REDRUM

Today I was on my own after suffering through the flu last night. I have been wanting to change the oil on my old Rock Shox since they have been having trouble rebounding on my rides to work. I hit up a few bike shops to see what they had and to pick up some Rock Shox oil. I found the juice and headed home for some lunch- I hadn't eaten since the Dinosaur Restaurant Thursday night. After lunch I was feeling a bit drained and laid down for a nap. I will probably be sleeping good tonight in an effort to fully recover from this bug that hit me. I could have slept the rest of the day today, but I pulled myself up to get the boys to the dog park.

It was unbelievable how many people were at Shawnee Mission Park today. I have seriously never seen so many people out there. I can understand everyone wanting to get out after some of the harsh winter days we have had, but it was still pretty muddy and the lake was completely frozen. Regardless, cars were parked as far up and down the street outside of the dog park as I have ever seen. Our dogs were a little frazzled by all the people as they kept getting lost. Trevor is bad about turning and running when he thinks he is lost. Consequently, I was yelling at him often so he could figure out which way he needed to be going. I don't know if it is them getting old or the fact I was dressed pretty plainly in dark clothing. Anyway, it was definitely an interesting experience for the three of us. Hopefully more warm days are in our future and fewer cold ones.

Below is the work I did on the Rock Shox this afternoon. After picking up some special Rock Shox REDRUM oil, I partially disassembled the shocks to change the oil.

After reading through the service manual online I could have completely taken apart the shocks, but given my maintenance ability I chose not to. It isn't that I can't fix things, but more often than not it seems that I stumble on some simple little part and spend way too much time trying to get things back to working order.

After letting the air out of the shocks and taking off the cap I dumped the old oil into a cup. It didn't appear the oil was in bad condition, but I am hoping the amount or type of oil was the problem with the rebound of the shocks. It could be the cold temperatures or not enough air, but with unseasonably warm temperatures today it was impossibly to tell by comparison.

I poured approximately 35 ml of REDRUM oil into each side and put the caps back on. This time I aired each side up to 50 psi to help the rebound. Being 195 lbs I think the 40 psi I had in there before was probably too little. I actually used the race configuration for people over 180 lbs, as shown in the Rock Shox Mag 21 Service Manual. I'll be interested to test it to see how it works tomorrow.

The Flu

We had plans to go to Sharla's hometown for one final birthday party Friday evening. Unfortunately, I did not make it past noon at work and rode home to fall into bed. I got hit pretty hard by a flu bug. I made it home okay and ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. I crawled out of bed to round up the boys from school, then back home to lay down. Sharla went ahead and took the boys and I stayed home so I wouldn't make everyone sick. I was really looking forward to watching some basketball games and not working. Now I am home by myself thinking about what I will do with my weekend. Luckily the flu passed quickly, I must have slept 16-17 hours from yesterday afternoon until this morning. Anyway, I am glad to be able to enjoy the 65 degree day we are about to have, even if it won't be with my family.

Browsing some bike shops is on my list of things to do today. I printed a list of shops off Google Maps and there are about 7 shops between downtown and Westport, so that should occupy some of my time this morning. This afternoon I'll definitely have to get Da Boyz out to the dog park to run. It has been awhile since we have been able to go for a really good walk, so they'll enjoy that. A big fresh salad is sounding wonderful, so I might hit up Hen House at lunch to indulge. Tomorrow I suppose I will ride into work to wrap up everything I left undone yesterday. Then I'll have some time to figure out a few healthy snacks we can have for the Superbowl.

I end the month at 152 miles, which is a great pace considering this will hopefully be the coldest month of the year. It will be so nice when I can just throw on my shorts to ride and not have to spend so much time layering up. If I can keep this up and get in some fun rides on the weekends I may be looking at closer to 2000 miles than my goal of 1500.

Celebration of Life

Today was a very special day in our lives. Brady turned 5 today. It is going to be a very exciting year full of transitions. This morning at Brady's school Sharla and I attended his Celebration of Life. You can read more about this and see all the pictures on Sharla's blog. Brady really enjoyed them focusing on his special day and having us there with him.

