A Couple Of Lazy Days

 

Song:  Willow's Song

Artist:  Aythis

For the past couple of days...

besides taking care of routine things...

I just relaxed...

as I must time certain outside maintenance activities to the weather.

I was going to waterproof the third deck...

but I need to have a couple of days of sun to ensure the wood is fully dried...

and then another couple of days of sun to ensure the waterproofing may fully dry.

Although the past few days have been sunny...

today, while mostly sunny...

there are a few clouds which may signal a possible small shower...

and so...

I must put off any maintenance until I am sure of completely dry conditions

for an extended period of time.

A couple of nights ago...

after supper...

I had various mochi cakes...

and a few chocolates for dessert...

and I then gathered some snacks to take down to the entertainment room...

so I could just eat while I watched a funny comedy series for the remainder of the night

(I usually do not snack...except when it is movie or show night :)

I took my snacks downstairs

(the drinks we have are just carbonated water...

with a hint of flavoring...

no sugars).

I had my snack table at the ready...

as I climbed underneath a comforter...

and then scooted up the snack tray to straddle my waist

to allow easy retrieval of my drink and snacks.

I had watched over six hours of one of my favorite comedy series...

'Mike and Molly'.

Even though the main characters are very talented and funny...

the pictured character...

Carl...

although he is a supporting character...

is my favorite character in the show.

His sense of comedic timing...

and his expressiveness...

not only physically...

but in intonation, comedic pausing, the rapidity and punctuation of his delivery...

and especially in his facial expressions...

all add up to pure comedy gold.

What also makes this series so funny is the writing...

and all of the cast's tremendous talent

(two of the female supporting actors...

Carl's grandmother...and Molly's sister...

are tremendous singers).

And even though I have seen this particular series many times...

each time I watch it...

it still makes me laugh

(this...and 'Frasier'...are my two favorite comedy series).

Yesterday...

I took my car to Woodland Park 

to have an oil change, a full inspection, and to have a wheel alignment and tire rotation.

As I had paid a one time fee for the life of my car (reasonable fee)...

to have free wheel rotation and alignment...

I get them done with each oil change

(during the inspection they noted that my rear brake pads are getting low...

and so...

for my next oil change...

I will instead take it into the dealer's shop in Colorado Springs...

to have the brake pads replaced).

As the complete job takes a little over an hour...

I just walked down the street to eat at a restaurant to pass the time.

While this particular Mexican restaurant WAS one of my favorites...

I won't be going back there anymore.

Their food used to be high quality...

but after tasting their steak and shrimp bowl...

I couldn't finish it.

The meat was filled with gristle and was over cooked

(which tells me they used the absolute cheapest meat...

which the poor quality of the cut could have been mitigated through proper trimming...

which further told me that management was operating under short term thinking...

because they must have also hired an unskilled cook).

But...

a new Mexican restaurant just opened up in the Safeway complex...

and as it looks promising...

I will try there the next time.

As I cut my meal short

(and yes...I told them in a note on the check...

about the poor quality of their food)...

I just walked back to the tire shop to await job completion.

One of the employees takes in his German Shepard to work...

and of which is very friendly...

and greets customers as they walk in.

I had petted her...

rubbed her chest and belly...

and she just lay down in front of me

(Colorado is a very dog friendly State).

I just read a community paper as I waited...

and shortly thereafter...

I got my car back and drove to pick up the mail on the way home.

I just got our mail from our mailbox ...

and then drove home to rest.

While I usually eat but once a day...

as I had not eaten much of my meal at the Mexican restaurant...

I ate supper that evening.

My wife had made beef sukiyaki and Japanese meat and potatoes.

I ate my fill...

and then relaxed in bed.

------------

This early afternoon...

my wife had made a roast beef salad

(my favorite salad)...

Natto...

and she carved up some smoked trout and salmon.

The meal was delicious. 

Earlier this morning...

Bandi went on her bathroom and small run.

The leaves are almost in full color.

Tomorrow...

I am thinking of driving my wife around the neighborhood...

along the long mountain run route she, Bandi, and I will take

for our once weekly mountain run / trike.

This way she can get an idea as to the pacing she will need to set...

in order to not tire out too early...

as there are many long inclines on the way back up our mountain ridge.

-------------

I will spend the rest of today...

researching various pieces of furniture for more places in our home...

and practicing the guitar some more.

And...

later tonight...

I will probably watch a movie in the entertainment room.

Yeah...

I am still feeling a little bit lazy  :)

NordicTrack Commercial 2450 - A Great Treadmill

 

Song:  Icescapes

Artist:  Annie Parker

My wife not only loves her new treadmill...

but she loves the placement of it in the loft.

This treadmill...

the top of the line NordicTrack 2450...

has built in fans which help cool a runner during a vigorous session...

and a large screen which plays various videos and interactive programs

to keep a person interested during his or her training sessions

(The pace and the incline increase automatically depending

on the terrain in the video).

This treadmill also has a special shock absorbing running deck...

so as to protect the joints.

One of the views from the treadmill.

My wife will open up the deck door for a nice cross breeze while she is training.

The 24" screen is operated through the touch screen...

and there are so many rotating running and hiking programs

from which to choose.

They have professional trainers running or hiking the route...

as he or she talks to you...

often times giving the history of the route...

or some other facts or training advice.

They had made these videos specifically to make one feel as if one were there...

actually running or hiking along with the trainer...

and, again...

the incline and speed automatically increases or decreases just as it would

if one were actually hiking or running at that particular location.

They have so many training videos from around the world.

A closer look at the built in fans.

My wife wants to train for various races...

from 5k to half marathons...

to eventually a full marathon.

She also wants to go up the Manitou Incline.

As we already live at high altitude...

hiking at simulated high altitudes in her programs 

will be far more realistic training for her.

They even have a zombie apocalypse training video where you must run 

from chasing zombies  :)

My wife usually trains near sunset...

so there won't be any reflections on the screen as is in these photos

(you can see my reflection as I stood on the sides of the treadmill

while taking these photos).

These are her views from the treadmill...

and she especially loves looking out the 3rd deck doors during sunset.

(Yes, Bandi tore up the 3rd deck screen door with her paws...

as my wife closed the screen door when Bandi was sitting outside on the 3rd deck...

and Bandi clawed at the screen door to get my wife's attention...

saying she wanted back in. 

I just used screen door repair tape until I just replace the whole screen...

a much later project for the future).

My wife feels so good after a training session

as the various programs challenge her...

and make her want to use it...

as the scenery and the automatic changes of pace and inclines 

really get her heart rate up (she went above 170 bpm the other day)...

and it was just a moderate program.

She can train various zones just by choosing the difficulty of the program...

or she can make her own.

Once a week we are going to do an actual long mountain run

(once she gets into better shape)...

with Bandi and I using the trike...

as she trains by running.

But...

soon...

she will have to train on the treadmill almost exclusively during Winter...

as the air temperature drops too low for her to train outside...

as well as having to contend with snow and ice

(Bandi and I can usually train outside through much of Winter...

as my trike has much better traction...

and I can control the amount of exertion while going up hills by increasing the amount

of e-drive assist used).

-------------

This early afternoon...

my wife used the rest of the Mapo Tofu to make 

Mapo Tofu Ramen...

and a beef salad for me to eat.

This ramen was so good.

I had never had it before...

but it is now my favorite ramen.

The Mapo Tofu made the ramen meaty and spicy...

and so flavorful.

I had eaten many a ramen at specialty ramen places when I had lived and worked in Japan...

many decades ago...

and this was the best I have ever had.

(Mapo Tofu Ramen wasn't an option back then...

although they probably have it now).

This is the roast beef my wife had made the other day.

She usually thinly slices the specially prepared beef for use in salads...

soups, or just with rice...

as it is especially tender

(she had marinated it using garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil...

as well as baking soda (which makes the beef exceptionally tender)...

and she then slow cooks it in the oven).

Because the beef is just so tender...

 the thin slices just makes a beef salad so delicious...

especially with the below dressing.

This salad dressing has such a fresh citrus taste...

along with a hot pepper kick.

My wife had also picked up some squid Tsukemono

from the Asian market we had gone to yesterday.

It is so good...

as the squid is tender...

and yet has the delightful chewiness of squid...

along with a slightly tart vinegary taste.

And the shredded mushrooms and selected veggies

make it one of my favorite meal accompaniments.

-------------

I am thinking of putting together the weight training equipment 

I had bought for Milo for both of us to do.

(I will be training my wife in Milo...

as well as with Thor's Hammer).

I also still must put together the BBQ...

but I also have many other projects I must do since the weather 

is still very good.

Once Winter hits...

I must shift outside projects to more of the landscape and trees

(I still must climb and take down some rather large trees...

but that can wait until later on this Winter).