Short Update for this Week About Time Flying

Just a short update for this week as I am working on an update to outline what we did on our vacation to celebrate my 50th birthday the later part of July. More on that in a later post in August. 

I believe I say it every year, but I cannot believe that July is over. The month, summer, and year are flying by and it only seems to get faster the older I get. The fall semester is getting ready to start as we are preparing the campus for students to return. Seriously, it seems as though the fall semester just started from 2021, but yet, here we are and 2022 fall term is starting. It feels a bit crazy!

Until next time, enjoy the start of August and hopefully the month does not fly by too fast.

YouTube TV Guide Finally Updated

After I had almost given up on having my YouTube TV guide update it finally updated. I now have the new guide and it is so much better on the Roku device. I can see what shows we have set to record, information about the show, and overall general improvement with how the guide operates. It took a few months for the update to finally arrive on my YouTube TV guide where Carrie has had it on her profile for a few months. A slow roll out from YouTube TV to users it would appear.

I like the new update and happy to finally have it on my account. It might just be me and my eyes, but the font seems to be a little smaller. I did not find a spot to increase the font, but I think it will be fine the way it works. The guide is not bad in the picture I snapped of it today although it is on a larger TV so it looks good.

Short update for this week and mainly calling out that I finally got the new update. Hopefully we will see more updates and changes from YouTube TV in the future. This was a much needed update just to be able to see what is playing, recording, and read the description without going to the show. 

Items to Eat to Help Keep Cool in High Temperatures… Just Tastes Good!

What can we do when it is so hot? Our lawn that I had over-seeded last year is slowly turning brown. I attempt to water, but I am not sure it is doing any good. On Friday when doing things in the afternoon, the temperature outside was 102 and I told Carrie heat index was reported as feeling as though it were 109. Yes, one of those days when I walked outside and immediately start sweating. Letting Oliver outside and he immediately starts panting. It is hard to get away from the heat when it is that hot and humid.

We have managed to have some beautiful days the past few weeks even though it is so hot. A few days last week it was in the 80s during the day and dropped down to upper 70s in the evenings. Oliver, Carrie, and I spent a lot of time outside last weekend as it was so nice outside. Hard to not be outside when it is that nice! Enjoy those days when they happen because a day or two later and it is back up in the upper 90s.

I have to admit that when it is hot it really brings back memories for me of being a kid in the summer. I was outside all the time as a kid and I remember the heat. Although I would also be visiting the pool or lake to help cool down which is not something we are doing these days.

Carrie and I have enjoyed visiting Tad’s Shaved Ice in Topeka off of Huntoon. We went there twice last week and it was really good. Carrie also likes Pineapple Dream off of 29th Street. I prefer Tad’s over Pineapple Dream, but they are both good. I like all the options and variety I get with Tad’s. Both places are usually packed when we go in an evening as people are trying to find good places to cool off in the evening. 

While we are finding cool treats to have during the week to cool us down, our yard is starting to go dormant. I enjoy mowing the yard and attempting to take care of our lawn, but the yard is barely growing at this point. Last week when I mowed, I could barely see where I had mowed and where I was going in the front yard as the grass was not as long. The back yard, where we did not over seed a year ago, continues to grown like crazy. A few spots that are just weeds, but the grass in the back is growing much faster than the grass in the front to the point where mowing last Sunday I had to slow down in spots so as not to clog up the mower. I will focus on the back yard this fall to get rid of the weeds and try to get more grass growing in the back. I will probably have to do a bit of that in the front too, but hopefully not as much as I did a year ago.

In case you were wondering, this next week will start off low 90s and then gradually climb to upper 90s and low 100s by the end of the week. Be sure to get out there and get your Tad’s Snow Cones or your Pineapple Dream to help keep yourself cool.

My Stats for Working Out Slacked a Bit for June

Working out in June was another struggle. Looking back, I only had three of the five full weeks where I worked out multiple times. Two weeks I only worked out once on a Sunday. Getting sick in the middle of June did not help my days for working out (see Exercise Not Happening), so it is easy to understand why it was down a bit. In fact, I think the June 19 or 26 date was not even a bike ride, but meditation to keep my streak going for Peloton working out. One of those days I was sick in bed and not doing much. While it seems infrequent, looking back on May 2022, I only worked out nine times that month too. 

Not a bad track record for June working out considering I was sick for about a week and a half, still, I was hoping to be working out consistently throughout the month. Now, July has started and here we are at day 10 and my working out has not happened much for July either. I plan to get back into it starting Sunday, July 10 with my normal ride time and planning to ride Tuesday and Thursday this week too.

It is so easy to fall out of the routine of working out and so difficult to get back into the swing of it after taking a few days, or weeks, off from doing so. I am happy to report, which I have not done recently, which is that since January 6, 2022 I have lost 14.6 pounds. Weight not exactly flying off, but I am seeing some improvement with my weight. My clothes are fitting better, I feel better than I did back in January, but a long way to go. 

As I look to individual stats from June, they are not horrible, but not great either. Already covered the individual workouts of nine which matches with May workouts. However, at least one, maybe two, are not even bike riding workouts. So, really I am looking at seven workouts for the month of June. Not very good and room to improve for July.

Total minutes of working out at 211 is not great either. Back in May I spent 283 minutes working out, so this is down considerably from May time spent working out. Again, room for improvement for July although so far I am lacking behind total minutes working out. I might need to throw in an hour long, or two workouts, this next week or after to bump those numbers. My plan of incorporating a jog at least once a week has not happened yet either. I do miss running and still hope to get that involved in my workouts possibly in August.

Mile traveled is down too as you would guess. For May I traveled 69 miles during the month long working out routine compared to 45.6 miles traveled for June. Hoping to get that back up and tracking toward triple digits for future months. I will say, the past few months while I was trying to workout for at least 30 minutes, I have found that I have done a number of 20 minute workouts which means I am not working out for as long as say a few months ago or traveling as many miles.

Finally, calories burned is down almost 1,000 from May numbers. Again, not surprising considering I did not work out but only seven times for June where I was riding the bike. 

I do enjoy riding the bike. I look forward to it and enjoy the process. I just need to do more of it and be better about consistent workouts. Stop making excuses and plan for it if I know the week is busy, get up early to work out. Or, move days to another day if I am unable to get a workout in on a planned Tuesday or Thursday. I was doing this a lot early on in the year where I would move days, but the past month or two, if something comes up where I cannot get a workout completed, I simply skip that day. Not good!

I hope your workout routine is going well. If you are on Peloton and would like to workout together, please drop me a line in discussion below. Happy riding and see you on the bike…

Happy July 4! Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

Have a happy and safe July 4 celebration. It is hard to believe it is another July 4 as the summer is flying by faster than ever. Seems to be the common theme I hear from those I speak to about summer and the year that it is flying by fast. 

While I rarely buy fireworks these days, I do enjoy going to see a fireworks show. Even if it is a show the neighbors are in the street from next door, I enjoy watching fireworks. The whole process brings excitement from watching and on those rare occasions when I do shoot them off, the run to get away before the explosion.

Last year for the holiday, we drove around Kansas checking out camping sites (see Different Kind of 4) which was enjoyable and we were able to get Oliver away from the explosions that scare him to crawl under furniture or behind chairs. Poor little guy, scared of thunder and fireworks which both seem the same to him… loud!

Stay safe and enjoy the July 4 holiday.

Leasing of Two Different Cars and Decision to Buy Our Last Lease… Our Journey Through Car Options

For the past six years, we have leased our car that is our main driving car. We had made the decision to lease so that we could try out different cars and have all the new “features”. Our first car we leased was a Nissan Murano. We loved that car and it drove really well. After the three year lease was up, we test drove various cars and ended up on the Honda Pilot. We have owned other Honda cars through the years and our second car is a Honda Accord, so we knew they were quality and we were familiar with the model as Javier had a Pilot back in the day that I really liked. 

Our lease for the Pilot comes to an end on July 13, so we decided to start looking for cars last weekend. I had heard the news that there were shortages for cars, dealerships short handed on their lots, and used cars were being sold for the same amount, or more, than a new car. All of this in mind, Carrie and I started test driving and looking for cars last week. However, this time with the idea we are going to buy our next car and we are done with leasing. We enjoyed leasing, but it will be nice to eventually not have any car payments again as we did for a number of years before we bought the Accord and started the leasing process.

We called around to dealerships in Topeka and started hearing the story that there are no cars are on lots. Basically, in order to test drive a car it is necessary to place a deposit so that we can test drive the car when it arrives before someone else buys the car or they put a hold on it so they can test drive the car. Carrie had told me we would probably need to go to Kansas City to find cars to test drive which was true but even they do not have them on their lots and have to pay money just to test drive the cars. 

We started in Topeka and Carrie had lined up a test drive of the Hyundai Palisade which we a week ago. We arrived at Hyundai and only about four cars on the lot two of which were the people working in the building. The Palisade that was on the lot was not the one we had lined up to test drive as it was located in what we later found out to be Lawrence but had already been sold. We test drove another Palisade that was not the right color and I was impressed. It drove nice, had nice features, and I could see us in the car for a purchase. We asked the dealer about the process and that’s when we heard that it can be six months to get a car that we want on the lot and that to make sure we can test drive the car when it does arrive we need to pay a down payment. Seems a bit crazy!

We left and we were going to see about test driving some other brands in Topeka, but no one else had anything on their lots. We stopped by Nissan and actually put a down a payment on a car so we can test drive it when it does eventually arrive. The good news about the down payment is that you get it back or it can be canceled, so basically, you are just reserving it so that when it does arrive on the lot you can test drive it before anyone else. If we decide not to buy the car, we get the deposit back.

As we left Nissan, we started talking and decided we should buy our Pilot. We are not going to be able to get a new car anytime soon even if we look in Kansas City, so we made plans to buy out our lease on our Pilot. Currently, we could buy it and then sell it and get a good return on the investment when we do decide to sell the Pilot. 

Our plan is to keep the Pilot for a year and begin to look at other options for a new car giving ourselves 6 - 12 months to wait on the car to be available, test drive, and purchase the car. Selling our Pilot in the process and making a profit from doing so.  We will see what happens, but so far we are happy with our decision and look forward to being a owner of a Pilot for the next year or so before purchasing our next car.

Exercise Not Happening After Getting Sick… Time to Motivate and Get Back to Riding

My working out came to an abrupt halt after I got sick from Covid. Yes, after a few years of not getting sick, I came down with Covid after Carrie returned from Houston. I picked her up from the airport on June 13 and by June 15 I was feeling lousy and tested positive for Covid with a home kit. The last time I did the bike was June 12. I worked from home from June 14 - 20 and I was back into the office on June 21. During that time while not feeling great, I did not ride at all.

While I went back to work on June 21, I did not feel like getting back on the bike for my normal Tuesday or Thursday rides. I decided I would take the rest of the week and get back on the bike starting June 26. It will feel good to be back on the bike and get back into the routine of riding on a regular basis once again. While I was out sick I went probably two days without eating a thing which means I lost weight during my time with Covid. I dropped to the lowest I have been in years although after being able to start eating again, I have gained that back, but it was good to see those lower numbers for a few days anyway while I was not feeling well.

While both Carrie and I were sick, Oliver took care of us. We were both in different bedrooms and Oliver would go back-and-forth between the two rooms sleeping for a bit in each room with us and keeping an eye on us. He was so ready for us to go back to work as we had been cramping his style around the house. He took good care of us and was a good snuggle puppy while we were not feeling well.

Hoping this is our last and only time with Covid. On Thursday, June 16, I slept all day long. I had my last fever on Saturday, June 18 and yet a week later I still feel pretty tired. I have no other symptoms other than a slight cough from being sick, but I am ready to get back on the bike and get back to my routine.

It is so easy to get out of the habit of working out whether it is from getting sick or other events happening during the week. Once I get out of the habit, it usually takes me a little while to get motivated to get back in the saddle and start working out again. I normally would do a live ride on Sunday at 11 am, but I think I will do a solo ride to get my mind back in the mode of working out and then I will plan to ride Tuesday and Thursday this week too. Back to my routine will be good and get my head straight.

Until next time, stay healthy and I will see you on the bike…

Happy Father’s Day 2022!

Happy Father’s Day! A beautiful, very warm, June day for 2022. 

I have been sick this past week and so I have been watching a lot of golf the past few days. It brings back memories of watching golf with my Dad. Some good snoozing has happened and I am sure more will occur today as I watch golf and wish a Happy Father’s Day to my Dad in heaven. Love you, Dad!

Happy Father’s Day to Dad Shirron! Sorry we will not see you today. We will see you soon! Love you!

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers on this day!

Weekend of Grilling Went Very Well While Carrie Was Out of Town

Carrie was going to be out of town to visit our friend Corrie in Houston June 8 - 13, so I planned to do a lot of grilling while she was away. I started preparing the menu before she left and had most everything picked out prior to her departure. Although, I had to make some changes as some of the items I wanted were not available at the local grocery store (i.e. mahi-mahi), but made an adjustment and I think overall, it was a successful time grilling. 

The first night, I did a simple pork tenderloin on the grill. I did not get any pictures of the night, but the picture to the left was my basic set up for the other nights I grilled. I decided on a pork tenderloin as it would give leftovers for dinner Thursday and lunch Friday. I did corn on the cob on the grill along with the pork. It turned out really well. Using the Meater and it was cooked to a perfect temperature. It did last me through Friday lunch, so it worked out as planned. I decided on this as I wanted to workout Thursday night after I got off of work and did not want to worry about cooking or going late around the grill. Oliver and I spent time outside even though I was not grilling listening to music and drinking some good beer.

I got off of work at noon on Friday and started running errands getting ready for cooking Friday night. I stopped by Blind Tiger to pick up some growlers of beer, went to the grocery store, and then to Herman’s Meat Market to pick up a porterhouse bone-in steak along with a twice baked potato. Nothing fancy, but simple and done on the grill for the porterhouse. Put the potato in the oven and let it go for about 40 minutes before putting the steak on the grill. I also started some mushrooms on the stove to sauté to go along with the steak and of course I opened a bottle of wine to add to the mushrooms. I then also had the rest of the bottle while I ate and relaxed for the evening.  

The goal for all of the planned cooking for the weekend involved wanting to use the Meater to see how well it worked. Maybe perfect how I use it so I can impress Carrie the next time I cook. Once again, the Meater worked great on the steak alerting me to take it off from the grill, letting it rest, and knowing when it was the perfect time to start eating. Not the greatest picture, but it sure tasted good. I picked up the onion and peppers at the store that afternoon. The pepper was too hot for me to eat. I had a few bites and could not taste a thing, so I kept it until the leftovers on Saturday for lunch to go with the leftover steak. It was still too much for me. Very hot! I was very happy with how everything turned out.

Saturday was a busy day for me while Carrie was a way. I had a lot planned for the day around the house and to cook. I mowed the lawn, trimmed, and got the exterior looking good. I had errands to run for cooking that night which included picking up swordfish and I wanted to clean up to get it ready for Carrie returning on Monday night. I also wanted to try a recipe for a rum cake on the Big Green Egg. My first time trying it and Carrie and I had talked about it, but had not tried it. I figured it was the perfect time to give it a try. The recipe which I found on the BGE web site (here) was pretty easy. I could not find the correct pan, so I found one that would work. It took about 50 minutes for it to finish cooking so that a toothpick inserted came out clean. I let it cool and started cooking dinner for the night.

When I was at the store earlier in the day to get the swordfish and other items, while I was at the seafood counter, the HyVee associate suggested as I was grabbing the swordfish from her that I should get some Australian Jumbo Shrimp they had in their cooler. I almost did not get any as I was leaving and I am so glad that I did. they were delicious! Huge pieces of shrimp that I ended up eating by dipping in butter. They tasted just like lobster. So good! 

The swordfish I got two of them so I could have one for Sunday at lunch. This was only my second attempt at swordfish. I did a simple oil over them to coat, salt, and pepper which then went on the grill. My first bite tasted very fishy of the swordfish. I used the Meater to monitor the swordfish which did a good job, but I think I will try a different recipe for swordfish in the future. The rest of it was very good. Leftovers on Sunday, it was much better too. When I told Carrie about it, she thought it might have been the difference between the kind of meat in the swordfish which might be right. I will try them again as it was delicious once I got past the initial bite.

Sunday I changed my plans from doing mahi-mahi (which I could not find at the store) to doing a pork shoulder. I wanted something that was going to take a while to cook. I put it on the grill a little later than I had planned. The total amount of time it took to start to finish for the pork shoulder was about six hours. I once again used the Meater to monitor the cook. While it cooked, I tried to do some limb cleanup in our backyard, but the weather was a little odd on Sunday with what appeared to be a large storm heading our direction. As it turned out, the storm split right around Topeka and we did not even get any drops. I had two ears of corn on the cob that I had left over from the Wednesday night cook. I bought some buns at the store along with Joe’s BBQ sauce. Pulled the pork once it was done and had BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. I wanted enough to have leftovers on Monday and for Carrie to have some when she got home Monday night or Tuesday.

I was pleased with all of the cooks. I did keep some of the rum cake for Carrie to have when she returned and she had some BBQ too. I think we finally finished off the rum cake on Tuesday. I was happy with everything I cooked. I was proud that I was able to cook everything for my meal on the grill for Saturday even though the swordfish turned me off a little on the first bite, I thought it was good and I would try it again.

I will do the pork should again as well as the rum cake. Steak on the grill is a given. So, I cannot wait to grill again and hopefully it will be soon. Carrie thought it was funny how excited I was that she was going to be out of town when I started planning all of my nights of cooking. I think it was a successful time of cooking and hanging out with my boy, Oliver. 

Until next time, have a great week!

May Stats for Working Out Was a Bit of a Struggle

The month of May was not a great time for me and working out. I did manage to get at least two days in each week but they were not long workouts. I think I averaged 20 minute workouts. Still, good I am getting some exercise, but not as much as I had intended. Trying to keep the rides going even when busy with other events through the week is the tough part but it is also part of what drives me to make sure I get those rides scheduled. I need to do more when I know it is a busy week so that I get up early and ride or move the days around to get the three days a week workout done.

Consistently worked out on Tuesdays through the month of May except for the last Tuesday of the month, but we had just returned from camping that Monday and did not feel like getting on the bike. Sunday was consistent too for me. The Thursday workout was the toughest it would appear for May only working out one Thursday during the month which also happened to be my one week during May that I did get three workouts in for the week.

Interestingly enough I did work out three additional times in May then the prior month, but it does not look like it when I look at the report of dates I did a workout. My minutes at 283 total minutes working out is better too. So, even though I feel like it was a down month, the overall report for the month does not look too bad.

 

Miles traveled and calories burned were all up compared to the prior month. So, progress there even though it feels like it was a down month, I can see in the reports that I did better than I thought.

 

I do continue to see weight being lost. Since January 18, 2022, I have lost 11.6 lbs. So, not a lot, but it is gradual. As I have mentioned multiple times in past updates, I continue to drink beer or not eat very well. Although, eating better as Carrie and I are doing good with our eating at home and trying to eat healthier too. Eating healthy is a constant battle and it is so easy to let it slip where I eat a burger or something for lunch because it is easy. Happy to say it has been a while since I have been to McDonald’s during the week. We did get simple burgers when we went camping and when we returned that Monday.

 

Feeling good about my working out. Summer months will continue to be a struggle to get workouts in. I need to make sure that I keep working out and plan for when I am going to be busy with other things so i do the workout earlier or on other days. 

 

Have a great week and I will talk to you later….