I am full of suprises

Those of you who have some in-depth understanding of my relationship with the cinema, know I don't have a great fondness in my heart for The Lord of the Rings. So how do I explain this?



Last night, I joined a couple of friends to see a showing of LOTR: The Two Towers at Wolf Trap. And the score was played live by an orchestra. It. Was. Phenomenal. I can't get over how great a job the musicians and vocalists did. They had a full orchestra, complimented by a choir and soloists for the solo vocals. I don't know the movie inside and out, but they seemed to be right on in their timing and it was truly easy to catch oneself not realizing that the music you were hearing wasn't in the movie, but was actually being played live. Super cool. If you have the chance to check it out, whether you're a LOTR fan or not, it's a neat musical experience. I'd recommend it.

Restaurant Week

Lots of big cities have Restaurant Weeks (RW). It's a way to encourage people to dine out and the prices get people out to try new restaurants. They have a very small RW in Harrisburg that I think included three or four establishments.

So Hershey has decided to get back into the act. The hitch is that it's not the city of Hershey, but rather all the sit-down establishments owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts. So it's more like a Corporate Hershey RW. But the menus (there are limited menus to choose from) look pretty neat for some of the more high end places like Harvest and the Circular Dining Room.

More info here.

Yahoo

Hey everybody! It's been a little while. I've been busy. Growing my beard.

It's true. While on vacation, I took the opportunity to grow a little facial hair. We'll see how long it lasts. At least until this weekend.

I ran eight miles on Saturday. I took so long that my folks got concerned. I'm running nine miles this Saturday. I'm looking forward to it. Seriously.

While I'm talking about running, I thought it would be fun to try to raise some money for Forgotten Voices. My nieces participated in a jogathon last year, where they got sponsors to sponsor them as they ran laps around the parking lot. I thought I could do that too. So here's the deal, go here and donate a couple of dollars to this cause. They're showing love to children in Africa, many of them who don't have parents of their own to love on them. I'll do my part and run my half-marathon next month. Deal?

Tennesse

I apologize for not getting up pictures of sweet potato pancakes for y'all to salivate over. The connection here is on the slow side and so I've decided to just wait on posting pictures until I get home.

But if I was posting pictures, not only would I post pics of pancakes, but also of cupcakes from Gigi's, barbeque from Neely's, chicken roll-ups from Zoe's Kitchen, and chicken and dumplins from Southern Bred. I would also post pictures of the General Lee, Mac Powell, and the Parthenon.

"Having a good time, wish you were here!" That's what the postcard would say, if I would have sent you one. Sorry. But rest assured, you're in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm not so much looking forward to coming back home. But there will be another trip. Next month.

Greetings from the music city!

Hey y'all!

I'm currently vacationing down here in Music City, USA. I'm enjoying the extra sleep, the sweet tea and the local Whole Foods. This morning, we're headed down to the Pancake Pantry and this evening, we're headed out to see the first stop on the new Glory Revealed Tour. Mac Powell will be there, as will a bunch of other folks including Laura Story (Mighty to Save) and David Nasser.

Hard to believe that September is just around the corner. Hope y'all are well. Be on the lookout for pictures of pancakes later this week!

He's Back!!

Hat tip to the Bog.

When I used to work in the area

I used to eat at the Arby's nearby. It was either there, or across the street at Friendly's. That was when I wasn't so concerned about what I was eating. I've since learned my lesson and I don't frequent either business anymore. That, however, is a story for another day.

But when I used to go to Arby's, I always enjoyed being greeted by an older lady who seemed genuinely excited to see every customer that came in the door. She is super-nice and always seems to be bubbling joy. The local newspaper did a story on her today. Read it, and while you do, imagine an 89-year old woman yelling "Welcome to Arby's!"

Keep up the good work Pearl!

I made a quiche.

So, this whole "one new recipe a week" experiment has gotten off to a rough start. But last week, I made a quiche for the first time. It turned out pretty well.


The picture isn't much to look at, but everybody at work seemed to like it. So I took that as a good sign. The recipe (my mom's) calls for spicy pork sausage, but I used ground turkey that I tried to spice myself. It was edible, but it didn't work out nearly as well as I would have liked. But I made another quiche this morning that was meatless and contained green peppers (from the church garden!) and the taste (IMHO) was much better.

Today I feel a weight

The weight I feel is the weight of those without hope.

Last night, a man walked into a gym in suburban Pittsburgh and opened fire on a room full of women. This man was hope-less. He had a website and kept some sort of a journal. In an entry dated 01/05/09 he wrote:

Life is just playing games. One or two dates with her, then the end. No matter how many changes I try to make, things stay the same. Every evening I am alone, and then go to bed alone. Young women were brutal when I was younger, now they aren't as much, probably because they just see me just as another old man.
I see twenty something couples everywhere. I see a twenty something guy with a nice twentyish young women. I think those years slipped right by for me. Why should I continue another 20+ years alone? I will just work, come home, eat, maybe do something, then go to bed (alone) for the next day of the same thing. This is the Auschwitz Syndrome, to be in serious pain so long one thinks it is normal. I cannot wait for tomorrow!

It saddens to me to see the despair that people have in their lives. This fellow is many years older then I am, but I can somewhat relate to his frustration of being single. The difference, I know, is the hope that I have in Christ. I know that God has a plan for my life and I am trusting Him. There have been a few rough patches here and there, but my hope remains strong. Because I know on what my hope is built.

Make a difference in someone's life today. Offer a kind word or a smile. Or both!

Be love.

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

Today is President Obama's birthday. Please say a prayer for him today.

If I was on Twitter...

new Thai restaurant opening in Mechanicsburg.  hopefully the Thai Cafe is open by the end of the month.

If I was on Twitter

just finished 5-mile run that was only 4.75 on my pedometer.  I disagree.