May 30, 2007 |

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To congratulate oneself on one’s warm commitment to the environment, or to peace, or to the oppressed, and think no more is a profound moral fault. ~ Robert Conquest


Ever wonder how you can make a difference in this world? I sometimes get overwhelmed with the thought of making a significant impact on the human race and go back to my standard ways of doing things. Well today I would like to recommend that we all go out and try to make a small difference. Sacrifice something small that would otherwise tax the environment. Help someone out you would normally just pass in the street. Plant a tree. Refuse both paper AND plastic. Did you know that scientists estimate that it requires 1000 years for a plastic grocery bag to biodegrade and there are something like 50 million distributed yearly. That is just gross. San Fransisco may actually ban plastic grocery bags for larger stores. Go San Fran! Buy re-usable bags here. </soapbox>


So today I got Shirlified again. Shirley Plaatjes is a massage therapist here in Boulder who is not afraid to whale on a person. After this weekend’s madness, I needed/feared the session. I thought I was going to squirm off the table when she went to town on my hamstrings but afterwards, I always feel much better. Today was not exception.


Yesterday, I just chilled out at home and did a bunch of freelance work that needed my attention. No activities were planned and none were accomplished. A good, solid rest day for once. Today I plan to get out on the bike for a bit after work. Let me know if you would like to join me in the fun and/or games.


And now, a product review: I love these socks. Seriously, they are tall, comfy and since starting to wear them exclusively, I haven’t gotten a single blister. I’m tellin’ ya… the Wrightsock is the bomb. I just picked up 8 more pair so that I have enough for every aid station at Leadville if I am feeling the need. Great stuff.


Movies: Last night, we watched Factotum which was okay, I suppose. Based on several Bukowski stories, it starred Matt Dillon and Lili Taylor who both did an admirable job of portraying pathetic drunks. So not a particularly uplifting film nor one that made me too interested in slugging down copious amounts of booze anytime soon. I wouldn’t necessarily avoid it but I wouldn’t encourage you to rush out and rent it either.


Enjoy the day, this is the last May 30, 2007 ever. Might as well make something of it.


~stubert

Thoughtful strategy. Practical execution.

Clear thinking, honest perspectives, and experience shaped by years of doing the work. No shortcuts, no borrowed opinions, just lessons learned by showing up, solving problems, and following ideas all the way through.

Four hikers with backpacks walking along a rocky mountain ridge under a blue sky
May 8, 2026
We are each our own greatest inhibitor. People don’t want to do new things if they think they’re going to be bad at them or people are going to laugh at them. You have to be willing to subject yourself to failure, to be bad, to fall on your head and do it again, and try stuff that you’ve never done in order to be the best you can be. ~ Laird Hamilton Yesterday: Hit Range Balls/Hike – Casa del Critters, 1:15 Today: Run – GGCSP, ~2 hours Tomorrow: Ride – Somewhere singlespeedy, ~2 hours Yesterday, Rach and I took a nice stroll in the woods around our house. The songbirds were going crazy-nuts and surprisingly, we only saw one other person walking his dog. I love where we live – close proximity to fun trails and the ability to get away from it all in just a short walk from our house. During lunch yesterday, I went to the driving range to get a few cuts in before playing a round of golf with my dad next week. I don’t get to play very often so need to brush up on my skills (or lack thereof) whenever I can. I am looking forward to playing with my pops and hope to break 100. I shot a 102 the last time I played so I am within striking distance of the sub-triple-digit score. We’ll see how things go. I usually do okay for most of the round and then fall apart on a couple of holes pushing my score way up. Dad shoots in the low 80s usually (I think). I am not sure I will ever play enough to be that good but it is fun to get out on the course now and again. I also went to see Dr. Paul yesterday for my ankle problem (which seems to have been resolved) and my knee (which is still a bit swollen but has decreased in size markedly over the past several days). The knee stems from my unscheduled nose-dive back in May (see this post for details). The shot some pictures and believe that everything is a-ok so that was good news. I just need to select better places for splashdowns in the future. And today is Luke’s birthday. Age is one place where I will always beat him but visit his blog to congratulate him on trying to catch up. Until next time…
Runner silhouetted at sunset on a rocky trail, mid-stride between hills.
May 8, 2026
Progress comes from the intelligent use of experience. ~ Elbert Hubbard Yesterday: Run – Casa del Critters/Flume, 1 hour 15 minutes Today: Ride/Hike/Relax Tomorrow: Run/Hike – Pawnee/Buchanan Passes, 6 hours? Yesterday I ran around the house. Not literally, mind you, but in the neighborhood. It was a gorgeous evening – calm, cool. Perfect. The wildflowers are really starting to take off up here and I was treated with a bold display of color throughout my run. Tons of Columbine lined the trailside as I ran on old mining roads and singletrack trails. It is really fun to see how much differently I am able to handle familiar terrain. I used to have difficulties running this loop and would have to walk major sections. Last night, I ran the entire loop without trouble and was able to moderate my speed to maintain a steady cadence through the run. Good times. Contracting is staying steady. A bit of a drop-off this week given the holiday but I am still managing to put in a decent number of hours. I picked up another new project today and will need to get started immediately to ensure that it gets completed on time.  Tomorrow, we are going to head up Pawnee Pass and loop back around to Buchanan Pass in the northern Indian Peaks Wilderness. This should be a fun challenge as we’ll get up pretty high, have to navigate some snow (most likely) and will be out for quite awhile. I am looking forward to it for sure . Movie time: I forgot to mention Shopgirl, a Steve Martin vehicle, we watched the other night. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but found this to be a charming film about loneliness. It was well acted and would recommend it for sure. The pacing is steady throughout and some might find it a little on the slow side but it was an engaging film that had a lot to say without being overly sappy.
Hands holding a tablet displaying a video player interface. The video is paused.
February 20, 2026
In case you hadn’t seen these (and also for my friends at Adventure Film ), here are a couple of must-see running movies from Joel Wolpert:  Geoff Roes: Slogging to the Top