I haven’t been able to get into the blog for a long time and finally contacted support to straighten things out. Now that has been accomplished, this is just a short update to fill you in on what I’ve been doing and a promise to post something at least once or twice a week from here on out.

• I’ve gone back to school at Empowered UCLA Extension. You might have seen the commercials for baby boomers about this program. I did! I checked it out and decided to go. I’m in the Global Sustainability Program. The first quarter ended just before the holidays and the second quarter begins on Wednesday. The first quarter was very intense. It was only two classes, but they kept me very, very busy. The classes were Principles of Sustainability 1: Environmental Dimension and Water Rights and Sustainability. The Water Rights class was the harder of the two. The next quarter’s classes are Principles of Sustainability 2: Economic Dimension and The Ocean Environment: An Ecosystem Perspective. These both sound difficult.
• Right before Thanksgiving, I had an accident while riding with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition in downtown Los Angeles in the Arts District. We rode on a street that had a lot of potholes and some strangely-angled railroad tracks. I was riding my little Brompton and my tire got caught in the track when I went over it at the wrong angle. It was obviously immediately that one of my fingers was dislocated, but after the paramedics cut off my glove, they could see that my pinky finger was broken as well. I got out of the cast two weeks ago, but still don’t have enough flexibility or strength to use the right brakes, so I haven’t started back riding yet. I hope to start riding again soon.
  

  In the ER waiting to get treated

• Over the past year, I’ve lost a little bit of weight. Here are some before and after photos:
  

  On a ride in April 2012

  

  After receiving 2nd place medal in Turkey Trot 5K, November 22, 2012

• The second photo above was taken at the Antelope Valley YMCA’s Turkey Trot 5K race on Thanksgiving Day, which I finished in 2nd place in my age division. The following two photos were taken after the High Desert Runner’s Jingle Bell Jog 5K, which I finished in 1st place in my age division:
  

  After finishing the High Desert Runner’s Jingle Bell Jog 5K, December 22, 2012

  

  At home after receiving 1st place medal in the Jingle Bell Jog 5K