Mix It Up - Full Version

Election Day

It is hard to believe just two days ago we got this hail storm. Pea sized, some bigger, some smaller, all ice. Frozen orbs smacking little bits off the trees. The most unusual part of the storm was how much we got. Some claimed three inches where they lived. It felt funny in ones hands. To walk on it took more energy. Good thing it was above freezing or we would be plagued with black ice, the hail all crushed down into the pavement.

But today was a wonderfully beautiful day, sun shining bright. Election day when the silent majority will make a powerful statement to the liberals here and across the country. After voting this afternoon I was out in the yard in short sleeves, checking out the new growth and making some minor house repairs. But mostly I was writing, as I was yesterday. Taking a break now to write here.

Yes, I should be riding, it is so beautiful out, but I need to finish. I hope to have the book completed by tomorrow, and the last two chapters edited, gone through a couple times by myself, by the end of the week. I added a tiny bit to the preview on my writers blog but will add more over the weekend. An English gentleman, a man I knew briefly overseas, to whom I sent my first book enjoyed it and said I had talent. They say you will never get good feedback from anyone who knows you too well.

Not sure if I will publish as an e-book unless they can guarantee they wont be giving it away for free. No money to pay for a professional editor.

Between our two businesses, house repairs, exercise, and writing I hope to reach a goal of 60 hours a week to start with. Unless I can finally get another job.

April 1st

Here's is the last remaining remnant of snow in our yard. Like a vampire it hides from the sun. It would be nice to say there will be no more snow this Spring, but the weatherman predicted snow for today. I hope he was joking. I am not big on April fools jokes. But we all know here in Wisconsin that we can get some heavy snows even in April.

Out riding the last two days. It is good to ride. The trails at Hoyt are just a bit too wet yet to ride. That is why Ray's is open until May 1st. And since I have been promoting Ray's for free, Wisconsin in my visitor counter (it records by state) surpassed California in number of visitors. Yes, Wisconsin and California is where the vast majority of my visitors apparently live. My bike is in need of a good cleaning and tuning. And I need new tubes. Those Chinese tubes just don't last. Everything is made in China, except for the stuff that's made somewhere else.

And speaking of China, I've put a snippet of my next book on my writers blog. A very rough first draft. I had to rewrite the section as the computer I am using is incapable of connecting to the Internet and this computer does not have microsoft word. Over 2,000 words yesterday and nearly that today leaves me posting in the middle of the night. The preacher on the TV is singing that all that was lost, all that was taken away, all that has been stolen will be returned. Amen. It's now after 2 am.

Misao smiles when I say I'm going out riding and then I'll be writing. "Wridng and riting" she says, or something like that. She is focusing on my weight loss project now, which should be helpful as she plans the meals.  I really need to put more effort into my photos. You can catch a glimpse of my next book here.

Air Mail

Misao is sending a relief package to her family in Japan. Her sister told her that they will have periods without electricity for many hours a day, and it will continue until Winter returns. Hopefully it will leave soon. So most important are these LED lights. The rechargeable should work well when the lights go out at night. We haven't tested any of them ourselves. Those little disposal waterproof lights look neat.

Misao wants to make an emergency kit. These next two years will have many more catastrophes of various types so we hear.

The gym is still crowded. Despite the cold, the bright sunshine has been inviting, but I didn't get out for a ride today. Maybe tomorrow. My weight is down a bit though. Started the strength training again.

I e-mailed Amazon's digital book / Kindle platform. Asking some questions about my book, it seems some other e-book seller (I didn't know I made my book available to other e-book sellers) was offering my book for free as a promotion, so they were offering it for free. Yes, it is clearly in the contract that they can do that. And while they are supposed to have numbers as to how many they gave away, that function hasn't been working. I cannot win for losing. No profits and they can't even let me know how popular it was. It's currently a mere one dollar and we could use the help. I am sure you will enjoy it. At least one of the dozens that my counters suggest come to the blog.

Happy Supermoon!

Belated anyway.The Supermoon having just recently passed, as has the first full day, and second full day, of Spring. Though I am not sure at what point the moon is no longer super. St. Patrick's Day is also over, but there is still plenty of March madness to go around. And no, unlike our President who should have more important things to worry about, I did not pick any brackets. Two Wisconsin teams are still in the running, YEAH!

We do not admire the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The saint part of the day seems to be missing. Everyone drinks from morning to night ...why? They'll never get those brain cells back, or perhaps that's the problem. Of course the Spring Social Ride will be coming around soon. Nothing but another excuse to drink to excess, though it resembles more a sobriety meeting compared to St. Patrick's Day. We devoured some corned beef for our celebration.

We had a short spurt of nice weather and I got in some good rides. A lot of walking yesterday. But a wedding Saturday stalled my weight loss goals ever so briefly. I have come to see, out of all the reasons you read about as to why people gain weight, that lack of sleep is a major one for me. ...What time is it? Not only do I eat more when I'm tired, I don't even enjoy the food as much. It is not looking good for me making the Iola Bump and Jump.

The rhubarb is getting ready to burst to life. I treated the peach tree. The directions for the fungicide said to apply in the Autumn while the tree is dormant. So I treated it as soon as it was dry out, another requirement, and the temperatures approached the right range. It was actually a bit cooler than it should have been to apply the fungicide, but I decided to error on the side of temperature rather than the condition of dormancy.

Not much in the way of pictures recently. Alois has promised pictures and video from flying gliders this summer. We didn't get through even the first day of Spring before the weather went dark, cold, and wet. But the bad weather has gotten the book back on track. Moving to completion quickly as I stay indoors and we have gotten over the distress of the earthquake in Japan. New low price for your Kindle on my first book.

Japan

All of Misao's family in Japan are safe, as are friends and their families. It surely was shocking and horrifying to see those tsunami taking out fleeing cars. Misao has one social network friend that had much of her extended family living in one of the hardest hit cities. Dogs from all over the world will surely save many a life over the next week or so.

Here are the first signs of spring at our house. I planted a few kinds of bulbs, each kind to bloom some weeks after the other. The problem is the proximity to the neighbors house keeps the ground warmer than the weather would otherwise suggest. So I think everything will come in at once. Tulips, narcissus and something else. It seems it will only cost $20 to treat the peach tree. Misao said Lady Ga Ga gave $16 million to the Japanese relief effort (Misao read this and now has told me her source is questionable. Yes, I changed 60 to 16, a problem with pronunciation).

The gym still has some crowds. I thought it would have emptied out by now. People just hanging out talking, sitting or hanging on the equipment you want to use. Women hula hooping in the path to the machines you want to use. Just annoying sometimes. The women last longer than the men, but in another month it should be back down to the regulars... which are most predominantly men.

Actually haven't worked on the book since the Japanese quake. Threw off my entire focus. Will print and edit what I got and then finish the first draft.

Coming Soon

Yes, in less than two months the greatest state wide mountain bike race series the world has ever known will have begun their 2011 season; WORS. Following only a few days after their trade mark Iola opening, Metro Mountain Bikers will be screening the movie "Ride the Divide" at the Times Cinema. And a week after that Metro Mountain Bikers will begin their weekly Wednesday Night Race. And don't forget that Ray's will be open until May 1st. Odd Tuesday ride beginning May 17th.

The Trek Top Fuel is again the featured bike of WORS this year. A new sponsor of WORS this year is Element Mobile. Plans look fairly typical to others. But if all the big name providers have given you the shaft over the years (like Verizon), and you don't want to give them your business anymore...

I have decided that Fat Tuesday, yesterday, will be the fattest day of my life. Yes, that five more pounds than the year before caught me, as I couldn't get to the gym as much as I would have liked this Winter. One reason is the day jobs I was catching, and then when the day jobs dried up, my writing. I certainly cannot race at my current weight. Can I lose a pound a day?

And speaking of Late Night Snacks that adorable late night star Jimmy Fallon, who we watch on occasion, has his own ice cream flavor; Late Night Snack. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, we have not been able to find it in Milwaukee. Certainly unfortunately the gentleman in question doesn't seem to understand the value of a dollar. He knows what I'm talking about. Not that I would want to start any controversy, or as they say in the United Kingdom, controversy.

Of course nothing says biking season is almost upon us like the Bike Expo, coming April 7-10. Emery's (they're hiring) also holds a very competitive sale on the same dates at their stores. It seems Specialized is gaining ground overseas.

Yes, the Nook Color seems to be challenging the Kindle. And you can even buy it on Amazon. These readers are great if you can do your social networking, and store your music on them. Keeping that stuff segregated from your PC proper, where security might be a bigger issue. I should expand my sales options for my first book so more e-stores can carry it. 15,000 words in the last four weeks. I should be into the final chapter of my next book by the beginning of next week. As I get it into the editing process I will put excerpts up on my writers blog.