The Dish Network Upgrade to Watch Mark's WEC Debut

Earlier this week I called up the Dish Network and inquired about switching up my programming. I used to get 200 channels with DVR and the premium HD packaging. It's funny because what sparked this phone call was my interest in getting the Versus Channel so I could watch Mark's (Munoz) debut fight Sunday night on WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting). After checking out Dish's website, I realized that I was paying $10 extra for the premium HD package to get 7 extra channels that we never watch...Universal HD, MGM HD, World Fishing Network HD, NHL HD, HDNet Movies, Smithsonian HD, and NBATV. So I came up with the brilliant idea of downgrading my HD package to the entrylevel one (minus the aforementioned 7 channels), and saving $10, while upgrading to the 250 channel package with the $10 I saved, to get 50 more channels that I would rather watch, including...the Versus Channel. On top of that, by upgrading to the 250 channel package, my HD package went from 40 to 33 channels, and then back up to 39. So now I at least get a couple more HD channels that I would actually watch, including Versus HD, the Science Channel, and the National Geographic Channel in HD.

But wait, the deal gets even sweeter. When I signed up for a new HD DVR receiver in December 2006, I was being charged a $7 month rental fee (which was counteracted with a $10 discount for 12 months due to some complaints on my end, but ended this past February). I saw on the Dish website that you are only to be charged a rental fee only if you have more than 1 receiver, which I did not, so asked the service agent how I could get out of paying that newly tacked on $7 a month. Because I signed up literally a month before this newly prescribed term, I was bound to pay the $7 a month fee forever, unless I got a new receiver. With the receiver I had (VIP 622), I had pretty much the highest end receiver already, but with a newer one that recently came out (VIP 722), I only had only one option to get out of that $7 a month fee. It should have cost me $75 to upgrade for the higher capacity HD DVR, but out of their kindness since I was a longstanding customer, Dish Network gave it to me for just $35, and it allowed me to get out of paying that $7 monthly rental fee all because I signed up under their new terms. If you do the math, it made perfect sense to make the upgrade. Why pay $7 a month and not really get anything out of it for the life of my Dish contract, when I could just pay the $35 (equivalent to 5 months of that $7 rental fee) and get a new HD DVR out of it and eliminate the $7 monthly fee. For the first time, I actually had a great experience dealing with Dish's customer service, probably because I lucked out by getting an American representative. Don't get me started on all the other foreign call centers I've gotten stuck with talking to during my past phone calls to Dish Network...a Filipino, an Indian, and a Russian (sounds like an opening to a joke), all in one sitting after my constant request for an AMERICAN!

So with that...good luck Mark on your WEC debut!!! If you would like to read the WEC article on Mark, here is that link: http://www.wec.tv/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=11473

Contest of Champions 4X4 Outdoor Grass Volleyball Tournament

The Contest of Champions is an annual 4-on-4 grass volleyball tournament which serves as a summer camp fundraiser for the youth ministry staff of Community Bible Church from Vallejo, California. Participants in the all day competition are not only battling it out for the grand prize, but they are also automatically entered into the contest's hourly raffles. So, whether you play competitively or just want to hang out for the day, we invite you to this year's Contest of Champions. Thank you in advance for your support. Please refer to this web site daily for the latest updates: http://contestofchampions.org/index.html

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS 2008
When : Saturday - July 12th
Time: 8am - 6pm
Location: Silver Oak Park - American Canyon, CA
Registration/Cost: PHASE 1 REGISTRATION (Competitive Division ONLY) @ $30/playerRecreational Division ONLY: TBD/player

PRIZES!
Competitive Division
Champions: $400 Cash Prize
Runner-Ups: Trophies

Recreational Division
Champions: Cash Prize (Amount TBD)
Runner-Ups: Trophies

Dead Ants Dead Ants Dead Ants...

