An Alternate Lifestyle

We Ride Again

2009-05-19T22:42:00.001-07:00

Its been awhile since I started the bicycle life-style change, and unfortunately I've fell off the routine for the last few months. Things change... and given the nature of my new job, it is becoming more and more difficult to continue the green, alternative, healthy life-style of bike commuting.

But, it is time to ride again... After the last few months I've felt like there's been something missing. The joy and relaxation felt through cycling was gone and the stress of daily life replaced it. This is something many people overlook when contemplating whether or not to start commuting. When we're driving to any destination from point A to point B, we're always stressed out about the fact that "we can go faster." That very thought lingers in our minds, and as a result, creates unnecessary stress and tension. As we turn to the idea of bicycle commuting, we set aside a time frame, either an hour to 2 hours, to get to our destination. By allocating an estimated time frame, our minds are at ease. We bike to our destinations while maintaining the time set aside for our bike commute. I encourage everyone to try a few bike commutes, and sit back as your daily tension and stress disappears.

Until then, here's a video that always inspires me to get out and ride:

Whether I am the Weekend Warrior or the Weekday Commuter, it's time to ride again.

Randomness

2008-09-10T23:55:00.001-07:00

Another day, another mile...

On the way to the Bus Stop

Bored at the stoplight

Waiting for the bus

Trying to study at the Student Union

Eating Sushi!

Justin enjoying his meal

Anna being weird

My Dish

iBikeConsole

2008-09-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Seems like Apple just never stops innovating. I came across a bike accessory for ipod users. I know is kind of a taboo to listen to your ipod while riding your bike, but I have to admit that I've given in and listen to my ipod on my short commutes to the bus stop on school days. I'd usually just leave the ipod in my pocket and just listen to whatever is playing. iBikeConsole has released an innovative yet simple concept for your bicycles. You can now listen and operate your ipod Nano without reaching into your bag or pocket.

The iBikeConsole has a weather proof housing protecting your Nano from any weather you might be in. The casing is also lined with shock absorber which will protect your Nano from harsh bumps. The console is attached to the stem of the bike. And the most unique part of the console are two wireless grip keypads to navigate and operate your Nano with ease. The grips go on your handle bar so that you can operate the Nano with your thumbs.

iBikeConsole is an interesting place. You can even convert your Nano into a cyclocomp, which sounds pretty cool.

Check it out: iBikeConsole

The Mobile Commuter

2008-08-19T22:38:00.001-07:00

ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOPS

As the new school year approaches and a fresh semester around the corner, I decided I needed something smaller and lighter for my commute. In the past, I lugged around my massive 15in Dell laptop, but that was when I was still driving my car to school. This summer, Ultraportable Laptops have been released left and right.

It all started with the 8.9in Asus EEE:

Asus was the first company to come out strong with an ultraportable laptop late in 2007. But I feel Asus has dug themselves in a hole as they seem to be far more expensive than their new competitors. As the only company in the market at the time, I can see why Asus would opt for higher prices, but as more and more companies join the battle of the best Ultraportable laptops, they'll need to lower their prices to match the competition and stay afloat. Price was the main reason I quickly passed up the EEE.

-------

Over the course of the summer, I've been following various ultraportable laptops and anticipating different models to come out.

Here are the few different laptops I've been reading up on and debating on:

Acer Aspire One:

Aspire One Website
Bit-Tech Acer Aspire One
LaptopMag: Acer Aspire One - An In Depth Look

I almost bought the Acer Aspire One. This was the one I was most interested with. It only cost about $375 and offered more bang for the buck. But with so many rumors of other ultraportables coming out, I held out and watched the competition.
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MSI Wind:

MSI Wind Website
LaptopMag: MSI Wind Review

The MSI Wind was another one I considered. But one of the main things that made me not want to go ahead with the Wind is that I did not trust MSI as much. I've never really heard of MSI laptops or anyone who owns one. The MSI Wind comes in 10in which seems to be the best size for ultraportables nowadays.

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Dell Inspiron 910:

This product is not released yet. The expected release date is this Friday, August 22nd.

