Friday, November 23, 2007
Might Should Bundle Up
Friday, November 16, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
Shaken, Not Stirred
Tonight I discovered that, in the book Casino Royale, there is a recipe for James Bond's favorite Vespa martini. Oh, dear Internet, how did we ever live without you?
Vespa Martini
3 parts Gordon's gin
1 part Russian vodka
1/2 measure of Kina Lillet apertif
Shake, shake, shake until ice cold and serve with a slice of lemon. And next time someone asks you if you would like vodka or gin in your martini, take yours 007 style. But please, don't drink and scoot.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Meet Martini
It should come as no surprise, then, when I say that James and I are very good at sharing one vehicle. And why shouldn't we be? We live in a small city where it's faster to bike to work than to drive. Our condo is mere blocks from downtown, so walking to meet friends for brunch is a no-brainer. We only own one space in our condo building's underground parking garage, so even if we wanted another car we'd have no place to park it. Like most other things in our life, our car has been shared and shared alike. And we like it that way.
Recently, though, our master plan hit a snag. James is required to have our car at his office all day so that he can zip off to a meeting at a moment's notice. But as I have gotten busier both at work and at home, I too have needed to zip, often at times that conflict with James' work schedule and transportation needs. When our schedules clashed yet again this week and both of our workdays screeched to a grinding halt, we decided we needed a better solution: meet Martini, my brand-spanking-new Vespa motor scooter.
As you can see, Martini is white with a tan seat and shiny chrome trim. Though she is a 2006 model, she was built out of the crate especially for me, and all 60 kilometers on her odometer have been ridden by me (and James, and the scooter shop test drive guy). Her 50cc engine gets me up to a top speed of about 65 km/h (~40 mph), which is just fine for my daily commute on residential roads. When I park Martini, I can store my matching helmet under the seat, and I can easily carry a couple bags of groceries thanks to a nifty little bag hook that pops out of the front of the seat. Martini's gas tank holds about 8 liters of premium unleaded, which costs me a whopping $10, and her gas mileage is ridiculously great. In fact, when I picked up Martini from the Vespa dealer, they gave me a $150 gas card, which they say will easily get me through a year's worth of riding. And one of her best features is that she fits snugly into our underground parking spot alongside our regular car.
Now, I know what you're thinking: isn't it a little cold in Canada to be buying a scooter this time of year?? YES! It most certainly is cold for scooting, but that, my friends, is why Martini was such a great deal. In fact, the price we paid for a new Vespa at this time of year is less than the price we saw advertised for used ones in the spring. So if I look a little chilly, I am. But I can buy lots and lots of mittens and thermal underwear with all the money we saved.
Besides admiring Martini's cuteness and functionality, I have been taking full advantage of my newfound freedom. Yesterday, instead of packing my lunch, I hopped on Martini at lunchtime and scooted along the ocean (brrrr!!!) to Fisherman's Wharf. In the summer, this place is teeming with tourists, but it's much quieter and nicer this time of year. I parked Martini and, after chatting with all of her admirers, warmed up with a steamy bowl of vegetarian chili. Then I walked around the wharf for a while until I spotted three harbor seals splashing around by the fresh fish stand. After chatting with the fishmonger, I learned that these three seals always hang out right next to his fish stand, waiting for the tourists to feed them. To demonstrate how tame they have become, he handed me a stinky bowl of salmon scraps and invited me to play with them and let them eat out of my hands. So, here is one of the seals doing a trick (spinning in circles) for a treat:
And here is another curious seal checking me out from underwater: