Weekly Ephemera #130

Theme of the week: I do not get it. I just do not understand anything anymore.

• This week started with avoidance.  I avoided watching the inauguration by watching/listening to non-political podcasts and music.  Unfortunately, since I steep myself in news nearly everyday, this reprieve from politics lasted twenty-four hours.
• Took my car for its first service since I bought it.  I drive my car so infrequently that I usually don't hit the mileage maintenance target in a year.  I think I actually walk more in a week than I drive.
• Went in for a teeth cleaning.  This may be one of the few dentist appointments when I didn't have any issues.
• I walked twice a this week.  I skipped my Monday walk due to the single digit temperatures accompanied by negative wind chills temperatures.  I probably could have walked as I know how to properly layer and bundle up for cold weather but I cocooned in podcasts instead.  The two walks I did totaled 24.1 miles (38.8 km).  Next week we're having spring-like weather so I should be able to get three walks in.
• Watch 'The Wild Robot".  It has been nominated, and in many cases won, best animated film rewards.  It's pretty good.  A bit on the saccharine side but definitely a safe place in our current situation.  It reminded me, at least superficially, a bit of the robot in Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot books.
• I am getting an MRI this week to check my prostate.  I think they are being overly cautious but better to be safe I guess.  I wish it wasn't so expensive though.
• My cousin sent me a bunch of family pictures my Aunt had.  I may start posting a few.  Here's one:

"Bruce giving PJ a Pepsi"
Developed January 1975
Picture taken in Guatemala.  Probably taken around Christmas 1974.  PJ was a peekapoo.

Book: Cory Doctorow's "Red Team Blues"

Just like I got my Scalzi book from a Humble Bundle deal, my second book was from a Cory Doctorow Humble Bundle deal.  I've never read any of Doctorow's books but I've listened to him on This Week in Tech (TWiT.tv) and I've read some of his posts on Mastodon (@pluralistic@mamot.fr) and I find him very interesting.  He has gained some nerd notoriety by coining the term Enshittification to explain how internet platforms start out good for the users and evolve to be bad for everyone (essentially).

My first Doctorow book was "Red Team Blues".  This is the first of a trilogy that follows forensic accountant Martin Hench into the depths of dark money movements and cybersecurity.

I enjoyed this book.  It never went too deep into the weeds but it did graze the tops of said weeds a few times which was fine for me.  Is this for everyone?  I'm not sure.  You need some understanding of tech and cybersecurity to follow it at times.  I would call it a nerdy thriller.

I gave this book four stars out of five on Goodreads.  There were a few loose ends that didn't get tied up to my satisfaction but it was well written and I liked Martin Hench.  I will be reading other Doctorow books this year I think.

How I Rate Books

Since I started publishing book reviews on Homer's Travels I've always given some ratings.  It started with just recommended or not.  I eventually moved to Goodreads which uses a five star scale.  Here is what those stars mean to me.

For fiction I basically consider three criteria.  (1) Do I like the story/characters.  (2) Is it well written.  (3) Is there something novel/unique in the story that surprises/delights me.  If these three criteria are met the book gets five stars.  Most books will not meet all three.  If two are met then it will get four stars.  The most common situation is criteria one and two are met but not criteria three.  If it meets criteria one, but misses on criteria two and three, I would likely give it three stars.  If it misses all three, but I am just disappointed, it will get two stars.  If it makes me angry, or I do not finish the book, it will end with one star.

For non-fiction the criteria are similar.  (1) Am I interested in the subject and approach of the book.  (2) Is it well written.  (3) Do I learn something profound and/or am I surprised by what I learn.  Five and four stars are the same as for fiction.  Three stars means I disagree with the premise/argument but it is well written.  One and two stars mean I think it is wrong, written/argued poorly, or makes me angry in some way.

Obviously there is lots of subjectivity in my ratings.  Sometimes I let things slip.  Other times I give them no leaway.  Reading, especially fiction, is always read in the eyes of the reader.

