Oatmeal Cranberry Bread

I threw together some disparaging elements in my kitchen today - a little ground oatmeal, some Almond meal, honey, Organic Wheat Flour, Organic Bread Flour, Kosher salt, dried cranberries and voila.  Bread, good enough to eat.

Friday Bicycle ride, with Strava

The ninety degree temperatures finally let up a little, and the front tire on my 2005 Specialized Allez Sport held 105 PSI long enough to get out and ride.  Naturally, the tire let out a very long, tired, sigh this morning, and the work continues...

working (playlist)

I put this collection of you tube videos together over the past few years, some of them have been deleted or removed by certain parties.  It is an unflinchingly sarcastic view of employment, likely sufficient to keep me unemployed for another few years.  I hope the link works, so you can watch it while you're being paid to sit at a desk.

Nice Ride 145

This past week-end, I joined a friend for a tour of the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, performed entirely on Nice Ride bicycles, traveling from one rental station to the next.  The total mileage of the planned route, starting in Northern Minneapolis and ending in West St. Paul, was a little over eighty miles.  Including the mileage for me to bicycle to the start, I may have been close to a century on the day.  I have already posted a lot about it on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, so I'll avoid any more sensationalism and just add this, a short note I made to myself after completing the day -

- low point

I got turned around on Washington avenue and tried crossing, but got stuck between the median island and a quarter ton red Chevy pick-up truck...

I was going into traffic. 
The truck passed on my left.

I pulled the bike against the median, put one foot on the curb and watched the group, now a block ahead of me, change their bicycles and disappear around a corner.  Getting stranded or lost in downtown Minneapolis was not the plan.  Neither was slaloming traffic.  

- high point

At the Wilder Foundation, my bike got locked into the kiosk before realizing the station was not allowing rentals.  Close enough to home to call it quits and walk away, far enough in to a hundred miles on a three speed 50 pound commuter bike to feel thwarted.  With some deliberation, I ran a brisk mile and a half to the next station, got another bike and kept going.  

Penn and Lowry Nice Ride station, 6-30-2012.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Near 501 Franklin, Minneapolis.  6-30-2012. 

At the Walker Art Center, crossing Lyndale.  6-30-2012.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

One of many downtown Nice Ride stations.  6-30-2012.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Joe, Ed and Nathan on Fairview after stop #108.  6-30-2012.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Footnote - it has been a long, long, long time since I have slept so very, very well.

That pretty much sums it up for me.