Back to biking

Yesterday was the first day of the season of my bike riding. I started riding my bike to & from work at the beginning of this week, but yesterday was the first time I rode any distance. I plan on riding at least 3 times a week.

There are a couple of reasons I've started riding again: 1)Save gas money, which will amount to 30-50 a month, 2) Exercise 2A) Lose weight 2B) Cardio & respiratory fitness.... My realistic goal is to get back to 190lbs from the 200 +/- I'm at now, but my ideal goal is 185. If my weight loss is on par with last year, it'll be four weeks before I see any progress & roughly 5 months before I reach my 190 goal.... so in October I'll be ready for swimsuit season.... crap. And that's if I ride when it's really hot, which I couldn't force myself to do last year.

I can finally use my i-shuffle too, which I originally bought for my trip to California. I've actually started using it for my ride to/from work, even though it's only a 3 min trip. Last year I almost stopped riding just because all the noise that the air made as it passed over my ears.... although I don't think it really caused any physical damage, it was really damn annoying. The ear pieces don't completely eliminate the noise, but at least I have something to drown it out. Since I moved to Iowa & I spend so little time in my car I've really missed having the time to listen to music, which has always been a big part of my life.... & because I made the 15 hour long music list myself, I know I'll enjoy all of it.

So, to start my year off, I rode to the Carrol Marty disc golf course at Gateway Park, on the South side of town. I stopped at Kory's along the way to change over my laundry that he lets me do at his place. The ride to Carrol Marty exhausted me more then the ride back, as the route I took to get there had a slight incline for the last 1/3 of the trip, which was killer... I couldn't maintain more then 11mph, instead of my usual 15-20.

I rested for a little bit & drank some Gatorade after I arrived at the course. I played all 18 holes & finished at 2 under par, which is tied for my best game at that course. Unfortunately I, who was playing alone, was stuck behind a group of three that was behind a group of six that was behind a group of two that was moving really slow & holding us all up. Almost every hole I had to wait for the group in front of me to finish before I could throw. Any normal & decent group would of let me play through as I was obviously moving faster then everyone else, but they had no intention of letting me pass. I finally got ahead of everyone, except the group of two, on the 17th hole.... I still had to wait for them.

The ride back seemingly was easier & again I stopped at Kory's to change over the loads of laundry I had going. Kory had started his Spanish homework before I left, which he had put off all week until last night, & he was still working on it when I stopped on my way back. He had about 20-22 pages to do & over the 1-1/2 hours I was gone he only got 10 done. After talking to him for a few min I set out & finished the last leg to home.... where I sat down to dinner & watched my weekly Anime show.

Surprisingly my legs aren't sore today, but as I've gotten older I've realized it sometimes takes a day for it to catch up to me.... although since I started riding to & from work that might of helped by easing me into it.

This weekend looks to be very nice weather wise, but I have nothing planned. I should ride at least one day. Hopefully I'll be able to get Kory to ride with me. & I hope to get a few board games in with the guys this weekend too.

Tomorrow morning the Carrol Marty disc golf course is having a clean up day. The storms that have ravaged the area over the past few months, including the last ice storm, had downed many branches on the course & have yet to be cleaned up. Parks & rec must also be short on help as none of the garbage has been collected since the first of the season.... so they are requesting help from the users of the course. I don't know if I'll go, as it's from 9-noon, but if I'm so inclined, I'll go help out. ... maybe I'll try & get Jordan and/or Kory to go with me.

unsettling call

It was 2am & after jerking awake from a deep sleep I scrambled to reach over the side of my bed to pick up my phone, I saw it was Kory when I flipped it open.

"What’s up man?" I asked.
"Hey, did you happen to borrow my lap top?" he responds.

As he was walking home from the down town bars he saw a vehicle speed away that seemed to of come from his driveway. After going inside he notices his laptop was not on the coffee table anymore. Evidently someone at 2am walked into Kory's house & stole his laptop.

I had been there at 11 to pick up my last load of laundry. He had already gone to the bars but several of the lights were still on when I was there. He knew I had stopped by while he was out, as I had called him from his place to see where he was.... hence the call to see if I borrowed it.

It was a unsettling call as it would take a real deranged person to walk into someone’s lit house at 2am & walk out with a expensive piece of equipment.... but what is more unsettling is that I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone he knew. We've all had some sketchy friends at one time or another, & I know that over the years he's had several "different" type of friends come & go from his life that knew where he lived & that it was pretty much an open door type of place. It wouldn't be anything for someone to innocently walk in & say "hey" at 2am, but when they realized that he wasn't there.... they seized the opportunity.

It made me paranoid, as we've shared many of the same friends.... even some of the sketchy ones. Although they may not know me or where I live as well as they know Kory, it's not a far reach from one to the other. After hanging up the phone & I laid there thinking about it, I had to get up & lock my door. If it wasn't for the fact that my landlord is a obsessive window watcher, I would be even more worried about it.

I can't say for sure, it's pure speculation that it's someone he knew. It's just more logical that way. Otherwise, that person would have had to of stake his place out to make sure no one was home for awhile.... which is even more disturbing. I feel bad for Kory, even though he seemed very upbeat about it.... as the computer is insured & it'll be replace at little or no cost. But it's very unsettling to know that someone unknown had entered his home with foul intentions.

New toys!

I've decided to buy a few toys, here is the list:
-Mountain bike
I'm glad I finally upgraded to a new bike. I haven't ridden it much since I got it Saturday, but I did ride it to work on Monday (today it has rained). But I expect a long life & a lot of fun from this bike. I test rode this & three others.... best features of this bike - lightweight & easy shifting over its 24 gears. I also got a computer installed on it that tells me my MPH, travel distance, total distance, trip time & a clock display.
-Two N64 gaming controllers & 1 game (star wars racer)
Last week while I was at Kory’s he hooked up his old sega system & we played a game or two of basketball, it was really fun.... it renewed my interest in console games & the need for multiplayer entertainment at home for when friends visit. I also was looking for 007:Golden eye, a classic for N64.... although they said they had it at the game store, they couldn't find it, so they put it on reserve for me.
-Iron
I can't tell you how many times I've needed one of these over the past year, probably not as many as I think, but it's something I foresee I will need at some point.... now I need an ironing board though.
-Waterproof speakers
Sears is closing their store in the mall here in town & this is the first week of the closing sale.... I'm sure things will go down in price as time goes on, but all the good stuff will be gone by then. So I picked these up. I've got one pair of these already that I use for my main stereo, but I figured I'll need another pair eventually.... maybe I'll put them in my bathroom.
-Blue led 120mm Case fan
I hate installing case fans, the holes they have for the screws in the fan itself are poorly designed. To make things easier I widened the holes on the original fan I installed, but in doing so I broke the lights.... I finally got around to replacing it, but in my haste I didn't get a quiet one. It's not terribly loud, it could be worse, but I might end up getting another that's quieter. The interior of the case looks great as it now has extra light.
-Cannon all in one printer along with copy paper, adhesive backed paper & 4 x6 photo paper
I haven't had a printer in a long, long time... so long I've just gotten used to not having one. As I was browsing through deals on newegg.com I saw it & decided it was time to get one. I've already printed out 10 photos that I've put up on the divider next to my desk, along with one for Kory.... the thing works great! I can now sort through the many, many, many pictures I have taken & print my favs. I look forward to being able to give photos as gifts too. It also has a scanner & copier.... it's not often, but I know they will come in handy.
-6' USB 2.0 cable
The printer didn't come with a printer cable, so I had to go & buy one, booo... so much for a good deal on the printer. The cable was another $30.
-Bubbler
hehe, a beautiful new smoking device.... I believe I will call it Van Gogh as it reminds me of his painting "A Starry Night".
-Logitech web cam
A great addition to my computer set up. I've already used this with Tiffany & even over her slow connection she can see me, so I'm happy to have it. I can foresee a lot of usage coming out of it.
-Need for speed: Carbon, a PC video game
Basically a racing game, with a little twist. Win races & you get $, upgrades to the car & control of territories which unlocks more upgrades & territories. I like the races, but I also like being able to just drive around really fast on the streets of the city they created without racing.... it's a nice change from BF2142. Hello drunk driving!
-Two audio splitters
One for each computer. For Blazing Blue, if I wanted to use my headset I had to get behind the computer & change out the plugs.... now all I have to do is turn off the desk top speakers. For 5.1, I had to change the plug-ins if I wanted to listen through the desktop speakers or my main stereo.... now I just turn off the set I don't want to use. Brilliantly convenient.

