Day 59 – Jim’s Trek – 19.0 Miles – Chopped

Good Day,

Today is the end of the 2nd month. I increased my morning mileage to 19.0. I am targeting in on my top daily goal of 20.0 miles per day. I’m now on the Smithville Highway, north of McMinnville, Tennessee. Again happenstance, I thought of setting up an ancillary goal of hitting as many Smith locations along the way, but I figured that I truthfully do not have an additional 150 years.

Radar is not too impressed.

I’m at the intersection of Smithville Highway and Vandagriff Road headed north to Smithville. Just wondering if any of the Google Maps road images show a snow covering. Right now the outside temperature at my Tennessee location is 33° F On my Schwinn 150 it is now a pleasant 72° F.

For supper last night I attempted a Chopped meal entrée. Ingredients - grouper fillets, squid ink pasta, roasted red peppers, Thai chilies, and frozen green peas. Kitchen was a mess, but supper dish tasted good with a slice of St. Elizabeth bread. My way of consuming those half used and leftover ingredients sitting in the pantry and refrigerator...

MJ and Bubba Tampa circus fiasco is finally over... Where the hell do shock jocks have their grey matter implanted to have the lame brained audacity to use tax-payers' monies to purportedly attempt to boost their market share and listening audience?  The should both enroll at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.  Wanna-be Bozos.

Upstairs Downstairs episode this morning provides a number of starts to a number of stories and plot-lines. The show is providing the typical tell-tale attraction that keeps an audience coming back for more. I wonder how, we have always been enamored with cliff-hangers. Upstairs Downstairs is my morning fare, Downton Abbey for the PM.

And my Trek continues.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 58 – Jim’s Trek – 18.5 Miles – St. Elizabeth – It’s A Pass

Good Day,

Yes, I completed another 18.5 miles of my Schwinn 150 this morning. Another new goal completed and I have reached over 800 miles. My total to date - 816.0 miles. I have found my secret to my “stick-to-it-ness”, small goals, almost daily. I am keeping my mind on the progress of the journey and not the actual finish. I’ll get there when I get there.

This morning my location is at Harrison Ferry and Wash Robert Roads in Tennessee. I’ve just passed Larry’s ATV & Cycle shop. Wonder if my Schwinn 150 may now need a tune up?

I am now just over 250 miles from my next Interlake goal location.

I had a visitor last night as I was pulling a new freshly baked loaf of bread out of the oven. St. Elizabeth dropped by to pay a quick survey of the kitchen. It definitely smelled of a bakery and I am pleased with the latest batch of no knead bread. I felt it proper to offer St. Elizabeth a token slice of warm rustic bread, she being the patron saint of bakers, but she declined, smiled, and disappeared in a puff of flour.

My new serial companion this morning on my Trek is the recent release of Upstairs Downstairs. The first series ended in 1975. This new one premiered December 2010. 165 Eaton Place is reopened six years after the first one ended. The new year is 1936 and Rose, the former housemaid, has returned.

My cardiologist gave me the thumbs up this morning. Everything is still in place and he seemed pleased with my results and the effects of my Trek.

Andy and I are working on two quilts at the moment, Blumish Two and Cosmos’ Moon. Both these two new quilts will be something new and definitely something different. You’ll have to stay tuned to check out the progress on these two.

And we just received notice that our three quilts and wall hangings: Colored Windows II; Coral Steps; and MEM911 have all been accepted for entry and display at the upcoming International Quilt Festival of Ireland in Galway, Ireland… We have gone international. Check Quilts SB for details shortly.

Oh, Mark, I passed Cleveland about 100 miles back… Maybe on the return trip home.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 57 – Jim’s Trek – 18.5 Miles – Inspiration In Tennessee

Good Day,

My Trek continues this morning and I complete my 18.5 miles. I am located somewhere in Tennessee headed northwest on TN-111/TN-8, toward Mountain View Road.

I was wondering of the Google employees who traverse this world with the cameras mounted on their vehicle. Might be a reasonable type occupation. This morning’s 2009 image is nice crisp one of the road and surroundings. The black patterns on the tar top reminds of quilt artist, Joe Cunningham.

