Getting ready for bed, 20080710th2326

It's been a good day today. Although many things came up that I'd not planned on, and I didn't get a lot done that I wanted to, I still feel good about the day. My run today was one of the best so far. I'm getting to bed earlier tonight than I have been in recent weeks. I had a successful time setting up a new printer for some clients / friends this evening. I'm still losing weight and feeling better every day. So, overall, I'm feeling good about things. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, I'll be moving my house to downtown Iowa City, in front of Prairie Lights Books for an open house all day in preparation for the book reading in the evening. So, I'm going to get some sleep to be fully refreshed for tomorrow.

Extra Copies of today's Daily Iowan, 20080710th2254

I had family visiting from out of town this evening, and they offered to drive me around so I could pickup extra copies of today's Daily Iowan which had a story about me (text only version | photo page). I'm really glad to have these extra copies. While I was online in a video chat with my Fiancée, shortly before 9PM, a building/facilities maintenance person stopped by my office and reminded me about the story. Otherwise, I probably would have forgotten about it.

Late Night Visit at McDonalds, 20080710th2214

Some family was visiting from out of town. We went to McDonalds since they hadn't had dinner yet. I just had water to drink. I really try not to eat much late at night because it re-energizes me when I really need to be winding down and getting sleep.

International Video Call

I was online having a video chat with my Fiancée this evening. Our time zones are 10.5 hours apart, so we have a narrow window of time to visit in the morning and evening. Fortunately video chat is available for free through services like Skype and Yahoo.

Invoicing, 20080710th1913

I tried to get some invoicing done this evening, but wasn't too successful with that. It will probably need to wait until Saturday, or perhaps I can get caught up on some billing while traveling.

First meal of the day, 20080710th1815

Today was very busy. I hit the ground running this morning, being pulled in various directions by people who need me in the last few days before my departure. I finally had a chance to have "breakfast" at about 6 in the evening.

Landscaping in Iowa City, 20080710th1804

This is an example of the beautiful landscaping that we have around Iowa City. There are various flowers, trees, and shrubs that are maintained by the City and also the University of Iowa.

Riding back to my office, 20080710th1758

I finished with the printer setup around 6PM and rode my bicycle back to the office.

Setting up an HP Photosmart C6280, 20080710th1710

You wouldn't think that it could take about an hour to setup a printer, but this new HP Photosmart C6280 actually took a while to get setup. It uses about six separate ink cartridges, which is a good thing because if one color runs out you can replace just that module. Having the extra color tones is also good because photos look more realistic. The software setup was a little time consuming, but simple. Because the printer has scanning capabilities, and memory card readers built-in, the software was a little more elaborate.

Riding to client home, 20080710th1656

I'm riding north here approaching Jefferson Street. Saint Mary's Catholic Church can be seen ahead of me. I turned right on Jefferson and kept going east. One nice thing about Iowa City, and most college campus towns, is that one can ride a bicycle to get most anywhere. New Urbanism is an approach to urban planning and development that usually incorporates trails, parks, and the combination of business and residential spaces close together. This makes it possible to walk or ride a bike to get just about anywhere, and reduces the dependency on automobiles and the resulting noise and air pollution they produce.

Walking to Which Wich, 20080710th1627

I went to Which Wich to get a vegan sandwich, then had a phone call come in from a client that needed me to stop over ASAP. So, instead of eating, I just took the sandwich with me.

Updating the Live Feed, 20080710th1605

I'm spending about 10 minutes on updating the live feed. I want to make sure it is fully operational when I'm on my 3-week tour of the west coast. I hope to have plenty of updates from the road.

Update. [1617] It's now about a quarter after 4. I'm going to get a sandwich from Which Wich. These time-stamped updates are a way of posting additional information to Blogger without exceeding the daily posting limit.

Fresh Cherries, back from running, 20080710th1549

When I returned to the office, there was a birthday party underway. Not having had anything to eat since yesterday, I ate some cherries. It's not good to have too much food, or anything too rich on an empty stomach. The cherries were cold and delicious. 

Run Complete, 36 minutes, 4.56 km, 426 calories

Today's Run. Today I took my regular route. It was raining and cool when I started the run, but soon the rain went away and the sun was blazing hot which raised the humidity level and heat making it difficult to run. The air is heavy, and it's almost as if you can't get enough air when the humidity is so high and it is so hot. I kept moving ahead anyway, and finished the route in 32 minutes, so I spent the last four minutes doing a hill climb from North Madison Street right (east) up West Market Street. Then I took the pedestrian walkway south (North Capitol Street) and returned to the gym to finish the 36 minute run. I was happy to have improved my time and distance.

No Hot Water at Fitness East. There is still no hot water at Fitness East, since the flood. There were a few days when hot water returned, but then it was gone again.

North on Myrtle, 20080710th1451

At this point, I was almost to Brookland Park which is about the ideal half-way point for my 36 minute run.

Running in Rain, 20080710th1428-1435

It's raining today, but it feels good running in the rain after so
many hot and humid days. I don't like to let a little bad weather
deter my exercise routine. Over the next few weeks while traveling, I
won't have access to a gym. I really need to train and condition my
body so that I can handle a daily run of 36 minutes. I'm a little
concerned about this because my weight isn't back down to where it
should be for the impact of running. I had been alternating between
the elliptical workouts and running. Hopefully the daily running will
help bring my weight down quickly.

Going Running, 20080710th1424

Getting a late start on my run today, but feeling good. Since the 9AM
meeting, I was busy from about 10:30 to almost 2:00 PM today, and am
just getting started with my morning run.

International Video Call, 20080710th1037

The meeting this morning went until about 10:00 AM. Then I went to my office to get ready for the gym. A little after 10:30 I got online for an International video call. I'll be online for a while, and then going to the gym.

In a meeting, reviewing floorplans, 20080710th0915

Burlington Street Bridge, riding to office, 20080710th0905

Morning Light, 20080710th0801

Time for Yoga and Meditation.