UnBelizeable

Rebecca and I just got back from Belize. We Had an amazing time.here are a couple of pics of some Maya ruins. I only took a few pics on my phone so better pictures will follow once we have full computer access.

betsy

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Officially Home

I have a room.
In that room, i have a bed.
All my stuff is unpacked.
I am almost feeling settled.

I got word from work that i am definitely going to be staying in the NoCo, which is so rad.  It's sort of been the plan for a while now, but there have been plans before and then at the last minute they change. I haven't really been letting most folks know that it was happening because it's the worst when everyone gets pumped about some big big news and then at the last minute something falls through creating a huge let down.

I am pretty excited about hanging out in the woodsly goodness with my peoples.  Some folks just have roommates, but when your roommates are your two BFFLs(best friends for life) then you got yourself a family, and that's pretty sweet.

One of the most expert things about knowing you are going to be in one place for awhile is the ability to make plans.  House guests, live music, road trips, gardening, crucials.  All good things. All Happening.
Expert!

Hollers and Shout outs!

To all the MPLS peoples that hung out hard this past week. And i mean that seriously.  When it comes to being gracious and generous hosts, Shawn and Meryl at the Louderhorn inn take it all the way to Eleven.  A full week of hanging out with some seriously rad people. Thanks to Adam W. for hooking me up with a bicycle to ride all week.  Times would have been less fun if i had to ride the bus everywhere.  The weather was awesome and i rode almost everyday with a rotating cast of rad-ness(Adam W, then other Adam and his Moustache, a couple days with Rebecca, and then the birthday weekend grand finale with Shawn, Meryl, Rebecca, and Adam and his Moustache.)  The only day that i didn't ride was on Shawn's birthday(he's thirty now) and this happened:

 

YUP! This is what i got for Shawn's birthday.  The start to the freshest Goonies chest piece ever.  I can't wait to finish it. One Eyed Willie, Doubloon with crossed "candle" and baby ruth, come on so fresh.  Believe it or not the generosity didn't end there. One week of city living and now this is happening. Robot phone expertism.

 That's right....Mr. cucch no longer has to be a t9 textpert.

The scary part about it is how easily i have adapted.  The city boy might have oozed out a little baby bit.  

Times were had, and they were all good.  I am back in CT now, and i will be making the journey north to the woodsly goodness in a few days, but i think mpls has earn a special place in my heart. 

Something fun!

Two Days left up here in Canada.  One day of work today, and then i'm on vacation again.  Yesterday was thew  first of april.  This year is already twenty-five percent gone.  I feel like i gotta make some moves and get stuff done instead of just moving around.  That's the plan atleast, but only time will tell what's actually going to happen.  I do know that i am flying into minneapolis on monday which is going to be rad, and then i am spending a few days in CT to see family and up my pie and falafel counts which are dangerously low.  Then i'm heading north to one of the few places where life sort of makes sense to me.  

I had a couple days off this week, in a row.  It was kinda exciting i guess, and a lot of folks would be super pumped about a chance to go shred the gnar on the mountain tops.  I'll go skiing,but i don't really care about it and my whole life definitely doesn't revolve around skiing or riding.  The only riding i care about is my bike which is on the right coast, where i would prefer to be. Over the course of this winter season i have spent almost 3 months in beautiful whistler, without doing anything fun really.  i mostly just spent my time working, so on tuesday i went ziplinig.  I spent a few hours in the old growth forest of whistler gliding on cables from tree top platforms.  It was fun.  There were five runs, and the longest cable was 2000 ft long.  Between my dinosaur of a computer, and molasses moving internet speeds uploading a video is just not happening.  I guess you'll just have to take my word for it that it was fun.  

Pasta Challenge

What do y'all know about decrees?
Unfortunately, once you make one, you have to follow through.  Those are the rules.  No matter how inane it is.  Like a pasta challenge.  1.32 pounds of pasta, half a jar of sauce, and half a brick of tofu eaten in 30 minutes or less. 

 

Was i successful?  This after just fifteen minutes...

 

  And all that food was in my belly hole in 27 minutes. Do you know the meaning of the word, EXPERT?

 

Sometimes i wish there were more vegan competitive eating competitions.  Don't get me wrong, i love the amateur challenges i setup for myself, but if only i could go PRO. 
I'm still a little upset that the T's place challenge never happened when we were in Minneapolis.  One hour and One Veggie Combo!  Is anyone up for that when i come back in April? 

Almost Here!

Spring is just about sprung.  In a about six hours it will be official(7:21 pm, on the right coast.)  Skies are clear, birdies are chirping, and all the little woodland crittures are out and about.  I got a sweet cruiser here in whistler, so first day of spring riding is most certainly in order.  Hopefully, folks have been looking up the last few nights because you wouldn't want to miss out on all the heavenly glory that is the super moon.  It's been claimed that the moon has no effect on people, but i believe the last few days of loco lunacy proves otherwise.  It's definitely been some March Madness, and if i was baller i would be the MVP, between lunatic hollering and posting those big numbers at work.  That's right three 13 hour days in a row. That's a Triple Double, word!   I have today off, which means i only need to go to work for two hours.  So Expert!   

Not Just a Want...

It's a Must-ache. Especially if you want to look this handsome.  It's what you need.  No beard, Just stache. 

My day off was cold and rainy, so all i wanted to do was hang out and east grilled cheese with tomato soup.  My main problem is there is no good fake cheese dealer up here.  No one could hook it up.  I had to blaze my own path.  Thank goodness for thousands of dollars of veggie chef training.  Noochie blast paste with thin slices of tofu, avo, and tomatoes. Expert! 

Extra nooch blast on the soup too. 

On the Move

An object in motion, stays in motion.  Maybe that's why i can't stay in one place for longer that 7 seconds. It's science.  I tried to just stay in the NoCo for the winter, but now i'm back in whistler for the third time this season.  Expert!  It's nice to know that if i have to jam i can fit all the essentials for my life in a bag and be out, but its depressing to think about all the special treats that are boxed up in basements and garages of friends and family.  I think the hardest part about leaving people i care about is i never feel certain about if and when i'll make it back.  I'm never houseless, but most of my adult life i have been homeless.  I want to find my home.

site specific routine

I just had a super expert week in Minneapolis helping Albert and Shawn with their art show(Never Quiet, Never Soft). It was super rad. I met a whole heap of super cool people, and ate, or rather over-ate (because it's not really eating that i believe in, its definitely over eating)at sooooooo many vegan places. Daily vegan scones and coffee at Mayday became a thing, and i was a little stressed if it didn't happen. Check out this video of just one meal at the the Seward Cafe, which is really 3.5 meals for regular humans. Vegan Expert(e???)!!!!!



I had to leave the Twin Cities (sadness), and what even worse is that i am not back in the woods with my main people. I may be full to the brim Al-ex-bertness, but my guersh and loafie count is low. I would prefer to be having the most dyno-mite breakfast(tea and toast aka TNT) with my Noco family. It happens everyday, because that is what you do in the woodsly goodness. I also ride my bike everywhere when i live free or die. Car or no car i ride my bike like an expert all seasons. Instead i'm Back in Whistler, which means i'm at the coffee shop in the Nita Lake Lodge drinking soy mochas and doing the USA Today crossword online. I will probably be smashing down pints of drip coffee at work and be living off of cliff bars.
That is my Whistler life.
On the vineyard it was home brewcha and yerba mate all day, everyday.
Living on maui for the second time started a daily dinner (atleast 5 night/week)of a pint of bbq tofu from the best grocery ever Mana foods and an avocado with S & P, ho' Sauce, and maple syrup. It might sound a little gross, but it's a flavor 'splosion...in your mouth. All flavor receptors on your tongue get a treat.
On planet krypton (CT) my most favoritest and probably grossest regular eating habit is a toasted bagel with fake butters and bread and butter pickles sandwich. That is a definite flawless victory.

Better Late than never...

I decided that i am going to basically start writing on a quarterly basis, because that's about as much time as i want to dedicate to something that rarely gets read. The seasons and the changing of the seasons is for me a meaningfully way to denote the passage of time, so that when the updates will happen. Except i already missed the first day of autumn. Sept. 22 @ 11:09 eastern time was the big moment. The day and the night were even steven. now the darkness of night will triumph over daylight for the next few months.

This summer was pretty crazy on the vineyard. it was pretty much 80 plus work weeks fueled by a steady diet of Homebru-cha. Brewing kombucha is fun. right now i am drinking a white tea with pomegranate and chrysanthemum, i am getting ready to bottle a green tea with acai berry, and i am making the tea for a batch of black currant black tea and a batch of mint black tea, both of which will be ready in about a week. I found another gallon jar, so a third flavor may be in the works as well.

The one nice thing about the Flatbread here is that we share the building with a night club, so after a long day of work the party came to me. Black sheep, Arrested Development, Joe Pug, Grace Potter, and Ben Taylor with John Forte were the highlights for me.

Life on the vineyard is starting to slow down, as the season comes to an end. I actually get days off now, although i don't always feel like i can take the time off. When i'm in work mode i feel like i can focus on little else. This means there was not nearly enough bike riding and beach time as i would have liked, but there was some.

I am really excited about all the winter squash that is starting to show up in my csa farm share. i have a pair of delicata squash that i am hoping to use in a nice curry.

Albert and Jessica are coming for a visit in a couple of days with is really cool. Although they don't believe it, i do actually have time off to hang out which will be really nice.

I have just a little over a month left here, and i am planning on filling my off time with fall bike rides, yoga, cooking, and all the other stuff i haven't done in the last two to three months.

