Looking (and Laughing) at Ridiculous Trends of the Past...and the Present

Sometimes people post old pictures of themselves and their buddies on my high school nostalgia website.  Everyone...especially the boys...has long, long hair that's screaming for professional style haircuts.  And those sad omnipresent bell-bottom jeans: give me a break! I don't know of anyone back then in the early seventies who deliberately preferred, on their own initiative, this style of clothing.  No, it was something that the fashion industry imposed on the population and one day, that's all people had to choose from...at least that's the way I remember it.  In any event, I think everyone looks kind of dopey in those old pics, and it's largely because they were following the herd mentality in trying to fit in and look like everyone else.  Don't think that I'm letting our present time off the hook.  Nowadays the "in" public appearance revolves around carrying one's cell smartphone in the hand, spending inordinate time looking down at it instead of paying attention to their ongoing surroundings and situations.  I know this because I regularly drive to work here in Gainesville down US-441 past the University of Florida, midday when the students are flooding the sidewalks with their presence.  Students who walking in couples or groups don't stare at the phones, but a large percentage of the "singletons" just go walking down the sidewalks...even crossing busy streets...with their eyes glued to their object, even when the sun is glaring down on them making actually seeing anything at least theoretically impossible.  I couldn't do that simply because I'm afraid I'd trip on something and fall on my ass...these kids must have an inner gyroscope guiding their motions!  I'm speaking from 1973 to 2023 here, but what will be it like fifty more years in the future, in 2073, when these very students are old fogies like me and are themselves observers of the passing scene: how will the inevitable changes manifest themselves?  I don't see this smartphone culture as static in the least.  Cyber technology will become more internalized and private, to the point I think that folks from the future will be laughing at images of these people stuck on their phones today.  In that sense I'm already way ahead of my own time.  On the other hand, those 2073 folks may be laughing at stuff they see from 2023 that I think is perfectly normal...  

Ran Today's Depot Parkrun 5K...and a Little Beyond

For a while I had been considering driving all the way down to Ocala, about 37-38 miles away from my home, and trying one of the bi-monthly racing events being staged in Baseline Trailhead Park, on the eastern side of town off 58th Avenue.  But instead of shelling out the fee for their race this morning...I'll probably do it some day in the future anyway...I once again ran my hometown's free, volunteer-run regular event, the Depot Parkrun 5K (3.1 miles)...and for the 24th time since 2019.  The weather was pleasant at the 7:30 race time, in the mid-sixties and a little over 90% humidity.  I felt energetic and my running reflected it as I got myself into a brisk pacing groove early on and finished strong with one of my better times for this event at 30:19. You can see the results by clicking HERE.  After last week's 10K race on the Hawthorne Trail held by the Florida Track Club, I waited a few minutes after finishing it and then ran an additional 1.5 miles on a part of the Trail I hadn't covered before.  So why not do the same here?  I waited about ten minutes after finishing my 5K and then set out to get back on the Hawthorne Trail...it's connected to Depot Park. I went south on it until I reached Williston Road and then turned back, covering an extra 1.9 miles. That stretch of the Hawthorne Trail has some of the prettiest scenery I've experienced along it so far, with a bridge going over a creek that looked like something from northern Georgia. I like this "going the extra distance" strategy following races and plan to implement it in future events, although I think I might take a pass whenever a half-marathon rolls by...

Quote of the Week...from Jordan B. Peterson

If you are not willing to be a fool, you can't become a master.       Jordan B. Peterson

On a recent podcast of his personal development coach Rob Dial paraphrased the above quote by Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson, a podcaster in his own right.  It was used to illustrate how people need to immerse themselves within an area in which they want to attain expertise, with mistakes and failures integral parts of the learning process.  Dial didn't mention Peterson by name, which to me seemed unusual.  Jordan B. Peterson wrote a book, among others, titled The Twelve Rules of Life, which I checked out on Libby and am currently reading.  He takes a strong position on people taking personal responsibility for their own lives and has gotten some negative press scrutiny over his general objection to identity politics, although on a number of issues he is clearly on the liberal side.  I won't get into the dude's political leanings but rather into the substance of the above quote.  As little children, we usually are given much leeway with our mistakes, but once we "grow up" those same mistakes can make us the target of ridicule...or at least that's the way our fears can manipulate us into believing.  I know that I will never speak a language I am studying unless I first just get out there with native speakers and stumble around, playing the fool, so to speak.  The same thing goes for any other area I'm engaged in.  Of course, if I'm learning to fly a plane or drive and park a long tractor trailer, there is naturally going to be less tolerance on being a fool and making mistakes as the negative consequences would be too high.  But speaking a new language?  Somebody throw me a jester's hat!

A Good YouTube Video of Recent Staten Island Half Marathon

Over the past year I have become a pretty avid viewer of YouTube, a video platform run by Google (the same company that backs this blog).  Among the many kinds of videos I like to watch are the virtual runs...the YouTube channel Runners Digest contains some of the best, with Treadmill Trainer also providing good material.  These videos tend to be designed with treadmill running in mind, with the user pretending to be in an actual race while training at home or the gym.  For me, I watch the videos at home while jogging around the house...no treadmill necessary.  On this past October 8th, Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City (and the starting point for the NYC Marathon), held a half marathon there.  One of the entrants has a history of filming these types of races in the New York area from the perspective of a runner, and this video, posted on the Runners Digest channel, shows how much he has progressed in developing his video-making skills.  Along with the usual screen of how a developing race looks to a runner in it, he also put at the top a sort of virtual "rear view mirror" showing how it appears looking back.  And there are ongoing stats presented in the corner of the screen.  Although on these sorts of race videos I prefer to just hear the actual sounds of the event, this one...like many others I've experienced...has pretty background music to accompany it instead: I can handle that, though.  My only "experience" of Staten Island is with the NYC Marathon videos I've seen of it: in these there's just a large "herding" area for the tens of thousands of runners and then they're suddenly on a steep, long bridge out of there, leading to Brooklyn where much of the event takes place.  In this race I just saw, though, you get to see a lot more of this interesting part of New York...click HERE to view it like I did... 

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 6

Once again, it’s time to look at three more short stories from the year 1993, as they appeared in the anthology The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection and edited by the late Gardner Dozois.  I remember around this time being exposed to horrific news stories about fighting and massacres going on in what was formerly Yugoslavia, once a nation applauded for its unity of diverse nationalities (Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Kosovan, Bosnian, Macedonian) and religions (Roman Catholic, Muslim and Orthodox), which had escaped the Soviet domination after World War II that afflicted other countries in this area…only to fall into this tragic, belligerent and divisive chaos.  It would go on there throughout the 1990s, sad to say.  But, as I usually say at this juncture, back to those stories…

THERE AND THEN by Steven Utley

In yet another time travel story, it’s the Silurian period during the Paleozoic era and humans are there studying it all while, true to their nature, hatching schemes to exploit what they find to bring it back home to the (story’s) present.  During this the protagonist, along with the other crew members and some begrudgingly welcomed visitors from “back home”, behave like characters in a dumb reality TV show in spite of their incredibly exotic surroundings.  Yep, that sounds like the human nature I’ve come to know…                                                                                                                                                              

THE NIGHT WE BURIED ROAD DOG by Jack Cady

A brilliant, unforgettable tale about like in the 1960s in the rural, mountainous American northwest when and where well-built, souped-up legendary cars speed dangerously down the treacherous highways and one man decides to begin a graveyard for them, complete with headstones.  Only there’s something Jesse isn’t sharing with others, including the narrator: there’s somebody who looks just like him prowling the roads while leaving behind cryptic messages: the Road Dog.  And here’s where the story heats up.  As good or better than anything Stephen King has produced, and that’s saying a lot…

FEEDBACK by Joe Haldeman

This story deals with a future when people can temporarily blend their identities through technology.  Of course, human nature being what it is (see previous story), it becomes big business as an artistic painter hires himself out to blend identities with a sinister, wealthy man to paint the portrait of a nude model.  And with this kind of story being what it is, the artist gets more than he bargained for…

Next week: more from ’93…

Just Finished Reading Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

I returned to murder mystery novels recently by picking one I hadn't read before, but which has been immortalized on the silver screen: Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, first published in 1937.  Having never seen the movie adaptations, I enjoyed how the author introduced the characters...including the story's victim(s) and suspects...and developed the plot as series regular, soft-spoken but discerning Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, sleuths his way through a confounding murder mystery taking place on a pleasure cruise down the Egyptian Nile River.  The principles in the story constitute the cruise's passengers and crew...even including Poirot, who is there on vacation.  A young, glamorous wealthy English heiress is there with her groom, whom she essentially stole from her best friend.  And now that aggrieved woman is there as well, stalking the newly married couple and laying down all sorts of threats against them.  There is an assortment of other characters of varied backgrounds, convictions and morals (or lack thereof) that Christie has inserted to present a tableau of other potential suspects when the inevitable killing begins.  No, this is not a review that spoils the ending, which I incidentally found to be quite satisfying...except for an action Poirot takes that, frankly, seemed a bit unethical and out of character for him, for me a cringeworthy moment.  But I'll leave this objection as yet another mystery for you, a potential reader of this fine novel, to discover.  If you do, give me some feedback...you know where to reach me.  Now on to another book!

