Tahini Dressing for Kale, Carrot, and Golden Beet Salad

Snow day number 3 in less than a week. I probably could have made it in on the bike, but it was sleeting and freezing rain by the time I had finished shoveling and there wasn't anything that couldn't be rescheduled and sitting on a pile of vacation days to use, well. I didn't suit up and try to ride to work dodging plow trucks and dealing with a nice coating of ice.

So I took a nap instead (okay more or less shoveled and then got horizontal in bed while the coffee kept me from fully dozing off).

Got up and well, for some reason I thought a tahini dressing over a Kale salad sounded perfect for lunch on a house bound snow day.

I don't usually (haven't ever) made a Tahini dressing but a million years ago the Antique Sandiwch Company in Tacoma was a place we spend lots of time. Step-father was either teaching classes in the rooms upstairs, or they were performing on stage. Or we were in between this place or that and would stop there for lunch.  Everytime, same thing: Hot ham and cheese on wheat bread. A mountain on thinly sliced ham covered in rich melty tillamook cheddar cheese. The sandwiches all came with a side salad and an amazing thick and flavorfull tahini dressing.

That is one of my happiest emotional meals of my childhood. One of the most memorable.

I made some hot salad to go with dinner last night. Half green kale, half swiss chard, sauteed in olive oil, with some shoyu sauce and balsalmic vinegar. That's it. Incredibly simple, perfect balance and everyone devoured it.

I still had a large bunch of Kale, and the girls love getting the Seven Stars Bakery Kale salad, and so maybe I will make my own take. Rather than use my normal dressing I kind of multi-thread brainstormed and wound up thinking a Tahini Dressing would be pretty amazing paired with Kale.

And with the massaged (with a bit of salt to break it down a bit) Kale I decided to use the poor man's mandolin (veggie peeler) and create ribbons of carrots and golden beets to add color, texture and flavor to the salad. My 10 year old was very excited about this meal just hearing what I was putting in it.

Topped with some sliced almonds and sunflower seeds, the salad was both delicious and filling.

Okay, the Dressing. Everyone knows I like to make stuff from scratch. Canned pasta sauces are an offense in my book, inexcusable. And yes I know, lots of people use them and don't care. Salad dressings too. Who makes their own? Not enough people do honestly. It is so simple.

Get a jar with a lid. put the vinegar/water/herbs/spices/salt in first, lid and shake to mix. Then add the oil based (or just oil) (doubling or just a bit more than 2x as much of vinegar mix), put the lid back on and shake. With a simple mustard vinegrette if you get the powdered mustard in there it will stay emulsified perfectly. Literally a very few minutes to make from ingredients most everyone has laying around (or could after the next shopping trip).

Tahini dressing.

Start with jar and lid

3 cloves garlic (we all like fresh garlic so i tend to use a bit more than some people are used to)
2 cm long small knuckle of ginger root, peeled and diced very finely
1-2 tablespoons of Shoyu Sauce
1-2 tabelspoons Organic Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Some diced Cilantro
cayenne pepper
turmeric

Close lid and shake until all is well suspended and mixed.

Then, add
about 1/4-1/3 cup of Tahini
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
Olive oil to bring oil volume up to more than double the first half volume

close lid and shake.

Finished.

Disclaimer. I did NOT measure anything. But I feel pretty confident that the ratios are close.

eat well and cook for yourself and your loved ones.
heddwch
G

post debacle thoughts and those on life in general

Seems topical #cxnats2015 "The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." 

maybe not fighting, maybe complaining, or being outraged at the old.

how do we move forward and change though

how do we identify problems and issues?

the same way we discover our own limitations.

By having to go through it.

I tell the people that I train on my microscopes, the most important thing to do if something happens and it breaks or stops working: Tell me exactly what you did leading up to it, and tell me as soon as something happens. Accidents happen, my job is to fix it and get it working as quickly as possible and then make adjustments to training/education/signage/rules to prevent it from happening again.  Everyone fucks up. But I need YOU to tell me when you fuck up so we can move on without making it worse for everyone else who depends on the system. 

That's the key. Everyone makes a mistake.

And no one is flawless. Some may be perfect most of the time, but even the most practiced veteran/master of a skill/trade/sport/job/whatever messes up occasionally.

Sign of maturity is acknowledging it and appologizing and asking (even just asking oneself internally if no one else noticed) how to i make a change to keep this from happening again.

Now Keep in mind if you make the same catastrophic mistake twice you're off the system. Two strikes on half million dollar equipment is harsh but I also expect you to pay attention and not repeat yourself. And so far in my 20 years with that policy, no one has made the same catastrophic mistake twice.

THe CX nats disaster is one of these things. Sure the Tree People totally blindsided the event. That is not as outraging as it is unfortunate and sad and very costly for many people. 

As Colin so passionally put it (and backed up this passion with facts) the biggest mistake was the schedule for the girls. 
The more offensive issue is that they have appologized but not admitted it was a decision that was bad, flawed and had a horrible consequence, nor offered any assurance that it won't happen again.

And that I feel furthers the debate rather than ends it and helps move on. 

I wrote the above well before the tree people posted their manifesto and their side of the story. And that changes things, brings into doubt stories by some.  And no, I'm not trying to demonize or hate on USAC, but I would like to see some recognition and acknowledgement of their actions and how it impacted the juniors and how to move on.  

Parbo posted something this morning over on facebook. It resonated a bit. Committees exist for a reason, but it sounded like friends of the commiitee were acting more like an omerta than representatives of the cyclists. "Keep quiet, people are working on it." "Don't rock the boat." "Why all the complaining?" "There are just things you don't know so pipe down."

I'm overlaying some of my own frustrations sure, it is going to happen. But when LVG feels like she's been thrown under the bus, that's just enough to make me feel sick. 

Do I have any aswers? No, that's why I was posting questions and sharing my feelings on twitters and faceplace. Is my audience small and similarly minded? Yes. Do they get tired of hearing the same thing from everyone? I bet they do. Some of them at least.

