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Short
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December 2007 |
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To be idle is a short road to death and to be
diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. ~Buddha~ |
December 31, 2007 Today is the last
ride of the year. It was nice because apparently most people aren’t working
on New Years Eve making for light traffic. Road Report: I was able to get
out on a ride this weekend and see some new territory. Weisgarber,
Papermill and I have had a new
idea that I have wanted to get going. So here it is: The Picture(s) of the
week. So let’s see how long it takes someone to recognize where I am or what
I am looking at: These views are
from the same location, but What are they? Click the Icon to go to that Page:
An after thought: I road home Friday
despite a light rain. I love riding in the Rain! |
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Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the
desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the LORD shall be thy
confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken. Proverbs 3:25-26 |
December 28, 2007 Man! I have been
slammed today! I Started to think I wasn’t going to get to write. I was hoping that
the weather would hold off for me today but it appears that it will be raining
the rest of the day. I made the ride in without a drop. I managed full gear
today making for a comfortable ride. I didn’t drink a drop either but that
goes to show you that we only want what we don’t have. There is little
more I can say because there other more important events going on today that
over shadow my menial life. If you haven’t already seen the news: Historic
events have happened: Pakistani
official: Bhutto. At this moment I won’t say anything about the
developing story but realize that this is an event of significance in world
history. New Years Eve is Monday! Anybody want to step
out of the norm and ride with me that day? If not for the commute, a New
Years Eve ride that evening? Last chance this year! |
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“There is nothing that wastes the body like
worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about
anything whatsoever” ~Gandhi~ |
December 26, 2007 Returning to the
road after Christmas and with new safety gear. My girl friend boat me a helmet
for Christmas and I wore it for the first time. It is a good fit but I have
never worn a helmet before and will need some time to adapt. The holidays have
me a little of kilter this morning. First off, I left my wind breaker at my parents house with my gloves and mask in the pockets. I
used my back up gloves but they are not nearly as good. The mask wasn’t
necessary because of the weather but rather because of the fact that a
toboggan doesn’t fit under the helmet. No wind breaker,
crappy gloves and no toboggan: It was a chilly ride. Then to put the icing on
the cake: I forgot my water bottle. On a typical day I only use the water
bottle twice: Once leaving the house and just before climbing All-in-all the ride
was a good one. Traffic was light today and it was in the high 30s. Now for the
important stuff: Despite feasting from Sunday until yesterday evening and not
doing any of the usual routine aside from Yoga: my weight didn’t fluctuate at
all. I weighed in today at the same weight as Friday. Next up: More
changes were made to the site (if you only get the email be sure and check
them out). As always, feed back is appreciated. Hope everyone had a
Merry Christmas! |
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Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The
winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir~ |
December 22, 2007 The Great Outdoors!
A couple of friend and I embarked upon a journey into the wilderness today.
This is one of those moments words can not describe: all of the beauty around
us. I have always
called the mountains my temple, the place I feel closest to God. Today was no
exception. There is just something about stepping away from civilization for
a few hours or days that is cleansing. We encountered a
couple of AT Through Hikers; one of which spent some time chatting. Mark
(trail name all good) started his path in The trip to Mt Cammerer with our chosen route was 11.8 miles, however;
we chose to attempt an old man-way (an un-maintained or forgotten path) and
added another couple of miles. We failed this attempt but it was an adventure
in itself. If only we could do
this more often!
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I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has
come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time
I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one
consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below
them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another
race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens~ Instead of being a time of unusual behavior,
Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year
when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments
without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in
short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. ~Francis C. Farley~ |
December, 21, 2007 Three Days be fore
Christmas and I’m on the road, I and the Bicycle and it’s not even cold. One pedal forward
and one pedal back, just getting started on the 6 mile trek. When up in the
distance, what do I see? The sun crest the hill top bright as can be. As it glistens
through raindrops, resembling tears: I remember all those that I hold so
dear. My mother and
father and sister and brother. Nieces and nephew and so many others. In this season of
joy, I hope all are well! Even the guy who honked and screamed “go to hell!” Thought I would
start off with a little Rhyme! Has everybody finished Christmas shopping? I
have it all finished in my head but have to physical get to the shops. I love the spirit
of Christmas and regretfully haven’t had the opportunity to out on the Santa
suit once so far. So today I started
off a bit earlier than usual. I have
decided fifteen minutes earlier gives me time to get a good stretch after the
ride. Doing yoga has made me be more mindful of things and I am trying to become
more informed on the reaction the muscle have to this ride. Apparently men
are susceptible to short and tightly bound Rectus Femorus Muscles (which is the center muscle of the
Quadriceps or Femoral Muscles). Runners and Cyclists are more susceptible. The
Rectus Femorus being
bound this way will prevent full flexibility. Years of neglect and all the
Hiking and Riding I have done: My work is cut out for me. That extra 15
minutes allowed for a twenty minute yoga session once I made it to the Y. I
feel better than usual and intend to make this routine. Merry Christmas to
all! Anybody up for a
ride on Christmas Day? Favorite Christmas Songs: The Little Drummer Boy What Child is This (Greensleeves) |
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"The greatest achievement is selflessness. ~Atisha~ |
December 20, 2007 Last Night: It never fails, a
week can pass with no one honking and then one @sshole
can’t resist! This coward didn’t have the courage to do it behind me, or even
passing me. He waited until he was in a turning lane leaving Middlebrook Pike. The funny thing is: I had to stop at
the red light as he stopped to wait for traffic to pass. I blatantly started
snapping pictures of him.
Unfortunately my
camera phone didn’t do so well. I know he had So enough time
spent on that: moving on to better things. I have tried for several weeks to
make a 6 PM Yoga class at the Westside YMCA. Yesterday, I left early so that
I had more time to get there. Upon arriving,
nothing is out of the ordinary until I get set up and the girl beside me
says: “You are going to need blocks. This is an advanced class!” I survived the
whole class and did every pose well, however; ten minutes in I am sweating
like made and I am feeling muscles burning that I had only read about in
books: Arms and Legs quivering from exhaustion by the end. Fortunately, ending
the class we were brought into a relaxation pose and guided meditation. All
in all, it was a great class and I hope to go back. Here are a few of the
poses:
Doesn’t look to
‘advanced’ does it? Now try alternating between
these as quickly as you are reading this! Then pop from this:
Do that ten more
times now and then tell me how easy it is? After that, I will share
variations we did by the end of class because this was where we started. These aren’t
difficult poses in and of themselves: it is the sequence that made it what it
was. |
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"The path of
the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and
the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good
will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness. For he is truly his
brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. ~Ezekiel 25:17~ |
December 19, 2007 On the Road Again! And
I am not referring to the Willie Nelson song! Missing the ride Monday meant
caused a five day span between rides. So quickly we miss what we love! The Temperature was
40 Degrees when I left this morning and delightful! I have decided that I
need to man-up and just ride from now on. Yesterday was the coldest (the low
was 20 Degrees) day we have had since February and it didn’t seem so bad to
me. The Problem I think I had Monday was the fact that we had such a warm
week last week. My motivation was
so high this morning, I left 15 minutes earlier than usual and was able to
get a good stretch in after the ride! The depressing thing is,
that I have to be in so early tomorrow. I am going to try and ride in anyway!
We’ll see how it goes (It is likely that it will still be dark when I get
here). Again, I was told
that the links I added yesterday didn’t work. The Web address to my site is www.mylegshurt.com if you wish to see
those links. |
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May I become at all times, both now and forever ~Tenzin Gyatso,
the 14th Dalai Lama~ |
December 18, 2007 Another Milestone Reached today: Total Weight Loss to
date is 30 lbs. The last three of which have been very difficult. Temperatures are looking a little better tomorrow. I have
every intension of getting back on the bike then. Yesterday was not wasted; I
spent some time in the Y to compensate for the lost ride. Then, this morning
I returned and achieved an advanced Yoga Pose that I have been working on for
several days. The Pose is called Salamba
Sirsasana (Supported Headstand) and looks like this:
Now as easy as this may look, I assure you it has been a
journey! This one, however; is cake compared to the one I am working on. More
on that when I have achieved it. On the subject of yoga: before starting yoga, I had some
preconceptions about it. Kind of like one might think of ballet as a ‘Sissy’
thing. I mention this now because my eyes are open! Yoga can be very
difficult. I am not sure but I think I get more from Yoga than from the bike
ride. If not, it is very complimentary. The benefits that I am seeing thus far: Increased Balance
and over all strength and flexibility. Now this can be attributed to what is
called Core
Strength. Rather than get in to the technical jargon of this, I will
leave that for you to research. All that has been written by others already
so why waste the time. If you are looking to get healthy, Yoga is a good
starting point. If you want more information on Yoga, check out the Links Page where I have
listed some good sources. Though I have been doing Yoga for sometime now, I went to
my first class on Saturday. Doing a class is a thing unto itself. I like the
pace and the flow of the class but I like the freedom of going it alone. I am
going to continue the classes for the learning opportunities that they offer.
