James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Today

...I woke up by myself in my own house for the first time in longer than I can remember. Well, there was a dog on the bed, which is probably a bad idea. I should make him sleep in his bed tonight, but I was too tired to care last night. For a little fur ball, he takes up a lot of space.

I found it somewhat hard to work efficiently today. I ended up having something like 6 meetings, each of which were 30 minutes long and it was really hard to focus much beyond that. At one point I sat on the previous meeting link for 5 minutes before I realized it was the last meeting and not the current one. I finished up the totals on the team GU order in addition to other distractions like going to get gas, stopping at the hardware store, and going to Acme to get salad dressing. Eventually my quiet house was broken when Zac came home. Not technically our day but I am covering the basketball stuff.

I did a recovery ride of no consequence while watching Borgen. Julia stopped in during the ride to pick something up. She said hi and was on her way.

After my last call I took Zac to Jersey City and his 2 basketball games. There are parts of JC that are upcoming and nice, really well done. The part we drove through tonight was not 1 of them. Of the 2 games, in total 64 minutes, his team led for 63 of them. Unfortunately the first game ended in that 1 minute of the whole night they were not leading. They crushed the 2nd game. So they went 1-1 when they really should have gone 2-0 but this is what the offseason is all about.

Talked to D a few times and we got some sobering news. Rather, not news but a more sobering assessment from the doctor. Without going too much into the details they more or less said to not get our hopes up too much. The immediate threat to his life has passed, which of course is good. But the prospects of recovery are pretty much unknown and this will be a long, long road ahead in a best case scenario. He is still in the induced coma as far as I know, but he is now breathing on his own, which is also good. Otherwise we are still in a wait & see holding pattern right now. Again, thank you all for reaching out and showing support.

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Doctors tend to be overly cautious with recovery predictions after a stroke, they really do not have any way to assess the permanent damage that a stroke can have brought to the patient until the patient can move, talk etc. It's really a waiting game until they can make an assessment and plan the recovery. Whishing @Dominique and her family the best possible outcome.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I woke up at 5:30 because the dog woke me up at 5:30. I will say I'm starting to run ragged and if this keeps up, I will need to boot him from the bedroom. I made him sleep on the floor last night but he was ALL IN at 5:30. Of course he will probably just bark at the door or piss on my shoes if I shut him out.

It's also both my mom's birthday, and my mother-in-law's birthday today. Obviously a bit of a cruel irony on that count but I did call my mom to talk for a while. When I asked her what she was having for dinner she said ice cream. I, of all people, can appreciate that. My MIL is not exactly having the best birthday of her life but I would say today was better than yesterday.

So Leo is right, the doctor from yesterday was in CYA mode. Today, the neurosurgeon who actually operated on his brain gave a different opinion, almost a 180 from yesterday. She seems to think his prospects are much better than the ER doctor from yesterday. So when D Face-timed me today, as soon as the video started I knew it was good news because she was a totally different person compared to 24 hours ago. All that said, there is literally nothing new to report in the last 48 hours. They have taken him off the medication that induced the coma, and expect him to wake up in 2-3 days. That's when we get a real sense of where things are at.

Things were definitely a bit lighter today as D and I joked that he may wake up with some random trait or feature, like talking & acting like a Pirate of the Caribbean. That would be a hoot at Christmas time. That said, we are both cautious in not getting too optimistic because this yo-yo ride is exhausting.

I did the Alpe ride again today. It was absolutely gorgeous out but I'm still in the mode where I want to be around. I was also beyond dreadfully tired when I started the ride so I was not sure what this would turn into. I set the oven +5 from last time, at 240w, and made it up in 1:12:21 which is another 1:13 faster than last time.

Then Julia and I took the dog for a walk.

I will wrap up the night with the monthly JORBA meeting.

Literally where I find him every time I make food. Aside from looking psychotic, he looks a tad thin.

