of my reach just now. This is the reason I have chosen the other two cell phones. AT&T has a discount on both of the cell phones with a two year contract. I can get one of these phones for virtually nothing after rebate. The other will cost me about a bill ($$100) refurbished. I am trying to figure if I “need” the Apple i-phone for my applications. I check email and need to have access to several websites. Also I need calendar and note pad applications.
I have arrived!
As it goes in the world of blogger ENG 051 you haven't arrived until Debbie Suer has subscribed to your blog. Wooooooohooooooooo! Debbie has subscribed to my blog! I am truly honored. Debbie it is good to see you on my blog. Hope all is well and the kids aren't giving you too much stress. I really think you are a trooper for working with the kids. Everyone needs an angel in there life, thankfully there's people like you still around.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Process essay
Louisiana Gumbo
Real Louisiana Gumbo is made as an event with lots of family involved. As I know it, everyone has a family recipe. Many people have their own way and process on how to make an excellent pot of Gumbo. I don’t know how old the recipe is that had been given to me but I do know that there have been some modifications to it, depending on who is giving the instructions. My first gumbo cooking lesson was given by my mom and her sister; this is when I learned that there were many ways to make Gumbo. However, there is one thing that you must not falter on in the steps of making Gumbo, that’s making the “rue”. The “rue” is a thick gravy-like substance that brings consistency to the stock of the dish. This process gives the Gumbo its unmistakable flavor. From the very first taste and even smell of the ingredients is the tell tale signs of whether it’s a Gumbo or not a Gumbo. Let’s make a Gumbo together now!
First we have to get all the ingredients. There are several types of Gumbo which all include, chicken Gumbo, chicken and sausage Gumbo and seafood Gumbo all types may add fried okra, as well, and rice as a compliment. My favorite is seafood Gumbo. There are many helps out there with making your first Gumbo, Zatarains, Tony Charchieres’, Louisiana Seafood recipes and the Food Network. All Gumbo starts with a few basic instruments and ingredients, starting with a large pot (about 12 qt), a frying skillet and a medium sized pot for the rice. Now we choose the parts of chicken wanted for the Gumbo. Most Gumbos are made with the legs and thighs (a whole chicken may be used) in this recipe we will use legs and thighs. We’ll need some crab legs, shrimp and imitation crab meat for our seafood. For the last meat item we’ll use Louisiana sausage (Hillshire Farms), also take one egg. For our vegetables we will use what chefs’ call the trinity. The trinity is a combination of celery, onion and bell pepper. The next will be some vegetable oil (2 cups), and some flour. I always like to compliment my dish with rice; some of the people I know won’t eat Gumbo without it. For this recipe we’ll use long grain rice, it’s very easy to cook. Lastly, we have to season all the meats. For this, the seasonings used are black pepper, salt, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, liquid and powdered crab boil (Zatarains).
Now we take all the ingredients and place on the kitchen counter. I like to wash and season all my meats the night before, that way the flavor saturates the meats. Remember to separate the chicken from the other meats, the sausage are fine with the seafood. If you have seasoned your meats beforehand, take out your vegetables. Once you have washed the “trinity”, dice them very small, not to worry about separating them. The next step is to take the large 12qt pot and begin to sear the seasoned chicken but don’t burn it, just sear to bring out the oils in the chicken. The chicken is also the longest to cook and should be thoroughly cooked. After searing the chicken place the “trinity” into the pot, these are also the aromatics you will notice the change of smell when included. Let the “trinity” sweat a little and add water to the pot just above the chicken. At this point turn the fire up on the pot and bring to a boil. After the water begins to boil fill pot about ¾’s full with lukewarm water, cover with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Making the “rue” is the longest process in making Gumbo and should be done with patience. Take the frying skillet and place it on the stove turn the stove on high. Pour two cups of the vegetable oil in to the frying pan. Let the oil getting very hot like you are about to fry something. After the oil is hot, add in two cups of flour. This part has to be done under a watchful eye because you can’t allow the oil to burn or the “rue” will taste bitter. Start folding the flour into the oil. Be prepared to stand for a while because it will take an hour to complete this process at the least. The “rue” must be folded until it is chocolate and looks almost like a lard. After the “rue” is complete let it stand for about five minutes. They chicken has now been simmering and the rest of the ingredients can be added to the pot. I recommend adding the “rue” first and then adding the seafood. The seafood doesn’t take long to cook and should be done in about eight minutes. Now take the egg that was a part the ingredients crack it open and add it to the Gumbo. When the egg is done the Gumbo should be done as well, turn the fire off and let stand. Gumbo eaters say that the longer the pot sits the flavor melds together and taste much better over time.
