A Pleasant Surprise...

I've recently begun reading Tolkien's The Silmarillion. I had just finished The Hobbit, but I didn't feel like I was prepared to read The Silmarillion. I heard that it was kind of a boring read: lots of history and names, kind of like "Numbers" from The Bible. But I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised. I think I first took a liking to it because it recounts creation more than once, something that "Genesis" does. I also like the way that Tolkien has set his world with a main "God," but with lesser spiritual beings and Melkor (Morgoth) as a Satan-like figure but with greater power. Also, the way that Tolkien separates Elf from Man, the dealings between the Valar and the origins of the Dwarves and Ents are very intriguing. I feel thoroughly satisfied reading it. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I'm currently at San Diego City College with Shannon (she works here on Mondays and Wednesdays). I made some Shepherd's Pie for dinner and brought it with me when I came. I'm getting pretty good at making this meal, which really gets me stoked. I was thinking about Irish cuisine while I was preparing the pie: I don't think it is at all under-rated (since the food isn't gourmet); I think it's really earned the popularity that it does have though. Irish food is extremely cheap to make. The ingredients are mainly ground meat, onions, potatoes, salt, milk and some other garden veggies. The most sophistacated ingredient I used to make the Shepherd's pie was Worchestershire Sauce! One bottle costs less that $3 at Food 4 Less. My hat goes off to my ancestors. They have perhaps the least glamorous cuisine, yet it tastes so great and is well-liked by many.

The reason I brought dinner to Shannon is because we're leaving to go an Alumni Intervarsity Worship Night. That's right! We're now old enough to have reunions! (My HS renunion is in 2 year!!!!) It'll be nice to see how the ministry is going (it's a Christian ministry at UCSD for the one or two non-UCSD alumni reading this blog). Shannon and I both served the fellowship well and I can remember the year of prayer in fourth year there just before the ministry seemed to explode with fruit. Ecclesiastes says that the greatest thing for man is to be able to be satisfied with his labor. I think I'm really going to enjoy tonight seeing what fruits our labors have borne. ~Michael