Dynamic Yet Consistent

Base Ingredients

• 2 pounds of raw chicken tenders / nuggets sliced appropriately
• 2-3 liters of oil (peanut, vegetable, canola)

Dipping Sauce

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1-2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon spicy mustard
• 1-2 teaspoon hot sauce of your choice
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG

Combine ingredients, whisk together, and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours

Initial Marinade

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon MSG
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1-2 teaspoon cayenne powder 

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Add chicken tenders and marinate in the fridge for 2-18 hour (longer is better) in a large covered bowl.

Dredge

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon white pepper powder 
• 1 teaspoon celery powder 
• 2 teaspoons cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG

Combine in large bowl and whisk dry ingredients.

Directions

• Start by pre-making your dipping sauce and marinade. I recommend doing both in the morning before you plan to make the dish.
• Cut your chicken tenders to the desired size and add to marinade. Refrigerate in covered bowl.
• When you are ready to start prepping the meal, add 2-3 quarts of your desired oil to a large pot or ideally a dutch oven. Place on the stove and heat on medium to medium-high heat. You are targeting a starting temperature of 350F. Slightly over is better than under due to the oil cooling during cooking.
• Whisk together your dredge ingredients.
• When you oil has come to temperature, you can prep your tenders one batch at a time. I found these did best 4-6 at a time.
• Drop 2-3 tenders at a time into your dredge and shake around. Remove from the dredge and let sit on a tray for 1-2 minutes. During this time, the marinade will have worked through the dredge. You can now put them back in the dredge for another coating. Once removed, they are ready for the fry.
• Drop slowly into the oil and fry for 4-6 minutes stirring occasionally or until the thickest part of a tender reaches 165. Remove from the oil, pat down with paper towels, and set on a cooling rack
• Repeat for your remaining tenders.

Ingredients

• Protein
  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Aromatics and Base Flavors
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 sweet onion, cut into half strips
  • 3-4 celery stalk, finely cut
  • 1-2 carrot, cut into fine discs
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp lemongrass paste
  • 2 tbsp red curry paste
• Liquids
  • 1 can (15 oz) full-fat coconut milk (more if needed)
  • 3-4 cups rich gelatinous chicken stock (made from boiling down one chicken carcass with veggies over 3-4 hours)
• Other Vegetables
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms rehydrated and sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• Seasonings
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 large limes)
  • 2-3 tbsp Thai chili paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-cook the Shrimp

• Simmer the Shrimp: Bring 1 cup of chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a small pot. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes until they turn pink and opaque. Remove the shrimp and set aside. Reserve the cooking stock for later use in the soup.

2. Prepare the Aromatics and Vegetables

• Heat Oil: In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat.
• Sauté Aromatics: Add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and minced garlic to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
• Add Ginger and Lemongrass: Stir in the grated ginger and lemongrass, cooking for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Incorporate Curry Paste: Add 2 tbsp of red curry paste and mix well, letting it cook for about a minute to release its flavors.

3. Create the Soup Base

• Add Chicken Stock: Pour in the 3-4 cups of chicken stock (including the reserved stock from cooking the shrimp) and bring to a boil.  Add liquid from reconstitute shitake if needed.
• Simmer: Reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

4. Add Vegetables and Coconut Milk

• Add Other Vegetables: Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and red bell pepper to the pot. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Coconut Milk and Seasonings: Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Final Touches

• Add Shrimp: Return the cooked shrimp to the soup, allowing them to warm through for 1-2 minutes.
• Finish with Lime: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the fresh lime juice.
• Add Cilantro: Mix in half of the chopped cilantro, reserving the rest for garnish.

6. Serve and Garnish

• Garnish: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with remaining cilantro, sliced chili (if using), chopped green onions, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
• Optional Heat: Drizzle with sriracha sauce or chili oil if desired.
• Serve with Rice: Serve alone as a soup or over jasmine rice for a more filling meal.

Tips

• Adjust Spice Level: You can control the spiciness by adjusting the amount of red curry paste and optional chili slices.
• Aromatics Variation: If you’re out of lemongrass, lemongrass paste or lime zest can be a substitute, though the flavor will vary slightly.
• Additions: Feel free to add other vegetables like sliced zucchini or baby corn to enhance the dish.

Today much of the world witnessed one of the greatest cricket matches of all time with England winning the ICC World Cup for the first time. The game featured two well balanced teams and multiple times the fate of the game came down to a single delivery. In the end, everything hinged on the last ball thrown and culminated with the cricket equivalent of Game 7 of the World Series with the winning run being thrown out at the plate with bases loaded, a full count and two outs. It was simply amazing. My greatest regret is that so many of my American friends could not take in such an incredible sporting event.

So… I am publishing a write up I did many years ago that explains the game of cricket in simple terms. First, let me admit that I am certainly not an expert on cricket, but after seven years in Africa following the Proteas of South Africa, I am now a huge fan. It took me a couple days of watching a tournament with a friend and asking a bunch of annoying questions to be able to “get it” and much longer to appreciate the nuance, but it was well worth it. There is nothing else like it because so often the tension constantly builds and the entire affair swings and pivots on essential plays in the closing period.

So for those who are interesting, here is my crash course guide to understanding cricket in 10 easy steps:

1. When watching, remember it is more about what the batter is doing than what the bowler (thrower) is doing. I used to think the main point was to knock down the wicket (sticks) behind the batter, but instead the main point is to pick up runs.
2. There are two sets of wickets separated by 20 meters and at any given time, two batters that stand opposite each other. The one having the ball delivered to him is considered “on strike.” Once the ball is hit, the batters can pick up runs by both simultaneously running back and forth between the wickets (switching sides)
3. The cricket field is usually a giant oval. If the ball is hit to the boundary is is automatic 4 runs. If it goes over the boundary in the air it is 6 runs.
4. Game play in cricket is similar to what baseball would be like if one team batted all 9 of their innings in a row and then the opposing team batted theirs. So what happens is one team sets a score and then the other team has to chase it.
5. The game is divided into innings and overs. An innings (ends with an “s” in the singular as well) is one team’s session at bat. An over is a set of six bowls (throws) thrown by one bowler. After each over, the bowler switches out and there is a limit to how many overs each bowler can throw so you see a lot of diversity in throwing style. The number of overs depends on the format of cricket being played. More on that later.
6. A batter remains in the game until they are out. In cricket an out is called a wicket and can occur in a number of ways:
   • A batter’s hit is caught in the air by a fielder.
   • When running across to the other wicket, the fielders are able to knock down the wickets before the runner gets there (similar to being thrown out in baseball).
   • The bowler is able to throw around the batter and hit the wicket.
   • The batter is hit by the ball (without making contact with the bat) and it is determined that ball would have hit the wickets (called “leg before wicket.”).
   • There are a couple others, but they are rare.
7. There are eleven men on a team. When one man gets out, the next man comes in and you bat in order until you are out of players (10 wickets) or out of overs. So you put your best batters first, and it is conceivable that one batter could play the entire innings.
8. There are three main forms of cricket, largely distinguished by the number of overs per innings. The classic form is called Test cricket and it lasts several days because each team bats until they are all out and they also play two full innings apiece with an aggregate score (I still struggle to follow this form of the game). The most exciting form to watch is called T20 because it is limited to just 20 overs per side (120 bowls) and lasts about 3 hours. This is not only more fast paced, but it encourages more aggressive play with lots of boundaries hit. There is also a form called ODI (one day international) that is limited to 50 overs.
9. The game is all about momentum : which batter is hot, which bowler is getting beat up on, how quick is the defense picking up wickets. Things can change very quickly. If you want to get a feel for it the game at its best, just tune in for the last quarter of a T20 match. At that point the first team would have already set the score and the best part is the tension of whether or not the chasing team is going to be able to catch them. I have seen some pretty incredible matches where it all came down to a team’s worst batter needing to pick up a boundary on the last bowl to get the win.
10. Cricket is like baseball in the fact that they love numbers. It is nuts sometimes how many different figures they will put on the screen. The important ones are the score, the number of wickets and where you are in the match. So if you see 145 | 15.2 (5) that means there have been 145 runs scored in 15 full overs plus two balls and five wickets have been picked up. There is also always a lot of talk of run rate (runs per over) as a mid-game indicator of how the team is doing.

There are plenty of other rules and procedures, but that is enough to get you started. If you do try and take in a cricket match, be sure to start with a T20. They are the most exciting and only take 2.5-3 hours.

People often consider cricket confusing, but that is just because it is foreign to most Americans.  Hopefully with just a bit of knowledge, others can enjoy this game that captivates so much of the world.

The partisan divide in this country has created an atmosphere where party affiliation dictates a person’s response to a situation more than their personal values or independent thought.  Our President and the political establishment, has stoked those flames so that nearly everything is seen as an “Us versus Them” debate.  The result has been automatic disdain for Trump and his actions from the Dems and unquestioning support from the GOP regardless of the issue at hand.  At a time where politics require an even more nuanced approach and understanding than ever, we have instead resorted to relying on intellectually weak political punchlines while clinging to stereotypical responses that lack grace and compassion.

Eventually things have to change or else we won’t recognize the nation we will have become.  With this president, the Left cannot live in a constant state of outrage and the Right cannot live in a constant state of denial.

Soon after Trump was elected my father wisely recognized the emotional toll and eventual callousness constant outrage will cause and made a decision:  He resolved early on to set his “lines in the sand” so that his righteous indignation didn’t get muffled by the daily disappointments and that political disagreements weren’t confused with constitutional atrocities.  In essence he was saving his protests for when they most earnestly needed to be heard.

From the opposite perspective, I have several Republican friends who generally appreciate Trump’s policies and appointments because they are conservatives, but cringe at some of what the president does and says.  For them, they are also struggling with how long they can support Trump because doing so furthers their own political views while also acknowledging that at some point enough has to be enough.

Brothers and sisters, we have reached a crossroads of our democracy.

In all of the cases of political disagreement over the last couple years, reasonable and rational people understand that despite our propensity to tribalism, there are some lines, which if crossed, demand a different kind of response.  For Dems that means moving beyond complaining and eye rolling into more active protest; for the GOP that means withdrawing support from the president even when he seems to be advancing your ideals.

