How To Eat for 6 days on 8 pounds of food

This is six days worth of food for my bike trip. Total weight is 8.2 pounds, and while it may be a bit monotonous, eating tuna and Ramen Soups, with power pars for the Bonk and oatmeal for breakfast, it's light, easy to fix in a single burner backpacking stove and a good, make that excellent source of both protein and carbs

Tuna Ramen Backpack Casserole
A Quick nonperishable recipe
Ingredients:
1 softpack tuna
1 package Ramen Shrimp Soup
Easy! Boil water and add tuna after you pour the water and soften the noodles! That's all there is to it!
About 30 g protein
Saturated fats 7g
Fiber 1g
Calories 500
Sodium levels are a bit high, but if you are sweating a lot, it will actually help!

An announcement about Spinner Saturday this week!

I won't be running Spinner this week, because of my bike trip, so save your miles data, I'll put the Spinner report together after Spring Break! Instead of doing the Spinner report and collating the data, I'll be pedaling with no internet access! I'll also post an after tour report as well! Friday will be my last post for a few days, for my leetle vacation! See the attached map images below.

Countdown: 2 DAYS TIL TRIP



Days 1, 2, 3, and reverse it, 4, 5, 6

Catch up post, the last few days!

The text below are the last few posts from my msn blog, I haven't had time the last couple of days to keep up onn both, so here's your catch up! Be sure to check out the video greeting I have linked below! This is the welcome message from my msn blog, so pleased to meetcha!::GRIN:: Here are the Spinner Charts by the way!


March 08
I am now a bike commuter by Necessity
My van threw a fit yesterday on my way home from my appointment with my surgeon yesterday, in Carmel, IN. On the way home, I am pretty sure I either blew a head gasket or cracked the block. White smoke was billowing out the tailpipe suddenly and I now have antifreeze in the oil and all my coolant disappeared! After things cooled down, I had to get the van home the last 15 miles, so we put in coolant and limped home. This morning, the engine was locked up. I'm pretty sure it's a hydraulic lock(Antifreeze in the cylinders) but have my doubts as to whether the engine survived the experience. Minimum repair cost is going to be around $800.00. It may be a case of RIP, ol' van!. If any more happened, of course, the repair cost goes up! AAAAAAAARGH!

On the flip side:
1) As long as the weather holds, the bike trip is still on!
2) At least it's more or less Spring
3) My surgeon gave me a clean bill of health to start core exercises to strengthen the Abs and Obliques
4) At least I have the bike!
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March 06
Spinner Saturday Graphs, The First for March!
Here they are, the Spinner Charts! Most of us did very well this week! Dan and MotherStormcrowe are both bikeless this week......tuneup time, in the shop!
We'll be having a new member appear next week, so let's welcome Yelme, a hoosier cyclist also doing the shrinking thing! Welcome Yelme!
This is a short post, I'm prepping for a midterm tonight in Anatomy! Blech!
Countdown to Lake Wawasee trip: 4 days!


Here's another cool link: Click here to see the website one of my readers threw together for me, Thanks Sister Celtic, it's pretty cool! A little hard to live up to, but cool nonetheless! Sister Celtic comments in on my blogspot site, and has been one of my blog buddies for a while! Drop by and tell her I said Hi!

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March 05
Check Out My New Toy!
I just added the welcome message! Don't worry, I'll change it fairly frequently!
Make sure the sound is on!
*Note, the Windows Mediaplayer only works with IE, sorry, Firefox doesn't support it! Clich here for the video also!

Al Maviva Race Results: Click here to view Al's lates race post over at CF! Great JOB Al! Keep it up, you're doing the Spinner Saturday Gang proud!

Here is a video introduction!

Click for the video!

My Miles Today!

What can I say, I planned on a little 15 mile ride today, and I didn't go 15, I WENT 60! Actually, 62 miles total, in just over 4 hrs, with a bike at touring weight, fully loaded with all bags on it! Not a bad day, all in all! It felt great too! The best thing was all the strange looks I was getting, out on a loaded bike this early in the year! My loop was out to Williamsport, Indiana and backAlmost everyone that passed me in a car or truck gave a little honk and wave.......and the even used ALL their fingers!