My next Interlake address goal is about 270 miles north and I am headed that way. I’ve got 2,503.5 miles, of my original Tampa to Seattle goal to go.

A favorite Chinese delivery establishment closed down much to our chagrin. Luckily I learned a number of years ago, in about 1976, to throw a wok on the stove… thank you Mr. Rose… and have been able to turn out a relatively good substitute. The other night I decided I needed some chicken and bok choy. As stir-frying is such a quick process, the big deal is the mise-en-place, making sure that everything is prepped and ready to go. The cooking, takes a couple of minutes… and then supper is ready.

My Upstairs, Downstairs spin-off, Thomas & Sarah ended its 13th episode, and first season… with a proverbial cliffhanger. I just discovered that there had been planned a second season but due to an ITV strike in 1979 it was not released. Somewhere in the depths of video-land there are at least four more episodes. A Cannon buried in Flowers.

Now back to working on my new quilt wall hanging design, Cosmos’ Moon.

Be healthy, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 56 – Jim’s Trek – 18.5 Miles – I’m On The Road Again

Good Day,

My Trek is back on the road again… and I was able to get back to my daily mileage, 18.5 miles.

Canned Heat – On The Road Again , Montreaux 1973…

...and I was at the University of New Brunswick.

My location today is in Tennessee. I’ve cycled on my Schwinn 150 through Chattanooga and I’m now north on Taft Highway, just about Clear Brooks Drive. Guess I’m somewhere close in the Prentice Cooper State Forest and Wildlife Management Area.

I passed through Walden and I immediately thought of Thoreau. But that’s Walden Pond, 1,146 miles away at Concord, Massachusetts. Nice thought, nice ambiance. Must be the trees.

Willie Nelson – On The Road Again, Grand Ole Opry 2000

I’m now at 779.0 total miles of my goal, 23.6%. Only 2,522.0 more to go to accomplish my primary Tampa to Seattle target.

My stats –

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	779.0	2,522.0	23.60%	5,220.3	165.0

Don’t wish the Norovirus on anyone. Make sure, if you get it to keep hydrated. I did lose a total of 4 pounds.

Thomas & Sarah speculate on the market in this next to last episode. Wonder if the writers were attempting to portray the divisions between the British classes? I’ve got to now find a new serial to accompany me on my Trek across this North American continent.

Be healthy, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 55 – Jim’s Trek – The Mind May Be Willing But…

Good Day,

The mind may be willing to start my Trek on my Schwinn 150 once again, but my gullet most certainly isn’t. When you think you’re out of the woods some damn branch smacks you right across the head, actually the stomach. The little Norovirus buggers are still hiding in there, somewhere in the yards of my intestines.

I’ll take it easy, once again…

Just completed Cathy Erway’s 2010 book, The Art of Eating In – How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove. Interesting book where the author follows her set goal of not eating out at any restaurant in New York City. She gives up take-out and fast food as well, for a total of two years. I know I would definitely be challenged. An easy read interspersed with a number of her creative recipes. Undeniably a targeted experiment.

Last night I decided to make a light supper – Shrimp Risotto. Shrimp obviously, scallions, garlic, chicken broth, olive oil, green peas, and a scant ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and Arborio rice. The only expense is time stirring the broth into the rice… but it certainly was worth it. And for your information the equivalent dish at one of the local Italian restaurants, down the street, $21.00 per plate. My cost was somewhere in the vicinity of $4.00. Nice savings… Only thing I didn’t get a tip.

Back to my search and research in my genealogy and ancestry work. Check out the latest at A Genealogy Hunt.

And we’re working on two new quilts and wall-hangings. Andy is constructing and piecing the parts of Blumish, our Kimberly Einmo explosion. I’m working on the final stages of the design draft for our Cosmos’ Moon. Always an update at Quilts SB... I've also created a new Quilts SB on Tumblr.

