On Tuesday, after another very productive day at Northrop Grumman, I lift weights heavy. This should be the last session for 5 days as I hope to take a mini-break and let tendons and soft tissue recover from the recent stress of heavy lifting. I spend a fair amount of time on the phone with Person K_J trying to debug what is wrong with his recently purchased used car. And we agree that I'll take a look at it on Thursday and try and figure it out.
Wednesday is a good day and after work I work the abdominals again and go for a long walk. Later in the evening Person C_T comes over and we have a nice Valentine's Day dinner and then we relax.
On Thursday Person C_T heads for work and I start in on taxes - giving the weather a chance to warm up for the bicycle ride. Eventually I head out for the loop ride (plus a few more mils to get to an even 30 miles). As I'm heading east on Del Amo towards the San Gabriel river bicycle trail I pass a park up against Del Amo blvd. There's a big german sherpherd dog in the middle of the park that sees me and breaks into a run for me. At first I speed up but then I realize that the dog's tracking algorithms and Kalman filters are not working properly - the dog heads for where I was as opposed to where I will be shortly. Thus, as the dog takes a catenary trajectory to become asymptotic to my travel vector, the dog is well behind with no chance of catching up. I peddle off into the distance without the doggie.
After a shower I start a few errands and they involve a visit to a wood supplier. And, of course, there's a free roaming (but friendly) dog in the shop. After I've petted it and scratched it's back and spoken with it, he won't let me alone. Thus I play with the doggie as I talk with the wood supplier.
I receive the local free newspaper and see a note for an acupuncture specialist who has moved into the neighborhood. I call and get an appointment and go visit the acupuncturist. This is my first ever visit to such a doctor, and we talk about why I'm there and what she can do for me. With that I'm taking off my shirt and laying face down to let the doctor poke a mess of needles into my neck, shoulders, and upperback. After she finishes sticking the needles in she says she'll be back in ten minutes. I have a nice relaxing rest before a different doctor comes in, removes the needles, and massages the area to improve the localized circulation and energy flow in the area. We'll see what happens.
My 93 year old aunt and I have a very long conversation before I go to the ResourceScout meeting. We prepare a presentation for the Long Beach city council and get ready to make another pitch.
The day warms up quicker on Friday, so I'm out the door for another loop ride plus a few mils to get to 30 miles. It's a good ride and I notice all of the preparations underway for the Long Beach CART race scheduled for the middle of April. Afterwards I relax and do little things around the house. I do note that my neck and shoulders feel better today - is it the acupuncture treatment? After the ride I am listless so I take a nap in the middle of the afternoon - foregoing the skating that I had planned. When I wake up I feel refreshed and I mow the lawn and soak my feet for a while as I work down my reading pile.
After 4:30 Person M_Fl calls and visits. We watch the news and hang out for a while before he heads for home (after letting the traffic die down). The evening is slow and after phonecalls with Person T_U and Percon C_C, I take a Kava root extract and head for sleep early. Well, C_C has already been used, so let's try C_CM.
On Saturday I get up and do the laundry and some grocery shopping before heading out for a bicycle ride. I take the mountain bicycle and head north on the Los Angeles river on a timed (rather than mileage) ride. During the ride there's a large German shepherd protecting a construction site. This dog also sees me, but has a better tracking algorithm and knows to head for where I will be shortly rather than where I am now. Thus the dog is running alongside me or slightly ahead of me barking along. And I'm encouraging it with, "Come on! Come on". But I'm only tis bold because there is a fence between the dog and me and I hope that the dog gives up hope before the fence ends. Which does happen. It's a great ride in the warm and dry weather.
After relaxing for a while I get out skating by the ocean. This is the first skate this calendar year and the first in quite a few months, so I take it easy to start to get my skating legs back again. The skate is interupted with a phone call from Joe whos says that he and his friends are going to a club in Long beach tonight. I'll have to call him back on my plans. Towards the end of the skate I put on a good burst of speed with a powerful and strong stride propelling me along quite nicely.
Later phonecalls with Person C_CM, Person T_U, and Joe send me to a club in Long Beach. I arrive near 11 pm and hang out with Person K_J and some of his friends and acquaintances. Person A_V is level-headed and nice, so he gets my phone number at the end of the night. There is too much hip hop and top 40 music tonight and the crowd is down, but it's kinda okay to get out of the house and mingle with people. I'm turning out the lights for sleep near 2 am on Sunday morning.
Sunday sees a reasonable aquarium ride though my legs are tired as this is the fourth consecutive day of riding. I note the preparations in the area for the I do a bit of shopping throughout the day including a new pillow. Late in the afternoon I break my time off from lifting with a good session with the weights. But there is blood while I am lifting so I'm holding a towel in between lifts to avoid spilling blood all over the place. It's a slow day but I watch most of "24 Hour Party People" and then relax for sleep.
On Monday it is raining so I have to drive to work. It shouldn't be bad today bevause most people have off for President's Day. But there is an accident and it takes me 20 minutes to get down to the 405. From there it is very clear sailing to work (and back home at the end of the day). I try to get my head above water at work after four days away. And then I have a good session with the weights after work.
Tuesday and Wednesday are filled with meetings and teleconferences. I am so bored. I don't really accomplish much at work. I am so bored. On Tuesday after work I work the abdominals and go walking and on Wednesday I get in a good session with the weights. It would normally be a great session because the weights are as heavy as ever, but I lack a bit of gumption to go for more. Maybe it is time to take a longer break to get some enthusiasm back.
On Thursday it is supposed to rain, but I don't care so I ride the motorcycle to work. It starts raining in the morning, then clears up, then starts raining in earnest when it is time for me to head home. I take my time getting home though I am enjoying riding in the rain. I'm all wet by the time that I get home and, even worse, my bike is all wet. Thus I step into the house and take all of my clothes off and run naked through the house to put on workout clothes. (This being the only time I run naked through the house when I'm alone.) I have a very good session with the weights and then I head out to the hardware store to buy more supplies to work on the house. The ResourceScout meeting has been cancelled tonight but there are still presentation charts to work on (for the State of California and for the Long Beach City Council). Shortly thereafter I am wiping down the motorcycle so that the water doesn't "spot it" and add to skin friction drag and slow me down.
On Friday it is threatening rain again, so I jump on the motorcycle and ride to work. It turns out that the rain doesn't come along and it's a bright sunny day after all. I have another session with the acupncturist during which she is more aggressive and uses electro-stim for certain bodyparts. My shoulder is sore and my lower back is sore after the session and I hope that this indicates progress. Friday night is lazy as I move some furniture and pay bills. And head for sleep early.
On Saturday I get out for a walk and do laundry before various contractors come. Actually the contractors are scheduled for late morning and they each call and want to come earlier. Thus they arrive and I babysit them and get them out of the house by 1:30 pm or so. After 2 I head out for the aquarium bicycle ride and fight the wind all of the way down the Los Angeles river trail. Person C_T comes by and we have dinner and relax for quite a while. Person C_T leaves after 10 pm and I lie down for sleep after this long day.
I'm lazy to start Sunday, so I wander around the house until it has warmed up enough for a bicycle ride. It's a good ride and I already see, near the aquarium, some of the support racing going on for the Amgen Tour of California. Just after noon Person T_U calls and I'm headed via train to downtown Long Beach for the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race. We watch a number of laps and talk about the strategies and the bicycles and the breakaway and the peloton. Pictures and video of the event may be seen here.
On Sunday late afternoon and evening I amtired. Tired from the cycling and being in the sun and walking around for the cycling. Thus if i was going to lift weights today, I am not able to answer the call. The evening ends with me in bed a bit after 9 pm.
Monday is a nasty day. I'm tired throughout the day, I'm bored, I have to sit through these stupid meetings where people ramble on and on about nothing, and I develop a bad headache in the afternoon. I never get headaches, yet here it is. I take an anti-inflammatory towards the end of the workday and ride the motorcycle home. At home I eat dinner, walk to the grocery store, and then start trimming a bush. Though it is dark, I want to get a start on trimming the bush. And I end up finishing it. (Though I don't do any clean-up of the branches this evening.) After the trimming I go and lift weights for the abdominals and lower back and note that my abdominals are stronger and my lower back more stable and has less discomfort. Is the acupuncture helping that much?
On Tuesday and Wednesday I get in very good sessions with the weights with a "pyramid" session of increasing weights with each set. By the time that I am finished I have the most incredible pump as all sorts of blood rushes to the worked muscles. These workouts serve as a good closeout for the month of February.