Tag: exercise

How To Change A Dell DJ Battery

On By Michel McDonaldIn Music, Products I Like, TechLeave a comment

I just posted this video on YouTube.  It’s sort of a tutorial on how to change the battery in a Dell DJ-20.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svD_W3PCrSc

I got this for Christmas in 2004 but it didn’t actually arrive until the middle of January 2005 so technically the day I got it is when the warranty started.  Over the next year the battery would start to die so when I charge it it’s supposed to have 8 hours of battery life but that started going down more and more until it wouldn’t even turn on at all.

I called Dell about getting a new battery but since my warranty had lapsed (they never contacted me to renew it, I didn’t think to call them because I thought I had a 2 year warranty, that’s what I chose when we bought it through their website) so they refused to help me.  I told the person I was talking to that I basically had a $318 paper weight.  The guy said yeah I understand but without a warranty there is nothing we can do.  I asked about buying a new battery, they wanted like $75 for a new one.  I couldn’t afford that.

So it sat in a drawer until September 2008 when I wanted to start riding my bike for exercise.  I didn’t want to ride without my tunes so I went on eBay and found a battery for a Dell DJ-20.  Unfortunately it was .50mm too wide and it would’ve ended up costing me more than the battery was worth to send it back so I said screw it, I’ll make it work.

In this video I will demonstrate how to remove the old one and put in the new one.  Although mine I couldn’t put it in so I had to tape it to the back.  But it works and that’s all that matters.  I actually put the Dell DJ into a neoprene camera case to protect it.

I don’t know why but when I was video taping myself doing this my hands all of a sudden got so shaky.  I was kinda afraid of breaking it when pulling the old battery out even though I had to put it in for this video and then take it back out lol.  I knew what I was doing because I did it before but I got nervous all of a sudden I guess.

Anyway, for those people who have been searching for this, here you go.  I would’ve embedded the video in here but it just looks better at the YouTube website since it’s widescreen.

Too Hot

On By Michel McDonaldIn CyclingLeave a comment

Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to wait until tomorrow to ride the bike.  I took yesterday off because it was Chips day off but now the weather is getting too hot for me to even want to go riding.  I just don’t feel like it anymore.

This is my issue, if it’s too cold I don’t want to go, if it’s too hot I don’t want to go.  Well, in Bakersfield it’s only normal for a month before summer then a month after the heat dies down before winter.  So I don’t have that many options.

This is what I’m thinking.  Since it’s getting hot outside but it’s cooler in the morning then I’m going to start going out at the same time that Darrin leaves for work.  So I’m going to get up at 8am and have something to eat then at 8:30am when he leaves I will leave too.  I know that I’ve said that before and then it never happened but this is how I’m going to do it starting tomorrow.

I really need this exercise and I don’t want to suffer in the process because of the heat.  I don’t think it’s that healthy to exercise when it’s 100+ outside.  That’s why the gym has the A/C going.

When summer does come though I’m going to have to make a real effort to get up earlier in the morning, like at the crack of dawn to leave the house and get it over with.  There is no way that I’m going to be out when it’s 110-120 outside.  No way.

Actually getting out there early in the morning is probably a very good idea no matter what the temperature is.  I’ve heard from trainers that it’s better to do your work out before you go to work early in the morning.  So, perhaps getting out there early is a smart move.  Maybe this will help me lose weight easier.

24 Hour Fitness

On By Michel McDonaldIn Exercise, HealthLeave a comment

I’ve always wanted to go to 24 Hour Fitness but they always charge you so much money up front.  You can’t even get a membership unless you have $200 in your pocket (or debit card) so I’ve just given up hope.  Also I’d have to take 2 buses to get there and wait about 45 min for the bus.

The bike trail is near where the 24 hour fitness is so I could get to the bike trail from home then when I get to Rosedale Hwy I can just start riding on the sidewalk (because it’s on the wrong side of the street) until I get there.  They have a special right now that is $19 down, $19 a month.  Now I can afford it and I can be exercising on the way there then get a couple of hours of exercise in before leaving where I will be exercising some more to get home.  Good plan.  We’ll see if I do it when I get my used bike.

Delivery

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I was supposed to get a package this morning and the driver rang the doorbell but the batteries in our doorbell are dead or dying so we didn’t hear it.  They left a note saying they showed up but there was no answer and so I got a call from my pharmacy who delivered the package saying that they will call the delivery company about a 2nd attempt.  They called me back saying that I’d have to wait until 5pm.  I told them that the delivery company will have to bang on the metal door and I can’t count on Darrin being awake to get it for me so I gotta stay home until they show up.

I just hope they come before too long because I can’t ride my bike if the sun starts to go down because I don’t like riding it at night.  First of all the generator on the bike gives me more resistance, which isn’t bad if I wasn’t so heavy I guess because then it would give me a better workout but I would rather get that better workout when I’m thinner heh.

