Category: Uncategorized

That is the song of the Cardinal.

Breakfast was two cups of coffee, a glass of orange juice, and a bowl of cold cereal. I weighed 158 pounds.

At the office I had another cup of coffee.

Over lunch I walked downtown to get my hair cut and stopped at the HUB on the way back and had Panda Express Sushi — salmon, tuna, shrimp, and four California rolls — Inari — rice filled soybean pockets — and a green tea boba — a mixture of green tea, milk, and tapioca pearls that some people call “bubble tea.” I think it is the best sushi on campus, but the reviewer for the student newspaper does not think much of it.

Gretchen and I split a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut, to celebrate the new foal.

Dinner was whole wheat spaghetti with roasted tomato sauce, a slice of raisin bread, and a salad.

Some of you may be thinking to your self. “It seems like every time they turn around Mark and Gretchen are planting another batch of trees. Where do they all come from?” Well, the answer is the Centre County Conservation District. They have an annual tree seedling sale where local residents can buy seedlings from a variety of species of evergreen, hardwood, and fruit trees for very reasonable prices. For instance, you can get 100 Colorado Blue Spruce seedlings for $56.00. Proceeds of the sale are used to sponsor environmental education programs within the county. Gretchen and I simply stick the seedlings into the flower beds around our house until they are big enough to survive where we intend to plant them. They are very small and there is always some infant mortality, but we always get more than we need and only transplant the healthiest specimens into the yard.

I just upgraded to Backup 2.02. Now it does this every time I start it.

Tried deleting the preferences, but it did not help. Any suggestions?

Gretchen and I discovered Celery Root through the CSA this Winter. When I saw this recipe, I thought we might want to give it a try.

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

• 1 sprig Rosemary
• 3 Sage Leaves
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tablespoon Grape Seed Oil
• ¾ cup sliced Onion
• 2 pounds Celery Root, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 quart Vegetable Stock
• 1¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoon White Pepper
• 1 cup Whipping Cream
• high-quality fresh Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Place the rosemary, sage and bay leaf in a square of cheesecloth and tie it securely to make an herb sachet. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot, add the onion and cook over low heat until translucent but not browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the herb sachet, celery root, vegetable stock and salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until the celery root is tender when tested with a knife, about 25 minutes. Remove 2 cups of stock and reserve.
3. Add the cream, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 4 minutes, then remove from heat and discard the herb sachet. Purée the soup in a blender or food processor and strain. Add reserved stock back into the purée until the soup reaches desired thickness. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, drizzled with the olive oil.

Each serving: 351 calories; 5 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 82 mg. cholesterol; 1,250 mg. sodium. [Hansen]

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Hansen, Barbara. “A soup to root for.” The Los Angeles Times. 12 May 2004. <www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sos12may12,0,7902225.story?coll=la-headlines-food> (11 May 2004).

So what do you get for your money besides whatever shows up at the table?

You’re also paying for things you may have never thought of, yet they’re just as important as what you put in your mouth…

The management, the waiters and cooks… can make up one-third of your bill, while the food makes up one-fourth…

But the other ingredients that can make up your bill are office supplies, laundry and linen, janitorial supplies, paper supplies, glasses, plates and silverware…

There’s also the cost that goes towards the décor, like candles and other utilities.

A good restaurant is lucky to make 10 percent more than it spends. [Harp]

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Harp, Ethan. “Food Small Percentage Of Your Restaurant Bill.” NBC 11. 11 May 2004. <www.nbc11.com/news/3290398/detail.html> (11 May 2004).

Breakfast was two cups of coffee and a bowl of cold cereal. I weighed 157 pounds.

At the office I had a cup of coffee and later a cup of green tea.

I walked downtown to meet an old friend for lunch. We went to Back Yard Burgers and I had a Bacon Mushroom Burger, waffle fries, and a Dr. Pepper. The walk was about three miles, round trip.

I had a PayDay Bar at the office in the afternoon.

Dinner was a Steak Salad, a slice of Raisin Bread that Gretchen made today, and two glasses of Walnut Crest Sauvignon Blanc.

A few days ago I mentioned that I had gotten a university fitness membership and was going to start working out. Well, yesterday, for the first time… since the mid-eighties, I went and worked out. I used mostly the Nautilus equipment since they have a lot of it and it is what I am familiar with. Here is what I did. (By the way, if this isn’t interesting to you, too bad. It’s my journal. )

1. 5 minute warm-up on the Schwinn Airdyne
2. 12 repetitions at 60 on the Nautilus Bench
3. 8 repetitions at 80 on the Nautilus Fly
4. 12 repetitions at 100 on the Nautilus Pulldown
5. 12 repetitions at 60 on the Nautilus Pullover
6. 12 repetitions at 2 on the Hoist Seated Shoulder Press
7. 12 repetitions at 4 on the Hoist Seated Leg Press
8. 12 repetitions at 50 on the Nautilus Calf Curl
9. 12 repetitions at 60 on the Nautilus Leg Extension
10. 12 repetitions at 100 on the Nautilus Calf Raise
11. 5 minute cool-down on the Schwinn Airdyne

I was really just trying to learn the machines. Any set of twelve repetitions is really an indication that the weight was too light. I would like to find a weight where I can just manage eight repetitions and then work at that weight until I can get back to twelve. Stay at twelve for a few times — maybe three — and then increase the weight again.

Also, while I was doing my cool-down, I noticed that I missed a few machines that I had missed like the crunch and this thing where you squeeze your legs together. I’ll get those next time. I am going to try to go twice a week, but this week has strange hours since we are between sessions and the available hours conflict with some previous plans, so I’ll start a regular schedule next week.

À la niçoise — the name given to dishes from the region around Nice, in which the most common ingredients can include anchovies, olives, garlic, tomatoes, basil, lemon and/or capers. [Weber]

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Weber, Debra F.. “French Menu Terms ~ à la niçoise.” About French Cuisine. 10 May 2004. <frenchfood.about.com/b/a/084626.htm> (10 May 2004).