skyfire mobile browser

a few weeks back, i downloaded skyfire to my motorola q9c digital compadre. i didn't like the features during my first few runs of the product, and reset preferences to go back to the limiting mobile internet explorer platform as default browser.

a couple weeks past by, and i ventured over to the dusty skyfire and gave it another whirl. a bit more persistent this time around, I was pleasantly surprized with the functionality & speed of the user-friendly product.

it is back on top shelf as the mobile go-to & it continues to please. another nudge in the skyfire direction was a response from their client services when i tweeted a lackluster review: http://www.twitter.com/spenservillwock

all-in-all, skyfire rises to a 7 of 10 review. ie mobile sits at a lowly 4 of 10, in my book.

(posted via skyfire vis-a-vis opposable thumbs)

solar collection from 22,000 miles above the surface

solaren corp wants to collect solar energy from space, orbiting the earth.

interesting concept, but a number of concerns come to mind:

• transport the technology to space, how?
• physical space the system(s) require
• maintenence
• energy storage and transmission back to earth, how?
• etc.

regardless, it would be a thrilling install project for a solar company.

clinton in copenhagen

sec of state clinton speaking at copenhagen yesterday. the effort may have swayed the drifting interests of several countries back toward a place of common ground.

copenhagen online conversation

the new york times is hosting an online conversation on the climate change debate and the international conference on global warming being held dec. 7-18 in copenhagen. you can participate here.

charlie brown christmas, full-length vid

charles shultz's 1965 classic.
a charlie brown christmas

®ðßߥ | MySpace Video

rudolph the red nosed reindeer, full length

the 1964 classic with burl ives, in full puppet animation!

do-it-yourself energy efficiency

a quick video, featuring tips from david snell from this year's annual national homebuilder and remodeler show.

is your facebook persona the real you?

according to a university of texas study, facebook personalities are remarkably kindred to a person's real-life characteristics.  from neurotic to extroverted, the study showed that your fb self is a strong reflection of the same.  take a peek at the nyt article for a brief overview.  honestly, the outcomes of this are a bit comforting--let the real you shine through, and post it on your wall.

metrics on sustainability measures and building performance

the usgbc's greensource magazine featured a succinct argument on the growing need for metrics to determine outcomes of leed measures.

the country, and the world, are in desperate need for tracking and reporting this data to illustrate return on investment for individual measures.

sean has moved his blog

fellow vegan, cyclist, and life-enthusiast sean has relocated his blog at http://porchbound.blogspot.com/. always an interesting and thought provoking (or laughter provoking) read from sean. i've reflected this location change in my blog roll sidebar for those of you who access from there.

using co2 to clean clothes

let's face it, dry cleaning compounds are noxious, carcinogenic chemicals that should be banned.  an innovative northeastern us company is using carbon dioxide for their green dry cleaning solvent.  here's a brief story from time magazine.

$4b request in eecbg funds from doe

conference of mayors ask for $4b energy efficiency block grant.

g.e. cracks into smart appliances market

general electric has entered the market with smart technology appliances.

"my feelings regenerate at twice the speed of a normal man..."

started following rainn wilson's blog.  quite entertaining.

waste not, want not

as americans, we are responsible for producing 4.5 pounds of waste per person each day, according to recent epa study. 

33% is recovered via composting or recycling
13% is incinerated
55% is sent straight to the landfill

we have come a long way over the past half century and have an opportunity to continue further.
increased recycling and growth of the recycling industry:

• curb emission of many greenhouse gases
• curb water pollution
  
• saves energy
• supplies resourced raw materials to industry
  
• creates green collar jobs
• stimulates the development of green technology/industry 
  
• conserves resources
• reduces the need for new landfills and trash incinerators

 reduce, reuse, recycle.

track power plant emissions

a new environmental protection agency (epa) website allows you to track quarterly emissions from coal-fired power plants.

the site also hosts a graphic representation of installed control technologies on coal plants.

awareness and tracking are steps in the right direction.

a fun, cheap, green project with the kids...

for just a couple of bucks, you can make a small solar cooker--think easy-bake oven using the sun.  a cool project to work on with your kids, fun for a green and do-it-yourself project.  plus, you get to make some tasty cookies to enjoy afterwards! 

