Books List - 2019

Ordered by most recently listened to, first.

Audiobooks 

1. Queue:
1. The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson III (1982) - Robert A. Caro
2. Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson III (2002) - Robert A. Caro
3. Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones (2018) - James Clear
2. How Google Works (2014) - Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg
1. The plural of anecdote is data
2. Minimum of 7 direct reports
3. Hippo (highest paid person's opinion) and tenure-ocracy
3. The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story (2015) - Lee Hyeon-seo
4. Our Homesick Songs (2018) - Emma Hooper
1. "Molly became ill with sea-fever from looking at nothing but water for so long...." Is this a thing?
5. Trinity: A Novel (2018) - Louisa Hall
6. IQ (2016) - Joe Ide
7. The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them (2010) - Elif Batuman
8. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (2019) - Casey Cep
1. On her drinking: "The daughter of one of the driest men in Monroe County, whose oldest sister wouldn't even consume caffeine, had grown into a woman who couldn't say no to scotch or vodka, or failing that, to whatever happened to be on hand."
2. The two lions outside the New York Public Library have names: Patience and Fortitude
3. The only good thing about Introductions is that in some cases they delay the dose to come.
9. In Hoffa's Shadow: A Stepfather, a Disappearance in Detroit, and My Search for the Truth (2019) - Jack Goldsmith
1. The Grapevine: The first Grapevine magazine was published in July 1938. It's currently published by The Society Of Former Special Agents Of The FBI
2. Hoffa allergic to dyes, which explains why he wore white socks
10. The Bluest Eye (1970) - Toni Morrison
1. "And you look like the north side of a southbound mule"
11. Beloved (1987) - Toni Morrison
12. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2010) - Nicholas Carr
1. Private reading vs. vocal reading
2. Intelligent and public minded
13. The Nickel Boys (2019) - Colson Whitehead
14. Sula (1973) - Toni Morrison
1. Kentucky wonders
15. Song of Solomon (1977) - Toni Morrison
16. Exhalation: Stories (2019) - Ted Chiang
1. A wonderfully written book
2. "And reading just the words gave you only a hint of the experience of listening to Kokwa himself, as if one were licking the pot in which okra had been cooked instead of eating the okra itself."
3. "The difference is that the heat energy we radiate is a high-entropy form of energy, meaning it’s disordered. The chemical energy we absorb is a low-entropy form of energy, meaning it’s ordered. In effect, we are consuming order and generating disorder; we live by increasing the disorder of the universe. It’s only because the universe started in a highly ordered state that we are able to exist at all." 
17. High School (2019) - Tegan Quin and Sara Quin
1. While playing the NES Super Mario: "Isn't is weird he's collecting mushrooms? ... Mario is stoned, too." I ... had never considered that angle
18. Acid for the Children (2019) - Flea
19. The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future (2018) - Andrew Yang
20. American Spy: A Novel (2019) - Lauren Wilkinson
1. Partially complete
2. "You want a drink? / Yeah, I could do with a little taste on the place."
3. Cajun coonass
4. Mules combination of wary and intelligence
21. An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream (2018) - Julián Castro
22. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2009) - Daniel H. Pink
1. Periodic tracking via pager (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)
23. A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons (2019) - Ben Folds
1. Ccreative visualization: Being crazy saps energy
2. What's been good for the music, hasn't always been so good for the life - Phone In A Pool
3. Fudgies: a not-so-endearing term for tourists from Sourthern Michigan vacationing in Northern Michigan. The word was coined by Mackinac Island locals who made their living selling their homemade fudge to tourists and then mocking them for buying it
4. The literal translation for cul de sac was "the ass or bottom of the bag"
24. Last Witnesses: An oral history of the children of World War II (2019) - Svetlana Alexievich
1. Open mouth so not deafened
2. Important work
25. Inland (2019) - Téa Obreht
26. Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide (2019) - Tony Horwitz
1. Mothman legend (Point Pleasant, West Virginia
2. Freedonia Marx brothers
3. Always get travelers insurance
27. How to Read the Air (2010) - Dinaw Mengestu
1. "And do you know why? Because it's easier and cheaper to starve people to death than shoot them."
2. "... before a family secret or past can be revealed there has to be a family to begin with, and what we were was something closer to a jazz trio than a family--a performance group that got together every now and then to play a few familiar notes before dispersing back to their real, private lives."
28. The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California (2019) - Mark Arax
1. Incredible book; bravo
2. Cuties: "The Cutie wasn't one piece of fruit but three varieties of mandarins: the Clemenule, the Tango and the Murcott. Each variety had its own flavor and ripened at a different time. But by marketing all three as one brand, Resnick and Evans covered multiple seasons. They made consumers believe, through tens of millions of dollars in advertising, that a spring Cutie was the same fruit as a winter Cutie. If the November Cutie was drier, the shopper assumed it was happenstance. If the March Cutie was sweeter and jucier, the shopper figured it was the way the fruit was supposed to be."
3. "Sadly, by the looks of things, this orchard won't be able to ride out the drought." / "This is a guy on his uppers ... he may lose his place." / "Uppers?" / "Yeah, he lost his lower teeth from grinding. Now all he's got left are the uppers."
4. "Breeding, though, is only half the trick of altering the taste and durability of the table grape. The other half of the revolution ... is ... pumping calcium into the tissues of both varieties to boost their natural flavors and enhance their ability to ward off fungal disease."
5. Ghastly description of community banding together to clear jackrabbits from land
29. The Secret World: A History of Intelligence (2018) - Christopher Andrew
1. Napoleon natively spoke Corsican, not French
2. Coffee houses sedition
30. D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II (2019) - Sarah Rose
31. Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) - Daniel Kahneman
1. Poor reduced loss
2. Premortem
3. 3 features of the weather wine
4. Perverse nasty reward
5. What you see is all there is
32. Seriously... I'm Kidding (2011) - Ellen DeGeneres
1. I got you a hug
2. Little endorphin Annie
3. Funficult
4. Coy pond
33. A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution (2019) - Marianne Williamson
34. Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood (2019) - J. Michael Straczynski
1. Reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
2. Contrasts civil rights horror with Hollywood films
3. At their core all bullies are cowards
4. Depth perception issues when driving
5. "He was so over the top that suddenly I got it: style was the pacing and flow of one word to another to create a melody that would carry the images, characters, and narrative straight to the brain, a specific, practiced rhythm that could be slowed or quickened depending on the mood or purpose of the story. Voice was who the writer actually was beneath it all: their attitude, point of view, and personality. A writer might move between a variety of styles—hard-boiled noir, gothic, baroque—but the same intelligence informed the story at every step. Literary styles can pass in and out of favor, or be shared by different writers (as Lovecraft borrowed stylistic tools from Lord Dunsany and Arthur Machen), but a writer’s voice is distinctly his or her own; it’s a one-off. Style was the clothes; voice was the body."
6. Jefferson coat boy
7. Chains and stakes
8. Harlan water bed
9. UC Davis vet donation
35. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming (2017) - Paul Hawken
1. The seaweed, Asparagopsis taxiformis, helps cows burp less, produce more milk
36. Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive (2019) - Stephanie Land
1. "I cringed, but part of the training video had proved to be incredibly useful: every space, every room, every floor, took on a gridlike map laid over it. Merry Maids instructed their cleaners to work in one direction: from left to right, top to bottom. Whenever I cleaned anything from then on, I could never get the video out of my mind, starting in the upper left corner, working my way across and down until the job was complete."
37. No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir (2019) - Ani DiFranco
1. Experimentation leads to unpredictable results and is not the path to surefire success but it is a path to discovery and discovery is way more fun
2. Melodrama of the burning of the Trico factory fire on Christmas night
3. Father: Eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired 
4. On the guitar: In fact, I might even say it's a percussion instrument first
5. "Oh yeah, that was my 'r' period"
6. The act of sharing songs with people while looking straight into their eyes, that was what compelled me
7. I was simply requesting that they dump all the high end on the guitar EQ and pump the low end until it was somewhere in the vicinity of massive...My scene was to literally low-pass the guitar, starting the roll-off at about 6 kHz, and then crank up the bottom at 100, 80, even down to 60 kHz (a sub-harmonic frequency usually reserved for bass and kick drums)
8. Poet Sekou Sundiata
9. Those who sit furthest from the center of power, see it clearest
10. "...dairy was not a thing that my skin can deal with"
11. Would you want to be judged solely on your worst moment? No. Then that is not the way you should judge others. That is the wisdom of the defense attorney
12. Pete Seeger: unassuming power came from a calm sense of purpose and a palpable lack of fear
13. Bob Dylan: Bob felt like a man who lived in fear that someone would discover and expose him as a fraud,” she writes. “I am not saying he is a fraud. On the contrary, I believe his art to be a great gift. I’m just saying there is a difference between open and closed. The man forced to guard his legend carefully in order that he always have something to hide behind, no matter how brilliant he is, is not as powerful to me as the man who stands out in the open, naked and unarmed.”
14. First California gig: UCSC KAZU radio show
15. Wire recording instrument
16. "Exhaustion, I discovered, is not the worst thing to walk out on stage with. Exhaustion is like a drug that serves to cancel the usual routines of stage fright and self-consciousness. Like grief or depression, it cuts right through everything and changes your overarching perspective on the world, rendering things that rendering things that used to matter, meaningless."
17. Cat girl: Her charm built as I became increasingly impressed by her level of restraint until one night, at some bar, it was I who finally approached her.  I was something like a cat myself, which is to say, if you pulled me onto your lap, I would most likely squirm and jump down, but if you sat there long enough with the right energy, \I would eventually jump into your lap and then it was on.
18. "...the mythical hero's journey... The point of the story, if any, is not to come through the victor but to come through changed."
19. Maceo Parker (American funk and soul jazz saxophonist)
20. ."..Wesley's on Planet live album, Groove, was Maceo one of Parker, our favorite Pee Wee records Ellis, to and spin Fred in the van...It's the kind of live album that transports you right to where the party's at, which for long drives is quite a blessing."
21. Life on Planet Groove
22. Adam Lomax (American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century)
23. Telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King to Pete Seeger: "Hope is like a teacup held aloft while swimming across an ocean of trouble. Who amongst us can possibly make it shore to shore? Swimming with just one arm? None of us. That's why it's a relay. Think of it! Some swim through storms."
24. "Whatever the thing is that you are resisting the most, whatever thing will be the most painful, that is the thing you must do"
25. PMS and creativity: should have a more meaningful term attached to it. To me PMS feels like a window. Yes. Grief is a window and through it you see things. I will hereby refer to this time of my cycle when I can't sleep for days on end and I'm full of turmoil and darkness (but also great vision) as: The Window.
38. This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class (2017) - Elizabeth Warren
1. One breath rule: a manager was allowed "one breath" before he passed the information up the line to his own manager
2. Labor Omnia Vincit: Hard Work Conquers All - inscription at the AFL-CIO headquarters
39. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006) - Carol Dweck
1. Fixed vs growth mindset
2. Yet: "'OMG, I can't do that.' They knew how to take tests and get A's, but they didn't know how to do this--yet. They forget the yet."
3. Somebody nobody syndrome
4. Herodotus, writing in the fifth century B.c., reported that the ancient Persians used a version of Sloan's techniques to prevent groupthink. Whenever a group reached a decision while sober, they later reconsidered it while intoxicated.
5. There's a French expression that reads, "Tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner." To understand all is to forgive all. 
6. Praise effort not the person
7. She then explained how every note has to have a beautiful beginning, middle, and end, leading into the next note. And he thought, “Wow! If I can do it there, I can do it everywhere."
8.  “I never felt judged again. Never. Every time I get that critique, I tell myself, ‘Oh, that’s their job,’ and I get to work immediately on my job.”
9. Alex Rodriguez, one of the best players in baseball, is not infected with success. “You never stay the same,” he says, “You either go one way or the other.”
10. “What mistake did you make that taught you something?”
40. Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality (2017) - Jaron Lanier
1. Pixel: means "picture element"
2. John Cage
3. Ivan Sutherland's (earlier) "Best Computer Demo of All Time"/"Best Demo Ever" vs. Doug Englebart's "aThe Mother of All Demos"
4. No great way to integrate science and politics: lesson from anti-nuclear activism
5. Dodge Dart stories 
6. Drumming with Feynman
7. Santa Cruz lifestyle
8. Hackers: creation; Crackers: destruction
9. Hackers vs. suits: do not trust suits
10. Highest input/output: tongue (output), optic nerve (input)
11. Timothy Leary smuggling
12. Unaesthetic silicon valley
13. Octagonal building (?) join
14. Falling asleep waking up in vr
41. Wise Guy: Lessons from a Life (2019) - Guy Kawasaki
1. Laugh out lessons
2. Ménière's disease
3. Surfboard tradeoffs: Speed, stability, maneuverability
4. Pursue joy
5. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006) - Carol Dweck (available via Overdrive/Libby)
6. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit (1938) - Brenda Ueland (recommended via Overdrive/Libby)
7. Leave better than found it
8. Almost ended up a salary man
9. Integration
10. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2009) - Daniel H. Pink (available via Overdrive/Libby)
11. Canva
12. Sales: Marketing, finance, or engineering arguments ... each may resonate differently
42. In Pieces (2018) - Sally Field
1. “Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment and especially on their children than the unlived life of the parent.” - Carl Jung
2. "Or rats' feet over broken glass." - The Hollow Men, by T S Eliot, as descriptive of how she felt growing up in her household
3. Rick Field worked with Feynman for eight years
4. "I just wanted you to know, Sally, you're first-rate." Martin Ritt
5. What's the worst time for an actor? Both working and not working
43. The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms (2019) - Naoko Abe
