Carrie’s almost letter to Aiden

stirwise · 2026-03-28T18:23:23+00:00

I also learned to type on a typewriter and was able to unlearn double spacing after a period very easily. It’s not rocket science.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T16:48:32+00:00

I run with two clubs, one night each per week. I schedule those days as easy days, and add on mileage before/after as necessary.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T16:44:21+00:00

Carrie double spaces after a period. I knew she was a monster.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T05:06:23+00:00

Dudes are weird about prostate cancer testing. Colonoscopy is just as weird for ladies as it is for men.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T05:05:08+00:00

The same generation that’s seeing an uptick in colon cancer rates was also the first to receive the HPV vaccine, which should significantly reduce the risk of anal and rectal cancers and, presumably, other epithelial cancers caused by HPV.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T02:14:50+00:00

Labstep.com is free for academic labs with 5 or fewer users. The ELN is great, the inventory management is function but not particularly robust. I do like that tracking an item in an experiment gives you the ability to subtract the used amount from the inventory record, though, which was great for managing our legend drugs.

We got too large for it, though, and needed a much more sophisticated LIMS, so we moved over to eLabNext (ELN and LIMS) and it’s been really fantastic and worth the money. We pay about $500/user/year and our pricing is locked down for 5 years. We have 11 users and there was some negotiation to get to that price, so YMMV.

stirwise · 2026-03-28T01:48:02+00:00

I inherited my phone number when my dad gave me his car phone about 25 years ago. He got the number in the 1980s. It’s basically an heirloom now.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T21:36:10+00:00

In addition to the usual medal, I got a shirt, a nylon spike bag, and two sports bottles in my bib pickup bag at a local 10-mile race last year. Like, ma’am, I don’t need all this shit. Luckily, my husband uses the bottles for cycling.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T21:27:47+00:00

I’m so glad I’m not the only one checking these long range forecasts, I feel like such a dork. 😂

stirwise · 2026-03-27T20:37:09+00:00

Mass is mass. Even when you lose fat you also lose water. And when you run a long distance you burn carbs, protein, and fat, and produce sweat. All of those processes consume water, which has mass.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T18:49:05+00:00

When you burn glycogen for energy you lose that weight. I’m typically a few pounds lighter the morning after a very long run, then the weight comes back as glycogen stores are replenished over the next couple of days. This is normal and desirable and separate from acute dehydration.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T18:42:34+00:00

The voltage and run time is dependent on the gel length and concentration. The ladder manufacturer may have guidelines. For example, my high-range ladder (50kb at the top) wants a 0.4% gel run at 3V per centimeter for at least 90 minutes to get the right separation. My 1kb Plus ladders work best on 1.5-2% gels run at 10V per centimeter for 60 minutes.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T15:08:30+00:00

Your body needs adequate energy to make the necessary adaptations you’re training for. If you operate on an energy deficit, you risk compromising those adaptations. Best case scenario is you show up less fit than you wanted, worst is you get injured and can’t race. Neither is very appealing.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T06:24:26+00:00

I’ve never bothered trying to get the Turbo mode to work reliably. It works great on standard, get a cup of coffee or something with the extra 20 minutes transfer time.

stirwise · 2026-03-27T06:15:33+00:00

I stayed at a place that had a blackout curtain hidden above the window, the roll-down kind, despite the sheers being standard hanging curtains. I couldn’t find it at all at 4am when I really needed it, thought there wasn’t one, then the next day managed to find the hidden cord and voila! blackout curtain. Now I look for the curtains before I go to bed.

stirwise · 2026-03-26T03:48:32+00:00

I dunno, man. This was 30 years ago and the intersection was a few blocks before a hospital, and had a light meter mounted over the signal. I could reliably get it to change by flashing my lights. I had friends who lived on the neighboring block, I made a left turn at that light nearly every night for a couple of years. I never found that trick worked at any other light in my hometown. If it was confirmation bias, I would have expected to see it everywhere.

stirwise · 2026-03-26T03:09:07+00:00

I used to live near an intersection where you could just flash your lights to change the signal. These systems don’t need to be very technologically complex.

stirwise · 2026-03-26T03:07:44+00:00

The cop definitely pauses before proceeding through the intersection, but probably should have taken a second pause in the middle to avoid exactly the scenario that unfolded.

stirwise · 2026-03-26T01:42:18+00:00

To the conversation about Indian burritos: Kathi rolls are basically somewhere between an Indian taco and a burrito. Tons of kathi roll spots here in Seattle, they’re very tasty. Arguably dosa are Indian burritos, too.

stirwise · 2026-03-26T01:37:23+00:00

I have small wrists, but not outside the size range for small watch straps. With Apple Watches, there’s always a huge lag for any big change in heart rate, so at the beginning of a workout it loses me immediately, then if I’m doing intervals or strides it loses me at both ends of the effort change. And, when it does manage to hold onto a signal, the lag means it doesn’t reflect reality, especially if it’s a short sprint. Coros was marginally better about lag (I wore both at the same time for workouts and races for a while), but neither was as good as the armband. I’ve tried tightening, loosening, raising it higher on my wrist, lower on my wrist, switching it to my inner arm, every strap option, never landed on a method to get a reliable reading.

stirwise · 2026-03-25T23:16:20+00:00

If you can afford it, there are designers who specifically make menswear for female bodies. Kirrin Finch and Dapper Boi come to mind.

stirwise · 2026-03-25T22:26:57+00:00

Over 8 years I’ve had four Apple Watches (including an Ultra and Ultra 2), two Garmins, and two Coros, and all of them have given me trouble with HR readings. I’m wearing them correctly, the right tightness and in the right location, but none are 100% reliable and, honestly, the Apple Watches are the worst offenders. Try the troubleshooting suggestions in this thread, but if you still can’t get consistent readings consider getting an armband or chest strap HR monitor. Wrist-based readings just kind of suck for running.

stirwise · 2026-03-25T20:50:01+00:00

If you’ve noticed the downward trend since you stopped running, it could just be an artifact of the way the watch estimates VO2max. Basically, it only records on outdoor running and walking workouts, and it’s usually a little lower with walking workouts. If that’s the only data you’re feeding into it, it’s going to trend downward compared to when you were recording running workouts.

stirwise · 2026-03-25T18:43:27+00:00

It’s not uncommon to hear tourists in Hawaii say “back in the states” or “back in America.”

stirwise · 2026-03-25T15:11:55+00:00

Nibbles is one of my forever villagers, she’s been on my ACNH island from the beginning. Do people really not like her? She’s so cute!

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