I have a need for speed; that is, my Schwinn 150. Be healthy, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 54 – Jim’s Trek – Taking It Easy

Good Day,

Looks like I am going to survive… not that I didn’t expect I would, but I tell you the probable dosage of Norovirus is certainly one way to lose weight fast. I dropped 7.2 pounds in about 72 hours. I wonder if there is some sort of correlation between the 7’s and the 2’s…

ABC Action News announced an Alert – New Norovirus strain, tied to 140 recent outbreaks, arrives in Tampa Bay. And where am I? Tampa Bay!

You know, there may be a microscopic application for a quilt design hidden somewhere...

My one suggestion, if you should be so unfortunate, drink as much water as you can. Keep yourself hydrated.

And I just checked my Physical Biorhythm and it reads that I was at positive 100% when it hit. I am trying to fathom this in one of two ways. One – Biorhythms are not necessarily dependable, or Two – Biorhythms are dependable. One – It does coincide with a health factor, or Two – The fact that my Physical Biorhythm was at the peak may mean I was spared a complete debilitating.

Today Tampa Bay celebrates the raping, the pillaging, and plundering by the notorious José Gaspar and his band of merry, questionable, cohorts. It is Gasparilla… Methinks that the news media in Tampa are pushing the Gasparilla Parade a wee bit when they reported that it ranked as one of the top three parades in the United States. Sometimes I am always at a dither as to our local Fox News sources. Maybe they could report that José transported the Norovirus to our locale???

Right now my Schwinn 150 Trek is on hold. I’ll check again tomorrow.

The inserted image is from the Brooklyn Bike Doctor.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 53 – Jim’s Trek – Had to Stop for a Short Spell

Good Day,

I have had to stop my Trek for a short spell due to a quick onslaught of something akin to the Noro Virus.

It is like the Timpani excerpt for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony 1st Movement playing in my gut.

I will be back on My Trek. Stay tuned.

I borrowed the appropriate image from Zorger.com.

Enjoy, and be healthly,

Jim

Day 52 – Jim’s Trek – 18.5 Miles and Tennessee – Chicken Scaloppini and Bread Pudding

Good Day,

This morning I crossed, on my Schwinn 150, the state line from Georgia into Tennessee. My 18.5 miles has me heading to the heart of Chattanooga. My current location is at the intersection of Rossville Boulevard and East 34th Street, East Lake in the southern part of Chattanooga. And Max is a wee bit bored with my Trek.

I have now totaled 760.5 miles in my Trek, and I’m still going. My next Interlake address goal is about 310 miles north.


The Trek is certainly helping me to keep my weight running at a close to even keel, but I seem to be eating a wee bit more. My 18.5 miles per day is burning approximately 470 calories, so I guess I got to make it up somehow.

Supper last night – A Green Salad, Chicken Scaloppini with Oyster Mushroom and Black Olive Tomato Sauce and new potatoes. Dessert – Homemade bread pudding. Invitation is always open. Just email me to catch me.

And today will go down in the annals of history as “those were the days”… Today is Handwriting Day. PCs, notebooks, iPads, and Smart Phones, we’ll soon have to change this to “Hunt and Peck Day”.

Today’s episode of Thomas & Sarah had flim-flam actors against poppycock all intertwined in a scheme of tomfoolery… And interesting chapter of the adventures of Thomas and Sarah.

I continue to health and to my next Interlake address destination.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 51 – Jim’s Trek – 18.5 Miles – Moroccan Chicken Soup Stew

Good Day,

This morning I journeyed on my Schwinn 150 from my yesterday’s stopping point in the John’s Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Georgia. I headed north and then west on Highway 136. The road eventually joined the Sourth Old Alabama Highway, Hwy 151, where I continued north until the junction of GA-95 N. Today’s location is just shy of Pinewood Drive on my right hand side, the other right. (Only if I'm going south.)  I’m headed toward Chickamauga, Georgia, and I am about 22 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The miles are flying past, and this morning I clocked 18.5, for a total to-date of 742.0 miles. I have 138.3 days remaining to my original Tampa to Seattle goal. All-things-being-equal I will be completing my first goal of 3,301 miles Sunday, June 9, 2013. With my incidental Interlake Drive goals, I need to recalculate my second major mileage goal.

