#i cannot describe the fear i experienced realizing what id just done

[aubris-fox]

im coming to the realization that i REALLY need to pay more attention to what's going on when i scroll. i liked cropped nsfw art that tumblr recommended to me, cause i was mindlessly just like "awh rad ghost x soap art, ok like time"

[malgal7777]

Hiking with Tracy 2021: Weeks 4 and 5.  The block and bounce back.

A new first everyone.  WRITER’S BLOCK.  I am two weeks behind because I could not find the right words to say.  I just stared at the screen with nothing coming to mind.  Blank stares. Crickets chirping. Where do I start?  That pesky question again.  Perhaps if I talk about what ails me, I can push through.  Complaining!  Now, THAT’S the ticket!  You can always find something to complain about, right? Well, writer’s block ailed me.  It’s real and added to the will to give up.  I told a lot of people about this blog.  I don’t think they’re reading it, but maybe they will?? I can’t give up now...can I?

After a sluggish third week defined by minor depression and the will to give up, Weeks 4 and 5 can be described as the “the bounce back”.  I was able to brush off those negative thoughts from that red devil that sits on your shoulder and whispers in your ear:  You’ll never do it.  Give up loser!  

I flung that sucker to the ground.  

But on its heels came another realization.  I’m almost 50.  In July I will hit that top of the hill milestone.  My knees are the ones reminding me.  They’re not hurting, they ache.  That red devil I flung climbed right back on and clung to my knees.  But fear not, I did not get discouraged!  I listened.  When your body talks, time to listen carefully.  My knees were saying, they’re proud of me and they like the direction I’m going. BUT, you are older, you are overweight and perhaps you had too much, too fast and you’re overplaying your part. Thanks Jerry.  So I’m pulling back on the running and hikes during the week.  I’m not getting upset if I don’t make my 10,000 steps everyday.   I’m easing into the weekend, where I will continue to take longer, more strenuous hikes.  AND because it is 2021 there is modern technology, which means I have help.  I purchased a set of compression knee braces!  Yup, that’s exciting news these days.  Keeps these kneecaps in place without being too uncomfortable.  Another piece of equipment I’m finally using are my hiking sticks.  Compliments of my bestest friend Laura.  She purchased these sticks for me last year for my birthday because she knows I enjoy hiking. Seemed like a great gift.  Except I have been hesitant to use them.  Bob & Charlotte are mercilessly making fun of me for even thinking of using them. I guess I look “elderly”.  My knees politely remind me that I am elderly.  In nature they are a god send.  It’s winter in Northern California, which means lots of rain and slippery mud on the trails.  These sticks come in handy for sure.  

Week 4, I headed back down to Lake Chabot in Castro Valley.  A beautiful overcast day spent with my daughter Charlotte and our volleyball family, Odessa and her daughter Veronica.  Odessa has joined Noom with me and Char & V are about to start volleyball again now that the shutdown has opened slightly.  What better way to get everyone in shape by taking them on a 9 mile hike?  After 4.5 miles the realization of 9 miles started to hit the ladies.  Luckily at this point we might as well continue on, since it’s the same distance!  My aggressive hiking scheme had snagged more victims.  But these ladies didn’t bat an eye.  The girls kept up and Odessa is a brisk walker; I found myself trying to catch up to her!  We also had an incredible discovery.  A deceased bobcat on the side of the trail.  Sorry, didn’t take a photo of that one.  It was starting to decompose.  But it was big!  Not mountain lion big, but medium size dog big.  Pretty cool.  It validated Odessa bringing a kitchen knife for our safety (that’s another story). 

That was Saturday.  On Sunday, I did another “reconnaissance” mission.  I met Sarah at Inspiration Point/Tilden Park.  It’s one of my April hikes.  You enter from the east, through the town of Orinda.  Great views of Mt. Diablo to the east and the rest of the bay to the west.  It stretches from Berkeley, Tilden Regional Park to Richmond, Wildcat Canyon Regional Park.  Today, it was packed.  People are definitely spending their time outside.  Cyclists making their way up the hill, clogging traffic.  Parking lot filled to the max. Crazy thing is both Sarah & I found parking spots right away.  It was a gorgeous day.  I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this hike come April.  Sarah and I went a mile in and then turned around.  We found a great bench with a view of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Breathtaking.  It was beyond lovely and we were able to catch up.  Since the pandemic started, being around other humans is far and few between.  We were privy to a Cooper’s Hawk calling to its mate and the mate popping out of nowhere.  I know it was a Cooper’s Hawk because I am now happily birdie nerdy with my local bird smartphone app.  I was able to remember a few details that Sarah & I noticed about the feather coloring under their wings. I had to go through a few hawk species but as soon as the app played the call, I knew what it was.  A Cooper’s Hawk has a very distinct call.  Get yourself the smartphone app Merlin Bird ID.  Great stuff.  

