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Poutine post

2012-02-05T03:32:05Z

I'm assuming most everyone knows what poutine is, but for those not familiar, poutine is a dish that originated in Canada and consists of three primary ingredients: french fries, fresh cheese curds (not fried), and a gravy. I've never had a real poutine, although a year or so ago, I did sample a Wisconsin-variant while at the Sprecher brewery. Sprecher's take included french fries, beer-battered cheese curds, and queso. Yummy. ...man, I really need to get off of this diet...

So... why the unusual title for this entry? I've been extremely busy as of late, and haven't had a ton of time to keep-up with the blog - as evidenced by my 13-day lag between posts. As such, I've got a few things that I'd like to jaw about, and would like to combine them into a single post. I thought about calling it a casserole, a stew, or something "combo-ish" (mmm, Combos), but realized that I've used those titles in the past. And that's where poutine comes in - three stories all combined into a single post. That, and I'm hungry for some serious junk food.

Now let's dig-in to this dish before it gets cold.

First ingredient: running/eating/progress

As I previously mentioned, I'm in the middle of a 100-day commitment to eat well and to avoid going out for any type of drinks. I'm about 40-days along; I've had two cheat days - not any major blowouts, but I did cheat. Not too happy about that, but I've been incredibly dedicated on all of the other days, so I can't complain too much.

Looking back at my totals, I managed to log nearly 95-miles of running in January (averaged 3.77-miles per day; 25 days). My total caloric intake for the month of January was 35,401. I've shed 22-lbs and am sitting at 175 as of this morning. So, not a bad month. I know these last 15 are going to drop slowly, so I'll have to stay focused and not expect any rapid drops in February.

I am embarrassed to say that I didn't do a darned thing today... I slept-in, I watched a few movies on AppleTV, and cleaned the house, but that was all. No running, no riding... I felt lazy. And now I feel like a real slug... I'll hit it hard tomorrow. Guess I needed a break.

Second ingredient: sleep aid

During the winter months, I like to keep the house cool. My thermostat is set to drop the temperature to 60F at night; I can throw extra blankets on the bed and am more than comfortable.

Unfortunately, my new bedmate (FiFi) doesn't share the same enthusiasm for a cool house as I do, and she certainly doesn't like to crawl into a cold bed. In fact, after I place her on the bed at night, she runs to the pillow and sits defiantly, as if to say, "Oh heck no! I will not climb into that chilly bed!"

I'll crawl into the bed and beg Feef to climb in so that I can go to sleep. I'll raise up the covers, pat on the bed, do a Mr. Miagi-like "hot hands" to pre-warm a spot for her, plead, bargain, and demand that she crawl in. All without any luck. Instead, she usually lies down on the pillow and waits for me to turn off the lights (I have a remote for my ceiling fan).

Once the lights go off, she'll slink over to my pillow and will usually lie on my neck. And while she's only 4-lbs, she's pretty good at making any chance of some sleep (or breathing) seem impossible.

Finally, after an hour or so, she'll cave and crawl under the sheets. Then she'll curl-up into a tight little ball and press as hard as she possibly can into my armpit or belly.

Desperate to get a decent night's sleep, I broke down and bought a Soft Heat low-voltage mattress warming pad. I bought one with dual zones so that I could set one side for Feefer and the cats to be warm, and then leave my side of the bed cool.

It arrived, and I set it up. I read the instructions which indicated I should begin with both controllers set to "HI" and then adjust the temperature down as necessary. "Fat chance of that happening," I said. I set my side on "4" and the critters' side on "6."

I lifted Feef onto the bed and she immediately ran to the pillow. The pad won't heat the bed unless you're actually lying on the mattress - I was a bit surprised to find cold sheets when I rolled-back the sheets and quilts. But within a minute, I could feel the heat radiating from the mattress pad. And so could FiFi - like a moth to the flame, she instantly zinged under the quilts and burrowed into my armpit. PERFECT!

Perfect until about 2am, when I woke-up, sweating like Scott Walker (our governor has an issue with appearing to sweat uncontrollably). That mattress pad was H-O-T hot! I looked over at the controller, which still showed a "4" for my side. I immediately dialed it down to "1" and began peeling away the quilts.

I looked over to the other side of the bed and both cats were sprawled on the quilts, legs outstretched, snoring. I could feel heat radiating from their side of the mattress. I leaned over and set their side to "4." They didn't seem to notice...

And then I wondered, "Where's Fifi? She's not laminated against my torso."

I lifted the last of the sheets up to look for her, and I found her "straddling" the two zones of the bed, fully outstretched, and slow panting - "Hehhhh!" (breathe in) "Hehhhhh!" (breathe in) "Hehhhhhh!" she was so warm, she was balmy feeling. I tried to move her and her pants turned into a soft growl, as if to say - "Don't even think about it."

I literally laughed at 2:00am. I swear I saw a steam vapor trail coming from her belly... but she loves it. Nights have been a breeze (for her), even if I feel waaaay too warm by 2:00am, even with my side set to "1." I think I'm going to leave my side off tonight, just to see how it goes.

The things we do for our pets....

Final ingredient: Chicago

I've been spending a lot of time in Chicago, thanks to my work project. This past week, I was in the windy city for 4-days, so I took advantage of a free night and visited a few shops along Michigan avenue, including Truefitt & Hill.

You may recall my interest in shaving brushes, creams, razors, and scuttles from a few years' back. Well, I was almost out of my favorite shaving cream (T&H 1805), so I figured I would head over to the Chicago Truefitt store and grab a refill.

I also grabbed a new shaving brush, and enjoyed a straight-razor shave from the experts at the store (it's also a barber- and shave-shop). Wow. That was awesome. I'm not a huge fan of the new brush, but I'll give it a fair shot...

On my way back from Chicago, I was impressed by the "iced trees" - it was apparently much cooler in Wisconsin than in Chicago... I love it when there's a little moisture mixed with some freezing temps - these photos don't do it justice, but perhaps you'll get some idea of what I'm blabbering about...

And there you have it. A trio of stories; none directly linked, but I'm hoping you enjoyed them. Now go get yourself some poutine, and have a great rest of the weekend.

So... anyone notice how cold out it's been?

2012-01-22T02:58:33Z

Wow. Winter sure did arrive in a big way, eh? For those not fortunate enough to be located in the land of frozen tundra, allow me to share a few of our fair region's weather events: moderate temperatures abruptly turned to bone-chilling cold, accompanied by strong winds, wrapped-up with an awesome dumping of super powdery snow.

Needless to say, FiFi has been less than impressed. I've been shoveling a path and circular area for her to use; the winds have been covering it with blown snow. I've had to coax her with copious amounts of treats, and I've been crating her during the day to avoid coming home to "presents."

And while I don't know if anyone will appreciate this photo, it makes me chuckle - here she is "doing her business" in the cleared-out area:

She's giving me a look that seems to say, "Why did you move me here? Why are you forcing me to be out in this cold weather? And, most importantly, why are you taking my picture right now?!"

When I woke-up this morning, my digital thermometer showed a temperature of -6F... nice. To Feef's credit, I was able to get her outside without too much hassle. Once back inside, she bolted for her favorite spot - the recliner with the Packers fleece blanket on it. She burrows herself into it, gets completely covered, and then growls if you try to move or disturb her. She loves this thing (I uncovered her to get the picture)...

The cold weather and recent dumping of snow means that I've been running on the wonderful dreadmill... lucky me. I had to use it on Thursday, Friday, and this morning. I think I'd rather be water-boarded than to spend 40 minutes on a treadmill. They're so incredibly boring, and for some reason, my quadriceps always ache after I finish using it... I must change my stride/gate while on it.

The good news is that I've been staying extremely consistent to my plans - haven't missed a workout since 1/1, and haven't eaten anything bad since 1/1. I'm rock solid right now, and have dropped 17.4-pounds and 3.9% bodyfat since 1/1. I guess that's what happens when you're as strict as I've been - 900-1000 calories per day (primal foods: grilled lean meats, grilled non-starchy vegetables, no sugars, and no more than 1/2-cup of black beans). I've been running 6 days per week and cycling 4 days per week. TRX workouts take place 3 times per week.

So, with my diet and workouts in solid form, I was a bit nervous to accept a ticket to the Badgers hockey game - the notion of some pretzels, popcorn, or nachos could've been tempting. Alas, they didn't even appeal to me, and so I enjoyed the game with my co-worker Dan. Here's where we sat:

The Badgers absolutely routed the UAA (University of Anchorage, Alaska) with a score of 4-0. Thanks again, Dan, for the ticket! I appreciate it!!

I spent today helping a friend that I used to work with at the MidTown Pub; Evan needed some new tires for his Tahoe, so we placed a call to my other friend Dan (Newhart episode flashback? No?) from Topel's Towing & Repair. Dan was able to get Evan some excellent tires at a great price, so we drove to Lake Mills this afternoon and I mounted and balanced the four new tires (Dan was the only one in the shop and was also on wrecker duty; he was called-out on towing jobs twice while we were there).

Here are the nearly bald tires that we removed from Evan's Tahoe:

They were like slicks - I don't think there was even 1/32" of tread on them!!

Here's one of my old "friends" from my days as a technician... the Coates 20/20 pneumatic tire changing machine. Back in the day, this thing was an absolute beast! It's still more than capable, but I suspect newer versions are even better:

And the fruits of our labor - new shoes on the Tahoe. There's nothing like new tires on a vehicle... they ride quietly, smoothly, confidently, and have such a great "feel" - it's truly awesome, even when it's not my vehicle that has the new tires. :-)

We finished-up the work at just over an hour-and-a-half, then waited for Dan to return from a towing job. Evan settled his bill and we trekked back to Madison, where I had a little friend waiting for me back home. Care to guess where she was waiting for me?

That's right...

And here's what we're doing right now:

So there you have it... the past few days - bad weather, good dog, staying on target with the diet, a hockey game, and new tires for a friend. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Photodump - Dogs & Cats

2012-01-15T03:24:42Z

I took a TON of photos of the dogs and cats while in Arkansas last month. I didn't feel like writing/crafting a mega-long entry, so I dumped them into Adobe Lightroom, made an album and uploaded it to the site.

Here are a couple of samples to help whet your beak a bit...

If you'd like to view the rest of the pictures of "the kids" without any captions, stories, or info, please click on this link to see the photos.

All of the pictures were taken with my phone, so excuse any lighting/contrast/color issues... sorry in advance!

...Oh, and this Patriots vs. The Donkeys game is awesome - so glad that Tebow is getting stomped!

Link to Arkansas 2011 Photo Album

It wasn't even a day old... Happy New Year...

2012-01-03T01:25:06Z

They say the apocalypse is upon us, but I think it may have already hit yours truly. Oh, where to begin?

Last year (2011 - it seems like a distant memory) was an interesting year for the 'ole Arkansas homestead. It began with some furnace problems (the heat quit working during the coldest, snowiest part of the winter). And then the refrigerator died. And then the dryer died. And then the air conditioning died. And then the roof died.

The roof?

Yep. While I was visiting Amy and the house over the Thanksgiving weekend, I nearly fell through the roof while cleaning the gutters. I figured something had to be amiss... the house is located in a very wooded area, and as such, the gutters require regular cleaning. Amy's not really one for heights, so it was always my responsibility to clean the gutters.

I'd normally clean them 6-8 times throughout the fall season; the gutters fill with pine needles and leaves rather quickly. But with being in Wisconsin, I'm not able to get up onto the roof as often as I'd like to. So imagine my surprise that while "crossing the peak" of the roof above the office area I felt my foot "sink in," accompanied by a dull "crunching/crinkling" noise... not good.

