Michael Harry Scepaniak - All Posts

Strong Towns Baltimore

2022-06-24T23:01:31Z

Over the course of the past several years, I've become more and more involved in local advocacy efforts that touch on improving the bikeability and walkability of where I live. The COVID-related shutdowns helped with this, as it led to many/all meetings being held online, which made attending them much less onerous.

Fast forward to 6 months ago, when I was hit/clipped/grazed by a car while biking - running errands. That incident put some spring in my step to effect change. As it so happens, a few months later, I was tapped to become a member of my local bike-ped advisory committee. While the appointment was a big deal for me, I wanted more.

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Recycling Toothpaste Tubes

2022-05-15T16:37:28Z

Recently, I've been trying to step-up my game in regards to recycling. I'm definitely more conscientious about recycling than most people, but that doesn't mean I don't have room for improvement. The other month, thanks to some points made by Tanja Hester in her book Wallet Activism, I (re)discovered TerraCycle. I did a deep-dive through all of their programs and one that caught my attention was their oral care products recycling program.

As you may or may not know, toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes are not typically accepted by curbside plastic recycling programs. (They aren't by mine.) Having the option to do something less wasteful with them was appealing to me.

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Do What You Can Do

2022-05-12T21:07:09Z

Once each week, I do a sprint workout. This is something I've been doing for over 8 years now. I started doing it based on Mark Sisson's sprinting advice. I do it year-round. I do it despite my Spondylitis.

However, aches and pains and injuries happen and I do my best to respect them. I'm too old (and wise) now to expect that I'll to be able to just stubbornly muscle through them and expect them to heal.

I have a re-occuring groin pull that surfaces every once in a while, which did just that the other month. After a few weeks of denial, I decided that it wasn't going to heal while sprinting as usual. However, I'm loathe to just flat-out stop working-out. So, I've been doing backwards sprints for the past 3 weeks. It's not as satisfying as a conventional sprint workout and definitely not what I'd call a natural movement. But, it's a satisfying substitute during this interim.

This adaptation is a perfect manifestation of one of my personal mantras:

You can only do what you can do, but do what you can do.

I love this mantra. It captures a balance between a) recognizing and respecting your limitations and b) using them as an excuse for not giving your full effort.

In life, setbacks will happen. Do what you can to make them temporary.

Biking Advisor

2022-05-07T12:55:54Z

Baltimore County (my local municipality) has a constituent-sourced advisory group focused on bikeability and walkability. As of this past February, that group now has a new member - me! Yes, I have been appointed to the Baltimore County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), representing Baltimore County district 3. I attended my first meeting in April.

Baltimore County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee letter of appointment.

While I've been familiar with the BPAC for a while now and have attended their citizen input meetings in the past, I had not made any serious considerations to join. But, then one of the existing members reached out to me and asked me to do just that. The timing felt right, so I accepted.

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to step-up my bike-ped advocacy efforts.

Eating Hostas

2022-04-26T19:44:39Z

I've got a number of hosta plants growing in my yard. They've been there for years. I think some were in place when I bought the house a couple decades ago. Anyway, sometime within the past year, I stumbled across an article about eating hostas. So, last week, I decided to give it a try. The results? No death or illness to report. And they are pretty tasty.

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Three Remissions... and Counting?

2022-03-22T19:19:46Z

A long time has passed since I've written about my Spondylitis - over 5 years, in fact. That's not for lack of news or focus on it in my daily life.

When I last wrote, I was doing well - no medications, manageable pain, normal activities. Unfortunately, that didn't last. A few weeks after that article, I started on a daily regimen of Meloxicam, an NSAID. (Apparently, Celebrex, my previous medication, had fallen out of favor at some point during 2015 or 2016.) Fortunately, the Meloxicam definitely made a difference - a positive difference. Leading up to that point, my pain was bearable, but it had been increasing.

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Retiring Early on Stock Dividends, the Movie

2022-02-14T18:06:32Z

A couple years ago, I published the article Misguided Early Retiree Somehow Manages to Live Off of Dividends. The material it covers was actually first prepared for in-person presentation (by me) at a local ChooseFI meetup. The long-form article came after. Recently, after 2+ years in storage, the video of that presentation has been packaged-up all nice and posted on YouTube for all to enjoy.

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Me, Snowboarding

2022-02-08T01:21:11Z

I had the opportunity to hit the slopes with friends a few days ago. It was my first time snowboarding in probably 4 years. And that time probably came after a layoff of 10 years. A frequent boarder, I am not.

My friend, Alex, took the opportunity to record me snowboarding. (He's an accomplished skier. I don't think I'd be able to do the same for someone else.)

Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos. Alternatively, you can download and watch it using a video player outside of your browser.

Video of a snowboarder S turning down a snow-covered ski slope.

Seeing yourself in a video, in action, interacting with the world, is eye-opening. There's something very out-of-body and magical about it. I'm videoed infrequently enough to still find it novel.

My initial, charitable interpretation of the video was along the lines of "wow, I look like a real snowboarder". 😃 My secondary, critical interpretation of the video focused more on the details. In the video, I see myself using my arms/body when making turns to the right, but not when making turns to the left. I assume better riders don't do that.

A Car Hit Me on My Bicycle

2022-01-31T00:56:03Z

Sadly, it finally happened. I got hit by a car while I was biking. Happily, it turned out OK. I got grazed on my left elbow by the side mirror. Nevertheless, it was still surprising and disturbing. Of course, anyone who is familiar with my biking activities most likely isn't - surprised at least. And, if I'm being honest, I'm not surprised, either.

I mean, c'mon, I bike along a major suburban arterial 5-lane roadway devoid of bike lanes. The only concession that it makes for cyclists is a couple "share the road" signs. Given that, you could argue that I've been biking on borrowed time.

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New Email Frequency Options

2022-01-30T00:41:15Z

So, if the past month signals the start of a trend, it's looking like I might have entered a phase where I'm writing and publishing more often than I have in a long while. I've already published four posts to the blog this year, which is more than I published during the past two years, combined. If you are a subscriber, this may be more often than you anticipated, or desire. If this is you, or even if it's not, you might be interested to know that I've added email frequency options in the subscription preferences. Instead of "daily" being the one and only email frequency, you now have the option of being notified of new posts less often, on either a weekly or monthly basis.

If you'd like to change your email frequency, click the "update subscription preferences" link at the bottom of your new post(s) notification email. Mailchimp will guide you through the update process.

I have a number of sites/causes/organizations that I subscribe to. Sometimes, I find them to be too "active". Unfortunately, they rarely ever provide an option to throttle down the frequency. As such, I'm too often left with a choice between "grin and bear it" or "unsubscribe". Seems to me like there should be another option.

Please holler with any issues or thoughts. Thanks!