Fat Tuesday

It's Fat Tuesday today. That means tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. I was in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday many a year ago with a fund raising team. They had prison buses on the side streets to handle the drunks and such. And there was a lot of such. It was perverse, demeaning and ... Well at midnight they started playing 'When the Saints Come Marching In' as the police, mounted patrol, sheriff's deputies. shore patrol, military police and a squad car made a line and started a slow march down the street proclaiming Mardi Gras over. Those who didn't vacate the street before they reached them were beaten silly. It still makes me smile.

In honor of Fat Tuesday we went to IHOP for free pancakes. Of course we had to buy coffee and leave a tip, but it makes one feel good about oneself to get out to eat once in awhile. A stack of three large pancakes was plenty for breakfast.

I have been contemplating the relationship between hunger and weight. If I can't get to the gym I just have to go hungry. I notice my left arm has become considerably stronger than my right due to how I carry Tun-Tun up the stairs. Hopefully I can expect the same results on my leg strength. I started strength training on my legs but have not been to the gym much with the renewed snow fall and Misao always having the car. Also one of my knees has an intermittent problem so I often take it easy.

If you haven't heard we had the opportunity to adopt recently. in our church we adopt within our church community and not one but two families offered us a child for adoption. Obviously we leave an impression upon some contrary to the one people who like to talk about others all the time would convey. Unfortunately our economic circumstance makes that impossible. We had been going to a fertility clinic also before I lost my job, now several years ago.

Just a few more days left on the poll. Sorry no pictures. I have to get over to my Mom's to download and edit the one's on my broken camera.

The Race Survey

If you haven't noticed there is a survey in the side bar. If you feel unqualified to make a decision you can scroll down and there are links to all the races in the sidebar. An anonymous commenter, which very well may be a cousin up there in Alaska you know, pointed out another epic event, the Iditarod Trail invitational. Sorry I can't add it to the survey after the fact. I'll have to make this a continuous refinement process so if you know of any other tough manly races let me know.

Let's not forget those in Australia. The Australian Mountain Bike Clubs are racing to support those effected by those fires down under there you know.

And thanks to Alois for another yum yum recipe. I sent Alois a link awhile back of an article about the German soldiers becoming too fat to fight.

I wrote "Tell me it isn't so!"

He e-mailed back post haste and simply wrote, "It isn't so."

I guess that puts an end to that rumor.

Rezept: Ungarische Käse-Ecken

Dieses tolle Rezept habe ich von einer ungarischen Arbeitskollegin bekommen. Die Käse-Ecken eignen sich wunderbar für diverse Parties.

Zutaten für den Teig:
500 Gramm Mehl
250 Gramm Margarine
1 Stück Hefewürfel
80 ml. Milch
1 Prise Salz
2 Stück Eier
150 Gramm Geriebener Käse
1 Becher Sauerrahm

Bestreuen mit 50 Gramm Käse

Zubereitung:

Milch erwärmen, die Hefe in die lauwarme Milch bröckeln und gehen lassen.

Mehl in die Schüssel geben, mit der Margarine vermengen, dann eine Mulde hinein drücken. Die zwei Eidotter und die restlichen Zutaten dazu geben, alles zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Mit einem Tuch abdecken und 20 Minuten gehen lassen.

Nach der Wartezeit den Teig nochmals gründlich durchkneten, auf einer bemehlten Arbeitsfläche nicht zu dünn ausrollen.

Eiweiß mit etwas Paprikapulver aufschlagen und den Teig bepinseln, mit Käse bestreuen. Mit Messer in kleine Stücke schneiden, und auf das Backblech legen.

Backzeit: ca. 15 Minuten bei 200 Grad (Umluft-Herd).

Guten Appetit!

February Thaw

As my mother calls it and if I really think of it I have to recognize there is always at least a relative warm up in February. I mostly remember frozen extremities after delivering the morning paper when I was young.

Ride, ride, ride. A record 59 F today. Three straight days of beautiful riding so far. Just plain sweet. And jumped back up with ease over 200lbs on the bench. It must have been those grilled cheese sandwiches I made myself. Perhaps the banana milk.

Me mum snatched back her camera and have to shoot blind with the busted one. She said I inspired her to take pictures and she wanted her camera back pronto. I suspect she's just jealous of my mad photographical skills. No pictures for today.

Don't forget Major Taylor. It's black history month you know.

Can't make the meeting tonight again. My wife has the car and the roads are still a bit treacherous, especially at night with no lights. Interesting things happening with the law. Automobilistas are now responsible if they open there door into the path of a bicyclist.

And don't forget to take the race survey. I know you're there. The little counter tells me so.

Photos

This isn't the best picture of what the broken screen on our little camera looks like but it catches the stamps well. Yes the camera, for some unknown reason, does take pictures again (and video, but since I do not have the software to crop video it would be fairly useless). Still I am currently borrowing my mother's Kodak. To get some pictures of the dogs while we can and try to sell a few things on e-bay.

The pictures from hers, a heftier model, need less editing and it takes normal AA batteries. Have to go to my parents house to download them on their Kodak software and bring them back on a flash drive. If we didn't have payments (interest free for 2 years) to make on the TV I could swing another less expensive camera on our retail card.

Tun-Tun is over 14 now and has been ill for awhile. The Dinovite helps him and seems more potent the fresher it is. The weather will be warm for a week now and it should make him feel better and melt most of the snow. A bit of rain should also clean that salt dust off the roads and I hope to get some good riding in. I need to be getting some 2-3 hour workouts in even if they are light.

Rain will clean off the sidewalks too and I should take the dogs out more. They can't walk at the same pace and Tun-Tun can't go far, so I haven't been taking them out much. If I take one the other cries till we get back and I feel awful. Sometimes Misao sneaks out with Ship-po.

Hopefully we will hear from Alois again soon. And don't forget to vote in the survey.