One way to have a fun life is to literally run your errands. (A bike is also a lovely way to do these things, but for shorter distances, bikes add a bit of overheard I don’t have patience for.) I did that a few times in the last week: walking a mile to the library and doing a lazy loop back for an extra two; and making a mid-day two-mile loop to deliver something to a friend. In previous lives in Atlanta and LA, I’d take longer-than-necessary runs to the grocery store, then take MARTA or walk back after loading up.
Always pays to mix in more of what you love into your day-to-day.
School
I finished! New bachelor’s degree in computer science on the way. I recorded, let’s see, 1286 hours in total getting the thing done. I don’t know think it will feel really real until I get the diploma in the mail. But I learned a lot, I’m glad I did it, and it feels good to be done. I’m ready to get back to work.
Running
My highest volume of miles in the last year, at least – a bit over 38. Not feeling too bad, all things considered. But looking forward to a bit of a taper the next few days, and really excited for the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k at the end of the week. I hears it’s a hilly, “rude” course.
Books
I realized today that it’s been a year since I had a homework-free weekend. I wonder how my reading habits will change now that I have more brainpower for non-school reading…
A Crown of Swords. The Wheel of Time, book 7. Finally finished. Robert Jordan’s books have these crushingly tedious sequences but so often in the last 20% the momentum builds and it all adds up to something really fun. That’s how he tricks you into the next one.
The Path of Daggers. The Wheel of Time, book 8. See above. Shortest book in the series, though!
Articles & Episodes & Twoots
The Columbo Screenshots twitter account is a daily source of delight.
Bring Back the Animation. “There’s an airiness, a spontaneity to hand-drawn animation, which lends a playfulness to even the creepiest, most surreal imagery. Consider the “Friends on the Other Side” sequence in The Princess and the Frog, and its rapid-fire dance of floating heads, exploding skulls, and sinister swirls of fire and fog. If these elements had any weight or volume, they’d either be too terrifying or, more likely, too kitschy. Delivered as a two-dimensional, hand-drawn experience, it’s all fast and fun — like a thought briefly brought to life, then snatched back into the ether.”
Coping strategies for the serial project hoarder. “No project of mine is finished until I’ve told people about it in some way.”
“Running, and other forms of aerobic activity, offer an inherent rewards structure that never seems to lie. You do the work, you reap the benefits. If you don’t, you won’t. In that way, endurance training is one of the most honest expressions of self that we have.”
“We need some quick education for the terminally online in just how unusual they are.”
Traffic Enforcement Dwindled in the Pandemic. This is bad!
Urban explorer captures images of North DeKalb Mall before demolition. When I still lived in Atlanta, I’d often go to the AMC attached to this mall. I hope it gets a new lease on life.
Movies
Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teachers’ Lounge). So good! A school community frays when a thief runs loose, frustrations rise, and accusations start flying. This will make my best-of list at the end of the year. But you don’t have to take my word for it: “It’s probably the best thriller of this type since “Uncut Gems,” another movie where just watching realistic characters making bad decisions was so nerve-wracking that it made you want to crawl under your seat. “
Music
Hermanos Gutiérrez, Sonido Cósmico. These guys are so good. One way music can be good is to reward all levels of attention, and these guys make stuff that satisfies the full range of attention. The wah-wah and organ in “Barrio Hustle” is a special treat.
Sally Oldfield, Mirrors: The Bronze Anthology. Really enjoyed this album. Reminds me of those other ’70s folk/pop greats – Carole King, Carly Simon, Francoise Hardy, etc.. Marimba is criminally underused – nice to hear it in “Sun In My Eyes“. And the sparkling glockenspiel on “Blue Water” – excellent. “Strange Day in Berlin” opens with undulating woodwinds that made me think of Smetana’s “Vltava/The Moldau“.
Jordi Savall’s reconstruction of Bach’s Markus Passion, BWV 247, one of many reconstructed versions.
Frankie Reyes, Originalitos. I remember being obsessed with Boleros Valses y Mas a few years back. This is another delightful go-round with Latin synthesizer keyboard pieces. Like something you’d hear on a merry-go-round, or in a silent film soundtrack?
Amiina, Kurr. “Sogg” has a pleasant, drifting melancholy.
Ice Spice, Y2K!. We need more albums with short track lengths! It’s okay to stop when you’ve said all you need to say. I like contrast of the suggestive, labored delivery in Bitch I’m Packin’ and the aggressive, confrontational “Gimmie a Light“.
Tarwater, Dwellers on the Threshold.
TV
The Leftovers, s1e7. The son/bodyguard is growing more skeptical of the cult guy. Cult guy never blinks and gives incredible hugs (???).
House of the Dragon, s2e6. Ongoing highlight is the spy/advisor characters to help stir things up.
Mark Larson 