After school we opened a few presents at home and then headed to the T-Rex Dinosaur Restaurant. It is always fun for the boys, even if they don't have the greatest food. Here's wishing Brady a Happy Birthday!

Incredible Hulk

Brady has been testing out all of the toys he got at his birthday parties last weekend. These Hulk gloves are a big hit, although they get put up regularly when things get out of control. We got him this Hulk costume for Christmas, so now he has the full outfit. I have been surprised they haven't dressed up more with all the costumes they got for Christmas, but I am sure one day they'll start enjoying them.

Both boys have been loving the horse cupcakes that Grandma Jones made last weekend. I think they may have eaten the last two tonight. Those definitely were a big hit.

Tomorrow will be Brady's 5th birthday. I can remember everything about the day he was born. Time goes way too fast when you are raising little ones. His school has a Celebration of Life, which Sharla and I will be attending in the morning. He is really excited for his big day. We'll probably hit T-Rex Dinosaur Restaurant in the evening since it has become a birthday tradition of ours.

This morning I rode by the house that burned down last night. They had it roped off and one truck was still out there watching the property. The website http://www.kansascity.com/ says they couldn't investigate the cause of the fire today because the house was too unstable. It is such a sad thing to happen to a family. Hopefully they can find strength to make it through these tough times.

Fire Strikes

It was a somber evening as a raging fire swept through a neighbors home. Brady first noticed the fire and trucks out the front window around 6:30 pm and smoke it still pouring out of the roof as I sit here at 10:30 pm.

The news tonight said the people smelled smoke early in the evening and eventually checked the garage to find a fire blazing there. This house is just around the corner from our house. You can see their backyard from our driveway. Many weekends during Chiefs or KU games we could hear them cheering on their deck.

When I first walked down the street there were two fire trucks, but there ended up being 6 trucks along with a number of police and other responder vehicles. It appeared they were getting it under control quickly, but I think they were fighting a losing battle as it was already shooting out the roof when we saw it the first time.

Thankfully, it sounds like everyone escaped safely. The house is completely destroyed. The last time I walked down there they were shooting water through the front facade into the attack space. I can see that they have sprayed through a large portion of the roof also. These times make you step back and think about how precious our daily lives are. Homes can be replaced though, lives cannot. We will keep this family in our prayers and hope they can rebuild their home soon.

Exercise

A couple of weeks ago we had a screening in our office to tell us what we could do to improve our health. Several of the guys had low HDL cholesterol levels and our insurance provider said the only way we could raise it was to exercise more. That seems to be contrary to what most places on the internet say, but we have taken heed and begun to exercise "more". Note that I have been riding my bike around 40 miles a week for the past 6 months. Everything else seemed to be great, but my HDL was 27 and needed to be above 40. So in addition to riding to work I went with 3 guys from the office to 24 Hour Fitness over the lunch hour for some basketball. We have agreed to Monday, Wednesday and Friday games for at least the rest of the winter. I do not currently have a membership, but our office actually pays for the membership if we go at least 3 times each week so I should probably take advantage of it. I usually try to get my exercise out in the fresh air when I can though. Anyway, today went well and I also had a volleyball game tonight which made a full day of exercise. We'll see if I can up my levels, but as many different stories as I have been told about HDL at this point I am wondering if it is more of a hereditary thing.

After a fun weekend celebrating Brady upcoming birthday he had a pretty bad day back to school today. We had a little talk when I picked him up from school and he had to stay home from volleyball tonight, which was painful since it is one of the highlights of his week. We are having a hard time getting through to him, so the next step was to start taking things away. Hopefully tomorrow will go better as his birthday is coming up quickly and we would like be back to normal by then. Every day seems to be an adventure trying to figure out how the handle situations and raise these boys to have good manners and values. I don't suppose it will ever end, but hopefully some day we can look back and feel good about what we have done.

