Guess The Image!

Take a few minutes to guess what the image is. Hint: if you've read my blog from the beginning then you have already seen a picture of this object.

Sparky

Work Ethic Rule No. 248

Usually, redheaded... this group of people can be known for violent outbursts (Possibly due to childhood experiences). Avoid hiring at all cost, unless of course you need a future scapegoat.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Visit Officepirates, my new favorite place for a chuckle!

Sparky

Pretentiousness

I live in D.C. Actually, I live on Fort Belvoir, which is located in Fairfax County, which is located in Northern Virginia, which is part of the larger forsaken region know as the National Capital Region (NCR). The NCR consists of D.C., Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland. The entire area is teeming with congressmen, dignitaries, and politician. Worse yet corporations, contractors, and lobbyists vie for the notice of the before mentioned groups. Everyone in D.C. seems to think they are important... Some are, MOST are not! However, everyone in this most sinister of cities has to keep up the act, not letting on for one second that they are not as important or as well-to-do as they would have the entire world to believe.

Quick Factoid: The average unsecured debt in the National Capital Region... $250,000. It's expensive keeping up with the Jones' in the NCR.

The point of this blog, however, is not to rant and rave about the nature and actions of the misled people in the NCR. In fact, the point I'm trying to make is after two years in this most pretentious of places I can say with some confidence that... I know pretentiousness! I am simply establishing my authority as an expert observer of the snobbish, pretentious and grandiloquent.

With that being established, I would like to point your attention to the piece of chrome-plated pretentious crap displayed in the picture. This is the new "companion" to the American Express Gold Card. As if flashing your AMEX Gold Card around during business lunches and/or dates was bad enough, now you can throw around this little nugget. It’s a Chrome carrying case for an AMEX Gold card!!!!!

Lets stop for a second… First, if you have one of these nuggets and you’re reading this blog, STOP. Stop reading my blog. I’m not even going to tell you why, just stop reading now!!! If this is your first time viewing the “Butterfly” and you think this craptastic gizmo is cool you also must stop reading and immediately report to my house so I can knock some sense into you!!!!

If I was a waiter and some pretentious turd tossed this contraption in the payment tray I would feel obligated to shove this phallic icon where the sun don’t shine! He/she was asking for it!!!

Sparky

To get a closer look at what all the lemmings, which have more money (or is that debt) then sense will be carrying this fall check out this Site.

Google World

For some time now, I have used Google as my search engine. In fact, I have www.google.com as my home page, my on-ramp to the World Wide Web. Whom hasn’t used the phrase, “Just Google it!”… or was that “Just do it”? But I digress…

I never gave much thought to Google as more then a search engine until earlier this year. I was looking for cheap photo editing software. I didn’t need the power of Photoshop, I just wanted to fix some red eye and adjust brightness in a few pictures. After doing some research into different photo editing software I found one called Picasa2 by Google. I tried it and loved it!! Best of all… It’s Free! After a few weeks of using Picasa2, I decided to see what else Google offered. It turns out google offers a whole smorgasbord of programs designed to store our data and organize our lives.

My next taste of the Google world was with Gmail. You have to be invited or have a cell phone you can send a special code to because it offers an ever increasing storage capacity of 3GB, yes 3GB, and Google is trying to prevent rouge elements from using there site for evil doing. Gmail is the best email client ever!!! I don’t say that lightly. Being in the military, I travel constantly. During those travels I’ve had tons of email addresses from tons of different email clients. They have all had problems, but Gmail is as close to perfect as I could hope. Amazingly, Gmail is still considered beta. If only Microsoft could produce a beta as near perfect as Gmail. I’m not going to ramble on about all the features, but if you try Gmail out you will not be disappointed. My wife and me both use Gmail now and we’re never turning back. I mean that!!! With Gmail we’ll never have to switch email addresses again during our moves, unless we want to.

Next, we tried out Blogger by Google. If you’re reading this now you know I love this Blog site. Enough said!

Our latest dive in the Google pool has delivered Google Calendar. It’s an online calendar/schedule that’s based on the iCal protocol. We again love this Application! It is sooo much better then Outlook!!!!! Again, I’m not going to ramble on about features, but if you try it you’ll love it! You can click the link to the right to see my public calendar. This is just one of the many overlays you can make public, keep private, or share with individuals or groups. The possibilities are endless!

