Kevin's Social Blog: 2020

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Aggretsuko Run

Aggretsuko Netflix Series Season 3:

2020-10-14: The Blessings of Life
2020-10-17: Deep in the Hole
2020-10-17: A Sheltered Life
2020-10-18: Winds of Change
2020-10-18: An Urchin in the Desert
2020-10-18: Crossroads
2020-10-19: An Impenetrable Wall
2020-10-19: Bursting Her Bubble
2020-10-19: The End of the Moratorium
2020-10-19: When You Count to Ten

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Kevin Voted Today (By Mail)

Federal Contests

President of the United States: Joe Biden
United States Representative: Jimmy Panetta

State Contests

State Senator: John Laird (17th district)
Member of the State Assembly: Mark Stone (29th district)

State Ballot Measures

N: Authorizes Bonds Continuing Stem Cell Research. Initiative Statute
Y: Increases Funding Sources for Public Schools, Community Colleges, and Local Government Services by Changing Tax Assessment of Commercial and Industrial Property. Initiative Constitutional Amendment
Y: Allows Diversity as a Factor in Public Employment, Education, and Contracting Decisions. Legislative Constitutional Amendment
Y: Restores Right to Vote After Completion of Prison Term. Legislative Constitutional Amendment
Y: Amends California Constitution to Permit 17-Year-Olds to Vote in Primary and Special Elections if They Will Turn 18 by the Next General Election and be Otherwise Eligible to Vote. Legislative Constitutional Amendment
N: Changes Certain Property Tax Rules. Legislative Constitutional Amendment
N: Restricts Parole for Certain Offenses Currently Considered to be Non-Violent. Authorizes Felony Sentences for Certain “Offenses Currently Treated Only as Misdemeanors. Initiative Statute
Y: Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property Initiative Statute
N: Exempts App-Based Transportation and Delivery Companies from Providing Employee Benefits to Certain Drivers. Initiative Statute
Y: Establish State Requirements for Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Requires On-Site Medical Professional. Initiative Statute
N: Amends Consumer Privacy Laws. Initiative Statute
Y: Referendum on Law That Replaced Money Bail with System Based on Public Safety and Flight Risk

City

Santa Cruz - Member of City Council

Kayla Kumar
Kelsey Hill
Marie Cadenas
Martine Watkins

Nonpartisan Offices - Judicial

Judge of the Superior Court

Nancy de la Peña

School
Santa Cruz County Board of Education - Governing Board Member Trustee Area 3

Sandra Nichols

Cabrillo Community College District - Governing Board Member Trustee Area 4

Diana Alfaro

RESOURCES

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2020/10/a-short-guide-to-californias-2020-ballot-initiatives/

https://brokeassstuart.com/2020/10/05/the-november-2020-bas-voter-guide/

https://progressivevotersguide.com/california/2020/general/county/santacruz

https://goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-news/six-women-candidates-santa-cruz-city-council/

Monday, July 13, 2020

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Run

Started watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series).

SEASON 5 (2012–13)

2021-05-17: Revival
2021-05-18: A War on Two Fronts
2021-05-20: Front Runners
The Soft War
Tipping Points
The Gathering
A Test of Strength
Bound for Rescue
A Necessary Bond
Secret Weapons
A Sunny Day in the Void
Missing in Action
Point of No Return
Eminence
Shades of Reason
The Lawless
Sabotage
The Jedi Who Knew Too Much
To Catch a Jedi
The Wrong Jedi

SEASON 4: BATTLE LINES (2011–12)

2020-11-28: Water War
2020-11-28: Gungan Attack
2020-11-28: Prisoners
2020-11-28: Shadow Warrior
2020-11-28: Mercy Mission
2020-11-28: Nomad Droids
2020-11-28: Darkness on Umbara
2020-11-28: The General
2020-11-28: Plan of Dissent
2020-11-29: Carnage of Krell
2020-11-29: Kidnapped
2020-11-29: Slaves of the Republic
2020-11-29: Escape from Kadavo
2020-11-29: A Friend in Need
2020-11-29: Deception
2020-11-29: Friends and Enemies
2021-01-22: The Box
2021-01-22: Crisis on Naboo
2021-01-23: Massacre
2021-01-23: Bounty
2021-01-23: Brothers
2021-05-17: Revenge

SEASON 3: SECRETS REVEALED (2010–11)

2020-10-06: Clone Cadets
2020-10-06: ARC Troopers
2020-10-07: Supply Lines
2020-10-07: Sphere of Influence
2020-10-07: Corruption
2020-11-20: The Academy
2020-11-20: Assassin
2020-11-20: Evil Plans
2020-11-20: Hunt for Ziro
2020-11-20: Heroes on Both Sides
2020-11-20: Pursuit of Peace
2020-11-20: Nightsisters
2020-11-20: Monster
2020-11-27: Witches of the Mist
2020-11-27: Overlords
2020-11-27: Altar of Mortis
2020-11-27: Ghosts of Mortis
2020-11-27: The Citadel
2020-11-27: Counter Attack
2020-11-27: Citadel Rescue
2020-11-27: Padawan Lost
2020-11-27: Wookiee Hunt

SEASON 2: RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS (2009–10)

