I have found a delicious diet drink....and yes, I hate the word diet....but I am doing that Atkins thing. And after tons of water, I am looking for new drinks. Arizona Diet Green Tea is really good.
I haven't been the best on my diet this past week. But I am back on track now. I started back in August, and have lost about 25 pounds...but last week I had several get togethers and such and totally blew it.
After a trip to the grocery store, I am now $130 lighter, but I have a fridge full of various meats...enough to make a vegetarian swoon and pass out. I had my doubts about Atkins, but it does work. And suprisingly, my cholesterol hasn't gone sky high, even though I am eating a lot of protein and fats.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Sunday, September 28, 2003
Trailer Shopping
The Atlanta RV Show was huge...as usual. I went in and out of dozens, if not hundreds of trailers, 5th wheels, and motor homes. I am thinking about a small trailer...probably after I get my tax return in the spring. I want a small trailer (less than 24 feet long) with lots of storage, a queen size bed, and a fair sized bathroom. As a tall fellow, I have trouble in the showers with head room.
I found one that I really liked, the Solaris T-2199...now I just have to get up $15,000 or so. I still have got to do some more research on this brand, plus still look at other vendors before committing to anything. And I do still have 5 months or so to decide at the best of circumstances.
I found one that I really liked, the Solaris T-2199...now I just have to get up $15,000 or so. I still have got to do some more research on this brand, plus still look at other vendors before committing to anything. And I do still have 5 months or so to decide at the best of circumstances.
Friday, September 26, 2003
The Weekend Plan
As I ready myself for the last work day of the week today, I am mentally already off from work. My brain is officially off work today, although my body does have to go in today.
Tomorrow will be a busy day....I am heading to the Atlanta RV Show. I am thinking about buying a travel trailer next spring....maybe. I do love my tent camping, but sometimes, a hard roof overhead in the dry and air conditioned would be nice too.....especially if taking a long trip. I want to start taking some week long trips next year for vacation.
After returning in the early afternoon, I will be going to the river for the party mentioned in the previous post below.
On Sunday, I am hoping to set some posts for a fence. I love to dig holes....yeah, right!
Well, the clock on the wall says it time to hop in the shower and head to work. Hurray!
Tomorrow will be a busy day....I am heading to the Atlanta RV Show. I am thinking about buying a travel trailer next spring....maybe. I do love my tent camping, but sometimes, a hard roof overhead in the dry and air conditioned would be nice too.....especially if taking a long trip. I want to start taking some week long trips next year for vacation.
After returning in the early afternoon, I will be going to the river for the party mentioned in the previous post below.
On Sunday, I am hoping to set some posts for a fence. I love to dig holes....yeah, right!
Well, the clock on the wall says it time to hop in the shower and head to work. Hurray!
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Heading to the River
Ok...so this weekend won't actually be a paddling weekend, but friends are coming together to celebrate the new union of what I hope will be a long marriage, which will be held riverside. Riparian entertainment at it's best.
And speaking of marriage....no, not me for goodness sakes......but my brother John announced his impending wedding to his girlfriend Donna. They plan on marrying on October 17th...which is also my mom's birthday.
Today went much smoother than yesterday...thankfully. What will tomorrow bring? Wait and see.
And speaking of marriage....no, not me for goodness sakes......but my brother John announced his impending wedding to his girlfriend Donna. They plan on marrying on October 17th...which is also my mom's birthday.
Today went much smoother than yesterday...thankfully. What will tomorrow bring? Wait and see.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Too much work and learning for one day
Whew! What a long day. It started at 5:45, as usual, with a quick check of the newspaper....then a bite to eat and off to work at 7:15. The day actually started slow, with plenty of time to finish up a report for the boss on our electric bills over the past fiscal year and then projected into the next (budgeted amounts vs. actuals). At 9:00, it was off to staff meeting for the usual combination of gripes, complaints, smiles, and head nodding. 11:00 and I was back at my office for a meeting with one of the contractors, who was installing control software for one of the new schools. After a short how-to-work-it session, I was off to lunch for 30 minutes of glorious quietness....although they were out of tuna salad and I had to have the chicken salad instead.
Then it was back to the office to program the a/c systems for tonight's variety of PTA meetings, and then off to one of the new schools to begin programming the burglar alarm system. I had enough time to complete the programming, but when I powered up the system, something shorted out and the entire system crashed......that will be chore #1 tomorrow. So it was back to the office to wrap up the business day (or so I thought). I left at 4:00 and headed over to my Reading class (part of my teaching certificate recertification requirement). The only real good thing about the class was that the teacher didn't keep us until 8:00 as normal. We got out about 7:00. So it was just enough time to run home, feed the chickens, collect eggs....got 5 today.....and fix a bite to eat for supper.
Naturally, about this time, 7:45, the telephone rings and it was work calling. One of the schools says that I didn't program their outside lighting and they had a PTA meeting and it was dark. I was sure that I did program it, but I loaded up the truck and drove back into town and to the school....to find that by the time I arrived, the PTA meeting was over, only 3 cars in the parking lot, and.....wait for it......the lights were on. ARRRGH!!!
So I went in, chatted with the principal, who knew nothing about who called me in the first place, then headed back home around 9:00. I watched one show on tv, Ground Force America, and now here I am, checking email, putting this blog entry in, and shortly will be off to bed. And the best part of it is what?
Simple.....that I get to do it all again tomorrow! Hurray!
Then it was back to the office to program the a/c systems for tonight's variety of PTA meetings, and then off to one of the new schools to begin programming the burglar alarm system. I had enough time to complete the programming, but when I powered up the system, something shorted out and the entire system crashed......that will be chore #1 tomorrow. So it was back to the office to wrap up the business day (or so I thought). I left at 4:00 and headed over to my Reading class (part of my teaching certificate recertification requirement). The only real good thing about the class was that the teacher didn't keep us until 8:00 as normal. We got out about 7:00. So it was just enough time to run home, feed the chickens, collect eggs....got 5 today.....and fix a bite to eat for supper.
Naturally, about this time, 7:45, the telephone rings and it was work calling. One of the schools says that I didn't program their outside lighting and they had a PTA meeting and it was dark. I was sure that I did program it, but I loaded up the truck and drove back into town and to the school....to find that by the time I arrived, the PTA meeting was over, only 3 cars in the parking lot, and.....wait for it......the lights were on. ARRRGH!!!
So I went in, chatted with the principal, who knew nothing about who called me in the first place, then headed back home around 9:00. I watched one show on tv, Ground Force America, and now here I am, checking email, putting this blog entry in, and shortly will be off to bed. And the best part of it is what?
Simple.....that I get to do it all again tomorrow! Hurray!
Sunday, September 21, 2003
River Gauge Data
Real-Time Data for the Nation
The link above links to the national info center for streamflow in the USA. You can either click on the map to zoom in on a particular area or use the pull down menu on the far right top to select a geographic area...such as your state. You can usually then select a river gauge in your area for live data from it, plus the recent history.
I use this all of the time in planning river trips. It is a lifesaver when you know that certain rivers can only be paddled at certain river levels. I try to keep a log of the river levels on my trips for future reference...especially if the river was borderline too low or too high.
The link above links to the national info center for streamflow in the USA. You can either click on the map to zoom in on a particular area or use the pull down menu on the far right top to select a geographic area...such as your state. You can usually then select a river gauge in your area for live data from it, plus the recent history.
I use this all of the time in planning river trips. It is a lifesaver when you know that certain rivers can only be paddled at certain river levels. I try to keep a log of the river levels on my trips for future reference...especially if the river was borderline too low or too high.
Too hot for chili
I am not sure how or why, but we decided (and by "we", I really am not including myself in the decision making process) to have a chili lunch tomorrow at work. So several us volunteered to bring a crock pot full of chili each to share among those at work. Sounds like a good idea......Chili is a wonderful fall or winter dish. But it is still summertime here in Georgia, and it is too hot to be cooking chili....but that is what I have been doing all day. I now have a crock-pot slap full of chili and another 2 or 3 bowls in another container. I will probably take the crock-pot to work, but keep the other for myself.
Onion, garlic, jalapenos, beef, pork, cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, red wine, and a slow simmer for 3 hours and you have a wonderful chili...but it really was warm doing so. I debated turning on the air conditioning, but cash is tight and it has been cooling off nicely at night. So I will be a bit warm now.
On the good side of things, the cable guy came by today (on a Sunday!) and fixed my cable-tv. I was only getting about 1/2 of the channels that I was supposed to be getting. Turned out that my decoder box was out of whack, so he put in a new one.
Onion, garlic, jalapenos, beef, pork, cumin, oregano, chili powder, paprika, red wine, and a slow simmer for 3 hours and you have a wonderful chili...but it really was warm doing so. I debated turning on the air conditioning, but cash is tight and it has been cooling off nicely at night. So I will be a bit warm now.
