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Category: History of Me

Who Rides for Science?

Posted on by Don

If you have been following me on Strava or Facebook recently,you might see something like “Riding for science. -36” on a recent post. While not really science, it is to me, since I’m keeping track of how my cycling affects my blood sugar levels.

Yes. Blood sugar levels.

Why would I need to do that you might ask? I’m pretty fit, exercise regularly, appear to eat well and all that, right? That’s what I thought too.

My year started off badly and included making bad choices. Drinking too much, eating poorly, smoking and not exercising regularly. I was also experiencing more stress at work than usual. So, like I said, year started off badly. I am back on track, but that doesn’t change what has already happened. Add to this the fact that, not terribly long ago, I was not pretty fit, did not exercise regularly and weighed 100-ish pounds more than I do today.

Back in May I started feeling a tingling sensation in my feet and hands, along with numbing. I had a feeling I knew what was going wrong and took way to long to see the doctor about it. When I finally made it to the doctor, a check of my blood sugar without fasting pegged the device at close to 350. For reference, normal is between 90 – 100 (110 – 120 after eating). I was started immediately on 2 medications; 1 to help lower my blood sugar, the other, an anti-depressant, to help with my feet. Continue reading “Who Rides for Science?”

Wanna Ride Bikes?

Posted on by Don

tandem

Been riding bikes for most of my life, like many of you. I remember my first bike almost like it was yesterday; a screaming red Schwinn Stingray with banana seat and ape hanger bars. Or, at least I thought they were since I was 5. Learned to ride that thing like a boss too. Imagine how upset I was when I let it get stolen. It was soon replaced with a screaming yellow version of the same bike. And I rode that thing like a boss too. Forever. No kidding, like my car, I had that bike forever and rode it everywhere. It’s where I started with bikes. This might sound familiar if you’ve been a donburnside.com reader for more than a few years.

Fast forward to this last weekend. The Burnside Manor played host to the ‘rents as they needed to visit to deliver a few things. Namely some really kickass (potentially) wine. And, the beauty you see above.

I haven’t fully researched the bike yet, but I do know it is a Colson Tandem, built sometime in the 40’s. Most of it, from what I can tell, is original, like the seats and fenders, the frame and the wheels. Again, I only think. It’s got an internal front brake, coaster brakes and a 3 speed that mostly works. It was delivered with rotten tires and tubes, quickly replaced day of delivery so I could get out and ride it.

I remember when this bike first came into my life. It was at Newport Beach. Grand dad picked her up and made it part of the beach house bike stable. There were always very unique bikes in that collection. This one quickly became a favorite. Not because you could ride it with another person, which is cool to be sure. It’s that you can ride it by yourself.

From the rear seat.

Yea, this particular tandem bicycle allows for 2 person steering. Since both riders can steer, 1 can drive from the back without a front seat passenger. Took it for a ride around the hood last night and got some interesting looks, since I was riding from the back. Don’t worry, I’ll get video soon enough.

It’s a cruiser to be sure. This is not what you would consider a speedy bike. It rides so low that if you turn too sharp, the pedals will scrape the ground. But, high speed turns with big leans aren’t what this bike it about. It’s about the ride, baby. She is comfortable to ride and a joy to pedal. With as much weight as she carries, once you get moving the momentum just keeps it going, smooth and comfortable over the bumps.

This is my next project. Getting it cleaned up and tuned up. Like I mentioned, she is rideable now. After a few minor things, she’ll be ready for anything.

Don’t Get Old

Posted on by Don

shoes

About a year ago. There was this, then there was this, followed up by a few more visits to the doctor. To the doctor that told me, without mincing words, that I was going to have to lose weight and improve my overall condition or he was going to treat me like a diabetic. Yea, that was pretty shocking.

So I started exercising. And it was hard. And, if I’m honest, I wasn’t really exercising well. I mean, I would go, but I wasn’t trying very hard. I discovered walking and discovered that I really enjoyed starting my day with a brisk 3 mile walk. Then summer hit. Then the new job.

So, anyway.

This isn’t the first time I’ve let myself get out of shape. This is, however, the first time that it has happened since I was in my 30s. Remind me not to let that happen again. Everything is harder and the results take longer. When I was 30, I would skip french fries, think about going to the gym and have a light beer and lose 5 pounds. Now, 15 years later, that takes some serious control in what I eat and how much I exercise. Don’t even think about skipping more than 2 days either. No sir. It’s like starting over from the beginning again. I’m staying motivated because I’m finally starting to see results. I’m staying motivated because I’m finding motivation in odd (at least to me) places. I’m staying motivated because it has become a competition between men. Because it has become a competition with myself.

It also helps with my mood. Bad day at the office? 30 minutes crushing digital hills fixes that. High frustration? Nothing compared to trying to run for any length of time for the first time since high school. That was today and it’s been something I’ve been working up to. I did 6 minutes of running out my 30 on the treadmill and broke my treadmill speed record.

workout

It’s been hard. And it’s not getting easier. I’m making sure of that.

It’s How I Give Back

Posted on by Don

WordPress. Open source and free. I use it everyday. I make money from it almost weekly. It’s a giant part of what I do.

Since it is open source, anyone that uses it should feel compelled to somehow give something back to the WordPress community. Many people think that you need to spend time squashing bugs in the core code, or developing sweet plugins and themes. Sure, those all work, but I’m not really good at either of those things.

What am I good at? Training, implementing and thinking so far out of the box you can barely see the box. That’s what I do to give back and part of the reason why I volunteer at my local Wordcamp in the Rockstar Bar. That’s just a fancy term to say that if you have a question about WordPress or a problem with your WordPress or you are looking to have a discussion about WordPress, this is the place with nerds that are available to help you out. And this year I did.

  • I helped troubleshoot a widget problem.
  • I helped set up a contact form that worked
  • I showed someone how to properly configure their WordPress settings
  • I helped someone hash out a way to provide piano lessons online.

Overall, it was a pretty great day of WordPress and I’m glad I was able to take the time to participate. As an added bonus, because I showed up, I received a free-for-life account at WP Engine, a premium, WordPress-only, web host. Expect a full review of that in the coming weeks.

If you have to use WordPress, are curious about WordPress or looking for a place to meet other WordPress users to swap stories and tips, I highly recommend hitting up a Wordcamp near you.

Getting back into it

Posted on by Don

What better way to get back on to the horse I slid off of then to jump back on with both feet placed firmly in the stirrups? I’m actually going to hosting a session at Podcamp AZ later this month about podcasting.

I’ve been producing one of the highest rated automotive podcasts for more than 5 years with a listener base that almost always shows growth. I would like to share with you some tips on how you can help your podcast retain listeners and snag the new listeners as they come around. And a few words about WordPress, since you can never have enough talks about WordPress!

If you are in Arizona and want to hang out with a bunch of new media folks, cruise over to the University of Advancing Techonlogy on November 20-21. There are already quite a few great sessions on the books. The last podcamp I did was in Southern California and there was a ton of great information shared and I had a great time. You can too! Did I mention it was free? You can register here.

Details on the session to follow. I’m going to use as a bit of a sounding board, since I’ve never actually done this before. Should be fun!