The $5-$6 Solar Oven - More DIY How To Projects

i bike a good deal

in the past 5 years, i have cycled over 23,000 miles.

a good portion of which is bike commuting to and from work, and to and from meetings.

my trusty steed, a '98 gary fischer mountain bike, is a chunky beast that can take the daily beatings and still maintain solid time in the finesse shifting needs.

a couple of weeks ago, i starting having some issues unlocking my kryptonite u-lock.

occasionally, this is due to a wee bit of precipitation getting into the tumbler and either freezing in the cold months or corroding the moving parts a tad--therefore needing a shot of oil.

so i oiled and the remedy did not take. humph.

by deductive reasoning, i started to think that the tumbler itself may be broken or dislodged, as i found that if the key were shimmied back and forth while attempting to turn the lock it would take on occasion. perhaps i dropped the lock and it hit the pavement, causing the dislocation of the tumbler, i thought.

i traced my memory and did not recall any such event that was out of the ordinary to cause such a malfunction.

so, i then started to think about the key itself. maybe it was the culprit to the dilemma.

i dunno, upon inspection, it still had teeth and the appearance of a key. it did have a bit of wear, but could this really be the problem?

i located the spare key for the lock and made a comparison...

eeigh! the key was indeed the problem-maker. and the whittling down of this steel served as a small feather of merit in my cycling cap. i love wearing out gear, due to use. a very satisfying feeling.

simple actions to save money and gain efficiency

a solid article in the new york times on the small investments in energy efficiency to gain huge return on investment and cost savings. an arra stimulus program that works in many ways.

drop of water in slow-motion

discovery channel video slowing down a droplet of water to reveal how the meniscus is like a trampoline for the water droplet.  fascinating.

make cheap vodka into quality vodka at home

entertaining and instructional video of how to take your cheap plastic-bottled vodka and raise it up a few shelves in quality...

awesome water-powered rocket

you can make one of these at home by reusing plastic soda bottles.  this video awakens the 8-year old inside...

what are your rebates and incentives for energy efficiency and renewables

a comprehensive list of all currently available rebates and financial incentives, broken down by each state in an easy to navigate map.

a solid base of information to help you to the tipping point of how you are going to make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and save money.

reclaimed building materials interview

interviewed in cooking light magazine about reusing building materials on home projects.

orchestrating program relocation

migrating our resource program from the 12-year old temporary site to a new permanent facility in boulder. this $5.45m recycle row project is a huge victory for zero-waste programs and will serve as a beacon for other communities to model.

green energy investment

happy to see that g. soros is taking a serious turn toward renewables. wish that he would have had a larger profile and investment when i was working for him at the open society institute.

article link: soros $1b to green energy.

islay scotches

i enjoy the über peaty, tobacco, and leather goodness of single malt scotch.
in particular, i have found a great love for the fine crafts that hail from the aisle of islay.

i actually own two 1'x1' plots of land from laphroaig.
my new bottle of earthy pleasure is from the ardbeg distillery.
absolutely fantastic. 

just a wee bit of water in a glass two-fingers full
sends me to a sensory heaven.  deelish.

building with resource'd materials

interviewed by jeff lee on green building with reclaimed materials.

us epa estimates 30% of our landfills are construction material discards.
of this, 92% of all construction debris are easily recycled and/or reused.

find a building material reuse store near you.
typically, these outlets are non-profits--of which you can receive a tax-deducatable
donation for dropping off items, and, on the resale side, you'll find materials at a
fraction of the cost of the big orange box store.

boulder county solar home tour and expo

interviewed for recent solar and green home event, one of the country's largest solar events.
Solar Expo from BVMA on Vimeo.

