James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

[Norm]

Training

After 2 days off and 1 easy day, I was feeling pretty good today so decided to get back on and see what happened. I logged into Zwift and saw there was a race in 25 minutes. I registered to do it. I debated doing the C race briefly, but instead opted for the B race, because even though I'm not in any sort of peak form, I need to step in where I need to be this year. Then just work from there.

Long story short. 39th out of 44. It was a really terrible showing. As I said to @seanrunnette, you know how the space shuttle goes up on the massive rockets and after a few minutes the big rockets fall off and drop into the ocean? Yeah, that was me today.

I was pretty eager last fall to post up when I was crushing it in the C races. Well here is my balance. I got shellacked today. I would describe the race but it really was basically a rinse & repeat of this: Find self in group, get dropped. Wait for next group to catch up. Repeat.

Well, this is why you do these races. They are gut checks. This was a gut check.

I also hacked up 4 pints of phlegm so I think I'm a little under the weather. But that's no excuse. I'll just do some volume the next 2 days and try to enjoy my weekend up in Vermont. After finding this map, I'm now excited to head up this Friday.

Local Trails & MTBNJ Blogging

@Santapez - It doesn't really matter. I may do a few but I'm not going to take it on as a project. There are 2 parks in particular that I might explore, Jungle & Ringwood, just for the sake of learning the parks better myself. Also perhaps Sterling, but we'll see. I've signed up to do the next group ride at Sterling, so I may do a few posts about that one. We'll see how that shakes out.

I also plan to do some posts about the Short Track series, race promotion, stuff like that. Plus the Sterling ride.

There's plenty of material that would be a better use of time. I've also pinged @soundz and @fidodie to try and figure out the wiki issues, specifically why we can't login anymore. That would be a better direction to put our collective efforts in terms of trails. I think the last version was far too eager. I also think Trailforks does a great job with these parks so anything we do should be a compliment to that.

The Melancholy of Winter

I think it's hitting a lot of people right now. I am not thrilled about the winter being what crappy, but it is what it is and it happens every year. It's not getting me down much at all this year. I think the excitement for ski weekends helps. It's nice to have something to look forward to. I know we're only Feb 12th but March is rolling up pretty fast and we'll see the weather cede to spring before too long. I really hope we don't get snow-dump again this year on the ST weekends, but you know what? If we do, screw it, we'll just go up north somewhere to ski.

Rocked out a mapo tofu for dinner tonight. It was really good.

@qclabrat - this stuff is awesome:

 

[mattybfat]

Your gonna dig pico, we always enjoyed it after the hustle of big boy next door. Totally different perspective and views. Beautiful tree lined runs.

 

[Patrick]

Your gonna dig pico, we always enjoyed it after the hustle of big boy next door. Totally different perspective and views. Beautiful tree lined runs.

always loved hitting Pico - we stayed slope-side a couple times in the early days.

if i remember correctly, there is a great glade off the top. looking at the map, it is in the 75%->50% of the center chair off the to the lift's right.
ski the trees, and just like riding a bike, look at the gaps, not the trees. plenty of snow the keep the speed in check.

Enjoy!

 

[StayHydrated]

look at the gaps, not the trees.

I looked at the trees one time.

It was a bad time. Do not recommend.

 

[Norm]

I'm gonna throw out a media blog here because I consume a these days.

Books

Cibola Burn (book, physical) - This is the 4th book of the Expanse series, of which 7 are out, and 9 are planned. This was ok but I feel like this was one of those books they made on paper. Then when they went to write it (they = the author is a pen name for 2 authors working together), they realized they had 50 pages of material to move the overarching story forward. The remaining 550 pages were fluff along the lines of any social friction antics you can find in any book. Since you know the characters when you come into it, you follow along. But this is certainly not great. It won't stop me from reading the rest.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (book, Kindle) - If you know what a Von Neumann Probe is, this will be of interest to you. This book is entertaining as heck. The AI in the book is incredibly entertaining. SciFi, humor, easy reading, cheap. This is just an awesome read. I bought/downloaded the 2nd immediately after I finished. Love this book. This is the first of 3 in the Bobiverse series. This book also feels like the author may have had a bunch of disparate thoughts on space travel and the way he ties this all together is brilliant.

