On Tuesday I have a great morning at work but then production falls off as I start thinking about the trip. A couple of so-workers ask me for some data near the end of the day but I have to tell them that it will not happen until Monday. But Monday is fine for them. When I get home I do some last minute yardwork and finish packing as the neighbor will guve Person Ti_Ca and me a ride to the airport. Electronically I receive the results of my genetic testing - from the spit sample that I sent in the mail to 23andme.com. I don't have a chance to look through the results carefully because there is so much data. But I do notice that the genetic tests indicate that I am at a greatly increased risk of heroin addiction.
Person Ti_Ca take the red eye flight on Tuesday night to JFK airport in New York. We arrive at 5 am on Wednesday morning and take the AirTrain and the subway A-train to our hotel. Surprisingly the hotel lets us check in before 7 am. We go grab breakfast and take a quick nap before heading out to see Times Square, 5th and 8th avenes, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. By the time we are part way through the museum we are lagging so we grab a subway back to the hotel, have some food, and relax.
Person Ti_Ca and I start Thursday by walking down to Wall Street (and seeing where all of my money resides). Afterwards we talk a subway to 34th street and walk past Madison Square Garden and through Penn Station to get to the Empire State building. It has been 28 years since I've been to this building but the wait is reasonable. It's cold up at the top but we spend a fair amount of time gazing at the city and surrounding area. We take the subway back to the hotel for a dinner and relaxation. At 10 pm we're heading back out the door becase Person Ti_Ca wants to see the Empire state building at night. Our tickets allow a re-entry so we go back to the building and literally, almost, just walk right up to the elevators to go to the top. The night is clear and it's approaching midnight, so the view is bright and crisp and the weather is very cold. But we get our night picture from the top of the Empire state building and head for home.
We've made a noon reservation to see the Word Trade Center memorial, so we walk on over on Friday morning to que up. We get there early but even with reservations it takes us quite a while to get through the line (including security) and view the memorial. We grab a subway afterwards and go to the Museum of Modern Art. Person Ti_Ca is giving me the silent treatment now and so we (almost) are viewing the art as if we don't know each other. Unless Person Ti_Ca needs me to take his picture near some of the art that he likes. When we're both tired we ride the subway back to the hotel and have (not so good) Thai food for dinner. And then relax at the hotel.
On Saturday we get to the Guggenheim museum. I'm a bit disappointed in it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it didn't get there. Person Ti_Ca's back hurts from all of the walking, so he tskes a subway back to the hotel and grabs some of my Aleve. I take the subway to the Museum of Natural History and rush through it and sit in on a planetarium show. I'm tired also from all of the walking and actually doze off during the show. But I grab a subway and do some walking and relax at the hotel. Late in the evening Person Ti_Ca goes out with a friend of his from New York and I just relax and veg out and go to sleep.
Sunday starts with packing up and a boat cruise around Manhattan and out past the Statue of Liberty. It's cold on the boat but we get great pictures of the skyline and old buildings and the statue. And then we take arduous trip home - compounded with a leaking lavatory on the airplane that causes us to push away from the gate and go back for maintenance and then push off with one "out of order" lavatory. It's a long flight and I pass the time as best as possible. At one point I stand up and hit my head on the overhead bin - it's not a hard hit and doesn't even hurt. But a bit later I have a headache that persists throughout the flight. EVentually we get home with the ride from a neighbor and unpacking starts.
On Monday I feel like I'm in a fog but I'm very productive at work. In fact, I've done two major tasks early and before anyone else is at work. But I'm still in a fog and I'm wondering if it is from the headbang in the airplane. After lunch the fog lifts and by the time I get home to mow the lawn and trim the roses, I'm feeling okay. Person Ti_Ca and I do some homework and then I do a few minutes of web programming before deciding to wait for another day.
I get an early start on Tuesday because I have two problems to solve and I want to get them tackled. I'm riding the motorbike aggressivley and I look down and see 68 mph on the speedometer. Seeing that I'm on surface streets, I decide that this is a bit much and slow down until I get to the freeway. At work I solve my two little problems and work on others. Late in the afternoon I present some information to my co-workers and explain the results and everyone seems happy with the results quality and rigor. I ride on home and do some banking and then work on web programming. The next week or so should be the final push to get this site ready for final testing.
On Wednesday I continue a run of productivity with more good results and sharing with others. After work I get out on the mountain bicycle down to the pier and back. It feels good to be back cycling after about 9 days off a bicycle.
Thursday at work is spent mostly in meetings. I am bored and I doze off during one of the meetings. But I also make some good progress when I am not in the meetings. I get home and lift weights today with relatively light weights - trying to ease back into lifting and not load up the shoulder to much. Tonight I talk with two good friends who live close by but I haven't spoken with for a month or so - just our lives have not crossed lately.
I have a good start to Friday but then progress and my motivation comes to a halt. The afternoon is fairly unproductive and so I just go home. When I get home I work the abdominals and lower back, water some plants, trim some of the yard, and then bake some cornbread.
Saturday starts with a mountain bicycle ride to the pier and back. The legs feel strong and I hope they are ready for Sunday's longer ride. When I get home I edge and mow the lawn. It is still early, so I wash down the driveway with soap and water and try to remove a couple little oil stains. A warm shower feels good and now it is time for my (almost only) annual shopping trip. Person Ti_Ca comes along and we shoes and pants and drinking glasses and some garden supplies and badminton racquets and then we stop at the library for books. Saturday afternoon is a bit slow so I take a 60 minute nap. But I'm still a bit lazy afterwards and just talk with friends on the Internet and do some reading.
On Sunday's morning ride Derrick brings a friend with an all composite and electronic shifting bicycle. But I feel very strong today so whenever the pace drops a bit or whenever we start facing a headwind, I'm at the front pulling everyone along. I just feel so strong right now. It s a great ride! After the ride I help Person Ti_Ca with homework and then watch an exciting MotoGp race from Qatar with great battles throughout the field - my favorite ride ends up second after some overly-enthusisatic riding early that pushed him back to 7th in the order. This is going to be a great Motop GP season! In the afternoon when Person Ti_Ca goes off to lyy a kite with a friend I work on some small bugs in the website and clean up the roses.
Monday is a fairly productive day at work as I put together a presentation and try to get the backup data needed for it. When I get home the driveway gate is broken due to the high winds. So I fix the gate, water the impatiens, take care of a couple other little tasks, and finally get in a decent workout with the weights. Later Person Ti_Ca and I do homework and then I work on some web programming to finish out the evening.