dbmcclellan.com
….be unique, like everyone else!
Thanks Oakley!
I quietly thanked Oakley this morning (producers of my favorite cycling sunglasses). Check this out…
While riding my bicycle in to work today, it was FREEZING. The wind was whipping around at about 18 mph and I think the temperature was trending at 50 degrees. I’m fairly certain the wind chill was somewhere around 45, and since I was dressed in a vest/wind breaker, it felt really cold! But it wasn’t the wind or the cold I was thanking Oakley for. The sunglasses tint the shining sun nicely and shield my eyeballs from the wind really well, but it was the small pack of gnats I rode through that made me think what a great product Oakley made for me.
Thank you Oakley!
This knotted up, buzzing in tight formation, community of gnats doing that thing gnats do, on the calm side of a tree, was a strange and curious thing to see. I guess they grouped there because they could, and by sheer volume made themselves known because they created this odd-looking dark shadow where no shadow could be. The sun was shining from the East (as it often does) and the wind was blowing from the Southwest at 17 to 20 mph. Naturally I am heading South (bother) against the wind. My feet are putting some very strong pressure on the pedals to move me forward at 18 mph against this wind, and up ahead is something I had never seen. It looked like that smoke monster from the television show “Lost” and I could not figure out what it was. Going around it to the left would put me halfway into the right lane of traffic – not acceptable – and going around to the right would have me curb jumping onto lawn which would certainly cause my own personal wreck – been there, done that – so I went right through it. And realized immediately what it was. They were up my nose, sticking to the sweat on my brow, attaching themselves to the little hairs on my arm…..they were gnats. And a whole group of ’em to boot!
Little, tiny, flying bugs, rotating around in the relative calm beside that big ol’ tree. I had no idea this could happen. And I bet nobody driving a car knows about this either!
Anyway, I quietly thanked Oakley this morning for making this most excellent model of sunglasses available to me. They made ’em, I bought ’em, thank you very much.
The end.
Clean your bike! I did….
Spring is in the air. Finally. If you are a cyclist there is a very large gap between the start of Winter when you quit riding and the beginning of Spring when you begin riding again.
It’s about two months early for Spring to show its colors out here….and in spite of the calendar, the grass is getting green, trees are budding, and folks are spending time outside. Pretty soon when it warms a bit more there will be clean cars, gardening services rushing from yard to yard, and outdoor fitness buffs will grudgingly show off their lumpy acquisitions of weight gain while they trudge along to some unknown song playing on their music player.
And if you’re me, your bicycle just got a bath. I haven’t been riding lately but noticed a layer of dust had settled on the paint, also saw I had not scrubbed the goo-cumulation from the last ride back in October, and could NOT tell by looking at the dark cluster of grease toward the back of the bike there were gears back there waiting to power the bike on down the road! So I gave CashFlow a bath.
Up she went onto the bike stand and my attention turned to the rear wheel. The cassette was detached and summarily reduced to the parts of its sum with spacers, gears, and the end cap were drowned inside a half coffee can full of Simple Green. The de-greasing had begun.
The bike then received a full wipe-down with a damp cloth. Chunks of road tar were addressed with a toothbrush dripping with more Simple Green and lot of TLC. Another wiping with the cloth and CashFlow was looking like her old self!
Now the wheels. I think you can clean just about anything if you take the time and apply yourself to the task at hand. Greasy spokes and road grime had given the bike an old beat-down look to it and the goal for today’s bath was to remove that layer of ugly and replace it with the look I am accustomed to….this was a Beast-to-Beauty transition, and it would make me a happy man to do the work. I used the toothbrush soaked in Simple Green to remove the layer of grease on each cog and spacer. Only when they looked all bright and shiny would I move on to the next one. And I made a promise this would not happen again! We’ll see how that goes.
After re-assembling the cassette with those shiny new looking cogs, the rear wheel looked great. Of course I cleaned up the front wheel and when they were both put back on the bike, CashFlow looked great. I am so proud of her!
CashFlow is clean now, and with Spring nearly here, I better figure out how to get my newly acquired weight into some cycling shorts and start working it off so CashFlow can be proud of me too.
I still need to clean the chain, but I’ll do that before my first ride….which will happen soon!
Love Affair: flashlights
I have always loved flashlights. Don’t know why, I just do. Slicing the darkness with a sword of light has been a “thing” for me as long as I can remember.
When I was a kid, this place named RadioShack opened up down the street. My Dad and I would go there when some electronic do-dad was acting up and they usually had the parts (most of the time) to get the repair done. During one of our visits I noticed their flashlights. They had big flashlights….and I just HAD to have one! A 4 D-cell flashlight that was bigger than any I had seen was beckoning me to purchase. And I did. Size mattered back then and I must have been King cuz mine was bigger and better than yours! And it got serious use at night.
Right up until it broke. Ugh. Hated that day. We were a group of four kids playing in the neighborhood, all dressed in our best black outfit – so as to blend into the darkness. Our game was Spy. I don’t recall what or who we were spying on but we would do our stealthiest best to disappear when someone came walking or driving by our little patch of grass. We would reappear only when they were gone and we would do this for hours and hours with no one knowing what was going on.
As an aside….golly, times were different back then. If kids did this today there would be hell to pay! AmIRight?
Anyway, my reliable 4-cell flashlight hit the asphalt during one of our Missions and it was busted beyond recognition. The glass lens shattered instantly, spreading out in front of the flashlight like a soda spilled onto the sidewalk. The switch popped out from the side like a turkey thermometer does when the bird inside the oven gets hot and done. And that was the end of my way-cool-totally-awesome 4-cell flashlight. Rats!
After that, I moved away from gargantuan sized lights and moved on to sleek sexy models that worked on a couple of C-cells. Over time the transition to AA batteries made flashlights sized perfectly for my back pocket. And I even paid extra for one of those new-fangled LED lights so small you wouldn’t even know it was there except for the brilliant beam of perfectly focused portable light coming from my hand.
Then I got an old car and one light was never enough. The glove box had to have a flashlight for emergencies and this new company “MagLite” came out with an OhMyGawdIMustHaveIt model I put right next to my seat for “protection”. You see, this one was a 6-cell MagLite with a wide-to-tight focus ring at the head, weighing in at a svelte 2.5 pounds. It put out a seemingly forever lasting beautiful white light and oh man, I thought this was it! I was carrying around a small baseball bat sized flashlight useable for protection that put out that gorgeous swath of light I always craved and just had to have next to me. Naturally this would brighten the darkness and get us home safely….as usual.
Well, much time has passed since that first flashlight. Many options, many models, and oh-so-many batteries were used up along the way. And all along my timeline there have been improvements in optics and batteries too. And the companies have churned out smaller and better lights using LED bulbs and smart-switching technology. These days police officers around these parts carry SureStream Stinger flashlights to light their surroundings while Firemen carry flashlights by a company named “StreamLight”. Both of these flashlights use this fresh tech to throw a beam measuring about 230 lumens which is bright, but not terribly spectacular.
The costs have gone up too. That RadioShack light (1967 dollars) cost $7 + batteries and felt like a small fortune back then. Lights today can cost however much money you have in your bank account! The SureStreams and StreamLights of the world can cost more than $200 and don’t really light up the night like you think two hundred dollars would. What I mean is, these so-called professional duty lights are only about twice as bright as my 6-cell MagLite from many years back. Seems to me if you are paying a fair sum of cash for a Pro-style flashlight, it should throw a lot more light!
Learning Moment – a lesson on light
so the folks in charge of measuring such things as “light sources” and brightness came up with the terms candlepower and lumens. Each term provides a definition of how much light a light source produces which helps you define (justify?) how much money you need to spend for a flashlight that is bright, kinda bright, or super bright. I always go for super bright…..so here is the info that levels the playing field if you are interested in purchasing a new flashlight.
Candlepower is a scientific measurement of light at its source or how much light is produced by an object itself. If a lamp has 200 candlepower, then it produces – at its source – the equuivalent radiance of 200 candles. Better put, candlepower measures the throw of a light or how good the light is at projecting at a distance. The more concentrated the beam of light, the more candlepower.
