Night Owl Flying?

It's 12:04AM here in the Electric City which, technically, means it's already Monday.

Here's a sneak preview of today's playlist:

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles
-alternate versions: Richie Havens
(for the intentionally reckless, try Peter Tosh's reggae version)
Happy Together - The Turtles
We Belong - Pat Benatar
Never My Love - The Association

Now get off the keyboard, and try to log some zzzz's.

117 Die in Anderson

If you believe as I do that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, was crucified and literally resurrected from the dead you would've been thrilled to attend yesterday's baptism service at New Spring.

117 men, women, and children publically professed Jesus Christ as their Lord and were baptised to symbolize Christ's burial, death and resurrection, and the beginning of their new lives as Christians.

Jesus Christ commanded baptism, but baptism itself doesn't make anyone a Christian. Only faith in Christ alone can do that. Paul tells us "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" [2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT]

And in being made new, Christians are dead to sin: "Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" "Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace." [Romans 6:2,14]

Although some churches prohibit clapping as irreverent yesterday Pastor P. encouraged it, explaining that if we can celebrate at football games, "We sure can do it here today."

I'm pretty sure there was some celebrating and rejoicing yesterday in Heaven, too.

* * * * *

Enjoy this morning's playlist on your drive up Highway 81 to catch Part 3 of Da Vinci Decoded:

Holy Holy Holy
Blessed Be Your Name
He Reigns

Drive-In Weekend

I miss drive-ins ... so before we start reminiscing go ahead and cue up Today's Playlist for the background:

Misirlou - Dick Dale
I Only Have Eyes for You - The Flamingos
(recommended alternative version - Art Garfunkel)
Sealed with a Kiss - Brian Hyland
Leader of the Pack - The Shangri-Las
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
I'm into Something Good - Herman's Hermits

Seems like my folks had a 1954ish Dodge 4-door sedan when I was a toddler, a submarine-sized car with huge windows and tennis court-sized bench seats sorta like this one, that seemed made for drive-in double feature fun.










The truly terrific drive-ins in Tampa accomodated up to 1000 cars and had two, sometimes three screens, built-in amusement parks and concession stands selling everything from candied apples and corn dogs to cotton candy, fries and cheeseburgers. What could be more fun than playing putt-putt golf, stuffing down cotton candy, and watching a movie ... all at the same time?

Admission was charged by the carload, so you paid the same $2 whether you went with a date or joined six close friends in an RV (did that in high school).

But drive-ins seemed to suddenly disappear overnight in the late 1970s. Some blamed the gas crisis (smaller cars were less comfortable), others complained drive-ins had become dens of makeout iniquity for hormone-crazed teens. The real reasons might be more troubling: parents with small children just can't stand as much extended physical proximity to their kids as they used to, and parents with teenagers would rather not be bothered with Sissy and Jimmy's frolicking upstairs behind closed doors.

It's a shame, too.

The last time I saw a movie at a drive-in was back in 1981. The theater was in Denver, I forget the name, but my friend Don and I were on our motorcycles and the double-feature included an unknown Australian actor named Mel Gibson as the lead in two action films ... Mad Max and Mad Max 2.

Sadly today, the nearest drive-in to Anderson is the Commerce Drive-In Theater 63.6 miles down I-85 in Commerce, Georgia. In South Carolina there's the Monetta Drive In Theater The Big-Mo, 91.2 miles away in Monetta, South Carolina.

Here's a sample program from The Tower Drive-In:

Here's what's left of my favorite drive-in:




The Commerce Drive In Theater (706) 335-2486
http://www.thebigmo.com/
http://driveintheater.com/index.htm

It's Friday & I'm Ashamed of Myself

When it comes to blogging I just wing it, but today was gonna be different. Friday's playlist was actually planned in advance ... just one song:

"I Can See Clearly Now"

I'm ashamed because you'll have to pick your own artist for this one, please; the song-stylings I found from the likes of K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Hothouse Flowers, Kazzooo and Doug Robinson, and Dena DeRose had me reaching for the ashes & sack cloth.

Yami Bolo's "Raindrops/I Can See Clearly Now" medley was particularly terrifying and upsetting.

Deviled Crabs

Here's the Gasparilla Cookbook's recipe for Deviled Crabs (the way them make 'em in Ybor City)

1 pound crab meat, 1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons onion
2 teaspoons mustard, 1 tablespoon Worchestshire sauce
1 tablespoon water, 1 cup mayonnaise
Dash Tabasco, Buttered bread crumbs

-Mix all ingredients. Put in small greased custard cups, crab shells or casserole. Top with buttered bread crumbs which have been made by adding crumbs to melted butter.
-Bake at 350 degrees until light brown.


And one more for the playlist:

Perez Prado
Mambo En Sax

Mas Entusiasmo!

Sometimes a movie comes out that with a storyline that promises to hit a nerve, and Andy Garcia's "The Lost City" just might be one of them.

Both 1979's "Cuba" with Sean Connery and 1990's "Havana" starring Robert Redford fell remarkably flat. Maybe the closest we've come so far to getting a "feel" for what the social schizophrenia of pre-Castro Havana was like came through brief glimpses and shadowy vignettes in "The Godfather II" and "Soy Cuba/Ya Kuba".

But "The Lost City" promises to take us back to the wide-open days when Havana was still called the pearl of the Antilles.

Enjoy today's playlist as we cruise south along Malecon Avenue toward Miramar:

Celeste Mendoza
Mi Rumba Echando Candela
Un Congo Me Dio La Letra

Orquesta Riverside
Yayabo

Orquesta Pancho El Bravo
Mis Compadres Puntean Son

Los Zafiros
Rumba Como Quiera
Un Nombre De Mujuer

Aren'tcha glad we brought sunglasses and a convertible?

