Longform
Notes from the Aisle Seat Episode 4.12 - The "Homeward Bound" Edition
The latest edition of my podcast Notes from the Aisle Seat is now available. You may listen right here by clicking the audio button below, or listen on the podcast’s website #rivertao
It's A Honda
Notes from the Aisle Seat Episode 4.11 - The "Rainforest" Edition
The latest edition of my podcast Notes from the Aisle Seat is now available. You may listen right here by clicking the audio button below, or listen on the podcast’s website #rivertao
Notes from the Aisle Seat Episode 4.10 - The "Desert Spring" Edition
Episode 4.10 The “Desert Spring” Edition of the podcast is now available! All interviews for the April 2 episode of the podcast are in the can. Time to get serious about the packing.
Don't Be A Sucker - US War Department Education Film 1947
A short film which analyzes how fascist regimes come to power. Produced by the US War Dept. in 1947, it is eerily timely in 2025.
Apple Intelligence - Who Cares?
Apple fails to ram Apple Intelligence down my throat. Who cares? Tech junkies, apparently.
Capt. America and Aging Out
Eddie Schneller's Wind Phone
This audio post concerns a mysterious wind phone dedicated to Eddie Schneller.
Out Where I Didn't Belong
On Snowbirding Part 2
On Snowbirding Part 1
Friday Feb. 7, 2025
Today’s walk: 1.6 mi., weather 75°, sunny. My ankle seems to have come around after a few days' rest. I decided to take the long grade uphill route just to get a little extra something into the walk. Don’t be too impressed though because the elevation gain is only 60'.
I’ve kept busy these past few days doing busywork. I think the worst habit I have is dawdling away the morning. Sometimes I’m not ready to get anything done until about 11AM or so, and then I wonder why the day is so short. Yesterday I slept in until 9 AM - a little unusual, but it’s not like I get up at 7 AM or so on a regular basis. Coffee, a walk, skimming the news/email, shower and breakfast seem to take up a good chunk of the morning.
Catching up
Let’s do a little catch-up here now that the redesign is complete. I did go for a walk on Monday of only 1.2 miles, but late yesterday and today something in my left ankle did not feel right, and putting weight and pressure on it causes some pain and limping. So I took today off to give it some rest. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and if it’s in shape for a stroll.
The weather here has turned gorgeous - Yesterday and today it hit 82° for a high. Blue skies, no clouds. One thing I find I have to adapt myself to is how fast things can cool down. With no clouds there is nothing to retain the heat of the day and it can cool down pretty quickly. Back home it’s - well, I don’t want to talk about it. Cold. Snow. Gray.
Jan. 27th, 2025
Morning Walk Sat. Jan. 25, 2025
Thursday Jan. 23, 2025
Hall of Famers
Gotta say the Hall of Fame inductees this year is a solid group. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy “The Kid” Wagner all worthy candidates. CC represents, though, a change in how pitching will be looked at in the future. 250 wins is probably the bar now (CC with 251), while his lifetime ERA is high at 3.74 (highest of any LHP). Still, over 3,000K and 3,577.1 IP ain’t shabby. Ichiro - well, we all know his story. Let me highlight just his 10 consecutive seasons with 200 hits, 3,089 hits, and .311 BA - in MLB alone, not counting his NPBL stats. Billy Wagner makes it in his last year of eligibility for many reasons, but 422 saves over only 903 IP with a career WHIP under 1.00 demonstrates his talent. He was a prototype of the modern closer. Dave Parker and Dick Allen arrive from the Classic Era Baseball Committee (I liked Veterans Committee better), while Tom Hamilton, the marvelous play-by-play announcer of the Cleveland Guardians, earns the Ford Frick Award, and Tom Boswell of the Washington Post received the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
Best news of all? A-Roid was listed on only 37.1% of ballots and has only 6 more years left.
Morning Walk Mon. January 20, 2025: Martin Luther King Day
Neighborhood walk 9:15AM MST. Weather: 42°, abundant sunshine. Decided to do my walk downhill. I have a choice with the route I’ve mapped out of either going uphill or downhill, so I think if I continue to use this path I will alternate. Less dogs today, and the barks I got seemed half-hearted. Pass two couples across the boulevard. One street I walk on has a sidewalk on one side but not the other. One observation I made today is that the roofs on houses all have peaks. For some reason I thought they’d be flat. Don’t know why that came to mind today. Nice win by the Buffalo Bills yesterday. I was nervous going into the game, as the Ravens have looked very good near the end of the season. Buffalo caught a few breaks, and it’s about time some of the breaks went their way.
Morning Walk Sunday January 19, 2025
Neighborhood walk, 1.6 miles. Weather: 45°, sunny, cloudless blue sky. I realized two things while walking this morning. The first is that I feel like I’m living in a Wes Anderson movie set. The lack of human activity is decidedly eerie. The second is that what adds to this eerieness is the fact that people do not use fences to enclose their back yards; they use walls. There is this strange juxtaposition of enclosed spaces set amidst open land and sky that feels alien. Individual houses have a fortress vibe to them.
I passed a woman this morning who was out picking up garbage along the curb of the main boulevard. She seemed to be doing this of her own accord, as there was nothing about her equipment (a kitchen garbage bag and a picking stick) or her attire (sweats) that indicated any official or volunteer position. She was the only person I passed.
The route I took showed me a different way to arrive home rather than the way I was taking. I believe it’s a bit shorter and more direct. There are a number of dead ends and streets that don’t connect to other streets, so finding a direct path is not simple. But I am getting better driving around this week and getting my bearings. Now that we’re mostly settled in we have to start planning trips. Saguaro National Park and the Tombstone/Bisbee/Douglas route are the two easiest. We didn’t come here to sit around the house. We will, though, be watching the Bills/Ravens game. That’s going to be a challenging game for Buffalo.