Another book down: Atonement, by Ian McEwan

I bought this book
on my Kindle
from amazon.com.

It seems somewhat ironic (if not purposeful) that a critique of one of the characters in the most recent book I finished - Atonement - also fits the first pages of the book itself.

"Such writing can become precious when there is no sense of forward movement. Put the other way round our attention would have been held even more effectively had there been an underlying pull of simple narrative. Development is required."

While each scene was beautifully described, it was, to be blunt, boring.

Shots from Doudy/Springbrook Trails in Boulder: A good & easy first ride

I got out today for the first time this season on my mountain bike ... and the trail was much nicer to me than I expected it to be. I did not stay in shape this winter, so it was a surprise when the uphill of the first half of my ride - pretty much par for the course on a Front Range trail - did not kill me. In other words, I was able to make it a fair distance before stopping for a drink of water and to catch my breath.

This trail is not difficult technically, but it is a good time if you're looking for a quick ride after work or an easy ride at the start of the biking season. The latter was me today. I tend to stay away from Doudy Draw/Springbrook trails as they are also popular with hikers, runners and even horses. I was fine with this today, as I wanted to take my time and enjoy being back on my bike again.

My first run at golf for the year

I went golfing Saturday for the first time this year. And I went with a group of people I'd never met before – the women of the Northern Colorado chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association. A nice step outside my comfort zone, and I was rewarded with a good time.

If I choose to join, I'm hoping my involvement with a group will help me play more regularly and improve so that I can play a decent game of golf consistently – part of my 40 by 40 goals.

Tomato and Almond Pesto in my wannabe food processor

I made this dish probably two weeks ago. I don't know why I haven't blogged about it until now, but it was a lovely dish that was an easy and quick meal and I plan to make it again.

Here's the link to the recipe I used for Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto.

I made this after finding it at America's Test Kitchen's website. However, I did not feel like registering to get the full recipe, so I found it in several other places on the web. Not sure if it was the exact recipe I would have got from America's Test Kitchen. But it was good.

Update on my "getting healthy" goals: Failure on all counts – or is it?

I'm looking out of the coffeehouse window, and dark clouds form the backdrop of my view, which means I should head home and get a run in before it rains or gets chilly. Already my motivation to exercise and eat well has waned.

In fact, since I posted in February that I would do a certain number of workouts a week and track my food intake via MyFitnessPal, I've not done well at all. I haven't gained any weight but I also have not got any closer to losing. I tracked just one full day of eating. I work out sporadically (though more consistently than I was) and it's so difficult to eat well when it's Girl Scout cookie time! And work trips always throw me off.

Of course, there's always an excuse waiting in the wings.

Success with steak, arugula and roasted pepper salad

Last night, I was bored, so I decided to find a fun recipe for dinner in one of the many cookbooks we have in our cupboards. I chose Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Arugula and Roasted Pepper Salad. Why? Well, I've never cooked with rib-eye steak, nor with arugula. And the last time I had a roasted red pepper was in Armenia, where it is part of the horavats tradition, aka barbecue; peppers are "roasted" in the horavats pit, and peeled and devoured along with any number of delicious bbq'ed meats and vegetables. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Anyway. This is the recipe, except I followed the nearly identical one in our under-used cookbook: Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes featuring Giada de Laurentis.

Writing: Sweet Shushik - A favorite Peace Corps memory

Going through my writing again from the Peace Corps, I ran across the following memory of Shushik, a sweet lady I got to know through a series of visits in Martuni, about an hour south of where I lived. My guess is that she has since passed. May God bless her. My visits with her were a highlight of my experience.

Shushik at home

79-year-old Shushik Avetisyan, by her decision, lives by herself. She has never married (says it was better that way) and has lived in her humble, one-room stone home in Martuni most of her adult life. A singer, dancer, storyteller and riddle-maker, she spent her adult life – most of which fell under Soviet rule – learning how to do odd jobs. Her favorite was a job in the state gas office.

Sliders: Part Deux - Trying out a little swiss mushroom goodness

Just a quick post to share my attempt at making swiss mushroom sliders. I made my other standards as well tonight (if two times can be considered enough to have standards). I have to say, I'm really enjoying having some new recipes to work into our regular menus at home.

The breakdown for tonight's meal …

Wine: 2008 Da Vinci Chianti, because I like it, but mostly because it was already open.

Revolutionary Road: Depressing, but still a great commentary on modern life

I read this on my Kindle -
purchased through Amazon.

I chose Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates as the first book to tackle in my 40-by-40 goal to read Time's 100 best English-language novels. I had already read 14 of the novels when I decided to embark on this list, so Revolutionary Road marks No. 15 complete.

The book focuses on Alice and Frank Wheeler's life on – where else – Revolutionary Road, in a new development filled with "great hulking split levels." It is, as Richard Lacayo says in his reasoning for choosing this book for the Time list, an "account of lethal disappointment in the Connecticut suburbs in 1955."

The author explained in a 1972 interview (as noted on Wikipedia): "I think I meant it more as an indictment of American life in the 1950s. Because during the Fifties there was a general lust for conformity all over this country, by no means only in the suburbs — a kind of blind, desperate clinging to safety and security at any price."