There was more uproar and anger online after the USAC officials mis-handled the Cat 4 women's race lap times and cards and all that than there seemed to be about the Jr Girls getting relegated to sideshow status. Yes, I know, the grand plan was to give them their own race on the same day as the elites (but no TV coverage, save that for the boys), yes, saving their event for the marquee day of Nationals is pretty cool. Not cool was what happened and how the officials decided to handle it.

The tree stuff?

I've written about the soils. And spent sometime refreshing my woody plant physiology specifically about the roots. Worked a bit to try and figure out what species the trees were that they were all concerned about.  All I can find is that most of the trees there don't need water (they were complaining about needing to water the trees that have damaged roots). None of the roots looked larger than 3" in diameter (the critical size for live oaks). Sure. Will they maybe not grow quite as much this year as they did last year? Possibly. But water? Also mulching tends to promote root rot. So these people trying to protect the trees by watering and mulching them really could actually be doing more damage to them than the CX race ever could. Do I need to explain why watering a native tree is bad? If you water the tree then the tree doesn't spend resources digging down to a sustainable moisture source. If the roots don't spread and explore the ground gets more compacted and water table actually gets lower. Now the nice thing about new root growth into new soil pockets is that it picks up new nutrients. Damage can happen, but damage when it isn't actively growing may not be so bad. Why? Well there is wound response in the trees, and generally it can respond over time. Damage it now, when it starts growing it will respond in that area.

Reaction wood is a great example of that. The winter storms and prevailing winds can influence the growth of reaction wood. Some how these trees know what to do. Hell they've been living longer than most of us. How many generations of being left along by people do trees live? A hell of a long time.

Giono's short story is a great fictional parable. Moral of the story really isn't anything more than to inspire people to plant trees. The story is good because it is based on truths and practice to some degree. Trees though won't reclaim areas they've never grown in, but they can reclaim areas and environments they've been displaced from for a human generation or more. 

I hadn't really meant to get into the trees with this post. But it is an intertwined story.

Solobreak/Negacoach rightfully points out, esp with the US culture, having a CX race in a visible public perfecly manicured "crown jewel" park, well is pretty dumb. But until someone starts buying golf courses and turning them into CX courses, we're going to have to find solutions in land like over in West Warwick and the Riverpoint CX park. Or over in L'ville. Trade offs with both of those. 

What's the solution? who knows really. But if you tell everyone to shut up, they're more likely going to walk away. Tell them what they can to do help, what you're doing to make it better, and what steps are in place so it doesn't happen again. 

Ramble nonsense to get it out of my head. if someone wants to share this vomited pile of characters and thoguhts, great. I'm not going to. But I'm still going to hit publish, read it later, maybe edit it a bit. Maybe.

and hopefully keep the writing momentum up.
heddwch
G

the pancake/waffle recipe developed over many years

So a while back (shit doesn't seem like that long ago but oct 2010 kind of is i guess) I posted a pancake recipe.

We don't make these more than once a week or so, usually eggs for breakfast or some toast with peanut butter or something else. But the batter i've settled on isn't the sickly sweet flavorless until you top with syrup white pancakes most people think about. And no, it is never acceptable to use non-butter if you're not vegan. No problem with vegan, none at all. But if you are not vegan and you're using something other than unsalted butter for these, ask yourself why. Also that butter better not have have "natural flavoring" aka chemical shit storm because the cream used is gross flavorless stuff from high production industrial cows. Kerry Gold Butter, and most organic unsalted butter are free of the flavoring (thing microwave popcorn taste). Most noticable when you haven't had that type of butter in years. Then you do and you're like "this shit tastes like chemical butter!" Because it is.

Ha, damnit. GeWilli got judgemental a bit. Well you know what? It is a blog. I ain't making you read it. Change the channel. Also I'm not targeting anyone in particular. This is blanket advice for everyone.  Once the consumers realize they're not really tasting stuff they way it is, I think they'll get it.  You lose the nuance of the flavors...  the ingredients in your ingredients matter.

Even with pancakes.

or esp with pancakes?

So the original 1st gen of the recipe is linked above. I'm gonna take that - paste it here and make the changes as I currently make the 'cakes:

Single batch, actually this batter works great for waffles too for you crazy hupcake/belgian wanna be types. Pancakes are just a tad easier to make.

4 eggs (medium)
1 cup Milk
1 cup Yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-2 tablespoon flax
2 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs till just blended, add the yogurt and get is smooooth, then the milk and rest of that stuff and blend together. (that vanilla better just be vanilla and booze, Trader Joe's Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract is what is in my pantry).

Next on top of the liquid I pile up (yes I mean in same bowl and I mean on top of the liquids):
1.5 cups of  organic all purpose Whole Wheat flour
1 cup of organic all purpose White flour (makes the pancakes just a touch lighter)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder (aluminum free stuff)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon-tablespoon of cinnamon 

Putting the small dry ingredients on top of the dry stuff and then mixing it all in works really well for me. You could alternatively put the dry stuff in a different bowl, mix them and then dump into the wet stuff - or put the wet stuff on top of the dry. I like only having one bowl to wash and since I do the cooking AND the dishes it is something i think about.

Okay. Mix just until barely integrated. The less mixing the better the pancakes.

Now you should have the skillet warming up. 

In that skillet put 6 tablespoons of butter to melt. Once the butter is just melted pour it all into the batter and fold it in gently. 

Okay.

is the batter too thin? add a bit more flour...
too thick? Add some milk...

how do you know if it is one or the other? Experience.

There ya go.

At this point you can add some frozen blueberries, or chocolate chips before cooking (I totally pretty much put semi-sweet chocolate chips in there, because CHOCOLATE IS AWESOME).  Add the chocolate chips AFTER the butter to avoid melting the chips into large chunks or dissolving totally (experience).

This is still one of my favorite variation:
One nice variation is to substitute 1/2 of the milk with apple cider and add extra cinnamon and then grate an apple into the pancake batter (nice big slot grater).

--

You can use these for waffles (leave of the chocolate chips so you don't mess up the waffle iron), serve with a bit of butter (optional) and topped with some nice Grade B (or whatever it is called now) Maple Syrup.

I use extras as ride fuel/sandwiches. Slap some fresh ground peanut butter in the middle. Boom. instant yummy round "energy bar"

there is enough flavor in these cakes that you don't need the sugar stuff.

Why this why now? Cally asked for the current pancake recipe, and Russ posted a picture of a stack of cakes with a fried egg on top. AND it is sunday and I had a second or two between dishes, lunch, computer consultation about school project, and I felt like it.  

Remember, i'm not judging you or trying to make you feel bad about how you cook or what you bought last time, or everytime. I'm just trying to help, the little things do matter, and they all add up.  Also, be sure you're going to be able to manage the insulin spike with appropriate activity after eating these. They are better than most and all that, but they still shouldn't be an every morning thing. Make them for dinner is better. But they are still grains and will still mess with insulin and those bad cholesterols...  keep it all in mind i guess. Moderation isn't really the answer to be honest. But these are my opinions based on the primary lit i've been reading for the last few years.

No more rambling....  and no tweeting of recipe, solobreak gonna have to find it himself

heddwch
G

A few words on CX and parks

My thoughts, yes i have a couple degrees in this stuff, it is okay, i think those facts mean I can be completely ignored.  But I've been watching all this CXNats brewhaha...  and feel compelled to say something.

How do you protect your trees? You managed your turf. Trees don't naturally grow with grass around them. Putting grass to the trunk is as unnatural as sprinkler systems and mowing.

If you want to protect your trees and parks and make them stronger and resiliant to anything humans can do in a week, let the grass do what it does best. Build soil.

Let the grass grow tall. (aka no you can't play golf on it) the roots will grow and expand to feed the blades. Then cut it short (simulate grazing) and the roots die back turning into soil also naturally aerating the soil to match shorter blades.

Let it grow again, oh hey look NEW ROOTS...  aka more carbon matter added to the soil. Also happens to put more atmospheric CO2 into the ground, as well as building a nice cushion around the base of the trees.

Repeat this process, and in a few years you'll have some pretty amazing lawns in your public spaces (I'M TALKING TO YOU GLOUCESTER PROVIDENCE AND AUSTIN- pay attention ASHVILLE AND HARTFORD)

The root of the problem is always below the soil.

Mowing grass on a weekly basis to the same height is pretty much the best way to stress your trees and make your park fragile (as is driving cars on it, but that's a different story).

I firmly believe that you can do what Joel Salatin does on his farm in our parks. Sure maybe you need some pelletized fertilizer (or liquid or some other source of nitrogen/nutrients) BUT, there's no reason why you can't let the grass actually do almost all the work for you. FOR FREE, actually would save money by reducing mowing costs.

--- Okay --- discussion with brother lead to this realization about the trees:


If you mess up the top soil around them (this time of year) while they are dormant. And then replace it with a huge pile of awesomeness (aka good nutrient rich topsoil). The surface roots will prolifetate at a rate that will NOT happen if left alone.

What does that mean? That CX races and repairing after the race is over is probably the best thing that could have ever happened to the heritage trees in the park.

yes. This is the truth and based on sound silvicultural methods.

Counter intuitive? Maybe a little, but give me a few minutes to explain the biological processes and I think I can convince you that cancelling the races today was actually proably not going to amount to ANY difference in the health of any tree.

That said - the fundamentals still stand, turf management is important, and critical to our parks. ...


hopefully won't add too much more to this...  but i won't promise.

-G

Deep Breath

Where to start?

What a strange trip so far.

Almost time for a 2014 reflection post. Def need a '14 cx season retrospective. At least by the numbers.

Today, I have a chance to sit (the airplane doesn't count, sort of like forced idle but nothing else to do anyway but read, this is different). I'm at home.

Still sick, the drugs are helping the cough not taste like vile grossness but I'm still coughing (plegm is mostly clear and not yellow green so that's an improvement). Ears? Still fucked up from the plane ride back from Seattle.

The year has been a struggle. But overall really good. So many bright moments and a general aura of positivity. Still, being as emotional, as I am there are times of darkness and frustration and depression and hopelessness...

Life ain't easy. I've made choices that have put me where I am. And where I am has kind of never ever been about me, at least in the most major adult ones. Most of these choices were never based on what makes sense financially, they were made on a what is the best option.

I've got this afternoon to relax. Up most of the night coughing (two nights in a row actually) early soccer yesterday, late ballet last night, still way sleep deprived from the 36th annual Magical Strings Celtic Yuletide PacNW trip (google search will help if that doesn't make sense, yes I've been playing my violin since the late '70s or read this article about us.)

CX is done. Maybe I'll make it to scrub zone nats, maybe i'll be here to plan a NYD Bandit race here again, or maybe not. I'm not stressing about it. It is what it is. There are more important things that trump both of those at this point. Hate to admit it and esp as much fun as everyone had down here in RI on New Years Day last year, it isn't easy to put a priority somewhere else. If it was something for me I'd be all over making sure the race happened, but it isn't for me, or about me.

Bandit cross up at Wrentham that one snowy year when I first met Russ was ROB BAUER's brain child, motivated by Jerome's up coming trip to germany to race CX, we did it for him and because it was goddamn fun.  Last year's bandit race was initially conceived after KoA canceled his event, a last minute quick FB page concoction followed up with a great turn out. And hey everyone had a shit ton of fun and I got a Chia GeWilli (still in plastic shrink wrap) out of the deal. And holy shit those barriers David B built? OMG awesome. I still have all the flags, can pretty easily re-set a similar course the day of. If I'm here. Like I said - to be determined.

I'm actually watching my first (that I can remember) sportsball thing on the TV. First sitting in front of the TV thing that I can remember too.

Yes. I think I might be the last person with internet in the house to be still watching on a vacuum tube TV with an OTA digital converter box. The actually TV is great but it is actually broken, not straight, sides are cropped (can't tell what the score is on some channels, fortunately it is CBS and they put their on screen graphics in the middle.

It is getting darker (room light not on and window not lighting up whole room anymore) and I have no idea what I'm going to make for dinner. Tomorrow? I know. Because I've been given a specific request.

