In my quest for a healthier diet, I have now decided to get rid of carbohydrates in the evening. As a result, no more bread, pasta, or rice past lunch time. In the afternoon, I snack on nuts and dry fruits, and for dinner, I eat plenty of vegetables and proteins—usually in the form of salmon or turkey. If I am still hungry then, I wrap everything up with a banana, or a smoothie made of a blend of whey proteins and frozen strawberries. So far, so good…
Tonight, May and I watched The Science of Sleep [IMDB], a movie directed by Michel Gondry and starring Gael García Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The surrealist world of Michel Gondry is perfectly rendered by the use of stop motion capture, and the wacky acting of García Bernal. Absolutely hilarious!
Tonight, May and I watched The Devil and Daniel Johnston [IMDB], an engaging documentary on the life of manic-depressive polymath artist Daniel Johnston, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. The music and lyrics of Daniel Johnston are very much akin to an acquired taste, and I will not blame if you do not feel like developing an appetite for it. The guy is totally out there, and his art a faithful reflection of his personality. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to separate genius from madness, and here is a case where both seem to mix without any form of restraint whatsoever. Kurt Cobain was a fan, and I was a fan of Kurt Cobain. Should being a fan be a transitive relationship?
Tonight, May and I watched Marie Antoinette [IMDB], a movie directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role. The script is a little bit weak, but the photography is superb, and the use of a contemporary soundtrack makes for a very interesting composition. Definitely worth the watch.
Tonight, May and I watched The U.S. vs. John Lennon [IMDB], a documentary directed by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld. It tells the story of John Lennon, with a special emphasis on the time he spent in the U.S. during the 70’s, and his transformation from musician into peace activist. I already had a lot of respect for the man and his work, but this documentary gave me a whole new perspective on his ideas, and tremendous admiration for his engagement.
All we are saying is give peace a chance…
This week, I am staying at home with my two women, enjoying the blissfulness of an afternoon nap with a newborn peacefully sleeping on your belly. Ultimate trust, no questions asked. Very sweet.
As can be seen on this picture, our little flake did not come with any instructions, and we are left on our own to translate her various sounds and faces into actionable commands. So far, we identified four of them: hunger, wetness, cold, and tiredness. Feeding takes care of the first, new diapers of the second, and swaddling of the last two. Now, I wonder how long we will be able to last with a vocabulary made of just four words…
Until recently, computers have been relatively weak Go players. With Chess, things were a little bit easier for computers, and IBM’s Deep Blue eventually beat the World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov, back in May 1997. But with Go, things were a lot more tricky, and brute force algorithms were no match to professional players. Recently though, some significant progress has been made, and according to this CNET article, Levente Kocsis of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences computing lab Sztaki has developed a software that is “not far from reaching the level of a professional Go player.” It will be interesting to see when the world’s best Go player ends up being a computer. I am willing to bet that it will happen within the next ten years.
As I get more ambitious with my exercise plan, and keep improving my diet, I have started to add some vegetarian supplements to my meals. On top of the Nature’s Way Alive! Rice/Pea Ultra-Shake Vanilla, Nutribiotic Vegan Rice Protein and Benefiber mix that I am using for my morning smoothie, I am taking suggested servings for the following supplements:
Updated on 11/30/2008, 12/21/2008, and 11/8/2009.
May, Neige, and I came back home from the hospital yesterday around lunch time, and we’re getting used to our new lives together. May and I took turns at feeding our little snow flakes last night, and started giving her some formula in order to make sure that her weight does not drop too much. Earlier today, I also found the energy to drag myself to the gym, and complete my usual rountine: 30 minutes of weight lifting, and 30 minutes of biking. I do not think that I will manage to get to 21 mph as I had wished last week though, and I think I will move this goal to next week, when things should have settled a bit. Holding on to my daily exercise routine should be plenty enough.
Our little snow flake turned one day old today, and she is doing fine. May’s production of colostrum is fairly limited, and the nurses do not like to feed newborns with formula until the third or fourth day, so Neige is getting a little bit dehydrated, but nothing to really worry about. We are sharing our room with another couple, and I got a recliner to take some naps. Whenever I feel like complaining about it, I remind myself that it’s not much different from the kind of seat I usually get on long-haul flights in business class, and for which I do not mind paying hundreds of dollars in upgrade fees. So I consider myself lucky, and just look forward to coming back home later today.
