The Crash

"You will crash." I've been total this a couple times since I've started riding. "It is inevitable if you ride a lot. Everyone does it at some point." When I first started riding, I was down right petrified of falling. And seeing as I could barely stop properly or clip in my shoes without toppling over, I had every right to be. However, over the past year, I've gotten more confident and less paranoid about falling. Maybe it doesn't have to happen me...

So this Sunday, we had just finished climbing and Mark was having me pound the flats. Mark and Glen have been my unofficial cycling coaches since I started this mid-life crisis triathlon mania. And can't thank them enough. I've definately come a long way on the bike and Sunday was no exception. I could tell I was riding the best I ever have on that trail.

We were on a the River Mountain Trail Loop, which is a road bike trail, but it also has it's fair share of pedestrians in certain parts. It's not unsafe to get going pretty fast on the trail, as we are unsually the only ones on it. But of course, we always slow way down when we see a pedestrain and call out to let them know we are coming.

So that's how it was. I was going about 30mph and there was not a soul in sight and Mark was right behind me telling me I could catch up with the rest of the group, push a harder gear... Then I see this guy on a skateboard. He's off the trail. I'm not sure what he's doing. Then suddenly he jumps on the trail, not facing me, in my lane of traffic. This is not good. I yell out "On your left!", start to brake, and pass him on the left. Please, just stay where you and everything will be fine. But I'm going really fast, and this guy is oblivious. I could see the ipod headphones in his ears. Then he jumps on his skateboard and slides into the left lane. OH SH*T!!!! I've got nowhere to go. I'm off the trail. I'm in the rocks. He's still moving to the left. I'm going to hit him. BAM! I feel myself slam into him. We're flying through in the air together. I'm gonna hit the ground soon. This is gonna suck. I'm really gonna get hurt. BOOM! Thud. Ugh. I felt my body hit the ground, then my head. I jumped up. And...I was fine. Oh my God. I'm alive. I'm ok. I walked over to the skateboarder who had landed just a few feet away. "Are you ok?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Dude I'm so sorry. Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine too. Wow, are you sure you're ok? Are you hurting anywhere?" He showed me his hand which had a small cut, and one of his knees was a little scraped up. But other than that, he was indeed fine, and walking around. I apologized that I didn't have any wipes or bandages to help clean up his cuts. I think after this, I'm gonna start carrying some on my bike.

By this time, Mark had gotten over to us. He seemed just about as shocked as we both were. And kept asking over and over again if we were ok. After we established again that we were, miraclously, unharmed. I looked over at my bike. It looked ok. But the handlebars were bent up and one of the shifters had been torn clear off. "Can I ride it back to the car?" I asked Mark.

"Yeah. I think you should be fine. But it's definately a little busted up."

Better the bike than me. So the skateboarder and I parted ways after asking each other one last time if the other was ok and marveling at how incredibly lucky we both were. He started walking back to the neighborhood next to the trail, and Mark and I started riding down the trail back to the car which was only a couple miles away.

"Man, I just can't believe that crash! On a scale of 1-10, that was like an 11. I was scared to go back and see you. I thought you were gonna be torn up. And what the hell was that jackwagon doing riding his skateboard in the middle of the trail with those damn things in his ears? That just pisses me off. "

"It's ok. I'm fine. He's fine. That fact alone is amazing. I'm not mad. I'm just happy to be in one piece. This is the luckiest day of my life, honestly."

"Man! I just can't get over that crash. It was so high speed. You just plowed into him like a football player. You threw him into the air like chair at a picnic. (I had to laugh-what a great simile.) And then you just jumped up like it was nothing. You are tough."

"Yeah, too bad I didn't have a helmet camera on. I could have sold the footage to Jackass. And I'm not tough, just lucky. Very, very, lucky."

And I am lucky. When I got home, all I could find were a bunch of bruises on my right arm and leg. All in all, a miracle. No road rash, no broken bones, still had all my teeth intact. And the skateboarder. He wasn't even wearing a helmet. When I think of all the things that could have happened... Good God, we were fortunate.

So now I've gotten the inevitable crash out of the way. Hey, I've always done things in a big way. Hopefully, that will be my last time. Or at least my last time crashing at 25 mph.