On the good side of things, the cable guy came by today (on a Sunday!) and fixed my cable-tv. I was only getting about 1/2 of the channels that I was supposed to be getting. Turned out that my decoder box was out of whack, so he put in a new one.
Trail Journals
Trail Journals, Backpacking and Hiking Journals is a great site....sort of a blogging thing, but it is done by people who are hiking the really long trails, such as the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. Most of the hikers keep a journal as they go, and when they hit a town on the trail, they use the public library to upload their journals to this website.
Most of the AT hikers are getting toward the end of their thru-hike....all 2,160 miles of it. Winter will be setting in soon for those who are northbound on it, and so they are beginning to either speed up their pace or start carrying more weight in an effort to stay warm at night in the mountains.
Some of the hikers only record the facts of the day, while others have a lot of humor and personal insight. Some also upload digital photographs, which is nice....although many hikers start with cameras, a lot of them do send them back home to save on weight....so more photos from the beginnings of their hikes than toward the end.
You can scroll down the list of hikers on this page and see the number of entries and photos for each hiker....some of my favorites are Blip, Awol, Bumpkin, Footslogger, and Jan LiteShoe....of course, to each his own. I am partial to the AT hikers, because I am more familiar with it. In fact, I really would like to do a long hike on it someday. I should be able to retire at age 52, so maybe then....unless I happen to win the lottery earlier.
I suppose in the meantime, I will just have to be content with the short hiking trips that the Georgia Wilderness Society provides. We do several short backpacking trips each year, along with some dayhikes and a lot of canoeing and kayaking trips throughout the southeastern USA. As my blog progresses, you will hear a lot more about some of the characters from GWS trips I am sure. The GWS website also has tons of photos from our trips.
Most of the AT hikers are getting toward the end of their thru-hike....all 2,160 miles of it. Winter will be setting in soon for those who are northbound on it, and so they are beginning to either speed up their pace or start carrying more weight in an effort to stay warm at night in the mountains.
Some of the hikers only record the facts of the day, while others have a lot of humor and personal insight. Some also upload digital photographs, which is nice....although many hikers start with cameras, a lot of them do send them back home to save on weight....so more photos from the beginnings of their hikes than toward the end.
You can scroll down the list of hikers on this page and see the number of entries and photos for each hiker....some of my favorites are Blip, Awol, Bumpkin, Footslogger, and Jan LiteShoe....of course, to each his own. I am partial to the AT hikers, because I am more familiar with it. In fact, I really would like to do a long hike on it someday. I should be able to retire at age 52, so maybe then....unless I happen to win the lottery earlier.
I suppose in the meantime, I will just have to be content with the short hiking trips that the Georgia Wilderness Society provides. We do several short backpacking trips each year, along with some dayhikes and a lot of canoeing and kayaking trips throughout the southeastern USA. As my blog progresses, you will hear a lot more about some of the characters from GWS trips I am sure. The GWS website also has tons of photos from our trips.
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Prodding by a friend
While on Sapelo Island recently, I was reminded of my old online journal. So I thought I would give credit to Rita for my venturing back into the world of blogging.
FLUTE
by
T. Newfields
Hollowness resonating
through bamboo pipes.
Lips touching wood
in temples with glittering lights.
Breath to grain - melodies to refrains
as a dozen holes make one whole
while music elevates hearts
to heights.
Celebrate music and
make your heart a flute
whose notes play skilfully
while your breathe stays loose.
FLUTE
by
T. Newfields
Hollowness resonating
through bamboo pipes.
Lips touching wood
in temples with glittering lights.
Breath to grain - melodies to refrains
as a dozen holes make one whole
while music elevates hearts
to heights.
Celebrate music and
make your heart a flute
whose notes play skilfully
while your breathe stays loose.
Ok....here we go again.
Readers of my weblog from way back may recall that a few folks got a bit upset after reading some of my comments, which were not meant to be upsetting...but were just thoughts put to paper (digital paper). There was the whining incident in Costa Rica and of course my dear friend Zena, Warrior Princess......but those are things from the past.
So here is the beginning of a new weblog. This one will be less of a daily journal...and more of a collection or random thoughts, my insights and opinions, interesting web-related stuff, along with some of the news from my personal life.
Or at least that is the plan for now, which of course could change at any moment.
Have fun and enjoy!
So here is the beginning of a new weblog. This one will be less of a daily journal...and more of a collection or random thoughts, my insights and opinions, interesting web-related stuff, along with some of the news from my personal life.
Or at least that is the plan for now, which of course could change at any moment.
Have fun and enjoy!
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