Saturday, November 23, 2013

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-23 - Around the horn

Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: sunny
Temp: pleasant, but cooling quickly after sunset
Time: 2:00-5:15 p.m.
Terrain: mix of rolling hills and flats
Comments: Ran around Lake Natoma today, starting at mile marker 23.0 at the CSUS Aquatic Center, through to Folsom, across the Lake Natoma Crossing, then back to the Nimbus Dam along the north shore. Someone has disabled the water at the mile 27.0 marker, but the water just a bit before that still works. Had hoped to get in 12.0 miles today, but only got in 11.0 miles, due to darkness...the sun set at 4:47 p.m. today...I had forgotten, and I panicked a bit, thinking a ranger might lock our car in at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery lot. : o P I saw a lot of race graffiti on the bike path about Kaia girls. Also, noticed a number of people participating in the "The Spirit of Rock" 50 mile race. As I ran past the embankment going up to the finish line at the Lake Natoma Crossing bridge, one volunteer remarked, "I sure hope he knows where he's going." Lots of acorns on the bike path, blue oak, I think, and they hurt when I step on them--ow, ow, ow.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 11.0mi
Weight (after run): 80.4
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore calf muscles
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, banana, banana chips, egg, soup with dark bread and naan bread, hummus and flat bread, ramen and rice from ... Ramen and Rice

Monday, November 18, 2013

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-18

Resting heart rate: 65bpm, at the time of posting
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: slight breeze; partly sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: Early afternoon
Terrain: mildly rolling hills and flats
Comments: 45 minutes; maintenance run. Ran from mile 20.0 of the American River Parkway to Sunrise Bar, then across Jim's Bridge and west along the bike path to Bannister Park, then returned to Sunrise Bar and west along the south side of the river on the horse trail to the little picnic area near mile 19.0, then back east along the bikepath to Bridge Street bridge. Map. Wore new Injinji socks and the Xero shoes. Rocks poked my feet. Saw a maintenance crew member driving a truck pulling a bikepath leaf blower. The bikepath to Bannister Park has new asphalt. Lots of salmon remains in the river. This seems like one of the few remaining nice days as we head into the rainy season.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~4mi
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?:
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, peppermint candy cane chocolate square, mixed veggies, two hardboiled eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, fusili pasta with marinara sauce, mini dill pickles, minestrone soup with dark bread, Greek Gods yogurt, banana chips, Costco fruit medley

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-16

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-16
Resting heart rate: 87bpm, about 75 minutes after finishing
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: slight breeze; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: About 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Terrain: mostly flat, some rolling hills, with a steep climb up Hazel Avenue bridge
Comments: Ten miles, starting from mile 20.0 at the Fair Oaks Bridge Street bridge, continuing along the bike path to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, up Hazel Avenue bridge to the bike path on the north side of Lake Natoma, then another two miles along the bike path to the mile 25.0 marker. And back. Saw a black tailed deer with antlers, I think maybe 5-10 points. Smelled dill, one of my favorite smells. Noted the spray painted markers next to the electrical transmission towers east of the Nimbus Dam represent the mile and the sequence...e.g., the first tower from the dam is 0/1, the second is 0/2, and so forth. I assume the first tower in the second mile is 1/1, the second is 1/2, and so forth. Ran four minutes, rested for 30s, repeated that about 30 times. The glossy leaves on the trees appeared like millions of litle flags reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Less energy today--a bit short on sleep this week.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 10mi
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?:
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, smoothie from the Happy Nutburger Stand, banana, hummus & flatbread

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-11

Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: calm; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Comments: Maintenance run. had my head up, focused on the distance. Felt the sponginess of the track on the north side curve. The four massive lights blinded me as I ran toward them. Above, light clouds obscured the moon. Down below, a light haze, partially from wood burning fires and partially from fog. At the end, I noticed I ran faster when I pulled my thigh muscles forward instead of up. Felt smooth running...got lots of rest and hydration the last two days.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running):
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: ankles sore
Foods eaten today: pumpkin pancakes, maple syrup, banana, peppermint chocolate, Trader Joe's Japanese Fried Rice, rice cakes, hummus, flat bread, hard boiled eggs, yerba mate tea, sugar snap peas...wanted a beer but refrained

Sunday, November 10, 2013

License plate mounts

License plate relocators:

Other:

My favorite comment, so far: "If your Prius comes with the license plate bracket in the cargo area, take a sip of a good wine or a premium beer and attach it yourself."

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-09: Running on a space rock

Resting heart rate:76 bpm, around two hours after running
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: calm; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: ~1:30-3:00 p.m.
Terrain: flat with a few rolling hills
Comments: Dawn and I parked at the CSUS Aquatic Center and split up (she got a snack and visited the Nimbus Fish Hatchery). Perfect afternoon weather. Wore my Xero flats. At the beginning of the run, my mind sparked all sorts of thoughts. On the way back, it quieted down. I noticed my left foot does not chafe as much if I run on the outside of the flat...after a while it seems like my legs figure it out and they operate independently. I smelled creosote again as I crossed the mile 24 bridge made of railroad ties. I ran on beds of pine needles and gazed up at the cones on the pine trees. Lake Natoma reflectetd the fall colors like a mirror. A few buckeye trees had large nuts hanging from their branches. I saw some new (to me) race graffiti on the asphalt: "Go Aleana + Holly" : o P . Wished I had brought lip balm and water. The blue oak leaves looked in the middle of turning copper. I noted the silence as I ran, then a cyclist with a radio rode past. Around mile three I started feeling thirsty. I saw towering spirals of thousands of gulls to the southeast...brilliant. They had flown so high they looked like a cloud of mosquitoes. Waves of gulls flew past in a V-formation. Noted a number of energy wrapper waste left along the side of the path--a pet peeve of mine. At the split, I recorded a time of 15:03. I forgot my start time. I felt tired, thirsty, and hot. On the return, I watched the wake from a passing canoe. Two female wild turkeys crossed the bike path within ten feet of me. I watched a man dressed in athletic pants and jacket amble by...I wondered if he felt too warm. A woman ran by with an olive tank top and I remembered how good the color looks on Dawn. Feeling warm, I scrambled down a bank of placer rocks to the shore, hearing them clack loudly as I stepped on them. I drenched my shirt in the water of Lake Natoma, feeling a shock of cold as I put it back on. It had the intended effect! I felt immediately relief from the heat. I listened to the squeak of the bridge from my steps near Willow Creek. I heard the yell of children swimming, a croaking duck, and a strange noise I had not heard before--until I saw someone using a bike pump to inflate their bicycle tire. At Willow Creek, I noticed California Canoe and Kayak had two portable storage containers they used for rental equipment...but a sign stated the rental season had ended. I listened to the soft roar of the vehicles passing on Highway 50. My mind had quieted...all my attention focused on breathing, pace, efficiency, moving forward. As I passed a meadow with a horse hitching post overlooking Lake Natoma, I found myself running smoothly. I wondered if I had ran too far, and I wanted to get back to Dawn in good time. I started to imagine myself having a one thousand yard stare. I finally found a source of water at the park opposite the CSUS Aquatic Center. I ended my run around 16:00. The scenery right now looks beautiful: tree leaves dying and turning red, gold, copper. Two men walked by carrying two salmon each...one man dragging the back fins of his salmon catch on the ground, the other had his in a net...I wondered at the legality of their catch. The parking lot seems to have very interested photovoltaic cells wrapped around their light posts, which illuminate LED's at night. I arrived a minute or two before Dawn came back. We talked and headed home. In reflection: I had only intended to run around 6 miles today, but ran ~8. My leggings need replacing, as the crotch has begun wearing out. My legs feel sore but not too bad. A nice first long run for not having run any meaningful distance in nearly 2.5 years : o )
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~8 miles
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: calf muscles moderately sore
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola cereal with milk, banana, apple sauce, butternut squash ravioli with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese, deli Greek pasta salad, raspberries, peppermint chocolate

Do not cross lights flash 11 times

Not sure where to record this, but walking to my vehicle on 15th street, the do not cross lights flash 11 times before the light turns yellow.

This is in line with other things that do not cross:


  • The proton streams, from Ghostbusters
  • Kris Kross

Yargle bargle - Domain open

Noting

Monday, November 04, 2013

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-04: Aviary Feast

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-04
Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: windy; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Terrain: flat with a few mildly rolling hills
Comments: On Saturday, I decided to just "go for it" and took off for a 45 minute run around the American River College campus with my Xero shoe flats. To mitigate any chafing issues with the paracord between my toes, I wore Injinji toe socks. This worked great: no chafing, and only minimal discomfort from the paracord. On Saturday, I ran around and around in the new parking structure. Today, I drove to the American River Parkway, near Fair Oaks village, and ran from the Bridge Street bridge to near the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which began operating the fish ladder today, according to local radio. I saw salmon swimming upstream at the small side channel near marker 20.5--a sight which I had not seen for many years. Flocks of gulls and cranes and other birds opportunistically stood in the shoals, waiting for the inevitable salmon who do not make it. I pondered running all the way to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to watch the fish ladder, but (wisely, I think) decided to head back, due to recovery from illness and also wanting to take it easy as I adjust to the new running flats. Speaking of the flats, they seem to work--my right foot is perfect, while my left foot still needs to be dialed in a bit more, as the paracord still chafes between my big toe and the next toe...not sure if I can remedy it by adjusting the knots. The combination of toe socks and flats seems to work though--I'm really happy to see if this minimizes injury. I am definitely feeling stiffness as my leg muscles realize what I'm up to, especially in my lower calf muscles. At one point during the run, I raced a squirrel as it ran toward a tree. I also saw a dust tornado--it was quite windy, which felt great but added a bit of resistance to the run back. I heard what sounded like an Acorn Woodpecker. I noticed the restaurant La Boheme, which I first noticed in 2006, has closed, replaced by restaurant The Mighty Tavern. I noticed a sign on the Bridge Street bridge which says, "Weight Limit 5 Tons", which likely explains why the compact car I watched cross it in 2006 did not burst through. As I crossed back, I carried a black walnut and three oak seeds, passing by a woman getting her picture taken by two slavic-speaking assistants. Lots of love in the air--passed by multiple couples as I walked back up Bridge Street. I forget my watch today, but have run this maintenance run enough times to know approximately how far 45 minute round trip gets me. Really an outstanding day, the wind added an electricity to things, lots of things to see, and I felt pretty good. When I came home, I realized I did not have a gmap-pedometer account...it has been a few years, so either it got deleted or I never created one.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running):
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: leg muscles stiff
Foods eaten today: sugar snap peas, pumpkin flax granola cereal with milk, banana, apple, mixed vegetables with two hardboiled eggs, spiced apple cider, chocolate, rice cakes, Woodstock's pizza, root beer

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Release Management

Github
https://github.com/blog/1241-deploying-at-github

Django Deployment Best Practices.pptx - Meetup
Release Engineering:

  • Identifiability: Being able to identify all of the source, tools, environment, and other components that make up a particular release.
  • Reproducibility: The ability to integrate source, third party components, data, and deployment externals of a software system in order to guarantee operational stability.
  • Consistency: The mission to provide a stable framework for development, deployment, audit and accountability for software components.
  • Agility: The ongoing research into what are the repercussions of modern software engineering practices on the productivity in the software cycle, i.e., continuous integration and push on green initiatives.
  • Tasks of release engineering:
    • Software build (compilation) automation
    • Automated test integrationr
    • Results reporting
Software configuration management

