More than one way to skin a cat

I have heard it said that there is more than one way to skin a cat. As curious as that statement is, I have never had the need, nor the desire, to skin a cat. I am also quite positive that some animal rights group would camp out on my door step and build tree forts in my yard for weeks in protest. That visual alone is worse than actually skinning a cat. I’m also fairly certain that any attempt to skin a cat would result in losing as much skin as the cat

And while I certainly understand the metaphor, I would rather consider how many wonderful ways there are to cook a turkey, something that is indeed useful. One of the more trendy ways to cook a bird for Thanksgiving is to deep fry it. If you think I’m kidding, try typing the words deep fried into any search engine of any browser. This is America, we love things deep fried, as often as possible. Deep fried turkey is amazing, especially if done right. The skin of the turkey is fantastic and all the meat is juicy, not just the dark stuff (which is way better than white meat).

Another fascinating concept is that of beer butt turkey. Again, if you doubt this, just check it out online, it’s where all the best information is at. Inserting a can of beer into the center of a turkey and then BBQing it is apparently another great way to get a moist bird. And seeing as how I am responsible for cooking the turkey on the BBQ this year, I might have to try that. Are you supposed to drink the beer afterwards?

One idea that I am intrigued by is turducken. If you are unaware of this phenomenon, let me enlighten you. First, you take a duck and stuff it with stuffing. Then you shove it into a chicken. Next, you stuff the chicken into a turkey. Any open pockets are to be filled with more stuffing. Then, when you can’t stuff anymore, you bake it. Apparently, after that you eat it. All of a sudden I’m hungry, not sure why.

If there is one thing that will definitely not be served in our house, it’s tofurkey. Tofurkey is the equivalent of a Milli Vanilli song. There is absolutely nothing you can ever do to make it sound good to me; it will always be a fake.

At the end of the day, if you want to really impress your friends and make your mother in law look at you funny for more than three hours, you need to spatchcock your turkey. Don’t look at me like that. Basically, you butterfly your turkey before you cook it and in the process, you can eat in an hour and a half. I’m thinking that spatchcocking is starting to sound pretty good, instead of just really weird.

Whatever way you go this year, save me some dark meat, unless it’s tofurkey. In which case, you might try deep frying it…or feeding it to the cat.

Shoe review - Merrell Bare Access 2 Barefoot shoes - 1st review

Okay, most of you who have been reading my stuff for any length of time know that I have written about politics, religion, faith, family, sports and such. What you might not know is that nearly 3 years ago I decided to start running. What started out as a kind of joke between my wife and I, since I had turned 40 and she laughed that I was no longer a spring chicken, has since become an absolute joy for me. Simply put, I love to run and I run a lot.

With that said, I have gone through a fair amount of shoes in the last 3 years and have determined not only my own personal running style and shoe style, but have also become fairly adept at understanding the shoe world, the brands that do a good job and the costs associated. It is important to note, right here and now, that every runner out there has a different opinion regarding shoes. So, for this post and any subsequent post about shoes, please understand that I am writing from my perspective. What works for me may very well not work for you and that is something you will probably not get from your local shoe store. If you are serious about running, you MUST try on shoes and actually take a short trot in them before buying them if they are a brand you have never worn prior. The risks involved are serious and can ruin your joy for running with injuries that are preventable. So, buyer beware, my reviews are going to be based on my perspective and opinion only, please bear that in mind.

For my first ever review, I would like to start with a pair I bought last night from REI. I like to check them out occasionally because they will sometimes have very good prices on a few things and this was one of those times. I was actually shopping for a new pair of trail shoes and first tried on the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove. I loved them but alas, they were not on sale and I'm kind of hard core about buying shoes on sale, so I put them back. I did notice, however, that they currently have the Merrell Bare Access 2 Barefoot shoes on special for $64.93 and available in 2 colors; carbon or charcoal/orange. I went with the carbon pair in size 8.5, which is small for me but they seemed to fit very well. With a group run planned for in the morning, I definitely left excited about breaking them in.

First, here are the specs:
0 mm drop. This is a big deal for me and for all those who do not want a heel in their shoes.
7 oz weight per shoe. Super light weight.
13.5 mm stack height.This is the thickness of the sole. The smaller the number, the less between your feet and the road. These shoes are uniform front to back.

Given the specs, the number one thing I noticed when I put them on the first time was the width of the toe box. I happen to have wider feet than the average guy so narrow shoes are tough to wear because they rub. These are amazingly comfortable for the space that the ball of my foot takes up. They remind me of my Keen shoes in how the front of my foot fits in the shoe.

The next major thing I noticed was the arch, which is longer than in any shoe I have ever worn. The arch extends from the center of the ball to the center of the heel in these shoes and provides for added comfort when running. Where I noticed it most was as my foot came forward to make contact, the shoe supported my foot in a way I have not experienced before. Part of that may be the fact I went with a half size smaller than usual. Either way, this particular arch support was not expected for a minimalist shoe and while it surprised me, it was a welcome benefit.