We have reached the point in Donald Trump’s presidency where the fundamental principles of our democracy are being violated and we all much alter the way we respond.  In the old adage about the frog in hot water, we are at the stage where we must realize something is wrong or else we will reach the point of no return.

If the president declares a national emergency (as the media is currently speculating he will do) in order to advance a partisan objective outside the constitutional process, we will be witnessing the most significant threat to our democracy in our lifetimes.  We cannot treat this as “business as usual.”

Trump has done unprecedented things since even before he was sworn in as president – what makes this different?  The short answer is that this overstep by the executive branch will effectively render the constitutionally mandated legislative branch meaningless in stark contrast to the framers intention.

There are a few things we must acknowledge in order to be able to have a meaningful discussion about the potentially devastating situation we are about to wade into:

• Constitutionally, Congress is mandated with passing laws as well as overseeing taxation and expenditures.
• In particular, it is the House of Representatives that has the “power of the purse” and has been charged with setting the path forward when it comes to expenditures and taxation.
• While the President submits his budget requests, constitutionally, it is Congress that has been tasked with determining laws and finances. Any other mechanism is outside the bounds of our founding documents.
• The GOP had control of both houses of congress for 2 years but was unable (or unwilling) to pass legislation funding the border wall. In other words, if one wanted to claim “electoral mandate” there was a period that was valid – but the time has passed.
• The House of Representatives best reflects the immediate will and desires of the people due to its proportional representation as well as their two year terms.
• Emergency declarations were design for rapid response to unexpected situations that reflect an immediate risk to America and her citizens. The Executive branch is granted huge powers in order to quickly action response.  They are an example of “greater good” where we recognize the need to break from protocol in order to respond to dynamic situations.  They are not a loophole for obtaining political achievements.

Whatever your own views may be, Congress is ultimately responsible for making decisions about things like this border wall.  To ignore their will is to ignore the foundations of democracy our government has been built on.

If Trump declares a national emergency – especially around a situation that has not fundamentally changed during his presidency – he will be usurping power in a way that completely disregards the checks and balances so importantly introduced into our Constitution.

With Trump in the Oval Office and the GOP with a solid hold on the Senate, I can understand why my conservative friends may look kindly on the president going down this path to advance his political agenda.  But, if we as a nation allow this to happen, what happens next?  Where do we draw the line?  Won’t it be possible for the following to occur?

• National Health Emergency requiring a single payer system and free universal health care.
• National Gun Death Emergency requiring registration of all weapons and banning all semi-automatic firearms.
• National Wrongfully Accused Emergency immediately banning the death penalty.
• National Financial Emergency banishing the income tax.
• National Educational Preparedness Emergency immediately allocating defense funds to allow for free college education.
• National Fetal Death Emergency unilaterally banning any and all abortions.

Reading through the list above, there are some that may sound like really good ideas and other that absolutely make your skin crawl.  And that is the issue.  Whether we like it or not, our constitution has built a government that is incredibly slow moving and making major changes in a rapid fashion is nearly impossible.  We make an exception for real emergencies, but the founding fathers were intentional to not set up a monarchy where one person can unilaterally and rapidly change the way the country operates.

So let’s bring it to a close.  Why would an emergency declaration by Donald Trump be such a big deal?  Regardless of whether you agree with the outcome or not, it would effectively negate the entire constitutional process and open up the possibility for any president in the future to unilaterally advance political agendas.

Whether you are a constitutionalist who trusts the founders’ vision, or a libertarian who cringes at legislation being forced on people, or a conservative who is worried about what might happen when a Democrat utilizes this same process, or a liberal who finds the finds the wall itself appalling, this is the time we must speak out.

This approach to governing cannot be allowed to move forward.  We cannot allow for the check and balances of our democracy to be ignored.  Regardless of your political affiliation, this is the line that requires us to adjust how we respond to the president.

If you have made it this far, I appreciate you hanging in there – to me, this is the most important conversation we have had to have politically in the last 2+ years.  You will notice in my writing above that I have not made any mention about the cost or efficacy of the wall.  I have not commented on the impact of diverting either military funds or money dedicated to responding to wildfires or hurricanes.  I have not commented on the impact of undocumented immigrants entering our country.  That is because these are discussions that congress has been constitutionally mandated to undertake – we must trust the process and the representatives the American populous has selected to address these issues

I am still discerning how to respond if (when?) the president declares a national emergency to fund his wall.  I sincerely hope – for the good of our democracy and the future of our country – that you too are assessing how you will respond regardless of your political affiliation.

Some conservatives have never opposed this president. Perhaps it is time.

Some liberals have never done more than complain about this president.  Perhaps it is time.

Many Americans have never felt democracy was under attack.  Perhaps it is time.

Some elected officials have never taken a stand against their party.  Perhaps it is time.

A lot of people avoid talking politics.  Perhaps it is time.

If the ends justify the means, should it be questioned?  Perhaps it is time.

We often avoid difficult and unpopular stands.  Perhaps it is time.

I have never marched on Washington.  Perhaps it is time.

It has been a hectic few days to say the least.  On Monday, my son Max told me it was the worst day of his life and he was certainly correct (and we hope he doesn’t have a worse one anytime soon).  But, it is in the midst of difficulty that you gain an appreciation for true nature of humanity.