Free on Wednesday Morning

This morning's playlist is an homage to Free, the little band from the 70's that barely got the recognition its contributions deserved. Nobody had a better voice than Paul Rogers ... just listen to "Be My Friend" or "Fire and Water" from the Free Live! disc and you'll agree Rogers makes Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones sound like Pee Wee Herman.

If I ever race a horse through the Scottish Highlands on a windy moon-lit night, making my way back to her castle, this is all I'd need on my Ipod.

Free Live! 1971 (re-issued 2002)

All Right Now
Be My Friend
Fire and Water
Ride on Pony

Somestimes A Smile Doesn't Hurt

Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was
better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God
was tired of hearing all the bickering. Finally fed up, God said, "THAT'S IT!
I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two
hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job."

So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They moused.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments.
They downloaded.

They wrote reports.
They created charts and graphs.
They did every job known to man.

Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than
hades.

Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly
flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured and of course, the
power went off.

Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known
in the underworld. Jesus just sighed. Finally the electricity came
back on,and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching
frantically, screaming: "It's gone! It's all GONE! I lost
everything when the power went out!"

Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from
the past two hours of work.

Satan observed this and became irate. "Wait!" he screamed. "That's
not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have
any?"

God just shrugged and said,
"JESUS SAVES"

If Paris Hilton Ate Alpo ...

Life sure is hard, huh?

Anderson's Netflix Favorites

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story

Down-and-out horse trainer Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) is given an equally broken-down (but once great) racehorse, Sonya, as severance pay. It will take the unwavering faith and determination of Ben's daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), to bring these two damaged souls together in a quest to win the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Just Friends

An ex-dork reconnects with the girl who broke his heart in this romantic comedy. After being turned down by his high school crush, a nice guy moves to Los Angeles, where he's transformed into a womanizing music executive. But when he's stranded in his New Jersey hometown, he runs into his former puppy love -- and is completely floored by her once again.

Robots

Ewan McGregor lends his voice to this heartwarming animated feature about Rodney Copperbottom, a young robot inventor who dreams of making the world a better place. But when the evil Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) takes over Big Weld Industries, Rodney's dreams -- like his friends, including motormouthed Fender (Robin Williams) -- are in danger of becoming obsolete.

Road to Perdition

Hit man Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), known in his 1930s Chicago world as The Angel of Death, is on the run after his wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and son are murdered. With his surviving son (Tyler Hoechlin) in tow, Michael sets out to exact brutal vengeance. Complicating matters in this crime actioner are a reporter (Jude Law), Al Capone's enforcer (Stanley Tucci) and other shady characters.

Hidalgo

Viggo Mortensen stars as Frank T. Hopkins, reputed to be one of the best riders of the Wild West. His chance to prove his talent comes when an affluent sheik invites him to join one of the most outrageous and grueling races of all: a 3000-mile trek across the Arabian Desert. Previously open only to those who ride Arabian horses, the event allows Hopkins to join with his Mustang, Hidalgo. Can they win?

Dream Home

Only 53 feet long, this two bedroom "mobile home" would fit comfortably inside the pond at the new auditorium. Just think of all the gas I'd save not having to drive back and forth on 81.

Yeah baby.

Nice Neighbor

Owning a house is lots of work & upkeep, but the additional privacy is indispensable.

That's why I can be up at 5:35 AM with Take Me to the Sunrise already cranked up so loud there's plaster falling from the ceiling in huge chunks ... you need speakers standing at least 18" higher than you are tall ... and while the dog may be cowering next to the clothes dryer, the neighbors never hear a thing.

Yesterday's 6:00 PM Service Smoked the Dust from Between My Ears.

Lee and the band was so amazing (sitting just seven rows from the stage, I could still hear the congregation singing over the band during Holy Holy Holy) and The Big Guy covered so much material during the 11:15, I only felt a little guilty about going back for seconds.

If I could put that kind of energy in my gas tank I'd have no problem getting 60 miles to the gallon. Now, where's my water pistol?

The Best $3 You'll Spend All Week

Here's some good news, and then some even better news.

The Good News: the average price of regular gasoline across the US has reached $3 per gallon

The Better News: within the next 6 weeks, gasoline is expected to hit $5.50 per gallon

Why, you're asking, is it Better News that by June $30 will barely buy 5 gallons of gas?

Because today, April 23 2006, is the cheapest gasoline just might be for a long, long time. And no matter where you live in Anderson County and no matter what kind of car you drive, chances are you can motor on over to New Spring Church today and catch the most exciting, creative & relevant worship service available anywhere in the western hemisphere ... for less gas than the price of a gallon of milk. And let's face it, milk is for babies.

You can't even buy a Fat Boy's Value Meal for three bucks ... and New Spring is free.

There's 3 identical services today beginning at 9:15am, 11:15am, and 6pm. Check one out, and see firsthand what you've been missing. It just might be the best $3 you'll spend in all eternity.

www.newspring.cc

See You In Cuba

While sipping your espresso-sized cup of cafecito con leche, enjoying this morning's culinary celebration of tostada, chorizos and papas fritas, here's 3 songs by Blues Image to remind you of the palm-tossed sunrises you spent at that sidewalk cafe in Havana glancing past the crumbling Morro Castle, counting the minutes till you're back on the emerald green waters of the Gulf Stream to resume battle mano a mano with the big ones.