1. Famous photo: Chiran high school girls waving farewell with cherry blossom branches to a taking-off kamikaze pilot
2. Cherry ideology, as part of nationalist right
3. Yama-zakura: Yama (mountain) + sakura (cherry trees)
4. Thousands of yama-zakura planted along the Tamagawa Josui canal (Koganei)
5. "To keep the cherries alive, Ingram usually placed them in moistened moss inside a shallow lidless box. Once they had sprouted, he would sprinkle the new foliage using an old hairbrush twice a day, dipping the bristles in water and then shaking them over the plants to imitate anything from a drizzle to a thunderstorm."
6. Farmers planted rice when cherries bloom
44. Leonardo da Vinci (2017) - Walter Isaacson
45. Nine Perfect Strangers (2018) - Liane Moriarty
1. "Do you know the only difference between fear and excitement is the exhalation?" asked Napoleon. "When you’re afraid you hold the air in the top part of the lungs. You need to exhale. Like this. Ahhhhh." He put his hand to his chest and demonstrated with a long, slow breath out. "Like that sound people make after a firework explodes. Ahhhhh."
2. A master who lived as a hermit on a mountain was asked by a man, “What is the way?” and the master said, “What a fine mountain this is.” The man felt frustrated. He said, “I am not asking you about the mountain, but about the way!” The master said, “So long as you cannot go beyond the mountain, my son, you cannot reach the way.”
3. Heather had grown up starved of love, and when you're starved of something you should receive in abundance, you never quite trust it.
46. We're Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True (2017) - Gabrielle Union
1. "I flashed to the advice my mom had given my older sister and me for how to handle anyone who wanted to mug us or worse. 'You know what you do, right? ... You say ‘Shit, shit bastard!’ That’s what you do.' Shit, shit bastard. She thought a woman spewing out a string of nonsense swears would shock an assailant into confused submission. To this day my sisters and I will just text those words to each other, or leave 'Shit, shit bastard' on each other’s voice mails."
2. "Issues of colorism run so deep in the African American community, but more and more I see it spring up on social media as #teamlightskin versus #teamdarkskin."
3. "She asked me again, pointedly this time. Like a drill sergeant. 'What makes you happy?' I had nothing."
4. "We always internalize the things that happen to other people in terms of how it will affect us."
47. Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime (2014) - Ron Stallworth
1. NORAD visit
48. Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War (2018) - Molly Crabapple
1. Mark Twain: "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear."
2. "In the Middle East, whenever an institution included the word security in its name, it meant mafioso-style thuggery and violence, just as the presence of the word democratic in a political party's name always indicated tyranny."
3. "As the poet Nizar Qabbani pointed out, birds don't need visas."
4. "What could unite Syrians, I wondered? Repression seemed the only practical answer. But weren't these divisions vestiges of repression in the first place?"
5. "'Syrians have become soil.' At the time, it sounded to me like a meaningless sentence, until I figured it out later; she probably meant that we were already dead."
49. Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World (2014) - Kirsten Gillibrand
1. Tina nickname
2. You need 50 percent plus one to like you
3. Lots of colorful language: Ef 'em, etc.
4. "Now this older congressman was saying, 'Most members of Congress--their children do not even speak to them, or they hate them.' ... 'You are the only one who can protect your family here, and that means putting them first when when you schedule your time. You're going to have to stand in front of your twenty-two-year-old scheduler, whose job it is to schedule every minute of your day, and protect your family. Nobody else will. You don't want to wake up years from now and find your family is gone.' To this day, that was the single most important piece of advice I have been given about serving in Congress."
5. Kirsten was involved with Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court recommendation
6. How senators vote: in-person, colored cardboard card, or anonymously via a hotel key-like card followed by a button push
7. Kirsten on softball team with Tulsi Gabbard
50. Where We Go from Here: Two Years in the Resistance (2018) - Bernie Sanders
51. United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good (2016) - Cory Booker
1. What would I do if I could not fail?
2. His mom: "How are you looking at the world and what it has in store for you--with fear or faith? ... fear cuts off possibilities, faith expands them; fear locks doors, faith opens them; fear hides, but faith takes risks."
3. Ms. Jones saw that too many children were being lost because of sexual, physical, or emotional trauma, because of a lack of structure, engagement, discipline, and love.
4. "You need to understand something," [Ms. Jones] said. "The world you see outside of you is a reflection of what you have inside of you."
5. On Faulkner: "The murder of children "no matter for what reason or what color" should be an assault on the conscience of our country, a unifying national tragedy. But does this carnage now pass as if it is routine? Not worthy of our notice?"
6. "To the applause of the crowd, we cut down sneakers hanging from an overhead wire--a perceived symbol that drugs were being sold."
7. "Son, there are two ways to go through life, as a thermometer or a thermostat. Don't be a thermometer, just reflecting what's around you, going up or down with your surroundings. Be a thermostat and set the temperature."
8. Natasha the waitress' talk with a girl, at the request of the girl's grandmother
9. "This is environmental irresponsibility in a nutshell: stealing from the future and calling it profit in the present. We are all now paying for past theft in ways most Americans don't realize."
52. Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future (2019) - Pete Buttigieg
1. Dyngus Day: boys and girls throw water over girls and spank them with pussy willow branches on Easter Monday, and girls do the same to boys
2. John Rawls' definition of justice: a society is fair if it looks like something we would design before knowing how we would come into the world (Veil of ignorance)
3. Four things to think about when chasing assignments at McKinsey: 1) Geography; 2) Industry; 3) Function; and 4) People (the most important)
4. Husband attended UW-Eau Claire
5. "...Arlington is not just for honoring the individuals lost there; it is a place to seek some reason why they should be under the headstones while the rest of us walk around on the grass."
53. If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? (2017) - Alan Alda
1. "Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better" - Samuel Beckett (on Alan's desk)
2. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people - Victor Borge
3. Don Hewitt: Tell me a story (60 Minutes) ... not a treatise, not an analysis, but a story
4. Lemon slices underarm as deodorant
5. Oxytocin from eye gaze
6. Carl Rogers and empathy
7. Meditation definition: focus on breathing for 20 minutes
54. Robin (2018) - David Itzkoff
1. Jonathan Winters: always carried in wallet quotation by Ralph Waldo Emerson - "Humor is the mistress of sorrow"
2. [Robin Williams] had the worst b.o.
3. Copacabana shows
4. He's not Russian! He's nuts!
5. Madam can you see inside my mind? - Jonathan Winters joke
6. Zak's eulogy: "Eater of cold chicken breast, drinker of espresso, lover of bumper stickers." :)
7. [With Jeff Bridges]: "We both looked straight ahead, covered in pigeon shit."
8. "Fuck it" - Zak picking up a line from Robin after getting cut off in traffic and repeating it all day long 
9. "Get fucked, Cronauer" (contemporary response to Cronauer's radio announcement of 'Good Morning Vietnam')
55. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (2016) - Michael Lewis
1. When someone says something, don't ask yourself if it is true. Ask what it might be true of. ... [T]ry not to tear it down but make sense of it.
2. "... [A] lot of women were walking around with shaved heads--punishment for having slept with a German"
56. Sex and the City (1997) - Candace Bushnell
1. Most men's self image is them at 14
57. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (2015) - by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
1. Uneven book ... 90 minutes to get to part 1
2. Lead, lead, leadership, leading, leaders, leading, lead ... did I mention lead?
3. Best part: sober, vivid depictions of military conflict
4. The leader does make or break teams; wish they would have spent more time detailing specifics ... seemed like the end was a list of zen koans
5. Lead upward and downward
6. OK, I laughed at "... some officers had patches made up for their uniforms to jokingly designate themselves 'PowerPoint Rangers, 3,000 hours"
7. "...adding a phrase we used when facing anything particularly challenging or miserable: 'Good times'"
8. Prioritize and Execute principle: verbalized with the direction, "Relax, look around, make a call"
9. It's about the bigger strategic mission, the enemy is out there, not in here within the corporation
10. "You know whose fault it is: me"
58. Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took On Silicon Valley's Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime (2019) - Julian Guthrie
1. Lovely book
2. I have a strong work ethic no matter what going on in my life (how to: respond to pregnancy questions)
3. Focusing on the horizon best way to avoid seasick
4. Sonya ❤️ grateful dead
5. Working mom guilty about everything and hyper efficient
6. Sand Hill Rd
7. Male vcs hire male founders who hire male employees etc
59. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep (2017) - Matthew Walker
1. REM works on integration
2. You cannot sleep back what was previously lost
3. This blew my mind: "Many of the explanations for why we sleep circle around a common, and perhaps erroneous, idea: sleep is the state we must enter in order to fix that which has been upset by wake. But what if we turned this argument on its head? What if sleep is so useful—so physiologically beneficial to every aspect of our being—that the real question is: Why did life ever bother to wake up? Considering how biologically damaging the state of wakefulness can often be, that is the true evolutionary puzzle here, not sleep. Adopt this perspective, and we can pose a very different theory: sleep was the first state of life on this planet, and it was from sleep that wakefulness emerged. It may be a preposterous hypothesis, and one that nobody is taking seriously or exploring, but personally I do not think it to be entirely unreasonable."
4. NREM
5. Driving drowsy can't be overcome by will
6. "Slow rocking [of a bed suspended by ropes] increased the depth of deep sleep, boosted the quality of slow brainwaves, and more than doubled the number of sleep spindles."
7. “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep.” –E. Joseph Cossman
8. Lowering the levels of noradrenaline in the brains of PTSD patients during sleep so sleep can do trauma therapy work
9. Edison dreaming and would drop ball bearings to wake up
10. Alien abductions: sleep paralysis disorder
11. Go to pub in morning so alcohol doesn't interfere with sleep lol
12. Medical students shift lengths based on cocaine guy
60. The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees (2019) - Meredith May
1. This book reminded me of Lisa Brennan-Jobs' autobiography Small Fry, in the coldness of Meredith's abused maternal lineage
2. Her grandfather must have been a lovely person; the book exudes warmth with his interactions
3. Banana smell bee call backup
4. Abuse grounded her mother into victimhood
5. Insatiable need for her mother to protect herself
61. African Samurai: The True Story of a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan (2019) - Geoffrey Girard and Thomas Lockley
1. Courtesy is the ornament of Japan
62. There There (2018) - Tommy Orange
1. This is the thing: If you have the option to not think about or even consider history, whether you learned it right or not, or whether it even deserves consideration, that's how you know you're on board the ship that serves hors d'oeuvres and fluffs your pillows, while others are out at sea, swimming or drowning, or clinging to little inflatable rafts that they have to take turns keeping inflated, people short of breath, who've never even heard of the words hors d'oeuvres or fluff.
63. Working (2019) - Robert A. Caro
1. Power doesn't always corrupt, and you can see it in the case of, for example, Al Smith or Sam Rayburn. There, power cleanses. But what power always does is reveal, because when you're climbing, you have to conceal from people what it is you're really willing to do, what it is you want to do. But once you get enough power, once you're there, where you wanted to be all along, they you can see what the protagonist wanted to do all along, because now he's doing it.
2. Caro would write "SU" during interviews, to remind himself to "Shut Up"
3. But you're never going to achieve what you want to, Mr. Caro, if you don't stop thinking with your fingers (Caro on how his all-nighter didn't fool Professor Blackmur)
64. The Island of Sea Women (2019) - Lisa See
1. Really enjoyed this book
2. Crows 
3. Mugwort helps prevent goggle fogging
4. Haenyeo (also spelled haenyo) are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju
5. Jeju proverbs
1. When a girl is born, there is a party. When a boy is born, there is a kick to the hip
2. After bracken is picked nine times, it will sprout again (alternative: fall down eight times, stand up nine)
3. We were as close as a pair of chopsticks
65. Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins (2019) - Annie Jacobsen
66. The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight (2016) - Valter Longo
1.  "I've only ever had one wrinkle, and I'm sitting on it," she said when she turned 110
67. Conversations with Friends (2017) - Sally Rooney
68. Me, Myself, They (2019) - Joshua M. Ferguson
69. The Magicians (2009) - Lev Grossman
70. Circe (2018) - Madeline Miller
1. I do not think being frightened would help
2. "...to harvest was beneath the moon, when dew and darkness concentrated sap."
71. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows (2017) - Balli Kaur Jaswal
1. Beards represent identity in Sikh culture
2. Woman without a husband is a bow without an arrow
72. The Truths We Hold : An American Journey (2019) - Kamala Harris
1. Okra could be soul food or Indian food, depending on what spices you chose
2. Uncle Freddy the place, clean immediately
3. Onion goggles
73. NW (2012) - Zadie Smith
74. Disappearing Earth (2019) - Julia Phillips
75. Where the Crawdads Sing (2018) - Delia Owens
1. Birds sing mostly at dawn because air cooler and songs travel father
2. Woke up on the right side of the dirt
76. The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America (2018) - Timothy Snyder
1. One of the points of reflection on the past is to prepare is to act in the present
2. Hamilton cabal quotation
3. Camus death instead of submission quotation
77. Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living (2018) - Karen Auvinen
1. I don't know who I am without my dog
2. Anything you do deeply is lonely
3. Hare Krishna tied together 3 days during marriage ceremony
4. "It's about texture, not color, darling. We can fix that." (re: garden)
5. Finnish stoicism
6. Nothing as happy as a husky in snow
7. Memory is the only way home
8. Let love rise between the cracks
78. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels (2018) - Jon Meacham
1. Emma Lazarus: "...I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
2. FDR was an Episcopalian
79. Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America (2018) - Alissa Quart
1. Co-parenting
2. Co-operative apps
3. Precariat
4. Super basements (also mega basements)
5. Money only helps if social rank improves
6. PrecariCorps
