It is hard to put this into words…
Year end update…
2020, so far
Time off, 11/23/2019 – 01/06/2020
Two weeks into my planned company shutdown / paternaty / sick leave I started to really feel checked out from work. The first week off was company shutdown for the week of Thanksgiving and between the holiday and some other activites it still felt busy. The second week when everyone else was back at work I was still checking in daily and getting a few texts and calls for support. After this though, work communication slowed down and I really got into the swing of being away from work.
A colleague of mine (Foo Hooi Lee) reguallary takes all of his vacation between Thankgiving and the New Year in order to travel back to Malasia for a few weeks each year. In years past I haven’t had the nessesary time banked to pull this off but thanks to Jane and Apple’s paternaty leave policy this year I had the hours. I talked to Behnam about my plan for this back in July and he agreeded provided the AS platform was stable and I had a good software release process established which Hesam or Dan could take over while I was out. The big 2019 demos were planned in mid Decemeber and early January so it would be hard to justify leaving if we still had a fragile software platform. So over the course of the fall I worked a lot with this in mind and in early Novemeber we agreeded things were in a good enough place for me to take the whole block of time.
S is for San Francisco, Bay Area, CA
8/24/2019 – 9/1/2019
For summer vacation this year we planned a local trip to San Francisco and Bodega Bay. Leading up to the trip we considered a few other options including Hawaii, Yosemite, and a more involved Northern California roadtrip but decided on the simplest itinerary:
- 4 nights at home with a day trip to Santa Cruz
- 2 nights at Presidio Lodge in San Francisco
- 2 nights at an ocean side rental North of Bodega bay
- 1 night back at home to recuperate
By the time we made up our mind the trip was only about a month away and we nearly missed getting our desired locations due to their occupancy getting booked. Luckily it worked out though. Continue reading “S is for San Francisco, Bay Area, CA”
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
This year while reading online about improving data graphics I kept coming across the name Edward Tufte. He is a professor interested in the topic and from what I gather has written 3 of the most influential books on the topic. Since I make a lot of plots and data graphics at work as a way to help understand system interactions and describe problems or system performance to others, I decided to buy two of the most well regarded:
- The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
- Envisioning Information
Reading these led to me spending a few evenings (over 3 weeks!) making a modern version of one of my favorite graphics seen in the books.
Continue reading “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information”10k, Oakland Redwood Regional Park, CA
Saturday July 20th, I competed in a 10k run in the Oakland Redwood Regional Park. The race was put on by Urban Coyote, the same organizers I ran with in January’s Pacifica 10k as part of my 2018 goal list.
At the moment I’m not in great running shape, but have been going out once or twice a week at lunch with a coworker named Scott. We usually run on the bay trails for 2-4 miles which is good training during the week. I’ve also been weight training twice a week and biking to work still, so I felt resonably prepared in terms of fitness.
Saturday morning, Megan, Jane and I made the hour drive up to Oakland on a warm but clear morning. Continue reading “10k, Oakland Redwood Regional Park, CA”
Camping, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, CA
Jane’s first camping trip!
The three of us went on a two night trip to nearby [Big Basin Redwoods State Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Basin_Redwoods_State_Park) in the Santa Cruz mountains for Jane’s introduction to sleeping outdoors. Overall it went great and Megan and I think Jane really was amazed by all the lush vibrant greenery we saw walking around the park over the course of our three day trip.
I selected Big Basin specifically because the park has tent cabins which I thought would be a good first hybrid between actual camping and a hotel. The [cabins](https://www.bigbasintentcabins.com/tent-cabins/) are a hybrid in the sense that they have the traditional cabin layout with a woodstove and sleeping platforms inside, but with the addition of a canvas roof and upper wall sections similar to wall tents. This would give us more room to move around and explode our baby gear without the constant struggle of keeping a small tent orgainzed. We also read that mosquitos can be a problem in the area so having a screened in cabin meant we could hang out inside without Jane exposed to the bugs if they got too bad.