In closing, I hope to see everyone in the Google world very soon; and when you get here drop me a Gmail, or better yet share your Google calendar and I’ll share mine!

Sparky

DRM Sucks!

I love the above picture. I giggle when I see it. I think it’s funny for no other reason then the fact that everyone has seen those stupid black figures dancing on their TV at one point or another… and wanted to choke them.

The pictures are the idea of an organization called “Defective by Design”. Their cause is to force “governments, corporations, and politicians take the steps necessary to protect our rights.” More specifically, to force the previously mentioned parties to end DRM (Digital Rights Management), and to allow us, U.S. citizens, to practice our “Fair Use” rights.

Digital Rights Management, or more appropriately Digital Restrictions Management, is used to prevent theft, duplication, and piracy of digital copyrighted works.

Fair Use is base on our First Amendment right to Free Speech, and allows limited use of copyrighted material without approval from the copyright holder(s). An example of Fair Use rights in action would be making a recording of a CD, to a tape, to listen to in your car. Another example would be to convert the tracks on that same CD to MP3 files to listen to on your MP3 Player. Both these scenarios are legal as long as the recording is for your use only.

Unfortunately the major recording studios, record labels, movie studio, “Hollywood”, and the Entertainment Industry (EI) as a whole has used DRM to cripple what we can and can’t do with the things we buy.

The EI started out legitimately enough trying to shut down file sharing web sites like Napster and Kazaa. These sites hid behind the Fair Use rights trying to say everyone on their site was a worldwide collection of “friends” and it was legal for these “friends” to share their music. Everyone can pretty much agree there was a problem with that.

Now the EI has taken it too far. They have encroached on the rights of normal law abiding citizens to practice their Fair Use rights. Everyone but the EI can agree there is a definite problem with that.

Can I download a song from iTunes and listen to it on my Creative Muvo? Can my uncle download a song from Rhapsody and listen to it on his iPod? Can I convert a DVD to a MPEG file to watch on my PocketPC while I ride the bus to work in the mornings? The answer to all of these is NO! These are all things that should be legal under our Fair Use Rights, but thanks to overbearing DRM practices they are not capable or are illegal to bypass.

Recently Defective by Design held a protest outside several Apple stores. The iTunes/iPod combo is not the only show in town with horribly overbearing DRM practices, but with the largest share of the market I feel they have a responsibility to their customers to act as a middleman against the EI. Instead Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Virgin, and all the other online music providers have enjoyed tremendous success while pointing their finger at the Entertainment Industry anytime someone questions them about their DRM policies… Shame.

Sparky

Tattoo Art, Part II

Sorry to leave everyone hanging for so long… It’s been a busy month. I have several blogs I’m working on and need to post, but first I would like to readdress my last blog, labeled “Tattoo Art.”

The theme for the tattoo is the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ!

Joey, being the only person to comment, hit several of the finer points on the head. On a side note, the other two individuals that helped Joey come to his final conclusions could post a comment once in a while themselves. Obviously, they have seen the blog, and more importantly they have an opinion or they wouldn’t have interjected. If anyone hasn’t figured it out, I strive on recognition… throw me a bone once in a while :-)

Now back to the tattoo…

-The center band of Fish- The black fish are ordinary people. The “Jesus Fish” in modern society has came to be synonymous with Jesus, God, and Christian, but in Mark 1:17 (NIV) ["Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."] Jesus references all of the unsaved as fish, and if you follow his teachings you can witness to those individuals. Through witnessing (fishing) you can help people to know the love of Jesus Christ and ultimately assist in their salvation.

-The Red Fish- Is of course Jesus Christ. John 3:16 (NIV) [For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.] The red color also signifies the Blood of the lamb, 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) [For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.]

-The Twisted Barbwire- Is a modern reference to the Crown of Thorns. John 19:2-3 (NIV) [The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.] I’ve always thought the Crown of Thorns was symbolism for sin, and foreshadowing the sin of man being placed solely on Jesus, 1 John 2:2 (NIV) [He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.] After all what is a king of the world but a king of sin? Jesus did not come to be king of Earth or anything in it. Every time one of those thorns pricked Jesus it stung and every time we sin it stings our Lord in Heaven.

