The sunshine of my life... hittin' the trails with me this morning
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
Friday, December 31, 2010
The sunshine of my life... hittin' the trails with me this morning
The sunshine of my life... hittin' the trails with me this morning
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
It was sooooo cold during this morning's ride, condensation on the plants actually FROZE! Holy cow! Being the die-hard mountain bikers that we are, we pushed onward.
Cold as it may have been, we had a great morning on the trails. Donna's working today so we had to hit the trails before the sun had a chance to warm things up.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
As the morning's storm cleared, we opted to take a short drive along the Santa Monica Mountains instead of heading to the theater as we had planned.
The sky is ever changing today. A wet, rainy start to the day and strong winds with clearing in the afternoon. Admittedly, the Sony surround-sound system has me favoring the stormy weather lately.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
The text on my iPad screen pretty much says it all!
The Apple wireless keyboard and wireless magic mouse are quickly becoming two of my favorite accessories. Typing on the iPad has never really bothered me but when it comes to lengthier forms and letters, ahhhhh, this wireless keyboard is a gem! Oh, did I mention I'm typing using the wireless keyboard to write this blog post?
Gearing up for night rides!
Just one more week and Donna will be making the transition to working 8-5 (well, more like 8-6 or 7) which means bye-bye morning bike rides and hello, night rides! During my years of experience, I've found that lights come in real handy when you're trying to blaze down single track at 10-20mph. Hence, a set of Seca lights for Donna that should just about light up one entire side of the mountain.
Glasses that make things look 10 times further away than what they are?
Glasses that make things look 10 times further away than what they are?
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
My dorky, geeky gift that I love.
It's a very common occasion that I find myself taking photos of Donna and myself together. Problem is, photos taken at arm's length can get a little redundant after a while. Enter this gadget from X-Shot. It's more-or-less a telescoping pole that has a camera mount on one end, so you can hold the camera a considerable distance from yourself when taking self-portraits. I'm sure the blog will soon be adorned with photos that utilized this simple, mail-order gadget.
Mom, dad & Tiff came over for Christmas. Well, sort of.
Facetime on the iPhone is a far cry from the company of family, but at times like this it's better than a simple phone call. We're hoping that next year we'll have the holiday together as a family.
What better way to start the day than with a Christmas tradition - cinnamon rolls.
What better way to start the day than with a Christmas tradition - cinnamon rolls.
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
WATCH OUT GIRL SCOUTS, DONNA IS AT IT AGAIN
Donna makes a few batches of 'thin mint' cookies every year which puts the Girl Scout cookies to shame. The secret, I believe, it the use of Wilbur chocolate wafers (melted of course) and real, natural peppermint oil instead of extract, which she claims has water in it and would therefore hurt the chocolate. I also believe the hint of butter in the Ritz crackers that she uses adds a little something too.
WARMING UP WITH A HOT... LATTE
It actually isn't all that cold outside but the rain makes it feel like it is. Fortunately there's a Starbuck's in the same building as Pickle's, so we didn't have much of a walk between the two.
COULD YOU ADD A LITTLE MORE TURKEY?
After sleeping in this morning, then going for a run, we were ready for lunch but it was so miserable outside, we didn't want to go far. Pickles, an overpriced but good 'jewish deli' down the street, sounded great because of their chicken-noodle soup - it's not as good as my grandma's, but it's a close second. We each had a bowl of soup and split a turkey sandwich - judging by the photo, you can probably see why we split it. Wow! They pile the meat so high I usually have to take some of it off just to fit the thing in my mouth.
FEELING BLUE
We've grown so accustomed to blue, sunny skies, that when the rainy, overcast weather comes in, it really takes a toll on us. Donna and I are both in a bit of a funk today. We love being together but I think Donna would rather be spending the day baking cookies with my mom & sister while my dad and I sit in the living room, watching a football game. Sounds like a pretty good day to me, too.
Running hurts. I don't like it.
Given my love for running, I couldn't figure out why I put myself through the agony this morning, especially in the middle of a 'storm' - the rain is coming down sideways and the winds are kicking around pretty good. Then I remembered how I feel after a day of sitting around, doing nothing. Lazy days can be great but they're always better when I've had a little exercise, first thing in the morning.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
What do you usually want to do after a 45-minute run on a rainy day? Get changed and go for a bike ride, right?
What do you usually want to do after a 45-minute run on a rainy day? Get changed and go for a bike ride, right?
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
Turns out it was a blast and I'm so glad she got me in the saddle because I'm gonna be doing a lot of sitting around today, since she's at work and I've got the day off.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
AT LAST, A LITTLE STRESS RELIEF
This has been a doozie of a week between jury duty during the day and a couple hours of work every night. Deliberations today were exhausting and the managing editor agreed that me taking the 'afternoon' off wasn't a problem. I didn't exactly get out early enough for any daylight riding, but it did afford me the time to fix a flat, tighten down 8 chainring bolts, clean and lube a chain and get out for a nice evening ride on the hills above Newbury Park.
ONE LAST WALK THROUGH THE TUNNEL OF TREES AT THE JUSTICE CENTER
Thursday marked the end of 21 days of jury service and the last of 21 trips down this walkway outside the justice center. By the end of it all, I walked away feeling like I've done some good, served the community and hopefully perhaps even made the county in which I live a better place. Deliberations went longer than I though they would, but I'm glad everything was discussed as thoroughly as what it was. The end result: guilty on five charges and hung on one.
IT'S ALL A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE
Driving around the roadways of Southern California, it's easy to pull up next to a Lotus, Ferrari, Bentley, or on some occasions even a Bugatti, and find yourself envious of the marvel of engineering rolling down the roadway along side your mediocre car. In more ways than just this, it's easy to look at what some people have and feel like you don't have much.
The other day I was returning to the justice center for jury duty when I passed this scene - a bus stop. Sure, there was a Mercedes sitting to my right at the traffic light, but two my left were these three people, waiting for a bus. All of the sudden, the interior of my Mitsubishi Montero seemed much more plush and I was reminded of how much time I should spend being thankful and appreciative for what I do have, instead of envying what I don't.
Not only have I had this reliable vehicle for years, but I've had food on the table, a roof over my head, a wife who is leaps and bounds above what I deserve, good health, a loving family and... well, you get the point (as did I as I drove by this bus stop.)
The other day I was returning to the justice center for jury duty when I passed this scene - a bus stop. Sure, there was a Mercedes sitting to my right at the traffic light, but two my left were these three people, waiting for a bus. All of the sudden, the interior of my Mitsubishi Montero seemed much more plush and I was reminded of how much time I should spend being thankful and appreciative for what I do have, instead of envying what I don't.
Not only have I had this reliable vehicle for years, but I've had food on the table, a roof over my head, a wife who is leaps and bounds above what I deserve, good health, a loving family and... well, you get the point (as did I as I drove by this bus stop.)
SANTA'S ELVES ARRIVED A LITTLE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
After replacing the entire drivetrain on two mountain bikes, we found that Donna's road bike was due for the same. Enter Santa's little helpers, who decided anyone as dedicated to cycling as Donna, shouldn't have to wait until Christmas to get rollin' on the tarmac again. One Ultegra cassette later, along with a SRAM chain and Shimano chainrings, her Salsa LaRaza is once again ready to roll. Nothin' like shiny new bike parts!
(Re)learned my lesson regarding chain maintenance: Four chains in the trash, four new ones on the bikes
(Re)learned my lesson regarding chain maintenance: Four chains in the trash, four new ones on the bikes
Originally uploaded by BroAndDonna
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
DREARY DAYS ARRIVE
Even in Southern California, I suppose a little rain must fall. There were no sunny, blue skies this morning and it looks like after a decent day tomorrow, we're in for maybe a five or six day stretch of the wet stuff. I can't complain given I'm walking around without the need for a jacket, so still the weather is a far cry from what my friends and family up north are experiencing. Looks like we'll have ample opportunity for some good 'cross riding (once I get new chains on my Karate Monkey and Donna's Conquest.)
One more perk to concluding jury duty... concluding the slooowwww drive to Ventura every day. Hopefully Thursday will be the last day, though I suppose there's a chance we'll go til Friday.
Monday, December 13, 2010
AN EVENING STROLL
Donna and I got out for an evening stroll around the neighborhood this evening - something I hope we can do much more often once she makes the switch to day shift. Winter isn't exactly in the air. Though we both took light jackets, I was wearing shorts. The Christmas lights however certainly added to the scenery. Nothing beats an evening with my sweetie.
THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS
Sunday night we sat in a line of traffic waiting to get into a drive-thru live nativity. Then we sat and waited some more. After that, we waited in line even more. Eventually we made it in. The scene itself wasn't terribly memorable - it's hard to feel like you're actually there with a Volvo right in front of you, driving down a Bethlehem city street of long ago. What did make it worth it, was devoting an evening to an event to reminded everyone, myself & Donna included, of the true meaning of Christmas. If any 'birthday' is worth such a celebration, it's this one.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)