Tuesday, November 30, 2021
My November 2021 Running and Walking Report
Monday, November 29, 2021
Just Finished Reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
An Abundance of Katherines, from 2006, is yet another quirky young adult novel by John Green focused on adolescent self-discovery. This time the protagonist is Colin Singleton, a very intelligent high school student obsessed with that intelligence...as well as the conundrum of why he has been repeatedly dumped by all his girlfriends: they are 19 in total and all named Katherine. After Katherine the Nineteenth breaks up with him, Colin decides to develop a mathematical formula, based on his own experiences, for predicting how long a relationship will go...of course, this is preposterous. Known as the nerdy smart geek in his class, he has but one friend, Hassan, who serves as a reality check for him as well as for those of us who tend to see young Muslims in a negative, even fearful, light. One day Colin and Hassan...with Colin's permissive parents' blessings...set off on a road trip from their hometown of Chicago into Tennessee, where they stop at a hole-in-the-wall town called Gutshot. There they befriend Lindsey...whose boyfriend is also named Colin...and Lindsey's factory-owning mother Hollis, at whose house they stay. They are hired by Hollis to interview the locals for an oral history of the area she is compiling. Colin, assured of his prodigal intelligence, is nonetheless concerned that he will never attain the status of "genius", which in his definition involves producing something new, something that matters. This reminded me of the movie A Beautiful Mind from four years earlier in which mathematical genius John Nash tells his Princeton roommate Charles essentially the same thing. The story is funny and easy to follow, and I enjoyed the good-natured verbal sparring between the characters, especially Colin and Hassan. However, I don't know that this story accurately portrayed the state of adolescence, at least as far my own recollection of this period of my life is concerned. The kids all seem to be level-headed and reasonable, traits that I noticed were generally lacking in many of my classmates (and in retrospect myself as well)...these are all very strong, self-assured personalities. Maybe Green deliberately wrote them that way to point out a positive direction for all his young insecure, awkward readers. He has done something like this with his other books I've read: Looking for Alaska and Turtles All the Way Down...click on the titles to read my earlier reviews. I don't think you can go wrong with An Abundance of Katherines, but be prepared to read through some extreme silliness...
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Omicron Covid Variant Reported
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Our Recent Visit to Asheville, North Carolina
Friday, November 26, 2021
Quote of the Week...from Sheryl Sandberg
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody
I wish you all a most happy Thanksgiving. If you're working today I hope it's because you want to. For the many who traditionally spend it with family, best wishes that everyone shares positive, memorable moments together with lots of good stuff to eat, hopefully not in too much excess. And if you're one of those who can't wait to go out on shopping sprees later today and tomorrow...well, I'm not quite sure what to say except to stay safe and that I never was into that Black Friday sort of thing. As for me, my wonderful grown kids are having Thanksgiving dinner at my home with Melissa and me...that's definitely something I am most grateful for, along with the blessings of our health and positive outlook on life...
Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Weekly Short Stories: 1979 Science Fiction, Part 1
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Just Finished Reading Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
Profiles in Courage is a 1956 history book by John F. Kennedy while he was still a United States senator...it won him the Pulitzer Prize the following year, after which it was revealed that his speechwriter Ted Sorenson wrote the bulk of it. Regardless who actually put the pen to paper, it was Kennedy who placed his stamp of approval on it, and for the sake of simplicity I'll refer to it as his book. It is comprised of a set of short biographies of eight men who served over the span of American history as U.S. senators: John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, George Norris, and Robert A. Taft. Kennedy was careful to spotlight members of differing parties and ideologies...his main thrust of argument was that at crucial points in their Senate careers they made principled decisions that went against the passions of their constituents, ending their political careers or at least delaying their fulfillment (Adams would later become president and then a representative in the House while Lamar would make it to the U.S. Supreme Court). I don't think this book could (or should) have been written today since some of those profiled were on the pro-slavery side in the nineteenth century, even to the extent of owning slaves themselves. And there were also a number of historical figures around these eight that the author criticized perhaps a bit unfairly. Still, I think Profiles in Courage makes a couple of significant points applicable to today's political setting and the Senate in particular. One, our national legislative bodies operate on the premise that we are a representative republic whose leaders are either directly or indirectly elected by the people...this gives them accountability to the population while acknowledging that they are in a better situation than most of us to get the needed information, expertise, and wisdom for the often difficult decisions that go with their positions. And two, the fact that Kennedy felt the need for this book to highlight just eight senators for their political courage demonstrates that in the vast majority of cases senators and other politicians...when push comes to shove...will usually abandon their principles and succumb to popular prejudices and pressure from their colleagues on important, divisive issues. You don't have to look around very far today to see this going on with too many of our elected national officials, sadly...
Monday, November 22, 2021
Dan Mullen Fired from Coaching Florida Gators Football
Back in 2018, when Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen was sought and hired to replace erratic Jim McElwain at the University of Florida, trumpets were practically sounding that he was a Spurrier/Meyer-caliber coach that would lead the Gators back to their glory days of Southeastern Conference titles and National Championship contention. The first two seasons, in which Mullen capitalized on players recruited by his predecessor, were great successes and last year's was as well...until the season's end when UF lost three straight games (although in two of them they were playing for the SEC championship (46-52 against Alabama) and in the Cotton Bowl (20-55 against Oklahoma). This year their roster reflected Mullen's recruiting efforts for Florida, but it became clear early on that the wide-open passing attack and a fast, aggressive defense that defined the Gators in its recent history would be lacking. Their games in 2021 were marked by inconsistency from week to week, with the offense and defense alternating between good and awful. For me, I am more supportive of a head coach being given more time to develop his team, and sometimes the season just doesn't go your way. But with Dan Mullen, although I give him credit for promoting Covid-19 vaccination recently, I can't get it out of my mind that last fall he, in the middle of a deadly upsurge of the virus in the general population...and no vaccines yet available...advocated that Florida "pack the Swamp [its home stadium]" for a game after losing a close road contest at Texas A&M where the home school practiced lax safety protocols for its own stadium. Until that moment I had been a supporter of Mullen...afterwards I realized that winning was his only yardstick for success. Well, you win by your yardstick and in turn lose by your yardstick: his team has lost four out of their last five games and in their only victory over that span they gave up a record 42 points in one half (at home) against a small college. Running and special teams coach Greg Knox will fill the Florida head coaching vacancy against Florida State this week...if the Gators win then they will be bowl-eligible. I'm not one of those Florida fans who expect them to compete for the National Championship every year, and sometimes you have years like this one and have to shake it off and move on to the next. Normally I'd say that the coach should be given more time, but after Mullen's tone-death pandemic denial last season my patience with him was gone long before 2021...
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Just Finished Rereading The Shining by Stephen King
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Recent Visit to Charleston Harbor and Downtown
Friday, November 19, 2021
Quote of the Week...from Winston Churchill
Thursday, November 18, 2021
Constellation of the Month: Cetus (the Sea Monster)
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Weekly Short Stories: 1978 Science Fiction, Part 4
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
As I Age, Medical Interactions Increase
Monday, November 15, 2021
Our Visit to the Charleston Tea Plantation (Garden) Last Month
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Election for Gainesville City Commission At-Large Seat This Tuesday 11/16
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Just Watched the Movie Hamilton
Hamilton is a 2020 movie of the same-titled Broadway musical, filmed at its Richard Rogers Theatre on 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan, just a block or so from where I stayed at the Marriott Marquis while visiting with my family in 2010. At that time we saw the Broadway production of South Pacific at the Lincoln Center...today it was Melissa, Will and I sitting in our living room watching my second Broadway play on our television screen, thanks to Disney Plus which carried it in their listings. The first few minutes quickly knocked me off my feet with the diverse cast and fast-paced rap, music and action...at first I had to ask if this show was about the same Alexander Hamilton I knew from studying American history. An immigrant from the Caribbean West Indies, Hamilton was a patriot during the American Revolutionary War and served under General George Washington, a role which would later lead to his appointment as the first president's Secretary of the Treasury. Along the way he got to know others like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr...the Broadway play makes his relationship with Burr much more extensive than it apparently was in real life. Those at all familiar with the real Hamilton know of the tragic end of his life, but I felt the show did an admirable job of presenting it and the aftermath...well, the ending was a real tearjerker! It's a pretty long film at 2 hours and 40 minutes, so plan in advance some free time to watch it. I felt that the music was incredible, and may be the first time ever that I had experienced rap on such a high artistic level...amazing. Later on I read up on Hamilton and found the the Broadway play, which debuted in 2015 and won numerous awards, was not only coproduced by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who portrayed Alexander Hamilton, but he also wrote it and composed its music and lyrics: what an incredible, daunting accomplishment! All of the acting was fantastic, but I especially appreciated that of Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr. If you're interested in history, then I would suggest this movie as a point of departure and not the final word on what really transpired. I would rather have been there in person to see Hamilton performed live on stage, but still feel very privileged to have been able to experience this beautiful work of art even if only at home on a wide flat-screen TV. Why not try it out for yourself?
Friday, November 12, 2021
Quote of the Week...from Alex Roe
Everyone deals with grief in their own way. ---Alex Roe
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Just Finished Reading Billy Summers by Stephen King
In my reading I tend to use my public library system and check out the books. With new releases from popular authors, this can take a while, though, and I had to wait several weeks before Stephen King's latest novel, Billy Summers, was available because of the large backlog of holds on it. I was able to obtain it as an audiobook and read it while at work. Billy Summers, naturally, is the story's protagonist and would fit the classification of an "antihero", that is someone who compels the reader's sympathy and loyalty but who is also involved in illegal or antisocial activity...you know, someone like Bonnie and Clyde, the Godfather or numerous characters Clint Eastwood has portrayed. In Billy's case it's that he is a professional hitman, albeit one who only kills people he knows are bad...those hiring him are aware of this precondition and take care to let him know the full depravity of his next target. He is met and driven to a mobster figure he's known and worked with to get his next assignment: another hitman, arrested on unrelated charges and who is threatening to turn state's evidence on some very important people. They in turn want this dude vanquished before he can spill the beans, and so here's Billy Summers to solve the problem. Convinced that the hitman is bad, Billy accepts the assignment and the story progresses from there, with him living for several months among others in a lower-middle class neighborhood and getting to know them more than he had intended. There is a specific moment when Billy, whose value in the "trade" derives from his sharpshooting expertise at sniping, has to be at a certain window trained on a specific spot below. That's all well and fine, but Billy...who has pretended to be a lot dumber than he really is...can put the pieces together and realizes that whoever put out the hit on the hitman would most likely want him eliminated as well to cover up the trail. So he develops an elaborate escape plan involving a secret identity...how it all works out is something that you, the potential reader of this fine story, will have to discover for yourself. I will say that King splits his narrative into two main sections: the ongoing hit job Billy is tackling and his earlier life, progressing from childhood through his military experiences in Iraq...and particularly "La-La-Fallujah"...as a sniper. In the novel's second half the reader discovers that this story is a part of Stephen King's fictional universe as his earlier novel The Shining is indirectly referenced through the Overlook Hotel's burnt remains and another eerie phenomenon...I like King's propensity for doing this kind of thing. And the novel's ending had a peculiar little twist to it, making the reader first think that it is going in one direction until the story's real conclusion is revealed. I liked Billy Summers a lot and recommend it...Stephen King is my favorite author and this book just reinforces that sentiment...
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Weekly Short Stories: 1978 Science Fiction, Part 3
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Game of the Week: America Says
Monday, November 8, 2021
Just Finished Reading A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Great Old TV Episodes...from The Twilight Zone
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Hooray to Atlanta Braves, 2021 World Series Champs
Friday, November 5, 2021
Quote of the Week...from Ralph Waldo Emerson
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. --Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thursday, November 4, 2021
The Majestic Angel Oak Tree West of Charleston, South Carolina
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Weekly Short Stories: 1978 Science Fiction, Part 2
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Game of the Week: Quidditch
Quidditch...at least in the beginning...was a magical sport created by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as a counterpart to the predominant English sports of soccer and rugby. In the series' first book, The Sorcerer's Stone, young Potter finds himself unexpectedly pushed into being on the Gryffindor House team at Hogwarts Academy after a professor discovers his broom-flying and catching skills while in a tussle with his arch-foe Draco Malfoy. In Chapter 11, team captain Oliver Wood brings the Quidditch equipment and gives Harry the low-down on the game and how it's played and scored. There are four types of players: Keeper, Chasers, Beaters, and Seeker...along with three "balls": Quaffle, Bludgers, and Golden Snitch. All while flying around on broomsticks, of course, the Chasers on each side try to throw the Quaffle through one of the three-ringed goals guarded by the opposing team's Keeper. The Beaters have the job of protecting their teammates from Bludgers, which aim themselves at players to disrupt them. And the Seeker has but one job: find the small, elusive flying Snitch and catch it...once that's done the game's over. Teams get 10 points for their Quaffle goals, but since the side that catches the Snitch gets an extra 150, it's the Seeker who almost always decides the contest. Naturally, it's for the central, crucial role of Seeker for which our young hero is selected. In the earlier books, Quidditch is an integral part of the story line, but as the epic conflict between Harry Potter and evil dark lord Voldemort increases in intensity and emphasis, then so decreases the significance and presence of this wizards' sport...the peak was probably at the beginning of the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire, when the Quidditch World Cup is held between Ireland and Bulgaria. In real-life there is a "muggle" Quidditch version played on a field with certain necessary rule alterations...they've gone so far as to have an "official" Quidditch governing body along with a World Cup and Premier League. Not that I'm interested in any of that fake stuff, though...I'll just "stick" with Rowling's "real" version. By the way, although I am often critical of screen adaptations of books I've read, I was very impressed with how the Harry Potter movies vividly showed Quidditch matches...
Monday, November 1, 2021
My October, 2021 Running and Walking Report
For October I ran a total of 85 miles and walked 92. I managed to get running time in on all but one day, and my mileage was typically composed of short runs spread out over the course of each day. My longest single run for the month was 2.8 miles, a vacation jaunt from my hotel to the Daytona Beach Pier and back three days ago. I'm looking forward to improving and keeping up with both my running and walking, but it's been a pretty gradual overall process in the months following my July surgery. The next race I run will probably be one of the weekly Saturday morning 5K Depot Parkruns held at Gainesville's Depot Park just south of downtown, most likely sometime late in November. In my training right now, only the distance I cover matters, not how fast I run it...