So I may or may not have mentioned a few months ago that my wife made a chili that I actually like (historically, I hate chili). Well, my work had a chili cookoff, and I prepared that chili. Turns out it did quite well, and the recipe-doubled slow cooker was empty by the time it was over.
Credit goes to my wife for introducing the recipe to me, and to some awesome person on the internet for introducing it to her.
Here's the recipe:
http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-cream-cheese-chicken-chili.html
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Exercise
Exercise update:
Wednesday, we (a youth group and various adults and I) went to the mall to play "Where's Waldo", where we had to identify other adults from the neighborhood in disguise. It was lots of fun. Problem was, another neighborhood was doing it too, so at times we were staring at their neighbors in disguise, kinda creepily, and theirs were doing it to us. So we're a bunch of creepy stalkers, oh well.
Well, the mall is kinda big, so there was lots of walking. Chances are this was the most walking I've done to date, some of it kinda fast, too, but I have no idea how far it was.
A coworker who had surgery two weeks ago has started "competing" with me - he made a 3 mile walk a few days ago (maybe it's me who's competing with him).
Friday, I ran from one end of our office building to the other. At around 4mph. Then my quads and lower back (not my incision area) were stiff. It was like I'd never used those muscles before. But at least they're responding, and not just blocks of stone. My competitor-at-arms-at-work walked about 2.5 miles during a lunch break. He wins.
I told my wife about this, and she was supportive and encouraging, which is good. I told my sister and she was like "what are you thinking" :) I didn't tell my mom.
Today I ran a little less than a mile ranging from 4.0 to 4.4. Why did I run? Because running at 4 is less strenuous on the back than walking at that pace is. Made it a total distance of 2.1 miles before I got tired. Then I wanted to take a nap by 10:30.
Wednesday, we (a youth group and various adults and I) went to the mall to play "Where's Waldo", where we had to identify other adults from the neighborhood in disguise. It was lots of fun. Problem was, another neighborhood was doing it too, so at times we were staring at their neighbors in disguise, kinda creepily, and theirs were doing it to us. So we're a bunch of creepy stalkers, oh well.
Well, the mall is kinda big, so there was lots of walking. Chances are this was the most walking I've done to date, some of it kinda fast, too, but I have no idea how far it was.
A coworker who had surgery two weeks ago has started "competing" with me - he made a 3 mile walk a few days ago (maybe it's me who's competing with him).
Friday, I ran from one end of our office building to the other. At around 4mph. Then my quads and lower back (not my incision area) were stiff. It was like I'd never used those muscles before. But at least they're responding, and not just blocks of stone. My competitor-at-arms-at-work walked about 2.5 miles during a lunch break. He wins.
I told my wife about this, and she was supportive and encouraging, which is good. I told my sister and she was like "what are you thinking" :) I didn't tell my mom.
Today I ran a little less than a mile ranging from 4.0 to 4.4. Why did I run? Because running at 4 is less strenuous on the back than walking at that pace is. Made it a total distance of 2.1 miles before I got tired. Then I wanted to take a nap by 10:30.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Geohashing
So, a while ago, there arose a thing called geohashing. Not sure if the XKCD guy came up with it or helped popularize it, but the idea is that you take the date, the Dow Jones opening number, and compute a longitude and latitude. There's one for your local longitude/latitude (i.e., if you live at 104.12341234, 104.12341234, then you keep the 104 and replace the decimal portion with the computed value) and a global hash - exactly 1 per day. I've been thinking about trying it.
See http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/Main_Page
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geohash for more background.
Day 1 sample - local hash takes me to half way up uncharted paths in the mountains
Day 2 sample - local hash takes me to half way up uncharted paths in the mountains
Day 3 sample - local hash takes me to the middle of a military base.
A website I found computes the 9 local hashes around you, and it turns out I live within a mile or two of a longitude border. Sometimes the coordinates to the next 'graticule' (the longitude/latitude box) over are more reasonable to find.
Major dis: I just found one from a few days ago in the middle of a parking lot about a mile from my house.
See http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/Main_Page
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geohash for more background.
Day 1 sample - local hash takes me to half way up uncharted paths in the mountains
Day 2 sample - local hash takes me to half way up uncharted paths in the mountains
Day 3 sample - local hash takes me to the middle of a military base.
A website I found computes the 9 local hashes around you, and it turns out I live within a mile or two of a longitude border. Sometimes the coordinates to the next 'graticule' (the longitude/latitude box) over are more reasonable to find.
Major dis: I just found one from a few days ago in the middle of a parking lot about a mile from my house.