Spinner Saturday

If you've noticed I'm posting here more often, it's because I'm Parallel posting between my MSN blog and here, to reach a wider audience!



Welcome to the first Spinner Saturday for March, 2006. We have some pretty good overall stats for last month, with an overall total of 1554 miles, jointly! Not bad folks, for winter! I have 32 miles thus far and am planning at least 15 or so today.

Tayfur, I have your miles as well as BigMike's and Tim's. I have almost everyones, actually, and the graphs will go up on Monday!


BOOK REVIEW


Bicycling Magazines Guide to Bike Touring

Doug Donaldson


This is a very useful book, in preparing for my upcoming rides. It is loaded with “no nonsense”, practical advice for the aspiring Bicycle Tourist. Subjects range from how to pack your bike to basic checklists for your gear! There is a section on basic maintenance as well and I'll tell you, this book has been invaluable to me!


The book is published by Rodale, Inc. and is available at Borders, where I purchased the book.

One Week to Go!

I'm getting antsy, and I hope the weather holds! One measly week to my first cycle trip of the year! My bike is in great shape, bags and racks are mounted, and I'm riding at loaded weight! Satyurday, March 11, I'll be pedaling towards Lake Wawasee to do that 256 mile shakedown ride!

As of now, I'm just waiting to see if we get a late storm, as that will be what stops me! Wish me luck, and if anyone see's Murphy reading my blog, tie him up!

Bicycle Commuting For Better Health

Not to mention a lower Gasoline bill!




Now that Spring is just around the corner, I think it's time to consider bicycle commuting to school or work. There are several advantages to this!
Exercise
Slimmer waist line
It doesn't cost $2.31 a gallon to operate a bike
The only greenhouse gases you produce are from eating beans!

You don't have to have the most expensive carbon framed racer to enjoy the commute either, as a matter of fact, all you really need is a basic bike! I personally ride what is referred to as an Urban Commuter. Basically, it's a mountain bike with flat handlebars and a rack on the back. I use a street tire called a commuter, which is reinforced with Kevlar®.

The joys of cycle commuting are manifold, with benefits such as just plain time. You can get into your own head on the ride, it gives you time to think. This is a precious commodity in these fast moving times. You have time to get over being mad at the boss on your way home. The family dog will definitely thank you for this!

Your spouse will notice the tighter muscle tone, and will appreciate the new view! Your coworkers will probably think you are nuts, but if you think about it, who's the one that is nuts? The person getting the benefits of the exercise, as well as the stress reduction? Or is it the person trapped in a steel box rushing to get to work, scarfing down a donut and coffee while driving, cussing at the other drivers, while balancing the cellphone in one hand, the donuts and coffee in the other, driving with their knees? Which one of these are you? Which one would you like to be?

Photo©2006-Tom Strormcrowe

The 400 pound mile

The 400 pound mile

Drop by and see what Tyler's up to!

Посетило от России?

Whoever оно было посещенному от России, вы! То говорит мне я читается везде! Следующее время, мнение здравствулте!! Я приветствовал бы ваши слова! Названием этого headline будет соединение к моему активно blog на MSN!
Я приветствую новых друзей от во всем мире!

For those of you who don't read Russian, no, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you!

Good Evening All! New weight update!

Well, as of right now, I have lost a grand total od 325 pounds and seem to be on a hold status for now. It could be worse, believe me! I am still shrinking though as I'm building bone and muscle mass. I have dropped a full 24 inches of waistline and now am wearing clothes I don't have to buy in a big and tall store! OOYAH!

As a reminder, I'm primarily blogging now over at MSN Spaces, and the redirect link is in this headline! Come on by and join the fun! I'm running things there like "Spinner Saturday", which is a database on cycling and walking running miles and PHAT-K, which is a 1000 meter bike sprint, criterion style(short loop). See ya there and you can also post comments here if you want as well!

Up in Alaska: Quick post post

Up in Alaska: Quick post post

Follow this to Jill's blog, where she just finished one of the most difficult mountainbike races on the entire planet! Drop by!

