|
livejive
|
read my profile
sign my guestbook
Gender: Male
Interests: God
Rachel (my wife) and Isabel (my daughter)
All things Bass (the guitar, not the fish)
Expertise: Is anyone REALLY an expert at anything?
Occupation: Other
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message me
Member Since:
3/25/2004
|
|
| 
THE LITTLE GUY
Before we move on the promised Krispy Kreme butt-whooping at the hands of Dunkin' Donuts, I want to take a brief donut trail precipitated by a comment on my last post by a good friend of mine, Andy Klein.
"Personally," opined Andy, "I think Bill's trumps all."
To which I say, "Thanks for noticing the little guy."
Yes, The Little Guy. He is not to be missed in any discussion of great donuts. This is the tiny, non-chain shop that is off the beaten path, yet has incredible donuts. Cake donuts that are rich and full of flavor, yeast donuts that are practically creamy. It is the kind of place that every donut connoiseur wishes to find.
It is--or can be--donut zen.
You may be surprised to find that there are many such places in the Miami Valley. Not the least of which is Bill's in the picturesque town of Centerville, OH. I had the opportunity to sample some of Bill's offerings just today! I have to say, I'm impressed. I recommend the applesauce cake and the pretzel-shaped yeast variety. Click on Bill's name above to be taken to his website.
Thanks for the recommendation, Andy!
Some other great offerings:
Stan the Donut Man (Xenia, OH)--
Stan makes donuts once a day in the morning. Once they're gone, they're gone. And they go quickly.
Schuler's Bakery (Springfield, OH)--
Schuler's does everything from cakes to cookies, but--if you ask me--the thing they do the best is donuts.
Given the near-complete lack of Dunkin' Donuts in southern Ohio, places like these have been my umbilical cord for donut "nourishment."
SO,
the point is. Next time you think of picking up that pre-packaged Krispy Kreme nastiness at your local grubby gas station,
STOP
and take some advice from A-Klein and A-Rod, check out the little guy.
Enjoy them sparingly, if you can!
| | |
| Man....
So much to say, from breast cancer scares to new baby realities to family and friends in dire illness, it's been quite a week.
Which brings me to a very important topic which has been weighing heavily on my mind this week. Namely...
5 REASONS WHY KRISPY KREME IS NOT "GOOD DONUTS"
1. The Krispy Kreme--
The substitution of the letter 'K' for two words that--in real
life--begin with 'C' is completely unnecessary and annoying. Does this
campy change really help to better communicate the idea behind the
product? No. Incidentally, this is the same problem I have with
"Kiddie Kuts," "Kanine Konfections," and the "Ku Klux Klan."
2. The Krispy Kreme, Too--
I have to give a little bit on this point. I mean, the cream actually IS crispy!
Unfortunately, that's the only thing about the 'donut' that has any
flavor at all. The chewy, flavorless innertube that serves as the
crutch for this inch-thick layer of gut-busting goo is little more than
starch and grease. I'm getting nauseated just thinking about it...
3. "Get 'Em While They're Hot!"--
Why? Because, as far as taste goes, they know it's all downhill from there.
4. That Old Familiar Feeling--
Now before I go too far, I have to admit that IF I haven't had a
donut in quite a while and IF there are no other donuts available
within immediate reach and IF I am especially weak at a given
moment....I will eat a Krispy Kreme 'donut.' I do this even though I
know that afterward I will feel the same as if I had just eaten a pound of rotten beef. EVERY TIME.
5. Now You See 'Em, Now You Don't--
Okay, so there's this HUGE emphasis on getting these things 'fresh'
from the lard-vat, right? Isn't that why they have the little neon sign
that everyone raves about--"Dude, you gotta watch for that sign to go on. Oh, man, they just melt in your mouth then." If I wanted a donut that melted, I would request that they be made out of wax. So why is it that I can NEVER find an actual Krispy Kreme storefront?
To make matters worse, there are MILLIONS of their 'less-than-fresh'
colleagues on cruddy gas station shelves everywhere. I don't get it. Are you about freshness? Or are you about ubiquity? Oh, I get it, you're all about MONEY....
Next time at LiveJive:
"Why Dunkin' Donuts Kicks Krispy Kreme's Donut Hole"
| | |
| 
To LOVE is true freedom;
To BE LOVED truly is freedom;
To NEED LOVE is bondage....
I am an entertainer at heart. Entertainers, by nature, have a fatal flaw. They need love. More specifically, they find great significance in being loved by others--friends, complete strangers. They will do anything to get it. They are, in a very real way, enslaved by this desire.
I am no exception to the rule, and God has been leaning heavily on me in this regard.
My desire to be loved, I believe, keeps me from truly loving others. I hate it; God hates it. Don't get me wrong, I love meeting new people...so that I can get them to love me too. The ironic thing is, I don't realize that my naked love-grasping is so evident that it often engenders the opposite response in people.
Here is an interesting thought:
God doesn't need love. He IS love. All love is intrinsically and eternally contained in His very nature. Consequently, He is able to love us truly and completely whether we love Him or not.
If Christ is our model, and His Spirit is living in us, we do not need love. We have all the love we need within our very soul because of the Spirit. We are now free to love others regardless of their love for us.
Oh, Father...teach me to be a lover, not a needer!
| | |
| 
Change Is Good...
That's what I believe anyway. I can't go too long in my life without changing something. It keeps things fresh and exciting.
Recently, it seems, we've had some major change about as often as we have underwear changes (about once a month  ).
In April, I finished working for American Family, came back to the University for three months, and am now working for United American Insurance selling health care and medicare supplement policies.
Just a few weeks ago, we almost left Cedarville without looking back. In a matter of days, we would have been out of what has been our home for the last 9 years (9 years! Can you BELIEVE IT!!! That's the longest I've lived in any one place!) Anyway, God put the stops on it, and here we remain.
Rachel's job is starting again, so the next few weeks will be  for her.
Isabel is becoming an automatic conversation recorder. Actually, it's incredibly cute. You wish you lived with this kid!
All of it reminds me constantly that
God Is Good...
which reminds me again that it's probably time to change my underwear...
| | |
| The Summer of MusicHello, All!
This summer has been the Summer of Music for me thanks to thesoulofarod and other developments.
I am happy to be updating here, and announcing--finally--a new song. It is called "Funny, I Was Entertaining..."
Go to www.thesoulofarod.com [will be posted soon]
OR
www.myspace.com/thesoulofarod [posted with blog entry]
On those sites I am promising pictures of where I work on my music, so here they are:
This is a general shot of my "studio." Really, this mess is taking over a large portion of our small living room. Again, I thank Rachel for her patience. We're working on a more suitable rehearsal/recording space.
Here's a close-up. Please ignore the crappy pink things our camera adds.
Thanks to Rachel's Dad and my dad. Without them, I wouldn't have most of this.
Well, friends, time for some sleep. If you get a chance to listen to the song, let me know what you think!
| | |
|
|
