Oct 22 2025 2025-10-22 2025-10-30 by Ross

Things I Like…

Posted in Books, Comics, Food, Television

Books:

Unreasonable Hospitality – Will Guidara

The Kings of the Wyld – Nicholas Eames

Vinyl:

James Brown – 20 All Time Greatest Hits (nice way to start a work day)

Comics:

The Killer:  Affairs of the State II – Boom Studios

Vagabond – I was in a comic store in Boston and saw this massive volume of manga.  I love me some samurai, so I got it.  Worth it.

Homunculus Vol 1-2 – Hideo Yamamoto

T.V.:

The Rainmaker – Peacock

The English Teacher (Season 2) – FX

Resident Playbook – Netflix (K-Drama)

Local Restaurants:

Sushi Loop – New sushi restaurant in my neighborhood.  My wife and I went last week and had a great meal.  The place was hopping (should’ve had a reservation).  The decor is open and light.  It’s mostly All You Can Eat.  $31 for all the appetizers, soups/salads, ramen, rolls, and nigiri on their menu.  $43 adds in sashimi.  It’s good food!  We were stuffed after just one round.  This will be a regular spot for me.


Oct 19 2025 2025-10-19 2025-10-19 by Ross

This Week in Training – Week 4: My Back is Crying…

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

IMWI 2026: The Long Crawl to the Base Phase
(Pre-pre-base prep… to get ready for pre-base… to someday start base. It’s a process.)

(Yes, I forgot to post Week 3. Let’s assume it was brilliant, productive, and pain-free. It wasn’t — but let’s pretend.)

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 5,650 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 57 minutes
  • Notes: The swims actually felt solid this week. I’m starting to get a bit of rhythm back, even if my shoulders are whispering “why?” after every set.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: Still nothing. Still my shame. The bike sits quietly in the corner, collecting dust and judging me.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 11.66 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
  • Notes: Stronger runs this week — paces improving, form better, confidence up. The morning-after stiffness? Also up.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: Some
  • Notes: Added push-ups and sit-ups, which technically makes me a strength athlete now. Everything hurts, so I guess it worked.

Relative Effort 📈

  • Total Weekly Effort: 584 (up from 365 last week)
  • Notes: That explains why I currently groan every time I bend, reach, or breathe.

Reflections ✍️

My body aches. Rolling out of bed feels like a warm-up set. Standing upright qualifies as a workout. I know I ramped up too fast. Will I take a rest week? No. Will I keep training like this and complain about it? Absolutely.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Maybe (finally) get on the bike.
  • Keep the swim momentum going.
  • Continue token strength work — push-ups, sit-ups, and maybe some stretching if I’m feeling wild.
  • Remember: this is still pre-pre-base to the pre-base phase. It’s a process.

 


Oct 15 2025 2025-10-15 2025-10-15 by Ross

Big Noise from Winnetka…

Posted in Memories

I’m having a martini and letting Spotify set the mood when a song I’ve never noticed before comes on — Big Noise from Winnetka. The name catches me. Winnetka — could it be the same Winnetka where I went to high school, where I spent so much of my youth?

I look it up. Sure enough, it is. I read that the song’s later lyrics tell of a mysterious woman from Winnetka who captivates the hearts of local men.

I can’t help but think of T.  She wasn’t mysterious — she didn’t need to be — but she was effortlessly cool, the kind of girl who made an impression without trying. She could light up a room, but she was grounded, too. The whole package.

We stayed loosely in touch over the years. Every so often — five, maybe ten years — we’d cross paths. A beer when she was back in town, a few messages online. The last time I saw her, my wife and I met her at a local bar. We laughed, reminisced, and caught up on life.

Not long after, she got sick. Cancer. She passed too soon.

There’s a Jewish saying at funerals: “May their memory be a blessing.”

I’m not sure what kind of legacy I’ll leave, but my memories of T are blessings — small, shining moments that surface unexpectedly, like this song from Winnetka on a random evening. I’m happy to have known her.

