Day 22 - (AD 452) – Jim's Trek Part III – 22.0 Miles – Wombat Creek, Victoria on my Schwinn 150

Good Day,

This morning I cycled 22.0 miles on my Schwinn 150. I have now reached 9,088.5 miles, 14,626.6 kilometers. Only 911.5 miles until I touch the 10,000 mile mark… and I think I will do that before my 63rd birthday.

This morning on my virtual Trek I am still headed west on Princes Highway and I am just a bit beyond Wombat Creek in Victoria.

Something I learned today is that this is primarily one of the only areas in the world, (the red area), where the wombat lives in the wild. And I now know that wombats can weigh between 40 and 80 pounds when full grown. That is some large guinea pig. (TB, don’t you think that The Princess needs one?)

I am still congested and whatever it was that I had, cycling on my Schwinn 150 and the exercise has certainly helped me to recover at a somewhat faster rate. The exercise and a diet of soups and chowder, mainly of chicken and turkey. The ginger, horseradish and Scotch Bonnets have certainly helped.


And Happy Holi Day. Celebrate the colors of your life.

I wonder where some people get their ideas fixed in their grey matter. Faith is great but blind stupidity is just ridiculous. I wonder if Dr. John Smid of Texas, (damn, that name is just too close for comfort), has caught up with the with the book burnings by Athanasius in 357 AD? In today's vernacular, forget the scrolls and just melt down the CDs and DVDs.

The box in the hallway is now opened. What's the buzz? Tell me what's a'happenin'.

Our Glowing and our Double Entendre afghans are both are on their way to their new destinations and homes. Started Afghan Number 5. This one is a combo traditional and contemporary design. Follow Afghans SB for updates and details at http://afghansb.blogspot.com/.

And wait until you see our H-1 quilt and wall hanging.  BB you may want this one for your new place in Chicagoland.

If you are reading this blog and just so happen to be somewhere along my route in Australia please feel free to drop me a line at jsmith58@gmail.com. Certainly would welcome it.

Trying to be healthy,

And enjoy,

Jim

Day 21 - (AD 451) – Jim's Trek Part III – 20.3 Miles – In State Forest, Victoria on my Schwinn 150

Good Day,

The cold, whatever I came down with, is definitely much better this morning. On my Schwinn 150 I cycled another 20.3 miles today. I also burned 616 calories. Not sure but I do believe the cycling is helping me to clear up and “un-clog” somewhat faster than if I wasn’t exercising. And yes I am taking it easy.

Today I am located once again in Victoria, Australia and I am headed west on Princes Highway. Google Drive is down right now and so I cannot access the schedule where I enter and keep all my stats.

And yes I have a new Schwinn 170. Thank you Nautilus, Inc. I cannot wait to open the box and assemble my new stationary Schwinn 170. It should take me about a week to cycle to my next goal and destination and at that point I hope to transfer my cycling trek to the new bicycle.

I am not being political but I do have a question. As my background was somewhat steeped in statistical analyses and I definitely know that anyone can spin statistics to suit any point s/he or they is and are trying to get across I have wondered as to the veracity of the following relationships when compared. I did look at a number of similar like measurements.

And here’s my question. Why are the majority of the “saddest” states and the majority of the top (or bottom, depending upon how you look at it) states that receive the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes “Red States” and/or voted Republican?

Map of red states and blue states in the U.S.

Red=The Republican candidate carried the state in all four most recent presidential elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012).
Pink=The Republican candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections.
Purple=The Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate each carried the state in two of the four most recent elections.
Light blue=The Democratic candidate carried the state in three of the four most recent elections.
Dark blue=The Democratic candidate carried the state in all four most recent elections

The 10 Saddest States in America –

West Virginia – Well-being index (WBI): 61.4
Mississippi – WBI: 62.7
Kentucky – WBI: 63
Alabama – WBI: 64.1
Ohio – WBI: 64.2
Arkansas – WBI: 64.3
Tennessee – WBI: 64.5
Missouri – WBI: 64.5
Oklahoma – WBI: 64.7
Louisiana – WBI: 64.9

Here are the Top 10 states that feed at the federal trough (with Red States highlighted in bold):

1. D.C. ($6.17)
2. North Dakota ($2.03)
3. New Mexico ($1.89)
4. Mississippi ($1.84)
5. Alaska ($1.82)
6. West Virginia ($1.74)
7. Montana ($1.64)
8. Alabama ($1.61)
9. South Dakota ($1.59)
10. Arkansas ($1.53)

See Red States Feed at the Federal Trough, While Blue States Supply the Feed

The box is still in the hallway. The excitement is building.