Lumens, on the other hand, are a measurement of illumination. And illumination refers to how well the light reveals objects. So a “lumen” is a unit of measurement gauging how much total light a device produces, regardless of beam focus. Better put, lumens measures the quantity of light produced by a source.
End of lesson.
Monster Flashlights
And at this time I would like to introduce one of my new favorite companies: Monster Flashlights. These guys make a flashlight as bright as you like, at a very fair price point, then ship it to you via USPS Priority. They are family owned, based in the US of A, and pander to Flashlight Freaks all over the country. I’m not going to go into everything about these guys because you can do your own research in your own time. For a start, go to Monsterflashlight.com and read about how they do that thing they do.
Suffice it to say, after spending too much time getting smart about the specifics of flashlights, I almost made a serious blunder with my purchase at a site obviously based in China. One of the biggest complaints on the forums (yes, there are flashlight forums) was how long it took for the shipment to arrive and then how impossible it was to deal with mistakes, busted gear, and/or returns. I was very nervous about sending my money to them and kept looking until I found Monster Flashlights. Only after they massaged my fears by answering questions via their FAQ page was I able to send a payment their way and purchase a really bright light.
Three days after clicking the Submit button on their order page I was rewarded with the following flashlight via USPS: Monster Flashlight Cree Q5 Tactical LED 1200 Lumens Max – 5 Mode (their model #5Q5-1200-5).
Here is a description of my order:
- (1) flashlight
- (3) high volt 18650 batteries
- (1) battery charger
This purchase rang the cash register at $95. Free shipping/no tax.
You get what you pay for in this world of ours and I wanted something more than a flashlight RadioShack or Home Depot could provide. 200 lumens was NOT enough to meet my requirements and since I was NOT interested in yet another OK light, I sprang open my wallet and transferred the payment to them for a superior light. Oh, and they take PayPal. Thanks for that too!
From the Monster Flashlight website
The Monster Flashlight 5Q5-1200-5 is without doubt our best value ever in a tactical flashlight in the greater than 1000+ lumens category. This is one awesome police/fire/EMS tactical 1200 lumens max Cree LED multi-mode flashlight. In our never ending effort to produce the brightest and the best for the best price, we came up with this incredible workhorse.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY BRIGHT FLASHLIGHT IN A WELL MADE ALL METAL BODY MEASURING JUST UNDER A FOOT IN LENGTH. We have researched and compared dozens of LED flashlights on the market to determine for ourselves what are the best features and what works best in high end tac lights. We then work with our designers and engineers to design and produce a flashlight that is good enough to be called a Monster Flashlight. We only sell the best of the best, so you don’t have to sift through the junk looking for the good ones. We then offer these amazing lights to you at excellent prices with the very best of customer service.
Our fellow flashlight freaks know that there are a lot of inferior flashlights being sold on the internet and shipped on slow boats from China. Your dedicated Flashlight Freaks at Monster Flashlight, on the other hand, sell only a brand new, top quality product, and we ship this 1200 max lumens light immediately from New Jersey by USPS Priority Mail. That way, you will have it in 2-3 days instead of 3-4 weeks like the sellers in China.
Satisfied Customer
I am now the owner of a really bright flashlight. I have never had a brighter one and can only say I am a very satisfied customer.
Monster Flashlight model #5Q5
Canvas Photo
This is the photo I used for the 36x24 canvas print. Can't wait to see it on the wall!
I did something interesting today…..and I’ll tell you about it inaminnit.
Before I tell you about this Interesting Thing I did, I have got to tell you this: I have been a wannabe photographer since I was about eleven years of age. The first photography moment I recall was when I was in Boy Scouts going for the photography merit badge. There were about ten of us and the Troop had made arrangements for us to hook up with a professional photographer so we could fulfill the minimum requirements of the merit badge and maybe learn something too. Well, Mr. Foote (vague recollection of his name) decided to do that and then do something even better….he gave us a “how-to” on making a pinhole camera. After making this little light capturing box we used it to make a picture!
