Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
america has voted....
Today marks the half way point in the pregnancy process where Desiree is 20 weeks along. Wednesday is our week count day.
Last Friday evening, we had a gender reveal party at the house. This appearently is the new thing right now. We got the results of the sex of our baby the day after we returned from vacation and had the Dr's office seal the results in an envelope. We then dropped off the envelope with special instructions to Publix for them to make us a cake. The plan was that when we cut the cake in front of family and friends, the color (pink or blue) would reveal the baby's gender.
Desiree was quite dissapointed when we received a call from Publix informing us that they would not be able to die the cake as they do not make their own cakes in house. They only decorate them.
BLUE! It's a BOY!
We received back our ultrasound that we provided to the baker and there is no confusing the question of the gender. It CLEARLY showed a boy!
Now it's time to come up with some names.
Give us some suggestions.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
who loves pastries?
well there's a muffin in the oven!
We are 13 weeks yesterday and Desiree is beautiful and doing great!
The timer is expected to go off on January 22, 2014!
We are 13 weeks yesterday and Desiree is beautiful and doing great!
The timer is expected to go off on January 22, 2014!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Explaining the Tour de France
I have been MIA in my post...more so lazy then actually busy, but I do have a couple of races to recap.
However, this the start of the 3rd week of the tour, I need to help those that don't quite grasp the magnitude of the Epic bicycle race.
This animation should help.
Enjoy!
However, this the start of the 3rd week of the tour, I need to help those that don't quite grasp the magnitude of the Epic bicycle race.
This animation should help.
Enjoy!
Friday, June 14, 2013
new member to the family....kitty
about a month and a half ago, a stray cat started coming around our house. The first couple times we tried to get her to come closer to us, however she was too timid. I jokingly said to Desiree, "If she plays, she stays." This was only a forecast as she did end up coming clsoer and closer to us. Desiree ended up feeding her initial as we found out that she may have been a neighbor's cat. We knew that she was at one point an indoor cat as she was declawed. we let her sleep in the garage with garage door slightly cracked for her to be able to go outside as she pleased.
After contacting neighbors on facebook, we found out that it actually was not a neighbor and that somebody probably abandonded her. After feeding her for a few days, this cat would leave, even if you tried. She knew where the food was, and I was started to get attached. Desiree as well. I ended up taking her to the vet and got some flea medication and took her inside the house for the first night of her new life. I showered and washed her which was not a pleasent experience for her. We were concerned about her first night indoors as there is always uncertainty if a cat will take to a litter box. Fortunately for us, she took to it immediately. That's a relief.
Its now nearly 2 months and we love kitty. She is beautiful, loving, and healthy and takes well to strangers with the few family gatherings we have had at the house. we're blessed with having such a great addition- especially since I've always been a dog guy
Monday, April 29, 2013
going green...er
Desiree has been wanting a vegetable garden for some time now and a few weeks ago, we finally built ours and it's working out perfectly.
The schematics are pretty common as most wood that you would purchase would be 8ft long. We chose cedar because of its rot tolerance and also it is untreated to reduce transfer of the chemicals of treated wood.
Preping the area, we tilled the sod, lined with newspaper and then mesh lining on top. In the encosed area, we used a mixture of organic potting soil, manuer, compost, and peatmoss. Outside the enclosure, we mulched the box and the end result looks great.
What are we growing:
herbs:
rosemary
oregano
basil
cilatro
fruits & vegetables:
bell peppers
ocra
tomatos
strawberrys
materials:
4x 2"x6"x8ft
1x 4"x4"x8ft
lots of wood deck nails
mesh lining
newspaper
The final demensions of the box is 4ft x 8ft x 12" high with the 4"x4" cut to 2ft long for inner stakes.
The schematics are pretty common as most wood that you would purchase would be 8ft long. We chose cedar because of its rot tolerance and also it is untreated to reduce transfer of the chemicals of treated wood.
Preping the area, we tilled the sod, lined with newspaper and then mesh lining on top. In the encosed area, we used a mixture of organic potting soil, manuer, compost, and peatmoss. Outside the enclosure, we mulched the box and the end result looks great.
What are we growing:
herbs:
rosemary
oregano
basil
cilatro
fruits & vegetables:
bell peppers
ocra
tomatos
strawberrys
materials:
4x 2"x6"x8ft
1x 4"x4"x8ft
lots of wood deck nails
mesh lining
newspaper
The final demensions of the box is 4ft x 8ft x 12" high with the 4"x4" cut to 2ft long for inner stakes.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Race Report: HITS series Sprint Triathlon
Vitals
Sprint Triathlon Sunday March 24, 2013 7:00AM
Location: Carney Island Park, Ocala, FL Lake Wier
Swim: 750 meter 17:06
T1: 2:32
Bike: 12.43 miles; 33:54; 23mph
T2: 0:55
Run: 5km; 21:36
Total time: 1:16:03
Rank: 5th overall; 1st in Age group
The rundown:
Race day started early as I needed to be on site early enough to pick up my race packet and not feel rushed. I woke up at 03:40 and we left the house by 04:30 and arrived at Carney Island Park just before 06:00. I picked up my race packet and with Desiree's help, got prepared with tatoo race numbers and transition zone set up. We headed down to the beach and It was still pitchdark. We could barely even see the start line of the saloon much less the police turn around so you're 50 m out.
The swim:
I was sitting towards the front at the beginning of the swim as we headed out towards the first buoy, I was sitting about top 15. As we rounded the first buoy, the pack started to come together and I had a very difficult time seeing where the second buoy was. The sky was still dark and I was looking to follow the lead boat light, but started to fatigue in the arms and ended up making it out of the water 39th.
T1:
The run out of the water to the transition area was pretty long and when I got to my area, I quickly pulled off my wetsuit. I pulled my bike off the rack but forgot to put my helmet on first and my helmet rolled onto the ground. I tilted my bike up against me to pick up a helmet, but the bike slid onto the ground as I was struggled to get my helmet on. I finally picked my bike up and got out of transition as quickly as possible. Just before jumping on month to my bike, I saw that my chain had dropped off the chainring. Fortunately, this was not overwhelming for me, so I quickly shifted into the big ring and spun the crank around to get the chain back onto the crank.
The bike:
I quickly got settled into my rhythm on the bike and was pushing a nice tempo. I made up a lot of ground and passed a bunch of people. I ended passing two females which started three minutes behind me on the swim. So I realized that I lost a good amount to ground on the swim. however looking to make it back on the bike. I was never passed on the bike and came into the dismount area feeling pretty good.
T2:
I quickly hustled running into my transition area with my bike mounted on the rack, took my helmet off, got my shoes on, and off I went. Desiree said I beat a few people out a transition which made up a few more places.
The run:
Once I got onto the run course, I was a little concerned that my legs would feel like bricks as I did Earlier in the week running off the bike in training. I kept calm and consistently my legs turning over realizing I was running low 7:00s and feeling pretty good. Around the turnaround point, I started counting how many guys were in front of me- about seven. I run into the final straight seeing the finish line and could hear Desiree's voice cheering me on. She said that I got fifth or sixth and that I was did great. I felt great after crossing the finish line and felt that I could have push myself harder both on the bike in the run.
Final thoughts:
I was surprised at how well I did. I realize that my training was going well as I made an effort to run every time off the bike even if it was for only about a mile. I still need more time in the water, especially in open water getting comfortable and fluid.
All in all, it was a great way to start the season with my first triathlon a good result.
Thanks for the support.
Pictures: http://imageshack.us/g/1/10081689/
Sprint Triathlon Sunday March 24, 2013 7:00AM
Location: Carney Island Park, Ocala, FL Lake Wier
Swim: 750 meter 17:06
T1: 2:32
Bike: 12.43 miles; 33:54; 23mph
T2: 0:55
Run: 5km; 21:36
Total time: 1:16:03
Rank: 5th overall; 1st in Age group
Race day started early as I needed to be on site early enough to pick up my race packet and not feel rushed. I woke up at 03:40 and we left the house by 04:30 and arrived at Carney Island Park just before 06:00. I picked up my race packet and with Desiree's help, got prepared with tatoo race numbers and transition zone set up. We headed down to the beach and It was still pitchdark. We could barely even see the start line of the saloon much less the police turn around so you're 50 m out.
The swim:
I was sitting towards the front at the beginning of the swim as we headed out towards the first buoy, I was sitting about top 15. As we rounded the first buoy, the pack started to come together and I had a very difficult time seeing where the second buoy was. The sky was still dark and I was looking to follow the lead boat light, but started to fatigue in the arms and ended up making it out of the water 39th.
T1:
The run out of the water to the transition area was pretty long and when I got to my area, I quickly pulled off my wetsuit. I pulled my bike off the rack but forgot to put my helmet on first and my helmet rolled onto the ground. I tilted my bike up against me to pick up a helmet, but the bike slid onto the ground as I was struggled to get my helmet on. I finally picked my bike up and got out of transition as quickly as possible. Just before jumping on month to my bike, I saw that my chain had dropped off the chainring. Fortunately, this was not overwhelming for me, so I quickly shifted into the big ring and spun the crank around to get the chain back onto the crank.
I quickly got settled into my rhythm on the bike and was pushing a nice tempo. I made up a lot of ground and passed a bunch of people. I ended passing two females which started three minutes behind me on the swim. So I realized that I lost a good amount to ground on the swim. however looking to make it back on the bike. I was never passed on the bike and came into the dismount area feeling pretty good.
T2:
I quickly hustled running into my transition area with my bike mounted on the rack, took my helmet off, got my shoes on, and off I went. Desiree said I beat a few people out a transition which made up a few more places.
The run:
Once I got onto the run course, I was a little concerned that my legs would feel like bricks as I did Earlier in the week running off the bike in training. I kept calm and consistently my legs turning over realizing I was running low 7:00s and feeling pretty good. Around the turnaround point, I started counting how many guys were in front of me- about seven. I run into the final straight seeing the finish line and could hear Desiree's voice cheering me on. She said that I got fifth or sixth and that I was did great. I felt great after crossing the finish line and felt that I could have push myself harder both on the bike in the run.
I was surprised at how well I did. I realize that my training was going well as I made an effort to run every time off the bike even if it was for only about a mile. I still need more time in the water, especially in open water getting comfortable and fluid.
All in all, it was a great way to start the season with my first triathlon a good result.
Thanks for the support.
Pictures: http://imageshack.us/g/1/10081689/
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Race Report: Dade City Road Race
Vitals:
Location: Dade City, FL
Distance: 17 mile circuit x 3 laps
Time: ~48 mins
Distance completed: 1 lap, 17 miles
Avg HR: 167 bpm
Avg speed: 22.1 mph
Avg power: 165 wts
The rundown:
Our race was set to start just after 14:00, a few minutes after the pro 1/2. Unfortunately in regular fashion, we stated late. 14:40 and we finally line up to start our race. This race being a B/C race, I was just looking to stay out of trouble and get some racing mentality back. I was feeling good through the 1st half of the race staind towards the middle front and holding my place pretty well.
About mile 11, there was a crash from another race where somebody's rear wheel came off he was lying in the middle of the road with traffic stopped in both directions. Our race was temporary haulted as we wheezled through traffic. The race was back on and I was maintaining position in the front 10-15. About mile 14, somebody crashed in a couple guys in front of me and I slammed on my brakes just enough to not hit the guy immediately in front of me. I lost my momentum and fought to regoup and and gained back some kind of position before our race was haulted again just a few minutes after our little incident.
Appearently, there was another crash up the road and the organizers stopped the pro 1/2s and they didn't want us to catch up with them. Almost 10 minutes later, we were set to roll again and finally completed our 1st lap. I started the 2nd lap only ot full out into the feed zone and get ready to head back as we had dinner plans.
If it wasn't for the fact that we started late and dinner plans, I would have stayed to complete the race. I was feeling good and felt that my limited training for this race put me in a competitive position possibly scoring a top 10 finish.
More races to come.
Location: Dade City, FL
Distance: 17 mile circuit x 3 laps
Time: ~48 mins
Distance completed: 1 lap, 17 miles
Avg HR: 167 bpm
Avg speed: 22.1 mph
Avg power: 165 wts
The rundown:
Our race was set to start just after 14:00, a few minutes after the pro 1/2. Unfortunately in regular fashion, we stated late. 14:40 and we finally line up to start our race. This race being a B/C race, I was just looking to stay out of trouble and get some racing mentality back. I was feeling good through the 1st half of the race staind towards the middle front and holding my place pretty well.
About mile 11, there was a crash from another race where somebody's rear wheel came off he was lying in the middle of the road with traffic stopped in both directions. Our race was temporary haulted as we wheezled through traffic. The race was back on and I was maintaining position in the front 10-15. About mile 14, somebody crashed in a couple guys in front of me and I slammed on my brakes just enough to not hit the guy immediately in front of me. I lost my momentum and fought to regoup and and gained back some kind of position before our race was haulted again just a few minutes after our little incident.
Appearently, there was another crash up the road and the organizers stopped the pro 1/2s and they didn't want us to catch up with them. Almost 10 minutes later, we were set to roll again and finally completed our 1st lap. I started the 2nd lap only ot full out into the feed zone and get ready to head back as we had dinner plans.
If it wasn't for the fact that we started late and dinner plans, I would have stayed to complete the race. I was feeling good and felt that my limited training for this race put me in a competitive position possibly scoring a top 10 finish.
More races to come.
Monday, February 11, 2013
x marks the spot
x or cross, or more specifically cyclocross.
I just finished build a new bike that I'm pretty excited about. I decided to go with quite a different platform as the skeleton of the bike- a Ritchey Breakaway Cyclocross bike. The cool thing about the bike is that it is versatile on most terrains being a road bike that can accommodate mountain bike type tires. More unique to the Ritchey is that the frame is able to disassemble and comes with its own travel case. The seat tube holds top part of the triangle together, and a coupler holds the bottom. The cables have a coupler that screws together and apart when you disassemble the frame. Quite an ingenius concept. If I were to travel via airplane, ths case is only the size of check-in luggage. The rest of the faculties of my build are outfitted with Shimano Dura-Ace, FSA, and Zipp.
