Jim's Trek V, my exercise journey now on my Schwinn 170 from Tampa to parts unknown...

Friday, December 30, 2016

Day 99+40 – (AD 1,261) – 20.4 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Yesterday Jim’s Trek reached a new height and the month of December, still with 2 days to go, surpassed another milestone – 8,307 Pageviews during one month.



As you can see from the Google Blogger the number of Pageviews of this insignificant blog just keeps on increasing. Something must have been hacked. There must have been a tontine of sorts set up in Internet land.

This morning I pedaled another 20.4 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals 26,871.4 miles; 43,245.4 kilometers.



And I have now completed 31.8% of the distance to Ada Crater.

Gonna experiment with supper tonight, Knoephia Soup.

This is my 1,363rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 127,679 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Day 98+40 – (AD 1,260) – 20.6 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.6 miles on my Schwinn 170. (And I am amazed that this fitness cycle is still functioning well.) My totals to date: 26,851.0 miles; 43,212.6 kilometers.

And back on Mars, I have now completed 26.5% of the distance to my next destination and goal point Ada Crater. But I think I dropped one of my eating utensils somewhere along the way.



You see there was this horrendous dust storm last night when I paused for supper and if I hadn’t of battened down I would have flown off someplace off my track. But I can see that the NASA rover Curiosity may have found it.



Check today’s article at Tech News-Gazette. http://technewsgazette.com/2016/12/28/spoon-mars-nasa-rover-curiosity/

I just read in Mediaite an article by Dana Eisenberg dated December 27, “Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Morning After The Election, ‘I Woke up With a Very Pronounced Case of Moral Clarity’. Typically, I do not spend too much grey matter contending with politics and actors’ comments…but I do have to remember that we did at one time elect an actor to be Commander-in-Chief.

“He also said: he “woke up with a very pronounced case of moral clarity. In addition to the disappointment, it was like, oh, this does not change the things that I believe in… We have to keep fighting for the things we believe in, and it just made that very clear: I know who I am, and I know what I’m going to fight for in the years to come. That felt like the tonic of it.”

I do appreciate his comment.

A 3 ½” border has been added to our latest quilt ES20. We’re doing the same for ET20.



We’re also playing with luminescence and black light to highlight pounced chalk in our quilting design.

This is my 1,362nd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 127,111 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Day 97+40 – (AD 1,259) – 20.4 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Radar, aka Ready, has certainly recovered from his mysterious ailment. He’s almost back to his rambunctious self and he wanted to check out his snake friend outside the enclosed pool area.

This morning I cycled 20.4 miles on my Schwinn 170. I’m now, and continuing to do so, pedaling for 1 hour at a 15/25 resistance at a time. I have almost, except for unforeseen circumstance now exercising 5/6 days a week. My current grand totals now stand at 26,830.4 miles; 43,179.4 kilometers.

And on Mars, that’s that red dot in the sky that is sometimes visible, when you are looking for it, I have cycled 1,928.8 miles. I have completed 14.5% of my Martian goal.



I have now pedaled 21.3% of the distance to my next goal and destination point.


Today my early morning fasting blood sugar count dropped 18 points to 114 mg/dL. Headed in the correct direction even after having a plate full of Amish Onion Patties with Sour Cream and Hot Sauce for supper last night.

Bloody hell I still had my bowl of ice-cream with chocolate sauce.



Yes, I know it is the Holidays but...air-conditioner/heater unit crashed last Wednesday, December 21. Acree Air-Conditioning scheduled repair for last Thursday; a part had to be ordered.

Today is Tuesday, December 27 part has not been received. No air-conditioning or heat for 6 days.


And why do I pay for the "extra-special" service?

The part is a relay switch, something one would expect a firm would have in stock... I have used Acree for nigh onto 10+ years and haven't had any issues. But the normal course of any conversation with their service attendants, from my part, is "No I do not need to keep up with the Jones."

This is my 1,361st post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 126,832 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Monday, December 26, 2016

Day 96+40 – (AD 1,258) – 20.0 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today I pedaled 20.0 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals are now at 26,810.0 miles; 43,146.6 kilometers. I have now completed 70.2% of my overall goal.



