My Mother's First Social Outing

Song:  Welcome To My World

Artist:  Florian Bur

The Lodge where my mother's properties are
has a weekly social meeting of the neighbors.

We decided to go to this one.

It was a rather brisk and windy day.

My mother is carrying in some chocolates for the others to enjoy.

We had just arrived.

There were approximately 30 neighbors there on this night.

As this is a retirement community...

most were in their late 60s to 70s.

While this was good for my mother...

almost everyone there could have qualified by age...

to be my mother or father.

(I had fully retired at a relatively young age).

We talked a while with this night's host of the get together...

and her husband.

We then went to sit down.

Most of the husbands retired to the pool room (as in pool tables).

Some had even arrived with their pool cue sticks.

They had been to these functions before  :)

We had sat down for a while (being wall flowers)...

and then one of the ladies who was helping the host

went over and started a conversation with us.

My mother had enjoyed this little get together.

She wants to go to next week's outing.

I am a little worried.

We had run out of things to talk about  :)

They also have a once a month movie night.

We will probably go to that one.

They set up a room with a large screen and play a relatively new movie on DVD...

and give out drinks, candy, and popcorn...

all for $3.00...and...

no need to talk  :)

My mother is now wanting to go buy some clothes...

and to go to other social events.

They also have plays and concerts set up for the future.

Although my mother is social...

she is also shy.

However, as she had enjoyed this outing...

she is looking forward to more.

Strong social ties is one of the keys to living a happy life.

I am hoping my mother will meet some friends through these functions.

Easy, Quick, And Inexpensive Bulgogi

Song:  Fire On High

Group:  ELO

One of the World's great barbecued meats is Bulgogi.

Bulgogi is Korean...

 and it literally means, 'Fire Meat'.

It is not so named because it is spiced fiery hot.

It is so named because it is Korean Barbecue...

as in how it is supposed to be cooked.

Now, rather than cook this dish over open flame...

I pan grilled it...with the...Fire On High.

Never allow cheap Korean restaurants to serve you

Bulgogi which has all sorts of vegetables in the 'dish'.

Bulgogi is just barbecued or pan grilled marinated meat...

which is cooked and served alone...

or with raw leaf lettuce or spinach leaves 

so you may wrap one around the meat as you eat it.

It is NEVER supposed to be cooked as a mishmash of vegetables and very little meat.

Bulgogi is ALL meat.

Again, the name Bulgogi means 'Fire Meat'.

And YES...

I have spent several months in Korea on two separate visits...

and I have eaten in authentic Korean restaurants

in the San Francisco bay area as well (where Korean nationals ate).

I know good Bulgogi.

Why do many 'Korean' restaurants try to serve a vegetable heavy dish...

and try to claim that it is authentic?

Because it is very cheap for them to make it this way...

and then try to claim that it is just another version of it...

as if it were a regional dish in Korea.

Some even try to claim that Americans like it their way.

NO

They are trying to line their pockets with a way to save money

by putting in the very least amount of beef

and filling the dish with vegetables.

The meat is essentially boiled in the vegetable juices...

and IT IS NOT BULGOGI.

I bought this very thinly sliced beef at a local Asian market.

It is about 1 Kilo (2.2 pounds).

You may also go to many grocery stores 

and have them thin slice your choice of meat.

As my mother wasn't feeling well...

I cooked this night's supper

(although she helped in the cleanup).

I also picked up a good Bulgogi marinade (one large container for 2.2 pounds of meat)...

along with some pickled Thai Red Chilis

and chili oil soaked bamboo shoots to eat with the Bulgogi.

My mother already had a kilo of crushed Korean red peppers

(I make the Reno Red Hots with it...among other things).

I held up the meat to show how thinly sliced the beef was.

It is about half the thickness of standard bacon.

Simply separate the slices of beef...

put them into a large mixing bowl...

pour in the marinade...

and add 5-6 teaspoons of the crushed red peppers...

mix them and let set for 10 minutes max.

Grill the meat on high.

As the meat is thin...

it cooks quickly.

The meat is enough to feed a family of five.

This is one serving...

and the batch made 5 servings.

Notice, the only beer we drink is Non-Alcoholic.

I had eaten two servings.

The pickled Thai red peppers were hot...

but they were also very flavorful.

This meal is spicy...

as it is supposed to be.

However...

it is not so spicy as to give you indigestion later on...

or to burn you twice :)

It just made my hair sweat  :)

Eating capsaicin rich foods a few times a week is very healthful.

They are not only rich in vitamins...

they stimulate the immunal and endocrinal systems.

These type of foods rev up your metabolic system...

essentially putting your fire on high.

My mother favored the bamboo shoots.

My mother loved this meal.

