I’ve rested my legs for a couple of weeks and taken a course of ibuprofen. Today I try a little 4-mile round trip to one of our local coffee shops to see how walking feels. The results are mixed. My knee feels fine, but my left hamstring has odd, subtle pull in it that seemed to start when I was stretching every day. It will take a longer walk to tell if this is just tightness or a worse problem.
No one had ever mentioned this climbing area to us, but in our book it looked like a good place to continue our gentle return to climbing. It’s perfect! The Waterfall Wall has an array of “easy” topropes right next to the parking area, and the weather warms up just for the weekend. Climbing still feels about three grades harder than it used to, we joke with some other folks doing the same thing, but we’re able to keep at it a little longer than last time. In the nearby Magdalena mountains we find a pretty little campground with more cliff walls to gaze at. Ann hikes up to investigate them and concludes the rock is not good for climbing, but finds a few intriguing hiking trails.
Yes, another one! In today’s episode, I learn not to speak English. But for those in a hurry, if you have 1.2.1 running, this isn’t a crucial upgrade. If you had any trouble installing 1.2.1, try 1.2.2.
WordPress provides some help to plugins that need to upgrade their tables, but it often causes some silent harmless database errors in the background. I wanted to ignore these, but scan for real problems. As it turns out, my code thought this looked like a real problem:
WordPress database error: [Zdefiniowano wiele kluczy podstawowych]
That’s polish for “Defined multiple primary keys”, one of the harmless things WordPress tries to do. So in 1.2.2 I quit speaking English and stick to SQL, which looks the same in a Polish database.
While I was at it I added some code to prevent timeouts during the conversion, fix a problem with the default category for pages, and a problem that prevented the info window from loading. Have fun.
Whew, this one has been educational for me. It began with the discovery that the data conversion process in 1.2 was not compatible with MySQL 4, despite appearances to the contrary in the old manuals. Lesson 1: as long as I can afford a test bed on MySQL 4, keep it around. As I worked on fixing this I realized that in the new WordPress plugin manager interface it’s so easy to upgrade without reading anything, that there’s an instant expectation that everything will just work immediately after the plugin is activated. To play better in that model, I’ve automated the data conversion, and a added a log of what happened to the options page in case something does need manual attention.
Thankfully, MySQL 4 is more and more rare. Geo Mashup 1.2 was downloaded well over 500 times in less than a week, and the few people who reported back with problems have been really helpful. I’m hoping this means we’re all on the road to big things together.
See you in the documentation, downloads, and discussion group.
Just as Ann was getting back into the swing of hiking, I decided to rest my knee, which has been hard for both of us. But we think we might each be able to manage some easy climbing, so we make our way to the friendly and accessible White Rock Overlook area. The weather smiles on us, clear and warm bordering on hot. It feels like a luxury to be back at the crag, and amazingly there’s only one other couple here. I manage a lead of Over Easy 5.6, which feels about like I remember 5.9 feeling. Then we put top ropes on the neighboring climbs until we’re worn out. Ann’s ankle feels good, my knee feels good, and the weather is feels marvelous. So we can climb! This is very good news.
Feedback on 1.2beta2 has been good, so I have released 1.2. It’s working like a champ on a number of production sites already.
This is the best Geo Mashup release so far, I think, largely because several organizations have hired me for Geo Mashup-related work, which has really helped the quality of the plugin. Individual donations have been encouraging as well.
So look at the documentation, especially considerations when upgrading, and enjoy.
Why o why did I not take any pictures of this year’s friend-contributed meal gathering in Fort Collins? I think I’ve forgotten about my camera while I’m resting my knee. As if it were a knee-operated device. But I will remember anyway that I finally got some of the beating coming to me for being a pain-in-the-ass holier-than-thou vegan full of self admiration and especially smugness. Everyone brought something for me to eat regardless, only encouraging my vanity further. It’s been a while since I hung out for an evening in a totally comfortable social situation with good friends, thanks to you all for that.
We park the camper at my friend Mike’s, where I stayed last spring. The dark and quiet there bring on deep sleep.
On our way home we investigate this short nature trail. It looks like it’s geared toward bird watching, and there aren’t many birds now. I wonder if my leg will feel better after a short rest, but unfortunately it doesn’t.
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Yesterday was a strange day of driving around, changing our minds about our destination, not hiking, and ending up on a gorgeous high ridge in the Jemez near Forest Road 376. This road is closed in the winter, and there is a hot spring 6 miles up it. That’s a longer hike than we had planned, but we try it. Conditions are clear and the snow is nearly melted off, but our bodies are not so cooperative. Ann’s ankle isn’t strong enough yet, and the problem in my knee seems to have spread all the way up to my hip. We turn around after 3 miles, and I’m uncomfortable when we get back. I lose all hope in the exercises and stretches I’ve been doing, and resolve to just stop everything and rest for a little while.
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After our work day Ann takes me to this trail near a tiny town between Santa Fe and Madrid. I’m just wanting some exercise, but this turns out to be quite beautiful. The trail is clearly intended to be a tour of old mines, but the sky is soft, the air is warm, and the views are expansive. My attention is drawn outward, and I’m lured into a bout of hiking bliss. As the sunlight fades two Great Horned Owls call from a snag above. One flies ahead, and the other follows after we have passed, flying into the moon.
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Knee Notes: a little discomfort at the very end.