Here is a run-down on what happened (Note: If you don’t want to read all the details, please skip down to the end – that is the most important part):

Max and I were in the US for a couple weeks (work for me, visiting grandparents for him).  We were schedule to leave on Monday.  We had to return the rental car to Louisville airport and then fly to Chicago to catch our flight back to Swaziland.  Even though our children are phenomenal travelers, the logistics of travel can be a bit much.

We were already a bit under pressure because I had miscalculated the time zone changes, but we were going to catch our plane no problem.  After dropping the rental car off, we loaded up our luggage.  Max had his little backpack and I was pulling two 50-pound suitcases as well as a heavy backpack and my laptop bag.  He followed me up the escalator to the ticket counter.  About halfway up, one of the bags which had a strap wrapped around my wrist slipped down a step and pulled me off balance.  Between not having any free hands, and the heavy backpack, I tumbled over backwards with me and bags landing on Max.  Someone hit the emergency stop on the escalator and several people rushed to help.  Max was crying and scared and that is when I noticed a deep gash on his foot.

I sprinted up the stopped escalator with him and was quickly joined by police and the EMS.  There was a good bit of blood and it was obvious the gash was more than superficial.  While Max was obviously in pain, he quickly gathered himself and let the police tend to his wound.  One of the officers brought him a stuffed animal to distract him while the others focused on providing first aid.

At this point the reality of the situation started to set in.  We were 9,000 miles away from home and were obviously going to miss our flight and our connecting flight (and then bus to Swaziland).  We were going to have to get medical treatment somewhere and I had an injured son, nearly 200 pounds of luggage, and no transportation.

The police offered to watch my stuff while I carried Max to try and figure out the details.  First we went to the ticket counter and canceled our flight.  Then I went back to the Hertz rental car to see if there was any way I could get my rental car back.  I could have ubered to the hospital (the police wanted me to take an ambulance), but that presented crazy logistics with luggage.  I told the people at Hertz what happened and they immediately got on the phone and pulled the car I had used back out for me and even delivered it to the door. (More on Hertz later).  From there I headed to the nearest hospital.

The next several hours moved very slow compared to the chaos at the airport.  We checked in the hospital and were triaged.  At this point, Max is calm and we are just waiting for our turn to go back.  This relative downtime gave me a chance to think a bit more about logistics.  In particular the fact that our international health insurance doesn’t cover the United States.  I had no idea how much this trip to the ER was going to cost us.  The time in the waiting room also gave me a chance to make some phone calls.  Obviously I was updating Beth and the family in the states.  Beth took care of rearranging all my transport and everyone else reached out to offer help however they could.  I called Hertz back and talked to a manager who was incredibly sympathetic to our situation and told us it would be no problem to extend the contract for a day and that we could even return the car to O’hare in Chicago since our plane tickets would cost nearly $500 to rebook.  I asked how much it would cost and he said “not too much more, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

At this time I also got in touch with my cousin Jana who lives in Louisville, has traveled extensively internationally, and who is a physical therapist specializing on hands and feet.  We talked about our options and she suggested an urgent care would be cheaper and most likely quicker.  She set out to call around to see what was available while also arranging for us to stay at her place.  She found an urgent care with no waiting near her house that was going to cost $250 to get Max stitched up.  At this point, Max was completely calm and relatively little pain.  I asked triage nurse an estimate on time (I am sure she hates that question), and was told “when you checked in there was one person in the queue ahead of us and nothing has changed.”  That made it easy to decide to head out of there and go to urgent care.

At Urgent care we quickly got taken back to a room and the nurse was very attentive to Max and his needs.  The Physician’s Assistant on call came in to take a look at things.  Both medical staff let us know from the very beginning that there was a chance they couldn’t treat Max due to his age and the location of his injury could have caused nerve, tendon or vascular damage.  At this point it had been about 4 hours since the accident and when they took the bandage off it was still bleeding.

The PA was incredibly gracious when reviewing our options.  He recommended we go to the children’s hospital (there was a branch close by), but also understood our situation with insurance and travel.  Basically he told us that he could probably stitch it up, but that really an expert should look at it.  At this point, I called Jana to ask if she could come over to help me think through our options. There was some concern because Max was not moving his toes very well.  We agreed to put some topical painkiller on it and see what should be done next.  During this time, he also called around to see our alternate medical options.

The longer we were at urgent care the more obvious it was that we would be heading back to the Emergency Room for treatment.  The PA came back in the office and said that his attending physician had told him he couldn’t do the stitches due to the complexity.  Additionally, in calling the nearby children’s hospital branch, he learned that even they wouldn’t accept the case because Max needed a place where a pediatric orthopedic surgeon could consult.  Due to the location and depth of the injury there was a possibility of tendon, nerve or even vascular damage. Our only option was to go to the main branch of the Kosair children’s hospital.

It was obvious that the PA was going above and beyond to help us.  In additional to his medical care, and the time he took to consult with doctor’s across the city, he told us he would work it out so that the entire visit to urgent care would be free. Holy Cow… what a relief!

So off to Kosair we headed.  Jana called ahead to her friends in the medical community to get advice and information and I followed her to the hospital.

