strange happenings in IC

the other night, i decided i was going to cook dinner for us. this is a somewhat rare occurrence as i am generally relegated to prep work and R&D (finding new recipes), while M works her magic. well, i was in the mood for something spicy and decided to make my patented pad thai. to make this a reality, i was going to have to run to New Pi for a few things. this is all well and good, particularly since the Co-op is only about four blocks away, but it was raining/freezing outside. no big deal, i thought, just strap on the shoe chains and walk on down the road. trudging through the ice-covered sidewalks, even with chains, was truly an arduous task. as i was about a block away from home, i saw this brilliant flash of light across the sky - first turquoise, then red. at first i really thought i was hallucinating or something, but then it happened again. it was so bright that it reflected off the newly-fallen snow/ice in front of me. it was completely indescribable. seeing as how it happened just near sunset, i figured it was some phenomena related to that. i watched the news and searched online for any mention of it and there was nothing. very weird indeed.

anyway, i picked up what i needed and headed back home only to realize that i'd forgotten cilantro. shit! everyone knows you can't make pad thai without a little (or in my case, a lot) cilantro. M, like the trooper she is, said that she would be fine without, but i wasn't having it. so, given the difficulty with which i made the trip on foot, i decided to take the SUV (Specialized Über Velo?). now, i realize ice biking isn't for everyone, but it sure is a blast! i made the trip in a fraction of the time and kept reasonably dry, thanks to the good ol' Freddy Fenders. to make this 2nd trip even more worth it, i picked up some hot thai peppers to go with the cilantro. dinner was tasty and spicy, just how i like it. i decided to go with tofu this time instead of chicken and was glad i did. not only did i not miss the chicken, but not having to completely sterilize your cutting board/knives is sooo nice. cheers!


(here's a quick snap of the snow rig outside the Co-oP. no time for composition or quality when there's thai to be made.)