Jana actually Blog on prayer!

Yes, both my reader may fall of the seats! (Bruce, don't take me seriously!)
For starter let's tackle how and where
I bet most of you prayer at you bed at the end of a day, right? I'd urge to make a different time for it. I almost always try and do it and hour or so before hand. By doing this, it's not something done at the last minute. It's all about how has priorities on your time. and , yes, you should really be trying to find that still, small voice 24/7 and not just form 10 till 10:15 pm.
Where? I always trying to do my evening prayers sitting on the floor in front of the TV (yes, it is off). Why? It's the only time I sit there - so if I'm there, I know what I'm supposed to be doing.
You have to find the time and the imagination to experiment, and realize that where you feel may not be you need to be.
An example - I rode my bike today. I decided to do my usual weekday ride, but try to go into Fontana instead. Things we going fine until I hit Etwanda ave, The wind was just a bit too much for me to feel safe, so i turned around. In a similar vein, I've been trying kneel during communion to see if it "enhances my spiritual experience" (do I sound like an Anglican or what?) I really don't see a difference, and since it is optional, I'm not if I'll continue.
I'll close with the invitation from our Bible study "Are you willing to let something new happen?"
FHS,
Jana

The return of Jabez....

I was doing some more research on prayer, and ran across a book called : The Prayer Experiment: Discovering a Prayer That Could Change Your World
by Jay Dennis
Yes, it's about our old Jabez, but it's not really about getting a new Rolls-Royce in your driveway. Rather, the prayer is about asking to expand your opportunites to serve him.("expand my territory")
another neat fact is that Jabez is close to Hebrew for "pain". so in fact, you the bible writer(whomever you believe them to be) were have fun with puns (a Kid named "PITA" turns out to be God's Chosen) as well as the General Chronicles theme - Those how seek to do God will are blessed,and those that don't suffer the consequences.
I've meaning to update this since Saturday, but time got away, Thankfully today , I had jury duty(yes, I must be a commie for saying that) and the parties settled, so I got an extra day off!

We don't need no Dead white men...

I picked up a book by Karen Armstrong, Visions of God: Four Medieval Mystics and Their Writings
In it, she profiles four medieval mystics and their writings: Richard Rolleand the fire of love, The author of the Cloud of Unknowing, Walter Hilton and the Ladder of perfection, and Julian OF Norwich and the revelations of Divine love
Needless to say, I was really struck by their writings. particularly the last two. I think a lot of time, we tend to think that whatever's new is the best. And then there the camp that say the good old days were the best and never will return.
Me, I'd be delight if I could a service where we sang both a Mighty fortress is Our God, by Martin Luther and Lord, We Lift Your Name on High
, but it seem we get one or the other. Which is too bad, because one ignores the past (and remember what George Santayana had to say?), while the other ignores Changes in Society, (you can't preach to choir all the time)
I actuallu got out and rode today! onely 45 miles, but still, and made to St Mark tiwice
, Yes, i lnow I was going to blog about prayer, and my rule of prayer, Maybe we'll get started tommorrow

The fall into Grace

Well Last Saturday, I was trucking down Summit in North Fontana doing about 20 MPH, when BAM! I was was on the ground. It looks the developer hadn't paved the street right, and Of course I hit the joint just right..
So, I haven't been on the bike the bike snice. I may get back on in a week or two.
This, of Course, got me thinking(doesn't take much, you know) It seem like Biking has taken a big role in my life, like almost too big of role. Since we had thick morning fog last Saturday. I almost stayed home, I've been meaning to do some quite time in line with spiritual exercises for discernment.
So today, I went to Eucharist and I'm doing meditation till the sun goes down. and I'm not missing the bike.
although I've been thinking that all the "competition" on the web sites has really sucked the fun out of biking.
So starting in2008, I'm not going to do any of the "metric of the week" contests, and you''ll probably be able to read my bike journal (yes, I'll still log my miles, in a private manner.)
So yes, I did fall into Grace!
FHS,
Jana

what do you want to do?

I was thinking about this on the drive home last night. I did not get home until about 10:40.
I could check my e-news ,or pray. In the end, I did both, but didn't ride this morning.
So, I choose what I wanted. Or did it choose me? I know I've got some ambitious plans, but it's Really about putting first things first. but we're human (should have prayed and ridden my bike)
So, what Do you want?

Is simpler better?

I thought of this on the train in today. a little detour here
I had refactoring yesterday. One of the way some place try and improve their code via performance enhancement. That taking and existing application(Like in refactoring) , and making it run faster(versus in refactoring, where the object is to make the codes intent more clear).
So which path is better? each has its place, but at the same time I'm still debating which has its place in my prayer project.
One of thing I started doing is making a to-do of my "Godly" inspired tasks. Got lots to do, so I may let go until the next post
FHS,
PS I like the KISS philosophy, so I think you can guess which side I'm on.

I'm offical

Spent a Busy day today becoming a member of Daughters of the King.
But, it was good.
I had meant to post more on prayer, but didn't.
I was thinking on how much there on the 'net and thee real world about what to prayer for, but how little resources there is on how to pray, it's like we as Christians are all members of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility in Lake Woebegone and all our children are above average(yes, I like wikipedia)
So maybe I'm on the right track. I'm also a be big fan of CQI, and in the computer world, what called refactoring, both approaches, in mind, say that even if some works just fine, you should be striving to make things better. If you boss isn't happy with just good enough, why do think God should be?
To me, a rule of Prayer should cover these basics:
1 Confession, as humans, we are not perfect, I'm always reminded of this passage from 1 john I actually like the NRSV version the best , but I can't find it on the net (darn Copyright laws!)
2. Praise. - everyday is a gift, and we should be appreciative.
3. Intercession. I suspect this i where most be people spend their time, trying to God to do what they want. (hint: try the other way around)
4. Discernment- what may be called waiting for God to speak, or trying to discern his word to us. Hard stuff but rewarding. If you don't make to read scripture on a daily basis, I'd urge you to. A chapter a day won't take you that long. and it is hard in our culture to surrender an hour of quite time
I'm going to try and go in to more mere detail when I have time, but let start with the basics
Find a comfortable place. I don't think you have to kneel and wear hair shirts, but I also don't think you pray'n'drive either.
Time is important. We talk about giving a tenth of income to our congregation/parish, but have thought about giving a tenth of your time? I try and shout for an hour or two of God time a day. It gets to be a challenge, but so is any endeavour worth doing.
Bicycling related: I seem to wound in the middle of RalieghDon - Pansy "war: I did tow metric last weekend, I actually made good time on Saturday, and I was even working as a ride marshal at the Tour De Foothills

The circle of prayer

One of the thing That I've been investigating is what I call "prayer metrics". That how do we quantify what we pray about? I know, it's a real slippery slope. But I was looking at more from my experiences at sites like bikejournal.com , where people use their stats to encourage and motivate each other, and how I could translate that into prayer without going off the deep end.
I'' admit I'm not an expert on all form of prayer, I knew that the Catholics had various devotional prayers such as the rosary.
doing some research on the rosary, I ran across Anglican Prayer Beads, so I ordered a set.
I wound getting them from a group of Episcopal Hermits in Texas. You'' remember that I've been contemplating the religious life? I'm not quite sure my current calling as I understand allows me to be hermits, but you do have to be open to the call.
more Later, time to go to to work. I woke up to late to go bike riding, so decided to put the time to good use,

Veni , Vedi, Vomiti

Well, I did go to bar Camp, I went to two or three session, had a blast, but my nose and something in place did not agree, which was a shame, since the two session I wanted to attend, one by my friend, Donna, and one by Richard Stallman and actually they were both speaking at the same time. Some times you can't have what you want

be careful what you ask for......

I think you'll remember that I got my idea for my mission statement a few posts back.
Well, I've also been working on my resume. Not that I'm going anywhere, but It's something I like to do. I was going to run it by a recruiter friend today, but he had to cancel.
so he told about barcamp, and the one in Los Angeles. In the tone of "it'll be good of you to come".
So Now, Ive got to make sense out of my weekend without it turning in to too much work. It's a short weekend, which means I shouldn't really be blogging. And I've got Church duties on Sunday, so I can't camp out.
But how does this fit in with our plan? Well, remember I thought was being called to check out the "web 2.0" stuff for a possible Christian slant? And what falls in to my lap?
see you Sunday. Maybe I'll get a a ride in.

so, what would Jesus ride?