One of the main reasons I did not want to purchase the previous ultraportables was because of this. Dell boasts their ultraportable at only $299. The cheapest price so far for an ultraportable. This Dell looks like it has the potential to sweep through the competition and come out on top. But having a Dell in the past, I wanted to try something new and I've always questioned Dell's lack of quality. Out of all the ultraportables so far, I expect this one to be amongst the top contenders in the field.

-------

After reading reviews after reviews and waiting for the Dell Inspirion 910 to come out, I finally pulled the trigger on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10:

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 Website

I ended up getting a Lenovo. Having been IBM in the past, I've always heard nothing but great things about IBMs and Lenovo's. Before the MSI Wind and the Lenovo, you only had to choose from 13in laptops to 8.9in laptops. MSI and Lenovo really hit the sweet spot when they both came out with 10in models. I believe 10inches is just perfect. Small enough to be mobile and big enough to enjoy the screen.

It should take a few weeks to get my laptop, so I'll post up pictures when I can!

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Miserable

2008-08-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Came across this website at work today. Pretty interesting read I might add. The article is called 7 Reasons the 21st Century is Miserable. The author attempts to present an argument which shows why our current generation becomes more lonely and ultimately "Miserable."

You can find the article here: http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html

Check the link for a more in depth analysis of each of the 7 reasons, for my own enjoyment I've listed my own brief analysis. You might have to read the original article to understand what I'm saying.

#1 We don't have enough annoying strangers in our lives.
This is a pretty interesting concept by the author. Seems as though our current generation lacks tolerance for annoyance. With all the new and compelling technologies out there, we have found various ways to avoid annoyance, awkward situations and confrontations all together. We slap on our ear phones and listen to our ipod's and drown out reality with our music. Or we sit somewhere texting away to a friend that is miles and miles away. We do these things to keep ourselves from interacting with the world. More importantly, we do these things to keep ourselves from "having" to interact with the world. With the abundance of technology currently present, we no longer need to interact with the world so much. This has led to our low tolerance of annoyance. The tolerance which makes it possible to live together with others in our daily lives. The tolerance which makes it possible to interact with society in a peaceful manner despite our differences. This tolerance is getting lower and lower, and when forced to interact with society, we are unable to deal with the annoyances of the world.

#2 We don't have enough annoying friends either...
Another interesting concept by the author. We're all born into a world where no one is alike yet we still strive to find people through a commonality. I use to believe that if I'd surround myself with people with common interest and personalities, things would be great. I was only quick to find that we cannot hang out with ourselves, and the more we strive to find these common people, the closer we come to realizing that no two people are alike. It all comes back to our low tolerance of annoyance. Dealing with incompatible people is what makes up our society. We're all incompatible people living on the same planet.

#3 Texting is a shitty way to communicate
I don't know about everyone else but I think it's pretty annoying when you're hanging out with someone and they're constantly texting every 5 mins. It's like they're there with you yet they're not. Now that my pet peeve is out of the way, the author talks about how when 2 people are interacting in person, it is easy to read what the other person is feeling and understand what they're saying. But texting and e-mailing? There was a study that found that 40% of what you say in a text or email is misunderstood.
Many times, I'd sit at home on AIM and I'm pretty confused at what these people are saying to me. I can read what they're saying, but its hard to sense the sarcasm or the non-sarcasm.

I'd have to agree that texting and e-mailing is a poor poor form of communication. Many times we're stuck with the wrong impressions. If most of your social life is online via text, AIM, e-mail, facebook etc. Than chances are 40% of you is lost in translation.

#4 Online company only makes you lonelier
There was another study done which pointed out that when two people are face to face in person, only 7% of the communication is verbal and the rest of the 93% is nonverbal via body language, expression etc. Is it me or are people these days clueless in how others feel? It might be a lost art these days, or going to be in the near future. Human interaction, reading expressions, we're lost in the texting and cyber world where all that is unnecessary. We're at a lost of human interaction while 40% of what we say over the cyber world is misunderstood. We feed off of other people's energy, without it we're as lonely as ever.

#5 We don't get criticized enough
The author goes on and talks about how instead of being criticized we're being insulted most of the time.

"An insult is just someone who hates you making a noise to indicate their hatred. A barking dog. Criticism is someone trying to help you, by telling you something about yourself that you were a little too comfortable not knowing."

It all comes back to our lack of tolerance for annoyance. People these days don't like confrontations, they don't like to initiate things. They're scared of the intervention and brutal honesty. Instead they just let the person go on and on not knowing what's up. With that we turn to e-mail and texting. E-mails and texting are perfect tools to use to avoid these things. Speaking through e-mail and texting, we're in control of what we're trying to say and the person we want to portray. The person reading it, can't see your mood, emotions, or anything. You are in full control while you hide behind your armor that is e-mail and texting. This is true, as I am writing this post, i re-read over and over to make sure I don't sound stupid. I have the option of erasing and re-editing what I want to say before i publish the post.

If you browse around people's myspaces and aim profiles, you can see what type of person they want to portray themselves as. Do they want to show pictures of them sitting at the computer playing WoW all day? Or that wild night they had 3 years ago?

#6 We're victims of the outrage machine
Life is obviously better today than it was 50 years ago. And yet our current generation looks miserable and our fascination of "emo" is off the chart. Our parents had the Vietnam War which claimed tens of thousands of lives, while we had the Iraq war which has not come close to the darkness of the Vietnam War. But don't get me wrong, any war is dark, but the magnitude was just that much more great. The author argues that today's blogs, news sites, etc. are all fighting for views and hits and to do that, they consistently post the most outrageous news stories. So we're constantly surrounded by darkness.

#7 We feel worthless because we actually are worthless
The one good thing which comes from lack of friends or online friends are that they demand less of you.

"The problem is you are hard-wired by evolution to need to do things for people. Everybody for the last five thousand years seemed to realize this and then we suddenly forgot it in the last few decades."

I think this is true. These days it is exceptionally hard to find anyone who is willing to lend a helping hand. Or even more or less willing to be a friend. Everyone is tied up in their cyber lives, whether it is chatting on AIM or roaming forums, we'd much rather do that than go out of our ways to help someone. In the cyber world, we again have full control, and in the real world we have no control. We're social animals, and without that social interaction we're worthless. We're only as liked as the actions we do. So if you're sitting there starring at the computer screen all day, either facebooking, chatting, looking at porn, don't wonder why you feel the way that you do.
Once again, instead of sitting there listening to music with the sole intent to feel emo, get up and snap out of it.

It turns out, apparently, that after you get over that first irritation, after you shed your shell of "they listen to different music because they wouldn't understand mine" superiority, there's a sort of comfort in needing other people and being needed on a level beyond common interests. It turns out humans are social animals after all. And that ability to suffer fools, to tolerate annoyance, that's literally the one single thing that allows you to function in a world populated by other people who aren't you. Otherwise, you turn emo. Science has proven it.

We're all constantly trying to define ourselves and portray ourselves a certain way. In the end we're all worthless. We think gamers are pathetic when many of us do the same things. We're hypocrites and we're fickle. We want to be as large as life as we sway from one side of the spectrum to the other striving to find the perfect life.

Why do we feel worthless?
Deep down inside all of us, we know the truth of what we are and what we do daily.
We can lie to everyone, but to ourselves we can't escape the truth.
At the end of the day, its only you.

Its been awhile! Enjoy!

2008-07-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

Heat Wave

2008-07-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

This last week has been the hottest so far this summer. It's been high 90s and low 100s all week long and I am told today will be no different if not hotter than the prior days. In an attempt to get some mileage on my bike, I've been "attempting" (key word is "attempting") to get up around 6am-7am to get 15-20 miles in before the sun rises in full effect. Today, I managed to get out at about 7:30am and ride a nice 20 mile loop around the evergreen/silvercreek area. I pushed myself to climb more hills today, just to see if my muscles gained from the AidsLifeCycle are still there. I have to say, I feel much stronger and I am climbing the hills faster and smoother than before.