My stats this morning –

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	741.0	2,559.0	22.48%	5,257.3	169.4

Supper last night was a Moroccan Chicken Soup. Obviously chicken, skinned and boned; chickpeas; artichokes; onion; ginger; garlic; tomatoes; Kalmata olives; couscous; white wine; chicken broth; lemon juice; honey; and spices – red pepper, salt, turmeric, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom; paprika; coriander; and olive oil. And a bowl was filling and extremely satisfying.

President Obama's Inaugural speech was a nice and short beginning acceptance yesterday.  Has he committed to accomplish a lot of projects and promises in the first year of his second Presidency?  According to PolitiFact.com he kept 45% of his promises during his first term of office.

Thomas & Sarah traveled back to his hometown in Wales. Sarah noses around, as usual, and discovers a truth to a 10 year black mystery. And as there are not that many episodes left, I am now looking for another series to keep my visual acuity intact while I pedal on my Schwinn 150.

And I continue... Enjoy,

Jim

Day 50 – Jim’s Trek – 18.1 Miles – Another Inch on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

I woke up this morning with a number of thoughts. “Do I really have to do this?” “Am I really this committed?” “I think my body needs a rest.” Say what?

This is Day 50. It is Martin Luther King Jr., Day and the day of President Barack Obama’s public Inauguration Day.

My total miles of 723.5 miles have reduced another belly inch… I’m now measuring 38 inches, down 6 from when I started my Trek on my Schwinn 150.

And today is National Hugging Day… It was created in 1986 and it marks a midpoint between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Makes sense, sort of… Check your Emotional Biorhythm.

And I completed my 18.1 miles. Today I am on GA-136 W and climbing into the Chestnut Mountain Range, just shy of the John’s Mountain Wildlife Management Area.

I’ve just passed the Casey & Son Horseshoeing School. Okay, I know I’m sticking to back roads and highways, but am I also going back in time. I traveled through Calhoun, Georgia and Sugar Valley.

Thomas & Sarah tend a fabric and notion store. How apropos?

Next miles, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 49 – Jim’s Trek – 18.1 Miles – New Gastronomic Experiments

Good Day,

This morning I increased my mileage by 1/10th of a mile. Not much of a difference but it brings me closer to my daily goal of 20 miles. And I now have reached another small goal. I topped the 700 mark -705.4 miles.

Today I am headed north on GA-3 N/U.S. 41 N toward Taylor Bridge Road SW. A quiet road; just enjoying the Georgia countryside.

My stats, to date –

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	705.4	2,595.6	21.37%	5,293.9	168.4

Supper last night was a complete new experience. First of all a slice of homemade Artesian bread and then Veinchanna Royyaalu – Curried Shrimp, and Muttakose Kilangu – Stir-fried Cabbage and Carrots. The dishes were somewhat easy to put together but the kitchen was as if a tornado had trucked through. We were quite impressed and enjoyed something very tasty and different. There’s always an invite to supper at the front door… if you want to be a culinary guinea pig.

Thomas & Sarah episode “In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and arrivederci”… and they keep going through thick and thin.

59 miles to Chattanooga.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 48 – Jim’s Trek – Another 18.0 Miles – Preparation For 2032 Olympics

Good Day,

This morning I completed my 18.0 miles. I’m on my way to my next Interlake address location. I’m headed North West on the Joe Frank Harris Parkway SE. My location is at the intersection of Collins Drive in north Cartersville, Georgia. Google Maps does not to have the teeny little photo man working this afternoon, and therefore the satellite view from 100 feet. The “B” is my location.

This morning I attended the swimming tryouts for the 2032 Summer Olympics. The instructor is Elmo and he has certainly developed a dynamic new technique for the future of the backstroke… Head in water, legs up at a 90° angle… Hey maybe that’s three gold medals.

Last night supper pan-fried Grouper and roasted eggplant – two types, broccoli, and red onion. Freshly baked rustic bread. Definitely keeping my calories down… but I had to have a fudge chocolate milkshake for dessert.

And the Russian Brides are baaaaack. More spam email in my junk mail folder. I truly wonder how dense the spammers really are, and to top it all there is NO description in one of the emails only a hyperlink. Do recipients actually open these emails? Do the spammers really have a number of patsies who are that naïve… or desperate?

A new spammer has started – Asian Beauties… obviously the spammers do not understand that the majority of their junk email is wasted. Or is it? I wonder if there is a way to re-target the spammers as we once did the junk mail senders. I used to, and still do, cross off my address and then write in block letters DECEASED – RETURN TO SENDER.

This morning’s episode of Thomas & Sarah, it was for speed at low-tide. The quirkiness of this series is that the writers and the produces are scripting scenarios of characters shonking each other… Everyone appears to be a con merchant.

687.3 miles, and I'm still not bored.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 47 – Jim’s Trek – National Winnie the Pooh Day

Good Day,

Cobb Parkway and Hickory Knoll Trail NW, in Kennesaw, Georgia, my current location. My 18.0 miles today completes 20% of my original Tampa to Seattle Trek… I’m not ready to depart as yet, even though I have stopped at the Pine Ridge Memorial Cemetery.

Ninety-five more miles to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and this morning the day after Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day, I certainly was of the mind to ditch this Trek… And then I checked my Physical Biorhythm graphing for today. Today I am crossing the x and y axes at 0%. In general, a rhythm at 0% is thought to have no real impact on one’s life. All I can say this rhythm is moving in an upward direction. In seven days my Physical Biorhythm will be at 100%.

My stats, to date –

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	669.3	2,631.7	20.28%	5,330.0	170.0

And today is National Winnie the Pooh Day… I feel a new quilt design in the make.

This illustration from the Winnie the Pooh book called "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood," by David Benedictus, shows Christopher Robin cycling to meet Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

In Thomas & Sarah this morning the scene is a boy’s boarding school. Thomas and Sarah pull off a reverse flim-flam. Are the audience expected to like them now?

Two loaves of no-knead bread going in the oven.

Stay tuned, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 46 – Jim’s Trek – Another 18.0 Miles – Egg Yolks

Good Day,

I have gone over the hump. Today’s mileage, 18 miles and I’m still going. January 17 is Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day… Accordingly if one has held out and continued to follow a New Year’s resolution, at this point in the new year, it means that you may be successful in carrying on to one’s goal. I think I can count my Trek… And I think my secret is to start the resolution some time before January 1.

I have now pedaled my Schwinn 150 through Atlanta, Georgia. I am on the Northside Parkway at the Atlanta Girls School, at about Pine Meadow Road NW. I’m headed northward in the direction of Chattanooga, Tennessee. My total mileage now is 651.3 miles.

Okay, I do believe in freedom of speech, and I’m not really a fan of Florida Governor Rick Scott, and I have a bit of a time getting my mind around this. “Satanists planning rally for Florida Gov. Rick Scott.” On January 25 a group of “Satanists” plan on holding a rally in favor of Governor Scott signing of a bill that allows students to pray at school events. Don’t know which side of the aisle I’ll sit?

Phosphatidylcholine; egg yolk or soy beans – brain food? I know what I asking for Christmas… or at least the end of my Trek. And then again one can get an egg memory stick...

Supper; Garlic roasted mushrooms with pasta and fresh rustic bread. Mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano, and pasta. Easy, quick, and tremendous.

Thomas & Sarah episode – matchmaking scam… It will be a wonder what human scams the writers and producers can fit into the complete series. And talking about scam/spam, do not the Russian Brides spammers get a hint???

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 45 – Jim’s Trek – Where is the Next Interlake Address?

Good Day,

Another 18.0 miles in my Trek; total 633.3. This ramble has, on the 45th day, now become a habit… I think. I have got to the point that I now feel the need to stay true to myself and continue with this hair-brain Trek.

