7 Things You May Not (Want to) Know About Me

My friend, Dave, has tagged me apparently. So in good blogger fashion I will accommodate his tag and post my responses to the above prompt. Without further ado here are 7 things you may not (want to) know about me.

1. If I ever appear on the Late Show with David Letterman it would be for my stupid human trick in which I blow spit bubbles off the end of my tongue. This hidden talent was unearthed sometime during middle school. I like to do it from high elevations so I can watch the bubbles dance all the way to the ground. In case you want to check this out for yourself the best spit is available just after brushing your teeth. Good luck to you.
2. I went to speech classes when I was in grade school. I had a difficult time with my r's and l's. My most vivid memory of my speech problem is when we were vacationing in Washington DC and I tried checking out a board game from the KOA campground office and the lady behind the desk spelled my last name G-I-L-D-N-E-W.
   
3. I have a habit of doing activities in multiples of 4, 8, 16, or 32. It's usually small things like cracking my knuckles or biting my cheek, but I'm not satisfied until I've reached one of the multiples listed above.
4. My initial career aspirations were to be an attorney. I was set to attend Albion College in the footsteps of my older brother, Mike. In high school I delivered the closing argument in a mock trial our poly-sci class did with another high school.
   
5. As part of a high school poly-sci project I took on the persona of Bill Clinton in a mock debate in front of the whole school.
6. I am registered as a conscientious objector. The Church of the Nazarene allows a person to register under this status just like any of the traditional peace churches. While I know this status is pretty hard to live up to given the fact that we all participate in violent acts every day, it serves as a reminder that the trajectory of my life is to be lived peacefully with others and with creation.
7. I eat pizza almost every day. Usually it's in the form of some sort of Red Baron's pizza or pizza rolls or some other pizza-related item. I can't get enough pizza. Recently I learned how to make stromboli, which is just another way of combining those same delicious ingredients. My favorite pizza joint is Chicago Dough in Bourbonnais, IL. I can't tell you how many times I've eaten there.
   

My New Toy

My employer is transitioning away from their previous cell phone provider. As a result I was directed to find a new provider and my service would be paid for but I would need to purchase the phone. After a long, arduous process I have purchased this phone. After playing with it in the store there were no other phones that even compared. I was hesitant to drop the $199 on the new phone so I was thrilled to see that AT&T offered it refurbished. Refurbished it usually goes for $149 but they have a special going until Wednesday that knocks $50 off, bringing the total to $99.00. If you ask me I think that's a pretty good deal. So for the next two days I will be checking the status of my order/shipment several times each hour. I feel like Ralphie waiting for his decoder to come in the mail. It can't get here fast enough. Plus I want it to get here before we leave for Michigan on Wednesday.

Lame Post/Question of the Day

So I have returned to Sport Clips for my hair cuts. I have found someone who routinely does a great job and it's a whole lot closer than Sole Patch. But this is my dilemma...Sport Clips offers free neck trimming which I'd love to take advantage of; however, am I obligated to tip the person who performs this free service? I would be in the chair for about 30 seconds, does that amount of time merit a tip? Or am I freed from tipping as a result of my continued patronage? What say you?

Recipe Thursday

This week's recipe has become a new favorite very quickly. The history of this meal stems back to some good times hanging out at my favorite teacher's house from high school, Mrs. Domerese (although she was never really my teacher). Mrs. D invited me, and perhaps Dan, over to her house to enjoy this good meal and to laugh at some good movies or to listen to her husband, Ken, tell us some funny stories. Those are good memories. There was something about their home and their company that was intoxicating. So after this little stroll down memory lane I now bring you today's recipe...Stromboli. This can probably realistically serve 3-4 people, although I ate the entire thing a few nights ago. It's the ideal meal for me, Monica, and Addie.

Ingredients
Frozen Bread Dough (I bought a 3-pack of Rhodes frozen bread dough)
Pizza Sauce (I used Prego original)
Your choice of toppings
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza Seasoning or Oregano (optional)

Directions

• Set out dough to rise per instructions on bag. For the Rhodes bread dough I've found that 8 hours is perfect.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out bread dough in the shape of a circle (or rectangle). Add sauce, toppings, and cheese to the center of the circle. Be sure to keep the sauce at least 1" away from the edge of the dough. Fold over the dough and pinch it closed (it may help to get your fingers wet when you do this as it helps to close the dough). You want to form a tight seal so that the sauce and cheese don't come out the sides when baking.
• Tear a few small strips on the top of stromboli to allow it to breathe.
• Place on baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes or so. I also brushed on a little olive oil.
  

The Quintessential Fatherly Duty

So tonight was the children's Christmas music program at church. As part of this annual event Central invites the little kiddos to sing. So with camera in hand I joined the other dads in what has become an American pastime.

