Letter to Erin 20151214

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi there, beautiful and Sweetheart!  Are you having fun yet?  If you can look past the seriousness of it all, which I know you can, you will see that the whole situation is really kind of looney.  On a global scale.  It's not that the situation is confusing, but that people have been confused all their existence.  Allah guides whom Allah Wills.  They may desire to be starlets, but you are MY girl.  I love you and I need you.

I needed to make more marinara sauce for more pizza and stuff, so I had to go downtown to get the fixings.  I also wanted to buy dinner while I was out.  But none of the usual joints I go to were open for some reason.  Except Ina, and I was there yesterday.  The places that were open didn't look too appetizing to me, so that meant I had to cook my own dinner.  I looked around and everywhere I looked, people were buying burgers.  So I went with the flow, and decided on cheeseburgers tonight.  But not just any cheeseburgers.  I had some of my Mom's "sambal belacan" in my cooler.  I think I described to you what "sambal belacan" was before, basically a red hot pepper condiment with a fermented shrimp and tamarind kick.  It's a local food, and quite common here.  I told my Mom that "sambal belacan" matches perfectly with melted cheese, and she said "Yuck!"  But it really does match well with melted cheese.  So for a "sambal belacan" burger, add a tablespoon of "sambal belacan" under the cheese before you melt it.  Totally awesome.  You must try it.

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Letter to Erin 20151213

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Don't worry so much.  I'm OK, alhamdulillah.  Learn to ride the situation, and don't forget to pray.  You are my wife.  Together we are one.  I love you, and I need you.

I finally got the chance to cut the grass.  It's been a while, and it's been raining most of the time, but today I finally cleared up that overgrowth.  And right after I got done, it started to rain.

There's still nothing special on the menu. I'm just trying to finish up what I already have in the cooler before it goes bad.  For lunch I had chili and cheese sandwiches.  I did manage to get a batch of dough done, but it won't be ready to use until Monday.  I didn't cook any dinner.  I bought some rice over at Ina's to save time before the sunset prayer, which they're calling right as I write.  Please excuse me while I pray.

Letter to Erin 20151212

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Ack!  I don't want to eat rotten fruit!  Please keep your fruit pure and clean for me, and I will do the same for you inshaAllah.

The local mosque has finished remodeling, so I went there for Friday prayer this afternoon.  On the way there, I saw a new house being built.  The first floor was on a concrete foundation that was about a meter high.  It has to be that high to guard from flooding.  So I thought that the foundation of your house inshaAllah has to be that high as well.  And no basement!

Nothing special on the menu today.  Have to watch the budget you know, and finish off what's in the cooler.  I wanted to cut the grass in the evening, but it started to rain.  So after the rain stopped, I went out for some gasoline, and a loaf of sliced bread for leftover chili.  A very humble day food wise.  I didn't even have any dough to make my own bread.  I suppose I have to make a batch of dough later.

Urgh... I am full though.  I hope you are staying warm and getting plenty of rest.  Please take good loving care of yourself, because I love you and I need you.

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Letter to Erin 20151211

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Hi!  How are you feeling today, Sweetie?  Is it nice and cold over there?  Dress up warm!  Wear the mink jacket!  It's bloody HOT over here.  Aaaaah!!!  I wanted to stay indoors all day, but I had so much to do in the garden.  I had to put fertilizer in all those baby mangoes, I had to replant the hot peppers and the okra, etc etc.  Dinner was pizza again.  Knowing how to make pizza gives me the option of having pizza every day, and I know some people that would eat pizza every day if they could.  Would you have pizza every day?  Pizza.  What a concept.

Do you remember that female papaya tree with 3 heads that I showed you the photo of?  One of the heads fell off.  I suspect my parents of pulling that head down.  Well, the other day I picked an almost ripe fruit from the straight head and put it in the cooler.  2 days ago I tried to cut it open, but it was too hard.  Aaah!  I should have left it out at room temperature to fully ripen!  Then another day, I picked a smaller, almost ripe fruit fruit from the head that leans left.  This time I left it out at room temperature.  Today it was soft, so I cut it open.  Aaah!  It was rotten!

