Day 208 – Jim’s Trek – 22.0 Miles – Made It To Washington State – Last State

Good Day,

Mucho thunder in the distance and overhead today. Florida shortly welcomes Month Two of our Hurricane Season. Great day to wade through paper.

Today I crossed over the Idaho Washington border from West Elder to East Elder Road. Isn't there something coincidental about the name of the road?  Hallelujah! I am in the last state of my Schwinn 150 Trek. This morning I completed 22.0 miles and I am now located on WA-27 N headed toward South Chapman Road.  And this morning I broke the 3,900th mile on my Trek; total miles 3,903.6.

On the 12th day of no diabetes medication my morning blood sugar count appears to be holding at a daily average of 101.7 mg/dL or 5.64 mmol/L. Last night’s late supper of sushi definitely is part of the plan to main a good diet regime. This morning I burned 702 calories.

And here is something to think about. From a Forbes article, dated June 29, Drugmakers Should Not Decide Study Disputes in Court. This article is something to think about, especially with every Tom, Dick, and Susan suing every Tom, Dick and Susan these days.

“However, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected the notion that the scenario amounted to false advertising. Why? The court reasoned that the issue comes down to opinion versus fact – generally, statements of pure opinion are protected by the First Amendment, but the line between fact and opinion is not always clear, the court wrote…”

I suppose all the disclaimers and the fine print are the current day flimflam purveyors saying “I told you so.”  All-things-being-equal was it not a study?

And today MW it is Meteor Watch Day…but I guess you already knew that. But as we are so close to Canada Day, July 1st and Independence Day, July 4th my guess is that the skies over North America will include a veritable number of flying meteors. And The Pack will be quivering under my feet due to loud sis, boom, and  bahs. Today is also Log Cabin Days encouraging us to step away from the world of electronic and electricity we have so accustomed to ourselves. BB is this a Republican celebration thing? Just asking.

November 2013 is the scheduled month for the elimination of iGoogle. I have not made any viable effort to wean myself from iGoogle. Guess what? I have I have four months to do it.

Episode 5, The Newsroom – Many persons in the Newsroom are bandaged and Egypt is erupting. This episode is definitely a feel good chapter.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 207 – Jim’s Trek – 20.3 Miles – 24th Interlake Address Goal Reached

Good Day,

Saturday morning’s Trek on my Schwinn 150, I cycled 20.5 miles. At mile 3,876.4 I reached my 24th Interlake address goal today. My 24th goal was the Interlake Pharmacy on 700 West Ironwood Drive in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

I am located 5.2 more miles south on Highway US-95 S. This is my 3,881.6th mile on my Schwinn 150 since I began in early December. I am headed towards West Mica View Road. I am now about 16 miles from the Idaho Washington state border.

Now on to my 25th Interlake address goal and all-things-being-equal my final destination. Only 340 miles more.

Thank you Bill Maher. Bill Maher: “Sarah Palin heard that Snowden was incognito and called for a full scale invasion of Cognito”. I am planning a new trek to Cognito Inc. in New York.

Episode 4 of The Newsroom – Gabrielle Giffords is reported as being shot. I love the statement that Don states, and I’m paraphrasing, “Doctors are the final purveyors of the medical finality of life, not a news agency.”

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 206 – Jim’s Trek – 23.0 Miles - Only 359 Miles To Go On My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

Day’s gonna be a great day, especially when the first think I discovered is that I had lost a credit card. I immediately dealt with the issuing agent and got that fixed.  I then received a bogus phone call, supposedly from Houston, instructing me to give over some information due to some perceived problems with my PC.  Bah and Humbug!!!

This morning 23.0 miles on my Schwinn 150. And I burned 706 calories. Now that I am eating more, to offset the calories that I am burning, I need to be careful just what and how much I eat. I couldn’t get enough food yesterday, all day… and I put on 2.2 pounds. That’s one hell of a lot of food still sitting in my gut. I was ravenous.

This morning I am located in Idaho headed south on US-95 S and I have just crossed over E. Bunco Road. I have just passed by Silverwood Theme Park. Only about 15 more miles to my next Interlake address goal point… and 359 miles, give or take, to my final Seattle destination. My arrival date should be Monday, July 15. All systems are go, and all vitals are steady.