haunted corn maze

i've been in a huge kick for haunted this-and-thats this year.
in many ways it follows suit for my fascination with classic americana
and the enterprizes that our culture supports--bowling alleys, bingo parlors,
pancake breakfasts, minigolf...the list goes on.

on saturday, i went off the beaten path in rural colorado to take in
the fritzler corn maize (yes, maize).  it was nothing less than fantastic.

scares, frights, cheeziness, and a good 2+ hour haunted corn maze
that from high above is patterned in a different configuration each year.

i will not hesitate to go back next year, and encourage everyone i know to join
in one of the iconic experiences of our halloween expressions, the corn maze.

how we communicate

the dilemma of taking the plunge into social networking has ping-ponged through my head for awhile.

and now that i have taken the plunge on facebook, linkedin, and twitter, i have discovered the joy that they bring.

i would describe linkedin as a formal cocktail party,
facebook as an informal block party,
and twitter as the constantly mumbling homeless person who may or may not be a clairvoyant.

alas, we'll see you in one variety or another on the interwebs.

blow up a non-profit

brief strategy path on how to drastically increase capacity of your non-profit (April 2, 2007)

where energy and water meet...shocking!

49% of our nation's water supply is used by electrical power plants. this gross reality is largely overlooked. despite the consumption being half of all we use, i believe there are three basic, fundamental reasons for the lack of exposure to this issue:

1) lack of awareness: the public has no idea as to how power is generated, nor are we typically granted access to power plants--therefore, the out-of-sight-out-of-mind rule applies.

2) divergent from common logic: we know water and electricity is a fatal mix.

3) politics: there are deeply entrenched interests from both the water utility/water rights and the energy utility industries. long-standing subsidy of both industries helps to keep consumer cost down on the commodities, continuing to propagate the lack of attention to the energy-water nexus. 

the usgs produces a report every five years on our national water consumption. the 2005 report was just released and the summary can be reviewed here.

this growing concern of water consumption in electrical production will only increase even further with population growth and increased energy demands. the time to bridge the gap between these two siloed industries is now. the solution is a multi-pronged approach, including, first and foremost, enforced regulation to create energy industry conservation standards. standards for efficiency are a necessary evil in creating a tipping point which does not currently exist through market drivers.

building a collaborative relationship between both industries to identify the overlap in goals and move forward together is another key approach. again, this may not come via voluntary motives and may need to come as directive from a public utilities commission--which would unfortunately be at the state level, hindering widespread adoption. there are several other strategies to employ for curbing this growing issue. some of which are highlighted in the department of energy (doe), national energy technology lab, los alamos national lab, and sandia national lab report to congress.

30% decline in cost of solar photovoltaics (pv) in past decade

ten year trends in the solar photovoltaic (pv) sales have shown drastic decline in cost, making solar technologies much more affordable to you and i. the average cost of pv technologies was $12.30 per watt in 1998 compared to $8.50 per watt in 2008. over this period, the average annual reduction was $0.40 per watt. pretty astounding and encouraging.

2008-2009 events slideshow

solar photovoltaic (pv) gis mapping project

the national renewable energy laboratory (nrel) is hosting a very intriguing open source gis solar photovoltaic mapping collective. 

the project goal is to collect, organize, and distribute knowledge of the location, size, cost and date of every photovoltaic installation in united states.

take a peek.

attack of the zombie daikon

somewhat suddenly,
the simpleminded carrot top found its beta-carotinian self in a precarious situation...

...the vegan halloween horror ensued.

go green, save green

the standard clothes dryer uses 15% of your household energy. 
heating the water in your clothes washer consumes 90% of the energy needed for the cycle.

as with most cost and energy savings, immediate efficiencies can be found
by employing some simple modifications to your usual habits.

two easy tips to consider for saving both money and energy:
  1) wash in cold water
           unless the wash load has oily stains, cold water usually does the trick    
  2) use a clothes line 
           drying clothes on a clothes rack or clothes line saves energy, money, and helps your garments last  
           longer, too.

here are a few more tips on these items, as outlined by the epa and us doe.

elephant journal article

spenser villwock

interviewed recently in elephant journal for practical solutions for sustainability and finding a place in the green economy.