Vitals:
frameset: Ritchey Breakaway Cyclocross Size 50
shifters, front and rear derailleurs: Dura-Ace
crankset: FSA SL-K lite compact
brakes: Avid Shorty 4
cockpit: Zipp Service Course SL stem and handle bars
pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 2
The bike is quite beautiful and I'm excited to play around with it and take up cyclecross racing next winter.
More Pictures: https://imageshack.com/a/IgeQ/1
Vitals:
frameset: Ritchey Breakaway Cyclocross Size 50
shifters, front and rear derailleurs: Dura-Ace
crankset: FSA SL-K lite compact
brakes: Avid Shorty 4
cockpit: Zipp Service Course SL stem and handle bars
pedals: Crank Brothers Candy 2
More Pictures: https://imageshack.com/a/IgeQ/1
Monday, January 21, 2013
exercising the mind..?
This year I embark on a journey. As my physical training and exercise becomes routine for the upcoming season, I will also be taking online classes. I will not gain any credits or any academic value. These are for my own personal and mental growth and knowledge. On top of it all, the classes are free.
www.coursera.org
The site consists of classes in any type of interest you can imagine- from music to science, business to medicine. If there is something you want to learn, then there should be something that satisfies your interest.
One of the coolest things about the site aside from it being free are the participating schools. You have some of your top IV league institutions or institutions that are leaders in their fields. John Hopkins, Emory, U Penn, Duke, Brown, Stanford, GA Tech, U of London... to just name a few.
I am currently enrolled in a 7 week class- Personal Finance and am scheduled to start another class towards the end of February- Human Physiology 13 weeks.
My goal is to be enrolled in at least 1 class throughout the whole year.
Thanks Josh for introducing me to this awesome opportunity.
www.coursera.org
The site consists of classes in any type of interest you can imagine- from music to science, business to medicine. If there is something you want to learn, then there should be something that satisfies your interest.
One of the coolest things about the site aside from it being free are the participating schools. You have some of your top IV league institutions or institutions that are leaders in their fields. John Hopkins, Emory, U Penn, Duke, Brown, Stanford, GA Tech, U of London... to just name a few.
I am currently enrolled in a 7 week class- Personal Finance and am scheduled to start another class towards the end of February- Human Physiology 13 weeks.
My goal is to be enrolled in at least 1 class throughout the whole year.
Thanks Josh for introducing me to this awesome opportunity.
Monday, January 7, 2013
custom fiberglass subwoofer enclosure
Just after Christmas, I install a bazooka basstube following the exact instructions from:
Easy bass addition = Bazooka tube | PriusChat
My problem with the basstube is that it doesn't fully capture the the low end well on rock songs and struggled with radio quality. With hip hop, the basstube is quite impressive. The install was very easy as described in the above link.
Therefore, I decided to use the right cubby hole and build a fiberglass enclosure. I was still able to use the wiring harness that I purchased for the bazooka install so I didn't have to re-run any wiring from the dash. It gave me a remote signal and a set of speaker line level for a line-out-converter to use RCAs.
I was able to find trunk liner for a local car audio shop that matches the carpet perfectly.
My subwoofer is an Alpine SWE-10s4 and the amp is a Kenwood KAC-8105d. This is more than enough power for my listening pleasure and catpures the full range of the spectrum with all music genres.
So after about 12 hours, 1 gallon of resin, 1.5 sheets of fiberglass, and some fleece interfacing, I am extremely pleased. I have full access to my trunk and under cargo storage bin.
Special thanks to Chuckie- my brother in law fo helping me with this project.
Pictures: ImageShack Album - 16 images
Easy bass addition = Bazooka tube | PriusChat
My problem with the basstube is that it doesn't fully capture the the low end well on rock songs and struggled with radio quality. With hip hop, the basstube is quite impressive. The install was very easy as described in the above link.
Therefore, I decided to use the right cubby hole and build a fiberglass enclosure. I was still able to use the wiring harness that I purchased for the bazooka install so I didn't have to re-run any wiring from the dash. It gave me a remote signal and a set of speaker line level for a line-out-converter to use RCAs.I was able to find trunk liner for a local car audio shop that matches the carpet perfectly.
My subwoofer is an Alpine SWE-10s4 and the amp is a Kenwood KAC-8105d. This is more than enough power for my listening pleasure and catpures the full range of the spectrum with all music genres.
So after about 12 hours, 1 gallon of resin, 1.5 sheets of fiberglass, and some fleece interfacing, I am extremely pleased. I have full access to my trunk and under cargo storage bin.
Special thanks to Chuckie- my brother in law fo helping me with this project.
Pictures: ImageShack Album - 16 images
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