Tonight's Menu: Grilled Tandoori Chicken with Rice Salad and Roasted Tomatoes

In the oven or on the grill, this is one of my favorite combos. The chicken and tomatoes have just a bit of a kick (spicy, not hot), and the rice salad makes a great left-over for lunch the next day.






Grilled Tandoori-style Chicken
Rice Salad
Grill-roasted Cherry Tomatoes

1) Grilled Tandoori -style Chicken
(Adapted from The Best of Fine Cooking Grilling)

1.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp curry powder
1.5 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne

2 Tbs oil
3 Tbs red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 2lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 Tbs chopped cilantro

Mix all of the powders in a medium, non-reactive bowl. Heat the oil in a pan over low heat. Stir in the spices and mix until the bubble, about a minute. Return the spice and oil mix to the bowl and stir in the yoghurt and vinegar. Add the chicken thighs, coating evenly. Put aside until you’re ready to grill, or cover and marinate in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Throw the thighs on the grill and cook until done, depending on your grill and preferred grilling technique. Personally, I’m sold on Mark Bittman’s method of cooking the chicken over indirect heat for 12-15 minutes, then finishing over a hotter flame. Read more here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/13/dining/13mini.html?emc=eta1


Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

2. Rice Salad, from the New York Times Mark Bittman:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/302mrex.html?ref=dining


3. Grill-roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Use the recipe from our cookbook, but instead of using a pan and the oven, wrap the tomatoes in foil and grill over indirect heat for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice. Be careful folding you foil — make sure you have a tight package that won’t leak, and leave some air in the foil packet

Motivation via ridiculous investments

My brother runs a couple of marathons a year. He usually gets on a pretty tight routine, ramping up the miles, mixing up LSD runs with speed work, and on race day he's right where he needs to be.

But sometimes, real life gets in the way, and he doesn't feel like getting up that extra hour earlier than normal, just to run by himself in the dark. Or after a long day, kids' soccer practice, projects around the house... he just can't bring himself to hit the road after all of that.

So what he does is a time-honored tradition among weekend warriors: he drops a load of dough on the most overpriced piece of gear he can find, and then he leaves it out in the open so that he has to look at it all of the time.

You drop $150 on running shoes, and you're not going to let them gather dust in the closet.

Of course, this is only really necessary if you're at the end of your rope. Me, this year I'm going for the ascetic, monk-like approach. I started the summer with new bike tyres, and I'm not going to add another thing until the first snow, I've promised myself. There's a small rip in my ten year old seat bag — I duct-taped the seam from the inside and it's as good as new. Repaired my shoes with Shoe-Gu, so they'll last another 2-3 years. Felt like my cleat/pedal connection was a little messed up, and REI had Crank Bro pedals on sale. Lordy, they were tempting, but instead of buying new, I tore everything apart and repacked the bearings, lubed everything, and I'm pretty sure they'll last another couple of years. Best of all, I got a flat, and instead of replacing the tube, I patched it up and put it back on. Of course I did it wrong, flatted again, and had to do it all over. But even still, saving that one tube has a grace all unto itself.

So choose your poison. Even though the two methods are diametrically opposed, they both work.

Embrace Your Inner Geek

Embrace Your Inner Geek

If you are exercising, and you don't know that you are exercising, do you get the same benefit as if you were doing the exact same amount of work but under the supervision of a personal trainer?

Maybe, maybe not.

A while back, a Harvard psychologist conducted a study using hotel maids. Despite the high level of physical exertion required for the job — hauling vacuum cleaners around, carrying linen, and lots of walking — very few of the maids felt that they got any exercise. Without changing their work requirements, half of the maids were told how many calories their daily efforts burned. The other half were kept in the dark.

Only a month later, the first group had lost weight and dropped their blood pressure, while the other group remained constant, even though both were doing the exact same amount of work.

That's the power of getting techie with your program.