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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I cautiously bring good news in that my FIL slightly opened his eyes today, was able to squeeze my MIL's hand, and when asked a question was able to slightly move his head back and forth. The question was, "Do you want fries with that?" Again this is news from the Operator game so we really don't know how strong any of this was. However - and I am not a doctor here - I am pretty sure this can only be taken as good news. We didn't imagine that he was going to open his eyes, jump out of bed, throw himself out the window, and go chasing the bad guys that got him there.

Cause for optimism, to be sure.

I blasted out an hour on the trainer today while the cleaning people were cleaning the house, but before the kids were home from school. Today was probably an even nicer day so it's a shame I was not really able to swing going outside.

Afternoon was crazy busy at work, with calls lasting to 5:30, at which point I made dinner, then took Zac to BB for his 6:30 practice. Drove over to CR and walked the dog on Blue, ran into Cafe Dave 3 times and talked to him 2 of those times. Then Jim. And finally Kirt in the lot where we talked JORBA stuff a bunch. Before I knew it, time was up and I had to go pick up the tall kid then head home.

And now I need to shower the dog because this is not him rolling around in a stream, but him rolling around in shit at the side of the stream.

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KenS

JORBA: Director
JORBA.ORG
I'm happy to hear the news about D's dad. It certainly seems cause for optimism, which is nice. Still keeping you all in my thoughts and sending positive vibes.

The Pirates of the Caribbean / random trait thing made me lol while sitting by the fire. Fam thinks I've finally lost it. Well done, and welcomed smiles I'm sure.
 

Cafe Dave

Well-Known Member
It was nice to catch up you today and have the opportunity to express our well wishes to you and family. Despite the situation, you always seem put a smile on everyone's face... I'm glad to hear about the progress FIL is making.

Definitely a nice night.. chat with you, Kirt and by the third time I passed it looked like a party - realized @vreeland was also on blue. Conditions on Blue, Red White and Orange were primo.

The trimming work along throughout really made a different. Thanks JORBA / SCPC / Volunteers!
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...was the last day of school for the kids. I picked up the 2 older ones from the back of the high school and they were playing School's Out by Alice Cooper. Good stuff, props for letting them play songs like that. Don't they blow up the school in that song? Surprised it still persists.

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FIL update is more of the same, with a repeat from the neurosurgeon that she is optimistic. Aside from thot not much else to report.

It was a crazy runaround kind of day. Pick up kids from school. Go home, Drop kid at basketball. Try to work. Basketball. Get Simon. Drop kids at soccer field. Go to Shop Rite. Go to dog park. Get kids from soccer field. If the summer's going to be like this, it's going to be a long one.

Julia made us dinner. Salmon, orzo, green beans. She bakes a bunch but this is something she's been trending towards and I only want to encourage more of it.

To wrap the day up I ended up at my wife's ex-husband's house with the 3 kids eating ice cream. I'm not even going to try to explain that one, because I can't.

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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I kicked off the day by working out a deal with Jay at Halter's to sponsor the July Challenge again, but this time the payouts will only be available to you if you are a JORBA member. We (MTBNJ/JORBA) will be running it, tracking it, and so on. But Jay will be fully supporting it. More details to come but we should have it ready to announce on Monday. My aim is to do more of these membership drives but we have a lot of backend adjustments to make.

At 11:00 the Thundering Herd was released from bed and all peace & quiet I previously had went out the window. Summer.

Foreshadowing: the alarm on the septic tank went off, and I silenced it.

After dropping all 3 kids off at the others' I drove out to Nassau to ride from Foran fields. I grabbed a few shot blocks to start with and my temporary cap popped off. Great. Left the dentist a VM.

Did the same loop we did 2 weeks ago for the group ride with the exception that I did 3 laps of the flow trails, not 2. Even though I said I was absolutely not going to do the drop on Sidewinder nor the big one, I did them both because I just felt right about it. It worked out ok and neither were a problem. Wrapped up the ride and there was a softball game going on. Good start to the weekend but I will admit I am really exhausted these days. I track my sleep and this month is the least I have gotten in years.

On the drive home I got a call from the Warren police that the alarm was going off again. I told them how to silence it and they agreed to do it. Left a VM for the septic guy.

