OK, it's high time I started the fitness thing. I'm so out of shape it's embarrassing. I've talked about it and considered it and kicked it around and blah blah blah. Time to stop making excuses, get off my ass, and do something. So, starting tomorrow, I'm going to dust off P90X and start working out, start drinking tons of water, and focus getting lots of protein, iron, and healthy fats in my diet. At least, I say that now. To help motivate me, I'm going to post my rather sad numbers.
My chest is a mighty 35.5" around. Waist is 31.5". My arms are 11". Hips are 37.75", and thighs are 21.5". I currently weigh 153.4 lbs with a BF of 16.1%. That last part of weight and BF my sound healthy, but don't let it fool you. I don't feel healthy, and I'm scrawny. End of story. My goal is to take these measurements monthly, with the hopes of seeing increases in weight, arms, and chest, and decreases in waist, hips and thighs. If you think I sound like a girl, piss off. I just want to be healthy.
Friday, February 10, 2012
New Wheels!
I'm getting some new wheels for my bike! That puts me one step closer to getting it ready, and it's a big step at that. A good set of wheels will cost as much as the frame or a suspension fork, but may be even more important. You by a junk frame, chances are it's heavy or the rear suspension design is crap, but not dangerous. You by a sucky fork, it'll probably not work well or break down quickly, but then it just becomes an overly heavy rigid fork. But, if the hubs of your wheels go out, you're gonna have a really bad day. Not to mention, heavy wheels are worse than other heavy parts because you have to constantly work to keep those wheels spinning.
So, here's what I'm getting. I'm getting Stans Flow rims with a Hope Pro 2 front hub and Chris King rear hub. The Stans Flow rims are wide and solid, so they can accomodate wide tires (great for grip and cushion). They also have a reputation for being bullet proof, so it'll be very hard for me to screw them up. The Hope Pro 2 front hub is a reliable, sturdy hub, but isn't anything special. Not that you need that for a front hub. If it spins and doesn't get ridicously dirty, it's good. The CK rear is a thing of beauty, though. First of all, most rear hubs use a normal ratchet system, in that there's a gear in the center with teeth pointed in one direction, and pawls on the outside pointed in the opposite direction to catch the gear. In most hubs, the number of teeth and gears result in 12 -24 points of engagement. That means there are 12-24 possible ways for at least one pawl to grip the gear when pedaling. The more engagement points, the better because you have to move the pedals less to actually make the bike move. That's a benefit in so many ways. However, the CK rear hub uses a slightly different system, known a ringdrive system, which uses a pair of stainless steel rings. These rings have 72 engagement points, so the nanosecond you pedal, the wheel moves. In addition, these rings are sturdy SOBs. Most pawl systems can slip and be damaged if you are pedaling exceptionally hard. A good athlete can put enough torque into them to cause the pawls to slip, bend or brake, or cause the gear to do the same. The rings, on the other hand, lock together tightly, and can handle up to 800 ft/lbs. of torque. Suffice to say, these are where it's at.
And for this, I have to thank Jon. He's the guy that's sold me the frame, the fork, and in a few months, the wheels, and all at great prices. Trust me, I researched this stuff until my head was spinning to make sure I was getting a good deal. It benefits me because I don't have to pay the stupid prices for new stuff, I don't have to pay the Paypal fees or shipping for buying in Fleabay, and I've found a good biking buddy who doesn't have a problem helping me wrench if I need it. He also has badass stuff. It benefits him because he gets cash from someone he knows, doesn't have to package and ship, and doesn't have to worry about Paypal fees either. Win/win.
So, here's what I'm getting. I'm getting Stans Flow rims with a Hope Pro 2 front hub and Chris King rear hub. The Stans Flow rims are wide and solid, so they can accomodate wide tires (great for grip and cushion). They also have a reputation for being bullet proof, so it'll be very hard for me to screw them up. The Hope Pro 2 front hub is a reliable, sturdy hub, but isn't anything special. Not that you need that for a front hub. If it spins and doesn't get ridicously dirty, it's good. The CK rear is a thing of beauty, though. First of all, most rear hubs use a normal ratchet system, in that there's a gear in the center with teeth pointed in one direction, and pawls on the outside pointed in the opposite direction to catch the gear. In most hubs, the number of teeth and gears result in 12 -24 points of engagement. That means there are 12-24 possible ways for at least one pawl to grip the gear when pedaling. The more engagement points, the better because you have to move the pedals less to actually make the bike move. That's a benefit in so many ways. However, the CK rear hub uses a slightly different system, known a ringdrive system, which uses a pair of stainless steel rings. These rings have 72 engagement points, so the nanosecond you pedal, the wheel moves. In addition, these rings are sturdy SOBs. Most pawl systems can slip and be damaged if you are pedaling exceptionally hard. A good athlete can put enough torque into them to cause the pawls to slip, bend or brake, or cause the gear to do the same. The rings, on the other hand, lock together tightly, and can handle up to 800 ft/lbs. of torque. Suffice to say, these are where it's at.
