I finally figured out how to use the Lifecycle today. Is there a reason they can't have the instructions be a little more specific?

After doing the 5/5 thing on the treadmill for 35 minutes, I did 10 on the bike. I would have done more, except my butt keeps slipping off the seat. I tried lowering it, but I still have the same problem. Not sure how to avoid that from happening.

If I continue to have the same problem, I'll just have to do the treadmill longer. It seems to be getting a bit easier with the jog, so maybe extending it 10 minutes or so is in order.

Also, while jogging it seems like I'm not going all that fast. I'm doing what I physically can, I don't want to overdo it, but looking at myself in the mirror it still seems like a fat guy shuffling around. Not really, but that's my internal perception.

At least I was able to watch an entire DS9 episode today. :)

The 2006 Explore Yuba Sutter Visitor's Guide has finally been published. Last year's was published in November 2004. I sent my final images to them in August of last year, but they didn't publish until a few weeks ago.

At any rate, here's how it turned out. Last year, I had one picture published; this year, three. I had hoped I would be on the cover, but they chose someone else's motocross picture over mine. No big deal, this is great exposure.

So here's the cover. It's not my image.


Here's the first page with my image, page 28. Ducks alongside Ellis Lake in Marysville.


Page 29. I drove to Spenceville specifically to shoot people outdoors for the Visitor's Guide, when I ran into two people riding horses. They were gracious enough to let me photograph them, and I told them if they got into the guide, I would send them a copy. They were, and I will.


Finally, page 34. From the 2005 Bok Kai parade.


I'm pretty satisfied with the way it turned out, but I probably would have picked different images. But I'm not the editor!

If you'd like to view the pictures in their context with full-size pages, you can. I scanned all 4 pages to PDF format, which can be downloaded here.

Two days in a row jogging; boy, who would have thought in high school that the thing I hated the most would be something I'm actively trying to do at 36.

I think that's what part of the problem was. Growing up as a geek, not fitting in, people making fun of me for my lack of athletic ability. It caused me to therefore dislike activity, to the point of not doing it. You know the rest.

I suppose being 80 pounds too heavy is better than going Columbine. That may sound like an excuse, but really it's not. I had a difficult time growing up, as did we all, and in my case, it was all related to not being good at athletic activities. Little League? They forced me to quit because I wasn't as good, and then made fun of me for quitting. Jr. High Basketball? The same thing.

I was even interested in track when I was in high school, but was scared to death to even try. So what did I do?

I dug into computers. Computers, where you sit in front of a keyboard for hours a day, days on end, week after week. Computers, where you can make $ and gain weight at the same time.

No more. I'm tired of it. Today I did 35 minutes on the treadmill, alternating 5 minutes walking at 3.5mph, 5 minutes jogging at 5mph. It's still not great, but it's better than I was a year ago. I'll get better. Watch me.

It took most of the weekend, but my doomsday prediction came true: I was up 2 pounds this morning, 190. Scale be damned: I jogged on the treadmill today!

Yes, you heard me right, jogged. Not the entire time, but still a jog/walk. I was using the treadmill's programmed setting for "jogging 3 miles", but when walking it was 2mph. After the pace I've been walking every day, 2mph is a snail's pace. 2mph is the pace I walked when my daughter was learning how to walk...

The programmed jog settings were a fast walk! So I upped that as well. When the treadmill switched to 2mph, I'd set it to 3.5. When in jogging mode, the treadmill switched to 4mph, but I changed it to 5.

So at 3.5mph walking pace and 5mph jogging pace, I actually went for 35 minutes. That amounted to 284 calories burned, which smokes the 192 or so I was burning with walking alone.

Eventually I want to work my way up to jogging the entire time, and for an hour. We'll see how long it takes to work up to, because this is fine.

And thank goodness for the Sci-Fi Channel. I was able to watch classic Battlestar Galactica while working out. Geek paradise!