Truly Pleasant Fall Weather Day Here in Gainesville

This morning I walked out in the back yard and marveled about the coolness...so pleasant, for a change!  I checked my phone weather app, and it said here in Gainesville it was 58 degrees with a humidity of 77%...this a little past 10:30. I think we may now be entering a "Goldilocks" zone with the weather in northern Florida...not too hot and not too cold, with rain at most presenting occasional umbrella opportunities.  On the other hand, I would probably like it even more if today's "high" were 58, with the nighttime lows dipping into the upper 30s...yes, that's my Goldilocks zone.  Still, I'll take any break from the unbearably hot and humid year we've been experiencing.  Hopefully, the cool weather break will extend into a properly autumn seasonal trend and stay with us for a while without reverting to the months-long stagnation plaguing us this year...

About This Blog and a Potential Podcast

This blog, begun in April of 2007, now has more than 5,540 posts and I'm not even remotely considering ending it...for me it's been a successful disciplined exercise and outlet for my writing.  Although I have intentionally striven to avoid excessively personal and dramatic articles, at times my passions regarding a particular subject can come out on the page...that's good since this never was to be a dry, technical manual.  This is a personal journal, designed to have one foot objectively planted in the world around me and the other in my own inner world over which subjectivity reigns supreme. It's the intersection of these two worlds that defines reality for me.  Personal opinions and sometimes emotional reactions to what I experience, either in my daily walk or from being exposed to media news sources, are things that I naturally expect to often differ from those of other people.  The problem I see nowadays is that the expected bedrock of factual information, where that first foot is supposed to securely stand, also differs vastly from one individual to another. People have deliberately chosen to believe alternate realities and, with the choices that they have with their information sources, can now completely surround themselves with only that which affirms their prejudices and biases and either condemns or ignores differing and possibly challenging conclusions that could be drawn from a more realistic presentation of the news.  So, this is the world I live in in the year 2023, and I don't see things improving on this front anytime in the near future.  As for my personal expression, I am thinking of establishing my own brief podcast, in the same vein as this blog to serve as a consistent periodic disciplined exercise, not in writing though, but rather in speaking.  Since my speaking ability has always lagged far behind that of my writing, this should pose a bit of a challenge to my fear of rejection.  As a precursor to me starting out on this venture, I have decided to "schedule" my daily solo drives to work and back as "carcasts" in which I verbally speak out on a predetermined topic (with myself as the entire audience), much in the same way I write.  I figure if I do this enough times to place myself in a kind of habitual speaking "groove", then some of the awkwardness involved in improvised speaking specifically for effective podcasting can be exercised away and I can grow into this new activity.  I also need to find a suitable outlet for podcasts...since Google has served me nicely with this blog, I think I'll start there. Do you have a podcast or blog, and have you ever considered doing one?   

Ran the Florida Track Club's Tom Walker Preview 10K This Morning

Every November...unless there's a pandemic or something else dire going down...the Florida Track Club holds a half-marathon south and east along the Hawthorne Trail, titled the Tom Walker Memorial and named for a former FTC president who passed away far too young at age 38 in 1989.  The last couple of years they have also been holding an October 5K/10K race along the same trail called the Tom Walker Preview: I ran it last year and repeated this morning.  This time the race time temperature, while around 71 degrees, was accompanied by a pleasantly low humidity at 39%, according to my phone app.  Add to these factors the presence of mostly overcast skies and the conditions were very conducive to a pleasant run.  My strategy was simply to alternate five minutes of running at a steady pace with a minute of brisk walking...repeated until the run's end...oh by the way, I opted for the 10K (6.2 mile) distance.  It all went quite well, and for the last 17 minutes I had enough energy left over to just flat-out run the rest of the race, finishing with a "gun" time of 1:05:05 (chip-timed at 1:04:51)...better than planned.  Click HERE to see the "official" results posted by the Florida Track Club through Second Wind Timing. The difference between the "gun" time and "chip" time is the number of seconds it takes for the runner, often stuck back in a crowded pack, to finally reach the starting line when the race begins, so the chip time actually more accurately reflects my run from start to finish. They awarded me another coffee mug for finishing third in my age/gender category, to go with the identical one I won last month.  This race, as well as the half-marathon scheduled for November 12th, originates and ends at Boulware Springs Park off SE 15th Street, accessible via Hawthorne Road.  I was also hoping that the Tyler's Hope 15K, held at the same location in the past in early December, would already be on the racing calendar but perhaps they're not holding it this year...that would be sad.  A few minutes after this morning's run I decided to run north along the trail to SE 22nd Avenue and back...an additional 1.5 miles.  It's been a good running day for me so far...I think I'll rest a bit for the remainder and watch sports on TV...

Quote of the Week...from Katrina Mayer

 Books were my friends when no friends were around.                ---Katrina Mayer

On my Facebook page often appear certain sites that were provided for my viewing without me directly requesting them...I always assumed that the AI running the show over at FB thought I'd like them.  One of these is "Goodwill Librarian", which is spot-on in nailing my affection for books and reading.  Wednesday morning, they posted the above quote by Katrina Mayer, an author who conducts "positivity" workshops.  Checking out her website, she immediately won me over by this other quote: "I'm an avid fan of solitude, peaceful surroundings and simplicity." I am a big fan of books and reading, almost always in the middle of two or three at a time, both in fiction and nonfiction as well as novels and short story collections.  During some of the most negative periods of my youth, reading provided a solace and a sense of rational foundation that no doubt saved me from treading down more pernicious and self-destructive paths. I was blessed to have parents and an older sister who were avid readers, and I often secretly raided their storehouse of books.  My dad was particularly keen on science fiction, and through him I was introduced to old-time science fiction greats like Frederic Brown and Clifford Simak.  I was also partial to the inexpensive books I could buy after saving up my meager allowance, especially the Herbert S. Zim Golden Guides to science and nature...the one about stars has to be my all-time favorite.  The ironic thing about my reading is that, with a small number of notable exceptions, most of my reading assignments in high school were negative experiences...I'm convinced that my teachers and the educational system they worked under...at least back then...were clueless and that they saw me an annoyance they had to get past to get through their days, not as a valuable individual with future potential.  But back to the books: when I could choose them, I loved them...and still do.  Now, though, I'm putting more and more of them on my Kindle as well as reading a ton of audiobooks...but they're still books and they are friends...

Dentist, Storms, Feistiness

At this writing I just left the dentist after a surprisingly pleasant visit...and headed over to my nearby doughnut shop to get my customary iced coffee...my current favorite flavoring is mocha.  I do have to be careful about coffee spilling out of my mouth, since my left side is thoroughly numb...ha, ha.  It's been an unusually stormy morning here in Gainesville. It began last night and is expected to last the day, spreading all over the northern part of Florida and reportedly spawning tornadoes.  The Weather Channel called it "feisty", while they depicted an Iowan storm system as "boisterous"...sounds like an undergraduate English major was writing their script.  Speaking of those two terms, they naturally have usually been applied to people, not inanimate processes.  Yet in today's so-called "enlightened" society where perceived anger is regarded as a threat, typically feisty individuals can be demonized for simply being themselves. If you're in an office as a client and complain about their billing process, as I did recently, there's a possibility that the party you're addressing may deflect your complaint against you, claiming that you are in a state of anger...as if that by itself constituted some form of illegitimate, antisocial behavior.  I think that's a form of manipulation...people by their very natures are cranky at times and will react in like fashion if somebody pushes their wrong buttons.  It's okay to express frustration when you perceive you're being taken advantage of or ripped off, and that isn't your fault...

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 5

Below are my reactions to three more short stories as they appeared in the Gardner Dozois anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection, covering material published in 1993. That year...going back to me first starting to work at the Gainesville post office and afterward through most of 1995...I often rode my ramshackle bicycle the nearly eight miles from my home to my graveyard shift at work and back, usually on the way there stopping off for a book & coffee break at the Books-a-Million (now 2nd and Charles) on NW 13th Street and then cutting across the University of Florida campus before hitting Archer Road...good times, good times. I'm also having a good time reading this book edited by Dozois...

GEORGIA ON MY MIND by Charles Sheffield

Sheffield was a theoretical physicist who worked with the U.S. space program...he injects much of his science and engineering knowledge into his stories.  Here he presents a primer on the early history of computers as an anomalous discover has been made in a remote New Zealand country house that puts into question not only what we believed about our past, but also the notion that humans are the only indigenous life forms on Earth at our level of intelligence and technology.  Very intriguing...

CUSH by Neal Barrett, Jr.

A poor rural black woman's niece has a little boy, Cush, who seems to supernaturally bless everyone he encounters while drawing illness, injury and deformity upon his own body.  When word of his gift leaks out, Andrea must encounter and confront the outsiders invading their personal lives at their suddenly prospering Alabama farm.  Taking on the world's pain and suffering to make it undeservingly better is a common theme in religion, especially Christianity.  This tale seems to be a kind of analogy...

ON THE COLLECTION OF HUMANS by Mark Rich

Sometimes a story can be so short, like this one, that it lacks an integral structure.  This is more or less a manual for advanced alien scientists on how to abduct humans for research purposes.  Obviously meant to be funny, I gave it a couple of chuckles and then moved on, in doing so casting a suspicious look at the sky behind me...

Next week I will continue my look at 1993 as I go through some more of Garder Dozois' selections from that year in science fiction...

Back from Extended Weekend Off

Well, after being off from work for four days, it's back to the grind...although truth be told, I don't have any problem with that.  Acknowledging the many blessings in my life has become a worthwhile personal habit, and my gratitude furthers enhances my daily walk. It's a terrible shame that people, being what they are, just can't seem to get along in the world...or in many areas within my own country, for that matter.  By most standards, you could call me a misanthrope, and yet I don't attach negative emotions to that label, only recognizing fallen human nature for what it is and refusing to adopt a Pollyannish worldview that would only continually crash down on me from letdown and betrayal.  I love my family and close friends, but beyond that I'm a little like those European immigrants to this great land featured in the Godfather movies who, while engaging and interacting with others, at the same time entertained a healthy skepticism about their character and motives.  Be nice to folks, sure, and don't always go around complaining about things, either.  But at the same time, I'm hip to the ways of the world and it ain't always rosy, just in case you haven't been watching the news lately...

Some Comments on TV, News and Facebook

This morning I used my TV the way I usually do: in Roku mode. I listened to a couple of podcasts (while exercise-running up and down the hall and rooms) and several foreign language newscasts...followed by some YouTube videos alternating two different foreign languages: my preferred ones are Mandarin Chinese/Vietnamese, French/Spanish, and Russian/German. If I do go to the mainline channels, I tend to go to The Weather Channel and avoid both the cable news and opinion channels and the cozy "good morning" magazine-type shows.  That's because I'm focused on my own agenda and want to avoid the distraction, manipulation and, frankly, the fear and outrage those other shows tend to provoke, whether deliberately or not.  I also tend to steer from Facebook when I can, only checking the notifications section to see if someone has something on it pertaining to me.  I am only active on it because, with a break for a few months in 2021, I have since 2013 been putting links to this blog's usually daily entries on my Facebook page for others to more easily access.  But I am not fan of Facebook per se: it seems more of a popularity site for head-nodders than something that resonates with me on a higher level.  It's also an outlet for propaganda, conspiracy theories, and serves as a magnet for aggressive people who have nothing better to do with their lives than to troll others for simply having differing opinions on provocative subjects.  In 2021 after the Trump-worshipping fascists tried to overthrow the United States government following a free and fair election that turned him out of power, I pretty much left the news...and Facebook as well, only resuming the latter after a small number of my blog readers commented that me linking articles to that site made reading it a lot more convenient for them.  But I like Facebook even less than ever, and it's making posting these articles to it more and more arduous: were it not for this blog, I would rarely go there.  As for the news and the events transpiring now with the wars and presidential election campaigns heating up, I don't need constant, draining exposure to it all in order to know where I stand regarding issues and candidates and make my own responsible civic duty choices when election time comes.  Maybe you're different...well, if that's so, then you should be a happy camper with all this crap out there to fill up your mind and waking moments with...

Just Started Reading Rob Dial's New Book Titled Level Up

As you may already know if you've been reading this blog regularly, I've been a regular listener to personal development coach Rob Dial's podcast The Mindset Mentor for some time.  He's just come out with his first book, titled Level Up, and which I am grateful to have received as a birthday gift...I just started reading it.  It's not the kind of book I would normally read through and then immediately review here on this blog as I do others.  No, each chapter has its own special theme with the last page listing cues for journaling, an activity that Dial strongly recommends.  The subtitle to this book is How to Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating, and Upgrade Your Life.  It contains much of what I have already heard from him on his show, and I am serious about implementing some of his suggestions...always, though, with a discerning filter that doesn't automatically swallow everything I read.  He has a very plain and simple, readable writing style that, well, frankly reminds me a little of my own: make it simple and sweet, I always say!  Although I don't plan on a book review for this one, I'm pretty sure that from time to time I'll discuss a topic I come across from it that interests me.  He also has been doing the same lately on his podcast, picking out different chapters to discuss...

Enjoying Beach Outing This Weekend

This weekend Melissa and I have been at the beach, Ormond to be specific.  It's been fun and a good change of scenery and pace.  We're returning home tomorrow...hope all is well with you!  I really enjoyed getting out in a decent pool and getting to swim a bit...maybe I'll finally get around to trying laps at my local gym's indoor pool after getting off from work at night.  In any event, it's a blessing to thoroughly enjoy outings like this while, at the same time, looking forward to getting back...

New Running Strategy is a Return to My Old Running Strategy

As the temperatures grudgingly begin to fall while the fall season progresses, I am considering my running and walking strategy for the weeks and months ahead.  I've decided to go back to a method touted by running guru and marathoner Jeff Galloway that alternates running with walking, and which I used to great success in my training for years.  My plan now is to simply, whatever the distance, run at an appropriately brisk pace for five minutes, followed by a fast one-minute walk, and then going back to the steady run for five more...and then back to walking, alternating between the two for however long my distance is for that day.  This will be for training as well as for races, although when I'm just jogging around inside the house, I don't see the need for it.  Melissa and I will be going to the beach this weekend...I definitely will be doing the run/walk plan then on any runs from our hotel to the Daytona Beach Pier and back.  I distinctly remember back in 2010 feeling that with this way of training, if I wanted, I could run indefinitely for whatever distance I chose without stopping...

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 4

Here are my reactions to three more sci-fi short stories as they appeared in the anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection, edited by the late Gardner Dozois, a respected writer of this genre in his own right.  In 1993, although there was plenty of good new music out there...at least with alternative and hard rock (R.E.M's Automatic for the People and Coverdale/Page's self-titled album stand out)...I was more focused on albums and acts from years earlier, especially the progressive rock group Yes and their six album-side-length tracks from the 1970s.  One of these, Close to the Edge, became my "song of the year" for 1993 although it was twenty years old at the time.  But now it's time to get back to those stories... 

GUEST OF HONOR by Robert Reed

In his introduction, Gardner makes reference to "the decadent world of ultrarich immortals" that he tongue-and-cheek recommended you avoid if you encounter it...I'm already freaked out by the cruelty and corruption rampant in the real decadent world of mortals!  He's right: this is a haunting, unforgettable story that in a sense reminded me of the old 70's sci-fi flick Logan's Run as to how they try to snow people into thinking that being killed is only a transformation to the next level...

LOVE TOYS OF THE GODS by Pat Cadigan

Obviously meant to be funny, this not-quite-so-funny short tale pokes fun both at the then (and now) ongoing narrative of alien abductions and at rural American culture, making everybody out to be ignorant dumb-ass rubes...guess there are some folks out there you can trash and ridicule without being canceled...

CHAFF by Greg Egan

Of the three stories I read this week, this one has the greatest chance of becoming true, and frankly that scares the hell out of me.  An artificially biologically engineered area in the northern South America jungle is growing...and producing mind-altering drugs of a sort never before humanly experienced.  A "black ops" operative is sent down there in a clandestine mission...like in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness or the movie Apocalypse Now...to find and capture (or terminate) a leading scientist believed to be largely responsible for the crisis. What this ruthless agent discovers at the end of his quest to me is entirely feasible...and bone-chilling...

Next week: more sci-fi from 1993...

My Current Approaches to Foreign Language Study

Although I do like Steve Kaufmann's LingQ language learning website, which enables the subscriber to keep track of their new words learned in various foreign languages, I have found myself using other venues more recently.  YouTube has an unbelievable amount of educational material on it, and the Kendra and Eko series each are very useful as they match up two languages, phrase by phrase...it enables me to build up vocabulary and familiarity without always having to use my native English as a translation reference.  The Tunein Radio app enables me to listen to radio and podcasts in different languages as they are normally spoken, trying to pick up meaning when I can and letting the rest "wash over me", as Kaufmann likes to put it.  And Wikipedia is fantastic with its different topics and languages...as with the Tunein audio material, I find myself reading different articles and just trying to pick up meaning as I go without trying to get everything right.  So, while I'm not always using Steve Kaufmann's LingQ in my language study, I have adopted his approach to learning, which seems to make it all more fun as well as effective...

Mixed Feelings about High School and College Football

I was watching some of the college football games on TV this past Saturday and understand why so many of us are mesmerized by the sport.  It's all a kind of adventure story with action, interspersed with breaks to analyze what's going on and what will (or should) happen next, depending on which team you're rooting for.  Unfortunately, football is also very violent, taking a punishing toll on the body.  I remember in the eleventh grade in high school as one of my social studies teachers one day went on an anti-football rant, decrying its violence and effects on young people's bodies, often limiting and hobbling them later in life as well as posing a significant danger of brain damage.  The kids in the class, most of them ardent football fans if not players themselves, took this lecture all in stride seeing that this dude was widely regarded as one of the "cool" teachers.  At the time I was on the track team and the football team was doing spring "conditioning" for the next fall in the track's interior...I put that word in quotes because all they seemed to be doing was hitting each other as hard as they could, further weakening their bodies for future injury.  And that indeed happened, with many key players later sidelined for the season as the varsity football team in my senior year went 0-9-1.  That fall, while "my" team was losing game after game, I went to Hollywood Memorial Hospital for a scheduled hernia repair operation...which would turn out to be the only general anesthesia surgery I would undergo until 2021 when I had open heart surgery to replace a defective heart valve and repair an aortic aneurism.  I shared my recovery room with two other teenage boys, both suffering leg injuries from playing football, each kid a couple of years younger than me.  Their buddies would traipse in and out of the room treating them like war heroes.  Saturday night's South Carolina at Tennessee game reminded me of that time as the crazy-ass fans in the stands would wildly cheer whenever their team put an extremely hard hit on the other while they would be respectfully silent when someone went down and couldn't get back up, having to be carted off the field.  I think the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games series may have at least unconsciously derived from this duplicity from fans of wanting violence in a controlled setting and then acting like it's a shame when someone gets hurt (or, in the Hunger Games, killed).  So yes, I like a good story, and football can provide some good ones.  Still, I like to think I'm not quite as bloodthirsty about it as some of my fellow fans are...

The Misanthropic Volunteer?

Today's piece is more or less a continuation of yesterday's entry about my running and walking...with a marked misanthropic slant, if you can handle that.  I mentioned that yesterday I volunteered at my local Gainesville Depot Parkrun event, sorting the plastic finishing tokens that are scanned along with the runners' own printed barcodes...I don't expect you to know what I'm talking about.  But being where I was, I could observe the proceedings from a different perspective and, quite frankly, came to the conclusion that the vast majority of people around me were miserably unhappy.  There was one lady there...there always seems to be someone like this in most public social situations I find myself in... who made a point of having me walk across the park to ask a park employee whether a sheltered pavilion there was available to us in case it started raining.  She could have gone and done that herself, but I sensed a need in her to assert hierarchy and power, no matter how petty.  I was fine with the task but filed away her behavior...that alone would convince me to never volunteer here again.  But with the others, in spite of all the stuff I hear about how people want to be sociable and make friends, none of them seemed the least bit interested in doing so, with me or anyone else, for that matter.  Everyone, frankly, seemed terribly reserved and formal...yeah, like I want to hang out with them!  Not that I am necessarily passing judgment on anyone...I'm sure they could come up with some zingers to say about me as well.  But I do think that it is a fraud, a big lie, to claim to be extraverted...or that there is something wrong with me that I am introverted...when the vast majority of folks out there are either put out, uncomfortable...or even frightened when in social settings, especially among strangers.  Does any of this prove that I hate people?  I don't think so, otherwise I wouldn't have been willing to pay attention in such a discerning way to those around me.  Instead, I believe that people in general are much, much more misanthropic than they like to let others believe. And if it's not a sweeping dislike of humanity with them, at the very least they are tribal, with all of their efforts at sociability confined to their insulated little bubble of family and close friends.  Oh heck, I'll probably volunteer here again, I'm such a glutton for punishment...

My September 2023 Running and Walking Report

This morning I took a break from actively participating in the weekly Depot Parkrun 5K held Saturdays here in Gainesville.  Instead, I volunteered there, standing at the table sorting out finishing tokens according to their barcode system for recording the times of the runners (or walkers).  It was interesting watching the race from the perspective of someone on the sidelines...I don't think I had done that since I was on my high school track team in 1973!  Next week I'm planning to be at the beach with Melissa and on October 14th I'm already signed up to run the Florida Track Club's 10K race to be held on the Hawthorne Trail, starting and ending at Boulware Springs Park in the southeastern corner of town.  As for this past month, I've been active and injury/illness-free: whoopee!  The temperatures have begun to turn cooler and the humidity drier after a bear of a sweltering, swampy summer here in northern Florida...it's about time! My ultimate goal for the fall and winter is to run a number of races at 10K (6.2) miles distance and higher, even considering a possible stab at the marathon event to be held next January in Hawthorne.  But first things first, and more than the races themselves, I value simply being able to run and walk daily.  As for that walking, my speed at which I've been working on, I'd like to mix it into my races more and more as the years go by...I'll be turning 67 this week... 

Quote of the Week...from Benjamin Franklin

Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.        ...Benjamin Franklin

Of course, ol' Ben didn't live in today's bustling culture of digitalization, where technology that was supposed to liberate us is actually shackling us into more and more commitments to fit within a shrinking available time period.  Tack onto that the fact that, while in Franklin's time the concept of a "day" was closely tied into the cycles of the sun with the daytime's lightness and the nighttime's darkness, the day, at least in the cyberworld, is "on" for 24 hours, nonstop...including streaming entertainment and video games.  I wonder whether this is a contributing factor to the tendency for formerly late-night businesses operating in the real world to shut down much earlier...of course, Covid got the ball rolling in that direction with a subsequent shortage of available staffing that hasn't since completely abated.  It can be a struggle to try and keep one's calendar clear amid the many calls for commitment to different things, while at the same time that this digital bombardment is happening never before have people felt so disconnected, unrecognized and irrelevant.  Maybe you're an exception to this trend...good for you. But I don't see this going in a good direction as the concepts of "news" and "reality" have become so digitally twisted that our democracy and freedoms may be in dire peril during the next few years while autocratic demagogues run rampant and unchecked.  But back to Benjamin Franklin: it's coming down to having to be a bit of a jerk around others to assert myself and live my life in today's allotted span that I have set out for myself.  Otherwise, today will turn into tomorrow and then the next day and then the next week, month, year, decade...until I am no longer around to look back with regret on the wasted past... 

Constellation of the Month: Vulpecula (the Fox)

 

Last Friday's "quote" article on this blog featured one by philosopher Alan Watts, who claimed that we don't have a problem with how constellations are arranged...I had to object.  Above is a prime example of what I mean. Most of the 88 officially recognized constellations...star patterns representing different regions on the celestial map...are insignificant and faint, chiefly devised by two astronomers: Hevelius and Lacaille.  Hevelius is responsible for the above abomination, one barely-fourth magnitude star and a background of faint stars with one Messier deep-sky object, a planetary nebula called M27.  The other dots on the above map are just background stars too dim for the naked eye to make out. Alpha Vulpeculae, commonly known as Anser (goose in German), has an appropriate name: Hevelius dubbed it that to represent the goose that the fox allegedly was holding in its mouth...question is, where is the fox?  I have never discerned Vulpecula in the night sky...it is situated just south of prominent Cygnus in the Milky Way and just north of Delphinus and Sagitta.  The latter two are also a bit small in my opinion to be proper constellations...what they should have done was to combine Vulpecula, Sagitta, Delphinus, and nearby Equuleus to form a separate constellation, connect the dots and come up with something more recognizable.  But I'm left with what is already out there...Anser, by the way, is a red giant nearly 300 light years from us.  Next month I'll try to dig up a more significant constellation to discuss for October...

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 3

Here are some more reviews of 1993 short stories (with a novella thrown in) from Gardner Dozois' anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection.  That year I was working at the post office, keying and sorting mail on their flat-sorting machine during the graveyard shift, "Tour One" in their lingo.  Actually, I kept those working hours from 1987 to 1995, 1998-2003 and 2013-2016...don't know how I did it.  But enough about me, how about those stories...

FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE by Brian W. Aldiss

In a not-so-distant future, there is a criminal trade in people's memories, snatched from them surreptitiously under false premises.  An architectural history scholar believes a key element of his own was taken from him.  He is traveling to Turkmenistan to reclaim it from that nation's president.  The story's title refers to an abandoned bridge project meant to connect that country, recently liberated following the Soviet Union's breakup in 1991, to Iran.  I remember reading about the theme of snatched memories from an earlier story, but I can't remember which one: hmmm...

INTO THE MIRANDA RIFT by G. David Nordley

In this novella loaded with hard science details about physics, chemistry and biology in the setting of Miranda, one of Uranus' moons, a party of four is investigating the chasms under its surface.  They were caused by, first, the moon's destruction following a catastrophic collision millions of years earlier and then, the matter recoalescing, imperfectly, over a vast span of time afterward.  The four get trapped underground, and the race against time is on to get back to the surface.  In the process they discover each other and much about themselves.  The science part of the story was hard to muddle through, but it did fit the narrative well and made it more than just a flight of fantasy...

