Workout for 3/8/11 & 3/9/11

I ended up going to the YMCA 2 days in a row.

Activtrax for 3/8/11

Activtrax for 3/9/11

Selling some stuff to make money for Disneyland.

I needed to get rid of this stuff anyway...

Old entertainment center cabinet on Craigslist

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/fuo/2256987050.html

eBay Auctions

USB-UIRT (0056z)

USB Extender (Cat5)

Belkin USB Serial Adapter (F5U103)

Inland KVM (4 port) Scuffed and Missing footpad, works

X10 RF Receiver (W800RF32A)

Jacob's bedroom refresh

Lincoln grew out of his crib long ago but we didn't have the money or time to get him a new bed so I just removed the front panel and let him use it as a bed.  That was over a year ago.  Well he's 4-1/2 years old now and it's about time for him to have his own bed.  So I tossed the old crib and put the bunk beds from Jacob's room in there.

Now I've begun to tear Jacob's room apart.  The carpet is trashed in there and I'm going to convert it to wood with the leftovers from the living room remodel I did last year.  So for a while at least Jacob is sleeping downstairs with Anthony.

Tasks remaining:

• Finish wiring electrical/ethernet
• Repair baseboard heater panel
• Improve shelves in closet
• Remove wallpaper
• Tape off wall panel, trim, windows, etc.
• Texture walls
• Primer Coat Everything
• Paint
• Replace blinds
• Install electrical covers/light swithes
• Install light fixtures
• Install wood flooring
• Install trim
• Buy Jacob a new bed & install.

BEFORE PICS (Sorry forgot to take some before I removed furniture/carpet)

Workout for 3/7/11

I'm so glad I got my Garmin Forerunner. It really helps drive me faster. I'm still a pretty slow runner but my pace has improved somewhat. I'm now consistently better than 10:00 min/mi. I'd like to get that down to 8:00 min/mi someday.

MapMyFITNESS - Workout

MapMyFITNESS Workout(Run / Jog) : Distance 3.76 mi, Duration 36:55, Pace 9.8 min/mi, Speed 6.1 mi/h- #MapMyFITNESS: 03/08/2011 - Using Route - Imported Route (03/08/2011)

iPhone contract with AT&T is up on Wednesday

My contract with the iPhone 3G is up & I need an upgrade my iPhone has cracked glass & the headphone port makes a scratchy sound. And ever since I upgraded to iOS 4.x, my phone has run very sluggish.

I'm thinking about switching to Android but there are so many options I just can't decide to act now or wait and see what cool phones come out soon.

 I'm thinking about the Motorola Atrix because it has dual-core but I'd like to wait until there are more dual-core phones to choose from before pulling the trigger.  I'm afraid that as soon as I do there will be a new phone that I wish I would have waited for.

Headed to Disneyland for Spring Break

You heard it right.  We're going to Disneyland for Spring Break.  Last time we went was before Link was born.  We flew then but we've decided to make it a drive this time.  I was curious how much it would cost given the rising gas prices so I checked on gasbuddy.com  They estimate $306.30 but of course I'll have to check again before I leave I'm sure prices will just go up between now and then.

How to balance the federal budget

We all agree that federal spending is out of control.  The budget deficits that our government are incurring are growing exponentially.  The problem that the President and Congress both face is identifying programs to cut.  There is plenty of waste that much we can agree on left or right.  The problem arises when it comes down to identifying specific programs or agencies from where to cut.  It really doesn't matter what the program is, there are going to be lobbies, constituents, media, and other interests that will come out of the woodwork to protest.

They will come out and explain why their program is so great and how we shouldn't cut it.  Then the budget debate dissolves into a dozen battles that can't be won.  it doesn't really matter what the program is, it could be called "The Biggest waste of fund the Government has ever spent program" and once on the chopping block a gaggle of protesters will come out in defense.

It's a guaranteed no-win situation for any President, Republican or Democrat.  There's really no way to win at the game.  But I have an idea that could change the rules and eliminate the debate over specific programs.  My idea is so simple and so easy to implement and would balance the budget within a few years without having to fight those impossible battles of cutting specific programs and entitlements.

Simply, push for the 2011 federal budget to be the exact same budget as 2010.  Then again in 2012 use the 2010 budget again, and continue doing that until the budget balances itself. What I'm proposing is freezing the budget to 2010 spending levels until such time in the future that the budget is balanced.

In this way no programs are cut and all agencies are treated the same.  This eliminates the debate of having to defend cutting specific programs and focuses the debate where it should be, on the budget.  Is this a radical idea?  I say no, it's no different than what happens when you don't get a raise for a few years.  What do you do?  You keep using the same budget.

What do you think?

Workout for 3/5/11 (Long Run)

I ran 17 miles Saturday.  But because it has been so wet this week I decided against a trail run and I just ran out my front door 8.5 miles then came home.  I'm still recovering from last weeks' run so I couldn't keep my normal pace I ended up doing about 12:00 min/mile (I usually do about 10:00 min/mile)

MapMyFITNESS - Workout

MapMyFITNESS Workout(Run / Jog) : Distance 16.74 mi, Duration 3:26:19, Pace 12.3 min/mi, Speed 4.9 mi/h- #MapMyFITNESS: 03/05/2011 - Using Route - Imported Route (03/08/2011)