A Nod to Nothing
Pretty much as it says, a lot of nothing about nothing
Tuesday, December 03, 2024
Elf
Advent of Code 2024 - Day 2 and 3
I am soooo freaking rusty. Maybe if I was using Python, it wouldn't be so obvious. But flipping between regex and general flow, albeit without a good iterative process because I'm using a low/no code platform instead of Python [which includes restrictions around RegEx so my speedy match required some unintuitive reworking], requires more attention than I expected. I did find my flow a few times which was nice....management doesn't generally lend itself to finding that sweet spot.
My Day 2 solution...I think I could have done a better job by using a multi-row formula tool to look back and forward and apply it across the diffs, but this worked. Unfortunately....my approach meant that when I tried to build off of it for the second part, I was somewhat locked into a pattern that required some cut and paste. Pretty much the definition of tech debt and bad architecture.
Sunday, December 01, 2024
Advent of Code 2024
The Advent of Code 2024 challenge started because, well, it's Advent. Two challenges a day, the second one generally built off the answer / pattern involved in the first. I've played around with it using Python before and that's fairly intuitive. However, for purposes of eat-your-own-dogfood / stomp-your-own-grapes / spoke-your-own-wheel / et al the goal as an employee of my current company is to use our own software to complete the challenges.
That can be tough as our software is designed for business analyst types when it comes to prep and blend, so it doesn't act exactly like you'd expect a software language to work. If you're a business analyst type, that's not really an issue. The tools are probably your language and mental structure of choice. If your brain has been saturated over 25 years [cough, or more] with VB, C Sharp, Java, Python, Javascript, SQL, and more...well, it's difficult to make that mental shift to needing to do two or three things with separate tools where you might otherwise use a complex line of code.
So it can get complex, but possible. However, a new challenge this year is that our cloud-based prep and blend tools are available, so rather than using the desktop designer with all the bells and whistles, I'm using the cloud versions. Don't get me wrong, lots of bells and whistles. But it's limited to the roughly 50 prep and blend tools across cloud native [works with cloud data in place] and standard modes [traditional engine, although it was second to production].
I'm a glutton for new tastes. Day 1a and Day 1b are in the can. I had to do a little bit of data cleansing and I think, like usual, I made it a little more involved than necessary [make it work, then optimize...if you care to, I always say, because it might not have a shelf life long enough to need optimization], but the answers were both right on the first try.
Day 1a - get some absolutely differences between two sorted lists and sum...
Day 1b...same pattern, but find the count of the matches in the second list and multiply that "id" by the count and sum...
Zwift: the First Month
I bit the bullet and signed up for Zwift. I went all in with the Zwift ride, a faux bicycle specifically designed so I never have to attach a real bike to the included Wahoo trainer, and gamified handlebars that let me control the ride separate from the phone app. My old cycling trainer, a Cateye Cyclometer wind trainer circa 1989 [roughly] was showing its age after a third of a century. I was considering offering tours, as it may be one of the few things in this world that really got more use than one would expect for value. I'd estimate it had at least 50000 miles on it, and I went through several bicycles, usually whichever one wasn't good for the road anymore because of weight, a slight bend in the frame, or a cracked joint. The pinch-style rear wheel holder meant that it could hold together problems that made a bike no longer road worthy.
Some observations after a month:
- I use it a lot. Stats below for my first month.
- Group rides are wonderful and once you figure out that rubberbanding is a system to keep you all together regardless of differences in effort, it's even more fun. I did my first group ride Thanksgiving week with about 8 other people from the Twin Cities Bike Club.
- My FTP is 232. That's a fuzzy measurement, but Zwift lets you test and train to improve your base level of fitness and it gave me a real number to drop into my Garmin app so I can see what exertion levels I typically ride [3/4 on a scale of 7, which is above general endurance training, but below training for a race via VO2 max and full on heart improvement]. How Garmin was computing my effort before was WAY off.
