Missed a post for the 26th day, wasn’t a worthy enough session to post on. (mostly as I was burnt out from a week of indulgence)
After a hard weekend of parties & some sport, I was worried about my ability to complete a 45 minute session today. Thankfully my trainer limited it to mostly weights & core, with little cardio. No need for a time or water break, the toughest was a slide board. Something similar to what you would use for speed skating/skiing practice. Due to my height, my center of gravity is way off compared to how most equipment is build.
Though, as far as stressful was two legs exercises. A one legged squat with 50lb kettle balls & a calves lift with feet straight, duck footed & pigeon toed. 20x per feet direction.
Doing core workouts: side crunches, planks, etc are now quite easy.
It’s 9 PM & I’m exhausted, I’m turning in early after a fun filled weekend. I played this weekend in an invitational hardball squash tournament. It was hosted in my hometown, by friends from high school, most of whom I haven’t seen in since. Each night there was a dinner party, which reverted into a high school/college like party. The final party was a whopper, in that I left about 5 AM. My performance on the court, after the first party which ended at 2 AM, was not the finest. Though that hour of cardiovascular activity did let me sweat out all the toxins from the night before & greatly improve my performance for my doubles match later in the day.
We had all gone to different prep schools in the Philadelphia region & had played against each other or at junior tournaments many years ago. And now, even with us all scattered around the world, having been to different universities & work in different industries, but we can still get together & hang out like it was yesterday.
Was at a honorary dinner tonight, net worth of the tent estimated at several billion, possibly a few trillion.
About 1/3 of the crowd was very down to earth, fun & easy to talk to. The rest were mostly living behind a shield of superficiality.
It shows that money has nothing to do with presentation. Then again money buys opportunities, what you do with those is up to you.
Driving around Silicon Valley is like driving through manufacturing corporate parks. Lots of companies you have never heard of, but must provide something vital. Though about 100x the number of companies in SV, as 5+ people & their computers doesn’t require much room.
I’m in California for a short week of networking & wine tour.
On the flight my row mate (1st class on miles) has had similar career to mine & is similarly dressed. He now works for a large company & offers to help with a career there.
Arrive at SFO, National Car Rental Executive Row is limited on options. While trying to determine which of the 2 choices I will fit in (& be comfortable for 300+ miles in), the manager brings me a Cadillac DTS and says I look like an executive(once was, working on future).
Arrive at hotel (Four Seasons in East Palo Alto) used a coupon on Expedia, 5 star hotel for 3 star price. Then offered upgrade at $75, now in a $700/night room for $220/night.
You may not get upgrades on airlines anymore, but in the rest of the service industry if you dress well & play the part, you can be very well treated.
I’m always amazed by the number of people who work on airplanes. You rarely see people pull out the laptop on a bus or car. Why do you feel it’s necessary to work when in the air? Is it lack of time management? Sure flights over 4 hours are longer than a normal daily commute, though still shouldn’t you be relaxed & prepared prior to your next engagement?
The kindest & nicest friend/family, Hospice & radiation Nurse, just had a Glioblastoma tumor cut out. The diagnosis isn’t good. I was supposed to have Easter dinner with her & family, though Saturday night she said a head/sinus-ache wasn’t going away. So she went to the ER, Monday she was in surgery. She’s awake & talking, possibly heading home in a week or so.
For a few months she had been taking allergy pills for her sinuses & a doctor had prescribed antibiotics, but none were relieving it. I don’t know enough about medicine, though I would have thought if after 10 days the drugs weren’t working they would try something else. All these TV shows talk about CAT-scans & MRI’s, do doctors not prescribe these often enough?
I love to mow the lawn & I know I’m not alone. My former boss in China, returns to the US every 4-6 months & the first thing he does is the mow the lawn (even though he has a service). He likes the solitude of it, as well as having it done to his specifications. He’s more precise than I (he’s a chemical engineer, so that’s expected), though I do agree it’s one of those chores where no one can bother you & it’s up to you how well it’s done.
Today was the first mow of the 2011, at least for me, this mow is fits a patchwork pattern. Mow areas of heavy growth & leave the rest un-mowed. If the weather stays like present, the next mow will be in 10 days or less. I do believe it’s the time spent in China & Hong Kong, with the sheer amount of people, is what makes mowing a more enjoyable task.
