Bathroominations

Our home was built in 1954, when ice cream cost a nickel and bathrooms were the spokespersons for the atomic color pallet. While I do cordon off a place in my mind for an appreciation of vintage design, our bathrooms have found no quarter there. Thankfully our kitchen was striped of it's presumed mustard finish long before we moved in. The bathrooms, I'm afraid, still cling to their respective rose and mint finishes like the petrified instruments of a basilisk victim in a tomb long forgotten.

Four years did they stand and four years did we abhor them. No more, I am pleased to say, well not the downstairs lavatory at least. Over our holiday vacation we went about remodeling our bathroom from a bygone era. The whole process started out by bringing in a contractor to reglaze the old salmon tile to a glossy snow white. It took collectively 4 days for him to complete it. Day one was cleaning and tile repair. Day two was spray prep and spraying primer. Day three was spraying the resin and clear coat. Finally, day four, Christmas Eve, was removing the masking and final touches. The whole process seemed like something I would never want to attempt on my own and well worth the money we spent to have it done.

The follow up to the new color was pulling our old pink toilet and flooring up and sending them to the bottom of the sea in cement footy pajamas. Once they were gone we set about scraping the floor for three days in a row to remove the old adhesive and get back down to the original sub-floor. It was a labor intensive, pain is the ass job, that I would have gladly paid someone to do had I the foresight. Once it was done though the new flooring went down easy and the new toilet soon followed.

Crystal painted on my first day back to work and the room really started to come together. We still have a new sink faucet, toilet paper roll and shower head to install. OK, so the shower head is going to be a bit more work. In an attempt to remove the old shower head Crystal and I might have shattered the old plastic plumbing at it's base. How we are going to fix that is still a known unknown, but we are ruminating.

Scratch-Made Brownies

Making brownies from scratch is really just a matter of effort. There is nothing complicated about them, so why not go with store bought mix? Because they will taste better dear friend when you use better ingredients. Oh and the satisfaction of making it all on your own feels pretty damn good too.

So where to start? On the internet of course, one of my favorite blogs, mentioned here a ton of times is 101 Cookbooks. The recipes are healthy and taste great. Well when one makes brownies healthy can be an after thought. So it was off to my new favorite cooking blog, How to Cook Like Your Grandmother, where I had already made a killer roast beef. Drew, the author, conveniently had his brownie recipe at the top of his all time favorites. So I printed it and was off to the store for ingredients.

1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

See simple, no where near as complicated as I thought brownies would be for some reason. The key is buying good chocolate, I picked up Ghirardelli chips as the recipe called for, but couldn't find the cocoa powder. So I went with Hershey in it's place. A little help from Kaden to mix it all together and they were done after 25 minutes at 325°. As far as I know it would have tasted better with the more expensive cocoa, but it was good none the less.

Maybe next time I'll try 101's black bean brownies, they would go much better with my New Year's resolutions.

2010 Resolutions

My resolutions for 2009 were met with some failures and others I powered through, but this year I plan to do even better...

- Ride at least twice once a month (2009 carry over)
- Build an arcade (2009 carry over)
- Lose weight (2009 carry over)
- Run twice a week with Crystal
- Start up a kettlebell routine at home
- Write a short story/novella (40-100 pages)
- Build a shed/workshop
- Take more woodworking classes
- Renovate our other bathroom
- Build at least 3 wood based projects
- Clean up the front and backyard
- Travel more
- Cook dinner more than half of the times we eat in a month
- Start painting (not walls, but canvases)
- Run/play a short Warcraft or Star Wars table top game

Wreck Awards 2009

I did this thing last year and the year before that, it is an official annualized tradition now. So without further ado the Wreck Awards 2009...

Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham Asylum
In a year of a ton of great games the world's greatest detective won my video game heart. The game looked fantastic and had a mash up of game mechanics that all felt fully fleshed out (stealth, action, platforming, etc). The story touched on a lot of well treaded Batman villains and some lesser known ones too. Overall it was the full single player package that no other game offered in 2009.
Runner Up: Uncharted 2

Game I should have played: Dragon Age: Origins
While technically I actually did play this game it was on the tail end of some other long games and right before new releases. I think in total I played it for two or three hours when it is nearly a fifty hour journey. I know it is a good game, I just didn't have the time to play through it. It will most likely get the summer treatment like Mass Effect did this summer.
Runner Up: Left 4 Dead 2

Movie of the Year: District 9
The story behind the production of this film was the first thing to get me interested in it long before it's release. Going in knowing little to nothing about the actual film and then loving the story, universe and special effects is what really hooked me. Our world with one or two sci-fi tweaks is a simple enough concept that is not done that often and rarely well. The special effects look like they are apart of the world and seeing it a second time on blu-ray this past weekend really solidified my appreciation for the work they did.
Runner Up: The Hangover