Our subject was his flower bed which had roses and day-lillies, and we all sat there waiting for the light to do its magic inside our self-made cameras. Then we went inside his “darkroom”, developed the photos and had our very own Ansel Adams style black and white picture for our scrapbooks. About twenty years ago I found the picture I made and am going to try and locate it again…wish me luck! I will share it if I find it.
My Dad and grandfather each had a darkroom full of chemicals and red lighting, just like Mr. Foote, where they developed their own pictures. I recall my Father putting on his special apron (which kept the chemicals off his clothing), snapping on his almost elbow covering rubber gloves, turning on the red light and closing the door to the den tight. Then, about an hour or so later emerged to enthusiastically show off his latest photographic effort to the family. It was always magical and I never grew tired of the wizardry it took to make a photograph available for all to see. Camera to picture in 24 easy steps.
Because of my Father’s influence, the evolution of cameras from film creators into digital photo taking machines, and the unbelievable capabilities of Adobe’s Photoshop software to turn a computer into my own virtual darkroom, I have had some success in becoming one of my family’s’ Magicians of Photography. These days I have a Canon 7D, some pretty good lenses, and a very strong laptop. These are the tools of the trade today and I actually use them to record the moments of my life. And sometimes the pictures are so nice I want to share them.
Now then, back to the Interesting Thing….I found a company called “Canvas4Life” that will take a digital photograph and print it to canvas at a VERY reasonable price. What makes that interesting? I have thought of doing this many times but have always been thwarted by the high cost of doing business. A nice photo is one thing, but turning it into a piece large enough to show on a wall is quite another! Last year when I was investigating this the cost was more than $400, and I didn’t really have anything good enough to show-off. Not for four hundred bucks! So when I searched on-line and located Canvas4Life.com yesterday and found they were charging ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for a larger-than-I-wanted print measuring in at 24″x36″, well, that is just super interesting to me!
So I jumped on it and processed an order this morning around 8:30. After checking its status sometime around noon I found it has already been packed! If they actually ship it today I am going to fall out of my chair!
Updates to follow….
Prostate Cancer Update
Well, here it is seven months since my prostate was removed. The malformed cells inside the gland were apparently caught in time to disallow their entrance into the lower abdomen….and this is really good news! To prove this, the medical community has decided a blood test to check for Prostate Specific Antigens (PSA) returning small or really small numbers….or in my case super small non-existent unmeasurable numbers….will show the cancer did not spread and was fully removed when they ripped the little walnut-sized organ out of my gut. Since those numbers were ZERO POINT ZERO, they say all is well with me. Which is awesome if your name is Dave!
And this marks the third test with really great results, and they tell me this is most likely because we have successfully removed cancer from my body. Me? I like to think I’ve kicked cancers ass and it won’t be back anytime soon.
Thank you to all of you who have wished me luck and sent kind thoughts my way. You have made a positive difference in my life and I appreciate the well wishes!
Pancakes Are Served
Breakfast pancakes.....yum!
Did you see the pancake recipe in the post below? In it are the details on how to make this tasty breakfast. The photo here is how they (should) look on the plate…..and if you do it right (see how it is sized to fill the plate?), one or two of these will fill your stomach way past lunchtime.
You have got to give it a try!
Click on the photo for a larger view.
Recipe: Pancakes
Pancakes. Little edible cakes made in a pan. Usually, the consistency of bread, pancakes are merely little breakfast treats whose sole purpose is to aid in transporting syrup from the bottle it came in, in to your mouth.
Pancakes, served hot, flooded with syrup, are eaten with great voracity at my table. Especially (and tasting even better) when camping. Cook, butter, drown in syrup, eat. Simple, right?
Nope. Not in MY house! And maybe after you read this recipe, not in yours either. Add some flavor to your pancakes. Add some texture, and fiber too. You may never call pancakes “healthy”, but they can certainly be better and at least be more than just hot bread with syrup on top.
