Tag: lessonslearned

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Screenshot of a map showing the NYC area. A 35.5 mile route is superimposed over the map with numbered markers for each mile.

When I say walking around Manhattan, I really mean around, for the most part anyway. This was supposed to be a 32 mile journey, but we ended up clocking over 35. Believe me, I felt every step of those extra, three miles. I’m not even sure what motivated my friend Jonas and I to embark on such a trek, but we’ve been talking about it for a couple years.

I had some history with this. My previous Manhattan circumnavigation attempt several years ago ended unceremoniously around West 86th. My shoes weren’t up to the task causing some painful blisters and I hobbled off to the subway. My walking partner at the time forged ahead only to succumb to a mysterious and sharp foot pain in Inwood Hill Park.

I mention this only because the truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others. While my blisters healed quickly, the other guy limped around for the better part of two months. Thus, my one stipulation for agreeing to this at all was “I’m going to stop at the first sign of any blisters or sharp pains.”

However, on this journey, the blisters didn’t really kick in until about 2/3 of the way in. By that point, the thought of having to retread those miles at some future point helped propel me to the end. For those last few miles, I was a bundle of misery. My usual, brisk pace was reduced to a kind of shuffle. All but the slowest of tourists were passing me. It wasn’t just my feet—though, they were the worst—my whole body was protesting with minor pain and major fatigue.

This will paint the picture of how beat I was: A quarter fell out of my pocket when I was retrieving my apartment keys. I began to bend down to pick it up and almost immediately said, “screw it, I don’t need 25 cents that badly”. At the time, I don’t think even a crispy dollar bill would have motivated me. A five? Maybe.

Who’s the wise man now? Certainly not me. But, we accomplished something As I write this, I’m happy to report that I’m back to 100%. The body is a remarkable thing, even this one.

So, to answer the inevitable “Would you do it again?” question: Maybe. But, I’m going to stop at the first sign of any blisters or sharp pains.

By the way, I’ve included a few observations and lessons learned below, in no particular order…

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Photo of a sign on a building that reads "NO BALL PLAYING ALLOWED". There is a window on the right side of the photo.
Is it just me, or are these signs rarer than they used to be?

For those of you following along in real time, this is getting posted almost a week late.

Sometimes, short weeks feel longer than they should. That was certainly the case for me this week despite having Monday off. After a nice, long weekend, I was feeling pretty low energy. Not helpful when things are really ramping up at work as people look towards the end of the year and want stuff done.

We did manage a good jam session on Friday. This was the first time together trying a song we’re adding to the repertoire. It was a little messy. The lead guitar practiced it, but didn’t notice the tab he was using was tuned down a half step. The lead singer was still working out the cadence of the lyrics. I sort of had the bass down, but not the backing vocals. So, we launch into this thing and it sounds, um, rough. Despite all that, I think it has potential. We’ll keep working on it. Lesson learned, make sure everybody is working off the same music/tabs to begin with.

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Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking against the Vietnam War, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota
Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking against the Vietnam War, St. Paul Campus, University of Minnesota

Monday morning, Stevie Wonder’s Can’t Put it in the Hands of Fate was the first song that played when I hit shuffle on my playlist. A serendipitous tune for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Especially given the other events set to occur on this particular day. Keep fighting people.

I wrapped up the Asterisk Home PBX project this week. Wrapped up for now anyway. It’s working, but there are many fun and exciting things that can be done with it in the future.

A friend and former roommate was in town this week. We hadn’t seen each other for something like 27 years. A long time indeed. Our nostalgia was probably a bore for everyone else in attendance, especially those not even born when we were last in a room together. I hope circumstances allow for more frequent visits in the future.

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In my highly unscientific polling of friends that have visited Japan, “Amazing” is the number one term used to describe trip. “Really amazing” is a close second. I see no reason to be a contrarian: Our trip was “amazing”.

People have asked about my favorites, be it food, places or experiences. I’m not always so good at picking favorites, and I don’t want to bore you with a recounting of the entire trip (for that see the photos in this section). So, here are a couple things that immediately come to mind.

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Screen capture of a video depicting a blue, compact SUV on a Manhattan street sporting a large sign with the text "NEW YORKERS WON! CONGESTION PRICING". A man is standing in the moon roof with outstretched arms.
Screen capture from a Streetfilms montage celebrating NYC Congestion Pricing.

At the stroke of midnight on an icy Sunday, New York City congestion pricing began. I never thought I’d see the day. Let’s hope it sticks!

I finished posting photos from our trip to Japan. Looking at them makes me want to go back.

This Switchable Desktop Power Outlet project is one I’ve been wanting to do for a while. It was simple enough that I wasn’t sure if it warranted a write-up. However, I learned a few lessons–why not.

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