We checked in, were triaged, and found our place in the waiting room.  Interestingly enough, a family friend from my hometown was sitting in the waiting area as well.  Throughout all of this Max was a trooper.  At this point it was past his bed time and despite his injury, he was incredibly calm and patient.  His biggest complaint was that he couldn’t eat or drink due to the possibility that he would need anesthesia if surgery was required.

After a couple hours we were taken back to a room.  The resident doctor took a look at Max and did some initial cleaning of the wound.  He confirmed that tendon damage could be a concern, but they wouldn’t know until they could look at it further.  The attending doctor also came and checked the situation and called for an X-Ray, so I carried Max off to radiology for three pictures of his bones.  The initial report looked clear, but the radiologist came back to say he saw a hairline fracture.

Now it was time for the tough part – exploring the wound and stitches.  Max was given a nasal dose of medicine to reduce the pain, but it didn’t seem to help much because even the cleaning process caused him deep distress.  With the attending and resident doctor both looking at things, they told us that tendon damage didn’t seem to be an issue and there also wasn’t any obvious nerve damage.  Next step then was actually getting the stitches.  Despite the topical pain killer already applied and the nasal painkiller, Max did not react well to the numbing injections.  This was certainly the most traumatic part of the process for him.  Eventually, the doctor was able to start sewing.  Even though Max was crying through the whole process, he never flinched his foot and let the doctor do his job.  In the end, it only took 3 stitches to get him put back together.

At this point it must have been about midnight and Jana headed back home while we wrapped things up.  The doctor told us that because there was a minor fracture and an open wound, it was technically a compound fracture and we would need IV then oral anti-biotics.  I already knew Max was not going to be a fan of more needles.

As you could imagine, Max was exhausted and fell asleep in my arms.  The nurse came in to give the IV and he was so sleepy, I couldn’t even rouse him.  The nurse found a vein in his hand and applied an aerosol pain killer and then inserted the IV.  Thankfully Max didn’t wake up during the procedure, but unfortunately the vein the nurse was going for blew.  He then found a vein in his arm, but Max woke up for the second stick and was none too happy.  Once again the vein blew and we would have to try again.  A different nurse came in and despite Max’s protests, successfully put the IV in.  It was hooked up to some antibiotics and we began the waiting process.  After about an hour the IV was removed and we were presented with our discharge papers.

After taking care of the paperwork, we finally head over to Jana’s house to get some rest.  When we got there, it was about 2am – 12 hours after the accident had initially occurred.

The next morning we were able to sleep in a bit and also take care of the logistics like repacking and getting Max his prescription.  At around 1pm after some lunch, we began the drive to Chicago to drop off the rental car and catch our flight.  Thankfully the drive was pleasantly uneventful, but it did give me a chance to think about the logistics of actually getting from the car to airplane.  Somehow, I was going to have to carry two backpacks, two 50 pound suitcases, a bulky duffel bag and an injured 4-year old.  No problem!  Thankfully my parents called ahead to try and work out the details, but unfortunately there wasn’t a clear solution and I was going to have to wing it.

Upon arriving at the Hertz return office, I ran into what seemed like a problem.  The guy checking in the cars said he couldn’t do anything because the contract had been closed.  Essentially I was driving a car without a formal agreement from the rental company.  He told me I had to go downstairs to talk with the office.  That is when I realized the only way down was by escalator.  You have got to be kidding me!

At the counter I talked to one advisor who said there was nothing he could do and I was going to have to work things out through Louisville AND the national Hertz office.  I had gotten to the airport more than 3 hours early, but didn’t really want to spend time negotiating contracts.  I was then directed to another representative who looked more into my situation.  After punching a few keys he outlined the situation:  Essentially the Louisville manager had kept my contract closed rather than extending it.  While that initially looked like a problem, what it really meant was that the guy had loaned me the car, and arranged for the drop off in Chicago, all on his own.  It seems there weren’t going to be any additional charges for our big change of plans.  WOW!

At this point I went back up the escalator and began dreading the next challenge: getting all my stuff, with an injured kid, down the escalator, to the bus, and up to the ticket counter.  Quietly this was the part of the whole ordeal I had been dreading the most.  As I was loading up my bags and thinking about options such as throwing my bags down the escalator and then dealing with them later, the car attendant offered to go get me a luggage trolley.  Excellent!  Why hadn’t I thought to ask for that!  Oh, and he mentioned there was an elevator I could take!  First complexity handled!

Next came the bus.  Thankfully the bus was already waiting for us when we got to the ground floor to take us to the terminal.  I was able to carry Max and get the first bag on the bus.  But then, the bus driver quickly got up and grabbed my other bags to help load up.  No problem at all!  Once on the bus, it was just a matter of waiting.  Once we got to the terminal, before I could stand up with Max, the driver was back there to help me unload.  I set Max down, grabbed a trolley and loaded up our stuff.  From there I headed into the terminal, found a quiet place, and repacked our bags for the journey home.

After we made it to the ticket counter, the complexity of our travel was greatly reduced.  We checked in, dropped our bags, and Emirates arranged for us to have a wheel chair to get through security.  Despite some juggling required to get through the scanners, it all was a pleasantly uneventful process.

