So, in most endeavors this week, I struggled to make anyone particularly happy; stuff just didn’t seem to work out. I plugged through work, settled some issues, but saw a bunch of others arise. I had one really nice bike ride on Tuesday, though weather and pollen kind of spoiled the rest of the week, leaving me a little frustrated. I took my lovely spouse out for some food-truck-at-the-brewery dinner last night and the truck screwed up her order putting pepperoni on her “plain” pizza-esque panini. My youngest child and I did have our usual “Masked Singer” watch this week, though honestly, she spent more time watching shouty guys play Minecraft on the internet. I’m kind of feeling a bit of a failure in most respects.

One thing, though, did work in my favor.

I had the above pictured item delivered Wednesday afternoon and made my lovely spouse’s day; so I guess it’s not a total loss.

That, dear reader, is the Honda Fit EX that Carvana dropped off Wednesday afternoon. My love has grown a bit tired of the Mazda van she’s been driving for the last seven years or so, wanting something small, cute, and an “actual color” instead. And, with a third driver in the house, having a third vehicle made sense, so we’ve been shopping around the last few months.

It’s used, but barely broken in apart from a few small “parking in Northern Virginia” battle scars on the bumper that the seller has offered to have fixed free of charge (I just need to go get the estimate this weekend), and by all accounts so far (I’m having my local mechanic give it a look over today), it’s good to go. The “buy a used car off the internet” thing has been remarkably painless, again, so far (it’s still sporting temporary plates, but those’ll get settled after the “seven day trial period” that accounts for the whole not seeing it in person beforehand in this sales model), which is refreshing.

And, at least in this area, I’ve made my partner happy. I’ll take that.

Weekend’s looking relatively uneventful. The weather seems cooperative, so I’m going to try to get a little riding in, though otherwise, nothing planned, as we’re entering the window for second vaccine shots, and with my lovely spouse first through that gate this morning, we’re not going to push the limits; probably some takeout and movies on the streaming services, which is fine with me.

So tunes. The usual Spotify-generated playlist, including the usual littany of old and new, with a few favorites (that last one still rocks), and coming in at number five is a band I’ve been hearing on wnrn for a while now, and, thanks to the selfsame radio station, I have been comped tickets for the show they’re performing in town in the fall (assuming things are at least better by then) through the weekly member contest drawing.

Damn, I miss live music.

1. “Squarepusher Theme”- Shobaleader one
2. “My Girlfriend’s Dead” – The Vandals
3. “What If?” – The Murlocs
4. “Living In Hell” – Cobra Man
5. “When My Time Comes” – Dawes
6. “Bazaar” – The Tea Party
7. “Bambi” – Prince
8. “Peace Frog” – The Doors
9. “Space Truckin'” – Deep Purple
10. “Devil Come Round” – Men Without Hats
11. “I Ran (So Far Away)” – A Flock of Seagulls
12. “Don’t Change” – INXS
13. “Flowers By The Door” – T.S.O.L.
14. “Banditos” – The Refreshments

The weather this weekend ended up being absolutely beautiful in spite of less-than-ideal forecasts late last week. And, since my locked-in appointment for Saturday afternoon ended up getting bumped a few days, I went ahead with my cycling plans.

Saturday morning I rose early and drove out to mile marker 0 of the Capital Trail at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg, mounted the bike, and started riding west shortly after 9am. My plan was to do 40 miles, but as I rode right past marker 20 and didn’t notice until I hit the Charles City government complex, I ended up doing 42, knocking out my personal best distance record for the second time in a week. I did the whole thing in just under three hours, just in time to stow the equipment in the car then walk 100 yards over to Billsburg Brewery shortly after their opening for a celebratory pint.

Sunday, which was supposed to be full of rain as well, ended up being beautiful, and I knocked out almost 18 miles on this end of the trail, which didn’t present any trouble apart from all the pollen I breathed in.

So, I’m feeling pretty good about my chances of not keeling over when I attempt the Cap2Cap 52 miler in a couple of weeks. I’m just going to keep up some sort of momentum as best I can, and get another couple of long ones (35-40ish) in ahead of the planned event on May 7. There’s a 14 mile section of the trail I haven’t ridden yet this year, so I think I’ll work on covering that ground as well as part of those longer rides.

