Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday
Almost to the weekend! Woot!
I mowed what little of the lawn needed to be mowed last night. No rain will do that to a lawn, I suppose. I did a little other yard work as well.. nothing too much, though. I found a remainder of some fireworks the neighbors shot off in the lawn.. hrms.
I painted the ceiling of the previously primed bathroom. This bathroom is small. Let me tell you a couple of things about a small bathroom..
- It's wonderful to paint because:
It's small.
- It's awful to paint because:
It's small.
Every time I turn around, I'm running into the step ladder. I put the paint can lid down on the edge of the shower and said "OK, don't step in this. You can step anywhere else in the bathroom, but don't step here."
How hard could that be?
Yeah, well. 10 minutes into the process... step. Nice.
Paint on the foot. That leads to paint everywhere you step. Then you step into the paint footprint. And the cycle continues.
I did day 2 of week 2 of the 100 pushup challenge. I added 3 to the final set, so I wound up at 69 for the day.. whoo hoo. Pipes, here I come!
Last but not least, I went out for a run. My body evidently didn't care for that. Pain, pretty much the whole way. I wound up doing 3.5 miles at about a 9:45 pace.. I made a deal with my body about a tenth of a mile into it, saying that I'd take Friday off. It asked about Saturday, and I said that we'd see.
What's going on Friday, you may ask? (OK, you probably didn't).. I'm going to the Empire State Brewing & Music Festival! Whoo hoo! It's a beer 'tasting' event.. Lots of music and people, and it's a lot of fun. I'll post a pic of it when I get there...
On a sad note, today is the last day for one of my buddies here at work.. He's moving on to bigger and better things. I'll miss him and his spontaneity..
I mowed what little of the lawn needed to be mowed last night. No rain will do that to a lawn, I suppose. I did a little other yard work as well.. nothing too much, though. I found a remainder of some fireworks the neighbors shot off in the lawn.. hrms.
I painted the ceiling of the previously primed bathroom. This bathroom is small. Let me tell you a couple of things about a small bathroom..
- It's wonderful to paint because:
It's small.
- It's awful to paint because:
It's small.
Every time I turn around, I'm running into the step ladder. I put the paint can lid down on the edge of the shower and said "OK, don't step in this. You can step anywhere else in the bathroom, but don't step here."
How hard could that be?
Yeah, well. 10 minutes into the process... step. Nice.
Paint on the foot. That leads to paint everywhere you step. Then you step into the paint footprint. And the cycle continues.
I did day 2 of week 2 of the 100 pushup challenge. I added 3 to the final set, so I wound up at 69 for the day.. whoo hoo. Pipes, here I come!
Last but not least, I went out for a run. My body evidently didn't care for that. Pain, pretty much the whole way. I wound up doing 3.5 miles at about a 9:45 pace.. I made a deal with my body about a tenth of a mile into it, saying that I'd take Friday off. It asked about Saturday, and I said that we'd see.
What's going on Friday, you may ask? (OK, you probably didn't).. I'm going to the Empire State Brewing & Music Festival! Whoo hoo! It's a beer 'tasting' event.. Lots of music and people, and it's a lot of fun. I'll post a pic of it when I get there...
On a sad note, today is the last day for one of my buddies here at work.. He's moving on to bigger and better things. I'll miss him and his spontaneity..
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Highland Park
Last night, I went and bought something I've never purchased before... a bottle of single malt scotch.
I asked a guy here at work for some recommendations, and have scoured the Internet for recommendations.
What I came up with was this:
Highland Park 12 year..
Before I go into my tasting review, let me disclose my prior scotch interactions. I've had a few blends here and there over the years.. nothing I can really remember, mainly because I wasn't paying attention at the time.
Since then, I've had 2 other single malts..
The first was Glenmorangie Port Wood finish. I had this at my wife's company Christmas party a few years ago. The host was kind enough to bring out a bottle of it. Poor guy.. He had a glass, and then a friend and I polished off the rest.
What I remember about it was that it was very very smooth, and I really enjoyed it.
And, I was really really drunk afterwards.
The second was Lagavulin 16 year.. I had this at a local upscale restaurant. It had a very smoky nose to it.. I enjoyed this as well.
Since having these, I've read that they aren't good starter scotches. Oops.
