2.11.2008

Dante


"A great flame follows a little spark."

2.04.2008

Happy Birthday!


A big happy birthday wish to my friends and colleagues, Byron and Patrick! I hope you have a great day!
Cheers!

2.03.2008

Opera!




I love the Opera. It really suits me ... it's like a play, musical and the symphany all rolled-up into one -- plus I get to interact by reading along -- it really keeps my attention. Not to mention it is soooo over the top! The sets and costumes are always quite extravagant -- this time was no different! JNK and I went to Verdi Giussepi's Aida on Saturday night ... it was spectacular! At times there were 60+ performers on stage, and a parade of animals - no kidding - including a camel and zebra (crazy!) - we really enjoyed it.

Going to the Mountains


JNK set off on a snowboarding trip to Big Sky Montana the week before last ... as I didn't grow up skiing/snowbording, such trips aren't the most appealing to me. JNK had a great time on the big mountains and visiting fellow UK architecture alum Tara in Bozeman.

In the meantime, I found my own way to the mountains, albeit a smaller version (which actually suits my fear of heights much better anyways!). I spent a few days in Asheville and Black Mountain, NC, where I had some performance testing done at Asheville Velosports, moutain biked at experimental-forest Bent Creek (man did I hit the deck hard!), and did 3 fun training rides with teammies! By the end of the weekend, I was very excited for the 2008 race season with my new team and quite ready for a day or two of recovery!

Training


I was fortunate to be able to meet up with my Coach, Jim, to do some training north of Winston-Salem while he was in NC this month to do some training of his own. Timing was fortuitous, as it was also Jim's Birthday. But not only is he my cycling coach, he has been my cooking mentor for quite some time, too ... so it was a pleasure (and challenge!) to make a great birthday dinner (lamb chops, roasted red potatoes, asparagus) in his honor. It was tons of fun to see and hang out with the gang at the farm and get in some great training!

Great Movie

I have really enjoyed some of the Cohen Brother's movies - The Man Who Wasn't There and O' Brother Where Art Thou, in particular. Some, though, like Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty didn't really seem to me to show the genius of the Cohen Brothers potential.

If you don't like slow-paced, violent or disturbing movies with anti-climactic endings, you might not like this movie. But the character development and casting is fantastic, and the cinematography is delicious. Favorite scenes of mine were those shot in Llewellen's trailer, through the reflection of the old TV screen.

Still reflecting on the holidays ...

Ok, so I can be a bit slow to get through things this time of year ... blog entries, gift giving, thank-you-note writing, and ... decorating? I didn't get any holiday decorations out this year (that isn't saying much, though, as all that I have fit nicely in a storage chest). But when JNK and I made the obligatory trip to 'off-site' storage (yes, different than the 2 on-site storage units we have) to dig out the Paella cookbook for the Dinner Party, I found my Christmas stash and couldn't help but pull out my favorite Christmas decoration - this great candle. The embossing on the side says:
"Give me something useful like Contentment and wrap it in the comforting Embrace of Family and tie it with a bow woven by Friendship"
Perfect. I've enjoyed burning it ever since - long after most have packed away their holiday cheer. As an aside, I've been enjoying a lot of Mojave 3 lately ... especially the album 'Ask Me Tomorrow'. One of the tracks, 'Candle Song', reminds me of my own Christmas Candle.


I have to give a shout out to my awesome little sis Carrie for her 'gifts that keep on giving' ... my ploy to get her addicted to Starbucks has not only worked, its paying off in spades now that she is a store manager in snowy Erie, PA ... where I have a hunch they sell loads of hot coffee and hot chocolate! This cycling jersey was an fantastic Christmas gift (I love green!) and she recently sent this burr grinder - which, of course, every self-respecting coffee connaisseur uses to grind their beans - and a 1/2 pound of the Starbucks Regalo organic espresso beans. As a long-time fan of Illy, JNK and I were quite impressed with this new bean! I must admit, though, that I'll still resort to the convenience of the Illy pods on weekday mornings when I'm stumbling out of bed and need that quick shot. Yum!