Odds and Ends

I am now shopping for an apartment for the beginning of next year. Its kind of hard doing that when you don't have a (paying) job reference or lease history for the past 4 1/2 years!

My new (old) job is working wonderfully for me and I am expecting a pay raise by December or January.

No news in the relationship department, but then of course I am not spending any time worrying about that. I got goals, focus, vision, things that need to be accomplished in the next few months...and even further down the road.

Lately I have been reading the book, 'The Bible That Jesus Read' which has been very good for me and understanding Old Testament 'things'. I am about halfway thru with it...it came about that I chose this book after reading another book by the same author that I really enjoyed, 'The Jesus I Never Knew' by Phillip Yancy.

At work it has been like dusting off an old bicycle and riding it again only to discover there are a few new additions to it...but thats ok, because it doesn't take long to adjust to those either.

I am finally recuperating from a lung infection that has been sapping my energy for the last ten days and will venture back into the gym after taking a week off. Even though I have not been cooking or creating as much as I would like, I have still taken time to read from my culinary books and magazines as well as watch a lot of my favorite food network shows...so I am still learning and developing some new 'things' and dishes, recipes, menus...that I will be trying out when I get my own kitchen in January.

I have found that after our state went to a 'no-smoking' law in all the restaurants that I have been able to go back to a few hometown places that I started avoiding just because of the heavy smoke...which doesn't effect any of my friends that smoke because they never smoke while eating in an establishment anyway. They say it ruins the experience and taste of the food.

Now I wonder what ever gave them that Idea? Smart people they are (my friends)!

Life doesn't stop

Things are moving right along for me...After asking for prayer to get a better job I was offered one the VERY next day.

I am going back to work for a beverage company that I was employed with 5 years before coming to Mercy Ships...Yes, you guessed it. I am a BUD man again.

I only work about 4 days a week, BC/BS full medical and dental (company pays 60percent). Weekly paycheck...hmmm what else? We get all major holidays off and there is plenty of room for advancement.

Now I have time off to get involved with some local ministries and food drives. Not to mention entertaining for friends (nice way of using them for culinary test subjects), church projects, and a few things of my own!

Because of all the developments lately I have not renewed my website (so it will be dissappearing in November sometime) also I do not have personal access to internet (that works good) all the time so I will be posting all new developments here.

I have discontinued my 'we b cookin' blogspot for lack of outside interest (except for a few) and will now bring all my attention to keeping this blog up-to-date with what I am doing now-a-days.

I bid Mercy Ships a final farewell as I now permanently push on to work in other areas of ministry and missions. To all my friends made during 'Mercy Ships' we will still keep in contact and maybe a few visits now and then would be nice...but you know who you are because we still keep in contact now.

It seems to be a new season (literally)...and I feel GOOD about it!

A few things to know

Without going into a lot of detail (except where I want to explain) I had a little road trip with friends last week to Connecticut via Dayton Ohio, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, thru New York City (on the Bronx side) to Torrington.

Along the way I managed to eat Cheesecake Factory (In Philly - fish tacos, and apps.), Anthony's (Authentic Italian - had antipasto, homemade sausage, & gnocchi with Alfredo sauce), and Shieks (sandwiches inc. - 'kitchen sink' grinder or something like a cross between Philly cheese steak and subway sandwich). My friend Pastor Will (Valley Fellowship - my home church), his mom cooked us Korean food for a midnight dinner on our way back (she's full/100% Korean). All of it EXCELLENT! Just wanted you to know that. Another great culinary expedition without even trying...I just went along for the 'ride' and to help out. And a big THANK YOU! for all those who hosted us (just in case you stumble across my website and wonder why I didn't mention your names...but I thought that would be sharing to much without your consent).

Pastor Pat (The Dwelling Place - church) went to research some on William Penn and his lineage since he is a 'Penn' himself, hence the trip via Philly in PENNsylvania (actually named for William Penn's Dad, Lord William Penn...I think).