I have a few more items on my "To Buy" list before I go back to my normal anti-spending ways:
-Bed
I've only visited one mattress place so far, but I got educated on what to look for.... I did find a bed I really liked, if I can't find it or a comparable one somewhere else for cheaper, I'll end up getting it. $680 + tax for 10years of good sleep is worth it, right?
-Totes
I've had a desire to organize my storage room by putting everything in totes for awhile now, but I've always hesitated because I didn't want to spend the money on them. I should just go & get it over with.... I know there is a lot of stuff in my storage room that I would use if I had easier access to it.
-Artwork framed
I want to frame the artwork I just got from California & frame/remat the painting by Brandon.... hobby lobby has had 50% off of custom framing sale going, but I'm lazy & haven't gotten it done.
-Black file cabinets
For the base of my desk.... right now it's just supported by 2x4s. Not only do I need the storage space for all the stuff around my computer desk, but it will also complete the computer desk. I've had my eyes open for good deals on file cabinets, but no luck so far.... so I'll just have to suck it up & buy a really good pair for too much $.

where the hell are my sissors!?

So I had the only pair of sissors in the company.... for the longest time if someone in the shop needed to use them they just came in & got them. Well, after one of guys dropped & broke them, I ordered two new pairs.... a nice set for me & a steel cast pair for them. Since they didn't like the steel set, the pair I had conventently got lost somewhere/somehow.... after looking for them for a week & asking all the guys in the shop, I ordered another two pairs. One nice set for me & another nice set for the shop, in hopes that I wouldn't have mine stolen/lost again. Well, within a week of getting the two nice sets, the lost pair showed back up in my desk.... now I had 2 pairs.

My office co-worker had overheard the guys in the shop complain about the scenario & he mentioned that we should get wall paper sissors instead, because of the extra blade lengths & their durability. What he didn't know was that my "new" pair had been returned, so the next time he was at the paint store, he picked up two pairs of wall paper sissors & gave one to me.

I found it ironic that in a short time period I had a pair of sissors broken, a pair bought & stolen & returned, & 5 bought.

what to do what to do

I haven't known what to do with myself lately.... I've got things to do, but I lack the motivation. I only do some of them because I know my to-do list will get bigger & I will get more discouraged by the fact I am getting nothing done.... but it's all piddly stuff anyways. Stuff that really only matters to me, like changing the oil in my car or doing the dishes, keeping the place picked up, etc.... stuff that takes time & energy with little benefit to no one but me.

Things are going well enough in my life. The majority of the "L"s are healthy & steady, although still somewhat incomplete.
Social: Friends: I've been hanging with more friends recently, which is a vast improvement from the past.... the time spent with them is very enjoyable & it makes me look forward to seeing them again. Although the total amount of time I see friends still falls shorter then what I'd like, I feel the friends department is improving as a whole.... I've got more friends now that are active in my life then I have had in years & I've got a friend whom I feel I can talk to about anything, even though it's a long distance friendship.
Social: Romantic: Nothing new here, still alone.... I'm tired of being alone, I'm tired of living alone. I need to get laid, but without any emotional connection behind it, it would be just a quick fix lasting no more then a day or so.
Financial: May 3rd (today), I get a .75/hr raise, the first raise I've had in 2 years... plus I got my mid year bonus today, & its pay day! So I've got the money to get just about anything that catches my eye.... including the bed I need & a new bike. My credit card still needs to be paid off, but since I don't have any big expenses on the horizon I feel I can make some major headway on paying it off this year.... I'm in my 3rd year for paying off my car though, so that'll still be there.
Physical: I'm in good enough health, I haven't fluxuated in weight more then 7 pounds since last year & I'm still slightly under the 200# mark.... I wouldn't be able to run any marathons or go out & play a full game of basketball, but I don't foresee myself falling over dead anytime soon. Hopefully with the warm weather & a new bike, I'll get my cardio worked back up & maybe lose a few pounds too.
Mental: I need a woman. I've lost that part of my mind, the part that knows how to care & be cared for.... how to be a man. How to be a man for a woman. My mind gets so caught up on it I feel like it's smothering other parts.... I don't want to think about it anymore, I don't want to have to question it anymore. I just want to love & be loved. Other then that, my sanity is at a new level.... although I feel like my mind is slightly atrophying from lack of interesting challenges, the solidity of my thinking is unfaltering.
Spiritual: While in California my brother made a comment that I seemed happier now then I had in years.... I didn't say it, but it's partially due to that I barely even think about what we grew up to believe as God. It's been a complicated & frustrating struggle over the course of my entire life to incorporate what I was taught was God into my life.... there is a peace in the absence of those thoughts. I fear outright denying all that I grew up learning for it holds many ideals that I still keep, but I have found my own path with God.

So what's with the lack of motivation? Why can't I feel fit to keep up the standard of life I've created? Time goes on & so must I, but there is no heart in it, no passion.... I feel no reason to do it or to do it well, even though I do. I need a long, soft hug....

Ames flood April 2007

Flood stage is at 20', water reached 23.9'.... another 18 inches & it would of been at my works door step!