7. Dolly Parton was asked in a 2014 Billboard interview, what she thought of Sandberg’s book, she responded: “I’ve leaned over. I’ve leaned forward. I don’t know what ‘leaned in’ is.”
80. Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains (2018) - Helen Thomson
1. Claustrum: "In a single case-study, consciousness was shown to be disrupted when there was stimulation to the extreme capsule of the brain – is in close proximity to the claustrum – such that upon termination of stimulation, consciousness was regained." : O
2. Better to think of Top vs. Bottom brain, not left vs. right
3. Red as a color may reflect fertility in females and testosterone in males
81. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World (2018) - Stephen L. Brusatte
1. Trex smart as chimps (?)
2. Trex started in Mongolia
3. Cats fighting dinosaurs (i.e., birds)
4. Land masses moving as fast as fingernails grow
5. What if love represents a form of evolution
82. The House of Broken Angels (2018) - Luís Alberto Urrea
1. Men do good deeds only to atone for their sins
2. We're all terminal
3. Roadrunner
4. Health: Preparation H under chin and eyes at bedtime
5. "If you teach a woman to feel like a work of art, you will make love to her every night" OK.
83. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History (2014) - Elizabeth Kolbert
1. Camels often sit down carefully perhaps their joints creak
2. Rainforest: Never grab anything if you don't know what it is
3. DNA neanderthal
4. New Pangaea
5. Obligate species: Species that almost always occur in in the same place in the same environmental conditions
6. Chytridiomycosis: an infectious disease in amphibians, caused by the chytrid fungi
84. Waiting For Godot (1953) - Samuel Beckett
1. All are born mad some remain so
85. All You Can Ever Know (2018) - Nicole Chung
1. Chopsticks tusks
2. Survivor cut and move on
86. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History (2015) - Brian Kilmeade
87. Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military (2018) - Neil DeGrasse Tyson
1. Asteroid movers (interesting to contemplate bureaucracy around it)
2. 3d print Antikythera mechanism (?)
88. Everything Trump Touches Dies (2018) - Rick Wilson
1. Laughed out loud
89. My Beloved World (2013) - Sonia Sotomayor
1. Tab soda
2. Smoking
3. Diabetes (type 1)
4. Death reminds us of our mortality: Memento Mori
90. The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health (2016) - Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg
1. Alcoholic neuropathy
2. MACs: Microbiota Accessible Carbohydrates
3. American Gut Project
4. Humans at our core have the digestive tube and everything else serves that
91. French Exit: A Novel (2018) - Patrick deWitt
92. Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness (2018) - Melissa Dahl
93. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners (2018) - Gretchen Anthony
94. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (2019) - Emily Nagoski, Amelia Nagoski
1. Work then rest
2. Don't light yourself on fire to keep others warm
3. Trees take the shape of the environment they grew in (in discussions of including underrepresented people)
4. Headwinds tailwinds: people often don't recognize tailwinds
5. Foop (?)
6. Wellness State of action
7. Handle Stress and stressors differently
8. If no exercise, tense all parts of the body for 10 seconds then release
95. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride (2014) - Cary Elwes
1. Andre the Giant
2. Chip buttie: French fries covered in melted butter on a bun (UK)
3. "Strangest of all, he had also become a fan of sheepdog trials, which were on television almost as often as the darts competitions in Sheffield."
96. Kitchen Confidential (2000) - Anthony Bourdain
97. The Last Black Unicorn (2017) - Tiffany Haddish
1. Unexpectedly great; really great to hear this in her voice
98. Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life (2018) - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
1. Uneven book, filled with personal barbs
2. Linguistics migration
99. Fascism: A Warning (2018) - Madeleine Albright
1. Charlie Chaplin: The Great Dictator
100. Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living (2017) - Linnea Dunne
101. The Female Persuasion (2018) - Meg Wolitzer
1. "Nothing was wrong with her nose, but she knew it would always be part of her view of the world."
102. Full Disclosure (2018) - Stormy Daniels
1. Trump: Old Spice and Pert Plus 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner
2. "F* them" - defiant response to people who abuse her
103. The World As It Is (2018) - Ben Rhodes
1. A President who works for all citizens
104. You're on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir (2018) - Parker Posey
105. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook (2010) - Anthony Bourdain
1. Drugstore Cowboy film resonated with him
2. Fergus Henderson
106. Ready Player One (2011) - Ernest Cline
1. Catnip for nerds
107. The Woman Who Smashed Codes. A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies (2017) - Jason Fagone
1. "Teddy Roosevelt’s love of Bacon’s writings encouraged him to create America’s system of national parks."
2. Fantastic; lots of declassified info shared
108. How to Change Your Mind What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence (2018) - Michael Pollan
1. Holotropic heading
2. Mushroom hat
109. Becoming (2018) - Michelle Obama
1. Copper pot
110. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016) - Yuval Noah Harari
1. Brain without self-doubt
2. Donation of Constantine document (forged)
3. 80 billion connections
111. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It (2016) - Christopher Voss
1. Listened to this book multiple times; unique in that way
2. Tahl Raz co-writer; recommended
3. Limbic emotions, reptile brain, amygdala: labeling bathes fears in sunlight, neocortex
4. Ackerman bargaining
5. Best way to ride a horse is in the direction it's going
6. You bake with the flour you have
7. Assertive (respect, be heard), analytic, collaborative
8. Yes is nothing without how
9. Get to no
10. Calibrated questions, labeling, mirror
11. Tactical empathy and "that's right"
112. Girl, Wash Your Face (2018) - Rachel Hollis
1. Someone else's opinion is none of your business
113. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) - Yuval Noah Harari
114. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future (2014) - Peter Thiel
115. The Book of Essie (2018) - Meghan MacLean Weir
1. "Well, didn't you just beat the Devil around the stump"
116. Educated: A Memoir (2018) - Tara Westover
1. This book reminds me, in part, of Grant Wood's 1930 painting American Gothic
2. Ignorance and horror
3. "When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies" - Cervantes
4. "You may as well take a broom and start sweeping dirt off the mountain"
5. "I loved the fiery pages of Mary Wollstonecraft, but there was a single line written by John Stuart Mill that, when I read it, moved the world: 'It is a subject on which nothing final can be known.' The subject Mill had in mind was the nature of women. Mill claimed that women have been coaxed, cajoled, shoved and squashed into a series of feminine contortions for so many centuries, that it is now quite impossible to define their natural abilities or aspirations. / Blood rushed to my brain; I felt an animating surge of adrenaline, of possibility, of a frontier being pushed outward. Of the nature of women, nothing final can be known. Never had I found such comfort in a void, in the black absence of knowledge. It seemed to say: whatever you are, you are woman."
117. Unsheltered (2018) - Barbara Kingsolver
1. Stipulation houses
118. Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens (2018) - Barbara Oakley
1. Shallow breathing comes from freezing to escape attention of enemies
2. Visual spatial memory much larger than other types
3. Neuron length: some as long as arm
4. Pomodoro and Forest app
5. Notetaking: third page reserved, later summarize key points in that space
6. Hikers and race cars
7. Best to get good sleep in advance of tests
119. My Squirrel Days (2018) -  Ellie Kemper
1. Redheads must love each other
2. Waldo the stuffed walrus
3. Proud of breaking down boxes
4. Lost part to Retta, whose autobiography I've also listened to
120. Florida (2018) - Lauren Groff
1. Favorite short story: "Above and Below", about a woman slipping into homelessness
2. Middlemarch, by George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans)
3. Fist over mouth to allow easier breathing in heavy rain
121. A Murder of Quality (1962) - John le Carré
1. Abridged, sadly; audio acting was superb, however
122. The Card (1911) - Arnold Bennett
1. Water and mustard as an emetic
2. "Similarly with the greeting of a young woman who was once to you the jewel of the world. You simply said, "Good-afternoon, how are you?" And she said the same. And you shook hands. And there you were, still alive!"
123. As I Lay Dying (1930) - William Faulkner
124. Little Fires Everywhere (2017) - Celeste Ng
1. Plot parallels to the film "Chocolate"
2. Appreciated the humanizing insights into all the viewpoints of the townspeople
125. The Cooking Gene (2017) - Michael W. Twitty
1. This book hits hard and keeps going; amazing
2. "Michael, what the hell?!"
3. Roux: Bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes
4. "White man in the woodpile": this and its crass predecessor were new to me
5. Plantation kitchens as place of violent abuses of power over women
6. Disruption of slaves forced to rear mulatto children after losing their own communities
7. Sorghum harvest: intoxicating smells, tastes
8. "Plantation" owners determined by > 20 slaves; otherwise small farmer with "human capital"
9. West Africa is birth place of everything to the West
10. Enjoyed seeing his perspective across the generations
11. "If a human is known as they say among the Mende–by the language  they cry in–they can also be known by the tastes that make them cry." (via; accessed 02/14/2019)
126. Whiskey in a Teacup (2018) - Reese Witherspoon
1. “A lot of key moments in life are like that: You can be nervous as all get out. Just drink a beer and do it anyway.”
2. Place settings: FORKS, OK
3. Hattie B's is known for the hot chicken
4. Book recommendations:
1. To Kill A Mockingbird (1960) - Harper Lee
2. The Secret History (1992) - Donna Tartt
3. The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty (1980) - Eudora Welty
4. Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) - Jesmyn Ward
5. The Member of the Wedding (1946) - Carson McCullers
6. The Complete Stories (2007) - Flannery O'Connor
7. The Moviegoer (1961) - Walker Percy
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) - Maya Angelou
9. Blood Meridian (1985) - Cormac McCarthy
10. As I Lay Dying (1930) - William Faulkner
11. All Over But the Shoutin' (1999) - Rick Bragg
12. Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena (2004) - Julia Reed
127. The Library Book (2018) - Susan Orlean
1. Heartwarming description of community members working together to rescue books
2. "Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen" (roughly, "Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.") - German poet Heinrich Heine
128. Everything's Trash, But It's Okay (2018) - Phoebe Robinson
1. Really liked this book--laughed out loud multiple times and probably my favorite book in some time
2. Zaddy
3. What's good (2015)
4. Phoebe's U2 book title
5. Workaholism: running from death
129. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography (2018) - Eric Idle
1. George Harrison's house at Friar Park: "caves, grottoes, underground passages, a multitude of garden gnomes, and an Alpine rock garden with a scale model of the Matterhorn"
2. Beatles sneaky chord: I "... got my guitar out, and it didn't take very long at all. ... It took me maybe twenty minutes to sort out the basic shape of the song using major sixths and minor sevenths and the very useful diminished chord, which George Harrison told me the Beatles called "the sneaky chord." The verse also appeared very quickly: Am7/# (sneaky)/G/Gmaj6/Am7/# (sneaky)/G and the words flowed quite simply."
3. There are two kinds of people and i don't care for either
4. Hawking "too pedantic" skit
5. Wedding night advice from Mike Nichols to Tania, Eric's wife: "Act surprised"
6. "You have to embrace your fellow time travelers, even as they slip away"
130. Binti (2015) - Nnedi Okorafor
1. Did not expect the plot twist. Boom.
131. Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War (2018) - Paul Scharre
1. Patriot missile failures
2. Aegis guided missile cruiser
3. Human enhancing AI
132. A Beautiful Mind: a Biography of John Forbes Nash, Jr., Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, 1994 (1998) - Sylvia Nasar
1. "Nash did things from scratch without using standard techniques. He was always trying to extract problems ... [from conversations with others]. He had not the patience to [study them]." - Lars Hörmander 
133. Futureface: A Family Mystery, an Epic Quest, and the Secret to Belonging (2018) - Alex Wagner
1. Treat DNA testing services like entertainment (e.g., like crystal ball reading)
2. This surprised me with a more sober, expansive, and ultimately human view of the lives and times of our ancestors
134. Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (2015) - Tim Marshall
1. "China is a civilization pretending to be a state." - Lucian Pye
2. Tibet, the "water tower" of China; e.g.: "Tibetan glaciers and springs are the source of almost all of Asia’s major rivers: the Yellow River, the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Salween, the Ganges, the Indus, the Irrawaddy and the Yarlung Tsangpo (which becomes the Brahmaputra downstream). Tibetans to refer to the plateau as the “Land of Snows” and the Chinese to call it the “Water Tower” of Asia." Source: http://tibet.org/tibet3rdpole.org/?p=402 (accessed 01/23/2019)
3. Etymology of the word "arctic": Greek arktikos, from arktos ‘bear, Ursa Major, pole star’
4. “India is not a nation, nor a country. It is a subcontinent of nationalities”
5. Helmut Kohl: "For those who didn't live through this themselves and who especially now in the crisis are asking what benefits Europe's unity brings, the answer despite the unprecedented European period of peace lasting more than 65 years and despite the problems and difficulties we must still overcome is: peace."
135. The Mars Room (2018) - Rachel Kushner
1. San Francisco references and insights by an insider 
2. Loosely based on the Central California Women's Facility
136. My Year of Rest and Relaxation (2018) - Ottessa Moshfegh
1. Back-to-back books with characters named "Tuttle"
2. Didn't resonate with me
137. A House for Mr Biswas (1961) - V. S. Naipaul
1. Very witty in parts
2. A touching conclusion
3. "For Shama and her sisters and women like them, ambition, if the word could be used, was a series of negatives: not to be unmarried, not to be childless, not to be an undutiful daughter, sister, wife, mother, widow."
138. In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History (2018) - Mitch Landrieu
1. Mitch once asked Jimmy Carter who was the greatest person he had worked with: Anwar Sadat
139. Red Clocks (2018) - Leni Zumas
1. Repressions of women in multiple layers: government, cultural, and the home
140. City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris (2017) - Holly Tucker
1. Kept reminding myself this was non-fiction
141. The Dry (2016) - Jane Harper
1. The townspeople confrontational scenes felt real and charged
142. The Idiot (2017) - Elif Batuman
1. Endearing; really enjoyed it
2. Peppermints are good for acid indigestion
143. Tin Man (2017) - Sarah Winman
1. The final imagery of the three of them seeming happy in the photograph seemed poignant
144. So Close to Being the Sh*T, Y'all Don't Even Know (2018) - Retta
1. This was sort of like Carmen Maria Machado's book, "Her Body and Other Parties", or Lauren Graham's book, "Talking as Fast as I Can", where I don't have the context of having a connection with Retta through the show Parks and Recreation (with Machado, it was her extended story about Law and Order SVU; with Graham, Gilmore Girls), so it didn't resonate as well
2. This basically represents my failing for not watching their shows and choosing her book, not Retta's
3. Enjoyed the behind-the-scenes details 