40 by 40: Nos. 16-20

The next five items I would like to finish before I turn 40:

16. Watch a television show live.
You know, like the Price is Right, or a talk show. It'd be great fun to watch Conan in the studio. But I'm not picky.

17. Learn to cook.
If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm on my way. This is not a specific goal – but I figure as long as I'm working toward learning more about marinades, spices, and all those other culinary necessities, I'm "learning to cook."

A Second Chance for Porkchops

It's not often you get a second chance when cooking – at least not on the same night. If you burn something, or it doesn't turn out right, you order pizza and that's that. But I got a second chance with my porkchops the other night as I cooked for myself, and then two hours later, my husband. He got the better end of that deal.

Here's this week's recipe from Betty Crocker: Grilled Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin and Pineapple

I was going to buy actual Pork Tenderloin, which would have in the end probably been better, but what was available at the grocery store looked to be way more than my husband and I could eat. So instead I bought porkchops, ie pork loin minus the tender.

Slowly overcoming my fear of guns

As part of my goal to learn to defend myself (No. 3 of the 40 things to do by the time I'm 40), I must become more comfortable around guns. That's not to say that is the only thing I have to do to accomplish this goal. And of course it's not that I should not be afraid of guns. A healthy fear is necessary. But due to my inexperience with guns (and the inconvenient fact they were designed to kill), I have never felt comfortable near them – even when they aren't loaded.

Yet I'm married to a man who owns several.

40 by 40: Nos. 11-15

I have to admit, it's already getting hard to come up with new items to add to my growing list of goals to hit before I turn 40. It's making me think really hard about "what I've always wanted to do." So I will post my 40 by 40 to No. 20, and then take a break to really think about the next 20. Here's 11 through 15.

11. Learn to garden, as in, plant something, and successfully grow and harvest it.
I tend not to be good at plants. There's a reason why our home is filled with fake greenery. It's just easier. I've never been able to keep a plant alive. There are a few reasons for this: I forget to water, or I water too much. Or I just don't know what I'm doing ...

Betty Crocker loves her casseroles, but why aren't they healthier?

Betty Crocker loves her casseroles. But I learned this week as I flipped through that part of the cookbook that it's tough to find casseroles that are actually good for me. In fact, the casserole I chose for this week's recipe from that cookbook had 440 calories and 25 grams of fat (9g saturated) per 1 cup serving. Not ideal.

It's too late to turn back the clock on this recipe, as I've already made it, but I aim to look for healthier recipes going forward or to adapt the recipes in the cookbook to be healthier.

For my weekly Betty Crocker recipe, I chose the Santa Fe Chicken Tortellini Casserole. Find the recipe here.

Road Trip! (pt 3) Being a tourist in San Francisco

I've said on this blog that I love living in new places because that's how you learn what a place really is. For example, my short span in New Orleans was a different experience than visiting as a tourist. But I would still argue that everyone has to go to Bourbon Street on a Saturday night at least once.

I love living in new places and experiencing what the locals like. But I also love being a tourist, and going to all the places that the locals have long stopped visiting.

Road Trip! (pt 2) The long & somewhat windy road through Wyoming, Utah & Nevada

My husband and I were along for the ride as our friends moved out to San Francisco this past week. We drove up to Wyoming and took I-80 to the Bay Area. It was not nearly as scenic as I had expected it to be – part of that had to do with the weather. The other part had to do with the fact we drove through what seemed to be high desert for the entire second day. Not a lot of trees and very few towns.

That said, I had never driven to the West Coast before, and it was an interesting experience.

Here are a few highlights and photos from the trip:

For much of the drive immediately west of Salt Lake City, it felt as if we were driving right through the lake, as shown below. Notice the water on both sides of the highway?

But apparently this water is not as deep as it appears. In the winter, according to Utah.com, a shallow layer of standing water floods the surface of the salt flats. In the summer, the water evaporates and the surface is flat, and some would say, "desolate." The largest of the salt flats – the Bonneville Salt Flats – is the place to set land-speed records in the spring and summer when they dry out. Yes, that means that where you see water below, cars and other motorized vehicles drive very very quickly in the summer. We had the pleasure of seeing the area with water, which made for beautiful reflections of the mountains that sit behind the salt flats.

I insisted on being a speed tourist in the major cities we stopped in: Salt Lake City and Reno. I had never been to either city, so I wanted to get a taste for both. In the former, we went downtown to Temple Square. The Salt Lake Temple was much larger and more ornate than I had expected.

In Reno, we went to the diner I featured in this blog post on the Gold 'N Silver Inn. We also went gambling, however briefly (and unsuccessfully). The strip in Reno was not quite like Vegas, but it was still a fun diversion.

The rest of the drive, while interesting, was dotted with the (very) occasional tree, several signs of mining and a few small towns.

The prettiest was the final leg from Reno into San Francisco. The final leg of the trip into California featured snow-covered mountains and pine trees as we descended to the coast. The only odd thing I noticed as we entered California was a conspicuous lack of lines on the highway - as in, it was difficult to tell where your lane was. We also had to go through an agricultural checkpoint as we entered California. Last I checked, we weren't leaving the country, but perhaps there was a good reason for it? Who knows ...

Coming soon: Being a tourist in San Francisco.

(The above photos were taken by my husband and myself.)