I managed to drag my ass out of bed this morning and I got a nice ride in before work.  It was gorgeous but very, very cold.  I rode Corbett to Portola where I stopped for a pic of the glorious sunrise:

I took Portola to Woodside to Dewey to Taravel and down to the coast.  I came down the Great Highway and stopped at the foot of Sloat for pics of the beach:

Surferliciousness:

I took Sloat to Skyline to Lake Merced to Font to Holloway to Harold to Ocean to Geneva to Alemeny to Silver into Quint to Oakdale to Phelps to Evans to 3rd.  I stopped at Islais Creek for pics:

Me:

I continued on 3rd to Cesar Chavez to Illinois to Terry Francois to Mission Rock to 3rd to Townsend to 2nd to Market to Sansome and into work. 

I predictably slept in on Monday morning and just came down Market into work.  I did make it home for lunch and I took a couple of pics as I headed home.

This is 7nd and Market.  I love the juxtaposition of the Odd Fellows Temple with the Federal building rising behind it.  The Odd Fellows are an interesting fraternal organization and you can read more about them here:

This is Noe and Market in the Castro:

The view down Noe from Market.  Note that the dog is so full he’s sleeping on his side:

After work I headed off Sutter to Fillmore to Clay to Maple to Arguello to Lake to 23rd to Cabrillo to 47th to Fulton to the Great Highway and down the coast to Taravel to Dewey to Pacheco to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.  Mr. Poe went to bed early because he’s got an early Tuesday so I watched.  Elvira’s Haunted Hills–  which by the way was even worse than I thought it was going to be and I thought it was going to be terrible– and then I went to bed.

Bike Mileage:

Today 25.5 Week to date 25.5 Month to date 175.9 Year to date 6,750.5 To Goal 3,249.5 Over (Under) plan (2,372.8) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (809.1) Rolling Year 7,083.0 Since Inception 10/1/07 27,920.3

On Sunday I helped lead a Lifeycle training ride for World AIDS day.  We rode around the city which was lots of fun.  We started at McLaren and headed over to Kirkham down to the coast.  Then we headed around Lake Merced, through the Ingleside on Holloway and then Ocean to Alemeny to Silver and then up through Bayshore before headed back to the Castro through the Mission.  It was pretty cold but sunny and I had a great time.  Here are some pics:

This is a newish (I think) park off of Terry Francois in Mission Bay.  That neighborhood is rapidly becoming all shades of awesome:

I peeled off a little early from the ride so I could go and help Mr. Poe finish up lunch.  We had Beau, Buz, and David and Ben and Courtney over for lunch.  We fed them trip tip, french fries and salad.  I made mixed berry tiramisu that everybody seemed to like.  After everybody left I lounged a bit and then went to bed early.  It was a long day.

Bike Mileage:

Today 23.7 Week to date 23.7 Month to date 150.4 Year to date 6,725.0 To Goal 3,275.0 Over (Under) plan (2,370.9) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (834.6) Rolling Year 7,057.5 Since Inception 10/1/07 27,894.8

We took my Mom to the airport and then went to the grocery store.  We headed home and then we made lunch and I made a dessert for lunch tomorrow.  We’re having a couple of people over after the World AIDS day ride tomorrow and I’m feeding them mixed berry Tiramisu with white and dark chocolate on it.  Swank!  When I finished making that Nathan came over and we took Rufus for a long walk.  First we headed over to Tank Hill:

Then to the top of the Rayburn steps:

Then we got on a trail.  Look how gorgeous it was:

Then we got a snack and headed over to the Chinese Pavilion:

Nathan:

Then I said goodbye to Nathan and headed home through the park.  I was so tired by the time I got home.  I had dinner and took a nap.  Long day.

Thanksgiving was lots of fun.  We had Nathan and Daniel, Wilfredo and Mike, and Russ over for dinner with my Mom.  We cooked for two days and the gluttony was epic.  My new deep fat fryer played a special role and I made both savory turnovers and fritters.  Take that, Paula Deen!  I was so tired when I went to bed.  AH, Thanksgiving….

Today we went out for lunch at the Slanted Door and then we went for along walk over Telegraph Hill and then over to Jack Early Park.  The views were amazing:

Mr. Poe pointing out the view.  Hello gorgeous:

Mr. Poe and I:

The view to Treasure Island:

Then we headed over to Chinatown which was hella crowded.  Still gorgeous:

Then we headed over to Union Square.  Which was fucking nuts.  We tried to see the puppies in the Macy’s window, but apparently they were all in their dressing rooms smoking cigarettes.  We headed home.

I’ve made my first Christmas Decoration.  We’re having a Mardi Gras Christmas so I made a Victorian Christmas cookie tree in Mardi Gras colors.  It’s a little rough, I think, but I love it.  The orchids flanking it are courtesy of my friend Russ who brought them for Thanksgiving.  I love them:

I should probably go to bed early but it’s mystery night on PBS.  Who am I fooling– I’m watching cartoons.

I’ve been very lazy all week.  I’ve been on vacation from work and did basically nothing on Monday or Tuesday.  Oh, Mr. Poe took me out for lunch Tuesday and it was lovely.    I managed to finally get my ass in gear today, probably having to something to do with the imminent arrival of my mother.  I roasted some eggplant for Thanksgiving and made a bunch of pie crust dough for same.  I attempted to make some cinnamon rolls for breakfast but I think the yeast didn’t activate–  note to self throw leftover yeast packets out regardless of what their expiration dates might say.  Frustrating.  Mom came in late in the afternoon and we fed her some dinner and I took her and the dogs for a long walk.  She went to bed around 8 and I watched Beauty and the Beast and then some murder before bed.

We’ve had the weather this week.  I came down Market into work on Friday and then after work I headed over to Mr. Chris’s house.  He needed to move some furniture to our house for a week so I got a lift home from him.  Friday night I went to my friend Donald’s birthday and it was a lot of fun.  Nathan keeps asking me if I’m ashamed of my behavior and I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about but it can’t be good.

Saturday was pretty rainy for much of the day with electrical storms which are very unusual in the Bay Area.  I managed to get all of the dogs out for a long walk and it was lots of fun. 

Sunday we had a bit of a break with the weather.  It’s very cold but it was dry all day.  I took Rufus for a long walk in the afternoon.  We headed out to Golden Gate Park and then up to Grand View Park where the view is, as advertised, grand:

Rufus loves to go!

These are the cliffs on 14th Ave on Rocky Outcrop park:

We headed home for dinner.  We walked about seven miles.  It was lots of fun.

After work I headed off Sutter to Steiner to Clay to Spruce to Washington to Arguello to Lake to 27th to California to 28th to Clement to 34th to Cabrillo to47th to Fulton to the Great Highway.  I came down the coast and then took Kirkham, which has a lovely newish bike lane, to 7th to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner. I walked the dogs and then went to bed.  I was pretty beat. 

Bike Mileage:

Today 37.9 Week to date 51.9 Month to date 119.7 Year to date 6,694.3 To Goal 3,305.7 Over (Under) plan (2,127.6) YTD Mileage vs Last Year (728.3) Rolling Year 7,200.5 Since Inception 10/1/07 27,864.1

I’ve been pretty lazy all week.  I came down Market into work and home the same way on Monday and Wednesday and worked from home on Tuesday.  Mr. Poe’s still feeling pretty crappy and seems to have developed a brand new cold.  I told him that he’s been sick two months now and I’m over it and he needs to either get better or hurry up and die.  Specifically, I told him he needed to either shit or get off the pot.  He wasn’t amused and told me he’d discuss my back talk with my mother when she comes for Thanksgiving next week. 

This morning I dragged my ass out of bed and went for a ride before work.  The weather was gorgeous and I had a great ride.  I headed off Corbett to Clayton to Parnassus to Cole to Haight to Stanyan and into Golden Gate Park at JFK.  I took Arguello into the Presidio and then got on Washington and then headed over the Golden Gate Bridge.  There was a glorious sunrise and I had a lot of fun:

Tugboat heading out:

Horseshoe bay at Fort Baker:

Sunrise over the city:

Me:

Arty view of the bridge on the way back:

I headed back over the bridge and got back on Washington to Arguello to Jackson to Laurel to Clay to Fillmore to Pacific to Taylor to California.  This is the fabulous Masonic Auditorium:

With it an incredible frieze in high relief!  With gilding!:

Grace Cathedral:

The Fairmont Hotel:

Cable Car:

I continued on California to Leidesdorff to Halleck and into work.  Great ride!

Mr. Poe’s back in town!  All is right in the world.  He still hasn’t managed to ditch the nasty cold he’s had since September, but he sounded and looked a lot better.  We spent Sunday running errands.  We headed to Costco where I demanded impulse purchases.  We finally got a deep fryer which I’m a little nervous about.  On one hand, it will make certain things a lot easier to make and will be really welcome over the holidays to make gorgeous little appetizers and stuff like that.  On the other hand, my southern upbringing has taught me that everything tastes better when it’s been deep fried and I’m concerned that the deep fryer is a gateway drug to morbid obesity and I’ll have to wash myself with a sponge tied to a stick before the year is out.  The plan is to only use it for special occasions and if we can manage that than I can put off my Sansabelt pants purchase.  Developing.

We had Thai food in the Castro for lunch and Mr. Poe liked what he got very much which was nice because Mr. Poe is very hit or miss with Thai food and he was paying.  After lunch we headed home and started cooking and he took a nap.  I’m working on stuff for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I don’t like trying new recipes at big events where they have to be right unless it’s a party where I’m making a bunch of stuff and it’s OK if something doesn’t turn out because I can cover.  Nathan and Daniel agreed to test out the stuff I was making which I thought was really game on Nathan’s part because by all accounts the fried rice I fed him on Tuesday night nearly killed him. 

I started out with a cookie experiment.  I made cookies with pineapple, white chocolate and almonds in them.  The end result was a little strange.  They’re sticky and spongy because of the pineapple and they almost seem like they didn’t cook long enough although they’re brown on the bottom.  Mr. Poe liked them and the batch I brought into work seems to be very popular with my Asian coworkers.  Then I made the cheese pastry things.  I was hoping that they would be puffy and cheesy and buttery but the end result was rather like shortbread with cheese in it.  Nathan liked them a lot and I think they would be great with salad and also as the base for canapes.  Mr. Poe was making tri tip on the grill so I made Bearnaise sauce to go along with that which was my big experiment of the night.  Bearnaise sauce is an emulsion of a tarragon white wine and vinegar reduction mixed with egg yolks and butter.  I was prepared for it to be really hard to get right but I followed this recipe and it turned out beautifully.  The end product looked exactly like it was supposed to based on the instructional videos on Youtube that I watched and it didn’t come out of emulsion after sitting on the table so I think it’s a win.  Obviously, I didn’t eat any of it but everybody seemed to like it and Mr. Poe didn’t think it could be improved.  I need to try it a couple more times before I feel confident that I have it down because we’re planning on serving tri tip with Bearnaise sauce on Christmas Eve and it just isn’t gonna be as glamorous if we’re passing around a bottle of A-1.  Finally I made french fries in the deep fryer.  Which are more complicated than you would think but they turned out really well and were delicious.

We went to bed pretty early.  It was a long day and I was beat.  I’m so happy Mr. Poe is home as are the dogs.