Came home and made a huge salad, but these things keep staring me down. Julia pumped out like 50 of these today and it really should not be a wonder why I can't get back under 200 since Spring Break. She has been on a tear to say the least.

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rottin'

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Came home and made a huge salad, but these things keep staring me down. Julia pumped out like 50 of these today and it really should not be a wonder why I can't get back under 200 since Spring Break. She has been on a tear to say the least.

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#dietaryfrictionisreal
 

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Today

...I kicked off the day by working out a deal with Jay at Halter's to sponsor the July Challenge again, but this time the payouts will only be available to you if you are a JORBA member. We (MTBNJ/JORBA) will be running it, tracking it, and so on. But Jay will be fully supporting it. More details to come but we should have it ready to announce on Monday. My aim is to do more of these membership drives but we have a lot of backend adjustments to make.

At 11:00 the Thundering Herd was released from bed and all peace & quiet I previously had went out the window. Summer.

Foreshadowing: the alarm on the septic tank went off, and I silenced it.

After dropping all 3 kids off at the others' I drove out to Nassau to ride from Foran fields. I grabbed a few shot blocks to start with and my temporary cap popped off. Great. Left the dentist a VM.

Did the same loop we did 2 weeks ago for the group ride with the exception that I did 3 laps of the flow trails, not 2. Even though I said I was absolutely not going to do the drop on Sidewinder nor the big one, I did them both because I just felt right about it. It worked out ok and neither were a problem. Wrapped up the ride and there was a softball game going on. Good start to the weekend but I will admit I am really exhausted these days. I track my sleep and this month is the least I have gotten in years.

On the drive home I got a call from the Warren police that the alarm was going off again. I told them how to silence it and they agreed to do it. Left a VM for the septic guy.

Came home and made a huge salad, but these things keep staring me down. Julia pumped out like 50 of these today and it really should not be a wonder why I can't get back under 200 since Spring Break. She has been on a tear to say the least.

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Does that mean that Warren police has a poop department ? If that is not privilege I don’t know what is!

And cookies...while I am not gong on cookies in general I got 2 pounds on just looking at that picture!
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I realize that I didn't update on my FIL so I will start with that. He had been running a slight fever 2 days ago but that seems to have broken. Not really much happening the last 2 days but he did open both eyes today and can very, very slightly respond in some ways. He can still squeeze his hand though his right side is weaker (he was briefly paralyzed on his right side at some point in the beginning of this). Objectively this is good news but D saw him on a Zoom today and he looks bad. From a doctor's perspective, they likely do not see it that way. In fact, both doctors now think things are looking good for a recovery but when you see him open 1 eye halfway, it's hard to connect those 2. Again, thanks to everyone sending messages and supporting. It's very appreciated.

What is dietary friction? I have no idea.

The septic guy called me and walked me through running the clean pump to empty out the second tank, which was full. I did this for 30 minutes and the alarm stopped. Everything was fine but like most foreshadowing things, it is fine until the foreshadowing time when it is not foreshadow fine. While I was in the middle of the next paragraph the Garmin popped up texts from D saying the alarm was going off again, and 1 of the neighbors hit the silence button for us. So let's get to that next paragraph.

I met Kirt this morning at 8 - yes it is only 8am in this story. It was moist out but I felt real good for 45 minutes then the bottom totally fell out. My rate of sweat was probably as bad as it's even been and around the hour mark I was dragging ass major league style. The texts came rolling in somewhere in this ride and I briefly read them and decided I didn't need to do anything. Also included was that another neighbor left a note. So there's that to look forward to.

I wrap up the ride right at 10 while Kirt went to ride more with HT Paul and Jamie from the Shore. I had a hard stop at 10 because of a call I got at 8:01 that they could fit me in at the dentist today. So I rushed home, unloaded the car, turned on the clear pump again (it's still on now), then showered up and went to the dentist. Oh I also read the noted taped to the door which was Martin Luther's 99 Theses. Actually it was just a note that said, "Please turn the alarm off." They glued the temp back on and I was in & out of there in 12 minutes.

Picked up Julia then Zac and brought them home and was feeling totally obliterated from the ride. The humidity today was just absurd and I was hurting. So I did nothing for 3 hours other than officially pull the plug on the Stewart race in 2021, for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is our uncertain future in regards to needing to go to Canada. After 3 hours I delivered the kids to their respective next stops - Julia to a party in town and Zac to his basketball game, where he ended up not playing due to a sprained ankle.

Went home and yes this is still going, took apart the basement toilet because it has been leaking for a while. Got the whole tank apart, cleaned, and ready for the new stuff only to open the box to find that they sent a part that does not fit. Much soiled wig there. At that point, I decided to walk the dog because he is getting the short stick of attention these days and I wanted to get him out of the house. We went to the dog park but the 2 troublemakers were there so we skipped it and kept walking. Back home and instead of mowing the lawn, I went to Home Depot to get the right part for the toilet. Got home and unplugged the speaker to the alarm so we will not get any more notes nailed to our door.

Ok, still not done. Drive back to Kean University to pick up Zac and bring him to the same party Julia was dropped off at 5 hours earlier. Hopefully it's a costume party because he's dressed as a basketball player. At least he didn't stink. After that the taxi returned home for the day.

Here I am with maybe 2 hours of day left. I'm having 1 of my NA beers that I bought earlier and writing this. After that, I shall try to get an hour of work done because I have some stuff I need to finish for 9am Monday morning. All the while this guy will ask me to play with him, which I may do from time to time instead of working.

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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I woke up at 200 even, which is the first time I've seen that in a month. That will likely go to shit shortly but we can enjoy it while we're here.

I had grand plans for a mountain bike ride later in the day, but decided the best way to get my 10 hours for the week was to hit the road bright & early. I needed 2:08 and managed 2:15 on what I dubbed a Cruise Control ride, just enjoying the morning. Even though it was only 72 degrees by the time I was done, it was as thick as it gets and I was drenched from the humidity. On a good note, the PM works again after installing a new magnet last week.

My parents showed up just before 10:00 and we fixed the toilet while also realizing that the shutoff valve is shot. I wasn't going to push the issue trying to force it open before taking off later in the day.

Picked up Julia then Zac, then the 5 of us went to dim sum down on 22, which is the first time we've been there in ages. This is a new version of the place and it's just as good as the old place which shut down years ago. Bird and I both love this, so this is our brunch choice today.

Back to the house to pack the car up for the next (business & bike) road trip. But first, packed up the dog & Julia and they took off with my parents. Then I dropped Zac off at his dad's house and hit the road for the next 4.5 hours until landing at my current location, which is a Holiday Inn Express in Milford, MA. TGI Friday's takeout salad and now I will be working until it's time to call it a night.

FIL update is another small step in the right direction. He opened both his eyes better today than yesterday, and lifted up his right hand twice.

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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I woke up at 5am and rode the Vietnam trail system again. This time I decided to wing it because following a line last time was of moderate success. If this is going to be my go-to network when I travel for work, I need to know the trails and this is the best way to do that. I'm staying at a closer hotel and I was able to get to an actual trail in 5 minutes and 47 seconds this morning. There's a hotel slightly closer so I can always try that next time and aim for 4 minutes...

The trails here are pretty awesome. Obviously a lot of work goes into these. And the pay grade on this stuff goes from beginner-friendly to good-god-you-can't-be-serious. There is literally something here for everyone, and that includes those with balls of kryptonite. The rocks are much larger so it has much more of a playground feel to it.

It was a little cooler here but no less terribly humid. I was totally drenched by the end of my ride.

I spent 8:30-4:30 in the office then 4:30-7:00 with some of my coworkers in a bar down the street drinking unsweetened iced tea. I sort of wanted to go back out for another ride but I'm only in the office for 1 day this visit so I had to spend time with them, due to that whole team building thing. Unfortunately I think Millennial A is not going to be a long-timer here.

I ate a Whole Foods salad for dinner in my hotel room.

FIL continues to get better, as today saw more improvement. He was able to listen to commands, look left & right, and move both of his hands. Doctor thinks that his sleep center may have been affected and is causing him to have problems waking up.

Another of my Father's Day gifts.

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Cassinonorth

Well-Known Member
Today

...I kicked off the day by working out a deal with Jay at Halter's to sponsor the July Challenge again, but this time the payouts will only be available to you if you are a JORBA member. We (MTBNJ/JORBA) will be running it, tracking it, and so on. But Jay will be fully supporting it. More details to come but we should have it ready to announce on Monday. My aim is to do more of these membership drives but we have a lot of backend adjustments to make.

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MissJR

not in the mood for your shenanigans
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The unofficial MTBNJ banner creator (and part time widget maker) is currently persona non functionus. She is trying to remedy that situation with a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal (with bananas). Details, banners and memes (maybe ones with a cheesey joke in there) will be posted in due time... Like before the contest starts.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Today

...I woke up not really knowing what my plan was for the day. Meaning - I really had no firm plan where to ride, where to go, where to sleep for the night. With no responsibilities at home, I was a free agent with the freedom to do whatever I wanted. The one thing I did know was that I would start the day in the hotel room because I had a bunch of meetings and work to do. So I banged that stuff out from 6-12 and then got on with my day.

But first, Millennial A has pretty much poured gasoline all over everything and is holding a blowtorch, threatening to set it all on fire. And by, "it all," I mean his career prospects at this company. I have been a supporter of this kid but today I had to pull the plug. He is a lost cause and I officially told my boss fuck it, I can't defend him anymore. He literally looked to throw every single person under the bus today. At one point in the debate with the EM he flipped out on her, saying that she was at fault for inviting the wrong person to a meeting. This comes on the heels of his yesterday performance where he questioned how the projects are managed, architected, sold, staffed, and run as a whole across the organization. Pretty much everyone he works with.

So that was fun. I mean, it kinda was fun listening to the 2 of them go back and forth.

Then it was my turn for fun and I hit up Sutton State Forest for a ride. This is a place JMann suggested on the Vietnam thread and said it was a combo of life Black Magic/Tiger Blood/Boon/Rhino. I think that may have been a bit of an oversell but I will also say this place is pretty awesome. This is a total 180 on a lot of the flow stuff we love, and this is a great change of pace and not somewhere you go for speed. I enjoy these places where you soft pedal between the features then you try to ride up/down the rock structure/buildup/whatever. Again, lots of big rocks here so there's more in terms of rocks you can ride up/down and across. Really good place and while I did try to follow the GPS loop it's not a huge place and it'll take a few iterations of this to get right. I also stumbled on the fact that some of these trails are hidden on Trailforks so you won't see most of them there. However, they do show up in pink on the TF map on the GPS.

It started to rain less than 1 minute after I pulled out of the parking spot.

After that I found a pizza place and destroyed a personal buffalo chicken pizza.

Then due to the rain I decided to drive home. I listened to Seth Rogan's Yearbook on the drive and finished it about 12 minutes before I got back.

Sometimes I think JimN reads my posts and thinks my bike choices are questionable. Today I think he would have enjoyed spending the day like this. Right up his alley.

FIL update is that he got a tracheotomy today (this was planned) so they can take his breathing tube out. This will allow him to possibly talk in the coming days. He is now communicating with head movements, able to answer yes/no questions.

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JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Sometimes I think JimN reads my posts and thinks my bike choices are questionable. Today I think he would have enjoyed spending the day like this. Right up his alley.

You should fire this slacker millennial kid and hire me, and then we can go on road trips to Massachusetts and blow off stupid work to ride bikes.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
You should fire this slacker millennial kid and hire me, and then we can go on road trips to Massachusetts and blow off stupid work to ride bikes.

I can get you a job there tomorrow. If you're really interested let me know and we'll see if it works. I'm not joking. Regardless of Millennial A we still have an open posting on LinkedIn currently.
 
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