Monthly Archives: July 2007

Lawnmower Man

I recently received a Garmin Forerunner 305 for my birthday (thanks, Mom & Dad!) and decided to see what it would record while mowing the lawn.Well, the above image is what it recorded. Due to the low-res map data that is bundled with the Training Center software, “Detroit” is prominently displayed in this decidedly non-Detroit suburb in which we reside.The yellow area on top (to the North) is our front yard. The white gap between it and the backyard below is the large driveway pad, the house, and some of the flower beds surrounding the house.I’ve also included the stats and pace vs. heart rate graph. It’s interesting to see that my heart rate was higher initially, probably because I was going in and out of the ditch along the road during that time. Also, apparently I walked just shy than 2 miles as I traversed back and forth across approximately 1/4 of an acre (about half of our 1/2 acre lot).

Up Late Updates

Just wanted to share a few quick tidbits since I haven’t had much time to do so recently.1. Amelia started walking about a month ago. We’ve got some video, but due to the silliness of modern digital cameras and digital video editors, it’s been a pain coming up with a good way to rotate some of the clips we made in portrait rather than landscape orientation. Oops. I’ve finally discovered exactly what I’ve been looking for to resolve this issue: a plug-in for iMovie HD that can rotate and resize video… and it’s only $4.50! I’m just waiting for the registration code. Stay tuned.2. I also realize I haven’t posted many photos lately. I’ve got some that I plan to post soon… just haven’t had much time to go through them all yet.3. I’ve been spending many hours ripping out an aggressive ground cover from our flowerbeds called Goutweed in the time between when I put the girls down to bed and it gets dark. I’m not sure what the previous home owners were thinking in planting it, but it completely takes over the flowerbeds to the point where the other plants are hardly visible. No matter how much we remove, there’s always some that comes back. At this rate I figure in about 6 years we’ll _hopefully_ have it removed.4. I’ve finally gotten around to updating my We Endure training log after a few months of neglect (though not because I haven’t been exercising). It’s so nice not to see “2 months ago” in my sidebar widget.5. As a Father’s Day gift, Jennifer arranged for me to start taking guitar lessons through a local music shop. It’s actually been a great gift and something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, in spite of playing for about 10 years. I’ve taught myself most of what I know and have picked up a few bad habits here and there. I also have focused mostly on learning songs (or at least the interesting parts) rather than general technique, so the lessons have helped in that respect. It’s also good to have time set aside dedicated to it and motivation for practicing specific skills.6. Oh, and that Mango Black Tea from Trader Joe’s that I mentioned in the previous post makes fantastic sun tea. When iced, it reminds me of a lavender ice tea I once had at the Greystone Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa a few years ago.