Book Review

About a month ago, ESPN radio commentator Tony Kornhiser was talking about the integration of bike lanes in Washington DC but the conversation soon took a turn for the worst when he said, “And they all, my God, with their water bottles in the back, and their stupid hats, and their shiny shorts, they’re the same kind of disgusting posers that in a snowstorm come out with cross-country skis on your block. Run them down.”

He later modified that comment to, “So you tap them. I’m not saying kill them.”

So, I’m thinking about this and the attitude so many drivers have about cyclists as I am about to take my bike out for the first time this season. I am excited about getting out there. Biking is one of my favorite activities and when you haven’t  been able to get out there for several months, that first time is a great thrill.

Please don’t take the attitude of Tony Kornhiser. Share the road. Know that most cyclists obey the rules of the road. Be aware of us and leave us a little room. When you see us driving up alongside a row of parked cars, keep in mind, we don’t only have to look out for the cars driving by, we also have to keep our eyes open for anyone getting in or out of cars.

If you are a cyclist, the most important thing to remember is WEAR A HELMET!!! But also, follow the traffic laws, try and stick to places that either have bike lanes or that have plenty of bike traffic so drivers are looking out for you.

I say good for Washington DC for adding bike lanes. They not only keep the community less populated, they keep the people in better health. Nashville is a pretty friendly cycle town. There have only been a couple of places I have biked over the past couple of years and I have learned that if you don’t feel comfortable, you just don’t go back there.

Be safe everyone.

C – ya tomorrow!!!

Ok, so one of the ladies in my small group (Carmen) told me about this April challenge. Let me lay it out for you:

“Can you post every day except Sundays during this month?  And to up the bar, can you blog thematically from A to Z?  If you subtract Sundays from April, you then have 26 days–one day for each letter of the alphabet.  Using this premise, you would start this Thursday April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then Friday the second a topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until you finish on Friday April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.  It doesn’t even have to be a word–it can be a proper noun, the letter used as a symbol, or the letter itself.  The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.”

By the way, if you want to get involved, check out http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-boggled-blogging-from-to-z-april.html.

I figured I’d give this challenge a go for a couple of reasons. Number one, I don’t blog enough. I really only use the blog for my book reviews but thought I’d like to write about some new things.

Number two, I love to write and not only write but also process what I’m writing and coming up with new ideas will be good for me.

So, here we are, day one of the April challenge and I am about to post my “A” blog for the month. It’s a great start.

See you tomorrow 🙂

After the first chapter of “Imaginary Jesus” written by Matt Mikalatos, I was hooked. The often humorous, always poignant story of Matt’s quest to find the real Jesus amongst all of those imaginary Jesuses in the SSIJ (Secret Society of Imaginary Jesuses) is truly engaging. Some of the imaginary Jesuses are laugh out loud funny—King James Jesus, Testosterone Jesus and Meticulous Jesus.

The book encourages the reader to look into their own life and see the Jesus they have created in their lives that makes them comfortable and dares you to search for who the real Jesus is.

The book begins with the author sitting in a café with his imaginary Jesus when a man walks in and punches Jesus in the face. Jesus, in turn, runs away. What follows is a fast-paced, rollercoaster ride through the authors imagination.

As Mikalatos narrates the story, you learn about some of the personal experiences and struggles he and his family have endured through their lives which gives the book a personal touch that many will be able to relate to. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to understand who Jesus is and what that means in their life.

As a member of the Tyndale blog network, I was provided this book free of charge by the publisher.

Christian Encounters: Jane Austen by Peter Leithart

As a fan of all things Jane Austen, I was excited to receive this book in the mail. I have read everyone of Austen’s books at least once (most of them I have read three or four times and I read “Pride & Prejudice” at least once a year). Therefore, I was eager to learn a little more about the author.

While it was interesting reading about the life of Jane Austen (referred to as Jenny through most of the book), there was so much information in this book that I had some difficultly absorbing it all. There were so many letters and references to relatives and friends it was tough to keep everything and everybody straight.

I did enjoy reading about a few of the people in Austen’s life who influenced her characters in her books. Also, the references to her immediate family and her relationship with Tom Lefroy (character in the movie “Becoming Jane”) gave some insight into the author’s life.

Over all, I would recommend this book for anyone doing research into Austen’s life but for a quick overview of her life, there are better options on the market.

As a member of Thomas Nelson’s reader review panel at booksneeze, I received my copy of this book free of charge from the publisher.

So, as I was working out today during my lunch hour, I was thinking about how easy it is for me to skip my needed exercise routine. Then I started thinking about the excuse I give for not exercising: I don’t have enough time, I don’t like any exercise, I don’t want to go to the gym and exercise in front of a bunch of strangers.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realize that those excuses are just that: EXCUSES. You can always make time to exercise. I have the advantage of a small workout room in my office building so I can go down there and workout during my lunch hour (plus we have an added advantage because they just replaced all of the 15 year old equipment with brand new stuff last month!!). I can also get up a little earlier and squeeze in 30 more minutes of exercise. I can take a “smoke break” and walk around the parking lot at the office for 15 minutes. And, now that the time changed and it’s lighter an hour later when I get off work, I could probably squeeze something in after work.

Ok, so much for the “I don’t have time” excuse. Now let’s tackle the “I don’t like any exercise” excuse. I am sure that when you were younger you preferred one activity over all others. I’ve always really enjoyed being in the water so swimming was always a lot of fun for me. About three years ago I also discovered triathlons and really love going out there with a bunch of other athletes and enjoy a swim, bike, run race (ok, I don’t enjoy the run so much but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the swim and the bike). And, while I won’t win any age group categories, it is a great thing to keep me motivated to exercise during the weeks leading up to the race as well. There are a ton of options out there as far as what to when it comes to exercising. In one of my weight watchers meetings, the leader had us do a very informative exercise: list at least one activity for every letter of the alphabet, from A to Z.

Finally, if you don’t like going to the gym, I have found a great alternative with exercise DVDs, there are so many choices on the market, you are sure to find one you like. My favorites include the Slim in 6 series done by beach body and any of the Jari Love DVDs (great strength training). Right now I’m doing the P90X DVDs (bought them on ebay and saved about $75). Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got about 80 pounds to lose still and I am by NO means ripped and what I would call “fit” but I can do most of the P90X workouts. I am not as intense as the goofy trainer on the DVDs but at least I am moving. Another thing that I’ve found that I love, love, love is the EA sports active for the Wii. The Wii active lets you do some serious cardio and even gives you a pretty good estimate of how many calories you burn while doing the workout. Another added bonus is that you can set up your own workouts and time it for the amount of time you have.

So, get out there, get moving and find something that you enjoy!!