60% in favor of cap and trade, per cnn poll

controversial cap and trade received a favorable 6 out of 10 in a poll sampling conducted by cnn.

google profile

i have created a google profile for spenser villwock.

you can create your own here.

80s hair bands on pandora

a while back, i mentioned the fuel and joy that pandora provides me with.

well, i've been rocking out on a journey, survivor, def leopard, poision, and other assorted 80s hair bands on my pandora station in recent months. 

for all transparrency, i sported a fashionable mullet in the late 80s/early 90s, a la the guy below.

perhaps i still have a bit of residual phantom mullet that provokes my love for the poppy, cheese rock.

vegan green chile stew

a lil' bag o' deelishious fresh roasted hatch chiles from the farmer's market inspired this one...
ad hoc vegan green chile stew.

2 cups of roasted green chiles (skins peeled)

1 1/2 cup of chopped tomato (skins peeled)

1 cup homemade seitan

3/4 cup pinto beans (soaked overnight)

1/2 cup iowa sweet corn

3/4 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup veg broth

salt

pepper

olive oil

soak pinto beans overnight, in a.m. put in crockpot and simmer on "low" 4 hours

saute onion and garlic in olive oil, salt, & pepper until translucent, add veg broth and bring to boil, then place in crockpot

(optional) make seitan w/ gluten & chickpea flour--boil in a bit of veg broth, liquid smoke, and soy sauce--then bake to preferred texture

deskin roasted chiles, dice and place in crockpot

flash boil tomatoes, deskin, dice, and place in crockpot

cut corn off of ear and place in crockpot

crank up crock to "high" and let 'er intermingle for 2 hours.

how do you say...deelish!

resourced and repurposed architecture

some innovative and fantastic examples of creative homes.

vegan bbq tempeh sandwich

from one of the finest sub shops in the world, the delicious foot long bbq tempeh with soy cheese sauteed onions and mushrooms on a wheat hoagie bun. this magical sandwich served as dinner last night and lunch again today. as far as messy vegan sandwiches go, this one is a 8.5 of 10.

steamboat brunch

spent the weekend in steamboat springs the other weekend. among sleeping in, enjoying 9,000 feet, and soaking in the strawberry hot springs, we enjoyed a nice sunday brunch. pictured here is the vegan tofu scramble from a small restaurant called winona's, on the main drag. 7.2 out of 10 on the deelish-scale.

rat-a-tat-dat...

a few years back, i noted a strong interest for the musical ar-teest, eminem.

while this tender spot for the motor city lyricist has ebbed and flowed through those turnings of the celestial bodies, so to has been a (somewhat more mild) intrigue in snoop dogg.

i find that it is more the tones, beat, and catchyness of snoop that catches my ear, more so than the entrancing lyrics of eminiem.

alas, there is a mood and place for all musicians, isn't there?

zombieland

i laughed, i snorted, i was giddy and entertained by this silverscreen unlikely...zombieland! woody harrelson is at the apex of his career in this performance. a redneck with an urban edge and undercurrent of humanity, harrelson's presence, tenor, and delivery are spot-on throughout this rumpus delight.

the protagonist, jesse eisenbergis a fantastic balance to the gruff harrelson. emma stone, from superbad fame, and little miss sunshine, abigail breslin, play a sister duo that balances out the cast.

enough over the top gore to satisfy even the dark humorist inside of us all. don't hesitate, get thee to thy theatre today.

madmen

a fantastic period television show, madmen. you feel like a fly on the wall during an era that is so philosophically and culturally different from the reality i know.
you can make your own character here/

to facebook or not to facebook

the dilemma of joining facebook or continuing to refrain from the social networking vortex has been a barrier that i have continued to follow the opt-out category. largely, the decision to maintain the opt-out status has been congruent with some of my hesitations for not wanting to opt-in--lack of free time.

yes, yes, poor excuse, alas a reality. i continue to be intrigued by the virtual-realm social diorama, however.

drips of google juice on the subject of social psychologists reaction to online social portals tantalized my curiosities with intriguing reports of the cogitative effects of facebook vs. twitter.

the other reasons i echo in my head of why i refrain from diving into the seeming abyss of f.b. disturb me for their neo-luddite lilts. in someway to spite this, i believe it is inevitable that i make the migration in the near future--once i carve out the time.

