2015: The Year of the Short Story!

So back in the day I was an English Literature major.  I got to read all the time and it. was. awesome. 

A little while after graduating I noticed I wasn't reading very much and when I thought about it, I realized it was because I was an extroverted English Literature major.  Part of what kept me going was the promise of discussing the books in class, and once I was all on my lonesome, it was hard to sit still long enough to read a lot.  

My friend Michelle does a reading list every year, so... maybe, just maybe, if I post my reads someone will ask me about them.  Since this is about all I post on my blog, which not even my mom reads, I doubt this will happen.  But discussing books=extrovert win, so let's make a list.  

I seemed to have moved slowly this year with the reading.  There are many reasons, but if I had to list a few:

1. Crazy year in general with lots going on
2. I read a lot of things that were just, "meh"
3. I read East of Eden, and it's stinkin' long
4. Short stories!

So you see what happened was, I was reading The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and the title character reviews tons of short stories.  He mentions one by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz."  A couple days later, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" came up somewhere, and I thought, ehh... I should probably read them.  Why not?  I didn't really expect much, since all 3 times I've read The Great Gastby I've decidedly not liked it.   But I checked out a Fitzgerald short-story collection from the library, and I was hooked!

So here's my "as best as I can remember" 2015 reading list.  I know there are some I have missed, but I have highlighted my favorites in gray.  And there are definitely some books on this list that I did not like and would not recommend.

I have a big long list that I want to read in 2016 so if anyone wants to do one of those reading challenges with me, let me know!

1. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
2. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
3. An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine 
4. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
5. Joshua:  No Falling Words by Dale Ralph Davis
6. How We Got To Now by Steven Johnson
7. This is Pollock by Catherine Ingram
8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
9. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
10. Shakespeare:  The Biography by Peter Ackroyd
11. Replenish:  Leading from a Healthy Soul by Lance Witt
12. Love Does by Bob Goff
13. Compassion Without Compromise by Adam Barr and Ron Citlau
14. The Gospel-Centered Life by Bob Thune 
15. The Gospel-Centered Community by Bob Thune and Will Walker
16. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Short Stories, all by Fitzgerald:

1. "Head and Shoulders"
2. "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"
3. "The Ice Palace"
4. "The Offshore Pirate"
5. "May Day" (novella)
6. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
7. "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" (novella)
8. "O Russet Witch!"
9. "Four Fists"
10. "The Cut-Glass Bowl"
11. "Benediction"

Yay for short stories!  Have you read any short stories or books lately that you love?

Books Read 2014

My friend Michelle does a reading list every year on her blog.  Michelle, always voracious reader, took in 68 books last year!  I'm nowhere near that; can't sit still long enough really.  I still love posting a list though.  I posted one here in 2011.  

Since I haven't been keeping this blog up all year, I actually have no idea what all books I've read, so this is an "as best as I can remember" list.  I did follow in Michelle's footsteps and note my favorite reads by highlighting them in gray.  There are definitely some books on this list that I did not like and would not recommend, just to stoke your curiosity.  (If you ask me I'll spill the dirt.)

These lists always make me wish that I still got little stars on a "Book It!" button that I could take to Pizza Hut for a free little pizza.  Like in elementary school.  Remember?  Maybe I'll just go get a pizza anyway.  

Anyway, I'm always up for new reads so if you have any favorites from your year, hit up the comments section and let me know!  The 2015 reading year is just getting started. :o)

Science Fiction

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
2. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Fantasy

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
8. What Came From the Stars by Gary Schmidt

Historical Fiction

1. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
3. Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt
4. Longbourn by Jo Baker

War Novel

1. Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien

Biography/Autobiography

1. Thomas Jefferson:  The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
2. CS Lewis- A Life:  Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet by Alister McGrath
3. Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Christian

1. The Attributes of God by A. W. Pink
2. A Shepherd's Look at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller
3. Unglued by Lisa Terkeurst
4. The Gospel-Centered Life  by Bob Thune and Will Walker 

An investment

Earlier this week I made an investment in my future children's literacy.  There are some children's books about Lebanon that I really like.  I spent the first part of the year moping around wishing I had kids so I could get them the books.   Then one day I asked myself why can't I buy them for my future kids?  Because I don't have any.  But I might.  But I don't yet and might not.  One day I decided to go for it and get the books anyway.  I'm sure I have many friends whose children will love the books if I never have any future children.  Of course, then I had the chilling thought that my future children might not want to read about Lebanon.  How weird would they be!?

