James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead
- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
Ok just got back from Chicago late last night. Post here:
https://mtbnj.wordpress.com/2019/03/09/the-last-chicago-2-step/
Been ultra-busy just trying to keep the fires lit/balls in the air/etc.
We are off to Belleayre this coming weekend. Between now and then, there's a bunch of stuff, like ride a bike, some number of meetings, swim practice, basketball dinner at the CR Inn, volunteering in the morning for a long weekend swim meet, the oral surgeon, a haircut, more bike riding, a dinner, then a drive north. The chances of me posting are slim to none until next week.
It was 60 degrees when I was out there yesterday. I think the warm front cometh. What we need is a solid 2 weeks of no rain. Tee up that overplayed Blind Melon song.
https://mtbnj.wordpress.com/2019/03/09/the-last-chicago-2-step/
Been ultra-busy just trying to keep the fires lit/balls in the air/etc.
We are off to Belleayre this coming weekend. Between now and then, there's a bunch of stuff, like ride a bike, some number of meetings, swim practice, basketball dinner at the CR Inn, volunteering in the morning for a long weekend swim meet, the oral surgeon, a haircut, more bike riding, a dinner, then a drive north. The chances of me posting are slim to none until next week.
It was 60 degrees when I was out there yesterday. I think the warm front cometh. What we need is a solid 2 weeks of no rain. Tee up that overplayed Blind Melon song.
Is this thing on?
I've been riding inside, moving up in Zwift from level 30 to 31 to 32 to 33, which is where I am now. They moved the upper limit to 50 a while ago and I'm just chugging along, watching TV and turning the pedals. Once I started to get more into skiing, I dialed back the huge base season, so right now I'm ~8 hours behind my pace of 500 biking hours on the year. This also ignores the 25-ish hours of skiing this year. Things are fine, but as those of you who fancy themselves as amatuer weathermen may have noticed, winter is winding down.
Last week D and I joined @2Julianas and @MurderBort up at Belleayre. I did 2 travel blog posts about that, Day 1 and then Day 2.
Race season started yesterday for some of you, but not for me. I had planned to start racing at this point, but after 2+ months I've backed off that. There are a few things here that play into that and 1 of them is skiing for sure. But another is that hey, you know what, maybe I just need to make peace with being 200 pounds for the rest of my life. I worked for 2 months, no alcohol, riding 10-15 hours a week, and I lost no weight. You can spin it and say that I'm at my 2018 race weight already, but my 2018 race weight is not a great race weight.
In reality, I'm ok with this. Next year I'll be racing cross as a 50 year old and at this stage, I just don't care enough. It is what it is. So I tried the enjoy the crap out of skiing, and now this week will mark the transition from ski season to bike season. I'm going to get out of the basement because, well honestly, I'm getting bored of it. I need to ride outside. I am enjoying this bike-media juxtaposition a lot. But I need to ride outside.
One thing I really want to scratch off the bucket list this year is the Whiteface climb. @seanrunnette has asserted that barring unforeseen circumstances, he will join me on this. I'm looking to put a ballpark date on this soon. Maybe there will be some desire to take weight loss a hair more seriously if I have an interim goal of climbing one of the biggest climbs on the East Coast. Much like nature abhors a vacuum, gravity loves a large mass.
With that existential crisis on the shelf, we can move on to the next one.
Work: The Unknown
Last week I got my 1-year retention bonus and the next day my boss resigned. This means that we go from 2 people running the product, to just 1. It also means that all the meetings and travel I've done may double in the near future. Before, it was 2 of us covering all of this, and now it's 1. Having said that, if I have to travel double the amount this won't last very long. I admit that I enjoy traveling for work, with some caveats. But lately it's become more of a chore and the work trips just don't seem to make sense a lot of times. Having said that, going to Arizona in the winter is still great.
My boss has 2 more weeks and that starts tomorrow. We can call that the start of the triage period. That will be a solid 2-4 weeks where I asses what this is all going to mean to me.
