The list #13

Hey all.  I'm in a coffee shop just about to head to my second class of the day.  Besides moving, going to a wedding out of town, cleaning, moving more, pedal pub race and just life, I'm crazy busy/tired/happy right now.  That being said, I don't have a ton of time to get into this one.  But let's do it.  Let's look at #13 on the list A song that is a guilty pleasure.  Now I'm not sure if this is a guilty pleasure, or just a fucking rad song, but here we go.  Ladies, I know you love this one, too.  So crank it up and sing along!

#13- Since you've been gone-Kelly Clarkson....I just love this song!!!

HAPPY MONDAY!  Know that I miss you, and I miss this blog.....but I just don't have much time right now.

The List #12

source

Hey team.  Sorry it's been so long.  I started school this week (taking 18 credits) and am still working 20hr/week AND we are moving.  Needless to say, I'm crazy busy.  But not too busy to make note of some bands that I don't like.

Let's jump right to it. #12 on the list is a song by a band you hate.  To be honest, there is plenty of shitty music out there.  I could have made a list for this one: Creed, System of a Down, Nickelback, fall out boy, dashboard confessional, frightened rabbit, Mumford and sons (i know I know, most people actually like this band, and I guess they aren't so terrible that they can be placed next to Creed, but if I have to listen to that fucking little lion man shit again, i might dump acid into my ears) slipknot, tom waits, the list goes on.  Today, I decided to throw a band on here that you may not know I hate.  and that band-The Smiths.  I find morrissey to have an incredibly irritating voice, not to mention I don't need to listen to you whine about, well just about anything.  I can't stand this band.  Is it even real music, or a bunch of softies crying over silly girly bullshit.  clearly I like to voice my opinions loudly, please don't take offense if you go home and listened to a little Smiths to unwind.  We just have different tastes and that is okay by me :) 

Anyhow, I didn't even know what song to pick, because they all sound like the same to me-lame.  So here is the first one I found on YouTube.  I probably won't even listen to it.  But if you want to, you can :)

Hope that wasn't as bad for you as it was for me.  and it was real bad for me.  What I'd like to do is complain more, but who has time for that.

The List #11



source

 Hey all.  Let's jump right o it.  #11 on the list is  A song by a your favorite band.  Today I'm going to pick a song by one of my favorite bands, MODEST MOUSE.

I first heard Modest Mouse when I was in college.  It was the summer before my Senior year, and I was a custodian at Middlebrook Hall on the U of M campus.  It was that summer that I met one of my dear friends, Ellen.  early in the summer we got into a discussion about awesome bands, and I was all hot on Radiohead at the time (I still think they are Rad.)  Ellen challenged that Modest Mouse trump Radiohead.  I laughed in her face.  Then she made me copies of Moon and Antarctica and Lonesome Crowded West and my life was changed.  These are some of my ultimate favorite albums ever, and still when I listen to them, I am thrown back to that amazing summer.

Today, We listen to We've got Everything         

saddle UP!

Good afternoon.  Today is a beautiful day here in Mpls.  We were the hottest city in the US yesterday (it hit about 103 around 3pm....I was happily sipping an iced coffee doing some geography homework in a coffee shop).  And you know-people here complain when it is winter and too cold, they complain when it is summer and too hot.  I'm over it.  I love this city, and whether or not it always perfect out, I feel I can survive whatever the weather brings us. 

ANYHOW, speaking of awesome outside, Ive been riding a lot lately (and so have my little lady, which makes me SO happy!)

Anyone who rides a bike a lot knows that saddle position can make or break you.  Sure, if you are only riding for 15-20 minutes, no big deal.  But when you are on the saddle for the better part of an afternoon, you start to notice the little things.

I bought this saddle 2 or 3 years ago when I was first building up my commuter.  When I was picking out all the parts I was going to use, I thought to myself "I should invest in a really good saddle.  If my pedals aren't amazing, that's ok.  But my ass will be mad if I don't get something nice."  So that's what I did-invested in this bad boy. 

The Bontrager inForm RL WSD Saddle is the one I went with and I love it.  However it has taken me a long time to get the positioning just right.  I've had my allen wrench on me at all times so I can tweak it in an attempt to adjust it just right.  And I think I was able to achieve that this morning.  MAN, it made my ride in amazing.  I even took the long way to work, just to test it out a bit.

One reason why it took me SO long to get it adjusted right is because of the seat post.  It came with the frame, is a random size and I'm a big believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  The seat post works just fine.  However the bolt that connects the clamp to the saddle is a hair to long and doesn't really fit well under the saddle.  If you can see on either of these pictures, the bolt somewhat digs into the bottom of the saddle.  This made it *very* hard to adjust it to what I needed.  But what Ive learned from this whole process is that it is better to mix it up and try different positions than just let it be uncomfortable and have your princess hurt all the time. 

Like I said, now I think I have it just right, which makes me excited to push past my 40 mile limit on this bike.  After that(in the past) my underside gets mad at me and I need to get off for the day.  Having your sit bones connect on the proper part of the saddle really does make a difference.  And I can promise you that if you just act with patience and try different positioning, you will be happier than you thought you could be.  If you need help, holler....however I have no promises that I'll be able to do too much.

