Growing up, we used to have this framed painting on the wall depicting a covered wagon hauling ass across a Nevadan (or at least South-Western) landscape, basically racing the impending storm to an unknown destination. A cowboy piloted the wagon, navigating the straining and eager horses along a poorly-maintained dirt path, cacti and succulents lining each side, the yellowed and parched landscape creating stark disparity against a wall of pitch-blackened clouds amassing on the horizon. As a child, the painting spoke to me, mostly due to the similarity between the cowboy's environment and my own at the time. I could smell the impending rain, its affects sensible via the smell of whetted creosote... well in advance of the first drop of rain felt on skin. Such were my favorite moments as a child in the desert near Death Valley, literally feeling the anticipation of the plants, rocks, sand, and travelers as the thunder cell approached from afar. All manners of being, waiting in electrified anticipation for the (welcomed) inevitable.
I saw this picture years later at my mother's house in Elko; and in fact I am sure she still has the picture since her move to Alaska. This picture haunts my memory at all times, and I'd be hard-pressed to tell you why it dominates my thoughts at this hour; a Friday night at nearly 11PM after a horrendous work week and 36 fluid ounces of cheap Friday-night-special margaritas. But there it is, or rather there I am. It is my location of solace. It is that fictional retreat in my mind, always a few seconds away and always ready to provide infinite amounts of what I crave the most sometimes... quiet. Quiet, peace, and nothing but that very moment of anticipation and contentment. I can hear the wind, I can smell the desert rain, I am aware of everything external and nothing internal. I just am.
I tend to get bogged down, at times. I've been very bogged down this week in my job... in my life. I constantly struggle, wanting to stand up for my beliefs and desires, and yet wondering why I can't just get in line and ingest my prescribed diet like everyone else. My mother has a theory that I am being groomed, prepared for something bigger in life. Sometimes it's hard for me to see beyond the next seven days.
There is no point to this blog, besides maybe delaying the onset of sleep while the faint cheap-tequila margarita buzz begins its waning gibbous toward the new moon of morning sobriety. Struggling, I guess.
9.18.2009
8.22.2009
Another from China
Ran outside yesterday. I asked Mike if he had any interest in joining me at the Health Centre, and he instead suggested we head outside for a run… sweet. I’ve never dreamed of running outside in China. Not only am I afraid of getting lost (how in the heck do you landmark in a Chinese city?) but also getting glared at and potentially mugged. Mike has run a few times in China and said it wasn’t a big deal.
We had to cut through a few city blocks and traffic circles before finding our way to the river. The traffic circles were an interesting challenge. Think of that good ol’ video game Frogger, complete with semi-trucks, bicyclists, tuk-tuks, awesome tractors, and other frightened pedestrians (side note, speaking of vehicles, I’m really keeping my eyes peeled for these.
Anyway, we managed to work our way through the city, definitely drawing a few stares in the process but simply nodding in return, shouting “ZAO!” which means g’morning, and trotting past. Everything changed once we hit the river. We saw other people out there in the name of exercise. There were several groups of people practicing Tai Chi, mostly older folks… when a group of fifteen 70-year-olds is moving in fluidic, uniform grace (exercising, not sleeping in unison at a movie theater) it warrants a moment of observance.
We worked our way down a few miles, crossed a rickety wooden bridge, and found ourselves on an embankment straddling slums and rice paddies. For obvious reasons we flipped around to head back, but it’s worth noting that the Chinese we saw in this area, the ones curled up on salvaged cardboard living in houses made of scrap tin, wire, and foliage, were the most friendly encountered that day. All toothless grins and emphatic “GOO MORNY!”
On the way back Mike led us through a morning market three blocks from the hotel. This was not like the night markets in Hong Kong, all Coach purses and North Farse backpacks and iClone electronics; this market was the real deal. We stuck out like fur coats at a PETA rally: white, tall, decked-out in techie running clothes saturated with sweat, though comparatively much cleaner than the market denizens. It didn’t matter, and I really have to thank Mike for teaching me this lesson. We were there to experience the culture and be damned if we drew some funny glances.
The market seemed divided into three major areas: seafood, plants, animals; each section offering living or dead & butchered versions their product. What an eye opener, this was more raw (no pun intended) than anything I’ve seen in Asia, including our trip to Thailand. We didn’t have much time to browse, unfortunately, so we picked a straight tangent through and returned to the hotel. No time to go back, either, since we packed our bags and checked out that morning and have since relocated back to Shunde.
The schedule sucks. We’ve been working about twelve hours a day still, and most of those twelve hours are pretty boring. The positive is I am getting to blog again, something I friggin’ love but rarely prioritize these days. Anyway, good time to cut this off. Out.
We had to cut through a few city blocks and traffic circles before finding our way to the river. The traffic circles were an interesting challenge. Think of that good ol’ video game Frogger, complete with semi-trucks, bicyclists, tuk-tuks, awesome tractors, and other frightened pedestrians (side note, speaking of vehicles, I’m really keeping my eyes peeled for these.
Anyway, we managed to work our way through the city, definitely drawing a few stares in the process but simply nodding in return, shouting “ZAO!” which means g’morning, and trotting past. Everything changed once we hit the river. We saw other people out there in the name of exercise. There were several groups of people practicing Tai Chi, mostly older folks… when a group of fifteen 70-year-olds is moving in fluidic, uniform grace (exercising, not sleeping in unison at a movie theater) it warrants a moment of observance.
We worked our way down a few miles, crossed a rickety wooden bridge, and found ourselves on an embankment straddling slums and rice paddies. For obvious reasons we flipped around to head back, but it’s worth noting that the Chinese we saw in this area, the ones curled up on salvaged cardboard living in houses made of scrap tin, wire, and foliage, were the most friendly encountered that day. All toothless grins and emphatic “GOO MORNY!”
On the way back Mike led us through a morning market three blocks from the hotel. This was not like the night markets in Hong Kong, all Coach purses and North Farse backpacks and iClone electronics; this market was the real deal. We stuck out like fur coats at a PETA rally: white, tall, decked-out in techie running clothes saturated with sweat, though comparatively much cleaner than the market denizens. It didn’t matter, and I really have to thank Mike for teaching me this lesson. We were there to experience the culture and be damned if we drew some funny glances.
The market seemed divided into three major areas: seafood, plants, animals; each section offering living or dead & butchered versions their product. What an eye opener, this was more raw (no pun intended) than anything I’ve seen in Asia, including our trip to Thailand. We didn’t have much time to browse, unfortunately, so we picked a straight tangent through and returned to the hotel. No time to go back, either, since we packed our bags and checked out that morning and have since relocated back to Shunde.
The schedule sucks. We’ve been working about twelve hours a day still, and most of those twelve hours are pretty boring. The positive is I am getting to blog again, something I friggin’ love but rarely prioritize these days. Anyway, good time to cut this off. Out.
8.21.2009
China2
China has chosen to block roughly 90% of the sites I really give a crap about, namely Blogger, Facebook, and YouTube. Any sort of proxy-dodging trickery only gets me as far as the login page. If I were an IT genius I could work around this, but for now I’ve hit a wall and am forced to save these words into WORD before sharing them with all my avid fans (heh heh).
Although this is my third trip to China, and it’s arguably similar in 99 out of every 100 details, I realize I left a few items off my “To-Bring” list. As a note to my future self, be sure to pack these next time you spend a half-month in Asia:
1) 300-grams Raw Psyllium Husk: Fibrous foods in China are harder to find than Christians at a James Dio concert. Having copious amounts of dried-down roughage would be beneficial.
2) Gum/Breath Mints: Killer spicy garlic eggplant causes killer spicy garlic eggplant breath.
3) Time-Keeping Device: Also known as a “watch”, these are critical when you normally use your cell phone for time keeping. These also prevent escalating tension between you and your travel mates.
4) Cell phone charger: If item3 is brought, this can be left at home.
5) Toilet paper: Tissues just don’t cut it, literally.
6) Napkins: See item 2. I don’t understand how to eat barbecued ribs of lamb with only tissues for cleanup.
7) Toenail clippers: Without properly groomed toenails, the massage girls are forced to bring in “man muscle”. You don’t want “man-muscle”.
8) Vocabulary: I need a working knowledge of the following words in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese:
No thanks, I’m full.
What kind of animal is this?
This is my natural hair color.
No, just a foot massage, thank you.
Real gym towel, please. Tissues don’t work.
Traffic-jam (related to item1, above)
This reminds me of Mad Max… Can I drive?
What percent/proof is this?
Free Tibet! (or…Tell me about Tiananmen!)
Although this is my third trip to China, and it’s arguably similar in 99 out of every 100 details, I realize I left a few items off my “To-Bring” list. As a note to my future self, be sure to pack these next time you spend a half-month in Asia:
1) 300-grams Raw Psyllium Husk: Fibrous foods in China are harder to find than Christians at a James Dio concert. Having copious amounts of dried-down roughage would be beneficial.
2) Gum/Breath Mints: Killer spicy garlic eggplant causes killer spicy garlic eggplant breath.
3) Time-Keeping Device: Also known as a “watch”, these are critical when you normally use your cell phone for time keeping. These also prevent escalating tension between you and your travel mates.
4) Cell phone charger: If item3 is brought, this can be left at home.
5) Toilet paper: Tissues just don’t cut it, literally.
