FamiLee Life

Concussed!

Every Monday night for the past few years, I have been playing basketball with a group of men who are mostly in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. There are only two of the dozen plus who are under 30 years-old. We play in an old, rickety church gym in South Mpls. I have blogged before about this group of men, many of whom are artists or educators or both.

Last night was a typical ball game. Most games only go to 7-points with only 1-point per shot (no bonus points for three-point range bombs). The court is small. Very small - ideal for 3 on 3 but manageable for 4 on 4 which is the usual number of folks on the court. It's the perfect size for aging men who don't otherwise get much exercise. Still, we run and play hard and occasionally get banged up.

I arrived a few minutes into the first game and already there was an injury. An elbow to the nose left the Column (as he is affectionately called) with a bruised and swollen nose. We all thought it was broken but our resident ER physician said it was not broken. We believed him because of the MD behind his name but had our suspicions given that he threw the elbow! Oh well.

In my second game, I went to intercept a pass and got my legs taken out from under me. WHAM! My back hit the floor hard followed by a sudden head bang. It whipped back hard and I was on the floor stunned for a moment. After collecting myself and checking to make sure there was no blood or headache, I got the thumbs up from our doc (aka 90 Percent) to keep playing. Later, I started to feel a bit nauseous and woozy and rested. Dr. 90 said I might have a mild concussion but it was okay to keep playing easy.

Concussions are violent. I have had my share of them growing up playing high school football for 2 years (despite my lack of size and strength) and 3 years of varsity wrestling. I once blacked out getting taken down to the mat and awoke getting pinned. That sucked. For many years afterwards, I could evoke bright lights/stars if my head was jerked or shook suddenly. Mountain biking as a grad student and falling hard at times didn't help. By my mid-20s, I felt I had finally gotten rid of those white lights and had a clean (self-diagnosed) bill of health.

Last night reminded me that I am still concussion vulnerable. With a sore neck and shoulders and a tender bump on the back of my head, I will take it easier next week. Still, I hope to drive to the basket against da Vulture like I did on Monday. Ah, the memories are sweet.

Not the Typical Day of a Cyclist

Here is a bizarre but apparently true story that just broke in St. Cloud, MN. A woman was arrested after being found riding her bicycle with a shotgun strapped to her back! Read more here.

I do not think that this woman was riding her bike as a means to be eco-friendly but she was racking up carbon credits nonetheless! Thankfully, citizens called it in before anything bad happened. Speaking of citizens, in another crime story from a month or so ago, my friend PhT was part of a group of graduate students at the University who helped nab a known thief on campus. His studio-mate actually made a citizen's arrest! As in, "I citizen's arrest you" (I know, poor grammar) or "I hereby make a citizen's arrest" (more formal sounding).

Woman bicycling in St. Cloud with shotgun strapped to her back is arrested
By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune
Last update: February 19, 2008 - 8:56 AM

It was a sight that would catch anyone's attention, a woman riding a bicycle around St. Cloud Monday night in bitter cold. Turns out there was another reason a citizen took notice: The cyclist was carrying a gun.

Police caught up to the bicyclist a few minutes after a call came in around 11:15 p.m. They found her near 14th Avenue N. and St. Germain Street with a shotgun strapped to her back, said Sgt. Joe Kraayenbrink.

Turns out the 22-year-old suspect is a felon and had a warrant out for her arrest, police said.

She was arrested and faces charges of a felon in possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm in a public place, as well as her outstanding warrant, Kraayenbrink said.

The Typical Day of a Survey Researcher

From Secret Asian Man featured on Comics.com.

Chinese Beer Chicken and Note Taking

I once knew a woman in a grad course who took all her notes in this manner. Circles and lines connecting ideas together. Apparently, some very very smart people process information in this way. She was one of them. I am not so much. This diagram is a recipe for making beer chicken (Chinese-style). Here is the original post (it seems) in Chinese.

Missing Dara

Is it just me or are other people missing the City Pages food critic, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. I have only read a couple of reviews by the apparent heir, Bridgette Reinsmoen, but it just seems to lack the zip/whiz/humor of Dara. Where did Dara go, by the way?

Fortunately, her last review before departing from City Pages was for the new Stewart Woodman restaurant in my neighborhood, Heidi's. Tonight, HW and I will hopefully have a lovely meal there. I already jotted down what Dara recommended to eat and avoid.

Hm...perhaps I should just shake things up and make this blog a restaurant/food review blog.

UPDATE: DotNic tipped me off that Dara went to Mpls/St Paul Magazine but I learned from Andrew Zimmern that she is going to Minnesota Monthly (read here). Speaking of which, who else finds Andrew Zimmern annoying? Mean to say but his TV personality is quite horrible. A poor man's version of Anthony Bourdain and I have a hard time even liking his show, No Reservations

Short Ribs :: Another Method

I wish I had watched this Minimalist video before I made my Korean short ribs. Not that I regretted my ribs, but I would have liked to experiment with just some of it for a dish like this one. Oh well, next time.

TEXT Me For Fish Updates

The Minimalist (aka Mark Bittman) at the NYTimes wrote about a useful way to determine if the fish you are buying is good for the environment and for you! Click here for blog entry.

After I wrote about my dinner of sea bass last week, a number of you asked whether sea bass was endangered. The short answer is no. But it’s something I always try to consider, and because these things can shift quickly, it’s worth checking before you buy.

You might look at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood watch website, which tracks all of this, as does Blue Ocean Guide to Seafood which also has a wallet-sized PDF that makes life easier at the supermarket.

But suppose you failed to do that before you left the house and you’re standing at a fish counter, staring at a piece of fish. You can text Blue Ocean’s Fishphone at 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. Immediately you’ll get a text back with an assessment and, when appropriate, a more environmentally sound alternative.

If you put in sea bass, for example, you would get a message back saying, “Black sea bass; U.S. Mid Atlantic (GREEN) few environmental concerns, strong management has helped populations recover from overfishing.”

Green means green light, of course.

And the system is pretty smart. Try “halibut” and you get

Pacific Halibut
(GREEN) few environmental concerns
MSC certified as sustainable;
Atlantic halibut
(RED) significant environmental concerns

“MSC” means that the species has been certified as a “best environmental choice” by the Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org).

Suspicions Confirmed....Where are the Donuts?

When I moved to Minnesota in the summer of 2000, I half-expected to find a Midwest farming people who ate hearty meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but had children who were above-average. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Minnesota folks are a healthy bunch who enjoy outdoor activities and many of whom eat locally and organically. That said, I was frustrated in my first few years because I would search far and wide for one of my favorite treats --- DONUTS!

At one point, I remembered seeing and stopping by a Dunkin' Donuts in Columbia Heights on Central Ave. It was in 2000 or 2001 when I first arrived in Minnesota. But then, after just one visit, the place disappeared. It turned into a generic donut shop and then even this donut shop disappeared. I later learned from my friend, Kevin, who works for DD that they pulled out of the Minnesota market. WHAT?! Having grown up in Connecticut where Dunkin' Donuts (founded in neighboring Massachusetts) reigns supreme, I was raised on Sunday donuts at church and late-night donuts at the 24-hour DD with high school friends. The perfect comfort food for the soul...and I would have thought the perfect winter food for cold Minnesota nights.

Now my suspicions are confirmed. According to a Strib news report, a Men's Health Magazine ranking explains all.

Fittest and fattest cities: one is Minneapolis
By Paul Walsh, Star Tribune
Last update: February 12, 2008 - 7:58 AM

Men's Health magazine is out with the skinny on the Fittest and Fattest Cities in America. On the slimmer side, Minneapolis comes in second behind Colorado Springs. The publication cited many reasons for Minneapolis' lofty ranking. Among them:

• Not as much TV viewing as the other cities surveyed.
• Mayor R.T. Rybak sets a positive example with a regular exercise regimen.
• A federal study says Minneapolitans are more physically active than the national average.
• A high number of basketball courts.
• And doughnuts, or the relative lack of popularity of the fatty treat. Minneapolis had the second-lowest number of doughnut shops per capita among the cities surveyed.

Now, for where battles of the bulge are being fought, Men's Health says Las Vegas is Number 1. The rest of the Top 10 is all in the Sun Belt, with Texas -- you know, where everything is big? -- seeing six of its cities making the undesirable ranking.

