A sight for sore eyes

Now ain't that a pretty picture. Two days til the weekend!

She loves you, Big River, more than me.

Ramblings

So...I've finished the work I had available for the day and it's just 0946. I have over 6 hours to go until 1600. If I scrape, I may be able to eke out another half-hour or so of work-related organizational tasks.

So...
Last weekend Brian and I traveled to Snowshoe, WEST VIRGINIA! for a weekend of relaxation with old brmrg buddies. The weekend was indeed relaxing and diverting, and allowed me the chance to hike for a few hours and scout out the Greenbrier river near Cass. The Greenbrier was running full and fast in its banks and I am now itching to get back on the water. Since forever, it's been too dry around here to boat, but I discovered today that the USGS streamflow map of Virginia has more green dots than red ones! It's a good sign.

Unfortunately, I also shy from canoeing in the cold. Not that I won't do it, because I have, many times in the past, but just because it's so much work. And it's slightly stupid (re: night canoeing in 30 degree temps with downed trees in the river). And did I mention it's cold?

However, the green dots (which represent 25-75% flow) look so promising. I haven't been on the river in so long! I gave Brian a new blue lifejacket, or PFD (or FLJ) for Christmas, and he's been pestering me about going canoeing lately. Also, we have a free weekend. Let's check out the possibilities:

James- I don't even need to look this one up. The James always has enough water.

Mormons - over 90 cfs, pretty good for this time of year, but unfortunately far below the lower-bound of 300 cfs of what I'd be willing to try on this river, and 300 is scraping rocks all of the way down. Plus, too many rapids for my winter-canoeing comfort zone.

Maury - looks great at over 1,000 cfs but it has a too-high a dunkability factor to be safe in the winter without flotation or decking. I can't wait to do this when it's a little warmer in the spring.

Rivanna - 1000 cfs and still rising. Promising, and so close to home!

South Anna - up around 600 cfs, but it looks like it's topping out. Possible, if it doesn't drop too quickly.

Tye - 160 cfs and dropping. No thanks.

Rapidan - Peaked yesterday and is now dropping rapidly below 200 cfs. Yikes.

Hmm... a few nearby rivers are runnable, but it looks like the Skyline Drive is open. Maybe we'll go hiking instead.

Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul.

Rockytop- Epic Hike

Confronted with a free Saturday of beautiful clear skies (and Brian was out of town), I decided that I should get out of the house and go for a hike. Luckily, Emily Ricks was free as well. I had a Shenandoah park pass, and she had a nice trail map!

Our route- we would leave Brown's Gap and hike along the Rockytop trail, which followed a ridge for several miles before heading downhill to the creek 1500 ft. below. Then we would follow the Big Run Portal trail back along the creek and climb back up to the parking area at Brown's creek. Simple enough? Sure.

So we left the car at 1135 for a nice hike on a clear but chilly day. However, upon reaching the first trail marker, we discovered that the hike we'd estimated at less than 10 miles would number no less than 12 miles total. Eh, what's another few miles? We had six hours before dark and plenty of provisions.

The Rockytop trail was fantastic, offering amazing views of the surrounding ridges and the valley with the leaves off the trees. We hiked along the ridge through numerous quartzite scree piles and noted future campsites. One of the peaks along our path must have suffered an extremely destructive wildfire a few years back, and the mountainside was clear of all mature vegetation, and the new growth of pines and brush was spotty and all less than two feet tall. Overall, a fantastic trail that I would heartily recommend.

At the end of the Rockytop trail, we picked up the Big Run Portal trail, which followed a sizeable creek upgradient to its source. This horsetrail also offered spectacular scenery, and the first mile led us through the bottom of a steep, rocky (for Virginia) gorge. Luckily the stream was running only moderately, allowing us to easily navigate the 10 or so stream crossings without getting our socks wet.

The hike reached epic proportions when we finally reached the trail that would lead us back up the mountainside to our car- at this point, I had a blister about the size of a dime on the ball of my left foot and was complaining heartily in advance about the upcoming 1200 ft. climb. Eh. Like all long hikes, this one was about two or three miles too long in the end, but we eventually made it back to the car to watch a gorgeous sunset. We drove back with the heat on to Charlottesville and had a feast of spaghetti.


This hike is definitely recommended! but make sure you are prepared for the killer uphill at the end. The trails are all very well marked and in great shape. And give yourself plenty of time for side hikes to the cliffs near the stream- we didn't have time, but I can't wait to go back and check them out.

The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean.

Skinny Jeans!

About a month or so ago, Brian and I began a "get back in shape" exercise hobby of running two or three times a week, with situps, pushups, etc. Then, about two weeks ago, I realized I could fit into my college jeans more comfortably than before.

This morning found me scrambling to find clean pants to wear to work after discovering that my new jeans hadn't dried fully in the clothes dryer. I saw the skinny jeans under a pile of other stuff. These are the gently-worn jeans that I picked up at Goodwill about a year ago even though they didn't even fit when I tried them on- they almost fit perfectly, except for that pesky waist button, and I decided to hope that one day, they would fit.

Today they did. Rock!

Spent a little time on a mountain, spent a little time on the hill...

Shrimp substitute

I recently rediscovered a neat cost-saving device learned from my uncle Shannon.

Poor Man's Shrimp:

1/2 head raw cauliflower
cocktail sauce

Wash cauliflower and break into florets. Serve with cocktail sauce.

This is awesome- a nice, healthy, tasty snack. The cauliflower is a perfect vessel for the cocktail sauce.

All that was in plenty, from that cup no more...

Dumb Luck

I had an interesting evening yesterday.

First- somehow the front burner on the stove was accidentally left on for the entire day. However, that particular stove element is on the fritz, and will turn itself off randomly. It probably cut itself off not long after it was turned on, which may be the reason that we didn't notice it was on 'high'. No damage.

Second- Brian and I had a complete "oh shit" moment when we closed the front door to go for a run, and neither one of us had grabbed the keys. So we ran to the library downtown and called the landlord, who happened to be located one block away from our house when he answered his cell phone. No need to call the locksmith! Hooray!

Lucky me.

Lost one round, but the prize wasn't anything, a knife in the back, and more of the same...

Beans and Rice

At the request of Brian, I made black beans and rice for dinner yesterday. The beans and rice that I make is much different from traditional beans and rice, but it is easy, tasty, and probably nutritious.

Beans and Rice

1 can black beans
1 cup long-grain rice
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup frozen corn
jalapeno pepper, minced (I use the kind that comes in a jar)
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. black pepper
salt
kielbasa or uncooked chicken (optional)

Drain black beans, do not rinse. Combine beans, rice, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cut kielbasa or chicken into bite-size pieces. When mixture comes to a boil, stir in cilantro, pepper, dash of salt, frozen corn, jalapeno, and kielbasa or chicken. Allow to return to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until rice is done.

Serve with grated pepper jack.

You can't close the door when the wall's caved in.

IT'S ALIVE

So....you know those really awkward situations when you don't talk to a once-very-close friend for a long time and the longer it gets the more embarrassed you are about not calling them which makes you put off calling them even longer so you don't call even when you have time and want to talk to them just because you're embarrassed about taking so fucking long to get back in touch?

No, me either.

Of course, that's not why I haven't posted in forever... I've...been busy. Well, to be fair, just busy in June. Quick summary of the last few months: moved in with Brian, and into a Newer duplex near downtown; traded in the buick for another buick of similar mileage; decided to punish myself by taking organic chemistry for fun. Anyway.

Tonight will be the second of two evenings thus far for pizza and girls night, with the girls consisting of my cousin, sister, and my cousin's fun roommate. Actually, girls' night may not be limited Just to girls. It's kindof hard to kick Brian out of the house, seeing as he lives there. Not that I'd kick him out in this situation. Vaughan's fiance may come by to keep him company. But, tonight will be fun for sure, seeing as that we're making pizza.

How to make pizza:

Mix 2 cups all purpose flour with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and a packet of quick-rise yeast. Add .5 cups of warm water and 1 tbsp veggie oil. Mix and knead until the dough starts to get firm. Put the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover- allow to rise for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the pizza dough is rising, make the sauce and prepare the toppings. I basically have two sauce recipes that I make.

Fast Sauce: combine equal parts tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.

Slow Sauce: Saute 3-ish cloves minced garlic for 2 minutes. Add 14 oz. canned crushed tomatoes and italian seasonings. Simmer until sauce is reduced enough to where it will not make your dough watery (takes a while).

Possible toppings: spinach, onion, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, fresh basil, pineapple. Cooked bacon, chicken, hamburger, canadian bacon, kielbasa. Cheddar cheese. Alfredo pizza with chicken was good, but not my favorite, as was barbeque chicken pizza. Endless list. My favorite at the moment is spinach, kielbasa, basil, garlic, and mushrooms.

When the dough is finished rising, roll onto pizza stone or round pizza sheet. Spread sauce thinly. Add mozzerella (about 8 oz) and toppings. Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is brown on the outsides. Don't take the pizza out of the oven unless the crust is seriously brown- if it's not brown, the middle of the crust will be soft.

Yum. My dinner tonight is going to rock.

Then we finished the bottle and broke into mine...

Come rock your face off

Brian's gig was rescheduled! It'll be next Wednesday, and you should come.

Here's the amazing poster that I put together with the input of my coworkers...


Brian doesn't smoke anymore, but it was a great pic and I had to use it.


There's mosquitos on the river...

20-minute chicken cacciatore

I'm not exactly sure what real chicken cacciatore entails, but I made this fake-out meal one day when I had a green pepper on hand.

1 green pepper
1 onion
1 can Italian Stewed Tomatoes
1-2 chicken breasts, thawed
handful of mushrooms
shredded mozzarella cheese
pasta
salt and pepper

Set water to boil for the pasta (whatever you want...spaghetti, penne, etc.), and cook the pasta as you're doing everything else.

