Showing posts with label bikes. Show all posts
For a while I was doing so well with my routine of working out, learning to code, practicing Spanish. Trips to Michigan interfered with my scheduling flow and the hottest summer days ever made me listless instead of motivated to work out. One thing that stuck was the Spanish, maybe not every day, but most days.
Today I reset the counter. The workout didn't exactly feel great, but I completed it. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to go out for a little run. Hopefully two miles. That doesn't sound like much, but I haven't been able to nix this nagging foot injury from my surfing adventures in Costa Rica. (I unofficially dubbed it turf toe. If it can take down NFL players, I had no chance.) My last attempt was during those glorious spring days in March, but ended badly in shooting pains before I could go a mile. Four months later, I'm ready to give it another try.
If all else fails, I'll just veer off the Lakefront Trail and plop down in the sand. Call it a beach morning. Then it's back to this computer to throw my name in some hats and explore my return to the world of full-time employment.
rusty history \07.09\
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Labels:
bikes,
sign,
urban
Today I reset the counter. The workout didn't exactly feel great, but I completed it. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to go out for a little run. Hopefully two miles. That doesn't sound like much, but I haven't been able to nix this nagging foot injury from my surfing adventures in Costa Rica. (I unofficially dubbed it turf toe. If it can take down NFL players, I had no chance.) My last attempt was during those glorious spring days in March, but ended badly in shooting pains before I could go a mile. Four months later, I'm ready to give it another try.
If all else fails, I'll just veer off the Lakefront Trail and plop down in the sand. Call it a beach morning. Then it's back to this computer to throw my name in some hats and explore my return to the world of full-time employment.
This morning I somehow started entertaining a barrage of thoughts about change and evolution (not the origin of species type), how it's easy to not put much stock in a tweak here and a nudge there. All of a sudden, looking back, you realize how different things used to be. It's that perspective that has a tendency to make me think, "I'm so old."
It started innocently enough. I needed a stamp to mail my rent (because I always forget to schedule for my bank to send it in time) and I had no idea what postage costs anymore. Thanks to Google, something that didn't exist for a majority of my lifetime, that wasn't difficult to discern. And it's $0.45, in case you're wondering. My first thought was, "I remember when I was a kid and stamps were only $0.29." This segued into reminiscence of gas being less than a dollar a gallon, $0.25 payphone calls, using encyclopedias and reference books to research and write essays, etc., etc.
Walking back from the post office, I was listening to music on my phone and stopped to take a photo for this very blog. And suddenly I was a little bit in awe of the technology that I held. So many capabilities in one little dude. We're literally attached at the hip every day. Somehow, again, I managed to spend most of my life without one because smartphones didn't exist.
I know that I'm not the only one who rolls my eyes when my parents are clueless about technology or intimidated to just click buttons and see what happens. Now I'm wondering what might happen in the next twenty years of my life that could leave me in the dust. Hitting adolescence in the boom of the technological age is sort of like starting to learn a foreign language when you're a young child. You're not scared of it and just absorb it better. It will be interesting to see what the next generation schools us on.
urban commuter \06.29\
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Labels:
bikes,
neighborhood,
urban
It started innocently enough. I needed a stamp to mail my rent (because I always forget to schedule for my bank to send it in time) and I had no idea what postage costs anymore. Thanks to Google, something that didn't exist for a majority of my lifetime, that wasn't difficult to discern. And it's $0.45, in case you're wondering. My first thought was, "I remember when I was a kid and stamps were only $0.29." This segued into reminiscence of gas being less than a dollar a gallon, $0.25 payphone calls, using encyclopedias and reference books to research and write essays, etc., etc.
Walking back from the post office, I was listening to music on my phone and stopped to take a photo for this very blog. And suddenly I was a little bit in awe of the technology that I held. So many capabilities in one little dude. We're literally attached at the hip every day. Somehow, again, I managed to spend most of my life without one because smartphones didn't exist.
