So essentially this is just a mozzarella stick but with out the gooey cheesy drip of a stick. It tasted great but really heavy.

Not bad.

Ok got the dough started for the ravioli.

I've placed it in the fridge to chill. Ill come back to it in an hour.

Then I'll start on the ricotta and spinach mix for the filling.

I'll update with more pics once everything has been completed.

Although I think it will be completed by next update as there isnt much down time once the dough is chilled.

Yo so whats the deal with toasted ravioli?

Nothing to celebrate.

Welcome to 2022!

So this is simply a story of my return from being overseas for 4 years while stationed in the U.K. When I got my new orders I was sent to be stationed near Las Vegas, but when you get orders you are given time for travel and you can of course take leave (vacation days) for any travel if you so wish. Well I had planned 30 days off for travel and for my own vacation as I wanted to travel back in the states since it was forever and I missed being home.

My wife and I decided to take our kids on a trip to Portland back in 2014 and visit the forests, the local eateries and shopping. After travelling 2 days from Las Vegas to Portland we get to our hotel and we are starving after eating nothing but microwaveable meals and chain fast food restaurants. So we order to-go from a downtown restaurant and I decide I'll go pick it up. Its only a 10 minute drive and there was no traffic. When I get inside of the restaurant I see only two people sitting there eating and I am the only other customer.

Now before I go further I must state that having lived in the U.K. I completely forgot about tipping culture because it just wasn't a thing. When I first got there I remember offering a tip to delivery driver and he telling me he doesn't need it. I thought what? You don't need it? And then my buddies told me that you don't normally tip especially if its only delivery. Mind you this was before they had food delivery services you ordered straight from the restaurant and I am assuming they were properly compensated for their job.

Well back to the restaurant in Portland, I approached a lady behind the counter and I tell her I am here to pick up for "John" and they ask if its for some courier service or food delivery and I was so confused that I was like... I don't know what that is, but I don't think so. She also looks at me like I'm completely dumb being that I am obviously from the U.S.A., but I just haven't been back or kept up with small things like Uber or Grubhub being new companies. She then proceeds to tell me itll take another 5 minutes so I go ok cool cool. I pay for it at the counter and then take a seat at a table.

A couple minutes pass by and I see the server approaching me, but I don't see anything in her hand but a receipt so I was confused but she stops right in from of me and looks at the receipt and then back at me and she says: "You didn't tip, if you don't tip then you don't deserve to be served and you definitely don't deserve to come back here." I'm like what? I didn't even get my food yet. I wasn't serviced at all. She says "you can write down a tip on the receipt but you didn't do that." I was like ok well I'm so sorry I didn't know that tipping rules changed while I was gone. She doesn't inquire any further and I put down a $10 tip on my $50 meal and she looks at me like I ran over her dog. I get the food and she tells me once more: "Don't come back unless you tip."

All I can say is this... screw tipping. Screw it all. I rather just pay more for my food then have to be yelled at over something that can be avoided. When I was in Korea, I didn't tip and wasn't expected to. 4 years away from my own home and I didn't recognize it. There was new services and companies that I never heard of. Five Guys Burgers? What is that? Delivery straight to your door with a middleman involved? I've been getting drunk at pubs 'til midnight and then heading over to eat doner kebabs with chips and garlic mayo. I'm in the middle of the country in the U.K. and Sky1 and BBC was my main news source as I had Vodaphone and the apps were minimal and any American apps were restricted to my area.

Conclusion: Do your research on your own home country when returning after years overseas. It can help alleviate any issues. Also remember you have to tip in the U.S. and if you don't then you can't go out to eat. Now mind you I am obviously back into my tipping groove and have also worked as a food delivery driver for apps like Ubereats and Doordash and I can say this now... people who don't tip, don't get their food. But honestly I wouldn't need the tip if I was simply given a decent compensation. When working for Doordash you would receive 7 dollars per delivery and I thought no one was tipping because I would only ever make 7 dollars each delivery. Well I find out that Doordash takes the tip and will only pay for up to the 7 dollars. So the only way to receive more than 7 dollars per delivery is to have the customer tip more than 7 dollars.

Companies are screwing over both customer and employee (or contractor in their case). Definitely need a change. Also I think Americans are tired of tip culture because 7/10 deliveries did not tip or tipped less than 10%. Out of several hundreds of deliveries I received two $20 tips.

So I have noticed as of late that more and more former employees are quitting in droves and I just wanted to share my experience with what it is like working in America. While not up in my years I feel I'm decently versed in the world of being an underling to miscreants and to more than amazing supervisors and bosses. Originally I first started to looking for work while in senior year of high school during the 2008 economic crash and my parents placed an ultimatum upon my feet: "Get a job and get into school or leave." I responded with a "yeah of course" but then I realized no one was hiring and if anything they only wanted people with experience and not some kid straight out of school. For example I went into a Game Stop and when I was being interviewed the supervisor interviewing me asked what qualifications I had that could compare to college graduates applying for the same position. It flabbergasted me as I didn't have anything other than working in my stepfathers warehouse and high school. They weren't rude and laughed but they did say something that stuck with me and the lot of other companies I applied to in 2008: "We will call you and let you know."