Gloria Estefan - Oye (Rosabel's Cubarican Radio Edit)




Gloria Estefan - Oye (Rosabel's Cubarican Radio Edit)

Not true.

Abducted by a Portuguese space ship.

Taken to their pigeon leader.

We drank some Brazilian coffee

moved into this charming abode

And listened to Eurovision hits of the 60s.


" PEACE in the World, please" by Lucía, 5B



Hi Friends:
Do you like MY Photo???
For me,PEACE is Love, Friendship and NO Wars!!!
What is PEACE for you???


See you soon!!!!!!!

Heirloom Recipe Card Box


I've always wanted a recipe box, but I have yet to start the transfer from printouts to cards. It's just so easy these days to print a recipe or to keep them all stored on your hard drive that the idea of moving everything over to recipe cards seems like a daunting task. I would like to do it someday, though, and these recipe boxes from Rifle Paper Co. are exactly what I have in mind. They remind me of my mother's recipe box: wooden, sturdy, simple. At $125 a piece they are more than a bit pricey, but that's because each box is made by local craftsmen from locally salvaged hardwood (trees that were destined for landfills), so your recipe box will not only be totally unique, but also, a little bit, green. Click here for more info. {Thanks, Rose!}

" Happiness for everyone" by Federico, 5C




Hello, world!.
This is my post about PEACE. Next Monday, January 30th , we celebrate School Day of Non- Violence and Peace Day. To celebrate this day, I created this poster .For me, PEACE is Justice, Freedom , No wars , No walls and sharing.
SEE YOU!

''PEACE DAY'' by Alejandra M ,5C


Hi word!
Thi is my Peace post.What's peace for you?
For me Peace is no more wars.
Do you like my post?. HAPPY PEACE DAY, a wish from A Coruña.

"Let´s celebrate Peace Day" by David,5C


Hi!
For me, Peace is no wars, education, freedom and happiness. We celebrate this date at our school singing songs , making doves, reading Peace quotes and learning about famous peacemakers like Gandhi, Mother Teresa,The Dalai Lama...
Do you like my post?.
Do you like my photo?.
Be happy!.

"Peace for me"By Dani 5C.


Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace for me is freedom, happiness, no wars and no poverty.I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers ( Martin Luther King).I have a dream too. PEACE IN THE WORLD!.

" Peace is freedom" by Luís, 5C



Hello!. This is my post.It´s a Peace poster. What is Peace for me? It´s very difficult to say it. Peace is freedom.The “School Day of Non-violence and Peace” was founded in 1964.It is also known as World or International Day of Non-violence and Peace.
I wish HAPPINESS to all the children in the world. From a Spanish boy.

A tort and a chill


I highly rate this tortilla recipe. I also like the soundtrack. Just a nice combination of Spanish potato goodness and French ambient noise.


" What´s Peace for me? by Marta, 5A


I like Peace because :
there is no fear,
everybody is happy,
there is no war and violence,
children can play free.

I don't like :
crimes,
sadness,
poverty,
hunger
and pain.
in our world.

Peace is good!!!

Brazilians. They know how to party.

Words can't describe the pure joy of hearing this song last night, followed by the floor shaking, whilst brazilians danced the Tchan move for move and french people stumbled around with lamps on their heads.

Get me to Minas Gerais!!!

Tingz dat make u go Hmmmm.

Amazing German hand/baby bum cream.


The Serralves is the sun.


Song of the week.

Lyrical genius: 'Are you reaching for the knife? Could you really kill your wife?...Yeah, Yeah, oh Yeah...'

Sweet and morbid music from my favourite swede and the bird from 'Anything but the girl'.

Gloria Estefan - Oye (Pablo Flores Spanish Remix Radio Edit) (1998)

Gloria Estefan - Oye (Pablo Flores Spanish Remix Radio Edit)

" Peace is solidarity" By Óscar, 5 A


Hello, friends!

This is my Peace poster.
This is my message for the presidents from all the world: no more wars. We like living in Peace. We don't like wars. We like living in a happy world.The wars destroy the cities and the nature. We want a blue sky and a green planet.
No wars, no destruction, no violence,no weapons ,no poverty...! This is Peace.