Using the Libby app (via Overdrive).

E-Books

1. None

Print

1. The Room: The Definitive Guide (2014) - Ryan Finnigan
2. How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (2019) - Randall Munroe
3. How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time (2019) - Will McCallum

Suggestions

• 2018-01-08: David Finkel's The Good Soldiers (via)
• Note: ebook only (Overdrive)
• Bookshop Santa Cruz
• Winter 2020 reading list
1. Dominicana: A Novel (2019) - Angie Cruz
2. Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (2019) - Casey Cep
3. IQ (An IQ Novel #1) (2017) - Joe Ide
4. Our Homesick Songs (2019) - Emma Hooper
5. Rough Beauty: Forty Seasons of Mountain Living (2018) - Karen Auvinen
6. The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy #1) (2017) - Katherine Arden
7. The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century (2019) - Kirk Wallace Johnson
8. Trinity: A Novel (2019) - Louisa Hall
• Winter 2019 reading list
1. City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris (2017) - Holly Tucker
2. The Library Book (2018) - Susan Orlean 
3. The Cooking Gene (2017) - Michael W. Twitty
4. Red Clocks (2018) - Leni Zumas
5. The Dry (2016) - Jane Harper
6. Tin Man (2017) - Sarah Winman
7. Binti (2015) - Nnedi Okorafor
8. Everything Matters!: A Novel (2010) - Ron Currie
• 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
• 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
• Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland () - Patrick Radden Keefe
• Solitary () - Albert Woodfox
• 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
• 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 I loved in 2018
• Educated, by Tara Westover (Overdrive)
• Army of None, by Paul Scharre (Recommended 01/01/2019)
• Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou (read)
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari (Overdrive)
• The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• Ask A Manager 2018 recommendations
• This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel (Overdrive)
• Fraud, by David Rakoff
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• The Immortalists, by Chloe Benjamin (Overdrive)
• Tepper Isn’t Going Out, by Calvin Trillin
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• The Power, by Naomi Alderman (read)
• Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests, by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
• Recommended 01/01/2019 (Northern California Public Library)
• Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness, by Melissa Dahl (Overdrive)
• Asymmetry, by Lisa Halliday (Overdrive)
• Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng (Overdrive)
• Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, by Cheryl Mendelson
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• The Newlyweds, by Nell Freudenberger
• Recommended 01/01/2019 (Northern California Public Library)
• The Amateur Marriage, by Anne Tyler (Overdrive)
• The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror, by Daniel Mallory Ortberg (Overdrive)
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle (Overdrive)
• Would You Rather? by Katie Heaney (Overdrive)
• The Female Persuasion, by Meg Wolitzer (Overdrive)
• Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewell (Overdrive)
• Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss (Overdrive)
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work, by me (read)
• My Ex-Life, by Stephen McCauley (Overdrive)
• Calypso, by David Sedaris (Overdrive)
• The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner (Overdrive)
• Tell the Machine Goodnight, by Katie Williams (Overdrive)
• Less, by Andrew Sean Greer (read)
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh (Overdrive)
• Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory (Overdrive)
• The Book of Essie, by Meghan MacLean Weir (Overdrive)
• Recommended 01/01/2019 (Northern California Public Library)
• Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan (read)
• French Exit, by Patrick deWitt (Overdrive)
• Goodbye, Vitamin, by Rachel Khong (Overdrive)
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• Room, by Emma Donoghue (Overdrive)
• Conversations with Friends, by Sally Rooney (Overdrive)
• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green (Overdrive)
• All You Can Ever Know, Nicole Chung (Overdrive)
• Family Trust, by Kathy Wang (Overdrive)
• The Idiot, by Elif Batuman (Overdrive)
• Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, by Gretchen Anthony (Overdrive)
• Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist, by Tim Federle (Overdrive)
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• Nine Perfect Strangers, by Liane Moriarty (Overdrive)
• 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown (Overdrive)
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• HackerNews
• Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?
• Top 20:
• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon by Valley John Carreyrou (read)
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep by Matthew Walker (Overdrive)
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Overdrive)
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight (read)
• How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (Overdrive)
• Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World by Hans Rosling (Overdrive)
• ebook only (Overdrive) as of 01/01/2019
• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Overdrive)
• Deep Work by Cal Newport (Overdrive)
• Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari (Overdrive)
• The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain (Overdrive)
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari (Overdrive)
• Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows (Overdrive)
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (Overdrive)
• Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss (Overdrive)
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink (Overdrive)
• Linear Algebra by Jim Hefferon (Overdrive)
• Unavailable in any format (Overdrive)
• Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall (Overdrive)
• Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Overdrive)
• Atomic Habits by James Clear (Overdrive)

Previously, Previously

Retreating to the judiciary

Soon after his Inauguration, Jefferson wrote that the Federalists had "retreated into the judiciary as a stronghold, the tenure of which renders it difficult to dislodge them."

Hit and Run

California does not allow uninsured motorist property damage to be used in hit-and-run collisions. In these states, your collision coverage may be able to help pay for your car repairs.
https://www.esurance.com/info/claims/hit-and-run-claims

Unclogging Pipes

Via an expert:

• Small to larger pipes, so flush it out into that pipe.
• Boiling water expands the pipe and liquifies the plug.
• Run warm/hot water for 10-15 minutes to ensure unstuck.

Brent Mydland Gravesite

Brent Mydland was an American keyboardist, vocalist, and songwriter. He was a member of The Grateful Dead from 1979 to 1990, a longer tenure than any other keyboardist in the band. (Wikipedia)

Grave marker of Brent Mydland, as of 09/18/2019)

The grave marker reads (in all caps):

Brent R. Mydland 

He loved his family 

His Music 

And 

His Friends
1952  (grand piano embossment)  1990

The grand piano embossment has a bench and a raised piano lid.

The grave has had a Grateful Dead "Steal Your Face Skull" sticker below the embossed grand piano since at least 2015 (per David Ryder; see below).

The plaque border looks to have six stems of roses and leaves: two centered on the top, and two each in the lower-left and lower-right corners.

For those who wish to visit, here is a Google Maps link (Plus Code: "WVXV+2J Pleasant Hill, California") to a marker close to the grave site.

You can just drive in the front gate. Make your way up, up, up the hill. I parked nearby, on the shoulder of the drive. Traffic was light on a Wednesday afternoon.

