Finished reading: The Nova Incident by Dan Moren is an entertaining mix of espionage, action, and sci-fi. I’ve enjoyed all of the books in this series 📚
Microposts
I’m aligned with the views of the Incomparable panel on recent Star Trek: Discovery is disappointing, Picard is frustrating, and Strange New Worlds is delightful 🖖
Reunification day! Kids are back from a month at summer camp. Tanned, relaxed, and happy
Finished reading: Although I was already familiar with many of the details, A Series of Fortunate Events by Sean B. Carroll was a brief and entertaining overview of the role of chance in biology. Both humbling and inspiring to think about how contingent everything is📚
My annual cottage vacation is imminent and a favourite part is reading books by the lake.
In past years, I’ve packed a pile of library books. But, I average more than ten books over the break. Adding in my family (though they’re less voracious readers) means we end up with a big box of books to fit in an already crowded car.
So, the past few years I’ve switched to reading library books on my iPad. Being able to “carry” so many books on the device, plus adding more if necessary, is great. The downsides, though, include difficulty reading through the glare of sunlight and the occasional shutdown from overheating. Plus, there are so many easy distractions on an iPad.
Thanks to a good discount and a review by Jason Snell of integrating with public libraries, I’ve bought a Kobo Libra 2. This is now my dedicated library book device (although it does have other features, like a bookstore, Pocket integration, and audiobooks). The e-ink really is remarkably easy to read outside, even in direct sunlight, and I like the physical page-turn buttons.
Although I always have a general preference for physical books, the convenience of an entire public library on a handheld device can’t be beat for vacation reading.
Very difficult for me to not enjoy Star Trek Picard, given my nostalgia for TNG. That said, season 2 was only okay. The scenes with Q were all great and I liked the idea of the Borg queen trying to recreate a collective. The rest was pretty muddled.
Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was really fun. I enjoyed the return to mostly self-contained episodes and appreciated the modest fan service 🖖
Lucy would like some pizza
The Ironman 70.3 in Tremblant was a fantastic experience! Gorgeous course – though you really have to like hills – and really well organized. Ridiculously hot on the run though 🥵. Thankfully there was plenty of ice at the aid stations. I ran most of the course with my shorts full of ice 😀.
A huge thanks to my fantastic race crew! Their support and enthusiasm were great, not to mention all their help over the past several months of training. Knowing they’d be at the finish line really got me through the tough kilometres 14 to 17 on the run.
Yikes, quite the cliff at kilometre 52!
Season 3 of For All Mankind starts off strong! One of my favourite shows of the last few years and I’m looking forward to this season 📺
My longest bike ride yet: 105 km. Tough, but fun. Good to have a strong crew pulling me along 🚴
Great Vance Joy show that featured a rainbow after a short rainstorm 🎶
Although a small thing in the context of the WWDC announcements, I like the upcoming changes to the Workout app in WatchOS 🏃♂️
A big thank you to my race crew for their support at today’s triathlon.
First time using the new bike rack.
I think this is everything!
Finished reading: I really enjoyed The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. A fun mix of espionage and supernatural with a good sense of humour 📚
Day 19: Breakfast indulgence: scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, and cheese 📷
Day 18: No longer random puzzle pieces 📷
Day 17: Hold 📷
Unwanted house guests
Day 15: Prairie clouds 📷
Day 12: Tranquility 📷
Day 11: Maroon sign of spring 📷
Day 10: For several years, we’ve participated in a fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer Canada that sells pots of purple pansies 📷
Day 9: Magnolia blooms are imminent 📷
Finished reading: Although surprisingly little actually happens with the plot in Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers, the characters and world building are great. Along with fascinating questions about what it means to be human and how to value tradition📚
Day 8: Toronto Union Station 📷