Rambling? Me? Fuck yeah. What can I do best? Talk about whatever forever. Social chit chat and pleasantries and polite and meaningless banter? yeah I suck at that. But hey getting close to time to move on from 2.0 and see if we can get rid of some more bugs for 2015.  GeWilli 2.0 was waaaaaay slower than the previous version. Next version should hopefully be able to keep the improvements, add some speed maybe (that's the plan but hey who knows how the software is going to interact with the hardware and shit there is the whole environmental factors that we can only guess at and could prove to undermine best intentions) and keep building a better GeWilli....

I'll admit - twitter and G+ and (I'm ashamed to admit) Faceplace have been drawing me a bit more in. Why? Time. I haven't really been able to make the time to spend a pile of minutes in a row writing since like before I started working at NBX, roughly. Or maybe after that? Or my brain is just being old and forgetting stuff.

One goal is to attempt to get back to writing regularly. Or at the very least, catch up over the Holiday break. This is a good one this year. Timing of NYD means a few more days I don't have to burn of my Vacation days...  But even Friday I was starting to fill in January, ALREADY!!!  But I enjoy being there, and my job. It is not very social (neither am I) but I interact with people and in this case I am the expert and unlike in non-work life, actually knowing stuff and telling people stuff doesn't piss people off, they actually usually are appreciative.  Funny that.

My butt has fallen asleep. Sportsball game is over. Looks like half the teams playing today won so far. Them's good odd.

I did wake up in time (get out of bed) to catch the last 15 min of the Namur men's race. Only channel i could get was the Czech one so I watched it thinking about Paul S and Henry J. Race was kind of boring at that point. Missed seeing the Beard. And Kevin P looks a hell of a lot like Mark Sooooooups (esp in their white kits).

Hopefully I'll toss up some more words soon, no promises, but it feels good to write shit down.

heddwch,
g

Squash soup... aka Grandmummy soup

Started with a meal plan and the agreement with the youngest that soup would be good to make.  Add some twitter conversation to get me to write it up:

olive oil, White Yam, purple top turnip, carrot, celery, onion, parsnip, 3# butternut squash, 1 cup red lentils, garlic, ginger, and spices.
— GeWilli (@Ge_Willi) November 25, 2014

I use big caphalon pot to make the soup in, and just cook it all in at once. Starting with the celery carrot and onions first with the olive oil. I think that's a very important step for the soup making. Lots of people just put them in raw, but I feel that getting them in there first over some dry heat with the oil intensifies and deepens the flavors and overall the whole satisfaction of the soup. This could be vegan if you skip the fish sauce (and just use more soy sauce). I don't use stock with this soup because it doesn't need it. You most certainly could use a chicken stock or but making a veggie stock in a blended soup like this, with these ingredients doesn't really add anything. You don't need to blend it i suppose, but if i wasn't going to blend it i'd have to be very careful about the order of adding things and the size of the dice. Here since it will be made smooth (really how it should be eaten, and the design of it anyway) you just need to get the veggies cut up into roughly the same size peices. And yes you have to use the celery. Well no, you don't you can pretty much do what ever the hell you want, you won't taste the celery but you'll notice something will be missing if you don't use it.

Okay enough with the pre-amble. Here ya go:


3 stalks of Celery, sliced thin and pluncked into the pre-heated soup pot with a good 3-4 or more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Got those sizzling,
then in went two big carrots, peeled and diced up

one sweet onion

a couple tablespoons of Organic Shoyu sauce

Then two medium to small purple top turnips diced all up

One peeled and diced parsnip

One smallish white Yam, peeled and diced

keeping the heat high and stirring pretty frequently...

Peeled and diced a 3# Butternut Squash (cleaned the seeds to pan toast in olive oil and serve as garnish)

Stirring a bit.

Spices went in now: turmeric (1-2 teaspoons), garam masala (less than 1 teaspoon), 1-2 tablespoosn of dried basil... a few splashes of fish sauce (just under teaspoon by eye).

Mix...

add four small cloves of garlic cut in half.

1/4 cup of organic seasoned rice wine vinegar...

cook till the vinegar is mostly reduced (by smell)

Add a bunch of water - how much? Not sure, but maybe a gallon?

then I put the ginger in, a 2 inch long bit of organic stuff peeled and sliced thinly

finally 1 cup of very well rinsed red lentils.

Cook till everything is soft, then using an immersion blender make it all smooth. Add salt to taste (needed a bit)

serve with toasted squash seeds (and sprinkle some cayenne pepper on top if you're me).

heddwch
G

soup as catalyst....

to open up dashboard and type a bit over lunch.

First up, i'm sick. I missed supercross cup this year for a couple reasons, family, being run down, not being given entry that i felt obligated to show up and collect (DFL>DNF>DNS), and just knowing i needed downtime.

Lowell took a surprising amount out of me and last week ground me down even further. So instead of taking up my good friend on an offer to pick me up i headed to the movies with my oldest to watch the latest of the Hunger Games movies in the theatre. It was very entertaining and well done, we both enjoyed it very much.  My only complaint would be that I wanted to see the whole thing, part 1 and 2 at the same time. I can sit still for 4+ hours watching something like that. No Problem.

The only problem really wound up being getting home around 10:30 and being WAY overstimulated and unable to sleep for a looooong time. Talk about another nail in the coffin, or curtain in the sickward. Got up the next morning way too early for soccer game #1 of 4 (the last three were 30 min indoor jamboree things at Gillette). And continued the spiral of exhaustion and over taxing myself physically. Sure maybe getting the Flu shot mid-week was a dumb idea, given the precariousness of my physical state, oh well.

Sure enough Saturday night I started feeling not so good. Validating the choice to stay home and not go to Anthony Wayne Rec area. Sunday I was full blown sick. Monday a bit better. Today a bit worse.

And of course I'm all signed up to race at Baystate. Here's to hoping for some magic legs, or at least enough legs/conditions to hang with Kyle Smith and who ever else joins us. Field is super light this year. Costs are way up for it too, and they added a $10 late fee/early discount depending if you want to be positive or negative.  Lots of people who knew about the date but never checked the Bike-Reg page are pretty pissed right now.

