What's in YOUR bag?

Okay, okay. Maybe it was our recent middle-of-the-night fright, maybe it's all these scary TV shows I'm addicted to (The Walking Dead, The River). Maybe it's guilt that I am, after all, a public health nurse and should really be the first person to have this sort of thing on hand. But I have recently started giving a LOT of thought into what the heck JJ and I would do in case of a real emergency. We want to start our own bug out bags. This is basically a "72 hour bag" that you can grab and go in case of fire, earthquake, hurricane, and any other disasters where you may have to depend on only yourself for three days until you are rescued or get to a safe location. Although I am super interested in what kind of provisions we'd need in case of the zombie apocalypse, that kind of thing requires a lot more survival skills and emergency planning than we've got right now, as well as maybe a military bunker and someone like Rambo on our survival team. So right now, I'm focusing on the bags. I'd encourage you all to do the same. I've been doing a lot of research, and below is a comprehensive list of things we'd ideally like to keep in our bags. Look it over! Make your own!

The Bag
You can go all-out and pick a gigantic hiking backpack. You can use one of your old Jansports from college. It doesn't matter as long as you can fit the necessities in there and carry it pretty comfortably. You might want to consider water-proofing it in some fashion or another.

Water
This is the most important thing in your bag. Ideally, each adult needs one gallon of water per day. That's three gallons a person....can you carry that much, plus food, clothes, tools, etc.? Probably not. You are going to want to carry some, like this emergency drinking water from Amazon. Other than that, you will need to get it as you go. You need means to boil it, purify it with iodine tablets, or filter it with something like this in conjunction with coffee filters. Make sure to bring a variety of containers (which you fill before you leave) as well.

These 1-liter bottles are nice because they take
virtually no space when empty.

It's a good idea to have a stainless steel canteen as well, for the purpose of boiling water.

Food
Unless you are a superb hunter or fisherman, you are going to want to bring enough food to last you three days. Canned items like veggies or Hormel chili are cheap, but they are heavy. Or you could go the freeze-dried option, the meals-ready-to-eat (MRE) option, or the emergency rations (ER) option. Make sure you bring along some multi-vitamins to supplement whatever option you pick, as well as some sort of utensil for eating.

This freeze-dried option by Mountain House
 is pretty awesome. Keep in mind that a kit like this
will often need boiling water, but they are pretty
tasty and cheaper than MREs.

MRE. These require heat (included). However,
they are pretty expensive unless you can get them
from someone who is actually in the military. 

Emergency rations. These are the cheapest, most lightweight, compact, and disgusting option. One bar can have 2400-3200 calories...if you pick this, bring something like trail mix or dried fruit so you don't dread mealtime.

Fire
You always need multiple ways to start a fire. Stormproof matches are a good place to start. You'll also want a lighter of some kind--they sell fancy ones, but a BIC or a Zippo will do. A magnesium fire starter and a sparkie fire starter are also good ideas. Don't forget kindling--cotton balls and petroleum jelly work well, and can also be used for first aid.

Navigation, Communication and Signalling
Every member in your family should have a good, loud whistle like this. Period. End of story. You can keep it on your keychain--so no excuses. A signal mirror is an excellent idea as well--you may need to get the attention of planes or helicopters for rescue.

As for navigation, a GPS (like on a cell phone or Garmin) may work, but to be safe, you should keep manual methods as well. Keep a map of your area and laminate it to keep it water-proof. Invest in a compass and learn how to use these things as well.

A compact AM/FM radio is a good idea,
to keep track of updates on the situation.
This one is by Eton is pretty fancy, with solar power,
 wind-up crank, cell phone charger, and flashlight.

Walkie-talkies are also a good idea...in case you get separated, to find people in surrounding area, etc.

Clothes
Every region is going to have different requirements, but make sure you pack comfortable shoes and moisture-wicking socks. In cold weather, thermals are a good idea as well. Not going to go into much detail here because everyone is different, but I am going to make two suggestions:

A shemagh is an arab-style scarf that is much larger and more durable than a bandana. They have TONS of uses, including sun and dust protection when wrapped around the face, towel, pot holder, turniquet, makeshift bag, pillow...etc.

 Work gloves. More useful than regular gloves, and still keep your hands toasty if you need them too.


First Aid
Being a nurse, I am extremely discriminating about first aid kits. They always seem to have a thousand bandaids and nothing of real value. This one from First Aid Only is a good starting point. I'd pack some of my own stuff in it, including: burn cream, some more gloves, antibiotic ointment, a turniquet, ibuprofen, Immodium, Benadryl, some moleskin, Tylenol, cellox hemostatic granules, compression dressing, hand sanitizer, Pepto-Bismol tablets, and antibiotics.

Tools

Good, bright flashlights are a must. We like this one because of the rechargeable wind-up mechanic and the fact it's weatherproof.  Lightsticks and road flares are good, non-battery options and you should use one of those as a back-up light method as well.

A multi-tool can help you out in a variety of ways.  Leatherman is a good brand.

550 paracord is one of those things that does a million things, from creating shelter, tying things up,  making a turniquet, making a fishing line, etc. It's cheap. Get some.

Swiss Army knife...a variety of uses that will accompany  your multi-tool. 

I know, a sewing kit may seem like the last thing you need. This one has a variety of needles (which you may need to suture), thread, wire, as well as duct tape. If you don't buy a sewing kit, I'd include these things in your bag anyway.

Yes, a survival knife. The little Swiss Army one is helpful, but not for everything. This one by Gerber has it's own sharpener as well as a firestarter on it, and in real bad situations, can also be used for self-defense.

Other tools you may consider (depending on space and your needs) are: a small hatchet, a folding shovel, a pocket size fishing kit, bungee cords, a collapsible camp bucket, and survival snares. Great cheap tools also include heavy duty garbage bags and ziplock baggies...useful for a lot of things.

Protection and Shelter
I mean protection from the elements here, people. You'll probably want some sunblock (I like Bullfrog because I know a little goes a long way) and bug spray (to help prevent complications like malaria and lyme disease). Protect your lungs with an N-95 respirator. Ponchos, emergency shelter, and thermal mylar blankets are all great ideas. You can also get a sleeping bag, bivvy, or real two-person tent, but that's when things start to get really heavy. JJ and I are leaning towards cold-weather gear because we live on the East Coast, but Arizona folks may want to lean towards desert protection.

I like this blanket from Space-All because it's thermal, but can function as a tarp or a little tent in a pinch.

Other Helpfuls
Hygiene kit. Those travel-size hotel freebies work great. You may also want to include Kleenex packets or toilet paper (it's more compact if you unroll it and fold it up). Don't forget a toothbrush and deodorant!
Cash. You're not going to want to bring a TON of cash, but if you are in a survival situation, you may need some.
Important documents. You may want to copy them, or scan them onto a flashdrive. Things to include: driver's licenses, passports, social security cards, health insurance information, immunization records, firearm carrying license, contact information for people you know, important family pictures (may be used to help identify and reunite as well), work licenses (ie, RN license), pertinent financial documents, and health information for your pets (ie, rabies vaccination).
Items for Pets. We keep Meeko's carrier next to the bed in case anything happens, so we won't have to search for it. Keep an extra leash and flea collar in your bag, as well as food/treats for your pet and something for them to eat/drink out of.

We like this container from Traveltainer because it includes the eating and drinking cups.

Survival Handbook. Your gear is no good unless you know how to use it. I'd suggest reading some of this stuff before the emergency...I know I'm definitely planning on flipping through a couple.
Firearm. Not for everyone, but unfortunately for humanity, when shit hits the fan, there are some people out there who revert to stealing and hurting people to help themselves. Something to consider.


Other Ways to Prepare
Keep your bag in a close location, so you can grab it at a moment's notice. Keep up-to-date on your Hepatitis A and Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis vaccinations. Have a plan. Talk about the plan. Act out the plan. Teach all children and pets about the plan. Meeko knows his carrier is a safe space. Anytime we pick it up and put it in the living room, he runs right in....that definitely was helpful on Friday night.


