Updates

First, I got a new grill! Just a basic 18 inch Weber charcoal grill - that's all I need. Andrew helped me pick it out. Our first meal with it was lamb burgers w/ mint salsa, which were okay but not as good as the first time we made them w/ meat from the U of I meat lab. Last weekend someone at the farmers market had ground goat meat. I think it was from this place, and I got a kick out the fact that they had a photo album of their farm animals. It's nice to know my goat got to frolic in a beautiful green meadow before it was slaughtered for my enjoyment! And it was indeed an enjoyment: these goat burgers were better than the lamb ones (which we bought from Whole Foods):





The eggplant, potatoes, arugula, and tomatoes are also from the farmers market.

Second, look what my sweetie gave me for our sort-of-two-year anniversary (July 4):



He's so romantic! Even if he doesn't own a vase! That was a fun weekend despite the rain all day on the 4th. We had sun on the 5th and went running and canoeing with the buffalo and ate lots of sushi.

And third, check out my new wheels:




It's a Trek 7.2 FX hybrid, and I love it! Little wonder when you compare it to the piece of shit that it replaced:



So I was riding to work on the stupid piece of shit and I was about a mile from home when it broke down in the weirdest way. The rear brake somehow got caught between the tire and the rim, and I could not budge it out! Also, some other part of the brake partially shredded the tire and pushed it partway off the rim. The rear wheel was completely stuck and wouldn't turn, so I ditched the bike, ran home to get my car, shoved the piece of crap in the trunk, and drove to work. Later as I was yanking it out the trunk the brake finally freed itself from the tire.



I'd been wanting a new bike for a while now, so I bought one the very next day. Test rode a couple at our local bike store, and they fit great, rode smoothly, and the price was right ($489), so I figured why wait any longer. I'm excited to try it out (so far I've only ridden it the 3 miles home) at a Habitat for Humanity 17 mile bike ride tomorrow and then a 3 hour ride in and around Umstead State Park on Sunday. Yay!