Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, September 11, 2006 9:00 PM

Fort Wayne and The World!


On Monday I'm up just after 5 am for two reasons: 1) To go walking before work, and 2) To start shifting over to eastern time for the upcoming trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana. After work and after dinner I work the abdominals and lower back with the weights. ANd then I start doing some debugging on the motorcycle as it is getting a bit sluggish to start. I decide that the battery, after four and a half years, is deciding to fail. And I make a note to find a replacement as soon as possible. At least I hope it's just the battery. Later I have a long conversation with Person C_T and a brief one with Joe.

On Tuesday morning when I get up at 5 am to go walking my back is a bit sore. This is a good thing and indicates that I worked the abdominals and lower back hard the previous night. Since the motorcycle abrely starts in the morning, it is desperation time to get a new battery. Thus I leave work a bit early and the motorcycle barely starts again - but it starts. And I ride it over to Bellflower Motorsports where I've called, begged, and pleaded with the parts department to set aside and charge a battery for me. ("We've done that for people before, sir, and they never came in to pick up the battery. And it shortens the life to keep having to re-charge it and then let it sit.") I profusely thank the parts department guy and start pulling the old battery out and putting in the new one. (Why should I pay for the service department to do something that I can do quicker?) Other customers are watching me and probably wondering what is going on. But I get it installed and ride off into the sunset for home. When I get home I get in the same heavy workout from last Friday. Later I put a voltmeter to the motorcycle battery while it is running and now it is unclear whether the root cause of my problems are the battery or the charging system. But we'll see what happens.

On Wednesday I get up early again and go walking despite having a sore throat. Throughout the day the throat gets progressively worse, my nose and head starts congesting, and my body starts getting sore. I manage to mow the lawn when I get home, but that's all that I'm going to do today. The sickness that results from "too much life" finally hits. Late at night when I'm talking with Person C_T I'm also looking through my records and realize that I have not missed more than three days in a row with the weights since April. It's time for a break.

On Thursday I wake up with a sore throat and a 1.6 degree fever. I struggle off to work for a 7:30 teleconference with the East coast that gets delayed until 12:30. There is a problem with the sensor and I will not be going to Fort Wayne on Saturday. I am relieved that I'll get to have a Labor day weekend andthat I don't have to travel while sick. I struggle through the day, tell eevryone that I will not be in to work on Friday, and head for home. I call Ruby and Joseph and tell them that I will not be traveling but I will not make tonight's meeting. It is recovery time.

On Thursday night I go to bed a bit after 8 pm and turn off the alarm. I sleep well, but I'm awake a few minutes before midnight and cannot fall back asleep. I tos and turn, watch telelvision, toss and turn some more, surf the Internet, and finally fall back asleep just before 4 am. And sleep until a bit after 8 am.

On Friday I jump on the mountain bicycle and just pedal along slowly towards the aquarium and back. I just take my time because my fever is only 0.8 degrees above normal but I still have a very sore throat and I'm tired. But it's important to get some moderate exercise to keep the metabolism up and to sweat away the toxins. After cycling I trim, feed, and water the roses in the warm sun and continue sweating out toxins. And then I wash them away with a shower and lay on the couch with the noon news. Later in the afternoon I get out for a 40 minute walk to keep the blood pumping. And take some kava root extract to promote deeper sleep and recovery.

On Saturday I sleep in late (and deep from the kava root extract before heading out for the aquarium bicycle ride. I'm slow today but I enjoy the ride. I lay around for most of the day until I drive down to the ocean to go skating near 2 pm. It's even warm down at the ocean and as I head west towards the Queen mary (and ChiChi ridge) there's a headwind that saps my remaining strength. But I just take my time and enjoy the skate. Near the end I sit down at the base of the pier and watch people cycle, run, skate, and walk past. I see that someone has left their golden retriever tied up as they eat in the restaurant, so I go and pet the dog for a few minutes and remind myself that this could be Nopey (when I used to tie him up while I did the grocery shopping). But this golden retriever is a bit hesitant around strangers but he's my friend by the time that I leave.

On Sunday I read the newspaper and do other things before getting out cycling near 11 am. It's the heat of the day and there's a headwind on the way home, so I'm slow today. The rest of the day I relax and read the newspaper and wash/wax the kitchen floor before doing some abdominal and lower back work with the weights and going for a 40 minute walk.

On Labor Day I wake up a bit earlier to try and get back into the swing of things. But not too early so that the extra sleep can help me fight off this illness. My thorat is not too sore this morning. The morning aquarium ride is nice because the weather is cool, though I struggle a bit towards the end because I'm still weak from the illness. As I head south towards the aquarium the bike path is very clear. As I head back for home (north on the trail) there is a police car blocking the trail as some officers have somebody in custody. I slow a bit, squeeze past the car, and continue for home.

