How was your first week under the regime?

This week my consulting work for a federal health agency was on and off multiple times, my spouse had a day fielding panicked calls from elderly Medicaid patients who couldn’t get their medications, and I had to become familiar with the protocol for an ICE raid on the school where I’m a substitute.

Amusing, but harsh.

In other news, my online credit card payment of $90.00 I entered as $9,000.00. I was able to undo it at my local bank, in person (on the phone it would’ve been a nightmare), but I’m all nervous-sweaty.

Someone I know posted the comment “No one will ever buy me a beer because of my tattoo”. I think it’s fascinating how that can mean you either have a tattoo or don’t:

No one will ever buy me a beer (because I have a tattoo)

No one will ever (buy me a beer because I have a tattoo)

Today I learned that one of my neighbors is the widow of a hold medalist in the 1924 Olympics (rowing). There was obviously a major age difference between them. Despite her advanced age, she swims in the ocean daily, year round, and rows for up to 5 hours at a time.

I got into the newspaper for this!

My generation: Hey, I made the paper!

My son’s generation: Aren’t your own photographs better?

My cat was born with three legs, is somewhat overweight, and is somewhat old. In short, not very mobile. When we let her outside she rarely strays beyond the porch. Yet yesterday she caught a shrew.

Fun fact: The Italian word for shrew is toporagno, which means spider-mouse.

Robert Hazard and the Heroes self-titled debut ep, on cassette (1982)

On the one hand, the CPS-3, in which I am enrolled, is the best-designed study of cancer in the population ever. On the other, so far it is reporting that age, smoking, alcohol, family history, diet, physical inactivity, and obesity are the key risk factors, which we’ve known for many decades.

That is quite good!

What’s interesting is that this event has been going on since the 1990s, it’s well-publicized, it’s free, the weather was good, the water was warm…and there were 17 swimmers. I’m seeing this everywhere - free readings by National Book Award winners drawing less than 50, for example.

My goal in 2022 was to swim this, then again this year, but I’ve still only gone half this distance. Next year, for sure. I didn’t know you could stop and hang onto a kayak.

Over the weekend I was a kayak spotter in a local half-mile lake swim. I ended up with the slowest guy - he was at the quarter-mark when the leader finished. He hung onto my kayak at one point, then eventually moved into shallow water where he could stand after every few strokes.

Coincidentally, I wrote a relevant poem today that will fit in this space, with characters to spare!

Final Half Marathon

That was the day he went
From being a fast runner
To being a fast runner
For his age

Wiffle tennis.

In June I “won” an entry into a 50k race that goes up and down all the mountain trails in the local state park - 7600’ of elevation gain in total, much of it in the last 10k. Today I “finished” the course - breaking it into chunks over a series of Sundays - and I think I can do the whole thing.

El Niño, right?

Ciao!

Well, also one of those books where all the main characters are aging literature professors who despise one another, ponder suicide and never leave New York City.

The tone is unrelentingly gloomy so far.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez. A National Book Award winner, but I bought it only because she came to speak in my little town. The turnout was low.

I heard pleasing music and before my eyes the message, “You have gone up a level”

I had a swim lesson with people my own age yesterday. It was great. I’ve never gotten the hang of the kickboard. The instructor said “kick from the hip, kick from the knees, I don’t know what that means either. Just pretend you stepped in dog poop and you’re trying to fling it off.” It worked!

This morning I hiked up here from down there (the village left-center). 1300 feet, starting at true sea level.

So you are never far from Batavia…

Where in upstate NY? I lived in Albany 20 years, now in Maine.

- Ph.D. in geography!
- No, but I should have by now
- Sounds like a great idea

- I could never get my head around GitHub, and now I’m at a point in my life where it’s irrelevant
- Yes, a aging rescue born with 3 legs. This morning there were a record of 4 species of bird on the electric wire needlessly sounding the alarm while she napped on the porch
- No
- Unsweet, but coffee