Dreaming of another day on the road!

Tomorrow I leave mid-day for my first over night bicycle tour in a long time and I am excited. I have been thinking about doing some travel for some time and this is due time. I have gotten caught up in all my classes and am ready to take the trucker out for ;some real life, to breath the coastal air and see some thing I have not seen in too much time. The wind in my face and the the rubber on the ground, my bags are packed and ready to go and tomorrow I leave for an over-nighter. This wont be the first time I have done a one night trip and it certainly wont be the last... it is a great way to get away for a while and get a taste for touring without having to commit much time. It is certainly something I recomend for anyone who may be willing to give it a try. It doesnt take a whole lot... it is possible to do it using a hotel, though I will be going with my tent.. because it is over night I will not need much more than sleeping gear and shelter. If all you have is a bike and a small backpack these over night trips are reachable. You can eat along the route by buying food or even just bringing some power bars so you would not have to bring cooking equipment or bulky food. There is certainly some beauty to be found in over night trips like this because it is a way to get away withoutt having to take an entire vacation... you could do it on a friday or saturday night and be back in time to get showered for work on sunday night. It is a good way to get out and breath some real air and possibly spend a night in a good book. Some nights that Ihave been out in my tent I could spend 2 hours in a book just enjoying the night air. Peace and quiet and the great open. Ill see you on the trail tomorrow if you would like to join me.

Bill and BOBs excellent adventure

A friend of mine and a professor at St. Petersburg College has recently departed for quite the journey. Bill Hemme joined me on the trip I lead around the state in November, our trip then was a 200 mile trip that ended for me when I lost the use of my knee. Bill continued on to finish that trip. He also used my trip as a testing ground for the big journey that was to come. Over the summer Bill will be travelling from San Fransisco, CA to Clearwater, Florida entirely by bicycle, pulling his BOB trailer with all his rations for the journey. As of today Bill has been riding for 5 days and though he has had some delays along the way I suspect that he has prepared himself sufficiently, and will most certainly have some great stories to share. In fact Bill is sharing his story from the road as he rides. Bill brought with him a laptop to record the story of his journey along the way in real time. His blog is on CrazyGuyOnABike.com at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=5091&v=6a . Go check out Bill's blog and say hi on the guest book.

Garden Update

The garden is doing quite well... The tomatoes and peppers are producing and the corn is flowering. I made dinner the other night with the one red tomato and a chili pepper. The lettuce and spinach I had did not work out so I spread the onions into the area where they were and planted some pole beans as well. The caterpillar problem I had is completely gone.
Nothing is more calming and relaxing than spending time weeding, watering and spraying my garden. It is quite peaceful. The most rewarding part is the delicious food that comes from the work I've put into it. Not only are the vegetables good but Ive followed them every step of the way and I know exactly what went into keeping them clean and organic. If anyone wants some tomatoes, peppers or corn let me know... I will have plenty in the next few weeks.

Studia Humanitatis

“Enjoy the present hour, be mindful of the past; And neither fear nor wish the Approaches of the last. Learn of the skilful: He that teaches himself, hath a fool for his master.”

Benjamin Franklin

In psychology we learn that there are different areas of the brain that are stimulated by different things. Beyond just the idea of left-brain vs. right-brain, but also in the sense of learning new things and learning new ways of thinking in general. By taking a new route home from work we stimulate our brain by the sight of new things, by trying new foods we open ourselves up to new tastes and new stimulation. But this goes far beyond the simplicity of the immediate senses directly involved, it is a spark that increases your capacity. It gives your brain the opportunity for further stimulation and growth, and with it the IQ. Generally people stop growing in their late teens to early twenties, and in fact start the long process of deterioration. This generally happens after high school and into college for those of us who go. But what some fail to realize is that the brain never stops changing, your IQ never ceases to have potential for increase. In high school I learned some things, earlier in college I learned some more things, but the most valuable lesson I have since learned is learning how to learn. To seek out information constantly and to become what I like to call a "lifetime learner" is far more important than any wealth of information could possibly give you. To learn to love to learn and to continue to add to that wealth of information increases the potential for your IQ, and it also prevents you from following the condemned paths of mistakes made in history. From the moment you decide that learning is beneath you, and that you have become as smart as you wish to become, your true intelligence begins its steady decline. You begin to forget what you once knew and without new knowledge your IQ begins its steady decline. You begin to live by fallacy, "learning" things the hard way. Not truly understanding, but finding reasons to explain away the troubles of life. Believing hearsay as fact, instead of seeking the truth in a reputable source. I believe firmly that the study of humanities in general is one of the most important ways to stimulate the intellect, to increase your brain power, and to further your potential intellectually. Taking the time to stay on top of current events, reading how it relates to our history on this planet, studying the impacts of the great men and women who brought great change to our society, even knowing what influences art and architecture has had on our past and present. These things are all important in becoming a well educated, contributing member of society, and to deny the explorations of the humanities is to deny real potential for making your own impact in the world around you. The greatest lesson I ever learned was to become a lifetime learner, and that I can accomplish anything I want. By stimulating my senses and by increasing my education I can truly be a great teacher and a renaissance man. History, sciences, the arts, physical education, music, social sciences, humanities... these aren't just things we have to take to get through school. These are things that make humanity understand itself. By standing on the shoulders of giants(as newton put it) we can understand our future by knowing our past. Or we can be condemned to be frustrated by following the same circles in life and wondering why.

a healthy start -- new diet day 1

I haven't been on the road bike in quite some time. Today I took her out for a leisurely 22 miles around the county. Not enough to be painful but just enough to sooth the aches from the running from yesterday.

My girlfriend and I are starting our own version of the biggest loser. We are shooting for 13% weight loss by the end of the summer and loser buys the victory dinner at the restaurant of the winners choice.

Tonight is our initial weigh in and I will try to keep some sort of report on the site here as to the results and the goings along the way. i will also be shopping for some veggies to start the diet portion of my new weight loss challenge, it'll be nice to bring out my creativity in the kitchen again. I do love to cook! I just hope Ms. cant-eat-onions can stand some of the meals I come up with.

New shoes

Ok... so after a few months of unintentional bulking up, I decided it was time to figure out a way to spark some interest in getting back in shape. Had to be something inexspensive, had to be something that didnt involve driving anywhere, and had to be something that distracted my attention from the bicycle. Now I know what you're thinking... and yes I do love my bikes, but for some reason I'm just in a phase where the idea of getting on the bike just doesn't excite me the way it used to. I decided to purchase myself a pair of Saucony Cohesion running shoes. I used to run a lot in high school and when I was a young private in the Army. Just the thought of running a 10K again has had me thinking and dreaming of the old days. It will be a great way for me to get back in shape and possibly just enough torture to re-peak my interest in my bike possibly in time for the fall cross country series. I will also be training periodically at a jiu jitsu gym in the neighborhood... getting back in shape is exciting me and hopefully I can get back into racing my mountain bike again.