I was thinking about Bruce's Post and the what would Jesus drive? campaign.
So what would Jesus. Bruce makes a good point with the Rivendell, and you could even make a case for my old Cannondale. After all, he is very concerned with social Justice things. And a Carbon
"racer boy" bike sounds an awfully lot like what the Pharisee would ride.
This verse came to me on the train.
Hmm.. what kniod of bike would cause such divison? maybe this one? after all, This isn't really our home, and recumbents do cause a furor among "serious" cyclists.
but doesn't the old saw say "be in the world, but not of the world"(hep, Cuz, I need the verse :)). Maybe a 'bent isn't really in the world.
So what's the answer? I don't know. I 'm thinking of the portraits of Jesus in the church where I grew up. I always refer to them as "Nordic Jesus" and "Celtic Jesus". Not many blondes and redheads in the middle east, is there?
And that's the rub. The world intrudes and discolors our portrait of him. The problem is finding that still, small voice.

Handmade in the USA?

If you're into bicycling, you might recognize that as a company's slogan
So yeah my bike's are made by workers who are fairly paid, too. it's just there not made out of steel. And the cost wasn't bad.
Let's expound on theme. I had to buy a new wheel for the R1000, It was assembled here in RC, so it's American, right? But what about the rim (Australia), spokes(Switzerland) , or hub and gears (Japan). And which is a more American car, a Honda built in Ohio, a Chevy built in Mexico, or my car a Ford built in Michigan, but designed in Germany?
So yes, simplicity is good, but at times it's hard to find.
Burce I like your bible passage . we had this one. We use the lectionary, so we can't pick and choose. wonder why one of those guys the devil would have a harder time with, the Pharisee or the Publican?

simply Complex

I've been thinking on this, especially since I admitted to admiring St. Francis and a life of simplicty. Then Bruce started e-mailing theological questions.
But Bruce rides a Rivendell. if read the sales pitch, then everything was bliss back during the 70's, right?
I'll agree that American Bicycle market is overly marketed to the "wannabee" racer types. but if you look at their prices. not quite so simple, eh?
I was thinking that maybe it's part of the neo-retro trends that automakers seem to be indulging in. an som of these seem to in the same market as Rivendell, - look at the Nissan Figaro or Mitsuoka
Can't be help but be struck by the paradox of simple, but complex you tried being marketed to , but wind buying the message that speaks to you. Life's a mess, eh?
The answer is really that we're listening to the world, instead of the still, small voice.

why do bad things happen to good people

My church is having a study group on the book "encountering evil". I had meant to attend, but got too busy.
Anyways, yesterday, I was out for a ride. The City Of Fontana, had done some construction on one of perm routes. and I wanted to make sure it was still rideable.
However, yesterday, was the Start of the Santa Ana season. I almost gor blown over on the Pacific electric trail , but kept on going. It got a little better ion Etiwanda, but I thought I saw a dust devil as I went under the 15 at Victoria.
Then I had a flat. which was good, beacuase the dust devil turnef into this.
So, some times , the lesser evil stops us from encoutering a greater evil.

so ,what is sin?

I was thinking about this.
Recently some one posted something on bikejournal.com. I was first to respond, and noticed that the poster had used some word definitely not associated with "Family Friendly", not mention that the poster was a member of the international Christian Cycling Club. while the post has been clean up , it got me thinking about the emails Bruce841 and I have been exchanging. To quote Bruce "I think that, like the man born blind in John 9, we have to see Jesus for who he really is, and trust him. John 14:6

Jesus asks the same question of his friends, "Who do you say I am?"

I think discerning and following are the essence of living the Christian life, but not soteriologic in nature. Once a person has the indwelling presence, they are able to yield to Him and filled with that Spirit."
So if we have the indwelling spirit, then why do do fall into sin like Paul? If god is with us, then he should prevent this, right?
On reflection, part of it is that we are too stubborn to listen. It does take a lot to hear that still, small voice calling, especially when the world has a megaphone.
Now to medtitate.
FHS,
Jana

Notita, Assenus, Fidiciua

Recently, Bruce841 from Bikejournal.com left a note on my blog. Today he e-mailed me with this:
Jana:

Hope this day finds you well. So, what do you think a person needs to know in order to have saving faith? What did the malefactor who hung beside Jesus know? What about Luther's construct of "noticia, assensus, fiducia?"
What do you think?

Blessings

Bruce
so looked this notitia, Assenus, Fiducia up. and did some research.

here's what I cam up with:
Brain hurts.... :)
Sounds Corny, but knowing Christ is the Son of God is all The notita required. You ever find curious that Luke is only Gospel author that has the criminal praising Jesus? Matthew and Mark have both of them cursing Jesus.
back to the subject at hand
assenus - I would intrepid that as Following God's Lead. It not so much invite god into our lives,(also bad theology) but asking God what we can do for him.
Fiducia - As children of God, we're invited to set up God's kingdom here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt%206:9-13&version=46
familiar, but not?, and it's dependent on the other two (we have to accept Christ , and then be willing to discern his will and follow..)
Not bad, first time I had ran across that!
Reminds me of a newsboys song, reality. hard but easy.
Sometimes you have to be a fool in the world's eyes

good things happen to those who wait..

I decided to do a 200K brevet this morning. I drove down to San Diego , and it was drizzling all the way down. I had looked at the weather forecast before leaving, and it looked like it would clear off, Wrong!
I go to the start location right at the start time(the trolley stop in Old Town), I needed to use the bathroom real bad.... Unfortunately, they were all locked!
So I started out. I found a quickie mart and used theirs. I had though about going in the woods, but I really need to use some toilet paper to ensure a comfortable ride
I pedaled past Mission bay and then got on what has to be the world's worst bike path. Trees root growing through the pavement, blind curves, a Homeless encampment under a bridge, plus it ended in a flight of stairs
Sound like fun? Did I mention the weather forecast said the rain would end? well instead it started pouring. I was pretty miserable and thought about turn around.
The rain finally started to let up at Oceanside. Going through Camp Pendleton, I started to met ride from an MS150 going the other way. I got out of the base and rode the old 101/coast Highway to San Clemente. where The control and turnaround was at a Carl's Jr(think Hardee's if you're in the Midwest or East Coast). Most Carl's have a mexican sub-menu. I had a burrito platter (had to get my much Frijloes for the way back . It reminded for an Auto shop that I used to live by that claimed to specialize in Foreign and Domestic Autos, I always wanted to my car by - as at the time I had a Mercury built in Mexico with an Australian body and a Japanese engine.
Anyway, the way back!
The weather was clear.
I rode a places called Swami's . it's named after an Indian guru who had a Taj-mahol like palace built for him in the 1930's
I stopped at a 7-eleven in Encitas to refuel, and Finally Came to my nemesis, The Torrey Pines climb.
It gains about 500 feet in about a miles. I tried a little game. The climb is bit deceiving , as it has a sharp curve about halfway up, just enough to demoralize you. So , i kept that mind, and tried to conserve my effort, and I was up it no time. and no let down rounding that curve.
It was downhill the rest of the way. I did a victory loop of Fiesta island and turned in my card. This got me over 6,000 miles for the year and I'm now eligible for the R-1000 (1000 kilos in Randonees in a single year.
Finished off the day by watching the Thunderbirds perform at the Miramar air show
Today, I skipped church(yes, my bad) and did a ride with some ladies from Team Estrogen . We did a loop around Griffith Park.
So ,what do these have in common? I had thought trying to pull off a Team E ride here for a while, but wasn't if everyone wanted to come out here. And I creatian wasn't reaching Thunderbird speed going up Torrey Pines. As as a matter of Fact, I did it slower. But I made without taking a break!
I think we caught up in the "get it now" and fail to realize that Life's(and God) is more about thise small, slow moments...
Now to work on that Fleche cue sheet....
Here's hoping you find the off ramp to the Freeway of Life.

The pray of Jabez and Coherence

I've been the bible a chapter a day, I'm in Chronicles, and ran across the Prayer Of Jabez. I'm sure you're familiar with this little Ditty. if not, follow the link. What struck me was how out of place it seemed. Chronicles is largely a Story of how Israel and Judah became failed states under a Monarchy. I like to that a typical passage is "King Whosit was the most evil in the history of Israel. He led his people into abominable sin, and put Asherah poles on every street corner. He ruled for a year, and was assassinated by his son Whatshisname, who was even more. Fun reading, isn't it?
So , what do we make of this bright spot in a Doom and Gloom book? You could ague that the Chronicler was show that god would prosper those who are faithful to him. And I think that this is what the author had in mind. If you look at the few time when the Kingdoms had Faitful leadership they prospered, otherwise, it's pretty much gloom and doom.
And Jabez really asking for the proverbial Mercedes-Benz? once again, the passage by itself does seem to lend itself does seem to endorse the "prosperity gospel" . But what's meant by "enlarging my territory"? Maybe Jabez was asking for more responsibility, not more wealth ( I'm thinking of today's Gospel reading.)
I've always been taught that Gospel should have a high degree of coherence. And while at first, it does seem wildly out of place, it does fit in the Grand Scheme of things

The Plan has a name...

You may recall that I've been reading Tom and Chirstine Sine's Living on purpose: Finding God's Best for Your Life.
Well I got stuck on the mission statement. Which is sorta key. Until a couple of Nights ago, when doing some contemplative prayer and it came in.
Re-imagining God's word for New Media(or worlds, I 'm still wait for guidance there)
Now , some of you may be getting stuck on the re-imagining part. After all, isn't God's word unchanging? (you may want to start reading Walter Brueggemann if think you so). No, that isn't quite what I had in mind.
If you hang around the 'net a lot (which I assume your do, you are reading this blog, no?), and particularly if you work in IT, you'll term web 2.0 bandied about. It refers to blog, forums, and social networking. It occurs to me that I've really seen very little of it done from mainline-liberal Christian perspective. And I do have some ideas that would fit in, Granted I've still got more to learn, both Christ-wise and Tech-wisem, but It helps to know where you going before you get there.
Another thing I'm doing is that I'm preparing for admission to the Daughters of the King. It's hard to describe what it is . I'll say it's a lay religious order, but that'll probably conjure up images of a Habits and rulers and celibacy(I didn't spend ten years working for Catholic orders for nothing). so, don't start calling me "Sister Jana" yet.
Well not quite, we do agree to abide by a rule of life (or this). and it's not as hard as it sounds.
Basically, our rule (I've been at this for two years) is composed of rule of prayer and a rule
of service. you may have guessed the service part of my rule, and i'm already on the prayer rule.
And as far as the "sister" , you never know. I can recall hearing the small voice on meeting some folks in orders, and I've always felt drawn to Francis Of Assisi. Of growing up close by the St Francis River and
the St Francois Mountains probably
I may do some blogs on DOK as I get closer to admission.
FHS,

Try, Try again

As you may know , I tired to do my own perm in heat of july , and gave up.
Today, I tried my other route.
I rode over to the coffee shop, got a diet coke , and started on my way to riverside., pretty much the same route as the other perm.
Cruised down Mission Blvd into Downtown Rubidoux, past Mt Rubidoux, the Mission Inn, and UCR before Climbing up to Alessandro Blvd
When I got to Moreno valley and Alessandro blvd, I turned east instead of west. Here's a pic from the first rest stop:

I remembered RaleighDon from BikeJournal.com's advice about Payday bars, so I got one. Soon I was out of Moreno Valley and had this awesome view of the Badlands.

and a lake:
Gliman Springs Road wasn't too bad except for the traffic. The only real problem is a place called Golden Era Productions. While it sound like a run of the mill move studio, it's actually the wold headquarters for the Church of Scientology. It is very pretty, but they have security cameras all over the place. Apparently, the last guys who did the got turned away by the CHP due to a protest. Needless to say I didn't take very many. Here's a good article.

This is one from further down the down the road:













I Then went through the Soboba Indian reservation. They have a very nice Golf course(at least I think it's theirs) and De Rigeur casino
here's the San Jactino river. I've never seen it with water in it:

I stopped in Hemet at the 7-eleven. I had a burrito, a quart of chocolate milk, and another payday!
Here's the train station:

I went back to Riverside via the Romona expressway.If you've done the Hemet double or single centurys, you've done this road here's a picture of the Bernasconi Hills.

I went thourgh Mead Valley and my next control was at a Ralphs supermarket. They were out of paydays, so I had to settle for a baby Ruth. Darn!
I was soon on one of my favorite streets, Victoria Street in Riverside:
My next control was at Circle K in Corona. Strange things were not afoot, and my two most excellent friends, Bill and Ted, were nowhere to be found.
I then did the long climb back to Cucamonga.
I've gotten some grief from folks about having a control two miles from the end. I did it because the direct rout takes you past Ontario Mills Mall. I stopped and picked a Payday(what else?)
I was going to get a latte when I got back but I decided to get a Diet coke and home.
... and whose say forums are a waste of time?
BTW
Total miles 140 Total time 11 hours (I rode from home)

The smarter I get, the stupider I become...

I'll admit, I was a bit puzzled by the bible readings this past Sunday. I usually go to the early service and get to hear the sermon and the associated readings before the study we usually only cover the gospel reading. Once I got to church, I was confronted with Luke 16. As you may have guessed, it 's quite an interesting passage. Is Jesus saying to cheat your through life?. Well, some answers were provided by the service, as the Lectionary has it paired with Amos 8(definitely not pro-commercialism), 1st Timothy, and Psalm 138..
I was think about how the Lectionary readings have a theme. Amos and the Psalm serve as a good complement to the Gospel, and Timothy is sort about priorities.
But still it doesn't make sense. I'm thinking about my Java Studies, At times it seems like the more I learn, the more I need to know. I was trying to use Lucene as a search engine, and couldn't get the examples to work. I think It's a classpath error, but I think I've got them set right. Maybe I''l import it in to eclipse to see if I can get to work.
Always fun to stretch your brain

when a Date is not a Date

I've been playing with Java some more. Specifically I'm trying to do some thing to make my life easier.
What happens is that I maintain the test Database at work . The case expire after a week , and I'm try to come up with a better way of viewing the data.
My first thought was to store the data in a SQL database I read in the a date and tried to store it. Turns a Java.util date is different that a Java SQL date. so I needed to cast it.
And i turn out, that I'm just going to "store" it as plain text, since I'm probably going to be using XML to store the data. No need to persist the data.
But yet, I still worked on getting my casting code right when I didn't need to. It was fun and hood practice, and sometimes , things don't need a "payback". I recent bought a child's flute )well, actually a recorder because I've want to learn more about music. Currently, my neighbors probably think I'm torturing cats. I really don't think I'll ever play in public, but still, it fun, and I'm learning things.
So in short. do what you love, love what do, and it'll all work out. Hopefully
Ps. here's a good blog post to get you thinking:
Kathy Sierra #1

The Silver Streak to Olvera Street

I had a dinner with the Linux Chix at Olvera Street (You can also Try this link)
I would usaully take Metrolink in , as Olvera Street is right across the Street from Los Angeles Union Station (or this one) but is was the weekend. I Could leave here about 2 and get there about 3, which would leave me plenty of Shopping time before dinner at 4. The only problem was that there was a Train back at 6 or 9, which meant I could have plenty of downtime.
Fortunately, a local bus agency has started running an express service called the Silver Streak it has much more frequent service, at a lower cost. The only catch I could see was that it took longer.
So I paid my two bucks and climbed aboard. As you can see from the image, the bus isn't silver. And it sure didn't streak down the 10. We got to make a detour to downtown Pomona, (Take a leave it Beaver set and replace the English signs with Spanish). and a Trip by West Covina mall, and the El Monte Bus station.
we got there, I got some shopping, and I had an excellent dinner and great conversation at La Luz Del Dia , which included being serenaded by a really bad Mariachi band.
at 5:30 the dinner was over. I had to decide on the bus or the train again. I decided to take the bus, alhough we got stuck in a traffic jam, so it was a wash.
So Pros: Less expensive ($4 vs $12), more frequent service
Cons: slower, less deluxe accomdations
Olivera Street Images licensed under Creative commons
Silver Streak GNU Public License

The Road not taken

I started out toady thinking I was going to ride up to the Lytle Creek firing range. Once I got to the 15 and Sierra, I saw that the road to Glen Helen Park was open. So I took the road not taken. it was great.