Hot Wheels

I rode into work this afternoon to make up time for staying home with Brady when he was sick last week. I was debating riding in the snow, but finally decided to bust out the Specialized since it has treaded tires. It wasn't too warm today so I was layered up and wearing the ski goggles. Below is my cubicle at work- getting full.

I was held up on the way home by trains in each direction crossing 67th street. Since I got my new camera I have been waiting for a train so I could shoot it screaming by in the dark. I used to catch one almost every morning, but it has been a long while since I have been stopped by one. Anyway, this one wasn't in the dark, but it was screaming by.

We didn't do a lot today. Mainly recover from a busy Saturday. The boys got new helmets so they'll be ready to go when it warms up. We got the Hot Wheels track set up and going. It is good for hours of entertainment. We also broke open 3 news boxes of cars Brady got for his birthday. Luckily we have three car cases to store all these Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars in. I have pledged to myself that when they outgrow all of these cars I will put them in a safe place. These things seem a bit like a road hazard laying around our floor right now, but 20 years from now they might be a little more special.

Party Number Two

Saturday evening was a second party for Brady's 5th birthday. This time we stayed home and toned it down a bit. The boys played with cousins and we made dinner for everyone.
We must be in a car phase right now. While we have owned a lot of cars since Brady was born, it is only recently that they are constantly lined up in parking lots along our living room floor. Brett loves them and Brady has been drawn into playing along.
For cake this time Brady requested a Baskin Robins ice cream cake with little ice cream cones on top. This is the same cake he wanted last year and it was just as big of a hit this time around.

Party Number One

Saturday began the "Week of Brady". His fifth birthday is next week, so Sharla planned a snowman party for all of his friends. We rented the Hocker Grove room at the Merriam Community Center for some games and pizza.
Sharla has spent a lot of time planning and preparing for this party. As always, the cheapest part of the party was the biggest hit- balloons. After gobbling up some pizza there were several games and a pinata. I was surprised that everyone got a shot at the pinata and eventually they got it cracked. They all rushed in as soon as a few pieces dropped and we pulled the rest apart so they could fill their bags with goodies.
Sharla made two snowmen cakes that were a big hit. Reese's peanut butter cup eyes, M&M nose and a Twix mouth added to the sugar delight.
The overwhelming part about having a big party like this is all the presents. I never think about the fact that each person that comes is bringing a present which will go into our home. We carted home 15 bags of presents that are being integrated into the already full home we own. I guess it will be time to sift through the old stuff and find some other children interested in these things we have outgrown.

MASH

RIDE

Birthday Party Planning

Early glimpses of the sunrise Thursday morning. It was another one of those 60 degree days that help us get through the winters. I rode 4 of 5 days again this week and will probably be riding in again on Sunday to play catch up at work. I haven't been very motivated in the mornings, but I keep plugging away. I'm not sure what has been lost, but hopefully I can find some motivation soon. This dreary winter dragging on always gets me down. Having to take the time to bundle up each time I ride doesn't help so perhaps when it starts warming up I'll be refreshed.

It was cold Thursday as I rode in, but quickly warmed up when the sun came up. I was planning to duck out around 3:00 to go for a little cruise through Mission Hills before heading home. Unfortunately, I was swamped with work and couldn't pull myself away. No doubt I will be wishing I had when the temperatures plummet again. It ended up being about 63 degrees I believe. We did get to the park with the boys and da boyz so all could enjoy the weather.

Brady is getting very excited for his birthday party Saturday. He is keeping track of all his friends that are going to be there and is helping in every step of the selection process. We went to Party City in search of balloons and a pinata. Somehow he decided he needed a pinata, but we still haven't found the right one. That will probably be my task Friday at lunch. Saturday is going to be a very busy day, but both boys will have a great time.

He Got JACKED UP!!!

I was on the bike and off to work shortly after 5:00 am this morning. Riding in the pitch dark used to be a little creepy, but it is just normal now. It was still pretty chilly this morning so I made sure I was well bundled. I had an extra load this morning with a tube of drawings I worked on yesterday afternoon while Brady napped. The tube and bike didn't work out great, but I think I have some ideas to make it a little smoother next time. I went over 100 miles for the month today, so I am off to a good start for 2009. I keep dreaming of the day when I can throw on some shorts and cruise in the nice warm sun. That will have to wait, but tomorrow is supposed to be a bit of a break from the cold.

