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Michele Forto

Week 1 of 130: The Start of my Doctoral Journey (BMAL 700)

November 9, 2021 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Doctorate of Strategic Leadership program Robert Forto

Hello and welcome!

If you are new here thank you for checking out my blog. A quick bio:

My name is Robert Forto and I live in the wilds of Alaska with a pack of 38 sled dogs. I own and operate a dog training company where we train dogs from all over the country for service and therapy work. I am also on adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University where I teach outdoor leadership classes.

At 5 this kid wanted to be a doctor. Now 50 he’s earning a #doctorate in #leadership ! Share your old school photos. #AcademicChatter #midlifeincollege pic.twitter.com/qSf8qp133X

— Robert Forto (@robertforto) November 9, 2021

In May of 2020, I finished my Master of Sports Management here at Liberty University and for my internship, I planned and executed a 700-mile expedition across the state of Alaska with 13 people by dog team and snow machine that re-traced the 1925 Serum Run.

Mid-life in college and doctorate program journey! Click To Tweet

Each summer, my wife, Michele, who is also a master’s degree student at Liberty,  and I travel to the Lower 48 and do what we call the Rock n Roller Tour where we go to music festivals and ride roller coasters.

I am pursuing a doctorate of strategic leadership for the challenge more than anything. Being self-employed and at (currently) 50 years old, I do not need this degree for career advancement but I am always looking for ways to continue to learn. Who knows, as I progress through the program I may find a higher calling.

My expectations are to be challenged and to learn and hopefully teach an old dog a new trick or two. Having been self-employed my entire life I have always been my own boss, manager, and decision-maker. I need to challenge myself with new ideas and processes to take my business to the next level. I look forward to connecting with each of you and wish you well in your studies.

My research interests include: Using expedition leadership as a model in the corporate environment and hope to use this for my applied research project in this program. Other project ideas are strategic management of small family-run firms, and experiential learning for team building in a small firm. Also, I just recently partnered up with a SCUBA instructor to do a study on safety protocol for recreational diving. This project suits my interests in sports management as the recreational SCUBA diving industry has little to no safety protocols after a person is certified as a diver, which you only have to do once in your life. This is much needed in the industry.

The pic above is my team of sled dogs and me on a run around the block, as I call it. We have several hundred miles right outside our back door and it is my slice of utopia.

One important fact, before we go much further together. I am far from religious and my choice to attend Liberty was for the program, not necessarily a Christian worldview. While I am faithful I am not one that you will find in a church every Sunday. I grew up in a family where we attended church for weddings and funerals and that is about it.

The truth of the matter is, I struggle to find ways to incorporate scripture and biblical research in my academic work, and do you know what? That is okay. I am perfectly fine with it.

I bet you struggle at times too.

I am far from perfect and I have had my share of bumps along the way. I have learned from my mistakes and hope that I am a better man, father, community leader, and academic because of it.

All that being said, I am glad that you are here.

 

via GIPHY

UPDATE November 2022:

This is actually an updated post that I am writing at Week 78 of my doctorate program at Liberty University.

Over the last two years, I have taken eight classes: BMAL 700, 702, 703, 704, 710, 714, 716, 727 and wanted to do an update since a lot of people have been asking for a way to search my site for particular classes and/or topics. I am in the process of updating each post and eventually, this will be a great place to find and share resources for my peers in the Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) program.

I want to give a huge shoutout to all of my peers that have been reading my posts as they navigate through this DSL journey.

You are right, there are not a lot of resources out there.

While this blog is by no means a complete source, my hope is that fellow scholars can see my papers and maybe get a takeaway or two.

My goal has always been to upload my research papers and projects from the program as PDFs so that other scholars in the program can see what is expected. I don’t always get full points, but at 50 years old, I learned long ago that there is no reason to strive for perfection in everything you do. Concentrate on what matters and everything will work out in the end.

If you like what you read, please comment and share with your friends. If you have advice or resources you would like to share, please do that as well.

