While I was going through physical therapy, one of the exercises involved walking backwards on the treadmill. Actually, the treadmill was set in reverse with a decline mode. This exercise was intended to work on my hamstrings. I could always feel it doing the job. It was great!

So, while walking recently, I noticed I was walking downhill to get onto my regular flat, paved course (aka motorcycle training course - which I talked about in a previous blog post). See, I live on an incline...on a hill. The drive up to my place is all paved, which makes it extra convenient. It's an even pavement, with no potholes or sudden changes in footing. It is absolutely perfect for a total knee replacement recuperation exercise. It's a gradual incline of about 10-15 degrees. (It's funny how things are suddenly appearing as potential recuperation devices. :) )

That treadmill exercise came to mind recently, so I decided to start walking up the hill backwards. It's a fantastic exercise!

Walking around the motorcycle course 5 times, then 3 times up (backwards) and down the hill takes about 30 minutes. It's a wonderful exercise program, if I say so myself. :) And, my knee loves it.

]]> http://munkybizness.wordpress.com/?p=6 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:44:06 +0000 mayankgarg http://munkybizness.wordpress.com/?p=6 The Hill Audiorium is a quaint, and rather subdued building on the University of Michigan's central campus. Its dark brick red and pillared exterior is a calm feel to its lavish and grand interior. I've only had the pleasure of visiting the auditorium twice over the three years that I've been here. A walk down to Potbelly's always makes me stop and think about Hill though.

On this particular day, I did more than just stop and look. I had my camera handy and took a few shots and have picked the best one to put up here. I was going to post the original color shot however changing the image to black & white has added depth to the image. A vignette edge is the only other manipulation to focus on the auditorium. None of my images are post-processed to add any elements that would not be possible in the darkroom. I try to keep my images exactly as I had shot them.

A chap slowly overtook us on his bike as we prepared to set off again, we were to see him again and again throughout the ride seemingly defying all laws of physics and logic as he continuously appeared in front and behind of us, emerging from side junctions or turning off the road we were on.

We settled into a pace of sorts, well below Andy's expectations for average apeed, he was off the front for a lot of the way waiting for us to catch him up. Every now and again John would stop to get the map out or I would call for a photograph, affording us a nice break. The weather looked moody and unpredictable with the threat of a soaking ever present, a ying yang sky, half black clouds, half deep azure blue. A few miles in and I'm sure we saw the chap on the bike turn off left some way ahead of us on one of the straights.

We rode through Faulkland, past the enigmatic standing stones that were probably once part of a circle. Past the Lavender Farm, but the heavy bovine stench of muck-spreading quickly masked and canceled out the faintly perfumed air before we could get a good lung full. There was plenty of up and down, giving some cause for concern as to how I would get back up the hill after forty or fifty miles of riding.

At a crossroads on the main road we stopped to consider whether we should continue on the main road (very busy) or turn left towards Priddy along a much quieter, but longer route. John took the map out again, some dogs in the garden of a house at the crossroads were going berserk, throwing themselves at the fence, barking furiously. I snapped a pic of the chaps considering the route, and didn't notice until later that the mysterious rider was in there.

John rode a little way back the way we came in order to check that the sign pointed to Priddy, immediately the dogs ceased their cacophony. Andy and I moved forward, they could see us, but just panted and stared. The rabid barking started again, announcing John's return. Curious.

We turned left towards Priddy along open heath while buzzards called and circled overhead. To the East we could see rain clouds brewing up so we upped the pace a little. At Priddy itself, there was some sort of sheep fair being set up, hazel hurdles were being unloaded from the backs of farm trailers, and sheep dogs skulked panting in the shadows of landrovers. We passed them all and rejoined the main road, but not before we saw the mystery rider appear from a junction ahead of us.

