Household Entropy -a Charlie Foxtrot of plumbing part 1b

Encore to Part 1 aka Part1b Revenge of the Mouse King; if you enjoyed part 1 this part is shorter and the plumbing part is on video.

“I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. 
One must imagine Sisyphus happy” 

― Albert Camus

I was only half joking about the spill of water in front of the dishwasher if you slogged through Part 1  There was a bit of water but it was a foot away from DW-dish.  Our saga continues a few days later . . .

This past Tuesday 9/01/20 it happened again. I had started a load in the dishwasher before going to bed. The second load since the last fix. Still, I stood and watched it for a few minutes looking for a leak. Satisfied that it was fine I shut off the lights and left it to its task. As I walked into the kitchen that morning I was yet again met with a puddle filling the kitchen floor. The towels I used to sop up the water last time were ready for duty, clean, dry sitting folded in the next room. 

Pre show extra before the encore.

When I went to take the towels outside to hang on the line what do I see? The doggie door is broken. That doggie door with hard plastic segments for the flap instead of soft vinyl was a big part of finally ridding my self of mice those years ago. I fumed and frustrated over what to do to fix it. Try to fashion strips of rubber of some kind to replace what had worn out? Each segment is held together with screws. That can't be by accident. But how many times a day do they use that door. It can't just be the kind of rubber inner tubes are made of. Or can it? Metal fatigue but with rubber, Rubber fatigue?  

Its still morning, I am already exhausted from DW-dish debacle Ib (the revenge). I choose to obsess on finding an answer to the doggie door. Dishes won't need doing for a few days and what I don't need are more mice in the house coming through the gaping dog door hole in the door.

Amazon and other online retailers sell replacement units that oddly cost the same as new ones. $45-$65 up to $137 for the same item. I finally found the manufacture's web site. They do sell just the rubber segment hinges for $15. Plus $7.95 for the one that seals at the bottom of it's swing. $22.95 plus shipping & tax. Keep in mind that my bank account is perpetually running on fumes. Miserly doesn't even begin to describe my M.O. these days. The whole AirSeal/UltraFlex Hinged LEXAN™ Replacement Flap by Ideal is $32+&+. But now I have a search term to use. $25 Amazon Prime for the whole flap. It also says that I bought one in 2012.

Then it comes back to me. The flap that came with the dog door in 2010 did not last. This just broken on lasted 8 years. Got back down on the floor. As you know, not my favorite thing. Duct tape should hold broken segments together in place till the new flap gets here. The dogs of course are afraid of it. I put them outside to decide how much they were afraid. Not that afraid as it turned out.

The replacement came. Think I'll wait to see how long the duct tape holds

Charlie Foxtrot plumbing repairs Part 1 took over a month all together. It was slow going due to my various disabilities and comorbid conditions. I had just started picking away at the backlog of home maintenance and housekeeping that went undone for 5+ years. I did very little of that kind of thing prior to 2013 due to apathy and short attention span. Cleaning and rearranging my little office was the place I stared in June. That was supposed to move my tinkering and it's associated items filling the dining/living room to it's own space. At that point the nice wood floor could be cleaned then  . . . the list goes on and on. 

Then, out of nowhere, this set of critical repairs pushed all of that aside for now.  

I will update this if fix #4 fails, assuming that I don't run away to someplace where they never heard of plumbing. 

Now to do something about Part 2 where the shower stall is melting the wall and flooding the floor in the adjacent room. 

"One always finds one's burden again." 

Household Entropy -a Charlie Foxtrot of plumbing part 2

 Here is preview of the next attempt to mitigate the second law of theromdynamcs vis a vis my domicile's mechanicals. 

Household Entropy -a Charlie Foxtrot of plumbing part 1

"I have often said, and oftener think,

that life is a comedy to those who think,

a tragedy to those who feel."

- mash-up of Horace Walpole (1776) & Jean Racine (1676)

That's just how I feel, I think.

- CotU (2020)

 As I age too rapidly, as my mind and body succumb to their own kind of entropy due to an ill spent youth through young adult, adult and middle age-hood, so too my grand estate falls into disrepair from neglect, my own disability and mercurial giving/not giving a fecal sample. Plus good old fashioned poverty.

As the character Major Sidney Freedman said on M*A*S*H --

"Ladies and gentlemen, 

take my advice,

Pull down your pants and slide on the ice."

Act 1 - A Problem Revealed.

One morning 3 or 4 weeks ago I traipsed into my kitchen to start my day. I found the floor flooded. Just like it was 3 or 4 years earlier. I held off on panicking. Went out to turn off the main & sopped up the water. Then contemplated my options. I was in no mood to deal with it that day, it was going to be over 100˚. The main doesn't shut off the water to the swamp coolers, those would continue to function. Bucket of water to operate the toilet if need be. The main in the off position had a tiny drip, enough to rinse a cup in the saved drips every hour or so, so, meh. 

The earlier leak took me a month and a half to run down and deal with. It involved digging under the slab through a 1' x 1' port in the driveway next to the kitchen. `Much rolling around on the floor and under the sink. I wasn't fit as a fiddle like I am now. Okay, Okay fit as an old Edsel left in a leaky barn for 50 years, but better than I was 3-4 years ago. On good days, current medical woes notwithstanding. 

Any . . way. That wretched shelf at the base of the cabinets under the sink that only seems to be there to have something to attach the toe kick cover to. I told myself the last time; before I do anything under there again, structural or not, that shelf goes first. My back doesn't need that kind of negativity.      

Act 2 - Problem confronted

"What with arth-ah-ritis and it's coconspirators these days, even the prospect of copious amounts of gratuitous floor sex would get me down there." -- Some other old geezer, not me. 

Trusty crowbar and other tools in hand. Set up a work light. Rugged but semi-gentle on my butt seat cushion on the floor (arthritis in my butt, don't cha know). I attack that shelf. The top of it wasn't attached except for a board at the front nailed to the kick plate. There was a support in the middle and that was it. One reason I wasn't stressed about damaging it further than 20 years with me has done, it's cheaply made.  

Act 3 - Oh-My-God not what I expected

Taking up the wood revealed bits of shredded grocery store bags and similar detritus (not to be confused with Sergeant Detritus troll, member of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch). And a few but not that many mouse pellets. I battled those little invaders for 2 years back in the aughts. Odd, they never leave just a few little presents. I am a very untidy person but always put food in containers. I still used to find bites out of fruit and droppings every f-ing place. I might think the mess under the sink was from back then. Except that a month or two ago I spotted a mouse darting passed in my peripheral vision. Hmm.   

Cleaned out and swept the space under the sink. Cleared a path to the front door. I turned the main back on. Ran in to see where the water was coming from. The waterline from the sink faucets to the dishwasher was spraying water. Turned off the main. Sopped up water and reached under the sink to free the hose. Pulled out DW-dish (hitherto known as the dishwasher) to disconnect it there too. Surprise surprise little rodent teeth ate a hole in the hose.

 

Bit a dang hole in it

I went to Home Depot where the month before there was a wait to go in social distance style. Now you just walk in. Despite local covid infections going from 109 90 days ago to just under 30,000. Couldn't find the one I spotted on line covered in the stainless steel mesh. So got one like it 60" long with a check valve for $10 more. Grr, I never needed one before.

I fatigue very quickly these days and every joint was aching so I installed it the next day. It was quick and I shoved the dishes back in and the washer unit back under the counter. Ran a load and all was good with the world.

Act 4 - Oh that's right it's August

I don't know if I have told you this, but I have had runs of odd/bad luck in Augusts. Don't know what it is. The heat or something messes with people and mechanical devices. They say the Santa Ana winds bring too many positive ions; some people feel those mess with devices and make people grouchy. Negative ions are supposed to be what makes you feel good in a thunder storm or by the seashore or in the Forrest. VooDoo or whatever, it's a pattern of some kind this time of year.

2 or 3 days later it was time to run DW-dish again. The first run didn't get all the backlog. The minute I pushed the start button water with black flecks ran like a river from under the machine. Shut off DW-dish and it stops. I just, I just, I just knew something like this would happen. 

I pull the thing back out from under the counter to inspect the new hose. Couldn't be that the leak stopped when I shut the unit off. It only takes a second to spot the problem. On the side is what they call the Water Inlet Tubing going from the automated valve where I connected the fresh water supply to a gizmo that channels the water inside the tub with the dishes. Whole big bits of it were eaten away. Like a mouse might do. But again, no mouse poops around.  