I pressed on through Devore and found myself on old route 66. I road up to till the 15 . with just myself for company and plenty of trains.
It was fun and got me to thinking about Mr Frost and his poem. at times we keep on taking the same road over and over aging, when we would be be much happier and have better success at life by taking the road less traveled.
Speaking of which, I'm not riding my bike tomorrow. Gadzooks! what I am doing? check in on Sunday...

why we don't GMR in the summer:

I was going to do a moonlight double metric , but my ride partners backed out, and I didn't think I should tray and pedal through downtown Rubidoux at 10PM. I was getting a little bore with the club, and decided that I hadn't done Glendora Mountain Road in long time, so I headed out that way.
I pedal by the Mc Donalds at Foothill and lone hill in Glendora. I was hearing that still, small voice that was telling me that I should and refill my Camelback, Did I/ Nooo!:(
I made up to the shed in record for me! and I passed a couple of folks on bikes (usually I'm the passee) woohoo!:) :) I stopped at the shed and had some Sharkies, and then continued on to Glendora Ridge Road.
I was doing until Got past the halfway point. I ran out of water and I had forgotten my endurlytes(salt tablets) . I started cramping real bad. I could walk, and the heat I think had something to do with it, and I was just before you start to descend to Cow Canyon saddle, so I walked:( . Took it easy until I got into the baldy village, and then got a refill of my Camelback, some powerade, and some "prune juice"(aka regular Dr Pepper). Refreshed I bombed down mt baldy road.
When I got ready to turn to go home, I had a dilemma: I had promised to ride for Mary9761's on Team E and BikeJournal's birthday,, and I only had 55 miles. So i went over to Hermosa and down to 8th before heading
Miles 63
Time don't ask:o

Th e company you keep

Since I'm getting focused on the whole branding and marketing thing, you may have noticed that this is tag line for the New York Life. I find it interesting that we as a society use ad tag lines as a shortcut.
As an example, During a recent bible study, the leader asked a question. One the individuals replied “just do it!” I'm just as guilty, as I replied to a later question with “Grab life by the horns!”
And as I said in a previous post, sometimes the important message isn't the one you should bring home. Yes, The folks behind the ad would like it if we remember that New York Life has been here for a long time and is a good place to invest your money. And I'm not disputing their point.
But what about your circle of friends? And their friends? If you've read this far, you know I'm a cyclist. Does this mean I'm a pill-popping lunatic on a 'roid rage? Hardly. You may have stumbled across this blog from an Internet forum . And if so, you've probably noticed that old Fredwina is conspicuous by her absence on those. It's not that I'm not aware of them, It's that I read them and determined that I really don't want to be associated. Yes, I'm aware that forums are supposed to be private, but have you ever tried to find the “Right to privacy” explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution? I would suggest you try to. You might be surprised.
So, the point I'm aiming at is that people will judge by the company you keep. Ride around in Tight sorts and pretend that you're doing the tour? You must have EPO at home. Post on site where it seems everyone verbally beats everyone down? Must not be a nice person. Yes, I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but to large extent, that's what branding encourages And I'm not sure there is a solution, beyond keeping in mind that we are in 24/7/365 marketing situation.

God's Goals

As you may have noticed, I'm slowly (but surely) making my way through Tom and Christine Sine's :
one of thing thy recommend is that you write what you think God's Goals for the world are:
Here goes nothing
God's Goals for the world
Everyone is welcome at God's Table, whether we like it or not!
This is our Father's world! We are only tenants here, and it is our duty to “leave no Trace”
Under God there is no North or South
War isn't in God's Plans
with God, worry is not defined. But, we are human, we take God's prefect creation and ruin it – look at Communism – Soviet Style
our Bodies are God's temple, They are on loan from God , too.
We must take care of God's property, or he will evict us.
Be Brave. The world relies on us to do the expected, but the word call to do the unexpected.
How do we take “The Status Driven life” and turn it in to “the God filled life”
Branding is a disease, but is also a vital part of how we communicate. Witness the popularity of “indie” rock, no-name brand, and viral marketing.
The “digital divide” should not exist.

So, the next step is figuring out my talents. Obviously, I like writing, whether it be in English or Java(tm). And I like bicycles. Actually, I like being outside, generally. But, sometime the obvious message isn't what we're supposed to come away with.

Fredwina does her own perm

No, I', not talking one of those Toni home perm kits. Randoneurrers USA will allow to ride a set route for Brevet credit. I was going to ride a different route, but some one wanted to ride my routes, so I decided to may sure everything was OK. The results: well, The one time I had given myself a home perm, I drove home the next day. My parents next door neighbor was a hair dresser and 10 minutes after I had stepped out of the car, I was in a chair at the Lora-Don Beauty Salon;)
The start is about 6 mile from my place. I decided to ride over. I got there exactly at the right time.
I took off and was soon at the edge of Riverside, Here's a picture of Mt Rubidoux:
and here Is the world-famuous Mission inn The Interior is to die for, but I didn't think they would let me in:

I then pedaling through the Uc-Riverside experimental farms:

These were for nematode research:

I then climbed up to Alessandro blvd., which was followed by a quick descent to Victoria Street. Nothing like 10 miles of this:
I stopped at Circle K car in Corona, fought some traffic, and was soon making way back up to Ontario. I saw some plane take off at the airport, and was soon at my next Control Rancho Carwash and Lube; I think it's called that because Rancho Cucamonga Carwash, Quick lube, Mini Mart, Taco Stand, and Self Storage wouldn't fit on a business license
I was doing good with tiem I had 70 miles and it was only 12:30. The taco satnd was closed:( so stopped by the Casa Fredwina for a pizza:) . I was soon on my way.
Here's the Claremont Colleges:
and the oldest tree in LaVerne
I started to fight 16mph headwinds to get down to Azusa. It also got hot. I was fine going down:
The course only has 4000 feet of climbing, but half of that is in the last 30 miles. That and the heat did a number on me . I stopped at a Mini mart at Base Line and Carnelian and got some Gatorade and Chocike milk. I considered going home, as I was about a mile away(plus a 250' descent:p ).
I pressed on, I was doing halfway good until I got to Cherry and the 210 in Fontana - the route goes up to Nealy's Corners(Sierra and the 15). I had a flat there, and the time in sun may have done me in. It was about 5:39.
I really didn't have on the climb. I stopped once where there was some shade , and it did a little a bit of good, but that was the last patch of shade I was also worried about getting back after dark as I didn't have my lights with me. So i came back. To 20mph winds.
what Happened. I changed my fuel to Accelerade, but I think that helped. Taste better(to me), but I should drank more of it. I also changed my pre-ride meal from Sizzler to Fazoli's, but I think I 'll change that back.
Actually, one of the things I was thinking(doing 12 hours are great for this kind of thing) about was that my life has gotten a little out of whack. Granted the job is crazy, but I won't go there(i assume most of you have not had your boss how you came up with your Handle), but It seems that doing the Ultra cycling is just too much of a time Drain (although I may do one or two more in the fall). I'm also now the leader of a Professional Organization. I'd like to restore some balance between Bicycle Fredwina, Religious Fredwina, and Career Fredwina. Esepically since Religious Fredwina and Career Fredwina have put there head together and came up with a nifty idea that needs some research. Don't worry, I still be boarding, and Blogging, and Journaling, but it looks the R-12 is going by the wayside

you do race , don't you?

