Busy day, yet again. I did sleep in though. Spent the afternoon on a long bikeride from Sterling to Perceville and back - roughly 40 miles. Came home, mowed the backyard. Very hot & humid. Mowing the lawn is not a huge chore - just a good cathartic exercise, a perfect way to get tan, and in a gratifying way - giving the lawn a nice haircut. I am feeling it now - I need to take some Advil. After the yardwork - I did a few domestic things including putting together a marenade for some Portabello mushrooms that I plan on grilling tomorrow night (recipe to follow tomorrow night). Huge thunderstorms rolling through tonight - with hail and a tornado warning. I love thunderstorms. I sat out on the deck and watched. Usually the power goes out, so I lit a candle and placed a flashlight next to it. Tomorrow I plan on taking another bike ride. Myabe something local like the Fairfax County Parkway - not as scenic, but a good ride close to home. My training is proceeding well.

Comments: Post a Comment

Oh gee, what a fun bike ride tonight. Well, it was fun until about an hour (16 miles) into it I get a fricken flat tire. Out of nowhere, i hear this loud pop than a pffffffffffffffffssssssssssssssstttttt sound and the rear tire got all squishy and wobbly. Fortunately I carry a tiny pump, tools, insta-flat patches. I was able to get the tire & tube off and found the hole in the rubber innertube - it was a big puncture. It looked like one of those things on a Swiffer that you shove the cleaning swiffer pad into a rubber butthole looking thing.

So after I put the patch on, I inspected the rim, thinking that there was a spoke that punctured it. Nope. I gave the tire a good look over - nothing obvious. then I stuffed the innertube back in and then sealed the tire over inside the rim, and started inflating. After I put the tire back on the bike and reattached the brakes - I had forgotten to put the put the cap on the innertube stem. Upon putting it on - I see this bulging area on the sidewall of the tire - a small rip with part of the innertube sticking out like a tiny bubble. I was like, "oh sheet!" I wasn't prepared for this. I was thinking that this tire better not rip further or there won't be anything to contain the innertube. I'd be screwed. Although I carry a cell phone with me - in a worse case scenario I could call one of my co-workers who live up near the trail to come rescue me if I got stranded. Anyhoo, I cut my losses and turned around and biked back. I made it back ok - then drove to the bikeshop to get a new tire (pictured). All ends well.

Comments: Post a Comment

Is exhausted. Long day at work. Then a long bike ride. Went on a solid 2.5 hour ride - 40 miles. It was warm...almost hot....I really need to get a camel pack water thang. I'm now thinking of a strategy to find a new apartment. I really want to have a balcony - or some small yard space for doing gardening (how gay is that?...lol), cat friendly (I want to get a kitten - IBID, how gay is that?) and high speed internet built in (well sheet - because I'm a web developer, et al.). Unsure where I want to relocate to - it needs to be near the bike trails (another requirement). Covered parking may be another.

Comments: Post a Comment

Did a 32 mile(50.4 kilometers) door to door bike ride tonight. Mostly because it's the exact mileage to and from The other side of Leesburg towards Purceville from Sterling (16 miles - 25.7 kilometers). I was trying to figure out my miles per hour bike trek for a two hour ride - which includes flat and hills. I figured it out. it takes me exactly one hour to bike from Sterling to the far side of Leesburg near Purceville - and an hour back. Well duh, 16 miles (25.7 kilometers an hour) an hour (no stops). Anyhoo. It was a beautiful ride. I came home and later heard about a child who was abducted from a nanny on the very same trail that I biked on today (far east - In Arlington). I dislike that part of the trail - it's between Vienna and Alexandria. From the Park in Arlington towards Shirlington and the whole stretch of the 4 mile run area - ghetto-esque. I've biked it a few times - I prefer other areas to bike. I hope that this child who was abducted is found and safe.

Comments: Post a Comment

This is a picture I took a few weeks ago when I visited my brother and his family - and their new addition, a baby girl. While i was there, I helped my brother do some yardwork....and we horsed around with my nephews in the yard. I found this grasshopper and much to my amazement - these two 4 and 6 year old boys were totally afraid, even uninterested in this huge grasshopper.

Well... to make a long story short, i photographed my brother trying to get his kids to touch the thing. He even put it on his face and shoulder to show that it was totaly harmless. The boys screeched like girls. Finally, the older of the two decided that he would touch it's wings - in exchange to go to McD's. Click on my brother's childish face to see the large image. Can you believe that he's a medical doctor? He's a good man.

Comments: Post a Comment

Busy day at work. Typical Monday. Then i was all psyched to go on my evening bike ride. Changed clothes - agnostically prayed for no rain. And came outside....it was beautiful. But hot, very hot. About 90 degrees with alot of humidity (very hot for early May). I decided that it was a dual water bottle day - glad I did. I ended up biking from Sterling to Purceville. About 35/40 miles round trip. I was sweating like a pig, and panting like a dog. But it was a beautiful trip. Late Springlike, the flowers were pretty, everything green and in bloom. All the wildlife making the sounds of "come here now...i want to get laid". Gee, no wonder why they call it the "birds and bees".

On the way home, I stopped for a moment at this tiny little Mom & Pop grocery store - in an old house in Ashburn. I wanted something cold. I went in, and headed to the back counter where there was a tiny little icecream booth. Very unlike me (partially because I rarely ever eat sweets), but I ordered a cappuccino macadamia nut single scoop on a CONE. I stood there in the gravel parking lot like a 10 year old boy...chomping on this scoop and cone...famished for the coolness of the icecream, getting a brain freeze headache, then of course - it was brutally hot, i could not lick and chomp it fast enough before it melted molten cream streams down my knuckes..making me sticky - like a 10 year old kid. I devouered it, then washed my hands in the outdoor hose...dried my hands in the grass...then continued on my trek.

Comments: Post a Comment

I found a great new website article on the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad bike trail here. I am considering entering into a 5 day trek in June - the Bike Virginia tour. I'm hopelessly interested - even if I sign up as a volunteer (for a discount). Just flirting with the idea.

Today was Mother's Day. Did my mom justice, I collaborated with my father on an amazing dinner. She asked for "surf n turf" upon our stupid male inquery - so my father made these perfectly cooked/seasoned Rib Eye steaks (as he always amazingly does) , while I made the lobster tails and mushroom and onion butter wine sauce for the steaks - served with home grown green beans. It was quite nice. It was complete with some Moscato D'Asti wine - very decadent, slightly bubbly - like Cava..but sweet. Smelled like roses. Dinner was finished with some large strawberries that were dipped in chocolate and chilled.

Comments: Post a Comment

03/07/2004 - 03/14/2004 ::: 03/14/2004 - 03/21/2004 ::: 03/21/2004 - 03/28/2004 ::: 03/28/2004 - 04/04/2004 ::: 04/04/2004 - 04/11/2004 ::: 04/11/2004 - 04/18/2004 ::: 04/18/2004 - 04/25/2004 ::: 04/25/2004 - 05/02/2004 ::: 05/02/2004 - 05/09/2004 ::: 05/09/2004 - 05/16/2004 ::: 05/16/2004 - 05/23/2004 ::: 05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004 ::: 05/30/2004 - 06/06/2004 ::: 06/06/2004 - 06/13/2004 ::: 06/13/2004 - 06/20/2004 ::: 06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004 ::: 06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004 ::: 07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004 ::: 07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004 ::: 07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004 ::: 07/25/2004 - 08/01/2004 ::: 08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004 ::: 08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004 ::: 08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004 ::: 08/22/2004 - 08/29/2004 ::: 08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004 ::: 09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004 ::: 09/12/2004 - 09/19/2004 ::: 09/19/2004 - 09/26/2004 ::: 09/26/2004 - 10/03/2004 ::: 10/03/2004 - 10/10/2004 ::: 10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004 ::: 10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004 ::: 10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004 ::: 10/31/2004 - 11/07/2004 ::: 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004 ::: 11/14/2004 - 11/21/2004 ::: 11/21/2004 - 11/28/2004 ::: 11/28/2004 - 12/05/2004 ::: 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004 ::: 12/12/2004 - 12/19/2004 ::: 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004 ::: 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005 ::: 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005 ::: 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005 ::: 01/16/2005 - 01/23/2005 ::: 01/23/2005 - 01/30/2005 ::: 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 ::: 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005 ::: 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 ::: 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005 ::: 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005 ::: 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005 ::: 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005 ::: 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005 ::: 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005 ::: 04/03/2005 - 04/10/2005 ::: 04/10/2005 - 04/17/2005 ::: 04/17/2005 - 04/24/2005 ::: 04/24/2005 - 05/01/2005 ::: 05/01/2005 - 05/08/2005 ::: 05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005 ::: 05/15/2005 - 05/22/2005 ::: 05/22/2005 - 05/29/2005 ::: 05/29/2005 - 06/05/2005 ::: 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005 ::: 06/12/2005 - 06/19/2005 ::: 06/19/2005 - 06/26/2005 ::: 06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005 ::: 07/03/2005 - 07/10/2005 ::: 07/10/2005 - 07/17/2005 ::: 07/17/2005 - 07/24/2005 ::: 07/24/2005 - 07/31/2005 ::: 07/31/2005 - 08/07/2005 ::: 08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005 ::: 08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005 ::: 08/21/2005 - 08/28/2005 ::: 08/28/2005 - 09/04/2005 ::: 09/04/2005 - 09/11/2005 ::: 09/11/2005 - 09/18/2005 ::: 09/18/2005 - 09/25/2005 ::: 09/25/2005 - 10/02/2005 ::: 10/02/2005 - 10/09/2005 ::: 10/09/2005 - 10/16/2005 ::: 10/16/2005 - 10/23/2005 ::: 10/23/2005 - 10/30/2005 ::: 10/30/2005 - 11/06/2005 ::: 11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005 ::: 11/13/2005 - 11/20/2005 ::: 11/20/2005 - 11/27/2005 ::: 11/27/2005 - 12/04/2005 ::: 12/04/2005 - 12/11/2005 ::: 12/11/2005 - 12/18/2005 ::: 12/18/2005 - 12/25/2005 ::: 12/25/2005 - 01/01/2006 ::: 01/01/2006 - 01/08/2006 ::: 01/08/2006 - 01/15/2006 ::: 01/15/2006 - 01/22/2006 ::: 01/22/2006 - 01/29/2006 ::: 01/29/2006 - 02/05/2006 ::: 02/05/2006 - 02/12/2006 ::: 02/12/2006 - 02/19/2006 ::: 02/19/2006 - 02/26/2006 ::: 02/26/2006 - 03/05/2006 ::: 03/05/2006 - 03/12/2006 ::: 03/12/2006 - 03/19/2006 ::: 03/19/2006 - 03/26/2006 ::: 03/26/2006 - 04/02/2006 ::: 04/02/2006 - 04/09/2006 ::: 04/09/2006 - 04/16/2006 ::: 04/16/2006 - 04/23/2006 ::: 04/23/2006 - 04/30/2006 ::: 04/30/2006 - 05/07/2006 ::: 05/07/2006 - 05/14/2006 ::: 05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006 ::: 05/21/2006 - 05/28/2006 ::: 05/28/2006 - 06/04/2006 ::: 06/04/2006 - 06/11/2006 ::: 06/11/2006 - 06/18/2006 ::: 06/18/2006 - 06/25/2006 ::: 06/25/2006 - 07/02/2006 ::: 07/02/2006 - 07/09/2006 ::: 07/09/2006 - 07/16/2006 ::: 07/16/2006 - 07/23/2006 ::: 07/23/2006 - 07/30/2006 ::: 07/30/2006 - 08/06/2006 ::: 08/06/2006 - 08/13/2006 ::: 08/13/2006 - 08/20/2006 ::: 08/20/2006 - 08/27/2006 ::: 08/27/2006 - 09/03/2006 ::: 09/03/2006 - 09/10/2006 ::: 09/10/2006 - 09/17/2006 ::: 09/17/2006 - 09/24/2006 ::: 09/24/2006 - 10/01/2006 ::: 10/01/2006 - 10/08/2006 ::: 10/08/2006 - 10/15/2006 ::: 10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006 ::: 12/31/2006 - 01/07/2007 ::: 10/03/2010 - 10/10/2010 :::