First morning of my two-day personal retreat and things are going well
I think we need a recipes emoji. I can imagine a day when I’m looking for inspiration and I check the Discover tab for recipes. Witness @josephaleo ‘s recent corn salsa for salmon. @jean
I like Apple Music Classical, as a not-very-well-informed enjoyer of “classical” music (and all the widely varied stuff they lump under the heading Classical). I had hoped we would get album liner notes as part of this new app but I cannot see where to find them. Any ideas?
When I’ve been sick and have to decide whether I should get out of bed and start doing stuff, it’s helpful that my watch says keep resting. It’s some sort of odd flu but so far not COVID.
Finished reading: The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery by Adam Gopnik 📚I had high expectations that were not fulfilled. An interesting read but I learned nothing new except a little bit more about the author, who I’ve always liked.
Today I used a tote bag that had been resting in the closet since 2019. In it I found the AirPods I lost right around then.
There’s some me in here, talking about one of my favorite pastimes, contra dancing
Finished reading: All Join Hands by Thomas Curren 📚Much better written than I had expected, this is non-fiction about one of my favorite pastimes: contra dancing. History and personalities. A few errors of fact but most people won’t notice.
Finished reading: Translation State by Ann Leckie 📚I got to read this pre-release and enjoyed it. Somehow much different from her other novels, though there’s still quite a bit of tea drinking. The sci-fi storyline is mostly a backdrop for a tale about relationships. Recommended.
Finished reading: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler 📚A good read. Thought-provoking, interesting characters. Dystopian near-future science fiction. The second novel I’ve read recently where the Buddhists save the planet.
I’ve been on such a run of work lately, barely time to breathe. Starting tomorrow, I’m unemployed until July. Bliss. The joys (and stresses) of self-employment, 20-year anniversary coming up!
Currently reading: Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond 📚
Currently reading: All Join Hands by Thomas Curren 📚
Currently reading: Translation State by Ann Leckie 📚
Currently reading: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler 📚
Finished reading: The Empress and the English Doctor by Lucy Ward 📚A good read, interesting history of inoculation and vaccination in the smallpox era.
Still reading: Clarissa by Samuel Richardson 📚Perfect “about to fall asleep” reading because nothing ever happens. I’ve been reading it for weeks and still have 80+ hours ahead of me. And I’m enjoying it but am glad I wasn’t a 19th-century female.
Currently reading: The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain 📚
Currently reading: The White Mosque by Sofia Samatar 📚
Finished reading: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett 📚Such a fun novel! It’s about death, addiction, depression, and a few more dark subjects but somehow the whole is light and life-affirming.
Finished reading: Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder 📚Worth reading, stories of the unhoused. But woefully short on solutions.
I’m planning to do a personal retreat in June. I’m at a crossroads in my work and want to take some time away to think about how I want to spend the next 7 years before retirement. I have some good questions to ponder, but would love to hear what’s worked for others.
Amazing “smorgastarta“ made at our local general store for takeout dinner this week!
The NIH poured $1 billion into long Covid research, with little to show for it
Currently reading: Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder 📚