Quickbits

This summer is going to be a bit tricky, but man I could really go for some adventures here and there. I'm already fantasizing about some trips and explorations. Playing in the trees and running in the mountains. I'm trying not to get too excited -- we'll have six weeks or so smack in the middle where we're kind of just stuck in San Diego, but hopefully we can work in some things before and after that.

Continuing to play with my lifting and calorie consumption schedule. I've mainly been cutting for the past month-and-a-half, but I'm always intrigued by different schedules that could potentially end with gained muscle mass and reduced fat. Everything I read online mostly discourages attempting this in favor of normal bulking/cutting cycles. I'm ok if it turns out that everyone is right, but I like experimenting and seeing data, so I think in that spirit, I'm going to try the following schedule. The high calorie days are in caloric suprlus. The low calorie days are in a fairly substantial caloric defecit. On all days I will aim for as much protein as possible.: Mon - Rest (High Calorie Day) Tue - Lift (High Calorie Day) Wed - Rest (Low Calorie Day) Thu - Rest (Low Calorie Day) Fri - Lift (High Calorie Day) Sat - Rest (High Calorie Day) Sun - Lift (High Calorie Day) I like this schedule for a couple of reasons: 1. I can eat more calories on the weekend, which is always nice 2. I only have two lifts during the work week, which gives me more time to get my work done. Potential needed modifications: 1. I could see adding in another low calorie day. I think Monday would be a good day for that, since it's a rest day, and I only have one lifting day after that until the two low calorie days. 2. I could theoretically add in more lifts by lifting on Saturdays and Mondays. Disadvantages: 1. The Sunday lift could potentially get in the way of weekend activities. We often times like to get out on weekends. All in all over the next few months, due to other things going on, we probably won't be going on too many full-weekend adventures, so it's mostly safe, and I'm ok dropping that lift occasionally, especially if it's for some adventure where I'm getting a workout of some kind.

I keep seeing proposals for the San Diego Sports Arena District (like this one). Some of them are great. I would actually love to see some bigger thinking here as well. The I-8 west of I-5, which lies just north of the proposed Sports Arena District, is a fairly worthless stretch of freeway, travelling a couple of miles before transitioning into neighborhood arterials. It does help get people to the beach faster, which I guess is a good thing, but it's also some nice real estate right along the San Diego River that could be a pretty nice neighborhood.   I occasionally ride my bike on the path between the freeway and river -- it's enjoyable, except for the freeway right there. What a wasted space.

I kind of like the idea of just going back to buying CDs. I was thinking back to when I was a kid doing those crazy deals with BMG Music and Columbia House where you would get "13 albums for the price of one!". It was great. I eagerly waiting for my box of CDs to arrive (and not just for the initial seven or eight that you would get, but even the subsequent deals where you could get three or four for a pretty good price). I do like the idea of having a physical copy as well. I also got into the bad habit of just buying a song or two that I like, but there is something about having the full album, playing it over and over and finding the other songs that you love even more than the ones that you bought the album for.

Finally escaped up into the hills for a few hours to ride my bike, get some fresh air, and enjoy some time in nature. I had to walk far more than desired since I haven't done too much biking recently, but I still made it to where I wanted to.   Even in my out-of-shape state, there are times when things still feel good -- my legs turning the pedals as I grind my way up the hill. Trying to keep my breathing steady. My usual spot to hang my hammock and chill for a bit was pretty overgrown, so I ate my lunch on the side of the beautiful gravel road before turning around and coasting back down the hill.

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11341-2 I've been curious about how video games impact child development. I remember being impressed at all of the new words our child was exposed to, along with just the amount of overall reading he was doing while playing Animal Crossing. And of course the strategy, problem solving, and creativity required in many games. It's something I would love to see explored more. How much of his education could utilize games? Could the entirety of his education be a large game, that guides him through his studies and reacts and updates based on his interests?

Some days I really hate git.

I think we're good as a species of laying blame on individuals. It makes it easier to not do the things that we should do as a society and instead blame it on an individual. Easy examples of this are things like opposition to social safety nets, but I think it applies well to things like yesterday's school shooting. I hear things like it was a "senseless act by an individual", and "I don't understand why someone would do something like that". The reasons for acts like this aren't a big mystery or anything -- we're all driven by chemicals in our brains that we honestly don't have too much control over, along with a mix of good and bad life experiences. I think

I feel like most options available to normal people for reform in this country aren't likely to succeed (protesting, calling representatives, arguing on social media). The only thing I can really think of is to donate heavily to senate and house candidates that have a chance of unseating those who are currently standing in the way of making progress.