Hrmph! I am still waiting for the first arrival (or return) of Dunkin' Donuts. And...I would like to know which poor city has even fewer donuts per capita than Minneapolis.

Aversive Racism

I was asked by someone what is "aversive racism" in response to my previous post on 2/8/08. This term was popularized by John Dovidio, a social psychology professor at Yale Univ, and Samuel Gaertner, a social psychology professor at the Univ of Delaware. It refers to a modern form of racial bias that is indirect and not as blunt/intentional.

As they previously defined it, "aversive racism represents a subtle, often unintentional, form of bias that characterizes many white Americans who possess strong egalitarian values and who believe that they are nonprejudiced. Aversive racists also possess negative racial feelings and beliefs of which they are unaware or that they try to dissociate from their nonprejudiced self-images...Instead, their reactions [to blacks or other minorities] involve discomfort, uneasiness, disgust, and sometimes fear. That is, they find blacks "aversive," while at the same time, they find any suggestion that they might be prejudiced aversive as well." [from the chapter On the Nature of Contemporary Prejudice, 1998].

Some other key characteristics of people who may be viewed as aversive racists:

1) Endorse fair and just treatment of all groups
2) Unconsciously harbor negative feelings toward blacks and try to avoid interracial interaction
3) When interracial interaction is unavoidable, they experience anxiety and discomfort (not hostility like in more overt racism)
4) Anxiety/discomfort is due to concern about acting inappropriately and prejudiced, thus they adhere to established rules/codes of behavior. Frequently assert colorblindness to justify their behaviors
5) Negative feelings get expressed in subtle, rationalizable ways that ultimately disadvantage minorities or unfairly benefit the majority.

In a lengthy series of experiments, Dovidio and Gaertner have demonstrated the ways in which aversive racism affect social interactions and decision making processes, including job hirings and school admissions. It's compelling research.

Another Perspective on Racism :: From the Center

I just read a NYTimes book review about The Race Card by Richard Thompson Ford, a professor of law at Stanford. You can read the first chapter of the book here.

Having just read the first chapter only, he seems to be presenting an interesting perspective on the subject of racism. Take for instance, this quote:

I will argue that the social and legal meaning of “racism” is in a state of crisis: the term now has no single clear and agreed-upon meaning. As a result, it is available to describe an increasingly wide range of disparate policies, attitudes, decisions, and social phenomena. This leads to disagreement and confusion. Self-serving individuals, rabble-rousers, and political hacks use accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and other types of “bias” tactically, in order to advance their own ends. And people of goodwill may make sincere claims that strike others as obviously wrongheaded.

In reading the rest of the first chapter and the book review, I wonder if Richard Thompson Ford is (to some extent) taking the position that there are now multiple manifestations of racism that go beyond the overt, classic forms of racism from days gone by. Some of the modern forms include aversive racism (common among people who call themselves liberals), modern racism, colorblind racism, and such. Well, rather than speculate, I better go buy and read the book.

Super Bowl Ads Update

I just learned that the Panda ad for SalesGenie was pulled by the company who issued an apology. Read here.

Some interesting things to note/critique.

1) The owner of the company is himself half-Indian and half-Jewish and wrote the scripts himself. Is this a case of internalized racism?
2) He is quoted saying, “The pandas are Chinese,” he said. “They don’t speak German.” Um...I didn't realize pandas talked with Chinese accents.
3) His logic is flawed. “People have been making fun of my accent for years,” said Mr. Gupta. Being discriminated against justifies using stereotypes?

Racist Ads During Super Bowl

I am still recovering from the loss of my hometown Patriots in the Super Bowl, but have had enough time away from the game to now address the advertisements that premiered during the commercial breaks. Namely, there were a few racially offensive ads from a company called Sales Genie and another from Bud Light. Read here. I have posted the YouTube videos of the ads below in my extended entry.

