back to work

Tuesday

I really didn’t want to go back to work. I didn’t feel up to it. But I needed to go back or go on medical leave. If I went on medical leave, I would get no paycheck and possibly forfeit a bonus check. When I was home business manager, I earned 3% bonus on everything I sold. I also earned $100 or $300 bonus if our department made the month. I asked Tracy how home did in July. She told me we were 28% up! This meant I would earn the $300 bonus. My sales were up so I guessed that I might have another $300 in sales bonus. I didn’t want to give up an $600 by missing work. So I went in today. I should have stayed home.

I am finally feeling almost OK standing and walking for short periods. There is pain in my back but it is manageable. Walking and bending all day work was awful. I thought it would be a slow day but we had over 1000 markdowns in the area in men’s where I have been assigned. Markdowns in men’s is way easier than home but it was still more movement than I was ready for. Our intern, M, was helping from 12:00. I let him scan and I put on the tickets because I was much slower. I had to keep stopping and just breathe through the pain. I couldn’t wait for 1:00 when I could go to lunch. I was hoping that sitting would help but the pain, but it was too bad at that point. When I went back to work, I sat in a chair and put on tickets whenever I could.

I was only scheduled until 5:00. I was ready to leave at 4:30. I talked to J and asked if I could work a shorter shift on Wednesday.

Wednesday

I worked 2-9 on Wednesday. It was much like Tuesday but without the markdowns. My back hurt so much. I started to clean up the denim and sat in a chair while doing it.  I mostly sat the final hour before the store closed. I had to ice my back for about an hour for the pain to subside once I got home. 

Thursday was just as painful and I was glad to leave at 5.

I was feeling better on Friday. I had a job interview in the morning that was probably a waste of time.  But every interview gives me more experience and confidence, right? I also went to the chiropractor for another adjustment.

I worked 2-9 but started feeling pain right away. I wasn’t sure if I would last until 9. Thankfully, the pain didn’t get worse and even felt better at times. It was a slow day filled with tasking. At home, it took several ice packs to calm the pain so I could sleep.

Saturday

I finally felt some improvement on Saturday. I didn’t need to sit so often and even worked an hour longer than previous days. Good sales also helped my mood.

Sunday

I was so glad to have today off. Working five days in a row after having almost two weeks off was just too much. I also found out that I could have taken more days off. I should have called HR but believed K when she told me that I could only take one week off. Another associate was told that she only had 4 days of sick time but called HR and found out she had 80 hours. Why does K feel the need to lie?

I napped quite a bit today. And my back hurt less. I only took one naproxen at 6:00 am and at 3:00 pm. The pain is manageable. I hope the improvement continues as I have to work 8 hours tomorrow.

20180128 cycling

I only missed one day of biking this week which is good. I was distracted and didn’t see the trash bin and wiped out which is bad.

very foggy ride in union park

Monday
61° humidity 94% wind 5-12 SE
Foggy and windy. I had to take off my glasses to see. Wahoo app kept cutting out. Turning on the auto-pause May have made it worse. 
12.73+ miles
12.3+ mph
I know my mileage is off because my Apple Watch recorded 12.85 miles. 

nice to see the blue skies

Tuesday
69° humidity 92% wind 7-8 SW
I went the opposite way to take advantage of the wind. Wahoo app kept cutting out on me and truncating the route. 
I saw the alligator at the pond along Oldwoods. 
12.88 miles
12.3 mph

Wednesday
Too cold to ride 

this jerk was blocking the road when i entered union park

Thursday
51° humidity 51% wind 10-15 NE
Cold and windy. Sun peaked out but didn’t warm me up any. 
Wahoo app cutout and I noticed the time. I sent in a report after I got home. 
12.60 miles
11.70 mph

Friday
59° humidity 73% wind 10-18 NE
Sunny and windy. 
I ran into a trash bin left in the road as I was trying to read a text while riding. My bad. Wiped out, got up and kept going. 
I turned around when I got to SR56 to avoid Wahoo cutting out. 
The pain started while riding along Beardsley. 
13.15 miles
12.3 mph

Saturday
60° humidity 85% wind 5-8 NE
Sore and achy. I took it easy. 
I rode up to SR56 and turned around. 
8.89 miles
12.2 mph

Sunday
68° humidity 85% wind 9-12 SE
Short ride this morning. Still achy. 
7.28 miles
12.4 mph
This week 67.5
This year 191
Since Wahoo app updated, Strava doesn’t count my mileage in the monthly challenge. 

20180121 cycling

What a sad week or riding. It was very cold and I don’t have the gear to ride below 50°. It is rare for it to be that cold for more that a day. Climate change sucks 

Monday
It was too cold to ride before work.

union park with blue skies

Tuesday
It was cold in the morning, we ran errands and I went in the afternoon. 
71° humidity 40% wind 4-5 NE
Nice to feel warmth and the sun. The wind wasn’t too annoying. 
12.94 miles
12.36 mph

Wednesday
Too cold to ride. 

Thursday
Too cold to ride 

mostly clear skies at union park

Friday
It was cold in the morning so I waited until the afternoon to go out. 
63° humidity 39% wind??
I forgot to check the wind direction and it seem to be always against me. When I stopped, I checked 3 apps and found three different wind speeds and directions!
Wahoo stopped recording or at least showing any speed for awhile on SR56   
13.37 miles
12.6 mph

Saturday
Too cold to ride 

Sunday
56° humidity 87% wind 4 NE
Nice to see the sun coming up earlier. 
Chilly but not too bad. 
Wahoo app paused a couple of time. I don’t know what is wrong with it it also truncated a portion of my ride again
6.66 miles
12.4 mph 

This week 32.9 miles
This year 123 miles

20171231 cycling

a full week of riding but not as much time spent on the bike

# 20171231 Cycling
Not a great week for riding. Work is wearing me out but riding helps keep going. I am happy with my milage for the year.

a family was taking photos on the bridge so I didn't take my usual shot at union park

Monday
Christmas
71° humidity 45% wind 3 NE
Cool and breezy. 
Casual pace. I couldn’t do much more. 
13.4 miles
11.92 mph

new light is bright and works well

Tuesday
49° humidity 82% wind 2 NE
Thank goodness for the bike light. It lights up more than the street lights. Only car lights were any match. My heart rate was still elevated for the first 10 minutes. 
Quick ride up to SR56 and back. I hate the cold. My right ankle and foot hurt
6.17 miles
11.76 mph

someone put a santa hat on the robot. does this affect its ability to operate?

Wednesday
61° humidity 90% wind 2 ENE
Sunny. 
My body is still tired. Easy pace
12.79 miles
12.40 mph

Thursday
59° humidity 89% wind 4 NE
I forgot to check the weather so I wasn’t expecting a strong wind. It slowed me down some because my body is still tired. 
Overcast. No stops. 
9.05 miles
12.17 mph

Friday
54° humidity 90% wind 3-5 NW
Grey and windy. My legs didn’t want to push. 
14.82 miles
11.81 mph

Saturday
48° humidity 90% wind 1 NW
Cold and foggy. Wind was not from NW but from NE. It didn’t matter. I did my short ride. I had remove my fogged up glasses. 
6.50 miles
12.14 mph 

Sunday
49° humidity 81% wind 6 NE
Sunny so it didn’t feel as cold. My warm gloves were still damp so I wore my bike gloves and thin fleece glove. My hands were fine. The wind was annoying. 
8.45 miles
12.17 mph

This week 71.3 miles
This month 548 km 340.5 miles
This year 3599

20171224 cycling

We had extended hours at work but I managed to get 71 miles. 
Foggy weather and a tire failure.

Monday
63° humidity 93% wind 2 SE
Foggy. 
Quick ride before work. 
9.09 miles
12.92 mph

Tuesday
65° humidity 92% wind 1N
Foggy but bright. I wore my sunglasses until they fogged up. 
It seems like I had to pedal harder for any speed. I forgot to check my tire pressure before I left and it had been awhile since I added any air. Then I turned onto Mansfield and could feel every pebble. I knew my tire was low. It continually lost air until I had to walk home from Allegro. I filled it when I got home and will see if it holds air or needs to be changed tomorrow. 
13.31 miles
12.04 mph

Wednesday
Changed both tires. Found a small piece of wire in the back that caused the flat. I changed the front tire because it was wearing out. 

66° humidity 87% wind 3 SSW
Sunny. It took nearly an hour to change my tires. I am slow and cannot get the tires on and off easily
Felt much faster but didn’t push it. 
Headwind along SR56 and Mansfield
13.49 miles
12.63 mph

Thursday
71° humidity 94% wind 2 SW
I didn’t register the SW in my brain and went my usual route. Headwind along SR56 and Mansfield. 
9.20 miles
13.28 mph

Friday
62° humidity 93% wind 2 E
Very foggy. Moisture clouded my glasses so I had to take them off. 
Lots of traffic in Union Park to avoid. Good pace. Didn’t push. 
13.57 miles
13.02 mph

Saturday
62° humidity 94% wind 1 SE
Foggy. Quick ride. 
6.57 miles
12.34 mph

Sunday
60° humidity 97% wind 1 SE
Too foggy and too dark. I still hadn’t put on my light and couldn’t see much. I had to take off my glasses. I should not have gone out Mansfield because there are no streetlights past Meadow Pointe. The MUP was even worse and I moved to SR56 as soon as I could. At least the bike lanes have a traffic line that has some reflection. I was tense and the Wahoo app picked up on it or was glitchy and showed an elevated heart rate. 
6:58 miles
11.93 mph

This week 71.8
This year 3528

20171107 coffeeneuring #4

I locked my bike up to a sign pole

Good weather to ride; 68° humidity 92% wind 1 NE

chances at bruce b downs looking towards mystic oak

I took the long way to Marathon/Dunkin Donuts. There is no bike rack, no places to sit inside. I walked into the convenience store first. They have soft drinks and frozen drinks but not much else. The DD is attached and I went into there for an iced tea. There are a few tables to sit at inside. The color scheme makes even a new store look worn. The tea was fine. They accept contactless pay. $1.09

they really need to update their look

The wind was strong so I went east on SR56 to BBD. (Though I did lose some speed when I had to slow down for a traffic light.)

waiting for the light to change

18.17 miles
12.61 mph

20171101 coffeeneuring #3

in front of the sorting pens along wiregrass ranch boulevard.

Sunny but cool in the shade. 50º humidity 90% wind 2 NE

cows in the pen

I started out on my usual route then turned north on Wiregrass Boulevard. I wanted some more miles before I reached my destination. I heard some cows as I was going around the first roundabout and circled back. They were 3 small calves in the pen. Were they being weened? I got off my bike and walked to the fence and took some photos. They seemed curious and took a few steps towards me but didn’t come up to the fence. 

I continued to Chancey and went west to Seven Oaks. I rode south to SR56 and turned west. 
Gate is on SR56. I rode around the building looking for a bike rack. There was none. I locked my bike to one of the round metal tables.  

i have tried a boiled peanut once. it was mushy and gross.

Gate is not as big as RaceTrac and Wawa, They did have coffee, cocoa (out of order), shakes and smoothies, only sweet and unsweetened tea, sodas. They had some pre-made hot sandwiches a roller bar and frozen yogurt. They have insulated foam cups which some people prefer. They do have contactless payment in case you forget your wallet. $1.06

I sat outside in the shade, out of the wind. The tea was OK. 

I rode back on SR56 to Northwood Palms and rode through to CLR the east towards home. It was windy on the way home and I didn’t feel like fighting it. 

17.84 miles

20171026 coffeeneuring #2

I had to turn around for my debit card. I didn't think I would get lucky twice with being able to use Apple Pay.

The flag at MPIII was flapping until I stopped to take a photo.

The wind was annoying and chilly. Two days ago I was in bike shorts and t-shirt and sweating. Today I am in bike tights and long sleeved base and sweatshirt. My blood is Florida thin.

I rode out to Union Park before going west to RaceTrac.

There are sidewalks Along SR56 but they are narrow and have barriers which make it impossible to pass anyone else. I crossed SR56 then crossed back to RaceTrac.

There is no bike rack but a short fence to lock my bike up.

There are so many choices inside. There is a variety of iced teas, slushies, sodas, frozen yogurt and hotdogs. There was no hot foods nor hot drinks because they were upgrading. I got unsweetened ice tea. It was good. Twelve ounce iced tea was $1.17.

There are a few tables outside. I chose to sit in the sun.

I went south to CLR and then had the wind against me the whole time. Part of CLR has no bike lane nor any shoulder but that portion was short.

18.25 miles
12.44 mph

20170917 cycling

Still riding everyday but miles and times are going down.

Monday
74° wind 16 SW
Hurricane Irma is moving away but it is still very windy. Stayed in Deer Run and checked out the neighborhood. Small branches and dead palm fronds down. 
5.51 miles
10.55 mph

Tuesday
74° humidity 90% wind 4 SE
Short ride. Mostly leaves and small twigs. Some signs down. The Behavioral Health lost some vinyl siding. 
6.04 miles
12.17 mph

foggy morning at the pasture at sr56 and mansfield

Wednesday
69° humidity 94% wind 1 SE
Cooler and foggy. 
I had to push hard just to get to average 12 mph. 
9.01 miles
12.11 mph

union park

Thursday
75° humidity 95% wind 2 E
I think Irma took my legs because I can't seem to get any speed no matter how hard I push. Ugh. 
I accidentally hit end instead of pause on my Apple Watch and ended up with two short rides.
13.01 miles
12.19 mph

Friday
75° humidity 93% wind 2 NE
I don't know what have happened to my legs. They seem to have lost their power. I have to push it hard just to average 12 mph. 
12.96 miles
12.05 mph

Saturday
75° humidity 94% wind 2 NE
Short ride because I wasted time on the computer. 
Rode hard but still didn't go that fast. 
6.49 miles
12.30 mph

early morning ride along southbound wiregrass ranch boulevard

Sunday
74° humidity 94% wind 1 N
I went out to BBD because of the wind. Some areas of CLR were dark because of the trees or the lights being out. I thought the lights were out on BBD but realized that there aren't any north of CLR! It wasn't too bad because there were lights from cars and businesses. But after the hospital, there is nothing! I just kept my eye on the faint line between the car lane and the bike lane. If there was any debris I couldn't see it to avoid it. 
It was dark along Chancey but I could see lights in the distance. There are streetlights in the area where there is no development! They end after the third roundabout but dawn was approaching. 
I didn't even try to get to 12 mph. It was stressful enough just seeing enough of the road to keep riding. 
9.47 miles
11.37 mph
This week 62.4 miles
This year 2373 miles 

20170813 cycling

union park

Monday
78° humidity 93% wind 7 SE
Hot and windy. 
Headwind along Mansfield really killed my speed. 
12.94 miles
12.44 mph

new flowers for union park

Tuesday
77° humidity 93% wind 4 SE
Hot and windy. Adding air to my tires seemed little. 
Heavier traffic because of school orientation. 
12.94 miles
12.39 mph

cattle trailer at wiregrass pasture

Wednesday
75° humidity 95% wind 3 SE
Felt better today. Shorter ride because of work. Hueland Pond is now open to traffic. 
8.41 miles
12.91 mph

wiregrass

Thursday
76° humidity 93% wind ? NE-SE
Conflicting reports of wind speed and direction.
Rode out to Union Park. Road in back is still flooding. 
More traffic today and crossing guard on Mansfield. 
12.94 miles
12.77 mph

pasco hernando state college porter campus

Friday
74° humidity 98% wind 1 NNW
I saw the wind direction but went right at CLR. The wind was negligible and always felt against me. 
Tried to ride hard. Ankle pain. 
9.05 miles
12.75 mph

morning storms coming in from the gulf

Saturday
76° humidity 95% wind 3 SSE
Saw some hot air balloons. I wanted to get closer before I stopped but then I lost them. Oh well. 
Good pace. I was at 13.2 then Headwind along Mansfield dropped me to 13.1 despite my efforts. 
9.03 miles
13.18 mph

storms forming in the gulf

Sunday
79° humidity 97% wind 4 SSE
Warm and windy. 
Asshole on motorcycle racing through Wiregrass and Meadow Pointe and doing wheelies. 
13.11 miles
12.99 mph

This week 78.3
This year 2022