And this morning I am now 16.0% of the distance from my last destination and goal point on the Mars.

And today is Day number 6th without air-conditioning or heat. Obviously, the Holiday time is not at time for any company to try and order any type of replacement part. Alexa is telling me that it is now 80˚F with intermittent clouds. So glad I am not anywhere else.


I think I could easily become a Roman Catholic based on the first realistic statement ever made by any cleric, of recent times…

This time Pope Francis. Pope Francis “at his Christmas eve Mass on Saturday, said that the feast had been ‘taken hostage' by dazzling materialism that puts God in the shadows.” (The Star, Reuters, Dec. 26, 2016)

I decided to ask the following question and search for an answer online.  How smart is Donald Trump?  Yes, I do realize that there may never be a set or fixed answer but I did like this one that I found on Quora.

How smart? Probably… 

  • a lot more than he looks 
  • a lot less than he claims to be 
  • not nearly as much as he’d need to get the country anywhere…

I do believe that we, Americans and the rest of the world are in for an interesting 4 years.

And Radar is doing excellently well. He is recovering.

This is my 1,360th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 126,515 Pageviews. Something is happening to my Jim’s Trek Pageviews.



The number of Pageviews seem to continue to be increasing. As of Christmas Day, yesterday there has been 7,143 Pageviews. That is the highest ever. Calculating that average forward I could expect to top 8,800. Wow? And for this sort of hole in the wall blog. I am astounded, thankful and grateful.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Day 95+40 – (AD 1,257) – 19.5 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

It is Christmas Eve in Tampa.

And I had to make sure that I got on my Schwinn 170 after missing the past couple of days. This morning I pedaled 20.6 miles and I feel sort of good. And my totals are now at 26,790.0 miles; 43,114.4 kilometers. Accordingly, I have now completed 70.1% of my overall goal of 38,201.6 miles. If you think I am going to stop now, you are…

Obviously, it is food and the Holidays.

My early morning blood sugar was up to 133 mg/dL. Noticeably too high and that means that I should be consistent with my exercising and the menus that I choose. But I cain’t so no to the chocolate the cakes, the cookies, the sweets, and all the good food.

But I will be damned if I must go back on the diabetes meds. But I cannot say that I did not know that this is the time of the year that it certainly is way too hard for anyone with minimal. Holidays, eat, Holidays, over…in 2 weeks.

And on that red planet up there in the sky, I have pedaled 1,888.4 miles to this date, my 95th day. I have also completed 10.9% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.



Both tops of our new quilts ES20 and ET20 have been pieced and completed.


Now’s the time to add the border and chose the binding. Have been working with the quilting design.

Radar is doing much better. He ate 1/3 a can of food, his pulse is up to the 70s, still should be higher. He is alert but is spending his time on his bed, and I am keeping warm.

And if you can, avoid Whole Foods or Target. It is a zoo. And I summon all the Grinch's curses on all elder or obese persons who feel that they have to take up the whole bloody aisle using an electric cart when they can just as well operate their own two damn legs.... It’s sort of like Service/Comfort dogs used for some hieroglyphic diagnosis by some two-bit ambulance chaser. Bah-hum-bug!!!

This is my 1,359th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 125,943 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Day 94+40 – (AD 1,256) – 19.5 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today Jim’s Trek surpassed 125,000 Pageviews by 131. Hurrah!!! The little blog page that could.



This morning I pedaled 19.5 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals on the 1,256th day of pedaling are 26,769.4 miles; 43,081.3 kilometers.



I have completed 5.6% of the distance forward to my next destination and goal point. Yes, this is part of the virtual part of my Trek. The real part of my Trek is now 69.9% completed.

Hey everybody, and if you do not know it yet, the United States of America has a new President.



It has always been said that any born American can one day become the most powerful person in this country… (And yes, my small hands tweaked this cartoon a bit.)

Our latest and newest quilt top – ET20 is in progress. 11 of 16 pairs have been matched and sewn together.

ET20 - JS AB - In progress - 2016

The 1st part of my retirement confirmation has gone, (I think) without any hitch. And life is not cheap; a relay switch on our air-conditioning unit gave out. Has to be replaced. One cannot live in Florida without an AC relay switch.

This is my 1,358th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 125,131 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Day 93+40 – (AD 1,255) – 19.9Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

It is official. I am now retired from Citibank. Right on the clock of my next birthday.


And what does on the day of retirement and on the day one turns 65, get on his Schwinn Fitness cycle of course. I still have 11,451.7 more miles to go to reach my overall goal of 38,201.6.

This morning I pedaled 19.9 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals at this point: 26,749.9 miles; 43,049.9 kilometers.

And I have reached my next destination and goal point, one of the ones that have set for myself on this virtual part of this Trek. I have pedaled 1,848.3 miles on the surface of Mars. I am now headed what appears to be in a southeasterly direction to my next destination and goal point, Ada Crater. I have actually completed 2.4 miles in that direction.



This is my 1,357th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 124,867 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Monday, December 19, 2016

Day 92+40 – (AD 1,254) – 20.6 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedal a little bit extra on my Schwinn 170; same 1 hour, this time 20.6 miles. My totals are at: 26,730.0 miles; 43,017.8 kilometers. And I have now completed 13 ¾ % of my Part V mileage goal 13,300.0 miles.



On Mars, the virtual part of my journey I have now cycled 1,828.4 miles. I have completed 97.1% of my pedaling to my next destination and goal point. I believe that I have chosen the Ada Crater as my next destination and goal point. The Ada Crater is, per WolframAlpha, 390 miles from Crommelin Crater.

I’ve been getting many requests lately asking to become Facebook Friends. As soon as the request enters my sphere of reference I respond, politely of course, and I ask the question “Why did you request me to accept your FB Friend invitation?”

The first thing that I notice is the use of grammar as typed by the agent asking for the invitation. Incorrect grammar is not an appropriate way to ask one who attempts to try to be grammatically correct even in these days of “computerese” to be a social media friend, albeit an ethereal electronic associate.

Yes, I am a language snob. My subsequent response is to ask “What do you think that we have in common that you believe we should spend time getting to know each other?” This question usually throws the requester for a loop. (Hint: There is no right answer.) It is the way that the requester responds, with correct grammar, that leads me to my decision.

In most cases, I am certain that these obtuse and seemingly imperceptive requests are not worth my time. Yes, I am a snob, I am a PC social media snob. My main areas of interest, art, music, quilting, cooking, genealogy, exercise, and grandchildren. Period.

And I will just leave it at that.

Number 32, the last strip to be pieced for our new ES20 quilt is in progress.



Now begins the sewing of the strips together.

I have been searching the origins of my 3-times great-grandmother Mary Ann (née Doret) Smith. Check out my updates at A Genealogy Hunt at Part 898sd – Smith Doret - Searching For The Origins of GGG-Grandmother Marie Ann (née Doret) Smith - http://agenealogyhunt.blogspot.com/

This is my 1,356th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 124,551 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Day 91+40 – (AD 1,253) – 20.3 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.3 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals: 26,709.4 miles; 42,984.7 kilometers.



And I have completed 93.8% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Not much on my mind today shy of wrapping Christmas gifts.


This is my 1,355th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 124,235 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Friday, December 16, 2016

Day 90+40 – (AD 1,252) – 20.0 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.0 miles on my Schwinn 170. I have now completed 69.9% of the overall total miles that I have committed myself. Totals are now: 26,689.1 miles; 42,952.0 kilometers.



And today, on the virtual part of my journey, I have finished 90.4% of the distance to my next destination and goal point. Guess I need to be looking for that next destination on this dusty surface of the red planet.

Early morning blood sugar spiked up to 115 mg/dL. Looks like the holiday favors and cookies, and candies, and treats, and candies are something that I just cannot keep away from my mouth. And I know that I must watch my intake as I am trying to bring down my A1c. At this point in time, it has dropped ever so slightly from 5.58% to 5.55%.



