VIDEO: Summer Streets 2008 (NYC)

Courtesy of StreetFilms, a website dedicated to making the streets of New York City more livable through better transportation choices, in the hopes it will influence people in other cities to do the same. The core of this website is of course are the videos put together documentary style, and they update the site on a regular basis.

They have a brand new video on the Summer Streets event, where they close down a section of New York City (in this case a seven mile stretch) and allow people to walk, bike, run/jog, exercise, and enjoy the city in a way most have never done before (or haven't done in decades). It's great to see, and they will try it again for the next two weekends. If you're in NYC or are about to head there, take part.

ARTICLE LINK: Why Cycling is To Transportation What Efficiency is to Energy (Treehugger)

From time to time I'd like to offer a link to articles that I've come across, and here's one that I think is interesting. From Treehugger, a perspective on the current energy crisis and how a bicycle is not the be-all, end all solution, along with how a bike as a serious form of transportation is viewed by many as a joke. Perhaps it's the idea that like cartoons, bikes are tools of childhood and should have been left behind once we hit the double digits.

Anyway, it's an interesting piece.

Exercise Bike

I obtained an exercise bike for free yesterday, through a friend of my mom's at work. She (the friend) wasn't using it, she was willing to part with it. It's a simple bike with optional display so you can monitor how fast you're going, how many calories you're using up, how far, and for how long. Before I hooked the monitor up, I went for a 15 minute ride yesterday. No idea how fast I was going, probably between 10 to 15mph. This morning I went at it again, this time with the monitor. 15 minutes @ 15mph, I went for about 3.75 miles. A few hours later, went at it again, this time 31 minutes @ 15mph so I could make it to the 8 mile mark. My heart did not feel any different than when I walk and reach a good pace, it felt the same. I do know that once you get into a momentum, the heart gets into a comfortable rhythm. I honestly could have done 15 minutes more but I stopped at 31. I wasted 350 calories or so, which means I was able to waste away the cup of coffee I had.

I see the benefits of this, especially in the winter months, but I want to use the exercise bike on a daily basis along with the walking I do. If I had access to a decent beach or pool, even better. Would that lead me to become a really lo-fi triathlete? Pfftt. I would love to be able to work out at that pace, but a marathon compared to the 2 to 3 miles I do every other day, I'm far from that. But I could do some damage with a bike.

Anyway, it felt good afterwards. I fell off the bike after I was finished at one point due to the looseness of my shorts, now I know why bicyclists wear walnut-hugging bicycle shorts. I'm not going that far.

Looking at the ads in the paper today, I saw some bikes on sale at Joe's (formerly known as G.I. Joe's). Some decent ones are going for $199-$299, and while I still want the one made by Electra, I still would like to know the benefits of something a bit cheaper. I would prefer new so that I know all of the parts are in working order, but if I buy used, I could use the extra $$$ for a tune-up.

Aloha: My First Entry

I am a fat man, let's be perfectly honest. I remember on my first trip to New York City, walking a number of blocks and enjoying it. One of the street vendors salutes me and goes "wassup Big Man", and it felt good, he was giving me some props. In truth, I've been a big guy for most of my life. Despite the many hints from my parents, I wanted to eat. I love food, moderation was not a concept worth talking about. Growing up in Honolulu, I had access to all kinds of foods around the world. Spam & rice, scrambled eggs & rice, pot roast & rice, hamburger and gravy with rice... my vegetable intake was limited to corn and green beans.

