Holiday Fun

Santa was good this year!

Cezanne got me some surprises and some stuff I knew she was getting me. Actually, I knew she was getting stuff from www.competitivecyclist.com for me, but I just didn't know what.

I'm actually surprised I had the willpower not to check my competitive cyclist account and look at the last order, because then I would see exactly what was ordered! Cezanne used my account for 2 reasons. The first is that you can "save items," so I had about 8-10 saved items that she could easily move into the "cart." The second is that competitive cyclist automatically gives me a 10% discount on all items at check-out. This is something they do for all active duty military. Awesome. Thank you!

Below is our little set-up at our apartment in D.C. Yup, that's our Christmas tree to the right, all lit up!


Below is handsome Mr. Bono!


And it was over to Jon and Jen's in Annapolis on Christmas morning for some present opening and food! Jon makes some killer scones. He gives credit to his time as the Superintendent's Supply Aide and getting the recipe from the Sup's cooks.


The kids had tons of gifts! If I were Jon and Jen, I might have tried to keep some wrapped and saved them for next year! That's Santa Papa Jimmy (my Dad) on the right of the picture.


After all the ruckus the one common calming (say that 3 times fast) thing is a movie. This quickly settles the kids down.


I got my new favorite t-shirt for Christmas. This was one of the surprises (because it wasn't a saved items). It's an "Alpe d' Huez" t-shirt by Twin Six and it's awesome. Thanks babes!


Meghan is playing with her toy camera and Cezanne is showing off her cute dimple! Oh, and she's showing off one of the new sweaters I got her.


And below is Nathan loving up on Bono. We went to Annapolis again a few days after Christmas and Bono was a big hit with the kids. Meghan and Nathan loved hugging him and Bono was a good sport. Cezanne is also showing off her bling in this pic!


And last, but not least, the Holidays offer a time to reunite with friends. We had a great highschool crew reunion of about 10 of us. We started out at Turtle's house. He was in from Los Angeles. He's below in the beard.

From there we swung by Kyma on our way to Ram's Head. It was my first time in Kyma and the owner is a friend. When the owner, Nick, saw Screech (a lot of nicknames here) and I, he called us over and ordered us a round a what we wanted (we picked Yuengling) and then unfortunately ordered each of us a shot of Yagermeister... ugh...

So, it was my first shot in probably at least 4 years and I'm glad it was Yager over a lot of other stuff.

So, that was some Holiday and Christmas fun. Next up is New Years. Of course, we're driving in to Annapolis for that one, but it's going to be pretty chill.

I'm thinking of riding my bike back from Annapolis the day after New Years. I think I have a good/safe route mapped. It's about 57 miles. Our place is only 35 miles from Annapolis, but I have to bob and weave and come in to DC from the north instead of from the east because of the roads. We'll see.

Navy Bowl Game

Navy lost to Wake Forest, but it was still a good time.

I took the metro down to RFK and met up with my brother Jonnie and his son Carter. Jonnie was able to get us tickets to the "Brigade of Midshipmen" tailgater which was in the D.C. Armory (pic below). It was REALLY nice, complete with DJ, live band, eggs, sausage, danishes, bagels, waffles, french toast, roast beef being sliced to order...

Jonnie and I were joking a little bit about our concert going experiences at RFK and we were figuring out where we usually parked for them. We saw a few Grateful Dead concerts there while in Highschool as well as one Dave Matthews Band concert which we were guessing was in 2000.

I was able to briefly meet up with Squeak, Todd Benke ('98), Josh Greene and Eilis. I got to hang out most of the game with Nate (Rodenbarger). His Dad had a box, so Jonnie, Carter and I spent the first quarter watching from our seats (pic below) and then the rest of the game in the box. Thanks CAPT Syd!

As an extra bonus that day I saw my ex-wife :) She and her cousin were walking by where we were tailgating. It was awkward, but cordial and nice to catch up with what her cousin was up to.

Indoor Trainer = Lame/Outside Riding = Bundle up

Tonight feels nice.  I'm full (but not stuffed) from dinner, I'm blogging, Bono is taking a nap, and Cezanne is wrapping presents and is excited about Christmas!

