Years ago, I used to mock people who used LOL in online conversation. It always looked trite to me, as if anyone would really “laugh out loud” at every slightly amusing thing they see on the internet.
(I’m sure some do.)
But I’ve mellowed over time and now use it myself exactly as it was intended: a shorthand way of saying, “You made a funny.”
I still reserve this glare for people who use LOL as punctuation, though:
Yes, it is time for my once-a-decade PC build project. Terrifying. Enough time has passed since the previous build that I’ve almost forgotten that each time I do this, I swear I will never do it again.
All the parts are gathered. I cleared a space. I grounded myself, both against static and mentally. I put down the motherboard on the space I’d cleared (I planned to install everything on the motherboard before putting it in the case, save for the video card). I peeled all the plastic film off parts of it, something I’d never had to do on a motherboard before. I installed the ram (I used my iPhone’s Magnifier app to read the correct slot layout on the PCB).
And then I stopped, because the SSDs were next and the quick start guide that came with the motherboard seemed to not mention anything about how to install these and it was not immediately obvious, as the M.2 slots were hidden with shrouds and heat sinks and whatnot, with no clear way (to me) to access them. I contemplated looking online.
Then I actually just called it quits. For the day. Apparently my patience for this sort of thing has ebbed a bit since the last time.
But a friend with the same motherboard1This is why it’s handy to buy components that friends own offered tips and I’m ready to go for the next attempt. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe!
Conditions were pretty similar to Monday, though it was a bit more humid (I couldn’t feel the difference). I dressed in three layers again and since I ran at the lake today, the third layer was nice for the 4K walk there and back.
My watch told me to do a shorter recovery run, so I compromised and did my usual 5K, but eased up a bit, with an overall pace of 5:45/km and a BPM of 149. The only time I notably picked up the pace was when I was passing by the Nature House/Piper Spit and one of the park putt-putt cars was heading out. I looked behind me and could see it was coming my way, so I goosed it a little to stay ahead of it. It was pulling a cute little trailer, so I don’t think there was any serious chance of it catching me.
I did not have any issues on the run, and the trail was sparsely populated. Once again, I did not see any of the regular runners. Kind of weird at this point. Maybe they take winters off.
In all, a fine mid-week effort and any run in December where it isn’t raining or freezing is A++ for me.
Stats:
Run 990
Average pace: 5:45/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW, short loop)
Start: 10:56 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:57
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 5°C
Humidity: 91-89%
Wind: light
BPM: 149
Weight: 166.3 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,780 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (40/63/103)
Music: Shuffle mode
I did not notice the heron until after I took this shot. They are very good at being very still. Now, the heron is clearly moving in the photo, but I was focusing on the trees and sky and such, and herons do not move lightning fast–unless getting ready to stab their next meal.
Also known as the bell curve run, as I was fast-fast-slow-fast-fast. Imagine an ASCII bell curve here.
First, I wore three layers, as it was only 5C:
In the end, I think two layers would have sufficed, but I wasn’t exactly cooking, either.
I opted for the river trail instead of the lake for a couple of reasons (it’s lists day!):
The trail was nice ‘n dry, with no other joggers, but several groups of people out walking. One person had a dog off-leash (boo) but the dog seemed old and was extremely chill.
I got off to a good start, maintained for the second km, then slowed a fair bit on the third, before resuming to a strong finish and overall pace of 5:38/km. BPM was a tad higher at 154, probably a combination of effort and the cooler temperature.
Overall, a perfectly cromulent start to the week.
Stats:
Run 989
Average pace: 5:38/km
Training status: Productive
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 10:48 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:23
Weather: Overcast
Temp: 5°C
Humidity: 82-79%
Wind: light
BPM: 154
Weight: 166.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,775 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (35/55/90)
Music: Shuffle mode
I mean, at least it didn’t snow.
Speaking of snow, while I still generally dislike the accursed white stuff (yes, I hate fun1Fine, when it first starts falling, it’s pretty and all that, but then comes the slipping and sliding and the slush and why is that patch of snow yellow?), this animated GIF always instills a wonderful sense of calm and quiet:
Going forward, I am pondering a few things for December, writing-wise. I kind of want to do a more focused blog, but I’m still unsure if I have enough to focus on to make it worthwhile (and what of the bazillion platforms I would use for it, though I’m leaning toward Pika). I am organizing some of the fiction I’ve posted here previously, making it easier to read and, hopefully, enjoy!
