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

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Day 80+40 – (AD 1,242) – 19.7 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – 119,003 Pageviews On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,



Today I cycled 19.7 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals to date are 26,488.2 miles; 42628.7 kilometers. Tomorrow and the next, at least I will not be riding my fitness cycle. Am thinking that a cystoscopy may (or may not) slow me down ever so slightly.



And away on Mars, I have now covered 57.5% of the distance to my next goal and destination point. To date, I have completed 11.93% of my total proposed 13,300 miles on this planet. The 11.93% translates to 1,586.6 miles.

Early morning blood sugar was up this morning to 106 mg/DL. That’s good, but going forward I must make sure that I keep this level or lower. And right now, in the slow-cooker for supper is the makings of a Pasta e Fagioli.

Soapbox –

Just wondering how many more minutes there are until 2020?



This is my 1,343rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 119,003 Pageviews.

Two more days remaining to beat last month's Pageviews record of 6,611.  I'm hoping.

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, November 28, 2016

Day 79+40 – (AD 1,241) – 19.7 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning even with my scraped-up knees, I pedaled 19.7 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals now are: 26,468.5 miles; 42,597.0 kilometers.



And on Mars I have now only 45.7% of the distance to go to get to my next destination and goal point.

Early morning blood sugar count down another 7 points to 105 mg/dL this morning. I concocted a variation of General Tsao’s Chicken. Didn’t have several of the ingredients for the sauce so I just winged the brew. Wish I had written it down…and taken an image, but it was gone before I even had time to think about the camera. Bottom line made it with Chinese Long Beans and Carrots instead of Broccoli. And I cheated with a box of frozen Chicken Nuggets.

Soapbox -

Can promises be broken? Just asking.



Picture this, (yes, those are my knees), 10:30 at night, me sprawled on the sidewalk, after tripping at a break in the walk. Me laying on the cold hard cement attached to The Pack, (4 leashes), all wondering what to do now. Yes, I have tripped at the same spot at least 6 times. Yes, I have contacted Hillsborough County Public Works on numerous occasions and reported the sidewalk. And that is my blood. And it was my knees, and my palms, and my gut. And the Pack were glad to get home. And Hillsborough County now has pin-up images of my knees.



New quilt update – ES-20 has increased somewhat in size. 12 of 32 strips taking shape.

ES 20 - JS AB

This is my 1,343rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 118,686 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, November 27, 2016

Day 78+40 – (AD 1,240) – 19.8 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today I cycled 19.8 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals now stand at 26,448.8 miles; 42,565.3 kilometers.



And this morning I finally completed just over halfway to my next destination and goal point. The total distance between my 2 points is 610 miles. I have pedaled 311.4 miles. The miles are real the location, of course, is on Mars. Just wanted to get away from the holiday crowds.

Well supper last night allowed me to drop 2 points on my early morning blood sugar count. I recorded 112 mg/dL. Headed in the right direction. That’s Day 1 of 90 days.




Supper was a reconstructed Roasted Green Beans, Beets, Feta Cheese, and Almond Chowder and an Cheesy Andouille and Potato Bake… (And yes, I know the Chowder looks like a grade 9 lava project.) I was really surprised how tasty everything was.

This is my 1,342nd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 118,343 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

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Day 77+40 – (AD 1,239) – 20.2 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – Fighting Diabetes On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today I cycled 20.2 miles on my Schwinn 170. Totals: 26,429.0 miles; 42,533.4 kilometers.



And I am now 230.6 miles from my next destination and goal point on the surface of Mars.

This morning my FBS recorded at 115 mg/dL. Adding this new number to my calculation - Average FSB+46.7 divided by 28.7 - my current A1c, on the 90-day average is 5.56%. Yes, I am still in the normal range as the 5.56% is below 5.7%... But just!!!

I’m still not taking any diabetes medication.