Cyclists Quiz, where do you stand?

Try out this quiz and see where you rate as a cyclist!

You scored as Cycling nut. You are an extreme cyclist, and have no business out in public! You need to quit taking these quizzes and get out and ride! Cycling nut 100% Are you an extreme cyclist? created with QuizFarm.com

The Amazing Shrinking Man - Cycle-Licious

The Amazing Shrinking Man - Cycle-Licious

I was interviewed by Fritz over at Cycle-licious and here is the article! Cycle-icious is a bicycle lifestyle page that I truly enjoy reading and having Fritz contact me was a pleasant surprise. Thanks for the great writeup, Fritz!

Motherstormcrowe: Snobird and Cracker Reunion, Arcadia, FL

Motherstormcrowe: Snobird and Cracker Reunion, Arcadia, FL

Drop by and check out the antics of a Canadian born Bluegrass hillbilly at heart! Also feel free to visit my new blog, also titled The Amazing Shrinking Man HERE
as well as my Science Fiction review site, T_Stormcrowes Science Fiction Review! Sorry, no LESBIAN NAKED WRESTLING MIDGETS at any of the sites!

My New Look!

Here I am! I gotta wonder though, how much weight loss occurred when I shaved? As of right now, I seem to be kind of plateaued, but my exercise is down a lot! This can't be helped though as I am still recovering from that pesky little Umbilicle Hernia repair!

Morbid obesity followed up by rapid weight loss can cause little problems like gaps in the abdominal wall, from the fat melting away, causing hernias. This is something that needs to be taken into consideration when you are thinking about bariatric surgery. I still think what I have done has been well worth it though! If you are a cyclist, you need to be aware of this and STRENGTHEN those core muscles. One of the recommended exercises for me is a modified crunch and cross-crunch. These will strengthen my abdominals and obliques. The muscles in your abdomen resemble nothing so much as a + sign with an X overlying it! Essentially, there are 4 axes of muscle, vertical, horizontal and 45 degrees either side(your obliques!) These need to stay strong and keep developing as you lose the fat! Best advice I can give! ANY increase in physical activity, though, needs to be discussed with your doctor, for your own sake!

As usual, the headline in this post is a redirect link to my primary blog, also called The Amazing Shrinking Man, over at MSN Spaces! Come on by and join the fun with features like Spinner Saturday, which is a bicycling/walking/running program for better physical health. It's a friendly but competitive atmosphere and all are welcome! See ya there! By the way, here's a cool cycling video!:

I had a slight setback!

Last week I was taken to St Vincent in Carmel due to a hernia letting loose and taking a death grip on my small intestine. I had emergency corrective surgery on Friday morning and was released by Saturday afternoon. I'll tell you, this was probably one of the most painfull experiences of my entire life! I would rather go through root canal without anasthaetic than have this happen again! All in all, though, I am fortunate in the fact that this is the only real compolication I have had post bariatric surgery. The payoff; though, has been worth it! As of right now, I am,(at least til my little rupture), more active than I have been in years. When I'm healed up, I'll resume those activities, and more! Anybody have any suggestions as to good exercises to strengthen core muscles like the abdominals and obliques......bearing in mind I have to worry about abdominal hjerniation? This happened, by the way, because I lost so much body fat so rapidly, my abdominals actually developed some gaps. Basically, I lost the fat marbled into the muscle tissue. My Abs must have looked like Kobe beef before I lost all the weight!

That said, I'm now primarily blogging over at MSN, and the headline of this post is as usual, a redirect link to my MSN blog!

Join me over there for features like "Spinner Saturday" and the PHAT-K. These are cycling features in which I have participants from Turkey, Australia, the UK and various states here in the Ol' U.S of A.! Come on by and join the fun! Who says losing weight can't be a fun process!

The Results are IN! Spinner Saturday for 2005

Good Morning all, I have posted the results over at my MSN site, and I thought I'd post them here as well! Just click the headline here and you will be redirected to my new blog over at Personal Spaces by MSN!

