Yard Work Weekend

A big hats off to Tom... For the man who does not like to do yard work, he went above and beyond today. He moved 20+ bags of mulch, pulled a LOT of weeds, fixed the lattice and mowed twice since our grass was so long. He did this because he know I like a clean yard... Thanks for all your hard work.

Shout Out

Quick shout out to Darrin, who started his new Señor Test Engineerjob today (right?). Congrats and good luck!

Adventures in Geocaching

If you haven't tried Geocaching, we'd suggest you find someone you know that has a GPS receiver and try it out. For us, besides the exercise of walking all over creation, a large part of the joy of the game is seeing places, often times very near our home, that we'd never have seen without it. Take the topiary at Old Deaf School Park in downtown Columbus. In the late 80's and early 90's, the topiary was constructed to resemble George Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The surrounding park is beautiful, with lots of tables and benches for lunching and relaxing. You can walk among the topiary (as evidenced by the picture), and even feed the fish in the pond (featuring goldfish the size of my parents' dog, Max). And we'd probably never have visited this cool place without Geocaching.

Soon to Be Joining the Couch

Choose fabric number D745828, with swivel.

Another Experiment

I had the opportunity to have a meal without Amy again tonight, so I dragged out the recipe for chili that I worked up a few months ago. I was armed with an evening's experience and a few new ingredients, how did I fare? Read on, loyal reader, read on...

Bald Man Tom's Skillet Chili, Take Two

The Players

The Pan	12" cast iron skillet, well seasoned
The Ingredients	~12 oz. chuck roast, cut into small cubes salt 2 oz onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, minced 3 oz pickled jalapenos, minced ~1-1/2 oz chipotles in adobo sauce, minced ~1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles in adobo) 2 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp cumin 2-1/2 c beef broth, plus 3 tbsp 3 tbsp masa harina Vegetable oil

The Method

Season the meat with a few pinches of salt about 5 minutes before cooking begins. Heat the skillet over high heat. Coat the skillet thinly with oil, then sear the meat quickly on all sides, maybe 1-2 minutes max. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, sautee the onion and garlic until softened a little, about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the minced jalapenos and minced chipotles, stir and let sautee another 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan with 2-1/2 c of the broth, chili powder, cumin and adobo sauce, mix and simmer 5 minutes. Make a slurry with the masa harina and the remaining 3 tbsp of the beef broth, then add to the pan and give it a good stir. Place in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

Makes 2 servings.

Notes

You'll note that I ditched the can of diced chiles for some pickled jalapenos. I was pretty disappointed with the chiles' performance last go around. I also found some chipotles in adobo, as suggested by Darrin and my all-time favorite TV cook, Alton Brown, and used the adobo sauce from the can in place of the adobo paste from last time. I also added cumin because... well... I like it, golldurnit! I figured that with the addition of the chipotles, swapping the jalapenos for the chiles, and the inclusion of cumin, I didn't need the extra tablespoon of chili powder that I thought I'd add. Finally, I noted last time that I was debating whether the chili was too thick, and whether or not I should reduce the amount of masa harina slurry. I finally decided it was too thick, but opted for adding an extra half cup of beef broth, rather than reducing the amount of slurry. And the extra liquid necessitated the 12" pan.

And as a side note, I made some cornbread again, since it was so tasty last time. I left out the chili powder because I wanted Amy to try some, but added a little extra sugar because... well... I like it a little sweeter when it's not savory.

The Verdict

Mmmmmmmmmmmm......... The first batch was pretty good, but this was heads and tails better. It had a good taste, and was hot-but-not-too-hot. The heat built a little with every mouthful, which is just the way I like it. It was a little bit less thick than last time, at this point I might adjust the length of cooking, or perhaps lid the pan up during the baking, rather than add more liquid. All in all, better than the last batch, but still room for improvement.

Lessons Learned

Lessee:

• Chipotles in adobo rock!
• Between the adobo sauce and the cumin, the chili had a nice, smoky flavor. Need to maximize that, maybe more cumin.
• I bumped up the garlic in this batch, I think next time I'll add more onion, too.
• My normal chili has some additional spices, I might think about adding one or two more for additional flavor.

Response From the Central Ohio American Red Cross

Last week, I posted a letter I had sent to the Central Ohio American Red Cross, in which I complained about my frustrations with my recent experiences. On Monday, I received a response, and since I posted the original letter here, I felt it only fair to post the response I received:

Mr.Helsel:

I received your feedback regarding your latest donation experience (as well as previous ones) and I want to apologize that we did not meet your needs for a timely processing. I have looked at your donation history and have identified 1 item that I can address.

On 4/4/07, when you presented to donate, you truly were ineligible by 1 day... this is because in the previous year, you had 6 donations due to donating Double Red Cells (DRC) twice. The computer did not schedule your appointment as it recognized that you would be early; however, we failed to identify that you needed to be notified and scheduled at a later day-for that, I am very sorry. Your time is precious and you ended up not being able to donate as well as being extremely frustrated by the process. Your type "O" donations have been a critical support in the past for our patients in the Central Ohio region. Our type "O" donors make a huge difference to our patient population (especially our pediatric ones, where typically 70% or more of the blood transfused is type "O").

Your frustration at the amount of time it takes to process you is well earned... our goal is to get all donors through the process in about an hour. I have reviewed the staffing from the last 2 mobiles and it appears that we have a wide cross section of staff that have been assigned there. While we advocate for excellent customer service at all times, we are also aware that we sometimes fall short of the mark.

I promise that I will work with the staff to improve our processing as well as our overall customer service for our donors. If there is anything additional that you would like to share with me, feel free-I look at this as an opportunity to improve on our customer service expectations.