I decided to graph out a moving average to see what would happen if I did or did not do anything about my current controls, that is, diet and exercise. As I am exercising on a regular basis, 5/6 days a week for 1 hour but I'm not really doing much more about my diet.  I've actually been eating more than I really should.

The red line basically tells me that if I do not take a hard look at my diet my early morning blood sugar count is going to keep increasing.  And if this is the case there is a possibility that I may have to start taking medication for my diabetes once again. The purple line is apparent; it is the highest my A1c can reach based on the last 90 days.



Obviously, I would like to be focused on the green line.  This translates to me that I need to get control of my diet.

This is my unprofessional way of interpreting my own results. So far I have proven my case when I see my A1c results back in my June timeframe. The purpose of my Trek is to manage my diabetes and to continue to be medication free. Guess what? Looks like I’ve got to make some changes.

Work is moving on with our newest quilt, Quilt-ES, and a picture is worth 1,000 words.



This is my 1,341st post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 118,164 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, November 25, 2016

Day 76+40 – (AD 1,238) – 20.0 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,


The day after Thanksgiving, I’m back on my Schwinn 170 and I pedaled 20.0 miles. Totals: 26,408.8 miles; 42,500.9 kilometers.



I have now completed 44.5% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Soapbox –

Just wondering how many persons on either side of the aisle will continue to be happy with the results and consequences of this soon-to-be-installed government administration?


Quilts SB update - 1,308 pieces of 3,230, (give or take), pieces have been cut for the 2 tops of our new quilts. Ran short of 2 greens. All top and back fabrics are Robert Kaufmann Kona.  Titles of our 2 new quilts soon to be revealed.



Our 3 quilts - Betwixt and Between; Cosmo's Moon 2.5; and Apollo 1, The Beginning will be included in the Fly Me To The Moon collection at the following events:



January 19-22, 2017: Road to California in Ontario, CA
May 4-6, 2017: 14th Annual HMQS Home Machine Quilting and Sewing in Salt Lake City, Utah
June 2-4, 2017: Quilters Unlimited Quilt Show in Chantilly, VA
June 22-24, 2017: Sew Original Quilt and Creative Expos in Reno, NV
October 2017: Indianapolis, IN Guild Show
January 11-13, 2018: Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show

Our Apollo 1, The Beginning will be on display at the Johnson Space Center, The Christopher Kraft Mission Control Building in Houston, TX January 23 to March 31.  This display is in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy.

This is my 1,340th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 117,975 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, November 23, 2016

Day 75+40 – (AD 1,237) – 20.5 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

And the day before Thanksgiving I pedaled my Schwinn 170 20.5 miles. Grand totals: 26,388.8 miles; 42,468.7 kilometers. With a false tooth and continual pedaling my fitness cycle I should be able to hold the addition of extraneous pounds.




Today is my 75th day pedaling, the virtual part that is, on the surface of Mars. And one would think that I would see something more than just dirt and more dirt, rocks and stones.



And I can honethtly thay that I can now thing the Chrithtmath thong with aththurd determination...



Long thtory thhort. Many yearth ago Mocth, a family Lab, broke my two front teeth. I had them crowned. Thome yearth back Tinker, our thmalletht Rat Terrier bit my hand. I thcreamed, chomped down, and broke my crown.

Thith week, yethterday, that crown broke. And yeth all I want for Chrithtmath ith my other front tooth. And to think Thankthgiving thupper ith tomorrow...

Fabrics – all solids - have been chosen for our latest and newest project; 2 quilts. 8 shades of green and oyster white. (Sounds bloody boring... at this point.) The two quilts will be composed of 2" squares and created triangles. Thematically, Andy and I hope that these will create that which we hope to accomplish.

This is my 1,339th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 117,393 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, November 22, 2016

Day 74+40 – (AD 1,236) – 20.6 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I did not want to get on my fitness cycle. I did not want to expend the energy. I really felt that I did not want to go anywhere near my Schwinn 170.

But I did. And I did complete my routine 60 minutes. This morning I pedaled 20.6 miles. My totals are now 26,368.3 miles; 42,435.7 kilometers.