This morning I reached a short distance south of Atlanta, Georgia. I’m on Moreland Avenue just about Rock Cut Place. I’ve found my next, the 9th Interlake address on my route to Seattle… and it is not in Alabama or Tennessee.

My stats, to date –

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	633.3	2,667.7	19.19%	5,366.0	170.4

Today I received a number of spam emails. I would like to understand, not that I would like to experience the session, but how does one “Flirt live with sexy Girls on Russian Brides…?” I’m sure the two-dimensional experience can be somewhat “shocking”.

 And the next spam is “Wish Betty White a Happy 91st Birthday”. I didn’t open the spam, but I understand that anyone can send gifts to her charity of choice the Morris Animal Foundation.

No-knead bread turned out great. I figured out that making a full loaf costs about $1.00. Comparative pricing for half-a-loaf from a local grocery store, $3.90. Could be quite a savings. Nice thing about the no-knead bread; mix it the night before and leave for 12 to 18 hours… Shape it and into a hot oven.

Thomas & Sarah were both embroiled in a speculative scheme to make money… I am not sure that I am as entrenched in this serial as I was with Upstairs, Downstairs.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 44 – Jim’s Trek – Two Goals: 8th Interlake Address and 600 Miles

Good Day,

I’m running, or should I say cycling a wee bit on the late side today… but I did do my 18.0 miles on my Schwinn 150. Today I finished two of my intermediary goals. I have reached, to date, 615.3 miles. I, also have reached my 8th Interlake address goal; Interlake Pass in McDonough, Georgia.

My location is at the intersection of Atlanta and Woodruff Streets. I am headed north towards Atlanta. I have now found my next Interlake address, and you will have to stay tuned to hear.

Last night’s supper was a combination of Asian dishes; Montreal dry, garlic, spareribs and Kongnamulbap. From the recollections and tastes of my years in Montreal, Chinese dry garlic spareribs are always a fond craving. These are chopped and small bite-sized pork spareribs that are prepared to die for. And none of the Asian restaurants, deliveries, or take-outs in Tampa makes them this way.

The Kongnamulbap is something I’ve never attempted before, let alone try to pronounce the name. Rice, bean sprouts, Cremini and a sauce. Sauce – Soya sauce, Garlic, Green Onion, Onion, Honey, Hot pepper flakes, Green Chili pepper, Sesame Oil, and toasted sesame seeds.

And dessert, Cranberry Lemon Cheese Cake Bars… and yes, homemade. Light and really, really good.

Today I'm making loaves of no-knead bread...

Today’s episode of Thomas & Sarah… “I didn’t know that he had a neck until he broke it.”

Stay tuned, and enjoy,

Jim

Day 43 – Jim’s Trek – 18 More Miles – Kabocha Squash

Good Day,

This morning my Trek mileage completed; 18 miles. A total of 597.3 miles… and two more goals are just around the corner, so-to-speak. At my current rate I should finish my original 3,301 Tampa to Seattle miles by Thursday, June 13, 2013. My Interlake address goal, which is a moving target of about 6,000 miles, will be wrapped up by about November 10, 2014. And of course we’ll see what will happen when I finish.

My location this morning is at the Classic Cuts Barber & Beauty shop on GA-42 N/US-23 N. It does look like it is time for a haircut.

My stats -

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	597.3	2,703.7	18.09%	5,402.0	169.2

Today is National Dress Up Your Pet Day. Why? And, emphatically, NO!

I have fallen for a winter squash, pumpkin – Kabocha or Danhobak. It tastes sort of like a cross between a pumpkin and a sweet potato. It looks like a squished, sort of squashed, (pun intended) pumpkin. I have eaten it roasted, in stews, and in congee. The great thing is that you don’t have to peel or remove the outer skin that is unless one wants to… The outer skin is edible, once cooked. Roasted slices with coconut oil, salt and pepper, is a good treat. This morning I chopped up the leftover Kabocha and combined with leftover Basmati rice, added chicken broth and breakfasted on a filling congee.

And the spam returns; “Beautiful Russian Women Are Waiting to Meet You…” NOT!

