Microposts

Although A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine isn’t as remarkable as A Memory Called Empire, I still really enjoyed it. Some of the enjoyment was momentum from the first book. I also liked the mystery of the aliens and the exploration of shared memories and awareness 📚

Added this to my “brains are fascinating” note: How memories persist where bodies, and even brains, do not

It seems that a 44-year-old French man had gone to hospital complaining of a mild weakness in his left leg. Doctors learned that the patient ‘had a shunt inserted into his head to drain away hydrocephalus – water on the brain – as an infant. The shunt was removed when he was 14.’ When they scanned his brain, they found a huge fluid-filled chamber occupying most of the space in his skull, leaving little more than a thin sheet of actual brain tissue. The patient, a married father of two children, worked as a civil servant apparently leading a normal life, despite having a cranium filled with spinal fluid and very little brain tissue.

Fathoms by Rebecca Giggs is about so much more than whales. Beautifully written, Giggs uses whales to talk through society, culture, environmentalism, evolution, and history, along with lots of good natural history on whales📚

I really enjoyed the Foundation books as a kid and thought it might be fun to read them along with the new Apple TV show. I know they’ll diverge and look forward to seeing how they approach the original content

A person is holding a book titled Foundation by Asimov in front of a TV screen displaying an Apple TV+ show with the same title.

Federal Election Day here in Canada 🗳 🇨🇦. As a public servant, I have no public opinion about the parties. I do think, though, that we have a civic obligation to vote and, so, encourage any Canadians out there to make an informed choice and cast your ballot.

We celebrated 21 wonderful years of marriage with an extended weekend at the Sir Sam’s Inn near Haliburton.

We had gorgeous weather and lots of relaxation.

A peaceful lakeside scene features a green grassy area with a picnic table, large trees providing shade, a white gazebo near the water, and a partly cloudy sky above.A boat is floating on a calm lake under a sky filled with scattered, fluffy clouds.A large body of water is shown under a blue sky with scattered white clouds and a treeline in the distance.A serene lake is framed by trees with a distant view of a green hill under a clear blue sky.

To burn off some of the delicious food, we hiked up to the top of the ski hill through a twisted, 5K path to get a great view over the lake.

A highlighted route on a map forms the shape of a dog.A man and a woman are smiling and posing for a selfie outdoors with a scenic lake, hills, and a partly cloudy sky in the background.A scenic lake is surrounded by lush green trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Along with some canoeing on a quiet Eagle Lake.

A man wearing a blue life jacket and sunglasses sits cross-legged in a small boat on calm water with trees and hills in the background.A person wearing sunglasses and a blue life jacket is sitting in a canoe on a calm body of water with a forested shoreline in the background.A lakeside property with a house surrounded by trees and a dock extending into the water on a clear, sunny day.

More importantly, we had a chance to reconnect, celebrate our adventures together, and plan for what’s next.

A person with curly hair is sitting at a table in a cozy setting, smiling and wearing a light purple cardigan over a patterned top.

A charming house with stone pillars, large windows, a balcony, and an outdoor seating area with a red umbrella is situated in a lush green setting.A rectangular outdoor swimming pool is surrounded by lounge chairs and trees under a clear blue sky.A multi-story house with a gray roof is situated on a green lawn under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.A fenced swimming pool with lounge chairs and closed umbrellas overlooks a calm lake surrounded by trees under a partly cloudy sky.