Motorcycle Safety and Awareness

As I talked about in my last post,  I want to make about a 2 week ride this summer to the coast, ferry to Victoria, ride up Vancouver Island, ferry to Prince Rupert, ride back home via Hwy 16 and 97. I want to make it a ride for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness, to have lots of other riders join me, and have it widely publicized so people will see it on TV, read about it in newspapers, and hopefully think about us when they get in their cars and head off down the roads.  Here are some maps to show more about where I plan to ride.

This map shows part of British Columbia, the Canadian province I live in.

If you click on the map you will get a larger view of it.

Find Kelowna on the map... I live about an hour drive from Kelowna. 

Find Vancouver.... the plan is to ride to this area and take a ferry across to Victoria which you will see at the bottom of Vancouver Island.

In the top left corner of this map, you see Haida Gwaii, formerly called Queen Charlotte Islands.

This map shows the north end of Vancouver Island

The plan is to ride up Vancouver Island and take a ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert.

 This map shows Haida Gwaii, formerly called Queen Charlotte Islands, on the left as well as many other islands and the mainland on the right.  You can see Prince Rupert on the mainland.

The ride will continue from Prince Rupert to Prince George, which you see on the 1st map, then back down to the Kelowna area.

Motorcycle Safety and Awareness

I just sent an email to British Columbia Coalition of Motorcyclists (BC COM). I want to make about a 2 week ride this summer to the coast, ferry to Victoria, ride up Vancouver Island, ferry to Prince Rupert, ride back home via Hwy 16 and 97. I want to make it a ride for Motorcycle Safety and Awareness, to have lots of other riders join me, and have it widely publicized so people will see it on TV, read about it in newspapers, and hopefully think about us when they get in their cars and head off down the roads. I have invited BC COM to be part of this event and have some other plans/thoughts to put into place.

Some things still on my 'To Do List' for this ride:
- Find sponsorship to help with costs of the trip (I was 'low income' and am currently 'no income', so need help)
       - Write to Chevron re: supplying fuel for my trike (if they say no, try other gas companies)
       - Write to BC Ferries re: free ferry rides for this trip (hey, it's worth asking, worst they can do is say no)
       - Be open to private monetary donations to help cover my expenses
       - Contact hotels/motels/campsites/friends re: places to stay along the way
- Pick a firm date for this ride to start (should I go to Boogy Bash first and leave from there, or got straight from home?)
- Contact CHBC News and invite Rick Webber to join the ride
- Get some work done on my trike so it's in top shape for hitting the road
- Take long rides to 'get in shape' for the big one
- Let lots of people know so I have lots of other riders joining me for this ride
- Get map of BC, hang on my wall and plan the route we will take.  Get tourism booklets to study, of towns along the way.

This list is just a start, I'm sure.  Other lists will be made, like what to take for food, clothing, camp gear, etc. etc. etc. This should be fun.... putting it together, then actually doing the ride.

DVD Burning Completed

Last night, Dan MSNed me a DVD burning program and I was able to burn 3 movies to a DVD for my friend.  He still came and got all his blanks so he can take them to the other friend to have more done, and that's okay.  At least I did what I said I would do.  I followed through on a promise and that is important to me.  Now, if I want to burn any more DVDs I can in future, though this is not something I tend to do a lot.  I just don't seem to need them too often.  I do plan to get the necessary cable(s) so I can plug my computer to the TV and watch my downloaded movies on the big 51".  Maybe I can even plug in to the older TV in the bedroom so I can watch movies while relaxing on my comfy bed. I am very Grateful to my friend Dan for helping me out once again.

DVD Burning

I downloaded some movies from the internet, and a friend without a computer wants me to burn him some.  He even brought some bland DVDs over today for me to do this for him. I've burned DVDs before, but not for a long time and not on this particular computer, and not with the program this computer has on it... Windows DVD Burner or something like that.  It was taking a terrible long time and not really getting anywhere.  I talked to my friend Dan on MSN and he said he could send me another program that would work better, and walk me through using it.  He uses Ashampoo all the time, apparently.  So fine, I cancelled the one I had going and he sent me the file over MSN, but after taking a long time to transfer the file, just when it's about to be done, suddenly I get a message that it can't be completed.  We tried different ways, including zip file and still it can't be sent to me.  So after hours of trying to get the program, all I have is a beastly headache and a ton of frustration.  Guess I'll re-start the Windows DVD program and just let it run all night, hoping it's finished by morning.  I could have used all these wasted hours for something much more productive.

Project House Cleaning continues

I have continued to do a bit of cleaning here and there.  The area in front of my computer desk is now partially cleaned out though still needs more attention.  I have managed to maintain the cleaned off kitchen table, counter and stove for the most part, though there are some books on the table and a few things I've been working with on the counter.  I plan to clear those off this evening before I go to bed.  I was looking online at different tables as i think it would be good to have one that folds down so leaves more free space in the kitchen between meals, and provides me with less space to stack stuff up on.  I like the amish dining tables, though none of them fold down in quite the way I have in mind.  I have seen some like what I want, but think they are antiques. Someone offered me one a year or so ago, if I cleaned up my kitchen.  I haven't seen her in about 10 months, so not sure she'd remember never mind follow through on the offer.  The table I have now is from the 1950s and reminds me of the one in the farm house where I lived for the first 12 years of my life, though mine is read and that one was grey. With a crochet table cloth on it, my table looks great!!

Veganism

I am continuing my studies of eating a vegan diet.  As I choose to eat this way for health purposes, it is important to make sure I am doing it right in order for it to be healthy. One must know how to get all the necessary nutrients from what they eat. The way I ate before was a meat based diet and I doubt I was getting all the required nutrients from it as I never ate properly.  I am now much more likely to cook myself a meal than I ever was before I started to eat the vegan way.  So far it hasn't helped me to loose any weight, however it has made a dramatic and profound improvement to my cholesterol levels in just 3 months.

As I surfed the web tonight, I came across a very good web site on veganism. They had lots of interesting things to read about, including vegan sources of proteins, Omega 3, iron, etc.  I will likely share some of that info here, but for tonight I am going to share something from another website.

Is veganism a good idea?

By: AFP Date:  2011-08-23 Place: Washington

Last week former US President Bill Clinton told American news channel CNN that he is now a vegan and eschews meat, eggs, and dairy in order to be healthier. Once famed for his love of hamburgers and doughnuts, Clinton, who had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004, dropped 24 pounds and has lowered his cholesterol levels dramatically since adopting a near vegan lifestyle last year. So, is veganism a good idea? "Veganism is one of the healthiest dietary lifestyles...if done properly," reports LiveScience of Clinton's eating regimen. "It is also one of the unhealthiest diets in town if not done properly, which is often the case." Animal products are packed with nutrients such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids (in fish), calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. This means in order to consume vital nutrients, vegans need to be extra-vigilant by eating calcium-rich dark, leafy greens such broccoli, kale, turnip greens and collards, zinc-filled nuts and beans, omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseeds, and protein-rich foods such as beans every single day, adds LifeScience. Unskilled or new vegans can also fall into the traps of making poor food choices due to limited food options, or rely on meat substitutes, which can be loaded with salt and fat. MyPyramid.gov recommends that vegans consume beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, tofu, tempeh and veggie burgers to meet protein needs. "I like the vegetables, the fruits, the beans, the stuff I eat now," Clinton told Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the CNN interview. His diet strategy now, he says, is to avoid any food that might damage his blood vessels, and to follow the guidance of famed plant-based food proponent Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., who directs the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Project House Cleaning

Yesterday I took all the stuff out of a couple cupboards in my kitchen.  I threw out several things then washed stuff that was dusty and going back into the cupboards.  I put my teas where my spices used to be as they need a whole cupboard as it turns out, but so do the spices. Odd for someone who rarely cooks.  Anyway, I decided to put in a new shelf in the one spot in order to put more of the spices. Today a friend brought me some wood which I quickly turned into a shelf.  Now instead of one shelf with spices strung all out and a lot of wasted head space, I have 2 short shelves of spices with little head space.  It looks so much better as well as being very user friendly.  Now I'm about to head into town to one or two Dollar Stores to find some baskets for organizing bagged spices and boxes of zip top bags, etc. I am pleased to have made some progress.

Yesterday was Spring,
Today... deep Winter!
That Bites!

Written by:
Alice Gypsy-Girl Price
February 16, 2012.

 

A Snow Poem

Snow Day

All dressed up and ready to go,
I went outside into falling snow.
Four inches deep it must be,
And nasty roads that I can see.
Drive in this? Of course I can,
Though an enjoyable day was my plan.
As I started to clean my truck off,
I looked around and began to scoff.
"Give your head a shake, girl." I said,
"Go back inside, go back to bed!"
So back inside I then did go,
Inside out of all that snow.
Now fully clothed, with tea in hand,
On bed with laptop I sit... not stand.
There are places I must go late afternoon,
And am hoping the snow will stop falling soon.

Written by:
Alice Gypsy-Girl Price
February 16, 2012.

I haven't had a cold or flu for so very long, I would have to guess about 15 years, give or take. So you can imagine how much of a surprise it was when I got sick.  It started with my sinuses draining, which happens occasionally so no big deal, then the coughing and trouble breathing started, including coughing up large amounts of phlegm with a good deal of blood in it.  I went to a walk-in clinic and talked to a doctor who said I had pneumonia and wrote out a slip for me to get chest x-rays done and another for me to get some antibiotics.  Being Sunday I was able to get the antibiotics right away, and had to wait until the next day to get the x-rays done.  Thursday I went back to get the results and was told that the x-rays showed I didn't have pneumonia, but did have bronchitis.  Each day, bit by bit I am better.  Now I still cough a bit now and then though it's not so bad anymore and there was no phlegm coming up today.  I would say I'm almost mended.  I am very happy that tonight will be the last of the antibiotics and the start of healing from the damage of the drugs.

My Bed

I have always loved antique furniture and was delighted when my parents one year long ago now gave me their old bedroom set.  It has the bed with head and foot boards, one of those bedroom vanity sets with the vanity and stool, and what they always called a highboy... a tall dresser with 4 drawers.  The bed was still the old style with a set of springs that the mattress rests on, no box spring.  Well, I slept on this bed for nearly 20 years, then this fall I bought a really awesome box spring and mattress, brand new.  They are the first ones I've ever bought.  I put the old springs and mattress outside in the carport for now, and put the box spring and mattress with the old bed.  It makes for one very high bed to climb up on each morning, but it sure is comfortable to sleep in all night.  I am so grateful for the comfort of this new bed and for the fact I have so much less pain all night than I did before. 

Winter Blahhhs

I need a lot of color in my life.  The current weather has no color to speak of. Between fog, snow, hoar frost, it's all looking like black and white photos... even when they are color photos.  The only real color is my new truck!!