For some reason I thought it was Wednesday all day long. And by all day long, I mean all day long. I planned on biking to work, but after waking up, I saw that I had library duty during lunch, so I drove in instead. I arrived early, however, and hit the gym for a pre-work training session. I wasn't in a rush to get to work so I did two biking sessions (a quick 10 minute one before lifting and a 40 minute "ride" afterwards). While I don't care for the treadmill compared to running outdoors, riding a stationary bike isn't all that bad. I typically grab a magazine and get in the zone. And since there's very little in the way of air rushing over my skin, I sweat like a pig. It feels great.
Afterwards I did my stretches, showered and headed to the office. I love having the gym right across the parking lot from work; it makes it so much more convenient for getting in a workout before going to work. It also allows me to head over there during (or after) work if I just need to get away and burn some energy. Having the shower also comes in handy for when I ride my bike to work (like I was supposed to do today...grrrrrrr).
Work was work. Nothing special to report there. We're still going strong on the current development cycle (actually, we're somewhat done with it, but are waiting for QA to finish their testing so that we can ship it out the door). I basically bided my time until it was time to go to school.
I arrived for library and it was empty. I thought for a minute or two that there wasn't going to be any library that day or that they were in the class like they've done in the past. This was for naught, however, as they were just at lunch. They arrived a few minutes before the kids did and soon I was checking in books while they started perusing the shelves for more books to check out. Out of all the school volunteer duties I've done over the past few years, I think I like library the best. You get to interact with all the kids (for the most part), but aren't responsible for "teaching" them like you are in computers. (And if PE is anything like what I've heard, I have no desire for volunteering for that.)
After finding their books and checking them out, the kids gathered 'round the tables to watch Pollyanna. I had M read that story the night before, so I was excited she would be seeing the movie. It was in one of the books from the Wonderful World of Disney box set I bartered for at the thrift shop when I was dropping off some old junk (junk to me, not to thee). I saw the four volume collection that we had as a kid and had to get it for the kids. I asked if I could trade in my box of books for them and the guy taking donations found it acceptable. Not only are there stories from fairy tales, but also abridged stories from the Disney movie archives. In addition to Pollyanna, there's "Swiss Family Robinson", "Babes in Toyland", as well as "The Shaggy Dog", to name but a few. (I tried searching for it, but most of the hits were from auction sites, which will probably be gone by the time you read this, so I won't add a link. If you're interested in finding out what I'm talking about, click here.)
Anyway, they watched Pollyanna while I shelved books. It wasn't too long after Mrs. Watson started the movie when the entire class erupted in laughter. Since there was only music coming from the film, I knew it had to be visual, but by the time I could see the screen, whatever was so amusing to the 3rd graders was gone. I later found out that there was a boy swinging on a rope and jumping into the water. Nothing funny about that, except he was sans clothes. Egads!
After work I had to make cookies for M to bring to school the next day. This week is Culture Week at school and the students were able to bring in a treat that highlights their heritage. I have a recipe for Danish butter cookies, so I offered to make them for her. (Note: The recipe found at the previous link looks suspiciously like it was copied from the cookbook I got mine from: Scandinavian Feasts.) I was only able to make about 40 of them as I always seem to make them bigger than they're supposed to be, so instead of two per child, there will be one with some left over. (I'm sure I'll put them to good use.) I hope the kids like them.
Before making them, however, I had to get some flour. Since I was unable to bike to work, I decided to bike to the store to pick up the remaining ingredients. It was just up to Bloom (which replaced Food Lion), so it only took about 20 minutes (there, shopping and back). I also picked up some cleaning/lube for my bike, which I'm hoping I'll be able to address this weekend. It's amazing how much quicker I can get there via bike vs. car. It's not that it's faster, but it's not that much of a difference. Traffic on Stringfellow is at a standstill at that time of day and by riding my bike, I can just bypass all those folks sitting in their cars going nowhere. Too bad not everyone a) can ride their bike vs. drive to where they're going; and b) has the desire to ride vs. drive. If even 10% of those in their cars could ride, it'd go a long way towards making the traffic in this area so much better.
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Day 26 - 03/18/2007
Woke up, at around noon, knew I had to be in Compton soon, had to get....wait, that's not what happened. (Well, I did wake up, but it was around 1030a vs. noon.)
Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my....no, that's not it either.
Well, with the kids down in Fred for the night and our late night escapades, niether D nor I woke up at the crack of dawn. The crack of 1030a was more like it. I told D that I wished it was 930a and when she asked why, I told her it was so I could sleep in another hour.
I dragged myself into the shower to wash off the remnants of last night. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good (I say surprisingly since as we were getting ready to go, a couple shooters made their way down my gullet). We headed down to pick the kids up around noon and after a quick visit, were back on the road around 2p. M had a Brownie event at 330p and N had a birthday to go to at 4p, so we didn't have much wiggle room. Fortunately traffic was moving (although it was heavy) and we made it home just in time for M to grab her vest before leaving again to drop her off.
Before leaving to pick the kids up, I spied the leftover biscuits on the microwave from the other night. Being sort of hungry (I hadn't had breakfast yet), yet still feeling the effects from the night before, I decided I should make some ham and cheese biscuits. I cut each of the three in half and put some ham on them before placing them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. I then got some chipotle cheddar and put that on top of the ham and put them back in the oven for a couple more minutes. When they were done, I spread some chipotle mustard on them and took a bite. Wow. They were muy delicioso! The bread was nice and soft and moist and the ham was just the right temperature and the cheese had melted just the right amount. I'll have to remember that next time we have leftover biscuits!
D took N over to the birthday party (at Chuck E. Cheese's); I met them up there later after picking up M from Brownies and we hung there for a while until all tokens were consumed. There was no kicking and screaming to leave like there was last time, which was good for me as I was running on fumes. (D left to go visit with Maria at Arlington Hospital where her mother is in ICU after having a stroke.) We got home and played trains a little until bath time. Being the lazy guy that I sometimes can be, I stopped playing trains and let M and N play for a little while longer before sending them up for a bath (again, while I read the paper).
Bathtime came and went and after they got ready for bed, we settled in for a chapter of Narnia, afterwhich songs were sung (Promised Land, Me and Bobby McGee and Ripple...how's that for sweet lullabyes?) and the kids were put to bed. As usual, N went down as quiet as ever and, as usual, M is still up there whimpering that she misses her mommy (D is still at the hospital) and that she can't sleep and yada yada yada. What I wouldn't give for her to start going to bed like her brother on a more regular basis. Admittedly, she has improved since I let her in on the secret of just saying "OK" when told that it was time for lights out. The secret is that she has the green light to finish reading the chapter, page, sentence, whatever it is that she was going to ask to finish, but that the lights should be out within the next five minutes. Giving her that little bit of self-authorization has led to much better vibes around the house come bedtime.
Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my....no, that's not it either.
Well, with the kids down in Fred for the night and our late night escapades, niether D nor I woke up at the crack of dawn. The crack of 1030a was more like it. I told D that I wished it was 930a and when she asked why, I told her it was so I could sleep in another hour.
I dragged myself into the shower to wash off the remnants of last night. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good (I say surprisingly since as we were getting ready to go, a couple shooters made their way down my gullet). We headed down to pick the kids up around noon and after a quick visit, were back on the road around 2p. M had a Brownie event at 330p and N had a birthday to go to at 4p, so we didn't have much wiggle room. Fortunately traffic was moving (although it was heavy) and we made it home just in time for M to grab her vest before leaving again to drop her off.