I know that I'm not the only one who rolls my eyes when my parents are clueless about technology or intimidated to just click buttons and see what happens. Now I'm wondering what might happen in the next twenty years of my life that could leave me in the dust. Hitting adolescence in the boom of the technological age is sort of like starting to learn a foreign language when you're a young child. You're not scared of it and just absorb it better. It will be interesting to see what the next generation schools us on.
I have heard grumblings about the inconveniences of redeeming frequent flyer miles, whether it was coming from a rewards-based credit card commercial or an actual consumer. Frankly, I didn't even attempt to accrue airline miles until a few years ago when my travel frequency (and distances) hit an uptick. Upon nearly closing in on the magic number that qualifies me to fly for "free", I'm learning some things.
A trip to Central America or a subset of South American countries will cost you 15,000 miles each way. My sights set on Ecuador, and my points balance around 26,000, I was practically ready to pack my bags. Until I started perusing the rewards flight schedule. On about two days each month, I can find a flight from Chicago O'Hare to either of the international airports in Ecuador at a cost of 15,000 miles. Across a span of six months, I could not find a single day that would grant me access back to the United States for less than 30,000 miles. So, I guess that debunks the 15,000 miles each way story.
I tried looking into flights on another airline within the same alliance, because word on the street is that they'll accept your miles, too. Unfortunately, their site provided me with a less than friendly user experience and I simply gave up. A final attempt at creative thinking was my last ditch effort for the day. What if I redeemed 15,000 miles for my outgoing flight, then paid for the one-way flight back home? As it turns out, that one-way return flight cost only $88 less than an entire round-trip ticket. Hardly worth it.
The good news is that through all of this, I'm pretty positive that Ecuador will be my next destination. It's just the when and how long that remain to be determined.
riding the edge \06.06\
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Labels:
bikes,
lake michigan
A trip to Central America or a subset of South American countries will cost you 15,000 miles each way. My sights set on Ecuador, and my points balance around 26,000, I was practically ready to pack my bags. Until I started perusing the rewards flight schedule. On about two days each month, I can find a flight from Chicago O'Hare to either of the international airports in Ecuador at a cost of 15,000 miles. Across a span of six months, I could not find a single day that would grant me access back to the United States for less than 30,000 miles. So, I guess that debunks the 15,000 miles each way story.
I tried looking into flights on another airline within the same alliance, because word on the street is that they'll accept your miles, too. Unfortunately, their site provided me with a less than friendly user experience and I simply gave up. A final attempt at creative thinking was my last ditch effort for the day. What if I redeemed 15,000 miles for my outgoing flight, then paid for the one-way flight back home? As it turns out, that one-way return flight cost only $88 less than an entire round-trip ticket. Hardly worth it.
The good news is that through all of this, I'm pretty positive that Ecuador will be my next destination. It's just the when and how long that remain to be determined.
There are some days when my lens doesn't quite capture the awe-inducing subjects that I hope for. At first, I feel a little guilty and lazy about it. Then I remember that I have posted at least one photo every day for five months. My Droid is bogged down with over 1,000 photos at this point. My eyes roam constantly now, staying alert for colors, angles, opportunities.
Today's possibility for inspiration was squelched by the return of nearly winter weather. Despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoy getting outside for at least a walk every day, today felt more suited for house arrest. I made it as far as my mailbox, then detoured to the bike room for this exceptionally uninspired photo. So, it was an off day. I'll attempt to do better tomorrow.
rear view \05.31\
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Labels:
bikes,
everyday,
miscellany
Today's possibility for inspiration was squelched by the return of nearly winter weather. Despite the fact that I thoroughly enjoy getting outside for at least a walk every day, today felt more suited for house arrest. I made it as far as my mailbox, then detoured to the bike room for this exceptionally uninspired photo. So, it was an off day. I'll attempt to do better tomorrow.