And for this, I have to thank Jon. He's the guy that's sold me the frame, the fork, and in a few months, the wheels, and all at great prices. Trust me, I researched this stuff until my head was spinning to make sure I was getting a good deal. It benefits me because I don't have to pay the stupid prices for new stuff, I don't have to pay the Paypal fees or shipping for buying in Fleabay, and I've found a good biking buddy who doesn't have a problem helping me wrench if I need it. He also has badass stuff. It benefits him because he gets cash from someone he knows, doesn't have to package and ship, and doesn't have to worry about Paypal fees either. Win/win.
Parenting Tips from a 2 Year Old
Tonight, I was parented by a two year old! I wish I had a video or something of it because it was quite possibly the funniest damn thing I have ever seen! In place of the video, I'll try to tell the story.
So, Aidan, Melissa, and I were playing with Aidan's soccer ball and big blue ball in the main living room. It's almost completely bare, so things don't get broken when you get a little wild there. Or, so I thought. I went to hit the big blue by like a volley ball, and with my mad volleyball skills, I knocked it right into the fan hanging above me. I hit the fan, knock around the cords hanging from it, make the light rattle. It was a near disaster, but nothing broken, unless you asked Aidan. He just stared at it in shock for a second, then focused on me with a death glare and started saying "It's broken! It's broken! Be careful!" And just says that over and over again. This goes on for a little bit, and it's all I can do to keep from busting up laughing in his face. Melissa was rolling on the floor. He then takes me by the arm, drags me to the staircase, and pushes me upstairs, basically sending me to timeout. After a couple of minutes, he comes in and gives me the "talk". Tells me it's broken and to be careful, then asks me to say I'm sorry. When I do, he gives me a hug and leads me back downstairs. But, as soon as we get down there, he looks at the light, then turns back to me and gets all serious again, talking about it being broken. At this point, he takes my face with one hand, and with the other he points at the light and says "See that? See that? It's broken!" Of course, I'm on the verge of just losing it, and Melissa is laughing so hard she's in tears and can't breathe. We eventually show him it's not broken by flipping the light off and on a couple of times. After that, he was good.
So tonight, I screwed up and got called out by my two year old son. It was priceless. The best part about it... right after scolding me, he throws his ball and nearly hits the light.
So, Aidan, Melissa, and I were playing with Aidan's soccer ball and big blue ball in the main living room. It's almost completely bare, so things don't get broken when you get a little wild there. Or, so I thought. I went to hit the big blue by like a volley ball, and with my mad volleyball skills, I knocked it right into the fan hanging above me. I hit the fan, knock around the cords hanging from it, make the light rattle. It was a near disaster, but nothing broken, unless you asked Aidan. He just stared at it in shock for a second, then focused on me with a death glare and started saying "It's broken! It's broken! Be careful!" And just says that over and over again. This goes on for a little bit, and it's all I can do to keep from busting up laughing in his face. Melissa was rolling on the floor. He then takes me by the arm, drags me to the staircase, and pushes me upstairs, basically sending me to timeout. After a couple of minutes, he comes in and gives me the "talk". Tells me it's broken and to be careful, then asks me to say I'm sorry. When I do, he gives me a hug and leads me back downstairs. But, as soon as we get down there, he looks at the light, then turns back to me and gets all serious again, talking about it being broken. At this point, he takes my face with one hand, and with the other he points at the light and says "See that? See that? It's broken!" Of course, I'm on the verge of just losing it, and Melissa is laughing so hard she's in tears and can't breathe. We eventually show him it's not broken by flipping the light off and on a couple of times. After that, he was good.
So tonight, I screwed up and got called out by my two year old son. It was priceless. The best part about it... right after scolding me, he throws his ball and nearly hits the light.
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