according to jeff

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Granite City Food and Brewery.

Yes, real beer is brewed at Granite City. However, since I don’t drink beer and I don’t like the taste of beer, I can’t comment on the brewery part.

However, I can comment on the food! The menu is typical of casual restaurants; it features many sandwiches, salads, burgers and entrees. One of my favorites is the Overlake, which is especially fine when paired with a cup of soup.

Today, though, I returned to another favorite: the buffalo burger. While many “buffalo” menu choices are really chicken with a particular kind of sauce invented in Buffalo, New York, this burger is actually buffalo. Well, not really — it’s actually bison. But we call it buffalo even though we know better.

Buffalo is simlar in taste and texture to beef. It is often considered to be one of the most healthy meat choices. It has more protein, less fat, and less cholesterol than beef. However, since it is leaner, it can tend to become dry and tough when overcooked. Therefore, it is best when cooked medium-rare.

So, I ordered my Buffalo burger medium-rare. While it’s a little risky ordering ground meat cooked only to medium rare, that’s the best way to enjoy the buffalo. The bun was perfectly toasted and I added some bleu cheese dressing to top it off. While the bleu cheese dressing may have undone any health benefits I derived from the buffalo choice, I couldn’t resist. After all, Granite City has the best bleu cheese dressing in town.

I chose the slaw as my side dish. I know that tastes in slaw run the gammut. Some prefer vinegar slaw; others prefer mayonaisse slaw. Granite City’s slaw is on the creamy side, and was, I think, the best slaw that I’ve had in quite a while.

If you’d like to try grilling buffalo at home, it is available online and at buffalo ranches.

Looking for a new health food? Try emily’s milk chocolate covered almonds and emily’s dark chocolate covered blueberries (both available locally at Target and Wal-Mart). emily’s milk chocolate covered almonds are easily the best chocolate covered almond that I’ve ever had. The almonds are big and the chocolate is creamy.

“But is it health food?” you ask. Sure:

1. Almonds may help reduce bad cholesterol. [ Mayo Clinic ]
2. Dark chocolate is heart healthy (dark chocolate has the advantage over milk chocolate). [ WebMD ]
3. Blueberries are rich in anti-oxidants and may have other health benefits. [ WebMD ]

I’ve been adding more heart-healthy choices to my diet, such as natural almonds and Cheerios with freshly ground flax seed instead of my beloved unfrosted strawberry Pop-Tarts. So, imagine my joy when I learned that I could indulge (in moderation, of course) and still promote heart health! [ If you think otherwise, please don't leave a comment and spoil it for me. ]

What is this “religion of peace” that President Bush refers to? Surely he’s not referring to Islam.

While some Muslim apologists attempt to convince us that jihad is a personal struggle against tempation, some 300 Somali Muslims disagree with that definition. These Muslims have declared jihad against Ethiopia. According to an October 21 World Magazine article, this is how they define jihad:

For weeks a group of over 300 men whom locals described as “Muslim fundamentalists” were training in a remote area outside the city of Jima, 250 miles southwest of Addis Ababa. According to eyewitnesses, the group has included a number of Somalis. Government forces, alarmed by their activities, arrested several of the leaders. But when the remainder organized themselves and–armed with machetes and knives–attacked Christian churches and villages, the government did little to stop them.

Within two days, the militants had killed 31 Christians, captured well over 250 as hostages, and burned more than 350 homes, according to local church leaders. The Muslim attackers burned one Catholic church, one Orthodox church, and three evangelical churches.

Read the entire article here.

One of my favorite pictures from the past year:

It was taken by “Leonardo” at Lindale Mall. Leonardo is one of those impulse-buy photo boxes that you typically see in the halls at shopping malls. Bethany and I put in our $2 and tried it while Lu was shopping in her favorite store. We didn’t expect grand results, but were pleasantly surprised. I think the photo captures some of Bethany’s joyful spirit.

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Gringo’s.

