things i think about while powerwashing 147

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Welcome back to work everybody! We had a bit of a gloomy Memorial Day weekend in NYC, but there's nothing like a little fun in the rain!

We happened to have one day of sun on Friday (which I had off), which I used to hit a nice 50 mile ride up the Empire State Trail. I was feeling pretty alright at mile 40, but that last ten was brutal.

It was great to be in the nature again! Work's been picking up again and leaving the concrete jungle has proven to be hard. So biking down the trail at a quaint 15 mph surrounded by a lush green tunnel of leaves and trees was an excellent break from the constant honking and chaos of the city. Sometimes I'm here for the energy. Sometimes I would just like to hear the sound of the branches creaking and the leaves pattering in the wind.

Hearing the murmur of a babbling brook while the birds chirp with the sickly sweet taste of the energy gel still in my mouth. I couldn't fully relax because I had 25 miles to go, but it was nice to center for at least a little bit.

The outdoor weekend extended into Saturday with a full day of tasting various coffees with esteemed subscriber Carolyn Xu (highlight: field study coffee. lowlight: a-frame coffee ...), which somehow turned into an afternoon walking through SoHo with esteemed subscribers Alisa Reynya and Kaylie Chen, which then turned into a salad harvest in Kaylie's backyard.

Which, by the way, is massive!

The next two days were somewhat more subdued. I spent yet another bunch of time walking through some miserable drizzle but with some great company — esteemed subscribers Rachel Inman and Justin Cheng! Justin was in town to scout out then neighborhood of Woodside (which he says is excellent) and also dropped an insane food rec for Woodside (de Mole, where the pollo con mole poblano was heat).

Despite the rain I think I somehow managed to have a decent outdoor-ish Memorial Day weekend. I definitely have to re-waterproof my jacket, and I will let everyone know how to do that when I figure it out!

museum of the week

again ... need to stop writing these the night before

anonymous subscriber news

re: road trip. Please come! I don't know who you are but I'd love to see you all here.

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• anon calls to the masses: non New Yorker 'things i think about while powerwashing' subscribers: road trip??
• anon likes the bats: Wowww cool bats @Emi
• anon laments: NBA playoffs have been a lil boring. I miss sim sim! Hope he’s well

animal of the week

Wow what a crest on that guy! I love a good cardinal — I'm pretty sure the last time I saw one I was in a bird blind with esteemed subscriber and submitter of this Northern Cardinal Emi Chan! Why were you trapping the doves (I assume work)? What makes a trap specifically for doves as opposed to others?

Female Northern Cardinal! She was unintentionally caught in a trap meant for doves and released safely after this pic, and after biting my finger with all her might.

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co OR at this form https://forms.gle/NT3nSkKVbpkjCr1u8!