 


Oct 05 2025 2025-10-05 2025-10-05 by Ross

This Week in Training – Slow and Steady Progress

Posted in Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 4,300 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Notes: The final swim on Sunday felt especially good. I’m starting to get some of that feel for the water back. Progress, little by little.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: Still nothing here. I need to stop procrastinating and get the bike back in the mix.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 7.89 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 19 minutes
  • Notes: Not a lot of mileage, but these runs felt strong for a change. Paces were better, effort felt smoother. That’s a win.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: 0
  • Notes: 100% failure on this front. Need to start carving out time for it.

Reflections ✍️

Even without much volume, this week felt better. The runs were solid, the swim is coming around, and I’m feeling more confident in my overall fitness. I’m building slower than ever before, but that’s okay — I’d rather move forward consistently than burn out.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Add two bike sessions.
  • Get in at least one strength workout.
  • Travel week — so aim for one swim and extra runs while out of town.
  • Keep the “slow and steady” approach — progress in feeling, not just numbers.

 


Oct 01 2025 2025-10-01 2025-10-01 by Ross

I Only Pick Winners, Dave…

Posted in Fantasy Sports

Happy news: I won my NFL Confidence Pool last week. 💰 $100! Woo!

Even better — after four weeks, I’m sitting in first place overall. That’s right: me, the guy who’s always in the middle of the pack, clawing for 10th or 11th, suddenly running away with it.

What’s my secret? Some kind of deep football knowledge? Years of scouting the injury reports? Gambling wizardry?

Nope.

I haven’t made a single pick. Not one.

Every week, I’ve outsourced my picks to ChatGPT. Yes, artificial intelligence. The same AI people are using to write emails, plan vacations, and cheat on their homework are now my football consigliere.

And it’s crushing everyone.

So far, my robot overlord has done what I’ve never managed to do with my own brain: lead the pool after four weeks. And if it keeps spitting out winners, I’ll gladly welcome our AI future — at least if it means a steady stream of $100 bills.

Do I know if this luck will hold up? Nope. Do I care? Not really. I’m just going to sit back, enjoy the ride, and let the bots make my picks.

So here’s my hot tip for anyone who wants to win their office pool: don’t study game tape. Don’t read injury reports. Don’t analyze the matchups. Outsource your picks to a robot.

Long live the machines. 🏈🤖💵

(and no, it doesn’t take the fun out of it.  It makes it easier to make picks, but I still get all the enjoyment from following the games.

 


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Sep 30 2025 2025-09-30 2025-09-30 by Ross

The Apathy That Will End Me…

Posted in Work

There’s a moment every teacher reaches — not a dramatic explosion, but a quiet one. The moment when the silence in the room isn’t thoughtful; it’s indifferent. You’ve planned the discussion, you’ve found the connection, you’ve tried to make the material matter. But the students — bright, capable, nearly adults — just… don’t.

It’s not disrespect, not rebellion. It’s apathy. And apathy is worse than defiance, because at least defiance means they care about something.

I teach high school seniors. They are so close to the world, just a few months from voting, working, and making choices that actually matter. You’d think that would ignite something in them — curiosity, urgency, even anxiety that fuels engagement. But most days, I see heads on desks, eyes on phones, conversations that have nothing to do with the world I’m trying to open up for them.

I plan lessons that spark debate, that challenge assumptions, that ask them to wrestle with real ideas. I design experiences, not just assignments. But when the room is a wall of apathy, it starts to feel like shouting into the void.

And that’s the hardest part — not the grading, not the administration, not even the meaningless PD days and silly paperwork. It’s caring deeply in a space that feels empty. It’s showing up every day with energy and intention, only to have it bounce off glazed eyes.

I know it’s not all of them. There are always a few — the ones who think, ask, push back. The ones who remind me that what I’m doing matters. But the ratio has shifted. The disengagement feels heavier, the spark rarer.