Hills are deadly, its a struggle no matter how fit and strong you are. There's always going to be steeper and higher hills/ mountains. Climbing up, your legs want to explode, your lungs want to cave in, and all you hear is your heart pounding. But in the end, the feeling at the top outweighs the struggles.

Challenge the hills

Gas prices... yet again

2008-06-29T03:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone is complaining about gas prices, but compared to the world we still have relatively low gas prices. I always tell everyone whom are complaining about gas prices, that around the world it is or was significantly higher. Here in America, as prices rise, we're slowly yet steadly approaching the world norm for gas prices. I came across an article on CNN which explains why and how we've enjoyed such low prices for so long.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/01/news/international/usgas_price/index.htm

Came across this picture on the internet:

ALC Days 1-3

2008-06-19T21:02:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay, I've been a bit lazy eversince I got back from the ride. Here are the pictures from days 1-3.

CAUTION: PICTURE HEAVY

ALC 7! Picture Heavy

2008-06-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

CAUTION: Picture Heavy... These are only pictures from day 4 - 7.

Day 4:

Day 5 "Red Dress Day" :

The hill we eventually climbed

Battle wounds!

Lenny's already drunk!

Day 6:

MmmMmm Gramwiches! These were the best snacks ever!

Struggling through the pain

Riding through fatigue

Despite her battle wounds, shes still in good spirits

My face is burnt

Ice Cream!

Candlelight virgil:

Day 7:

Tan lines!

Snacks in my pocket

More tan lines!

10 miles away from LA!

.5 miles away from the finish line! We decided to stop for some victory ice cream!

LA!

The Fam Bam at the finish line!

Journey to LA

2008-06-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I got back from LA Sunday evening and I've just been lounging around and resting my legs since then. I must say, the ride itself was a great experience. The feeling of being disconnected from the world and going down hills at 40 mph was pure freedom. I've never felt so free, it was great. The experience provided time for me to think things over, enjoy, and relax. Living in this fast pace life, we tend to lose sight and overlook many things. My bike, I've found, is a way for me to escape for the rushes of reality. It is essentially my stress reliever. You would think that after riding such a long way, I wouldn't want to ride anymore but I want to ride even more. I look forward to my morning commutes and weekend rides. I have aspirations of building my own bikes, biking to new areas and seeing new sights. We'll see where these two wheels take me.

That's all for now, pictures coming soon!

Judgement Day!

2008-05-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

It has arrived! In less than 8 hours, I will embark on the journey of my life!

You can listen to my nightly podcast here: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1926

You can also send me a message of support where I can see at the campsite every night!
http://experience.aidslifecycle.org/2008/support/

See you guys in a week!

The Route!

2008-05-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

The Route to LA!

3 days left, the Count Down Continues

2008-05-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

3 days left until the ride of my life...

The Aids Life Cycle is 3 days away. It's slowing starting to hit me, but not yet. I guess it'll all come to me Sunday morning when all 2500 of us riders stand together preparing for the grueling journey to LA.

I signed up last October not knowing what I was getting myself into. At first, it just seemed like one of those, "once in a life time" moments. So I signed up impulsively. At the time, a ride almost a year away seemed do-able. Like many before me, and after me.. we all thought "hey its just riding a bike right?" Many people think riding a bike is easy, and a few miles here and there are nothing. Many people have this misconception that cycling is naturally easy. We picture cycling as taking your bike out on a nice sunny day and strolling around the neighborhood for 20 mins.

But it is so much more than that.

You ride out.

The first hour, is nothing, there are no pain, no worries. You push faster and faster

After that 2 hour mark, you begin to feel the pain. A sudden panic and worry.

"Its not supposed to be this hard."

Sitting on the saddle longer than 2 hours, all you think about is the pain. Climbing up endless hills, endless miles, your legs feel the burn, the pain drives you insane. After your 5th rolling hill, you just want to let go and roll back down. After your 4th hour and your 5th rolling hill, you look down at your cyclocomputer only to find that you've only ridden about 35 miles and you have about 50-60 more miles to go. Then here comes a 7 mile climb...

What do you do?

You grind. You grind it out. After 4 hours, the pain is not there anymore or at least you try to pretend it's not there. You get into your groove as your mind wanders effortlessly as you continue to peddle endlessly.

Hour 7: Enter hell, you wish you were home. You dream of the finish line and what it looks like.

Another 4-5 hours later, you're at mile 80 - finish line.

If this was the Aids Life Cycle, then I'd guess we'd say: "Day 1... done... 6 more days to go."

The GLORY

2008-05-24T00:48:00.000-07:00

Before I begin the feeling of glory, I am currently sidelined by an ankle sprain. Less than 2 weeks from my Aids Life Cycle ride and I sprain my ankle. What luck huh? It is day 3 of my ankle sprain, I've been conducting ice treatments and using crutches for walking. I'm trying hard to rehad my ankle so I can at least pedal on the ride. So far, I've seen some improvements on day 3, so hopefully another 7 days will help me heal it to at least 80%.

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Now! Onward to GLORY. I have finally reached my goal of raising $2500 dollars for the Aids Life Cycle. You can view my webpage here: Aids Life Cycle. A few months ago, I was not even at 1k and now I'm at 2500. I know it's not that much money in some eyes, but to me, I never thought I could do it. Thanks to all the people out there who have helped me reach my goal, I couldn't have done it without all your generosity. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to raise money for a great cause, AIDS. $2500 is barely a dent in AIDS funding, and the ride doesn't end here. It doesn't end until AIDS end. Until then, I'll keep riding. I plan on doing the Aids Life Cycle again next year. But we'll see if I can get through this one first.

They call him ECO MAN

2008-05-22T01:37:00.000-07:00

Waking up at 5am is just apart of the daily routine. Leaving before sunrise is just another step in the process. Entering the bus for the 2 hour commute, the same, all day, everyday. They call him ECO MAN. In a time of rising gas prices, some might say he's just trying to save a buck. Trying to save however much he can. But few can maintain a consistent routine as ECO MAN. ECO MAN does it all. Travels over 120 miles daily without adding to the devastating global levels of pollution. Many of us can barely travel 5 miles before they begin to pollute our precious mother earth. Everyday, ECO MAN embarks on his daily routine and never wavers in his commitment to the enviornment. Each day is the same, 60+ miles one way and 60+ miles home. And each day, he never pollutes, does not boost and does not have much to say. All the while saving a few bucks for a better day.

Thank you ECO MAN

Heat and Finals

2008-05-18T22:22:00.000-07:00

Finals are here! Or have been here for the last week. I haven't had much time to get out and ride since I've been either cooped up at home or at the libraryfor studying. But I finally got my U-Lock, the Kryptonite Evolution Mini. But I think it might be too small for everyday use. I'd like to lock my wheels and the frame together with the U-Lock but I fear the mini might be too small. I also have a kryptonite cable lock too, so I'll just have to see how that goes.

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Some pictures

2008-05-15T18:15:00.001-07:00

And finally....

Gas Prices Rising: Oil at $120 a barrel

2008-05-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

Two years ago a leading economist published a study provocatively titled: "What would $120 oil mean for the global economy?" Answer: a global recession, if the price stayed there for a year.

Now the future has arrived, with the United States and other nations getting a double whammy from both the mortgage crisis and oil futures hovering at $120 per barrel. If oil prices stay stratospheric, the cost of fueling cars and planes could slash US economic growth up to 2.3 percent and global growth by 3.6 percent, says Robert Wescott, former chief economist of the president's council of economic advisers and author of the $120 oil report.

Read more

Pop... Hiss... Oh s***

2008-05-12T00:21:00.000-07:00

Had my first flat on a commute home thursday afternoon. As I was going my normal route home, I hear a loud pop and constant hissing. At first, I didn't know I had a flat but the hissing kept going. I pulled over to find a large hole in my tiress. I replaced the tube, and picked up another tire on the way home at the local bike store.

It's never fun getting a flat.

