Even though the wife was still working, taking off the month of November showed me what my retired life would look like, and I liked it a lot. It's been really hard getting back into the swing of things, especially with the holidays I guess.
James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead
- Thread starter Norm
- Start date
Even though the wife was still working, taking off the month of November showed me what my retired life would look like, and I liked it a lot. It's been really hard getting back into the swing of things, especially with the holidays I guess.
I’ll check it out. It’s narrated by RC Bray, which is a good reader.
I’m in the middle of Billy Summers by Stephen King. It’s great right now, but you never know how good or shit a Stephen King book will end, so fingers crossed.
@Santapez I REALLY wish I had seen this thread before embarking on Season 2 of True Detective. I lasted 4 episodes - its terrible. I can't get into Vince Vaughn as a gangster or the girl from the Notebook as a cop, nor can I follow the plot. So I switched to The Great (per @WickedSistahEast) and it's really good.
@Norm our days are similar - I have coffee, walk the dog, feed my mom's cats, do some kind of workout, check the work emails, then do whatever until its time for dinner and then TV. I have watched more TV in the last 2 weeks than in the last 2 years.
@Norm our days are similar - I have coffee, walk the dog, feed my mom's cats, do some kind of workout, check the work emails, then do whatever until its time for dinner and then TV. I have watched more TV in the last 2 weeks than in the last 2 years.
The year 2022 started inauspiciously, rain hammering the roof as I scraped myself out of bed. I resigned myself to another day of not doing much, and descended the stairs to kick off my day with a cup of coffee. 2021 ended with a less than stellar encore, and 2022 picked up right where that left off. Describe that baton handoff as you like, but nothing beats a great cup of coffee in the morning. So I focused on that.
Schrodinger's Cat gives us a way of looking at something as both states of possible. The cat is both dead, and alive. Covid renders this equation a bit differently. 2022 can be great, or it can suck. At this stage, before we open the box, the year is both awesome and awful, a fresh restart and a retread of the last 2 years. Unfortunately, you can't just open this box to find out. It's a box that takes 365 days to open. Well, maybe not all 365, but more than 1.
Over time we've come to look at things and declare they're what we want them to be. If you want the cat to be alive, you can open the box and find a dead cat, and declare it alive. In a sense, this is a way of rationalizing things that happen to you, and it allows you to cope. Was 2021 great? Eh, maybe not. But it could have been worse. In this particular instance I think you can say it was both dead and alive, even after you open the box. It's a matter of perspective.
Politicians, of course, turn this phenomenon into gaslighting. I wonder if Herr Schrodinger saw that coming.
So we open 2022 as a sealed box with a cat in it, or a box of chocolates, if you prefer Forest Gump. With that opening, we list out what we want to see happen in the coming year. Resolutions, if you will. When you're younger, I think resolutions take the form of very specific goals that mostly fall off the radar before February arrives. You say things like, "I want to lose 50 pounds," or, "I'm going to learn Sanskrit." As you get older, they become less about specific points, and more about general trends in your life, such as, "I want to live free or die," stuff like this. I don't think you should wait until January 1st to do this. But it's also as good a time as any.
Last year I listed out far too many random things as goals in 2021. Some of them I hit, many I did not. In all, it was a collection of statements which were hoping 2021 would be more like 2019, and less like 2020. It was a bunch of gibberish, really.
As silly as one might think of resolutions & goals, I believe it's a good thing to have a general narrative to your life. As Jeremy said in some other post in the last week, you need to set yourself on the process/journey more than the destination. As I sit here watching 14 Peaks, I'm thinking this guy is all about the destination, more than the journey itself. It's a good movie, regardless. Some mind blowing scenery here.
With that, I have the following 9 things I want to do with my 2022. Some general process statements, and a few specific goals:
That's about it. I don't know anything for certain, but I look at this list, and think all of these things are concepts that help make the journey better. Much like this keychain I got in Brussels in 2019, I want it to be well-worn when the year comes to a close. Hope to see many of you on the journey.
Schrodinger's Cat gives us a way of looking at something as both states of possible. The cat is both dead, and alive. Covid renders this equation a bit differently. 2022 can be great, or it can suck. At this stage, before we open the box, the year is both awesome and awful, a fresh restart and a retread of the last 2 years. Unfortunately, you can't just open this box to find out. It's a box that takes 365 days to open. Well, maybe not all 365, but more than 1.