Right now I have 4 possible options as I see it:
1. Stay put for now. I don't think this job is a long-term deal, so I'm biding my time for now. I'm not going to say it's impossible I don't stay here for some time but I'm not sure the company culture is one where I get the most out of my work anymore. Upsides & downsides are TBD.
2. Go back to the consultant org that I was working with before. They had called me in December looking to see if I was available. Upside is the established connection and I know they always have work for me. Downside is that I was not happy with the way they handled the transition last time.
3. Hook up with the guy that's been trying to get me on board for a while. The upside here is that he's considered one of the all-time greats in this industry. When I told someone a year ago he was asking me if I was available, his reply was, "Dude that's like the New York Yankees recruiting you." The downside is that the salary would likely be lower.
4. Try a totally new direction. I have a lot of experience in this industry and can likely land any number of jobs/contracts but that brings with it a ton of uncertainty. This option is highly unlikely unless things go really sideways.
A lot of this will depend on who my new boss is. If having a relatively free schedule is not an option, this won't work for me. If the boss of my current boss inherits me, this should be ok. He seems like a good dude and doesn't want to make trouble for anyone. But word is that he may be rolling into a new position so we add yet another unknown. Too many unknowns right now to make an assessment on option #1. Thus, we begin the triage phase.
I have a call with boss-of-boss tomorrow, and I have a call scheduled with my contact from #2 tomorrow as well. I was supposed to talk with #3 last week, which I will get around to this week. So I'll be assessing all of this to see what makes the most sense for me.
At the end of the day, I guess we never stop trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up. I hold out hope of becoming a fireman.
I've been riding inside, moving up in Zwift from level 30 to 31 to 32 to 33, which is where I am now. They moved the upper limit to 50 a while ago and I'm just chugging along, watching TV and turning the pedals. Once I started to get more into skiing, I dialed back the huge base season, so right now I'm ~8 hours behind my pace of 500 biking hours on the year. This also ignores the 25-ish hours of skiing this year. Things are fine, but as those of you who fancy themselves as amatuer weathermen may have noticed, winter is winding down.
Last week D and I joined @2Julianas and @MurderBort up at Belleayre. I did 2 travel blog posts about that, Day 1 and then Day 2.
Race season started yesterday for some of you, but not for me. I had planned to start racing at this point, but after 2+ months I've backed off that. There are a few things here that play into that and 1 of them is skiing for sure. But another is that hey, you know what, maybe I just need to make peace with being 200 pounds for the rest of my life. I worked for 2 months, no alcohol, riding 10-15 hours a week, and I lost no weight. You can spin it and say that I'm at my 2018 race weight already, but my 2018 race weight is not a great race weight.
In reality, I'm ok with this. Next year I'll be racing cross as a 50 year old and at this stage, I just don't care enough. It is what it is. So I tried the enjoy the crap out of skiing, and now this week will mark the transition from ski season to bike season. I'm going to get out of the basement because, well honestly, I'm getting bored of it. I need to ride outside. I am enjoying this bike-media juxtaposition a lot. But I need to ride outside.
One thing I really want to scratch off the bucket list this year is the Whiteface climb. @seanrunnette has asserted that barring unforeseen circumstances, he will join me on this. I'm looking to put a ballpark date on this soon. Maybe there will be some desire to take weight loss a hair more seriously if I have an interim goal of climbing one of the biggest climbs on the East Coast. Much like nature abhors a vacuum, gravity loves a large mass.
With that existential crisis on the shelf, we can move on to the next one.
Work: The Unknown
Last week I got my 1-year retention bonus and the next day my boss resigned. This means that we go from 2 people running the product, to just 1. It also means that all the meetings and travel I've done may double in the near future. Before, it was 2 of us covering all of this, and now it's 1. Having said that, if I have to travel double the amount this won't last very long. I admit that I enjoy traveling for work, with some caveats. But lately it's become more of a chore and the work trips just don't seem to make sense a lot of times. Having said that, going to Arizona in the winter is still great.
My boss has 2 more weeks and that starts tomorrow. We can call that the start of the triage period. That will be a solid 2-4 weeks where I asses what this is all going to mean to me.
Right now I have 4 possible options as I see it:
1. Stay put for now. I don't think this job is a long-term deal, so I'm biding my time for now. I'm not going to say it's impossible I don't stay here for some time but I'm not sure the company culture is one where I get the most out of my work anymore. Upsides & downsides are TBD.
2. Go back to the consultant org that I was working with before. They had called me in December looking to see if I was available. Upside is the established connection and I know they always have work for me. Downside is that I was not happy with the way they handled the transition last time.
3. Hook up with the guy that's been trying to get me on board for a while. The upside here is that he's considered one of the all-time greats in this industry. When I told someone a year ago he was asking me if I was available, his reply was, "Dude that's like the New York Yankees recruiting you." The downside is that the salary would likely be lower.
4. Try a totally new direction. I have a lot of experience in this industry and can likely land any number of jobs/contracts but that brings with it a ton of uncertainty. This option is highly unlikely unless things go really sideways.
A lot of this will depend on who my new boss is. If having a relatively free schedule is not an option, this won't work for me. If the boss of my current boss inherits me, this should be ok. He seems like a good dude and doesn't want to make trouble for anyone. But word is that he may be rolling into a new position so we add yet another unknown. Too many unknowns right now to make an assessment on option #1. Thus, we begin the triage phase.
I have a call with boss-of-boss tomorrow, and I have a call scheduled with my contact from #2 tomorrow as well. I was supposed to talk with #3 last week, which I will get around to this week. So I'll be assessing all of this to see what makes the most sense for me.
At the end of the day, I guess we never stop trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up. I hold out hope of becoming a fireman.
When I clicked new posts and saw your thread, I actually said these exact words in my head.
Tell them you want double the money, and don't settle for less than 1.5 times current salary. Do it for as long as you guys can take it, banking that extra money, and then do something else.
Number 1:
Number B: awesome about the options you got. @jimn’s suggestion sounds like a great plan A.
Just to have viable options in your industry at this stage in the game is not to be overlooked.
Good on you yo.
I would punch a nun in the mouth for this deal.
Number B: awesome about the options you got. @jimn’s suggestion sounds like a great plan A.
Just to have viable options in your industry at this stage in the game is not to be overlooked.
Good on you yo.
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Going up on your own to ride it, or entering the HC event on May 31?
I've been hearing about this climb/event for a very long time, but I've yet to check it out.
Wow, this seems like a conflict of interest.
Any excuse to go to Placid is a good thing but damn, an event like that is for the skinny guys. There is a similiar event happening in NJ the day before our Mooch race. The High Point TT. http://skylandscycling.com/calendar/high-point-time-trial/
Don't let the words Time Trial mislead you, this is just a brutal 5+ mile climb, no aero bars necessary. I did it once many years ago and the pain was quite memorable. Anyone who wants to experience suffering should do this once, if you do it again you're nutz.
Just throw in the towel, buy some stretch pants and get a fat bike. That's what @xc62701 did and now he's winning races.
Or shoot for 190lbs on the scale and take a job with less stress but decent pay, it's all about sustainability.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't say I've thrown in the towel, but I've come to realize that at this point in my life it's very hard to keep the schedule that I used to have without the 2 kids. I would be damn fast now if I got a divorce and the wife got the kids but that's not the case. I would love to be as fit as I was when I raced in the pro field but then again my life had only one focus. It's much more fulfilling now but the cycling suffers. I'm starting to get more ok with that.
