Inspired by some fellow bloggers, I'm going to try to do a periodic Three Beautiful Things post. It's a nice idea -- first, because describing the beautiful things in my life helps remind me of their existence (which I need), and second, because I should post more. I should post more, not because I have a great readership [1], but because I want to be a better writer. And, just like photography or cycling or running or knitting, one of the best ways to get better is to do it more. So:
Snow:
I hadn't been really paying attention to the forecast yesterday, but there was snow last night. When I woke up this morning and glanced outside, everything was covered in a blanket of white. Unexpected snow always makes me happy. Even when it means shoveling, even when it means scary dangerous driving ... it's just so lovely to look out on a frosty, snow-covered world. I think that some part of me will always be seven years old, face glued to my bedroom window with the lights off, watching the pool of light cast by the lamp-post at the bottom of my driveway, hoping to see snow falling, knowing that that would mean a snow day, and breakfast in my pajamas. I miss that lamp. It made me think of Narnia.
Cheap Car Parts:
I have a 2001 Volkswagen Golf. It's a diesel, which means that it gets fantastic mileage - usually in the mid-to-upper 40s on the highway; I once broke 50 mpg with highway driving. That's great, and saves me ... oh, probably $10/week on gas over a similar car that uses gasoline (it would save me more, but diesel is pricey these days. Yes, I've heard about the veggie oil kit. No, I'm not going to drop $2600 on a kit to get "free" fuel. $2600 [1500 for the kit, 1200 for the install] buys a LOT of fill-ups.). Anyway ... the car has been getting expensive lately, to the tune of:
Early December: New snow tires, $450. Yeah, those are important.
Late December: New front brakes, plus rotors, plus a fluid flush: $400.
Early January: New glow plug controller module, plus three glow plugs, plus labor ... $500.
Early January #2: New battery, $100.
Last Thursday: Rear wiper motor.
The good news on the latest problem: I said, "Dammit...this CAN'T be that complicated. I'm going to try to fix it myself." I was right. There's a motor; the motor drives a gear; the gear turns the wiper. The gear is made of plastic. The plastic teeth on the gear had been reduced to a fine dust. So I called the VW dealer ... they don't sell the gear. They don't sell the gear assembly. They sell a new motor assembly, and it's $150. So here's the beautiful part: I got on vwvortex.com, and had a couple of people offer to sell me used ones for "best offer". Here's hoping that that's a lot less than the $150 the dealer wants. And if it isn't ... well, I found an online source (1stvwparts.com) that'll sell me the part for $100. Yay!
Update: New motor coming. $45 shipped. Hooray!
Contessa Coffee:
I love coffee. I *need* coffee to function. I'm an addict, and I'm OK with that. But, unlike some hard-core coffee lovers, I don't completely turn my nose up at flavored coffees. Flavored coffees are tasty! I found one I really like: It's made by for Barefoot Contessa (on foodtv); as far as I can tell, it's coffee with a little cinnamon. And it's wonderful. Especially on a snowy cold morning.
OK, OK. Enough with the blogging. I need to get up and be productive. On the agenda today:
Cleaning the house, acquiring black and white medium-format film, stretching my illiotibial band, doing some sort of exercise (yoga? Stationary bike?), getting groceries, doing laundry.
[1]In particular, it looks like (based upon the hits I get) my travel advice is pretty popular. Which is cool, and I hope it's helped some people get where they're going with a minimum of pain. HAVING SAID THAT... Google is great - they will tell you what queries people have run that returned links to your site. So, for example, my site shows up for a lot of queries on "flight cancellation" and some very specific queries, like "what to do when your United flight is cancelled on a Thursday in Chicago." On the other hand, I get some REALLY odd queries that return my page. My favories so far:
"lorna bagged latex" (?!?!?)
and
"traveling in turkey liquid" (It's the only way to fly!)
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
It's a new dawn, it's a new day ...
2008 is here, hooray!