Series

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime, season 1) - About halfway through the first episode, I was THIS CLOSE to turning it off because it was so bad. By the end of episode 6, I had fallen totally in love with this show. It goes from ok to good to great. This is an excellent show that deserves the time to let it grow on you. I'm looking forward to watching season 2. Given my luck with movies lately I should just start it next week.

Russian Doll (Netflix, season 1) - This is a very easy watch, and the actual story line grows on you through the 8 episode series. In total, this is probably 2.5 hours of television so this could almost be a movie, though I think this format is actually better. I will say that at the start of the last episode, you really don't which way it's going to go. Pretty solid ending, I have to admit. I'm not sure you could have predicted how that would have turned out. I just read that the series was pitched as a 3 season deal. So I'm curious how they are going to follow this up.

Movies

The Red Violin (Hulu) - This is a classic movie that is well-made, well-thought out, and well worth the watch. One thing I see more and more of these days is special effects, very fast narrative, very short attention spans. Not everything falls into this but it seems like this is the trend and thoughtful, properly paced movies is a thing of the past. I think this movie is all of what I see as missing, but wrapped up in an elegant, methodical story. I know this is old (20+ years now) but I just saw it. Well done, recommended.

Pandorum (Netflix) - 10 minutes, and I turned it off. I love SciFi but you know what I hate? When SciFi equals, "send a ship in space and add a monster."

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix) - I liked this movie until we see Tim Blake Nelson get killed in the first of 6 vignettes. It was actually oddly entertaining to that point. Then it went downhill, to the point that I kept watching, wondering if there was going to be some sort of payoff. The payoff never comes. Remember this statement, "The payoff never comes." Also note that this is a Coen Brothers movie.

Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes (Hulu) - Pretty good watch. I mean, this is a Danish version of a crime movie. There's a protagonist. There's a case. They try to solve the case. I found the story pretty good and it's one of those movies you can watch & enjoy when you need something to watch. Being it's in Danish, you will need to watch the subtitles so it's not something you can half-watch. Good trainer movie for sure.

IO (Netflix) - Pretty unremarkable, frankly. I saw this pop up in our home screen on Netflix, so I read the recap and thought it would be interesting. Then we all watched the trailer together and I thought, ok well this is unremarkable. We watched anyway, and it was pretty unremarkable. I don't even know how it ended because I stopped paying attention. Lackluster on a ton of levels. I do wonder if they put these actors in here as a way to seed their careers, knowing this was a B-movie at best from the door.

The Conversation (Netflix) - 1974 Gene Hackman. This is a movie that was made in 1974. So the notes I made above about Red Violin and the speed of movies goes double or triple for this one. If you know what you are getting into, this is an interesting and intriguing watch. Story is pretty solid, and the ending is not really expected so I think they get you there. A very young Harrison Ford is in this, which is pretty neat to see, as this was pre-Star Wars.

Department Q: The Absent One (Hulu) - Not nearly as good as the first one. So it begs the question, was this a one-hit wonder, or did they have a good start & end while the middle movie was lackluster? Note sure if we'll watch the last one or not. If I had seen this one on its own, I would not have finished it, I don't think. It's sort of shock value for the sake of shock value, and honestly almost no redeeming value here.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (Netflix) - Pretty good, not amazing. The movie was kind of long but there are some pretty solid laughs in it. I think it's a must-see if you want to take in "all the things" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If not, you probably don't need to go out of the way to see it. It's a great film for the family as a whole, which we pretty much find with all these Marvel movies. We are already looking forward to Avengers: Endgame, which comes out in April. As for this storyline, interesting, not amazing.

