I am debating doing TWO briskets tomorrow. I have the smoker capacity, and H.E.B. is having a sale on packer cut. I got a 10lb for 8.98 or something ridiculously low like that, and it's a beautiful cut too. I am also definitely doing baked beans tomorrow, which I expect to come out beautifully by the time everything is said and done.

Since I'll be smoking the briskets, I fully expect that even if it rains, it will not be an issue. I will be using the very same spicy rub as last time, with perhaps a few modifications, including, but not limited to, frsh mint, lemon thyme, and even a dash of ginger. I am avoiding sweetening of the recipe, since I feel that the burn of it, is what makes it unique, and it's not too hot, even though it does have a good kick to it. If I sweatened it up, it would lose the part of it that really distinguishes its flavor from the other things I cook, and besides, I'm always adding sweet ingredients, this time, just the baked beans are going to be sweet.

And boy are they, this is the recipe I'm most tempted by:

• 1 pound navy beans or small white beans
• 6 ounces slab bacon -- cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 large onion -- peeled and chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and -- cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 medium red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and -- cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, juices reserved -- coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound honey-baked ham -- cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 smoked pork chop* -- cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and -- cut into 1" cubes
• salt -- to taste

Minus the meat ingredients, they'll be getting plenty of flavor from the drippings off the briskets above. I also plan on making 2 sets, one plain, but still very delicous, another one, I am going to add half a cup of beer to, and a couple of drops of hot sauce. I feel the kick between the two extra ingredients should be quite awesome.

George forgot to come shopping with me last night, but that's okay, because I didn't get any of the ingredients for the beans, and so, I'll take him tonight before we season the brisket, and get everything ready, and done, so that I can get up early and fire up the firebox.

Fantastic Four comes out tonight, I will probably watch that, and Dark Water too, which I will probably skip in favor of reading the spoiler online. I've taken to that habbit when it comes to movies of questionable value that have enough of a puzzle in the trailers that I want to view them in all their mediocrity. As it happens, though, reading the spoiler tells me everything I want to know without making me feel like I have had currency pulled out of my pocket as though the theater were a highly skilled dentist, and my back pocket an oral cavity, not even missing what belongs inside of it till two hours after it is gone.

I am certain that for some of you, that called up deeply disturbing visions that you may never forget, and for those of you whom it didn't you are best left not knowing what to imagine. In either event, I am sorry, but I'm not editing that paragraph.

I finished reading The Towers or the Sunset, which, as it happened, had almost nothing to do with any towers, or even sunset really, not literally anway. I really loved it, it was a great book, and as with all the other books in the series of Recluce, it drew me deep into a second reality that seemed plausible within itself. Though less so in this case, that feeling was still there, and I loved it quite a bit.

I have another book by Modesitt that I will be reading next called The Ethos Effect. It's a sci fi, and one of the things I love most about Modesitt is that he seems equally at home writing quality and internally consistant science fiction or fantasy.

Anywho, Mike was over last night, and aside from taking me to do the shopping for the brisket on saturday, he did a ton of work on our website, which is, as of yet, unfinished, and which will not be linked to until Mike is happy with his work.

Anyway, for now, that's really all I can think of off the top of my head... oh, Jackson got his new computer, that's why George TOTALLY forgot that he was supposed to go with me for the brisket. There, NOW that's all.