Not sure if you guys had experienced this because of last week's extremely hot weather, but we had a major case of the ants on Saturday. There's always some spot in your house that they seem to get into, and I can never find where. We had to spray our entire garbage can in the kitchen because of the ants. I finally got tired of seeing them that I decided to try and find their secret access to the kitchen. Right there outside the house was a small crack into the kitchen under the sink that they were climbing into, so I decided to douse the crack with repellent. Next stop will be filling that crack with cement. In the meanwhile we bought some of those ant traps in which ants bring poison back to the colony and kill everyone off. Yesterday we found a few more ants crawling around in the cupboards near the spices and sugars, so after smashing the few of them with my finger, I went outside again to find a long trail of them along the side of the house into another small crack. I literally sprayed along that entire wall to kill everything in sight. There's just something fun about finding a bunch of ants and spraying them with repellant. So here's a tip, check along your house for cracks, and fill them in, so ants and other bugs can't get in.

Suisun Waterfront Car Show

This past Saturday I took Becks out for a late breakfast at the Joy of Eating along the Suisun Waterfront. Considering I was still on my no carb diet, meaning no hashbrowns or thick sliced homemade bread, I was still able to enjoy their fabulous omelettes. It was massive and very tasty. We got to sit in one of their booths which had these huge leather backrests. If you like trains and trolleys this is the place for you. The entire restaurant is decorated with trolley cars, train cars and railroad décor. Even the menus are designed with trains in mind, offering train-themed meal categories. It is refreshing to see a restaurant with some character to it. And to top it all off, there was a free car show going on right across the street. It was the Golden Hills Mustang Club 24th annual Biggest Little Car Show. They had probably over 100 cars, 100% Ford, and 98% Mustangs. They had Mustangs from the 1930s to 2008. Mach 1s, Shelby Cobras, GTs, Fastbacks, Panel Trucks, Roadsters, Sedans, etc. So come mid May next year, I'll be ready to check this out again. FYI, I also checked out the Golden Hills Mustang Club website, and it looks they have an annual Benicia Classic Car Show put on by the Benicia High School Marching Band during the end of every April as well. This one is really big!!! Wow, that's 2 great car shows every year right here in our own backyard. Here's just a few of the cars from the Suisun Show.

Blast From the Past Weeks 7-8

August 2005. Oahu. This was our Hawaii trip for Scott and Jen's wedding. It was indeed memorable because it enabled a handful of our friends to all go to Hawaii. Myself, Jason, Dean, Dave, Nelson, Windsor, Mike, Bess, Michelle, Jay, Angeli, and the kids all made the trip out. How often can you say that you attended a wedding Hawaii? It was indeed a trip to remember. During this stay we ventured out to the west side of Oahu in Makaha for our hotel. The first shot was a picture on our jungle hike to Manoa Falls, following Bessie's b-day celebration at Kapiolani Park where we picniced and played volleyball. The second shot of Chinaman's Hat was literally the background behind Scott and Jen as they got married. The third was from atop one of the reefs at a Ko'olina lagoon. The fourth was of Dean in his cowboy hat in front of the sunset at a beach park in Haleiwa, where we spent the afternoon with the church from Mililani Community during a baptism/picnic. And the fifth was on Waikiki beach behind Duke's restaurant. If you ever get a chance to go to Hawaii for a wedding, I have one word of advice for you. GO!

McDonald's Secret Sauce

I just happened to be perousing our cafeteria's weekly lunch menu online when I found that they listed the recipe for McDonald's secret sauce found in Big Macs. Not too complicated to make. Enjoy. Hope there's no copy rights for this special sauce.

· 1 cup mayonnaise

· 2 tablespoons relish, drained

· 1/2 teaspoon sugar

· 2 tablespoons thousand island dressing

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Blast From the Past Week 6

February 2004. Golden Gate Forts/Marin Area. This hidden secret can be found right next to the Golden Gate Bridge area off the last southbound exit before crossing the bridge. If you like exploring, then this is a good place to start. With bunkers, trails, lighthouses, abandoned buildings, and beaches, you can spend half a day here. We took the last exit before the bridge, drove a few minutes, and pulled to the left where you see all the cars pulled over. You get probably the best view of the bridge in the whole Bay Area, especially when the fog is not present. I believe this was an old Nike missle sight back in the day. As we drove further down the coastal road, we found more bunkers and forts to explore. One of them is called Fort Barry. Here, you can go down a trail to get to the lighthouse at Point Bonita. If drive even further down the road, you can hit the nicely secluded Marin Headlands beach area. We spent our time trying to race each other on the beach as you can see.