I retire to look up the part and get to know more than I want to about this machine. $33.49 + $9.99 shipping. Wonderful. As you can see in the picture it has a weird texture and shape. The other image shows the channel gizmo (Inlet Assembly). I'm not doing it. With tax that's $45 or so. Upon further examination I find that the very plasticky black tube is the same diameter as the rubbery black supply line hose that I just had to replace. Bingo. Back to Home Depot to buy another stainless steel mesh covered supply hose. A 30" one is $9.99 plus tax. 

I cut the compression ends off of the new hose. Merged it to the Inlet Assembly securing it with the spring clips that were on the original one. Merging it with the valve was a problem. I had to pull DW-dish full out from under and lay it over on it's side. After taking out the full load of unwashed dishes and the lower rack. At least I could do this part sitting in a chair. 

Act 5 -  “But wait, there's more!” 

as Ron Popeil used to say.

All of this is taking days because of the heat in that part of the house away from the swamp coolers and the ongoing gut troubles that nearly took me out in June. My focus leaves after about an hour. Arthritis is going crazy. Gotta do something.

Weeks or a month earlier I made a weird discovery. In the drawer where I keep sandwich bags and stuff on rolls I found more shredded paper. The Costco sized roll of plastic wrap had been eaten on. Not just the box, the plastic itself was missing chunks. Nothing else had eat marks. No poops. Thought "that's weird". Washed the drawer, opened the other roll (Costco only sells those in pairs lol).

   

What the hell? Mice eat plastic? Looked it up. On occasion they will chew on plastic to wear down their teeth. Ro-dents do that. More recently, in the midst of all this DW-dish, tubes and water business I opened another drawer. This one is where I keep poison. I don't like keeping poison around but you just can't talk to those damned ants and brown german cockroaches. I had one of those big black syringes full of gel that baits and kills average cockroaches. It had been eaten through and some of gel too. Okay this is getting . . . . more black plastic?      

I know from my past mouse fracases (fraci?) that live traps only work if you drive them miles away to release them. Sticky traps work better but you have to kill the beast by hand or let it starve to death in the big brown can. Old fashioned snap traps are the thing. I placed 2 under the sink with peanut butter as bait. The next morning one had been sprung, no mouse or part of mouse.     

The thing is out, on it's side filling up the kitchen floor, I might as well check for other damage. Got out my mini flashlight and the clip on work light. Don't know what I'm looking for besides tiny teeth marks. Then I see two metal pipes, one from what appears to be the pump. They are just there seeming like they should be connected somehow. Back to the internet. This part is called a dishwasher Circulation Pump-to-Sump Hose. Of course it is.        

Act 6 - !@#$%^&* on a whole different level.

$65.94 today at PartsDirect. That day it was $42.12 and I got 10% off for giving them my email address, which they get anyway when I placed my order. Hmm. This chips away from what I have left of the covid stimulus. sigh 

But, they said 2 day shipping. That became 3 day, but covid, I'm not stressed.  

I got a text from UPS at 2:11 pm on Thursday the 14th telling me the driver left my package by the front door. Which is kind of odd. The guy who usually delivers has a hearty knock. I had a lot of fans going so might have missed it. The dogs wouldn't have. A few minutes later I step out into the pouring sun and see nothing. I look around in all the likely places. No package. It's 106˚, there were no people out to have stolen it. There is no one to call. The UPS website says I can file a claim in 24 hours. Nothing along the lines of a message to the driver "Hey dude, you missed my house!" "Where did you leave my package?"  

That Charlie Foxtrot involved them not finding my package either, me ordering a 2nd one and getting both parts the following Friday. I got a return label from UPS and sent the duplicate part back. I had to fuss to get the 2nd shipping refunded. Those refunds hit my bank yesterday. Only 2 weeks of hassle is not bad for 2 giant companies. 

I watched 3 videos before I made the attempt to install. It was reassuring that 3 service companies made videos about the one part number. Also funny because they each had unnecessary steps. "Turn off the breaker or fuse, also unscrew and remove the 110v armored power cable completely." There's no water in it or on the floor WTF? 

One had you remove the pump completely, another remove some sensor gizmo then laboriously reinstall it up through the tub with many steps. The one with the old guy, just fit the new hose in without removing any extra parts. 

It went pretty quick. No sign of the rodent for a coupe of weeks. I knew from my other battles with mice that they are repelled by mint. I rubbed the thing with mint oil before installing it. It works fine now. Both hoses; factory and improvised seem to do the trick. 

This morning after breakfast I saw a little puddle in front if the dishwasher. Dun! Dun! 

Next is the leak in the shower. Oh god that one is going to be tough. 

Here's a preview. 

Tennis Ball or Mohawk for a good cause the was Live 1pm July 12 2020

This video sets up the head shave live feed event.

You should really watch this one first to get all of the context. 

If you have Facebook and want to donate before July 23 2020

Go to this link

This is the live head shaving quarantine style that was live on Facebook 7/12/2020 at 1PM. 

Strawberry Hunter - Pandemic edition

I know this is a difficult time. Shelter-in-Place is unusual and loss of income distressing. The worst thing is not knowing. Not knowing if you or a friend or a loved one will get the virus . . . .  what we do know is that someone you know will die before it's all over.

This makes it just the right time for some humor. Gallows humor? Perhaps a little.

March 25 was international waffle day. I had 6 kinds of gluten free flour. What I did't have was milk, eggs and strawberries.

Please read through to the bottom there's an update.

I have always been a cheap skate. I am disabled and subsist on much less per month than the 40 hr/week take home pay that one gets from the famously inadequate federal minimum wage. The 40 months before the stipend started I lived on no income, the kindness of strangers and friends. All of this has caused me to develop special skills so I can live fairly comfortably. Including a Scrooge like skill at not spending money. I am the big game hunter of bargains online and out in the wilds of the strip malls and big box stores. Tracking big game by paw prints in the sand leading to the elusive BOGO for something that is actually useful. Even with my many personal austerity measures in place I'm down to my last $10 till direct deposit hits a week from Friday. $7.56 is left on the SNAP card. I have my pith helmet on, debit card (that would be pointless to identity steal) in hand, I proceed.

Out I go into the Mad Max dystopian COVID-19 now to forage for food. But it isn't that outside. Traffic is a bit lighter. No nomads wandering with matted hair and tattered clothes. Maybe I see one out of the corner of my eye. Must have been a garden variety homeless person.

The city and county decided last year that they wouldn't licence Marijuana Dispensaries (because:shit for brains). Even so, the two just up the street from me had been jammed with cars on all weekends and holidays. This is kind of like a holiday or super long weekend. As I drive by I see no cars today. Maybe saw a waft if green smoke. Good to know the local pothead population is exercising Social Distancing. Passing a joint sounds like a risky business these days.

I make my way to WalMart because they usually have the cheapest milk. The parking lot is full, just not quite as much as usual. As usual the handicap spaces are full. I'm feeling spry; fairly close is good enough. No one is in a panic and are subtly keeping the 6' clean zone around themselves. More or less. The isles are not 9' across.

Then it starts when I pick up a loaf of that French bread made in-store marked at 46¢. Do I want to make my bowels mad again just to save a few . . . like one of those movies with cg animated elements I see little glowy orange and blue dots on the bread wrapper and floating around it. Maybe more like one of those animated infographics that teach something in the most neural neutral way possible. I'm not tripping out or anything like that. It's just a thing my imagination does sometimes to make things fun. The highlighter pen of the hunt.

I decide cheap bread I didn't have to make myself is worth the discomfort and brain fog. Loaf in hand I walk towards the cold box where they keep the jugs of milk. I eye the door handle for little orange and blue dots. Don't see any. They must have just wiped this area down. Gallons of whole milk had been just over $3 now it's $4.36. They raised it a buck? Then I see that it is not the house brand, it's Producers. Still don't seem right. At the bottom are jugs of "Great Value" skim milk for $3.09. It'll have to do. Behind the 5 glass doors that usually house the eggs is a lone partial crate of dozens, so I grab one. Checking the paper carton for dots. We have all seen the directive telling us that SARS-CoV-2 lives for up to 24 hours on paper. Not like the expression "sure it makes dog turds smell fresh "ON Paper"". So not like that; literally the germs alighting on actual paper. Oh great, dog turds with lemon pledge on them is in my head.