The Google Maps link is not precise but it should be close enough to find it. The grave marker is near a large tree with a bench with the name Richardson on it. The tree has a retaining wall on one side (see image below). Put your back to the tree and bench and walk forward, following the line of grave markers, being careful not to step on them. I think the grave was 20-30 feet away and one row down. Look for the gravesite with the double grave plaque and flower urn (see image below). It's not hard to find once you're close. David Ryder's YouTube video below shows some additional clues, if needed. In 2015, it seemed to have a LED path light, but that was gone when I visited on 09/18/2019.

The views of the hilly terrain are beautiful.

Screenshot of map with marker:

It's near the top (red marker)

Here's David Ryder's video which helped me find the grave (if you're eagle eyed, you can spot several reference points: the building to the left, the flagpole, the retaining wall, etc.):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_rpVu1zrTA

My parking location vs. tree and bench (grave is nearby, in the opposite direction of this photograph)

Grave site 

Brent had a distinctive singing voice. I really enjoy the song, "I Will Take You Home". 

Prius Gen 2 MAF Sensor Cleaning (Code P0171)

The MAF (mass air flow) sensor measures the mass of the air flowing through the throttle valve. Air mass changes due to altitude, temperature, etc. The car computer uses this information to determine the fuel injection time and provide a proper air–fuel ratio. (Via)

The Prius gen 2 MAF assembly has external and internal sensors.

First, the external intake air temperature (IAT) sensor:

Before: intake air temperature sensor bulb (left) obscured by deposits

After: intake air temperature sensor bulb sparkles

Second, the internal sensors: 1) Ambient temperature sensor; and 2) hot wire, kept at a fixed temperature above the measured ambient temperature:

A mini hamburger bun (?)

Wait. That debris should not be there. Wow. The other sensor seems dirty. Not sure anyone has ever cleaned these in 260K+ miles.

The car has run rough for some time--I'm guessing this explains why.

After: clean hot wire and ambient temperature wire, with debris removed

I used a Craftsman 9-4116 Offset Screwdriver Ratchet Set to extract the two screws. Others have used a flexible socket extension, etc. A bit of torque was required to loosen them.

Set it on generous layers of paper towels. Sprayed short bursts of CRC MAF sensor cleaner onto the bulb and inside the housing--as the instructions state, do not touch the components while cleaning.

I think the result speaks for itself. Cleared the code and will see if it fixes code P0171.

This project really represents something anyone can do in a very short amount of time.

The car now throttles very smoothly.

NOTES

Via:
It would dry really quick, just a minute or two. But just to be sure I let mine sit for about 15 mins then installed it. A simple trick is to spray the side of the mesh first and then the open side. If you do it the opposite order( spraying the mesh side last) all the crap from the mesh is gonna stay on the sensor. Also keep the sprayer 5-6 inches away from the sensor. So:

1. Remove sensor
2. Spray the mesh side
3. Spray the open side
4. Let it sit for 10-15. Do NOT touch the actual string with anything
5. Put it back in the car

Via:
If you are replacing the MAF, consider a new O-ring (90099-14141). If needed, new screws (90167-A0016). From any Toyota source for about $5.
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~screw-pan-tapping~90167-a0016.html

XKCD's Randall Munroe and Cory Doctorow

Autographs of Cory Doctorow and Randall Munroe

Attended a discussion between XKCD cartoonist Randall Munroe and Cory Doctorow on September 11, 2019, in support of Munroe's new book, "HOW TO: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems".

Got a few seconds of interaction with both authors. Munroe asked Dawn what she did, and he encouraged her to keep going. He asked me, after seeing that my post-it note was blank (where you would write what you want him to write) "I wonder about the legal implications of having a blank first and last name", which reminded me of his cartoon with the child having NULL as a surname.

Cory noticed Dawn's Hamilton shirt and they briefly talked about how their experiences. I thanked Cory for letting me know about the Calyx hotspot and he shared that he still uses his and that the Calyx folks are good people.

Randall shared one anecdote not in the book: during his conversation with Chris Hadfield, it went over time and he heard Hadfield scanning his airplane ticket and walking down the passenger boarding ramp. Randall hung up because he felt "terrible" for causing Hadfield to discuss--in front of other passengers--scenarios where the plane would have to land unexpectedly. But he realized Hadfield seemed to really enjoy the discussion.

A running joke was "the 2003 film, The Core", which involved a crash landing of a space shuttle.

Randall shared a memory of his mother apologizing to him for making a big deal out of him not knowing something, and he talked about how it just involves people learning things out of order (viz., learning about the movie about the Titanic before learning about the actual Titanic sinking).

Wicked Tour Musical

Saw the Wicked Second National Tour at the San Jose Center For The Performing Arts on Saturday, September 7, at a sold out 8:00 p.m. showing.

It was the penultimate day for the San Jose run. We saw Erin Mackey (Glinda) & Mariand Torres (Elphaba). Incredible voices, sets, costumes. Notable songs: "Defying Gravity", "For Good".

"Wicked Brew" drink ingredients: Midori, vodka, lemon and lime juice lemon garnish

Prius Combination Meter Notes

Via https://priuschat.com/threads/combination-meter-repair-diy.161268/:

• I use the key FOB trick (Foot on the brake, lock, turn on lights, foot off the brake, lock) to get it back on, which works about 95% of the time

Home address Removal From the Internet

Removing personal details - Set up Google Search on name and address

Companies removed:

FastPeopleSearch :
https://www.fastpeoplesearch.com/removal
Update 03/16/2020:

MyLife:

• Emailed privacy@mylife.com (https://medium.com/better-humans/how-to-remove-your-information-from-sites-like-mylife-77f89aff1aff)
• Automated email responded saying something like "we can't remove because public data ...."
• Replied again requesting removal
• They responded: "This note is to inform you that we have received your inquiry and will begin processing your request."

SearchPeopleFree (similar to FastPeopleSearch):
https://www.searchpeoplefree.com/opt-out

TruePeopleSearch
https://www.truepeoplesearch.com/removal

BeenVerified (requires email address and confirmation (?))
https://wiki.onerep.com/post/beenverified.com

Update 03/16/2020:

• Removed (another?) profile from FastPeopleSearch.
• Removed: www.freepublicprofile.com

Thank you Cory Doctorow and Mark Frauenfelder

Digital Pianos

Placeholder for research into digital pianos.

Dawn's requirements:

• 88 keys

YAMAHA

Clavinova vs. Arius

https://www.reidys.com/blog/yamaha-clp-vs-ydp-differences-clavinova-arius-2211/ 

REFERENCES

The Best Budget Digital Piano for Beginners (updated 2019-04-17): Casio PX-160 ($500)

The Best Digital Piano for Students (updated 2019-03-06): Yamaha YDP-181 ($1,700-2,000)

• Two insightful comments by Ed Hassell:
• Suggests the Yamaha P-515:
• L-515 wooden console stand and LP-1 three-pedal assembly
• Yamaha's top-of-the-line keyboard action (the same one in their $15-20K clavinova models)
• Acoustically sampled concert grand piano sound, including the Bosendorfer Grand Imperial (as well as the Yamaha 9-foot CFX)
• Released in Fall 2018
• Criticizes Wirecutter staff for inconsistent limiting of models to console digital pianos
• Categorizes:
1. Keyboard toys
2. Keyboards with actions simulating their acoustic counterparts and with integrated sound systems which are not integral to their attached or detachable console stands
3. Keyboards in which the sound system is integral to the stand/case in which they are housed (e.g., Yamaha's Clavinova series)
4. Keyboards intended for use with external sound systems (i.e., stage instruments)

Suggestion to get a subwoofer to improve feel from bass keys:

https://www.reddit.com/r/piano/comments/aden9h/yamaha_p515_current_best_option_available/

Yamaha P515 parts:

• Digital piano: $1,499.99
• LP-1 three-pedal assembly: $74.99
• Yamaha L515B Wooden Furniture Stand for P515B: $129.99
• Total: $1,705

Review sites:
Tim Praskins's AZ piano review blog, or PianoDreamers.com

Hamilton

Dawn won two Hamilton lottery tickets through their mobile app, so we spontaneously attended the 7:00 p.m. showing at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on Saturday, August 17. The ticket office gave us (for $10/each!) first row center tickets, just right of the conductor/keyboardist (seats A104 and 106). We had a quick meal of chicken and waffles at Hazel. This was our first time at the Orpheum. Dawn was over the moon. I am still getting over a cold, so I was more muted, but still had the feeling of, Is this real life right now? Show was outstanding. I enjoyed watching the keyboardist conductor play, excessively bobbing along with the music. It reminded me of how it feels to code software while listening to music that resonates. I'm not sure why, but the staff did not allow photography of the stage or musicians. The keyboardist used a Yamaha.

Weird Al - The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley

Dawn and I attended Weird Al's Strings Attached Tour performance at The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley, on August 9, 2019.

We arrived early. I was starting to feel a head cold. We parked on Shattuck initially and walked past old haunts. At the original Pete's location on Vine, we settled-in and I rested while I listened to a woman unsuccessfully attempt to get phone tech support for her Apple laptop. I had an unsweetened matcha tea latte, which was lovely. Dawn had a mocha, I think.

Pre-show supper was Taste of the Himalays, where everything was great:

• Chicken Nauni (Butter Chicken) Boneless premium chicken thigh meat baked in the Tandoor and then cooked in Himalayan style dairy based buttery sauce
• Palak Mushroom *Vegan (Minced spinach and fresh mushroom cooked with onion, tomato based sauce)

We found a spot near the Kleugel House and this was perfect, just as it was in 2012. Strolling through UC Berkeley, we found the bookstore closed. Telegraph Avenue was next, and a lot of things there were closed too, though we ducked into a Tokyo reseller store where Dawn purchased a few SumiSumi surprise toys.

By the time we got to the ticket line (after averting a crisis in getting the tickets in the app), the line had stretched all the way back to the parking garage. We got in, purchased a tee shirt, and found our seats--pretty cramped. There were a bunch of Weird Al impersonators (~12?).

The show was tightly orchestrated and the orchestra was flawless. The sight of hundreds of mobile devices illuminating the night along with Don't Download This Song was memorable. Weasel Stomping Day has ... not aged well and didn't resonate (weird! disquieting?). Harvey the Wonder Hamster was perfect--thank you.

There's something about Jackson Park Express that Weird Al seems to personally like--the musicianship, perhaps, the nod to past greats. It's not the lyrics, but it would be the song that came into my head in the next few days.

After the show we noted the hanging brocade lamps in the back of the stage area.

Driving home was uneventful, thankfully.

I wish I wish I hadn't been sick--I felt muted.

Orchestra Only Set:

• The Raiders March
• Mission: Impossible
• Superman March
• Star Wars: Throne Room / End Credits

Main Set:

• Fun Zone
• I Lost on Jeopardy / I Love Rocky Road / Like a Surgeon
• The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
• Word Crimes
• One More Minute
• Drum Solo
• Jurassic Park
• Don't Download This Song
• Weasel Stomping Day
• Bass Solo
• Tacky
• Harvey the Wonder Hamster
• Jackson Park Express
• Smells Like Nirvana
• Dare to Be Stupid
• White & Nerdy
• Amish Paradise

Encore:

• The Saga Begins
• Yoda

Philadelphia Trip Summary

Art:

I didn't have an ah-ha creative experience like I did in Vancouver.

I think Cherry Street Pier came the closest and I liked what I saw of the artists in residence. However, it was vacant on the late afternoon weekday I visited.

There was also a small, screened-off vendor in the corner of the Philadelphia Bourse building that seemed to have some potential, but was not open the two times we visited.

The Barnes Foundation was fantastic.

Cheesesteaks:

1. Rustica Rosticceria: 
1. The Gladiator: Roasted pork, pulled and chopped with sharp provolone
2. Marino’s Gobbler: house-roasted sliced whole turkey breast cranberry apple spread rich turkey brown gravy classic stuffing with onions and celery
2. Sonny's Famous Steaks: The Classic - Whiz, wit'
3. Campo's Philly Cheesesteaks: American, wit'
4. Geno's Steaks: Whiz, wit'
5. Pat's King of Steaks: Whiz, wit'
6. Reading Terminal Market - DiNic’s: Roast Pork, provolone, wit'
7. MilkBoy (note: they serve Jim's Steaks): provolone, wit-out
8. Cleavers: Whiz, wit'
9. Chickie`s & Pete`s @ PHL Airport (Terminal D): Whiz, wit'

My favorite was Cleavers, by a yard, even though the service was a sequence of miscommunications and misunderstandings. Rustica was also great. 

