Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. I Thess 5:21

Just finished reading “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely. It was an unabridged audiobook, so my wife claims I didn’t “read” it though. Call it what you wish; I absorbed it into my melon. It was a very fascinating look into why we make the decisions that we do. I especially like how he describes the various experiments he and his colleagues performed. It also helped that the reader had a wonderful british accent, so that made the experience very enjoyable. All in all, I highly recommend this title, and I plan on giving it 4 stars. Cheers.

Wow. That was a little scary. Deleting all the content, editing the PHP file, re-uploading, whoops error. Got it fixed, mistakenly put a comma where there should have been a period. Big relief to see the page load correctly.

Most people view January 1st as a time to start fresh, make a New Year’s resolution and forget about the mistakes of the past. As an academic, I tend to view the start of a new academic year as the time to wipe the slate clean. I love this time of year; the weather is not too hot and not to cold. Football season is just around the corner (this will be the year of the Titans by the way), and a new cohort of students have a arrived on campus. Just like most of my students, I look back on the previous semester and think that I was too disorganized, didn’t get everything I wanted done, and didn’t perform as well as I wanted to. And just like most of my students I say “things are going to be different this semester.” This will be the semester I’m going to:
*be two weeks ahead in all of my classes
*come up with brilliant demonstrations to wow my students
*effectively manage my 4 senior research students and get enough results so that I can write a publication with each one.
*really make connections with some of my students and truly be a mentor to them.
*not get bogged down with grading lab reports.
…and the list goes on and on. They say good intentions pave the way to you know where, but I guess it never hurts to try. I did have a good first day. I am two weeks ahead in my classes. My desk is clean heading into day two. So we shall see how long my two-week cushion lasts. I have a new teaching project I want to start this year, I have some interesting projects planned for my upper-level lab, and I am confident my seniors will work hard on their research. I’ve been really blessed to have the position I have. I never dread going in to work, my colleagues are my friends, and my students always motivate me to be a better professor. Who knows, maybe this WILL be the semester where I realize near Jedi-like teaching abilities, publish a paper or two, and keep my inbox clean. It never hurts to dream.

I’m trying to link my blog updates to my Facebook profile. Please excuse this test, it’s only a test. If this had been an actual status update, it would have been followed by news, photos, or other useless information. Thank you.

I just finished a trio of books on the restaurant business from the point of view of a restaurant critic (Garlic & Sapphires), a waiter (Waiter Rant), and a chef (Kitchen Confidential). Although each author gave a slightly different perspective on the industry, the one theme that stuck out among all three was this: there are a lot of really crazy people working (& eating) in restaurants. These people are not eccentric, not misunderstood, I mean certifiably, mentally ill.

Among the three books, my least favorite, and the one I think was the least well-written was surprisingly the one by a “professional” writer. “Garlic and Sapphires” by the former New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl was not so much about the food, but about the personas she had to generate to eat in restaurants without being recognized. It’s not surprising that when a well known critic walks into a high end restaurant and is recognized, the owner, staff, and cooks fall over themselves to make sure they receive a stellar review. What was a bit disturbing was the level of “profiling” that occurs the second a patron walks into a restaurant. Everyone from the maître d’, to the waitstaff, to the people who plate the food all gauge the level of service to how you look, how you talk, and who you are with. Overall, her stories about the characters and the restaurants are mildly entertaining, but overall I describe the book as rather average.

“Waiter Rant” and “Kitchen Confidential” on the other hand kept me turning pages and laughing the whole way. Although I’ve never worked in a restaurant (and never plan to) I can sympathize with “the waiter” (he never identifies himself in the book as he wants to keep his identity and those of his colleagues a secret) as can anyone who deals with the public in any kind of customer service capacity and has dealt with all manner of ungrateful, arrogant, and inconsiderate customers. I will say that I do have more respect for waiters in general, and I plan to be a little more thoughtful when it comes to tipping (though I still think it’s an archaic practice).

“Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain is exactly what the book jacket describes “adventures in the culinary underbelly.” Everyone hears stories of what happens behind those big metal doors, but I think people would be absolutely shocked by how crazy these guys really are. After seeing the kind of hours, the level of verbal abuse, and the working conditions cooks must endure, I can see why it takes a special type of person (on special types of pharmaceuticals) to prepare the food that makes it to your plate. Beyond all the debauchery, the drugs, the foul language though exists a unique fraternity of craftsmen who have the habits and the work ethic that many other vocations could really use; be on time, never call in sick, respect the chain of authority, and above all work as hard as you can to make your skills better. Great book. Highly recommended, though the language may put many readers off. Oh, and never eat seafood at a restaurant on a Monday, especially if it says “SPECIAL”.