Now we began the long descent into Cheddar Gorge, it went by so quickly. Everywhere there were cyclists coming up the hill, walkers on the steep sides, buses labouring up, engines straining. We shot into the gorge itself, the steep sides and rocky outcrops were awe-inspiring. John and Andy shot on ahead, with John nearly ending up on the bonnet of an ascending car after he swung out a little wide on one of the switchbacks. Down, down, down we went, and all the way one thought stayed with me... "How the hell will I climb out of this?". The spectacular scenery gave way to the worst kind of tourist tat as we hit Cheddar itself. garish shop fronts, tacky souvenirs, cheese, 'authentic olde english' cafes, the very worst that British tourism could produce, lining the narrow streets as we glided in looking for safe haven.

We parked up outside a wasp-struck tearoom, replete with white plastic garden furniture and laminated menus. Ensconced safely by the congested road, but with the calm of the river to our side, we set about ordering our victuals. Andy elected merely to have a coffee, but John and I decided on the full English breakfast, with extra toast and jam. It was too much for Andy, combined with the enormous flask of tea in my panniers and John's musings on where to purchase the best souvenir cheese, it overloaded his senses. It was not cycling as he understood it, he could only watch in dismay as two full Englishes arrived and an unholy display of consumption took place.

At this juncture, I must point out that like Andy, my body is a temple. However whereas his temple is tended by enlightened priests of restraint and quiet contemplation that ensures a body at the height of its power is kept in fine fettle, my temple is an atavistic bloodbath where constant animal sacrifice is the norm. Behold the libations!

Quite appalling. Andy had to get back to his wife, who it transpired was not well, so with a hearty farewell he eased up the road slipping in behind a tourist double decker bus. There was little doubt in our minds that he would be home before John and I had wheezed our way out of the gorge.

It was a long time and a lot of toast before John and I decided to make a move, wheeling the bikes 500 yds up the hill to a purveyor of cheeses to buy three different types of cheddar (saving the cave aged one for myself), then we wearily turned the bikes up the hill and headed out of the gorge. John led out and I'll spare you the lung-searing details of the switchbacks, save to say that we miraculously found time for a photo opportunity on the way out:

It was deemed to early in the return trip for a cup of tea (having only gone about a mile of the thirty ahead of us) which meant I had to lug the full flask up the hill. Away from the switchbacks it wasn't too bad, it was just long, I would say that the main hill was about 3.5 miles, if you take the full gradient it was probably five, but once the switchbacks were out of the way it made everything else feel like a gentle slope. That said, we were dropped on the way up by a woman wearing jeans and crocs and riding a mountain bike. We kept her in sight though, much to the distress of our stomachs, struggling with the full english breakfasts. She turned around at the top and went back down again... local.

At the top of the hill we stayed on the main road, passing a large temporary gypsy camp. Old 4x4s mingled with traditional caravans and groups of horses stood chewing grass, many of them untethered, content to wander the verge.

In the distance, could I see a solitary rider ahead of us, could it be..?

On we rode, up and down the rolling landscape, back the way we came earlier in the day. We paused only briefly to drink the tea and lighten the flask, I am sure John only did this as he felt sorry for me hauling the full flask four fifty miles, before continuing on our way. Strangely the hills didn't seem as bad as we thought they might on the way back. At Farleigh Hungerford we said goodbye, I rode back through Tellisford, three hills to deal with and then I was home, sharing the cave-aged cheddar with the family.

John later told me that the mystery rider was last seen at the Wingfield crossroads drafting in his slipstream...

Andy's electronic doo-dad recorded the route, here it is:

A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.

Did you ever wonder why we have fingerprints? Well, we have fingerprints or "dermal ridges" because they are necessary for grip. If the skin on our fingers was completely smooth we would have a hard time keeping a grip on anything, especially if it is wet or our hands are sweaty.

It seems that some other animals, including many primates, koalas, and fishers have their own unique prints. According to one study, even with an electron microscope it can be quite difficult to distinguish between the fingerprints of a koala and a human.

That brings a question to my mind. I wonder if the writers for Law and Order ever thought about having a Koala bear commit a crime and then spend the rest of the episode trying to match the fingerprints. CSI could probably do it in an instant.

