In trying to avoid the bulk of noise-canceling headphones, I searched around for an equivalent in earbuds, and found some on Amazon. In my opinion, they work almost as well as the headphones but are easier to carry, and cheaper (~ $55). On a plane, you can hardly hear an iPad movie with regular earbuds, but with these you can easily hear the movie. The engine noise disappears when you flip the switch. Yet you can still hear if someone speaks to you. It's really pretty amazing.
The most amazing astronomy book.
If you enjoy reading about space, planets, starts, nebulas, etc., this is the perfect book: Eric Chaisson and Steve McMillan's "Astronomy: A beginner's guide to the universe." Its not mainly a picture book, though it does have some nice photos and diagrams. The narrative is extremely clear and easy to follow, even though the book is written at a fairly high level. The link above is to the sixth edition at Amazon. I read the third edition (!). I noticed that Chaisson has some other books that maybe include some scientism, but the edition of the astronomy book I read seemed to stick to the science and limit the speculation and philosophy.
Another great book: "The Reckoning" by James Byron Huggins.
Roughly like Tom Clancy meets C. S. Lewis; intense individual combat in a Christian context.
A great book, "Son of Hamas"
I like to listen to audiobooks when I drive any distance, and I came across a very interesting one a week ago. It tells the story of how a son of a Hamas leader came to see things very differently than most Palestinians. I won't give any more than that away, but I highly recommend "Son of Hamas" by Mosab Hassan Yousef (Tyndale House Publishers).
A great movie - "Ramona and Beezus"
One of the best movies I have seen in a long time, check it out and see why the tagline is "A little sister goes a long way".
Amazing astronomy photos
There is a NASA website called "astronomy picture of the day" that has the most amazing space photos. Check out their archive and don't miss the informative captions that accompany each photo.
The Chronicles of Narnia, done in radio theater style
If you didn't know already, there is a version of C. S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" available on CD that is simply stunning. This is not just someone reading the book, it is "radio theater" that includes a full cast of actors, sound effects, and music. I like this voice of Aslan (done by David Suchet) better in almost all places than what the recent movies use (Liam Neeson). The stories almost perfectly adhere to the original, unlike the movies, which deviate wildly in places and end up blurring some of the major themes. And you'll never find a better bargain: 19 CDs, running 22 hours, for about $25. Profit was obviously not the motive behind this production - again, unlike the movies. I give sets away as gifts, loan them out to my students, and generally try to get the word out what a special treasure these are. They are available from CBD or from Amazon, and you can usually find a set available locally at Mardel (on Waco Dr. between New Road and Valley Mills). Listen to what I am talking about here.
My recipe for beef jerky
I have been making jerky at home for a couple of years and I think it turns out pretty good. I can't stand most of what is sold in the stores anymore. This recipe is a lot like what you can find on the web, with one or two possible innovations (using your kitchen oven to both dry and smoke it; I can't remember if I found this on the web or invented it). No dehydrator or special equipment is needed at any point!
Start with thinly-sliced eye-of-round or a similar lean cut of meat. The slices should not exceed 1/4" thick, 1/8" is easier to dry. The meat dept. at the Woodway HEB will slice it for you if you ask, but the thickness can vary. If you want it the thinnest, ask for Smitty. The process I describe here can handle up to about 4 lbs of meat.
Cut the meat into strips maybe 2" wide and no more than about 6" long, discarding as much fat as you can. Layer the strips in a 9 x 9 baking dish, coating each layer generously with ground black pepper and lemon pepper. Transfer the meat to a freezer-quality 1 gallon ziplock bag. Then add a mixture of 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1 cup of teriyaki sauce and one bottle of beer. This should mostly cover the meat. To be safe, place the ziplock bag inside a second ziplock, or at least in a bowl in case it should leak. Shake the bag gently to mix everything, then put it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, turning the bag once or twice a day to make sure all the meat gets exposed to the liquid. By the end of one or two days, the meat should be brown, not red.
Dump the meat into a strainer and let it drain. Meanwhile, set your lower oven rack at the second-lowest position and the upper rack at the highest position. Cover the lower rack with paper towels to absorb drippage (otherwise your oven gets real messy fast). Then insert a toothpick at one end of a strip and hang it from the upper rack. You should be able to do this such that no two strips are touching. When the meat has stopped dripping (takes a couple of hours), remove the paper towels, prop the oven door open slightly (I use a wooden spoon) and set the oven at about 150°. (You can begin the heating immediately if you make sure the paper towels are not so close to the lower oven element that they ignite. Remove them an hour or so later when drippage has stopped.)
The meat will require somewhere between 6 hours (for thin slices) and 12 hours (for thick slices) to dry. The amount of drying is important: too moist will have a less pleasant texture and will mold unless stored in the refrigerator, and too dry tends to crumble. The meat should be very dark, and about as dry as it can be without cracking when you bend it. (a blow dryer holding the over door ajar reduces the drying time by a factor of 2-3.)
Somewhere near the end of drying, you can naturally smoke the meat easily as follows. Turn off the oven and let the lower element cool. Then prop up against the element a few pieces of mesquite chips (no more than 1" long or wide; HEB carries these, and other wood types too*). Close the oven entirely, turn it on to about 200° and wait (1-2 minutes) until the wood chips are smoldering, then turn off the oven. Let it set 20-30 minutes until the smoke has dissipated. I find that this process greatly improves the flavor and doesn't even set off our smoke alarm (or maybe we need new batteries). Continue drying if necessary. Store the jerky in the refrigerator in 1 quart ziplock bags, though well-dried meat does not seem prone to molding.
* I find that applewood is drastically inferior to mesquite. Hickory is OK, not quite as good as mesquite.