Booking any campground in the area can be challenging due to the high demand and relative low supply. The tent cabins are no different. Luickly most of the poor working shmucks in the area (myself included) are limited to weekends and holidays so we were able to find a two night Wednesday / Thursday avaliablilty despite only booking a few months ahead of time. I took a few days of vacation to make the mid week slot work out and Megan was still on maternity leave. A few days ahead of time she got everything organized and packed including our food, supplies for Jane, and 12 carefully allocated diapers.
On Wednesday, we drove over the hill, leaving just after noon, and enjoyed the scenic and windy road from Saratoga. We timed our arrival for the 2pm check-in and more importantly, Jane’s second nap during the drive.
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/big-basin-driving-map/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/cabin-interior/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/camp-overview/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1879/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1888/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-1/)
The cabins were great and our site had some fallen Redwoods which made a great divider providing a feeling of privacy and a nice environment to hang out. The cabin interior was dark with little natrual light making its way inside but overall it was comfortable. We set Jane’s bassinet on one of the sleeping platforms and Megan and I had the other.
Wednesday afternoon we spent hanging around the camp with the exception of a short walk on a nearby trail. Luckily I had purchased a bug net made for cribs because the mosquitos were out in force. When not being held, Jane sat around in her car seat with the bug net over it which worked out great. That night Megan had planned Chili Mac for dinner as a throwback to our memorable Potato Harbor meal in the Channel Islands.
[IMG_1904_720](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1904_720-1.mov)
The weather was mild Wednesday evening so I didn’t make a fire in the woodstove for the first night. Jane went to bed at her ususal 8pm bedtime. We used the bug net over her bassinet as well. She has been a really great sleeper for the past few months and she fell right asleep despite the new environment. She woke up once, as is her normal routine and Megan added a blanket as the night had gotten a bit cooler.
On Thursday morning we went for a long meandering hike after taking a wrong turn on the road exiting the campground. Jane rode along in the front carrier with me and stayed awake almost the whole time despite being carried during her normal nap time. Normally even outside her nap time she would have fallen asleep when carried. She was wide eyed and looking around the whole time and we think she was just too enthrawled by all the trees and greenery to think about sleeping. After returning to the cabin for lunch and a nap, we went walking again and this time made it to the park headquarters (our original morning destination) for a coffee.
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1909/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1918/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1912/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-2/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1946/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_1941/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/nap-1/)
[](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/camping-big-basin-redwoods-state-park-ca/img_1885/)
Thursday night we had fun hanging out in camp again. We had hotdogs and pudgy pie pizzas on our little grill. Jane had milk. The evening was cooler than Wednesday, so after [batoning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batoning) some firewood with Megan’s favorite green kitchen knife, I made a fire in the woodstove around 7pm. I soon remembered that heat regulation with a woodstove in a small cabin is no easy task. Jane went to sleep in an 80 degree smoke chamber that night.
The stove troubles continued when I woke up around 1am and checked on Jane. The fire had burned out and her hands and arms were cold. I set out to make another fire and was finally successful after about thirty minutes and three trips out in the dark in my boxers for kindling. Thinking back on the whole thing, I’m not sure the smoke exposure was worth it but I was determined to warm it up in there.
Friday morning we woke up and didn’t linger too long. Megan’s precise allocation of 12 diapers had been quickly consumed, and we were running on spares which were luckily stashed away in the car and our backpacks. We hit the road shortly after breakfast and a stop at the camp store for a second coffee. Jane camped like a natural and I’m glad we took the chance to take her out for a few nights this early in her life. I know she won’t remember the specifics of the trip, but hopefully the exposure to the woods and enjoyment of nature will be imprinted in her brain for the long run.
6/19/19-6/21/19
—
## Media URLs recovered
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Big-Basin-Driving-Map.png
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cabin-interior.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Camp-overview.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1879.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1888.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Nap-1.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1909.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1918.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1912.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Nap-2.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1946.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1941.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_1885.jpeg
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… Lost to the sands of time… –> recovered 20260907
Jane
Original publication date : Published: Mar 14, 2019 (Jane arrived Feb 23), post recovered 20260907
Jane arrived on 2/23 at 1:51 in the afternoon. She came 3 weeks early and is doing great.