Over time we've come to look at things and declare they're what we want them to be. If you want the cat to be alive, you can open the box and find a dead cat, and declare it alive. In a sense, this is a way of rationalizing things that happen to you, and it allows you to cope. Was 2021 great? Eh, maybe not. But it could have been worse. In this particular instance I think you can say it was both dead and alive, even after you open the box. It's a matter of perspective.
Politicians, of course, turn this phenomenon into gaslighting. I wonder if Herr Schrodinger saw that coming.
So we open 2022 as a sealed box with a cat in it, or a box of chocolates, if you prefer Forest Gump. With that opening, we list out what we want to see happen in the coming year. Resolutions, if you will. When you're younger, I think resolutions take the form of very specific goals that mostly fall off the radar before February arrives. You say things like, "I want to lose 50 pounds," or, "I'm going to learn Sanskrit." As you get older, they become less about specific points, and more about general trends in your life, such as, "I want to live free or die," stuff like this. I don't think you should wait until January 1st to do this. But it's also as good a time as any.
Last year I listed out far too many random things as goals in 2021. Some of them I hit, many I did not. In all, it was a collection of statements which were hoping 2021 would be more like 2019, and less like 2020. It was a bunch of gibberish, really.
As silly as one might think of resolutions & goals, I believe it's a good thing to have a general narrative to your life. As Jeremy said in some other post in the last week, you need to set yourself on the process/journey more than the destination. As I sit here watching 14 Peaks, I'm thinking this guy is all about the destination, more than the journey itself. It's a good movie, regardless. Some mind blowing scenery here.
With that, I have the following 9 things I want to do with my 2022. Some general process statements, and a few specific goals:
- I want to come to some happy balance point with my weight, fitness, strength training, and health. You all know of my various ups & downs with the scale, and I have spent a solid bit of 2021 trying to figure out the best approach to all of this. The end of this year saw the addition of weight training and I hope this helps me balance things better. I'm dialed back the 500 hours/year riding goal, and supplemented it with other stuff.
- I want to write more meaningfully content, not merely writing to write. As I mentioned a few days ago, I can imagine trying to write more as I approach retirement. The "Today" posts started to devolve into a blur of nonsense. I want to stop doing that and focus on things that have substance.
- I renewed my subscription to MasterClass, and aim to dive more into some of the things that add to my life. An easy example is the Yottam Ottolenghi class. Another is Chris Voss. These are people that offer classes I can take to better myself in some tangible way. I listened to the Wayne Gretzky one, but being honest, it was junk. Salman Rushdie has been great so far as well.
- I want to take 5 vacations/trips. By this, I mean actual trips with people, friends & family. D and I will often take long weekends which I do not count. Going to Vermont with the team is 1. Spring Break with the family. Stuff like that.
- Be better with the MTBNJ team. The last 2 years have sucked in a lot of ways, and I'm hoping to make that better. The Vermont trip. A winter party. A race. And maybe some more team rides. I want to be better here, and foster more of a team-as-a-coollection-of-friends than we have been able to be the last 2 years.
- TM sessions at RV and CR, as well as helping the JORBA effort as much as I can. Basically, keep giving back to the bike scene as much as I is reasonable.
- Finish the front porch project.
- Complete the first cycle around the yard of the backyard trails. This has 2 components and may actually be the hardest of all the goals to reach in some ways.
- Ski 10 times in 2021-22. Pretty clear one there.
That's about it. I don't know anything for certain, but I look at this list, and think all of these things are concepts that help make the journey better. Much like this keychain I got in Brussels in 2019, I want it to be well-worn when the year comes to a close. Hope to see many of you on the journey.
The woman sat across the room in the basement of the YMCA and introduced herself to the class, leading me down a rabbit hole of memories that brought me to another time & place. The class was a first aid course, as mandated by the NICA requirements to become a level 2 or 3 coach. The woman, who was to that point unknown to me (or as we shall see, forgotten), is the wife of someone I know reasonably well. I've ridden with her son & daughter, having watched them both roll through the NICA ranks and on to other things in life. But that's not where this rabbit hole took me.
The last time I had seen her was when she was with her riding family at Kingdom Trails, some number of years ago. I don't remember who was with us - I know D and Utah were - among some number of the people reading this, I imagine. I know exactly where it was. It was the intersection of Eager Beaver, River Run, and Webs. Technically the intersection still exists. But it's a shadow of what it used to be. Back in the day, this is where you would end up after you started your day of adrenaline by hitting some subset of the Ts, which is why we were there that particular day. Now, you can technically get to it at the bottom of New T, but it's sort of a checkbox trail more than anything you need to ride.
This specific intersection is one of many memories. Chances are that if you've been to KT with me, you've ridden this intersection with me. Trailforks says I have ridden Eager Beaver 18 times, the first on July 4, 2016. The last on October 13, 2019. (note: I may not have imported rides previous to 2016 so this may not be entirely accurate)
The area is thick with pine trees. It's a peaceful area, one that you know well if you've been here before. It's a transition, with a gentle trail bed and wonderful smell of pine trees in the air. Even though it's hardly notable, it sits in my memory strongly, refusing to leave. The peaceful transition from the bottom of the Ts to the Sidewinder side was done by riding through here. The vibe is always positive. The stoke from the start of the ride always high, conversation on an upbeat note. Continuing on, the trail goes on River Run, then to West Branch, which will always play a part in the memory of our first trip here, as this is where D fell in the mud. I will never ride that trail and not remember that trip, that moment.
Kingdom Trails is closed now, an event I remark on every year when I get the email from the KTA that the general populace is no longer allowed to go. The introduction of the previously forgotten woman brought me back to that intersection, then to the vibe of those woods, the many trips, the memories. And even though I know it will be open again in a few months, it makes me sad every year when the season ends, and we can't just be there now.
As I look back through some of those 18 ridelogs I see some colossal rides in there. The days of 4+ hour rides of exploration are probably gone now. We know the park too well. We know every turn, every connector, which trails to hit, and which are not worth it. We plan more than ever, knowing where we'll be, where to meet people, what lot to direct mid-day riders to, and everything about the area. The magic is still there, still very real. Just as much as ever, I look forward to going back already. The 2022 team trip is already booked, the house on the hill already bought for the July 4th week.
It's no secret that I'm not getting any younger, which just means I probably only have another 25 or 30 more years of doing this. By then, I suspect that eBikes will be the norm and hover-cycles will be in some sort of exploratory stage. This coming year will be the 8th in a row we've been there, at least. When I posted it to the team about the dates, response was as strong as ever. I suspect in the end, we will have another 20+ person showing this year. The KT area has become our home away from home, to say the least. I expect this tradition will keep going for years to come.
From a cold winter day in the basement of a YMCA, a single name can transport me so quickly to so many memorable days...the good times with Schilling, so many good meals with the team, the various houses, countless pictures on Heaven's Bench, the Three Ts, Segundo's interviews, dipping my toes into DH park riding, 144 eggs from young Rob who I may ski Stratton with one day, seeing some of the team introduce their kids to this awesome place, the awe of riding Black Bear the first time, and the very first trip where my wife dropped her butt in the mud on West Branch, but also fell in love with the sport and set us firmly on the path we're on now.
I miss KT, which is obvious. But it brings me happiness to think we'll be back there again, before too long. I look forward to that, and seeing some of you there.
The last time I had seen her was when she was with her riding family at Kingdom Trails, some number of years ago. I don't remember who was with us - I know D and Utah were - among some number of the people reading this, I imagine. I know exactly where it was. It was the intersection of Eager Beaver, River Run, and Webs. Technically the intersection still exists. But it's a shadow of what it used to be. Back in the day, this is where you would end up after you started your day of adrenaline by hitting some subset of the Ts, which is why we were there that particular day. Now, you can technically get to it at the bottom of New T, but it's sort of a checkbox trail more than anything you need to ride.
This specific intersection is one of many memories. Chances are that if you've been to KT with me, you've ridden this intersection with me. Trailforks says I have ridden Eager Beaver 18 times, the first on July 4, 2016. The last on October 13, 2019. (note: I may not have imported rides previous to 2016 so this may not be entirely accurate)
The area is thick with pine trees. It's a peaceful area, one that you know well if you've been here before. It's a transition, with a gentle trail bed and wonderful smell of pine trees in the air. Even though it's hardly notable, it sits in my memory strongly, refusing to leave. The peaceful transition from the bottom of the Ts to the Sidewinder side was done by riding through here. The vibe is always positive. The stoke from the start of the ride always high, conversation on an upbeat note. Continuing on, the trail goes on River Run, then to West Branch, which will always play a part in the memory of our first trip here, as this is where D fell in the mud. I will never ride that trail and not remember that trip, that moment.
Kingdom Trails is closed now, an event I remark on every year when I get the email from the KTA that the general populace is no longer allowed to go. The introduction of the previously forgotten woman brought me back to that intersection, then to the vibe of those woods, the many trips, the memories. And even though I know it will be open again in a few months, it makes me sad every year when the season ends, and we can't just be there now.
As I look back through some of those 18 ridelogs I see some colossal rides in there. The days of 4+ hour rides of exploration are probably gone now. We know the park too well. We know every turn, every connector, which trails to hit, and which are not worth it. We plan more than ever, knowing where we'll be, where to meet people, what lot to direct mid-day riders to, and everything about the area. The magic is still there, still very real. Just as much as ever, I look forward to going back already. The 2022 team trip is already booked, the house on the hill already bought for the July 4th week.
It's no secret that I'm not getting any younger, which just means I probably only have another 25 or 30 more years of doing this. By then, I suspect that eBikes will be the norm and hover-cycles will be in some sort of exploratory stage. This coming year will be the 8th in a row we've been there, at least. When I posted it to the team about the dates, response was as strong as ever. I suspect in the end, we will have another 20+ person showing this year. The KT area has become our home away from home, to say the least. I expect this tradition will keep going for years to come.
From a cold winter day in the basement of a YMCA, a single name can transport me so quickly to so many memorable days...the good times with Schilling, so many good meals with the team, the various houses, countless pictures on Heaven's Bench, the Three Ts, Segundo's interviews, dipping my toes into DH park riding, 144 eggs from young Rob who I may ski Stratton with one day, seeing some of the team introduce their kids to this awesome place, the awe of riding Black Bear the first time, and the very first trip where my wife dropped her butt in the mud on West Branch, but also fell in love with the sport and set us firmly on the path we're on now.
I miss KT, which is obvious. But it brings me happiness to think we'll be back there again, before too long. I look forward to that, and seeing some of you there.
Social Media is not really social nor is it media. It is a bit of an experiment of a mind-virus that permeates society in strange & unusual ways. It brings people together and drives them apart. It changes instantly into what the user wants, sometimes subliminally, other times overtly. We make it what we want, which includes not making it anything and rolling out of control. Back in the day, they say that every Pandora station would end up with a Beatles song in it, given enough time. I think the SM stream is much the same, but I don't know what the equivalent of the Beatles is in this context.
Many people point out that Social Media amplifies the perfection in people and is inherently unhealthy because perfection is not attainable. Maybe this has some merit, but I don't think Social Media is inherently bad at all. I find it's neither good nor bad. I think the notion that we only show our best self is overblown. Life is always like this. When you get together with your friends after not seeing them for weeks or months, you generally talk about the highlights. You don't tell them that you did 7 loads of laundry the day before. Or that your balls itch. You go with the good stuff as an opener.
When we went to Canada last month I underwent a Social Media blackout, for the most part. This was not intentional, not was it unintentional. It just happened by the nature of the days there. We drove one day, then we skied pretty much for 3 full days, and then we drove home. When we weren't driving or skiing, we were eating or sleeping or hanging out with the family. The stream of the internet was turned down - not off, but down - for most of 4 days. And it was kind of nice.
I find that as I get older, extreme statements like, "I am done with Facebook," or, "I am never going to stick my dick in mashed potatoes again," make no sense. I might be bored of it, but then I tune it out. I went away for 4 days and mostly ignored the things in the streaming world, and like I said, it was good. You end up finding time for more meaningful things. I say that as a subjective comment. What is meaningful to me may not be meaningful to you. I can't say that reading Kant is better than watching cats fall off tables for 2 hours. YMMV, no matter what you do.
But I kind of liked it. And a month later I find that I'm trending a little bit away from it, as a go-to when I'm bored. I've been reading more, which tends to happen in the winter. I did just inhale 45 minutes of Instagram and I feel no better nor worse by it. I needed a break from the day so I took it.
Canada was nice, first time at the cottage at winter in over 2 years. We missed last year for obvious reasons. But we went back, even if it was for a short trip. I have 3 blog posts from that trip, linked below. I've changed the format of the blog posts for now. Either I write an actual post, or do a recap with a photo dump. This is 1 actual writing blog and 2 mostly photo dumps. Day 1 is more words with pictures. Days 2 & 3 are mostly pictures.
Many people point out that Social Media amplifies the perfection in people and is inherently unhealthy because perfection is not attainable. Maybe this has some merit, but I don't think Social Media is inherently bad at all. I find it's neither good nor bad. I think the notion that we only show our best self is overblown. Life is always like this. When you get together with your friends after not seeing them for weeks or months, you generally talk about the highlights. You don't tell them that you did 7 loads of laundry the day before. Or that your balls itch. You go with the good stuff as an opener.
When we went to Canada last month I underwent a Social Media blackout, for the most part. This was not intentional, not was it unintentional. It just happened by the nature of the days there. We drove one day, then we skied pretty much for 3 full days, and then we drove home. When we weren't driving or skiing, we were eating or sleeping or hanging out with the family. The stream of the internet was turned down - not off, but down - for most of 4 days. And it was kind of nice.
I find that as I get older, extreme statements like, "I am done with Facebook," or, "I am never going to stick my dick in mashed potatoes again," make no sense. I might be bored of it, but then I tune it out. I went away for 4 days and mostly ignored the things in the streaming world, and like I said, it was good. You end up finding time for more meaningful things. I say that as a subjective comment. What is meaningful to me may not be meaningful to you. I can't say that reading Kant is better than watching cats fall off tables for 2 hours. YMMV, no matter what you do.
But I kind of liked it. And a month later I find that I'm trending a little bit away from it, as a go-to when I'm bored. I've been reading more, which tends to happen in the winter. I did just inhale 45 minutes of Instagram and I feel no better nor worse by it. I needed a break from the day so I took it.
Canada was nice, first time at the cottage at winter in over 2 years. We missed last year for obvious reasons. But we went back, even if it was for a short trip. I have 3 blog posts from that trip, linked below. I've changed the format of the blog posts for now. Either I write an actual post, or do a recap with a photo dump. This is 1 actual writing blog and 2 mostly photo dumps. Day 1 is more words with pictures. Days 2 & 3 are mostly pictures.
- Late Canadian Xmas 1 - A Witch's Tit
- Late Canadian Xmas 2 - A Perfect Ski Day
- Late Canadian Xmas 3 - Much Snow & a Long Drive
If poutine was a thing in Southern California, The Big Lebowski may have been a very different movie.
Related to the social media thing and even on forums, including here, there are no conversations anymore. It is one side or the other, there is no middle ground. Obviously this is apparent in the current political environment.Social Media is not really social nor is it media. It is a bit of an experiment of a mind-virus that permeates society in strange & unusual ways. It brings people together and drives them apart. It changes instantly into what the user wants, sometimes subliminally, other times overtly. We make it what we want, which includes not making it anything and rolling out of control. Back in the day, they say that every Pandora station would end up with a Beatles song in it, given enough time. I think the SM stream is much the same, but I don't know what the equivalent of the Beatles is in this context.
Many people point out that Social Media amplifies the perfection in people and is inherently unhealthy because perfection is not attainable. Maybe this has some merit, but I don't think Social Media is inherently bad at all. I find it's neither good nor bad. I think the notion that we only show our best self is overblown. Life is always like this. When you get together with your friends after not seeing them for weeks or months, you generally talk about the highlights. You don't tell them that you did 7 loads of laundry the day before. Or that your balls itch. You go with the good stuff as an opener.
When we went to Canada last month I underwent a Social Media blackout, for the most part. This was not intentional, not was it unintentional. It just happened by the nature of the days there. We drove one day, then we skied pretty much for 3 full days, and then we drove home. When we weren't driving or skiing, we were eating or sleeping or hanging out with the family. The stream of the internet was turned down - not off, but down - for most of 4 days. And it was kind of nice.
I find that as I get older, extreme statements like, "I am done with Facebook," or, "I am never going to stick my dick in mashed potatoes again," make no sense. I might be bored of it, but then I tune it out. I went away for 4 days and mostly ignored the things in the streaming world, and like I said, it was good. You end up finding time for more meaningful things. I say that as a subjective comment. What is meaningful to me may not be meaningful to you. I can't say that reading Kant is better than watching cats fall off tables for 2 hours. YMMV, no matter what you do.
But I kind of liked it. And a month later I find that I'm trending a little bit away from it, as a go-to when I'm bored. I've been reading more, which tends to happen in the winter. I did just inhale 45 minutes of Instagram and I feel no better nor worse by it. I needed a break from the day so I took it.
Canada was nice, first time at the cottage at winter in over 2 years. We missed last year for obvious reasons. But we went back, even if it was for a short trip. I have 3 blog posts from that trip, linked below. I've changed the format of the blog posts for now. Either I write an actual post, or do a recap with a photo dump. This is 1 actual writing blog and 2 mostly photo dumps. Day 1 is more words with pictures. Days 2 & 3 are mostly pictures.
With the opening up of the world I expect my lazy days of Social Media mind-numbing may become less and less. I've been making an effort to do other things, and I think that makes me feel better some days. But other days, you know what, some of this shit is pretty funny and that's ok too. I think it's healthy to know what you're getting into here, and not let it consume you. I didn't really intend for this to be an anti-SM post, nor a pro-SM post, but it kinda turned into a commentary on it one way or the other, without taking much of a stance. I guess in the immortal words of Walter Sobchak, Fuck it dude, let's go bowling. Or eat poutine.
- Late Canadian Xmas 1 - A Witch's Tit
- Late Canadian Xmas 2 - A Perfect Ski Day
- Late Canadian Xmas 3 - Much Snow & a Long Drive
I have always had strong convictions (insert mr obvious gif), but if I learned anything, not hearing the other side, ever, is just not the way. And that is where we are now, no one can talk, no one can have a conversation and you can only hang with people that are the same. What is the point in that?
Indeed. There is a systemic problem in many things, and we see a bad combination of information overload combined with bored people. You'll note that the population of people that do not get up in arms about everything are the people who are always busy. Is being busy a bad thing? Probably not, because the alternate is sitting in your house every day reading about the world, then complaining about it. We collectively sit here yelling at the tv/phone/etc which does no good - it doesn't move the needle even a little bit. We delude ourselves into thinking that media is a 2-way conversation, which is the crux of the problem. Media is an input to the end-user, a source of information, which you can then take to change the way you live. Turning back to social media or the internet as your response is a useless endeavor and makes our polarization even more.
2
I read Shalimar the Clown by Rushdie and watched his MasterClass recently. I think I'm done with him for now. I really enjoyed Midnight's Children and Satanic Verses. But I think his utility to me as a reader has run out. I also still enjoy these MasterClass courses but some of them are far too self-absorbed. Rushdie started out good but then slipped into "my book" this and "my book" that. Wayne Gretzky was worse. His was terrible. Funny enough, and I know the polarization police will hate me for saying this, but Hilary Clinton's was really excellent. She has a very good grasp on how real people actually think & act. It's a shame she was bulldozed by her husband's reputation because I think she probably had a lot of good to give to the world.
3
I have continued to lift weights through the winter, though have recently moved to more of an endurance routine. Just like anything, there are phases to lifting weights if you want to look into it more. Of course I did, not because I am obsessing about becoming the next Arnold, but because it gets boring after a while. Plus, when the riding season starts, I don't want to be hammering huge weights. Anyway, my back has finally stopped complaining the past few weeks, thankfully. The heavy weights are obviously murder on one's back. Another aspect of lifting heavy weights is that the average person gains 10+ pounds in their first 6 months of lifting weights, which you know, is what it is. But the scale lets me know and we'll see how much harder it is to ride a bike up a hill later this year. I'll discuss that more later, maybe.
4
More than normal recently we have been discussing the future when we walk the dog. I guess when you are outside meandering around you have more time to think. I am pretty sure that we are not going to stay in NJ forever, and of course Vermont is a place that we think of when we think of the next step. Mind you, there is a bit of time between today and the start of that process, which includes kids & college and shit like that. But I have started thinking in terms of where that ends up, and trying to assess more areas of Vermont as we make these trips. I am currently sitting in an AirBnb in Vermont, as it turns out. We just spent the weekend skiing Sugarbush, which was a new destination for us.
5
I finished up Game of Thrones on the bike last week. It was good, not as bad as people made it out to be. Timing is about right because the indoor season is coming to an end with the weather coming in. The trainer has been way easier this year with the ski weekends mixed in. I am looking forward to riding outside though.
6
D got her citizenship a few weeks ago, which is why I posted that picture from the Newark coffee shop. She's waiting on her passport now which should come in a few more weeks.
That's about all.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
I like to lead with itchy balls because it sets an early tone for an honest conversation. Plus, who wants to sit through the 1000th conversation where you have to listen to how awesome someone else's kids are for 2hrs. with their 20 page list of accomplishments. It devolves into a top-this conversation, whereas no one wants to top your itchy balls, and if they do, its usually a doozy.Social Media is not really social nor is it media. It is a bit of an experiment of a mind-virus that permeates society in strange & unusual ways. It brings people together and drives them apart. It changes instantly into what the user wants, sometimes subliminally, other times overtly. We make it what we want, which includes not making it anything and rolling out of control. Back in the day, they say that every Pandora station would end up with a Beatles song in it, given enough time. I think the SM stream is much the same, but I don't know what the equivalent of the Beatles is in this context.
Many people point out that Social Media amplifies the perfection in people and is inherently unhealthy because perfection is not attainable. Maybe this has some merit, but I don't think Social Media is inherently bad at all. I find it's neither good nor bad. I think the notion that we only show our best self is overblown. Life is always like this. When you get together with your friends after not seeing them for weeks or months, you generally talk about the highlights. You don't tell them that you did 7 loads of laundry the day before. Or that your balls itch. You go with the good stuff as an opener.
When we went to Canada last month I underwent a Social Media blackout, for the most part. This was not intentional, not was it unintentional. It just happened by the nature of the days there. We drove one day, then we skied pretty much for 3 full days, and then we drove home. When we weren't driving or skiing, we were eating or sleeping or hanging out with the family. The stream of the internet was turned down - not off, but down - for most of 4 days. And it was kind of nice.
I find that as I get older, extreme statements like, "I am done with Facebook," or, "I am never going to stick my dick in mashed potatoes again," make no sense. I might be bored of it, but then I tune it out. I went away for 4 days and mostly ignored the things in the streaming world, and like I said, it was good. You end up finding time for more meaningful things. I say that as a subjective comment. What is meaningful to me may not be meaningful to you. I can't say that reading Kant is better than watching cats fall off tables for 2 hours. YMMV, no matter what you do.
But I kind of liked it. And a month later I find that I'm trending a little bit away from it, as a go-to when I'm bored. I've been reading more, which tends to happen in the winter. I did just inhale 45 minutes of Instagram and I feel no better nor worse by it. I needed a break from the day so I took it.
Canada was nice, first time at the cottage at winter in over 2 years. We missed last year for obvious reasons. But we went back, even if it was for a short trip. I have 3 blog posts from that trip, linked below. I've changed the format of the blog posts for now. Either I write an actual post, or do a recap with a photo dump. This is 1 actual writing blog and 2 mostly photo dumps. Day 1 is more words with pictures. Days 2 & 3 are mostly pictures.
With the opening up of the world I expect my lazy days of Social Media mind-numbing may become less and less. I've been making an effort to do other things, and I think that makes me feel better some days. But other days, you know what, some of this shit is pretty funny and that's ok too. I think it's healthy to know what you're getting into here, and not let it consume you. I didn't really intend for this to be an anti-SM post, nor a pro-SM post, but it kinda turned into a commentary on it one way or the other, without taking much of a stance. I guess in the immortal words of Walter Sobchak, Fuck it dude, let's go bowling. Or eat poutine.
- Late Canadian Xmas 1 - A Witch's Tit
- Late Canadian Xmas 2 - A Perfect Ski Day
- Late Canadian Xmas 3 - Much Snow & a Long Drive
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
Gains in strength can certainly happen using lower weight and lower reps and lose weight at the same time. Most people go for the heavy weight to achieve the same thing but put on the mass you mentioned in your post. Doesn’t have to be that way but im certain you have a plan rolling.
To tie the two topics of being busy and weight training together, i’d offer you to looking into greasing the groove to add strength without adding unnecessary mass.
I lift everyday and am never sore, my weight has been at 190 for over two years and my max deadlift (done twice a year only) has gone up over 7%ish.
To tie the two topics of being busy and weight training together, i’d offer you to looking into greasing the groove to add strength without adding unnecessary mass.
I lift everyday and am never sore, my weight has been at 190 for over two years and my max deadlift (done twice a year only) has gone up over 7%ish.
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Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
Alternatively, another way to gain strength without putting on mass is to focus on concentric vs. eccentric muscle movements (cut out those negatives). You want to focus on explosive concentric movements and minimize the eccentric. Look up Ryan Flaherty. Meb Keflezighi applied this to his training to win the 2014 Boston Marathon when he was almost 39. He calculated how the number of steps needed to go 26.2, and how much longer his stride needed to be minimize the number of steps. To get a longer stride, you need more strength without the mass, need to keep your strength to weight ratio in check. Strength/weight is key to cycling (you all know this already). This is how I've been training my distance runners and I've seen good improvements in their strides/times.
The Kalmyk
Well-Known Member
That’s awesome!
Very similar to what i am saying. Which is putting more focus on the nervous system. Running is static like road riding so i can see here that the tight focus on concentric movements make tons of sense. Mountain biking on the other hand can be supported very well with a focus on light weight and muscle irradiation practice.
@Captain Brainstorm do any of your athletes lift weights?
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If anyone has ever had that buddy that has that “wiry” strength ( @woody in this instance) good chance their body fires as described below. And it can be trained at any age without adding unnecessary mass...
Let me introduce you to the concept of muscle irradiation. Irradiation comes from Sherrington's Law of Irradiation which states: A muscle working hard recruits the neighboring muscles, and if they are already part of the action, it amplifies their strength.
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Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
Yes, the weights are a key part of this. Weights and plyo together. The principle is that length of your stride is determined by how hard you hit and push off of the ground. The less steps you need to take to cover a given distance, the faster you go (assuming your cadence doesn't drop of course). For example, Usain Bolt needs around 41 steps to cover 100m, around 4 less than his competitors.
I've been feeling lately I need a creative outlet.
I had these thoughts at the start of the year I would try to write more meaningful stuff, less one-off blogs and more that might be considered standalone. As I sit here and look back, I really don't know what that form was going to take. By removing this specific outlet, I ended up just filling my time with things that can probably be described as, well, "whatever." So whatever, here we are. I think I need to bring this back. So again, whatever, here we are.
I have ridden my mountain bike 7 of the last 11 days, in 4 different states. I'm pretty happy it's that time of year when the parks are all in great shape, the weather is playing along, and the daylight is dragging on to almost 8:30 these days. Good stuff, I'm really liking this time of year.
Of course, this comes with its own problems, such as the stack of bike issues that come up on a weekly basis. We have 4 people that bike regularly in this house, and right now I have 5 mountain bikes that need work. Figure out that math.
The MTBNJam is coming up, and the reg list is a tad...let's say light. I know things never explode out of the gate on the first pass. But I will admit this is a little disappointing. I am hoping we just get 100 people. That will be a solid day of people and bikes. Unfortunately I'm still lining things up for the day.
Anyway, hopefully I'm back for a bit. In the meantime, enjoy the flowers right now.
I had these thoughts at the start of the year I would try to write more meaningful stuff, less one-off blogs and more that might be considered standalone. As I sit here and look back, I really don't know what that form was going to take. By removing this specific outlet, I ended up just filling my time with things that can probably be described as, well, "whatever." So whatever, here we are. I think I need to bring this back. So again, whatever, here we are.
I have ridden my mountain bike 7 of the last 11 days, in 4 different states. I'm pretty happy it's that time of year when the parks are all in great shape, the weather is playing along, and the daylight is dragging on to almost 8:30 these days. Good stuff, I'm really liking this time of year.
Of course, this comes with its own problems, such as the stack of bike issues that come up on a weekly basis. We have 4 people that bike regularly in this house, and right now I have 5 mountain bikes that need work. Figure out that math.
The MTBNJam is coming up, and the reg list is a tad...let's say light. I know things never explode out of the gate on the first pass. But I will admit this is a little disappointing. I am hoping we just get 100 people. That will be a solid day of people and bikes. Unfortunately I'm still lining things up for the day.
Anyway, hopefully I'm back for a bit. In the meantime, enjoy the flowers right now.
iman29
Well-Known Member
Suggest for Mtbnjam maybe leverage the NICA channels maybe the coaches can send some social media postings (as a non NICA event of course )I've been feeling lately I need a creative outlet.
I had these thoughts at the start of the year I would try to write more meaningful stuff, less one-off blogs and more that might be considered standalone. As I sit here and look back, I really don't know what that form was going to take. By removing this specific outlet, I ended up just filling my time with things that can probably be described as, well, "whatever." So whatever, here we are. I think I need to bring this back. So again, whatever, here we are.
I have ridden my mountain bike 7 of the last 11 days, in 4 different states. I'm pretty happy it's that time of year when the parks are all in great shape, the weather is playing along, and the daylight is dragging on to almost 8:30 these days. Good stuff, I'm really liking this time of year.
Of course, this comes with its own problems, such as the stack of bike issues that come up on a weekly basis. We have 4 people that bike regularly in this house, and right now I have 5 mountain bikes that need work. Figure out that math.
The MTBNJam is coming up, and the reg list is a tad...let's say light. I know things never explode out of the gate on the first pass. But I will admit this is a little disappointing. I am hoping we just get 100 people. That will be a solid day of people and bikes. Unfortunately I'm still lining things up for the day.
Anyway, hopefully I'm back for a bit. In the meantime, enjoy the flowers right now.
And I’m late to sign up but me and the 15 year old are coming will reg this week.