I guess the forming of fingerprints by a three month old fetus has no real significance except that it is just part of the growth pattern. What is intriguing, though, is that not only are the fingerprints of the fetus unique to that body, but the entire body is unique to itself – no one else will ever have the same qualities. Even with identical twins, who will have the same DNA will have different fingerprints. You will find similar patterns of whorls and ridges in the fingerprints. But there will also be differences -- just as there are differences between the fingers on any individual's hands.

Because of the uniqueness of each and every individual, you should not expect to ever be the same as anyone else – however, that does not mean you cannot emulate a person’s qualities that you deeply admire. The traits and qualities of success are learned, they are not inherited. Anyone can become the next Thomas Alva Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Babe Didrikson, Napoleon Hill, Warren Buffet, Mary Kaye Ashley, Donald Trump, Florence Nightingale – all it takes is the desire, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to reach their level.

The same is true if you really want to reach your desired goal weight. If you truly want to reach a certain body weight and maintain that weight, all you need is a strong desire and then focus intently on being that person you picture in your mind having the body and the personality that you truly desire. It might require that you also work on your self-image. Self-image is one of the main fact or involved that keeps a person from reaching reaching and maintaining any goal that they desire.But take heart! It too can be changed, by taking the proper steps. I found that out when I decided to change my body and my self-image, and I have succeeded up to a point. I have reached the body weight I wanted and maintained that weight for a sustained period of time, but I am still working on a lot of self-image deficiencies so I can attain the level of some of the people I truly admire. So, I continue to work on me and continue to

Think Thin Thoughts!!

Adinear

i got finished watching gossip girl and one tree hill. scandalous much?!

i'm just gonna talk bout one tree hill, cus gossip girl wasnt THAT scandalous. so then when i found out that nanny carrie was back, i was like O_______O  WHATTA FREAK. cus she is !! omgsh. tied dan to like that fake hospital bed, thats beyond freakish. AND SHE STILL WANTS JAMIE. that girl needs major help :/ and I raelly thought dan was gonna die . poor thing suffers from that whacko. and POOR BROOKE omgsh, i cant believe she got attacked like that :[ so sad! k well, i think imma head to bed and maybe lay there and stuff.

i shall blog tomorrow.. what's on tomorrow o.o OH 90210 i'll try watching that, I never have, so i'll have a peek at that o.o hm . well, goodnight my blog readers.

Best show ever. OMG. Huge girlcrush on Blake Lively, and before she was ever known as Serena; I loved her as Bridget in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Love her. Love Gossip Girl. Alamo Drafthouse Village is showing the premiere at 7:00 on the BIG SCREEN! Sweet.

One Tree Hill premieres afterward, at 8pm. I know no one else over the age of 13 watches this show, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Cliffhanger at the end of last season--does Lucas call Peyton, Brooke, or Lindsay?! We're finally gonna find out!

Then, on TUESDAY, the new 90210 has a two-hour premiere. I'm excited for this; I watched the original 90210 with my parents when I was a young buck, and I didn't understand much of the racier plots. Can't wait to watch now that I do! Plus, I think it's cool that the old cast members have signed on to play their old roles, that's rare and a real testament to the new show, if you ask me.

I love cheesy TV and movies. I love TiVo. And I love September 1st (my birthday!) and 2nd!

Nothing will get better so long as you believe the other guy is wrong. He will think you are mistaken, or at least that you misunderstand the situation, or he will deny responsibility.

Nothing changes unless the change you want begins with you. You are the only person whose life is totally within your control.

A snowball rolling down a hill will gather both mass of other snow and momentum until it reaches enormous proportions and has enormous potential energy. Yet only one person is required to make the original snowball.

If everyone says that it's someone else's job to make the snowball, all the potential is lost. Someone must get their hands cold or everyone will take the heat of failure.

If you want the world to change, change yourself first. The world will take note of your marvellous improvement or change and want to have the same for themselves. The world loves a bandwagon, but someone has to hitch up the horses.