Anyway, I know that was a LOOONG post, but I think it's important. I don't claim to be any sort of survival expert, but I think everyone should work on a kit like this...even if all you can swing right now is an old backpack, some granola bars, some water bottles, clean socks and underwear, and copies of your documents, DO IT. You'll still be way more prepared than most people, and you can always upgrade as you go.

What do you have in your survival kit? 

We were almost ASLEEP!

That night before Thanksgiving my senior year of high school may have been the scariest night of my life. There is an image etched permanently into my mind from then; an image I have shared with every fellow fake-fire-alarm evacuator (and more importantly, the sit-in-the-apartment-and-plug-my-ears while-that-alarm-drills-into-my-skull-ers). I cannot adequately describe the feelings associated with flinging opening your shutters at 1 am and realizing that the house ACROSS THE STREET is not just on fire, people. Not just on fire. ABLAZE. Spewing it's flame-tongues across the street you walk every day to the school bus, to your house. Your room. Your home. Running down the hall to where your parents are fast asleep, barely able to get out the words "The house is on fire" (even though that wasn't precisely true), pulling on pants, shoes, jackets, herding our two puppies and RUNNING out the back door. My father still in his underwear hosing down our roof. The telephone ringing, ringing, ringing. I have these flashes of memories in my head, but no words could do them justice.

Unfortunately folks, I know what that's like.

That night is etched into my head so completely that when I was lying awake this evening in bed, staring at shadows on our wall, the first thought about that soft orange glow, the sounds of lumber crashing, wasn't, "Stupid noisy truck. Dim your headlights!" I was on my feet, yelling at JJ to wake the hell up before I even looked out the window because I KNEW in my BONES what the hell that was. A quick peek from the window of our fifth-story apartment only confirmed this--flames spewing out from the window across the alley from where we live, licking the sides of our building. I could feel the warmth from that blaze from the window.

I'd like to think that I'm an expert in this whole the-fire-is-real-so-lets-evacuate-quickly thing, but I'm totally not. JJ was calm and cool while I was running around with one slipper on yelling about how I wasn't going to leave the cat behind. It was a flurry of motion and movement, but all in all, I think we are both glad I didn't clean too much today, as shoes, jackets, and pants were all readily available on the floor around the bed. Kitty and purse in hand, we darted out the door (all the while I was pounding on our neighbor's doors to wake them up) and ran down the hall to the stairs and out the building. We sat in the parking lot for two hours, unable to really see the progress of the flames and wondering how far that fire got.

We were lucky. Right now, we are sitting comfortably on our couch, soothing Meeko (the fire alarms are still going off and he's a bit freaked out). I know it's always easy to think that this could never happen to you, but please, people. I beg you. You may not be so lucky. ALWAYS evacuate, even if you live in an apartment or dorm building that is notorious for fire alarms for things like burnt pop corn in the basement. Have a plan. Keep important things (animal leash/carrier, passports, wallet, shoes etc.) someplace you won't have to look for them in case of a fire.

This is the creepy old building the fire was in. As you can see, it's VERY  close to us. The fire was probably arson. After all, can you think of a better place for general crime and skullduggery than a creepy abandoned old building like this one?

For obvious reasons, no I don't have a picture of the blaze. Right now the fire ladder is just outside our window, smoke billowing out, and you can see the flashlights of those hardworking firemen on all the floors of that building.  

A video by someone in Lowell. Our apartment is directly across from that covered catwalk.

About the absence...

I have decided I am quite possibly the WORST blogger of all time. Why? I think of at least three new blog posts a week, but never get around to posting them. Then, when I have time, I start to think about ALL THE STINKING POSTS I will have to catch up on to get "back on track." So I get lazy about it all over again. And again and again, and well you get it.

So, to give you all a flying whiz-by bang-up debriefing on what we have been up to the past month, I should probably start now. Sorry about the lack of pictures...the computers in our house are all semi-functional right now, and won't recognize the camera. Dang.