Friday I came home from work around 6:30. It was pizza night and we ate homemade pizza and watched a movie before Megan started getting ready for bed around 9:00. She took a shower and then came to sit in the living room for a few minutes. She got up and was pacing around a bit before stopping by the bedroom door where I noticed her looking unsure. Then it became obvious, her water had just broken. Continue reading “Jane”
Catchup!
It has been a while since I’ve published on the blog. Today I updated the [CA Tick List](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/ca-tick-list/) and thought I’d post some brief comments for each new mark.
SF Symphony
Sea to sky hike
Napa wine drinking
Anchor overnight at Angel Island
### SF Symphony
This past July we attended the SF Ballet at Stern Grove for the second year in a row. The Symphony accompanied the dancers and did a great job. There were 4-5 dances, one of which was sleep inducing, another was really engaging though. The dance was with a single pair and the music for it was excellent.
Megan’s parents were visiting so they got to see the show as well, and afterward, we spent the afternoon in SF eating and walking around in the Sutro Baths area.
In the week following the performance I actually tracked down the symphony director’s contact information and emailed him (Tracy Davis <tdavis@sfballet.org>) in order to find a copy of the music. Unfortunately I found out that there isn’t a recording. The ballet I had liked and accompanying songs were premiered in April of this year and apparently they don’t make recordings very often.
Maybe one day I’ll track it down.
– Composer: Oliver Davis
– Accompanying: Pas de Deux The Infinite Ocean
[](https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0047.jpg)
### Sea to sky hike
In October, Dan and Ashley came out to visit us in California. Megan and I both took 2 days off of work so we had 4 days together. In past times, we may have gone to Joshua Tree to climb, or done a long backpacking trip in the mountains, both options we did consider. However, with Megan scheduled to be 20 weeks into pregnancy, we opted for a shorter local backpacking option.
The [Skyline to Sea trail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline-to-the-Sea_Trail), as its properly called (not Sea to sky, that would be uphill) had been on our list since moving to California, and considering it has nearby road access for much of the trail, it was a good option for a pregnant person.
The weekend prior to our hike Megan and I left the Camry in Santa Cruz after surfing in order to serve as a car shuttle, so Thursday morning we drove to the Castle Rock State Park trailhead off of Skyline boulevard and started our hike.
The plan was to camp for 2 nights, first at Waterman Gap followed by Jay Camp near the Big Basin headquarters. This is the standard route for Skyline to Sea and includes about 10 miles a day of hiking.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0015-2/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0025/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0012-2/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0005/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0007/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0018/)
The first day and night went great. We had fun catching up with Dan and Ashley, whom we miss very much, and all felt good. Day two started off fine, and had some great scenery, but got unusually hot in the afternoon. Despite the strong day one showing by the pregnant member of our group, by mile 6 or 7 Megan had slowed down. I think it was a combination of the surprising heat and some steep climbs, plus the baby, that wore her out. I was pretty hot as well and getting a bit dehydrated since I had stopped drinking much water in case Megan needed it.
Megan kept hiking though and with about a mile to go to Jay Camp and Big Basin refreshments, we felt we were getting close. Myself and Dan had been walking a bit ahead of the girls and we stopped in order to let the catch up. After a while we didn’t see them and slowly started backtracking. When they came into view, Ashley looking a bit worried and Megan was clearly upset with her shirt lifted up and her entire belly exposed. She had been stung by a bee, and right on the belly no less!
She was really upset and not knowing anything about the potential impacts I got pretty worried too. She took some Benadryl and we finished the day’s hike. With some reassurance from the Leighton’s and a check of Megan’s Up to date medical app we were feeling better and we got some chips and beers from Big Basin’s camp store before spending a nice night in the Redwoods.
