CurtBlog

I'm a big fan of N.T. Wright, was introduced to his writing by David Dark awhile back. I've been curious to read some of his writings on Paul. Paul is one of those Bible writers who can be problematic for a lot of people and he is probably the most misinterpreted Biblical author out there in some ways. I certainly have run into things where I'm not sure I like Paul or agree with him. There's also the question of his impact on early Christianity, was he more Jewish or Greek, was his "version" of Christianity different than that of Jesus, those types of questions. So I've started reading "What Saint Paul Really Said" and it's very interesting so far. Already learned some new things, so seems like a worthwhile book to pick up if you struggle with Paul as much as I do.

What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity?

With the overeating and decadence that is holiday eating, Kristin and I decided to try a raw food diet for a few days. The main purpose was detox and giving the body a chance to recover from all the rich holiday food. I've done liquid fasts for 5 days before, so this is definitely a bit easier. Still not as easy as you would think though. Going to the grocery store is a real eye-opener, there is really just a lot of stuff you can't buy, even at Whole Foods or something like that. Here are my thoughts so far.

Positives
It's healthy for the most part.
Environmentally friendly - fewer dishes to wash, no gas/electric for cooking, you can compost most of the scraps (I haven't started composting yet, but am considering it), plus all the reasons trotted out by vegetarians why meat production is bad.
My sense of smell is getting clearer.
My digestive system is happy, if you know what I mean.
I'm getting my daily recommended amount of fruit and veg.
My juicer is getting used (and I do really like fresh juice and I'm remembering it isn't that much of a hassle).
I'm discovering a few new foods I like (dried pineapple, jicama)

Negatives
I'm hungry a lot.
It's a bit boring, there are definitely lots of tricks you can do if you do this diet on a regular basis, but it still isn't easy.
You have to prepare all your food (i.e. hard to go out for lunch or dinner, although we did find a raw food restaurant here in Chicago that we are going to try)
My stomach is a bit upset at times.
I really like meat and cooked carbs (potatoes, rice, etc.).

So anyway, wondering if anyone else has tried anything similar and has any comments?

Here are my favorite movies rented from Netflix in 2005
Maria Full of Grace
Bonhoeffer - great documentary
Monster
Sin City
Rififi
Finding Neverland
Red Beard - a great Kurosawa classic with lots of soul and grace
Nine Queens - a twist of a movie ala Usual Suspects or The Spanish Prisoner
Amores Perros
The Woodsman
The Devil's Backbone - intense mood and suspense
The Last Metro
Castle in the Sky
Luther - this is a bit flawed, but still interesting look at Martin Luther
8 1/2
Garden State
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring
Time Out
The Sweet Hereafter
The Big Heat