I stepped back and this is what I saw:

A roof probably shouldn't "give way" like that... I called a few friends to solicit free advice (thanks Josh!) and my heart sank as quickly as my foot did - it sounded like the shingles had failed and that the decking was waterlogged, rotten, and in need of replacement. Not an easy task.

I then realized that the ceiling of my office surely had to show signs of damage, so I raced off the roof and into the office where sure enough - there were signs of water damage (mold, peeling paint, and even a nail poking its way through):

I started pricing materials - shingles, felt, decking, nails, weather barrier, drywall... oh man, this was not good. I happened to mention the dilemma to another friend while in Arkansas, and he happened to know a roofing contractor, so he put us in touch.

The contractor showed-up and we made our way to the roof. He immediately spied hail damage - roof vents were heavily dented and there were tons of "hail strikes" all over the roof. Apparently the NWA hail had its way with the roof on more than one occasion... he suggested that I file an insurance claim to see if it would be covered.

So I called the insurance company and they sent out an adjuster who confirmed that hail had indeed damaged the roof. The bad news: the insurance company doesn't cover damage to the decking, framework, or interior. So much for being "in good hands."

The adjuster e-mailed me a statement showing the amount they would cover. The contractor sent me a quote. After some haggling with the contractor, we arrived at a price and I would settle the difference.

The contractor brought-in a crew, and within a few hours, they had stripped the roof down to the decking. And that's when I had a chance to see how bad the decking was:

That decking was really rough... several holes, tons of rotted spots - it's amazing the roof hadn't leaked worse than it did. The only reassuring thing to come from the discovery was that the roofing guys complimented the build quality of the roof's framing - apparently the house is "well built" and has 2x8s rather than 2x4s...

By the end of the day, the roof had been stripped and re-decked, weather barrier was in place, and the felt was in place. The crew had even started to install the new shingles in a few spots.

The next day, they came in and finsished the shingling, replaced all of the vents and hardware, and tidied everything up. All that remained was replacement of the gutters and the drywall work. Here's the roof, all finished-up:

Those are lifetime warrantied shingles - super heavy duty - each of the 2831 square feet of shingles was hand-nailed with at least 5 nails per shingle, which windproofs the roof to 130mph. The felt and weatherguard was also heavy duty and is impervious to ice dams and other water intrusion, so we shouldn't ever have another leak... the contractor warranties all of his work for 5 years, with no out-of-pocket expense. If after 5 years there is an issue, the shingle vendor picks-up the tab (until year 16, at which point things are prorated).

Great, right?

Yep, excellent. Until New Year's Eve...

Amy had a few coworkers over to the house and I invited a few friends from my banking days over. We made nachos (homemade queso*, smoked pork, smoked brisket, roasted jalapenos, and the usual toppings), had a few beverages, and watched old episodes of MTV's Ridiculousness:

At around 11:00pm, we heard the wind howling outside - we had the windows and sliding door open as it was about 70F outside, but the wind was just roaring. And then we heard a loud snap and an even louder boom. And then the house shook.

Wouldn't you know it, but a tree managed to snap in half and fall onto the house.

Here's a view from the deck:

I went up onto the roof and by some stroke of luck, there was only a small section of damage above the back deck - nothing major. I spoke with the contractor and he's going to repair it, but we both had a laugh - the roof wasn't even a day old and it was already being repaired... Thankfully the gutters hadn't been replaced yet, so they'll take care of those this week.

Had the tree broken-off 2 feet lower, the back of the house would have certainly suffered major damage. So, I guess I did luck-out a bit...

Here's to hoping that 2012 goes more smoothly than 2011 did, at least in terms of the house.

Oh, and before I go - folks have been asking "how big is FiFi?" When I say 3-4 pounds, that's not a good point of reference, so I snapped a photo of FiFi next to one of my shoes:

She's doing really well and is a hoot.

===
* Homemade queso means real shredded sharp cheddar cheese with half-n-half, a little beer, a secret blend of spices, some Rotel, and a few other goodies...

Whoa Nelly!

2011-12-30T03:45:26Z

Here's a handy car care tip from your friend Steve...

Amy drives a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe and has driven it nearly every single day since we bought it in November of 2001. The Tahoe's primary job is to shuttle Amy from the house to the animal shelter, which is just about 3.0 miles each way.

Along that way, she has to navigate a large hill, which offers more than 500-feet of elevation change. Then, she has to deal with merging onto the interstate, driving about 2.25 miles, and then slowing from 60-mph to 0 so that she can make a cross-traffic turn into the Shelter.

Needless to say, the Tahoe does not have an easy life. It gets to look forward to a short drive, complete with large hills, rapid acceleration, sudden deceleration, and then it gets to do it all over again at the end of the day.

Trips like this are hell on a vehicle. It's hard on the engine. It's hard on the transmission. It's hard on the exhaust system. And it's especially hard on the brakes.

We've done a great job of taking care of general maintenance - the Tahoe receives an oil change every 4-5 months, complete with Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 and a Wix filter. Every year, the tires are rotated and the fuel filter is replaced. Every two years, the Tahoe gets a transmission fluid flush, a complete tune-up, new air filter, and a coolant flush.

And just last week, we replaced the brakes. The Tahoe received a new set of cryogenically-treated Centric rotors (front and rear), Hawk HPS pads (front and rear), and 40-ounces of fresh brake fluid.

Now, that may not seem too exciting, but when you consider the Tahoe got more than 100,000 miles out of its existing set of brakes, that's a major feat, especially given the terrain in which it operates.

You see, back in November of 2003, at around 30,000 miles, I installed a set of cryogenically-treated rotors (front and rear) and a set of Hawk HPS brake pads (front and rear). I also flushed the brake fluid with Wilwood DOT 4 fluid. It cost about $600 to do the full work-up, but I felt it was worth the cost.

And after 100,000 hellish miles, I can confirm it was money well-spent. When I took off the existing pads and rotors, the front set was showed less than 25% wear. I could have easily gotten another 100,000 miles from those front rotors and pads. The rear brakes could have gone another 5-10,000 miles before needing replacement. Regardless, it's totally impressive that the Tahoe got that sort of mileage from those parts.

Most brakes will last maybe 50,000-miles. If you're lucky. And if you drive a lightweight vehicle on flat terrain. The Tahoe tips the scales at more than 4,800-pounds (dry) and it spends its life in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. To get 100,000 miles from the rear brakes is amazing. To think that we could have easily gotten 200,000 miles from the fronts is mind-blowing.

So... take it from me... if you're in the market for new brakes for your vehicle, do yourself a favor and invest in cryogenically-treated rotors and some Hawk brake pads. It'll be money well-spent. I'd be surprised if a "normal" vehicle under "normal" driving circumstances wouldn't get 250,000 miles from this set-up...

What is a cryogenically-treated rotor?

It's a brake rotor that is slowly and carefully frozen to more than -300 degrees Fahrenheit. It's then held at that temperature for a number of hours before being slowing and carefully returned to room temperature. The slow freeze and slower-thaw aligns the metal molecules and makes a stronger rotor. The stronger rotor resists heat, wear, and warpage better than a traditional rotor. The cryogenic process adds about $25 to the price of each rotor, but it'll more than 3x-4x the life. Money well spent.

So... when your car or truck needs brakes, swing by the TireRack.com and check out their selection of cryogenically-treated rotors and Hawk brake pads. You'll be glad you did. If the Tahoe can eek-out more than 100k miles from a set of brakes, your car will easily eclipse that figure.

Merry Christmas to Me

2011-12-24T23:17:24Z

While I'm not big on the holiday season, I am thrilled with this year's Christmas gift. Meet the newest addition to the crew: FiFi

FiFi is a five-year-old female Chihuahua that came to me by way of The Bella Vista Animal Shelter. She has an interesting history, albeit a bit sad.

Her "human mom" had to move into a shelter for battered women, and when she did that, the Bella Vista Animal Shelter (BVAS) took-in FiFi with an agreement that they would take care of her for 30-days. The woman got out of the shelter and picked-up Fifi. A few weeks later, the woman called the BVAS to see if she could surrender FiFi, as (in her words) "FiFi tries to bite the baby."

It's not clear whose baby FiFi was trying to bite, but the BVAS agreed to take FiFi. And so, FiFi entered into shelter care, sometime in October of 2011.

I had been considering a Chihuahua for quite some time - ever since I met Zeus (scroll to the end of the entry, and you'll see him). I didn't want to rush into anything, as I'm not around the house as often as I'd like to be, and I wanted to make sure I could adopt an older dog with the right personality.

I was browsing Petfinder, looking at Chihuahuas and MinPins, when I stumbled across a few dogs that really piqued my interest. As luck would have it, FiFi was located at the BVAS - imagine that!

So, when I went down to the house for Thanksgiving, I took the opportunity to meet FiFi, and, well, I fell for her. How could you not?

I brought her home, and she's doing great. She loves to snuggle - she'll happily sit on your lap all night, and loves to crawl under any available blanket. In the car, she rides like a champ, and she's 100% house-trained - it's such a dream. It is funny to see her next to the cats; she weighs less than 5-lbs... Shiloh weighs 11-lbs, and Mack weighs 15-lbs... FiFi is literally 50% the size of the cats! And compared to Monica (our Great Dane), FiFi weighs about 5% of what Monica does.

FiFi eats 1/8 of a cup of food in the morning, and 1/8 of a cup at night. A 5-lb bag of food will likely last 6-7 weeks (compared to burning through 100-lbs of food when we had 2 Danes, 1 Boxer-mix, and 1 Whippet). It's unreal how little she eats, but I have to remember that she's about 4.5-lbs at the most...

She's not really a fan of the cold weather... I bought her a few sweaters, which have helped, but she'd much rather run out, do her business, and run back into the house. Once she gets into the house after being outside, she likes to race around at about 100 miles per hour, jumping on and off of the couches like a maniac.

She also likes to sit on top of the couch and look out the window:

I forgot how nice it is to have a dog in the house. She's thrilled when you come home from work (or running, or the store, or taking the garbage out), yet she calms right down and rolls into a ball on your lap. I like taking her out for walks (they're short, but it's still a walk), and with any luck, I'll teach her a few new tricks (she knows how to sit).

So, there you have it - FiFi, the newest addition. Merry Christmas to me.

Ten Things I Hate About You (I'm talking to you, Prius)

2011-12-12T22:10:33Z

I'm a car guy. I've liked cars for as long as I can remember - there's just something about them that intrigues and excites me. And I like all types of cars; I'm not strictly a sports car fanatic, or a race car fan, or a luxury automobile snob - I appreciate all types of cars, as indicated by my car ownership history. Allow me to go on a tangent for a bit?

My "little black book" of cars that I've owned looks like this:

- 1979 Chevrolet Z-28 Camaro
My first car. Black on black, 350 V8, 4-speed, 3:73:1 rear gears... gorgeous car, but not practical as a daily driver, which is what I tried to do with it. After a few too many highway miles (the motor ran at nearly 4,000 rpm at 65 mph), I bent a pushrod and broke a rocker-arm, which caused some internal engine damage. I tore the car down, ran out of money, and left it sit for years before selling it for pennies on the dollar.

- 1979 Pontiac Bonneville
The winter car that I purchased to relieve the Z-28 from winter duty. I loved this car. It was huge - yes. But it was reliable, comfortable, and loaded with luxury items. It also had a semi-modified 301 V8, so it had a little bit (little being the key word) of pep... I kept this car for several years before selling it to a friend. I drove this car around the country - to NHRA drag races in Ohio, Indianapolis, and Brainerd, and never once had an issue with it.

