Two Weeks In

I started a one-year hiatus from work. Two weeks have passed. What have I done with my time?

My Work, After Work

Biking

I picked up a Koa Rev+ 2 electric bike a few weeks ago at the Sparks Scheels. Rather than starting my day preparing for scrum, I head out to explore Reno by bike. One thing though: flat tires. First, my front tire went flat. Then, both ended up punctured. Now, I have Tannus liners.

I also installed a bike rack onto my Rivian, but I returned it a few days later. Why?

  • It blocked the back up camera.
  • It covered my license plate.
  • I had to lower it in order to open my rear hatch.
  • The securing mechanism contacted the bike fenders.

At the end of the day, I probably would not have used it all that much. A better way to go: purchase a second battery, in order to make it home if I end up too far from home.

Biking has helped me learn Reno streets better than driving. Plus, I get to ride along the Truckee River, across parks and through neighborhoods. Only a few rides in and I have stopped using my navigation system for everything above South Reno.

Garage Shelves

My garage now looks more organized than my JIRA issues. I suppose that could represent something positive or negative, so let me try again. My organized my garage better than the result from sorted().

Organized garage shelves

With Rubbermaid FastTrack, I put up adjustable shelves, hooks and baskets. Now, I have a place for everything and every thing in its place.

Golf

Another Scheels visit and I walked out with some Callaway Stata clubs. I felt like Al Czervik, “Gimme half a dozen of those and set me up with the whole schmeer. You know, clubs, bags, shoes, gloves, shirt, pants. Hey, orange balls! Gimme a box of those. Gimme two of those – six of those” Though, I could not find a box of naked lady tees. I did spot the worst-looking hat I ever saw. I wonder if it comes with a free bowl of soup.

The neighborhood has a par-3 nine-hole course. I get in a good walk. And, this week I made par on one hole. After hitting the ball six feet or so from the hole, it still took me two putts to sink it. Even if I never get good at golf, the exercise should do me good.

Grilling

Anjali and I have entertained friends, plus we have joined neighbors to expand our monkeysphere. I have used this as an excuse to fire up the grill several times. Plates of ribeyes and ribs have fed people, but I have also ventured out a bit. Last week, I made “fully-loaded baked potato” salad. Basically, this amounts to potato chunks with sour cream (and crema), cheese and bacon stirred in. I add a hint of mustard, some vinegar and a bit of Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle in salt, garlic powder and pepper, then top it all off with some cayenne powder.

I also made shotgun shells. Talk about a hit! These things have me invited to every future neighborhood get-together. For my version, I mixed hamburger with chorizo, added a bunch of sharp cheddar cheese and seasonings, then a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Just before pulling them from the grill, I brushed on some sauce. I take a good amount of Everett and Jones MED BBQ sauce, add cheap yellow mustard, some vinegar and seasonings, to make a great sauce.

Choped each in half and plated them up pretty for serving.

Prepared for grilling

Quickbooks

I track all rental property and self-employment expenses in Google Sheets, which helps at tax time. Over the past couple of weeks, I have decided to finally learn Quickbooks. I still have much to learn, but with some effort I should have enough online for a bookkeeper or CPA to review business finances.