🤓 Getting smarter, faster, and better than the average bear
Ep 42: Aspiring to a new level, my running exploits, and the perils of having maggots in one's ears.
This was a busy week, partially consumed by another trip to New York City. I had a nice business trip but slept rather poorly. I’m still paying for that! It’s a new week, though, and a run-up to what promises to be a fun weekend ahead.
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Work with people who are smarter, faster, and better than you. When you work alongside more experienced people (enter smarter, faster, and better), you, in turn, become smarter, faster, and better. Don’t be afraid to aspire to their skill or experience level. They did it, and with time, effort, and patience, you can too.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. I’m so grateful to work with some talented people at my company. There’s always something to learn that’s domain-specific, in the realm of design, or about the broad topic of management. Just as running with faster training partners can amp up my fitness (hello, Mithacal Milers), working with experienced people up my professional game.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
Fantastic tortillas of just the right thickness from my favorite Mexican joint right here in Ithaca
If you know Ithaca, you probably know Viva. They’ve been serving Mexican (ahem, Mexithacan) food since 1995 and recently relocated to a different spot across the street on the Ithaca Commons. These little tortilla warmers came with the cantina platter, a DIY option for assembling your perfect little soft tacos.
Commentary
I ran the Gorges Ithaca Half Marathon last Saturday. I’ll have a full race report up on my website shortly, but in the meantime, I’ll share the laugh-out-loud photobomb that Michael Lesher – working with Ron Heerkens Jr. at Goat Factory Media – captured of me about 3 miles from the finish.
I caught up with these two women on the Stewart Park bridges and noticed Michael behind his lens as we approached the bridge exit. He perfectly captured one of the playful moments in life where I was focused on being in the moment, behind these two smiling faces, being an absolute goofball. I think as I passed he smiled and said “Good one!”
And lest you lament that these runners missed out on an otherwise wonderful photo, in the split second before, Michael did capture them. I was tucked discreetly behind the runner on the left. As always, a classy event, and per usual, fantastic photos.
In other running news, Amy and I worked the Library aid station at the Finger Lakes 50s in the Finger Lakes National Forest on Saturday. It was really fun cheering on runners, meeting our fellow aid station workers, and sharing good vibes with everyone. We’ve either run in or volunteered for this race in many of the past years.
In even more running news, I got out a few times in the morning before my work day began in New York. Despite the overcast and humid conditions, I enjoyed getting out with other runners on the Hudson River Greenway, down to Little Island, and along the High Line. Here are a few pictures from those runs.
Miscellanea
🐛 I follow the progress of Cornell’s red-tailed hawks, and there was some recent drama with the youngsters: they all had maggots in their ears. I didn’t know this was a thing, but apparently, it is prevalent in red-tailed hawk populations. The video of the intervention shows the great care that Cornell took in caring for these birds.