2020-08-01: Holocron Heist
2020-08-01: Cargo of Doom
2020-08-01: Children of the Force
2020-08-02: Senate Spy
2020-08-03: Landing at Point Rain
2020-08-03: Weapons Factory
2020-08-03: Legacy of Terror
2020-08-05: Brain Invaders
2020-08-05: Grievous Intrigue
2020-08-05: The Deserter
2020-08-06: Lightsaber Lost
2020-08-06: The Mandalore Plot
2020-08-06: Voyage of Temptation
2020-08-18: Duchess of Mandalore
2020-08-18: Senate Murders
2020-08-18: Cat and Mouse
2020-08-18: Bounty Hunters
2020-08-22: The Zillo Beast
2020-08-22: The Zillo Beast Strikes Back
2020-08-22: Death Trap
2020-08-22: R2 Come Home
2020-10-06: Lethal Trackdown

SEASON 1 (2008–09)

2020-07-13: Ambush
2020-07-13: Rising Malevolence
2020-07-13: Shadow of Malevolence
2020-07-13: Destroy Malevolence
2020-07-14: Rookies
2020-07-14: Downfall of a Droid
2020-07-14: Duel of the Droids
2020-07-15: Bombad Jedi
2020-07-15: Cloak of Darkness
2020-07-15: Lair of Grievous
2020-07-15: Dooku Captured
2020-07-15: The Gungan General
2020-07-16: Jedi Crash
2020-07-16: Defenders of Peace
2020-07-16: Trespass
2020-07-28: The Hidden Enemy
2020-07-28: Blue Shadow Virus
2020-07-28: Mystery of a Thousand Moons
2020-07-28: Storm Over Ryloth
2020-08-01: Innocents of Ryloth
2020-08-01: Liberty on Ryloth
2020-08-01: Hostage Crisis

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Diluting 950mL 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to 70%

To dilute 950mL of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to 70%, add 1 2/3 cups water (distilled, if available).

DETAILS

Via Leslie Storer, high school science teacher:

To determine how much water to add to a specific volume of 99% isopropyl alcohol, use the dilution formula C1·V1 = C2·V2, where;

C1 = concentration before dilution

V1 = volume before dilution

C2 = concentration after dilution

V2 = volume after dilution

You should know all variables except V2. Solve the formula for V2:

V2 = C1·V1/C2

The amount of solvent to add is V2 - V1.

So:

(99% * 950mL) / 70%

Results in 1344mL final volume (V2).

The amount of water to add is 1344mL - 950mL, or 394mL, which equals 1.66534 cups water, or roughly 1 and 2/3 cups water.

Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Resting heart rate: 80bpm ~60 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.4 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,101 cal/day
Weather: slightly misty, overcast
Temp: 11.6 C (53 F) wind 2 mph gusts
Time: 7:15-8:30 p.m. (75 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Late twilight run into evening. Passed a few people but mostly an empty campus, heard a turkey and an owl, visited the Porter koi pond, lots of hills. Felt decent and went farther and a different route than usual. Construction crews have completely demolished the Kresge Assembly hall. By Porter, construction crews have fenced off the path from Bowls to Family Student Housing, so instead of navigating the grass in the dark, I went back through Rachel Carson College. A maintenance crew member went into the cafe area for some reason (bathroom?). Overall mostly a chance to get some exercise after staying indoors for the past few days.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~7.5 km (4.66 mi)
Weight (after run; clothed): 87.3 kg (192.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Bit of ache behind left knee and in left calf, but otherwise just normal muscle fatigue
Foods eaten today: oatmeal with raspberries, blueberries, and chopped walnuts, coffee, chamomile tea, Trader Joe's gnocchi, toasted bread, mixed vegetables, chocolate covered coffee beans, fig bars, glass of red wine, shepherd's pie, toasted bagel with guacamole

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Running Journal, 2020-02-29

Resting heart rate: 86bpm ~5 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.0 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,080 cal/day
Weather: clear
Temp: 10.6 C (51 F) wind 2 mph gusts
Time: 5:38-6:38 a.m. (60 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Leap year day run to OPERS and back. Two laps at OPERS field tonight, with breaks to play HPWU. Felt energized at the end although a bit lightheaded at times, probably from looking down at the phone. Lungs felt exercised. Weather was a bit chilly with some light wind while at the OPERS field. Stopped briefly to let two adolescent black-tailed deer cross the running path. A handful of people slacklining and playing volleyball and tennis and basketball. Pretty quiet. Saw a student filming a black garbage bag he had placed over a street light globe near the Digital Arts Research Center (DARC) building. On my outbound run, I had passed the guy as he unsuccessfully tried to put the bag over a different street light.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~6.3 km (3.9 mi)
Weight (after run; clothed): 86.1 kg (190.0 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Muscles felt a bit stiff earlier from my Thursday run, but felt fine once I was running
Foods eaten today: oatmeal with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, banana, and chopped walnuts, The Buttery chocolate cheesecake with chocolate sprinkles and chocolate graham cracker base, coffee, spring mix salad with balsamic dressing,

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Running Journal, 2020-02-27

Resting heart rate: 90bpm ~5 minutes after running; 80bpm ~45 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.0 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,081 cal/day
Weather: clear
Temp: 16 C (61 F) 0 mph wind
Time: 5:35-6:15 a.m. (50 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Beautiful dusk run to OPERS and back. People slack lining, playing spikeball, swimming, and what looked like a group doing cross fit (sprinting, jogging, and weights). Saw a student at Rachel Carson College writing on an oversized paper tablet, with "RESOLUTION:" at the top. A Humanities event was ongoing in the music buildings.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~5.6 km (3.46 mi)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Left knee felt a bit sore at first but went away.
Foods eaten today: banana, cereal & milk, coffee, breakfast burrito, green olives, fig bar, bagel and cream cheese, macadamia nut ice cream, apple

