📺 The Boys (Season 2) - ★★★☆☆
Not quite as good as season 1, though still entertaining and outrageous
Microposts
I was feeling a bit worn out. So, skipped this morning’s swim and slept in. This did wonders for my Readiness To Train score, which hadn’t been green for a week. A reminder, which should be unecessary, of the importance of rest.
🍿 Turning Red (2022) - ★★★☆☆
Finished reading: Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky. A fun read. I really liked the structure of alternating each chapter between fantasy and sci-fi, plus the story was intriguing 📚
Finished reading: Perhaps the Stars by Ada Palmer. A satisfying ending to the Terra Ignota series. I really enjoyed this series, though it can be a tough read. Jammed full of ideas and rich details, which can seem overwhelming at times. In the end, I’m not sure it was a successful novel, despite the ambition and fascinating world building📚
🎧 The Essential Sam Harris is a well done, comprehensive set of podcast episodes that dive into the details of specific topics, including artificial intelligence, consciousness, and morality. I’ve enjoyed each one, so far
🎧 Interstellar jazz from Hyper Dimensional Expansion Beam will wake you up
📺 Slow Horses seasons 1 and 2 are both great. I enjoyed the sarcastic competence of the rejects at Slough House
Started 2023 with a polar bear swim 🥶. 0°C air temperature and 2°C in the water. Now we’re huddled by the fire to warm up 🔥
My 2022 focussed on fitness. Strava helpfully summarizes this as over 4,000 km travelled with 1,600 🏃♂️, 2,500 🚴♂️, and 100 🏊♂️. Plus 🏋️♂️ and essential 🧘♂️ sessions. I’ll build on this in 2023 while striving for balance
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 →
🏃♂️ Nice run along the river. I’m glad it has warmed up a bit
🎶 I listened to a lot of Nils Frahm this year. Slightly biased, perhaps, by his most recent album being over three hours long
Precarious
Great additions to my reading list. Family knows me well 📚
Finished reading: Network Effect by Martha Wells. Murderbot is great! I’ll happily keep reading any books in this series 📚
Wednesday, December 21, 2022 →
Waiting for the train
Finished reading: The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. This series has been really entertaining so far📚
Spotted on today’s run
📺 Although I was entertained by The Rings of Power, I agree with Bret Devereaux’s criticisms of the show that left it feeling hollow
🎧📺 A fun episode of the Strong Songs podcast about the great Andor TV series
Festive moose
Finished reading: I wanted to like The Gun, the Ship, and the Pen by Linda Colley. The main thesis is that as societies became more complex and conflicts more intense, governments needed to develop written constitutions to cede rights to their citizens and keep them participating in wars. I found getting through the details a tough slog that distracted from the broader narrative. 📚
🏃♂️ Running in fresh snow can be nice. The ambient noise of the city is muffled and the snow cushions your foot striking the ground ❄️
Finished reading: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. Well worth reading. I appreciated the absence of giant, apocalyptic battles and the focus on the maturation of a single wizard📚
🎄Decorating
🏃♂️ I expected the rain on today’s zone 2 trail run. The hail and wind gusts were a surprise. Hard to hold zone 2 while being pummelled by ice! 💨🌧️🥶
📺 I’m looking forward to season 2 of Slow Horses. Season 1 was a surprise favourite for me
🏃♂️An easy, zone 2 run today. Almost dark by 5pm
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 →
Likely doing this a few times today 😴
📺 Outer Range on Amazon Prime is pretty good. Mysterious and creepy with great Wyoming scenery. As with many shows like this, I worry that the premise can’t sustain more than a season. We’ll see with this one, though the last episode seemed to unravel quickly