I got asked in a car coming back from a church committee meeting. I always find it interesting that most people here in the States seem to associate "serious" bicycling with racing. It may that their only exposure comes around this time of year.
What time of year is it? It's Tour De France time. and like a cyclist, I stick my fingers in my ears if I haven't had chance to see it. Well... not really. I actually missed the watching any stages there days this week, and I'm really not interested. Granted, I do check the net, so I know who won, and as far as the drug scandals - if you shine a light on some roaches, it'll seem like they're multiplying. but still, I'm not adhering to the mad cyclist sterotype.
So, where I'm going? Well I've been thinking about Branding in our society. Not the kind with cattle irons. Is a Lexus ES better than a Toyota Camry? Mechanically, they're the same basic car. But, you probably associate the Lexus as being a bit more desirable.
A lot of our society is Consumer driven, we want to associate with the "cool" brands. Witness The public perception of Walmart and Target. One is Hillbilly heaven, while the other is Tres' Chic, even though they often sell the same basic goods from the same suppliers. And I'm not saying "no Brand" is any better, since it seems like most marketing types are savvy enough to try and pitch their stuff as small company driven, rather than the reality of the mega-corp.
The trick is how to stay in the world while still not being of the world. A hard balance, but something I feel called to do. And it's tricky, because everything is marketing in our society.
An example: We at St. Marks's are looking buying reusable grocery bags. Canvas or plastic? Canvas seems so much more eco friendly, Doesn't it? But it's more expensive, and given the reaction folks has to buying Ikea bag for a nickel apiece, we would probably sell bags to those how already had some. And what about the fuel for Tractors and Cotton Pickers? and you do know what the modern raw material for most fertilizers, are (yes, you can get organic canvas, but at a higher price)? So, what's best for creation now?
And yes i', making progress on this mission statement from God thing. I actually manage to write what God's goals for us are. Now I need to find out my talent, and merge the tow together

inadvertently doing the right thing

As you probably figured, I 'm still struggling with the old “what I am here For” question.
On a professional note , I'm going to try and start lean Software design patterns. The LA JUG is offering a class , and it's actually on THIS side of the 405! woohoo! And They're using the Head First series of books, which is one of my Favorites. I could not find the book here at the megastore(As I Type this, I thought I should have checked at Cal Poly or the Claremont colleges), so I surfed over to Amazon.com . One of thing most people aren't aware of is that Amazon has partner stores. I found a Cheaper price at a “store” called Better World Books. I also ordered some more books by Christine and Tom Sine.
So , today, I finally surfed on over the Better world's Website. I was surprised (well, actually not).not only had saved some money(yes, the books are slightly used), but I managed to be socially responsible at the same.
Yes, I feel I'm being led down the social/environmental justice path. It's just how do take my talents and pay my bills??

Meeting God in the Ice Cream isle at Albertson's

I was shopping for groceries last night. when I looking at ice cream bar's Carly Simon's The Stuff that dream are made of started playing. As the regular readers know, I've been dealing with Discernment issues, and my aborning(stillborn?) mission statement. I really felt that the lyrics were saying something to me. I left like I was in a Episode of Joan of Arcadia
So what does it say? On the surface, it's a "stand by your man" song. but, as befits a member of the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Communion, let's dig a little deeper
Remember when I posted about looking at the Lord's Prayer in a whole new light? One of Tom and Christine Sine's is that we are called to create God's kingdom here - not in some post-rapturous world. I'm also thinking about the "Prosperity Gospel".
Too often we overlook that God is really in charge here - we just make a mess out of things. Then, we seem that what we think is best for our lives is the same as what God thinks. Surprise! So, one of things that I've been doing is listening for that still small voice to see what somebody else's ideas are and remembering that to gain one's life , you must first lose it.
And above all , don't worry! it's all for the best

the dream of the pink gloves

I have been my confirmation gift,Prayer on wings: a search for authentic prayer BY Carolyn Stahl Bohler.
I tried her "piggy who had none" approach of mediating and letting your mind wander. Strangely, what came into view was a pair of pink gardening gloves I had bought. I tried to form a connection with a aborning mission statement, but could not. Although think tonight, maybe it has to do with ecological concerns. I've just bought a set of reusable grocery bags(much recommended) and have been replace my regular bulbs with Compact Florescents.Of course I've also been thinking about consumerism and Christianity. Maybe I've been reading too many forums with topics like "i just bought (insert insanely expensive item here)!!!!!!!!". But then again, where did I got find a link for gloves? www.target.com :)
Peace

My first JUG

Or Java User's Group
Actually, it wasn't. I had been to the Harrisburg JUG and the LAJUG, but this was first meeting for the San Gabriel Valley JUG, of which Moi is the leader.
I got to the library early and got everything set up. waited around for what seemed like forever, and finally had a good crowd, I had honestly only expected 10 peope, and had about 20. The only thing was David Noble, who was supposed to the presenter, was not there on time. H showed up about 5 minutes late.
Dave's presentation was excellent, Gareth Chan from Tek Systems ordered some pizza, and everyone had a good time. Plans were made for even more meetings :) Yea!

Get a Perm on your bike and lose your identity

Now, Most of you thinking a perm is something you get at the Hair Salon, right?
Randonuerrs USA (RUSA) has a class of rides called permanents. They're like Brevets, only except you can do them at any time. The gang from BikeJournal.com got me in to trying to go for the R-12 medal(one brevet a month for a year). I signed up for the coastal cruise , which goes from Old Town San Diego to Laguna Beach. I needed to do at least 200K to qualify, and this was 230K .
I work up early , and drove down to San Diego. I made a brief side trip to 6th Street next to Balboa park to see if the apartment building that my Mom and Dad lived in during the Korean conflict was still there. it wasn't. I found that Gas Station that was the start of the Control. I had to drive a mile to park my car at the Trolley station. I then rode back, bought something from the Shell, and started out.
If you've done the Orange County Wheelmen's Amtrak Century, you've seen the route. I went by Mission Bay, and the UCSD campus, and got to do down Torrey Pines road (whee!). I was passed by all the fast roadies and triathletes doing the Swami's Ride. I was in Oceanside in no time. So far so good.
I stopped at the gate for Camp Pendleton and showed the Marine my ID. The next 6 miles were thruough the base. after that , I rode on the closed 101 higway through San Onofre State Beach. I stopped at a Bagel Shop in San Celemente and had lunch.
The only real problem I had was in Dana Point . the cue sheet had and error in it. I figured it out, but then I had to a climb on Pacfic Coast Highway(PCH), a Busy highway. and this section did not have any bike lanes! I had some rollers on this section
I got to the bike shop in Laguna beach that was the turn around point and discovered that I had lost my ID! . I looked there, but no deal, I also stopped by the bagel shop, but they didn't have it. I should have thought and seen if the Marines had a lost and found, but I decided to take the alternative to going through the base : Riding on the shoulder of Interstate 5. I had a still, small voice telling me to do this going north. But what's done is done. There was a traffic jam, so for a brief period, I was the fastest vehicle on the freeway!. I got off in Oceanside, and got stuck in a traffic jam on coast highway. I found the side streets and got going again. I was going to take pics on the way back, but I was more concered with my loss.
The ride is really easy back until Torrey Pines at mile 130. It's about a mile and half of 8% grade. I actually made it up without having to stop! I then took it easy on the downhill back to the car. Unforntaly, the space bar that I had been using for my lights broke. Thankfully, the STI cable caught it before it fell to the street
Yesterday, I had a sinus infection, so I didn't beyond calling the DMV and requested a duplicate ID.
what did I learn? Sometime it's hard for us to listen to the still, small voice. But, it's usually at those time that God is closest to us.
until Later,
Jana

Going Beyond the first impression

For whatever reason, I decided to ride my Bike Friday this morning, It's a heavier bike than my Cannondale road bike, and with the 20 inch tires, it's not a speed demon.
The result: I was 1 mph faster!
Goes to show, that at times, putting aside prejudgements is the best thing. I was think about since I'm working on discernment issues in my religious life, and how I work that out may affect the result of my life (hopefully).
Now, to get to work on my mission statement (from God, I am in a Blues Brothers movie?) I've got "to help god create his kingdom on earth", but the rest is a blank.
and yes, I'm back to the blog of the day.

seeming the familar for the first time

I've been reading a book, Living on Purpose: Finding God's best for your life by Tom Sine. It's like The Purpose Driven Life, but without the Fundamentalist Theology.
Anyway, Since I've been re-imagining my life, I've been looking to the bible for inspiration, I've been using The Contemporary English Version, which differs from what you'd normally find. Take Matthew 6:9-13:
You should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name.
Come and set up your kingdom, so that everyone on earth will obey you,
as you are obeyed in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
Forgive us for doing wrong, as we forgive others
Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil.

Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society.
Quite a bit different from that old King James, isn't it? Sometimes, we do need to look at life through a new lens.
Plagiarizing a Muslim co-worker,
Peace be among you.

A permanent on the Bike?

my report:
I was going to check out a permanent route that I put together. A permanent is like a brevet, only except anyone any organize ,and you can ride anytime. But , it only count for RUSA credit, not ACP (got everyone confused?:rolleyes:) I decided to sleep and only do the part I was not familar with, which would give me 100K/62M for the day.. I rode down to Riverside, Crossed the Santa ana, and went by the [URL="http://www.missioninn.com/"]Mission inn[/URL]. I cam to a corner that I usually turn at. I decided to straight. I thought it would be flat , but I went down, and what goes down must come up. As in a mile of 10% grade. Such fun!:o I got to the top pf the hiil, and watched Riverside's own version of Rolling thunder. No pics:(
I went back down the hill and spent the next 10 miles on Victoria Street. IF you find yourself in Riverside with a bike, you should do this, It starts in a Victorian Neighborhood, and becomes a parkway line with Orange Groves and a Median filled with Palms and roses:




I wound through some neighborhoods and found one of my controls, a Circle K:

I then crossed the Santa Ana again , and turned on a side road. My route goes up the main road, but The house grow faster than the roads do, si It hough may be i should see what this road was like. It had an unusual name:

and with a name like that, what's across the road?


I didn't stop by for free samples. Oh Darn!
I made a loop around Ontario airport and cam back home for lunch at noon with 70 miles. I decided that I felt pretty good, so I got the bike back out and did another 30 miles (bascially the same route I did Friday) to get 100 miles in:)

San Dimas Canyon and memory and Cactus

Now , don't tell i'm the only one who rode today.
Once again, I was inspired By Pook's riding in the 'hood and the Cactus thread on Team Estrogen
I set off to do one of favorite rides - San Dimas canyon. I pedal through Upland and found some pretty[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Jacaranda"] Jacaranda[/URL] trees in full flower, but the photos didn't come out.
I stopped in San Dimas to shoot an impressive wild cactus. then pedaled into the entrance to the canyon:


Hard to believe that you're only 5 miles from the LA mess, isn't it?
up through some switchbacks and then to a view of the flood control reservoir:


There is a monument to cyclist who rode off the edge of a cliff. it always gets to me. He was riding a recumbent for the first time and lost it around a curve. what make it difficult for me , was I on the road that day. I remember exchanging waves with him. A firefighter stopped and we talked about him and the canyon in general


here's the Fire station. I turned around and started home
I photographed some more cacti in Claremont and headed home


my place is in the background of the first, down Red Hill. I only wish I could live up there
34 miles. pace: who cares?

Happy Jack or Bust!

I was rather anxious about this brevet. It was a long drive, and I was
stretching my budget to accommodate it. I had also only done 304 miles
this month
I drove out to camp Verde. We started at a dude ranch. I had to camp
out- Bringing my own tent. I got there about 4:30 set up my tent, went
back into town to get something to eat, listened to a
Paris-Brest-Paris presentation and went to bed. We started at 4:00 AM
, and I was going to wake up at 3:00.
My Cell Phone went off, and I got ready and had breakfast. The first ½
mile was on a dirt road. One of the other riders wiped out in front
of me. I noticed my bike was my making a strange noise. Turns out, my
front brake was rubbing. I really couldn't see well enough to fix it,
so I released it and pedaled on to a Convenience Store by I-17. A
mechanic who was doing support of the 600 K help me get going, but it
cost me about a half hour. The sun soon came out, and we pedaled into
Cottonwood and began climbing into Sedona. Out first checkpoint was
there, and I made it with 15 minutes to spare. I was on my again , and
I was riding with about two other rides, who were doing the 600K to
the Grand Canyon. We were riding on 89A through Oak Glen Canyon. Very
pretty ride, but we had fallen so far behind that we had deal with
"tourist trap" traffic. I almost became a hood ornament too many
times. We also wound doing about a mile of 11% grade up the
switchbacks. I was debating whether to turn around or press on. I had
spoken with Spokewench from Team Estrogen – she lives in Flagstaff –
about riding together from the second checkpoint. I had told her
10:30. I actually got there at 12:00. To make matters worse, the
cutoff time was 11:00. I had tried to call the RBA, but got voice
mail. I also got Spokewench's answering machine.
I could have doublebacked on 89A, but that was an experience I didn't
want to repeat. I also assumed I was already DNF (which turned out to
be wrong). I decided that if I cut out the descent into Pine, and
climb back out, I should be OK. I had a couple of Hot dogs, and bid
adieu to my new friends
I proceeded down Lake Mary Road . I saw lost of riders heading the
other way, Finally, I ran into a lady riding a pink and black Giant –
we both turned around. Spokewench had a friend with her and we rode
together for little while . Great fun to actually meet and chat with
someone face to face.
I made to the next checkpoint at Mormon Lake only 30 minutes late. I
had an ice cream bar (because I felt like it!) and a candy bar, and
pressed on. At this point I was begging to succumb to the "distance
riding is 90 % mental" rule. I was riding to just to get back, and not
to enjoy the ride. It was a very lonely road. I think it even beats
Homey's Vineyard Canyon
I made to the fourth checkpoint only 15 minutes late – I was
improving, but it was 5:30. all the customers thought I was nuts. I
had a brownie, and mixed up some more Perpetum. At the junction of 87
and 260, I made made my choice, back down to Camp Verde. I found that
actually being on the final leg helped me tremendously. That, and the
15 mile of 6% grade. Downhill I turned off the main road, and headed
back to the ranch. There was one section 15-20% grade that I walked –
I was pretty pooped at that point. Two riders from Utah caught me, and
we rode in together. Susan , The RBA, told me that coming into
checkpoints late was Ok. - so maybe I should have gone on. But, I had
a feeling the midnight deadline was ironclad, and I would have been
pushing to to do that – so I'm happy I did what I did. The other
riders and I chatted for a while before going to bed. I was also
surprised to see my buddies from the 600K. one of them had a Atrial
fibrillation. so they decided to DNF together.
I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and came
back to ranch pooch(mutt Dog) in my sleeping bag!
Sunday morning we went and fed the Buffalo, and I left to drive back to LA.
A great ride. Granted I did DNF, but that's part of the package called
Randoneurring.

and it came to pass...

I've been writing as a hobby, I find find it relaxing, Granted I had to make room for it (I'm sorta ignoring my Java), but I enjoy it.
I've been doing some research on another possible work o' fiction. with out giving away too much of my plot, part of it is set in the past in Utah(this may change to Nevada, Hey. it's MY book!). So I've decided to read the book of Mormon.
"And it came to pass" appears about 1,00 times - Mark Twain had great fun with it. as far it being gospel or fiction , well let say I'm also from Missouri. I'm not convinced yet
"The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James's translation of the Scriptures. . . Whenever he found his speech growing too modern--which was about every sentence or two--he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. "And it came to pass" was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet" - Mark Twain - Roughing It

when nothing beats something

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. As you can guess from my title, I've been pretty busy and was trying to find some veg-out time. I'm still debating what to do , but I may drop of out of th R-12 challenge. I'm also debating dropping my Java class, but I'm keeping at the that for the future. I actually got back into writing fiction and a making progress.
I think we're incalculated that busy = good. It's hard for us to turn off and let go

what you want versus what you need

I thin we get theses confused. I was think about this in regards in to my bicycle hobby. I have a bike in the shop right now,. It's ready to go, but I 'm not going to pick it up until tomorrow. Wound using the funds for bicycle repair for car repair. and It was late getting the work,done. probably could do a whole series of post of providence.
As you may, I have been experimenting with Ultra Distance riding. and I seem to be stuck at 300K. I could travel further to do a 400k, but having a mega stress job mean I need some time to relax. I even have another fiction project brewing, but I have not typed a word yet. And I feel I need to, but don't want to sit behind a keyboard 24/7. At Least I get a break from my class

I am a worm....

