I fall down go boom

Another beautiful day not wasted! Mike and I hit the trails at Hawe's in east Mesa today. Second time I've been there and I feel bad for not going more often, it's absolutely gorgeous! Some fun parts, some hard parts, and quite a few "oh shit" parts. One of the latter parts got me and I went down with the style and grace of a water balloon. Skinned up both knees and my right elbow, but it was fun! I haven't done that in quite some time, so I knew I was due for a fall. I might hurt a little tomorrow, but for now I'm still laughing. 

Did about 12.5 miles, reaching some of the higher points of the trail system, and finding the elusive "secret" trail and the mineshaft. Good workout, that's for sure. I'll be sleeping great tonight!

I is genius

No shower at work anymore meant no more bike commuting....unless I figured out how to get by without it. 

Today I rode 7 miles to the light rail station, paid my $1.25 one-way fare and rode to the station closest to my work. From there, a quick 1.5 mile trip to work was a breeze, and with a fresh change of clothes and some gel to manage the helmet hair, its as if I had driven. Without the traffic stress to start my day :)

Since my activity level has been nearly zero with all the holiday and studying madness, I cheated and used the light rail on the way home too, but it's still cheaper than driving, and 17 miles of riding (~550 calories burned!) isn't too shabby for someone who's been "out of it" for a couple months. 

Further encouraged by my new LEED AP status, I figure I need to practice what I preach and get back into doing more "green" things with my life. 

And speaking of green....there's a Filiberto's right by the Light Rail station, I'm totally gonna stop one of these mornings and get a breakfast burrito, and I'll drown it with green sauce. Mmmmm yummy. 

Green isn't a coincidence anymore...

Me, LEED AP. Yeah boyyeeeeeeee! I passed my test today and I haven't figured out if I'm more excited that I've accomplished a goal, or that I never have to take that f'n test again. It was just as hard as I thought it would be and then some. I'm so glad that the test gave instant results, because if I had to sweat for a couple weeks waiting for them, I'd go nuts. But alas, I have 6 letters after my name now, eat that Doogie :)

I have to thank my lovely wife and son for putting up with me and supporting my study time. Hopefully it'll be a while before I have to study for anything again!

Study Mode: Hardcore!

I'm one of them. Tucked away in a dark corner of the local coffee shop (Coffee Rush, not Starbucks), typing away on my Macbook, sipping a non-fat latte. Sorry Jayne, there's no way to sneak pictures of the Grecian God for you, it would be too obvious. Maybe next time :)

Desperate needs require desperate measures! With my big LEED test a week from today, I've got to cram in as much study time as possible to ensure a first time pass on this test. Out of the 4 people in my office to take the test, none have done it on the first try. 3 gave up on it and never retook it. There's a lot at stake for my pride if I don't get accomplish this mission! At $300 per test attempt, I don't wanna be the next chump to ask the boss for more cash because I didn't apply myself the first time. I don't think I need to mention "troubled economic times" or "recession" and what they mean to my occupation...it ain't pretty.

I haven't taken a test in nearly 12 years. I never took the SAT either, so this is quite a daunting task for someone who's been out of the study/school loop for so long. I started studying in September, off and on, until the beginning of January, when I started getting serious. 

For the few people that read this blog, I'm putting my study and test goals up here now, because I don't wanna let you down with bad news next Monday. Cheer for me! 

Before I head to bed...

NOTHING brought me down today. Not the traffic, not the noise, not the temptation of retail therapy (thanks Craigslist!), not the smelly dude at QT, not the dumb fuckers honking at me while I was working in the field, nothing. No barking from the dogs, no smog, and momma cooked a breakfast with no hog! Everything went my way and I'm scared to go to sleep because I don't wanna break the cycle. But that alarm's going off in 6 hours, so I guess I gotta. 

I love my life!

Marley & Me

Yeah yeah, I cried like a little girl with a skinned knee. What of it. 

It was fun while it lasted

As of today, I (and other employees) no longer have access to the gym upstairs in my building. A couple of us that bike commute use the shower in the mornings, and since we all have long rides, that shower is very much appreciated. The new owner of the gym doesn't want anyone in there that isn't paying for personal training...and at $300/month, I won't be going in. 

I can't get away with a sink shower, and baby wipes won't do enough. Looks like I have to give up bike commuting, which totally fucking sucks. The weather is nice and I was really excited to get back into it (after slacking the past 2 months). 

Looks like my bike will be on ebay soon, and it'll certainly sell for more than I put into it, so that's one positive. But I'll miss it dearly. 

Without my weekday adventures, this blog will probably get more boring than it already is!