Wishing You All

Prisoner's Dilemma

"Last house, gentlemen," Sergeant Leon Romero said, "let's get whatever supplies we can find and get out before the residents come back." The four men came around the house from around back, passing the in-ground pool typical of the suburban neighborhood they were raiding.
"Unless the residents are still alive, you mean," Walter Newman said. "We're looking for survivors, too."
"What do you think the odds of that are?" Leon asked. It was a rhetorical question, as Walter made a habit of sharing facts and figures with those around him, interested or not. "We haven't found any new survivors in a month."
"True, but I think Walt's point is we need people more than extra canned goods right now. There is no good reason I should be out scouting," Sonny said. He tried the front door as he spoke. "Designing an inventory database, sure... guys, the door is unlocked." Unlocked doors weren't unheard of since the national guard had retrieved some people from their homes suddenly. They also happened if the residents had been turned into zombies before anyone could help them.
Leon moved ahead of Sonny and opened the front door, with the others behind him.
"Alright, Leon, you're on point," Walter said, "Sonny and Jonah, check the cabinets for any non-perishable food. I'll get any toilet paper and linens I can find."
A voice came from inside the house, past Leon (who was now frozen in his tracks).
"Well how about that, Walter," the voice said. "It took you long enough to get here."

"Who is that?" Walter asked, already knowing the answer. The voice was unmistakable.
"Don't you remember me?" the curly-haired man said sarcastically.
Walter walked into the room, with Sonny and Jonah behind him. Kent Law sat in a recliner holding a bottle of Sprite in his hand. A short African-American man stood nearby in the kitchen. The man held a heavy shotgun in his hands.
"I remember you, Kent," Walter said. "Glad to see you've made it."
"It took you long enough to get here," Kent said. "I was starting to think you weren't planning to come for us."
"Well,..." Walter began.
"Do you two live here?" Sonny asked. "The place doesn't seem like it would hold up if the zombies come looking for you."
"This was my wife's parent's house, back when people had houses of their own," Kent said. "We don't live here, we..."
A flushing sound came from the bathroom, and a man came out. "We live in a secure location. The neighborhood's safe enough during the day, but the zombies come back from the city after sundown."
"Jason, this is Walt," Kent said.
"And friends," Jonah said.
"Very nice to make your acquaintance," Jason said. "Less nice to make the acquaintance of your friend's gun." Jason gestured at Leon's gun, which he still held in both hands. "Why so nervous?"
"I don't see your friend relaxing by the pool," Leon said.
"I," said the man in the kitchen, "did not enter another man's house uninvited."
Leon and the man in the kitchen stared at each other.

"Well, this is sufficiently tense," Jason said. "Kunta Kinte, grab a couple of cokes for the gentlemen here."
"What did you call him?!" Jonah said.
"He doesn't mind," Jason said. It was not at all clear that the man didn't mind. "We ran out of beer about a week and a half ago, but it turns out there's a never-ending supply of vending machines around."
"You know, we've got plenty of beer at our camp," Walter said. "We'll have to treat you guys some time."
"Where is your camp, anyway?" Jason asked, a little too innocently.
"Not too far," Leon answered. He accepted a Cherry Coke, but did not put his gun away.
"We need to get back soon, actually," Sonny said. "I've been looking forward to a hot shower."
"Hot shower?!?" Kent, Jason, and the man in the kitchen exclaimed in unison.
"How do you keep hot water?" Kent asked.
"We have electric heating," Jonah said, "at least for the moment. If anything breaks down we don't have anyone to fix it."
"We actually have a couple engineers in our camp," the man in the kitchen said, glancing hesitantly at Jason. "But we haven't had any equipment for them to work with."
"It sounds like we could be of some help to each other," Walter said.
"It sure does. Cheers," Jason said, opening a Diet Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla. "We should have some of our people see your camp. Where is it?"
"Why are you so insistent?" Walter asked. Outside the window behind him, the sun fell behind the horizon.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason said.
"Then you won't mind telling us where your camp is," Leon said.
"Right," Jason said, "so you can steal from us just like you steal from all the empty houses around here!"
"Steal what, soda?" Sonny asked. "Sounds like you guys need us more than we need you!"
"Hold on," Kent said, standing suddenly between the armed men from the two camps. "Things are getting..."
The glass window in the kitchen crashed inward as an arm in tattered clothing reached in.

The man in the kitchen spun where he stood and fired his shotgun at the zombie. More windows began to shatter around them as the commuting zombies returned to their roost. Leon and Jonah slammed the front door behind them just as two more tried to get in.
"We need to get out of here, now!"
The seven men raced for the back door. The zombies surrounded them as they ran outside. One grabbed Walter, pulling him with incredible force. Kent quickly grabbed a shovel and struck the zombie in the head, freeing Walter and knocking the zombie to the ground.
The two men began running to catch up to the others, zombies lunging at them from behind. Walter looked back, although he wasn't sure why. He saw zombie after zombie pouring around the house, with several stumbling into the pool as the men ran by. The zombies sputtered, immobilized in the water.
"They can't swim," Walter said quietly. "They can't swim! Kent?"
"What?" Kent asked, a few feet ahead of Walter. The armored transport the raiders had come in was in sight.
"I'm sorry we never came for you."
Kent gave half a smile. "We'll talk about it later."
The men ran.

I Know Jesus Christ

So last night I had an extended conversation / intellectual discussion with one of my wife's brothers. By intellectual discussion, I mean mostly that he had a lot he wanted to say to me about what I believe, and did so by posing strategic questions and not being very happy with how I answered them until he finally gave a short speech caricaturing the Christianity he had heard in Christian schools (and saying nothing at all about Christianity as I had described it).

On the plus side, I came to realize some things about myself. When he asked me how I could be so sure of what I believe, I did not say it was because of the logical consistency of the Christian system (I believe it is logically consistent, but so are a lot of things). I said I was sure because I know Jesus Christ. He didn't understand what that meant, which is fair since it's not an easy thing to explain. But I've been thinking about it, and I'd like to try.

"I know Jesus Christ" is not all that different than if I were to say "I know Joel P.", which is the kind of thing people say all the time. What does it mean to say I know someone? Does it mean I have conversed with him on a variety of issues? Does it mean I have driven him to pick up his girlfriend at the airport? Does it mean I have sung karaoke with him the night before his wedding?

I think the statement "I know Joel P." is a claim about someone's story: I know Joel's story. I know things about Joel's past, even before I knew him; similarly, he knows things about mine. I don't know everything about his past, but I know enough to understand him to some extent. Not only that, but I have become a part of Joel's story, and he a part of mine. When certain parts of Joel's story are told now, I will come up. Joel comes up when I tell parts of my own story. Even though I don't see or directly interact with Joel right now, I don't need convinced of who he is. I know Joel P.

It's not so different when I say I know Jesus Christ. I know about his past before I came along. Not only that, but Jesus Christ lives, and his story still continues. I have become a part of His story, and he of mine. I am as confident of who He is as I am of who Joel is. I know Jesus Christ.

On My Mind

I am sick. Not deathly sick, but still sick. I feel like blogging what's on my mind, but thay may get dangerous in my current state. Stream of Consciousness, here we come!

Ernie is an odd name for a newsman.

Another Postcard by the Barenaked Ladies is paying on the iTunes. Spell checker thinks iTunes is misspelled, which is understandable since aPple seems to have issues with capitalization. But that is a great song.

I think I'm a good teacher. I might not be, and I'm certain I could improve a lot. But I substituted for two professors today, and I'll be subbing for another in a couple weeks. So my department hasn't disagreed with my assessment yet.

I need a haircut. I have wings on my head at the moment.

I am cold. But this time next week, I will be a lot colder. My socks are planning to wear socks.

I have been reading a book of short stories by H.P. Lovecraft. Pretty interesting. He's kinda floofy (Joel might say grandiose), but I like how atmospheric everything is.

I like doing research. I wish I had time to do more, but classes keep getting in the way.

I'm never bored when my wife watches Telemundo news and translates for me. I'm not sure why that isn't boring, but it's not.

Bailouts are for the lose. That is my professional opinion.

I don't think I get as much (non-economics) intellectual exercise as I used to. Not sure if that's good or bad.

I like Thanksgiving. Feasts are fun. And I'm kinda sad KMac won't be hosting advent dinners this year.

I really want to write another zombie story. I have a lot I want to say, and it seems to be more meaningful when I say it through a story. Josh Seacris would be pleased.

Good night.

Recipe #02

Garlic Parmesan Soup

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons white flour, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 cup chicken stock/broth (no bouillon cubes or MSG!), 1 cup whole milk, 1/2 large white onion (sliced as desired), a few ounces of shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/2 pound ground turkey or sausage (optional), salt and pepper

Tools: Soup pot, whisk

Melt the butter in the pot over a low to medium heat. Whisk in the flour until fully mixed. After about 30 seconds, mix in the garlic until coated, then add mustard and mix. When this is fully mixed and is smelling tasty, increase heat to medium-high and add broth, milk, and onion (in that order). Whisk continuously for a few minutes, adding salt and pepper. When soup is beginning to steam, but before thickening, add the Parmesan. Continue whisking until the soup thickens. Add turkey or sausage (which you have seasoned and cooked to taste earlier) if desired.

My friends, this is at least as tasty as any MSG-laden soup you can imagine... and without the neuro-toxins! It works on its own as soup, it works as a savory sauce, it keeps in the fridge. The recipe scales up (and probably down, too). You could probably add potatoes or soup veggies. I want some of this right now.

Recipe #01

I don't believe I've ever given cooking advice on this blog before. For those who don't know, I really enjoy cooking. I don't have as much time for it as I'd like, but every once in a while I like to make really fun dishes.

One that I've really learned to appreciate is brown rice. Now, the first time I made brown rice, I followed the instructions on the bag. Disgusting stuff, some of the worst food I've had. I assumed that since brown rice is ridiculously good for you, bad texture and unappealing flavor were required. However, I have since learned how to make a flavorful, fluffy, nutritious side that goes with almost any meal. It's not fast (about 1 hour from start to serving), but if you've got the time, it's worth it.

Brown Rice Recipe

Serves 2 - 4 (depending on portions)
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked brown rice, 2.5 cups water, approx. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, coconut or olive oil, salt
Equipment: toaster oven w/ tray, big pot

First, rinse the rice thoroughly in warm water. Make sure the rice is soaked through. Next, lay out the rice on the toaster oven tray. Spread the sesame seeds out on top. Toast the rice at approximately 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

When the rice has just a couple minutes left, put the water in the big pot and bring it to a boil. pour a small amount of oil into the water. Once the rice is toasted, take it out of the oven and pour it immediately into the boiling water. If it's going well, your kitchen should be filled with a nutty, sesame smell, and the rice will make a nice fluffing sound when it hits the water. Even out the rice on the bottom of the pot and cover. Reduce the heat to a low boil and leave it on the heat for 30 minutes. You can add salt after about 15 minutes if you like (the salt is optional, it will still be good without it).

Once the timer goes off, move the rice off of the heat, but do not lift the lid! That part cannot be stressed enough. Leave the rice covered for at least 5 minutes, but not more than 10. When you take the lid off, use whatever you prefer to lift and fluff the rice / sesame seed mixture. Serve.

This is, I promise, a tasty tasty dish. It tends to dry up a bit when reheated, but is OK the next day. I recommend serving with grated white cheese on top.