Activities and Goals for Wherever's Next

A few posts ago, I talked about my Hampton Roads To-Do List. Beyond the things that were specifically related to Hampton Roads itself, I developed a list of some other stuff I wanted to do that didn't have anything to do with Hampton Roads. Of course, one item that I identified was to go to Aberdeen and get my master's degree, so that's already off the list. Anyway, I'll be developing a list once I found out where it is that I'm headed, but I've also been revisiting some of the other non-Hampton Roads prospects I looked at.

I took an anatomy and physiology course in high school, and didn't really work very hard at it. My friend Sister Hippy Chick took it in college, and I've thought since then that it would be a cool course to take, but I never had the time or need in my academic program to take it. So, I might look into taking it at a local college if it's available. I also once considered an Master of Arts in Military History from Norwich University, and I might investigate that possibility again if I find myself flush with cash and with a great deal of free time on my hands.

I've talked about my Arabic language study before. When I was in Virginia, I think that Old Dominion University offered an Arabic language course, but it didn't fit with my schedule or budget. One might think I could have more luck wherever it is that I go. At the very least, though, I want to continue using the resources I have to study independently and take a proficiency test.

I enjoyed the astronomy courses I took in college, and it might be nice to take an entry level astronomy course just for fun.
BR> I wanted to go get a bunch of climbing certifications from the Virginia Beach Rock Gym, so I'd like to look for a similar facility. (It's also a good prospect for physical fitness.) I've also wanted to take and complete an Accelerated Freefall skydiving certification course since at least 2010. Part of what's held me back is that there's a weight limit - not that I'm extremely fat or anything, but I've got a genetically-engineered belly and I also happen to be fairly tall, so I need to drop some weight before I can learn how to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Last year, I took a close protection course. I'd wanted to take similar courses from Academi (née Xe (née Blackwater) when I was living in Virginia, because it was right across the border outside Moyock, North Carolina. At this point, the course I'm most interested in taking is their AR-15/M-16 carbine armorer course. They occasionally offer their courses in other locations besides Moyock, so regardless of where I go, I'll keep my eye out for a good opportunity to take the course.

I'm always looking for opportunities to practice my land navigation skills, often by going geocaching. Hopefully, wherever I wind up next will give me some opportunities to do both that don't involve less danger than my adventure on Unst.

My pictures of it got corrupted, but I accidentally germinated garlic in Virginia, and I've thought it might be neat to try it again, plant it, and see if I could grow my own garlic in a planter or a pot or something. This might be easier in some places than in others.

And, as I mentioned earlier, I wanted to try my hand at assembling both shortwave (1, 2) and AM (1, 2, 3) radio kits. That can be done just about anywhere, and it's a fairly cheap weekend project, so this might be one of my early activities. Buuuuuut, all of that is up in the air at the moment. We'll see what happens. I'm developing plans that I can execute regardless of where it is that I'm actually headed, so it's just a matter of finding the right opportunity and then following through on it. So, as I'm fond of saying, more to come.

Culinary Adventures: Making Paneer

It's no secret that while I was in Scotland, I ate a lot of Nepalese food. One of my favorite foods was motor/matar paneer from the Gurkha Kitchen. Since Nepalese cuisine isn't widely available in the United States, I decided to look into preparing it myself. It turns out that one of the ingredients, paneer, is actually pretty easy to make. Paneer is a sort of Indian/Nepalese cottage cheese, and it's the base for many dishes. So, I did what any good denizen of the Internet would do: I looked up the recipe, and then found a video on YouTube.


So, I decided to try to make it. The first recipe I saw called for either lemon or lime juice, so I went with lime juice. With a quarter cup of lime juice and a half gallon of what I think was whole milk. The entire process took about an hour, half of which was just letting the paneer cool down. I also used only half of my cheese cloth, so I can make some more. Truth be told, the stuff doesn't taste fantastic, but I don't think it's supposed to since it's meant to be used as an element in other recipes. I haven't looked for a motor paneer recipe yet, and if it's too involved, I may just shortcut the whole process with a jar of marinara sauce and a can of peas.

So... Achievement unlocked: make paneer.