- 1992 Chevrolet Beretta GT
My first "new" car; purchased it used in 1993 with about 10k on the odometer. Unfortunately it had a random/wild cooling system issue from day one that was never able to be resolved. I sold it after about 6 months because it would randomly overheat and leave me stranded on the side of the road. GM never could find the problem.

- 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra
Whoa Nelly. This car was a beast, at least back in the day... 17" wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, 240 advertised horsepower, 5-speed, 0-60 in 5.0 seconds. Less than 5,000 were ever produced. I modified it with exhaust, intake, and a bunch of other goodies. Sold it in 1997 with less than 20,000 miles on it.

- 1983 Ford Crown Victoria LTD
Purchased as a winter car/daily driver for the Cobra. Installed an insane stereo system that eventually caused the back windows to leak from the sound pressure. A habitual head gasket issue eventually led me to sell it.

- 1991 Mercury Sable
When the LTD died and I sold the Cobra, I purchased this car from the dealership where I worked as a technician. I drove that car into the ground - it had 145,000 miles on it when I sold it, and was top-notch reliable. Never once had any issue with it. It went through the snow better than most 4x4s, and was comfortable and economical.

- 1998 BMW 528i
My first luxury car. Talk about a great highway cruiser - 5-speed manual, 2.8L inline 6-cylinder, every option available, and it delivered over 30mpg on the highway. Despite being rear wheel drive, it did quite well in the snow. I eventually tired of the high monthly payment (if memory serves, it was around $700/month) and sold it.

- 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
We still have this vehicle and love it. It has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned, and it's been the most comfortable and versatile. Chevrolet nailed this vehicle - even with 125,000 miles on it, it's showing no sign of aging. Simply amazing. The only downside? 13mpg on a good day.

- 2002 VW GTI 337
A real pocket rocket. 1.8L turbo-charged 4-cylinder with 6-speed transmission, 18" BBS wheels, huge brakes, and Recaro seats - all from the factory. Only 1,500 were ever made, and it was a fun car. When I sold it in 2005, I made a huge profit...

- 2005 Honda Element
So close, and yet, no cigar. All-wheel-drive. Tons of cargo space. Practical. Underpowered. Built on the Honda Civic platform, so it couldn't haul or tow anything, despite having a cavernous interior. 4 adults exceeded the gross vehicle weight capacity. The anemic 4-cylinder didn't win any points, either... with a roof rack installed, I had to floor it (literally) to maintain 70mph.

- 2006.5 VW Jetta TDi
Turbo diesel 4-cylinder + German luxury interior + great styling = Win. Nothing like getting 45 mpg all day, every day, while enjoying precise handling and an upscale interior. It wasn't the fastest thing on the road, but it was torquey and fun to drive. Great in the snow, large trunk, comfortable back seats - I really liked this car. Sold it to a friend when I moved back to Wisconsin, and it's still going strong.

- 2003 Chevrolet 1500 Z71 4x4
Gorgeous black truck with grey leather and every single option available. It was simply too large to drive around in Madison. I couldn't park it anywhere, couldn't make a u-turn, and never saw anything north of 13mpg. Sold it in 2-hours after listing it on Craigslist and made a few thousand of profit. Not bad.

And that brings us to today... and the real subject of this entry...

After I sold my truck, I didn't have any idea about what kind of car to purchase. There wasn't anything that struck my fancy, and I was looking for something with practicality, cargo capacity, decent fuel economy, and a reasonable monthly payment.

I considered all sorts of cars, from the Audi A3 to the Subaru WRX to the Chevrolet Malibu, to the Hyundai Sonata, to the Ford Fusion. But none of them wowed me. I couldn't find enough positives to justify any of them. And so, on a complete whim, I purchased a 2009 Toyota Prius.

Yes, it had a hatchback, tons of storage, lots of practicality, and great fuel economy. But I had no idea just how dreadful all of the "little annoyances" were, nor did I appreciate just how quickly and completely the Prius sucks away your soul. Never before have I been in a car that so thoroughly and completely neuters its occupants. The Prius is practical to a fault and insanely annoying.

The only saving grace is the fuel economy. Other than that, the list of hated items is long... and so, I give to you:

10 Things I hate about the Toyota Prius:

Number 10: The keyless system

Keyless entry is nothing new. We've all had a car with keyless entry - you hit the remote button and your doors lock or unlock. Toyota has taken it a step further - their system is supposed to allow you to enter the car without hitting any unlock buttons; it detects when you're within a certain proximity of the car, and the doors unlock.

Once inside the car, you don't need to place the key into the "ignition" to start the car. In fact, there's no real "key" - you simply place the fob in your pocket and hit the Start button.

The only problem? It rarely works. As you approach the car, it seldom unlocks. If the key happens to be lodged behind your wallet, the car won't start. It's super frustrating.

Locking the car is even more frustrating, because the car often thinks you've left the key inside of the car while attempting to lock it... even though the fob is in your pocket (or hand), which is outside of the car. So you have to do this "walk away, walk toward the car" game in order to lock it. After playing this game a few hundred times, it grows old.

Number 9: The Lawyers Won.

My particular Prius came equipped with a GPS system, which would normally be a good thing. Except for you can't set or program the GPS while the car is in motion.

"That's smart!" you say? Ok... so, what if you have a passenger with you, and you ask them to find and program a location for gas or food while on your journey? Why can't the passenger program the GPS?

Instead, you have to pull-over, come to a complete stop, and then you can enter in a destination. What's more safe? (a) having your passenger program the destination while you travel at a safe highway speed, or (b) stopping alongside of a highway to program your GPS

My money is on A.

And, the system is "smart enough" to recognize if someone is sitting in the passenger seat... the weight sensor/seat-belt sensor has a hair-trigger - if I set a small bag of groceries on the front seat, the car will ding incessantly until I fasten the passenger seat belt... it thinks there's someone sitting in the front seat that isn't wearing their seat belt, so this church-bell-ringing noise overwhelms everything until you fasten the belt. All for a bag of apples on the front seat...

So, if the car can detect a "passenger" in the front seat, couldn't it then allow you to set the GPS while moving?

No? Thanks Toyota Lawyers.

Number 8: The GPS is Awful

In addition to not being able to program or adjust your destination while on the move, the GPS itself is otherwise nearly useless. It seems to be truly hit-or-miss as to whether or not it will recognize an address as "valid."

I recently had to visit a friend in a city that has been around for at least 100 years. His address was on "Main Street." I entered in the address, and the GPS told me, "No such street exists in this city."

I tried again - same message. So, I searched for a gas station in that town, and wouldn't you know it, the GPS found the gas station. On Main Street.

Most worthless GPS system ever. Glad it was only a $2,000 option.

Number 7: The Voice Recognition System May Be Deaf.

The Prius has a voice recognition system? Oh wow! That's great! You can do things without taking your hands off of the steering wheel, so that has to be safe!

....sigh.... If only it worked.

Here's how the voice recognition experience usually goes:

Me: (presses voice activation button) "72 degrees" (to set the temperature to 72)
Prius: (ding!) "Turning off GPS navigation."

Me: (presses voice activation button again) "seven-teeee-twooooo-degreeeees"
Prius: (ding!) "Setting fan speed to medium"

Me: ARGH! (presses voice activation button again) "sevvvvennnn-teeeeee-twooooo de-"
Prius: (ding!) "That command is not available in this function."

Red-faced and mad, I have to manually navigate to and press the 3 key strokes that it takes to set the temperature to 72 degrees.

The system never works - unless you count successfully raising the driver's blood pressure. Then it works every time.

Number 6: Lawyers Win Again

Whenever you press one of the multi-function screen buttons, the system displays this lengthy legal disclaimer/warning that includes the line, "Watching this screen while driving can cause a serious accident."

Really? So, why do you (Toyota) display this dangerous warning screen for 10+ seconds each time I try to launch a new function? This screen appears when you activate functions that include: using the GPS, setting the climate controls, adjusting the audio functions, or flipping to the "information status" screen.

Lawyers... protecting us from ourselves and failing miserably.

Number 5: The Gas Gauge Lies

Here's my fuel gauge, with 122 miles burned from the tank. It shows 3/4 full:

And here's the gauge again, 80 miles later:

And the problem? It's never accurate. Aside from dropping 3 full bars in 80 miles of travel, the car always lies about how much fuel and/or range you have before running out of fuel. It's 2010, people! Can't we engineer a semi-accurate gas gauge? My freaking wrist watch and phone can pinpoint my location to within a few feet using satellites that are hundreds of miles away and in orbit, but my gas gauge can't determine how much fuel I have in the tank?

Seriously...

Number 4: The Wheels Weld Themselves To The Hub

This one irks me because for a car that has so many "technological and engineering advancements," I'd like to think the folks responsible for those innovations would have a very basic understanding of chemical reactions...

You see, the Prius uses a technology called "regenerative braking" to help charge the batteries when you apply the brakes. Pretty neat, eh? Well, yeah. But, the Prius also uses aluminum wheels with steel hubs. (The hub is the part that the wheel is secured to and held on to with lug nuts)

Anyone who has ever taken grade school chemistry should know about something called Galvanic corrosion. It's a chemical reaction that takes place when electrical charges are introduced between two incompatible metals, such as steel and aluminum. The net result? The pieces basically weld themselves together...

As mentioned, the Prius generates electricity when braking, and as such, the aluminum wheel literally welds itself to the steel hub. Which makes for difficult times when attempting to rotate your tires every 5,000 miles. I literally have to kick the wheels with all of my might (and these legs ride/run/squat/press a lot of weight on a regular basis) to break the wheel free from the hub.

Come on, Toyota...

Number 3: The Window Locks & Door Locks Are Dumb

Door locks and window locks are a good thing, right? Yes, provided they function properly. Unfortunately, when you activate the window locks on the Prius, it prevents everyone from raising or lowering the windows. Including the driver.

And the door locks... the car doesn't auto-lock when you begin moving, nor does it auto-unlock when you park it. Really? My 1992 Beretta did that.

Number 2: The Dashboard - Who Designed This Thing?

Dashboards are supposed to provide valuable information at a glance. But surprise - the Prius doesn't do that.

Rather than share information like engine coolant temperature, oil pressure, or alternator/charging system condition, the Prius proudly tells me such things as whether or not my rear defroster is on, if I have the HVAC system set to auto or manual, if I have my headlights on, or if I have the cruise control activated. It even proudly tells me it's "READY" - meaning the car is on... sigh.

Really? Those things were more important than knowing the status of vital engine components and conditions? Why couldn't the Toyota brain-trust have placed a small indicator light on the rear defrost button itself, rather than displaying it on the dashboard?

And the dashboard design is terrible - it's set extremely far forward on the dash and is right at the base of the windshield, which causes a reflective glare from the speedometer on the windshield at night.

Number 1: The ABS/Traction Control System WILL kill you, eventually.

I couldn't get a photo of the ABS/Traction light while it was on, so I used this representation instead...

Here's the deal. Imagine you're driving on a perfectly flat, perfectly clear, perfectly dry road, and you encounter a stop light. You begin to apply your brakes and slow the car in a controlled manner. Now, assume there is a set of railroad tracks (or some other imperfection, such as a pothole, rut, or some other type of irregularity) that you must cross while approaching the stoplight.

If you have your foot applied on the brake pedal and you encounter an imperfection in the road, the brakes will literally disengage and the car will speed-up until you clear the imperfection. It is truly unnerving and unsettling.

Even though I know it will happen, it still surprises me every single time. It doesn't matter if you press the brakes harder; the system takes over and releases the brakes because I suspect the ABS thinks the car is skidding. It's the least intelligent ABS system I've ever experienced, and it's dangerous.

It's not just me... Google search for "Prius speeds up over bumps while braking" or "Prius brake stutter while braking" and you'll find thousands of complaints about it.

