Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, July 15, 2012 10:00 PM

July 4th


On Tuesday and Wednesday I sleep horribly, yet have productive days at work. On both nights I start off sleepig okay but then wake up and cannot fall back asleep. I toss and turn and think about things and rest. But I don't have much sleep. Nonetheless I have good days at work and do not feel drowsy at all. I work on some models and simulations and on Wednesday afternoon I get to a convenient stopping point to start a 4 day weekend. On both Tuesday and Wednesday after work I go walking and then try to catch up on paperwork and things at home.

July 4th starts with a long road bicycle ride. It feels good to be back on my own bicyle that fits me well. I meet up with Derrick and we ride to the Long Beach pier. We also run into another rider, Terry, and he turns and joins us for part of the ride also. After the ride I get cleaned up a run some errands - calling cards to asian countries purchased in CambodiaTown, food for the afternoon, and grocery supplies. When I get home I relax for a bit and then start some laundry and some light cleaning of the house.

Saturday starts with a long road bicycle ride where I meet up with Derrick again on the Los Angeles river trail. We've started a bit earlier today since it will be hot. Just as I make the observation that there are not many cyclists out yet today, we run into three separate but large groups of riders. After a shower I watch qualifying for the German Grand Prix and then I wash the inside of all of the windows. Throughout the afternoon and evening Person Ti_Ca and I do some homework and I watch the first mountain stage of this year's Tour de France. Otherwise it is a slow day.

I have a good day on Monday at work. I chase down some problems that I had at work last week with the models and simulations and keep making progress on my workload. A number of people want to hear about my vacation and after I tell them about the trials of traveling with a laundered and almost full passport, I don't get the chance to tell them all of the other good things that I did. After work I go home and do a fair amount of yardwork before going back inside to relax.

It turns out that Thursday, 7/11 day where 7-11 stores are giving away free slurpees, is a great day for me! I solve a difficult problem at work that I've been working on for a bit. When I get home I work on websites and solve another niggling problem that has halted progress. I get in a good bicycle ride also, but to top this great day off the stock market has a big run-up.

When I wake up the fog is diminished but still present. I hope that a long road bicycle ride will clear it up. I meet up with Derrick for the ride. We run into a mutal cyclist friend Terry and just as I am finishing up the ride I run into a co-worker and an ex co-worker. So I stop and talk with them for a bit and give them my phone number so that we can try and ride together. It's about a 45 mile ride for me but I can't remember much about it because the fog is still a bit present. After a shower I get on the motorcycle to ride up to La Canada to meet an expert on child abuse and infant mortality. Randy and Ruby are present and we have discussions among the group and decide where to go. And then I ride the motorbike home. It was good to ride the motorbike because one of the freeways is closed and it would have been a total mess in a car. When I get home I grab some food and watch the MotoGP race, the Mt Ventoux stage of the Tour de France, help Person Ti_Ca with homework, and then watch the Moto2 race. The fog is pretty much gone ad I throw out the cough medicine since my cough is pretty much gone (after one dosage) but it leaves my head in a fog.