As many of you know, we spent Christmas alone together here in Lowell. It was very low-key, but nice because it was our first Christmas together. I made Kringla, a holiday tradition in my family, as well as this cute Christmas party mix, just for funzies. We bought a fake tree on sale at Target, and decided it was probably for the best, because we had to put it away every night, otherwise Meeko would climb to the top, knocking the tree over and breaking many of our cheapy ornaments on the way. We had exactly one kind of wrapping paper, two "real" ornaments, and no stockings. In lieu of a Christmas ham, we ate steak. But we had each other, and so it was perfect and awesome and wonderful. Hopefully, next year we'll be with family in Arizona.

JJ had a week off after Christmas, and we had the genius idea to go to NYC after Christmas but before New Year's, but alas, we couldn't find a cheap hotel to stay in. So we spent our week wandering around Lowell, trying new restaurants, and playing board games together. New Yea'rs Eve rolled around and we did the stay-at-home bit again, and I made my mom's famous turkey taquitos (and jello shots!). We had a Harry Potter marathon. We drank tea and coffee every night and enjoyed each other's company.

So no...our holiday season wasn't crazy or exciting or full of people, but it was nice just the same. We started making time to have hot drinks together every night, and I think it's a part of every day that I look forward to the most.

How to Make: Chicken Curry

This is hands-down JJ's favorite meal. So much so, that for my bridal shower, my friends asked JJ what my favorite meal was, and he said "chicken curry." (NO! Chocolate? Sushi?) So much so, that he frequently asks, "Why don't you make chicken curry any more?" Even though I make it probably once a week. I think maybe he would eat curry every day if possible. So, I've figured out a way to make pretty easy chicken curry.

The hardest thing about this meal is that it has some unique ingredients. You can certainly find them at the supermarket, although for a lower quality and a higher price than you would at an oriental supermarket. The two ingredients you should look for are: curry paste (NOT curry powder) and coconut milk (it comes in cans). At the regular grocery store, you can usually find these in the "International Foods" aisle, but they'll probably be the "Thai Kitchen" brand, which is very low quality. Really. You can spend a few bucks on a little tiny jar of curry paste and use almost the whole thing for one meal, or you can buy a big tub of it at the oriental supermarket, and have it for a few months! There are all kinds: red, yellow, green, panang, purple...you name it! My favorite is green and JJ loves red, so usually we have one of each on hand.

So now that you've braved the oriental supermarket, we're ready to get cookin'!

Ingredients

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup diced onion (or dried equivalent) 

Approximately 1/2 cup chicken stock

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 can coconut milk

Approx. 2 Tbsp. curry paste (read package directions...depends on how spicy you like it)

Your choice of veggies, chopped into bite sizes (my favorites are red bell pepper, green beans, and carrots)

Rice to serve it over

1. Brown chicken in a skillet. Make sure not to cook the chicken all the way through--it should still be a little pink in the middle. Remove chicken from skillet, making sure to leave the juices in the pan. Set chicken aside.
2. Mix onion, garlic, and curry paste into the chicken juices in the pan, until onion begins to get tender. You can pour in a little more chicken stock if you need to.
3. Once your onion is nice and tender, throw in your veggies. Pour in the chicken stock--you can use however much you need to give your veggies a nice little "bath." You don't need to cover the veggies all the way up though. Let veggies cook until they begin to get tender, stirring frequently.
4. Put the chicken back in the pan, and pour in the coconut milk. Stir everything really well, and turn down the heat. Your curry is done when the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and your veggies are done to your liking!

"Christmas curry"--green curry paste, red bell peppers, green beans, and potato

Just FYI, you might have to play around a little with the amount of curry paste you use. Back in Tucson, we bought a brand that required 5 Tbsp...and here in MA, I did that the first time with a different brand and we nearly burned our faces off. So that's why I say 2 Tbsp is a good "starting place." Make sure you taste the sauce to see if you need anything before serving...no surprises here people!

Happy cooking, and bon appetit!

Thanksgiving Meal!

Only a week late...but here is our update on how our Thanksgiving meal turned out!

We woke up Thanksgiving morning and were both pleasantly surprised that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade didn't start until 9 am...back in Arizona, it always started at 7 am because of the time difference, and honestly, who wants to wake up that early on the holiday? EWWWW. So we watched the parade in its entirety before we started cooking....oh, the joy that is only serving two people on Thanksgiving! No schedule to follow!