Not to mention the experience of the instructor watching over my technique
(Guru I think is the proper word for a Yoga Instructor). |
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Rick ‘Biggie’ Wolf My thoughts are with his family and friends. |
December 17, 2007 I am regretful to
say: I did not ride this morning. I checked the weather and the wind-chill
brought the temperature to 17 Degrees. That is simply to cold to ride a bike.
Not saying I won’t in the future, but I want to get a test run in such cold
before I am in a situation where I must complete the ride. Those who have hike
with me will be familiar with this old saying of mine: ‘Live to ________
another day!’ Today, that is, I will ride another day. However; had I ridden
today, I could have looked like this guy:
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Be the change you want to see in the world ~Gandhi~ |
December 14, 2007 Fortunately for me,
there was no road drama this morning but a fantastic ride in! My rhythm is starting
to be as consistent uphill as it is on flat ground. It won’t be long and I
will be riding the route in 20 minutes. Once this happens, I will upgrade to
a longer route. I can’t wait to be riding on the Greenway! This wonderful
weather we have been having is about to take a down turn. In fact, it looks
as if we might start having winter any time soon. We will see how this guys
with the ride, but I have all intentions of continuing. In other news:
Christmas goodies all over the office are the devil! Cookies and brownies and
fudge are everywhere! It is torture. |
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When a problem
first arises, try to remain humble and maintain a sincere attitude, and be
concerned that the outcome is fair ~Dalai
Lama~ |
December 13, 2007 I drove straight to work today, no YMCA
just to work. I didn’t intend to write anything, however; twice I encounter
bicyclists today. I want to express TWICE! Why is this so special? Why such
emphasis? Because at 6:30 AM, the sun is about 45 minutes from rising and
these Emmy Award winners had no light, no reflectors, and both were wearing
black. One of these geniuses was riding along Middlebrook
Pike, the wrong way. I can not express this enough. If you are
going to ride a bicycle in traffic, FOLLOW THE LAW! And if you feel it is
necessary to not follow the law at least use good sense. Both these guys will
definitely get ran over eventually. |
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…these
three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love ~1 Corinthians
13~ |
December 12, 2007 As I left this morning it was overcast
and 59 degrees. With weather like this it was difficult coming in to work.
The desire to just keep riding was overwhelming. So to say the least today
was a great ride. Seems that the horn blowers are few these
days and by few, I haven’t encountered one in days. The worst thing I have
dealt with is those people who pass closer than I’d like. School Buses and
Tractor trailers are the worst for passing to closely. A couple of weeks ago, I had to get a new
belt. I have already had to tighten it another hole. This weekend I had to
get new pants because everything I owned was falling off. This could get
expensive! I figure on dropping at least another pant size before I reach my
goal weight (this is in no way a complaint). Any body want
some hand-me-downs? |
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When you have
worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the
fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and
hats and clothes you have worn out. ~Ralph
Waldo Emerson~ |
December 11, 2007 I have been busy trying to get two
website combined to become one. The Daily Commute and www.mylegshurt.com are now in one
place. “What does this mean?” you ask! Now those of you who were following
The Daily Commute now have direct access to ‘mylegshurt’
which was a site built around the hundreds of miles I have hiked in the Smokies. Those of you who were familiar with ‘mylegshurt’ can now read ‘The Daily Commute!’ Things are going to look a little
different. And now that Hiking and Biking are all in one, The Daily Commute
may start to detail my hiking trips (I miss the woods and need to get back
out there). Because of this combination, I will no
longer maintain a hiking calendar. Instead, I am going to add a box to the
top of the blog page for announcing such events. I
will also try to provide relevant information concerning local bike events
such as the Tour De Lights on December 16th. Lots of changes coming so check back
often. Let me know any ideas you’d like to see out here. Happy Trails! |
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In every
walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John
Muir~ |
December 10, 2007 How about this weather? Christmas is
quickly approaching and it is 55 degrees. Looking at this week’s forecast,
tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be in the 70s. I love it! Aside from a little fog, I had no trouble
today. I have definitely hit a plateau. I have
seen no change in my weight since Thanksgiving. This is despite adding
swimming to the routine. I think one
factor is that I have not ridden on the weekend in a few weeks. I was riding