Since we only did two miles Sunday morning, I wanted to get in some more hiking time.  Because as Bob says “I’m in some weird aggressive extreme hiking stage”.  Why fight it?  Let’s see where this takes me.  I drove up to Skyline Blvd, which is right up the hill from the house.  Parking at Redwood Regional Park and that stretch of Skyline Blvd has a CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY amount of people.  I’m not sure I would want to live across the street from that parking lot.  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.  I continued to head south on Skyline when I came to another (back) entrance to the park.  It’s identifiable by the cool red single family home that resembles a farm house.  Whoever lives there, you lucky bastard.  It’s precious.  

Abby joined me and we headed down towards the creek below the canopy of the giant redwoods.   First thing to do when you’re among those giants is to breathe.  The Bay Area just experienced a strong wind storm during the past week.  It was as if a tornado had torn through the trees.  The debris covering the trail was immense.  Too many downed trees to count.  Stunning.  Walking among these trees is a peaceful affair, I cannot imagine it being terrifying enough to create such damage. Majestic with vibrant colors from the recent rains, they’re so alive.  I never wear headphones.  I want to hear them lightly sway back and forth.  I ended up adding another 4 miles up a steep incline to my day.  I was back and on the right track.

Saturday week 5 started among a man made giant.  I was going to walk the Bay Bridge to Yerba Buena Island bike/hike trail.  It’s 3 miles up and 2.9 miles back and a really cool perspective.  Usually you’re not able to stop at this location in the bay, you’re driving 60 mph.  It’s a great view but very loud.  Skyline mom Carole joined me today. She had never walked it before.  Highly recommend.  But be prepared to wear headphones or listen very intently to your walking partner.  The view makes up for any difficulty hearing.  The way to Yerba Buena Island is a gradual incline.  Not too bad while walking.  Riding a bike might prove to be challenging.  And once you make it up to the Island, there’s a nice resting spot to take in the view facing the East Bay Hills.  They’re still building the path that is to lead around the Island and down to Treasure Island.  THAT will be a super cool hike once it’s all said and done.  There’s also the Coast Guard headquarters at the base of the bridge tunnel.  Great basketball court.  

I may keep my weekend hikes mellow next week.  Give those knees a break.  Happy Chinese New Year!  Happy Mardi Gras! 

Let’s shake 2020 off us and start anew.  Work hard to refresh our souls.  Till next week and I'll leave you with a bit of wisdom I read on my tea bag this morning “Gratitude is not about what is received; it’s about how you receive what is there.”  I appreciate all of you and being able to do this.  

[torentialtribute]

Man Utd News: Solskjaer shows moody Mourinho how it’s done: This tour is so different to last year

The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer closed his pre-match press conference for Thursday's match against Tottenham in Shanghai, he looked at the top table at a young interpreter who had just finished translating his last answer for the Chinese media. "I cannot confirm what she said is good, but I think she deserves an applause," said the manager of Manchester United .

His mandatory audience and Solskjaer smiled as he walked for the burning heat and humidity of the training field at the Yuanshen Sports Center, joking with his former teammate Wes Brown on the way out.

It was a well-known scene on the tour of United by Perth Singapore and Shanghai this summer and one that can no longer differ from the tone of a miserable and moody Jose Mourinho put in the US a year ago. It left Mourinho at odds with his employers and led to a series of events that led to his resignation in December.

Solskjaer, on the other hand, hopes his performances here – they have defeated Perth Glory, Leeds United and Inter Milan without conceding a target for the Spurs competition – they will much better shape for the new season. United prepares to go home, Sportsmail watches two very contrasting tours.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set up a tone of optimism the pre-season tour of Manchester United

MOOD

One senior United civil servant described Mourinho's downfall at United as & # 39; dead by a thousand cuts & # 39 ;. In the end he had done so much to let himself be fired that he just had to go.

There is little doubt that the deepest cut was inflicted on the US tour last summer and an extraordinary day in Michigan after United was beaten by Liverpool in the Big House with 4-1

In a cruel attack after the game, Mourinho claimed that fans could better stay away from such meaningless and friendly, the club criticized a lack of new signing sessions and moaned about the number of players from the first team available to him after the game. Worldcup.

United torrent pre-season was encapsulated last year by their 4-1 drubbing against Liverpool

It was crucial that Mourinho shut off the young players who had played alongside the star turn Alexis Sanchez. & # 39; Do you want him to be happy with the players he has around him? & # 39; At a club like United, so proud of their youthful development, which was seen as unforgivable.

A sour Mourinho had already collided with Paul Pogba in LA after refusing to praise the Frenchman for winning the World Cup, instead choosing to remind him that he now has the same effort and focus to United. It was typical of his negative thinking.

Although United had allowed Mourinho's wish to visit the US for the second time in a row and settle in Beverly Hills, it was not enough. The Portuguese coach cut a miserable figure during a joyless journey that set the tone for the next six months.

After ensuring that everyone would stay in Beverly Wilshire last summer, the Mourinho coaching team and the players booked The Assembly while other staff were staying at the Marriott.