I'd prefer to try these things at a local bar, but the only bars in the area are either the T.G.I. Friday's type, or the local "old man" bars. I frequent both, but neither is good for finding scotch.
The upscale restaurants will have scotch, but one of them charges $17 for a single of Lagavulin. If I can go buy a bottle at $60 or something, it's almost more effective to just do that.
So, I went to go buy a bottle.. I won't get as much variety, not being able to buy single glasses, but hey.. nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You see my tasting glass there.. Not an official scotch tulip style glass or anything, but I can get my nose in there.
On to the scotch. This Highland Park is... straight forward. It's a good scotch.. good for beginners, certainly. I know I'm a beginner, and I can't really comment as well as a pro can.
The Highland Park is slightly smoky, not as much as the Lagavulin by any means. It's fairly smooth. Got a nice caramel looking color to it. I didn't add any water to it.. I figured I'd try that on the next tasting. Adding water can "open up" the taste and aromas, and you can notice new things, by doing that.
Not a bad first purchase, but I'll probably try a different scotch once this bottle is gone, just for variety's sake.
I asked a guy here at work for some recommendations, and have scoured the Internet for recommendations.
What I came up with was this:
Highland Park 12 year..
Before I go into my tasting review, let me disclose my prior scotch interactions. I've had a few blends here and there over the years.. nothing I can really remember, mainly because I wasn't paying attention at the time.
Since then, I've had 2 other single malts..
The first was Glenmorangie Port Wood finish. I had this at my wife's company Christmas party a few years ago. The host was kind enough to bring out a bottle of it. Poor guy.. He had a glass, and then a friend and I polished off the rest.
What I remember about it was that it was very very smooth, and I really enjoyed it.
And, I was really really drunk afterwards.
The second was Lagavulin 16 year.. I had this at a local upscale restaurant. It had a very smoky nose to it.. I enjoyed this as well.
Since having these, I've read that they aren't good starter scotches. Oops.
I'd prefer to try these things at a local bar, but the only bars in the area are either the T.G.I. Friday's type, or the local "old man" bars. I frequent both, but neither is good for finding scotch.
The upscale restaurants will have scotch, but one of them charges $17 for a single of Lagavulin. If I can go buy a bottle at $60 or something, it's almost more effective to just do that.
So, I went to go buy a bottle.. I won't get as much variety, not being able to buy single glasses, but hey.. nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You see my tasting glass there.. Not an official scotch tulip style glass or anything, but I can get my nose in there.
On to the scotch. This Highland Park is... straight forward. It's a good scotch.. good for beginners, certainly. I know I'm a beginner, and I can't really comment as well as a pro can.
The Highland Park is slightly smoky, not as much as the Lagavulin by any means. It's fairly smooth. Got a nice caramel looking color to it. I didn't add any water to it.. I figured I'd try that on the next tasting. Adding water can "open up" the taste and aromas, and you can notice new things, by doing that.
Not a bad first purchase, but I'll probably try a different scotch once this bottle is gone, just for variety's sake.
Merkur blades = Sweeney Todd
So, a few months ago, I switched to shaving with a double edged razor (aka: a safety razor).
Why did I do this? I don't know.. I had always been curious.. I then read this blog post: http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2006/07/10/a-guide-to-the-gourmet-shaving-experience/
I went and bought this razor:
It's a Merkur Heavy Duty Open Comb razor.. (I think it's the 11C? I forget).
This style of shaving is perfect for me. After I was about 15 years old, I became un-enamored with shaving. Especially when I realized I'd be doing this for the rest of my life. My tact the last few years has been to shave once a week, and sport a week's worth of growth in the meantime. The people at work have grown used to it, so I'm good to go there.
The only problem I had with it was trying to shave after a week. The twin/tri/quad blade razors would just bog down and tear and rip and I'd just be a mess. (Which made me want to shave less, and the cycle spiraled on)
My razor came with one Merkur blade, but everything I'd read said that it was harsh, and you should just start out with some blades from CVS or the like. So, I did that. And all was well.
Last week, I opened the Merkur blade just by accident, and I figured, "Hey, why not?"
Harsh.
Yes.
I felt like layers were coming off of my face. Argh.
It's a better constructed blade.. it feels more solid than the CVS ones, and it probably won't rust as quick... that's great, but, I'd rather have something I can use.
