Microposts

๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Nice to see some sun on todayโ€™s run along the Leslie Spit

Toronto skyline from across the lake. Overlaid with running stats: 23.54 km in 2h11m

๐Ÿ“š These Wheel of Time books are long! I only got 1/3 of the way through The Shadow Rising before the library loan ended

๐Ÿšดโ€โ™‚๏ธ Great crew for a ride up both sides of Achterbahn

Strava map of a 51.6 km virtual ride

Finished reading: System Collapse by Martha Wells is another fun book in a great series๐Ÿ“š

Finished reading: The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury is rather strange. Some really lovely, poetic passages about the tranquility and beauty of Mars, coupled with buffoonish characters from Earth. I totally get this could be intentional, though it is jarring ๐Ÿ“š

Finished reading: The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1] by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn is a remarkable book. I’ve never really comprehended the Stalin-era purges. Solzhenitsyn’s dark humour and extensive narrative details really helped make them feel horrifyingly real ๐Ÿ“š

๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Found some company on todayโ€™s run

Two swans floating close together in a lake with a yellowish sunrise behind them

New books for the new year ๐Ÿ“š

Stack of books: Midlife, Make it So, The Future of Us, The Rise and Reign of Mammals, My Effinโ€™ Life

๐Ÿฅถ Shortest and coldest swim of the year

Group of people standing in front of a lake. All bundled up and getting ready for a swim

Finished reading: Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a good end to a fun series. I enjoyed the world building and premise of the trilogy which doesnโ€™t get too serious ๐Ÿ“š

Finished reading: Against the Grain by James C. Scott is a really interesting exploration of the links between agriculture and state building. Definitely changed my mind about early state formation ๐Ÿ“š

We had a fun family night out to see the Candlelight Tribute to Taylor Swift at Longboat Hall. Interesting to hear the music reinterpreted by these talented musicians

A string quartet up on stage holding their instruments while surrounded by candles

๐ŸŽต Will Butler + Sister Squares - Will Butler + Sister Squares

Iโ€™m enjoying this one

Will Butler + Sister Squares - Will Butler + Sister Squares poster

The new Apple Watch integration with Training Peaks is really nice. Like my Garmin friends, I can finally just roll out of bed and do what my watch tell me to without having to manually create workouts ๐ŸŠ๐Ÿšดโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ

DayOne has integrated Journaling Suggestions already. A nice addition and now there’s no compelling reason to use the new Apple Journal app. I liked the promised simplicity of the new app, only to find it too simple. My journal is extended memory, so I rely on search, which isn’t in the new app.

Lucy tried the gecko food. Didnโ€™t work well with her system, but she has no regrets

Chewed up package of gecko food in the foreground and a guilty looking black lab in the background

๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Forgot to turn off the workout before getting back in the car. Got some impressive running paces! ๐Ÿ˜€

Screenshot from the Fitness app showing 1:17/km and 1:29/km paces

Nice addition to HealthFit: a visual summary of training load to see if youโ€™re optimizing stress and recovery

Screenshot shows a coloured bar from blue to green to orange to red that indicates training balance

๐ŸŠ ๐Ÿšดโ€โ™‚๏ธ ๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Alright, signed up for the Ironman 70.3 in Muskoka. I enjoyed the race last year and look forward to a repeat

๐ŸŽ„ Tree is up and decorated

Charlie Brown novelty tree. Very spindly with a single drooping ornament

๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ Light rain, wind, and NIN playlist made for a gloomy ambience on todayโ€™s run

Waves crashing into a rocky shoreline with trees in the background under a cloudy, grey sky

I donโ€™t understand Appleโ€™s algorithms. Thereโ€™s no way I listened to 100 Gecs Boiler Room Session 51 times. Once was fun, but it is 1 hour and 26 minutes long. I would remember listening to it that many times

Screenshot from Apple Music Replay claiming I listened to the album a lot

๐Ÿƒโ€โ™‚๏ธ A bit gloomy on todayโ€™s off the bike run

A boardwalk covered in rain through trees without leaves

Trying out a new home screen with my personal focus.

Screen shot of the home screen

Finished reading: I’ll admit that I was hesitant to read Mistborn: Secret History by Brandon Sanderson. The original Mistborn trilogy came to a satisfying end for me and I knew that reading this book would open up to the whole Cosmere universe. I’ve simply decided that I don’t need to be a completionist. And, I’m glad, because this was a fun story that paired well with the trilogy ๐Ÿ“š

In a pleasant surprise, my cellular carrier just boosted by monthly 4GB to 20GB at no cost. Iโ€™m not accustomed to this kind of good customer serviceย from a carrier

Finished reading: All Souls Lost by Dan Moren is fun. Has the same lightly humorous tone as the Bayern Agenda series with a supernatural, rather than sci-fi, plot ๐Ÿ“š

Hmm, I beg to differ Apple Music

A screenshot from Apple Music. A search for โ€œhappy indieโ€ yields Nine Inch Nails

Iโ€™m not ready โ„๏ธ

Weather alert calling for snow