You may feed a family of five for less than the cost 

of one or two orders of Bulgogi at a restaurant.

After our delicious meal...

we did our clean up routine.

I washed all the dishes...

while my mother put away the left overs...

wiped down the counters, and the stove and back splash.

It takes but a few minutes...

and we then relax in front of the TV with a cup of coffee.

-----------

Delicious food can be nutritious...

and it does not have to be expensive.

I am...

by no means...

a talented cook.

I hadn't cooked for myself...

or anyone else, before I started cooking for my mother a few months ago...

since I cooked for myself while I was in University.

If I can do this...

most anyone can.

You must eat nutritious food...

if you are to get the most out of life...

including more life  :)

You must make it delicious.

Otherwise...

you simply won't eat it.

Just by knowing the most basic methods of cooking...

and by using creativity in your use of spices and accompaniments...

you may have delicious and nutritious meals with very little cost...

and have much to look forward to everyday.

Delicious food is one of the great simple pleasures in life.

My Mother At Scheels Sports Store

Song:  Nights In White Satin (Duet with Justin Hayward)

Artists:  Mario Frangoulis and Justin Hayward

I had shown my mother this video just before we went to the sports store.

It is a beautiful rendition of one of my favorite songs

(I had first heard the original song by The Moody Blues in the early 1970s)

My mother also loves both versions.

-------------

For a long time...

my mother wanted a lockable cabinet.

So, I decided to take her to a local sports store, here in Reno
(Actually, it is in Sparks...the town next to Reno)

to buy a lockable gun cabinet...and to look at Archery equipment.

The senior citizen centers in Reno offer Archery as an activity.

My mother is thinking of joining in on the fun by taking up Archery.

-------------

I love this sports store, as it has everything for the outdoors...

and nothing but.

My mother is like a child.

She gets very happy and starts smiling when she is shopping 

for something she really wants  :)

We looked at children archery sets...

 as the draw weight is much less than ones for adults.

My mother decided to wait until the first class so she could decide

on an appropriate draw weight, and then buy a perfect bow for herself.

We will take Archery together

(I have some experience with Archery).

We went back to the gun safe area...

and my mother decided upon this one.

Although it was listed at $199.99...

it was on sale at $149.99.

My mother was even happier upon learning this  :)

We then walked to the elevator as we followed 

a person who had the gun cabinet in a cart.

He would load it into my car for us.

Afterwards...

we went to our favorite Korean restaurant.

We shared a seafood Korean pancake for an appetizer.

We then each had an order of Bibimbap.

We then polished off dinner with a waffle type outer layer

which covered vanilla ice cream and a layer of mashed red bean.

It was very good.

-----------

My mother is also interested in taking up Ballroom dancing.

She wishes to start out with Archery though.

My mother is interested in meeting new people 

and making some friends here...

and then entertaining them at her home

(I had volunteered to cook for my mother and her friends

while they watched a movie or just sat and talked in the backyard).

Even at 77 years old...

she is still adventurous.

-----------

Looking towards the future and actually getting out and truly living it...

creating magical times so you will have a life rich in magical memories...

is having looked at our own mortality and realizing the importance of time...

and of how we spend it.

It is not nearly enough to just feel ok.

You must savor the taste of every delicious meal...

not to fill your belly...

but to fill and satisfy your soul.

A good meal should reverberate throughout your whole center for days.

You should feel deeply satisfied in seeing the mountains...

the lakes or the seas, and you must have a deeply magical experience

with every beautiful sunrise and sunset.

You MUST feel energy from the ground up...

having it filling your body and your very limbs.

You should feel as if you were a god of energy and passion...

of feeling undefeatable by fear, lassitude...

and especially by the pessimistic minions of hell...

the stupidly acting naysayers who look upon life as anything

but a great adventurous and magical one time to get it right...

truly lived life.

If you don't have a deep feeling of joy in life...

of having a great passion for the simple pleasures in it...

of hearing great pieces of music (such as the one in this article)

and having them accompanying you throughout your day...

of having them motivating you, stimulating and guiding you...

then there is something you need to correct.

I will say it again...

NO...

I am going to shout it out...

MASTER THE BASIC THREE:

1)  A DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS DIET

2)  EXERCISE 

(resistance, anaerobic interval, and aerobic)

3)  DEEP RESTORATIVE SLEEP

Master these...

and you shall experience life on a level nothing short of MAGICAL.

When colors and music are experienced throughout the body and mind...

when they make your organs, bones, and even your very skin come alive 

and fill you with optimism, energy, and beauty...

this is when everything you see and experience becomes a magical experience.

Why?

Because...

YOU DESERVE NOTHING LESS.

The answer lies in the mastery of the basic three.

If you don't do it...

YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE.

Now...

JUST DO IT.