Almost to Grade 1
So, I'm almost going to declare myself as grade 1 recovery. That is, live "normally" without pain.
I was going to declare it today, but I realized I can't quite sit indian-style yet, or get in the car knee-and-butt first without the legs getting just a little sore. I'm lifting the baby for a few seconds at a time reasonably... It is amazing that the legs were sore all the time, but now I barely notice them.
Perhaps in a week.
Then grade 2 will be walking at 4mph and lifting the next biggest child (maybe a few weeks later), grade 3 will be running slowly and lifting the next biggest child, and grade 4 will be running full, lifting the largest child, and doing anything I want with no pain. That sounds pretty far away.
I was going to declare it today, but I realized I can't quite sit indian-style yet, or get in the car knee-and-butt first without the legs getting just a little sore. I'm lifting the baby for a few seconds at a time reasonably... It is amazing that the legs were sore all the time, but now I barely notice them.
Perhaps in a week.
Then grade 2 will be walking at 4mph and lifting the next biggest child (maybe a few weeks later), grade 3 will be running slowly and lifting the next biggest child, and grade 4 will be running full, lifting the largest child, and doing anything I want with no pain. That sounds pretty far away.
[un]lucky radio hosts
So, do you ever listen to the radio? I mean, when you're in the car and can't get to Pandora and you're too cheap to buy a digital radio? There are ads about products the hosts get, try out, and then "endorse". Including cars (they might have to give those back :( ), mattresses, cookies, all the way up to LASIK, body sculpting and hair removal, lipo, etc.
So the question: how much choice do these poor hosts get? For a consumer who doesn't know better, hearing a real person endorse a product might be great advertising. Do they get a say? Do the producers come in and say "you need to try this product"? Hmmm.
So the question: how much choice do these poor hosts get? For a consumer who doesn't know better, hearing a real person endorse a product might be great advertising. Do they get a say? Do the producers come in and say "you need to try this product"? Hmmm.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
So confusing...
Okay, so I'm confused. I have back pain. It comes in two sources:
- I just discovered that this was the source: Where a certain portion of my back leans against something and it aches, it's not "general back pain", it's where the lamenectomy (cut portions of the bone) was. This is why driving is so obnoxious, because there's no way to sit in a bucket seat that doesn't have this part of the back pressing against the seat. Whereas I can avoid that region of the back in any other kind of chair, or at least sit in a softer chair.
- Aching along the inside of the incision. However, its source is confusing. It could be either:
- Me overdoing it, and this (in the worst case) is a ripping along the inside of the incision, or whatever other healing is happening back there. This is what I felt like yesterday.
- Me exercising, it aching, and then getting stronger. This is what I felt like today. In the morning anyway.
So do I do less or more? It's so confusing. But I guess it's better in this case to err on the side of not having to go back for surgery again later.
In other news, we went hunting all over the valley for catheters yesterday. The urologist had told us earlier in the week to use sterile, but the PA had told us earlier that cleaning them for up to a week was okay. Which has the natural consequence of running through them 7 times faster. We're waiting for insurance to clear a company to ship us a month's worth, but while we're waiting, we ran out of the doctor's samples, so we had to go get some. Place A was out, and they referred us to place B, which only sells large supplies (like specific chairs, etc.), who referred us to place C, where we finally got some....
Friday, March 23, 2012
Human Flag
Today I did this:
If you're saying "You're kidding, right?" I would say "right".
Today, I decided I needed to settle down a bit on the increasing-speed-walking. I did a 10-minute walk between 3.3 and 3.7 today, and decided that minor tugs on my incision aren't going to help me heal properly.
Monday, I called the doctor for something or other, and the assistant gave me the best advice I have ever received in my life:
If you feel tired, rest.
If you're saying "You're kidding, right?" I would say "right".
Today, I decided I needed to settle down a bit on the increasing-speed-walking. I did a 10-minute walk between 3.3 and 3.7 today, and decided that minor tugs on my incision aren't going to help me heal properly.
Monday, I called the doctor for something or other, and the assistant gave me the best advice I have ever received in my life:
If you feel tired, rest.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
4 weeks out
Wow, it's been 4 weeks since the last surgery. Seems like a day and an eternity at the same time.
Happy 4-week-anniversary-from-surgery to me....
Remembering coming home, barely being able to move, taking 2 minutes to get into a car, in massive pain walking around, etc.
Yesterday I sat in my office chair in my second favorite position: sideways with my legs over the armrest, lightly "hopped" (sort of) down the stairs on my toes, rolled over 360 degrees, and kicked open a door (sorry work-people). The leg pain seems to be a considerable less burden this week, so long as I don't go crazy. But within my current constraints, I'm not allowed to go crazy.
Walking progress as follows:
earlier: .75 miles up to 3.3 mph, realized 3.3 pulled a little hard at the incision site, and backed off to 3
Monday: 1 mile in 22 minutes, ~2.7 mph
Tuesday: 1.25 miles in 27 minutes
Today: 1.75 miles in 32 minutes - ranging from 3.0mph 3.5mph
I am WAY out of 100%, though. Driving, because of the pressure directly on the back, is very uncomfortable. It's not the same as sitting in a normal chair. My legs don't quite have the power to produce a jumping or running motion, and even if they did, walking in the mid-3's produces a strain on my back. I can't lift heavy stuff, yet, though I have raised the small children from the ground to their feet, or arch my back, and I'm still afraid of getting my back wet, though I'm technically 'allowed' to.
So where will be be in 4 more weeks? Don't know. I might be running, but running might still be too much strain on my back. Might be back in karate (I don't know why I haven't talked about that on this blog yet; just never felt like it during that part of the week, I guess). Might be changing diapers again. Won't my wife be happy?
And the ultimate test: going on a scout camp. Somehow, I think sleeping on the hard ground is going to be quite the test.
Happy 4-week-anniversary-from-surgery to me....
Remembering coming home, barely being able to move, taking 2 minutes to get into a car, in massive pain walking around, etc.
Yesterday I sat in my office chair in my second favorite position: sideways with my legs over the armrest, lightly "hopped" (sort of) down the stairs on my toes, rolled over 360 degrees, and kicked open a door (sorry work-people). The leg pain seems to be a considerable less burden this week, so long as I don't go crazy. But within my current constraints, I'm not allowed to go crazy.
Walking progress as follows:
earlier: .75 miles up to 3.3 mph, realized 3.3 pulled a little hard at the incision site, and backed off to 3
Monday: 1 mile in 22 minutes, ~2.7 mph
Tuesday: 1.25 miles in 27 minutes
Today: 1.75 miles in 32 minutes - ranging from 3.0mph 3.5mph
I am WAY out of 100%, though. Driving, because of the pressure directly on the back, is very uncomfortable. It's not the same as sitting in a normal chair. My legs don't quite have the power to produce a jumping or running motion, and even if they did, walking in the mid-3's produces a strain on my back. I can't lift heavy stuff, yet, though I have raised the small children from the ground to their feet, or arch my back, and I'm still afraid of getting my back wet, though I'm technically 'allowed' to.
So where will be be in 4 more weeks? Don't know. I might be running, but running might still be too much strain on my back. Might be back in karate (I don't know why I haven't talked about that on this blog yet; just never felt like it during that part of the week, I guess). Might be changing diapers again. Won't my wife be happy?
And the ultimate test: going on a scout camp. Somehow, I think sleeping on the hard ground is going to be quite the test.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Cost effectiveness of taking train
Okay, so I enjoy riding the train to work, but haven't done it for a few weeks. I guess it's a good thing I didn't get a February monthly pass :)
A while ago, I had decided that taking the train was a little less cost effective than driving all the way, but the benefits were worth the cost. Well, with gas prices changing, it's time to actually calculate it.
In my case, I have to drive to a train station (or walk a mile each way, and transfer to a bus and then transfer to the train), which happens to be on the same route as driving.
M = distance driving to the office = 15 miles
M' = distance driving to the train = .2666M = 4 miles
mpg = car's average mpg = 28
Pg = price of gas per gallon
Pt = price of a daily train ticket = $4.50
Ptm = price of a montly train pass, amortized to a daily figure (given 20 days used per month) = $3.75
Cost of driving all the way:
2*M/mpg*Pg (+ neglected cost of wear on car)
1.07*Pg
Cost of driving to train station and taking train
2*M'/mpg*Pg + Pt
0.29*Pg + $4.50
Cost of driving to train station and taking train with monthly pass
A while ago, I had decided that taking the train was a little less cost effective than driving all the way, but the benefits were worth the cost. Well, with gas prices changing, it's time to actually calculate it.
In my case, I have to drive to a train station (or walk a mile each way, and transfer to a bus and then transfer to the train), which happens to be on the same route as driving.