36,000 degrees fahrenheit

nearly 4,000 light years away, the butterfly nebula.

lakeside

a joyous time at lakeside amusement park last weekend. this entertainment venue has been operating for over a century and once passing through the gates was like a throwback in time. a wonderful experience.

ethiopian

in my humble opinion, ethiopian is one of the most delicious foods in all the land.kick it up with the spice, mushy comfort food with simple ingredients, and rolls of injera to tang the taste buds. mmmmm, mmmmm, good.

igoogle

the nexus of information, google, has a number of new gadgets that you can include on your personal igoogle homepage.

the features include a number of social networking widgets that may or may not have strong purpose, but interesting nonetheless.

phish at red rocks

live streaming.

super hike

dave, jen, a, & i hiked mt. grays and mt. torreys.

 

we set foot on the trail at about 8:30am. the trailhead sits at right around 11,000 ft above sea level. meandering through a set of trees, right at the peak of treeline, then fields of shrubs, alpine flowers, babbling mountain streams, and up up up. around 13,000 feet life begins to peter out and the landscape turns to boulders and shards of different rocks.

the air becomes so thin and the steep climb warrents taking a breather about once every 10 minutes of climbing. the pit stops allowed for absorbing the breathtaking views. at about noon-thirty, we reached the summit of grays and soaked it in, munching on peanut butter and banana sandwiches before heading down the valley and starting up to peak torreys.

it took about another hour to get to the top of the second 14er of the day. torreys has a fantastic view as well. then comes the hike back down.

where the traverse up was a muscle and lung challenge, the walk back down is a bit of a controlled fall and you can feel it most in your joints.

the landscape gently erupts in a reverse order from which it had disappeared just a few hours before. tiny, ground-hugging mosses and small flowers get larger the further you go down. it as if they grow before your eyes and the groves get thicker and thicker, until they become fields of beauty amongst the rocks, then the streams got wider and the shrubs stood taller. into the thicket of trees and back to the trailhead, arriving back at about 4:30pm.

exhilarating, satisfying, joy.

sack-attack

happy noodle house

yestereve, a. & i ventured afoot to a new dining establishment, the happy noodle house. with a screamingly clichéd name & a standard brick façade, our curious ogling was surprised to enter a hip domain of warm woods and ears entranced by gentle bass of eccentric fringe pop music echoing on the other side of the threshold.

the menu was sparse and eclectic. a tattering of asian genres spanning from japan through india. with fusioned flavors, like curried-udon, and semi-accurate staples, such as a version of bi-bim-bap, we enjoyed our noodle bowls in this fashionable den-haven that could have been found in a recently-turned-the-corner neighborhood in brooklyn.

all things considered, we determined that we'll be back, and armed en posse to share he experience. food: 7.5 of 10; experience: 8.5 of 10.

camping season

with the green season upon us, it is time to take inventory of the camping gear. rekindling with old friends: the self-inflatable air mat, stuff sacks of various sizes and colors, a cook kit with pans that conveniently fit inside one another like a russian doll, and then there are the remorseful woes that you suddenly recall and damn yourself for not remedying from the year before...


more specifically, i am now reminded of a camp stove problem that i was unable to fully troubleshoot late last fall. upon seeing the carbon-scored little widget with valves and hoses, i recollect a frustrated morning that camp coffee was unable to be made and a mere sputtering of fuel would intermittently cough out of the jets. obviously a clog in the fuel line or the like.