Winter in DC and actually, winter in San Diego, requires riding indoors.  Riding indoors in San Diego is exclusively a factor of the length of the days (sunset drops all the way to 4:45pm) and riding indoors in DC is a combination of the length of the days (mainly) and a little bit because of the cold.

I used to be better about riding indoors.  It seemed I was doing it a lot during early primary season out in San Diego.  I used to watch the Presidential Primary debates and usually rode on the trainer for about 1.5 hours.

Now I can barely muster an hour.  It's more psychological than anything I think.  Below is a pic of our new place and me on the trainer!  I still have the bright neon shoes!

Below is another angle!  I have the towel there to wipe off the sweat.  One change from San Diego on the trainer is that I have a fan blowing on me while I'm on the trainer now.  It keeps the sweat to a minimum.

Riding in the winter in DC is serious business.  Serious because of how the cold cuts through you.  It's Assos clothing to the rescue.  Below is the main winter outfit I've been sporting.  Cezanne thought I look funny so she took a picture of me getting ready to brave the 30 degree weather.

I only wore the balaclava for the first 10 minutes of the ride, then it became too hot, even though it was about 29-30 degrees out and the wind was gusting over 20 mph.  I also wear winter shoe covers which I hadn't gotten on by this point.

You can see the shinier wind-blocking material on the front of the blue winter tights that ends just below the knees.  The jacket has it too, on the front of the arms and the front of the chest/abdomen, but it's harder to see. 

So, the winter will go on, the temps will only get colder, and my goofy, bright, tight winter outfit will continue to be worn.

Army-Navy

There's something special about the Army-Navy football game, even if you aren't a fan of either one of the teams.  Too bad it's been a little lopsided lately.

Cezanne, Ryan (my brother-in-law) and I went to the game yesterday.  We all decided to go simple and just make a day trip about it.  That was the easiest way since we wanted to leave our dogs at home and not worry about having someone look after them.

We drove up and met Ryan near the house Cezanne owns in Philadelphia.  We took the train then subway down to the stadium.  Security was a little tight given the President was there.

Cezanne and Ryan below.

Cezanne and I below.  I really need to work on getting some Navy cold-weather gear so I can show my team spirit!

The stadium below.  If you click on the picture and enlarge it you can see the Military Academy cadets on the left and the Naval Academy Midshipmen on the right.  Ah, the memories.

Below is the President switching sides at halftime.  He is walking with the Naval Academy Superintendent and Defense Secretary Gates.

No stop to Philly would be complete without a Philly Cheesesteak.  I'm not an expert and I don't want to start a cheesesteak war (although I'm sure there is one waging), but below is a pic of the best place to get one.  Cezanne, Ryan and I stopped by after we got back to the cars.  It's only about a mile and a half from her rental property.

It snowed on our way home, the first I've seen it this year.  It made for slow traveling back, but we made it in one piece and Bono held it with no problem. 

A beautiful day and a Thanksgiving pic

Few people know about my love of coffee like my wife Cezanne.  I often mention to her that I can't wait to get to bed because it means I'm so much closer to that exquisite morning cup of coffee.  This will eventually end up in my going to bed at 7pm...6pm...3pm...right after breakfast (when I'm retired). 

What makes the best cup?  Peets brand and fresh ground.  We don't have a grinder these days, so typically the closest we get to fresh ground is the first day the bag is open.  It is interesting to note the difference between that first cup and cups from the same bag 2 days or more later.  It's just so much better that first day.  TOMORROW IS THAT DAY!

Instead of getting Peets (Major Dickason's) from the local Giant grocery store I decided to order Peet's Holiday Blend since it was really good last year.  It arrived in the mail today, a whole 2 pounds of it.

I also have what Cezanne calls, "a fear of weak coffee," so I typically add a little extra grounds beyond which is the normal "dosing."

Thanksgiving was really special this year.  We got the whole gang together, Mom, Dad, all five of their sons, their wives, their children.  It was such an enjoyable time.

I spent most of my time in the kid's room making sure they played nice and enforced the ever important "sharing" concept.  They know that one well!

Thanksgiving Pancakes/Lars and the Real Girl

I guess the idea of getting stuffed off of pancakes before a huge Thanksgiving dinner doesn't rank up there on the "good ideas" list...but...