I figured, maybe I had an off day... so, last night, after my run, I gave it another go. I brushed up my face with my Prosaro shave cream, and went to work. It was a bit better, but yes.. still harsh. I'm glad I only have one of these blades.
I have a sampler pack of other blades to try.. after I finish up my current CVS supply, I'll probably give them a shot.
Why did I do this? I don't know.. I had always been curious.. I then read this blog post: http://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2006/07/10/a-guide-to-the-gourmet-shaving-experience/
I went and bought this razor:
It's a Merkur Heavy Duty Open Comb razor.. (I think it's the 11C? I forget).
This style of shaving is perfect for me. After I was about 15 years old, I became un-enamored with shaving. Especially when I realized I'd be doing this for the rest of my life. My tact the last few years has been to shave once a week, and sport a week's worth of growth in the meantime. The people at work have grown used to it, so I'm good to go there.
The only problem I had with it was trying to shave after a week. The twin/tri/quad blade razors would just bog down and tear and rip and I'd just be a mess. (Which made me want to shave less, and the cycle spiraled on)
My razor came with one Merkur blade, but everything I'd read said that it was harsh, and you should just start out with some blades from CVS or the like. So, I did that. And all was well.
Last week, I opened the Merkur blade just by accident, and I figured, "Hey, why not?"
Harsh.
Yes.
I felt like layers were coming off of my face. Argh.
It's a better constructed blade.. it feels more solid than the CVS ones, and it probably won't rust as quick... that's great, but, I'd rather have something I can use.
I figured, maybe I had an off day... so, last night, after my run, I gave it another go. I brushed up my face with my Prosaro shave cream, and went to work. It was a bit better, but yes.. still harsh. I'm glad I only have one of these blades.
I have a sampler pack of other blades to try.. after I finish up my current CVS supply, I'll probably give them a shot.
Wednesday Intervals
So, I couldn't decide whether to do a hill run or a speed workout or what. So, I opted for the best (worst?) of all worlds.
I did an interval workout on a hill.
I've done this before, but it's been a while..
So, to set the scene.. it's a bit over a mile to get to where I was running this workout. Probably 1.25 miles.. There's a lot of uphill to get to this spot as well, but I tried to take it easy getting there. (It also seems like it's uphill on the way back... maybe that's just me, though)
The hill I was running on has a nice loop.. it's about .25 miles up, and then an equal amount back down through a quiet street.
I took the first interval really easy. A moderate pace up, with a jog back down.
The second interval I went full bore up the hill.. until I ran out of gas and proceeded to finish at a slow trot. Too bad, too.. I had an audience on this interval. chuckle.
The third was another zippy one.. I started a bit slower, with a big sprinting finish. This led me to barely be able to jog back down the hill...
My last interval, I wussed out on. I did another interval just like the first one.. pretty easy going. I guess I'd be glad about this later, as you'll see. I felt a bit bad at the time, though.
So, I finished up, and started the jog home.. On the way, I typically hit this little dead end side street, just to add a bit more distance. At the very end, there's a house on the hill, and usually a dog tied up which barks when I get near the end of the street. Anyone guess where this is going?
I approach the end of the street, and I see the owners of the house at the end of the street getting out of their car. I also see the dog. Loose.
It starts running at me.. I decided that I'd skip the end of the street, and turned around... I heard the owner whistle and yell at his dog to stay. I was waiting for the comment that typically comes from dog owners.. "oh don't worry, he won't bite".. Didn't hear that, though.
So, I know I'm not going to out run a dog. I have trouble out running snails and turtles. Dogs are completely out of the question. I was hoping to just get far enough away that it would lose interest.
I was also looking for some sort of heavy stick or projectile during my sprint away. Nothing.
Thankfully, the 'flight' portion of the 'fight or flight' prevailed, and the dog lost interest in tracking me down. He did go pretty far, though.
Down the street from where I live, there were some kids yelling something as I was coming home.. It took me a minute, but I finally figured out they were selling Kool-Aid. (Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! That's me, being the Kool Aid man).
They seemed annoyed I didn't want to stop and buy some.
Kids: I don't carry my wallet when I go running. Plus, if I'm going to drink some sort of sugar laden thing, it sure as heck isn't going to be Kool Aid.
I know, they're just doing their thing, and I wasn't mean.. I just turned up the final stretch and finished my run. They were annoyed with me, though. <shrug>
Run wound up being around 4.25 miles.