This time you understand things will be different. You wipe the sweat from your hands as you stand up from the table and quietly nod, "A wild beast does not bend its knee before its tamer with greater fury. "

"Take Me to the Sunrise"
"Leaving My Troubles Behind"
"Do You Have Something to Say"


The Cuban Food Guy's Cuban Coffee Recipe
http://www.cubanfoodguy.com/coffee_recipe.htm

Morro Castle Photograph by:
http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?method=4&dsname=Wikipedia+Images&dekey=San+Felipe+del+Morro+view+across+bay.jpg&linktext=&linktext=

By All Possible Means

"To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. "
1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT [italics added]

Nothing is more important than introducing people to Christ.
Clinging to traditions & rituals for their own sake ... not so much.

My Former Life As A Bobber

Even though I was saved in childhood I quickly realized how much I hated church.

Not hating God, not hating or mis-trusting the Bible ... I hated what church was. I hated wearing wearing a coat and tie (think Florida humidity in July) on Sundays. I was bored senseless during Sunday School and I dreaded the hour spent during the sermon squirming around trying to find the sweet spot on hard-backed pews.

I hated and tuned-out the 200 year old hymns that sounded like covers from "Solid Gold Funeral Hits" and I inwardly cringed at every thee, thou, art, and thine that seemed to suddenly errupt and echo up to the balcony during every prayer.

Don't get me wrong, I still believed ... I just had trouble applying what I heard and saw happening on Sunday to what I heard and saw happening the next day at school and at work as a teenager. The worship service seemed so rigid and God seemed so angry that I was never sure which sin, maybe my next one, might earn me God's fury and forever cancel my salvation. And so far as actually inviting anyone else to church ... well, I'd rather have eaten a bucket of live roaches with a fork and no gravy. Just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Church seemed so far removed from real life that it wasn't hard for me to understand people who argued that church was threatening to make itself irrelevant. But any suggestion, even the most well-intended and politely-phrased idea about changing the service's rituals to make worship more accessible seemed sacriligious (and our church seemed fairly open-minded ... at least we had a piano, and the pastor didn't always read from King James) .

But I did what a lot of people my age did ... I quit going as soon as I could. Not because I didn't believe but because I felt the traditional church service (with its organ preludes and choir robes, rooted back in the 1700's), had lost touch. My impression was that many church leaders refused to see the need for a more relevant worship "translation" for what was happening in our lives.

I'm not talking about changing the message just to get more people through the door ... because God's word never changes. I just didn't feel compelled to travel back in time to the 18th century in order to worship.

Meanwhile I was still difting around on the spiritual surface like a bobber on a bass line, waiting for a big strike. But unlike me, some people had stronger faith and a greater committment and were determined not to give up on church. They believed God was still relevant, and shared a vision of what church could be like and how the community might respond to it ... and were inspired to do something about it.

Now jump ahead to 2004 ... and I'm gonna leave out names here, because individual names don't matter.

A friend invited me to visit a new church here in town. Six different people had already invited me about ten different times but I resisted, figuring that any church that attracted so much enthusiasm from so many different kinds of people (some of these people actually had tattoos and piercings!) just had to be preaching a watered-down, Anything-Goes so Here's-A-Big-Hug message. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many people of all different ages so excited about asking me to visit.

But knowing my friend's previous beliefs and her severe mistrusts about organized religion in general, well, seeing her enthusiastic about-face was the spark I finally needed to check out this new church for myself.

What happened? Within an hour my world got rocked upside down because it was like no other church I'd ever seen. I saw people actually standing in line waiting to get in, and hardly anyone seemed dressed-up for church. Once inside the auditorium, instead of an organ this new church had an awesome band with drums and electric guitars. Instead of hymnals they put the words up on big video screens with graphics. But I particularly was impressed (overjoyed) because I didn't have to wear a big VISITOR button so everyone could shake my hand when they made me stand up and feel like a two-headed giraffe alone in the middle of a corn field.

But wait ... somewhere around the middle of the message I started squinting at the stage wondering, Who was this wild man of a pastor? By the time the message ended you understood you'd seen a real flesh and blood man who'd actually known sin and who confessed he'd been powerless against it until he accepted Christ... and he wasn't the least bit reluctant or hesitant to spell things out in plain English: God has a plan for your life and He WILL rock your world.

I mean, this guy not only spoke with strength and authority, but also with the conviction that comes from not just believing but also from experiencing and knowing God's grace and forgiveness. This was no watered-down feel-good message from a strung-out weirdo like I was expecting ... this was a big, tall guy who seemed entirely & physically capable of pounding your head if you so much as dented his car car ... but instead he seemed on the edge of coming down from the stage and literally shaking you from your seat with his conviction to have you understand what God is capable of doing in your life if you'd just give Him the chance.

I was not only stunned, I was hooked ... hooked through the gills. Over the next two years I heard the same lessons from the Bible I'd heard in church as a child, but this time they were taught and explained in a relevant, creative way that I could finally grasp and apply to my life as a Christian and a believer.

Whoa. Jesus Christ really is real ... He's alive and doesn't just live on the back rows of white columned church buildings on Sunday mornings between 9:45am and 8pm ... and He doesn't think I'm especially reverent or humble if I mumble thee's and thou's inside my suit.

For the first time I understood that Christianity is a relationship with the living God and that He knew me, and had a plan for my life, from before I was born.

Yeah, I didn't see it coming ... but overnight I got real excited about church.

Once during a message when our pastor asked, "How much of the Holy Spirit can you handle?" I realized God's is in control and that His power is infinite ... and if I acknowledge that sin separates me from Him that He will help me remove all of those obstacles, any sin I'm dealing with ... and He's not hiding around life's next corner ready to pounce and yell "Gotcha!" the next time I fall short.