Velvet Buzzsaw (Netflix) - Terrible. I think Director Dan Gilroy woke up and said, "Hmm, I wonder if I can put Daveed Diggs and John Malkovich in a movie and make it terrible. Nah, no way that's possible." Well, here it is, he did it. By the time I realized this movie was lost, I was too far in to give up. I kept thinking about how awesome Diggs was in Blindspotting, that he had to be here for a reason. Well, I was wrong. Don't waste your time on this.

No Country for Old Men (Netflix) - This is not a new movie but I just got around to watching it. So a note about this, for those of you who don't know. This is also a Coen Brothers movie. And much like Buster Scruggs, this had no payoff. No payoff at all. I think maybe the brilliance of the Coen Brothers is gone. I know these 2 movies of theirs that I watched were nominated for this-and-that, or even won something here or there. But neither of these movies is, in its fabric, good. This one is especially disappointing as it takes a solid performance by Josh Brolin and grinds it into a paste, completely wasting it. I am not sure how, but the Woody Harrelson parts are stiff, and forced. It's clear he doesn't want to be in this movie so I don't know why he took the part. Tommy Lee Jones is good, but underused. The other item of note is the Barry Corbin appearance, who I enjoyed seeing. Corbin is probably the most prolific actor you have never heard of.

Ok, that's all. If you have any suggestion I'm all ears!

 

[jShort]

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (book, Kindle) - If you know what a Von Neumann Probe is, this will be of interest to you. This book is entertaining as heck. The AI in the book is incredibly entertaining. SciFi, humor, easy reading, cheap. This is just an awesome read. I bought/downloaded the 2nd immediately after I finished. Love this book. This is the first of 3 in the Bobiverse series. This book also feels like the author may have had a bunch of disparate thoughts on space travel and the way he ties this all together is brilliant.

Listened to the whole thing. "Fell down the Skippy hole" as @seanrunnette said. Awesome series. I was bummed when it was over.

 

[Patrick]

Watched red violin a hundred years ago. Think I even own it on DVD. So impressed that I never watched it again.
Queue up the piano for extra well though out, well shot, never watch again. Speaking of witch, I haven't seen bridges of Madison county in awhile.

Thanks for the heads up on io.
Watched the first episode of I am a killer. Better than Bundy. Takes you on a ride.

 

[jShort]

Cibola Burn (book, physical) - This is the 4th book of the Expanse series, of which 7 are out, and 9 are planned. This was ok but I feel like this was one of those books they made on paper. Then when they went to write it (they = the author is a pen name for 2 authors working together), they realized they had 50 pages of material to move the overarching story forward. The remaining 550 pages were fluff along the lines of any social friction antics you can find in any book. Since you know the characters when you come into it, you follow along. But this is certainly not great. It won't stop me from reading the rest.

I glazed over this, but now that I actually read it...
I listened to the first 3, didn't get to this yet. And am 2 episodes into the 2nd series on prime. I like it, dont love. I actually stopped listening after the 3 and lost interest. I stopped watching halfway through season 1 but been spending a lot of time on the trainer so I started again. I'm back in for now.
Won't read but will watch catch up to the books and make a decision then.

I found another series in the same wheelhouse. "Old Man's War". That's what I'm listening to now. Space, wars, etc etc... I like it so far which is halfway through book 2.

 

[stb222]

Almost thought you were going to have a bad review of Mrs. Maisel. So many fucking hats.

 

[jmanic]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime, season 1)

Yes. Glad you are enjoying this.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix)

Yup. Sitting half-watched in our queue, if it gets done, it will be me alone and only because I’m compelled to finish things.
Not sure what you mean about the Coen bros- they rule (most times).

No Country for Old Men (Netflix) - This is not a new movie but I just got around to watching it. So a note about this, for those of you who don't know. This is also a Coen Brothers movie. And much like Buster Scruggs, this had no payoff. No payoff at all. I think maybe the brilliance of the Coen Brothers is gone

Oh. I see.
Nope, you’re wrong.

The Conversation (Netflix)

I recall watching this possibly in that decade.
I should revisit it, although you make valid points on timing and pacing.

 

[StayHydrated]

Also note that this is a Coen Brothers movie.

