Bummer

I met with a client on Monday night, and when our meeting was over I walked to the bike rack where my bike was locked, put my key in the lock--and it broke off. INSIDE THE LOCK. Well, this is pretty awesome, I thought to myself. I tried to get the broken bit off, but it was lower than the surface of the lock so I couldn't get any purchase on it. Fortunately I was not that far from my house, so I walked home.

The next day I called Kryptonite (the manufacturer of the lock) and they said they'd cover the locksmith's bill to get the lock off my bike. So I called a local locksmith and he met me at the bike. After trying all manner of lockpicks, pliers, etc., he said "it's time to get medieval" and he cut the sucker off. After profusely thanking the man (and paying $65) I rode straight to Recycled Cycles to get a new lock. The guy I talked to at the shop told me they don't even make the same model, and I was lucky to get 4 years of use out of it--apparently these locks are typically good for two years max, in our climate!

Two Boys in a Box

They do cute stuff like this all the time. The box--any box--is one of their all-time favorite toys.

Inaugural Ale

In honor of our new President (ok, actually the timing was strictly coincidental) I brewed up a batch of Extra Pale Ale. Six pounds of golden malt extract, one pound of Crystal malt, 3 oz Cascade hops, Northwest style yeast and the finest Seattle tap water = home brew. One month til happy hour.

Super Powerful Inversion = Awesome Snowboarding

Seattle has been in the grip of an amazing inversion for nearly two weeks now. This results in Seattle being mired in a murky soup of fog, with temps in the 30s. Last Friday I caught a ride with our neighbor Nancy and helped out a group of kids from Salmon Bay (a local public school) as they learned to snowboard. When my duties were complete, I got to take a few runs. It was great! Almost completely clear and mid-40s at Snoqualmie Pass. This was my first day snowboarding in 2+ years and I had a ton of fun, but I am definitely not 21 anymore.

First Ever Polar Bear Swim

This was the 3rd Annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Swim at Jen's house, but our first time participating. Jen is fortunate to have both an in-ground swimming pool (very rare in Seattle) AND a sauna in the basement. We sat in the sauna until it was 160 degrees, then jumped in the 30something degree water. Best of all, my 5 year old jumped in too! I've never felt a sensation quite like this before. It wasn't entirely pleasant, but at the same time, it felt really great to get out of the water and back into the sauna.