Let's face it, competition is strong in Philly and all of the above are solid (with one exception, noted below). 

My least favorite was Chickie's & Pete's, also by a yard, for mediocre bread, small portion size, and unenthusiastic service ... maybe it's better outside the airport.

People tend to treat customer service as something to be efficient about when ordering, and Pat's was probably the most true-to-expectation, but nearly every place was helpful and if you treat them like a human being they're super nice, even if it's sweltering hot and humid. x_x

Philadelphia Day 6

TIMELINE

• 8:00 a.m. Awake (8 hours sleep)
• 9:30 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - Pearl's Oyster Bar
• Me: Special - omelet with asparagus and bacon, with grits
• Dawn: steel cut oats with rhubarb
• Guitarist Chris Hall outside (I think?) - love to hear his voice
• 10:30 a.m. One Liberty Observation Deck
• 12:00 p.m. Museum of the American Revolution
• 3:30 p.m. Starbucks at Marriot:
• Double shot espresso
• Brownie
• 4:30 p.m. PHL airport
• 4:45 p.m. Chickie`s & Pete`s (Terminal)
• Mediocre food (cheesesteak and chicken sandwich) and service 
• 9:30 p.m. SFO airport
• 11:00 p.m. Home
• 11:30 p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Driver from Marriott to PHL was Stevie
• Hearing aid
• Found someone else's phone in his van (they dropped it)
• Grew up on Pat's cheesesteaks and said he knew some of the guys personally
• Shuttle driver for 18 years; very safe
• Used to work in construction
• "They don't speak English" comment about ride-sharing drivers
• Gave history lessons:
• Reason why first post office doesn't fly the flag
• Saturday's the worst for traffic
• Two hours to DC, 90 minutes to NYC, ?? hours to Atlantic City
• Great port
• Cheesesteaks: "Cheese, 'wit." That's how you say it
• Museum of the AR was solid, but we only had a limited time; missed seeing Washington's tent by a few steps
• Impressed by book selection in the gift shop
• Hot again
• There's a guy busking outside Reading Terminal Market with an amazing voice

Philadelphia Day 5

TIMELINE

• 8:00 a.m. Awake (8 hours sleep)
• 9:45 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - DiNic’s 
• Place was packed and there was a guy dressed in Amish attire at the counter so it seemed legit
• Shrimp & grits with eggs over easy
• Biscuit and cherry jam
• 10:15 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - Old City Coffee: double shot espresso
• 10:45 a.m. Free Library Philadelphia
• Wrought-iron balconies within each department
• Briefly viewed the Bernstein documents on display, including correspondence
• 11:15 a.m. Barnes Foundation
• Some of Renoir's art reminded me of DeepDream
• Joan Miró 
• Edith Dimock
• Claude Lorrain
• Francis McCarthy
• William Glackens
• Vincent van Gogh
• Pablo Picasso
• DeMuth - what are the words in his paintings (?)
• 6:00 p.m. Cleavers
• Cheesesteak with extra ribeye, cheese whiz, and onions
• Guiness draught
• 6:45 p.m. Federal Donuts:
• Cinnamon brown sugar
• Strawberry lavender
• Cookies and cream
• Peach ricotta
• 7:00 p.m. Ben & Jerry's: pint of Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles
• 7:15 p.m. Back at hotel
• ??? p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Some of Renoir's art reminded me of DeepDream
• Joan Miró 

Philadelphia Day 4

TIMELINE

• 8:30 a.m. Awake (9 hours sleep)
• 10:45 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - DiNic’s 
• Roast Pork with onions and provolone
• Business name comes from combination of Tommy Nicolosi and his cousin, Franky DiClaudio: "DiNic's". Boom.
• 11:00 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - Old City Coffee: double shot espresso
• 11:00 a.m. Walk to Drexel Academy of Natural Sciences:
• Masonic Temple
• Philadelphia Municipal Services Building courtyard, with enormous games pieces
• LOVE Park
• Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza
• Kosciuszko Monument
• Amor Sculpture
• Logan Circle
• Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
• Swann Memorial Fountain
• 11:45 a.m. Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
• Butterfly landed on me : o )
• 1:00 p.m. Walk to Franklin Institute; passed by:
• Aero Memorial World War I
• Parkway Central Library (also known as Free Library or Central Library)
• How does a train brake work (?)
• Velocipede
• Battery term came from row of guns firing all at once
• Ben Franklin: how reasonable to be a reasonable creature to reason for everything one wants to do
• 1:15 p.m. Arrived at the Franklin Institute
• Exhibits seen:
• Electricity:
• Tesla Coil
• Changing Earth
• The Franklin Airshow
• 1911 Wright Brothers Model B flyer
• United States Air Force 1948 T-33 Shooting Star jet trainer
• The Giant Heart
• Walked inside
• The Train Factory: 
• Nice visualization of the magnetic fields of two bar magnets
• Fun exhibit showing various prototypes of rail wheel types
• Space Command
• Clarified for me how battery works at a chemical level
• Amazing Machine
• Maillardet's automaton: wow
• Your Brain
• Admired the Neural Climber, but it looked like it was made for someone half my size (though one section seemed ok for adults)
• Real neruon from a giant squid
• Hanging piano
• Fels Planetarium 
• 3:30 p.m. showing of "Asteroid: Mission Extreme"
• Laughed out loud at intro video which had Star Trek instrumental music and seemed a thinly disguised promo for Space-X
• Foucault pendulum
• 6:35 p.m. Arrive Rittenhouse Square
• Lion with a Snake by Antoine-Louis Barye (1832)
• Dr. J. William White Memorial
• 6:55 p.m. Federal Donuts @ Center City:
• Peach ricotta donut
• Dr. Brown's Root Beer
• 7:00 p.m. Joe's Brick Oven Pizza: slice of tomato pie and slice of black olive
• 7:25 p.m. Back at hotel (completely soaked)
• 11:30 p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Completely soaked by rain
• Thunder and lightning 

Philadelphia Day 3

TIMELINE

• 7:00 a.m. Awake (5.5 hours sleep)
• 7:45 a.m. Walked with Dawn to the American Control Conference (ACC) 2019 morning plenary (full session) talk
• 8:15 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - The Dutch Eating Place
• Scrapple with scrambled egg omelet and buttered wheat toast
• 8:30 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - Beiler’s Bakery
• Pistachio muffin
• Cinnamon roll with walnuts
• Purchased a loaf of bread for a hungry homeless woman
• 8:45 a.m. Reading Terminal Market - Sweet as Fudge Candy Shoppe
• Three dark chocolate cashew turtles
• Penuchi fudge square (I've only read about it)
• Brownie fudge square
• 9:00 a.m. Back at hotel; tried to sleep but couldn't
• 11:30 a.m. Meet with Dawn after her talk which went well; walk down to her Women in Control lunch session
• 12:15 p.m.: SEPTA 11th Street station
• Purchased Key Card with incorrect weekly TransPass for next week
• Loaded the Key Card wallet and was able to ride the subway to the Independence Center exit
• Long underground tunnels connecting the various stations ... probably very helpful in the winter
• 12:30 p.m. Selfie with Philly Phanatic statue at Independence Visitor Center
• 1:00 p.m. National Constitution Center - We The People performance (mediocre script, but clever use of technology)
• 2:30 p.m. National Constitution Center - "Fourteenth" performance (wonderful)
• 3:15 p.m. SEPTA customer service to submit service request to remove Weekly TransPass charge which I don't need (customer service was wonderful)
• 4:20 p.m. Elfreth's Alley
• 4:45 p.m. Cherry Street Pier - wonderful creative space, but nobody was there
• 4:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. walking along waterfront
• Blue Cross RiverRink (roller skates)
• Great Plaza at Penn's Landing
• Spruce Street Harbor Park (hammocks :) )
• Rentals of peddle-powered swans, kayaks
• Mini amusement park
• 5:40 p.m. Cool off at CVS; purchased contact lens solution
• 6:00 p.m. Geno's Steaks - 
• wit', with 'wiz
• Birch beer
• Fries
• Passyunk Avenue
• 6:15 p.m. Pat's King of Steaks - wit', with 'wiz
• Honestly, I can't tell only that the bread differs
• Both great
• 6:30-7:15 p.m. - walked back to hotel, seeing a few things:
• Italian Market
• Magic Gardens (this was more impressive than expected, but closed)
• 7:15 p.m. Wawa #8112 - mixed fruit and a salted pretzel
• 7:20 p.m. Back at hotel
• ??? p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• 90 F with 63% humidity : S
• Dragging today; didn't get to sleep as much as I preferred
• Felt ok walking around though
• Elfreth's Alley was peaceful and in order; Bladen's Court was a neat sheltered retreat

Route: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7390166

Philadelphia Day 2

TIMELINE

• 9:30 a.m. Awake (9 hours sleep)
• 10:15 a.m. Left hotel, walked down 4th St., passing a number of locations:
• Hill–Physick–Keith House
• St. Peter's Episcopal Church & graveyard:
• Charles Willson Peale
• Commodore Stephen Decatur
• Vice President George M. Dallas
• The Reverend Jacob Duché
• John Nixon
• Captain Gustavus Conyngham
• Eliza Lucas Pinckney
• Samuel Fraunces
• Raynor Taylor
• The chiefs of eight American Indian tribes
• The Strange and Unusual
• Bainbridge Green
• Brickbat Books
• 11:00 a.m. Kawaii Kitty Cafe
• Kawaii Sundae (cookies and cream)
• Cat Face Latte
• Americano
• 12:45 p.m. Lunch to go @ Sonny's Famous Steaks (The Classic: beef, wiz, wit)
• 1:00 p.m. Back at hotel
• 1:15 p.m. Rehearse talk
• 3:20 p.m. Christ Church Burial Ground (graveyard):
• Benjamin Franklin
• Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, Benjamin Rush, Francis Hopkinson, Joseph Hewes and George Ross
• For a full list, see Wikipedia
• 4:10 p.m. National Constitution Center
• 5:20 p.m. Paris Baguette @ 4501 Arch Street (Iced milk bubble tea)
• 5:30 p.m. Walked through the Reading Terminal Market
• 5:45 p.m. back at hotel
• 6:00-9:00 p.m. Dawn @ American Control Conference (ACC) 2019 Opening Reception
• 8:45 p.m. Campo's Philly Cheesesteaks at 214 Market Street - Cheesesteak with American and fried onions
• 9:15 p.m. Wawa #8112 - mixed fruit, granola cup w/strawberries, Wawa pretzel
• 11:00 p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Historical district very lush and well-preserved
• Two cheesesteaks today: Sonny's and Campo's; both solid
• Humid; walked about 6-8 miles today and have a friction burn
• Uneven sidewalks a bit of a challenge
• Philadelphians seem to know when to start crossing even though the light hasn't changed to green ... Dawn says they look the other way to see the opposing light changing but I'm guessing everyone has a sixth sense
• 
  

