Vitamix: Eating Natural

Task 40: Eat all natural, nothing processed for 1 month

This Christmas I got a Vitamix 750 Professional series blender. I have wanted one of these for years and have sat through more demonstrations at the Big E then I can remember. Any one that doesn’t know what a Vitamix is, let me explain it. A vitamix is more than a blender; it’s a way of life. With the vitamix you can make hot soups, ice cream, blend, chop, and so much more. It can replace most small appliances in your kitchen.

The vitamix is the one of the best ways to begin and maintain a diet of non-processed foods. With Task 40 in my Day Zero Project being to do just that I thought that this appliance would be a great way to help me accomplish this goal. In the box with my newest kitchen appliance was a book called “Create: Inspiring recipes for every day of the week”. I plan to make each and every one of the 200 recipes it contains. Tomorrow morning I am going to start the year of right with the first breakfast recipe; A Blackberry Pear Smoothie.

Boston Pops Holiday Concert

To get into the holiday spirit my parents and I attended the The Boston Pop’s Holiday Concert in Worcester, MA. The Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart dazzled the city and the audience with their sold out holiday concert at the Hanover Theatre. They were accompanied by vocal group Five by Design, the Seven Hills Charter School Show Choir, and Jolly Ole’ St. Nick. This performance by the Boston Pop’s marks their return after having broken their 27 year tradition of coming to Worcester in 2008. This year they moved from the larger DCU center to the more intimate Hanover Theatre. This more intimate setting, where the venue is known for its acoustics, proved to be a success with not a single empty seat.

After a brief introduction by Hanover Theatre’s Troy Siebels, the Boston Pop’s and Keith Lockhart started the show off with a bang with Christmas Canticles. The concert featured classic music of the holiday season with a unique twist. The vocal styling’s of Five by Design added a retro swing style to the performance. They performed such Christmas songs as Carol of the Bells, O Come O Come Emanuael, Holly Jolly Christmas and a special reading of how the Grinch Stole Christmas.

After a brief intermission they started the second half with an amazing rendition of Joy! followed by Noelle Scarlett from Grafton High School reading the classic Yes. Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. While they continued with more classics like Sleigh Ride, Home for the Holiday’s and Twas the Night Before Christmas you couldn’t help but want to sing along with the beautiful music.

The show wrapped up when Jolly Ole’ St. Nick joined Keith Lockhart on stage and the Seven Hills Charter School Show Choir performed Light the Candles. They then lead the audience in a sing along of some of the classic holiday songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Have yourself a Merry Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, Winter Wonderland, and Jingle Bells.


After a standing ovation for their performances we were treated to an encore performance of Silent Night sung by Five By Design. The concert was closed by the Boston Pop’s with a solo orchestra performance of holiday medley of Christmas Favorites Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells.

Panorama of The Hanover Theatre from the Balcony with the Boston Pop's on Stage

 



Task 5 – Bully Boy Distillery Tour

(05) Visit a winery or brewery & take the tour

Activity: Bully Boy Distillery Tour
Location: 35 Cedric Street Boston, MA 02119
Website: http://www.bullyboydistillers.com 
When: December 3, 2012
Rating: 4-Stars

Named after a work horse that tended the fields on the family farm in Sherborn, MA, Bully Boy Distillers is owned and operated by brothers Will and Dave Willis. On a recent tour of their Boston facility Dave Willis explained the process they use to distill White Rum, Boston Rum, Vodka, White Whiskey and American Straight Whiskey using their German made 600 liter Kothe Vodka copper pot still. 

Their facility is located in an industrial area of the city and has no exterior signage. When we arrived it was simply the number on the small door that indicated we were at the right place. Once inside we found ourselves looking at their whole operation in one building. Every step of the process happens right there in their small warehouse facility. It starts from the USDA certified organic raw ingredients such as wheat and molasses which they put in the mash pot. After that process is completed it moves to the still, where it processed and distilled until it reaches the proper proof. From there some is put in barrels for aging and the rest is bottled and labeled for sale and distribution. 

