For insurance purposes, Hanne took her engagement ring to an independent appraiser to get a 3rd-party appraisal and was a bit dismayed to discover that the appraised value was significantly less than the purchase price. “Significantly” being as a percentage, and not the dollar amount. I was a bit dismayed at this as well, so I contacted the jeweler who asked us to stop by with our receipt and paperwork, to which she refunded the difference in value to us. That, my friends, is service. They lost a bit of money, but they kept customers. Isn’t retail grand?
Hanne started her job yesterday, and in celebration I cooked her a nice dinner of black bean tacos with feta and a cabbage radish coleslaw. You might think “How are tacos a celebratory dish?” but to be honest, I think Hanne just likes it when I cook for her. Besides, I made the coleslaw from scratch, which isn’t difficult but it certainly adds the personal touch. It had a very interesting combination of flavors, too. The black beans and feta went together very well, but if I were to remake the coleslaw I’m probably use lime in it. The recipe I used called for olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey mustard and it tasted quite good on its own, but it didn’t quite fit in with the other toppings. I think to use up the coleslaw this week I’ll try making some other recipes that I found that call for coleslaw.
My college roommate Dan and his girlfriend Kristine are now among Portland residents for the immediate future, much to my enjoyment at being able to see them frequently. In their first week here we managed to pack in a trip to a brewpub, a stop by the 12th and Hawthorne late night food carts, cooking at our apartment twice, a trip to Belmont Station for beer, brewing a batch of beer, and some Road Rash 64 for old time’s sake. Yes, they’re fitting in quite well to SE Portland so far. Last Friday Hanne and I went to dinner with her family at an excellent tapas restaurant called Toro Bravo, and when we returned to our apartment we found them watching a movie after having consumed a bottle of wine and sandwiches for dinner. I chuckled later to Hanne that they were already living our lives given the wine shop and sandwich place are frequent stops of ours. They only had to stay with us for a couple of nights while they were looking for an apartment, fortunately, and they ended up finding one not too far away on SE 20th, just a couple of blocks south of Hawthorne. Very easy walking distance.
I brewed a batch of beer this past weekend that I think should be quite good. An acquaintance nearby has hops growing in his yard, and he’s been happy to cut down as many as he can to give to me on the condition that I share the beer. Last year he gave me a plastic bag that I managed to salvage 2.5 oz. of hops from–not enough for a batch, but enough for that trademark fresh hop aroma. This year I got a full garbage sack and I managed to pick 14.1 oz. of hops, enough to use them all on their own in a batch. Because fresh hops aren’t as bitter as regular hops, though, I added a couple of ounces of dried hops just for good measure’s sake, but this will be as close as I can get this year. Dan and Kristine came over on brew day to see the entire process, so we hung out and drank some homebrew while I wandered in and out of the house as I checked on the brewing. It took a little longer than I expected it to, but it’s all in the pursuit of good beer.
The recumbent exercise bike that I bought has been nice to have in the mornings. I managed to use it once last week before Dan and Kristine came to stay with us, and then again Sunday and Monday mornings. It’s a good way to work up a sweat and start the day, but I have so much trouble cooling down afterward that I’m worried I’ll start sweating again at work. It’s a good thing that I have so long before I have to go to work these days. My ultimate goal is to lose 1o+ pounds by Halloween, and while I think that’s a bold goal, I also think it’s attainable if I watch both what I eat and what I drink while keeping up a regular regimen of exercise. I’ve done it before–in the summer of 2002 I went from 215 to 185 in the span of three months, so it’s not unheard of. Granted, I’m a bit older with a slower metabolism and a different lifestyle, but it’s not out of the question if I watch my caloric intake.
Of course, I’ve been awake since 4 AM, so I might skip the exercise bike this morning as I’d prefer to be able to stay awake past lunch. Maybe I’ll go for a walk this morning, instead. I could always walk up to the Bread & Ink Cafe on Hawthorne and get their bacon and brie-topped waffle bites, but I think that just might defeat the purpose of the walk.