You can hop on the treadmill, turn on the TV, and phone in a workout, and you'll burn X calories.

Or, you can hop on the treadmill, hook up the heart rate meter, log in your miles and speed, and the studies show that your body will respond to an exercise placebo effect: you'll think you're getting a better workout.

Two ways to accomplish this:

Without spending a dime, you can start writing down your workouts. Miles, minutes, distance, effort level. Lots of folks use a heart rate monitor, but studies have shown that simply rating your effort on a 1-10 scale can be as just as useful. Keep a log, and periodically tally up your numbers.

But sometimes that's not enough motivation, and in those cases, you have to whip out the plastic and buy the shiniest gadget you can find.

For instance, you can get a bike computer for around $30. That will tell you speed, distance, elapsed time, lap speed/distance, and max speed. But is that geeky enough? Because for five more Benjamins, you can upgrade to a GPS-based system that will track your entire route, tell you elevation gain, average climbing rate (VAM), power output, cadence, and a whole bunch of other functions. You'll spend so much time analyzing data, you won't have time to ride.

Geekiness doesn't have to be electronic or computer-based. You can buy running shoes with crazy insoles or support mechanisms. It's amazing what you can spend on a softball bat these days. And super hi-tech wicking, cool-max, dri-fit, polar-tech duds always work.

The key to success is that the item needs to make you think about your work-out. Technology becomes the anti-iPod: you are not tuning out the world, but instead tuning in to your pain or effort. Think about exactly what you're doing, analyze it, over-analyze it. Make it a conscious effort to improve.
Now get out there.

Tips from the Pros

Sure, there are thousands if not millions of websites guaranteeing you fabulous abs or whatever... but how many of them feature the kid sister of one of our classmates?

Kathy Kaehler, Personal Trainer and Exercise Guru
http://www.mastertheshift.com//

VeloTunes

Workout Music

This is a touchy subject for some folks. Most trainers say, if it helps motivate you, go for it. But there are some who say that critical parts of your workout need all of your mental energy. You need to pay attention to your pain, feel the effort, and think about what you're doing. In other words, a distraction from your base miles is good, but a distraction from your skill development (speed or power workouts or technique work) is not so good.

Shhhhhhh... don't tell the battalion safety officer, but I've been road biking with my iPod. I know, I'm like the last guy who wasn't riding with one. And I'm still kind of a wuss about it. I got a non-stereo, single ear bud thingy from Radio Shack, because I can't set the iPod to mono, so I only keep it in one ear, so i can still hear traffic. But still, that would be a 4C or a 15-and-15 or something if I got caught on post doing that.

But it's working. For base mileage workouts, it makes 2-3 hours just disappear.

So here's what I've been listening to lately: my Velo Tunes list.