The Panda ad seems the most offensive because it plays on so many denigrating stereotypes about Chinese and Asians in general. The chopstick font, "oriental' music, and horrible accents. It's all too much and so racist. How does a copy editor get away with this crap? The Bud Light commercial ranks as second most offensive for playing on obvious stereotypes about racial minority men as nerds, ineffectual, and emasculated. It's only somewhat redeeming quality is the ending, although it still mocks Asian Americans. The Indian salesman ad is the least offensive of the bunch, in my opinion, as it relies on accent more than anything else, but without all the accompanying racist images. In this case, the character has redeeming qualities and is not portrayed as less than human.

What do you all think?

Yes We Can by will.i.am

Read more about the making of this song here. Whether it's Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or someone on the other side - John McCain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee -- VOTE!

The Yes We Can Song
by will.i.am

I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates...
Torn between the candidates

I was never really big on politics...
and actually I’m still not big on politics...
but 4 years ago, me and the black eyed peas supported Kerry...
And we supported Kerry with all our might...
We performed and performed and performed for the DNC...
doing all we could do to get the youth involved...

The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me...
on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful,
corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and "politics" are...

So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early...

And i found myself torn...
because this time it’s not that simple...
our choices aren’t as clear as the last elections ...
last time it was so obvious...
Bush and war
vs
no Bush and no war...

But this time it’s not that simple...
and there are a lot of people that are torn just like i am...

So for awhile I put it off and i was going to wait until it was decided for me...

And then came New Hampshire...

And i was captivated...

Inspired...

I reflected on my life...
and the blessings I have...
and the people who fought for me to have these rights and blessings...

and I’m not talking about a "black thing"
I’m talking about a "human thing" me as a "person"
an American...

That speech made me think of Martin Luther King...
Kennedy...
and Lincoln...
and all the others that have fought for what we have today...

what America is "supposed" to be...

freedom...
equality...
and truth...

and thats not what we have today...
we think we are free...
but in reality terror and fear controls our decisions...

this is not the America that our pioneers and leaders fought and
died for...

and then there was New Hampshire

it was that speech...
like many great speeches...
that one moved me...
because words and ideas are powerful...

It made me think...
and realize that today we have "very few" leaders...
maybe none...

but that speech...

it inspired me...
it inspired me to look inside myself and outwards towards the world...
it inspired me to want to change myself to better the world...
and take a "leap" towards change...
and hope that others become inspired to do the same...
change themselves..
change their greed...
change their fears...
and if we "change that"
"then hey"..
we got something right...???...

1 week later after the speech settled in me...
I began making this song...
I came up with the idea to turn his speech into a song...
because that speech effected and touched my inner core like nothing in a very long time...

it spoke to me...

because words and ideas are powerful...

I just wanted to add a melody to those words...
I wanted the inspiration that was bubbling inside me to take over...

so i let it..

I wasn't afraid to stand for something...
to stand for "change"...
I wasn't afraid of "fear"...
it was pure inspiration...

so I called my friends...
and they called their friends...
in a matter of 2 days...
We made the song and video...

Usually this process would take months...
a bunch of record company people figuring out strategies and release dates...
interviews...
all that stuff...
but this time i took it in my own hands...
so i called my friends sarah pantera, mike jurkovac, fred goldring, and jesse dylan to help make it happen...
and they called their friends..
and we did it together in 48 hours...
and instead of putting it in the hands of profit we put it in the hands of inspiration...

then we put it on the net for the world to feel...

When you are truly inspired..
magic happens...
incredible things happen...
love happens..
(and with that combination)

"love, and inspiration"

change happens...

"change for the better"
Inspiration breeds change...

"Positive change"...

no one on this planet is truly experienced to handle the obstacles we face today...
Terror, fear, lies, agendas, politics, money, all the above...
It’s all scary...

Martin Luther King didn't have experience to lead...
Kennedy didn't have experience to lead...
Susan B. Anthony...
Nelson Mandella...
Rosa Parks...
Gandhi...
Anne Frank...
and everyone else who has had a hand in molding the freedoms we have and take for granted today...

no one truly has experience to deal with the world today...

they just need "desire, strength, courage ability, and passion" to change...
and to stand for something even when people say it's not possible...

America would not be here "today" if we didn’t stand and fight for
change "yesterday"...
Everything we have as a "people" is because of the "people" who fought for
change...
and whoever is the President has to realize we have a lot of changing to do

I'm not trying to convince people to see things how i do...
I produced this song to share my new found inspiration and how I've been moved...
I hope this song will make you feel...
love...
and think...
and be inspired just like the speech inspired me...

that’s all...