That was the breakfast I just had.  Cezanne only had one pancake although I always try to convince her to have half of one of mine and when she says no, I just eat it all.  We used to get the "buckwheat" pancake mix from WholeFoods, but we recently tried the whole grain mix from Trader Joes (I know, you're on the edge of your seat...).  They're really good!

This time around we put banana, strawberries and blueberries in them.  Excellent.

No breakfast would be complete without a cup of Peet's coffee.  The first pot after opening up a fresh bag always tastes the best so today's pot really hit the spot.  Major Dickason's is the kind we get out here since there are no Peet's stores where we could get "Arabian Mocha Java."  Most of the grocery stores have French Roast, House Blend and Major Dickason's.  I did order a couple of pounds of the "Holiday Blend" from Peet's and it should get here next Wednesday.

Cezanne and I are excited for Thanksgiving.  We are all going over to my brother Greg's (near BWI).  There will be about 12 adults and all of Jon and Jen's little ones (4 of them!).  We recently dropped off an oversized chair at Greg's and saw my Dad for the first time in over a year!  

We dropped the chair off because it was a match with the sofa we had the moving company drop off at Greg's.  That sofa didn't fit into the apartment we are renting!  It wouldn't make it through the door no matter how hard the the movers tried to "bend" it...

So, they took it back and the next week they delivered it to Greg's at no additional charge to us!  I've had that sofa since my days in Jacksonville.  It was my first real furniture purchase after I bought my house in Jacksonville.  In some ways it doesn't feel like that was 7 years ago, in some ways it does.

We recently restarted our Netflix subscription since we got settled with a new address.  We started watching "Lars and the Real Girl" last night, but didn't make it through the movie.  Usually it's Cezanne falling asleep, but this time it was me.  So, we finished the movie this morning.  It's a great movie.  It is weird, about a guy (Ryan Gosling) who is anti-social, but orders a realistic doll and pretends she is real.  The whole town goes along with it and it winds up being a little touching, but definitely not sappy.  It has an independent feel.  2 thumbs up.

My other most recommended film/documentary is "Long Way Round."  It's the best film I saw last year.  It's a documentary of Ewan McGregor and his buddy driving their motorcycles around the world.  It comes in 3 DVDs with several episodes on each one.  The episodes are each about 40-50 minutes, so they are quick watches.  I didn't think Cezanne would be particularly thrilled with the choice, but she actually really liked it.  We found ourselves getting excited for each new episode.

Below you can see Bono chilling on Thanksgiving morning and a scene from "Lars and the Real Girl."  She's in a wheel chair since she couldn't walk...

And you can see we still have a little organizing and cleaning up left to do in the apartment.

Cezanne's Birthday!

Yesterday was Cezanne's Birthday.

It started out with banana and blueberry pancakes (same as today).

The first part of the day was a little rough for me.  I was going to my first Cat 4/5 ride and skills clinic (I call it) at Hains Point in D.C.  First off, every road I tried to turn down was blockaded and when there was an open road, it was quickly closed off by a cop turning in front of traffic and turning everyone around.  

So, it took me over 45 minutes to go 6 miles and there really was no traffic, just detours.  I showed up late and the ride was just getting underway.  Hains Point is on the Potomac, just across the way from Reagan Airport.  It was 28 degrees F with winds gusting to 35 mph.  Not fun.  I've been fine on rides in the mid 30s, but this was a whole new experience.

It wasn't too bad when we had a tailwind and were actually riding.  We stopped a few times and the leader explained wind, drafting, echelons...  then we rode a little more then stopped to do bike handling drills, like picking up standing water bottles off the ground and putting them back down while riding...I left before the ride/clinic was done.  I left partly because I was shivering and partly because although I respect people wanting to learn and get better at tactics, etc, I just want to ride at this point and that's not what we were doing.

The day got better from there!  Cezanne's brother came down from Hagerstown with his Great Dane and we all went to the dog park.  Then we enjoyed Chipotle for lunch, relaxed, then Cezanne and I went out to dinner for her birthday!

We went to 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown and it was awesome.  They have a dress code, so I had to wear a suit.  I can clean up when I need to.  It was a great night!