Otherwise this weekend, we did a few errands, took care of some chores, and watched a couple of movies, and my reactions to such sort of surprised me. Saturday afternoon after my long ride, my lovely spouse and I settled and watched Thunder Force on Netflix, a not-terribly-well-reviewed superhero comedy with Melissa McCarthy that just premiered direct to the service, but damn if we didn’t enjoy the absurdity of it all, which has a pretty nice through line about the friendship of women and the potential inherent in those of us of a certain age who don’t fit particular molds, and Jason Bateman owned his supporting role, as he’s wont to do. It’s quite good for a laugh. Sunday while grabbing a few things off the grocery list, on a lark I picked up a copy of Wonder Woman 1984, and it was…all over the place, mostly because there’s a lot problematic aspects with regard to character motivation; you’d think in a movie with “Wonder Woman” in the title, she’d be front-and-center, and represent the usual heroic, optimistic characteristics we expect from the character (along with some of the complicated sexual politics Moulton Marston worked out on the pages of the early books), but in this film, she’s just one of many flawed characters in the piece, and in many cases, just as much the villain as any of the other characters. Sure, there’s a third-act hero turn, but it feels unearned. It trumpets an optimistic message in that last act, but the whole thing is really rather cynical and dark in spite of the colorful 80s palate, which shouldn’t surprise, given that this is part of the dark-and-gritty DC comics universe shepherded by Zack Snyder.

Now that I’ve gotten my almost-certainly-flawed feminist film critique out of my system, I can look forward to the week ahead. As it stands right now (but probably won’t persist), my work week looks sort of quiet, as does the personal week, apart from ensuring that the kids fall back into line after wrapping spring break, and keeping tabs on some other developments. Otherwise, I’m going to try to keep the cycling momentum up as best I can (weather is iffy again as it looks right now), and just press on through it.

It’s all we can do, really.

While work was as frustrating as requirements review board submission deadline week usually is, it was an otherwise decent week. The certification test I’m running in the other piece of my job that I haven’t been able to let go of yet after the reorg in February is going swimmingly, and more importantly, the weather’s been gorgeous and I’ve managed to get out and have some quality time outside on the bike; almost 100 miles since Sunday, including an amazing 35 mile ride on the Capital Trail on Wednesday afternoon.

Looking ahead to the weekend, I was planning to try that 40 miler I was aiming for last weekend, and I still might if the weather cooperates, though the forecast includes a bunch of on-and-off rain starting tonight, so who knows. I’ve also got a locked-in commitment on Saturday afternoon that I don’t want to get stuck on a trail somewhere and miss. That said, we’ll see. I think I’m in pretty decent shape for the Cap2Cap half-century next month, but I want to keep the momentum up, and getting used to the longer rides helps, and makes me feel, at least periodically, like I’m not the out-of-shape middle-aged fat kid I can’t help but see myself as, aches and pains aside.

Otherwise, it’s just been…life during pandemic time. Same as always. Work, eat, ride, sleep, interspersed with bits of refreshing conversation and epic bitch sessions.

And Rex Manning Day.

Anwyay, tunes. Starting out kinda nu-metal, then the flutes come in for a bit, and transitions from classic rock right into guitar nerds and hairspray, which, y’know, cool:

1. “Promenade” – Street Sweeper Social Club
2. “Here’s Your Future” – The Thermals
3. “I Never Glid Before” – Gong
4. “Goodbye Gemini” – Blood Ceremony
5. “E-Pro” – Beck
6. “Faster” – Manic Street Preachers
7. “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” – Type O Negative
8. “Kiss Me Deadly” – Generation X
9. “Achilles Last Stand – Led Zepplin
10. “Heaven’s On Fire” – KISS
11. “Bad” – Polyphia
12. “Burning Bridges” – Slaughter
13. “Breakin’ the Law” – Judas Priest
14. “Surfing with the Alien” – Joe Satriani

Today’s weather report tells me it’s going to be sunny and in the 80s by noon today. I have entirely too much annual leave just sitting there because there’s been almost no reason to go anywhere, and no place to go, for most of a year. I’ve been working pretty hard this week, and am at the point where I am dependent on others to get their crap together so I can continue to make progress with my work projects.

The solution to this equation? I’ve unilaterally decided that I’m going to knock off a couple of hours early this afternoon and enjoy the weather, because damn it, I deserve a break, I’ve been watching everyone else around me taking their spring break this week, and I want a little piece of that action.

A nice long afternoon ride on the Capital Trail, followed by a cold, socially-distant beverage at one of my city’s many excellent watering holes sounds like just the ticket for a short well-earned respite from the grind.

If y’all need me after noon today, it can wait until tomorrow morning.

As I mentioned, I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday afternoon. I was hoping for few side effects, as I had ambitious cycling plans for the weekend.

Those didn’t happen.

