On Tuesday and Wednesday I chase my tail at work with models and simulations that are not working as I want them to. I just put my head down and keep debugging as best as I can. I get in an abdominal and lower back workout on Tuesday after work and a good session with the weights on Wednesday after work. Then I go work on websites and have teleconferences with people. As expected, there are very few comments on the website that we are to demo on Thursday for the past week. And then on Wednesday morning a comment comes in that an entire process is missing. Why did I expect something different? I point out that the process is there and I explain how to get there. And I stand my ground and say that unless you find fatal errors, we're not changing anything at the last minute - that is a receipe for disaster.
On Friday I start north on the Los Angeles river trail and meet up with Derrick. From there we turn around and ride back to the pier. And then back north again as Derrick heads for home against a strong headwind and I peel off at Del Amo to go home. When I get home I rake some leaves and pick some leaves up with the lawnmower and then deweed the front yard. After a shower Person Ti_Ca and I have lunch and then it is a slow day from there as I do some web programming.
On Sunday I start a bit early and meet Derrick well up on the Los Angeles river. We head down to the Long Beach pier and take a break and consume some Hammer gel and head back towards home. I feel strong from the Hammer gel and keep asking Derrick if this is fast enough. He agress that it is and we catch up to a number of riders that he can use to get home. I head for home at my turn off and Derrick teams up with some other riders to get back home to Montebello. After the ride I take a relaxing shower, lay in some supplies for the football playoff games, and relax as I watch the games. I'm skipping my responsibilities to work on web sites but I'll catch up later. Today is a great day because of the bicycle ride, the bright and warm sunshine, and the consumption of wine and other substances that make me incoherent. Life is very good! I also order a genetic sequencing and testing kit from 23andme.com in order to determine my risk factors for certain diseases as well as ancestral lines.
On Saturday I sleep in because it is supposed to rain. I sleep all the way until 7:15 am. I cannot remember the last time that I slept this late. The first thing that I do today is provide a spit sample to be sent off in the mail for genetic sequencing and testing. (I've kept an eye on personal genetic sequencing and watched as the price came down from $1000 to $399. I considered doing it at $399. But when I saw that it is now $99 - I had to do it.) In 4 to 6 weeks I should have all sorts of genetic sequencing information and possible ancestral information of my being. I run a few errands and make the last (I hope) of the changes to the website for Sunday and Monday's Chadwick Conference on Child Fatality and Maltreatment. There is a break in the rain so I jump on the mountain bicycle and start riding. The postman, who happens to have become my friend because he is from Cambodia, sees me and questions, "Bicycle riding in the rain?" All of the gates at the Los Angeles river trail are closed so I have to lift the bicycle and climb over the fence but I have a good ride. At the end I am very wet and the bicycle is wet and muddy. During the ride I see a lady riding while pulling her dog on a leash and I slow down and say, "I used to ride bicycles, skate, walk, and run with my golden retriever and he lived to be 16 years old. So keep getting your dog some exercise!" And I can see the enthusiasm in her eyes to prolong the life of her friend. When I get home I get a shower and wash the bicycle off (to get dirty soon on another wet ride). On Saturday afternoon I look over the web sites that we are supposed tot alk about at the Chadwick Conference and I don't see any bugs and I don't receive any phone calls, so it is a slow afternoon and evening.
Monday is the first day of the Chadwick Conference. We meet more people, show them our websites, discus way to work together, and then our team makes the presentation for the hospital connectivity software. I don't get to present (unlike last year) but I contribute to side discussions where possible. After the keynote address we introduce ourselves to the keynote speaker and talk with him about working together. And then we grab some finger food at the 6 pm social hour and then drive home.