Dave Willis learned the craft as an apprentice in a small batch distillery in the Ozarks and his brother Will apprenticed in Chicago. Dave showed a true mastery of his craft and a love of the process that has lead to his success as a Boston distiller of quality handmade spirits. Their products are featured on the menu’s of several high-end restaurants and bars in the city and they are slowly increasing the reach of their products through a distributor. Their small handmade and number batches are sure to become a city favorite.

NSC Certified in First Aid and CPR

I recently was asked to get certified in First Aid and CPR and be a company first responders. First Aid and CPR are vital first steps people can use when faced with a life threatening situation. These skills when properly learned can have life saving results. It seemed logical for me to get certified because accidents happen everywhere not just at the office. Being properly trained could allow me to help save the life of stranger or even a family member. Nothing could be worse than watching someone who has been injured and feeling helpless to do anything about it.

Our instructor Rick was following the National Safety Council (NSC) course which meets ECC Guidelines and OSHA standards for first aid in the workplace. Training took place over the course of two days and was roughly 3 hours in length each day.

 On the first day we learned everything from how do act during an emergency, how to check on the victim’s condition, when to call for help, how to prevent further injury and stabilize the victim. We practiced how to properly use rubber gloves to avoid disease transmission and how to use the Haines Recovery Position to stabilize an unconscious person.

Day two was the most interactive with the use of dummies to practice CPR on. While we didn’t name them each seemed to have their own personality. When CPR is properly done the dummies click to indicate that you are providing the necessary compression in the proper position. My first dummy didn’t seem to want to cooperate and we discovered that it had a broken diaphragm which makes the noise. We also grabbed one of the AED’s from the building and got comfortable with the machine and its use. 

Once the course was completed I will admit I did feel better prepared to act in an emergency and more confident in my abilities to really assist and provide life saving care until a professional arrives. It is important to know that while trained in First Aid and CPR it is vital that you only help and provide assistance if you have been trained and never provide assistance outside of the scope of your training.

  

Task 24 – Increase my 401(k) contribution to 10%

Working part time at Sur La Table definitely has its perks. Not only do I really enjoy working with the people but it is a great opportunity to cover some of the expenses that dipped into my savings over the last year.  Another benefit of a part time job like this is that they offer their seasonal & part time employees the option of enrolling in their 401(k) plan. They also offer 50% match on the first 4% which is better than my full time job. Given that the income I receive from this job is purely gravy I thought I might as well contribute as much as possible to my retirement and at the very least enough to get the match.  To start I am going to contribute 10% of my Sur La Table income to my 401(k) but as soon as I have re-filled my savings account with the money I spent over the year I am going to up my contribution to max pre-tax allowed.

Hopefully like a money tree some of the money I sow today will yield a retirement where I don’t have to worry about money. That is after all the purpose of a 401(k) plan. My plan is to contribute the max allowed. If I did that this year it would be $17,000 pre-tax dollars. I won’t come close to that unfortunately.

Task 15 - Create a Murphy Fund (25$ per Pay Check)

You no doubt know about Murphy’s Law, the suggestion that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And of course there are the corollaries that go along with it like the one that says that when something does go wrong it will be at the very worst time. Lately I have felt cursed and have watched my savings account dwindle while attempting to stay ahead of all my troubles. We all go through rough patches and all have felt a certain amount of despair where we feel like we can't catch a break and this is sadly my time to feel this way.

First it was the car. After putting nearly 3000$ into general repairs and preventative maintenance (brakes, timing belt, etc), I was not prepared to have to come up with 3000$ more to replace the motor as a result of a poorly installed timing belt. Thankfully the silver lining here is that I found a very capable and honest mechanic who replace my motor and did so with out me feeling taken advantage of. Hopefully I can get the mechanic who replaced the timing belt to cover some of the costs related to the motor repair.

