I spent the last couple days hiking in the Adirondacks. It was my first time back since December 2019. I summited two peaks, Esther Mountain on Monday and Whiteface Mountain on Tuesday. They're both "hike to the top (in snowshoes in winter)" type summits. Both hikes went well. I had some issues with my glasses freezing over on Whiteface, and I probably should have put my goggles on, the goggles I've carried on almost every winter hike but never once used. The wind was really strong up there, and the trail was hard to find amidst the bare rock.

I wish I'd taken some pictures of the building up there. It's only open in the summer, and it was completely caked with snow. They've had high winds and rain and snow. I didn't take any pictures because of the wind and losing visibility.

I gave work four weeks notice last Monday. So far it's all going well. My manager said he wasn't surprised which is a little annoying because hey if you know your employee isn't happy shouldn't you do more? But he's listening to my concerns I think out of genuine interest to do better. My team lead, my direct supervisor, continues to be a weak leader. He's done only cursory reassignment of projects. Giving them four weeks may be a double edged sword. Plenty of time to transition, but it's also plenty of time to procrastinate.

My manager said he told my team lead "he gave you four weeks, he isn't just abandoning you," which was my intent. I'm glad that's been recognized.

A number of people have reached out to chat which has been nice.

By the time I leave, it will have been 17.5 years at this one employer. I'd happily have done another 17.5 before making a retirement plan, but I think they're in decline and fear if I don't take some action I'll end up dragged down with. I told one of the people that called to talk "what if I find myself in my 50s behind industry peers with few transferable skills?"

I wonder if I'm being too candid and possibly burning bridges, but I think if they don't address the issues I see it won't matter if there are some hurt feelings. I wouldn't go back, anyway. My hope is my departure can stimulate some discussion and action. The people I've talked to have been "yeah I get it."

I had a second interview Monday with the full team I'd be working with if I'm offered the job. I think it went well. They said all the right things, and I think I gave the right impression.

I looked at my current employer's Glass Door today, and the ratings are taking a dive. Partly because of me because I gave a genuine, neutral review, but there are others saying things like mine. My hopefully future employer is a slightly higher current score but not taking a dive.

I'm doing a virtual half marathon this weekend, hopefully the last virtual event. The current debate is: pick a fast, flat course and go for a PR, or go run 6.55 miles of the Ice Age Trail out and back. I'm leaning towards the latter because it will be better training for other events this summer. It also looks cooler on Strava.

I made coconut butterscotch scones this week and they were amazing. I've tried chocolate peppermint scones but they never wow me.

I think it's worth considering the usefulness, or not, of the heat generated. In the summer, you have to pay for the GPU to heat the closet and then pay for your air conditioning to get the heat out of your home. But in the winter the heat offsets your furnace. While the electric cost is probably higher than central heating for the same unit of energy, it does add to your profit. The $10 in electric cost may have saved you $5 in natural gas.

I ordered an indoor bike trainer. I'm taking enough of an interest in cycling to try to maintain a cycling base through the winter. Last year I only did cycling at the YMCA, but those classes are only an hour and not really possible during the pandemic. Also the Wisconsin infection rate is up so I'm not swimming again. Pool swimming is decently socially distanced, but the rate is much higher than two months ago so I don't feel so safe there anymore. Also lakes are cold (though a friend swears she'll swim until there's ice). So I need something else besides just running.

I'm trying to do more trail running, though, partly to mix up road running and partially to think about doing a 50k. I may try to go run a trail half marathon before trails get snowy.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;

There's a Cadillac commercial that quotes some of this speech. I remember seeing it, and hearing this, back in the hotel after failing to reach a summit while hiking. I was definitely feeling down about it.

I don't remember which hike that was, and it makes me laugh for two reasons. First, it wasn't the only time I failed. There were so many I can't remember which was which. Second, because I've later competed every hike I turned back on.

Failure isn't the end. Stopping to try is the end.

I bought a new bike, and I'm picking it up this afternoon. The weather looks great this weekend, so I should be able to get some nice rides in.

That's Air China flight CA819 flying Beijing to Newark on March 19, 2017. This is over Adirondack Park

The Iridium satellites were so named because initially they thought they'd need 77 satellites, and iridium has the atomic number 77. However, they were ultimately able to do it with 66 satellites. Dysprosium satellite cluster wouldn't have rolled off the tongue so easily.

I've used the Iridium satellites. My backcountry satellite tracker/communicator uses it.

The top comment there discussed the controversy of Victor David Brenner placing his initials on the coin. They don't mention that the removal of his initials created one of the rarer modern US cents, the 1909-S VDB.

I like the Lincoln cent. I've been collecting single examples of dates and mints over the last few months, ever since seeing mk's post on his 100 years of pennies. But I don't like most modern US coinage. The top post pointed out that before the Lincoln cent, US coins followed a Liberty and eagle tradition. I wish we'd go back to that. I dislike the low relief of modern coins, too. The Washington obverse on the quarter is just so flat compared to the previous style.

And as long as I'm on my soapbox, let's stop making pennies and paper singles and force everyone to use dollar coins. But the dollar coins shouldn't suck like the current ones do. No more dead people on the obverse, please.

And since the current Jefferson nickel looks like trash, stop making those, too. I believe I read the nickel has less purchasing power than the half penny did when the mint dropped those.

We have an intern I'm struggling with. He grasps process well enough. "Do this and then that and then record the output." What he doesn't get is the feedback loop of understanding the output and using it to change the input. Engineering isn't process, it's more trial and error.

I find it frustrating not for him but for myself. I can't figure out where I'm failing as a mentor. I can't really believe he can't get it, and since he isn't getting it, there must be something I'm not explaining. Communication failures work both ways. What am I not doing right?

It's also exhausting, trying to find new ways to explain the same concepts again.

I thought of several but will go with: high density housing only works on paper. When enough random people are put in close proximity, differences will add up. The quiet ones will want isolation from the loud ones. The loud ones will want space to be loud.

People will continue living in high density housing only because they have to (location for work, distance to friends and family, price) but will always seek out distance and space should it become available.

A year ago I went hiking. It was the Thursday before Easter, and weekdays in spring aren't known for being bush days in the woods. This day was no different. My plan (actually my backup plan, but that's another story) was to hike Nippletop and Dial mountains. As I'm gathering my gear at my car, a truck pulls in. The driver asks, "is this the trailhead for Nippletop?"

We were the only two people on the mountain that day, and we happened to arrive a minute apart. He was a Marine veteran having served in Afghanistan. I told him I was former Army National Guard, quickly clarifying I never deployed.

As we hiked together, he told me about messing up his knee. I forget how, but I think it was on duty. He went through rehab, and shortly after getting clearance to return to regular duty he messed it up again. Faced with a desk job or not re-enlisting, he opted to get out.

He and his wife were splitting up. She was from the area. He wasn't, and he was living at the time on his in-laws' couch. He still referred to her as his wife.

He said he wanted to climb all the mountains that summer. I used that as a way to open the subject of suicide. There's an organization in the area called 46 Climbs that uses mountain hiking as a fundraiser for suicide awareness and prevention. This was the first time I'd met someone where I thought he would kill himself. Not that day, but some day. He was well aware of the veteran suicide statistics, and my hope is an organization like 46 Climbs would give him an outlet as well as a safety net.

He didn't have a map of the mountains, just a book on them. I gave him my extra map (I had three identical ones). We didn't exchange contact info, so I have no idea what he's up to. I think of him occasionally, and I hope he's ok.

Running: I ran my best half marathon on Saturday. 1:58:04, beating my previous best of 1:59:00. It was a totally flat course, and I actually feel better about the 1:59 run. But I feel good getting a run under my belt this year; I hadn't eaten a Gu since November. Next half is end of May, but I may do a 20k in early May.

Phones: My iPhone 5 is slowly dying. Does anyone have a phone they love? A coworker just got an LG G6 and likes it.

I'm sitting here with my cat on my lap, purring away. She's a very nice lady.

I will not be forwarding this to my mother.

I've been above the tree line in what I'd call, compared to what Jim and Alan faced, stiff wind. I think I've been above the tree line six times. Some of these were unremarkable. The first (Wright Peak) was dead calm in ideal winter conditions. A dropped feather would have landed at my feet. The second (Algonquin Peak) was an unsuccessful summit attempt in very windy winter conditions. As soon as I crossed the tree line I lost the trail. I pushed up maybe fifty feet, didn't find the trail, consulted a map, considered my options, and safely hiked out. I came back a month later and made the summit in windy but more manageable winter conditions. I was better prepared, too. The next was Algonquin again in ideal summer conditions but now pushing down the ridge (to Iroquois Mountain). The fifth (Gothics Mountain) was pretty good winter conditions. Tougher trail but manageable winds.