Weekly Ephemera #129

• This was a medical week as I mentioned in this post.  This coming week I have a dentist appointment which I expect to go smoothly as I have no issues with my teeth at the moment - yay!
• The Wife and I went to the REI outlet on Tuesday to get some stuff for the Wife's Camino this summer.  The Wife is looking for shoes that will work with her bunions.  While they didn't have a shoe in her size she did confirm that she should be wearing a wide shoe.
  
  I broke one of my backpack tie down connectors during the Camino section back in 2023.  I finally purchased a replacement and my backpack is back in working order.  If we finish the Camino this summer my backpack will be retired.  It looks like it's been through a lot ... which it has.
• Even though we haven't left for Guatemala yet, we started planning our fall trip.  The trip will include Greece, Albania, Macedonia, and Malta.  We are still working out the details so I will have to post more detailed plans in a later post once things are finalized.
• Due to the doctor's appointments early in the week I only walked twice this week.  I did 21.9 miles (35.2 km).  I am trying to change up my routes going places I haven't walked before or have walked for a long time.  I still don't understand why a 10 mile walk one day feels terribly hard but two days later it feels merely difficult.  I was hoping, over time, these distances would get more consistently easier.  They are not.
  
  I am considering walking Monday when the high temperature will be 9℉ (-12.8℃) with wind chills in the negative double digits.  This would get me out of the house so watching the inauguration would not be a perverse temptation.  Hypothermia or depressing anguish ... thems the choices.
• I watched a couple of shows this week.  The Wife suggested "The Contestant" about a Japanese game show contestant.  It was weird, fascinating, and cringy cruel at times but in the end it was an uplifting story.
  
  As a light palette cleanser I watched the "Goosebumps" series on Disney.  It was aimed at a younger audience but it felt comforting to me.

Testing Update

Warning:  I'm an old man and I'm at the age when talking about my health is becoming more and more common.  This post is such a health post.

This week I went to two doctor's appointments.  The first was my biannual check up/blood draw.  Things didn't go as I'd hoped.  I met a new APRN (nurse practitioner) as my old one had changed jobs.  I like her.  She seems thorough and attentive.  We talked about my medical history, I had blood drawn for testing, and got vaccinated for tetanus (for our trip to Guatemala) and pneumonia.

My blood test results were disappointing.  I'd hoped to get my A1C and blood glucose down to a normal level but they both went up slightly since my tests last May.  It's frustrating when you exercise and watch your diet, things that were effective in the past for me, aren't enough anymore.  So I'm still pre-diabetic.

My lipid numbers (cholesterol) were mixed.  My bad cholesterol was too high (but trending downward) and my good cholesterol was going down (and trending downward).  I've only had 'good' good cholesterol levels once in the last twenty years so that wasn't surprising.  I have gained a little weight and I've noticed my lipid numbers are not as good when I'm heavier.  I am working on the last six or seven pounds but they are struggling to hang on.

The second appointment was with my new urologist.  She is a PA (physician's Assistant) of my previous doctor who also changed jobs last year. We discussed removing the remaining kidney stone I have.  My surgery will be in early March after I get back from our Guatemala trip.  It's outpatient so it should be fairly routine.

The PA is also concerned with my PSA.  While my numbers are in the green range, it turns out that after the prostate surgery I had in 2023, it should have been lower.  So ... I will be getting an MRI later this month and a biopsy will be taken when I get the stone removed.  My last MRI and biopsy taken prior to my surgery were clean so I expect they will still be clean.  Fingers crossed.

Book: John Scalzi's "Kaiju Preservation Society"

I follow John Scalzi on Bluesky (I don't actually 'Follow' him but he is in one of my lists).  I've enjoyed several of his books (the last being nearly six years ago) and I was happy to see the author offer a Humble Bundle of his books for charity.  I jumped at the chance and purchased the bundle.  I'd already read many of the books but, after removing these, I still got ten books for a reasonable cost and a good cause.  So, my first read of the year was John Scalzi's "Kaiju Preservation Society".

Kaiju is the Japanese word for giant monsters.  Think Godzilla.  This book has an interesting explanation of how Kaiju exist and where they come from.  The book is essentially a political intrigue involving rampaging monsters ... and Kaiju.