Today I have pedaled a total of 230.9 miles to my next destination and goal point. I am 37.9% of the way there.

A phone call just received from (813) 503-1862 at 2:30 pm. Fembot begins -
"This is Rachel with Card Services...etc., etc., etc.."

I immediately press "0" on my phone.  A male human, with Asian-of-types accent, responds.
"Theeeese is Chawrrrrd Serveeeces.  How are chyu todaaaaay?"

My retort -
"This call is now being recorded with the Federal Agency of Who's Gonna Get You."

The other end of the receiver -
"Click."

Soapbox –



Our newly completed Blue Hearts has made it to its new home. Just in time for the freezing Florida winter weather. Check with Quilts SB; the details have been posted.



We will soon be announcing the new quilts that we are currently working on. Here are two clues.



This is my 1,338th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 117,193 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, November 20, 2016

Day 73+40 – (AD 1,235) – 20.2 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled 20.2 miles on my Schwinn 170. If anything, I am consistent. My totals now equal 26,347.7 miles; 42,402.6 kilometers.



I have completed 10.9% of my overall cycling goal on the planet Mars. Today I have pedaled a total of 1,446.1 miles. There’s still on hell of a lot of miles to go. Over the 73 days of pedaling on my Jim’s Trek Part V, I am averaging 19.8 miles each day.

Soapbox –



This morning the label was attached to our newly completed 86” by 86” quilt, Blue Hearts.



It is on its way to its new home. Check with Quilts SB; I’ll have the details posted shortly. Also, we will soon be announcing the new quilts that we are currently working on.

This is my 1,337th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 116,676 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, November 18, 2016

Day 72+40 – (AD 1,234) – 19.5 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

And this is my 1,234th day pedaling a Schwinn Fitness cycle. There is some ethereal hold over me by the number 1,234. Hell, if I know what, but it has been so for many, many years.



This morning I pedaled 19.5 miles on my Schwinn 170. Tracking total: 26,327.5 miles; 42,370.1 kilometers.



Today I truly wish I was on the surface of the red planet. I have now completed 31.2% of the distance between Coogoon Valles and Commelin Crater.

Andy and just received this email yesterday concerning one of our quilts in the Fly Me To The Moon collection, our Apollo 1: The Beginning.

Our quilt was one of 12 (of 170+ quilts) chosen to be on display in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy.



If you're in the Houston area sometime between January 23 and March 31, 2017, look in at the Johnson Space Center, the Christopher Kraft Mission Control Building and check out the display.

If you would like to check out our details of this quilt you can see the details at our site Quilts SB - http://quiltsb.blogspot.com/2016/01/q139-apollo-1-beginning-quilt-and-wall.html

Soapbox –

It is just so bloody hard to try and ignore what is happening in the interim.



This is my 1,336th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 116,247 Pageviews. At this current rate, it looks like my number of Pageviews are on track to match my October total of 6,611. Definitely would be great if I can surpass that total.

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, November 16, 2016

Day 71+40 – (AD 1,233) – 19.2 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

My early morning blood sugar count jumped 22 points this morning. The negative effect caused by supper last night at Black Rock Bar & Grill:

Sausage & Peppers On The Stone; Fried Asparagus; Chopped Greek Salad; and Chicago Style Hot Dog.

If I was to gander both the Fried Asparagus and the Chicago Style Hot Dog were enormously battered and deep-fried.  I'm not sure about the dressing on the Salad but I would venture to say that it was laden with carbohydrates.

Service was great, but the portion sizes, well my eyes are not a good judge of my carbohydrate intake.

This morning I pedaled 19.2 miles my Schwinn 170. Total continue to climb: 26,308.0 miles; 42,338.7 kilometers.



On Mars, I have cycled, virtually of course, beyond the ¼-mark of the distance to my next destination and goal point. I have accomplished 28.0% of the 610 miles. And to date I have traversed 1,406.4 miles of red dust.

