I got hooked on this subject after this article about a couple who built a 221 sq ft "dream home."  There is something about the idea of having to be creative with space, to be super organized and clean, and being exempt from the "I have more stuff" game that grabs my attention.  Or it might be the ability to claim "I built my house with my own hands" or "I don't have a mortgage" or "I can move my house anywhere" that has me dreaming of my own 220 sq foot lifestyle change on wheels.  To that end, I took some time to think about how I would design my own mini-mansion and had fun doing it.  It really is a fun challenge, a bit like figuring out how to fit that cart of Ikea furniture into the trunk of a midsize sedan.  A few of the elements you'll see that factor in heavily into my concept are: windows, windows, windows- in such a small space, the more light and outside views you get, the bigger it feels, bike storage in the form of a rack on a cable system that stores bikes out of sight, and a closet and chest of drawers hidden under the stairs and bathroom walls that move to create more space in the living area.  Take a minute to check out my creation below.  What do you think?  Are you hooked?

I've been commuting to work by bike sporadically for at least 5 years.  I would love to make it more consistent (I've been taking it easy during the hottest months),  but it's just not high enough on the priority list.   With Fall approaching, I'll definitely be doing it more though.   Which is good,  because I love it.

The usual routine is to throw my bike on my car (on the Carboard, a modular bike rack that I designed with a friend, which we'll someday market under our a Function(d) brand),  take son to school,  hop on bike and ride to work, about 8 miles.  What's nifty is that even by bike,  my commute is shorter in time and miles than a majority of the other folks in the office (my advice is to always live near your office!)  I take my time to cool off with my desk fan,  take a quick bath in a sink,  and usually eat lunch at the office.  Riding days does one of two things to lunch choices: it justifies eating a greasy burger or some other unwise choice,  or, it sets my mind up to think healthy thoughts and have a meal replacement smoothie,  which is what I did today (I'm an Advocare distributor you know).

At the end of the day I take a different route home, about 11 miles,  making for a 20 mile day.  I toss the bike on the car, scoop up the kid and drive the mile or two home.  I look forward to sticking a trail-a-bike in mine to pedal him to school,  and more so to him riding his own bike to school!

Along with bike commutes, you'll also find me swimming laps at LA Fitness in Grapevine one or two days a week when I'm in town and can get away from my desk with a decently clean conscience.

Being able to blend a bit of my active lifestyle into my work day really impacts my  job satisfaction, I suppose I'm pretty lucky in that regard, I feel for those who have miserable jobs/careers- life is to short to hate your job! It's not quite gym-with-locker-room-and-towel-service-on-site like friends at Friyo-Lay and Sabre have,  but hey,  I'll take what I can get!  

Before and after screenshots of thedivineco.com, my first web design customer.  
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