Holiday Mail for Heroes

For the 2009 holiday season, the Red Cross is again sponsoring a Holiday Mail for Heroes program to distribute holiday cards to service members, a program that encompasses not just troops recovering in military hospitals but also service members serving in the US and abroad, as well as veterans and their families.

This year, the Red Cross is teaming up with Pitney Bowes for the third time to send holiday cards to service members, veterans, and their families. This is a great way to give back this holiday season - by sharing your kind words and thanks with those who have given a great deal to their country.

The Red Cross will begin accepting cards on November 2nd. Send in your cards to the address below, and please read the guidelines carefully!

Holiday Mail For Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

All cards must be received no later than Monday, December 7th. Cards received after this date will unfortunately be returned to the sender. This deadline ensures enough time to sort and distribute cards before the holidays.

After the mailbox closes, the cards received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country. Then, the cards are sent out to recipients in time for the holidays.

Do...

• Sign all cards
• Entitle cards “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”
• Limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group
• Bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes (there is no need to include individual envelopes and postage for cards)

 Don’t...

• Send letters
• Include personal information such as home or email addresses
• Use glitter – excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients
• Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process

You can also do more than send in cards. The Red Cross holiday gift catalog lists several different contributions you can make to provide much-needed items for service members, such as phone cards and “comfort kits”.  Or please consider making a donation to one of more than 300 non-profit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the America Supports You website.

Did you receive an email requesting cards be sent to "Any Wounded Soldier" or "A Recovering American Soldier" in care of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital? Please do not do this!

• Walter Reed officials have said that any mail so addressed will not be delivered due to Department of Transportation policy (dating back to 2001) to ensure the safety & well-being of patients and staff at medical centers.
• The US Postal Service will not accept letters or packages so addressed. Any mail deposited in a collection box will not be delivered but sent to a Dead Letter place.

People of Walmart

Chris introduced me to this hilarious but frightening website, where ordinary folks submit photos of the weird people/outfits/vehicles/happenings they witness at their local Wal-Mart. Wow. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you won't believe your eyes....

Visit People of Walmart website

I Think I'm Cooking Japanese: Goya Chanpuru

Goya. It looks like a cucumber with an STD. We had often marveled over the ugly vegetable at the grocery store without knowing it's name. Koji, the music teacher at one of Shaun's junior high school, is also in charge of the school garden. He gave us a goya ("bitter melon") grown in the school garden, along with very casual cooking instructions.

I googled the vegetable to find a recipe. I was nervous about making a Japanese dish without more exact directions. In my search, I learned some interesting facts about the goya. Originated in Okinawa, it is now grown all over Asia. The goya is plentiful in late summer; the Japanese believe that bitterness is good for the blood and will help them survive the hot, hot weather. Super healthy, goya is thought to have many medicinal benefits for everything from cancer to diabetes. There were also dire warnings about the bitterness, and how it may be an acquired taste to actually enjoy this hideous little veg.

So Koji gave us another goya today, the last one picked from the Ryujin JHS garden before they razed it for the fall. Awwww! Wasn\t that nice?!

I found a recipe for Goya Chanpuru, a traditional Okinawan stir-fry, that sounded pretty close to Koji's description. The original recipe calls for SPAM, which is considered a delicacy in Okinawa! Seriously! But the recipe has been updated to include sauteed pork, which is just fine by me. I omitted the tofu because Shaun doesn't like it. I have tried the tofu here, and must say it is creamy and delish - not the tasteless blob of creepy texture I remember gagging on back home. I also left out the tablespoon of sake because I don't like the taste.

The goya must be sliced in half and the center scooped out, like any other gourd. After slicing it thin, salt is sprinkled over the top to absorb the bitterness for about 15 minutes before boiling it for about five minutes.

Next, slice your onion and pork, a plentiful and inexpensive meat here in Japan. Saute these in a tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil, add a teaspoon each of soy and salt. Add the goya and continue to fry, stirring constantly. Finally, add two beaten eggs and stir as they cook.

This is a yummy meal; very nutritious and easy to prepare. I serve it on a bed of plain white rice. Sidebar: there is no Minute Rice to be found anywhere on the island of Japan! And considering that rice is grown all over the country, it is surprisingly expensive. I keeping thinking we should buy a rice cooker, but haven't yet, so I cook it the old-fashioned way, in a big old pot. It was tricky at first, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it. At least I don't have to look up the water-to-rice ratio anymore!

Goya Chanpuru might look a teeny bit like someone vomited in the wok, but I promise you that it is very tasty and quite filling!

I Deactivated My Facebook Page Tonight

A few weeks ago, after a particularly ugly exchange over the President's intended speech to American schoolchildren, I vowed not to discuss anything political on Facebook.

Due to my ideological nature, fiery Aries personality traits, and the willpower of a gnat, I was not able to keep this promise. It is not in my nature to follow celebrities or fashion. I am interested in more weighty matters. Today, I had two unpleasant exchanges on Facebook. Although I love the instant access Facebook gives me from Japan to my family and friends back home in America, I decided enough is enough.

Enough time-suckage. Enough snarkiness. Enough sneering name-calling. I just can no longer stand the negativity, the flame wars, the finger pointing, the categorizing and labelling that seems so omnipresent on Facebook. I hate the way I allow myself to be drawn into these pointless conversations. I hate the way I allow myself to take offense, to get worked up, to resent the commentators as well as the comments.

Has anyone else given up on "social networking"? I can not be the only one!