I guess I could have called this excursion, 2 Pastors and a Missionary?!

Yes, I took (unpaid) time off from work after only 2 months of working...Has it really been that long???

Life is a steady grind of routine and work for me lately...In a way that's good and bad. The bad being I don't really like my job and nothing else has opened up for me right now. The good? The obvious, having money, paying bills, yada yada...

In January (when all my commitments and responsibilities here at home are done) I am still considering doing mission or missionary work again...But this time I will probably try to go about getting financial support a different way. But right now this thought is only 50/50.

Really depends if anything opens up for me between now and then (January). One half of me wants to get a job (like one of those decent paying career jobs) and settle in looking for a house and maybe considering a wife and family later on..In that order. But of course this is all speculation, and the next day I wake up and want to dash it all go for broke working and traveling at minimum or no financial gain just to enjoy cooking and making a difference by surrendering myself to that kind of sacrifice (but really, what kind of sacrifice is it when it brings Joy to you and God?) and lifestyle. Which would God have me choose? That's yet to be decided...But I am looking for clues along the way and listening for His voice.

Pray, pray that I could at least get a job with better hours so I can be more involved with church and ministries here at home.

I am ashamed to say that even though I have cooked here and there since I have been home...I have not used my own culinary tools or brought my Executive Chef Attache Case (sounds fancy doesn't it? Knife and tool suitcase for travel...I didn't make that name up, that's how I had to order it) out of the trunk since I rode away from the Caribbean Mercy.

Its just not right I tell you!

One more thing...to Mr. Tom, I am sorry I haven't been coming to your Sunday School Class but with the job and hours I work I just can't make my body get up that early. I sincerely apologize.

My website will go 'offline' or be terminated next month...but I will still be writing on my 'bogspot' tyronebcookin.blogspot.com . That is FREE website space...plus I have less time to keep up with these things nowadays (and my parents have dial-up so it takes forever to upload website changes). Hahaha

Oregon, Ira, and excellent food

Just to recap a few things I have past without posts due to waiting on pictures to submit...

While traveling in Oregon (same trip as the redwoods, sand dunes, beaches, etc...) I was able to stop by and visit with Ira Krizo (and family) founder of the Christian Chefs Fellowship.

They have a nice B&B and restaurant Pine Hurst Inn (with a seasonally rotating/changing menu) within a terrific scenic and historic area giving it a wonderful backdrop for a nice night out and/or vacation to get away. I hear they might even have, or be, doing weddings and such in the future!

Excellent food, great place! Thanks for the hospitality! (please check out the links provided for more pics and info)

Public Library

You may find this a boring post but I am just realizing how much I missed our public library. I don't know what size or how it ranks in the nation but it is great!

We have movies, CD's, tapes, and of course books...But a million other things too! The library also has some of those oversized plush chairs that are very comfortable and hard to stay awake in unless you are reading a really good book, or the newest edition of Bon Appetit, Gourmet, or one of those other food magazines(OK maybe that's just me).

Our Library looks like a big fort and its about 3 or 4 stories high. I am not completely sure because some levels are used for conferences, meetings and such. The picture is real small too...But it was the only one I could find(I found a bigger one, so that is what you are looking at now).

The Library is close to the Wellness Center where I have rejoined so I can work out and exercise again after all these years...I have also got a cell phone now so I can have that mobility and ease of communication wherever I go. No, I will not give the number out publicly. You would probably call and text message me so many times I would loose all my money and good credit rating, not to mention alienate me from the rest of the world when they deactivate my phone! Ha!

Why is all this so important? Because as high as gas is I will be trying to walk everywhere and enjoy as much free entertainment as I can!!!

Oh yeah, still waiting on that job. Its great being home, seriously!

Found

I finally found the digital camera I lost...I packed it away with some stuff I thought I wouldn't be using for a few weeks.