I think mainly the winters are the hardest for me. In the past I could get through them with only a little weight gain but lately I've been bouncing back and forth with trying and IDGAF. My problem is I'm competitive. If I weren't I would have stepped away from racing a while ago and embraced the 200 lbs. I love riding my bike, I love the people at races, and I like going fast. Even if fast is a relative term. At this point I would love to get back into the cat 1 field but I know my weight and my fitness are nowhere near that. Maybe a little later in this season but now nope. I hit the scale this morning and I was 197. That's atrocious. I can do the best damage at 170 lbs or less. I have a lot to go. Since I raced and did well this past weekend I'm staying focused at lowering the weight and getting closer to fit and further from fat.
Yeah, I took some comedic liberties there, fat bikes are usually the butt of mtbing jokes.
When my kids where younger I didn't have time to ride/train. I helped coach soccer, baseball, basketball, and was a den leader in cub scouts. Gradually I squeezed time in as they got older but for the most part I just rode when I could.
It's important not to stress about results and training when you have kids, riding should more or less be stress relief and for fun.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I understand about the fatbike jokes. I'm used to that.
Agreed. I try and get what I can out of riding but it has been more for fun and travel more recently.
i look thinner on a fatbike. totally into what it looks like.....
Whiteface
I was going to write a bit about why I would do this, but do I really need to? I have had this on my list of things to do for a few years now. So at the core, I want to climb the damn thing. We challenge ourselves by setting goals that are hard to achieve. I know it's a lot easier to get stoned and eat ice cream all day. But that's not how I'm wired anymore. I mean even when we got stoned all day back in college, nobody ever had any ice cream.
@ChrisG - I have floated the idea of the race to both @seanrunnette and D, and their reply was the same: "WTF why would they do this on a Friday?" I am intrigued by the 190+ class. And it is on the radar. But if I had to guess, I would say right now the idea would be just to get up the damn thing this year.
I climbed the Alpe today in Zwift, which is pretty damn close to the Whiteface profile.
Alpe: 8.6 miles, 3723' vertical, 8.1% average grade
Whiteface: 7.9 miles, 3566' vertical, 8.4% average grade
I did this today:
Old PR: 69:19
New PR: 66:34
Today was the 15th time I've ever climbed this and I beat my PR by just under 3 minutes, which is a hell of an improvement. I also did this on D's bike, which I put on the trainer last weekend so she could try Zwift. She likes it a lot better with her bike on there. When I was in Taiwan the people at the bike shop pushed the notion that a smaller bike is better for mountain terrain. I don't know if that's true but on her frame I felt better today. After talking to her I am going to take her bike and on occasion and ride real hills with this to see how it feels. If it's better for the vertical stuff, I'll attempt Whiteface on it.
The Bikeworks
One: Since I put D's bike on the trainer this also frees up my bike to move back to the road again. I told my (soon to be former) boss that I am, "Coming down with a serious case of OMFG-It’s-Going-ToBeNice-Outs and it looks like Friday I will be too sick to work and the common cure is to ride your bike outside all day." I want to get the road bike ready for that.
Two. Got D's cx back in working order this week. She broke it up a bit on an ice crassh on the Columbia Trail, but the hanger was all that needed to be replaced, which is great because the DI2 RD isn't what I wanted to replace. I think this bike will go on the trainer once she gets back into the road riding season.
Three. Got that front wheel for Zac's old mtb which is going to now become Julia's new mtb. Hopefully she wants to ride it now and again.
Four. Ted is back on dirt, 2 times this week. D took it out over the weekend then I took it out yesterday. New brake pads which work well. I need to adjust the saddle which has somehow started pointing north over the course of the end of last year.
Chimney Rock?
Acting on a tip from a local CR rider, who shall remain nameless but rides after 2:00 pm PST, I took a gamble on CR yesterday. It is in a very strange state right now. The dirt in spots was like 2 days from hero dirt, then you would plunge directly into a total mud hole. The problem here is that the whole park, every trail, is like this. Some people say "avoid the wet areas" but right now, every trail has a wet area in it. Some of these are places I have never seen wet. By Friday I think it will be much better, but I am sure it won't be perfect.
