And I thought I was getting the hang of this

Then I got sick.
Insert picture of a runny nosed 3 fingered person trying to get cold medicine out of blister packs here.
My self opening scissors and letter opener have been getting a workout.

Trailblazer

Yesterday I drove up to SF and met ("One Arm") Willie Stewart for the first time.
I reached out to him because I want to ride again.
I can ride my cruiser around town, but I want to do all day rides again.
And I want to keep dreaming about my 3rd cross country trip on 2 wheels.

For those who don't do adventure races, ultramarathons, triathlons, or the Leadville100...
Willie does not "participate" in sports, he competes and blows by anyone that does not love to win as much as he does (He placed 184th out of 1714 in  last years Escape from Alcatraz... and did it as a 51 yr old!)
 
Willie has proven, and continues to prove, that it's possible to do the amazing with a single hand.

In the 1 hr I was there - He managed to go for a run, do some interviews, shake hands with several fans, demo some pushups, tell me his patented rugby blocking move, and demonstrate the features of his bike arm...

He has a sticker on the back that reads

“If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.” ― Stephen Hunt

A great way to spend the morning.

I have no interest in trying to compete with him, but I'm sure we will  be sharing a swim or ride together and that is something I am looking forward to.

For the bike geeks out there -
Here's more on the arm http://www.prostheticarm.com/page3.html
and a video of the inventor, Will Craig, on a crazy mountain bike ride  http://vimeo.com/36536826)

Looking forward to posting pics of mine later this year(?).

And yes, Willie won his division today.

Riding in the back

Last week Chris drove over the hill to take me on my first road bike experience in 1 1/2 years.

 Normally the stoker seat is reserved for cute girls, but Chris had to deal with a 6' 2" guy (that was wearing socks with his keen riding sandals).

The ride was short (under an hour), but it's always nice to get out on a bike and Nancy & Jeff were good company until they decided they needed to do a bit more work than Chris and I were ready for.

Photo credit goes to Jeff  (Who was riding no handed against traffic on Hwy 1!)

The future of UE prosthetics(?)

I know I would not want to be the first to try this (and probably not even the 100th), but I am interested.
http://www.gizmag.com/mind-prosthesis/26382/

New gadget

The GM up at the Club (College of San Mateo) introduced me to this amazing inventor that makes some very creative and affordable gym aids. 

Don is currently building me a Baker Rig. 

Check it out:
http://www.rebuildfitness.com/index.php?pg=upper

"Is it getting easier?"

For those of you that only know how I'm doing via this blog -.
Don't worry.
Despite the lack of posts, I have not been sitting in my house with the blinds shut and the lights out.
Ok, maybe the lights are out, but that's because I've been out too.

The new treatment plant that I am working on is keeping me pretty busy... and tired (I had a 2 hr drive home last night).  The good news is that we are getting close to the testing phase of the project which is always fun.

I  have been getting in the ocean on the weekend, but only 1-2 days at the pool/gym.

The most common question I've been getting recently is "Is it getting easier?".
I know that everyone (including me) wants to believe that I have adapted to a 3-fingered life and everything is great, but that is not my reality.

Everything is a challenge from putting my PB&J in a bag in the morning to pulling the covers up when I get into bed, but I am getting used to it and I am grateful to be able to live on my own.

Stay tuned...
I should have some fun stuff to post at the end of the weekend.

UPDATE:  Too much traffic this weekend so had to postpone my adventure with Chris.  Luckily, I still managed to squeeze in 2 ocean swims.

The morning before Mavericks

So tomorrow is the Maverick Invitational which meant the crew HAD to get in the water today.
(It sounds crazier than it was and nothing like this http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_22410094/san-francisco-eve-mavericks-contest-riptides-put-surfers )

This was the first time I've tried to swim in the ocean on a non-pancake day, but the jetty blocked the scariest stuff during the entry/exit and the sets were far enough apart that it was rather tame. The only snag came when I walked out of one of my fins (Thanks Kique for saving my fin and swim).

Waist deep and still smiling.  What a beautiful morning.

And this was Kique BEFORE he saved my fin!

I wish my little lumix had captured this better, but you can see the action towards Kelly and our turn around buoy. 

Definitely want to thank Joel, Randy, Gabor, Lezlee, Dan, KeKei and the shore patrol (Nicole, Nancy) for making this happen.  I can't think of anyone else I'd want to spend 30-40 min in 52 degree water with.