a week

Seems like it was a month ago since I posted but it’s only been a week. Sorry to say I’ve only been to the forest 3 times since last post. Kate and I hiked the trail I wrecked on last weekend. We had a wonderful time and the weather was just right. The highlight had to be, besides hikin’ with my girl, when we happened upon a “chicken of the woods” mushroom. It was a mature one so it wasn’t edible but still beautiful to photograph.

meet the Chicken of the Woods mushroom

Cluster of Chicken of the Woods mushrooms

 

That’s some close up, eh?

I replaced my handlebars and headed out to the forest yesterday only to turned back after a 20 minute climb. The new bars aren’t going to work despite some trail side maintenance. I was really hoping to ride to a point about 7 miles from there because I spotted patches of Elderberry bushes throughout a 1/2 mile portion of a gas well road. Came across at least 12 piles of scat last time. Had a hilltop vantage point picked out and was thinking I might catch a bear sighting. Maybe next weekend.

Bear Scat….yes, those are Elderberrys

what a bear does in the woods...

Have a great day!

Chip

finding the humor

Cigna insurance has a great pharmacy program so long as you plan accordingly. Well, I forgot to place my 3 month supply order last week and ended up placing it on Monday thinking it would be delivered by Friday. I checked it’s status yesterday on their website and found that the order hadn’t been processed. Not a problem except that as of today I have one pill left. So, I explained this to them and they assured me it would be no problem to have it overnighted via FedEx for receipt today. Well, I had planned to go to Kanawha State Forest for my “sunrise service” this morning. So I told the lady that they could just leave it on the front porch without a signature. No problem, right? Wrong…big problem. She proceeded to tell me that if for any reason the package was lost, stolen or damaged they could not be held responsible because no one would sign for it. Also, they would not be responsible for the replacement cost. To clarify, my co-pay is $40.00 for a 3 month supply. Replacement cost = $9,800.00. WHOA!!!! Yes Mam’, I will be here to sign for the package. Note to self, no matter what and I mean no matter what…..STAY ON GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE!! By the way, my Cobra plan from Suddenlink ends on 12/31/08 and my new plan with WeSave, Inc. will start on 1/1/09. Yes, cutting it close but sometimes the best parts of life  are lived on the razors edge. That may sound reckless but I planned it that way. Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Chip

One thing to add: I ended up mtn biking with a couple of oncologists. I had a hard wreck. Did a flip and face plant. Now, riding with oncologists is fine if you get cancer while riding but there not exactly ER docs. LOL! Get it?!

Blog Action Day 08 – Poverty

Appropriately enough I found out about Blog Action Day ‘08 from someone I follow on Twitter. I say it’s appropriate because just this past weekend I watched a show I recorded from the previous week on PBS. It was “Microcredit & The Future of Poverty”. This piqued my interest because I had heard a rumor that the gentlemen that started a microcredti program in Bangladesh was a Rotarian. When you consider that 1/3 or 2 billion people on this planet live in poverty it is rather humbling. I decided immediately after the show that my term as President of the Rotary Club of Charleston, WV was going to be defined by how we worked together to establish a long term plan to support a microcredit institution. We do approximately one water project per year which is absolutely crucial so people can at least have water to survive. I would like to see our club go above and beyond and help fuel an economic engine in an impoverished part of the world. 2 billioin people! That number is overwhelming when you really think about their suffering. Imgaine not eating for a day or two because you just can’t…plain and simple…can’t do it. And yet many continue to have faith in God that he will provide and they do not complain. Humbling when you think about the things we complain about. So, thank you ADVERGIRL, and stay tuned.

clarity

I get clarity when biking and hiking. Since I wore myself out on the bike yesterday today I hiked about 6 miles. Very refreshing and invigorating to be in the woods at sun up. Watched the sunrise from my favorite place in Kanawha State Forest, Overlook Rock.  It was about 45 degrees when I got out there and 60 when I left so it was the perfect hiking temperature. Enjoy the pics!

trail head

steep ascent begins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

almost there

overlook rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

creek bed in barn hollow

Food

I may have written about this before but it’s been awhile so I’m revisiting.  Diet is so very important when you have to take medicine. In my case the chemo, Gleevec, doesn’t react very well with my digestion so my approach to food has obviously changed dramatically in the past 14 months since diagnosis. No more beef, pork or lamb. My diet now consists of chicken, turkey and salmon. Those because they are the easiest to digest. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also a must. What about bread? Well, I eat mostly oatmeal bread from Pepperidge Farms, whole wheat pita bread and bran muffins. My favorite muffin is a blueberry bran  from Taylor Books on Capitol Street. They have one of the best, if not the best coffee shop in town. The variety of coffee, teas and light food is fantastic. On top of that it is a great place to chill and visit with a friend.

Back to food. Vegetables are the key to my diet now. I mostly steam vegetables but occasionally will lightly grill them in an effort to retain their nutrients. The problem with many restaurants is that they overcook their vegetables. Last night Kate and I went to the Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse which has fantastic food. Because the proteins in beef cannot be found in any other food source I opted for the filet which is delicious and good for you but it wreaks havoc on my digestion. So, I’ve been up since 5am managing the side effects. Never seems worth it the next day. I had hoped to be at Kanawha State Forest for a mountain bike ride very early but it’s at least going to be 9a now. Oh well. The food was delicious.

Just finished some LinkedInwork. Joined some new groups and wrote a recommendation for my good friend Gregg. Hey, at least I ended this post on a lighter note with a positive message. My digestion really isn’t that interesting but the blog gives me a place to vent. If you’re gonna be up this early in the am dealing with it you might as well make the most of it because as I say, “any day above ground is a good day!” You know what, I think I’m feeling well enough to mtn bike. I’m off to the forest!

Go go go

Been on the go a lot lately! Work has been good and it’s great to be at WeSave.com. One of the many things I love about my job is that we are doing something unique in the local, regional and national marketplace. I’ve always gravitated to challenges and this is a challenge. We are still small from a national perspective but big in a local and regional sense in the states we serve. With the economy slowing down it makes our offer even more relevant for advertisers. In the next few weeks will be adding the state of Louisiana. The first quarter of next year will bring two more large states to launch and that will increase the audience we serve many times over. It will be a challenging time ripe with new possibilities.

On Oct 6th and 7th our regional account managers will be in town for training and we’re looking forward to it. My VP has asked me to bring my 13 years of advertising and marketing experience to help organize and structure the team so that we are producing the situations necessary for our success. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve participated in sales training before but now I have the opportunity to have a significant role in leading the way. Leadership has been a passion of mine for several years and now it has culminated into an opportunity to bring real value to an organization. Why you ask? Because our VP is empowering me. That’s what leaders do. They recognize where people contribute and produce situations where they can bring value.

My Mom may not realize it but she has contributed tremendously to my leadership skills by being a leader herself and providing good examples. Many people don’t realize how much being raised in a Christian home and especially by a mother who is a Methodist pastor, contributes to developing a leader. Leaders don’t just exist in the economic world. They exist in all aspects of life. Mentors, neighbors, friends, family members, Christians, political and business leaders are necessary in preserving and defining our cultural behaviors. So, to anyone and everyone that has provided good examples of leadership to me, I am forever grateful. Ok, I’ve said enough for today. I’m heading out to Kanawha State Forest to lead my friend and his son on a mountain bike ride.

Go Mountaineers!

God Bless,

Chip