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Whit invited me up to New York City and I obliged his invite.  It was good to see him.

120919-09001-NYC

We chatted.  He left for work, and I walked around.

I’ve picked up some bravery over time when it comes to taking pictures.  I think today showed that.

Watchman

I like the reflective highlights of his suit.

I paced the same set of blocks three or four times, trying to get everything which I never would.  Each pass I saw something new.

Yell

I didn’t much change the saturation here.

 

Meat Plug

I have no idea what cut of meat this is.

Subway Fisher

Sewer fisher

Valve Hats

Hats, oo oh!

Heading south, I took pictures along the high line where I think I got my favorite of the day.

View from the High Line

 

Here’s the rest:

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I met some former coworkers today and they shared with me the changes that occurred to my former employer since my summary dismissal that was the warning quake of the July Massacre where some 90 other coworkers were let go. Some people have been upon the grim task of preparing the building and facilities for what appear to be the next inevitable reductions which must be a special kind of gut-turning.

One of my dismissed coworkers was enjoying retirement and another was talking about relocating to where her husband worked. Otherwise, the event had an undercurrent “things out there such but I’m glad we are together” which reflects a level of camaraderie that I don’t feel existed previously. Someone brought marshmallow brownies which brought back memories of my previous life as a baker at work and I wondered if I’d continue this tradition with my new firm. We departed with the traditional “we should do this again” which I often assume is a pleasantry but these are engineers and may buck that trend.

After lunch, I shot south to Grounds for Sculpture an art park/sculpture garden to help someone learn to use their camera.

Sculpture and I have a rough past as I find most pieces done after Rodin to be emetic and think that Jeff Koons creates “pretty” not the high art worthy of notation for the future except as an amusing side street. With this in mind, I found Grounds for Sculpture to be refreshing. The two exhibits they had were interesting if one was not a bit saccharine. The outdoor displays were either large and regal, media-sized and whimsical, or small or engaging and each of these sets proved to be better than I expected. On and off storms kept us from moving at the pace I wanted and I feel I have about a 1/3 left for a future visit.

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I met with a cosmetic surgeon today regarding having an abdomenoplasty to remove the excess me that’s resulted from weight loss. The office was very nice and the front desk person pleasant. Everyone kept telling me to “hang tight” to which I wanted to reply “I can’t!” to finish the joke that no one would find funny.

The surgeon was very skilled at making upside down drawings and looked like a young George Takei and he walked me through the steps of how the surgery worked. I also asked him about having the excess skin of my chest removed which proved to be much more involved than I thought. How involved? Well, once the term “nipple re-attachment” was said I knew the game had changed.

I’m still fighting internally over whether or not this is something I want to do. Part of me says “I earned this” and part of me says “this is your albatross, fatty”. Clothing that fits correctly for me in most places still doesn’t look right around my midsection and the hang between my abdominal skin and the rest of me often makes sleeping difficult. The gut skin also moves independently when I run which proves painful but running is kind of a leisure sport at the best of times.

I hope this isn’t the thin edge of the wedge on the way to vanity.

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The Rock and Roll Half Marathon was supposed to be a triumph for myself and my previous coworkers but I was the only one of the original 10 that ran it. I headed out from Somerton station at 6:14 and the train slowly filled with people in running clothing. Then Suburban Station filled with people in running clothing. Then Logan Square filled with people in running clothing. Then the area outside the Art Museum filled with people in running clothing.

I was in coral 18 of 25 with again, mostly women my age and older healthy looking men. Each coral was released about 90 seconds after the previous and I set off at 8:25. Here were my mile times:

Mile 1 – 8:35
Mile 2 – 8:45
Mile 3 – 8:55
Mile 4 – 9:06
Mile 5 – 9:16
Mile 6 – 9:25
Mile 7 – 9:35
Mile 8 – 9:45
Mile 9 – 9:55
Mile 10 – 10:05
Mile 11 – 10:15
Mile 12 – 10:25
Mile 13 – 10:35
Finish – 10:36:10

I feel this kind of timing consistency is a byproduct of training almost exclusively on a treadmill.

The bump in time around mile 4 was due to me having several text message conversations during which I slowed down a little. During the Broad Street Run I made arrangements for Anthony Celona’s bachelor party so I guess this was apropos. I also guess that since I had the energy to text I probably wasn’t pushing myself. I was able to walk like a non-drunkard immediately after finishing, enjoyed some chocolate milk, and walked easily the six blocks to the train station. I wasn’t destroyed, just sweaty and while I developed a few salt deposits I was presentable enough to meet someone for lunch. My feet had blistered and stairs hurt my knees but otherwise I just felt tired.

Maybe I try for a full marathon next time.

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My opinions on Woodbadge are known and noisy and today they again came up. Councils often run this advanced adult leader training program bi-annually over the course of two three-day weeks and the staffs often spend a lot of time preparing for it, and that’s my problem. I don’t think Woodbadge is bad in any way but is simply inefficient. The staff spends too much time preparing and the training itself is too long. The National Leadership Seminar gets someone 80% there in two days which I consider preferable.

