Today, a co-worker of mine agreed to take the cycling trip from Chicago to Minneapolis with me next year. I am thrilled because this provides an exciting incentive to stay in shape over the winter.
I have a lot to plan for!
Monday, November 28, 2005
Monday, November 21, 2005
Completion of Studies...
...for now.
I finished the last of my examinations for my Masters on wednesday of last week. Reaching this milestone has been somewhat depressing for me. For one, I really enjoyed the curriculum for my last few classes which were some of the best to date. Secondly, I achieved a long-term goal that is now replaced with a void.
I will be eligible to take my Professional Engineering and Professional Geology exams Fall 2006. At least for now I have a new goal to look forward to.
Reflecting back upon my undergraduate and graduate studies, I began to think of the value of education. The education that one receives is only as good as the implementation of the education by the student.
The receipt of a degree or certificate does not provide carte blanche access to additional tiers of responsibility. More often than not, the education becomes a screening tool, whereby an employer knows that the graduate has completed a certain commitment, yet the graduate's proficiency of applying the knowledge remains a test. It is therefore incumbent upon the student to have sufficient knowledge to teach and employ what has been gained through study. Therefore, the value of the education can only be determined by the recipient of the education. What makes this difficult to employ is that by nature, organizations and people have sufficent resistance to change. That is why one must teach to employ knowledge that is not currently practiced within an organization.
I finished the last of my examinations for my Masters on wednesday of last week. Reaching this milestone has been somewhat depressing for me. For one, I really enjoyed the curriculum for my last few classes which were some of the best to date. Secondly, I achieved a long-term goal that is now replaced with a void.
I will be eligible to take my Professional Engineering and Professional Geology exams Fall 2006. At least for now I have a new goal to look forward to.
Reflecting back upon my undergraduate and graduate studies, I began to think of the value of education. The education that one receives is only as good as the implementation of the education by the student.
The receipt of a degree or certificate does not provide carte blanche access to additional tiers of responsibility. More often than not, the education becomes a screening tool, whereby an employer knows that the graduate has completed a certain commitment, yet the graduate's proficiency of applying the knowledge remains a test. It is therefore incumbent upon the student to have sufficient knowledge to teach and employ what has been gained through study. Therefore, the value of the education can only be determined by the recipient of the education. What makes this difficult to employ is that by nature, organizations and people have sufficent resistance to change. That is why one must teach to employ knowledge that is not currently practiced within an organization.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Wider Acknowledgement of Energy Issues
Has anyone recently seen the focus on energy while watching commercials lately? While I watching Meet the Press on Sunday morning, I saw two adds by a petroleum trade organization. The focus of these advertisements was to suggest energy saving habits. One line of advise was to keep your tires properly inflated and another showed an image with everyone in the scene wearing slippers. Other ads were from Ford, and GM touting their commitment to energy conservation.
This is what I see from this petroleum ad:
When the Got Milk? ad campaign was presented by the dairy industry is was to declining sales. The focus of the ads were to keep milk in the front of peoples mind to mitigate declining sales. Now, looking at the petroleum industry, they have received some pretty harsh criticism lately from ballooning profits and the increase in prices for oil and natural gas.
To what end does this ad campaign service the petroleum industry? I believe that it is public relations and a "pass the blame" effort. The concept is this: yes, gas prices are high and you can conserve so that it effects your wallet to a lesser degree. That is, it is not the petroleum industries fault, it is the wasteful consumer. Contrasting with the Got Milk? campaign is that the petroleum industry wants...to sell less petroleum?
This is what I see from this US automotive ads:
Ford and GM have an appalling record on fuel economy. Now their focus is that they are as concerned about the environment as anyone else. Again, a public relations effort because their fleet fuel economy are among the lowest in the industry. Ford brags of the first hybrid SUV that is powered with Toyota licensed technology. These ads appear as GM releases a $427,000 Camaro that has a ridiculously large engine. Toyota on the other hand is developing high performance electric hybrid sports cars- the Volta.