MWALIMU IN THE SQUARED CIRCLE by Mike Resnick

I remember back in 1978-79 how Tanzania's president Julius Nyerere had finally had enough of neighboring Uganda's bloodthirsty dictator Idi Amin and invaded, toppling him from power (with most of the world rejoicing). Apparently, at the time Amin had challenged Nyere to a winner-take-all boxing match to decide the war and was obviously refused, the massive tyrant's history of being a boxer contrasting sharply with Nyerere's diminutive, unathletic physique. This story pretends that Nyere accepted Amin's challenge.  The two are in the ring, with none other than Muhammad Ali as referee...

Next week: more SF from '93...

Season Changes, Still Could Use Some More Cooling

The season has officially changed from summer to fall, but not fast enough of me as the temperatures, while slightly better in the last few days, are still too hot.  And this hurricane season won't go away as there always seems to be something brewing either in the Gulf of Mexico/Western Caribbean, Atlantic, or both.  I'm looking forward to the time when, as the sun sets, I'll feel comfortable putting on a light sweater...looking forward to that first full cold front of the autumn season!  Until then, I'll be continuing my indulgence in (and appreciation for) air conditioning...

Just Finished Reading The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I just finished reading the first of five books by Trenton Lee Stewart, series title The Mysterious Benedict Society...which is Book One's title as well. They started coming out in 2007, with the last volume in 2019. Disney put out a television series that I never watched...just like all the other streaming television series during the past several years that I never watched.  The premise of Stewart's series is familiar enough: outcast children have special skills that an eccentric old man has sought out for a special, dangerous project...but first they must past his test.  Since this book series, like Harry Potter, is primarily directed at children, a lot of the developments...including the "Test"...I could easily discern well in advance. Let me just say that I am sick and tired of bigshots who think they're experts on psychology and deliberately deceive job interviewees by inserting quirky, hidden character tests within the interview process.  An Apple CEO would go with the applicant to get some coffee and then judge their qualification for employment by what they did with the cup afterward...did they try to return or clean it, or did they just leave it on the desk?  In The Mysterious Benedict Society, old man Benedict treats the children similarly...groan. The danger that he has recruited the four child protagonists to combat is interesting enough...mind control though ultrasonic messages, although I think propagandists are, in our current "real" world, doing quite well just laying out all their crap directly out in the open on the Web and mass media for gullible suckers to gobble up.  I liked the kids' respective personalities and stories, enough to give the series a thumbs-up onward to the second book, after reading the first installment.  But I'm thinking of taking a little break before I do that...

Ran Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

I knew I'd run a faster 5K than lately when I woke up this morning and the temperature outside here in Gainesville was 64 with a pleasant 56% humidity.  And such was the case for an extraordinarily crowded Depot Parkrun, my 23rd in this particular event that has been going on Saturday mornings since late 2018...with a substantial break during the Covid-19 outbreak.  They will soon celebrate their 200th race in Gainesville...the Parkrun concept originated in England and has spread to several countries.  Although my fastest 5K time, predating my participation in this event beginning in 2019, was a little over 23 minutes back in 2010, as far as the Parkrun is concerned my "personal record" has been 30:00.  I thought there was a chance that I might beat that mark this morning, but I missed it, finishing on my watch at 30:23.  But when I clicked on the Parkrun's website to view the race results, they had put me at 30:50...a gross error...and given my actual time to the next higher up runner.  Maybe I'll contact them about it, maybe I won't.  Sometimes the volunteers working there are new and get things mixed up...that's what it seemed like today.  And there were many more participants then usual: it's the first time since I ran this event that I had to park in the overflow parking lot around the corner.  As for volunteering, I think it's getting about time for me to once again throw my hat into the ring...maybe I won't screw it up like I did the last time I volunteered here...

Later, I did contact them and they corrected the results..

Quote of the Week...from Alan Watts

Things are as they are.  Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.      ---Alan Watts

I've quoted twentieth century English philosopher Alan Watts a number of times on this blog...delving into his thoughts I could almost pick any one out at random to discuss.  This one brought out the common theme of people feeling the need to somehow place "good" or "bad" labels on the things (and people) they encounter in life. I think a lot of it has to do with insecurity and stems from childhood...there seemed to be a lot of this when I was a kid and conversations often got kind of brutal about branding people as good or bad...with much more insulting epithets applied to those in disfavor.  And when I hear grownups shooting off like that, I instantly think that they're being childish and should just cool it with their calumny.  But what grabbed my attention about this quote of Watts, who studied Eastern philosophy and liked to use Zen principles, is its ending, where he said we don't make comparisons between well and badly arranged constellations.  Speak for yourself, dude! One of my chief gripes as a confirmed stargazer from age seven is the often-crappy way that the stars are arranged in constellations...especially in the southern sky.  That's because originally there were much fewer constellations, the ancient, traditional ones based on myths, like Orion, Taurus, Gemini and Hercules for example.  These ones have distinct shapes to them when you connect the stars and can be easily picked out of the sky from the surrounding stars.  Unfortunately, too many of the 88 "official" constellations nowadays are patchwork creations of later astronomers, chiefly Hevelius and Lacaille in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, respectively.  Their contributions tend to be much smaller and dimmer, concentrated on either the empty spaces between the more prominent older constellations or in the southern sky, especially that part too far south to be seen from Europe or the Middle East. I have a monthly feature of this blog called "Constellation of the Month"...I tell you the truth, I'm running out of interesting constellations to discuss and most likely will be picking a thoroughly obscure one to discuss for this month of September.  But then again, I always regarded this blog project of mine as primarily an exercise in disciplined writing...time to get the heavy discipline going...

Podcaster Talks about Personal Affirmations

Last Friday podcaster Rob Dial discussed on his show the subject of personal affirmations, an area that he admittedly has had his own doubts about in the past.  There are the people, mainly prominent in self-help and name-it-and-claim it faith-based circles, who think that fervently believing in something can somehow manifest it into reality.  You're welcome to believe that or not as pleases you, but I was relieved that Dial covered it in a different light.  He focused on how personally affirming a desired goal, even if yet unfulfilled, can rewire the brain on multiple levels in a way that facilitates its accomplished...sounds reasonable to me.  To this end, he simplified the process by suggesting we simply state to ourselves the goal, as specifically as possible, and phrase it as "I am ----ing ----" to place into our brains the notion that it is already successfully being implemented.  Okay, dude, so is that all?  Well, Dial refined his idea by adding, beyond the need to be specific, bringing in an emotional charge to heighten the perceived experience while both consistently repeating the affirmation and visualizing the fruits of the goal's fulfillment.  He suggested that the combination of all these elements within an affirmation can transform it to more resemble an incantation, something that can dramatically transform the mind in the desired direction.  Of course, the goal does need to be realistic as well. Also, having a time deadline in mind sounds advisable, giving the matter a stronger sense of priority.  I remember one night many years ago sitting in a local Waffle House when a group of slightly intoxicated customers came in, talkative and loud.  One woman in the party kept saying repeatedly "Life's a bitch, life's a bitch". I wonder how many of us unthinkingly repeat the negative stuff like that while ignoring the possibilities of talking to ourselves (and others) in a gentler and more encouraging manner.  Then again, like I wrote last Friday on this blog, life can indeed sometimes be a bitch...

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 2

Here again are some more reviews from editor (and science fiction writer in his own right) Gardner Dozois' anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection, covering the year 1993 in this genre.  Bill Clinton was starting his eventual two-term tenure as US Presidents. I supported him the previous November, in large part because his predecessor, George (Papa) Bush, vetoed the Family and Medical Leave Act, a cruel gesture that exemplified the often-contemptuous attitude of Republican elites against working Americans...Clinton promptly signed it into law.  But enough of politics, how about those stories...

A VISIT TO THE FARSIDE by Don Webb

A tale that curiously reminded me of a South Park episode about a whale, the Soviet Union has far surpassed the US in space and is a position to grant temporary asylum to Americans on the moon when their own base (on the far side) blows up. The author, I knew as I was reading, had to be perfectly aware that the USSR had broken up in 1991, so what gives here? Rest assured, all is explained at the end, with a little Romeo and Juliet thrown in for full measure in this loaded brief story...

ALIEN BOOTLEGGER by Rebecca Ore

Dozier tends to stick a lot of lengthy novellas in his anthologies...this one didn't work for me as I couldn't connect with any of the characters. It centered around a ruthless Virginia bootlegger/international investor who is fighting competition from, of all parties, a diplomatically protected insect-like alien setting up its own distilling in the area.  I don't think I've read a tale this long without bonding with at least one of the characters...the changing viewpoint of the narrative didn't help any...

