This is the word

I have been super unproductive and a huge procrastinator. It is not a good way of living. I think I am lacking that motivation that will make me MOVE! Or I need to realize what I am realizing right now and get up!

So that is what I am going to do. BYE! well Updating this here blog will be the start of the productivity. So... yolo?? haha.

-No picture today-

I have misplaced my card reader and still in search for it. Until then.

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The City by the Bay

This past week my family went to San Francisco for a mini trip out of the annoying heat/humidity of the valley. It was a sudden trip without much planning. There are several things I always take with me to any trip Jessica and I go on. My tool set for an unexpected hiccup, two bikes, and my camera. On this trip that is all I took. oh and a change of clothes for us both. The spontaneity of the trip didn't allow me to think and think of what else would be needed. We left Reedley late Tuesday evening and went straight to my friends house in a nearby city. The next day we slowly got ready for the day, took a quick mid morning nap then went to the big city. We didn't have a single plan on what we would do, we just thought winging it would be a good experience. First place we went to was downtown, where all the big name stores are at. The reason for going there was because we forgot to pack warm clothes, it was soo windy and chilly. Downtown is always a cool place to go, it is such a different area there. Its busy, there is a lot of foot traffic, vehicle traffic and my favorite: bicycle traffic. For me, I think just sitting and watching the cyclist would have been enough for me. 

Waiting for the green light. Shot at ISO 250: 17mm: f/4: 1/400

The V shaped building. Shot at ISO 250: 17mm: f/4: 1/640 

 

After the hustle and bustle of downtown, we ventured off to the Golden Gate bridge. I have been there once before but it was at night and not the best way to experience it. So today I had my camera ready to get the best image I can get. When we arrived at the view point there were plenty tourists snapping away at the scenery. As I watched this happen, i thought to myself. "I never take the standard tourist picture of the pretty view in the background and my friends, family etc as the foreground." I am not sure why I don't do that but I am just fine knowing that I don't shoot like that. As I walk around I hear other people worrying of how they are going to fit the entire family into the frame and who is going to click the shutter release. I did take a couple pictures of Jessica and I. I had no worries though, I had a tripod and a 10 second timer. After seeing the bridge from every view we got back in the car and drove up the hill on the opposite side of the bridge, here is where you get a nice wide view of the bridge. The sun was hiding behind the fog/clouds. That was not a problem with me. I actually enjoy shooting with the clouds. The problem I did have was the wind on the face of the hill. It was pushing me over and trying to overtake my balance. I was a fighter though, I stood my ground and took the battle and came out a winner. The wind did get annoying so after I was satisfied with the shots I returned to the car to warm up.

Southbound view of the bridge. Shot at ISO 640: 85mm: f/5.6: 1/400

A shot from the hill. Shot at ISO640: 17mm: f/4: 1/250

 

To end the night we went to pier 39 to get Jessicas sisters some souveniers of the City. It was extra windy there so we made it a quick trip. We left the city and headed back to a little pub near my friends house. Very good price for a good generous amount of beer and some tasty wings. A bit after that we began our 3 hour drive home around 1am. I had a really good time with my Jessica. This was exactly what we needed, it was very nice to get out of the town, even if it was sudden and not very eventful. We were very happy with the outcome of the trip.

Extra! Extra!

I  just read my previous post, wow did I screw that one up. I just left you hanging at the introduction to my trip to Mexico. Like I said, time has gone by, it is now August 2nd and here is my second post of the year. I figured that I can more easily post from my phone now. So hopefully you'll be hearing more from me.

To start things off this has been a very exciting summer. A lot of changes will begin to occur as time goes by, all of these changes I have been wanting to share to those that would read. So here I go. June 20th around 2:00pm. My girlfriend (my interest from last post became my girlfriend) came to me with a surprise. I was given the option to turn around and forget about her and live our lives apart, or step up and become a man. I'm sure that you are guessing that she asked me to marry her. Ha! You are wrong I was given the news that I will be a father. The first hour or so after finding out. I was speechless, so much was running through my head. But as the seconds ticked I began to see that the only option was to be a man. Our commitment to each other is pristine, except for the countless hiccups of living with someone for the first time. Everything seems to change with out notice, that is a transition that no matter who you are; the change may be difficult. It has been over a month and we are beginning to act more and more as a family, although, it is only Jessica and I for now. Since then I have been as frugal as possible. Saving has been a bit tough since work has been slow. Being frugal is really helping me out in becoming a man who will make the right choices in where the money flow will go towards. I still occasionally eat out at fast food joints and buy things that will only benefit me. That will soon change. 