Since my last update ...
I had a really wonderful time with Sonya in Chicago. Much of my time there was spent wandering around the city while Sonya was in interviews. There was also deep dish pizza at Gino's East, which was a thing of glorious dripping-with-calorie goodness. I was astounded at the beauty of the Art Institute; Sonya and I rode the El, and I visited Daley Plaza (where they have that new Picasso). I took lots of pictures, which I always find to be a pleasant way to spend the day.
Speaking of pictures, I'm continuing to prepare for shooting Elizabeth's wedding. I'm going to take a LOT of pictures. I'm kind of excited. Also exciting: I won an ebay auction for a 60-year-old Czech camera. It's a twin-lens reflex camera, which should be ... interesting.
New Year's Eve was fun and laid-back. Sonya and I were heading over to a friend's house; we were to arrive at 10. We realized, en route, that
-we had not eaten
-we probably should eat
-with an ever-decreasing window before 10pm, something quick would be good.
In case you were wondering, precious little is open at 9:30 on New Year's Eve in terms of "a quick bite". The winner was Jim's Steak Out. I decided to set aside the diet for an evening, and indulged in a delicious drippy steak sub. The evening was lovely and fun and laid-back. There was a late-night sortie to a bar, which was uninteresting, but we did discover that Wiseguys Pizza is open very late. I decided that the setting-aside of the diet for the night was still in effect, and indulged in some slightly-drunk late night pizza for the first time in a long time. And ooooh, it was good.
I'm back in Canada these days. I'm happy to have found a semi-permanent place up here, which makes traveling much easier. Things are going well, the diet is back on track, and I just went out and ran tonight!
Speaking of the diet, I think I gained six pounds and raised my cholesterol 20 points just reading this. Worst part? It actually .... sounds .... kinda ... tasty!
I'm going to go gnaw on some broccoli now.
Since my last update ...
I had a really wonderful time with Sonya in Chicago. Much of my time there was spent wandering around the city while Sonya was in interviews. There was also deep dish pizza at Gino's East, which was a thing of glorious dripping-with-calorie goodness. I was astounded at the beauty of the Art Institute; Sonya and I rode the El, and I visited Daley Plaza (where they have that new Picasso). I took lots of pictures, which I always find to be a pleasant way to spend the day.
Speaking of pictures, I'm continuing to prepare for shooting Elizabeth's wedding. I'm going to take a LOT of pictures. I'm kind of excited. Also exciting: I won an ebay auction for a 60-year-old Czech camera. It's a twin-lens reflex camera, which should be ... interesting.
New Year's Eve was fun and laid-back. Sonya and I were heading over to a friend's house; we were to arrive at 10. We realized, en route, that
-we had not eaten
-we probably should eat
-with an ever-decreasing window before 10pm, something quick would be good.
In case you were wondering, precious little is open at 9:30 on New Year's Eve in terms of "a quick bite". The winner was Jim's Steak Out. I decided to set aside the diet for an evening, and indulged in a delicious drippy steak sub. The evening was lovely and fun and laid-back. There was a late-night sortie to a bar, which was uninteresting, but we did discover that Wiseguys Pizza is open very late. I decided that the setting-aside of the diet for the night was still in effect, and indulged in some slightly-drunk late night pizza for the first time in a long time. And ooooh, it was good.
I'm back in Canada these days. I'm happy to have found a semi-permanent place up here, which makes traveling much easier. Things are going well, the diet is back on track, and I just went out and ran tonight!
Speaking of the diet, I think I gained six pounds and raised my cholesterol 20 points just reading this. Worst part? It actually .... sounds .... kinda ... tasty!
I'm going to go gnaw on some broccoli now.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Motoring
Reading an article on Jalopnik got me thinking about old cars. Not old cars like an '84 Camry with a missing headlight... old cars like my dad's '59 Triumph. For years, I had a Miata, and it was wonderful and I loved it specifically because it reminded me of the Triumph. Sure, it could go, stop, and turn much faster and better than the Triumph; the Miata would start without question when it was below freezing, and you could put the top up with one hand while moving.
