But I was still  using the old bike.  I took it to San Francisco for a “Critical Mass” gathering, a protest towards the city’s lack of bike lanes.  The idea was to cause so much disruption in traffic, the city would have no choice to comply.  However, it’s now 2009 and nothing has changed: people still hate the bikers.  They even have a nickname for them: Massholes. 

Anyway, after a while, my old bike rusted away in my old apartment, due to lack of use.  I ended up donating it to a janitor, while I was packing up to move to San Diego in 2001.  I haven’t rode a bicycle since.

Now, I have a need to keep fit and build my endurance.  I have a bummed left knee, so a bicycle is my best choice.  I don’t want to over-exert myself with a road bike, nor a mountain bike.  So, last Friday, I bought a brand new comfort bike from Specialized’s Globe series: Carmel 3 (Year 2010 Model), with 26″ wheels.  I got it from a local store called Rock N’ Road Cyclery. I’m using this bike to ride on the Yorba Linda Regional Park, with about 10+ miles of flat paved trail.  A bike riding/jogger heaven!

From now on, my bike riding experience will be more recreational, but it’ll also be productive.  Hopefully it’ll keep me fit, and let me feel young for a bit longer.

Wish me luck!

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

New Bicycle: Keeping Fit

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We went out to my neighbor’s sister’s place in Irvine.  We had dinner and hung out for a while.  Due to the lack of space in the apartment, we decided to move to our friend’s place in Orange Hill.  They were very kind to provide a room with a king-size bed to sleep on.  We were blessed to have been welcomed by our friends.  We thanked all of them!

We returned today around 11am.  The sky has cleared and smoke was nowhere near my neighborhood.  The air still smells bad, but much more breathable than yesterday.  I did a quick check around the house and it’s still in one piece.  Nothing burnt.  Nothing stolen.   We’re still counting our blessings.

This experience taught that we have to be much more prepared for an evacuation.  That means knowing what to pack and do it in less time.  All of the print photos and documents must be scanned and stored online, and elsewhere.  We need a bigger fire-proof safe.  Stay connected and informed.  Lastly, we need to stay more relaxed, to avoid the stress of an already trying day.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Brand New Day after Fire, Smoke, and Evacuation

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The recent dry and warm weather are causing havoc today near my neighborhood.  A brush fire started around 8am this morning and it spread fast northbound.  We live just east of the Yorba Linda Blvd and north of Highway 91.  We’re not in the path of the fire, nor in the evacuation area.  However, the fire is less than 3 miles from here, and it bellowed a lot smoke in the air, making it difficult to breath outside.  The air conditioning inside the house is on full blast, hoping to clear out the burning smell.

Traffic has pretty much come to a stand still here.  I-91 is closed. Routes Northbound on Yorba Linda Blvd and East of La Palma are closed.  Firefighters from Los Angeles County have showed up to help out.  The fire trucks have been busy driving up and down the street.

The neighborhood school, Travis Ranch, is being used as an evacuation center.

More info on the Orange County fires are on OC Register, LA Times, and NBC Los Angeles.

This article was posted on Rudy Amid's Blog:

Anaheim Hills Fire and Smoke

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