DEATH ON THE NILE by Connie Willis

This story's title should be familiar: it's also that of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery novel featuring Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.  Poirot is nowhere to be found here, but the venue is similar with three couples traveling together by plane to tour in Egypt.  Told by one of the women, they encounter sudden turbulence in the plane...and afterward everything seems a bit out of kilter.  Our narrator suspects something dire has happened while the others...including another woman trying to seduce her husband...don't seem aware of anything different.  Ever have the feeling that you're in a dream but it's supposedly real?  Yes, I think that's from The Matrix...this story kind of reminded me of that...

Next week I continue with my reactions to stories from this 1993 retrospective anthology...

Spreading Self Thin over Projects...and Enjoying It

I'm looking at probably too high a number of personal projects I'm currently engaged in, wondering whether I'm spreading myself too thinly.  The answer is likely "Yes", yet I have decided to do just that while enjoying the essence and variety of the different areas.  Several foreign languages, writing, reading, distance running/walking and mathematics in its various forms occupy much of my "free" time and attention, and to be sure progress in any one of them isn't steep, to say the least.  Yet that doesn't bother me.  I enjoy the process of gradually accumulating known vocabulary in various languages while picking out patterns and meanings in what I hear.  My blog writing, allowing for an occasional missing day, is a personal discipline I've been true to for years, and plan to continue it as long as I am able.  I read, primarily either science fiction short stories or books...primarily in audio format...I've checked out from the library.  I, in turn, write my reactions on this blog after reading them.  My running has never been fast enough to command anyone's attention, although as I age, I find myself more and more eligible for age category awards in races even when finishing far behind most of the young whippersnappers out there. And math, which I've always had a very high aptitude for, is a pure academic subject for which I see no personal practical value other than eventually teaching it either as a tutor or in a part-time classroom setting following my retirement. Add to all this a wonderful wife and family and more passive interests like stargazing and watching sports...and occasional travel adventures...and it all adds up to one word: fun. I've also noticed a correspondingly higher level of contentment, gratitude and optimism after I made the conscious personal decision to studiously avoid the news, in all its biased and sensationalist forms...

Some Sports (Especially College Football) Comments

Three different college football polls have come out following Saturday evening's University of Florida 29-16 victory over Tennessee in Gainesville.  The Volunteers were strongly favored to win, by something like a five-point margin, but the Gators proved the better team at least for this game.  Following Saturday's contests, ESPN, the Associated Press and the Coaches each came out with their new rankings and Florida actually made it to #25 for the first two pollsters.  Yet in all three Tennessee was ranked higher, at #23, #24 and #20 respectively.  This slighting in the polls of UF in favor of their conference divisional rival reminds me of the years during Steve Spurrier's reign as head coach when the Gators would handle the Vols in their early season contest, only to see UT with their easier late season schedule surge ahead of them in the final polls.  The only thing Florida can do now is play well...especially in their upcoming conference games, starting against Kentucky two weeks from now in Lexington following a home game next week against small college Charlotte.  I kind of liked watching college football this weekend, in particular the FSU-Boston College game and some of UF-Tennessee...yet I'm still not yet on board with NFL pro football.  But the season is young.  Yesterday, though, I had other stuff to do besides watching sports, although I did check out a golfing tournament taking place out in California that Saith Theegala, won, his first PGA victory...

Back to Depot Park for Their Weekly 5K Race

Today I returned to my Saturday morning haunt of Depot Park...just a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville...to run yet another of their free Parkrun 5K (3.1 miles) races.  I had considered spending some money and driving down to Ocala to participate at either a 10K or half-marathon held twice monthly at their Baseline Trailhead Park off SE 58th Avenue but decided to take the "easy" road at least this time around.  At race time the temperature was 73 with 97% humidity...yuck!  I wasn't sure whether I would run or walk this particular race, but at the last minute decided to run it. The start went slow since there were a lot of people there, including many from an African children's charity organization called Life Child. As the run progressed, each successive lap of the four-lap course went faster for me, and I finished with a lot of energy to spare at 32:17...you can view the race results by clicking HERE. Someday, probably next month, I'd like to try out one of those Ocala races.  If I choose the half-marathon, I'm planning to walk a good percentage of the distance.  And now, on to the rest of the weekend.  The lawn needs mowing and there's plenty of sports on the telly: full speed ahead!

Quote of the Week...from Goth Kid on South Park

Life is pain.  Life is only pain.  We're all taught to believe in happy fairy tale endings, but there is only blackness...dark, depressing loneliness that eats at your soul.

                                                            ---Goth Kid from South Park's Raisins Episode

I think that my favorite characters in the long-running satirical cartoon South Park series have to be the Goth Kids...although I wonder whether their depiction accurately reflects Goth culture on school campuses (and presumably beyond).  They're shown to be utterly cynical about life and society specifically...I can totally get that outlook at times.  They also repeatedly point out how nonconformist they are...but as the series' main character Stan quickly finds out on that episode, you have to wear the same clothes and listen to the same music if you want to join the "nonconformists". As for their ostentatious expression of style, to me it doesn't ring well with their philosophy. I think I would have made a great Goth kid in school because back then I embraced many of their attitudes, but had such a group existed in the 1970's, they would have no doubt rejected me just for my nonconformity.  Yet in spite of that apparent hypocrisy about them brought out on South Park, there are times in my life when their cynical, highly critical opinions on the world and humanity scream loudly with truth. The ultimate irony of this is that with Christianity, humanity is also essentially depicted as fallen, with only undeserved divine intervention providing rescue and solace. You'd think that there might be a kind of distant alliance between the Goths and Christians, but sadly my impression over the years is that too many of the latter are prisoners of their own self-imposed pride, materialism, selectively convenient legalism and idolatry worship of secular political figures while casting a critical eye at anyone different from themselves, the exact opposite of the noble creed to which they claim to adhere...   

News Outlets Manipulative, Revolting

When I start up my computer, I get this Microsoft news feed on my screen.  It is loaded with provocative article headings, designed to inflame the readers' passions and have them click on them.  The underlying article is almost always completely different in tone and message from its misleading title...unfortunately, it's not just on my computer screen where this happens.  Even on the evening news, the host will feed teasers about a really important news development that he or she will present later on in the show...the actual story is often usually as short as the teaser!  I am so bummed out on the news, not so much by what is happening, but rather how it all is presented, even on so-called unbiased programs and sites.  I truly pity people who actually rely on and believe these manipulators of information...even more so the ones who voluntarily impose upon themselves a bubble in which they seek out sources that reinforce their biased narratives and avoid all others.  I'm looking forward with some trepidation to the next national election, in which millions of information zombies may well elect the next president and Congress.  Maybe Musk is right: is it too late for me to sign up for Mars?

Weekly Short Stories: 1993 Science Fiction, Part 1

Today I'm finally moving on to a new year, 1993, and a new book in the excellent anthology series edited by the late Gardner Dozois, this volume titled The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection. For Gardner's series I have been purchasing each successive volume from Amazon for my Kindle account...I read everything straight off my phone. Back in 1993 computers were just beginning to take off with the Internet...we were still doing the floppy disk thing, saving stuff to them that we will never access again after they became obsolete...and what about all those old CD-ROMs? But for now, let's return to our vantage point in the present and check out the first stories in the book...

PAPA by Ian MacLeod

Told by an extremely old man in the not-so-distant future, this story paints the picture of a society where robots do all the menial things as well as provide medical care, and people's bodies increasingly transform into cyborgs with mechanical constructs replacing human tissue.  In spite of these pronounced differences, we see here some familiar family dynamics has "Papa" struggles to relate to his carefree and somewhat irresponsible two grown visiting grandchildren while his son always seems to be tucked away in his city office job, too busy to interact with him.  And then there is Papa's love, his wife Hannah who passed away some seventy years earlier.  A tender, bittersweet story tying the present to what might come...

SACRED COW by Bruce Sterling

Why are Indians (Hindis, Tamils, etc.) in this tale a world power and Britain and the U.S. fallen societies?  The answer is eventually provided in this brief tale of an Indian filmmaker who is making a series of cheap films in England for mass distribution.  It's a combination of the author capitalizing on an ongoing important news story at the time of writing with the reputation of India's huge movie industry, largely unrecognized by the rest of the world...

DANCING ON AIR by Nancy Kress

Never having taken an interest in ballet, either as a dancer (that would be a laugh) or a spectator, this novella, set like the previous two in the near future, exposes the extremely fragile nature of dancers' bodies as they attempt to test the limits of their possible movements onstage.  Genetic biological engineering has stepped in to enhance the dancers' bodies' abilities and help avoid injury, but no one knows the ramifications for their health later in life.  A genetically modified guard dog, able to speak his thoughts, has been assigned to a star ballerina and narrates part of the story while a reporter, whose daughter is struggling to join the New York City Ballet over her own objections, tells the other.  Quite an eye-opener about ballet, and also how people can become so obsessed in an area that they lose perspective...

Next week I continue reviewing 1993 sci-fi short stories from the Gardner Dozois anthology...

