Month: February 2024

I’m adjusting to some tech discomfort, shuttling back and forth between an M1 macbook and a model only a few weeks older than that one. The world apparently changed once we hit M1. I cannot expand my monitors the way I used to. I am sure there are other tech issues that materialized with M1 and onwards, but so far that is the one that stuck in my craw. Moving tech was a huge deal to me. I wanted to be able to upgrade my personal unit to the standards where I can use the software I need to and not feel like the device is going to fall apart on me. My work deck is solid, but it isn’t mine and that means it shouldn’t go everywhere I go–especially for as much as I leave the country.

So, that meant an upgrade. An upgrade means a new visual profile for the deck. I don’t know what I am doing for the interior yet, but the sticker and thus the name is going to be reflective of the S.A. Corey series The Expanse. I choose to pay homage to good fiction. In truth, it may be the best fiction I have consumed in some time–my own work included. So, I am going to have a sticker that either reflects one of the (fictional) companies in the show or something reflective of the term Legitimate Salvage. After all, what is a used computer but a legitimate salvage.

Some Thoughts:

1. Without knowing the insider process going on at Colorado, I know that Sanders stated he was down to a few candidates for his DC position. Now that everything has shaken out, we can speculate those three are locked in at various locations now. We know that he hired Robert Livingston, the much respected secondary coach from the Bengals. We also know that Mike Zimmer, Sanders’ long time friend, is expected to sign as the Cowboys new DC. We also know that Sanders was looking at Anthony Weaver, who took a DC gig with the Dolphins. Coach Prime promised an NFL caliber guy and the three name we can openly connect with the program are all that. Livingston, last man standing, should do well. Now we wait and see if Ed Reed shows up to coach the secondary.

So, the Giants found their guy…. sort of. I thought it was going to be someone stronger in name or scheme but this late in the game it became abundantly clear that the Giants are not a premier destination. That being said, Shane Bowen is an experienced dude. He is known for disguise odd front schemes. Here is the thing about that: so is Wink. Except Wink’s front is not so much of a 3-4 and he is a blitz happy son of a bitch. I like that about him. I am still hopeful that he winds up in Colorado. All signs are pointing towards Wink landing in Michigan and bringing that ferocity to college football. Man, that would be crazy. It is why I wanted him in Colo. He has the dogs there and he can send em.

Meanwhile on the home front, the boy officially signed his NLI with Drake this morning. He’s a Bulldog. He’ll have away games all across the country, which will be a wonderful experience for him. He’s excited. I’m excited. Now I need to figure out when (and how) to get to Iowa to watch at least one of these games.

Some Thoughts:

1. Well, missed on the publishing yesterday. I wrote it, but it sat there unpublished. This hasn’t happened in a while and is reflective of how frazzled I was yesterday. I need to spend that other ten minutes I have scheduled for meditation actually meditating.

There are days I just don’t want to go back. Days where I feel like the best stuff is ahead of me and yesterday is just a reminder of the suck. Feels very anti-American Military (Only good day was yesterday). In fact, as I move into my own future I am starting to think the only good day is tomorrow. In terms of the words, tomorrow I get to talk about the Giants (blog) and I get to finish another chapter of the novel (so long as I stay on track). These are all good things. Today was less of that. Today was, IMHO a hot mess.

I don’t have too many of these days anymore, but too many of these days in a week means things are in need of a hard reset. Physically I need to get right. Mentally, I need to pace myself and make the time for what matters. These are things I know I know, and I don’t need to turn the clock back today to reflect on how I’ve grown or why I know them, because I know I am not where I need to be and I know exactly what sacrifices need to be made to be better. Now it is time to make them.

I have 15 minutes before my next class, which means I can slip in this ten and still have time to make the trek to the classroom from my office. It isn’t a long walk, and the class setup is fairly simple. The key here is preparation. I am actually prepared to teach the class. I know what to expect, what to do with myself in the space, and what comes after for the students. That level of prep is key under these conditions. It is what I’m usually not so good at in life. I have been working on these things–hence the daily lists (which are hit or miss by the week) that are helping me gather data about my habits. Making data-driven decisions seems to be the best course of action for me right now in terms of finding a way to be the best version of myself.

This is Super Bowl Week. In many ways it reflects the end of Football prominence in the household and moves us on to other things. What things, you ask? I don’t really know. I’m fully in the writing mode, and Sunday is a great time for digging in for a few extra hours. However, the lead up to the big show is going to be largely about making the snack stadium. I love the concept and it feels like a fun project for me and the lady to accomplish. Feels like a good way to wave goodbye to football for at least a little bit.

No, it isn’t gone. It never goes away. We have one more high school player left and he’s on to Spring Ball come May. In the meanwhile he still is ‘getting in’ a few 7 on 7 tourneys and enjoying being a respected player in that circuit. I am proud of the kid and proud of all my 5 boys for making what they want of themselves. That is the important thing: They are striving to become who they want to be. It is all a Dad can really ask for. Anything more than that isn’t about them: it’s about me.