Anyway, first I baked the blueberry pie. In my whole life, I've only ever baked one kind of pie, and that it my grandmother's famous (well, famous to me, anyway) summer season strawberry jello pie. And that's easy. So needless to say, I was nervous to tackle my first ever blueberry pie! Luckily, it turned out pretty good.

Not confident enough to try the fancy lattice-work top...so I opted for a crumble topping with rolled oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon instead. Yuuuuuum.

After the pie was done, it was time to get those chickens in the oven! I've never made Cornish game hens before, and I have to say, I'm more than a little grossed out by raw chicken that is still chicken-shaped. Give me boneless, skinless chicken breasts any day and I'll handle those babies without flinching! There was some confusion about whether there were giblets or not in the hens, and so I spent a good five minutes "making sure" they weren't still frozen to the insides or something. All the while, JJ is of course, making lewd jokes and taking pictures. And then he tells me that there are no giblets and shows me the package. Um, thanks!

You can't see my "eww" face right now....how am  I ever going to tackle a real turkey?

Finally got the chickens prepped and stuffed with wild rice...ready to go into the oven!

Now we had only a couple of hours before feasting time...and with no other really complicated dishes (just crescent rolls, frozen green beans, mashed potatoes and canned cranberry jelly), we had some time to spare! So what to do we do? Harass the cat, of course. (And you thought you were going to read a no kitty-pic post!)

Hehehehe.

Anyway, after waiting patiently and whipping together those few last minute items, it was time to admire our beautiful feast and then eat!

Our finished chickens....yummmmmmy!

Our completed feast....so much food leftover! Didn't cook again until the following Monday =)

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are now ramping up for Christmas! We decided to put the turkey taquito tradition on hold...because after all, we did have enough food after Thursday to last us a whole week, and I hate throwing perfectly good food away. So I think we are going to turn it into a New Year's tradition instead =D

And and update on the job thing...so my phone interview went really, really well. They invited me in for an in-person interview this past Wednesday. However, I got an email a few days before saying that one aspect of the clinical trial was found to be ineffective, and the whole project was put on hold and they couldn't hire anybody. WHAT A BUMMER! However, yesterday I got an email from another person at the same place (Fenway Health) asking if I was still interested in the position, but for a different clinical trial. UM, YES. So good news: I have another phone interview on Monday with two different project managers. Hopefully at least one of them likes me enough to bring me in for a real interview! Cross your fingers, folks!

Holiday inspiration

Last night, I had nightmares about our Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, sure, it's just the two of us, so if I mess it up, we can just laugh it off later as our first Thanksgiving disaster. Right after we're done being sad that I screwed up Thanksgiving though, which is a very big deal to both of us.

So all night, I tossed and turned, dreaming about blueberry pie that tasted too cinnamon-y, or the chicken being raw in the middle (remember we are having Cornish game hens), or not cleaning out the chicken right (never done it before) or the potatoes being to lumpy. UGH. It was terrible.

And then JJ found me this video, which I think might be helpful to all you other stressed out turkey-makers this year:

"Here's how you make your turkey taste good...gravy, cranberry, and Pinot Noir. Why do you think they put cranberry on turkey? To make it taste good! It doesn't taste good by itself."

After watching that, I'm good. Another rum and coke (we forgot to buy wine), I'm having fun, it's THANKSGIVING, and we are content.

Missing all of our Arizona family, love goes out to you all. Stop stressing!

More updates later on how our meal turned out =D

Pop-Opera?

JJ, listening to weird music on his computer: "Lindsay, why isn't opera more popular? I mean, I could see how the shows would be boring but the music is really good. How come they don't have like, opera-pop music?"

Lindsay: "You mean like that one scene in the Fifth Element?" ::does opera voice and flails like the lady in the Fifth Element::

JJ: ::stares in disbelief::

Lindsay: "You're right...that was like the best scene in the whole movie..."

JJ: "Making-fun-of-something FAIL."

We spent the next 20 minutes watching opera-esque videos on Youtube.

"That one scene in the Fifth Element"...you know, the only one anyone ever remembers.

My absolute FAVORITE singer/songwriter, Shara Worden, being her magical self. OMGILUVHER