Winter Came To Visit Hong Kong
My immune system crashed, two more sections of the MacLehose down, and Winter is here for a few days.
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Moments of the Week (Jan 22-28)
The temperature dropped and with the wind chill, it was near freezing. We dug through our winter clothing and realized three things. 1) Lea and Feris have grown a lot, forcing us to move items straight to the donation bin 2) The smell of the grandparents' house (overuse of Tide laundry detergent) still lingers from 18 months ago 3) We need to go shopping.
In a Bangkok night market, I made Jero get a haircut. The barber got to work and then I squirmed helplessly until I couldn't watch, as the barber wrecked Jero's hair with a cut that looked nothing like the photo. That was over a month ago. His hair grew out long enough for me to fix it, just in time for picture day.
Maricar and I rarely watch a movie or a series together since screen time is usually with the kids. We started Daisy Jones and the Six and I'm pleasantly surprised that it's on par with the novel that turned me into a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan.
We were back on the MacLehose trail this weekend and knocked out sections 5 & 6 (8.6 mi, 1,567 ft). We were all worn out going into the hike, turning the relatively easy sections hard. Lea brought a friend, there were a lot of monkeys, and we finished with our favorite post-hike meal, Ippudo. If I had continued on the HK100 last weekend, I would have gone through this same stretch around midnight.
It was Interdisciplinary (IDU) week for secondary - integration of knowledge, concepts, and skills from two or more disciplines, creating meaningful connections, and promoting a holistic understanding of complex real-world issues. Who wrote that? Well, Jero got into it, borrowed a MIDI Controller, and busted his butt on his music piece - it was a hit with his peers. Lea's project was health-focused. She described it as a version of Beer Pong and as a way to encourage people to drink more water.
Feris had a sleepover and it's interesting to hear her observations about what other families eat or how their routines differ. The standouts were buckwheat pancakes and bitter hot chocolate. My kind of food.
After her morning run, Maricar frantically says "Have you seen my ring?" She doesn't remember when she lost it so it could have been anywhere. The last time this happened was in Berlin when Jero and Maricar spent an hour digging through the snow to find it. I saved the day this time and found her ring in the rubber seal of the washing machine.
Growing up I hated being at school with dry hands or lips, a runny nose, or having to hold “it” till I got home. Feris refused to put on lip balm and suffered with increasingly dry lips until they were cracked and bleeding by the end of the day. Ouch.
It has been 6 months since Australia. From the trip, I stashed a “secret” number of unopened Woolworths Disney 100 Wonders Collectible Cards. These nostalgic packs are priceless to the kids and I'm setting up opportunities for them. The first pack went to Feris who was the first to a million in Cover Your Assets.
I’m Writing a Memoir
It's coming together.
I got my edits back on Thursday. Silly me thought I would simply hit accept all suggestions and I'd be done. Instead, I've been spending the past few days combing through the changes, rewriting, and having the editor give things a second look. I'm hoping to be finished by Tuesday so I can then ship it off to get it formatted.
This week I'm also focused on getting my cover created. I expect to get two early mockups tomorrow and fingers crossed, they are in the right ballpark. Would you be interested in seeing these early designs?
On The Move
Run With Me on Strava - 27.02 mi, 1,982 ft
Even if I didn't finish the HK100 last weekend, the 10 hours on my legs and in the elements wore me out. Over the week, my legs started to come back as I went from walking to jogging. And then sometime midweek, my immune system took a nose dive and even standing was a challenge.
It’s Sunday and I think I turned a corner, hoping I'll be in decent shape for the China Coast Marathon.
Coros Watches Don’t Last?
Oh gear! I was using Garmin exclusively for 10 years and then on my first HK trail run, I tripped on a root and smashed my watch, giving me a shopping excuse. The Coros Pace 2 has been excellent, providing all the essential functionality I need and none of the frivolous extras I don't use.
The first two years were gravy and then, it was the strap. And over the past 3 months, the battery life has dropped off significantly and the recharging is hit or miss. I'm hoping I can squeeze another 6 months out of the watch.
Is this two-year limited lifespan all part of the design? Other than the life of the watch, I've had a good experience and will probably go Coros again. How long does your GPS watch last?
After comments on the DB trail running group, I'm also concerned about my Coros. So far though, my Vertix has been ok. The Garmins I've had also deteriorated significantly after 2 years though. One Garmin plus is that you could pay sth like 1,500 and get a refurbished watch with a new battery. That helped. As my Vertix has a 130 hr battery life, I've still got enough juice to get through a miler for a few years even at my pace! Man, the cold of Chile wrecked both our lips: 1st time I've ever got through a complete chapstick and actually thrown it away rather than let it go moldy in a cupboard. :) Yep - im down for the covers. So impressed at the speed you're doing this.
Definitely in to see the early book cover design options!