Neige Haley Chang Ghalimi was born earlier today, Saturday, February 17, 2007, at 1:21 AM, at the nearby Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. She weighted 8 lbs 5.2 oz, and measured 19.5 inches. Neige and her parents are all doing very well, and are happy to be together with their family and friends.
I made it! This morning, I biked for 30 minutes, with an average speed of 20 mph. I started the week at 19 mph, then 19.4 mph, 19.6 mph for a couple of days, and finally got to 20 mph. My goal is to get to 25 mph by the end of the quarter. Right now, it seems very aggressive, but I want to try it nonetheless. For next week, I will shoot for 21 mph.
Yesterday, I did a Bay tour with my friend Rick. The weather was pretty good all the way up to San Francisco, but when we flew back down the Pacific Coast to Half Moon Bay (KHAF), we had to drop below 1,000 feet in order to avoid scattered clouds at 1,300 feet. This took us close to the shore, were we came very close to colliding with a seagul. Rick is a pilot, and spotted it first. For my part, I was pretty slow to react, which made for a good learning experience: when flying low, always keep an eye out for birds, and don’t think twice about where to make your evading maneuver. Because of the clouds, we decided not to land in Half Moon Bay, and flew back directly to San Carlos (KSQL) instead. We logged 0.8 hours of VFR flying.
Oui tu es le bonheur,
Le morceau de beurre,
Qui rend la vie si délicieuse.
(Ouvrir mon coeur, ouvrir ton coeur)
Excuse-moi, j’ai tant résisté,
Notre miroir m’a tant appeuré.
Là ton coeur.
C’est toi qui lui donne son goût profond.
(Ouvrir mon coeur, ouvrir ton coeur)
La peur me quitte, je peux me livrer,
Je peux sentir et enfin t’aimer.
Là ta bouche.
La chaleur monte dans l’abdomen,
Tu l’alimentes et le feu se réveille.
J’étais de glace dans la glace,
Complètement à la masse.
Le feu crépite, il a trouvé les os.
Les flammes s’agitent, elles me redonnent la force.
Ta chaleur grandissante
M’a fait fondre, me délivre.
Double Rocker
Lyrics and music by Stereolab
I love you May.
I have been looking for a bike, and now I am looking for shoes to go with it. I know very little about the subject, but the Shimano SH-R300 have piqued my interest. The Thermo-form moldable upper forms to foot for a custom fit, and the outsole is made of carbon fiber for reducing weight and increasing energy transfers straight to the pedals. Pretty cool stuff…
This week, I am trying to reach an average speed of 20 mph over a 30 minutes bike ride. Last week, my average was 18.2 mph. This morning, I reached 19 mph. Let’s see if we can get to 20 mph by the end of the week.
The last time I touched my toes with legs extended must have been when I was five or six years old. Over time, like most people, I grew less and less flexible, and lost the ability to reach my extremities in such a position. Well, after a month of efforts practicing yoga, I am pleased to report that I regained some of my flexibility, and can touch my toes again. My back remains very stiff and will need a lot more work, but I’m pretty happy with progress so far. Next step: improving my Adho Mukha Svanasana, also known as downward-facing dog.
Five days a week, I ride for about ten miles on a stationary bike, and on Saturdays I make it twenty. It’s convenient because I can read a book or a magazine while getting some exercise, but I would rather do it outdoor during weekends. With that in mind, May and I have decided that I should get a bike, so I have started researching the field. Right now, I really like the Trek Madone SL 5.5, which is on sale at our local bicycle store. It is built around a carbon frame, and uses Shimano Dura-Ace components. Temptation…
Tonight, May and I joined a small group of friends for a crab feed at the exclusive Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club. I put my strict diet aside for a night, and got my fill of crustacean meat. According to NutritionData, crab has 60% less cholesterol than shrimps, which makes it not so bad for you. Many thanks to Milledge for the invitation, May and I had a lot of fun. Now, I look forward to finally getting a flight together.
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