Mourinho made players feel uncomfortable and not would allow them to enjoy their free time

They were concerned about socializing at night in case Mourinho saw them in a bar during one of his nightly walks. When he spoke to them the next morning, they realized that he would be closer than normal to see if he could smell alcohol in their breath.

By the time the tour had blown from Michigan to Miami, the envoy Mourinho had reached the breaking point. & # 39; This is true! & # 39; he could be heard screaming in his cell phone during a conversation in the lobby of the St Regis Bal Harbor hotel.

Fast forward 12 months and it is an infinitely happier United camp. Solskjaer also does not have all the new signing sessions he wants, but the Norwegian has taken it much better in his heart than his predecessor.

& # 39; I have not had any frustrated feeling at all, "he said Wednesday before the spurs game. We need to be patient. I believe in these players and I am sure we can do well. & # 39;

Solskjaer didn't get all the players he wanted this summer, but he believes in their current harvest

For United, Solskjaer is the opposite of Mourinho; a clubman who will never rock on the boat. There is of course no guarantee for success, but the toxic atmosphere that flooded United years ago has long since disappeared.

The new manager lacks discipline but has allowed his players to socialize more on tour. At Nobu in Perth, Aaron saw Wan-Bissaka, Dan James, and Scott McTominay stand on a chair during a team night and sing to their teammates as part of an initiation ceremony. On a day off, some players went shopping while Pogba and Victor Lindel visited the beach at Cottesloe.

Staff could be seen at night while having fun in the early hours at the casino at their luxury Crown hotel. Solskjaer and his coaching staff – Mike Phelan, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna – have created a sense of unity that contrasts sharply with last summer.

PROBLEMS

This tour is not without its issues. When United flew from Manchester with their luxury 88-seater jet to Manchester earlier this month, there was genuine concern that Pogba would not report for his service after stirring for a move and telling teammates he would stay away.

the Frenchman appeared properly and a situation that caused a great drama has largely disappeared, despite the efforts of his agent Mino Raiola. Pogba seems to have accepted that he stays and played well in each of the first three games.

However, Romelu Lukaku still has to perform due to an ankle injury that coincided with negotiations on the move to Inter Milan. Solskjaer, however, has taken Lukaku's absence into account, although it would be better for both parties to have his future resolved as quickly as possible.

United feared that Paul Pogba would not appear, but midfielder reported properly for season requirement

Pogba seems to have accepted he will stay in United and has played well in his ga mes

The other problem to hit United during this tour was the fear of health that led to spar-st team coach Mark Dempsey being hospitalized in Perth. The issue was dealt with promptly and sensitively by United, who arranged for Dempsey to return home.

Solskja's positive approach could not be much different than Mourinho who seemed to be pampered with a fight on every occasion in the US. None other than Anthony Martial who left the camp to be in Paris at the birth of his second child.

The two men were already at odds after Mourinho had made it clear that he wanted to sell the Frenchman his plate against the wishes. He was furious with Martial & # 39; s flash to France, and a problem that could have been dealt with more privately threatened to get out of hand.

The manager was already dissatisfied with the absence of so many players from the first team, and that only got worse when Sanchez was unable to fly out with the rest of the team at the start of the tour due to a visa problem.

TRAINING

Despite the easy nature training regime of Solskjaer United players are exposed more heavily than anything they have experienced under Mourinho.

There were 14 double sessions during nine days during the main training camp in Perth. High intensity runs increase by 50 percent to try to prepare the team for a very urgent game. The total distance traveled has increased by 10 percent. Solskjaer was surprised by the lack of conditioning of the players when he replaced Mourinho who in turn blamed his fitness coach Stefano Rapetti.

United has since been unable to train with the same intensity in the heat of Singapore and Shanghai. move from Perth, but there have been no complaints. Compare that with Mourinho's mood when the club traveled through China in 2016 during its first preseason.

When his pre-conference in Shanghai had to be moved due to the suffocating heat in the building, the new United boss sulked at the side of the field and had to be persuaded to come by and talk to the waiting media.

It was the form of things that came as Mourinho made in secret of what he thought about the facilities in China – and that was even before the Manchester derby in Beijing was canceled about the state of the field.

RESULTS

Nobody gets too carried away with preseason races. They are rarely a good indication of what will happen once the real business starts. But the ominous signs on tour last summer give an accurate picture of what would follow.

After an underwhelming draw with Club America in Phoenix and San Jose Earthquakes, a powerful United AC defeated Milan 9-8 on penalties in LA and ended with an encouraging 2-1 win over Real Madrid. But that 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in Michigan caused serious damage on and off the field.

So far this summer it has been relatively easy. United has won all three games and defeated Perth Glory 2-0, Leeds 4-0 and Inter Milan 1-0, preparing for Spurs. Solskjaer has the advantage of an almost complete team and two new acquisitions in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dan James, while the rise of teenage striker Mason Greenwood has been the biggest plus of all.

The collapse of last season after such a promising start under the former Cardiff manager is still fresh in the memory, and it would be reasonable to say that the jury is still at Solskjaer. But at least United head home in a positive state of mind this time.

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