Another week of no rain and the park will be good to go, open for business.
This was my first mtb ride of the year in NJ, and just the 3rd ride of the year, the first 2 being in Arizona. I want to say that it was nice to get outside, and in 1 sense it was. But the trails being iffy did not make for an amazing ride. The bike was fine. But it was a little chilly so the combination of wet feet plus the chill made it less awesome than riding the day before might have been.
Either way, crawling out of the basement 1 day at a time.
Writing
We put up a team blog post here, and I backfilled Seattle days one and two on the travel blog. Moving back through time, 1-by-1.
I was going to write a bit about why I would do this, but do I really need to? I have had this on my list of things to do for a few years now. So at the core, I want to climb the damn thing. We challenge ourselves by setting goals that are hard to achieve. I know it's a lot easier to get stoned and eat ice cream all day. But that's not how I'm wired anymore. I mean even when we got stoned all day back in college, nobody ever had any ice cream.
@ChrisG - I have floated the idea of the race to both @seanrunnette and D, and their reply was the same: "WTF why would they do this on a Friday?" I am intrigued by the 190+ class. And it is on the radar. But if I had to guess, I would say right now the idea would be just to get up the damn thing this year.
I climbed the Alpe today in Zwift, which is pretty damn close to the Whiteface profile.
Alpe: 8.6 miles, 3723' vertical, 8.1% average grade
Whiteface: 7.9 miles, 3566' vertical, 8.4% average grade
I did this today:
Old PR: 69:19
New PR: 66:34
Today was the 15th time I've ever climbed this and I beat my PR by just under 3 minutes, which is a hell of an improvement. I also did this on D's bike, which I put on the trainer last weekend so she could try Zwift. She likes it a lot better with her bike on there. When I was in Taiwan the people at the bike shop pushed the notion that a smaller bike is better for mountain terrain. I don't know if that's true but on her frame I felt better today. After talking to her I am going to take her bike and on occasion and ride real hills with this to see how it feels. If it's better for the vertical stuff, I'll attempt Whiteface on it.
The Bikeworks
One: Since I put D's bike on the trainer this also frees up my bike to move back to the road again. I told my (soon to be former) boss that I am, "Coming down with a serious case of OMFG-It’s-Going-ToBeNice-Outs and it looks like Friday I will be too sick to work and the common cure is to ride your bike outside all day." I want to get the road bike ready for that.
Two. Got D's cx back in working order this week. She broke it up a bit on an ice crassh on the Columbia Trail, but the hanger was all that needed to be replaced, which is great because the DI2 RD isn't what I wanted to replace. I think this bike will go on the trainer once she gets back into the road riding season.
Three. Got that front wheel for Zac's old mtb which is going to now become Julia's new mtb. Hopefully she wants to ride it now and again.
Four. Ted is back on dirt, 2 times this week. D took it out over the weekend then I took it out yesterday. New brake pads which work well. I need to adjust the saddle which has somehow started pointing north over the course of the end of last year.
Chimney Rock?
Acting on a tip from a local CR rider, who shall remain nameless but rides after 2:00 pm PST, I took a gamble on CR yesterday. It is in a very strange state right now. The dirt in spots was like 2 days from hero dirt, then you would plunge directly into a total mud hole. The problem here is that the whole park, every trail, is like this. Some people say "avoid the wet areas" but right now, every trail has a wet area in it. Some of these are places I have never seen wet. By Friday I think it will be much better, but I am sure it won't be perfect.
Another week of no rain and the park will be good to go, open for business.
This was my first mtb ride of the year in NJ, and just the 3rd ride of the year, the first 2 being in Arizona. I want to say that it was nice to get outside, and in 1 sense it was. But the trails being iffy did not make for an amazing ride. The bike was fine. But it was a little chilly so the combination of wet feet plus the chill made it less awesome than riding the day before might have been.