Round about back to the top, talking with the youngest about dinner plans for a couple days we'd decided on burgers, hand cut sweet potato fries, carmelized onions and roasted brussels sprouts for dinner sunday night and Monday? Soup. Grandmummy soup. Good bit of nice stuff in it, in theory should help boost the immue function, or if not at least not contribute to my current clydesdale status. Tonight? not sure but i'll probably fall back on a simple savory meaty tomato sauce over some whole wheat pasta...

One thing I did last night was attempt (out of curiosity) to get the primary ingredients into a tweet.

olive oil, White Yam, purple top turnip, carrot, celery, onion, parsnip, 3# butternut squash, 1 cup red lentils, garlic, ginger, and spices.
— GeWilli (@Ge_Willi) November 25, 2014

and I did

It worked...  I lead in saying just add water and salt and you've got the soup.

I'll add the rest of the details in a separate recipe web log post though.

I still haven't cleaned the bike from Lowell. Or my shoes. Skinsuit needs a couple more washes/soaking to get the rest of the oily spots out. A good reminder of why you should use natural fibers when cleaning oil based stuff and synthetic when dealing with water based.

I've ridden now three times since Lowell. Once last  monday in the insanely shitty weather. 40 min on the trainer on Saturday, maybe not good idea but it seemed like it at the time. And then yesterday in the crazy downpouring rain and insane wind. Of course today is over 60°F and i could have ridden with bare knees and I'm driving.

All the driving. None of the riding and no training. Makes for an interesting Cyclocross season. But on the one hand it is fueling the motivation to make next year a good year. That and Fatmarc sort of unknowingly threw the gauntlet down. Next year. Next year.

I say that now, but there's no real good way of predicting if next year will be like this year or not. BUT the spring is going to be very much like this fall and I'm gonna have to figure out how to get on the bike more, for lots and lots of reasons. That and I think I need to figure out what this secret VO2Max lunch workout is that Solobreak has been doing this year. He's fast again.

Watching the Sven video, being interviewed by someone with an agenda to get more coaching clients (at least that's how mustache kid's questions came across - fortunately that annoyance was completely overshawdowed by Sven's brilliance) was motivating.

Just need to bottle up all this motivation and keep building in a positive direction. So much sad and negative stuff around, happening now. Not easy to keep  positive and keep from falling into a depression. But doing so much better this year.

I have been sucking at blogging, sucking at bike racing but I'm having fun and they are both such an intrinsic part of who I am that they'll always be there in some form or another.

Ramble about over I guess. I'll see about getting the recipe written up now.

heddwch
G

CHAIN PIG (Words... still haven't written about Providence have i?)

What better time to start writing than waiting for a tech to call me back.

Where do I start? FIRST with an anti-shilling disclaimer. I do not own a Chain Pig, I'm not trying to do more than talk about it, ::solobreak::

With the Pig wideo out http://dirtwire.tv/2014/10/pedros-bike-care-chain-pig-how-to/ man can i say i like the idea of hands free operation compared to my Park CG-2.2

not sure about the lower volume reservoir, mostly because of my process. Which is the ONLY WAY EVER to do it (kidding). That said if you ARE going to use surfactant solvent free degreaser in a chain cleaner (park, pig, whatever) you absolutely NEED to USE WATER, LOTS OF WATER after using the the degreaser. If you don't you'll never get lube to adhere properly to your chain.

Tribiology 101. Surfactant affinity can be much higher to the metal surface than the lube you are using. But you can get the surfactant (degreaser, aka all that biodegradable solvent free cleaner/stuff like simple green and the rest), off if you use enough water. Like in the pig video, lots of water. Lots and lots of water.

Or use some GeWilli lube.

Sure you can debate using odorless mineral spirits vs a ton of water. Which is more responsible? Depends on your resource scarcity I guess. Also where you're cleaning. In the chain cleaning process the remainder in the reservoir is poured back into a sealed container and is used again.

in the lubing process definately going to be releasing some VOCs but a very very small % and if you use the bike as a transportation device the vehicular offset is still very much in the favor of the bike chain with solvent based lube, in my opinion, not based on science but on experience, intuition and gut feeling overall picture looking kind of thing.

But yeah - if you use simple green, orange pleeze or whatever, WITHOUT following with copious amounts of water, that's a problem.

Esp if you want to put and keep lube on your chain. Esp if you ride where you're going to hit moisture.

If you cleaned the chain with just simple green, wiped it off, then put lube on ride in the rain? well shit what's the water going to do? remove the lube with the help of the simple green.

There are a few pig headed shop owners (not intentionally used the word pig but fuck it - i like the tie in) who like using degreaser to wipe the chain down but never touch it with water. But then maybe they never ride in the rain on their own bikes so it works for them.

Riding has been far and few between for me. Hopefully on the bike tomorrow. Maybe i'll be awake and motivated enough to dig out the trainer tonight when I get home and sweat a bit. Hoping to make Canton Cup (the final Todd C produced version of the race), and then there's NoHo. Beyond that? Who knows.

For the rewind reflect I think I may just write it in another blog entry

heddwch
G

gluing tubulars a very good video

It isn't how I do it but it is a good place to start. 

Just keep in mind - tape voids the Zipp warranty.

In my experience using a broomstick and keeping the inflation pressure no more than 20psi or less (just enough to hold shape) while the cement sets up makes sure the center of the tire conforms to whatever rim you're using. 

I just removed (and re-glued) a tire (PDX actually) that was glued up 2 years ago. No tape and my thumbs hate me, but based on how hard it was to take off and looking at glue removal patterns - I'm reasonably confident in my process. 

Generally though - all of the rolled tubulars have a few things in common, # 1 not enough glue. # 2 not full bed of glue (i've seen it with only glue in the middle, only glue on the edges). Edge to edge and make sure it contacts and use enough. 

Also Mastik one is the best, but I've used the Conti glue with success as well. But the process always matters more than the glue you use.

