Ⓥloggings


I had some horrible news last night. After deciding to ride my only day off this week, I wanted to attempt another live blog. I’m not too sure if I’m totally feeling it today. I’m gonna go about this as a draft. And then let my blog explode on everyones face at once, if it works out alright.


 It’s 10:00 am central time and I’ve missed my original departure time of 10:00. I’m ready to go, though. Apologies for that unconscious rhyme breeze from me’s. It’s 10:15 and I’ll be on the bike by 10:30.


It’s 10:52 and I’m in a great small town of Utica, Illinois and it’s getting hot, my feet are going numb again, and my back is sore. Ever since I switched to clipless peddles, my feet get numb and hurt. To counter those effects, breaks are needed with walking and stretching. It could very well be the cleat position.


Due to a poor state and incorrect priorities, a washout has been ruining the I & M Canal for years. And because of that washout, I just had to basically almost commit suicide taking a busy Dee Bennett speedway to surpass the stupid washout. I’m talking cars going 60-70 mph in a 55. There’s sometimes a small shoulder, but usually not.


After murderous Dee Bennett Rd, I decided to not ride as big as I had dreamed. I also swallowed a bug while on Dee Bennett Rd. It is never fun riding 30 ish km/h and confusing yourself with regurgitating or swallowing this damn bug in your throat while pedaling and trying not to swerve and get hit by a speeding vehicle. I washed it down with water and rode on. #RideOn


In 2011, I was traveling home via Amtrak and read that my last grandfather had passed two days before christmas…. In 2015, i found out my paralyzed uncle who is a doctor of psychology passed by reading also on Facebook. I hate Facebook. I hate most of my asshole Facebook friends and they probably hate me. I was convinced to delete Facebook until my cousin added me today, throwing my plans completely. My new plan is eventually unfollow everyone. I’d like Facebook more if I could decide more what I have to view. I do not wanna see 100 kids before their first day of school. I do not wanna see lame jokes that people find super hilarious. I want Facebook to go back to my early twenties. Be funny, be crazy, be sexy.


  
 I rode to Ottawa, Illinois. I decided to pickup a couple of beers and attempt to go through the washout. The Dee Bennett Rd completely destroyed my ride as it almost does my life every time that I am on it. I picked up a Fresh HopWired IPA by 8 Wired Brewing Co. out of New Zealand. I’ve had a few of their beers in the past and all have been better than good. And same deal with this one. Unfortunately, other countries cannot top most of the USA’s IPAs. We have it figured out. I also picked up a Trade Winds Tripel by The Bruery. Trying to get back onto the I&M Canal, I was going to make a left turn, so I was awaiting my turn in the middle of the road (my lane) and a truck behind me started honking at me.. A bicycle trying to go left on the left hand side of the lane?


 I flipped that asshole off. When riding on the right side of the road especially turning left with traffic behind you, is an accident waiting to happen. Cars try and hurry by cyclists instead of slowing down. It is our duty as cyclists to put ourselves in danger in trying to get vehicles to notice us and slow down. THEY DO NOT LIKE IT, usually.


 Passing Buffalo Rock, basically the last point of upkeep and civilization moreover, was a feat on its own without even talking of the washout. One, it was muddy. Two, the bushes and grass were overgrown. And three, there were numerous trees down. Trying to ride through those conditions are almost impossible, confusing and tedious. I say confusing because I’d rather ride than walk my bike. Having clipless peddles and shoes on are not very convenient in that situation. I had my left unclipped basically the entire time to be ready to stop because of all of the debris. I found a stretch of clear path and itching to peddle hard, I fully clipped in and rode for a good minute. It was 12:44 and I ran into another downed tree and I slowed almost completely, went to put my left foot down and climb over probably the 20th downed tree and BOOM, I was still clipped in.


 I walked through the washout and continued on. I was all muddy, bloody and thirsty. I cracked open the IPA and continued walking, tree hurdling and drinking. A jogger passed me and said, “maybe they’ll fix it one day”, I replied “I doubt it….” That was most of my riding experience. I did BYOL!


Bring Yo Own Lunch = #BYOL

  
I chose to bring Nuts and Ⓥurritos.


Last week I made a Mexican concoction and have been slacking to consume the massive pot. I’m going to try my best to remember what exactly is in it. It is very good, just haven’t been exactly in the mood for it lately. Tomorrow, I plan to make Vegan Burgers out of the remaining concoction. I have been totally listening to this band, Native, lately. They are so good.

Native (live)

I actually took this video on 10.19.12 in Dekalb, Illinois via iPhone 4S.

Yesterday I learned that “&” had a freaking name.


