Checking In With Myself

Every now and then it is a good idea to stop and take a little inventory of what is happening in your life. I did this about a year ago and when I stumbled upon that post, I thought I would try it again.

MAKING 

Lots and lots of great memories. My life for the last five years has been a whirlwind of travel, activity, and adventure. I love my life and just wish to keep making more of it.

 

COOKING

Due to the global pandemic and all the adjustments that have been made to accommodate our new restrictions, we have done more cooking in the last few months. Of course, the way we cook here is radically different than when we were in the States. Not only do we not have access to most of the foods we are familiar with from America, but the kitchen setup is different also. For example, we do not have an oven. No one here does. Baking is just not something people here do. We cook a lot of meals with a small pressure cooker. We make some amazing chicken and rice dishes and I have learned how to bake potatoes with it. This week we are going to buy an air fryer. I am very excited to start using it.

DRINKING

One of the perks of living in Vietnam is their phenomenal coffee. It is wonderful. It doesn't just taste better, it is a totally different kind of coffee.  First, the world recognizes the Arabica bean as the superior bean. Coffee shops in America advertise 100% Arabica. However, it is the Robusta bean that grows here. So, before we even get into the different process they use here, they already use a different kind of bean. The Robusta bean has a stronger flavor and can be quite bitter if not prepared properly. The flavor is so much stronger, the Vietnamese do not understand the concept of Arabica bean coffee. It just tastes likes dirty water to them. That's why Starbucks, despite their many efforts, keeps failing here. The Vietnamese just don't like it.

The most popular coffee here is cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee). It is a slow drip coffee filtered through a small metal pot directly into your glass. A small amount of condensed milk is added and it is served in ice. It is a very small amount of coffee, but the caffeine level is through the roof. That small drink is all you need.

 Our favorite brand is a type of weasel coffee. The weasel coffees are made with beans that have been passed through the digestive tract of a weasel. This is not a joke. Weasels are very picky about which beans they eat. They only eat the best, so those are the beans you want. The weasel swallows them whole and only digests the outside of the shell. The rest is passed through and made into great coffee.

When I'm not drinking coffee, I drink my aloe juice and rice milk.

The rest of the time, it is beer.

READING

I am currently about 80% through The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is one of those books that everyone knows exists, but I had no idea what the actual story was. I never saw the Disney movie. I'm really enjoying it.

 I'm also reading: 

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by John Haidt

Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate by Greg Lukianoff

 

WANTING

That air fryer. I may run out and get it today.

 

LOOKING

I've had my eye out for a recliner for the last couple of months. We are going to be in this house for a long time and our living room sofa is terrible. More than 10 minutes in it causes a backache. I'm ready for some comfort.

 

PLAYING

I haven't really been playing anything, but I feel like my XBOX misses me. We should get reacquainted.

WASTING

I often feel like I am wasting time. I am quite happy with my life, but sometimes feel guilty that I'm not doing anything with it. I have a lot of free time. I am not bored, but sometimes wonder if I should be doing something.

WISHING

I would like to see my family. I'm not particularly homesick, but being so far away during this pandemic has greatly restricted travel. I couldn't leave this country without some major expense and hassle. And it would be impossible to get back in for the foreseeable future since the borders are locked. Not having the option to being able to see family makes me want to do it more.

  

ENJOYING

Life

 

WAITING

For the world to open up again.

  

LIKING

My freedom of being released from the traditional work force.

  

WONDERING

If I have already seen certain family members for the last time. With the state of the world right now, I honestly do not have any idea when I will be able to get back to the States. My parents are in their 70's. They are in great health, but old enough that it must be accepted they are in their last years. Plus, with a deadly virus ravaging around, you never know who might get sick and succumb to it. Not only my parents, but my kids, siblings, etc.

LOVING

The sun, my house, my wife, my free time.

 

MARVELING

At how I landed where I am. And at how long it took me to figure it out. I could have had this life 20 years ago if I had figured it out.

 

NEEDING

Not much. The only thing I can think of is "This town needs a decent Mexican restaurant."

 

SMELLING

The rice is being harvested right now. So, every time we step out for an errand the smell of the freshly cut rice crop is in the air. It is wonderful.

 

WEARING

T-shirt and shorts. No shoes. Same thing I wear every day.

 

FOLLOWING

I have recently started following a YouTube channel called Half as Interesting. It is great. Very educational and funny.

 

NOTICING

How many of my friends are morons and racists. The condition of the world and America right now has shown many people's true colors.

 

KNOWING

That I don't know nearly as much about anything as I thought I did.

 

THINKING

Life is what you make of it.

 

FEELING

Supremely content, but quite nostalgic lately.

 

OPENING

A new beer every day. Well, a few new beers.

 

LAUGHING

Every day. This one is easy.