-The Cross- The medium for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Cross is a symbol, and reminder, to each of us the suffering and torment that Jesus endured to erase our sin before God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) [God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.]

-The Blood Drop- In the final tattoo the tip of the cross will be drawn to appear to pierce flesh and a blood drop will flow from the piercing. John 19:32-34 (NIV) [The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.] This event is important because it show the fulfillment of the scripture in the Old Testament; Numbers 9:12 (NIV) [They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.]

-Jesus’ Passage- Jesus, the Red Fish, and the Cross are 180 degrees apart from one another. Jesus was born a man, to travel through this world, and to bear the weight of our sins on the Cross. There is no shorter or easy way to save mankind from their sins. Luke 22:42 (NIV) ["Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."] Not even Jesus wanted the pain and misery of being forsaken by our Holy Father; Mark 15:34 (NIV) [And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"]

-Orientation- I have the Red Fish, Jesus, facing out towards the world; John 8:12 (NIV) [When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."] I have the Cross close to my heart so I’ll never forget what Jesus did for me; Psalm 119:93 (NIV) [I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.]

I know this is really involved. Probably more in-depth then anyone would have thought. To be honest it is more complex then I had even realized upon first visualizing it. The designs came to me without much consideration. Only upon further analysis did the whole message unfold. I have spent considerable amounts of time in scripture just trying to understand the whole tattoo.

I’m not trying to imply that God has told me to get a tattoo… I have struggled with the idea of getting a tattoo for many years; just ask Angela. Only recently did I start praying about it. I think this is the answer to my prayers. God has shown me that if I’m going to get a tattoo, if I’m going to permanently alter his temple, then I should make sure that it glorifies him!

Also, I think it’s an awesome tattoo… very few people will be able to look at it without asking about it. What an awesome witnessing tool!

Sparky




The above image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Tattoo Art

Above is a tattoo arm band I've been working on. The idea for the tattoo came to me before Christmas. I've been intermittently working on it the last few months and finally think it's done. I am not a digital imagry artist, so please no post about my jagged edges!

The band will be continuous once tattooed onto the arm. The top section will face out, the bottom section will face in (toward the chest and heart).

There is a theme involved with this tattoo, but before I discuss it further I would like to know what everyone thinks. Let me know if you can figure out my inspiration for the tattoo. It has a cross in it so "Religion" is obvious, be specific and creative. Also, let me know if you like it or hate it.

Feel free to comment on you own opinion of tattoos as well. I would love to know what everyone thinks.

There seem to be four distinct groups of people when it comes to tatoos. Group One; Hate tattoos and think anyone who has a tattoo is a window-licking Knuckle-dragger. Group Two; Would never have a tattoo themselves, but don't have any position on people who have them. Group Three; Don't have any tattoos but have secretly thought about getting one many times. Group four; Have tattoos... maybe one... maybe they are covered. Where do you fall? I've been in group three for a long time, but think I may jump into group four soon enough.

Sparky



The above image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.

Easter Pics!

We had a great Easter weekend. The weather was beautiful and we got to spend some time outdoors.

I have added Kayla and Ashlynn's Easter Dress pics to Smugmug.

You can take a look at the new gallery here, or take a peek at the gallery in slideshow format (for highspeed internet only).

Sparky

Prison Work!!!

This weekend I helped my Mom work on the banks of her creek. Over the last few year Richmond, VA has been hit with several heavy storms and hurricanes. This has caused flooding and erosion everywhere. To help combat the issue of erosion and slow flowing residential creeks the county is giving free rocks to anyone who has a creek on their property. This is both a blessing and a curse. They put the rocks in the most accessible area for their trucks. This happens to be my Mom and Dad’s front yard; around forty yards from the creek in the back yard. Also, there is only a small path to get a heavy-duty utility cart to the back and it is on a slope.

The average rock size was 15-20 pounds, however, a few boulders were easily 50 pounds. Judging by the way the cart acted with me in it compared to how it reacted to a full load of rocks; I’m guessing that a full cart of rocks weighed 300-400 pounds!! Between Saturday and Sunday I loaded, hauled, and unloaded (threw to the far bank) 23 carts, approximately 8000 pounds of rock.

Believe it or not I really enjoyed myself! Angela had taken the children to her family for the weekend. I got to spend time outside working, which I love, but don’t get to do enough of anymore. Also, I got to spend time with my Mom and Sister.

I really don’t care about the rat race most people toil in for most of their lives. It’s taken me a long time to realize this. If I could find a job where I got to work outdoors, no matter how strenuous, at my own pace, but still paid 20-30 dollars an hours with benefits I would take it!!!

Sparky

Working at the Pentagon

I’m currently teaching a Windows 2000 Server/Professional System Administration class at the Pentagon (headquarters for the department of defense). My office is actually about 15 Miles away in Falls Church City, Virginia. After Hurricane Katrina devastated Keesler AFB we began teaching some of their classes up here in the National Capital Region. My office building only has two classrooms, so JSSC in the Pentagon was gracious enough to loan us one of their dormant classrooms.

Living and Working in the Pentagon is surreal. Due to the lack of parking, everyone commutes. Some ride the bus, others ride the Metro, and a few brave souls even slug (a legalized form of hitchhiking to take advantage of the HOV lanes). I personally ride the Metro. It’s a very weird feeling to be sitting reading the paper on the metro and have a Two-Star General sit down in the sit beside you, as did this morning. On any other military installation you’re not even allowed to get within speaking distance to a General, much less snuggle shoulders on a crowded Metro train.

Once I get to the Pentagon the fun doesn’t end. There are Officers everywhere; most of them acting like normal humans. Due the HIGH concentration of Officers at the Pentagon they all feel more comfortable and let down their military bearing a little. Some let down their military bearing a little too much!!!! This is actually a bad place for an enlisted person to spend much time. I don’t want to, nor should I see most of these Officers acting like the rejects they are. It’s like, to become an officer you have to have some type of social deficiency and the pentagon is the place to let it all hang out. These are the geeks that got picked on in high school, so they became Officers to have a little control in their lives. Lord help me if I ever have to work for some of these clowns in the future.

After I spend a little time observing the freak show it’s time to head to my class. Once I get off the metro I have about four flights of stairs to get up to the first floor. Next, I have two ramps and about half a mile of corridors to navigate. After that, is the plummet down four flights of stairs to B2. Yes, this classroom is way underground. Finally, I have about a tenth-of-a-mile to my classroom. Once class has started I have to plan break well in advance for my students and for myself. Everything takes forever to get to in the Pentagon. If any of my students smoke they have to run a marathon to get to the center courtyard and back.

Something else of interest is the fact that all the traditional “chow halls” have been removed and replace with shopping mall styled food courts. There are more fast food restaurants then the Mall of American in the Pentagon. I personally like to get sushi for lunch at the sushi bar in corridor 3, but there is any other name brand fast food chain you could think of in here.

By far the coolest things to see at the Pentagon are passed by most. The whole building is a monument, museum, and historical record all rolled into one. Every ring, every corridor, every apex has something to read or look at, but many times they are passed over for the more “interesting items.” I urge all my students to stop, look, and read while they are exploring the building. I could spend months reading all the history. Last week I spent my lunch hours in the Air Force hall. There are model airplanes for every aircraft that has been in the Air Force inventory. Each model is accompanied with fact sheets outlining all the specifics of the actual aircraft it represents. I personally think that’s what makes working at the Pentagon fun.

Sparky

Decorating

Sorry for the break... I can't believe how much time has passed since my last blog entry!! We've had a lot going on the last few weeks.

First and foremost, we have nearly finished decorating our new house. This is a much bigger deal then most people realize. Moving in the military usually means living in apartments, rentals, or base housing. All of these residences are usually drab or in poor shape. For the last several moves we just didn't decorate. We left everything in the boxes until the next move. Actually, I should say I left everything in the boxes; my wife, Angela, always wants the house to look nice and tries to get me to hang things on the walls. It's turned into a battle of wills a few times. We have really gone all out in this new home. I'm glad we have too. I love coming home, it looks so nice. My wife and I try harder to keep the place looking nicer also. I suppose that's one argument for always making an effort to decorating as soon as we move into a new place.

Papa Porter and Grandma Marlene visited us a couple of weeks ago. Also, this past Sunday Papa Tony and Grandma Debbie visited to see our new home and see the kids. We all had a great time!!

