Monday, June 3, 2013

Fueling

My brother invited me to the Rockies game last week, and I got a free t-shirt!

This is the design on the back of the shirt. Since this is the 20th year of Major League Baseball in Colorado, the Rockies are celebrating various epic events and milestones from the team's history. This silhouette captures the gesture of elation made by Dante Bichette when his extra-innings homer brought victory in the first ever game at Coors Field.

Do I need more t-shirts? No, I do not. I have an entire closet full of them...and every race I enter contributes one more. But this one's purple, and it is good to have something to wear to the few games I do get to attend each year.



My condo complex held a "Pool Opening" party over Memorial Day weekend. I've been in that pool only a couple of times in the 4 years I've lived here; there's no real point in swimming when the pool has no lane stripes, right? And besides, there are usually people there during the summer, and I have my reputation as a curmudgeony hermit to protect.

But they were handing out free burgers and hot dogs. This changes the equation. Perhaps it's from having parents who grew up during the depression, or perhaps it's the fact that I am easily seduced by the scent of grill smoke...but I rarely turn down a free meal (especially when there's outdoor cooking involved.) The HOA staff did the grilling, and there was no line to wait in. I grabbed myself both a burger and a dog, smothered them each with mustard, ketchup, and more onions than was prudent, and plopped myself down on the pool deck to enjoy the treat.

For some reason, I had it in my head that the invitation had also mentioned something about ice cream, but this turned out not to be the case. Other than the meat, buns, condiments, and lemonade, the only other option was a bag of Doritos. Still, not bad for a free meal within 70 yards of my front door.

Other than the entertainment value of watching a couple of chubby kids dive for a submersible action figure of some sort, there wasn't much going on. Once my plate was clean, I saw no compelling reason to stay. Though I didn't have ice cream at home, either, at least I did have Oreos.

Neapolitan Oreos!

It's easy to think that the only progress in the world today is being made in the areas of cell phone apps, vehicle dashboard displays, and clever characters for insurance company commercials...but apparently the innovators at Nabisco are continuing to push the boundaries of food design.

Three ornate vanilla cookie slabs held together with layers of both chocolate and strawberry creme; this is an idea that works on various levels (no pun intended.) I have not yet read any serious athletic magazine reviews of this triple-decker's nutritional value, but I'm guessing that its strength is as a recovery fuel. So, until further data is in, I'll plan to just snarf down a few dozen after any long run or bike ride. Strawberries are known for being rich in antioxidants, chocolate is a well-known brain enhancer, and vanilla comes from a type of bean...so its vegetable energy credentials are solid. I am sure that nutritionists everywhere are frantic to leap upon this particular bandwagon.

I'll share any nutrition data I find, of course. But in the meantime, I will have a couple of other events upon which to report. One is our big summer swim team party, featuring the BBQ skills of the talented Leif Oines. The other is the Foothills Feat triathlon, for which I made a last-minute decision to volunteer. I have some photos to share, along with observations about the delightful people attending these events. Stay tuned, eat healthy, and have a great day!

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