We stopped watching at the start of the 3rd vignette. I think you need to be in a certain frame of mind to watch it. We were not in that frame of mind.

 

[Carson]

"God dammit, I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it would do any good!"

 

[capedoc]

he Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Netflix) - I liked this movie until we see Tim Blake Nelson get killed in the first of 6 vignettes. It was actually oddly entertaining to that point. Then it went downhill, to the point that I kept watching, wondering if there was going to be some sort of payoff. The payoff never comes. Remember this statement, "The payoff never comes." Also note that this is a Coen Brothers movie.

Love the Coen Brothers but Agree, not much payoff in this one. I think I was in the right state of mind while watching this and found it mildly entertaining. Megan on the other hand was not. Afterwards I think she asked me “what the fuck was that?”.

It may not be a home run as far as Cohen Bros movies go, but an attribute I admire most from my favorite artists is the willingness to take chances.

 

[MissJR]

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Just finished Season 1... i really like it but steve's meh about it.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Started it. Couldn't finish it. it sucked.

Russian Doll: plowed thru this. really liked it but i can't see watching it for 3 seasons. i think it's a one season-er to me. maybe i'm missing something?

Velvet Buzzsaw: thank you for stopping me from making a huge mistake.

Maniac: just downloaded it so only 1.5 episodes in. anyone see this? it's a little slow right now. but i'm thinking i need to get like 3 episodes in before it picks up.

Guardians of the galaxy 2: i think i've seen it? most of it? i don't know... i like these movies and they're entertaining, but, damn, they all bleed together and i don't remember much about them when they're done.

 

[pooriggy]

No Country for Old Men (Netflix)

No Country is classic Coen brothers, character driven movie, a plot unfolds but the focus is on developing the characters, verses most movies in which characters support the plot and race to it.

They put scenes together so well and the characters are so believable, down to the fat lady in the trailer park who "Can't give out no information".


Buster is ok, but doing short stories doesn't give them enough time to develop characters, which is what they do best imo.

Mrs Meisel was great campy entertainment, this was before my time but the sets portray a great picture of the late 50s early 60s . There is a ton of lines which she delivers perfectly, which is remarkable. Being a guy, seeing her topless in the 1st show, a formula that seems to guarantee ratings, definitely had my interest but I will say the show is entertaining even without her tits up.

 

[rick81721]

No Country is classic Coen brothers, character driven movie, a plot unfolds but the focus is on developing the characters, verses most movies in which characters support the plot and race to it.

They put scenes together so well and the characters are so believable, down to the fat lady in the trailer park who "Can't give out no information"..

Yeah I love that movie. You do end up rooting for Josh Brolin's character to get away with the money but he's never going to win vs pure evil, which is how I interpret it. Best role Javier Bardem ever played.

 

[serviceguy]

Best role Javier Bardem ever played.

You sure?

 

[Norm]

I have today off, and had planned to go to Wharton to ride the big loop once, maybe even twice. But you know, we're no longer in Vermont anymore, so it rained overnight. This state really erodes one's resolve.

Pico Day 1: On the Road to RutVegas
"Day 1 of our 3 day ski trip to Vermont starts with a drive
to the Airbnb in Rutland (also known as RutVegas)
a few hours hanging out at the coffee shop, and a great dinner at Roots."

​

I am now off to Costco. I guess today is a preview of what my life will be like when I am retired.

 

[pooriggy]

I am now off to Costco. I guess today is a preview of what my life will be like when I am retired.

+1
Hot yoga, day boinking, BJs(the food warehouse),laundry, house chores, netflix.
Somedays you just take it as it comes I guess.

 

[slingblade_uhhuh]

I have today off, and had planned to go to Wharton to ride the big loop once, maybe even twice. But you know, we're no longer in Vermont anymore, so it rained overnight. This state really erodes one's resolve. I am now off to Costco. I guess today is a preview of what my life will be like when I am retired.

I've been told that the free samples at Costco are more fun and exciting then riding the big loop at Wharton. And yes, that is what retirement is like.