We stayed in again tonight and played. Brett is great about playing with cars, looking at books, etc. Brady is usually getting in trouble for messing with Brett or Mom. We have been "jacking" each other up lately, which is a term used by the guys on Monday Night Football. The boys love to wrestle around and fight, until someone gets hurt. Usually it is some fake crying and right back at it after a little consoling from Sharla.

President Barack Obama

No riding today as I had a lunch date with a former coworker. It turned out rather well since the weather sucked and I ended up being summoned early in the afternoon to pick up my sick child. He gets to stay home again tomorrow which means I will be going to the office extra early so I can get 6 hours in by noon. Anyway, it was nice to be home and see history on television.

Today was a very special day for me and many Americans and people all over the world. Whether or not you like our new President, you have to be interested in what the future holds for our country. Barack Obama faces a tough challenge with the situation he has been handed, but I have been very impressed with his composure and organization. Obviously he is a very intelligent man, but he will need to surround himself with strong people to really succeed. We as Americans need to step up to the plate to do what we can to turn our own situations around too. I have a feeling the next couple of weeks will be very interesting with the new administration implementing their policies. May God bless our President and our country.

Seven Hundred Miles

I took a long route home at lunch today so that I could surpass 700 miles riding since August 2008. I figured the post would be better for today since more important things loom tomorrow. Sharla and the boys got to stay home today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I met them at home for lunch shortly after noon. With all the green things I have been looking into I am amazed how many things used to be done out of common sense. Somewhere along the way we lost that common sense and became wasteful and self indulgent. I have been saving a large pickle jar the past few days to drop off at a local charity. Sharla took the time to drop it off this morning and was impressed with all they are doing at this center for the less fortunate people in our area. We should all make the effort to reach out to our fellow man and do whatever we can. There is nothing more rewarding than helping someone in need.

Back to my 700 mile mark. I was really pleased to surpass this one. I stalled around 600 miles in December when the streets got bad and work was hectic. I have been on a good pace since the start of the new year though and am starting to feel in shape once again. I can pretty much sprint all out from home to work now, which gives me a great little workout doing something I have to do anyway (go to work). If I can keep up the pace I've been on since August, I will reach my 2009 goal of 1500 miles. I may have shot low considering the January pace I have going, but getting to that number won't stop me from seeing how far I can go. If I can ride in the temperatures we have had lately, it should make the spring days in April and May terrific. Also, I am keeping my eyes open for a road bike at a good price that I can ride recreationally on the weekends. Considering some of these bikes weigh as little as 12 pounds, it would make my 30+ pound commuter feel like a semi. Maybe that isn't a good thing, I don't know. Anyway, I plan on a lot of riding in 2009 and am thinking my new Corporate Challenge event will be the bike race.

Sunset

There was a spectacular sunset on my way home from the office this afternoon. Unfortunately, I am still trying to figure out the settings on my camera, so the photo above is the only decent one I got.

I worked for a couple of hours this afternoon while the boys napped. So much to do, so little time. It was a great day to get out and ride anyway- after last week's frigid temperatures. I am getting close to 700 miles since I started this bike commuting. I'm not sure I ever would have guessed I would still be going after the first day I rode to work. I made a lot of excuses why it wouldn't work for me before I actually gave it a try. Now I hope I never give it up. It is too good of a thing to be doing with the exercise I am getting combined with the environmental impact not driving my vehicle all those miles brings.

Tonight we are relaxing around the house. I think we are all a little beat. The football playoffs are on; Brett is entrenched in his cars; Brady is playing with his Leapster; Sharla is painting cabinets in the upstairs bathroom. They are off tomorrow, I am working. We have the task of family pictures tomorrow evening, which will be very interesting given the fact we'll be bringing the dogs along (to the mall).

