James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

Hopefully see you this w/e at short track??
Been working all week on combining zwift with your last name, without success.

On clients, and work. They really don't see it as a failure to deliver, at least the team that is working on acceptance testing.
It isn't personal, and change is difficult. New requirements, more $$$. Now someone is going to try to negotiate the new requirements
as free, because the product wasn't delivered on some random date. This is why the account rep makes more $$ than anyone on the project
even tho the only thing s/he does is talk.....keep chugging, and always multiply your super-powers by directing others to specific tasks.

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For some reason I always think of HS as a freshman, and the size that goes along with it. Can't quite recall the rest 😀

Since I can't stay up until midnight, your nocturnal release writing seems more crepuscular to me....
 
i too cannot stay up till mignight on working nights, but i do like having something to read in the am when i wake up.

+1 for the new posting time.
 
And a Weekend was Completed...

(Note: This post is too log to edit. So I'm just going to submit it and edit it later when I reread it).

Friday

I kicked off the weekend by trekking up to the Podcast Den of @seanrunnette where I delivered the v1 of the Rocker Plate. We also had some espresso and recorded a podcast. You can get that here: Episode 21. I think this is a solid podcast in terms of absolutely, positively, not staying on topic but I feel like we talked about a metric fuck ton of interesting things. When it comes down to it, a lot of what people do stands as an excuse to get together. Really this is a reason for us to get together. Either Sean is an actor, or we really hit it off well and have a...wait. Wait a second. Just wait a second right there.

Am I living a lie?

Haha, 6-4 my ass.

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The snow was coming down while I was there, but really did not think anything about it. The forecast really hadn't been dire and I wasn't paying too much attention. I didn't think it was going to amount to much. When I left just before noon, it was mostly sky slush. I took a quick detour to Denville Dairy to grab some ice cream while I was in the neighborhood. This will serve as my next excuse to head up and talk to Sean on tape again, assuming I'm invited back. I also got the last issue of The Atlantic from Sean since @MissJR hasn't delivered on this mountain of issues she said she has.

As you can see, no accumulation. I was told at this point there was already 6" in Sparta.

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So I went home and did some nominal amount of work. I was pretty much waiting for the 2:00 GO/NOGO call to be official. We got on the call and the assholes from the North Star state just made up a bunch of nonsense as to why they're not going live. So in the end, the PM on their team asks each person if they vote Go or No Go. Around the room they go, one by one, recording the votes. Everyone says No Go. Then they get to me.

"Well if you're asking me my opinion, then I think we should go." I was outvoted, 11-1. Not even our own PM voted for us.

Then I rode Zwift for 2 hours while the 2 older kids played on their iPads before we dropped them off for the weekend.

Finally we went to see @Dominos & @Delish to celebrate Duke's 74-64 victory over UNC that would happen the following night. Since I have been reading the Harry Potter series, I have taken up Telemancy and can see the future. I will say that having both Duke & UNC in the top 10 makes it feel like things are right in the world. Having Xavier be 3rd is kinda wrong. Anyway, I bought cake and cake balls too. I bought a lot of dessert on this day. I did not bring the ice cream. That's for me.

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Saturday

Saturday morning I was forced to pull the plug on the Sunday race. I was ambivalent about it, because I really wanted to see the race go off but really didn't want to run a total shit show. With the addition of 60 kids, this means we need to be damn sure this is the right decision. And with every shred of evidence pointing against holding the race, we were forced to cancel. And so it was. I do not want to think about the coming snow this week.

We went to the gym where I held 140 watts steady and listened to Kim the Screaming Banshee yell at everyone to go harder. This was D's first biking in 2 weeks and while it was a decent ride for her, she definitely blew out some serious phlegm at the end. This will be her getting back on the horse and the first of 4 rides in a row. This cold/flu has been an absolute shock to our household the past 3+ weeks. I think we are finally over it, more or less.

After a quick trip to Costco then a detour at Chinese school to restock some food from the scallion pancake vendor, we went home and did nothing for 5 hours. By nothing I mean I read the paper and D did crosswords and we talked. I also booked my Chicago trip for next week. Then @Glenn Rides After 4 PM CST came over to disrobe in our hallway. Here he is with all his clothes on:

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We watched part of Pulp Fiction after that. We had a little bit of time and it was on. It's a great movie and I think that no matter how many times it comes on it's so easy to watch that you get sucked into it with ease. I think Uma may be one of my favorite actresses of all time. Loved her in this as well as both Kill Bills. It really sucks that she was in the situation she was with Tarantino, and it does take something away from everything, at least for me. Having said that, Annie Hall is a great movie and I am somewhat conflicted about what I think about that. Maybe Sean & I can talk about it on our next podcast, Episode 22: The Greatest Derailment Yet.

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That night we went to the Chester Theater Group to see Seminar. From the website:

In Seminar, a provocative comedy from Pulitzer Prize nominee Theresa Rebeck, four aspiring young novelists sign up for private writing classes with Leonard, an international literary figure. The story begins with Kate, a well-to-do Upper West-Sider with a fancy apartment who arranges the seminar for herself and three friends. Leonard’s unorthodox teaching style soon pits the classmates against each other: some of them flourish under his version of tough love, while others flounder with self-doubt. The wordplay is not the only thing that turns vicious as innocence collides with experience in this biting Broadway comedy.

We really both enjoyed this. I especially like how passionate these actors are, given that this is undoubtedly just a hobby for them. They did a great job. We both love this theater and the productions. The stage is in the middle of the seats, which Sean says is tough to do as there is really nowhere to hide. Yeah, we talked about everything on Friday.

I will say that this play made me want to write something for publication. Though I guess that means I didn't really take the play's message to heart.

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Sunday

On Sunday morning I rode Zwift for 3:15, an all-time high. Don't ask me how, I just can. I also am rocker-free right now and for better or worse, I do not actually miss it.

On the ride today I listened to 4 things...

  1. Malcolm Gladwell, on racism. I hated this one. First one was great, on this one I agree with @1speed.
  2. The Breeders radio, on the suggestion by @pooriggy. After Cannonball, this didn't do it for me. I see that The Breeders have a new album which is interesting.
  3. 102.7 WEQX. Just not "on" today.
  4. WFUV. Finally after 4, this filled the tank for me. It's good to have options.
D had gone to the gym for spin then yoga. I got on the bike when she left, and got off 5 minutes before she got home. This worked out well. We went shopping in the early afternoon then spent more time doing nothing-ish. I cleaned up the kitchen and D built a fire. Stereotype reversal day. I then painted my nails and D chopped wood.

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We then watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I don't know what I think about this. It touches on a ton of subjects, and for the most part I liked it. It does bring to mind something that was said in the play last night, that "Life is complicated." I don't know if I always believe that, but in this case it's true. The screenplay was great at times and lacking at others. I think sometimes the timing was off but I am saying this after having finished a short while ago. I'll read some of the commentary tomorrow. Then Sean and I can talk about it when I run out of Denville Dairy ice cream.

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Now we are watching Murder on the Orient Express. I guess it's movie weekend. This isn't circularly & morally complex like 3 Billboards is. This one is just a "sit back and enjoy" kinda movie. I'm not gonna wait until the end of this movie to submit this blog. I think Sunday night I get poetic license to submit before bed, because you all have plenty to occupy you Monday morning.

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Training

I guess I am this close to saying that I am working towards something but right now, I do not know what. What I do know is that I will probably be training in some form this year. So I am not going to carry the bulk of this blog with training crap. I will add it to the end where it is warranted. I said it in another thread but I'll repeat it here. The plan for March is "ride the F out of bike(s)". At this point I have Chicago/Seattle/Florida on the map for March. So there's going to be a lot of "all in" then "all paused" this month. I don't think the trips will be too detrimental to getting a lot of hours in the saddle.

But the focus right now will be many hours, which will hopefully turn into dropped pounds. That's what I have on tap for March. Then Spring Break in Florida will be a break and I'll see where things stand in April.
 
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the magazines are actually @Santapez 's... he's been tasked with going thru them and giving you the ones he's read.... i have a pile from the past 5 years collecting dust on the dresser, night table and living room end tables. one or two might also be bookmarking other issues.
 
p.s. have you read the book version of the murder on the orient express? how do the book and movie compare?
 
Murder on the Orient. Meh. I might read the book.

I think you had mentioned seeing the movie in the theater before and said it was meh... Which is why I waited and didn't see it in the theater.

I just read the book and I like Agatha Christie but I feel like the book should have been expanded and had more details. Like some of the conclusions came out of thin air... Wondering if the movie at least filled in some of the gaps.

And that mustache is pretty awesome. And don't even think about growing one @Santapez
 
Google Photos failed me. I've done my best impression of that style mustache but "Mustache" does not find it in my collection.

So I'll just leave this picture with the craziest helmet hair ever.

9oeQPqgx7g81fPcMxNP-ZbqaH1nCyQvquObZiaGwVbqcrnoz2dM8tH66gRhnlQM_GuAcqE3WQISrHdsf_HZ5supPU8jsPjiysx-wYkC_W04r-jqksCL2PkKZ0gr6rfPNYNWcQonXaVP-4KM1wLVRSko__MlVjlm1SotWggg-LDMbmefpssO8sFICsGn_ysRv6DeJfICqGwJ_fznK4O-2s0JyyJ95kDQ221xRatThbM0fhpumqC4JIofoq1oYZzXo2hWQmrYpPibreoMads4Ni6XUshaem_mCY7Ga9ognw0BhVaXGsC7k2Z9lf0rUHUMFYBQ3enalYn5w62NqRV-rq7OrSvkd3hrbiiSgWEcPDtzP0VtmuCc8zcNv7-j79LqSRQGnJUkP3lWIOXyB_ME6XZ2vQTEOYHw-RXlYi4JOqP2i28fE5RMw6rt439T1QbnpsqV-rdUdwXJdILB0CmJU0E1CAUdY0cpKikUqoedpK4U_duJsl8cxXPPtOhq1fdwpe3W9InxoBmFJx1hILnYtFAsPj0IdPeT362nqStDsqrB72RIUO7iEdvFAt1WpUA_BsO-sSup635z-J4O4ZsLaqGdhEx13PVTIBeQxAIbIMocmKD0me3DgjX89Z95KW3PJqK_uSMY2S9gwogsVxFgDP-hVv8IFyCvJ=w1227-h920-no
You wear your helmet when you hike? ;*)
 
That was Highline if I recall. 50% riding, 50% hiking. You were there with me!
Yes, that trail was a trip... Today is our anniversary of that trip. I might have some other fun photos too from there...
 
The Movie

The movie was fine. By "movie" I mean Murder on the Orient Express. I think this is one where you need to properly set expectations. I mean you know what you're getting if you have ever read one of these books. And I have read exactly 1 Agatha Christie book which I will call on @Dominique to remember for me. It was something about an island or something. And Then There Were None? Maybe that was it. The book was good, a quick read. But let's also keep in mind these stories are coming up on 100 years old. They were quickly written to be quickly read. I agree that often times there are details out of thin air but I also think that this is the medium here. This isn't along the lines of a TV drama where there is a murder, you have 2 or maybe 3 suspects, and then the show tries to convince you that they are all both guilty and not guilty by the end. Then they tell you which of the 2 or 3 people did it and you invariably say, "I KNEW IT!"

I think the movie was sort of the same as the book probably was. Sure, you get thin air details. But this is also just a way to pass time. I would say that I think the movie is sort of true to the style of the time, which again, is a little old. I would have preferred more Johnny Depp, since he is dreamy, of course. As it turns out, sadly, @Glenn Rides After 4 PM CST did not get the part. We gave it to Johnny Depp instead. We all think Glenn is dreamy too but he does not look as stunning with a parrot on his shoulder.

Travelllllllling

So here is the possible travel schedule as of today. This is almost like a game. It has changed 2 times today already.

Chicago this week
Seattle next week
Austin after that
Florida the end of the last week and the entire following

I have tickets for Chicago but I found out this afternoon that this may or may not happen. Florida is set since we are going for spring break. Seattle is less likely by the day, and Austin is total crap shot land.

Rec Committee Meeting

I realized I had a Rec meeting tonight. There's not really much to tell but I want to show off the mad design skills being used at the town hall.

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Training

Well I don't know what the future brings on an almost hourly basis. But I need to work with something so here is what I am putting into this week:

* I seem to have 5 days I can ride for sure (Mon-Thu, Sat)
* Aim is to hit 2 hours/day on average
* Flight is mid afternoon Thursday so I can ride in the morning
* Friday is a wash if Chicago happens. If not, I'll have that day as normal
* Sunday is a wash if ST happens. If not, I'll have the morning

Today I rode for 2 hours, just cruising in Richmond while replying to emails. I have a monster saddle sore right now.
 
Sometimes you sit down and take things in. You do nothing more than that, just take things in. The scene: I am sitting in the office. There is a couch in this office. If you have ever been to the house you may know it, you may not. We don't really open up this room because it's sort of a mess, and it's not really setup to have people in a party/gathering setting. I am sitting here, having just come back from the gym. I went to spin class tonight with D. I'll talk more about that later, in the Training section. I sit here waiting for D, who went to yoga after spin class. This is good for her. After almost 2 weeks of fighting this shit, she is getting back into the swing of things. So she did a spin class and then yoga. I just did the spin. Then I drove home and called Mike. You don't know Mike.

I came home and made dinner. And man I feel good. Dinner smells good. WEQX 102.7 is on point tonight. I am just sitting here waiting for her to get home so we can smash some food. The basis is a salad, lettuce/tomato/avocado with Japanese spicy peanut dressing. I cooked up some onion & chicken, and made sure they were very well cooked, almost to the point of pan-grilled, then salted & peppered aplenty. Then I lightly cooked some broccoli and mixed the onions & chicken in. That mix will go on top. It may suck, or not. I am hungry and it smells good. We will eat this and watch TV. Who knows what we will watch.

I am sitting here and I look over at the cabinet. On the side of the cabinet there is a small poster we made last year. Every year I get a calendar of bike pics. And one year we sliced them up and made some pics for everyone after the year was done. The kids got one each, and we made a few extras. I think D took one to work and I took one for the office. It fell off a few days ago; the sticky putty having given up and dropped it to the ground. As an aside, that putty sucks. Everything we have hung with it has fallen down. Don't waste your time.

I put it back up this morning or yesterday. I realize now that I put it on the cabinet uncentered. And you know, I just don't care. Does everything need to be centered all the time? Maybe some things are better off the beam. From the feedback so far, it seems like the podcast is better when we go so far off the path that we just let shit roll. I don't know what any of this means, really. I just think that sometimes, who gives a shit if things aren't perfect.

And man, the walls of this office are really bare since I took the US map down.

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Training

I went to the gym to ride the spin bike today. I felt good. They have power now, so I can quantify the workout. I burned exactly 1000 calories. Then I stopped.

I feel good. Quantify that.
 
2 things. 1, where are you going in Florida? Ill be there too. Sorry.
2. I think reading about your cooking is better then the pictures of your cooking.
That is all.
 
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