Lastly, the weight, or lack thereof is especially nice. The shoes fit like slippers in that they are extremely light weight and comfortable. They happen to wrap my feet nicely without any added toe or heel weight. Ultimately, they are extremely well balanced.

Typical for most good running shoes, these give you two options for the final lace hole for tying the laces. This is critical for a tight fit so there isn't any slop in the shoe while running. If you like your shoes to fit just a little loose towards the top, you can tie them in the second to last lace hole. I like a slightly tighter feel overall and so I usually use the very last lace hole and skip the second to last one. If this seems like more information than necessary, again consider how different we all are. For me, this is an important feature because I expect my shoes to take a ton of abuse.

The initial run was a success, although there was a moment in there where as I ran downhill, the choice of size became an issue. By the end of the run, the shoes seemed to stretch out a little and my toes felt great, but during that down hill, my toes on my right foot were screaming at me because of the tight fit. My plan at this point is that most likely I will end up getting the next size up.

As a runner who lands exclusively fore foot (I land on the ball of my foot and my heel never touches the ground), my foot splays as it makes contact, so a slightly tight fitting shoe can be uncomfortable. Be careful to take this into consideration for any shoe, but this really comes down to determining how you run, how your foot makes contact, whether you are pronate or supinate (how your foot rolls as it comes forward to land) and how many miles a week you plan to run.

These shoes are definitely a pair I would buy again based on how I run. I am curious to see if I can find the Merrell Trail Glove shoes on sale given the comfort of this pair, but at the moment I am loving my initial foray into the Merrell brand (pro Brooks/Vivo guy here).

In the coming weeks, I will post a follow-up once I get a hundred miles on these or so. It's important to break a pair of shoes in and determine if they are worthy. The other important thing will be the total mileage I get out of these shoes. For that, I will do my best to make note of that and mention it in the future.

Not so fall

Ah, fall. Sigh. That beautiful time of the year when the leaves turn colors, flocks of geese fill the air and the sun sets a little earlier each day. Oh joy.

Such a lovely season...that lasts for 3 days. No, seriously, fall comes and goes around here like the World Series hopes of my beloved Seattle Mariners; which means, they're fleeting.

The leaves on the two trees in my front yard changed color one day and then two days later the wind had ripped every leaf off. The next day it was 34 degrees and snow was imminent for that night. Now would be a good place to mention that three days before the leaves had turned, it had been 74 and sunny. Welcome to fall in Central Oregon, glad you like it. Now, welcome to winter. Suck it up until May, maybe June.

I have spent enough time out here in the High Desert to know that spring and fall are only seasons in name and they mean nothing on a calendar. In other parts of the world, fall represents a period of at least a couple of months where the temperatures drop from summer time highs, ushering in the coldness of winter. Truly that sounds so delightful but the reality of this region is that the season of fall lasts for exactly one week every year. During that week you are well advised to prepare your home, your car and your wardrobe for the immediate change that is coming. And by change I mean 50 to 60 degree shifts in temperature and the threat of snow.

So while you put away your shorts and flip flops and pull out your thermal underwear and snow boots, all before Halloween, remember that it could be worse; it could be raining every day. Seriously though, aren’t you glad for the way it rains around here? I do appreciate how the rain seems more like intermittent spit as opposed to a constant deluge. It is simply one more reason to be thankful for this place. Still, the lack of rain fall does not leave me accepting the fall and spring seasons. I long for a summer that stretches until the middle of October and a spring that starts in March, instead of June 10^th. I know; picky, picky.

consideration

I’m sitting here, eating a bowl of ice cream, and I’m trying to determine if I am angry a lot or just sometimes or what. There are times in my day when I am alone with my thoughts and often they turn to conversations between me, myself and I. Occasionally I let God in but mostly He just listens. Over the course of the last several years I have discovered there are several things that set me off, so to speak. Sometimes I wish it were just one thing, and then maybe I could just avoid that and move on with my life, but alas. I am sure there are multiple people who concern themselves with my sanity, but trust me, I’m good, thanks.

Typically, the things that bug me the most are things outside of my control, like the economy and world hunger. Other times, it’s as pithy as the way I see people treat each other, specifically regarding how inconsiderate some folks are (that one eats at me a lot I’m afraid), or the way people drive. Mostly, I am too often saddened by watching people claim to be one thing and live lives that clearly speak to something very different. It’s more than hypocrisy, really. To suggest mere hypocrisy is to suggest there is a single topic or characteristic that can be singled out. Instead, what I see are people who on a wholesale level have painstakingly gone so far as to add the bumper stickers, buy the t-shirts, watch the right TV shows, listen to the appropriate radio stations, hang out with the right people and publicly declare their agenda on social media and yet in every action they are screaming something completely different.

It is ridiculous how truly sad we are as humans. We indeed have the power to build up or tear down everything and everyone around us, in most cases simply with the words we speak. And armed with that power, we tend to tear down more often than build up. This goes for the words we choose not to speak as well. How many times have you caught yourself wishing you would have simply spoken up but you chickened out? Sometimes our silence does as much damage as our voice. This is certainly true in the arena of politics, where yours truly has opted out of being a part of, ever again. At least that one thing doesn’t seem to cause me the drama it used to.

I like the word humanitarian, because it makes me think of doing nothing more than bettering humanity one human at a time. Today I read a blog post regarding changing our perspective on how we treat those around us and if we were a little more diligent and intentional towards those closest to us, we might begin to understand how we could deposit into their lives, especially in a way that would leave them better than when we found them. That very concept is so simple and yet so deeply profound. Why on earth would anyone wantonly choose to leave someone worse off than how you found them? Is it our goal to wreck people? Is it our aim to rain on a person’s parade so much so that they lose hope?

And yet look at the very fabric of society here in America, where if you don’t vote a certain way or believe a certain way, you must be the enemy. You’re not even viewed as alternative or different anymore, you are simply viewed as the enemy. This is what our politicians have done to us; they have turned us against each other. Interestingly, I have not noticed a very large contingency arise from this and declare that we will not be ruled by fear. Instead, I see large swaths of the population casting judgment on those less fortunate, all for the sake of some sort of misguided principal that was dictated by a well spoken political leader. Meanwhile, millions of people are suffering daily because of the hatred of fellow humans. The word humanitarian is off the table at this point, replaced not with egalitarian but instead with something very insidious, and that is egoism.

People have personally elevated their own statuses to reveal that the most important person in the world is themselves. In these cases, there is no room for anyone else. Not a spouse, not kids, not immediate family members, not friends but mostly, not anyone who doesn’t explicitly agree with their political views and agendas. Let’s stop right there. You catch my drift, of that I am sure. To beleaguer the point is only going to irritate you as much as it already irritates me.

Think of one person near you. It could be a neighbor, a co-worker, an old friend, a brother. What is one thing that would bring a smile to their face, one thing that you could do to brighten their day, one thing you could do to literally leave them better off than when you found them? This is not a difficult task, in fact it is quite easy, but it is going to take some changes. For instance, turn off the talk radio, where egoism rules. Stop participating in water cooler chats that involve politics unless you think you can learn to do so in a civil manner.

In short, we all need to grow up. And while we’re doing that we need to grow together, not apart. And the only way to do that is to water, or nurture the person next to you. To do so will only make us stronger. To do so will teach us what it means to be considerate, or more appropriately, to sit up and take notice of the people around us.

No place like home

I love this little town. I love the way it changes slowly from season to season, as businesses come and go and people move in or out. We certainly don’t see a major influx of new people and shops but they do indeed change and when they do, this town seems to come alive a little more. Truly, for a town that boasts the population it does, it certainly does not live like it. Instead, you can walk into the grocery story and know a fair number of people within. I love that.

Looking back on all the places I have lived, I can honestly say that there has never been a place like this for me. This place is home unlike any other. As I think about what makes this place special I realize that it’s everything, not just one significant event or person or thing. Notably, the people here all seem to be my friend and that is certainly worth mentioning. Also, the scenery is simply one of a kind. I wake to some of the most amazing sunrises every single day, with five mountains that rise higher than 10 thousand feet to the west and a rocky park to the north that means more to me than nearly any place I have ever seen on earth. Add to this the fact that we get less than 8 inches of rain and more than 300 days of sunshine per year. In addition, the humidity is ridiculously low, we live at 3000 feet above sea level and there are smells here, like Juniper, unlike anything I have ever come across.

Simply, this town provides for me a few of the trappings of city life that I have grown accustomed to while giving me a simplicity that I could only find in a small(er) town. I will be honest and admit that I could probably not make it in a town of less than a thousand for long. The romanticism of it is appealing but there are certain amenities that I appreciate that would simply not be found in a town of that size. I’ve driven through hundreds of little towns like that too, and while they seem charming, or cute, or even intriguing, none of them has ever screamed out to me that I should live in one. Maybe it’s too homogenized, maybe there are too few choices on where to go out for dinner, maybe there’s not enough diversity, all of which I am unsure of. I could certainly speculate but given that I have never lived in a town of that size, I cannot speak to it with certainty.

Redmond is my home. I may not be from here but I like to fantasize that I was born here because I love to hear the stories from people who grew up here, went away for awhile and then returned to raise a family. There is a tangible value associated with living here and it seems that a lot of people come to that conclusion at some point, so they come back. Having moved here in my mid 30’s, the value for me is written on the face of my kids, who love this place and don’t want to live anywhere else. I certainly echo that sentiment.

God willing, I think I’ll stay here.