If you are reading this blog and just so happen to be somewhere along my route in Australia please feel free to drop me a line at jsmith58@gmail.com. Certainly would welcome it.

Trying to be healthy,

And enjoy,

Jim

Day 20 - (AD 450) – Jim's Trek Part III – 21.2 Miles – Princes Highway on my Schwinn 150

Good Day,

This morning I had to get on my Schwinn 150. Even though I felt almost somewhat like I have these past couple of days I knew that I had to get cycling. I am certainly glad I did. I decided to take a slow pace and I cycled 21.2 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes. I burned 682 calories. My total mileage is now recorded at 9,046.2 miles, 14,558.5 kilometers.

This morning on Jim’s Trek I turned west at the junction where the Monaro Highway meets the Cann River. I am now located on Princes Highway in Victoria, Australia. I am headed west and I am on the road just north of Poddy Creek Road. I have about 261 miles, 420 kilometers to go to get to my next goal and destination.

Okay last night I remember my dream. I dreamt of a long bridge and the narrow stepping on a path crowded with people coming and going. At every so often there was a room to pass through, something like a church, to sit and ponder and wait. Very vivid dream.

Julia Cameron in her book Walking in This World this morning wrote about the Ta-Dah List. She states “Facts are the opposite of drama. If you have been working with Morning Pages, you have probably become more and more accurate at generating grounded to-do lists that spell out the priorities of the day… In order to have a firm sense of self-respect as artists, we need to employ a second daily list. That list is the “ta-dah!” list… If to-do lists live out our priorities, ta-dah lists recognize our accomplishments…” Ta-dah!

And I am going to take it easy today...and try to reduce the number of Kleenex I destroy.

Oh and by the way, here's the box in the hallway.

Definitely more on that to come.  Stay tuned to Jim's Trek.

If you are reading this blog and just so happen to be somewhere along my route in Australia please feel free to drop me a line at jsmith58@gmail.com. Certainly would welcome it.

Try and be healthy. Enjoy,

Jim

Day 19 ¾ - (AD 449 ¾) – Jim's Trek Part III – Couched Miles – Cut Straps and Amoxicillin

Good Day,

I am currently taking a medical leave of absence from my Schwinn 150. Jim's Trek in Victoria, Australia is on hold.

Question – Is amoxicillin supposed to be a cure for something that the doctors are not sure that may or may not be present? And why are the possible side-effects equally as bad as or worse than the supposed issues that the drug is thought to be treating? I am not pharmaceutically challenged but I think I can read. But as I read on about how the drug is supposed to work, this is where I get somewhat confused.

“This drug acts by inhibiting the synthesis of bacterial cell walls. It inhibits cross-linkage between the linear peptidoglycan polymer chains that make up a major component of the cell walls of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.” 

And all this can be figured out by the medical professional by focusing a high powered beam of light down my ears, nose and throat? And I still feel like death warmed-over.

The box is still sitting in the hallway.

I did manage to curt the binding straps. Why, Joe C. does this remind me of a possible quilt design?

And there is a fine yellow dust covering everything outside… Definitely not what we used to call yellow snow when I lived up in Eastern Canada.

If you are reading this blog and just so happen to be somewhere along my route in Australia please feel free to drop me a line at jsmith58@gmail.com. Certainly would welcome it.

Trying to be healthy,

And enjoy,

Jim

Day 19 ½ - (AD 449 ½) – Jim's Trek Part III – Couched Miles – ENT

Good Day,

And I am taking a day off from my cycling on my Schwinn 150 today. Something to do with flu-like symptoms, something about ENT. Oh and I really am not referring to the ancient shepherds in The Lord of The Rings.

Florida is not one of the best places to live permanently in the winter time, especially during this past erratic winter season. Okay we do not have to deal with the snow or the extreme low temperatures…but one’s body and mind most definitely has to contend with the bi-polar swings in temperature moods. The continual harassment of the bodies heating and cooling mechanisms throws any old-timer into a screwed-up immunity loop. And then we have had two bouts of allergy season.

But on the other hand I watched, on my daily walks with The Pack, a maple tree sapling transition from summer to fall then winter through spring and summer again in the space of two weeks.

The box is just sitting.

Yup, it is still sitting there.

Just waiting to be opened.

If you are reading this blog and just so happen to be somewhere along my route in Australia please feel free to drop me a line at jsmith58@gmail.com. Certainly would welcome it.

Try and be healthy and enjoy,

Jim