Stopping by to say hi.

[Monrogue]

Hey Heinz,

Glad to see you popping in and saying Hi.  It sounds like things are gradually going down a positive path for you, which is great   Please keep stopping by occasionally (or more often ) to update us on how you're doing man.

[Mercury]

Hey Paul, just saw this thread.  I know we've talked a lot in PM's so I won't repeat myself, but it is awesome to see you posting my friend. 

with metta,
Sean

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Hey again everyone!

Just popping in again to say hello, and thanks again to all of the good wishes and positive thoughts everyone has sent my way.  Things have been a bit down for me lately, but I turned a corner today and am on a positive slope again.   

I was just doing some of the online training stuff for my bike shop job, which is mainly product knowledge, and saw they have a training program for Kershaw... The cool thing about Performance's training program is that once you complete the training for a given company, you get a significant discount on their stuff!  Wish they had one for Zebralight! 

I actually had to break down today and order a new flashlight.  (Honest!  I really do need it!)  I have my H51Fw mounted to my handlebars with a Two-Fish lock-block, and my H51Fr to my seatpost the same way.  I'll include a couple of pics below...  I also have my trusty SC60w on top of my helmet with a bike-block, and my H502d under my visor for off-bike lighting (I live in a garage that's been converted to a living space, and there's no outside light there). 

So while it seems like I should have enough light already, unfortunately, I don't.  The 1xAA config in my H51Fw doesn't give me enough run time for an entire evening's worth of riding... And, as bright as my SC60w is, it's still not enough in heavy traffic and city night lighting.  So, I broke down today and ordered an SC600w Mk II and a ZL 3100 mah cell for it as well.  (This thing: http://www.zebralight.com/SC600w-Mk-II-L2-18650-XM-L2-Flashlight-Neutral-White_p_122.html puts out over 1,000 ANSI lumens on max!  )  It was pricey (I realize now I should have contacted Travis first) but I really do need the extra output.  The 60w is going to go on my bars, and the 600w II will go on my helmet.  That way I'll have both more light, and more run time in both positions.   




Edit:

And, that's a sweet new Ritchey Comp seatpost there too!  It has a dual bolt design that makes for a much better mount for the seat.  It also eliminates that single big bolt that sticks up from the clamp and always ends up banging into the bottom of the seat...  The frame of my saddle is fairly flexible, and the new seatpost lets it flex more and gives me a more comfy ride.

[sawman]

That looks like a great setup!  1,000 lumens is like a car headlamp or something... it's pretty bright. I'm glad to hear you're doing good these days. The forum misses you and thinks about you often. Great hearing from you! 

[captain spaulding]

I'm just glad to hear you are still around. I'm sure our paths will cross again. I don't know when, but I just have that feeling. I send my best to you and your family and if you are back around my area we should get together. Wish you all the best Paul. I really do! 

[kirk13]

Now that sounded like the man we know and love! Thanks for dropping in mate,hope everything stays on that upward curve

[AimlessWanderer]

Good to see you again Paul 

[Monrogue]

It's great to hear from you again Heinz   Thanks for stopping by every so often to update us on things.  It's good to hear that you're doing well, and haven't lost all influence from this place

[Lynn LeFey]

Hey Heinz. Awesome to hear from you, and I think it's safe to say we all wish it was more often.

Nice light. I have a friend who does a lot of cycling, and keeps getting crappy lights. Every time he does, I just want to 

Yours looks like a nice setup.

Hope everything's going well, and looking forward to hearing from you again. SOON!

[jerseydevil]

Paul!  Good to hear from you! 

[firiki]

Glad to hear you're doing well, Heinz.  Do keep us posted, please.

[Mr. Whippy]

Good to hear from you Heinz!  Sounds like things are going quite well. 

[AHB]

Thanks for the update.. Now don't be a stranger buddy.. 

[Grathr]

Great to hear from you again!
Very nice light setup 

[enki_ck]

Nice of you to give us a visit. Feel free to do it more often.

[Heinz Doofenshmirtz]

Hey everyone... thanks for all the kind words.

