This week I got a call from a family member who wanted to talk about our shared medical history. Specifically, three men in our family affected by prostate cancer – all detected early and defeated. He didn’t want me to ruin the winning streak, so I got a “yo, get this taken care of” call. Such a great feeling to have fellow men looking out for me. I hope to carry on the tradition – minus the disease part.
I got my eyes checked – no change! – and enjoyed how peacefully, pleasantly boring these spaces are.
Another highlight of the week was date night – walked the High Line at dusk, ate at a diner, and enjoyed an evening of string quartet performances. Historically, string quartets haven’t done much for me. But I feel like the door opened a little bit. More for the never-ending to-listen list.
Art
There are fire bowls, and then there are fire bowls. Check out the Brazier with Design of Willow, Cherry, and Bridge. (via)
This online International Collection of Child Art – found this after Austin Kleon’s 2/23 newsletter sent me down a wormhole – is filled with delights…
Books
I blocked out 4 hours today just for reading, and it was such a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
- The Sleepless. Finished, and enjoyed it. Appreciate the core conceit – people stop sleeping, first due to epidemic, and later when opting in. What would you do if sleep wasn’t required?
- Cyclettes. Biking-adjacent memories and snapshots. Easy breezy, makes me want to ride. Mission accomplished.
- Stone Blind. DNF, not the right time!
- Things Become Other Things. Purchased at the very first minute it was available, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Halfway through, great stuff as expected.
TBOT was delayed in large part because I’ve become such a Kindle convert, despite all its drawbacks. These days I do most of my reading in late evening or just before falling asleep. And Kindle is just about the best way to read in the dark! Coupled with their own catalog, my local library via Libby, and various public domain resources… instant access makes a big difference.
Running
Felt fast and fresh last Monday. So fun. I was reaping the benefit of lots of little maintenance work – squats while I’m making coffee, leg extensions while the microwave is running, touch the ceiling while I’m watching TV. But still, I’ve ramped up a lot lately, and I’ve noticed my body breaking down a little bit. More creaky and squeaky than I want to be. Dialed it back on Saturday’s long run, a bit shorter distance, but still checked out a weird little pocket park behind an IKEA. Looking forward to an easier week with lower mileage and a bit more variety – neglected my weightlifting!
Music
My favorite track of the week: “Dormi, o fulmine di guerra”. This aria from Alessandro Scarlatti’s oratorio La Guiditta is so peaceful – a military general is seduced into a drunken sleep, unaware that he’s soon to be betrayed!
Suzanne Ciani’s Golden Apples of the Sun was a primary work soundtrack this week.
And a work soundtrack revisited: Chilly Gonzales’ Solo Piano. When “Gogol” shuffled on, I remembered keeping this album on repeat a few years back. I love the way this is recorded, the way you can hear the physical action of the piano – wooden levers shoving felted hammers into wires.
Hatis Noit, Aura. Compelling, wobbly, visceral vocal work. Made me think of eastern European folk song. I like the seagulls on “Inori”.
Lil Jon’s Total Meditation does what it says on the tin. The opening monologue of “Boost Focus” brought a smile: “Before I do a DJ set for thousands of people, I know I must bring my A-game. If I make one mistake, I could jeopardize the flow of an entire event. I could throw the vibe just completely off…” (Cf. “If you’re careless, and you make a mistake… Everyone, you’re gonna bring down everyone.”)
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
We can get good stuff with much less work than we used to. Not to mention non-physical goods – medical diagnoses, business advice, book recommendations…
Craig Mod reviewed year 5 of his Special Projects membership program. This stuck with me:
“I’ve historically operated from a place of great scarcity. That is, underestimating my own resources / capabilities. Sometimes we choose a gear when we are eight, or twelve, or fifteen, or twenty-five — based on our resources and situation at that time — and then stay in that gear indefinitely. Time passes and the ground truth no longer aligns with that past choice. Meaning: It’s good to revisit and recalibrate your own self-imposed limitations every now and then.”
I loved the Odd Lots episode on the U.S. battery industry, really appreciate how in-depth they’re willing to go on any and every business, industry, niche.
Juvenile reminds us that we’re old now.
Solange got into glassblowing.
“And I didn’t take much from the program, but I found a glassblowing studio there. The lessons I learned with this material – it’s constantly evolving. The moment you become still, it’s over. You have to surrender yourself to the song and dance of this material. So much of my life has been about control and needing to control my own story. Through glassblowing, I had to surrender to this other material’s story.”
“You are the most qualified person to create environments and experiences that you will personally enjoy, and in doing so you will attract people who like things that you also like.”
“Regardless of the conditions, the run called for 14 miles with an aerobic progression from steady state down to race pace. The progression, by the way, wasn’t the goal. The goal was not making excuses.”
Movies
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This was fun! One delight here is seeing a team that just loves each others’ company. I listened to the soundtrack a few months back, and it’s a key part of the momentum.
TV
Reacher, s1e5-8. Halfway through, I was on the verge of quitting, but episodes 5 and 6 pulled me back in. And the last two episodes helped put some humanity back into our rough-edges protagonist. Closed out the first season this weekend. I’ll be back for another.
X-Files, s1e22, “Born Again“. Creepy kid being creepy. Third episode this season, I think, where the deceased take over the living to enact their revenge or otherwise put a bow on things.
Mark Larson 