James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

I was supposed to go but had early plans Friday am. Amazing game. I was at the Lafayette and Lehigh games, never thought they would pull this off, especially without Geo. Great win!!!

So crazy.

Loss to Lafayette then UMass 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
What a game!

Harper with the long ball the buzzer!

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The adage that no plan survives first contact with the enemy is more topical than ever, and very precise as far as things go. This quote has been attributed to several people, which means it was likely an evolution of sorts. Eisenhower is claimed to have said something along the lines that, "Plans are nothing; planning is everything."

Indeed.

A week ago there existed an elaborate plan which began with a drive to Canada today. As I sit on my couch currently laying together the keystrokes that will eventually comprise this blog post, I can assure you that's not what came to pass. The enemy in this case really needs no introduction. The enemy has been with us since March of 2020. It's hard to believe the previous month of that year saw us in Sedona. Hard to comprehend it was just 1 calendar year ago. Almost 2 real years, but still, the point remains.

The elaborate plan, for the record, was a drive, 4 days of skiing, a smaller drive, 4 more days of skiing, and then a drive home. Somewhere in there it flipped to 2022 and we would have laid the foundation of a good investment into the 2021-22 Ikon pass purchase. As it stands now, this will likely be a gamble that doesn't pay off as much as we hoped. But there's still time.

The planning aspect of any plan typically includes contingencies for the previously-stated first contact. Truth be told, we never thought that far ahead. We didn't need to, because the lay of the land is as follows: 3 people in the current household, 1 tall teenager isolated in his room, and 2 adults lightly wondering what to do over the course of the next 10 days while we wait for previously stated isolation to conclude. The other children are with the other parents, for obvious reasons. The adults took Covid tests Tuesday on the streets of NYC, but have not gotten results back. A very significant part of both of us want to be positive so we can check the box and move on. We have 3 of the 4 home tests still, the 4th spent one showing what one might call, "A strong 10 of 10." Wasn't even close.

So we wait.

We considered West Virginia, Snowshoe, as it's part of the Ikon pass and not limited over the Christmas holiday, much like Tremblant in Canada. But it's going to be raining there next week, meaning that alternate options turn up soggy. As I sit here now, I have no idea what will happen on any single day in the next 10 after today, other than 2021 will ride into the sunset and give way to 2022. In as much as you can plan not having a plan, this is all we have to work with.

In that regard you can turn the phrase which says one door closing means another one opens, and I suspect by the time the 2022 work year starts, we'll have found some other door to walk through. What form that door takes is anyone's guess right now. But I remain confident there's a door somewhere out there waiting to be walked through. Just gotta find it.

I'm sure many are in the same boat as us. Use this time as an opportunity to catch up on something, be it sleep, riding, running, reading, cooking, watching TV, writing, or doing nothing at all. Pick up that 2000-piece puzzle you've been meaning to get to. Now's as good a time as any.

In the meantime, I think we'll spend the next few days assessing the landscape of things, and working on planning the next plan which, as often is the case, also will not survive first contact with the enemy. We'll try to be more ready this time.

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I believe I once saw a tv interview with Mike Tyson back in the day where he essentially said the same thing, "Everybody comes into the ring with a plan until they get punched" or something to that effect. Bummed your holiday plans have gone sideways and slantways this year...We seem to be getting hit with collateral damage on the same front as you in that over the last 3 days multiple family members we were supposed to see over the next 48hours have tested positive (some were hosting our family functions ) and we are flying the plane as we build it as they say. We will test tomorrow (at home tests) before the first planned encounter with other family members tomorrow night just to be safe...but holy hell this has spread so rapidly.
 
"... until they get hit in the face." IIRC.

My siblings got hit with the Dallas nephew and 2 Scotch Plains nephews. Unfortunately, the latter gave it to both parents. Everyone is ok so far, but you never know. And 🎄🎅🌲🦌🛷 plans got hit in the face for some.

Unless everyone is using it as an excuse for avoiding relatives that they really don't want to see.
 