Gringo’s, located in downtown Cedar Rapids, serves Mexican faire in a cozy atmosphere. The dining hall features an ornate, wooden balcony from an old-time theater; sit up stairs on this balcony when possible.

Today I think I tried the Burrito El Charro: Your choice of chicken, pork or steak strips with grilled onions & chile con queso inside a chargrilled tortilla. Covered with enchilada sauce & sour cream. I say “I think I tried” because I’m not convinced that what I got was what I ordered. When I ordered, the waiter asked me if I wanted queso or enchilada sauce. Since the menu describes the burrito as having both of these, what could I say other than “I’d like it the way that it’s described in the menu”? I never was asked if I preferred chicken, pork or steak strips (I would have answered steak strips). The resulting dish was a burrito, and it did have queso sauce. I didn’t detect onions, though, and the filling seemed to be ground something. It was tasty, but I’m not sure that it was the Burrito El Charro.

The chips were excellent, and as always, I ate way more chips and salsa than I should have.

In addition to the usual (and unusual) fast food choices, Cedar Rapids offers four distinct styles of Mexican restaurants:

1. Hacienda Las Glorias, Cancun, etc.
2. Reynaldo’s
3. Carlos O’Kelley’s Mexican Cafe
4. Gringo’s Mexican Bar and Grill

Each of these offer a different spin on Mexican food, and my preference varies based on which I’m in the mood for. The Hacienda group has the best rice and most authentic staff. Plus, the Carne Asada Tacos are awesome.

However, Viva Vera’s Mexican Kitchen of Chama, New Mexico, is the best Mexican Food restaurant that I’ve ever enjoyed. It’s a little out of the way, but if you’re ever in the Chama, New Mexico, area, don’t miss Viva Vera’s.

I’ve also very much enjoyed Casa Rio on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.

If you need some new outdoor furniture, check out my friend Steve’s new site: Serenity Woodworks.

Our local ESPN radio affiliate, AM 1600, opted to broadcast local highschool football last night rather than the final and deciding game of the National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and the underdog St. Louis Cardinals.

Does that seem odd to anyone besides me?

Two men dressed in khaki’s and with book bags were walking through our neighborhood this afternoon. We assumed that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. So, armed with John 10:30 and Colossians 1:15-17, I prepared to meet them. However, the book bags turned out to be laptop bags, and they weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses at all. Instead, they were sales people from CommSpeed.

CommSpeed is offering wireless Internet service in my area. Their talking points are that their service is:

1. More reliable than my Mediacom cable
2. Faster than my Mediacom cable
3. Less expensive than my Mediacom cable
4. Their service is portable

How does their sales pitch stand up to reality?

1. Reliability is difficult to measure. I’d describe my cable modem service as reliable, but I do have outages.
2. Speed is more quantative. CommSpeed suggested checking speed at Speakeasy, which I did. My cable service is pretty fast, and my speedtest suggests that it is faster than CommSpeed’s “medium” service. However, it was cool that they brought a laptop and a modem so that we could compare. (They thought I could connect it to my router and have instant access; however, as I suspected, that didn’t work. The router needs to be configured with some magic numbers for the modem.)
3. Cost may depend upon the results of the speed test. My monthly Internet connection cost is $45.95 (including taxes and fees). CommSpeed offers three packages, depending upon the desired speed.
   — $30 – basic
   — $40 – faster
   — $60 – fastest
4. Portability is no contest. My Mediacom cable works in my house. The CommSpeed modem can be taken with a laptop computer and used wherever CommSpeed has service. For people like me that work at home, a second modem can be obtained for a 1-time fee of $30. This allows the home network to stay “up” while I’m off with another modem to get portable access.

Unfortunately for the visiting sales people, the Speakeasy speed test indicated that my cable modem is significantly faster than their wireless modem. In order to switch, I’ll either need comparable speed for less monthly expense, or faster speed for the same expense. I’m waiting to hear from them.

How fast is your Internet connection? Find out here:

When I tested via the Chicago server, my results were:
— Download Speed: 4295 kbps (536.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
— Upload Speed: 207 kbps (25.9 KB/sec transfer rate)

Sudorku is a fun twist on Sudoku.

