Midterm Exam
Name: Joseph "Norm" Zurawski
Year: 2018, Q1 & Q2 (effectively, H1)
Subject: Life, the Universe, Everything
Graded by: Anonymous
Introductory Comments:
The following is a graded evaluation of the subject named above, based on the performance in the first half of the year measured against certain key criteria (see: Curriculum) defined by the subject himself. Study & evaluation are not entirely objective, according to this reviewer. Key holes exist in various items which will be explained below. Based on the outline provided, I have done my best to evaluate the subject against these softly-stated goals. The expression "softly-stated" also belies one of the issues with this evaluation. Without a basket, it's hard to know if the goddamn ball went in or not.
Ignoring these plot holes, the subject has done reasonably well as defined in the following sections.
Goals & Objectives:
As suggested above, there really are no stated goals. The growing sentiment to "be better at stuff" pervades our society more and more these days, to the point that one must ask the question, "What stuff?" It becomes such a subjective load of poppycock that it's hard to get a handle on the course which is to be followed. On that note, see the subject of the course, which is the oft-quoted Douglas Adams book title: Life, the Universe, and Everything. I suppose I should be thankful that it was not: So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish.
With the caveat of my concern here stated, I will admit that the subject has morphed the softly-stated goals into something as the months have gone on. However, in the area where the most improvement is sought, namely weight, there yet remains no starting point, no end point, and no current point. All we see from the subject are words like "better" or "lighter" or references to his belt or the fit of his pants.
Curriculum:
Student was self-testing on the following curriculum for the 2018 calendar year:
- Exercise Time
- Blogging/Writing
- Non-work "Things"
- Weight
- Reading
- Non-drinking Streak
Striving for more exercise time is an admirable goal and one which feeds into item 4, the subject's ever-present weight issue. Adding to that is the decision to cut out drinking entirely and it's easy to see these 3 items forming the basis of a solid plan to, well, "be better" at the scale. Having said this, there is no line item for food consumption which is a key element in the weight loss equation. Additionally, one should probably call mention to the lack of sleep tracking here. One can debate the merits of sleep as it pertains to weight loss, but when one is talking "and Everything" one must include sleep.
The 2nd and 5th line items are admirable enough, reading and writing are probably nice-to-haves but again, as measured against sleep I would think these should be tossed out the window in lieu of getting enough rest every day.
As far as "non-work things" are concerned, well that's just cute-as-pie, isn't it?
Curriculum Topics:
Commenter's exploration of the items listed in the curriculum:
Exercise Time - June saw a total of 56.4 hours in 30 days, which is a fantastic sum. Total on the year is 284.4 and the Strava bike total is 260 for the first half year. All of these numbers are on pace to obliterate all previous records. Addition of Zwift & Kickr to exercise arsenal has worked wonders in keeping this on track. Questions may arise to sanity of riding 3+ hours inside in the middle of summer (eg, July 1, 2018) but one cannot question the drive thus far. Original goal was 400 but has been officially bumped to 500. Pass.
Blogging/Writing - June total was 19, tied for the lowest of the year. Half-year total is 141 which is well above the 125 pace needed to hit the goal of 250 blog posts. Some slide has been seen with the addition of the big riding hours as well as the work travel. But the general pace has remained steady. Quality of work in June may have slipped a bit but overall motivation is ok. Pass.
Non-work "Things" - Again, we are in an entirely subjective realm here. 27 in June, 147 on the year. On target for 250. See addendum below for June items. Pass only in as much as purely subjective item meets purely subjective nonsensical total.
Weight - No stated goal, so no way to really pass here. Subject has lost 14 pounds in 2018 which is good, but as stated above, no indication given as to the goal. So I am left with no recourse but to fail due to lack of any criteria to base this on. After presenting subject with failure on this front, subject conceded that goal for end of 2018 is "190 I guess." When asked what current weight is, subject replied, "not 190." As such, grade still remains as a fail.
Reading - Total and complete crap metric. Subject subscribes to NY Times newspaper but eschews this in lieu of reading 3 books/month, this creating a stockpile of Times sections he intends to get to "eventually." Original aim to read 12 books, which represents 1/month which, in addition to the Times, is fine. But after Harry Potter Orgy decided that 36 total on the year was the new goal. Chance of hitting this almost nil. Current total 16, which is 2 short of needed 18 to hit goal. June saw a trio of books by the same author, Spy Hook, Spy Line, and Spy Sinker. Subject was only able to complete 2 of these 3 books. Fail.
Non-drinking Streak - 447 as of June 30. Pass.
Addendum on June "non-work things" that were done in June, for the sake of completeness:
- Shows/Events: Han Solo movie, MSL soccer game, The Show That Goes Wrong
- MTB Rides: Nassau (2), Stewart (TM, pre-ride, Race), Jungle Habitat, Port Jervis, CR Monday
- Work trips: Delaware (1), Chicago (3), St. Louis (3)
- Dinners: Kubicks, Manics, Utahs
- Misc: Podcasting, several long rides, bought engagement ring
Overall Assessment:
Overall assessment of subject's desire to "do better" is probably that this goal is being achieved. Subject appears to be losing weight, exercising at a pace which will break all previous records, and is putting in creative time in the reading & writing realm. Non-work life is kept reasonably full with the constant stream of "non-standard" things being done. Good assortment of events, parks, and friends leads me to assess the current state as fairly balanced. One might be led to question if the goals laid out were custom-made to fit with the subject's existing habits, but the record-setting pace of exercise in addition to the ~1.5 years of non-drinking probably stand as enough evidence to lessen that.
Grade: Pass
Due to the bullshit nature of this grading system I am only allowed to give a pass/fail grade. Subject has obviously done well enough but 1 non-defined item plus 1 lofty item prevent full passing marks. However, in all the grade remains a pass. If I were able to give a letter grade, it would need to be an insect that buzzes and makes honey, even if I am not allowed to say such.
Looking Ahead:
July will see subject out of New Jersey for a large portion of July. Trips to Vermont, Austin, and San Francisco translate to spending only ONE full day in New Jersey between July 3rd and July 22nd. Final week should provide some sense of normalcy. Currently 4 trips already planned for August, none of them for work. These include Raystown, upstate NY, Canada, and bike camping weekend in Allamuchy. July may prove to be a challenging month to keep some of these goals in sight.
The back 9 of 2018 should provide an interesting backdrop to finding the "and everything" completion of the year.