Every start of a new year, it is a weird feeling to write a different year on documents and such. It is even weirder to write years in a different decade. As with most years, the prior year seems to have flown by.

This month, I celebrated my one year anniversary at Cuyahoga Community College. I think it is wonderful to work with not only a good team. But, it is also inspiring to know you have a part in helping educate and improve the community. I still like going to work each day and I look forward to many years to come.

For the past four years, we have been doing the ADA's Tour de Cure. We lost Rachel's father, Ken, a few years to diabetes. In addition, Rachel and a number of family and friends have diabetes. Therefore, we like to support the ADA when we can.

As Rachel and I do not normally ride our bikes, we are in poor shape for this event; had it been a walk, we would have an easier time. Additionally, even with the liberal application of sunscreen, we still become sunburned. However, we still enjoy doing the ride.

I hope everyone had a good holiday. Unlike most years, Rachel and I actually dressed up and went out to celebrate. It is the first time since our wedding since she has worn a dress! She looked wonderful in it. She will probably post the pictures we took on her site.

After a few months of being without my treadmill, it is finally up and running again. My mishap a few months ago fried the main circuit board. Last week a replacement board arrived. I think it took about an hour to swap out the boards, re-lubricate the running deck, and put all the covers in place. I am looking forward to jogging again.

Rachel and I recently go back from the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. This is the third year that we have done the bicycle ride. Like last year, it was at Blossom Music Center. And, like usual, we were unprepared for the ride. Except for a few days ago, we have not ridden our bikes since last year’s ride. The ride was only supposed to be 10K. But, with the weather in the nineties, the heat was too much for a number of people. When we reached the halfway point, Rachel said she was done. It is probably a good thing too. I do not know how much longer I would have lasted. I am still having pains from my treadmill incident a few months ago.

Even though this year's ride is over, it is not too late to donate.

I hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend. I did not do too much. I mostly stayed inside and worked on school work. I am off of work for the next couple of weeks. So, I am hoping that things will stay quiet.

Recently, the US Government approved a stimulus payment to us taxpayers. The payment schedule was based on the last two digits of the taxpayer’s Social Security Number as well as if the taxpayer’s refund was direct deposited.

Thanks to having a very low number, Rachel and I got our stimulus payment on Friday. Most of the money will go to bills and such. But, we decided to splurge on a Nintendo Wii. Wiis are still tough to find in retail stores. Rachel was lucky to find a Target store with two available.

I know that runners occasionally talk about "hitting a wall." This usually means a sudden loss of energy. Yesterday, I "hit the wall" while jogging on my treadmill. I know I am in poor shape (right now), but this had nothing to do with my endurance. I literally hit the wall. Well, not quite.

I was about twenty minutes into my jog when the treadmill stopped abruptly. My chest hit the treadmill's console while my feet slipped on the running surface. Consequently, I have severe pains in my chest, hips, knees, and back. I only wished that it looked as funny as it sounded.

It has been a week since I started the National President's Challenge. I have not lost any weight according to my logs. In fact, I have apparently gained a few pounds. However, I know from past experience that my daily weighings can fluctuate by a few pounds. It all depends on when I weigh, when I ate last and what I am wearing. The Challenge continues into mid-May (though I plan to keep exercising past then).

The two most popular days to start an exercise regime are "tomorrow" and "Monday." Tomorrow kicks off the National President's Challenge. The goal is to get the nation up and moving. We (mostly me) are too fat. I had been using the President's Challenge website a few years ago. However, now that I spend two additional hours commuting every morning I lost my exercise time. I miss my morning exercises (sometimes). Well, starting tomorrow, I am going to attempt to do my exercises after work. I am dubious in my ability to succeed.