Absentee Ballot

There's a big election coming up on November 6th.  When I was back in the USA on holiday several people asked me if I planned to vote.  I think the question was often more meant to be not if I will vote but how do I get to vote?

A U.S. citizen who lives overseas gets to vote via absentee ballot.  The first thing you need to do is go to the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) website to complete the Federal Post Card Application which allows you to participate in elections as an absentee voter.

There are new absentee voting laws which went in to effect for the 2012 elections.  All U.S. citizens outside of the USA must complete a new Federal Post Card Application every year if he or she wants to vote from overseas.  You no longer receive ballots automatically based on previous requests.

Citizens who don't want to deal with foreign postage can take their ballots to the U.S. Embassy.  You can't vote there but it will go in to the diplomatic mail system and you don't have to pay overseas postage.   The closest American embassies to me are in Vienna and Bratislava, both of which are 1.5 hours away.  The Prague Embassy is 3 hours away so it was just easier to print out my ballot online and mail it in via Česká Pošta. 

I had thought about just mailing it from the USA while I was home but you can't do that.  If the postmark is from any location inside the USA, the local election official may or may not count the ballot.
You have to make sure you get your ballot in early.  Overseas absentee ballots are accepted up to 3 days after an election as long as it is postmarked by Election Day.  

For voting purposes, I am still considered a Georgia resident.  However, since I live overseas and no longer have legal residence in Georgia I am not allowed to vote in local and state elections.  I only get to vote in federal elections.  Atlanta can be described as a big blue dot in a red state.  As a whole, Georgia is very conservative.  Atlanta however, is very liberal.  Despite the fact that Georgia's electoral votes will most likely go Republican in the upcoming election I still believe that every vote counts.

Mushroom Hunting

It took me more than three years but I finally went mushrooming.  It's something that has been on my Czech "bucket list" for quite some time as hunting for mushrooms is almost a national past time here in ČR.   

I love mushrooms but I always get mine at the market.  One in seven Czechs go mushrooming at least once per year.  It is also very popular in Slovakia, Poland and eastern Germany.

Claudia teaching right from wrong

Mushroom season is between July and November, especially after a good rain.  Czechs normally harvest around 25 million kilos (~55 billion lbs) from forests each year.  They say that in order to get the best mushrooms you have to get up with the sun.  If you try to go later in the day you will be foraging around for what others have left behind.  Most Czechs have their favorite spots where they like to go hunt but tend to keep the locations top secret.

Yesterday, I finally got my chance.  Claudia and I joined Helena and Fero out in the woods near Domašov, a small village 22 km (14 miles) west of Brno.

The joke goes that all mushrooms are edible...at least once.  But with around 1,500 varieties you really need to know the good ones from the bad ones.  Thankfully, my three guides all seem to know which are the good ones.  Czechs, and East Germans, all grew up picking mushrooms. 

After a few pointers I did have a bit of luck.  Of course that was after Claudia went through my basket and threw out all of the bad ones.  In other words, the majority of what I had found.  It sucks that often the bad ones grow right next to the good ones.  But I did improve and found a respectable amount for my first time.

Czechs love their mushrooming.  It is a really nice way to relax and spend some time out in the forest.  Of course, the best part about mushrooming is cooking them up for dinner.

You can find lots of different guides to mushrooming, and even mushroom calendars, in any bookshop over here.

Prohibition

While I was in the USA in September, I got a Facebook message from a friend that said I got out of Czech Republic in time because prohibition was imposed.  Actually, prohibition only on alcohol over 20%.  Of course beer and wine were OK.  And most people have home-made slivovice anyway.  But, for weeks, you could not buy any hard liquor in shops, bars or restaurants.

The government took action because people were getting methanol poisoning from drinking bootleg vodka and rum.  Around 80 people in ČR suffered methanol poisoning.  Some of these people have gone blind and others have been put in to induced comas by their doctors.  Almost 30 people have died.  Cases were also reported in Poland and Slovakia.

Methanol is not manufactured in ČR so it qualifies as for a tax exemption so it is cheaper than ethanol (normal drinking alcohol).  Bootleggers have been known to mix methanol with ethanol in order to increase their profits.  So far, police in Moravia have two main suspects, a dozen other accomplices and have seized more than 5,000 liters of spirits plus counterfeit labels.

In addition to the human tragedy, this has cost the government a lot of money.  Monthly tax revenues from liquor sales are about 750 million Kč ($40.4 million).

I did get another Facebook message at the end of September which said prohibition was over and I could come back.

