I’m On Vacation
Aug/100
I pressed send on my back-fill coverage plan and set my “out of office” messages around 6pm on Friday night. It was time for vacation to begin. First stop, the beer store to pick up some Sam Adams Oktoberfest.
I got home and started working on the packing process. I received a phone call from a co-worker around 9pm. It was a friendly call encouraging me to enjoy my vacation as I had “really earned it.” A short time later Trevor and Jessie arrived. They were passing through/crashing on their way to a Saturday picnic in the area.
We went down to Baggataway’s for dinner and drinks. We split an order of wings and I went with a mushroom and Gruyère burger. Pretty tasty all around. We sat outside and it was a very nice night to be sitting outside.
The rest of the night was spent sitting around a camp fire trying an assortment of beers I had acquired and discussing life. It was really nice to catch up with them both. We also discussed a “man-cation” next summer of RV’ing across the US stopping at various craft beer establishments. Before I knew it the clock read 3:30am and it was time for bed.
Today I got a little more serious about packing. However, my method of packing was questionable. I pulled all of the clothing that had piled up in my closet and started folding, sorting and hanging it. I decided that it would be nice to come back to a clean room.
I also found time to watch two good movies: Inglourious Basterds and Soylent Green. I especially enjoyed the first one. Creatively structured, good acting and edge-of-your seat action were the highlights. I’m not sure if I’d be eager to watch it again but definitely worth watching at least once.
I also popped out to the bank to deposit a check and made a run to the grocery store for some dinner items. I made scallops, zucchini and couscous. Delicious. Only problem is that I made too much and there isn’t anyone around to help eat it.
I’m going to spend the remainder of the night folding shirts and watching HGTV. Tomorrow morning at 9:45am Erin and I take off (got upgraded to first class) to Mexico for a week long vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen. I expect nothing less than glorious enjoyment. I’ve got three books to read and an appetite for relaxation (and fruity beverages).
When I return, marathon training begins (but I won’t think about that until next Saturday).
Cooking
Aug/105
In the past two weeks I’ve been doing a decent amount of cooking. Last week I made risotto three different times with three different recipes.
1) Mushroom risotto #1 – I didn’t add the mushrooms until the very end and basically just let them steam. This kept the rice a nice cream color. I servered it with some small bay scallops. Overall, it was good.
2) Lobster mushroom risotto #2 – I don’t know what I was thinking but ACME had pre-boiled lobsters for $7.99 per pound. I bought around 3 pounds. Pulling apart lobster outside of a nice restaurant just doesn’t feel right. In this batch I soaked dry mushrooms in my chicken broth which turned it into a really nice mushroom broth. The rice ended up having a dirtier color as I strained the mushrooms from the broth, chopped them and re-added them. I tossed the lobster meat in at the end. Initially, the risotto wasn’t exactly what I wanted but after sitting in the fridge for a night it got a lot better for some reason.
3) Mushroom risotto #3 – This one was perfect. I didn’t over complicate the risotto. I used the same dry mushroom soaking technique but did not add the mushrooms in with the rice. I served the wild mushrooms on the side. I did forget to add salt which just means you have to add your own when you eat. Not such a bad thing as the salt won’t get disolved and it will have a bigger impact in enhancing the flavor and consumption time. The piece that pulled it all together was the dry-pack sea scallops. I seared them in olive oil with and flavored them with a little bit of kosher salt and fresh-ground red pepper corns. I believe I cooked the scallops perfectly. The are my favorite food of the moment. It was an excellent meal and the only real downside was that the mushrooms were a little boring.
This week I made turkey meatballs. I pan seared them and let them simmer in my Crockpot with sauce. They ended up being incredibly tender.
I find cooking to be very relaxing.
iPhone vs. Blackberry
Aug/102
Bottom line, I need a new cell phone. The Blackberry Torch is out today. It is the latest in the Blackberry line and includes a pullout QWERTY keyboard. you know what’s funny? I hesitated when I went to type QWERTY because I was looking for the keys. Think about it. Hilarious. Anyway, the iPhone 4 is pretty cool and other than the antenna issue, I haven’t heard any major complaints. They are both going to cost me $199. I haven’t met anyone yet that thinks I should get the Blackberry but I do like the idea of having a physical keyboard. Perhaps it is time to learn how to type on a touchscreen? I’m going to check them both out at lunch today.
Update: If I were to consider a phone with the Android OS, which particular phone? I have AT&T.
Update #2: I went with the Samsung Captivate at the advice of John W. So far, so good! Thanks.
Advice
Aug/101
This past weekend I headed back home so I could attend my father’s annual poker picnic. I think this was the 5th year for me and the 30th+ year for my dad. The day always starts out with a tournament of skill games including horseshoes, baseball darts, 501 electronic darts, shuffleboard, basketball shooting and a 1v1 card game. Last year I did fairly well. This year I did a better job at eating pickled hot bologna and drinking Coors Light. However, I did learn that throwing horseshoes with a palm-down grip allows me greater flip control. My dad came in second place for the first time (that he can remember). After that set of events we play a round of various team events. That is followed by several hours of poker. I managed to only lose about $30 playing cards and raked in a few hands with pots over $20. It was fun. However, more about doing something with my dad than winning anything.
During our drive I asked my dad a question about his career and his ability to be an affective manager. I asked him to name a few skills/ways of working that enabled him to be successful. I also asked him to name a few areas that held him back from being the best. I think his feedback on places to focus is spot on and valuable for almost any career.
1) Remember people’s names – Walking up to someone and saying “Hey, can you do this” is not nearly as effective as saying “Insert person’s name, can you do this.” The acknowledgment of a name shows personal connection and respect.
2) Stay organized – Not only will you waste time looking for things, you’ll give the perception that you don’t have it all together even if you do.
3) Don’t procrastinate – As hard as it is, do the hard thing first and save the easy for the end. It will pay off.
4) Don’t lose your temper – Taking emotion out of work situations is important in getting to the bottom of challenging situations without causing any damage to the relationship with coworkers.
Enjoying Toronto
Aug/100
Not know when I’d make my next venture up to Toronto I took advantage of the fact that work was pulling me up there again. I decided to catch an earlier flight on Sunday so that I could roam around, visit my favorite spots, take some photos and enjoy the city during hours I normally can’t (since I’m in the office). It was probably one of my more enjoyable work trips to date.
I started my Sunday adventure by visiting Beer Bistro. It was rather hot inside as the restaurant is on the first floor of an office building and on the weekends they don’t cool the building as much since no one is there working. I started things off with a tasty weizenbock followed by the excellent Lagunitas beverage pictured above. I guy sitting at the bar a few seats down from my order a $80 bottle of beer (Angel’s Share). I had two Kobe beef tacos and went on my way.
Next stop was to Bier Markt on the Esplanade (not pictured). I don’t particularly like this place but they do have about 100 beer witha focus on representing a wide variety of countries. Not to be a beer snob or anything, they don’t have too many that are all that interesting. They did have Konigshoven quad on tap which is pretty excellent but I headed right for the back of the menu in the “last call” section of bottles. I had an excellent gueze followed by something else Belgian that isn’t coming to mind at the moment. By far the highlight was the poutine I ordered. It is a most excellent Canadian dish that I probably described previously. In case I didn’t, take French fries (they claimed them to be frites but they most definitely were not) and cover them in gravy and cheese curds. Simply amazing!
I feel like I’ve posted a picture before similar to the one above. It is my favorite seat at “my favorite bar in the world.” Ok, maybe not my favorite seat but I’ve been there about 6-7 times and I really love the place. Pretty much all local Canadian draft beer, interesting food, a chill atmosphere and a style that I’d mimic if I ever owned a bar. I had a couple brews and watched Mythbusters.
