So what are you doing for the long weekend? A hike? A scenic bike ride? An awesome music festival that used to be the highlight of your year when you were a teenager, but has since gone up in price by three-fold and now seems like way too much effort for what it’s worth? (That’s a reference to Seattle Bumbershoot Festival, which was the four day end-of-summer extravaganza for everyone that started school the following Tuesday in Seattle).
I have no desire to go out this weekend. If anyone wants to hang out, they can come over to my house. They just have to leave by 8pm so I can get ready for bed. Do I sound like a senior citizen? Believe it or not, I’m actually enjoying myself the past week and a half that Victor Plata has been here. Just training with somebody is a lot more enjoyable than my normal athletic solitude. Brian Davis has been showing up to some of our swim workouts, as well, and it seems his broken clavicle has finally healed, because I can’t seem to drop him off my feet.
I’m learning a lot. My reading list (which I have been working to shrink down since Peter and William at the institute of new medicine let me borrow a stack of books on eastern medicine) has suddenly grown to the largest it has been since I was taking classes a year ago. This is a good thing, because now I have a good excuse for why I haven’t read anybody else’s blog in weeks.
Ok, that’s my update, now for a story.
Black Barley. This is a nickname for something that should be called, "takes forever to cook and will make tomorrow suck." My dad brought this product home one day last week and seemed anxious to try it. He made chicken thighs and black barley. The cooking process started at 5:30 and it was estimated that food would be ready at 6:30. At 7:30 the grain was still a little more chewy than any of us would like, but we just decided that must be how it’s supposed to be. I was starving, and Victor and I both had substantial portions.
Fast forward to swim practice. I had to get out twice. I was happy we rode on the trainers so I had a bathroom nearby, and when I went for a short run I couldn’t believe how good the bushes looked. I’m just glad Big Leaf Maples are indigenous to the Northwest because their leaves are quite soft.
There are certain people that have criticized me for eating a lot of fibrous foods, and it’s true that I really enjoy cooking greens like Kale, Collards, Chard and Mustard Greens. I even like bran cereal and grape nuts, but I have never had anything quite as disruptive to my day as black barley.
Black Barley is your new pirate nickname. Glad to hear Brian ‘Road Race’ Davis is back out there. I’m surprised by you swimmers just not pooping in your suits. I figured you were tough like that.
what’s up with you, Loren, and like everybody else i read posting about eating over-fibrous foods? enough, already!
I’m glad you’re enjoying training with Victor and going to bed at 830-9ish. I knew that would happen.