Just a Dusting

Clear enough to drive to work this morning. Darn.

Christmas Cat

First Meal of 2014

My sweetheart baked this bit of eggy, cheesy deliciousness this morning--technically this afternoon. It's a delicious breakfast pizza with spicy sausage, potatoes, scallions--most folks call 'em "green onions" , but they're really scallions--and a croissant crust.

We have a few more days to enjoy such carby goodness before we start our post-holidays, two-week detox diet.

Happy 2014

It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I resolve to change that this year. I'm endeavoring to take on a Project 365 challenge and take at least one photograph every day.

It's not the best photo in the world, but it is technically the first picture I took this year, so I'm sticking with it!

Happy New Year! Make it a great one.

Best Thing I Read Today

Ashevegas posted an article today about famous people who dig Asheville, including the Obamas, Woody Harrelson, Henry Rollins and James Franco.

Joe Rogan mentioned Asheville during a podcast and tweeted, "Oh, Asheville, you wonderful little space monkey town, you’ve won me over with your mountain charm." Rogan also called Asheville a city with best aspects of Austin along with cool people and great scenery and that visiting is like freebasing all the best things about Austin.

Which is funny because the Austin vibe in the mountains is one of the things that drew me to Asheville.

Decent Tent for Low Cost

Texsport Saguaro Bivy Shelter Tent, a set on Flickr.

I bought this tent in anticipation of a solo backpacking trip I'm planning to celebrate my 40th birthday in a few months. It wasn't my first choice, but the price was right.
I recently found a used Eureka! Solitaire one-person tent for slightly more but for way less than a new one so I decided to go ahead and set up this tent to see if I could live with it.
My final analysis is the Texsport Saguaro Bivy Tent Shelter isn't the greatest tent in the world, but it will work for my purposes. It stayed dry inside during a rainfall and it blocked the wind well. I wish it was a little lighter, but I'm not planning on packing a ton of stuff, so it ought not be too bad.

Cold

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Newness

Happy New Year!!!

My New Toy

It's a Nikon CoolPix S3000. I bought it because I've been looking for a great pocket-sized camera that I can take with me pretty much everywhere.

I love my Canon Rebel XSi but it's just not practical to carry with me all the time and my camera phone just doesn't take the quality of photos or offer the features (i.e. zoom, flash,...) that I need.

I'm loving it. It's a great little camera for a great low price.

Little Snow

We got a bit of snow overnight, but a lot of it has disappeared already.

That was just ahead of a cold front that's moving through now. We've already hit our high temperature for today and the temp is dropping quickly. We're expecting more snow tonight.

Blogger is pissing me off

It's not letting me post pictures from Flickr or my computer.

Happy Birthday from Cosmos

Cosmos wanted to wish Annemarie a happy birthday... Actually, he wanted to go back in the house where the heater is located, but I made him do it anyway.

Happy Birthday, sis!

McDonald's Honors McRib Superfans

I am reposting this article from Asylum.com.

By Laura Leu

Behind every great man, there's a great sandwich. When done well, a hunk of meat slapped between two slices of bread can ignite passion from within, inspiring man to move mountains, swim oceans and unbutton his pants -- all for the sake of the lunchtime staple.

The McRib is one of those sandwiches.

The elusive hoagie, McDonald'sboneless pork patty slathered with onions, pickles and a tangy BBQ sauce, is usually only offered in limited markets for short periods of time.

But now (through Dec. 5), the Bigfoot of fast food returns nationwide. No market will be left un-McRib-bed.

In honor of the launch, McDonald's threw a party this week, celebrating the McRib, as well as the men who hold it in such high regard.

Keep reading to meet three superfans who've dedicated parts of their lives and most of their cholesterol levels to the legendary sandwich.

Joey Erwin, "Mr. McRib"

Superfan Credentials: For the last 10 years, Erwin has eaten a McRib sandwich for lunch every day when they're in season. His co-workers, noticing his penchant for the sammy (and probably the BBQ-sauce-stained office supplies), dubbed him "Mr. McRib" and created a Facebook fan page to help him keep track of his gluttonous accomplishments. So far, he's estimated that he's ingested around 300 McRibs.