America's two largest automakers and the petroleum industry are looking for the consumer to curtail consumption of fuels through more efficient autos and energy saving tips. It is apparent that we are in a transitionary phase from carbon to non-carbon based fuels.
I am ready to embrace a paradigm shift in fuels and this shift is acknowledged throughout the broader economy. For instance, Walmart is installing solar panels on the roofs of their enormous buildings.
Critics may say that this is due to tax breaks. That is true, although you rarely hear of how much national money goes into securing our energy interests. Isn't is nice that we pay less than almost all other countries for a gallon of gas. We all owe our thanks to Uncle Sam and our fleet of war ships throughout the world for that.
This is what I see from this petroleum ad:
When the Got Milk? ad campaign was presented by the dairy industry is was to declining sales. The focus of the ads were to keep milk in the front of peoples mind to mitigate declining sales. Now, looking at the petroleum industry, they have received some pretty harsh criticism lately from ballooning profits and the increase in prices for oil and natural gas.
To what end does this ad campaign service the petroleum industry? I believe that it is public relations and a "pass the blame" effort. The concept is this: yes, gas prices are high and you can conserve so that it effects your wallet to a lesser degree. That is, it is not the petroleum industries fault, it is the wasteful consumer. Contrasting with the Got Milk? campaign is that the petroleum industry wants...to sell less petroleum?
This is what I see from this US automotive ads:
Ford and GM have an appalling record on fuel economy. Now their focus is that they are as concerned about the environment as anyone else. Again, a public relations effort because their fleet fuel economy are among the lowest in the industry. Ford brags of the first hybrid SUV that is powered with Toyota licensed technology. These ads appear as GM releases a $427,000 Camaro that has a ridiculously large engine. Toyota on the other hand is developing high performance electric hybrid sports cars- the Volta.
America's two largest automakers and the petroleum industry are looking for the consumer to curtail consumption of fuels through more efficient autos and energy saving tips. It is apparent that we are in a transitionary phase from carbon to non-carbon based fuels.
I am ready to embrace a paradigm shift in fuels and this shift is acknowledged throughout the broader economy. For instance, Walmart is installing solar panels on the roofs of their enormous buildings.
Critics may say that this is due to tax breaks. That is true, although you rarely hear of how much national money goes into securing our energy interests. Isn't is nice that we pay less than almost all other countries for a gallon of gas. We all owe our thanks to Uncle Sam and our fleet of war ships throughout the world for that.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Time will tell...
As I metioned in this post, I will be focusing my investments with energy in mind, and I would invite anyone interested to perform appropriate due diligence in the following sectors: SOLAR POWER and DC STORAGE.
Why solar? - The sun shines everywhere.
Why DC storage? - Most of the items we use are powered by direct current, and solar power is generated in DC. There are no efficency losses due to the conversion of AC to DC.
Why now? - We are at a period when energy is consumed the least throughout the year. (This provides people with a false sense of security regarding fuel costs)
What do I think? - I think that this winter is going to be a b*tch slap to everyone's wallet regarding their home heating bill. The reserves of oil/natural gas in ANWR are not sufficient to mitigate the effect of growing global demand for carbon based fuels from developing countries (aka China and India).
Q: What does the cost of energy effect? A1: The cost of producing goods. A2: The amount of personal expendable income.
Q: How can you slow the growth of any business? A:Raise the underlying costs of producing goods.
Q: How can you slow the growth of a county? A:Raise the underlying costs of doing business and reduce the ability of the consumer to spend.
Q: How to NOT slow business and GDP growth? A:Get off of carbon based fuels.
These connections are as elemetary as possible, but crucial (hopefully the White House will draw the same conculsions - although not likely because of the oil men in the pilot and co-pilot seat). The time is now to identify the Googles and Microsofts of the alternative energy sector.
My bets are on solar and DC storage.
ESLR - Evergreen Solar - Company requires minimum amount of Si to produce solar cells. This makes them less sensitive to fluctuations in the price of Si.