Movie I should have seen: Inglourious Basterds
I love me some Tarantino, save a few of his less than stellar works (see: Death Proof) and some how we didn't get around to seeing Inglourious Basterds. Call it first year baby syndrome, but we went to the movies a lot less in the second half of 2009. Oddly enough I went to pick up the film the other night at the local Blockbuster (I know, I feel dirty, sorry Netflix), but they didn't have it on Blu-Ray. So we watched Julie & Julia instead, a good film, but not Inglourious Basterds.
Runner Up: The Hurt Locker

TV show of the Year: True Blood
It feels rare that a show ever eclipses it's first season these days, but the second season of True Blood did just that. The story got better and the characters, new and old, were better developed. It was the show that Crystal and I looked forward to the most and the one we were most sad to see end for the season. The finale episode didn't feel as epic as the whole, but I don't think they could have done anything that would truly satisfied given the great build up.
Runners Up: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Comic/Book of the Year: Scalped
I read a ton of books and comics this year, which made this category on of the hardest to pick. Scalped was the work that stood above the rest though. Call it my affection for comics that don't follow the life and times of super heroes. I love comics that follow regular folks into fucked up situations. Scalped does just that on the back drop of a reservation plagued by drugs, violence and corruption. I wouldn't recommended it to the faint of heart, but it is a solid read for anyone who can stomach the depressing, but occasionally uplifting tale it weaves.
Runner Up: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King

Recipe of the Year: Chicken with Lime Butter
Huh, I don't have much experience with writing about food. Most of my commentary about something I like involves primal grunts of "Mmm". I can tell you all about something I make that I don't like pretty easily though. Not the case with Chicken in a lime butter sauce. I made it probably five to six times in the second half of the year, with a side of orzo, that was a killer combination. No complaints from Crystal and I loved eating it, so it's a winner.
Runner Up: Roast Beef

2009 Resolutions in Review

Back in early ought nine I wrote up a list of resolutions for the new year. A precarious task for sure with a new baby on the way, but as they were written so shall they be reviewed...

- Ride at least twice a month
Fail, I think I made it to mid April when Kaden was born.

- Ride more miles in the current month than I did the previous
Fail, Save the month of September.

- Ride and camp more
Pass, our goodbye to Russ ride covered this one.

- Try a new recipe a month
Pass, I can't document it, but I cooked like a mad man in 2009.

- Improve my writing
Pass, between my online D&D game and blogging I like to think I got better this year.

- Take more photos
Pass, see the pictures.

- Improve my video editing (and post more videos)
Pass, see the videos.

- Lose weight (see riding goals)
Fail, I think I am up 5 to 10 pounds over last year, see cooking and cycling.

- Take at least one grappling or BJJ class
Fail, no excuses.

- Read more comics
Pass, I read a ton.

- Build an arcade
Fail, I meant to do this honest, it will make the list for 2010 for sure.

- Finish a 40k army
Fail, after discovering D&D this year I really have no need for this anymore.

- Organize my workshop
Fail, it is currently a hot mess.

- Back up my data
Pass, I got an external hard drive and software that backs up everything weekly.

- Become a good Dad
Pass, while this is subjective for sure, I think by not cooking meth in our kitchen and reading to him every night I'm doing a pretty good job at this Dad thing.

Hmm, 8 out of 15 isn't bad, but it isn't good either. I'll be putting together my 2010 list this coming week in another post, hopefully I can complete even more.

Blogcation 2009

Apparently I am taking this month off, a blogcation if you will, to work on other projects and be with family. I didn't plan it this way, but it was a welcome break in the face of the holidays, bathroom renovations, video editing and more. My Tumblr went dark for the week of Christmas as well, but the lights are back on today. The same goes for Twitter, but that has a pulse again too.

As for the rest of the stuff, I edited the last 7-ish months of baby video down to four videos last week with all the trimmings. I'll dedicate a whole post to them in the coming weeks. There will be an obligatory Christmas post with bunches of pictures from Kaden's first. We made home made brownies last week to, nothing to complicated, just no store bought mix and they were ten times more delicious. As I mentioned above we renovated a bathroom and I have all kinds of before and after pictures to share.

I have been absorbing media at a more steady clip, so I'll have mini reviews of new comics, movies and games this week and next too. The Wreck Awards will be returning this year, now that I have annualized them it is practically law that I make a post. I'm sure there will be more than all that, but I feel like my blogging plate is filling up quick, so for now I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and are planning a happy New Year.

P.S. I'll have a 2009 New Year's resolution review and brand new list of shit I won't do in 2010.

Finishing, Twitter and Peppers

Wood Finishing
Wednesday night was my second class at Woodcraft since I decided to add yet another hobby to my list of many. The last class was how to build a basic box, it was very hands on and the result of my labor was tangible. My choice for a follow up was a finishing course. I figured it made sense to at least learn how to sand, stain, seal and clear coat my first project. It felt a little less satisfying to not walk away with something, but getting a crash course in a topic I knew zero about prior to attending was equally great. Hopefully I will have new pictures of the finished box on the site sooner than later.