Kevin Voted Today (By Mail)

Federal Contests

President of the United States: Elizabeth Warren
United States Representative: Jimmy Panetta

State Contests

State Senator: John Laird (17th district)
Member of the State Assembly: Mark Stone (29th district)

State Ballot Measures

Y: California Proposition 13: School and College Facilities Bond

City

N: Glover Recall Election

Candidate to succeed Drew Glover as Santa Cruz City Councilmember if he is recalled: Tim Fitzmaurice

N: Krohn Recall Election

Candidate to succeed Chris Krohn as Santa Cruz City Councilmember if he is recalled: Katherine Beiers

Y: Measure W, City Construction Charter Amendment
Y: Measure X, School District Trustee Charter Amendment

Judicial

Judge of the Superior Court: Annrae Angel

School
Cabrillo Community College District

Y: Measure R

Santa Cruz City High School District

Y: Measure T

Santa Cruz City Elementary School District

Y: Measure U

Monday, February 24, 2020

Green Apple Scavenger Hunt - UCSC Rachel Carson College Dining Hall

The green apple displayed at the entrance to the UCSC Rachel Carson College Dining Hall has gone missing!

I'm documenting the scavenger game to find it below. I am NOT affiliated with anyone involved and am doing this only to memorialize it for myself.

In Fall Quarter of 2018, the UCSC students in ARTG 129 - "Special Topics in Game Design" ran an Alternate Reality Game, Guardians of the UCSC. So I'm kind of hoping they're the same folks behind this--but maybe not! Edits will be sporadic and most likely incomplete.

TIMELINE

Last updated 03/08/2020 around 8:00 p.m. (SMS communications from 03/04/2020)

03/04/2020 (Wednesday)

SMS group conversation (presumably with everyone who signed up? Phone numbers posted to give the flavor of the conversation but redacted a bit to respect privacy):

12:30–12:36 p.m.

(408) 703-xxxx:

Where’s the Apple????

(650) 933-xxxx:

bet he's fucking dead

(408) 703-xxxx:

Free it already 🤬

(831) 298-9291:

Now on sale only $49.99

(408) 703-xxxx:

You have no right to sell it 😤

(831) 298-9291:

It’s not a sell, it’s a trade

I’m not fucking dead!

Photo of the RCC dining hall green apple sitting on a table. Photo name: 2020-03-04.jpg

A hand is shown holding the RCC dining hall green apple above a table. The apple appears to have a dent or cut near the base, revealing the white interior. Photo name: 2020-03-04.jpg

(714) 588-xxxx:

don't touch the apple like that he doesn't like it

(408) 703-xxxx:

Why tf r there white stuff marks on it huh

5:00 p.m.

(831) 316-xxxx:

Sounds like the 03/01/2020 hostage exchange at OPERS field failed 😅

7:55 p.m.

(408) 703-xxxx:

^ditto

Y’all Bette return it to its home

Better

*end SMS conversation*

Notes:

Sender breaks character
Apple seems damaged; unclear whether incurred recently
Selling the apple seems ... sad
Seems more likely this represents a non-class project (?)

02/28/2020 (Friday)

SMS group conversation (presumably with everyone who signed up? Phone numbers posted to give the flavor of the conversation but redacted a bit to respect privacy):

10:25 a.m.:

(831) 316-xxxx:
Can we get a proof of life photo please? TY!

02/24/2020 (Monday)

12:18–12:48 p.m.

SMS group conversation (presumably with everyone who signed up? Phone numbers posted to give the flavor of the conversation but redacted a bit to respect privacy):

(831) 298-9291:
Hi beautiful Slugs, I'm the apple, thank god you're the savior! Please please please find me and save me! ! ❤️

(949) 309-xxxx:

let her go you monster :(

she gets scared easily

(408) 703-xxxx:

Don’t assume apple’s gender

Rude

(916) 798-xxxx: 🍏 miss u

(714) 588-xxxx:

Emphasized “Don’t assume apple’s gender”

i miss u big apple :( u made me happy everytime i saw u

(925) 980-xxxx:

I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you

(714) 588-xxxx: i hope they're feeding u well

(408) 703-xxxx: :’) aww

(831) 298-9291:
love u❤️

they locked me up, but I don't recognize their faces. On Saturday they brought me out and took a couple of photos of me, i don't konw what for

I'm just an innocent apple

😭😭😭

(408) 703-xxxx: Dw go to sleep now,you’ll be safe in ur dreams

(831) 298-9291:

they untied me but I can’t move cause I’m an apple

Photo of the RCC dining hall green apple sitting on a chair, unrestrained by cords. Photo name: 2020-02-24.jpg

(949) 309-xxxx:

How are you texting us then? 🤔🤔

Something fishy is going on here

This isn't the apple I know and love

This is her captivators isn't it

(831) 298-9291:

the hostage takers untied me from the chair but I can’t move cause i'm an apple

i'm using my burner phone that they didn't find

(408) 703-xxxx:

We will save you soon ☝️

Did they steal your plastic box cover too

(831) 298-9291:

Yeah it was taken

(408) 703-xxxx:

The dh is so busy

How did you get kidnapped 😮

(831) 298-9291:

They must have the key to my room in dh! It was at night and I was half conscious, they opened the glass door and knocked me out. I couldn’t see their faces but the last word I heard was Porter

I honestly have no clue, I don’t know these people! And I’m scared!

Aight I gotta run they’re coming

(949) 309-xxxx:

it was an inside job

Fire all the rcc workers 😭

*end SMS conversation*

Notes:

I laughed out loud at "they untied me but I can’t move cause I’m an apple"
Photos on the hosting service have datetime stamps (e.g., 2020-02-23, 2020-02-24), so presumably we get a new one each day (?)
The SMS number is local 831 area code and different than the 730 area code (Alberta, Canada) used to sign-up ... it's a nice touch, presumably tied to the burner phone the apple hid
First big clue: Porter!

02/23/2020 (Sunday)

3:42 p.m.

SMS (780) 900-1653:
Important update to all participants, do not discard! We received inside source confirming that the RCC dining hall apple is scheduled to be exchanged by the hostage taker at Opers field at exactly 2:00 pm, 3/1/2020.

Photo of the RCC dining hall green apple sitting on a chair, restrained with several cords of the type one might use for climbing or hiking. A hand is shown holding a box cutter--razor extended--toward the apple, in what seems like a threatening manner. Photo name: 2020-02-23.jpg

02/21/2020 (Friday)

11:43 p.m.

Reddit user fred29056 posts:
Rescue Rachel Carson Dining Hall Apple!

Are you tired of the strike? I'm the green apple from Rachel Carson Dining Hall! I am lost and lonely. Come find me! To rescue me, please text at (780) 900-1653. Thanks, Slugs 😘

Photo of the RCC dining hall green apple sitting on a dormitory desk, illuminated by a task light. Photo name: yl21vccxifi41.jpg

Photo of the RCC dining hall green apple sitting on dormitory carpet (blue), next to a ruler, for proof of size. Photo name: kp4v6rvsifi41.jpg

SMS to (780) 900-1653 (around mid-day) results in this exchange:

(780) 900-1653: Thank you for contacting Fred! May I have your first name please?
Provide name(780) 900-1653: Good morning name! Please Reply YES to accept the scavenger hunt challenge; reply STOP to opt out.
YES
(780) 900-1653: Your number is added to the list, name! You will receive update information about the scavenger hunt within the next 48 hours.

Notes:

Photo file names (not sure if relevant):

yl21vccxifi41.jpg
kp4v6rvsifi41.jpg

02/20/2020 (Thursday)

Reddit user lookingskyward_ posts:

Subject:Found outside rcc, dont call the number

Flyer found near RCC, with header "WANTED: RCC APPLE STOLEN"

It reads [sic.]:

WANTED

RCC APPLE STOLEN

Suspect descreption:

electric Blue hair

red stripped shoe

HEINOUS personality ** residing at porter!!

Accomplice (???):

goth

Gay

stup*d

ARTIST RENDITION

[Images of two cartoon characters:

Sonic the Hedgehog (in bare feet)

Shadow the Hedgehog (with firearm)

note: A red line is drawn from "Suspect description" to the image of Sonic, and a blue line is drawn from "Accomplice" to Shadow. A red arrow also points to the red pair of shoes lying next to Sonic.]

please help us catch them they are VERY dangerous and veyr fast and so so scary please no more crime crime is evil and sinful and bad. than k you
if seen call 911 or call (575)-578-3015

(end of flyer)

The number (575)-578-3015 goes to voicemail and seems cribbed from a Car Impersonator flyer belonging to Alan Wagner, "an L.A.-based comedian who, along with creative partner Sydney Marquez, has turned absurdist, real-life memes into an art form":

https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/truewagner-bathe-in-my-milk/

Their Instagram page shows the Car Impersonator flyer and many other creations they have posted in their neighborhood:

https://www.instagram.com/truewagner/

The voicemail says something like:

Hi this is Carlton.
Uh, let me know if you want me to do it.
Let me know some of what your favorite cars are.
And you can fill me in on what, uh, shape they are generally and what kind of noise they make so I know what to do when I show up.
Uh, Yeah, let me know if it's for kids or nudes. Thanks.

So, edgy/weird comedy and a sort of weird/edgy flyer.

02/15/2020 (Saturday)

10:35 p.m.

Reddit user mischief-moony posts:

It’s been a few days since someone stole the giant green apple from rc dining hall and I have not see a single post about it. y’all we need to get that apple back where it belongs.

Notes:
Unclear if mischief-moony in on this (?)