Where are the lawyers now?

Miscellaneous gripes

So, I have a few other miscellaneous complaints - none are really "top 10 worthy" but are gripes nonetheless. Far be it from me to pass on an opportunity to kvetch or complain about something, so here are a few more items to consider:

It's a hybrid

Contrary to popular belief, hybrid technology isn't new. The first hybrid cars existed as far back as the late 1800s, and they used regenerative braking, battery packs, electric motors, and many of the same technological components as today's Prius.

Batteries are bad. They're bad for a number of reasons. They're heavy. They have a very finite life cycle, and WILL need to be replaced at some point. They're toxic to the environment when produced and are toxic to dispose of. To manufacture them, the components are shipped to four continents - how "eco-friendly" is that? The ore is strip-mined in Canada, the ore is refined in China, the cells are assembled in the UK, and the car is built in Japan.

The technology is also extremely finicky and difficult to service. Despite being an ASE-certified technician with seven years experience, there's no way I'd ever attempt to work on the hybrid system myself. And that's both a shame and scary.

The Fuel Bladder Sucks

As I mentioned in a previous entry, the Prius nearly stranded me thanks to the inaccurate gas gauge.

The root cause of this (aside from bad engineering) is likely to be the fuel bladder system that the Prius uses. Rather than using a rigid, fixed volume gas tank, the Prius uses a bladder system, similar to a hot water bottle.

When the bladder becomes cold, it doesn't expand as freely as it does when warm, and as such, the capacity diminishes. So, rather than holding a full 12-gallons of fuel, it may only hold 10.5 when cold... that's more than 60 miles of capacity gone. And for what benefit?

No power outlets or amenities, for that matter

What modern car doesn't have several power outlets? There are two (2) power outlets in the Prius - one located very inconveniently under the dash near the passenger footwell, and one located more inconveniently in the center console. Try having your backseat passengers charge their cell phone while on a road trip... it's comical.

The general lack of amenities is a letdown, especially on a car that cost $31,000. Yep, that's right - my 2009 Prius carried a sticker price of more than $31,000. And at that price, it didn't include heated seats, power seats, or satellite radio. Leather without heated seats is semi-criminal.

It's a Soul Sucker

The Prius may be practical, but it's anything but fun or inspiring. In fact, it's a vampire that slowly erases your identity and suffocates your soul - Twilight has nothing on the Prius. Every trip becomes one mired in tedium. You can't get excited when driving this car. It's an egg on wheels. I dare you to find the words "sexy," "invigorating," "spirited," or "refreshing" and "Prius" used in the same paragraph... the Prius is the ultimate in plain vanilla, milquetoast, dry toast, pasty oatmeal automotive offerings.

So there you have it. The top ten reasons why I literally hate the Prius. So why not get a new car?

There are a couple of reasons... despite the lying gas gauge, I do enjoy the fact that I can drive the car for 9-12 days and only use $28 in fuel.

I do appreciate that I can fit several bicycles in the back; I've hauled a recliner home in it; I moved most of my possessions to the new residence in it... so, yeah - it can hold a few things.

I like the inexpensive car payment and cheap insurance. I guess when you try to insure a car that has 90-horsepower, the insurance Gods shine brightly upon you.

I like that the car is "plain" - it draws no attention from the authorities, and anonymity in that circle is fine by me.

But that's about it... the list of likes is quite a bit shorter than the dislikes... So to address the question about getting another car - the answer is simple: there's nothing that I like better right now.

As I mentioned earlier, I considered several other cars - the Audi A3, A4, or A6 are all near the top of my list for cars that I'd really like to own. But I can't justify a payment that's nearly twice that of the Prius. The same holds true for cars like the Subaru WRX or a gently used Mercedes-Benz or BMW.

I considered a Mini Cooper Clubman, but it was too small to be practical; I couldn't even fit a single bike in it. I looked at the new Malibu, which is gorgeous and nicely appointed, but again, it's a true sedan - no room for a bike or even a larger dog.

Any true sedan or coupe isn't a viable option; sure, they'd be fun, comfortable, and would have more personality, but I'd have to pony-up for and deal with things like bike racks, luggage racks, and so on. Any SUV would provide cargo room, but the fuel costs would eat me alive, and the insurance would be nearly double that of the Prius.

And so I'm stuck with this soul leech. Maybe I need to play PowerBall a little more often...

Another year, another turkey...

2011-11-30T14:31:24Z

I simply cannot believe that an entire year has almost come and gone again. When I was a kid, it seemed as if it took forever for Christmas to come - the 12 months that make up a year just crawled along back then... but today, as I approach 40 years of age, the calendar seems to move faster than the wings of a humming bird on RedBull. Jeepers. I'm not sure that I'm having fun, but time sure does fly - that's for sure.

As has been tradition for the past few years, I made my way down to Arkansas to enjoy some Thanksgiving bird with Amy and the crew (the crew being the dogs and cats). I decided that this year, I would splurge on a "real" turkey.

So, prior to making the 10+ hour drive to Arkansas, I made a 3+ hour drive northwest of Stevens Point to purchase a locally farmed, organically certified, pasture raised (completely - no cages), naturally fed, antibiotic- and hormone-free turkey from the fine folks at Good Earth Farms. While they would've happily shipped the turkey to me, I: (a) wanted to check out the farm, and (b) misunderstood that the turkey was fresh (not frozen).

Upon arrival to the farm, I met the owner, Mike and immediately took a liking to him. He was happy, friendly, and passionate - not only about his farm, but about marathon canoeing (of all things!). When I walked-in to his shipping area, I found him building a canoeing "treadmill" of sorts so that he could keep paddling throughout the winter. We chatted for a good 20-30 minutes before he grabbed a 15-lb turkey for me and sent me on my way. He also had a nice pack of dogs that included some Corgis and a big, old German Shepherd.

I was stoked to have the turkey, even if it was frozen as solid as an asteroid. And believe me when I say it was frozen solid - I transported the turkey 3+ hours back to Madison sans cooler, and the thing didn't even break a sweat.

I spent the next few days thawing the turkey, followed by brining it for 12 hours in a simple stock/salt/sugar solution. After brining, it was time to rinse, dry, oil, stuff it with aromatics, and start roasting.

While the turkey was roasting, I put together my usual sage/sausage/apple/walnut dressing, some garlic-buttermilk mashed potatoes, and giblet gravy (I remove the giblets before serving).

Thanks to a problem with my Polder remote thermometer, the turkey made a premature oven exit (the thermometer said that after 2 hours in the oven, the turkey was at 75F)... of all the times to have a thermometer die, why did it have to be on Thanksgiving day? Perhaps it's the same karma that causes the smoke alarm batteries to always die at around 3:00am...

Because of the thermometer issue, I ended-up pulling the turkey from the oven a little too early... when probed with my backup thermometer, the bird showed an internal breast temperature of nearly 160F, which I felt was sufficient, given that the turkey would rest for 30 minutes and carryover heat would bring it to a safe 165F.

Wrong.

After letting the turkey rest for 30 minutes (and putting the finishing touches on everything else - browning the dressing, bringing together the potatoes, deglazing the roasting pan, scraping the brown bits into the gravy and straining, finishing the corn, and baking the dinner rolls), the internal breast temperature registered a whopping 145F. Yikes - medium rare turkey, anyone?

We chanced it anyway... yeah - we're crazy fearless here. But could you blame us? The turkey looked excellent (I think the way the skin "tore" it looks as if the turkey is wearing a bikini top):

And the dressing was begging to be cut into and spooned onto our plates... never having been a fan of dressing in the past, I feel I missed-out on a ridiculous amount of this starchy, meaty deliciousness.

And so we dug-in. The turkey was divine, but after eating a few slices, common sense (and a desire for self-preservation) prevailed and we decided to return the bird to the hotbox and let it finish to a proper temperature. It took another hour for the bird to reach 160F... no worries, we had stuffed our bellies and were watching the Packers trounce the Lions, so all was good. Here was my plate prior to feasting:

Can you guess which part of the meal is my favorite? :-)

We enjoyed the meal along with a bottle of 1994 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon. I'd been sitting on that bottle since 2000 and decided it was time to uncork it. Wow - absolutely divine. I've got a bunch of other oldies to try at some point, but this one seemed appropriate for the Thanksgiving meal. I can't wait to try my 1989 Cask 23...

After eating to the point of exhaustion, the clean-up crew kicked-in and took care of any leftovers. The cats nibbled on the turkey carcass (as usual), and Monica helped herself to the remnants of my plate:

Oh, Squiddy.

Squid (Monica) is getting so old - we got her from the Great Dane Rescue of North Texas in February of 2002, when she was about 6-8 months old. We estimate she's about 10 right now, and she's showing her age. Her back legs tremble and shake; she doesn't have the strength or coordination that she had a few years ago; her face is grey; and she spends 99% of her day sleeping. It's depressing to know that she won't be around much longer - she is such a dorky, sweet, and wonderfully finicky girl. We joke that she has two hearts and no brain.

The other animals are all doing really well; cats are still as fat as ever, Regis is as crazy and concerned as usual, and Riley's still a pistol.

After our meal, we cleaned the kitchen, went for a walk at the local park/lake (it was nearly 70F outside), and then returned home for... a piece of apple pie. Ugh! And I wonder why my pants don't fit as well as they did 6 months ago.

I met-up with some friends on Friday night and had some great pizza at a local joint called "The Rail - A Pizza Company" (odd name, but great pies), enjoyed a few beverages, and then vowed to get serious about diet and exercise. Saturday came and I was on-plan - running, riding, lifting, and eating sensibly. So far, so good. We'll see if I can keep it up through the end of the year.

Heck, with as fast as the calendar scrolls along, you'd think it wouldn't be difficult to commit to a year's worth of clean eating and living, right?

Fish Fry Review: Dexter's Pub (November 2011)

2011-11-22T04:04:37Z

I've been sitting on this review for a while, because I'm struggling with what to say, and how to say it. You may recall that I previously reviewed Dexter's Pub and had mixed feelings - the service was a bit lacking, but the fish was tasty; overall, a win.

Since the time of that review, I have returned to Dexter's many, many times. Simply put, I love the place. It's definitely a haul for me to head to Dexter's - depending on traffic, it can be a 25-30 minute drive each way. But it's worth it. The staff is outstanding - from the owner, Nick, to every single member of his team, everyone is friendly, helpful, accommodating, and super attentive. With the exception of that first visit way back in January of 2010, the Dexter's staff have never once faltered. They are true A-players.

Dexter's beer selection is amongst the best I've ever seen. Nick is a true beer geek, and knows how to select some of the most interesting, intriguing, and delicious microbrews from around the world. I've sampled some truly amazing beers over the past two years, nearly all compliments of Dexter's. Nick and his crew serve said beverages in the appropriate glassware, at the appropriate temperature - an extra nice touch, and evidence of their commitment to honoring the beer they so proudly serve.

Dexter's food is incredible - I'm a HUGE fan of their hummus plate (it features an IPA-infused hummus with a selection of fresh veggies and crispy naan). Even if you're not a fan of hummus, I strongly urge you to give it a try. It is that awesome.

Their Santa Fe chicken salad is another favorite of mine; the burgers never disappoint, the pizza is homemade and scrumptious, and the soups are inventive and phenomenal. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Dexter's knows how to make seriously good food. It's far from your typical bar food - this is true gastropub fare.

So, why the struggle?

I've had the fish fry several times now, and it hasn't consistently wowed me like the rest of the food has. It's been really good on several occasions - really good. But it's also been average on several occasions. In talking with Nick, he indicated that it's been difficult to source consistent fish - he's very picky about the fish he selects, and that shows.

The actual fish has never been my issue - the fish (cod, walleye, and perch) have always been truly excellent. Fresh, firm, slightly meaty, never too fishy, and plenty moist. I have zero complaints with the fish by its lonesome.

Where I've had mixed results is with the batter and preparation. The past few visits have resulted in a rather greasy fish fry; on this last visit, I sampled the deep fried cod, the deep fried perch, and the pan seared walleye. Of the three, the only one that wasn't spongy with grease was the walleye - it stole the show that night. Here's a picture of the wonderful pan fried walleye:

I'm not sure if the fryer temps dropped, or if the fish sat for a bit after being cooked, but on the past two visits, the cod and perch looked absolutely incredible on the plate, with perfect amounts of Dexter's infamous batter and breading. But upon first cut, those batters secreted unacceptable amounts of grease from their battery pores. I'm a fanatic for non-greasy fish, which is why I was semi-disappointed.

Now don't get me wrong - this is still a fantastic fish fry by any measure. In any other arena, it would be a top 10 fish fry. But with two of the last three visits resulting in a greasier than average fish fry, I have to rank it outside of the top 10. I really wanted to see Dexter's land in the top 10, but for now, I have to place it outside of the top 10.

Again - the breaded perch and battered cod are outstanding fish offerings. The perch features what appears to be a cornmeal-based breading that boasts a hint of salt and pepper flavor. The breading is thin, and it clings to the meaty perch with a kung-fu grip. The perch is tasty, firm, and offers the perfect amount of "chewiness" that a quality perch should. When things are "on," there's no sign of excess grease, and the fish fry is impeccable. Paired with Dexter's signature (and literally-to-die-for) waffle fries, the dynamic duo are a solid option. Here's the lake perch plate, with another solid side: onion rings. On this particular evening, the perch offering was a bit on the skimpy side:

The battered cod is served three filets to a plate. The oblong filets are substantially thicker and more meaty than the perch. The delicately-flavored white fish has always been moist, flaky, and sinfully smooth. The bubbly beer batter features a similar salt-and-pepper flavor with hints of a third spice that I can't quite place. Just like the breading on the perch, this beer batter has a death grip on the cod filets - it clings and won't let go, which is a rare feat in the world of fish frys. On this particular visit, I was racing so fast to devour the fish before the grease really released, that I forgot to take a picture until I was half-way through the meal... apologies for showing my half-eaten plate:

So there you have it. Not my typical review, but Dexter's isn't your typical place. It is easily one of my favorite places to eat, drink, socialize, and visit. There's nothing on the menu that isn't beyond superb. You could throw a dart at the menu and you'd love whatever it landed on. You'll also love the staff - they're always smiling, always helpful, and always right on the money.

Give the fish a try. If it's "on" - it'll be ON, and you'll enjoy the best fish fry of your life. If it's "off" - it'll still be better than most fish frys. It'll just give you an excuse to have to return and try it again.

No one is perfect 100% of the time. Dexter's comes close. It's sort of like being "disappointed" when Aaron Rodgers plays a game where he only completes 89% of his passes and barely eclipses 300 yards with just 2 touchdown tosses. In anybody else's world, that would be an MVP performance...

Summary: Dexter's Pub = WIN

Food = 4.25 stars (even when the fish is average, it's still worthy of 3+ stars)
Service = 5 stars
Value = 3.75 stars (the perch portions have been a bit light lately)
MISC = 5 stars (great atmosphere, friendly patrons, good jukebox, comfy & clean)

Trust me when I say you must try this fish fry. Oh, and another tip: try their chili. It is another hidden gem on their menu. It's hearty, chock-full of meat and veggies, and it's got a consistent heat with just enough zip to keep your taste buds alert and slightly nervous. :-) You'll love it.

Changing-up the workouts

2011-11-13T22:58:44Z

I don't think it's any secret that I've been in a workout rut for the past few months - I've lost all (and I mean all) motivation to run and/or ride... I can barely crank out 2-3 hours on the bike per week, and I'm lucky to run 3 miles every other day. I'm just so bored, frustrated, and sick of riding/running...

So, I figured I would try some new things. My boss uses "TRX" straps at his gym and really seems to like them, so I ordered a set for myself from Amazon.com, along with a Bosu ball.

Both items are designed to leverage your bodyweight and instability to provide a challenging, portable workout with minimal equipment. I watched a ton of videos online about TRX and Bosu training routines and found 6-8 exercises that seemed intriguing. The items arrived last week and I set them up in the basement:

And I'm pleased/shocked/surprised to say they're both pretty impressive items. The Jungle Gym straps are sweet - I do incline "push-ups" with them, rows, curls, pull-ups, and squats - all with my bodyweight providing resistance. I tried doing some "raised leg lunges" with the straps, but holy cow - talk about impossible. I'll have to improve my core strength before I try those again...

The Bosu ball is cool because it can be used upright (as shown in the photo above) to do exercises like crunches, stability work, push-ups, and other core work, all of which is extremely challenging when you introduce the Bosu ball. I laugh each time I try something new on it, simply because of how difficult it is to be smooth/fluid/balanced on that thing.

You can also flip the Bosu ball "upside down" as shown here, and stand on the platform while doing things like squats and lunges.

Thank goodness the basement has those poles and that big I-beam; both work really well for these exercises - I hang the straps from the I-beam and use the pole to assist with stepping on/off the Bosu ball.

25 minutes of reps on the Bosu and straps burns nearly 300 calories; I keep my pace up, and don't rest between sets. Combine that with some running and some biking, and maybe I'll be able to keep myself from packing on the holiday pounds. Although, in the long run, I've really got to find my motivation to get on a regular run/ride schedule...

And, in other news, I did another transport last week, although my cargo was rather small. I hauled a few Chihuahuas for one of the volunteer rescue groups. I'm really digging those little guys - they're so small and sweet. Here they are conked out in the back of the car:

Happy Halloween

2011-11-05T20:14:30Z

Halloween was last weekend, and that meant it was time to bust out the beard that I'd been working so diligently to grow and groom for the past few months. I've never been one to make a big deal out of halloween, so I can't really explain what got into me on this all-hallows-eve to drive such a desire to whoop-it-up while costumed.

My goal was to go as Brian Wilson, aka "the closer," aka "b-weez," aka "the machine" - my favorite all-star relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. You may have seen him on television recently, staring in commercials for Taco Bell as "the closer" who comes in to assist hapless border-eaters finish the new XXL Chalupa (link to Taco Bell Black Ops commercial)... he's hilarious for a number of reasons, but I think I like him most because he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. He'll happily make a spectacle of himself if it means getting a laugh or a rise out of someone. Oh, and he's a pretty decent pitcher and a pretty B.A. dude.

I spent a few weeks gathering gear for the costume. Some online shopping netted a jersey, grey baseball pants, orange-and-black shoes, and a Giants baseball hat. A trip to the local sporting goods store yielded a black baseball glove (I'm embarrassed to report that I didn't previously own a baseball glove), and a final trip to the Oakley store resulted in a set of dark black shades.

I made an appointment for some hair color and a cut, and before I knew it, the transformation was complete:

Yep - mohawk and all. Told you I went "all in" on the costume effort. :-)

(That's me on the left, at the incredibly busy State Street Freakfest party - more on that in a bit)

Saturday morning arrived, and I ran in the Haunted Hustle, a local 10K event (that also featured a half-marathon and a full-marathon). I originally planned to run the half-marathon, but I'm really struggling with consistency and distance with my running... I've basically sluffed-off for the past few months, running 3-4 miles per day, 4-5 days per week... ugh. As a result, I've gained about 15-pounds and have lost a lot of motivation. I've got to find my mojo again, but enough complaining...

On Saturday evening, one of the local bars was having a costume contest, so I decided to join some friends there to watch the Badger football game and enjoy the various costumes and antics. There were some absolutely amazing costumes, including a set of four "Hungry Hungry Hippos," a couple that were dressed as Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, and a ton of Clay Matthews.

One of the best costumes came by way of an employee of the bar, who dressed-up as the owner of the bar. He even shaved a bald spot into his head - talk about dedication!!

Here's me, with the owner of the bar:

And here I am with Chad, dressed as the owner of the bar (the theme for the night was "Disco and the 70s," which is why Chad is dressed as a Saturday Night Fever incarnation of Joel):

Every time I see that photo, it cracks me up... Another photo that has brought joy to my otherwise cold and calloused heart is this one - it's of me with the first place prize (a nice cash gift) for the costume contest. Yep, that's right - I won first place in the costume contest! w00t!

My pockets flush with cash, I decided it might be fun to venture down to Madison's most infamous Halloween gathering - Freakfest. Freakfest is a public costume party that's held on State Street, and attracts anywhere between 25,000 and 100,000 people each year. It had earned a reputation for violence and debauchery, but has since been cleaned-up dramatically. I'm pleased to announce that this year was extremely calm - I witnessed nothing illegal or violent.

With my ticket firmly in hand, I waded my way through the thousands of people, nearly all of whom were dressed in some type of costume. I started near the capital square and worked my way west toward the university plaza. Along the way, I was stopped at least 100 times to take pictures with various people - everyone knew me as "the Taco Bell guy" or "the Closer." It was sort of crazy. I even took pictures with Madison police officers (at their request)!

It took me nearly 2 hours to work my way down State Street; once at the bottom, I listened to a band that was playing near the State Street Brats bar/restaurant, and then decided to head home. On my way back to the car (I decided to avoid State Street and instead walked up Langdon), I ran into another Brian Wilson fan - this guy was wearing the spandex suit that Wilson wore to the ESPYs, but had a fake beard and a fake 'hawk. I'll still give him points for the effort:

In addition to the costume contest and State Street, I was also invited to a party at Mike and Ginger's house. I spent most of the summer riding my bike with Mike and Ginger - they're both members of the Capital Brewery Cycling Club, and we became pretty decent friends as a result. They graciously invited me to their house for a costume party, and I was totally excited to attend.

Here's Mike and me, posing rather goofily. I think his costume gave me a touch of vertigo!

Mike's wife, Ginger, was dressed as a Queen from a chess game, so together they were a Chess Queen and Chess Board.

Even their dog, Roux, got involved with the party:

Mike and Ginger are great folks, but they're even greater because they know how to throw a party. They had an incredible spread of goodies - everything from roasted red pepper hummus with pita chips to sweet potato chips to hot apple cider, and these awesome cupcakes that were made to look like owls thanks to the creative inclusion of Oreos, Runts, and Junior Mints:

And check out this salsa/taco salad - it featured a tomatillo-and-black-bean salsa, along with lettuce, pico de gallo, and cheese. It was super tasty:

Monday rolled around (the actual Halloween holiday), and at literally the very last moment (around 4:15pm), I decided to hand out candy from the house. I invited a few co-workers over to help, we ran to Target for bags of candy, and then set-up in the garage. One of them had a great idea - why not provide treats for parents as well? So, we whipped-up some "spiked" pineapple and threw a few tall-boys in the fridge.

We set-up a table in the garage, cranked-up the space heater, and got ready for the hordes of trick-or-treaters:

...and about 3 kids showed-up. Apparently the house is located on "the wrong side" of a major road that kids don't really like to cross (and I don't blame them - I hate running alongside it as well). So, we called another co-worker who lived just down the road and decided to combine our efforts at his place. We packed-up our things, met with Chris, and proceeded to run out of candy within about 20 minutes. We spent the rest of the evening standing near a roaring fire-pit, greeting trick-or-treaters, and shooting the bull until it became too cold to be outside.

So there you have it - Halloween 2011 in a nutshell. Now I just need my hair to grow out a bit so that I don't feel like such a spectacle, and all will be normal again.