In the mean time, finally picked up a lock! I know its been awhile, but locks are expensive. But hopefully this bad boy keeps my bike safe until I can get a chain to accomodate this U-Lock.

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Gas prices RAISE as more people pick up a bike, some interesting reads on the raise in Bicycle commuting:

Bike shops report strong sales
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iDxEYF_xrqJ7mzFnRA7TTezMpv_QD90JIGR80

Drivers turning to bicycles as gas prices go up
http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=18429

Some commuters prefer pedaling to work
http://www.rrstar.com/communities/x101647554/Some-commuters-prefer-pedaling-to-work

Riding a bike to work is more than a healthy commute: It's a sign of adulthood
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-myturnbike12-2008may12,0,6959657.story

Bicycle Comics

2008-05-07T23:52:00.001-07:00

Check these bike comics out: http://www.yehudamoon.com/

Time to Live

2008-05-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Interesting, might be better to be a bicyclist than a pedestrian...

Japanese Fixie Culture

2008-05-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been amazed and very interested in Japan's fixie culture! I want to spend sometime in Japan just to ride my fixie around and around!

Check out this Japanese Ad:

Pictures

2008-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Day on The Ride.

8am

The City

We're taking pictures of each other

Golden Gate Bridge

Crossing was scary considering I'm scared of heights

At Rest Stop #1

Lunch at the Cheese Factory

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Miles and miles

2008-04-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Forgot to update my weekly miles, so here are my miles for the last 2 weeks.

Commuting: 60 miles
Training: 146 miles
Total: 206 miles
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On Saturday, I did the "Day on the ride" for my Aids Life Cycle ride in June. It was supposed to simulate a day on the "ride." As many of you know, I will be riding from SF to LA during the first week of June from June 1st to 7th for a total of 545 miles.
You can visit my site at: http://www.aidslifecycle.org/1926
The "Day on the ride" was a total of 81 miles. It was pretty grueling considering the number of hills we had to go over. But riding over the Golden Gate Bridge was nice. I left San Jose at 6am and arrived in SF around 7am. We checked in and listened to the safety speech and headed out at around 8am. There were about 600 riders there on Saturday. The ride took from 8am to 5pm... a whooping 9 hours. It was a good experience, and it really gave me a better perspective of how the 7-day ride will pan out.

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Pictures coming soon.

Sweet Randomness

2008-04-25T23:19:00.001-07:00

Today, I got a chance to walk around and take some pictures of SJSU and downtown. Also went to the sharks game, but pictures of that later.

Desktop at work

View from the balcony at work

Glad to see more bicyclist

SJSU

Lonely Cruiser

Rotunda and City Hall

Another one

-----------------------------------
And so it continues

Tokyo Bicycle Parking

2008-04-23T20:47:00.000-07:00

Wish we had one of these in the U.S.

Earth Day pictures

2008-04-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

April 22nd was Earth Day and there were festivities at City Hall. I decided to participate in the Mayor Bike ride. I thought more people would show up for the ride but the crowd mainly consisted of firefighters from the San Jose Fire Department. There were different tents and stands either advocating for green living or providing solutions for people to transition to green living. I'm glad to see there is more attention and awareness about green living. We're making some progress, slowly.

The Bag at work

Guadalupe

Majority of the riders were from the San Jose Fire Department

Cool Recumbent

SJPD Bike Patrol

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Live green everyday, don't wait for a special day to do it

Earth Day!

2008-04-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today is EARTH DAY.

RIDE YOUR BIKES, LEAVE GAS GUZZLING CAGE AT HOME!

My first 100k! and more

2008-04-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

I completed my first 100k or Tierra Bella on Saturday and I have to say I'm feeling pretty good and confident about the Aids Life Cycle ride I'll be doing during the first week of June. Aside from this being my first 100k, it was also my first organized ride. I have to say, organized rides are more fun and motivating than riding by myself all the time. There were about a thousand riders out on the paths on Saturday. Next week I'll be doing an 81 miler, so we'll see how my legs are then. Some pictures:

Rest Stop #1

The ride

Lines for the portables

Riding on the path

Finger in the way!