On the first flight from Chicago to Dubai (14 hours), we ended up with an aisle/middle seat combo with an empty seat between us and then another guy on the other aisle.  Beth had called ahead and told them of our situation and Emirates agreed to flag our seats to try their best to keep things open.  It turns out that there were actually a couple empty seats available and the guy in our row willing to move so we ended up with a whole role of 4 seats to ourselves.  That meant that Max could fully lay down to sleep!  What a relief!

Our original plan was to spend a long layover in Dubai doing things in the city.  One of the only non-injury-related things that Max cried about was the fact that he wasn’t going to get to see the dinosaur skeleton at the Dubai Mall.  While on the plane, I was chatting with Beth (inflight internet is amazing!) and we realized that since our flight was ahead of schedule, if everything worked out, there was going to be enough time to still make it into the city.  I did all my calculations and set alarms on my phone so that we could try our best to give Max some distraction during the downtime.

At Dubai, things went flawlessly.  We were through security and in the cab even before we were originally scheduled to land.  With Max on my shoulders, we were able to quickly see all the things I had promised him (dinosaur skeleton, water show, tallest building in the world, aquarium, and the biggest candy store in the world).  We caught a cab back, and were able to get quickly through security with enough time to take advantage of the lounge (having frequent flyer status is such a blessing) to get a quick bite to eat and more importantly a shower.

Our next flight went just as well as the first.  We had an open seat next to us despite it being an almost full flight.  The people around us were very friendly and Max once again traveled like a champ.  When we got to the Johannesburg airport, we got our luggage and a trolley and had some time to grab a bite to eat (who doesn’t like calamari for breakfast!).  We caught our shuttle back to Swaziland, which thankfully had a lot of empty seats.  We both got some sleep on the ride home and were met by a staff member who had us home by afternoon with enough time to decompress and get cleaned up.

We started our journey on Monday morning and by Thursday evening we were safely back home – exhausted and a bit frazzled, but overall in great shape all things considered.

Looking back on the situation, I realize just how fortunate we were and how thankful I am for all the strangers and family/friends who helped make a chaotic situation so much more bearable.

So now for the main reason I am writing this post:

All the people I want to give thanks to:

• To the staff and bystanders at the Louisville airport who quickly responded, pressed the emergency stop on the escalator and attended to Max and I before I could even comprehend what was happening.
• To the police and EMS of the Louisville PD who provided immediate and competent care. They were primarily concerned about our wellbeing, but also understanding of our situation with the lack of insurance and the need to get home.  In all at least 4 people gave their time and attention to our situation providing excellent first aid and evaluation as well as emotional support.
• I don’t know the name of the main police officer who helped us, but he was absolutely incredible. He watched our stuff while I sorted out the logistics.  He carried our luggage to the curb.  He even came back to ensure we not only got his foot checked out, but also kept an eye out of head trauma.  Most of all, he made sure we got the care we needed without incurring unnecessary costs or taking unnecessary risks.
• To the Hertz people at the Louisville airport. I simply cannot say enough about how compassionate and helpful they were.  The people at the desk ensured I had transportation even though I had already closed my contract.  They could have easily told me to just take an Uber or made me fill out paperwork for another car.  They were primarily concerned about Max’s wellbeing instead of processes and procedures.  The fact that they even arranged the car to pick us up at the curb shows their level of detail.  When I called to sort out the paperwork, they were more concerned about us than about the rental details.  At this point it seems they even comped us our extension and are working out the details on their side.  Above and beyond!
• To the random guy waiting in the hospital ER who offered Max and I a gift card for dinner after overhearing our ordeal.
• To Beth who did an amazing job at handling her son being hurt 9,000 miles away. She handled all the details of changing our flights and ensuring we had open seats around.  But more importantly, she stayed calm and was there to help where she could without panicking.
• To my cousin Jana who completely dropped everything to help us and give us a place to stay. She helped us think through our options and the implications.  She made countless phone calls to friends in the medical community to explore our options and get recommendations.  Her expertise in PT helped us get straight answers and understand the risks.  She spent more than 7 hours physically with us to help with the details and logistics of moving between medical centers and ensuring everyone was comfortable.  The next day she helped research pharmacies and other optios.  Also thanks to Curtis and Knox for letting us crash on their couch and disrupt their lives for a couple days.  We were so fortunate to have friends and family in the city where this happened.
• To the staff at the Urgent care, especially the nurse (don’t remember her name) and to Travis the PA. They expertly balanced the concerns about travel and insurance with what was in the best interests of Max.  Travis in particular fully commited himself to looking into all the options and ensuring we had a clear path forward.  The fact that our medical services were provided free of charge is absolutely amazing and goes a long way in helping us process through the secondary struggles of this ordeal (financial).  What a compassionate and commited staff – especially at the end of the day on a bank holiday).
• To all the staff at Kosair hospital for providing calm, professional, and expert service. In particular to:
  • The billing lady for understanding that financial issues can provide additional strain to already hectic situations.
  • Grant for always being straightforward with us and taking the time to talk with Max when he was scared. He did his absolute best to ensure Max got the care he needed and minimized the trauma.
  • Star for giving her attention fully to Max even during a very busy night.
  • The radiology staff for focusing so much on Max and making sure he was comfortable and the experience was as simple as possible.
  • The intern(?) who came to Max with an iPad so he would be calm during the IVs and even left it with him so he could watch during his treatment.
  • The nurses who took care of all the details and did their absolute best to make sure Max was comfortable. Even bringing a slushee after his IV stick.  The late night nurse also make sure that we were informed not only about post-discharge care, but also our options for payment reduction.
  • To the billing department for working with us on the finances and also explaining the situation in details when I asked specific questions.
• To all my family to checked in with us and offered to help. In particular to my parents who helped to arrange the details around our transition at the Chicago airport, even being willing to fly back with us if we needed them.  Even extended family reached out to check on us and offer any help we could use.
• To the Walgreens pharmacist for working with us to reduce medication costs and “Adjusting” procedures so that I could get a partial prescription in the states and then get the rest in Swaziland where it is cheaper.
• To the random country lady at McDonalds who saw Max’s foot and offered to get him extra chicken nuggets if he wanted them.
• Again, a shout out to the Hertz people. In Chicago the check in guy ensured I had a cart and access to a trolley.  The associates at the desk helped me figure out the logistics of the rental.  The bus driver went out of his way to help with the bags.  Spectacular service at one of the complicated legs of the journey.
• To the Emirates and O’Hare staff for arranging for a wheelchair and helping through immigration and security.
• To the guy on the plane to Dubai who moved seats so max could have a whole row to lay down on
• To the flight staff on all our flights for going out of their way to ensure Max was taken care of (and that I was able to rest when possible).
• To the random Arab guy on the escalator in the Dubai Mall who talked to Max and told him it was going to be okay when Max was hesitant to take an escalator.
• To the receptionist at the Emirates lounge who let Max in even though my status did not allow guests. She also went and got us a stroller so we could move around easier with Max.
• To all the security officers at all airports who didn’t hassle me for taking a bunch of liquid (medicine for Max) through the screening areas.
• To all the friends and family who reached out with genuine offers to help however they could and to make sure we were taken care of.
• To all the medical experts who gave their input and advice through friends to help us process our situation.
• And finally to Max for being so brave and strong during this ordeal. He went through so much and was an absolute trooper through it all.  Getting hurt would overwhelmed many kids, but he not only handled that, but also spend the next 2.5 days on a crazy travel schedule and never once complained about anything besides the taste of his antibiotic.

Our trip back certainly did not go as planned, but it could have been much worse.  When I think about it, I realize just how fortunate / lucky we were.  My 4 year old son had over 350 pounds fall on him on a moving metal escalator and he escaped with only 3 stitches.  While the logistics and challenges of having all this happen so far from home were a bit overwhelming, the kindness and generosity of friends, family and strangers made things so much better.  I am so grateful for all the ways people reached out to help – some in small ways, some in large ways, but all where meaningful.

And just so you know, Max and I are now safely back home in Swaziland.  He is on the mend and most concerned about not being able to go to school yet.

This event will change my thinking on many things, but for now, all I can think is how grateful I am for the generosity of those around me.  I only hope I can return the favor to those I find myself around in their times of need.

When we first moved to Swaziland, we spent many weeks investigating the best pancake recipe.  After many attempts, this is the recipe we finally decided on as the best.  It has been tried and true for years and is finally ready to be named as our official family pancake recipe:

Kickert Family Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

• 2  2/3 Cups Sifted Flour
• 2 TBS Baking Powder
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 4 Eggs, beaten
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/4 Cup Cooking Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla (optional)

Instructions

• Wisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl
• Separately mix beaten eggs, milk and oil
• Adding vanilla will give pancakes a more “cakey” flavor note, but this can be omitted
• Add dry and wet ingredients, stir just until moistened
• Don’t over mix, will be lumpy
• If mixture is too runny add flour; if too thick add milk
• Bake on the stove top with a small amount of butter in the pan.
• Recipe makes about 16 pancakes

I wish I could give credit to the original inspiration for this recipe, but multiple web searches have failed to yeild a source and it has been slightly modified based on experiance and preference

I was going through some files on my computer and came across the excel spreadsheet Beth and I used to help narrow down baby names. I am sure you can guess whose idea it was to use a spreadsheet!  And in case you were wondering, yes it was color coded and included weighted averages to rank the names; it also listed name popularity and trends based on recent Social Security Administration information.

For some reason it was much tougher for us to pick boy and girl names this time than it was with Mikayla. (I wrote about picking her name a while ago.)  Looking back at the lists of names reminded me of all the thought that went into the process.

Even though we decided to find out the gender with Baby #2, there was initially some ambiguity about the sex so we had a boy name and a girl name. If we had had a girl, the name would have been Elsie Bellissima.  We liked the "throw back names" that were familiar but unique, but it was the middle name that has the most meaning as it honors two children we were close to who were taken well before their time: Bella Shoemaker and Simo Dlamini.  When the names were put together, it just so happened to be the Italian word for ‘Most Beautiful" which we thought was appropriate.