Philadelphia Day 1

TIMELINE

• 6:30 a.m. Awake (7 hours sleep)
• 7:15 a.m. Left hotel
• 8:00 a.m. La Colombe - Independence Hall
• Scone
• Croissant
• Peach danish
• Coffee
• 8:30 a.m. Independence Visitor Center
• Free tickets for Independence Hall
• We got the first tour at 9:00 a.m. because the person who reserved them never picked them up
• We picked the wrong door to lineup at initially
• 9:00 a.m. Independence Hall tour
• 11:15-12:30 p.m. 243rd annual Declaration of Independence reading
• 12:45 p.m. Rustica Rosticceria
• The Gladiator Roasted pork, pulled and chopped with sharp provolone
• Marino’s Gobbler house-roasted sliced whole turkey breast cranberry apple spread rich turkey brown gravy classic stuffing with onions and celery
• 1:15 p.m. Benjamin Franklin Museum
• Saw a physical Leyden jar, something I've only read about
• Saw a Franklin's armonica
• Recovered from a migraine
• 4:00 p.m. Christ Church
• Organ refurbished in 2018
• Bell older than the Liberty Bell; they're not sure what to do with it
• 5:15 p.m. Betsy Ross House
• Cherry water ice 
• 6:00 p.m. Scoop DeVille @ The Bourse
• Fudge brownie ice cream
• 6:15 p.m. Wawa @ 1136 Market St
• Tastykake
• Wawa pretzel
• Homestyle Chicken Bites
• 6:30 p.m. back at hotel; watched reruns of The Office
• 11:00 p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Rained off and on today, which made it cooler ... not too bad, only needed an umbrella a few times
• Serendipitous to attend the 243rd anniversary celebration of the first formal readings of the July 8, 1776 reading of the Declaration of Independence:
• "The first formal public readings of the document took place on July 8, in Philadelphia (by John Nixon in the yard of Independence Hall)...."
• Was scheduled as an outdoor event, but moved inside to Congress Hall
• Re-enactments with costumed performers, both for and against revolution
• Handed out laser tabloid sheets of the Declaration 
• Ate one and a half enormous cheesesteaks for lunch plus fries and subsequently got a migraine ... recovered by drinking a half-liter of water and loosening my belt one notch
• Wawa foods:
• Ate first Tastykake desserts:
• Baked Apple Pie
• Baked Peach Pie
• Chocolate Glazed Pie 
• Banana Pudding Creme Glazed Pie
• Homestyle Chicken Bites
• Wawa represents the Ojibwe word for the Canada goose (taken from The Song of Hiawatha)

Philadelphia Day 0

TIMELINE

• 4:45 a.m. Awake (five hours sleep)
• 6:15 a.m. Left home
• 7:30 a.m. Arrive Long Term Parking - SFO
• 7:50 a.m. Arrive at baggage check area and automated ticketing kiosk
• 8:00 a.m. Arrive TSA PreCheck security ... no taking off shoes and belt, etc.
• 8:15 a.m. Arrive at gate
• 8:30 a.m. Napa Farms Market (International Terminal G)
• Cage-free Egg, Bacon & Cheese breakfast sandwiches (Applewood smoked bacon, aged cheddar, served on a ciabatta roll)
• Latte 
• India-inspired salmon salad with green beans, green olives, spiced potatoes
• 9:00 a.m. Board
• Flight delayed by ~30 minutes due to thunderstorms on the east coast
• Dawn purchased internet access for ~$20 to do work en route
• Internet free for public entertainment, seeing flight status, etc.
• Offered maple wafers and pretzels and soft beverages
• Overall smooth flight; I tried to rest with eyes closed and listened to audiobook D Day Girls
• Noticed the headrests were on velcro, which might help me adjust them on the return trip
• 6:00 p.m. (local time) Arrive Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
• 6:30 p.m. Taxi to downtown
• 6:50 p.m. Arrive Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
• 7:20 p.m. Luke's Lobster Market East
• SHRIMP COMBO with side lobster bisque + root beer $18 (570 - 810 cal.)
• LOBSTER COMBO with side salad + root beer $20 (340 - 730 cal.)
• 7:50 p.m. Dessert at Scoop DeVille Midtown
• Oreo Mudslide: Coffee ice cream blended with Oreos, and topped with more Oreos, with hot fudge on the side.
• Chocolate Velvet Individual Cake: Creamy cheesecake surrounded by decadent chocolate ganache, and chocolate crumbs, and finished with a chocolate buttercream rosette.
• ??? p.m. Asleep

NOTES

• Taxi driver (name was something like Blaze) was from Ivory Coast; really easy guy to talk to, favorite sports team was the Eagles because they get him the most money ; o )
• Downtown Philadelphia on a Sunday night reminds me of the Vancouver Gastown area; lots of transient people
• Drove through areas of blight around Philadelphia on way to hotel
• Walked through the Gayborhood down Walnut to the iconic City Hall; watched children of all ages playing in the splash pad 
• Lots of historical signs
• Saw a Wawa convenience store

Philadelphia Trip Planning

Attending the 2019 American Control Conference:
http://acc2019.a2c2.org/

Wi-Fi Hotspot Rental

• N/A (domestic) ... see South Korea / Vancouver for previous experiences

Itinerary

• 07/07 (Sun): 
• Arrive: SFO to PHL (9:05–5:35 p.m.)
• Wake up: 4:45 a.m.
• Depart home: 5:45 a.m.
• Arrive long-term parking: 7:00 a.m.
• Arrive check-in (via shuttle): 7:25 a.m.
• Arrive security: 7:45 a.m.
• Arrive gate: 8:00 a.m.
• Board: 8:30 a.m.
• Getting to hotel:
• Taxi: $30
• Train: $7
• Hotel check-in: 
• The Philadelphia Downtown Marriott 
• Check-in time 4:00 p.m.
• 07/08 (Mon)
• 
  
• 07/09 (Tue)
• 11:00 a.m.: Kawaii Kitty Cafe
• 07/10 (Wed)
• ACC 
• 07/11 (Thu)
• ACC
• 07/12 (Fri)
• ACC
• 07/13 (Sat)
• Checkout: 
• The Philadelphia Downtown Marriott (leave bags?)
• Check-out time 11:00 a.m.
• Depart: PHL to SFO (6:30–9:46 p.m.)

Hotels

• http://acc2019.a2c2.org/conference/venue/
• Conference rates:
• The Philadelphia Downtown Marriott
• $USD 169 discounted rate (before taxes and fees; normal conference base rate was $USD 209)
• 15.5% taxes and fees:
• $USD 194.35 ($USD 169.00 * 1.15)
• Out-of-pocket::
• $USD 0
• Reimbursement Rates:
• Lodging: $USD 194.35 (capped at $USD 275/day)
• Meals and incidentals: up to $USD 62/day
• Via: "For travel assignments of less than 30 days within the continental United States (CONUS), the reimbursement of daily subsistence expenses shall be based on the actual amounts incurred for lodging (room rate capped at $275-excluding tax and fees) and meals and incidental expenses, (capped at maximum of $62/day)"

2019 American Control Conference

http://acc2019.a2c2.org/

• July 10–12, 2019
• Conference site: The Philadelphia Downtown Marriott

Sight seeing

• http://www.visitphilly.com/

Meals and incidentals:

• Maximum (room rate capped at $275-excluding tax and fees) : 
• Maximum Lodging Rate: $USD 275
• M & IE Rate: $USD 62 (total; no breakdowns by meal)
• Maximum Per Diem Rate: $USD 337

Transportation

• Santa Cruz to/from Airport (SFO?)
• Personal vehicle: Santa Cruz to/from Airport
• Automobile Mileage Rates (58¢ per mile - Effective 1/1/2019)
• SFO Long-term Parking: https://www.flysfo.com/to-from/parking/long-term
• Shuttle to/from terminal
• Airlines
• Flight price tracking:
• Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights/
• Hipmunk (add email address during search): https://www.hipmunk.com
• PHL to/from Hotel
• Public transportation: ???
• Taxis: $??

Government Resources

• Passport: Valid through July 2026
• Global Entry:
• Valid through April 2022
• TSA Pre✓
• Expedited re-entry clearance
• https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry

Pet Boarding:

• Pads N Paws Petsitting/Bun and Breakfast - Santa Cruz, CA
• http://padsnpawspetsitting.com/

Sites (Suggested)

• ???

International Conference Travel Checklist

• Carry-on:
• Eye-mask
• Travel-sized toiletries:
• Hair brush
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Mini deodorant
• Dry shampoo (recommended: Oscar Blandi)
• Linen face blotters
• Refreshing face spray
• Electronics:
• Laptop
• Laptop Charger
• International power adapters
• Mini power strip
• Cell phone
• Cell phone charger
• Flashdrive
• Dongles which use regularly
• Any adapters needed to connect your computer to a projector
• Extra:
• Kindle
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Traveling
• Printouts 
• Condense to one page; keep in wallet/passport bag:
• Flight information
• Hotel reservation (with address)
• Maps
• Location of the conference center
• Travel reason proof, for border crossing:
• Conference registration
• Talk/poster acceptance letter
• Water bottle
• Guides
• TripAdvisor
• US Department of State
• Identification
• Passport bag around neck
• Passport
• Printed copy of passport
• Boarding passes
• Conference essentials
• Business cards
• Color copies of poster (if presenting one)
• Note-taking:
• Writing utensils
• Notebook (for example, Moleskin)
• Water bottle
• Reusable travel mug
• Umbrella
• Small purse or bag (note: so don't have to lug laptop bag to dinner)
• Snacks (granola bars, fruit, nuts)
• Travel baby wipes, hand sanitizer (note: when bathroom essentials lacking)
• List of people to introduce yourself to (note: search the program online in advance, workshop, lunch, or field trip)
• Packing
• Outfits for each day, plus backup (in case of wardrobe malfunction)
• Underwear
• Socks
• Accessories: belts/leggings, jewelry
• Outdoor wear
• Coat
• Jacket
• Raincoat
• Umbrella
• Hat
• Mittens
• Shoes: comfortable, weather appropriate
• Toiletries:
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Soap
• Shampoo/conditioner
• Hair products/hair dryer
• Nail clippers
• Shaving needs
• contact lenses/solution
• feminine hygiene products
• bite splints/retainers
• makeup
• medication
• ID:
• Passport
• Travel visa (if needed)
• Wallet
• Debit/credit cards
• Talk:
• Backup (!)
• Poster (with print-outs, in a poster tube with your contact info)
• Good to have:
• Mini sewing kit (for lost buttons, etc.)
• Travel laundry bag (these are great)
• Books, papers, or files you need to work while you travel (or finish your talk)
• Location of lodging, conference center, flight information, transportation itineraries, etc.
• Before you leave:
• Notify credit card companies of where and when will travel
• Citi
• U.S. Bank - Email them, like a barbarian: login, contact us, email....
• Golden One - Email them, like a barbarian: login, contact us, email....
• Capital One 360 - Don't need to
• Other (?)

Resources

• https://wikitravel.org/en/Philadelphia

Reimbursement:

• Travel Process: https://financial.ucsc.edu/Pages/Travel_Process.aspx
• Travel "Keys": https://financial.ucsc.edu/Pages/Travel_Keys.aspx
• Travel Forms: https://financial.ucsc.edu/Pages/travel_guide.aspx
• Travel Guide (that is, all the details): https://financial.ucsc.edu/Pages/Travel_Forms.asp

Previously:

https://iokevins-social.blogspot.com/2016/07/south-korea.html
http://iokevins-social.blogspot.com/2017/06/vancouver-travel-planning.html

Radio Songs

Via KKHK, 95.5 FM, out of Carmel, California:

• New Orleans, Louisiana-based The Revivalists' Wish I Knew You from their 2015 album Men Amongst Mountains on the Loma Vista Records, Washington Square, and Wind-up labels

Awkward turtle

Heard about this term from a recent audio book:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awkward_turtle

Shadows of wind farm

With the right timing, the Altamont Pass wind farm in the Diablo Range near San Jose casts lovely shadows in the early morning, as I'm driving eastbound toward Tracey. Add in some fog and its breathtaking.

Fiji Hotels

As recommended by someone who would know:

1. InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
2. Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay

St. Stephen: Elevator Bell

This May 28, 2019 GQ article on Bob Weir (by Brett Martin) states:

I later went to meet Weir in Nashville, I became half-convinced that the elevator chime in my hotel consisted of the opening chords to “St. Stephen.” And why not? Elevator sound designers have pasts, too.

Yes! I've had this thought in the back of my head for months now. 

I think the opening note is F#.