Union Station

We hit Union Station Saturday evening to check out Canstruction. My company entered in the competition, where local architecture/ design firms build structures from cans and other food goods which eventually go to Harvesters. Below are some of the entries from this year.

Afterward we watched our Wildcats get embarrassed by Nebraska while dining at the 810 Zone on the Plaza. Right around the corner is Barnes and Noble so we grabbed some books and a comfy seat to wind down the evening. The boys are really into books so I think this will be one of our fun things to do in the future.

Let it Snow

I am a little down about not making it a full week bike commuting. I decided last night that there was just too much going on today to ride. Brady has a kindergarten introduction at the elementary school this afternoon and I have a meeting over lunch, so I gave in. I will be riding into work one, if not both days this weekend too, so that will keep the numbers to the right climbing. I am actually enjoying watching them grow and changing them daily. Anyway, today would have been an adventure on the bike as I woke up to probably half an inch of snow and it was still coming down pretty quickly on my way into the office. It has been one of the colder weeks I can remember. I am sure winter is not over, but the forecast is for temperatures to rise and mainly be in the 40's next week.

Above is a Turkey Creek waterfall just off Merriam Drive. It is very cool to see when it freezes over on exteremly cold weeks like this one. It was still dark when I took this on my way to the office, but the snow covering the ice was nice.

Below is sunrise across the Lee building yesterday. I guess there could be worse things to look at out my office window everyday. It is a somewhat soothing building, but my view over the roof isn't the ideal vantage point.

-17 Degree Wind Chill

Well, it probably sounds miserable to be riding in this weather, but I am actually enjoying the challenge. It is something different to break up the monotony of riding the same roads and paths day after day. Knowing it was going to be about as cold as it gets around here this morning I layered up and hit the street. I noticed the bite on my legs as soon as I opened the garage door, but was only really cold when I sped down a hill near the beginning of my ride. My goggles were fogged over half way to work so I exposed my nose and eventually my mouth about 3/4 of the way to work. When I arrived I was shocked to see that it was actually -2 degrees with a -17 degree wind chill. I can say I did it, but I hope it starts warming up now.


Above is my yellow Giant mountain bike before I took off this morning. I was trying to get a shot of the Firefly valve light that I stole off my sons bike, but I ended up getting more reflector in the shot with flash. Anyway, I may not have a nice bright wind breaker to top off my riding gear, but hopefully I am well exposed with all the reflector stickers I have placed on my bike and helmet.

Below is a shot from Merriam Drive across the bus yard. It is interesting seeing 200 buses all sitting there with lights on warming up as I ride by on my bike in the dark.

Hace Frío

The sunset was quite spectacular on the way home from rounding up the boys yesterday. I caught the tail end of it from a hilltop near home.

It was a strange day for bike commuting today. My thermometer said 40 when I headed off this morning, but there was a brisk north wind that probably made the windchill much lower. Luckily, it was at my back and I made the best time ever to work this morning (under 14 minutes). The funny thing about wind is that if it's with you one way then it is usually against you on the way back. To top it off the temperatures were falling quickly over the afternoon so it was around a zero degree wind chill on my way home. I had enough extras in the bag to keep me comfortable, but the headwind didn't make it an easy ride.

Tonight I am gearing up for an all time low ride in the morning. The current projections are calling for 2 degrees in the morning with a -12 degree wind chill. That will be roughly 10 degrees wind chill less than yesterday, so hopefully I have enough gear. I think my short 4 mile/ 15 minute ride makes about anything bearable. If I was going 10 or 15 miles I wouldn't be "sprinting" as much and would have a lot more time to think about how cold it was.

The boys have been having a blast playing together lately. It is really nice to see them enjoying each other and entertaining one another. Brady had a field trip today that he really enjoyed. This weekend he has an exciting birthday party for a friend, then his birthday will be rolling around the following weekend. He has lots of questions about who is coming to his party and when it is. He still is trying to figure out today, tomorrow, next week. It is funny trying to explain it to him. He's been really enjoying doing work in his Spanish Workbook we bought for class. I think his teacher will be surprised how much he has done Friday since his class is only once a week. I imagine we will be catching up before long if we keep up with this pace.

-3 Degree Ride

Depending on which website you were on, it was somewhere between 4 and 6 degrees this morning with a -3 degree windchill. I bundled up sufficiently and headed off for work on my bike again. The only exposed body part was my nose, which was probably not a great idea but didn't really bother me much. I did notice it was frozen when I got to work, but I think it is all better now. Next time I'll try covering it up too.

I was pretty warm by the time I was nearing the office and my ski goggles were starting to fog up. I lowered my balaclavas below my mouth to let the warm air out and they cleared right up. This was the first opportunity I had to wear both my ski goggles and the second balaclava I have. I am glad I had them though because it would have been miserable without both.

In addition to the base layer I have been wearing all winter, I had on a tight fitting t-shirt and two fleece pullovers. Both are very warm and together they were more than enough for this weather. I could probably get by with one and a long sleeve shirt underneath, if I had a good windbreaker to wear over top of it all. On my legs I had my base layer/ cold weather tights under a pair of polyester sweat pants. Socks were just my normal pair of athletic socks under a long cold weather pair.

It probably won't get much colder than this around here. I think I am good to go for the winter until the snow hits again. I need to get the oil changed in the Rock Shox on my Specialized bike so it isn't bottoming out constantly, then I will give it a go in the snow. I guess the ice is really my biggest concern. We'll see how I feel when that day rolls around. I'm sure I will feel adventurous enough one of these days to get out and tackle it. The fresh air is what I live for, even if it is colder than heck.

Turn off the Lights!

We enjoyed Olive Garden yesterday and hit the park when we realized it was measurably warmer Sunday then it had been Saturday. The boyz are always happy to get out for a walk too.

Today I hopped on the yellow Giant to ride into work. I am still not in the shape I was at one point last fall, but I'll get there. I am just glad there was no snow accumulation today so hopefully I can get 4 days in this week. I'll take Friday off to do lunch with a friend and former coworker. If I can average 4 days a week for 50 weeks I will have my 1500 miles easily. I am sure there are weeks when I won't get to ride much, but hopefully there are weeks when I ride all 5 days. Last year there were weeks when I rode 7 days a week, so I think 1500 miles is a good goal for this year.

The environmental tip in my Go Green calendar today was to turn the lights off when you leave a room. This is something I always do out of habit, but it is a challenge with the boys running around here constantly turning on lights wherever they go. One of these days I will have them trained too.

Perigee Moon

It was quite a bright and full moon out last night. It was the closest to the earth that the moon will pass this year, making it a "perigee" moon. We missed it coming up, but it was noticeably bright when I brought the dogs into the garage.

I have been itching to start some more environmentally conscious projects lately. I think my next project will be a compost tumbler. There are several good tips out there on the web for building one. My first task will be to locate a large barrel, which I think I can buy from Bridging the Gap. I had contemplated making a rain barrel from their kits last summer. I still haven't given up on the idea, but I'll have to get all the plans worked out and sell it to my wife. She seems to be my main roadblock to being green sometimes. I think she is on board for this one and it will be nice to have a place to dispose of more of our "stuff"' that will eventually benefit her gardens.

Mr. Stinky Feet

This morning we hit The Glenwood Arts Theater to see Mr. Stinky Feet, a local musician who concentrates on children's music. The boys love listening to his songs and we have been to see him several times over the past year. It is always entertaining and the kids are always going crazy dancing and jumping around. Our boys were a little subdued today, but still enjoyed it I think.


Mr. Stinky Feet's real name is Jim Cosgrove and his website is http://www.mrstinkyfeet.com/
He commented about all the "mom" blogs that have mentioned him and that have been talking about their favorite songs of his. Well, this isn't a "mom" blog, but I will throw out my favorite song of his: I Love Baseball!