In the morning Megan made the wise decision to take a cab to town, which was a bit difficult to organize but once arranged, Dan, Ashley, and myself left to complete the hike to Waddell Beach. Thinking back on it, Megan and I were both still pretty shaken up by the bee sting, but after the trip we learned from her OB that we had nothing to worry about.
The rest of the hike was nice, but the day was surprisingly hot again. I sent my pack down to town with Megan so I was hiking light and didn’t even think to offer to take weight from Dan and Ashley until we were almost at the beach! Once at the end, we found Megan on the sand watching a large group of kite surfers tearing it up on a windy and wavy day.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0023/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0014-2/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0024/)
### Napa wine drinking
This year, Apple’s SPG Holiday Party was scheduled in Calistoga at [Castello di Amorosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_di_Amorosa). We had acted fast when the location and hotel discounts were announced and so we also got a room at the pricy and in demand [Calistoga Ranch](https://aubergeresorts.com/calistogaranch/) for the night of the party.
Saturday morning we left early and got to Napa in time for lunch at Genova Delicatessen which is delicious and which I had eaten at a few times during some work trips to the area for NREL. After lunch we went to the resort and luckily got to check in a few hours early. The room(s) were awesome and we had a great afternoon relaxing, napping, and reading.
[](https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9879.jpg)
For the party, the company rented out the whole place and setup tents in open areas due to the cold for dining and drinking. We had the run of the place and after dinner walked around the whole castle. Some highlights were the long narrow corridors throughout and the lower level wine storage area which also had a bar and dance floor setup for the party.
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_9853/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_9874/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_9863/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_9869/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_9896/)
[](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/img_0091/)
### Anchor overnight at Angel Island
This trip was covered in my previous post called [Sailing Trip, San Francisco Bay, CA](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/sailing-trip-san-francisco-bay-ca/).
Since then I completed a movie about the trip. This was a low effort edit, and as such, it’s a bit long, but I think it turned out okay. There are some significant audio and video focus issues. I didn’t realize until the trip was over but we had some microphone connection issues and the camera’s autofocus struggled in the low light of the boat cabin.
[YouTube embed](https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJGRhSA3PrU)
—
## Media URLs recovered
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0047.jpg
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0015.jpg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0025.jpg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0012.jpeg
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0005.jpg
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0007.jpg
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0018.jpeg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0023.jpg
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0014.jpeg
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0024.jpg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9879.jpg
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9853.jpeg
– https://i1.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9874.jpg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9863.jpg
– https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9869.jpg
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_9896.jpg
– https://i2.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_0091.jpg
– https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJGRhSA3PrU
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. * ///(________)
/ /==/ /==/
. . /=/ || /=/
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It has been a while since I’ve published on the blog. Today I updated the CA Tick List and thought I’d post some brief comments for each new mark. SF Symphony Sea to sky hike Napa wine drinking Anchor overnight at Angel Island SF Symphony This past July we attended the SF Ballet at Stern Continue reading “Catchup!”
I’m on a boat
About four months of scouring craigslist and about 75 dollars in bridge tolls from visiting other options, I’ve finally bought a boat. It’s a 1985 Hunter 28.5 sloop named Wind Hunter and currently docked in Redwood City marina. Its got a good running diesel engine, a roomy cabin I can stand in fully upright (actually rare in this size of boat), and some minor deferred maintenance.
I first looked at it the Tuesday before Memorial Day. The then owner and I went through all the systems, checking the electric lights, water pumps, heater, etc… along with the engine, general mechanical, rigging and sails. Everything mostly worked, with the exception of the main sail which couldn’t be raised completely and the tiller quadrant stops, which had been removed at some point in the past. Continue reading “I’m on a boat”
2019: Goals
I’ve updated my [2018: Goals](https://www.jonmcosgrove.name/2018-goals/) post with final results.
Similar to last year, here is a list of my goals for 2019. I plan to update this post throughout the year with progress reports.
– Complete 1 piece of wooden furniture
– Complete 1 Kickstarter project
– Earn 1 dollar of self employment income from an online business
– Read 20 books
– Weigh less than 182 pounds on 7/1/19 and 12/31/19
– Complete 1500 words of creative (non blog) writing and post in a public forum
– Contribute to a healthy new daughter
– Run a 10k race
– Make a commit which is merged into an open source software project
– Make a measurable improvement in teeth whiteness* with brushing and flossing only [01/01/2019 relative to 12/31/2019]
I have a few thoughts on what makes a worthwhile goal.
They should be very specific in the sense that a result is either clearly relevant or not to the goal. A wooden project could be a cutting board. A piece of wooden furniture is by definition going to be a project with at least 3 components, occupy three dimensions, and require planning and a considerable investment of time to complete.
The should be objectively measurable. 1500 words of creative writing can be measured, by counting up the words. Tooth whiteness can be measured regardless of lighting with a camera and calibrated color samples.
They should be simple targets representing a more involved effort which requires commitment over time or high quality results. Earning money from an online business requires lots of planning, work, and likely the acquisition of new skills for someone who doesn’t currently have an online business. Making a commit which is included in the actual code base of an open source project requires solving a real problem and doing it in a quality way, as judged by others.
*[http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219/6/772#sec-6](http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219/6/772#sec-6) – Measuring spectral variation from calibrated photographs
Update 5/5/2019
Jane came, so yeah… not a lot of progress. In fact, this is only my second visit to this blog since she arrived. We’ve been busy with her and I’m busy at work as well. The best thing I have to show for this list right now is my reading progress. I’d say I’m on track there if I include audio books. Also The Dream Machine is 794 pages, and Future crimes is 563. (Side note: if I were an editor, I would have made both of those books about 35% of their actual length and the reader would have gained the same amount of understanding.)
– Complete 1 piece of wooden furniture
– HA!
– Complete 1 Kickstarter project
– Nothing really on the horizon here. I have done some work on a coffee grinder attachment but it is kind of dumb.
– Earn 1 dollar of self employment income from an online business
– I finished an online store to sell circular electrical connectors. I think this could make some sales however I need to spend a lot more time to make the site more user friendly, and perhaps change out the product line. I haven’t earned any money. In fact I’m in the hole for about $110 after hosting, domain, etc…
– Read 20 books
– The Oyster War, Summer Brennan
– The Dream Machine, M. Mitchell Waldrop
– The Space Barons, Christian Davenport
– The signal and the noise, Nate Silver (audio)
– The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand (audio, re-read)
– Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman (re-read)
– Future Crimes, Marc Goodman
– Weigh less than 182 pounds on 7/1/19 and 12/31/19
– 🙁
– Complete 1500 words of creative (non blog) writing and post in a public forum
– Contribute to a healthy new daughter
– IN PROGRESS…
– Run a 10k race
– I’ve registered for a 10k trail race in the Oakland Redwood park this July.
– Make a commit which is merged into an open source software project
– Make a measurable improvement in teeth whiteness* with brushing and flossing only [01/01/2019 relative to 12/31/2019]
– I finally got a toothbrush to take to work last week. Not much progress here
Update 8/17/2019
– Complete 1 piece of wooden furniture
– No update
– Complete 1 Kickstarter project
– No update
– Earn 1 dollar of self employment income from an online business
– No update
– Read 20 books
– The Oyster War, Summer Brennan
– The Dream Machine, M. Mitchell Waldrop
– The Space Barons, Christian Davenport
– The signal and the noise, Nate Silver (audio)
– The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand (audio, re-read)
– Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman (re-read)
– Future Crimes, Marc Goodman**
– The Smartest Guys in the Room, Bethany McLean
– Weigh less than 182 pounds on 7/1/19 and 12/31/19
– Not going great, but I have lost 2-3 pounds and usually weight in around 192.
– Complete 1500 words of creative (non blog) writing and post in a public forum
– Contribute to a healthy new daughter
– Jane is doing great, she is almost 6 months old and I’m having a ton of fun with her, although she does seem to have a negative impact on all other goal progress (see goals 1-6)
– Run a 10k race
– [Complete](http://www.jonmcosgrove.name/10k-oakland-redwood-regional-park-ca/)
– Make a commit which is merged into an open source software project
– I don’t know that I’m actually allowed to do this due to my job…
– Make a measurable improvement in teeth whiteness* with brushing and flossing only [01/01/2019 08/17/2019 relative to 12/31/2019]
– I’ve just taken the photos relative to a grayscale test ramp today
– I do not have the equipment to measure the reflectance of my teeth or the paper per the article but I should still be able to take some measurements for comparison by adjusting the exposure to match the known printed values, then determining the RGB values for my teeth.
– Photo setup:
– rear camera iPhone XR
– Halide camera app, raw image format
– in office with desk lamp on bounced off the South wall
– My teeth are pretty yellow compared to the paper! Too much coffee I suppose.
– Raw image uploads not supported, see… Dropbox/photos/2019-goals/
– JPEG not for calibrated comparison
– [](https://i0.wp.com/www.jonmcosgrove.name/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/IMG_2505.jpg)
** I read about 50% of Future Crimes (~300 pages) and then stopped. Its an interesting topic but that author needs to get a stronger editor. I think some authors just like to fill up pages, and the editor apparently didn’t do much to curtail the repeative text before print. Not recommended.
## UPDATE: 01/11/2020
2019 is complete. Summary:
– Complete 1 piece of wooden furniture [FAIL]
– Complete 1 Kickstarter project [FAIL]
– Earn 1 dollar of self employment income from an online business [FAIL]
– Read 20 books [FAIL]
– Weigh less than 182 pounds on 7/1/19 and 12/31/19 [FAIL]
– Complete 1500 words of creative (non blog) writing and post in a public forum [FAIL]
– Contribute to a healthy new daughter [COMPLETED]
– Run a 10k race [COMPLETED]
– Make a commit which is merged into an open source software project [FAIL]
– Make a measurable improvement in teeth whiteness* with brushing and flossing only [01/01/2019 relative to 12/31/2019] [FAIL]
Well, it has been a dismal year, only 2/10 completed. Number #7 turned out to impact the remainder more than expected, but at least #7 is in the green.
Here is more of a breakdown with some brief commentary:
– I decided that woodworking in the driveway really is too much of a pain. Moving everything outside and then back in for a few hours of work is too much of a barrier. I need a garage (see 2020 goals)
– I didn’t do another kickstarter this past year but I did spend some time working on a prospect. The planetary gear attachment for my coffee grinder was a canidatate but ultimately I realized the grinder wasn’t well suited to handle the loads. I have one ambitious project going on now which may be a future kickstarter canidate and one other potential Etsy store idea.
– See #2. My Circular connector store hasn’t received any attention either, but its still live gets a few random hits each week. Hopefully no one buys anything, I might not notice for a few months!
– I’m tired. This year with #7 combined with my job meant less reading, but I did get some done. I’m not going to include Jane’s books.
– The Oyster War, Summer Brennan
– The Dream Machine, M. Mitchell Waldrop
– The Space Barons, Christian Davenport
– The signal and the noise, Nate Silver (audio)
– The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand (audio, re-read)
– Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman (re-read)
– Future Crimes, Marc Goodman**
– The Smartest Guys in the Room, Bethany McLean
– The Box, Marc Levinson
– Mr. g, Alan Lightman
– In Praise of Shadows, Junichiro Tanizaki
– Fail. I weight about 195. Around August I got to 190 after a caliorie counting challenge at work but lets face it, I’m not going to do that for very long.
– No progress other than brain storming a list of topics and outlining one of them.
– Complete.
– I ran the Oakland Redwood Urban Coyote 10k. It was HOT!
– I’m actually not allowed to do this per my job but I did make a ton of commits to work dev projects. Also see #7.
– Fail. My teeth are pretty yellow. Sometime I forget to brush my teeth now (see #7) and I drink too much coffee (see #7).
… Lost to the sands of time…
The last known update to this post occurred on 20200111 — > recovered 20260907 hooray
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