On Tuesday it is supposed to continue raining with thunderstorms but I jump on the motorbike and ride to work. I hear thunder and see lightning in the distance but I make it to work to have a productive morning. The rain starts coming down pretty hard and during a break I go wrap the motorbike ignition in a plastic bag (since it previously exhibited some difficulties when rained on). I keep making progress on one set of tasks as I put off the frustrating tasks for later. After 3 pm I tell my boss that I'm leaving because I want to get home before another round of rain hits. I manage to get almost home before the rain starts and I get a bit wet for the last 10 minutes of the ride home. I have another great heavy session with the weights - this time working to one repetition sets for the pull muscle group. After a shower I bundle up in warm clothes and do some reading and remotely login to work to catch up.
On Thursday after another frustrating day at work, Person Ch_C picks me up and we go walking up an down Signal Hill 7 times. At the end we are both sweating hard and it is a great workout.
On Friday I leave work and mow the lawn and catch up on some paperwork for a while. Later in the evening I get in a great workout with the weights and then take a shower. Person T_U and I have talked about going out clubbing, but we don't talk until 9 pm and by then I'm ready to go to sleep. So we decide to try on Saturday.
Saturday starts with more rain in Long Beach (that was not in the forecast). I watch qualifying for the innaugural F1 race in Korea and enjoy the wild and close run for the pole - my favorite driver gettign the pole by less than 0.100 seconds. Since the roads are wet I update some finances and do system back-up work on the computer at home and then work the abdominals and lower back as I wait for drier times to go cycling. It's a slow day until about 3 pm when I get out for a gusty extended aquarium ride - it feels and smeels great along the Los Angeles river since it has just rained. When I return home I trim a couple overgrown bushes in the front yard (using the manual trimmer rather than electric ones since the grass is very wet). Early in the evening I call my friend in Thailand, Mr Tree, and we talk about my upcoming visit and the expected floods in Bangkok right now because of the recent heavy rains. Later I have discussions with Person T_U and when I say "I'm losing motivation to go out really fast" that decides the issue. I go to bed early and have a great sleep.
Sunday starts with the wild innaugural Grand Prix of Korea. There are torrential rains to start so the start is postponed and then the race is red flagged. When they get it going my favorite driver leads and never puts a step wrong. Except that 9 laps from the finish his engine drops and valve and he's done. I get out for the extended aquarium ride and feel very very strong today - I'm cranking along nicely and feeling like there is more. I spend a lot of the afternoon reading, catching up on some work, and watching football. In the evening there's a hint or two of thigh cramps, but I head them off by finding good neutral leg positions and relaxing the legs. I do some work on fatigue life before heading for bed to read and sleep.
Monday morning brings rain, so I get up a bit early and drive to work. I'm in my office before 6 am to get the day started and finish off the fattie life calculations and summary. It's a very productive day until we have a center-wide all hands meeting where we see that we are not in too much staffing trouble right now. After the meeting I leave work early (to beat the traffic since I drove) and I get in a great session with the weights. After a shower I relax and watch Sunday's recorded "Desperate Housewives" and then catch the football game.
On Tuesday Person Ch_C picks me up and we go walk/run up and down Signal Hill five times. We both are a bit tired and quit after 5 times instead of the 7 from last week. We go to a store after the walk/run and look at notebook computers (that are out of stock) and then I get home to relax.
I'm staying productive at work this week by helping other people out with their overflow work and avoid the frustrating, short-minded meetings at work. On Wednesday and Thursday I get in heavy sessions with the weights to work off frustration.
On Friday I watch practice for the Portugal MotoGP race (via the Internet) and then go out for the extended aquarium ride. It is just the most beatiful day with a bright sunshine warming things up but with a cool ocean breeze. I have a smile on my face for the entire ride. Afterwards I wax the rims on the Yamaha YZF-R1 and get down for a nap. Person Ch_C interruts the nap and we hang out for a bit before heading down to the ocean to try and catch the sunset (which we miss) and then we walk along the ocean until it gets too chilly. Person Ch_C heads for home and I get ready to meet up with Person T_U to go clubbing.
By the time I get near the clubs at 11 pm they are packed. There will not be any club hopping tonight - I probably couldn't get back into the designated club after leaving since it is so crowded. There are many good costumes this year except that I don't think the contest winner (who gets $350 for the win) should win just because it was a Lady Gaga theme. I thought the indian costume was better. Nonetheless the place is crowded and Person T_U and I have a fun time. As we are waiting for the traffic to die down outside the club after 2 am we strike up a conversation with a cute boy and girl who are both in very nice costumes. Person T_U gives out his phone number and then we each race on home. Except that the roads have more traffic than usual so the race is only up to 95 mph or so. When I get home I read for a while and then turn out the lights at 3:15 am on Saturday morning.
I wake up a number of time between 3:15 am and 7 am when I finally get up since it is raining. I enjoy listening to the rain come down when I know that I don't have to go anywhere in it and when I know it is just a short rain. I see that qualifying for the MotoGP and Moto2 races in Portugal have been cancelled due to torrential rains and electrical storms as I wait for the sun to come out, the air to warm up, and the pavement to dry to go cycling. On Saturday night Person Ch_C picks me up and we go hang out with friends and eat Thai food. I order medium hot and it turns out this is not hot enough. I'll know better next time at this restaurant.
Sunday starts with the MotoGP race from Portugal where my favorite rider leads for a while but drops off to finish second. I'm lazy this morning and it is cold, so I get in a heavy workout for the push muscle group. I read the newspaper and do a few other things until the middle of the afternoon when I get out cycling. I'm a bit lazy today, so I just crank along with an even pace and enjoy the bright sunshine and the wind. After a shower I watch the Moto2 race from Portugal and it, also, is a disaster for my favorites. Though I have offers to attend Halloween parties, I bundle up at home to stay warm and relax and go to sleep early.
Monday starts a period of blazing weather. Though it is November, the next three days are the hottest of the year - with Long Beach airport recording 100F on Wednesday. I'm productive at work on Monday and then have a great workout with heavy weights on Monday after work.