My cup of tea

This morning I had plans to go for a ride... It was 26 degrees when I woke up. So we decided a weather delay was in order. No riding unless it is above freezing. This is a big change from my 50-degree-rule of a year ago. The main reason I can make that change: Pearl Izumi soft shell gloves. It was still a cold, cold ride.
We started out with an espresso at a local coffee shoppe. It was not well made. That was a shame. But it was warm, caffeinated, and large. Awesome. Then we started the ride with a few hills that warmed us up quick. 20 miles and roughly an hour later I was back in my kitchen eating some steel cut oats. In case you haven't discovered the all purpose rice maker, it is amazing. Here are (not rice but) steal cut oats:
1 C steel cut oats
2.5 C water. Just estimate something a little over a 2:1 ratio
1 apple
Sprinkle with some cinnamon
Handful of raisins.
Put them into the rice maker, PROP OPEN THE LID (a butter knife laid across the top works well) and turn it on. It will be ready when you finish your ride.


An organic Pai Mu Tan white tea. I love this tea. It is a delicate, slightly sweet chinese white tea. It doesn't have the smokey or vegetable water flavors of some of the other green or white teas. I don't know quite how to describe. It is not a florid palate with hints of currants and blackberries and a tanniny finish. It is just a fine, exceptionally delicate cup of tea. It does not stand up well to other flavors so I generally drink it alone. And I never serve it to anyone who is going to put milk and sugar in it.


And, yes, that is my cup of tea.
And I'm ready for my next ride this afternoon!

Finishing up ism

How much can one really be expected to study?

I have no intention of answering this question. Every time I document the amount of time I spend studying, it is always dizzyingly high. Now that I am in medikel skewl, I treat each test as though it were finals week in undergrad. Now, three days before my final test, that intensity is waning. Don't get me wrong, I have already put in a few solid hours and two more half-hearted, distracted hours today. But, for all intents and purposes I am on my summer vacation... and foolishly studying in a place where they are baking cookies... en masse.

I have a hard time studying in the library, or study rooms provided. I am nearly incapable of studying at home (ironically, it is easier for me to sit in bed and study than to sit at my desk). So, I am a coffee shop studier. Which is odd because I feel that coffee is the bane of western society. Coffee, itself, is only a gateway drug which leads to espressos, lattes, latte art, frappafrostymadoos and before too long you find yourself with a nose ring, hip-hugging-skinny-jeans, listening to alternative music and staring at your fixed gear bike wondering how you, from a good family with a good life, went so wrong. And then, you write a poem and put it to a few guitar chords. That, I believe, is technically rock bottom. Consider yourself fortunate if you are reading this wearing addidas pants, an addidas windbreaker, addidas shoes, and an addidas headband while sipping an espresso wondering who won the Liverpool Chelsea match last night. You have chosen the alternate pathway, and while it may lead to social isolation, the rehab process is much easier and does not usually involve removing tattoos.

Of course, drinking tea can save you from that horrible fate (I would be remiss if I did not point out that tea drinking can lead to organic foods, yoga, steamed vegetables, and other culturally unacceptable forms of expression).

I must return to studying the brain, after all, that prefrontal cortex is not going to learn itself... or perhaps it is. I haven't gotten that far yet.