Insight on Previous Blog: Idol Gives Back

I was perousing Josh Harris' (Senior pastor of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and other books on Christian relationships) blogsite and found this very interesting blog concerning American Idol's past Idol Gives Back performance of "Shout to the Lord" a month ago. Read it for yourself.
http://www.joshharris.com/2008/04/inside_scoop_on_shout_to_the_l.php

What Is Christian Freedom?

The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."

Question

What is Christian freedom?

Answer

That is a really important question. What is Christian freedom? I think there were a couple of people who asked this… First of all, let me go with you to John, chapter 8, and let’s look at the total picture of Christian freedom. You’d have to go to verse 30 to begin with. John 8:30: “And as Jesus was speaking these words”-- and marvelous words they were about who He was -- “many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on Him, ‘If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples really’” or “for real” -- “alethos”, “truly.” “And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you,”-- what? “Free.”

Now notice, first of all, that freedom is a result of truth. You take a guy (and this is the way I usually illustrate this) who’s got a very, very complex math problem and he’s got this assignment that he’s got to turn into his professor the next day and he’s in an advanced mathematics class or an advanced something or other that has to do with math… And he’s got to get his problem done.

So, he starts about 8:00 and he keeps this problem going and he’s got a bunch of x’s and y’s and all this kind of stuff, and he’s trying to put the whole thing together. And he struggles and he struggles and and he struggles--you know what happens? The guy is a slave to his problem, isn’t he? And let’s say he comes to the conclusion and he gets an answer and he goes back and checks his answer and it’s wrong. He’s still a slave.

About 3:00 in the morning, he gets an answer and he goes and checks it about five ways and it’s right. He’s free, right? He’s only free when he’s discovered the truth. That’s all. You see, freedom is a result of knowing the truth. There is no freedom apart from knowing the truth because the search goes on. A man is never liberated from the dilemma until he arrives at the solution! So, Jesus said to the Jews, “You guys are still fuddling around with the problem! You’re still playing religious games! If you would listen to me, you would know the truth and the truth would set you free from the tremendous problems you have imposed on yourself by your legalism.”

You see, their legalism--they were satisfying themselves in the fact that they were working out a problem, instead of being satisfied with an answer. And of course, they said, “We are Abraham’s seed and were never in bondage to any man! How sayest thou, ‘We shall be made free’? Why, we’ve never been slaves to anybody.” Oh really? Ho. Have you forgotten that you were slaves to Egypt, slaves to the Babylonians, slaves to the Greeks, slaves now currently to the Romans? “We were never slaves to anybody”? Check again.

And then Jesus said, “Worst of all,” verse 34, “verily, verily I say unto you, whosoever commits sin is the” what? “Slave of sin.” You are slaves to sin. You see, as long as you sin, you sin, you sin, you never get a solution so you never get free from the bondage of sin! When the solution to sin comes, sin’s power is broken, sin is forgiven, you’re free. The problem is solved. Isn’t that really what contributes to Christian peace? I mean, if you stop and think about it, what is the greatest thing to know about as a Christian? It is to know that you’re free from the consequences of what? Sin. You’re free!

So, first of all, Christian freedom has to do with finding the truth in Jesus Christ and being liberated.

But taking it a step further than that, how far does our freedom go as Christians? There’s a lot in the New Testament about Christian liberty and about what Christians are free to do. You know, some people have taken this idea of freedom and just gone crazy with it. “Well, I’m saved and, boy, the Lord’s going to take care of me so I’ll just do what I want to do.” I heard one man who said--I think it was the week before last--he said, “So what if I do wrong? The Lord’s forgiven me in the past; He’ll forgive me again.”

You know what that says to me? That says, one, he doesn’t understand freedom; two, he doesn’t really love the Lord… Because if he loved the Lord, he couldn’t tread on his love like that. You see, if you love somebody, you don’t stomp their grace, do you?

So, you see, what is the boundaries of Christian liberty? Are we free? Listen, I Corinthians says, “All this are lawful.” Did you know that? You say, “Where is it? That’s my life verse; I’ve got to find that one. Where is it?” I’m not going to tell you. Chapter 6. But, all things are lawful, but all things aren’t expedient. Now there’s got to be a boundary. All things are lawful, but I’ll not be brought under the power of any.

Where does Christian liberty fit into this thing? Just how free are we? Well, I want you to know something exciting--Romans 6. In Romans 6:14, it says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you for you’re not under the law, but under grace.” So you’ve been freed from sin… “In what sense? Are you saying that as a Christian I never sin?” Is that true? Some people say, “Well, as Christians, Romans says we’re free from the law. We have been made free from sin. That means that sin doesn’t bother us anymore.” I have actually heard that preached… That we have been made free from sin; sin doesn’t bother--listen, when you become a Christian, sin will bother you a lot more than it did before you were saved.

Being free from sin doesn’t mean you’re free from the actuality of it; it means you’re free from the penalty of it! You’re free from the wages of it. Why? Because you died with Christ. How many times can a person die? Once. And when sin comes to me and says, “MacArthur, I’m going to kill you for your sin,” I say, “Sorry, I already died.”

“When did you die?”

“I died the day I received Jesus Christ: I was crucified with him, nevertheless I live. I died in Jesus Christ on the cross. It’s your tough luck I also rose from the dead.”
You see, that is the death! I died in Christ when I gave him my life! I was buried, right? That’s Romans 6. And I rose and I walk in newness of life! I have paid the penalty in Jesus Christ by my union with Him. Sin has no claims on me. Sin can’t touch me. I still sin; it just has no ultimate penalty. I’ll tell you something else: I don’t sin that grace may abound. God forbid.

So we are free from the power of sin, we’re free from the wages of sin, free from the penalty of sin. Now, I want to take this freedom to Romans 14 and 15. Because here, you see, you run into another area: how free are Christians? You know, some people say, “Well, we’re Christians. Man, we’ve got liberty, we can do what we want to do,” you see. And these are the same people who are always saying that you shouldn’t feel guilty for anything. You just do what you want to do! And you know, you’ve even got people who claim to be Christians and claim so much freedom that they can have sexual relationships outside of marriage and they can just about do anything they want without any theological problem. Believe me, they don’t escape guilt, they don’t escape chastisement, but they at least have fit their theology to rationalize along with their behavior.

But in Romans 14, you have this idea of freedom and how does it work together with the Christian’s commitment. Now, let me just say this to begin with: there are several principles here regarding freedom. The first few verses of the chapter--in fact, I guess we’d have to consider the first thirteen verses probably as one unit of chapter 14--really tell us that we’re free in Christ. But there are some other things that go along with it.

It says, for example, in one, “Him that is weak in the faith receive even not to doubtful disputations, for one believes that he may eat all things; another who is weak eats only herbs.” You’ve got some people who eat meat and others who are vegetarians. “Let not him that eats despise him that eats not; let not him who eats not judge him that eats, for God has received them.” In other words, the big issue isn’t what you eat or what you don’t eat--and those were issues in those days. That’s right.

Listen, a Jew became a Christian, he went over to a Gentile’s house and they had roast pork. Well, he got apoplexy; he couldn’t handle that! And oftentimes the Gentile would just sticking it in and turning it, you know, saying, “Hey, we’re free, fella,” you know… “Have a little pork!” See? I mean, he couldn’t handle that. You see, too many years, too many years had gone by when he had been circumscribed to the law. Well, in Acts, chapter 10, when the Lord came to Peter and spoke to him in the sheet and said, “See all those animals there? They’re all clean. Go ahead. Rise, Peter, kill and eat,” Peter says, “I have never in my life eaten anything unclean!” The Lord said to him, “Don’t you dare call unclean what I’ve cleansed!”