Next came my roof rack. Everyone knows that I love to be active in the summer and often have my lime green mtn bike or kayaks on my roof. Especially on the weekends when I'm on search for the perfect place to launch or ride. Sadly those days have come to an end both as a result of the weather and the theft of my roof rack. Last Sunday or maybe Monday morning someone pilfered the fairing and rear half of my roof rack right off my car. I guess the statement that if a thief wants something he will find a way to take it. It was locked down but 400$ worth of rack is now gone. The silver lining with this one is that no damage was done to the car. I do not plan to replace the rack however since the lock's on the rack clearly failed and I am not willing to risk another one being stolen. Until Thule can make a lock that can't just be ripped off the car I will avoid putting a new unit on my car. Additionally my car is getting older and it will likely be replaced in the next year or two.

The same night my roof rack was discovered partly missing I found myself increasingly frustrated as I was doing laundry. I filled the washer with towels and right before bed it was time to put them in the dryer. Well sadly my condo looked like a hobo village that night with towels laid out all over drying. The dryer was not cooperating and wouldn't turn on. It is finally fixed but 200$ later.

With all of this going wrong I thought what better time to have had an emergency "Murphy" fund setup to cover the expenses without feeling like I was collecting all my quarter's to cover these costs. Anyone who is a saver can tell you its hard to save and very frustrating to watch money go out the door unnecessarily. Hopeful that things will improve and I won't be faced with more nightmare expenses but I must be a realist and plan for the worst. I have made an adjustment to my direct deposit to put 25$ a pay cycle into an account that I plan to use for nothing more then unexpected costs like car repairs. Being paid by weekly that means it should generate a Murphy Fund of  $650 a year. That isn't much but hopefully it will compound over time and I'll have a few years where I don't have to dip into it.

Task 18 - Part-Time / Seasonal Job

With the unexpected cost of repairing my car and my usual over the top fall/holiday spending habits I thought I might get a part time seasonal job. I gave this a lot of thought before deciding to do it and even more thought about where I might want to get a job.  I figure that if I am working I wont be spending and why not pull in a little extra money in the process.

When I was deciding where I knew a few things about what kind of job I didn't want. I didn't want to fold cloths or wait tables. I also didn't want a job where I would be interacting with the dregs of earth. I settled on a few possibles. After my recent great experience with the Sur La Table cooking class and my many interactions with the staff I thought it would be an ideal spot.  It fit all of the criteria for what I was looking for.

Last night was my first real night at my new part time job. I had my first day last week where we went through training. I chose a retail position like Sur La Table because of the flexible hours and as an alternative to my day job. This position requires little in the way of mental effort or stress and is a great way for my outgoing personality to shine. April the Assistant Store Manager taught us everything we need to know about the store and the products Sur La Table sells.

I will be working 1-2 nights a week and the occasional weekend during the busy holiday season. My employment will last the holiday season and take me into the new year a little bit. Even better the employee discount will allow me to pick up some pretty nice gifts at awesome prices or take more cooking classes at a significantly reduced rate.

I already have meet some great people such as April who first suggested I get a job there when I was on break during my cooking class. Another employee who has already made the job fun and exciting is Stephanie the Floor Manager I worked with last night.  Everyone seems to be super friendly and even more importantly they want the job to be fun while maintaining a professional approach. They are the most down to earth bunch of people and each and every one I have meet have made me feel welcome and appreciated.

Even better I sold my first espresso machine last night to this very nice young couple who came in about 15 minutes before we started closing down. I will admit they had a good idea what they wanted and beelined right for the machines but it was nice to make a nice high ticket sale on my first real day. We don't work on commission so it doesn't really matter who sold it but it felt nice to have done it.

VW GTI Car Trouble Update

Finally today I got my car back. Its been almost nearly 3 weeks since the process started but I am pleased with the end result and even more happy that I found a mechanic that knows his stuff and isn't out to fleece his customers.

So finally list of items repaired. New engine, thermostat, and starter. I got a used motor rather then a new out of the box since replacing the motor doesn't effect the odometer reading of the car. The thermostat and starter while not related to the problem were replaced since they were almost due and it was easier to take car of it all while the engine was reassembled and put back in.

I won't go into too much detail since I want to run the car for a few weeks to make sure everything is perfect but so far so good "Knocking on wood".

VW GTI Car Trouble

About 2 weeks ago on Friday I had a some car trouble on my way to work. The car stuttered while in cruise control and it felt like I had lost most power. Thankfully I was less then a mile from the office and managed to limp into the company parking lot.
 