Bill Thompson and I butt heads over this every few months and we did again today. I feel bad bringing up my argument because it’s a “not good enough” argument. In Scouting, we’re often talking “good” vs. “not good” with few programs lying in between. I happen to think that Woodbadge is one of them.

At the end of the discussion, Joe Bell, Chris Crose, and I sat in the Dining Room of Totem and I smiled. Joe probably lost 60 lbs, Chris an impressive 110, and me 190. That’s two people’s worth of mass. Chris and I chatted about weight loss:

Chris: Do you find that you’re…. saggy.
Me: Yep.
Chris: Does it go away?
Me: Not really.
Chris: Someone said I should use it to remember how big I was.
Me: I think that person is talking like an idiot.
Chris: I do too.
Me: Any other changes?
Chris: I have a girlfriend. That’s kind of weird.

Chris, don’t tell her that.

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Paul drove down from Northern New Jersey to carpool with Randy, Kelly, and I to a dinner Suzie was hosting. I smile at the implications of that sentence.

*Paul being close enough to drive down.
*Paul enjoying our company enough to drive those two hours.
*Randy and Kelly being together.
*Randy and Kelly getting along with me.
*All of us being friends with Suzie.
*Suzie being in the area.
*Suzie having her own place.
*Each of us being in good enough health and with enough free time to go.
*Wanda still being functional.

I could unpack that statement to further but I think that’s enough.

This blessed life.

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I had put off declining the statistical analyst position in favor of the actuary position for two days and called in this morning to formally statement my non-acceptance. They upped their offer and I felt like I was breaking up with someone but didn’t quite go so far as to say “it’s not you, it’s me.” I felt like I was about to throw up but eventually one must choose.

I made a cheesecake, did some push-ups, and headed into Philadelphia to pick up my race bib for the Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon this Sunday. I nodded off on the way in, quickly grabbed my number, and after lunch, returned home. On the way, I ran into an old Scout friend and we chatted on the ride home.

After getting off the train, a woman stood there looking lost and she asked for directions to a bus stop. I asked where she was going, indicated Forest Hills Station and I offered to drop her off there. She got in and we spoke. She was a statistician for a testing firm who was uncomfortable with the direction her career had taken. She expressed regret about having never become an actuary and I mentioned that I’d just been hired as one. I asked her what she wanted to do and she said statistical work for a pharmaceuticals company. I smiled and passed her the business cards for the people I had declined the job offer from and said “You have a background in data mining and know SAS, these people might have an opening.”

Some would attribute it to fate but I find this series of events much more magical as a straight coincidence. The idea that in accidents we find ways to go do good is far more satisfying to me than to think of this as a contrived way that some power came up with to test me.

I don’t know your name, you don’t know mine, but I hope you get the job, lady.

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I ran a half marathon today in 2:08. This is significantly faster than my best time so far and at the same pace that I could barely do 10 miles in while on a low carb diet. Besides vastly expanded cardiovascular capacity, I’ve noticed a few other changes after dropping low carb:

*A slight bump in mood. Sugars tend to make me happy.
*A return of the mid-afternoon nap-urge.
*Small increase in ability to lift weights.

Assuming the two were equal difficulty, I would stick to low carb. The level amount of energy throughout the day is wonderful as is the fact that low carb almost forces me to do low calorie. I will re-try on Monday.

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Kacey and I left for Wildwood at around 9am after I lost two hours of my life crossing Philadelphia. We talked during the ride out as we always seem to in a combination of catching up and diving into the question of “how are you?”. At Wildwood, we parked and popped enough quarters in the meter to give us 90 minutes of time or so and we went up and down the boardwalk. 11am struck and the National Anthem started playing where upon everyone stopped except us and we kept walking. We noticed everyone had stopped walking and felt like we should have too, but, having already broken the apparent reverence of the moment, continued.

We went to the beach and I failed to fly my kite and Kacey kicked at the ocean. We got boardwalk food and returned to Philadelphia.

There is a world-passed quality to Wildwood after Labor day as the piers are closed during the week days, 1/2 the shops are boarded up and the demographics skew decidedly older. Kacey and I were rare chunks of youth but there was a dignity present that isn’t always there such as the day after Christmas in some retail places or an area where the carnival has just passed. Wildwood knew that it was done for the season and it faced it gracefully.

What wasn’t graceful? Me on the ride home. While I was off low carb I figured I’d indulge a bit and purchased fried Oreos, something I never had and consumed four of them. About 20 minutes into the car ride back I felt nappy and my breath stank of fry oil. My head bobbed and I hit the good morning strips on the side of the road. I did this again a few minutes later and let Kacey have the wheel. Friends don’t let friends eat fried Oreos.

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I received an employment offer today from a reinsurance firm in Philadelphia. About this I am happy as I both like the firm and reinsurance. Once I received the offer, I forwarded the details of it to another firm who was trying to hire me but was having trouble getting a package through their HR department. This is when I learned four words that I didn’t expect to hear: “We can beat that”.

I don’t think I’ll take the counter-offer, but it make feel good.