Sparky

An Army of One (Brain cell)

As most people know, I dislike the Army. This isn’t just an Army - Air Force rivalry; I have had the misfortune of working on several joint operations and exercises.

Every time I have called to a distant end Army communications center a private or sergeant picks up the phone, but once I start talking technical lingo about whatever it is that I called about they immediately go blank and patch me through to their lieutenant or captain. That’s because these guys (Army Captains and Lieutenants) are my intellectual peers when it comes to anything high tech. The monkeys that answered the phone, although they make as much as me (if not more), are not trained to do more than answer phones, make coffee, and alert their superiors if any condition in which they’ve been assigned to monitor changes.

By far, the Army soldiers (of any rank) are more ignorant than any other branch’s equivalent graded (and many times several grades lower).

Definitions:

Ignorant:

1. Lacking education or knowledge.


2. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge: an ignorant mistake.


3. Unaware or uninformed.

This is different from being Stupid (read Navy, but they can’t help it)

Stupid:

1. Slow to learn or understand; obtuse.


2. Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless: a stupid mistake.


3. Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes.

My reference to Army soldiers being ignorant is in no way an indication of the individual soldiers ability to learn. I’m not saying Army soldiers are stupid; in fact most soldiers I have met are in fact very smart. The Army however chooses not to teach, mentor, or nurture their greatest natural resource: People. As a whole, the Army "machine" is slow to react, unintelligent, and breeds the same among their individual soldiers.

There is a reason for this intentional dumbing down of their force.

A large majority of soldiers get out of the service after their first enlistment (for a number of reasons), or after their first conflict (for an even larger number of reasons). Why should the Army spend such a large amount of money on soldiers that only hang around for two to six years?

We lived beside an Army Civil Engineering grunt in our last house. He was currently in school at Fort Belvoir and had been for most of his enlistment. Once he graduates this summer he’ll have less than two years of service left before his enlistment is up and he’s not sure if he’ll reenlist. The Army will have to start all over training someone else if he gets out.

For most positions, the Army teaches you the bear minimum for you to operate in the field, no more no less. My neighbor was the exception when it comes to decent training in the Army, but if he gets out (which he probably will) it only helps to further solidify the Army position of minimal training.

I’m happy to be in the Air Force and proud of the excellent training we, as career Airmen, get. With that being said it’s becoming progressively more difficult to work in an environment that is becoming ever-increasingly ran by joint operations. Most of us Airmen were oblivious to the difference in training and ability levels between the military branches several years ago. Each service branch stuck to itself. Now in a time of money and personnel cuts the service branches have had to start helping each other out. We do nearly everything jointly now.

Working with Soldiers that make as much as you but are completely clueless is infuriating. If I performed at the level that some of these soldiers perform then I would be discharged. It’s accepted though, and laughed off as a joke, “What do you expect… He’s an Army Grunt.” He’s not an Army grunt anymore! He was an Army grunt when I didn’t have to see him; He was an Army grunt when he was just one of the newest casualties in whatever conflict was going on; He was an Army grunt when he HELD A GUN AND SCRATCHED HIS ASS! Now he’s my coworker, my peer, and technical counterpart. If he’s paid on the same pay scale as me and he’s now working in the same tech center as me then he should be able to pull his own weight next to me… not his lieutenant!

--------------------------------------------------

All right, lets turn this argument around. Whose fault is this actually? You can’t blame the Army for being frugal on training when the majority of enlisted men don’t hang around. I blame the Air Force.

The Air Force has tried to be frugal to the point of abusing their Airmen. Most people are not aware that the Air Force is the only branch that doesn’t have Warrant Officers. In attempts to save money and reduce manning the Air Force deleted the highly technical grades of W1 through W5. Who would do all the things that Warrant Officers used to do? The enlisted Airmen, of course. This happened many years ago, and since then more and more responsibility has been pushed down to the enlisted ranks. In fact the combination of Officers realizing that there is no end to what a motivated Airman can do, and rank hungry Airman willing to do anything to get promoted has caused this problem to escalate at an exponential rate! A negative side effect of this trend is that it has caused Air Force Officers to atrophy in their leadership skills while creating power hungry enlisted Airmen that behave like Gollum off of “The Lord of the Rings”. This horrible arrangement is the topic of another post.