Everything that has been going on this summer is all revolving around our pregnancy. I have slight plans for the living arrangements, which won't go into affect until the summer relaxes with the heat. New windows will replace the old antique non-insulating windows. The 3 1/2 foot tall bed will be lowered to accomodate for a beautiful lady carrying our offspring. I will separate sleep from work and hobbies by moving my non-sleep things to another room that will become my office. The bedroom will be that, a bedroom. Containing a bed, crib, dressers and a mirror. Nothing less and nothing more. That is the biggest update I have. 6 followers, I promise I will post more, this pregnancy is very exciting for me and I will have much to say.

Like always I will leave you with two mandatory updates.

  1. I have a total of 9 bicycles now. One was sold today, one may be sold and replaced with a nicer one tomorrow. 4 of the 9 are functional and ridable. 

  2. Here is a picture for your viewing pleasure.

Shot in Santa Monica. 

85mm: ISO 100:  f/4: 1/400th

Months.Time

Time has passed, months have gone by. It is now mid May. I was last seen on here when winter was still biting us in the ass. now the heat is going to pounce on us all! That is how much time has passed, and I leave all, ALL, of my 6 followers in the dark. In this post I am going to fill you in on this large gap of time. January happened, then it went to February following that March arrived with blossoms. April showed up without showers, and now May is killing the blossoms and bringing in the treacherous heat. Done. Bye!

Joke! how can I end a post without my random pointless ramble. These months have been very cool, I traveled as much as I possibly could. The bad thing is that it has been soooo long, that I don't remember everything. I do know that I met a girl, a special girl in January, one that I still keep in close contact! ;) In February nothing out of the ordinary happened aside from my favorite bike being out of commission. That was fixed as soon as March made its appearance, as well as a new member to my cycle family. A brand new road bike with 105 Shimano goods. The days of March went on and my trip to Seattle was quickly approaching. The trip was a success. I have several shots, nothing great since I have already shot there. I just wanted to take in the free time and let it soak. After that short week away from the boring central valley. I was told that I will go to Mexico for another week.

Here is Seattle version of gum alley. If you have ever seen the San Luis Obisbo Gum Alley there is a big difference between the two.

Phone talk

This is my first blog from my phone. In my bed, laying down. Lights off. At 5:31am.
I hate nights like this, when I fall asleep hours earlier than normal, and wake up now at 5am. I played angry birds for a half hour. Still awake. Now I'm hoping to type and type til I fall asleep once more. But I doubt that will happen. I really want McDonald's breakfast, or Daniel's breakfast. Having that crave will keep me up longer. The horrible thing about that, is right before I would leave to go eat, I fall asleep and stay asleep for ever!!!
So I don't know what will happen after I publish this entry til about noon.
My phone says it will be sunny today. It's my day off today and the sunny day will make my day that much better. I want to go ride the trails by the river today. I have only rode the one behind the college. It gets funner everytime. I can go faster and faster everytime. The mtn bike I have now is crazy fun. Way funner than that Diamondback I was using last summer. Though the brakes on it are amazing! The brakes on my current bike could be better. One day I will build it just perfect. Like every hobby, the tinkering and upgraded parts never end. I don't have a problem with that.
I have a picture to show you. It is one I took a month ago. I will place it here. And write about it underneath.

I took this on a day I went up to China peak. I forget what specific day it was. This a view a lot of people see here in the valley. Any overcast day in the valley will look like this from the sierras. I cannot count the times I have seen this. This time I stopped and the right spot and had my camera. I forget the settings on the camera. I do know it was shot at f/6.3 or slower. There are two other shots I kept. You can see them at my Flickr. I will edit a link somewhere in the blog. But for now, just copy n paste it from here. www.flickr.com/foa42
Bye for now, and later today, if I remember, I will update all you guys with my trail rig.

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Attention

Attention is a big thing in any humans life, without attention there would not be any variety in humans. The reason there are so many different types of people is because each individual chooses to give their attention to something, someplace, or someone. Attention can be listening and understanding to when someone is speaking or watching one display an action. There is also another way to give your attention. Imagine this: You are walking with a group of people, a green bird flies past you and the group. You turn your head and watch the bird as is flies past you. After the bird has gone, you notice that no one else looked at the green bird. If each of those people were asked if they saw a green bird, some would say, it was seen in a quick glance, others saw it but not long enough to notice it was green and others wouldn't have been aware that there was even a bird in the first place. That is the type attention that I want to focus on.

Why did that bird cause you to turn your head? My non-researched theory is that, our past is what influences what we will give our attention to in the future. Let's say that when you were younger you went to visit your grandma, she was excited to show you her new bird that she bought. When she showed you the green parrot, it pecked at your grandmas finger and flew off into the sky. So years later a green bird flew by. Without thinking about it you look up and follow it. You still go on with your day not giving any thought on why the bird got your attention. This happens numerous times throughout the day, while sitting at your desk, walking to the mailbox. This can and does happen at anytime of the day at any location. As the days go by and you live your life going to school and work. Talking with people and gaining new experiences little and small. Your attention is everywhere!