Ever trip up here I make it a point to visit this bar. A couple nights each week they feature local musicians and if I lived in Toronto I’d definitely be a regular. Oh yeah, the bar is named C’est What? I believe that roughly translates into casual inquisitive greeting of “Hey what’s up.”
Back when I was working in Manchester I drank a lot of Stella Artois. It was the go-to beer for some reason. The British called it “the wife beater beer.” I believe this was due to the fact that it was a little stronger than your average British session ale. That isn’t really saying much because Stella is about 5% ABV. Anyway, it felt like an appropriate night cap.
I don’t have any pictures from the other two nights but they were definitely good memories. On Monday we went for dinner at a highly regarded steakhouse named Barberian. I had a decent filet that was probably the rarest I’ve ever gotten meat at a restaurant. I asked for medium and this was very much medium rare. It was wrapped in bacon and delicious so I didn’t complain. I also enjoyed baked potato service. They sent a person to the table with this little rotating metal carrier of toppings for the potato. They also provided some excellent garlic bread and pickled veggies (including celery and leeks). I’d recommend it if you are in the mood for steaks. I think TripAdvisor has it as the #5 restaurant in Toronto right now.
Tuesday night was even better. We headed north on Yonge Street (formly the longest street in the world) to Bar Volo. They were closed on Monday due to a Canadian holiday and moved their $5 imperial pint night to Tuesday. An imperial pint is 20 ounces. In a very expensive city like Toronto this was much appreciated. The food was great. I had a burger made of veal which might have been the best burger I’ve ever enjoyed. The most interesting part of the place revolves around the elusive beers of the trappist brewery Westvleteren. I was unable to sway our waitress to sell me any but it was cool to know that they potential had some in the storeroom. Maybe next time and I shall be back.
Fish
Jul/101
I ate a lot of fish this past week. Varieties included:
- Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass)
- Tilapia
- Flounder
- Tuna (salad)
- Tuna (raw)
- Salmon (seared)
- Salmon (raw)
- Walleye
- Catfish
- Mahi Mahi
- Swordfish
- Flounder
Illinois
Jul/100
July 29
I just straight up skipped yesterday. I had one of my favorite meals for lunch yesterday: beef stroganoff. It was awesome. Dinner last night was merely ok. I had a really good tuna sandwich and some nice scallops. I think I’d like to make some scallops in the near future. This training thing has gotten progressively better but I’m about ready to head home.
July 27
I don’t remember what I had for lunch. For dinner it was another awesome mix which included saltimbocca (veal), sushi rolls (salmon, tuna), curry chicken kabobs, shrimp, walleye, steamed carrots, stuffed tomatoes, finger-length potatoes and crab cakes. This training has been quite tiring but I do see the value in it from a variety of angles. As with anything in my particular career model, you get out of it what you put in it. Sometimes that it as simple as taking the time to do some self-reflection and making some personal improvement plans.
July 26 – 6:30pm
For dinner tonight it was swordfish, wild mushroom ravioli, scallops, garlic cilantro shrimp, chipotle crusted pork and jerk chicken. I’m going to be so fat by the end of this thing.
July 26 – 12:30pm
One thing I really like about this training facility is the food. I think the food is excellent. The options are also pretty diverse. At lunch I had wild mushroom ragu, lamb kabobs, citron chicken and wild rice with lentins. I also had grape juice to drink which I almost dumped all over my shirt.
July 25
It has been a while but I’m back in Illinois for another training session. I don’t have any particular expectations for this one. I’ve spoken to a few people and they all said it was decent. The subject is project planning and estimating. Could be interesting. At the least I found a cool sounding beer bar about a mile from where I’m staying. I think I will throw in a few runs along the local river too. Oh, I brought my camera along so maybe I can shoot a few cool pictures too.
Rap Line
Jul/101
I was lying on the couch after work today and I was inspired with a line that would be great for a rapper.
The ladies call me ‘bank’ cause I’m too big to fail..
For real. I said it first. Wait for it to be quoted on the next hot single. I’ll be ricccccchhh!
Meat; Las Vegas; Apples
Jul/104
- This past weekend I was back home for the Selinsgrove Hops & Vines festival. Overall, I’d say it met my expectations. I drank samples of about 20 beers new to me and a handful of classics. The most impressive offerings came from a new brew pub outside of Lewisburg, PA named River House Brewing. They had a really decent Belgian-style dubbel and a mocha latte stout that was a hair too much coffee but impressive nonetheless. It was a little too hot for a festival which left us desperately wishing someone had a swimming pool.
- I went out to breakfast with my parents on Sunday morning after church to Bob Evans. I’m not a huge breakfast person but it seemed like a good idea. I ended up with a pretty terrific dish. Picture a bread bowl salad. Get rid of the salad and replace it with eggs, fried potatoes, tomatoes, green onions, bacon and cover it in Hollandaise sauce. Replace the bread bowl with a giant biscuit bowl. Incredibly unhealthy. Incredibly delicious!
- On Sunday night I met up with Erin for dinner. Her mother was passing through town and one of her mother’s best friends from the college days (and husband) happened to be in the general vicinity so they stopped by as well. We enjoyed some very nice wine along with an assortment of cheeses. Erin also put together a really cool appetizer that consisted of prosciutto wrapped around nectarines, grilled and drizzled with maple syrup (in the future I’d skip the syrup but the combo of the salty pork and grilled sweet fruit was awesome). For the actual dinner we went to the Northern Liberties section of the city to the bar/restaurant North 3rd. This place is on my Philly top 5. I love the atmosphere and the food is excellent (a few decent beers too). I had a pork loin that was simply amazing. It made me think of eating a great steak. It was like the white meat of steaks. The fact that it was rubbed in chili pepper and other spices certainly didn’t hurt either.
- We got hit with some serious thunderstorms tonight as I was driving home. This produced some really great looking rainbows. The coolest view was while I was driving. I couldn’t see it in the sky but it was reflecting of the soaked road and then in turn reflecting of the condensation rising from the road. Think the scene from Stars Wars where R2D2 projects the hologram of the princess and replace her with a rainbow. It was really cool. It was also really cool went I looked down on Conshohocken and you could see the rainbow ending on the roof of a building.
- I give credit to the Vitamin Water I drank on my way home tonight for the boost to go for a run. I got one with caffeine and it did wonders. I put in 5+ at a respectable pace and I felt pretty good. Listening to the band Dinosaur Jr. didn’t hurt either. I really haven’t been running enough lately but tonight was inspiration to keep at it. It also inspired me to finally sign up for the Las Vegas marathon.
- I’m on quest to find the best apple variety. This week I’m going to study the “pink lady” and “McIntosh.” Any guesses on what I’ll find to be the most enjoyable apple?
Upcoming Goodness
Jul/101
I had a rare stress-free moment at work the other day and I took the opportunity to think about all of the great things I’ve got coming up in the next few months.
- Selinsgrove Hops & Vines festival this weekend (beerfest)
- Four buckets of beer in the basement that need to be kegged (5 gallons each)
- Beer festival at the Philadelphia Zoo on July 24
- Training session outside Chicago last week of July
- Trip to Toronto in early August (will visit my favorite bar in the world – C’est What?)
- Annual poker picnic with my dad on August 7 (I’m going to win the games tournament this year)
- Musikfest in Bethlehem August 15
- Camping with the guys one of these weekends
- Dinner with one of Erin’s good friends on August 21
- Vacation with Erin in the Riviera Maya, Mexico from August 22 to August 27
- Promotion announcements in late August (I’m feeling good about it but no guarantee)
- Option to visit Northern PA again for Labor Day
- Penn State football season and tailgating with the gang
- My birthday on September 17
It is going to be busy but definitely an exciting part II of the summer.