Florida Intermezzo: Lizard Nightmares & the Evolution of Food.

The Metrics: 

 x - 5    =  The current number of anole lizards in the backyard.

400%   =  The increase of square footage in our current abode versus our old apartment (and the corresponding increase in cat shenanigans).

10        =  The number of delicious meals cooked while on vacation.

2          =  The number of cuisines that we shamelessly bastardized (see below).

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He is that which stalks you, haunting your tiny lizard dreams.

If you see him, lurking in the shadows of that poolside shrub, it's too late.

He pounces with 99% accuracy, but 0% mercy...

He is.... RAGS!  The LIZARD BANE!

(Dun, dun, DUNNNNNNNNNNNN!)

And he comes right to your door, conveniently shipped in a cardboard box!

That's right, folks.  Our cat is a lizard-hunting fiend.  I've done my best to intervene (I happen to like tiny lizards), but Rags is quick and the creatures are apparently very tasty.

Be swift, little lizard.  Be swift.

Needless to say, the cats have been having a very good time while we've been on our Floridan vacation!  They've been romping, chasing, playing, stalking, and exploration-sleeping (that's where cats make a point to sleep in a new spot every chance they get).

Case in point.  Cats in closet, second to top shelf.

The group-nap technique.

"But, Moooom... I wanna eat birds, tooooo...."

They've been having a grand ole' time, it's true.  But Dan and I have been having a blast, too!  We've been working out a lot, progressing nicely toward the Tri-half-alon goal, as well as enjoying the pool & beach, soaking up the sun (read: burning and / or freckling), and making lots of delicious meals around the house. 

As you probably already know, we love to cook.  (And we especially love to eat.)  So, here's a little photographic food journey for you!

Tikki Masala & naan.

Dan makes a killer Tikki Masala recipe.  It's rich, super-spicy, and tastes incredibly authentic.  And he made an off-the-cuff sourdough naan that was simply amazing.  We made a vat of Tikki Masala, so we had (and still have) plenty of leftovers.  You'll see what we do with them farther down on the page.

Burgers and tots like you've never seen.

This would be my personal favorite: A red wine & shallot burger, served with a sauteed herb & mushroom topper, and parmesan & white truffle tater tots.  YES.  YESSSSS.  It was just as tasty as it sounds.  Maybe tastier.

Dan bread!

What is a blog post about food without mention of made-from-scratch Dan bread?  This one is a Vermont Sourdough, made with whole wheat.  And... with that same dough... we made....

Chicken Pizza Masala!

LEFTOVER PIZZA!  The above is, as the caption says, "Chicken Pizza Masala."  Clever, no?  It's just our leftover chicken and curry spread over the dough, with a little bit of light shredded Italian cheese over the top.  It was... strangely amazing.

And it doesn't stop there!  We also made a leftover pizza with the burgers!  Crumbled up burger patty, a sprinkle of the sauteed mushrooms, shredded cheese, and a drizzle of white truffle oil.  Friggin' phenomenal.

Dinner of champions.

Dan, posing with his creation.

So, there you have it, loyal readers!  We're having fun, eating well, and trying to enjoy every minute of our time together.

Thanks for reading!
WR

Tomorrow... only later.

What a crazy, crazy busy time it's been.  To catch you up, here's a list (because I'm so very fond of lists).

The following things have happened in the last few weeks:

1.)  I was diagnosed with a stupid medical condition that will sporadically interrupt my life routine from now on.  (Lame, but not deadly.  I promise.)
2.)  I got my regional placement in the JET Program!  Hooray!
3.)  Dan and I packed all of our belongings, separating them out for independent moves and summer travels.
4.)  We moved the aforementioned belongings (all by ourselves) onto a truck, off of a truck, and into a second story storage unit.  Yikes, that was a long day.
5.)  We cleaned our apartment from top to bottom.  Top... to... bottom.
6.)  We drove from the Twin Cities to central Illinois, with two drugged up cats in tow.
7.)  Then, we drove to Nashville, TN to spent time with my family.  Hooray!
8.)  And lastly, we drove to southern Florida.  DOUBLE Hooray!