The Old Apartment Barenaked Ladies Spectacle (Live)
One Week Barenaked Ladies Stunt
Got To Get You Into My Life The Beatles Revolver
Central Reservation (Ben Watt Remix) Beth Orton Central Reservation
Resignation Superman Big Head Todd & The Monsters Beautiful World
Broken Hearted Savior Big Head Todd & The Monsters Sister Sweetly
Rat Race Billy Idol Devil's Playground
Sherri Billy Idol Devil's Playground
Cherie Billy Idol Devil's Playground
Atom Bomb The Blind Boys Of Alabama Atom Bomb
Demons 4:31 The Blind Boys Of Alabama Atom Bomb
Badlands Bruce Springsteen The Essential Bruce Springsteen
The River's Gonna Run Buddy & Julie Miller
Shadow Stabbing Cake Comfort Eagle
Love You Madly Cake Comfort Eagle Adult
Sly The Cat Empire Two Shoes
The Car Song The Cat Empire Two Shoes
Sol y Sombra The Cat Empire Two Shoes
Party Started The Cat Empire Two Shoes
Saltwater The Cat Empire Two Shoes
The Rhythm (Bonus Track) The Cat Empire Two Shoes
Cruel & Gentle Things Charlie Sexton Paste Magazine Sampler 19
Beat's So Lonely Charlie Sexton Pictures for Pleasure
My Brilliant Feat Colin Hay My Brilliant Feat - Single
Timothy Dada Puzzle
9 Crimes Damien Rice 9
Rootless Tree Damien Rice 9
Dogs Damien Rice 9
9 Crimes (Demo) Damien Rice 9
Warehouse Dave Matthews Band Recently
The Crane Wife The Decemberists The Crane Wife
The Island The Decemberists The Crane Wife
Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) The Decemberists The Crane Wife
O Valencia! The Decemberists The Crane Wife
The Perfect Crime #2 The Decemberists The Crane Wife
Sons & Daughters The Decemberists The Crane Wife
After the Bombs The Decemberists The Crane Wife
Peace Frog The Doors Morrison Hotel
Missing (Todd Terry Remix) Everything But The Girl Amplified Heart
Notice Gomez How We Operate
See the World Gomez How We Operate
How We Operate Gomez How We Operate
Hamoa Beach Gomez How We Operate
Girlshapedlovedrug Gomez How We Operate
Charley Patton Songs Gomez How We Operate
All Too Much Gomez How We Operate
Candy Iggy & Kate Pierson Brick By Brick
Kid Fears Indigo Girls Indigo Girls
Shed Your Skin (Tom Morello Remix) Indigo Girls Rarities
Thin Line Indigo Girls 1200 Curfews
Queen Of The World The Jayhawks Smile
(In My) Wildest Dreams The Jayhawks Smile
Coma Girl Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros Paste Magazine Sampler 7
The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around
Matter Josh Joplin Group Usefull Music
Camera One Josh Joplin Group Usefull Music
I've Changed Josh Joplin Group Usefull Music
Love Vibration Josh Rouse 1972
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine The Killers Hot Fuss
Mr. Brightside The Killers Hot Fuss
Smile Like You Mean It The Killers Hot Fuss
Somebody Told Me The Killers Hot Fuss
All These Things That I've Done The Killers Hot Fuss
Andy, You're a Star The Killers Hot Fuss
On Top The Killers Hot Fuss
Change Your Mind The Killers Hot Fuss
Believe Me Natalie The Killers Hot Fuss
Midnight Show The Killers Hot Fuss
Everything Will Be Alright The Killers Hot Fuss
When You Were Young The Killers Sam's Town
Read My Mind The Killers Sam's Town
Send Down The Rain Majek Fashek Spirit Of Love
Extreme Ways Moby 18
Dashboard Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Fire It Up Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Florida Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
We've Got Everything Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
People As Places As People Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Invisible Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Crystal New Order Get Ready
Ceremony New Order Singles
Perfect Kiss New Order Singles
Shellshock New Order Singles
Bizarre Love Triangle New Order Singles
True Faith New Order Singles
1963 (Edit) New Order Singles
Round and Round New Order Singles
Regret New Order Singles
Crystal (Radio Edit) New Order Singles
Baro Nil Lara
I Will Be Free Nil Lara
Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair (Jaffa Remix) Nina Simone & Jaffa Verve Remixed
Barcelona Nights Ottmar Liebert Nouveau Flamenco
Spanish Dancer Patti Scialfa Artist's Choice Emmylou Harris
Tony Patty Griffin Flaming Red
Long Road Patty Griffin 1000 Kisses Alt-
Home And Dry Pet Shop Boys Release
Love You 'Till the End The Pogues Pogue Mahone
Don't Stand So Close To Me The Police The Very Best of Sting & The Police
Voice Of Harold R.E.M. Dead Letter Office
Star 69 R.E.M. Monster
Texarkana R.E.M. Out Of Time
Meadowlake Street Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Cold Roses
Somethin' To Believe In Shawn Mullins Beneath The Velvet Sun
N.Y.C. Steve Earle El Corazon
Copperhead Road Steve Earle Essential Steve Earle
The Revolution Starts... Steve Earle The Revolution Starts Now
Desert Rose Sting The Very Best of Sting & The Police
Joyful Sound String Cheese Incident Outside Inside
Way Away Toad The Wet Spet Bread And Circus
Fly From Heaven Toad The Wet Spet Dulcinea
Crucify Tori Amos Little Earthquakes
A Sorta Fairytale Tori Amos Scarlet's Walk
Fast Car Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Folk
Even Better Than the Real Thing U2 Achtung Baby
Ultraviolet (Light My Way) U2 Achtung Baby
Beautiful Day U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind
Walk On U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind
Vertigo U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Lack Of Water The Why Store The Why Store
Put the Message In the Box World Party Goodbye Jumbo
Diavolo In Me (Devil In Me) Zucchero & Solomon Burke Zucchero & Co.

