samuel ashford

Slept in. Then did my workout routine. Same, but with a little progression of reps. There was rain, and it was abating as the morning unfolded. Prepared my usual breakfast and added some Chobani yogurt and blueberries. Put on House of Cards (starting to wonder about this one ever ending), and then cleaned up the kitchen. I pulled the Pixel Book out and was able to stomach (eventually) creating a "blog page" on Facebook. Reluctance does not even come light years to describing my angst and other allergic emotions to doing this. Alas, it was done, and I am still not certain it was a colossal mistake.  Without any surprise, I got little attention at this move from the 31 "friends" on my FB. Nothing disparaging meant by the quotation marks on friends. I just know that they are mostly superficially in my life at this point (and I in theirs) but they are still friends nonetheless. So, it's alright. My expectations were low to start with. The main point is that I spent

Up and after it this morning with my regular morning routine, which consisted of simple sets of resistance exercise, as always.  I'm not hitting the road or the gym today, though. Neither will I tomorrow. Taking two days to rest from exercise in any intensity to prep for the labs Monday. I'm eating the same as usual, but refraining from exercise to see if that makes an impact on my AST and ALT enzyme levels. They've been high, though no other markers of liver damage are out of range. I suspect it's the training. We'll see. Today came with a decent smattering of rain showers. Dustin, my tech for today, came in and ran service. I worked in the shop to prep for an upcoming installation. Then some office work. Then, I broke out the strat and played some Steve Miller Band. Being Saturday I could crank it a bit. It's a little Marshall practice amp, and it's alright, but I'd have been happier with some slicker tones from my effects processor. But it's fun t

"And Gandalf said: 'Many folk like to know beforehand what is to be set on the table; but those who have laboured to prepare the feast like to keep their secret; for wonder makes the words of praise louder. And Aragorn himself waits for a sign.' " — J.R.R. TOLKIEN, The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King

Joy. Sometimes you need to hear it in a person's voice. Had a marvelous experience with Lex Fridman's talk with Ivanka. Had no idea. Made me sad on account of some folks in my life  — myself included —  and a lot of the knee-jerk reactions we all have as events unfold around us. Oh, that we could just practice patience, listening, curiosity, courage, and love. And acceptance  — of others, and ourselves.  I had an encouraging talk with a co-worker this morning on these and other important matters. It helps to have a friend.  But oh, that we could all have Ivanka's joy.  As I write, it occurs to me how one might read that statement, and regard her privilege and status as the basis of her attitude. Who wouldn't feel elated about life when one doesn't want for anything? Heck, we should all be so lucky... and then our faces also would shine. Let me remind all of us that neither she, nor any of us asked for it. We didn't ask for our parents, our country of origin, our