Geeky Gloria Gaynor remix

Found this on YouTube today. Thought of the drama daughter while watching...

My wife loves me...

Want to know how I know this?

She got a haircut yesterday. Rather than wait and stew until I noticed, she walked right in and said,"I just got my hair cut, what do you think?" Not even I can screw that one up.

She is awesome.

Food Porn Last Day

Last day of Food Porn Week. Here is the King of all Food Porn. It combines all the necessary things into 1 large plate of yummyness.

The king of all Food Porn is "Aussie Cheese Fries" from Outback Steakhouse. Check out the picture, go ahead, look closely, revel in the greasy, fried food pornnness. It has a whopping 2,900 calories, 182 g fat and 240 g carbs. Enough to give heart failure to, err, feed an Ethiopian village.



For an authoritative endorsement check out this article.

These can be had here in America for about $7.00. In Singapore, however, they are a little more pricey.



And they are smaller:



Good reason as any not to move to Singapore...

Food Porn, Day 3

This picture is from the Mermaids Casino on the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas. This place could be the Mecca for Food Porn lovers. Check out the menu - Fried Oreos, French Fries and the subject of today's post, the Deep Fried Twinkie.

I have been clear in previous postings that I am a fan of bacon. I am also a fan of "fried". Almost anything can be made better if you can batter and deep fry it.



Put a stick in a twinkie, then freeze it. Deep fry it for a few minutes and you get food porn yummyness. Add some powdered sugar and some sprinkles and you are very close to perfection.

As a bonus, here are some fried Oreos:


This might be a reason to go to Vegas...

Food Porn Day 2

 

This is a Hardees "Thick Burger". Here is a link to an article discussing it. 

As with most good food porn, there is bacon...

Makes me wish we still had Hardee's restaraunts.

Food Porn Week, Day 1

After an exhausting couple of weeks of deep(comparitively) Rich Mullins postings, I am going back to my comfort zone of shallowness.

Here is Day 1 of Food Porn Week, dedicated to food lusters everywhere.

Gonna start on a high note to get you all hooked. No single food says "Food Porn" more than bacon. This is the "Ultimate Bacon Sandwich" The creators were kind enough to completely document the construction of this amazing treat. I am glad they went the health route with 'Low Sodium' bacon. Watch them in awe.

Um Um Good!

Wall Hawks?????

Saw this bus the other day at Church's Chicken. About 6 guys and 1 girl got out. All jeans, cowboy boots, big belt buckles, you know the story.

Anyway, who thought of Wall Hawks??

Wall Papers
Wall Hangings
Wall Flowers

Gotta be a better name than Hawks...

Let's help them.

Coming next week - more food porn (What is the best way to serve bacon?)

Rich Mullins Part 6, the finale

This is the last post on Rich Mullins. I have saved my favorite song for last. Today's song is called "Sometimes by Step" It is a continuation of the worship chorus, "Step By Step. It was first released in 1991 on the album "The World as Best as I Remember It, Vol. 1."

The chorus was written by David Strasser, aka Beaker . When Strasser was little, his friends thought he looked like Beaker the Muppet, and the name stuck. When Rich referred to him in conversation, he always called him Beaker. When Beaker was in the 7th grade, his youth pastor introduced them. They quickly became close friends and began writing and touring together. The collaborated on many songs, the first being ""Boy Like Me, Man Like You", along with other hits like "Maker Of Noses", "Creed" and "Peace". In the mid 90s, Beaker got married and retreated from his music career to focus on his family.

When Rich Mullins first heard the chorus, he joked that it would be such a huge hit, that he had to add some lyrics of his own to get some of the credit, hence the re release in 1992 on Vol. 2.

When my kids were little, we sang it all the time. I would start the chorus, and both of them would join in. This song, along with "Awesome God", became part of his legacy of worship. He left this world in the prime of his ministry, having touched an uncountable number of people with his grand, poetic lyrics and innovatively instrumented music.

Here are the lyrics:
Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already done

CHORUS:
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

CHORUS

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
(Sometimes the night was beautiful)
And I will follow You all of my days

Rich Mullins part 5

I missed the last 2 Rich Mullins posts last week. This one would have been Friday's.