My mom moved us to Washington State in 1984. My dad, who had died the year before, wanted to move to Canada, and I think it was to get away from some of the changes happening in Hawai'i, and also to perhaps keep my sister and I away from some of the downfalls that can happen to some island kids. I never smoked, did alcohol, or did drugs, nor did I feel the pressure to even try it, despite it being around me everywhere. I've said it in other places, but perhaps those school films had an effect on me, I just wanted to make through life remembering everything. One becomes an adult, goes through a lot of peaks and valleys, and it makes me wonder if smoking a joint or drinking my miseries away would at least get me from point A to point B. I never did, although I may have a casual drink during the holiday season. I'm a firm believer that if consuming the spirits is good in moderation (and for me, the ancient Chinese secret will reveal itself as soon as I start drinking anything), I can deal. I've seen a few relatives pollute themselves through the power of a bottle or 12-pack, and I refuse to go down that path. Yet, I have done the same with food, and it would be years, a doctor checkup in the summer of 2001 which revealed I had Type II Diabetes, and a car accident that (according to the guy who towed my car) should have taken my life, before I realized I needed to stop being stubborn and accept the changes I needed to make.

A month after my accident in 2005, I started a walking habit. For awhile I was doing it everyday, I get into slow periods where it may be two or three times a week, but I'm building myself up to go the daily route again. In the three years I've been walking, I do not know how much I've lost but I know I've lost a shirt size and my jeans are baggy. I did weigh myself recently, and I was lighter than I was when I last weighed myself, so that felt good.

In the last month, I'm not sure why it happened but it happened. I've always been interested in bicycling but from afar. I rode extensively as a kid, especially during the summer of 1983. I was done with the 7th grade, I had freedom to go to the corner store and buy junks, or head to a record store and bought cassettes. I still remember the morning when I hid some candy bars at the top of my lane, going home and hearing the news of my dad dying at work. Perhaps riding my bike was a bit of therapy, to get away from home and see the world on my blue Schwinn. At the time and up until a few minutes ago, I thought I traveled pretty far. For those of you who are kama'aina from Oahu, I would travel from Pauoa Valley to Kapahulu, down the Ala Wai and back home. In Hawai'i, driving from downtown to Nanakuli was a cause for concern even if it was nothing more than a 15 to 20 minute drive, it meant having to pack a cooler to have enough food. On an island, 15 miles seemed like forever, and a drive around the island? Aiya! I checked via Google Maps and discovered that my bike journey as a kid was a good 8 miles:



I didn't go on the H-1 freeway of course, I primarily went down King Street until I hit Kapahulu, and once I turned around the Ala Wai, I would make my way back home. 8 miles did not seem like a lot, and yet it was the last time I rode extensively. Moving to the mainland meant enjoying the greatness of traveling by car. My first ride from the Tri-Cities to Seattle seemed grueling, back when you had to go on the I-90 at 55mph. Four hours in a car? Whoo! But it was great, because I had always wondered how it was to drive from state to state. Years later, while on vacation with a former friend, I drove from somewhere in the Midwest down to her home near Macon, Georgia and that was great too. Of course, driving leisurely was great when gas was 89 cents a gallon, and $1.99 was considered extreme. It sounds like the words of an old man, but back in my day I remember when I could fill up my car with a 10 and still had change, and we liked it. Being able to afford gas was not an issue, one could buy premium and still have change. Those days are long gone, and that's one of many reasons I am looking into bicycling.

As a former news producer, I enjoyed looking for stories that would be beneficial for our viewers. Hard news was not my thing, but I enjoyed finding feature stories, and I liked finding great health stories even if I wasn't improving on my own. Maybe I felt that if someone could learn from these stories, they could help themselves. Always willing to help others but not myself, that was my philosophy for years. I did somehow take in a bit of that information, perhaps waiting for a day to be used, even if I didn't think I'd ever use it. I also put up my share of tech-related stories, I had hoped that by being in a small town, one would be able to benefit from these things and perhaps become more tech-savvy and efficient. I clearly remember running a story on people in Japan who could run their cars from leftover oil used to good tempura. This was my introduction to biodiesel and I knew then and there that this would one day become the way to go for the future of car and maybe plane travel. When 9/11 happened and oil prices started to rise, it was the first time the mainstream world looked to biodiesel as a viable option, even if it seems politicians are having a hard time wondering if it's effective (read "profitable") or nothing more than alterna- hokeyness (you know how they are, anything that is "different" is "on the fringe"). A number of journalists and websites preached about the eventuality of "peak oil", and nothing happened. Then everything seemed to fall and collapse on its own face. The United States is still far from paying $10 a gallon, but that too could be a reality that comes sooner than later. Of course, you don't need to read a blog to know about these things, it's a reality of our daily lives.

I've always been into knowing about other means of travel, and I've appreciated it from afar. With bicycling, perhaps it started with my 8 mile round trip in Honolulu. I know that I went to the theater to watch Quicksilver, the film starring Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne. I remembered a photo of me riding on small bicycle seat with my mom, so perhaps all of these things were influences and were inevitable in the path I'm about to take.

That's right, about to take.

I'm about to buy my first bike in years. I had obtained one through a local Freecycle mailing list but I wasn't able to ride it effectively so I gave it to Goodwill. I had been driving past a local store called Greenies on a daily basis, and would always see bikes that had an old-school feel to them. I eventually stopped and paid a visit, and discovered that the bikes were made by Electra. One that I did like was their Townie line:



I wasn't able to buy it at the time, but this one goes for $450. I could walk into a Wal-Mart and buy a cheap ass bike for $94 but why would I want something that may break apart as soon as I leave the store? Looking at the Electra Townie, I knew I had to have it. However, trying to be the wise consumer I am, I did a lot of searches, finding countless websites, merchants, and blogs. I've always admired the bicycle scene and communities in Portland, Oregon, along with their love of being green, recycling, and being avid vinyl junkies. There was much more to Oregon than being tax free, and I always loved the "Keep Portland Weird" motto because I think I can be a bit left of center. Eccentric, eclectic, I like to do things differently, a non-conformist that seeks the kind of community that was once a part of my everyday being. I'm unable to move to Portland or Seattle at this time, or back to Honolulu for that matter, so for the time being I want to be able to get to where I need to go in the best way possible, and to improve my health at the same time.

Thus the reason for this blog. Some of you may know me as a music journalist, an artist/producer, someone with a love for food, or posting on a few music boards. My love of music and records will continue, but this one is a bit more personal and perhaps less selfish. I do have my reasons for doing this.

1) I want to be able to trace my path towards becoming healthier and losing weight through the help of a bicycle. Doing this will also get me out in the open.

2) I often hear about how everyone is on a fast pace to get somewhere, but are we really getting anywhere? I'm not saying that everyone should be lazy, but instead to take our times to enjoy what life has to offer. A few years ago I was down and out about having diabetes, losing a job, and losing touch with a friend. It had taken me awhile to get out of that hole, but when I did, it lead to a book by Angeles Arrien called The Second Half Of Life. Now before you say "oh crap, this is where the hokey part of this blog comes in", stay with me for a moment. I needed it because I had a lot of thoughts going on in my mind. When I was told I had diabetes, my doctor told me that had I not paid a visit, he didn't think I would make it past 40. A few years later, I reached an age which meant I had lived longer than my father had been alive. No kids, no girlfriend or wife, there's a bit of freedom in that but one would not mind sharing that freedom with someone other than family. While The Second Half Of Life spoke about, through examining different cultures around the world, what is expected of us as we make it through the remainder of our lives, it made it all too clear that we only have one chance in this life. When I got hit in that car accident, and I thought about my mom, my sister, my nephew, and Hawai'i as I was sitting there with shattered glass all around me, I realized I was still there, still remembering phone numbers and names, and that it was a second chance to do things I may have failed at the first time. I know, mentioning "second chance" sounds like a promo for Dog The Bounty Hunter but it's true, perhaps it was the epiphany I needed. It wasn't religious or spiritual, it was the reality that I needed to wake up and change my life. I'd like for this blog to document a bit of this, mainly for myself so I can look back and remember how I started it.

3) While I live 3000 miles away from the place I still call home, I'm always concerned about Hawaiians and the people of Hawai'i. I am someone who likes to look into the political side of things, but there's also social and health issues I am concerned about too. Even though Hawai'i ranks high in some polls as a healthy state, I know the reality of things. Are those taking the polls analyzing everyone in Hawai'i? There are a lot of local people who are struggling to make ends meet, and may eat poorly because that's what they can afford. Perhaps by nature Polynesians are big people, but not everyone is living by a steady diet of fish & poi. When you are struggling to survive, finding good food is probably the last thing on your mind. Fortunately you have people like those at Ma'o Organic Farms out in Wai'anae, whose motto is social entrepreneurship growing organic food and young leaders working for a sustainable Hawai‘i. It is true that many have grown their own food in their backyards for years, but it became less a way of life and more about what you could find at the Aloha Swap Meet. You'll find more people celebrating their pakalolo or hash crops, but not a lot about what kind of tomatoes or cucumbers are grown. The people at Ma'o are saying it's possible because the means to do it exists in front of them, and there's no reason to not take advantage of what you are able to obtain via farming. Eating healthier may lead to a healthier state of mind.

Unfortunately, one recent survey stated that Hawai'i is the second worst state for bicyclists. Children can ride at local parks, but for the adult who wants to get to and from work, the chances of you getting hit are high due to not only lack of accessible bike lanes, but a lack of awareness for the bicyclist on the road. Everyone is in a mad rush to go somewhere. I'm not doing this to be a revolutionary or anything, but merely to bring awareness to the issues that are of concern. If someone can help make the Hawai'i Bicycle Plan a reality by awareness and cooperation, I'll do what I can.

4) I would not mind living a life that is primarily car-free, where I would be able to do everything via public transportation. I live in a place where I am able to ride a bike, catch the bus or taxi, and walk but everything is spread apart, unlike larger cities where things can be obtained within a small radius. I've always relied on a car for everything, but I am trying to change. Can someone go on a vacation and be car-free? I've read blogs where people have done this, and perhaps a trip to Portland will make me see the possibility of this. Can cities become car-free? Some people in Seattle are irked because Mayor Greg Nickels wants to promote the “Give Your Car the Summer Off” philosophy. He plans on closing down a few streets for a few Sundays this month and the next, and some aren't sure how to react, particularly businesses who rely on customers. Yet other cities have done it (including Portland), people in other countries have made this the part of the norm, so why not Seattle? I've never gone on vacation without a car, and while I'm not a world traveler, I'd like to see how effective it can be.

5) Long term goals? I would love to be able to do some long distance riding, and maybe one day mountain biking, or even ride on a number of established bicycle trails. If I work at it, get into training, and am serious, maybe (keyword "maybe") this blog can also get into that. I'm not planning on becoming the Hawaiian Lance Armstrong, but perhaps I could do it in the spirit of my uncle (and a good friend of my dad's), Earl Armstrong.

As for the name of this blog, a quick explanation. Momona is Hawaiian for "fat". Velo is the French word for "bicycle". Originally I was going to subtitle this blog "Fat Man With a Bicycle Plan", but I also wanted to check out the Hawaiian word for welo, pronounced the same way you say "velo". One of the definitions of welo is "motion", and it was perfect. I'm a fat man who will be on a bike, I'm a fat man who will be in motion as I head on a path towards improving my health. To be in motion means to move forward, figuratively and literally. One might say the use of the word momona is demeaning, but I'm being honest. A lot of times that's what people see first, without getting to know the person or making an attempt to get into the mind of someone who is big. It's not just McGriddle's and Taco Bell combos dancing in our heads. It describes who I am, as someone who wants to live longer to enjoy what life has to offer.

As with any of the blogs I do, I do not know what direction this one will go. Through this new hobby it would also be great to get in touch with people who have been on the journey I'm about to go on, those who want to start and aren't sure about how to start, and even advance riders who would like to help with some encouragement. This is for life, the lives we live now, and as far as I know I'm not coming back, but I'd like to be able to share my experiences and learn at the same time. I don't know what a healthier version of me will be or look like, but I'm willing to ride to find out.