ChrisComedy's Journal, 30 July 2014

Took a trip to the Post Office yesterday because my post office box was expiring at the end of the month. On my way over, I decided that I would close it out. The trip on a bike is fairly lengthy. Even taking quieter streets, it still involves crossing four lanes of traffic frequently. Cars kill cyclists regularly here. This ain't Portland. I have become increasingly uneasy about sharing the road with two-ton behemoths piloted by distracted drivers unless it's really necessary. I'll be stopped at an intersection and see drivers turning with one hand holding the steering wheel and the other holding a cell phone to their ear.

The post office box is a legacy, left over from when I lived in a condo where the mail was distributed at the front desk by nosey employees. Any privacy benefit I get now is outweighed by the hazards of negotiating traffic to get there. When I first moved where I now live, it was a "neighborhood in transition." Someone stole a $1,000 in UPS packages off the porch of the house next door so it seemed like a good idea to keep the P.O. box. The area has improved since then. I used to rationalize that it got me out of my apartment to exercise, but there are safer ways to do that.

The post office kept raising the rental fee and it got to the point where I was paying almost $100 a year. Ninety-five percent of the mail I got was junk mail: credit card solicitations, etc. For $20 more, I can get a stationary bike and stay out of traffic. Not to mention, the seat really dug into me on the way back - pretty uncomfortable. The seat on the bike I'm getting is a recumbent style with a back rest so it should be more bearable.

Yesterday was a pleasant day, lower eighties, no humidity, but summer in Richmond keeps getting hotter thanks to climate change. I don't want to be out there pedaling in 90+ weather. I can get a lot more exercise done at home in a half hour to an hour a night as opposed to a once-a-month jaunt to the post office. If I do feel the need to get another post office box, there are two alternatives closer to home.

The AARP must have sold my name to just about every mailing list under the sun. The good news is that I have a slew of health and nutrition newsletters that I'm going to subscribe to - one a month so I don't have to spend a lot of money to renew every year. I feel it's an investment in my health to get accurate and up-to-date information from authoritative sources.

I hit Kroger on the way back, had a bistro meal, and went shopping. Since I'm a weekly regular, the chef piled it high, which isn't necessarily a good thing: pot roast (salty), brussel sprouts, spinach, with a medium Coke and a whole wheat roll. I didn't eat it all - put the plastic container in my backpack - didn't leak - a miracle. Got some protein shakes for down days (500 calories) and Chobani yogurt. Just read an article on the benefits of probiotics. Sweet potato - ditto. I switched from Ocean Spray orange tangerine 100% juice to cranberry berry because I read cranberry is good for you. Had a f'real shake with arabica coffee, my latest indulgence or addiction.

Clif bars ten for a dollar each but you have no power over me anymore - be gone! I got one low-sugar Kind bar instead. Did a drive-by of the day-old bread rack but didn't get anything, more a tribute to the lack of selection than my willpower. Couldn't find any organic fish sticks. I also passed on my monthly two-liter bottle of Coke, mainly because I was already overloaded. I didn't get home until 9:30. I was zonked from my expedition so I didn't get any more exercise in. Had a protein shake and the Kind bar and I was all in.

Diet Calendar Entries for 30 July 2014:
1155 kcal Fat: 40.58g | Prot: 125.29g | Carb: 70.77g.   Breakfast: Kellogg's Special K Protein Shake - Chocolate Mocha. Lunch: Spinach, Beef Chuck (Arm Pot Roast, Lean Only, Trimmed to 1/8" Fat, Select Grade). Dinner: Chicken Wing, Ocean Spray 100% Juice Cranberry & Pomegranate. Snacks/Other: Planters NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix. more...
2036 kcal Activities & Exercise: Rowing - 44 minutes, Resting - 15 hours and 16 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...

7 Supporters    Support   

Comments 
The drivers in Richmond , if you are referring to VA, are terrible and DC is worse. Love that I live more rural now. Going to Mechanicsville is enough for me. 
30 Jul 14 by member: kattay
Sounds like you had a nice outting just the same. I certainly would not like to ride a bike near heavy traffic. Kudos to you for braving it. 
30 Jul 14 by member: kattay
Yep, I'm talking about Richmond, VA, kattay. There's a lot of talk about making Richmond more bike-friendly now that they're hosting the World Road Cycling Championship (shoutout to puhpine). I'll believe it when I see it. They had a lot of meetings a few years back when they revised the downtown master plan, but not much came of it. They now have "sharrows" which are pictographs painted on the roads. As magical incantations go, I don't believe it's going to protect me from any disagreements with cars. 
30 Jul 14 by member: ChrisComedy
Alas, so true. And like you pointed out, so many drivers are paying attention to the wrong things while they are driving. Hopefully, you won't be riding your bike after dark! 
30 Jul 14 by member: kattay
I did ride in the dusk last night. I hadn't got around to replacing my front light although I did have a functional rear light. When I got home, I did remove the front light and unscrewed the cap in the dark - because I'm a genius. :-> It still wouldn't work so I just stuffed it in my pocket. It's frustrating because I paid a fair amount of money for it three months ago and it's supposed to be top-of-the-line. I suppose the batteries could be dead, but I always set the light on flash mode so they shouldn't have worn out that fast and I haven't used the light that much. 
30 Jul 14 by member: ChrisComedy
Yep, you must be a genius! Light or no light, please don't take a chance in the dark. A lot of crazies are out there! Richmond certainly has a more than fair share of them! Take care and have fun! 
30 Jul 14 by member: kattay

     
 

Submit a Comment


You must  sign in to submit a comment
 

Other Related Links

Members



ChrisComedy's weight history


Get the app
    
© 2024 FatSecret. All rights reserved.