Vacation in Wales

 

I spent the last two days in Wales MA with good friends. We shared meals, played games, and caught up on each other's personal lives. Not all that long ago we lived together in the same house in Somerville, commiserating about the pandemic, while we transitioned from undergraduate life into new endeavors. This time at a cottage on the lake was a reunion of sorts, like those older days, but with more cozy blankets. I'm glad to have good friends in these folks and look forward to a hopefully periodic chance to meet again and continue conversations and tales throughout the years to come. In the car ride back to Boston, some of us reflected on the reality that making new friends in the era of the pandemic and as young adults is hard. It makes me grateful to know a good bunch of folks.

New weekend's packed as well; a show at the Royale, some time at a recording studio, and a few hours at a research facility. 

We visited Treehouse Brewery and grabbed a few pints while we were out.

Front yard view of the cottage

Two Books and New Years Tacos

I made some pork tacos for New Years Eve. I invited a friend over and we talked about life, the current state of things, and motivations. I put the ABC television broadcast on mute and sat back with some tunes. At one point, after the tacos were put down, we went for a walk about the neighborhood. I did not want to go into a bar that night for a few reasons, one of which being that many of my friends currently have Omicron. I would rather get my steps in, breath the brisk air, and hold conversation with a pal instead of paying $20 for a cuba libre and getting sick. As the clock ticked to midnight, I was playing around with a string of LEDs and a microcontroller. I did some art and fell to sleep.

In the meantime, I read Stoner by John Williams and Anthem by Rand. I endorse the concepts in neither. Stoner is a great read and certainly worthy of the 'great american novel' esc praise I read about it. Anthem was on the bookshelf.

Slow cooker ready. Came out a bit dry at 8 hours. Maybe try pressure cooking next time?

Guinea pigs that I take care of with Ally, The one in front is Juniper. The one in back is Bear.

 

Embarking on an aural journey

 

An excerpt from the book

Tired of the automatic preference suggestions? Spotify daily mixes? Pandora/XM/iHeart radio? 

I have been feeling like I hear the same ole tunes week after week. Like reruns of The Office for some others, it can make one feel like they are living in an audio roundabout. In a new turn of events, I have decided to start listening to a new album each day from the book 1001 albums you must hear before you die. The list is put in chronological order online in a csv format for ease of marking down which ones I have already heard. Since I spend about an hour in the car on my commute anyways, might as well get some culture time in right?

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the 1001 Before You Die series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics to be the most important, influential, and best in popular music between the 1950s and the 2010s. The book is edited by Robert Dimery, an English writer and editor who had previously worked for magazines such as Time Out and Vogue.
Each entry in the book's roughly chronological list of albums is accompanied by a short essay written by a music critic, along with pictures, quotes, and additional information (such as the album's running time and producer). Compilations of various artists, and most film soundtracks, are excluded.^[3]

Half Marathon in Lowell

 

On October 17th, almost two weeks ago, I ran a half marathon. The path to running the race started with a conversation in August with my colleague Andrew. He ran on a cross country team in college and he wanted to try running a marathon. He motivated me to sign up for the race and gave me a few tips for running. I trained with a 1 mile run most weekdays and a long run on weekends. Before the race, the longest run I went for was about 10 miles. The race was the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA. It was exciting to start in such a massive crowd herded down a main throughway of the city of Lowell. As the race progressed, the herd slowly thinned out along the miles of track into a trickle of people. I am glad I did not encounter any serious pain or injury during the long trek. I was thankful for my headphones and the playlists I set up before the race. Once I was able to disassociate a bit, the time went by a little easier. When I came to the final turn towards the finish line, a small burst of energy came up from nowhere and allowed me to speed up a bit for the last 100 yards. Perhaps it was the casual cheers from passing strangers on the sidewalk. People who I did not know saying 'you got this' or 'just a bit further' was actually quite nice and helpful when I was that tired. Ally drove me home afterwards as I rubbed my feet.

After the race, I had a warm cup of coffee and a cold brown ale. Some people might avoid such a combination but I welcomed it. As I recovered, Ally and I built a chest of drawers from a popular Swedish furniture store.

Tired and wind whipped me holding my medal and foil blanket after the race. 