Sunday’s FoxTrot comic strip included a Sudorku puzzle.

My friend Craig has posted a solution that Sudoku fans might enjoy.

Can you explain two baseball mysteries?

1. Left-handed batters are almost universally said to prefer pitches that are down and in. This is never (or rarely, at least) said about right-handed batters. What’s the difference? Why isn’t there symmetry?
2. Left-handed batters are said to struggle against left-handed pitchers to such an extent that managers will often bench or pinch-hit for their left-handed batters when a leftie is on the mound. However, the impact of a right-handed pitcher on a right-handed batter doesn’t seem as severe. Why?

Here are some possible explanations:

1. Lefties and righties usually have a different dominant eye. Each eye reports to a different half of the brain. Is there a right-brain, left-brain difference that explains this behavior?
2. Left-handed pitchers are simply more rare than right-handed pitchers, giving commentators a chance to comment on things like this.
3. Some things just can’t be explained.

Any other ideas?

Faithful readers may recall that I’ve already commented on the growing focus by businesses on employee diversity. However, you may still be confused.

Remember, in this context, diversity doesn’t merely refer to your gender or ethnicity. (I prefer to use “ethnicity” rather than “race” in this context. After all, we’re all members of the same race — the human race.) Instead, diversity now implies differences in political views, religion, sexual behavior, and gender identity. Such diversity is desirable. In fact, according to the Rockwell Collins diversity slogan, such diversity can make us great!

Different thinking makes us great.

Need some help thinking differently? Here are some diverse thoughts that can help you design and build better avionics equipment, or whatever you’re working on today.

1. Government intervention is bad. Pro Choice America: (We) believe that government and politicians should not interfere in our personal lives — and that people should be empowered to make the right decisions for themselves.
2. Government intervention is good. National Education Association, Resolution B-75, 2006: (Homeschool) instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.
3. Separation of church and state is good. Americans United: Separation of church and state is the only principle that can ensure religious and philosophical freedom for all Americans. Church-state separation does not mean hostility toward religion. Rather, it means that the government will remain neutral on religious questions, leaving decisions about God, faith and house of worship attendance in the hands of its citizens.”
4. Separation of church and state is bad. India: The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Bill requires registration with government magistrate 30 days prior to religious conversion. Anyone wishing to convert from one religion to another needs prior permission from the district magistrate.
5. Polygamy is good. Islam: “In Islam, limited polygyny (up to four wives) is permitted.”
6. Polygamy is bad. Islam: “In Islam, polyandry (one wife, multiple husbands) is completely prohibited.”

If you find some of these different thoughts self-contradictory or undesirable, or don’t understand how they’ll help you be great, then I’m afraid that you’ve not yet gotten on the diversity band-wagon.

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Olive Garden.

My first experience with Olive Garden was in Des Moines, perhaps 15 years ago. We were in Des Moines with some friends from church for a training conference, and one of our party knew that Des Moines had an Olive Garden. According to her, we just had to go. So we did.

Shortly thereafter, Olive Garden came to Cedar Rapids. It has a lot going for it.

• Casual Italian cuisine — it’s not flashy or exquisite, but is consistent from visit to visit.
• Infinite breadsticks and salad — you can’t miss with that.
• It’s in a convenient location, located in the busy Collins Road Corridor near Lindale Mall.

My favorite Olive Garden dish is the Mediterranean Garlic Shrimp — shrimp, spicy pepper, and garlic on a bed of thin pasta. While it’s no longer on the menu, a good waiter or waitress can often accomdate your request if you’d like to try it. The only negative of this fine dish is that you’ll smell of garlic for the next several days.

Today I tried the Manicotti Formaggio. It was fine, but I’ll try something different next time. I may ask for the Mediterranean Garlic Shrimp, in fact.

While others opted for coffee today, I opted for the Lemon Cream Cake. It was an excellent (though expensive) final touch.