Today’s song is “If I Stand.” It is from his 3rd album, “Winds of Heaven…Stuff of Earth. It was released in 1986. This was about when I first heard of him. The concert I mentioned earlier would have been about this time.

This is another song that carries the theme of nature scenes. I love how he compares the reality of the “stuff of earth” and the “allegiance…I owe only to the Giver...” Early in Rich’s career, he set up a team of advisers to handle his finances. They paid him a yearly salary around $24,000, equivalent to that of a common worker and gave the rest to various charities. Certainly “stuff of earth” did not mean as much to him as it does to me. He had taken a vow of poverty and stuck to it in the face of tremendous temptation, leading some to label him “monastic.”

Here are the lyrics:
There's more that rises in the morning than the sun
And more that shines in the night than just the moon
It's more than just this fire here that keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger than this room

And there's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That You will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

There's more that dances on the prairies than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother's when her baby's at her side

And there's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That You will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home.

Rich Mullins Part 4

Today’s song is “My Deliverer”. It is from the “Songs” album, released in 1996. It was the last album Rich Mullins released before his death in September, 1997. He and a friend were driving on I-39 north of Bloomington, Illinois to a benefit concert in Wichita, Kansas when his Jeep flipped over. Neither was wearing his seat belt and Rich was thrown from the Jeep. A passing tractor-trailer swerved to avoid the Jeep and killed him. If he had any time to think before he died, and lyrics came to his mind, they might very well have been the chorus from this song.

This is a much simpler song than the last ones. It has very few words, and is almost stark compared to the flowing nature scenes of others. It is simply a reminder that at all times, no matter what the circumstances,

“My Deliverer is coming- My Deliverer is standing by.”

Here are the lyrics:
Double-click it in the box to the left...
Joseph took his wife and her child and they went to Africa
To escape the rage of a deadly king
There along the banks of the Nile,
Jesus listened to the song that the captive children used to sing

They were singin'
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by

Through a dry and thirsty land, water from the Kenyon heights
Pours itself out of Lake Sangra's broken heart
There in the Sahara winds Jesus heard the whole world cry
For the healing that would flow from His own scars

The world was singing
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise - He has written it upon the sky

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
I will never doubt His promise though I doubt my heart, I doubt my eyes

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
He will never break His promise
Though the stars should break faith with the sky

My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by
My Deliverer is coming.

AI Top 4 Reject Show.

Castro is gone. 'nuff said.

Wednesday's song

Today’s song is “The Color Green.” It is from the album “A Liturgy, A Legacy & A Ragamuffin Band.” The band's name comes from Brennan Manning's 1990 book,” The Ragamuffin Gospel.” It defines ragamuffins as "the burdened, the wobbly and weak-kneed, the inconsistent, unsteady disciples... the smart people who know they are stupid... the honest disciples who admit they are scalawags.” Seems like a good way to define a follower of Christ to me. This album was released in 1993. Here is a video.

Like yesterday’s song, this one is full of expressive lyrics. While on the surface they seem to be about nature, there are deeper meanings. Which one of us doesn’t relate to “And the wrens have returned and they're nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again.” Rich was as master of reminding us how nature reveals the Creator and worships Him just by being. What if we lived like that?

Here are the lyrics:
And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise

And the wrens have returned and they're nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again
And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I'm amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise.

AI Top 4 Torture

Tonight's show was not as good as I had hoped. Lots of great songs and an unlimited number of arrangements to choose from. Not many good choices made.

Cook was strong. I love "Hungry Like a Wolf". Not a big Duran Duran fan, but they had a couple of good songs. He kind of played it safe. 2nd song was even better. I did not recognize the title, "Baba O'Riley", but got it once he started.Great job.

Each week, I get more tired of Gomer. The humbleness has worn on me and I am ready for him to go. Sadly though, he did a pretty good job with both songs. Kind of syrupy, though.

Syesha went for Tina Turner. Her dress was nice. Her choreography was awkward and forced. The 2nd song was too emotional for her, but not a bad job.