Knowing something was wrong I asked a co-worker of mine who had previously been a mechanic for his thoughts. One of the perks of working in the manufacturing industry is the variety of both blue and white collar employee's.  He suggested we check the engine codes using a ODBII tool he just so happen to have in his car. It showed a series of engine misfires.
 
Not being a VW expert he suggested I have the dealership take a look at it. After a quick call to the dealership and asking if it was safe to drive I headed up the highway a few exits to the local VW Dealership.  I met my parents there who were kind enough to lend me a car for the rest of the day so I could return to work.
 
They diagnosed the issue as a failed fuel injector and unfortunately they didn't have the part in stock and would not be able to get it until the following Monday. With no real option except to wait until the car was fixed I was stuck with no car for the weekend.
 
Monday came and the fuel injector was replaced by 12:00. Unfortunately after replacing the fuel injector the car was still running rough and still misfiring. With the car not running as it should they continued to diagnose the problem and by about 4:00 and not hearing from them I called again. This time I got even worse news. The engine had a blown piston as it was described to me and would need to be replaced and that it would cost an estimated 6,000 to repair or 5,500 to replace on top of the 550 it already cost to replace the fuel injector. 
 
The service department recommended that I trade the car in rather then replace the motor. Not ever having any reason to not trust them they called up to sales and asked them to give me a call to help move the process along.
 
This was a huge mistake. After several wasted visits to the sales floor and them unable to give me any concrete answer to what they would be willing to offer me for my car I got frustrated and decided I would investigate the alternative to repair or replace the motor.
 
Not satisfied that they had properly diagnosed the car and wastefully installed a fuel injector that I wouldn't need if I traded it in or replace the motor I had a less then friendly conversation with the service department. Only after speaking directly to the technician who did the work did they admit that with a little more testing they would have been able to diagnose it was more then a fuel injector. During that conversation I manged to get them to drop the cost of repalceing the motor from 5,500 to 4600. I didn't give them the go ahead since I still thought it was too much.
 
This process took over a week and was annoying so I began calling around to other repair shops. All suggested that the cost from the dealer wasn't just high but outrageous. I confronted the dealership about the excessive bill and they offered to remove the fuel injector and the charges and let me take the car anywhere I wanted.
 
I offered them one last chance to match a price of 3,200 I had received from a local repair shop. They managed to drop the cost to 3,800 + the 550 I already owed them for the fuel injector.  Not satisfied with their counter offer I asked them to remove the fuel injector as they offered and let me know when I could have the car towed from their garage.
 
Now over a week since I first brought them the car I called AAA and scheduled the pick up of my car. It was like a circus at the dealership with everyone watching from the repair department as my car was loaded on the flatbed.
 
For the first time since the start did I feel like progress was being made. I followed the flatbed to the new repair shop and met the mechanic who would replace my motor. He was younger then I had expected but he clearly knew what he was talking about and told me he wanted to take the rest of the day to do his own diagnosis and would call me in the morning to let me know what he thought my car really needed.
 
When I woke the following morning I was waiting anxiously for his phone call and he didn't keep me waiting. Unfortunately the news was not good and the dealership's insistence that the car needed a motor was accurate. I never particularly disputed their diagnosis just the cost to fix it and the hassle to get them to give me a true estimate to repair. He spent the rest of the day sourcing the best motor for my car at the most affordable price. He managed to find an engine that was a tad cheaper then the first quote and reduced my repair cost from 3,200 to 2,900. a bonus 300 savings I didn't expect.
 
Once the motor was picked up he began the process of swapping the motor out. He suggested I stop by anytime to check on the progress and see how it was coming along. Today I stopped by for the first time and won't lie I was a bit overwhelmed. I found my car with the entire front end apart and the motor in pieces. 
 
Chris the mechanic could tell that I was a bit overwhelmed and assured me that what I was seeing was progress and that by Monday it would be all back together and running better then ever. He also took the opportunity to show me the failure on my old motor.
 
