Centenial Blog 200 - Cannot believe that I've written 200 posts. Then again, I can - dedication is key to my life these days.. After 56,558 words written - my fingers do not feel tired. Heck, this is only one of a few blog projects I maintain. This may be a silly personalized techno-diaristic attempt to document things - but it is therapy for me. Not unlike my biking. Zero regrets.
Today was beautiful! Very busy and productive. This late morning, did a 1/2 Century ride (53 miles) out in Berryville. Was perfect weather. Finished in under 2.5 hours saddle time. It was a small event - but alot of good biking and weather. Ran a few errands afterwards (got me them durn dual headlamps for my bike that I've been bitching about fore weeks), including a trip to the Asian supermarket where I got all the seafood and produce for the Paella that I'm making my parents for dinner tomorrow night. Came home, and mowed the lawn - was another great workout. Mundane stuff - spent a 1/2 hour taking the tape residue off my car from the damn window repair incident. Tested my new lights and then began prepping for tomorrow nights' dinner.
Talk about a production - but it is gonna be a feast. An Autumn Paella fest. Washed all the shrimp and de-shelled them - to make the shrinp broth (from scratch - meaning boiling the spent shells in brine with salt for an hour, straining it), roasted both red peppers and garlic, sliced and put in dishes, cut up red onion and shallots - stored, hydrated shitake mushrooms in chardonnay and chicken broth - stored...the list goes on. It's gonna be great - Shrimp, Mussels, Scallops in a Paella - with marenated shitake mushrooms, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, french green peas, roasted tomatos, ...the list goes on. It's all in the details - cooking protocal, when the fresh lime is added, when to add the clarified butter to the chardonnay butter sauce for the mussels, the shrimp broth added before the capers. Drools.
The weather tomorrow will be great - enough to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning, quick bike ride in the early afternoon, the rest of the lawn to be mowed - and then Paella feast with my parents. I'm sure they will appreciate it - they are coming back from out of town and will appreciate a relaxing home cooked meal.
Today was beautiful! Very busy and productive. This late morning, did a 1/2 Century ride (53 miles) out in Berryville. Was perfect weather. Finished in under 2.5 hours saddle time. It was a small event - but alot of good biking and weather. Ran a few errands afterwards (got me them durn dual headlamps for my bike that I've been bitching about fore weeks), including a trip to the Asian supermarket where I got all the seafood and produce for the Paella that I'm making my parents for dinner tomorrow night. Came home, and mowed the lawn - was another great workout. Mundane stuff - spent a 1/2 hour taking the tape residue off my car from the damn window repair incident. Tested my new lights and then began prepping for tomorrow nights' dinner.
Talk about a production - but it is gonna be a feast. An Autumn Paella fest. Washed all the shrimp and de-shelled them - to make the shrinp broth (from scratch - meaning boiling the spent shells in brine with salt for an hour, straining it), roasted both red peppers and garlic, sliced and put in dishes, cut up red onion and shallots - stored, hydrated shitake mushrooms in chardonnay and chicken broth - stored...the list goes on. It's gonna be great - Shrimp, Mussels, Scallops in a Paella - with marenated shitake mushrooms, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, french green peas, roasted tomatos, ...the list goes on. It's all in the details - cooking protocal, when the fresh lime is added, when to add the clarified butter to the chardonnay butter sauce for the mussels, the shrimp broth added before the capers. Drools.
The weather tomorrow will be great - enough to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning, quick bike ride in the early afternoon, the rest of the lawn to be mowed - and then Paella feast with my parents. I'm sure they will appreciate it - they are coming back from out of town and will appreciate a relaxing home cooked meal.
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Yet another beautiful Fall day - maybe that's why I love Fall. Work flew by, and looked forward to my evening bike ride. I cannot begin to tell how beautiful the weather and temperature was - orgasmic to a biker. All 42 miles was more than a pleasure - I didn't want to stop, but it became too dark. Tomorrow I'll pick up the new lights on the way to my ride.
Weekend is full of domestic things and a 1/2 century ride out in Berryville. Will do the "hard" ride (52 miles...harr...chump change) tomorrow in the late morning, run errands, come home - mow the lawn, take the tape residue off my car (from the whole window repair debacle), and cook. Gonna make some more pesto and maybe some Marinara di Napoli (recipe will follow after I make it). Will be a relaxing evening. THis whole weekend is pleasant so far. Next weekend I'll be doing a Century in Baltimore (note to self, check schedule).
