Alex "Gus" Gustafson

Category: Life

  • Lincoln at the Library

    I’ve been to the Louisville Free Public Library so many times, and I don’t think I’ve ever looked at this statue of Abraham Lincoln before.

    I was at the library, reading up on history of the 1937 Great Flood, and saw this photo:

    image

    So on my way out I made sure to turn the corner and look a bit. Funny how I could miss something so notable on so many occasions. When I worked on 4th street, I would bike by this statue every day and not notice it.

    I should really learn to be more aware of the history that surrounds me.

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  • Artwork

    I really like the artwork at my new co-working space. Right now I think all the pieces are created by Brittany Anne Jennings.

    http://instagram.com/p/xr-_FbxTjx/

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  • I Like Who I Am When I …

    David Cain made a post today on Raptitude.com that really struck with me:

    She said that for years, a colleague of hers (Peter Gzowski?) insisted on making frequent trips to a remote cabin up North, where he spent the time chopping wood, reading books and walking with his dogs. When she asked him why this ritual was so important to him, he said, “Well… I guess I really like who I am when I’m up there.”

    Rodgers explained her departure by saying that the morning show had made the reverse true for her: the job required her to wake up at 3:30am, shuttle herself to the studio, and force herself into professional-mode hours before the sun came up, and she didn’t like who she was when she was doing that.

    When I heard her say that, I was sitting in my office at work, and realized I that definitely didn’t like who I was when I was in there. I didn’t like who I was when I was on the phone with clients, or out talking to contractors, or sitting at pre-construction meetings. (read it all, here)

    Like Shelagh and David, there was a time when I too could sit a desk and not just be displeased with a situation, but be displeased with who I was. I didn’t like who I was when I cold called for hours on end. I didn’t like who I was when I had to make excuses or explain my job-poorly done.

    But now I really like who I am most of my minutes every day, and I just wanted to share a little list. I like who I am when I…

    • … offer nerdy after-thoughts when announcing the answer at trivia.
    • … help a WordPress user learn something new.
    • … make breakfast for my wife.
    • … roll a natural 20.
    • … roll a natural 1.
    • … finish a book I’ve been reading so very slowly for a long time.
    • … walk my dog until she’s so tired she sleeps for hours.
    • … ride my bike with no route in mind.
    • … ride my bike with 50 pounds of groceries in tow.
    • … ride my bike at all.
    • … know that I’m on working on the best possible thing I can be working on right then and there.
    • … talk things out with my wife.
    • … solve a problem that could never have been solved in another time of my life.
    • … think about my future.
    • … when I (edit) typos in my headlines. 😀

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  • Bist du bei mir

    Dr. Michael Tunnell, trumpet professor at University of Louisville, passed away recently. Several of his former students performed this at his funeral:

    He was the kind of teacher that could make anyone wish they played trumpet.

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  • Fit

    I’ve had Google Fit on my phone since upgrading to Android 5. I’ve used pedometers before, but for whatever reason I never was very consistent with checking them. Wearing? Not a problem. Actually learning or tracking anything? Problem.

    Google Fit excels where I had previously failed. I find myself constantly checking the Android app and occasionally peeking at it on the Web too. Honestly, I probably look at it too much, because so far it hasn’t really driven me to adjust too many habits but it does lead me to remark almost every day that I don’t have enough activity.

    Amber thinks it’s creepy that my phone “tells me [I’m] fat” but I think she’s mostly sick of hearing me say the phrase “Google Fit says…”

    Today I made a point to work a different coffee shop, about a mile away, to see how many steps it was. The answer? 2,058 each way – about what I was expecting. The thing is, this makes me believe even less that I can actually make the time to hit 10,000 steps a day. The walking commute didn’t feel inconvenient, but the walking commute plus another 6,000 steps “somewhere” seems nearly impossible in terms of the time required alongside my workload.

    So if anything, the Google Fit has strengthened to me the idea that aerobic-only exercise is probably a terrible idea for my lifestyle. I need to genuinely seek out a strength training solution to shock my muscles into change with less time.

    But the walking commute and it’s 4,000 steps will probably stick around, too.

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  • Thanksgiving Weekend

    Had good times this Thanksgiving holiday. Got to see my parents, and my sister’s family, whom I rarely see. Snapped a few pictures.

    We got a dusting on snow on Thursday. Bagheera was not pleased.
    Turkey in the evenin’, bacon in the mornin’.
    Can’t stop the knitting machine.
    Carcassone was one of the many board games we played.
    Yarn bomb at the Library.
    Civil War exhibit at the Library
    Building an arch at the Kentucky Science Center
    Building a dome at the Kentucky Science Center
    Believe it or not, this made me look skinnier. o.0
    Barely managed a victory at Forbidden Island on Sunday night.

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  • Married Life is Weird

    Wife: So you think it’s just two guys on the internet?

    Me: I know it’s two guys on the internet.

    Wife: You don’t think it’s Gary Oldman?

    Me: I know it’s not Gary Oldman.

    Wife: That’s sad.

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  • Tabletop Season 3 Premiers Tomorrow

    I could not be more excited about tomorrow. I finally get to repeat jokes funnier than my own while we play Stone Age.

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  • Election Day

    wpid-img_20141104_093005.jpg

    I voted! I also had a lovely walk.

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  • Halloween 2014

    Rather than attending a huge party, we have a few friends coming over and I’ve pulled out our scariest board games.

    image

    I don’t even need a costume.
    Best Halloween ever?

    Update:

    I also ended up making a kick-ass cheese plate. It’s okay to drool. From 12 o’ clock clockwise this is Toscana, ButterKäse, Rustica Alle Noci, Rustica Alle Pepe Nero, and Rustica Alle Peperoncino. All of them are from Sapori Italia except the ButterKäse which was from Boar’s Head. Love them all.

    wpid-img_20141031_214232.jpg

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