No cyclo-computer

Rest Stop #2

Rest Stop #3

FTW

Done!

Then at night... Glow in the Dark Tour!

Dropout bear flossin the glasses

Featuring.....

Mr. Kanye West

Lupe Fiasco

N.E.R.D.

Rihanna

Guest Appearance by...

Mr. BoomDizzle himself

Sunday...

Annual VW Show at Kelly Park

Go Sharks! Game #7 FTW

My future ride...if I ever get mine to run

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Days keep flowing by

Random thoughts

2008-04-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

My new love..

The beauties of the world

Windy

2008-04-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Biking in windy conditions is no joke! On my cyclocomputer, I usually clock in at around 14-15 mph. But during today's windy conditions i was only going about 12 mph, and I was pretty tired when I got to work.

Death

Too many near death experiences lately. Three times in the last week, I'm not sure if I'm not aware enough or its the damn cages(cars) and their cell phones. 2 out of the 3 times I almost got hit, the driver was on their cell phones! When I used to drive a lot, I thought the new cell phone law was ridiculous... I thought a lot of the car laws were (i.e. speed limits) But now, as an avid cyclist and commuter, I now understand why all these regulations and laws are implemented. Especially the cell phone laws. After commuting for awhile now, I've become a strong advocate for cell phone laws and for people to be more aware while driving. Not to mention SHARE the road. Too many times, I have been honked at for biking on the road. Too bad not many people know that it is illegal to bike on the sidewalk and bicycles are considered vehicles too.

I can only put my life into the faith of drivers... until then we'll see how many tomorrow's are left

"8am"

Inspiring

2008-04-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is an inspiring bit:

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Weekly Mileage 4/7 - 4/13

commute: 45 miles
Training: 0
Total Miles: 45 miles

Had a packed weekend, and didn't get a chance to do any weekend training rides. I have to make it up this week considering I'm doing an organized 63 mile ride this coming weekend and an 81 mile ride the next.

The Fire

2008-04-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Few days ago it was cloudy and drowsy, and now its hottt like fire outside. Seems like everything is beginning to climb: gas prices, rice prices! (from $25 to $40-50!), and the temperature. Gas prices... I can deal with, but if rice continues to climb... I have no idea what I'll be eating for dinner everyday. I can't imagine an alternative to rice. Hopefully rice prices will not continue to go up for all our sakes.

The hot temperatures got me thinking about water, water and more water. Especially the ongoing debate over plastic water bottles and how we are so inefficient in recycling them. I came across a really good video animation on how much we do not recycle. We always talk about it but no one really takes it seriously. Hopefully a visual will help put things into perspective.

For more information on the author of the video you can visit here: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/~djames/bottledWater/

We should all start thinking for alternatives to water bottles and pick up some re-usable bottles. Drinking water from filtration or tap actually saves you significantly more money than purchasing water bottles everyday. The resources put into making and distributing a water bottle is ridiculous. Many bottles are "bottled at the source" hundreds of miles away from us. That means they are shipped here across the ocean in big ships and distributed to us by large trucks, each of which use enormous amounts of oil and emits lots of pollution. An example of one company is in Helsinki, Finland, which in 2004 shipped 1.4 million bottles of Finnish tap water to Saudi Arabia—2,700 miles (4,300 kilometers) away.

Could the plastic in water bottles pose a health risk?

Recent research suggests that there could be cause for concern, and that the issue should be studied closely. Studies have shown that chemicals called phthalates, which are known to disrupt testosterone and other hormones, can leach into bottled water over time. One study found that water that had been stored for 10 weeks in plastic and in glass bottles contained phthalates, suggesting that the chemicals could be coming from the plastic cap or liner. Although there are regulatory standards limiting phthalates in tap water, there are no legal limits for phthalates in bottled water -- the bottled water industry waged a successful campaign opposing the FDA proposal to set a legal limit for these chemicals.

FACTS:

About 86 percent of plastic water bottles in the U.S. become garbage or litter, according to the Container Recycling Institute in Washington, D.C.