Please remember to take good care of yourself, OK?  Stay healthy OK?  I love you, and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151210

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

How's it going, my beloved?  How's business?  I pray you are getting sufficient rest and enjoying yourself.  Please pray.  There's nothing much going on here today.  In the morning, I helped my Mom make some "lontong", which is basically pressed rice in a spicy coconut milk/turmeric broth with vegetables and other stuff.  It's very tasty, and very filling.  I'm writing this letter later than usual.  I spent the evening cleaning out my house with the leaf blower, then I broke down some dead shrubs in my yard.  So I didn't start making dinner until after the sunset prayer.  I had fried calamari.  A LOT of fried calamari.  A stack about 6 inches high.  Heh!  The appetizer portions in a restaurant are too puny for me, plus I get to bypass the main course.  Wow, I'm stuffed.  Alhamdulillah.  You are welcome to some fried calamari, if you like.  I have a lot of encoding to do tonight, so I can't practice bass or guitar.  Maybe tomorrow.  I hope that you take care of yourself and are eating properly.  I love you and I need you.

Letter to Erin 20151209

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Let me repeat myself regarding this matter, because it's important.  So you are super busy nowadays, but you must not miss your sleep.  Beauty sleep.  You will find that sleep doesn't coincide with free time.  Don't take drugs to stay awake or fall asleep.  Take as many naps as possible.  Don't force yourself to nap, but take a nap when you get drowsy.  Who cares what people think, trust what you feel.  Excuse yourself, find a chair, close your eyes, and dream.  Don't try to sleep first, go straight into the dream.  Say to people, "I've been working all the time lately so I'm a bit drowsy right now.  Please excuse me while I take a short nap."  I'll have to admit that it irritates me that people expect you to work and work and work without considering whether you or not you are weary.  I want you to take good care of yourself, because I love you and I need you.

I made a couple of pizzas for my parents today for their wedding anniversary.  Making a pizza at home takes much longer than on a pizza line in a restaurant.  The most important part of the pizza is the crust.  I had a good batch of dough, already portioned into tortillas, so each dough ball would make a good 8" pizza crust.  First I had to cook it on a flat pan to keep its shape, then I deep fry it to give it texture and color.  Then I put the sauce and toppings.  Today it's home made halal beef sausage and chopped basil, so I had to bake the pizza once to cook the sausage.  Don't precook the meat!  It has to cook on the pizza for it to taste awesome.  It's the grease oozing out on the bread that's tasty.  When that's done, then the cheese goes on.  This is because I'm only budgeted for sliced cheese.  Bake the pizza again, only to melt the cheese.  Cheese is important of course, but what to do when the cheese is cheap?  At least the pizza tastes good.  Alhamdulillah.

Letter to Erin 20151208

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I hope you are keeping your nose clean.  Please!  I understand you're busy and you need to stay awake, but nothing is a substitute for sleep.  The stuff might keep you awake, but that's not a good reason to use it.  Since it's an unregulated drug, the product isn't screened for Coca worms.  No one talks about Coca worms because it would affect business.  Yes, besides robbing you of your beauty and making you look like beef jerky, the stuff may infect you with the dreaded Coca worm.  No, that wriggling around in your sinuses is neither a nose hair nor a booger, even though it looks like white, sticky booger.  Just pray that it doesn't go out the back way, and you have to swallow it.  Ew!

But seriously, I want you to take good care of yourself, not just because you're a role model, but because you are my girl, and I love you and need you.  If you're busy, find a way to nap as much as possible.  We're all of us waiting around for somebody or something so while you wait, find a chair and shut your eyes and dream for five minutes or longer.  It makes a huge difference, trust me.

Bob Cat got himself a mate!  I saw her while I was on the way back from night market.  They were hanging out together over at your house inshaAllah.  She has a white snout, chest and belly like Bobby's mother and sisters, but darker markings overall.  I didn't get a close look at her because I didn't want to bother the love cats.  Isn't that cute?

Today December 8 is my Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary.  I'll be making them a pizza.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!