During the end of July I stay away from updating my dieary for a bit. These are interesting times at work as I'm given a number of challenging assignments and I shock people with how easily I tackle them. The one that I was worried about a short time ago and made great progress on continue to look great. Other people tried to solve the analysis and simulation problem for months and came up with a heuristic solution. And I managed to get a solution based on physics in one week.
During the end of July I get in some great workouts and good bicycle rides. I've increased the weights a bit and enjoy some deep sleep. With Dr Karl now back in Florida with his family I'm on my own with the cycling.
On Friday I get another moonlighting job opportunity as a lawyer freiend of Ruby's contacts me. We have some email and phone discussions and I agree to work for free for a bit until their team decides whether I can do the job or not. Then we can talk about compensation.
On Friday night into Saturday morning I wake up at 2 am and cannot sleep. Person Ti_Ca has gone out clubbing with a new facebook friend. Is this why I cannot sleep? No it isn't. Nonetheless I'm awake wehn Person Ti_Ca retuns after 3 am and awake beyond that.
On Saturday I watch qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix where my favorite driver gets bumped back to third on the grid at the last minute. I have a good ride to the pier and bike though I miss riding with Karl. After the ride I do a few errands and then I go on a cleaning tear since Person Ti_Ca is (strangely) working on a Saturday. When I run the errands this is the first time in htree weeks that I've driven or started my car and it runs a bit rough for the first few seconds. I do a lot of dusting and vacuuming and cleaning of the bathrooms before I take a break and watch the mens Olympic cycling roadrace. Except that the race goes beyond the announced time period and I don't see the finish. Thus I get upset and get on my hands and knees and scrub and clean two bathroom floors and the kitchen floor before wiping down the surrounding areas. Late in the afternoon I lay down to read and end up falling asleep for about an hour. And then I relax and read some more for the rest of the evening.
After watching a close and exciting Hungarian Grand Prix, I get out cycling. Just near the aquarium I start a conversation with a fellow cyclist and we ride together for a long way. But we are interrupted at the Long Beach yacht club by police and fire trucks. One of the boats is on fire. So we both stop and watch for a few minutes and then continue one. We turn around at some point and start back up the Los Angeles river. As I approach my turn off I give the cyclist my phone number so that we can possibly ride together again (even though he lives way up in Montebello). But the events of this ride are not finished. As I'm riding along Del Amo I pass a cyclist and say "Another perfect day for cycling" as I typically do. The cyclist says something to me and I continue on past hime. After a bit I realize that I rcognize his voice and I slow down and I say "Is your name Michael?" And he gives me a shocked look and says, "It is. How did you know?" And after I tease him about being psychic I tell him that we've been in community meetings together and that I know his friend Thor. So we ride just a mile together until he turns off for his home and I continue straight for mine. After the eventfull ride I clean up the roses and carnations and have a good refreshing shower. Eventually I watch the (boring) MotoGP race from Laguna Seca and have a slow day.
There's a buzz around work as a co-worker has become nasty and insubordinate and we are wondering what the consequences will be. In between rounds of gossip I have a productive day. Today they announce the new title that I have and I receive a number of congratulatory notes from people - some that I see everyday and some that I have not seen for a while. I leave work a shade early and get in a heavy workout with the weights and eventually work on a work document at home as Person Ti_Ca goes to hang out with a friend.
Tuesday is another productive day until I run out of steam in the afternoon. When I get home Person Ti_Ca is taking a nap so I jump on the mountain bicycle and have a great ride down to the pier and back. When I return Person Ti_Ca and I are having a discussion about vacations and savings and school. Just as I'm heading into the shower I say something in a tone that I shouldn't use. By the time that I'm out of the shower Person Ti_Ca is gone - I guess this is another silent treatment. I write an apology note to him and leave it on his bed for when he returns.
On Thursday night, after a short four day workweek, I prepare the road bicycle for my birthday ride - one mile for every year old that I am. It is a bit short of my birthday, but Friday seems like a good day to ride long.
I start out the 55 mile bicycle ride - one mile for every year old - in fine shape but as I go past the Whittier Narrows dam and approach the Santa Fe dam I start bonking. By the time I've hit the turnaround point and headed home I'm not feeling well. I get back to the Whittier Narrows dam and stop for a blueberry muffin and continue. I just say "Keep turning the pedals over". And I'm wondering how June's 72 mile ride went so smoothly and this one feels so bad. Nonetheless I continue on "just keeping the pedals turning" and make it back home. I take a quick shower and lay down because I'm feeling a bit dizzy. I rest for a bit and try to get some fluids and blood sugar restored. Soon Person Ti_Ca is dragging me to Universal Studios on our annual pass. Just what I need - to stand and walk around Universal Studios for 6 hours after the 55 mile birthday bicycle ride. We meet up with two of Person Ti_Ca's friends and do have a reasonably good time. I definitely enjoy the 3D effects. Wen we return home I get ready for sleep and Person Ti_Ca goes out clubbing with friends.
After a 55 mile bicycle ride and 6 hours of standing/walking around Universal Studioes, I wake up at 3 am and cannot sleep. Person Ti_Ca comes home near 4 am and I still cannot sleep. I do sleep for about an hour before getting up just after 6 am.
Saturday starts withrelaxing a bit before heading off for the ride down to the pier and back. My legs are tired but I do okay. I pass (going in the opposite direction) and ride for a short bit with the Guatemalan rider that I occassionalyl see. But I tell him I'm hungover from Friday's ride and they should just go ahead (besides, they have road bicycles and I'm on the mountain bicycle). After a shower I do some errands and get three new books from the library and later in the day I mow the lawn. Otherwise it is a slow day.
On Sunday morning I start north on the Los Angeles river trail to meet up with Person D_HK (who I rode with for a while last Sunday). We meet up and ride back down to Long Beach and have a great conversation the entire way. We take a short break in Long Beach before starting back north. At one point he says, "Those guys behind us caught us", so I shift up a gear and pull us way ahead and beyond a group ahead of us. Eventually I ride past my turn-off point but I'm having so much fun that I want it to coninute. But I do finally turn around and go home and let Person D_HK ride on home by himself. After a shower I watch a fun and wet women's marathon from the Olympics. It's strategic and tactical and I enjoy it. Person Ti_Ca and pick up his friend and go to the orange county fair. We walk around and play games and see the sights until it is time to go home and call it an end to the weekend.
On Monday I have a super-productive day. But I run out of steam a bit early and go home and have a great session lifting weights. It's warm now and supposed to get downright hot throughout the week, so I relax and get some reading done.