Last week I managed to punch myself in the chest with my bike handlebars. At the time it hurt, but I was more focused on getting through the rest of the bike ride and back to the car. While I've had more than my fair share of cuts and bruises, I've not had an injury like this in quite awhile - one that actually sidelined me for a few days and made the smallest of tasks (changing sheets, carrying a laundry basket) painfully difficult.
Luckily the pain started to subside mid-week, and I could walk and even run by this weekend. I haven't been so excited about the prospect of a run (ok, a jog given my pace) in a long time. It was a huge reminder about how lucky I am, that despite some chronic lower grade issues, I am able to do most anything I want to. For that I am grateful.
October typically marks the beginning of the ski film season, when filmmakers of all winter persuasions (telemark, alpine, snowboard) take their shows on the road, fueling the winter lust of die-hard skiers like me. This weekend brought a double whammy of telemark films, including the newest film from the Powderwhores, a Utah based collection of rippin' backcountry telemark skiers.
The other day I received something I'd not seen in years - a genuine handwritten letter. It was very novel in the world of immediacy. That this one came out of the blue from a long-lost friend living oversees made it all the more unexpected and appreciated. And oddly genteel, though I'm pretty sure she didn't use a feathered plume to write it.
While the phrase 'El Nino' has been used a lot when referring to this upcoming winter, I've remained cautiously pragmatic. Color me skeptical, but I know how fickle Mother Nature can be, so I like to err on the side of caution.
With a bunch of seemingly random things in the fridge - mascarpone cheese, crimini mushrooms, spinach & cherry tomatoes, I figured a hearty risotto would find a way to bind them all together. Thankfully I have ridiculous quantities of arborio rice in the cupboard (who, me, a hoarder?).
It takes a special performer to encourage me to leave the mountains during the winter to see his show. Lucky for Eddie Izzard, we're heading to the Bay Area in January to catch one of his live performances.
Hopefully he'll have recovered from his marathon of marathons by then.
pies, that is (this is a family friendly blog after all!).