Walking thoughts
2/1/2024
It's been more than a year and half since my last post.
A lot has happened since then in my immediate family. Lots of tragedy, grief and loss. I think we made it to the other side of it in a decent shape however.
One silver lining to all the last has been Leela, 55 pound bundle of pure joy and love on four paws. We got her in Sept. 2022. She is a mix of many breeds - pit, spaniel, chow and shepherd are the dominant ones. Her mom was found roaming the streets of Manteca already pregnant with Leela. She is sleeping on the chaise right by me as I write this.
Happy new years to you and your loved ones!
4/24/2022
Today was the fabled mission peak hike day.
We planned to leave home by 10pm. Prepared for a hot hike with shorts and realized that my hiking boots were in the Car that Anu took. So pulled out my merrell running shoes. Wasn't sure if they were up to the job. But they held their own.
Pat was prepping for his 30 day walk from france to spain. Man is a beast. To simulate his walk he hiked mission with his backpack.
At the top Pat pulled out his polaroid and used that to snap this pic!
4/23/2022
Eating that dessert late in the night was definitely a bad idea. Almost felt like a hang over.
Will be a while before I am ready to eat anything.
Okay, so I ordered that Sage Mahagony guitar. Impulse buy for sure. But I am pretty excited.
I was a little impatient, so I ended up changing the strings on my s35. I feel like they need to "break in".
Getting the bridge pins out was hard - even with pliers. Hopefully damage will be limited to the pins.
Also setup the table in the guest room to change the guitar strings.
Anu went to face paint kids in a park in PA.
Pat pinged for mission peak hike tomorrow. I am pretty excited. Hopefully it isn't too muddy.
Ate a bunch of jackfruit for breakfast. I can't believe I wasted all this time hating on jackfruit.
I didn't care enough to look beyond the smell. But it is amazing. All thanks to Anu.
Made a beyond burger for myself - mayo, pickled beets with dill, lettuce and brioche buns.
The cast iron pan now has a great non-stick coating!
Made dosa for Anu. Dosa is definitely an art form. We should get the idly batter more often.
I have been looking at 4 seater convertibles - the M4 competition in particular.
I probably won't buy it though.
Was yak shaving some work stuff too. Working on the weekend somehow doesn't feel wrong.
A light shone through the window and created a pretty and abstract-ish image on the wall.
Ordered sushi and soup for dinner. Lazy day. The hike tomorrow will be necessary.
Sushi was phenomenal and cheap! Miso Seaweed Salad and sushi. All for 31$ total.
I overate perhaps. But the food was worth it. And we ate it with dim candle lighting.
In the night, a light from the neighbors yard lit cast a very interesting looking shadow on our wall.
4/22/2022
Woke up to the sound of thunder. I love rain.
Stayed in bed for a bit thinking it is too early. Turns out it was just cloudy.
Broke my 36hr fast with mangoes. I love mangoes.
Followed that with Momos that Anu ordered yesterday.
Not as tasty as the day before.
Medium productive day. Took a walk in quarry. Found a different spot.
Quarry is just so beautiful.
Came back worked a bit more. Ordered from hummus republic. Pretty good spot!
Gamed and won in Pacifica for the first time. Domelo indeed took us to the promise land.
Felt good to get some very hard sniper shots.
Girl wanted Paris baguette at 9:15pm - typical Friday night pangs.
Ordered some redbean bingsoo instead. Redbean paste would have been better.
Definitely a miss. I should watch what I eat and when I eat it.
Figured out how to play "Something in the way" on guitar. I got lucky with my Jasmine-s35.
However I am still eyeing that Orangewood Sage live.
4/21/2022
Just realized I use the inferior American date notation. Funny.
Woke up in a better mood than yesterday. More willing and usual to bathe.
Went for walk around quarry with Anu. It rained before. Temperature was perfect too.
I always saw people with fishing poles. But never a fish until now. A beautiful fish so close to the shore.
Talked to Bhuvana. Cheerful and hopeful. She showed me the cats. Happy to see them. RSS indoctrination could have a good effect.
Lots of ideas on the walk. Related to making some work things faster.
Nothing generates ideas like a quiet walk.
Productive day, put one of those ideas into practice. Which is very unlike a Thursday.
Mind is more settled and less anxious than yesterday.
More rain. A huge rainbow. Reminded me of Magens Bay from the trip last year.
The hills behind my house are green too. Hope they stay green for a while.
Took another walk around the house. My ankle seems to be unstable.
Need to stop using the flip flops. Maybe even do some calf raises.
Thursday is fasting day. I allow myself to drink water. Slight headache.
Probably due to not drinking enough water. It will pass.
Anu ordered momos and fried rice. Silly girl. I like that she gets these urges.
Looking forward to eating some of that tomorrow.
Always this constant background of Sadhguru videos. He has good message.
But very repetitive. I do want the soil thing to succeed.
Watched some TV, Moon Night and Outer Range.
4/20/2022
Can't exactly recall how I woke up - I think I woke up into my laptop.
Did a design diagram for a work thing. Something about drawing feels right.
Right-er than writing a wordy doc. Specially to describe technical ideas.
Also kills the desire to write the rest of the doc, since I already felt good.
Went to meet with Pat. Took 880. Driving in traffic sucks.
Still enjoyed being on the road. 30 miles in a 30 minutes is hard in India.
Bay Area feels small in a good way. I am grateful.
God bless American roads.
Pat's cool. Thats is always the first thing I think about Pat.
Always up to something crazy. The man is training to walk from
France into Spain. Crazy. Intriguing. El Camino de Santiago. 30 days.
Cool room-mates. Talked about anxiety medications.
Everyone is on something. Surprising! Can't be a good thing.
I don't have a solution. So I shouldn't judge.
Anxiety medication - profitable business model?
Went to vegan mob. The food is okay - fake ribs were great, rest was meh.
I realize I like a good salad more. Fresh vegetables are the shit.
Lunched on Lake Merritt. Talked more about anxiety and good life.
Some book about measuring a good life. People later, career now.
Later comes too late. So make the most of people now.
Went to Enthio. Cool spot. Got some fungus.
Maybe it will help with anxiety.
Oakland is chill and artsy with a hint of despair. The city should be more.
Million dollar homes with poor artists is a bad combo. Fuck NIMBY.
Drove back home. More scenic route. I enjoy driving.
God bless American sense of nature preservation.
Focused on breath. Not sure if it will help with anxiety.
Got home. Popped a square of fungus chocolate bar.
Talked to Anu. Took save soil quiz. Number-y questions.
I said the material should tell a compelling story. That made her mad.
What did I do about soil? She is right. Something is better than nothing.
Fungus kicked in. Made the anxiety worse. Compulsions arose.
Bad trip. I need to be in the right company next time.
One thing is clear - anxiety and compulsive behavior is a feedback loop.
Over stimulating the mind is the root.
Need to allow the mind to settle.
Took a long walk. To let the thoughts settle.
I think Journaling should help anxieties more.
May not be a bad trip after all.
I think I am made to take on too much at work lately. Time to set boundaries.
Walking is the best thing ever.
