Nothing much new, yet...

Well, not much new going on. Still haven't had much time to ride. Although I finally got my mountain bike ridable again. I was having a lot of trouble with my brakes. Finally had to rebuild the front brake caliper, which solved pretty much everything. I was getting so frustrated with it because everything I did before rebuilding it was doing absolutely nothing. So, I got it running again, and went for a short ride. Everything's good for the most part. I'm still having a shifting issue with the crank, but I think I know what's wrong. We'll see.

I started some online classes this past week. I'm finally getting off my butt, per se, and getting it done. I'm enrolled in a Graphics Design course with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online. Basically it's computer graphics, which is what I always wanted to do, but due to multiple set-backs, it never happened. So, now's my chance. And I'm taking it. I'll probably be experimenting some with this website, so it might look different in the future. I also got a new laptop so I can do my schoolwork while I'm at work. The computer at work won't let me load the needed programs on to it, and I wanted to do the majority of my homework at work. Lord knows I have plenty of free time there. Needless to say, the laptop is extremely nice. And I got a screaming deal on it. Everything else out there that's even close to comparing to it is at least $500 more. So, I think I did good by getting it.

Well, nothing much new other-wise. Still trying to work on getting on the road bike more. The weather is finally starting to get nice, so hopefully I have a chance to get out and ride more. It just needs to stop raining so much. All in due time though. I'm also going to get a class with a personal trainer at my gym. I know I have some specific things to work on, and have an idea on what to do, but not very well defined. So, a trainer should be able to get me on the right track. I'll write back and let everyone know how that goes.

P.S. If anyone is having any problems getting to my LiveStrong donation site, let me know. A few of you have had problems, and I have no clue on what's going on. So, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll help out.

Small update

Well, nothing much new going on. I admit I haven't been riding as much as I should be. I know that I've put a lot of effort and time into building a good and reliable road bike to do the LiveStrong challenge, but haven't been out actually riding it much. I'm just a "fair-weather" rider. It's just been too cold to go and ride when I have the time. I don't have cold weather gear, and bulking up with sweatshirts and such doesn't do too much when the wind cuts right through it. Hopefully, though, the weather will warm up more, and I'll get out and ride in some different locations. Right now, I've only been riding around the neighborhood, and it's getting kinda boring. I've been to the gym a few times also, only to do cardio. But I'm finding that my right leg is still significantly weaker than my left one. This all stems back to the West Nile Virus I got back in 2003. Some nerve damage had occurred and just simply can't push my right leg as much as my left. And this is very pronounced when trying to pedal hard up a hill. So, I'm going to start doing some specific leg weight lifting to try and balance it out again. It was alright for a while, but it's starting to show up again the more I'm riding. It didn't give me any problems when just walking around, but the more I ride, the more I'm using my left leg, and the strength difference is starting to show again. The other week, a friend and I walked to a restaurant for lunch, and he noticed me limping a little bit. I knew of the strength difference, but didn't think it was noticeable. Well, I know now that it is. So I'm going to start working on that, along with everything else.

So, I've been signed up for the LiveStrong challenge for a while now, and have received my first donation. Thanks a ton, Chris. It's a big encouragement to know that people believe in me enough to make a donation. But it's not really about me, it's to help others that are in the same (or worse) condition that I was in. Now I'm going to begin requesting donations from businesses and such. Lets hope for the best, and that I can rise to the occasion.

3 month checkup

Today I had my 3 month checkup with the oncologist. I was originally suppose to have the checkup last week, but somehow the appointment either got deleted from the system, or simply was never entered to begin with. So, I was a little miffed about that, but I felt fine so I figured I could wait until the next week. As expected, everything was ok. Probably the only thing that's bothering me now is not having much energy when I wake up in the morning. She said she wasn't too surprised. Said that it would probably be about a year from the last chemo until my endurance fully came back. But the initial blood work came back good, and if there's any cause for alarm, they will call me next week. Pretty re-assuring, huh?

Other than the lack of endurance, my bicycle training is slowly coming along. I haven't been riding as much as I would like, but I'm trying. I'm working on going to the gym about 3 times a week now. Now that my work schedule is half-way straightening out, it shouldn't be a problem.

Not much else going on with me. Same old thing, day in and day out. I know I know, my life is too exciting and that i should tone it down a bit. I'll try and keep it to a manageable level next time. Ok, until next time.