Other girl names we considered were:

• Ainsley
• Amelia
• Arabella
• Avery
• Briley
• Elsie
• Gabriella / Gabrielle
• Harper
• Lindiwe
• Macy
• Madeline
• Mallory
• Sophia/Sophie
• Sydney

Obviously we did not have a girl so Baby #2 was named Maxwell Simo – a name we had originally picked before the gender confusion.  We liked the name Max from the beginning, and it also is a way of honoring Bella since Max is the character in her favorite book "Where the Wild Things Are."  We had always considering giving our child a Swazi name, and after the death of Simo last Christmas, we didn’t think about many other names.  The meaning of Simo is also appropriate.  It means situation/character(istic).  Since being born in Swaziland will be one of the qualities that makes Max unique, it is a fitting name.  And while a name can mean a lot, it is a person’s character that is most important.

In case you were wondering, here are some of the other boy names we considered:

• Crosby
• Fletcher
• Hudson
• Max (Maxwell, Maximus, Maximillian)
• Micah
• Paxton
• Quinn (Quinton, Quincy)
• Sebastian
• Tate
• Thaddeus
• Theodore
• Xander
• Xavier
• Zachary

And just because I can… here is a gratuitous shot of my kids:

We are about to start a very busy month here at Cabrini.  We have a Medical Team coming in from Australia next week.  We close out a grant year at the end of September.  All of our major annual programming reports are due in the first couple weeks of October. And, we have a quarterly board meeting along with a strategic planning session scheduled.  On top of all that, we are doing a major database upgrade that includes launching a new system to keep up with all of our recent work in Social Services.  Needless to say, my spare time is going to be limited and my stress level will probably be a bit higher.

In light of the upcoming weeks, I wanted to make sure I spent some intentional time with Beth, Mikayla and Max.  So today, while Beth and Max were at a meeting, Mikayla and I went out into the bush behind our house to do a "Photo Walk." 

 

Mikayla’s ability to actually compose a picture in the viewfinder has only developed in the last couple weeks.  Before that, she would just indiscriminately press the shudder button regardless of what the camera was actually point out.  Considering that, her skills now are pretty impressive.  All of the pictures below came from Mikayla.  Not to shabby at all if you ask me.  I think some of her flower pictures are amazing by anyone’s standard!

 

UPDATE: I made this blog post into a page so I can add more pictures along the way.  Please visit http://kickert.info/blog/pics/ to access the new pictures.

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I wanted to upload a few high resolution photos in case people in the states wanted to get them printed.  You will need to click on the ones you want to get the full size image and then save it and get it printed where ever is easiest.

Let me know if there are others you have seen on facebook that you would like uploaded.

It is no secret that Swaziland’s main newspaper The Times is more akin to The Weekly World News than to the New York Times.  It is also common knowledge oddities are often a part of daily life in Swaziland.  But occasionally, you find an article that really makes you shake your head and say “Did I really read that?”  Today’s paper included one of those articles.  Here is a scan, but you can also click the image to read the online version.

This article really has some gems (or you could call them glimpses into depravity).

MANZINI – A drink-driving soldier told the court that he committed the offence after his wife refused to have sex with him.

Sifiso Dlamini (33) of Ngwane Park, who is employed by the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force and is based at Mdzimba, said this during his appearance in court on Thursday.

“Your Worship, I was refused sex by my wife and I was so angry I decided to go and drink with the hope that I will get a secret lover (makhwapheni) at the drinking hall.”

Ahh… the classic sex-depravation justification.

But thankfully we learn that this gentleman’s needs were met:

He said when he was arrested by the police, he was on his way to a secret place with a makhwapheni he had managed to snag at the bar.

So how does the court respond to his self medication with drinking and infidelity?

Magistrate Dumisa Mazibuko applauded him for not trying to rape his wife because he would have been sentenced a heavier fine than that of drink-driving.

Mazibuko also told him that it was better to go and buy sex from sex workers than raping. “If you have the money, go and buy instead of raping,” he said.

I don’t even know how to comment on that.  At least there is an acknowledgment that marital rape is not a good thing, but how in the world can a judge recommend the utilization of sex workers as a viable solution?

After he was found guilty, the defendant asks for mercy:

He asked the court to be lenient because he was a first offender and had a wife and two children to look after.

Oh yeah, let’s not forget that wife and family he has to take care of.  I am actually surprised that he didn’t ask for a waiver of the fine so that he could have enough money to pay sex workers in the future.

Instead of being leniant, the court offers a long-term solution.

After telling the court that he traditionally wedded his wife, the court advised him to take a second wife.

“The law allows you to have more than one wife,” said Magistrate Mazibuko.

The accused also agreed with the court. “After what happened, I will now consider taking a second wife,” he said.

You  just can’t make this stuff up!  I understand that polygamy is a recognized part of Swazi culture.  But we are in a whole new realm when multiple wives are being recommended by the judicial system as a way to solve issues of varying libido in a marital relationship.

At the article’s conclusion, we find that Mr. Dlamini is in fact sentenced for his crimes:

He was sentenced to two years in prison or a fine of E2 000.

In case you are not up on your currency conversion, this gentleman was given the choice of either spending two years in jail or paying a fine of $220.  That is the typical judgment against drunk driving which brings up a whole other set of issues.  If you are rich, you can break the law and easily afford to pay the fine without even flinching.  However if you are poor (and remember that 70% of the country lives on less than $2/day), you either give up over a month’s salary, or you sit in jail for a long long time.

I will let you draw your own conclusions and judgments, but this article was so over the top, I just had to share it.