Crab Cakes or Petit Fillet?

That was the question which faced me tonight when I sat down for dinner. I ate lunch with a friend at Applebee’s (neighbor hood bar and grill, of course) and had a 9 oz. sirloin there, because it was about the most appetizing item on the post-Katrina menu, and after all, I had passed up Italian food to have a steak! But I forgot tonight was my big night—my first time, if you know what I mean.

That’s it girls, tonight was my first time… at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The choice of entrées set before me included crab cakes and the petit fillet. I always enjoy crab cakes, but the steak!!! So that’s what I had—the petit fillet medium with blueberry cheesecake for desert. The steak just melted in my mouth.

The second best part of the evening was that I did not have to pay for it. It was part of a continuing education program advertised at work. Quite possibly the best corn-fed beef known to the planet and I got it for FREE!

Oprah has hers, I’ll have mine

That is a reading list, not a television talk show, but I might be working on the latter. As for the former, some people play blog-tag to get others to lists their favorite books. I have never been tagged and I would be hard pressed to catalog my favorites.

Instead of listing my favorites, I am going to list the books that I will try to complete reading by the end of the summer. During school, it is very difficult to read the books that I want to read because I am reading so many that I have to read. I’m not saying that I do not enjoy reading the books that my professors assign because I usually do enjoy the reading. However, the school books are often not on my “to read immediately” list. So I’m going to make a list like Oprah and invite everyone to read along. Here are the books that I want to read this summer:

• Chris Rose’s 1 Dead in Attic.—This is a collection of editorials by Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose which provides a glimpse into the day-to-day life of individuals in post-Katrina New Orleans. I have already read it (it’s a good, quick read) and offers a behind the “official” news account of what happened in the weeks and months after the storm.
• Richard D. White, Jr.’s Kingfish: The reign of Huey P. Long—I like to read about Louisiana politics and it has been a while since I have read any in this genre. My dad said I would like the book and that White is a very good writer. I look forward to reading this book.
• Donald Miller’s Through Painted Deserts—I read Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What last fall in between the Katrina and the re-beginning of our semester. I thought both were insightful, though not perfect. I think I will enjoy learning more of Miller’s perspective on traditional Christianity and how to relate the faith to post-modern individuals.
• John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart—A friend once told me something to the effect that “this book would help you be a man” or that “your not a real man until you read this book.” I read a couple of his books and thought they were alright, but not great.
• R.G. Lee’s Payday Someday: And other sermons by Robert Greene Lee—I’ve had this book a while and wanted to read it. I hope I get the time.
• John Piper’s The Pleasures of God and Let the Nations Be Glad—I had to read these books for my Spiritual Formation classes in seminary, but was rushed to read the chapters between required reading for Baptist History, Church History, and Old Testament, not to mention translating Hebrew. Now, with a little more time on my hands and a little more theology under my belt, maybe I can actually be able to understand what Piper is attempting to convey.
• Douglas Brinkley’s The Great Deluge—My dad wants to read it and kinda’ recommended it to me. I hope we both enjoy it.
• So, what am I reading now? I’m reading Faulkner. This is cheesy because this was on the reading list that Oprah put out last summer. I always enjoyed the excerpts and short stories I read by Faulkner both in high school and college. I am now reading As I Lay Dying and then I will read The Sound and the Fury and Light in August.

C’mon, read along!

What’s Up?

It has been a while since I updated you about my life, so here comes the update. I finished school last week and finished poorly, though I did not force myself into a caffeine induced insomnia to complete my school work. My work schedule had me working two weekends in a row (which is not supposed to happen), but it worked out so that I could spend Mother’s Day weekend at my parents’ house. That was good, but I missed two weekends of UL baseball.

So what’s up? I’ve been working my tail off at work. Like I went home for five hours last night so that I could come back to work for 14 hours (I was coming back to cover for someone who called in). But, the money is needed; you know rent is due on the first.

I am looking forward to Vacation Bible School in St. Martinville in a couple of weeks. It means getting a week off of work and relaxing for a while—well, as much as you can around 1st-6th graders!

I’ll keep you informed about what’s goin’ on, like I plan on going to the Quarter next week. I’ll take some pictures for ya. Now, ya’ll keep in touch too.

Music Speaks Volumes

On the way home from work today, I heard the Def Leppard song, “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Big deal, hugh? Well it is a big deal because 3 years ago I was accosted during this song.

Some friends and I had traveled to San Antonio that hot summer day and the one person who was driving refused to stop so anyone could eat. By the time we got to the hotel and on the River Walk, most of the places were closing, save for the Hard Rock. When we went inside and were waiting for our table, this song was playing and a waiter came up to me and started dancing ON ME. This was right at the point where the song goes “I’m hot, sticky sweet; from my head to my feet, yeah.” NO, NO, NO!

Well, this is the last weekend of Jazzfest in New Orleans. I worked last weekend (the first weekend of the festival) and I was planning on going home this weekend, though I have to work again, so I won’t make the festival or the visit with my parents. However, in honor of the festival, I pulled out some old CDs of the people who were playing—like Bruce Springsteen. I also started listening to some John (Cougar) Mellencamp.

You know how lyrics begin to stick in your head? It’s always been that way with a few of Mellencamp’s songs, like “Hurt So Good” and “Jack and Diane”, but now it has happened with “I Need a Lover.” It is not a good thing to be going around work singing:

I need a lover that won’t drive me crazy
Some girl who’ll thrill me and then go away
I need a lover that won’t drive me crazy
Some girl that knows the meaning of ah-
Hey hit the highway!

Not very good at all!

Newsflash!

New Orleans (JB)—Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, along with other emergency officials including the fire chief and Home Land Security officers, announced the plan for avoiding catastrophe and chaos in the event of a storm this hurricane season. The keystone of the plan is personal responsibility. People will not be allowed to just go to the Superdome at the last minute. Instead, individuals who do not have the means to leave the city by themselves, must find a way to the convention center and there they will be provided transportation to a shelter outside of the storm path.

I do not know if this plan will work because of the necessity of personal responsibility. It seems as though that was the major problem last time.

Just as a little aside, I had strawberry soda and fried chicken for lunch. I think that combination is very ghetto! I finish classes for the Spring semester next Tuesday night when I take my final in Greek! I’m glad it’s over, I’m ready to make it to a couple more baseball games!