- I'm definitely getting more exercise than the old trainer. I came out of a ride where I ended up pedaling the last 5-6 miles of a route with two strangers and we kept pushing each other [or at least they kept pushing me] and I came out of the training room wobbly, shaking, and looking like I might have a heart attack laying on the floor.
- I love being able to mimic climb.
- however....I think it may be stressing my back because of my uneven legs, both genetic and via being squashed and having pins in one hip.
- but it's forcing me to deal with exercises and stretching for lower back and uneven legs which I should have been doing anyway.
- however...the big target is climbing Mount Everest [total climb, not like a singular event] to get a Tron bike. This seemed do-able until I realized you have to climb an additional 140k feet after the Mount Everest climb. So more like six Mount Everests. That might take a while. Ten months at my current rate, although I'm on a monthly plan, so I'm unlikely to rack up climb during the spring/summer/fall when I'm outside, or when I'm on the fat tire.
- Despite all that ride, I'm not losing weight. Probably not surprising. Older = less impact. I've been setting off some bad habits like beer and ice cream. And looking at myself in the mirror, I think the first month has been trimming a lot of fat, but adding a lot of heavier muscle [see that 3-4 FTP comment above - I'm above the usual fat burning zone].
- I don't like the idea that it's basically a dollar and hour to cycle, but I've spent my money on much stupider and less healthy habits like beer and board games and it's primarily for November - February, maybe October-March depending on the weather.
- My television viewing has been severely impacted. I used to stream while I pedaled, but now I watch the Zwift terrain and cyclists. I could always do side by side, but I'm not sure how much attention I could pay to television while I'm really pushing it anyway.
- It'll be interesting to see if the climbing/riding maps to reality in the spring, particularly if I target some bigger climbs on the Zwift in anticipation of gravel rides or otherwise.
Heidi Across America
This last week I finished up Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle Through the Heartland on loan from the Duluth library. I love the Minnesota library system and the interlibrary loan setup. I've rarely found a book I can't get via the system, and I've looked for some fairly esoteric reads in my history.
Heidi Across America wasn't quite what I was expecting. Usually these narratives involve a transam ride with minimal sleep, mental breakdowns, and as fast from coast to coast as possible. Heidi was more of a semi-casual approach, not driven by a race or by participation in a larger group. It reminded me a bit of a chef my family met at a lodge outside Yellowstone who had spent a year of his life circumnavigating the US on bicycle. His son was on speed dial and took care of emergencies. Heidi had the same setup with her mother, who was in charge of research when necessary, and shipping supplies. For those of you who didn't ride in the pre-smartphone [not pre-cellphone] / Google / Maps era, the absolute necessity of someone who could troubleshoot in an emergency is probably lost. I clearly remember cycling trails where having someone who could reroute me if a town was closed up for food and lodging was important.
If I ever meet Heidi, based on her book, she'll give me a frown for saying this, but she did not bike across country. She did go across America. I have deep sympathy for why she bailed for a while in Missouri. Number one being it's Missouri. Number two is that it was the heat that took her out. All my years of bicycling and that's the one thing you can't escape. Big wind in your face? You just go slower. Storms? You wait them out. A week of humid temps over 100..... you can do that for a day or so, but long term it's the flip side of riding in the winter, there's just no where to hide from the weather. You can do early morning, and she talks about that quite a bit and when she missed opportunities, but that usually requires lights and is dangerous, unless you're with a big group like RAGBRAI where they pretty much take over the road, even at 5 a.m. Per her narrative, it sounds as though it got up to almost 116F. That's probably cancer waiting to happen even if you are loaded up with sunblock that looks like you're apply chalk.
More than a cycling book, it was a memoir. That bothered a few folks over on Amazon reviews who didn't want to read about how horny Heidi was during her ride. I'd rather read about the cycling, but it was interesting to see how a woman's cycling trip differs from my own. Doesn't matter how horny all those endorphins make me, I'm not leaving a mess in a tent. And a cycle seat tends to put at least a little damper on your dangly bits wanting to do anything after a long ride. I can't speak for everyone on that, but my twig and berries need time to recover. I definitely don't have to worry about bleeding [the reproductive sort; I've bled for other reasons on rides, sometimes enough to soak a sock] and what feminine hygiene products might do to chaffing. Ugh. Bike seats are bad enough without things between your sit and the seat.