Plastic debris in the environment can take between 400 and 1,000 years to degrade.

"Making bottles to meet Americans' demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year,"

Plastic bottles take 700 years before they begin to decompose in a landfill.

"Fun"

Alternative

Better?

We can try to use re-usable bottles but we'd have to buy a new bottle every few months. Nalgene has a good re-usable bottle out on the market but it is constructed by poly-carbonate plastic which overtime breaks down and enters your water.

Better plastics are high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or simply stainless-steel bottles. But if you're still into Nalgene's indestructible polycarbonate bottles than you should look into replacing them every few months.

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Everything is connected

Routines

2008-04-10T22:31:00.001-07:00

"Daily essentials"

"Packed and ready to go"

"Black Coffee"

"Parked at the office"

"Birthday girl"

"Friends at work"

"Politics..."

"Roarcle: Dubs vs. Nuggets"

"We Believe"

"On our feet"

"The Aftermath"

"Pollution"

On the climb...

2008-04-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Cliimbing gas prices was the main reason I began to turn to the bicycle in the first place. Right when we thought prices couldn't go any higher, it streams past the $4 dollar mark. Reading an article earlier today, experts say prices will even go higher before it levels off in the summer. Maybe these higher prices will encourage more people to begin bike commuting? We'll see

Leave your gas guzzler at home...

The Cold...

2008-04-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here we are in the midst of Spring and it is cloudy and drowsy outside. 18 mile per hour winds! Checking the weather, it was about 51 degree's on my evening commute home. I didn't wear or bring enough layers today and I have to say it was freezing on the way home today.

Despite the cold weather, there was a bit of daylight when I got home so I decided to take a picture of my commuter ride and my new Chrome bag.

"My Fixie and the Metropolis"

"Chrome goodnes and Centurions go hand and hand"

For my first commute with the Chrome bag, it went pretty well. i didn't have any problems with the bag rolling around my back, but I'm still getting used to the strap system. All and all, the bag is working out fine. And I love it! I'd recommend it to any bike commutes who want another option from panniers.

And the hipster kid does it again...
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Check out these crazy japanese Fixiessss

Weekly Mileage

2008-04-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

My weekly log of miles ridden from 3/30 - 4/6 (Sunday to Sunday)

Commute Miles: 45
Training Miles: 55
Total Miles = 100 miles

Weekend Warrior turned Weekday Commuter

2008-04-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Humble Beginnings...

I've been commuting now for about a month and half consistently. I've used a variety of backpacks, shoulder bags and what not. I've researched, read constant reviews, forum topics (bags vs panniers) and I've come to the conclusion that I'd prefer a large messenger bag for my commutes. I do not really like adding any weight to my frame and I feel that it would hinder my speed and maneuverability or it could be that inner hipster kid nagging me to get a nice messenger bag. All and all I've had my sights set on a nice messenger bag, but they are so damn pricey! $100+ for a decent bag. In the midst of my research and mental debates over bags and panniers, my girlfriend comes over and surprises me with one of these bad boys...

Chrome Messenger Bag "Metropolis"

A nice hip chrome bag! This definitely made my month! It was an early birthday present which I love to death, not to mention that I love her to death also. I'm pretty anxious for my Tuesday morning commute, and see how this bag holds up!
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In other news

This whole living car free bit is paying off as I see my credit card bill becoming less and less. Back when I used to fill up my tank every week at about 45$-50$ dollars, I find myself filling up the car every other week. I haven't quite achieved the goal of living completely car free as living in a suburban area makes it very difficult to do so.

The other night I went up into the city for a concert at the Warfield, there were so many bike commuters out on the road and what was even more surprising was that it was around 8-9 in the evening. I haven't had the chance to commute when the sun goes down yet, I try to leave work/school before it gets dark. But even after the concert was over at around 11:30pm, there were still a large amount of bike commuters out on the road. This got me to thinking that I'd love to one day live in the city just so I can truly live car free.

In the meantime, the car continues to be a necessity... unfortunately
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