If It's Thursday, It Must Be Texas!

La Misha Bistro, McKinney, TX. Worth the trip.

Lunch at....

...Chicago's Mercat a la planxa, in the Blackstone Hotel which is, itself, interesting enough to warrant a city weekend. Excellent tapas-style Catalanian food. Free wi-fi and probably the best espresso I've ever had. Worth the trip.

Coming Home

This is the now-remodeled Great Suburban Outback restaurant made famous by numerous Life Is A Tri posts a few years ago. The place where everybody knew my name. The little trattoria with the awesome chicken vesuvio.

The wine list is improved (30 or so well-chosen selections by the glass) but the decor is a little, um, sleek for my tastes. Though I will say last night's tomato & mozzarella salad may have been the best ever. Tri-Daughter #4 agrees.

Back To Spain...For An Hour

In Spain For An Afternoon

Well, not really. But it's a great tapas restaurant, owned and run by an old friend. Potatas con alioli, pincho del solomillo, ensalada de la casa, paella, canneloni frios de atun, queso de cabra, pollo al curry, on and on it went. I ate it all, though I probably mis-spelled it all, too. That's the vino talking.

Last night I made papperdelle pasta with a wild mushroom ragout topped with goat cheese. While I'm in Chicago, Tri-Daughter #3's at home polishing off the leftovers.

Canada's Revenge

I hate geese.  When they're not fouling the waters and shores with bacteria-laden fecal material, they're acting like freakin' terrorists and going after airliners.

They missed this time.  A cool-under-pressure pilot saved the day, conferring on us a belated Christmas miracle.  I'm still getting my revenge, though.  Next Thanksgiving's table is gonna be groaning under the weight of roasted honkers with all the trimmings.

C'mon Camden the Wonder Dog!  Let's go a-hunting!  OK, you hunt.  I'll supervise.

No Reservations!

Hey, someone cool is advertising on Life Is A Tri.  And he's going to Venice.  Very cool!

Steamboat Dreamin'

The chicken with lemon and rosemary is merrily roasting away, accompanied by 5 baked potatoes.  Fresh carrots are nestled in the roasting pan, caramelizing as we speak.  On the stove-top: wild mushrooms sauteing in butter and wine, and some crisp, fresh green beans.  A green salad dressed with a Tuscan vinaigrette. Several cheeses, sausages, crackers, fresh veggies for appetizers.  Fresh fruit. Really good black coffee.  And about 3 bottles of wine...or more if need be.

Later, we're walking down to the store to buy some Irish whiskey, Drambuie and a few other libations cuz IT'S REALLY FREAKIN' COLD HERE!

Not my wine cellar, in case you're wondering.  Just some place I hang out.

Thanksgiving Vino

Cuz VM Can't Live On Bread Alone

Lentil soup and a nice green salad for dinner tonight. Maybe a spicy Zinfandel to accompany; we'll have to see what surprises lurk in the wine cellar.

Thanksgiving dinner this year will NOT involve a turkey. Gobble, Gobble. Vertical Man's family finally came clean and admitted they're really NOT turkey fans and I'm pretty sure it's NOT how I cooked the bird in years past since I rock as a chef. Nope, this year it's a 6 lb. beef tenderloin, maybe with a hazelnut stuffing and an armagnac demi-glace. Or not. Whatever.

I'm still making my famous pumpkin bread, wild mushroom & herb stuffing, and the carrot, jalopeno & ginger soup cuz they're family favorites. I know this cuz the family told me so. Oh yeah, and the pear & goat cheese bruschetta.

Joining me for dinner this year are Tri-Mom, Tri-Brother, Tri-Daughters #1 and #3 and various friends and groupies. Tri-Brother and I are still working on the wine list. It's gonna be epic.

In case you're wondering, Tri-Daughter #2 just moved to the west coast and started a new job so she's stuck. T-D #4 is joining her boyfriend's family for dinner in the great, WARM desert southwest. As I look out on 10" of new snow I'm thinking we should all go THERE!

Vote the Chicago Way: Early and Often.

As a group, triathletes are pretty upscale.  But I'm curious what you're thinking about the current economic uncertainties and how they might affect next season's racing plans.  So help me out by taking my poll.  It's just below the photo over there to your right.  Thanks ever so hugely.

By the way, I'm compiling a market research report on the demographics and socio-economics of triathletes.  It'll be for sale for a really modest fee...really.  Let me know if you'd like to purchase a copy.

Dinner menu for tonight: an appetizer of pear & goat cheese bruschetta, potato-leek soup, a nice green salad.  Maybe some other stuff.  Haven't decided yet.

Daily Commentary

So just HOW stupid must you be to be Nancy Pelosi, today's winner of the 'just shut up' award?  Delivering a hyper-partisan speech while the bail-out bill voting hangs in the balance is an act of rank idiocy and a complete abdication of anything resembling leadership responsibilities.  You know you've cocked-up when nearly a third of your own party votes 'no' yet Barney Frank and John Kerry leap to your defense, blaming Republicans for the disappearance of nearly $1 trillion of shareholder wealth.

On the bright side, I need one last big bull market before I can safely retire to a tar-paper shack somewhere.  With the Dow above 14,000, it was difficult to see where that bull market could come from.  Now I'll forever refer to it as the "Vertical Man's Meager Post-Nancy Pelosi's Idiocy-Induced Crash Retirement Funding Plan."  Or something.

Thought for the day:  "It's better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."  Truer words...

The GSO's weather is turning along with the leaves.  Highs in the 60's, lows in the 40's, each down 10 degrees from last week.  Still great training weather and the rumors are for a spectacular burst of fall colors.  The pool's still open though that'll probably change later this week.  

Summers can't last forever though I wish THIS summer could - it was flat-out spectacular.  The air conditioning ran for 2 hours TOTAL and then only to remove humidity from the air not 'cuz it was hot.  My last electric bill was $23.00.

Oh yeah, almost forgot: dinner last night was lime-chipotle chicken, carrots, fresh fruit, some pasta primavera left over from the night before and a decent shiraz.

Back In the GSO

Green tea - just before the fortune cookie arrived - at one of my favorite Asian/fusion restaurants in Chicago's suburbs.  I ordered the Kung Bo Chicken 'extra nuclear' spicy.  The chef came out of the kitchen to make sure I knew what I was ordering.  I assured him I did but it still wasn't spicy enough.  Cowards.

Some great networking today with really cool people, all with awesome ideas to contribute to what I'm working on.  God, life outside the walls is really, really good. I haven't worn grown-up shoes or a shirt with a collar more than twice since the snow melted.  And yet life goes on, as somehow I knew it would.  It helps when you surround yourself with positive people adding positive energy to your life.  Go figure.

Oh, and here's a small piece of advice to those still laboring away inside the walls: next time you're appointed to a committee, ask first how to get yourself impeached. And send a message to your long-suffering committee colleagues: if they want to masturbate, they should do it at home, alone and on their own time.

Ah, you probably won't do that.  Coward.

11 Best Foods

According to the New York Times, there are 11 foods you should be eating but probably aren't:

• Beets...ok.
• Cabbage...yum.
• Swiss Chard...dunno.
• Cinnamon...in my hot chocolate!
  
• Pomegranate Juice...expensive.
• Dried Plums...aren't they prunes?
  
• Pumpkin Seeds...got 'em.
  
• Sardines...blech.
• Turmeric...maybe I'll put it on the sardines.
  
• Frozen Blueberries...got 'em. Fresh ones, too.
  
• Canned Pumpkin...who knew it was good for something besides pie?

Gotta go make my blueberry/pomegranate/swiss chard/sardine/turmeric smoothie.

iPod Shuffle: "Step Into the Light" by Mavis Staples, from "Have A Little Faith."

Immigration Man

England refused admittance to Martha Stewart, Anglophile and obviously dangerous felon. Now we tell Queenophile Boy George to stay home (with the Queen) for the same reason.

Seems like we got the best of that deal. We get to keep Martha and her ability to construct a 12-course meal out of dental floss and week-old cabbage, and don't have to host yet another creepy, cross-dressing dimwit druggie. Yay for the INS!

Dinner tonight: grilled eggplant with a yogurt/cumin sauce, and grilled chicken breasts that've first been marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and pepper. A green salad, corn on the cob. Probably a nice chardonnay. Ice cream for dessert.

iPod Shuffle: "Arms Aloft" by Joe Strummer, from "Streetcore." "Dimples" by John Lee Hooker, from "Don't Look Back." ("...you're my baby...got my eyes on you...") And "Nobody's Fault But Mine" by Jing Chi, from "3D."

Gotta go light the grill...

Another Yogurt Lover Heard From

The latest search term shuffling someone over to Life Is A Tri?   A Yahooer from Manchester, England wanted more info on "life is a vanilla yogurt."  How'd s/he know what I had for breakfast?  I had mine with fresh strawberries and some whole-grain toast.  Yummm.  

And, changing the subject slightly but still on the topic of Manchester, I still love that Manchester sound from a decade or so ago...Charlatans UK's "You're Not Very Well," Stone Roses' "She Bangs The Drums."  Guess that's an iPod shuffle.  

Now: out for a run in between rain showers.  Camden the Wonder Dog (CtWD) is sitting this one out.  He's still exhausted after an excursion yesterday to the local dog park, a.k.a. slobbering, butt-sniffing heaven.  

Afterward: just another jacuzzi-soaking, trim-painting, curtain-hanging, bathroom-scrubbing, Cub-watching, dock-sitting, diver duck-watching, lakeside bonfire-starting, lamb-grilling, wine-drinking, mystery-reading kinda day.  I'd add moon-watching and star-gazing in there too but the weather is uncooperative, alas.  I'm gonna baste the French-cut lamb chops with a melange of melted butter, Dijon mustard, minced garlic and lemon juice.  The wine is an Oregon pinot noir.  

VM Says Be Healthy...Eat Your Honey

OK, we've got dioxin in mozzarella and viruses afflicting Chilean salmon, but alcohol and MSG are OK, more or less.

I guess it's back to miso soup with tofu.  Haven't seen them in the headlines lately.

Vino du Jour

A Gary Farrell 2005 Pinot Noir - Russian River Valley/Rochioli-Allen Vineyards. Holy crap!  This wine rocks!

Too bad you can't buy it unless you're a Gary Farrell Premier Crew member...which I am. Membership does indeed have its privileges.

Decisions, Decisions