It's inevitable I guess, and sad at the same time, to learn first-hand that not everyone agrees or is as enthusiastic about this new church as I am. During the past two years I've seen perhaps a dozen people suddenly stand up and storm out of the service, their heads high and their footsteps maybe a tad too loud and deliberate (I don't wanna say their abrupt departures seemed almost timed or even rehearsed), as though to draw attention to themselves as they made their huffy exits and thundered off the parking lot in a smoking squeal of rubber ... maybe they were just in a hurry to get in line at their favorite Sunday buffet, who knows?

Over the past two years I've actually had people tell me that unless a church has Sunday School, hymnals, choir robes, Wednesday night services, a steeple, and a cross depicted on the outside of its building that my church is "not a real church" and therefore "even ya'll don't know what you believe in" (This last one from the deacon of another church, who I'd invited to attend our Easter services).

But lost souls have found Christ in amazing numbers at this new church, and hundreds of people have seen their lives radically changed through Him ... yet the most severe critics seem to come from other (traditional?) churches, from people and preachers who've never once set foot in any of our church's services and who are proud to tell you they never will.

Maybe they don't think God's word was meant to be exciting ... that piousness and self-righteousness are what matters most ... or maybe they don't feel that having a relationship with God through Christ is totally incredible and uplifting ... or they think the most effective way of witnessing to others is by complaining and being miserable, or by gossping about and slandering the leaders of churches who have worship formats they don't agree with.

In the meantime, during all the indignation and accusations ... maybe the enemy's building overflow seating in hell.

It hurts to hear other Christians criticize, I mean that literally, because it seems these critics have put the Gospel into a very confining, self-serving and barely accessible boxed-worship-service stamped with a big label "If you don't like the way we dress and do things, then you can go find a seat in hell" ... and untold numbers of people in our community may find themselves lost for eternity as a result of stubborn churches' insistence that their way is the right way & the only way. Just because their way is traditional.

Yet I've never once heard our pastor criticize any other pastor or any other church, or proclaim that a "new" approach is the only approach. What he has said is that We're All on the Same Team, God's Team, after all.

Our pastor isn't the only church leader to have had a major impact and been an inspiration in my life over the past two years. I could go right down the list and tell you about the people I've met on the church staff whose lives are inseparable from their witnesses as followers of Christ ... but names don't matter ... it's God who deserves the glory. They're mentioned here in passing because every day I'm inspired by them to learn, even when it's a struggle and it seems impossible, to lead a more Christ-like life.

This comes from a former church-hater who didn't see any reason to ever try going back.

My life changed as a result of the people God inspired and worked through here in Anderson, the church leaders who despite all the critics and the snickering, still felt called to try something new and exciting. Looking back now I can see how close this church-hater was to drifting away from church completely ... and I'm thankful for the ministry God used to prevent that from ever happening.

I Believe I Can Fly

How often do you hear this: "Does your church teach that believing in Jesus is the only the way to get to Heaven? Because I believe that God is infinite and perfect, he wouldn't leave just one way available for people to reach Heaven because everybody's different. I think each person has to decide how to achieve their salvation."

In other words when it comes to Salvation, everybody alive today is entitled to having the Creator of the universe conform eternity to fit their expectations.

I wonder how well that mindset applies to the little situations we face in everyday life:

-Traffic laws in Tanzania (and there aren't many) require driving on the left-hand side of the road. But being from America, I believe in driving on the right-hand side. After nearly causing five accidents in two blocks, I had the opportunity to explain to the police two more of my core beliefs: all policemen should speak English, and police should only carry batons as decorations.

-I went to buy a new car, and carefully explained my beliefs to the salesman: I believe in 50% discounts off the sticker price, 30-year no-money-down financing with 0% interest, and 500,000 miles unlimited parts & labor warranties. I also believe in receiving trade-in values equivalent to the new-car purchase price.

-Gas prices are way too high (especially since about half my driving time is spent wandering around lost). My belief is that the oil companies are charging way too much, so when I fill up from now on I'm just gonna leave a $10 bill on the pump, and let the clerk figure it out.

-The New Spring band is simply & amazingly awesome. Because I'm enthusiastically convinced of my vocal talents, I'm gonna call Lee and insist that he conform to my belief that I should start singing with the band right away.

-Gravity was first described by some guy named Newton (actually I'm not even sure such a guy ever existed ... I believe about 300 physicists got together at the Council of Vienna several hundred years ago and after a narrow vote, decided whether gravity was real). Because I believe each person must decide for themselves whether gravity is real, I'm heading up to the attic right now with a pair of home-made wings I built using a Da Vinci drawing as a guide, and see if I can fly myself non-stop from my roof to LA.

Maybe what's never occurred to people is that because God is perfect then He must also be unique ... and is therefore justified in giving us only one plan, a perfectly unique way through Jesus Christ, for salvation ... and it doesn't really matter if you choose to believe otherwise.

God made salvation available through Jesus Christ to anyone who's willing to believe in Him ... and He did it without needing any input from a fallible, insignificant and imperfect person like me.

Classifieds from 33 A.D.

Tomorrow's Different

What's the irreconciliable difference separating Christianity from every other religion?

No matter how much certain precepts like love, charity and forgiveness Christianity seems to share with religions like Buddhism, Mormonism, Islam or any other faith you choose, every other faith is revealed to be false by the singular historical event those of us who follow Christ are celebrating tomorrow ... Christ's literal resurrection from the dead.