M = distance driving to the office = 15 miles
M' = distance driving to the train = .2666M = 4 miles
mpg = car's average mpg = 28
Pg = price of gas per gallon
Pt = price of a daily train ticket = $4.50
Ptm = price of a montly train pass, amortized to a daily figure (given 20 days used per month) = $3.75
Cost of driving all the way:
2*M/mpg*Pg (+ neglected cost of wear on car)
1.07*Pg
Cost of driving to train station and taking train
2*M'/mpg*Pg + Pt
0.29*Pg + $4.50
Cost of driving to train station and taking train with monthly pass
2*M'/mpg*Pg + Ptm
0.29*Pg + $3.75
So, what price does gas have to be to be worth it?
1.07Pg = .29Pg + 3.75
.78Pg = 3.75
Pg = $4.81. Wow. Hope that doesn't happen any time soon.
EXTREME optimal case - 23 days working per month - $3.26 = Ptm, adjusting Pg to $4.18...
Monday, March 19, 2012
MOTD
Milestone o' the day:
I got into the car butt-first, with no pain.
Oh, and speaking of milestones:
The stairs leading up to my house are REALLY steep. I went up them without much pain either.
I got into the car butt-first, with no pain.
Oh, and speaking of milestones:
The stairs leading up to my house are REALLY steep. I went up them without much pain either.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Theory on Life #4
(I can only actually remember one of the previous 3 theories on life)
I have a few theories on life. #4:
Your net life experience is time you've lived multiplied by ALL YOUR HABITS.
TLDR;
You know calculus right? There's this crazy concoction called the integral, which does nothing more than calculate the area between an axis and any particular function.
So say you were 99.9 years old, and you knew you were going to live to be 100, and you were looking back on your life. Would you be pleased?
For every facet of your life, you could probably graph the activity. The area under the curve would then be the "total" amount spent under that facet. For instance, "junk food consumption", the graph might be a steady line high above the axis. Or its converse, "healthy eating" would be a steady line low. Mind you, you might have a spike or a valley once in a while, but chances are you've established your habits and you've stuck to them. If you've managed to change your habits, then part of your life will be a steady line, and the rest of your life will be a steady line at a different position.
So, what other facets could we graph?
Time spent with your kids/spouse/family
Time spent working
Time spent working that wasn't necessary
Time spent developing some talent/working on a hobby/contributing to society
Time spent watching TV/playing video games
Days in a given week where we could work on lofty goals, but just decide we're too tired, so we lounge instead
Exercise
Now these are just some of the things that I think about; you could probably come up with others. I would bet that the average person could graph their lives for these and other facets, and find that the lines would be pretty steady across their entire lives. Why? Because we have habits. We don't like to change. Sure, we might have a few moments of being "better", and make a spike or a valley in the graph, but in the end, those few moments of spikes or valleys are not going to make a significant impact on the total, or the area under the curve.
So, if we find a graph we don't like, the only way to change it and make any impact is to change our habits. Making a goal (which on average, probably amounts to making a goal, not meeting it, and making the same goal next year) isn't going to cut it. Temporarily trying a fad and giving up isn't going to cut it. Make a real effort to turn your life to where you want it to be, by maximizing the graphs that mean something to you, and minimize the fruitless ones that get in the way of that.
Disclaimer: The intent of that previous sentence is NOT to say that spending time with your family gets in the way of your watching television so you should give up on them and watch television all day.
I have a few theories on life. #4:
Your net life experience is time you've lived multiplied by ALL YOUR HABITS.
TLDR;
You know calculus right? There's this crazy concoction called the integral, which does nothing more than calculate the area between an axis and any particular function.
So say you were 99.9 years old, and you knew you were going to live to be 100, and you were looking back on your life. Would you be pleased?
For every facet of your life, you could probably graph the activity. The area under the curve would then be the "total" amount spent under that facet. For instance, "junk food consumption", the graph might be a steady line high above the axis. Or its converse, "healthy eating" would be a steady line low. Mind you, you might have a spike or a valley once in a while, but chances are you've established your habits and you've stuck to them. If you've managed to change your habits, then part of your life will be a steady line, and the rest of your life will be a steady line at a different position.
So, what other facets could we graph?
Time spent with your kids/spouse/family
Time spent working
Time spent working that wasn't necessary
Time spent developing some talent/working on a hobby/contributing to society
Time spent watching TV/playing video games
Days in a given week where we could work on lofty goals, but just decide we're too tired, so we lounge instead
Exercise
Now these are just some of the things that I think about; you could probably come up with others. I would bet that the average person could graph their lives for these and other facets, and find that the lines would be pretty steady across their entire lives. Why? Because we have habits. We don't like to change. Sure, we might have a few moments of being "better", and make a spike or a valley in the graph, but in the end, those few moments of spikes or valleys are not going to make a significant impact on the total, or the area under the curve.
So, if we find a graph we don't like, the only way to change it and make any impact is to change our habits. Making a goal (which on average, probably amounts to making a goal, not meeting it, and making the same goal next year) isn't going to cut it. Temporarily trying a fad and giving up isn't going to cut it. Make a real effort to turn your life to where you want it to be, by maximizing the graphs that mean something to you, and minimize the fruitless ones that get in the way of that.
Disclaimer: The intent of that previous sentence is NOT to say that spending time with your family gets in the way of your watching television so you should give up on them and watch television all day.
Regression day
Today, everything is a little worse except for the legs. I'm completely exhausted, voiding isn't happening enough to skip artificial withdrawal (it's as good as it was a week ago, but nowhere near as good as, say, Thursday), and I'm getting a weird back spasm. Like a poke every 5 minutes.
Pull out your handy graphing calculator you had in high school that is probably covered with dust and/or the battery is dead and graph:
4*sin(x) + x
and if I weren't on a mac I might do a screenshot for you of an online pic of this, but in the meantime you can see: http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/tools/Graph_Calculator/graphCalc.html, type in the equation in line 1 and click graph.
You'll notice a general upward trend, but once in a while, quite regularly actually, it slumps back down. Today is one of those days. Hopefully, we'll back on the upswing tomorrow.
Pull out your handy graphing calculator you had in high school that is probably covered with dust and/or the battery is dead and graph:
4*sin(x) + x
and if I weren't on a mac I might do a screenshot for you of an online pic of this, but in the meantime you can see: http://my.hrw.com/math06_07/nsmedia/tools/Graph_Calculator/graphCalc.html, type in the equation in line 1 and click graph.
You'll notice a general upward trend, but once in a while, quite regularly actually, it slumps back down. Today is one of those days. Hopefully, we'll back on the upswing tomorrow.
Ode to the Chevy Equinox
No, I'm not trying to sell cars. And I don't know anything good or bad about this particular vehicle.
What I do know is all about playing the Alphabet game in the car (you know, you have to find A, then B, etc. and whoever finds Z first wins). And that it's really cool if you're following an Equinox for a mile or two through town and it provides Q and X through 2 complete rounds.
What I do know is all about playing the Alphabet game in the car (you know, you have to find A, then B, etc. and whoever finds Z first wins). And that it's really cool if you're following an Equinox for a mile or two through town and it provides Q and X through 2 complete rounds.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Weight loss
So, when I came home from the hospital, I was down between 7-10 pounds. My wife (and a coworker, who is thinner than a ..., no offense, I know you read this) think I need to put it back on.
In the meantime, a little math. To have lost 10 pounds, I would have had to have been down about 35,000 calories from my usual habits. Could I have really gone a week and a half and done that? No exercise, half days eating normally, but the other half barely eating anything at all...
I can also tell various places of muscle loss. Maybe that's where it went.
Well, thanks to my normal eating habits, and more than 1000 calories of Oreos consumed yesterday, I am proud to say that I am almost back to normal. Well, perhaps up 3-4 pounds from the hospital.
In the meantime, a little math. To have lost 10 pounds, I would have had to have been down about 35,000 calories from my usual habits. Could I have really gone a week and a half and done that? No exercise, half days eating normally, but the other half barely eating anything at all...
I can also tell various places of muscle loss. Maybe that's where it went.
Well, thanks to my normal eating habits, and more than 1000 calories of Oreos consumed yesterday, I am proud to say that I am almost back to normal. Well, perhaps up 3-4 pounds from the hospital.
River Trail
Went a-walking with a coworker down the river trail next to the office. Yes, the very same river trail where people get attacked after dark. Think I went a similar pace to when we did this various months ago. Legs only hurt a little bit on the downhill parts. Maybe about 2/3 of a mile or so?
Yes, there are no complete sentences above.
Today, I almost achieved a momentous milestone: being able to put on pants and shoes without pain. Almost.
Yes, there are no complete sentences above.
Today, I almost achieved a momentous milestone: being able to put on pants and shoes without pain. Almost.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Oops - Oreos
So you know how I mentioned a few weeks ago to lose weight simply by not eating successive desserts?
Well now I have an entire package of Mint Double-Stuf Oreos on my desk staring me down, daring me to follow that advice....
Well now I have an entire package of Mint Double-Stuf Oreos on my desk staring me down, daring me to follow that advice....
Thursday, March 15, 2012
'Best' error message in the world
"A problem has occurred which may have caused the current operation to fail"
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Some dumb reflections on pop music
So, I have had 3 songs stuck in my head lately:
"I love you like a love song" (I'm sure those are supposed to be capitalized). Song's okay, but I don't get the primary chorus: "I love you like a love song, baby". Is it supposed to mean "I love you like I love a love song", "I love you like a love song is <some adjective>, or "I love you like you were a love song"? Maybe we'll never know.
"I set fire to the rain": Seems pretty cool, but those are the only words I know. I'll have to go google the lyrics later.
Theme song from "King of Queens": "My legs are getting weary, my back is getting tight". That is to say, most of the pain is still in my legs, and when I feel stuff in my back, it's really just 'tight'.
"I love you like a love song" (I'm sure those are supposed to be capitalized). Song's okay, but I don't get the primary chorus: "I love you like a love song, baby". Is it supposed to mean "I love you like I love a love song", "I love you like a love song is <some adjective>, or "I love you like you were a love song"? Maybe we'll never know.
"I set fire to the rain": Seems pretty cool, but those are the only words I know. I'll have to go google the lyrics later.
Theme song from "King of Queens": "My legs are getting weary, my back is getting tight". That is to say, most of the pain is still in my legs, and when I feel stuff in my back, it's really just 'tight'.
Voiding status
So, everyday this week, I've been able to empty more. I might even be daring enough to say that on Sunday I was able to void 10%, and today up to 20-30% of normal. Where "normal" is what used to be, and "normal" is about 1/3 of what it should be.
So, with several of these during the afternoon, I decided I didn't need to artificially void the prescribed 4 times, and settled for 2. 3 on Monday, and 2 on Tuesday and again today.
For those who didn't catch the reference to the "yellow river", it was just to show the status for last week. A little more than a week ago, I was starting to get very small amounts, which progressed into a small, short duration stream, and this week has progressed into a medium, medium duration stream.
So, with several of these during the afternoon, I decided I didn't need to artificially void the prescribed 4 times, and settled for 2. 3 on Monday, and 2 on Tuesday and again today.
For those who didn't catch the reference to the "yellow river", it was just to show the status for last week. A little more than a week ago, I was starting to get very small amounts, which progressed into a small, short duration stream, and this week has progressed into a medium, medium duration stream.
Oops
I went to the store the other day, and when I came out, I came to where I parked, and I pushed my key fob, and nothing happened. That wasn't surprising, because my driver door doesn't open automatically anymore, so I went for the key, but the keyhole wasn't there.
Surprised, I looked into the car, and it was clean.
Then I realized, it wasn't my car. Oops.
As I walked 20 feet to my actual car, the car's actual owner walked up behind me. I made some dumb apologetic gesture, and he indicated nothing.
Surprised, I looked into the car, and it was clean.
Then I realized, it wasn't my car. Oops.
As I walked 20 feet to my actual car, the car's actual owner walked up behind me. I made some dumb apologetic gesture, and he indicated nothing.
More "running"
Wow, today I went hard. But I'll get to that in a second.
Monday, I did a mile in 22 minutes. That was pretty good, but it wore me out reasonably.
Tuesday, I only did a half mile, and counted the general walking around the office as my "required ambulating", and once around my neighborhood with the kids.
Today, I went to Costco. Nuff said.
Monday, I did a mile in 22 minutes. That was pretty good, but it wore me out reasonably.
Tuesday, I only did a half mile, and counted the general walking around the office as my "required ambulating", and once around my neighborhood with the kids.
Today, I went to Costco. Nuff said.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Running
Hey, I get to do a 'running' post! Well, it's not really running yet, but we're twice as close as we used to be.
The last status was that I did .25 miles in 8:45 (1.7mph). Well, a day or two later, I did it in 7:30 (2mph). Yesterday, I did .5 mile in 11:00 (2.7mph average), with the first quarter at 2.5 mph (6 min) and the second quarter at 3mph (5 min). Which is almost a respectable walking pace. When I was done, I was almost starting to sweat, and I had to do a cooldown walk in the 1s to give my legs a break.
Then I took a half hour nap at work a few hours later, and had to catch up a little bit in the evening.
The ironic part of this is that a month ago, 2.5 and 3 were the slowest pace I would ever be willing to go, and they would be the tail end of a cooldown of a hard run.
On the other hand, at this rate, if I can drop my quarter mile time by one minute every day or two, then tomorrow I'll be about to do a 49 minute 5K, and the next day a 36 minute 5K, and the next day 24 minutes, and the next day 12 minutes (world record), and then 0 minutes (Buzz Lightyear speed).
Of course, linear progression is very impossible, so we'll take what we can get.