Be the change you want. You will be the evidence that it works.

Nothing beneficial has ever happened because of a negative attitude. From a sour look to a war, everything negative fails to make progress or improvement. Those with negative attitudes seldom want to work together with others, except for their personal gain. The old saying that "war makes enemies out of friends" holds true at a personal level as well.

When Jesus of Nazareth advised everyone to "Love your enemies," he didn't mean like your mother or your lover. In his time, everyone was either an enemy or a friend (ally), so he advised us to make friends. Enemies converted to friends can be the truest and most dependable friends of all.

Blaming someone else is personal and selfish. Helping someone else, such as working together to solve a mutual problem, can make friends out of enemies. Making friends is an outflow of self. Making enemies is a costly and selfish way to spend emotional energy.

Someone must always make the first move to make something right and better. You are the only person whose will and whose actions you control.

Start making that snowball and you will be surprised at how many people will join you to push it toward the hill.

When you want to roll a snowball down a hill, always push, never pull. Others like to push, but few like to pull. If you want to make the snowball bigger, just as with a problem, never pull it toward yourself.

Bill Allin
Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems, a guidebook for parents and teachers who want to grow children who will build rather than destroy, create rather than break down, experience joy rather than depression.
Learn more at

http://billallin.com

  This is like THE most important post (at least to me) that I'll I've posted so far. OK I'm a huge converse fan, particularly Chuck Taylors. I'm also a huge blue fan, it's my favorite color right next to black. I own a pair of all black chucks and a pair of originals BUT I have yet to buy a pair of blue chucks. Around June or July 2008(don't know the exact date) Converse released a new Chuck Taylor. Unfortunately I don't know the name so you'll have to go off the description. They are blue and have a pocket on the outside of each shoe, and in each pocket there's a little blue flag (OMG!) I almost dies when I saw this shoe. Well of course I was broke at the time and could purchase but I kept saying (I'm gonna get them) So here it is August 29th and I had made plans to head of to journey's next week and get them. I went in the store today you know just to check them out, and they were no where to be found. I thought back to the black and white plaid (also not released too long ago) and thought "I guess there sold out like the others" So I thought "alright guess I'll just have to buy them offline, no bi deal just takes a little longer". Went up to one of the workers and ask "What happened to the blue chucks w/ the flag?" I got the worst news like EVER (in regards to shoes) the words slipped out like venom "OH they were recalled"....RECALLED!!!!! and do you know WHY they were recalled?!?!?! GANG VIOLENCE WTF (CHILDREN PLEASE STOP RUNNING AROUND WITH FLAGS AND GUNS AND RUINING MY DREAM OF OWNING THE BEST PAIR OF CHUCKIES I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO SEE IN MY LIFE!) Why is the world against me???

Anyway the real point of this is to say ANYONE WHO EITHER:

• Know's the name of the shoe

• Know's of somewhere I can find the shoe

• Has a picture of the shoe

• Is willing to give up a pair of the shoes (for a price of course)

• Or just ANYTHING related to the shoe PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact me

I'm going to OVERLOAD this post with keywords because I HAVE to OWN those shoes (not really but it's make my year :) ) So yeah come on ppl do your community service and get those shoes to me

pEaCe

http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPage.do?ToId=9945#

01 - Makell Bird - Intro
02 - Nas - If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)(ft. Lauryn Hill)
03 - 2Pac - I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto (Hip-Hop Version)
04 - Kanye West - Jesus Walks
05 - Dead Prez - Hip - Hop
06 - Jay - Z - Minority Report (ft. Ne - Yo)
07 - Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
08 - Ludacris - Runaway Love (ft. Mary J. Blige)
09 - Rza - Rza Speaks
10 - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - The Message
11 - Public Enemy - Fight The Power
12 - Pastor Troy - Move To Mars
13 - Outkast - Da Art Of Storytellin (remix)(ft. Slick Rick)
14 - Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day
15 - Makell Bird - Outro
Preview this mixtape @ makellbird.imeem.com and purchase it @ myspace.com/makellbird

the wedding took place on a very steep hill. all the guests were sitting at the bottom of the hill and couldn't possible see what was going on at the top where the wedding party was standing. i tried to climb the hill with my massive tripod in hand. i got to the top and video taped some white flowers waving in the wind.

at the reception, there were women dressed in bridal gowns waiting to get married. they were lying on couches and walking around. my dad was there sitting on the edge of a bed. he couldn't recognize anyone. he couldn't remember if relatives were male or female.