Learning Languages and Speaking Partners

There are some projects I'm currently on that, for the most part, involve me studying on my own.  The advent of the Internet, and especially the availability of YouTube and the enormous diversity of helpful material on it, has made studying these subjects so much easier.  Yet there are times when it is also helpful to be in association with others pursuing the same areas of interest.  Right now, I'm studying five different languages...some might advise me to study just one at a time, but that's just me...and a part of learning to speak them is, well, speaking them!  And not just to a wall, either, but with others who have a native fluency in them.  Steve Kaufmann, speaker of twenty languages and consequently an expert in the area of language learning, says that it can sometimes get a little tricky finding a speaking partner.  If they're learning English, the two of us can split time speaking to each other in our native tongues by mutual arrangement...he did this to learn Japanese many years ago. Kaufmann also pointed out that when I start speaking my target language to others, then I'm going to make many, many mistakes for a long time and that my listeners need to be understanding and patient, realizing that the overriding goal in any conversation is communication and not perfection.  Yet with that in mind, the temptation may often come during a difficult section in a talk when the native speaker may resort to English to clear up the confusion, unwittingly interfering with my progress. If I'm here in the United States learning Russian, Chinese, German, French and Spanish, then those native speakers I find may not be very willing to accommodate my interests when they most probably already are well versed in English.  And if I go on the Internet to seek language interest groups, then the various notions about language learning spread among their members are liable to interfere as well with my progress. As children learning a language there is much more freedom and forbearance with their stumbling efforts, but adults tend to be judged and corrected, often to the point of them becoming hesitant to make the necessary mistakes they need to become effective speakers in the new language. So, I'm looking for laid back speaking partners in those five languages while continuing to build up my passive listening and reading ability in them. This isn't exactly comfortable for me since by nature I tend to be introverted and reclusive...

Just Finished Reading American Idolatry by Andrew L. Whitehead

The full title of the book I just read, by Andrew L. Whitehead, is American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church.  It just came out this year and expressed some concerns about conservative evangelical Christianity in this country that I have been feeling for some time.  The author also went a little too far is pushing his conclusions, in my opinion.  Whitehead is a professing Christian from his youth, attending the very types of churches he discusses in this book.  The American flag is prominently displayed in their sanctuaries, and much is made of the United States always having been a Christian nation, established on Christian principles.  He disapproves of the flag being there and disagrees with America's Christian heritage.  In fact, he seems repelled by both the word "heritage" and its common companion "traditional", since they usually imply that the social values of the "good old days" were better and more noble than our society in the present time.  But slavery lasted until 1865 and then afterward legalized discrimination against the former enslaved blacks was practiced until the US Supreme Court struck it down just two years before I was born.  Still, the struggle has continued for African Americans to get a fair shake in our country.  As for Native Americans, the push for much of our history had been to eliminate either them or their culture, with a strong push toward Christianizing the population, especially children.  I'm totally in agreement with Whitehead's grim assessment of these facets of our history...they should be taught in all the schools without any attempt to cover anything up.  Where I do have a problem with his book is that he tends to repeatedly emphasize something that, while true up to a point, has some sinister connotations: the notion of privilege, which he applies to whites whether they subscribe to Christian nationalism or not.  Historically, different groups of people have been collectively scapegoated for society's problems by essentially being accused of being unfairly privileged: this has long been a recurring theme with anti-Semites when railing against Jewish people.  Careful: attacking or criticizing people for being born a certain way crosses an important line and can place you in the company of those who are prejudiced...well, by its very nature it is prejudice.  Also, I don't like whole groups of people lumped together and judged by a few in their midst who espouse objectionable views: I think I know of quite a few Christian nationalists in churches I've attended...and quite a few much more tolerant and open-minded folks...should I automatically judge Muslims because some among them have radical notions?  This book is nevertheless an appropriate response to the type of Christian nationalism pushed by, of all people, a thoroughly secular reprobate who once as President had federal troops tear-gas peaceful demonstrators so that he could walk from the White House to a church he never attended and...in front of it and numerous cameras...hold up a Bible he never read, much to the adoring approval of Christian nationalist Franklin Graham.  The sad thing about it all is that the very people who need to change their attitudes the most are thoroughly (and happily) brainwashed and will only double down on their convictions.  Still, I thought the book was a worthwhile effort despite some of my disagreements.  Whitehead made a very good point of contrasting Jesus' walk on Earth and his ministry and sayings with the political, bellicose attitudes of many today who liberally invoke his name while violating his principles.  There's a fork in the road for Christianity, for sure: which way will it go?

My Take on Sports This Weekend

This weekend in the sports world has been marked by football...the American brand, not soccer...and tennis.  The US Open tournament is concluding...yesterday Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the Women's Singles championship while later this afternoon Novak Djokovic faces Daniil Medvedev in a rematch from the title match here two years ago that Medvedev convincingly won.  I'm looking forward to today's contest...and have to say that after watching college football yesterday and some early NFL games this afternoon, I may well have already had my fill of that sport for 2023.  I don't know...ever since former Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen claimed in 2021 that his team lost a close game at Texas A&M because they packed the stadium with fans in the middle of the Covid crisis and wouldn't it be great to "pack the Swamp" for UF's next home game, I've felt that people have lost their perspective on the importance of spectator sports.  Observing the often-tasteless outbreaks in the stands at the US Open tennis tourney in New York has only served to reinforce this feeling that sports have gotten out of hand.  Sure, I want my teams and players to win, but losing from time to time's okay, too.  But the frenzy surrounding football is way beyond the pale...even on the high school level it's all incredibly overrated.  I think in the future I'll just stick to watching golf...

Ran the "Is It Fall" Four-Mile Race at Squirrel Ridge Park Today

This morning I got up early and made my way across Gainesville, driving from my home in the city's far northern end to the far south at Squirrel Ridge Park, where the Florida Track Club was hosting a four-mile race.  Since all I've been doing since the half-marathon in January was running Depot Parkrun 5K's, this gave me a chance to change the scenery (and distance).  Starting at eight, the race began at this park, located on the south side of Williston Road near US441, in a grassy field and then going along Williston Road until we all hooked a left turn onto unpaved (and uneven) SW 17th Terrace, aka "Tobacco Road".  Then, after about a mile, we turned right unto SW 56th Avenue (also unpaved and uneven), going west until the turnaround after which we retraced our path back to the finish line.  The course was advertised as flat: maybe it was to some people's standards but there were some hills, nonetheless.  The temperature at race time was in the low seventies, not bad, but the humidity was oppressive at over 90%.  I ran the race establishing a comfortable-but-honest, steady pace.  Out of 100 finishers, I finished #78 (chip time of 41:59, you can view the race results by clicking HERE), but since I placed third in my gender/age group (M 61-70) I was given a prize coffee mug with the Florida Track Club logo on it...cool!  All in all, it was a good experience, there was a good, positive vibe among the participants and volunteers, and it was nice to see a familiar face or two among the runners while getting to talk a bit with another.  I'm looking forward to seeing what's up ahead on the local racing calendar...

Quote of the Week...from Rob Dial

The one thing I really want you to understand from this strategy or another strategy is I just want you to have SOME strategy to hitting your goals.   

     ---Rob Dial

Rob Dial is the host and creator of the Mindset Mentor podcast, available on YouTube and other sites and devoted to personal development.  The above quote is from this past Monday's program in which Dial presented an effective approach to tackling personal goals.  In this he employed the acronym SMART:

"S": be Specific, precise about how, why, what, etc. you are trying to accomplish. Keep getting clearer, ask yourself detailed questions about the goal in question.  And visualize the outcome in as much detail as possible, while writing it down.

"M": Measurable, quantifiable results that can track progress along the way, breaking big goals into smaller ones.

"A": Achievable...think big but also think reasonable. Some goals that may seem unachievable might be attainable by sacrificing another part of your life, such as money, time, and other activities.

"R": Relevant...does this goal align well with your life values and ambitions, and why is it significant? Such examining can lead to a prioritizing of goals.

"T": Time...set a time limit, or deadline, for the goal's fulfillment.  Doing so can help create a sense of urgency and keep it in the forefront of your mind.

I brought up this particular podcast not only because it was helpful (it was), but also because I wanted to point out that Rob Dial's program is loaded with all these kinds of shows listing...either with acronyms or not...steps and/or facets of doing well in some personal area of development.  I don't need all of them...just take a few here and there and flow with it.  Sometimes wisdom has at its core some simple principles, but "learning" it all can become cumbersome when probably the best thing is to distill the main points and apply them.  I think Rob Dial would agree with me on that point...