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Running Journal, Saturday, 2020-02-22

Resting heart rate: 70bpm around 30 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.0 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,081 cal/day
Weather: overcast
Temp: 12 C (54 F) 0 mph wind
Time: 8:15-:8:55 a.m. (38 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Dawn poked me into running today and it went better than I expected, as I felt a bit drained. About two dozen deer feeding on grass at the far corner of OPERS field. On the way back, assisted two speakers (maybe Lexi B?) driving to the UCSC's Womxn's Career Summit at the Stevenson Event Center. Beautiful weather for running/walking.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~4.8 km (3.3 mi); 7.4 km (4.6 mi) (running + walking total)
Weight (after run; workout clothes): 86.0 kg (189.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: OK; felt a bit tired from walking a lot on Friday due to the COLA strikes
Foods eaten today: oatmeal (with banana and crushed walnuts), coffee, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Running Journal, Saturday, 2020-02-15

Ran with Dawn today but didn't record any details. Lovely weather. Ran twice around the OPERS field, where many people had gathered for the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships. View of Monterey Bay was obscured by mist, in part. Observed power washing of the Hahn Student Services Building, and amateur filming of a handful of mountain bikers. Tried to cut through the McHenry Library, but it did not open until 11:00 a.m. The Music Center Recital Hall was hosting an opera:

Family Opera: Massenet's "Cinderella"
The UCSC Opera presents its annual production for families with an English adaptation of Massenet's Cinderella. In partnership with the Watsonville branch of Santa Cruz County's El Sistema music education program, UCSC singers will present a 45-minute English adaptation of Massenet's Cendrillon (Cinderella). With a chorus of mice from Watsonville's Radcliffe Elementary School, and scenic design by Santa Cruz artist Dave Gardner, this production is a gift to the community. Massenet's ethereal score will delight audiences of all ages.

Come early to meet the cast and color a coloring page in the lobby.

Sanguk Kim conducts. Sheila Willey directs. Colin Hannon accompanies on piano.

We noticed someone had removed a glass globe from a street lamp at the base of the Rachel Carson College stairs, in Meyer Meadow.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Anime Run

This new anime premiered in Japan on January 5, 2020, and we have watched on the following dates, as it becomes available:

2020-01-30: "The Greatest World!"
2020-02-09: "The Eizouken Takes the Stage!"
2020-02-09: "Let's Accomplish Something!"
2020-02-09: "Hold That Machete Tight!"
2020-02-09: "An Iron Giant Appears!"
2020-02-16: "Let's Do Better Than Last Time!"
2020-05-31: "I Have To Do It For Myself!"
2020-05-31: "The Grand Shibahama Festival!"
2020-??-??: TBA
2020-??-??: TBA
2020-??-??: TBA
2020-??-??: TBA

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Running Journal, Thursday, 2020-02-13

Resting heart rate: 66bpm around 20 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.2 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,085 cal/day
Weather: sunset, mostly sunny
Temp: 9 C (48 F) 0 mph wind
Time: 5:29-6:28 p.m. (59 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Stopped frequently to play Wizards Unite, but overall feel pleased with the level of exertion and heart rate. Felt much better than last week, despite my left knee feeling a bit sore at first (from sitting?). At OPERS field, ran past black-tailed deer feeding and (on the opposite side) a golden retriever playing catch. Beautiful sunset view of the ocean from the dining hall patio of Rachel Carson College. Bit chilly so wore long sleeve technical shirt and was fine. Heart rate low. Felt better fueled for the run this time. Also three pounds lighter than last week.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running + walking total): ~5.3 km (3.3 mi)
Weight (after run; workout clothes): 86.4 kg (190.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Left knee felt a bit sore
Foods eaten today: oatmeal (with banana, blueberries, and crushed walnuts), coffee, green olives, Girl Scout cookies (thin mints and smores), sushi (brown rice salmon and avocado), sushi (brown rice cucumber and avocado), avocado sandwich, strawberry gummy candy, edamame, pinot noir

Thursday, February 06, 2020

Running Journal, Friday, 2020-02-06

Resting heart rate: 77bpm around 20 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.6 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,104 cal/day
Weather: sunset, clear
Temp: 10 C (50 F) 0 mph wind
Time: 5:10-5:50 p.m. (40 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Sunset run around campus. Felt ok, but quite over-exerted at the end. Light-headed and breathing hard. Lot of tension in my upper shoulders/neck, plus not probably not fueling right. Wasn't as electric and strong a run as on 01/24, but more steady pace this time, so I think I ended up running farther in one go, though less overall. Lots of people out on the OPERS field. Saw a group playing roundnet (also known as spikeball; how to play), lacrosse players, people tossing a football, slacklining, and over a dozen black-tailed deer. There was someone holding clipboards with signs near Cowell Service Road (?). Ran a bit more to get up to Hahn Student Services, but then chose to walk the rest of the way home due to just feeling wiped. Weather was perfect. Nice and cool.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~3.5 km (2.2 mi); Total (running + walking): ~5.25 km (3.25 mi)
Weight (after run; clothed): 87.7 kg (193.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: No pains, but felt over-exerted and lightheaded ... two much tension in shoulders plus not fueling appropriately (?)
Foods eaten today: oatmeal (with banana, raspberries, blueberries, and crushed walnuts), coffee, almonds, green olives, mixed garden salad with balsamic dressing, mini fiery Snickers, fizzy water, brown rice with four Bibigo Bulgogi Beef Mandu (Korean potstickers)

Friday, January 24, 2020

Running Journal, Friday, 2020-01-24

Resting heart rate: 82bpm around 30 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.5 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,098 cal/day
Weather: twilight, clear
Temp: 13 C (55 F) 0 mph wind
Time: 5:50-6:25 p.m. (35 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Lovely twilight view from OPERS field running track overlooking the lights of Monterey Bay. Stopped to walk a few times on the way back after running to the top of a hill.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~3.5 miles
Weight (after run): 87.3 kg (192.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: No
Foods eaten today: oatmeal with banana and crushed walnuts, coffee, almonds, green olives, matcha green tea, ramen noodles, curry sambosa, blood orange, fizzy water