My Dad is the only one left in my extended family but he's pretty much anti social, so he is happy and content. Its my wives side that has yet to be hit who we will be 22 deep tomorrow. Let's see how this plays out. Yes I am grateful to be pass this phase and move on. One would imagine at some point like when I was a kid if someone got chicken pox, parents would send their kids over just to get it overwith.
 
Christmas day began at the starting line with the first of what would be 3 cups of coffee on the day. My current bag is from Onyx, a small shop we went to in Bentonville when we were there in October. This Tropical Weather bean is possibly the best roast I have found in many years. In general, I have been capping my days at 2 cups, but I make exceptions for Sundays and holidays, and on the occasional off chance I don't feel like abiding by the 2 cup rule.

Rules & constructs, starting lines, boxes, & boundaries. We create these mental constructs, and this day is a perfect example of what people create with a mental construct that isn't really there. Today is effectively a day picked out of thin air, and a script is written about how we're supposed to proceed. Having a cup of coffee fits within that script. But much of the rest of the day did not. These boxes, many of which are imagination, can help us organize an otherwise chaotic reality. Take color, for instance. As Bill Bryson points out, things don't actually have color. Our eyes translate photons in a certain way that makes our brains think things have colors. In reality, these objects just bounce light in different ways. That said, these constructs, both from nature as well as imagination, help us formulate structure, which people seem to need.

Shortly after my starting line coffee I built a fire in a very real, very necessary box in the living room. This is a fire that would burn for the duration of Christmas Day, well over 12 hours, before we crossed the imaginary finish line and called it a night. If I were to be forced to identify a metronome of the day, the fire would be it.

Late morning, after some waffles D made, I jumped on the bike in an effort to hit my current goal of 8 hours per week. Here I present yet another arbitrary number. The past few years has been 10 hours, currently 8, in previous iterations 12. In reality, these are numbers built on the specific numbering & time systems we have currently. By the end of the ride, I was at 6.5 for the week with a mental Post It note that I need 1.5 tomorrow. I am currently watching the first season of True Detective, which is really good. Slow start, but I'm on episode 7 now and it's really good. Matthew Mcconaughey is incredible in this.

Yesterday D & I got our Tuesday NYC Covid tests back and they finally came back negative. We gave Zac another rapid test because we would like to let him out of jail. I thought it came back negative but D pointed out that it was like 1 micron deep of a positive line, which means that if he fires snot rockets at someone for a few hours they may get it, but mostly it's over for him. We hopped in the car - still wearing masks - and went to see Simon and walk the dog together for a bit. Julia is spending the weekend with my folks, all of which are safe for the time being.

As is a Christmas tradition in no script on Earth, we lifted weights in the afternoon. I increased my total weight lifted 1995 pounds today, which is a huge jump this week. We have maintained this routine which is going on 4 months now. My intention here is to produce a more rounded fitness profile. However, some estimates say you can easily gain a pound of muscle mass a month, if not slightly more. As you can imagine, this renders the scale a less than enjoyable experience most mornings. This is a topic for a different time, but it does raise some questions when you compare one's ideal fitness approach/structure with our collective hobby.

The 3 of us did have a nice dinner of lamb, new potatoes, and Brussel sprouts. D made the lamb in a rack that sits in top of the potatoes & sprouts, which resulted in some amazing tastes all around. It was a nice dinner, albeit more quiet than you'd normally have on Christmas. But as far as constructs & scripts go, we really just played the hand we were dealt. It wasn't a bad day at all. Perhaps not what the plan called for, which Mike Tyson points out (via Rottin) will fall down when you get punched in the face.

Wrapping up the Wrapping Paper Play, final act & final scene, is the Matrix Resurrection, which I just read is the anti-sequel sequel. Not sure what to make of that.

In the end, it was a perfectly fine Christmas Day. Here's hoping you had a good one.
 
My son is currently in the box. Tested positive. Good fun. Right after we saw family, which is just great. My dad had open heart just about a year ago, mom had her hip replaced a few months ago. Plus all other kinds of medical crap with them and Kate’s mom being obese and borderline diabetic… fun.

We assume we all have it. Tests are on the way so we can figure it out, so we got that going for us, which is nice.
 
Just remember that True Detective is only a 1 season show.

@Norm you got that? Life is too short to waste it watching the 2nd season.

I have been warned that season 2 can’t hold a candle to season 1. To me it sounds a bit like Fargo. Billy Bob Thornton was so good in the first season that it set the bar too high.
 
Season 2 of “True Detective” was an indisputable turd, but there was a season 3, and it was somewhat of a return to form. Mahershala Ali was the lead, and he’s pretty damn mighty in the role.

But yeah, the first season was so good, on multiple levels, that it’s not going to be matched.
 
This week has been a preview of what our lives will be like when we retire.

I wake up first, as I need less sleep than anyone else. If we are shift workers, I'm always first shift. I fix my coffee, then drink it while I read a chapter or 2 of the book I'm reading. This week has been the Midnight Library which is an actual, physical book that D got me for Xmas. My Kindle book right now is Mind Bullet, by Jeremy Robinson. For @jShort I am reasonably sure you will enjoy that one, though I need to caveat this by saying I'm only 25% of the way through. My coffee doesn't last as long as I like, and after it's done I get off the couch and move to the next phase of the morning. Note that if it's not Xmas week, I skip this step and go right to the computer.

At this point I do whatever it is I "need" to do for work, which at most was a 10 minute meeting this week. I have sent maybe 3 emails and gone to 3 meetings, something along those lines. When we retire, this step will obviously not be here, but I suspect I will always have some project going on. I don't know what form that will take, but some creative venture is likely. I imagine at some point, I will try to write more focused content. I don't have enough time right now to bother. But early-mid morning we are here.

I make a 2nd coffee now, as well as tea for D and the usual breakfast of oatmeal. This block of time uses up some portion of my morning this week. I talked to some coworkers a little, but by & large this has been a pretty low-key week, to say the least. Around 10:00 I will decide if there is anything else I need to do.

Late morning I exercise. Right now I'm just catching up on TV and riding inside. Could I ride outside? Sure. Well maybe. The road is of minimal appeal these days and CR is probably off the grid for a bit because it's just been a mess out there. But in reality, I am enjoying my usual winter TV right now. Succession, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Fleabag, Bordertown, and so on.

Then I shower & eat lunch. Figure it's around 1-1:30 by the time this is done.

Here we place a firm wildcard in the day. Maybe go shopping, or run errands, or take the dog for a longer walk, or work on some project inside or outside. I have about 12 small projects mid-flight right now. This is not ideal, which I fully know. But it's how I operate. I suppose this block and the morning block may swap in time, or depending on the weather. But it's sort of "free play" if you will. Or, as was the case yesterday, driving to pick up my potentially Covid-exposed daughter, then driving to get all 5 of us tested, again. We are up to 16 Covid tests since last Monday. Somewhat insane, but it is a sign of the times. I suspect this will fade in 2-3 weeks when literally every human in the country has been infected.

Maybe late afternoon we decide what to make for dinner, which is something we have been doing this week instead of opening the fridge at 5 or 6 and hoping there's food in there. We've tried to make something a little different for dinner the past week, which has been nice. Then we come home and make dinner.

After dinner we've been watching movies. We started on Xmas day and have watched something for 6 straight days. Today we used the afternoon block to go to the theater to see Spiderman, so this evening is actually free for me to sit down and write. I'm sure this is going to be the last blog post of the year.

We wind down the night upstairs. I stretch, then read some combination of books. plus text JManic or whoever else I have conversations going on with. D will fall asleep first, and I will follow either shortly after or a bit longer depending on the book I'm reading. I have had some trouble lately finding a book that really grabs me, but against all odds I have found 2 that are doing this right now. I actually stayed up until 1:00 the other night because I was this into it.

Of course, this goes out the window when any sort of trip is involved. But in total, this seems like an ok way to approach every day. While I can't imagine we'll be retiring any time soon, when we do get there I suspect this is what it will look like, more or less. That said, this party train will be pulling into the station shortly, and 2022 will start much the same way 2021 ended before the holidays put the brakes on things.

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