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Archives 2008: | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October |
November | December | 2007: | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October
| November | December | |
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April
2008 |
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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair
for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells |
Wednesday April 30, 2008 Global Warming? Current weather patterns make me grateful for
Global Warming. Seriously, if it weren’t for Global Warming, we’d all be
freezing to death today because the Global Warming wouldn’t have today’s
Spring Temperatures up to 43 Degrees as it was as I left the house this
morning. Today, I didn’t get motivated fast enough
to ride the route I used yesterday. I was awake but not coherent (stayed up
to late). I will try again tomorrow! Tomorrow is May 1st and the
First day of Smart Fix 40. Just a reminder! Also, to coincide with the Smart
Fix 40, Smart Trips is kicking off a month of events. See this link for
complete details: http://www.knoxsmarttrips.org/stweek.htm May 16th is Bike to Work Day! From the Smart Trips Web site I found this:
“How to Calculate Driving Costs’ http://www.knoxsmarttrips.org/costs.htm |
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Fear less, hope more; |
Tuesday April 29, 2008 A Little Extra I finally broke down and rode the Greenway
in today. The Total Distance on this chosen route is 9.4 Miles and require
and extra 15 minutes. This is now my intended route but we’ll see how well I
get motivated to do it come tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM when I am trying to
get out of bed. |
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The problem
to be faced is: how to combine loyalty to one's own tradition with reverence
for different traditions. A.J. Heschel |
Monday April 28, 2008 Good Weekend Returning from an already excellent
weekend, I find that a couple of associates have purchased bicycles. It is
always great to know that someone else may be discovering/rediscovering one
of man’s greatest inventions. Having been in open discussion with several
people recently, I have been reminded of the love I have for cycling.
Sometimes I fail to mention that on here. Commuting does get routine and I
feel like I writing ‘Today was a good ride’ over and over gets old. Today, I
did not ride but I miss it like a child misses his mother! I just wanna go
ride! If you are looking for a means to relieve
stress, get some exercise bicycling is a way to do all of these and have fun
in the process. Last week, I ran into a group of cyclists that
were doing what they call Critical Mass, that is, they get together on the
last Friday of every month and ride in
‘Mass’ around the city of Knoxville. These are the people commuting by bike
and there are a lot of them! And they tell me this was a small group. I have
my calendar marked for next month. Did anyone attend the Franklin Graham
Festival? I went Saturday Night and had a pretty good time! Toby Mac is fun
stuff! Comments |
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Of you’re not living on the edge then
you are taking up too much space. |
Saturday April 26, 2008 Sore Yesterday evening I joined some people at
the It was fun times and I have rediscovered an
old hobby and look forward to another visit. I will try to get the pictures
that were being taken and get them posted sometime soon. |
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When man invented the bicycle he
reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision
and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent
inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body
became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely
beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to
others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the
bicycle. Elizabeth West |
Friday April 25, 2008 Pancakes are the Devil I am slipping because of this temptation.
Pancakes! They really don’t break down to bad, in fact, zero fat if you don’t
use butter (I am not a big fan of butter). They weather allowed for shorts today but I
still needed sleeves. My ride time is getting better. I am have been
averaging 24 minutes in. Today I broke the 170 mark; I am not quit
169 but broke the mark. This is where I want to stay and am starting to think
about weight maintenance rather than loss. Until now, I have been maintaining
2000 calories a day with a 500 calorie a day reserve for the days I need a
little splurge. Based on my statistics (Height, weight and age) I have used
some tools to determine what I need to maintain: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html.
I need just under 2300 calories to maintain and will feel like a pig getting
that many. Gas Prices in the area are climbing and in
some places are above 3.50 per gallon. Smart Fix 40 starts May 1st.