The last status was that I did .25 miles in 8:45 (1.7mph). Well, a day or two later, I did it in 7:30 (2mph). Yesterday, I did .5 mile in 11:00 (2.7mph average), with the first quarter at 2.5 mph (6 min) and the second quarter at 3mph (5 min). Which is almost a respectable walking pace. When I was done, I was almost starting to sweat, and I had to do a cooldown walk in the 1s to give my legs a break.
Then I took a half hour nap at work a few hours later, and had to catch up a little bit in the evening.
The ironic part of this is that a month ago, 2.5 and 3 were the slowest pace I would ever be willing to go, and they would be the tail end of a cooldown of a hard run.
On the other hand, at this rate, if I can drop my quarter mile time by one minute every day or two, then tomorrow I'll be about to do a 49 minute 5K, and the next day a 36 minute 5K, and the next day 24 minutes, and the next day 12 minutes (world record), and then 0 minutes (Buzz Lightyear speed).
Of course, linear progression is very impossible, so we'll take what we can get.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Yellow River*
So, in China, there's a river called the 黃河, or in English we call it the Yellow River. Although this picture from Wikipedia it looks more green.
Anyway, let's examine one of the dams in the Yellow River. There is currently a leak in this particular dam where several days ago, little droplets would come through (I can't stop spelling 'through' as 'throguh'), and now for a couple seconds teeny streams are flowing through. Like the sprayer on your sink on really low pressure. I only imagine the leak will get bigger over the next few days, until it maxes out or some external force stops it.
* Yes, this is a metaphor. If you have no idea to what it is referring, go read some back story :)
Anyway, let's examine one of the dams in the Yellow River. There is currently a leak in this particular dam where several days ago, little droplets would come through (I can't stop spelling 'through' as 'throguh'), and now for a couple seconds teeny streams are flowing through. Like the sprayer on your sink on really low pressure. I only imagine the leak will get bigger over the next few days, until it maxes out or some external force stops it.
* Yes, this is a metaphor. If you have no idea to what it is referring, go read some back story :)
Famous Dave's stomacheache
So from late 2 days ago to yesterday can only be described as having a Famous Dave's stomacheache. Not that they don't taste good if you order the right stuff, and not that they're irresponsible enough to not pay the insurance bill when their catering driver hits your car, but you have to know where to draw the line. I.e., don't go back for that third helping of brisket. You'll regret it.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
RSA token patterns
So, my work requires that if you log into the network from home to use one of those RSA token cards with 6 digits that change every 30 seconds.
However, it seems that almost every number that comes up, there's a pattern. Like repeated digits, or even multiple repeated digits, or the first 3 numbers being very close to the last 3 numbers.
So, I bring to you the probability of there being at least 2 duplicate digits for an n-digit number.
1- 0%
2 - 10%
3 - 30%
n - n!/(n-2)!2! * 10%
... okay I'm too lazy. And I'm wrong too. This formula counts a bunch of permutations repeated times, and I'm too lazy to figure out the right answer. I first figured out it was wrong when 5 digits came out at 100%. Oh well.
However, it seems that almost every number that comes up, there's a pattern. Like repeated digits, or even multiple repeated digits, or the first 3 numbers being very close to the last 3 numbers.
So, I bring to you the probability of there being at least 2 duplicate digits for an n-digit number.
1- 0%
2 - 10%
3 - 30%
n - n!/(n-2)!2! * 10%
... okay I'm too lazy. And I'm wrong too. This formula counts a bunch of permutations repeated times, and I'm too lazy to figure out the right answer. I first figured out it was wrong when 5 digits came out at 100%. Oh well.
Brief update
Okay, so I lied.
Yesterday, I went to work full-ish time. But I got exhausted come around 1pm, so I took a 2-hour nap on a nice thick mattress left by a coworker from when he was recovering from his cancer treatment (that other coworkers have used when they stayed too late or didn't go home). Finished the rest of the day, and was exhausted when I got home, but I managed to get another hour a few hours later.
New personal record: yesterday I did 1/4 mile in 8:45. Woohoo!
Today I did a full day of work without needing a nap. Thank heaven my flu is wearing down. I didn't do any exercise today, because I figured I'd be back and forth across the office all day, and I was right.
Yesterday, I went to work full-ish time. But I got exhausted come around 1pm, so I took a 2-hour nap on a nice thick mattress left by a coworker from when he was recovering from his cancer treatment (that other coworkers have used when they stayed too late or didn't go home). Finished the rest of the day, and was exhausted when I got home, but I managed to get another hour a few hours later.
New personal record: yesterday I did 1/4 mile in 8:45. Woohoo!
Today I did a full day of work without needing a nap. Thank heaven my flu is wearing down. I didn't do any exercise today, because I figured I'd be back and forth across the office all day, and I was right.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Going to work
Hey all, I'll see you at work for a complete 'normal' day.
It's good, because I got tired of working via VPN where the VPN has a hard time competing with 3 distinct Netflix sessions running.
It's good, because I got tired of working via VPN where the VPN has a hard time competing with 3 distinct Netflix sessions running.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Last post on recovery
This will probably be my last post on the actual recovery of the surgery and stuff. So if you happen to be following this blog, don't be surprised if there aren't any useful posts here on out.
My back feels very good. I can do most anything. I can roll into bed rotating around weird axes, I can squat and pick things up from the floor (I haven't dared to try straight-knee touching the floor yet), I danced with my wife, went to the store by myself to buy an accurate thermometer, I sat on the floor just to see if I could, and yesterday I worked a full 8 hour day. Yes, it took until 11:45pm (I needed a two-hour nap to help settle my fever, and needed to spend a bit of time helping everybody else with theirs, and to beat a few levels on "Super Mario Galaxy"), but I did it.
So to be honest, for the recovery to be complete, there are only a few things left:
My back feels very good. I can do most anything. I can roll into bed rotating around weird axes, I can squat and pick things up from the floor (I haven't dared to try straight-knee touching the floor yet), I danced with my wife, went to the store by myself to buy an accurate thermometer, I sat on the floor just to see if I could, and yesterday I worked a full 8 hour day. Yes, it took until 11:45pm (I needed a two-hour nap to help settle my fever, and needed to spend a bit of time helping everybody else with theirs, and to beat a few levels on "Super Mario Galaxy"), but I did it.
So to be honest, for the recovery to be complete, there are only a few things left:
- for my quads to quit feeling like they're solid stone (which is as a result of laying in surgery).
- to heal enough to lift and do actual exercise. I'm on a 1 month "don't lift or exercise no matter what" thing.
- to pee on my own. I'm certainly not going to give you a day by day on this, but I will mention it once I can do it.
And maybe to finish recovering the flu, which is mostly managed. So there's not much else to say for recovery.
I do need to say though that I feel strongly that the Lord has helped us get through all of this. There were moments that were close to being really bad, but we made it through, and it looks like everything's going to be just fine.
I should also take a moment to thank my doctor, too. My urologist said the other day, "You know, lesser surgeons wouldn't have bothered to spend 9 hours in surgery trying to save all those nerve roots; they would have just chopped them off", which made me happy to have the doctor we have, and made me a little sad for the other ones.
Big flu
So, this week, my wife has been flattened with the flu for about 3 days, and might be close to being over it, I've been flattened with the flu for 3 days, and I think I'm close to getting over it, and now one of my kids has it pretty bad and two of the others have low grade fevers.
Which leaves one person, the 7yo, who isn't sick. Poor kid. "Hey, can you get me this? Hey can you do that?" He's been very helpful. We'll have to give him a raise.
Which leaves one person, the 7yo, who isn't sick. Poor kid. "Hey, can you get me this? Hey can you do that?" He's been very helpful. We'll have to give him a raise.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Travels
Today has taken me everywhere. We went to a followup with the neurosurgeon and got the stitches removed.
Then, we made a cameo appearance at work and said hello to a few people.
Later, we had an appointment with the urologist (the circle is complete Ba da da). For some reason he was concerned with me having a 102 fever, and gave me some pretty psychadelic antibiotics. Fever seems to be reduced a little now. At this precise moment, I actually feel better than I have in the last few days, and what I said was overdoing it might have simply been me being sick.
Also, at the urologist, with the catheter removed, I haven't been able to pee yet. He said that with the original problem being with the nerves being aggravated by the tumor, and them being aggravated with the surgery, it can take time, even months, if at all, for full bladder functionality to be restored.
Then, we made a cameo appearance at work and said hello to a few people.
Later, we had an appointment with the urologist (the circle is complete Ba da da). For some reason he was concerned with me having a 102 fever, and gave me some pretty psychadelic antibiotics. Fever seems to be reduced a little now. At this precise moment, I actually feel better than I have in the last few days, and what I said was overdoing it might have simply been me being sick.
Also, at the urologist, with the catheter removed, I haven't been able to pee yet. He said that with the original problem being with the nerves being aggravated by the tumor, and them being aggravated with the surgery, it can take time, even months, if at all, for full bladder functionality to be restored.
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