December 13th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 23:49 Katy and I were masters in the kitchen tonight. It started with Beef and Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches. I just happened to have some home-roasted red peppers, naturally. These turned out deliciously and were consumed with the jus served from Royal Worcester Evesham Gold small bowls. I have leftover sandwiches for tomorrow–mmm.
We then cleared the kitchen for the Magic Cookie Bars II recipe. This was the first time I had used sweetened condensed milk, and was surprised by the viscosity. Truthfully, Katy did most of the work. This recipe was so easy it was actually somewhat surprising.
With the bars in the oven we moved on to the chocolate truffles. We used the Cooking for Engineers recipe. It was so easy I cannot believe truffles are so expensive. Ours didn’t turn out perfectly circular, but they look and taste delicious. I will say that we learned a little bit about the process this first time, and I am certain that they would be even better the next.
While we waited for things to cool we watched the first episode of An Idiot Abroad series 2. This is a hilarious show; it is worth a second watch through.
December 7th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 19:55 The espresso wars have begun. I decided to try out the Tim Hortons latte and the McDonalds latte to compare them to Starbucks. Now, it’s true that I am a loyal Starbucks customer so it is possible there is some bias here, but I did approach each vendor with an open mind.
I’ll start with Tim Hortons. I had their latte one morning. It was sweetened even though I didn’t request it to be. It was also way too sweet. The coffee, unfortunately, had that Tim Hortons smell to it. I didn’t care for it, primarily because it was too sweet.
I decided to give Tim Hortons another shot a couple of days later. This time I was asked if I wanted it sweetened (no). I observed them “make” the beverage. It was done with a Nescafe Milano machine. I didn’t ask anything about the machine. The latte was better, but the coffee still smelled like Tim Hortons and I didn’t care for it.
McDonald’s: I went after lunch. I asked for a decaf latte. They couldn’t do it. So I got a full caf latte. It was not bad, but also not good. I have come to learn that they can make this with either skim or 2% milk. I did not get the impression that the staff knew much about coffee, but I can’t say that I’d call that a revelation.
In general I don’t think I would go back to either Tim Hortons or McDonalds for an espresso based drink. It may be acceptable if I were on a road trip and was in the mood for a latte. I certainly wouldn’t go to sit and meet someone for a coffee there.
October 30th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 9:27 Last weekend I was in Toronto for the CN Tower Climb. It was meant to be an exciting event to do cooperatively with Will and his girlfriend, however plans changed at the last minute and I ended up doing the climb alone. But Erin and Cathie were at the top to cheer, and that was great.
Now, I wasn’t prepared for the climb at all. I hadn’t trained so I didn’t know the pacing. I had hoped to be climbing with Will and Will’s pace so I wasn’t going to be time trial-ing. Despite the excuse I still ended with an okay time of 15:55. They timed pre-registrants with chips this year, which was great.
I will remain hopeful that Will and I can someday conquer the tower together–perhaps as soon as the spring.
October 30th, 2011
Filed under: Motorcycle, News — Ryan J. Allen @ 9:14 It’s +1 out right now (9 am). I am going to be motorcycling to church today. Then it’s off to Lululemon to pick up my pants, and Starbucks to add another star to my collection. I am 7 stars and am 4 days behind on 30 stars in 30 days. I remain hopeful that I will have collected all 30 stars by the end of this week.
October 27th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 23:30 Oh, Internet. If only you could see me now.
Water circles on the knees of my jeans, damp socks, and pruning fingers; tools strewn about, nuts and bolts, and spare parts surround me. I am fixing a toilet.
I have rebuilt one toilet since I moved in and am working on the second. In this case I believe it was a flush valve problem but decided to do a complete rebuild so that I would have some confidence on what the status of the moving bits of the toilet were made up of.
I have a bit of a leak right now. I need to figure out if it’s the flush valve assembly, or the gasket under the tank. I’ve decided that I’ve had enough for the moment and have left it for the night.
I like this song “Artificial Heart” by Jonathan Coulton. It sounds like a Weird Al song to me. Not that I’m a big Weird Al fan, but there is something about this song that appeals to me.
October 17th, 2011
Filed under: Motorcycle, News — Ryan J. Allen @ 22:20 The PEC marathon was a disaster. Personally, I wasn’t prepared and it showed. In retrospect I don’t know how I pulled Ottawa off so well. Around 29 km I decided to stop my pace. My first half was a respectable 1:50-ish. From 29 it was quite down hill. I walked many kilometres in the end. I am, however, really proud of myself for finishing.