I did find myself, in reference to that horny part noted above, thinking, "She and this neighbor boyfriend aren't going to last. I wonder if they figure it out before or after they get married." After. They lasted three years. It didn't feel like there was enough there to make that assessment, and maybe some of her post marriage opinions snuck in as much as she tried to stick to the facts and feelings of the time, but it didn't feel like he was on the same page. Except for being horny.
I enjoyed the cycling parts. I enjoyed her encounters with other cyclists and with people along her route. Ironically, people and being alone are the two best parts of long distance cycling, despite seeming at distinct odds. But I could have done without the ruminations on what it meant to be American and be in America. Then again, maybe that has to do with my opinion about the insularity of Americans given our recent elections or my recent experience cycling two long days in Ohio and being treated to things like a Confederate flag on structures next to the trail. I still try to take good people with me on my rides, either family as SAG, or friends on group charity rides [although even then you can end up standing in the middle of a field in Iowa with a clutch of minority cyclists while the person on stage majoritysplains that they should really appreciate how all lives matter]. Alternately, I ride well known trails [but not in Missouri; I'm likely to never ride the Katy] because the businesses and towns directly on the trails tend to be cyclists and cyclist aligned. Tend. There are definitely exceptions. Heidi saw a bit of that per her book where the Transamerican trail [Adventure Cycling Association maintains a route, it's not a trail along the lines of a rail trail] is traveled enough that cyclists setup places/businesses where routes intersect.
Final thought? I'm likely to never even come close to the amount she cycled even if it wasn't all the way. I've pedaled long rides through/across Montana and Idaho, Maryland/West Virginia, Iowa [four times], Minneapolis to Milwaukee [was aiming for Chicago], Illinois to Indiana, Wisconsin [as a teen and adult], Ohio, and week rides all over Minnesota. In the end, I really enjoy the loops in Minnesota, and longer rides in Minnesota where I target something I want to do [pedaling up to Franconia to see Shakespeare in the Park for instance, or breakfast, or breweries]. I guess an advantage per Heidi's book is if I get horny, I'm never too far from home.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Reading May through September 2024
- 9/30/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 8.
- 9/29/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 7.
- 9/28/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 6.
- 9/27/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 5.
- 9/26/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 4.
- 9/25/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 3.
- 9/24/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 2.
- 9/23/2024: Rachel Maddow, Ultra, Season 2, episode 1.
- 9/22/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 57. The Reality Issue: It's Complicated. 112 pages.
- 9/21/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 57. The Reality Issue: It's Complicated. 112 pages.
- 9/20/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 57. The Reality Issue: It's Complicated. 112 pages.
- 9/19/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 57. The Reality Issue: It's Complicated. 112 pages.
- 9/18/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/17/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/16/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/15/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/14/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/13/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/12/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/11/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/10/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/9/2024: Streamlit for Data Science, 2nd Edition by Tyler Richards, 2023. 300 pages.
- 9/8/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 56, What is Consciousness. 112 pages.
- 9/7/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 56, What is Consciousness. 112 pages.
- 9/6/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 56, What is Consciousness. 112 pages.
- 9/5/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 56, What is Consciousness. 112 pages.
- 9/4/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 9/3/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 9/2/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 9/1/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/31/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/30/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/29/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/28/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/27/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/26/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/25/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/24/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/23/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/22/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/21/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/20/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/19/2024: Dangerous Visions, Edited by Harlan Ellison. 2024 reprint of 1967 book is 666 pages.
- 8/18/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/17/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/16/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/15/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/14/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/13/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/12/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/11/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/10/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/9/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/8/2024: Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection. 2024. 344 pages.
- 8/7/2024: The Atlantic, January/February 2024: If Trump Wins. 96 pages.
- 8/6/2024: The Atlantic, January/February 2024: If Trump Wins. 96 pages.