Another thing I missed out on was that the Prague airport has been renamed.  It is now the Václav Havel Airport.  The former dissident, and Czech President, died last year.

It seems that the pipe work made good progress while I was gone.  While not completely finished it does now look a lot better in front of my building.

Back in Euroland

I had an absolutely great time with my family and friends back in the USA.  I can't believe how fast the last 28 days passed by.  But after 30 hours of traveling I am now home in Brno, all safe and sound.  Tired and worn out, but still safe and sound none the less.

I have to try to get some sleep because I need to be in the office tomorrow morning.  I hope that the jet lag doesn't beat me down too much.  Wish me luck!

Disneyland Park, California

On Saturday we spent the day at Disneyland - the happiest place on earth.  It was a long day but it was so much fun.  I haven't been to Disneyland since 1987.  My niece doesn't understand how it has been so long.

Disneyland Park is in Anaheim, California.  The park opened on July 17, 1955.  Since the grand opening, more than 600 million people have visited the theme park.


Well, a few things have changed since I last visited the Magic Kingdom.  First of all, they have opened a second park.  Disney California Adventure opened in June 1998.  The 67 acre (27 ha) park is a lot of fun and with better roller coasters, which my niece me dragged on.  It also has the new Cars Land which my nephew just loved.

The big shock was the ticket price.  In 1987, a single day ticket to Disneyland was $21.50.  And there was a small discount if you had a driver's license from Southern California.  Those days are long gone.  Today, a ticket to Disneyland is $87.  For children ages 3 to 9, then it is only $81.  Good grief!!

3 Generations

Since we were going to both parks, we needed the one-day park hopper ticket which cost $125.  There were 6 of us.  The ticket price just covers admission to the park(s).  Sooner or later you will want something to eat or drink, and don't forget about the souvenirs.  I don't see how the average family does it.  Fortunately, my sister and brother-in-law have a friend who works there and scored us passes and a discount so all of us got in for only $100.  

On the Hollywood Tower of Terror

We had such a great day!!

Hanging out in Cars Land

1st corn dog in 4 years

Exhausted!

In-N-Out

In-N-Out is a California institution.  It is home to the best burgers in the world!!  Everything is fresh.  Nothing is ever frozen.

It started in Baldwin Park in 1948.

In-N-Out is actually a privately-owned business.  The major burger chains like McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's Carl's Jr., have been trying to buy them out for years. 



Today, the company's headquarters are in Irvine and there are more than 200 restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Texas.



 The "official" menu at In-N-Out is pretty basic...hamburger, cheeseburger, double-double (2 patties & 2 pieces of cheese), fries, drinks.  That's it.

But it's the "secret" menu that is so popular.  Well, it's not really Top Secret because most people know about the most popular secret items.  My favorite thing at In-N-Out is the double-double "animal style".


Here's the not-so-secret menu...


Double Meat = a double hamburger
3 x 3 = burger with 3 patties and 3 pieces of cheese
4 x 4 = burger with 4 patties and 4 pieces of cheese
Grilled Cheese = the same as a cheeseburger but without the meat
Veggie Burger = a sandwich without the meat or cheese
Protein Style = there is no bun.  Your burger is wrapped in leaf lettuce
Mustard Fried = patty is coated with mustard and then fried
Animal Style = your meat is fried with mustard, and the burger has pickles, grilled onions and extra spread (similar to 1,000 island dressing)
Flying Dutchman = 2 patties with 2 pieces of cheese melted between them; no bun, lettuce or tomatoes
Chopped Chilies = yellow chilies are added to the bottom of the burger

Animal Fries

Extra toast = the toasted bun is toasted a bit longer

Fries Light = the french fries are not cooked as long
Fries Well = the french fries are cooked longer so they are crispy
Cheese Fries = cheese is melted on the french fries
Animal Fries = cheese is melted on the fries, then covered with spread and grilled onions

Root Beer Float = half vanilla shake and half root beer
Black & White Shake -  half chocolate, half vanilla milkshake
Neapolitan Shake - combination chocolate, vanilla and strawberry shake
Tea-Aid = half iced tea, half lemonade
Lemon-Up = half lemonade, half Sprite or 7-up

Costco

Costco is the the 5th largest retailer in the USA and the 7th largest in the world.  It was founded in 1983 in Kirkland, Washington.

There are now Costco locations in the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

Costco sells products in bulk and a low prices.  The retail markup is never more than 15%.  You can definitely get some great deals at Costco but I could never get out of there without spending a minimum of $100.

The $1.50 hot dogs are so good.

The thing about Costco is that if you see something you want then you need to buy it then because if you want to come back for it later you will find that it has sold out.

You have to be a member to shop here.  An individual, one-year membership is $55.

One thing that I miss about living in Europe is not having Costco.  Of course, living in Czech Republic, buying in bulk really wouldn't work here.  It's not like most people have room for 20-roll packages of paper towels.

I've dropped some money in Costco while I've been back.  Lots of clothes, plus bulk purchases of staples such as deodorant, cold medicine, and razor blades.  And to my colleagues at work - Yes, I'm bringing back some jelly beans.

Here's a really interesting video I found out on YouTube about The Costco Craze.

©CNBC

Irvine, California

Irvine is a suburb in Orange County.  It's about 46 miles (74 km) from Los Angeles.  The city was incorporated on December 28, 1971.

Irvine is 66 miles² (170 km²) and has a population over 220,000.  It is the 3rd largest city in Orange County, as well as, the 16th largest in California and the 96th in the USA.

It's a great place to live and to raise a family.  Which is why my sister and her family live here. 

My sister wanted to know what I wanted to do while I was here.  Aside from some shopping, grabbing some In-N-Out and perhaps going to the beach and Disneyland - not much.  I don't need to do any real touristy things.  I've had a great time so far just hanging out with my family.

Helping Emme with her car wash business

It's been really great to be Uncle Chris with my niece and nephew.  It was fun giving everyone their presents from all of my Euro travels.

Watching Krtek on YouTube

I had no idea that my nephew would get so attached to Krteček.  I heard that one of the astronauts has a Czech mother-in-law and took a Krtek toy with him on the last flight of the Endeavor space shuttle.  Maybe Krtek will hit the U.S. market soon?      

After school skateboarding

Kai & Dad making a spice cake

Diamond Valley Lake, California

Diamond Valley Lake is 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Hemet.  It is a man-made drinking water reservoir.  Located between Los Angeles and San Diego it is one of the largest in Southern California.  Construction began on the dams in 1995.  Water started filling the lake in 1999 and the project was completed in 2003.  It is one of the newest reservoirs in California.

At its maximums, the lake is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long and 2 miles (3 km) wide.  The maximum depth is 260 feet (79 meters).  The lake has 800,000 acre feet (990,000,000 m³) of water.  Not exactly sure how much water that is but it sounds like a lot.  The reservoir provides water during drought, peak summer and emergency needs.

The reservoir project cost $1.9 billion.  Construction of the three dams was the largest earthworks project in the USA.

No physical contact with the water is allowed so there is no swimming or water skiing permitted.  However, you can go boating or fishing.  My uncle recently purchased a pontoon boat and took us out for a day on the lake.

However, every boat must be inspected before being allowed on the water.  The boat must be clean, drained and dry.  The zero tolerance policy is in place in order to protect the lake from destruction by Quagga and Zebra mussels.

We had a wonderful time out on the lake.  And afterwards, Uncle Kevin fixed us the biggest steaks I've ever seen for dinner.   

They were Flintstones big.  In Czech Republic we eat a lot of pork.  While you can get beef, it is much more expensive than pork.  And steaks in ČR are not common except in restaurants which charge big time. 

Cruising on the lake and a great steak dinner.  What an awesome day!

Hemet, California

Hemet is a small city in California.  It is 315 miles (507 km) from Prescott and about 80 miles (130 km) southeast of Downtown Los Angeles.  From Prescott it's about a 5½ hour drive.  My grandparents retired here back in the early 1980s and this was the first stop back in Cali in order to visit my uncle.

Hemet was founded in 1887 and incorporated in 1910.  It's a small city with +78,600 people.  It is basically a working-class retirement town.

The biggest claim to fame that Hemet has is "The Ramona Pageant".  It started in 1923 and is California's official outdoor play.  In fact it is one of the longest running outdoor plays in the USA.  Aside from the play, Hemet also now has the new Diamond Valley Lake.

For my Euro crew, everyone knows that Tesco is the UK's largest retailer.  Is is actually the world's 3rd largest retailer.  Well, despite the fact that the U.S. market is tough for UK business, Tesco opened its first "Fresh & Easy" in Hemet back in 2007.

Fresh & Easy is modeled after Tesco Express so it is meant to compete with convenience stores.  The stores are 75% smaller than the average American supermarket.  Today, you can find +185 of these stores in California, Arizona and Nevada.

My visit to Hemet was really nice because I finally got to meet Francis.  She was a very good friend to my grandmother.  After my grandmother passed away last year, I started sending her postcards to Francis.  She is just the sweetest person.  It's nice to finally be able to put a face to a name.