Either way, crawling out of the basement 1 day at a time.
Writing
We put up a team blog post here, and I backfilled Seattle days one and two on the travel blog. Moving back through time, 1-by-1.
You know all those dudes are Sean's height
@Norm i know you are coffee now, but tea was king for a while, right?
In search of the perfect cup of tea - National Geographic
https://apple.news/AsWUNL8FaTZ6165UUja6rmg
In search of the perfect cup of tea - National Geographic
https://apple.news/AsWUNL8FaTZ6165UUja6rmg
Wednesday: A Blog Post
I know, it's a miracle! I have a lot going on these days so you'll have to forgive me the lack of high quality blog posting. I've been writing elsewhere and trying to ride my bike. More on that below. I've ended up spreading myself out more, sort of like butter on toast, trying to make sure there's no plain bread showing. That includes the team blog, the travel blog, the Monday ride stuff which is really a subset of the last item, which is watching the board more and trying to keep tabs on things. As I read more content, my thoughts end up elsewhere and I have less time/energy to write here. I am not sure when this became the sole receptacle of all content. Probably I should decouple that.
Work Stuff
For now I'm going to stay put. I think the short-term plan is to remain as-is for the next 3 months through the Europe trip and go from there. I spoke to the old contractor, which was a meh conversation. That would be nothing more than a fallback. I talked to the Yankees and while they are interested we agreed that it's not the right time and I'll check back over the next 3 months to see how this is going and how their pipeline looks. I've also assessed the current situation a bit and the new boss, while not as awesome as the last, is a good guy but more importantly, pretty much leaves me alone.
The reality is that the "new" work setup is never going to be great. The best day I will ever have here now is passable. However, there are some perks here. With that, we come to...
Bikes & Riding
Hold the phone, today is 5 straight days outside and 7 of the last 8 outside. I'm just getting bored being indoors especially with the rides where I am just putting in hours. The 1 day I did not ride outside in the last 8 was a Zwift race, which was a very focused, intent effort. I need the indoor rides to be either sharp/focused efforts or recovery where I watch TV.
I find it has been good for me to have a goal every day I go outside. Working backwards you get:
4/10: Ride to Black River to get a bag of coffee & an espresso. Just under 36 mile round trip which is perfect
4/9: Inside ride which was an Alpe climb (Whiteface practice) then hit up Lewis Morris after work with D
4/8: Rode Ted to get the truck from the garage, then Monday Funday ride
4/7: 60 mile road ride with Sean, then local park loops with Julia
4/6: Lewis Morris with D and the boys
4/5: Zwift race, Bs, got totally shelled. But if I take this time and put it in the C race, I am in the mix for 2nd.
4/4: Quick road out & back to test the PM battery
4/3: Road bike to mail a letter. Then rode with Zac to soccer practice.
The thing about the work situation is that it affords me the entire morning to ride most days, today being a good example of that. I had to be back for an 11:00 call but I made it in time to shower and still make the call. Tomorrow I have even more time and I am thinking about going to Hartshorne in the morning.
I've also been doing a bunch of bike work trying to get everything up & running, which is a part time job these days with so many bikes. I put a dropper on Ted which has been an awesome addition.
The Scale
I've stopped buying ice cream, and have been doing my best to eat as healthy as I can. In the last few weeks I have gained like 4 pounds so I think this is a totally lost cause. I put my shorts on from last year and they are loose, to the point I almost need a belt. But the scale is the scale and I have no idea why it's just not working. Maybe my shape is changing but you still gotta cart the pounds up the hills, be it muscle or fat. It's crapy but as I get older I give up being frustrated, for the most part. Some part of me is still really frustrated by it all. Sean suggested a nutritionist but I am at a point where I'm not willing to just not eat for long stretches of time and then when I do, to eat 12 carrots and a fig.
