Loopy

I got up early this AM so I could ride my bike at North Park. I left my house around 9:45AM and it started to drizzle. As I arrived at North Park, the rain became more steady to the point where I did not want to ride. I decided to tough it out and waited until about 10:10AM, then the rain finally stopped. The rain had scared away the usual amount of walkers and bikers, so I took advantage of this and knew I would be riding with very little traffic. Another biker said a friendly "Good Morning" to me as I unloaded my bike from my car. I could sense she was happy as I was about the light traffic. I forgot how many loops I completed, but each loop was 1.4 miles, maybe 4 loops at the minimum, meaning 5.6 miles minimum. I felt pretty good except at the end of each loop, my right elbow tingled like I had hit my funny bone. I think part of it is the "death grip" I use on my handlebars. I have to learn to relax more, meaning ease up on the grips. I am thinking of replacing my standard bike grips with some grips from Ergon, which are supposed to be ergonomic and rated/reviewed very positively. I am tired now, not so much from riding, but from the combination of waking up early and doing physical activity in the AM. I am more used to working out late in the PM. Happy Trails!

I Want My DTV, Maybe Later

I do not have cable or satellite TV, so I will need to buy a DTV converter box before February 17, 2009. I applied for the government sponsored coupons the first week you could apply in early January 2008. My coupons actually expired on 6/17/2008, and I did not buy a DTV converter box yet. Why you ask? There are several reasons:

• I am hoping the government either 1) allows consumers to re-apply for the coupons or 2) extend the expiration date for the coupons.


• There is not a large variety of options to choose from to buy in store. There are plenty of choices on line, but they are more expensive. The choices in store are as follows: 1) Wal Mart – Magnavox; 2) Radio Shack – Digital Stream; 3) Best Buy and Circuit City – LG model branded as Insignia at Best Buy, and Zenith at Circuit City. Wal Mart is supposed to have an RCA model, which I have read is the best of the bunch so far, but I have not seen them in any of the 3 Wal Marts I checked. There are also reports that some stores have shortages of the DTV converter boxes.


• A $40 model is supposed to be released this summer from Dish Network called Echostar. All models currently available in store are either $50 or $60.

I took the suggestion of a writer who wrote about problems with the DTV converter box coupon program and asked a relative, my brother, who does not need a converter box, to go ahead and apply for the coupons.

I do not watch a lot of TV, so I do not need cable TV or satellite TV. I am happy with watching the free major television networks. Signing off.

Sunday AM Bike Ride

This past Sunday, I decided I have had enough of learning to ride my Trek 4300 mountain bike in an empty parking lot at a local community park, and ventured out to North Park. I have not been to North Park since I was a little kid. All I can remember is the paddle boats at the Lake. I originally thought that I would try out the 5 mile paved bike/walk loop around the lake, but it was very crowded with both walkers and bikers. I am not that confident yet with my biking skills, and I was afraid I would run over someone.

I read that there was a bike/hike trail near the Pool and the Pie Traynor baseball field, so I headed there to discover that a charity event called “Ride and Stride” was in progress. More crowds of people, but not was crowded as the loop around the Lake. I could not find the trail, so I opted for the one way, paved S. Ridge Rd. The loop was about 1.0 miles long, and I completed at least 3 loops.

I am still a novice. I was easily spooked by cars and other bikers passing me. I still need practice shifting gears at the right time and gaining confidence while riding. So, how is my elbow tendonitis doing? I may have tweaked it a little, so I am going to rest it for a few days. It was a great day for a Sunday ride!

WVU President Will Resign September 1

WVU President Michael Garrison announced that he will resign on September 1. His announcement comes after pressure from faculty, students, and alumni over the bogus MBA degree that was awarded to Heather Bresch, the daughter of West Virginia governor Joe Manchin. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette has followed this story since they first reported it in December 2007. Here is a list of articles about the controversy.

An Anonymous reader posted a comment about this on one of my previous posts: "I'm sure all of you have cheated in one form or another." Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but having 22 credits added to your transcript for a 48 credit degree requirement is not a simple case of cheating.

Penguins Win Game 5, 4-3 in Triple OT, Stay Alive

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Redwings 4-3 in triple OT to win Game 5 and stay alive to play Game 6 in Pittsburgh on Wednesday 6/4 at the Mellon Arena. Detroit leads the series 3-2. Marc Andre Fleury was spectatular, especially in the OT periods, and stopped 55 of 58 shots on goal. Let's Go Pens !