I can’t say this will be everyone’s experience, but for me, the exhaustion and “wiped out” feeling hit hard right around three hours after the needle left the arm. I crashed hard Friday evening. I was mostly better on Saturday, though it was like I was running on about 80% of full capacity.

Other than that, though, nothing serious. Get yours as soon as you’re able, okay?

I’ve got my second shot booked for the 23rd, right on time. I hear that one knocks you down harder, at least anecdotally, so I’m not making any serious plans that weekend. That’s two weeks out from the 50 mile Cap2Cap ride, so I ought to be okay, and I’ll have a few more long ones in in the interim.

Apart from that, I got a ton of laundry done this weekend, took care of the shopping, and made a kickin’ lasagna.

Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t promo my buddy Mikey Mason’s new record, Retrossance (out for pre-order now, available for purchase May 1), since he was nice enough to have me sit in on bass on one of the tunes, and give me “inspiration credit” for another. As with all his stuff, it’s quality, and I am continually bewildered that I get to call such amazingly talented people friends.

Another Friday, another long week. A week full of sinus pressure, problematic bureaucracy, and senior executive briefings, framed by crappy weather that kept me off the bike most of the week.

However, it’s Friday, and at this point, it’s looking like it’ll be a quiet one. I’ve moved my projects along to the point where I’m once again waiting around for others to provide me information. The software testing effort I’m still running (even though it’s not my job anymore, technically) is stalled because of infrastructure issues, and the only official thing on my agenda is an anti-extremism discussion session, which has been mandated from the top because, well, we know why.

I’m sure it’s going to be just as exciting as it sounds.

The other news is that after I wrap work for the day, it’s my turn to venture out to get my first dose of the vaccine, and I’m not, um, throwing it away. I expect it’ll be a placid and uneventful experience, but it’s one I’m definitely welcoming; I’m happy to be doing my part toward achieving herd immunity.

As for the rest of the weekend, nothing particularly unusual. I am counting on side-effects being minimal, because I’ve got a 40 mile bike ride on the agenda Saturday. After a couple of days of awful weather, I’m looking forward to getting in the saddle again.

And…tunes. Spotify “Discover Weekly” again. Little bit prog-ier than usual, but I have been leaning in that direction with my listening. The volume of modernish covers of prog classics is interesting, however; wonder how the algorithm worked that out?

Oh yeah – Bandcamp Friday. Support some independent musicians, like, say, me, or any of these many awesome peers my friend Madison has kindly collected.

1. “Lateralus” – Tool
2. “Electric Feel” – Turbowolf
3. “Vanishing Girl” – The Dukes of Stratosphear
4. “It’s Only Another Parsec…” – Rx Bandits
5. “What A Fool Believes” – Self
6. “Waiting Room” – Fugazi
7. “Yours Truly, 2095” – Electric Light Orchestra
8. “Roundabout” – Allegaeon
9. “Hard Times” – The Jetzons
10. “Star of Rio” – The Night Flight Orchestra
11. “The Moon is Disgusting” – That 1 Guy
12. “1979” – The Contortionist
13. “Hocus Pocus” – Focus
14. “Less Talk More Rokk” – Freezepop
15. “Godzilla” – Racer X

Apart from a few issues, the weekend was quite nice. Had a beautiful bike ride on Saturday morning, enjoying 32 miles in the sun, a new record for me, and good conditioning for the Cap2Cap in May. The girls at home had a busy day Saturday as well; the dance school performing company got themselves booked for a couple of shows at a scaled-back, masked-and-distanced Busch Gardens, which, by all acounts, went well, and the pandemic preventative practices were much more thorough and effective than my similar trip to the grocery store on Saturday afternoon, where I saw tons of exposed noses and uncovered faces wearing MAGA gear. Personally, I wouldn’t choose to go to an amusement park in the current environment, but the performing experience was a good one for the kid. Sadly, my quick shopping experience proved to me that my particular local community, which was never that invested in preparedness anyway, has largely given it up.

Sunday, we took a calculated risk, though it was still much safer than my grocery store run. One of our dear friends, who’s had one hell of a year, even apart from the pandemic, had a birthday, so a small group of us met up in a backyard in Williamsburg for a couple of hours and sat in spread-out chairs enjoying conversation and good food.

Everything in life is a calculated risk these days; we all have to make our own calls based based on our own comfort levels. It’s possible to do some social things safely; our Sunday afternoon was worth the low risk (especially as we practiced good distancing discipline, largely stayed outside, avoided contact, and wore masks when appropriate) to engage with people whose company we dearly missed.