Life is still a struggle for me in many ways.  I earn enough at Performance right now to cover my rent and utilities, but not much more.  I'm sitting on what's left of my savings as much as I can, but I do have a couple more necessary expenses coming up I need to deal with... a new rear tire will set me back a good $30 - $40, and my front hub is shot, so that and spokes to rebuild my front wheel will run me another good $50 (all even with my employee discount). 

I've had a phone interview with a company in San Francisco called Cengage Learning... they're one of the biggest college textbook publishers in the business, and they have a "Content Developer" position available.  I'd be writing supplementary materials for psychology textbooks; class exercises, essay and multiple choice questions, prepared PowerPoint slides, and working on multimedia content for their online services and learning portal.  At this time, the HR recruiter who I had the phone interview with said she's advancing my application to the hiring manager for further review.  I'm hopeful, but a company that big moves with the speed of a slug on quaaludes, so I expect it to be at least a couple more weeks before I know if I've been selected for a second interview.

In the mean time, I'm doing some ghost writing for a law professor at Santa Clara University, down in the south bay... he teaches a leadership class for law and business students, and wants to incorporate six classes worth of material on problem solving, creating thinking, and design thinking into his course.  So I'm going to be writing lectures with slide and annotations, and class exercises and evaluation rubrics for him for the class.  I should get a decent pay-out for it too, which will pad out my savings and give me a good 3 - 4 more months worth of rent to stash in my savings, and allow me to keep adding to my portfolio and to help me get more writing work.

On a personal level, I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster lately, dealing with my X in terms of co-parenting and visiting the kids, having to talk about tough issues between us, and how we want to proceed from here.  I talked with my X yesterday on the phone, and we've set a tentative date of July 1 next summer to consider whether or not we'll try to reconcile, or simply divorce.  She's told me what she wants to see from me with regard to getting back together, and I have my work cut out for me. 

In addition, I'm also doing a lot of intensive physical, emotional, and spiritual growth work...  I've totaled more than 100 mi. of cycling a week for the past six weeks.  I've been very careful about counting my calories eaten and burned with my cycling and weight lifting, to keep a negative balance.  It's really paid off too... I have now lost a grand total of 50 lbs from my heaviest weight back at the beginning of the year; I was 256 and now am 206.  My goal is to get down to 190, the weight I was when I first met my wife... 

I've been exercising regularly too, weight training, bodyweight exercises (push-ups with three chairs are brutal), and HIIT training.  I typically exercise/work-out three days a week, and I can now do 40 standard push-ups and 30 with my feet up on my stability ball.  I can do 20 on three chairs.  My resting hear rate is 59 beats/minute now.  I've lost a shirt size; from an XL to an LG, and almost two sizes off my waist; from a 40 to a 36 (almost all of my shorts and pants now simply fall off of me if I don't have a belt on!).  Can't really afford to buy better fitting clothes right now though. 

So in short, physically, I'm in better shape than when I was 30... physically stronger, more aerobically fit, and with greater endurance and fewer aches and pains than over the last few years.  Combined with my weight loss, I feel like I've gained another 10 years on my life.  A while ago a couple of gals in a black 500SEL whistled at me on North Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek as they drove by me as I was riding along...   

Anyway, I've gone on way longer about this stuff than I planned, so I'll end here.  Once I get a more regular schedule and improved income, I'll pop in more often to chat and say hi. 

Take care everyone!  Have a happy All-Hallows, and I'll be back later.

Namasté!

Paul.

Edit: here's a pic of my calves... from four months of almost daily riding, at least 10, usually 20, and sometimes 30 mi. a day... and YES that really is ME!



And one of my quads too...

[kmanct3]

Glad to hear you are doing OK, I always enjoyed reading your posts, Good luck

[Monrogue]

Glad to hear things are working out for you.  I hope you and your X can work things out.  You really make me think about getting back into my workout regimen regularly.  I've slacked on that a lot the last couple years, and even moreso with a baby now.  I have the equipment, but I lack the time/motivation (mostly motivation) to get off my rear and get to it.  Nice legs btw, and in the second pic, at first glance it almost looks like you've got a pegleg   Keep on keepin' on, and keep us posted on how you're doing man

[Aloha]

always great to hear someone adding life to their existing one through diet and exercise.  great set up on your bike with the lights btw  .  all the best in your reconciliation with the X im routing for you and your family.  awesome job on the weight loss you earned it and the legs show.