That was tough for Peter. I imagine the first ham sandwich he ever ate went down hard. Boy. So you see, there was a freedom there, there was a liberty there, there was no more dietary laws, there was no more the clothing law of the wool, and so forth and so on… There was no more kitchen cooking laws… All of that stuff had been set aside, all the peculiarities of Israel had been set aside in the institution of the church.

So those outward laws were gone. And yet the Jews couldn’t handle those things and when they saw some people doing certain things, it grieved their spirit.

He goes further and He says in verse 4, “Who are you that judges another man’s servant? To his own master, he stands or falls. Let every man be judged by God. One man esteems one day above another; another man esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”

When I was a little kid growing up in Philadelphia, I could not read the funny paper on Sunday! You know that’s true in some cases now? Do you know there was a choir that came to a church back there where I went to church as a little boy and they sang on a Sunday morning and in the afternoon, some of them went into the drugstore to make a phone call, and nobody in the church came back that night to hear them. They had violated the Lord’s Day. Well, there’s no law you can’t make a phone call on Sunday! But you see, they had this little box in which they had to fit everything.

And so, some people regard a day above another. What happened here? Well, some of the Jews were still upholding the Sabbath and some of the Gentiles were saying, “Oh, you legalists! We’re free of the Sabbath; we’re going to go out and go fishing.” Some of the more liberated Jews even, who had matured in the faith, were exercising their liberties. But He says, “Look, if he the regards the day, he regards it to the Lord, and he that regards not the day to the Lord, he doth not regard it. He that eats, eats to the Lord for he giveth God thanks, and he that eateth not to the Lord, eateth not and giveth God thanks.” In other words, it doesn’t matter! These aren’t even consequential gray-area things!

So you’re free. You’re free to do whatever you want. “Ahhh,” you say, “I like that. Free to do whatever I want, yeah… All things are lawful.” Hmm.

There’s a second principle. The first principle is you’re free. The second principle is don’t offend. Now that really ties it down, doesn’t it? That’s right, verse 13, “Let us therefore not judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Hey, maybe I think I am free to do all those things, but maybe if I didn’t do them, I might be more loving toward my weaker brother who doesn’t yet understand his liberties. You see?

There are some gray areas where these things apply. “I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,” Paul says, “that there is nothing unclean of itself.” Boy, that is a very interesting statement. Now watch: things are not evil of themselves. Is money evil? No, no. Is the fruit that comes from the tree, from the vine, from the grape evil? No, it’s just fruit that comes from the grape. You say, “But it gets alcoholic!” Who gave it the property that causes it to get that way? You say, “Well, that was somehow in the creation.” Well, maybe it was in the fall, but it’s here… But it isn’t evil.

You see, it isn’t the fruit of the grape that creates the problem; it’s the guy who imbibes the fruit of the grape that is the problem. The thing of itself is not the problem. You see, things are not unclean! Things are neutral things! One man could touch the thing and make it into an evil thing; another man could touch the thing and it could become a holy thing. The difference in wine is the difference between the wino and the communion service. You see?

This summer when we went to Israel and they didn’t have any grape juice, we had to have real live wine at the tomb of our Lord! I know that there were people in other groups who were going, “Oh, Martha, oh see…” you know. Can we, can we dare? Do we? See, the thing of itself is nothing! It is the communion we were celebrating of our blessed Lord. I mean, if you happen to be in a land where there’s no Welchs, you make do, right? I mean, it really isn’t that big of a deal. You see, it isn’t the thing itself; it is the man who had the thing in his hand that is the problem!

“There’s nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth it to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” In other words, if he’s determined it in his mind, the best thing for him to do is avoid it. There’s no sense in violating your conscience, and if you haven’t matured to the place where you understand that freedom, don’t violate your conscience.