All our limits are different, but there’s a difference with taking calculated risks while acting in accordance with safety guidelines and denying there’s a problem. Personally, I’m happy to engage in outside recreation on the bicycle or sparsely populated hiking trail, keeping a face covering handy for the occasional crowd, or to sit at my own small table in a local brewery where the staff and those not actively sipping are masked, chatting with another patron at their own table more than ten feet away from mine, even better if we can be outside doing so.

But you won’t find me at a movie theater or crowded live music venue right now (and damn, do I need live music, either mine or anybody else’s), or someplace where people like those grocery store patrons (or 4/5ths of my County school board) are likely to be. When I *have* to be near those folks, I mask up and keep my distance (I’ve been known to pick the much busier checkout line if the patrons ahead of me, or way too often, the person running the till, aren’t doing masking right…) That’s my line.

And as far as the effectiveness of masks (that sadly, we’re still harping on about): Did you get the flu this year? Me neither.

The good news is that vaccines are rolling out nicely, even around here where they’ve made a hash of things. My spouse and my eldest have had their first shot, and I booked mine for later this week yesterday after I got the message from VDH. People, even those who complain about Bill Gates microchips and “mah raights as a ‘murrican!” are quietly getting theirs.

We might be on the way to getting back to some semblance of normal life soonish, at least in some respects (though it’ll be another year or more until we reach effective immunity levels, and that’s assuming people won’t be any stupider than they already are).

The real question, though, is what we want the new normal to look like. I don’t want to go back to “the way it was,” personally, because there was a hell of a lot about it that didn’t work. We’ve got an opportunity here to change things for the better, to make our society work a little better and more safely; I would love to take advantage of it.

…I just wish more of those people in my local community, and those like them all across the planet, cared to do the same.

So I guess it’s kinda spring now? We’re supposed to top 80° here in the RVA today, after two days of solid (but warm) rain. I’ll take it. Lions, lambs, all that crap, right?

The week itself has been about standard, at least standard for weeks where I have to run the gauntlet of senior leader briefings to get projects funded and approved, wrestling with backroom deals, last-minute changes of opinion from legal and (especially) finance, and all kinds of other bullshit that even our “experts” on this process can’t wrap their minds around.

How do I deal? Biking, craft beer, and antidepressants (though not all at the same time).

That’s largely the plan for the weekend as well; ideally more of the primary, and less of the secondary and tertiary. Having logged a few long days of document review earlier this week, my goal is to bail a bit early and get out and enjoy the weather for twenty miles or so before the Cap clogs up. It helps to pour the work frustration into endurance cardio, and I’m planning on doing the Cap2Cap Half-Century ride in May, and need to maintain some sort of conditioning.

All the biking this month hasn’t necessarily shed any weight, but I expect that’s coming. I could stand to drop about 40 pounds of quarantine/stress weight (*if* I want to get back down to my lowest point, which was arguably too low), but muscle gain is going to help that long-term, even if I stall/gain a bit up front.

Who’d have thought I’d become a fitness guy in my early middle-age? I hope I’m not completely insufferable.

On that note? tunes. A somewhat usual mix of 80s and 90s alternative, a bit of metal, and some weird shit, but it’s a nice soundtrack while I take advantage of a quiet Friday morning to clean up a bunch of work documentation:

1. “Blackest Eyes” – Porcupine Tree
2. “The Sails of Charon” – Scorpions
3. “Beer Good” – The Electric Peanut Butter Company
4. “Domino Effect” – Ozma
5. “Cold Company” – Minus the Bear
6. “Just Like Heaven” – Dinosaur Jr.
7. “I Ain’t Hiding” – The Black Crowes
8. “Frownland” – Captain Beefheart
9. “Daddy” – Devin Townsend, Che Aimes Dorval
10. “Cliffs of Dover” – Eric Johnson
11. “Ghosts” – nelward
12. “Mother Mary” – Foxboro Hottubs
13. “All of This” – Shaimus
14. “Supernaut” – Black Sabbath
15. “Pretend We’re Dead” – L7

It always hits me hard today, though I always get through it. That said, I’ll be taking some time to think and remember, because that’s what we do. I take the lessons to heart, both obvious and implicit. Also, he would have totally dug the source of this post’s title.

Cheers, Dad. You deserve a better mix.

If you were waiting for the record to stream on Spotify before you listened to it, well….here it is, and you no longer have an excuse to avoid it.

If you listen, I shall appreciate your fraction of a cent per track. Seriously though, people have been saying decent things about it, the mix is pretty good, and when I attempted some of the songs in a live situation on a virtual music circle with friends last night, they went over well, especially as I’d never played them before apart from when I recorded them.

Anyway, I hope you do listen, because I’m actually pretty proud of it.