Last of all we make the rice. Take the medium sized pot and fill with water, add two cups of rice and wash rice over a running faucet. After washing the rice fill the pot to a 1/2in above the rice with water and cover with lid. Bring the water to a boil for about twenty minutes, and then reduce heat to simmer for ten minutes. After ten minutes turn off heat and let rice stand for ten minutes before serving, the rice will have the proper stiffness for the juice of the Gumbo. Let’s eat! Now this is how it’s done, where I come from. Enjoy!
Real Louisiana Gumbo is made as an event with lots of family involved. As I know it, everyone has a family recipe. Many people have their own way and process on how to make an excellent pot of Gumbo. I don’t know how old the recipe is that had been given to me but I do know that there have been some modifications to it, depending on who is giving the instructions. My first gumbo cooking lesson was given by my mom and her sister; this is when I learned that there were many ways to make Gumbo. However, there is one thing that you must not falter on in the steps of making Gumbo, that’s making the “rue”. The “rue” is a thick gravy-like substance that brings consistency to the stock of the dish. This process gives the Gumbo its unmistakable flavor. From the very first taste and even smell of the ingredients is the tell tale signs of whether it’s a Gumbo or not a Gumbo. Let’s make a Gumbo together now!
First we have to get all the ingredients. There are several types of Gumbo which all include, chicken Gumbo, chicken and sausage Gumbo and seafood Gumbo all types may add fried okra, as well, and rice as a compliment. My favorite is seafood Gumbo. There are many helps out there with making your first Gumbo, Zatarains, Tony Charchieres’, Louisiana Seafood recipes and the Food Network. All Gumbo starts with a few basic instruments and ingredients, starting with a large pot (about 12 qt), a frying skillet and a medium sized pot for the rice. Now we choose the parts of chicken wanted for the Gumbo. Most Gumbos are made with the legs and thighs (a whole chicken may be used) in this recipe we will use legs and thighs. We’ll need some crab legs, shrimp and imitation crab meat for our seafood. For the last meat item we’ll use Louisiana sausage (Hillshire Farms), also take one egg. For our vegetables we will use what chefs’ call the trinity. The trinity is a combination of celery, onion and bell pepper. The next will be some vegetable oil (2 cups), and some flour. I always like to compliment my dish with rice; some of the people I know won’t eat Gumbo without it. For this recipe we’ll use long grain rice, it’s very easy to cook. Lastly, we have to season all the meats. For this, the seasonings used are black pepper, salt, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, liquid and powdered crab boil (Zatarains).
Now we take all the ingredients and place on the kitchen counter. I like to wash and season all my meats the night before, that way the flavor saturates the meats. Remember to separate the chicken from the other meats, the sausage are fine with the seafood. If you have seasoned your meats beforehand, take out your vegetables. Once you have washed the “trinity”, dice them very small, not to worry about separating them. The next step is to take the large 12qt pot and begin to sear the seasoned chicken but don’t burn it, just sear to bring out the oils in the chicken. The chicken is also the longest to cook and should be thoroughly cooked. After searing the chicken place the “trinity” into the pot, these are also the aromatics you will notice the change of smell when included. Let the “trinity” sweat a little and add water to the pot just above the chicken. At this point turn the fire up on the pot and bring to a boil. After the water begins to boil fill pot about ¾’s full with lukewarm water, cover with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Making the “rue” is the longest process in making Gumbo and should be done with patience. Take the frying skillet and place it on the stove turn the stove on high. Pour two cups of the vegetable oil in to the frying pan. Let the oil getting very hot like you are about to fry something. After the oil is hot, add in two cups of flour. This part has to be done under a watchful eye because you can’t allow the oil to burn or the “rue” will taste bitter. Start folding the flour into the oil. Be prepared to stand for a while because it will take an hour to complete this process at the least. The “rue” must be folded until it is chocolate and looks almost like a lard. After the “rue” is complete let it stand for about five minutes. They chicken has now been simmering and the rest of the ingredients can be added to the pot. I recommend adding the “rue” first and then adding the seafood. The seafood doesn’t take long to cook and should be done in about eight minutes. Now take the egg that was a part the ingredients crack it open and add it to the Gumbo. When the egg is done the Gumbo should be done as well, turn the fire off and let stand. Gumbo eaters say that the longer the pot sits the flavor melds together and taste much better over time.
