recovery

oh - and my shoulder didn't really hurt at all after yesterday which is good.

i have some photos of the trail and will post them once they upload.

post ash wednesday

So spring is finally here - hurrah! Although the color that accompanies it is delayed, the sunshine and warmth will suffice.

I was able to duck out of work 'early' (odd that I consider 4:30 early when I start at 6:50 or so, with minimal breaks) and finally got back on the greenbelt. It was nice to get a good ride in again; although unfortunately no water below twin falls - last months rains have drained or run off. The ride was good; the terrain semi-barren; and the weather perfect. I finished after sunset so the last several miles transitioned from low light dusk to pitch blacksingletrack through wooden canopies; always a fun experience.

So early work today and then I get to judge the local AISD / Austin Energy run science fair. I got assigned Environmental & Transportation for the Junior division (7th Grade). So it will be refreshing to get out of the office and interact with the community and be able to contribute. It's much better than being stuck in an office all day plodding along on all my regular jobs.

So i'll head home; transition to my surly 1x1 (bike), and ride over to the parmer events center where i will interact with participant, judges (usually 10yrs older or more than I), and the mass of attendees in general. after that its shopping for a friend's birthday party tonight (i thinki'm going to make bourbon pot pies) and then relaxing.

enjoy the best day of the week,

jeff

a monday with sunshine

which is very nice. so friday after-work activities went well. there's nothing quite as fun as being free on a bike and being faster from location to location than friends in cars. all in all a relaxing night of food and drink; capped off by a post-midnight ride along the lake on my way home in the nice 30-degree temps. now that i know to bring my lined winter gloves and hat instead of the summer
riding gloves and cap it works much better. there is something freeing and individualistic about riding trails at night through the city.i've done the same thing while camping as well: long solitary hikes early in the morning or late at night when you are isolated, yet still able to observe things from a distance.

other than that soccer was fun; odd to watch rather than play, but only another week or two before i'm back out there. i went to my team's game - it helps to be more a part of the team that way. as i've noted; its easy to move in and out of groups, but hard to become extremely familiar with friends, so this type of thing helps. saturday night was wine and chocolate tasting which moved venues from my place to adam and maggie's. it was a great time with various fruits dipped in chocolate; tasty blue cheese (as well as sheep, gouda, and others); my re-created lamb with chocolate-cayenne sauce; and maggie's espresso brownies (addictive).

sunday
was a day of relaxing outside on the porch while reading and taking in the warmth of a sun on a brisk, somewhat chilly day. the spring is coming and it will be wonderful; but now the middle of the day is ideal with understood threats of cold, freezing nights and frequent reminders of late winter with cloud-hidden moments of wind aided late-winter cold. but while the sun is out - excellent! andborris got to roam as well outside. he spent a good 30 or minutes or so stalking a squirrel. and i'm sure he curses me for the bell on his collar; but as i explained - its for training. if he can become stealthy enough with the bell he can sneak up on anything without one.



and valerie and i celebrated chinese new year yesterday night with a visit to a restaurant that i've been meaning to try for quite a while. it did not disappoint: an authentic menu and clientele along with excellent food: chicken corn and crab soup and salted fish with eggplant pot. there's something guilty about liking fish sauce and the fermented bean aspect of the cuisine.

but now its back to work. quite a productive day so far. these next three weeks prior to my vacation will be quite busy as both my cemetery jobs have upcoming deadlines. good thing i function well underpressure.

i've got our company's service awards tonight (a cocktail hour and presentation honoring the milestone's of employees service). kind of a nice reflective gesture that illustrates the humanity and personal stories of my company. of course my goal is to move on before i hit my 2-year milestone (1st of April); so its a bit of a different view. I was supposed to attend an Engineers Without Borders meeting as well; but it has been pushed back to next week to fit a speakers schedule. Its a new groupi'm trying to become involved with - should be rewarding.

viva monday,

jeff