" Peace is giving" by Rosalía, 5A

Hi everone!
I like Peace, I hate wars.I don´t like fights, I prefer love.
Love is fun and Peace is life.This is my post about PEACE. Peace is giving.
Have a nice Peace Day.
Do you like my poster??

"We want PEACE" by Antía, class 5 A



Peace Day is on the 30th of January.
Peace Day is an important day for the world because it´s a symbol for no wars, no terrorism, no discussions and ....Yes, for PEACE.
This is my Peace poster . There are two hands , the symbol of Peace and two doves.For me, Peace is loving friends and family.

Bye, Bye friends, and Happy Peace Day!.

"PEACE DAY" by Alex Buño, 5A




Hello, world!.
This is my post about PEACE. Next Monday, January 30th , we celebrate School Day Non- Violence and Peace Day. To celebrate this day, I created this poster .For me, PEACE is Justice, Freedom , No wars , No walls and sharing.

SEE YOU!

January 26th

Yesterday it was World Enviromental Education Day. We've got some activities related to this. Listen to this song and remember that we can do something to look after our planet:


We recycle the christmas tree and change it into a heart. FEEL GREEN and try to do the best for our enviroment: Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Switch off the lights, Close the doors,Don't use plastic bags, Save water,...

O 'Ahhh' do dia

Givenchy 2011 Couture. Dresses inspired by the Japanese dance Butoh.

I thought it would be a good idea to include a video of some Butoh here, it is however, extremely creepy. Even too kooky and japanese for me!!


Part Dung beetle part Crane.
Butch swan.
Wish, wish, wish.

"Winter is long" by Jaime, class 5B



A hat,a scarf
boots and gloves,
a jacket and a coat,
It´s very,very cold.
I´m drinking hot chocolate
I´m skiing,
I´m skating,
I´m making a snowman,
I´m playing with my friends,
in a long, long, winter.

Portraits

Self portrait.


Me as a banana.

A she wolf portrait I saw at Seralves.


Better go do some work. Hrrumph.

It's winter season!!!!!! by SaraM, 5C



It's very cold in winter,

I'm wearing two pairs of socks,

and my coat,

and my scarf.

The days are shorter,

I'm throwing snowballs,

I'm making a snowman too,

but atchoo, atchoo!

I'm sneezing!

It's absolutely freezing!.

Breakfast #35: Raisin Bread French Toast with Maple Butter Apples

title
In my foresight, I wisely did not promise to avoid posting recipes similar to each other this year. After all, having resolved to make more breakfasts and use more leftovers, I knew I would be spending many a morning with French toast. Not that I am complaining. Buttery-crisp on the outside, pillowy-soft on the inside, bathed in the syrup/compote/coulis/et al of your choice, topped with cream and/or fruits, smeared with nut butter or Nutella…It’s just the thing to have in the morning to set you right and make you believe in the intrinsic goodness of mankind. And it is the best way ever to breathe new and vibrant life into old, stale, depressed bread.

I never throw bread away. Aside from being loathe to throw any food away (even writing “throw food away” makes me cringe), there are so many uses for those retiring loaves that there is really no need to. You can cube them and turn them into croutons for soups or salads. You can toast the bread, break it apart, and stick them in your food processor to make bread crumbs. You can make bread soup (sopa seca to my mum). You can make bread pudding (still have to try my abuelita’s delicious recipe…soon!). And if it’s a dreary little morning that has you in need of a little cheering, and not much time or energy, you can make French toast.

Raisin Bread French Toast with Maple Butter Apples
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2-8 slices old raisin bread*
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • A generous pat of butter for the pan
- Make the maple butter apples. In a skillet that will fit all the apples in one layer, melt the butter. Add the maple syrup and stir. Add the apples and simmer until the apples are soft and the sauce is sticky, stirring occasionally. This will take about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk the egg and milk together until they are fully combined.
- Soak your bread slices in the milk/egg mixture for a half a minute on each side (I did mine in two batches).
- While your bread is soaking, melt a pat of butter in a non-stick skillet. When the bubbles subside, place your bread on the hot butter. Cook until golden brown and toasty then flip and repeat with the other side. Remove from pan.
- If your maple butter has separated just stir it vigorously until it becomes homogenous. Pour on top of your French toast with joy and abandon.