NOT. A. SINGLE. PERSON. CALLED. ME. BACK.

That was how it worked I was told... So I call them and they tell me they're not done with the interviewing all other candidates. Ok. Well I call three more times back to all these companies over a span of two weeks because I am about to lose my living situation and finally they all say "Please stop calling us. We are not going to continue further with your application." I can assume that my insistent calling was a negative but I needed work and not getting any heads up back from anyone was straight up being left in the dark. I end up joining the military as my parents decide to kick me out. It was just a "goodbye" and I took a train ride to L.A. to live with my girlfriend for a year then I ended up in the military (Air Force) and disabled beyond repair.

I come back to the States and looking for work while disabled is complete B.S. because all these employers want to take advantage of you by paying you less or by making you work ridiculously blocked hours of 3 hours then go home or wherever for 3 hours and come back and finish up another 3 hours. No one wants to live like that and no deserves to.

So I finally start getting call backs for decent jobs like security at Target and TJMaxx for more than minimum wage and I like the terms, but again these employers want to have 3 rounds of interviews and they don't actually care about you, they just want to probe you and find out your work ethic and if your an obedient employee or if you will be giving problems by questioning any issues that arise during shifts. Why should your employer care about you? Because you're a G.D. human, mate. You have an outside life with issues that don't coincide with work sometimes and most times your boss doesn't want that.

So I just accepted the jobs and never showed up. Call me an a-hole if you want, but I did what I felt equal to the B.S. they were putting me through. Why bother with the petty shish? Mind you this was in 2018/2019 well before the pandemic started. I did it because I wanted to waste their time back like they wasted mine. I go through three rounds of interviews only to find out you won't ACTUALLY be hiring for full time when you clearly state full time pay? F.U. You want to offer me health benefits, but ONLY IF I work full time? F.U. You want to offer pay of $15 an hour but talk me down to $13? Yeah thats a big F.U. from me. I go out and get my best suit, get my haircut clean, get all fresh to show up and impress you and what do you offer me back? Not the listed benefits or pay? Yeah I walk. But I wont walk until I make you feel like you have an employee.

I haven't committed to such tactics during the pandemic because it seems everyone else is already doing it and more power to them. Pay more and give the workers their benefits or maybe don't tie them to your employer? Having lived in other countries outside of the U.S. I will say that not implementing universal health care and college is a sad joke that politicians will spew onto their voters to argue against taxing where taxes are due.

Since I haven't seen anyone responding to this I would like to use it as my online journal. I need an outlet and if anyone does get to read this: Cool, I hope it helps you.

So its been about 3, close to 4 years since I had last seen any of my friends which is crazy to even fathom. I moved out of L.A. one month shy of 4 years and I am moving again this time further eastward. But we just haven't spoken since none of them have been able to afford leaving L.A. and I honestly don't want to go back. I'm done with the city as its personally not for me. Not my flow and not my tribe. I need to socialize but with my schizophrenia I've found it hard to feel welcomed by anyone without feeling some hesitancy to bail when I feel I'm being unduly criticized.

Being an adult is rough and even worse when you have disabilities and kids who you want nothing but to bring the best to. But don't equate rough with impossible or even terrible. Being an adult isn't always one way or another, but instead it is more a way of thinking, a more mature and logical you. Because you can see the loons (Karens?) screeching their guzzards off without taking a moment to assess the situation. But I've found that as long as you are calm and can assess a situation without going off then you are essentially more or less an official adult.

But then if anyone ever wants to prestige or "up the difficulty" they can try parenting which by god does it get hard to a 9th degree. High risk high reward! This has a more difficult story with a more unpleasant beginning, but that's for neither here nor there. What I do want to leave on is that as long as you are cool, calm and collected you can manage any situation and avoid the worse that CAN be avoided. Mistakes happen and you're not an owl and don't have a great 360 view of your surroundings. Don't beat yourself. Not in this world. Its already hard enough and you have plenty to be proud of.

Hopefully I'll keep this up to soothe my mind and any other travelers stopping for some respite.

-Big Black

Definitely finding making music hard while having to stop and clean up spills and messes, assisting with picking out clothes, cooking lunch, and just all that is entailed with being a parent. However it does give way to stop and enjoy small moments and help with remembering what music is all about. Its all about the moments youre in and how to capture that and convert it into sound. I don't have much other than my laptop, Rytmik Studio and Audacity, but I feel like my flow hasn't fully resonated in the keys or the notes. I'd like to one day be able to solely focus on music, but Ill always remember this had simply started as a fun journey.

Gotta get the sound improved. So far I've begun work on tweaking sound levels and mixing.

May this be the fortune upon my sounds. I hope you all are doing well as things begin to return to somewhat normal,

but it really isnt. Much love to ya.