I'll just try to ride as much as I can and shit will fall where it falls. I still think this will turn at some point. It is what it is.
Tea
@rottin' - I still drink tea every day. In the morning and evening, I share a cup of your standard British breakfast with D. During the day I will often have a Taiwanese Oolong, and sometimes a Yunnan black. I have been through the gamut with tea consumption and this is where I have landed. Oolong for the light/green and Yunnan for the black. The British breakfast is tasty, but it's different as we drink it with milk/sugar.
I read some of the article but I want to get through this post before Julia is done with swim. I am currently sitting in the lobby while she is at practice.
Things Around Here
I think things got a little out of hand last week and on Saturday the train went off the tracks, fell off a bridge, and crashed into a daycare full of innocent children. I understand that some of this stuff happens, but I do feel a little responsible for this at some level. I have mentioned this to a few people and they categorically say I am wrong in thinking this. But I feel that I could have been more proactive in trying to avert this inevitable crash & burn. I know I cannot police everything. But I can try to avert disaster before it happens. I often let things play out and for the most part, people act grown-up and the flares fade. Now & again, they don't. This was one of those times.
I think in the end I had to be so final because I really saw no happy ending to the way things were going so I was left with no other practical recourse. Short of spending hours a day with PMs and policing the board, that wasn't going to have a peaceful ending so it is what it is. I wish I could be better but there's only so much a guy can do.
2 Years
2 years ago I stopped drinking. Today is the anniversary of that. At this stage I don't see that going the other direction so here we are. Given the scale, one might argue that ice cream and beer might as well be in the mix. But really, I feel pretty good. So I'm ok with not reverting. Today I just felt ON POINT on the ride back from the coffee shop. Looking for more of that this year, be it at 205 or 200 or 190 or 3000 pounds.
Upcoming
Hoping to ride the MTB tomorrow. I see Stephens is good to go, so maybe there. Also considering Hartshorne which I mentioned above.
Friday I think we're going to Nassau after work. We may or may not have company.
Saturday hoping to do a longer-ish road ride again. Then we'll head south for the NICA pre-ride, I think. We have an Airbnb down there so we'll be going down. Then Sunday is the NICA race. I think I'll try to write up an MTBNJ blog post about that. I may take the day off.
Sadly, looks like CR Monday may get its first rainout next week.
I know, it's a miracle! I have a lot going on these days so you'll have to forgive me the lack of high quality blog posting. I've been writing elsewhere and trying to ride my bike. More on that below. I've ended up spreading myself out more, sort of like butter on toast, trying to make sure there's no plain bread showing. That includes the team blog, the travel blog, the Monday ride stuff which is really a subset of the last item, which is watching the board more and trying to keep tabs on things. As I read more content, my thoughts end up elsewhere and I have less time/energy to write here. I am not sure when this became the sole receptacle of all content. Probably I should decouple that.
Work Stuff
For now I'm going to stay put. I think the short-term plan is to remain as-is for the next 3 months through the Europe trip and go from there. I spoke to the old contractor, which was a meh conversation. That would be nothing more than a fallback. I talked to the Yankees and while they are interested we agreed that it's not the right time and I'll check back over the next 3 months to see how this is going and how their pipeline looks. I've also assessed the current situation a bit and the new boss, while not as awesome as the last, is a good guy but more importantly, pretty much leaves me alone.
The reality is that the "new" work setup is never going to be great. The best day I will ever have here now is passable. However, there are some perks here. With that, we come to...
Bikes & Riding
Hold the phone, today is 5 straight days outside and 7 of the last 8 outside. I'm just getting bored being indoors especially with the rides where I am just putting in hours. The 1 day I did not ride outside in the last 8 was a Zwift race, which was a very focused, intent effort. I need the indoor rides to be either sharp/focused efforts or recovery where I watch TV.