- 8/5/2024: The Atlantic, January/February 2024: If Trump Wins. 96 pages.
- 8/4/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 55, The Rebel Issue: Down with Authority. 112 pages.
- 8/3/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 55, The Rebel Issue: Down with Authority. 112 pages.
- 8/2/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 55, The Rebel Issue: Down with Authority. 112 pages.
- 8/1/2024: Nautilus Magazine, Issue 55, The Rebel Issue: Down with Authority. 112 pages.
- 7/31/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/30/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/29/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/28/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/27/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/26/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/25/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/24/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/23/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/22/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/21/2024: Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action, various, 2022. 344 pages.
- 7/20/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/19/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/18/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/17/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/16/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/15/2024: Fall Through by Nate Powell, 2024. 192 pages.
- 7/14/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/13/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/12/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/11/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/10/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/9/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/8/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/7/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/6/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/5/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/4/2024: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus, 2023. 326 pages.
- 7/3/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 7/2/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 7/1/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/30/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/29/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/28/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/27/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/26/2024: A Firehose of Falsehood: the Story of Disinformation by Teri Kanefield with Pat Dorian, 2024. 240 pages.
- 6/25/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/24/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/23/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/22/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/21/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/20/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/19/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/18/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/17/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/16/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/15/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/14/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/13/2024: The Daughter's War [Blacktongue Thief 0] by Christopher Beuhlman, 2024. 399 pages.
- 6/12/2024: Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea [volume 1] by Mike Mignola, 2024. 120 pages.
- 6/11/2024: Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea [volume 1] by Mike Mignola, 2024. 120 pages.
- 6/10/2024: Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea [volume 1] by Mike Mignola, 2024. 120 pages.
- 6/9/2024: Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea [volume 1] by Mike Mignola, 2024. 120 pages.
- 6/8/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/7/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/6/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/5/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/4/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/3/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/2/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 6/1/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/31/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/30/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/29/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/28/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/27/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/26/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/25/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/24/2024: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chaktraborty, 2023. 489 pages.
- 5/23/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/22/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/21/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/20/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/19/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/18/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/17/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/16/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/15/2024: Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 2023. 264 pages
- 5/14/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/13/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/12/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/11/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/10/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/9/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/8/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/7/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/6/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/5/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/4/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/3/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/2/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
- 5/1/2024: The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, 2021. 416 pages.
Tuesday, July 09, 2024
The Least You Could Do
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
June 25, 2024
I don't think I've ever titled a post with the date. Seemed about time. Honestly, a good post would probably include my comments on David Tennant's political "opponent" having the support of JK Rowling [a red flag if there ever was one], or this commentary from Chat GPT trying to spoof the last president's quote about his "wounds" that I rewrote for...
Me as a manager: "As a manager, my features have their fair share of bugs. If you were to examine closely, you'd see the scars everywhere. Underneath, though, lies a robust framework waiting to shine. I've encountered numerous setbacks—I've got more bugs than perhaps any manager out there.">My brother who is currently unemployed: "I've got gaps all over my resume. If you scrutinize it closely, you'd notice plenty of holes. Despite that, I bring a wealth of potential and capability. I've faced setbacks and challenges—I've got more gaps than most job seekers out there."
My friend who started his service business: "I've got mistakes all over the merchandise I make. If you looked closely, you'd see imperfections everywhere. Despite that, I strive to deliver something beautiful. I've made plenty of errors—I've messed up more promotions than anyone else, I reckon."
Klund the pickleball obsessive: "I've got dinks and volleys all over me. If I took this shirt off, you'd see a decent player underneath, but also plenty of scars from my losses. I've been on the losing end more times than I care to count, I can tell you. Probably more than any other player out there."
But...hmm...formatting due to cut and paste...ignore it...my personal story today was I went to breakfast at Jensen's in Burnsville and at the end of breakfast realized I didn't have my keys. I walked back to my car down at the park, retracing my steps, fully expecting my car to be gone. But...still there. Locked [so keys not inside] and no keys along my path. I stood there looking resigned, and two park maintenance guys pulled up in a maintenance vehicle, "Hey, are you looking for car keys?" Why, yes I am. "Our boss has them." Twenty minutes later, he hands me the keys. As far as I'm concerned, I shouldn't have done anything the rest of the day, because that was the sum total of any luck/fortune I had banked. Shout out to the Burnsville park service. You made my day.