Supper tonight is a combination of Asian dishes; Montreal dry, garlic, spareribs and Kongnamulbap. I’ll let you know how this one works out.

Today’s episode of Thomas & Sarah reintroduced a character from Upstairs, Downstairs; the Bellamy’s Silver Cloud. Evil is afoot… well maybe some shenanigans...

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 42 – Jim’s Trek – Another Goal – 18.0 Miles

Good Day,

Another targeted goal reached in my Trek. I cycled 18.0 miles this morning; total to date 579.3.

This morning the road location is GA-87 N/US-23 N. Just ahead is a Best Buy Convenience Store at GA-83, Concord Road. I need breakfast. Certainly not one of them there Best Buy franchises…

Two more days and I reach my next Interlake address goal. This will be my 8th Interlake address. If I was cycling directly from Tampa to the 8th address, the Google distance would be a total of 426 miles. Considering the seven previous goals my total mileage for this part of my Schwinn 150 journey will equal 613.3 miles.




And today is Rubber Duckie’s birthday…

Found a new serial to watch in the comfort of my Trek; Thomas & Sarah. This new show is a spin-off from Upstairs, Downstairs. First episode re-introduces the characters. It appears that both Thomas and Sarah are dreamers; flim-flam characters. This spin-off followed four years after the close of the original Upstairs, Downstairs.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 41 – Jim's Trek - 17.6 Miles – I Need A New Drive-In Serial

Good Day,

Today’s Trek mileage on my Schwinn 150 equaled another 17.6 miles. It took me one hour and three minutes. I want to increase my daily mileage to 18.0 miles per day and decrease my time to one hour… Stamina and time. I have now clocked 17.0% of my Tampa to Seattle goal.


I’m on Riverside Drive and I-75 north of Macon, Georgia. There’s a Toyota and Lexus dealership on my left and I’m heading to cycle just under the Interstate. The construction shown in the Google image is from May 2012. I wonder if the road work has been completed, as of today?

My stats -

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	561.3	2,739.7	17.00%	5,438.0	175.2

The Russian brides are coming… The Russian brides are coming… The spammers are really at it… if the junk emails are not about extensions or vitality, they are about foreign bridal connections. In all cases, LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

I did put on a couple of pounds yesterday. I want to think that it is muscle… but my appetite was ravenous. Lunch at German Bistro on South MacDill Avenue… Sausages, potato pancakes, apple sauce, sour cream, sauerkraut and apple streusel. Obviously I cleaned my plates. Quaint rustic place and very nice attentive service.

And for supper I deep fried spiced rubbed Pork Belly, roasted Kapocha Squash, and re-created the dish of Asian Sautéed Cauliflower. I am still sort-of befuddled with the first step of the recipe; Cut cauliflower florets into quarters and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties. I’m just wondering at what point I will be “in-tune” with the cauliflower? Must be the isothicyanates and biotin. Beyond me, of course… I just thought the ginger and soya sauce was a nice added touch.

Meeting today of our Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) Florida Pod 3. Check out the SAQA website. Our next meeting will be April 13, 2013 at The Aqua Restaurant at Westin Hotel at Rocky Point on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Contact me if you would like to join.

Well I have now viewed the last episode of the original season of Upstairs, Downstairs. As expected, 165 Eaton Place was closed down. Now I must find my next Trek viewing source of entertainment. It is somewhat a kin to being at a drive-in movie theatre.

My next Interlake goal is now about 52 miles north. Stay tuned and enjoy,

Jim

Day 40 – Jim’s Trek – 17.6 Miles Today - Seoul, South Korea

Good Day,

This morning I’m now on the Cochran Short Route, 11 miles south east of Macon, Georgia. The scenery this morning is a wee bit more pleasant. I have always liked trekking on back roads.

On Day 40 I increased my mileage to 17.6 miles. This means I only have 2,757.3 miles left to complete my original Tampa to Seattle Trek goal.

