I've been Everywhere Man!

As I was feeling the burn in a downward facing dog pose this morning, my eye caught my Eyewitness Travel France book and I was inspired to write about a travel podcast. The following is a must read for anyone planning to travel soon.

When I was preparing to travel to Nigeria about a year ago, I searched and searched for any travel information I could find. Unfortunately, the travel section of Barnes and Noble was lined with two walls of travel to Italy and maybe one book on travel to West Africa. To my surprise a few months ago, I discovered a Lonely Planet travelcast (Listen Now!) and a Nigeria travelcast!

Lonely Planet was recommended to me by a well travelled Nepalese German studying in France who swore by it for any travel destination. I have since listened to several travelcasts to get inspiration for places to travel and find out about the road less travelled. Definitely check out the travelcasts: Destination Nigeria and Destination Turkey. The Nigerian podcast was spot on and will give you a little flavor for visiting Nigeria (although the man doing the pocast is borderline certifiable). Destination Turkey has definitely encouraged me to visit this location in the near future for a unique cultural experience.

For popular cities, I have found the Knopf Mapguides are unbeatable (Buy here). I am directionally impaired; so to navigate around an unfamiliar metro area of 10 million people with everything in a foreign language seemed a bit daunting. I proudly state that this guide helped me scour almost every major neighborhood of Paris without getting lost once or even asking for directions! Each guide is light weight, inexpensive (~$9) and conveniently fits in your purse or pocket. The guide has a fold-out, detailed street map (including subway stops) for the major sections of city including points of interest. Guide books like Frommers, Lonely Planet, and EyeWitness Travel are best to read before going to the location because they expensive, heavy, and information laden.

So start listening and let me know about your latest travels and tips. Bon Voyage!

Thought for the day: Life is a journey, not a destination.

How do we meet single people in real life and not just online?

Am I a serial coffee dater? How do I meet the "one"? How do I meet a guy whose not a player? Should a girl pursue a guy? Is there a 12 step program for dating?

Have you ever wanted to ask some pretty straightforward questions and actually get straightforward answers? Then I have to podcast for you!

First, it has come to my attention that some of my readers do not have itunes or even an ipod.
So today I made a wonderful discovery about the Mars Hill Church: Everything Audio podcast. Go here Mars Hill Church Site and then click on the Menu, then Downloads link on the left. Mars Hill is very technologically advanced and has the option to directly on their website make your own playlist of sermons, music, video, ect. and you can play it straight from the website!

Once you are in the Downloads section, drill down to the Covenant Q&A Forum and Top 10 Things to look for in Spouse audio downloads by this pathway: Downloads -> Classes -> Covenant Media. Also you can find many more downloads here than are on the itunes subscription, which holds a limited amount of podcasts.

I appreciate people who are frank. So you will find the common thread in the podcasts I post on is that these people tell it like it is and don't skirt around the issue or question at hand. The aforementioned podcasts are presented by a married pastor and his wife. These podcasts offer one of the more honest, candid looks at the topic of dating, marriage, and courtship I have ever heard. The Q&A format is great and you won't believe some of the questions asked (see title).

Hard to summarize the above podcasts, but a few things that stuck out to me. We live in a low risk, minimize the chances of things going wrong culture, but if you want to meet someone and eventually get married you need to risk something. Love is blind, so seek council. From the Top 10 list for a future spouse, I like the point-- Does this guy enjoy being a man?--I will leave it at that for now, but ladies definitely pay attention to this one!

I also listened to a food podcast today with Sommelier Alpana Singh and she was relating wine to relationships. Here's my take on it. When you start out with a good bottle of wine--decork it or nowadays unscrew the cap, drink it, enjoy it, savor the subtle nuances of tannins and oak aging, breathe in the different flavors of peach, gooseberry, and blackberry, maybe even a little hint of flint or coffee. Wow its really good! Put in your vacuum pump, leave it in the fridge and drink it over the next few days and its going to mellow out a bit and still have a steady pleasant taste. Start out with a mediocre to bad bottle of wine (the ones with the Animal labels or critter wines as my favorite wino Alan calls them ; ) and it may taste like wheat, grass, or dirt when you first open it; just wait a few days and it only gets worse. (If you think this analogy does or does not hold up or have something to add, please leave a comment)

Thought for the Day: R-I-S-K

If you podcast it, they will listen.

