Tuesday and Wednesday are driving days since rain is predicted. Both days have some rain but I probably could have ridden the motorcycle if I had really wanted to (and to chance the possibility of getting wet). On Wednesday, after I've heard enough people tell me that I look tired, sound tired, and/or sound sick (including NASA people on the east coast via telephone), I go to the bookstore, buy some reading material, and declare the four day Thanskgiving weekend to be a rest weekend. The major reading material is light weight workout (where I skip the bench press because it hurts my should too much) and a 30 minute walk, I lay on the couch and catch up on reading.
Because the pavement is still wet on Thursday (Thanksgiving) morning, I do not go out for my traditional long ride. Instead I go run/walk for 80 minutes. This is the longest that I've run for a long time and it feels good. I see the Detroit Lions get beat up horribly as I make a few Thanksgiving phone calls. After the game, with the weather bright and sunny, I head out for the aquarium ride. Near the aquarium I stop and talk with a couple of guys - one visiting from Boston and one lives in Long Beach (though both are otiginally from Hong Kong). And then I head on home. I catch up on reading and watch the other two football games as I notice how tired I am and how sore I'm going to be (from the long run). I also note that over the last few weeks I've noticed an inordinate amount of muscle cramps and spasms in my foot, ribs, back, neack, and upper legs. I wonder what this means?
On Friday I get up and do the laundry. When the morning warms up a bit I get out for the aquarium bicycle ride. This is followed up with mowing the lawn and cleaning up some far corners of the yard of leaves. It's when I'm cleaning the far corners of the yard that I find one of Nopey's tennis balls. He's beeng one almost 5 years now but the tennis ball is still here. I throw the tennis ball back into the far corner of the yard to be re-discovered another time.
On Friday afternoon I get down for a nap. When I wake up it takes a bit of time for me to regain consciousness. As I lay there I start doing a survey and come to an unnerving conclusion: all of the muscle spasms/cramps, aches, and pains are on the right side of my body (i.e., right side of neck, right shoulder overtraining pain, right rib spasms, right side of back spasms, and right upper leg cramps). I wonder what this means? Later I put on a winter jacket and get out for a 40 minute walk. And then I can do nothing more but lay around.
On Saturday I wait until the morning warms a bit before setting out on the loop ride. I'm feeling strong today so I add a few miles to make it an even 30 miles. I take care of little odds and ends throughout the day and then get out for a 40 minute walk early in the evening. There's a bright viewing of Jupiter and Venus in the sky tonight and it is awesome.
Saturday night is kind of busy. Though I'm huddled up to stay warm, there are many phone calls from Person J_VKPI (using someone else's phone because his got disconnected), Person T_U, and Person C_T (mainly to talk about Person L_M who is in the hospital). Person L_M has had a nasty anxiety attack and was admitted to the hospital where they found that she is also anemic. Hopefully she is leaving the hospital tonight.
Sunday is a slow day. I work abdominals before the football games, cleanup the roses and carnations a bit, watch the first game, and then switch over to watch the space shuttle Endeavor land. Since it has to land at Edwards Air Force base and has to fly over the Los Angeles basin, I'm able to hear the twin sonic booms as it breaks through the sound barrier on the way to the landing sight. And then I go out cycling on the aquarium ride. It's a bit windy today during the ride but I feel good and add a few miles on the end to make it an even 20 miles.
The final tally for the four day weekend is 0 miles on the motorcycle, 12 miles on the car, 15 miles walking/running, and 82 miles on the bicycles.
Nothing feels as good as getting on the motorcycle after about a week off and riding. (Two days of not ridingbecause of the rain and four days of no work.) Monday is a wasted day at work since there are 7 hours of meetings of the 11 hours that I spend on the Northrop Grumman property. And then nothing feels as good as lifting weights after work. Albeit with light weights, high repetitions, and no bench presses (since the right shoulder still hurts when benching).
Tuesday is a productive day at work but people are starting to panic. They are starting to realize that I will not be around for a month. My boss finally comes into my office and starts the conversation with, "I really don't want to ask you this question, Ray". And I interrupt with, "Don't even think about asking me to give up this vacation. If you do, then I'll get pictures of the refugees and orphans that we're going to build the preschool for and make you explain it to them." But my boss continues on with, "We want you to carry an international mobile phone or a satellite phone." It could have been worse. When I get home I go for an hour long walk to get the blood pumping. And then relax.
Right now I'm dealing with a closed international airports that threatens my travel plans, a friend whos mother had a nasty stroke and keeps asking for my advice, Peson T_U being down because a friend of a friend of his had a plane crash and is injured (though not dead like one of his passengers), and crazy times at work. I have to tell myself quite a few times recently to take a deep breath and work on the things that you can affect.
The people at work go completely out of control on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. My boss and his boss and other people decide that they need to be able to get hold of me during my upcoming trip. And they decide that they need to get me an Iridium satellite phone. At this point, after hearing of the plan, I start laughing everytime my boss, my boss's boss, or our secretary come into my office for information. I just start laughing. At one point my boss sends an email that implies that I need to carry both the Iridium satellite phone and a Blackberry. But I try to head this off at the pass very quickly with an email that simply says, "There is no way that I'm carrying two effing phones with me". By Friday the Iridium satellite phone has showed up - it's huge and heavy. How am I going to carry this piece of crap all over southeast asia? There's a lot of interest in the phone and everyone wants to see it. And everyone makes comments about the size and weight of the phone. There is nothing do but accept the fate f lugging this piece of crap around. (And I don't even want to think about the clause in the Iridium satellite phone contract that my boss points out that indicates that I need to check in with each country's counsulate regarding possession of the phone.)
It's been a stressfull and silly week at work. I've tried to maintain a good attitude and tried to work off stress with a number of high repetition workouts with the weights and long walks.
Saturday starts with a visit from Person M_Fl. We hang out for a while, I give him a Red Bull, and soon he's off to work. I get out cycling down to and around the aquarium and I head for home. Afterwards I get my haircut, buy supplies for the trip, and mow the lawn - all errands on the list of things to get done before the trip. Later in the afternoon I just relax and watch some football. Good progress is being made on preparations for the trip. Person C_T calls and I offer to install a car battery for him, but when he gets to the dealer to buy the battery (for me to install) the dealer is closed. Their web site says that they are open until 7 pm but they really closed at 5 pm.
Sunday starts slowly as the morning is very cold (and I haven't turned the heat on in the house yet). At mid morning I get out for a ride down to and around the aquarium. After the laundry is done I busy myself with gathering everything that is needed for the trip: paperwork, reservations, directions, passport, camera, and a few other things before the official Monday night packing rush.
The final tally for the weekend is 0 miles on the motorcycle, 7 miles on the car, 5 miles walking/running, and 32 miles on the bicycles.
Monday is hectic at work. There are reviews, metings, people rushing in and out of my office, bosses worried about the satellite phone, and other things. I do not accomplish anything the entire day. At 5 pm I rush on home to lube the motorcycle chain and try to pull the battery (so that I can charge it before and after letting it set for a month). But the dealer has tightened the bolts down too tight so I give up after a while. The battery did not have a problem sitting alone for one month last year - hopefully it will be okay again this time. I get in a final high repetition workout and then I start packing: clothes, paperwork, camera, satellite phone, health items, and etc. I am almost ready to go!