They don't sell the 190 proof Everclear in California that was on the DIY WHO hand sanitizer meme I made a couple of days ago. So just for fun I head down to the isle where they might have hand sanitizer. On my way I see the toilet paper shelves are still empty. 3 women were stocking shelves in the next row over with cleaning products and talking amongst themselves. A shopper is asking them a question. A minor cloud of those playful dots is emanating from her mouth. From all of their mouths. I scooch past them with my head down like I am in a drizzle of green and blue dots. As if keeping my head down would make a difference. No Hand Sand or wipes so on to check out.

People are doing it. Keeping the 6' clean zone in the check out out lines. In the alley leading to the belt where you place your purchases I am on alert for the sound of coughing or sneezing. Picturing in my mind fountains of blue and green dots like a low frequency animated fireworks display coming from the other lines of people. Arching over in my direction. I didn't hear any, you know how it is when you have to stand it a line, the mind wanders.

In front of me a mother with 2 boys is doing that thing where essential items are on the belt, then other things from the cart are added one at a time. Most to least important as she watches the total go up to how much money she has. Organic apple vinegar cider didn't make the cut. Trying not to get too close to the boys I carefully set the heavy jug of cold milk on the end of the belt. I really do love kids but today I imagine blue and green dots coming off of them like the dirt plume that surrounds Peanuts' Pig-Pen. Growing a little as the boys tussle as boys tend to do.

I slide the SNAP card through the reader. On the key pad it isn't dots but a haze of green goo. I forgot that bags are free when I use the SNAP card so carry the items out bagless. Which requires I juggle a bit to figure out the hand sanitizer dispenser at the exit. The goo is weighing on my mind. When I get in the car the ancient tub of Clorox wipes I found under the sink provides me a way to further clean my hands then the food packages and steering wheel. Glancing at the receipt I see I was charged the regular amount for the bread. Damnit, I'm losing my edge.

We're on a big game hunt here. Still need strawberries. Off to the 99¢ store. Not the usual busy but a lot more people than on my visit there Saturday. The people hawking free cell phone service are back in front of the store. Strawberries are at the back of the store. Something is different. Like the retail hunter I am I sense a difference in this jungle. People are fairly well spaced, but I don't feel the same vibe of keeping the 6' clean zone. Is WalMart a classier joint? That's a weird thing to think about. I take the isle less traveled to get to the produce section. The floating dots are darker here not the pastel grass green and 50-50 bar orange. Racing green and the orange of, of ah something really dark orange.

There are several of the 1 lb plastic boxes of strawberries for $1.49, the usual price. There is one with very dark berries that looks unmolested. I can't tell if those are gnats or the floating dots.

I can't resist going by the cold box. I have gotten some cool processed food and dairy there for 99¢ that I would not otherwise buy. Other people are hovering close to the doors so I keep my distance, straining to see. One person moves and I approach. The woman to my right has a smear of the cg dots on her arm. Then I see it. Fucking Producers whole milk gallons for $3.69. You know that Walmart gets a better wholesale price on those than the 99¢ store does. “Save Money. Live Better” My ass. I already have the milk, don't see any deals, so I take the empty far wall route back to the front.

I spot 24oz Rockstar energy drinks on a pallet with no price tag. That means that they are 99¢. I usually drink half of a regular one 3-4 times a week. I like them but 8oz is enough. 3x8oz enough to get me through to direct deposit day, cool, I take one. I go to the refrigerated ones and exchange it for a colder one. No dots there but I make a point of keeping my hands away from my face till I can get back to the car. Also no price marker for the Rockstar there.

I get in the shorter check out line. Then I see why it's shorter. The people in the longer line are keeping distance. I'm keeping distance. Making faces at the little guy in front of me in the shopping cart. When it's my turn I pull out the regular debit card. SNAP is all but exhausted for this month. Imaginary dark green slime on this card reader is dripping off. I'm not so distracted that I don't notice that the Rockstar is $1.99. With a sigh I tell the young man that it had no $1.99 price sign. In nasal American teenager mush mouth he says "Oh yeah, Let me call my manger". Oh yeah he says. He knows that it is not labeled and it should be. I am really sucking at the Safari man shopper thing today. With another sigh I say "Just let some one know" and I leave.

