Thanksgiving

What I'm thankful for everyday:
1. the abilities of my body;
2. my consciousness;
3. my dearest friends;
4. my abilities to make new friends;
5. my confidence;
6. my ability to confront fear;
7. my willingness to accept whatever happens as divine;

What I'm thankful for today (on thanksgiving);
1. being in Tucson with friends;
2. a deep winter tan;
3. the availability of mt lemmon and my bicycle;
4. the 2 hour thanksgiving yoga class at 10am;
5. the availability of good, wholesome food;
6. the availability of laughter and cheer;
7. technology to express gratitude to others that are not in AZ with me (email/phone);

Vitamin D

Some interesting facts I've recently discovered:
1. Heart disease is no longer the #1 killer of Americans; Cancer is winning as of this year;
2. The NIH says that 85% of all Cancers have emotional causes;
3. Insufficient Vitamin D is linked to 18 different types of Cancers;
4. UVB ray exposure (just 15 minutes a day in the Sun) provides your daily need of Vitamin D;
5. A person living in Boston or Seattle goes outside for the entire daylight hours in winter (November through February) does not get a single ray of UVB (no Vitamin D);
6. A 2.5 hour plane ride to Tucson to ride my bike in the sun makes me happy (positive emotions) and lots, tons of Sun (mega UVB)!!!

Did I mention I'm in Tucson getting lots, lots of Vitamin D? The last FOUR (4) days have been in the low 80's and not a single cloud in the sky. Yessssssssssssss! Oh...and I love my bike again.

Uhmerhicans

I'm not someone who is overly political, sadly I focused more on financial markets and maybe have been a little apathetic (except for a few issues) the past couple of years. On my way to the airport today I was listening to NPR in the cab. There was a quote from our dear Mr. President....and it was something like this..."My friends....Americans are addicted to oil."

Whaaaaaaaat???
Really??????? Holy Cow!!!!! How did this happen? I demand to know!


The picture is real, and so are we. He also said in 2001 (and I quote), " In terms of the CO2 issue... we will not do anything that harms our economy. Because, first things first, are the people who live in America."

What first for me? Realizing that CO2 and our economy ARE connected and I'm not going to be so selfish as to say that my consumption comes first at the expense of the world. MY ELEMENT 6 MANIFESTO:

1. Eat locally; no Chilean peaches in December. I will plant my yard with foods I eat.
2. Reduce; i will never take a shopping bag from the store unless I bring one.
3. Lower my food chain; select foods that are less intensive to bring to me and my market (no meats).
4. Keep thermostat at 55 and wear a sweater (until my teeth chatter).
5. Bike everywhere and anywhere (use scooter more often);
   

30 days off the bike

Wow, its been a long time since I blogged. Maybe because I'm taking 30 days off my bike that I've not had things joggin' my mind, burning to be blogged. 30 days off the bike?!!?!! Yeah, I had a long racing season, an agro bike trip in Italia and plans for a strong and successful 2008 race season. So, I've been doing a ton of Yoga (sometime 2x per day), running (did a 10 mile trail run last sunday and thinking about the Seattle half marathon) and keeping busy (lots of work this past month). So...for 30 days, I'm off the bike. My 30 days ends in Tucson, AZ on November 16th, when my butt will once again feel my saddle up Mt Lemmon. Can't wait.