I'm not one hundred percent sure where i am going next, but there is potential for a very exciting winter....

talk to you on the shortest day of the year.

Happy Summer

Today is the day. The first day of summer, officially at 7:28 EDT. The longest sunshine-y day with the shortest night. On the down side the days are only going to get shorter from here on out until winter. The heat definitely got turned on too, because it is hot, hot , hot outside.
Lea came to hangout this weekend. Fun was had. Beaches, farmer's market, and check out this sweet find at a yard sale.

That's a 5 dollar hand crank wheat grass juicer. Total score. Between wheat grassing and making my own Kombucha and ice cream, i'm gonna be pretty busy this summer.
Check out the first batch of Cuccha Bucha. i made it with black chai tea.
Six Flavors of vegan ice cream. Cinnamon Chai, Chocolate peanut butter, Coconut chocolate chip,
Strawberry(made with local berries), Vanilla, and cookies and cream. I have a batch of coffee that is just waiting for the ice cream bowl to freeze.
I feel like there aren't going to be enough hours in the day for all the big action i want to have happen. The restaurant is going to open in 10 days, which means i'm only going to have less time to make all the magic happen.

Working for the weekend!

More like the weakend because i am off for two whole days, and no one is coming to visit me on my island. So sad. luckily i have about two quarts of homemade vegan cookies n cream ice cream to drown my sorrows in. Whistler was all about cinnamon buns, lot and lots of buns, but i have a feeling the vineyard gonna be ice cream. I mean seriously, summertime vacation island living has to be heavily infused with some scream. i also got everything to hang up my hammock this weekend which means i will be relaxing so HARD. In other news....
if you don't know about NQNS, you better learn about it. Quick

Clay Day! Clay Day!

Here's a self portrait of me in my birthday cowboy hat. Thanks again to Bert and guersh for that. We celebrated my birthday last tuesday. Just guersh, bert, lea, and me. The lovely ladies made me a carrot cake which was delicious and nutritious. It's got carrots in it, so it must be good for you, especially since it was vegan. Vegan equals good for you. Always. That was my prebirthday party. Here are some photos of the Oven at the newest Flatbread on Martha's Vineyard, which was built on my actual birthday. Multi colored clay is what's poppin'.

I was covered head to toe in clay, and i forgot my camera, so no in progress photos. This is the final product. Now we wait, and in 4-6 weeks pizza will be happening. I know some people think that Birthdays are suppose to be big parties, but mine came and went without all the hoopla and it was great. I pretty much just hung out with Lea all day, and weekend for that matter. I got some phone calls, helped build an oven, went out for dinner, strolled on the beach and ate vegan gelato. Actually, my whole weekend was pretty great, but now it's time to actually start working. I guess i shouldn't really be complaining since the last time i did any real work was over a month ago. I have lots of bike parts, which i am hoping will become fully operation cycling machines in the next couple of days.

On a Boat...

Life is ever changing. Especially when it comes to the plans in my life. I'm up in woods that are so good right now in the new Hampshire, and i was getting ready and mentally preparing for the vida loca that is city living. I was getting amp for hanging out with all them Bo Sox fans in beantown. That was until i found out that the Martha's Vineyard restaurant is a go. Instead i'll be on a boat in about a week to go the Vineyard. Luckily, i got those nice white boat shoes last summer because they sure will come in handy. It would be ridiculous to believe i have all the details, but it's looking like a June first departure from the mainland.

Blossoming Lotus

I am in Portland Oregon visiting my buddy bradley. Hospitality is when you say you're gonna be in town a couple of days, and your friend says great i'll make sure we get you a bike for your time here. Last night we ate an epic feast at the blossoming lotus, an all vegan, partially raw food joint. I have eaten at their Kuauii restaurant which doesn't exist anymore, and actually totally forgot that this place did existed. So as we rode up to the restaurant i was completely delighted, and the food did not disappoint. I'm here for a couple of days, which is gonna be awesome. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but i forgot my camera. i wont' let it happen again.

A kid in a Candy Store...

It's what i feel like when ever i go to a good health food store or food Co-Op with an epic bulk food section. Davis, CA has Got They. I really like health food stores. Even though they are mostly the same everywhere i go, i am drawn to them. I've been Hanging out with Dave O. the last couple of days and feasting has been what's up. In San Francisco we at at a great South Indian joint called Dosa, dos times because it was that good, and we also at at Millennium which is amazing high end vegan cuisine.The whole meal was great but the dessert were definitely above and beyond.
I actually graduated from the same class as the Pastry Chef there. Today started with me making some vegan cinnamon buns and david making some zucchini bread for his morning class, then i went to Delta of Venus the "cool kid" coffee shop with good vegan eats and free internet. I really hope this trip keeps the good food coming my way.