joys of the week, ep.14
Holy moly, do I love cake.
Saturday was J’s birthday and we celebrated with a very lowkey day. Pandemic life has us limited on activities as is, but the weather didn’t cooperate for any outdoor activities – rainy, gloomy, windy conditions aren’t great for tossing around the baseball or walking around the city – so we stayed indoors and worked on a puzzle for a big fraction of our waking hours. I bought him Ramen Otaku by Sarah Gavigan as a gift, and was pleased that he seems rather excited to sift through it. J is into the concept of mastering ramen, and this present was a very out-of-the-blue idea I conjured on Thursday night. Thankfully, it arrived on time!
Little selfie and a sneak peek at the cake recipe coming in the next couple weeks!
In less exciting Amazon news, a book I bought for myself got delivered to the wrong address. I walked around the building across from me to see if it was waylaid on any of the doorsteps there, to no avail. I’d wanted a book for awhile since I love reading but have no idea what’s good nowadays – seems the market is riddled with random celebrity autobiographies in which I have 0 interest – but I perused a snippet of the one I ordered and was intrigued. I thought the saga was lost to a happy ending UNTIL whoever originally received the book delivered it to our doorstep! A very happy surprise, indeed.
Do you have any books you’re loving right now? I could use some recommendations, excepting anything that’s an ooey gooey romance or horror.
Upcoming on VE
Training week recap on Monday, an easy creamy pasta on Tuesday, crispy tacos on Wednesday. Boom boom boom. Thursday we either share cake or cookies – I honestly haven’t decided which! – and Friday we cocktail with a creamy St. Paddy’s Day boozy bonanza. Saturday is pizza day, and Sunday, as always, we bring up some happies.
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Joys of the Week, Episode 14
1. Saris H3 Trainer
J forked out for a brand new trainer since the old one was warping and pretty much shit anyway, and holy wow it is SO wonderful! For one, I now have power numbers I can use to create more accurate work zones. The H3 is a direct drive trainer, which means the back wheel comes off and saves a lot of wear and tear on the rubber. It’s also a hell of a lot smoother and less noisy than the old fluid trainer. Turns out, at least for now, my cycling VO2 Max is identical to my running VO2 Max. So I’m equally mediocre in both sports! Woohoo!
2. Garmin Forerunner 935
I learned quickly that my old Forerunner 235 couldn’t sync up with power meters, so that immediately rendered my old running watch moot when it boiled down to cycling on the H3. I invested in the 935 as a replacement and LOVE it so far. The heart rate monitor seems much better and the multisport functionality will make it quite useful for my swimming and whatever else I sneak myself into.
3. J’s birthday
I am honored to have passed three of my favorite human’s birthdays in his company. I somehow avoided spoiling any of the dinner and dessert I planned for the day! During the cake baking I shunned him completely from the kitchen and hid the completed product on its stand beneath a towel, and a loaf of bread I stuck in the laundry room for its overnight rise. He was too enrapt in the puzzle we were finagling with to notice any other projects I chopped and stirred. We pretended to be at a restaurant for the dinner, even dressed up a touch, and from what I could tell he loved the food and was pleased by the effort. I wish I could’ve done more for him, he deserves every morsel of anything good I can offer. Having the chance to be with him, though, is more than enough for me.
4. Swirled Blueberry Lemon Coffee Cake
Yo. This coffee cake is stunning and you should bake it ASAP. I love me a good crumb cake and this one was well-loved by J, coworkers, and friends to which I offered up a slice. Find the recipe here!
5. Bamboozle Fresh Rolls
We’ve a delightful Vietnamese cafe a couple minutes away, and we got fresh rolls for takeaway and had a mini truck-bed picnic on the neighboring island to watch the sunset. I ordered an ahi tuna, garlic mushroom (I am mimicking that shit in a recipe soon because YUM), and bbq jackfruit, each with its own dipping sauce. Peaceful evening and delicious food, something a little different for a Friday night!
That’s it folks! I’ll see you tomorrow and many days thereafter. Share one good thing that happened to you this week. Or several, the more the merrier!
