2 February
2017
2 February
2017
That was my running track yesterday…
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I had an interesting running track. On my left was a sharp drop of 100 feet in to the beach below. On my right was the railway track. Ever so often one of those double decker Caltrain trains would speed by. And in between the edge of the cliff and the railway track was enough space – filled with stones to stabilize the tracks – for me to run along.
The stones were a little painful. But the constant watch out for an approaching train and the staying safely away from the sheer drop was enough to keep the mind focused away from the pain. Just when I was wondering how stupid the whole idea might have been, I came across another runner from the other side.
She must have been as relieved to see me as was I. She spontaneously high fived me as we stepped aside a little to make space for each other. One of those “runner” highs, no doubt. That said, I shall try to keep these kind of runs to a minimum.
2 February
2017
5K by Solana Beach
It was going to be a long drive from San Diego to Long Beach, CA. A two hour drive is not normally long – but then you have to adjust for another twelve hours because of a parking lot in southern California fondly referred to as Highway 405 🙂
I knew what was going to delay me further. I cannot drive up the coast without taking breaks to take in the beauty of the ocean. And knowing me, if I could find myself a strip of land along the ocean, I was going to put in a run.
When I left the parking lot in San Diego, Anand was kind enough to hold my car back as I ran to a hotel restroom to change into running clothes. And then dropped him at the airport and started the long drive.
Barely half an hour later, GPS let me know that there was an accident in front of me and traffic was backing up. That was all the excuse I really needed. Exited the highway and headed west and soon came upon Solana Beach.
Beautiful (albeit cloudy) views from the top of 100 feet sharp cliffs. And there was enough space between the railway track that ran along the cliffs and the edge of the cliff to squeeze in a 5K run!!
31 January
2017
From the bartender’s corner – Malfy Gin and Ginger
This would be the end of my experimentation with the Malfy Gin from Italy. I was wondering how ginger would go with the lemon in the gin. While researching if anybody had tried this before, I came across an interesting blog by a husband (Andrew Purcell) and wife team (Carrie Purcell) from New York City – “Pictures and Pancakes”. (http://picturesandpancakes.blogspot.com/). He is the photographer and she is the food stylist. This gin and ginger cocktail here is adapted from their creation.
2 oz of Malfy, 1 oz of ginger liqueur and topped up with ginger ale.
Both Sharmila and I really liked how it came thru.
29 January
2017
From the bartenders corner – Malfy Martini
29 January
2017
From the bartender’s corner – French 75 with Malfy Gin
This drink usually has London Dry gin, sugar, lemon juice and champagne. However since Malfy Gin is overwhelming with lemon nose and flavor, I skipped the lemon juice. The make it an all Italian affair, I even went with a champagne from Italy (Martini and Rossi). Here is the irony though – the name of the drink is French 75!!! To do some justice to the “French” part of the name, I served it in a Dom Perignon flute.
The nose id predominantly lemon (the lemon peel garnish accentuates that). The juniper and botanicals come thru very late and the flavor of lemon is quite subdued by the champagne and the syrup. Very enjoyable drink.
28 January
2017
That 12 mile run completes the quest for 100 mile month.
27 January
2017
This will surely surprise you!
While studying up about gin, I started researching the consumption patterns in the world. The first thing I wanted to know is which is the country that consumes the most gin in a year per capita (per person). The research led me to a country that I would not have guessed even if my life depended on it. That made me curious about other alcohols and then subsequently, non-alcoholic drinks. The answers will blow your mind. Try this for yourself. (The year signifies which year research data I could get to in the internet).
First, without Googling, take a shot. And then see how close were you. For the answers, just click the following link that will take you to the answers. http://www.rajibroy.com/?p=12555. Also, if you find statistics from later years, please send them my way…
Which country drinks annually, on a per person basis, the following:
a. Gin (2012)
b. Beer (2014)
c. Rum (2012)
d. Whiskey (2012)
e. Vodka (2012)
f. Wine (2015)
g. Tequila (2012)
h. Milk (2014)
i. Tea (2014)
j. Coffee (2014)
27 January
2017
Answers to the previous quiz
a. Gin : Phillipines!!! (Say what???)
b. Beer : Czech Republic
c. Rum : India!!!!!!
d. Whiskey: France (what?????)
e. Vodka: Russia (ok, this I get)
f. Wine: Vatican City (this also, I can understand)
g. Tequila: US (not Mexico!!!)
h. Milk: Finland
i. Tea: Turkey (very surprised it is not China)
j. Coffee: Finland (most years) / Netherlands (2020)
24 January
2017
Running in the dark
Running a little behind my target to hit 100 miles this month. Went out for a 10K run in the dark. The high winds felt good on the face but was a little worried if a twig or a branch or a whole tree fell on me. But I was not worried about getting run over. For the first time, I was able to use Neel Chatterji’s gift of the reflective vests. No doubt, Ram Narayan would notice that the shirt and shoes still match in color 🙂
Never run much in the dark. Enjoyed it. Probably need one of those miner’s lamps on the head. Stepped into a couple of puddles without meaning to.