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	543.7	2,757.3	16.47%	5,455.6	173.8

And no, I am not celebrating National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day. I have just dismounted off my Schwinn 150… and it is laundry day. Just a subtle hint to the two spammers who just attempted to entice me by offering more Russian brides. (Why do I keep flashing to a number of past Law and Order Episodes?)

Here’s a thought. If we move to Seoul, South Korea, right now, within four months the savings made from their superior telecommunications services, as compared to what one pays for the substandard equivalent in United States, would pay for the airline ticket. And their telecommunications services literally blow the US services out of the water. US services are now becoming a joke around the world… And here’s a question – Why are start-ups relocating to Kansas City? High-speed Google Fiber network!!!

Upstairs, Downstairs presents October 1929. Second to last episode; the producers must be looking for ways to go out graciously.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 39 – Jim’s Trek – Appreciate Houseplants

Good Day,

And now the total miles clocks at 526.1; another 17.0 miles today. This morning I’m on my Schwinn 150 on the Golden Isles Highway headed northward toward Albert Jenkins Road and Macon, Georgia. Nice that the roads are free of a lot of vehicular traffic at this time in the morning…

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	526.1	2,774.9	15.94%	5,473.2	173.0

Okay this must be my day to celebrate… Today is Peculiar People Day. It is the day that honors uniquely different people. Un-ordinary, extraordinary, unusual, strange, odd, uncommon, intriguing, different, abnormal, and quirky… Not generalizing, but does not this white-wash the celebration to include every unique human being on the face of this planet?


And for those of you who speak to your houseplants, today is the day that you have to really cozy up to those green inhabitants of your domicile. The Holiday decorations have been taken down and your plants surely must feel lonely and plain. Today, Houseplant Appreciation Day, is the day to let your plants know just how special and important they are… And they are coming to take me away, ha-ha… just after I sit down for my tea celebration of Peculiar People Day.

Episode of Upstairs, Downstairs finds Lord Robert proposing and Lady Mummy definitely not approving… Meg leaves and then returns when she does not find that the grass is the same color on the other side. Two more episodes.

Enjoy,

Jim

Day 38 – Jim’s Trek – 500 Hundred Miles – Am I A Sucker?

Good Day,

Another of my Trek’s goals checked off. I have lasted 509.1 miles; another 17.0 today. Only about 85% of my total Tampa to Seattle Trek to go.


For those of you who are somewhat bored with my Trek I am now travelling north on the Eastman Cochran Highway toward Jack Spires Road. And just up a bit on the left side of the highway is Yawn Pond. How apropos? I never thought I would last this long and I am beginning to wonder if I just might be a wee bit off the mark.

Total Direct Miles to Seattle	To Date	TD Miles Remaining	% TD Miles Completed	Interlake Miles Left to Seattle	Weight (lbs)
3,301.0	509.1	2,791.9	15.42%	5,490.2	172.2

Okay, please explain to me. Do I have it tattooed on my forehead? Do I write to incite idiots to think that I want to get married? Why oh why am I being bombarded with spam mail inviting me to acquiesce to a bride? Whether from Russia or Central America? I don’t speak Russian. I do speak Spanish, though. I wouldn’t mind having someone cook and do my laundry, and clean house… but I am quite capable to do it, MYSELF. Would not these dense and thick spammers spend their time more constructively? Or are there that many desperate persons out there in Internetland who are that daft to try out electronic partnership solicitations? Why the recent increases in “search for a bride” spam marketing? I wish I could create a reverse spam to respond immediately – “Leave my email address alone!!!”

And for anyone with a carpet on the floor in their home, it is time to shimmy and shuffle your feet. Today, January 9th is National Static Electricity Day. Question is why? I can find this oral link by the US Census Bureau. There has to be some reason for a tribute to static electricity. But I suppose if one is bald one is out of luck.

And here is another one for any egocentric, narcissistic individual out in Internetland… today is Play God Day!!! And again I question, WHY?

This morning’s episode of Upstairs Downstairs plot line takes on the triple “D’s”; drink, drugs, and death. Judge, jury, and attention to class. Next…

Enjoy,

Jim