A Semester by the Books

My semester is now complete. It was a very busy semester but I think it went very well overall. Here now is a list of all the books I read this semester. Feel free to comment on them if you've read them or want to read them. All but two were required reading. I read the other two to help me out with my preaching class (Boone and Lowry).

1. Interpreting the Gospel: An Introduction to Preaching; by Ronald Allen
2. What's the Matter with Preaching Today; by Mike Graves, ed.
3. Sacred Rhetoric: Preaching as a Theological and Pastoral Practice of the Church; by Michael Pasquarello, III
4. Preaching the Story that Shapes Us; by Dan Boone
5. The Homiletical Plot; by Eugene Lowry
6. Images of Pastoral Care: Classical Readings; by Robert Dykstra
7. Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue; by Edwin Friedman
8. Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling; by Charles Kollar
9. Listening and Caring Skills in Ministry; by John Savage
10. When Your People Are Grieving; by Harold Ivan Smith
11. Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism; by Walter Brueggemann
12. Liberating News; by Orlando Costas
13. The Lord's Harvest and the Rural Church; by Kent Hunter
14. Transforming Evangelism; by Henry Knight and F. Douglas Powe
15. Godbearing: Evangelism Reconceived; by Elaine Robinson
16. Beginning Well; by Gordon Smith
17. African-American Church Growth; by Carlyle Stewart
18. Journey to Jesus; by Robert Webber
19. Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches; by Robert Webber et al.

Recipe Thursday

This week's recipe has become a new favorite of mine. Monica and I had this for the first time a few years ago at the home of Chuck and Dana Carrigan, but I believe the recipe is a Chuck original. It's a great winter-time staple. Without further ado here is Chuck's White Chicken Chili.


Chuck's White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 Serrano pepper, minced
1 Anaheim pepper, minced (or jalapeno pepper)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C. milk
1 C. water
1 can chicken broth
1 T. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 T. dried onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Saute peppers and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken and cook until done. Mix remaining ingredients in separate large pot and heat through. Add chicken mixture and simmer 1-2 hours.

Serve with sour cream, monterey jack cheese and tortilla chips. Or I also like it with cheese quesadillas.

Over the Rhine--Concert Pics

So in my last post I mentioned that I attended an Over the Rhine show at Schubas with Dave and Nick and that those two guys took pictures with their fancy little cameras the whole time. Add to this that Dave is a giant and was probably blocking the view of lots of people. Nevertheless the concert was awesome and below are some of the pictures from that night.

Over the Rhine--Live Shows

With the Christmas season in full gear my mind and body are drawn toward my favorite band, Over the Rhine. For several years I traveled in snowy, Chicago weather to see OtR play their Christmas show at some Chicago bar. This will be my second Christmas away from Chicago and OtR's Christmas show and that makes me long for days gone by. Therefore this post will attempt to recall all of the live shows I have attended to see Linford, Karin, and whatever other bandmates are traveling with them at that time. I will also list those with whom I saw the show and a memory associated with that event (if one readily comes to mind). If you were with me and have a memory about the event, please share!

• Champaign, IL; Student Union; Troy, Nick, Vic, other dudes from Springfield
• Got to talk with Linford after the show
• Champaign, IL; Some bar; Brett, Tara
• The snow was coming down like crazy!
• Chicago, IL; Schubas; Troy, Shari, Kara
• Nothing stands out
• Chicago, IL; Schubas; Monica
• First OtR concert with Monica
• Chicago, IL; Schubas; Dave, Nick
• Dave and Nick stood up front and took pictures the whole time
• Chicago, IL; Schubas; Troy, Ben and other guys but I can't remember who they were
• Fun night with the guys
• Chicago, IL; Pizzafest; Monica
• Good music but “pizzafest” was a bust
• Chicago, IL; Old Towne School of Folk Music; Monica, Dave, Brandi, Nick, Nick's girlfriend
• Crazy snowy night
• Chicago, IL; Wine Festival; Monica
• Monica was very pregnant but we had an awesome day
• Chicago, IL; Park West; Dave, Nick, Vic
• Music was loud and great. Worried about my car which was parked on a side street illegally
• Chicago, IL; FitzGeralds; Me
• Went to this show by myself the night after a show in Champaign with Brett and Tara; they played some great covers that night
• Ann Arbor, MI; The Ark; Dan, Erin
• Great having Dan and Erin with me. They played Poughkeepsie
• Wheaton, IL; old chapel; Troy, Shari, Jill
• Good music but company could have been better
• Wheaton, IL; some building; Dave, Dave’s sister, Alison
• The venue wasn’t that great, obviously since I can’t remember the name of it