This Packing Puff is Built Like a Grenade
This is hysterical.
That is all.
Book Review: Murder on the Orient Express (Christie)
Have I read this before: Nope. I’m not really a murder mystery/detective book person.
Review: This was pretty good. Probably the most surprising thing was me figuring out the ending before it happened because, like I said, this is not my genre and I’ve never considered myself good at figuring out mysteries. But once some more facts came out about each of the characters, I kinda figured where things were going.
Favorite Part: The pacing was good in this one. It never dragged but also never felt rushed. It held your attention and made you want to keep reading to figure out how everything was going to connect at the end.
Rating: 6/10
Waiter! There’s a Gas Giant in my Orchestra!
So one of my favorite composers is Gustav Holst, and like many people (I’m assuming), I was introduced to his music via The Planets. We played the Jupiter movement in high school because the grade above us had chosen it as their senior song* to be played at their graduation and it was one of my favorite songs I’d ever played.
Anyway, I have three different recordings of Jupiter because they’re all a little different and I like each of them for various reasons. However, I just found a new version that I really dig. Check it:
I’ve never heard a performance of this song where you can hear the French horns so clearly in that tiny little section from 1:58 to 2:03. That’s such a miniscule part of this song but it’s so dynamic and cool and different that I absolutely love it.
Anyway.
*And what was our senior song, you ask? The goddamn Pirates of the Caribbean theme.** Some of us petitioned for Holst’s Mars movement, but we were outvoted. Freaking Johnny Depp.
**It’s a good theme, but it ain’t no Jupiter.
Today’s Running Question: Can I Beat the Storm?
Answer: Nope.
I could see the clouds encroaching, but I could not outrun them. Got blasted with wind and very cold rain for about five miles.
But the payoff was nice:
Ugh, the BASS
I love the original* so much, and anything that adds more bass to it gets a pass from me.
I say it with every song I listen to, I know, but damn this sounds good on the Sennheisers.
*Technically the original song was called Valerie by Steve Winwood, but Eric Prydz sampled it and the result was so awesome that Winwood actually changed the chorus of his song to match Prydz’ version better.
IT’S A SONG, I’M SORRY
A good portion of my blogs are about music, huh? I mean, I guess everyone loves music (unless you’re a COMMIE), so maybe that’s fine.
It’s better than like half of the other crap I blather on about here.
ANYWAY.
I don’t remember how I found this song, but this was one of the very first songs I ever remember burning to a CD. So I must have discovered it sometime around…I dunno…10th grade? 9th grade? I actually don’t know when I had my first CD player.*
Regardless of where it came from and when I discovered it, it activates some weird part of my brain. It’s not triggering a memory or a feeling or a place. It’s…it’s like it’s reminding me of a different life if that makes any sense. Especially the way that “Vienna” is sung.
ANYWAY.
I figured I’d put it on here to see if this triggers any other sort of weird brain stuff in others or if that’s just me.
*I actually wasn’t really into music until high school, either, which is INSANE.
The GigaToenail has Fallen
OH MY GOD do you want to see a toenail so absolutely overgrown and destroyed by miles and miles of running that it looks like a fossil?
OBSERVE!
Yes, that is, in fact, a toenail. I can confirm it, as I just ripped it off the middle toe of my left foot.
FINALLY.
That’s the underside of it. The top side doesn’t look much better, trust me…though maybe it does look more like a fossil than the underside.
(Thumb for scale.)
Now I’m down to one – count ‘em, ONE – wonky toenail on my left foot. Once that one falls off, my left foot is going to look more normal than it has in years.
Wild.
Have I done this one? HAVE I?!?!?!?!
(I don’t know, so let’s do it now.)
1. How has covid affected you?
I now have a better understand of just how stupid and selfish people are. There’s more, of course, but that’s the main takeaway right now.
2. What is a comfort show of yours ?
Frasier. My mom and I watch it every time I come back to the States.
3. Are you open about your past or do you not let anyone in?
Have…have you read this blog? I’ve got some pretty personal past stuff on here if you’re willing to hunt a bit for it. Go on, try it!
4. Favourite fast food joint?
McDonald’s. I’m basic, I know.
5. Do you think we were put on this earth for a reason?
Not for a “reason” in the respect that we often think of it. I think the universe is deterministic, but not driven by a specific reason. We just happen to be pieces of the universe that are presently on this planet and conscious of it. It’s cool, but there’s no reason behind it. In a very short time, we’ll all be something else in the universe…which is even cooler, in my opinion.
7. Do u ever feel like surveys are usually the same questions?
Indeed. That’s why I wonder sometimes if I’m just redoing a survey I’ve already done.
8. What were you doing 10 years ago?
March 2014? I was in my final semester of my math degree. I think I’d heard from U of C by then, too.
9. Do you call out Karen’s when they’re harassing a cashier?
I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity, actually.
10. Animal crossing , yay or nay?
Never played it.
11. Why do you like to do surveys?
Fun. Also, I like to throw in random nonsense and see if anyone can distinguish it from the non-nonsense.
12. Did you ever have a MySpace ?
THAT’S WHERE THIS SWEET BABY OF A BLOG WAS BORN, IGNORANT READER!
13. Do you think breaks are toxic in a relationship?
If the people in the relationship are both legitimately cool with it, no.
14. Do you have a YouTube channel? If no , would you create one? If yes what’s your content?
I do. My “main” one is the one I use for putting up my class videos, but I have a personal one with all my dumb home video nonsense on it.
15. Are you a math person?
Nope. Which is why I teach it. Long story.
16. What’s the worse thing someone has said to you?
Nothing worse than what I’ve said to myself.
17. Have you ever befriended someone because you felt bad?
I thought that said BEHEADED. Heh. Good thing it doesn’t, huh? RIGHT???
18. Would you ever date someone online?
BEEN THERE DONE THAT GOT MARRIED HAVE KITTY
19. Have you been ghosted before? Would you ghost someone?
No to both.
20. When do you think things will be normal again?
Never.
21. Do you watch anime?
No.
22. Biggest goal you wanna reach before 2020 is over ?
BRO THIS SURVEY IS OLD
23. How old did/do you turn this year ?
36. BRO THIS SURVEY TAKER IS OLD
24. Do you like tiktok?
TikTok has too many cat videos for me to dislike it.
25. Do you ever miss vine?
We have TikTok now!
26. How are you doing, seriously?
Don’t even ask.
27. Is there someone you want to talk to but you know you can’t?
Nope.
28. Do you make jokes to cope with your problems?
I do things that are much more self-destructive.
29. Have you ever had someone call you their best friend but you didn’t even consider them a close friend?
Nope.
30. Have you ever dealt with a pathological liar?
Not that I’m aware of.
31. Long or short surveys?
Both!
32. If you’re in school, are you doing it on zoom or in class?
I teach now! Though I guess technically I’m working on that French certificate, which involves Zoom-based classes, so…
33. Would you ever have a pet rat?
Not while having a pet cat.
34. Favourite memory with your best friend?
I don’t have any friends.
35. Favourite type of content to watch on YouTube?
Disaster documentaries, people ranting about stuff, science stuff, makeup reviews, song covers/remixes.
36. Are you allergic to anything serious?
Nothing too serious.
37. Dream job?
My current one.
38. Do you think dreams mean anything?
I do indeed.
39. Fav clothing brand?
I don’t think I have a specific one. Whatever fits me.
40. Do you miss anyone?
My mom.
GOODBYE BIG BOY
The big toenail on my left foot fell off.
I actually wasn’t expecting it to; it was all black and gross but not anywhere near as black and gross as the other toenails on that foot, so it was quite a surprise when I felt it flap away from my toe when I caught it on the carpet.
Wanna see it?
I know you don’t, but here it is anyway.
I’m keeping all of these, by the way.
For science.
TWO THINGS
THING THE ONE:
I took my final exam for French today and got a 95%. So not as good as my first three exams (all 100%), but two of the questions I got wrong were totally stupid mistakes and the other one was a genuine “I don’t know what this is,” so.
THING THE DEUCE:
It’s opening day for baseball! Everything is better with baseball.
Edit: oh shit the Mets lost
Ronn Lucas
This guy is insanely talented. The delay part is great.
DRAFT DAY DRAFT DAY DRAFT DAY!
Fantasy baseball draft day, I mean. I got to pick second, which was pretty nice because I got two picks almost right in a row each time.
Anywayz, here are my dudes:
Batters
- Francisco Alvarez
- Randy Arozarena
- Mark Canha
- Nick Castellanos
- Jake Cronenworth
- Freddie Freeman
- Andrés Giménez
- Gunnar Henderson
- Jonathan India
- Francisco Lindor
- Starling Marte
- Cas McCormick
- Jeff McNeil
- Cedric Mullens
- Shohei Ohtani (batting, not pitching)
- Joc Pederson
- Will Smith
- George Springer
- Jack Suwinski
- Justin Turner
Pitchers
- Yu Darvish
- Max Fried
- Kenley Jansen
- Michael King
- Adam Ottavino
- Kodai Senga
- Tarik Skubal
- Blake Snell
- Justin Steele
We’ll see how we do this year!
Okay, this is cute.
[Edit: this was originally published as two videos, but now they’ve put out a single one with the whole story, so I’ve replaced the originals with that one]
Personified planets doing stuff together? I’m into it!
I saw a small clip of this on TikTok and was intrigued, so I looked it up on YouTube. Turns out this is the most recent video of a whole big series about the planets. I gotta check them all out now.
Edit 2: yeah, this is my new obsession now.
Book Review: The Last Tycoon (Fitzgerald)
Have I read this before: Nope. The was another book added in my most recent “300 Books” expansion.
Review: I love Fitzgerald. I love the way he writes. He has this wonderful ability to create a fully realized character in the first sentence written about them or in their first line of dialogue. He also has this carefree feel to his writing that encapsulates the time period in which his stories are set that I’ve never seen replicated quite the same way. This book (or partial book – it was left unfinished at Fitzgerald’s death) is no different in the characters and style. And even though it is incomplete in terms of plot and resolution, because of these unique features, I’d still give it a better score as a book overall than some of the other things I’ve read off my list (*cough* The Adventures of Augie March *cough*) because it still drew me in and made me keep reading.
ALSO, my freaking Kindle faked me out on when the book was going to end. I knew it was an unfinished novel and thus expected an abrupt ending at some point, but beyond that I didn’t know when this ending would be. So I was reading along happily – with my Kindle saying I was still only 68% of the way through – when the actual book ended and the rest of the Kindle edition (which contained discussions of the book as well as some snippets of other works) began. So it was a very abrupt ending, haha. But I was cool with it.
Favorite Part: Another thing I like about Fitzgerald is he just sprinkles in some absolutely beautiful little lines/descriptions every once and a while. Like this one about an earthquake:
“We didn’t get the full shock like at Long Beach where the upper stories of shops were spewed into the streets and small hotels drifted out to sea – but for a full minute our bowels were one with the bowels of the earth – like some nightmare attempt to attach our navel cords again and jerk us back to the womb of creation.”
Love it.
Rating: 7/10
Goooooo Vandals! And…Yale?
Well this is awesome.
Marching band kids are the best, yo.
Edit:
Nice!
DUO
I’ve now been using Duo for 600 days!
That’s pretty cool.
Here are some examples of the types of sentences I can read now.
Book Review: Jude the Obscure (Hardy)
Have I read this before: Nope. In fact, this was one of the books I added in my most recent “300 Books” expansion, as I’ve read some Hardy and enjoyed him.
Review: Thomas Hardy. Friend. If the purpose of this book was to introduce one of the most frustrating female characters ever into the vast realm of English literature, mission accomplished. Like…I know Hardy can write enjoyable female characters, as Tess (of d’Urbervilles) and Bathsheba (from Far from the Madding Crowd) were both somewhat frustrating but still enjoyable and “root for”-able.
But fucking Sue, dude. I get that she’s supposed to stand in as a representation of the conflicting influences of religion and sex and marriage on a woman (or a person in general), but I feel like such conflicts could still be portrayed without making me want to punch her through a wall whenever she was in the scene. Even Arabella was obnoxious with how she used Jude and how Jude’s character basically started to deteriorate as soon as he met her.
Just…ugh. Frustrating characters and not in a good way, man. You know it’s rough when the most sympathetic character in a book is a creepy weirdo kid who commits murder-suicide.
Favorite Part: I don’t know if I have one. The fact that they referred to their creepy weirdo kid as “Father Time” was kind of…creepy and weird, I guess.
Rating: 4/10
Um…
IS HE EARLY????
I think I’ve done this survey before but who cares I’m doing it again because no one else would ever notice
what is your favorite condiment to go with french fries?
Salt.
what is a field of study that is of your interest?
Like all of them, haha.
do you like to eat stir fry?
Sure. My own or Mongolian BBQ, if that counts.
what do you have a habit of doing when engaging in a conversation with someone?
Making awkward, unbreaking eye contact for like five minutes before realizing that’s creepy. Not knowing what to do with my arms. Talking.
does it bother you when someone cuts you off while walking?
Bro, you have NO IDEA. Especially if they see me coming, can tell that I’m walking faster than they’re going to, and still decide to get in front of me like a fart bag.
what color is your mp3?
I’m assuming you mean “mp3 player,” bro. It’s pink.
have you ever laid in a hammock?
Yes?
what time of day do you feel mostly at peace?
Peace is an illusion.
how has the weather been treating you lately?
Eh. It’s been okay.
is there a song or lyrics currently superglued in your head?
Not at the moment, no.
have you ever lost a pet in a tragic way? how did you cope?
We’re not talking about this one.
what type of curtains do you like?
Uh…the kind that…cover the windows…?
what can you go a day without doing?
GIVING A CRAP
what can’t you go a day without doing?
Being a disappointment.
what is your ideal weekend like?
A long run. Staying up late. Walking with Nate. Doing art.
who do you spend most of your time with?
Nate.
are you into graphic novels?
Nope.
do you have a favorite classical composer?
Holst!
what type of quality is a must have in a friend?
Being a weirdo.
are you any good at reading someones body language?
Maybe?
where is the farthest you have traveled?
Helsinki.
do people tend to get the wrong idea about you? or is it the other way around?
I have no idea. You should ask them.
have you ever ate a zucchini?
My mom made me zoodles once. They were great.
what type of art would you hang up in your room?
Anything colorful.
what goes good with a nice cold glass of milk?
Cold milk on its own is just fine.
what fruit is too sweet to you?
I don’t know if I’ve ever described something as “too sweet.”
can you whistle an entire song?
Yup.
how do you spend those last couple of minutes before falling into sleep?
Fantasizing.
Nope, Not Dead
So much to everyone’s disappointment (especially mine), the poop water from Saturday didn’t kill me and I’m still here.
Yaaaaaay.
Flaaaaaaags!
Any video that combines legit flag critique and legit humor gets an A+ from me.
Nunavut’s flag is cool. But I actively hate BC’s flag. It…it bugs me.
Adventures in Running: Ultra Marathon, Non-Potable Water, and Waiting to Die
Ha.
So.
Today I went for a run. Nothing unusual there. I was aiming for at least 29 miles, but was hoping to do another 50k because it’s been a while and I REALLY need to get my mileage up for the 60k coming in May/June.
The run was really nice. Not too hot, not too cold, not too many people out, and I was deliberately trying to take it a bit slower than normal so that I wouldn’t completely burn out if I decided to go for the 50. Also, rather than run through the icy/slushy/wet hell that is Sue Higgins Park (a dog park), I took Nate’s advice and crossed the river to run on the other side.
I also did this because there were public bathrooms there that I was sure I had gotten water from last summer (we had walked down there with my mom).
So all was going well. The other side of the river was WAY nicer than the dog park side, and when I got to 14.5 miles, I turned around to head back home with the intention of stopping at the public bathroom (mile…18?) to grab some water with my little collapsible silicone cup.
Luckily there was no one in there, so I just held my breath (Covid fears…yes, I know, I know…), filled up the cup all the way, and went back outside to drink it.
Tasted kinda off, but not too bad.
Went back in to get some more just to wash out my mouth a little.
And when doing so, I noticed the big sign on the wall: “DO NOT DRINK THE WATER”
Sooooo…yeah. Apparently I’d just drank non-potable water.
(Which is weird, because I’m sure that I drank from that sink last year, hence my not even considering there was a “don’t drink the poop water” sign anywhere)
So I spent the rest of my run wondering if/when I’d experience any negative side effects from that.
I did do 50k, though, and was actually able to run up our hill at the end of the distance, which is not something I thought I’d be able to do at mile 30.5.
So maybe the poop water gave me extra power?
We’ll see if I die in the next few days, haha.
(One can only hope.)
Was Yesterday a Dream?
Because my brain is trying to convince me I hallucinated the whole thing. There’s no way I should have tenure.
I have to keep re-reading that email I got confirming the decision.
And I can’t concentrate on anything else today, haha.
I GOT IT
I got tenure.
That is all.
Ew.
This is…this is disgusting.
“So while the rest of the world seems to have moved on from the pandemic, in our house, it is still 2020. We wear masks when we go into public indoor spaces. We don’t eat inside restaurants. We don’t go to movies. We have people take COVID tests before they enter our house. All this leaves me feeling torn between two emotions. I want to keep my husband safe and healthy. But I also want our old life back.”
Before that quote, she talks about how her husband is immunocompromised and how his first COVID infection left him very ill. And how she’s pregnant. And how there’s still so much more we don’t know about COVID yet.
Like…I want my old life back, too. But it’s gone. I don’t think we’ll get back to that for a long time (if ever).
This whole thing is also something I fear. I’ve never had COVID (as far as I know) and thus don’t suffer from long COVID, but I’m still cautious as hell because I don’t want to get COVID and risk the chance of long COVID. My family members put up with my cautiousness for now and still (to some extent at least) maintain a level of caution themselves, but what happens when they decide to stop? What happens when they decide that my caution is unwarranted and not worth keeping up masking in public spaces or being careful around others (even if they probably don’t have COVID)?
What happens when our levels of caution are no longer compatible? I feel like I’m going to be masking still for a long time, especially given my job. How much longer will my family want to put up with my caution?
I don’t know. And it’s not a fun thing to think about.
Eigenblogger 