Just read in The Hill, the article by Kenneth Thorpe “Managing diabetes is expensive – it’s time to step up our game”. Based on the numbers in his article I have saved the government, albeit Medicare a whopping total of $8,480. This, of course, does not necessarily include the fact that I have completely stopped taking any diabetes medication and I have stopped seeing a diabetes specialist. And yes, I am trying to manage the types of foods that I gorge myself with, as well as using my Schwinn 170 cycle 6 hours a week. Guess I am doing something right.


And now I smell the wafts of aroma from fresh baked sourdough bread in the oven. Do you realize that is over a year now since I have store-bought any bread?


My tagine arrived. It was so well packed that it took me about 30 minutes just to peel back the wrapping plastic.



And now to experiment. From what I have read, so far, the main difference with other cooking methods is the low heat, and not much searing is the main direction to produce a good meal. Here goes.

I’ve also been working on the transcription of an 1818 Indenture relating to the purchase of a lot, by my GGG-Grandfather James Smith, in the Town of St. Georges, Grenada.

Check out the details at A Genealogy Hunt. https://agenealogyhunt.blogspot.com/

This is my 1,354th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 123,734 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Day 89+40 – (AD 1,251) – 19.9 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 19.9 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals now at 26,669.1 miles; 42,919.8 kilometers. Also, I burned 646 calories; I have been averaging about 643 since the beginning of August.



The distance to my next destination and goal point is decreasing. I have completed 87.2% of the 610 miles.

ET 20 update – 8 of 32 strips pieced and completed. Check out the diagonal twist on ET 20 as compared to ES 20.



Follow our work and progress at Quilts SB - https://quiltsb.blogspot.com/

Trying to consider if I need a tagine cooking vessel.



This is my 1,353rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 123,076 Pageviews. Last month Google Blogger recorded 7,801 Pageviews to Jim’s Trek. As of December 13, there have been3,640. If I calculate, based on the past 13 days this December should realize a total of 8,680 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Day 88+40 – (AD 1,250) – 19.7 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Late this morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 miles. Totals now stand at: 26,649.2 miles; 42,887.8 kilometers.



I have now covered 83.9% of the 610 miles to Crommelin Crater, my next destination and goal point. To date, I have now pedaled 13.14% of my overall and hoped to reach my goal on this planet, Mars.

Frustration –

Paperwork and making sure that each associated and related department concerned is notified and has properly input the CORRECT information as I move from AE to LTD to AE to LOA to AE to RE. With corporate systems in place today, one would think (I suppose hope), that the many departments would have the correct feeds and streams all inter-connected and updated.

I know I am just one single person…and I only get to turn 65 once in this lifetime, I think.

And do you think that there are enough of The Pack on the couch?



This is my 1,352nd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 122,776 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Monday, December 12, 2016

Day 87+40 – (AD 1,249) – 20.0 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,


Of course, the orchids are continuing to bloom. Once one starts another one has to show off.

Today I pedaled my Schwinn 170 20.0 miles. Totals: 26,629.5 miles; 42,856.1 kilometers.

And I have moved closer to my next goal and destination point. I have completed 80.7% of the distance to Crommelin Crater.



Per WolframAlpha the distance from Crommelin Crater to Mawrth Vallis, the valley in the video at LifeScience, I am soon to be within 670 miles.



But of course, that 670 miles is the radius of one hell of a large area covered. And remembering the formula for the area of a circle as A = πr2. So, that would be 3.142 times (670 x 670) or approximately 1.4 million miles2.

Yup, that’s a lot of space.




You know, when I watched this video from LiveScience, Mars’ Mawrth Vallis – Fly Over Where Water Once Flowed - I was truly looking to see if I could recognize any familiar topography…or at least.

Andy and I just received notice that our two quilts Elation and Wings have both been selected to be judged in the Florida Quilt Competition at World Quilt Florida in Orlando and will be on display January 19-21, 2017.

Elation - JS AB - 2016

Wings - JS AB - 2016

This is my 1,351st post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 122,521 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim