Thursday, February 7th, 2013 8:15 p.m.

This time in four weeks exactly I will have had my first day on my cross-country trip and will be in San Diego, California, at the first-night banquet. I hope my bike will be safely stored in my room, and my wheelie and my daypack ready to go. Wow. That is a thought.
     Today someone sent all the participants a most inspiring email about doing the trip in 2011 and just giving a presentation to a group of women and remembering what a wonderful experience it was for her, and will be for all of us. I hope so.
      My life has a pattern of preparation. I took my bike into University Bicycles where they added extra handles on the handlebars, and a mirror, and changed my tires so they are new to start, and I bought inner tubes and patches and other essentials for biking. And they cleaned it beautifully so it looks like new. I went on a short ride up the Creek Path and back and took it in to have the saddle put up a notch so it is perfect. Now it sits on my porch waiting. I have to sort out what I want to put in the case on the back and how to organize raingear.
      Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. I have four more one-hour sessions with Gerry Hernandez, the quiet but thorough trainer at the YMCA where I am now a member. It will make it 12 sessions altogether. He gives me leg and back strengthening exercises, I have learned to warm up for 15 minutes or so on a stationery bike, and he's shown me how to use the Kinesis machine without fear and the elastic stretch bands from the ceiling for my arms and back. And he's given me squats with a 10 lb weight, and plank position (up to 60 seconds) and more. It is a great introduction to getting into shape, and I do hope I will go on doing it afterwards.
      Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 I go to YogaShala and do Iyengar Yoga at the intermediate level with Tam or Octavia - whoever is teaching and they are both excellent. The third floor studio overlooks the mountains and faces the colorful Google sign whose office is opposite. Mondays and Fridays I was taking spin classes but they were so exhausting that I now go in on my own and time myself to ride the stationary bike for an hour while I watch TV and adjust the gear level so it's more difficult at times, and easier at others.
     On Sunday I go to the Yogashala class at 10, and usually take Saturday off. But having Sammy the Beagle to look after means I go for a walk of at least a half hour twice a day, and sometimes an hour. And on days when I feel like it, I'll do half an hour of Gerry's exercises which I can do at home - arm stretches, and squats and plank.
      So that is my daily life which gives me time to learn how to use this new Asus computer, get myself up to speed on my new Iphone, download the Mapmyride maps, and keep up with the fundraising things for ALS with the Facebook page and emails to my list of friends.
       I don't miss teaching the Arab students at all! Though I do feel as if my thinking is getting a bit mushy because I really don't focus on intellectual things much - it's all physical activity.
      I'd like to go dancing somewhere - maybe salsa on Thursdays at Avalon. And I also go out in the evenings to the schmooze on Tuesday with BMW and Happy Hours on Wednesdays with the Manor Bunch, and to see David and Lisa for tea and conversation over the weekend. They are off to see Spencer in San Luis Obispo CA this weekend so I am on my own.
       That's it. I posted yoga photos on the Facebook page - and a new quote.