Freeware CD/DVD burning software for Windows

http://cdburnerxp.se/

Exercise Day 2: Not too bad

(My last goal to aim for from Exercise Day 1 was:)
- 25:00 Running consistent @ 6mph (without cramping)
- 40:00 Total (with 10-min warm up and 5 min cool down)
- 500 kcals
- 3.0 Miles

What I actually did:

- Woke up early on a *Monday* to make it to work early enough to run (wooo hooo!!!)
- 20:00 Running consistent @ 6mph (without cramping, Yess!!!!)
- 40:00 Total (including 10-min warm up and 10 min cool down)
- 467 kcals
- 2.9 Miles total

How I feel: Great!!

Vacuuum Parts for the old school bagless vacuum

OMG I would never though I could find the specific part, but I did, and here are the websites. Useful if you need parts for your vacuum. Speaking of which, if you have one, when was the last time you changed the vacuum bag/filter?

http://www.totalvac.com/parts/eureka_upright_vacuum_filters.html

http://www.vacuums24x7.com/eubosuse4040.html

"Thinking of you today,

and how you make

the world a nicer place

from all the special ways

you care about your family,

to the thoughtfulness

you show others…

And sending you this wish

filled with loving appreciation

for your warm heart, your kindness,

and all the other qualities

that make you so very special" --

Rest in peace Mama Josie, and I hope we will all be together again someday soon.

Definitely somewhere to try!

http://www.ilovetortas.com/

1. Camaron (Shrimp) Asado Fries
Golden Fries, Plump Shrimp, with Nacho Cheese, fresh salsa, guacamole and our special Cilantro Lime sauce.
2. Torta Ala Diabla
Steak and Onions sauteed in a special fire hot Diabla sauce served with tomato, mayo and beans to cool you down!
3. California Burrito
French fries, Carne Asada, Avocado, fresh salsa, nacho cheese and our special green and red sauces

Open everyday from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

La Torta Gorda
300 Willow Street
San Jose, CA 95128

Exercise Day 1: Beginner's "almost" 5k

Good morning folks,

I was able to get up early this morning to exercise before work. Usually I post this on facebook, however due to the amount of teasing and probably posting spam, I have decided to post all my exercise stuff on here. Usually I try to collect as much information as I can, as the geek that I am likes to make working out "fun"-- i.e. collecting stats and making graphs and visually seeing my progress from barcharts and what not-- (It's a lot more exciting than looking in the mirror and weighing scale :P)

Here's today's stats:

- N0-HR monitor (HR chest-strap needs a new CR2032 battery, hello $20 markup from Radio Shack)
- 36:10 (including 10-min warmup and 5 min cool down, with another 10 min-post stretch)
- 16:10 Running consistent @ 6mph (without cramping! Yaaaay!)
- 443 kcals burned (calculated at 223lbs exercise weight)
- 2.76 Miles covered.

Goal for tomorrow:

- 40:00 (including 10-min warmup and 5 min cooldown)
- 25:00 Running consistent @ 6mph (without cramping)
- 500 kcals
- 3.0 Miles

How wonderful family can be

Today was the final vigil for my grandmother who passed away last week. Amidst the hurt, sadness, and grief from family and friends attending, I saw something that made me smile--it was my nephew asking my niece for a tissue because he needed to pick a booger. I found that to be a genuinely funny :). Got to love kids, and especially when their family :). Thanks Brandon and Katie for bringing a smile to my face :)


-- Posted from my iPhone

Ideas for using cottage cheese

Pepper:Sprinkle cottage cheese with a few dashes of fresh crack pepper.

"Tapioca" Pudding: If you like tapioca pudding, try this low-carb alternative. For each ½ cup serving, mix in ½ tsp vanilla flavoring and 1 packet artificial sweetener.

Summer Fruit: A few strawberries, blueberries, diced peaches, chopped banana, or pineapple chunks sprinkled on top go a long way with cottage cheese. Stick with the berries if you prefer low-glycemic fruits. If the fructose is a concern, try using dash of tropical or strawberry-banana flavored sugar-free drink mix as an alternative fruity flavoring.

Morning Preserves: Add 1 tbsp sugar-free or reduced sugar preserves per ½ cup cottage cheese.