Check this:
whip up your favorite pancake batter
preheat large pan or griddle
put in non-stick substance (Pam, butter, oil, whatever)
add pancake batter
Then, add these “extras” on the pancake while it cooks. In this order:
- Craisins
- frozen blueberries or other fruit
- sliced almonds or walnuts
- Cinnamon
- Old-Fashioned Oatmeal
Serve on plate, add:
- apple sauce
- dollop of sour cream
- syrup
Keep in mind you are adding quite a few ingredients to a usually small pancake. My flapjacks are generally about the size of the plate it is being served on and will easily accommodate the extra goodies detailed above.
Bon appetit!
I need this!
Pancake Plates
It’s been a while since I wrote anything….I know this. Today is a new day and I’m going to fix that little problem. And you know what I’m writing about? Pancakes. With syrup. Is there a better way to start your day? I don’t think so!
After the batter is beat into submission (no lumps thankyouverymuch), the flapjacks have been cooked to a golden brown, and the fruits of my labor sit steaming before me. Before raising the first bite to my mouth, I always ask the same question “What are pancakes but a way to drink your syrup without public ridicule?”
And therein lies the problem. Since we mere mortals, born without the ability to dream up and fire our own ceramic whats-its, don’t have a special plate to assist in that pancake eating frenzy we call “breakfast”. We NEED a special plate because it is not possible to puddle the syrup enough to get the job done with any efficiency. Flat, regular dinner plates are for dinner, they fail as adequate serving disks for pancakes and syrup.
Pancake Plates
But that all changes with this new and fantastic invention: Pancake Plates.
Oh man, really? Pancake plates? Who knew we needed such a thing? I didn’t. But now that I’ve seen one….I need, need, NEED a set of these to put in my cupboard!
So here’s the description:
“Designed with a raised edge that gently slopes the plate toward the diner and an ingenious reservoir for pooling loose syrup, this plate was made for slicing, dipping and delighting in each bite of pancake goodness. But the best part? This plate enhances any saucy dish down to the last drop. Made in California.”
Did you catch that? It has a special area on the plate where the syrup POOLS for yet another dip inside the wonderful concoction of sugar, maple flavoring, et al. A reservoir for the syrup!!
You want a set? Go here: Uncommon Goods
Exciting News….finally!
Well here is an unexpected pleasant bit of news (for me); I had a really good ride!
As you may know from my previous entries, I have been struggling BIG TIME with my cycling. My mind remembers my previous fitness level and how capable I was at all sorts of things. Climbing, sprints, long distance…all of it…I was good once. And for a cyclist to suffer during a contest or training ride is expected. And I was pretty good at that too! Ride to the pain, then ride through it….made me a better rider, it did. But that was then. My NOW? My body rebels at the mere <i>thought</i> of going faster, harder, or longer. I suffer, but that’s about it.
Yes, the suffering has been great, and I still know how to get there, but the results have been pretty much the same. Every ride begins with me hoping for a shred of evidence of my past strength, but ends with me wondering when something good is going to happen. Every. Single. Day.
I saddle up and struggle to get comfortable. Then it is SNAFU….and nothing to report. Oh sure, there is an occasional glimpse of power like when I tuck into the TT position and TRY to go fast. But that always ends with my heart POUNDING like a drum during the High School fight song, sweat pouring down my face like someone dumped a bucket of water on my head, and my legs SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER to stop or at least slow down. Dutifully I wind it down and plod the rest of the way to work or home. Every day. And you know wut? It’s getting old!
Yesterday’s Ride
Which is why yesterday’s ride was so much a pleasure that I am pounding out this note. First, I took the sunrise photo….wait a second, that was a little later in the ride. First, I had a nice little warm up…..no wait, that was before I realized it was going to be a good day! The first thing I did was…wow, I’m writing myself into a corner. Back in a sec…..
Much time has passed. Cup of coffee in hand, a Saturday morning happening all around, and a clear mind. OK, here is how the ride happened; I started the day off at 5:30 am with a shower, got some breakfast and pondered the day. The weather has been trending hotter and hotter until yesterday when we actually busted a hundred degrees. So it’s been hot. I’ve also been having trouble with my weight. After 9 months of being off the bike, I gained 16 pounds. This is understandable (not acceptable, but I’m past that). So after being ON the bike for almost three months, I thought I might have some success to share. Alas, that is not the case, as I am down only 6 pounds (might be the beer, or my darn sweet tooth…don’t know for certain). Anyway, clocking the scale at 186, I am still carrying 10 lbs. too many. So I’m working on that too.