While Olive Garden offers a more upscale atmosphere (and unlimited salad and bread sticks), Zio Johnos is a nice alternative. I’m not fond of white cream sauces, and Zio Johnos offers many marinara choices, including a great ravioli and lasagna. I’d also recommend both the garlic bread and the cinnamon bread.

My typical Friday includes lunch with my Laridian associates. Today’s choice was Ghengis Grill.

Ghengis Grill is a casual restaurant featuring a raw food bar and a hot grill. Customers take a bowl and fill it with their choice of meat, vegetables, and seasonings, then watch as it is grilled in front of their eyes.

As a result, I’m not quite sure what I had. I never am. How does one describe a dish created at Ghengis Grill? There’s no menu, no dish names, only a bar with a bunch of raw food and an empty bowl, waiting to be filled.

So, I had “Jeff’s Surprise.” It’s what I always have, but it’s never the same. This time I created something involving sliced beef, sausage, lots of snow peas, lots of white and green onions, bok choy, and shredded carrots. It was ‘ok’ but I always leave thinking that it could have been better. I’m not convinced that the novelty of picking my own food and watching it grilled exceeds the pleasure of a finely tailored recipe prepared by an experienced chef. Or even a Big Mac.

When our Ghengis Grill first opened, customers were allowed to pick a raw egg from a bowl and toss it to the grill master. He would then perform some sleight of hand to crack the egg. It was very entertaining. Alas, this practice has been discontinued.

The Iowa Farm League concluded yesterday, and the Hot Wheelers are celebrating a first place finish.

		Team		Points		Points Back
1		Hot Wheelers		87.5		—
2		Power of the Pen		85		2.5
3		Clemente’s Clubbers		74.5		13
4		Beamish Boys		66.5		21
5		Drizbags		66		21.5
6		Corbett & Son		65.5		22
7		Hags Hawgs (*)		64.5		23
8		Gnats		63.5		24
9		Hammering Hawks		62		25.5
10		Virginia Beach Bums		58.5		29
11		Phat Farm		44		43.5
12		Phillies		42.5		45

Our points by category (out of a possible 12):

Category		Points
Runs		11
HR		11
RBI		11
SB		11
OBP		2.5
Wins		12
Saves		5
Strikeouts		8
Holds		7
WHIP		9

It’s amazing that after a 162 game season, the actual margin of victory is so close. For instance, the top three teams had 943, 942, and 941 runs scored. Had the third place team just scored three more runs over the course of the season, they would have gained two extra points and cost the other two teams one point each. That’s just 2/100 of a run per game, 1/2 of a run per month, or an increase of 0.32%.

This kind of careful analysis reveals the importance of an early season pickup of Matt Kemp, when he was briefly with the Dodgers. Kemp contributed 19 runs, 4 homeruns, 13 RBI and 4 stolen bases.

It also reveals that my August trade of Drew/Belliard for Vizquel/Mench was not a good trade, providing that the Hawgs would not have traded Vizquel to a competitor. I was trying to move up in Stolen Bases, which I did, but the margin of victory was higher than the 8 additional SBs that Vizquel contributed. Drew stayed healthy and had a solid September, which would have advanced me in Runs and Homeruns.

In retrospect, it’s easy to see what was a good move and what was a bad move. Unforunately, as in life, we rarely have the benefit of all of that information when the decision is made. I made the trade decision knowing what I knew at the time, and at the time, it was a good trade.

Of course, in real life, while we don’t always know all of the information, we do know much of the important information on some of the most important issues. For instance, taxes. While we don’t know the exact rate, we know that we’ll continue to pay taxes. Only death brings relief of taxes, and in some cases, even death is a taxable event.

Another sure thing is death. It can’t be avoided, even by winners of the Iowa Farm League.

There’s another sure thing, though, that we often overlook — life after death. Life after death can be a sure thing, too.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Our celebrating in heaven will be even greater than our celebrating over winning the championship in the Iowa Farm League! I hope you’ll be there to celebrate with us.