Like, Love and Don't Like

This week, I like Genghis Grill. I've had a few opportunities to meet friends and associates at Genghis Grill in Hoover before, but meeting one of our Sunday School "shepherds" there this week made me realize how much I enjoy this place. If you've never eaten there, the concept is unlike anything that you’re used to. There are plenty of opportunities for first-timers to make themselves look foolish. At Genghis Grill, you’re given a bowl to take to a buffet line that features raw meats, vegetables, spices and sauces. Load up your bowl with the ingredients you prefer, select two starches (rice, noodles, etc.) and leave your bowl in the good hands of the chefs manning a rounded grilling surface. In a few minutes, your cooked creation will be brought to your table and you will love it because you made it. And it tastes very good! Block out any concerns about cross contamination at the buffet line and try Genghis Grill today!

This week, I love The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. This PBS film directed by Ken Burns is typical of a Ken Burns project. It features beautiful photography and insightful commentary from folks that know a great deal about the subject of the film. The film covers 150 years’ worth of history of the National Parks system – how they came to be, the major players involved and much more. I’m not done watching the film yet but here are some observations to this point:

• I’m very thankful that people like John Muir and Stephen Mather could foresee the damage caused to these previously untouched lands if left unprotected. 
• The Grand Canyon has been around for a very, very, very, very, very long time. 
• I don’t think today’s camera technology can capture photographs as beautiful as the photos taken by the early explorers seen that are seen in the film. 

I've seen Burns’ films about the War Between the States, baseball and prohibition. National Parks makes me want to see his other films but it will be very difficult to impress me more than this film. Let me say this too: this film is not only informative and entertaining but it is also very calming and can double as a tremendous sleep aid if needed. I don’t mean that as an insult at all.

This week, I don’t like my road rage. I will quickly let you know that I am a very good driver. I have come to tolerate bad drivers since I moved to Birmingham. You’re really left with no choice but to adapt your skills to accommodate the bad drivers around you. Recently, I witnessed two separate exhibitions of incredibly poor driving decisions that made my blood boil, my heart race and my mind consider doing very stupid things. I don’t enjoy reacting like this. Fortunately, I haven’t put any of my dumb thoughts to action. I know better than to assume that the drivers I see blatantly violating the rules of the road don’t also have an illegal gun in their car. I haven’t experienced road rage in a very long time and I hope that I can go back to refraining from getting so worked up.

Two points from this video: Road rage is worldwide and this a good reminder that situations that make me mad can escalate into something much worse very quickly.