This book is a palate cleanser.  It's light, funny, and easy to get lost in.  By the third chapter I was laughing out loud, a rarity for me while reading.  Despite dipping its toe into real world politics, it takes you to a world where, with some minor suspension of disbelief, you can have fun with monsters.  It was the right tone for where we are today.

I gave this book four stars out for five on Goodreads.  There were a few things that didn't ring right so it lost a half star.  I look forward to continuing my read through Scalzi's library after a six year pause.

P.S. I should put a post together about how I rate books.  Some people have asked me why, when I like a book so much, I only give it a four out of five.  Maybe soon.

Weekly Ephemera #128

• My sense of time or, more specifically, days has been completely off since the first of the year.  Not sure if it is the fact the first was on a Wednesday or if the college football championship games have been during the week instead of the weekends but whatever it is I have had to struggle to figure out what day it was.  This has always been a fact being a retiree but it feels worse this month.
• I walked three times this week.  It was cold which was great walking weather.  I walked 32 miles (51.6 km) which was a good distance.
• This week I have two doctor's appointments.  One of my biannual physical/blood tests and the other is a followup for my December 2023 surgery.  I have been having some aching in my right kidney area which is probably a kidney stone issue.  Both appointments are breaking in new doctors (nurse practitioners actually).  I lost a dentist and two doctors last year due to retirement and change of jobs.  Medically it's like I'm starting from scratch again.
• I watched "Teacup" on peacock.  It was ok.  The Wife and I started watching season three of "The Traitors".

Weekly Ephemera #127

• This week we took down our Christmas decorations.  On Tuesday the tree came down and the Wife took down the rest of the inside decorations.  On Wednesday I took down the outside decorations including wreaths, laser lights, and the ornaments from the oak tree.
  
  Our Christmas cactus bloomed this week.  This was several weeks later than normal.  Even the bloom was trying to avoid the new year.
  

  

  First bloom of my 'Christmas" cactus.
  This is several weeks later than usual.

• New Year's Eve was quiet.  The Wife watched football and I watched the Times Square ball drop.  At 11:00PM after watching the east coast new Year's celebration, I went to bed and read until about 11:56Pm when I said to heck with it and turn off the lights - the Wife had given up about twenty minutes earlier.
• The most poignant part of the celebrations were the memorials for the people we lost last year.  I should have known that as I aged, more people who entertained and informed me as I grew up would start dying off at an ever increasing rate.  I should expect it but denial always ensures I will be surprised.
• The New Year started off with terror and violence.  Not an auspicious start to 2025.
• We had a slight dusting of snow on Thursday.  I shoveled it but it would have melted on its own if I'd just waited.  Not sure I can count this as our first snow of the 24-25 winter season since it was such a small amount.  We were supposed to get one to three inches today but ... there ain't no snow out there at all.
• I hiked twice this week.  I took the first two days of the week off before restarting on the first of January.  I walked 20 miles (32 km).  I have a blood test a week from tomorrow so I'm really going to try hard to walk three times this week.  It's going to be really cold early in the week so it will be a bundle up walk with many layers.
• I watched Marvel's "What If ... ?" season three this week.  It was interesting.  I wish Disney would figure out how to make the movies better again.
  
  I returned to the Alien world with "Alien: Romulus".  After rather crappy Aliens 3 and 4, This one was pretty good, returning to horror mixed with corporate malfeasance.
  
  We also watched "Cool Hand Luke".  As the Wife said, and I agree, it was better than the last fifty movies that we've watched.

Best Photo Of 2024

I went through my pictures taken throughout the year and selected my favorites.  This year that number was very small, only nine.  Far fewer than the year before.  I haven't been taking as many pictures as I have in the past.  This seems strange to me since I always have my phone with me so I always have a camera conveniently at hand.  I guess the small number of good pictures I took reflects my state of mind throughout 2024.

The picture I selected as my best was a picture of clouds over our house during a big summer storm.  The beauty and power of nature are on display in this picture.

"The Power of Nature"
by Bruce H.
(Taken the 12th of June, 2024)

We have more travel planned this year so I  hope to take more pictures.  Hopefully next year's Best Photo will be a harder decision.