Whether one calls it Chinese whispers, Russian scandal, Whisper down the lane, Broken telephone, Operator, or Grapevine, social media and this past election campaign has proven just that the message may not be as trustworthy as one is expected to believe. Social media, in this fast era of the telecommunication revolution, has become the new substitute of the grapevine.

A qualifying example is an image that is floating, “literally”, on Facebook, et al. It is one that appears to reflect, no pun intended, the past full moon, the enormous “Super Moon”. And as I glanced at the image, scrolling through my Facebook messages, I read the first line “Just in case you can’t see the moon.” The second line, and I interpreted following what the first line said, superimposed that the image was a captured “Super Moon” which looked somewhat like a “large tortilla”. The 2nd line read “A large tortilla on the window does the job…”



I continued scrolling through my Facebook messages, thinking that someone had captured a good image of the moon, (and had compared it to a large tortilla), when it hit me. I thought that I should go back and examine the “Super Moon” image. And sure, enough I was taken. I was fooled, and imprinted, while skirting the two lines of text. The image was indeed a flour tortilla pasted on a window glass. All I could say, “Damn you Smith, someone really got you.” Super moon be damned; I think I want a taco.

And that my friends can be an assimilation of the social media of a fair portion of the content of message and memes electronically transferred on down the line during this most recent Presidential campaign.  Bottom line: slow down, check the sources.

Our new Blue Hearts, quilting underway. This time washable woolen batting.




This is my 1,334th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 115,660 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, November 15, 2016

Day 70+40 – (AD 1,232) – 20.1 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,


Last night and this morning I had a very pleasant visit, albeit H.G. Wells time machine was flickering around in my medial temporal lobe. Thirty-five years have passed; it was only as yesterday. Miss LL…wow!



And I decided that I needed to calm down the overload and get on my Schwinn 170. This morning I pedaled 201. miles. My recorded totals: 26,288.8 miles; 42,307.8 kilometers.



And I am still following my virtual path on the surface of Mars... I still have 11,912.8 more miles to go.

Blood sugar down again this morning by 8 points to 107 mg/dL. Supper last night was a triple helping of my attempt at King Oyster Mushroom and Shrimp Stir-Fry.

I found the recipe at My Korean Kitchen, and yes I adapted the recipe based on what I could find in the pantry and refrigerator.



This is my 1,333rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 115,333 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, November 14, 2016

Day 69+40 – (AD 1,231) – 19.5 Miles – Jim’s Trek Part V – Still On My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning, after spending a fair amount of time on the phone trying to make sure that my paperwork and data/details are in place for my pending retirement effective January 1, 2017, I pedaled another 19.5 miles on my Schwinn 170.

I should say that cycling and sweating for 1 hour, watching the final episode of The Crown, certainly help me to calm down and compose myself.

Yes, one of the systems had me incorrectly terminated as an “active employee” effective August 31, 2013. One thing I’ve learned over these past number of years; always make sure the bottom-line is checked and re-checked... and re-checked.

Back to pedaling, my totals are now at 26,268.7 miles; 42,275.5 kilometers.


And on Mars, (oh to be younger and able to sign up for a one-way ticket), I have completed 21.5% of the distance, that is, 610 miles, to my next destination and goal point. I have cycled a total of 1,367.1 miles on the virtual surface of Mars. It is a bit dusty, though.

Soapbox –


Question – Even though the seated and soon-to-be-seated politicians may not take a serious look and examination at the current means of tabulating votes in this country, when will Congress be compelled, if at all, to redesign or eliminate the Electoral College?




And my early morning blood sugar dropped 16 points to 115 mg/dL. Guess this can happen when supper is homemade Beef Fajitas, Refried Black Beans, and Mexican Rice. Oh, yes I had to use Indian Basmati Rice.

Tonight, this American, formerly Canadian, born British in Jamaica is going to try a variation on King Oyster Mushroom and Shrimp stir-fry.



This is my 1,333rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 115,117 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