Dad's New Jersey Pig Roast Mid August 2014

Roasting A Pig

Here are some highlights from my Instagram:
(But scroll down for more in depth photos of the process)






We also had burgers, and many many other things, including 8 slow smoked racks of ribs.

Me waiting for my friends to show up.

Much of my hard work in setting up. The tables & chairs were all hand washed by me.

The Waters Slide:

I hav much fun at party now
— 任思麒 Kandice Z. (@BlackUniGryphon) August 17, 2014

The night is young. Don't u wish u were friends w/us???
— 任思麒 Kandice Z. (@BlackUniGryphon) August 17, 2014

The Process of Roasting a PIG:

Step One: GET A PIG. 
This pig was specially selected, free range, had a nice happy piggy life. My father knew the people, the company, and everything was arranged. The entire slaughter & butchering process was humanely done, clean, and above highest standard in NJ.

Step Two: 
Set the carcass somewhere wrapped up, and on ice so as to stop it from spoiling, attracting pests, bacteria, premature rot, prevent odor, maintain freshness.
Here's it's set in the bathtub, which was washed before hand, and also after it was removed.

Step THREE: Move the pig to the place to be roasted, and have it fit with a rotisserie shaft, and wrapped in chicken cage wire to keep the tender meat in place while roasting all night 7 all morning long. It will need to roast for about 12 hours or more.

This spray bottle has oils, and water, to help the pork skin, and meat maintain moisture, but also to crisp up and brown on the outside to help seal in the natural fluids & juices throughout the process.




Step FOUR: Roast the pig all night, slowly on low heat.

My father is an electrician/inventor, so he built & rigged all this equipment to specification all on his own.
(My mother says I take after my father... but, she learned to build stuff herself from him, and does similar things as well, but not at this scale necessarily, unless she is friends with welders... which could happen because she knows lots of blue-collars.)

 

After about 1-3 hours roasting:



By Morning and noon times the pig looks like this:

All that's left is to remove the roasted pig to cool down, guests arrive, and then finally start carving it up, then serve to guests.

Even after it's been set to cool down, it's several hundred degrees, and when I was served mine over an hour later it was steaming hot to the touch.

I was also drunk, which is why I have no move DSLR photos to show you...

If you would like to see more of the pig roast & the picnic you can check my album on Flickr, and my other blog posts:

* If you would like to read my blog post about the party decor it's found HERE.

* If you would like to read my blog about my little party spot at the picnic with my friends it's found HERE.

* If you want to see more of the Photography I shot in New Jersey you can keep checking my Photography Blog for August which is scheduled to update daily for the next few weeks. But, it is also scheduled to update throughout September as well. So, just keep checking the front page.

* I also have an album of much of the stuff I photographed in New Jersey on Flickr also (still being updated since I have quite a lot).

From Messy To Tidy: Before + After

From Messy To Tidy 

 Since I was a kid, my parents use to constantly tell me how messy, or slobby I was... and that they expected me to grow-up & mature like all the other kids.... I also get something similar from my spouse whom swears I'm SO MESSY!

Well... yeah, this is messy... but, I've had worse... but, if you EVER met ANY of my friends from NEW JERSEY, and even about half from PA, this is NOTHING.... My worst day is better than THEIRS'! Yeah! I'm lookin' at YOU NJ! They also tend to say: "Don't mind the mess." probably, because, like me they just sort-of mentally tune-out the mess, since they have a ton of stuff to do, or on their mind...

However, I've found my biological family members are quite clean, or at least mostly tidy, in general. Even my step-mother is rather tidy, usually.

OK, lemme show you my whole untidy private bedroom "powder room"/"wet closet".

The Sink BEFORE:

I have A.D.D. or A.A.D.D., so I easily get distracted. EASILY. But, since I'm much older now, I know several tips & tricks to compensate for it, and can CHOOSE to focus when I want to. (My daughter has A.D.H.D. so she needs a supervisor, or coach.)

Know your flaws or limits, and work from their....

*Tip #1: STRONG CAFFEINE Alkaloid Substances in liquid beverage form
      *Coffee, Macha (Green Tea Powder) x3 scoops with milk or some kind of drink, hot or cold.
           DON'T do this at night, or you won't be able to sleep.And, don;t do this after 5PM either unless you don't mind insomnia... because I HATE IT.

*Tip #2: GET YOUR DOCTOR TO PRESCRIBE YOU RITALIN or ADDERALL!
      *WHOAH! I'll bet you're focused NOW! WOO-HOO!
         Don't DO THIS AT NIGHT, NOR anytime after 1PM... otherwise you won't sleep.

*Tip #3: Write a To-Do List, Agenda, Outline, or Plan 
* THEN check off each thing as you do it, so you don't get all scattered, and go all over the place, especially if you are cleaning while ALONE, or without a supervisor...
It really works. Get a note-book. It helps you to feel organized, even if you're a big ol' mess. It's a trick to psych yourself into being tidy or organized without really trying. ;) Probably 1 o' THE oldest tricks in the book, pun intended.

*Tip #4: MUSIC!!!!!! Especially Upbeat Music.
* OK, this is SOOOOOO IMPORTANT! If u can't get any stimulants, or meds, you WILL need your music!
Stereo, Hi-Fi, boom-box, Walkman, Diskman, iPod, Mp3 Player, computer, smartphone on full blast, or a radio. SOMETHING! ANYTHING!!!!! 

And, if you CAN'T get ANY access to music, sing, hum, or whistle something! Stamp your feet, or run some kind of rhythmic machine like a dishwasher, air conditioner, engine, or whatever... Open a window and listen to birds, rain, storm, crickets, cicadas, treefrogs...  if you get bored easily, the silence will make you crazy, and drive u OUT OF YOUR MIND, and you'll be a scatter-brain all over again.
The human brain responds to patterns such as rhythms quite easily, and if you are especially playing music you like. Then, you start to synch with the music, unconsciously, and it's no-longer like conscious work... you just FEEL your way through the chores/labor.

DON'T play music that will make you sleepy, too slow, nor too relaxing, because you will fall asleep, slack-off, or get distracted... Even if you have a head ache (at least find something that's somewhat upbeat and melodic is not much percussion).

*Tip #5: If All Else Fails Get a Coach or Supervisor:
If you're a more severe, or somewhat feeling like a hopeless case, get some kind of over-seer to help you stay focused. I'm sure EVERYONE has some annoying or overbearing relative or neighbor around that loves to tell people what to do... some folks actually work better when observed. Whether you prefer positive or more tough-love is up to you... but, usually when you tell your annoying person to supervise you, they are such suckers and will supervise you for free... because the egotistical satisfaction of telling someone what to do is somehow fulfilling... so, keep that secretly in mind while they're sneering at you unwittingly doing work for you for free...


*Tip #6: Give Yourself Some Kind of Reward When You're Done
*DON'T MAKE YOUR REWARD FOODS! That will encourage or reinforce bad stress eating habits, and you could gain weight. But, a tea is fine.
*Suggestions: Relaxing bath, Hot Water Foot Soak and/or pedicure, Watch that movie you've been wanting to watch, take a drive somewhere. Start that project you've been putting aside now that everything's clean & tidy.... Go swimming, go shopping, take a stroll, or do something positive that makes you feel good: Candles, incense, aroma therapy, spa, yoga, meditation, healthy nap, or play with your children and/or pets.

90s Underground Hi-NRG Eurodance Techno Mix 01 from BlackUniGryphon on 8tracks Radio.

When I clean-up or tidy-up I pretty much ALWAYS listen to Techno, or some kind of dance music, especially electronic types.

Here's pretty much what the stuffs I was playing today.

But, play what you like....
I LOVE Hi-NRG Eurodance 90s Techno!


The Sink AFTER:

 Still a lil' bit wet... but, organized, and nice n tidy!

Now, onto my Computer Desk:

BEFORE:

This actually isn't that bad... but, it's bothering me... and also my spouse. :-/ 

It's NOTHING like what it looked like in the winter. That was like a large pile of stuff!




























After:

Well, that was easy! It's easier, when you at least try to keep up with it, otherwise you'll have a huge pile... been there, done that... and NO I don't have self loathing for being messy... there's so many OTHER things of greater importance going on within my mind frequently to care about perfectly tidy X,Y, and Z...

*Yes: I used my mouse with my LEFT HAND.
Unless I need to use precision, like with art, I use the mouse right-handed. (It also helps you to use more of your brain, and think clearly.)
*I'm Actually MOSTLY Right-Handed
*Yes, I'm somewhat semi ambidextrous depending on what I'm doing. I write with my right hand, and am generally right hand dominant. Example: I ONLY play billiards/Pool left-handed. And, sometimes I eat left-handed (and YES with chopsticks as well as a fork or spoon. Why? Because laziness... my right hand is more comfortable to prop-up my head. ;P )


Now, contrary to ALL of those over-baring neat-freaks that SWEAR up & down that "If you keep tidy, and organized you feel better, and have sense of accomplishment & fulfillment once your finished.", you know those ones, especially the "clutter-clearing consumerism-brainwashed "throw it all away & buy more", or non-Chinese religiously Feng Shui wannabes.... well, lemme tell you:

I HAVE NEVER FELT THAT WAY!
I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SAID EMOTIONAL EUPHORIA.
TIDINESS & RITUALIZED CLEANING HAS NEVER EVER DONE ANYTHING TO IMPROVE MY MENTAL STATE, HEALTH, NOR WELL-BEING, LET ALONE MY SELF ESTEEM.
My sense of self worth is NOT dependent upon my ability to be tidy, nor to even get things done.

However, organization DOES HELP.

To all of those folks that swear by insisting everything must be absolutely tidy, neat, clean, organized, etc. the rest of us that have our minds on other things would like to point out to YOU that you have some kind of powerlessness self-esteem issue, and it would seem to us that you are trying to assert control over yourself outside of you by structurizing everything to try and compensate for feeling so unorganized or powerless inside of you. It's even worse when you try and FORCE your ideas ONTO us in ANOTHER layer of imaginary control within your mind....

I used to have a friend (no longer friends with) that I found was often clueless, bewildered, lost & confused and constantly came to me for attention, advice, suggestions, encouragement, etc... when you're friends with someone, true friendship doesn't really judge. You just accept a person for who they are, and if that person is actively asking for help, or encouragement, a true friend WILL acquiesce. This person told me that I was admired by that person, and that I inspired that person.I helped out that person quite a lot, and NEVER asked for anything in return... that what a true friend does...

However, once the tides turned a bit and my former friend was in a position to help me out in return, and insisted that person would... well, that person was less than equal, and often half-hearted in returning the friendship... this person also acted as tho' the friendship was burdensome, and was often resentful in private, but would show-off that this person was my friend in public, and frequently leveraged my weaknesses or times of need against me, or any action/gesture/favor was also another source of leverage...

This same individual also was one of those clean-freaks. This person was a mess inside.... and compensated outwardly.

This is kind of my big Flipping the bird to that person.... 
Tho' I'm SURE that person will NEVER read this. ;)
Even if that individual DID: Both of my middle fingers are erect at YOU! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!
Oh, and THANK YOU for READING MY BLOG! :D Google thanks you too! 
Cha-ching, sucker!

Doesn't that just burn you up? 


Final Notes:

I, of course, realize that was snarky and spiteful... ;P but, neat-freaks like that pick on messy people so harshly for being mentally unorganized, or a wreck, or whatever other kinds of nasty, word-shaming they can think of...

Actually, it goes both ways... some folks, like me, have medical issues or problems like ADD. Does that mean that CAN'T be neat, clean, tidy, or that they're horrible persons?
Of course not! 

Then, like much of the folks I grew up with, went to school with, etc. had stressful childhoods, drug addict parents, neglectful or abusive parents, or they had overbearing parents...
If you're parents were overly strict and then you become an adult and are on your own, you might end up becoming messy... or, if your parents were slobs, you might go off on your own as an adult and become a tidy person, because you consciously decided you don't approve of your parents' lifestyle...

Neat-freaks can have just as many mental & emotional issues as messy folks, they just coped with it the opposite way.

Sure, overly messy folks need help, but so do tidy-centric folks.
You don't REALLY know what they've been through, how they feel on the inside.... but, start by TRYING to understand THE PERSON ON THE INSIDE, NOT just what you see on the outside.
Don't FORCE "help" (as control) if a person doesn't want it... maybe that's your cue to be a listener instead.

And, to both sides... try to self reflect about HOW other people view you... but, TRY to understand that. Is it healthy, unhealthy, helpful, harmful...

Sometimes displays of concern CAN be a good thing... within reason...

Know yourself, know your flaws...
-and, if you're NOT SURE, take some time to self reflect upon yourself.
Who are you really?
Who would you LIKE to be?
Can you do, or become better?

And, even if you're broke or out of most options at the moment, what can you do in this moment?

Sometimes, when you get judgmental of others, it's because you subconsciously recognize something within yourself that you don't like about yourself within that other person...

To my friends whom, like me, have had trouble organizing, those were just my tricks & suggestions...
Am I telling you WHAT TO DO?: No.
That's just what I've stumbled upon in my own life... you can take it, or leave it. Either way, it doesn't bother me.

To the neat-freaks I personally.... well.... I already figured that no amount of suggesting you "get help" would ever do a lick of good... but, I know of several that have crashed & burned this year, including recently, in a variety of ways... I would hope these high-strung individuals, whom I know are at least somewhat smart if not very smart, and hope it doesn't come to an extreme before those individuals address whatever it is that's suppressed or bugging you on the inside.

Ironically, being nice to them, supportive and present didn't go over well with them... and they enjoy pretending they are the calm cool-headed folks outwardly... I prologize for coming off as dismissive, but you only seem to notice when I'm "negative".

I'd like someone to explain to me, how that's somehow MY fault...


Here's an idea: 

Something bugging you? 
Blog or journal about it! 

You'll feel MUCH BETTER! 

In fact, I feel GREAT right now!

Exercises This Summer

Exercises This Summer

Yeah... I see it, I hear it, and I've been reading it all over social media & blogs... u guys r stresses, depressed, nervous breakdowns, etc... it's kinda going around... the news is insane, and so on...

I'm all too familiar with the proverb: "No good deed goes unpunished."

So much work this year, so much hell, most of which I can't even discuss for a list of reasons, including legal ones. battles with getting stuff that's ur right, or stuff that u deserve, and so on... or even for others, and not even myself... stress... stress... and more stress. Lack of nutrition, and medical problems like psoriasis, and thinning hair, digestive problems, blood issues, and not just me...

So, at times, trying to do something "normal" for myself like take care of my health, or basic exercising would cause me more stress, because of bad weather, or the moment I'd go outside, I'd get accosted by annoying folks wanting something from, me, or the screw with me... and calling up my phone, or finding new sleezy ways to fuck with me.

And, as bad as I'd LOVE to get 'em back... there's a point where it's ILLEGAL, and I REFUSE to stoop as low as them, especially when their half-whits that don't even understand that they're being evil. Then, I'd have to go to court, and all that bullshit... Näh... fuck that!

So..... by May, after a long list of stressful bullshit, there were days when i just didn't want to get out of bed... I had pain in various parts & places on my body, including my scalp which would bleed, ooze, and shed scaly bits of skin, or the subluxations all along my spine, and my government insurance which was constantly being screwed with, and can;t go to a chiropractor, and still in limbo about this, this, and that... Other days I'd puff up like a balloon, because of the additives in the foods i got from the foodbank... but, hey hen u got nothing to eat, weird shit ends up in ur mouth... and next thing ya know...... ur sick again... like I was saying, by May, I started to take walks, on days when it wasn't either raining or bitterly cold. At least my asthma isn't AS BAD now that i had the nasal & throat surgeries, so I'm LESS prone to infections than before.
But, now, I get ear infections because I have to wash my sinuses... and I had ear infections like crazy that wouldn't go away... (long long long story, including doctors... and if I write about it, I'll be irate for days, so, let's not go there.)

Walks got longer, and longer... and also even tho' i was grateful to FINALLY be able to go outside, and have to figure out routs to walk so as NOT to be annoyed by folks I DID NOT WANT TO TALK TO, LET ALONE EVEN LOOK AT NOR BE SEEN BY (long story), I started getting bored with it...

And, of course, my spouse would tell me to exorcize... so, I said: Well, I walk every day at least twice for about 20-45 min each time... and it's NOT like I have any diet food. Also, when it rains, I have a lot of pain, and stiffen-up, which sets me back all over again... and, I kept running out of aspirin.

Long story short... I decided to get back into yoga again.

I LOVE yoga! Just not the weird shit kind, with idol worshiping Hinduism... Or chanting magical words or names of the gods... whatever... That shit can take a flying leap. I couldn't care less about the god of chaos, and it's insatiable petty needs of being worshiped or praised, or grotesque images of creepy monster gods where dead human body parts, and fucked up weird shit like that. it's bad enough that I have relationships with Christians that aren't supposed to worship idols but have hideous images & statues of a man being tortured & murdered to death bleeding from thorns stuck in his head, and nails in his limbs writhing in pain.... That's not only disgusting, but it's disturbing.

But, I DO like meditations, of all kind, including breath-work (like ujai), imagery, trance meditations, vocal meditations like "om", and Joppa meditation ("Ah"), and moving meditations, like Qi-Gong, Taiji Chuan, Vinyassa yoga, and even knitting. Yes, knitting is meditative. But, I don't do these things for ego-based motives like because I think it'll give me magical powers or anything. been there, done that... u can hav it. that shit fucks up ur life. I just do it for mental, physical, and emotional health & well being... hey, if u wanna argue that's an ego based motive... fine whatever... but, from a logical standpoint, if it makes me feel good, better, and improves my health, & brain functions & reduces stress, that LOGICALLY i AM GONNA DO THAT.

A number of my progressive friends, or groups frown on stuff like that sometimes... but, it doesn't bother me if people that teach yoga or qigong talk about 'third eye', or 'chakras'... I know u can;t prove it, and it's often over-done, and everyone has a different opinion of what that means, etc... and, whether u want to argue about whether it's science vs. superstition, I've been on both perspectives... because I've seen quite a bit debunked on the western end... and YET, I ALSO lived in far east Asia, specifically China, and I've personally witnessed Gungfu masters do incredible things EVERY SINGLE TIME. That PROVES there's a a science there... even if YOU don;t understand it, or can;t even quantify it, let alone qualify it yet...


Anyways....

Once it was warm enough to go swimming, I would swim almost every day... unless it rained, or was cold... it's been a cold summer again this year too up here.

So, If went from walking + yoga, to walking + yoga + swimming. pretty much every day.

Yeah... when u first start out doing stuff, u get sore... then it sets u back 1-3 weeks, but i just do what i can...

But, then, that  gets boring.... can;t break a sweat really... and I'm exercising the heck outta myself! WTF?


So.... I remembered my old routines and stuff... I got loads of DVDs & videos on my hard drive, and there's also youtube...

So, i started doing Dolphina & Neena & Veena....

I started doing those by mid-late June, adn OMFG I was soooooo friggin' sore!
So, I only did what i could... then, I would rotate between Dophina (which is sometimes kinda drunk, stoned, or whatever on some videos) to Veena & Neena, to Rachel Brice yoga, doing more & more until I could do everything... and I can do quite a bit of Rachel Brice's Serpentine drills now... still working on it, but I'm better at it than ever now.

Then, I started doing more stuff with yoga on youtube. haven't done this much before. Solar Salutations, Lunar Salutations, (Vinyassas) and I even found the more rare Earth Salutations...
I'm not the best at it, but some things i'm more advanced than I thought, and I didn't even know it... *scratches head* I found a video that said it was about opening & stretching the shoulders and so on... but, i was disappointed, because even tho' the teacher of the video was struggling I was confused because I thought I was doing it wrong because I couldn't feel the stretching... dumb-ass me! No... I could stretch further because i'd been practicing Tribal bellydance muscular isolations + stretches since 2008.  took me a a week & a half to realize that. each day, I'm trying to figure out why i can;t feel the stretches... Duh! I'm stretched out there, just need to find a deeper stretch by twisting...

Then, I decided to go back into Qigong sine the end of last month... I was expecting it to be hard, and that I'd be sore, but since I'd been keeping up with yoga, and my bellydance isolations + my swimming routines, I found I could ACTUALLY keep a wide stance without any trouble. I'd NEVER been able to do that in my life!

But, I'm in no way shape or form super great at it. I'm still wobbly & awkward, and same thing in yoga still.

I also found out there were different versions of "8 duan jin" (AKA Ba Duan Jin) or as my old shifu called it "ba/8 ge duan". 8 duan jin is from Qigong, but qigong is often utilized in not just Taiji but also in Gungfu martial arts. (No I'm NOT a martial artist) So, I found a Shaolin version of 8 duan... and, so i tried it. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it, but I did it just fine. ^_^ ...well, it could be better... but, I didn't get tired, didn't fall over, and no pain. ^_^ So, that's doing pretty well in my point of view. Now, I do both variations of 8 duan.

Altho' I could REALLY use a spinal adjustment or 2, or 3... it's all crooked again. :-/


I don't look any different tho'... But I exercise MORE this summer than any other summer in my entire life, including when i was a teenager, and I worked out A LOT back then.

Working out, doesn't really make ya loose weight when ya get older.... but, it SURE makes u feel better.

The one workout I do the most is Veena & Neena's "Slim Down". 
you will sweat like crazy. but, it REALLY does something to adjust my mood, and it's VERY noticeable. It's also easier than it looks at first. You can find a cut-up version YouTube, and the DVDs on Amazon.

You can find Dolphina on Hulu for FREE. 
I actually like Dolphina, despite the obvious blunders in SOME of her videos. But, her heart is in the right place. I also LOVE the music in the Dolphina videos.

Rachel Brice's Serpentine Double DVD set is available like everywhere.

Keep in mind, that even tho' it says beginners can use it... it's NOT for beginners. it's ADVANCED, but an intermediate can benefit from quite a bit of it. Tribal bellydance utilizes MUSCULAR movements. So, it's way more hard-core than just ur basic Raqs Sharqi cabaret stuff, which is more joint movement isolations, and has more shimmy movements or sweeping movements. Raqs can have its challenges too, but doesn't have the disciplines that tribal does. I like both, but I never stop learning... and I'm glad i got back into it, and that I'm not sick like before.

If you want to find other stuffs I mentioned, just type in the keywords on youTube or google: qigong, ba duan jin, yoga vinyassa, etc...

anyways...... I'm still learning... just do what i can, and just continue, and then try something more...
I didn't expect to be doing qigong again, nor all the stuff I'm doing now back in May 7 June, but it's early August now.... baby steps, ya know?

The other videos I was doing were in the winter which were by my teacher Zoe Jakes: 

The Drill video: Killer Drillz

and her Encyclopedia of STUFF 4 DVD box set: From A-Zoe


And, Sadie's drill video: Thrillin' Drillin'




I'll probably get back into those again, by winter... but, it's a different direction than I'm at currently.

I think I REALLY wanna stick with the Neena & Veena and Rachel Brice (and some Dolphina rotated in there) for now, with the other Yoga & Qigong supplementing it. I also still swim pretty much every day, and walk to South Field.


Well.... Rome wasn't built in a day....
At least I don't have the stress sicknesses like before, and I feel better...
Ya can't be beautiful forever... but, at least i don;t feel sick & tired. :)