Again, thank you for your past donations-you have made a difference in the lives of Central Ohio patients and their families-what a wonderful thing to be able to do. As a donor deferred for living overseas, I envy you that opportunity to make such an impact. I do hope you will give us another chance to prove we can meet your expectations.

Again, feel free to contact me

I have to say, I'm gratified by the response I have received. While I disagree with their records regarding my DRC donations (I only did it once, had a very bad experience, and went back to regular donations), I appreciate the respondents willingness to acknowledge the perceived shortcomings in their system. One thing that would have eased my frustrations off that bat would have been easy to find information about frequency of donations via DRC.

I should also note that I've cooled down quite a bit from last week. Although I'm not ready to say I'll go back, I might be tempted to reconsider, especially in light of the letter. That, and I really do feel that giving blood is an important gift, if it's one you're able to give. I'm going to contact our local hospital systems first, to see if they accept donations directly, but if push comes to shove and there is another urgent call for donors, I'll have to listen to my heart and do what it tells me to do...

UPDATE 4/11 - I just received a phone call from the person at the Central Ohio American Red Cross who sent me this e-mail. We talked a bit about my frustrations, and about the inaccuracies on the official web site. She listened patiently to my concerns, and told me that she would do what she could to correct the problems. All in all, I've been very appreciative of the time she's devoted to communicating with me.

Wines Review

As promised,I've finally gotten around to finding the notes I took while at a wine festival a few weekends ago. Among the wines that I tried that I liked (either for me or Amy, and in no particular order):

• Breitenbach Wine Cellars
• Viognier
• First Crush
• Frost Fire
• Roadhouse Red
• Ravenswood Wines
• Teldeschi Zinfandel (I also love their Old Vine Zinfandel, but they didn't have it at the show)
• Angoves
• Red Belly Black Chardonay
• Red Belly Black Shiraz
• Folie à Deux
• Ménage à Trois White
• Ménage à Trois Red
• Ménage à Trois Rose
• Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
• Pinot Grigio
• Primativo
• Sangiovese
• Rosso de Sette Fratelli Merlot
• Pino Noir
• Valeriano
• Michael-David Vineyards
• 7 Heavenly Chords
• 7 Deadly Zins
• 6th Sense Syrah
• Earthquake Zin (I didn't taste the other Earthquakes, and I'm still kicking myself)
• Valentin Bianchi (distributed by Quintessential Wines)
• Famglia Malbec
• Mad Housewife Cellars
• Merlot
• White Zinfandel
• Chamarré Wines
• Bordeaux
• Jurançon Dessert Wine
• Sauvignon Blanc - Chenin Blanc
• Meeker Winery
• Handprint Merlot
• FroZin

Can't forget the Meeker! The Handprint Merlot is my absolute favorite, and the FroZin can't be beat for a desert wine (IMHO).

Now, I know that Redbeard, Piglet and Xabu were probably expecting to see Pizza Vino on my list, but for some reason, I wasn't all that impressed. But maybe that's because I wasn't eating pizza while drinking it.

April... finally

So I need to get my nose out of my book and work on my cross-stitch. Sorry it is a little late ...

Who needs shoes...

When you can have a box....




Kona's new favorite place is Tom's new sandal shoebox

Grrrrrrrr..........

To the person in the tan Suburban two cars in front of me on the way home from work:

Now, I'm not one to tell people not to talk on their cell phones while driving. While I do try to avoid doing so myself, I've been known to do have the rare conversation while driving on occasion when necessary. But, please, if you can't pay attention to both your phone conversation and the road at the same time, don't do both at once! I watched you sit through most of a green arrow, then bolt through the light after it had already turned red, dodging the cross traffic that ensued. While I'm sure you're a perfectly safe driver when not otherwise preoccupied, you're a menace when you're on your phone!

Thank you.

Letter to the Central Ohio American Red Cross

To whom it may concern:

I will no longer donate blood to the Central Ohio American Red Cross. This is a difficult thing for me to say, but this decision has not come lightly. I have several reasons, all of which I will explain below.

First, you do not value my time. When I schedule an appointment, I expect that you will be ready for me at, or near, that time. The last time I gave blood, on 2/2/07, my information was not even taken until 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment. It was another 35 minutes until I was actually on a cot. I stuck around because I feel that giving blood is important, and I didn't have anything else on my schedule for that evening. However, waiting that long for an appointment is inexcusable.

Second, you are disorganized. My chosen donation center, the Westerville Community Center, is routinely omitted from the listings on the www.givelife.org website, even when I receive reminders that a blood mobile will be held there on a particular date, and told to register online. Additionally, it is a common occurrence that my wife and I will schedule our appointments early, and then receive phone calls asking us weeks later asking us to schedule an appointment. Also, the registration process routinely takes 15-20 minutes, which is an excessive amount of time, particularly since most of the data entry happens via computer and scanning bar codes.

Third, you canceled an appointment without giving me any warning, and refused to accept my donation, even though I had waited the required 56 days. According to the redcross.org website, "To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must ... not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days)." My last donation was 2/2/07, but when I arrived today (4/4/07) for the appointment I scheduled during that visit, my appointment was not listed, and when I registered, I was told I had to wait an additional day to give blood, even though it has been 61 days since my last donation. I was never notified that my appointment was canceled, and even when I explained that it had been over 56 days since my last donation, I was not allowed to donate.

I'm sorry that my frustrations have led me to refuse to donate further, particularly since there are constant reminders about blood shortages in the area. However, it is evident to me that while the blood you receive from donors is important to you, the donors themselves are not. The examples I have cited above are representative of my experience with the Central Ohio American Red Cross over the course of the past few years, and simply represent the straw that has broken this camel's back. My patience has run out with you.

Regards,
Thomas Helsel

UPDATE - If you got here from a direct link instead of from the main page, then you might have missed that I got a response from the Red Cross that you might be interested in.