So I’ve now committed myself financially to getting back behind the bars by picking up the supplies required to finally do a complete overhaul. A Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand and Park Tool Work Tray will keep the bike firmly planted on the workbench while I tickle its naughty bits with a Park Tool AK-37 Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit, Finish Line Speed Degreaser, and Finish Line DRY Teflon Bicycle Chain Lube. My full automotive mechanic tool kit was missing many of the critical tools to properly maintain a bike so I needed the AK-37 kit to fill in the gaps.

Assuming I actually follow through, start riding again, and hit my initial goal weight of 240ish pounds by the end of the Summer I’ll definitely upgrade to a 2012 GT Karakoram 1.0 Hardtail 29er. No way I’m going to drop the coin to go full suspension unless I get under 200 pounds and am doing some serious miles. And if the wife wants to start riding as well then a 2012 GT Palomar Hardtail will probably be in her future.

Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand

Park Tool 2008, Sports, $134.86

Park Tool AK-37 Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit

Park Tool 2008, Sports, $207.75

Park Tool Work Tray (For PCS-1, PCS-4, PCS-9, PCS-10, PCS-11, and PRS-15)

Park Tool 2009, Sports, $24.74

Finish Line Speed Degreaser Bicycle Cleaner & Degreaser, 17-Ounce Aerosol Spray

Finish Line 2009, Sports, $7.95

Finish Line DRY Teflon Bicycle Chain Lube, 32-Ounce Quart Jug

Finish Line 2009, Sports, $23.93

My Father picked one up last year, and he absolutely loves it! Although it didn’t support direct printing from Mac OS X when he let me play with it a while ago, there are supposedly beta drivers available now. Doesn’t matter anyway, since it prints directly from flash media. Also, with a $0.40/sheet consumable price, the price can’t be beat!

As a replacement, I’ve officially become a consumer and picked up a Linksys BEFSX41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall/VPN Router. It’s small, it’s quiet, it supports SPI, VPN, and DMZ, and it neatly stacks with my existing access point. Sure, it doesn’t have all the functionality of a BSD- or Linux-based firewall, but it’s perfectly adequate for our needs. My only complaint is the fact that it tops out around 2 MBps (16 Mbps) when passing packets across the firewall. Although those speeds are faster than any consumer-priced Internet connection, transferring large files to and from the Web server outside the firewall is much slower than the grumpy old AMD K6. If I end up moving the Web server into the DMZ, I’ll get true 100 Mbps, but I’ll need to research exactly how the DMZ operates and make sure traffic can’t leak from the DMZ back into the LAN.

In addition, I’ve also picked up a Netgear MR814 Wireless Cable/DSL Firewall Router ($20 – $30 rebate available) to setup a secondary public/guest wireless network that sits outside the primary Linksys firewall. Not only will this move all non-trusted traffic to its own isolated honeypot, but the physical location of the antenna will dramatically improve outdoor reception in the backyard, garage, and on the back deck. Right now, the Netgear is setup in the Hedgie Room, but I’ll be looking to extend the range even further with external antennas for both the public and private access points. This should extend the range enough to allow the cool neighbors down the block to jump online.

There is also a deal going on to receive a promotional certificate for $20 off a future Amazon.com purchase.

It is possible to start the Atkins Diet using this book, however the information is presented in such a way that makes it difficult. In order to take full advantage of the Atkins Diet it’s recommended that you purchase New Diet Revolution as well. Since I had a borrowed copy, I’ll be picking up Dr. Atkins’ Three-Book Package which includes New Diet Revolution, New Diet Cookbook and New Carbohydrate Gram Counter.

My primary concern is weight but the body fat analysis and athletic mode will help keep the reading accurate since I’ve started working out. The BF-662-S is missing some features like weight logging and history, but those were features I didn’t feel the need to pay for due to the fact that I am using Eat Watch for that.

Once the unit shows up I’ll post a full review.