So now that I have found it maybe I can get the pics downloaded and upload a picture of the watermelon I carved for my church's 25th Anniversary.

On another note: Some days it is just extremely aggravating working on my website...And in the end it just seems to be the difference between upper and lower case letters, one or two of them!!!

My software (frontpage) does not differentiate between upper and lower case letters in the html pages, but obviously my server which holds my website does! UGH!

I think I got it all straightened out now...



Ok, so the contour of the watermelon was tricky but all of the other watermelon had their prices written on them with permanent black markers...Not to elegant when they show up in the middle of your creation. And I told the sellers at the farmers market that too!

I'm back and ready to go

I did return to the ship on Sunday night..Somewhere between 9 and 10pm. Just in time to redeem myself from the wondering mind of the crew. After they saw my empty bedroom when they put some of my mail in there, they truly wondered whether I planned to come back at all.

I can pack all my stuff into the hooptie, so why not? I figure if something weird or unplanned happens to the ship or me there will be no reason to go back to get anything...Or worry about it being missing or damaged. So I took it all. But I did store some of it at my parents until I travel out to the IOC next month.

Now that I am back I am ready to go...hahaha, and will shortly do so. Now the time seems to have gone by fast.

I am looking forward to a trip out west and then a week at home before going to the IOC in August. Your probably saying 'he was just at home'. You know being at home can be very stressful and busy when you usually average being home 2 weeks to a month out of the year. There is so much to do, so many people to see and spend time with. Being at home last week was a blessing, if not for circumstances beyond my control I would not have been.

Slow Leak

My car had a slow leak in the back passenger tire that became a fast leak. When I tried to get it patched Walmart told me it was because the rim was dented. So today I went to the junkyard to get a rim. The rim cost the same amount whether it had a tire on it or not! So Bill and I ( Thanks to Bill for taking me there and helping me find the wheels!) found a rim with a good tire on it that was still holding air..then I got to thinking about getting a second one...hmmm. Now I could replace that bicycle tire they call a temporary that was in my trunk with no air in it!!!

I bought two wheels today, both with excellant tires on them that still held air and had good tread. When I got back I took the two back tires off...I kept the one that was flat because it still had a good tire on it (remember the rim was dented) and I took the other off and replaced the temporary tire in the deep part of the trunk and lo' and behold!!! There was enough rust down there to deteriorate part of the temporary rim and the rest of the trunk!!!

Well I am not certain that the actual trunk was in danger of falling thru like spots on the ship...I just looked around quickly to make sure Katie had not seen this and come running with a needle gun ( a tool here on the ship used to remove rust that I think she has an obsession with! ) whewwww, I quickly breathed a sigh of relief remembering they were gone to the movies.

On second thought maybe I should let her get at it, then primer and coat it when they get done..what do you think? Nahhhh, its just Da Hoopty!

Why bother?

In about another month I will be packing again. I sometimes wonder why I ever bother to unpack. Maybe I can get me some of that luggage that just sits up straight after you carry it and it looks and functions like a dresser, hmmm. Maybe they can even make a mirror the same size as the bag that when you slide down the elongated handle ( like those ones that roll and have a telescoping handle when you go on planes) you can slide up the mirror in place. Wha-La! A small dresser complete with hidden slide-up mirror.

Better yet, make my 13 inch TV/vcr with a DVD/CD player also built into it (did I mention Bose Acoustic Speakers too?)...And have two rolling wheels at the back and a telescoping handle for those quick easy moves. Being 'carry on size' for this would be nice too.

Oh, OH! And maybe have one 'credit card' style card that you use for everything...Program it that way. Slide your card almost anywhere and pick which one you need: Passport info, license, American Express credit, Visa credit, Mastercard credit, bank debit...Just pick the one you need from the options screen. Then have it multi-task for sliding in your door at home to get in, slide in slot to get in car, slide in slot and push button to start car...At work you could also use it to ID yourself clocking/punching in and out at the timeclock.

