still too cool for wordpress.
choose only one:
latest;
past;
wednesday lite;
superscribe.
June 11, 2009
don't look back
finally got around to finishing up stage
16 of the giro. completely heartbreaking when popovych looks
back to see how far behind sastre is just as sastre is overtaking
him; popovych can only shake his head... which he does again when
finally reaching the finish line.
as for myself, i didn't manage to get a ride in today, but hope to
do the east peak tomorrow. toshok took me out to fairfax on tuesday,
and i think i'm still recovering. still no word on when i'll get my
replacement bike...
a year ago today i rode all the metro
lines and at at le train bleu. today i rode caltrain and ate
at papalote.
* * *
June 9, 2009
for shame
while i am a little enheartened to finally see some coverage of the
two american journalists imprisoned in north korea, i was a little
disappointed to hear how flippantly unprofessional sec. clinton was
when when
referring to them:
HILLARY CLINTON, Secretary of State: We think the imprisonment,
trial and sentencing of Laura and Euna should be viewed as a
humanitarian matter.
it seems so out of place to use their first names in this context,
considering they've been in custody in dprk for nearly three months.
* * *
May 30, 2009
a break in the clouds
today is the (observed) anniversary of my departure from boston. it seems like so long ago,
yet i can remember going up and down all of those stairs so many
times as if it were just last week, blah blah blah.
i would not say, a year later, that leaving either boston or novell
were overall bad decisions. certainly not the worst i've
made before, or since. probably writing this entry was a worse
decision than either of them.
the dears show last weekend was pretty amazing. they've definitely
improved as a band since their last tour in november, and managed to
get through their whole set without the power going out once. i
don't think they played anything from the EPs or hollywood, but they
started the encore with we
can have it, and, well, they could have only played that song
and i would have been happy.
but now i'm sad because they're gone, and although in the next month
i'm going to see HF, ARS, and wilco, i do not love
those bands like i love the dears.
tomorrow i will have pancakes.
* * *
May 10, 2009
you don't say
apparently stanford did some study and found that, given an acre of
switchgrass, it's 80% more efficient to use it for electricty
rather than ethanol.
related: nothing like gamespot forums for dating
advice.
* * *
May 7, 2009
the system works
i got another bill from the doctor while i was away: FINAL NOTICE,
collection agency, blah blah. seemed weird, since i had sent in a
thing months ago. maybe they could't read my handwriting?
who knows.
anyway, they're just next door, so i stopped by after my commute,
and paid it in person.
this morning, i start cleaning of my desk, and what do i find? a
stamped, unset envelope to the doctor, with my payment information
inside.
* * *
April 20, 2009
the splits are in
i ran the boston marathon today. it went pretty ok. i spilled a
lot of gatorade on myself throughout the morning. here are my mile
times:
- 7:33
- 7:10
- 7:08
- 7:15
- 7:23
- 7:23
- 7:24
- 7:23
- 7:18
- 7:26
- 7:27
- 7:16
- 7:12 (Wellesley)
- 7:22
- 7:27
- 7:29
- 7:41 (Newton hills begin)
- 7:44
- 7:41
- 7:49
- 7:49 (Heartbreak Hill)
- 7:37
- 8:08 (Ran too fast through BC)
- 8:06
- 8:07
- 8:00
total: 3:18:08.
i passed tons of people on heartbreak, and running through audubon
circle was fun. looking forward to cycling season!
* * *
March 24, 2009
acceptable
was the last time i went to the track really seven weeks ago? anyway, since boston's in four
weeks, i figure i should get back with the training, injuries or no
injuries. i decided to slum it and go back to
the "intermediate"
training program, so today was only six 800s
(vs. twelve).
- 2:55
- 2:55
- 2:55
- 3:01
- 3:00
- 3:00
if sunday's long run goes well, i'll feel pretty comfortable that i
could do a 3:30, which is good enough, given the past month.
going to ride tam with toshok in two hours; wonder if any pizza
places deliver this early...
* * *
March 24, 2009
burned by bernanke
he wasn't pulling punches today:
REP. DON MANZULLO: Half the people have lost half their
retirement or most have lost half of their retirement, and not one
of you three can give me a "yes" on that answer or
"no."
BEN BERNANKE: Because it's a poorly posed question.
so stunned i can't even think of a witty post-quip.
* * *
March 16, 2009
a break in the void
i've started reading my third
christopher alexander novel, a new theory of
urban design, and thought this passage did a nice job of
describingg why enterprise
software is boring, and start ups are awesome:
...the most fundamental question of all: What is it? What is
going to be there?
In today's development, this question is asked, and answered,
almost exclusively in economic terms. ...
Of course the products which are built, in answer to this
question, and after the necessary consumer surveys, are
machinelike, abstract, lifeless. They are uninteresting, not
vivid. They are incapable of exciting us, or moving us, because
they are not human in their quality.
i would love to hear his thoughts on house flipping.
* * *
February 20, 2009
impressed, exhausted
i just went and looked at the terrain view of google maps for the
chagrin valley; the hills i used to climb in cleveland during high
school. i'd say those hills were... 250' to 300' vertically at
most.
today's route had two real
hills; the first, which took about 22 minutes, was the toughest hill
i'd ever done. that record didn't last long, as the second (which
the ToC
rode on monday), around 1750' itself, took about 43 minutes. i
am not embarassed to say that i was not feeling great at the top.
according to my technologies, the total route was about 38.5 miles,
with almost 4400' feet of total climbing. these numbers should
probably be taken with a few grains of salt, but they certainly
dwarf the difficulty of any ride i've done before. i suppose that
means i'm a stronger rider than i've ever been, which is a little
surprising considering how little i've ridden in the last... ten
years.
this morning i was pretty set against getting a new bike, but man, i
probably should.
another night of sleeping well awaits!
* * *
February 19, 2009
proof
apparently b. had never really believed that i played the drums
until she saw me play rock band. in that spirit, here is some
unforgeable proof that i used to
be ok on a bike (check 32nd place). that page doesn't mention
it, but it was a 28 mile ride, which comes out to averaging a little
better than 24 mph. not bad for probably my first race in over 3
years!
if you scroll alllllllll the way to the bottom, you can see that, at
17, i was in the 21 and below age group. that seems pretty
crazy but there you have it. anyway, in that race they'd send each
age group off in its own group, and miraculously i managed to avoid
getting dropped (until the last 200m or so). so it's not like i was
near the front of this huge race, i was in the back of a small
group.
in... 1993? i won my age group (14 and under, likely) in the twin sizzler.
that was pretty awesome, too, but sadly it was before the internets
reached the ohio farmcountry.
in totally unrelated news, i am probably going to have to move soon,
since i bought some
art and don't have enough wall space for it. i am especially
excited about having art that is worth more than its frame (which i
may have mentioned before).
i really need to go to bed.
* * *
February 16, 2009
that was dumb
apparently it wasn't enough for me to run for three hours in the
rain yesterday. inspired by catching the tail end of stage
2 on the web this afternoon, i decided it would be a good idea
to go for a ride on my day off from running. toshok was in, but
unfortunately the sunshine wasn't.
it was
only sixteen miles, but it was cold, windy, and rainy,
especially on the bridge (where it may actually have been hail).
fortunately google maps doesn't show how slow we rode.
i think i will try to figure out how to get to san bruno mountain;
it's bigger than hawk hill, doesn't involve a terrifying bridge, and
is still only 10 miles away.
looking forward to repeat miles at the track tomorrow, and then
lunch. my first meeting isn't until 4!
* * *
February 13, 2009
i less than three cities
in anticipation of j
h crawford's new book, i've finally gotten around to reading
some christopher
alexander. i haven't quite figured out how to apply it to sim
city yet, but i will give him the benefit of the doubt and continue
reading, even if it does sound like a bunch of hippie hogwash.
anyway, i have been wondering what jane jacobs thinks of this guy,
and i came across this article on her works.
in goes on in much more detail than i have the attention span to
write, but skimming it might hopefully convince you to read her
economics books, not just death and life.
the one thing that confuses me is that the timeless way
refers to itself as the first in the series, yet a pattern
language was published two years earlier? whatever.
* * *
February 10, 2009
counter-retort?
there seems to be a growing fued between the daily show with jon
stewart's jon stewart and the news hour with jim lehrer's paul
solman:
JON STEWART, host, "The Daily Show": It seems to me like
the economy's so bad that this guy had to move back in with his
grandmother. "Paul Solman, are you putting the zeroes on the
coffee table again?" "No, Grandma!" "Use a
coaster!" "I'll use a coaster! I'm explaining a national
calamity!" "Bring me some juice, dear."
PAUL SOLMAN: Prune juice, presumably, Grandma's drink of choice,
though she's been dead some 46 years now.
the
rest of the report is slightly less awesome.
* * *
February 10, 2009
springtime in the city
spring totally started while i was in portland. the trees are
blooming, and i saw a bee in buena vista park with the robins and
hummingbirds.
* * *
February 9, 2009
how i spend my evenings
i have been sitting here listening to cocaine
skin on repeat for hours while my dirty dishes remain unloved in
their sink.
i don't have any meetings tomorrow so i'll do them after i get back
from the post office.
kevin says they aren't going to play cause or break
anymore. i have heard this all before, but if it's actually true
this time, it's probably ok if they start playing stuff like
c.s. and keep playing fuzz (insider-speak for late night bedroom
rock + shampoo suicide).
the sentinel had a sorta-dry non-spicy mac + cheese today, but both
the smoked trout salad and molasses
cookie that came with it were super awesome. i hope they don't have
the bockwurst sandwich again tomorrow, because i have a prior lunch
engagement to attend.
what else what else what else what else.
* * *
February 6, 2009
what i have done with my life
after some discussion tonight, i am reasonably sure i have seen the
following bands the following number of times:
- page and plant: three.
- stars: three.
- bloc party: three.
- radiohead: eight.
- broken social scene: eight.
- the jimmy swift band: twenty-six.
i am scheduled to see jsb three more times next month alone.
* * *
February 3, 2009
what it's like
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND
MONTEREY BAY AREA.
.DAY ONE...TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT
UNDER SUNNY SKIES TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S TO
UPPER 70S.
today we released the source to the
project i've been working on, at vmware, which was started by alex.
it still does little, and is probably not for everyone; step one for
testing it out is to deploy an AD server, and it just gets more
expensive from there.
but i do love our logo so very, very much:
well done, robert!
no meetings today, and i'm taking the rest of the week off to see
broken social scene in portland and seattle, but then it's probably
back to those ten hour days...
* * *
February 3, 2009
need oxygen
still completely amazed at what i can do at the track. today's
workout was 4x1 mile:
- 5:47 (new PR)
- 5:53
- 5:58
- 5:56
i love that you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to run. i
love that two-thousand dollar bikes are beautiful.
i guess i should go to work.
* * *
February 2, 2009
moral-market economics
the news hour on friday was great; they had shields and brooks come
on after each segment, which wasn't something i'd see them do
before. one thing that caught my ear was this
bit by david brooks:
First of all, you need social pressure. Capitalism is a great
system, but you can't have amoral capitalism. Capitalist
institutions have to be surrounded by social understandings, by a
set of norms that we all adhere to or that are enforced by shame.
it is almost as if he had just reread jane jacobs'
systems of survival. i've really been meaning to go back and
read everything but her first book, as many of them deal with
exactly the economic situation the world has found itself in lately.
sadly, only two of her books are out on kindle.
* * *
February 2, 2009
there is probably an angela's ashes joke to be made in here somewhere
i'd like to introduce you to my friends:
* * *
February 1, 2009
i was lame today and really didn't feel like running the last little
(hilly) loop of my route today, so i think i only did about 19 miles
(instead of 20). this last hill, at mile 17 or 18 or so, is meant
to be a simulation of heartbreak, although i think it's much, much
tougher:
i don't think i've taken any days off except the first two days
after the marathon, but i have tomorrow off; it is going to be weird
just going to work right after waking up. but tuesday it's back to
the track for mile repeats, so i will enjoy the rest while i can get
it.
i am looking forward to being disappointed by tomorrow's lack of
productivity.
* * *
January 30, 2009
the greatest compliment
i
just got paid
as i was parking in front of the office for my 8am meeting this
morning, some sort of delivery man walked past me and asked,
"is the economy hurting you guys?"
i sorta mumbled some sort of response, about no, not really, we are
doing ok, at least i am, but i was wondering, "how does he
know i work for VMware?" there are a lot of companies in
our building.
"oh!" i said. "i'm not a bike
messenger!" what a great start to the day.
i got tired of not having all my music at the office so i got an
iPod classic today. i think it's my 7th? how time flies.
i saw the album leaf here on wednesday night; i hadn't listened to
them much since i first got the albums whenever ago but a month or
so ago i put them on while doing dishes and it was perfect for that
moment. i have been listening to them a lot since the show. the
opening act covered everything in its right place.
i am going to sleep so much tonight.
* * *
January 29, 2009
fifty/fifty
this morning, i realized that this week, according to plan, i will
run about fifty miles and spend about fifty hours at the office. i
will not be getting required fifty hours of sleep. if only there
was an all-star team for this sort of thing.
* * *
January 27, 2009
an auspicious start?
today was the start of the first real week of training, with
speedwork today and 20 on sunday. i think it went well.
8x800m:
- 2:54
- 2:53
- 2:53
- 2:53
- 2:51
- 2:50
- 2:50
- 2:48 (new PR)
i like the slope of that trend line.
* * *
January 24, 2009
i bought a jar of honey today
i lost my afternoon to antiques roadshow and the new yankee
workshop. initially, i felt bad that i can't make actual things,
but then i saw how many different tools he used to make that bench.
it was like 7 different types of saw! quite ridiculous. but still,
he has a pretty nice bench and what do i have a bunch of broken
western digital drives.
the other day i read that the
pound has been faltering so i finally ordered those stanley donwood prints
i've had my eye on for a couple of years. i hope i still have a job
monday.
* * *
January 20, 2009
hills, bills
today marked my first official day of boston marathon training, and
i celebrated it by doing one of only two hill workouts left. since
boston is so hilly, i spent my run sunday testing out a new route to
the marina through the presidio, instead of taking market to the
embarcadero. that should be hills enough.
i got my first pg&e bill since i turned off my apartment's
heater's pilot light. i used 4 therms this month, which ended up
being $5. the total bill (with electricity) was $25. ausome.
* * *
January 15, 2009
surprise
ok, yes. i am losing my edge, and starting to like 67F mid January
days. this is how it starts.
ran three miles today, up from two yesterday. starting the real
training tuesday.
* * *
January 13, 2009
mission accomplished.
as you
may already know, this weekend i (finally) qualified
for boston with a time of 3:08:20. i am still pretty shocked
that i managed to pull it off. i am really looking forward to
tomorrow's run, when i am actually training for boston.
crazy!
these are mostly for myself and nat, but they certainly do tell a
tale. i needed to average 7:10 per mile, and set out to do 7:00.
it went ok:
- 7:00
- 6:52
- 7:01
- 6:54
- 6:52 (split: 34:42)
- 6:54
- 6:57
- 6:57
- 6:52
- 6:48 (split: 1:09:11)
- 6:46
- 6:56
- 6:43 (split: 1:30:22)
- 6:50
- 6:53
- 6:52
- 6:58
- 7:04
- 7:03
- 7:16 (split: 2:18:39)
- 7:22
- 8:01
- 8:00
- 8:06
- 9:03
- 7:36 (+1:30 for .2; time: 3:08:20)
i suppose mile 20 would be referred to as "the wall" in this case. i reached a point
around there where i knew i would qualify; i could pretty much run 8
minute miles and i'd be ok as long as i made it to mile 25. i
figured the last mile would be pretty easy, and it was (although
perhaps i cut it a little closer than i should have).
my training
program wants me to run 18 this weekend, but for now i am just
going to have a burrito.
* * *
January 7, 2009
ten
i only have ten miles of training left. in twelve hours i will have
only three. pretty crazy!
this morning during my commute, someone asked how to get to hyde
street. i thought they were mispronouncing haight (as height), and
sent them the wrong way. after i realized my mistake (like, six
hours later), i felt bad until i realized it's 2009 and they should
just get a gps already.
united economy plus better be worth it; i am not excited about
getting on that airplane tomorrow.
* * *
January 5, 2009
take me home and tuck me in
starting to obsess about the weather:
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around
52. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with
a high near 68. Northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.
acceptable.
* * *
January 4, 2009
nothing has changed
watching a
movie at a friend's friday, it was commented on that two of us
were just sitting there internetting from our phones, and how now
everyone can internet from everywhere, and something something.
it reminded me of when we first got wifi wavelan,
and everyone could use their laptops while watching movies, and i
said something to this effect. my friend countered that nobody
takes their laptop around everywhere.
well the point is, that is exactly what we used to do.
it makes me miss my lil' vaio.
* * *
January 3, 2009
at least the horrible dreams are over
a new year, a new hard drive.
i hope this is the last spinny drive i buy
i think i have a long day of reinstalling windows ahead of me.
* * *
* * *