So, in the end, my aggravation with the Army is, if truth were told, an aggravation with the Air Force, the Army, and our new joint environment that has brought all these things to the surface. If I’m going to be mad at anyone it should be the Air Force. They have told us Airmen for years how proud we should be at the fact that we are the best-trained, most professional enlisted corp in the whole Department of Defense, No… The World.

The truth is we are simply the Air Force's twisted financial science experiment.

Sparky

What do you call an Eight-Foot Snowman...

The "Blizzard of 2006" has came and gone leaving behind about 8-10 inches of snow. Don’t even get me started on what these yahoos here in D.C. call a “Blizzard”. They need to spend a few years in the Northern Mid-West… like Utah!

East Coast snow is great because it is very dense (wet). This makes for great packing snow for things like forts, snowballs, and SNOWMEN!

Kayla and I had a great time all day Sunday. In fact, being a weekend, the whole neighborhood was out having a great time. Snowball fights were everywhere. A neighbor of ours and myself built a couple of snow-forts… only to have all the children tackle and destroy them with glee.

My next project was the Snowman. The bottom ball of the beast is between 500-800 lb.; the intermediate ball is around 300 lb.; and the head is about 80 lb. I had to use a stepladder to get the head placed upon the body. Kayla helped where she could and gave our snowman its final touchs with a carrot nose and scarf.

You can see more pictures at our snowman gallery.

Sparky

Recipe: Hashbrown Casserole

I have nearly perfected Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole. I hope everyone enjoys this dish as much as we do!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns


• 10.75 oz. can condensed Cream of Chicken soup


• 8-12 oz. extra sharp Cheddar cheese- grated


• ½ cup butter


• 1 small onion


• 1 tsp. salt


• ½ tsp. black pepper


• 1 lb. Chicken (optional)

First thing you need to do is thaw and dry out those hashbrowns. The frozen hashbrowns develop a tremendous amount of water in the form of ice. If you don’t remove this water your hashbrown casserole will be hashbrown stew.

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

- Place your frozen hashbrowns on a greased or non-stick cookie sheet and thaw in oven for 20-30 minutes while the oven is pre-heating. It’s O.K. if the top ones get a little dried out, you’ll rehydrate them in a few steps.

- Remove the hashbrowns from the oven and set aside until cool.

- Coarsely chop the onion and pan sauté over high heat.

- Set the onions aside and let them cool slightly.

- Put butter in 9x13 pan and place in oven until butter has melted.

- Once the butter has melted, combine soup, butter, cheese, onions, salt, and pepper in large bowl.

- Gently fold in the hashbrowns until just mixed.

- Rub any remaining butter around the sides of the pan to prevent sticking.

- “Pour” the mix into the 9x13 pan and spread evenly.

- Bake for 35-40 minutes. I usually broil mine for the last couple of minutes to give the top a nice brown “crust”.

- To make this a meal I like to add a pound of chicken. Grill or pan brown the chicken and then pull into small bite size pieces. Add the pieces to the mix at the same time you add the hashbrowns.

If you’re lucky enough to have a large cast iron baking pan, the cast iron really gives this dish a nice crispy bottom. You can also divide up the mixture and pour into two 10” cast iron skillets.

Happy Eating,

Sparky

Happy Groundhog Day?!?!

Phil the Groundhog has seen his shadow… Traditionally, this has meant six more week of winter weather. Seeing how winter has not started yet, at least in Northern Virginia, does this mean winter will now begin and last six weeks, or is my ski season completely ruined for this year.

I knew moving from Utah back to the east coast was going to put a serious kink in my skiing, but I didn’t realize that meant no skiing, at least locally. The ski conditions in Northern Virginia have been unbearable. If for some reason I did go to one of the local resorts I would have to rent skies; I wouldn’t dream of scraping up my Salomons or my Atomics on the mud mixed slush that currently litters the hills near D.C.

Maybe Phil, with the observance of his own displacement of light, will indeed grant all of us skiers on the east coast one great ski day before the foliage begins to bloom.

