The LA County Bicycle Coalition is a strong advocate for bicycling in Los Angeles County and works to make all communities in LA County healthy, safe, and fun places to ride a bike. I’m a supporter of their work hence my participation in the LA Rivers Challenge fund drive.

During the first week I rode 100 kilometers or 62.3 miles.

During the second week, I rode 133.89 kilometers or 83.2 miles.

Mostly I ride along Ballona Creek Bike Path and the LA County Beach Bike Path.

To make a donation please visit my fundraising page

If I raise at least $50, not only do I help a good cause, but I also earn an LA Rivers Challenge t-shirt. And who wouldn’t want a cool t-shirt. My month-long fund raising goal is $500. And, of course, this is a completely voluntary effort with no expectations. If you can afford to donate—great. If not, just sharing this news with you and getting your virtual encouragement is plenty for me.

Now on to some swag.

To help visualize LA's river waterways, please check out the cool map below. It even includes waterways with bike paths!

Below that are the badges I’ll be earning as I attempt to reach my goal of riding 100K each week throughout the month of June.

And if you scroll all the way to bottom you can see me in lycra!

Thank you for your help.

Strava

Palms dance in the Santa Ana wind. High up in the sky a flock flew south. A plane higher still flew along the same path. A seagull passed low heading west to the bay. And then again the light changed.

Slowly, minute by minute, critters began to stir. A first bird song. A hummingbird landed on a wire. In the neighbor’s tree a squirrel rustles past the leaves. Wind whipped up on the highway caused a drone. A siren wails in the distance.

And the sky grew brighter, still. Dawn. This dawn. This day, this morning happens only once. I look around and breathe it all in. Stand up, go in our home and whisper to my dear. Our day has begun.

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There are no images of the First Family enjoying themselves together in a moment of relaxation. No Obamas on the beach in Hawaii moments, or Bushes fishing in Kennebunkport. No Reagans on horseback, no Kennedys playing touch football on the Cape. Where'd that country go?

Where did all the fun, the joy and the expression of love and happiness go? We used to be the country that did the Ice Bucket Challenge and raised millions for charity. We used to have a President that calmed and soothed the nation instead dividing it, and a First Lady who planted a garden instead of ripping one out.

We are rudderless and joyless. We have lost the cultural aspects of society that make America great. We have lost our mojo, our fun, our happiness, our cheering on of others. The shared experience of humanity that makes it all worth it.

The challenges and the triumphs that we shared and celebrated. The unique can-do spirit that America has always been known for.

We are lost.

We have lost so much in so short a time.

— Elaine Griffin Baker

On November 3rd, vote them out.

Bruce Springsteen via @springsteen

Move the master branch to main with the command:

git branch -m master main

Using the argument -m will transfer all of the commit history on the ‘master’ branch to your new ‘main’ branch so nothing gets lost. Push the newly-named main branch to GitHub (assuming that is your remote repository) with the command:

git push -u origin main

Point HEAD to main with the command:

git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD refs/remotes/origin/main

Now you need to set "main" as the default branch for your project on GitHub. To do that, log in to your GitHub account, open the repository for the project, and click Settings | Branches. In the left sidebar, click Branches and then select Main as your default from the drop-down. Click Update and, when prompted, click I Understand. Now, back at the terminal issue the command:

git push origin --delete master

That's it!

Sources: Github, Techcrunch, 9/22/2020

• Listen First to understand rather than to reply
• Listen First before rejecting a conversation
• Listen First before dismissing alternative ideas
• Listen First before launching attacks
• Listen First to more effectively advocate your position

Top 10 Listening Tips

1. Allow others the courtesy of silence while they are speaking.
2. Maintain a calm and respectful tone when you are speaking.
3. Come with an open mind, ready to learn and grow.
4. Listen to others as you want them to listen to you.
5. Listen to and consider others' views before sharing your own.
6. Be present and curious rather than thinking of how to respond.
7. Fully engage, free of distractions.
8. Restate what you heard to clarify understanding, using "I" statements (“What I heard you say was” or “The way I understand your position is”).
9. Ask thoughtful and respectful questions, free from judgement, assumption, or bias.
10. Seek to discover common interests and areas of agreement by focusing more on why than what, more on personal experiences than positions.

#ListenFirst

• What are we doing?
• Why? How?
• How much will it cost?
• When do we start and how long will it take?
• Who will work on it?

The work has been rewarding and challenging. For the next 2-3 days I plan to reflect on my past, check-in with my mental well being, and set my compass on the next steps on my journey.