If I have to just end up staying home today and not getting any exercise that’s fine I guess.  I know it’s going to take at least a year to get this weight off so what’s one more day eh?  This just means that I won’t take Sunday off.  Normally I like to ride 5 days a week and take 2 days off but I don’t mind riding 6 days.  I actually don’t even mind riding 7 days but I do like to give my legs a break every so often to help recharge them.

I was just hoping that this Friday when I weigh in I will actually show that I’ve lost some weight.  I don’t see any weight loss so far from last week.  I could weigh in every 2 weeks, it doesn’t have to be every week.  I mean, actually I could weigh in once a month.  It doesn’t matter when I weigh in, as long as I weigh in.  I would prefer not having to weigh in on a weekly basis because it makes me feel bad when I constantly weigh myself because I feel discouraged when I do weigh myself.

Edit: The package finally came at 1:45pm and I had plenty of time to go on my bike ride but just decided not to.  I like going at 10am when it’s still early.

Day Off

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

I wanted to ride my bike today but Darrin reminded me that I said that I was going to take the day off so I did.  Even though I really wanted to ride lol.  Oh well.  I probably should take the day off anyway because if I do this too much I might get too tired of it and stop.  I do like the routine of doing it everyday though.

When I was going to the gym 6 days a week in 2005 I had a routine for about 5 months and I wasn’t seeing any results and I started eating junk food even though I was trying so hard to lose weight.  I pushed myself so hard at the gym then turned around and ate twinkies and cupcakes.  I don’t want to make that mistake again.  That’s the reason I quit going to the gym.  That and it took 2 1/2 hours just to get there on the bus then 2 1/2 hours to get back home on the bus.  I would’ve been better off riding my bike there, that way I’d get exercise on my way to getting exercise lol.

It’s A Green Life

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, Exercise, Green, HealthLeave a comment

A few weeks ago we came home from San Diego after only being gone for a few days and discovered that someone had taken our garbage can.  The city wants to charge us $60 for a new one.  It hit me below the belt because it made me think that I do take it for granted.  Trash that is.  We normally just save soda cans and soda bottles and give them to the dumpster divers but we decided to start recycling them for ourselves.

I took it a step further though and instead of just soda bottles and cans I’d look at the back of every container we buy and those cans that food come in are recyclable too and so are milk containers.  Paper can also be recycled.  I set up 2 paper bags with the cans (1 bag for each type of can) and I’m going to set up another bag for shredded paper which I am now going to start shredding the mail along with junk mail and even bad ideas that I’ve printed.  I have so much paper just sitting around in notebooks that have absolutely no purpose anymore so those will be shredded straight away.

I’ve also become green when I shower.  When you live in a trailer or if go camping and have one of those hanging bags of water for showers you have to use the least you can use so you have enough water for yourself and others so you get wet, turn off the hose, lather your hair and body then turn the hose back on to rinse off.  Well, I’ve started doing that at home.  I don’t know exactly how many gallons of water I am saving but I bet you it’s a lot.

I started riding my bike for exercise, not to get anywhere in particular but so I can lose weight and so that’s good that I’m doing that but it really serves no green purpose for me.  But it’s at least a statement.

And we do have to drive our car to the recycling center just to recycle all this stuff.  I can’t carry bags of cans, bottles and tied up newspaper and bags of shredded paper on a bike so we have no other choice.  I feel I’m at least helping.

Below are pictures of my cans bags and a trash bag of bottles which is a new bag so it only has a couple of bottles but you get the idea.

Bike Lights

On By Michel McDonaldIn Cycling, ExerciseLeave a comment

When I was 16 my parents bought me a bicycle so I can get to work a lot easier and they won’t have to drive me.  The bike was a cruiser bike and since I would be riding at night I would need lights and all I can remember is that I thought my step-dad was so cheap by buying me the kind with a generator.  I didn’t need batteries because it generated light as I rode.  However, if you think about it, this is probably a very good idea because batteries cost a lot of money.

If you buy lights that are rechargeable they are very expensive.  Yeah the lighting is a lot brighter and probably better but they cost a lot of money.  And I’m talking $200+.

I have been looking for this light with generator for a while and I can’t find it anywhere.  Bike Nashbar doesn’t have it, neither do any of the other well known online bike stores.  Target, Wal-Mart, sporting good stores, Sniders etc.  Nobody has it.

I found it on eBay for $49.  Wow.  What a deal.  I have to wait 2 weeks before I can buy it but I’m going to get it when I get some money.  Here is a picture.

I don’t plan on riding at night unless I need something from the store and I need to get there fast but what I do plan on doing is riding early in the morning.  I’m talking 5am early.  Yeah at 6am it’s still dark but there are cars out on the road that early.  I’d rather get out at 5am.  This way I can get in as much bike time as I can without any traffic and any pedestrians.  I want to get my exercise in without any dangers of getting hit by a car hehe.  I haven’t been on the streets in over a decade and I’ve already made a couple of mistakes and I need to relearn the rules of the road before I go back out there with the cars.  I think getting to where I need to would be a lot faster with no traffic too.