The wipes routine again when I get to the car. Open the drink and take a swig.
No field dressing of wild strawberries. I bagged my limit and proceeded back home.

I made the waffles with the waffle bowl maker I got a couple of years ago. On sale of course. I used corn flour to add a nice corn flavor. No reason to get crazy with the gluten.

They tasted wonderful.

This has been a production of Books on tape.
No it hasn't. Don't be a goof.
Just a longer than usual one of my day in the life essays.

Even with the virus out there wanting to sicken, even kill us, there is no reason a silly bit of imagination can't help us keep diligent and our sense of humor going at the same time.

You can only do what you can do. 

You still have to make a run for provisions from time to time. 

Play big game hunter.

Update: I got have gotten unexpected responses form this blog post. 
Offers of food and even money. 
Thanks. It is much appreciated, the kindness of the gesture is the biggest help, makes my heart glow, looking forward to that soup, but that was not my intention. 

Clarification: The thing about my poverty and medical woes was just to frame my shopping expedition. Going a week or two without cash is more boring than anything else. My pantry is full; canned good, dry goods, freezer. Literally only milk and eggs ran out and strawberries are a luxury item, which is what makes them special. Lots of people, most people I would guess have more difficult lives than I do. I've never even had the opportunity to look after anyone but me. I can't even imagine having a wife and crew of kids to look after, care about, be/share responsibility for. 

What I was trying to share was one way that I use imagination to lighten the load of sensory overload and uncertainty. Dance with it instead of letting it rule you. A way to actively approach the day to day challenges like an adventure not a stressful task. Utilize the absurdist philosophy of Camus. 

How to get Free Food on your Birthday.

This is a labor of love. I'm a fat guy, what's not to love about food? Free Food especially.
A lot of places offer free food or other things on your birthday. Most only require you give up your email address. If you are clever you have an extra email account just for things like this. I have 5.

This list of 15 places to sign up was just updated in October of 2019.
This list of 101+ Restaurants with Free Food on Your Birthday was also updated the same month.
I can't vouch for how accurate this one is. It does list Free Birthday food by location. Some of the ones listed as being in Bakersfield have been closed for years. It's still a place to start.
If you can't find one near you from this list of 110+ Restaurants That Offer Free Birthday Food! you might want to move.

On stage I have been seen as "Sugar" a sweet amiable old guy with a nonspecific southern drawl. Kind and loving of everyone he comes in contact with. Taken form my own personality, but not me.
"Brine" is a 300+ year old pirate that is rude crude and indecent. Not me at all really but some bits on stage require a lot of bite.

In this video I am "Gripe": Curmudgeon and Armchair Metaphysician, also taken from parts of my personality, but he is not me, not completely, I am much sweeter. He sneers on the pretense in our society.  Like the idea that corporations try to sell; that they pretend to acknowledge any duty to the common good. 100% of their fiduciary responsibilities are to the profits of the shareholders. They have no other priorities. There are times when those priorities cross your own. Like on your birthday. This video is about enjoying what goodness there is while not blinding yourself to the bullshit.

21st Century Curmudgeon - A grumpy old man of any gender or age.
Curmudgeons take pride in being contrarians.
Curmudgeons have their own minds, values, and trends.
Curmudgeons stay true to their individuality in literature, movies, and food, and style.
Curmudgeons are caring people who serve the greater good by complaining.
What curmudgeons are not is cruel.
Grouchy? Yes.
Cruel? No.
-inspired by this.

I am still on a learning curve with making videos. The next one needs to have a music track. Sound effects are so corny, I love them too much, so; next time. In this one I am trying my hand at a longer form of Vlog, Video Blog aka personal journal accessible world wide in the form of a video. I have included way too many titles and edits and fun tools that came with Final Cut Pro X.

Short videos go viral. This form of video is not like the ones that go viral that are usually less than 3 minutes long. Not like Casey Neistat who has over 11 million subscribers. His are under 5 minutes and quite compelling. More like the longer ones the Vagabrothers do for their 1 million subscribers, but not quite so beautifully done. I like mine kind of raw and unpolished (like I like my women?).

