Thursday, June 05, 2008

Fighting Back, Somebody's Watching You, -and- Fruit of the Vine


Fighting Back - Packers running back foils home intruder
Somebody's Watching You - cell phone users secretly tracked in study
Fruit of the Vine - alcohol cuts risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis

On this day in history: June 5, 1968 - Seconds after Senator Robert F. Kennedy is shot dead by Sirhan Sirhan in a Los Angeles hotel, witnesses wrestle the Palestinian to the ground and grab his smoking .22-caliber revolver. Sirhan later claims to have been acting unconsciously, possibly the result of hypnotic brainwashing.

Born on this day in history: June 5, 1878 - Pancho Villa (1878 - 1923) Born Doroteo Arango in Hacienda de Rio Grande, Mexico, revolutionary Pancho Villa fought against Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1909 and led the successful revolt against Victoriano Huerta in 1914. Although pardoned in 1920, Villa was assassinated.

Scripture of the Day: If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. - Romans 6:5

Video of the Day: Zürich Chamber Orchestra - Roller Coaster - submitted by Chris





The wind has abated! The fierce wind that has plagued us for several days has abated. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and clear, and birds are singing. It is likely that this weekend will benefit from beautiful weather.

Gasoline prices were disturbingly high this morning. At the Valero near our home, I noticed that current pricing for 89-octane gasoline is $4.55 per gallon. Yikes! I do not drive much, hence I fill Mr. Nitro's tank infrequently. I do not generally view the gasoline prices as I pass Valero each morning. Something bade me look this morning. Although Mr. Nitro's fuel mileage is certainly better than many SUVs (18.5 MPG city / 23.5 MPG highway), it is significantly lower than that of Laura's Toyota Yaris, which averages 40 MPG. Since Laura commutes to Chico each weekday, she is continually made aware of the high fuel costs. For me, this morning's revelation was shocking.

For dinner last evening, I removed the meat from the bones of the leftover baby back ribs, added it to the leftover beans, and stirred in cooked penne that remained unused from a previous meal. I made small cubes of extra-sharp cheddar cheese. We placed the cheese cubes in bowls and topped with the beans, rib meat, and penne. It was delicious.