OMG! Look At My Fortune Cookie!

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

Ok, we went to China Town Buffet for lunch and as we were leaving in the car I opened my fortune cookie and this is what is said:

Is that crazy or what?  In my previous blog I was so upset about my battery being 1mm too big, my bike case being too big and the pump gauge not working.  Then I get this.

I found a solution to the Dell DJ.  I strapped it to the back with a rubber band and have it plugged it, it’s charging now.  I can keep the bottom piece off as long as I keep it from getting dirty so Darrin bought me a neoprene case at Target today.  He also bought me a helmet.   I really have no excuses for riding my bike now to get exercise.  The helmet looks horrible though lol.  It’s not that particular helmet, it’s helmets in general because my face is so round and it basically shows off just how round my face is.  But, I have faith that in time my round face will turn a bit more oval and I won’t look as ridiculous.  I will have to get me a new pair of sports sunglasses so hopefully that will even my face out lol.

My Weight

On By Michel McDonaldIn Diet, HealthLeave a comment

Wow!  I just weighed myself and it’s not good.  Of course most people would just not talk about it, they would pretend that it doesn’t matter or the problem doesn’t exist but I know the problem exists.  I was doing Spark People a year ago (I started on October 1st 2007) but something happened in my life and I just couldn’t do it anymore.  I gave up dieting altogether even though I had lost over 20lbs.  I was so proud of myself and then I just quit.

I was eating the food but not exercising and I was in a plateau for over a month and just couldn’t take the torture of having to suffer eating such small portions and so many veggies.  Although it wasn’t all that bad, the veggie portions were pretty big but it was still torture to eat good and not lose a single lb.  But I wasn’t exercising either so that’s where I made a huge mistake.  I didn’t step it up and help myself along the long road of losing weight.

My highest weight that I’ve ever been was 245 and I weighed myself just before I started this post and I was 243.  I’m just 2lbs from being right back to where I was.  I need this Dell DJ battery to come soon and the pump and bag.  I need them to come so I have motivation to ride my bike to get exercise.  I need the pump because it has a gauge built-in so I can see if I’m pumping the correct amount or not.  Right now they don’t feel fully pumped but I’m afraid to put too much air in because it will pop if I do.  If it doesn’t have enough it may pop from my weight.  The frame bag is just a bonus to keep all the tools with me so I don’t have to carry them.

The Dell DJ battery is a crucial part of this whole journey.  I refuse to ride the bike in silence.  It will be too boring and I will not want to keep doing it day after day if I’m bored doing it.  Of course I probably won’t have to do it day after day.

As of right now my leg muscles are still not ready for a 2 hour bike ride.  It is ready for a 5 minute bike ride before I can’t walk anymore.  What I will have to do is just ride for as long as I can going towards beach park where the bike trail is and when I get too sore then just stop, rest and head back home.  Just keep doing that every day or every other day or whatever I need.  I can’t push my muscles too far because the more sore my legs are the less likely I will want to do it.  But I heard from a trainer that if your legs are sore, so what, keep doing it.  You don’t want the muscles to heal fully, you want them to be sore because they won’t get used to it unless you keep doing it.  Yeah they will be sore for a few days but once they get used to it they wont be painful.  It will become old hat.

Let’s just hope that these items come to me soon, within a week at least.  I don’t know how much more of this fat I can take.  I can’t look at myself in the mirror anymore.  I have BDD so bad from this that I don’t even want to leave the house because people are staring at me and judging me every day.  I just want to be back to where I was when I was thin.  Nobody even noticed me because I blended in with all the other skinny people.  Fat people don’t blend in too well especially when their t-shirts are stretched out in the stomach area. Which reminds me, if this does work, if I lose a massive amount of weight by riding my bike, I’m gonna need a wardrobe change hehe.

Jump Rope

On By Michel McDonaldIn HealthLeave a comment

I bought a $8 beaded jump rope today and boy is that hard work lol. I’m going to use it to relearn how to jump rope and to get used to using one then I am gonna give this one to my neighbor’s daughter Devan then I want to buy one that’s a little more expensive that is the kind that is faster and thin so I can do it better.

I thought this was the better kind for me because I was afraid the rope would be too thin and light and trip me up but frankly this does that to me too lol. I haven’t used a jump rope since I was like 10 years old and watching me jumping rope is kinda funny, I look like a child just learning.

I used to be really good at it and was able to just lightly jump inches off the ground and was so fast but now I’m like a clumsy 6-year-old. Oh and my leg muscles are sore from 2 minutes lol. And after 2 minutes I’m out of breath and need a drink of water. I really need to relearn this because it is excellent exercise. It burns about 32 calories a minute and works all the muscles in the body.