Time out in RI

 

I visited the state of Rhode Island for the first time two weeks ago. It was a great time and I was able to hit up a beach. The weather was not too hot and not too windy. It was just right. This weekend, I have been able to visit and see a few friends. As the fall rests just around the corner, I have a lot to appreciate and hope towards. In one aspect, I am looking forward to a half marathon in approximately one month from now. I have been training and currently run about 16 miles a week. I plan to push myself up to 20 miles this week and stay there until race day. The last thing I want to happen now is sprain or overwork something.

In order to run that distance, I have been cooking more good food. I heard that it's best to shop the 'edge of the supermarket', where all the produce, protein, bread, basics, and dairy sits. As opposed to the processed boxes of whatever. I think that is a good strategy going forward.

A Red Sox Crowd?

 

I went to the Red Sox game last Friday where the home team beat the Texas Rangers 6-0, although it went 10-1 Rangers the next night. My friend Conrad got the ball rolling on this expedition out into Fenway Park. Five of us friends went to the bleachers and talked about life while the innings passed by us. The stadium was packed. Beers and hotdogs were being consumed all about us. I only saw a few people wearing face masks. It seems most people did not even acknowledge my own mask, except when a concessions staffer said we should be smiling since the Sox were ahead "I can still tell you're smiling". It was a good night and I'm glad I went. It was a bit awkward in some ways. I've been reading about overwhelmed hospitals in parts of the country where ICU beds are filled up completely and mostly unvaccinated people gasp for their last breaths before collapsing into asphyxiation. It's a slightly different story in Massachusetts where vaccination rates are higher although covid cases have risen with the onslaught of the Delta variant of COVID-19. 

On Thursday, I left the gym and saw a large hawk sitting on a branch just outside the building. The gym attendant started telling a story about how a hawk once pecked through someone's skull, which I found concerning enough to exit through the other side of the building.

On Saturday morning, I stopped by MIT for a COVID test. It appears the whole area around Kresge is getting renovated. In the midst of the COVID pandemic, construction seems to continue booming. I would guess that managers and administrators of MIT as well as any college probably see this time as a golden opportunity to quickly handle a lot of infrastructure changes without placing a serious burden on the students and staff.

An absolutely wonderful vacation

 

It is somewhat funny that I feel somewhat melancholy at the end of this long weekend (it's Tuesday?). I think I'm down because this excursion is coming to an end. I'm enamored with Ally's kind and caring family. It has been a wonderful vacation.

On Friday night, Ally went to see a friend in Boston while I talked about music with my pals Hector and Hadrian. 

Early Saturday morning Ally and I jumped out of bed at 4 something AM and found that our scheduled Lyft ride was cancelled and our flight was delayed 30 minutes. On this discovery, we trekked to the Davis Square Station to ride towards South Station. We ambled through the bag check and security in good time and found ourselves sipping a Starbucks latte before hopping on the plane. I watched 1917 and she watched Judas and the Black Messiah. Both so emotional movies we landed in a daze.  I shook hands and hugged Ally's parents. Within minutes of grabbing our bags, we jumping in an SUV hurtling into the Atlanta traffic. A quick stop at her sister Calee's apartment, I was introduced to Calee's partner Noel and we then sped off to IHOP. After exceptional service, I napped on a hot balcony of the apartment before we zipped off to the Blue Ridge mountains. Tucked in a river bend, we found a large cabin that Ally's parents had rented for us. Fishing poles and a hot tub. Rope swing, basketball It was fully loaded. As well as the SUV was loaded with snacks, drinks, meals, and games. Taco night.

On Sunday, I nestled into a good book and finished it up quickly over the next 24 hrs. Between reading sessions, I jumped in the water, swam, talking, joked, told stories, and explained how Ally and I met. Ally and I made our popular Mediterranean bowls for dinner. 

On Monday, we went tubing on the Cartecay river. Took naps in the warm air. Laid in a hammock. Played even more games of pool and billiards. Good soup and salad for dinner.

On Tuesday, we went to a zipline park far off the beaten path. Chic-fil-a. Went into Atlanta to see Louis the child, super fun and loud show. Got back home at 2am.

Today, work and packing rapidly!

Tomorrow, business as usual