Simply put, the Resurrection proves God's perfect power and absolute authority ... for crying out loud our God conquered death- how much more convincing do you need? ... and means we can trust God to keep His promises.

Christ's resurrection proved God alone is in control, that all other gods are idols, and that those of us who've placed our faith in Christ know our eternity is assured ... and that's worth celebrating not just tomorrow ... but every day of the year.

Breakfast in Arusha

Instead of slogging through stale corn flakes for breakfast (or ruining your enzymes by unintentionally swallowing nasty fruit seeds and microscopic burrowing insects), go get the deep dryer hot before your coffee gets cold ... and try a samosa instead.

Samosas are small fried pastries of Indian origin, filled with seasoned vegetables or meat. My missionary friends Vernon and his wife Mary introduced them to me during my stay in Tanzania. A beef samosa'll kick a sausage biscuit right off the plate, and that's saying a lot.

Samosa

Ingredients: egg roll cases, cut into two squares (or use spring roll wrappers)
1 lb. Ground beef browned with one half pound chopped onion
1 tsp. Tumeric and 1tsp. Curry powder
1 tsp. Salt and 1/4 tsp. Red pepper

Fold each square into a triangle, add about one teaspoon meat mixture, and seal edges with water (or)
Fold each square into an ice cream cone shape, turn up bottom and seal with water, add about one teaspoon of meat mixture, fold over top and seal using water.

Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown–this does not take long!

To store: freeze and thaw in oven 10 minutes at 350 degrees. This helps prevent soggy samosa! Makes about 30 ... which you'll probably gobble in two sittings! :-)

Hope Jimmy Dean puts these in the dairy case soon ... I'd eat 'em by the bagful.

Chai – African Tea (hot, refreshing & goes great with samoosas!)

Boil 4 cups water, 2-4 tsp. of black tea leaves, 1 tsp. Cardamon, 3-4 cinnamon sticks, 1/4 to ½ cup of sugar and let simmer. Add 3-4 cups of milk and let it heat again.

[recipes taken from http://www.elca.org/countrypackets/tanzania/recipe.html]


Here's one for lunch tomorrow ...

Tanzanian Soup

Brown in 2T oil:
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. coconut

Add 2.5 lb. beef, cut into chunks; brown.

Add:
1 T. tomato paste
1 - 2 fresh tomatoes, coarsley chopped
juice of 1/2 large lime
2 tsp. salt

Cover with water and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

[recipe from: http://classes.seattleu.edu/masters_in_teaching/teed521/professor/nayama.html}

All About Mac

In the small-computer world people are largely divided into two groups: people who use Windows and people who use Macs.

Trying to have a meaningful discussion about the merits of either with owners of the opposite group frequently results in frantic 911 emergency calls to Animal Control, so I'm gonna lay off the hyperbole, stick with the facts, and see what Mac owners have to say about Windows.

1. Owning a Mac is a state of mind. Sorta like ether, or gagging on laughing gas.

2. I like Mac styling ... especially the optional colors. Colors, as everyone knows, helps computers run faster.

3. The Mac operating system is just better. Apple's first operating system was originally developed for people who had trouble typing. OSX carries this approach to the next level; now Macs are geared for people who have trouble reading.

4. Macs are easier to use. Especially for both programs (Photoshop & Illustrator) most Mac owners are familiar with.

5. Using a Mac is more intuitive. Than what, using a dishrag?

6. Mac does everything faster. Like fry their motherboards, raise prices on their peripherals, or reach obsolesence.

7. Macs are for creative people. More creative than me, because I can't imagine any good reason for owning one.

8. People who know computers use Macs. Yeah ... as doorstops.

9. I used to own a Windows PC but now I'm using a Mac. I'll bet you used to have a tricycle, too, but that doesn't explain why you're still whining.

10. Bill Gates is a space alien. Maybe... which would explain why technologically advanced civilizations use navigation systems stamped Intel Inside.

Let's Dance

Certain songs make ya just wanna get up and dance, and it happened to me again this morning.
Ignore the bad, very bad visuals of me bouncing around the room like an air-sick moth against a screen door ... and check out "She Used to Be Mine" by The Spin Doctors if you've never heard it.

ps. Next time you need to let out all the pieces of a broken heart, there's "She's Not You" also by The Spin Doctors.

Makes me bawl like a baby everytime, so don't make fun. Unless you've got an empty crab shell for a heart, you'll be spilling bucketfulls too.

Most ROMANTIC Song Ever

Yesterday was Tough Tuesday, I gotta tell ya. Yesterday morning motion-graphics guru Ken called and had me convinced it was Wednesday, and I suffered badly all day for it. Already this morning I been slapped around real good [see "How Many People with ADD Does It Take to Change A Lightbulb?" here: avclub.us] and there's an army of angry blondes picketing outside the house with signs like I Aren't Stupid and Some of My Best Friends Use Lip Liner.

But it's OK ... here's the Most Romantic Song ever.

"Love" - Traffic - When the Eagles Flies (1974)

Everything's suddenly, happily much better ya'll.

Q: Why do blondes wear ponytails?
A: To hide the valve stem

A Peroxide Moment

No one likes to be ridiculed. I'm hoping to encourage a sincere, meaningful dialogue by frankly and openly presenting just a few of the stereotypes used to portray one group of misunderstood, widely criticized, hard-working, patriotic, intelligent members of our society.

Right ... whatever.

Q: How do blonde brain cells die?
A: Alone.

Q: What's the difference between a blonde and a grocery cart?
A: The grocery cart has a mind of its own.