Oh, if you are on Twitter, I highly encourage you to follow the hashtags, #AcademicChatter and #AcademicTwitter both are great threads with advice, motivation, and a very supportive community and if you wouldn’t mind, give me a follow at @robertforto and send me a tweet letting me know you found my blog helpful!

Also, my wife Michele is getting deep into her Master’s program as well and is almost halfway done! Please do me a favor and follow her over on LinkedIn.

One last thing… If you like what you are reading and want to show your support, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon or clicking on any of the ads that you see on the page. This goodwill gesture is not to become rich, I wish, but a show of encouragement.

Hope to connect with you along the way, and please reach out if you have any questions!

Filed Under: 30 Days About Me, Alaska, Daily Post, Midlife in College Tagged With: alaska, alaska dog works, BMAL 700, BMAL 702, BMAL 703, BMAL 704, BMAL 710, BMAL 714, BMAL 716, BMAL 720, BMAL 727, doctor of strategic leadership, doctorate, DSL, liberty university, Michele Forto, mid life in college, robert forto, Team Ineka

Recipe Rants: Blueberry Jelly

August 27, 2012 by robertforto 3 Comments

It has been a busy summer here at the Fort. We filled our freezer the smoked red salmon, we built a greenhouse and picked over a gallon and a half of blueberries to make jelly, BBQ sauce, muffins and more.

Today I want to share a recipe that we found online and modified for our use. It took all of a Sunday afternoon but it turned out great.

Ingredients and Equipment

Blueberries – raw berries: 5 pints (which is: 10 cups, or 2.25 liters, about 3.5 lbs, almost 1.75 kg) preferably fresh, but frozen (without syrup works, too) . to yield 6 cups of washed, squashed berries. You can also use 6 cups of blueberry juice – frozen or canned; if you can find it!

Lemon juice –  1/4 cup.  It’s optional, but it may help reduce spoilage, preserve color and retain flavor – either fresh squeezed or bottled.

Water – 1/2 cup

Sugar – See step 8. Using about 4.5 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. It is possible to make low-sugar,  fruit juice-sweetened, or Stevia, (or if you prefer, Splenda)-sweetened blueberry jelly.

Pectin (it’s a natural product, made from apples and available at grocery stores (season – spring through late summer) and local “big box” stores. It usually goes for about $2.00 to $2.50 per box. You’ll get best results with no-sugar needed pectin, whether you choose to add sugar or not!

Jar funnel  or order it as part of the kit with the jar grabber.

Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)- Big box stores and grocery stores sometimes carry them; and it is available online – see this page. It’s a tremendously useful to put jars in the canner and take the hot jars out (without scalding yourself!). The kit sold below has everything you need, and at a pretty good price.

At least 1 large pot; I prefer 16 to 20 quart Teflon lined pots for easy cleanup.

Large spoons and ladles

1 Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores, sometimes at big box stores and grocery stores.).

Ball jars

Lids – thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once.

  • Rings – metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times.

Optional stuff:

Foley Food Mill ($25) – not necessary; useful if you want to remove seeds (from blackberries)

Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at big box stores or it comes in the kit at left)

Step 1 – Pick the blueberries!

It’s fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality ones!

As mentioned in the Ingredients section; you may use frozen blueberries (those without syrup or added sugar); which is especially useful if you want to make some jelly in December to give away at Christmas!

If you are starting out with blueberry juice (canned, fresh or frozen), just skip straight to step 8.

Step 2 – How much fruit?

Jelly can ONLY be made in rather small batches – about 6 cups at a time – like the directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes or the jelly won’t “set” (jell, thicken). It takes about 10 cups of raw, unprepared blueberries per batch. For triple berry jelly, I use 6 cups of mushed (slightly crushed) blueberries, 1 cup of raspberries and 1 cup of blackberries.

Step 3 – Wash the jars and lids

Now’s a good time to get the jars ready, so you won’t be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a “sanitize” cycle, the water bath processing will sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don’t have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.