Chocolate Mousse: Add a ½ scoop of chocolate flavored protein (or 1 tsp of cocoa + 2 packets artificial sweetener), 1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix and whip in blender (you may need to add a little water or milk to thin it a little bit). Top with diced walnuts or almonds if desired and chill until set or ready to eat.

Some places to eat:

Some places I came across while watching TV, etc.....

Tommy's Joynt

www.tommysjoynt.com

1101 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94109-6815
(415) 775-4216

My Birthday!

Today is my 32nd birthday :) Per one of the few moments in my life, I feel like I understand. (When you grow up having a hard time being able to understand where one fits-in the world, it is difficult to know how to implement a path, when the destination is unknown) I now know that to understand where one is going, acknowledging where we have been and remembering what we were and help shape where we will be. Someone once mentioned that it is helpful to state things, even the obvious, so here I go:

Hi, my name is Anthony and I am 32 years old. I know that I am a nerd, an engineer, a curious person by nature, who likes to cycle. I appreciate all things in beauty, and look forward to living a minimalistic lifestyle, one without a lot of complications or *things*, whatever they may be. I am fortunate to have a wonderful direct family who are supportive of one another, along with great friends who would do just the same; I have a good career, and I get paid to do what I love-- technical support for a great product! I enjoy photography, travel, and cycling, which all help provide balance.

Balance which is key to being in good health and happiness, which are two wonderful gifts :)

-- Anthony

How to enable Time Machine Backups on a Windows Share

Adapted from here

1. System Preferences -> Sharing -> Computer Name (*rename to something simple if necessary, like 'MacMini')

2. System Preferences -> Network -> Ethernet -> Advanced -> Ethernet ID (save without :)

3. Run command in terminal: hdiutil create -size 120g -fs HFS+J -volname "TM_{ComputerName}" "{ComputerName}_{EthernetID}.sparsebundle"

4. Copy the sparsebundle to the Windows share

5. Run command in terminal: defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

6. System Preferences -> Time Machine

7. Click Choose Backup Disk and pick network share

8. Click Use for backup

9. System Preferences -> Spotlight -> Privacy -> + -> Select window share under devices

Getting back in the swing of things :)

After my alarm went off this morning ~ 9:00am I had the intent of going to the gym.

Originally I set the alarm for 7:30, then 7:45.... and those didn't work :P So 9:00am I got up and assessed my body's condition to see if it was ready to start working out again. (Earlier this week, my roommate mentioned to be weary of my food consumption, especially since I was home-bound this past week, due to doc's orders-- I had to ensure to not go overboard on the comfort food) Since this was day two of having my hand splint off, I was also particularly attentive to the condition of my hand muscles. Anyway, I was able gear up for the gym and off I went :)

Initially I warmed up for about 10 minutes, building from 2.0 mph to 4.0 mph in .5 mph increments, to allow my leg muscles to warm up and become more pliable. After the 10 minute warm up, its up to 4.5 mph for the next 10 mins. Afterwards, HR is good, ~ 130bpm or so, so increased the pace to 4.8, then to 5.0. About 35 mins into the run/jog, I started to feel my legs complaining, so I cut back to about 4.8, then 4.5. All was well until about the 40 min mark. My quads started to cramp up, dropping my speed down to 2.5 then 2.0mph. After not trying to push too hard, I completed a quick cool-down, burning 400 kcals (no HR meter used) travelling 2.75 mi.

I guess its not too bad for starting to jog from being stagnant since last Monday.

If todays pace was set roughly at: 40 mins, 2.75 miles, @ 4.8 - 5.0, I'll try tomorrow's pace @ 4.5 mph max, and see how well I can do.

Happy Birthday Drew!

Today is my brother's birthday :) If he was still around he would be turning 35. (We're all getting older ) Sometimes I forget what it is like to have a brother; other times I feel as if my brother lives on with the the friends and family I have-- Sometimes I feel blessed that I have the best of friends and family :)

I miss my brother with all my heart, since he passed 12 years ago, I hope he is at peace and joined with our other relatives together. Happy birthday Andrew :) I hope you're enjoying the afterlife, and we miss your company. We will all be together again sometime soon; until then, I will look forward to enjoying what each day brings.

-- Anthony