I'm going to make him a podcast he can't refuse. Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful podcast. Show me the podcast. Keep your friends close, but your podcasts closer. You're going to need a bigger podcast. Carpe diem, sieze the podcast, boys. A podcast, shaken, not stirred. I feel the need, the need for podcasts. You can't handle the podcast. Podcast.

If you can correctly identify the word podcast is replacing in these quotes, chances are you like movies. And if you can correctly identify all the movies in these quotes, you are probably a movie aficianado. (If you can do either of these, leave a comment with the correct answers because I will be impressed.)

If either of the above describes you, I am going to go out on a limb and recommend the best film podcast out there: Filmspotting (Listen Now!). The hosts of this show are based in Chicago and one is originally from Iowa, so I definitely appreciate the tidbits they throw in about these areas in the podcast. They have a killer format and offer a weekly podcast reviewing the latest movies and usually an older movie, massacre theather, listener feedback, and a top 5 movies in a genre.

Film does offer entertainment, but I would argue even more than that it is art. Every film has a point of view and is saying something about the world. Haha, well now I am just trying to justify why I like to watch movies, but this podcast definitely goes far beyond the blockbusters and touches on some material that is really poignant and will cause you to think.

A recent recommendation by Filmspotting that I wouldn't have seen otherwise is: Brick. This indy film was recently released to DVD and is very creative. It is a modern day noir mystery set in a high school with a lead actor who I always enjoy watching Joseph Gordon Levitt. With a budget of 500,000 and a first time director, this film is incredibly done and worth checking out.

My taste tends to be in the foreign film and documentary/special interest genres, so if you enjoy those and want some recommendations (or have some for me), I would be happy to help. A few I have recently seen: Spellbound (documentary on the National Spelling Bee), Seducing Dr. Lewis (French Canadian film on a very small town trying to lure a doctor to the town, so they can get a factory.)

Since I am on the topic of movies, I also wanted to note that the Mars Hill Church: Everything Audio podcast I recommended last week also has a section called "Film and Theology". They analyze movies and note many Christian themes in them.

I already paid homage to Filmspotting's massacre theater in my intro, so I will close with a tribute to their Top 5 with Top 5 Reasons you Should Listen to the Podcast.

5. All the cool kids are doing it.
4. They blow Ebert and Ropert out of the water.
3. Movies are expensive and you should find out if they are worth your 10 bucks!
2. They might recommend an obscure masterpiece movie you wouldn't have seen otherwise.
1. It's free.

Thought for the day: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Dudes and Wingnuts

A dude is definitely a guy, but I'm not sure about wingnuts. I think it is reference to the fringe, slightly crazy people who sometimes sit in the wings of churches? These are terms frequently used by one of my new favorite podcasting preachers, Mark Driscoll. I first learned about Mark Driscoll a few months ago from John Piper's vodcast for the upcoming Desiring God Conference (which I am super excited about attending in September! You should go too The Supremacy of Christ.)

Needless to say, anyone John Piper endorses, I am going to check out. So I started listening to Mark Driscoll's podcast Mar's Hill Church: Everything Audio (Subscribe Now!), and after an hour sermon I was hooked. Twenty two hours later and I am still listening. Wow there is so much I could say about Mark Driscoll, but the most important thing is that he preaches the Word.

In an interview, Mark Driscoll said he gets his theology from Martin Luther and his preaching style from Chris Rock (or some other comedian). He is very frank, funny, and preaches for an hour (most sermons are typically 20-30 I think). I promise you won't be bored. An excerpt from his sermon Single Like Jesus:

Some of you dudes need to be honest and say I just don't think I'm going to make it. You need to grow up, get a job, get a Bible, get a gal, get to the alter, and get 'er done.

Mars Hill Church started about 10 years ago and has grown from 2 to 5000 members in a city that is near and dear to my heart, Seattle. It is amazing to see God working in one of the most unchurched cities in the US.

This podcast has excellent music as well, so definitely check out the songs too (especially Mars Hill Acoustic Band)! Right now, the sermon series is I Corinthians "Christian's Gone Wild" and covers singleness, divorce and remarriage, idolatry, sex, suffering, humility, wisdom, church discipline, spiritual gifts, and much more.

I wanted to give an introduction to the podcast in this blog, but I will hopefully get a chance to comment on specific podcasts in the future and highlight some of my favorites.