Mexican concoction ingredients:

  • Brown Rice
  • Lentils
  • Split Peas
  • Potato
  • Carrot
  • Scallions
  • Cilantro
  • Eggplant, iThink
  • Onion
  • Japonica Rice
  • SeaSalt/Pepper/GarlicP/OnionP/Cayenne
  • Parsley
  • Pinto Beans


Things that PISS ME OFF:

  • Police patrolling a park via car/SUV
  • Vitamins that contain LACTOSE?? WTFFF? (What The Fucking Flying Fuck)
  • Dogs that uncontrollably bark, should not be allowed outside without owner presence.


I basically overcooked everything a bit because I knew I was gonna make Veggie Burgers. If police are going to enter a park where vehicles are not allowed, THEY NEED TO GET OFF OF THEIR FAT ASSES AND HOP ON A BICYCLE. And I would’ve never thought that I would have to check ingredients in Vitamin C in being Vegan.


Ⓥeggie Burger ingredients:

  • Mexican Concoction
  • SeaSalt/GarlicP/OnionP/Pepper
  • Sriracha/BalsamicVinegar/PeanutOil/Honey/Broth
  • Go Veggie! “Cheese”, non-dairy
  • Corn Starch


This time around I cooked these patties at 250 degrees F for 12-15 minutes before upping the temperature to 325 degrees F for another 10. I usually love the burnt flavor, but for these the texture is not good when overcooked.


As for these Ⓥurritos I made for BYOL Friday, here we go.


Ⓥurrito ingredients:

  • Mexican Concoction, heated with Seitan, Broth and Corn
  • Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
  • Cilantro, finely chopped
  • Scallions, finely chopped
  • Sunflower Seeds, shelled obviously
  • Guacamole
  • Sriracha
  • Tortilla Shells, Large

Easiness:

Mix everything up and wrap burrito-like. Grill both sides and wrap in foil and enjoy. Unfortunately, I did not capture any photos of the finished product. Not sure what I was thinking. (I actually just found a pic of a similar Ⓥurrito that I made)


 This was the start of my Facebook status, letting people know that I was gonna be deleting. Not sure what I’m gonna do.

-Unfortunately, my love and respect for animals does not carry onto most humans. Most of you are fucking horrible people and complete assholes. Not to say that I am not in that same group. As a species overall, we fucking suck. I do not care for most of you and most of you do not care for me. I’ve finally got big enough balls to peace out of this Facebook world that is basically a disease anyway. Social media is great and I still love it, but Facebook is no longer for me. I am in no way suicidal, but Jesus fucking Christ, this feels like social media suicide.-


It’s almost September. Have a good Week! Enjoy life as best as possible while taking good pictures! And seriously, go for a bike ride:)

Bologna Rigatoni

VeggHead BeerCyclist 3.03

Bologna Rigatoni
It Saul Goodman
Yesterday was a partial total failure. My plan was to ride a bike outside and make my pasta. I did not do either. I was a little tired and hungry after work. And a majority of my winter cycling clothes were left in the wash for over 24 hours. I washed the load again and later hung them out to die. Do Not Dry your cycling clothes unless you’re drunk. 

I did drown myself in Lagunitas’ Sucks whole quart UnaBomber. I did not die. It is always a euphorically delightful DIPA. My liver died a little. Also, one quart is 32 ounces. All of those ounces equate to only ¼ of my recommended daily percentage of alcohol, but what can ya do. Lagunitas opened a brewery in Chicago that I cannot wait to visit and terrorize calmly. Try it if ya can.
One thing that has always pissed me off and strangely boggles my mind and my heart. What is with these Japanese Beatles or lady bugs. I love how my phone corrects both “japanese” and “beatles” as it should be because of the threat level significance. They just keep appearing. And flying drunk? I do occasionally leave empty beers in my sleeping quarters and sometimes trap these thugs in Kleenex and put them into an empty bottle. I think they’re that sneaky and annoying that they escape and continue their mission of pissing me off. Last night I caught three and put into an empty water bottle basically as an experiment. Do they need oxygen? What do they eat? Will one eat the other two? Will they die? Will they escape? 
And they all seemed very much alive inside the water bottle this morning. I threw them away and didn’t give them the chance of a respectable recyclables burial. Like the annoying buggers they are, they will be smashed at least once with the garbage and invaders that they are. 
I watched Big Top Pee-Wee on Netflix. I have this obsession with going into my IMDb app to check out a bit of info on there while I miss part of whatever I’m watching because I’m not a multitasker. It ranks that movie less than 5/10. It was corny, funny and overall a 6 in my opinion. Yeah, ok. Tim Burton directed Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure in his debut directing gig and it was definitely better than Big Top Pee-Wee, but Big Top is definitely watchable. It has Benicio Del Toro and Screech in it to name two actors. I am sleeping with Netflix. 
A few interesting Vegan or Vegetarian people I came across inline online:
Gandhi 
Hitler
Forest Whitaker 
Paul McCartney
Herschel Walker
Tom morello
Christina applegate
Elizabeth Berkley
Kevin Nealon
Sarah Silverman
Eddie Vedder
Rob Zombie

It is supposed to be icy today. Ice and bicycles don’t usually mix. Even FatBike tires show a weakness to ice. If I go for a ride it will be solo and it’ll be earlier than later. I guess I never ever ride alone because if zero humans ride with me I jam those earbuds close to my brain. It’s not the safest thing to do, but it always sounds better than wind. I do toggle the volume and sometimes pause the wind. Traffic is danger. And danger is bad only when you’re on a bicycle. 

Perhaps a beer r(un)ide 

Cold wetness is not good. Snow is much tolerable. No go on a ride. I put my Garmin Edge 1000 and NightRider Lumina 700 on their USB and left them charging on my little charging hub. After changing a few settings on the Garmin, its battery life is outstanding. I do not use the three sensors that it came with and turned off the Bluetooth. With all of these things going if was if my Garmin had a battery life of ten hours. It did never die on me, but I did shut her down after I completed my century ride. I didn’t record some km, but nothing was missing from my data. 
I made some killer food today. And ate it to my lonesome while watching the latest episode of Better Call Saul, an outstanding prequel to Breaking Bad. And it’s shaping up to be better than breaking bad. CHECK IT OUT
I did get a few ingredients from my grandmother before her trip and I was told the plastic film had cauliflower, but it was actually cabbage. Which I’ll try and save for St. Paddy’s day at Paddy’s Pub. Did you know that it is always sunny in Philadelphia? No cauliflower, but the Brussels sprouts were the main ingredient anyways. 
I made an experimental Baked Potato and a pasta that I named Bologna Rigatoni. They were a bit time consuming, but I impressed myself. 

Experimental Baked Potatoes
Baked Sprouty Spuds ingredients:
-Potatoes, stabbed with fork
-Brussels Sprouts, roasted
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne/Onion p/Garlic p
-Avocado Cream
-Corn, roasted
-Cheese, grated
-Garlic, sliced and lightly roasted
-Fresh Dill for garnish 
Avocado Cream:
-Sour Cream
-Avocado
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Cayenne/Garlic p/Onion p
>Mix
Steps:
-Make Avocado Cream and refrigerate
-Bake Potatoes at 375 for 75 minutes
-You do not want to over cook the potatoes
-If everything is prepared, it is a waiting game and good beer drinking time
-When potatoes are baked enough, give them some Visine before taking them out where everyone can see them
-Cut them In half longways leaving the skin to keep both halves attached. 
– I them placed on parchment paper, potatoes open and broiled cooking while adding color at the same time, remove when done
-Add cheese generously and broil again, melting the cheese nicely, yet meanly
-Now just top
-I put Avocado Cream, Roasted Corn, Garlic, Brussels Sprouts, more cheese and garnish with dill. ENJOY with AMC’s finest programming.
This Will Destroy You
God Is An Astronaut 
Explosions In The Sky

Bologna Rigatoni ingredients:
-Non rinsed cooled Rigatoni
-Brussels Sprouts, prepped for surgery and then halved longways
-Garlic, diced and roasted sliced
-Onion, big chunks
-Corn, roasted and lightly season
-Butter, REAL
-Dill, fresh chopped and a garnishment
-Potato, sliced 
-SeaSalt/Pepper/Garlic p/Onion p/Cayenne
-Cheese, grated
-Carrot and Celery, diced superbly 
-Oil and Rice Wine Vinegar
-Thickening Agent

Organization and preparations:
-I first prepared the Rigatoni noodles. I boiled them stirring constantly like eight minutes maybe nine. I decided to not rinse the noodles which changes the noodles compared to rinsed noodles. I do not know the correct term, but it leaves the starch. I under cooked them a little under al dente because they need to cool and until the cooling process is finished they still cook. I put them in the freezer away from anything else for 3-4 minutes before putting them into the refrigerator until I needed them again. They turned out very well. As I confidently expected.
-Cut everything and discard the shit
-Toss potatoes, Onion and Brussels Spouts with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper
-Put on parchment paper and bake 35 ish minutes at 350*
-I removed onions when I flipped potatoes and then turned oven to 425*
-Combine Butter with Dill, SeaSalt, Pepper, Garlic p and Cayenne and simmer barely 
-Add butter to lightly caramelized diced Garlic, Celery and Carrots
-Throw in some Dill and Dill ‘Em All
-When butter is melted and your veggies are close to be or are done add enough flour or corn starch to thicken 
-Add Rigatoni and get warm while seasoning
-You can do whatever ya want. I topped the pasta with cheese or throw it in with all of your roasted goodness 
-Live a little, enjoy! 
I read on Twitter that the drinking age will change back to 18 this summer. Is this true or one of those hoaxes?
I just realized it should be BEETLES. Good day.