Bike racing in an off year

Gotta be honest, it is an off year for me, haven't really had one in a while. Looking at cross results points over time it has been steady improvement culminating last year in some solid results for me. A great season until i exploded the bursa in my right knee and quit riding for way too many weeks. I think in rough (conservative) estimation i'm also at least 2k miles or riding short of previous years. First year w/o summer TT series, extra responsibilities, aka Life.

Yes - i keep saying this. Partly (okay, mostly) to remind myself that it is okay to readjust and have lower expectations.   It is good though.  A good thing.

Realigning expectations to just simply: have fun racing, race those around me, and in the big races stay on the lead lap.

On those accounts Gloucester and Providence were completely successful. And yes i'll stop talking about being slow this year sometime when I get faster. If i get faster.

This past week.... So much to say

From the opening on Thursday after that last post to racing Gloucester this weekend. only going to cover part of it but all of it and say too much more and well you know, be gewilli and i won't even bother to proof read it for a while - maybe I will, or maybe I wont - this is off the cuff unedited shit here, be warned:

20+ years in the making.

The first time I used an Electron Microscope it kind of clicked.  Much like that first Cyclocross race I did. The EM's gave me access to the Botany darkroom, my own darkroom, not the crowded shared art department one. Not only my own space to explore and work with exposures, composition, contrast, focus but, it gave me a this most amazing of gifts; a glimpse into this hidden world.

Tomorrow it comes together. Not just a couple prints here, or there, or an amazing collection hidden back in an auditorium, this is a collection of prints that brings everything together. All of me. This is me on display: Bicycle, black and white, craft, science, art, microscopes, electrons....

I can point to when this started. Plymouth day 2. With someone's creaky bottom bracket. Science connection, ride to have coffee. Hey I'm riding past the most amazing frame builders in the world with this unique social media prescence and insane level of craft. The story that lead to all these prints are really intertwined and inseperable.

It is impossible to write a full description for each image w/o telling a lengthy story. 

From the start there with a beer after a CX race to walking into the new Firefly space with my buddy Dean... it is all linked together I guess. Everything is. The thread isn't hard to follow. Tyler, Jamie, Kevin. Thank you guys for creating such an inspirational space and for making such inspriational bikes, and being patient with my requests for tiny bits of scrap.  

My mother told me this is all me, this is finally the culmination of everything. This is me. She's probably correct, mother's usually are. And yes, it is my vision, these are reflections of me, my images, my viewpoint of the nanoworld...  my Nanoscapes, but...  I guess what makes them all special is not a single one of these is my sample. Not one. Even the coffee bean was given to me by the barista at Blue State Coffee in the Brown University Book Store. 

These are gifts to me, without the generosity, kindness, patience, humor and most importantly tolerance of others, this process would be impossible, and I am deeply grateful to be able to share what I see in these gifts.

So thank you to everyone who's been supportive, encouraging, and giving. For without the kindness of so many this wouldn't be happening. 

It is small, but it is fitting. I look into a world of the smallest of everything. 

If you make it tomorrow, be prepared for a hug. It is the best way to say thank you. And if you aren't in town (Boston) tomorrow stop by sometime and check them out. 

First race of the year... done and out of the way

Quad Cross was yesterday. Quick and short of it: I'm a lot slower than I was hoping I would be.

fast forward to today (two weeks later) and I still have that one sentence hanging there.

Not quite getting to the write up... am I?

No, why not?

Well, because I think maybe I needed some time and distance between racing and writing.

Counter point, and a tangent

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/05/346117507/the-considered-bite-low-carb-diets-and-our-relationship-to-food

the critic is misguided in many ways...

step back to MKF Fisher's world, Food was still food. Carbs didn't matter because very little of the food was processed, you had to make it, and fats weren't shunned but embraced, butter was critical, fat rendered from cooking was cherished and saved and used. they didn't look for lean protiens or only this part of the cow, they ate the whole damn cow, sheep or whatever, for the most part. Sure there were plenty who prized and valued a certain part, but hey. Real. Fruit was far more seasonal, or it was preserved. When you preserved your own, you had a finite amount. You didn't have a pile of fruit everyday all year. It was a treat. Sure you ate it every day it was in the trees, at the farm stand.

Then? You had to make it.

All of it.

yourself.

or someone else did.

Comparing that author enjoying food to modern americans enjoying what they consider food? not even close.

But yeah - no content zero here, ramble and critique someone's work. I wonder what it is like to write and create content. Someday maybe i'll try it sometime.

Here's someone who made some content that makes a ton of sense on this issue, emphasises the bottom line: try it yourself.

http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/fitchick/bacon-eggs-cyclocross

the other big key being missed with the realization that everyone's been blaming the butter for what the bread did...

it isn't to eliminate carbs completely, even Noakes doesn't say that. Just limit it, reduce it. not make it the biggest source of calories.

There's lots of science out there: http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694 for one...

You can make it simple. make it about insulin and how you treat your pancrease.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/massivehealth/A-Tale-of-Two-Meals-v3.png

Meant to just be a simple post, one that I wanted to end on a positive not that due to the rediculous comparison I now want to read MKF Fisher's book.

But things get derailed, other conversations tank moods and tones change. One of these days I'll get the Quad debacle written up. Legs are STILL trashed from it. But at least I'm not trying to dig out of a Vegas hole this year.  Hmm now that I think of it, i'm actually still trying to climb out of a much much much deeper hole I dug. Bottom line? Have to remake this season. Need some introspection time...  revamp (erase all) expectations.  Riverpoint CX and Quad have been good.

They've reminded me of the joy I have just racing. Even not fit. Even super slow. It is pretty special.

Food's far more important than racing. Creating food and wonderful meals and teaching good eating habits is really my primary focus...  cyclocross keeps me centered, and bikes and art are my life. Always have been, with luck always will be.

g

Thank you Lucy.... thank you

Seven years (and a few days) ago she came to live with us.

more than half of her storied life happened in this house, on the bike path, in the back yard.

A counter surfing, compost eating, school bag destroying, 75# lap dog, and my youngest's snuggle buddy, my wife's running partner, my friend.

