Monday, March 23, 2009

Heat of the Moment, Dog Fight, -and- Crime and Punishment


Heat of the Moment - "global warming" simply no longer happening
Dog Fight - non-kosher hot dogs spark unholy war
Crime and Punishment - teens facing possible 25-year sentence for brutal cat killing

On this day in history: March 23, 1997 - Heaven's Gate suicides leave 39 dead, all wearing Nike shoes.

Born on this day in history: March 23, 1908 - Joan Crawford (1908 - 1977) Born in San Antonio, TX, actress Joan Crawford began in silent and became a star in the 1930s and 1940s, winning an Oscar for "Mildred Pierce" (1945). After her death, adopted daughter Christine published a critical biography, "Mommie Dearest," which was filmed in 1981.

Scripture of the Day: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!...For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. - Romans 11:33-36

Video of the Day: Water





Imagine my surprise when I encountered this scene while driving to my office this morning. Click to enlarge.






iPhones: I ordered two iPhones. I intend for them to replace our Motorola RAZR cell phones and our HP iPAQs. Additionally, I intend to discontinue our land line.

The Weekend: The rain that was forecast for Saturday and Sunday did not arrive. It did rain briefly Saturday night, but otherwise the weekend was dry—albeit very windy and uncomfortably cold.

Friday evening, we enjoyed a Garlic Chicken pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. It was delicious. We watched the first four episodes of season 2 of "Boston Legal." We chortled merrily as we watched these episodes.

Saturday morning, I made sausage patties, potatoes O'Brien, fried eggs, and biscuits for brunch. It was an excellent meal.

I did not brave the wind Saturday. I grilled indoors—producing a nice charring on a package of Johnsonville brats. We made sandwiches with Colombo sourdough rolls, brats, sliced white onion, sliced Jalapeño, sliced cluster tomato, and condiments. Laura toasted the Colombo rolls under the broiler in the conventional oven while I grilled the brats. It was a very tasty meal.

During the day, we watched several episodes of "DEA" on Spike TV.

Saturday evening, we watched "Fireproof." This starts with Caleb, the fire captain, (Kirk Cameron) chewing out a trainee at the fire station for leaving his partner behind during a house fire. Caleb was most emphatic, you NEVER leave your partner behind. It then shows him going home and how horrible his married life is now. He argues with his wife Catherine (Erin Bethea), over money and how chores are divided (he does none). She fires back with his time on the computer, not family-friendly Web sites, and how he has saved $24,000 for his boat, not a common goal. Caleb calls his father who tells him he will come in the next day to see him. His dad does and tells him that he needs Jesus in his life and Caleb disagrees, but agrees to hold off on the divorce for 40 days. His dad promises to send him a package. The next day, Caleb gets a hand written book from his father called the Love Dare. The movie ends with them retaking their vows as Christians. We thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and I highly recommend it.

Sunday, following service at Harvest Christian Center, I made biscuits, sausage patties, and fried eggs.

During the day, we watched several episodes of "Planet Earth" on HD Theatre. This is an incredible series. I highly recommend it.

I braved the gale-force wind and grilled outdoors. I grilled two huge New York strip steaks until they were perfectly charred on the outside and rare in the center. I baked two large russet potatoes and made a vegetable dish, consisting of corn, thinly sliced carrot, julienned white onion, diced Jalapeño, and seasonings. We had sour cream with chopped chives on the potatoes. Laura used teriyaki sauce as a dipping sauce for her steak. I enjoyed wasabi with mine. We enjoyed an excellent bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. It was a wonderful meal.

Sunday evening, we watched "The Ultimate Gift." Drew Fuller plays Jason Stevens, the spoiled grandson of a deceased billionaire (James Garner) whose expectations from the will are put off while he is led through several tasks designed to make him a better person. Along the way, he meets and befriends a young girl named Emily, played by Abigail Breslin (just before "Little Miss Sunshine" hit the theatres and made her a big star). Her mother, Alexia, played by Ali Hillis. The movie is entertaining, albeit predictable, and evocative. I recommend it.