Hail to the Chief

Pic of the Week

The end of the bike path.  Took a little ride this morning and it was a perfect day.  There is a bike path along the beach and this is where it ends.  It's about a 36-mile round trip from my apartment.  Took me about 3 and a half hours with a snack break here.  

What's going on?

We have a new president!  Cue the collective sigh of relief. I know not everyone agrees with his politics, or even thinks he's a decent human being, but you have to admit it's nice to have someone in the white house who at the very least believes in science. 

These pandemic weeks are all starting to blend together.  Ya know?  Since Monday was a holiday, the weather was unbeatable, and I had nothing going on, I decided to take the ol' paddle board out again.  This time I went for a good couple of hours and it was a delight.  

The rest of the week was...entirely uneventful. I did find out that I qualified for unemployment, so that'll be nice until the work opportunities pick up again. Other than that, I'm trying to get outside, not stare at a screen too much, and continue to wear a mask.

What I'm watching

Can't necessarily recommend this one to everyone, but it was delightful fun. Kind of a mish-mash of 80's over-the-top horror, power rangers, and bizarre comedy. 

What I'm listening to

This week's episode of the Criminal podcast features Sister Helen, a well-known nun who has found herself at the forefront of the death penalty.  She shares some incredible perspective here.

What I'm reading

This is the second book in the Shadowshaper series.  It's about a girl in the Bronx who can put the spirits of the dead into artwork.  Pretty good read.

What I'm cooking

Couple of recipes caught my eye this week:

Broccoli Soup with Mac and Cheese.  This was actually really tasty.  And a much healthier option than just a giant bowl of mac and cheese, while still delivering that comfort food feeling.  I made enough soup for two meals, but only enough mac and cheese for one.  The next day I added sauteed mushrooms and zucchini and a little chicken apple sausage to the soup and it was equally delicious.

Rice Cooker Pancake.  Stumbled on this beauty on Instagram. Basically, you make pancake batter and put it in the rice cooker, then set the timer and go about your business.  I did mine in my Instant Pot and it was a little smaller, both because I have the Instant Pot Mini and because I did a smaller recipe, but it was tasty.  It does take 45 minutes to cook, so for me just making a stack of pancakes would be a lot faster, but it is nice to set it and forget it.  I think I might try a bigger one this week.