SundayFunday

 A and I had a fabulous Sunday.  We started the day off by riding to the Kingfield Farmer's market (which was somewhat of a bust, because there isn't a lot of produce yet, but we shared an awesome falafal sammie.  Next, we hit up a little dive bar across the street for a beer or two.


After our drinks, we rode back home, packed a mini bag of stuff and headed to hidden falls park to meet up with Meghan and Lauren and Obey (Lauren's awesome dog.)  We laid in the grass for a while, and eventually headed to the river to let Obey swim

 It was so beautiful in there.  I had never been to this park (i know I know, lame) so it was extra exciting for me.

 The water was really high and moving VERY quickly.  But Obey loved jumping in the water after sticks.

 After Hidden Falls Park, we went over to SeaSalt for some happiness from the Sea.  and pitchers of Surly. 

 We got calamari, Lauren got a strawberry walnut salad, and Meghan and John split crab cakes and a shrimp po' boy.  ALL of it was amazing.  A and I were planning on Spaghetti for dinner, so we kept it light-kinda like an afternoon snack :)

 And when we got home, I started some homemade sauce.  After a few hours of stewing, it turned out great with my homemade, two-meat meatballs.  And a side of garlic toast and broc.  My kinda dinner!

Happiness really is summer in Minneapolis!

The list #10



source

Happy HOTTT Monday!  It is BLAZIN out. 
What is a better way to celebrate a incredibly warm day with another number on our list of songs. 

Number 10 is a song that makes you fall asleep.  Now, I took this as a GREAT song that you can fall asleep to.  Song shitty songs make me sleepy, but i decided to go with one that is so lovely, I could drift off to another place while listening to it.

Instantly when i read this i thought about the band AIR.  I was first introduced to this french house band when I was a freshman in college.  My buddy who grew up in Germany was way into them, and got me into them too. 

Just listen to this amazing summer afternoon jam.  But be careful......don't fall asleep!!!

#10 Le soleil est près de moi  by Air

Saturday bike picnic

A and I had a lovely weekend.  One of the highlight-a bicycle picnic by the river.  We made a few snacks (a made tuna pasta salad for her, I made a green salad for me, and we both enjoyed some grapes, carrot sticks and ranch and chips.)

We rode down 37th st towards the river from our house and locked up when we got to the parkway.

We found a trail, so we followed it and before we knew it, we were up on a plateau with some really nice sunlight, so we stopped and threw down our blanket.

It was just so beautiful out!  There was also a guy sitting up there with a pug and a frenchie.  Both were way cute.

Because we forgot to bring a book or magazine, and the only "reading material" in my bag was  a map, A took a peak at what Minneapolis really looks like and answered a few of her own questions about what neighborhood is where.  All in all, we had a fabulous little picnic.

the list #9

Hey Guys.  It's Friday, it's hot as shit out, and I'm just about to leave the office for the weekend.  But I couldnt leave without giving you #8 on the LIST!  Number 8 is all about a song that you can dance to!

there are millions of songs to dance to, but whenever A and I are *just about* ready to head out for the night, we often throw this on the record player and have a mini dance party. 

who doesn't love MJ.  And if you want a treat, YouTube the Dancing with the Stars episode where mark and that little Shawn rock the fuck out to this song....

Happy Friday to my PYT.... and all my friends.

The list # 8



t&s

  Hey All.  Today let's get back to that list!  We are on Number 8-A song you can sing all the words to. 

I'm sure you guessed it, but there were a lot to chose from here.  I know all the words to TONS of song.  But this morning, a certain Tegan and Sara song got caught up in my head, so I figured this was a good time to throw it out there.

Tegan and Sara are rad.  I love their music.  The *actual* music is constructed well, and makes me feel really good inside, even if that good is braided with sadness.  Not to mention that their lyrics are unbelievable.  Clearly I have a big fat crush on these ladies (as does A....it's our double freebie)




T&S

Anyhow, the song we are talking about here is The Con. This is one of the singles off of the same titles album.  I myself love the shit out of the con, but I know others who have said it isn't their favorite T&S.  I think the sound is certainly different from So Jealous, but that is what makes a good artist-right?  When they can make their albums sound different, yet still awesome.  Anyhow, enjoy this next cut!



Tostada Tuesday

Hey Team.  Happy Wednesday.  I'll keep today somewhat quick.  Last night A and I had an awesome tostada spread.

First, I cooked/shredded some chicken and seasoned it with garlic, cumin, a little chili powder, salt, pepper and a splash of "taco spice" that we have in our spice rack.  Next up, I cooked up some leftover rice, added salsa, chicken stock, and a few other herbs.  Next, I turned on the broiler.  I learned this trick on a food blog.  Instead of frying your tortillas, just broil them and they get super crunchy-like.

I diced some zucchini and green onion and grabbed some frozen corn and roasted it in a pan with olive oil.  Also added were some pinto beans that I heated up. 

We diced tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, avocado, and lettuce and also pulled out some sour cream (because A LOVES sour cream) and shredded cheese (2 types-pepper jack and cheddar)

Holy cow, it was DELICIOUS!!!! seriously.  A made a taco salad out of hers (eventually) and I just straight up had a tostada.  so so good.

I have been enjoying trying to cook new stuff.  I know the flavors I like, but I sometimes forget to mix it up and try something new.  I love the shit out of crunchy tacos, so that is where this basic idea came from.  You guys have any great recipes/ideas you want to share?