The Last Spinner Saturday of 2005!

This Saturday is not onlt the last day of 2005, it's the last "Spinner Saturday" of 2005 as well! Let's roll out the old year with a fantastic 100% participation in this event and make it a literal GLOBAL RIDE We have participants around the world, in Istanbul, Australia, and the USA! The title of this post is of course a redirect to my new blog over at MSN!

This Is a Redirect to my new blog! Click me!

Here's a surprise, # 1 on Technorati!

Much to my surprise, on Technorati as of today, I am rated by authority on the followng places in the entire technorati standings!
Morbid Obesity, Surgeon Info, Weight Loss surgery:#1
Nutrition: #10!
Weight Loss: 17th
Diet: 14th
Recovery: 11th
This is out of MILLIONS OF BLOGS! Holy Cow!

Motherstormcrowe: TRIBUTE TO THE AMAZING SHRINKING MAN

Motherstormcrowe: TRIBUTE TO THE AMAZING SHRINKING MAN

Morbid Obesity and Bariatric Surgery as an Option

Morbid obesity is classified as a level of obesity that is life threatening. I have a link to St Vincent Hospital in Carmel, Indiana. All you have to do is read my archives here and look at my new blog over on msn to see what they did for me! The link to my new blog is embedded in this headline!The in hospital pictures are March this year, the bicycle pic is 2 weeks old.

I have a new address over at msn space

Click the headline to go to my new blog over at msn space

Morbid Obesity, Cold Weather, and Weight Loss!

Note: I have updated the "Spinner Saturday Chart to reflect Caloi Riders miles
I am trying out this font color as apparently the default font is hard to read against the background. I'll be posting in various text colors here and you guy's tell me what you like best against the current template! I don't want to change the template because if I do, I'll have to reset all my links and lose ALL the old comments. Well, riding in cold weather after losing as much weight as I have, I've found my resistance to cold is signifigantly less! I used to be able to sit outside in Minnesota in January wearing T-Shirt, Shorts and sandals! Now I FREEZE! While I'm riding, I generate enough heat that I'm OK, other than the sappy grin frozen on my face as I can't move my face anymore! When I show up at Panera's with my Cycling clothes(Sweats) and Windvest and Helmet, they basically think I'm nuts! Lets see, checklist here:
Windvest: Trucking Co. Windvest, polarguard fill
Sports Band for the ears:Merino wool, Thinsulate(tm) and fleece, 3 layers
Polar Gloves: 1500 gram Thinsulate(tm)
Fleece sweat pants(2 pr), from Walmart
Thermal T/ Regular Long T
Fleece hooded Sweatshirt
Thermal socks
Lycra compression stockings for circulatory problems
Cross Training shoes from Walmart again
Helmet.
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Winter Hydration and Health:
Hydration pack rides INSIDE my wind vest, at 16F, it freezes otherwise! I also carry energy food like Granola or Clif Bars(tm) because food=warmth! Cold air saps your energy as well as dehydrates you faster, believe it or not. Another thing you need to watch for is frostbite. You also need to consider a breath warmer mask if you are pushing hard enough to wind up mouth breathing. Air at extremely low temperatures can damage your lungs!
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Essentially, I want to convey that winter riding is not only possible, but fun! You just need to take certain environmental factors into consideration. The caloric burn is the same or higher, and it is healthy! Go for it, and have fun!

ps- I should mention, I just started a frappr thingamy! The link is this headline!

Cycling to fight Morbid Obesity and Spinner Saturday Graph Results

Cycling is a low impact exercise that burns MASSIVE amounts of Calories. The only better exercise for aerobic and cardiac health is swimming and they are both FUN! There are difficulties with cycling when you are morbidly obese, as I was. They are surmountable obstacles, though. See the link sidebar and there is a calculator over there, or just click this headline for the WVDA CALORIC BURN CALCULATOR engine. Physical activity is important for both physical and mental health and fitness. There is no better antidepressent than exercise, at least that's what I've found! Start in moderation and if you have health issues I can't stress enough to CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN before starting an exercise regimen!
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As to the graphing, I understand Caloi's lack of data due to terrible weather and Big Mike is wrapping up the semester! I only have 7 miles in this week and Tayfur is at the top this week with 16 miles........Good on ya Tayfur!
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Spinner Saturday is technically a global event and if you want to participate, feel free to post your miles in my comments and I'll add you to the party! The current participants are in Australia, Turkey, and two in the USA: Indiana and Idaho! Join in and spin!