Ten years ago today, Dianne made me the happiest man in the world. Other than the day I accepted Christ as my Savior, no other day has more significance to me than this one. On the one hand, ten years seems to have gone by so quickly, and on the other, some of our earliest memories after we were first married seem so long ago. I look back at pictures and wonder where those days went; you know the ones before the kids. We’ve experienced good times and bad, times when we had $50 to our names and times of plenty. We’ve had times of sickness and health, though Dianne never gets sick unless I’m across the country on business, then things get ugly. We’ve had the joys of having three wonderful children with one on the way, and we’ve experienced the sadness of having 3 miscarriages. We’ve moved from South Carolina, to Georgia, to Michigan, and to Pennsylvania. I am blessed to have such a wonderful wife to have supported me throughout all my schooling, moving away from friends and family, having to establish ourselves in new churches along the way, and yet Dianne never stopped supporting me. I just want to publicly acknowledge her now as the beautiful and wonderful wife that she is. Thank you honey. I love you.

I put this book on my “to read” list some time ago. I remember Thomas Sowell recommended it in one of his columns. In some ways I’m glad I waited until just recently to read it. “The Forgotten Man” by Amity Shlaes, dispels many of the myths of the Great Depression. In school I was always taught that FDR was the savior of the country as he led us out of the Great Depression and to victory in WWII. When one looks at his policies however, the reality is that they prolonged it unnecessarily. Though I have immense respect for any man who occupies the office of the President, I have to admit that I’m dismayed at how far FDR turned this country away from free market principles. What is so surprising is that it was obvious that the hands-off, small-government philosophy of Calvin Coolidge produced a booming economy; it wasn’t until Herbert Hoover started tinkering that things headed south. Roosevelt and his “brain-trust” did exactly the opposite of what they should have done. They modeled their policies after the Soviet Union and began to “experiment.” It didn’t matter what they did or how illogical it was so long as the people saw that the government was doing something. I couldn’t help but see the parallels to the philosophy of the current administration. Though most of the book got me really depressed, I took heart that gradually the American people started to see the errors in the ways of their leaders, and began to reject them. If it wasn’t for the uncertainty regarding the U.S.’s involvement in WWII, it’s likely FDR wouldn’t have won his third term. So for me, as I get frustrated as how the American people seem to be so lost in their admiration of the current President and his Marxist policies, I do have hope that Americans can and will come to their senses and return to the principles that make this country great: freedom, free-markets, and a small government that does only what is Constitutionally called for.

Here is our family mission statement that we have been working on.

The purpose of our family is to…
• serve the Lord together. Josh 24:15
• live our lives according Scripture. 2 Tim 3:16-17
• grow spiritually as a family and as individuals. Col 2:6-7
• be good stewards of what God has entrusted to us. 1 Cor 4:1-2
• be critical thinkers. 1 Thess: 5:21
• be an example to our family and others. Matt 5:16
To accomplish these things, we acknowledge our responsibilities in the following areas and shall…
…as members of this family:
• pray for one another. James 5:16
• encourage one another. Heb 10:24
• not criticize or complain about each other to others. James 4:11
…as members of this household:
• recognize that we are all part of this family and will do our fair share to keep the household running smoothly.
• clean up after ourselves. 1 Cor 14:40
• be truthful about what happens when an accident occurs. Eph 4:25
• do any tasks or chores assigned to us without complaining. Phil 2:14
…as members of our church and ministries:
• attend all regular church services if we are present and healthy. Heb 10:25
• support ministries and charities that uphold our same beliefs and values with our time and money.
• fulfill our responsibilities in our chosen ministries. Heb 6:10
• obey those in authority over us in these areas. Rom 13:1-2
…as stewards of God’s finances:
• place value on the things of Heaven, not on the things of this Earth. Matt 6:19-21
• work towards eliminating all debt. Prov 22:7
• limit the use of credit cards. Rom 13:8
• wait 24 hours in which time we will pray over any purchases over the amount of $100. Luke 14:28-30
• set aside portions of our money for giving, saving, and spending. 2 Cor 9:7
• trust the Lord to provide for our needs. Matt 6:31-34
…as husband and wife:
• recognize that a strong marriage builds a strong family.
• set aside time to connect each day with one another.
• learn to communicate effectively with one another.
• have a date night at least once a month.
…as parents:
• learn to recognize the individual needs of our children and strive to meet them.
• teach them God’s Word. Deut 6:6-9
• strive to spend one-on-one time with each of them. Eph 5:16
• protect our children from unwise relationships. Prov 13:20, 2 Cor 6:14
• protect our children from ungodly secular media. Ps 101:3-4, Eph 5:11-12, Phil 4:8
…as educators of our children:
• be our children’s primary teachers of values whether they are schooled in the home or elsewhere. Prov 22:6
• decide the best course of education for our children. Deut 11:18-20
• strive to encourage further studies in areas of interest. Prov 15:14
• support a broad liberal arts education with a Christian worldview. Phil 1:9-10
• make our home an environment conducive to learning. Prov 24:3-4
… as trainers of our children:
• not discipline in anger. James 1:20
• incorporate Biblical training into our discipline. Eph 6:4
• be consistent in discipline so all will know what to expect. Prov 29:15
• train up our children for God’s glory, not for ours. 1 Cor 10:31
…as children in this home:
• obey our parents. Eph 6:1
• respect our parents’ property.
• honor our parents with both our words and our attitudes. Ex 20:12
…as brothers and sisters in this home:
• not raise our voices or hands to one another. Prov 16:32
• respect one another’s privacy and property. Ps 133:1
• try to resolve conflicts first before involving others. Matt 18:15-17