Rob's Recommendations: The Iron Giant

I watched The Iron Giant last night with our youth group, many of whom had never seen it before. The movie came out in 1999 and didn't do well at theaters because of bad marketing by Warner Bros. It has since gone on to become a beloved, if sometimes overlooked classic.

I had forgotten just what a wonderful little movie this is. My boys used to watch it all the time when they were growing up, so I've seen it at least a dozen times, but it's been about a decade since I watched it last. I enjoyed it just as much this time, if not even more. That's the good thing about memories that fade over time, you can re-watch something and it's almost like watching it for the first time!

This isn't a full review, just a recommendation: if you haven't seen it, you should check it out. It's heartwarming and funny, with a great voice cast and wonderful direction. You're welcome to borrow my DVD, and if you don't return it I'll have a good excuse to get the Blu ray!

My grade: A

Now, For a Limited Time...

This came through my inbox today from Taco John's. According to the description: "The Honey BBQ Fried Chicken Taco is made with crunchy chicken tenders, fresh, crisp lettuce and cheddar cheese, topped with a Honey BBQ sauce that starts out with a sweet flavor from honey accompanied by smoky notes of hickory." Apparently it's a variation on a plain chicken 'taco' that they've had on the menu for a while, just with honey barbecue sauce.

My first thought was, "Really, Taco John's? Really? Anywhere else and this would be called a wrap." But my second thought was, "Hey, that looks pretty good. And you can get Potato Ole's to go with it!" Because, let's be honest, that's the best thing about Taco John's. And sometimes you feel like some Potato Ole's but aren't necessarily in the mood for regular Mexican fast food. But we'll call it a taco because that's more "on brand". Nevertheless, it looks pretty good.

That's the appeal of these limited-time offerings from places like this. We don't have a Taco John's near us, and when I'm down in the Cities I'll often opt for my favorites like Culver's or Chick-fil-a. But something like this may entice me to visit Taco John's when I otherwise might not. And then, beyond the quick sale, I might build a new habit and visit more often, which is the ultimate goal - loyal returning customers.

Which got me thinking about businesses in general and churches in particular. What is it about your organization that is "special" enough to get people to give it a shot? Anything you can do as a "limited time offering"? And then do you have enough other stuff to help them to return and become loyal to your organization?

Rob's Review: Snickerdoodle Pop-Tarts

I'm a sucker for new and different flavors of things I already like, so when I saw that Pop-Tarts was coming out with a Snickerdoodle flavor, I knew I had to give it a shot. I've enjoyed some of their other recent offerings like Lemon Creme Pie, Peach Cobbler, and even Frosted Confetti Cupcake.

For one thing, I love snickerdoodle cookies, especially the ones my Aunt Mary Jo used to make - all soft and chewy! For another thing, I mean, look at the picture on the box (above). They look great! 

If I'm eating a Pop-Tart at home, I like them microwaved for about 15 seconds with a little butter on it, so that's how I made the first ones. Pictured below is how it turned out.

The verdict? Ehh. It was... fine. There was nothing bad or off-putting about it, except they are very fragile and fall apart easily. The filling is goey. It kind of reminded me of my favorite Pop-Tart flavor, frosted brown sugar cinnamon, except without the, you know, frosting. Or the good flavor. I am normally adamant about only eating Pop-Tarts that are frosted, but this looked particularly tasty, so I thought I would make an exception.Turns out my initial instincts were correct.

I haven't tried it unwarmed. I often will take a couple to a cross country meet or something for a quick meal when I know we won't get back to the school until later. Or I'll share with a student - there's invariably one who is "starving" but didn't think to pack anything to eat. I imagine it will be perfectly average. 

Again, nothing bad about them, but I probably wouldn't buy them again as there are much better flavors. 

Overall grade: C

You'll Never "Catch Up"

At some point in your life you have to come to grips with the fact that you'll never have enough time.

You'll never have enough time to...

• catch up on all the books you want to read (I have an ever-increasing pile).
  
• see all the movies you want (all the "classics" you've been meaning to get to, as well as all that Netflix and the like are churning out).
• spend time with all the people you want.
• travel to all the placed you'd like to visit.
• engage in all the activities you want to do.
  