With these issues upon us, I would like to encourage those who can reasonable
do so, to consider alternative modes of Transportation. Here is the link to
Smart Trips, there site offers available alternative is http://www.knoxsmarttrips.org/enroll.htm http://www.knoxvillegasprices.com/ SMART FIX 40 starts May 1st http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=56742 Humans Nearly Extinct http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/24/close.call.ap/index.html Stimulus Packages going out Early http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/24/pf/taxes/Stimulus_checks/index.htm?cnn=yes |
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Thursday April 24, 2008 Just News Food Rationing http://nysun.com/news/food-rationing-confronts-breadbasket-world Food Banks Dilemma http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=57101 Community Gardening http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=57107 Global FREEZING http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352241,00.html Suspended for Smoking http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352265,00.html Activist against Al Gore http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351943,00.html |
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When the will to power is in charge, |
Wednesday April 23, 2008 Good Times As would be expected, Plant and Kraus put
on a great show. Unfortunately, the venue in which they played was so caught
up in keeping photographs from being taken that they became a distraction to
the show. Yesterday I read the Tao Te
Ching and found that it is a good read. Glad I
didn’t buy the book as it was fairly short. I am in a state of Limbo on
reading because I have several books that I am anxious to read that have yet
to be delivered. If I start another I am afraid I will put it down to start
one of the others. I have read and heard great things about A
New Earth so I want to take a look inside. I am also waiting for The
Last Lecture which I am confident will be a good read. In the mean
time, I guess I will stick to the web and magazines to bide my time. Here are some good reads In the News: Seven http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/22/growing-ever-greener/ Global Warming? http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/04/21/5343616-sun.html Patrick Moore on Leaving Greenpeace (A MUST
READ) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120882720657033391.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries Gas Prices http://money.cnn.com/2008/04/23/markets/oil.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes Our Growing Government http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/04/the_taxpayer_frogs_in_the_irs.html Bad Policy (A good read) http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&sid=arSRWU0yDL7M&refer=columnist_hassett Guns on Campus http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/21/ut-students-protesting-gun-laws/ |
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Trust your natural responses; |
Tuesday April 22, 2008 Not Much I am going to the Robert Plant and Allison
Kraus concert after work so I skipped my ride. In Fact, I slept in this
morning and didn’t do anything related to exercise. For Breakfast, I had
three pancakes! I decided today was a day to relax a little. If you haven’t listened to any of the
Plant/Kraus album, I highly recommend it. I am in the final chapter of my latest book
Becoming
Vegan. It has been difficult for me having previously
been a carnivore to move towards a more vegetarian lifestyle. Every
restaurant you go to serves a traditional menu of standard ‘American’ diet. I
say American diet because even the Ethnic Cuisine around is rarely the
traditional ethnic cuisine because Americans won’t eat it. Also, making a change to a vegetarian diet
clashes with family and friends who don’t understand, or are resistant to the
thought of making these changes. I
imagine this is due to the belief in the necessity of Animal Protein (I had
huge fears with this too). Anyway, the book Becoming Vegan is a
Nutritional Guide for those who eat no animal products including milk, eggs
and cheese. The information is good and well referenced and very much
supports my belief that I can eat and be healthy without eating flesh.
However; I am a long way from giving up Milk, eggs and cheese and if those
were to be given up, the sweet nectar of the bees (honey) is my sugar
substitute and will likely be a part of my diet until I die. If you are looking for solid nutritional
information, Becoming Vegan fits the bill. It will not be talking
about Grilled chicken and lean meats! There is an entire chapter dedicated to
the Vegan Food Guide (Like the food Pyramid). There are Meal Plans laid out
for a Vegan Diet from 1600 Calories a day to 6000 calories a day. With the
exception of my use of Milk, Cheese and Eggs, these are very similar to my
methods. Friday May 9th I will be hiking Leconte with Ed Wright,
anyone interested in joining let me know and we will provide more details. Ed
is an early bird so we will likely be on trail by 7 to 7:30 am. Nalgene Phase Out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24200402 |
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Knowing
others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength;
mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you
are truly rich. |
Monday April 21, 2008 Not as Planned The weekend didn’t go as planned. The early
morning rain deterred the trip to Charlies Bunion.
Instead we compromised and went to Seven
Islands Wildlife Refuge. If you have not visited It is still a little chilly riding in the
mornings. I am still wearing a jacket and gloves and with the recent hair cut
I still need a toboggan (it is amazing the amount of insulation the 4 pounds
of hair on my head offered). I am looking forward to warmer mornings. I recently watch a Barbra Walter’s special
called ‘The Last Lecture’ and the story was inspiring. It is about Randy Pausch, who is a Professor at http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/ I recently order his
book and will of course give updates on that as soon as I start reading
it. Also, someone asked me if I had read this
book or if I knew anyone who had. Has anyone read this: Also, Does anyone have a copy of the Tao
Te Ching that I could borrow? |
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"You
have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination
plus innovation equals realization." Denis
Waitley |
Friday April 18, 2008 Motivation I had some motivation trouble this morning
and was off to a late start. It worked out fine but is still a frustrating
thing. Fortunately the ride in was smooth. On my way in I saw a lady with a flat in
the median of Middlebrook Pike where K.U.B’s facility is. I was stopping to help her when one
of K.U.B’s bucket trucks pulled up. The guy gets
out and spreads out his traffic cones and gets to work on her tire like he
did this all the time. This did me good seeing that there are people who go
out of their way to lend a hand to someone in need. Now that I have used the ‘F’ word (Flat) I
will probably find that I have another. |
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“Ordinary
riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely
precious things that cannot be taken from you.”