Weekend is full of domestic things and a 1/2 century ride out in Berryville. Will do the "hard" ride (52 miles...harr...chump change) tomorrow in the late morning, run errands, come home - mow the lawn, take the tape residue off my car (from the whole window repair debacle), and cook. Gonna make some more pesto and maybe some Marinara di Napoli (recipe will follow after I make it). Will be a relaxing evening. THis whole weekend is pleasant so far. Next weekend I'll be doing a Century in Baltimore (note to self, check schedule).
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Yet another beautiful Fall day. Work went smoothe - even the emails to schedule job interviews for next week. The job market up here in the DC area seems definately more promising than what I experienced while living in Richmond. I've done my time at the current job - and the three strike policy I have about a job is enforceable. Time to move on. Zero regrets - I will leave on good terms.
I cannot beleive that it's the end of September already. Unsure why time flies the way it does. Maybe it's just my fast pace schedule.
Lately, I get up at 7:00am, do my morning business (prepared the night before - I'm not a morning person), shower, shave, dress, grab some fruit for breakfast, throw a few things in my work bag, grab sunglasses, cell phone, wallet, watch, fetch some coffee (set up the night before), grab my bike work out bag on the way to the car, load car, wipe dew off windows and then sit in traffic for an hour for the 17 miles it takes me to get to work. Then I'm at work from 8:45am until whenever the work is done - fortunately - only about 5:30pm+. If there's not a heavy deadline or an issue of a project that cannot wait until the next day, I go and change into my bike clothes - then teeter down to my car in my bike cleats, take out bike, assemble front tire, check tires, grease chain, align cyclometer, check that I have all my crap for the road - hydration bladder, extra water, blinker on, pump & extra tube in hydration pack, sunglasses, put other bags into car, lock car, put on helmet, bike gloves, stretch, put keys, wallet and cell phone in seat pack...then I'm finally off.
I've got it all down to a quick art. Then I bike for 2 hours. I must be a creature of habit, even if alternating directions each evening - one night, Sterling to East Fall Church and back, the next night Sterling to Hamilton. To this day, even after hundereds of bike rides and thousands of miles on these training rides - I still cannot decide which is a better ride.
After I get back to my car after the ride each night, I repack it all in, change bike shoes to my sandles, squeegee the sweat off my helmet, regrease the chain, take tire off - load bike into car. I'm usually totally relaxed at this point - ready for the less-than-traffic-commute home. Drive home @ 8pm is usually light traffic. So I get home in about 25 minutes, change bike clothes into something comfortable for the night - loose shorts, t-shirt - then make/have dinner. Usually domestic stuff to do - wash bike clothes in woolite, drip dry, fetch the bike clothes from the previous night, re-pack all bike stuff, clean/degrease bike, put out clothes for the next day. I spend most work week evenings working on my various writing, art projects and persuits (lately, job persuits). I'll chat for a few friends and do email for an hour or two - and time to write these blog entries. I then head to bed at around 1am, and fall asleep to the tv on.
After typing this, I find that my simple routine is kinda ... sad, merosely pathetic. I will enroll in a few advanced cooking classes this Fall to give my live a little more diversity - and a chance to meet more people. My social skills need to be honed.
Although I have to admit - the 2 solid hours of therapy on my bike daily is more than worth it. It may be selfish, but I have zero regrets. I am in great shape, I have met many people - great club experience, sense of comraderie. I have enjoyed the flora and fauna of being outside daily, and have many (probably mundane) stories to tell. I am proud of myself that I have been consitent in my training, and have finished three full Centuries (100+ mile bike rides).
Met up with the Reston Bike Club tonight for our thursday training ride - wow...must be Fall...the crowd dwindled - just a handful of us. But it was a sweet 42 miler - lotta quick sprints and drafting - have to do it quick, it's getting dark...
I cannot beleive that it's the end of September already. Unsure why time flies the way it does. Maybe it's just my fast pace schedule.
