Compendiums of a Coffee Snob

Follow This Link....

2009-07-23T14:38:00.000-06:00

http://theballadofjj.blogspot.com/

This blog will no longer be active. Follow this one.

Just for Reference...

2009-04-15T19:01:00.003-06:00

Things I learned today...

2009-04-08T21:17:00.002-06:00

The title of this post seems intriguing and might even hint that some form of higher reasoning has been attained. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The one and only thing I learned today (at least useful thing) was that one should ALWAYS carry a small tool kit when cycling.

Why would I recommend such an action? Let me tell you a little story. But before I proceed I should inform you that I have cycling shoes that clip into special pedals on my bike, This will make sense in a few sentences.

It all started in Cedarburg, when Joe (my roommate) and I went for a bike ride. We went north on the trail toward Port Washington. We were going at a great pace of a 17 MPH average when I hear something fall from my bike (or so I think). About 10 seconds later my left foot, still attached to the pedal, feels loose. Indeed it was loose and in fact COMPLETELY OFF OF MY BIKE! While the pedal, and the arm the pedal is attached to, was still attached to the bottom of my foot it was no longer connected to my bike.

So, this is where Joe and I went in search of a hardware store. We found a nearby citizen of Port Washington and asked, "Where is the nearest hardware store?" The reply was, "I think it is that way (the direction of a large hill), near a gas station." As you may have guessed the nearby citizen was a female.

So up the hill we went. Joe carried my pedal while I attempted to ride with one leg up this long hill. We went about a mile or so and then asked a young gent who told us we were but 6 blocks away. Halfway there we saw an auto shop and stopped to see if we could borrow the appropriate tools.

Minutes later we were back on our way with our time ruined our average MPH dismally low (from the slow one legged ride up the hill) and with a new life lesson.

Always bring tools.

A Must Try, Whipped Cauliflower...

2009-03-23T20:15:00.005-06:00

Usually I do not post recipes. It is not that I think it is odd or that I do not want to, I usually just don't think to post such things. Anyway, the recipe to follow is a great addition to anyone's shortlist of go-to dinner items.

So here it is... Whipped Cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place cauliflower in a steamer basket; place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
Place the milk and oil in a blender or food processor. Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Serve immediately.

Nutrition:

Nutritional Analysis: 1/2 cup equals 105 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 199 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

You can add a bit less liquid to make the mix more solid, but with this ratio they turn out light a delicious. I honestly think they are better than mashed potatoes (they even take less time to make).

I would recommend serving with steak (or another kind of red meat) and pair with a red wine such as Sangiovese, Syrah or maybe a Spanish Gernache or Tempranillo.

Bon appetit!

Life Moves Fast...

2009-03-15T14:22:00.003-06:00

If you thought life was moving fast before, well it just became faster. I am now the proud owner of a new road bike (actually used but new to me).

As I took my new bike out for a ride today I realized how out of shape I am. After eight miles at an average of 14 mph I had yet to break a decent sweat, but my legs were burning. So my short half-hour ride would have to do.

On another note, Jess and I went to Immanuel Lutheran's school auction last night. We had planned on going throughout the night without bidding on anything. It was about halfway through the silent auction when we placed a bid on something. The item, and the rest of the items at that table, was closing within 3 minutes. I knew the family who had placed the starting bid before us and saw them sitting across the room. After strategically placing a bid the item closed.

We won our item. It feels nice, usually I am outbid at the last second on eBay, but here we won. I am sure you are all wondering what we won. Before I take all the fun out of the suspense I will say it is something that I need more than a new bike. I am absolutely awful at this activity.

If you have not yet guessed, we bid on and won a private dance lesson at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Brookfield. There is also another hour of time we get at the studio to practice what we learned. Now I will not make a fool of myself on June 26th.

Watch out world J. Smith will soon be able to dance without looking like a fool.

It Feels a Bit... WEIRD!