But the sixth still scares me a little. It was Mount Haystack in Adirondack Park. It's a long hike, about nine miles each way. It's the third highest point in New York. I hiked it this past November. Down low, conditions were very fall-like. No hat, no gloves, a modest weight jacket. There was some ice below the tree line but nothing too bad. To reach the Haystack summit you have to go over Little Haystack. Making the situation worse, my hat (which I'd worn leaving the car but took off mid-morning) had fallen out of my pocket. I had only a small hat liner, but coming that far I'd push on until it was too much. Leaving the trees on the way up Little Haystack, the wind was clearly pushing me. There was some gusting, though not as sharp as those that took Alex off his feet. While there was some snow and ice on the trees, the wind had blown the bald areas clear. The trail was well marked with paint marks. As I reached the top of Little Haystack I considered turning back, but the wind was coming from behind me and the left. Cresting the summit the wind was essentially nil. There are some little trees in the col to provide a little relief until finally pushing to the main summit. I didn't fall, but the wind did force me to take careful steps and use my trekking poles for balance. The bald areas were totally in the clouds. Not fog; I could see the trail easily. But all around me was nothing but roiling grey; I couldn't even see the tree line. As I topped what appeared to be the summit, my GPS beeped and displayed "Arriving Haystack" to indicate I'd reached the waypoint. The altimeter said 4975' (the official altitude is 4960', but I haven't calibrated my GPS altimeter). I looked beyond to convince myself it was the summit. I thought I saw someone on a peak in the distance, but it had to be a trick of the clouds. I turned and went back the way I came. No pictures, no summit snack, just immediately getting back to the safety of the trees.

This is hyperbole, but in retrospect I feel like if I had sat down and just stopped, I would have died. I believe I was safe the entire time, acting within my abilities and the conditions, but I think nine miles from civilization in whipping grey clouds on a lifeless sheet of rock probably the most dangerous place I've been.

I have a couple more bald summits to go. I will be cautious. I carry a satellite tracker/SOS messenger.

We had lightning and pouring rain last night. February 28. It's snowing now.

My next hiking trip is a week and a half away. My first half marathon of the year is two weeks after I get back. I feel good but will admit I have a lot planned.

I ran my third half marathon on Sunday in 1:59:00, my new personal best. I can't wait for the next one. I'm doing a Thanksgiving 10K, New Years 5 mile, and then it's training time for spring runs.

Currently I'm in an airplane waiting to depart for New York. I'm planning to hike tomorrow and Saturday. Haystack and Seymour mountains. It'll be two full days. I'm looking forward to getting to stretch my legs. Haystack will be a full 18 miles. Elevation gain will be over 4000'.

Some states tried this once, but the federal government didn't let them. It was a big news item for a while.

The last time that happened you all got really upset. I think the scarier threat would be to replace our coffee with tea.

This is one of those articles that while true, is unhelpful to the point of deliberate deception. The UK has energy trends posted here through September. The relevant table is 5.1 on page 42 of the PDF.

Dropping the middle section of that table into Excel, adding the coal and gas TWhs and dividing it by the total TWh, the combined coal + gas has varied between 46% in 2015Q4 and 57% in 2014Q3. For 2016Q2, it was 49%.

So what's up with the article? Coal is down about two thirds, a full 10 TWh less than the previous quarter. But total generation is down 14 TWh. Gas is up slightly from the previous quarter and up 50% from the previous year. If the 2015 trend applies to 2016, coal will be back up for the winter heating load. The article seems to be trying to paint a certain picture: solar is beating coal. That's true in the moment, false on an annual scale, and there's been no shift in reliance on fossil generation.

In addition to running a lot of miles, I did hill intervals and "other." For me, hill intervals were running as fast as I could for about a minute uphill and then walking back down. I'd do three or four of these with about a mile jog before and after to warm up and cool down.

Other is just anything to stay active. Hiking, snowshoeing, walking, biking. I'm a fair weather biker, so that hasn't really picked up this year. I'm a huge fan of walking. It's a great way to see the city. I've been tracking where I walk, and I'm working on covering the entire city. There's so much here I never knew existed. The rich areas are really impressive (and how I feel walking through them fascinating/depressing).

One of the things I worked on running was how to manage food. Energy gels used to make me scratch my head in confusion, but they make sense now. Learning how to carry them and how and when to eat them was part of the training.

There are others (including on Hubski) who know way more than me, but so far this is working ok for me. If anyone has suggestions for improvement (should I be lifting weights?), I'm all ears.

Time to break out the stroopwafels!

I've been trying to talk myself into running a half marathon. I ran 11 miles last Saturday at a sustainable 10 minutes/mile pace. That run included one of the three hills the 13.1 course runs. The one I'm looking at is May 29.

I had a long discussion with my boss about what I want and where I want to go. It was stressful, future follow ups will be stressful, but I think it was productive. My boss is a great supervisor, and the topic came up because he didn't understand what I wanted, and I realize I hadn't thought about what I wanted in any specific way.

But if that doesn't work out I'll finally make the leap and move somewhere else. I like this town, but it's still just the place I live and not somewhere I'm committed to.

It's raining here, but it's supposed to stop this morning. I'm going to take my running stuff to work. After work I'll go run intervals on the steepest hill on the 13.1 route.

I like being myself when I'm alone. And when I'm with my absolute closest friends. I'm pretty good at alone. I go out to eat, I run and hike, I smile at people I pass on the street, happy to see a smile back and happy knowing that person will never think of me again.

I dislike being myself when conversations are involved, even with pretty good friends. I don't think I'm interesting and don't think I say the right things.