Friday, October 25, 2013

Amazon EC2 Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Remote Desktop via NoMachine 4

http://cloud.ubuntu.com/ami/

This was the link which assisted me with getting everything working, using Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and NoMachine 4:
http://www.crouse.cc/blog/of-on-ec2.html

Then:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CitrixICAClientHowTo#Citrix_ICA_Client_12_on_Ubuntu_12.04_64-bit

Fixing wcamgr:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1913988

Using rdesktop:
http://dcook.org/gobet/using_amazon_ec2.html

Some other links:

  • http://activeintelligence.org/blog/archive/remote-graphical-linux-desktop-on-ec2/
  • https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeNX
Notes
  • I tried 13.x Ubuntu images but failed to get them working 
  • Added user ec2usr as admin to the image

Monday, September 30, 2013

Trapezius muscle

This is what feels sore so often. : o \

Investigating ways to relieve the tension.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Uli Mana Chocolate

My neighbor recommended I try some:

http://www.ulimana.com/

Get Off Your F@#$'ing Phone You Idiot!

Walking back from work, I heard a horn: "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep," followed by an angry man yelling out his open car window at the driver of the car in front of him, "Get Off Your F@#$'ing Phone You Idiot!" I did not see what had happened, but they had both stopped at a stoplight. The driver in front of the angered driver said nothing in reply.

After they had driven off without further incident, I thought about the encounter and whether any communication had really occurred which might lead to a change in behavior. Hrm.

Dawn's ring size

Somewhere between a 6 and a 7

Sunday, September 22, 2013

CalPERS Health Plans for 2014

Reviewing....

Health Plan Chooser
Note: Quick Compare, then "See All Information at Once"
https://calpers2014.chooser2.pbgh.org/

Human Resources - Employer Health and Consolidated Benefits (CoBen) Contributions
http://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/pages/health.aspx

Current premium: $1,155.04
Current state co-pay: $1064.36
Current payment: $163.04 (health)
Current payment: $24.12 (dental)

Temperature cycles annually

Thinking to myself the last week or so how it would be cool to see hourly temperatures plotted over the course of the year, like a daily heartbeat or pulse, and see how the highs and lows shift over the course of the year.

Sort of like this graph, which smooshes together 365 days into one segment:

The daily low (blue) and high (red) temperature during the last 12 months with the area between them shaded gray and superimposed over the corresponding averages (thick lines), and with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile). The bar at the top of the graph is red where both the daily high and low are above average, blue where they are both below average, and white otherwise.
Or this one, from the same page, which shows the temperature at points of the day across the year 2012-2013:

The full year of hourly temperature reports with the days of the year on the horizontal and the hours of the day on the vertical. The hourly temperature measurement is color coded into meaningful temperature bands: frigid is purple (below 15°F), freezing is blue (15°F to 32°F), cold is dark green (32°F to 50°F), cool is light green (50°F to 65°F), comfortable is yellow (65°F to 75°F), warm is light red (75°F to 85°F), hot is medium red (85°F to 100°F), sweltering is dark red (above 100°F), and missing data is pink.
The latter image shows noon to 6:00 p.m. as warm to hot to sweltering between mid-April and early October, with cool temperatures from noon to 6:00 p.m. during November to late February.

Compare this to where I grew up : o \

 The full year of hourly temperature reports with the days of the year on the horizontal and the hours of the day on the vertical. The hourly temperature measurement is color coded into meaningful temperature bands: frigid is purple (below 15°F), freezing is blue (15°F to 32°F), cold is dark green (32°F to 50°F), cool is light green (50°F to 65°F), comfortable is yellow (65°F to 75°F), warm is light red (75°F to 85°F), hot is medium red (85°F to 100°F), sweltering is dark red (above 100°F), and missing data is pink.

You can tell at a glance it's a different latitude: 38.6 degrees versus 46.6 degrees makes a significant difference.

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