After relaxing and working on the motorcycle, I get out skating. My legs feel better than the other day, but they are not back to normal strength. On the last leg of the skate I keep lengthening my stride and pumping my arms more, saying to myself, "Longer stride, longer stride". I've picked up and maintained quite a bit of speed and people turn and look as I whiz by them - alerted by the skate bearing noise and maybe my heavy breathing. And I sit and relax at the base of the pier before I drive home and take a cool shower.

On Monday I'm back to walking before work and having a productive day at Northrop Grumman. There are models to be built and stiffness trade studies to be run. I leave work a bit early to take the motorcycle in for work on the charging system. And then I take two busses towards home - both busses appearing after just short waits. When I get home I go lift for lower weight and higher repetitions. Though it has not been a week break, I decide that the higher repetition will be physiologically different enough to be beneficial. These high repetition workouts are difficult but I make it through this one and enjoy the feeling for the rest of the evening.

On Wednesday I'm up early to ride the bicycle to work. I try to be productive throughout the day even though my blood sugar is constantly low. And then I get a good bicycle ride home at the end of the day. My legs feel strong and I'm able to sprint a time or two in order to beat traffic lights and leave traffic jammed behind me. (Because the motorcycle is getting repaired, it was a choice between the bicycle and the car today. Riding the bicycle both ways saved $5 in gasoline and gave me two good workouts.)

On Thursday, after working the abdominals and lower back before work and after setting out some wireless camera equipment for Dad, I drive to work. When I get to work a co-worker comes in and asks me, "Guess what?". And he continues on with, "I got rear-ended again". With his 2006 car he's now been rear-ended twice in two weeks. And both drivers have insurance. How is it that I get hit on the motorcycle and rear-ended in the truck and neither driver has insurance, and yet, my co-worker gets rear-ended twice in two weeks and both drivers have insurance?

On Friday I get to work a few minutes after 6 am and leave at a reasonable hour. I have a good workout with the weights, trim and mow the lawn, go walking for 40 minutes, take a quick shower, do the laundry, and then do some quick grocery shopping. I can now relax for the evening and plan my Saturday. Except that Person C_T calls and asks why I never call and that starts a bad conversation where I just stay silent for most of the call because there is nothing to be said here. I have a later call with Person T_U whos' heading for a club in West Hollywood and later I see that I've missed a phone call from Person J_VKPI.

On Saturday morning I am lazy so I trim and water the roses and then watch qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix. I make the 20th anniversary 909 call and Mom and I have a good laugh. And then I go cycling - out for the loop ride on the road bicycle. I take a very quick shower and head over to a coffeehouse for a "town meeting" with my city councilperson. The room is packed and I enter a side entrance and she looks over at me and stops the meeting to smile and wave at me. Everyone at the meeting looks over at me and wonders who I am. But it's a good town hall meeting and when it's done I give the city councilpersona biref, "Thanks for doing this. I'll see you at the October paint out event". She smiles enthusiastically and looks forward to seeing me (really, anyone) there.

When I'm returning home from the coffeehouse and the gas station I have to stop to let a lady get control of her car. Her car is perpendicular to the direction of traffic as she tries to back into a driveway. With each attempt to back into the driveway she keeps running over the curb and trying again. Finally she gets into the driveway and as I pass I see that she has a cell phone to her right ear (held with her right shoulder) and she has a book balanced on her left arm and the driver's side windowsill. She's trying to read, talk on the telephone, and back into the driveway simultaneously.

Near 2 pm I get down for a nap that lasts 45 minutes. And then I read and relax before I work the abdominals and lower back with weights and get out for a 40 minute walk. Another quick shower and I do some grocery shopping and have a brief conversation with my favorite cashier to try and cheer her up - she's bummed about recent circumstances. It's a quiet evening.

On Sunday morning I lay in bed for a while before I decide to go cycling right away - otherwise I might be lazy and not get out at all. I do the aquarium ride and enjoy the weather as it has cooled down quite nicely lately. After a shower I watch the Italian Grand Prix and some of another race from CHicago before I head out near 1pm for some skating. Though I am neither execessively energetic nor lazy, the skate passes rather quickly - there are less people out today but that can't be the reason for the skate passing quickly. Can it? And then I sit on a concrete bench for a while and watch the people taking their dogs to the Long Beach dog beach. When I get home Person C_T is there and I watch the 250cc race from Malaysia while Person C_T takes a nap. After the race I join Person C_T for a nap. During dinner we watch the MotoGP race from Malaysia and there's another epic battle where Rossi edges out Capirossi to keep his title hopes alive. The evening passes uneventfully as the NFL's Manning vs Manning game finishes.

On 9/11 I drive to work since the motorcycle has not yet been returned to me (from charging system repairs). I recall the day five years ago during the 12 hour EOS Aqua thermal vacuum testing when everyone is starved for inforation regarding the 9/11 activities. And I recall the tumult that happened throughout the world and in my own life shortly thereafter.

And the work trip to Fort Wayne has again been postponed until at least the 17th of September.