What helped make the day even worse was the weather. It was easily the worst weather for any race I have ever done. When I stopped to walk, especially near the end, I got quite cold, windy, and uncomfortable. Thankfully I had Alex and Cathie there to help me stabilize in time for the motorcycle ride back to Kingston.
The motorcycle ride to Picton at 6:00 am was awful. It was rainy, cold, and dark. The back end of my bike slid out when I was on the 401 on-ramp–not a way you want to start your acceleration to 100+ km/h. The ride back afterwards made up for it.
I read this week about the 100 year old who completed the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. The guy goes 12-16 km a day. I’d like to do that. I’m currently in a bit of a post-run sloth period but I will have to pick things up soon in preparation for my Christmas holidays.
Anyway, I’m alive.
September 27th, 2011
Filed under: Motorcycle, News — Ryan J. Allen @ 23:07 This Sunday is the PEC Marathon. I’ll be the only one I know running. It has an 8am start time, which should put me in at the finish around noon. I’m in no rush, as I have already beat my marathon goal for the year. I think it will be cool just to finish my third marathon.
Alex might come cheer at the end. Aunt Judy is walking the half so there’s a chance I’ll see someone else I know there, too. I’m hoping I’ll get to see her at the half-way point at least, even if they’re not yet ready to start.
A part of me hates that these running events are always on Sunday. I miss hanging out with God in church.
I’m going to motorcycle there.
September 25th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 9:03 Hey there, Internet. Long time no see. If I try to catch up I’ll miss loads of stuff, so I won’t bother.
I’ve decided to try to make my home more homely. I believe a new TV and a couch for the basement are in order. I am not the best at selecting couches. I’d prefer to not spend $1000, but it seems like this will be hard to get out of. I will take some measurements and maybe go out looking.
I have a week off in October where I may try to put an effort on taking care of some of the finer touches for the home. If I haven’t dealt with the couch situation by then I am sure to do it at that time. Deadlines and milestones, I guess.
August 25th, 2011
Filed under: News — Ryan J. Allen @ 0:46 Today I walked over to the Real Canadian Superstore in the afternoon and noticed that the Canadian flag at the building was flying at half-mast. It made me think for a moment about the employee who hoisted the flag that morning. Personally, I would consider hoisting the Canadian flag to be a great honour, and having to lower it from the finial would be a time of real reflection. Did he or she feel the same way this morning or is it “just a job”?
August 24th, 2011
Filed under: Motorcycle, News — Ryan J. Allen @ 11:33 When I was younger I fell victim to the BMW marketing machine. BMW created a series of short films called the Hire starring Clive Owen that showcased the capabilities of their beautiful vehicles. The series convinced me that I needed to own a BMW 750Li–the flagship BMW sedan–primarily because it was so luxurious, and so expensive.
Some time passed and I started to believe the 7-er was too big. I revised my goal to own a 540i, manual transmission. As I matured more I came to the realization that these vehicles aren’t cheap, and I probably wouldn’t be able to afford a 5-er. So I revised my goal and made it to own a BMW 3-er, of no specific engine size.
Originally my goal was to buy a BMW when I turned 25. I did not forget that goal. When I turned 25 I was still living in an apartment, did not own a car, and had no dependants. Financially, owning a BMW, possibly used, was possible but I went a different route: I bought a motorcycle.
I have been riding the 2007 Honda Shadow Spirit since 2008–four riding seasons (well, I did miss one due to living on another continent). I’ve done some things to the bike to make it a little more capable of long-distance rides: added a GPS, quick-release saddle bags, changed the rear sprocket, and added a quick-release windshield. Honestly, with all of these things the bike feels like it’s bigger and heavier than it is and removing them makes it feel light and nimble. But the bike remains heavy, slow, and loud. These are great things for cruising around town, but work against it on the longer rides.
I want a motorcycle that I can ride to Toronto without wearing ear plugs; a motorcycle that has a luggage piece that can hold a second helmet; a motorcycle that doesn’t leave me searching for a missing gear when riding on the highway; a motorcycle that can keep up to the 130 km/h traffic on Toronto’s 401 express lanes; a motorcycle is comfortable for 2-3 hour riding stretches; and a motorcycle that has the power to get me out of a situation at the flick of a wrist.
Some bonus features? How about ABS brakes; an on-board computer; a centre stand; and maybe heated grips. How about a maintenance-free belt-driven final drive, a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds, and a convenient 12V power outlet? World-recognized reliability and experience in creating performance vehicles.
How about a BMW F800ST? Six gears, a top-speed of 225 km/h, fairings, windshield, luggage, quiet exhaust, designed for light touring with a sporty-twist. Not too much power, but more than enough for public roads. I think this is the bike for me.
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