Chop green pepper and onion into bite-size pieces and start to saute with 2 tbsp olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Cut chicken into smallish bite-size pieces. Add chicken and mushrooms to the skillet and stir every so often. Salt and pepper as desired. When the chicken is cooked all of the way through, add the entire can of stewed tomatoes and stir (I also like to use my spatula to cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces). Continue cooking until the tomatoes are heated through. Serve over pasta with mozzarella on top.

This is really really good.

Saint Stephen with a rose
In and out of the garden he goes
country garden in the wind and the rain

Being sick sucks

Woke up at 6:15 this morning with an extremely painful throat... and I went to work anyway. Eh. I think I'll be making minestrone soup tonight! Something nice and hot and most importantly, easy to make.

Nothing of note lately, just that working 10 hour days for two and a half weeks kind of steals all of your time. Oh, and Brian turned 25 on Sunday, so that's nice, he can rent the car when we take a dream vacation we can't afford. Yay!

Now I think I'll go home, and buy some ice cream as a treat for my throat.

Honey come quick with the iodine

Easter, adults only!

Sometimes, being an adult (ha!) is awesome.

For example, take the idea of an adult Easter Egg Hunt. Cleverly hidden plastic eggs which may be redeemed for lottery scratchems, mini-bar liquors, or cash. I was almost more impressed by the concept than by the actual event (almost).

How was your easter?

Julie catch a rabbit by his hair

Monday, Monday

I was thinking about recapping my weekend, but while it was extremely fun for me, it would probably be boring to hear about... cookout, hanging out with Brian, drinking heavily, etc. The usual.

Today was a typical Monday, by which I mean it was a stereotypical Monday, the kind that I almost never have to suffer through. First, I discovered that my Buick's coolant leak has progressed to require a half-gallon of coolant every day. Goodie.

So, as I was hurriedly pouring coolant into my engine in the office parking lot so that I could get to my doctor's appointment on time, I accidentally spilled some on my hands. No biggie, right? Just wash it off. I tried to do just that, running back into the office bathroom to rinse my hands. Add a little bit of soap, but- do you know how soap dispensers can sometimes get a little plugged up so that they squirt soap out aggressively at an amazing distance? Well, this one did exactly that... straight at my crotch. Literally. There was no water on my shirt or soap on my shoes, just a dark residue splashed with perfect aim directly on my lower fly. So I had to make a pit stop by my house on the way to the doctor's, to change out of my apparently peed-on pants.

The fortunate detail of the incident is that it was so funny, I wasn't nearly as pissed (ha!) as I would have probably been otherwise...

Other quick notes:
+ I'm aiming to bike to work tomorrow to save gas and coolant. Go me, if I actually follow through.
+ Box of Rain was playing at Bodo's around lunchtime. Rock!
+ Bacterial colonies proliferate even in dishwater if allowed to sit too long. Guess I should clean that up...

If that Jubilee don't come
Baby, I'll meet you on the run

"The King of Kong" rocks!

It's after Spring Break, and I finally feel like I have my life back. School still takes up most of my waking hours, but I've had time for cooking, movies, and other fun stuff. First of all, check out this awesome video from YouTube which quite accurately portrays the dilemmas I've been facing lately:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdJyyJ2qur0

And secondly, go see "The King of Kong", a new documentary about the quest to be the world's best at Donkey Kong. It's hilarious. We hear from the middle-aged men who spend their lives in the arcade, and from their wives who don't know how to react to being called the "wife of the guy who plays Donkey Kong." (Actually, only two of the men are married, obviously.)

If an infarction causes loss of the anterior spinal artery at a particular spinal segment, pain and temperature sensation is lost, but not fine touch (since that portion of the spinal cord is supplied by the posterior spinal artery.) How amazing.

Alive! I swear!

Ok, so I've been TOTALLY slacking lately...and there is no excuse. I don't even really have time to be posting now, but I just wanted to share the following information:

It's illegal to be in a cemetary in Virginia after dark.

Good to know. I found out this tidbit by almost getting arrested on Tuesday. Brian and I were strolling around UVa to walk off an enormous meal, and I wanted to show him the monument to fallen Confederate soldiers that is in the Civil War cemetary near the first year dorms. It was too dark to see anything, so we were already almost back at the gate by the time the cops reached us. Luckily, it was pretty easy to convince them we had NO IDEA it was illegal, and that we were upstanding young citizens- it probably helped that we hadn't been drinking (what? crazy). So, they just checked our IDs over the radio and let us go with a warning.

The funny part of the entire incident was that we weren't doing anything! Or trying to do anything illegal! How bizarre...

Oh, and off topic- about that trip two weeks ago to Valley Forge PN- it snowed and sleeted the entire way home. 6 hours of I-81, staring out the windows at cars on their roofs.

Down to the jewelry store packin' a gun
"Wrap it up, I think i'll take this one"