Before leaving to pick the kids up, I spied the leftover biscuits on the microwave from the other night. Being sort of hungry (I hadn't had breakfast yet), yet still feeling the effects from the night before, I decided I should make some ham and cheese biscuits. I cut each of the three in half and put some ham on them before placing them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. I then got some chipotle cheddar and put that on top of the ham and put them back in the oven for a couple more minutes. When they were done, I spread some chipotle mustard on them and took a bite. Wow. They were muy delicioso! The bread was nice and soft and moist and the ham was just the right temperature and the cheese had melted just the right amount. I'll have to remember that next time we have leftover biscuits!
D took N over to the birthday party (at Chuck E. Cheese's); I met them up there later after picking up M from Brownies and we hung there for a while until all tokens were consumed. There was no kicking and screaming to leave like there was last time, which was good for me as I was running on fumes. (D left to go visit with Maria at Arlington Hospital where her mother is in ICU after having a stroke.) We got home and played trains a little until bath time. Being the lazy guy that I sometimes can be, I stopped playing trains and let M and N play for a little while longer before sending them up for a bath (again, while I read the paper).
Bathtime came and went and after they got ready for bed, we settled in for a chapter of Narnia, afterwhich songs were sung (Promised Land, Me and Bobby McGee and Ripple...how's that for sweet lullabyes?) and the kids were put to bed. As usual, N went down as quiet as ever and, as usual, M is still up there whimpering that she misses her mommy (D is still at the hospital) and that she can't sleep and yada yada yada. What I wouldn't give for her to start going to bed like her brother on a more regular basis. Admittedly, she has improved since I let her in on the secret of just saying "OK" when told that it was time for lights out. The secret is that she has the green light to finish reading the chapter, page, sentence, whatever it is that she was going to ask to finish, but that the lights should be out within the next five minutes. Giving her that little bit of self-authorization has led to much better vibes around the house come bedtime.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Day 3 - 02/23/2007
My mom dropped by this afternoon with my birthday present. I keep a running list throughout the year using Melon, adding to it when something strikes me. Somehow she ended up with it around Christmas-time (I didn't give it to her directly). Anyway, to make a long story short, she got me two books off the list: Eggs and Into the Wild.
Eggs is a cookbook dedicated to its namesake. I love to cook, as well as bake and am looking forward to cracking this book open. (Sorry about that.) While some might not enjoy cookbooks as one would a work of fiction (or non-fiction), to me there's nothing more satisfying than opening a cookbook and reading the recipes and thinking about the meals to come. Of course, they (hardly ever) turn out like they do in my head, but it's the overall process that I enjoy, not just the end result. (Another cookbook that I highly recommend is Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. It's part recipe, part instruction and all pleasure.)
That being said, I put it aside in favor of Into the Wild. It looks to be a quick read and I've already been sucked in. I guess that's a good thing as my current books (Alan Cooper's About Face and Jared Diamond's How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed) are both moving slowly along. As is The Chronicles of Narnia, but that's just because I'm only reading (on average) one chapter to the kids before bed. At this rate I may be done before the end of the school year and they can finally see The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (which I promised they could see after I finished reading the book to them). But then what?
Eggs is a cookbook dedicated to its namesake. I love to cook, as well as bake and am looking forward to cracking this book open. (Sorry about that.) While some might not enjoy cookbooks as one would a work of fiction (or non-fiction), to me there's nothing more satisfying than opening a cookbook and reading the recipes and thinking about the meals to come. Of course, they (hardly ever) turn out like they do in my head, but it's the overall process that I enjoy, not just the end result. (Another cookbook that I highly recommend is Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. It's part recipe, part instruction and all pleasure.)
That being said, I put it aside in favor of Into the Wild. It looks to be a quick read and I've already been sucked in. I guess that's a good thing as my current books (Alan Cooper's About Face and Jared Diamond's How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed) are both moving slowly along. As is The Chronicles of Narnia, but that's just because I'm only reading (on average) one chapter to the kids before bed. At this rate I may be done before the end of the school year and they can finally see The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (which I promised they could see after I finished reading the book to them). But then what?
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