Flying Squirrels

It was a great day to be riding today. I went in before sunrise this morning but it was already over 40 degrees. I took a long way home at lunch and enjoyed the unseasonably warm afternoon. I have added about 50 miles to the odometer since last Saturday, which I am happy with considering we are in the coldest part of the year now.

We rushed to the park after we all got home tonight but the temps were already plummeting. It was pretty frigid so after Sharla walked the boyz a few laps around the park we loaded up and grabbed a bite to eat.
This evening Brady and I rode downtown to the Sports Show with my coworker Rick. He's a serious fisherman and is in the midst of patenting a product that he was trying to run past some of the boat folks. Brady took a break in the bounce house after suffering through some seminars. I think our favorite part was the sugar gliders, which look like little flying squirrels. You could buy them as pets to carry around in your pocket so Brady is requesting a couple for his birthday.

S

My wife collects "S" letters that show up conveniently around the house, so here's one for your collection honey...
Direct TV finally made their way to our house today. We've been without service since we came back home a couple of days after Christmas. I'm not a huge tv person, but I have enjoyed watching our plasma since we got it a few months ago. Apparently they never installed it right in the first place, since the guy that came today basically redid everything the first guy did when we switched to HD. We still are not able to record on one channel and watch another, which isn't a huge deal but would be nice. Anyway, I am happy to have it back in time for the "national championship" game tonight. Perhaps I will talk them into refunding the last 2 weeks or something. The game is going okay but for me it doesn't have the excitement that some of the other championship games have. Some day maybe they'll figure it out... or not.

My bike commuting has suffered the past two days, mainly because of my lack of sleep. When I wake up exhausted layering up and riding through the 20 degree chill just doesn't sound fun. I have lost some of my motivation that I started with, but riding tomorrow will still give me 3 of 5 days for the week which is probably about what I should expect. I figured if I rode everyday to work all year that would only get me 2000 miles, so my goal of 1500 miles is probably high but I think I could do it if I have the time for some fun rides on the weekend. I'm keeping my eye out for a road bike at a good price, which would make long rides much more enjoyable.

Florida Anyone???

Tired and cranky tonight. Not sleeping well for some reason. Didn't ride today, which I regret. Will be back on the saddle tomorrow, but have the Direct TV guy coming sometime tomorrow "morning" and am staying home with Brett in the afternoon. Dreaming of a day on a warm golf course or a nice long ride through the park. Winter really gets me down.

Nice to be riding

It was dark when I set out for work on my bike this morning. With temperatures staying around 25-30 degrees I am finding that I really don't need as much clothing as I've been wearing. The less I wear the more I can just let loose and really get my body temperature up. Work is going good now that I am in between projects and just working to get caught up before my next job gets going. It looks like I will be kicking up my travel with monthly site visits to 4 jobs in the Salt Lake area and one down in Mississippi. We just took it easy tonight and took in another movie, this time Jungle 2 Jungle. We are running out of things to watch so it will be nice when they come to get our dish realigned Thursday. I think we have actually been watching more television lately because of sitting there so long to get through a movie. Brady loves it, but we'll have to get out and run around tomorrow evening so he doesn't get too used to it.

The damage to my thumbnail from working on my bike wheel is gradually growing out. It will be nice not to have a big black spot in the middle of my nail, one of these days.

Back to work

I rode the yellow giant to work around sunrise this morning. It is always refreshing to watch the sun come up and get a little cool morning breeze before starting a long day of work. Even the days I am not thrilled to ride my bike I always feel great once I get there. This morning it was about 20 degrees and around 35 on my way home this afternoon. It sounds cold and feels cold when you are running to and from your car with inappropriate clothing on, but when you layer up and are actually dressed for the weather outside it isn't bad at all. I would love to keep riding and see how cold I can make it, but I still have to figure out how and if I want to tackle the ice and snow when it comes back. All of that salt would be murder on my bike. Not that I have the best bikes in the world, but my maintenance skills are lacking and I don't feel like shelling out more money at the bike shop just because I went out and rode in miserable conditions. Anyway, I busted out my new Go Green desktop calendar this morning to find that the first day's tip was, "Ditch your ride. Start walking or cycling." A very good tip for us all. Hopefully it has more tips that I can share on my blog this year.