This site doesn't give medical advice and should not be construed as other than common sense advice in general terms

Dealing with the After Effects of Morbid Obesity

Something you need to know! As we know, I had the Roux-N-Y procedure gastric bypass performed in March this year. There are some surprising side effects of this process. The best one is that as your metabolism ramps up from losing weight, you just plain feel better and FAR more energetic. If you've been following my blog, you know that as late as April this year, I was in a wheelchair as I couldn't stand or walk any length of time due to my weight. Just a little reminder here as to where I was and where I am now in the pictures I am posting here. They are both me! My before and current pictures as a comparison.







Before is above, This was in March this year





After is below, this was Thanksgiving this year

If you are considering Bariatric Surgery, you should be aware that there are risks associated with it. Weigh these risks carefully and decide if you want to continue the path you're on, or get your life back and do more than just exist! Research your surgeon and don't be afraid to ask what their mortality rate is, this is one of the risks! It's about 1 in 200, incidentally. There are other aspects as well, such as being on vitamins and supplementsd the rest of your life. To me, it's a small price to pay though, because I've gone from a wheelchair to a mountainbike and college to study nursing. I am thankful for this each and every day. If you are reading this and you either need to consider this OR know someone who does, I encourage you to get them to read my blog from front to back and see the story. If you are thinking about the surgery, I can only encourage you! Be responsible to get your life back.

DAMN Sploggers!

I take my word verification down for a few hours and I get nailed by SPLOGGERS! It's back up, so if you want to SPAM my blog, you better do it yourself, SPLOGGERS! Your machine readers won't work again! Next time Bloggers verifacation server locks up, I'll just be patient and wait for bloggers tech staff to clear the logjam. A message to you sploggers........I don't want plastic surgery, I don't want penile enlargement, I don't want or need Viagra(tm).......I'm quite satisfied with what God gave me and I don't advertise for FREE! If you want to buy ad space on my blog, approach me and I'll consider it IF the product is appropriate, by MY standards! I choose the content of this blog and no one else! This blog space is my property and I am willing to share it with those that respect the space and intent. I don't like or hold with thieves or tresspassers, and if you spam MY property, you are nothing more than a graffitti spraying vandal. I have the delete button here and I will use it for spammers as well as flagging their blog as objectionable content to the attention of Blogger management. consider this fair warning to you sploggers!

As a postscript: If you want to copy the ERROR MESSAGE image and place it on YOUR blog, feel free to do so. You are welcome to use it!

It's Spinner Saturday Again!

Yup, it's "Spinner Saturday" yet again! Due to Finals and bad weather the miles are down signifigantly! I got one ride in this morning, 7 miles, over to West Lafayette for breakfast at the Triple XXX Restaraunt! I earned these hash and eggs! 24F when I took off! That's -4.4 C for those of you outside the USA! Wind chill is about 0F, or -18C! My face was frozen in a HUGE GRIN! We have a storm rolling in this afternoon, so more riding tomorrow doesn't look promising! I must say though, the Geax Evolution tires that Hodson's bay got me to put on my bike are working very well on slick roads! They're like snowtires for the bike! Now for an announcement, My Mom is now an active blogger! The headline to this post is a link to her blog, "Motherstormcrowe"! Drop by and welcome my Mother to the Blogiverse!

Support Your Local Bike Shop!