I find it has been good for me to have a goal every day I go outside. Working backwards you get:
4/10: Ride to Black River to get a bag of coffee & an espresso. Just under 36 mile round trip which is perfect
4/9: Inside ride which was an Alpe climb (Whiteface practice) then hit up Lewis Morris after work with D
4/8: Rode Ted to get the truck from the garage, then Monday Funday ride
4/7: 60 mile road ride with Sean, then local park loops with Julia
4/6: Lewis Morris with D and the boys
4/5: Zwift race, Bs, got totally shelled. But if I take this time and put it in the C race, I am in the mix for 2nd.
4/4: Quick road out & back to test the PM battery
4/3: Road bike to mail a letter. Then rode with Zac to soccer practice.
The thing about the work situation is that it affords me the entire morning to ride most days, today being a good example of that. I had to be back for an 11:00 call but I made it in time to shower and still make the call. Tomorrow I have even more time and I am thinking about going to Hartshorne in the morning.
I've also been doing a bunch of bike work trying to get everything up & running, which is a part time job these days with so many bikes. I put a dropper on Ted which has been an awesome addition.
The Scale
I've stopped buying ice cream, and have been doing my best to eat as healthy as I can. In the last few weeks I have gained like 4 pounds so I think this is a totally lost cause. I put my shorts on from last year and they are loose, to the point I almost need a belt. But the scale is the scale and I have no idea why it's just not working. Maybe my shape is changing but you still gotta cart the pounds up the hills, be it muscle or fat. It's crapy but as I get older I give up being frustrated, for the most part. Some part of me is still really frustrated by it all. Sean suggested a nutritionist but I am at a point where I'm not willing to just not eat for long stretches of time and then when I do, to eat 12 carrots and a fig.
I'll just try to ride as much as I can and shit will fall where it falls. I still think this will turn at some point. It is what it is.
Tea
@rottin' - I still drink tea every day. In the morning and evening, I share a cup of your standard British breakfast with D. During the day I will often have a Taiwanese Oolong, and sometimes a Yunnan black. I have been through the gamut with tea consumption and this is where I have landed. Oolong for the light/green and Yunnan for the black. The British breakfast is tasty, but it's different as we drink it with milk/sugar.
I read some of the article but I want to get through this post before Julia is done with swim. I am currently sitting in the lobby while she is at practice.
Things Around Here
I think things got a little out of hand last week and on Saturday the train went off the tracks, fell off a bridge, and crashed into a daycare full of innocent children. I understand that some of this stuff happens, but I do feel a little responsible for this at some level. I have mentioned this to a few people and they categorically say I am wrong in thinking this. But I feel that I could have been more proactive in trying to avert this inevitable crash & burn. I know I cannot police everything. But I can try to avert disaster before it happens. I often let things play out and for the most part, people act grown-up and the flares fade. Now & again, they don't. This was one of those times.
I think in the end I had to be so final because I really saw no happy ending to the way things were going so I was left with no other practical recourse. Short of spending hours a day with PMs and policing the board, that wasn't going to have a peaceful ending so it is what it is. I wish I could be better but there's only so much a guy can do.
2 Years
2 years ago I stopped drinking. Today is the anniversary of that. At this stage I don't see that going the other direction so here we are. Given the scale, one might argue that ice cream and beer might as well be in the mix. But really, I feel pretty good. So I'm ok with not reverting. Today I just felt ON POINT on the ride back from the coffee shop. Looking for more of that this year, be it at 205 or 200 or 190 or 3000 pounds.
Upcoming
Hoping to ride the MTB tomorrow. I see Stephens is good to go, so maybe there. Also considering Hartshorne which I mentioned above.
Friday I think we're going to Nassau after work. We may or may not have company.
Saturday hoping to do a longer-ish road ride again. Then we'll head south for the NICA pre-ride, I think. We have an Airbnb down there so we'll be going down. Then Sunday is the NICA race. I think I'll try to write up an MTBNJ blog post about that. I may take the day off.
Sadly, looks like CR Monday may get its first rainout next week.