Another day

Mondays are hard. Especially since I know that it's still Sunday in the USA. I have been pretty board lately. My boredom is not from lack of things to do. It's the lack of desire to do the things that need to be done. Or, at least the things that I think need to be done.

When I got up this morning I was planning to put the things away that have found themselves into our guest room. It's funny that we even call that room a guest room. We are so far away from home that it's unlikely anyone will shell out the cash to buy an airline ticket to come see us. But, I digress. The fact of the matter is, as I have unpacked box upon box, I have placed items in that room with the intention of going back and finding a place for them. I guess there is always tomorrow.

I talked, for over an hour, today with my good friend Christi. How I miss her. Everything about Okinawa makes me think of her. I sit here with tears rolling down my cheeks remembering the hours we sat in her living room in her house on Camp Foster. We sat there and talked about the past and the future and how much we missed the USA. Even though 5 years have passed, since I was last at Kadena Air Base, I feel like nothing has changed. My old Okinawa self has come back. I feel, in an odd way, that my life is back on hold. Like someone has pressed the pause button on my life.

Don't get me wrong. I love Okinawa. I love the weather. I love the fresh air that the sea breezes bring in. Most of all I love the water. I love that I can see the water from my bedroom window. I love that I can be at the waters edge in 2 minutes flat. I love that I can grab my dive gear and be under the water in less than 15 minutes. Well, of course, weather permitting.

The weather lately has been crappy. We have not been in the water since the beginning of October. A little rain I can handle. But, large waves and huge swings in the tide causes rip tides that can be dangerous, even life threatening. So, in the mean time we just hang out and wait on the wind and the waves to die down.

Sitting here in my upstairs craft room listening to the rain and wind beat upon the window. This rain and wind has been going on for over 24 hours. It's only a tropical storm, just under typhoon strength. Nothing to fear. Even if it were typhoon strength winds. Our home is constructed of concrete and has stood for over 50 years worth of typhoons. So, we hang out inside. Watching TV, cooking, playing games, cruising the internet and ever so often we look out the window, just to see if there is any change. Of course there's no change. the storm will move off slowly and then, when it's moved on, the sky will be clear and the sun will shine.

In the mean time I have decided that a pot of beans would be good. So, I set out to get that started. Then, I decided that I really would like to try and make a chocolate mousse cheesecake that I saw on Allrecipes.com the other day. This one is different. You cook it in a pressure cooker. The reviews are slim. I think it's an idea worth trying. Of course I can't leave anything alone. Partially due to my aversion to wheat gluten and partially due to the fact of that's just the way I am.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup ground almonds 2 Tablespoons butter 4 packets splenda 8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate 1 tablespoon butter 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2/3 cup splenda 2 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Grease an 8 inch springform pan that will fit inside the pressure cooker. Mix ground almonds, 4 packets of splenda and butter together with food processor or pastry blender. Sprinkle on the bottom of springform pan, pressing gently. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
2.	Melt chocolate and butter together and set aside.
3.	With a food processor or electric mixer, process cream cheese until smooth. Add chocolate mixture, and process until mixture is well-mixed and uniformly colored. Add cream, vanilla extract, splenda, and eggs. Beat well. Sieve cocoa powder over batter, and pulse or mix on low speed until cocoa is thoroughly incorporated. Pour mixture over crumbs in pan. Cover cake with a piece of waxed paper. Cover entire pan with aluminum foil.
4.	Add water to pressure cooker. Place pan on the trivet in pressure cooker. Seal cooker. Bring up to 15 pounds (high) pressure. Reduce heat to stabilize pressure, and cook 45 to 50 minutes. Remove cooker from heat, and let the pressure drop on its own. Remove cheesecake from cooker, and let cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack.
5.	Remove cheesecake from pan, and refrigerate for 8 hours before serving. Currently this stuff is sitting in the pressure cooker cooling off. Here is what it looks like.