2009-02-12T20:11:00.002-06:00

Last night, four hours later than I had hoped (9:00 PM), I emailed half of my senior seminar paper to both of my advisers. Normally sending a paper is not stressful, but this paper allows me to graduate. Nevertheless, I closed my eyes and hit the send button allowing my future to be held in the hands two extremely intelligent men.

I am not sure I like this feeling at all.

Oh well, on to part two.

Senior Seminar here I come...

2009-01-16T12:40:00.003-06:00

This is a short update of the week

Dr. Menuge sent his letter of recommendation for my paper for the ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) student paper competition
I procrastinated on the writing of my paper while I read the infinite number of sources I have from the great and glorious CUW library
Wednesday night (actually Thursday morning) I stayed up until almost 3:00 am to finish a decent draft of my paper
The great and venerable TLeaf ripped my paper apart and demeaned my intelligence
I rewrote the whole paper to conform to his totalitarian dogmatic corrections
I sent, today at 11:30, a draft of my paper to the person who will be reviewing it for possible selection in the student paper competition
I became nervous the second I sent the paper
I returned to the library to check out three more book, now totaling 50!

Well, this has been my week. I cannot wait for next week, which, as far as I know, will be a bit of a break compared to this week.

WHEW!

(NB. two points are not true and not one by the name or nickname of TLeaf should be offended unless otherwise noted)

A Qaulified Post....

2008-11-19T08:17:00.003-06:00

This should be a bit clearer when it comes to the qualifiers:

OT (11-10) PASSED

NT (11- 17) PASSED

Doctrine (11-24) PASSED

A Quick Update...

2008-11-11T14:14:00.002-06:00

Life is stinking busy, but...

One qualifier down
One qualifier passed

Two to go...

Apple Picking

2008-10-10T09:29:00.014-06:00

That's right. Jess and I went apple picking. It was a beautiful, cloudy Sunday afternoon when we ventured out to find spherical fruit. We pulled up to the orchard and noticed we did not have a camera. So, back to my apartment we went and returned to the orchard 20 minutes later. And soon we stumbled (well, almost) upon a surprise.

Jess conveys our confusion and sadness that this apple tree fell over.

The real fun started with a tractor ride to the back parts of the orchard.

Jess climbed a randomly placed ladder to get the very best apples.

I then gave a demonstration of my ladder skills.

I inspected some apples while Jess had a hard time reaching things without the ladder.

Look at the poor lonely ladder. That's what happens when you get old and rickety, they stick you in the middle of an apple orchard and let you rot.

The fruits of our labor were so heavy I could hardly carry the bag of apples.

This was the apple picking extravaganza of our Sunday afternoon. We made apple sauce on Monday and now we have about 18lbs of apples sitting in my apartment that need to be consumed. Any suggestions?

Whew....

2008-07-03T18:17:00.004-06:00

Not only is the summer about half way over, but I have met more than half of Jess' family. This previous weekend I traveled on the S.S. Badger from Manitowoc to Ludgington where the Matro clan picked me up. We then drove to a hotel, stayed the night and left for Ohio the next morning. We arrived at Buck Creek State Park around 4:00 on Friday while it was raining. A bit later, after the rain passed, I met over 2/3 of the Nehrenz family.

Saturday I went golfing a few of the uncles and 8 of the cousins. The first two holes were quite embarrassing, but once I started to make contact with the ball the round went much better. We returned and the girls had finished up Jess' first wedding shower (check with her for the details). The rest of the day sped by as all the cousins played a "spades" tournament (spades is a card game). My partner and I lost our first two games and thus we were no longer in the tournament. Jess and her partner went on much farther.

Saturday night consisted of dinner and listening to uncle Mike and aunt Dawn sing. Uncle Mike and aunt Dawn live in Colorado and Mike works on a ranch. He's a cowboy, but a very interesting one. Sunday morning we all gathered for a church service lead by Jess' dad and her uncle Dave. After lunch we found a park for the family to play games. First was the three legged race. I took third while Jess and her partner took first. After that was the water balloon toss. The young kids went first and then Jess and I teamed up for the adult competition. Sadly we did not win. After the competition was over there happened to be plenty of water balloons left. Thus a water balloon fight was declared. As I was still unarmed, the assault on Justin began. I out ran all but two balloons which did minor damage.