'87 Fitness Challenge

Classmates and Fellow Almost Senior Citizens,

The "1987 OCWS Money Talks Fitness Challenge" came to me in a blinding flash of the obvious.

I'm at the doctor's the other day, nothing serious, just a physical to start the school year, and after they stick an insta-read thermometer in my ear, they ask me to hop up on the scale. Well, I haven't done much hopping lately, side-straddle or otherwise, but I comply to the best of my ability, and the way the dial starts spinning, I expect it to come up 7-7-7 and start spitting out tokens. When it finally comes to a rest, the number looks more like something associated with a new BMW coupe than the number of pounds that a human should weigh on Earth.

"I'm sorry," I say, "it must be set on 'metric' or something. Should I try again? Maybe if I take my shoes off we'll get a better number. Plus, I just ate, right before coming over here... Thanksgiving dinner, that is. With Grandma's famous lead-based gravy."

"Let's talk about lifestyle choices..." the doctor says to me in a concerned voice.

My dad always said, there are only two ways that we learn: pain and money. You touch the hot burner on the stove top, and you quickly learn not to do it again. You buy the latest gadget from Ronco after watching the three-in-the-morning infomercial, and when you see your Visa bill, you wonder why an inside-the-egg-scrambler seemed like such a good idea at the time.
But combining pain and money... now, THAT's the ticket. Especially if both are going to a good cause: getting back into fighting shape and helping our class gift campaign. And personally, money never fails as a motivator, especially the part about giving it away. Lose a pound or lose a dollar... if you're like me, you'll see me at the gym, on the road, on the track, or strapped to some contraption with an oxymoronic name like "Lifecyle" in a heartbeat.

For those of you like me, I am proposing the first (and I'm hoping, the last) 1987 Money Talks Fitness Challenge. (Last, I hope, because we're all going to make it stick.)

I am proposing that you set your own weekly goals for a 12 week program starting on 11 Aug. Your goal could be pounds, percent body fat, 5K run time, or any measurable goal. Everyone sets their own goals, so do what you want. Then, commit to doing whatever you have been saying for years that you should be doing. Every week that you fail to meet your goal, you pledge to donate $20 or more to the class gift campaign. Set whatever amount will motivate you. My goal is to stop the slot machine wheel by losing a pound per week or it will cost me $20.
As the class fund raiser, I hope to make no money for the class gift. I would prefer to see us all get in better shape, preferably something other than round. If you would like to participate, you are on your honor, but I would like everyone participating to share your stories, so that I can compile a submission for a future Assembly article detailing number of participants, pounds lost, miles ran, or any other quantifiable goal, along with dollars raised.

To avoid any potential lawsuits, I advise anyone who has not exercised for years to consult a physician before you begin your program. And please, no wagering!

So as to not overwhelm the open mailing list, please share your goals on the forum

usma1987-forum@west-point.org


or on the class webpage. I'm not sure how to use this, but I promise to have my 11 year old daughter explain it to me.

