Too much fun

I'm a bit sore today from a weekend of fun.  The kids have been really enjoying playing on the computer, but recently they have lost interest.  This makes me very happy, but also a bit tired because they want to physically play with me and it can be exhausting throwing them and running around.

We pretended to be star wars characters and had a good time.

Impressed by my wife

I'm really impressed by my wife. Yesterday we went jogging after dinner. We have been doing 4min jog, 1 min walk, 5 times. But yesterday we tried something different, we just wanted to see how long she could jog. So we did our regular 5 minute warm up walk, then got to a nice walking trail so we didn't have intersections to deal with. We went for 10.5 minutes. Mapped it this morning. 1 way is .4mi, not sure on the accuracy of that, so I changed google map settings to km, which gave me 650 feet, which is 0.40 mi, so miles is a fine measurement. Oh yea, that is one way, so we aren't that slow. We went 0.8 miles in 10.5 minutes. I think this is great.

So here is the impressive parts, besides just doing that. There were several moments where she thought she wouldn't make it.

• She didn't think she could run there and back, and was just planning to run there.
• Near the end there was an uphill portion she didn't think she could do.
• She thought she would have to sprint in the end to make it, but maintained the pace instead.

Also, for most of the run she had the dog leash, so she had that as well, and let me tell you, our dog isn't the easiest to run with.

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How to Improve Memory, part I

I'm beginning to wonder what little tricks and tips there are to help me remember things. I know by practicing you get better, and I've read that is true for memory. I also think I do well when I write things down. But does that mean it will work for typing too?

So I want to learn Eph 5:8-10

"for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light ( for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord."

Ephesians 5:8-10

I would also like to remember life better. So maybe I can do that by blogging more consistently? Or maybe I just need to go back to the tried and true journaling.

Perhaps I will start by doing a bit of research on some "expert" tips and tricks for memory.

Another Bike Commuting update

Well, I didn't realize how I would just stop blogging pretty much, then use this to track commuting.

Today was my first ride with a bike trunk bag instead of a backpack. It was great. My back wasn't all sweaty and the ride just felt better.

On Tuesday I bought a bike rack and bag from Tom's bicycle shop, but had trouble installing it my bike doesn't have any attachment points for a rack, and the p-clamps that came with it are too small for my frame. Ended up going for a walk with the family to ace hardware and bought some bigger p-clamps and some washers because the clamps had larger holes that the nuts could fit through. Went on well, took some work to get it level.

So now the problems I have with it. The bag doesn't fit on the rack if I have my saddle bag, not sure why, this seems unusual, though I haven't researched it. Also, the rack bag is much smaller than my back pack and my clothes arrived wrinkled. I read that I could roll them and that should help prevent wrinkles, but I'm tempted to upgrade to a larger bag. Currently I have the banjo brothers #01040, and I'm looking at upgrading to the #01070. The 1070 has bungee cords on top and side panniers, not too found of the side panniers, because I was thinking I may want to get real ones, and it requires more effort to attach and remove. But I do like the bungee cord on top to strap things down that don't fit in the bag.

My goal with the bag is to carry my lunch and clothes, so I want to be able to take it off and on the bike easily. But maybe that shouldn't be the solution. Maybe I should just take things out of the bag and leave the bag attached to the rack.

So many options.

Great Ride today

Had a great ride today. I'm learning just how much motorists influence my ride. Everyone was really polite, and there were some people out exercising that exchanged "good morning" and a smile.

A bit warm, I do think getting rid of the backpack will help, but it is a surprising amount of money needed to get a rack and bag. Should be under $100, but over $70.

Made some adjustments to fit on my bike because after some long rides I wasn't feeling great. Actually the only adjustment I made was to move my seat to the front after watching and reading some articles on bike fit. I can tell I'm getting better at working with a bike too.

Anyways, got to work this morning feeling wonderful so I thought I would share.