Fish Fry Review: Klassik Tavern, Verona, WI

2011-10-30T15:29:30Z

It's been a while since I've done a proper fish fry review, so when a few friends extended an invitation to venture over to the Klassik Tavern in Verona, I jumped at the chance. I had been eating cleanly for a while and felt that a fish fry was warranted and justified (or at least that's what I told myself). :-)

The Klassik was previously known as "The Cozee Inn," and is located directly below the Verona water tower, across the street from Michael's Frozen Custard (a deadly combination for someone like me). Upon arriving, we noticed the packed parking lot and the mixed brick/white siding exterior - a good sign that we were venturing into more of a supper club than a tavern.

After a quick check-in at the hostess station we were invited to wait in the bar; our table would be ready in 15-20 minutes - not bad for a busy Friday night. We wandered into the bar, which featured low ceilings, classic vinyl covered, "bucket" bar stools, and a few flat screen televisions.

Tap offerings were slim; I spied taps from Capital, New Glarus, and Great Lakes. We found a 4-top high table near one of the Klassik's large bay windows and waited for the hostess to call our name. As mentioned, the place was busy, fairly loud, but comfy - I really liked the vibe of the place, as it was "homey" and welcoming. I believe an owner or manager came over and chatted with us for a bit, and was extremely nice. That's a theme that would carry throughout the experience - everyone we encountered was exceptionally friendly and helpful.

After 10-15 minutes of waiting, we were promptly seated at a table in one of the small, L-shaped dining room's corners. Two servers appeared with water glasses and a dinner roll. The dinner roll was obviously "from the bag," but wasn't too bad. The non-frozen-butter-pats were a welcomed touch.

A cheery waitress appeared within seconds of our rolls and water arriving, and informed us of the fish specials, which included cod (fried or baked), lake perch, and walleye. We pondered our choices, and settled on two orders of lake perch and one order of fried cod. I inquired about the old fashioneds, and was warned that the Klassik did not muddle, nor did it use Squirt, so I passed. After some light small talk, our waitress scurried off to the kitchen, our fish orders in hand.

I had also ordered a side salad, which arrived almost immediately after our waitress left the table. The place was fast, if nothing else!

The side salad was rather plain - a simple wedge of iceberg lettuce, a few leaves of spinach, a lone tomato chunk, and a lone (and rather thin) slice of cucumber. I'm not sure if it was worth an extra $1.95, but I've had worse salads, that's for sure.

I had no sooner finished the salad when our fish plates arrived. Chris and Sheila (friends from work) had selected the lake perch. Their plates featured a few filets of lightly breaded perch, with nary a sign of grease.

Sheila went with the baked potato (as shown above), while Chris opted for the hashbrowns, which featured a really nice char/sear, and had hints of onion scattered throughout. I'm told the hashbrowns were great, and so was the coleslaw, which we all agreed appeared to be homemade.

The perch received good remarks; it wasn't out-of-this-world great, but was a solid effort. The breading was light, slightly crisp, and featured a slight hint of salt and pepper.

My cod plate hosted 4 "chunks" of battered cod and a small pile of matchstick french fries:

The batter was on the heavy side, which I don't mind. I do mind grease, however, and when I cut into my cod, I was shocked to find puddles of grease readily emerging from between the batter and the cod.

Adding insult to injury, the thick, inflexible batter didn't cling to the cod; it easily separated from the fish, thanks in part to the flaky nature of the cod. This allowed grease to pool between the cod and the batter.

The cod itself was good. The flavor of the batter was decent - just slightly salty, although after a few bites, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to the flavor of something like a Vande Kemps boxed-fish-batter.

All things considered, the puddles of grease, heavy batter (with separation), and smallish portions made for a less than stellar experience. The generously salted fries were served slightly cool; they had been sitting in a bin for a bit, no doubt.

Our waitress was absent throughout most of the meal, but we didn't really need anything, so I'm wondering if she realized we were doing OK and left us to our conversations. She was always helpful, friendly, and engaging, which we really enjoyed.

After finishing our meals, we were asked about dessert and strongly considered a slice of cheesecake, but opted to pass. Checks arrived; my bill was $17 for the fish, side salad, and a Great Lakes beer. A bit steep, given the experience.

Klassik Supper Club = MEH

Food = 2.5 stars (pedestrian)
Service = 3.5 stars (a bit absent, but helpful and nice)
Value = 2.5 stars (a bit pricey)
MISC = 3.25 stars (comfy feel, great staff)

Summary: The place is comfortable, the staff is friendly, and I could see myself swinging by every so often for dinner. The cod and perch looked great, but ultimately failed to deliver "winning" results - they were both ordinary at best. The coolish fries and the greasy (yet piping hot) cod were downfalls, especially for the price. Not a bad choice for a fish fry, but it wouldn't be my "go to" place when looking to impress.

LiveStrong Challenge - Austin 2011

2011-10-22T17:22:27Z

Our author approaches a dusty, soot-covered blog, takes a deep breath, blows away the superficial layer of debris, and with a broad, sweeping motion, clears the remaining dust from his beloved blog...

...cough, cough... ...sneeze... ...cough...

Ahh. There we go. Holy cats, people - I have been quite neglectful of my blog. Can you believe it's been nearly a month since the last entry? Wow. What's the excuse?

None, really - yeah, I've been a little busy, but I've mostly been lazy with respect to paying attention to the computer. I've barely been checking my home e-mail, let alone thinking of witty and interesting blog entries. :-)

So... you may recall from a previous entry that my boss and friend Steve had put together a team to participate in the LiveStrong Austin Challenge. He did an amazing job of building an excellent team, and together, our team raised more than $9,000 for the event. That number put us in the top 35 teams in terms of money raised for the event!

Each of us ponied-up the money to book our own hotel rooms, fly to Austin, and participate in the Challenge. With 20 people on our team, this was quite a commitment, and a testament to Steve's charismatic style - he was able to recruit 20 truly excellent people and get them to train, fundraise, and travel for the event. Kudos to everyone!

With the money raised, our flights and hotels booked, and our legs conditioned, there was only one thing remaining - participating in the actual event. The Livestrong organization sponsors 13 challenge events, from 5K races to bike rides to marathons to ski events; they're held at various cities around the country. Steve targeted the October 15th Austin event, as it was his wife's goal to participate in this challenge before she passed. We raced the event in her honor.

Steve, his mom (Judy), his daughter (Claire), his son (Will), and I drove to Milwaukee on Thursday night so that we could catch a semi-decent night's sleep prior to flying to Austin early on Friday morning. We booked rooms at the lovely Super 8 near the airport and hunkered-in for the evening.

I'm not much for hotels... They feel dirty to me, I worry about bedbugs, I can hear all of the activity taking place in adjacent rooms, and I don't generally sleep well because I'm afraid I'll oversleep and miss a flight/meeting/commitment. And Thursday night was no different... I was in my room by 8:30pm, wiped-down the entire room with Lysol wipes, scoured the bed for bugs, and proceeded to lie wide awake until 3:45am.

The alarm went off at 4:30am, so I scored a solid 45 minutes of "sleep." Ahhh.

We made our way to the airport, where we met Dan (Steve's trainer and friend) before heading to our departure gate. We flew to Kansas City, where we picked-up Steve's mother-in-law (Jeanette) and her two friends (Lea and Ariel). The nine of us boarded a flight in KC and flew to Austin, where we landed at around 11:30am.

We picked-up rental cars (a Dodge Grand Caravan and a Chevrolet Traverse) and then set about finding a lunch spot. We were all starving, as none of us had eaten since well before sunrise. Unfortunately, there was a slight miscommunication, and one group went to the hotel, while Steve, Judy, Claire, Will and I went to Whole Foods for lunch.

The Austin Whole Foods is amazing - it's massive, and it has a ton of unique food offerings, all of which are made to order. I opted for my old-time favorite, grilled chicken tacos on corn tortillas:

With our bellies full, we made our way back to the hotel. We checked-in, and then walked down to the LiveStrong village. The LiveStrong village served as "ground zero" for the Challenge weekend.

We picked-up our race packets, and here's where the story gets really interesting. :-)

The LiveStrong Challenge weekend consists of two primary events - a 5K run/walk on Saturday, and an optional bike ride on Sunday. The bike ride offered 4 distances: 20-mile, 45-mile, 65-mile, and 90-mile options. To participate in the bike ride, you had to pay an additional entry fee ($125) and raise at least $250 for the event. You also had to supply your own bike.

If you were able to meet those criteria, you were afforded the opportunity to ride with Lance Armstrong, provided you were up for the 45-, 65-, or 90-mile routes (the 20-mile ride took a different route from the longer rides).

I paid the entry fee and raised enough money (I think my total raised was about $1875, thanks to the MidTown Pub fundraiser event), but at the last minute, decided to not pack and fly any of my bikes down for fear of having them damaged in transit. It was a bit of a let-down, but I really didn't want to have anything get damaged by either the TSA or the airline.

I mentioned that Steve is charismatic and resourceful... It turns out that he was contacted just prior to our event by the CEO of LiveStrong.

The CEO (Doug) mentioned that he (Doug) was looking forward to meeting Steve and his family and asked if there was anything he could do to help us out. Steve casually mentioned that I wasn't going to ride as I didn't want to travel with my bike. Doug said he would try to find a bike for me to use.

A day before we were due to arrive in Austin, Doug told Steve that he found a bike for me to use; all I had to do was walk over to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop and tell them that there was a bike waiting for me to use for the Challenge. Please note that Mellow Johnny's is Lance Armstrong's bike shop, and nearly everyone that works at the shop is involved in one way or another with Team Radio Shack/Trek/Lance Armstrong.

So imagine my shock when I walked into Mellow Johnny's and said, "Hi, I'm here to pick up a bike for the Challenge," and their response was, "We don't have a bike listed for you here."

Again... no big deal. I figured it wasn't meant to be, and I would enjoy the weekend no matter what. As I browsed around the shop looking at t-shirts, jerseys, and cool gadgets, the head mechanic for the shop came up and asked if I was "Doug's friend, Steve." I said that I was. He said, "We have a bike for you - it's in our VIP vault and it will be up here in a minute."

I wasn't sure what that meant, but anytime someone uses the words "VIP" and "vault," you know it's going to be good. And sure enough, within 5-10 minutes, a bike was presented to me by one of the mechanics.

That, my friends, is a 2011 Trek Madone 6.9 that belongs to Andreas Kloden. Andreas rode THIS ACTUAL BIKE in the 2011 Tour de France. No lie.

I became light-headed and faint; I was going to be riding a hand-built, custom-spec'd, uber-bike that was used in the Tour de France by a pro-rider for Team Trek. Holy cats - Steve, you are THE MAN. I pinched myself about 300 times as the mechanics did their best to set-up the bike to my needs. Here it is on the work stand as one of the mechanics swaps out the stem for a slightly shorter one:

I chatted with the mechanic as he worked on the bike, and asked him, "Is this seriously Kloden's bike? I mean, it's a replica, right? Not the actual Tour bike - it can't be."

The mechanic said, "I was on the 2011 Tour team; I did support and set-up for the team this year, and I can tell you that I worked on this very bike for the entire Tour. It is the real deal - it's Klodie's bike - chips, scars, and all."

WOW.

"Any idea what this bike is worth?" I asked.

"In tour form, with aero wheels and carbon bars, probably around $20,000. As it sits now? Probably around $15,000, give or take. Did you need aero wheels?"

"No, I think I'll be OK with these," I said, my mouth dry. This bike cost more than my car, and it weighed half of what a bag of kitty litter does... in full race form, it tips the scales at 14-pounds. My Cervelo R3, for comparison, weighs-in at 16-pounds. A 2-lb difference is huge when it comes to biking - it's nearly impossible to shed 2-lbs from a race bike... I can't imagine what tricks and goodies Kloden's bike featured.

After about 20 minutes, the bike was "ready" for me. I wasn't picky - they offered to do a proper fitting, but I was so floored with the scenario that I said everything would be fine as was. Beaming from ear-to-ear, I met-up with Steve and we walked back to the hotel.

Once back at the hotel, I took a few more photos of the ride - here you can see Kloden's name affixed to the frame:

And here's one more side-view of it. What an amazing marvel of engineering and fabrication - pure carbon fiber with the best-of-the-best components. Wow.

I took the bike up to my room, salivated over it for a few more minutes, and then laced-up my running shoes and went for a pre-dinner run. It was so great to be back in familiar territory - I ran just over 6-miles on some of the world's greatest running trails compliments of Barton Springs Trail. This is where I spent every single morning while I lived in Austin; 6 miles each morning alongside the gorgeous Lady Bird Lake. The miles flew by, and before I knew it, it was time for dinner.

Our group assembled in the lobby, and we walked down to an awesome little Tex-Mex restaurant, where we enjoyed a wide variety of Austin specialities. From table-made guacamole to street tacos to enchiladas, we feasted like kings and queens. Steve generously picked-up the tab for our entire group - I can't imagine what it cost, but thank you again. The sun was fully set, and most of us went back to the hotel to get some sleep.

Dan (Steve's trainer and friend) and I went carousing around the town for a bit - we had a drink at a roof-top bar, and then wandered down 6th Street, watching people and listening to bands along the way. At around midnight we decided to call it an evening - the race would start at 8:00am, and neither of us had slept more than an hour the night before.

Race morning came, and our team quickly took control of the hotel lobby.

Our plan was to meet in the lobby by 7:15, at which point we would make the short walk to the starting line as a group. The event organizers requested that we all be ready to go by 7:45am - the race would start at 8:00am from the 1st Street bridge.

Claire, Steve's daughter, was up-and-at-em - here she is in her team shirt with race number proudly affixed:

And here are Lea and Ariel (with Wendy in the background) getting ready to make their way to the starting line. We all looked pretty good, considering it was 7:15 am and most of us were operating on little sleep.

Someone had a great idea to ask the hotel staff to take a picture of our group; I'm glad they did, because this is the only picture I could find of our entire team. We're all in our team t-shirts and ready to run (or walk):

Our team made its way to the starting line; the weather was phenomenal. Here you can see the sun just rising over Lady Bird Lake. Any questions as to why I so enjoyed running in this area?

We arrived in perfect time; the organizers were sharing details about the race, thanking sponsors, and providing information about the event. There were more than 2500 runners and walkers, all of whom raised more than $2.3 million for the event.

Steve, Dan, and I posed for a pre-race photo - you can see the Four Seasons behind us, and you can see my "new look" - yep, that's a full-fledged beard on my mug.

I started growing the beard on a whim, and then decided that I would stick with it until I had a full Brian Wilson beard (from the San Francisco Giants)... for those not familiar with Brian Wilson, he's a reliever for the Giants. He helped them win the 2010 World Series, but he's best known for his crazy beard and antics. Here he is at the 2011 ESPY awards:

And here he is, on the mound during a game:

Truth be told, I hate the beard. It's bothersome, it makes my face look fat (although that may have more to do with my steady diet of donuts, cookies, and other bad foods), and it's just plain ugly. But, I'm sticking with it until at least Halloween... we'll see what happens from there. Back to the race...

At 8:00am, they sung the national anthem, and after shedding a few tears (it was a moving moment - remembering why we were there, what we were doing, and all of those who have battled with, lost to, and/or continue to battle cancer), I snapped two last pre-race photos. You can see the number of folks that were in attendance:

Seconds after snapping the photos, we were off.

The race wasn't "staged" by pace, so we had to navigate our way through the crowds of people in an effort to find some open running room. For the first 5-6 minutes, we struggled to average a 12-minute mile; there was a lot of stopping/starting/weaving as we weaved in-and-out of people. We also ran into Doug (the CEO of Livestrong) and talked to him for a minute or two. I thanked him profusely for his help with the bike...

And then we were truly off-and-running. I snapped a photo as we ran our way up Congress Avenue:

And someone in our group took this awesome photo "down" Congress - I'm not sure who took the photo, but it turned out really great (it may have been Wendy?). You can see the runners and the capital of Texas in the background. With the morning light, it's a really cool photo:

Steve, Dan, and I ran our way to the finish line with a finishing time of 27-minutes on the dot. Factor in the 5-6 minutes we lost during the beginning, and our pace was very respectable. It was Steve's first 5K, and any sub-30 minute time is truly impressive. After crossing the finish line, we turned around and ran the course backward in an attempt to find the rest of our team.

We found the crew and joined them for a return to the finish line. Here's Steve's mom (Judy), his niece (McKenzie), and his sister-in-law (Julie):

Julie and McKenzie ran the race as well - they finished in 25-minutes, which is totally awesome. They also ran back to find the group, and I happened to snap this picture as they were returning to the finish with our group. Great race, you two!

With about half-a-mile to the finish, Claire decided she wanted Steve to put her on his shoulders and run to the finish. Steve hoisted her onto his shoulders and with some help from Martha (a friend of Steve's family), Steve, Claire, Will, and Martha all made a speedy b-line to the finish:

Here's Steve and his kids after the race:

What a great event. Everyone did a wonderful job of finishing the race; we were slightly hungry, so we decided to make our way back to the LiveStrong village with the hope of scoring some breakfast grub.

Here's our group as we made the trek back to the village:

We arrived to the village, only to discover they didn't have any food. While there was a post-race meal, the meal was on Sunday (after the bike ride). D'OH!

We debated about where to go, and finally settled on another round of Whole Foods. I enjoyed some scrambled eggs with spinach and mushrooms, a small piece of pork sausage, a biscuit, and some cookies. I'm telling you, the Austin Whole Foods is simply awesome. I love that place!

Bellies full and legs well-run, we made our way back to the hotel, where thanks to another one of Steve's connections, we had plenty of ice cold beverages and snacks waiting for us. We settled-in at the hotel's pool, where we snacked and drank while watching the Badger football game and socializing with one another.

After enjoying more than our fair share of beverages (and Cheetos), we decided to head over to the infamous Allens Boots. Allens is where I purchased my very own pair of cowboy boots a few years ago - it's the Mecca of boots and western wear, and is a must-see place when in Austin.

Here's a peek inside of Allens... this is a row of boots - men's size 12. Yep, every boot in that row is size 12.

A few people bought boots; Steve bought some boots, some shirts, and cowboy hats for us. Here we are leaving Allens; I've got Will (Steve's son) with me. Yes, he got a hat but wasn't wearing it at the time of this picture:

Man, that beard is hideous. :-D

We stopped at Sugar Mama's for some cupcakes, and then made our way back to the hotel, where we prepped for dinner. I hit the trail for a quick run, hopped in the shower, and then led our group to the infamous Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Que for some traditional Texas barbeque.

The line was huge - the place was absolutely packed (I think it took us 30-45 minutes to get through the line to place our orders):

But the wait was well worth it. I had some brisket, some pork tenderloin, and a jalapeno sausage link. Yum - just look at the smoke ring on that pork!

After eating at Rudy's, we returned to the hotel, and then hit Austin's 6th Street to celebrate the events of the day. For those not familiar, 6th Street is essentially one big party - it's 10-12 blocks worth of bars and bistros, all with tons of live music. Without exaggerating, nearly every single bar has a live band, and between every bar is a small food stand, with offerings that include pizza, bbq, brats, fish-n-chips, tacos, and more.

We wandered-in to Camino el Casino, where we enjoyed a few beverages - primarily PBR and scotch (Steve's favorites). Here's part of our group raising a toast to the great weekend:

From left to right, it's: Steve, me, Dan, Tamara, and Wendy.

From Casino, we wandered down 6th Street, encountering Ferraris, Bentleys, Jaguars, Aston Martins, and a few Audi R8s along the way. Austin loves its exotic cars!

The crowds became heavier and heavier, and at 9:00pm, Austin closes 6th street to cars. Here's what the streets looked like as we made our way down to Molotov, another one of 6th Street's clubs:

I'm not sure what was more crowded and difficult to navigate - the 5K or this bar-scene-turned-street-party?

We shimmied our way into Molotov, scored a booth, and did our fair share of people watching (and commentating). Wendy and Tamara bought us a round of drinks; a kind waitress took another group photo for us. Here we are, about to call it a night - we were all tired and ready to call it an evening:

From left-to-right, it's: Dan, Julie, Steve, Tamara, Wendy, me.

Shortly after that photo, we walked the 1.2 miles back to our hotel, where I found a little friend waiting for us. Apparently our hotel had a "house dog" that served as an ambassador to the place. He was a super nice, extremely mellow yellow lab. I never caught his name, but I liked him nonetheless.

Sunday morning arrived, and I was up, dressed, and ready to roll by 6:00am. The bike ride was scheduled to start at 7:00am, but thanks to the large number of participants (4300), the event was moved (literally at the last minute) to a location about 30-miles west of Austin.

I hopped-in the van and made my way west. With about 5 miles to go until I reached the destination, traffic came to an abrupt halt. After not moving more than 200 yards in 15 minutes, I started to get nervous - it was 6:45am, and I was still at least 4.5 miles from the start of the ride. Judging from the traffic around me, I could tell that everyone was heading to the same place - the start of the ride...

I waited in traffic for another 5-10 minutes before making an executive decision. There was no way I would make it to the start, and the idea of riding an unknown course (without a map), on an expensive bike, with 4000 other people sounded worse and worse. So, I pulled a U-turn and headed back to Austin.

I figured I would park near my old Trigger Point office and ride my familiar roads. I wouldn't be "riding with Lance," but at least I'd get to ride this amazing bike in a familiar and comfortable environment.

I parked the van, unloaded my bike and hit the roads of what is known as "Austin Hill Country." The views are amazing:

I rode the beast of a bike for a solid 40 miles, and it was awesome. The bike was so stiff, so fast, so silent, and yet so smooth. It was absolutely effortless to ride it - the shifting was seamless, and it accelerated like nothing else. I had a "loop" that I had ridden countless times on my Cervelo and knew that it would take approximately 48 minutes to complete. With the Trek, I finished it in 44 (and some change). I'm sure some of it was due to excitement, but I think a lot of it had to do with how efficient that bike was.

After the loop, I rode through some familiar neighborhoods and on some back roads. I stopped and took a picture along the way, just so that I would never forget this incredible experience:

Tour. de. France. Actual. Team. Bike. Oh. My. God.

After nearly 3-hours in the saddle, I returned back to the van and drove back to Mellow Johnny's, where I reluctantly returned the bike to its rightful owners. They removed my pedals; I thanked them again, and then went back to the hotel.

We watched the Packers beat the Rams, and then went out for dinner at Z Tejas, another Austin mainstay for upscale tex-mex cuisine. Most of our group opted for enchiladas, tacos, or burritos. I went with the daily special - sea scallops with chimichurri sauce and asparagus:

Sunday night was rather quiet; we were all quite tired from the previous night, and I was tired from my long ride. Monday morning came along, and it was time to pack and head to the airport.

Here's Judy (Steve's mom) and Claire - notice the pink cowboy boots:

Our return flights were uneventful, although they did run behind... we got delayed in KC for over an hour, and then had to take an alternate route from KC to Milwaukee because of some weather concerns. But, we landed safely. Back in Wisconsin, we stopped at Rocky Rococo's for some pizza, and then parted ways.