Oscar
Wilde
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Thursday April 17, 2008 Information Didn’t ride today because I had to stock my
food supplies. I wanted to share some links and save all the trouble of
looking this stuff up. Several High Profile Health concerns are Cholesterol,
Sodium and Fat. Below are details concerning those issues: Cholesterol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=512 Sodium http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708 Fat http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3046074 Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/index.htm Nutrition Data |
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There
are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, Yes, I've got
dreams, of course I've got dreams. Then they put the
box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're
still there.
Erna Bombeck
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Wednesday April
16, 2008 Look
Both Ways This old adage,
“look both ways” is no longer very useful. Crossing on Foot, not bike, at a
cross walk and I find myself running fro my life. I was half way across
before this woman even made it to the stop sign revving her engine and
spinning out. I had a good
ride this morning. The sun was trying to peak over the trees most of it! After having my
hair cut, that put my weight to 171 pounds (4 lbs of hair). I imagine that I
have seen most of my physical changes and have purchased some new clothes. I
was in and busting out of a 38 waste and am now in a 32. I haven’t been in a
32 since high school! Of course I have weighed 170s since late middle school. Mad Fold Ins http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/03/28/arts/20080330_FOLD_IN_FEATURE.html# |
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Collective
fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who
are not regarded as members of the herd.
Bertrand Russell
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Tuesday April
15, 2008 Coexist I am sure we have
all seen the bumper stickers that say Coexist using the different religious
symbols to represent the letters of the words. I bring this up today because
this is pipe dream. Pipe dream because in order for us to coexist, tolerance
would be required. A tolerance that the same people who apply such a bumper
sticker to there car just don’t have. ‘How can I be so general?’ One might
ask. Well because the cars who have these bumper stickers are the same people
who honk at bicyclists. If they can tolerate bicyclists on the road, how can
they possibly come to terms with world religions that different from their
own? I am really
concerned for the Young Lifers and the Co-existers
because they set such a great example in the world. They bring forth such
seemingly strong principles until faced with some adversity. So we must ask,
how then can we coexist? I really do
like the idea of coexistence.
Now that the
rant is over: I want to thank everyone for the kind compliments on the new
hair cut! It was time to evolve and I have made that step. I really like it
myself and have no reservation left. I think the new look is here to stay. I finished the
book The
Way We Eat and found it to be an informative easy read. |
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Courage
is the power to let go of the familiar.
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HAPPY
BIRTHDAY SIS!!! Today I made a
step towards letting go of one of those things that we have a tendency to
cling to. Many of us cling to our cars, our house, or even money. My biggest
fall back, the thing that I have allowed to influence much of my life is my
hair. Today, I let go! No being that the total length was 13 inches, I was
able to donate it to Locks of Love! I have prepared
for this over the past few weeks and I still had some reservation while
sitting in the barbers chair but I did it and I am the better for it. I
probably weigh five pounds less. |
But I
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What
is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not
enter into our daily lives
EM
Foster
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Friday April
11, 2008 Spectacular It is a rare
occasion that the sun is out of bed before me but today he seemed extra
motivated. However; the sun was high in the sky this morning for my commute. The
picture gives little justice to the magnificence of it.
This on top of
Great Temperatures, I had a spectacular ride this morning. Does any body else
notice these things on there way in? Share your images. In the News Brainwashed
Children http://blogs.usatoday.com/weather/2008/04/expert-were-bra.html UFOs http://www.kltv.com/global/Category.asp?c=65356 Public School
Shenanigans http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/wake/story/1030367.html The Olympic
Torch causing Global Warming http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=4614004&page=1 Appeal Won Ridiculous http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/04/08/thudguard_helmet_for_bouncing.html |