NOTE: If unsanitized jars are used, the product should be processed for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result in a poor set (runny jelly), it’s better to sanitize the jars.

Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that’s what the manufacturer’s recommend) for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic “lid lifter wand” to pull them out.

Leave the jars in the dishwasher on “heated dry” until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot jelly.

Step 4 -Wash the berries and sort!

I’m sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in a colander of plain cold water.

Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float.  With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.

Then just drain off the water!

Step 5 – Crush the berries

To crush them, you can either do one layer at a time in a pan or bowl, using a potato masher..

OR you can be lazy like me and use the slice mode on your food processor or a blender.  I believe you’ll get higher yields this way, because the blender or food processor will reduce the particle size, releasing more juice. It also helps to release the blue color form the skins, giving the jelly a better blue color.

Either way, if you start with 10 pints of berries, you’ll end up with about 6.5 cups of crushed blueberries.

Step 6 – Heat the crushed blueberries on the stove

We just want to bring the blueberries to a boil to help release the juice and break down some of the fruit to help it pass through our jelly strainer. Put the crushed blueberries, with 1/2 cup of water, in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning) for until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If you are adding 1/4 cup lemon juice, do so now!

Step 7 – Sieve the cooked blueberries

You can either put the soft cooked blueberries through a jelly strainer which results in the most clear jelly and is easiest to use, or pour them through cheesecloth in a colander. Or if you don’t mind chunky jelly, just let the juice stand for 20 minutes, and Decant (pour off) the clear liquid to use and leave the solids behind.

Step 8 – Measure the Sweetener

If you need a stopping point and want to finish up the next day, this is a good place. Sometimes, jelly gets crystals, called tartrate crystals, forming in the jelly.  They’re not harmful and don’t affect the taste, but some people don’t like the appearance.  I rarely even see them! But if you do, let juice stand in a cool place overnight, then strain through two thicknesses of damp cheesecloth to remove any crystals that have formed.

Depending upon which type of jelly you’re making (sugar, no-sugar, Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda), mix of sugar and Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda) or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar and type of pectin. The precise measurements are found in directions inside each and every box of pectin sold (every brand, Ball, Kerr, Mrs. Wages, etc. has directions inside). I don’t recommend using Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda) by itself – plain old sugar makes a big difference in the color and taste.  Unless you’re diabetic, for best results, try the low or lower sugar formula below.

Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you’ll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.Step 9 – Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar or other sweetener

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jelly is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you’ll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.

Step 10 – Add the pectin to the hot strained juice and bring to a full boil

Stir the pectin into the blueberry juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).

Notes about pectin: I usually add about 20% more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) or else the jelly is runnier than I like. With a little practice, you’ll find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like.

Another tip: use the low sugar pectin. It cuts the amount of sugar you need from 7 cups per batch to 4 cups! And it tastes even better! On the other hand; I have never had success with the No-sugar pectin. It always turned out runny and bland. You might want to try using the low sugar recipe with a mixture of sugar and Stevia, my preference (or if you prefer, Splenda); that could work.

Is your jelly too runny? Pectin enables you to turn out perfectly set jelly every time. Made from natural apples, there are also natural no-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by half or even eliminate sugar.!
Get them all here at the best prices on the internet!

Step 11 – Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boil

When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (about 4 cups of sugar per 6 cup batch of blueberries) or other sweetener, and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.

Step 12 – Testing for “jell” (thickness)

I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jelly is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/s to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.

Step 13 – Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on

Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jelly off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner!

This is where the jar tongs and lid lifter come in really handy!

Step 14 – Process the jars in the boiling water bath

Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes.  I say “in general” because you have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sanitize the jars and lids right before using them.  The directions inside every box of pectin will tell you exactly.  The directions on the pectin tend to be pretty conservative.  Clemson University says you only need to process them for 5 minutes.  I usually hedge my bets and start pulling them out after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10.  I rarely have a jar spoil, so it must work.

Note: Some people don’t even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jelly and then not to process the jars to be sure they don’t spoil!

Step 15 – Remove and cool the jars – Done!

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don’t rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that’s a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it’s usually ok.

Once cooled, they’re ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren’t as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Fortos Fort, Recipe Rants Tagged With: alaska, Ball, Blueberry, Canning, Fortos Fort, Michele Forto, robert forto

Recipe Rants: Alehouse Beef-and-Potato Skewers

August 12, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

We are always searching for new and unique ways to prepare food. Whether it be purely Alaskan recipes or new takes on old favorites, we share them on RobertForto.com under our Recipe Rants category.
Sirloin is an outstanding beef cut for kabobs. Use red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes or a combination for a particularly attractive presentation. Mushrooms or parboiled carrot chunks would be good additions to the skewers. We used London Broil and it turned out fantastic!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. small red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, each about 1 1/2
    inches in diameter or cut if larger

For the alehouse marinade:

  • 3/4 cup ale or beer. We used Alaskan Summer Ale
  • 1/3 cup beef broth
  • 1/3 cup spicy tomato juice
  • 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco. We used Franks
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 fresh or dried bay leaves, broken in half
  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless London Broil, about 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into
    1 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook just until they can be pierced with a knife but are not completely tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. (The potatoes can be parboiled up to 4 hours in advance and kept at room temperature.)To make the marinade, in a shallow, nonreactive dish just large enough to hold the meat, combine the ale, broth, tomato juice, Worcestershire, hot-pepper sauce, thyme, oregano and bay leaves and mix well. Add the meat and turn to coat on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Add the potatoes to the marinade during the last 30 minutes.Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over high heat. Oil the grill rack.Remove the meat and potatoes from the marinade and discard the marinade. Thread the meat and potatoes alternately onto 8 metal skewers, dividing the ingredients evenly.

Grill the skewers over the hottest part of a charcoal fire or directly over the heat elements of a gas grill, turning to char all sides, until the potatoes are browned and the meat is cooked to your liking, 7 to 9 minutes total for medium-rare meat.

Transfer the skewers to warmed individual plates and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from  a recipe found on Williams-Sonoma.com

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Recipe Rants Tagged With: Barbecue grill, Bay leaf, Marination, Michael McLaughlin, Michele Forto, Oxmoor House, recipe rants, robert forto, Tabasco, two guys and a grill, Williams-Sonoma, Yukon Gold potato

Are you Awake? Live and Inspired by Godsmack has arrived

May 20, 2012 by robertforto Leave a Comment

Put down the iPhones. Quit updating Facebook and taking pictures and sit back and enjoy the music. Because there is nothing better in the world than a kick ass live rock-n-roll show!

I am paraphrasing just a bit here but you get the jest. This was what Sully Erna said from the hard rock band Godsmack to a near sold out show at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, Alaska last September.

He is right. There is nothing like it. Godsmack rocks! 

When my wife and I attended this no frills show at the Sully we were blown away. They played for almost two hours and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. No pyro. No light show. Just a balls-to-the-wall rock-n-roll band playing an intimate show to a few thousand people in the Great White North. It was a great time because rock concerts are hard to come by in the Last Frontier.

I bought the tickets before my wife even had a plane ticket to move up here. I said you need to get up here by September 5th because we have a concert to get to.

I will never forget the more than 15 minute rendition of the instrumental The Oracle, Sully on the drums with Batalla de los Tambores, and the guitar and bass riffs of Awake that shook you to the core. If you have been to a Godsmack show you know it is the real deal. This isn’t some video on YouTube or you sitting at home watching it on the big screen in your underwear with a remote control.

Just the past week, Godsmack released their first ever live set–Live and Inspired. Including covers of Joe Walsh’s Rocky Mountain Way, Pink Floyd’s Time, The Beatles Come Together and Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.

I bought the CD while up in Tok, Alaska watching over my friends pack of Iditarod sled dogs. There is not much to do up here. No Mickey D’s. No WiFi and five-dollar double shot espressos with whip. What a better place to enjoy some good ole’ American-made rock-n-roll. None of this groomed boy band crap singing about Boyfriends.

I sat back in an old rickety lawn chair in the bight sunshine, closed my eyes and let the music take over. It did just that.

Track listings:

  1. Straight Outta Line
  2. Realign
  3. Awake
  4. Moon Baby
  5. Changes
  6. The Enemy
  7. Keep Away
  8. Speak
  9. Voodoo
  10. Batalla de los Tambores
  11. Whatever
  12. Serenity
  13. I Stand Alone
  14. Rocky Mountain Way
  15. Come Together
  16. Time
  17. Nothing Else Matters

If you want a rare treat to add to your ever increasing music library that is so large that you have to keep it in some place called the “cloud”, Godsmack’s Live and Inspired is worth the 12 bucks and the next time a live show rolls through your town, cash in that change at the local Coinstar and go enjoy yourself. You will be glad you did.

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Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, What Rocks Tagged With: Awake, Godsmack, iphone, Live and Inspired cd, live music, Metallica, Michele Forto, Oracle, robert forto, Sullivan Arena, Sully Erna, YouTube

Houston High School softball opening night

May 2, 2012 by robertforto 2 Comments

Nicole #20

It was a blustery, but absolutely beautiful May Day. It was the start of the softball season for my daughter, Nicole.

Nicole is a freshman at Houston High School in Alaska. A small school of just about 400 kids and home of the Hawks. A big change from where she was just last semester in Littleton, Colorado at Dakota Ridge, a school teaming with thousands of kids roaming the halls.

Nicole has played softball since she was a little girl. Getting her start in T-Ball leagues at the YMCA I can remember those games like it was yesterday.

My little girl is growing up and becoming a pretty dang good little softball player. I can only wish that it was those evenings playing catch in the park and the dad-daughter talks on the way home from practices when she played her first fast-pitch season in seventh grade with the Spartans.

Last night she made me so proud.

She is playing catcher on the J.V. squad and back-up catcher for varisty–as a Freshman!

As the game got underway at 7:45 on a very cold evening, just 34 degrees. Her mom, her brother Tyler and I, shivered in the little bleachers gearing up to cheer her on.

Smash the ball, Flea! It is a name we have called her since she was little. We are dog trainers, ya know.

She was batting sixth. Not bad. Middle of the order. She got up to bat in the first inning and hit a line drive to the pitcher. She dropped the ball and Nicole made it to first but more importantly, got an R.B.I.

The Hawks quickly accumulated two more outs leaving Nicole on third and rushing to the dugout to put on her gear.

As she walked to the plate, in gear that was way to big, I am sure you could see my smile all the way to the outfield fence. It was time for Flea to show us what she has been learning the last month or so of practices, many of them indoors at the local Lion’s Club because of all the snow on the ground.

The inning lasted forever, not the best pitching from these young high schoolers. But hey, it was the first game of the season and I am sure the butterflies migrated in droves to the Great White North.

Nicole playing catcher for Houston High School

At the top of the second the Hawks were leading by a few runs. The batting order brought Nicole up again with one out and a full count. She swung and hit a line dive past the first baseman.

She made it to first and held steady waiting for the next batter. On a wild pitch, she stole second and on the next pitch made it to third.

Moments later Nicole was running towards home and slid into the plate like a major-leaguer. It was awesome!

The bottom of the second proved to be tough work for Nicole and the pitching staff and Colony High scored several quick runs to take the lead 11-9.

It was getting late and much colder for us in the stands. With the sun still very visible in the sky, the game was called for time at 9:21 pm.

What a way to spend an Alaskan spring evening.

Way to go Flea, you smashed that ball. We are so proud of you! 

___________________

Robert Forto is mushin’ down a dream in the wilds of Alaska. He and is wife are raising two teenagers at Forto’s Fort. 

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Filed Under: Daily Post, Fortos Fort Tagged With: alaska, baseball, Houston High School, Michele Forto, nicole forto, robert forto, Softball, Sport

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