Twitter
Now that I have a new phone, text plan and the same amount of thoughts and life experiences, I have awakened my twitter account (@wreck36) from it's seven month slumber. Finally getting it synced up with my Facebook and Tumblr was the push I needed too. Posting to twitter from my desktop previously just seemed like I was doing it wrong. So now it is on to even more social media. Look out should I be successful in getting my employer setup to tweet as well.

Stuffed Peppers
On the menu at the Tabib's Tuesday night was stuffed bell peppers. A meal I have made once before that turned out tasty enough to warrant a second pass. This time it went faster, cleaner and tastier. They are simple enough to make: brown beef, cook rice and combine the two with tomato sauce, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder and salt/pepper to taste. Stuff the mix in the peppers and cover the tops with a mix of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and fresh parmesan. Bake at 350 for one hour and the result is what you see to the right. Basting it every 15 minutes with the tomato sauce mix will keep them moist. Supah Tasty.

Comics & Books
Long neglected my "what am I reading" list on the right hand side of the bee-log has been updated and bumped up above the links sections. Nothing special, but why have it if it is not up to date.

Thanksgiving Days

Images of cornucopias filled to the brim with harvest treats and religious separatists with more belt buckles than maize, dance in my head in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. When day dream meets reality though, I eat too much, watch a lot of football and go without sleep on Black Friday. This year was no different, I'm happy to say. We started Thursday morning with a trip to my parent's house for a pancake breakfast. Given the large meals we planned to eat later in the day it was probably ill advised, but pancakes are super tasty.

Our first feast was had at Crystal's grandparents and was host to a crowd of 16, including three great grandchildren (Rowan, Kaden and Landon). The food was tasty as always and football was watched, but as a side show to three little ones running, walking and crawling all over creation. I felt like napping post meal, but instead we went outside for pictures galore. The boys played in and tried to eat the leaves and all together had a great time. It will be fun to see them get together each year and see how much they have grown.

Round two was back to my parent's, where we Kaden went to bed for the night prior to us eating a later than normal feast. The food was equally as tasty as our lunch and equally filling. Following dinner we did some Black Friday ad planning. A dessert that put me beyond full was next and then we were off sans Kaden to our home. That's right, our little boy spent his first night away from home at my parent's. It was a little tough passing his room and not seeing him through out the night. Crystal couldn't sleep upstairs without the white noise of his baby monitor humming away, so she slept in our first floor spare bedroom.

Sleep in preparation for waking up at 2:45am that is. Crystal and her mom are seasoned Black Friday shoppers who get out the door at 3:30am and don't come home till 4pm later that day. I normally head out with my brother for some door buster deal or another around 4am, but this year I could not seem to find one thing I wanted. So I stayed up to see what deals Amazon might have and to my disappointment there was nothing on the web I wanted either. So it was off to bed for the most sleep I have had since Kaden was born.

Saturday morning we packed up and drove to Crewe, VA to see Crystal's other set of grandparents. We showed off Kaden's new crawling, standing and clapping skills in their family room and then headed to Walmart, because that is what there is to do in Crewe. After Walmart we ate lunch at a sub and pizza joint and bid the grandparents far well. Sunday Kaden and I were sick all day. It sucked. The end.

The rest of the pictures are here.

Cold Rides Cometh

Every year I look forward to riding in the cold weather of late autumn. The leaves have left the trees, the temperature drops and it is the perfect time to bundle up and spin. My first ride of this lovely season was on Riverside early Sunday morning with Mike. We took what has become our new standard loop for a 19ish mile warm up to this coming weekends World AIDS Day ride. More on that later, but the rest is in the pictures...

Mehtul muffinsMmm!

Mike and me

"S" turns on the side

Train bridge in autumn

The check

Christmas in November

It has a been a long while since I actually wrote about photography here. Yesterday my Christmas present arrived however and now it is all I can think about. The photo above was taken with the new camera. It is nothing special, but demonstrates one of the many advantages of the Canon s90 over my old jam. It has a faster lens speed (f2), which means better pictures indoors without the need for a flash. Previously a shot a night with only the lights from our house would have resulted in a blurry mess. We have ditched many a good shot of Kaden because it looked like someone smeared vaseline on the lens.

Of course I am not satisfied with just having a better camera now. I want lighting, not expensive stuff mind you, DIY stuff. LED's seem like the cheapest option, but ring lights and modified halogen work lights seem like worthy pursuits as well. There are a number of sites that I have been picking through in anticipation of my new toy. DIYPhotography, Strobist (which I have linked to previously) and Photojojo.

The photo to the right was taken with even less light (ceiling fan) than the one above and also demonstrates Kaden's favorite new hobby. Standing up on his own. We would have never gotten this shot before with the old camera. Considering we take probably three times more pictures this year than we did last, getting this camera makes it even easier to capture every stage of his development. If you can't tell I'm happy with our purchase. A few more shots are available at my gallery.