[Post: I fixed the formatting as it was messing up the whole page and highlighting everything white, although that was the least of it].
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Water and Construction
The Friday before last I pedaled a 60-mile ride up around the cities - both of the Twins - and back home. Part of the reason it was such a long ride wasn't because I was particularly motivated to do sixty miles, but because the Cedar Ave old bridge route through the river valley is both flooded AND under construction, the 55 bridge is under construction, the Greenway is under construction... so I ended up routing down to the yacht club, up and across 35E, along Ford Parkway, into Minneapolis, around the lakes, pie by Harriet. And then unwind via the Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles back to the river and St. Paul.
I did push it a bit, partially because I wanted to verify whether I had the legs and bottom for a hundred mile ride at the moment for our trip to southern Minnesota. The legs might have made it. The bottom definitely not. I've got a new saddle and shorts sitting at home to try out today and see if it makes a difference so no one catches me naked and calls me old scabby butt. OSB....kind of like ODB...maybe it would be cool and give me some bicycling cachet.
Since then, the rain, work, and running [I'm attempting a 5k reboot] have kept me off the bike outdoors, and I suspect now I'd even have a difficult time with some of the alternative routes I was using, like over to Shakopee or down by the yacht club.
Maybe it would make more sense to take the 494 bridge, but damn is that ever excruciatingly boring. There's nothing I hate quite so much as the MoA and corporate Bloomington as ride scenery.
But today....today looks good and I've had this thought a few times....why don't I just park my car at the lakes and bike from there? I should have thought of it before. But driving my bicycle somewhere other than an overnight -- and I'm pretty sure that's an issue at the usual haunts in Minnesota as well, like the Cannon Falls/Red Wing trail, with all the flooding -- via a car before pedaling is antithetical to how my bicycling brain works. Why would I waste time driving when I could be pedaling from moment zero?
Today might be the day though. Get past the water and ... most of ... the construction before rolling around. I have a few places picked out where I think I could park without a meter, and the convertible will allow me to mount the rack, so I can double down on fresh air. Might make the drive before riding a bit more palatable.
Good luck to everyone else out there trying to find a place to ride. You have my sympathy.
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Layoffs
I was trying to ponder what events I'd weathered since I started at my current employer. I was talking to the head of IT today and he had no idea my team had not only moved between managers [my boss, my reports' skip boss] three times, but that we'd actually entirely switched the space we worked in from "engines" to "cloud". So I thought I'd try to capture it here before I forget it...in the last year and a half...
- New Hire
- Added two new devs to team
- After three months, long covid from employee orientation for about a year.
- Had to personally lay off a dev on my new team for layoffs and lost a tester we liked.
- Switched from the highly technical C++ and macros suite boss I had picked to work for to a different director > engines to cloud [big shift in focus].
- >> UK vacation, my wife needs double knee replacement
- Layoffs - lost our favorite onshore tester and her boss, both of who had been at new hire with me.
- Picked up half of a second team to "fold" into my existing team [their manager and other team members in the layoffs].
- Half of team repurposed to work on sunsetting / transitioning two other projects for two months although originally to supplement my team.
- 3/4 [3/5 if you include a second lead who doesn't report to me] of those new team members stay with their other projects after two months. One stays with my current team and the project to sunset is now in perma-fallow with us while an alternative is devised [not my team, but we own maintenance/alerts].
- Move from Director to Sr. Manager as my manager to align org tree
- Another tester leaves, although voluntarily.
- Public to private equity and all that entails.
- >> wife's heart issues
- Extensive layoffs after private equity details worked out including losing one of our main product owners for the second time
- Mixed in there several rounds of will the lead stay with us or not as we move between bosses [we had several intermittent months of not knowing where he couldn't work on our features].