It's difficult to get back into the swing of things on Tuesday after four days off. We have some systems problems that caused my models and simulations to die before they finish, so I get some IT people to look into the issues. During an afternoon meeting my boss pulls up a document that I wrote back in September and it takes me a while to figure out what the conclusions were and what the plan forward should be. In the afternoon I have my annual performance appraisal with my boss and it is okay even though he keeps saying "You are the most valued member of our department". I leave work and have a great session with the weights and then start back into some web programming that has been silent for a couple of months. Needless to say it takes a while again to get back up to speed. On a whim after hearing about turmoil in Tunisia, I go searching for a former UCLA co-student and find an email address for him. So I send a re-introduction email and hope that he remembers me and that we an have intelligent discussions.
Needless to say I drag through Wednesday but actually get a few things accomplished - not high-powered tasks, but things on my to-do list that need to get done. We have a going away luncheon for another retiring lady and there are a few old faces to see again. Someday it will be my turn. After work I go walking for 35 minutes, stop in at the grocery store, and then go home to prepare for an 8pm teleconference.
The start of Saturday's ride is foggy but its a good mountain bicycle ride nonetheless. After the ride and a shower I take to road bicycle into the dealer for a tuneup since there is a clicking noise that should be attended to. I also order some hybrid tires for the spare mountain bicycle in the garage (on permanent loan from Person C_T) for Person Ti_Ca or visitors to ride. I also get to the lbrary and get Bobby Orr's autobiography to read (along with another book about killers who almost got away with there murders, but didn't). I should do some web programming, but I'm lazy today. I watch an old, silly movie and read almost half of the Orr autobiography before heading for sleep with a nasty headache.
On Monday at work I am just out of control. I start the day by going to the bathroom and, unshaven, I gel my hair to point at weird angles. I call it my heroin hangover look. And when we have our staff meeting I've saved a couple of jokes that just bring the house down. People ask me afterwards how I think about these things and I just let them know that we have to be "thinking outside the box". When I get home I have a super workout with heavy weights. Today's workout feels good and is not as much of a struggle since the weekend bicycle rides were recovery rides as opposed to hard-core work rides. Later Person Ti_Ca and I do some homework and I keep thinking of the jokes that I used and I can't help from bursting out laughing uncontrollably. Eventually I get down for some more reading of Bobby Orr's autobiography and sleep.
I have a good day on Wednesday with my work and helping other people out. As I'm sitting in a meeting for some people I have a great idea on how to script the simulation to make it run overnight and automatically. So this is some of the work that I take home and work as well as some web programming where I finally get the piece that I've been working on since Saturday working properly. But when I first get home I go get the road bicycle at the shop and the bicycle mechanic says that I broke a bolt on the big chainring. I have a puzzled look on my face because I've never heard of this failure before and he points to my legs and says, "What do you expect with those legs?" He's teasing me, but we'll keep an eye on this. And when I finally get home I hem and haw and finally decide to lift weights with slightly heavier weights again and have an incredible workout. Late on Wednesday I think about pulling the car out of the garage and into the driveway because it is supposed to rain on Thursday and the motorcycle was just waxed. And I can't remember the last time that I actually drove to work was.
On Thursday night into Friday morning it finally rains very hard here. When I wake up it is still raining and the wind is blowing severely. There will not be a bicycle ride at all today. I wait until I am warmed up a bit and lift very heavy weights for a great session. After a shower I get a haircut (again from the Cambodian lady), pick up some vitamins, and start a computer backup (that was last done near Thanksgiving). Person Ti_Ca is feeling under the weather today so it is questionable whether we will go get his taxes done for free at CSULB where he can talk with CSULB accounting students and see what they think of the program. The taxes and talk may have to wait until next week. I go get two more books from the library and stop in at a bicycle store to see if they have the tires that I want. They do, but just before I purchase the tires I give my regular shop aa call and see if they have received them in. They do, so I apologize to the saleman and leave to pick up the tires at my regular store.
Sunday morning looks promising for a bicycle ride because there is no forecast of rain and the streets are drying. But an hour later the rain starts coming down fairly lightly but for a sustained period of time. An hour later the pavement is very wet but the sun is trying, not quite succeeding, but trying to come out. Nonetheless I prepare myself and I go lift weights heavy instead of trying to wait for dry pavement for a bicycle ride. I do some reading and some watching of television until there is a break in the clouds. I jump on the mountain bicycle and ride down to the aqaurium and back. It's a windy and somewhat wet ride, but it feels good. I run into Dennis and his wife and they tell me they've had to put their older dog down because she couldn't walk anymore. And they have a new rescue dog in its place that is very scared of people, but will get better eventually.