The good news, such as it is, is that my weight didn’t budge from the beginning of the month to the end.
The bad news, of course, is that I was up over 3 pounds the previous month, which means I am still effectively up. I was trending back down for the first half of November, but I sought retreat in the comfort of food (mmm, food) in the second half, as stress took its toll on me, and a kind of ennui crept in. I think I’ve shaken most of it off now, but looking ahead, December is not historically known as a slimming month.
And I really want some shortbread cookies.
Still, despite standing still, some encouraging signs:
For December, I vow to remain donut-free, but my (lofty?) goal of hitting 150 pounds this year is not going to happen unless I spontaneously have liposuction and plenty of it. But if I can at least be down in weight for the year, I will build on that in 2026, The Year That Has To Be Better Than 2025.
Stats:
January 1, 2025: 166.8 pounds
Current: 166.2 pounds
Year to date: Down 0.6 pounds
November 1: 166.2 pounds
November 30: 166.2 pounds (unchanged)
Body fat:
November 1: 24.7%
November 30: 23.4 (down 1.3%)
Skeletal muscle mass:
November 1: 29.6 kg
November 30: 29.6 kg (up 0.3 kg)
BMI:
November 1: 23.8
November 30: 23.8 (unchanged)
Historical: January 1, 2022: 182.8 pounds
Where: Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Centennial Beach (Delta), Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake (Burnaby)
Weather: Cloudy, 7°C
It was a day where it felt colder than the temperature alleged, even without wind. I wore three layers, which turned out to be the smart thing to do.
Reifel’s gates were open, likely due to the very grey skies and cooler temperatures. We were rewarded early with an Anna’s Hummingbird (several, actually, fighting among themselves, as is their way). On the way in, we passed a multitude of ducks, then came across the first very busy feeder, where assorted sparrows, juncos, and others were grabbing seed and spraying it all over. This was the only active feeder that did not have a squirrel either sitting inside it or lusting after its contents from nearby.
We saw multiple squirrels, and these guys are definitely getting quite chonky as winter approaches.
A Golden-crowned Kinglet proved typically elusive, but we ended up getting some decent shots as it hopped madly about above us. Just as elusive, but much more sedate, a rare sighting of an American Bittern on the outer dyke. There was a large group of people gathered, facing toward the marshland. We surmised that they were not shooting a tree as there are no trees in the marshland. What they were shooting was a somewhat shy American Bittern that was standing surprisingly close to the trail. It very slowly moved out and we got some nice shots because, like their relative the Great Blue Heron, they do not exactly speed walk. It was surprisingly oblivious to the large number of people pointing their giant lenses at it. They look lumpy, weird and delightful.
Nic inquired and found out that the local Sandhill Cranes are now hanging out with a larger group that have at least temporarily settled into the far end of one of the fields adjacent to the sanctuary. There’s over a dozen total. It will be interesting to see what the local ones will do when (presumably) the others finally decide to take off.
We again so no geese here.
The drama was left to a couple of female wigeons, who make weird “rrr rrr” sounds that sounded like engines revving, quite unlike their usually pleasant pees. They chased each other, making a big ruckus, then both flapped afterwards, each convinced it was the victor, perhaps.
The coots were well-behaved, in comparison.
And we saw a whole gang of Buffleheads, moving in a group and often diving as a group, making shots a matter of timing.
We saw multiple Northern Harriers and I successfully tracked them, but they were far off, the light was so-so and most of my shots were a bit fuzzy and grainy. Fuzzny. Alas.
Still, it was all worth it for the Bittern.
It showered a bit on the way to Centennial Beach, but was dry by the time we got there. It remained very cold, however, so we did a more abbreviated tour. We saw a House Finch and a few other sparrows, and shorebirds, but the tide was in, so most waterfowl were father out. We did get some good shots of a typically grump-looking eagle in a tree–and yes, it was actually perched along Raptor Trail.
There was also a bunny, but I was looking in a different direction and missed it before it hopped back into the brush. Oddly, they seem to hang out a lot on the Raptor Trail, which seems sub-optimal for rabbits.
Piper Spit had only a handful of people out and no one was feeding anything. The only feeding taking place1technically there was other feeding going on was a seagull picking away at the carcass of an ex-salmon. As Nic says, the skin is the best part.
The Dowitchers were quite close to the pier, which made for some good shots, and there were geese here, occasionally honking, as is their way. The pigeons mostly stayed in one tree, all poofed up from the cold.
The cormorants were back, or still here, hanging out in what now appears to be their usual spot, east of the pier. I wish they would hang out a little closer, but it’s still nice to at least see them.
And here we saw our first scaups of the season. I couldn’t tell if they were lesser or greater, but they didn’t seem gigantic, so I’m calling them lesser for now.
The coots here were also well-behaved.
In all, a fine, if brisk day for birding.
Shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18-150 mm kit lens and 100-400 mm telephoto.
Gallery soon™.
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
Waterfowl and shorebirds:
Common:
Raptors:
Non-birds:
I missed two runs this week:
But today the weather was clear, if cool, so I headed out nice ‘n early and did an actual run at the actual lake. I wore two layers and shorts. This proved sufficient for the 6C start, the coldest yet this fall. A lot of the water had mist pooling over it, which was a nice effect.
The first km revealed what a week off, plus a cold start can do–my pace was a slothful 6:01/km. I expected the rest of the run to be similar, but actually found my form fairly quickly, with the last two km coming in under 5:30, bringing my average pace to 5:46/km, pretty much the same as my last run a week ago. My BPM was higher at 153, probably a combination of the colder weather and the time off.
I didn’t experience any issues during the run and even passed another jogger, woo. The trail was mostly dry but there was post-run puddle navigation required around the sports fields. The trail there is legitimately terrible now. I should really write a letter.
There were more people than usual, I’d say, no doubt brought out by the sun, but not enough to become an actual crowd.
And after the run, I had about a dozen people on horseback turn onto the trail ahead of me, which was different. None of the horses pooped, which was nice of them.
In all, a nice return.
Bonus shot: Mist before starting out:
Stats:
Run 988
Average pace: 5:46/km
Training status: Strained
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 9:57 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:01
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 6-7°C
Humidity: 83%
Wind: light
BPM: 153
Weight: 166.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,770 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (30/51/81)
Music: The Turn of a Friendly Card, The Alan Parsons Project
Shot today while out and aboot.
I used my iPhone 12, which has developed the interesting habit of sending all phone calls to voicemail and sometimes not even letting me know someone has called. More on this later!
This morning, as I went through my usual routines, it occurred to me that I might be in a funk. It’s funny how these things sneak up on you. It’s like being in a store and realizing they are playing Christmas music, then running, screaming, from the store.
Well, maybe not quite like that.
I’m no funkologist and my self-diagnosis could be off, but I think it’s a combo of factors:
I don’t think I can pin the start on any one thing, but perhaps a tipping point may have been when I chatted with the cardiothoracic surgeon and got confirmation that surgery is in my future, barring some imminent breakthrough in medical technology. I think it has rattled me, because it’s made me start going through various “What if?” scenarios where the harmless little blob to be removed may be less than harmless. Or more broadly, it’s possibly set off subconscious thoughts about mortality in general. I’m not sure. The brain is a strange place.
But being aware is the start of making changes for the better, so here I am writing, even if it’s just to acknowledge the thing, hopefully with more helpful changes to come. And I promise not to buy Pop-Tarts, even if they are on sale.
In conclusion, writing cat:
I was in the area of Lafarge Lake on Saturday and despite the weather being rather soggy, took the time to stroll the 1.2 km path around the lake. I saw a surprising number of waterfowl, including:
If the weather had been better and I’d had my camera, I could have gotten some decent shots. As it was, I took some scenery pics. Here’s one I converted to black and white to be all artsy.
Lafarge Lake used to be a quarry, which makes its adoption by so many species even nicer to see.