Friday, January 17, 2020

Running Journal, Friday, 2020-01-17

Resting heart rate: 93bpm around 15 minutes after running
Body Mass Index (BMI): 25.4 (Overweight = 25–29.9)
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 2,092 cal/day
Weather: partly sunny
Temp: 8 C (46 F) 0 mph
Time: 5:00-5:30 p.m. (30 minutes)
Terrain: Hilly
Comments: Ran through Porter Meadow and found a makeshift meeting spot at the far corner, as well as a wooden bench and an upholstered love seat covered in graffiti (just before Kresge Gardens). Day after heavy rains and a bit slippery and muddy in spots. Felt strong despite the hills and ran across to Kerr Hall and down past the art/music buildings to Oakes Path and ended my run after running up the hill between Oakes and Rachel Carson, walking back up to the dining hall and across the bridge. Just enough to get the heart going.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~1.8 miles
Weight (after run): 86.9 kg (191.5 lb)
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: No
Foods eaten today: Banana, quiche, coffee, almonds, dark chocolate coffee beans, green olives, green tea with ginger

Monday, January 06, 2020

Book Recommendations: 2019

Out of the 144 audiobooks and 3 print books I listened to/read in 2019, these represent my favorites, in no particular order:

The Idiot (2017) - Elif Batuman
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay (2018) - Phoebe Robinson
The Cooking Gene (2017) - Michael W. Twitty
Educated: A Memoir (2018) - Tara Westover
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It (2016) - Christopher Voss
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (2010) - Anthony Bourdain (and his first book as well, but trying to limit to one per author)
The Last Black Unicorn (2017) - Tiffany Haddish
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (2014) - Cary Elwes
Everything Trump Touches Dies (2018) - Rick Wilson
The House of Broken Angels (2018) - Luís Alberto Urrea
The Island of Sea Women (2019) - Lisa See
No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir (2019) - Ani DiFranco
Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood (2019) - J. Michael Straczynski
The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California (2019) - Mark Arax
Exhalation: Stories (2019) - Ted Chiang

I would wholeheartedly recommend these and consider reading/listening to them again (in at least one case I have).

Note: a special recognition for audiobook "High School (2019) - Tegan Quin and Sara Quin", for enhancing the narrative inline with musical performances and other spoken word articulations. Brava!

Books List 2020

Ordered by most recently listened to, first.

Audiobooks

Queue:

The Path to Power : The Years of Lyndon Johnson III (1982) - Robert A. Caro
Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson III (2002) - Robert A. Caro
The Fifth Season (2015) - N. K. Jemisin
How Democracies Die (2018) - Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Me (2019) - Elton John

Different needles between vinyl and shellac
Soccer team
Escaping through window for fights when Bye Bye Blackbird didn't work
Queen Elizabeth hilarious in person vs formal in public
Princess Diana and Richard Gere vs Sylvester Stallone

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019) - Jenny Odell

Poswolsky writes of their initial discovery: "I think we also found the answer to the universe, which was, quite simply: just spend more time with your friends."
Old Survivor tree: "the last remaining old-growth coastal redwood of the redwood forest that once populated the Oakland Hills in California"

Lot: Stories (2019) - Bryan Washington

Browns and tans

The Sixth Man: A Memoir (2019) - Andre Iguodala

Children fight battles parents lose
Anyone with tee shirt tucked into their shorts will give you hell
Overcoming cheating like a drug
Focus on the game feel like yourself
College athletes get homework tutors who do their work for them

Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (2014) - Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
The Hate U Give (2017) - Angie Thomas

Incredible book
"When it rains like that while the sun's out, Nana says the devil is beating his wife."
Black Jesus
Momma doesn't cuss anyone out on the freeway. She says ... "Give me strength Lord, give me strength."
“Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared.”

Warlight (2018) - Michael Ondaatje

Someday you might be eating with the king so mind your manners

We Live in Water: Stories (2013) - Jess Walter
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't (2007) - Robert I. Sutton

Fight as if right; listen as though wrong
Disagree then commit

Americanah (2013) - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Racial disorder syndrome
Hispanic is Spanish but not from Spain

Wolf Hall (2009) - Hilary Mantel
Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst (2017) - Robert Sapolsky

Amygdala tumor
Fear anxiety corresponding aggression
Cognitive costs of empathizing with people at a distance: Statistic vs person ... put a face to it
Gestational diabetes
Rice (communal) vs wheat (individualist) cultures

An American Marriage (2018) - Tayari Jones
The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die (2017) - Keith Payne

Egalitarian because food better in others stomachs than wasted
Melvin Lerner's Just-World hypothesis

Thanks a Lot Mr Kibblewhite: My Story (2018) - Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle & The Chieftains - Behind Blue Eyes (50th birthday, Carnegie Hall)
Heather Taylor was the inspiration for Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady
Keith Moon's fear of stage part of alcohol abuse
"I used to imagine myself as a duck. An acid comment here, a trashed hotel room there – they were raindrops rolling off my duck's back. A Zen duck. That was me. Quack, quack."
Purchased equipment on hire purchase
"Let's drive, we used to say before a gig. Drive. Drive. Drive. I used to feel like we were trying to drive our music through the audience. to the back wall. I've always done that, even at Woodstock, with no back wall and half a million people stretching over the horizon."