Thought for the day: Be Bold

Kudos for Tyson

Just wanted to post a quick note to say how impressed I am by the Tyson food company. I was alerted that they were giving out a free booklet called Giving Thanks at Mealtime. Of course, I filled in my vitals and requested one with little hope for the contents (hey, its free). I expected some new age book that reinvented how to give thanks at meals....something like We give thanks to the great earth who has bore forth the grain that has nourished this succulent Tyson chicken.

I received this booklet today along with two free samples from Walmart ; ) To my surprise, the front flap included a letter from John Tyson which states one of Tyson's core values is "to honor God and be respectful of each other, our customers..." The booklet is being sent out to encourage families to remember God at mealtimes and give thanks for our daily bread.

Just a few of the thanks from the book:

For the blessings you've bestowed upon this home and on this family,
For all the days we've had together and all the days to come,
For the joys and sorrows that bind us closer,
For the trials we've overcome,
And for teaching us that we can do no great things only small things with great love,
Lord, we thank you.

Benedic, Domine, nos et haec
tua dona quae de tua largitate
sumus sumpturi
Per Chritum
Dominum nostrum. Amen

Cristo, pan de vida,
Ven y bendice esta comida.
Amen

My personal favorite: Good Lord--Bless these sinners as they eat their dinners. Amen.

Giving Thanks at Mealtime

Thought for the day: Give Thanks.

Dining with Sharks, Dandelion Wine, and Dutch Letters

Do..doo..do...do...do..doo..do, Jeopardy question of the day: Where is the smallest Walmart in the world located?

Did you know there is a canal in Iowa? Aside from the fact that it serves no functional purpose, the canal is a nice aesthetic addition to the dutch community of Pella, IA. I am going to dedicate this blog as a travelog through the state of Iowa. Whether passing South to North or East to West, I recommend that you stop by Pella and gobble up a few Dutch letters at the local bakeries or buy a pair of wooden shoes and hike to the top of the ginormous working windmill.

If you are traveling via I-80, don't miss the former Community of True Inspiration--the Amana colonies. This former idyllic commune turned tourist mecca still serves authentic German fare and sells products all made in the colony. The Amanas are also the home to many vintners, who produce wine from 20+ fruits. To my delight they had dandelion wine, which I have been wondering about ever since I read the excellent novel Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury in the 7th grade. A sample of this weed wine proved to be quite tasty. A side note--If anyone has thoughts on communal living (good or bad?) send me an email or comment. I am very intrigued by the simplicity and community it creates, so let me know what you think.

Since I am on the topic of wine, I cannot help but tell you about this free deal I heard about today. Bill Wilson of the podcast Wine for Newbies (I will definitely post a blog about this podcast in the future) has alerted me about a FREE book available at WinesFromSpain, which he rates as a $10 value! If you are at all interested in learning about wine, Bill recommends this free resource.

Sushi in Iowa!?!? Yes, it is true and it is good : ) I give a high recommendation to stopping in Iowa City, 20 minutes from the Amanas and right off I-80. This college town is the home to several food finds. Check out the Java House to get a latte the way it shoud be made (ahem Starkbucks, are you listening?). Imagine being transported to nearest coral reef, where you can sip miso soup a few inches from a nurse shark and zebra eel. Takanami offers Japanese fusion cuisine and sushi in the heart of Iowa. The ambience blows any sushi joint in Chicago out of the water and the food rivals most of them (no one beats Mitch from Toro in Chicago).

Thought for the day: Give until it hurts.

Walmart is giving away free things!?!?!?

Is that a deer running down Main street? Kristen, is that your brother and ten of his friends in a pick-up truck chasing it? Welcome to the Iowa addition of my blog. After 18 years of living in Iowa, I saw my first deer running down Main street this summer.

Not only is this the Iowa addition of my blog because I am in Iowa at this very moment, but also because Walmart is a mainstay in every major village in Iowa. Some people loathe Walmart because they drive any mom and pop shop out of town, but being the good deal minded person that I am, sometimes I cannot resist their cunning lure.

Walmart will not pay its employees a decent wage of $10/hr, but they will give out free samples and lots of them! I have received several free samples from Walmart over the past few months and they are prompt in sending them and packaged nicely. Check it out WALMART FREE SAMPLES. Bookmark this page and check it often because they update their samples regularly.
Happy Sampling : )

Thought for the day: Mapquest may not be the best bet for getting from point A to B, take the scenic route.