The books are from a series called Lebanese Heritage Books by Youmna Medlej and Joumana Medlej.  They are printed separately in English, French, and Arabic, and each tells the story and history of a particular piece of Lebanese culture or geography.  I stumbled across one a few years ago while visiting Jeita Grotto, and I fell in love with it.  Imagine my delight when I learned there were 12 more of those books about many of Lebanon's other treasures.

For now I've just bought 9 of them.  I figured I read through those and then gauge if I want the others or if I will have room to get them home in my luggage!  If you are interested in getting them for your kiddos and don't live by a Lebanese bookstore for some odd reason, you can order a PDF copy as well.  The titles I bought are pictured here.  You can guess what I'll be reading for the next little bit...

Book Review: Catch Me If You Can

That's right.  Long before this was a movie, it was a book.  A very good book.

I started reading this book when I had shingles last October, but didn't finish because I was absorbed spending most of my bed-ridden days watching seasons of "Lie to Me."

I picked it back up again in November when my computer went kaput.  The first 25% or so was kind of slow, and I spent most of it thinking, "Well that is different than the movie."  Frank's dad isn't a sleaze in real life.  Frank started stealing to be able to fuel an addiction, of sorts.  Frank wasn't even an only child...  On and on, and then suddenly I couldn't put it down.  I love books like that.

I won't drop any more spoilers, but let me just say that the escapades recanted in the book are so so much more interesting and exhilarating than those in the movie.  It was fascinating.  There were several times I was like, "No way!  That'll never work," and it did.

A little bit through you start to have a fit of conscious that you're constantly cheering for the criminal, but you just can't help yourself.  Frank himself seems to acknowledge this tension, and a couple of times he remarks that he deserved the harsh things that happened to him more than the breaks he got (see the "Q&A with the Author" for his thoughts about prisons in France).

But on a scale of 1-10, I give this book a 10.  I loved it.  I highly recommend it.  If you read it, let me know so I can talk to you about it and we can "ooo" and "aaah" over it together.

I tried to buy a book in the same vein to satiate my hunger when I finished this one, and ended up coming across Priceless:  How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman and John Stiffman.  It was good, but more on that in my next post...

Catch Me If You Can:  The Real Story of a True Fake

by Frank Abignale, Jr. and Stan Redding

Chapters:

1. The Fledgling
2. The Pilot
3. Fly a Crooked Sky
4. If I'm a Kid Doctor, Where's My Jar of Lillipops?
5. A Law Degree Is Just and Illegal Technicality
6. PaperHanger in a Rolls-Royce
7. How To Tour Europe On a Felony A Day
8. A Small Crew Will Do-It's Just a Paper Airplane
9. Does This Tab Include the Tip?
10. Put Out an APB- Frank Abignale Has Escaped!
    Afterword and Q&A with the Author

Favorites

I totally stole this blog post idea from my friend Meredith.  Thought I would share about a few things that are my current favorites.

1.  Electricity.  This is truly something you just don't appreciate until you don't have it.  Every time the lights and air conditioner turn on, I breathe a sigh of relief.

2.  My Lebanese Blackberry.  I can whatsapp my friends whenever I want.  I can play solitaire and  check Facebook.  It's niiiiiiiice.

3.  The one can of Diet Dr. Pepper, complete with Arabic script, that I have stashed in the fridge.   I found it my first day in Beirut, and haven't seen another since.  I've been saving it for a special occasion, but I don't know what that's going to be yet.

4.  My roommates here in Lebanon.  Kim, Samantha, and Jessica.

5.  The vanilla-caramel ice cream I found down the road at Al Fakhani, with Nutella drizzled on top. Mmmmmm...

6.  "Lie to Me" Season 1.  Watch the whole season while I was home sick today.  I'm hooked.

That's just a few things for now.  I'll keep you updated if I think of anymore.

Evangelism=Charades?

"Preach the gospel. When necessary use words."  I hear this phrase pass the lips of believers all-too-often, and it always makes me uncomfortable.  I love Ed Stetzer's  response in last month's edition of Table Talk Magazine.

Have any thoughts?  I would love to hear about them in the comments section.

Also, last month's entire Table Talk (a free Ligonier Ministries resource) was about evangelism.  Check out more of the great articles.

Book Review- Night of the Living Dead Christian

So, you may be suprised to see a review for Night of the Living Dead Chrsitian by Matt Mikalatos on my blog, since it never managed to grace my "What I'm Reading Now" list to the left.  That's because I started it yesterday, and finished it today!  No time to pause and update a silly list.

Here's the trouble with reviewing a Mikalatos book.  Matt is so funny, and witty, and imaginative that for some reason when I try to explain what I like about his books, I can muster up none of the above.  I'm convinced that my review of his book My Imaginary Jesus must be one of the blandest, least inspired reviews I've ever written, despite the fact that I really wanted to say great things about it.  There's something about really witty people sometimes that can make you feel like you've never had an original thought in your life.

Instead of trying to go about this review in a comprehensive way, or a persuasive way, I'm just going to rattle of some things I do feel like I can say about Matt's books.

1. They're hard to put down, and they make you laugh.  I finished both of them in a couple of days.  I don't know if you consider "a fast read" a pro, but I think the qualifiers make it one.

2.  They whole time I'm reading them I'm amused, but I also have the feeling that somehow they are reading me a little, and might be about to tell me something about myself that I both don't want to admit but want desperately to have explained to me.  I think that's a real gift Matt.  Kudos to you.

3.  It's difficult to boil these books down to a maxim that can be easily acknowledged, embraced, and incorporated into life, or even behavior.  I couldn't walk away from My Imaginary Jesus, do a "find and replace" search of my life, and delete all imaginary Jesuses.  If only.  Instead, I am much more challenged to ask myself if the Jesus I'm relating to in any given moment is one of his own choosing, or if I am embellishing him in any way.  I must let the man speak for himself, for heaven's sake.  I suspect much of the same after putting down Night of the Living Dead Christian.  Not sure I can tell you just what I learned from it.  But I know it did say something to me, and we'll see what this is when I start to recognize some vampire or gargantuan tendencies pop up in my life.  Matt seems to recognize what Tozer knew when he said that sin can't be instructed out of our lives no more than leprosy can be instructed out of our system.  These books don't attempt to treat us, that is the job of the Physician.  Instead they, in a very fantastical way, open our eyes to reality, and entertain us too.

4.  I found a little bit of myself in all of the monsters listed in the "Are you a Monster?  A Layman's Self-Diagnosis Guide to Common Monstrosities" appendix in the back.  I wonder at all why anyone would let me lead anything, especially other people.  Surely this can only turn out good by the grace of God.

5.  I now have a special interest in the Portland/Vancouver (not Canada) area.  Being an east-coaster, not by choice, but by providence of birth, I've somehow managed to make it all the way to the middle east but never further west than Colorado.  I'm going to Portland next month for the first time.  That' right.  I'm coming to see you Mikalatos.  If I find the time, I hope to visit a communist cafe or have some resurrected ice cream while I'm there.  I'm also particularly interested in this large bookstore, although I don't know why, since soon I will be moving far away and unable to take 98% of my current possessions with me.

6.  Last but not least, thanks to Matt for avoiding the sacred/secular split, and letting me find some of what I like about Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, mashed with my faith and my life's work and mission.  I hope for our sake that he spawns many more literary Matt Mikalatoses that will delight us and edify us at the same time.

Bam.  Reviewed.  I recommend it, with my only admonition being that you let yourself laugh while you read it (don't kill the experience by over-analyzing everything.  Enjoy).