It's from Psalm 22. I alway laugh when we read it, even thought I am sure it's wasn't the author intent when he wrote it. Or maybe it was. I always enjoy the Psalms with imagery provided By the author.

New exercises

MY car battery died , so I had to walk home from albertson's. Guess I won't be riding tomorrow.

Three more days.

Actually lent ended today, but I 'll keep on going until Saturday.
I went to Maunday Thursday services, at time I wanted it it to be over- I guess I'm used to the simplicity of Calvinsim. Reminded me that we see as just "fluff", some folk may deem important. The trick is where draw the line in our common lives

long days

I'm not going to type much, as it seems like every waking moment, h'm staring at a computer screen. I may need to cut down on surfing time, as I'm feeling very one dimensional. Thankfully, I've got a week to go until I'm out of the blog of the day zone. It's been fun and i appreciate writing

Doing the necessary stuff...

I had to take my Cannondale Road bike for service. I wouldn't do it, as it my favorite bike, but It needed to be worked> I can ride my Bike Friday, but it's not as nice, but maybe I need to ride some more more.
A lot of time we focus on things we think we have to do, like work (get way in the way of the brevets!), but still, we need to do these things in order to keep going, The real trick is to find the joy in them. Granted it's not an easy task, but would you rather be happy than be a grouch?

another month

well, I managed to do my job and my boss job today.
I lead the Java group, and we actually got one new person. Yeah!
Didn;t good so good with the snck machine at work, but managed to avoid sodas

A brick of a day

A brick is when you combine two workouts. Today in addition to my church stuff, I did a Twenty mile ride and then went for a hike with the Sierra Club. In addition to church and confirmation class. It's been rel busy, more than I wanted (note to self: don't overbook)

riding

had to lead the short club ride, It was a fairly small turnout. I had none lady was a bit slower, but we hung together and had 22 miles before we knew it. Hung around the coffee shop for bit, then took off. I wen two block, and head a loud "bang" My rear tube went and blew the tire off the rim I took me a while to get the tire soon on my way. I climbed part of th way up Mt. Baldy, and then went and visited a pretty park in La Verne (I didn't see Shirley, though ) we talking on the train about some trees that are bloom right now. I thought from a a distance that they were pink dogwoods, Well, it turn out they weren't Sorry, I didn't have my camera. I then headed home with 63 more miles than when I left

well, I did n't want to do that ride anway.

Due to work , I won't be doing the 400Ok. At least at San Luis Obispso, Still debating what to do next. I could drive up to Davis or Santa Cruz, or out to Phoenix, but with the cost of gas, that may not be wise.
The Good news I do get to spend easter here.
As I said before, lif is usually improvisation, I'm not sure how I'll make lemonade out of this yet.

Taking it slow

One of the thing I've been doing is reading a chapter of the bible at a time. I've actually read it cover to cover three times. The last time , I did it in a year. I thought I was reading to be reading that time, so I slowed, Also, I usually started at Matthew rather than Genesis, since It think the slog through Deuteronomy and Leviticus has doomed many an attempt to read the entire bible. I'm in Deuteronomy. The typical passed is "If your has trampled you neighbor's filed of wheat, bring the priest three perfect doves or one goat, unless it was field of oats..." So on for about 200 pages.
What got me to thinking, is that too often, we want the "good Stuff" with doing the hard work needed to cash, whether it be learning the Jewish law and it failed before we get to the amazing grace, or the 200 miles, 12,00 feet bicycle to get a medal from France. a lot a times life is slog is a slog through drudgery, but if we stop, we can always find the hidden beauty.

well, I'm officaly insane!

I sent in my registration for the 400K tonight. I still cant believe I did it. It ' probably going to take 24, provided I don't DNF. Yes, I've been looking at Bail points. part of like about Rando riding is it is a blend of mental and physical fitness. yes, I know bike racing is too, but I'm way too slow for that.
On another crazy topic, I've got a week to go before easter. so far, I failed miserably with Potato chips, and the purple wristband broke. I am managing to keep with the blog for my audience.Yeah!
I think it show that some time you have to try something, even if you know you're going to fall on your face. If you read the right books and have faith, someone will always be there to catch you when you fall (yes, I also like Science Fiction, especially Babylon 5).

Making time for what counts

So how do that? I wanted to update my parish's e-mail list with some info, but blew it, and the list appeared in in box. A lot of tome , we have to figure what it's important and what's not. I 'm still looking at signing up for a monstrously long ride the Saturday before Easter. any other Sunday would be fine (I could pretend I'm orthodox,and celebrate a week later)
I'm still working reply to my new friend, the crazy professor (I Didn't read my new copy of sojourners so I could read his reply) I'm working on "the insane programmer replies to the crazy professor".

Missed a day

I meant to write something about the crazy professor, but time slipped away... I'll get to it.
Taught my java class and came early with a sinus infection, we made it thorugh one book! yeah! and aside from my nose, I feel great!

The longest ride

The longest Ride
Saturday, I did a 300K brevet, That's 190 miles. The longest ride I've ever done.
I drove up to Morro Bay and checked into my Room. When I unpacked I discovered that I had left my reflective vest at home. You're supposed to wear one while riding at dark, and the ride started at 4AM. I went back to San Luis Obipso to look for , but had no luck. I decided to show up and at least do the ride as a “pirate”.
I woke up at 3 and drove to Cayucos . The RBA (Regional brevet Administrator, was fine with t Reflectivity provided by my jacket and Camelbak . At 4, we took off, I rode briefly with my Friend , Bernie Barge. Bernie is planning in doing RAAM (Race Across America) this year, and need to get some training in. We passed Harmony and turned off the Coast highway and began the climb into Paso Robles. About halfway up, a dense fog enveloped us. It was challenging enough ascending, but coming down was another matter. I pretty much rode the rode the white line all the way in to “Paso” . I got into Paso Robles at 7, rode through town, and was soon on my way to San Miguel over some very rough rodes. I wonder if MODot(Missouri Department of Transportation) instead of Caltrans(California's equivalent ). They had been paved with very Coarse chip seal – a MoDOT specialty. I went by the out skirts of San Miguel, and turned onto Vineyard Canyon road. If you've been on Foxen Canyon, Vineyard Canyon is Foxen's Big brother . it's twice as long (about 25 miles) with a lot steeper and longer climb at the end. By This time I was “Tail End Charlene”. Despite it's name, Vineyards has no wineries. It's most truck farms. At one point I found I was riding with both eyes closed. I wasn't sure what was a matter. I though that maybe I did not get enough sleep. I stopped several times and felt better. Bernie Passed me coming back right before the steep hill. I got over the hill, crossed the San Andreas Fault and was at the first control in Parkfield(67 miles). Parkfield is a lodge, Tavern and Earthquake research center. I snacked on some food I brought with me before starting back. I went back over the big climb (hiking part of the way). and started the descent . I ran in to the same problem with my eyes. I laid down for a minute, but the Highway Patrol wondered by and interrupted. I Finally decided that I was have an allergic reaction to the crops. I got off off Vineyard and onto the “Show me” pavement. By this time a Stiff headwind had developed. I had also not bee eating enough. It took about an hour to do the eight miles from San Miguel to Paso Robles. I stopped at an AM/PM Convenience store(mile 100), and had a big Gator, Queen Sized Payday,and a humongous Burrito. I know you're not supposed to have food with lots of Corn Syrup in Endurance events, but I need some fast energy. as it looked like I was going to battling the headwind on climb up and over the coast range. I had decided that if I reached the intersection of 46 and PCH (highway 1)(mile 120), I would press on the ragged point inn by 5, I would press on, otherwise I would had back to Cayucos. I got there at 5:10PM. The winds had let up, but I begging to regret the burrito After some struggling, I decided to see how long it would take me to get to San Simeon, about 12 Miles up the road. I ran into Kevin and Bernie on the outskirts of San Simeon at 5:43. The burrito and Gatoraid diet was begging to pay off! They urged me to press on. Shortly after that , I had a flat. I quickly got it changed, and soon on my, way, I guess I had forgotten how ling it was up to the ragged point. At one point, I cried a little bit. I did a little better with my energy gel and drinks. The Ragged point Inn is a four star hotel that sit on a 300 foot cliff overlooking the pacific. There about a mile long climb from Sea Level to get there. I get there at 7:30. had some more food. I also drank a “Real” coke, and mixed up some more perpetuem, and was back on the road at 8:00. I was begging to rebound. all of the land between Ragged Point and San Simeon is still owned by the Hearst estate, So it was just me, the cows , the occasional car, and the waves crashing on shore. A wonderful experience. I kept better track of my fueling, and it paid off. Kevin was out keeping track of me. I finally got back in a little after 10:15. Kevin and Kathy left me have plenty of Pepsi and cold Pizza. Kevin said I had gotten several complements of lighting, and he was surprised How fast I made back from the Ragged point. I pointed out that the terrain had a lot to do with that. He wondered if you be crazy enough to do the 400k in two weeks (250 miles in 27 hours)