Sparky

Goodbye Mammy

My Wife’s Maternal Grandmother, Polly “Mammy” Harold, passes away on the 13 of January. This is a very sad time for the Harold family. The only consolation is in the fact that Mammy is undisputedly in Heaven. Mammy was a strong and faithful Christian with a boundless heart for service. As much as she gave and gave for her own family she gave doubly to the Church and God. She will be missed here on earth, but I’m glad one of Gods servants has returned to heaven.

Mammy was also a focal point of the family. Nearly, all family get-togethers were at her home. If too many people were going to be there then we would have our get-togethers at the community building and Mammy would “cater” the food and desserts. She always had a smile and hugs for the adults and a soft-warm lap for the little ones.

Mammy, although not related through blood, had a special place in my own heart. I love both my grandmothers very much and love spending time with them, but they are not exactly the grandmothers you would expect to see on a Lifetime Original Movie (the Happy-Sappy ones). I’m talking about the Mrs. Claws at the North Pole type; angelic, bubbly, and something always warm on the stove. Mammy was that kind of grandmother! From the first time Angela brought me home, when we were dating, to the last time I gave Mammy a hug and said goodbye she has always treated me like one of her own grandchildren.

Mammy always had something cooking on the stove. In the 12 years that I knew her anytime we stopped by she always had something great to eat. We have most of her recipes now and with our growing cast iron collection we can get most of them close, however, nothing will ever be as good as mammy’s cooking.

I only wish we had gotten Mammy’s pecan pie recipe…

I know the Truth!!! hahaha... For 10 years I’ve requested that Mammy make me one of her pecan pie. I love pecan pie and “hers” were wonderful! Only recently have I found out that they were actually “Mrs. Edwards Frozen Pecan pies”. I’m tickled that she was not sure how to tell me so kept bringing the pies, year after year, under the pretense that she had made them. I’m more amused that although she tried to keep it a secret it seems that she let it slip more and more over the years. I’m not exactly sure how many people were privy to this information, but I’m starting to think I was the last one left who didn’t know. Baked or bought, her pecan pie always made me smile. Many times she would bring one just for me.

I love you mammy and I’ll miss you.

Sparky

(Click the first picture, or here, to be taken to a Gallery of Mammy's Photos)

I Love Cast Iron

To see my cast iron collection go to My Photo Album.

As a few of you already know… I Love Cast Iron! This wasn’t the case until just a few months ago.

I’ve read about cast iron for years. I’ve thought about buying a cast iron Skillet for just as long. I also knew all the advantages of cooking with cast iron. I already had a great set of Calaphalon Stainless Steel pots and pans, so whenever I was in a store I never really thought to go down the pots and pans isle. The desire just wasn’t there… Yet!

That was until my family’s beach trip to Sandbridge, VA this past year. We rented a house for the week that was fully furnished. The houses are always well furnished, but often lacking in the culinary department. You’re usually lucky if you have a full complement of Aluminum Wal-Mart Specials. I don’t blame the homeowners… would you leave your cast iron heirlooms or $500 Calaphalon One pots and pans for renters to destroy. One misguided trip through the dishwasher would destroy either of the previously mentioned pans. This house was no different. First inspection of the kitchen revealed nothing but aluminum pans and these were particularly bad. Later on the first day I opened a drawer and there it was… a 10” lodge cast iron skillet. It was not in the best shape but could be cooked on. The next morning it was time to whip that pan into shape- BACON! After cooking two pounds of bacon at high heat, the pan really started looking good, and cooked better than anything I had ever cooked on before. By the end of the trip I was on fire for Cast Iron! I had serious thoughts about taking the pan I had grown so fond of and leaving a twenty behind. In the end, I left that pan, but not without a hug and a prayer that the next renters treated it as well as I.

Before I go on I would like to elaborate on my last thoughts. I know you non-cast iron using people out there think I’m crazy right about now. I would have thought such an emotional bond to a pan was crazy as well. Ask any chef and they will tell you that they develop strong bonds to certain cookware, particularly to specific pans. Just like with a musical instrument, you have to learn the nuances of the pan… cast iron takes that feeling a step further.

With cast iron you can’t just buy a piece and start cooking on it. Well you could if you like a big burnt mess!!! Before you cook with cast iron you have to season the pan. Iron is incredibly porous; before you can cook in it you must fill those microscopic holes… with Carbon. Carbon is the PERFECT non-stick surface, better than Teflon or anything else on the market. You might be asking yourself, “Why don’t they make Carbon pans if it’s soooo great?” The answer to that question- Carbon is Brittle; the pan would shatter if you looked at it funny... In comes Iron. Iron is strong but due to its porous nature everything sticks to it. Wouldn’t you know it Carbon requires a porous surface (such as iron) to stick to and build up on.

