A Whirlwind weekend. SAN-BDL: CT, MA, RI

posted by Russ | June 1 | 2 Comments

5/26 – Online flight check in. Arrive airport 12 noon. Washington DC 9PM. Hartford’s Bradley International Airport at 11:30PM. Hertz rental car at midnight. 90 degrees outside. Heavy winds. Get car and head to mom’s house. Heavy rains, crazy thunderstorm. Temperature now 65. Power out at mom’s. Sleep @ 1:30AM.

5/27 – Wake up, breakfast, visit with mom. 2:30PM hit the road, head to Boston. Arrive Boston @ 4. Check into Copley Square Hotel. Relax {briefly}. 5PM Complimentary wine in lobby. Walk down Boylston to Boston Common. Follow Freedom Trail to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Bowl of clam chowder and our first quahog. Hop on the T, head to Newbury and the Back Bay for dinner at The Other Side Cafe. Down the street to The Pour House. 11:30 PM to bed.

5/28 – 11AM Farmer’s Market Copley Square. Hop the T again, lunch at America’s Oldest Restaurant, Union Oyster […]

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Should we be boycotting BP?

posted by Russ | May 18 | 2 Comments

With this big oil mess in the Gulf, I’ve been debating, should I be boycotting British Petroleum? I typically buy my gas at AM/PM-Arco stations, since they are cash only and are cheaper than most other stations. But now I’m wondering if I should switch.

In the past I have always stayed away from Exxon Mobil, I don’t think I need to explain why no one should like them. (Except their shareholders … remember their billion dollar profits while people couldn’t afford to buy gas??) Even though it’s been a silent protest of mine for years now, I’ve always thought that it was sort of silly. I mean, sure, you can single out an oil company for having a bad track record, but really, aren’t they all bad? Is there a such thing as a “good” oil company?

Exxon Mobil was responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters in history, […]

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Posted in: environment

Barefoot running progress report

posted by Russ | May 13 | 4 Comments

It’s been a while since I started my barefoot running journey. Last fall I began experimenting, and though I was having mixed results at the time, I was definitely hooked. Fast forward almost 6 months, and I am happy to say that I am making great progress, though a bit slower than I would have hoped.

Last time I posted about it, I was just switching to my Vibram Five Finger shoes. The transition set me back, and for a while I was continuing to nurse a strained calf. But now I am happy to report that I have gotten over the first major hurdle. My calf injury is long gone, and for the first time in my life my runs actually feel like runs, and I feel like I am actually getting a workout as opposed to a beating.

The transition to the Vibrams definitely took some time due the changes […]

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Posted in: outside

Diet overload, healthy choices, and which label fits?

posted by Russ | May 4 | 1 Comment

Health and diet has been something I’ve been reading a lot about lately. I don’t mean diet as it pertains to losing weight, I am talking about diet as it pertains to lifestyle and being healthy. Until recently I have for the most part always eaten the Standard American Diet (SAD). While I knew there wasn’t something quite right about it, I never really sorted it out until now. (Though I’m sure it will be an evolving process, and my feelings are open to change.)

As I’ve written recently, I’ve been eating mostly vegan, and have even experimented with a raw diet in the past. But I have not sworn off of meat completely, since I do believe that we have evolved to truly be omnivores. That said, I do believe in veganism and what it stands for, and I do firmly believe factory farming is wrong (on many levels). […]

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Posted in: health & diet

Overloaded

posted by Russ | April 29 | Add a Comment

I feel like lately I haven’t been writing as much, and when I have been it’s been sort of off topic. (I went back to some of my archives and I feel like my writing has changed, not for the worse, but the recent posts have been a bit superficial.) But I do intend to get back on track here shortly. Around the New Year I was out of the country, and then I had a month or two consumed with my migration from Blogger to WordPress, and in typical fashion, I got caught up quite a bit in the details, and even making some cosmetic changes to the site which I’m happy with, but where probably unnecessary.

Then more recently I’ve had some of my attention diverted with trying to network a bit. After a year or two of writing for just myself and few people, I realized that if […]

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Mammoth Lakes’ Bluesapalooza, Beer and Blues Festival

posted by Russ | April 20 | Add a Comment
John Lee Hooker Jr onstage, Mammoth Lakes, Beer and blues festival

John Lee Hooker Jr onstage
Mammoth Lakes, Beer and blues festival

AUGUST – The Bluesapalooza Beer and Blues Festival is a welcome getaway for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, beer, live blues music, or any combination of the three. Even though we’re located a good 6 hour drive away in San Diego, we decided it would be a good weekend trip to head up for a great weekend of relaxation. In case you’re not familiar with this event, it happens once a year at Mammoth Lakes, usually around the beginning of August, and takes place outdoors at Sam’s Wood Site.

The setting is actually quite spectacular. Somehow a stage is set up in a small clearing, and then the beer tents and spectators take their places in and around the trees. So you need to make […]

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Posted in: travel, united states

New Facebook Page

posted by Russ | April 13 | Add a Comment

Just a heads up to any RSS subscribers. I’ve created a Facebook Fan page for Idealist Cafe, so if you’re on Facebook and it’s your thing, feel free to connect with me over there. Also, if you’re reading here, but don’t follow me on Twitter, you can check me out there too.

For me, all these social networking platforms are a bit redundant, but I know everyone has their favorite way to stay in contact, so I’m trying to just do what works for everyone. Regardless, if you’re reading right this, I certainly appreciate it, however you find and follow me.

Also, if we haven’t connected yet, drop me a comment and I’ll be sure to read your blog or follow your Twitter.

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Posted in: technology

Weekend in Idyllwild at the Quiet Creek Inn

posted by Russ | April 8 | 2 Comments
Quiet Creek Inn cabins

Quiet Creek Inn Cabins

This past weekend I was surprised by my girlfriend with a getaway to the mountains in Idyllwild, where we stayed at the Quiet Creek Inn. It was a quick, one night getaway, and though I would have loved to be there for a week, even taking a day or two away from home is a great way to relax. For those that don’t know, Idyllwild is a quiet little mountain community located in the San Jacinto Mountains, about 100 miles northeast of San Diego, and 100 miles southwest of Los Angeles. It sits at an elevation of 5300 feet, and is a great place for hiking and camping. From town, you have access to trails that take you up to Tahquitz Peak which is somewhere around 9000′ and San Jacinto Peak which is higher at 10,800′. I’ve been […]

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Posted in: travel, united states

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