Tuesday, January 02, 2007

I've Changed

As I sit here digesting my supper of steamed broccoli (it's hard to gain weight eating broccoli, unless it's coated in ranch dressing), I think to myself "Self, you've changed". Changed for the better, I think, but I've definitely changed.

Today I ate an apple, a banana, a handful of nuts, a half order of veggie lo mein for lunch (yum!), and the previously mentioned steamed broccoli for supper.

Three years ago, I would have eaten smothered hash browns for breakfast, chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and cream gravy for lunch, and pork chops with french fries for dinner. I get a little queasy just thinking about it now. It's a wonder I didn't weigh 300 pounds.

Don't misunderstand. I still enjoy the occasional piece of slightly grilled red meat, I just don't enjoy it as much as I used to. One of the more interesting things about changing my ways - I really don't miss the old ways that much.

I still enjoy eating, I just like different foods. I really, really (I'm mean really) enjoyed the veggie lo mein I had for lunch today. I liked it as much as any steak I've ever eaten. It was that good.

These days, there's no way that I could eat (or even order) french fries, but I still steal a couple from Keaton's plate when I get the chance. The funny thing is, the fries don't taste that good anymore. Instead, I find myself stealing the broccoli from his plate, and I enjoy it way more than the stolen fries. No, I'm not kidding. That really happens.

Massage
Since it's a rest week, I got a massage today. Ummm - massage. I'm still feeling relaxed.

Off Topic
And, since it's a rest week in the off-season, we'll go way off-topic here. I was reading a comment on Cory's blog from Greg Moore, who was discussing a ride to Templeton, IA to get a bottle of the "best rye whiskey on the market". I thought back to my college days. A friend of mine drank Rittenhouse Rye. I remember it being very smooth.

That post must have planted a seed. While at the local grocery store tonight, what should appear in my cart but a bottle of Templeton Rye (it's a rest week - what the hell).

I looked the bottle over when I got home. I've heard of boutique distillers, but this is what I call small:


Batch number one? Barrel number 27? Now that's small.

If you like sippin' whiskey, give this a try. I won't bore you with the whole Templeton Rye story. But if, after a glass or two, a vision of Al Capone appears, don't be surprised.

Like Kerkove says, "Train hard, rest harder". I think I've got the resting part down.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul, First you take the bottle of Cuervo from the Sycamore schwag table just as I began to think I might get a shot at grabbing it for myself...now you're drinking "the good stuff" too? Awesome. I have batch 1, barrel 16, bottle 168 sitting on my kitchen counter right now. I popped it open just to sniff it but won't drink it until the Jack I'm working on is gone. Looking back at some of your earlier posts it seems that you have indeed turned a page and gone to the serious side of cycling. Just remember, it's a long winter! But as the song says, "It's better to burn out, than fade away!" Travel Gravel, Greg Moore

Paul Varnum said...

Hey Greg. It is a long winter. That's why I'm taking a recovery week now. I'm not ready to burn out yet. There will be plenty of time for that in August.

Did you see that we've got a gravel ride in the planning stages for Sunday? The details are on Cory's blog if you are interested.

Templeton Rye said...

Hi Paul, we realize it has been almost two years since you wrote this post, but we still wanted to pass along a simple "thank you" for blogging about our whiskey.

We take great pride in our hand-bottling process - in fact, we continue to do it today even while expanding.

Stop by our distillery in Templeton some time! We're open for tours twice a month, and you can find the full schedule on our blog: http://www.templetonrye.com/blog

Thanks again, and take care.
- The Templeton Rye team