And my Trek is off to a late start this morning, because my Baby, Taylor, was having real issues last night during her sleep. Baby, aka Taylor, is our Chocolate Lab who from a previous paralysis is crippled in her hind quarters. And she seems to be getting worse. At times she cannot get herself up off the floor and at other times her back legs lock into place and she has to drag herself. From time to time she yelps for someone to help her to get up. And at times… even though now further apart in time space, she is able to move around on her own. We've had Taylor since she was 10 weeks old and she is now 12 years old. She is my real Baby and sweetheart.

This morning’s viewing pleasure on my Schwinn 150 Trek was the third episode of The Newsroom. I am now realizing just how much I enjoyed the first season the first time through. Am definitely looking forward to the second season.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 205 – Jim’s Trek – 20.5 Miles - Sagle, Idaho - Demon Dog

Good Day,

This morning on my Schwinn 150 I cycled 20.5 miles, and I passed through Sandpoint, Idaho.  I arrived at the Village of Sagle.  I am now on US-95 S and approximately 40 miles, or two days from my next Interlake address goal.

My total miles to date tally up to 3,838.1.  Not bad for 205, minus one, days of continuous cycling on my Schwinn 150.  And I am definitely seeing the results.

Good news, and it includes the elimination of 2 and ½ of my heart and cholesterol medications, my blood pressure is well in the lower positive range of the normal range… Not bad for a 61 ½ year old. This exercise thing is certainly doing wonders. Guess I was not meant to make an exit today… as yet. I can only live one day at a time.

At 11:30 pm last night while I’m walking The Pack for their midnight business, Radar aka Ready, slips out of his harness and decides that he wants to explore the neighborhood, in the pitch black at a tremendous gallop.
 
I shove the other three mini-Packers into the house and grab a flashlight in panic. Andy gets into his car. I on foot, we begin the chase. 

This 20-pound imp of a devil-dog goes bounding up and down two blocks of Interlake Avenue. He knows he is being followed, and he plays a sly game of “cat-and-mouse”. Ready is a dark chocolate wiry little cuss and he cannot be seen in the shadows of the night. I’m yelling his names and waking up the neighbors.

At about midnight Radar rouses another home of dogs and he decides to investigate. He slows down, in curiosity, just enough time for me to get close enough to snatch him. I grab him, Andy drives up the Avenue and we get in… Tomorrow I get a tighter harness. He ain’t gonna play Harry Howl-dini with me anymore. This was not one of my Interlake address goals.


And this morning I received an email, spam of course, from the Publishers Clearing House. Someone at PCH must have been reading Jim’s Trek and must definitely be feeling nice. The email posed the question, “Jim are you ready to say goodbye to 4216 Interlake Dr?” It would be nice that, as I cycle on my Schwinn 150 and am closing in on my Interlake address goal in Seattle, Washington, that someone rings my doorbell and hands me the winning prize from PCH. Would I leave 4216 Interlake Drive in Tampa? Hell yes!!!

Episode 2 of The Newsroom... and a line that Maggie Jordan states, and I am sort of parphrasing, "Even if a part of the set falls, it does not necessarily mean that you have a bad play..." I immediately time-travel back to Noel Coward's Look After Lulu, Oromocto High School, New Brunswick, and I remember all. Thank you all.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 204 - Jim’s Trek - 20.5 Miles - Reached Over 3,800 Miles on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

My desktop PC is back in the house. Hard Drive number 3 replaced, and I didn’t lose any data or functionality. I am now back in full swing, sort of. There is an issue with the Internet connection on my motherboard which will have to be examined... but I can continue for the time being using the wireless connections.

Today’s miles on my Schwinn 150, 20.5. Total to date - 3,817.6. I am located in Idaho headed south on US-2 W/US-95 S. I have stopped for the day just below West Elmira Road and I am en route toward Cindy Lane. I have about 60 miles until my next Interlake address goal.

Supper last night was fresh corn on the cob with cracked peppercorns and grouper fillets coated in a parmesan mayonnaise chili paste. Sounds sort of weird but was quite shocked how good it was. And the whoops factor in preparing the plate was that the bottom of the pepper mill broke open and the plate and the floor was covered in peppercorns. And I had just re-filled the pepper mill. There were little black peppercorns all over the place... and the Pack tried to help us gather them all up. Peppered-puppies popping peppercorns.

Blood sugar is back down to a reasonable 98 mg/gL. I have now gone eight days without any diabetes medication.

I got side tracked this morning watching the live production of the Zimmerman trial while on my Trek. I now am certainly glad that there are editors on shows such as Law and Order and even with the old Perry Mason. I think I developed a number of new grey hairs just listening to both the Prosecuting and Defending attorneys cross-examine the witness.



And in this house I can not sit down without one of The Pack members, in this case Max, deciding that s/he has to examine what I am doing... Or s/he feels that s/he should share the same chair and/or space.

Tampa Kaleidoscope progress - 4 strips of hexagons completed. 12 more to go. 5th row of clusters added to Sea Foam. Width now 11 inches. Just received noticed that our three quilts: Tampa Lightning, Blue Diamonds, and Civil War Re-Enactment I, have all been accepted to the Diamond State Quilts Show 2013 in Newark, Delaware.


Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 203 - Jim’s Trek - 23.0 Miles - Today I Am In Idaho

Good Day,

Wonder if it is gonna be a good day. I began writing this day’s post with the anticipation that it was Day 204. It is actually Day 203. Maybe my anticipation of finishing my Schwinn 150 Trek almost six months earlier than planned. And when I checked my Intellectual Biorhythm cycle I did find that my cycle is at the lowest point as compared to my other cycles. And so I’m now prepared... today is a just to be a dense day.

And today I cycled a new record 23.0 miles, and I burned 704 calories on my Schwinn 150. I crossed the State line, Montana into Idaho on US-2 W Highway. I am located, headed in a westerly direction once again, on Highway US-2 W, in the northernmost County of Idaho, somewhere between the cities of Moyie Springs, population about 720, and Bonners Ferry, population 2,540.

Tomorrow it looks like I will turning south on my Trek towards my next Interlake address goal. Not sure, but I believe that this next Interlake address goal may be one of the last goal points before I reach my ultimate destination in Seattle.

To date I have cycled on my stationary Schwinn 150, since December 3, 2012 3,797.1 miles. I have lost just about about 10 pounds and 10 inches on my waist.


My blood sugar was up a wee bit this morning... definitely a result of last supper night’s accompaniments. Corn chips and a good portion of chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream covered in a chocolate shell. Oh well, I needed something sweet and salty. My averaged blood sugar count this morning was 102.1.

Question - Are we truly ready for a Cold War, Part Z? It appears that the so-called turncoat Edward Snowdon is certainly, even if it appears that he was so intent on gaining a personal spotlight, has been capable of pushing the monolithic governments of the United States, China, and Russia in that direction. He certainly has succeeded in securing a center spot on the world stage.

This morning’s Trek viewing pleasure, The Newsroom. Season II begins on July 14 on HBO. I decided that I would watch the first Season, all 10 episodes, on my Trek, in anticipation. In my opinion The Newsroom is one of the best television shows today. And the second time around... I certainly am still intrigued and well entertained.

Work continues on Tampa Kaleidoscope quilt and Sea Foam afghan. Our three quilts: Coral Steps, Colored Windows II, and MEM911 arrived home safely from Galway, Ireland. Follow our progress at Afghans SB and Quilts SB.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 202 - Jim’s Trek - 21.7 Miles - Still In Montana on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

This morning I cycled 21.7 miles on my Schwinn 150. I decided to increase the resistance of my cycle to 10 of 16, as I am cycling in The Rockies in Montana. I am located on US-2 W headed north following the Kootenai River. I am 8.5 miles from the Montana - Idaho State border. I am closing in on the end of my Tampa to Seattle Schwinn 150 Trek.

My Trek on my Schwinn 150 this morning took one hour and six minutes and I burned 701 calories. I weighed in at 162 pounds and my blood sugar count this morning was 98. I guess this is working...

I read a good and succinct article online yesterday. The Futility of Comparing Yourself to Others was published on ZenHabits.net and written by Leo Babauta.

“One of the biggest reasons we’re not content with ourselves and our lives is that we compare ourselves to other people...”

I am still learning.

Still no Desktop PC in house.  Just found out that one of my three hard drives is bad... and has to be replaced.  No wonder there was some funny noises erupting on occasion when I booted up my system.  Looks like I will be without Desktop for a few more days.