6) Napkins: See item 2. I don’t understand how to eat barbecued ribs of lamb with only tissues for cleanup.
7) Toenail clippers: Without properly groomed toenails, the massage girls are forced to bring in “man muscle”. You don’t want “man-muscle”.
8) Vocabulary: I need a working knowledge of the following words in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese:
No thanks, I’m full.
What kind of animal is this?
This is my natural hair color.
No, just a foot massage, thank you.
Real gym towel, please. Tissues don’t work.
Traffic-jam (related to item1, above)
This reminds me of Mad Max… Can I drive?
What percent/proof is this?
Free Tibet! (or…Tell me about Tiananmen!)
8.18.2009
Pond Skipper
I was in a Marvel mood, of sorts. Presented with some 30+ movies on the 13-hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, I opted for back-to-back showings of high-action low-brow super hero-style entertainment. The Watchmen got me from California to British Columbia; Wolverine from BC to Sitka; Keanu and his Matrix Evolution from the Aleutians to Korea, then IronMan from Taiwan to HK. Sprinkled between these testosterone-saturated films I chuckled to bits and pieces of The Flight of the Conchords (precioso) and a Paul Rudd film (letdown).
I am feeling more caught up now, in regards to recent blockbusters. I am also beginning to feel more caught up with sleep despite the jet lag that always works me over for a few days when crossing the pond. I was in desperate need of rest, and ironically a trip to China is just what I need. Confused? Well, the last couple of days/weeks/months have been torching the candle at both ends, as they say; to the extent that I have had a lingering sinus infection and a seemingly stress-induced case of gingivitis. If you knew me, which perhaps you DO know me if you’re reading this, you know my begrudging motto is “thank you sir may I have another!?” when I get buried with to-dos… well this time has almost cracked me.
So in a very strange way I was stoked to learn I was headed to China with my boss for a two-week factory visit. I left the 12th of August and am now three days in. The miracle of freeze-dried coffee has carried me through these early days, each hour becoming more bearable as my brain and soul adapt to the time zone (fourteen hours later than Boise). Our purpose here is to oversee production of the 2010 line of products, solving some fabric design challenges in the process and introducing me to the international team. I knew going in this was a learning experience for me, yet I do wish I could contribute more to the issues we are battling. For the most part I’m a quiet observer, snapping pictures and updating the daily log to help the hours tick by.
China is China, just as I remembered it from last September (surprise!). Ironically our factory is perhaps a 45-minute drive from Ugobe’s old manufacturer. The weather is hot, sitting around 40-degrees C and who knows what percentage humidity, but we are caved-up in a relatively cool conference room meeting with team after team of fabric wizards. Yes, fabric wizards, imagine that if you dare.
I doubt we will have the opportunity to play tourist. For the most part trip is pure business: we arrive at the factory before nine AM and don’t leave before eight PM. We even eat dinner here! I managed to wake up a smidge early this morning to check out the “Gymnasium Health Centre” (note British spelling?) in the hotel. I lasted a mere 25-minutes on the treadmill as I’d forgotten to bring a towel and water was leaving my body in mass exodus and coating the belt and risking severe injury should I continue. There was no airflow. A hotel worker passed through, saw me, scurried out quickly and returned with a cup of water. I asked him “towel?” He pointed me to a box of Kleenex. I picked up a Kleenex, stuck it to my forehead, paused for a few seconds to let the situation really hit him, and asked him “bigger towel?” Response: “No bigger towel”. OK then, I’ll remember my room towel next time. Nevertheless it felt good to get the heart rate up in the name of caloric conflagration.
I will now relate some wisdom in the form of a parable. A few weeks back we ran out of dog food for McKinley and I ended up serving her three meals of rice and eggs before we went to the store and bought another bag of her normal diet. She loved the variety, loved it. Those three little meals spelled disaster for her digestive system for a solid week, and walking her around the neighborhood took on a whole new level of disgusting. Without going in to detail I’ll just say that I can relate to McKinley. Did McKinley love the new food and tasty spices I put in to the rice? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Not so much.
And so concludes my China update for now. It feels good to write, I’m sure I’ll do so again over these next few days.
I am feeling more caught up now, in regards to recent blockbusters. I am also beginning to feel more caught up with sleep despite the jet lag that always works me over for a few days when crossing the pond. I was in desperate need of rest, and ironically a trip to China is just what I need. Confused? Well, the last couple of days/weeks/months have been torching the candle at both ends, as they say; to the extent that I have had a lingering sinus infection and a seemingly stress-induced case of gingivitis. If you knew me, which perhaps you DO know me if you’re reading this, you know my begrudging motto is “thank you sir may I have another!?” when I get buried with to-dos… well this time has almost cracked me.
So in a very strange way I was stoked to learn I was headed to China with my boss for a two-week factory visit. I left the 12th of August and am now three days in. The miracle of freeze-dried coffee has carried me through these early days, each hour becoming more bearable as my brain and soul adapt to the time zone (fourteen hours later than Boise). Our purpose here is to oversee production of the 2010 line of products, solving some fabric design challenges in the process and introducing me to the international team. I knew going in this was a learning experience for me, yet I do wish I could contribute more to the issues we are battling. For the most part I’m a quiet observer, snapping pictures and updating the daily log to help the hours tick by.
China is China, just as I remembered it from last September (surprise!). Ironically our factory is perhaps a 45-minute drive from Ugobe’s old manufacturer. The weather is hot, sitting around 40-degrees C and who knows what percentage humidity, but we are caved-up in a relatively cool conference room meeting with team after team of fabric wizards. Yes, fabric wizards, imagine that if you dare.
I doubt we will have the opportunity to play tourist. For the most part trip is pure business: we arrive at the factory before nine AM and don’t leave before eight PM. We even eat dinner here! I managed to wake up a smidge early this morning to check out the “Gymnasium Health Centre” (note British spelling?) in the hotel. I lasted a mere 25-minutes on the treadmill as I’d forgotten to bring a towel and water was leaving my body in mass exodus and coating the belt and risking severe injury should I continue. There was no airflow. A hotel worker passed through, saw me, scurried out quickly and returned with a cup of water. I asked him “towel?” He pointed me to a box of Kleenex. I picked up a Kleenex, stuck it to my forehead, paused for a few seconds to let the situation really hit him, and asked him “bigger towel?” Response: “No bigger towel”. OK then, I’ll remember my room towel next time. Nevertheless it felt good to get the heart rate up in the name of caloric conflagration.
I will now relate some wisdom in the form of a parable. A few weeks back we ran out of dog food for McKinley and I ended up serving her three meals of rice and eggs before we went to the store and bought another bag of her normal diet. She loved the variety, loved it. Those three little meals spelled disaster for her digestive system for a solid week, and walking her around the neighborhood took on a whole new level of disgusting. Without going in to detail I’ll just say that I can relate to McKinley. Did McKinley love the new food and tasty spices I put in to the rice? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Not so much.
And so concludes my China update for now. It feels good to write, I’m sure I’ll do so again over these next few days.
6.13.2009
Rain
It is, let's see, the thirteenth day of June. I miss writing on this thing. Today is great day for blogging because the weather outside is a soggy mess. Spring/Summer in Boise this year has been goofier than normal, it seems, though I realize it's human nature to believe "this year is the craziest ever". But seriously, the weird weather patterns are messing with my internal clock; we had a heat wave roll through in early March that stuck around just long enough to trick me into summertime habits. Then it went away. The heat. All of it. Temperatures dove back down and we had a snowstorm or two, then the temps came back up but the moisture stuck around.
So here we are, mid June and soggy. Aside from some yard-work aspirations, the rain drops aren't standing in my way of any real objectives. It is Saturday after all, the best day of the week for going with the flow and filling unscheduled time with naps nibbles and cocktails.... Okay. I admit that I have a hard time really 'floating' through the weekend without creating some sort of task list, but Lauren is a pro and offers free lessons.
Lauren is outside right now, in the rain, with fur-monster McKinley. Or as we've been calling her of late: McDiculous, or McSkinley, McStinky... Lauren and the dog went on a little run downtown to see some of the multi-sport professionals transition from the bike to run leg in today's IronMan 70.3 event. I can't imagine having to race a 1/2 IronMan in today's weather. As Lauren so keenly noted, just think about the rashes you'd develop spending four to six hours in a saturated pair of lycra shorts. Yikes. Although I'm not (nor have ever been) a tri-guy, today is one day of many that I celebrate my retirement from road racing.
Headed to Alaska in a few weeks to see my mom and Bob. Lauren and I are departing on the sixth of July and meeting my sister, Jacob, and Corey en route. I can not wait. I haven't seen my parents since last Fall, and have never been to Alaska. The distance has been hard on all of us, certainly harder on me than I expected. In retrospect there was a subconscious feeling of security (and contentment) knowing that a mere 3.5 hour drive stood between us when they lived in Elko. I can't fight it, I have always been and will always be a total mamma's boy. So there.
Life is good overall. I still tend to get really bogged down in the minutiae of day-to-day challenges, be them work, marriage, athletics, whatever. At the bottom of it all I just want to kick ass: I want to be the best engineer my employer has ever hired, the best husband in any marriage ever consecrated, the most fit recreational mountain biker in the West. This constant pursuit of perfection is self destructive, it inhibits 1) appreciating the current state of affairs and 2) plotting out a meaningful course for the future. I mean seriously, why am I unable to relax and (as mentioned above) just go with the flow in life? Ah, crap, this blog entry is turning philosophical as is typical.
Lauren is back now. We're headed to Gerry and Toughan's house for a BBQ this evening so I better boogie. There are showers to be taken and cookies to be make(n?) before we depart. Later then.
So here we are, mid June and soggy. Aside from some yard-work aspirations, the rain drops aren't standing in my way of any real objectives. It is Saturday after all, the best day of the week for going with the flow and filling unscheduled time with naps nibbles and cocktails.... Okay. I admit that I have a hard time really 'floating' through the weekend without creating some sort of task list, but Lauren is a pro and offers free lessons.
Lauren is outside right now, in the rain, with fur-monster McKinley. Or as we've been calling her of late: McDiculous, or McSkinley, McStinky... Lauren and the dog went on a little run downtown to see some of the multi-sport professionals transition from the bike to run leg in today's IronMan 70.3 event. I can't imagine having to race a 1/2 IronMan in today's weather. As Lauren so keenly noted, just think about the rashes you'd develop spending four to six hours in a saturated pair of lycra shorts. Yikes. Although I'm not (nor have ever been) a tri-guy, today is one day of many that I celebrate my retirement from road racing.
Headed to Alaska in a few weeks to see my mom and Bob. Lauren and I are departing on the sixth of July and meeting my sister, Jacob, and Corey en route. I can not wait. I haven't seen my parents since last Fall, and have never been to Alaska. The distance has been hard on all of us, certainly harder on me than I expected. In retrospect there was a subconscious feeling of security (and contentment) knowing that a mere 3.5 hour drive stood between us when they lived in Elko. I can't fight it, I have always been and will always be a total mamma's boy. So there.
Life is good overall. I still tend to get really bogged down in the minutiae of day-to-day challenges, be them work, marriage, athletics, whatever. At the bottom of it all I just want to kick ass: I want to be the best engineer my employer has ever hired, the best husband in any marriage ever consecrated, the most fit recreational mountain biker in the West. This constant pursuit of perfection is self destructive, it inhibits 1) appreciating the current state of affairs and 2) plotting out a meaningful course for the future. I mean seriously, why am I unable to relax and (as mentioned above) just go with the flow in life? Ah, crap, this blog entry is turning philosophical as is typical.
Lauren is back now. We're headed to Gerry and Toughan's house for a BBQ this evening so I better boogie. There are showers to be taken and cookies to be make(n?) before we depart. Later then.
3.01.2009
Transitioning
I am officially one full week into my new job. YES, you heard it correctly. A few blogs back I mentioned an interview that I thought went decently, and indeed it did as I was offered the position soon thereafter. It was hard not to let the cat out of the bag at that point, but in this strange world where everyone and their mother has a blog and a Facebook account and a photoblog and... well, better to keep your blogging lips sealed until everything is official. That being said, take note if you happen to be job hunting. Staring at the resume of a prospective new hire, it literally takes a matter of seconds to find their personal blog. Even if your posting history and blog content is not directly condemning, it can be more revealing than you'd prefer. Just think about it. Looking back through my blog history, I tend to blog the most when I'm either really excited or really down; such entries would leave a stranger wondering if I ever have any normal days or if I'm up and down all the time. I wonder the same thing at times, but that's not the point. So...
So let me tell you about the transition. My last day at the old job was Wednesday February 25th, which meant I had an effective four-day weekend before jumping in to the new gig on Monday. Lauren and I had one of the best mini-vacations in our history. She had to work Friday AM so we didn't hit the road until around noon, but by 1:30 we (Lauren, I, and McKinley) were unpacking our bags up at her family's cabin in Garden Valley. The weather that day, in that valley, was immaculate. Temperatures pushed 55-degrees F and there was a good layer of snow remaining from the storm a few days prior. the snow was incandescent under blazing sunlight and skies without a single cloud. We decided to run up the Middle Fork road to sit in some hot springs a few miles up. We drove as far as the snowmobile parking lot and packed some criticals into a camelbak and started running. Awesome.
We underestimated two things: the distance we would have to run and the glacial temperatures of the river we had to ford to reach the springs. The run was no problem; it was in fact exhilarating to be running in the sunshine and clean air. The water temp, however, was blindingly painful. Excruciating. But also empowering. Facing such a pure stimulus, in this case the inescapable pain of 33-degree water up to your knees, presents two options: deal with it or don't. Get across the river and receive the prize of six cascading pools brimming with hot water... or panic and head back to shore, cram your frozen toes into your running shoes and run the three miles back down to your car on blunt tree-trunks for legs.
We pushed on. Foot placement was critical since your bare, tingling soles were interfacing with riverbed rocks of all shapes and sharpness. I was on a mission and it still took almost two minutes to reach the other side. I looked back, expecting to see Lauren right behind, but immediately felt like a failed husband when I saw she'd climbed up onto a rock mid-stream and was on the verge of tears. What followed was a combination of positive goading and "for-your-own-good" shouting, I was trying to keep her from turning around and heading for the car. She was angry and a bit scared, but made it across with some help. Our dog was with us and barking like mad, sensing the charged emotion and also trying to warm herself up after having to cross the river herself. At about that time, my camera died, which is probably for the better since you readers would prefer not to see L and I naked (McKinley was naked too, but of course she's a dog and is always naked so is it worth mentioning?).
We soaked for about forty minutes before crossing the river again and running back down to the car. Had the ambient temperature been cooler such a river crossing, so far from the car, would have been not only painful but downright stupid and risky. But 55-degrees meant it truly was mind-over-matter. During our little soak the dog was going nutty... I'm sure some basic survival instinct in her walnut-sized brain was short-circuiting, wondering why on earth we'd be stripping down nudie to get into the water when there were ice chunks and snow all around. She stood at the edge of our pool barking and whining until Lauren managed to grab her around the neck and drag her in with us. I wish I had a picture of her expression. "OK, I'll be damned, this feels goooood." She bellied right down and sat beside us in our little pool. The trip back across the river was much better all the way around. I held Lauren's hand and we guided each other step by step. On the other bank I unfolded a towel onto the snow, and we stepped onto it in turn to dry our toes and put our running shoes back on. The run back down the road had our feet warm in no time.
We were exhausted that evening from the run and the general stress of such temperature fluctuation. I made some beans and rice and baked potatoes and we cuddled up to watch the classic Singin' in the Rain. If you have not watched the movie, you must. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds are grand, but Donald O' Conner steals the show. Those old classics are so pure and innocent.
The next day was all about skiing up at Tamarack near McCall, Idaho. Downhill skiing, at that! I've downhill skiied twice in my life, the last time was 1994 on a youth-group Church trip. Suffice to say I was a bit nervous, not about crashing as much as holding Lauren back from her adventures on the more advanced slopes. Lauren scored a family season pass by winning the Idaho State mountain bike championship last summer (she rocked it) which was held at the Tamarack Resort. ---> Side story: In order to claim ourselves as a family at the Tamarack ticket desk, we had to fabricate a daughter. So if you somehow hear that we are parents to a five-year-old girl named McKayla Elizabeth, you now know the truth, heh heh ---> Well it happened to work out perfectly; Lauren was more concerned about spending the day with me doing the sport she loves than getting in her own runs, and I miraculously found myself skiing pretty darn well for my first day (if I'm allowed to tout a little), mostly due to L's patient instruction. I had one major wipe-out really ring my bell, but it wasn't severe enough to chase me away. I loved seeing Lauren ski, and in some twisted way it felt good (for both of us) that she is ludicrously better than I am. Immensely better, she is amazing.
We ate dinner that night at a steak house there in Garden Valley, and like suckers neither one of us ordered a steak so no surprise the food wasn't all that great. Ordering a Cobb salad at a steak house is asking for trouble, akin to ordering root beer at a brewery, but I couldn't resist... the plastic cheese and crudely-sliced lunch meat topped a handful of romaine squares that'd seen better days. Regardless it hit the spot and we both slept well that night. We popped our eyes open the next morning, took a brief walk up the road, cleaned the cabin and headed back in to Boise. I spent the remainder of the day tying up lose ends and preparing for my new job, while Lauren dug in to her mountain of class work and lesson plans.
I feel like I should state something about my new job but I suspect this is pushing the readability limit already since I have rambled on about the weekend. I will save it for the next entry. In the meantime you can check out my new company here. Thanks for tuning in and swing in again soon for a blow-by-blow of my first real engineering job.
So let me tell you about the transition. My last day at the old job was Wednesday February 25th, which meant I had an effective four-day weekend before jumping in to the new gig on Monday. Lauren and I had one of the best mini-vacations in our history. She had to work Friday AM so we didn't hit the road until around noon, but by 1:30 we (Lauren, I, and McKinley) were unpacking our bags up at her family's cabin in Garden Valley. The weather that day, in that valley, was immaculate. Temperatures pushed 55-degrees F and there was a good layer of snow remaining from the storm a few days prior. the snow was incandescent under blazing sunlight and skies without a single cloud. We decided to run up the Middle Fork road to sit in some hot springs a few miles up. We drove as far as the snowmobile parking lot and packed some criticals into a camelbak and started running. Awesome.
We underestimated two things: the distance we would have to run and the glacial temperatures of the river we had to ford to reach the springs. The run was no problem; it was in fact exhilarating to be running in the sunshine and clean air. The water temp, however, was blindingly painful. Excruciating. But also empowering. Facing such a pure stimulus, in this case the inescapable pain of 33-degree water up to your knees, presents two options: deal with it or don't. Get across the river and receive the prize of six cascading pools brimming with hot water... or panic and head back to shore, cram your frozen toes into your running shoes and run the three miles back down to your car on blunt tree-trunks for legs.
We pushed on. Foot placement was critical since your bare, tingling soles were interfacing with riverbed rocks of all shapes and sharpness. I was on a mission and it still took almost two minutes to reach the other side. I looked back, expecting to see Lauren right behind, but immediately felt like a failed husband when I saw she'd climbed up onto a rock mid-stream and was on the verge of tears. What followed was a combination of positive goading and "for-your-own-good" shouting, I was trying to keep her from turning around and heading for the car. She was angry and a bit scared, but made it across with some help. Our dog was with us and barking like mad, sensing the charged emotion and also trying to warm herself up after having to cross the river herself. At about that time, my camera died, which is probably for the better since you readers would prefer not to see L and I naked (McKinley was naked too, but of course she's a dog and is always naked so is it worth mentioning?).
We soaked for about forty minutes before crossing the river again and running back down to the car. Had the ambient temperature been cooler such a river crossing, so far from the car, would have been not only painful but downright stupid and risky. But 55-degrees meant it truly was mind-over-matter. During our little soak the dog was going nutty... I'm sure some basic survival instinct in her walnut-sized brain was short-circuiting, wondering why on earth we'd be stripping down nudie to get into the water when there were ice chunks and snow all around. She stood at the edge of our pool barking and whining until Lauren managed to grab her around the neck and drag her in with us. I wish I had a picture of her expression. "OK, I'll be damned, this feels goooood." She bellied right down and sat beside us in our little pool. The trip back across the river was much better all the way around. I held Lauren's hand and we guided each other step by step. On the other bank I unfolded a towel onto the snow, and we stepped onto it in turn to dry our toes and put our running shoes back on. The run back down the road had our feet warm in no time.
We were exhausted that evening from the run and the general stress of such temperature fluctuation. I made some beans and rice and baked potatoes and we cuddled up to watch the classic Singin' in the Rain. If you have not watched the movie, you must. Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds are grand, but Donald O' Conner steals the show. Those old classics are so pure and innocent.
The next day was all about skiing up at Tamarack near McCall, Idaho. Downhill skiing, at that! I've downhill skiied twice in my life, the last time was 1994 on a youth-group Church trip. Suffice to say I was a bit nervous, not about crashing as much as holding Lauren back from her adventures on the more advanced slopes. Lauren scored a family season pass by winning the Idaho State mountain bike championship last summer (she rocked it) which was held at the Tamarack Resort. ---> Side story: In order to claim ourselves as a family at the Tamarack ticket desk, we had to fabricate a daughter. So if you somehow hear that we are parents to a five-year-old girl named McKayla Elizabeth, you now know the truth, heh heh ---> Well it happened to work out perfectly; Lauren was more concerned about spending the day with me doing the sport she loves than getting in her own runs, and I miraculously found myself skiing pretty darn well for my first day (if I'm allowed to tout a little), mostly due to L's patient instruction. I had one major wipe-out really ring my bell, but it wasn't severe enough to chase me away. I loved seeing Lauren ski, and in some twisted way it felt good (for both of us) that she is ludicrously better than I am. Immensely better, she is amazing.
We ate dinner that night at a steak house there in Garden Valley, and like suckers neither one of us ordered a steak so no surprise the food wasn't all that great. Ordering a Cobb salad at a steak house is asking for trouble, akin to ordering root beer at a brewery, but I couldn't resist... the plastic cheese and crudely-sliced lunch meat topped a handful of romaine squares that'd seen better days. Regardless it hit the spot and we both slept well that night. We popped our eyes open the next morning, took a brief walk up the road, cleaned the cabin and headed back in to Boise. I spent the remainder of the day tying up lose ends and preparing for my new job, while Lauren dug in to her mountain of class work and lesson plans.
I feel like I should state something about my new job but I suspect this is pushing the readability limit already since I have rambled on about the weekend. I will save it for the next entry. In the meantime you can check out my new company here. Thanks for tuning in and swing in again soon for a blow-by-blow of my first real engineering job.
2.02.2009
The Entourage Question
Having coffee with friends last night, we somehow got on the topic of being rich; filthy filthy rich, the kind that warrants forming an entourage to follow you around. Who would be in your entourage? We all took this question quite seriously, since we're all expecting to be ludicrously wealthy within the next few years (heh heh).This just might be one of those psychological/personality profiling questions, indicating not only your present perspective of the world but your underlying values as well. The rules were as follows:
1) Five creatures (men, women, or animals)
2) Creatures must be non-fiction (no cartoons or comic book heroes allowed, unfortunately)
3) Creatures may be living in present-day or deceased, though it is assumed you want the "living" version of the person in the entourage (what fun is a corpse to drag around)
4) Family members are not allowed
Some of our responses:
Lauren: Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Ashton Kutcher, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake
Gerry: Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken, Mr. T, The Flight of the Conchords (Brett and Germain count as one, we decided), and Conan O'Brien
Calvin: Motor-mouth Jones (Police Academy Movies), Christopher Walken, John Malkovich, McKinley (pet labrador), and the Dalai Lama
Analyze that list, if you dare. Obviously Lauren would be content for the rest of her life as long as she has five comedians around her coloring the world with humor. Gerry... well, Gerry obviously values being both funny and lethal at the same time. As far as my own list, I can only guess why Motor-mouth Jones made the list (in fact, he was the first person that came to mind... I haven't seen those movies in at least a decade. Hmmm). The remaining characters were chosen not for their disposition, but because I'd love to see them in an entourage role. By definition members of the entourage are privy to the indulgences of the head individual, but they are also cast into a strange subservient role. So think about it: McKinley and I wearing matching bling, Motor-mouth Jones teaching the Lama how to sound like a telephone, and the Walken/Malkovich duo just staring at eachother with those unblinking creepy stares that made them famous.
Strange thoughts on this Monday evening. Or as HS Thompson would say, "strange vibrations". That's probably enough for now.
1) Five creatures (men, women, or animals)
2) Creatures must be non-fiction (no cartoons or comic book heroes allowed, unfortunately)
3) Creatures may be living in present-day or deceased, though it is assumed you want the "living" version of the person in the entourage (what fun is a corpse to drag around)
4) Family members are not allowed
Some of our responses:
Lauren: Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Ashton Kutcher, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake
Gerry: Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken, Mr. T, The Flight of the Conchords (Brett and Germain count as one, we decided), and Conan O'Brien
Calvin: Motor-mouth Jones (Police Academy Movies), Christopher Walken, John Malkovich, McKinley (pet labrador), and the Dalai Lama
Analyze that list, if you dare. Obviously Lauren would be content for the rest of her life as long as she has five comedians around her coloring the world with humor. Gerry... well, Gerry obviously values being both funny and lethal at the same time. As far as my own list, I can only guess why Motor-mouth Jones made the list (in fact, he was the first person that came to mind... I haven't seen those movies in at least a decade. Hmmm). The remaining characters were chosen not for their disposition, but because I'd love to see them in an entourage role. By definition members of the entourage are privy to the indulgences of the head individual, but they are also cast into a strange subservient role. So think about it: McKinley and I wearing matching bling, Motor-mouth Jones teaching the Lama how to sound like a telephone, and the Walken/Malkovich duo just staring at eachother with those unblinking creepy stares that made them famous.
Strange thoughts on this Monday evening. Or as HS Thompson would say, "strange vibrations". That's probably enough for now.
2.01.2009
February, 2000 NINE?
Argh! (Think angry pirate, and forgive the amateur onomatopoeic reference). I am getting old. OLD, I tell you. I realize that 28 years of age is not too bad, really, and that just being born in the 80's by default labels me a spring chicken, but the rapid progression of time, the relentless march of the calendar, is disconcerting. I mean come on, February already? In the year 2009? Wasn't Y2K just a year or two back?
Nothing drills home your age like pop culture, specifically when you read about some awesome rock star you used to idolize having quad-bipass surgery or becoming a grandfather (or both). Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, is forty four years old now. 44! For some reason he shouldn't ever age beyond 29... Also related, my nephew is going to be 13 this year, and recently emailed me to request assistance with some tricky formulas in an excel spreadsheet. I'm over the hill, man.
Keeping on this theme of old(ness), I spent the majority of this weekend winterizing the house. The last gas bill was un-friggin-acceptable and I (like a crotchety, frugal ol' bastard) went to Home Depot and invested in a programmable thermostat, 12 sheets of Visqueen sheeting for the windows, a new tube of caulk-sealant, and roughly thirty feet of weather stripping. I now consider us fortified and properly sealed against the wintry conditions; but yes I feel like an old man. (side note: I managed to install said materials without suffering more than a light shock from the thermostat and a minor skin irritation from the caulk, nice!).
Life is good. No, really. My work situation is resolved and I'll have some good news to share in a few days once it's official.... stress, relief. The week was 100% awesome all the way around, check this out:
Monday: 45 minute run. Felt wicked-phenomenal
Tuesday: Coffee in AM w/ friend, successful progress on work project, 1.25 hr run .
Wednesday: Lift at YMCA, 2-4-1 margaritas at Cafe Ole' (like a moth to flame, I can not stop this weekly indulgence)
Thursday: 1 hour ride indoors, dinner at Gerg's house, Coffee at G&T's house
Friday: 1 hour ride indoors, homemade carnitas burritos at my house with Matt & Charlene
Saturday: 30-minute run, 1 hour bike ride, Thai food with Ron & Amy
Sunday: 40-minute run, 1 hour bike ride, blogging now
Ah... La vida completa. Social, epicurean, physical success. The only thing lacking is a good nap and my week is complete. I think I'll do that now....
Nothing drills home your age like pop culture, specifically when you read about some awesome rock star you used to idolize having quad-bipass surgery or becoming a grandfather (or both). Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam, is forty four years old now. 44! For some reason he shouldn't ever age beyond 29... Also related, my nephew is going to be 13 this year, and recently emailed me to request assistance with some tricky formulas in an excel spreadsheet. I'm over the hill, man.
Keeping on this theme of old(ness), I spent the majority of this weekend winterizing the house. The last gas bill was un-friggin-acceptable and I (like a crotchety, frugal ol' bastard) went to Home Depot and invested in a programmable thermostat, 12 sheets of Visqueen sheeting for the windows, a new tube of caulk-sealant, and roughly thirty feet of weather stripping. I now consider us fortified and properly sealed against the wintry conditions; but yes I feel like an old man. (side note: I managed to install said materials without suffering more than a light shock from the thermostat and a minor skin irritation from the caulk, nice!).
Life is good. No, really. My work situation is resolved and I'll have some good news to share in a few days once it's official.... stress, relief. The week was 100% awesome all the way around, check this out:
Monday: 45 minute run. Felt wicked-phenomenal
Tuesday: Coffee in AM w/ friend, successful progress on work project, 1.25 hr run .
Wednesday: Lift at YMCA, 2-4-1 margaritas at Cafe Ole' (like a moth to flame, I can not stop this weekly indulgence)
Thursday: 1 hour ride indoors, dinner at Gerg's house, Coffee at G&T's house
Friday: 1 hour ride indoors, homemade carnitas burritos at my house with Matt & Charlene
Saturday: 30-minute run, 1 hour bike ride, Thai food with Ron & Amy
Sunday: 40-minute run, 1 hour bike ride, blogging now
Ah... La vida completa. Social, epicurean, physical success. The only thing lacking is a good nap and my week is complete. I think I'll do that now....
1.27.2009
friggiggin cold
Twelve degrees outside right now. Twelve! My mom up in Alaska wouldn't think it cold, but twelve is the lowest we've seen for some time, maybe even this entire winter. It is nice not to be training for bike races as in years past, though I admit I've been darn-near as obsessive about other forms of working out lately. The more uncertain things become in life the more I cling to rigid, mapped-out agendas and physical activity. So yeah, lately I've been averaging about seven hours of bikes, two or three lifting sessions at the Y, and a sparse handful of jogs every week. I am staying sane. As far as the "uncertainties" mentioned above, things are going OK. I have had some great conversations with close friends and had the chance to redirect my energy over the last few days. I am feeling much better about the overall situation with work, life...
I'm all about the changing of the seasons, the yin-and-yang necessity of hot/cold wet/dry climate shifts, but this arctic chill makes me yearn for those immaculate 68-degree sunny days in springtime Boise. The winter is far from over and I can deal with that, but I can't wait to hit some camping trips with Lauren once her summer break begins. I just need to find a decent tent between now and then.
Off to work. Things are quite interesting in the lab this week, as most of our upper management are out and about scrounging up investor interest and cash to keep us afloat. Meanwhile all the engineers are keeping busy with random side projects as we've no official direction for the time being. Crazy.
I'm all about the changing of the seasons, the yin-and-yang necessity of hot/cold wet/dry climate shifts, but this arctic chill makes me yearn for those immaculate 68-degree sunny days in springtime Boise. The winter is far from over and I can deal with that, but I can't wait to hit some camping trips with Lauren once her summer break begins. I just need to find a decent tent between now and then.
Off to work. Things are quite interesting in the lab this week, as most of our upper management are out and about scrounging up investor interest and cash to keep us afloat. Meanwhile all the engineers are keeping busy with random side projects as we've no official direction for the time being. Crazy.
1.21.2009
Drunk! Pensive!
Here I am, a victim once again of Cafe Ole's two for one margaritas. I have had such a day, such a day, and I suppose my willingness to down four of those suckers plus one 22 oz. Guiness draught results from my interview today. I am feeling quite the mix of emotions. My interview went pretty good, fantastic in fact, but I can't help feeling like a douche for jumping ship when the ship is sinking at my job.
I do not think I should write too much, as I don't want to disclose more than I would on a normal (sober) occasion. Times are a' changing. Let's try to trust that all esta cambiando por lo bueno.
-Calvin
I do not think I should write too much, as I don't want to disclose more than I would on a normal (sober) occasion. Times are a' changing. Let's try to trust that all esta cambiando por lo bueno.
-Calvin
1.16.2009
Progresso
We had Casey, Rachel, Gerry and T over for dinner last night. It's the first full-blown Thanksgiving style meal I have ever made and I dare say it was easy... mostly because I cooked up the turkey the previous evening. It is nice having friends that don't mind re-heating turkey in the microwave as part of a dinner. But yeah, cornbread stuffing, Rachel's homemade cranberry sauce, gravy, brussel sprouts, roasted turkey, french bread, and mashed potatoes. Mighty fine.
So the title of this entry is not about the meals, as Progresso soup was not part of the menu, but rather in regard to progress being made on the job front. After posting my resume on a dozen job search/recruiter websites, the emails and phone calls are starting to trickle in for potential employment options. I'm actually behind, already, on returning a few phone calls to recruiters... my motivation isn't in full-force since most of the openings are somewhere in the dirty dirty south.
So the title of this entry is not about the meals, as Progresso soup was not part of the menu, but rather in regard to progress being made on the job front. After posting my resume on a dozen job search/recruiter websites, the emails and phone calls are starting to trickle in for potential employment options. I'm actually behind, already, on returning a few phone calls to recruiters... my motivation isn't in full-force since most of the openings are somewhere in the dirty dirty south.
1.15.2009
Pens
Poised to be a great day, I can feel it. It's about 7AM and I just got to work, so I can't type too long. I have in my hand a pack of brand spankin' new uni-ball vision pens, micro 0.5mm. This is nerdy engineer Calvin's selfish indulgence, comparable to the housewife purchasing a Lancome makeup case or the nephew snagging that Xbox game from Target... thank goodness for cheap thrills.
Pen in hand, I have a phone interview this morning at 10 o'clock. If it goes well, I'll type about it. If it goes poorly, I'll probably still type about it. New pens and potential job opps; good day indeed.
So Mr. Calvin... tell me what you're good at... let's hope it's phone interviews.
Pen in hand, I have a phone interview this morning at 10 o'clock. If it goes well, I'll type about it. If it goes poorly, I'll probably still type about it. New pens and potential job opps; good day indeed.
So Mr. Calvin... tell me what you're good at... let's hope it's phone interviews.
1.11.2009
You've reached the end of the internet...
So bored. So bored even the Internet can't boast anything to hold my attention. Thus I've turned to this blank pad of digital paper, perhaps I can dredge something entertaining out of my memory banks to make the time pass.
It's been a good weekend. Once I finally let myself relax, I got the recharge I've needed for weeks now. I even slept in until almost nine this morning (I know! friggin' crazy!). The highlight of the weekend was the epic run yesterday with McChunky, we were out and about for about 1 hr 50 minutes before calling it (an exhausted) quits. We did not run that entire time, mind you, but easily 90% of that entire time. Yahoo, it is really great to be running such distances. I picked an interesting winter to quit cycling; the weather here in Boise has been fluctuating radically and it's nice to have other options for fitness. Pretty much every day last week was a soggy, icy mess on the roads and I enjoyed hitting the gym instead of braving the conditions on a bike ride as in years past. Today, however, it is beautiful, and living the life of a cyclist in the off season wouldn't be too difficult. It's pushing mid-40 degree temps and the sun is even shining.
Later: Tuesday morning now. Sitting down at Dawson Taylor surfing the aforementioned Internet until a friend arrives. I'm not seeking entertainment on the web this morning, but am instead busy scouring international job boards for engineering opportunities abroad. I've been trying to find some sort of "engineers without borders" organization, something with a humanitarian twist that would pay the bills meanwhile scratching that itch of travel and adventure. So far my searching is fruitless.
There is, in fact, an actual Engineers Without Borders organization; but compared to Doctors Without Borders it looks like an amateur daycare business. I suspect I'm missing the magical search terms to make Google proffer the perfect website result. "engineer humanitarian", "engineer relief", "engineer aid", hmmm.... Any ideas let me know. Lauren and I have decided to start looking internationally for work and would prefer to augment rather than debase the local culture. For example, there are a significant number of opportunities in South America in the mining and oil industries... unless I ended up in R&D in one of those industries I just don't feel like it's worth the relocation.
But maybe. I don't know, things are tricky in this arena. Regardless, if you have any suggestions let me know. In addition to the international, warm-fuzzy careers I'm also of course looking for anything that would pay the bills when my current job tanks or chases me off. The good news in all of this is I am remarkably positive, energetic, and optimistic... which for mopey, pouty, dooms-day Calvin is a significant accomplishment. Wish me luck (and let me know if you need my resume ;)
It's been a good weekend. Once I finally let myself relax, I got the recharge I've needed for weeks now. I even slept in until almost nine this morning (I know! friggin' crazy!). The highlight of the weekend was the epic run yesterday with McChunky, we were out and about for about 1 hr 50 minutes before calling it (an exhausted) quits. We did not run that entire time, mind you, but easily 90% of that entire time. Yahoo, it is really great to be running such distances. I picked an interesting winter to quit cycling; the weather here in Boise has been fluctuating radically and it's nice to have other options for fitness. Pretty much every day last week was a soggy, icy mess on the roads and I enjoyed hitting the gym instead of braving the conditions on a bike ride as in years past. Today, however, it is beautiful, and living the life of a cyclist in the off season wouldn't be too difficult. It's pushing mid-40 degree temps and the sun is even shining.
Later: Tuesday morning now. Sitting down at Dawson Taylor surfing the aforementioned Internet until a friend arrives. I'm not seeking entertainment on the web this morning, but am instead busy scouring international job boards for engineering opportunities abroad. I've been trying to find some sort of "engineers without borders" organization, something with a humanitarian twist that would pay the bills meanwhile scratching that itch of travel and adventure. So far my searching is fruitless.
There is, in fact, an actual Engineers Without Borders organization; but compared to Doctors Without Borders it looks like an amateur daycare business. I suspect I'm missing the magical search terms to make Google proffer the perfect website result. "engineer humanitarian", "engineer relief", "engineer aid", hmmm.... Any ideas let me know. Lauren and I have decided to start looking internationally for work and would prefer to augment rather than debase the local culture. For example, there are a significant number of opportunities in South America in the mining and oil industries... unless I ended up in R&D in one of those industries I just don't feel like it's worth the relocation.
But maybe. I don't know, things are tricky in this arena. Regardless, if you have any suggestions let me know. In addition to the international, warm-fuzzy careers I'm also of course looking for anything that would pay the bills when my current job tanks or chases me off. The good news in all of this is I am remarkably positive, energetic, and optimistic... which for mopey, pouty, dooms-day Calvin is a significant accomplishment. Wish me luck (and let me know if you need my resume ;)
11.22.2008
Up Early, Saturday
The title explains the situation. It's the weekend but I can't sleep in, simply stewing too much on everything to allow sleep to wrap me in its weekend arms. If I step back and view things objectively, I really have an ideal mix of ingredients for the perfect life, yet (as is typical for me) I'm mired in stress about my job, my fitness, my family, my... who knows? Sometimes I can not even identify what I'm grappling against; a disconcerting thought to imagine feeling this way for no reason for the rest of my life.
Nah, there is at least a fleck of reason for my uneasiness. The ol' dream job I've bragged about in this very blog has shed roughly 70% of its workforce. Start up company that experienced meteoric growth then scaled back down when the cosmic explosion vacuumed in on itself. From an engineer's humble viewpoint, it looks like there are too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say, too many creatives at the top chiming in on what to pursue next with no ability to narrow down and prioritize. To give some credit where it's due, once our CEO was fired (at the end of June) our CFO jumped in and proclaimed a product to focus upon and we're still chugging forward on it... the problem now is the ridiculously fictitious deadline given our grossly reduced engineering team. Bah.
If the company goes under, obviously I'm out of a job. Not the end of the world but disturbing nonetheless on multiple levels. I really believe in my job; I believe in my work mates and I believe in our ability to push the boundaries of robot-human interaction. Much of my sadness emanates from such potential going unfulfilled due to such crap-ball leadership. Now, there's also the very frightening realization that finding another engineering job in Boise right now would be near-friggin' impossible. Micron is sloughing off engineers daily like unnecessary skin cells, and HP is operating at the fine knife-edge of efficiency after doing the same a couple months ago. I'd have more luck getting a job at Home Depot than in an engineering firm, though even that may be difficult if I don't dumb-down my resume in fear of over-qualification.
Woe is me, right (or... whoa! is me?, woisme). Pshh... I can quit my bitching. I think things are just snowballing and it's always been easier for me to feel suppressed than triumphant. On the positive side of life, um... my beautiful wife and I are really clicking and communicating better than ever (she's still in bed, snoring this very moment as if ascertaining my claims, bless her soul). I've started fabricating steampunk-style contraptions on the side with a group of friends, and I'm about nine classes in to this hot-yoga program down on State Street. Life's really not too bad.
I sure miss my family though. Alaska is a long ways away and the ailing airlines aren't making it cheap to travel lately. My sister made it up here last weekend and we had a blast, but such visits always make the gap apart more difficult. This Thanksgiving we have zero plans; I've joked (more like tested the waters, unsuccessfully) about cooking up a perfect 1/10th scale model dinner for Lauren and I, which I think is hilarious but no one else seems to. What do you think of this: a roasted quail or Cornish game-hen, baked in a shallow bread pan with a variety of teeny side dishes like mini-marshmallows (SwissMiss style) over candied yam(letts), side salad incorporating those little baby corns and breadcrumbs for croutons, a dollop of jelly representing cranberry sauce, and maybe a "spiral-cut" piece of summer-sausage in representation of honey-cooked-ham. Hmm? We could arrange little Lego men around the food and watch their unblinking eyes stare in disbelief of such a feast. No?
The dog is snoring now, in stereo with my beautiful wife, and I'm going to go roll them both over. I feel better, somehow, having whined a bit. Later then.
Nah, there is at least a fleck of reason for my uneasiness. The ol' dream job I've bragged about in this very blog has shed roughly 70% of its workforce. Start up company that experienced meteoric growth then scaled back down when the cosmic explosion vacuumed in on itself. From an engineer's humble viewpoint, it looks like there are too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say, too many creatives at the top chiming in on what to pursue next with no ability to narrow down and prioritize. To give some credit where it's due, once our CEO was fired (at the end of June) our CFO jumped in and proclaimed a product to focus upon and we're still chugging forward on it... the problem now is the ridiculously fictitious deadline given our grossly reduced engineering team. Bah.
If the company goes under, obviously I'm out of a job. Not the end of the world but disturbing nonetheless on multiple levels. I really believe in my job; I believe in my work mates and I believe in our ability to push the boundaries of robot-human interaction. Much of my sadness emanates from such potential going unfulfilled due to such crap-ball leadership. Now, there's also the very frightening realization that finding another engineering job in Boise right now would be near-friggin' impossible. Micron is sloughing off engineers daily like unnecessary skin cells, and HP is operating at the fine knife-edge of efficiency after doing the same a couple months ago. I'd have more luck getting a job at Home Depot than in an engineering firm, though even that may be difficult if I don't dumb-down my resume in fear of over-qualification.
Woe is me, right (or... whoa! is me?, woisme). Pshh... I can quit my bitching. I think things are just snowballing and it's always been easier for me to feel suppressed than triumphant. On the positive side of life, um... my beautiful wife and I are really clicking and communicating better than ever (she's still in bed, snoring this very moment as if ascertaining my claims, bless her soul). I've started fabricating steampunk-style contraptions on the side with a group of friends, and I'm about nine classes in to this hot-yoga program down on State Street. Life's really not too bad.
I sure miss my family though. Alaska is a long ways away and the ailing airlines aren't making it cheap to travel lately. My sister made it up here last weekend and we had a blast, but such visits always make the gap apart more difficult. This Thanksgiving we have zero plans; I've joked (more like tested the waters, unsuccessfully) about cooking up a perfect 1/10th scale model dinner for Lauren and I, which I think is hilarious but no one else seems to. What do you think of this: a roasted quail or Cornish game-hen, baked in a shallow bread pan with a variety of teeny side dishes like mini-marshmallows (SwissMiss style) over candied yam(letts), side salad incorporating those little baby corns and breadcrumbs for croutons, a dollop of jelly representing cranberry sauce, and maybe a "spiral-cut" piece of summer-sausage in representation of honey-cooked-ham. Hmm? We could arrange little Lego men around the food and watch their unblinking eyes stare in disbelief of such a feast. No?
The dog is snoring now, in stereo with my beautiful wife, and I'm going to go roll them both over. I feel better, somehow, having whined a bit. Later then.
11.14.2008
Halloween 08
For Halloween this year I wanted to be Kip from Napoleon Dynamite. The results you see are, obviously, far from Kip... but hilarious nonetheless. We threw a good pre-party with a close small group of friends. Not too shabby.
Life's been decent. Things at work are somewhat shaky but I'm rolling with the punches. Lauren's kicking serious butt in school and I've transitioned out of riding and into running/lifting/anything. More detailed update on its way because, well, why not.
7.11.2008
Bike racing, parts two, three, four....
I realize I never got to the "Part Two" of my bike racing recount. I had a pretty good chunk of it written but ended up scrapping the whole thing for various reasons. Part two was set to summarize the Elkhorn Cycling Classic over in Baker City, Oregon, where we finished 2nd and 3rd in GC and I had a couple really great rides. But now, all of that seems so very far away and somewhat trivial during this NRC race in Bend, Oregon. Come to think of it, this is the first NRC race I've hit since Tour of Utah in 2006; to say that I'm being humbled is an understatement.
I have good fitness. Nearly great fitness, in fact. And yet I've been barely cracking the top 1/2 of riders in the past couple of stages. The Prineville Road Race on Wednesday, 83-miles in distance, was over and done in about 2 hours and 50 minutes. You can check my math here, but that equates to roughly 29.5 mph average speed... like trying to keep pace behind a motorbike with zero room for error. Santiago Botero won the stage and hence took the overall lead (you remember Botero, right?) I finished a couple of minutes down. I had made a commitment to get in a break early on, which worked out and didn't work out. I was involved in two really solid breaks that looked primed to stay away, but for who knows what reason we got brought back each time. Proof pudding can be found here, and here. I had a very poorly timed mechanical that required stopping, getting off of my bike, and manually "adjusting" my front derailleur and chain, maybe 1 km before the only major climb of the day. It was a bummer.
Yesterday, that is Thursday, I felt 10x better and was sure that I'd cracked the top fifty riders at the hilltop finish. I again tried to place myself in a breakaway but (dang it) I missed the one that went. I decided to just sit in the group, focus on efficiency and fueling and give it a go on the finishing climb. It was a rad stage and I felt like a protagonist instead of just a survivalist; I was even up in a move with a Bissell, HealthNet, Toyota United, and Type1 pro while blazing through the town of Sisters. When we hit the climb I set a good pace and dieseled up for a respectable finish....
Well it turns out that my respectable finish was about 70th place. Unbelievable. I think what has me bajito (a tidbit down) at the moment is that leading into this event I 1) underestimated the level of these top-drawer professionals and 2) overestimated my own level. I'm not throwing in the towel, nor am I spiraling down into some pity-party; but I don't feel like I was being realistic. These guys do this for a living, and it shows. So right now I'm juggling a whole lot of feelings; when I step back mentally and think of my fitness versus theirs, I am not intimidated nor feel any sort of confused frustration over the disparity. Instead, I feel that the difference between us is a result of miles logged in racing and training, and that is all.
Now, if I scale that thought back one more level and consider the big-picture balance of life, I am pleased and satisfied in the wonderful mix I've obtained. I love Lauren, I love my job, we have an amazing house and dog and a cute little Jetta wagon to drive. I would not relinquish any of those to go 20-spots faster in an NRC event... but I tell you what (and this is the struggle), I'm very much removed from my bubble of satisfaction right now. I'm here in Bend and it's all about bike racing and I love it but I'm frustrated. How's that for a mired mess of conflicting thoughts?
This morning is a time trial. I like time trialing and I think I can turn the screws on some of those skinny kids that have outclimbed me over the past two stages. Tonight is a crit, and ditto on the screw turning. They can exact their revenge tomorrow when we crest over Mt. Bachelor, twice.
-Calvin
I have good fitness. Nearly great fitness, in fact. And yet I've been barely cracking the top 1/2 of riders in the past couple of stages. The Prineville Road Race on Wednesday, 83-miles in distance, was over and done in about 2 hours and 50 minutes. You can check my math here, but that equates to roughly 29.5 mph average speed... like trying to keep pace behind a motorbike with zero room for error. Santiago Botero won the stage and hence took the overall lead (you remember Botero, right?) I finished a couple of minutes down. I had made a commitment to get in a break early on, which worked out and didn't work out. I was involved in two really solid breaks that looked primed to stay away, but for who knows what reason we got brought back each time. Proof pudding can be found here, and here. I had a very poorly timed mechanical that required stopping, getting off of my bike, and manually "adjusting" my front derailleur and chain, maybe 1 km before the only major climb of the day. It was a bummer.
Yesterday, that is Thursday, I felt 10x better and was sure that I'd cracked the top fifty riders at the hilltop finish. I again tried to place myself in a breakaway but (dang it) I missed the one that went. I decided to just sit in the group, focus on efficiency and fueling and give it a go on the finishing climb. It was a rad stage and I felt like a protagonist instead of just a survivalist; I was even up in a move with a Bissell, HealthNet, Toyota United, and Type1 pro while blazing through the town of Sisters. When we hit the climb I set a good pace and dieseled up for a respectable finish....
Well it turns out that my respectable finish was about 70th place. Unbelievable. I think what has me bajito (a tidbit down) at the moment is that leading into this event I 1) underestimated the level of these top-drawer professionals and 2) overestimated my own level. I'm not throwing in the towel, nor am I spiraling down into some pity-party; but I don't feel like I was being realistic. These guys do this for a living, and it shows. So right now I'm juggling a whole lot of feelings; when I step back mentally and think of my fitness versus theirs, I am not intimidated nor feel any sort of confused frustration over the disparity. Instead, I feel that the difference between us is a result of miles logged in racing and training, and that is all.
Now, if I scale that thought back one more level and consider the big-picture balance of life, I am pleased and satisfied in the wonderful mix I've obtained. I love Lauren, I love my job, we have an amazing house and dog and a cute little Jetta wagon to drive. I would not relinquish any of those to go 20-spots faster in an NRC event... but I tell you what (and this is the struggle), I'm very much removed from my bubble of satisfaction right now. I'm here in Bend and it's all about bike racing and I love it but I'm frustrated. How's that for a mired mess of conflicting thoughts?
This morning is a time trial. I like time trialing and I think I can turn the screws on some of those skinny kids that have outclimbed me over the past two stages. Tonight is a crit, and ditto on the screw turning. They can exact their revenge tomorrow when we crest over Mt. Bachelor, twice.
-Calvin
6.24.2008
Bike Racin' Part One
All right, I know I try to avoid purely cycling-related posts, but things are just going to well not to share it with my fans (hah! shouting into the vacuum). These past couple weekends have presented some great rides for me and my team, and since this is a personal blog I'll take the opportunity to embrace, and embellish upon, my personal rising fitness.
I was worried about my China trip and its potential effect on training, but if it set me back it is all but undetectable. In fact, I suspect that such a respite from intense training allowed the fitness to ferment somewhat. I touched back down in the states on Saturday afternoon. An easy ride that day and the next prepped me for an intense week of leg-ripping intensity (my own legs, for time being). Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday were interval days and the jet lag made for some rough sensations.
That following Friday evening was the Tour of Eagle criterium. Being a few blocks from where I work, I could not resist the temptation to invite the entire Ugobe workforce down to the event. In the end, a handful of them showed up and suffice to say they now view me in a different light (strange to see someone in a tucked-in button-up shirt and slacks every day, then suddenly tight lycra and tech-wear the next). Back in the day I feared friends and family seeing me race and felt a lot of pressure to perform. Not so anymore; I suppose I realize they don't care so much about my results; I also feel a heck of a lot more confident in general.
So I won the criterium! I'm still waiting for some pictures to appear, when they do I'll make sure to post them. We raced VERY well as a team and had the victory in the bag a few times with at least two guys up the road each time. For various reasons each break got brought back until I went with about 8 laps remaining. My personal hero story stems from a broken derailleur cable I suffered 10-minutes in to the 45-minute race. Having to race in my hardest gear for those 35 minutes made me re-think how I race crits... you simply can not afford to scrub any speed unnecessarily; it is much to difficult to re-accelerate. It made for some difficult strategery, as local pro Remi M. was paying a lot of attention to anyone with good legs. When I went I went super hard and opened up a large gap in a lap. The race was actually neutralized with two laps remaining due to a massive, severe crash in turn one; fortunately no one was injured beyond some road burn and a concussion. At that point I had about 2/3 of a lap's advantage on the main field and was awarded the win. Yahoo!
That night was also the onset of Ron Miller's bachelor party weekend; following the crit I ventured downtown to the Balcony, then to the Neurolux. Five mixed drinks and approximately 4000 dance moves later Lauren and I walked back home to our North End cottage and called it a night. A 3:00 AM bedtime wasn't ideal for recovery but was ideal for the soul. I went up to Sun Valley with Ron and his cronies the next day and logged some beautiful mountain bike rides, marvelling at some great legs juxtaposed with my rusty technical skills! My shins are still bumped and bruised 10 days later.
6.13.2008
China Notes: June 2008
I kept meaning to post some of these. So, well, here you go:
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China: En Route
Somehow I figured I would last a bit longer before fully cracking. Not so. It's about midnight, Boise time, though I can not tell you the exact “World Time” since we're somewhere off the coast of Japan and the International Date Line gets pretty screwy. I do know that we're scheduled to touch down in Hong Kong around 6:30PM Sunday evening; that should be about four hours from now, though who knows.
The trip has gone pretty well so far. We are just beginning. I woke up crazy early this morning to finish packing and to sneak out for a snappy little mountain bike ride. It was a phenomenal way to start the day! I had forgotten just how beautiful the Boise foothills are on early summer mornings. That faint whiff of dew and sage, ~60-degrees F, and the crisp pinched-yellow morning light. I took a quick lap around the Corrals loop, really going for it ascending and descending. Anyway, got back from the ride, gathered up my belongings, and rode with Holly to the airport. Since then has been pretty standard; standardized boredom: board plane, taxi, sit on runway, head back to gate to adjust cargo weight and distribution (wha?), fly, fly fly. The leg from Boise to San Francisco was delayed an hour plus we had to go into a “holding pattern” for another twenty minutes above SFO before landing. Good news is that the layover was shorter than it could have been.
And yes, I'm aboard a wicked-huge aero-plane now, flying non-stop to Hong Kong. Seven thousand five hundred miles in one big 14-hour chunk. I actually thought we were scheduled to arrive Monday morning and subsequently head straight to meetings. Thank goodness I was mistaken and we will have a full night's rest in the hotel to prepare for Monday's chicanery. All I have to do is survive the next four hours. I am praying for a more entertaining movie this next round. So far we've watched The Golden Compass (might have been cool but the sound was screwed up), 27-dresses (yank), The Water Horse (AKA Free Willy Redux), and finally Jumper. I thought I had more movies on this work laptop but I'm down to a couple favorites. I guess I'll have to watch Idiocracy again... not too shabby.
Fun fact about Calvin's first trip to China: I'm wearing compression socks and leggings. Yessir, you know those god-awful flesh-toned knee-high socks that big ol' ladies wear to fend off varicose veins or diabetic distress? Yeah, I got a pair. Pooling blood in the feet and legs equals trouble for athletes. Another fun fact or two: I've eaten three apples in the last two hours, mostly due to boredom! Exit row seating is not all it's cracked up to be (passengers are stretching and loitering two feet from my face this very instant). Liquor drinks are free on this flight (not sure if that's a standard United Airlines international thing or what) though I'm flying sober tonight.
Lots to share over the next week and I plan on writing a ton.
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China #2
Yeah! Brief little breather between meetings, good time to update. I'm currently sitting in “Meeting Room Number2” in one of the hundreds of buildings at FoxConn's Gongguan campus, killing some time until we head out to gorge ourselves over another seven course meal. This campus is the very same that manufactures the iPod, iPhone, and iWhateverElse though there's no way in hell any of us will see that production floor. FoxConn is a gargantuan manufacturer for a reason: they are very serious indeed about product confidentiality; no exceptions.
I am having a very good time. Overall I feel that my visit to Thailand in September inadvertently prepared me for Asian exposure; that's a good thing and a bad thing. Nothing seems shocking or out of the ordinary here as compared to Thailand. Tons of people all over the streets, constant construction on all roads buildings and storefronts, zany drivers (no traffic rules), and some goofy foods for breakfast lunch and dinner. So yes, it's good that I feel plenty comfortable and settled in, but bad that I'm not experiencing that “oh my gosh everything is so crazy” newness.
I have not gotten to see much since we arrived. We flew in around six thirty on Sunday night, had to go through customs three times (leave airport, leave Hong Kong, enter China), then drive another 40 minutes to our hotel. By the time we got to the Goodview Hotel it was 9:30PM and I hadn't slept for 30 hours! I could seriously rant about the customs program in Hong Kong, but I'll save that for another day. The point is, by that hour on Sunday evening I was not in the mood to wander around the hotel to suck in some culture. I just laid in bed, watched Chinese MTV for a few minutes (priceless), ate a granola bar and some fruit, and konked out.
I think I slept maybe 5 hours that first night. Jetlag is a brutal phenomena. At 2:30 AM I actually got up, brushed my teeth, and popped my contacts back in before waking up enough to realize I was out of my freaking mind and needed to continue sleeping for a few hours. Same thing nearly happened two hours later. At 5 AM I finally just got up and surfed the net until the gym opened. I was worried that I'd have no means by which to exercise, as I've been on business trips before that resulted in all food and no caloric expenditure, but this weight room is just fine. Each morning I've had the StarTrac lifecycle all to myself. Two things would improve it, however, namely 1) if I'd remembered to bring my iPod and 2) just a teeny bit (anything give me a morsel) of airflow. Oh yeah and maybe if I could read Mandarin and run the control for the TV.
The Goodview Breakfast buffet is pretty gourmet, reminding me much of a hotel Lauren and I experienced in Krabi. I really dig having Dim Sum for breakfast along with a bowl of rice krispies and some lychees. OK, I don't necessarily love those things every morning; I'm saying that I love the variety. Pancakes, egg roles, pickled eggs, green salad, fruit compote, fried noodles, twinkies, bacon. All for breakfast? Yes please.
Later: FC took us all out to dinner tonight. Crazy thing I ate was a chicken foot. Not too bad, but not worth the act. Lots of effort to pull the meat off the bone, not really worth the trauma encountered when putting a cadaver-esque wiggling appendage in your mouth. Spitting phalanges out is a little weird. Else dinner was awesome and of course excessive. Here was the flow: sit down, drink beer, eat peanuts and pickled green mango, Jasmine tea, beef dish Sezhuan style, bok-choy soup, marinated muscles, sweet and sour cod, glazed duck, ginger chicken, marinated tofu....
....eggy soup, garlic rice noodles with scallops, curried seafood with potatoes, buttered broccoli... sheesh.
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China #3
Thursday now, still hanging out at FoxConn. Big breakthrough at the gym last night when I finally deciphered the remote control, not only managing to turn it on but also locating the Discovery Channel amongst the 80+ Chinese channels. Yeah! An hour on the elliptical trainer goes WAY faster when you're not just staring at a paneled wall in front of you. Unfortunately the Disco channel was broadcasting this tribal documentary that really bummed me out.
Great progress on our project, too. All of the gears and gear boxes arrived last night; Kim-yung made some poor peon stay here all night assembling the pieces so we could evaluate today. I asked who it was that stayed, wanting to offer my appreciation and pity, but they actually let him take the morning off to recover. They are not as monstrous as I'd heard many Chinese manufacturers can be. It's quite the trip to see the difference between their first-generation prototypes and our own; funny the difference it makes when you have 5x the number of product development employees and 10x the amount of resources. I'd share more details but don't want to let much out of the bag. Not yet at least.
Speaking of secrecy, it is killing me to be SO close to Apple's iPhone production line but not have the opportunity to check it out. In fact, I doubt I'll get to see a single manufacturing assembly operation while I'm here. Wha? Not the purpose of our trip, but I can't believe I am here and won't see anything. We did have the chance to tour FC's testing facilities yesterday which was entertaining/educating, but I'd heard so much about these rooms with 10,000 19-year-old kids standing shoulder to shoulder assembling parts almost too small to see.
I've just learned that our dinner tonight will take place in a bustling city some 20 miles from here. I can't remember the name but I'll let you know later; point is that we'll hopefully be eating light then hitting the streets to do some light shopping. Yeah, finally!
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4.27.2008
Sunday evening notes
We'll see how many words I get down before the battery dies. Or before my brain dies. I'm a bit fatigued at the moment. The fourth and final race of the Lyle Pearson Spring Series (road racing) wrapped up out in Emmett a few hours ago. Good ride but oh my goodness I'm cross-eyed now.
Looking back, I haven't updated in some time. I've been "journaling" somewhat on my own, electronically, but have not felt the urge to post anything. I read a funny stat in Esquire magazine about "the ratio of blogs to humans rapidly approaching 1:1". That summarizes it; I can not claim to be an original blogger, as I hopped on the trend and followed the example set forth by a prior team mate back in the day. Now, however, everyone and their dog has a blog. It has changed the dynamic of living.
Case in point: by approximately 10 PM tonight I should be able to read a minimum of seven distinct perspectives on today's race posted by participants on their personal blogs. The allure of blogs is the intimate soul-dump that occurs, unclouded by any fear that others will challenge your personal point of view on various topics. That illusion of privacy, of this being a personal journal, really allows you to put your foot in your mouth.
Looking back, I haven't updated in some time. I've been "journaling" somewhat on my own, electronically, but have not felt the urge to post anything. I read a funny stat in Esquire magazine about "the ratio of blogs to humans rapidly approaching 1:1". That summarizes it; I can not claim to be an original blogger, as I hopped on the trend and followed the example set forth by a prior team mate back in the day. Now, however, everyone and their dog has a blog. It has changed the dynamic of living.
Case in point: by approximately 10 PM tonight I should be able to read a minimum of seven distinct perspectives on today's race posted by participants on their personal blogs. The allure of blogs is the intimate soul-dump that occurs, unclouded by any fear that others will challenge your personal point of view on various topics. That illusion of privacy, of this being a personal journal, really allows you to put your foot in your mouth.
1.25.2008
Racing 2008
A few of you have asked (OK, just one person, and they're family but I still feel special) what team I'll be riding for next year:
http://www.teambobs-bicycles.com/
I don't think they'll have anything posted until our big team camp/photo shoot in mid-February. Should be a good setup. Racing starts in about three weeks at a small event in Western Oregon...
http://www.willamettevalleycycling.com/cherry_pie/cherry_pie.html
More details to follow. The race is about 77 miles from the current residence of my aunt and uncle, so I hope to turn the race trip into a good visit. Thoughts?
http://www.teambobs-bicycles.com/
I don't think they'll have anything posted until our big team camp/photo shoot in mid-February. Should be a good setup. Racing starts in about three weeks at a small event in Western Oregon...
http://www.willamettevalleycycling.com/cherry_pie/cherry_pie.html
More details to follow. The race is about 77 miles from the current residence of my aunt and uncle, so I hope to turn the race trip into a good visit. Thoughts?
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