On DIY McRibs: "The McRib didn't come to [my hometown of] Greenville, South Carolina, at all last year, which was really depressing. So that's when I started trying to make my own McRib, without much success. Wal-Mart sells a frozen riblet sandwich that looks sort of like a McRib. So I took it home, got some pickles and tried to dress it up to make it look like the real deal. I sat down, bit into it, and it just didn't do the job. It was enough to get me by, but it wasn't the same."


Adam Winer, McRib Road Tripper

Superfan Credentials: Living in the McRib-barren land of New York City, Winer had gone 15 years without eating a boneless rib hoagie. So, when a McRib hankering became too strong to bear, he flew to Chicago. From there, he embarked on a road trip to St. Louis, stopping to eat the sandwich at every McDonald's along the route.

The McBirth: "During my road trip, I talked to McDonald's original head chef -- he's the guy who invented Chicken McNuggets. When the McNuggets first debuted, all the franchises wanted them, and McDonald's couldn't get enough chicken to meet the demand, so he had to invent another product to give to franchises that couldn't get McNuggets. The substitute he came up with? The McRib."


Alan Klein, Creator of the McRib Locator

Superfan Credentials: For this man, hunger is the mother of invention. Klein created the McRib Locator website two years ago, when he and his friends were hunting for McRibs but didn't know which McDonald's offered them at the time. He sprung into action with a Google Map of user-generated sandwich sightings. Next up for Klein? A McRib Locator iPhone app. (You'll finally get some use out of that gadget!)

Will Travel for Pork: "The furthest I've driven for a McRib sandwich is about four hours. I had family in that area, so I swung over to see them -- but the McRib was the incentive for the trip."

Sick of It

All right. I can't hold my tongue any longer. I am absolutely sick of commercials using people with British, Australian or similar accents to sell me anything.

I just viewed the latest assault on my senses seconds ago on a Ryan's steakhouse ad. Ryan's? Seriously? You need an English-sounding spokesperson? Why are British accents perceived to be so much more glamorous or sophisticated than American accents?

I'll give Outback Steakhouse a pass because, well, they're Australian-themed. But I'm getting a little sick of the others. I'm looking at you gecko.

I don't have anything against the English. Coll and I enjoy watching what we call "Britishisms" Saturday evenings, which include "As Time Goes By," "Waiting for God," "Keeping up Appearances" and "After You've Gone." Just don't try to sell me cereal. I've grown weary.

Too cute

Caroline Stratton, 10, left, and her two sisters Jackie, 7, and Maddie, 16 stand at attention with Cadet Squadron 37 while Caroline and her family were Cadet for a Day at Air Force Academy Friday, Oct. 15, 2010. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

Today's Trawler

48' de Viking Dutch-Built steel trawler

(Source: yachtworld.com)

I came across this looker today while cruising YachtWorld. She's a fantastic looking vessel inside and out.

She's what's called a pilothouse trawler, which I'm starting to consider versus the flying bridge models. Lots of pros and cons between the two styles, which I'll get into another time.

Specs

Builder: Viking Trawler

Dimensions
LOA: 48'
Beam: 14' 6"
Maximum Draft: 4' 1"
Displacement: 39000
Bridge Clearance: 13' / 16' 4"

Engines
Engine Brand: Ford
Engine(s) HP: 120
Engine Model: Bowman naturally aspirated
Cruising Speed: 8
Engine Hours: 5543

Tanks
Fresh Water Tanks: 300
Fuel Tanks: 400 +/-
Holding Tanks: 40 +/-

She's located in Chester, Md., and is selling for $163,000.

It's Back!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

I was just at McDonald's yesterday (no I don't go everyday... rarely in fact). But when I ordered a milkshake yesterday they told me their milkshake machine was broken. So my milkshake desire not slaked (I love that word) I drove back through today and this is what I saw:

If you don't know about my addiction to love for obssession with the McRib, it's pretty serious. I've written about it before. Apparently I'm not alone.