Last of all we make the rice. Take the medium sized pot and fill with water, add two cups of rice and wash rice over a running faucet. After washing the rice fill the pot to a 1/2in above the rice with water and cover with lid. Bring the water to a boil for about twenty minutes, and then reduce heat to simmer for ten minutes. After ten minutes turn off heat and let rice stand for ten minutes before serving, the rice will have the proper stiffness for the juice of the Gumbo. Let’s eat! Now this is how it’s done, where I come from. Enjoy!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Discriptive Essay
LADY
We’ve had many pets before, but Lady was the one we’ve had the longest. Somehow my son rescues these pets and we don’t know form where. We heard that Lady was being used as a fighting dog. The one and only reason my son was able to rescue and keep this one. She is a rare breed pit bull, a blue nose. These pit bulls aren’t bred today like we use to breed. Lady has a beautiful velvet grey coat, and her eyes are green like hazel. Although Lady was bred to be non-aggressive, she can’t break her sense of territory. I got a knock at the door with a request to check the backyard because Lady had eaten through the wooden fence. My neighbor made such a big stink about the “pit bull” that was endangering the neighborhood. Because of this I was led to give her to the pet adoption.
At the pet adoption I noticed some things about Lady that I hadn’t paid much attention to. Not only did she have the most beautiful eyes, they were kind eyes. Her kind eyes would bring warmth to anyone when you looked into them. They didn’t sit deeply back, but slightly forward giving the impression that she was happy with the decision that was being made. As we stood there finalizing the paperwork, I couldn’t help but feel sad as though I was losing a family member. I could hardly stand to look at her. She was a part of the family and we were about to say good bye for forever. We had all types of questions, what happens from here, will she get adopted, and will she be euthanized. The registrar assured us that as long as she was not aggressive towards other dogs she would be fine.
On the way home my wife and I talked about Lady like she was one of the kids. We wondered if we had done the right thing. We wondered if we hadn’t let our son have another pet as we agreed would we have these feelings. From that point we decided that the next time we have a pet we are all going to choose and mostly likely it will be a Chia pet.
We’ve had many pets before, but Lady was the one we’ve had the longest. Somehow my son rescues these pets and we don’t know form where. We heard that Lady was being used as a fighting dog. The one and only reason my son was able to rescue and keep this one. She is a rare breed pit bull, a blue nose. These pit bulls aren’t bred today like we use to breed. Lady has a beautiful velvet grey coat, and her eyes are green like hazel. Although Lady was bred to be non-aggressive, she can’t break her sense of territory. I got a knock at the door with a request to check the backyard because Lady had eaten through the wooden fence. My neighbor made such a big stink about the “pit bull” that was endangering the neighborhood. Because of this I was led to give her to the pet adoption.
At the pet adoption I noticed some things about Lady that I hadn’t paid much attention to. Not only did she have the most beautiful eyes, they were kind eyes. Her kind eyes would bring warmth to anyone when you looked into them. They didn’t sit deeply back, but slightly forward giving the impression that she was happy with the decision that was being made. As we stood there finalizing the paperwork, I couldn’t help but feel sad as though I was losing a family member. I could hardly stand to look at her. She was a part of the family and we were about to say good bye for forever. We had all types of questions, what happens from here, will she get adopted, and will she be euthanized. The registrar assured us that as long as she was not aggressive towards other dogs she would be fine.
On the way home my wife and I talked about Lady like she was one of the kids. We wondered if we had done the right thing. We wondered if we hadn’t let our son have another pet as we agreed would we have these feelings. From that point we decided that the next time we have a pet we are all going to choose and mostly likely it will be a Chia pet.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
1st post 2-1-09
Yesterday I started my first day at a JC in about 11 years. Last years I completed 8 months of a career college. So I'm here to begin again. I 'm ready to go to the next level.
What can I say about my classes? School is great; I mean it's never the way you think it's going to be. You think you're going to get there and it's going to be crazy, you won't know what to do, will you get to your class on time, when your get there is it the right class. I almost experienced the later on Saturday. I sat through the entire class and at the end my instructor did not have me on his roster. Hopefully he'll get my info before next session.
Class was great though, Mr. Murphy has some cool jokes. Man I hope I'm going to do good in this class. I want to learn how to communicate better in writing, this is my ultimate goal.
When I first thought about registering for writing I wondered if it would guide me in the right direction. I looked at the syllabus and what do you know, we have to execute a blog. This is what I'm interested in, becoming savvier with online interaction.
The mix of students seems like a pretty good balance although I think I am the only person who’s 5’ 7-1/2”(lol). I sit in the middle of the class to have an overall view of the class. I am close enough to the instructor so I can hear what he says without a challenge. The white board is directly in front of me. Everyone else is around me and I can just swivel my head to give my attention where needed.
We had great conversation going the first day; thoughts on the economy, gas prices, education in our public system as well as the gay agenda. I had some pretty good comebacks to some of the jokes we heard but was not quick to respond in time enough to get a laugh. In fact I was so slow I didn’t respond to most. Something I’ll have to work on over the course of the class.
Well I’m preparing for next week, class tomorrow in reading. I like that class too; reading is one of my favorite things to do. Hey if anyone out there knows where I can pick up an inexpensive copy of, “Ten steps to writing” please let me know.
Until next week,
Good night and God speed!
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