After weeks and weeks of preparing and tri-training and packing and list-making and moving and such, we were very ready for a relaxing time in Florida.  Just me... Dan... and the cats.  (And maybe a margarita by the pool.)  Ah, paradise.

Yeah.

So, with all the hullabaloo, I've not had time to update my blog.  (Insert frownie face)  I'm a terrible, horrible, awful blogger and I deserve to be blog-flogged.  But, until e-flogging technology improves, you'll just have to accept my sincerest apologies for the delay.

Sorry.

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Now that that's done, let's move on to the DETAILS!  I mean, that's what you read this blog for, right?  All the juicy tidbits of RowStein info?  I'll address the topics above in numerical order (because I'm so very fond of numerical order).

1.)  My Medical Condition:  I'll try to keep the story short and sweet (... sort of).  Basically, several weeks ago, Dan and I did a rather serious "brick" workout (see the blog about our triathlon training by clicking here).  I had trouble pushing through and gave up a little early.  No biggie, really.  I figured I was just tired.  The next morning, my foot hurt.  I must've just pushed the workout too hard, I thought.  But, I had things to do, so I limped around most of the day, then iced and elevated it in the evening.  The following day, I woke up to brain-scrambling pain shooting up my foot.  Several hours of (unsuccessfully) pretending that I wasn't in horrible, agonizing pain later... we went to our local Urgent Care.  After a few tests, an X-Ray, a PA, a conversation with a Nephrologist, and a visit to a specialist... my diagnosis came back as gout.

That's right, gout.  "Rich Man's Disease."  It's rare in women, rarer in anyone under 40, and especially rare in someone like me (since I exercise, eat a decently balanced diet [not high in purines], and barely drink at all).  Further testing will be required to determine what kind of gout it is, and how best to treat it, long-term.  But!  The GOOD news is, I responded extremely well to the anti-inflammatory medications I was given, which got the swelling and pain down very quickly.  The doctors are pretty confident that that means that my future "attacks" will be much less painful (now that I know what's happening and can medicate in time).  So, yeah.  I have gout.  Awesome.  Not a sexy or hip medical condition, to be sure.  But, as my dad said, when I told him, "Well.  Benjamin Franklin had gout."

2.)  JET Program - Regional Placement:  Man, oh man!  I'm excited to announce this!  I finally got my Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program placement!  (drum roll................)

FUKUOKA-KEN!

Here, Fukuoka City is marked (giving distance perspective).

A simple layout, with cities & geographical features.

It was one of my top choices in prefecture!  Hooray!  However... at this point, I know nothing more than that.  My emailed placement letter indicated that my Contracting Organization (or "CO") is the Prefecture only, meaning that while I know my state (Fukuoka-ken), I don't yet know my exact city or school(s).  Think of it like being a "state" employee, versus a "city" or "county" employee.  When my slot is finalized, I'll be contacted by my CO, supervisor, and predecessor (if I have one).  That could be any day now.... fingers crossed!  Here are a few more pictures of the region (because I'm so fond of pictures).

Part of Fukuoka-shi (the capital of the prefecture).

Fukuoka-shi, again.  Reportedly has great nightlife!

Fukuoka's "Canal City" shopping district.  I could be here!

Or here!  A shot of rural Fukuoka-ken.  Gorgeous.

I'm so excited!  The more I read about the area (and the more I make contact with other JETs in the region), the more thrilled I am about my placement!  I think it's going to be a really great fit, regardless of the city I end up in.  As soon as I find out more information though, I'll be sure to blog about it!

Well... hrmm... eventually.

Since #3 through #8 seem pretty self-explanatory to me, I'll probably leave the post there (because I'm so fond of sleeping).  I promise, promise, promise to be back next week with more RowStein news, as well as photos of our summer adventures in Florida.

Thanks for reading!
WR