The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy) (2017) - Katherine Arden

"But she ate her porridge with wolflike intensity and asked Dunya often if she had grown any bigger."
"Everything dies" (the rusulka)
"She was rubbed with horrible mustard-seed, and beaten with quick, whisking birch-branches, to liven her blood. They wrapped her in wool, bandaged her skinned hand, and poured soup down her throat."
This book feels like Dostoevsky; I'm thinking Brothers Karamazov

The President Is Missing (2018) - Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Easy listen; the light beer of novels
Pretty easy to tell when President Clinton portions appear

Dominicana: A Novel (2019) - Angie Cruz

Light pigmented (Spanish) vs. dark pigmented (African) Latin Americans
Lots of food references made me hungry

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (1959) - Alfred Lansing

But then he added: "Hope tells a flattering tale."
Salt water boils
Enjoyed this one; amazing story

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up) (2015) - Marie Kondō

Thought semi-seriously to myself: This book represents a "cry for help" ... then I felt bad when she bravely admitted suffering a nervous breakdown : o (

Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism (2015) - Fumio Sasaki

"There's only one item that I bought again after letting it go. It's a foot massager from the manufacturer Omron."
"We are more interested in making others believe we are happy than in trying to be happy ourselves."

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century (2018) - Kirk W. Johnson

007's name from American ornithologist James Bond
Enjoyed this book

Beastie Boys Book (2018) - Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond

Not a big fan, but now I can say I know the names and faces
They acted poorly toward a lot of people; to their credit, they acknowledge their mistakes and what hasn't aged well
"Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Inner Excellence" (note: they note adding Boys as a suffix represents a redundancy)
Adam's Toyota Corrola mix-tape listing:

Come Along - Lee "Scratch" Perry
People Funny Boy - Lee "Scratch" Perry
Croaking Lizard - Prince Jazzbo
I Gotta Stand for Something - Professor and the Efficiency Experts
Plantagenet - Back Door
Sweetie Pie - Stone Alliance
Mr. Brown - Bob Marley & the Wailers
Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries - Willie Bobo
Answer the Phone - Cheech and Chong
New Bell - Manu Dibango
Give It Up or Turn It Loose - Dick Hyman
I Walk in Guilded Splinters - Dr. John
You Are the One For Me - Charles Wright
The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
Lovely Is Today - Eddie Harris

Using the Libby app (via Overdrive).

E-Books

None

Print

"They Say / I Say": The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (Third edition - 2014) - Gerald Graff (with Cathy Birkenstein)
"Solutions and Other Problems" (2020) - Allie Brosh

Suggestions

Mike Liebhold (via):

Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah
Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys Into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East

UCSC LIT 61U - Introduction to SF (online class):

The Left Hand of Darkness, Book I of the Lilith's Brood Trilogy (1969) - Ursula K. Le Guin
Dawn (1987) - Octavia E. Butler (note: not on Overdrive)
Childhood's End (1953) - Arthur C. Clarke (note: not on Overdrive)
"The Cold Equations" (1954) - Tom Godwin (note: not on Overdrive)
Sail On! Sail On! (1952) - Philip José Farmer (note: not on Overdrive)

2018-01-08: David Finkel's The Good Soldiers (via)

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

John Cole (via):

The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic (2013) - Emily Croy Barker
Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic (2015) - Sam Quinones
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (2018) - Anand Giridharadas

Bookshop Santa Cruz

Winter 2020 reading list

~~Dominicana: A Novel (2019) - Angie Cruz~~
~~Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (2019) - Casey Cep~~
~~IQ (An IQ Novel #1) (2017) - Joe Ide~~
~~Our Homesick Songs (2019) - Emma Hooper~~
~~Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living (2018) - Karen Auvinen~~
~~The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy #1) (2017) - Katherine Arden~~
~~The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century (2019) - Kirk Wallace Johnson~~
~~Trinity: A Novel (2019) - Louisa Hall~~

President Obama's reading list

Circa Dec 2019 (via):

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power () - Shoshana Zuboff
The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company () - William Dalrymple (note: ebook only)
~~Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee () - Casey Cep~~
Girl, Woman, Other () - Bernardine Evaristo
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present () - David Treuer
~~How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy () - Jenny Odell~~
Lost Children Archive () - Valeria Luiselli
~~Lot: Stories () - Bryan Washington~~
Normal People () - Sally Rooney
The Orphan Master's Son () - Adam Johnson
The Yellow House () - Sarah M. Broom (note: ebook only)
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland () - Patrick Radden Keefe
Solitary () - Albert Woodfox (note: ebook only)
The Topeka School () - Ben Lerner
Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion () - Jia Tolentino
Trust Exercise () - Susan Choi
~~We Live in Water: Stories () - Jess Walter~~
A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule () - Jim Rooney (note: not on Overdrive yet; published Nov 2019)
~~The Sixth Man () - Andre Iguodala~~

Circa Aug 2019 (via):

~~Toni Morrison: Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything else~~
~~The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead~~
~~Exhalation by Ted Chiang~~
~~Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel~~
Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women
~~American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson~~
~~The Shallows by Nicholas Carr~~
~~Lab Girl by Hope Jahren~~
~~Inland by Téa Obreht~~
~~How to Read the Air, by Dinaw Mengestu~~
~~Maid by Stephanie Land~~

Circa Dec 2018:

~~Becoming by Michelle Obama (Overdrive)~~
~~An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Overdrive)~~
~~Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Overdrive)~~
~~The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die by Keith Payne (Overdrive)~~
~~Educated by Tara Westover (Overdrive)~~
Factfulness by Hans Rosling

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

~~Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging by Alex Wagner (Overdrive)~~
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

~~A House for Mr Biswas by V.S. Naipaul (Overdrive: Recommended 01/01/2019)~~
How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (Overdrive)
~~In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History by Mitch Landrieu (Overdrive)~~
~~Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (Overdrive)~~
The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti

Note: recommended 01/01/2019 (Northern California Public Library)

The Return by Hisham Matar

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

~~Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (read)~~
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Overdrive)
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

~~The World As It Is by Ben Rhodes (Overdrive)~~
American Prison by Shane Bauer (Overdrive)
Arthur Ashe: A Life by Raymond Arsenault (Overdrive)
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday (Overdrive)
Feel Free by Zadie Smith (Overdrive)
~~Florida by Lauren Groff (Overdrive)~~
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight (Overdrive)
Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar (Overdrive)
The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson (Overdrive)
Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Max Tegmark (Overdrive)
~~There There by Tommy Orange (Overdrive)~~
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (Overdrive)

Josh Marshall 2018 Holiday recommendations:

Eric H. Cline: Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World. Nicholas Ostler

1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed (Turning Points in Ancient History)
Only History of Ancient Greece available

Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

Barry Cunliffe: By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean: The Birth of Eurasia

Nothing as of 01/01/2019

Felipe Fernandez-Armesto: Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration

Note: ebook only (Overdrive)

David Anthony: The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World

Recommended 12/31/2018

Roger Crowley: Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World

City of Fortune and Conquerers recommendable as audiobooks

David Abulafia: The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean

Nothing as of 07/18/2018

James Romm: Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire

ebook only (Overdrive) as of 07/18/2018

Peter Heather:

The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe
The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
Note: ebook only; audiobook not recommendable (Overdrive) as of 07/18/2018

Hugh Thomas: Conquest: Cortes, Montezuma, and the Fall of Old Mexico

Nothing available as of 07/18/2018

Lionel Casson: Libraries in the Ancient World

Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
Life in Ancient Rome recommendable as Audiobook (Overdrive)

Josh Marshall 1066 Norman Conquest Discussion:

Short History of the Normans (2016) - Leonie V. Hicks
The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England (2013) - Marc Morris
The Norman Conquest: England after William the Conqueror (Critical Issues in World and International History) (2007) - Hugh M. Thomas
Britain After Rome: The Fall and Rise, 400 to 1070 (2011) - Robin Fleming
William, King and Conqueror (2013) - Mark Hagger
Conquest and Colonisation: The Normans in Britain, 1066-1100 (1994) - Brian Golding
The Normans in Europe (2000) - Elisabeth van Houts
William the Conqueror (The English Monarchs Series) (2016) - David Bates

Bill Gates - 5 books to enjoy this winter (2019)

~~An American Marriage () - Tayari Jones~~
These Truths () - Jill Lepore
Growth () - Vaclav Smil
Prepared () - Diane Tavenner
~~Why We Sleep () - Matthew Walker~~

Ask A Manager 2019 recommendations

The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust () - Diana B. Henriques
Severance () - Ling Ma
~~Educated () - Tara Westover~~
The Awkward Age () - Francesca Segal
The Darlings () - Cristina Alger
Late in the Day () - Tessa Hadley
Seven Days of Us () - Francesca Hornak
The Banker’s Wife () - Cristina Alger
The Age of Light () - Whitney Scharer
~~Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup () - John Carreyrou~~
Daisy Jones and the Six () - Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Italian Teacher () - Tom Rachman
The Imperfectionists () - Tom Rachma
Foreign Affairs () - Alison Lurie
Normal People () - Sally Rooney
Lights All Night Long () - Lydia Fitzpatrick
The Farm () - Joanne Ramos
The Mother-in-Law () - Sally Hepworth
Tomorrow There Will Be Sun () - Dana Reinhardt
The Great Believers () - Rebecca Makkai
Ask again, Yes () - Mary Beth Keane
Crampton Hodnet () - Barbara Pym
The Body in Question () - Jill Ciment
Chasing Cosby: The Downfall of America’s Dad () - Nicole Weisensee Egan
The Expatriates () - Janice Y. K. Lee
Supper Club () - Lara Williams
Mrs. Everything () - Jennifer Weiner
The Floating Feldmans () - Elyssa Friedland
Reading Behind Bars: A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian () - Jill Grunenwald
The Most Fun We Ever Had () - Claire Lombardo
Reasons to be Cheerful () - Nina Stibbe
The Dearly Beloved () - Cara Wall
City of Girls () - Elizabeth Gilbert
The Lager Queen of Minnesota () - J. Ryan Stadal
The Secrets We Kept () - Lara Prescott
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont () - Elizabeth Taylor
The Dutch House () - Ann Patchett
Evvie Drake Starts Over () - Linda Holmes
Lust & Wonder () - Augusten Burroughs
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA () - Amaryllis Fox
The Dreamers () - Karen Thompson Walker
Nothing to See Here () - Kevin Wilson
The Leftovers () - Tom Perrotta
The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption () - Barbara Bisantz Raymond
Know My Name () - Chanel Miller
Be Frank With Me () - Julia Claiborne Johnson
Us () - David Nicholls

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