Book Review- Judges: Such a Great Salvation

Judges: Such a Great Salvation by Dale Ralph Davis

Dale Ralph Davis’ commentary on Judges is lauded with such great reviews like, “The most practical expository work that this reviewer has ever encountered” (Southwester Journal of Theology) and, “An excellent… crisp, lively… exposition on Judges” (Bibliotheca Sacra). I too, was pleased as I found that Davis balanced careful observation of the text with accurate interpretation, and colorful application.

The commentary proves a great resource.  The book remains unswervingly true to the theocentric purpose of scripture, that is, to point us to God and his character. When I started this book a friend said, “All of his commentaries are really good. You should read them all.” I was a little surprised, because you don’t often hear of Old Testament commentaries as “must-reads.” Yet after my time with Judges, I find myself happily agreeing, and eager to see what Davis has to say about some other riches of the Old Testament.

Christmas has it's cradle...

“Christmas Has It’s Cradle, Easter Has It’s Cross” 

by Rae E. Whitney

Christmas has its cradle, where a Baby cried;

did the lantern’s shadow show him crucified?
Did he foresee darkly His life’s willing loss?
Christmas has its cradle and Easter has its cross.

Christmas has its cradle; shepherds came to see,

Little Son of Mary, Lamb of God to be
Had His Father warned Him, none would grant Him room, 

save in the Christmas cradle and in the Easter tomb?

Christmas has its cradle, wise men came to bring, 

myrrh and gold and incense, offering for a King;
Myrrh alone stayed with Him, death’s balm for this Boy, 

from the Christmas cradle and to His Easter joy.

Christmas has its cradle, where that Baby cried; 

in the Easter garden, Christ lay, crucified;
When death’s power was conquered, God’s life through Him poured;
Christmas has its cradle and Easter has its Lord!

It's Friday, and Not the Rebecca Black Kind

"Sunday's Coming"

by S.M. Lockridge

It’s Friday.
Jesus is praying.
Peter’s a sleeping.
Judas is betraying.
But Sunday’s comin.’

On Reading the Bible in a Year

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  On April 6th last year, I decided to read through the Bible in a year.  I had started such ventures before, but that night the weight of it laid heavily on me, so I picked a chronological Bible reading plan, and started.  Tomorrow is my 365th day in my Bible reading plan.  I'm so excited to finish!

To celebrate and reflect on "the great things God has done for my soul" (as Spurgeon puts it), I thought first writing about why reading through the Bible is worthwhile, but then I realized that Robert Murray McCheyne did it so much better than I can.

What I Made for Dinner

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the grill.  I didn't get any pictures of the finished food (it went too fast!), but I do have some good recipes for y'all.

The Ultimate Chicken Burger

Ten on Tuesdays- Sharks!

In honor of my week in Panama City Beach, this Ten on Tuesdays is dedicated to sharks.

1.  Great white sharks and mako sharks are both warm-blooded fish.  Warm blood is one of the reasons that the Mako is also the fastest shark, capable of swimming up to 45 mph.

2.  Shark corneas can be (and are) transplanted to human eyes and now shark bone marrow is being grafted into human bones.

3.  There are over 400 species of sharks!  A baby shark is called a pup.

4.  It's not safe to stay in the sand!  In one 16 year period, 16 people in the US died from sand-hole collapses while only 11 died from shark attacks.  Your chances of being attacked by a shark is actually very rare.  You're more likely to win the lottery, twice.  In the past 50 years, 1,970 people in the coastal US have died from lightening strikes.  In those same states, 26 have died from shark attacks.  In 1987, there were 1,587 reported human-bites-human injuries in New York City.  That same year there were 13 shark attacks in the US.  Of course, as Peter Benchley, the author of Jaws, says, "None of which, to be sure, detracts from the ghastly, visceral horror of being eaten by a huge fish, but all of which should give some comfort to the recreational swimmer."

Review -The God Conversation-

I am a life-long evangelism learner.  I've discovered that if you want to have a life of evangelism, you have to commit to growing in it always; there's never a plateau that you hit where you can coast from there on out.  (Here I am talking about life-long things, and I'm only 27.  Bear with me now.)