Castro was a train wreck. Bob Marley? What was up with that? Like Syesha doing Whitney Houston, you can never measure up. Bob Marley was unique for his time, and doesn't translate well for today. Who remembers Marley's version of " I Shot the Sheriff"anyway? We all remember Eric Clapton's, it was much better. The he went further down and did Bob Dylan. Another guy not known for the quality of his voice.
We all remember "Mr. Tambourine Man." It was by the Byrds, not Bob Dylan. Where were Simon and Garfunkle when Castro needed them.

Castro should go, but he seems to have more fans than Syesha

Rich Mullins Music Part 2

The next song is called “Calling Out Your Name.” It is from the album
“The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 1.” It was released in 1991. At the time, Rich was 36 years old, and had returned to college. From 1991 to 1995, he was enrolled at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, pursuing a B.A. in Music Education. He played French Horn in the band. He graduated in 1995 and received his teaching degree. He then moved to an Indian reservation in New Mexico where he taught music and art to local children.

Here are the lyrics:

Well the moon moved past Nebraska
And spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills
And angels danced on Jacob's stairs
Yeah, they danced on Jacob's stairs
There is this silence in the Badlands
And over Kansas the whole universe was stilled
By the whisper of a prayer, the whisper of a prayer

And the single hawk bursts into flight
And in the east the whole horizon is in flames
I feel the thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

I can feel the earth tremble
Beneath the rumbling of the buffalo hooves
And the fury in the pheasant's wings
And there's fury in a pheasant's wings
It tells me the Lord is in His temple
And there is still a faith
That can make the mountains move
And a love that can make the heavens ring
And I've seen love make heaven ring

Where the sacred rivers meet
Beneath the shadow of the Keeper of the plains
I feel thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

From the place where morning gathers
You can look sometimes forever 'til you see
What time may never know
What time may never know
How the Lord takes by its corners this old world
And shakes us forward and shakes us free
To run wild with the hope
To run wild with the hope

The hope that this thirst will not last long
That it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain
And I feel thunder in the sky I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out Your name

I think it's great how he shows the creation worshipping. The buffaloes, pheasants, the hawk, the sun and moon all acknowledge the Creator just by being. They don't have to do anything unusual, they just do what they were created to do.

What if it we recognized that is all God wants from us?

Rich Mullins music

I am not a big Christan music fan. However, there are a few songs that I like.
My favorite artist is Rich Mullins. I have always been a fan of his. Drama momma and I went to see him once at the Civic Center. She made me dress up, 
because that is what you are supposed to do when you go to concerts. I was not too happy about that part. When the show started, Rich came out bare-footed in old jeans. I was way overdressed.

Anyway, what a  great show. He had so much passion for people. It shows in his music. This weeks non-AI posts will be dedicated to my favorite Rich Mullins songs  and some info about his life.

The first song is Elijah. Double click it on the list. Turn up your speakers and just listen. Don't sing, just listen. Here are the lyrics: 

The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I'm begging for one last favor from You
Here's my heart take it where You will

This life has shown me how we're mended and how we're torn
How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
Well, if they dressed me like a pauper
Or if they dined me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind
I don't care

CHORUS:
But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

There's people been friendly but they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending I want to hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing I have ever found

But the Jordan is waiting
Though I ain't never seen the other side
They say you can't take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears

There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking
'Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
And when I do

But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
Well, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye

One thing that stands out his music is the quality of his lyrics. There is a great message, but he shares it with interesting words.
"Sometimes my ground was stony
and sometimes covered up with thorns"
and "So on the road to salvation 
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride"
are two examples.

AI Top 5 Reject Show

The night started with Ryan sticking up for Paula, "The rumors are not true, she is part of our family and we love her." Just because we love her and she is part of our family doesn't mean they are not true. It just means that the AI family is in denial.

Jason Castro is one lucky dude. Not at all the best singer, he just keeps surviving. Syesha survives also. Despite the fact that she is always in the bottom group, I think she is hitting her stride. I think the Andrew Lloyd Webber night was good for her.

David C. and Gomer will be the final 2. No doubt.

Brooke was a train wreck that kept happening in front of our eyes. She would go from 1 bad performance to the next. She would argue/talk back to the judges and cry a lot. She did have a couple of good performances, but overall 
she disappointed each time.

She was on Fox and Friends this morning. She got to talk to Carly Simon who had always been one of her idols. She loved Brooke's version of "You're So Vain."