Winter in Buffalo

Ahh...those first few times it snows each year isn't it beautiful (though it seems to have come significantly later the last few years...hmmm). I have always loved the change of seasons and particularly the winter (though not as much as I get older). It's these first few snow showers of the year that make me feel like a kid again when I'm out in it. After riding my bike the short distance home from work I could see that the (car) drivers were like lunatics (I saw two fender benders) but still wanted to be in the elements so I walked to the health club for a quick steam and very short swim. I love to ride bikes in the snow, but after seeing how people were driving this evening it felt safer to walk. I had a rather harried day at work and the walk helped...how could you not smile when walking in those big fluffy flakes.

Easy (and delicious) Winter Frittata

Well first of all if you are a regular reader of this blog you can see by the picture at an earlier post this week that I have not gone grocery shopping...it's mostly the same ingredients pictured. But it's how you use and interchange the ingredients that makes things interesting, I suppose.

At any rate, I came home somewhat late for dinner this evening and was famished. I also ate poorly at lunch today so I wanted to make something that was healthy and filling, but also quick. After checking the meager ingredients in my fridge I decided on a frittata. I always enjoy an egg dishes for dinner, and this one was loaded with vegetables. Simple and quick...and man did it hit the spot. Anyhow,this is how I did it.

Preheat your oven to 350F, then chop the broccoli and cauliflower and microwave the potato until it is "just cooked" (yes, I actually own a microwave...a small one; I use it rarely, mostly for reheats, and I just purchased it--my first one--last year). Then saute everything in olive oil until it begins to brown.

Add a a couple eggs that have been mixed with a few tablespoons of milk (and sea salt, cracked black pepper, and whatever other seasonings you'd like). Lay a few slices of cheese across the top and transfer it to the oven.

If your oven is sufficiently preheated it will only take the frittata about 5 minutes to cook. It was delicious. The pictured frittata, along with a perfectly ripe pear, and a glass of wine...I am one happy and content individual right now.

A Christmas Vow

OK, first a couple of things. I sometimes post with "spiritual overtones," but rarely overtly religious...this, though, falls under the latter. And while I truly believe that all major religions walk the same path and lead in the same direction I identify myself as a Christian, albeit a progressive Christian. Sometimes I think I am so liberal that some may not even recognize me as a Christian...but I am. Meaning I try (italics very intentional) to live my life according to the teachings of Jesus the Christ. Not an in-your-face-I-need-to-convert-you sort of thing, just an internal and very private monitor on how to live my life. I remember a quote by the Dalai Lama I heard (I'm not sure if I read it somewhere or if it was when I saw him speak) where he suggested that you should stay with the religion that you were brought up with, that you are familiar with, because they are all rich and full in their own way (I'm totally paraphrasing). But I am still drawn to an eclectic group of teachers and writers (see the side bar, For The Inner Journey), particularly, New Thought, Metaphysics, and those from the East. One such writer (and teacher, sage, philosopher, prophet, poet) is Paramahansa Yogananda...his writings and lessons have had a profound influence on my life and spiritual journey. So on this second Sunday of Advent I offer you this prayer from Paramahansa Yogananda. It's one of my favorites and can be found in one of his little pocket-sized books, Metaphysical Meditations. It's a vow, actually, and I can only hope to be so self aware someday to abide by his words. To learn more about Paramahansa Yogananda, click here.

A Christmas Vow

"I will prepare for the coming of the Omnipresent baby Christ by cleaning the cradle of my consciousness, now rusty with selfishness, indifference, and sense attachments; and by polishing it with deep, daily, divine meditation, introspection and discrimination. I will re model the cradle with the dazzling soul qualities of brotherly love, humbleness, faith, desire for God-realization, will power, self-control, renunciation, and unselfishness, that I may fittingly celebrate the birth of the Divine Child."
--Paramahansa Yogananda

It's The Little Things

Yesterday I was out doing errands on the mule (my predominant winter bike) and stopped at a local bike shop for some advice. I needed to replace a shifter cable but I'd be darned if I couldn't find how to remove it. I had taken the shifter off the handlebars and the cable seemed to be encased in the mechanism with no entree. So I presented the experts with my dilemma. Yes, they said, it is a little difficult and sometimes confusing, but it's not all that difficult. What you have to do, they added, is while it is still on the handlebar (with the grip removed) give it a gentle tug and rotate it counter-clockwise and it will separate into two pieces, exposing the cable end. OK, I thought why don't I do this while I have it in the shop...so I did. Like this, I said, as I gently pulled and turned...then to my (and their) chagrin, I heard a cracking sound followed by the sound of small pieces of plastic hitting the floor. Apparently I pulled a tad too hard (or the grip has simply been through too many Buffalo winters)...at any rate it was rendered useless.