However, this was only round one. Little did Justin know there was another cooler of water balloons in another vehicle. One of the cousins whose name starts with an M and rhymes with "dark" assembled all the cousins to chase after Justin to welcome him to the family. Having already ran around for a few minutes the poor, and still unarmed Justin, continued to press on to save his dry life. Out running 20 of the 30 cousins is no easy feat and like all mortals Justin became tired. They soon caught up to him and realizing the inevitable Justin grabbed the nearest cousin to use him as a shield. This idea failed quickly but gave Justin enough time to recuperate while only sustaining minimal damage. Regaining strength Justin ran and doubled back the way he came avoiding most of the water balloons that came his way. His speed and agility was no match for the Nehrenz cousins.

After winning the water balloon war the valiant Justin then joined the kickball game. It was about to rain in 20 minutes, but the game still went for two innings. Each team was allowed to go through their whole batting order. When I came up to bat most of the other team did not know what was about to occur. They backed up a fair amount, but it was not far enough. The ball, a volleyball at that, went sailing into the parking lot over every one's head. My next at bat was even better. A tree marked the foul line on the right side. Everyone wised up and backed up even farther, some even to the parking lot. The ball was pitched and taking a few steps I made contact with the ball sending it curving around the tree over a few cars deep into the parking lot. As I rounded the bases I did a cartwheel on the way to home plate. It was a glorious game, and then it rained. We had won and I got my revenge for the water balloon massacre.

Sunday night we all crowded around a campfire and sang songs. Uncle Mike sang a few more of his songs for us, including one of his Reggae tunes which kept us all laughing. The conversations ended around 1:30 A.M. which is well past my bed time. Monday rolled around and we left at 11:00. We arrived at the ferry early so Jess and I spent our last remaining minutes together while the rest of the Matro clan went to eat dinner. Saying goodbye is always hard, but at least it is only for five weeks this time.

And that is my near death experience of meeting Jess' family. Oh, I must have left the near death part out. Is meeting 50 people all at one a near death experience? Probably not, but at least I remember them all!

Football is a "tough guy" sport?

2008-03-07T15:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, in the words of a non-Packer fan, the cult leader retired. Packer fans certainly do not lack fervor for their team or for their quarterback. Cheese-heads, green, gold and number 4 (Brett Favre) are self evidently Packer associated. But take a look at this video.

What happened to the old saying, "grown men don't cry?" I thought football was a mans sport? I know the saying there is no crying in baseball, but c'mon that should apply to football as well. You don't see soccer players crying after they retire, and they are referred to as pansies by football fans. What happened to the days where men don't cry in public? I guess those days are officially over, but I still say it is not right to weep in public.

What a great week for attending chapel...

2008-03-03T12:55:00.003-06:00

As some know, this week is different in the chapel schedule here at CUW. Other weeks there are Scripture readings and messages that apply those Scriptures to the lives of students and faculty alike. This week, however, breaks this pattern of Homiletics. All week it is Lutheran Schools week and thus we hear reports about our great and wonderful Lutheran schools. Having grown up in Lutheran schools, I am accustomed to the weird events and lack of productivity that occurs in Lutheran schools this week, and these messages about Lutheran schools are much like the ones I have heard during Lutheran schools week for years. There are four more days of Lutheran schools week left and that means four more messages from four more education professors.

Someone in a southern direction is sure missing out on his or her favorite week in the chapel schedule.

Happy Lutheran Schools Week!