Ah, but verse 15, “If your brother is grieved with your food, you’re not walking in love. Destroy not him with your food for whom Christ died. Let not your good be evil spoken of for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Sprit. And then he says in verse 19, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace and things with which one may edify another. For food, destroy not the work of God.” In other words, just so that you can have something to eat or something to drink, verse 21, “It is good neither to eat meat nor to drink wine nor anything by which thy brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak!”

Listen, he doesn’t say it’s evil to drink wine. No, he doesn’t. I know there are some people who think it is a cardinal sin to drink wine! It doesn’t say that in the Bible. It doesn’t say that. Now, I hope I didn’t shoot you down too bad… But it doesn’t say that! What it does say is, “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or anything that will make your brother stumble, be offended, or be made weak.” The reason the Bible doesn’t say it’s evil to drink wine is because wine of itself isn’t evil; it’s just wine, it’s just there. You say, “But don’t you think it’s a sin to drink wine?” Listen, friends: the sin is to violate the conscience of a weaker brother. The sin is to depreciate your testimony. That’s the sin. And if any of those things make my brother stumble, then I will not do those things.

The thing in itself is nothing, but the thing becomes a forbidden thing if it wounds or grieves another brother. That’s all he’s saying! You know, some people can say, “Well, I’m free in Christ, I can do as I want. I can carry on like I want. I can drink as much as I want whenever I want in front of whomever I want,” and you know what they do? They offend somebody! If you love your brother, Paul says, you won’t do anything to make him stumble. This is the whole point.

In verse 1 of chapter 15: “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak.” In other words, you know, even if you have the liberty to do some things, don’t do them… Just to take care of the weaker brother. You know who the weaker brother is? Not a new Christian; a legalist. A legalist. “And let every one of us please his neighbor.” Who’s the example? I love this, verse 3, “For Christ pleased not himself.” Christ didn’t do the things that He wanted to do always, but the things that He knew would be good for man.

So, what are the principles? You’re free; don’t give an offense; maintain a clear conscience before God--this is God’s standard. Yes, as a Christian, you’re free… That’s true. But your freedom should never get to place where you exercise it to the wounding of another person. Peter says in his epistle, “Never use your freedom as a cloak of maliciousness.” Don’t use your freedom to hurt other people.

Meditations on Colossians 4:5-6

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

As Christians, our testimonies are a personal reflection of Christ in our lives to those who do not know Him. The things we say, the things we don't say, the things we do, and the things we don't do are the litmus test of who we truly are as Christians to those looking at our lives from the outside. Do we model Christ, do we glorify Christ? How often do we find ourselves doing the opposite of what Paul says here in Colossians 4, by being negative, uncaring, bitter, angry, jealous, resentful, harsh, offensive, and mean-spirited in our speech and actions amongst unbelievers. Are we no different than the non-Christian? Paul's call for us to "walk in wisdom", to "make the best use of the time", and to "let our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt", instead ought to be what characterizes our behavior with non-Christians. Do our words speak of graciousness, kindness, gentleness, peace, hope, love, and more importantly, Christ. As one other author put it, do we make the most of these "divine appointments" with unbelievers to speak of our kind Savior. When we walk into a room of unbelievers, are we being lights, or are we blending in with the darkness? May we "shine" indeed the light of the gospel of Christ.

Say Goodbye to My Bed

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my Ikea loft bed, as I took it apart to give to Andre and his family. I remember buying that bed 5-6 years ago to save space in my room at my parent's house. Even at our current house, it created a means for space saving, allowing me to put my computer desk and and a mini book shelf underneath, but since I was no longer using it, it also became a storage space for bins on top of the bed. Becks and I decided to get rid of it and give it to someone who would make better use of it. And now I have more of an open space in my computer room, instead of a cave, with room to hang my sports memorobilia on the wall which was onced blocked my loft bed. I knew there was a positive to all of this.

Movies, Movies, and More Movies

Becks and watched our first movie since seeing I Am Legend months back in the theatres. We caught Iron Man on the DLP screen in Fairfield, which was awesome. I highly recommend seeing this movie on this screen in Edwards Fairfield if you want excellent picture quality and sound. Since there are only 5 showings on this special DLP screen, you may want to Fandango this if you plan on watching it on a weekend. I would have to put it right up there with Batman Begins. There were quite a few trailers showing with this movie, including The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 23), You Don't Mess With the Zohan (June 6), The Incredible Hulk (June 13), and the Dark Knight (July 18). Also coming out this summer are Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (July 11), The X-Files (July 25), The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor (August 1), Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Animated (August 15). Is there such thing as frequent flyer miles for the movies?

The New Look

Over the past week, I've been experimenting with switching my blog site to a 3 column format in order to better utilize the wasted space that existed with the previous 2 column format. I browsed blogcrowds to find a decent template. I've also had a chance to tinker with some of the html on the template I selected to eliminate some of the design aspects I did not like, such as logos, borders, and colors. So now I've arrived at this Supermanesque type blog, with much more elements on the sidebars. I hope you aren't blinded by the bright colors. Enjoy.

Left Bank For Your Buck

So Becky and I went to the Concord area last night to try some French Cuisine at Left Bank in Pleasant Hill. It was a few blocks from the Grace School of Theology Area off Crescent Drive. I didn't know what to expect, but when we went in, we were thoroughly surprised. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere, with french posters on the walls and cartoon like portraits painted directly on the walls. There was live jazz music yesterday - I don't know if it was because it was during happy hour or if it is a regular thing. They had french doors all along the restaurant, that from the looks of it are left open during the day to give the place an airy feel. I saw an upper banquet room that would be perfect for parties, and just at the top of the stairway was a couple of tables that would be perfect for a nice private dinner. The workers were friendly and kept my water glass full. As for the food, Becks had Baby Spinach Salad (endive, Point Reyes Bleu, pecans, honey garlic vinaigrette) and the Beef Bourguignon (braised beef in red wine sauce, button mushrooms, lardons, carrots and potatoes) and I had the Lamb Sirloin (crisp polenta, broccoli rabe and au jus). Becks loved the salad and the extremely tender beef in her meal, not to mention the carbonated lemonade she had. I also enjoyed my lamb and the leftovers Becks gave me from her plate. I was tempted to try an appetizer or two (calamari, escargots, oysters, or mussels), but I figured I could save that for another visit, especially since we were going to be trying some dessert. Becks had the Creme Brulee and I had the Fondant Au Chocolat, both of which were very good. So the Reyes's give Left Bank two thumbs up!

Blast From the Past Week 5

Angel Island. September 2005. This was trip #2 to Angel Island for me. Rountrip fares from Tiburon to Angel Island are currently $13.50 each person and $1.00 for each bike (http://www.angelislandferry.com/). I think it was a lot cheaper when we went 3 years ago. The best time to go is on a clear sunny day. Fog will totally ruin what could potentially be a scenic bike ride, with vistas of the bay from all around the island. On a very clear day, you may be able to even see the Golden Gate Bridge. Travelling around the island by bike is fairly easy, outside of a couple steep grades. If you are feeling really athletic, you can even hike to the highest point on the island, Mt. Livermore for a 360 view of the entire Bay, which includes Belvedere, Tiburon, Mt. Tamalpais, Sausalito, Alcatraz, SF, the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands. On the island, you will find all sorts of wildlife, abandoned buildings and bunkers, picnic and campgrounds, and all-around cool spots for exploring or taking pictures.

Date Nite

Tonite Becks and I will be going out for dinner since we were not able to go last weekend because of her flu. We will be traversing across the Benicia bridge to Pleasant Hill to try some French cuisine at Left Bank. I've never tried French food before, although I did try escargot in Montreal, so this should be a new experience. The online menu looked rather tasty, as the desserts really captured both Becks and my eyes. Creme brulee is her favorite, where as I'm just ready to try anything new...like Fondant au Chocolat (molten chocolate cake, french vanilla ice cream) or Tarte Aux Fruits (fresh fruit tart, pastry cream). Thanks to Jean's blog about this restaurant. I'll let you know how it goes. Aur revoir.