I have attached the pictures below. On Monday hopefully I'll be able to update that I have my car back and that everything is working perfectly.
 

The first pictures show the piston with several contact marks where it had somehow made contact with the exhaust valve showin in picture two. I asked him what was the likely culprit and he indicated it was tough to say but thought it was most likely the result of the timing being off.  I just had that done about 2 months ago but unfortunatley he said it is nearly impossible to prove that was the cause.

F1 Boston - Ignite the Power of Microsoft

Ignite the Power of Microsoft

Location: F1Boston

Address: 290 Wood Rd
               Braintree, MA 02184

Website: www.f1boston.com

Ignite the Power of Microsoft was the title of the event I attended. I won’t bore you with the details of the conference portion of the event but I’ll share with you the specifics of the venue and the thrill of the race.

F1 Boston is located just off the highway in Braintree, MA.  It offers a great facility for a business meetings, team building events or private parties. It is easy to get too and offers two tracks that can be combined into a single large track for longer racing. There are several lounges to choose from, two having birds eye views of the different tracks.

Before racing each racer must complete some paperwork and sit through an entertaining safety briefing. The training takes roughly and hour and they keep it light but informative. Once everyone completes their forms and training you head into the track area where you suit up in a full race suit with all the fixings including a neck brace and helmet.

Both courses were designed by race professionals and the F1 carts can reach speeds of almost 50mph. Four our event we would be racing on the Country Course. They describe it as having longer straightaway’s then the City Course which allow you to gain more speed. The straightway also includes a small hill followed by a curve that will leave your car screaming as you corner hard. Next you enter the off-camber corners where you will need to keep your hands gripped to the wheel as you fight off competitors looking to unseat your position. 

Our event was an endurance race lasting 90 minutes. Teams choose when to change drivers, and each team must have made at least nine pit stops and driver changes during the race. We had 5 people on our team and that resulted in a scheduled change about every 10 minutes. When fully suited up it can be hard for the driver’s to distinguish if they are being flagged to pit stop by a member of their team. They race organizer suggested a form or communication that no other team could mimic. We selected a redsox baseball hat from one of our team members as our signal.  I was selected to race second for our team. Exactly 10 minutes into the race I flagged our driver to make one last lap before pulling into the pit.

Our transition from our first driver to me was smooth. The pit was empty allowing for a quick exit back onto the track. My average lap time ranged from about 17.56 seconds to roughly 21.78 when faced with blocks in my path and slower drivers. It was a like being in a real race car and you could feel every bump and turn of the road as you made the rounds. The air was infused with the smell of burning rubber and the sounds of screeching tires. I managed to improve our position from 4th to 3rd with some hard and aggressive driving. After 10 minutes it was again time to swap drivers and my next team member and I swapped out much slower then I had hoped. Unfortunately when I was flagged in I didn’t and couldn’t see that the pit was gridlocked with all the other teams also changing drivers. While this mistake didn’t cost us position it allowed a couple of the teams still racing to widen their lead.

We changed drivers several more times and our second to last driver was the most timid and cost us several positions. Our team had managed to gain one spot to second place until his 60 second average lap time sunk us to 7th place. We called him in after only 4 laps and he was definitely not upset and apologized for his poor performance. After some ego smoothing he joined us on the side lines cheering the rest of us on to fight hard to regain our position.

My second turn at the wheel came up and I drove harder and more aggressive then I had the first time. I was convinced I could regain at least one position. I jockeyed for position with the current leader and was persistent at pressing him hard. I pushed hard to pass him but his hard driving made that very difficult and we found ourselves challenging each other.  With every turn we would bump each other trying to force each car into the barriers.

Sadly we never managed to get back to second place and only managed to regain 1 position before my excessively aggressive driving landed me a penalty. That cost me about 10 seconds but enough that I couldn’t catch the leader again before I was called into the pit.

About 25 minutes later the race was over and we finished 6th place.  It was a great experience and a nice end to a productive day learning about all the new Microsoft products. I am definitely going to have to return to F1 Boston again and race with my friends.