Our Country We Strengthen

Jim Glackin
USMA '87 VP

Dr Allen Lim's Rice Cakes

I've seen this recipe in a bunch of places, but here's the video to talk you through it.

Dr Lim's Rice Cakes


It's also laid out here in the New York Times if you'd like to write it down.

Happy trails!

Ommwriter

Get it here:
http://www.ommwriter.com/

Music:

http://www.herraizsotoshit.com/clients/ommwriter/songs/ommwriter_music1.mp3
http://www.herraizsotoshit.com/clients/ommwriter/songs/ommwriter_music2.mp3

Inconceivable!

You keep using that word...

New Year's 2006

I’ve been back from New Orleans for about a week now and still haven’t completely decompressed, but really need to get a word or two down on paper before this year fades away, and while my recollection is merely foggy and not completely gone.

Towards a quick catch-up on what I’ve been up to lately, I’m just going to throw this re-run at you. The Readers’ Digest version is that I spent the better part of November and December working with the US Army Corps of Engineers, mostly at the district headquarters in New Orleans, with some time at the FEMA HQs in Baton Rouge, on you can guess what.

I tried to keep track of my thoughts as they hit me, but at exactly the half-way point, the plan fell apart. Partially due to the hours, partially due to the environment, and partially due to a bad flash drive, I literally and figuratively fried the ol’ memory bank. Losing track of time isn’t unusual for me but still, doesn’t really help with the end-o’-the-year recap efforts. So all I can offer up at this point are the bits of left overs at the "News from NOLA" link below.

This year, for the first time since we got married, Michele and I spent Christmas at our own house. We had decided on that before the Katrina deployment came up, and we had made some tentative plans to travel and see family and friends in October and November as a gesture towards keeping the coal and sticks out of the stockings come December. Since I returned home from New Orleans just a couple or three days before St Nick’s midnight ride, it was a good decision, because traveling was the last thing on my mind. Ninety percent of the homesick bug was remedied by breakfast at my own kitchen table, a stinky dog beating my leg with his wagging tale, catching up with Michele, wondering what that crash in the other room was, and all of those things associated with being home again.

But still, it was hard not spending more time this year with the rest of the family, the parents and brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces, and not just the physical presence of blood relations but the whole familial gestalt, the catching up and passing around school photos and watching a hockey game or soccer match and all of that family stuff. Compound that with a overwhelming absence of snow or anything resembling a Rockwellian Christmas, we’re all left itching just a wee bit to hit the road again.

And it’s not just the two legged folks in this house that feel that way. On Christmas Day, I caught Zo’ tearing into the bottom of his chew toy bin, eschewing the favorites on top as he dug into the pile for a squeaky rubber toy from days gone by, toys we hadn’t seen in ages. While Michele and I were exchanging presents, Zo’ would run into the room with some old thing that we’d assumed he had destroyed years ago. He’d lay there chewing on it or tossing it in the air, then run off and come back with yet another. Now, Zo’ loves a good chew, favoring 10 mm climbing rope but settling for just about anything that will withstand his 1400 psi incisors, but this morning he looked especially blissful as he savored the textures and resilience of an old rubber bone or ball or tether, no doubt remembering good times from days gone by.

Anthropomorphic? Sure, whatever. That’s a discussion for another time, over the adult beverage of your choice. But the point is, the sense of family, of community, the recollection of good times and bad, and our pursuit of not merely having a good time but of sharing one at this particular time of the year, that sense is as measurable as the wind speed or snowfall or barometric pressure. So to those of you who are lucky enough to live within shouting distance of your kin folks, consider yourself envied.

And on that note, I’ll let you get back to the affairs of the day, after first wishing you only the best in 2006, wherever it happens to take you. If that route passes through any of the 12 counties and 18 area codes that make up Atlanta and vicinity, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Until then, happy new year and may everyone wake up with shortbread on their front porch.

Best to all,

Steve and Michele and the rest of the zoo