I blogged in the morning and...

Well , I'm getting ready to head up to Morro Bay despite the fact that I could spend the day here cleaning. Actually , I lke cleaning, it just seems like I 'm constantly overbooked, Guess I need to find a to balance work and life....

That Still small voice

You ever had a voice in your head that reminds you of something? well today , I heard it. I was debating meeting the bicycle gang for dinner, They only problem was that I had park my car at a different station if wanted to. I decided against it to save money, but then forgot to bring along my lunch, so I wound up spending the money anyway.
When I've done scripture readings, I've wound more often than not getting the "still Small voice" (1 Kings19) passage. I think it's that God, (and life's most meaningful moments) come in not in the thundering cymbals and clanging gongs, but in the still small moments. The trick is overcoming societal conditioning that says we should ignore it....

Don'r agree with me? You must be a retardo!

I got think about this from reading thing from people that essentially say "people who believe in god are idiots". Which misses that point that a lot of the world is still open to interpretation. I can't say that my way is right, and say Osama Bin Lauden is wrong. It's just too often we've become accustomed to seeing "proof", without questioning it's "proofiense", to coin a word. I was think about reading claims for energy gels and drinks. They usually say "We're the greatest, and you'll bonk if you use brand X" Then you read the proof , it's written for someone with a Ph.D. in nutrition. Maybe I need to write "Sports Nutrition for Dummies". I'm also thinking of the news of the Anglican communion, which seems to be coming apart, because no one wants to meet in the middle, which, ironically, is what I like the most about my parish.
Of course, the trick is where to draw the line. I sort of alluded to this yesterday. I'm not holding out hope in the "get it now" world

Teacher or Helper

Benn conflicted. As you may know, I am teaching a Java group. The class has been asking for my code examples before they do the homework. I can understand wanting to see code that does what you're supposed to, but at the same time I don't want to turn them into Code monkeys. I may just give them a partial example to one exercise.
Benn packing for the 300K this weekend, It looks like I'm going to wear the same outfit for every brevet this year. It does handle a range of temps quite well.
I finished the Bruce Bawer book, quite a a good read, He's arguing that we should limit " religious" expression when it impinges on individual rights. A Slippery slope indeed. But, it some that we , as a society must manage. How do we accommodate other cultures, while at the same integrating them in to European cultures and values? Maybe we should go back to living in caves. Now, If can get myself involved with Lorna Doone

When an abstract is concrete

I'm having fun with My Java Group. I think we finally got them over the concrete and abstracts. and the door locked!
Bicycling not much going on there. Looking forward (with Dread?) to Saturday

taking it easy

I decide not to do a mega-mileage ride today. I pretty much did San Dimas canyon. Which is good, since it is one of my favorite rides.
I did my usual stops of Church and comfrimand's class. Still happy with my decisions.
Now to pay my bills...

miss identifcation?

I decided to wear my Credit' Arigcole jersey as it was most green thing I have. I took I a different route over to the start of the club ride. I actually managed to keep (about 20 mph) for he first ten mile. The we start a 1000 foot over the next 5 miles(up to Shinn Road). I dropped off the back quite a bit, but my buddies were waiting and one of them held my bike so I could take off my tights. We rode together for a while. At another hill , a rider was having problems with his gears, so I waited for him. the main gang had caught by a light, Stopped at the coffee shop and had a cappuccino before start back. I did the 100 foot climb from the other side, which was fun (not), since it has about 1/4 mile of 12% grade. I made up to over 40 coming into Claremont, and pedaled back home.
miles 62.8 or 100K
I was think about this, out here I'm a slow rider (at least in the club), when I I go to an away event, the impression of my speed changes for the better. I think may need to do some more "rebel" thing.
I was thinking about this reading a forum post on bikejournal.com. Someone had posted a youtube video about a bicycle ride down a descent in Colorado. Some had remarked how Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring" was fitting. I thought that it was odd, "Appalachian Spring" always (in a bicycling sense of the word) bring to my mind a ride along the Yellow Breeches, Conodoguinet, or Manada creeks in Pennsylvania. it was acually "Rodeo".( A bit more fitting)And I have to admit, I really, really like "Appalachian Spring" since it is based on a melody that is used in two of my favorite Christian Songs; Simple Gifts and Lord of the Dance. Of course, I get confused and run these together in my in my mind, so I find myself singing something like this:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right

Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

Sometimes I think we try and make things too simple. it's easy to make a snap judgments of something and then try and find things that back up your view (of people, things, Hobbies, or religion) rather than putting you brain in gear and look at the truth, As Van Halen said " I found the simple life ain't so simple"

As for me I'm still looking for the Valley of love and delight. I almost went to Albany,NY before I came out here. As you may know, Albany was there Shakers were based. I often thought That I was alive bake in the 1820's , I probably would have joined up. Of course I also think the same thing about John Reed.

Enough food for thought. Until Manana....

Patience wins out in the end

I knew I should have posted earlier!
Today was my day off! Went and saw my doctor. I thought I was going to have a mammogram, Well, that hasn't come to pass yet. I have a script for it and some meds.
I finally got the bike club to do some thing that I've been after them for two years to do, yippee!
Still reading Bruce Bawer's book, and I'm almost at the end. I'm supposed to be journaling as part of the confirmation process, and haven't . something for tommorrow

Well this is gettting hard

Once again , I'm at a loss for words. I probably should spent some time on train doing Java stuff, but I decided to rest my eyes.
I'm still on the Bruce Bawer book.
Tomorrow is my RDO. Yeah!, but I have a doctor appointment, and I have a feeling I might get asked to come into work, bummer. My boos is is sick, and it seems that everyone els is too "busy" to back either one of us up.

giving in to temptation

I had to go to Alberston's and get some soda. while there, I bought some malted milk eggs! oh well.
I'm still Mr Bawer's book. as usual, it's very thought provoking. I was wondering how he was going to handle Islamic extremism after reading his book on Christian "fundamentalist's", but so far so good..
No Java ME class. I think it;s dead.
Have not heard from the Pasadena PD. I do not e-mail class and let them know about whet to do for next week.

writers block setting in

Well, for once. I don't have anything to write about!
Actually, I lied. I went to to library and checked out two books:While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer, which is about the European reaction to Islamic fundamentalism, and Lorna Doone. Mind blowing combo, I'm sure. I wound with Lorna Doone, because I was much on a 100 calorie pack of LD cookies, and happened upon a the wikipedia entry, so I had to check out the book to see if I like it.
work was actually quiet today.