So at some point you have to prioritize. How you choose what to prioritize is up to you. But if you don't choose, you'll just end up frustrated and endlessly chasing the horizon. Or worse, you'll be paralyzed by the overwhelming choices and end up doing nothing.

So go do something. Pick a book, movie, person, place or activity. Start now.

Breezy Baptism Sunday

We had our annual church potluck picnic worship and baptism service today. It was a breezy day, but we had record turnout, great worship food and fellowship. 

One of my greatest privileges as a pastor is being able to baptize members of our church who decide to take this public step of faith and proclaim their love for Jesus. I was able to do that today, baptizing three of my amazing youth group students, Dakota, Madison, and Kierra. I love these guys!

 

 

 

Rob's Recommendations: What About Bob?

A few years ago I used a clip from the movie "What About Bob?" in a sermon illustration. Several from my congregation whom I would have expected to be familiar with this classic comedy were sadly unaware of it's existence. Filled with wonderfully memorable quotes, it's my favorite comedy of all time, with the most genuine, organic, heartfelt laughs of any movie I know.

Sure, there are other great comedies. I absolutely adore "Groundhog Day", "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure", "The Three Amigos", "The Princess Bride", and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". But if I had to pick just one, it's this one. Bill Murray creates a wonderfully quirky character who plays perfectly off of Richard Dreyfus' uptight psychologist, Dr. Leo Marvin. The movie builds and builds into a terrific conclusion. 

If you haven't seen this classic from the early 90s, treat yourself, track down a copy and enjoy!

Saucony's Shoes for Cherons

Saucony just came our with a new colorway for some of their shoes. My first thought was that they were perfect gift for that special Cheron in your life.

 

Cutting Down Pizza

I consider myself to be a bit of a pizza afficianado. I mean, you can't spend thirty-five years in youth ministry and not know a little about pizza. 

As I've gotten older, I've gotten a little more picky about pizza. It seems it's hard to find a good pizza anymore. So many are just mediocre

For example, when it comes to frozen pizzas, there are some that are edible, but I have yet to find a frozen pizza that I really enjoy (other than some deep dish restaurant pizzas that are occasionally available, but not widely marketed). Again, some are okay, but they hardly satisfy your craving for good pizza. 

As far as the chain restaurants go, some are okay and even pretty good. I enjoy Little Caesar's pan pizza quite a bit, and Papa John's is decent, and I enjoy Sbarro, and really like the pizza at Rocky Rococo, as well. Pizza Ranch is decent, but pricey. However none of these are anywhere near me. 

Casey's, which it turns out it the country's fifth largest pizza chain, has really good pizza most of the time, and fortunately we have one in Pine City now. We also have a Pizza Hut but either their quality has declined or I've just gotten burned out on their pizza over the years. It's not bad, but not a top choice. Don't even get me started on Domino's. 

I enjoy some of the local pizza places, as well. We have a pretty good one in Pine City, Pizza Pub, but they are a little pricier. I enjoy visiting other towns an finding good local joints there, too. (I could be like the Guy Fieri of pizza places and go town to town finding the best one!) One of my favorite is about an hour away, Donatelli Bros. in White Bear Lake (which, coincidentally enough, was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.) Their Heartstopper pizza is to die for (not literally... probably). And of course I can't help but mention the late, lamented Demetrio's Pizza House in Bradenton. I don't know if I'll ever find a pizza I enjoy more (but certainly not for a lack of trying).

But here's my big question for the day: when did cutting pizza into little squares become a thing? It seems like a lot of local places do this. (I'm looking at you, Pizza Pub.) It's sometimes called a party cut and I guess some people like it, but frankly, I'm not a fan.

So what's your vote: the traditional and beloved pie cut, or the stupid square cut?

Rob's Recommendations: Sports Night

My son, Jordan, and I have been rewatching classic TV comedies over the last few years and we just finished the underappreciated Aaron Sorkin show Sports Night. I remember watching it's run from 1998-2000 and I enjoyed it greatly. It's was overshadowed in the public consciousness by it's brilliant successor, The West Wing, but Sports Night garnered three Emmy Awards and it a wonderful companion piece. It's fun to see how many actors in Sports Night later cropped up on The West Wing. 

It ran for 45 episodes over two seasons. I will say that in the first few episodes of the first season there is an annoying and distracting laugh track that fortunately goes away, so hang in there.

I'm not going to do a detailed review here - I'm sure there are plenty of places online you can get more info - but if you're looking for an enjoyable funny "dramedy", and you enjoy Aaron Sorkin's trademark banter and writing, you should check this out. It's streaming on Roku, or you can borrow my DVDs.

Krispy ICE Kreme

My favorite donuts in the world are Krispy Kremes. Today I read that many Krispy Kreme stores are going to be offering soft serve ice cream and shakes. They look delicious and I can't wait to try it the next time I'm somewhere they actually have Krispy Kreme stores. (None in Minnesota or Wisconsin, unfortunately.)

Of course the dilemma is whether to have ice cream or a donut.

But then again, why choose? I saw one local donut place offered an ice cream sandwich with donuts on the outside!

I think it's a good thing for my waistline that I don't live any closer to a Krispy Kreme store.

No. Just no.

Every once in a while a certain phrase enters into common conversation in the public realm it gets repeated ad nauseam. It's kind of obnoxious, especially because it doesn't really mean anything significant. These trendy phrases may not bother anyone else, but they annoy the heck out of you. I'm sure you've had that happen to you.

For me right now it's the phrase "living your best life." I actually heard someone (a well-known Hollywood celebrity) use the phrase "I'm living my best life" the other day in a very serious, non-ironic way. 

It's so trendy right now and it just bugs me. I don't know why. But I'm guessing it's a fad phrase that won't be around in a few years.

At least I hope so. 

I guess we'll see.

Thus endeth my rant for the day. 

(I can already imagine the responses: "Okay, boomer! You're awfully salty today. This sounds like a 'you problem'.")

Rob's Review: Top Gun Maverick

Jonah took me to see the new Top Gun: Maverick movie this afternoon for Father's Day. I had been interested in this one for a while, but wanted to see the first one again as I hadn't seen it since it first came out in the late 80s. So Rosalie and I watched the original Top Gun last night and Jonah and I watched the new one this afternoon. 

I'm guessing most of those reading this will have already seen it, as it has done very, very well at the box office. Even today, almost a month after it's release, the theater was still full of people. It probably doesn't hurt that it's a good choice for a Father's Day outing because what dad isn't going to enjoy this one?

Let me just put in my $.02 here and say it lived up to my expectations and I'd recommend it to all to enjoyed the original. If you haven't seen the original, you should watch it first, although other than a great soundtrack it was fairly simple as movies go. The new one I think surpasses the original by building on it. It has great action and a lot of heart. Plus the freakishly young looking Tom Cruise who, at 59 years old, is still a great actor, even if his personal life is a little odd.

If you're looking for a good PG movie to enjoy, you should definitely check this one out.

The Rest of the Story

I often struggle with "resting." I don't know if it's the whole "Protestant Work Ethic," my own dad's example of being a hard worker (and my mom's, and my wife's), or a desire to avoid feeling "lazy," but oftentimes it's hard for me to relax and take a day off. 

The whole idea of Sabbath and margin is one I've often preached about but have trouble really engaging in myself. I have this desire to accomplish something productive all the time. Even when I go for a run, I usually will be listening to podcasts rather than just music or even just being alone with my own thoughts.

What is rest, really? Is it vegging out in front of the TV? That's certainly not productive - unless you're watching something educational, maybe. What about reading a fiction book? Then at least I feel like I'm working my way through my stack of books I want to read.

I think rest isn't so much about the cessation of activity or productivity. It also is about engaging in something renews your soul.

But there is also a definite need to just stop.

5 Years Running

It was five years ago to day that I first began to run outside. 

A couple of time when I was younger - back in seminary and briefly in my 20s - I did some running, but that was long before GPS tracking and my daily mileage was maybe one or two miles max. This time I had begin running just over 3 miles a day on my treadmill. My theory was that if I was ever to run a 5K (3.12 miles), I wanted my body to be used to that distance. It also made getting to my step goal of 10,000 steps a day much more achievable. But I had been doing all this on my treadmill.

A number of the students in my youth group who were runners urged me to begin running outside. "It's way better," they assured me. I resisted, until finally (five years ago today) I downloaded a running app for my phone, put in some earbuds, and gave it a shot.

So much better than a treadmill!

And the rest is history. It took a while to really learn to love running, but now, five years later, I've logged 5,454 miles and gone through 18 pair of shoes (mostly Saucony, with one pair of Brooks and a couple of Hoka One One's that I tried). I've run seven or eight 5Ks, one 10K, two half-marathons, and two marathons.

I wish I had been blogging consistently during those first few years as I remember a lot of life lessons learned while running. My best advice to non-runners is to give it a shot, no matter what age you are. I didn't start until I was 50 years old, but it's one of the best activity/habit/lifestyle/disciplines I've ever engaged in.

The Power of a Critic

I was listening to an interview with writer/director Nicolas Meyer the other day on Page One - The Writer's Podcast (Episode 109). He was the writer and director of one of the greatest movies ever: Star Trek II - The Wrath of Kahn, and he has an incredibly interesting autobiography, The View from the Bridge: Memories of Star Trek and a Life in Hollywood. I'd recommend it for any Star Trek fan or anyone interested in the movie business. (I actually blogged about this book back in 2009 when I first read it in The Magic of Movies post.)

In this interview, he talked about the difference between a critic and a reviewer:

"A reviewer is somebody who is telling people who has not seen the movie whether they should spend their time and their money going to see the movie. But as Anatole France defined the function of the critic... (and he paraphrases Anatole France) 'the critic's function is to narrate the adventures of his soul among masterpieces.'... Critics assume that you have seen the movie and you are comparing your soul to theirs in response."

I thought that was a beautiful description of the two roles. Of course, it applies to all media (television, books, podcasts, blogs, etc.) 

That distinction speaks to me as a pastor, as well. I see these two roles at work among preachers. I know many mediocre preachers who simply try to explain and apply the text. But that's a lot different than "narrating the adventures of your soul."

I think that explains why so many people struggle with reading the Bible. We've taught them to approach it in a very clinical and sterile way, mostly because of the importance or correctly handling the Word of God - which is an understandable and noble motivation. But in the process we have turned people into reviewers of the Bible. People often lose the aspect of a personal encounter with the living God through the reading of His Word and miss having their souls transformed by it.

Persistence and Obession

Seth Godin writes a great blog and hosts a very interesting podcast called Akimbo. I don't always agree with his take on everything, but he is very insightful and always makes you think. 

On particularly thoughtful post the other day was especially insightful. It's one of those I wish I had written myself. I'll repost it below, but I'd encourage you to go to his site for more great content.

 The Coyote's Anguish

It’s one of the best metaphors for life, marketing, achievement, community and possibility in all of TV cartooning.

The coyote is always looking for a quick win. Because he doesn’t persist with a plan that builds over time, all of his outlandish stunts add up to nothing but frustration.

The coyote is obsessed with gaining at the expense of his enemy. As a result, he’s faced with either defeat or short-lived and ultimately empty victory.

The coyote is obviously immortal, but he’s always in pain. Either in the pain that comes from hitting a wall at 100 miles an hour, or the pain of knowing that yet another short-term plan came to no good.

The coyote challenges the laws of physics in the belief that he, and he alone is entitled to his own rules.

The coyote is happy to spend money on ludicrous devices that make promises he must know are empty, but instead of investing, he keeps chasing the gimmicks.

The coyote picked the wrong goal. Even though it’s clear he can’t succeed, he doesn’t switch, obsessing about sunk costs instead.

And even though he has experienced the frustration of the short-term selfish shortcut again and again, he never pauses to consider what would happen if he created something of value instead.

Christ as King

I was listening to Andy Stanley's opening big session talk at the Drive 2022 Conference last month. He was sharing the thought that we have lost the idea of Jesus as King - a king who has authority over us, not just a savior who saves us. Part of the reason is that we have translated the word "messiah" - which means "anointed one" and had the idea of a king - as "Christ," which doesn't really have any significance for us as English speakers in the 21st Century. It seems like a lot of people just think Christ is Jesus' last name, like "Joseph Christ and Mary Christ had a son, Jesus Christ." We'd be better off if it was just translated consistently as "messiah", although for non-Jewish people that is not a lot better.

I wonder if for Americans some of that has to do with us not really having a clear concept of what a king really is. Not that other modern monarchies really do, either, in this respect. But for us in the US, we think in terms of a president who has some power and authority in political circles, but doesn't really command our allegiance in daily life. In fact, usually at least half of the people in the country don't even respect the person, no matter who is in the White House.

What would it take for us to recapture that idea of Jesus as our ultimate authority who is worthy of our allegiance and obedience? I mean, we pray that all the time in the Lord's Prayer: "Your will be done..." - as opposed to what? My will! 

We pray that, but do we really follow that? Even when we don't agree with Him?

Who Corny Idea Was This?

It's time for another non-scrolling recipe! 

Our church picnic is coming up a week from Sunday, which means potluck time. One of the dishes I always look forward to at our church potlucks is a corn casserole regularly brought by the lovely Jewell Vermilyea. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, so I thought I'd pass it along to you. I'll personally vouch for this one. It's excellent. Plus, it's super easy to make. Enjoy!

Corn Pudding

• 1 Cup Butter - melted
• 1 Can Whole Corn - undrained
• 1 Can Creamed Corn
• 1½ Cups Sour Cream
• 2 Boxes Jiffy Corn Bread Mix

Mix all ingredients together; place in a 9 x 13” ungreased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until brown on edges.

 

Obedience and Trust

I came across this quote yesterday: 

"If you’re only willing to obey God when you both understand and agree, maybe you’re actually serving yourself as god and not Him."

Basically that's the core of all sin. It goes to the question of trust: Do I trust that God really knows best and has my best interests at heart or not? 

Adam and Eve decided they didn't trust God. 

Now it's our turn to choose.

Rainy Days and Saturdays

It's a rainy Saturday today for us in Pine City, which is a shame, really. If it's going to rain, it's usually better for most folks if it rains in the middle of the week (or, you know, at night!) Saturdays are one of the few days many/most people don't have to work. Plus there are all kinds of picnics, outdoor activities, and outdoor weddings that take place on Saturdays, especially in Minnesota where we only have a couple of dozen really nice Saturdays to be outside.

So what do you do when you're stuck inside on a Saturday? I decided today was going to be a recovery day from running as I've done about a dozen in a row. So I had some extra energy this morning to do some some vacuuming and a little straightening up, but after a certain point my desire to be productive was overcome by my desire not to be. I've got a grad party to go to at 1:00, then it's chill time. Maybe a movie? Or catch up on a TV show I've been meaning to watch.

What about you? What's your default activity on a rainy afternoon when you don't have anything pressing to do? Let me know in the comments.

Rob's Recommendations: Limitless (TV series)

Looking for something fun to watch? Check out the Limitless TV series, currently available on Netflix. There are two short seasons, 22 episodes in total, and it originally ran on CBS from 2015-2016. It's based on the movie of the same name, although you don't have to watch the movie. (You can if you want - it's pretty good, too.) 

The TV show had a great cast and writing. It leaned more heavily into the comedy rather than the more serious drama of the movie. Some episodes were extremely funny, including one that was a hysterical homage to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. (It's worth watching the entire series just for that one episode!)

Because it was originally on network TV it's suitable for the whole family. Check it out and let me know what you think.

It's About Time This Time

A little followup to my post a couple of days ago about making bad money choices...

It strikes me that some people (not enough, but some) are very diligent about budgeting their money and tracking where it goes. That's a really good thing because if you save your money, you can gain more eventually.

But what about time? You can't save it, so we tend to just let it slip through our fingers without really noticing. How many of us really budget our time? 

What if we were to at least track how we spend our time? 

My guess is that we "waste" a lot of time - and what I mean by that is that we don't really realize how much we spend doing random stuff. If we were to track how we spend time, we could be more intentional with is and we might make some different choices with how we spend it.

Would You Like to Play a Game?

I have enjoyed working in youth ministry for most of the last four decades (before that, I was a youth, so I don't know if that counts or not). But one part of being a youth pastor/leader that I have never been able to master is the art of selecting good youth group games.

I've just never enjoyed picking group games. And I don't think I'm very good at it. The ones I think look cool either require a much larger group or a ton of prep work and setup. The others just look lame. Sure, there are a few that have stood the test of time. Every group I've worked with loves Mushroomball - dodge ball adjacent game - or games like Gaga-ball, except there are always a few who are not into the more active games. Same with 9-square in the air (pictured above), which most people like for a while, but not after it gets dominated by the taller athletic senior high guys who get pretty competitive. But if I select a more sedate game, like charades or "murder", there are a few who get antsy because they need to do something more active. 

The funny thing is, when I give the kids a choice, they often pick games that I thought they would find too juvenile, like musical chairs or heads-up seven-up. Or they'll select something simple like "spoons" or "hide and seek".

I guess the moral is that you'll never make everyone happy all the time, so just select games you think the majority will enjoy and do a broad range so eventually everyone's favorite will get picked.

Or... find some one else to choose the games!

Bad Money Choices

I've come across a few people this week making bad choices with money. 

After filling up my car with gas yesterday, I went inside to pay and the person in front of me was buying a stack of lottery tickets - 500 to be exact - at $1 each. I hope they were gifts or something like that, but if not... He had just said to me, "I've been working every day for the past eight days." I'm thinking, "If you didn't buy so many lottery tickets, you could maybe take a day off. (Or, you know, fill up your vehicle with gas!)"

The other one that struck me was a news story about a woman who was complaining that Biden's proposed $10,000 student loan forgiveness wasn't going far enough. She was in debt $300,000 - as a school teacher! All I could think was, "I'm glad she's not teaching my kids."

But the truth is, we've all done stupid stuff when it comes to money. Ours may not have been so obvious, but we can all do better. What's the dumbest thing you ever spent money on? Or maybe it wasn't something you bought, but something you didn't buy. Or some money you should have saved.

I'm thankful I stumbled across Dave Ramsey's material a couple decades ago which helped us get on a better path.We're not there yet, but by God's grace, we're a lot better than we used to be. (If you aren't familiar with his, check out his radio show/podcast or his book The Total Money Makeover.)

Why You Gotta Be Hatin?

There's been a lot of discussion online recently about Star Wars in general and the new series Obi Wan Kenobi in particular. A lot of that discussion is critical of the new Star Wars shows like Obi Wan and The Book of Boba Fett. Some of it has gone beyond simple dislike and gone into hate, and much of it has gotten personal and ugly. (I won't go into the details here because it's not relevant to my point.)

I understand why people may dislike something new, especially when it doesn't line up their perception or seems to contradict something done in the past. There are all kinds of examples dealing with canon and what is considered canonical and so forth. There are books that could be written about such debates.

Of course, Star Wars is not the only intellectual property to deal with this kind of animus. Newer iterations of Star Trek have likewise been panned by elements of fandom for not living up to certain expectations or seeming to violate what has been shown before. 

I personally have enjoyed the new Star Wars and the new Star Trek shows. Are they perfect? No. What is? Are they entertaining? Absolutely. Are they for everyone? Probably not.

It's the time and energy that certain elements of "fandom" have dedicated to criticizing current iterations of these properties that is so puzzling. If you don't like it, just say, "Well, that's not for me," and move on. There is an unhealthy level of "ownership" by some who feel entitled to their own versions. 

But we tend to do that in a lot of areas, don't we? We spend inappropriate amounts of time and energy criticizing and critiquing things (political opponents, companies, opinions, etc.) Instead, what if we just said, "That's not for me," and moved on? Then we could spend our time building something we value instead of trying to tear something else down.

Celebrating A Wonderful Dad

 

I wanted to take this momentous occasion and wish a happy 80th birthday to my amazing dad, Robert W. Spahr! He is an incredible combination high school teacher, storyteller, humorist, builder, mechanic, Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, joke-teller, son, uncle, husband, friend and father (and a lot of other adjectives I'm probably forgetting). Most importantly, he is a man of God who loves Jesus and is a wonderful role-model for me (and many others). I am very proud of him and incredibly fortunate to have him for a dad!

So happy birthday, dad! Enjoy your special day!!

The picture above was taken back in March over spring break at my sister's house with her dog, Hank. (My dad is the one on the right.)

Rob's Recommendations: Endorphin Speed 2

Saucony was running a Memorial Day sale last week and I picked up a pair of Endorphin Speed 2 shoes for about half off. (Note how I subtly credit/blame Saucony for the purchase rather than taking responsibility and saying, "I bought new running shoes because they looked really cool and I wanted them.")

I have been running in Endorphin Shift shoes for the past year or so but thought I'd try the Speed because of the great reviews. I thought the reviewers were being overly enthusiastic about how great the Speed were, but after trying them, I have to say they may be the best running shoes I've ever had.

They remind me a little of the Saucony Kinvara shoes but the SpeedRoll technology with the nylon plate seems to draw you along and it actually made me run faster. I did a 5.25-mile route this morning and got my best time in over a year without really feeling like I was pushing to run fast. I'm very excited to try them in the Pine City Fun Run 5K at the beginning of August. 

If you're looking for some great running shoes, I'd highly recommend these.

Coffee-Mate Followup

A follow-up on yesterday's post about Creme Brulee Coffee-Mate being unavailable. I sent in an inquiry through their website yesterday and received an email today. Good news! The flavor has not been discontinued, it's simply another supply chain issue. So once it's available again, you should check it out.

In the meantime, it's a nice example of a company providing good, speedy customer service, even if it is something as simple as an email response to an inquiry. (Apparently they're going to send me some coupons, too, so that's a bonus.) 

Sometimes it doesn't take a lot to take care of a customer concern. In fact, it's the little things that often make the biggest difference.

Rob's Recommendations: Creme Brulee Coffee-Mate Creamer

This post may turn out to be a recommendation or a requiem - time will tell.

When I first started drinking coffee it was in college. I tried it mixed with some milk and honey because I had read in a Star Trek novel that this was the way Jim Kirk learned to drink coffee as a boy. It was pretty good and I soon learned to enjoy coffee, but always with cream and sweetener of some sort.

Fast forward a few years to 1989 when Nestle introduced Coffee-Mate flavored liquid non-dairy creamer. International Delights launched a version a couple of years earlier, but I would argue that Coffee-Mate perfected it. To this day I will only rarely use International Delights as most of their flavors leave a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste. The same goes for most other brands.

Over the years I have enjoyed most all of their flavors, especially Toffee Nut (since discontinued) and Creme Brulee. A few years ago Walmart stopped carrying the Creme Brulee flavor and I've had to stock up in the Twin Cities, buying 6 to 8 large containers at a time and enjoying them over the weeks. Recently, however, the locations that have reliably carried this flavor have come up empty. They are still on the shelf tags, but no product. 

I'm afraid that it may be discontinued soon, however it still is listed on the Coffee-Mate web site, so I hope it's just a supply chain issue that will be resolved soon. Otherwise I may have to begin experimenting with online recipes for this flavor.

So if you happen to come across the Creme Brulee flavor, let me recommend you try it. And if you do, please let me know so I can go stock up again!

Rob's Recommendations: Just Say No to This One

I like to post about things I enjoy and help people discover fun or tasty things. But today I have to post a warning. Rosalie and I tried the DiGiorno Stuffed Crust Five Cheese frozen pizza last night and if you're thinking about giving it a shot, let me just say, in the words of Nancy Reagan, "Just Say No!"

I'm not a huge fan of frozen pizza anyway, but once in a while it's okay, and occasionally you can find a decent brand. DiGiorno is usually okay, if a little overpriced, but I would never buy this one again. It wasn't inedible, but it was far from tasty. The sauce was skimpy and flavorless and the cheese fairly tasteless. I ended up dipping it in some ranch dressing to give it some flavor.

At a premium price I expected more. For a couple bucks more, I could have ordered out from Casey's or something. This tasted like something you get in the school cafeteria, except not as good.

As far as recommendations go, this is a no.

Do you have a favorite frozen pizza? Let me know in the comments.