Back home, I unpacked my things and remembered that I scored a few goodies from the event. Because I raised more than $1,800, my goodie bag included a few extra items like this Nike LiveStrong backpack and Team LiveStrong hat:

Because Steve raised more than $4,000, he received a backpack, hat, and a LiveStrong team cycling jersey - talk about cool!

And there you have it. It was a great weekend spent for a great cause and honoring an even greater person. I truly enjoyed meeting everyone that was at the event, and I can't thank Steve, Doug, and the Mellow Johnny's people enough for the bike. I owe everyone a huge debt of gratitude!!

There's talk of making this an annual event, and that's an idea I would fully support. I can't imagine the good things we could do if we focused on this for an entire year - let's get after it!

Before I sign-off, here are a few miscellaneous photos and comments/quotes from the weekend:

Claire, in her cowboy hat (can you guess her favorite color?):

Our small group running to the finish line for a second time:

Steve and his family out on the course (shady):

Our team t-shirt design (front):

The pictures were created by Steve's nieces and nephews, all of whom ranged in age from 2 to 13. They were asked to draw pictures of a tree bending toward the sun (it represents the lyrics from Pearl Jam's song, "Present Tense"). What you see above are their drawings, and those made-up the front of our shirts.

On the back of our shirt were the lyrics to Pearl Jam's Present Tense (Jody's favorite song, and the inspiration for the team's name), along with some sponsor logos:

I did the layout/design for the t-shirts, and Steve bought them for us. Thanks again for the wonderful weekend and inspiration, Steve. I was proud to be a part of the team and would love to do it again.

And finally, some memorable quotes:

"I now regret eating an IHOP omelette for breakfast."
- Steve C., at mile 2.5 of the 5K race

"Are those flip-flops?"
- Steve L., at mile 2.75 of the 5K race as we got passed by a woman running/sprinting in true flip-flops

"Hey buddy"
- Voice of Marty, who was there in spirit, but not in body.

"Hey Steve.... doin?"
- Will, Steve's 2-year old son, asking his favorite question (aka "whatchya' doing?")

"Why?"
- Will's follow-up question

And there you have it. Until the next entry...

A total mash-up; random things

2011-09-26T00:04:40Z

There's not much going on in terms of excitement for me these days, but it's no excuse to ignore the blog for two weeks... so, here's a collection of random things and updates. There's no real rhyme or reason to them, so apologies in advance for the lack of substance and/or continuity.

Concerts, continued

I guess I've been in a musical mood lately because in the past month, I've gone to two concerts and saw a documentary about a rock band. You'll recall from an earlier post that I had a chance to see Pearl Jam's 20th anniversary concert at Alpine Valley. That was an excellent show - really top notch.

So, when I learned that another good band (although still an up-and-comer) was going to be in town for a "low dough show" courtesy of a local radio station, I jumped at the chance. For $9.41, I was able to score a ticket to see Middle Class Rut play at the Majestic Theater in Madison. Middle Class Rut is a 2-piece group (guitarist and drummer) from Sacramento, California - you may recall that I saw them at Summerfest earlier this year, and enjoyed their show.

The concert was general admission, so I was shocked to find myself near the front of the stage - here's a picture from the show:

They only played for about 45 minutes or so, but as was the case with Summerfest, they played a solid set. There were two opening acts; Ume and some other group whose name I forget... neither were that stellar but for $10, I'm not complaining. :-)

And then earlier this week, I went to the gorgeous Oriental Theater in Milwaukee to watch a one-night-only documentary about Pearl Jam, titled "PJ20." I went with my boss and we had a blast - the documentary was absolutely fantastic and super interesting - it showed a ton of early and behind-the-scenes footage, complete with in-depth interviews and a lot of home video.

It was even more amazing because the movie only aired for one day (9/20), and it won't be available on DVD for a few months. I'm so glad I had a chance to go see it, and if you haven't been there before, take some time to check out the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee - it's really a cool movie theater.

Helping the Humane Society

We were at a local watering hole a few weeks ago when we spied some interesting wristbands that featured a Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. My boss is a huge fan of PBR (nostalgia, I guess?) and he asked one of the bartenders about the bands. She explained that Pabst was teaming up with Humane Societies across the United States in an effort to do fundraising and to raise awareness for homeless animals. For a $1 donation, you received a wristband and you got to put your name on a card that would then be hung-up at the bar.

We both donated a fair chunk of change and scored some wristbands. Great idea, great cause, great program, and an OK beverage (give me a New Glarus brew over PBR any day).

Blender blues

You've heard me rave about my Vitamix blender - the thing is an absolute beast. I've literally boiled water with it, simply by cranking-up the blender speed to "HIGH." Unfortunately, it's not immune to user error...

Having gained nearly 20-lbs over the past few months (chalk it up to really poor eating and a lack of desire to do any serious exercise), I was desperate to "reset" my diet and get back the urge to eat well and exercise. I'd fallen into a funk of sorts and just felt like exercising and eating clean were useless and dumb. I had no energy, no ambition, and no interest in doing any type of running - as such, my daily mileages dropped from 6+ miles to 4+ miles to 2 miles... ugh. It's no wonder I packed-on the pounds.

So, I watched a movie called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and learned about the benefits of doing a juice fast. I decided that may be the bump my body needed to get back on track. So, I broke out the Vitamix and went about juicing kale, cucumber, spinach, celery, and apples for every meal.

About 3 days in, as I was making "dinner," I failed to use enough water in the Vitamix. As a result, my half-of-an-apple became trapped in the corner of the Vitamix container. I used the tamper to try and break the apple away from the corner; I grew impatient so I really jammed the tamper into the container. And that's when things got ugly.

The blades, spinning at nearly 38,000 rpm thanks to the 2.25-hp motor, grabbed the tamper, which sucked the tamper into the blender container and caused a major imbalance issue. The container spun around and became wedged between the drive gear and the base pad. Plastic bits spewed everywhere; smoke poured out from the machine, and my stomach sank. After removing the pitcher from the Vitamix, I assessed the damage:

The drive button assembly looks to have gotten burned-up and knocked out-of-center. I called Vitamix the next day and they promptly mailed me a new drive button. They said it's a common incident and that it was easy to repair. They also sent me a complimentary tamper to replace the one that had been minced into a million pieces... what a great company!

In the interim, I've stopped the juice fast and am eating a "clean" diet of lean protein (140g per day) and unlimited vegetables. Grains/starches/processed foods are absent from the diet. I'm hoping that after 30-45 days of this, I'll be back to the weight that I should be.

And finally, breakfast for dinner

Today was a busy day... I rode and ran this morning, took a shower, ate lunch (pork tenderloin with brussels sprouts and a tomato), went grocery shopping, bought cat food, and completely cleaned the house. I also did a load of laundry and finally finished organizing the garage. When it came time for dinner, I didn't feel like chicken or pork, so I opted for one of my favorite meals - breakfast.

Is there anything better than having breakfast for dinner? Am I crazy for loving it?

That's 5 egg whites, 3oz of fresh spinach, 3oz of portabella mushrooms, and 1/2-cup of diced bell peppers and onion, with a tablespoon of Thai chili paste for a little heat. 175 calories, 15g of carbs, 1g of sugar, 8g of fiber, and 30g of protein.

And it's filling - I enjoyed that while watching the end of the Packers game (around 5:45pm), and I still feel stuffed. I'll probably drink a goat whey protein shake right before bed (110 calories, 24g protein, no sugar or carbs), but it'll depend on how full I still feel.

VICTORY! Steve: 1 Junk Mail: 0

2011-09-12T23:54:59Z

I really dislike receiving mail. And I really dislike receiving junk mail. And when you have several addresses like I do, you receive a ton of junk mail. I receive the same crappy "shopper stopper" coupon booklet at four (4) different addresses... talk about a waste of resources, time, effort, and money.

When I voice my displeasure for all of the junk mail, most people offer this awesome suggestion: "Just recycle it - don't even open it, just put it in the recycling bin!"

Ok.

And how does that help anything? Recycling isn't an environmentally neutral effort - a big truck picks-up your recycling, carts it to a sorting facility, big machines run long conveyor belt sorting lines, and then any number of things happens to the materials... some of it ends-up in landfills, some of it is burned or chemically treated, and so on...

But worst of all, it reinforces the undesired junk mail behavior. I'd rather not receive the junk mail in the first place, but if no one returns or rejects it back to the sender, the sender assumes the delivery was "successful," and thus you're included as part of a metric that the junk mail companies use when pitching their new customers. And the junk mail circle of life repeats and grows.

So... I've tried a bunch of things to limit the amount of junk mail I receive. I've opted-out of every credit card/insurance list I could. I've called every catalog company that sends me a crummy catalog and asked that they stop sending them. I've registered online to be part of a "do not mass market" list. I've paid a service to actively remove me from mailing lists. I've called the telephone companies that send me 2-3 phone books at each of my mailing addresses and requested they stop sending the phone books (I don't even own a landline).

But, despite these efforts, I continue to receive more than a ton of junk mail. It's so frustrating. Any important piece of mail that I "need" to receive, I receive electronically or at my post office box. I'd love nothing more than to completely abolish snail mail, but alas, it is a necessary evil.

So when I moved to the new house, I absolutely dreaded the notion of having yet another junk mail receptacle to check on.

And truth be told, I actually forgot to check the new mailbox for a while, and I thought all was well. Until one day, while changing the oil in my lawn mower, I heard a vehicle pull near my driveway and park.

"Hey, how about you check your mailbox and get the mail out of it?" said the voice.

I looked over and saw the familiar milk-carton on wheels that is the lovely USPS delivery truck. I sighed.

"Oh, hey, yeah - sorry about that. I have several addresses and I don't have anything of value sent here, so I really forget that I have to check it."

USPS driver: "Ok, but, you really need to check your mail. If the box fills-up, I can't deliver any mail to you."

Eureka! This was my "win," so I took advantage of the opportunity.

Me: "Oh, well, that would be great! I'll just let the box fill-up and then I won't get any junk mail?"

USPS driver: "It's not junk mail. You really have to empty out your mailbox or I can't deliver any mail to you."

Me: "But it is all junk mail. If there's any mail in there, I guarantee it's all junk because any real mail is sent to my other addresses. So, I'll just let it fill-up until you can't deliver any mail."

USPS driver: "It's not all junk mail. I know there is some first class mail in there."

Me: "I'll bet you $20 there's no real mail in there."

USPS driver: "Just check your mail so that I can keep delivering your mail, ok?"

Me: "Can I just take down my mailbox? Do I have to receive mail?"

USPS driver: "What? Well, no, you - it's not required that you have a mailbox, but - wah - why don't you just take your mail?"

Me: "It's of no value. So, I'll tell you what - I'll take down the mailbox and we'll call it good."

He mumbled something about talking to a supervisor and filling out some form, and then puttered off in his milk carton. I went out and checked the mail, and sure enough - it was all junk. Catalogs, shopper stoppers, marketing offers from the local cable companies, and a bevy of Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons addressed to "Current Resident".

So, I left them all in there and went about my life.

I encountered the mailman again about two weeks ago, and he "instructed" me to empty the mailbox. I reminded him that I didn't have any real mail in there, and that I saw no need to tend to it. He said, "I'm going to have to stop delivering mail if you don't empty the box, and then I'll have to return it to the sender and tell them your address is undeliverable."

The good news kept on coming! This was a perfect win! So, guess what I decided to do?

That's right - absolutely nothing. I let the junk mail keep accumulating in that box.

And today, while I was mowing the lawn, I decided to check the mailbox. I figured it would be bulging with junk mail. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it empty, save for one piece of paper:

Ahh, the sweet smell of victory. Take that, junk mail pushers.