Mike's Chow

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention. To a graduated, sometimes employed 22-year old it meant making meals out of what I had at my disposal. One such creation was the Italian Quesadilla. It's like a normal quesadilla, but with sauteed sausage, onions and spaghetti sauce. It may sound gross, but trust me, it tastes great!

But then there are success stories like... Ah, who am I kidding? I just want to prove to my friends that I can cook! The picture posted is a sumptuous simmering serving of Mike's Chow. During the year that I staffed for InterVarsity I didn't have a lot of money. Inspired by my roommate Dave's stirfry, I decided to make my own stirfry-like dish. I didn't really succeed. Instead I sort of made a suped-up bean dip. But it started out like stirfry. I just took what I had lying around: hotdogs, onions and beans. Hey! I was hungry! And it only sounds bad. It tastes great! So sauteed the hotdogs and onions, then added some pinto beans, simmered it for a while and then mashed 'em with a fork. I added some salt and pepper for more flavor and ate it with chips. It was really good. So I made some more later.

As I continued to make this "chow" I augmented the recipe. I started using green pepper, black beans (which I believe to be superior to any other bean), brown sugar and salsa. Add a little cheese and you have a white man's attempt at Mexican food gone horribly awry. But hey, my wife is 1/4 Mexican and she loves it. I made it for her on our 1st monthiversary of dating and here we are now, married. I think that speaks for itself. So here's the recipe if anyone wants to give it a try. (I was gonna save it and start up my own restaurant someday, but I'm giving up on that dream...)

Ingredients:
1 onion (any color)
1/2 bell pepper
3-4 hotdogs (kilbasa or polish sausage is preferred)
1 29 0z can pinto beans
1 15 oz can black beans
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 Cup salsa
1 tsp ground pepper
grated cheese (jack and cheddar preferred)

Directions:
Chop Onion and hotdogs and sauteé in greased pan til golden brown or to your liking. Add beans with liquid into hotdogs and onions. Add chopped 1/2 bell pepper, pepper, brown sugar and salsa to mixture. Allow mixture to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add water if necessary so that mixture does not burn. Mash beans in mixture until it is no longer watery. When mixture is thick, remove from heat and allow to cool 3-5 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and/or grated cheese.

I recommend adding/removing or altering ingredients. It's a lot of fun and it tastes great! ~Michael

A Great Translation

Shannon and I watched Batman Begins last week. I must say that it was perhaps the best comic-to-movie film I've ever seen. (I'm not sure if that's saying much though) Don't get me wrong; I loved X-Men 1 and 2, Spiderman was pretty good, never saw FF or Hulk (though they didn't seem too great...). But I loved what they did with Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan, the director, did a great job in bringing the Dark Knight into the 21st century while staying true to the character (for the non-comic fans, Batman is over 60 years old, though he's probably only aged 15 years since his inception in the comics.) The plot was very sound, the acting was superb, the casting was great (except for maybe Katie Holmes; nothing personal, she's just too young for the part she played), and everything just really meshed together.

I found it very redeeming after Joel Schumacher's two horrible attempts at a comic-y Batman movie. I'm still trying to open-mindedly compare this movie with those of Tim Burton. His first movie was definitely better than the second (though DeVito was great as the Penguin). I honestly just don't like Tim Burton, so I'm very biased. (My reason why: I read a really bad history on the goings-on of the upcoming Superman movie of which Tim Burton at one time was at the helm. The writer gave the very strong impression that Tim doesn't like anything light-hearted unless it has a very dark underside. He assumedly had Superman in a black suit without superpowers and an unexploded Krypton.) Anyway, I'm trying to be fair to him... I think he really captured the darkness of Batman in his movies, much like Daredevil did (which I think was much better than movie watcher's gave it credit; it really caught the darkness of the character, which is much like Batman in the pursuit of justice while employing bruit force and fear... Hmm... come to think of it, it sounds like Daredevil is just a ripoff of Batman... sigh). However, I think think Nolan's movie brought in better casting and more character's to support the script, not that Nolan has much to do with that since he's only the director. What Nolan did do well was capture the darkness while also correctly applying the lighter side of Bruce Wayne and developing the character. He seemed more human than Michael Keaton's Batman (though he played that character very well, perhaps better than Christian Bale, but Bale's script was better in my opinion).

Well, in conclusion, Nolan's movie was the best. Burton gets honorable mention. Joel... we'll just try to forget those movies were ever made... sigh. ~Michael

PS - I'm still learning how to critique movies, so insight is welcomed. If it sounds like I don't know I'm talking about, then I probably don't. But no apologies if your a Schumacker fan!

the past week...

Well, it's been a while since the last post. Since then, Shannon has worked a bit at the preschool she works at: Canyon Rim Children's Center. Meanwhile, I stayed home, cleaned the dishes, made the bed, sanded a shelf a when I found time and brought Shannon lunch on the days she worked. When Shannon doesn't work, we generally take care of odds and ends such as getting her name changed, getting a new Driver's License for her and figuring out Car Insurance (which brings me a small rant)...

So Shannon accidentally collided with another car on the 1st of December, 2005. It's been almost 2 months and things still aren't figured out. If we hadn't made some calls this past Wednesday, things would probably still be moving rather slowly. Anyway, long story short, the damage done the car was minimal, less than $750, which is good for us, because it means that Shannon won't get a point on her driving record. The other driver is claiming injuries that seem (to us and the insurance company) to not match up with the damage incurred on the vehicle. Well, the other party's insurance was in lapse on the day of the accident. By California state law, that driver has no right to claim injury against us now. So the case should be closed, right? Wrong.

Said driver now has an attorney who is attempting to petition a claim (or so I've been told). I know I sound pretty stone-cold to the other driver. But really, I do sympathise with them. I would hate to have back or neck injuries. It messes everything up (in fact, osteophathy an alternative medical approach predicts that most ailments occur from unaligned bone structure) and you feel like a wreck. The reason this all bothers me really is because it's so impersonal.

I called the driver up to see how they were and see if there was any way to speed the process up. They were really cold on the phone, gave little information, offered no condolensces to us... (since their actions might cost us money as well). It was really discouraging. It's times like these when I struggle with condemning all of American culture. It's so easy at these times to criticize every minute detail of our culture and do nothing but complain. The main point that came up for me was that our culture is so unfriendly. We don't respect people enough to settle things face to face. We depend upon the court and government to decide our lives... But I digress.

This experience gave Shannon and I a really tough choice in following Jesus. We had to decide to love the other person in spite of their actions. We had to decide to not become bitter. We had to decide to truly love humanity which seemed more ugly, if possible, as a result of this experience. Most of all, we had to choose to trust God to provide and fight for us rather than claim our "rights." It was really humbling, but also very encouraging to see that God's way is not our way, but that it is much better.

Having just read what I wrote, I suppose our lives might sound sheltered, but I think these are the daily struggles of most people in America. The majority of us may not suffer from demonic possession, persecution or starvation, but we still must choose to follow our Lord in the simple things. I used to think that following Jesus was a life full of life-threatening experiences... and it is! but not how I imagined it. The life that's threatened in our day to day experiences is the life of joy. We must endeavor to choose to live the life of joy by faith and not fight for the scraps that fall off the table. The world in which we live paints a picture of "every man for himself," but these are not the ways of the Kingdom. Our Holy Nation is one of provision, love and acceptance. Everyone watches each other's backs and so we don't have to fight for ourselves. God's hands are always providing good gifts to His children and His children love Him by giving their love away rather than hording it or anything else from someone who has slighted them. The older I become the more simplistic the gospel appears, less dramatic I suppose, but definitely more applicable to daily life. I think I'm coming to see that life is less about the dramatic moments that "define" me and more about all those pesky decisions I make that mold me.

Anyway, we just got home from church and Shannon has made me lunch (yah!!). I'll probably post some more later today. ~Michael

Shannon's Second Post

Just kidding...
I guess I was just trying to be witty...I always feel like you have to be witty or say something clever in order to write a post. My clever thought for the day is that I like being married and I really enjoy spending time with my husband. And so I think I will go spend some time with him. And sleep. I really like sleep, especially these days. I just cannot seem to get enough of it. So, I think I may go do that as well.
Maybe tomorrow I will come back with a legitimately clever thought.

Shannon's Post

Aparently I have several posts to do in order to catch up with my new husband, or so he informs me. So, here is my first post.

The Post to End All Posts

Ok, well maybe the title is a slight exaggeration. I was flipping through the Bible (I never know what to read) and came along Habukuk. Shannon and I received a Couples NIV Bible and it had a quote from Thomas á Kempis on Habakuk 2:20:

But the LORD is in his holy temple;
let teh earth be silent before him.

Thomas says that if we want to speak, we should be content to be silent (that made me ask if I should ever teach or give my opinion ever again, thus the title of this post). Or if we want to lead, we should first learn how to follow. There's a lot of wisdom in this I think. As I thought about this, I read Hab 2:20 (for I had not yet read it). It hit me like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden I felt a weightiness about me. I somehow sensed the Lord's presence and was convicted that I have not been taking Him seriously. The verse really struck a chord in me. I saw how I been treating God like a "to do list" instead of the creator of my soul and the universe.

In light of this realization I feel really joyful. I'm happy to think of what awaits Shannon and I as we journey to God's Kingdom together. I see us now struggling through the smallest things, whether it be tiredness, pathetic lies of lust or the stresses of a performance-minded society. God really puts everything in perspective. He's so amazing. I feel like today is a turning point for us. And instead of judgement for me or Shannon, I just feel hope and grace. That brings me to another "epiphany:" When we correct ourselves it brings judgement and fruitless toil; When God brings correction, it brings freedom, fruitfulness and joy.

Oh yeah, the pic is of a banana bread I just made for Shannon. She's so lucky! ~Michael

musings on love...

So... it's been almost three weeks since the "I do's" and I've learned a lot about love since then... not that I understand anything I've learned or anything though. I suppose I could fit it into a 3-point sermon though if it pleases you...

1. TAKE IT ALL TO GOD. This is one I was assumed to have learned a while ago. Well, guess what. I didn't! This relationship/love thing can get pretty foggy sometimes and being young and trying to figure out the world and who I am makes matters worse. If you don't keep a close eye out you'll find yourself hopelessly lost and confused not knowing which way to go. But every time I've found myself there, God has been beside me. Everytime I look to Him my fear melts away, the deeper issues of my heart get addressed and I find that I'm right where I need to be once again: in His counsel. (Which reminds me... I still need to spend some solid time in the Word today)

2. PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE. There's this little book called the Power of a Praying Husband. It was written by a woman so it carries more weight for me than if a man had written it. In the book it outlines some basic items to cover in prayer regarding your wife. I find that if I pray for Shannon a lot of good things start to happen. 1) Shannon feels more loved either because of the power of the prayer or simply because she knows I'm praying for her. 2) My heart becomes connected to Shannon. I begin to see her more clearly through God's eyes and I find myself drawn more to her side. 3) You begin to fight the lies of the enemy. I don't think this topic is specific to women only; we all hear lies from the devil. As we live with our spouse we begin to hear the same lies they hear whether because our spouse self-actualizes them (yeah physch!) or else because we're afraid they might happen. Either way, praying for your spouse gives you authority over the lies they deal with. And husbands, probably the biggest lie you'll face is that your wife is demanding (aka: high-maintenance, bossy, a "nag", etc.); it's not true: she only needs to be loved. 4) You begin to care more about her needs than your own. This is a big one and leads me to the last point.

3. LOOK NOT TO YOUR OWN DESIRES BUT THOSE OF YOUR SPOUSE. Yesterday, I spent a lot of time on the computer. Most of it was just wasted time. Some of it was trying to make this post. Anyway, I could have been cleaning up the house and making it look more welcoming for her when she came home from work. When she did come home, the living room was untouched from this morning, the bed was unmade and some dishes I had missed were laying on the counter. And Shannon was tired to boot. Now, I'm still kind of unclear on what expectations are legitamite, but one thing I am certain of is that if I want to show her I love her, then I'll clean the house and make her feel welcome when she comes home. That may mean staying off the computer the rest of the night, making a meal, etc.

I realize that most men come home to their wives and yes, I am soon to get a job of my own (I interviewed yesterday at Alvarado Hospital for a Patient Care Assistant position). But I'm sure you can all figure out a way to apply this to your own life as we all vary in specifics but all made of the same spiritual fiber having been made by the same God.

Well, that's one lesson for today... I have a lot more posts in my head, but I'll let them ooze out it due time. ~Michael

Our new Blog together...

It seems like it was only yesterday... Shannon and I both had our xanga accounts and were letting people know how we are. And suddenly our perspective entities underwent a merger (of the matrimonial type) and now here we are with our very own blog together! The "Love of the Irish," for that is what we are(!) will tell of all the epiphanies, wimsies and quandries we have of life as we travel this road of grace towards love together. Enjoy and please(!) don't use discretion. ~Michael