Nothing really more awful or emotional right now.

She came to us from a friend all grown up... the last few days have been not easy, but this summer she had more time with the girls than any other time, she was intensely loved all the way to the end.

I didn't sleep much at all last night and when i did it was dreams of lucy, or dogs...  the smell lingers.

I laid her in the back of the wagon to drive over to the animal hospital, on four soft layers of packing blankets for the tearful less than 1 mile drive. Pulled in and parked in the shade, opened the passenger door and gave her some love and they came out, expecting our arrival. brought a blanket out for me to wrap her still up in. I've carried her up the stairs most every night, and down in the morning, and sometimes right outside. Lots of carrying of the big Lucy dog. For a dog who you essentially couldn't pick up a year ago (she wouldn't let you and would fight and shake and claw to get free) the only way to get around is with me carrying her.

Dogs are different. The connections we make are special, the bonds unique. She was my constant cooking companion, my shawdow as soon as I got home. Always wanted to be in the same room with me or Erin.

I don't really have to explain it most people get it.

I've never had to make this decision before. Never had to decide when it was time. Analytically, it was time, I can pull back the emotions and know she was suffering, her mental capacity was diminishing fast and her physical capacity was nearly gone.

She lost most of her hearing a while ago. For a dog who barked defensively anytime a stranger (or the postman) got w/in 20' of the house (outside even with all the windows closed) to be surprised when I opened the door from the bike room and woke her up 3' away. She didn't like being surprised, she gave her guilty sheepish smirck like "oops i was supposed to know you where here first."

So many stories I guess. How do you capture them all. You can't. I can't. Well not true, I could maybe capture quite a few of them. Like the Friday before NBX when LVG drove up to stay with us. Both of us perked up when we hear the familiar rattle of a B4V TDI turn onto the street. We knew that sound.

This winter in Virginia she was left in our bedroom there. She opened the door and let her self out (and pooped in the basement on the rug). RUGS.  Man did she ever prefer to pee on Rugs. I think it was the lack of spashing maybe. She was very particular.

Looking back, she's been in old age decline for a year or so, maybe more. Slow, nothing acute, just getting old. Thirteen and a half is pretty old for a big dog. Sure there are plenty who live longer, but maybe more that don't.

A full life did Lucy have. A life full of love and affection.

She was a perfect fit here.

The void here now is huge, indescribable.

I completely doubled over in tears when opened the door and caught myself looking for her in her spot when i got back to the house this morning... how many days or weeks will that habbit take to fade.


At the Vet I carried her in from the car wrapped in the old soft blanket brought out for her. Lucy hated the vet. Had to be dragged in there, literally usually. She's too big to lay on the table in the room, so an extra blanket was placed on the floor and I gentely set her down. She was relaxed. Maybe she knew. They know don't they. All the snuggles, her face was damp from my tears by the time I left. The sedative was almost enough... It was her time, I don't want to go through the painful last week/few days. mostly last couple days. Her body had more or less shut down.

The process was gradual i guess, sitting here reflecting and sharing the full impact on how much she'd changed is sinking in.

But there was always that warm Lucy love, that spirit, it was there. But this morning especially, and some last night, a new painful stress was there.

It was time. I said good bye.

I rubbed her soft ears, forehead to forehead, crouched on the floor and cried. She passed quickly... she shuffled easily and painlessly off this mortal coil. I left the room. A side exam room, where the old entrance used to be. The door Lucy had gone in and out of the last time she was there. Today with the vet's remodel this was a small exam room, maybe for this purpose, but there was an outside door. I was given as much time as I needed with her after she drew her last breath and was told to just slip out the door when I was ready.

I did. and sat in the car, and cried again.

When I could see clearly enough I started the car and the radio came on, a song that Lindsey called her favorite song as we were driving to the Farm on Monday... as soon as i started the car the lyrics were at this part of the song:
"My summer, summer, my sweet summer is gone. My Sweet Summer is gone. Yeah she left in the morning..." 

Lindsey and Lucy, inseperable, and that song comes on, at that spot, as I'm leaving the vet this morning.

Seven Years ago pretty much to the day this photo was captured of the two of them:

Seven amazing years...

We said good bye to her today... a for real good bye.

But the love she's left with us will never go away

heddwch
G

Dogs

I've always had a very special connection with my dogs. I knew what they wanted, needed and in a way were saying most of the time. Merlin was the first. I watched him being born. 1st born out of the litter. Biggest of the batch, huge paws. A majestic and smart calm affectionate dog. I grew up going on adventures with him. The middle, the beginning? Less of the focus now than the end. I was still in High School. I'd adopted in a way my grand mother's dog Platty (merlin was a big golden retriever, platty an english cocker spaniel). Merlin taught Platty everything about the land there. How to dig for moles (she was great at digging, not as good at catching as Merlin), and mostly the bond between me and Merlin was similar with Platty even together. There wasn't much overlap. But there was some.

Merlin started getting sick. I drove him to and from the vet, then finally last chance up to a specialist way north and east of Seattle. He was there a day and passed. I drove back to bring him home.

Never really got to have time to say good bye, all the focus was on trying to keep him around.

Platty and I were inseperable after Merlin died.

But I went to college, away from home. Everytime I came home though it was an emotional reunion.

I got married, and then got a call, she wasn't doing well. Got a cheap flight the next day or so and flew home. Got in late and went straight home. First thing in the morning the vet called, I was getting ready to go see her, my mother didn't tell me the vet called to say she died overnight. So instead of driving to say my good byes I drove to collect her...

Right now I'm looking over at my Lucy, a dog that came to live with us when friends who were moving to England didn't want to subject to the cruel quarantine laws at the time. She has her quircks, but she was tolerant of an excessively affectionate todler, and was supremely amazing. A counter surfer, compost destroyer, opportunistic forager, destroyer of many a school bags that only had a wrapper in them.

Now I'm faced with her age. 13.5 years old roughly. 75-85 pound dog. Rarely do the larger ones make it that long. It has been a bit of a steady decline over the last few months.

Last few days, I can't really get her to eat. And today she doesn't want to drink, but she's having some water now. Good sign, except then she just threw up a bit of grass and yuck into her water dish...

But she's not in stress, she's herself, just not moving mcuh. The eyes. They are expressive.

I don't want to say good bye but I do want to say good bye. I don't want to 'put her to sleep' but i fear soon i may not have a choice...

heavy heart

dark cloud

bonds some people will never understand, and others know all too well...

Annual Aug 30 ride report

Yes, I had lots of options to ride that saturday. Go up to the Dirty 40, they kind of messed that up for me by inviting a few dopers, sure I shouldn't care who they invite, the ride should stand alone. But sort of a principled thing I guess, dumb maybe, but also logistically nuts and not what I wanted to do with my weekend ultimately.  Another option was the Dude Smash. This hurt a bit more to miss but going there would mean not seeing my kid play on her new team in her first games. It was a tournament weekend but I was working on Sunday. Soooooo watch games on Saturday or not watch. Also Saturday was my birthday. I like spending that day on my bike. If there has been one thing that has defined me always it is the bike. It is me. I'm at home on it.

The soccer tournament gave me the opportunity to and motive and destination. When I heard that was where they are going to be playing, it kind of made sense. Ride there. But with a 9:05 start time? Oof I'd have to leave early.

wee bit of promo as CX IS COMING

First up Carl Ring, nemisis to many, all around good guy has been working hard for a very long time to get this Ronde to happen

Pemi-Baker Ronde

Here is the blurb on the event from the man himself:

Friends: this Sunday is the 1st Pemi-Baker Ronde, a 62 mile paved & dirt road bike event. Race at the front or tour at the back, the course will have something fun & challenging for everyone. Awards will be given to the top 3 in each category and to the "I Am Not Ted King" of the Mountain sprint leader. Lunch & a pint at Biederman's deli after the ride. Register here by Thursday https://www.bikereg.com/pemi-baker-dirt-road-ronde 

So yeah. If you can, go check it out.

Something else? Totally different? Riverfront Cyclocross park.  Maybe New England's first dedicated Cyclocross park and it is down here in West Warwik.

check the faceplace page: https://www.facebook.com/RiverpointCyclocrossPark

Not sure I'll be at either but they are great events and should both be a ton a fun and if not, should be on your radar if ya be local...

heddwch

G

PANTANI : The Accidental Death Of a Cyclist

"Sport should mean life, not death. Sport should be beautiful and healthy. I sent my son out to play sport because I thought sport meant health and good company. But sport isn't always those things. It isn't."
-Tonina Pantani (Marco's mother)

I post a spoiler, why? Because it sums the film up, and offers an insight and incentive to see how the film makers take you there.

I agree with Grabau, it isn't the best film, sensationalized. Melodramatic footage bordering on cheesey. I think it detracted from the story not added to it. The syringes and vials...

Could be been crafted to be an even more powerful message, but as it is, there is enough there that someone who was a fan, a student of the sport, knows what was going on enough to fill in the lines of the story themselves.  Marco's mafia comment, wanting to quit.

Doper? Undoubtedly yes. Was he at the leve of directing the doping and controling it and mastering like others? I don't think so, Neive on my part? Maybe. I think he did it because he was forced to. That's my opinon. It seems, not just from the film maker's crafting of an opinion after watching the film, that it bothered him a bit. Maybe that's just me wanting it to be that way.

Who's to say. Pharmstrong comes across again as a bully, an asshole. But in a worse way than Hinault did in the Bager film with Lemond.

Maybe a film needs to be made looking at this story and the rest of them from the purely doping side, but then it seems hard to spin it in a compelling way, it is just too multi-faceted.

Sport isn't just sport. It is entertainment and we all know that. It takes money to make the sport happen. At the amateur level most of the funding is by the participants. But even then it is tough to make it happen. People though often lose sight of the facts that there are exceptional people. One in a million, who can do great things. With genetic gifts that rivals can't even dope to get close to.

Hard work will get you pretty far. Passion is absolutely required. Esp for a sport such as ours. The odds of a true champion coming into cycling with both all the genetic gifts and the passion is rare. Rarer still in a country such as the USA where top athletes find other sports, never really given the chance to try out cycling. Is the talent here? Indeed. Look at Lemond. The doping seemed to level the playing field in a way. brought everyone up to the same plateau, where odds of winning were less about who was strongest, and more about who had the best system in place, who played the game that wasn't part of the sport the best.

Maybe we can hope that opressive victories are a sign of cleaner riding. There certainly can be plenty of drama on a stage by stage basis, and with no certainty finishing and winning a tour is a remarkable acheivement. You have to finish. Look at this year.

Why do we do this, how can we still be fans. Maybe because we know there are clean riders, we know that when you have that magic day...  it is addictive. We are all really addicts in a way. But having a healthy and clear outlook on our abilities, and potential is critical. With few exceptions, there will always be someone faster, stronger and better than you. Maybe they are younger, maybe they are luckier that day, maybe who knows what. There are so many variables in the sport. But also so much to love.

Sit down and watch the film though. It isn't great, but it is certainly worth watching at least once.

Weather hold and a Smackdown report.

First vulture I've seen on the commute. I saw it fly over too the guardrail, that's no crow.. Too big I thought. I stopped just past it. A minivan going the other direction made a u turn and parked in the shoulder to check it out. We exchanged excited thumbs up and took pictures as the bird hopped back to the fresh rain soaked road kill.
 
Wouldn't have seen him on Monday if I had left on time. Getting ready to head out the door I checked the radar. Oof. Big ball of yellow and red on the radar bearing down on me and before I could get out the door to race it north it unloaded.

So I waited it out. 

And waited a bit more and pretty soon the little storm cell had cleared and it was blue skies and a massive tailwind. 

Drenched roads though.

Was okay. tailwind, blue skies, a bit humid and warm but then there was this guy hanging out.

Tried to keep it mellow getting ready for Tuesday's smack down riding in and home. Sort of worked. Kind of. (click the read more if you dare -below the photo on the left)