But I stopped after my morning cereal and thought, “today is going to be a good day”. And way back in the 80’s I learned from Jack and Gary Kinder, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” So what happens today is my fault. I can make it or break it. Today is my day. It’s up to me.
So I got in the closet and dressed for success. Instead of riding shorts, I put on my bibs. These provide excellent comfort and do not allow any chafing in the seat area. They also wick away moisture really well and just make for an all around better feeling outfit for a long ride. And today was going to be that 18 mile ride in to work and eighteen mile back home; with the return during the 100 degree sunny afternoon. Comfort would be important.
The day got going with some really good energy, a good vibe, and some hope for a good ride. I was a little late out the door so I decided to cut corners if I could. Having shed some demons by giving myself a little pep talk is a good thing to do anytime you can do it, and by golly I did it, so lets get this thing underway! I pushed off and here we go.
I ride back behind my old High School, note the darkness all around, and quietly thank the manufacturer for the light I bought a couple of years ago. I can see the street really well and I’m fairly certain drivers and anyone looking my way won’t miss the glowing orb coming toward them. I’m seriously lit up!
Then it is past the old bridge on Norris and I’m taking back roads all the way over to the bike trail at Watt Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard. In a zig zag pattern I’m crossing Marconi Avenue, then Arden Way, and then I’m across Fair Oaks Blvd. before dropping down onto the bike trail. And here is where I have a decision to make, do I continue on for the sake of getting the full 18 miles or do I take the shortcut through Sacramento State University and arrive to work on time. Since I started my ride ten minutes late, I take the shortcut. It cuts the ride by about 4 miles and will easily save a few minutes, so I’ll be okay on time.
Morning Rides are BEST!
This is why I ride a bike...Sunrise over the American River
The ride gets started up again and I am noticing I have some “legs” today. But the streets of downtown are waiting for me and I don’t really feel like going hard, so I continue on to work and arrive in the bike lock-up room at the designated time of 7:20. Here it is Friday and an 8 hour shift awaits.
The workday is over and here is the good part; time to ride! Like I’ve said before, “work is the thing I do between rides.”
Warm up with a ride through the streets of Old Sacramento. There’s Fannie Anne’s on the right, there’s the old candy shop, here comes the Train Depot. People are everywhere walking the planks out in front of the shops, I have only a few cars to contend with, and it’s on to the bike trail. Here comes Discovery Park, and just like that it is behind me. I decide to test my legs.
And here is where it gets REALLY good. I tuck in to the Time Trial position. Elbows are resting on the handlebars and my hands lightly hold the shifter cables out in front of the bike. My neck has been getting better and better at holding my head up to see the road streaming in front of me and the bike is in its highest gear selection. This is a hard test and you can get going around 28 to 32 mph…..and that is what I am going! Mile one comes and goes. My heart rate is hammering out a nice tempo, my mouth is agape and pulling in air for my lungs to process the coveted oxygen, and my legs are busy just doing their job of mashing the pedals toward the ground again and again; today with power!
Huh? What is happening?? My mind is REELING! Is this really going on? Like a finely tuned athlete, I am SCORCHING the bike path and seriously LOVING IT! This is very similar to some of the efforts I was able to do before Cancer came a calling on my prostate!!
Mile two is here and yes, I am spent. But I should be! Maybe I should not have gone so hard for so long, but I did….and here I am to talk about it. I survived the test! And my brain is now thinking (and worrying just a little) about how I’m going to get the rest of the way home. And instead of LISTENING TO THAT CRAP, I motored home, pushing it the entire way. My ride of 18 miles was completed in just less than the 70 minutes it has been taking me. Pre-surgery I was doing this regularly at 60 minutes, and I am very pleased with the results of this ride of 58 minutes!
The take-away here? Never, ever, stop trying. Strive to do something and then give yourself a chance to be the winner you are.
Today is your day….what are you going to do with it?
Believe it. Do it. Begin now.
dbmcclellan.com 