Phone Home - cell-phone excuse: "I was warming my ear."
To Serve and Protect - Arkansas bailiff forgets inmate, suspended but keeps job
Brave New Schools - girl saves students, gets detention
On this day in history: February 17, 1948 - The Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club is founded in San Bernardino, California by veterans of World War II. Hell's Angels has 100 chapters globally, with more than 1600 members.
Born on this day in history: February 17, 1972 - Mia Hamm (1972-) Soccer player. Born Mariel Margaret Hamm on March 17, 1972 in Selma, Alabama. Largely considered the best female soccer player in history, Hamm played with the United States women's national soccer team for 17 years, building one of the biggest fan bases of any American ahtlete.
Scripture of the Day: Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. - Philippians 3:17
Video of the Day: Redneck Art from BBQ Ribs - submitted by Jay
Are you talkin' to me?
The weather was relatively good over the weekend, in that the rain that was forecast did not appear. Temperatures were lower than they were earlier in the week: Temperatures were in the high 60s Friday and Saturday and reached just over 70 degrees on Sunday. Unfortunately, Sunday also hosted fierce winds—ruining what would otherwise have been a perfect day for washing Mr. Nitro. I had planned to wash him on Sunday, but the wind kept me from doing so. Perhaps this weekend will provide nice vehicle-washing weather.
Harvest Christian Center held a fundraising event for a young member who is attending a Christian college in Texas. I made Pasta a Modena. Saturday morning, I handed a stainless-steel bowl of ingredients to Laura (minced garlic, diced white onion, diced red bell pepper, sliced white mushrooms, diced Roma tomatoes, and sliced Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage). Laura put extra-virgin olive oil and Cabernet Sauvignon in a large sauté pan, added the ingredients from the stainless-steel bowl, and seasoned with Italian seasoning, ground black pepper, and Tony Chachere's More Spice. She tended to the simmering vegetables and sausage—stirring gently every 20 minutes—for two hours. She then added a jar of Classico marinara sauce and stirred thoroughly. She turned off the heat, allowed the pan to cool, and placed it in the refrigerator.
After the early service Sunday, I returned home to complete the Pasta a Modena. Laura is singing on the worship team this month. She stayed to sing during the late service—following which she taught in the nursery. I placed the pan of sauce on the stove and set the burner to low. After two hours, I cooked a package of Barilla Thick Spaghetti until al dente, drained, and incorporated into the sauce. When Laura arrived, she moved the pasta to a large aluminum-foil pan, covered with the supplied plastic lid, and transported it to the church. She returned home after delivering the pasta—with a caution that the sauce was a bit spicy.
We were both tired. We watched a marathon of "Cops: Under Fire." For dinner, we had a deli pizza from Safeway. It was delicious and very large. We managed to eat only half of it. Today is a "normal day" on our food calendar. I brought a piece of leftover pizza and a Pepsi Max to the office with me and enjoyed it while producing this blog entry.