DSTI - Daystar Technologies - Uses GaAs (Gallium Arsenide) for solar cells. GaAs is more efficient that Si for power production and has a longer lifespan. (Not yet at "production level"; however, implication of full scale production are mind-boggling)
ENER - Energy Conversion Devices - CEO is the inventor of NiMH battery technology. They are also developing solar cells, and they provide batteries to Toyota for gas/electric hybrids.
Being "green" should not have a tree-hugger connotation any longer. Being green is becoming the backbone of economic decisions that are driven by the cost of carbon-based fuels.
As for oil...Keep consuming, it will trigger the incorportion of alternative energies at a faster rate.
Research the following: Ghawar is Dying, Peak Oil, DSTI, ESLR, ENER.
Time will tell...
Why solar? - The sun shines everywhere.
Why DC storage? - Most of the items we use are powered by direct current, and solar power is generated in DC. There are no efficency losses due to the conversion of AC to DC.
Why now? - We are at a period when energy is consumed the least throughout the year. (This provides people with a false sense of security regarding fuel costs)
What do I think? - I think that this winter is going to be a b*tch slap to everyone's wallet regarding their home heating bill. The reserves of oil/natural gas in ANWR are not sufficient to mitigate the effect of growing global demand for carbon based fuels from developing countries (aka China and India).
Q: What does the cost of energy effect? A1: The cost of producing goods. A2: The amount of personal expendable income.
Q: How can you slow the growth of any business? A:Raise the underlying costs of producing goods.
Q: How can you slow the growth of a county? A:Raise the underlying costs of doing business and reduce the ability of the consumer to spend.
Q: How to NOT slow business and GDP growth? A:Get off of carbon based fuels.
These connections are as elemetary as possible, but crucial (hopefully the White House will draw the same conculsions - although not likely because of the oil men in the pilot and co-pilot seat). The time is now to identify the Googles and Microsofts of the alternative energy sector.
My bets are on solar and DC storage.
ESLR - Evergreen Solar - Company requires minimum amount of Si to produce solar cells. This makes them less sensitive to fluctuations in the price of Si.
DSTI - Daystar Technologies - Uses GaAs (Gallium Arsenide) for solar cells. GaAs is more efficient that Si for power production and has a longer lifespan. (Not yet at "production level"; however, implication of full scale production are mind-boggling)
ENER - Energy Conversion Devices - CEO is the inventor of NiMH battery technology. They are also developing solar cells, and they provide batteries to Toyota for gas/electric hybrids.
Being "green" should not have a tree-hugger connotation any longer. Being green is becoming the backbone of economic decisions that are driven by the cost of carbon-based fuels.
As for oil...Keep consuming, it will trigger the incorportion of alternative energies at a faster rate.
Research the following: Ghawar is Dying, Peak Oil, DSTI, ESLR, ENER.
Time will tell...
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Busy!
I have recently sequestered myself into the daily grind of work and education. My physical health is suffering as a result. I have only 3 weeks to go until I am finished with my Masters. I really need to refocus on health. The sad truth is that as I become overwhelmed with daily activities, I neglect excercise. This is sad because I have made the following priorities: Wife, Work, School, Health. I am typically able to do well with three of these priorities; however, I seem to choose to neglect health before others.
My goal is to be able to focus on each of the four priorities. I have three weeks to figure it out because after that, school goes away.
My take on recent events:
When your opponent is gaining strength accuse them of cheating. It will take attention off of your own flaws. When your opponent is weak, go for them where it hurts.
R: D's are politicizing issue, and closing senate doors is a stunt.
D: This has always been an issue, and there is an opportunity to address it. R's heavy handed politics have been exposed.
Who's ready to put credence into Bush's Press Secretary, that is, the voice of the White House? Remember, Scott Mclellan assured us that he spoke with Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby personally and that through this conversation Scott was certain that they were not involved with the leaking of Plame's name?