Q: How do you make a blonde's eyes light up?
A: Shine a flashlight in her ear.

Ok I tried, but not very hard, to resist ... :-)

Equal Time for Blondes

After receiving a fairly insistent e-mail from a high-powered no-nonsense attorney out in LA, who after reading Saturday's blonde joke threatened to litigate me with enough thunder to rattle the loose change out from under my sofa cushions if I didn't straighten up & start acting right, I figured I'd better post something positive about blondes ASAP:

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured, blonde princess happened upon a frog as she sat on the shore of her quiet pond in a romantic meadow near her castle.

The frog jumped into the princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am. And then my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children and shuttle them around the village in a minivan, mow my grass, rub my back, go grocery shopping and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

Later that evening, as the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sauteed frogs legs delicately seasoned in an onion cream sauce she chuckled, smiled to herself and thought. . . .

"I don't think so, my dear prince."

Natural Male Enhancement

Ketchup Day

Sometimes Mondays feel like you've been running the Indy 500 all week, only to find yourself so far back you've already been lapped twice by the truck selling ice cream in pit row.

I hate falling behind even more than I hate ice cream. And I've got zero love for ice cream ... unless it's been fried.

Today became Catch Up Day, the 15 hours of push n' rush.

Didn't get all the quarrelsome giants slain (grocery shopping, hair cut, carpets shampooed, yard mowed, car washed & vacuumed, Luke enrolled in middle school), but at least a few Goliaths got pebbles tossed in their direction.

PS. I read somewhere that if the flu's been making ya Spill the Chip Dip, the best thing to drink to stay hydrated is flat ginger ale. And it's no old wives tale ... chicken soup really works. These are in order of effectiveness:

• Knorr's Chicken Flavor Chicken Noodle
• Campbell's Home Cookin' Chicken Vegetable
• Campbell's Healthy Request Chicken Noodle
• Lipton Cup-O-Soup, Chicken Noodle
• Progresso Chicken Noodle

New Lies ... or Repackaging the Oldest Lie?

Tonight at 8PM EDT the National Geographic Channel will present "The Gospel of Judas," a two hour documentary boasting, "One of the most significant biblical finds of the last century—a lost gospel that could challenge what is believed about the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus."

According to web sources, "In this version, Jesus asked Judas, as a close friend, to sell him out to the authorities, telling Judas he will 'exceed' the other disciples by doing so. " [nytimes.com]

The star in tonight's melodrama is a papyrus manuscript which was uncovered in Egypt during the 1950s-1960s. Its original owners did not understand its significance until recently, according to the Swiss Maecenas Foundation. Carbon dating suggests the ink and papyrus is of the appropriate time period, but the provenance of the manuscript remains obscure ... and at least a bit suspicious.

In any event, the manuscript never indicates that Judas Iscariot actually penned the original text, or offer any hints about who did.

Somehow the notion that for almost 2000 years Christians have been "deceived" by the "incompleteness" of the canonnical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and that the "Gospel of Judas" offers irrevocable proof of a conspiracy to conceal the truth from believers, has whipped agnostics and atheists into a slobbering, chest-pounding frenzy.

It's probably not coincidence that "The Gospel of Judas" is airing tonight; "The Da Vinci Code" opens next week on May 19. That film's plot suggests the Vatican suppressed proof that Jesus was actually married, and had a child by Mary Magdalene who, following the crucifixion, escaped Israel with their child.

What's suggested by both the "Gospel of Judas" and "The Da Vinci Code" is that Jesus Christ was a fraud, an ordinary man and an imposter, and that the accounts detailing the factual events of Christ's life were subsequently either ignored, destroyed or altered and conformed to fit the Vatican's theological and political agendas.

But is there really anything new under the sun here?

In John 8:44 Jesus said, For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. NLT [italics added]

The enemy may try his hardest, but neither "The Da Vinci Code" nor the "Gospel of Judas" amount to a pebble falling against the fortress of God's Kingdom.

It is Saturday, after all

Two bowling teams, one of all Blondes and one of all Brunettes, charter a double-decker bus for a weekend trip to Louisiana.

The Brunette team rode on the bottom of the bus, and the Blonde team rode on the top level.

The Brunette team down below really whooped it up, having a great time, when one of them realized she hadn't heard anything from the Blondes upstairs.

She decided to go up and investigate. When the Brunette reached the top, she found all the Blondes frozen in
fear, staring straight ahead at the road, clutching the seats in front of them with white knuckles.

The brunette asked, "What the heck's going on up here? We're having a great time downstairs!"

One of the Blondes looked up at her, swallowed hard and
whispered.......

YEAH, BUT YOU'VE GOT A DRIVER!

Why Yellow?

1997 Land Rover XD Discovery
Standard equipment includes roof rack, cargo ladder, XD wheels, offroad suspension, fog lights, weather band radio, waterproof seat covers, brush bar, mud flaps and 4mm steel skid plate. Not available with sun roof, CD player, lighted makeup mirror, power seats, heated seats, leather seats, Bose speakers or baby wipes. In AA Yellow only.

The 2 Silliest Things I Ever Heard

#1 is Evolution.

Darwin's 1859 theory that life gradually evolved from dirt into single cell organisms, then into monkeys and finally into human beings sounds like a bad sci-fi cartoon plot from the psychedelic 60s.

Evolution tells us that given enough time, dirt will turn itself into human beings. Evolution teaches that the least educated dirt created "supernatural intervention" to explain its existence. But since scientists have yet to irrevocably prove evolution by turning a single test tube of dirt into a bull frog, much less a human being, arguing in favor of evolution would seem to require a leap of faith bordering on the supernatural.

Until evolutionists show us absolute test tube proof, let's define "evolution" according to what it's been since 1859 ... a superstition.

The Second Silliest Thing I've heard is that atheism is not a religion.

Atheists argue that religion exists as a faith system because human beings are aware of the inevitability of death. Without the existence of a divine or supernatural Creator, therefore, religion was created by man to provide a description and explanation of what happens after death, and to define a conduct code consistent with continued existence in an afterlife.

Because not every faith system accepts the existence of a supernatural supreme being or an afterlife, those systems must simultaneously (1) identify Man as a potential supreme being, (2) deny the persistence of a human soul into an afterlife and (3) impose an internally-created moral code of behavior.

Let's go right down the list: atheism teaches that nothing happens after death because death is the end of existence, that since there is no God man is the supreme being, and that therefore every code of conduct created by men is potentially morally equivalent.

Sure sounds like the aetheist faith system is a religion ... so why do aetheists argue in favor of "separation of church and state" and then feel entitled to willfully and so vehemently impose their faith system, including the evolution superstition, on people of differing faiths?

Uh oh sorry, I gotta cut this blog short. I just saw Luke evolve into a chimpanzee, and we're still months away from my family reunion.

Porcelain

Go ahead n' smirk but I like Moby's Porcelain. Alot. After all this time it's only embarrassing just a little bit. Où êtes-vous?

SEND THIS TO 257 FRIENDS RIGHT AWAY!!!

I hate chain letters.

They arrive in your In-box with promises of instant wealth and good fortune, usually accompanied by dire predictions of the fate awaiting those who dare break the chain.

I despise the silliness of chain letters (and the folks who merrily pass them along) so much ... I decided to make one up:

Send This Along Right Away ...
Don't Break the Rattling Chains!

The poor guy in this photo recently went to a Clemson Women's basketball game with his friends. After trading his ticket for a corn dog and being denied admission, he asked 1 of his friends to take his picture on the parking lot. The friend taking the picture suddenly screamed and immediately began scraping the IPTAY decal from his bumper. 2 days later the friend collapsed at the Jockey Lot. Doctors said he became sick after ingesting cotton candy infected with boll weevils.

When the film in the digital camera was developed , the photo clearly shows there was a ghost standing right beside him (though friends claim the girl was actually a Middle Georgia Tech cheerleader).

Many people claim this story is a hoax and that the results were created with Photo Pro. However, the photo itself is scary and I'm sure you feel the same way I do ... Georgia can be very scary after dark. Here's what happened to people who received this chain letter:

-A navy officer sent this letter to 13 people and he was immediately promoted to general.
-A business man received this letter and threw it away..not believing in it.. and he lost his office keys within 13 days.
-A printed copy was carelessly left beside a dog which ate it. The dog became sick within 13 minutes and also mysteriously threw up.
-A man in Anderson ignored this letter. Something bad probably happened to him but he failed to make the connection.
-A woman in Easley got a bad haircut, and went to work without realizing it.

So you must send this e mail to 257 people Right Away for something good to happen to you. So people start sending! (but don't send this to the person you received it from. Please.)

Meantown Blues

Takes me a bit longer to get up and running smoothly in the mornings than it used to. Anybody who's tried pull-starting a weedeater after the temperature dips below zero knows what I'm talking about. You gotta do things in a certain & exact order ... fiddle with the priming bulb, adjust the throttle, and play with the trimmer head.

I've got my first hour down to something like this:

4:10 AM Wake up
4:11 AM Let Luke out
4:12-4:41 AM: Clean up Luke's "library"
(Luke enjoys eating hard-cover books after scanning for pictures)
4:42-4:44 AM: Start coffee & ramen noodles
4:45- 4:46 AM: Snicker while Luke exercises cats
4:47 AM: Start start-up music
4:48-5:10 AM: Check e-mail, blogs
5:11-7:06 AM: Search for misplaced coffee cup

If coffee and ramen noodles is breakfast, then Start-Up Music is surely dessert.

I did Daft Punk first-thing for a while, then realized repeated exposure to Da Funk at 747 takeoff volume was causing my major organs to start swapping places.

Robert Johnson Tuesday:
Stones in My Pathway
Love In Vain
Ramblin' On My Mind
Last Fair Deal Gone Down
Kind Hearted Woman
Terraplane Blues
(Incredible ... just 1 guy, 5 fingers, and 1 KG-14 guitar)

First 3 from It Must Be LOST Wednesday:
Meantown Blues - Johnny Winter Live
Got This Thing On the Move - Grand Funk Railroad
Kick Out the Jams - MC5

ps. For Dog Thursday Luke suggested:
Take Me to the Sunrise - Blues Image
Inside Looking Out - Grand Funk Railroad
Combination of the Two - Big Brother & The Holding Company


I'd get Luke a Dog-pod if he'd just quit reading so many books ...

Don't Go To Sleep Yet!

On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00am in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

Whoa. I mean, Dude ...

Gator Nation

I found another one of those infernal spam “Personality Quizzes” in my Inbox this morning. In general I think they’re about as useful as hair-growing suntan lotions but I’m passing this one along just for fun … enjoy.

This is a real test given by the Human Relations Department at a major corporation here in the US. The Personality Survey is pretty accurate … there are only 10 questions and it takes less than 2 minutes to get a result.

Have a paper and pencil ready before you begin. When you're done be sure to make a copy of your results, and send it to all your friends.

1 When do you feel at your best?
a) in the morning
b) during the afternoon & and early evening
c) late at night

2. You usually walk...
a) fairly fast, with long steps
b) fairly fast, with little steps
c) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
d) less fast, head down
e) very slowly

3. When talking to people you.
a) stand with your arms folded
b) have your hands clasped
c) have one or both your hands on your hips
d) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
e) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with ...
a) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
b) your legs crossed
c) your legs stretched out or straight
d) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with ...
a) big appreciated laugh
b) a laugh, but not a loud one
c) a quiet chuckle
d) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you ...
a) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
b) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
c) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're
interrupted....
a) welcome the break
b) feel extremely irritated
c) vary between these two extremes

8 Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) Red or Orange
b) Black
c) Yellow or light Blue
d) Green
e) dark Blue or Purple
f) White
g) Brown or Gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before
going to sleep you are …
a) stretched out on your back
b) stretched out face down on your stomach
c) on your side, slightly curled
d) with your head on one arm
e) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are ...
a) falling
b) fighting or struggling
c) searching for something or somebody
d) flying or floating
e) you usually have dreamless sleep
f) your dreams are always pleasant


POINTS:
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2 (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a ) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now, add up the total number of points and check below for the grouping you fit into.

Over 60 Points: You typically make quiet, unobtrusive arrivals and don’t mind waiting before making your presence known. But once you're on the scene, you establish yourself quickly and make yourself the center of attention. You aren’t afraid of introducing yourself to others wherever you go... most people think of you the same way they do the flu.

51 to 60 Points: You believe shrimp grow on flowering shrubs and have pets with names like “Hair Brush” and “Dish Rag.” You enjoy stealing silverware from Long John Silver's and believe Martha Stewart sends you urgent lifestyle management updates through her catalogs.

41 to 50 Points: You are not only the reason for Brad and Jennifer's break-up, but Tom Cruise would leave Katie Holmes to spend time in outer space with you. Dr. Phil is currently negotiating with Michael Moore to produce a feature-length film based on your life, and France is considering renaming Paris in your honor.

31-40 Points: You’re often incapacitated with imaginary illnesses and have cut the pockets from your jeans to prevent germs from accumulating on loose change. You also believe hair grows because it gets wet and enjoy MP3’s of the sounds your tennis shoes make in the dryer.

20-39 Points: You take pride in being conventional. You are slow to embrace new ideas and remain technologically challenged by pay telephones. Your idea of quiet time is hiding in the bushes and barking at the mailman. There is no compelling reason why you should be allowed to reproduce, either accidentally or intentionally.

10 to 19 Points: You are generally oversensitive, easily angered and selfish, but can also be intolerant and borderline schizophrenic. You talk to light bulbs and enjoy unrolling hundred-yard lengths of aluminum foil at bedtime. Most people think you're dim-witted, and laugh a lot behind your back. Your mom is one of them.

9 Points Or Less: When angry or upset you prefer spending time alone, usually under the kitchen table making hissing and spitting noises like a rabid cat. You enjoy watching MTV and drawing smiley faces on the TV screen with magic markers. Most people would rather peck and scratch dried corn from the dirt than spend time with you.

ps. GO GATORS!

Jambo Means Hello

A little less than a year ago I lost my last Ridgeback, Jambo, to cancer. At one time I had six Ridgebacks ... one by one they succumbed to either disease (4), fighting (1) or conscience-less drivers (1).

Jambo was 13 when cancer, the most patient lion, finally caught him.

Jambo is a ki-Swahili word meaning "Hello." Looking back maybe I shoulda named him mWendawazimu (crazy person) . As a puppy Jambo lived at the edge of control ... smart to a fault yet totally fearless ... leaving me to wonder if all the indigenous dog-genes had been quite bred out of him. But he relaxed (somewhat) in old age and became a real gentleman, my 24x7 guy.

The fearlessness never left him, he just got bored more quickly.

Old age brought years of indignity with incontinence, hip-crippling arthritis and cancer. Jambo survived all 3 for the first round without once seeming depressed or discouraged. But while cancer had all the time it needed to rest, regroup and return with new energy, Jambo did not. Maybe the hardest emotional thing was feeling the life flow from his body while the vet finished what I'd told myself would never happen.

Golly I miss him.

Buriani, babu. Utkaa hapa katika ini wangu maisha.

DaVinci says Wow, Baby! Yeah!

Thursday afternoon I got a quick glimpse of what the "DaVinci" tv commerical is gonna look like when it's complete. I also saw how much hard work's already gone into hand-tinting about a thousand individual cells to create the animation. My jaw hit Ken's mouse pad soon as he cued the music that will accompany the final product.

Hard to imagine any big city, not even New York or L.A., having a local TV production department that could produce a commercial with this kind of dedication, creativity and ingenuity.

From what little I know about Leonardo, if he were alive today I'm guessing he'd be more intrigued & excited about New Spring's commercial than he'd be about the best-selling but totally fictional book bearing his name.

Who said church can't be exciting?

www.newspring.cc
www.avclub.us

Laundry List = Dryer Blues

I don't mind doing laundry, really I don't.

What I can't do is fold. My folded jeans look like either seaweed you find washed up on the beach, or a bad facelift on a sunny day. One leg is always shorter than the other, so I end up walking with a limp and slightly tilted to one side.

When I try folding a shirt, it ends up looking like the one of the losers in an Ultimate Fighting championshionship.

I think my dryer is the problem, because my clothes always come out much too dry. I know they're too dry because I get shocked every time I touch a sock. But tomorrow I'm unplugging the dryer, so my clothes can dry naturally, after I put them on.

Maybe I'll start getting a better fit and besides, I'm tired of having the dryer eat my favorite socks.