Over on the left sidebar you'll see a link to my Local Bike Shop. No not mine as in I own it, my as in I frequent their services. Today, I had to put a new bottom bracket in my bike, the crank got loose and rattly. Hodson's Bay is my LBS. I have a ride planned for tomorrow and I can't ride with a crank bearing shredding. I can tell ya! My bike rides like it's brand new after the service they did! Above and beyond is what I say, above and beyond! The got me in and out in about 45 minutes.......same day service! They wanted me to be able to do my ride. Dan down at Hodson's Bay has been a huge supporter of my quest to get my life back along with all the other guys there! They made sure everything was right, even checked my tire pressure! If you are in my area, Tippecanoe County and surrounding area here in Indiana, you could do far worse than to take your bike there! When ya go in, tell'em "The Amazing Shrinking Man" sent ya. It won't get me anything, but what the hey! It at least let's Dan know I appreciate the great help he and the guys have given me!
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Three reasons to support your LBS:
1) The service.......sure you can get a cheap bike at Walmart! You can even get a decent inexpensive bike at Walmart! Matter of fact, I ride a cheap bike! It's a Royce Union. At Walmart, you get a bike that probably won't shift right, you get bottom end components, and will require a tune up (at your LBS) to ride right!
2) Service! You often get free tuneups the first year after buying at your LBS
3) You are supporting a business that has local roots and NOT exporting your hard earned dollars to Bentonville, Arkansas!
OK, I lied, there's a fourth reason!
4) After it's all said and done, you'll wind up spending as much money buying a department store bike as an entry level bike at your LBS after you get done tweaking and tuning it and upgrading it because you're not happy with the performance of your bike as you would have in the first place going to your LBS!
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The reason I ride the Royce Union is because My Grandfather gave it to me. I enjoy it because of that reason! I've sunk $$ into it upgrading the crank and other components and tweaking and tuning it til it rides pretty nice. It was a used bike to start with, but it'll stay around as long as the frame holds up. It'll stay around as long as I can keep it rideable, and I don't care how much I spend on it. I'll get other bikes later, my dream MTB is a Banshee Chaparall for example. My dream touring road bike is a Specialized or a Cannondale. I'll eventually be able to afford one but not now, as I'm a starving college student! But as I said, there'll always be a place under my butt for the Ol' Royce Union!

I just found an Incredible Blog!

Stop by and visit George Geid's blog! I'm embedding the link in this headline, because George is on an AMAZING ride! He's riding a bike from the tip of South America to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska! Talk about your epic rides! That's literally almost half a circumnavigation of the globe! Helmet's off to George!

#%$@ SNOW!

I was all mouth watering to ride this morning and it SNOWED! The roads were slick and I was gonna do it anyway, but my wife locked the bike to the closet door and hid the key while I was grabbing a cup of coffee this morning........something about not enough life insurance on me yet for me to kill myself!::GRIN:: Maybe before dark, roads are only wet now, if I can just find the KEY! In the meantime, the Governor of California wants to issue a statement on my blog, important social tool that it is! Update on my weight loss: I am now down by 305 pounds! How's that for cool!

I foung BIG Cycling Togs!

I embedded a link into the title of this post, so just click the headline here to go to the site and shop for your Big and Tall cyclist needs. Just a hint for XMas to my family!::GRIN The Long tights are up to XL, and STRETCHY, the cycling shorts are up to 3X(My size!), and the Jersey's are up to 4X(I wear 2-3X Depending on how it's cut!

Spinner Saturday Graph results! Thanks dt!

I didn't even think of a screenshot to transfer the image, but here it is! Spinner Saturday graph results. dt, if you'd like to join, feel free to shoot me your ride stats and I'll add you to the program. There is no charge and until it gets to the maximum capacity for me to manage, I'll keep adding riders. The Graph will start over from month to month and I'll be adding a hiking chart as well. On a monthly basis I'll also be posting a chart showing cumulative annual miles, sound good? Let me know what y'all think!
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Tayfur: You're kicking butt, keep it up!
Caloi, Big Mike, I'll update you guy's as soon as I get the data, I know you've both been swamped! I need a couple of weeks worth of miles each!