Chando's Cantina Art

Walked past Chando's Cantina and admire the art by Raul Mejia:

This wall at Chando’s was created because of all the things being said against Mexicans in politics. It was necessary to create this, not for myself or the Mexican people per se, but for the youth. They need to know there’s still people fighting for them.

https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/art-at-the-intersection/content?oid=26197130

From his Instagram, it's called the Mexican Legends mural (left to right):

1. Juan Gabriel, born Alberto Aguilera Valadez (1950–2016) 
2. Rocío Dúrcal, born María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (1944–2006)
3. Joan Sebastian (1951–2015)
4. Dolores del Río (1904–1983)
5. Chespirito, born Roberto Gómez Bolaños, in character as El Chavo del Ocho (1929–2014)

Many thanks to Raul for personally stepping in and naming #1, #2, and #4, above. : ) 

1. Frida Kahlo, born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (1907–1954) (note: not visible)
2. Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971–1995) (note: partially obscured)
3. Carlos Santana (1947–) (note: not visible)
4. Tin-Tan, born Germán Genaro Cipriano Gómez Valdés de Castillo (1915–1973)
5. María Félix (1914–2002)
6. Capulina, born Gaspar Henaine Pérez (1926–2011)
7. Cantinflas, known casually as Mario Moreno; born Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (1911–1993)

Helmetless Electric Scooters

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/05/head-injuries-broken-bones-plague-e-scooter-users-as-more-data-rolls-in/

Some takeaways, for me:

• 1 injury per 5,000 rides (underestimate, probably)
• ~50% had a severe injury
• Most frequent injury: break/fracture of bones (~35%)
• Only 1 had a helmet
• Weekends highest rate of injury
• Drinking reported by ~30% (in last 12 hours)
• ~40% report excessive speed contributed
• Head injuries:
• ~50%: Fractures, lacerations, or abrasions to the head
• 15%: Traumatic brain injury

Flensted Mobile

158 Drifting Clouds, nature

Fritz & Jim - High School Memories

Memories of high school hanging out with my friends Fritz & Jim:

• Running jokes:
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe: someone realized "left-waffle" sounded hilarious
• VGA vs. Super-VGA graphics (?) I think this was an advertisement in a PC trade magazine
• BBS door games:
• The Pit (1993)
• TradeWars 2002 (1991)
• PC games:
• Civilization (1991)
• Castles II: Siege and Conquest (1992)
• MechWarrior (1989): Joel McCue liked this
• Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
• Sega Genesis:
• Rented video games after school
• NHLPA Hockey '93: led to much NHL watching and becoming a fan of the then-current Boston Bruins team
• Road Rash
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993): this game. I think I experienced the Level 99 glitch, where ... it rolled over after investing so much time into the game. Crushed.
• Board games:
• Risk
• Sports:
• One-on-two basketball in Fritz's mom's horsebarn
• Tennis at the 6th St & 3rd Ave courts (now gone)
• Random:
• Fritz's house:
• His mom had a fridge in the adjacent basement room with horse semen, as she bred horses
• The basement smelled like potpourri: on 2021-11-07, I smelled a potpourri jar at World Market and it brought me back--the label read, "Pomegranate/orange, filled with notes of pomegranate, orange, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and cider".
• Two Boston Terriers: I forget the names, but remember them snuffling a lot
• Jim and I would sleep on the floor on opposite sides of Fritz's bed; I remember the noise of the ceiling fan 
• We'd stay up well past midnight, but as time went on Fritz seemed to want to go to bed earlier
• Sometimes I'd get up first and head downstairs and play Civ 
• Remember getting excited about hearing how the federal government had mandated fuel efficiency standards going up to something like 50 mpg in 10-15 years ... it would take a bit longer, but we're getting there
• Fritz's brother Alex came home from military training and showed us what he called his "anti-rape glasses" (basically chunky black frames)
• His family liked white chocolate
• Sometimes we'd eat at the dinner table upstairs with his parents
• The tank above the toilet overflowed at one point, and I was clueless about how to fix it
• Broke my glasses one night playing basketball
• The horse barn lights took a long time to illuminate enough so we could play -- it was cold
• Played basketball on packed earth in the far corner of the horse barn
• We'd walk over to Memorial Medical Center where Stephen Bechdolt worked as a pathologist and watch TV (Batman: The Animated Series), then Dr. Bechdolt would drive us around town
• I remember Fritz and his dad talking about attending a family reunion in Germany, and remarking on my surname as well
• Fritz's dad was thinking about buying an AK-47 before a gun ban went into effect (unsure if he did)
• Jim's house:
• At Jim's house we'd sometimes play Nerf basketball; I think Fritz brought over his PC, so we'd at least have two
• Milk in clear plastic bag in a pitcher (remember because it had a distinct taste from what I was used to)
• Surviving relative: Jeff
• PC's:
• Fritz had two PC's, I think: 
• One dedicated to running a BBS
• Two lines in his house
• One had an Intel 80486 and the other an Intel 80386, I think
• Turbo buttons, heh

The social aspects and gaming sparked my decision to go into Computer Science after high school. They were my people and closest friends in high school.

Remembrances - Fritz and Jim

"If I knew the way I would take you home…"

Freidrick Otto ("Fritz") Bechdolt obituary, 11/06/1976–02/07/2019:

Freidrick Otto Bechdolt, 42, of Spring Hill passed away February 7, 2019. Michels-Lundquist Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.

Notes:

• Burial location: unknown (to me).
• Social media:
• Business:
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Personal: 
• Facebook (2011–2019)
• YouTube (2017–2019)
• Twitter (2013–2019)
• Business:
• FB Information Systems (2001–2019)
• Poker web site (c. 2012)
• DJ (c. 2005; via)
• Health: 
• Circa September 2017:
• "... fractures combined with psoriatic arthritis. Currently on humira, prednasone, painkiller, propranolol. Also taking a nitrogen export supplement to help with fluid build up. Fractures include left tibia, fibia, and around the ankle. A  little less than two weeks since the breaks" (via, via)
• "Changes in my symptoms include much more pain, obviously but also extreme fatigue and weakness"
• Circa Feburary 2017: Prednisone use (via): "used to treat conditions such as arthritis, blood disorders, breathing problems, severe allergies, skin diseases, cancer, eye problems, and immune system disorders."


• Relationships:
• Robin Fox (2014–2019):
• Facebook
• Robin's Facebook post announcing Fritz's death
• Lived together in Spring Hill, Florida
• Immediate family:
• Stephen Bechdolt (Father)
• Remarried to Sandra Bechdolt
• Facebook
• Retired in 2015 (via), to Havre, Montana
• Janice Bechdolt (Mother; née Otto)
• Alexander Bechdolt (Brother)
• Pets:
• Mr. Fluffy (cat)
• Interests:
• Khalid (2017)
• DiVé
• Death:
• Timmy Daniels' request for info (02/11/2019):
• "We got the answers we were looking for sadly. If anyone wants to know more you can message me. Tragic."
• "If anyone ever has depression or an illness or substance issues like alcohol I hope you know you can talk to me & that I don’t have a judgmental bone in my body. You can be honest with me. I know it feels safe to hide it, but it’s safer to tell someone. It could change everything."
• "I can tell you everything. I’m coming down to Florida & am going to arrange some kind of final send off because they aren’t having a funeral I guess. Some tragedies are like that, but I know many people would like some closure."
• 03/03/2019: Erin Denise Butler > Timmy Daniels: "I would like to know, if you do have any kind of arrangement for him..... And wanting to know more about what happened. He posted a messaged about a week before. He said he wasn't doing well. I asked if he was in the hospital... No response. Then this.."

James Lee ("Jim") Nelson Jr. obituary, 03/04/1977–07/11/2012:

James Lee Nelson Jr., age 35, formerly of Ashland, passed away, Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at his home in Smyrna, GA. He was born March 4, 1977 in Ashland, the son of the late James and Jeanne (Koleski) Nelson. 

James graduated from Ashland High School in 1995. He continued his schooling at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire and completed his degree in Engineering at the University of Southern Florida. James was currently working as a mechanical engineer for the SCI Energy Company in Atlanta, GA. 

James was an avid collector of baseball and football cards. He enjoyed playing tennis and occasionally would compete in marathons. He was a bright and intellectual man who will be deeply missed by all who knew him. 

He is survived by his brother, Jeffery (Stacey Delgado) Nelson of Appleton; a nephew, Zaccari Nelson of Ashland; two nieces, Daisy Nelson of Ashland and Madyson Nelson of Appleton; uncles and aunts, Mary Lou and Clarence Gregoire of Ashland, Al and Donna Mae Lundquist of Ashland, Shirley and Leon Osredkar of Sturtevant, and Joe (Pat McPherson) Nelson of Scottsdale, AZ; and numerous cousins and friends. 

Besides his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his uncle and aunt, Carl and Betty Anderson. 

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at Frost Home for Funerals in Ashland with Pastor Rod Larson officiating. Inurnment will follow the service in the St. Agnes Cemetery in Ashland.

Jim's grave.

Social Media:

• Facebook (2009–2011)

Craigslist Rental Scam - Call4Room.com

As reported:

URL:
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/roo/d/sacramento-looking-for-clean-and/6868392211.html

Emailed, received text reply from (720) 370-7562, "just got your email for my cl ad "Looking for clean and considerate roommate,Available Now!" Please contact with the room owner directly at www.m.call4 room. com"

This URL, call4room.com, is only 1 month old and pretends to be from Roomster (e.g., logo at top). The subdomain (e.g., http://m.call4room.com/) redirects to a page featuring "Lisa Allison". However, a Google search shows other call4room subdomains with "Lisa Allison", in different municipalities (e.g., https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/roo/d/pomona-room-for-rent-beautiful/6853045188.html, which has URL call4room.com/4581698, which redirects to http://www.lisa.call4room.com/, which has a different image of "Lisa Allison".

The user is prompted to redirect to Roomster, where another fake ad exists. In my case, it was https://www.roomster.com/profile/13193556.

Sad.

Prius High-Intensity Discharge Headlamp (HID) Bulb Replacement

Replaced the HID bulbs from November 2015, about 3.5 years.

Still a PITA. But this time it was easier as I had lower expectations.

Previously, previously

Ripple

Getting the feels from "Ripple" (10/31/80 - Radio City Music Hall) by the Grateful Dead, especially the last lines:

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine
And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung
Would you hear my voice come through the music
Would you hold it near as it were your own? 

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken
Perhaps they're better left unsung
I don't know, don't really care
Let there be songs to fill the air 

Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow 

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty
If your cup is full may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men 

There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone 

Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow 

You who choose to lead must follow
But if you fall you fall alone
If you should stand then who's to guide you?
If I knew the way I would take you home 

Songwriters: Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter

Analysis:
http://artsites.ucsc.edu/GDead/agdl/ripple.html

It mentions "optimistic hopelessness".

The live shows resonate so much more than the studio version. You can feel the energy from the audience.

Note: animated GIF sourced to Robert Redford in the 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson; I thought it was Nick Offerman.

Bear Creek Road

Los Gatos to Santa Cruz via Bear Creek Road

Rainy night's drive from Los Gatos to Santa Cruz via Bear Creek Road, through patches of fog, up and down the Santa Cruz Mountains, twisting around switchbacks, on roads with no shoulders, illumination, or road surface marking, with what I later realized was only one working low-beam headlamp (it seemed to go out after using the high beams).

It wasn't great. It was amazing. And dangerous. And rather reckless. I don't recommend it. At all. I stumbled into it blindly, following Waze rerouting me around a full closure of State Route 17.

I opened my window: heard gurgling of small waterfalls and tires splashes, smelled aromatic chimney smoke and petrichor from redwoods and ferns. It was primeval and electric.

Behind me, I shepherded another driver who refused to take the lead when I pulled aside early on. Tucking in the side view mirror minimized reflected headlight glare during turns. Waze GPS alerted me to upcoming turns and switchbacks.

After about 10-15 minutes of this I began to feel more confidence and less disquiet and alarm: move slow, take each turn carefully, plan ahead using the GPS map, repeat and stay focused and don't get cocky.

Then road markings re-appeared, road illumination, and oncoming vehicles. By Felton, it was routine roadway.

Lesson learned: take Highway 9 or 101 south to Watsonville area instead.

Link:
https://localwiki.org/santacruz/Bear_Creek_Road

https://localwiki.org/santacruz/Highway_17

Año Nuevo SP

An Año Nuevo State Park ranger gave our group members a business card which reads:

• Año Nuevo Reserve
• Research Updates
• Real time tracking maps
• Photos, videos, sounds

www.anonuevoreserve.com