“A mighty oak has fallen in God's forest.”

“If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being.” --Jerry Falwell (August 11, 1933 - May 15, 2007)

From CNN.com:

Falwell has found himself at the center of several controversies, such as the one sparked by his comments two days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in which he seemed to blame "abortionists," gays, lesbians, the ACLU and People for American Way for causing the attacks, saying they "helped this happen."

I Am a Google Whore

I use a lot of Google software. I'm most entrenched in my personalized homepage (I think they're calling it iGoogle these days). But I use that page largely to wrangle a mass of other Google services, like Google Reader and Google Calendar.

I was setting up AdWords for my recording business recently when I stumbled upon this list in my account settings page:

I mean, seriously. Ok, so I haven't touched orkut in probably three years, and I've only played with Docs and Spreadsheets once. But on top of that list, I use Picasa as my primary image organizer, I've got Google Desktop installed at work, and Google Earth is one nifty toy.

I'm livin' la Vida Google.

From the Italian, "Pestare"

I made pesto for the first time last night. Considering how much I like to cook, it seems odd that I've always acquired my pesto from a jar. I blame the lack of affordable fresh basil in this town.

However, the other day I acquired an entire hydroponically-grown basil plant for a mere $2.99. It was a cute little thing, dirtless roots still clinging at the base. I dropped it in a jar full of water and pulled off a few leaves for pizza topping. I expected the plant to last for a couple of weeks while I stole greenery from it here and there. Instead I attacked it, plucking off the remainder of its deliciousness in one fell swoop!

I plunked the fist full of foliage in the food processor with a clove of garlic, a nice pinch of kosher salt, a few pine nuts, and a couple chunks of aged Parmesan. I drizzled in a little olive oil while the blades whirred, and ended up with a perfectly aromatic sauce. I dumped the pesto on a bowl of bowtie, added some sun-dried tomatoes, and tossed.

Delectable! The flavor was exquisitely balanced with the tomatoes. The color was wonderfully bright green; it looked as fresh as it tasted. What was I thinking all those years? I can tell you right now I'll never buy canned pesto again.

Alongside the pasta, I served up a little carrot and currant salad (with a light yogurt-and-honey-based dressing), a bit of lemon-buttered asparagus, and paired it with a tasty Zinfandel.

Next time I plan to go the more traditional mortar and pestle route. I suspect crushing the leaves will lead to a stronger flavor and creamier texture. Besides, "pestare" means to pound or crush.

I think we should all start food blogs.