OYB!

Watered my plants.

Worked on Spanish.

Walked 3.87 miles.

Walked up my hill twenty-one times.

Ordered more vitamins.

Called Tim Deter to get signed up for insurance for my trip. It mainly covers any kind of medical issue.

Beautiful weather. Lower humidity really helps.

Listened to Don Cheto.

Watered my banana plants. They are doing great!

I chatted with Anthony a lot yesterday about his course. I was glad to see he integrated what I told him to do, mainly to focus on building the business rather than just learning how to teach.

Rode my bike 11.60 miles this evening. Cut my ride short because it was getting too dark. I did all the hardest parts.

Scary. I’d better be on the watch out. It’s one reason why I keep my yard fully trimmed. Snakes don’t like feeling exposed.

I do Guatemala research all the time.

Had a discussion with my buddy Anthony about his new training program. I look at everything before it’s released. I give him ideas about things he should consider.

OYB!

Español!

Climbed my hill fifteen times.

Walked 2.60 miles.

Talked to Tim Deter about my Medicare coverage and about the travel insurance to Guatemala. I gave him the go ahead, we’ll square it away tomorrow.

After our talk, I set up an account on Medicare.gov and paid the premium and made it to debit every month rather than once a quarter.

I was low on ink for my printer. I’m using refurbished/refilled HP printer cartridges from ValueToner. The B/W ink I got earlier this week worked just fine, so I got the color cartridges this time.

They will probably last years. I don’t print very much stuff, but I need it when I need it!

Called my bike guys to see if my new tires were in yet. They weren’t. I wasn’t surprised. Holiday weekend and all.

I called T&G about getting a copy of all the records for K’s Expedition and my Mercury. I’d like to have all that info for our new mechanics. He said that they’d get all the documents together and then give me a call. I’ll just take pictures of every receipt and what they did and keep them in a file on my computer.

Listened to Don Cheto.

Had a nice chat with my Mom.

I ate at Pho 24 for lunch. I had zero bars on my phone. Wow. Didn’t see that coming! So I read segments from Kevin Kelly’s new book of advice. Just down the hill the reception was perfect.

Graffiti at the Vietnamese place.

Hot today.

Helped the kids at the mission. They are doing research on the planets of our solar system.

After the homework was done, I helped air up the tires of several bikes. I explained to them what happens when they skid the tires: it completely wears the rubber off over time. They ruined Everly’s bike like that. I actually put her old bike in the dumpster today. Once the tires are gone and the chain doesn’t work well, it’s not worth fixing. She came down to the dumpster and said good bye to her steed. We had a lot of fun on that bike together.

Always learning new words and slang. Morra and Perro today.

Recorded an episode of Verbal Surgery called “Wild Animal.” Supa coo.

Hardly surprising.

The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion is currently my favorite show. He starred in Firefly which is one of my best shows ever, as well as Castle another all time special for me. He is known for bringing cameos with people from Firefly into his new shows. I watched one last night that included the pilot of the spacecraft in his first big show. It was great to see them working together again!

OYB!

Fun chat with my buddy Anthony today.

Worked out super hard last month. Especially considering the heat!

Checked on my car at T&G this morning. Turned out to only be a loose spark plug wire! Amen. I got some sad news today from the owner of the shop. He’s decided to end the business and leave for rural Georgia. He got tired of all the stress of being the boss. Don’t blame him. Being in charge isn’t for everyone, that’s for sure. Jason has been a good friend and has kept all our old cars going for about twenty years!

Climbed my hill seven times, then got the word that my car was ready. Since I was already sweaty, I decided to walk over to T&G and get my car.

Studied Spanish while I walked. 2.99 miles in all. Didn’t like walking with cars zooming by. Yuck.

Weird looking paper towel on the side of the road.

Jason will be missed. He showed me how to check my transmission fluid before I left. Assured me that I had many years of faithful service with the Mercury left and that he was leaving her in good shape. Amen.

Gassed up my car and checked the fluids. I know how to add transmission fluid when I need it now. He said it hadn’t gone down any since when he had refilled it a few weeks ago.

Called Tim about my health insurance and also travel insurance. We will talk tomorrow I hope.

Listened to Don Cheto while I was driving. Some days I really understand a lot of it. Other days, not so much. Today was a good one.

Hot today.

The apartments across the street are still changing.

Picked up the girls at the bus and took them to the Buford Highway Farmers Market for chicken, mac and cheese and rice. They ate great!

Helped the kids with their homework. I had five second graders today, plus all the middle schoolers. A couple hardly speak any English. It’s why I’m working on Español so hard. I can pretty much understand and explain everything to them in their own language.

Went to my office to check the mail.

Just keep going.

OYB!

Español!

Walked 2.72 miles.

Fifteen hills.

Went in to T&G to talk to Jason about my car. It’s started running rough again.

Ate lunch at LT then went to the Dollar Tree to get poster board for the kid’s projects.

Gave a donation to Wikipedia. I think it’s a great project to support: the world’s encyclopedia.

Left an email with Tim Deter about insurance for my trip to Guatemala. He says it’ll be around $100 or so. We’ll see. Probably a good idea to have that, although it’s something new for me.

Went by the office to check the mail. A couple of checks in there.

Had a good talk with my Mom today. We are looking at dates for her to come visit us in December. Amen. The girls have two weeks off.

Great to see my girls again!

Got some pizza for the kids.

Listened to Don Cheto on the way home.

Water issues in our neighborhood.

Dropped my car off at T&G this evening after getting back from the mission. Kathy picked me up. They should be able to look at it first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully, it’ll be done in time to go to the mission.

The chip in my card malfunctioned only about three months. That was weird to me. Got a brand new on in from Bank of America this evening. All activated and ready to go.

Incredible competition this week. Wow.

Came in #1 last week. This week I have two people that are super good students. I’ll come in the top three pretty sure.

OYB!

Warmer today, but still beautiful.

Be prepared.

Español. This was something I wrote.

Preparing for the Guatemala trip means that I needed to make sure that K and J can get their groceries.

We have so many spiders these days. Started about two years ago.

Walked 5.10 miles. That’s a record for me.

Twenty-nine times up and down my hill.

Warmed up by the time I finished.

Cleaned and refilled my hummingbird feeders.

Swept my outdoor carpet.

Cleaned and straightened St. Francis.

I have held off feeding my birds for about two months because I was so pissed off about the stupid squirrels. But as Fall is coming, I decided to refill them. I’m curious as to how long it takes the birds to come back. I read an Audubon article about what a hard time birds are having with the climate crisis.

Cleaned the water bowls/baths.

I repotted my Frangi Pani. She has really been neglected. She needed a bigger pot and fresh soil. Hopefully, she’ll be happy. She’s another plant that reminds me of home. That and bananas in particular.

Vacuumed the house. Since I’ve stopped mowing and using only the weed whacker, this is the hardest job on my back.

I always clean it out completely after I use it.

Cleaned the glass door. Smudges bother me.

I’ve enjoyed playing Horizon Forbidden West again. It’s such a beautiful game.

Listened to Hot Chip while I rode my bike. Electronic music always keeps me going. Super up tempo stuff.

I had a shorter bike ride today because it started getting dark. Still nice and warm.

I saw this dead armadillo on my ride. Interesting to think that they’re in the area.

Wow. Usually, if I put that many points on the board I’m creaming everyone. Not this week!

I liked these quotes from Theise.

Incredible how many criminal charges this guy has against him.

OYB!

Español!

Indeed.

Good talk with my buddy Anthony.

Sixteen hills.

Hiked 2.84 miles.

Prepped my bike.

And me.

Listened to !!! and NYPC, as well as Don Cheto.

Perfect weather for a bike ride.

Rode 20.36 miles.

I like these articles by Peter Diamandis.

Released Verbal Surgery “Used to It.” So good!

#1!

Worked hard this week. Like most.

OYB!

Cooler!

Español!

Walked 2.20 miles. 12 hills.

Did yard work today. Trimmed the front yard.

The line didn’t feed as well today as with other reels.

Picked up a lot of sticks and took them to my recycling area.

After I trim, you mainly see dirt. Welcome to yard care when you live in a forest.

Blew the driveway.

Walked another 1.75 miles while I trimmed.

Also blew the deck.

Finished hauling the sticks I’d collected.

Listened to Don Cheto.

Reckon I’ll come in #1 this week.

I’d love to watch THE Messi play, but not at $390! Wow!

OYB!

I washed my clothes today.

The shirts dry almost instantly. Then I put the rest of the laundry in.

Ordered groceries. I noticed they can now put my groceries into my own bags. Excellent. I ordered another set of reusable bags. Most of my previous bags are used for storage of stuff in my trunk.

They use a LOT of plastic bags to get my order together. Probably four times more than I would have used. I was going to recycle them, but the recycle box, although clearly marked, idiots had thrown trash into. So I’ll keep them in my trunk until needed.

My new external battery came in today. I got her charged up. I should have enough for my trip now.

Part of the paint on my bike got scraped off. Not sure how that happened. I applied electrical tape to keep it covered up.

Walked 2.91 miles this morning while I studied. I actually call it “hiking” because all I do is go up and down my hill.

Fifteen times up and down.

It was mild today. Can Fall really be happening soon?

Listened to Don Cheto in my car and while I was biking.

Biked 15.54 miles.

Got home and cleaned up. Then went to get the groceries. That used to be a super fast job, but now I have to go inside the store to get bananas and whatever other fruit I need. Kathy wanted some popcorn. I got that for her too.

Mileage log.

The chip on my debit card has failed. I can’t believe it’s only two months old! Got onto the BOA app and ordered a new one. Not every card machine can do tap and go.

Constant consistent effort is hard to beat.

I’m breaking down my research into Guatemala by the locations I’ll be visiting. Flavio is a noted guide in Antigua and Lake Atitlan. I hope to get to know him.

OYB!

Internet went out in our area this morning. Interfered with my Spanish study. I don’t like that. I wanted to reply OUTRAGE.

Español!

Gorgeous.

Walked 1.64 miles. Had to cut my exercise short in order to get to my dental appointment.

I’ve been studying electrolytes. It occurred to me that there must be pills that could do the job. Sure enough there are. I got the best rated/tasting. I’ll take these with me when I climb Acatenango. These and water should keep me in good stead.

Milder today. Still very high humidity.

I had a good chat with my Mom today.

I arrived at my dentist appointment right on time.

The doctor told me my implant was doing well and the surgical site “looked like nothing had happened there.” Amen.

I also had a thorough cleaning. And X-rays.

I talked to my Mom about the blender I use, the Nutri-Bullet. I’m a huge fan of it. I shot a series of photos about how I make my banana smoothies. Bananas, ice and milk. Delicious and good for me.

Prepped my bike for a ride after I got home from the dentist. Aired up tires, one of which was really low. That didn’t bode well for the ride. . . . Cleaned the frame and put fresh covers on my handle grips. Filled up my water bottle.

Saw this military chopper on my ride.

Rode my bike 9.36 miles. Got off to get a drink of water and POP! The tube in my front tire literally exploded. Completely flat.

I immediately called my bike guys to tell them what had happened.

Also called Miles to let him know I was going to be late and couldn’t pick up the girls. I had to walk home.

First, I hid my bike behind some bushes beside the library.

Walked 1.32 miles back home from the library. It could have been a LOT worse. That tire could have popped when I was at speed. That would’ve been very bad. I never really ride all that fast even going down hill. But still. . .

To add insult to injury, my car also started to run rough again. That’s not zesty. My car guys are on vacation until next Tuesday. I can still get around so it’ll work out.

Listened to Don Cheto while I was driving to the bike shop and then to Chamblee to the mission.

Preston, one of my bike guys, put some new tape on the rim, a new tube and a new tire. I’ll be getting two new tires soon. Both of mine are worn out.

Took my bike with me into Chamblee.

Helped the kids at the mission.

They are doing a project about planets.

Went by my office to check the mail.

Keep pushing.

Since I’ll be climbing Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala on October 9th, I was curious what the relationship is between hiking at extreme humidity and hiking at high altitudes.

Big one!

Glad to hear that I’m not required to get a Covid test before I go to Guatemala. I may go to the consulate just to ask.

OYB!

I studied Español for over two hours today.

Walked 4.61 miles today while I studied Español.

Climbed my hill 26 times today.

For comparison.

I worked on getting my in country transportation in Guatemala squared away today. I’ll be taking shuttle buses. I have four overland trips: Guatemala City to Antigua, Antigua to Panajachel (Lake Atitlan), Panajachel to Antigua and Antigua to Guatemala City. I’ll have multiple trips around the cities of Lake Atitlan, I’ll be using water launches for those. I’ll be making my HQ at San Marcos La Laguna.

Looks like plugging in gear will be no problem. Amen.

We had just a few sprinkles here in the ATL. Most of the heavy weather was SE of us.

Kathy came with me today. We ate a Piccadilly then went to FBCD to check the mail.

Processed and deposited checks.

Worked on the girl’s bikes. There were two bikes that the neighbor girls used years ago. I got them going as well.

I go in for my implant check up tomorrow. I scheduled a cleaning while I’m there. That should work out well.

We’re getting a refund back from Mint.

K had fun with the girls.

Helped the kids with their homework. Glad Noah was there to help.

Interesting high level clouds.

More info about my Acatenango adventure.

Keep pushing.