Not much time? Yes! French toast is ridiculously easy to make, and provided you keep the accoutrements simple, can even be whipped up on a workday morning. Here’s what you do: the night before, have your bread sliced and ready in a flattish bowl in the fridge. Measure the milk out in a jar. The next morning, crack the egg into the jar, twist the lid on, and shake until incorporated (like making a salad dressing). Pour egg mixture into the bowl with the bread, heat a pat of butter in a pan, and you will be ready to get down with some French toast in minutes!

Now, this recipe is not a work-week recipe. This is a Sunday morning recipe. A Sunday morning when you can take the time to enjoy the slow simmering of apples in butter and maple. When you can watch the glossy golden bubbles and smell the irresistible fragrance of melted butter, without worrying about unanswered emails and eye-numbing statistics. When you can nudge the apples into soft submission while reflecting on what is right in the world. The intrinsic goodness of mankind? Oh it does exist…especially over breakfasts like these. I think we could all benefit from a quiet morning with bread, butter and maple syrup don’t you?

*I love using raisin bread for French toast! With no extra effort on my part, I have a ready-flavored French toast infused with raisins and cinnamon. The amount of slices will depend on the size/diameter of your loaf. Mine was small, a jelly roll shaped loaf of about 3 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height and I could make 8 slices with this recipe. If your using a big loaf with extra thick slices (as my aunt likes to do) this will probably be good for 2 slices. Anything in between would make, well, anything in between.

Edible Art: Jell-O Town

I’m not a fan of Jell-O. I’ve never liked it, not even as a kid. It never really satisfied me as a dessert and, flavorwise, it has always struck me as boring, but Jell-O as an art form, now that’s something that I can get behind and artist Liz Hickok would be just the gal to do it!

Liz is a San Francisco-based artist who transforms Jell-O, the humble dessert of childhood, into fun, colorful cityscapes, complete with wobbly buildings and edible bridges. San Francisco, New York, Wilmington. Liz has constructed each one out of Jell-O. She’s even turned the fictional town of Twin Peaks into a Jell-O paradise, a fact that makes me love her even more.

PEACE JIGSAW

preview20 piecePeace

Ma che cazzo di freddo!

'Ma che cazzo di freddo' is Italian for: Its cold as a witches tit!

Here are some things I found in Guilmarães that say 'Bugger off'.

1. Spikes

2. Fortresses

3. Dragons


On the above blog I found these beautiful Anti-bullfighting posters.



On this sweet cartoon blog I found some amazing vintage pics of Tony the Tiger.




Today I learnt lots of vulgar italian.

Grazie Mari, tu sei mia muffa preferita.

x

WINTER TIME by Rosalia, 5A

WINTER TIME

A jacket, a coat,
trousers and jeans,
a jumper and a sweater,
a cardigan and a zip.

It's very, very cold,
and I'm throwing balls in the snow.

I'm doing a snow fight
and I'm feeling all right.

I like snow,
but it's absolutely cold !!

"I´m absolutely freezing" by David, 5C


What´s winter?.
A hat, a scarf, socks and gloves, a jacket, a coat, and lots of snowmen. This is winter.

What are you doing? .I'm playing ice hockey. I'm throwing snowballs. Atchoo! Atchoo! I'm sneezing. I'm absolutely freezing!

''Winter'' by Alejandra M. 5C


WINTER

A hat, a scarf, boots and gloves,
a cardigan and a coat.
winter is fun.

It's very cold in the snow.
I'm making an angel in the snow.
I'm throwing snowballs.
I'm playing hockey on ice.
I'm falling in the snow.
Winter. What a great fun!.

"WINTER IS HERE" by Carlos ,5A


A coat, a scarf ,
a jumper and gloves,
boots, socks,
and mountains covered by snow.
This is winter.

I´m snowboarding.
I´m skiing.
Atchoooo, atchooooo!
I´m sneezing
I´m absolutely freezing.

" A winter poem" by Oscar, 5A

The winter is cold,

I've got a snow ball.

I'm wearing two pairs of gloves,

the gas heating never is off.

Winter is cold.

I'm wearing many clothes,

I have ice on my nose.

In a winter day,

I never play,

Because it's cold every day.