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OK, I am convinced! Thanks for the input all!

It is supposed to last about 10 years with very little drop-off in efficacy during that time. I already have my calendar marked.

Be a defensive rider. Saved my ass the other day (quite literally) as I watched someone approach the main road from the side, look, see no cars, and promptly pull out in front of me. If I hadn't been already preparing to brake hard and avoid the collision it likely would have ended poorly for me the bike t-boning into the side of the otherwise immoveable car. Cranked out some relatively hard miles yesterday in one of the last major efforts of training before the century in less than two weeks. The tailwind for the first 17 miles was nice. The punch in the face for the last 12 miles, not so much. But all around a nice ride.

Pre-fiber: Post-fiber: Eat your fiber boys....

Bonus: Study strengthens link between shingles vaccine and lower dementia risk https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/03/shingles-vaccination-dementia.html

Having had shingles years ago, I cannot think of a reason for you to wait for the vaccine (especially assuming you have had chicken pox). I had zero reaction to it and feel better knowing that I shouldn't have to go through shingles again. I still haven't gotten the RSV shot but also haven't had RSV. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Got the latest COVID (Pfizer, August release) booster, as well as Flu Shot this weekend. Fuck RFK jr. and his satanic minions! They recommended shingles and RSV shots too; I may go for RSV, but my doc still thinks I could defer shingles. Will talk with her in Sept at my appointment, so that may change as well.

I kept meaning to say, Ms. Chloe could give Grumpy Cat a run for the money 😊 Still sounds like a sweetheart though! For me, some good things happened and coming up: Andrew & Amy moved in fully, and have started working with the designer that Karen and I worked with for our bathrooms. Lots of good ideas coming out, and everyone (myself included) is excited to see what comes from this Went out last night with some family to celebrate my mom's 86th BDay. Was a nice time, not everyone could come but the smaller group made it very nice. She had a wonderful time, until I was on my way home and she calls me all frustrated about her TV having issues (I am Tech Support). I told her she needs to chill - I can ONLY say that to my mom 🤣 - and walked her through a shut-off and turn-on of power to reboot cable box, modem, etc. Worked for the night at least, we'll see if it gives more trouble. In a couple weeks, we celebrate my dad's 90th! He has a tough time getting around physically, and has hearing issues. But mentally he is there, and he enjoys (for short enough duration) the company of family. Work situation will get a bit better. Had a chat with our new CIO and she seems great. We were so in synch with a lot of things it was scary....but good. I also heard they will open the REQ to hire another role like mine, very much needed. Short-term will fill in with another off-shore developer; but we need the Business Analysis piece as well

Millennial/Influencer lunch @ https://www.maravelspili.gr/

Anja Huwe - Codes. Ex-lead singer of Xmal Deutschland, always a good listen. She left music for years, but in 2024 came out with a solo album. Good mix of styles, German and English lyrics. Enjoy it a fair bit! One of the more Industrial-like songs:

Having had a mild case of shingles I got the Shingrix vaccine as soon as I could. Also no real reaction to it on this end. So totally agree with Al.

My Mother had shingles 3 times. She said it was absolutely miserable. And the vaccine is not as strong once you've already had shingles I'm told. I got my shingles vaccine a few years back, as well as RSV.

And there was cake There is always room for cake

There was more grillin' tonight Some of it was plain dirty I was invited to carve And the other meats Result!

Sorry for the late response. I believe that you are talking about road biking as opposed to gravel or mountain. I don't know much about road biking so I asked my brother, who is a certified road bicycle safety instructor, to send me some links. I'm busy this morning but I'll post them this afternoon. The main thing to remember is that you are basically invisible to drivers. So, anything you can do to make yourself more visible is a plus. But always act assuming that car drivers don't see you when you ride.

^

How long does the shingles vaccine last? My Dad got shingles and said he was miserable. I'd like to avoid that.

As someone that largely takes landscapey type photos these days I'm just the tiniest bit intrigued by tomorrow's alleged announcement. https://photorumors.com/2025/08/19/hasselblad-x2d-ii-100c-camera-leaked-pictures-and-press-release/ I cannot fathom the size of the files that this thing will kick out and the number of hard drives and processors it'll take to manage work in post. But still, 100MP of insane dynamic range sure sounds fun to play with if someone else was footing the bills.

(Wednesday) helped my son and GF move into their new condo (movers did the heaviest stuff). They're working with the same designer who helped Karen and me with our bathroom remodels. Very nice, and she sent me a wonderful note about Andrew. Made a parent's heart swell, it did!

Became reacquainted with an old friend.

I've been cheerfully obsessing over Oliver Lieb's music for well over 30 years now. His personal studio is the stuff of legend. OL's collection of kit goes deep, and he knows how to use all of it. OL's studio in 1993. OL's studio in the late 90s. OL's studio in the mid 00s. OL's studio in 2013. OL's studio in 2017. Oliver works as mastering engineer for other artists and his own productions are fastidiously constructed and precisely arranged in three dimensional sonic space. OL is the grand master of reverb, delay and compression. His compositions extend to the edge of the known universe. With that said, Oliver himself is very much rooted on planet earth. There are certain other visionary electronic musicians who are more than a bit out there. Geir Jenssen and Jake Stephenson are two shining examples. Both are (sadly, were in the case of Jake) capable of making music like no one else can and have a sound that is instantly recognizable. They are, to borrow a phrase from the late George Carlin, fuckin' nuts. Weirdly, both Stephenson and Jenssen made use of remarkably sparse studio setups. Jake was never hugely successful (he's far more famous in death than he was in life) and Geir is just weird. Gier Jenssen's studio, 2012. Gier Jenssen's studio, 2015. The man himself in his studio, 2017. Jake Stephen's humble bedroom setup in Glastonbury. What he was capable of doing with it boggles the mind. Compared to Jake and Geir, Oliver Lieb is (to quote my favorite malapropism by the greatest stand up comedian of the modern era, Bill Hicks) the complete realm of sanity and reason. In every interaction I've had with him online (going back to a text based internet in the late 90s), OL communicates quickly, concisely and wastes no time. No one as productive as him has time for idle chit-chat. With this said, I've noticed an uptick in Oliver's online presence recently. He's got a personal FB account (which I've been friends with since 2007. Neener.) that he doesn't use and an official artist page. That latter one has been exhibiting a flurry of activity recently. Today he posted this: In the man's own words: There is nothing quite like hearing Oliver Lieb of all people geek out about synth gear.

RIP Maurice Tempelsman. I don't know too much about him except that he was Jackie Kennedy Onassis' last partner and made it within five days of his 96th birthday(!)