Slight change of plans today but all for the better. (inside joke). I got to most of the Developer Day which was cool. There is a tech startup incubator company called TechStars in downtown Boulder that I wasn’t aware of. It is encouraging to know that it is there, though. I also got to meet Bruce Eckel, the author of the first ever book on computer programming I used (his Thinking In Java was the text for my now-infamous CS 150 class). We have a lot in common: java, python, colorado (with the implicit skiing, hiking, mountain biking), and Burning Man, so it was fun to meet him and chat briefly at the happy hour after his talk. I also went to the Google Boulder office where they were hosting a Python Unconference. As I said in my facebook status update “The fucking Google Boulder office has a fucking rock climbing wall in the fucking lobby”.
I hate emoticons. I can’t believe I used two in this post.
Just a quick note that so far so good in October. Work is not going so great but we’re making some progress. I feel ready to just sprint at top speed but our tools and codebase are just not conducive to that. I feel like I’ve spent months planning a great road trip and getting psyched up for it – bought my snacks, made my playlists, and then I go into the garage and the car has been completely disassembled down to the last bolt. Can’t go anywhere until you rebuild it from scratch. Anyway, that’s work. Now on to play.
I climbed at The Spot again today and felt strong for the first time since August. I climbed a bunch of 3-spot intermediate problems and did some yoga while I rested my forearms. There is always a motley crew of outcasts at The Spot. It gives it a funny vibe. The strength training class was there climbing while wearing weighted packs. They also were giving away their old Chris Sharma King Lines posters, so I got some schwag for my yoga room. Yes, I have a little room in the basement just for yoga. I bought some candles for in there and I’ve been putting it to good use. Noticeable improvement in my crow pose, wheel, and other inversions. I’m hoping soon to install some gymnastic rings and a chin-up bar in there soon too.
I’ve got some very fun Halloween plans set up and all of a sudden have made tons of social plans for the coming days. Oh and on Tuesday I did a CHAOS full moon hike at night that was a lot of fun. The air has that yummy fall crispness now. It’s cold here and will be snowy over the weekend. I got my season pass (I think this is my first ever legitimate unrestricted season pass, another mountain milestone) and A-basin is opening up this weekend already.
Saturday there is a Developer Day conference in Boulder as well as a Python Unconference hosted at the Google Boulder office. I’m signed up for both. I’m going to have to overlay the schedules. I’ll bring my BMX bike so I can cruise back and forth to the interesting talks. They are just a few blocks apart. I’ll be curious to see what the attendees are like.
This was a very good weekend with a pretty good balance of activities. Friday was a fairly terrible day at work;I was consumed entirely by sideways firefighting and explaining to management that we won’t be ready to ship in two months. After that I went into Boulder to meet up with a friend for my curious obsession: bubble tea. Thankfully I arrived a few minutes early and could just catch my breath and unwind from work and try to let some of the frustrations go. It worked well enough that I could enjoy the evening but wasn’t really gone yet. We walked with our Bubble Teas over to Mackey to hear the Kronos Quartet play a concert of contemporary music. I really enjoyed all the pieces. They also did their signature piece: George Crumb’s Black Angels, which I also enjoyed hearing live. I rounded out the night with some buffalo wings, which I had a strange craving for.
Saturday during the day I exercised with yoga, weights, and swimming. I set another personal best: 65 laps, which is about two miles. It took me about an hour and a half or so which is about four different lifeguard shifts, apparently. Then I went to a party with Erin thrown for a bunch of her friends/family celebrating three concurrent pregnancies in their core group. Afterward we went to hear Galactic at the Fox Theater, which was a pretty good show and enthusiastically received by the Boulder crowd. The covered a Balkan Beat Box tune, which is unbelievably hip, and their drummer is the amazing Stanton Moore.
Today it’s mostly working from home on a Sunday, but I’m making some good progress which has been long awaited. Lots more good stuff in store for October.
(inside joke). I got to most of the Developer Day which was cool. There is a tech startup incubator company called TechStars in downtown Boulder that I wasn’t aware of. It is encouraging to know that it is there, though. I also got to meet Bruce Eckel, the author of the first ever book on computer programming I used (his Thinking In Java was the text for my now-infamous CS 150 class). We have a lot in common: java, python, colorado (with the implicit skiing, hiking, mountain biking), and Burning Man, so it was fun to meet him and chat briefly at the happy hour after his talk. I also went to the Google Boulder office where they were hosting a Python Unconference. As I said in my facebook status update “The fucking Google Boulder office has a fucking rock climbing wall in the fucking lobby”.