I’m not angry at them. I’m just tired of caring more about their learning than they do. Tired of carrying the weight of a classroom where curiosity feels like an endangered species.

It’s not that I’ve lost love for teaching. I still believe in its power. But belief alone can’t fill a room with life. And if something doesn’t change — not in policy or curriculum, but in culture — I think this apathy might be the thing that finally drives me out.

Because it turns out, the opposite of inspiration isn’t ignorance. It’s indifference. And that’s what breaks teachers — one quiet, unblinking classroom at a time.


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Sep 28 2025 2025-09-28 2025-09-28 by Ross

This Week in Training – Slow but Steady…

Posted in Exercise, Running, Swimming, Training, Triathlon

Swim 🏊

  • Workouts: 2
  • Total Distance: 3,500 yards
  • Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes
  • Notes: Nothing fancy, just steady swimming. It felt good to be consistent and rack up the yards.

Bike 🚴

  • Workouts: 0
  • Total Distance: 0
  • Notes: None this week. I need to start adding cycling back in soon — I can’t put it off much longer with IMWI on the horizon.

Run 🏃

  • Workouts: 3
  • Total Distance: 9.80 miles
  • Total Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
  • Notes: Runs were longer than last week, but I wasn’t sore and the paces felt smooth. That’s progress.

Strength/Other 💪

  • Workouts: 0
  • Notes: None this week. I know I need to start including strength again.

Reflections ✍️

This was a nice build week. I’m making progress, but I’m deliberately building at a slower pace this time. With a year until IMWI, there’s no rush. The focus right now is on a solid, injury-free base. The rhythm feels good, but I need to expand it with cycling and some strength work.

Goals for Next Week 🎯

  • Add cycling back into the mix (even short sessions).
  • Get at least one strength workout in.
  • Keep building slowly on the run while staying injury-free.

 


Sep 28 2025 2025-09-28 2025-09-28 by Ross

Everyday is a gift…

Posted in Misc

Yesterday morning, I attended a breakfast that I wasn’t all that excited about. You know the kind—obligatory small talk, bland coffee, the whole routine. But near the end, I wound up next to a 55-year-old Greek guy, and that changed the day.

He told me his story. He had gone through a brutal stretch in life, the kind that pushed him to the edge—literally. He stood on train tracks, ready to give up. At the last moment, he changed his mind. And since then, he has lived differently. Now he’s full of life, taking opportunities, finding joy in the small moments, determined not to waste what he almost threw away.

I’ve never been on those tracks. But I’ll admit—I tend to be a glum person. Talking with him lifted me.

This morning, life balanced things out with a gut punch. My wife brought terrible news. A close colleague of hers—someone I’ve also known for years—lost a child, unexpectedly and tragically. College-aged. Bright future. And gone.

There aren’t words for that kind of grief. I can imagine the pain, but I know I can’t actually touch it. The way I’ve come to think about these deaths is as “death from mental illness.” It doesn’t soften the blow, but it frames it. Just as cancer can take a child, mental illness can too.

I feel awful for their family. I also think that I was meant to learn something from these two encounters, which happened back-to-back.

It isn’t about me—this is their pain, their story—but there’s a message here.  Oddly, this was reinforced by a spam text message that said, “May you have a happy new day.”

Every day is a gift. Someday, death will come for me, or for someone I love. Maybe today. Maybe in thirty years. But until that day, I owe it to myself—and to the people around me—to treat every new day as joy.

This morning I swam with my wife. We went to a local coffee shop. Now I’ll read and do some work. Ordinary things, but I’m trying to be present in every second. To build stronger relationships. To be the kind of person who helps others feel better about life. To look for contentment instead of wallowing in what’s missing or wrong.

It’s great to be alive!

