Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Sunday, December 31, 2006 9:00 PM

End of Year


On Saturday I get out and start cycling. There's a bit of a headwind heading north towards the Whittier Narrows dam and that takes a lot out of me going out. I go out past the dam and turn around and struggle on home with rapidly dropping blood sugar. I just didn't eat enough on Friday night to carry me through this ride. But I just keep turning the pedals over and make it home in a reasonable time for the 50 miles.

After getting a couple of fruit bars and milk, I head towards a shopping mall to finish Christmas shopping. There's a large crowd - as expected - so I park at the far reaches of the mall lot and do my shopping. I spend 40 minutes inside the mall and that is about 35 too much for my taste. But at least all of my known Christmas shopping is done. When I walk out to my car there are no parking spots left (even at the far reaches of the lot) and cars cue up for my spot as I get into the car. I also stop off at the grocery store for more supplies and it is also crowded. And then I relax a while and reload blood sugar with vegetables, cheese, salsa, crackers, and diet Coke. Now I'm feeling better!

On Saturday afternoon I make some stucco repairs to the garage, rake some leaves, and do the laundry. I put on a tape from the Independent Film Channel of a movie called "Never Get Outta the Boat" about a group of drug addicts trying to stay clean and sober in Los Angeles. Though I will have 4 years sober in one week, I realize that I'm on a slippery slope when one of the counselors says, "Sex and a sense of humor is not a recovery program".

Throughout the day I have phone calls with Person C_T, Person T*, and Person T_U. Person T_U wants to go out but I'm leaning against it after the long bicycle ride and the persistent cough and sniffles.

I get up on Sunday and jump on the bicycle for the loop ride plus a few extra miles to make it an even 30 miles. My legs are a bit tired, so I note that I should replenish the muscle glycogen before Monday's ride. It takes me two hours to get through my brunch of vegetables, crackers, cheese, salsa, and diet Coke because Ruby calls and needs someone to talk to about her breakup. In the mid-day sun I get out and clean up the rose beds of leaves and old wood chips. It's nice to have the warm sun gently helping the effort.

On Christmas day I wake up at 4:30 am and cannot fall asleep. Thus I get up at about 5:30 am and go for a walk and buy the newspaper. The vegetables, salsa, cheese, crackers, and diet Coke don't quite satisfy me this morning, but it's what I have. When the day warms up a bit I get out for the loop ride and I add enough miles to make it an even 30 miles. During the ride I try to figure out if the lower back discomfort that I have is due to kidney discomfort or due to my position on the bicycle. I know the kidney discomfort from intervals and maybe this is related to a bit of dehydration and the extra miles. And I know the discomfort from the position on the bicycle from all of the climbing in France, Switzerland, and Italy and other places. I decide it's probably a bit of both and decide to try to drink extra fluids throughout the rest of the day. After a shower I start to feel the effects of missing sleep and the ride as I kind of stagger around the rest of the day in a daze. During the day there are phone calls with Joe, Person M_C, and Person T_U. Late in the afternoon Person T_U stops by and we exchange gifts and I continue on in a daze. I decide that the trouble sleeping, as I had during the Thanksgiving week of high cycling mileage and no weight lifting, is due to lack of weight lifting. Thus I have agood workout of push exercises at low repetitions.

On Monday night, between the lack of sleep the night before, the bicycle ride, the session with the weights, and an Actifed, I sleep very very well. I remember stirring once or twice throughout the night, but that's it. Thus I get up on Tuesday morning and lift weights for the pull exercises and do a quick stucco repair paint job. And then have brunch of vegetables, salsa, crackers, cheese, and diet Coke.

I get out cycling after 10 am and it is still a bit chilly. But I have a good ride and add a few miles to the loop ride to make an even 30 miles. After I finish taking a shower the sun comes out and the temperature warms up nicely. Of course. When I return home from an errand I flip through the channels on the television and bypass Jery Springer and catch the last few minutes of "Beyond Rangoon". Did this really have to come on now? So I choke back tears as the film brings back memories. The rest of the day is spent relaxing and reading with a 40 minute walking trip to the ATM in the early evening.

Wednesday morning brings rain so there is no morning bicycle ride. Instead I read the newspaper and work on websites. In the midst of the afternoon wind I get out for a long walk and then head down to the Library coffeehouse to read the new book that I just bought. I get some reading done and then I look up and see Ruby getting coffee. So we have a a 20 minute chat before she heads off to her appointment. And then we have another 20 minute chat after her appointment. We both head for the door to get to our respective cars near 10:15 pm.

Thursday starts with a reasonable session with the weights for the push muscle group. Though it was harder than usual and I wonder if I'm feeling a bit ill right now. Afterwards I drive over to meet up with Person T* and we go on two nature hikes in the area. It's good to get out and walk away from the city. Later we exchange Christmas presents and have a quick dinner before she has to pick up her son. I get a phonecall from Person K_J and we decide to hang out at the Jamba Juice near my house (that I've never been to).

Person K_J and I have a nice long conversation about many different topics. At one point in the conversation Person K_J thinks that I have tears in my eyes. But I explain that I do not. When the Jamba Juice is closing we start driving around and drop by Person T_U's house. Person T_U is watching a basketball game and we join him. After having a nice visit we leave near 11:15 pm. I get home near midnight and read for a while before turning off the lights for sleep.

On Friday I start out lazily by cleaning up the backyard (a bit) after the rain and windstorm. When the day has warmed up enough I jump on the road bicycle and get out for the loop ride. I add on a few miles again and end the 7 day period with only 170 miles in. (I missed two days of riding due to Wednesday's rain and wind and Thursday's nature hikes.)

After playing with tire pressures for the last month on the motorcycle in order to get better grip and handling, I decide that more radical things are needed. Thus on Friday afternoon I spend a few minutes adjusting the front spring preload, rebound damping, and compression damping. I go up one half turn (maybe this is not enough) in order to see how it feels. I'll find out either Sunday morning on a recreational ride with friends or on the Tuesday morning commute. As I'm inspecting the bike I see a few pieces that are bent - probably from the accident from a year ago. But these bent pieces would not contribute the evil handling that I've experienced recently. Hmmm.

On Friday afternoon when I go to get the car washed, I'm told that there will be a delay because the chain has broken. Thus the automated car wash cannot be used and the cars have to be washed by hand. But I wait a bit and get a nice clean car to bring home and start waxing. I get halfway through waxing the car before I put it away and agree to finish it later tonight or sometime on Saturday.

For the period ending on Saturday morning, the total mileage stands at 170 miles on the bicycle, 100 miles on the car, and 0 miles on the motorcycle.

On Saturday I finish waxing the car and, when the sun comes out, work on the roses. Today I use a shovel and ax to dig little trenches around each rose bush and then get on my hands and knees to build the dirt up (to keep the water in). Thus each rose bush has its own dirt wall fort surrounded by a moat.

Because I'm a bit under the weather, I only get out for an hour long walk - there is no cycling or lifting today. And I'm dropping down for sleep just after 10 pm.

On Sunday I buy the newspaper and read for a while before watching the Detroit Lions finally win a game. After the game I get out for aquarium ride during the mid-day sun. But it is still chilly and a single t-shirt may not have been enough for the ride. Later in the afternoon Person C_T comes by and we rent a movie and watch it. The movie is just horrible and both of us are left wondering who made the movie (so that we can avoid anything else he/she does). Eventually we drop off to sleep after midnight and after hearing all of the firecrackers and gunshots celebrating the start of 2007.