All Forum Posts by: Travis H.

I see those things all over the place, especially in some of the lower income areas of Atlanta. I'm actually pretty surprised that they work, I guess, because I can't ever imagine myself being hooked by one (I'm not about to call anyone on the phone if I don't know the person really well). I'm kind of a nature boy, too, so I'm also a little squicked out by the thought of putting something like that in front of some otherwise beautiful landscape.

At the same time, I think it's a terrible idea to throw out an effective technique just because it gives you weird feelings.

What are your thoughts on that, @Skip MacKenna? Did you have any misgivings or concerns before using bandit signs? 

It'ld be interested to see some data on their success rate if at all possible once you're able to get some. 

@Edward Shin

Call me out, and I'll play ball. ;)

Anyway, this isn't a recipe as much as it is a technique. Since learning REI has the potential to dramatically change my circumstances, I think that it's only fitting that I pass on to you guys a cooking technique that similarly upended my culinary world:

Brining.

I daresay that soaking meat in a brine before cooking it is probably one of the most important things that I've learned in cooking. There's some sort of chemistry involved, but the quick version is that it makes your meat much juicier and more flavorful than not brining.

This link right here takes you to a pretty good catch-all brine:  http://www.food.com/recipe/basic-brine-for-juicy-t...

It's basically just water, some salt, and some sugar. You can add other seasonings to the water, too, depending on the flavors that you want, but it's not necessary. You'll notice a huge difference just with water, salt, and sugar.

Anyway, you immerse the meat that you're about to cook in the brine water for a period of time. If you've got small cuts of meat like pork chops or leg quarters, then about 3-5 hours should do it. I'd do whole hens or turkeys for anywhere between 12-24 hours. You kind of have to experiment with the timing, and even I haven't gotten it right yet. Leave your meat in too long and it becomes salty, so you'll want to err on the side of too little time as opposed to too much.

Aside from the Thanksgiving Turkey, the other two things that I think lend well to brining are fried chicken and pork chops. They're both easy to work with, and they're both ordinary enough to give people that wow factor when they bite into them after they've been brined (and cooked of course).

And the nice thing about pork chops is that they're the perfect single guy (or gal) food. Soak them for a couple of hours in the brine, give a light dusting of paprika and garlic powder, and then plop them into a skillet on medium-high-ish for about four or five minutes per side (give or take).

@Jack Tucker

I'd love to send you a message. Trouble is that I can't seem to find the message button on this site. Help!

My girlfriend and I were talking about this this morning. She works at a children's clothing store. Today is the first Saturday before Easter, and she pointed out that far too many shoppers wait until the last minute to buy things like Easter clothes only to find out that most stores are out of stock. 

It got me thinking: 

I see that sort of thing happen with my own students. In fact, from my limited observation, procrastination seems to be fairly ubiquitous in our society. 

Do you ever wonder if it's not fear but simple procrastination that sinks some investors? More importantly, do any of you have any tips to beat the procrastination urge?

@Jerry W.

I don't know what it is, but something about that explanation reminds me of the process involved in staking out a good fishing hole. 

@Jerry W.

Speaking of schools, what do you make of that Great Schools website? It seems to rate most of the schools where I look rather poorly. Hell, it seems to rate most of the public schools in Georgia rather poorly. 

But I don't think they're that bad. Then again, I work in one, so I'm a little biased. 

 Touché. 

@Ross Ellington

You're so right. I guess I just assume that it's all dishonest, and that's no way to be successful. 

And yeah, calamities happen. I've seen my dad nailed by bankruptcy, and it pretty much did him in. He made a lot of bad decisions--going to rent-to-own places, getting tattoos because, as he put it, that was the only thing that the government or the banks couldn't take away from him. 

Oddly enough, whenever I suggested investing his money instead of buying lottery tickets, he always pooh-poohed my ideas, saying that it was too risky. 

I know, right?

Anyway, that's my fear: Ending up like him. But if I don't get over that fear, then that's exactly what's going to happen to me. It's like Oedipus Rex. 

At least I don't have to marry my own mother. 

@Adrienne G.

I'd actually been thinking of checking out gareia. The atlantareia's site just looks a little too flashy and busy for my tastes, though. 

@Ross Ellington

Oh absolutely. I daresay that that's likely to be my biggest hurdle. I know full well how inexperienced I am, and I know full well that I'd be easy prey. 

That's the worst of it. I'd be vulnerable just because I don't know what I don't know. 

It doesn't really help that I naturally distrust anyone and everyone who is selling something. Any pointers on getting around that? More specifically, do you have any thoughts on how to handle the sort of cognitive dissonance that I know I'm going to experience when I start pursuing real estate deals? (IE I hate people selling me things, but I'm going to have to be a salesman of sorts myself if I hope to be successful.)