"oh, there he is. there's erin."

"dad, erin is a woman."

Shannen Doherty y Jennie Garth fueron las grandes estrellas de la fiesta, ante la ausencia de Tori Spelling, quien al enterarse que sus compañeras actrices ganarían más que ella, decidió retirarse del proyecto.

Shannen Doherty sólo participará en cuatro capítulos de la serie, pero no se descarta una ampliación de contrato.

He's great on children's issues, on health care, on foreign policy, and his 91-minute train ride home every night is endearing and commendable.

But there's Anita Hill. At a crucial moment in our history, when the stakes were so high, Biden chose to side with Thomas. He'll tell you it was because he didn't want to 'attack the attackers' as he did in his 1993 interview. And he'll tell you he didn't take sides because he was trying to protect everyone's civil rights, but I remember those hearings. And Anita Hill's rights were not protected. She was vilified. The result? Clarence Thomas has a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

I remember those hearings. For days we sat mesmerized by the circus show. And the phones in emergency and crisis clinics rang off the hook as victims of abuse were traumatized all over again; betrayed by those who were charged with helping them.

At the time, only 24% of American's believed Anita Hill. I was one of them, defiantly, angrily sporting and"I believe Anita Hill" bumper sticker on my car. One year later, 44% of American believed Anita Hill and only 34% believed Thomas.

That we sit under the judgement of Clarence Thomas as the replacement for Thurgood Marshall is a travesty.

And Biden is accountable for that.

A Personal Favorite
Enjoy.
And Have a GREAT TODAY
Peace

That all being said, I now have a new appreciation for Charles Spurgeon's writing habits/super-human capabilities. While I am tired out with sending 10 e-mails in one day (if I kept up that pace, 70 in a week), Spurgeon would sometimes write up to 500 personal letters by hand... per week. That, on top of the 1) monthly magazine he published, 2) the 140 books he wrote, and 3) the 1,437 book reviews he wrote. Wow!

This now leads me to my conclusion (or, for those of you in school, my thesis statement). I whole heartedly agree with Mark Driscoll: Spurgeon is the Man.

hmppf. What to write? Well no introduction needed. Just click on the : Who Is Chibbie ? link. ^^ It's sunday its 8 pm and I'm in my little home in Amsterdam. Tomorrow my first official monday at school is starting and im kind of anxious. I wanna do great this year! AGRRrr! 0.0

I'm so inspired 0.0 . I really wanna do something with my singing. Go take some vocal lessons i guess. But I'm too scared! Im still working on developing and trainging my voice and of course on my writing. Someday I have to write my own songs. But when I saw this live video of Amy Winhouse singing her song 'He Can Only Hold Her' and then at the end hearing the sample of Lauren Hill. OMG ! . I SAW THE LIGHT ! 0.0 Click watch and comment! Its amazing! :| .

Well then I just got inspired to write something based on that song. It turned out to be alot different then the song but i was so satisfied with it. It's called blue as the sky, dark as the night. I will post that one if I can find my usb stick where I saved it -.-' . So far my first blog. Keep checking for new other blogs.!

Love, Chibbie

]]> http://massimo1959.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/luglio-in-toscana-ombre-e-luci-2/ Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:50:03 +0000 massimo1959 http://massimo1959.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/luglio-in-toscana-ombre-e-luci-2/
© 2007 Massimo Pelagagge
Luglio in Toscana Ombre e luci 2, inserito originariamente da Massimo Pelagagge.

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