Finished the remainder of the film Pitch Perfect. Theme is definitely similar Sister Act, and Sister Act II and lo and behold there is in the making a Pitch Perfect II... This morning, on my Trek, I decided to tune in the court case happening right now in Seminole County. I’m not truly in the case but I was somewhat interested in watching the opening processes. I was hoping for something intelligent... especially of the organizational constructs of the participants. Enough said and written.

The piecing of the half-hexagon strips of Tampa Kaleidoscope quilt has begun. I am truly amazed at Andy’s construction skills. Another two rows of clusters have been added to our new Sea Foam afghan. And the first scratched-draft of a new quilt, The Bird Cage. Check Quilts SB and Afghans SB for our progress and updates.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 201 - Jim’s Trek - 20.6 Miles - Libby, Montana on My Schwinn 150

Good Day,

Today’s mileage on my Schwinn 150 totaled 20.6. This morning I cycled to the City of Libby, Montana, population about 2,630. Libby is located in Kootenai National Forest. My total miles to date are 3,754.1.

My final Seattle destination is just around the corner. Thirty-two more miles of Montana, and then Idaho and next Washington. I have begun creating the road-map of my virtual tour back to my home in Tampa...

My blood sugar is still holding down at an average of 101.8. Results are good on Day 5 on my Schwinn 150.

And we are in the midst, and on the edge of the next generation or revolution of the Internet. The Internet of Everything is the new catch phrase. IoE is where we, the human race, this world, and who knows what else, are going. And all will be connected.


“Cisco believes IoE brings together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before — turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries.”


In some ways I wish I was a couple of decades younger... Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy being me and I am enjoying being my age, but there is so much more out there that I just would like to learn and see happen. I’m not looking for a bucket list, I just want to experience, as best as I can.

Last night supper of Spicy Shrimp Lettuce Wraps was very good, but one hell of the mess. Needed a lot of napkins. I think I made each wrap just a tad bit too big. But certainly tasted good. And now I want to make Lobster Raviolis.

Finished watching The Full Monty. My next movie for my Trek watching pleasure is Pitch Perfect. A mish-mash of plots from Glee, Animal House, and Weird Science, et al, all about collegial relationships at a local university in the area of acapella singing. I needed something brainless at the moment.

Been reading up on the new techniques of crocheting.  Also I am now creating an original new quilt design, thanks JG, The Bird House.  Oh yes, and we are working on quiet a number of other projects.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim

Day 200 - Jim’s Trek - 21.2 Miles - It Is Now Official - 34 Inches!!!

Good Day,

Today on my Trek on my Schwinn 150, on my 200th day of cycling, I Finally... and that is with a capital “F”, have dropped 10-inches on my belly measurement. Another goal after 3,733.5 miles. It works!

And the funny coincidence is that my movie this morning was The Full Monty. I got to thinking that maybe I should pull-out the Saran Wrap and speed up the reduction of my belly size. When I started my Trek the measurement was 44”... and now I can yell, after six-and-a-half months... 34 INCHES. And no plastic wrap needed.

Obviously there is a definite correlation, and yes I know that is the bottom line, between eating well and exercise. My blood sugar count this morning registered at 88 mg/dL, or for you north of the border and overseas, 4.89 mmol/L. This count is well within the normal range. Not bad for Day 4 of no diabetes medication and Day 200 of continuous minus one day of trekking on my Schwinn 150.

And the above are the real facts.

This morning I am still, virtually, in Montana, on Highway US 2-W going in a northerly direction. I am south of Libby, Montana and in about two-plus days I should be entering into Idaho. All-things-being-equal I am about 490 miles from my final destination in Seattle.

The Full Monty, the 1997 comedy-drama certainly is apropos, and with current themes, 16 years later. People dealing with rampant unemployment and surviving, coping with relationships, marriage and divorce, straight and gay, parent and child, and just, not so simple, friendships, and self-acceptance. Not that I would, or could, run off and join the Chippendales, but it certainly makes me think of living day-to-day as me.

Tonight the attempted bill-of-fare will be Spicy Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps.

Progress continues on our Tampa Kaleidoscope quilt and our Sea Foam afghan.  Follow our updates on Quilts SB and Afghans SB.

And I need my desktop.

Be healthy and enjoy,

Jim