Seth Godin:

Starting from the place that we’re all imperfect makes it easy to find empathy, for others and ourselves.
We are all goofballs

The Finder sidebar on my Mac Studio has long shown a laggy to throttled iCloud sync icon, suggesting that something was not syncing correctly. I do use iCloud to sync documents (and photos) between my devices, but I don’t notice any such behavior on any other devices, and in terms of being able to find what I’m looking for, I always can. So new files sync fine, and changes to documents sync fine, too. I even leave some OmniOutliner documents open on multiple computers and I’ve never run into an issue.

I checked with ChatGPT about this after seeing if possibly it was network related (it’s not, as far as I can tell). I eventually asked it for some terminal commands to help me diagnose the problem, and it suggested tryin the bctrl command. Which I did.

After trying ChatGPT’s first suggestion, I read the usage output and went with just brctl status. This revealed a list of files:

I went into the Finder and found each offending file and deleted them (they would then materialize in the same directory). It must have been one particular file that was causing the issue, because after deleting it, the output from brctl was clean. Well, almost.

There were “unclean items” being reported as well, and the progress wheel in the Finder was still stuck. The brctl output was less verbose about the location of these files, but it did share truncated file name information. I used Finder Search to figure out which files were the culprit. So I ditched those files and whoosh no more stuck progress wheel.

Carrot Weather

One of the nice things about the Concept2 rowing setup is the PM5 computer and its ability to record your workout data. You can use this as seriously or casually as you like.

My first round with a Concept2 rower found me using my dad’s Model D with the older PM3 computer. This computer kept your rowing data: stroke rate, power, distance, split times, and all that–but it didn’t sync with your iPhone over Bluetooth. I didn’t mind one bit at the time; I’d keep my basic stats in a markdown file, appended via a Drafts action. I rowed for maybe a year, not very intensely, just kinda steady state for a half hour, around a 2:30 split. I still have the log file that I wrote to, and I have data from March 2015 through January of 2016. That’s around when I got into lifting weights.

Fast forward to 2023, when I decided to start rowing again. I had the same Concept2 Model D from my dad, and I started pulling again. I used the same Drafts action to log my stats.

And then we got another rower.

Rhonda had seen me make some impressive gains (as in losing weight) over a short stretch of time, from January 2023 through April of 2023. (Looking back at Apple Health, it was 30 pounds.) She suggested that we get another one so she could join me. I was happy to oblige, and the newer models available at the time came with the upgraded PM5 computer. I started using it when she wasn’t rowing with me, and it eventually became my machine.

So my seasons, such as they are, are calculated from May 1st of each year through April 30th, coinciding with my first usage of the PM5. 2023-2024 was my first season, and I rowed just over two million meters.

I looked at the app on my phone recently and realized that this year, season two, is almost up, and I’m pretty close to hitting two million meters again. After some quick math, I think I’ll make it with room to spare.

I had been wondering about this, because my seasons correspond with my switch to my new job, which I started last April 29th. I continued to row each morning before work, but I did have to cut back my time a little, and row earlier in the morning. At my Vineland gig, I was able to row later in the am and often rowed longer than I do now (although not entirely). I’ve also ratcheted the intensity down a bit; I no longer row like a demon driven, but like someone trying to maintain fitness.

I guess that’s a way of saying, weight-wise, I hit the bottom. I’ve written about it before, and I’d say that the only way from here is to maintain. Or (gulp) go up. Which actually I have a little, I guess owing to more generous consumption on the weekends, and hopefully all of the pushups I’ve been doing. I’m inclined to eat more of my meal when we’re out, depending upon what it is and how good it is, and I enjoy more cheese and crackers at the winery, I suppose.

It’s hard to see but the cinnamon pear jelly is irresistible

So two million meters… that’s like 1200 miles. I could have rowed to and from Miami.

Jonathan Malesic, the author of The End of Burnout, told me that work defines many people. “We just can’t imagine that a person is worth something if we aren’t working,” Malesic said. “You’re anxious about your worth. And the only way you know how to prove it is you’re working all the time. As soon as you’re not, your value is in question.”

Why You Should Work Like Its the 90s

Go down to your local basketball courts and yell at all the non-NBA players who are playing basketball.

Jason Snell, Waxing Ecstatic About NaNoWriMo 

This is nothing new, but I found it delightful after hearing about it on Upgrade. You answer 25ish questions about how you pronounce words or specify a regionalism (“soda” vs “pop,” for example), and the quiz guesses where you’re from. Fun.

One of my favorite questions asked about “dinner” vs “supper.” I wanted to choose multiple responses; ultimately I went with them meaning the same thing, but another choice was that I didn’t use the word “supper,” which is absolutely true. My paternal grandparents were the only people I knew who used that word instead of “dinner,” but I had heard it plenty of times and it was equivalent in usage.

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk