Sweet Blog O'Mine

v. 2.0

  • And Much Lobster Was Had By All

    Lobstahlove

    Over the course of four days, we ate lobster rolls once, fried clams twice, and whole lobsters twice.  We also made some kick-ass grilled salmon with corn salsa and shrimp tacos with grilled onions, guacamole, and chipotle crema.  To balance it out, I swam across the lake and back once (1/2 mile), went on two runs, and finished up the last day with a swim/run combo (getting ready for the tri).  Got to catch up with the family and some family friends a bit as well.  In addition to cooking and eating, we spent a great deal of time reading, sleeping, and throwing either a ball or a stick into the lake so that Lucy (the dog), could jump in and fetch it.  As a gesture of thanks for our entertaining her for hours on end, she ate our cheese plate while we weren’t looking.  The pictures from the weekend are here.

  • Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Lobsters

    And don’t forget monorails, buses, and every broken escalator in the greater NY area.  Finally made it back from Maine.  Recap and photos shortly.  Thanks to Jenn R., Jimmy, and The Lovely Miss Katie for good times, belly laughs, and all around excellent company, and thanks to the Maine branch of the family for letting us use a portion of the the compound.

  • Panic

    As I mentioned, I’ve worked myself into panic mode about the triathlon.  I’m afraid I haven’t done enough biking and swimming, certainly haven’t even tried to bike 12 miles as fast as I can (the distance is no problem), and haven’t managed to do a "brick" workout (bike/run back to back) outside of the stationary bike and treadmill at the gym.  So, as I sat last night exhausted from weight training and swimming, my thoughts were that sometime before I head up to Maine after work today, I have to pack, and squeeze in a bike ride if at all possible.  I could barely wake up this morning, let alone get out on my bike, so I think I’m going to have to settle for a lunch time spin class.  I’m still pretty tired, so we’ll see how it goes.

    The good news is that for my swim last night, I wanted to swim 800m nonstop to see how that felt — usually I track by time, not distance, because I have trouble keeping count of the laps.  I did a 50m warmup, then let ‘er rip.  I might have actually done 900 (I still can’t keep count), but managed to do it in 17:50, including the warmup, so I think my prediction of the 20 minute swim for the tri is about right.  I was very happy that I was able to do make it through with no problem whatsoever.  Guess all my hard work is paying off!

    The bad news?  Nutrition labeling on alcohol.  Yikes!

  • Quite Early Morning

    My sleep patterns are a little erratic at the moment, likely due to a week of vacation (including one sunrise and several naps) and the stress of returning both to work and panic about my triathlon training.  Yesterday, when I woke up at 5:30, I uploaded my pictures and then fell back asleep for a bit.  This morning, I woke up at about 6:30, so I saddled up and did a quick 9 mile bike ride on the Hudson River path.  It was very peaceful at that hour, serene and beautiful, and the light is quite different from the evening when I’m often out there.  It’s a lovely way to start the day, although I fear that I’ll crash later on, which sometimes happens when I exercise before work.  Perhaps I’ll go for the XL iced coffee this morning.

  • The Trail of Tears

    Sunken_forest

    Slowly easing back into reality after a week’s vacation at the beach.  Highlights included several outrageously delicious meals (grass-fed beef steaks, grilled veggies, gumbo, steak tartare, paella, shrimp tacos . . .), a handful of solid runs, some major beach naps, dogs in costumes (not sure I’ll be living that one down for a while) and a rotating cast of characters throughout the week with whom to enjoy it all.  Other "highlights" include getting hot tub hickeys (not as exciting as they sound) and walking slogging to the Sunken Forest only to arrive just in time for mosquito feeding hour.  What started out as a pleasant adventure turned into a 5 hour expedition — by the time we arrived, we were in such a rush to get through it, both to make it back to civilization before the sun went down and because we were quickly turning into a mosquito buffet.  I didn’t even bother to slow down to take real pictures, as illustrated above.  A special shout out to those who had martinis and dinner waiting for us when we got home.  Another goes to Beth, who finally made it out to the beach after all these years, to Sara and Arlan, for making the most out of their day trip, despite the weather, to Jenn D., Emilia, Lauren and Frank, for being there to keep me company during my midweek stint, to John B., of course, and to everyone who helped me with my true Spanish-style dinner on Saturday night (we finally sat down for the main course at 11:00).  And, as always, to everyone who made me laugh until my abs were sore.  The pictures from the week (not that many, considering how long I was there) are here.

  • Back on the Big Island

    Back from vacation with a savage tan and mosquito bites galore — pictures to come.  Looking forward to my super-comfy bed and major A/C.

  • Pictures Galore

    Triborough

    Even more pictures — this time from a fantastic bike ride with Lauren, Frank, and Annie.  We started in Williamsburg and headed to Astoria, then we returned to Manhattan via Randall’s Island — one of my favorite rides this summer.

  • You Should’ve Been in Pictures

    Sunset

    I took about eighty billion pictures this weekend for some reason — here’s the first batch, from the roof garden at the Met.  If I were particularly motivated, I would have messed around with them in Photoshop, but I’m not — I’m on vacation!  Heading to the beach for a week after a bunch of errands today.  More pictures later. 

  • Long Lost Cousins?

    BillthecatfaceBill2

    Only because somebody made me do it.  I’m not naming names or anything, but TGIF.  See, I’m willing to humiliate myself on the damn internets for the amusement of my blog readers.  Seriously — someone owes me a cocktail for this one.  Photo courtesy of Doug.

  • Galoshes!

    Galoshes

    The weather reports are calling for thunderstorms for the next three days — looks like my red galoshes are going to get put to good use.