I forgot all about the milkshake.

Today's Trawler

46' 1986 PT Sundeck Trawler
(Source: yachtworld.com)

I was looking at this 46-footer today trying to see the major differences (besides overall length) between this and a 50-footer.

It seems like you might get a lot for those four feet, but I guess it also depends on the layout of the boat.

The Bella Blue is a nice looking trawler but the salon seems a little small. Probably because it has an aft deck (which is something Coll said she wants). The master stateroom also seems a little on the small side, but it might be because there are three staterooms (an aft master and foreword and starboard guest staterooms). I've seen some of the larger trawlers with three staterooms and three heads. This one only has two heads, but two heads are better than one. ;) (I couldn't resist... but somehow using it in this sense makes more sense than the typical usage.)

The galley looks decent especially considering the size of the salon. At least it has a larger fridge and not one of those dorm-sized deals.

Specs
Builder: PT
Designer: John Norek

Dimensions
LOA: 46 ft 4 in
Beam: 15 ft 9 in
Maximum Draft: 3 ft 8 in

Engines
Engine Brand: Ford Leman
Engine Model: Turbo
Cruising Speed: 18 mph
Maximum Speed: 23 mph
Engine Hours: 1344

Dimensions
Displacement: 25,000

Engines
Total Power: 270

Tanks
Fuel: 600
Fresh Water: 200
Holding: 40

The Bella Blue is currently located In League City, Texas, and is selling for $126,900.

Today's Trawler

50' Custom Steel Pilothouse Trawler
(Source: yachtworld.com)

I came across this unusual custom trawler today. It looks quite different than most of the trawler's that I've been looking at (at which I've been looking?). It looks vaguely military and it's definitely not a vessel I'd put on my list, but it seems to have a pretty spacious interior.

I can't tell if the cutout designs along the boatdeck on top are supposed to be sharks, orcas or dolphins. They're very shark looking. The motif is carried throughout the interior woodwork, too. There's some nice tile work in the galley and there are three staterooms and three heads.

Very different. But I guess there are as many types of boats as there are boaters.

Specs
Builder: Custom
Designer: Bruce Roberts Hull Plans

Dimensions
LOA: 50 ft 0 in
Beam: 15 ft 4 in
LWL: 41 ft 8 in
Maximum Draft: 4 ft 6 in

Engines
Engine Brand: Mitsubishi
Engine Model: CM6-55TI
Engine Hours: 460

Dimensions
Ballast: 1,400
Displacement: est. 60,000

Engines
Total Power: 200

Tanks
Fuel: approx. 600
Fresh Water: approx. 310
Holding: yes

This 2001 vessel is selling now for $119,750.

I Lit Up Her Life

Colleen went out of town for the weekend, so it gave me a chance to tackle a project I've had on the back burner (no pun intended...pun to be explained upon further reading).

We have one of the tiniest kitchens in the world (seriously I've seen news articles on tiny European apartments with larger kitchens), which might lead one to believe that it would be easy to illuminate. But you'd be wrong. There is plent of really harsh light right above the sink (see below) but the cabinets block the light from the stovetop where it is needed more. I bought a small battery powered light a few years ago that mounted under the cabinet, but it really didn't work very well.

Several weeks ago I picked up a couple of small fluorescent lights to mount beneath the cabinets I just hadn't had a chance to mount them since buying them. Wiring them was pretty easy, I just tapped into the receptacles on each side of the sink, wired up the lights and mounted them beneath the cabinets. I am so pleased with the results!

There is plenty of light now for cooking. And I like that the light is not right in your face. This will definitely be my new favorite morning light.

This is what it now looks like with the over sink and the under cabinet lights on. Pretty cool, huh? Colleen doesn't know I mounted them. She'll get home tomorrow while I'm at school. I hope she likes them.