Lately, I get up at 7:00am, do my morning business (prepared the night before - I'm not a morning person), shower, shave, dress, grab some fruit for breakfast, throw a few things in my work bag, grab sunglasses, cell phone, wallet, watch, fetch some coffee (set up the night before), grab my bike work out bag on the way to the car, load car, wipe dew off windows and then sit in traffic for an hour for the 17 miles it takes me to get to work. Then I'm at work from 8:45am until whenever the work is done - fortunately - only about 5:30pm+. If there's not a heavy deadline or an issue of a project that cannot wait until the next day, I go and change into my bike clothes - then teeter down to my car in my bike cleats, take out bike, assemble front tire, check tires, grease chain, align cyclometer, check that I have all my crap for the road - hydration bladder, extra water, blinker on, pump & extra tube in hydration pack, sunglasses, put other bags into car, lock car, put on helmet, bike gloves, stretch, put keys, wallet and cell phone in seat pack...then I'm finally off.
I've got it all down to a quick art. Then I bike for 2 hours. I must be a creature of habit, even if alternating directions each evening - one night, Sterling to East Fall Church and back, the next night Sterling to Hamilton. To this day, even after hundereds of bike rides and thousands of miles on these training rides - I still cannot decide which is a better ride.
After I get back to my car after the ride each night, I repack it all in, change bike shoes to my sandles, squeegee the sweat off my helmet, regrease the chain, take tire off - load bike into car. I'm usually totally relaxed at this point - ready for the less-than-traffic-commute home. Drive home @ 8pm is usually light traffic. So I get home in about 25 minutes, change bike clothes into something comfortable for the night - loose shorts, t-shirt - then make/have dinner. Usually domestic stuff to do - wash bike clothes in woolite, drip dry, fetch the bike clothes from the previous night, re-pack all bike stuff, clean/degrease bike, put out clothes for the next day. I spend most work week evenings working on my various writing, art projects and persuits (lately, job persuits). I'll chat for a few friends and do email for an hour or two - and time to write these blog entries. I then head to bed at around 1am, and fall asleep to the tv on.
After typing this, I find that my simple routine is kinda ... sad, merosely pathetic. I will enroll in a few advanced cooking classes this Fall to give my live a little more diversity - and a chance to meet more people. My social skills need to be honed.
Although I have to admit - the 2 solid hours of therapy on my bike daily is more than worth it. It may be selfish, but I have zero regrets. I am in great shape, I have met many people - great club experience, sense of comraderie. I have enjoyed the flora and fauna of being outside daily, and have many (probably mundane) stories to tell. I am proud of myself that I have been consitent in my training, and have finished three full Centuries (100+ mile bike rides).
Met up with the Reston Bike Club tonight for our thursday training ride - wow...must be Fall...the crowd dwindled - just a handful of us. But it was a sweet 42 miler - lotta quick sprints and drafting - have to do it quick, it's getting dark...
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Another wonderful day. And to top it all off - finally got my car back today from the shop to repair those two electric windows. All told - cost me $1007.77 (fricken rip off - but my warranty group will reimburse me within a week). But they were so kind as to wash and vaccuum the car - free of charge for the repetitive inconvenience. Assholes. They should have detailed it. I will never take my car to them ever again, damn dealershit...i mean dealership.
Work went smooth, then dealt with car - drove to Vienna to bike about 38 miles (got too dark). Tomorrow night or Friday night - I will possibly buy a set of real headlamps. They not cheap. Some go up to as much as $400.
Last night, my Mom told me a really funny (albeit cute) joke. She said "men that go bald in the front of their head are great thinkers....men that go bald on the rear of their head are great lovers....men that go bald from the front of their head to the back of their heads just think they are great lovers." She admitted to telling that joke to my Father's Father when they first met (who was balding at the time).
Work went smooth, then dealt with car - drove to Vienna to bike about 38 miles (got too dark). Tomorrow night or Friday night - I will possibly buy a set of real headlamps. They not cheap. Some go up to as much as $400.
Last night, my Mom told me a really funny (albeit cute) joke. She said "men that go bald in the front of their head are great thinkers....men that go bald on the rear of their head are great lovers....men that go bald from the front of their head to the back of their heads just think they are great lovers." She admitted to telling that joke to my Father's Father when they first met (who was balding at the time).
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Fairly busy day at work - and a long day. I've been getting to work 1/2 hour early everyday for the past month and a half to insure I don't get yelled at for being one minute late. So generally, I over compensate sometimes and am invariably way too early. As a result, I've been going to the Starbucks down the street. These Starbucks freaks are meniacal in ordering their "Cafe Grande, no fat, no sugar, no foam cappuccino, latte blah blah blah while talking on the cell phone. It's rather pathetic.
Incredibly beautiful day - was a little chilly in the morning - but warmed up. Clear skys - crisp air, no humidity. Perfect biking weather. Did a slick fast paced 42 miler. Came home while whirring past the trees about to change leaf colors and witnessing a very pretty rainbow colored sunset.
I'm in an organization mode this past week and a half - getting lots of things organized. It's amazing how much you need to file/organize/maintain/et al the older you get. It's difficult to keep up. So back to it I go.
I have added the recepie for the Paella that I cooked over this past weekend in my cookblog. Enjoy!
Barcelona Paella de Cataluña (Barcelona Paella from Catalonia)
1 medium red onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, roasted
1 red bell pepper, roasted
4 tomatos, blanched, skin removed, diced
1.5 cup green peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup dry Spanish Chardonnay
1 lb sea scallops
1.5 lbs shrimp, shelled
1 lb calamari, cleaned and sliced into "rings"
3 medium chorizo sausages, cubed
1tbsp lime juice
1 phial saffron filaments, infused into 1/2 cup hot chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt and cracked course pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring white wine and butter to a boil. Add cleaned shelled shrimp, scallops and calamari. Cover and steam until shrimp, scallops and calamari lose pink color. Remove shrimp, scallops and calamari from broth; reserve. In a frypan, heat olive oil. Brown chorizo sausage cubes until golden brown; reserve. Add garlic and red onion and saute until semi-translucent, then add rice. Pour in chicken broth, bring to boil. Let rice cook for 25 minutes or until tender (not "soupy"). Mix in infused saffron, roasted red pepper and tomatoes, peas, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix in reserved shrimp, scallops and calamari. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges and parsley. Enjoy!
Incredibly beautiful day - was a little chilly in the morning - but warmed up. Clear skys - crisp air, no humidity. Perfect biking weather. Did a slick fast paced 42 miler. Came home while whirring past the trees about to change leaf colors and witnessing a very pretty rainbow colored sunset.
I'm in an organization mode this past week and a half - getting lots of things organized. It's amazing how much you need to file/organize/maintain/et al the older you get. It's difficult to keep up. So back to it I go.
I have added the recepie for the Paella that I cooked over this past weekend in my cookblog. Enjoy!
Barcelona Paella de Cataluña (Barcelona Paella from Catalonia)
1 medium red onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, roasted
1 red bell pepper, roasted
4 tomatos, blanched, skin removed, diced
1.5 cup green peas
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup dry Spanish Chardonnay
1 lb sea scallops
1.5 lbs shrimp, shelled
1 lb calamari, cleaned and sliced into "rings"
3 medium chorizo sausages, cubed
1tbsp lime juice
1 phial saffron filaments, infused into 1/2 cup hot chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt and cracked course pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring white wine and butter to a boil. Add cleaned shelled shrimp, scallops and calamari. Cover and steam until shrimp, scallops and calamari lose pink color. Remove shrimp, scallops and calamari from broth; reserve. In a frypan, heat olive oil. Brown chorizo sausage cubes until golden brown; reserve. Add garlic and red onion and saute until semi-translucent, then add rice. Pour in chicken broth, bring to boil. Let rice cook for 25 minutes or until tender (not "soupy"). Mix in infused saffron, roasted red pepper and tomatoes, peas, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix in reserved shrimp, scallops and calamari. Bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with lime wedges and parsley. Enjoy!
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Seemed like an odd day, but it wasn't. Got up super dooper early to get to the office uber early for whatevva the day unfolds with ABBA being out of town for a week. It was actually cold this morning, first time to wear some leather (a jacket) - it was "leather weather".