After what seemed like an uncomfortably long silence one of the guys says, well the good news is that if you buy a new shifter the cable comes already attached. They also threw in a free pair of grips for free (which I was there to purchase as well)...they're good people, there at Campus Wheel Works.

At any rate, after going the past month as a single speed (not fixed, just single...never fixed) I finally have a shifter that shifts perfectly again (and handlebar grips that are not constantly sliding off)...it's the little things, sometimes, that can really make me happy.

Rush Hour

Cycling Info

Perry Davis' Pain Killer

Image found @ The World AWheel

Hmmm...I'm a little dubious. Maybe it's just me, but if a pain killer is the best way to be safe on a bike maybe you shouldn't be on one.

If you'd like to learn a tad more about Perry Davis' tonic, click here.

Mark Twain on Bikes

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live.
- "Taming the Bicycle, by Mark Twain"

Good Solid Advice

Image found at Pipe Gang

Potato Pancakes with Broccoli, Bell Pepper, and Cheddar

I had a hankering for potato pancakes today so I made some for my son and I for dinner. I had planned on having them with eggs, but after investigating my refrigerator and adding more ingredients to the mix they became so substantial that I forwent the eggs for a little fruit and a side of kimchi. These crispy little nuggets were so delicious I was eating them straight from the pan...they are so simple to make, here's how I made them.

Shred the potato and cheese; mince the broccoli, onion, and pepper. Add an egg or two, along with enough flour to bind it. Season it with sea salt, garlic, and lots of black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and drop the batter in a spoonful at a time.

Cook until browned and crispy on both sides and the potatoes are cooked throughout. Enjoy

For All Ages

The photo was found here.

I love this photo...bicycles truly are for people of all ages.

Sloppy Commute

The snow has been so late this year I was surprised to wake this morning to find a covering of it. The temperature hovered just above freezing so this was more sloppy than anything...not the pretty and fluffy pure white flakes that usually accompany the first snow of the year. None-the-less it was exciting to ride in for the first time this season...and there will be plenty more to come. If you want to see someone much farther north and who rides year round, check out Jill's blog, Up in Alaska.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#115)...and a few other comments

A canvas bag containing, among other things, 4 books, 2 DVDs, a datebook, a notebook, and a scarf.
A bottle of red wine.
A small loaf of whole wheat bread.
An extra long cable lock.


Tonight while I was pedaling home with the chilly winter-like air on my face I was admiring the full moon and thinking about my day and how I accomplished so much without starting my motorized vehicle. It's so easy, I thought, to get by most days without a car if you live in an urban environment (though I still rarely ride in the rain). And the benefits I receive are far greater than just saving gas money or burning it into the ozone...it is as much a benefit to my mental and emotional health as it is my physical health and the environment in which I currently occupy. For me, riding is as much about enjoyment as it is functionality...getting from point A to Point B.

Here's an example of my day:

Ride to-and-from work: about a mile each way.
To the bookstore after work and then home: about 2.25 miles each way.
To-and-from the health club: about a mile each way.
To-and-from a meditation meeting this evening:about 2 miles each way.

All-in-all it only tallies up to be a little over 10 miles throughout the day...but in those ten miles I was outside in the elements and using my own energy to propel myself. I haven't moved my gas-powered vehicle in about 4 or 5 days, it sits with snow on it as I type these words, but I've pedaled myself through the city everyday. In short, I ride my bike(s) because I enjoy riding my bikes...all the other benefits (health, economic, and environmental) are simply bi-products.

A few months ago I posted the below video but thought I'd post it again...It could be me narrating it (it's not). It's less than a minute long...you'll probably watch it more than once.