Mid-September: Clear Fall Light, Yosemite, etc.

13 September 2023

In my last entry I was sitting outside in full summer, waiting for my car windshield to be replaced, with my hopes for a beer at the nearby Surly brewery dashed by their continuance of ‘Covid-hours.’ Now, abruptly, after a string of hot dry days, fall is here. Oh, leaves have by and large not started to color, but the light has changed. The air is clear of humid haze, and perhaps, as well, the lowering slant of the sun does something to the color of the light.

Curriculum for Q2, recap of Q1

Wednesday, 29 March 2003

For the first quarter’s curriculum, I laid out a set of aims, both general and specific. I revisit them below, with comments on how they went (or if they went) and what the results were, and then think aloud about what to aim for in Q2

Aims for Q2:
• Study: Studies going fine; consolidate essay work.
• Write: Focus on workshop; look for venues for publication and sharing.
• Do: Continue local activity; plan regional/national/international travel.
• Maintain: Ramp up running; learn to make seaweed salad & miso soup.

Mid-March Miscellany

Tuesday, 21 March 2023

The vernal equinox arrived yesterday. And, indeed, for the last week or so there have been days where it’s sunny, a bit of thaw is in the air, and the birds are positively boisterous.

I started running again, after a lapse of nearly a month, and a sparse few weeks before that. There is still a layer of ice on everything, but with the temperature getting above freezing most days, running with spikes works. Minihaha Creek is flowing freely, and I think the period where I will see either ice crystals, or the faintly green algae-infused ice, is past.

March 1 and Slush Season

Wednesday, 1 March 2023

Happy March 1st! There are now some cracks in the shroud of winter. Oftentimes, it seems to me, there is a period of a few days, usually in February, where the birds suddenly become more active. It is perhaps the first real hint of spring — real, in contrast to the phantom spring thaw that often happens in late January.

A Dream, a Flashback to College, and Daily Life

Monday, 13 February 2023

Hello. It is Monday, February 13, 2023.

This morning I awoke with a memory of a dream.

That’s unusual for me. I am told that my dream-amnesia means that I’m repressed or something like that – that it is healthy to remember dreams! And, in fact, I can if I try. Or I used to be able to.

End of January 2023 Reflections

31 January 2023

The month is almost over. I will review what ensured, and think about what I want to do for February.

To Do for February

Chats. Touch base with Jeffrey and Rachel
Travel. High Sierra Camps. Enter Phantom Ranch Lottery? Consider Arizona.
Medical. Pursue neuropathy; get next PSA test; pursue chest discomfort.
Writing. Block out time to write. Consider K Carmody Writing workshop.
Exercise. Ramp up aerobic and strength/stretching
Technology. Set up new computers. Experiment with server or NAS.
Decluttering. Talk to CS about ‘Got Junk.’ Take load of books to M&Q; discard old media.
Recipes. Try something new. See if the Carrot Soup with Miso recipe can be adapted into a faux tomato sauce. Try miso soup and/or seaweed salad.

EoY 2022 Reflections & Looking Ahead

Saturday, 31 December 2022

Though I usually will casually reflect back on what happened over the year, and will also usually write out some goals for the coming year, this year I’ve tried being more structured.

A Liminal Period

Sunday, 23 November 2022

We are in San Jose del Cabo, in Baja Mexico, with our friend RD. It is a nice respite from winter in Minnesota, even though winter only arrived in earnest about a week ago.

I am taking these next few weeks as a time to relax, not that regular life is very taxing, and more particularly to re-set my daily routine.

To recap my activities and their status

Early Fall 2022 Overview and Reflections

Monday, 13 October 2022

Since I last wrote — where I noted that post-Iceland the future seemed a bit unstructured — I’ve done or arranged several things for moving forward.

The First Week of Classes — fragment

Thursday, 8 September 2022

The First Day…

You’d think that at 67 the thrill of the first day of classes would have faded. But actually, not so much. I find great pleasure in the first classes, where the fields of knowledge, like arcadian fields, stretch out in the distance, green with promise, the inevitable bogs and ravines and precipitous slopes smoothed by distance into an intriguing terrain ripe for exploration. My enthusiasm has not yet been tempered by the practical realities of problem set, or the daunting challenge of resurrecting my very shaky knowledge of tensors after four decades have passed.

Thoughts on What’s Next

Saturday, 12 August 2022

I’ve just returned from the ILSG Iceland Field Trip. I had a great time. The question is, What’s next?

Life, the North Shore, and Geology

Wednesday, 25 May 2022

Two weeks and change have passed, and here I am again.

The notable events for the last couple of weeks include ‘graduating’ from physical therapy, a trip to the north shore, and… well, I think not much else.

Huff huff

Recovered. Onward. Garden Fantasies.

Sunday 8 May 2022

Recovered

I’ve returned from my 3-month post-surgery checkup last Monday. Everything is entirely positive. Even though I went into the appointment with considerable optimism, the relief I feel suggests that there were still some niggling doubts. It is also true that I’ve been looking at this checkup as — at least it was positive — as a sort of milestone. So I am going to stop talking about my “recovery,” and declare myself “recovered.”

Onward

Moving Slowly into Spring: Continued Recovery

Saturday 9 April 2022

The advance of spring has been stalled for the last couple of weeks. Temperatures rise and fall around freezing. We wake to a frosting of snow, which melts by mid-morning, and refreezes after night fall. The days are cold and damp; the nights cold and slippery. But finally the gears seem to have engaged, the snow has melted from even the most shadowed areas, and temperatures reach into the 40’s and 50’s. B’de Maka Ska — our local lake — is melting around the edges. If we have a good windy day the ice will break up and form small ramparts along the shore, to be admired by walkers wearing shorts. Such is spring here.

5 Month Recap: PC, GC &c.

Saturday 12 February 2022

Start of third period of regular blogging (5 month gap)

Five months have passed since I’ve made an entry. I will summarize the main things that have happened; perhaps I will return to them later.

DYL; GC Prep; Fiction…

Tuesday, 7 September 2021

Here we are, precisely two weeks after the last post. So let’s get to it.

Some minor things. Life has gone on as usual.

Writing, Social Whirl, Fall Planning

Sunday 8 August 2021

Two weeks have passed yet again.

Writing

The last time I wrote, I had turned in my Worldbuilding workshop piece. I was quite pleased with it, and was looking forward to seeing how it was received by other course members.

2019 EoY / 2020 BoY Update

Monday 18 January 2020

It has been a long time since I’ve written (since the end of August).