Tag: postaday

Triple Exercise

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“Evening Stats” Cedar Park, 2020

Wow, what an active day that I had! The weather was fantastic in the morning, so I headed out for a short 2.5 mile run. I often run (and bicycle) to the elementary school that Bay and Koa attended, and it is always a mental pick-me-up as I remember the good times watching them grow up. It seems like just yesterday they were attending Cox Elementary!

As I ran by the front, I took a photo of this sign, which shows the first phase of the re-opening during the pandemic. I hope this the the only time they will have a sign like this on display.

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/1200 sec, ISO100
 “Reopening” Cedar Park, 2020

In the evening, I had to go for a bicycle ride around the neighborhood, and that included both Cox Elementary again and the other elementary school on the other side of the neighborhood and the football stadium that is used by the district’s high schools. At that time I was treated to a nice sunset:

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO200
 “Sunset” Cedar Park, 2020

On my way home, I received a text message from Koa asking if I wanted to throw the baseball over at the school, so I headed over to Cox for the third time today! We threw the ball until it got dark (and my arm was tired) and then came home to my second shower of the day.

It was a lot of physical activity (running, cycling, baseball) but I feel great! Thankful for my relatively good health as I approach age 52. Whee!

Bicycle Ride With the New Wheel

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“Bike Ride” Cedar Park, 2020

My new bicycle rim arrived and I got to work replacing the old one, which entailed transferring the spokes over to the new rim and then truing the wheel to make sure it’s straight. I followed this video’s instructions, which proved invaluable.

I also followed the advice in this video to true the wheel, and got it in good shape. Next, I adjusted the rear brake and it was ready to try it out on the road!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “New Rim” Cedar Park, 2020

I only intended to ride around the neighborhood to test it, but I wound up hitting the hike and bike trail and riding several miles. It was just so fun! It seemed like I was able to ride faster, accelerate quicker, and cruise at a higher speed with the new wheel. It might just be that I am getting in better shape, but I have heard that the bicycle upgrade that will make the biggest difference it to replace the wheels. Well, I’m not sure if my new $33 Sun Ringle rim is an upgrade or not, but the stock Mavic rims are generally regarded poorly. So I’m leaning towards the opinion that the new rim helps out a lot. 😀

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/1100 sec, ISO200
 “At Brushy Creek Lake Park” Cedar Park, 2020

Later in the evening, Mariko mentioned that the sunset was probably pretty nice so I hopped on my Kona again and headed down to the place where I like to take sunset photos. Turned out pretty good:

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/500 sec, ISO640
 “Sunset” Cedar Park, 2020

I’m so happy to have my bicycle back, and working better than ever!

またね～

Quick Rice & Peas

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Rice Cooker Rice and Peas” Cedar Park, 2020

Tonight I made jerk pork and rice & peas. The latter was made in the rice cooker using a simple recipe from Caribbeanpot.com. It wasn’t bad, but definitely could not compare to my mom’s rice & peas. I’d say this was maybe only 60% as good as her’s. But in a pinch, this recipe will do. Unfortunately we didn’t have any Scotch Bonnet peppers, but I used a quarter of a habañero and it had a good amount of heat.

I don’t know if we’ll be able to visit my folks this year at Christmas, which has me already missing my mom’s rice & peas, oxtail stew, stew peas, run-down crab, jerk chicken, plantain, and callaloo. I’m crossing my fingers though!

Sushi Nite at Home

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “Sushi Nite” Cedar Park, 2020

DIY sushi at home is so yummy! This time we had some shrimp tempura which was new for our sushi nite. I thought it was pretty good! My favorite has to be the hamachi with avocado and plenty of wasabi. But everything was delicious – what a treat! 🍣❤

10K Challenge Complete

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“11k” Cedar Park, 2020

Today there were plenty of clouds and the temperature was only 89° F when I headed out for a run. These cooler conditions let me run farther today than I did a couple of days ago when I wilted under the intense Texas sun. There was also a really nice breeze so I totally enjoyed the run (more of a jog, really) and was able to complete my September 10K challenge early. Yay!

Hitting that milestone again is great, but what is really neat is that I wasn’t tired. I could have gone farther if I had more time.

When I was in my twenties, I used to run a lot and I noticed that there’s a point in your training at which it seems you can just keep running indefinitely. It’s a really neat feeling because you stop worrying about how far from home you can go on your route, and instead are free to wander down different streets and trails on a whim.

I used to enjoy exploring the city of Monterey Park where I lived at the time, and later when I moved to West Los Angeles and the area around UCLA. It’s kind of my goal to keep my legs in just enough shape to stay in this level. When I visited China a couple of years ago I could explore around the hotels without worry, and when we visit my mother-in-law in Osaka, I love cruising around the city. Even visiting my folks in my hometown of Torrance, I can run to the ocean and back. It’s so fun!

I like this kind of motivation for running, rather than something like losing weight. It’s something to look forward to for sure. I guess it’s about the journey rather than the destination. There are lots of cool things to see and hear while running (an bicycling too). I really enjoy it.