 



Task 42 - Take a cooking class. (Sur La Table)

Cooking with All-Clad

Location: Sur La Table (Natick Collection)
                 1245 Worcester Street
                 Natick, MA 01760
                 (800) 243-0852

Website:  www.surlatable.com

Rating:    5-Stars

I signed up for this class with Dan and my friend Chris. I have wanted to take a cooking class for a while and it even made my 101 things in 1001 days list. Sur La Table’s cooking classes are varied and offer a wide range of classes to appeal to any aspiring home chef. We settled on Cooking with All-Clad since it wasn’t too far in the future, the menu sounded delicious, and we get a free All-Clad French Skillet for attending. 

We arrived early and met our instructor Tim Doherty who went over the basics of what we would be cooking. Our menu was a Wild Mushroom Risotto, Seared Hanger Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce and Honey-Butter Glazed Young Carrots with Fall Spices. For dessert we would make Bananas Foster.

Our class was 9 people which created a very intimate atmosphere. All of the students were as friendly and engaging as the Sur La Table staff. We started the evening by prepping some of the ingredients we would be cooking with. While we prepped the ingredients by cutting up the mushrooms, shallots, juicing the oranges etc Tim provided some insight into why he selected the ingredients he did such as the morel mushrooms for the risotto.

Once all the ingredients were prepped we moved on to the center island stove where we began putting together all the ingredients for the risotto. Like before he explained how to know by feel when the dish was ready instead of following the precise times on the recipe. With every stove and pan those vary and he wanted to teach us how to tell something was ready by feel. He also along the way shared some of his cooking secrets that he felt would help us perfect our menu’s when we got home.

Once the risotto was done we moved onto the carrots. Here he explained all the details of what makes the baby young carrots and how they are really nothing more than large carrots that have been routed down to give the illusion of young carrots. Like Julia Child, Tim was fond of butter and every course included a healthy dose of butter. Once the carrots were seasoned and sautéed we put them in the oven to finish while we began our red wine pan sauce. While we reduced the burgundy wine with our mushrooms he explained that the alcohol is almost immediately cooked off when creating sauces with alcohol. He also suggested we deviate from the instructions and not discard the solids. He believes that you should rarely remove the solids from sauces you make. As our red wine pan sauce reduced by about ½ we took a small break.

While on break we got the opportunity to enjoy the store and search for many of the cool tools we have been using in the cooking class while they cleaned the stations and prepped for the next course. They do a great job here of selling the products but not making you feel like it’s a sales pitch. After all you are here to learn and they focused on that goal.

When we returned to class Tim explained what Hanger Steak is and why it is a great steak to use when combining with a nice sauce. It is a cheaper cut of meat and when coated in the rich red wine sauce it helps pull the flavors out. Once the steak was properly cooked and he taught us how to feel the steak to determine proper cooking temp. If you push down on a steak with your finger and it doesn’t bounce back it is raw. You want it to bounce back quickly to indicate it is properly cooked. Once done we allowed our steak to rest. He would later teach us the proper way to cut a steak by going against the grain and diagonally this will make the less expensive steak taste more tender and easier to eat.

While our steak rested we began our final course. Bananas Foster. More butter of course along with a healthy dose of brown sugar and cinnamon with some Myers Rum and instead of banana liquire he deviated again and used lemoncello. Again the alcohol was quickly cooked off and one group even got a flame going. Once the sauce was reduced we added the sliced banana and it was time to eat.

We took our carrots out of the oven, sliced our steak and drizzled the red wine pan sauce over it, Added the parmesan to our risotto and plated everything. The entire group now got an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of all our labor buffet style.

Once we were done Tim had already plated up individual portions of Banana Foster for each of use paired with a nice Hagen Daz Vanilla ice cream. Before we left we took a few pictures with Tim and received our gift for attending this class a nice 9” All Clad Stainless Steel French Skillet. The pan alone has a retail of $134.00 although it was currently on sale for $69.99. Either way for 30 extra bucks we had a fabulous meal and learned how to make it from a professional chef. I would strongly recommend the Sur La Table cooking classes and instructor Tim Doherty to anyone who enjoys cooking and wants to learn more.