Some nights ago, I woke up in the wee hours to feel what seemed like an alarmingly large index finger poking me in the chest, as if someone were determined to change my mind about something. It turned out to be Hammett’s whole front arm. A good portion of the rest of him was entirely under me, but he was still alive.
Two Fridays ago, Tom and I went to see Hairspray, I for the second time. He liked it, too. Then we had Thai food at Bangkok 16 on 16th St.
That Saturday I attended the first part of the League of American Bicyclists’ Road I class, a prerequisite to their League Cycling Instructor seminar.
The class was held in the Presidio, and I managed to get lost on the way there. It was a good thing I’d brought a map along. I rode into Golden Gate Park, turned right, and exited the park, thinking I should be heading north.
But looking to my right, I saw something that looked strangely like the Panhandle, which should have been behind me. “Wow! A whole park I’ve never seen before in my 25 years here,” was my first thought. “That is the Panhandle. What’s it doing there?” was my second.
It was a gloomy morning and the ride was longer than I thought and I was kind of dispirited when I finally got to the Presidio. I went down the big hill and the radar said I was going 37 miles an hour, and then the sun came out and it was an absolutely beautiful day and I was right on the water looking at the Marin hills and then I was happy again.
The class was good. It was taught by John Ciccarelli, who reminded me in appearance a bit of David Strathairn. John Ciccarelli said to figure out what part of the road isn’t safe to ride on—e.g., the door zone—and don’t ride there.
I asked, “What if someone is driving right behind you, honking their horn nonstop and screaming and swearing?”
“So what?”
“It’s frightening. You don’t know if they’re going to run you over or what.”
He said you need to distinguish between a lack of safety and a feeling of discomfort. That struck me as having applications well beyond cycling. I feel uncomfortable when the motorist behind me is enraged, but I am less safe if I start riding right next to parked cars so the motorist won’t be angry.
Of course, if there is going to be a long stretch of this, it’s perfectly fine to decide to pull over and let the impatient one go by.
John ended up giving me some good information via email for the bicycle commuting proposal I was putting together at work. The proposal was due the Monday right after the class, so I met him just in time.
Lisa M. had called the day before the class to say she was going to be in the city on Saturday, and did I want to get together? She said she was coming to town to do the Beach Impeach, where a lot of people go to the beach and form the word “IMPEACH” with their bodies. As it happened, the Beach Impeach was right next to where my class was, and both events were ending about the same time.
In the evening, she and Tom and I saw 3:10 to Yuma. When it was over, Lisa, thus proving she had missed the entire point of the movie, said, “Russell Crowe is gorgeous.” Ach! No, no, no! Christian Bale is gorgeous.
Just to be sure, I asked Stefano at Vertical Clearance when I went in for my latest haircut (“I’m going for a Bay City Rollers look”).
“Important question: Russell Crowe or Christian Bale?”
“Mm, Christian Bale.”
“That’s the correct answer.”
On Sunday I made Millet and Chickpea Pilaf with Saffron and Tomatoes from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which is serviceable—canned beans are kind of yucky but cooking garbanzo beans in order to end up with one cup or so would be rather arduous—and Lebanese Navy Beans with Tomatoes and Onion, which, with the oil quadrupled, is very good, except that the beans themselves were a bit gritty. I think I’ll use some other kind of light-colored bean next time.
Lisa C. liked one of the recent dishes I mentioned. She wrote me this: “I wanted to tell you I made the Black Bean Ful recipe you recommended from Sundays at Moosewood. Great tip! It was absolutely superb with grilled wedges of radicchio (grilled on the stovetop grill pan with a light coating of olive oil); the bitter greens made the beans taste even better, and vice versa. Do try it if you like radicchio or other bitter greens; you can just sear the radicchio in a regular frying pan if you don't have a grill pan.”
I’m slightly embarrassed to say I have never bought or prepared radicchio, but I did buy a pepper grinder for work, so I feel I should now qualify for foodie status.
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