Microposts

Day 11: Retrospect

Large clock in the Great Hall at Toronto’s Union Station

Day 10: Cycle

Four cyclists on a road with pink sunrise sky

Finished reading: Earthseed by Octavia E. Butler is a powerful story that is surprisingly optimistic for a dystopia πŸ“š

Day 9: Language

Shelves covered with books

Day 8: Yonder

Sun setting behind a tree in the distance behind a field with a winding gravel path

Day 7: Panorama

Panoramic photo of a lake from the dock

Almost BBQ’d a mouse! Spotted it just as I was turning on the burner.

A mouse hiding under the BBQ burner with a face peeking out one side and tail the other

Day 6: Well

Kids getting soaked by a fountain

Day 5: Forest

Gravel path through tall trees

Day 4: Orange

Vegetables in a frying pan, including orange peppers

Day 3: Precious

Close up of my hand with a wedding ring

Day 2: Buildup

Looking up a rock cliff, buikt uo with moss and plants

Not a great start to Season 2 of Invasion. The ease with which Mitsuki easily dispatches a half dozen invaders doesn’t suggest much jeapordy.

I really liked the initial mystery and slow build of the first half of Season 1. So, will stick with Season 2 for now πŸ“Ί

Day 1: Abstract

Close up of an abstract floral painting with lots of colours

Finished reading: The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is a great story about an outsider being thrust into power and the decisions they need to make without compromising their ideals πŸ“š

The only perk of returning home from a cottage vacation is that I got to watch the season finale of Strange New Worlds. Great show! πŸ––

Last night of vacation

Moon in clouds shining over a lake

I’ve been making an effort to listen to the Moments in Waking Up when the randomly timed notifications come in. This one resonated with me today: β€œWe too have problems that cannot be solved by more thinking”

Finished reading: I really enjoyed Hands of Time by Rebecca Struthers. Although notionally about mechanical watches, there’s also interesting ideas about time, building things by hand, and focusing on what really matters.

The book also resurrected an internal debate about the Apple Watch vs mechanical watches. For now, I’m going to take this as inspiration to reconsider my watch faces πŸ“š

Finished reading: Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson finishes the remarkable trilogy. Robinson’s meticulous detail (though occasionally overwhelming) really brings Mars to life, along with compelling characters and ideas. Although I sympathize with the β€œreds”, I think the series ended appropriately πŸ“š

I’m disappointed that Amazon cancelled The Peripheral. Season 1 was really good πŸ“Ί

The owner of the cottage we’re renting just switched to StarLink. We’ve gone from 1 Mbps to 10. Nothing like the 1,000 we’re used to at home, though more than enough for lounging around the cottage. The only trouble we had before was that music streaming was unreliable.

Exploring the lake πŸ›Ά

A view of the lake over the edge of the kayak

Every night!

Sunset over a lake with many small clouds

Found another long run loop πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ

Gravel road through hills with running stats overlaid: 19.67km; 1hr52m

Finished reading: I enjoyed The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan. I’m simultaneously pleased and daunted by the number of books left in this series πŸ“š

My longest swim yet πŸŠβ€β™‚οΈ

A calm lake with swim stats overlaid: 3,156 m, 1hr8m

Finished reading: Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a great start to the series. I enjoy a good story about plucky humans taking on powerful and mysterious aliens with inscrutable motivations πŸ“š

Tried a new route today πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ

Gravel road winding through a forest with running stats overlaid: 16km 1hr35m

Finished reading: Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson is a compelling and richly detailed story about a prehistoric tribe. Since I’m on vacation at a cottage in the woods, I felt a stronger connection with the world of the book than I might have at home πŸ“š