I am sure all this will be coming shortly, its just that its not helping me now...now when I need it the most. So packing, traveling, and moving isn't so frustrating. Especially when you have done it so many times in the last 3 months.

After all this time I pretty much have it down to a science though...I use canvas or some other durable material for my 'soft luggage' (all my luggage are duffel bags and/or back packs) its more forgiving in moving stuff in it all the time. Fits more places on planes, trains, and buses too. I give everything away like Santa Claus and then keep the basic clothes and shoes (I have found this very liberating and most of the stuff I give away ends up being replaced by kind unsuspecting people at my next destination who never knew I just gave the same item away. Its usually to much trouble to travel with it, or mail it.

Books are easy to get rid of because I only have a few that I keep and the rest I usually have read them anyway.

Believe it or not I bought a business card holder (like a slim picture album) and I keep multiple cards of all sorts for different regions of my travels and then just swap them out in my small flip style credit card wallet.

For example, I have a Blockbuster (movie rentals) card for Mobile Alabama. I also have one for various other states, Canada, and a few other places that rent movies. So when I get to the Dominican republic I get out all the cards that are valid for use in that area and put all the other ones back in the card 'album' and I have 'prepared' my wallet for the next destination.

Somewhere after your thousandth mile, or second,third trip from home you start to get a little smart with this whole traveling thing.

My passport actually looks like those faded blue jeans that 'double' for church pants in a pinch. Yes, the original dark blue (or whatever color you want to call it) of my passport looks that worn out now...Of course it didn't help that I washed it at least on time I know of...And there is probably enough dried sweat in it to produce 'DNA Matching'.

I am very happy though, I have enjoyed my travels immensely and sooner or later my packing problems will be over...Apple will probably come out with an prototype called 'ipac' to put all these things together...AND play MP3's!

It will just take it forever to get down to a price I can afford!!!

Random thoughts and discoveries

I have made a 'discovery', a bag of Joyce Meyer tapes I found on the ship which I am now enjoying listening to. She has always seemed to be on a level I could understand clearly and doesn't go about fooling herself when it comes to self evaluation...I like that about her.

My own self evaluation has come up wanting, lacking. But I have in no way tried to build myself up into something I am not. Rather, I was told by a close friend that I expect to much of myself. It could be that I create to much undue stress thinking about all of the expectations I have in my mind, not including supposed expectations others may have of me.

I sincerely hope (if that is the case) that I move on from this stress because I can see where it could cause me a lot of indecision and doubt in every day life. I would like to think that I prepare myself for changes, expectations, trials by moving ahead in my actions - by making decisions to advance myself.

What am I rambling about?

I have made the decision to move on from the ship since technically my job is done here for now (not necessarily Mercy Ships). So now I need to to think about going to work at the IOC (Mercy Ships International Operations Center)in Texas or going home. In making one decision, I have created more decisions to be made.

Ahhh, that's life you say? Yes, I suppose it is...But it doesn't make it any easier.

From there, it creates thoughts of expectations for myself that diversify into the two different scenarios...But really, why should I concern and worry that far ahead when I haven't even decide which road I will be going down?

As another good friend said once, 'Tyrone, you think too much!'. hahahaha

Yes, sometimes I suppose I do.

Leaving?

Well let me tell you...Everybody is probably on there way out, exiting, leaving, moving on to either the IOC (International Operations Center), Anastasis, Africa Mercy or some point between here (Chickasaw Alabama) and home, their own home.

Most of the crew of the Caribbean Mercy will be gone by Monday the 6th. I have chosen this weekend to go home and visit my family (mom and dad, sister, brother in law, niece and nephew) and my home church, Valley Fellowship.

By doing this I have created some more quality time for me to be with family after being gone nearly 7 months to Europe and Africa essentially missing several birthdays and holidays...And I have also released myself from a weekend of 'goodbyes' of which I don't really enjoy participating in anyway. And more than likely I will see a lot of these people again. They only left the ship, not the whole organization.