I did an interval workout on a hill.
I've done this before, but it's been a while..
So, to set the scene.. it's a bit over a mile to get to where I was running this workout. Probably 1.25 miles.. There's a lot of uphill to get to this spot as well, but I tried to take it easy getting there. (It also seems like it's uphill on the way back... maybe that's just me, though)
The hill I was running on has a nice loop.. it's about .25 miles up, and then an equal amount back down through a quiet street.
I took the first interval really easy. A moderate pace up, with a jog back down.
The second interval I went full bore up the hill.. until I ran out of gas and proceeded to finish at a slow trot. Too bad, too.. I had an audience on this interval. chuckle.
The third was another zippy one.. I started a bit slower, with a big sprinting finish. This led me to barely be able to jog back down the hill...
My last interval, I wussed out on. I did another interval just like the first one.. pretty easy going. I guess I'd be glad about this later, as you'll see. I felt a bit bad at the time, though.
So, I finished up, and started the jog home.. On the way, I typically hit this little dead end side street, just to add a bit more distance. At the very end, there's a house on the hill, and usually a dog tied up which barks when I get near the end of the street. Anyone guess where this is going?
I approach the end of the street, and I see the owners of the house at the end of the street getting out of their car. I also see the dog. Loose.
It starts running at me.. I decided that I'd skip the end of the street, and turned around... I heard the owner whistle and yell at his dog to stay. I was waiting for the comment that typically comes from dog owners.. "oh don't worry, he won't bite".. Didn't hear that, though.
So, I know I'm not going to out run a dog. I have trouble out running snails and turtles. Dogs are completely out of the question. I was hoping to just get far enough away that it would lose interest.
I was also looking for some sort of heavy stick or projectile during my sprint away. Nothing.
Thankfully, the 'flight' portion of the 'fight or flight' prevailed, and the dog lost interest in tracking me down. He did go pretty far, though.
Down the street from where I live, there were some kids yelling something as I was coming home.. It took me a minute, but I finally figured out they were selling Kool-Aid. (Oh Yeah! Oh Yeah! That's me, being the Kool Aid man).
They seemed annoyed I didn't want to stop and buy some.
Kids: I don't carry my wallet when I go running. Plus, if I'm going to drink some sort of sugar laden thing, it sure as heck isn't going to be Kool Aid.
I know, they're just doing their thing, and I wasn't mean.. I just turned up the final stretch and finished my run. They were annoyed with me, though. <shrug>
Run wound up being around 4.25 miles.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday
Well, Tuesday was an alright day.. I had to leave work early, so that wasn't all bad.
I went home, and did my pushups.. Week 2, Day 1 was a success.. I eeked out the minimum. Leaves me a bit worried for what the rest of the week will hold.
I also went for a bike ride.. It was 6.28 miles, if I remember right. Some good hills and such were tackled.
At work, I put Firefox 3 on.. I'm going to play with having different browser profiles. That way, I can keep a browser all set up for blog-type things, a browser for personal things, a browser for work things..
One of my favorite extensions Foxylicious hasn't yet been updated for Firefox 3. That's sad. It's the main reason I haven't fully switched to FF3 yet.
Last night, I also put some primer on the walls & ceiling of our extra bathroom. It's the last time that bathroom is the putrid pinky-peachy color it was. I tolerated it for 7 years, but it is no more. whoo hoo. We have a nice shade of green we're going to throw on the walls (that's the ubiquitous 'we' that will be putting paint on the walls)
I went home, and did my pushups.. Week 2, Day 1 was a success.. I eeked out the minimum. Leaves me a bit worried for what the rest of the week will hold.
I also went for a bike ride.. It was 6.28 miles, if I remember right. Some good hills and such were tackled.
At work, I put Firefox 3 on.. I'm going to play with having different browser profiles. That way, I can keep a browser all set up for blog-type things, a browser for personal things, a browser for work things..
One of my favorite extensions Foxylicious hasn't yet been updated for Firefox 3. That's sad. It's the main reason I haven't fully switched to FF3 yet.
Last night, I also put some primer on the walls & ceiling of our extra bathroom. It's the last time that bathroom is the putrid pinky-peachy color it was. I tolerated it for 7 years, but it is no more. whoo hoo. We have a nice shade of green we're going to throw on the walls (that's the ubiquitous 'we' that will be putting paint on the walls)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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