sok's attempt to burn his hands

Finished my first generation of hot sauces...

I haven't named them yet. I'm looking to include a reference to my Mexican grandma, a personified jalapeno, maybe a burning ass... but I haven't quite decided on my motif. 
Inspiration for said venture must be given his due, in my almost always willing to try anything son Garrett. He generally tilts his head down, looks to see if I'm about to steer him wrong, and then dives right in, part food-adventurer, part machismo in a world of NYC-salsa sisters.

One sensory-overwhelming trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market later, a few glances at online recipes, a bit of this and that, and we've created the first generation of hot sauces. Three versions, using Cayenne (recipe A), Poblano (B), and Anaheim Green chiles (C). 

Each of the kids, in turn, responded that the results looked more like salsa than hot sauce. They were not pureed fine enough for their FDA-labeling standards. Told them to 'shut-it', and enjoy the taste. 

The Poblano is the best-tasting. With this one, I roasted the skins ahead of time. I don't know if the roasting or the chile put it ahead, but it is rather enjoyable. It will be a staple at the table for while it lasts.

Time will tell if we enjoy or ignore this adventure. It was a fun afternoon with Garrett, and I was able to experience burning fingers for the next 36 hours; that's got to be worth something.

PS - do not confuse the Anaheim Green with the New Mexico Hatch Green. Or, if you do confuse it, don't confess such to me. I don't want to be party to the heresy.

WASH Practices and Skills

eMi Communities of Practice

Yammer response from Kevin Hale, eMi WASH disaster response volunteer:

Skills for WASH work that come to mind:

1. Calculate:
1. The dosage of chlorine to add to a well or other supply to disinfect it.
2. The amount of chlorine required to provide a safe but effective level or residual chlorine for drinking water.
3. How much water is required for drinking for a given population
4. The amount of available chlorine in whatever source is available
5. The TDH required to pump a given flow of water from a well of specific depth.
6. The required kWh of portable generators to run such pumps efficiently.
7. The amount of appropriate fuel required to run the generators.
8. The probable amount of wastewater flows for a given population
2. Use & Do:
1. Use and understand the results of, and the differences between, water test kits.
2. On-site percolation tests to determine the size of leaching basins/leaching fields required to serve a given population
3. Understand:
1. Cultural norms with respect to latrine use in the area being served
2. Level of disinfection required for water uses, that is drinking/bathing/washing and the ability to communicate this to the population being served.
4. Different water filter technologies and the physical sizes of viruses, bacteria and helminths with respect to the filer sizes.
4. Principles:
1. High tech solutions are rarely appropriate in the undeveloped world and certainly not in disaster response work.
2. Whatever solutions WASH teams recommend must be easy to understand and easy to maintain, and that local population must be instructed in how to maintain them with locally available skills and where any necessary resources for maintaining them will come from,
3. As in any consulting situation, teams must understand that the 'client' had not had years of engineering education and experience and likely will not fully comprehend what is recommended without teaching them the basics.

Giving Up

It is not a command.

We have incredibly-few of these, and it does not make mention.

Directly, it is not of scripture, and is not a necessity of the Christian life.

Indirectly, however, it is a reflection and consideration of the principles of the life, essence, and reality of Jesus the Christ. 

And inasmuch, as we mimic Him, follow after Him, we do well.

In the past, I have given away 

Sweet Tea

then Iced Tea

then all liquids sans Water...

Internet

Reading.

Last year, as one who spends 2-4 hours a day driving, the most challenging of all, it was all sounds in the car.

Approaching Lent, I am thoroughly uninspired to give up the things of this world. Maggie, a voice of God, encouraged me to consider 'giving up' in a different light. 

Jesus,

in my vainglory attempt to honor you, 

to connect with you,

to hope to connect with you,

I spend Lent 2015

giving away

the parts of my life

that overcrowd my life.

This is almost completely CH2M-centric.

I take on

I am given

I am dumped on.

My shoulders are fully laden, my back is stooped. 

And I still go on. 

I pray for strength and wisdom and I still go on. 

In this Lent,

rather than put away some physical addiction,

stressing my body and then mind with the hopes that the spirit is expanded,

In this Lent,

I give away my superhero life, 

let go of succeeding, hyper-exerting, fixing, bailing out, being the man.

I will be challenged, as I leave holes in my life,

I hope to trust God to fill them, to be God,

to correct,

complete,

flourish

while I shrink away.