Think podcast; like Joe Rogan and his 6.6 million subscribers, but not so Bro-centric, interview format. I'm sure I'll get around to doing an interview or two. It's just so tedious to watch 3 hours for 20 minutes that's interesting. Today's video is just over 25 minutes of just the good parts.  . . . . Okay, good parts are featured throughout with less boring footage than if I just left the camera running, let's put it that way. This one is not really for looking at on your phone*. If you have a TV set up to stream YouTube use that. Have a seat, a lovely beverage and enjoy the show.
*Although I have been led to believe people watch 2 hour movies on their cell phone. Oy!

Also on my learning curve is learning to use the iPad's built in microphone and the Blue Mic Snowball. The only mic under $300 that directly plugs into an iPad Pro (geez Apple sucks sometimes). I also have one of those tiny action cameras that wasn't used for this and have access to a camcorder that I use for a co production Vlog that is in the works. This time around it's just the iPad Pro. I got this over priced monster because they took so long to come out with the upgraded iPad Mini that is a handier size and has a better feature set for my purposes. I bought a couple of led video lights. I did a lot of stage lighting in my days working theater. These little guys will take less time to master is my hope.

Anyway. Enjoy the vlog. Get free stuff for yourself.
I play it straight but it is pretty much all a comedy routine, a humor post; so don't forget to laugh at my word usage and my dry sense of humor.

I know that just complaint about what corporations are is not a solution.
There are people working of ways to do things differently. This crazy idea that business and industry can be cooperative not adversarial. This Ted Talk talks about it.

DIY Dentures

I've done a lot of pissing a moaning about my misadventures in the world of dentistry (I have a special blog just of me whining, it ain't pretty). I've never had access to top or even 2nd tier dentists. When disability and poverty caught up with me a few years ago I was left to the subterranean levels of dentistry. Where I live po'folk can apply for what's called Denti-Cal. Basic dental care through MediCal (Medicaid). Some of the cost cutting measures are reasonable. The dentists deserve to make a profit from their work. However it's hard to find such a provider that doesn't use volume of patients and cut rate materials & procedures to maximize that profit. I actually went to a decent provider for the first couple of years. When Denti-Cal changed their procedures in 2017 rather than do needed work to my front teeth they opted to 'wait n see' just how to best work the new system. In retrospect I should have waited too but 6 months of them giving me the run around was enough.

The people in that office let me know about another provider that took Denti-Cal only 20 minutes away. As much as I question the competency and ethics of my various health care providers I tend to trust them in person. I read something once about how the clinical setting was invented to cow people into a kind of submission. It seems to work on me. Today's video starts a couple of months after I gave up on the new dental office that pulled 2 of my front teeth needlessly and tried to cap the other two with 50% success. When I open my mouth with my dental plate out all you see is one nice crown and one sad stub where the 2nd crown wouldn't stick. The last thing they did for me was manufacture a new upper dental plate to account for the missing teeth and other modifications. As I explain in the video it didn't work out either.

I am in the long process of getting Denti-Cal to reverse what they paid for the wonky dental plate and crown so I can find a different dentist to try again.
I was referred by a friend to a 2nd or so tier dentist that accepts Denti-Cal. What a character. He told me that he is a very good dentist. He was very straightforward about only doing work that profits him in accordance with his high standards. I could hear him grumbling in the other rooms about me being there. He has a problem with poor people. 3 of his assistants came in separately to ask me who I was referred by. Not sure why he takes Denti-Cal, they don't allow for fees beyond what they pay. Because it's for poor people. He also took up some of his valuable time to tell me I was fat and offer his services as a kind of mentor. As if being a objectivist (selfish) piece of shit is something that can be learned.

If I grovel maybe the first place will take me back.

Now, on to the silliness.  Even though this is titled as a DIY video, and you can use the techniques presented, it's really a video blog. Me ruminating and having fun with my creative process. 
Also me learning more about making these videos and using the editing software trial and error style. The audio is uneven. I need to talk so my sentences have an end and don't just slur into the next one. That makes it so hard to edit. Oh, Ahh, Ya know, UUUmmm; those all have to go. 

Shakshuka is my name, don't wear it out

When I stumbled onto a mention of Shakshuka my investigations made two things clear to me. While the basic recipe is nearly the same everywhere there are as many variations as there are for pizza recipes.  And that I don’t get out and travel the world enough. 