 


Sep 21 2025 2025-09-21 2025-09-21 by Ross

My Riot Fest Playlist ’25

Posted in Music

I made a playlist of all the bands I saw at Riot Fest Days 1 and 2.  I double checked with setlist.fm to make sure I had only songs that both they played and I heard (sometimes I missed the beginning or end of a band).  In that regard, it still isn’t 100% accurate, but it gets the job done.

Spotify link.

 


Sep 21 2025 2025-09-21 2025-09-21 by Ross

Riot Fest Day 2 – Finding the Balance

Posted in Music

Day 2 started with Girl in a Coma, a three-piece from San Antonio who set the tone perfectly. They had two guys dancing in front, roping in about fifteen teenagers, and suddenly it was a mini pit of joy. I don’t get in the pits anymore, but it was fun to see a group of kids having the time of their lives. Festivals need that. The band was a nice find early in the day.

Agent Orange

Agent Orange was next, one of the bands I’d circled ahead of time. They didn’t disappoint — though yeah, Mike Palm sounds older (don’t we all?). Toward the end, my wife suggested grabbing food, and I told her, “No, they’ll close with Miserlou and Bloodstains.” Almost on cue, those were the last two songs. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more like a fan. Nailed it.

Surprise Gems: Cribs, Superchunk, Pachiko

Food in hand, we wandered to another stage and stumbled onto The Cribs — an unexpected bonus. Nice set while I waited for Superchunk, who turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. They ripped through their set and ended with “Slack Motherfucker,” my favorite. No complaints. Technically, this isn’t a surprise because I knew and liked the band before.

We stayed put afterward and were rewarded with Pachiko. Different vibe — shoegaze, trippy, layered — and it worked as a cool-down from Superchunk’s frenzy. My wife loved them (and to be fair, she hated almost everything else since punk isn’t her thing; she’s more of an industrial fan).

James vs. The Bouncing Souls

Next up: James. I only planned to watch for ten minutes before heading to The Bouncing Souls, but James reeled me in. They started a little slow, but by the second song, they were cooking. Tim Booth — looking like Ben Kingsley turned monk — sang one song from the crowd and absolutely commanded attention. After a handful of songs, I stuck to my plan and caught The Bouncing Souls.

They were exactly what I expected — fun, energetic, crowded. The bassist wore a “Bassists Against Racism” shirt. So brave (sarcasm). Nobody at Riot Fest is for racism, and when 99% of the crowd is white, it feels like pure virtue signaling. I left after three songs and hustled back to James because I thought I was missing a better set, which turned out to be the right call. They finished with a strong run, closing on “Laid” with a stage full of dancers from the crowd. That’s a moment.

Evening Stretch: Front Bottoms, Knuckle Puck, Dropkick Murphys

The Front Bottoms were… fine. I like the band, but the live show was just okay. I left early to grab a better spot for Dropkick Murphys and lucked into the last 20 minutes of Knuckle Puck. High-energy, great songs, killer frontman — one of those “wish I had seen the whole set” discoveries.

Dropkick Murphys closed my night. They basically played their greatest hits — non-stop, high-energy, exactly what the crowd wanted. They threw in a few new tracks (all good), but everything else was familiar and loud. Ken Casey dropped political comments, but that’s baked into who they are. You don’t go to Dropkick Murphys expecting apolitical pub songs. You take it with the package, and the music was fantastic.

The Wrap-Up

I’m skipping Day 3. I’m tired, the lineup doesn’t hook me, and I could use the time to prep for the work week. After four Riot Fests in the last five years, I’m not sure I’ll keep coming back. Half the bands are nostalgia acts with one or two original members, and age takes its toll. Still, the 50-50 split between nostalgia and discovery has its moments.

For me, Riot Fest is less about the headliners and more about stumbling onto bands I didn’t know or didn’t expect to like. This year that meant Shonen Knife, Loviet, Girl in a Coma, Barbarians of California, and Knuckle Puck. Throw in stalwarts like The Hold Steady, James, Superchunk, and Dropkick Murphys, and maybe 50-50 is worth it after all.

 


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