We're moving to Denver! My wife and I have been looking for a change of pace, so she accepted a job in CO earlier this month. I'll be bringing on my replacement and following her there in a few weeks. Here we are at Summit Lake a couple thousand feet below Mt. Evan's summit. New adventures, new places, new people. If anyone has any advice/recommendations on the area, feel free to share!
Everything is trending "up" except for my ankle at the moment, and even that is slowly improving as I keep off of running. The pluses: 1. Just saved between $200k and $250k on one of my work projects. 2. Signed up for a night class that will get me a great certification, and no cost to myself. 3. Continuing to power-of-will a nonprofit through some very hard times, and attempt to rebuild the board and restructure the organization. 4. Photography is really, really fun! 5. Have some super-fun events coming up with friends. Seeing Free Solo this Friday, and will get to meet Alex Honnold and Jimmy Chin!!! These guys are so inspirational to me. Some minuses: 1. My body is still not doing great. The rest has been amazing for all the minor bumps, bruises, and aches, but my ankle is still a problem. 2. Probably ending yet another relationship. Finding that a partner who has ambition and confidence in herself is extremely important to me, but maybe not as important as having a passion (or multiple). Doesn't even have to be the same as mine! But have something that you're passionate about, that keeps you going, that's a driving force.
I can't decide if my leg/knee is getting worse again or if the little twinges and aches are formerly weak muscles getting stronger. It's my own little frustration.
Pass me a fancy drink 'cuz I feel like waxing poetically. I think life is like knitting a scarf. There are a bunch of threads (people, things to do) that come together in places. Some threads have extraordinary colors or are made from an unusual fabric. Some are always there, providing consistency and stability to life. Others zig zag around. All enter and exit, some more frequent than others. But they all contribute to how life/the scarf feels. They form the texture. Which is all to say that I am very happy with the threads that form my life right now. There has been a lot of changes in the past year, and I feel like pretty much all are for the better. I spent the weekend hanging out with my rowing club friends from college - one of them is leaving the country to do a PhD in Canada, so we wanted to have One Last Evening Like Back Then. We're still good friends (I went to Greece with them) and I had a good evening (which meant getting shitfaced and going out to party), but part of me was also glad that I decided to leave that city behind to pursue my masters'. Going back there reminded me of how life was back then, but it was just as much a reminder of how much I've changed in the past years. I liked my scarf back then, but I like it better now.
- Rainer Maria Rilke, supposedly That's the famous quote. I appreciate the sentiment and congratulate you, but I've known too many knitters to let you continue to believe that they are made of many threads. For one thing, knitting uses yarn not thread. For another, you generally use one piece at a time.âDestiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakable tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred others.â
I had a shockingly nice time in SF with my dad. We drank, ate good seafood, spent a day on the bay pulling up sharks and rays. Tossed them all back for some other boat to catch. I learned a valuable lesson about combining ethanol and nerve pain medication by essentially roofie-ing myself. I got a new insight into how much my dad carries around day to day as far as stress, the things my family asks of him. I have been trying to think of ways to be a better son and they all amount to 'Make more money, ask as little of him as possible' and I know that's not a good or healthy way to think about our relationship. Maybe I'll find a better way forward. Other than that, wings level. The RPS continues to absolutely dominate her classes. She has a 99.5% in organic chemistry, a 102% in neuro-anatomy/neuropsych. She's finally starting to believe for herself that she's intelligent and capable and it's a beautiful thing to watch someone build confidence day by day.
Subtitles still relevant, yeah? Y'all serve chicken soup here? Almost done filing a recent cold as an immunity. 𤧠Wish I got it earlier last week. Life I've picked up meditation and salsa on Mondays. The salsa classes have nearly replaced my time on online apps just as a way of making a connection. A good metaphor shared with me: working out : martial arts :: dating apps : dancing. The preceeding actions augment the later one, but the practicality of the latter trumps/incorporates the elements of the former. Best of all, it's a blast learning the moves alone - when I have a dance partner who is in sync despite us both being beginners, that's the fun part. Practicing 'heartfulness' before hopping into salsa definitely helps to stay in the moment. Reflections 1. I think I have to take a step back from consuming more Kavanaugh/MeToo related content or friend posts. It's hard to not project onto generalized statements about men as a whole from women I care about. Hell, it permeates my gaming world. Sticking my head in the sand and letting my vote speak for itself is looking enticing. 2. Don't have my journal since the move and I want to get this out of my head, so here: I've been tutoring a friend of mine for free recently. They've been struggling to pass the test to become a certified K-6 teacher here for years. At this point, they've identified math as the pitfall come test day. I care a lot this person, and working with them I get the sense they aren't wasting my time with how they've been studying between work and heavy life matters. Their persistence in taking the test over 10 times over the past few years (it's no free examination mind you) reminds me of my grandma's grit.... My g-ma was an elementary school teacher for 30 plus years who valued education above many things. I feel as though I'm carrying on her legacy providing this to my friend who's been struggling to jump this hurdle they've committed to despite severe life stresses. We made this an indefinite endeavor until we're both confident in their mastery of these subjects. I'm excited to see this be the last examination taken. Inktober Any other hubskians participating? Any themes or learnings this year? This year I learned sketching out in pencil first isn't a sin. Excited to read what y'all's mediums and utensils are. Possibly sharing works?
