Brian Ulmer’s Web Site

Cousins, Wine, Cars and Biking

In keeping with my semi regular posting, here’s another update. It was a fairly busy week again and I feel like I made some headway at work, which has been hard to do lately. We’ve got a big deadline coming up at the end of the month, and then I’m off to hang out in Greenville at the parents’ new place for a week.

On Tuesday, I found out my newlywed cousin was in town on a short business trip with her husband. We met up for dinner in DC and walked down to the Capital so they could check it out at night. All my relatives live in Florida, Georgia, California, and Chicago for the most part, (Chicago is a separate entity from Illinois, in my mind) so I don’t see any of them too often. We took a cheesy cellphone pic to commemorate the occasion.

I also ordered my iPhone 4 on Tuesday!

On Thursday, Mike, Geordie and I made wine at Carafe Wine Makers in Alexandria.  The making part should be loosely interpreted. We dumped a few prepackaged ingredients into a big white 5 gallon plastic bucket. The kind you get when you buy paint in bulk. The best part was filling a sock-like fabric pouch with wood chips and shavings to simulate that taste of wine actually aged in a wood barrel. In 6 weeks, we go back and bottle the wine. We’ll end up with 10 bottles each of what is likely to be some pretty shady “Brunello style” red wine.  I’m sure 9 out of 10 Italians couldn’t tell the difference… Here all all my pictures of this adventure.

On Friday, I took Mike over to the VW dealership so that he could work his bargaining magic and attempt to drive off in a new GTI. He was successful and is now enjoying the upgrade from his early 90′s Civic with absurdly stiff suspension, racing seats, and no AC. Mike also made a new BFF in the process. Here they are together with the new vehicle.

Today, I went on a nice 30 mile bike ride out the W&OD and then hit the Arlington hill loop on the way back. Patrick and Mike joined in. A ridiculous guy on a Cervelo carbon tri bike road off the left side of the paved trail trying to pass a group of walkers and had his bike come out from under him as he unskillfully ignored the low shoulder trying to swerve back on. The walkers felt bad. I found it hard to as I passed him laying motionless in the middle of the trail and saying “I’m not going to be able to make it back”. You tipped over going 8 MPH buddy. You’re gonna bounce back. I promise. Maybe you should get a stationary bike? I’m such a nice guy.

Today, Kwabena is having his annual Rum Punch Party so that’s the agenda for the afternoon and early evening.  I think tomorrow morning might have to include another bike ride.  I might even clean the house after that.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

No comments yet.

Leave a comment