But ... and I may lose you here ... there's a primitive charm to old cars. Sure, they're impractical. Could I realistically drive a 50 year old car 300 miles a week through snow, over roads coated with salt? No! But ... browsing mindlessly through Hemmings Motor News made me quietly yearn for a vehicle that requires tinkering, the sort of car you curse because you love; where driving top-down on a beautiful summer evening makes the bloody, grease-crusted knuckles worth it.
So what was I looking at? What brought back these fond memories? Let's take a walk down memory lane. Are any of these practical? No. Could I afford any of them? Maybe. Would I? Not when I'm living in the frozen North.
First, there's the impossibly cute Morgan 3-wheeler. I love Morgans, because the company is, to put it frankly, batshit crazy. They went from building 3-wheel cars to building 4-wheel cars like the rest of the world...only they decided to make the frame out of wood. Hey, it'll never rust... Oh, and you can buy a new Morgan which looks....not very different from what it looked like 50 years ago. Awesome.
Moving along to a vehicle with four real wheels and sometimes a top, the Triumph TR3/TR3A. This a wonderful little devil of a car. The engine was originally designed for use in a tractor, so (for those of you who are interested in such things), it makes GOBS of torque. Unfortunately, it suffers from BCES (British Car Electrics Syndrome) -- if it involves the flow of electrons, you may as well pack it in for the day. Bonus? If it's out of alignment, the wheel bolts break with a disturbing POP. Seriously. BUT.... it's a great way for a 15-year-old kid to learn how to synchronize carburetors, and there's nothing like it on a May afternoon, sunlight splashing through a canopy of green....
Then there's the Talbot-Lago. This car, in good condition, is worth well into the $3,000,000 range (yes, 3 million). But it's effing gorgeous. Sure, the doors open backwards, but it just looks sexy. Worth 3 million? Eh, probably not. Worth the time to ogle one? Yes.
Next is the Jaguar D-Type. This is the rakish older brother to the E-Type that everyone knows as "Austin Powers' Shaguar". Sure, the E-Type was more popular; the E-Type was a consumer model, while the D-Type was really more of a race car. But...oh, to get behind that wheel.
Off to bed. Going home for Christmas tomorrow.
But ... and I may lose you here ... there's a primitive charm to old cars. Sure, they're impractical. Could I realistically drive a 50 year old car 300 miles a week through snow, over roads coated with salt? No! But ... browsing mindlessly through Hemmings Motor News made me quietly yearn for a vehicle that requires tinkering, the sort of car you curse because you love; where driving top-down on a beautiful summer evening makes the bloody, grease-crusted knuckles worth it.
So what was I looking at? What brought back these fond memories? Let's take a walk down memory lane. Are any of these practical? No. Could I afford any of them? Maybe. Would I? Not when I'm living in the frozen North.
First, there's the impossibly cute Morgan 3-wheeler. I love Morgans, because the company is, to put it frankly, batshit crazy. They went from building 3-wheel cars to building 4-wheel cars like the rest of the world...only they decided to make the frame out of wood. Hey, it'll never rust... Oh, and you can buy a new Morgan which looks....not very different from what it looked like 50 years ago. Awesome.
Moving along to a vehicle with four real wheels and sometimes a top, the Triumph TR3/TR3A. This a wonderful little devil of a car. The engine was originally designed for use in a tractor, so (for those of you who are interested in such things), it makes GOBS of torque. Unfortunately, it suffers from BCES (British Car Electrics Syndrome) -- if it involves the flow of electrons, you may as well pack it in for the day. Bonus? If it's out of alignment, the wheel bolts break with a disturbing POP. Seriously. BUT.... it's a great way for a 15-year-old kid to learn how to synchronize carburetors, and there's nothing like it on a May afternoon, sunlight splashing through a canopy of green....
Then there's the Talbot-Lago. This car, in good condition, is worth well into the $3,000,000 range (yes, 3 million). But it's effing gorgeous. Sure, the doors open backwards, but it just looks sexy. Worth 3 million? Eh, probably not. Worth the time to ogle one? Yes.
Next is the Jaguar D-Type. This is the rakish older brother to the E-Type that everyone knows as "Austin Powers' Shaguar". Sure, the E-Type was more popular; the E-Type was a consumer model, while the D-Type was really more of a race car. But...oh, to get behind that wheel.
Off to bed. Going home for Christmas tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
some thoughts in a numbered list
1. Thank goodness for my education. Seriously. It means that I can giggle at Kafka references on Woot. It means that I understand "that whole BC Thing." Stay in school, kids.
2. I have a nagging sore throat. I'm hoping it's just an environmental thing - it's been really cold here, and I've been doing a lot of presentations at work - because if it's not, that means I'm getting sick. Better chug some more Airborne.
3. Hooray for new snow tires. Good stuff.
4. Google Desktop is, as a co-worker put it, the cat's ass.
5. "The cat's ass" is a good thing. I mean, I got that from context when I heard it, but as a cat owner, I can assure you, cat asses are not pleasant.
6. Unless I *am* sick, I'll be running in the Niagara Falls Habitat For Humanity Christmas Run on Sunday. Let's hope that there's a lack of freezing rain.
2. I have a nagging sore throat. I'm hoping it's just an environmental thing - it's been really cold here, and I've been doing a lot of presentations at work - because if it's not, that means I'm getting sick. Better chug some more Airborne.
3. Hooray for new snow tires. Good stuff.
4. Google Desktop is, as a co-worker put it, the cat's ass.
5. "The cat's ass" is a good thing. I mean, I got that from context when I heard it, but as a cat owner, I can assure you, cat asses are not pleasant.
6. Unless I *am* sick, I'll be running in the Niagara Falls Habitat For Humanity Christmas Run on Sunday. Let's hope that there's a lack of freezing rain.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Hot Buttered Rum
Hot Buttered Rum
Batter
3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar (er, around two cups. I used one of the small box-in-a-bag packages. Yes, all of it)
1/2c vanilla ice cream, softened
2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cardamom
1/4c molasses
1 Tbs cinnamon
Cream together butter and brown sugar in mixer; add ice cream, then pie spice, cardamom, molasses, and cinnamon. Mix until mixture is even and smooth.
Transfer to bowl; refrigerate at least overnight.
Drink
Batter (see above)
Good dark rum (I like Myers)
Cinnamon sticks
microwave-safe 6-8 oz mugs [this is one of the few times you can use old-fashioned "standard size" coffee/tea cups. For actual coffee, my cups start at 12oz, but generally, I go with the 20 oz mug, no cream, three Splendas.]
Half-fill mug with water; microwave 1-2 minutes. Water may be boiling in mug; that's OK. You want the mug hot as well as the water. If you get your hot water from a kettle, just rinse the mug with hot water first. Add 1 golf-ball sized glob of batter; stir until dissolved. Add 1-2 oz rum; stir. Drop in a cinnamon stick.
This drink *will* warm you. Seriously, you could walk into the house after a two hour hike in the sleet with wet socks and a headwind, and two sips into it, you'll have feeling in your extremities.
Batter
3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar (er, around two cups. I used one of the small box-in-a-bag packages. Yes, all of it)
1/2c vanilla ice cream, softened
2 Tbs pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp cardamom
1/4c molasses
1 Tbs cinnamon
Cream together butter and brown sugar in mixer; add ice cream, then pie spice, cardamom, molasses, and cinnamon. Mix until mixture is even and smooth.
Transfer to bowl; refrigerate at least overnight.
Drink
Batter (see above)
Good dark rum (I like Myers)
Cinnamon sticks
microwave-safe 6-8 oz mugs [this is one of the few times you can use old-fashioned "standard size" coffee/tea cups. For actual coffee, my cups start at 12oz, but generally, I go with the 20 oz mug, no cream, three Splendas.]
Half-fill mug with water; microwave 1-2 minutes. Water may be boiling in mug; that's OK. You want the mug hot as well as the water. If you get your hot water from a kettle, just rinse the mug with hot water first. Add 1 golf-ball sized glob of batter; stir until dissolved. Add 1-2 oz rum; stir. Drop in a cinnamon stick.
This drink *will* warm you. Seriously, you could walk into the house after a two hour hike in the sleet with wet socks and a headwind, and two sips into it, you'll have feeling in your extremities.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Miscellany
First, a weather update...
I've been watching the weather for Thanksgiving closely, as I'm going to be out in whatever it's doing for at least an hour. On Thursday, I checked: High of 40-50, 50% chance of showers. [hm. An hour's run under grey skies. Yes, I can do that] Yesterday, it was a high of 50, 80% chance of rain [Um. Running in 43-degree rain (it's not going to be up at the high at 9am) for an hour. Well, better stock up on hot chocolate.] Today, it's now "Snow and sleet. Much colder with highs in the mid 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph." All I can say is that I'm glad I have the clothes for this, and I'm REALLY glad I've been training in the cold. Oh, and I will *so* have earned some serious Thanksgiving eating.
Next, a fitness update:
Sonya introduced me to yoga ... and I'm really digging it. I'm discovering new ways to move my body, and new muscles I didn't know I had. Right now, I'm discovering them by way of them saying "Ow. That was uncomfortable." But still. It's good.
Anyway, off to bed. Much to do tomorrow.
I've been watching the weather for Thanksgiving closely, as I'm going to be out in whatever it's doing for at least an hour. On Thursday, I checked: High of 40-50, 50% chance of showers. [hm. An hour's run under grey skies. Yes, I can do that] Yesterday, it was a high of 50, 80% chance of rain [Um. Running in 43-degree rain (it's not going to be up at the high at 9am) for an hour. Well, better stock up on hot chocolate.] Today, it's now "Snow and sleet. Much colder with highs in the mid 30s. North winds 10 to 15 mph." All I can say is that I'm glad I have the clothes for this, and I'm REALLY glad I've been training in the cold. Oh, and I will *so* have earned some serious Thanksgiving eating.
Next, a fitness update:
Sonya introduced me to yoga ... and I'm really digging it. I'm discovering new ways to move my body, and new muscles I didn't know I had. Right now, I'm discovering them by way of them saying "Ow. That was uncomfortable." But still. It's good.
Anyway, off to bed. Much to do tomorrow.
Friday, November 16, 2007
First annual week-before-thanksgiving update!
Running:
Somewhere in the past few months, I've become a runner. While I'm always going to be a cyclist, and I have a special fondness for cycling, running has, amazingly, become more than a challenge and a way to exercise that doesn't involve nearly as much expensive equipment. I think the moment of "Hey, this isn't so bad" has come in the past month; I'm at the point now where, while running, it's not a constant effort. When I started, each stride was tough, and each stride was an effort. If I stopped pushing, I stopped running. Now ... if I stop pushing, I slow down... but I've managed to get momentum in my legs, if that makes sense -- when I start to slack, my legs keep moving.
The training is going really well; last night, I did 4.3 miles in under 50 minutes, so I think I'm ready for Turkey Trot! Go me!
Google Webmaster:
So Google knows everything about everything...even itself. I've become amused and disturbed looking at the search results that lead to my pages. A lot of it is searches like "Flight cancelled help" type searches; I hope I've been helpful for those. The weirdest to date is "lorna bagged latex". What?!?!? Random Googler, I ... hope you find what you're looking for.
Cat in the Lap/Porcupine in the Pants
After much thought, I came up with the "Cat in the Lap/Porcupine in the Pants" series; I thought it was rather inspired. But, since its inception, I haven't given any of these awards out. So, without further ado, a Porcupine in the Pants to Virgin Mobile for taking a week to get my Canadian cell phone activated. Sooner would have been better, guys. A Cat in the Lap goes to me, apparently, for being gone all week. Only ... this Cat in the Lap is...an actual Cat in the Lap. Apparently, Shadow really missed me this week. I'd been using my computer for about 20 minutes, when she got up in the chair beside me, then onto the handrest of the laptop, and has finally settled on top of my arms (my feet are stuck out on the ottoman; the laptop is on my thighs; my hands are on the keys; Shadow is on my forearms). She curled herself up with her head in the crook of my arm and is half-asleep, purring and making soft sleepy-noises. Seriously....this stuff is good for the soul.
Somewhere in the past few months, I've become a runner. While I'm always going to be a cyclist, and I have a special fondness for cycling, running has, amazingly, become more than a challenge and a way to exercise that doesn't involve nearly as much expensive equipment. I think the moment of "Hey, this isn't so bad" has come in the past month; I'm at the point now where, while running, it's not a constant effort. When I started, each stride was tough, and each stride was an effort. If I stopped pushing, I stopped running. Now ... if I stop pushing, I slow down... but I've managed to get momentum in my legs, if that makes sense -- when I start to slack, my legs keep moving.
The training is going really well; last night, I did 4.3 miles in under 50 minutes, so I think I'm ready for Turkey Trot! Go me!
Google Webmaster:
So Google knows everything about everything...even itself. I've become amused and disturbed looking at the search results that lead to my pages. A lot of it is searches like "Flight cancelled help" type searches; I hope I've been helpful for those. The weirdest to date is "lorna bagged latex". What?!?!? Random Googler, I ... hope you find what you're looking for.
Cat in the Lap/Porcupine in the Pants
After much thought, I came up with the "Cat in the Lap/Porcupine in the Pants" series; I thought it was rather inspired. But, since its inception, I haven't given any of these awards out. So, without further ado, a Porcupine in the Pants to Virgin Mobile for taking a week to get my Canadian cell phone activated. Sooner would have been better, guys. A Cat in the Lap goes to me, apparently, for being gone all week. Only ... this Cat in the Lap is...an actual Cat in the Lap. Apparently, Shadow really missed me this week. I'd been using my computer for about 20 minutes, when she got up in the chair beside me, then onto the handrest of the laptop, and has finally settled on top of my arms (my feet are stuck out on the ottoman; the laptop is on my thighs; my hands are on the keys; Shadow is on my forearms). She curled herself up with her head in the crook of my arm and is half-asleep, purring and making soft sleepy-noises. Seriously....this stuff is good for the soul.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
huh
Today I saw a "No Fishing" sign next to a pond.
Wouldn't it have been easier, and probably more effective, to just put up a "No fish" sign?
Wouldn't it have been easier, and probably more effective, to just put up a "No fish" sign?
Friday, October 5, 2007
Suburban limousine
Todays title doesn't refer to a limousine made out of a Chevy Suburban (though I'm sure that those exist). I just saw a black stretch limousine driving through the suburbs of Buffalo. It's a sunny Friday morning. Who needs a limo in the 'burbs on a Friday morning?
Obviously, your guess is probably the same as mine -- it was being taken in for maintenance. Fair guess, but why was the driver all suited up in his chauffeur's outfit? Do they have to wear that even if they're going for an oil change? ... which makes me wonder... how do you do an alignment on a limo?
Obviously, your guess is probably the same as mine -- it was being taken in for maintenance. Fair guess, but why was the driver all suited up in his chauffeur's outfit? Do they have to wear that even if they're going for an oil change? ... which makes me wonder... how do you do an alignment on a limo?
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