Well, it’s over. The first thousand, that is.

I would be listening to this:

but Natalie is napping and I think Olivia would say it is too loud.

Goal for 2008: at least 1,200. Maybe 1,600.

I went for a brisk 10 mile ride today down to the Avenue and back. It started to rain 2 miles into it a bit. I cursed weather.com, but it didn’t last. Small drops of rain every couple miles and generally very snowy feeling out… it would be nice to see some flurries tonight.

Anywho, now I’m just 5 miles from my goal! Olivia wants me to do those 5 in the basement so she can ride on her 12 inch Mongoose that I rigged up on an impromptu “trainer” — She says it hurts her feelings that she can’t go with me on my long rides outside.

So, the big plans for new year’s eve: 5 miles on the trainer then maybe hit up Barnes and Noble and spend the rest of a gift card I received. I’m thinking about picking up this book:

by Charles de Lint. I’ve never read him, but it looks pretty interesting.

Having said that, I think I’m done with Sword of Shannara. It just sucks, that’s all. Two sentences instead of one to describe the exact same thing seems to be Terry Brooks’ mantra. Still makes me wonder why I liked it when I was a kid…

Well, happy eve of new year’s eve!

You might want to try Yogi Tea’s Green Tea Kombucha:

Kombucha is supposed to cleanse the body of toxins. Personally, I just like the smooth, sweet minty flavor of this stuff. I don’t drink more than one cup a day, because Kombucha is supposedly hard on the liver.

Disclaimer: Don’t use if you are pregnant or nursing. Also, there has been a fair amount of controversy surrounding Kombucha. Here is an article on the CDC site. My understanding here is that the folks adversely affected by Kombucha in these cases were brewing it themselves using kombucha mushrooms.

Here is a snippet from the report regarding commercial Kombucha production that I found reassuring:

“FDA has evaluated the practices of the commercial producers of the Kombucha mushroom and has found no pathogenic organisms or hygiene violations (5). However, because the tea is produced under varying conditions in individual homes, contamination with pathogenic organisms such as Aspergillus is possible. When prepared as directed, the pH of the tea decreases to 1.8 in 24 hours. Although this level of acidity should prevent the survival of most potentially contaminating organisms, tea drinkers have reported molds growing on the Kombucha (CDC, unpublished data).”

Yesterday, I received the new Rockler catalog. It’s an awesome source for all things woodworking. Nonetheless, I was rather amused/disturbed to find this in it:

Well, I guess if your future-minded and a woodworking enthusiast, this might be of interest. Anyway, I thought it was a wee bit bizarre… They also sell an individual casket plan and plans for pet caskets. Cutting edge?

Outforaride.com lets you map rides and calculate mileage. I mapped this route yesterday, then went out and rode it.

I stopped in a work to blow my nose and re-fill my bottle. All-in-all, it was a pretty nice ride.

Now I’m at 985 miles!

The question is, do I repeat it today and finish up for the year or try to hit up the NCR… Right now, in the recliner with a big-ass mug of coffee and listening to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, neither one seems too appealing

Oh yeah, I got 2 gift cards to iTunes for Christmas. I picked up Ted Leo, an older Neko Case, Sea Wolf, and a live NIN album (I needed to hear some of the stuff off Pretty Hate Machine — and that isn’t available on iTunes).