Let's all come together like America is supposed to...
Like Japan did after Hiroshima...

that was less than 65 years ago...
and look at Japan now...

they did it together...
they did it...

"We can't?...

Are you serious..?..

WE CAN!!!

Yes we can...
A United "America"
Democrats, Republicans and Independents together...
Building a new America

We can do it...
"TOGETHER"

Please visit www.yeswecansong.com

Thank you for reading and listening...
will.i.am

Minnesota-Korean Cooking Lessons (Part One)

For the past two years or so, I have been practicing and retooling my mother's Korean barbecue recipe (aka bulgogi and kalbi, depending on the cut of meat). My mother's recipe was a bit "Americanized" already and I simply have worked on it to make it my own variant - basically, Korean + American + cold winters in Minnesota. With grass-fed beef on hand, specifically 10 lbs of short ribs, I decided to bring Korean bbq to the frozen lakes of Minnesota. With the help of friends (especially Kurt who provided all the Korean accoutrement), I present Korean-style, Minnesota-inspired Kalbi. For added excitement, I decided to do a taste-test comparison between the grass-fed beef and Costco purchased beef.

We begin with the uncut meat and the necessary trimming of the fat.

Here is a side by side comparison of grass-fed, locally raised short ribs and off-the-bone short ribs from Costco. I kept the grass-fed short ribs on the bone. It was a bit hard for me to see if I was cutting against the grain which helps make the meat less rough to the bite.

The importance of marinading the beef. Unfortunately, I was short on time, so it only marinaded for a few hours. My mother once recommended freezing the beef in the marinade to get the flavor through and through.

We grilled the beef on Medicine Lake beside Hapa9's Norae Shanty. We also set up a M*A*S*H style cot/dressing area for the meal. You can see our appetizer meat - sliced pork to be eaten with lettuce, peppers, and such.

The final side by side presentation of the two short ribs. Yum! As for the taste-testing, The grass-fed, local beef definitely tasted more flavorful - almost like you could taste notes of the earth. As it continued to cook in the marinade (almost braising, I guess), the meat got more tender and tastier. The Costco beef tasted like most store-bought meats, serving largely as texture for the marinade.

One of the great things about Korean cuisine is its versatility. We decided to take the short ribs, move them to a cast iron griddle for final cooking and then later in the evening turned it into a beef stew using all the leftovers (peppers, red pepper sauce, beer, venison sausage, scallions, and a few dashes of Kentucky rye).

It was an amazing late-evening meal on the lake. We fed about a dozen plus friends and friends of friends. The weather was cold but not frigid especially when standing by the coals. A few of us stayed outside most of the evening. I eventually succumbed to sleep with a very full stomach and clothing that fully reeked of Korean bbq. Ah....

Kurt and Kari enjoying dinner on the frozen lake!

Kari, Maggie, Paul, Ed, and Peter eating, eating, and eating (except Peter who is texting for some reason?!).

Next up -- Actually sharing the recipe!!! Stay Tuned!

Mom Would Be Proud

Waiting, Waiting....

Photo courtesy of the Snap Shot Shanty

Why am I so happy? Well....

It has been nearly 12 years since I received my PhD in psychology and just shy of 11 years since I became license-eligible (i.e., had completed my post-doctoral clinical hours to make me eligible). So, I am (ahem) a bit behind on this one, but I finally received notice yesterday that I am now officially a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Minnesota. Woohoo!

After years of holding back on taking the necessary national and state licensure exams due to feeling a greater pressure to achieve tenure first, I finally took and passed my EPPP exam in November/December of 2005 and then took and passed the PRE ethics exam in June of 2007. These exams are not inexpensive. I estimate that it cost over $1,500 to cover costs for study materials, exam fees, and licensure fees. Fortunately, I am gainfully employed!

I guess the next appropriate question or step to consider is whether I plan to actively engage in practice. I've been pondering dipping my feet back in these waters but I think I will sleep on it some more. Hopefully, it will not take me another 11 or 12 years to make the plunge.