mtb!

It was a gorgeous 64-degree sunny day here in Charlotte and my first mtb ride since September ... way overdue, by the way - it was so much fun. A few of us from the dinner party group met at Sherman Branch near Mint Hill, NC to ride the trails. It's only on a bike trail that I can think up such quality thoughts as "if single-speed bikes had gears, single-speed riders would definitely ride top-mount-thumb-shifters like these" and actually say that outloud.

One of my favorite things about riding the mtb is that it's OK (almost expected, really) to wear not-so-matchy, not-so-proper cycling gear ... and the more retro the better. Today I pulled out my all-time favorite and first-ever cycling jersey that I bought while working at Bikeworks (Sylvania, OH) in college - I've always loved the colors and it's quite possibly the softest jersey ever. Not sure that it quite qualifies as retro, but it's definitely a blast from my past.

Dinner Party!

It took me less than 2 weeks to put my new Paella pan to use ...

It was great to have Karyn, Ben, Tom, Melinda, Robin, Chris, Chad, Andrea, Jeanie and Arleigh over for a dinner party to help me try out the new pan and toast to a great 2008 ahead.

1st Sale Purchase of 2008 ...

Some things are just meant to be ... I had my eye on these boots at Nordstrom's before Christmas (they are very cool - sporty, yet fancy in that euro-chic sorta way), but they didn't have my size. I did, however, receive a generous Nordstrom's giftcard from Ken B over the holidays and decided to pop-in over lunch to see if my size had surfaced ... and voila! Not only did they have them, but they were also well over 1/2 off ... and only cost me 1/2 my gift card! So I did what any self-respecting seasoned shoe-sale-shopper would do: I ordered a second pair in another color (those who know me well will recognize this as a pathaological shopping pattern of mine ...)

Happy New Years

I had a great New Year's traveling to Charleston, SC with JNK to visit good friend and UK alum Mark (missed you Shannon & Ainsley). It was just my speed to make a nice, healthy dinner for the guys and get to bed at a decent hour! The weather was fabulous - we spent the morning touring and walking along the waterfront.

December 28

A big welcome to Ellie (Eleanor Margaret Knuth) and congratulations to proud parents and Emily and Dennis -- can't wait for a trip to Columbus, OH to see you you guys and meet Ellie soon! Best wishes!

The Delivery

John M is a really fun friend. Great to ride with and talk to -- and is the benefactor of my much adored Assoc Airblock bibtights. About a month ago, he sends this book to the apartment:

As it turned out, John M had test-drove a 911 Turbo and, while still being in love with the '96 911 993, just couldn't get the Turbo off his mind and was feeling compelled to upgrade. The obvious problem for John M was, then, what to do with the normally-aspirated 911? JNK to the rescue. Upon delivery of the Turbo from the Windy City to the Queen City of the Midwest, a blockbuster deal was struck and the Queen City of the South's auto census became +1:

What do I really think about the 911 acquisition? Two things: first, I'm quite glad I learned to drive a car on a manual, and secondly, that's a lot of guilt-free spa treatments!

Christmas! The Recap ... (finally)

The Christmas trip was tons of fun. As previously mentioned, I left from the Queen City of the South (Charlotte) for a short work trip in the Steel City (Pittsburgh), then headed to the Queen City of the Midwest (Cincinnati) for a Fri-Sun visit with Cinci friends. Then, on Sunday, JNK and I headed to the Fountain City (Bryan, OH) for a family holiday party. I was thrilled to make this event, as I was able to see lots of wonderful extended family that I didn't get the chance to see during my Thanksgiving travels. Then it was onward to my parents in the Heart of the Irish Hills (Brooklyn, MI) to celebrate Christmas with my parents and sisters through Christmas Eve. Headed to the Glass City (Toledo, OH) for the fab perennial Christmas Eve party @ Mark+Patty's; then Christmas day OH Turnpike back west to grandma's in Blakeslee, OH for Christmas lunch then hopped back on the Turnpike east to make it to Christmas dinner in Rossford, OH - founded by Edward Ford of the Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company (ever see the Laverne & Shirley-type cursive letter 'L' on the bottom of your glasswear?). After days and days and days of great reunions with family, way too many presents and way too much food, JNK and I journeyed back to the Queen City of the Midwest to stay over at our good friends, the Gatch's and have a good bike ride with John G. Then a funny thing happened to keep us in Cinci for a couple of extra days ....