I can't post the graph this week on Spinner Saturday results

Sorry Guy's, I can't post the graph this week. To extract the graph from excel, I need to print it, and scan it to convert from excel to .jpg. My printer is currently down and the only other printer I have access to is at school, a low res text only B&W printer that needs cleaned so badly the paper turns gray as it runs through the printer, I'll have a double graph posted next week when I have my printer back on line for this week and next. By the way, keep track of recreational walking miles as well as I'm adding a category for hiking miles. That will be a seperate graph, so if I get the data, there may be three graphs next week. The walking/hiking graph, by the way, is at the suggestion of My friend Tayfur Yagci! His blog is over on my blogroll on the left, feel free to stop by and say "Hello arkadasim"!
I'd like to thank Arnold for stopping by with his comment as well(see above picture::GRIN::)

Spinner Saturday(Which Falls on Sunday this Week)

Good morning and welcome to the Holiday Edition of Spinner Saturday! My riding miles for the week are a whopping 6! Tayfur got about 20. I still hope to hear from the others. Turkey day is now over and all will be back on schedule next week!
Riding: 6 miles
Walking: 12 miles
Chopping Firewood: Lots of Chopping
Terrain: Varied including Arctic temperatures
Wind: Frigid and strong............NASTY

By the way, here's a Church sign I'd love to see!
Title is an embedded link to "The Crafty Mrs Stormcrowe's" Blog, stop by and say Hi!

Post Thanksgiving Update!

Here we go! My Thanksgiving exercise! I can now do something I haven't been able to do for years, and that is splitting a log in a single swipe with a wood maul! For those of you that don't know what a maul is, it's a cross between an ax and a sledge hammer.

It weighs about 8 pounds and is a wonderfull log splitter. I'm happy to say, I left Uncle John well supplied with split firewood. What'cha think, do I look outdoorsy? I didn't take the bike because we were supposed to get a foot of snow and high winds, but it never materialized. Consequently, I only got 6 miles riding in this week. I did get several miles walking over the holiday. I behaved well at dinner, and only snitched a tiny piece of my cousin Cristies home-made pumpkin bread! It tasted heavenly and Cristie, email me the recipe so my wife can do a sugar free version of it! She'd love it! My stomach did well with the rich food and I had no complications and only ate a little bit, but it satisfied me thoroughly! TTFN, see y'all later!
ps: Note in one of the pics, the split half of the log still in the air tumbling off the chopping block!

Happy Thanksgiving

Be Safe in your travels and enjoy the Turkey! Enjoy your time with family and give thanks for the blessings that are bestowed on you.

Spinner Saturday Charting Results

As promised, here are the results of the Spinner Saturday mileages turned in to me. If you want to have results posted I need them by Monday morning at least, consider Monday 0800 "bedtime" for the week for charting the data. That would be 0900 ET, 0700 MT, 0600 PT. I'll be happy to track, collate and chart your data and if you aren't on the chart, all you need to do is post into my comments on Spinner Saturday, or any other comment section and let me know your miles for the week, longest and shortest ride, terrain and wind conditions, I'll add you to the chart! This might be my last post for the Thanksgiving holiday, as I'll be out of town, but I will post my rides after. If Spinner Saturday becomes Spinner Sunday next weekend, please understand! Tayfur, recruit some Turkish riders for "Spinner Saturday", I'll track their stats as well! By the way, my link of the day is to Tayfur's blog! The link is embedded in this headline! Tayfur is from Istanbul, Turkey and a regular commenter on the Amazing Shrinking Man and a fellow cyclist! Drop by and say hello! Don't mind my geeky comment there::GRIN::

It's "Spinner Saturday" Again!

First off, a Crass Commercial plug for my LBS! Hodson's Bay, in West Lafayette is a wonderfull bike shop. They have been unstinting in their advice and support of my riding! Thanks, Dan and all the others down at Hodson's Bay! Click the headline of this post and you'll be redirected to their site! Before you do, though, read me and comment if ya want!
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OK, on to the business at hand! It of course is "Spinner Saturday" and here are the specs!
Longest Ride: 14 miles
Shortest : 7 miles
Total :21
There were only two rides this week unfortunately, due to bad weather and school sucking up my time. Oh well, it's for a good cause, so I must sacrifice my ride time for now!
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Weight Loss: -292! My weight is now a 289 pounds, woohoo! Life is sweet!