"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go"
T. S. Eliot

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

December 20th, 2024

The Delta flight from CID airport took off bright and early at 6:30 a.m., bound for MSP-Minneapolis. Flying with Delta Airlines was smooth, but what really caught my attention was the modern design of the Minneapolis airport. The Delta app made finding my gate effortless, guiding me like a pro to my connecting flight to MEX airport. The journey to Mexico City lasted over four hours, and we landed at Terminal 2. Immigration was surprisingly quick and easy—props to the efficient setup of this sleek terminal. With time to spare before my Aeromexico flight to HUX airport, I grabbed a tasty Subway sandwich and headed to the gate feeling recharged.

On the domestic leg of the trip, Aeromexico really raised the bar by offering complimentary alcoholic beverages. Talk about hospitality! From the plane, I managed to connect with Oscar and Danya, which was a nice touch. Danya picked me up in the trusty old car, and we drove to Ventanilla, where I met Mathias, her 11-year-old nephew. This kid amazed me with how articulate he was—it was like chatting with someone way beyond his years.

Later, we attended an event where people greeted Oscar warmly and introduced his talk, "Lugares Sagrados en las Costas Oaxaqueñas en los Códices Mixtecos." Afterward, we made our way to Mazunte, and I settled into the cozy Pajarera Cabin. The peaceful surroundings made it easy to drift into one of the best night’s sleeps I’ve had in ages.



Sunday, December 22, 2024

Fin de semana en El Rinconcito Beach

I had a couple of meals at Los Traviesos. Food is reasonable and pretty good. Breakfast was delicious. Experienced Solstice at Ventanilla. It was a wonderful experience.

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Nice run in the morning

The temperature looked cold but it was not low enough to keep me in bed. I know how much I need to go outside and exercise. We decided to go to Ashton and either walk or run. We decided to warm up for half a mile and then did four intervals of 0.5 mile run and 0.25 mile walks. We noticed they have cleared some trees and bushes and it appears they are making the course wider. It felt good when we finished the workout.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Windy Morning Ride and Reflections on AI

This morning, the temperature was in the 50s, but the strong winds—gusting up to 26 mph—made it feel much colder. Despite the weather, we set out from the Crossroads Hy-Vee and headed south toward Tiffin, looping back through North Liberty. The ride ended up being a little over 20 miles. I hope I can keep up my goal of exercising every day. There’s something much more invigorating about riding outdoors compared to being stuck inside on a stationary bike.

Later in the morning, I tried calling Sophia, but she didn’t pick up. Hopefully, it just means she was already at school on time, which is what really matters. I also came across an essay she wrote about artificial intelligence. Honestly, she might know more about AI than I do! It’s incredible how much this field has advanced and the possibilities it offers.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Oscar's birthday

 I sent my brother a Happy birthday message this morning. He responded he wanted to call me, so I called him. We talked about Assen and Sophia. He said he feels pretty healthy (although he is completely blind). He sounded like he is in a very good mood. He is now 63 years young. He has always amazed me of his intelligence. We had a nice chat. I told him I have plans to visit him in August. 

Monday, October 16, 2023

Bicycle Trip to Waterloo

 We decided to ride to Waterloo during the weekend of October 14-15, 2023. Probably not the best decision because that weekend was particularly cold, and days before were pretty wet. We gathered at Flanigan's at 7:30 AM, but we started riding the bicycles from home. 

We headed first to Waterworks and then headed north to the gazebo in front of Sugar Bottom Bicycle shop. We then headed our way on Mehaffey Bridge Rd. Decided to ride easy climbing the road to the corner of Mehaffey Bridge Rd and Sugar Bottom Rd.

Safely arrived to Solon's Timber dome. The next stop, was Ely's Casey's gas station. Time to fuel our body before lunch. 

We then headed our way to Cedar Rapids. We started riding on the Cedar Valley Trail which is very safe and flat. 



Thursday, November 10, 2022

New FTP

 I started this plan on Zwift called FTP Builder. Today, I finished week #1. The plan's first week had two hard workouts, Strength and Tempo, and two easier workouts called Foundation. 

I was able to finish one minute at 320 Watts. The new FTP indicated was 241 Watts.

This test should be done maximum once per week. 

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/TV6uxMONgqw