19 June 2009

AMF: Wherein The Fly Might Cook

Note: Ugh, I'm glad I wrote this last night. Between yesterday's yomp, not stretching out after yesterday's yomp (shush, Themis), and that obnoxious electrical storm (with hail) in the middle of the night, I feel like ass.

Hey, folks! It's Friday! That's awesome! Welcome to AMF.

Just for the record, I yomped yesterday afternoon, and if I swim today and tomorrow, I will have met (probably exceeded, actually) my cardio requirements for my Phase I Fitness Plan, which means that if I can get the pushups and situps added in next week, and keep up with the cardio, I'll have accomplished the first week. Baby steps.

Alright, now for the news.

  • Times: Five clones from 9/11 hero dog unveiled
  • Times: Waziristan: the colonial headache remains
  • US Army: Colbert Entertains Brings Smiles to Troops in Iraq - I'm not a huge fan of Stephen Colbert, but I'll give him absolute credit for this. A week spent in Iraq entertaining the troops? Bonehead or not, that's hardcore.
  • Real Clear Politics: Understanding the Age of Obama by Victor Davis Hanson - One of the greatest historians in the history of the discipline, VDH does a fantastic job of putting things in perspective regarding President Obama's record since taking office. This one's a must-read.
  • FSM: The Middle Eastern Cold War - I didn't read this whole article, but a great deal of the politics of the modern Middle East revolves around the Cold War between Iran and Saudi Arabia, one of the major aspects of which was the sectarian violence in Iraq.
  • UPI: Flash point Hormuz: Countering mine peril
  • Wired Danger Room: Iran Activists get assist from Anonymous, Pirate Bay
  • Times: Evidence that points to Ahmadinejad fixing poll

    As for another must-read, you should go review Michael Totten's blog posts on Commentary Magazine's website. I say "review" because I'm positive that you read it yesterday like I told you to. Either way, go read it. Michael Totten is one of the two best independent journalists working today, the other being Michael Yon. Totten's running commentary of goings-on in Iran have been fantastic, and I'll be drawing heavily from them in my own article on the subject, which I'll be writing this weekend.

    Speaking of this weekend, I'm hoping that it's going to be an interesting one. On Tuesday evening, I went to a graduation party for Guacamolly on the north end of Virginia's Eastern Shore. As I got to doing some looking at online maps, I decided that it might be nice to take a drive down the Eastern Shore, which is like a long peninsula that parallels parts of Virginia and North Carolina, and then swing back up into Old Dominion. As I look closer, I think that it might actually be a pretty long trip, so I may not do it this weekend, but the thought is crossing my mind, so who knows.

    Also, my Gitmo Cookbook arrived yesterday, although none of the other stuff I ordered has shown up yet - most of it's been shipped, but it hasn't arrived. At any rate, I think that this weekend is probably the right opportunity for me to finally try a recipe or two. At the moment, I have the following hardware to choose from:

  • Breville Gourmet Rice Duo (probably not the exact one pictured)
  • Breville Gourmet Health Grill (apparently discontinued - probably not a great sign)
  • Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

    I have a few ideas that I'm throwing around, such as Irish Stew in the Crock Pot, or some sort of rice dish, or maybe a combination of rice with Chicken Cacciatore out of the Crock Pot. I've also really been wanting to try my hand at Rachael Ray's Shepherd's Pie recipe. Or, I could get ambitious and try one of the fancy recipes out of the Gitmo Cookbook. The bottom line is that I have far too many options, and unless I settle on one or another and prepare for it, I may just wind up at Red Robin. If anyone has any input, feel free to share it.

    If I don't wind up on a spontaneous day road trip, my likely exploits will be any or all of the following.

  • hitting the pool
  • cleaning out my closet and finding stuff around the house to get rid of
  • working on the webpage/archive project, which has been neglected during the last week and a half
  • building those model kits that I bought three months ago that have sat there, untouched, ever since
  • writing an article about what's going on in Iran

    So... We'll see. What I do know is that I have to turn in an article on Sunday, and I have to usher at church on Sunday, so that prevents me from doing anything spontaneous. Well, that, and the fact that I'm not really a spontaneous person under normal circumstances. (There was that trip to Texas in January of 2006, but that almost never happens.)

    What about you folks? If you're so inclined, leave a comment with either your weekend plans, your recommendation for which recipe I should attempt to make, or both. Also... Have a great weekend!
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