30 miles Saturday and Sunday’s. I have to get that routine back. The holiday’s are upon us making for
added challenge to stay focused. |
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The true charm
of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the
talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and
to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the
woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive
charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes
from the talk ~Mark
Twain~ |
December 7, 2007 Fantastic Weather! 35 degrees is just
right. Wednesday evening I lost another blinky! The things just seem to fly off on the road. This
one held out better than the last (It never commuted in. Bought on Friday and
lost on Sunday). I think this is in the design so that you have to replace
them often. Today I did have some trouble getting
going. Aside from the Commute, I spend 3 evenings in the Y swimming this week
and I have still completed my daily Yoga. I think I will sleep in a little
tomorrow. I also found a couple of exercises that
activate the lower back and lower abs leaving both a bit sore. The
satisfaction of realized improvement continues to motivate. A very effective technique that I have
found is a hand stand. I have to use a wall to help leverage but that is only
temporary. By a fifteen count, every muscle in you body is vibrating to keep
balance. As this improves, I will do push-ups this way. The most recent endeavor: Anatomy. I have
taken several medical classes in the span of my education and was always
interested. I have found a book titled The
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga that get in depth with
the anatomical response to movement. This is a full fledge medical textbook
that details the Musculoskeletal System in relation to Yoga Poses. We’ll see
how it is as I get further along. I think I might need a prerequisite course! As Promised, some of the things I see out
riding (these were taken with my phone so the quality is poor): This lady was on market square one
weekend. She is painted all silver to look like a statue. She had a lot of
fun by moving as little kids walked by.
This is a blue swallow tail Butterfly
that I saw on the Will Skelton Greenway. Such a majestic creature.
This is a view of I-40 from the
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I
represent what is left of a vanishing race, and that is the pedestrian.... That
I am still able to be here, I owe to a keen eye and a nimble pair of
legs. But I know they'll get me someday. ~Will
Rogers~ |
December 5, 2007 Yesterday was a bit hectic for me so I
didn’t get a chance to write. The only thing worth mentioning is, Slim Shady does occasionally exercise at the YMCA. I saw
with my own two eyes. Today the temperature was 42 degrees as I
left the house. It seemed like it was warmer because it has been so cold the
past couple of weeks. The entire ride was free of horns, fingers and curse
words. I think I am on a plateau because my
weight hasn’t changed in a couple of weeks. The last delay like this was
followed by a 6 lbs drop (I can only hope). I am 17 lbs from my goal so I can
not complaining. I notice today that drivers don’t just
hate bicycles. In fact, I think when we get behind the wheel we just hate. I
was chaining up in front of the building, when I here that familiar sound of
an angry horn. To my surprise it was directed at a car that was turning into
a parking lot. He had his blinker on and as far as I could tell was moving by
the book. But how dare he inconvenience the person behind him. I hope I don’t
get in front of this guy at the grocery store. I have to ask again, why are we in such a
hurry! |
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If I could
not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish. ~Charles
Dickens~ |
December 3, 2007 I did ride to day! Sorry to have delayed
the article but I have been slammed. There is something that I am realizing
that seems contradictory. Riding with traffic is much safer than the riding
on the sidewalk. To the average person and even in my head, it seems that
wouldn’t be the case so I will justify the thought. On the side walk is all of the refuse of
passing cars. The crap I see on the road is mind boggling: Old tires, broken
bottles, sticks boulders, rock, bras, panties and shoes and about anything
else you can think of could be thrown from a moving car. There are apparently
several people in That is just the crap I am dodging that
is lying there. When you consider the 5000 drive ways between here and the
house, I am dodging cars trucks and SUVs (all of which take no notice of me).
The sidewalks themselves are like a Baha track. Riding with traffic is stressful! The
thing is I am one with the traffic. I am seen and people have to make due.
Not to say some of the above isn’t still an issue just much less of it. Also,
riding with traffic seems to go smoother. I only stop when traffic stops
rather than having to wait on the traffic at intersections; I just wait for
the light to change or my turn in the stop sign rotation. So everybody, please keep your pants on
and my commute will be safer! |
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