Why do republicans under attack, bring up the fact that something is being "politicized"? Do they only have to answer to their own party? To restate a previous point a little differently: when under attack, accuse your opponent of cheating.
My goal is to be able to focus on each of the four priorities. I have three weeks to figure it out because after that, school goes away.
My take on recent events:
When your opponent is gaining strength accuse them of cheating. It will take attention off of your own flaws. When your opponent is weak, go for them where it hurts.
R: D's are politicizing issue, and closing senate doors is a stunt.
D: This has always been an issue, and there is an opportunity to address it. R's heavy handed politics have been exposed.
Who's ready to put credence into Bush's Press Secretary, that is, the voice of the White House? Remember, Scott Mclellan assured us that he spoke with Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby personally and that through this conversation Scott was certain that they were not involved with the leaking of Plame's name?
Why do republicans under attack, bring up the fact that something is being "politicized"? Do they only have to answer to their own party? To restate a previous point a little differently: when under attack, accuse your opponent of cheating.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
1,226 Miles as of today...
...however, I will be adding another 8 miles by the end of the night. One week ago tonight, I had a midterm exam (that I completely rocked!) and while riding home I got two-flats at once. I started the season with 10 tubes and now I have none.
The temperature is really starting to taper off in the evenings. It is sort of nice except that it seems that there is less oxygen in the air. I tend to get winded a little more easily. This could also be due to the fact that I am riding less per week.
My weight has stayed level. At this point I believe that I will take my friend John's suggestion to weigh myself daily. I recently saw two articles about weight loss that have helped steer this decision.
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/health_story_289194314.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-051017weight,1,6993043.story?coll=chi-health-utl
If one begets the other then, by all means, hop on the scale!
The temperature is really starting to taper off in the evenings. It is sort of nice except that it seems that there is less oxygen in the air. I tend to get winded a little more easily. This could also be due to the fact that I am riding less per week.
My weight has stayed level. At this point I believe that I will take my friend John's suggestion to weigh myself daily. I recently saw two articles about weight loss that have helped steer this decision.
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/health_story_289194314.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-051017weight,1,6993043.story?coll=chi-health-utl
If one begets the other then, by all means, hop on the scale!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Where is the daylight and the warmth??
I am sorry to report that my rate of weight loss is tapering off. I can attribute it to two things well within my control: The amount of riding I am doing and the amount of bad food I am eating. My weight is stable at 247lbs.
I have had a lot of interferences due to work commitments and situations that do not allow daily cycling. I have been able to ride at least 3 days a week, but a continuous string of 5 days is a distant memory.
The weather has been crappy! It is rare that I am able to leave the office before 6:00pm and with the daylight lessening, I have been riding home in the dark. I have been using a helment mounted lamp that illuminates my sight line very well. The headlamp is key to "shine" cars that may not be aware of my presence (look at the driver and light up their car).
Distance since last post: 88miles
I have had a lot of interferences due to work commitments and situations that do not allow daily cycling. I have been able to ride at least 3 days a week, but a continuous string of 5 days is a distant memory.
The weather has been crappy! It is rare that I am able to leave the office before 6:00pm and with the daylight lessening, I have been riding home in the dark. I have been using a helment mounted lamp that illuminates my sight line very well. The headlamp is key to "shine" cars that may not be aware of my presence (look at the driver and light up their car).
Distance since last post: 88miles
Friday, September 30, 2005
Energy...
The chart presented in this link is indicative of the need for a new domestic energy dyanmic. I ride my bike to and from work for the health benefit and the opportunity to save money. One of my vehicles is a 1989 Chevy pickup. This old POS does not get the best mileage; however, I use it primarily for its utilitarian value.
Looking back at 1989, gas prices were around $1/gal. At best, gas prices are now near $3/gal. If someone did not change their driving habits, their gas expenses would increase three times. This is a hard pill to swallow given that wages have not risen at a commensurate pace with gasoline.
Oh goodness! What to do! You hear people kicking and screaming about how they can't afford this or that and that credit card delinquencies are on the rise due to rising fuel costs. My take? Shut up you big baby and do something about it. Ride a bike to get around for trips less than ten miles. Buy a used compact car or just get a car with better mileage.
What my grand visions includes is this:
Solar panels on every roof connected to a plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle. (This will likely take time, but I know that I will be making my investments this concept in mind)
Investment Focus
*Altenative Energy (Solar focus - The sun shines everywhere, the wind does not blow *everywhere)
*Chemical Storage (Batteries - New NiMH and nano applications)
*Electric Automobiles (Toyota - already a reputation for reliability and the first to the market with hybrid vehichles)
Hydorgen economy? Maybe in my great-grandchildren's lifetime.
Kudos to all that bought SUVs with GMs employee discount in face of rising gas prices! It reminds me of the consumer reports that indicated that the Number 1 and 2 complaints of Hummer H2 owners was the poor mileage and the wind noise. I can wait to see someone compain that their new suburban costs too much to drive.
Remember: Ghawar is dying; Cramer from Mad Money indicated that Saudis are buying new oil field production equipment at an increased rate because their existing wells are no longer producing! (Buy NBR and THE)
Some may say we have plenty of oil in oil sands and oil shales. You'd be better served to believe in the effectiveness of cold fusion over the hype on oil sands and oil shales. We will be producing these when gasoline costs $10/gallon or more. Return of Energy for these is approimately 1.5:1 vs. 20:1 in the stressed mideast oil fields.
I need to stop now, I am breaking out in a sweat.
Looking back at 1989, gas prices were around $1/gal. At best, gas prices are now near $3/gal. If someone did not change their driving habits, their gas expenses would increase three times. This is a hard pill to swallow given that wages have not risen at a commensurate pace with gasoline.
Oh goodness! What to do! You hear people kicking and screaming about how they can't afford this or that and that credit card delinquencies are on the rise due to rising fuel costs. My take? Shut up you big baby and do something about it. Ride a bike to get around for trips less than ten miles. Buy a used compact car or just get a car with better mileage.
What my grand visions includes is this:
Solar panels on every roof connected to a plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle. (This will likely take time, but I know that I will be making my investments this concept in mind)
Investment Focus
*Altenative Energy (Solar focus - The sun shines everywhere, the wind does not blow *everywhere)
*Chemical Storage (Batteries - New NiMH and nano applications)
*Electric Automobiles (Toyota - already a reputation for reliability and the first to the market with hybrid vehichles)
Hydorgen economy? Maybe in my great-grandchildren's lifetime.
Kudos to all that bought SUVs with GMs employee discount in face of rising gas prices! It reminds me of the consumer reports that indicated that the Number 1 and 2 complaints of Hummer H2 owners was the poor mileage and the wind noise. I can wait to see someone compain that their new suburban costs too much to drive.
Remember: Ghawar is dying; Cramer from Mad Money indicated that Saudis are buying new oil field production equipment at an increased rate because their existing wells are no longer producing! (Buy NBR and THE)
Some may say we have plenty of oil in oil sands and oil shales. You'd be better served to believe in the effectiveness of cold fusion over the hype on oil sands and oil shales. We will be producing these when gasoline costs $10/gallon or more. Return of Energy for these is approimately 1.5:1 vs. 20:1 in the stressed mideast oil fields.
I need to stop now, I am breaking out in a sweat.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Still Riding, and very busy
I haven't been posting nearly as much as I would like. My job and grad school havw kept me very busy lately. I was hoping that I would use my ride time to set goals for riding to and from work. However, the ride time is controlled by the number of red lights that I stop at. Today, I was riding very hard and my total ride time was 25min 43 sec.
I was happy to weigh in at 249.5lbs over the weekend. I can push my weight down about 5lbs easily through water weight loss while riding. This weight was over the weekend and I hadn't rode my bike for a day-and-a-half.
I was happy to weigh in at 249.5lbs over the weekend. I can push my weight down about 5lbs easily through water weight loss while riding. This weight was over the weekend and I hadn't rode my bike for a day-and-a-half.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Too many days off of the bike...
As a quick recap of the last 6 days:
On Friday I rode my bike to Naperville and had to pick up a bunch of equipment for field work on Monday. I had the bulkiest and heaviest pack of stuff that I have ever carried on my body while biking. Thankfully my wife picked me up after I had completed 10 miles on the return trip.
My weekend was gluttonous. I enjoyed myself too much with both food and drink.
I couldn't ride my bike due to the field work on Monday. On Tuesday, I chose not to ride my bike with all of the heavy equiptment that I carried on Friday.
Back to the present:
Riding today was brutile. My legs were strong, but my lungs and heart were weak. Today, I changed packs from my messenger bag to a standard backpack because of school material, night riding gear, locks, and other crap. The backpack sits a lot higher on my back than a messenger bag and it makes riding much more difficult. Unfortunately, my view over my left shoulder is obstucted by backpack when I ride with it on.
I need to stay riding!
Weight from Friday: 249.5 lbs
On Friday I rode my bike to Naperville and had to pick up a bunch of equipment for field work on Monday. I had the bulkiest and heaviest pack of stuff that I have ever carried on my body while biking. Thankfully my wife picked me up after I had completed 10 miles on the return trip.
My weekend was gluttonous. I enjoyed myself too much with both food and drink.
I couldn't ride my bike due to the field work on Monday. On Tuesday, I chose not to ride my bike with all of the heavy equiptment that I carried on Friday.
Back to the present:
Riding today was brutile. My legs were strong, but my lungs and heart were weak. Today, I changed packs from my messenger bag to a standard backpack because of school material, night riding gear, locks, and other crap. The backpack sits a lot higher on my back than a messenger bag and it makes riding much more difficult. Unfortunately, my view over my left shoulder is obstucted by backpack when I ride with it on.
I need to stay riding!
Weight from Friday: 249.5 lbs
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Cycling Electronics
I have the say that having a lot of things to look at and short term targets to set. Before today, I had only been using my cyclometer and my heart rate monitor. I strapped on the HRM and It was nice to see that my heart rate was not at the usual 190-200 beats per minute (bpm).
I noticed that my max heart rate this morning was ~175bpm with an average heart rate of 160bpm. I am glad that I am the fat burning range and that I was within my target heart rate zone for 27min30sec. As you can see below, I was going fairly slow this morning. This was due to the fact that I pushed myself really hard on my ride home from school last night.
School To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 22min 11sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 28min 56sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
I noticed that my max heart rate this morning was ~175bpm with an average heart rate of 160bpm. I am glad that I am the fat burning range and that I was within my target heart rate zone for 27min30sec. As you can see below, I was going fairly slow this morning. This was due to the fact that I pushed myself really hard on my ride home from school last night.
School To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 7.5 miles
Time: 22min 11sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 28min 56sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
USGS Identified as Government Pork?
This following was taken from Ramesh Ponnuru. He has compiled this list of Government Pork posted on the National Review:
• Washington spends tens of billions of dollars on failed and outdated programs such as the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Economic Development Association.
This is among other things that are not qualified with a specific failure or specific outdated program. This is irresponsible conjecture as I have professional interaction with USGS and I use information from the USGS with some regularity. As with the USEPA, the USGS performs valuable functions and information that professional firms do not provide such as the National Map. Can someone indicate why the National Map is a "failed and outdated" program? Both the USEPA and USGS do not execute their respective charges well. Who cares: Anybody that needs a permit from the USEPA or information from the USGS, or if one needs information from the USGS required for a USEPA permit.
Why is this information like the National Map important? It provide GOBS of information at one central location that allows the business that I do to occur more efficiently and profitably. This allows site developers/insurers/all kinds of people to rapidly make decisions with respect to their profession.
Sorry Ramesh, you have not qualified "Government Pork" with this bullet point. This type of blanket generalization does not fly with me or other critically thinking people.