I went to a Weedeater show once. There was a bar in the basement below that I happened onto a Bachata and Merengue night. I had more fun learning to dance down in that bar for 2.5 hours while the openers played then i did seeing one of my favorite metal bands. What's hearfulness?
Time really flies! The classes are 2 hours and feel like 1. Only got a taste of Bachata last time, but it feels a lot more fluid moving side to side than forward to back. Heartfulness is a form of meditation driven by centering awareness on your heart as a source of 'light,' relaxing from there, and consistently guiding your awareness back to that notion. It's especially nice way to fall into a meditative state or what feels like a lucid nap.
I'm Starting A Cult! â â đđĽđ˘ đđŤđ đŚđ˘đŤđą đđŤđĄ âđŠđŠđ˛đŞđŚđŤđđąđ˘đĄ đđ˘đ˘đŻđ° đŹđŁ đđđŚđŤđ˘đ°đłđŚđŠđŠđ˘ An order á´Ęá´ á´É´á´ÉŞá´á´ĘĘĘá´Ęs perfect in their hubris Aligned to ɢĘá´á´ĘĘá´s, it boot creator âđ đ đ˝đđđđđŚđ¤ âđđđđđđđđđĽđ đ˝đđđđĽ âđ đđđ¤ â â I've been way to excited about this. Here's a few posters I've been working on: and a w.i.p: A few alternative slogans are at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1A275u689uYy0FlRnKh2_FhlVKkQdSkJ2
Might wanna standardize on the spelling of "cobblers/coblers" before you go live. Or, maybe that's a way to be authentic and vintage! Go back to a time when spelling was up to the writer, who would just sound out a word and spell it however they wanted! :-)
Fun cults are awesome. We once sacralized a small area outside of our mid-sized city called Waubuno... the legend was you could only find it when you were lost. Our method was to all dress up in togas and drive the initiate to our house in total silence. After about ten minutes of not even saying hello or having music on the radio, they were led into a dark candlelit room, interrogated by 5 dudes in togas, and then forced to write an entrance exam based on inside jokes and political opinions. "The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a good idea" (agree 1- disagree 5) There was also a ridiculous quasi-legal independent contractor agreement we made them sign stating you'd pay us $60/year for coffee and in exchange we would perform the work of criticizing your favourite artist to death, bailing you out of jail, things like that. Finally we would re-enter the room and break the silence through a progressive series of chanting, and after an elaborate series of cryptic messages deliver the lawn gnome. I forgot the gnome's name but having successfully passed the test, they had to carry him all the way to the mythical land of Waubuno without letting go or they would fail. No talking was allowed during the final leg of the journey either. They passed. :)
See you in 17 days
I actually dislike Georgia Tech students and fans more than Florida. They try to make up for their shitty high school offense and record for twenty years by being obnoxiously arrogant about academics as if Georgia is a bad school. We give out the fucking Peabody. Not everyone wants to be an engineer. I hate Georgia Tech so much
Work/ Union This week has been... interesting... Friday: Find out new hires' weekly attendance bonus is up to $200/week. Gross pay for a 20 hour week is now $20/hr. Full time union members finally start to take notice of the issue, as this is more than a new driver makes. This isn't super relevant to the drama that unfolds next, but I'm salty about it since the bonus is selectively applied and is exploitative as fuck if you get sick or injured. Friday Night: Rank and file vote down our national contract and various regional supplemental agreements. The union's lead negotiator is grumpy AF on the teleconference while announcing the results. They pushed the yes vote hard. Company puts out a statement accepting results. This is the positive energy high water mark. Late Friday Night: International Union ratifies national contract citing language in our constitution. They'd telegraphed that this would happen, but it still takes most people by surprise. Also: with the contract ratified, the new pay rate for new hires combined with bonuses is now $23/hr in 20 hours. Saturday: All hell breaks loose on social media. What limited news coverage there is notes how this will strain labor relations at the company going into the holiday season. Dissenting local leaderships start publishing open letters demanding the union walk back its position. Company puts out statement that they now consider master contract settled, with regional supplemental agreements outstanding. Can you guess what happens tomorrow? Sunday: Yup. International indicates that they will apply the same language to ratify a large chunk of regional supplements. This language was not applied last contract negotiation. In 2013, rejected supplements were renegotiated and re balloted. This is one of the sore points that get brought up when... Monday: 7 out of 10 of the International Union Vice Presidents write letters in opposition. The gist is that they want an emergency meeting of the General Executive Board, where they will attempt strike the language being used to impose ratification from the constitution. Tuesday: My local, which is aligned with the International and had a seat on the national negotiating committee, realizes they have a problem and publishes a letter stating that "our members" believe that there are issues with the contract that need to be addressed prior to implementation. The list of requested changes, surprisingly, doesn't suck. Looking forward: NLRB complaints. Probably Lawsuits. Probably no actual change on the contract. I doubt the executive board is allowed to meet. Rank and file will remain pissed off. The offending language will be struck from the constitution at our next convention. Recall language might get added. The dissident Teamsters United slate is going to have a cake walk into office in the next elections. I'm actually pretty proud of the rank and file. Our leadership sucks, but our turnout went up by a third. We handily rejected the contract despite the union and the company both pushing a yes vote. And we haven't meekly rolled over and accepted the outcome. Bikes Haven't ridden much since I crashed last year. My Raleigh is too heavy to want to lug up and down stairs, and my Surly I've been actively avoiding as that is what I was riding when I crashed. I've changed the setup on it a lot since then, but I still shy away from riding it. It'll probably set there until I pull the parts off of it and get a new frame-set. The frame is fine, I just don't want to ride it anymore.
Having a hard time with work. Called off the first two days this week due to being ill and calling off the rest of the week because it'll mean driving 5 hours today to work a 10 hour shift today as well and the same shifts the rest of the week. That's not a crazy issue though, I enjoy the overtime pay. Being on the road 100% of the time for work is what is starting to take it's toll on me. Even when I'm home it's for 2 days most at a time. It's hard to have any real hobbies or make forward progress elsewhere from hotel rooms. It's hard to maintain friendships from hotel rooms. Also being a single mid twenties adult it's hard to find a meaningful romantic relationship from hotel rooms. I have about 2.5k in saving. Isn't great but has me debating what my next move is. I don't mind the work at all, it just gets harder to leave home to head back out on the road for 2-6 weeks at a time every time I come back. Any advice or opinions would be appreciated. Hope everyone has a pleasant and productive day.
"I'm looking for something without quite so much road time" is a perfectly viable thing to ask your employer. Nobody does the road thing forever. It's too damn hard. If your employer can't find something for you, you have every excuse to look for something elsewhere.
I kinda work in the over-the-road trucking/transportation industry, and the guys who are on the road 26 days of the month are weird. Almost none of them have a hobby. Or "do" anything, when they aren't driving. The Hours of Service regulations limit the number of hours a day they can drive, so they spend the rest of the time... in cafes eating... in the sleeper berth watching movies on a iPad or TV... That's it. Seems like you take a drawing class (Lynda.com, or whatever), and use the iPad to learn how to draw. Or program. Or write. Or... anything. Then, when they DO get home, they have their easy chair in the living room, and they... sit. And watch TV. Until they get their next load, and are on the road again. It's a life I just can't fathom.
Yeah it's the same for the coworker I work with, if we aren't on the job they are in the hotel room sitting. I've picked up photography and since it is easy and portable and have started drawabox.com lesson. I'm enjoying it and will keep the hobbies after I leave this job but it starts to feel weird not having anything concrete. Someone asked me where I lived last week and I hesitated on what to say cause i'm home so rarely it doesn't feel like home anymore. I'm just gonna start looking at other employment options. There's not much in the way of advancement from my current position income or experience wise unless someone dies or retires. which seems unlikely currently, so I should have been looking somewhere else anyways maybe.
I've had the privilege of installing Windows 10 6 times in the past week. On the one hand, this is the trade-off for usually having nothing to do except read or work on homework. On the other hand, Jesus Christ I'm so done. Reconsidering university. The idea of studying feels very dumb right now, which is great timing considering classes start on Monday. Trying to hold off on making judgements; if nothing else, I kinda have to survive at least one semester (although dropping out after that would also be pretty stupid. On the other hand, sunk cost fallacy and such). I also don't really know what else I would do. Probably work in a kitchen somewhere, play music on free evenings. Disappoint my dad but be happy. (Fun real quote from him: "If you end up working in a kitchen somewhere for the rest of your life and it makes you happy, that's great. But I gotta be honest, I would feel like it was a colossal waste of your life." Thanks, pops.) Iunno man.
If you are into more rewarding computer-stuff, you should check-out Lambda School.
So after my workplaces massive restructure (3 years in the making, 200+ jobs cut) - I went from being under a cloud of a) being cut or b) being kicked down to a lower pay grade for the same job or c) being shifted to an entirely new place and role, while also being kicked down to a lower pay grade; to being told I'm a) now permament, b) keeping my pay grade, c) staying where I am and d) they're taking annoying tasks from my job description. This worked out so much better than I thought it would. I'm a little suspicious of how well it's turning out for me... Went to a secluded beach out of town now that Spring has arrived and the water isn't bloody freezing. https://imgur.com/a/nyVSo6R Those two people in the distance were the only other people there at the time. In gym news, hit a new PB for bench - 125kg. I'm a little annoyed becuase it didn't feel that heavy, I just set up very poorly and the lift went to shit. I have a sneaking suspicion I can do more but will give it another week before stressing myself that much again, it was close enough to a maximal effort that I wasn't going to try it again that same day.
It was wonderful - slowly downing a cider and just listening to the waves. I'm torn between more people enjoying it, and having it all to myself. It's about a 20 minute drive away from the city and there are three main beaches within the actual city itself so, for now, I'll enjoy the seclusion and the occasional seal a while longer. I think my fave beach in this part of the world is Purakaunui Bay. We used to spend New Years there - haven't been back in years but my partner has never been this far south on the Island so a trip could be on the cards.
So I've been swimming more. It's so weird because I have all these sore muscles and am trying to figure out how to breathe and keep my balance. It's all new. I think I like the challenge. I shared a lane with a guy Monday night. He was really supportive and treated me like an equal. A novice but someone who belonged. That felt good. He asked if I was a runner, and without hesitation I answered yes. I realized later that self identifying as a runner isn't something I did naturally even six months ago. I think my injury and forced time off helped me see how important it is to me. He said he wants to do the Ironman. I'll be happy with a sprint triathlon.
Welp. I'm 50 as of last Tuesday. By 2:PM that day, I had a cold and was in bed. Pretty much didn't emerge again until Saturday around 4:PM when the cold went away as fast as it had arrived. Last time I was actually sick was more than two years ago. (Wife and I tried to remember when, and couldn't come up with a time between our wedding and now. So... maybe longer?) --- My involvement with the local pro rugby team continues, and I'm getting a lot of satisfaction being a part of the sport and culture of rugby, again. It's such a wonderful community of straight-up humble gentlemen and women, with big hearts, and a deeply rooted belief in fair play and sportsmanship. It's also a cultural melting pot, with heavy representation from almost every continent and culture! So refreshing to be in a truly multicultural environment again. --- Twitter. I'm gonna have to eat crow on this polished turd, unfortunately. In a post on Hubski, I set a timeline for the demise of Twitter at roughly 18 months, as I predicted it would be crushed under the wave of Trumpian bullshit and lies, entirely negating it as a platform of any utility or purpose. Now, I have a twitter account. (embarrassed hanging of head ensues) This is solely for my rugby efforts, and therefore the feed is highly tuned to rugby news and chatter only, and almost completely devoid of the Orange Menace and his ilk. And so it is fun. I see people chatting about league games in Africa, and Tonga, and Japan, and Wales, and talking passionately about teams and players I will never get to see. But their excitement and passion for the sport is infectious and fills my well of positive feelings and good news. So, fuck Twitter. But I'm loving it.
Yeah politics is strange that way. There will always be some new controversy. People involved seem to think its inescapable and important and those of us that aren't are doing enjoyable things and generally living their life. I come across converts like you from time to time. You should try opting out, I highly recommend it!
Checking in late, but I've been missing hubski a lot lately. Been busy though, which is good. Autumn is here, and the cold mornings feels amazing after a freakishly hot summer. I also recently moved to a new place. It feels like a fresh start, but familiar at the same time, since its in the same neighbourhood as when I first moved here. Sorry for missing the weekly photo challenge! Please keep tagging me, psychoticmilkman!
I'm playing a lot of pokemon go and ingress. It is not the most productive of things to spend my time on, but it gets me moving and it gets me outside. I am getting to know the local community of players as well and they are really nice. I have done my first instances of being a theater-school leader. I am a leader together with two other people who are more experienced than me, which is nice. It makes me feel like I always have someone as backup, and could sit in a corner and fetch stuff if I don't feel confident about bossing the kids around. It is less scary than I thought it'd be, and hopefully I'll grow into the role more. On Saturday we are going to spend a few hours learning about being a leader and hopefully I'll be more confident after that.
christ in heaven i am tired i feel like i'm separate from reality or something because things don't seem real i'm waiting for something to go wrong but so far i keep putzing through freely