i monkeyed with the fuel line and disassembled the chassis of the stove to fully clean the gentle beast. reassembly happened, but fire did not.

now here it is spring camping season once again and i am going to give it another go on getting the stove up and running. let's see what happens...

month lapse

may 2009 will remain in history as an official month of blog silence. i wish that i could say that it was in protest for thus-and-such or in respect of this-and-that, but the first mute cycle of the moon since the inception of this vehicle for public display has no such attributes.

alas, summer is nearly here and time continues to fly. brief recap of the elapsed time: work, work, work, md & s in for visit, j rossi in for visit, ma & pa w. in for visit, jason & justin in for visit.

the coming weeks hold a few weekend get-aways with dave & jen--both camping trips: one to the south; one to the west, backcountry-style. should be a grand time on both respective trips. the trip south also holds a hot spring in the cards. giddyup.

ahh, yes...peaty goodness

my quest for understanding the complexities of single malt scotch has brought me back to revisit an old friend, laphroaig. after deliberation and analysis, i have decided that this is one of the finer single malts for my palate.

in particular, i relish the leathery, earthy, pungent richness of this cask strength whisky. the smokey peat deliciousness fills my senses with warmth and satisfies many a sensory cell.

in addition, i have now become an international land owner once again.

subaru problem

so our neighbor rapped on our door this evening to tell us that the exterior lights were still on on our automobile. i graciously thanked her for the warning and a. begins to tell me that she thought she noticed this earlier in the day as well, but after checking it out it appeared to be sunlight transmuting the tail lights. alas, as dusk rolled in, the sunlight was no longer the culprit.

i monkeyed around with the lights in a deductive series of flipping on and off buttons, yet to no avail. odd thing was that only the parking lights were lit, and not the headlamps.

this is obviously an electrical issue, so i went inside and grabbed a manual and wrench. i pulled the positive cable off the battery, thinking that what ever had triggered the parking lights to stay on could be reset due to losing the electric charge. no dice.

i then started muttling through the fuses, as perhaps a fuse could have blown leading to a malfunction in the electrical system. again, no dice.

we had tickets to a movie and were short on time, so i disconnected the battery cable again to preserve the life. the walk to the theatre plagued me with troubled thoughts of frustrated curiosity and a sketched game plan of how to remedy this issue.

once returning home tonight, i decided to run a quick google search or two and see what turned up for the query "subaru parking lights staying on." i proceeded to load the first 5 hits in tabs and curse through them, which all said the same thing...there is a parking light switch on the steering column that was, in most likelihood, mistakenly hit and the cause of the unwanted illumination.

humiliated by user error, but overjoyed by the reconnection of the battery cable and flick of a switch to finally solve the problem. thank you, internet, for your infinite wisdom.

slippers

i like to wear house slippers. it was a commonplace practice around my house as a kid, but fell out of standard practice after moving out. a couple of years back, i rekindled the love for cushy foot comfort and procured a pair of indoor footware on sale after the winter season.

i usually stow my slippers once spring comes and there is always a bit of surprise when i re-discover them when the seasons begin to change for the cooler each fall.

i park my slippers by the door, awaiting the retreat from work each day. at night, i unsheathe my feet and leave the cushy pair resting at the foot of the bed. each morning, sliding my sleepy feet back into the friendly treads with a soothing sensation washing over me through the seemingly mundane experience.

thank you, dear slippers, for the joy you bring.

dirty miso

one of the finer simple dishes is life is miso-shiru. a staple item we ate several times a week in japan and hit-and-miss around the house since then.

one of the twists that we usually take on the standard variety (seaweed and miso broth with carrot, tofu, and scallion bits) is a lil' somethin' we call dirty miso. to this end, we take the basic recipe and litter it up stew-style--mushrooms, noodles (soba or rice), broccoli, daikon, hijiki, celery, apple, etc. you get the picture.

it still remains a very simple deelish dish with a wholesome goodness that you can feel nourishing your every cell. giddyup.

jug head

growler for the growler. :)

wonka-riffic

there is a local candy shop that plays willy wonka and the chocolate factory on repeat in the back of their store. wonka is not only a wonderful film, but also stars one of my personal favs, gene wilder.

brilliant

we've been watching a good deal of league of gentlemen recently...

damn funny stuff. somewhat reminiscent of mighty boosh in this segment...

tofu kimchi taco, eh?

intriguing article on a korean-mexican fusion mobile food cart. there are a number of things about this that sound compelling to my taste buds.

great minds pondering nature

 

most beautiful hot dog stand

one of the finest hot dog stands that sells vegan soy dogs and tempeh burgers sits within the beautiful views of the flatiron mountains.you can get them loaded down with hot peppers, multiple mustards, and pickled-this-and-thats.

twitter feedback

who uses twitter?

soliciting your feedback, dear reader.

goto-shi, nagasaki, japan looking for change?

in '02-'03, a. and i lived in goto-shi, japan. a beautiful, rural archipelago located in southern japan, situated a 4-hour ferry ride from the mainland and close to south korea.

the two of us made up 25% of the foreign population.

as one can imagine, this experience was very revealing, humbling, awe-inspiring, and life-changing.

our apartment was located 1/4 mile from the modest downtown of a city of 25,000. it was a 10-minute bike ride to the west to hit the green mountains and a 10-minute bike ride to the southeast to a secluded sandy beach for a sea of japan reprieve.

the island we lived on, goto-jima, also hosted ironman japanif you are training and looking for a good challenge, i'd highly suggest it.

catching up on some of their current local happenings, i couldn't help but notice a similarity in their city flag to another iconographic symbol we have come to know...



hmmm...

condolences, ricardo

kaaaahnnnn!

west coast field trip

 

5.5 hours in berkeley, california equates to a vegan escapade! breakfast from herbivore is pictured here. soysage biscuit, homefries, and a tasty side salad. deelish.

then came a bag of organic vegan donuts--honestly they were sub-par.

fine vegan gelato in the flavors of blood orange and bosc pear. delightful.

we finished off by visiting sarah kramer's fav vegan resta, cha-ya, which serves up all vegan japanese fair. quite a treat.

all in all, i accomplished the goal of tasting the local eats and acquiring a bit of a stomach ache from belly expansion.

berkeley has some fine haunts for the vegan-inclined.

snowy flatirons

do they rust when the snow melts?

holiday cheer

this holiday season, a and i found ourselves behind the wheel of our trusty japanese-engineered steed for the 700 mile trek across the shit state of nebraska to the icy iowan tundra.

our kitty cat went along on the adventure, too, and was quite pleasant company.

we caravaned on the way out with our friends jen and dave, who were making the drive all the way to ohio for their family convergence. we had walkie-talkies and developed a handle, "burrito tampon."

the drive was numbing across the straight plains. i detest the flaccid state of nebraska and, on this trip, have broken my vow to never trek across this asinine allotment of land. for shame.

alas, we had a very nice time visiting @ "the land" house with ma, pa, and snv. our time with extended family was brief, yet packed with smiles and joy.

the days flew by like well gin in a college bar and we soon found ourselves strapped into the subaru chariot once again.

our travels reprieved nearly as soon as they started as we stopped in on the rossi clan in w. dsm, ioweegia for a short spell. we caught up with them on a walk with q. she is getting bigger and developing quite the personality with her big rosy cheeks and bright eyes. hugs, a few laughs, and jasmine tea with the rossis before we ventured back to the striated white lined concrete.

nye found us dozing on our couch before 8pm. a relaxing evening on a uber-hyped holiday, we saw the omnipotent ball drop for mtn time zone and whisked off to our pillows.

today has served as yet another day of rest, only venturing out to the mailbox as tiny tidbits of snow twinkled down this afternoon.

breaking the shackles with a few days off is a welcomed respite for this dedicated industriously productive worker.