The day went suprizingly smoothe. Spent the day designing a new website - always a treat. Day rolled by fast. It was superb weather all day and for my 42 mile bike ride. One funny highlight of the trip was when I passed by these stoner grits (young white middle class suburban teenagers, just trying to "look bad" - totally harmless) who were sitting in the middle of the bike path - about 8 of them. Probably too stoned to realize that it was a bike path, and that there were people wizzing up to them and asking them to move. Which is what I did on the way back encountering them again. I was moving like 28mph and when they didn't move as I purposely came up real close and skidded right up to them. I said, "excuse me kids, don't you have anywhere else to sit? This is a bike path, not a seating area." They all rolled their eyes, separated and moved to the side while mumbling things like "yea, we have this place to go..." while looking at the ground. As I passed them and started to crank into full speed again, I hear one of them yell, "hey, dude! Nice tights!" (thinking that it would piss me off). It did not bother me, but I thought - this would be fun. I Stopped. Turned around, and headed back towards these kids (you could see them saying "oh shit.." a few looked like they were gonna run, big wide eyes... I got right up to the face of the little twerp who said it, and looked at him very seriously and then just simply said "Thank You." And biked off - hearing the other kids laffing at this poor twerp. Too funny.
The day went suprizingly smoothe. Spent the day designing a new website - always a treat. Day rolled by fast. It was superb weather all day and for my 42 mile bike ride. One funny highlight of the trip was when I passed by these stoner grits (young white middle class suburban teenagers, just trying to "look bad" - totally harmless) who were sitting in the middle of the bike path - about 8 of them. Probably too stoned to realize that it was a bike path, and that there were people wizzing up to them and asking them to move. Which is what I did on the way back encountering them again. I was moving like 28mph and when they didn't move as I purposely came up real close and skidded right up to them. I said, "excuse me kids, don't you have anywhere else to sit? This is a bike path, not a seating area." They all rolled their eyes, separated and moved to the side while mumbling things like "yea, we have this place to go..." while looking at the ground. As I passed them and started to crank into full speed again, I hear one of them yell, "hey, dude! Nice tights!" (thinking that it would piss me off). It did not bother me, but I thought - this would be fun. I Stopped. Turned around, and headed back towards these kids (you could see them saying "oh shit.." a few looked like they were gonna run, big wide eyes... I got right up to the face of the little twerp who said it, and looked at him very seriously and then just simply said "Thank You." And biked off - hearing the other kids laffing at this poor twerp. Too funny.
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Slept in til 10am, chilly morning - had many an odd set of dreams. Barely remember any of them. The air felt nice - cats playing with my feet. She brewed coffee, which woke me. And the crackle of the McLerr-type (sp?) political news hour on tv that she was yelling at. Vehement political follower. Made me grin. I sat sipping my coffee as I watched her yell at the tv - too funny. She was embarrassed when I took witness. I then bribed her with not telling a sole if she would walk with me to get the paper and have a lazy bruch with me at the local diner - and then go for a bike ride in the late morning-afternoon. A nod and a quick gaggle of flannel and lycra changes - we did, done, gone, did a double "easy side up eggs, suagage, hash browns, rye toast, coffee...." at Joes Inn - woofed that down then went to Bryant Park to do some biking.
It was a beautiful day - almost too beautiful - looked like the morning of September 11th...it's etched in my memory. We biked a few "slow" laps together - 2 miles per lap. Then she said - "just go fast - you know ya wanna (smiling)..." So I buzzed off...I "stretched" for about 16 miles - circling her 4 times in the loop. We stopped and drove back to her place - twas time for me to drive home.
We said farewell, kissed, hugged..... Next trip in Fall....
Was a beautiful rest of the day. Came home, organized - after a long weekend, now having anxiety for a freaky bad week ahead......
It was a beautiful day - almost too beautiful - looked like the morning of September 11th...it's etched in my memory. We biked a few "slow" laps together - 2 miles per lap. Then she said - "just go fast - you know ya wanna (smiling)..." So I buzzed off...I "stretched" for about 16 miles - circling her 4 times in the loop. We stopped and drove back to her place - twas time for me to drive home.
We said farewell, kissed, hugged..... Next trip in Fall....
Was a beautiful rest of the day. Came home, organized - after a long weekend, now having anxiety for a freaky bad week ahead......
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(Under development, I'm bashful)