Getting shit done again was the theme of the month.
- Finish scanning in the remainder of my Magic cards.
- Finish the BMC Build.
- Finish backup gravel wheelset build.
Magic the Scanning
I don’t even know how I thought this was going to be possible, to be honest. There’s so much more to do on this that it’s not even funny. Fail.
Finish the BMC Build
This was supposed to be done in March, but due to some unforeseen shit, I had a wrench thrown in the works in a couple of different directions. First, getting the internal routing done fort the rear brake was blocked by the bottom bracket. Which, of course, required a special tool to remove. So that got ordered. And then atop that, the ability to run 160mm rotors was waylaid by BMC’s mounting bracket setup on the fork, so I had to order some 140mm rotors. Then, on top of it, I had to knock the BBInfinite one-piece press-fit bottom bracket out so that I could run the brake line for the rear brake. Which I did, only to discover that there’s not enough room for the BBInfinite and the hose inside the BMC’s bottom bracket shell. So now we’re trying something different and the bike is still in pieces. Fail.
Wheelset
One of the things I want to have in my quiver is a backup wheelset for gravel events like the DAMN. If I’m going to invest the money and time needed for a 240-mile death march, I want to ensure that I’m not waylaid by a mechanical fault. Thus, the new wheelset project. It’s nothing super-fancy, just a set of DT Swiss wheels — rims, hubs, etc. SRAM centerlock rotors. Pirelli tires for spring/summer/autumn. It’ll swap to studded tires for the winter so I can continue to pile up road miles even when it’s gotten shitty outside. Anyway, all the parts are here, but the wheels aren’t laced up yet, goddammit. Fail.
Minor/Other Accomplishments
- Started an app-based CBT program (Liven) for dealing with my dopamine issues — specifically the procrastination stuff. Finding it useful, but it’s also forcing me to confront some hard truths about myself.
- Helping Didi brainstorm ideas for a small business. This is fun!
- Working with Didi on a bunch of wedding planning stuff. It’s been good.
Blockers
- I’d normally call a two-day road trip just to see a total eclipse a “blocker”, but it did eliminate one of my 101 Things in 1001 Days items, and it was a blast. It did cut into my productivity time a bit, but I also did tackle a few to-dos when it wasn’t my shift to drive.
- Creativity — I keep coming up with ideas for new apps for the Apple Watch and for Vision Pro, which has been kind of distracting. That said, I’m going to get cracking on the Apple Watch app later this summer.
- Television — both Fallout and Three-Body Problem have been demanding my attention lately.
- Doing taxes. Ugh.
Conclusions/Learnings
April seems to have been a crappy month for getting things done. I don’t know why that is — probably just cascading errors and failures getting in the way of completion.
(Featured image created with/generated by Adobe Firefly 3 Beta. Prompt: 3D rendered figure. A guy with dark hair, glasses, and stubble on his face, working in a small, cluttered workshop, building something mechanical. There’s a small window in the workshop and outside it’s a sunny day and the birds are singing.)