My haywire diet

The hater of white bread, the adversary of hydrogenated oil, the enemy of acrylamide - ate multiple servings of salt and vinegar chips and Starbucks ice cream for dinner. What went wrong in her wiring? A little stress, an emotional duo of days, a temporary lack of self restraint. Haywire I tell you, haywire. Today shall be better. A zone bar for breakfast, granny smith apple for lunch and a dinner - healthy, restrained and controlled. Some exercise would be nice too.

Oh, the Places I'll Go

Working on my vertical technique. Bounced my first pit this weekend. I had the usual vertical fear but it was a little better the second time. At least I am making progress. I have a very kind and patient teacher.

a simple update

Thanks for you concern all. I'm hanging in there, getting over the winter blahs and bugs, adjusting, and beginning to eat better and exercise regularly again. I did the treadmill, crunches and some strength/toning exercises this morning. Feeling pretty good. Gotta get in shape. My body fat percentage is up to 19%, eeek!!!! My arms need significant work, no flab allowed in springtime. See ya.

National Public Radio and wine

Car Talk

I love National Public Radio, otherwise known as NPR. Lately, I've been out of sorts so I have forgotten to tune in. However, my normal routine is to listen to NPR whenever I'm in the car and occasionally when I am at home. Some of my favorite shows are All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Car Talk.

Car Talk airs on Saturday mornings, around 10:00 a.m., I believe. Car Talk is jokingly hosted by Click and Clack, the Tappett (?) brothers, whose real names and Tom and Ray Magliozzi. They are informative and very funny and entertaining. They two have a great on air personality and make car talk as fun as the Carol Burnett show.

The two brothers aren't just grease monkeys. Tom has a degree from MIT, an MBA and a PH.D. from Boston University. In his bio, he writes that now he is "doing the radio show, ranting and raving on the World Wide Web, writing half of this book, doing odd jobs (know anyone who needs her apartment painted?), and drinking coffee in Harvard Square."

Ray writes that his childhood was wonderful. "I had everything a kid could want: two square meals a day, a basket to sleep in and an imaginary dog." Ray grew up and also obtained a degree at MIT. After a teaching stint in Vermont, Ray moved back to Massachusetts with his wife Monique, and Tom and Ray opened a DIY garage called Hacker's Heaven. The do it yourself garage concept, while a brilliant idea, didn't work. Tom and Ray ended up doing all the work for the do it yourselfers. Hacker's Heaven evolved into Ray's Garage, which is still open. Ray writes that he still works at Ray's garage. "These days I pretty much run the garage and work on Car Talk. The garage is still very much a full-time job. I get there at 8:00 in the morning or so and don't leave until, oh, maybe 9:00 in the morning. (Just kidding. I'm there all day). I have four guys working at the garage, if you count both humans and subhumans's".

Now, cars aren't really my thing but I sincerely love this radio show. I recently wrecked my 1999 Mitsubishi Gallant and bought a 2003 Pontiac Aztek; maybe these cars reveal my lack of attention to automobiles. Anyway, I recommend the radio show. You can check out the website at www.cartalk.com. Local air times for the show: Station: WUKY-FM 91.3, City: Lexington, KY, Time: Sun 1 pm. Station: WMKY-FM 90.3, City: Morehead, KY, Time: Sat 10 am , Sun 10 am

Wine Advice

It's Tuesday so I'll post my wine advice. I'm still enamored with Malbec. Try the 2003 Terrazas Reserva Malbec. Number 85 on Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2005!
Full-bodied with a great structure, this wine stands out for its volume and silky mouth-feel. It is complex, boasting smooth, well-rounded tannins that give way to a staggeringly long and lingering finish. Allow wine to breathe a little longer than usual.

My new wheels

I bought a 2003 Pontiac Aztek on Wednesday. Some say its one of the ugliest cars on the road but I find a certain beauty in its hunched-over form. You know, "she's so ugly she's pretty". It's a lovely hybrid metallic gray-blue color, without all the contrasting plastic cladding. (photo of aztek to left)

Ran on the treadmill last night. Since I've been pretty sedentary the last 6 weeks or so, I decided to take it easy. I did a walk-run rotation, walking briskly at 3.9 mph for one minute then running at 4.3 for two minutes. Incline remained at 5%.

Wine Post on Friday

MY NEW FAVORITE WINE - Argentina's Malbec

Malbec is also known as Cot

Malbec is one of the six grape varieties approved for making red wines in the Bordeaux region of France. In Bordeaux, Malbec is used like a chef would use a spice. Malbec is blended with other wines but it makes up a very small percentage of the blend. It is being grown and included less every year in the Bordeaux region

On the other hand, Malbec has found a new home and a new following in the wines of Argentina.

One good one: 2000 Malbec Mendoza Reserva ($15). Blackberry, plum, tar, spice and red pepper flavors combine to make a very good wine at a value-packed price. Full-bodied and flavorful, this wine packs a powerful taste punch. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years.