Subtle moments like that with the green bird shape the way we will be become. The amount of attention we give begins to transform from subtle moments to commitments that can make or break someone. Depending on how much you were worried about your grandmothers green bird flying away may have had a huge impact in your life. You may have gained a bit of interest on why the bird pecked at your grandmothers hand and fled. Then from there on you would begin to occasionally notice behavior of the different types of birds in your neighborhood. It begins to progress, you check out a book about birds at the library. You choose a favorite kind of bird. (All this happening as you are in your late elementary and junior high years) You begin to look up towards the sky and give second glances at moving branches in trees as you walk by a park or sitting in a moving car. Later as you grow, you have this interest in the avian world, but this is still in the subtle side. When asked 'what do you like?' you still have to think about what it is that you like. Birds may be the 3rd or 4th answer you give. But still subconsciously, you give your attention to the flocks of birds you encounter day by day. That day comes where you see the green bird fly by while you walk with your friends. That glance wasn't because you checked out a book at the library or that you know names of at least 5 different species of birds that live in your town. The reason is because you were there to see your grandmas bird fly way, years ago. throughout high school you slowly discover that you like being outdoors, family camping trips are always something to look forward to. When you graduate you begin to look over the class catalog and see there is a bird watching class. You feel that it may be a nice class because you get to be outdoors and also get school credit. Then as you continue your college years birds is something that you now begin to realize is getting you attention. Zoology is now a possibility in your future to one day put food on your table. And that day happens.

If you read all of this thanks, it was just a ramble about nothing.

Money saving tip

I have discovered that bicycles are great! Just like how cars are also great. The only differences between the two is one requires money to run. April this year I decided that all of my in town commuting would be done with the bike. The first bike I had was a good one, it wasn't the best for commuting though. It had big meaty 2.1in thick tires with fairly low gearing. The two disadvantages with that were the tires creating a lot of rolling resistance, which required me to try harder to keep a high pace, then the gearing is mean't more towards climbing. Climbing was not something I did too often. The bike was a 19in Diamondback Response. It was a really nice bike, had the all Shimano components and performance 6in disk brakes. My friend let me barrow this bike for a short while.

Shot at 75mm: ISO320: f/4: 1/60th

While this was the only bike I had to use, I was looking for a road bike to replace the beast of a mountain bike the Diamondback was. Doing research, I learned many things about both mountain bikes and road bikes. To the outside eye, they both seem to get the same job done. Which is true, they each both have their advantages. I'll get to that a bit more at the end. Looking through craigslist I found the perfect frame. It was a Bridgestone 400 frame. The midrange road frame. All I had was the frame, fork and front derailuer. I began to do some research on which parts would fit best on the bike and also fit me. About a month later I came across another Bridgestone at a swap meet. This was a huge bike, HUGE! It was a complete bike, which is why I bought it. The wheels, tires, stem, and handlebars were all in good condition. The crank did not fit, the 400 frame took a different crank arm than the complete Bridgstone had; neither did the saddle. Still needing parts I kept looking through Craigslist for affordable parts that I would be able to use. I found a place called, "The Fresno Bike Kitchen". I found the address and went to the location. I told the guy running the shop what I wanted. I other words I wanted the bike to run. The rear wheel was off true, I needed a seat post, a saddle and crankset. Finally about 2 hours later and $55. The bike was complete. A single speed road bike. No derailuers, no extra cables, and no shifters. Simple is what I wanted and simple is what I had.

Shot at 15mm: ISO100: f/5.6: 1/125th

I still have the bug, since the day I got the bike running, I have came up on 5 other bikes. Half of them run and the other half needing some help.My main focus still being on the road bike, on making it a really light bike and also keeping all of the strength. Having put at least over 1,000 miles on the frame I still get excited before each ride.

After having some behind the bar experience. I learned how the road bike excels in the road, and how the mountain bike excels on the trails. When I rode the MTB, it worked just fine. It took me to work and took me around town, nothing to brag about. On the other hand the bike worked wonders on the trail. The meaty tires gripped the loose dirt and made the bumpy ride tolerable. the riding position was just right to peddle and continue to flow through the bumps and turns as I stood. All of the components held on tight when the ride got rough. The trail is where I can brag about this bike.

The road bike, this bike also gets me to work and around town just great. Almost too great, it's so smooth and quiet. With the simple drivetrain and thin smooth tires. The bike gets me going at a good speed and I don't struggle staying at that speed. The high gear is a bit tough getting going, but right after that I can speed up quite fast. When sitting in the crouched position I can accelerate and keep a high cadence at a high speed with ease. I get to work sooner and don't tire myself as much.