• Washington spends tens of billions of dollars on failed and outdated programs such as the Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Geological Survey and Economic Development Association.
This is among other things that are not qualified with a specific failure or specific outdated program. This is irresponsible conjecture as I have professional interaction with USGS and I use information from the USGS with some regularity. As with the USEPA, the USGS performs valuable functions and information that professional firms do not provide such as the National Map. Can someone indicate why the National Map is a "failed and outdated" program? Both the USEPA and USGS do not execute their respective charges well. Who cares: Anybody that needs a permit from the USEPA or information from the USGS, or if one needs information from the USGS required for a USEPA permit.
Why is this information like the National Map important? It provide GOBS of information at one central location that allows the business that I do to occur more efficiently and profitably. This allows site developers/insurers/all kinds of people to rapidly make decisions with respect to their profession.
Sorry Ramesh, you have not qualified "Government Pork" with this bullet point. This type of blanket generalization does not fly with me or other critically thinking people.
Rainy Morning
This morning was the first in over a month that I had to ride through the rain. I don't mind the rain nearly as much as I mind the crap that my wheels spray all over me. Arriving at work with a thin layer of grime is always a treat! I sometimes think that people have two differnt driving modes. One when the weather is okay and they drive normally, and the other is when wheather conditions bad and people have driver dimentia. By some people being over-cautions they do strange things like slam on their brakes and change lanes when they see a cyclist in their rear view mirror. This has never happened on a clear day, and only on poor weather days.
To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 24min 55sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 25min 37sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 24min 55sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 25min 37sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
2,000 miles by the end of the year
Last year I was hoping to pedal 1,000 miles for the year but I ended up with a total of 770 miles. This year, I have already pedaled 410 miles on my mountain bike and 480 on my road bike. By the end of this season I hope to fill the void left from last year plus 1,500 miles for a total of 1,730 miles.
I hope to be able to clear this goal and maybe reach 2,000 total miles by the end of the year.
To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 26min 12sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 25min 30sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
I hope to be able to clear this goal and maybe reach 2,000 total miles by the end of the year.
To Home: (Last Night)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 26min 12sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
To Work: (This Morning)
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 25min 30sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
Monday, September 12, 2005
Looking Foward...
Goals are critical to keep your mind focused. As I mentioned in my first post (see Sept. archive) I rode my bike to Florida from Minneapolis, MN. As I decided to go on this trip in the fall and planned to execute the ride the following summer, this was great motivation over the winter.
I feel as though I need a new target to set my sights on, and a reason to keep myself motivated through the winter. I have decided that I will travel from Mpls, MN (my old home) to Chicago, IL (my new home). I would like to conduct this ride with a partner; however, I think that it may be difficult to roundup any willing participants. My plan is to do this ride over a long weekend plus a little PTO. In the past, I completed this leg of my trip in 4 days (pedalling approximately 100 miles/day).
The tentative plan (although I need to check with the CFO) is to begin on Friday May 26th and finish on Monday May 29th (memorial day). This schedule is subject to change. This ride contemplates 100 miles per day and would be entirely self contained; that is, tenting on the side of the road, bringing own food, etc.
Any takers?
I feel as though I need a new target to set my sights on, and a reason to keep myself motivated through the winter. I have decided that I will travel from Mpls, MN (my old home) to Chicago, IL (my new home). I would like to conduct this ride with a partner; however, I think that it may be difficult to roundup any willing participants. My plan is to do this ride over a long weekend plus a little PTO. In the past, I completed this leg of my trip in 4 days (pedalling approximately 100 miles/day).
The tentative plan (although I need to check with the CFO) is to begin on Friday May 26th and finish on Monday May 29th (memorial day). This schedule is subject to change. This ride contemplates 100 miles per day and would be entirely self contained; that is, tenting on the side of the road, bringing own food, etc.
Any takers?
What a difference a day makes
What a difference a rest day makes. I was worried that I would be really sore this morning, but the bike felt like an extension of my body, and I was able to pedal with ease.