Chemistry Time: Now how do we get old black carbon into those microscopic holes in the surface of Iron? Do we rub a lump of coal against our Iron? No, when working at the microscopic level we need to form chemical reactions. This one’s easy. When oils and fats, from vegetables or animals, are heated to high levels the long strands of hydrocarbons begin to snap into smaller strands. This happens over and over again in the heat until all you’re left with is Carbon.

Now here’s how we "season" a cast iron pan. First, warm the pan up in the oven at the lowest setting. You want it to be uniformly warm, but not to hot to handle. Metals expand in heat; your simply trying to open the microscopic holes up as much as possible. Next, rub vegetable shortening (Crisco) all over it and stick it in the oven at about 300 degrees. The Crisco, after about an hour, will have turned into carbon. Your pan now has the ultimate non-stick surface. There is a lot more “technique” involved, but that’s the down and dirty.(Note: more layers means more durability, don't cook acidic foods after only one or two seasonings... you'll end up with a metallic taste.)

Why Crisco and not Bacon (Like grandma used to use) for seasoning. Well, animal fat will go rancid if left in open air for a while. With out using an electron microscope we can't tell if the chemical reactions are complete and the fats are completely broken down. If you use the same cast iron pot or pan everyday, there is no problem. If you can't commit to using your pan everyday stick with vegetable oil. It's won't go rancid if you don't use it everyday and it won't add subtle flavor to your recipes. (Note: Olive oil is not a good choice for seasoning because of it's high heat tolerance. It makes a great protective coating after the seasoning process, plus it leaves your pans black and shiny, but for seasoning you'll end up with a sticky mess.)

After a cast iron owner buys/finds/inherits a cast iron pan, does the research on how to take care of it, and seasons it just the right way, it’s no wonder why we get so attached to these utensils.

Now, were was I? Oh, yes, I had to say good-bye to the skillet at the beach house… A few weeks later Angela and myself were at AAFES and found a 10” Lodge cast iron skillet. I believe my senses were heightened to the presence of cast iron due to my recent encounter at the beach. We bought it and I, again, had the same joyous reaction to cooking in it that I'd had at the beach.

News got out to my family and soon I became the owner of 18 pieces of cast iron. For the record, I have bought two of these 18 pieces; the original 10” skillet and a Fish Pan. Many of them are very sentimental to both my wife and I. The cast iron my Grandmother gave me was almost exclusively used by my deceased Grandfather, Ret. CMSgt Joe Sartin. Likewise, many of the pieces Angela’s family gave us had traveled several generations through her family.

The sad truth is, cast iron pieces like these, around the U.S. and world, will probably end up in landfills. What’s worse is that many cast iron pieces are being picked up not as cooking utensils, but as decorations for some yahoo’s country kitchen theme. I have an idea; if you want a country kitchen grab one of those skillets off the wall and make some cornbread! Why we have dropped our cast iron for inferior cooking utensils is another post so keep a look out.

Nearly, every piece was in abysmal shape when we received it. The best pieces had rusting; the worst pieces were nearly unspeakable. Every piece, I’m now cooking in, after a little know how and hard work. I’ve used nearly every piece and would take 18 more if some wanted to get rid of them. A better idea would be to scrub them down, clean them up, season them, and cook something great.

If you would like to see my cast iron collection go to My Photo Album.


Sparky

This is me and my younger of two daughters!

Happy New Year!

Decided to start a Blog for the new year... More of a diary of thoughts than anything else; although a few of you might find it interesting.

It's my first day back to work after a two week break! I've wasted nearly the entire day trying to escape from the fog of vacation... Working out this afternoon has helped refocus my thoughts... kinda.
I have a new years resolution to get in better shape (don't laugh). Unlike most of you out there; I have to do this for my job or I won't get promoted... and other bad things I don't want to mention.

It's time to go, I think my wife is preparing lettuce wraps tonight for dinner. It's simple, but one of my favorite meals!!!!

Sparky