More Silicon Valley Dullness

I find myself in yet another Silicon Valley Starbucks (chocolate banana smoothie), using their wi-fi connection while waiting for a meeting to start. I am simultaneously appalled by how often this is happening to me, and thrilled by my ability to access my work desktop remotely.

Given this state of affairs, it's probably not good for my mental health to be listening to a new travel audiobook in the car. Travel memoirs tend to spark my dissatisfaction with the banal work life, and often leave me feeling that I'm living a "life of quiet desperation."

Fortunately, The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost is about a place so bleak, so inhospitable, so ridden with giant cockroaches, that I'm actually happy to be in an air-conditioned mega coffee house, instead. The book reminds me (with dry British wit) how boring, uncomfortable, and lonely some exotic places can be. And I just have to evoke memories of miserable guest houses across two continents on my extended honeymoon with La Roleurette to show me how nice it is to be home.

Remember cycling? Yeah, that was the best.

After a visit to the ER on Saturday night (due to threat of blood clot), and another dose of antibiotics, my calf has almost de-Hulked back to Bruce Banner size. And with all that fluid, the fitness is draining from my legs. I've been off the bike - commute or otherwise - since last Friday.

Sadly, this work week is a bear, with non-stop early/late meetings, leaving little time for the bike. Last night I was at the Mountain View City Hall till 10pm, waiting for the Council to get to my item. Tomorrow I need to be in San Jose at 8am. Ugh. Probably just as well to keep me off the leg until it's back to normal.

At least on Sunday I managed to get the ceiling hooks installed, hang up the bikes, and get most of the way through retrofitting J-Lou's Jamis. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational Mancave!!!

Grind

Drove to Mountain View at rush hour for an evening meeting last night. Two soul-crushing hours in the car while eating a burrito, and just managed to get there 2 minutes late. I discovered midway through the meeting that my tie was covering up an enormous salsa stain. Bleaugh.

Tonight, once again, I will drive from SF to SJ at 4pm. I'll listen to The Places In Between, though, which will be good. Definitely recommended. It's my foray into audiobooks, downloaded free thanks to the This American Life partnership with Audible.com

Also hoping to sell the Atlantis frame this morning. Please, "Andrew" - don't be a Craigslist flake. It's such a cliché. I have noticed that buyers' initial eagerness in response to an ad is inversely proportional to their likelihood of actually closing the deal.

I swear I will ride tomorrow morning. There - I said it. You'll all hold me accountable, right? Hello? Wait - is this thing on?