Speaking of me, I am ahead of the curve for prep for next week, which means Monday will go fairly smoothly as I focus in on prepping two classes and (2 sessions per class) and then fall into time to work on the novel and the other major project I have cued up for a Tuesday deadline. I need to make some changes on that second project, and maybe that happens tonight. Things are falling into place and it feels good going into the week.

Been feeling low today. Didn’t get more than 3 hours of sleep last night and that heaviness carried over into the day. I managed a rare nap, but it wasn’t enough to make me feel like I was really doing anything. The truth is, I carry a lot of weight on myself –both physically and mentally–and the stress of that adds up over time. It all hit yesterday and I found myself acting pretty self destructively. It isn’t healthy to be like that so it isn’t healthy to get to that point. I need to strike a balance where I can release some of the pressure and start to feel really good, without tipping headlong into negative behaviors that have diminishing returns. This blog serves as a good measure of such things. When it starts to suck–I mean really feel weak and forced–you know I’m tipping towards the bad. I hate feeling that way, and I live in an environment that does nothing but encourage feeling that way. I’ve yet to figure out what to do about it, but I can assure you I am too burned out to work it out on my own at this point.

Some Thoughts:

1. Nah… I don’t actually have any more thoughts. I reflexively typed that because I still have a few minutes left to write and I was effectively done with my point. I remember when Some Thoughts used to be more than just the dredges of the blog.
2. I will say this: I finished Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and I think they tried. They tried very hard and they had a few solid moments throughout. Overall, it is not a good show. It is a visually appealing show. Not a good show.
3. Rewatching the Expanse in the obvious absence of good TV and realizing, I miss good sci fi. I miss good TV in general. I all but abandoned anime, because the kids are far too critical and far far too obsessive about the medium. Still, Solo Leveling looks like my kind of thing.

Argylle.

If I knew what these guys were going for, I might have decided to not watch it. I didn’t know. I did watch it. I cannot unsee that film. Here is the thing: Argylle exists primarily as a spoof. It is almost a Friday the 13th version or Fast and Furious of spy-action thrillers as it starts out reasonably enough and then escalates beyond all sense of reason. Think John Wick 4 on steroids. I didn’t hate it. I was surprised and wowed (not always in a good way) throughout and that is enough to make it a true movie going experience.

Some Thoughts:

1. Yeah, I really just had that to say.
2. There’s still time left though, so I will throw out a few mentions on the state on the world (kinda crappy) and the state of my fiction (getting better and definitely getting a revamp thanks to the cray of that dang movie… tone it down, Talislegger!)
3. This is all…

The calendar on the wall above me says I am supposed to be 230 lbs right now. I’m 234.6, which is not as bad as I thought after the nasty setback a week ago. I’m moving in the right direction… sporadically. This comes down to eating less meat and fewer meals in general. I don’t need to binge as much as I did over the course of the last twenty some-odd years. Now, as I see the 50’s rolling towards me, I need to be smart and be controlled and be healthy above all else. That last bit has been a bit of a let down. I don’t go to the gym I pay for. I don’t take walks in this terrible city, and I don’t do the home routine nearly as much as I should. Even with the revamped 12 point daily schedule, my workout numbers locked in at a hard zero. I haven’t even made a real attempt beyond basic stretching. There is something there I am not thinking through and thus not really applying myself to. In short, I am not getting done what I need to get done. This struggle is real.

Some Thoughts:

1. Moving towards a happier balance in schedule, but I need to get more efficient in my writing time. I don’t flow the way I used to. Need to speed up.

“Last year, we instilled hope. But this year, we got to go do it.” Deion said just the other day on Undisputed, a talk show focused on the sporting life. He said this about his team’s chances to go to the show this upcoming season. He said it, he believes it, he is not wrong. I believe the worst aspect of the Buffs last year was the line–on both sides of the ball. Agreed they had coaching snafus and clock management issues that were magnified by the losses, but this is a team that had most of their losses come at a 1 score margin. They could’ve easily been a bowl team and now with a solidified line –on both sides of the rock–they have a shot to be and do much more. The QB talent is there. The WR and secondary talent is there. The LBs will look a ton better with an upgraded line. The kicking game is only growing. This is about to be a complete team. They just need to hire a DC to lock down a scheme that fits the talent. I’m waiting on that. I’m checking back daily in the hopes it happens and it is someone who brings that smoke. Coach Prime promised an NFL level talent. I’m waiting to see what he puts in front of these player to get them to be the dogs they can be. Then, I am hoping and wishing that my own kid can transfer over there next year and join the conversation. Hell, red shirt the kid if you want to–he’s only 16 and will be a D1 FCS starter at 17, so he has plenty of time to get right.

Super Bowl Thoughts:

1. I’m not pleased. I cheered Mahomes on last time and the few times before that, mostly. This time I wanted Lamar to get his. I expected the Niner’s to be there, but the way Purdy is being heralded as the second coming of Brady, I’m no longer a fan of the situation. So I don’t really much want either team to win. On the bright side that means I can focus on creating a great party atmosphere (making this snack tray!) and not feel any specific way other than wanting it to be a good game.
2. I also started to remember all the really good songs Usher has put out, so I am a bit hyped for that show too.