Over the years I've read a lot of books and tried out a lot of resources.  I'll give you a great summary of everything I've learned:  the gospel is simple, God does the heavy lifting, and the Spirit is what you need to rely on when sharing the gospel.  [It's actually  not as much about you as you would think.]

Even so, I've never regretted any time or energy I've put into sharpening myself in evangelism.  This pursuit brought me to the threshold of a recent great read, The God Conversation, by J.P. Moreland and Tim Muehlhoff.


The God Conversation is broken into 5 topics, with 2 chapters on each topic.  The  meat of the book is illustrations you can use to help you explain your faith better.  In my own experience, illustrations like these always help me think about my faith better too.

I found the whole book to be very usable.  The stand-out chapters for me were the 2 on the exclusivity of Christ ("Jesus, Buddha, or Muhammad" Part I and II).  If you read this book and get to these chapters, keep your eyes peeled for the Maze illustration and the buffet illustration.  To me, these 2 were especially excellent, memorable, and beneficial.

In the spirit of full disclosure, only once did the book furrow my brow.  It spoke very strongly to the issue of an 'age of accountability,' which is something I haven't found to be that black-and-white of an issue.  I'm no theologian, so don't ask me to clarify this issue for you.  I just felt that its vehemence was a little tangential, and weakened what otherwise might have been a very helpful book that tread solidly in the grounds of conviction-level Christianity.  I still highly recommend the read, but what good are these reviews if I'm too shy to say what I don't like?

Anyway, if you want to grasp some new ways to frame your faith, in your own head or to others, this is a great resource.  Thanks Moreland and Muehlhoff for the legwork, energy, and editing that must have went into a book of this nature.

Chapters

1.  The Power of Illustrations
2.  Can God Be Good If Terrorists Exist?
3.  Can God Be Good If Terrorists Exist? (Part II)
4.  Jesus, Buddha, or Muhammad?
5.  Jesus, Buddha, or Muhammad? (Part II)
6.  The Resurrection: Conspiracy Theory or Fact?
7.  The Resurrection: Conspiracy Theory or Fact? (Part II)
8.  What Would Machiavelli Do?
9.  What Would Machiavelli Do? (Part II)
10.  Are We An Accident?
11.  Are We An Accident? (Part II)

Final Thought:  The Dangers of Agenda Anxiety

In Case You Need a Good Laugh...

Awkward Family Photos:
Pin the Tail
Happy Easter

WhenParentsText.com
Anti-Cougar
My Dad!!!-  I may or may not have submitted my Dad for whenparentstext.com.  Let me just say, that I did buy this necklace, and he put it on the day he got it in the mail, and he has not taken it off since.  Not once.  Not at all.

Other:
Kittens Inspired by Kittens
WV Love
Mommy's Nose is Scary
Not a Morning Dog

*If you have any goodies you'd like to share, leave a comment for the rest of us.

Ten on Tuesdays: 10 Pieces of Superman Trivia

Last night I watched the 1978 "Superman," which got me in a Superman kind of mood.  So today's Ten on Tuesday is all about the big man in blue.

1.  Kal-el, Superman's name from planet Krypton,  is Hebrew.  (Creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel were both Jewish.  Siegel named all of the characters.)  The exact meaning is debatable, but it can be read as "Son of God" (that makes Jor-El, his father, "Father God"), or "Strength of God," or "Star Child."  No matter the interpretation, Sielgel intended messianic symbolism in his name.

2.  In the original 1939 comics, Superman couldn't fly, but could only 'leap tall buildings in a single bound,' or more specifically, up to 1/8 of a mile.  (see strip to the left)

3.  In the DC universe, Clark Kent officially tied the knot with Lois Lane in 1997.  In the future though, after Lois dies and Superman doesn't age, he eventually ends up with Wonder Woman. (boo.)

4.  There is a comic trilogy called Superman: Red Son that examines what it might be like if Superman landed in Russia instead of the US.

