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Joined 5 months ago
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Cake day: June 13th, 2024

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  • Well I don’t live in NJ/NY so I’d map it out.
    https://maps.app.goo.gl/vr7jaMhtuywupgAP8?g_st=i

    Funnyish story though, this no bikes thing has happened to me thrice on my bicycle adventures.

    • In Norfolk, VA I went straight instead of making a right and promptly landed on 64, with no way to go backwards, I hopped a fence and landed in an industrial park with a decent coffee shop, remapped my route and then gave it another go.
    • In trying to flee hurricane Irene on a particularly long road trip, I ended up having to cross the St John’s river bridge because the ferries by that time of night were closed and I had to get into Newport News to stay at my friend’s for the night. It was a shitty situation all around. I feel it was the closest to death I have ever been in my life and I have had a few doozies. I do not recommend ever ever doing this and will never do it again, ever.
    • Recently from El Escorial to Madrid with limited cell service, I landed myself on M-503 for a stretch. While this kind of road with broad shoulders in the US permits bikes, they do not in Spain. I was able to pull off onto a finca road and then eventually a greenway, but not before crossing a beautiful large rust colored bridge (with a decent shoulder).

    I’ve been long distance biking for 20 years now and have had some excellent adventures, so fortunately these kind of wrong turn experiences have been few and far between.

    There is a really great documentary on PBS right now about a group of kids who crossed the entire US on bike for charity in the early 80s, I highly recommend it. https://www.pbs.org/video/once-in-a-lifetime-qtroq8/







  • Big kid punches little kid “Stop” says little kid

    Big kid punches other little kid “Stop” says other little kid

    Big kid punches first little kid again and takes his lunch money “Stop” says little kids

    Bunch of little kids band together “If you punch again we’re going to punch you back” (raises fists in intimidating stance)

    Big kid grumbles and talks about running over all the little kids with his car…

    ——

    NATO isn’t stupid. As a whole, they don’t want to invade Russia. They are there to deter future territorial land grabs and they want to maintain the status quo as it’s good for trade. Quality of life is pretty good or getting better on this side of the fence.

    I get it, a whole bunch of kids around your house can be intimidating. They have access to the neighborhood road (Polish corridor). Your little brother started thinking they were cool.

    The way this could have and should have gone about is more trade, more connectivity, more upward mobility. But your ruling class got all weird about that, can’t be having western ideals infect the population, they were losing power. And so Russia went the xenophobic path and now we are here.

    All the rhetoric. All the hype. All the saber rattling. It’s a form of control, to keep the Russian population in support of this war. To keep them scared so that Putin and his ilk stay in power. It’s a very myopic way of seeing the world.

    They’ve rattled so hard that walking away isn’t an option anymore. Too much treasure and blood lost. It would shake Russia to its core. The Russian Vietnam as it were, right on your doorstep.

    I don’t know what the end game is here. NATO is not going to capitulate. Russian leadership are backing themselves into a corner.





  • Starting a daily productivity log. It started as a google form but has morphed into a larger spreadsheet. It contains:

    • Something I completed today
    • something I worked on today
    • one thing I couldn’t do and why
    • a new idea I had today
    • something I did for physical activity
    • something I learned today

    Each row is a day. It also includes a section for bucket list and yearly goals and whether I achieved them.

    I don’t fill it out every day and I don’t fill out every field each day either, but I do try to not get more than 10 days behind.

    It gives me a sense of purpose. It helps me remember what I’ve done, so days don’t just slip through my fingers. It also, I think, shows how I’ve grown a bit as a person.

    It became really special when I was able to bring it out during my wedding vows. I wrote down on paper many of the things my SO and I did on our adventures and got to share them with our friends and family.

    I have a tab for each of the last 15 years.