Watching Olympic Downhill Skiing
Driving down the highway at 65 to 70 mph, you normally don’t think that if the car stops suddenly, your body would still be moving at 65 to 70 mph. I would never want to personally prove this fact, but watching the women’s downhill last night, convinced me it must be true.
The course was slick and tricky and six of these world class skiers crashed. I saw three that crashed near the bottom while going about 70 mph. I couldn’t believe the way their bodies kept moving down the mountain. 
They bounced hard on the ground and sometimes through gates. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries; but I have a new appreciation for these athletes.
Earlier this week I had a discussion at work with a few colleagues wondering how athletic some of the winter Olympic athletes had to be…think Curling. After watching the pounding their bodies take even when they don’t fall, downhill skiers, in my eyes are elite athletes.
A Zamboni Off The Ice
A Zamboni resurfaces ice rinks around the world. It makes the ice fresh and clean after being used by skaters. I have seen them numerous times, but only on the ice.
Last week while shopping at Costco, I got there at the opening after our recent snow, I saw a “Zamboni” in their store. Not for sale, of course, but being driven around the store. It must have been washing the floors as it put out a trailing water path, just like a real Zamboni.
I had to snap the picture quick because the driver was heading quickly to the back to put the machine away. I wonder what would happen to that machine if it headed outside to try to smooth over our most recent snow and ice?!
Easy Grilled Lobster
The Valentine’s menu that I typed up listed “Grilled Lobster”. Sounds fancy doesn’t it? Well, after all, I wanted to make a nice dinner for my Valentines. (Wife and daughter of course)
Here’s the sneaky secret, grilled lobster is easier to cook than a medium rare steak. I found 4 ounce lobster tails on sale and bought some. The only trick is that you need to cut, with kitchen shears, the under belly of the lobster tail. Once cut, it peels off along with the small fins. After that, I crack the back of the tail to loosen the meat a bit. After seasoning the meat with a little butter, and garlic salt; the tails go on the grill, meat side up, directly over the coals. In about 5 to 7 minutes the tails turn bright red and the meat looks white and firm. I then flip them for about a minute, meat side down, to finish them off.
The one thing I haven’t been able to master is clarifying the butter. I always want to try to do it, but then when push comes to shove, butter is butter and grilled lobster tail dipped in butter tastes as good with non-clarified butter as it does with clarified.
Washington’s Day Not President’s Day
I thought today, Monday, February 15th, 2010, was President’s Day. You know, a national holiday where the stock market is closed and there is no mail. Well I was WRONG.
Not about the part about the stock market and mail, but about there being a federal holiday called President’s Day. 
We all know that George Washington was born on February 22nd. His birthday has been a federal holiday since 1878. Back in 1968, the Monday Holiday Law was enacted, the law moved his birthday observance to the 3rd Monday in February. That’s it, there has never been a change to the law.
Now when I was growing up in Illinois, we always got off from school on Lincoln’s birthday. 
My dad got Washington’s. So I guess to be inclusive, people starting to honor both president’s on the 3rd Monday in February. I guess over the years, the day has morphed to honor all presidents. Nothing wrong with that.
But being precise, today is President Washington’s day. To celebrate I might just have to get a cherry pie. 
Yes, I know to be precise, ole George never really chopped down a cherry tree, but who doesn’t like cherry pie.
Winter Olympics Are Here
I remember in 1972, when I was just a kid, tuning into NBC around 10pm at night and watching huge snowflakes and the winter Olympics from Sapporo, Japan. I was fascinated by the fact that it was already the next morning in Japan and by all that snow they had. I don’t know it it was those games or when the US Hockey team won the gold in 1980, but I have always liked the winter Olympics more than the summer Olympics. It is more compact, easier to follow, and I love the hockey and oh yes all the snow. Which is pretty funny because this year Vancouver hasn’t had much snow. Maybe that will change as the games start and they can get some of those huge snowflakes and snowfalls that I remember watching way back in 1972.
New Cool Beach Chair
Fed up with our cold winter? Do as I did yesterday to temporarily forget about it. I bought a new beach chair for the sunny warm summer that is sure to come…..sometime…..hopefully.
Unlike the chair I have been using for the last 10 years or so, this one fully reclines….(more comfortable naps.) It also has a head rest, beverage holder on the side and a cooler on the back! Check this out.
The chair is not too heavy being made of aluminum. However when carrying it, my wife thinks I look like an astronaut, because it does have shoulder straps on the back. This way I can keep my hands free to carry an umbrella and cooler. But come to think about it, I won’t need a cooler since there is a mini one on the back of my new chair!
Snow and More Snow
My mom in Chicago said she got 12″ of snow, and she isn’t going anywhere. Wilmington, Delaware, and Washington, DC have now set records for the snowiest season on record. A lot of folks are wondering what is going on?!
Welcome to a return toward the norm. No doubt the last couple of decades have been running warmer than normal. Now, this winter will probably finish way below normal. A trend? I am not sure… I do remember growing up in the 70s, when people thought we were headed into another ice age, those winters were brutal.
I remember here, January of 1985, we had our coldest temps in the Triangle on record.
This winter is shaping up as one to rival winters of the past.
Did I mention that pitchers and catchers report in about a week. (If they can get to Arizona and Florida!)
Snow Disappears…
I found the flag and a bit of snow, all that was left of the snow fort that I built last week. I still see signs of snow in shady spots and in the piles that plows pushed up. But for the most part, pictures and memories are all that is left from our 5 1/2″ snowstorm from a week and a half ago.
A tank of gas though could change that. How? I could attempt to drive into the Great White North. Boy, Washington DC has been hammered with snow and more is coming. Here is an article with lots of pictures of the snow in the east, contrasting that with the lack of snow for the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Sounds like feast or famine. Speaking of feast, can you imagine how long my snow fort would have lasted had we gotten 30″ of snow like they did in parts of the northeast!?
Super Bowl Commercials & Food
I like milk, but I never heard of someone liking it so much that they are called a “milk-a-holic”. 
Well I learned what a milkaholic might be like by seeing the E-trade baby talking commercial, where the baby boy had a baby girl over for play, I guess. That was one of my favorite commercials from the Super Bowl. My family, in-laws included, thought it was pretty good also.
We also all liked the Dorito’s commercials, I thought the one with little boy who smacked was the funniest.
We all thought there were some weird Super Bowl commercials and the Bud Light one’s in general seemed a little lame.
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law (we watched the game at their house) had great food. No Doritos, but a great white bean dip, which after looking at the recipe, appeared very similar to hummus (which I have been trying to prefect at home). Instead of chick peas its white beans. Very tasty. I also kept myself to just one glass of milk with desert, wouldn’t want to overindulge and become a milkaholic!
National Weatherman’s Day
I never learned about it during my meteorology courses in college; but within the last ten years I have heard about Weatherman’s Day often. I don’t have it marked on my calendar, but I have had people come up to me to wish me a happy holiday.
Doing some research, I found out that this day is the birthday of John Jeffries. Who?! Jeffries was born on February 5th, 1744. He kept weather records from the late 1700s to the early 1800s and could have been one of America’s first weathermen. I wonder if he knew Ben Franklin, who seemed like a pretty important weatherman (and kite flyer) to me.
The Chapel Hill Rehab and Healthcare Center in Chapel Hill sent us some flowers for National Weatherman’s Day. I thank them as they brighten up another cold winter day. They did request though, that “spring comes soon!” I’ll defer to the ground hog from earlier this week. Here’s A Picture Of the Spring Flowers
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