Soup in a Pumpkin

Since I had a large pumpkin leftover from Thanksgiving, I've been trying to find a way to use it. So Julia Child's Soup in a Pumpkin.

I also made a loaf of bread to go along with it.

New Bike

November Weakend

It was a great weakeend.  I wish I went sailing as the picture above shows, but alas I worked painting the master bedroom all weakend!  It looks great but it's still waiting for the new window treatments.

I did ride with Tony on Saturday. he was doing a short ride in preparation for the Miami Man Half Iron Distance Race on Sunday...more to come on that.

This weaks training was not that great but here it is:

Monday - rest day
Tuesday - run 4 miles
Wednesday - swim
Thursday - run 4 miles
Friday - run 6 miles
Saturday - ride 30 miles
Sunday - run 2 miles

Gotta do better next weak!

Video: NASA | AR1520's Parting Shot - July 19 M7.7 Flare

NASA | AR1520's Parting Shot - July 19 M7.7 Flare

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21836 Masters Circle

Estero, Florida 33928

239-292-5406

Forza Azzurri

Chimay my favorite beer

Baby Snake

You Are Not Special

Mark Perry at CARPE DIEM has a great You Tube video of English teacher David McCullough Jr give a commencement address at this year's Wellesley High School (Massachusetts) commencement, entitled You Are Not Special.  Check out the post and watch the video.  


What do you think? Was this the right thing to say to a graduating high school class?

Dog and her Ducky

Sleeping Dog

Today's View

Kentucky Derby Party

Boys and girls, it's official! I went to my first Kentucky Derby Party and had a mint julep! Let me say first, mutilated mint in simple syrup with a splash of bourbon doesn't make a drink.  I guess I like my hard liquor neat. More on that in a moment.

I had some surgery a couple of weeks ago, it seems melanoma affects you in many ways including your teeth.  I had to have a couple removed, well 7!  It seems I had a major infection going on but didn't know.  The dentist work for 2 hours on my bottom teeth and gave me so much novocain he was afraid to continue on... so I had to go back on Tuesday.  This time he gave me a long lasting novocain which lasted 15 minutes on me.  But we got it all done.

I was out of it for 4 days just feeling drugged and unable to eat. So no training. Hey you would think I would loose some weight not eating or eating Oldman's Famous Vegetable Soup, nope just a pound. So I've lost 23 lbs since Jan 1.  Hopefully I can drop some 20 more by year's end.

So I have been slacking on my training as the Orlando Half Ironman is out, it's May 20.  Every time I get close to doing a half Ironman I have surgery or some other medical issue.  Maybe I'm jinxed?  But this weekend I made an effort to get back in there training.

I rode with the Flatlanders on Saturday.  Of course I got dropped at the hill at the 10 mile mark but Nurse Payne and I rode together to finish out the ride... 35 miles. He's just getting back as well so we made a good pair.  Fortunately for me, he pulled most of the way at 22 to 23 mph.

 Flatlanders training ride

 So back to the party.... J and I bet on a couple of nags, I thot "Union Rags" would win but J like "I'll Have Another".  I think she just liked the looks of the horse, it was ugly.  She said it was the name that won her over.  We watched the race with a bunch of drunks....how did you get drunk on mint juleps?  I couldn't hear the call but when the race was finished, J's horse won! She won $71. 

Sunday I decided that the Flatlanders would be to fast for me as the are doing the 60 mile University and airport ride.  They ride at 25mph then crank it up to 28+, so I rode with the Trek group.  It was a nice easy ride of 25 miles at a steady 22 mph.  I left the group and rode back alone so as to get some time in aero position.

I worked the rest of the day on Sunday.  I've got two new clients so I had a little more work than usual plus I had to do an airport run. 

Apr 30 - May6	Swim yds	Bike miles	Run miles	Other
Monday				0
Tuesday			5	75 p-ups
Wednesday
Thursday			3	75 p-ups
Friday
Saturday		35		100 p-ups
Sunday		30		75 p-ups

I haven't been clear by my doctor to swim as yet.  he told me to wait until the stitches were removed, now he says wait a month.  He doesn't want me to drink any Gulf water!

Roasted Unicorn Recipe

I have been looking for a good recipe for unicorn.  I finally found one in a recently discovered cookbook at the British Museum.  Here is the link if you love unicorn as much as I do.

Weak in Review 4-1-12

Feb 26- Apr 1	Swim yds	Bike miles	Run miles	Other
Monday	2,500 yds			50 p-ups
Tuesday			7	75 p-ups
Wednesday	2,500		5.1	50 p-ups
Thursday		Rest Day	–	75 p-ups
Friday	2,500
Saturday		29		50 p-ups
Sunday		Palm Sunday		50 p-ups

Weak in Review March 18-24

Friday Flowers

Grilled Eggplant Panini

This week my local produce guy, Max, had eggplants 3 for $1.00.  Of course I couldn't pass that up, especially since they were local and organic.  So for lunch I made a grilled  eggplant panini with fresh mozzarella, ricotta and roast red peppers.  I must say it was good!

Ingredients

4 tbs olive oil
1 small eggplant pealed and sliced
2 tbs ricotta
4 slices fresh mozzarella
1 roasted red peppers ( I used bottled red peppers)
8 green olives sliced
2 Catawba rolls

Preparation

Brush eggplant slices with oil and grill for 2 minutes then turn and grill 1 minute more.
Spread 1 tbs ricotta on each roll then 2 slices mozzarella, 1 slice red pepper,  2 slices eggplant, and green olives.  Place sandwich in panini press and grill until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

The Weak in Review

Well boys and girls, it has not been an easy week to train in SWFL.  We had a cold front go thru, well cold for SWFL.  Sunday morning it was windy with gust to 30 mph and cold 38*.  So my long run on Sunday turned into a run on the dreadmill.  Have I told you I hate the dreadmill.  As I'm a heavy sweater, I get the darn thing covered in sweat.  But I did what I had to do, so it was dreadmill....

I had several comments about my stats, so here are last weeks stats:

How did you do this past weak?

Feb 6 -12	Swim	Bike	Run	Other
Monday			3 miles – easy	50 p-ups
Tuesday	missed		6 miles	75 p-ups
Wednesday		11 mile easy		50 p-ups
Thursday			6 miles –fartlek	75 p-ups
Friday	2,500 yds		5 miles - easy	50 p-ups
Saturday		25 miles
Sunday			6 miles

Garden Flowers

Here are a couple of pics of my garden flowers. First the Hybiscus
from the front flower bed.

See the full gallery on Posterous

J's Friday Flower

The Health Risk of Being Left Handed

I came across this article from the Journal regarding The Health Risks of Being Left Handed.   So here are the highlights:

1. Left-handed people are more prone to neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia and ADHD.
    
2. Left-handed people earn about 10% less than right-handed people.
    
3. Left-handed people are more apt to have greater divergent aptitude (ie, creativity.).
    
4. Left-handed people don’t necessarily die younger than those who are right-handed.

The only problem I have with this article, I'm a natural left hander.  It is easiest for me to learn a new skill left handed.  I naturally do things left handed BUT...and here is the big BUT...my parents who adopted me from the Indian Reservation made me change to right handed!

Yup, I play baseball right handed...bat and throw right handed.  I play basketball let handed.  Football? I throw left handed.  Snowballs...I can throw with either hand! Frisbee, left handed.

It would drive my father crazy when cutting lumber with a hand saw. I could change hands when I got tired.   
So here is the deal...  since I'm have no neurological disorders other than a brain tumor and headaches, I'm not schizo and don't have ADHD.  I only earn 5% more than right handed people. And IF my one and only kidney doesn't crap out, the big C doesn't return and the brain tumor behaves, I'll out live you all.  So the only problem I have?  I'm just confused with what hand to use when!

Birthday Boat Ride

Wave Dancer - 40ft MJM - here I was able to parallel park.

The Birthday Boy

 This past weekend was Dick's 82 birthday.  So Saturday we took him to Nervous Nellies for lunch via the intercoastal water way.  I always have trouble remembering which side the red buoy is on in the intercoastal.


Back at the dock we had birthday cake...chocolate of course!

Locally Grown Produce

It may not be a pretty store but the produce is local and cheap! $4
for 3 pints of strawberries,$2 honeydew, $1.50 watermelons can't be
beaten.

Fire side dinner in Florida

Fire on a cold Florida note

Cold Weather

Living in Southwest Florida I have grown accustom to warm(er) weather. So much accustom that 55* feels cold! So it comes as little surprise that I'm having difficulty getting out of bed in the early morning.

Whirligig

We have had an osprey sit on the fore deck of the boat eating.  While that sounds nice, he/she eats fish.  Preparing to leaver the dock, I found an eyeball on the deck.  So in an attempt to keep he/she away I have installed a whirligig. I placed it on one of the spikes of the starboard side piling.  It spins with the breeze.  So far the caps wuth spike on the pilings haven't work maybe this will.

Naples Half Finisher

Naples half

Nelson's Famous Banana Blueberry Bread

Naples Half tomorrow

Only 20 hours to go! Training done! Rest Day today!

View from my desk

Taken by Tri-Oldman1

Today's rainbow