there was a dirt bike on ash street, i saw it the last time i ran on friday. there was something on the frame that i didn't recognize, a small canister attached to a tube. was it nitrous oxide? i took a photo and did some research when i got home. turns out it's an ohlins STX46 rear shock absorber for the honda CRF250L. i downloaded the manual and watched a youtube installation video, the canister is a pressure reservoir with a turnable knob that's used to adjust the compression. these replacement shocks aren't cheap though: this one costs $800. all of this was pretty interesting, learned about something i never knew existed.
for lunch i tried something new. besides scrambled eggs, kielbasa, and smoothie, i also made some hash browns. the video i watched (which had over 8 million views) basically made a large hash brown pancake, but the steps were so easy, i decided to make it. i shredded two small white potatoes, soaked them in cold water before squeezing them dry, then cooking with the lid on in a pot with olive oil and butter, 5 minutes per side. i forgot to season the potatoes before cooking, so i sprinkled some salt on both sides. what i forgot was i used oil and butter to fry the hash brown, so it was already salty, didn't need more salt. the final result was good - crispy, felt like i was eating french fries - but there was a lot of oil.
around 2pm i left for belmont, making a stop at the nearby speedway gas station to fuel up the motorcycle. the first thing i did was to buff the matte sanded areas when i did some 1500 grit wet sanding yesterday. i'm happy to report that the rubbing compound brought back the gloss on the fender. as for the embedded hairs and aphid parts, it's just something i have to live with, most people wouldn't even notice. i removed the old front fender and put on the new one (the last time i did that was september 2010). i noticed the old fender isn't as white as the new one, and has more pearlescent effect. but once again, it's not something anyone would notice.
i tried to remove the old windshield. that's when i discovered one of the bolts was missing, including a chrome spacer. the windshield was still secured with just 3 bolts. later when i searched for replacement parts, i saw that national cycle only sell full kits and not individual parts, and each kit costs nearly as much as the windshield itself. i may just have to piece the missing parts on my own, may not be as genuine but it'd still work. besides, i couldn't remove the windshield just yet because it needed a crescent wrench and i only had sockets which didn't fit the narrow space.
finally i went to the backyard to water the plants. i didn't water the front lawn because i watered it deeply yesterday. i'll come back tomorrow morning and do another deep water of the front lawn. i may also need to cut the grass, it's getting a little long again. i lit a mosquito coil just to keep the mosquitoes away. i finally finished by 4pm and returned home.
when i got back i watered the front yard of my house as well as the hostas in the alleyway. we haven't had rain in so long, things are looking very dry. i also washed the front steps, getting a little muddy from neglect. sheri texted me, said her brother and her niece are arriving tonight after midnight, and said they'd be coming up the back porch. they're heading to the cape this week, be back on friday. once again i'll have the house all to myself.
even though this is supposed to be a relaxing week of not working for me, i still get antsy, and can't seem to relax. also this not working has affected my schedule where i can't seem to remember what day it is. today is monday but it feels like a tuesday or a wednesday. seems like this week is all about running, motorcycle repairs, or yard work.
| instant pot century egg & pork bone congee (3-6 serving) | |
|
2 lbs. bone-in spare ribs (bottom cut)
1 cup short-grain rice |
1 century egg, chopped 1 tsp sesame oil
3.5 oz. pickled mustard greens |
| thaw pork if necessary. prepare 2 hours ahead of time. blanch pork in boiling pot of water for 3 minutes. add rice, water, ginger, salt, ground white pepper, and pork to instant pot and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes (takes about 20 minutes to come to pressure). let cool (natural release) for 20 minutes before venting remaining pressure. remove pork, discard bone, shred meat, return to instant pot. add chopped century egg, sesame oil, medium sauté to thicken congee. once desired consistency reached, serve with pickled mustard greens and scallions. | |
for dinner i made some instant pot century egg & pork bone congee. i defrosted the frozen spare ribs this morning, but i put them in the fridge and they were still frozen by evening. i ended up having to defrost them in the microwave for 5 minutes and cutting the pieces apart with a sharp knife. the recipe is easy but takes a long time. prep is about 30 minutes, and the pressure cooking itself is another 1-1/2 hours. i didn't eat until 9:30pm, had a big bowl. afterwards i wasn't the least bit hungry, zero desire to snack or even have any dessert.