“According to some food historians, shakshuka originated in Yemen, while others claim it came from the Ottoman Empire. It is only known that to Israel, the dish came from northeast African cultures, and more specifically, from the Lybian-Tunisian region.”  more 

While most of the variants I found were for Shakshuka as an Israeli breakfast food it is served throughout the Mediterranean region at any mealtime. The word comes from Arabic, meaning, “a haphazard mixture” or “all mixed up.” This leaves lots of space to be creative. 

My process for devising my own versions of recipes is to find several different ones then mix and match based on what I know I like and what is available where I live. There are things to like about the central valley of California, the variety of spices available is not one of them. This means that somethings as basic to international cuisine as smoked paprika is not available at every supermarket. 

Sorry if you are a measuring spoon cook. Unless the recipe is all about chemistry, like baking a cake, I generally go by feel.  Here are the base ingredients: 

Tomatoes	Spices:
Peppers	Sweet Hungarian or smoked Spanish paprika
Onions	Whole or ground cumin seed
Spices	Kosher salt
Garlic	Freshly ground black pepper
Eggs	Fresh parsley leaves and/or mint leaves
	Chili powder and/or Cayenne Pepper
	Just to name a few

My search for paprika led me to Trader Joe’s.  They had some, but not smoked.  We don’t rate having Whole Foods in our area.  Turns out that besides over price wicker Cost Plus World Market has a great selection of spices at great prices. Chiquilin Smoked Paprika, a pair of tins for $5.  However I get so distracted when I'm on the hunt.  I found what is the middle eastern equivalent of Chinese 5 spice.  Another spice common everywhere but here, that they also carry.  Ras El Hanout is a powder made of Cardamom, Clove, Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Paprika, Mace, Nutmeg, Peppercorn and Turmeric. “That will do nicely” I thought and brought a packet home. Leaving Chiquilin for another time.

I had roasted a couple of green Poblano and Anaheim peppers earlier.  Yes I know, fresh garlic is far superior but the diced kind in a jar is so convenient. Food is as much psychology as anything else so two cloves of fresh thinly sliced garlic and a big ass spoonful of diced from a jar have similar but different satisfaction levels if you love garlic the way I do.  

Finally an excuse to use it. I brought out the black iron paella pan that I won at an auction last year.  Applied a dollop of bacon fat and sautéed the garlic briefly before adding in the roasted peppers.  

When they were about to disintegrate I mixed in caramelized onions and colorful bell and other peppers I had sautéed earlier with salt and pepper.  This also includes a green and a red jalapeño. 

I dusted this with a good amount of Ras El Hanout and Cayenne Pepper.  Gave it a stir and let it the flavors simmer and blend for a minute. 

There are many many things you can add at this point or later as a garnish on top.  I had a small jar of artichoke hearts in oil that I snipped into smaller pieces with scissors and mixed in. 

To this I added 2-12oz cans of wedge diced tomatoes along with the water they were packed in (yes canned). I let this heat back up to the bubbly point. 

Egg time

This all went into a 375˚ oven for 8 minutes.  With 1 minute left on the timer I took a peek and saw the the egg whites were still clear next to the yokes. I added 3 minutes to the timer.  Note to self: next time start with room temperature eggs. 

Two eggs plated and sprinkled with some parsley. 

Yummy goodness. 

As a long time bachelor and maker of batches, I froze portions to have for breakfast in the next couple of weeks.  Yes the eggs will be hard boiled after reheating. Maybe even rubbery, so what’s your point?  

I had had more of the pepper mixture left so I put some in each jar with 2 fresh eggs.  One bleary eyed morning next week I will find out what the microwave will make of it.

After that I still had more of the mixture left. 

I haven’t made nachos in a while. 

Next time: Include tomato paste with the tomato chunks. Feta cheese is common as part of the main mix or as a topping.  A bay leaf.  Pitted oil-cured black olives in the mix or on top.  The flavor of the artichoke hearts got lost in with all the peppers so next time as a garnish.  The 5 kinds of peppers I used where mild. A few hotter ones would be good. Same for the spices. Ras El Hanout is wonderful. It gave me ideas of other places it could be used. Use the recommenced spices next time.  More Cayenne too and bottled hot sauce at the table. There are green versions of the recipe. Spinach and eggs are a favorite of mine so that has to happen.