For those of you that may be mad at me for ducking out...I hope you have safe travels.

I will return on Monday and start back to work getting ready for my next phase. Cleaning and organizing all my foods into smaller refrigerators and freezers, shopping, cooking, cleaning, menu planning, etc...For about 8 crew members that are 'left behind'. Nine including me. I will also be responsible for being on a rotation for a 24 hour 'watch' that will keep me restricted to the ship with certain checklist and maintenance points to mark off. Happily I will not be involved with any night watches!

There were a few 'goodbyes' I made sure happened before I left...And those were of a private nature anyway, not for public or shipwide 'news', but a personal farewell to those that may not be coming back, or be seen again anytime soon.

And a big thanks goes out to Jeff (my boss) Chief Steward - 2004*2005 - best one I ever had...Best wishes and prayers for you and your family. You made it the best for me!~

Fixin, Fittin, and Gettin things done!

Alright it seems we (the Anastasis) will be sailing to Liberia in about a week, hopefully. We have all our parts crucial for the engine to work...so now I can actually plan my flight ticket and have it purchased. But now instead of going to the Dominican Republic the Caribbean Mercy has some further repairs itself...so perhaps I will be seeing 'sweet home Alabama' once again before disappearing on a sail to Barahona.

I am getting things prepared already because there is a 20 kilo weight restriction which means just one bag at 44 pounds. Not a lot I will be taking with me since my chef/culinary attache case weighs about that much...and since the most of the knives and equipment will not 'carry on' I will be giving away my OTHER possessions (What? You think I would actually give anything away in my attache case, thats ludicrous!) like Santa Claus in about 3 weeks.

But of course, I love it! I like to travel light and with only the essentials...like most though if given the choice I would probably take extra if I could. Most of the things I will be getting rid of are about used up anyway. My clothes (stained and weather worn) have been with me for years...actually I would probably be embarrassed by them except that #1 I'm a guy, #2 most other missionaries tend to have the same 'fashion' culture as me, #3 Being a guy most of the time I just don't care...I'm not here to impress anyone and my work clothes are usually taken better care of than the rest of my clothes, simply because that's mostly what I do, work.

So I am fixin' to leave this ship at the end of the month, I am fittin' to start 'cleaning house', and I am gettin' a plane ticket!

Marinating

No, this is not going to be an article about food. I am the one marinating, in my own sweat. As I sit here thinking about the love I have for this small fan I possess it reminds me of growing up in the projects having no air conditioner for at least most of my childhood life (till 17). You take a shower at night and then run jump in bed and try to go to sleep while the fan blows cool on your wet body. Then wake up in the middle of night stuck to your sheets with a damp pillow slowly suffocating you....

Yes the air conditioner is out on the ship again...But let me reassure I live no luxurious life. The galley (kitchen) I work in on board has an air flow system, blowers and exhaust, but no air conditioner. This ship is over 50 years old and when they finally installed the system in the ship they didn't run it to the kitchen(can I get a sane excuse for this error?!?!). So after sweating all day in the hot kitchen (I have drunk at least four liters of fluid already today and that was just at work) I have to start all over again after my shower.

This is usually not the case for my room. This last week has had problems with our generators (we are on emergency generator now), boiler (that means no hot water or steam kettles I can use in the kitchen, dishes, cleaning, or showers for that matter!), and my refrigerator and freezer units have not come down to the proper temperature for refilling them with food. And even if they do, it has taken way to long...That's not a good sign. We also have containers of food that have arrived but its hard to store what you already have in rented storage on the docks.

Oh, guess what? We are supposed to leave in two weeks!

But I'm not worried a bit...This is how it goes and how it is sometimes. You can only do all that you can do, and pray some more. God does things on His timing, if He ever does something right on time by your standards then that is all the more reason you should praise Him!

Then again, maybe I do live a luxurious life...I love it.