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart

Today I'm privileged to be able to shout out, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SWEETHEART" to my dear, beautiful wife Melissa...we've been married 37 wonderful years today!  Baby, you're the greatest: what a joy it's been with you!  The adventure continues: now on to the next 37!  💕

Weekly Short Stories: 1992 Science Fiction, Part 7

Today I conclude my look at the year 1992 in science fiction as reflected by the short story and novella anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction, Tenth Annual Collection, edited by the late Gardner Dozois.  My encounter with Hurricane Idalia this past week reminded me of horrific Hurricane Andrew in August of '92, greatly intensifying as it bore down on the South Florida coastline right at my frightened parents' house in Hollywood before veering just before landfall as Category Five and devastating Homestead several miles south.  Yes, sometimes reality can be scarier than science fiction, speaking of which here are my reactions to the book's final four tales...

NAMING THE FLOWERS by Kate Wilhelm

This is a novella about a very special little girl, born into a very wealthy family and an infant survivor of a devastating plane crash that claimed her mother...but no one can find her.  A man recovering from a broken marriage is taking a short break from work when, in the vicinity of the wreck, he encounters a little girl who befriends him.  Later an FBI agent contacts him and connects her to the missing infant...but how can that be since she would have quickly aged? The story goes on from there, the man, agent and girl and examines the ethics of government involving itself in genetics...whether the subject for investigation wants it or not.  Reminded me of the Stephen King novel Firestarter...

SNODGRASS by Ian R. MacLeod

What if, just as the Beatles began recording in 1962, John Lennon got angry in the studio and just walked away?  An interesting "what if" story that poses the theory that certain things will come back around full circle...including unhinged fans.  I liked how the author captured Lennon's personality here, although I'm not so sure things would have turned out this way had he flown the coop that early...

BY THE MIRROR OF MY YOUTH by Kathe Koja

A woman married to a callous, selfish man is dying of an incurable brain disease and has made the sacrificial move of having herself cloned into a replacement wife just like herself.  As she approaches her end, her resentment at her replacement-turned-rival only builds until they confront one another...and realize that they have a common purpose.  The husband here is a thoroughly monumental jerk...

OUTNUMBERING THE DEAD by Frederick Pohl

It is hundreds of years into the future and humanity has figured the way to inject immortality into the genetic code, resulting in a massive population growth (to 10 trillion) and pressure to settle many other worlds.  One man's body does not take to the genetic treatment, though...he is 92 and sees only some 30 more years of life before death.  Very popular as a movie star, singer and dancer, he yet feels himself a terrible victim in juxtaposition to everyone else.  In today's world he would be regarded as blessed for his longevity, but humans being what they are, it's all about who's around you and where you stand in comparison.  This "short story" was in truth a pretty long novella to close out the 1992 anthology...

Next week I began review science fiction short stories from the year 1993...

A Little Bit Behind in My "Songs of the Year" List for 2023

Let's see...it's already the first week of September 2023 and I have yet to even begin to compile a list of my favorite songs of the year so far.  Well, it's been a while since I would draw upon what I heard off the radio...that medium I only use nowadays to occasionally listen to my local classical music station.  No, in recent years I listen to my favorite acts off YouTube, buying their CDs if they're especially good.  Up until this moment I would have to say that the track A Hairdryer...yes, that's the title...off The Smile's album A Light for Attracting Attention, is my "song of the year" so far.  Yet I just checked on the Web to see who's come (or coming) out with new albums this year, and there are a lot of good acts: Korn, Smashing Pumpkins, Gorillaz, Philip Selway (from Radiohead), U2, Depeche Mode, The New Pornographers, Pet Shop Boys, Paul Simon, Yes, The Guess Who, Andrew Bird, The Hives, Sufjan Stevens and Cold War Kids stand out to me.  I'm especially interested in Sufjan's new album Javelin, scheduled for release October 6...I'm almost certain to order that one.  So yes, there are plenty of new tracks for me to immerse myself in.  I don't have to like everything on an album for it to contain some real gems...should be fun checking them out...

Enjoying Watching the US Open in Tennis

I've been watching the US Open tennis tournament this week.  Tonight, they're playing through the singles quarterfinals as some familiar faces are advancing while others have gone down to unexpected defeat.  I enjoy the familiar faces, some of whom have suffered banishment from Grand Slam events in recent times for their governments' belligerent actions and another...namely Novak Djokovic...blocked from the Australian and US Opens because of his refusal to take a Covid-19 vaccine.  Fortunately...at least as far as I am concerned...they're all back in action, providing some really good tennis.  ESPN2 has been showing the US Open, which takes place late summer each year in New York City.  My main objection to watching it isn't with any of the players, but rather with the often brash and unruly attendees in the stadiums.  The other night there was a near-stampede as Djokovic had reached his match point and a mass of spectators rushed downstairs to get a better look: insane!  Of late I've veered away from viewing team sports like football, baseball, soccer and basketball and now enjoy individual sports like golf and tennis.  Who do I think is going to win this year's US Open titles? Sabalenka on the women's side and either Medvedev or Djokovic on the men's...  

Just Finished Rereading City by Clifford Simak

City is a 1952 science fiction novel written by acclaimed writer Clifford Simak (1904-88), one of my favorites and someone whom I've read from back in my childhood.  I read City five years ago...click HERE to read my lengthier review on this blog from back then.  This novel is more or less a connected series of related short stories, two of which, Huddling Place and Desertion, I enjoyed and stand well as classics on their own: click on those titles to read further reviews from me.  The premise of City, while injecting a diversity of creative themes like intelligent and talking dogs, very sophisticated and feeling robots, the possibility transfer of identity between bodies, psychic mutant humans, other dimensions of reality, intelligent indigenous Martians and a spreading creed of nonviolence, is simple enough: much of it was written during World War II, with humanity presented as incurably violent and destructive, ultimately enemy to what is good in the universe.  The robot Jenkins, who served the Webster family for generations, is the unifying character in the novel, and who deliberates at crucial moments on the fate of just about all life on Earth...including man.  Simak wrote an epilogue to City in 1973 that has been included in later editions as a fitting conclusion to it all.  I loved the dialogue and personalities of this book's various characters, be they human, robot, animal or alien...I've always sensed an endearing tenderness in Simak's writing and an earnest attempt to empathize with the other guy's point of view: that's a virtue sadly lacking in today's "double-down" culture.  If you can pick up a copy of City, I recommend it.  If none are available, you can listen to the audiobook version on YouTube...

My July and August 2023 Running and Walking Report

For the previous two months of summer my overall amount of running and walking mileage took a nosedive, much of this due to (1) issues with lower back spasms and (2) becoming ill...I've happily recovered from both for weeks.  Still, I managed to generate more than 200 miles of running training mileage for each of July and August and managed to run two local Depot Parkrun 5K races on August 19th and 26th...they're free and held each Saturday morning at Gainesville's pretty Depot Park.  I have also been visiting my local gym after work to run and walk on the treadmill...I think that has helped a lot, too.  Unfortunately, the summer weather here has been the most stifling hot and humid season I can remember experiencing...and I grew up near Miami!  I am hoping against hope for conditions to greatly improve in September, but still plan to trudge ahead regardless.  Eventually I plan to run in some longer distance races starting in October...we'll see how I'm doing by that time.  This morning I skipped the Parkrun, correctly gauging that I needed the extra sleep.  I signed up to run a 4-mile race organized by the Florida Track Club, of which I'm a member, that starts and finishes at Squirrel Ridge Park off Williston Road near US441. Should be fun: it happens next Saturday...

Quote of the Week...from Niels Bohr

 An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field. 

                                                                           ---Niels Bohr

Neils Bohr (1885-1962) was a Danish physicist, one of the most instrumental scientists in history who made crucial contributions toward the creation of the theory of quantum mechanics.  He was a great teacher and role model for his ethics and understanding in his chosen field.  He also apparently understood quite well about the nature of learning and how necessary action is, along with the required trait of not being afraid to made mistakes in the pursuit of higher academic attainment.  I loved the above quote when I found it, for I'm dealing with similar issues regarding my study of foreign languages...although I'm confident that a Nobel Prize of the sort that Bohr received isn't going to be in the works for me.  For the past few months I've been following polyglot Steve Kaufmann, subscribing to his excellent Internet foreign language study site called LingQ,  Kaufmann is an advocate of absorbing vast amounts of material in the target language through listening and reading while allowing the human brain to work its own magic as it is specifically designed to acquire language without the need to go through painstaking rules and memorization of the kind students over the ages have been subjected to (and still are).  But he also emphasizes that during the process many mistakes will be made...and that's all right, it's a part of the learning!  But people have been conditioned from both the pressures in school of being "correct" for good grades and possible public humiliation around others for goofing up when they try to express themselves.  I even once had a Russian professor at UF who told his class that they could say anything they wanted to him in Russian, only that they had better say it right: that shut everyone up in a hurry! When I worked more than forty years ago as a cook at a local Chinese restaurant, I noticed that of my Vietnamese coworkers who were trying to learn English, the ones who threw away their pride and jumped into speaking English, errors and all, quickly learned it while those afraid to sound silly took much, much longer.  Making mistakes is an important part of learning...schools should chiefly be concerned about keeping their students from blowing up the lab in the process instead of stifling their progress by creating artificial little phony pockets of perfection...