5.  Metropolis, the city Superman calls home, has come to be representative of NYC.  Frank Miller (a Batman author) has said that "Metropolis is New York in the daytime; Gotham City is New York at night."

6.  In the DC universe, Superman gives Batman a piece of Kryptonite to take him out in case he ever gets out of control.

7.  While green Kryptonite makes Superman weak and can be lethal, red Kryptonite has a variety of effects on him (i.e. intensifying his powers, making him apathetic, etc.).

8.  Many actors and actresses closely associated with the Superman character have met tragic fates.  This has led to the conception of the "Superman Curse" (another post for another day). 

9.  In "The Death and Return of Superman" DC storyline, villian Doomsday actually kills Superman, but he is soon resurrected.

10.  The phrase the "never ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way" was originally just the "never ending battle for truth and justice."  "The American Way" was added during WWII, then dropped, and then added again.  (And now dropped again it seems.)

I'm not a big comic book person, but I grew up watching and reading all of the Superman I could get my hands on.  He's a great character, with a great supporting cast, and his storylines regularly examine timeless questions of humanity, love, good and evil, morals, and identity.

P.S.- Don't forget to vote in the poll at the top left for which book I should read and review next.

Moe Monday!

If you aren't aware, many Moe's Southwest Grills run a special on Mondays call Moe Monday.  My roommate and I go every week.

On Moe Monday, you get any burrito, a drink, chips and salsa for $5.55.  Mmm, so so good.  If you think that eating a burrito every Monday could get old, there are many ways to mix it up:  get all different ingredients, drench it in queso, or get it streaker (in a bowl instead of a shell.  Add chips and you have a taco salad.)

Welcome to Moe's!

I feel like the salsa bar brings out the carnality
 in people.  I'm normally a patient, chill kind of
person, and then I get to the salsa bar, and
then all of the sudden we're all boxing people
out and huffing and puffing.  

Call me a creature of habit, but every Monday I get exactly
four cups of salsa, always the same combination:
Keyzer Salsa and Tomatillo.  (Thanks Mer for
introducing me to this combination.  It's a keeper.)

The Moe's in Columbia have a survey
at the bottom of your receipt, and they
give you a free cup of queso for filling
 it out.  Linds and I take turns doing it.  

My Burrito.

My Burrito Partner.  

The Hunter-Gatherer

Hunter-Gatherer.  Hunter-Gatherer.  Hunter-Gatherer...

That's not the chant of a primitive society... it's what runs through my head every time I think about my favorite Columbia restaurant.

You can visit the H-G website here.

If you live in the greater Columbia area and have never eaten at the Hunter-Gatherer microbrewery shame, shame on you!  The H-G is downtown in an old mill close to campus, and is open for dinner most nights and for lunch on Fridays.  There's often live music on the weekends, and the food is all made fresh on the premise.  One of the best things about the H-G  is the menu, which has all kinds of fun and special twists on your favorite foods, and all are tried-and-true.  Its mix of unassuming atmosphere and accessible, yummy gourmet food just isn't matched.

I've been trying to go for months (seriously) and finally made it today with some of my friends from work. Pictures ensue.

Anna Claire got the Chicken Pot Pie, one of the current specials.  

I got the HG Burger.   You can pick from many cheeses:  cheddar, horseradish Favarti, feta, smoked Gouda, Gorgonzola, ESB Pimento Cheese.  I asked if I could get goad cheese instead, which is so good.  Their standard side is hash-browns (which are great) but I always substitute a salad because their dressings are tasty.   

  Kitty got the Bruce Pizza:  Applewood smoked bacon, Gorgonzola, and mozzarella.  

Lindsay got the HG Mac-N-Cheese:  Smoked Gouda, Cheddar, and Goldfish Cracker Crust.

Our dessert was here, but it didn't really make it long enough to be photographed.  Just picture a Molten Chocolate Cheesecake and you'll get the drift. 

Next time you are in Columbia and thinking of going to the H-G give me a call and I'll be right over.  Hunter-Gatherer.  Hunter-Gatherer.  Hunter-Gatherer...