Reviews

2008-02-25T16:46:00.004-06:00

Review #1

Bow Tie Pasta with Winter Squash and Walnuts:

This dish provided a great, quick dinner for Jess and I. If we had a better knife, we would have made this meal even quicker. The amount of flavor this easy dish provides is amazing. We made our dish with butternut squash, and I would recommend taking this route. When adding the garlic for this dish, make sure to either mince it very well or use a garlic press. Walnuts are a necessity for this dish, but do not need to be chopped, but can be left whole. Here is the recipe:

1 Pound winter squash (butternut, acorn or kabocha) peeled seeded and cubed
1 Pound bow-tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (Italian flat-leaf)
2 tablespoons walnuts (chopped or whole)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Microwave cubed squash with a little water on high for 5-6 minutes or until almost tender; let stand covered for 3 minutes. Drain and mash.
Meanwhile, cook pasta then drain.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add mashed squash, parsley and then salt and pepper to taste. Toss drained pasta with squash mixture and serve topped with walnuts and Parmesan.

Review #2
Rendition

This movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal is intriguing and alarming. Rendition is about a woman (Reese Witherspoon) whose husband is an Egyptian. When returning to the country from a business trip he is taken by the CIA on suspected terrorist charges. The movie depicts the story of a wife's battle to find her husband. Along with this movie is a special documentary in the special features section. If you rent this movie, watching the documentary after the film is a must!

On a different note, Dr. Canapa's Rhetoric class is one of my favorite this semester. After being told to take the class I am glad I listened to the advice of T. My commonplace book is on its way to getting full, as there are almost a dozen entries already. It is much more fun that I had thought.

The first Hebrew test of the semester was on this past Friday. It seemed to have went well, except for the sight translation. I have never seen that many waw-consecutives and disjuntives in my life. Also, the first Greek test is on Thursday and the studying commences.

As noted in someone else's post there were picture of a latte taken this weekend. Here is a glimpse of the delightful beverage.

Seminary, St. Louis and... Stowaways?

2007-10-30T11:31:00.000-06:00

A weekend of fun, relaxation and jaw-dropping surprises was had by three of four friends this previous weekend. If I may boast for a moment, I was the only one whose jaw had not hit the floor in astonishment. However, the jaw to floor experience started with this incident...

This is Todd, just after his jaw hit the floor from seeing me in his kitchen instead of Kelly. Let us recap how this all happened. Jess, Kelly and myself all plotted and planned (and did not tell Todd, which is not lying by the way). Kelly picked Jess and I up from the Amtrak station, and thus proceeded to travel to their apartment. After waiting a long while for Todd to not only get out of his class, but also to travel home, he finally arrived and this is the aftermath of the whole ordeal. (Oh, and Jess and I became engaged while waiting for Todd)

Friday, I attended a couple of seminary classes, which included a two hour Greek session. Followed by this was a scrumptious dinner with fire roasted tomato soup. We kicked off Saturday with breakfast and a trip to the St. Louis Arch. Look here it is...

Actually this is two lovely ladies posing as the arch (what a bunch of nut-cases).

This is the real arch.

A quick side note, apparently the arch's base is called the leg(s). This then raises a question; if we were to have gone to the viewing platform, would we be in the crotch?

On to the "real" part of the post. Not only did Jess and I receive as a gift a balloon that has been circulating between the four of us, but when unpacking Sunday night I found another surprise. Now this surprise was not of the same category as showing up a few hundred miles from where someone thought you would be, or even to the caliber of an engagement. No, this surprise was one of perplexity and fear. The fear arrives with a question of why would someone even have this thing? The perplexity came a little later and a picture might possibly explain this...

This is Clyde.

This is Clyde... pooping?!

Yes, it seems that I had a stowaway. However, this was not just any stowaway. This is Clyde the pooping moose, he poops jelly beans. Mmmm, sounds delicious. Obviously my jaw did not hit the floor, nor was I overwhelmingly surprised that something like this would happen after being around Todd and Kelly. Anyway, thanks for the pooping moose Todd and Kelly.

Yet Another Semester...

2007-09-10T15:06:00.000-06:00

Here in Mequon, WI, many have undertaken yet another year of Biblical Languages. I am one of the many to return to Greek and begin Hebrew. It is hard to ignore the many and various people(s) who have learned these languages generations and centuries before. It is safe to say, however, that I feel excited and quite calm about the present semester. As much of a shock as this might come to a few people (T-Leaf, to name a name) I have begun with some advantageous study habits, and I have become like-minded with other (insert T-Leaf, again) on the matter of Hebrew. While we have not begun and hard material as of yet, I still feel confident that many have overemphasized the "difficulty" of Hebrew. C'mon! It is not that hard...

Sure that is an overwhelming picture of Genesis 1, however, if I can read Hebrew after only two weeks of classes, than I am certain my fellow classmates can accomplish a favorable amount of learning. After receiving a perfect score on the vowel points quiz, I feel as if the world is at my feet. Sure, it might have been the massive amount of studying I have been accomplishing lately, but I like to think the Hebrew language is not all that bad. Plus, our textbook is immensely easier to read than Voeltz's Greek textbook (T, I hear his Hermeneutics book is insane).

With that said, it was rather cool today and I felt that a new season needed to begin. It is no longer summer in Wisconsin, that was gone with August. Since Autumn/Winter has already arrived with a 55 degree welcome, my favorite season begins. Autumn? NO. The 9 month Wisconsin winter? NO. Maybe a visual will help to discover my favorite season of all...

If you have not guessed it even by now, my favorite season is sweater season! When paired with a great tie, a sweater can provide a nice feeling. There are very few things throughout my day and week that can beat the wearing of nicely fitted shirt, a wonderfully tied tie and a lovely sweater.

As nice as this sounds, the reality of academic fulfillment can only take a person a short distance. A sad feeling enters my mind every time I patron places such as the Roastery, when I drive past a certain apartment complex and when I drink my morning cup of coffee/tea in the BBC. Who goes to Seminary anyways?!

Books, books and more books...

2007-08-12T11:22:00.000-06:00

A short time ago, a month or so, I was given an opportunity to help at my home church. While back in the sacristy, an older woman named Carol and I were talking. She asked a few questions about school and which seminary I plan to attend. After finding out that her husband, a second career pastor, had passed away three years ago she continued to ask me a wonderful question. You might have caught on already, but just in case, she asked if I would be interested in her late husbands books! My obvious response was, "absolutely."

Over the past month I have received many great books that will be useful and necessary for seminary. What a blessing. I told Carol yesterday while I was picking up more books that I am overwhelmed with her giving-heart. She instantly reminded me that God had it in mind for us to meet and how great it is to give to the next generation of pastors. After moving a bookshelf into my room last night my little brother and I spent some time unpacking and organizing my 'new' books. Take a look at this...

If you can make the bottom center books out you might be able to tell that there are four volumes of Luther's Works, and more to come. Eight boxes of books and if Luther's Works do not intrigue you that much, then take a look at this picture...

This is the lovely three volume (four with the index) Christian Dogmatics by F. Pieper. What a great blessing. Even though this summer has been hard, having Jess be so far away and a plethora of other things, it is great to have God remind me that His blessings are a bigger encouragement than the set backs and frustrations.

Appalling, Simply Appalling!

2007-07-24T16:33:00.000-06:00

Until a few hours ago my day was fair. However, these things always change. I do not know if it were by chance or if God simply wishes to reveal the folly of some people? Thus begins the story of the week. This story was brought to my attention this evening by a distressed call from a newly-wedded K-Leaf. Although I have not yet gone through counselling courses, who could deny a friend a listening ear and some advice in a time of need. Oh, how does that old saying go? "Secrets, secrets are no fun...." Just a few weeks into their marriage T-Leaf drops a bomb into K's lap. Oh no, it is much worse than you could ever imagine, and what is worse is that it affects me as well.

As a young lad, T-Leaf had an obsession with a certain movie of Titanic magnitude. This fetish, as some have called it, has been replaced and cheapened by a single individual who encompasses more debauchery and evil than Charbucks and McDonald's combined. What is this repugnant problem? Not only has a "JT" also known as Justin Timberlake brought Sexy Back, but now our beloved T-Leaf has jumped on the bandwagon as well. Are not these the things that need to be discussed in marriage counseling? I thought Rev. Daul had done a great job, apparently there is only so much one man can accomplish.

Since T has broken faith with all sanity and joined a cohort of fourteen year old girls who admire and adore all things "JT", I am fearful that K will loose her sanity soon as well. All that there is left to wonder is, was T a Spice Girls fan as well? Or Better yet, is he still? It has been a sad, miserable evening since hearing this tragic news that yet another misguided person has joined the fight to "bring sexy back."

A Short Update...

2007-07-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

This is not a recap of the weekend, which was amazing, but rather a recap of this evening for all who think I am weird (the wedding post will come later). Well, you are all right! I am very odd and strange and I have proof. This evening I decided to make some tasty treats so that I do not have to give in to high fructose corn syrup. Thanks to the wonderful Food Network and Alton Brown's show Good Eats, I can enjoy not only granola bars, but rice crispy bars as well without killing myself quicker than you can say, cardiovascular disease. Check out these scrumptious treats, which are also quite healthful.

Now that we have seen how great they look try making them yourself...

Granola Bars

Brown Rice Crispy Bars (I made mine with puffed white rice)

T & K Leaf, put these into the recipe box!

A Brief Trip Before The Work Begins

2007-05-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

It is Sunday evening, Mother's Day, and also the eve of my summer work. It is needed to be said that work is not all that bad, I rather enjoy it. However, there is much more time to talk about that. Let us recap the last few wonderful days...

Wednesday: woke up at 6:15 so I could study Greek before the exam at 8. I took the exam at 8 and felt fairly uneasy about it. Rushing to the BBC was the next activity as Jess and myself said our goodbyes to Todd. I was checked out of my room at 9 a.m. and then ran out to the car so Jess and I could get on the road. Having to drop my car off in Brookfield was the final stop before hitting the road for Michigan. Finally! We arrived at Jess' home around 8:00 eastern time. We took a walk later that evening and then called it a night around 12:30 (again, eastern time).

Thursday was filled with fun activities, such as taking pictures of the blossoming flowers. Here take a look...

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took. This would not be all the fun to be had for Thursday, Jess and I then went shopping! I bought some much needed summer clothes and found an amazing pair of pants from Express that I really wanted, but did not get (or did I?). Later that evening Jess, Phil, Hannah and myself went to see Spider Man 3. I left perplexed by the poor reviews I had seen, I thought it was great, not to mention the many Biblical parallels. We all were tired when we got home and the bed was calling to me, thus ended a great day.

Friday was a day of much to do and see. We went into Leeland, the town that Jess works in all summer and where their church is located. Visiting a local art store was first on the list, the owners are members of the same church as Jess' family, this made it a fun visit. Johnston is the business and marketing end of the art store and Brenda is the artist, they also have two amazingly cute girls. After this we went to get coffee and lunch at the bakery/specialty food store just a block away. The coffee was good and the sandwich I had was magnificent! We then left to go back to Traverse City where I bought the aforementioned pants. Returning home, we waited anxiously as we picked out a restaurant to patron later that evening to celebrate Jess' 21st birthday (a few days early).

The place we decided to patron is called North Centennial Inn and they had quite the menu. However, Jess and I went for the fillet. This particular fillet was covered in a caramelized port wine sauce and was the best sauce I ever have had on a steak. I was impressed! We capped off our dining experience with desert and what a desert it was.... Fried bananas wrapped in a puff pastry topped with vanilla bean sorbet and plated with caramel and macadamia nuts. What a desert! I left less than stuffed (I despise felling stuffed to the point of hating food) and well pleased. I even told our kind waitor how impressed I was with the restaurant (not as if I would have an opinion *wink wink*).

Saturday night I took the ferry home, and Todd whatever you heard about the ferry it is most likely true. What a "moving" trip, and by moving I mean my stomach. Sure, we crossed the lake in 2 hours, but at what cost?! Nausea? Upset stomach? A Pepto Bismol commercial? I did survive and arrived home at 1:30 and then attended the late church service with my family. On Mother's day the whole Maassen side met for brunch at North Hills Country Club where we ate many great things and gave my mother her gift. My siblings, dad and myself gave my mom a pink iPod nano for Mother's day and her birthday in about a month. She enjoys using it and I had to help put all the music on. Well that is about it... off to a busy week and unfortunate week with Jess on the other side of the lake. Have a look for yourself, she is there... At least it is only 25 days until I see her.

I Am Not Sure How This Happened

2007-04-13T14:29:00.000-06:00

It is April the 13th, and although I am not superstitious, I felt like posting. If I were to be superstitious, I will cover all my bases and recap some good and bad things about this school year. I have now been back at Concordia for almost 8 full months. Over these 8 months many things have occurred and changed, and not all for the best. There have been troublesome situations which have tested my patience, and others that appalled me. The good seems to still overshadow all the "bad" and here are some good things since I have been back (in no specific order):

My G.P.A. has increased
I met Jess (and all the other things that accompany that)
A job at Cafe Forte
Friends like T-Leaf and K-Money (HA HA "K-Money" :-P )
Not having to walk outside to class

A short list of the many wonderful blessing of this school year so far. There have been a few events and influences that have been less than needed. The majority of these influences may allow someone to gloat over me with much pride. However, I shall face that risk. Here is the "bad" list (even though they are not that bad)...

My car died (but I have a "new" one)
I live in Augsburg (yikes)
A job at Cafe Forte (my co-workers lack responsibility)
Friends like T-Leaf and K-Money (those kids are CRAZY)
Specifically one person also known as TODD!

This might contain the most time consumed way to tell T-Leaf that his uber-organized ways have influenced even me. For you see, I am not the "organized" type. I misplace many important things, such as a recent check from work. Therefore, in pursuit of organization I have purchased a calender tool. A picture might tell the story better...

I have become organized and bought... a PLANNER?! Yes, I concede to the "organized" ways. I am in need of help and I have consulted with my friends at the Office Depot and purchased this fine tool. This is not the real issue, is it? Of course it is not the issue! The problem is that Todd has corrupted me, and with all honesty I am not happy (really it is for the best). Now it is clear that this is how I have been influenced improperly. Just so everyone knows, Socrates was put to death for corrupting the youth and I am 28 days younger than T-Leaf. If nothing else can be said than this it might just be a good post. Todd, I bought an weekly planner/organizer. *Head hung in shame*

29 days (20 school days) until graduation/end of the school year! Yeesh, this has gone by fast! Also, according to the Harry Potter countdown (on someone's blog), it is 90 days away until the new movie. The same 90 days until the wedding.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Is that?! It must be! No, it can't be...

2007-04-09T22:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, you guessed it! It is one of the greatest heroes of all time. One of four to be exact. This is the one the only Donatello of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, given to me by Jess. She unfortunate had to procure this from a McDonald's "Happy Meal," however the gift was gratefully accepted. For those who have no clue why I would be posting about such things as the Ninja Turtles, I will inform you a bit. The Ninja Turtles have been near and dear to me for some time and I watched them as a small lad, and recently a new TMNT (short for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) movie was released. Explaining how Jess acquired this toy from McDonald's. She did drop the ball when she did not request for Leonardo. How could you not ask for an action figure with TWO, count them two, samurai swords? Oh well, she is forgiven.

Now what could make a Holy week even better? I think that I have the answer. The answer is a who and a great who at that. This who comes in 2D and can be seen on a wall and was claimed for only $50. Some would say that is a steal. Are you wondering who could be so great that "he," yes it is a he, would be worth $50? The answer is simple and profound, healthily unhealthy and blunt as an old kitchen knife. Let us see if this picture will explain anything. Hmmm. He looks familiar. As a friend once told me while smoking a fine cigar looking at this painting, "Justin, that is going to be you in the next ten years." No it is not a projected picture of me at all or at any age. This is a parting if Winston Churchill and yes I paid $50 for this painting. Why? Does it not speak for itself? It is Winston smoking a cigar (no whisky in this painting but I am sure he just had one) looking so young. Now to close with a favorite quote by this beloved and venerable man, "I drink a great deal, I sleep a little and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred percent form."