Powerplay

We spent our last free morning at Powerplay, a local arcade on Shawnee Mission Parkway. The temperature quickly dropped last night and was 10 degrees when I went out this morning, so we decided to have some indoor fun. The boys loaded up on pizza and had a great time playing games. We had a work outing at Powerplay last summer, which was pretty fun for everyone. Dave and Busters is probably better, but for our boys- who don't even know if they actually playing or not- it is fine and only a couple of miles from our house.

This may be the last sighting of my holiday beard. I haven't officially determined if it is going away in the morning or not. I may show it off Monday at work and then get rid of it. I'm sure everyone will be impressed. ;-\

I went for another ride this afternoon while the boys napped. Sharla needed a couple of things from Home Depot so it was a good excuse to ride. I think I'll be in decent shape for the ride in tomorrow. It isn't a killer ride, but I don't exactly take it easy as I am usually trying to get there as fast as I can. Below are a few photos from my ride.

The coulds around sunset over Merriam

The Hummer dealership on Shawnee Mission Parkway. Hmmm

Pond at Antioch Park with stepping stones across the ice

Merriam Center looking over the bus yard and I-35

January Baseball

We spent the majority of the day today outside, with temperatures in the mid 60's it was a gorgeous January day. First we hit the dog park, which was pretty soggy with the high humidity. We spent a lot of time playing baseball and once we got tired of Brady blasting it out of our front yard, we hit the playground at a nearby elementary school.

After resting up a little and eating dinner we took the boys to Baskin Robins for a final treat before getting back in the swing of things come Monday. With our satellite out I have been watching a movie at night after the boys go to bed. Therefore, I have been getting to bed around midnight and waking up to the boys at 6:45 or 7:00 am. Tomorrow I'll work on getting refreshed before going back to work. While it has been nice to be off and enjoy more time with the boys, it will be good to get back into our routines. Volleyball and basketball leagues will soon be starting and will help get us through the long winter. Hopefully we'll have a few more of these mild winter days also.While at Baskin Robins Brady managed to pick out the exact same cake he had for his birthday last year. The good thing about kids is they usually forget quickly, although he is surprising us more and more with what he remembers. Hopefully we can talk him into something else this year.

Crown Center Ice Terrace

We enjoyed the mild temperatures Friday at the park and then Crown Center. There were plenty of people skating and the Christmas lights were still up. Monday is back to work so I'm trying to get myself back in that mode. It has been great to stay home with the boys all week. I am happy that there is no precipitation in the forecast, so hopefully I will have a full week of bike commuting. I haven't really set a goal for 2009, but after riding 600 miles in 6 months last year I should be going for 1500 or so. The past 3 days I have ridden to get back in shape. I have just been exploring the neighborhood, but the rides that I really feel good about are the ones where I can run some errands that otherwise would have been done by car. I will be looking for more ways to do some good in the upcoming year.

Fireball Raceway

This afternoon while the boys napped I went for another bike ride in an effort to get back in shape. Having rode to work yesterday I set off to the west today and came upon Black Swan Lake a couple of miles down the road. This is a pretty nice little community set back out of the way on a small lake/ pond. We actually looked at a house out here when we were in the market, but it wasn't right for us and I wonder what the hills around the lake are like with the ice and snow.

On the way back I swung by our local pool, Splash Cove. Nobody was swimming today but the pool brings back a lot of fond memories of summer fun with the family.

I promised the boys we would unbox their final present if they took good naps this afternoon. After dinner and Horton Hears a Who we opened it up, the Fireball Raceway. It was a big hit and we spent the rest of the evening shooting cars through the loops until they crashed. We'll surely be up bright and early tomorrow ready to fire it back up!

Shawnee Mission Dog Park

We took it easy today and hit the dog park late in the morning after lounging around for awhile. The boyz were happy to get out and run. There weren't many folks out because of the cold, but we were sufficiently bundled up. We got a little muddy, but it was worth it.