Darn it! If you tried to comment this morning, you would’ve noticed that my validation script was busted. It’s fixed now. That’s what I get for flying into a rage over comment spammers before breakfast and trying to modify code before I’ve had caffeine. (Thanks to Bex for letting me know.)
Weekend Update: What a beeeeyootiful long, sunny weekend. Friday was an Australia Day barbecue over at Major and Steph’s. (Yes, we had lamb.) I had my first go at backyard cricket, but unfortunately I think I’m a bit of a chucker. That bowling motion is just really hard to get if you’ve never done it before. Saturday I went to the Domain to see Turandot and do some knitting with her, her, and him (amongst many others). Today was about sleeping in and catching up on some crafting. I finished the aforementioned Rogue and completed another sock monkey. (The Oscar Contest should be good to go later this week.) I also got to video chat with Staci and Nat and see their lovely daughters. (And what nice carpeting!) Now I’m off to bed. I only wish – like Snookums – I had an extra day off!
Hoey’s challenge is killing me! But as we agreed over IM today, it’s doing a really good job of motivating us to run. The lead keeps switching between me, him, and another person, and every time I see that I’m in third I have to head out there again. I’ve done over twelve miles in four days! (That’s nearly 20km.) My hamstrings are actually holding up really well; it’s the rest of me that’s falling apart. My left quad is sore and my lower back is tied up in knots. I think I may have to switch it up to walking for a few days if I’m doing to survive the month.
Oh – and since someone has asked, for running music I usually listen to Podrunner. This guy does a weekly podcast of dance music that’s all set to a specific “beats per minute.” It’s great at keeping me in a rhythm without the distraction of iTunes occasionally throwing up a Disney song. (My other preferred workout music is, of course, Max’s mixes.)
Rogue – Really and Truly Finished
I know I said that Rogue was finished last May, but the sad truth is that it has taken me EIGHT MONTHS to work up the courage to put a zipper in her. What can I say? I had the Zipper Fear. But no more! She’s all done. The backstitching is a little wonky on one side (my handsewing was a bit rusty) and it probably zips a little higher than I’d like, but on the plus side I did a really good job of hiding the teeth when it’s zipped. I’m calling it a win. (For my fellow zipper virgins, this site was particularly useful – especially the tip about basting the edges together first.) Now I just need to steek the Cabled Jacket of Doom and put the zipper in her…
It’s getting crazy here, and it’s still 3 hours til the opera starts! I’m not getting much knitting done… 🙂
Knitting and Opera
We are ON like Donkey Kong, folks! Looks like the R+L and Courthouse folks are planning to get there around “lunchtime.” I’ll probably wander down around 3-4ish. Who’s in?
Someone has been “collecting” the horrible upholstery patterns from the world’s public transport. Huh. Snookums always comments on the carpet at casinos. He thinks they make it lurid to hide the vomit stains.
I was surfing MeFi last week when I saw this post suggesting a Nike+ challenge for MetaFilter users. “Intriguing!” I thought. “A running contest against pasty white geekboys? I might actually have a chance!” So I signed up. Then today I got an IM from the originator… and it turns out to be my old college friend Hoey! I’m not sure whether knowing one of the participants makes me more or less bloodthirsty. *shrug* Anyhoo, tonight I headed out for a 5K run around Vic Park. I managed the whole thing without stopping – quite the accomplishment here lately – and my hamstrings seem to be holding up well. (I’ve been applying anti-inflammatory gel before and after I run, and I’ve even started going to yoga again in an attempt to get in more stretching.) And the coolest thing is – thanks to the time zone difference, I’m the only one who’s had a chance to run yet so I’m in first place! I’ll try to enjoy it while it lasts…
It’s a MacBook Pro. The Snook has been assimilated. (And for the curious, apparently it handles World of Warcraft really well. “Fantastic framerate,” or some such. But officially, it’s a Useful Work Thing.)
Ming Tsai’s Cucumber Kimchee
I caught an episode of Simply Ming recently that featured this interesting-sounding kimchee. The ingredients were all pretty easy to come by – except for the Korean chili powder – so I made a batch on Monday night. It “fermented” in the fridge for 24 hours and then I tried it. Not bad! It doesn’t taste much like kimchee though. I’d classify it more as a chunky pickle relish. It’s very sweet and I think I could’ve used more of the plain chili flakes (that I used as a substitute for the “kucho karo”). I think it’d be fantastic on a burger. Here’s what it looked like:
Tonight I also tried out the Spicy Kimchee, Pork and Tofu Braise that utilizes the kimchee. I used a lot more pork and a lot less spinach than he calls for. (Seriously, a pound of spinach? That’s like a grocery bag full.) It was still pretty good! Definitely drizzle on the sesame oil; that really makes the dish.
My name is Kris. I’ve been blogging since the 90’s. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I spent most of my career in the tech industry.
No AI used in writing this blog, ever. 100% human-generated.
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