Now I just have to keep pushing myself to get stonger and faster.
To Work:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 24min 06sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
Now I just have to keep pushing myself to get stonger and faster.
To Work:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 8 miles
Time: 24min 06sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.25 gallons
Saturday, September 10, 2005
191 Miles This Week!
I am so exhausted! Today, I rode to Wheaton for one of my classes to finish my Masters Degree. Wheaton is very close to Naperville and is on the same route that I took to work yesterday. Needless to say, my legs are in desperate need of a break. My legs feel like dead weight and the 90 degree heat did not help. It is time for a break, that is , until Monday.
I mentioned I would not weigh myself as frequently, but I hoped on the scale today and I weighed in at 247lbs. So far, that is 13 pounds in 9 days. This rate of weight loss will slow down. The easy pounds fly off (the pounds for which I am tragically overweight). Earlier I mentioned that diet soda makes you more hungry. I still believe this, although I have found that ICE COLD Diet Pepsi does not make me more hungry. It must be ice cold otherwise the same effect occurs.
To School and Back:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 42.97 miles
Time: 2hr 32min 56sec
Gallons of gas saved: 1.50 gallons
I mentioned I would not weigh myself as frequently, but I hoped on the scale today and I weighed in at 247lbs. So far, that is 13 pounds in 9 days. This rate of weight loss will slow down. The easy pounds fly off (the pounds for which I am tragically overweight). Earlier I mentioned that diet soda makes you more hungry. I still believe this, although I have found that ICE COLD Diet Pepsi does not make me more hungry. It must be ice cold otherwise the same effect occurs.
To School and Back:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 42.97 miles
Time: 2hr 32min 56sec
Gallons of gas saved: 1.50 gallons
Friday, September 09, 2005
Ride home: A complete disaster...
As I mentioned in my ride to work my legs were fatigued. The situation did not improve throughout the day. My tank was on "E" because I have been limiting my intake of calories. I ate one powerbar before leaving work and another after 10 miles into my ride. I took a little too much time to leave work which added to my problems. It was pitch black when I had about eight miles to go. At this point in my ride the traffic is really heavy and I did not have a "flasher" (tail light) to let cars know I was around. Because of this I was pushed near the curb and had to ride on the concrete gutter. This sucked bad! Every eight feet or so, there is a crack in the gutter. I was clipping along at about 25mph when I hid a crack that was about two-feet wide and six-inches deep.
Hmmm...guess what will happens when a 250lb. cyclist hits a six inch concrete ledge at 25mph...I'll put it this way: The air escaped from my tire in rapid fashion!
Two flats this week. Maybe my wife is right, maybe I am cursed? If I am cursed, I guess I just need to keep buying inner tubes.
To HomeCannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 25.20 miles
Time: 1hr 40min 40sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.75 gallons
Evening Weight!
248.5lbs (Down 11.5 lbs/46 sticks of butter)
Ride to Naperville
Today I rode my bike to my company’s office in Naperville. It is a 25-mile trip one-way and I have been taking IL-38 (Roosevelt Road) from Oak Park to this location. I tried to protein load last night to give my legs a good opportunity to recover. However, this morning my legs were still feeling the pain from all of my riding this week. I tried to focus on “spinning” (pedaling between 80 and 90 rpm) so that I would not overexert myself. I think it helped because I was able to sprint with no problems late into my ride.
When compared to the 50-mile ride I did on Monday, this ride was much more difficult because I was carrying approximately 25lbs. of stuff on my back (work clothes, files, shoes, etc.) and the traffic was pretty heavy.
To Work:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 25.28 miles
Time: 1hr 20min 9sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.75 gallons
When compared to the 50-mile ride I did on Monday, this ride was much more difficult because I was carrying approximately 25lbs. of stuff on my back (work clothes, files, shoes, etc.) and the traffic was pretty heavy.
To Work:
Cannondale Road Bike
Total Distance: 25.28 miles
Time: 1hr 20min 9sec
Gallons of gas saved: 0.75 gallons
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