Expiration Date

I can't believe I forgot to post about this. ON August 5th I drank a glass of milk from a gallon that had a July 20th expiration date. It boggles the mind!!!!

Family is Great to Have Around

Well, I find it harder and harder to share my thoughts on this blog. I am so tired of my short attention span generation. Anywho, my bro was in town this weekend, so we had a chance to hang out and spend some time together, especially playing some baseball on Xbox...which pretty much proved that we are equals at that game, but I still own everyone in my family when it comes to DDR. My sister came out on Sunday to do laundry and to hang out with all of us. That was a total blessing, and I hope she will continue to come out to do laundry because we loved having her over. Man that was fun. Finally, Shannon and I went to the Dodger game last night and cheered them on to victory. I find myself wanting to go to more and more games. Sadly, we miss our friends Heather and Aaron very much, and I find myself getting bummed at least once a day. Cooking meat on the Big Green Egg just isn't the same without Aaron by my side. I will post some pictures soon of our Oregon vacation and of the game on Monday.

Peace out

Fast Food Nation

I knew that I would eventually need to read this bestseller by Eric Schlosser. It was one of those books that I knew I should read, but that it would change the habits I had for eating out. Well, I must say that it was completely worth it. I need to read through the book again, but I was impressed with the overall picture that Schlosser paints historically, and by looking at all the different aspects of the industry. Schlosser looks at the overall dream and development of Carl's Jr. and McDonald's, while painting a picture of the different type of industry it is now. I will no longer eat at this larger chain fast food joints because of the treatment of employees, meat slaughtering practices, poor working conditions in the slaughter houses, and the chemical process in much of the food. I highly recommend this read, but beware of the change it might make in your eating.

Tri-Tip, the Fourth, and Fireworks over the Freeway

So, we went all out for the meal this fourth, preparing three 1.5lb tri-tips, marinated for three days in Johnnie D's Angus Steak Marinade. We pulled the tri-tips out an hour before cook time, patted it down, and coated it with Pecan Rub (recipe from the Ugly Brothers). We cooked it over hickory wood, slow smoked for 1.5 hours at 250-275 degrees. It was amazing, pink throughout from the smoke, and the entire meal was a success. Later, Shannon and I went for a quick walk, and we watched the fireworks while standing over the 210 freeway.

Full load of 100% charcoal in the BGE

The tri-tips were done in a v-rack in a roasting pan so it could be cooked with indirect heat.

Aaron and I enjoying the view in the BGE

Adding hickory to the 100% lump charcoal.

This is what the tri-tips looked like after being in the BGE for 1.25 hours at 250-275 degrees.

Here we are taking the tri-tips off after searing them for 8 minutes at 550 degrees.

Here is the grilled pineapple. Sprinkled with a little salt to bring out the flavor. This smelled amazing when you opened the Big Green Egg. It smelled like a dessert all on its own.

Here is one of the tri-tips sliced and looking nice and pink from the smoking process.

Here is the final product. Great tri-tip with sauted mushrooms, grilled pineapple, baked beans and cole-slaw. Aaron, the beans were amazing.

Jay-Zeezer

Well, I am not normally a fan of rap and hip-hop, but I do realize it has a lot to do with the lack of time I have put into listening to the different genres of music. I was pointed to this site earlier today, and I have been loving it. It is a mix of the Weezer "Blue" album and Jay-Z's Black album. If you are a Weezer fan, you will want to give this a listen. But be careful, because you might start to like the tempo of Jay-Z's rapping.

Some Good Eats

Well,

I would post about the amazing steaks we had last night, but Aaron Friesen did that for me. So, check out his post and pictures.

Some Good Hip Hop

Thanks to my man Wess, I have been enjoying some free Danger Doom hip hop courtesy of adult swim.

Much to Rejoice

This weekend has been one of those kind where there is so much to be thankful for and to rejoice about. My family was down for graduation, and we were able to spend it in our new place. So far I have really enjoyed homeownership, however, I have come into contact with the "list". Basically, as you go about the home, you realize all these things you either need to do or would like to do, and immediately there is a list of things to improve in your head. I know that I need to pace and relax myself, so I can truly enjoy the journey and not lose sight of the fun of this adventure with Shannon. Take for example right now. I am sitting outside on our patio, enjoying the bottle of red wine my brother brought back from France, and loving the 70 degree temperature on a lazy Sunday night, and breaking in the Big Green Egg BBQ I received this weekend as a graduation gift. I seriously cannot wait to BBQ some food on this thing. I was trying to explain to Shannon just how good the chicken would be, and she just rolled her eyes as I held back tears. It will be that good, and I will post some pics of the final product...if I remember. Well, I will continue to enjoy this night outside, in the cool breeze, enjoying my glass of wine with the smell of 100% lump charcoal. Ahhh, it is so good.

Emergent Conversation

Tony Jones offers two great articles (scroll down for the first one) on the Emergent movement. I am always struck by how the Modern world has a hard time not boxing people into definitions or labels. I know that living with some ambiguity was one of the hardest things for me when I joined this conversation, but now it is incredibly liberating.


BTW thanks to JR for the link to these articles.

Where do you fall in the Theological scale?

This is how I came out in the theological/doctrine test to see where I fall.



You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology.
You feel alienated from older forms of church,
you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern		79%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		54%
Neo orthodox		54%
Roman Catholic		46%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		43%
Modern Liberal		32%
Classical Liberal		29%
Reformed Evangelical		21%
Fundamentalist		11%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Pat Robertson--He will Pump You Up

You need to check out CBN's website, saying that Pat Robertson can leg press 2000 pounds. Nope, I did not make a typo, but I hope they did.